Having solved the puzzle and opened a new way forward, the party decided to rest for the night before moving on. Saoirse offered up a safe resting place utilizing a spell from her magical staff, producing a Tiny Hut for the group. She also shared some wine she had acquired in her recent travels. Her excitement in the taste of the vintage was not shared by the group.
After a bit of rest and chatting, the group noticed the flames were no longer green in the braziers. They decided to examine them closer, and found that the gem was no longer in the bottom of the brazier where they'd left it. They were concerned that it was either stolen or back where it had started (and the puzzle had "reset"), so Arius transformed into a frog to check the puzzle. The gem was in fact back in the puzzle, so the group left it in place until morning, since it seemed safest there.
Little happened at first overnight. Then during the second watch, Saoirse and Gray heard a noise and discovered a person struggling in one of the ponds. It turned out to be the bandit that had escaped - he was now trapped in one of the ponds (presumably looking for the gem). Saoirse and Gray freed him and he was so injured he promptly lost consciousness. So they tied him up and left him just outside the hut, keeping an eye on him to interrogate in the morning. Unfortunately during the following watch, he was killed by a long-distance arrow shot by someone Freya and Greer couldn't see. Since the bandit no longer needed watching, Freya and Greer bonded a bit over stories about the one thing they had in common - Saoirse, who they both had some history with.
These stories made Freya realize that the sword she was carrying was a bit more important than she ever realized, so when everyone else woke up, she sought additional information from Saoirse. Eventually after discussing the history of the sword a bit, the group gathered and retrieved the gem to move forward into the next room. There, they found a large cavern with an imposing structure inside, as well as some statue people with arrows sticking out of them, as if they had been shot first and then turned to stone. The statues had expressions of pain and horror that disturbed the group.
The architecture in the room looked very old, with statues of dragons and a doorway into another tunnel. The group proceeded forward and found a chamber with small buildings that may have been residences. They explored a bit and found dusty, abandoned rooms. In some areas they noticed what looked like drag marks, but no footprints - or maybe the trail of a large snake? Most of the group struggled to figure out what that might mean, but Freya connected this with the previous room and realized they were dealing with a Medusa.
The group immediately started moving more carefully, using reflective objects to check corners. Searching the small residences, they found some plain jewelry, a scroll of protection from good and evil, and a potion of basilisk oil. At the top of the stairs in that area, they found a pool and a rickety ladder leading upward. The ladder was a struggle for the group to climb as it crumbled quickly - ultimately Gray needed to be pulled up with a rope. At the top they found more statues, and another piece of jewelry.
The group arrived in the next chamber and found a throne at the back with a figure sitting in it. They were unsure if it was a statue or a living being at first, until a feminine voice said, "Have you enjoyed my kingdom?" It was not the statue talking to them, however, but the Cait Sith sitting it its lap, who introduced herself as Olibhia Maolanach. At first, she demanded Arius's orb in exchange for allowing the group to leave. The group negotiated with her, and though she did not budge at first, they eventually earned her favor. She dropped a few small bombshells of information - she suggested that she was many thousands of years old, and personally knew the unicorn who gave her horn to the Sword of Danu, who she said was named Alairia, a name even the fae in the group hadn't known. Saoirse in particular was shocked and grateful for this revelation. Olibhia ultimately allowed them to take a shortcut through her treasure room, and take a special item with them - the last egg of Frisayna.
What will the group do with this incredible information? What will they do with the relic they have been given? Stay tuned for more Myths of Gaea!
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