Forest of Wyrd Session #54 - Two Knight's Tales

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

Leaving Jonesomon and Vegarious with the raft and Feedbag II, the rest of the party climbed the bluff. At the top they found a neat little campsite. A large, brightly coloured pavilion stood at one end of the clearing. Next to it fluttered a blue and black pendant, emblazoned with a silver crescent moon. A large black horse stood at a hitching post close to the remnants of a fire. Seeing nobody about, Hobbs called out, and in a few moments a figure emerged from the pavilion.  It was a knight, over seven feet tall, and clad in a suit of blue plate. In a deep echoing voice, he said: "I am Sir Azra, Knight of the Blue; Whom might you be, and what is your quest?" Hobbs explained they were seeking the Tomb of the Half Blood King, and the Crown of the Forest therein.  Sir Azra asked whom they served, to which Hobbs gave a somewhat evasive answer. Asked his purpose, the knight stated he was guardian of the tomb. He would let them enter if they brought him the key, for it was complex and the knight would need to explain it's use. Asked where they might find the key, Sir Azra stated it has been stolen by his co-guardian, Sir Pallis, a millennia ago. Find Sir Pallis in the Green Mist, get the key, and bring it back to the campsite. As he spoke this, Sir Azra was addressing Thrax, who immediately became convinced this was exactly what they needed to do. And for now, the party agreed. One last departing question was where exactly could they find the Tomb of the Half Blood King? The knight waved a hand to the west, indicating the grey fogbank over the lake.  

Taking leave, the party returned to the raft and poled it around the point. However, it was getting dark so they decided to beach just outside the green mist for the night. Their rest was interrupted by a stealthy attack  from a pair of jack-in-the-green, who were dispatched after a short bitter fight. When the sun rose, it dawned as a bright and calm spring day. A prefect day to penetrate the sickly green mist. Paddling out to the green wall, the party first nudged in the bows where Hobbs perched. To see what would happen. The hedgefey was momently disoriented, but that feeling passed. Hoping no one else would be stricken, the party rowed all the way into the mist. Most felt the same fleeting feeling, except Ranza who became bewildered and confused, unable to tell up from down and left from right. But with the rest of the party to guide her, she was OK. 

Moving into the mist, they could see little more than a few feet in front of them. Thrax tried to use a gust from his sword to clear a path, but it had little effect. Somehow Gnarl was able to mostly keep them on track, or at least he thought so. As minutes passed like hours, there was occasional movement in the mist. At one point something slithering swam under the raft and disappeared. A short time later, a ghostly figure appeared off the port bow. Dressed in archaic armor, they first thought it was Sir Pallis. But it turned to attack, and the party swiftly slashed it back into the surrounding mist.  After yet more drifting through the eerie green air, another figure appeared ahead. As it came closer, it resolved into the form of a knight in armor, riding a giant swan. He paddled towards him, and introduced himself as Sir Pallis. Questioning the party, his initial friendly demeanor turned to rage when told they had been sent by Sir Azra to recover the key to the Tomb. Sir Pallis had a different story to tell; one in which the Blue Knight turned on him and tried to steal to key for his masters, the lords of Faerie. The party tried to reason with Sir Pallis, saying they wanted the key to get the Crown of the Forest and help the Prince Who Would Be. The swan knight seemed amenable to the idea, but eyed Thrax warily. He would not turn over the key until Thrax was dead, knowing that the fighting man was under a spell from Sir Azra. He ordered the party to drown Thrax, becoming more and more vehement as time wore on.

The party tried to convince Sir Pallis all would be good, even going so far as to have Gnarl try entangling Thrax to keep the fighter out of commission. But the knight finally lost patience. He raised his sword, set a lance to float beside him, and the swan lifted into the air. He charged straight at Thrax. Their hand forced, the party retaliated. After the knights' first pass, Gnarl entangled the swan with a mass of water lily (this time catching Thrax at the same time), while Ranza turned on both swan and knight with colour spray. The rest of the party turned on Sir Pallis, and after a tight combat the old knight was slain. They quickly trussed up the swan (so Hobbs who later use the saddle to tame it) and Thrax (until they could figure out how to deal with the geas he was under). Looting Sir Pallis of jewelry and lance, they also pulled the key from under his amour. It looked just like any other key, which certainly raised the question again about just how much they could trust Sir Azara. They now turned around to head (hopefully) out of the mist. Gnarl's direction sense was good, and they found themselves once more just off the Blue Knight's headland as the sun dipped low in the western sky.  They headed back to the cobble shore to rest for the night and plan for the next day. 

TOTAL XP 

7434

GAINS

67sp

helm with golden plume [100sp]

3x gold and ruby rings [3x 750sp]

Lance +1, Freehand

Key to the Tomb of the Half Blood King

Wattle the Giant Swan 

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Jack-in-the-Green

1 Lost Soul

Sir Pallis the Wyrd Paladin 

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd Session #53 - Jonesomon , Beavers and the Crazy Man

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

The party escorted the rescued merchants and their new guards/erstwhile captor's to Kreland's Ford. There they parted ways, the party taking their reward in portable wealth and opting to bypass the town. They didn't want to answer questions about why neo-Jonsomon was trussed up and gagged. In fact, they just didn't want to deal with any neo-Jonesomon issues, suspecting he may be known and wanted in the town for his banditry. So they slept in the woods for the night, and then started their journey north to Twitten's Hollow and, hopefully, an audience with Queen Botsum and King Thorbus. The two day journey passed without incident, and they arrived at the great white bridge. Paying the Thayn's men their toll, the party proceeded to the other side, and was disappointed to not find one of the seelie court awaiting them. Instead there was a scrap of paper, which unfolded into a rather elaborate scroll announcing that the toll for passage was the cry of a human child. That threw the party for a loop momentarily, but they backtracked to the two men on guard and somehow got one to agree to bring his newborn to the bridge that night to provide the fee (in return for payment of a fee, in silver, to himself of course) .

The guard was true to his word, and that night joined the party at the far end of the bridge. He was nervous and held the child in a death grip, but a little teasing with a bottle of warm milk from Thrax's robe elicited the necessary sound. At which point a short fat goblin dressed in brown appeared, seemed to inhale the cry, and then  proceeded to thank the party for their payment. He was about to disappear again when Ranza interrupted, to say they wished an audience with Queen Botsum. That required some negotiation and payments to the goblin  before he would make the arrangements, but in short order the party (less the father and child who'd wisely bolted by this point) was lead into the fairy shee, and in moments the full fairy court had appeared. Queen Botsum appeared to be quite pleased to see the party, and she gladly answered the question about THEIR Jonsomon and his whereabouts. The fairy queen explained that Jonesomon was no more, having merged with neo-Jonesomon to become the 'whole ' Jonesomon. Nothing short of the most powerful magics would bring him back. At which point Gnarl piped up, reminding the party he still retained his wish from the path of the black dog. And so the wood gnome used it to wish that their Jonesomon had survived the encounter rather than neo-Jonesomon. And within the blink of an eye,  neo-Jonesomon was gone, replaced by the 'real' Jonesomon. Who was more than a little confused about what was going on at this point. 

Thanking the royal couple once more, the party took their leave and headed to town for the night. Next day they headed west to follow the directions given by Eya to the Tomb of the Half Blood King. They passed over the river and turned to head south, skirting the edge of the Mere of the Green Man. The first day passed without incident, except for the very slow going in the trackless forest. On he second day they came to a large clearing in the, until then, dense and primeval woods. In the centre was an old stone well, overgrown with moss and vine. Approaching cautiously, they party found that on initial inspection it seemed to be just an old well.  But curiously, anything that went down it came right back up again. Clearing away the moss and vines reveled an inscription: "Three they be, but one they are. If two agree, then cursed though are". On close inspection, Ranza noted the word 'cursed' seemed to hover over a palimpsest of the work 'blessed'. The party wracked their brains for a bit, but couldn't make heads or tails out of the whole situation. And in the end, decided this was just a distraction from their goal. So the party headed off to the south again. 

The next day, they reached a stream flowing into the Mere, the point at which Eya had told them to head upstream. But there wasn't much of a stream, just a bare trickle. Which didn't quite match their expectations. But they followed it just the same, and soon discovered why the paucity of water. Coming up onto a rise, they looked down to the west to find a huge dam across the stream, which had caused the water to back up and form a lake miles wide. They could see something on the dam below, and headed down to see if they were friend of foe. They were in fact a trio of huge beavers, lead by a grizzled old one who called himself Farquir Old-Tooth. For not only were they huge, they spoke Common. Asked about a tomb, the beavers could tell them nothing; they just tended the dam like their fathers, and fathers-fathers, and fathers-fathers-fathers, and so on. Asked about the lake, they said may strange creatures would be found there, like strange frog men. Asked if there was any one else they could talk to, Farquir noted two cleared spots to the west. One on a small island, where a weird little man lived. And the other a high headland, where a knight on horseback dwelled. Maybe they could help? He also pointed out two misty patches over the lake, one green and one white, warning the party to avoid them. 

The beavers seemed eager to get the party out of the way so they could return to work, were glad to carve them a raft to allow the landlubbers to cross the lake. And so the party headed first for the island. Along the way, they encountered a strange round spongy thing floating above the water. As it approached, Thrax opted to use a gust of wind from his sword to blow it away, at which point the thing vanished and the party landed on the island without further incident. They were met at the waterline by a wild man; short and knobby kneed, with an ankle length beard and no clothing. He immediately was attracted to Jonesomon, trying to snatch the  ioun stone which orbited around the specialists head.  When unsuccessful, the man accosted Hobbs, indicating by broken word and pantomime that he wanted a shiny stone. Hobb complied, giving him a small unpolished gem. The man then went through an elaborate act of cupping the stone in his hands, hiding it from the light so it 'disappeared'. But then becoming very frustrated and aggravated when the stone reappeared in the light when he opened up his hands, as if the disappearance of the stone seemed somehow significant. This went on for some time, even as several of the party explored the rest of the island (finding nothing but the mans crude hut, hung all over with small rock crystals.) 

In the end, the party could not understand what the man was getting at, and decided to push off and head for the knight on the headland. Leaving the raving lunatic behind, they headed across the lake, only to have the green globe reappear. Once more Thrax used his mighty gust, but this time the thing continued to chase them. So while a few tried pelting it with arrows, everyone else pulled hard on the oars, beaching the raft below the headland and scrambling ashore as quickly as possible. At which point, the green ball disappeared again, leaving the party to contemplate the climb to the headland above ...  

TOTAL XP 

0

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

none

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd Session #52- There Can Only Be One!

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

The line of skirmishers had retreated towards the rock face, disappearing into some hidden entrance or cave. The still invisible Ranza followed, trailed by the rest of the party The changeling found a cleft in the jumble of massive stones, at the end of which more daylight could be seen. While the rest of the party took up position on either side of the entrance, she headed carefully into the tunnel. Reaching the end, she saw an open courtyard of sorts, enclosed by the surrounding rock. It showed signs of habitation; old fire pits, benches and other small comforts. But there was no one to be seen. There were two exits, one each to left and right. And on the opposite side from the entrance tunnel, and iron ladder was bolted to the rock, leading up to the top. Ranza decided to sneak over to the ladder. As she passed the left hand exit, she observe a mass of armed men waiting in ambush. But they did not see her, at least not this time.

At about this moment, the rest of the party, huddled under the edge of the rock face, were surprised by a group of archers who appeared above them. As arrows started to fly, everyone sprang into action. Ranza, hearing to commotion outside, ran across the courtyard and back to the entrance. This time, even thought invisible, her hasty retreat drew the attention of the brigands in the tunnel. Outside, Thrax summoned his nightmare stead, grabbed Gnarl, and then flew up to the top of the rock to deal with the archers. Jonesomon, Hobbs and Slugs headed into the tunnel to support Ranza, who was facing a mass of armed men, who were being reinforced by more every minute. In addition, a ring of archers likewise peered down in the courtyard from their perch on top of the rock. And in then in the right hand tunnel, there appeared a man and a woman. Jonesomon immediately recognized the woman as Baihu, his erstwhile and long dead magic user companion. It looks like there was a neo-Baihu to deal with as well as the neo-Jonesomon. 

And then everything starting happening at once. Hobbs, using some of Gnarls magical tobacco, dropped a couple of stink clouds into the courtyard, blocking the western exit and neutralizing most of the threat from that side. He followed this with a wall of fog to blind the archers above. Ranza meanwhile, used fear to drive away many of the brigands to their front, as while as neo-Baihu's companion. At which point the magic user cast web to block the eastern tunnel, and turned in retreat. She then used her wand to summon giant bees to harass the remaining archers. Up on top of the rock, the nightmare trio ground it's way through archers until the remaining few turned and fled. Gnarl then cast entangle on the crowd of brigands trying to flee up the ladder from the retching chaos in the courtyard, effectively ending the battle. 

Once the smoke (both literal and figurative) cleared, the figure of neo-Jonesomon appeared out of the western tunnel. He and his bodyguards approached carefully, making their surrender clear. He was just starting to make a deal with the party, offering a bag of gems he threw on the ground as ransom for his life, when the two Jonesomons noticed each other. Both immediately felt weak and nauseous, but were inexplicably drawn towards each other. As the two approached, the party tried to keep them apart, but Jonesomon and neo-Jonesomon pushed everyone aside. And then, in the moment the two touched, there was a blinding flash of light. When everyone's vision returned, there was just neo-Jonesomon left. And no indication of where their own Jonesomon had gone. Was he dead? Disappeared? Flung into some other dimension? They could not tell. 

They didn't really trust the new Jonesomon though, so he was trussed up as they searched the cave complex. They rescued a trio of captive merchants, and recovered their stolen goods. The captured brigands were put to work loading the goods onto the wagons, kept hidden in the nearby woods, and they then joined the merchants payroll as guards to ensure they arrived safely at market. After rough negotiation, the party secured a finders fee of 20% on the value of the recovered goods, and agree to accompany them to Kreland's Ford. So with neo-Jonesomon bound and in tow, the party headed out. And on the way, discussed what to do next. They settled on a visit to Twitten's Hollow and the faerie court of King Thorbus and Queen Botsum, hoping that the royal pair could provide some insight in to the fate of the old Jonesomon. 

TOTAL XP 

9780

GAINS

20% Share of recovered goods [500sp]

Bag o Gems (2x250sp, 6x100sp, 8x10sp)

Leather Armor +1 [300xp]

Ring of Protection +1 [2000xp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

12+ of neo-Jonesomon's Brigands 

LOSSES

Jonesomon

Forest of Wyrd Session # 51 - What's Happened While You Were Away

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

Vegarious (Changeling 3) 

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

The party started their time in Upland by making inquires into what had happened in the last year and a half of 'mortal' time. Apart from a cacophony of local issues of little interest to them, the biggest news was of war. In their absence, Nimon the Gloaming Lord had raised larger forces and started to spread fire and terror throughout the Forest, especially in those areas controlled by the Earl of Brackenrae. The Earl was forced to respond, and called for help from his liege-lord, the High King of the Rock at Carnock.  He also hired mercenaries from far and wide, and through the pervious spring, summer and fall war raged under bough and bower. By the time the leaves fell, the Gloaming Lord's army had been decimated and scattered. Nimon himself disappeared, whether to Faerie or just to hiding in the Forest none could tell. But many areas of the Forest were ravaged, settlements burned, and  bands of now out of work men-at-arms had turned to brigandage. 

Now up to date on the news, the party restocked supplies (including a new donkey Thrax dubbed 'Bagfeed') and a raft, with plans to head south the Brackenrae and check in on their home and hirelings. Hobbs also went looking for a squire, and hired the slimy slug hedgefey Slugs MacKenzie. They left Upland and drifted south on the Western Finger through the day, reaching the outlet to the River of Sorrows as the late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the lake. Thrax, on watch, noted a trio of silhouetted, winged figures on a rock mastiff to their west. Two leaped into the air and flew towards the raft. Thrax roused everyone to potential action just as the two creatures flew overhead. They looked like a hybrid of a stag and a bird of prey, and as their shadows passed over the raft,  most of the party was immediately paralyzed. Only Gnarl, Vegarious and Slugs were left free to fight off the two creatures when they turned around and flew back to the raft. One of the creatures landed atop Thrax and started to gore into his chest with it's antlers, while the other tried to lift off with Hobbs in it's claws. Slugs used a slime rope to keep Hobbs on deck, while Gnarl and Vegarious turned their attention to the one attacking Thrax. This one they slew, which caused the second to release Hobbs and fly off into the setting sun. 

The paralysis passed as they continued to the south, and after an uneventful night and part of the next day, the party arrived in Wickerwood. The town was still only partly rebuilt from its' razing at the hands of the Gloaming Lord; but the Keep was a bustle of activity as stonemasons and other tradesmen worked to rebuild the structure. They were met at the dock by a handful of men-at-arms, who announced they served the new Thayn Woland, a mighty warrior lately in the service of the Earl of Brakenrae.  They also demanded a landing fee, tolls to pay for reconstruction. The party anted up without fuss, and landed to seek out Sister Taritha  at the shrine of St. Myrrha who confirmed the news. They stayed a few days in town, also seeking out Thorguld Red-nose to obtain some healing poultices before boarding the raft again to continue the journey to Brackenrae. 

Brackenrae showed signs of fighting, with areas outside town burned and crowded tent cities holding refugees and out of work men-at-arms. The town was likewise busy, but first stop for the party was their house. Which they quickly found out was no longer theirs; they had missed a year of rent and their landlord had kicked them out. Wondering where their stuff had gone, they tracked down Brutus Killpenny, their erstwhile landlord, to demand their belonging, The short bald man protested that he had sold their things to cover lost rent and pay for cleanup (their two hired men-at-arms who were watching the place weren't very good to the property.) The party accepted there was some validity to that, but Thrax was insistent on getting back the mirror in which his sister was trapped(?) That led them to the purchaser, the Wulgard, Bishop of Brakenrae at the Church of St. Viglis of the Shield. After a few rounds of embarrassed denial, threatened violence, and 'active' negotiation, Thrax got his mirror back. But the party was now once more unwelcome in town as rumor's of them roughing up the Bishop started to circulate. That probably also explained some of the frostier than usual response from Jaskin the Alchemist when they stopped by to purchase a potion of growth [2000sp].

But before leaving town, there was one more unusual incident involving Jonesomon. As he sat in a tavern that evening, two shady types approached him. The two asked what he was doing in town, when he should be laying low and waiting for a signal from them that a rich merchant had left town. A little back and forth untangled the skein. It seemed Jonesomon's time-twin (Gnarl's had died in the fighting) had turned to brigandage, and now lead a group of ex-mercenaries raiding rafts and road traffic to the west of town. These two would pass word when an especially juicy target left Brackenrae, which the rest of the band would ambush. Intrigued by this, the party decided to ambush the ambushers. The 'real' Jonesomon ordered his pair of henchmen to escort him and the rest of the party ('new recruits') back to the brigand base. The two scouts didn't make it though, as they were shived once they'd led the party within easy striking range of the camp. Following the directions they'd learned, the party struck off the road and into the deep woods, until a rock face with a barley discernable cave entrance appeared ahead. While the rest of the party waited, Hobbs and an invisible Ranza slipped ahead to look. Unfortunately, the hedgefey ran right into one of the brigands  taking a nature break in the bushes. He raised a hue and cry, and a skirmish line of men was soon moving towards the party. Gnarl turned them back with a spikegrowth, and the party turned to planning their assault now that their target was alert. 

TOTAL XP 

140

GAINS

nil

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 Peryton

4 of neo-Jonesomon's Brigands 

LOSSES

nil

History of the Forest of Wyrd - The First Age

In the beginning, there were the spirits of the Forest, manifestations of the nexuses of power over which the wood lay. Over time, some of these started to grow stronger and more sentient. Eventually, the greatest of the spirits became the defacto rulers of the Forest of Wyrd: the Green Man, the Prince in Yellow, and the Black Mother. The three took on different parts of the forest as their own; the Green Man took the trees and the growing world, the Black Mother the depths of the earth and caverns below, and the Prince in Yellow the skies and cloud above. For help and companionship, the Green Man uplifted seven spirits to become the Daughters of the Green Man. Likewise, the Black Mother lifted up [REDACTED]. The Prince in Yellow, meanwhile, choose [REDACTED]. And for untold millennia, the Forest stood undisturbed and in balance. Then the first newcomers came, dwellers from the Fey realm that lay as a shadowed veil behind the mortal realm. First there came [REDACTED], humans who had been enslaved in Faerie and discovered a way to form gates through the veil. These were few and caused little disturbance in the Forest, so the spirits let them be. These men were followed by seelie fey, driven from Faeire by their darker kin. These fit well with those creatures dwelling in the Forest, and they too were allowed to stay. But when the dark fey started to cross over the barrier between space and time, they brought strife and war, and so the three powers of the Forest wrested the knowledge of the gates from the unseelie, pushed the hoards back beyond the veil, and sealed the gates against further intrusion from Faerie.

After this time, the Forest once more sat undisturbed and at peace for a countless years. And then there appear at the eaves of the forest a new nation of men. These people were the D’war, those first men to spread far and settle the wide reaches of the known world. These were many, and started to shape the Forest to their own liking. As they cut trees, dug into the earth and fouled the airs with smoke, the spirits of the Forest grew angry and turned against them. And so war raged in bower and under bough, causing great death and destruction on both sides. But for all the power of the spirits of the Forest, it was man, ascendant at the prime of his power, who eventually gained the upper hand. And so the Green Man, the Black Mother and the Prince in Yellow turned to their old foes, the dark princes of Faerie. Allying with this power from beyond the veil, they opened the gates and let the unseelie hoards into the Forest. And war most terrible raged again, and the fight turned against the D’war. But they too called on allies, this time the seelie fey of the Forest, who until this point had stood aside in the fray. But they knew their kin and the darkness which they would bring to the Forest, and so joined men in the fight. Though the war was long and hard, the D’war and their allies prevailed in the end, and once more drove back unseelie fey through the gates. In this they were helped by the Prince in Yellow, who had been horrified by the fighting and destruction, and turned away from the Green Man. Likewise, the Black Mother tired of the fight and retreated to her dark places in the depths of the earth, drawing back further from the wood and away from those who dwelled in the surface world.

It seemed the war was over, but the Green Man was still angry. Under the guise of peace offerings, the Green Man tricked the high king of the D’war, Mac Em Doma. [REDACTED] This finally broke the power of the D’war, and the remnants of the tribes scattered to dwell quietly in the Forest. As they were no longer a threat, the Green Man let them be, for he was tired and needed rest.

But soon another arose to lead men. At the height of the war between D'war and Faerie, Liadan, the daughter of the High King, was captured by the dark Faerie lord, Crindis the Hidden One. They fell in love, and she secretly bore a half blood child. Child and mother stayed in the Forest when the fey father was forced back to Faerie at war's end.  And when the child came of age, he claimed rule of the forest as the Half Blood King. Men and seelie fey rallied to his side.  And for a brief time, the Half Blood King ruled all the wood at peace, and took a daughter of the Green Man (She Who Wore the Crown of Stars) as his wife. She bore him a son, the Prince Who Would Be, who could rightfully claim to lordship over all the powers of the Forest. But this golden time did not last, for the Green Man awoke from his slumber and turned once more on those who would claim his woods. He killed the Half Blood King and destroyed his realm. The Prince Who Would Be was rushed off into hiding against the day when he could return and claim his right.

Forest of Wyrd Session # 50 - The Autumn Maiden

 DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

The palace itself was small, with four towers set in the surrounding walls, and two  more rising above a covered portico where a set of wide marble stairs led up to a pair of massive doors. Curiously, a very narrow bridge or buttress connects the inner towers with the two front towers on the outer wall. The palace itself seemed to consist of just a few floors, topped by a translucent white dome. 

Hobbs and Gnarl lead the way into the ragged garden, heading forward to look into the scum covered pool. With a little poking about, Gnarl noted one interesting thing; when the green algae was cleared away, the reflection in the pool showed the palace intact and in pristine condition. Meanwhile, Thrax had emerged from the entrance gate and decided to head straight towards the palace stairs and doors. As he passed the overgrown garden however, there was a stirring among the branches and out popped a black, tangled mass of torn and bark. It lashed at Thrax, cutting a deep gouge into his arm, which immediately turned black and began to fester.  Gnarl and Hobbs rushed forward to help, while Ranza and the baby stayed behind and out of danger. The trio chopped the brambling to pieces, but were alerted to the presence of another when Ranza cried out. She (and luckily not the baby) received a horrible wound as well before this second creature was dispatched. They all stopped to bind their wounds, and Gnarl announced both wounds were pulsing with poison. But alas there was little he could do to help for now; they'd have to hang on until the morrow. 

Reassured(?) by the wood gnomes advice, the party headed now towards the stairs. They lay under an overhanging roof supported by a pair of pillars. The doors were covered in a geometric pattern and made of a silver, yet now tarnished, metal. Over the lintel was written "Strife comes only to those who bring strife with them". Suspicious, Thrax pulled out the quilt of augury, and asked if it was safe for him to enter the doors. The quilt  rearranged itself to show Thrax opening the door, and then disintegrating into a pile of dust. That was not reassuring. After a few attempts to use the reflection in the pool as a means to enter, Hobbs threw caution to the wind and dropped all his weapons to the ground. Pushing on the door, he found they swung opening easily and allowed him entry. But then closed quickly before anyone else could follow. Having seen no danger or disintegration, everyone else followed after dropping their weapons (even Thrax). It seemed the quilt had lied. 

They found themselves in a pristine and glittering, white marble entrance hall. In the middle were a couple of glass and metal tables, atop which sat decenters of wine, goblets and bowls of fruit. At the far end of the hall a delicate metal staircase circled upwards around a tall shooting column of water. Thrax went to examine the fountain, discovering that items thrown in do come back down. Except, curiously, the red wine he tossed in; it did seem to disappear. Meanwhile, the other three checked one of the doors that lead off the entrance chamber. Inside they found a room subdivided by blankets, tapestries and towels to form a number of small private bedchambers. They also heard the sounds of sobbing, and another voicing saying "There, there. It will be all right ..." Following the voices, they came upon a pair of woman sitting on one of the beds. The younger was the one weeping, and at her side an older woman was trying to comfort her. Curiously, the older woman was dressed quite anachronisticly, while the younger was in the current height of fashion. After some initial surprise, the older lady (Hilla) was happy to answer their questions. Explaining she and her companion (Erid) were nursemaids for the children of the Autumn Lady, Hilla explained Erid was upset as she was new here and just learning her life now was to remain in the palace forever. It seemed the Autumn Maiden would snatch woman, who has recently lost a newborn themselves,  from the realm of men and brought them here to care for the fey endangered babies she likewise pulled through her mirror. When asked, Hilla said she could not take the baby; the party would have to present the child to the Autumn Maiden herself, who dwelled at the top of the palace. 

Taking their leave, the party headed up the stairs. There they emerged into a hall filled with statues of strange beings. 

• A darkly beautiful woman with no mouth, dressed in a red silk robe. 
• A woman of indeterminate age in a blue silk dress, but whose lower body (emerging from water) was obviously not human.
• A woman with dark skin and hair of autumn foliage, recognized by Hobbs (thanks to his vision) as the Autumn Maiden. 
• A woman of alabaster completion, wearing a white feathered headdress and white leather bodice and skirts. But with no legs, and holding a scepter of gold, crystal and pearls. 
• A woman with pale skin and hair of starlight, dressed in a fuligin robe. 
• A woman with bronze skin in a bronze robe, with a head formed of owls wings.
• A faceless pre-teen girl in a plain dress.
• The Green Man.

Not quite sure what to make of these, the party simply searched around  them, looking for hidden ways that may lead up to the dome, as there was no stairs or other means of access to be seen. They found nothing, and now tried the doors that lead out of the room to north and south. Through each they found a garden bower, guarded by a knight in full plate, and filled with babies, children playing, and nursemaids. (Curiously, the bowers and it's inhabitants changed each time they returned.) Speaking to one of the nursemaids, they learned again only that they would have to bring the baby to the Autumn Maiden, and they offered no hints as to how to reach her dome.

The party was now left to figure out how to get up to the top level and the dome. They tried searching for secret doors in likely places, and used detect invisibility to find anything that might be helpful. Hobbs even recklessly rode the fountain, hoping it would propel him to the dome. But all to no avail. In the end, Gnarl pulled out the greenstone of earthseeing so he could look deep into the walls. The wood gnome discovered stairs leading up the inner towers, and after rushing downstairs discovered a secret door leading into one of the outer towers where there was another set of stairs. By this they figured out the only way up was to climb the outer tower, cross the tiny narrow bridge to the inner tower, and then up those stairs to the dome. And so it was done, and the party was happy to find it was pretty much impossible to fall off the narrow filigree bridge that spanned the towers. 

Emerging onto the top of the palace, they passed a pair of rose beds, climbed a short flight of stairs and entered the dome. There they were shushed by a waiting nursemaid, and watched as the Autumn Maiden, sitting on a simple stone bench in the middle of the room, reached through  a large ornate mirror and hauled out a screaming baby. This she handed to the nursemaid, who immediately slipped out the door and left the party with her patron. 

The party started off by offering the child into the Autumn Maiden's care; she summoned another nursemaid and sent the baby on its way. They then started asking her some question. First, was whether she could do anything about their two diseased companions. This she could not, airily directing them to her sister Broann, the Wych of the High Moor [hex 06.06]. They then asked why she gathered in those babies at risk from the fey? She responded with a story of the Forest in the days of the arrival of the D'war, the first men. Her father, the Green Man, and his fellow wood gods, the Black Mother and Prince in Yellow,  resented the arrival of man and fought against them. But man was too strong, so the Green Man opened portals to Faerie to allow the dark fey into the forest to fight at his side. The war was terrible, and the Autumn Maiden was turned from her father and his allies by the horrors they inflicted on men. She dedicated herself to protecting those young mortals who risked being taken by the fey. Asked about her sisters, she said some remained loyal to the Green Man, some turned against him and some stayed neutral. And asked about the Green Man, she told them her eventually turned against the dark faerie as well, but the war had sapped his power and he (plus the Black Mother and Prince in Yellow) had fallen into a slumber. Their presence was still woven thought the forest, but less overt than it once had been. The party finally asked her what happened to the babies she saved? Once grown up and able to fend for themselves, she told them, the children would be sent back through the mirror to another place and time to rejoin the mortal realm. 

And for the last, they asked how to get back to the mortal realm. The Autumn Maiden offer them four gold necklaces, on each of which dangled a large teardrop of amber. Each contained a golden leaf; dog rose, shamrock, oak and mistletoe. They could use these to go back through the gate to the garden, and then out through the toadstool ring to the caverns. Each would also, once per month, allow to wearer to meld with that plant in the wild and be hidden from all sight and detection. 

Thanking her for the gift, the party at once retraced their steps, and without further adieu found themselves back in the caverns. Their first shock was Feedbag and the white stag , whom they'd left behind, were long dead. Gnarl figured, based on the remains,  they'd been dead for well over a year. That was their first clue that they were the victims once again of the weird time flow in Faerie. Hobbs recovered his saddle, and the party headed out of the caverns. And into a bright spring day, quite unlike the cold winter weather they'd been in just two days before. After a nights rest (and a few neutralize poison from Gnarl to cure Ranza and Thrax), the party headed back to the town of Upland. Once there, they learned about a year and a half had passed since they entered the Garden ... 

TOTAL XP 

4150 [shared]; plus 4800xp each  [Gnarl, Ranza, Hobbs, Thrax] 

GAINS

4 Amulets of Autumn 

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Black Bramblings 

LOSSES

nil

Forest of Wyrd Session # 49 - One of Us! One of Us!

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

Vegarious (Changeling 3) 

Finally catching their collective breath, the party was suddenly and unexpectedly joined by Jonesomon and Vegarious. Now full strength they were ready to keep moving towards their goal of finding the Autumn Maiden and turn over the orphan child to her care. They continued east along the trail through the woods, coming soon to a shallow ravine. At the bottom trickled a stream which disappeared into small cave. They descended the slope, and then moved towards the dark opening. Gnarl cast light into the entrance with his spear, then Thrax and Jonesomon headed in  to investigate. They immediately observed a pair of squat figures, giant frogs, barring the way. Jonesomon slipped into the shadows to move behind the pair, while Thrax walked bolding towards them. And was attacked by the creatures sticky tongues. He avoided any real hurt, thanks to Jonesomon stabbing the creatures from behind and the rest of the party rushing in to help from the front.   

With the frogs out of the way, Thrax and Jonesomon continued into the back of the cave, where the stream disappeared into a  narrow cleft of the rock. Jammed there was a bright and shiny kite-shield, which Thrax immediately claimed; and immediately became very possessive of. 

Done with the cave, the party moved further east down the ravine, which soon petered to an end. A trail climbed both east and north, and the party opted to go north in search of the 'Fountain of All Heal' the leprechauns had mentioned. Before doing so, Jonesomon checked the slope for any surprises. As he did so, he also noted a hidden cave entrance at the back of the ravine. Thickly overgrown with vine and brush, they'd walked within feet of it and not seen it. Going over to look closer, they were surprised to hear a tree, standing next to the opening, speak to them with a slow, sonorous voice. The tree, whose name they learned was Boomdulus, warned them off the cave, which he stated was his home.  The party complied, and took the opportunity to question Boomdulus above the garden. He was amendable to the questioning, through his answers were a bit vague and focused more on the plants of the garden than anything else. But they did learn they needed to use the Maze to find the Autumn Maiden, who dwelled in a magnificent palace of white in some hidden location accessible only viay the Maze. He also made some some wavy comments about 'the gardener', comments on which the treant did not elaborate. 

The party took their leave of Boomdulus, and climbed the north trail. It soon opened into a wide meadow of grass and flowers. The trial continued north, passing a pair of rose arbours, and a large square hedge to the east.  To the west was a large pond, in the centre of which stood a white open-air building. In spite of all the options, first order of business was to trace the stream they could see flowing into said lake, hoping it would lead to the 'Fountain of All Heal'. Avoiding an unfriendly looking pair of unicorn, the party did indeed find the fountain at the source of the stream. The crystal clear water poured out of a crack in a rocky outcrop, gathering in a stone basin marked with the words "Fountain of All Heal", before spilling over the edge and forming the stream. Everyone (except Vegarious and Ranza) immediately slacked their thirst. And everyone felt their hurts and harms healed; while Hobbs suddenly felt a new appreciation for the garden. He felt this was a place he could stay and end his wandering, adventurous ways. Jonesomon experienced a similar feeling when he drank again from the fountain a little later. But both were dragged along to finish their current quest; bring the baby to the Autumn Maidan.   

The party headed over the check the the large square hedge, which Boomdulus had told them was the maze that lead to the Autumn Maidan. They found it was just as the treant described, and plunged into the winding paths, leaving various means of  tracking their way behind them. Which was good, as the path seemed shift and contract as they moved, and it took many hours to reach the centre. Here they found a sundial, strangely stuck on noon regardless of the position of the sun in the sky overhead. Around the edge of the sundial were carved recesses of four different leaves; a dog-rose, oak, mistletoe and shamrock. They quickly surmised that this was some sort of gate or teleporter which could be activated by bringing samples of those plants and placing them on the sundial. So they retraced their steps out of the maze again, ready to search. The dog-rose they recalled seeing at the fountain, and it was claimed quickly. 

The others were not immediately obvious though, so the party decided to set up camp and rest, the sky increasingly getting dark. In the morning, they checked the two rose arbours to no effect, other than some strange weakness that overcame Jonesomon and Thrax. Unsure of what to do next, they headed for the lake. There they found a small punt tied to a neat little dock, and everyone climbed aboard to pole over the the building. But made it only halfway before they were accosted by a pair of giant otters, who splashed about the boat and did everything they could to stop the party from getting to the building. Gnarl cast speak with animals, and he and the wholly garden-enamored Hobbes questioned the two. The otters wouldn't tell them anything about the building, but offered to tell them where to find the missing leaves if they rowed back to shore. Which the party did, figuring they could come back latter. Once on dry land, the otters directed them to a hidden oak grove to the south to get mistletoe and oak, and back to the leprechauns for shamrock. 

The party decided to loop north around the lake to get back to the leprechauns, taking care to avoid the satyrs. They found the little men just beyond the toadstool circle, still glum and grumpy from loosing the riddle contest to the party the day before. But they brightened up when Jonesomon flashed his dozen Imperium gold coins in their faces, and offered them in return for a shamrock. And he quickly made them fully cooperative by making sure the split of gold was uneven; neither leprechaun wanted any of the others to end up with more gold then he. So in short order the party had it shamrock, and learned the reason for the otters defensiveness as well. It seemed their young laired in the building, and they would risk none to enter and harm them.  

Taking leave of the leprechauns again, the party looped back around to the location of the hidden grove. It was a dark hollow, dominated by twisted old oaks and hanging vines clustered with mistletoe. It looked downright unhealthy and unfriendly, so Hobbs was volunteered to enter under the cloak of an invisibility spell courtesy of Vegarious. The hedgefey was able to gather the leaf and mistletoe without harm, though several of the knurled burrs on the oaks seemed to 'eye' him warily. 

Now with all the leaves in hand, the party returned to the centre of the maze and placed them on the sundial. Suddenly the view shifted, and they found themselves standing inside a short entrance tunnel. Behind them the way was blocked by a meshed, wrought iron gate, through which they could be the lake and garden they'd just left. Ahead could be seen a many spired palace, but which was much worst for wear. The walls were stained, shutters broken, moss and wild vines climbed the towers. Between them and the palace, the courtyard was choked with a wild overgrown garden ... 

TOTAL XP 

100

GAINS

Shield -1, Missile Attractor 

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Giant Frogs

LOSSES

nil

Forest of Wyrd Session #48 - Into the Garden Dome

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

Moving through the now safe mud pool, the party followed the small trickling stream through a winding passageway before coming to an intersection. Here they found a small pool of clear water into which the stream flowed from the northern passage, whereas the southern branch proved to be a dead end. Before continuing along the stream, Gnarl and Thrax  examined to pool. The bottom was filled with small round stones, of no particular note until Thrax used his shield to dig some out. When viwed outside the water, they could see a small handful of uncut gems amongst the plain river stones. These were scooped up immediately. 

Following the stream further, the party soon came to another large chamber. Here they encountered a heavenly music, tinkling soft and flowing. At the end of the cavern was an unusual sight; a waterfall and pool seemingly frozen in time and not moving. The surface of the pool was like that of tar, gradually getting harder as one approached the waterfall. Which itself was yielding, yet hard. Hobbs tossed a pebble which embedded itself into the waterfall; he also noted that it gradually 'flowed' down into the pool, taking several minutes to do so. Ranza, searching around the edges of the waterfall, spied something behind it. Maybe a room or chamber. But extensive search and experiments revealed no way to access it, though Gnarl used the greenstone to confirm the presence of a worked chamber and alcove. Anyone or anything that tried to pass through the 'water' was simply pushed down by the force of the flow before they could get through.  Somewhat stumped, the party backtracked to the question room to ask for help, and were told to 'be as the water should be'.  

Interpreting this as 'move fast', the party headed back to the waterfall and experimented a bit more. And they found the faster the object, the further it would penetrate into the water. So Thrax guzzled his potion of speed, stripped to his teddy-bear loincloth, and charged at the waterfall. And made it through!  Everyone else waited to see what happened next, but after some time started to wonder if the fighter would ever reappear. Figuring it was better to follow him than wait any longer, the party summoned the nightmare steed. Leaving Feedbag and the stag behind, they all climbed aboard and and used the summoned steed's enormous speed to  smash through the waterfall. On the other side was the chamber. A ruined couch and table sat at the centre, and a pile of broken glass littered the floor. Around both the main room and the alcove were mosaics of geometric patterns and woodland scenes. Observing no Thrax, they started searching around until Hobbs stepped into the alcove and disappeared! Seeing no other options, everyone else followed ...

... and found themselves with Thrax and Hobbs in a verdant wooded garden. Unlike the cool autumn world they'd left behind, this garden was at the blazing height of summer with tress in leaf, flowers in bloom, insects buzzing and birds singing.  They stood in a ring of large toadstools, atop which sat 5 diminutive figures with pointed hats, red cheeks and sickening grins. They immediately started to chant a series of rhymes:

"There's a fountain somewhere in this garden

Whose waters, we hear, sometimes harden,

But a drink now and then

Cures all in our ken,

And may even bring forth cries of "Pardon."

There's a lovely building just here

With turrets and domes far and near.

Tis a shame you can't spy it

As we urge you to try it.

Solve the puzzle and see it appear!

Some may think that our maze is a pest

But it shelters a haven of rest,

And ere anyone leaves

They must leave more that leaves

And then honour our master's request.

There are leaves in the garden to trace

and a maze with a clear central space

with a leaf in your hand

you could stand and stand

but to leave, leave the leaves in their place"

They continued to repeat this chant until interrupted by Hobbs. He asked about the Autumn Maiden, as they had a baby to bring into her protection. The creatures countenance immediately became foul, muttering something about babies having ruined the fun and the 'Summer Queen" never came to visit and play anymore because of the stupid babies. Some additional questioning revealed the Summer Queen and the Autumn Maiden were one and the same. In an effort to get more information, Hobbs offered the leprechauns a riddle. If they answered correctly, he'd give them  prize. If not, they would explain one of their riddles to the party. Hobbs asked: "When it's young it's tall, when it's old it's short. What am I?" After much puzzling, the leprechauns were unable to get the right answer: a candle. Now even more sour and glum, they explained the first riddle. There was a fountain in the garden to the east which, if drunk from, would cure all one's ill's and injuries. And then the five disappeared. 

The party then crawled out of the ring, taking care to avoid touching the toadstools. There was a trail there, so they headed east. After passing over a small stream, they followed along a complex winding path through the open woodland, always taking the branch that led further east. They did take one side path which lead into a small clearing under a large elm tree. A keg sat below the tree, and four pallets of straw lay along the edge of the clearing among the flowering scrubs. On each pallet was an object: a dagger, javelin, and on two earthenware mugs. The party examined each in turn, but decided to not disturb any of it. Suddenly, as they prepared to leave the clearing, the sound of pipes rose from beyond the clearing. Thrax at once started to feel woozy, and fell asleep at their feet. Then into the clearing stepped a quartet of satyrs, looking foul and hostile. The party, remembering the stricture from the cavern to not molest the garden inhabitants, tried to talk. But the four advanced and started to club them viciously. The party tired to avoid fighting, retreating and parrying the creatures blows, and experimenting with various means to turn the satyrs away. They also tired planting the acorn found in Eya's manse, remembering the other stricture to climb an oak tree if attacked in the garden (there were no oak trees around).  When this resulted in no magical tree appearing, and with the club blows continuing, Ranza used colour spray to take down three of the satyrs, and the party used the flats of their swords to knock the last one unconscious. And then they fled, following the path south and east until well away before stopping to rest and bind wounds ...  

TOTAL XP 

640

GAINS

Uncut gems (2x10sp, 40sp, 25sp, 20sp, 15sp)

KILLS/VICTORIES

4 Satyrs [Defeated]

LOSSES

nil

Forest of Wyrd Session # 47 - The Entrance Caves

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

The party entered the caves, passing down a short passage and into a chamber with two exits. There was no obvious better choice, so Gnarl sparked up his light spear and everyone headed down the northern route. This led into another chamber with multiple exits; north, south and east. Scattered on the floor were bits of broken stone, obviously debris from the stalactites hanging overhead. Moving into the room, suddenly a number of the stones rose up from the floor. Thrax tried to brush these away with his shield, but with no success. And then the stones started to hurl themselves at the party, while at he same time ghostly voices could be heard chanting: "Molest not the garden creatures"; "Climb an oak tree if the garden creatures chase you". The stones started to impact, and on each hit a strange terror briefly washed over the victim. Then one hit The Dude, who bolted in terror for the northern exit. The party followed after it, only to find the poor mule dissolving in a pile of ochre jelly. Unable to save the creature, Thrax (still giant sized from the earlier potion) reached over to save his bone harp from the baggage, and then everyone followed Hobbs and his stag out through the rock room and into the eastern passage.

This led by twists and turns into another chamber, larger and with a pool of mud at the far side. Next to the mud were two strange pillars or piles, and a slow trickle of water entered the pool from a cavern entrance beyond it. On closer exemption, the pillars proved to be piles of dried mud. Gnarl started chipping away at these, while the giant Thrax waded into the pool to try and reach the exit on the other side. This provoked a response, as six vaguely humanoid shapes rose up and started to hurl balls of mud at the fighter. Several hits later and the fighter could feel his joints start to tighten up and his movement slow drastically from the clotting clay. He backed away out of the pool, and which point the six forms subsumed back into the mud. As Thrax scrapped off mud, Gnarl and the others had successfully deconstructed the two pillars. Each hid a human form, mummified by the mud. It appeared each had died as they were crawling away from the pool. Recovering a few bits of treasure and useful items from the corpses', the party then decided to turn around and look for another way into the secret garden.

Moving back through the twisted tunnel, Gnarl hauled out the Greenstone of Earthseeing to see what lurked at the end of some of the bypassed tunnels. He mostly observed dead ends, one of which contained a body. There was also a tall cylinder of a room back near the entrance, which suggested to the party it may be an elevator up to the garden. So they rushed back through the stone throwing room and, first, into the occupied dead end. It was full of a deadly mass of stalagmites and stalactites sticking out into the tunnel, on one of which was impaled the skeleton of a long dead adventurer. Once more they looted a bit of coin (and a magical amulet) from the body before moving back through the stone fusillade and back to the entrance cavern. From there they entered the cylindrical room. On the floor was written a single word: "Ask". So questions poured forth, most of which went unanswered. Ranza asked about getting into the garden, and did get a reply. And was told the entrance was deeper in the caverns beyond the mud pool, and they would need to use all their skills to get there. 

Now apparently having no choice but deal with the mud men, the party first choose to rest in this side tunnel for the night. Then next day headed back though the stone room again and into the mud chamber. After trying to think of an easy way to get over the pool without attracting the mud men, they finally decided brute force would have to do. Thrax and Hobbs (on his stag) stepped into the pool and once more the mud men emerged and starting flinging mud, and also hurling themselves bodily at their foes. Soon both Ranza and the baby she carried were suffocating beneath layers of caked mud, as was Hobb's stag. Gnarl rescued the baby and Ranza, wiping away the encasing mud from both, while Hobbs took a moment to help his mount the same way. And in the end, a steady rain of blows took out the mud men one by one and the party's path was clear ... 

TOTAL XP 

1703

GAINS

10cp

72 sp

3gp

gem (150sp)

gold ring (30sp)

Amulet of Weather Prediction

KILLS/VICTORIES

6 Mudmen

LOSSES

The Dude

Forest of Wyrd Session # 46 - Across the Witches' Fingers

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

Once on the other side of the gate, Hobbs was disappointed to see Hoppy the frog had not come with them; the frog steed must have munched his lunch in Faerie. At least Hobbs was able to retain the saddle. The party, resolved now to leave the valley and Fortress behind,  and to follow the paths laid by Eya, stopped first at the tower of the Queen of Ravens to recover their mules and say their goodbyes. She was somewhat unamused by their inability to recover her Ravensguard and from what little they'd accomplished under their alliance. But she let them go without molestation. 

The party headed back to Mikan and Allisan's cabin to rest a day before taking care of their final task in the valley; bringing the Book of Seven Souls to Ygrite and have her petition her Samnuha the Watcher on their behalf. The party headed out on cold windy day and reached the witch's tor by mid afternoon. She greeted them cordially and gladly accepted the gift of the book. She told them to return that night when the moon was high in the sky and she would call on Samnuha. This they did, and watched as the witch built a blazing bonfire on the bare hill. And then she stepped into the flames! Moments later, a deep masculine voice emerged to ask: "What would you ask to see of that which the Watcher has seen?" The party had three questions ready (after shouting down Thrax, who tried to ask about his sister):

• How to Free the Prince Who Would Be? Requires the Crown of the Forest, located in the tomb of the Half Blood King. 
• Was Eya Telling them the Truth About the Seals? Mainly yes. The dark fey do want the caverns to remain sealed and the shadow wyrm imprisoned; but could very well renege if the circumstances change to their advantage. 
• How Does One Close a Fairy Gate? Usually by destroying that which anchors it in the fey and mortal realms. This can be the same object, or different items. Destroying it on one side of the gate stops passage only from that direction; both must be destroyed to close the gate completely. There are exceptions to the rule; some gates are tied to a person or creature; so the person/creature must be killed to close the gate.  

Questioning complete, Ygrite stepped out of the fire unharmed and the party took their leave to settle in for the rest of the night in their forest camp. A heavy snow fell overnight, and the party trudged their way slowly back to the disappearing fey tower, which luckily was there this time. There they rested until the weather cleared and they could get back to Mikan and Allisan. There they recovered the mules and said their goodbyes, then headed back over the hills to where their raft was hidden on the banks of the River or Sorrows.  

The next day was a sunny one, and they loaded up the raft and pushed it out into midstream, headed downstream towards those lakes known as the Witches Fingers. Progress was swift and unimpeded on the river, and they turned north into the Western Finger before the sun was at high noon. Skirting the eastern shore, they were headed for the town of Upland for news and supplies when suddenly there was a disturbance on the nearby shore. A white stag burst out of the undergrowth and, charging into the water, swam towards the raft. Moments later, a trio of dire wolves followed, likewise diving into the lake to follow the panicked deer. The stag reached the raft, and all feared it would overturn them as it struggled to climb aboard. Gnarl cast a charm mammal and convinced it to swim around to the other side and let the party deal with the wolves. Hobbs meanwhile hauled out the saddle of domestication and slapped it on the animals back, thereby replacing his frog mount with a white stag. Meanwhile, on the landward side of the raft, Ranza had cast colour spray and momentarily took all three wolves out of the fight.  Two soon regained consciousness, but the third had drowned in the meantime. The two survivors, sensing they'd lost their easy prey, turned to swim back to the forest under a hail of arrows from the rest of the party. Both were able to escape, through each was struck by arrows multiple times. 

The rest of the day passed without incident, and by late afternoon they pulled the raft out of the water at the base of one of the innumerable bluffs that lined the shore, just below the town of Upland. They climbed the steep hill via a faint path, reaching the top amidst flocks of sheep and scattered farms. Upland itself was a crude motte and baily structure of wooded walls and wooded buildings, while to the north of town they could see the image of a woman in robes carved out of the turf on the chalk hillside. Asking a passing shepherd for directions, they were directed to the Inn of the Tiny Moon where they took lodging for the night from the chipmunk hedgefey proprietor, Sqizzle.  Questioning the hyperactive fellow and, later that night, a few other patrons gleaned a little information about the area:

• The townsfolk were vaguely aware of the Autumn Maiden, and confirmed the information received from Eya. She dwelt in a garden hidden under a crystal dome some ways north of town, overlooking the Middle Finger. The dome sat on a hilltop, but could only be seen in the light of the setting sun. There was a cave at the base of the hill where the simple folks would sometimes go to ask a simple boon, which was often answered.  
• The figure on the hillside was St. Danu, the patron saint of mothers and children. Further questioning revealed forms of worship the Church would probably consider somewhat heretical, all led by a trio of women know as the Maiden, Mother and Crone. The party also gleaned  connections between St Danu and the Autumn Maiden, but decided to not point that out to their guests. 
• North towards the mountains was all boggins and bears.  Look out for the boggins of the hidden Lethean Well!
• Looking to change their coin into portable treasure, they learned their best bet was to seek audience with Thayn Thorfin Bluefeather. 

Thrax and Gnarl headed out to the other, seedier establishment in town, the Dagger and Mountain Tavern, for a few drinks and a burping contest. The rest of the party headed into town to try meeting with the Thayn's steward, Othland the Tall. They found the aptly named servant and were successful in getting an audience with Thayn Thorfin. But Othland suggested waiting for later in the day when his lordship would be better lubricated and hence in a better mood. This the party did, and dutifully presented themselves at the Thayn's manor that evening.  The burly, hirsute lord was much impressed by them, taking and especial likeness to Ranza.  They traded news back and forth, and the party was also able to turn their coin into jewelry and gems. 

Business in town complete, they stayed one more night and then headed back to the raft and points north, all under a light wet snowfall. They travelled quickly, reaching a point west of the cave/dome before noon. One more beaching the raft and climbing a hill, they found at the crest a faint path and a curious signpost labelled 'Court of the Warbelowe'. It pointed to the east, down an even fainter path. Curious, they none the less decided to ignore all side treks and headed along the path towards the location of the cave. As they searched the base of the hill, Gnarl noted there were some unusual tracks in the snow. And at about that same time, those that made the tracks emerged from the adjacent pines. Two strange writhing vine creatures, and Nibblewick, the annoyed little s**t who'd dogged their footsteps since the first Goblin Fair. The malicious fairy turned the vine things on the party, and soon Hobbs and Thrax were lashed tightly and immobile by the creatures. Gnarl tried using entangle to neutralize Nibblewick, but for some inexplicable reason the spell failed. He then used his plant control potion to have Thrax released, who in turn used his growth potion to turn into a massive killing machine. Hobbs also broke free and used Stonethorn to hurl boulders, while Ranza  blinded Nibblewick. One vine creature as cut down, and the second charmed monster was likewise neutralized. On the edge of defeat, the fairy disappeared, and an immediate search of the area could find no trace of him. So the party turned their attention back to the hill and soon uncovered a cave entrance ...

TOTAL XP 

300

GAINS

none

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Vine-Stranglers

1 Dire Wolf

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd Session #45 - A Change of Pace

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

Vegarious (Changeling 3)

As a first order of business, Gnarl passed the crying baby off to Ranza, who wrapped him up in an impromptu sling. The gruff wood gnome knew nothing about babies, there being no such thing in his world. Thrax then pushed open the door behind the pit, and the party walked into a library. Shelves of books lined all the walls, and in the middle of the room was a comfy chair, ottoman and a side table. While the rest of the party browsed the books and selected a few choice titles, Gnarl headed for the chair. On the table was a pipe and tobacco pouch, as well as an open, face down book. The wood gnome scooped up the smoking paraphernalia, and a quick sniff indicated the baccy was magical. He then moved to the book. To his surprise, when he picked it up and turned it over, the book clamped down on his hand with enough force to crush knuckles and draw blood. Ranza came over the help, grabbed the book, pulled it of Gnarl's hand and threw it across the room. She then approached it carefully, and found he tome to be whimpering to itself. Speaking to it calmly and softly, she got the book to talk. It seemed to know a lot, but was not really forthcoming on much useful information. Though the party learned there was a healing pool someone in the river valley below Fortress Iacarta.  But it offered little useful information on the manse, Eya or anything else in their immediate thoughts. 

Ranza carefully placed the book back on the table and then the party moved on to the next room. This room had walls covered in apothecary cabinets, and a quick survey uncovered a range of weird things like rocks, herbs, bones, bits of wax and similar items. Three drawers were locked, so Gnarl went after them with his knife, carving away the wood to get access. This bit of petty destruction was interrupted by two fuzzy bee men who barged in and unfurled into insectoid nightmares which attacked with claw and stinger. These were dispatched with relative ease and the looting continued. In the three locked drawers were found a small crystal vial (8 drops of healing), a round piece of amber carved with the same eye as Thrax's rock, and a small spider in a top hat. Who tried to bite Gnarl and then skittered away until Ranza slammed a cabinet drawer down on top of it to keep it trapped and safely away from them. 

Leaving the spider behind, they moved on again. Having checked most of this level, it was time to head up the stairs to where they hoped to find the pool. Hobbs stepped into the room with the stairs and the buggleburr guards. The two fey goblins didn't seem to pay him any attention, so the badger-man boldly marched over to the stairs and started to climb. At which point the buggleburrs lifted their cranking bars, inserted them into holes on the stairs and started to turn them. Which resulted in the stairs twisting together like grinding gears! Hobbs was nearly crushed but jumped away at the last minute with his lightning fast badger movement.  The buggleburrs then cranked the stairs back open, and went back to standing at the ready. Initially stumped as to what to do, Ranza solved the problem by casting colour spray and knocking out the pair of fey footmen. These were quickly trussed up with their own clothing, and then with Hobbs in the lead, everyone headed up the stairs

The hedgefey no sooner reached the top of the stairs when a familiar voice spoke: "Well, you've finished ransacking my manse have you?" There in the centre of the room, ensconced on a throne in the shape of a giant daisy was Eya. After a few awkward and uncertain moments (during which Eya convinced Hobbs to give back the candlesticks looted from the banquet hall), the fey lord got down to business. Which was finding out what the party's business was in Fortress Iacarta and why they were intent on getting all the seals to access the shadow caverns.  And the best answer they could give was because it was there and they hoped to find great treasure in the caverns. That said, Eya offered them a deal. He was guardian of the caverns. Charged by the lords of fey to keep the shadow wyrm, son of the Black Mother, trapped in the caverns below the keep. If they gave up their quest and turned over the seals, he could in exchange guide them to whatever they desired. And he seemed to already know what they might want; offering treasure of silver and gold; or great magic; or a safe place for the baby cradled in Ranza's arms; or raise the child's mother from the dead; or where to find the true ruler of the Forest of Wyrd to usurp the Earl. The party was somewhat overwhelmed by the offer and the change in circumstances. But in the end opted to make a deal with the strange creature. They were able to negotiate three paths on which to move forward:

• The Autumn Maiden [Hex 15.01]: Looking for a way to keep the baby safe, they first considered and rejected raising Erthis from the dead, fearing she and the child would be rejected by their tribe as both now had the taint of fey. Instead Eya directed them to the realm of the Autumn Maiden, who saved and protected baby's when they were in danger of being kidnapped by the fey. This was the women from Hobbs' vision in the pool of the Woad Chief. She was, they learned, one of the seven daughters of the Green Man and a power of the Forest in her own right. Eya directed them to a cave above the Witches Fingers where they could access her domains. 

• Tomb of the Half Blood King [Hex 01.07]: Eya told of a time after the first men in the Wood, the D'war, had fought the dark fey and driven them back. One of the fey lords, Crindis the Hidden One, had captured the daughter of the High Chief of the D'war. The two fell in love and had a child, who would rule the Forest of Wyrd for a brief time as the Half Blood King. The Half Blood King in turned married one of the seven daughters of the Green Man, but he soon died in battle against his jealous and mercurial father-in-law. The Half Blood King was buried in a hidden tomb infused with the magical power which the party desired. 

• The Prince Who Would Be [Hex 02.02]: Eya's story continued to tell of the son of the Half Blood King and She Who Wore the Crown of Stars. This was The Prince Who Would Be, who carried the blood of all the powers of the Forest (man, fey and wood god) and could rightfully claim to truly lead all the inhabitants of the Forest. On his fathers death, The Prince was sprinted away to safety to await the time when could return and claim the Forest of Wyrd as his own. 

Their deal made, the party turned over the two flower seals which could unlock the shadow caverns. Eya then led them to the Star Pool, readjusted the constellations and reset the time so they could proceed back to the gate and emerge back in the Fortress without any time effects. On the way to the gate, they met the strange girl again, who airily noted it odd that Thrax still lived, and took the eye stone back from the befuddled fighter. And at that, the party passed though the gate to the world they knew best. 

TOTAL XP 

2050

GAINS

Drops of Healing (8)

Tobacco Pouch (2x yellow lemon scented plugs [wall of fog @ 7th level], 3x black licorice and tar [stinking cloud @ 7th level]; 2x red spice and tea [hypnotic pattern]. 

Amber eyeball [250sp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Apina

2 Buggleburr

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd Session # 44 - Three Men, Two Changelings and a Baby

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 5) 

Thrax (Fighter 4)

Vegarious (Changeling 3)

The party moved into the clearing and at once noticed a group clustered around one of the lean-tos. Getting closer, they could see the crowd included a tall women in black leather; obviously the missing Ravenguard. There were also three clearly inebriated men and a scrawny albino boy. The group turned as the party approached, and they could see the reason for their interest; inside the hovel lay a woman who'd just given birth, the baby balanced on her breast. The Ravenguard and the men eyed the party warily, but the woman in the hovel as ecstatic the see them. She pleaded and begged for them to take her and the baby with them to safety, for she feared the lords of Faerie will come to take the newborn to raise him as a changeling slave. Discussion with the greater group revealed that this was not unknown; people who got stuck here did from time to time disappear. Asked about why they were all still here, the party was told each had taken of the food or wine of Faerie and could not leave. 

At this point, as the women Erthis continued to plead, everyone heard the sound of something approaching through the woods. "It's them" Erthis screamed, and everyone drew weapons and stood on guard. Moments later, a great shadowy creature rose above the treetops, glowering down on them with eyes of cinder. It did not approach closer, but held everyone's rapt attention as it stood there. Everyone except Ranza, who out of the corner of her eye noted movement, and turned to see the albino boy trying to snatch the baby from Erthis. Ranza tackled and pinned the boy to the ground, and moments later the shadow creature disappeared. Questioned, the boy admitted to being a servant of a fey lord, sent to kidnap the baby. The boy (Laskeris) took advantage of the party's arrival to cause a distraction (the shadow monster) and try to get away with the baby. Further questioning revealed nothing of interest, so the boy was released and driven away into the forest. 

Feeling there was nothing new to learn here, the party prepared to go. They tried convincing the Ravenguard to join  them, but she declined, believing herself trapped here in Faerie and saw no need to put herself in danger on the party's behalf. Parting on somewhat bad terms, the party did take Erthis and baby with them, feeding the newborn off milk from Thrax's robe of refreshment in case the mother's milk counted as Faerie-tainted at this point. Leaving the clearing, the party backtracked to return the old hermit to his tree, and then headed for the closest staircase so they could get into Eya's Manse and reset time with the pool. 

They found the staircase rising largely unsupported above a grove of dead trees. The second staircase rose from the west and the two met high above the forest. But nothing else could be seen at the terminus of the stairs. In spite of this, Hobbs, Thrax, and Ranza, plus Erthis and the baby, ascended the stairs while Vegarious, Jonesomon and Gnarl kept watch below. But not for long, for as the party above passed the treetops, the party below noted the trees starting to move and block the stairs. So rather than get separated, the three raced up to rejoin their companions just as the trees were barring the way . 

At the top, there was still nothing visible. Gnarl, reaching into his now dwindling flour supply, tossed a handful forward, which revealed a portcullis. After having it checked by Jonesomon, Thrax threw the gate open and stepped through. He found himself in a room, open to the sky above and with stone walls  lined with flower planters. Everyone else just saw Thrax standing in mid air, but once he gestured them forward into the walled garden, they could see the same. Directly ahead was a door, and to one side another gate. Going to the gate, the party observed this area too was open to the twilight sky above. Much of the space was filled with supports for a platform high above, and covering these supports looked to be a giant bee hive. And at this point, a flight of giant bees appeared and flew towards the party. Arrows took down a few, while Ranza used her wand of bees to initiate some bee on bee action, and before long the remaining attackers retreated back into the hive.

Deciding to avoid fiurther bee attacks, the party headed through the door, entering a foyer with a blue and sliver rug on the floor. A corridor covered in the same rug extended ahead of them, and to the side was a door. Proceeding through the door, they found themselves in a banquet hall. There was a table set with silver candelabra, three bottles of wine and a bowl of dried fruit and nuts. As Hobbs swiped the candelabra, and others grabbed the wine (golden for Ranza, black for Hobbs), Thrax examined some markings on the floor. These looked like footprints, laid out to show the steps of a dance. No one felt like dancing, so they headed through another door instead. Once more, Jonesomon checked for traps and Thrax opened the door. And found himself blinded as the light from Gnarl's light spear was somehow amplified into a shacking blaze in the room. The wood gnome cover most of the spear to block the light, which let him safely look inside. And he found the room was full of mirrors, lining all the walls. Now able to see again, Thrax stepped in to look. When he looked in one of the mirrors though, he suddenly found himself transported inside it and trapped. Being careful not to look directly in any mirrors, Ganrl stepped into the room to help. He found that in addition to seeing Thrax trapped in one mirror, he could see the fighters reflection in another on the opposite wall. He also found the mirror could pivot a bit, and was able to turn the one with the 'reflected' Thrax so that the image disappeared. And then the real Thrax popped out of his prison!

Carefully prodding around the rest of the room, Ranza discovered a door hidden behind one mirror. Thrax opened it a crack, just to take a quick look. In the part of the room visible to the fighter, he could see a spiral staircase winding upwards. Standing next to it were two buggleburrs, tall slender goblins with yellow-green leathery skin, huge eyes and bat-like ears. These were dressed in blue and silver livery, and each held a crank or a lever attached to the staircase in their hands. The pair did not acknowledge Thrax, who pulled his head back and closed the door. Rather than try the stairs right now, the party decided to check the rest of this floor first.

The party backtracked to the foyer and headed down the corridor, stopping at a door halfway down. Just as they did, Thrax felt the carpet give way below his feet, and only quick action by Ranza grabbing his collar stopped the fighter from plummeting to the forest floor (and his likely death) 200' below. And just as they were recovering from that, from the area of the foyer appeared two more buggleburrs. These were armed with large bardiches, and drove at the party swinging their weapons. Unfortunately, Erthis had gotten shuffled to the rear and she was felled by a terrible blow. The baby was luckily unharmed, and while most turned to fight the foe, Gnarl crawled under everyones feet to reach forward and drag the newborn to safety. The two buggleburrs were cut down in short order, and once stripped of a bit of silver coin, were unceremoniously dumped down the hole to the forest below... 

TOTAL XP

927 

GAINS

6sp

2 silver candelabras (300sp each)

1 bottle of Pale Gold Cider

1 bottle of Black Wine

KILLS/VICTORIES

3 Giant Bees

2 Buggleburr

LOSSES

Erthis