Tiressia nods, her face determined. "Many of my trees were felled and from Sir Perlivash* we have not heard in weeks, nor dared to send any to seek for him. Tidings I hear of your lands, and they are grim, I fear. You are needed in your realm and I would not have you tarry longer than you must, but you may rest in my grove. I think that here you may find sleep you will not have for many days to come."
She turns next to Aristu and looks at Mikhail, carrying a bird cage filled with songbirds. "I deem there is more to your tale than you have told, good knights, for yon songbird regards me with more than beast's interest and I see you carry many others. I ween they are some relic of the Fellnight Realm. Will you speak of them?"
"The Queen found humor in making pets of her enemies. We are not sure which of these were once humans or other fey, but we brought them in the hopes of breaking the enchantment upon them." Mikhail answers in the hopes that Tiressia might have knowledge of how to break the enchantment.
Tiressia looks with renewed interest at both Mikhail and the songbirds he carries. Some of these frantically calling and flapping their wings. They were tired from the long journey, but now seem renewed in their strength.
"I have no power to contend with the Queen of Roses," says the dryad. "If such power lies within the Stolen Lands, then it must surely rest with the Lord of the Sword Marches." She looks now to Sir Alister. "You must put forth the strength of the Land," she says.
Alister looks confused. "The strength of the land?" He thinks on it for a moment. "I may have to study this for a time." He glances to the bird-that-was-Aristu. "Sorry, brother. At least you'll get some time to work on your singing voice."
In 2e, there is a significant difference between "magic" and a "curse," and it turns out that this is good news for Aristu, which I didn't know until your question caused me to do the research.
You unravel the magic behind a spell or effect.
The duration of a spell is how long the spell effect lasts. Spells that last for more than an instant have a Duration entry.
...
Some spells have effects that remain even after the spell’s magic is gone. Any ongoing effect that isn’t part of the spell’s duration entry isn’t considered magical. For instance, a spell that creates a loud sound and has no duration might deafen someone for a time, even permanently. This deafness couldn’t be counteracted because it is not itself magical (though it might be cured by other magic, such as restore senses).
So for instance, you can't cure the blindness that results from the Blindness spell because it has no duration.
On the other hand, baleful polymorph isn't a curse, it's a spell, and on a critical failure, " The target is transformed into the chosen harmless animal, body and mind, for an unlimited duration," so it does have a duration - an unlimited one. So yes, dispel magic will work on baleful polymorph.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that it ain't exactly easy. You have to make a Counteract check against Rhoswen's magic. The rules get weird with their use of "level" and "DC", so let's go over that!
You make a Counteract check by rolling 1d20 and adding your spellcasting ability modifier plus your spellcasting proficiency bonus. You compare this to the caster's DC. If you succeed, you can counter an effect no more than 1 level higher than your effect's counteract level. This means that if you cast dispel magic as a 2nd level spell, it won't counteract anything more powerful than a 3rd level spell unless you critically succeed (and then it's up to 5th level).
Now, Alister can cast spells of up to 4th level, so he can heighten dispel magic to 4th and then on a regular success he can try to contend with baleful polymorph.
Also, since dispel magic is both Arcane and Occult, Piotr can give it a whirl, too.
Follow all that?
Hmm, I didn't know Dispel Magic worked like that. I may have to rethink spell selection, because that means it doesn't work well for Alister.
Spontaneous casters have to learn the spell at a higher level of they want to cast it at a higher level. So Alister would need to have learned Dispel Magic as a 4th level spell in addition to his knowing it as a 2nd level spell (or in place of it, since he could swap out the 2nd level spell). Bards and Sorcerers do get to declare a signature spell that they can heighten freely, but Dispel Magic wasn't one of my signatures. Might not be a bad one to consider if it works like that...
But Piotr should be able to memorize dispel Magic as a higher level spell with his normal preparation.
Piotr can prepare Dispel Magic as a 4th level spell.
Spellcasting Ability (INT) modifier = +4
Spellcasting Proficiency Bonus (Expert) = +4
Piotr listens carefully to the enumeration of the damages to the kingdom and its peoples, thinking about how much this conflict has cost.
He might be able to counter the enchantment upon the birds but there is no way to replace the dead and missing.
Falchos leads you to a wooded bower where you can rest safely for the evening. He and Tiressia speak to a strange progression of woodland creatures who walk, limp or fly into the clearing well into the small hours.
Counteracting Queen Rhoswen's spell turns out to be harder work than you thought. The spell is powerful and complex.
Sir Alister and his brave companions take leave of Tiressia, the dryad druid of the Narlmarches and fare north through the dense central woods towards the town of Tatzlford, where the Adventure of the Fellnight Queen began.
The woods are much changed, thicker, stranger and more wild. Here and there you encounter plants never before seen in the Stolen Lands and rose bushes grow in profusion.
At last you return to small Tatzlford and find it much as Falchos had warned. Closest of the Sword March's settlements to the Faengard, it lies now not in ruin but in utter disarray. Some buildings seem in good repair while others have lost their roofs, their doors and even a wall or two, torn down. Logs and masonry lie in scattered heaps in the streets. A line of heavy log cages stands along the north side of the main street, empty now of their prisoners. A row of gallows, their ropes cut, line the south side of the street opposite the cages.
A single human figure stands forlorn in the street, staring at you with a hollow stare amid sunken and sallow features. It is a moment before you are certain it is a woman. Another before you recognize her - it is Kailah, the bride of the wedding you attended. To you it was but days ago when last you saw her, but much more time has passed in the mortal world - months at least by the look of things.
She looks up at you without seeming to recognize you.
"Kailah? Is that you? It's Alister. Where is Carres? I should speak to him. I know we've been gone a while, but we finally managed to stop the fey queen. What's happened here?" Alister looks around for others.
"Gone," she says quietly. "Rode away to the city."
"He left and I..." she waves a hand at the gallows. "I watched them die." She says this last in a whisper.
"They say it's fast, but sometimes it isn't."
Mikhail begins moving from building to building searching for other survivors.
Piotr slowly joins Mikhail, trying to remember how Tatxzlford looked before this all started. And they have learned that this is not unique ... most of the kingdom has suffered in the same way.
Aristu flies up and circles the village from above.
Alister looks aghast at the gallows. "Who?" He approaches it slowly, afraid of what he might see there.
Aristu flies up and circles the village from above.
The village has been trashed. Aristu spots a large uncovered pit a short distance downstream, filled with bodies. The stench is horrible. There must be fifty corpses there. The spriggan army was cruel and violent.
Alister, there are no bodies on the gallows. The ropes have been recently cut. But on the ground lie four men and a woman, covered with a blanket. Gently lifting the blanket aside, he sees the marks of the noose on each of their necks. He recognizes some of them as wedding guests.
Mikhail, you can see signs that people recently left. More than likely the survivors fled into the woods as soon as their tormentors disappeared. You find a pair of dirty and terrified young girls hiding in a reedy ditch behind several houses. They stare at you with wide eyes.
Aristu tightens his spiral and circles above the pit. He sings a sad little tune and waits until one of the others notices.
"What happened?!" Alister says as he looks at the hanged bodies. "Who did this? Why? The spriggans?" He looks back to Kailah.
Alister follows the sound of his brother and stops at the pit of dead. "Merciful light." His eyes harden. If he could strike down the Queen of Roses all over again, he would.
He returns to the village and shakes Kailah. "Where are Loy and Letricia Rezbin? And Carres went to Stagfell? Are you sure?" He turns to the others. "We have to get to Stagfell now. See what damage has been done there and start fixing this!"
He returns to the village and shakes Kailah. "Where are Loy and Letricia Rezbin?"
"They're gone. They died trying to stop..." she waves her hand at the bodies.
"And Carres went to Stagfell? Are you sure?" He turns to the others. "We have to get to Stagfell now. See what damage has been done there and start fixing this!"
"Aye, Lord. But he hasn't come back.
Mikhail kneels and holds out his hands, "The monsters are gone. You can come out now."
The Heroes of the Sword Marches help the people of Tatzlford heal and get back some of the basics of life - shelter, fire and food. But they must press on. Soon they ride east to Stagfell and find its fields and streets ruined, but the buildings largely intact.
You are met on the road outside the capital by Kesten Garress, commander of Stagfell's tiny garrison. "Lord Baron! We are glad to see you! We had not thought you would return. Carres Isten claimed you had gone into some foreign realm and when you did not return... Well, it is good that you have come. I take it your return and the disappearance of the enemy are related?"
Alister waves to him. "Kesten, gods be good. I'm glad to see you alive. What's happened? Tatzlford was all but destroyed it seemed. How far did the fey armies get?"
He realizes that the man hasn't known anything about their excursion. "A fey queen, dark, deadly, and lovely, tried to invade. She was aided by a traitor. We had to go into her realm and stop her. But I fear we weren't fast enough for some. They made it this far and destroyed our farms?"
"Aye, Lord. The walls stopped them getting into the city, but they made a mess of the outskirts. Torag's shrine and the Foundry. A few busted through the gate but we stopped them cold at St. Alexei's statue."
He runs a hand over his forehead. "It's worse in the country, lord. The farms are stripped. They took slaves and killed the livestock. There'll be little to eat in the winter. Folk are going to starve."
Alister's face falls when he hears this. If the fey didn't kill them, they just as much left them a death sentence.
"Ok, let's get inside and you can show me whatever reports we have. Are the people still here or have they gone back to their homes and farms? We might need to gather everyone and determine what stores we still have available. We will need to dispatch someone to Restov for aid. Did Jhod survive? A priest of Erastil might be helpful in the future. "
He turns to the others. "Any other ideas? It'll be a hard winter."
"And I need to see Carres. I want to know the meaning of the hangings in Tatzlford."
"Have we had any word from Restov? Or the other kingdoms?," asks Piotr. "Was this destruction limited only to here, or more broad?"
"I am trying to determine if we must face this on our own, with what stores we have, or if we purchase food and goods to get people through the winter?"
"Word is that the Aldoris stopped them at the Rostland road," says Kesten. "And that they got no further than the Tors of Levenies, so Varnhold should be alright. We've no word from Fort Drelev as usual, but they'd have had a devil of a time getting through the Hooktongue Slough, so I assume it was mostly us. Maybe some got away south to Mivon or Galt, but I've heard nothing from those quarters, either."
"Carres was wounded in battle, but he's alive. He's at the Town Hall, trying to solve our food problems. Maybe he can answer your questions, Piotr. But he's desperate with worry about Tatzlford and his wife. I think he may want to leave right away, now that he can get there."
Looking back at Alister, he says "We haven't heard word from Jhod, lord. Nor from any part of the Narlmarches since you rode west...what? Twenty weeks ago? More? Miss Roslin's done her best, but there's only so much one woman can do."
"What do you mean by 'hangings', Lord? Who? Not Miss Kailah?"
Piotr slowly undoes the curse on Rhoswen's birds. Aristu is returned to his right self in a matter of days. Others follow as Piotr has time. Many are minor fey with whom Rhoswen became displeased - satyrs, dryads, pixies and the like. These, while grateful, are not eager to remain in Stagfell and soon depart for the Narlmarches. But others are more interesting.
Orandes is a very old and frail half-elf bard from Iobaria, far to the east of the Nomen lands. He speaks a little Taldan and is an expert on the the planes of existence, particularly the Shadow Plane. He was drawn into the Fellnight Realm through a dream and became Rhoswen's lover for awhile until she lost interest and turned him into a songbird.
Merendei is a very old human woman with mahogany-dark skin. She speaks no Taldan, only Mwangi and a smattering of Osirian. She was the most beautiful woman in her tribe and men once sang of her beauty and vied for her hand. But then she saw Rhoswen in the reflecting pool rather than her own reflection and, jealous of her beauty, the Queen of Roses abducted her into the Fellnight Realm and turned her into a songbird. Merendei can't have too many more years to live.
Limnaes is a naiad, a being of such unearthly beauty that Piotr was initially stupefied, unable to speak or think. Once she had placed on a hooded cloak, she spoke to him with deep gratitude. She was forced to serve Rhoswen for millennia and was among the first to be turned into a songbird. Limnaes is overwhelmed by freedom at long, long last and has taken up residence in the river upstream from Stagfell. She allows no one to see her face, but she and Piotr have remained friendly.
Sir Perides is a Taldan Knight of the Fifth Army of Exploration. He is somehow still young and hale despite being from more than 2700 years ago. In his memory, Taldor is the mighty empire that rules all of Avistan and he is having trouble understanding that his nation is no longer in charge. He seems not to remember any of his time as a songbird, only knowing that a few years ago he was on patrol, got lost in a strange mist and met the beautiful Queen of Roses, who was his lover for about a year.
Eristhea is a elf, the daughter of a an elven noble family from Kyonin. She has been missing for over a century. She loved the fields and woods of her homeland and wandered often far from her companions. Much like the human woman Merendei, she saw Queen Rhoswen in a reflecting pool. She wrestled in her mind with the power of the fey queen, but lost and was dragged into the Fellnight Realm. She became an apprentice to Rhoswen, learning sorcery, but they clashed over Rhoswen’s cruelty to her subjects and Eristhea was imprisoned as a songbird for decades. She has taken up residence at Lily’s in Stagfell, unsure of what to do next with her life.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jhod Khavken died in the defense of the Temple of the Stag. Loy Rezbin died in the initial assault of the spriggans upon Tatzlford. Letricia Rezbin died two months later, hung as a conspirator against queen Rhoswen. Roslin Varn was seriously injured defending the streets of Stagfell when the spriggans broke through the gates, but she survived.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I think we could pick up with discussions between the PCs and whichever NPCs you choose.
Alister stands looking down at a map of the land with dozens of notations for farms that had been destroyed. The fey army hadn't been systematic in their destruction, but it was bad enough that they might all starve to death. He sighs, flops down in the the chair, and flips through several reports, including a list of the dead. The latest letter from Restov was tossed on the table too.
The townhall held more resources and better maps for this sort of thing, but something about the side room of Lily's felt like home. He glances around the room, remembering the months they spent in this room before the townhall was even built. He pours himself a cup of watered down wine and takes a large gulp. He needed to finish that letter to Varn. He would ask Roslin if she wanted to add her own note to her father, but if Varn could spare any grain, it might be enough.
He made a note to get Carres to assemble hunting teams to find any late season game. He had sent the Warden back to Taztlford to be with his wife and personally oversee the reconstruction there. That combined with focusing on rebuilding a few farms was dominating the first few weeks of their return. He needed to get word back to the fey as well. Perhaps they could teach them something about living off the land during the winter.
The Lord of Stagfell drains his cup and pulls out the next report to read.
The rising sun peeks over the horizon on a new morning in Stagfell. Only a few days have passed since the spriggans were defeated.
A raven lands on a roof overlooking Town Hall. After surveying the grounds, he picks a choice spot for waiting and flits to the ground. A lithe elf wearing leather armor and a curved blade across his back soon takes the bird's place. His eyes take in everything with a calculating look. His body seems tense, like a coiled spring waiting to be released and his elegant Elven features bear an uncharacteristic look of weariness.
Kernithar Flott begins his hunt for the leadership of Stagfell.
Odd, it's been decades since I've had a benevolent hunt. At least humans as predictable and easy to find...
He thinks to himself as he settles in and waits.
"I seek an audience with you and yours. I'd like to discuss the recent... events happening in the Narlmarches"
Piotr finishes with his calculations, trying to estimate what food could be purchased and the cost of shipping it in.
Too many unknowns, he thinks to himself. Standing and stretching to ease his back, Poitr decides to seek out Alister and the others to determine if his plan is worthwhile. He leaves the Town Hall and begins walking towards Lily's, where he understands that Alister has been working.
The wind is from the north and carries the first hint of fall. There is little time to lay in supplies to get the nation through this winter. He does notice a raven floating over the town, thinking that it was unusual that Corb had not mentioned this to him. His familiar is rather territorial, rarely permitting wild ravens to do more than pass through the area.
Piotr ducks into the former tavern, going to the side room to meet Alister.
"I have a plan, but it involves selling some, or most, of the treasures from the Queen's Realm. And using the cash to buy food. Should we gather the others to discuss this?"
Alister looks up at Piotr. "Oh thank goodness. If we can't do this, we'll be burying more people and I'm fed up with that. Let's gather the others and go over it." He gets the Wizard a drink from behind the bard, then heads out to gather the others.
As he's walking across the town, he spots the odd elf. "You want to speak to us? Uh, we're a bit busy at the moment. I'm Alister. What's this about? What do you know about the Narlmarches?"
"Aye. This is about the recent spriggan problem, which I understand you're responsible for solving. I owe you thanks."
He pauses, a slight furrow of anger appears on his brow and then disappears.
"They were not kind to the forest, and were even more ruthless with your lands from what I've seen. To show my thanks I will aid you and yours with hunting and foraging around the Narlmarches. I am Kernithar Flott and I have taken residence there these past few decades. I can guide your hunters through these trying times. With luck, you will be fed, and you will also not starve the forest. Would this be helpful?"
His arm extends, gesturing into the Town Hall.
"But don't let me keep you too long, we can discuss in detail later. And perhaps, our interests may align further."
Kesten Garres escorts Alister from a respectful distance. He moves to intercept Kernithar until the Baron agrees to speak to the elf. Then Kesten merely follows behind, his eyes watchful.
Mikhail comes down the road and sees Alister talking to a new person in town. He nods greeting to both and waits to be introduced.
Alister spots Mikhail and waves him over. "Mikhail, this is Kernithar Flott. He was in the Narlmarches when the spriggans attacked. He's offering to be a hunter for us and help the people with food."
He nods his head to Kernithar. "I would be in your debt if you can help my people, sir. I'm afraid this will take us to the brink. And that's saying something for a town that was ravaged by trolls. My people are hardy and battle-tested, but starvation doesn't care our rugged you are. Come join us at Lily's. Our master wizard believes he has a plan." He motions to the inn he came from.
"Mikhail, Kesten, gather the others and meet us at Lily's. Piotr has some ideas and with Kernithar's help, maybe we won't all starve to death. Tell my brother I have a bowl of worms for him." He gives a slight smirk.
He escorts Kernithar to the inn, getting him a drink and introducing him to Piotr.
A few minutes later, Aristu follows Mikhail through the door into Lily's. Grinning, he calls across the room to his brother, "You jest, but if you're hungry you could do a lot worse than a bowl of worms. Turns out they aren't so bad."
Walking over to their table, he spins a chair around and sits. He gives a smile to the strange face. "Welcome! Mikhail tells me you've offered to lend us your hunting skills. I'm Aristu." He holds out a hand to the elf. Upon learning the elf's name, Aristu ponders whether he's familiar with the line of Flott.
Kernithar sets his mug of wine down. He accepts the offered hand with a small smile. His skin is cool to the touch.
You have heard mention of the name Kernitha Flott around Brevoy. It would have been offered up as a solution for when someone wanted something, or better yet, someone, found. A Dwarven Blacksmith named Fallin in Stetven knows how to get in contact.
You would have conversely heard the name Flott cursed and spit upon in some smaller circles of influence, but you've never heard exactly why.
You believe the lineage traces back to Kyonin, but not to any royalty.
"Well met, lord. We were just discussing the migratory patterns of some of the game within the Narlmarches, but with your arrival, I believe Master Denisov has other ideas he wanted to discuss."
Aristu turns his attention to the wizard. "Well then, Piotr, take it away."
Piotr clears his throat and shifts in his chair before speaking, trying to fram his thoughts.
“The kingdom needs food to get through the winter. Food and shelter, even temporary shelter. I fear that many of the people who have left will never return. If that keeps up, we will be rulers in a new wilderness.”
”We have heard that aid is coming from Restov but we do not know when it will arrive. Or whether it will address the needs of the kingdom. I am proposing to go to Restov to organize shipments of food and materials needed to house the people. And, to do that, I am proposing that we sell most of what we brought back from the Queen’s realm. I think that now is that “rainy day” we were saving for in the past.”
“Do you agree with my proposal? Does anyone wish to travel with me?"
Piotr waits for a response from his companions.