The party start a new day, consume some food, pack their belongings and set out to retrace their path. As they have already been taught, the forest can shift in the Material Plane, let alone the Feywild. So, expecting the forest to have changed they try to navigate by land form and look to travel down hill to their destination. With the tried and tested combination of Crom tracking on the ground and Edward seeing through the eyes of Familiar Artax for an aerial view they make great progress.
After a few short hours of travelling they find the statuary, and proceed with caution to observe it. Conversation becomes hushed and the party get close enough to see that Vix has an arm missing, the spider looming above him. This disheartens Mornington as he would rather not restore him to a reality of great pain. The party discuss plans for a while on the outskirts of the statuary. They hatch a plan for Edward to use his talents to engulf the spider in a large fireball, before rushing in and Amarion channeling his deity to restore Vix from his petrification. While some have their doubts about the ease of which the plan will unfold they are almost ready to proceed.
While planning comes to a close, Mornington hears something moving in the foliage behind the party. He sees a large, green, lanky figure. Hunched with large hands and tusked maw, they lock eyes, and Mornington's stomach lurches.
The Unknown let's out a guttural roar, and it sends the party into flight. Managing to act before the troll has a chance to close the distance everyone rushes forward to get to their target, Vix.
Mornington's musical majesty is rapidly released to hinder the horrendous giant with hideous laughter. The troll falls to his hands and knees, a sputtering laughter erupting from within. The noise however, has disturbed the spider, who descends down to protect its most fresh catch, the stone satyr at the centre of the clearing.
Edward makes good on his part of the plan and releases a small fiery spark that zips forth on a meandering but true path. A huge fireball erupts in the clearing, bathing the spider in flame, it drops to the ground it's webbing no longer present to hold it. Crom and Amarion are ready in waiting. They both charge into the macabre statuary, and execute a pincer formation. Surrounding the spider they both land blow after blow, but get sliced each time by the stalagmite protrusions on the creatures back.
Mornington slings his viscous arcane mockery towards the spider as well as inspiring Amarion with words of encouragement over his former glories. The troll's laughter stops. Edward and Mornington look round as the creature stands once more, his face an angered, knotted mess. Edward, expecting the charge, releases another powerful fireball, this time at the troll. The troll is engulfed in a huge sphere of flame, his skin is charred, a bubbling, sickly green. He then lurches forward as he starts to charge towards the young warlock.
Crom and Amarion bring down their weapons on the spider once more and its abdomen is obliterated, ichor staining the ground. The thorax turns on its back as the legs curl up, a husk of the creature remains. They glance at Vix, the stillness of stone fastening him in place, before their attention is ripped toward the screaming troll.
The ground shudders with each step as the troll bounds towards Edward. Now close enough to feel its breath on his face, the troll readies its claws. Just as Edward is about to be shredded, he carefully watches for the telegraphed move before ducking out of the combat and running towards his companions. Crom and Amarion sprint over to the troll, Mornington attacks with his vicious mockery, causing psychic damage to the creature, and hampering its ability to fight back. Crom returns his beastfolk greataxe to a belt loop holster and draws his axe of giant slaying, retrieved from the treasure hoard of Zorok Demon-born. The barbarian and the paladin stand as a wall against the troll slashing and bludgeoning the creature. In the frantic melee they observe the grotesque creature's skin growing back, healing at an impossibly fast rate. Crom swings with all his might, once again in the throws of a rageful assault. He lands a mighty strike to the waist of the troll, as it screams in pain from the enhanced damage of the giant slayer axe. Amarion lands a strike, bludgeoning the creatures arm, the troll then rakes with claw and snaps its jaws towards Crom. Amarion moves in with his shield and knocks the trolls head, causing its snapping maw to miss Crom. Edward sneaks around the melee carnage, around obscuring trees, and unleashes his agonising blasts. Two streaks of eldritch energy fly towards the troll, one strikes him in the head, the second hits directly in the seeping wound on his waist. This tears the creature apart as frothing bits of green flesh litter the area.
The forest grows quiet and the party gather their breath. They notice that baby spiders have emerged from a hollowed statue and are eating the corpse of the large spider. No harm to the party but disturbing as they approach the petrified Vix. Amarion channels his divine energy as he casts a spell of lesser restoration. A bright light borders his hand as he touches Vix and colour returns to the figure that quickly sweeps across his surface. Then, screaming, loud screaming, and swearing, loud swearing. An agonised Vix is brought to conscience and his wound begins to bleed profusely. Edward cauterizes the wound with produce flame, Amarion uses lay on hands to heal, then the fun begins.
Mornington, and many other members of the party, are angry with Vix for betraying them. Fleeing from the entire plane of existence in the midst of a battle. Mornington uses intimidation, interrogation, threats and otherwise to get a confession and a fearful guide for the coming travel. Turns out Vix had not seen or heard of an element stone before, the "ancient wonder" he was leading them to was simply the Feywild Portal (Twisted Thicket). He wanted to get home and to do that he did deceive the party. He sobs in grievance for his trespasses and promises to lead the party to Exile's Henge where the "great faun" will surely be able to give them answers.
The party search the scene for anything they missed. Vix gives them some advice that trolls will always be lazy when hunting and use other creatures to their benefit. They find that the troll had been sleeping in a clutch of trees nearby and in a crude sack he had a harvested gland, tied at each end to keeps its fluid within. They then notice a huge scar on the neck of the spider. Edward chops open the spider on the opposite side and, very carefully, removes a similar looking gland. After some experimenting they realise one petrifies and the other reverses the effect.
They use the anti petrification gland to "free" the other petrified creatures. The petrification cannot preserve a creature indefinitely as all are dead, lacking colour and are rotten, in effect. They do find some items on the statuary victims however, including some mundane weapons and some goodberries.
Once the party are done investigating the surroundings, Vix wants to lead them west, to the river. There they can travel at greater speed down to Exhile's Henge.
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