Forest of Wyrd Session # 59 - Murder and Mayhem

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ranza (Changeling 5)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

Still thinking the 'real' crown was somewhere in the garden, the party searched some more around the stone block. Using the nightmare to move the petrified guardian, they further searched under and all around where he'd been sitting. But found nothing. They even had Gnarl use his ring to turn the stone guardian inside-out with stone shape, thinking the Crown might be inside the creature. But no luck.  Finally giving up, the party settled in to rest for the remainder of the day and through the night, to be in a better position to face She Who Wore the Crown of Stars. Hobbs (with Slugs in tow) decided to go check the glowing green pool once more. The hedgefey played with the water, drank some, splashed it on his head, and finally reached down as far as possible with Slugs' spear to plumb the depths. He did not reach bottom, but as the spear was being pulled out, something grabbed onto it. And out of the fountain emerged one of the green men, a Jack-in-the-Green, who turned on the pair in a vicious attack. A short and bloody fight ensued, ended by the timely arrival of Gnarl and the insertion of his spear through the creatures back. 

Two other surprises arrived as the party settled back into the garden to rest. The first was an attack by 5 ranine, the frog-creatures crawling out of the depths of the pool. A well timed entangle caught three of them, while the other two splashed back into the pool once they realized the odds were against them. The second surprise came once night fell. The overhead dome, until now dark, opaque and impenetrable, faded away as darkness fell outside.  Hobbs hopped aboard the nightmare to fly up and investigate, finding the passage free and emerging under starlit skies for the first time in days. Quite a few days more than he thought it should be, for his giant swan mount and the donkey, left behind on the raft, were is terrible shape from near starvation. He brought the swan into the garden to feed and looked after the donkey, making sure the swan returned outside before sunrise before the dome (presumably) would reform. Which it did. This then was what the old man on the island was trying to tell them; that the dome disappeared in the dark. 

All that done, the rest of the night passed without incident, and the party arose to gird their loins before facing She Who Ware the Crown of Stars.  Their first plan was non-violent trickery. While the rest of the party waited nearby in support, Gnarl (under the cover of invisibility) would use the stone shape  power of his ring to pin her to the stone bench on which the Half Blood King lay, then swipe the true Crown. This unfortunately didn't work, as somehow the daughter of the Green Man sensed his presence and turned on the wood gnome. She raised her hand, and banished him to the distance space between the stars. The rest of the party moved in then, trying still to subdue her with a range of spells. But She shrugged it all off and fought back. Several more attempts at banishment failed, but she kept pulled star-stuff from her hair which animated and attacked the party, sticking on and draining their life-force. Eventually, out of non-violent options, Thrax lead the party in the old fashioned solution; swinging swords. But he also used the gust from his sword to hold her back, allowing Hobbs to sneak in and grab the Crown and Sword, thinking there might still be a way to trap her and escape with their loot. As the battle raged, Slugs fell with a near-mortal wound, saved only by quick ministrations from his employer. But after a hard fought battle, in the end She was cut down and now lay at rest near her husband. Curiously though, when Hobbs checked the body, he certainly got the impression She was not 'fully' dead, though he was uncertain what that boded. 

Gnarl returned from his sojourn among the stars just as the battle ended, and the party stared at the Crown in Hobbs hands. With a sudden impetuous movement, the hedgefey popped the artifact onto his head. And was immediately filled with rage, turning on Thrax and seeking to kill him and drink his blood. This battle royale proved to be bloodier than the fight against She Who Wore the Crown of Stars, with the rest of the party siding with Thrax and trying to either immobilize Hobbs or knock the Crown from his head. In the end, Gnarl was able to thrust his spear under the band of the crown and rip it (along with a significant portion of fur) from Hobbs head. At which point the murderous rage passed, and Gnarl pointedly wrapped the Crown in a burlap sack and his it away from Hobbs. 

After a last check throughout the upper tomb using the greenstone, the party waited for nightfall and exited through the once more open garden.  And then with little ceremony, made their way back towards Twitten's Hollow to rest, recover and plan the next stage of their quest: presenting the Crown of the Forest to The Prince Who Would Be. And probably explaining to him why they killed his mother. 

TOTAL XP 

14250

GAINS

Crown of the Forest [8000xp]

Starblade (Longsword +3, summon starfall 3x day, teleport 1/day)  [2000xp]

Golden Scale Armor of the Half Blood King (Chainmail +3) [2000xp]

Dagger of the Night (Dagger +1, blindness) [600xp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

1 Jack-in-the-Green

2 Ranine

She Who Wore the Crown of Stars 

LOSSES

Slugs MacKenzie (almost) 

Forest of Wyrd #58 - The Grieving Lady and the Gruesome Guardian

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

The three fey warriors advanced, swords raised, and the party deployed to meet them. There was immediate surprise when their opponents stated casting spells, and while Thrax and Hobbs shrugged off a number of magical attacks,  Ranza was blinded. In the end the trio were defeated, but it was a long drawn out fight. Taking just a few moments to loot the bodies of a bit of treasure, the party then moved on.   

They didn't get far before noticing an alcove to their right, and opted to investigate. Turning the corner, they observed an unexpected sight; a woman draped over a body lying on a raised stone bench. And the two looked just like the false pair the party had encountered in the room on the first level. Could this be the true Half Blood King and She Who Wore the Crown of Stars? The woman stirred to confront them, demanding to know why they were there. Hobbs tried to explain their quest, to gain the Crown of the Forest for her son, The Prince Who Would Be, so he could rule the Forest. She, however, would hear none of it. After much vigorous discussion, they learned she did not want to burden of kingship placed on her son. She cared nothing for the plight of the Forest or anything else but that her husband lay in peace and her son remain safe. Even trying to convince her that the decision should belong to the Prince didn't sway her, nor did suggestions that the Prince might be in danger or imprisoned against his will. Asked if bringing her husband back to life would change her mind, she replied that it was impossible. The Half Blood King lay under a powerful curse such that while the Green Man lived, the King could not. 

Unsure of how to proceed and still unsure if they'd found the 'true' King, She and Crown, the party took their leave and with She's permission, moved on down the corridor to find a place to rest and recuperate. They discovered the  chamber looped back around to another door where three more fey warriors lay in repose. These they did not disturb, retreating back to a chamber with three curious columns to set up camp. After settling in, they examined the three. Each was carved in a dense mass of images, each depicting a different age of the Forest. Jonesomon drew on his knowledge of history to examine them closely,  looking for clues to their current dilemma. He found hints that the Prince never took up the Crown when his father died due to interference from his mother. No surprise there. He also founds hints that the Prince was being held against his will, rather than safely under guard. Hobbs meanwhile poked around at all the fancy images of knights and Imperator on  the third column, and made a curious discovery. He found hints, when combined with what he already knew about to fall of the Imperator Vilorian II, that suggested the location of the Imperators long lost tomb in the Mountains of Twilight. 

After resting, the party decided to go back and try reasoning with She Who Wore the Crown of Stars once more; and so Ranza could cast detect illusion and detect magic to try confirming they were the 'real' thing. Reasoning didn't work, and She threatened them with the Guardian, whatever or whoever that might be. But Ranza's magic did confirm She and the Half Blood King were real, not illusions again, and the Crown itself radiated magic.  But the party still took their leave, moving back to the north end of the tomb and the great bronze doors that seemed to lead into the central garden. They still weren't convinced they'd found the true King and Crown, having expected to find his royal self laying in repose in a much nicer place than  a half finished alcove. 

Taking a drink from the healing fountain first (which unfortunately did not bring back Ranza's sight), the party threw open the doors. They passed down a wide series of steps into a garden lit dimly by glowing faerie bulbs. A few groves of trees surrounded a large pool, in the centre of which was a small island. And on that island  sat a grotesque figure; a huge. bloated and sickly pale batrachian beast. As the party descended the stairs, it turned and started to sniff the air. It appeared blind, but was able to identify them by smell. And challenged their presence. This they learned was the guardian of which She spoke; although it seemed a curious place for a tomb guardian. While not immediately hostile, the party knew they'd have to fight the grotesque creature eventually, and opted for a preemptive strike. Gnarl used a charge from his new ring of the stone  to successfully turn the creature to stone. Confident in their quick victory, the party moved forward, only to be surprised by a half dozen of the smaller but similar ranine that leap out of the tree cover and into their midst. Very quickly Jonesomon was paralyzed and the others were torn by claw and jaw.  They retreated up the stairs, and Thrax tossed his obsidian steed to Ranza so she and Jonesomon could fly safely above the fray. Meanwhile the changeling also used her wand of bees to summon help, while Slugs hauled out the pipe and magical tobacco to cast a hypnotic cloud about the creatures heads. All this turned the tide, and the remaining creatures were soon cut down. 

After taking a few minutes for first aid, they party spread out to search. Little was found, except a small hollow under the moss covered stone in the lake. From there Thrax hauled a velvet bag with a few gems, jewelry and coin, as well as a curious timepiece, the hourglass of fairy time. But there was no sign of a crown, or another king. 

TOTAL XP 

5237

GAINS

17 shell coins

169sp

Jeweled sword hilt [300sp]

4 gems (100sp, 10sp, 10sp, 50sp)

Bracelet (600sp)

Hourglass of Faerie Time [1500xp] 

KILLS/VICTORIES

3 Dark Fey Warriors

5 Ranine

Dumaris the Vigilant 

LOSSES

Ranza's Sight

Jonesomon's Mobility

Forest of Wyrd Session #57 - Around and Up

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

While the rest of the party searched around the animal heads for more rings and things, Hobbs waded through the water towards the font at the far end of the room. Glancing in, he saw a strange scene of Faerie; a band of hideous hobs chasing a weird creature, half ram and half spider. As he watched, the creature turned to face him and moments latter it started to squeeze it's bulk out of the tiny font. Once fully emerged, it climbed up a wall and was followed from the font by the pursing hobs. As the party hesitated, it spoke "Whom do you serve?" After some attempt at evasion, in the end the party said they served the Prince Who Would Be. Which was not the answer the beast wanted to hear, and it and the hobs prepared to attack. But Ranza moved first, using her fear spell to drive it and and hobs back through the font. But not before two of the wicked faeries were slain. 

That done, the party pushed on into the next room, finding another set of stairs going up and two polished slabs of stone (one black and one white) standing on end just out of the water. Gnarl approached the black stone, and as he looked a face and pair of hands appeared inside it. And it once more asked the question "Whom Do You Serve?" Answering truthfully again, the hands moved within the stone and within moments had torn the slab in two from the inside. Leaving in the gap a key, similar in style to the two they already possessed. 

Deciding to once more ignore the stairs for now, they plucked up the key and headed towards the next door. This opened into a room with signs of fire and explosion; a layer of ash and bits of burnt wood floated on top of the now 3' of water. Before looking too closely though, the party headed for the opposite door, assuming beyond it they would finish the circle of the tomb  and be back to the entrance again. And they did indeed find one more room that seemed to connect to the entrance. And by judicious closing of other doors, they were able to drop the water level enough in both rooms to make it easier to explore. In the fire blackened room, they discovered four chests along the back wall, now just poking above the water level. One was open, and all signs pointed to the blast having emerged from it. And in fact, when Thrax looked closer he found the charred bones of whomever set off the trap in the first place. So while Ranza, Gnarl and Slugs huddled in a convenient alcove, Jonesomon, Thrax and Hobbs carefully examined and opened the remaining three chests. In the process, they unfortunately triggered a freezing trap that turned the water surface to ice, as well as a strange pair of hands that tried to drag them under water. But luckily all avoided harm and recovered a hoard of silver pennies from the time of the Half Blood King, a trio of begemmed necklaces, and the strange magical item Munzario's Mask of Moods. 

Moving on to the next room, they discovered a large dual bronze brazier and an overwhelming smell of perfume. They discovered a small workbench in one cover, with multiple broken vials and jars that seemed to once contain scented oils. Finding  nothing further of interest, the party decided to have one more thorough look around this watery level before going up the stairs. In particular, they wanted to know what lay in the centre of this ring of rooms they'd been exploring. So Gnarl sparked up the Greenstone of Earthseeing to have a look. And he observed that in the middle there was a garden of sorts. With a pool of water, trees and grass, all lit by a faint glow. But he could see no way in from their vantage point. The party thus assumed this was their goal (it looked like a suitable resting place for a king) and that the only way in was to go up the stairs. Though going up proved difficult; each time they tried, the stairs would dump them back in the room from which they started. It was only after further investigation and some trial and error that they discovered the way up; one set of stairs required climbing on your hands, whereas the other required walking up backwards. 

Choosing to go up the backwards stairs, the party found themselves in a narrow hall. The ceiling was well beyond their lantern light, and it showed signs of being partly damaged and unfinished, with undressed stones lying about. At both ends were doors, one locked and one not. Next to the locked door was another font, which Hobbs once more could not resists staring into. It glowed from within with a strange green light, and even the curious hedgefey knew better then to disturb this one. Through the other door they found a small chamber. A small door lay opposite the one they'd entered, and a pair of large double doors lay to the right. Through the smaller one lay another unfinished/damaged room similar to the one they had just left.   The other doors were of verdigris covered bronze, covered in a motif of leaves nad stars. And based on the location, they guessed it led into the central garden Gnarl had observed. There was also another small font, this one of clear cool water. Hobbs once more had a look, and also decided to also quench his thirst. Which miraculously healed him of some of his hurts! So everyone else crowded around for a drink, and then started hauling out whatever containers they could find to fill with the wonderous liquid. Which caused Gnarl to uncover his vial of true water from the resting place of the Gloaming Lord. Which he remembered had anti-magic properties. Which he then, when the specialists back was turned, poured over Jonesomon's evil new sword, releasing him from it's grip.  

With all that done, the party decided to search a little further before passing the bronze doors and into the garden. Going back though the first hall, they discovered the door next to the green fountain was locked (they found a similar locked door at the end of the other long hall) . Luckily, the key they'd recovered from the false tomb fit the lock, and the door open easily. Into another lengthy, narrow room. But just beyond the doors were three bodies lying in repose on stone briers. When the party moved in to look closer, the three rose up, and the party found themselves facing three fey warriors, armed and ready ....

TOTAL XP 

6342

GAINS

546sp

Munzario's Mask of Moods [1000xp]

3x necklace and pendant (3x 700sp)

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Hobs

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd Session # 56 - Of Water and False Kings

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Vegarious (Changeling 3)

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

Reassured by the quilt that there was breathable air below, the rest of the party dove into the lake to join Ranza inside the Tomb. They accessed the interior without too much trouble, and Ranza lead them to the western door, which she proceeded to open to lower the water level. But they then realized a flaw in their plan for breathable air. Opening the outer door a second time had raised the water level overall, so even with the 2nd inside door open, the water was still 10 feet deep. Drowning became a real possibility, except for the person lucky enough to have the ring of water breathing. As people tried swimming, climbing walls and just plan holding their breath, each in turn attempted to open the closest door to further lower the water. Unfortunately it was both trapped by an electrical shock, and locked. In the end, and on the last try, Ranza was open to get the lock open. The door swung inward in a rush of water. This lowered the level just enough for everyone to get at least their head above the surface. 

The room they'd accessed was large, dominated by a trio of pillars down the centre. These were carved in the from a three woman in loose robes, glowing fainting yellow from inside, and each holding a candelabra. There were additional doors to the north and south. Jonesomon and Gnarl searched around the perimeter of the room below the water, followed by the rest of the party. The walls were jet black, yet the back wall crawled with scrolling type. After watching for a while, they realized it was telling the story of the Half Blood King and She Who Wore the Crown of Stars, a story they already knew well. As for the other doors, each was a slab of black stone, and on each was written a short epitaph the color of yellow starlight: "Here rests the Half Blood King, awaiting the time when they are called to be" on the north door, and a similar reference to She Who Wore the Crown of Stars to the south. The party was immediately suspicious; could the object of their quest be so easy to find? 

Before looking behind those two doors, the party decided to explore further down the water logged corridor. It lead to  a couple of rooms, one of which had a flight of stairs going up. The other was lit by a pair of glowing balls. These were suspended in the air, and rotated randomly, lighting up patches of the flooded floor, or alternately casting them into deep darkness. Watching closely for awhile, the party found the water above the dark patches would bubble and become agitated, indicting something not quite right about those spots. 

The party turned about, deciding initially to deal with the first room,. Along the way they had a short fight with a pair of pale and sickly batrachian creatures who leap at them from the water. These were however quickly dispatched.  Now reaching the room, they went first to the north door. Opening the door, inside they found a small chamber with a stone platform.  On top of which lay the perfectly preserved body of a man. Handsome, with dark hair and blue tinged skin, he wore armor of golden scale and a cloak of green and gold. In his hands he grasped a blue steel sword, and on his head was a crown of intertwined bronze and alien green metal, surrounded by a band of emeralds and topaz. All of which matched exactly with the description they'd received of the Half Blood King and the Crown of the Forest. But could it really be him? Gnarl boldly walked up to the body, and reached over to unclasp the hands from the sword. As he did, the figure sat up with a start, and immediately asked who they were and what they wanted. The party answered with the purpose of their quest (to gain the Crown of the Forest and release the Prince Who Would Be). And then politely inquired of the Half Blood King: aren't you supposed to be dead? They were surprised when the answer came from behind; turning there they saw She Who Wore the Crown of Stars. A beautiful woman with alabaster skin and hair of black, highlighted with starlight, and dressed in a gown of the deepest fuligin. Between them, the regal pair explained the legends were not quite true. The Half Blood King had just been imprisoned and magically placed in stasis, waiting to be recalled to life when the time was right to return to rule of the Forest. Their son, The Prince Who Would Be, was likewise in stasis elsewhere, just a baby and not the one who would rule. 

This all sounded suspicious, and the party continued to poke at the story the pair unfolded. And they became even more wary as the two started pushing for the party to lead them out of the Tomb post-haste. Ranza serendipitously cast a detect illusion and to her own eyes revealed the truth. The two were cloaked in the illusionary form of the Half Blood King and  She Who Wore the Crown of Stars. Though some of the items they wore were real (sword, gown, the crown, and some jewelry), otherwise the creatures had the form of amorphous and featureless spongy humanoids. Touching Gnarl, she let him see the same, and the whispered warning of 'it's a trap' spread to the rest of the party.  With a shout, swords were drawn and spells prepared. the false pair lashed out in turn. The party found that when they touched another person, the strange creatures took on their targets form. So soon there were two Gnarls and two Vegarious'. Luckily Ranza was able to direct their attacks to the false pair, and after a short melee the two creatures were slain. And then stripped of loot, Ranza in particular taking the gown and Jonesomon the sword, Backbiter. With the occupants now slain, the two small sepulcher were searched. Hidden under the false-kings resting place, Jonesomon found a key. It was smaller than the one they used to enter the Tomb, but of similar style. 

That mystery solved, the party pressed on. They went back down the curing corridor, and quickly crossed the shadow/light room, avoiding the rapidly changing shadowed patches. On the opposite side there was a door, and off to one side another curved corridor that seems to loop back towards the main Tomb entrance. Choosing to first deal with the door, they opened it, allowing another gush of water to pour in ahead of them. Inside the long narrow room (now under 4 feet of water) there  was a row of stone plinths, atop which were carved animal visages; bear, eagle, mountain lion, wolf, boar. At the far end of the room, barely above water, was the curve of a font. Gnarl stepped in to look at the carvings, and noted the eagle held a ring precariously in it's beak. Ranza, coming behind, looked closely and noted the beak had a powerful hinge mechanism that would likely snap shut if at all disturbed. So Gnarl rammed a soggy torch into the maw, which as predicted immediately snapped shut with bone crushing force. That dislodged the ring, which started to tumble down inside the eagles head. Hobbs, Jonesomon and Gnarl all grabbed for it at once, the specialist successfully rescuing the piece of jewelry ahead of everyone else. The ring itself was magical, a ring of stone made of iron and gold, and set with three yellow gems ... 

TOTAL XP 

12100

GAINS

Circlet with ruby [1200sp]

Necklace with 3 black opals [800sp]

False Crown of the Forest [1800sp]

Backbiter (Sword -1, missed attacks must be rerolled on wielder) 

Gown of Displacement [3000xp]

Ring of the Stone [1200xp]

KILLS/VICTORIES

2 Ranine

The False King and Queen 

LOSSES

none

Forest of Wyrd Session #55 - Tomb of the Half Blood King

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Vegarious (Changeling 3)

Jonesomon (Specialist 5)

Ranza (Changeling 4)

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 5)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 6) 

Thrax (Fighter 5)

[Slugs MacKenzie (Hedgefey 1)]

As the sun came up over the lake, heralding a fine spring day, the party discussed their dilemma. How to release Thrax from his geas while retaining the key to the Tomb? Various ideas were concocted, but none seemed foolproof. Then someone had the idea of sailing back over to the island to see the crazy man, Gnart. Maybe they could drag some useful information out of him.  So over they went, and once more went through the pantomime show. Unfortunately, it seemed the wild man could tell them nothing of the key or Sir Azra; but they did glean that, with his antics with hiding the stone, he was trying to tell them something about how to enter the Tomb. Which may be helpful down the road, but not right now. 

In the end, the party opted for a combination of subterfuge and violence. Rowing back to the headland, they untied Thrax and gave him the key. Then followed the fighter as he charged up the hill to the Blue Knight's camp, Jonesomon taking a somewhat circumspect route to get behind their foe. Reaching the camp, they found it much as before. Thrax called out, and the Blue Knight emerge from the pavilion and walked over to the fighter, hand out for the key. Which Thrax delivered, and was rewarded by the lifting of the heavy obligation he had been under. At which point, everyone else attacked. Jonesomon backstabbed, Hobbs charged in with swan and lance, Gnarl entangled , and everyone else laid in with various weaponry. Sir Azra, reveling his full might, put fear in their bones and caused Jonesomon and Vegarious to take off back to the raft and out onto the lake, But under the overall onslaught, the Blue Knight soon fell dead. They grabbed the key from his hand, stripped the armor to reveal a blue giant underneath, and likewise ransacked the camp to find nothing of interest beyond the warhorse (whom Gnarl engaged in conversation with speak with animal and learned his name was Quince).   They took the knights body and burnt it on a funeral pyre out a combination of respect for their opponent and fear of what might happen if they left him around. 

It getting late in the day, the party decided to stay in the camp and rest overnight, and then head the next day into the grey mist to search for the Tomb of the Half Blood King. The next morning under a leaden and misty sky, they rowed the raft to the fog for a closer look. It was visually very like the green mist, just a different colour. Hobbs took Waddle into the air to fly overhead, but could see nothing new. So they rowed the raft into the mist, and immediately all felt the same woozy, mentally light feeling as they did in the green mist. For most, the feeling passed quickly. Thrax and Vegarious, however, remained confused and had to be restrained on the raft to keep them from walking off the edge and drowning. Gnarl, relying on his well honed tracking skills, guided them by fits and starts through what he hoped was the centre of the mist, expecting the Tomb would be somewhere along that line. They wandered for an indeterminate time and in a vaguely planned fashion, until suddenly out the fog loomed an island. It was a strange island, almost perfectly circular, with a narrow band of grass and shrub around a massive translucent black glass dome that capped the centre. There was no sign of entrance, keyhole, or anything of help. 

Finding nothing above water, Ranza donned the ring of water breathing and dove into the lake to see what may lie below. She followed the strangely symmetrical island all the way down, reaching bottom about at about 100'. Circumnavigating, she at last found what they were looking for; a pair of massive stone doors, carved with a complex design of intertwined stars and leaves. And right in the middle, a keyhole that matched the key they'd gained. She inserted the key, and the doors began to open on their own. A large bubble of air emerged and rose to the surface, and the changeling was drawn inside by the inrush of water. She found herself in a large chamber, now filled to the roof with water. A pair of black marble slabs with bas reliefs of fey warriors stood on either side of the doors. She could see a larger room beyond, but as she started to move deeper, the doors behind her started to swing shut. Not wanting to be trapped, she rushed outside, barely squeezing through. Returning to the surface, Ranza described what she'd found to the rest of the party.

Now left the problem of how everyone else could get safely below without drowning. Consulting the quilt, they learned that it would be possible to breath once inside the Tomb, though it wasn't clear how long they'd have to hold breath underwater before reaching that point. So after much discussion, it was determined that Ranza would go below and explore a little more. But with an invisibility spell from Vegarious and a length of rope around he waist and tied to the surface for additional protection. 

Once more the changeling dove, entered the Tomb (leaving the key in the lock outside), and proceeded deeper into the room. The doors closed behind her, leaving Ranza trapped. Looking around, she found  one end of the room was a twisted mess of filigree metal; whatever it was originally, the in-rush of water had wrecked it. And there were doors. One to the left opened into the flooded chamber and could not be budged. One to the south opened outward easily, the water pressure forcing Ranza into a small storage room where she crashed into a collection of clay amphora, which smashed to pieces releasing their brightly coloured contents into the water. And one to the west, beyond the twisted metal, opened outward. Tying herself down on to avoid another battering from rushing water, Ranza opened the door. Again water rushed out, and when it died down she found herself staring down a long curved corridor. The water now stood about 5' deep, so here at least was the breathable air the quilt had promised. There was also a door about halfway down the corridor on the west wall. 

Raza opted against further solo exploration, and instead retraced her steps, planning to exit the doors and return to the surface. But reaching the doors, she could see on the inside a glowing green mass of slimy vines, writhing and flicking towards her menacingly. It would seem, that for now, she truly was trapped ... 

TOTAL XP 

1750

GAINS

Quince the Warhorse [500sp] 

KILLS/VICTORIES

Sir Azra, The Blue Knight 

LOSSES

none

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