Episode 19, "A Willing Sacrifice"

The ruins of Enra proved a colossal disappointment for the heroes, especially for Talos who for once felt like he'd found his higher purpose. As the hideous, black, winged vulture-like creature summoned by the acolytes of Enra made its way through the newly formed rift, Fhasys looked around nervously for support and decided picking off the chanting acolytes one by one would be the best plan of action. The acolytes at first proved to be quite squishy targets, but once a couple had fallen the rest turned their attention toward the crossbow wielding rogue. Meanwhile, back at the stone platform, Vyreth had a stroke of genius and dispelled the curse holding Talos' mind hostage. As the curse's effects fell away, Talos took in the "true" scene around him. The creature eventually found its way through the rift, unfurled its huge black wings and took to the sky with a loud shriek... clearly upset about losing its prey to reality. The creature kicked up a vile cloud of toxic spores as its opening move, rendering Talos and Doc violently ill. Staving off waves of nausea and struggling to stay on his feet, Talos focused on the task at hand and started slinging spells. Unfortunately, after a few rounds Talos was overcome by sickness and collapsed into the demon's arms. The remaining heroes managed to dispatch the doppleganger, acolytes, and demon after an intense fight and regrouped to lick their wounds. Fhasys, getting a boost from Doc, took a moment to peer into the now closing portal and saw a bleak wasteland littered with twisted dead trees home to many more creatures like the one who tried to eat Talos. She (wisely) decided against jumping through.

Deciding to attempt a long rest in the heart of the forest, the party dug in for the night. During the last half of their slumber, a marauding troll exploded through the surrounding thicket and attacked. The heroes had had enough with the ruins and decided to head back toward the shimmering lake they'd passed by earlier. They stood around for a moment trying to get their bearings, found the path they'd arrived on, and began their return trip.

Soon, they arrived at the river leading north to the lake and again decided to pitch camp, hoping to recoup that final 4 hours the troll had so rudely stolen the night before. Once again, they were ambushed in the night... this time by another pair of displacer beasts. One beast tried to get the jump on Fhasys but couldn't manage to beat her keen senses. The other came from the forest to the north and handily pounced on Vyreth, digging its claws into his back. Combat ensued.

Once the fight had ended, the heroes came to the realization that the Ragneron forest wasn't a cozy place to camp. They gathered their gear and prepared for the trek upstream.