Jeremiah’s cart crackles along the open road as J pulls it toward Shoreline manor – Just the T.I.P’s new base of operations, or at the very least according to the deed procured by Iskandar. But there’s something amiss with the chest chained on top of the cart – it gnashes and struggles to break free from its chains. As Narcell’us nears to investigate, the chains snap and the chest lashes out, attempting to devour her. She struggles briefly with its grasp before being freed by Bird Girl, who swiftly swoops down to aid her friend. With the chest’s identity revealed, the rest of the TIP springs into action. Dorian accosts Jeremiah for the strange man’s reticence to reveal the identity of his cargo, where other members of the party aid with varying levels of success – in particular, Ildan trips rather unglamorously while attempting to jump onto the still moving cart.

As more adventurers pile onto the cart, it creaks and begins to strain at the additional weight. When Ren joins the fray, her weight causes the cart to debalance, flipping it over and discarding everyone on top. Fortunately, everyone finds their feet, including the former horse J drawing the carriage, who shape changed and managed to break free from her harness. The party assails the mimic with attacks, ignoring Jeremiah’s pleas to keep it safe, despite its obvious danger to the group. Bird Girl swoops down again and attempts to lift the monster – it lashes out in a defiant strike and grasps down, devouring her in mid-air with a poof of feathers. Seeing this, J transforms into a grizzly bear and pries open the mimic’s maw with Dorian’s aid, rescuing Bird Girl and tossing her to the side in a pile of slobber. Finally, Vani exploits a weak point in the creature and finally puts it to rest – sending the creature into a pile of formless ooze.

Jeremiah frantically attempts to reassemble the dead mimic, rolling the creature into a blanket. Joyously, Vani plops and plays with the hunk of material, attempting to find riches where none might found. Dorian continues to question the creature keeper and attempts to find his motivations for heading to the manor, in which he reveals that he’s doing this for “his master,” not elaborating further on who, or what, this master might be.

After tending to wounds – and conjuring a magical pomegranate – the party continues is journey and heads down creaking, winding roads to Shoreline manor. In about an hour they note a large structure looming in the horizon. Jeremiah lets the party know that they’ve arrived, after which J pops out of bear form and tends to Theodore, the travelling donkey. Jeremiah wants everyone to sit tight as he enters the manor, which causes considerable debate among the party. Vani, on the other hand, finds another entrance and sneaks in to chase the strange cart driver. Bird Girl ascends to the roof of the dilapidated mansion and peeks through a skylight, watching Vani rather poorly stumbling around the manor’s interior. She ascends up a flight of stairs into an adjoining room, where she hears a muffled conversation between Jeremiah and his master. The master’s voice is hard to hear, but from the tone of conversation, doesn’t seem pleased with these stragglers at her door.

Before Vani can get back to debrief the TIP in depth, Jeremiah beckons the party in. As Iskandar sells the party on the obviously derelict manor, the house’s “master” emerges, a redhaired woman wearing an evening robe and reeking of magical power. After listening to Dorian’s petty charms for a moment, she loses patience and evaporates Iskandar with a single blast. Shocked, the party springs into action with Vani hurling a knife into the sorceress’s shoulder. Green light radiates from the wound, though she seems mostly unfazed by the blow.

Ren and Ildan rush up the opposing staircases to the balcony overlooking the foyer. As they arrive, the sorceress unleashes a thunderous blast, knocking the two off the balcony. Bird Girl crashes through the skylight, raining glass down into the space. She notches an arrow and lands a decisive strike, plowing an arrow straight into the adversary’s throat. Still, the sorceress stays on the feet and summons from her menagerie several baleful creatures: an animated suit of armour, a harpy, and a grick emerge from the surroundings. The TIP battles against these additional creatures, with the TIP turning the tide after Ildan cuts through the meddling sorceress.

Bird Girl is initially surprised by the strange flying creature before her, struggling with its vicious advances. But after a few solid swipes, the harpy is dispatched with the help of clinging vines from J. Bird Girl plucks the creature’s feathers and Ren and the grick trade blows for a time, each resistant to each other’s strikes. Vani is able to find a weak point in the grick’s carapace and lays it to rest. Finally, Ildan sizes up the animated armour, wondering if it’d be possible to fit inside. The armour is plate – beautiful, though tarnished in the back – and its brittleness is exploited when Ren cleaves through, rendering the armour useless and drawing a pointed glance from the grizzled fighter.

Composing the group, several of the TIP rested after the battle, whereas Narcell’us and Vani rushed around to find the missing cart driver. Jeremiah was outside hitching an animal to his getaway wagon before being stopped and given an offer - keep on as groundskeeper of Shoreline manor in exchange for getting to stay in the wine cellar. He happily agreed, and set the stage for a significant amount of work on the new residence of Just the T.I.P.