Raised by the power of Hysor, Sabathius returned to the tower and used the scrolls to allow the rest to escape. They continue their exploration, finding more summoning rooms and laboratories. A secret room finally is found, in which is a guardian clay golem. During the fight, Croom falls and the scroll of resurrection gifted by Hysor is used. Beyond the guardian, is an empty library. However, a few old spellpages and a staff are found.
Afterward, the decision is made to return to Edgewold. Mithralstance has informed the party that his path will no longer coincide with theirs. He must return to Dun to take up his ancestral mantle of Defender. The return trip is not without incident. Kruug returns leading a band of orcs and more magic wielding ogres. But they are defeated again, and once again Kruug escapes.
Once back at the Red Roof Inn in Edgewold, Chetrienne hides out, faking a cold, worried about the villagers and his magic. Sabathius sends letters with Mithralstance outlining what he learned from Hysor and about their adventures so far. Letters are also sent to Ulrich. A few days pass, and a traveling priest by the name of Tyro arrives, inquiring about the destroyed village down the road. The party fills him in and he decides that he’d like to accompany them. Ready to continue, armed with scrolls and some identifications done, they party heads west again. But on the way out they notice that a hex sign has been painted on the inn’s door. The jig is up about Chetrienne and the party is escorted brusquely out beyond the village’s borders.
The journey continues further on, deeper along the edge of the Mistgrove forest and the hills. They begin to encounter giants now. Croom takes it upon himself to cast a divination and ask about the future. Specifically, he asks what will happen when they reach the remains of the dead dragon, and the answer he receives is this: Sleep not in the lair of the dragon.
They reach an old battlesite, learning that some time ago a band of orcs and ogres met with and were killed by hill giants. Despite the warnings, they are unprepared when they are ambushed by a large gang of hill giants. Through use of his magic Chetrienne is the deciding factor in the battle, and the giants realize that. In the last moments before they die, they all hurl rocks at the poor wizard, killing him instantly. The party buries him along with several of his magical possessions and cast spells upon the grave to ensure that he doesn’t rise again as undead.
Further on, they come to a hollow in the hills that has a lot of scorched rocks. Within is a cave, and there they find a young boy named John Frie. He is like boy who led the ogres, able to wield magic without the use of books. He has been shunned and outcast by the village of Visp, even partially burned at the stake by them. He is fearful and wary, but not insane and apparently not evil. The party takes him under their wing. Shortly after moving on with their new charge, they have a very interesting encounter.
They are ambushed by stone giants, but not before they spot a shadowy human shaped figure directing them to attack the party. Worse, John identifies the spell the human figure uses to disappear: shadow walk, a very powerful spell. The fight goes bad, even though the shadowy spellcaster does not reappear and Sabathius is finally slain for good. They bury him and bless his body and move on. They reach a road near the village that John once called home. Camping, they spy the lights of another camp. Some spying reveals a broken down wagon and a bunch of miners. The party offers help after disguising John as best as they can and offering lame excuses for his cloaked condition.
The next morning, having repaired the wagons, they all ride to the village of Swenfot. There is a small inn there, and a performing bard by the name of Caliwen. John naively throws a very expensive gem up to the performer, which draws his attention. During the conversation, John loudly exclaims that he was burned at the stake for witchery. The crowd gets extremely uncomfortable at that point and a hasty retreat is required. Caliwen finds it in his best interest to accompany them. It is shortly after they all set up camp some distance from the village that conversation begins to put some things together.
They learn that the new sorcerers like John are all no older than 17 years, and that exactly that time ago was when all the trouble happened with Mefis. There has to be some connection, and John begins to despair of his origins and his place in life. The party comforts him as best as they can but begin to wonder if perhaps there is something really evil afoot. Perhaps the villagers have reason to be as wary as they are.
Finally leaving the hills and forest behind, the party begins across grasslands towards Darkwood Deep, having gleaned new direction from the village and Caliwen. However, a swarm of ankhegs manages to kill all but one of the horses, slowing their travel significantly. They reach Romont, Hunsruck, a fairly large town and set up camp there for a week and a few days. They stay at the Wine of Heaven inn, beginning work on some magic items. After that time is done, they cross the river and enter Rothland in the town of Cus. There they are able to procure replacement horses and travel on. Fortunately, John’s presence has not aroused too much suspicion, but certainly not none.
Finally, they reach the edge of Darkwood Deep and are immediately challenged by Blostemar, a mad boy sorcerer who has a particular affinity for creatures of elemental wood. He sends his minions to the attack in some insane defense of the purity of the forest. The party is forced to defend themselves and during the course of the fight, Drevin falls. Another burial must take place.
The next morning they are hailed by a weary traveler. Cirro is his name, a warrior worshipper of Vodethyn. He had heard of their presence in Cus and thought to catch up to them if they were truly going to explore Darkwood Deep. They welcome his presence and finally enter the forest proper. Immediately, they notice an evil cast around them. Especially on the old road that they were following, the plants get more and more evil looking, until they abandon the road entirely to head in a different direction. They spot fiendish creatures, all with red glowing eyes and become even more concerned. That night they come across a small hill wreathed in mist. At the top is a gravestone, “Borgan, he murdered 30 yet I loved him.” The party expects the attack of an undead and they are not disappointed. The strange undead has a long snake-like tongue, but it is defeated easily.
That night, will-o’-wisps attempt to split the party up and even succeed, but the party manages to defeat those too and reassemble. The following morning they continue and the forest ground gets wetter and more swampy. But John’s pet bat has ascertained that it is the right direction to go to. Later in the day, they spot something gleaming out in the swamp by a cypress tree. As they discuss what to do about it, Caliwen gets disgusted and just goes to it to see what it is. Of course, he dies horribly as the evil tree grabs him and bites him. The party destroys the evil tree and mourn their short-time friend, burning his body this time.
Moving away from that evil site, they encounter a druid and his companion dire boar by the name of Gnyrll. Normally, druids stay to themselves, but Gnyrll is quite concerned. He was traveling to the druid grove here in the Deep because word has not been heard from them in some time. He is even more concerned about the evil about the place, infecting the wildlife. Since the directions match up, they all travel together.
After a days travel, they encounter treants and at first Gnyrll is happy until he notices the fiendish glint in their eye. Normally these beings are quite well disposed to druids. But not now. The party has to defend themselves against the trees. John’s fire magic proves quite effective, but gains him sharp looks from the druid. Later, even more of the fiendish treants are encountered and the party must enact an orderly retreat under an anti-plant shell. Ultimately, they must fight these as well and barely pull it off.
At last, the next day they reach the druid grove and find that Gnyrll’s worst fears have been realized. They find bodies and the husks of the buildings that were once there. Carefully moving towards the center of the settlement and the actual druid circle itself, they come under attack by devils of the worst kind. Several are barbed and hurl gouts of flame at the party, while others wield wicked looking glaives and even score hits upon the party with their wiry beards. During the course of the fight, fiery gateways to the lower realms are opened and more of the evil beings enter into the fray. Finally, the party achieves victory and discovers a chest in the center of the grove that in retrospect, they think the devils, who said at the beginning that they served Amon, were guarding. Inside, they find a pair of ivory shackles and off to the side a figurine of a silver raven.
The party takes a rest here and assesses the situation further. They suspect that the lair of the dragon is not far from here.