After exploring the tower our heroes headed back to the encampment by the magical gate. They spend the night in the forest in order to make sure they are well rested in case there is trouble in the encampment. They have an encounter with a troll before they camp but they quickly dispatch him and burn away any bits that might cause them trouble later.
The next morning they travel back to camp and find it changed. The tents have been organized, hunting parties have been sent out and the paladin, Riker, is at the center directing the activity. When he sees the party he comes up and kneels down before Darsus. He says that his goddess, Iomedae, spoke to him and told him he had been working with evil and could no longer be considered a paladin. She also told him that he could make sincere amends and that the cleric, Darsus, could perform atonement for him. He vows that he will help to get everyone in the camp safely through and organize groups to get the tokens. He will take charge and either get the tokens or die in the trying.
Darsus is taken aback by the request, because he does not have enough experience as a cleric to perform atonement. But his god Cayden speaks to him and he agrees to perform the spell the next morning.
The group then goes around and gets news. They find out that One Tusk disappeared the previous afternoon in a column of black energy that carried him away. It is rumored that he was pulled away to replace a character in one of the tales and the group realizes that he was probably pulled away to replace the black knight that they killed. They also find out some more information about the Old Mother. She supposedly has children who kill and eat trespassers. They get directions and help provide some direction for the groups who are going to go and get a lock of Rapuzel’s hair.
The next morning, at dawn, Darsus stands over a repentant Riker and calls upon Cayden to assist him in finding atonement for Riker. He feels the holy energy flowing through and Riker is surrounded by a glow. Behind him the crowd sees the symbols of Iomedae and Cayden, a sword and cup, floating together, as a symbol of the gods support. Riker confirms that he has his paladin powers back and prepares to go off and take a lock of hair.
The group heads off and eventually reaches a forest with a windy path. The forest is highly annoying because of the whispers that confuse everyone. Magic doesn’t work quite right all of the time so the group moves as quickly as they can to get out. They dispatch a dire boar and some of the ‘children’ of the Old Mother. They find that the children are halflings who are now cannibals which get whatever fresh meat that they can.
After a long hike, the group reaches the end of the forest to find a fence with bodies strung out on it. They disturb crows who are feasting on the bodies and fight them off. They also notice that the bodies have a gnawed look on them and see elven, human, and gnomish bodies among the dead. They continue down the path and see a giant shoe, ill-kept, before them. The yard is strewn with trash and they decide to scout around the shoe. Since the front door is the obvious entrance they decide to go in a window. As they go in they are attacked by halflings in narrow hallways. They dispatch 2 of them and are then attacked by 4 more as they round a corner. After a tense round or two they get the upper hand and take the halflings out.
They continue to the back of the shoe and find a kitchen with an old, ugly, dwarvish woman clumping around with a cleaver and an iron shoe. The kitchen is hung with meat from humanoids so the group has extra incentive to get the shoe and kill Ma, the owner. However, Cendrine and Sheliak are momentarily charmed by her and desert the group. With help from the cleric and the rogue the two shake off the charm and attack Ma. But she seems to have extra protection and damage and hurts Danicia, Darsus, Elsbeth and Kyl almost to the point of death. Right before the group would have retreated Darsus thought that perhaps they could remove the shoe and remove her protection. With the group working together they removed her shoe and quickly killed her.
After that, the group made quick work the rest of the halflings and dogs of the house and then headed back to the encampment. There was some treasure but the biggest find was the iron shoe for activating the gate. The group explained to the people at the encampment about the challenge at the Old Mother’s house. After that the group worked with Riker and organized a group from the encampment to follow the Storm Peace Keepers through the gate. The gate was activated and showed the walls of Cillamar. The group headed through the gate and found themselves outside the gates of Cillamar. However, it was now fall when it had been spring when they left. Fortunately, it was still the same year, just several months later. They were welcomed back by the guards who remembered them and their rescue of the children. The Storm Peace Keepers settled in to the Inn of the Slumbering Drake and checked around town to see what other work they might find to fill their time and their pouches with some gold.