The Hag's Cave

Cries for Help

As the party made their way towards Mudwater from The Ruined Battlefield, Vita had a moment where she believed she could faintly hear a child crying. Brian, flying up above the trees and hills, was able to spot a cave towards the north, but with nothing else to go on, and the cries no longer being heard, the party continued onward.
However, the thought nagging at Vita, when the party found themselves with time to spare after settling into The Blushing Crow, she insisted that she would like to go back and check it out. Brian suggested prudence before stomping through the countryside, and the party inquired with Mother Binny Purlow and Priest at Arms Keph at Vera's Cathedral about recent missing persons or kidnappings. Mother Binny Purlow confirmed that there were two recent young women that have been reported missing, along with a man from a month or two back. The party, explaining what they encountered, attempted to recruit aid from the church, but Binny and Keph were unable free anyone from their responsibilities until the following day at the earliest.
The party, determined to find help before departing, and ignoring their DM's clear attempt to railroad them out the door, they went to the King's Garrison, where they met with Commander Alban Cobcastle. Explaining what they believe they've found, Alban expressed that only one guard was likely available for the investigation immediately, who was off-duty on the far side of town. He expressed that, should they investigate and return with concrete evidence, he would scrounge a patrol together to check it out. The party, feeling a sense of urgency, opted to depart without pursuing the spare guard, and traveled east down the road to the area where Brian had spotted the cave.

Interruptions

Approaching the mouth of the cave, where a small stream with traces of green slime exited into the countryside, the party now could all on occasion hear a child crying. As they decided how to go about things, Brian shouted into the cave, causing a weighty moment of silence, before a young human woman in plain clothing stepped out into the light. Looking nervously at the group of armed strangers in front of her, she explained herself as Mary, and the cries one of her younger sisters, upset about the recent death of their mother. The party's suspicious nature led to Fork sneaking into the cave, while the others continued to question her.
As Mary names her sisters Marwa and Lindra, whom Brian and Tilly recognized as the names of the missing girls. As they were processing this, Fork reappeared from the cave with a grim expression, asking if it was normal in her family to keep her sisters in cages. Before the woman could respond beyond a few surprised sputters, the party sprang into action, attacking her.
Significantly injured before she could do much of anything, Mary reverted into her true Hag form, before griping about people not being willing to talk anymore, and vanishing.

Whispers in the Dark

Unable to determine where Mary went, the party entered the cave to discover what they could. Finding the older girl, Lindra unconscious and severely malnourished, while the young girl Marwa looking sick but conscious, Vita went about immediately tending to them, once Fork got the cages open. A chest in the corner, along with a cauldron full of a strange green slime, caught the party's attention. Both girls' clothing was drenched in what looked like the ooze, but dried, and Marwa explained that Mary was having them eat it. And when Vita felt a tug at her hair, Marwa became extremely paranoid that the hag was nearby and invisible, pleading with the party that they should leave quickly.
@Fork quickly disabled a magical trap on the locked chest, divvying out what he found within it to the party, including a rather heavy looking lute to Bulgey, some potions, a wand, and a paper fan to the others, before they carried the unconscious Lindra out of the cave.
Lindra, being in a critical state, was rushed back to Vera's Cathedral by Brian, where Priest at Arms Keph explained that she appeared to be at least partially poisoned by something that looks similar to the blood of the Fel. He explained that she wasn't Fel herself however, as the telltale indication is green, acidic blood. He cleansed the girl of the poison, and suggested that she should be okay. Brian returned to the party as they made their own way slowly to town.
While Brian was medivac'ing Lindra, Tilly had one of her own hairs plucked. Concerned that the hag was looking to gather ingredients for some nefarious plot, the party hurried on to Mudwater.