Silence!

As the cheery throne occupier waves to the group, the homicidal instincts kick in! Bayga blankets the room with silence spells while the rest of the group tries to engage with missiles and spells. There are a couple of dodgy moments since the witch is ensconced in protective spells, but the group’s onslaught is determined and unrelenting. In the end, she is slain and an infernal claw rises from the earth to drag her body and soul to the hells. Some looting and a lot of scooting sees them retrace their steps to DeVost, where the witch queen’s crown is turned over to the chef. Looks like little to nothing will be happening until the winter storms blow over and this is unacceptable to the adrenaline junkies.

Back into the blizzards they go, using protective magic and the hut to keep themselves frostbit free and alive as can be. On the return leg, they travel past one of the areas they seeded with the bone collective and it looks like the undead party is ramping up. There is a spirited discussion about seeking out and engaging the undead general, but they talk themselves out of it for the moment and kick the coffin down the road for future folk to worry about.

More slogging through the back country brings them to Phinothae and the artisnal artisans of the elven town. Some light commerce and the group is aboard a vessel returning to Ptolus. Aaah Ptolus. City of a thousand factions, all of whom have reason to hate the party.

They disembark, sneak into an alley and launch themselves into the sky, flying invisibly across the city. Surely no one can detect magic or invisible objects in the adventurer-driven metropolis. Still, what are the odds that they are watching and can identify the party members? The risk is acceptable, and they land on the lawn of Rosegate Manor. There, Kegdrain nearly kills Digin with an exceptional kidney shot, but Sniffles is ready to heal the plucky dwarf. Tick tock, the reaper clock is running!

The manor house is largely deserted, save the major domo and a quartet of mageblades from the Inverted Pyramid. The reason for the eerie quiet is the same reason one of the nearby houses is now a crater. A short time before the group’s return, someone carried out a bombing campaign using conventional explosives probably dropped from a blimp or balloon. The local gentry aren’t happy with the turmoil brought about by the Saviors of Ptolus moving into the ‘hood. THe group decides to lay low and work through intermediaries. Money is poured into the influence machine and the majordomo starts subcontracting tasks and funds.

Items are repaired and items are liquidated. Bargains are struck and the group catches up on all the scuttlebutt. It seems that the Church of Lothian has made a strong play for political and popular support by virtue of their status as “Defenders of the Banewarrens”, and the other city factions are adjusting to the shift in soft power. Dark forces are interrogated about the origins of the attack and eventually a name rises to the top: Charch-Pahn. Now with a target for their vengeance, the group reaches out to the Inverted Pyramid to see about passage to the plane of the Pactlords!