As the crushing juggernaut pivoted to face the Daring Friends, it rammed into Balthasar and Dameron. The priest used his Force of Will to resist it. Camwise hit it with an acid arrow as he retreated north. Dameron withdrew into a side corridor. Balthasar used his Air Charm to cast Whirlwind Kick, knocking it ten feet back, spinning past it, and retreating further into the room beyond.
The Crusher rammed Balthasar. Camwise dashed toward The Crusher. Dameron moved closer and cast Bless. Disengaging, Balthasar dropped his Oil of Slipperiness and climbed up the wall as Camwise dropped concentration and reduced him to his normal size.
Falling prone, The Crusher dashed and rolled onto Dameron, who was knocked prone and used his Force of Will to resist. Camwise used his Staff of Gravity Bending to Reverse Gravity, slamming it into the ceiling, and withdrew down the corridor. Rising, Dameron cast Spiritual Weapon as he dashed down the corridor after Camwise. Balthasar cast Shatter on it.
Righting itself, The Crusher rolled out of the Reverse Gravity field, slamming into the floor. Camwise moved north and gave Dameron a Flash of Insight that the priest used to smash The Crusher with a Storm Kick.
Investigating the remains, Camwise found a magical clay tablet filled with runes. Reading the runes, Camwise recognized instructions for creating a clay golem.
After a short rest, the Daring Friends searched the large chamber, which contained multiple sarcophagi, and a fountain. Above a flight of steps to the east was an altar flanked by two columns and two statue-topped religious tombs.
Next to each sarcophagus were plaques with the names:
Sir Isembard Hollowheart - ever a knave, foul blaggard
Dame Elsinore Dragonsbane - she broke his heart; she was so vain
Morgau the Axe - his axe cleaves the darkness
Claudette the Innocent - innocent in soul but sure in purpose
Chuckles the Porter - he chuckles and chuckles and chuckles
Alfaerd Witchbane - his bane was his end
Dameron recognized the statues and shared their tale:
“Sir Isembard Hollowheart, ever the knave and foul blaggard, was a man with a reputation as black as his name. Known for his cunning, deceit, and ruthless ambition, he roamed the kingdoms, leaving chaos in his wake. No heart was too pure for him to corrupt, no scheme too wicked for him to devise. Yet despite his villainy, there was one force in the world that proved his undoing—love.
It was said that even Hollowheart had once loved, though the tale of his passion was as tragic as it was pitiful. Dame Elsinore Dragonsbane, a warrior renowned for her beauty and skill, was the object of his affection. She was as radiant as the dawn and as fierce as the storm. Her vanity, however, was as legendary as her swordsmanship, for she cared more for her reflection in a gilded mirror than the heart of any man.
When Hollowheart first laid eyes upon Elsinore, he swore that he would win her, regardless of the cost. He showered her with gifts and sang praises to her beauty that rivaled the stars. Yet Elsinore, ever so vain, barely acknowledged his devotion. She toyed with his affections, watching with cold amusement as he groveled at her feet, her heart untouched.
For months, Hollowheart schemed and plotted, convinced that his charm and cunning would eventually conquer the proud Dame. But to his dismay, she remained unmoved. In the end, Elsinore shattered Hollowheart’s heart with a single, cruel sentence: ‘Your love is as hollow as your name, Isembard.’”
The tale engrossed Camwise while Balthasar remained skeptical.
Around the fountain, they found the last portion of The Chanson of the Grayl:
A king’s staff of old, sought by a hero’s heart;
Are the only things which allow its sight.
Another king’s case, or heart’s miraculous blood,
Shall make the vision firm, and subject to touch!
Yet cleansing oil or a headpiece of gold,
Are required to break a shadowy fate of old.
And what came of them, that is rarely told,
The Meroving sceptre is seated in marble cold;
Roland’s heart, yearning for the hunt,
Has found a rest in a brotherly fold;
A pretty regal case decorates its home,
But only where the ragged beasts roam;
Wherefore art thou, crown of the Indoornesse?
The oil is captain’s prey, the X you must guess!
Rufus recognized the room but found it to have been changed from how it was.
Camwise found a moveable wall behind Chuckles’ sarcophagus and noticed that the lid of Alfraed’s sarcophagus had been opened many times. Dameron noticed a connection between the altar and the tombs of Sir Isembard Hollowheart and Dame Elsinore Dragonsbane.
Dameron used his Arcane Muscles to open the metal gate blocking Alfaerd Witchbane's sarcophagi. Camwise searched the sarcophagi for traps and found light, magical runes carved on the stone. He detected abjuration and conjuration magic on the runes and tried to cast Dispel Magix but instead disappeared. Using his Cunning Tools, Balthasar disabled one of the traps but vanished when he tried to disable the other. Panicked, Dameron opened the lid of the sarcophagus and found himself transported to his companions.
They were all in a large room with a hundred-foot-high ceiling. Camwise was shrunken in a small jar. Balthasar and Dameron were in a boiling cauldron, but rather than burning, they felt sluggish and dazed.
Three large women towered above them. They could see the forest through an opening in the room.
Camwise tried to read a scroll but could make no sound.
The hags shared that they were taking what they needed from the Daring Friends and denied all attempts to persuade them to do otherwise. Balthasar breathed cold on the magical flames. Dameron Commanded them to flee. Camwise cast Hypnotic Pattern.
Ignoring the Hypnotic Pattern, the oldest and youngest fled.
Shaking off his stupor, Dameron jumped out of the pot and dragged Balthasar out as the last hag clawed wildly.
The green hag gazed at Dameron, who resisted her hex. Camwise used his magic kitchen knife to cut into the glass jar imprisoning him, but it was slow going. Balthasar cast Protection From Evil on Dameron and tipped over the jar, breaking it and freeing the shrunken Camwise. Dameron blasted all three hags with a Lightning Bolt before falling to the night hag’s Sleep Touch as he tried to move away. The Night Hag clawed into him. The winter hag encased Balthasar in a Wall of Ice.
The green hag tried to hex Dameron, who resisted. Growing to two feet tall, Camwise hit the three hags with a Cone of Cold as well as a giant toad that turned into a dead prince. Balthasar hacked at the walls around him. Dameron lifted his holy symbol and commanded the evil hags to flee, but they resisted. Camwise cast Shield to block the night hag’s touch. The winter hag shot an Ice Bolt toward Dameron and clawed into him.
The green hag tried to claw at Dameron. Growing to four feet tall, Camwise cast Hypnotic Pattern, incapacitating the green and winter hags. Balthasar struck the night hag, leaving her bloodied. Dameron drank his last potion of Superior Healing. The night hag threw dust in the air and became ethereal.
Camwise grew to his full size. Balthasar slashed the green hag, and Dameron slammed it. The night hag reappeared beside her sisters and screeched at Balthasar, frightening him and piercing his brain.
The green hag tried to cast a spell, but Balthasar disrupted it. Dameron slammed the green hag as she turned into a bird and flew away. Camwise hit the bird with Magic Missiles. Balthasar slashed into the night hag but was hit by her Nightmare Rebuke. Dameron smoked the bird with a Lightning Bolt and retreated. The night hag pulled the winter hag into the ethereal plane, and they were both gone.
After Camwise thawed out the prince, Dameron used his magical root to Revivify him.
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