"Well, we should get going. Times a wasting."
Kast almost puts down his very crispy bacon and joins Hasslo in shooing the party along, but also he realizes that he's enjoying putting this very burnt bacon in between a piece of bread lathered liberally with butter. There was no reason to rush away from that...because on the road it was different. There was no good, buttered, breaded crispy bacon, it was just good crispy bacon.
Kast slowly rearranges his bum leg so he can sit again and finish his meal. With one more butter slathered bacon wrap.
"Yeah, I'm good to go. Let's do this. Let's find Lamatar and get back to Magnimar," Kast agrees when he finishes.
You rise on a crisp cold and blustery Neth 18, a Toilday. There’s a ferrywoman in one of their giant turtleback shells, ready to take you across the lake and up the river to Bitter Hollow. She’s bundled against the cold, which she warns will only get worse over the open water where there’s no break from the wind but the high walls of the shell, ”Which just tends to swirl it around a bit if you ask me.”
You leave Turtleback Ferry behind and head across the lake. It is cold, as promised, but those of you without magical protections manage well enough. Those of you with magical protections are generally put on forward watch, as the biting wind doesn’t bother you.
Before lunch, you reach Bitter Hollow, a filthy, remote thorp of about 50 hunters and trappers and their families. A single trading post called the Gator’s Nest sits in the center of this settlement, and regular trade with the gnomes of the nearby Sanos Forest means that there is rather more wealth here than even Turtleback Ferry. You may buy potions here of more or less anything you wish as well as oddities of an alchemical nature, in addition to general supplies.
The ferrywoman lingers, planning to spend the night in Bitter Hollow in case you need passage across the river, and of course for a lift back if you finish your business quick enough. It’s the least she can do for what you’ve done for the ‘Ferry.
There’s a lone public house in town as well, if you wish a bit of a hot lunch before heading out into the cold wilderness. Or you can head straight across the river and begin. Which do you prefer?
Val stretches and rotates her neck. ”I am feeling much better now, so a bite and a drink or two or three sounds delightful, Sea.”
"Let's get a fast snack and get moving." Izomandakus looks at the dirty place they have ended up and tries to see if there is some grilled meat or something similar to get warm "The faster we find this Lamatar, the sooner we will be back to some clean and warm place"
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As you are about to open the door to the public house, they burst open in front of you. A large burley man with a dirty apron tosses a pixie - a waifishly thin humanoid with gossamer wings, large expressive eyes, long pointed ears, and a diminutive two foot tall stature - right out the door and into the mud and slush of the road.
”And stop bothering us!”
The pixie, covered in mud and snow gets up quickly and shakes himself off. His rumpled clothes, now muddy, and eyes puffy from crying, indicate just how much things are out of place for the poor creature.
Never the less, the hyper little man sees you and leaps to the air, petitioning you for aid breathlessly!
”My mistress, she is... ill. Very ill. Death would have been a kindness. The land sickens with her heart, and it cannot be cleansed until her misery is purged.”
”I cannot do this myself. Please, you must help her! I can take you to her - maybe you can do something. I have tried everything to cure her forlorn heart, but to no avail.”
”She wails and moans in Whitewillow, and the trees and plants and nixies and frogs and everything are dying or worse! I can take you there! Please!”
He continues on in the same way, flapping around your heads, jabbering on about needing help, and getting closer and closer until he’s practically shouting in your ears and batting your noses with his wings as he flutters energetically too and fro.
Know (Nature) - Pixie
Kast tries to calm the pixie down.
"Yeah, yeah, maybe we can help. But we need to calm down so we can talk a bit more. Can we talk?" Kast asks, trying to make sense of the pain and hurt and worry in the fey creature.
Diplomacy
"What sort of creature is she? What happened to her heart?" Kast tries to get a fuller story.
"A pixie" Izomandakus identifies the diminutive flying fey "Your mistress? Who is your mistress?"
The boy swings up his staff visibly bothered by the pixie flying around desperately, while Pachemu looks up, following the flight with interest.
Val looks upon the pixie with curiosity and a touch of concern. ”You mentioned a forlorn heart. Your mistress would not happen to be involved with a human? A ranger, would she?”
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- - -
Kast tries to calm the pixie down.
"Yeah, yeah, maybe we can help. But we need to calm down so we can talk a bit more. Can we talk?" Kast asks, trying to make sense of the pain and hurt and worry in the fey creature.
”Calm down? Calm Down?! CALM DOWN?!!” he buzzes right up to you, though after fluttering your eyebrows a moment, he does back off, ”How can I calm down when my mistress is in such a state?! You wouldn’t understand, you humans don’t know! She’s my reason for life!”
"What sort of creature is she? What happened to her heart?" Kast tries to get a fuller story.
”Oh, she’s WONDERFUL! Her hair, why silk doesn’t even compare. Her feet, why did you know she once stubbed her toe?! It didn’t swell at all but it turned the most beautiful colors.” Unstopped, he’ll go on for quite a while, in graphic detail, about each part of her anatomy. It is clear that he adores this creature, who is a fey from his description, and likely a Nymph.
- - -
When Kast paused, Seamus added, "Maybe we can help each other, were looking for a Ranger named Lamatar, you ever heard of him?"
”YOU KNOW LAMATAR!” the title man gets very excited and talks so fast for a while you can’t understand what he’s saying. Eventually you calm him enough to get something out of him, ”wastherewhentheogrescame. He wastaken away!”
"A pixie" Izomandakus identifies the diminutive flying fey "Your mistress? Who is your mistress?"
The boy swings up his staff visibly bothered by the pixie flying around desperately, while Pachemu looks up, following the flight with interest.
”My mistress is none other than Princess Myriana!” he says with awe in his voice, ”I know right? Who’d have imagined she’d let me serve her? But here I am!” he continues to beg for your aid in finding her and fixing her malady of the heart.
None of you have heard of her, which isn't surprising really.
Val looks upon the pixie with curiosity and a touch of concern. ”You mentioned a forlorn heart. Your mistress would not happen to be involved with a human? A ranger, would she?”
He bounces through the air at Valena, ”Well, duh! You don’t think she’d be involved with me do you?” He goes on to tell how theirs is a love for the ages, unblemished by time - just blemished by the ogres.
"Come, come! Just over the river, down the trail, and into the swmap! It's not far! Come!" he tries to herd you in the direction of the river.
"Yes, okay, let's go," Kast agrees, ready to keep going. "What was your name again, Pixie?"
*limp* *drag* *limp*
*limp* *drag* *limp*
*limp* *drag* *limp*
Kast makes haste to where the pixie thinks they should go.
"What kind of threats are we facing? And can you scout for us?" Kast encourages the pixie to help.
"What you describe sounds like a nymph" Izomandakus clarifies this point to the group "Chaotic but benevolent fey creatures that inhabit swamps and lakes"
"Ok. Let's find this Princess Myriana" finally accepts the boy smiling widely at the pixie "It seems we were going that way after all"
Figuring out the turtle shell will not do good in the swamp, before leaving Bitter Hollow, Izomandakus will ask the trappers if there is some kind of canoe or similar vessel they can rent to navigate the swamp slightly faster.
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"Yes, okay, let's go," Kast agrees, ready to keep going. "What was your name again, Pixie?"
"What kind of threats are we facing? And can you scout for us?" Kast encourages the pixie to help.
”Yap. That’s what my mistress calls me. Yap! YapYapYapYapYapYapYap. Isn’t it wonderful?!”
”Oh, I can scout! I can totally scout!” He flies wide loops around the party, in ever expanding circles, talking the whole time, so he has to shout the further away he is. You’re surprised at the set of lungs this little one has. His high pitched voice really carries.
He grows increasingly excited as the party seems to accept his offer, until Seamus suggests a hot meal. For obvious reasons, Yap isn’t going inside, and he’s incredibly anxious that you get started at once. The whole time you’re inside, you hear him flitting at the windows, out in the cold, while you sit snugly in the public house. It’s really just someone’s living room with a few tables setup, but they do have a nice hot fish stew - both spicy and tongue-burning.
You talk to a few of the locals crowded in with you. They laugh and commiserate with you over joining up with Yap. They seem generally pleased you are though. You get the sense Yap has been here a while, begging for help.
The swamps will be tough. You could bring boats, but you’d be doing a lot of portaging. Most folks who head out that way, and there aren’t many who do, just walk along the Wicker Walk, which is a wooden platform for the most part, leading to the Old Sanos Trail and, beyond, trade with the gnomes.
No one goes deep into the Shimmerglens. That’s fey territory that is. You go in there and your children will have hooves.
No one will rent you boats if you’re going into the Shimmerglens, but you can buy a couple old canoes for 40gp each. They’ll even throw in the oars.
Kast makes it clear he wouldn’t have stopped for food when the need seemed so…uh…needful, and pressing. However, once everyone else was eating hot food, Kast wasn’t going to go alone, nor pass up a hearty meal.
”I’d prefer to walk, but could also air walk while I trail you all in a boat. Both could work,” Kast offers, anxious to get moving and helping his new pixie-friend.
"I couldn't tell ye' longears. It's a bit early for ice to have settled in, so ye' don't got that. Might be there's paths all through there. Might be there ain't. No one goes down there but the fey." he jerks his thumb to Yap who, several feet away and behind glass, ducks in a panic. "They fly so's I doubt he'll be much help keepin' ye' feet dry."
The guy offering the boats laughs, "You want the boats!" he cries and several around the place toast his good fortune, should you pay for the canoes. Or even if you don't. It's cold, and a little beer over lunch is a time honored tradition.
Val imagines wading through swamp water and shudders visibly. ”Let us buy the canoes. I take the money from my share if we are worried about it. I am not, but you never know.”
Hasslo is secretly excited. He hasn't seen a fey up close before and have only heard stories of their whimsy. But Yap's general high energy is antithesis to Hasslo's dour expression.
"What can you tell us of these woods? Are there any.." the dwarf gulps, "dangers that we should be wary of? I've heard that some fey may not be so happy to see non-fey in their woods."
Seeing the eagerness of Yap, Hasslo sighs. "I'd like to learn more of these mystical forests around here. Perhaps I can scout with you and you can show me some tricks of your trade. And I can show you some of mine."
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Valena buys the canoes (I’ll take it off the group sheet) and heads outside to see them before handing over the cash naturally.
”They may not look like much, but they’ll make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.” the former canoe owner smiles pocketing your cash - likely the most money he’s ever seen in one place.
He’s right, the canoes look, well, not great. But they seem solid enough and they don’t leak right away. If anything they’re too heavy. You don’t look forward to portaging them.
"What can you tell us of these woods? Are there any.." the dwarf gulps, "dangers that we should be wary of? I've heard that some fey may not be so happy to see non-fey in their woods."
Seeing the eagerness of Yap, Hasslo sighs. "I'd like to learn more of these mystical forests around here. Perhaps I can scout with you and you can show me some tricks of your trade. And I can show you some of mine."
Yap babbles at some length about the wonders of the Shimmerglens. Given leave, he’ll spin hours worth of stories of all the wondrousness of the place. Of course, when you cut him off to get a bit of lunch (and so’s not to spend all day talking, he admits, ”But that was before the Princess fell…” He grows briefly despondent and frightened about what might lie in the swamp now.
He brightens though as Hasslo offers to teach him and vice versa. He does so love someone to talk to!
Izomandakus is happy there are canoes, even if he has to carry one at some stages of the trip "Take this as an investment. They will be worth three times as much once we come back as the Heroes of the Shimmerlens" he offers a smile before getting into the canoe and starting to oar once everyone is on place.
The boy will cast mage armor and greater magic weapon on his staff as the trip begins.
"Kessel Run? Never heard of that. Did you mean 'vessel run'?" Kast asks, while helping with the canoes. He intends to air walk while he can, rather than kneel or fit his stumpy, twisted left leg into a leaky canoe.
Nothing more from Kast right now.
"Yap, you gunna scout for us? Make sure we're not attacked as we paddle? That would be all kinds of helpful."
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Yap can scout, but he’ll attract more monsters than he’ll prevent. His loud shouting as he circles the party will bring ‘em in from miles around. For now, I’ll assume you don’t want that, but let me know.
During the first hour into your walk along the Wicker Walk, you’re impressed by the trail. It’s largely comprised of trees felled to make the path, cut into planks and elevated in spots over swampy water. Yap doesn’t like the trail, and would prefer wandering through the swamps, but Hasslo is pretty sure it’ll be quicker the longer you can stay on the trail.
Eventually though you turn off the path, and very quickly realize the boats were a good call! The Shimmerglens quickly grow tangled and densely packed once one travels out of sight of the trails edge. By far, the easiest way to get around is by boat, navigating via the narrow channels of water throughout the region. It would have taken days to search on foot.
Yap talks of many things throughout your progress. One of the things you do catch amid all his babble however, is that it hasn’t rained here in a while. In fact it’s been rather dry of late. All the rain seemed to be centered over the Storval Deep as if to push the dam to failure.
Anyway, an hour into your paddling and the land becomes gradually darker... Twisted black trees rise wretchedly from shallow pools, seeming to have lurched from the land, their arthritic branches curled into miserable tortured claws. The sun seems to scorn this place, and a cold, dark mist looms within the canopy of bone-bare branches above. Evil murmurs ride an unnatural wind that flows forth from the glens, and shadows dance in the dark mists within.
Even Yap shudders and grows quieter as you get further in the ‘Glens.
The trees of the region of Whitewillow, once beautiful and mystic with drooping boughs of sparkling ivory leaves, have gone dark and twisted as if in torment. Now, they shift and move when they should not. Shadows play cruel tricks on the sharpest eyes, and sanity-shredding whispers cause even the canniest ranger to lose their way.
As Yap leads you deeper into the depths of Whitewillow, the degree of the corruption grows. Spiders, languid and fat with poison, hang from trees. Dying birds twitch in the shallows. Slithering things with far too many eyes squirt away through the water.
Nothing but chill silence surrounds you, though you occasionally glimpse tall, dark-robed figures in your peripheral vision. The creatures’ enlarged skeletal claws extend from their outstretched arms as if reaching toward you!
However, when you look, you see these apparitions are nothing more than horribly twisted black trees. They seep a sort of bloody discharge into the water and seem to cackle in the occasional gust of unnatural wind.
- - -
As Yap yapped on, something he said caught Seamus attention, interrupting the little guy he asked. "Hey Yap, when you say "The Princess fell" exactly what do you mean?"
”When she was torn asunder by the ogres.” he looks very sad.
It’s mid afternoon, though the darkness and mist make it feel much later.
"Hey Yap, when you say "The Princess fell" exactly what do you mean?"
Kast's head tilts when 'Mus's question is asked. It's a good one and one he should have thought of himself, but he was too busy trying to hurry heroically rather than act perfectly.
C'mon Kast. You have to be perfect. Just perfect.
He pauses to really listen to Yap's answer.
He wishes he hadn't.
* * *
Will
"This place is getting dank, Yap. How much further?" Kast asks the not-scout.
”A rather relaxing ride, if I do say so. Shame we wi not get to enjoy the sights.” She considers sticking her hand in the water to feel it rushing past, just to complete her jest, but she is not *that* committed to humor.
Hasslo is able to shake off any regrets of following Yap. To him, the forest is not a scary place, despite the shadowy trees and dying birds around him. Though likely infused with fey energy, Hasslo trudges on.
Izomandakus keeps Pachemu on the canoe as much he can to avoid she having to swim on the swamp "The ogres killed your Lady?" the boy arches an eyebrow looking at the others "This might be our ogres..."
"You said Lamatar was there when the ogres came" Izomandakus punctuates "What relation has Lamatar in all this? Why was he there with the ogres and your Lady? Did he bring the ogres to her?"
"This place is getting dank, Yap. How much further?" Kast asks the not-scout.
”Not far. Not far! Just a few more miles! This part of the swamp was so beautiful…”
Remembering the strange little pixie had said his mistress was Very ill so that death would have been a kindness.' Seamus, more confused than usual, asks. "Um, Yap, earlier you said she was ill but not dead. I don't mean to be insensitive, but if she was torn asunder, how is she not dead?"
”Oh. She came back.” He says simply, ”You can’t keep the fey down you know…” he shudders again lightly and flitters off trying to, with sheer willpower, speed your boats.
"You said Lamatar was there when the ogres came" Izomandakus punctuates "What relation has Lamatar in all this? Why was he there with the ogres and your Lady? Did he bring the ogres to her?"
”Oh, no - theirs was the love of the ages! He’d never do harm to Princess Myriana. I… I think he was carried away. I do not know, for I was hiding by then.” He looks sheepish at his cowardice, but truthfully you don’t see a weapon on him, and you can’t imagine his yammering would go over well with ogres.
As you chat, you paddle a little deeper and find yourselves in a broad natural pool of water created by runoff from several hulking dark trees standing around a clearing. The water looks clear and refreshing enough, though Hasslo will warn you that no algae or larval insects dwell in the pool, possibly indicating the water is poisoned.
1d4 wisdom damage.
- - -
Will
”This place is getting danker and danker. Wow,” Kast tries to imagine what it must have been before, but just can’t.
”Not sure I want to believe Lamatar was working with the ogres, let alone the Kreegs,” he mentions as they continue along.
When they get close, Kast will cast Air Limp and avoid going through the icky water.
Pachemu looks down at the water, then back at the party and trembles "Oink oink oink!"
"Don't say nonsense" exclaims Izomandakus "It's just damped water and a few retorted roots." but he seems worried by what the pig is telling nevertheless.
The boy though takes his staff in one hand and observes the surroundings with caution "By what Yap is telling we might be dealing with an undead nymph. It is hard to believe such an aberration can happen, but what we are seeing in this swamp might be the result of the broken love Yap says Myriana and Lamatar professed each other."
Cantrips (4/day)
acid splash
detect magic
ghost sound (Will 13)
open/close
Level 1 (6/day)
heightened awareness^
grease (Ref 14)
*mage armor
2x shield
silent image (Will 14)
Level 2 (6/day)
spider climb^
carry companion^ | suppress charms and compulsions
glitterdust (Will 15)
mirror image
scorching ray
web (Ref 15)
Level 3 (5/day)
*greater magic weapon^ (+2)
clay skin
heroism
lightning bolt (Ref 16)
monstrous physique I^ | haste^
Level 4 (4/day)
monstrous physique II^
dimension door | wave form^ (Ref 18)
greater invisibility
obsidian flow^ (Ref 18)
Level 5 (3/day)
telekinesis^ (Will 19)
grand destiny
teleport
Val remains unperturbed by the swamp, instead focusing on figuring out what exactly is going on by questioning the pixie. ”’She came back?’ is that just a fey thing or an undead thing like Izo says? You made it sound like it’s just a thing that fey do?”
As Izomandakus asked Yap about the relationship the captain had with the fey Seamus listened carefully to Yap's answers. His mind wandered to the farms south of Sandpoint where they had faced the undead, frowning he asked Yap. "Um, she came back how? I mean was she different?"
”Her heart! It was broken.” The little man wails, ”And she was darker.”
- - -
Val remains unperturbed by the swamp, instead focusing on figuring out what exactly is going on by questioning the pixie. ”’She came back?’ is that just a fey thing or an undead thing like Izo says? You made it sound like it’s just a thing that fey do?”
”Oh, the fey come back all the time! We’re immortal after all!” he says seriously. ”But she came back too soon. And altered. You’ll see when you meet her. Won’t be long now.”
You portage a little ways to another waterway. You’re deep in the swamp now and haven’t felt this claustrophobic since the goblin warrens at Thistletop. The trees tear at your cold weather gear as you pass underneath them, and the channels of water narrow so you’re going one at a time. The mist seems to thicken about you as well, blocking the light from above to a degree. Thankfully, the canoes remain mostly dry save for the little water you splash in as you learn how to use the paddles effectively.
Suddenly the branches part to reveal an enormous derelict ship inexplicably located hundreds of miles from the Varisian shore and currently wedged between the trees. The vessel is badly worn and covered in thick dark green moss, but is largely intact and is obviously a seagoing model. It is listing badly but looks stable enough and it seems to have been here for quite some time.
It’s made of darkwood - the entire thing! You can see what must have been beautiful brass fittings on deck. Surely it must have been an impressive ship in its day. You paddle closer and can see the figurehead - an incredible pair of wings carved into the forward mast. The words ‘Ebon Fly’ are done on the bow in brass, the ship’s name no doubt.
Do you investigate? Or do you press on. It’s around 4pm. Yap thinks you’re getting close and knows nothing about the ship. He doesn’t usually come this way - preferring to fly in and out of his mistresses domain. Then again, this is fey land. The ship might not have been here five minutes ago - regardless of how old it looks.
Kast casts Air Limp and goes to investigate.
"This might be important," Kast says, limping out of the canoe where his usually mangled leg has been set into position for miles. He needs to stretch it...at least a bit.
He will cast Air Tumble on Seamus as well.
"C'mon."
"There is an unnatural pall about the place... and for this much damage to have been done so quickly..." Izomandakus looks around unsettled "There is negative energy involved. Pretty sure. Undead."
Seeing Kast and Seamus flying, the boy remains at the canoe for now helping Pachemu there "Be careful, I do not like how that ship looks... The Ebon Fly... does that not call something in the back of your mind pig?"
"It must be something from a far away land... or time..."
Hasslo takes one look at the ship before shaking his head. "I'd rather move on. We can't be distracted by everything that comes across our paths. We have a plan and a destination. If we stopped for everything that looked interesting, it will take days to get there. When we're done, we can take a gander. But not now."
The ship creaks and moans most unsettlingly as you clamber aboard and search chamber by chamber. Many of the doors are stuck closed - swollen by the moisture in the air and by the various plants taking over the vessel.
The ship is almost completely deserted. Room after room of rot and little else. No bodies even - undead or otherwise.
However, in his quarters belowdecks, the long dead captain still sits at a moldering darkwood harpsichord carved with demons battling angels. Dressed in his rotten unidentifiable uniform, he clutches in one hand nautical charts that seem completely alien to all of you, and a dinged up silver goblet inlaid with opals worth 200 gp in the other. A book of sheet music sits on the harpsichord.
Seamus examines the music - and he's flabbergasted. It's as if all you ever knew was classical, and someone gave you good jazz. It's not necessarily better, but it's absolutely alien. The melodies fit together in ways you never thought possible and take you places you've never been.
Your mind races with the possibilities. At the very least, you figure you're holding 5,000gp worth of music here to a collector. If you sell it...
Kast will stand guard while 'Mus fiddles with the instrument.
"Anything of note, Seamus?" Kast waits patiently.
A detect magic reveals a dweomer on the music. Subsequent investigation of the aura suggests unguent of timelessness was used on the book. Nothing else is found to be magical.
The harpsicord is built into the deck of the ship, and is in horrible shape. Further, it won't fit into a canoe. The charts, as you shift them, crumble and fall away to pieces. They are nearly completely rotted away.
Kast will move to go back to the canoes when Seamus is ready. And then proceed to follow Yappity Yap to the not-torn-asunder nymph.
"C'mon, 'Mus, let's get on."
Val follows the others around through the boat but is careful not to touch anything. ”A weird boat in a weird fey forest seems dangerous to me. Never know what ridiculous weirdness could pop out of it. Or come along with us.”