GM Hawthwile's Witch's Winter Holiday

Game Master Hawthwile

Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

"Hmm?" Nhorri looks around. No one else is here yet. Odd... She's usually running late, having spaced out and missed a turn or simply was dawdling as her mind wandered. Did I go to the wrong place? She shifts around, looking for clues to jog her memory.

Xandian, a leaf leshy, comes strolling into the area. He looks humanoid, but made out of leaves and twigs. He has a large scythe leaned against one shoulder.

He looks around as if getting his bearings again, then looks over at Nhorri. "Ah, are you also here to help with the winter celebrations?" he asks in a voice that sounds like it is being spoken as the wind through trees.

When Ulfhild arrives, two other people are already waiting. Ulfhild has blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wears warm clothes and you can see that she's used to winter and cold weather. On her side hang a sword and a light hammer. On her back she carries a bow and a shield. "Hello. Yes, I'm also here to help with the winter celebrations" she answers to Xandian's question with a smile.

"Greetings and well met." Xandian says with a bow to the both of them. "I am Xandian, a leshy on loan from the Verduran Forest."

"Nice to meet you, Xandian! I'm Ulfhild Westergaard from Irrisen." she introduces herself.

At the sound of Xandian's voice, Nhorri sighs and smiles. She has a special connection to the wind and could listen to him talk all day. "Hello Xandian. I'm Nhorri. It's a pleasure to meet you." She kinda spaces out on the other person for a moment before realizing she's being rude. "Oh! Uh, hi Ulfhild. Pleased to meet you."

We're all checked in, so let's get started!

Pathfinders get sent on all sorts of missions during their careers with the Society. Some are great adventures that inspire epic ballads. Some become tales told around a tavern table to the delight of both old and new friends. Some are written into the Chronicles themselves, to be studied by future generations.

Some are simply walking from one city to another to verify that a map is still accurate.

But Nirmathas is hardly the worst place for such an assignment. The crisp air accentuates the scent of the pine trees lining the sides of the dirt road, and a soft breeze carries a trace of woodsmoke as if to announce the presence of a nearby village. As the group rounds the next bend, they find a hamlet of straw-thatched houses and small farms.

On the porch of the closest building, a golden-haired dog perks up as they notice the Pathfinders' arrival. A friendly "Boof!" startles the dog's companion - a short older woman in bright clothes whose expression quickly turns from a concerned grimace to a welcoming smile as she looks up at the visitors. "Well look who it is, Darb - visitors!" Carefully she gets up from her rocking chair and approaches the group, evaluating them with her hands on her hips and a glint in her eye.

"Welcome to Scallion's Wrap!" she say cheerfully. "I don’t suppose you're looking for any work, by chance?! If you are, I have just the task. Doesn’t pay much I'm afraid, but you’ll get full bellies and a place to stay for the night - along with the joy of helping an old woman on Winter Week!"

She fishes a small cobble stone out of one of her pockets and holds it with both great reverence and a slightly crooked facial expression. "My name is Kupyn Baro. Me and my pup Darb need your help to make this rock into a stew that will feed our village. What do you say?"

What do you do?

"Now, my understanding of human diet may not be the best," Xandian says with a chuckle that sounds like rustling leaves, "but I don't think that you can eat a rock. I'm interested though. What do you have in mind for us to do?"

A slow smile spreads across Nhorri's face. Having traveled extensively for most of her life, she's well acquainted with the concept of "stone soup". But different folks in different places have different recipes, and she's not averse to trying them all. "Well, that sounds mighty fine. Hello, Ms. Baro, and hello to you too, Darb. I'm Nhorri Ephema." Remembering her training (her parents would be pleasantly surprised), she pauses to allow the others to introduce themselves before continuing: "Stone stew is one of my favorite meals after a long day of travel. What do you need?"

"Stone stew is one of my favorite meals after a long day of travel."

"Really?" Xandian says in a bit of surprise. "Now I am very curious."

To Kupyn, he bows and introduces himself as well. "I am Xandian. A pleasure to meet you."

"Also pleased to meet you, Nhorri!" Ulfhild answers to Nhorri's greeting before the group leaves to Ms. Baro's place.

Ulfhild raises an eyebrow when she hears that Nhorri knows stone soup. "My name is Ulfhil, nice to meet you Ms Baro. Hello Darb." she says to the elderly woman and smiles. You can put a rock into a stew, I guess, maybe it gives some extra flavor, who knows. Ulfhild thinks by herself.

"Yes, how can we help?" Ulfhild asks.

A medium sized male iruxi who is wearing modified winter clothing moves in to join the conversation. "Well met, Mistress Kupyn. I, Iput, will be glad to help in this quest as well. In my homeland I am know as quite a skillful forager, but that is far away in the jungles of Valashmai. I fear that my skills may not translate to these northern climes. I find the chill winds more than invigorating."

Looking to Ulfhild he also adds "I suppose that Irrisen is much colder still."

Kupyn chuckles. "Perhaps you've passed this way before?" she asks Nhorri with a smile. "But for those of you who've never heard of such a thing as rock stew... Well."

"After the town of Scallion’s Wrap lost all their crops and sheep to a roving band of wolves, the townsfolk met in the village green to figure out where they should move now that they had no food. Their witch - my great-grandmother, Tulyn Baro - questioned why moving was necessary.

'What would you have us do,' the mayor asked, 'eat rocks from the Hollow Hills?'

Some laughed at that, but Tulyn picked up a gray rock and said, 'Do you not know this little rock is magic? Why, with it I can make a stew that would feed the whole of Scallion’s Wrap through Winter Week!'

The villagers allowed Tulyn the chance to prove her boast. Thus began Tulyn’s plan. As she poured water into her cauldron, she began to wheedle small things from various folks in the area, 'just to help the magic of the rock along.' From the farmers, she finagled carrots and celery. From the dwarf miners in the Hollow Hills, she received bags of deep-root potatoes. From the brownies in the surrounding glade, she procured five bundles of scallions. After this, Tulyn grimly left the town to see about meat for the stew, bouncing the 'magic rock' in her hand. Where she found the meat, none dared ask, but wolves never troubled Scallion’s Wrap again.

Upon returning, Tulyn placed the rock into her cauldron.

And that is why we have rock stew every year for Winter Week!"

Kupyn sighs as she finishes her tale. "And every year the village witch is responsible for making the stew. Every year I place a special rock in the stew. The one who finds the rock is said to have good luck throughout the coming year and leads everyone else in singing the Rock Stew song." Her expression perks up with both delight and devious glee, and she grabs Nhorri's hands in her small ones. "Now, everyone claps along like this..." She starts to clap the taller woman's hands, then gestures for the other Pathfinders to join. "And then the words go like this:"

"Rock stew for me, rock stew for you!
It's the soup that helps us in all that we do!

If you want to make it, you need a few things,
Potatoes, carrots, celery, and
FIVE SCALLION RINGS

Rock stew for me, rock stew for you!
It’s the dish that helps us see winter through!

Some salt, some pepper,
a cauldron of bounty,
a few cuts of mutton
and a magic rock or three!

Rock stew for me, rock stew for you!
Have a Happy Winter Week, let’s eat some stew!"

As the song finishes, the old woman leans heavily on Darb. "Now I can handle the mutton, but I needs some help with the other ingredients." She starts ticking things off her fingers. "You can get carrots and celery from Farmer Greetle, on that side of the village." She waves to the south-west. "Then further out that way, at the foot of the Hollow Hills, the dwarves at Steim Mine should have a bag of deep-root potatoes set aside for this. And then the last thing we need is a bundle of scallions from the brownies - they live just north of town, in the grove. Can't miss it."

Kupyn scratches her pup behinds the ears, reducing him to a smiling puddle of golden fur. "Everything clear?"

What do you do?

Nhorri laughs and claps along with Kupyn as she sings the song, eyes bright and sparkling. Unfortunately, those same eyes start glazing over when the instructions start flowing. "Uh..." Rapscallions have brownies, dwarves mine carrots, farmers have taters, and...Huh? Who puts brownies in stew? Well, *that*'ll be interesting.

Ulfild tries to follow the song and claps like Kupyn does. Interesting habits the people have in this region Ulfhild thinks and she nods. "I understand, we shall get the ingredients from different groups of people in this area. Anything else?" Ulfhild asks.

Xandian listens to the song in fascination. "So, you will keep the rock for now and we just need to talk to the other groups to get ingredients. Are they expecting us? Or at least expecting someone to come by asking for vegetables?"

Iput seems slight bemused at some of the strange concepts in the song, but tries to join in just to feel a part of the group. He does pull out a bit of chalk and a slate with a cover to make notes of the instructions issued by the witch. "As entertaining as singing may be, I, for one, am ready to get moving. Mistress Kupyn, you mentioned that we are expected. Do we need to carry payment or should we expect to barter for the goods you are requesting?"

Looking toward Xandian, Iput extends his slate as asks, Would you care to check my list for completeness and accuracy?"

"Writing it down is a good idea." Xandian looks over at the list. "Looks right to me. What do you think? Start with the carrots and celery and work our way out farther after that?"

"...Are they expecting us? Or at least expecting someone to come by asking for vegetables?"

"Well, they're expecting me, but..." Kupyn's smile falters. "I... well... You see, every month I give Jaget Steim - he's the head miner - a tincture to help with aching joints. Only this month... well, my own joints were aching and I didn't make enough for more than one person. I don't suppose any of you folks knows something in the way of medicine? Jaget might be a bit grumpy, but I'm sure that's just the pain talking. Either way, I think it best I avoid them until the celebration."

"And the brownies... I caught them knotting poor Darb's hair. As a joke! I, uh... might have responded rashly though. Didn't think I'd actually be able to knock over that hut of theirs. So better that someone else does the asking, wouldn't you agree?" Her face starts to redden. "Suppose you might want to bring Darb with you, though - those brownies love him."

"But as for Greetle?" The flush in her cheeks seems less likely to be from embarrassment now and much more likely to be anger. "Why, that stingy old git tried to charge me for vegetables this year. Don't know why - he always gave them to me free before! If I set foot on his farm again and see his smug face, why... I don't know that I could control my temper!" The old woman's fists clench and she has to take several deep breaths before she can manage to smile again. "I can't imagine anyone else will ask for payment - they understand that this is tradition."

"But, it's almost Winter Week. Wouldn't do to offend anyone, best to ask nicely. Hence why I'm hoping you all can help me." Kupyn checks Iput's notes and waits for any other questions before heading to the east for the mutton.

We've got three locations to visit - two votes in agreement moves the party. Looks like we've already got one vote for Farmer Greetle.

This is also an excellent time to remind folks that everyone has one (1) Hero Point! If we have anyone here with GM Glyphs, this is the perfect time to distribute those as well! And don't forget to pick out your Pathfinder Provision - just include what you're selecting in your next post.

What do you do?

"I believe it is an excellent idea to start with the carrots and celery from Farmer Greetle as that is on the way to the dwarfs at Steim Mine. I would also like to request that Ulfhild or Nhorri act as our spokesperson with the good Farmer. I suspect that he might feel more at ease with a human instead of a being from another race. What say you?"

Should either Ulfhild or Nhorri agree to act as our spokesperson with Farmer Greetle, I will give them the Hero Point I have for my single PF2 Glyph.

"Hmm... What? Oh, sure, that's fine." It's pretty clear Nhorri's mind had gotten lost for a bit there.

I second third the order of operations suggested above.

No GM Glyph here.

With Diplomacy +0, Nhorri's not a good bet for the talker. She is Trained in Medicine (+4) to help with Steim, though.

"Sounds like as good of an idea as any then," Xandian says cheerfully as he starts down the road again headed to the other side of the village.

For Pathfinder Provisions, I'll just take the Minor Healing potion

And I may have the best diplomacy of the group with a +3. But we will see what we need to roll when we get there.

Nhorri will take a minor healing potion as well.

Then it is decided.

The Pathfinders bid Kupyn farewell - though not before the witch asks who will be taking care of Darb in her stead - and head towards the farmhouse on the southwest side of town. From the new paint and fine wooden carvings of the farmers' god Erastil lining the gate, it's evident the farmer has been doing well.

Bunwol Greetle, an elderly human, sits on the front porch with what are probably his grandchildren. All of them are shelling peas together and singing a familiar song about rock stew. Far from unfriendly, Farmer Greedle sees the group approaching and a smile breaks over his face. "Hail and well met, strangers! What can I do for you on this fine day?"

What do you do?

Ulfhild also has a +0 to Diplomacy, but she's a farmer herself.

Ulfhild smiles back at Farmer Greedle when she approaches the porch. "Well met, Farmer Greedle. I am Ulfhild, and these are Nhorri, Xandian and Iput." Ulfhild says when she finally reaches the porch while pointing at her friends.

Minor Healing potion for Ulfhild.

"Oh, you know me already? See Phyllis, that's what happens when you find the lucky rock in your stew." Greetle bends down to pinch one of the children's cheeks before straightening back up and continuing. "I remember it well - I was only six years old, just lost my first tooth, and then I lost my second. Tell you what, that sure wasn't a potato on my spoon, hah!"

But as the Pathfinders describe their request, the farmer's face darkens. "Oh, so Kupyn sent you? Couldn't even be bothered to do her part for the festival, is it? You know, I put so much into this community! Ain't nobody ever been out of a job on account of a broken arm on this farm, by Erastil. You see all those farmhouses out that way? Windstorm blew 'em over, I paid to get them back up! But Kupyn! I heard her complaining about Winter Week, like she done forgot the whole point of the festival!" He crosses his arms, looking remarkably similar to the toddler sulking at his feet. "So that's why I'm charging her for the veggies. And you, if you're working for her."

Since it seems that Greetle's complaint is that Kupyn doesn't enjoy Winter Week, you might be able to convince him with a Diplomacy check. Alternatively, Kupyn did teach you the song - so Performance can be used as well (and might even be easier).

To avoid overwhelming Greetle, only one (1) character may attempt this check at a time. Other players are welcome to Aid using an appropriate skill (such as the two listed above, Farming Lore, or something you can justify in your post). As PFS is using Remaster rules, the DC to Aid is 15.

What do you do?

"Well, Kupyn did send us around to collect things" Xandian admits. "But she does seem excited about Winter Week. She even taught us the song. She is getting kinda old though. Maybe that is why she is complaining. Age rather than lack of enthusiasm."

"Gosh, it seems like there's a lot more going on than she told us. We only just met, you see. It seems like the point is to celebrate the community, and coming together and all that. The kids sure will be disappointed if the festival gets ruined because some adults missed the point." Nhorri isn't sure if her input is too heavy-handed or just the right amount, but it sounds like Farmer Greetle is living out some of her mother's sayings: making a mountain out of a molehill, the pot calling the kettle black, and maybe that one about what happens when we "assUme" things.

"And the second most important things in this soup are of course the vegetables! And I'm sure your vegetables are the best ones in town, you seem to be a great farmer who grows the crispiest carrots and the celery with the intensiest taste. That's why Kupyn asks for your vegetables and no others so everyone can see that you put the most effort in growing the tastiest veggies." Ulfhild adds her thoughts to Xandian's and Nhorri's opinions.

What type of stories will Phyllis and the others have to tell their grandchildren long after you have passed on from this realm if you fail to attend and support Winter Week now while she is young. Surely you would wish for you grandchildren to have experiences similar to yours while they are young..." Iput then proceeds to attempt a bit of acrobatic juggling with her tail and hands in an effort to bring a smile to Farmer Greetle's grandchildren and press home the idea of that his grandchildren need fond childhood memories.

Ooo, lovely job putting those rolls in spoilers folks! Brilliant!

Greetle hems and haws, seeming unwilling to back down in front of his watching grandchildren. But Iput's distracting antics and Nhorri's shaming observations give Xandian the chance to catch his thoughts and organize them into a coherent argument, and the old farmer sighs. "Hah, you're all correct. Here I am getting caught up in policing how someone celebrates rather than inviting them in... But still, it's good to hear Kupyn's still got the spirit of Winter Week. Phyllis! Go get those sacks y'all picked this morning!"

Success!

With the carrots and celery - and Greetle's promises to attend the festival and admonishings that they'd better be there too - the Pathfinders consult on where to head next. Both locations seem to be a little ways outside Scallion's Wrap - the mines to the west and the brownies to the north.

Two votes moves the party!

What do you do?

"My preference would be to try the mines and the Dwarfs next. Then we can swing back around to pick up the 'pup' before tackling the brownies. I am curious to see the interaction of between Darb and the brownies. Obviously, he was willing to stand still for the hair braiding even if his mistress took offense."

"Sounds good to me," Xandian says in agreement with Iput's suggestion. "The Dwarves are ..." he looks around getting his bearings again, "that direction, right?"

Ulfhild nods. "Yes, as far as I remember, Kupyn said the dwarven mines are over there."

Well, that went well. Better than expected, honestly. Nhorri muses along those lines for a bit as the team starts talking and walking. She suddenly realizes that she was probably supposed to say something about...dwarves, was it? "Oh! Uh... okay, sure." Gah! I gotta pay better attention! She spends the next ten minutes or so admonishing herself to pay attention so thoroughly that she doesn't even notice the direction they're walking.

Then it is decided.

The road west is easy to follow, and the sun has barely moved overhead by the time the Pathfinders reach a small mining compound at the foot of what must be the Hollow Hills. Several dwarves sit outside eating lunch. Hanging above the entrance is the sign Steim Mine: Our Roots Run Deep.

At the head of the table sits a venerable dwarf with a flowing white beard spilling over his mining leathers. "Hello there. Here for ore or potatoes? If it’s the former, you’re in luck. If it’s the latter, there might be a problem. I only have one sack left, and it's already earmarked for Kupyn. Oh, where are my manners - must have left them underground." As his fellows guffaw, he pushes a hand forward to Ulfhild. "Jaget Steim, at your service."

What do you do?

"Ah, then maybe not so much of a problem. Kupyn sent us to collect vegetables for the Winter Week celebration. She is feeling a bit geriatric today and was asking for help."

"Farmer Greetle has just donated a large supply of fresh carrots and celery for the Winter Week stew. We hope your harvest went well this year and that you have plenty for your own use as well as those for your friends and neighbors."

"Hello there. Here for ore or potatoes?"

Oar? Why just one? Nhorri looks around in confusion for a body of water.

Ulfhild listens to the conversation between Iput, Xandian and the dwarf eating lunch. She tries not to interrupt them, remembering the difficulties she had with Farmer Greetle and his donation.

"Geriatric? Hah!" Jaget puts his hands on his knees to steady himself as he joins in the laughter, but his chuckles cut off abruptly in a wince of pain. "Ack, my back. But if Kupyn sent you, then you've brought the tincture, right? I won't even be able to make it into town for the festival without it."

Back pain might not be something most Pathfinders have to deal with on a regular basis, but you might be able to mix up your own tincture with Crafting, Medicine, or Nature. Alternatively, you might know enough about chiropractic treatments to work on the problem directly with Medicine. Lastly, the same healing potions, elixirs, and spells that keep agents on their feet in hard times might be enough to stave off Jaget's pain until Kupyn can make another tincture herself.

What do you do?

"Ah, that's right. It was before she taught us the song, she mentioned having us get that."

Someone else can be primary for this one.

"I think I saw some of the plants that we need around here. I'll see if I can gather some."

Ulfhild knows that Rangers are usually skilled in creating medicine out of natural ingredients. She joins Xandian in collecting pain killing herbs.

"While I might not be as skilled as Kupyn, I can at least make an effort to create something to ease your back!"

Iput will pull out her Healer's Toolkit and after a quick forage around the area for medicinal herbs will attempt to create a tincture.

"Oohhh! Ore! Riiight!" Nhorri exclaims. There's an awkward silence for a moment, at which her face turns beet red. "Uh, brain fart. Sorry. Um... Back pain? My mom knew how to soothe my dad's back after a long day of riding a hard seat on a bumpy wagon. She kinda hugged him from behind, and lifted him up, and shook him around a bit. Cracked his back something fierce, but he always said it felt better afterward."

Not sure if this would count as an Aid, since everyone else is going the "make medicine from plants" route, and this is more chiropractic. GM's discretion on whether the roll stands on its own or Aids Iput.

Iput, Ulfhild, and Xandian mash leaves and a few roots from the nearby plants, making a nice minty-fresh poultice. Several of the other dwarves carefully help Jaget pop his back, which elicits a cry of pain from the patriarch before he breathes a sigh of relief. As the other Pathfinders apply their concoction, Jaget stiffens back up before carefully relaxing once more."Blimey, that all's nothing like Kupyn's treatment. Can't say it's not effective though! I'll go get tho- Ah! I'll, hmm, stay put for a moment more. Jergen, could you grab the potatoes for the festival?"

As another dwarf nods and heads into the building, Jaget sighs once more. "Ah, that's much better. Think I'll be able to attend the celebration after all. You'll be there too, right? Oh, I really should thank you with something more than words. Hmm... Ah, how about these?" He pulls two glass bottles out from under the table, each filled with a clear liquid. "This here is ore solvent. We distill it from the potatoes, see, and it eats away at the rock like acid. Good for delicate work - or not so delicate if you drop the bottle, eh Jiffen?" Laughter fills the porch and spills out on the surrounding hillside.

Success! We have the potatoes and we have two bottles of solvent that act like lesser acid flasks. Who wants to hold onto them?

With only the scallions left to retrieve, the Pathfinders head north into the woods - with Darb trotting happily at their side. The trees quickly grow large enough to block out the sun, casting cool shade beneath their branches. As the group approaches a clearing, a multitude of twinkling lights begin dancing about in the shadows beneath the ancient trees. Giggles and whispers fill the air, but nothing can be seen.

Upon reaching the center of the grove - where scallions, garlic, onions, and chives grow in thick clumps amid the dark soil - the whispering stops, and the twinkling lights fade. Several diminutive fey wearing leaves and flowers emerge from their hiding places from within the wood. One, taller than the rest, wearing a crown of woven scallions and holding a purple onion flower (several times her height) like a scepter, steps forward. "I am Nelia Starsister, the Grove's Grand Garlicia and Alliumic Empress. Who are you to set foot in our domain?"

What do you do?

Iput gravely bows ad lowers her head and tail before ending by giving Nelia a saucy wink and a matching smile. As you may suppose from the goods that we carry, we are collecting for the Winter Week festival. Might we expect the Empress and her grove's inhabitants to attend?"

Iput will carry the potatoes and two vials of solvent unless someone else would like to carry either or both them.

Nhorri's fine with Iput carrying the goods. It's better that someone more responsible be in charge of the ingredients and danger-liquids.

Ooo, fancy! Nhorri's impressed with Iput's bow and tries to mimic it, but she doesn't have a tail and totally misses the wink/smile combo. "We brought Darb, your majesty!" She gestures to the panting pup.

I also have no problem with Iput keeping those.

Xandian waves to the dwarves as they leave. "We will certainly be there. And thank you."

At the grove, Xandian watches the fey approach and thinks to himself, 'Didn't Kupyn mention something about knocking a house over?' He keeps silent though and just waits to see how they respond to Iput, Nhorri and Darb.