The group headed back to Gareth's now-deserted home town, intent on continuing to the Obelisk caves and a re-match with the aboleth that had previously driven them away.

However, on arriving at the village, the group discovered a military encampment.  Militia under the command of Captain Grennel, vassals of Lord Eldoran, were using it a base in their struggle to protect the region from the mutated giantkin in the region.

The group has found evidence that Lord Eldoran may have been responsible for the curse at Morrick Mansion, and were this not exactly on their best behaviour when meeting with Grennel - behaviour probably not helped by Grennel's brusque manner toward them, as he evidently felt their earlier 'interference' had led to the destruction of the village.  Accordingly, the group's attitude toward the Captain was rather condescending and arrogant, with William all but accusing him of being a dupe for the aboleth (Grennel claimed they had found no such creature) and Zhang moving one of the unit markers on the Captain's situation map.

Despite the evident ill manners on both sides, Grennel suggested that the group talk to "the elf girl" in the medical tent.  This proved to be Sapphira Silverhue.  Sapphira was concerned because a patrol had been sent north-west to Fort Rannick, in search of reinforcements from the King's army, and there had been no response.  She asked the group to help her follow the patrol's planned route and find out what happened.  The group agreed, with several of them noticing that Sapphira seemed to have a more personal interest in the patrol than she was admitting.

The group entered the forest after the patrol.  Late on the second day of travel, they discovered a black bear stuck in a trap.  The creature seemed tame from its actions, and Kia spoke with it, learning that it was the companion of Jakardros, one of the patrol members.  The bear was trying to find help because its master and his colleagues had been captured.

The bear itself was in fact being pursued by a pack of dogs led by a brutish and deformed humanoid - some kind of lesser giantkin or crossbreed giantspawn.  Zhang drove the creature away with a spell and then the group followed it back to its lair: a half-collapsed farm house, decorated with perverse carvings of brutality and torture.

Killing two of the foul humanoids, and driving off a third, the group succeeded in freeing Jarkrodros and the other two survivors of the patrol.