Yaga's Yokels

What started off as a competition for the hand of a local beauty turned into a wide-ranging hunt for the possessions of Baba Yaga and the mystical Alatyr Stone. As they hunted for clues about a nomadic raid that destroyed a village that stood in the place of current-day Lazarevo, the heroes uncovered secrets about their own past, and lifted the veil separating their own mundane and provincial existence, and the Otherworld.   As they performed the Crone's assignments to gain her patronage, they also acquired new foes, who were also intent on finding their way to the crone's domains: the secretive and possessive blacksmith Zhitko, who turned out to be a fire-breathing serpent; the controlling Knights of Ritterheim, and their priestly mentor; and the cunning Lionia - a sometime ally who made off with the fox's share of the buried treasure they recovered.   At long last, the companions made their way to the Otherworld, crossed the River of Fire, and found their way to the crone's hut. Here they abide, waiting for the Grandmother's instructions. For the Crone has plans, and those who loyally pursue them, and succeed, can expect to be richly rewarded. Surely, they can. Assuming that the hostess really is the right Baba Yaga.