Once they left the Seneschal, the Mothers stocked up on supplies, with Fonesca concentrating on herbs that might assist them on the journey ahead. Once they had finished their purchasing, the Mothers retired to the Weary Knight.
Cenvan was pleased to present the Mothers with an updated charter from the Lord High Seneschal when they met with him at dawn. It gave them the right to commandeer the soldiers of the crown, the Purple Dragons, as a Captain of the Dragons would, for a short time. It also gave them permission to lodge in their own apartments in the Dragon barracks in Arabel. The ranger led them there and showed them their accommodations, which were rather salubrious. Here he spread out some maps to show them the route that they should follow to the Dordrien Crypts, which lay about five days horse ride to the northeast of Arabel. Once the Mothers had asked a few questions they were ready to head off.
On their second night on the road, camped near an old forest, the watch keepers, Obrana and Jito, noticed the approach of a creature. They woke the full group of the Mothers and had to fight this plant-beast which lashed at them with its thorny appendages. It was not an easy thing to kill, but the Mothers suffered little harm in dispatching it. Thankfully the horses were not able to break their tethers while the commotion continued. Fonesca used her ruat wand to heal the party's minor injuries.
The next day, just after their lunch, the Mothers were again visited by the odd spider creatures with wolf heads that had plagued them before. They appeared out of thin air ahead of the riders, startling the horses. Jito's was the first to react turning and running back the way that they had come. He was unable to control his mount's flight. This was also a problem for most of the rest of the Mothers. Obrana was dumped unceremoniously on the ground by her horse and Fonesca and Gaspode elected to dismount, rather than trying to rein in theirs. Kurtalla was the only one in complete control while in the saddle, but he too preferred to have his feet on the ground for this confrontation. Siosiann's mount was not as fast as Jito's but it also fled the scene.
The spider creatures advanced and engaged Kurtalla and Obrana, then some of their number disappeared, only to arrive again, evenly spaced around Fonesca. The other Mothers had to rush in from all points to try and help her, finally managing to subdue the beasts before Fonesca's protections failed her.