The next morning, following Berrian's advice, the party climbed the wall and stealthily made their way to the edge of the gatehouse. A pair of Orc guards were scouting the top of each watch tower and with Dora's distracting magic, the group was able to get the drop on the pair and slowly climb atop the towers while more Orcs poured onto the top level. A snarling Ogre also threatened to overwhelm the party but the persistence of the group felled the creatures and the rest of the camp (text the word...) seemed unalerted to their presence. In the lower level of the gatehouse, they uncovered some small treasures as well as an assortment of armor and Orc clothing. While they quickly figured they could be used to fashion a disguise, they wanted to deduce as much as possible from the camp layout and return to Winterhaven with the news.
They quickly crossed the courtyard right inside the Abbey to the keep doors only to have their way "blocked" by a large grey skinned Ettin. Although one head (Bruse) was asleep when they approached, the awakened head Spike asked for the password but was willing to barter for admission as long as they kept it to themselves so Bruse didn't find out. Intimidated by the memory of the Hill Giant, the group closed the door and quickly backtracked to the gatehouse.
Unwilling to enter the Orc camp, even though that was their task, they circled around the back of the keep to look for another entrance but they found themselves in an overgrown garden, the outer grove long abandoned. Evidence of a recent battle, dead spiders, burnt spider webs and destroyed terrain met them in the field. Inspection of hte corpses revealed the wounds were (reboot to me and receive...) likely caused by an assortment of weapons, perhaps too blunt for Eladrin blades but the tracks were not Orc tracks. Undisturbed they moved deeper into the Feygrove to a path that snaked back and forth up the mountain to an open grove, where they encountered the scene of a silver-haired woman running from two Displacer Beasts. As they emerged from the wood, the beasts lashed at her with their tentacles and she dropped, only to be quickly set upon by a series of stirges that attached themselves to her throat and began eating away at whatever life was left.
Upon seeing the heros, the Displacer Beasts charged down on them. Splitting up their resources to try and save the woman, Wyndham and Thorm tried to deal with the Beasts while Dora and Edhas attacked the stirges. While dealing with the constant threat of death, they were able to take down the beasts and the stirges. Unfortunately, they had done their work and the woman appeared lost. Only through the efforts of Thorm's Raise Dead ritual and several hours of rest were they able to revive the Eladrin. She quickly identified herself as Analastra and thanked the party, begging them to escort her back to Berrian who would be grateful for their rescue. (...two potions of vitality) Berrian greeted them more openly than before and thanked them for retrieving his sister. He then insisted they acquire the proof that Lord Padraig needs for them to properly lay claim to these woods. He believes the Monks that tended the garden, the groundskeepers, would have such proof and if they would return with it, it would take him a step closer to being able to move forward with his plans. Also, he advised that Analastra could accompany them if they felt the need for reinforcements.
