The group, now laden with their individual geis and ties to a faerie group, decides to head back to the stone at Ben Bulben to see if anything is revealed to them. They bid farewell to Fionnuala and leave Lough Derravargah. As they depart, Cinn Oir notes something she hadn’t seen before; a druidic symbol on a nearby oak. She points this out to the rest of the party but apparently, they are unable to see it. Noting the symbol, the party moves on.

They reach Ben Bulben by mid morning, having been awake all night. They decide to setup camp during the day by the standing stone and wait to see if they encounter the same ghostly voices. While waiting, Cinn Oir and Cian explore the immediate area. Cinn Oir is interested in exercising her Animal Friendship spell while Cian is looking for something he can use for tools for his craft of "tattooing". After a long morning, Cinn Oir finally comes across some interesting tracks. She identifies them as that of a badger yet they are about five times larger than what one would suspect. Following them, they are surprised as the creature jumps from the bushes, digging its claws deep into Cian’s midsection. A short battle ensues as Cian tries to keep it busy while Cinn Oir casts her spell. The Animal Friendship spell is unsuccessful so Cian and Cinn Oir settle for a successful Calm Animal spell and a hasty retreat. Upon returning to camp they rest with the others and Liam sees to Cian’s wounds. The day at the stone passes uneventfully and the party begins to wonder if their ordeal has been worthwhile.

Just as night falls however, the area around the stone comes to life. This time, as the sounds of merriment spring up about them, so does the source. The whole area is suddenly encompassed in a merry festival. Drunken warriors sing songs of old and boast of past adventure. Bards wander the crowds playing fiddles, harps and drums as men and women dance around a roaring fire. Bebe’s eyes light up and immediately she approaches the nearest group of warriors; intent on getting some information and more intent on getting hold of some mead. Cinn Oir looks around and spots a lone warrior sitting on the far side of the encampment on a fallen log. He is geared for battle it seems, wearing a suit of scale armor with a hefty battle axe slung across his back. His mood appears to be in great contrast with those around him. Intrigued, Cinn Oir approaches him.

Their conversation is short, though revealing. Cinn Oir offers a sympathetic ear to whatever troubles the stranger may be burdened by. At first, he is slow to speak, but begins to volunteer more information once he notices she is marked as a "Child of Lir". He finds this odd as the only children of Lir he has heard tale of were lost to a curse many years ago. Cinn Oir glosses over this and inquires more about the man’s foul mood. The man goes on to explain that he has not participated in "the hunt" for many years; ever since he left his men on the field of battle. Cinn Oir comforts him then asks him whether he is familiar with the Woods. He notes that he is and Cinn Oir presses him about the whereabouts of Ceridwen. The man claims that he does know where she resides though they have never met. He gives Cinn Oir directions and then stands to leave.

Cinn Oir thanks him then asks whether there is anything that she could do to help him in return. He stops and considers her for a while then says "find my men. They are imprisoned by the enemy, and have been for many years." Cinn Oir hesitantly agrees and then asks where she may look to find them. The man says he left them on the field of battle and that is where they last were. A battlefield just southeast of his keep on Lough Mead. He then turns and disappears into the night.

Cinn Oir returns to the group and reports her findings. They then debate whether they should leave immediately to follow the stranger’s directions to Ceridwen’s home. Bebe is interested in going on the hunt and talks the party into following along in the least. She reports some of the strange tales she heard while drinking with a group of warriors. Apparently the boar these hunters are after is an enormous magical boar which is impervious to weapons and strikes fear in those who approach it. As she explains this, the whole camp starts to spring into action. Warriors buckling down armor and readying weapons, trainers calling for their hounds. The minstrels wandering the camp all join in unison in the same hunting song the party heard the previous night: the song of the Boar of Ben Bulben. The party decides to follow along, though mainly to observe, and breaks off with the hunting group Bebe has befriended.

The group bolts into the woods, the hounds in the lead. Bebe, Cinn Oir, Liam, and Cian keep to the rear and keep pace with the hurtling hunting party quite well. After at least a half hour at a dead run, the hounds up front suddenly fall quiet. A "yelp" can be heard in the darkness ahead. In an instant, the hounds are bursting through the brush, running back towards the party with their tails between their legs. Horns blast and shouts ring out but the hounds continue on their run. Some attempts are made to grab them but as the hunting party realizes what must lie ahead, they all head in the direction the hounds ran from.

Moments later, an enormous boar crashes through the trees. At least 10 foot at the shoulder, the boar seems to shimmer with some sort of energy. As it charges into the group of hunters, bodies fly, trailing blood to the ground as they catapult into the trees. The adventurers stop and watch as the hunting party, undaunted, surrounds the boar. Cian, no longer satisfied to watch, summons a Fiendish Hawk and orders it into the fray along with his own familiar (which joins more reluctantly.) Bebe holds position, vowing to attack only if the party is in danger. Liam and Cinn Oir begin to unleash a volley of spells trying to slow the beast down. Doom, Daze and Flare all fly at the creature with no effect. Each round a hunter dies and each round several solid hits contact the Boar though it doesn’t bleed….weapons do shatter however.

Confounded by this beasts invulnerability, Liam moves around to its rear while Cinn Oir casts Shillelagh and moves in to try to strike the beast. As the press around the boar tightens, it suddenly stops and peers down at the hunting party. It roars with a deep, unsettling squeal, staring through narrow slits, its tusks dripping fresh blood. The ferocious sight is too much to bear and the majority of the hunters, along with Cinn Oir, are forced to flee. Seeing this, Bebe calls Cian to her and runs around to earshot with Liam, calling for them to leave. The party gathers together and leaves as a handful of stalwart hunters continue engaging the boar. They watch as each hunter falls victim to the beast. Seemingly satisfied, the boar disappears back into the dark woods.

Upon finding Cinn Oir, the adventurers soon set off for Ceridwen’s home; at least where it is reported to be. They travel part of the night then stop to rest until morning. With dawn they continue on their trek. The man Cinn Oir spoke with mentioned that they should travel west from the standing stone at Ben Bulben then turn due north once they reach an ancient sidhe (burial mound.) Following the directions, they do reach a sidhe, and giving it a wide berth, they continue north. The woods grow thinner and the canopy less dense. Soon they are able to see the sun again and a long stretch of hilly countryside ahead. Just as they leave the heavy woods, they are met by Ceridwen and with her is Dierdre.

There is a short discussion, with Bebe hurling scathing remarks at Ceridwen, who appears only mildly apologetic. Ceridwen explains that something very important came up and she was unable to meet the party earlier. She figures that the group, who mostly seemed uninterested in helping her, would have gone home. 

Dierdre adds that she encountered Ceridwen after getting separated from the party just after their last fight with the giant-kin. Dierdre had wandered off after Ciara and instead, found herself surrounded by wolves. She fled, lost the party, and headed north until she reached the wood’s edge, turning west from there. Eventually, by sheer luck she wandered by Ceridwen’s abode and was met by Ceridwen herself, astonished to see her.

Some of the party is still unsatisfied by the explanations. Nevertheless, they agree to follow Ceridwen to her "home". After a short walk, Ceridwen takes them to a hillside, pauses briefly and steps into the hill, disappearing. As Dierdre does this as well, the party follows. They are lead into a short underground passage which comes to a small curved flight of stairs leading further down. At the base of the stairs, Ceridwen pulls back a long white silk curtain decorated with a golden hand in a gesture of offering. She motions into a long rectangular room with a stone table in its center. "Welcome to my home, if you can call it that."

As they enter, Ceridwen pulls Liam aside and asks if she can have his assistance in a matter. Liam agrees and Ceridwen draws him to another curtain in the far corner of the room. Bebe follows and Ceridwen, with venomous pleasantry, notes that she only needs Liam's help, not hers. Liam assures Bebe he will be alright then enters the room with Ceridwen who quickly draws the curtain shut behind them. Dierdre explains that she has been here for a few days and Ceridwen has shown the same reluctance to allow her into that room though Ceridwen and her "brother" (that they saved in session 4) routinely enter there.

After about an hour, Liam emerges with Ceridwen and her brother. Ignoring the rest of the party (and Bebe’s snarling stare) Ceridwen heads for the staircase. As she crosses the room she says she will be back in three days time. When she pulls the curtain aside to the stairs, she leans toward Liam and whispers something which Bebe and Cian pick up on, "Remember, let nothing happen to him." Liam nods in acceptance and Ceridwen and her brother turn to leave. Ceridwen whispers something under her breath and the walls along the long stone room shimmer. Each is now seen to be lined with shelf after shelf. Books, strange alchemical substances and jars with floating specimens fill the shelves. Ceridwen’s voice can be heard calling to them as she heads up the stairs. "Reading material for any interested. However, DO NOT touch the books on the northwest wall." As she disappears up the stairs, Bebe, Dierdre and Cinn Oir bombard Liam with questions while Cian stares in rapture at the shelves. Liam remains tight lipped and mentions that if anyone wants to leave the cave, they need to see him first so he can deactivate the traps along the hall. Ceridwen apparently didn’t want to share this security information with anyone but Liam and Liam notes that it was with great hesitation. In answer to questions about his new "duty", Liam only mentions he is to look after someone for Ceridwen.

Cian is lost in the books for the next several days. He adds a few new spells to his repertoire and picks up some hints on how to go about constructing his first Wonderous Item: a tattoo that can be placed on the skin to hold magical energy and fades as the spell is released. Dierdre also studies a few of the books, helping Cian with his new task. Cinn Oir, still intent on adding a new animal friend, heads out into the woods with Bebe. Their first few days are fruitless though Bebe does see an interesting sight. From atop a hill she notes a large humanoid sitting, not beneath, but alongside a large tree. Not wanting to risk the more fragile Cinn Oir’s safety, she decides against trying to split its head open with her axe. On the third day, Bebe and Cinn Oir do find an interesting pet. Cinn Oir successfully befriends an enormous weasel; the size of a medium sized dog.

On the evening of the third day, Liam emerges from the adjoining room in the cave where he has spent nearly all of his time. With him is someone no one in the party has seen before. A small but strikingly handsome man. He is of slight build with narrow eyes and pointed ears…much like the features of Ceridwen and her brother, only more extreme. He introduces himself as Cu Roi, and welcomes the party to his home. Under strain, and some help from Liam, he makes his way across the room to the table and sits at the head chair. Very surprised, the party gathers around and begins to question the man.

The man is as elusive as Ceridwen, whom he says is his daughter. Bebe, tired of his word games, threateningly notes that it looks like Liam has been helping him quite a bit, probably healing him as that is Liam’s profession, so the man owes them a little more honesty. Cu Roi sighs and agrees to elaborate a little more on the truth. The name Cu Roi is one given to him by the people of the south. Dierdre and Cian openly reflect on their Knowledge Arcana and recall the Cu Roi of legend: a shape shifting faye who presumably seduces mortal women. Cu Roi accepts the definition though with a tinge of embarrassment. He explains that recently, he was on a trip to the south and managed to upset a certain Servant of the Flame (cleric of the clan of Steairn.) This cleric surprised him and called upon his god to afflict him with a magical disease. Cu Roi describes how he barely escaped and ignores Bebe’s question as to whether he was pawing the man’s wife at the time (though even less tactfully put…..)

Cu Roi continues, despite a flood of jeers from Bebe. He explains how he managed to make it back home, though he nor Ceridwen were able remove the disease. He was lying near death for several days until Liam took charge of his healing. After further questioning from the party, Cu Roi offers a wealth of information about his past. He begins by saying he is centuries old, and first arrived in Eyru from the east where his people live, across the sea. He traveled across the oceans with one of the ships from the city of Tach so long ago. He left because of a misunderstanding among his people which he doesn’t detail (and Bebe suggests it has something to do with keeping something in his breeches…...) The people of Eyru were incredibly suspicious of his appearance and of his arcane spells. Therefore, soon after arriving, he found himself fleeing angry mobs who likened him to "dangerous and mischievous faye". He found one man whom he thought he could trust. This man was Steairn. Steairn feigned friendship with him and protected him, though all the while only hoping to learn the secrets of his magic.

Desperate to try to find some acceptance among the people of Eyru, Cu Roi taught his presumed friend, Steairn, of the arcane arts. Steairn was an eager and overzealous student and the power quickly went to his head. When the High King was lost at sea, Steairn immediately claimed the throne, hoping his new found power would help him secure the land of Eyru. At the same time, he put a bounty out on Cu Roi and exposed him once again to the suspicious public. Cu Roi fled the turmoil and found solace in the Woods among the faye. He watched with great sadness as the Eyrian empire fractured and fell apart; the settled lands to the North falling again to the giants and the southern lands slowly divided among the four High clans.

After his story, Cu Roi beseeches the party to help him once more. He mentions that while Liam has been able to boost his health considerably, he is not cured. He tells of the sidhe to the south and how he once entered it many years ago. He left it in peace at the time, but within were many interesting items, some with magic properties. He asks if the party could search the sidhe for him, perhaps for something which may cure his affliction. He also explains that from what he knows, it is the burial mound of Gobhine, the smith of the Tuatha De Danaan. Regardless whether the mound contains a means to cure him or not, there may at least be something there the party may be able to use in their travels.

The session ends with the party reflecting on the historical bombshell that this man has just dropped and debating whether the burial mound is worth investigation…….