### **The Escape from Old Bonegrinder** Dain and Komodo worked to keep **Morgantha's** patience from breaking, drawing out their conversation long enough for **Nala** to slip away unnoticed with the rescued children. Every moment stretched thin as Morgantha’s sharp gaze flickered between them, suspicion growing. But just as tensions threatened to snap, Nala successfully made it out of the **windmill**—and with that, Dain and Komodo quickly excused themselves, into the cold, damp air. What they saw next was unexpected. **Brisinger** stood nearby, engaged in conversation with a **male drow** they had never seen before. Introductions were exchanged, and they came to know him as **Crovax Evencar**. Meanwhile, they examined the **aged parchment** that Nala had retrieved. It was, without question, the contract they had been searching for. Within its brittle pages were the true names of the hags: - **Morgantha Stormreaver** - **Belladonna Sunbane** - **Offalia Wormwiggle** With these names in their possession, **Lady Wachter** could prevent the hags from using **Etherealness** once the **barrier** was erected. A plan was quickly formed—while the barrier was being set, the party would **distract the coven** long enough to ensure its completion. ### **The Chorus of Frogs** As they approached **Old Bonegrinder**, something was off. Hundreds of **frogs** surrounded the windmill, their croaking forming an eerie, rhythmic **chant**. The air felt heavy with something unnatural. And then, the **hags emerged**—this time, no longer bothering with deception. Morgantha and her daughters **knew** what the party had done. The stolen children—what they called their **“livestock”**—were gone, and their rage was palpable. There was no more pretense, no more sweet words. The time for masks was over. The party held their ground, stalling the hags long enough for **Lady Wachter's** forces to complete the **barrier**. And then, as the last sigil flared to life, **Brisinger struck first**—a decisive attack aimed directly at Morgantha. ### **The Battle for Old Bonegrinder** The fight was brutal. **Morgantha** focused her wrath on **Brisinger**, throwing everything she had against him in a relentless assault. **Belladonna and Offalia** fought just as fiercely, twisting the battlefield with dark magics. But as the battle raged on, the hags soon realized their escape was **cut off**—their ability to **vanish into the Ethereal Plane** was useless within the barrier’s confines. Cornered and bloodied, the coven made a **desperate move**. ### **A Cursed Bargain** Morgantha **called for a parlay**, her tone shifting from fury to something more measured, more calculating. She made an offer: - Their **Heartstone**, which they would **surrender for three days** before reclaiming it. - A **secret about Strahd** that only they knew. - A ceasefire for **three full days**. It was **Crovax** who negotiated a critical clause—the hags would **take no more children**, except those who were **terminally ill**. But hags are **masters of deception**, and the wording of the agreement was their greatest weapon. The contract was written in **each party’s blood**, sealed by a powerful **infernal curse**—any who **broke the pact** would **die instantly**. But in their haste, the party overlooked one thing—**hags play with words**. The deal **did not** prevent them from taking children **forever**, only for the **three days** in which the contract remained in effect. The deal was done. The battle had ended, but the weight of the hags' **twisted bargain** hung heavy in the misty air.