Deciding to help Cu Roi, the party gears up to set out for the ancient sidhe in the morning. Cu Roi thanks them and offers to identify any magical items they may bring back. He also offers them a potion of shielding, and a scroll of dispel magic which they accept. Accompanying them is Ceridwen’s brother the half elf. He still has yet to speak in the presence of the party though Ceridwen claims he has spoken since his rescue many days ago. The journey is far from uneventful. 

Less than three hours south of Cu Roi’s home, Bebe gives a shout of alarm and raises her axe just as a thick, thorn encrusted vine drops from the trees. Before she can swing, it has encircled itself around her body and pulled her off the ground. 

As the vine moves up, most of the party reacts. Dierdre and Cinn Oir are caught by surprise while Liam and Cian rush in. Cian stops to determine which tree the vine is attached to and moves toward its trunk while Liam throws a dagger, slicing but not severing the thick vine. At the end of the round, Bebe flies into a rage and wrestles free of the vine. Before it can continue its ascent into the trees, Ceridwen’s brother deals it a powerful blow with his longsword. Weapons ready, the party eyes the vine as it retreats back into the trees. 

As the next round begins, Ceridwen’s brother begins lighting as many torches as he can while Cinn Oir spends her time studying the vine, trying to recall any information she can about it with her wilderness skills. Cian begins to clamber up the tree's trunk while Dierdre fires a Magic Missile at the vine which is now lurking in the upper branches. Liam readies another dagger and alongside Bebe, moves toward the tree’s trunk. Cian gets no more than 15 feet off the ground when the vine lashes out at him, attempting to encircle him. He manages to avoid being grappled by the vine but is sliced badly as it whips wildly around him. Bebe, not too keen on climbing the tree, decides to bring the vine to her. With a berserk shout she begins chopping away at the trunk with her battle axe. Dierdre seems to think the idea is sound and moves forward to cook the opposite side with Burning Hands. 

As the tree shudders under Bebe’s heavy blows, suddenly the ground around the tree springs to life. Cinn Oir, her pet Dire Weasel, and Dierdre are held fast by the foliage, while Liam and Bebe wriggle free and move out to the edge of the Entangle. Cian however is still trapped in the tree and facing a melee combat which is definitely on his opponent’s terms. The vine whipping madly about in front of him, Cian slides around to the back side of the tree trunk, taking cover from the plant creature. Noting that the rest of the party is wrestling with the Entangle, Cian decides to begin working very cautiously down the tree trunk. His first step however is a misplaced one and he plummets from the tree. With uncanny grace, the vine whips out as Cian falls and wraps securely around him. Saved from the fall, Cian is now slowly being crushed by this presumably "hungry" plant.

Squeezed within inches of his life, Cian fights to remain conscious. Ceridwen’s brother has lit a pile of five torches and proceeds to toss them at the base of the tree. Seeing that the vine is dangling Cian’s now lifeless body close to the ground, Bebe and Liam fight back through the Entangle to try to free him. As Liam closes, he lets loose another dagger which pierces the vine above Cian’s head though doesn’t sever it. Bebe hefts back her axe, narrowly missing the wriggling vine (and Cian). Dierdre, still struggling to free herself from the Entangle, frees her hands and fires another Magic Missile at the vine. It falls limp and Cian drops into Bebe’s arms. Quickly, Liam begins burning healing spells into Cian as he is nearly over the threshold of death’s door. 

With Cian revived, the party decides to head back to Cu Roi’s home to replenish spells. When they arrive, they are met by a surprised Ceridwen. She asks quizzically if they were successful. When the party mentions their set back she begins berating them and telling them they must save her father. Dierdre, never a fan of Ceridwen, tells her to "Kiss my ass" (and rolling a good Intimidation skill check for good measure.) Ceridwen, gives her an icy glare and threateningly tells the party to complete their mission them storms out of the room. After another night’s rest, the party sets out once again for the sidhe, being sure to keep a look out for any more hungry vines.

This time, the trip to the sidhe is uneventful. They reach it just before nightfall and proceed to search the area. Cinn Oir notes no unusual tracks near the burial mound and so they move in closer to search the exterior of the mound. Within minutes, most of the party spots something. There is a small stone set into the hill which displays an ancient symbol, however the symbol can only be seen by those who received the faye marks. Cinn Oir dutifully sets to clearing it off while Cian gets a closer look. His Arcane Knowledge tells him that it is a symbol old enough to have been from the time of the Tuatha de Danaan and is still rarely seen today on tokens and good luck charms associated with smithing and metalworking. As Cinn Oir tends to the stone, the symbol begins to glow with a red-orange flickering light. Intrigued, Cinn Oir passes her hand over the symbol and a passageway appears in the face of the sidhe (which all the party members can see.)

Ceridwen’s brother lights a torch and takes the lead through the dark winding passage with Cinn Oir and her pet Dire Weasel at the rear. They can detect a definite downward slope as they travel. After a few minutes, the passage opens into a large circular room. The floor of the room is dominated by a large triskel (see right) inset into the stone and there is a hallway directly opposite them. The hallway opposite is roughly twenty feet wide and along its walls are three pairs of cast iron stands, each with a large flame burning in them. The hallway ends in a set of double doors which appear to be made of solid metal.

The party enters the room and notes it has suffered considerable damage. Apart from its ancient appearance, the stone is scarred in places by flame. Dierdre uses her spellcraft to determine if the pattern of the flames matches any known spell but is unable to identify one. The party approaches the hallway. Dierdre, Cinn Oir and Cian stop to examine the first fire brazier and Liam, Bebe and Ceridwen’s brother advance to the doors. The three examining the flame quickly note that it is most likely magical in nature. There appears to be no smoke and the heat is more intense than a fire of its size (its top about 3 feet from its base) should be. However, their spellcraft knowledge brings no new information.

The rest of the party starts to look for a way to open the doors. They are constructed of solid steel and display the same symbol which decorated the stone outside the sidhe’s entrance. There is no visible handle and a quick search reveals no obvious switches or otherwise. As each group ponders what to do, they are taken by surprise. The flames in the pair of cast iron stands at the beginning of the hall and those in the stands at the far end (flanking the door) leap to life. Cinn Oir and Dierdre are flat-footed while the rest of the party, through some miraculous spot checks, jumps into action. The battle is short, though painful, as many party members are scorched by the flames. Liam drops six gallons of water on one with a Create Water spell, reducing it’s size considerably, and Dierdre breaks free of melee with some acrobatic flips and begins blasting with Ray of Frost. Relieved that these interesting guardians seem vulnerable to their weapons, the rest of the party engages them and snuffs them out.

Once the battle is over, the party gathers at the doors and tries to force them open as a group. The massive doors refuse to budge. Cinn Oir approaches and begins to examine the symbol that spans both doors. Having a much better search attempt, she finds a small switch deep within the grooves of the symbol. She tells the party and they develop a plan. The barbarian agrees to trip the switch as the rest of the party stands back (DM's note: waaayyyyy back) ready to assist. Bebe waits as the party draws back to the opposite end of the hall and she flips the switch. With a small tremor, the doors grind open to reveal an intersection and a plaque set on the wall just at eye level. Quickly the party joins Bebe (who stares at the plaque and, unable to read, announces that "One way is certain death, the other is the loot.") The few literate members of the party approach but can only determine that whatever is on the plaque is written in an ancient script whose secrets have been lost for millennia.

Unable to decipher the plaque, the party heads to their left. They follow the hallway which matches the length of the hall that lead up to the double doors (about 60 feet) and it too opens into a circular room. As they approach they can see their torch light glinting off of several things on the room’s far side. The party stops at the entrance while Ceridwen’s brother and Bebe step cautiously in. Caution, however is thrown to the wind, when their torchlight falls fully upon the room’s far side. 

Carved into the stone walls are several racks and pegs, laden with arms and armor. Bebe and the half elf charge forward. Seeing a chain shirt, the half elf begins stripping off his leather armor while Bebe approaches a two-bladed sword in awe. She takes it and a finely crafted wooden shield from the wall. As they do so, a resounding metallic clang can be heard back up the hallway. With a sigh of exasperation, Cian backtracks up the hall to find the double doors have closed and returns to report this to the party.

Cian, Bebe and Liam decide to look down the other fork, leaving the rest of the party in the armory. The hallway is much the same and also ends in a circular room very similar to the antechamber and armory. This room however is dominated by a forge which is glowing with intense heat. An ore pit, several vats of water, an anvil and smithing tools fill out the room; each larger than average in size. As the three party members search the room, the forge begins to stir and heat even more. As they watch, a man begins to emerge from the forge. His skin is deep red and his face has almost reptilian features. In his hand he wields a red hot spear and his lower half is that of a red scaled serpent. He seems to consider the party for a moment then turns his attention to Bebe whom is still carrying the two bladed sword and shield she found at the armory. He eyes the arms then lowers his spear at her. Getting the message, Bebe reluctantly drops her new equipment and backs away. With that, the creature slithers out of the forge and begins to head for the hallway. Liam remains in the forge room while Bebe backs away in front of the creature and Cian flanks it up the hallway. 

The strange procession is met at the double doors by the remaining party members who have just left the armory. The creature stops when he sees them. His glare rests on Ceridwen’s brother who is now wearing the chain shirt, wielding a greatsword from the armory and carrying most of the remaining pieces on his back. The creature raises his spear menacingly. Bebe instructs the half elf to drop the equipment. He does so and  Cian offers to put it back where it belongs. The creature nods and gives an evil smile. As Cian leaves to carry out this task, the creature returns to the forge room and the party follows. Soon, the entire party is back in the forge room. Bebe stands face to face with the half serpentine creature while the rest stand in a semi-circle at a distance. 

The strange creature looks over the party and his eyes fall on Bebe who is trying to ignore the intense heat radiating from the creature and stand toe to toe. The beast looks down at her and with an evil smile asks "Are you a smith?" Bebe answers "Yes" and without warning the red hot glowing spear is jabbed at her, narrowly missing. The group springs into action. Cinn Oir casts Shillelagh and prepares to move in while Cian steps up and confers a Mage Armor on Bebe. Liam grabs a bucket and heads for the water vat hoping to douse the forge. Ceridwen’s brother draws his longsword and looks for an opening while Dierdre digs out the Dispel Magic scroll. A brief melee ensues. When Dierdre casts the Dispel on the forge, it suddenly winks out and the serpentine man disappears.

Nervously, the party looks around. Unsure what to do until the half elf bolts from the room. Assuming he’s headed back to the armory, Dierdre follows. Liam approaches the cold forge cautiously and begins stirring through it’s contents. Without warning, it blazes back to life, severely burning Liam's face and hands. Cian, Bebe and Liam then watch as what appears to be the same creature rises from the forge. Without wasting a second, Bebe engages it with her axe. Cian casts Magic Weapon on his staff and Cinn Oir and her Dire Weasel jump to attack while Liam casts a Bless. 

The battle rages for several rounds with Bebe’s frustration mounting.  She is unable to land a true strike on the creature as it continually pierces her with its spear. Cian, trying to move in with his magic staff is grabbed by the creature’s tail and he is (DM note: for the second time this session) constricted. However, once again, just as he is near death, Cinn Oir manages to wrench him free as Liam pumps Cure Light Wounds into him to keep him conscious. As Bebe finally lands a solid hit, Dierdre and Ceridwen’s brother come rushing back into the room. With a blinding Magic Missile from Dierdre and a reckless charge from the half elf, the creature falls, mortally wounded. (DM’s note: At this point the DM is struck by a large yellow die from Bebe’s player.) Cian, clears his head and then realizes the beast is covered with thick soot from the forge. With new found strength he leaps forward to collect this as a possible ink base for his magical tattoos. Even as he does this, Bebe begins angrily hacking away at the creature.

The party is exhausted and badly wounded all around. Then, their spirits drop as the forge begins to stir once more. From the fire rises another creature which looks strikingly similar to the first. Being in bad condition, the party begins to withdraw to the metallic doors and frantically searches for a way out. The creature follows on their heels, eyeing them menacingly. Once at the intersection, Dierdre takes a stab at reading the plaque with her Decipher Script skills. The only word she can make out is the word "subdue" and Liam groans as he mentions they maybe shouldn’t have killed the first creature. Cinn Oir searches the doors and is unable to locate a switch. Cian makes an arcane knowledge check and mentions that he does recall a few tales of smiths gaining the service of fire spirits to help them with their craft. Most often the spirits were reluctant helpers and needed to be controlled by magic or, perhaps otherwise "subdued".

Bebe, not used to fleeing anyway, turns and starts grilling the serpentine humanoid. The creature answers several questions, calls them thieves and once again asks if Bebe is a smith. She refuses to answer and the heated conversation continues. Bebe then heads into the forge room with the beast in tow, menacingly raising its spear. She then sets about working on forging.  At Liam’s request she decides to hammer out some new metal caps for his quarter staff. As Bebe tries to work, the creature constantly harasses her; taking tools, blocking her progress and even narrowly missing her with a thrown spear. The party watches nervously as Bebe does her best to ignore the creatures attempts and even hurls a handful of insults its way as it tries to interfere. As she approaches the forge and begins to place the metal into it, the creature scowls and climbs into the forge, working the metal from within. 

Not long after, Liam’s staff is refitted with the new caps. Bebe then turns to the creature in the forge and asks if it can craft anything to cure disease. Without directly answering, it shapes a metal flask inside the forge then runs its finger along the head of its spear. The deep wound drips a blazing hot ichor into the red hot metal flask. The serpentine man then offers it to Bebe (who wisely accepts it using the smith’s tongs). The creature says simply "fire purifies" and disappears into the forge once again. The metallic grind of the hallway doors can be heard.

The party returns to Cu Roi and offers him the potion which removes the disease he suffered under. Cu Roi is extremely grateful and offers to Identify the items they brought back and iLiam’s ring which he received from the fiddle playing faye. The ring is a Ring of Protection +1. The rest of the haul includes: a small wooden shield of Bashing, a medium wooden shield +1, a short sword +1, a chain shirt of Light Fortification, a suit of masterwork scale mail, a masterwork shortspear, and Liam’s staff is now also a masterwork weapon. Also included is a claymore (great sword), two daggers and the double bladed sword; all of excellent quality though not masterwork.

The session ends with the party debating about the disbursement of items…..