Kaelor Burned the Hag Alive

The party confronted Astankova Dimetrivina in her isolated cottage and discovered she was a hag responsible for Snowglen's affliction. After a brutal battle that left Lucia and Vaelan unconscious, Kaelor burned the hag alive in her own fireplace—and silence fell across the frozen wasteland.

The Symbol in the Dirt

The party regrouped in the barn at Engelgardt Farm as Dyrbov Michalovich recovered from his flight through the transformed town. Kaelor carved the arcane symbol from the marked kegs into the dirt floor and asked Dyrbov if he recognized it [1]. Despite his extensive historical knowledge, Dyrbov had never encountered the mark before. Torvald asked whether Dyrbov had seen his father, but the scholar could offer no information. When Torvald mentioned that Visaria's mother had brought the sick child to him that morning—an illness unlike any he had treated in Snowglen—Dyrbov recalled only that Visaria had been unwell and that unusual lights had appeared in the Evdokia Mountains, arriving two months earlier than expected. Dyrbov explained that Snowglen had no mayor; the village was governed by a council system where one representative from each family met to decide matters collectively. The party worked together to barricade the barn with hay bales and crossbeams, and Dyrbov provided rations, a torch, and fresh water from the livestock supplies.

Voices and Visions

As the party discussed their next move, Dyrbov warned that based on what he had witnessed, they would find only death—though he suggested they could send word for help to Donalensk to the south or Yarograd to the north, the pseudo-capital of Snowreach. Torvald recalled the voice that had guided him during his near-death experience earlier, directing him to go south. Lucia dismissed the vision, and Kaelor proposed searching house to house for survivors, though Torvald insisted they rest first. The party debated the source of the affliction: they suspected the marked keg at The Salty Ostrich was the trigger, though Vaelan noted that not everyone in town had been drinking from it. Rooster, a mainland gentleman known for arrogance and unpaid debts, had been the first to turn after finishing a drink from the marked keg. Dyrbov suggested the turned villagers might leave Snowglen to hunt in the wilds if prey became scarce, and recommended investigating the homes of known individuals—particularly the sick child's home. The party agreed to help Dyrbov reach his own home on the main street in the northern part of town, where his collection of books might contain useful historical information. Torvald gave Dyrbov a spear to arm him, and Dyrbov retrieved a sickle from the barn wall. Lucia cast Alarm as a prepared spell, creating a protective perimeter around the barn door, then found a loft and settled in to rest.

The Face at the Wall

During the night, Torvald awoke and noticed a shadow moving beneath the barn door, outside the range of Lucia's alarm. He found a crack in the southern wall and peered through, encountering a face with a green-tinted eye and white hair staring directly back at him [2]. Startled, Torvald woke Kaelor and described the figure—a normal eye with green tint and white hair, not the glowing red eyes of the Turned. Kaelor roused Lucia and Vaelan, instructing Lucia to watch from the loft, but she saw only snow falling outside with no sign of the figure. By early morning, the party had completed a full long rest. Dyrbov initially volunteered to stay behind and guard the barn, but Lucia persuaded him to accompany them, assuring him he would be safe. The party exited into the snowy landscape at dawn, and Lucia performed a perimeter check, though fresh snow had covered any tracks. Kaelor proposed heading to Visaria's home, reasoning it was closer than Dyrbov's house and that daylight eliminated the cover of night. The party moved quickly through Snowglen's back streets, passing a frozen pond where they discovered eviscerated livestock with remains scattered across the ice, colored with the same green residue that appeared when they killed the Turned.

The Child's Drawing

The party reached Visaria's home and found the front door still open from their previous visit. Inside, they discovered Visaria's mother dead, her body and intestines scattered across the floor, preserved by the cold. Lucia searched the upstairs loft bedroom and found a book containing children's drawings. The first depicted two stick figures embracing—the larger with long hair, oversized red lips, and tears, and a small distant figure wearing a hat. Lucia continued examining the book and found additional drawings: one of the small stick figure alone in a square room with a bed, crying, and a final drawing showing the small figure smiling and holding hands with a stick figure wearing a long white flowing gown, with long white hair and green eyes, surrounded by snow-covered trees. Torvald recognized the figure in the white gown as matching the entity he had encountered at the barn—the same white hair and green eyes [3]. He tore out the final page and placed it inside his jacket pocket. The party debated whether the figure was sinister or benign, with Kaelor suggesting the child might have been trying to tell her mother about the creature, only to be dismissed as imaginative.

The Legend of Astankova

Torvald retrieved the drawing to show Dyrbov, who recognized something significant in the image. Driven by sudden understanding, Dyrbov urgently led the party through the quiet, snow-covered streets to his home to retrieve his historical records. He consulted his book of regional history and discovered a legend from approximately half a decade prior: Snowglen had experienced a series of child disappearances, and a woman named Astankova Dimitrievna was accused of taking them. She professed her innocence but was exiled from the village, vowing revenge against the town for turning on her [4]. Dyrbov confirmed there was a small cottage on the far northern outskirts of Snowglen, heading toward Yarograd, traditionally associated with Astankova. The party noted they had passed it during their time in the area, though it had appeared abandoned. As Vaelan stood in Dyrbov's ransacked home listening to the account, a low hum became audible on the wind from outside—a sound that proved intoxicating, compelling him to move outside into the snowy wasteland despite the party's presence.

Come Little Children

Vaelan suddenly found himself outside in the street with no memory of how he got there, disoriented by the noise. Lucia ran after him, and both heard a brief, fading voice on the wind saying "Come, little children" before the sensation dissipated. Torvald and Kaelor, who had remained indoors, did not notice their departure until Dyrbov spotted them outside and called them back in. Lucia and Vaelan reported that the voice seemed to come from the direction of the house to the north. Vaelan realized through magical knowledge that the enchantment drawing them outside, combined with the tainted goods that had affected Rooster and others, suggested multiple forms of magic working in concert—potentially alchemy and enchantment together. Lucia expressed concern that heading north was suicidal, but Kaelor and Torvald argued that eliminating the source was the only way to prevent the curse from spreading beyond Snowreach. Lucia requested that Dyrbov remain behind to continue researching, and she and Torvald helped him barricade the building by securing windows and pushing furniture to reinforce it. Dyrbov agreed to stay, keep warm without lighting a fire, and continue his research. The party departed and began heading north, with Lucia taking a rearward position to watch for threats and conceal their tracks as the wind began to pick up and whistle around them.

The Woman in White

The party moved through snow-covered streets toward Engelhardt Farm, with Kaelor leading while Lucia maintained rear guard. A figure in white appeared in the distance near a path heading west, moving with unnatural ease through the harsh conditions. Kaelor pointed out the figure, but the apparition vanished like vapor into the snow before others could clearly see it. Vaelan moved to Kaelor's side and suddenly saw a haunting ghostly visage of a beautiful young woman appear directly before his face. Lucia, watching the rear, spotted a figure moving behind the group in the tree line and warned Torvald, though he saw nothing but trees. The party heard a disembodied voice singing: "Come, little children, come and play. Don't be afraid, my darling. Come, little children, come and play." As they advanced, the wind died away completely and they emerged into a frozen wasteland where they saw wooden planks and a frozen lake covered in thick ice. The party approached a building with a door slightly ajar, flickering candlelight visible from within, and heard the soft hum of a voice. Kaelor pushed open the door and the party entered to find a woman sitting by a fireplace. The woman introduced herself as Astankova Dimitrievna and explained she lived isolated from the village because people accused her of things she did not do. She claimed she heard screams and growling in the night but found nothing when she investigated. She offered the party food and drink from a pot by the fireplace, but Lucia politely declined. Torvald asked if she knew a child named Visaria and showed her the drawing, but Astankova claimed she did not recognize the name. Kaelor expressed suspicion, finding it convenient that she was suddenly present in her home with them.

The Hag Revealed

The hag revealed herself in her true form after the party confronted her about the children's drawings, shifting from her previous disguise. Lucia was struck by the hag's claws for a significant wound, with blood drawn across her flank, and combat began. Vaelan cast Empowered Chromatic Orb with fire damage at the hag, but she countered the spell with Counterspell, negating the attack entirely. Lucia disengaged from melee range, moving to a corner behind a table while marking the hag with Hunter's Mark. Kaelor cast Divine Favor on himself and charged at the hag with his Maul but missed. Torvald cast Bless on himself, Lucia, and Kaelor, then cast Healing Word on Lucia, closing her gaping wound and stopping the bleeding. The hag attacked Torvald with her claws, but his armor deflected the strike. Vaelan cast Chromatic Orb again, this time successfully striking the hag in the shoulder for significant fire damage, and she cried out in frustration. Lucia took a shot with her bow while under the effect of Bless, then moved to another corner to increase distance. Kaelor gained advantage on his attack due to flanking with Torvald and channeled Divine Favor into his Maul.

The Shattered Cauldron

Kaelor struck the hag with his weapon and Divine Smite, dealing substantial damage, though the hag laughed and dismissed the blow as merely tickling despite blood pouring from her nose. Torvald cast Guiding Bolt, summoning a ball of radiant light, but the spell was consumed by a dark malevolent force and failed to strike. The hag moved, and Torvald used a flanking position to strike her with his flail as she stepped away. The hag retaliated by clapping her hands together and unleashing a crackle of lightning and arcane force; Lucia and Kaelor avoided the worst of the damage, but Vaelan and Torvald took the full force, Vaelan falling unconscious. Lucia fired her shortbow with Hunter's Mark, striking center mass and dealing significant piercing damage that caused the hag to double over in pain. Kaelor moved into range and attacked the cauldron the hag had been stirring rather than the hag directly—his maul shattered the cauldron's metal support, causing it to collapse and spill its contents across the floor toward the flames [5]. The hag screamed "no, no!" and reacted with alarm as an orb came to rest on the ground, blinking to reveal itself as a lidless, cat-like eye that stared directly at Kaelor. Torvald, recognizing the hag's extreme reaction, ran to the orb and struck it with his flail, but it took no damage and remained unaffected.

Burned Alive

The hag struck Kaelor with a Ray of Sickness from her claws, manifesting as swirling green mist. Though he succeeded on a Constitution saving throw, he took significant poison damage and his health was severely compromised. Lucia fired an arrow at the hag from cover, then attempted to pick up the mysterious orb. As she lifted it, the orb discharged a burst of psychic energy in the form of pink spectral light that lanced directly into her mind, causing her to collapse unconscious. Torvald swung his flail at the hag but missed as she dodged beneath his swing, blood and black ichor still oozing from her wounds. Kaelor, witnessing his companions fall and seized by profound rage, delivered a devastating final blow to the hag with his maul enhanced by Divine Smite, combining radiant and bludgeoning force. He then seized the hag by the head and forced her body into the fireplace of the hovel, burning her alive as she thrashed and succumbed to the flames [6]. With the hag's death, a wave of energy washed outward from the hovel and across the frozen lake, the wind died, and silence fell over the scene. Torvald used Divine Spark to heal Vaelan and Lucia, restoring them to consciousness. Lucia warned Torvald not to touch the orb, and Vaelan made an Arcana check, identifying it as a hag's eye—a dangerous magical artifact that appears to watch those around it. Vaelan covered the hag's eye with cloth and carefully collected it without direct contact. The party searched the area and discovered a cooking station with meals in preparation, a cookbook, and a hag's grimoire detailing the concoctions she had been preparing. The party stood victorious in the silent cottage, the hag's eye wrapped and the grimoire in hand.