Journal Entry 23:05 The Witch of the Dark Glens

The party visits Grinjul, the witch of the dark glens. She gives them the keys to unlock the tower of Perlachio.

As Jess, Xevillius, Crane, and Myriani traveled closer and closer to Black Tide, they each began to feel the presence existing in the back of their minds. The presences became stronger, influencing each of them to the point where they each felt they might be under the control of their respective presence. Yet this change was natural. This felt how it was supposed to be.
Arriving separately at Black Tide, their respective groups encountered one another. After conferring and finding out they each sought a common goal of finding the Witch of the Dark Glens, they then pieced together that they must take the only remaining ship in the harbor out to sea. Doing so would lead to her.
Only one ship was in the dock, the rest had already left. Black Tide was a dead town, destroyed by the Gore Reavers. When they approached the docked ship, they found it ready to sail and manned by several rough-looking orcs with obvious markings of the Gore Reavers.
Planning an assault, they took the ship with minimal effort and then set sail. Not knowing a direction, they simply headed out to sea. After half a day, a thick mist rolled in and surrounded the ship. They sailed for an hour in the fog when the ship struck ground where no ground should be.
Exiting the ship, they made their way through a boggy marsh, following a crude trail that went from island to island. Most of the islands were connected by dilapidated rope bridges with rotten planks making up the walkway.
While dangerous, none of the inhabitants of the marsh proved too challenging in keeping them from their destination. Several miles inland the trail ended. They found a large hut in the middle of a small pond, a single bridge attaching the hut to the land. Getting closer, they saw a tall woman exit who was easily 10’ tall, ancient and ugly. She was draped in purple clothes with a tattered conical purple hat reminiscent of wizards everywhere.
She then introduced herself as the Witch Grinjul and from her reactions, the party was certain she is not surprised by their presence. She said, “Come to trade, have ye? You each have a passenger which you have brought and it is from them I will trade and for them, I will grant you your gifts. What of value do you give up? For from each of you I will take an offer and if I deem it worthy, I will grant what you need in return to fulfill your goals.”
The passengers began by offering minor things, each of which she refused. Knowing and sensing the importance of this, the party kept increasing what they are willing to offer.
And then Jess/Graykar offered his speed, one of Graykar’s defining traits. The witch followed, “This I accept, you will have your gift.”
In turn, Crane/Urik offered his history and heritage. Myriani/Morvion offered all of his scrolls and written spells. And finally, Aja offered her up her most potent hexing ability?
As soon as the final offer is accepted, all four party members are released from their mirror companions and returned to the full awareness of their own bodies. The visions each had seen in the mirrors were gone, the view in the mirror now darkly fogged. And each of them found they now carried the items they had gained from the Witch of the Dark Glen. They also found their ‘sacrifice’ enhanced rather than missing. The Witch was seeking that which defined the character by that which they held most dearly to, and once she found it, she gave back greater than what was initially sacrificed. Graykar found his speed made more potent. Morvion gained greater mastery of some of his first spells. Urik gained a truer realization of what his heritage potentially meant. And Aja gained a greater focus of her hexing ability.