Aunty's Wrath

Dear Diary,
 
It all started with Liliana feeling unwell this morning. It was her sleep this time that was disturbed by unsettling dreams. Since moving into the new keep, every morning at least one of us awoke feeling terrible. So we decided to investigate in the hopes of identifying if there was an actual cause or if it was all in our heads.
 
I cast a detect magic spell, my skepticism tempered by recent events. To my surprise, a faint aura surrounded everyone except Gael. It was an illusion aura, which could indicate a magical technique used to manipulate dreams and induce nightmares.
 
Hayley and I discussed the possibility, our minds racing. We had heard of such magic, its dark power capable of tormenting the sleeping. It could be the explanation for our recent troubles, though it didn't bring us any closer to identifying the culprit.
 
Gael went to find Pim, the boggle who had become a part of our lives. He inquired about the strange occurrences, the disturbed sleep, and the unsettling dreams.
 
Pim nonchalantly told us that an old woman had been wandering the halls at night. Our surprise was palpable. We had thought to have been safe in our keep, but whatever this being was, we had had no idea that it was visiting us each night.
 
The boggle described the woman, but was very vague and indistinct. I showed him a picture of Aunty, the hag we had encountered in the forest. Pim, his eyes scanning the image, couldn't identify her.
Gael formulated a plan. He and a few others would stay up and try to watch for the intruder. However we would have to wait till nightfall to act. This would leave us uncomfortable and tense the entire day.
 
As the day wore on, our responsibilities pulled us in different directions. Hayley, Dadroz, and Gael headed to the Dresner house to check on Tommel's progress. Liliana and Alistan went to assist the Ravensfielders in their new home.
 
I took the opportunity to delve into the world of dreams, researching techniques to remember them, to protect ourselves during sleep. The recent events had made me acutely aware of the vulnerability of our minds.
 
Hayley and Gael returned, their faces filled with concern. Tommel had awakened, his health improving. However he had managed to reveal the insidious truth to them – he had been cursed by a hag, a punishment for his rudeness.
 
The hag had visited Tommel one day when he was tilling his field. She gave him a horrible premonition, his daughter Naira would soon die. But the hag could save her life, if he so wished. The only thing that she asked in return was his unborn child. Apparently Tommel did not know yet, but his wife was expecting his third child at that very moment. Tommel, desperate to save his daughter, had agreed to the hag's terms.
 
However Tommel soon came to regret the deal. Aunty kept coming to visit his wife, offering gifts to make her life more comfortable. As if she was fattening a goose before the slaughter. Tommel became angry at the hag and chased her off, and this is when she had turned on him. The curse was meant as a chilling reminder of the fey's power and the deal that now hung over the Dresner family.
 
Hayley had offered to help, her determination unwavering. We discussed the situation amongst the group and we all reached a consensus that we couldn’t let the situation stand. The hag's intentions were clear – she desired the child for some sinister purpose. But her motives remainded shrouded in mystery. Was she planning to consume the child, or perhaps turn it into one of her kind? The possibilities were terrifying.
 
The time for action was limited. The child was not due for several months, but we couldn’t just dismiss the threat of the powerful hag that lived on our grounds. Although we were bound by the King’s orders not to interfere, this was the first evidence that it was not going to be easy to let the hag be. And as the day progressed, our relation with Aunty would only sour even further.
 
As night fell, we prepared for our stakeout. The others devised elaborate plans to stay awake. I, however, decided to get a good night's sleep. The intruder was likely a powerful spellcaster, capable of detecting our attempts to remain awake. My observational skills were limited and so my chances of catching the intruder slim. I would have to rely on my friends to protect me and try to get plenty of rest to keep my spellcasting sharp.
 
In the middle of the night, I was awakened by Fiachna's screech. The raven had flown into my room, its feathers ruffled, its eyes wide with alarm. Dadroz had confronted the intruder, but the creature had managed to escape. Hayley and Liliana were now in pursuit.
 
I rushed out, my heart pounding. A blob of darkness moved across the courtyard, its malevolent aura palpable. Before I could react, Liliana charged forward, her sword glowing with divine energy. With a powerful strike, she dispersed the darkness, revealing Aunty the hag.
 
We surrounded the hag, our weapons drawn. She held up her hands, her eyes filled with a mix of defiance and fear. She admitted to entering our keep, her words dripping with disdain. She claimed to have been feeding on all of our dreams, except for Gael whose fey dreams did not suit her tastes.
 
Liliana, her anger evident, accused the hag of directly attacking us. The hag, her voice filled with arrogance, dismissed the accusation. She claimed that her snacking was harmless, that no one had ever died from her intrusions.
 
Hayley, her voice firm, forbade the hag from feeding on the dreams of our people. The hag immediately protested. Hayley then pushed further into the confrontation with Aunty as the tensions were boiling to a point. She demanded to know what the hag had done to save Tommel's daughter.
 
Aunty, her facade crumbling, admitted that she had not yet acted. The prophesied death was imminent, a fate she intended to prevent. However, she refused to divulge her plans, her leverage over Tommel was a bargaining chip she was unwilling to relinquish.
 
Hayley, her magic surging, probed Aunty's mind, her gaze piercing through the hag's defenses. The vision was horrifying – Naira, consumed by a giant frog, her life extinguished in a cruel and twisted fate.
 
Aunty reacted in anger as she felt Hayley probe her mind. She warned us that we had made a powerful enemy, that our interference would have consequences. With a final glare, she turned and walked away.
 
I cast a tracking spell as Aunty moved away from our keep. The hag's trail led back to her hut in the forest. So she had returned to her abode, luckily not moving on the Dresner family yet. It seemed that her vengeance would probably be directed towards us.
 
We discussed the situation, our minds racing. Naira was safe, for now. We didn’t know when Aunty would act. And so Gael volunteered to stay up, keeping a lookout for any impending dangers. We would retire and get some sleep, and discuss how to proceed in the morning. But we would not get the chance…
 
I was once again awakened by Fiachna's piercing screech. Leaping out of bed, I rushed towards the door. A fey with a blood rep cap and a sharp sickle, its blade glinting in the dim light, stood on the landing outside my door. Alistan, rushing down from his room, intercepted the creature, his sword blocking its attack.
 
With a combined effort, Alistan and I fought back, our magic and steel a formidable force. Another fey, its form shrouded in darkness, joined the fray. Hayley engaged the creature, her dagger a blur of motion as the fey was distracted by a spirit that she had summoned. Soon enough, the two fey on the first floor were pushed back, creating an opening for me.
 
I ran forward to the central hall and saw Liliana and Gael, their bodies sprawled on the floor. I sensed Gael’s spirit being drawn away by a sinister force, probably Aunty herself. With a surge of power, I channeled my magic, reinforcing his soul, pushing back the darkness. While my friend lay dead, I could find solace that at least his immortal soul remained intact.
 
As Hayley and Alistan continued to fight the fey onslaught, I noticed Liliana stir slightly. It wasn’t too late to save her! So I ran forward and administered a healing potion, its magic coursing through her veins. Liliana, her eyes fluttering open, gasped for air. She stirred and her strength slowly returned. With a simple nod, she joined her brother in the defense of our keep, her sword resummoned to the palm of her hand.
 
In the distance, I heard another fey going through our stables, slaughtering our prized horses. Its rampage was causing chaos and destruction. Alistan and Liliana, the twins reunited, fought the creature, their combined might eventually prevailing.
 
Another fey on the first floor had its balance disrupted and fell down a well, its cries echoing through the keep. I followed, my magic crackling with energy. With a barrage of missiles, I dispatched the creature, and extinguished its life.
 
Behind me, I felt the hag's presence once again, her evil aura a chilling reminder of her power. Now she was after Dadroz, who had bled out in a dark corner of the keep. I could act just in time to preserve his soul, giving him the strength needed to push back the hag’s hunger.
 
With two of our friends fallen, our hearts are heavy with grief, but we know that we have to act. The hag has to be stopped, by any means. But first we would seek the help of the temple, their divine power our only hope of reviving our fallen comrades.