One of Davian's local patrons, Professor Robin, had ordered a special piece of work for attuning ethereal energies. As chance would have it, that tuning fork was needed to help cure GEFF of his fatal snake bite. Unfortunately, that piece would need a special pigment made from the blood of a partially ethereal and magical creature.

One such creature was known to exist, Laerth, a wizard that had delved too deeply into ethereal secrets and was now a monstrous abomination hiding somewhere in bridgevale.

Lacking options, the HILT went to explore possible lairs of Laerth to claim some of his blood to complete the ritual needed to cure GEFF, and more than thirty others that had suffered the same fate. 

The first candidate den of monstrosity was a partially sunken tower. It did not contain Laerth. It did, however, contain a large and violent lizardfolk suffering from a blight. While Muse and Gene attempted to not die, Olive again demonstrated her great prowess with a bow, and ended it's blighted existence. 

En route to a cave which could also be the den Laerth, the HILT Made camp. This is of no particular note, except that a fiend manifested from the fire, and assaulted Davian, leaving his hand magically branded. That would only be of minor note, except that the brand matched the one on the hands that Inquisitor Marques had been collecting for bounties.

The following day, the intrepid caravaneers entered the cave that would, to break the suspense, turn out to be the residence of Laerth.