Having no time to rest, they quickly healed up as best they could and followed the passageway up and up until the reached the top of the black mound. As soon as they popped their heads out of the passageway they were immediately assaulted by spell attacks as lightning bolts arced toward them from a dingy hut on stilts across the way.
Nog, Delgato, and Dim raced across the uneven ground toward the hut taking serious damage along the way, while Griznak took cover and held back to use his spells. Using his uncanny feline speed, Delgato dodged up just under the edge of the hut hoping to avoid more lightning while Nog went directly for the slight hole that the lightning bolts made in the side of the hut. Dim began using his mighty strength to try and open the magically held door into the hut.
The remaining dragon ripped through the floor to attack Delgato, who quickly finished it off with a magical rapier attack. Nog began beating upon the nearest hag inside and was taking the full brunt of their attacks. Griznak took some attacks from magic and moved to find better cover, but was cut down before he could reach the tunnel entrance. Nog, noticing this, used one of his new bard spells to cure Grinzak and bring him to his feet.
Delgato moved around the hut, looking for a way to attack and eventually got around to the front where Dim was barely able to crack open the doors and use his powerful eye attacks on the hags inside. Nog continued hammering the hags with his mighty maul and had a few close calls, but in the end, with everyone's combined efforts, two of the hags were killed and one wounded one had turned invisible and fled. Una was one of the fallen hags.
They looted all they could from the hags and the hut before setting it ablaze and burning it to the ground. What they found within were a few spell scrolls that provided just what they needed to solve their problems. It seemed as if killing the 2 hags and disrupting their circle brought an end to the curse of Blackbeard as the black spot on their palms began to scab over immediately. A remove curse spell was cast on Delgato which removed the curse of the skull of fahukyu, which also immediately cancelled Delgato's undeath and killed him immediately. Luckily, there was a raise dead scroll which was used to bring him back to life, however, in a very weakened state. It would be days before he would regain his strength.
Nog still was suffering from a curse, although he could not acknowledge it, from the magical skull around his neck. That would have to wait until Delgato was stronger as he would have the best chance of success. They removed the severe ailments afflicting Dim and headed back to the boats to head back to civilization. It was mostly uneventful except for a deadly attack by a pack of hell hounds which assaulted them in the middle of the night at Dim's camp. The fight was desperate, but in the end the adventurer's won out. This was a sign that the remaining hag was a little upset and wanted revenge.
Another day's travel brought them out of the jungle to drop Dim off at his camp and then they were back to the pirate town. Almost immediately they met a sailor who was a survivor of their original pirate journey. He said that the black spot was being affected all over town as it was with them. He also said that he had a way off the island and introduced them to the female captain of the ship who offered them passage for working on the trip.
Soon they found themselves out on the open sea having no idea where the winds were taking them, only that it wasn't the mainland. That was enough for them in the moment. Tymora would decide what fate had in store for them....
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