Of Grumpy Trolls and Exploding Mines

We woke in the morning to the smell of gingerbread with glittery sparkles coming from the chimney. The cat was happily devouring a pigeon in the yard. It hissed as we passed but was (slightly) mollified by a saucer of milk.

Krisanna knocked politely and the door was answered by the smaller of the three witches (still in the nuddy!) with delicious cooking smells coming from kitchen. Both Makander and Krisanna looked a little concerned at the size of the oven which could easily have roasted a duck or a halfling. Yikes!

Fortunately it was only cookies in the oven, and the bacon appeared to the traditional pig variety and not anything else. We offered to do some chores around the house whilst asking about the dogs and Sly George, who turned out to have been even more of a rotter than we thought, having jilted Esme the witch for some trollop from the village. They offered a banishment scroll (effective for dogs and tyrants) in exchange for the head of Sly George.

We looked at the map again and we reasoned that George and his cronies must be in the tower at the north of the map. Krisanna took a gingerbread biscuit for later, whilst Orla and Bastonn looked to trade some loot with the crones. They also told us about the magic face changing cloak that George had pinched that was supposed to have been a betrothal gift.

We headed north, determined to uncover a little more of the map. We heard a dozen hounds running through the woods but we had enough time to climb up into the trees before they arrived. We passed the hunting lodge and further on we encountered Ralph the hermit by the stream doing his ablutions. Krisanna offered him a gingerbread biscuit but he was more worried about fetching his bath robe.

We spent the night in the trees and then spotted a suspiciously clean stone bridge with a grumpy looking troll taking tolls. He was very cross about being double crossed by a pixie who had crossed without paying his silver shilling. Fortunately he took payment from us and was happy to let us across, passing the debt on to us to collect.

Further north still and we finally found the silver mine - hurrah! Krisanna was skipping from one foot to the other with excitement and couldn't wait to go down the ventilation shaft, but boring Bastonn insisted we search the buildings at the top first.

We found some interesting gloves and vials of acid in the first room, then a dark office room with book cases and desks which Krisanna searched finding mechanical pens, a large iron key, a sheaf of paperwork (which turned out to be ownership papers for the mine, now out of contract)

Bastonn lowered Krisanna down the mine shaft finding the miners shattered elevator at the bottom. Krisanna proudly claimed the mine for herself!

The passage proved to be full of dead bodies and poison gas which exploded, causing slight singeing. We found a notice warning us to extinguish flames if we smelt gas - ooops!