Salli led us towards these ruins of hers, since Tom obviously wasn't up to the job. Part way along, I noticed that we were being stalked and moved into position to find out who the stalker was. Of course, it promptly changed course and headed for the group, and I had to do likewise, so it took me a minute or two to get back into position without making it obvious to the entire world where I was. I readied my blade, stepped out to defend my friends and... it was a dog. Thrilling. I hate dogs! Oh, Tolec seemed happy enough to be reunited with the mangy mutt (it was the long missing Jothra, of course), but I, for one, would be quite happy to see the stupid thing leave and never come back. Oh well, it's just another example of fate being cruel, I suppose.

Once Tolec got over his joy (I swear he loves that dog more than he loves Haley, although right about now, I'm not sure that I couldn't say the same. That woman has caused far too much trouble recently!), we continued on our way, and several hours later (the distance wasn't too great, but the forest was very thick and travel was slow), we emerged to discover a stone circle of some kind. Several (formerly white, I think) stone pillars were set in these little bases and circled a rather discolored stone altar in the middle. Personally, I'm willing to guess that human sacrifice went on here, but I can't prove it.

The others are learning not to listen to me a little bit, at least, so remarkably, they were all very careful in their explorations! I'm glad my good example isn't completely wasted on them. Salli led us to the pillar where the treasure had been found; like all the others, it had some symbol on it which I'm not going to try to draw here. She pressed the symbol and a little cubby-hole opened up, but disappointingly, I wasn't able to find any secret doors or anything like that.

Since we knew how the things opened up, we took some time to look around and try the other pillars, but this was getting us nowhere, so I just asked Haley to check for magic, and of course, one of the other symbols had the same kind of glow as the one that Salli had shown us. Eventually, it opened for Tolec to reveal a book and a scroll; the book might be a spellbook or some such thing, although Haley can't really tell, since it's nothing like the spellbooks she's seen before, and the scroll is written in the same symbols that were on the pillars. None of us can make anything of it.

Somewhat disappointed with the expedition so far, we decided to go back to town, since one of the symbols was familiar from somewhere in town, although we couldn't quite remember where.

Well, we can't seem to go anywhere without being attacked by something, so of course on the way back to town, the ogres showed up. I have a newfound hatred for those things!

The battle, you see, was not entirely favorable. I was doing fine, and we were more or less holding our own, except for poor Sam, who was getting soundly thrashed. I was distracted by my concern for the guy, unfortunately, and I was just calling out some advice to him, reminding him to duck next time the ogre's club came swinging for his face, when my opponent clobbered me with some big spiked thing. It really really hurt! Also the dizziness. And was Sam supportive of me in my plight? Of course not! He sat there making fun of my agony! Jerk!

Well, of course, since I was reeling from my earlier wound, it wasn't that hard for the ogre to bash me again, and the next thing I knew, I was flying across the clearing, distantly aware of hearing a glass vial in my belt pouch breaking, and then I made rather forceful contact with a tree and fortunately passed out.

I can't have been out for very long, because when I came to, Sam was leaning over me looking sheepish and most of the ogres were still there fighting. I was able to save Sam from the ogre that he'd been fighting, puncturing it's heart with one well-placed strike, and moved off to help Haley, who was being sorely pressed. Unfortunately, I was still dizzy, so when the ogre fell to my first strike, I tripped over it and impaled Haley, who'd stopped moving just a minute or so earlier! Can you believe that? Talk about freak accidents!

Well, I was pretty stunned by this sudden turn of events, since Haley was quite clearly dead at my hands, and I don't really remember what happened next. Actually, the next thing I remember is finding the ogres all dead, with Alamon saying "there's nothing you can do for her now; you've done quite enough already" (our healer is very sensitive, let me tell you!) and me leaning on Sam's shoulder bawling. Tolec was pretty upset and obviously blamed me for the accident, even though I hadn't seen him doing a thing to help her when she was having so many problems with the stupid ogre! It's a good thing I'm not talking to him or I would give him a piece of my mind and explain the meanings of the words "accident," "tact," and "sensitivity" to these people!

Eventually, we recovered from the shock and decided to take Haley into town in hopes that they could so something for her there. We got to town, realized that the mark on the pillar had been on the door to the Hospice (which was very convenient, since that was where we were taking Haley), and bid Salli farewell. I wish I hadn't been so distracted by my inner sorrows or I would have remembered my own admonition to the group to not let the girl out of our sight!

On the way back to the Hospice, a very strange thing happened: Haley came back to life! I think I must have been babbling pretty incoherently, because the next thing I know, I'm pouring my last healing potion down her throat and smiling like a fool. It seems that the amulet that she'd taken from Tom Everard regenerated her injuries, and while it's true that the young man would still be alive if she hadn't robbed his corpse, on the whole, I'm glad she did. I just better not hear any snippy remarks from her!

When we got to the Hospice, we were greeted by some old crone who was able to tell us that the writing was part of an old secret language. It quickly became apparent that she didn't trust us, so leaving the others to muddle through the conversation with her as best they could, Sam and I went to look at Meri's townhouse. Of course, we didn't find anything, but at least we've looked.

We got back to the Hospice just in time for the whole story to come out. Apparently, across the bay a ways, there is a place called Witch Island or something like that, and on it were a trio of hags. The stone circle we'd found had been some place sacred to a group of warlocks dedicated to opposing these hags, and long ago, they'd defeated the three (the old witch at the Hospice, Mara, says that Tolec is descended from these warlocks; somehow, that doesn't surprise me, since he has that "my mother was a witch" attitude about him). Alas, the hags had hidden their souls in the ring that was given to Tee, and they could possess the wearer of the ring and take for themselves new bodies, as the warlocks found out long ago. Now the ring (the Hag's Hand, they call it. How quaint!) has been found again, and the town is in terrible danger unless we stop these hags. Why is it always up to us? I don't get paid enough for this kind of thing!

It was obvious to me, at least, that Tee and Meri were now hags, and Salli seemed likely to be next, so since there wasn't a minute to lose, I took off for her place, hoping to rescue her in time. Sam followed me, but my less bright (more human, not coincidentally) companions couldn't figure out what the rush was. Alas, we were too late; Salli was already gone! At least she didn't go quietly, judging by the mess that had been made of her house. Her younger sister, an adorable kid named Talitha, was hiding under the bed, and eventually I was able to get her to come out, although she was understandably frightened to death of the "ugly ladies" that had come to kidnap her sister. I'll need to remember to tell the mother what's going on at some point, since she'll come home to a ruined house and a pair of missing daughters, which no mother should go through, but we have more pressing needs at the moment.

It seems that the scroll contained a recipe for some brew which would rescue those inhabited by the hags' spirits, so perhaps we won't be too late to save Salli and Meri and Tee after all. We were able to provide the first ingredient (the tears of an innocent) courtesy of the still-weeping Talitha, Mara was able to provide the second (a healing potion; I'll have to remember to get a few more from her at some point), and we need to go get the third (Oil of Disenchantment, whatever that is) from an eremite (whatever that is) in the woods. So I don't have much time to write; much too much to do. I'm not sure being an adventurer is as much fun as I thought it would be!