Skyfell - Lost in the Feywild : Session 38

 

Introduction

A little while back I started a once-per-month Dungeons and Dragons campaign in my Skyfell setting that I call The Rise of the Glutton. I wanted to provide my players with a log of their adventures and then realized that such a log might make for fun blog posts. See Rise of the Glutton in my Session Index for a complete listing.

The cast is:

Tabbi (played by Jeff) - male tabaxi, Sorcerer monk (Divine Soul)
Drekzhar (played by Dan) - male minotaur, Bardic rogue (College of Swords, Swashbuckler)
Tauffae Twofeather Topshelf (played by Rodney) - male orc, Fighter (Champion)
Meribore Softwalker (played by Laura) - female fitbolg, Druid (Circle of the Moon)
Onyx (played by Leslie) - female tabaxi, Rogue (Swashbuckler)

Session 38 - Welcome to Misty Mountain

Preparation

When I thought about the next branch of this campaign I wanted to accomplish two things. I wanted the character advancement to slow and I wanted to spend more time on Misty Mountain than we had in other locales. These were practical concerns because the PCs were now all 10th level and it is quite hard to create an adventure that is a sufficient challenge that makes sense from a storytelling perspective. Moreover, the idea I struck upon for the PC’s goals for this arc were much more involved than other arcs. Really, what I have now is a set of child arcs within an overall parent arc. It should make for more interesting role playing and storytelling. We’ll see.

With these goals in mind, I set about conjuring the Misty Mountain beyond the simple introduction I had given it at the end of the previous session. This meant working out the firbolg tribe. Despite there having been two firbolg PCs in this campaign, we haven't done much in the way of exploring the larger firbolg culture throughout Piruna Fields. It has mostly been focused on gnomes for the obvious reasons. I wanted to change that. While 5th edition has very slim details when it comes to firbolg lore, there are plenty of web-based resources out there. I relied heavily on the Forgotten Realms wiki. Of course, being who I am, I approached this research buffet style, taking what I wanted, leaving behind what I didn’t like, and altering what needed for my setting. I think I have a pretty good start.

A firbolg
Source: The Interwebs

Another NPC I had to create was the evermore tree. I first began exploring the idea of evermore trees back in Session 22 when the party arrived at Dead Island. I continued to expand upon this lore throughout that arc and subsequent stories. There is a lot of culture and history to tap into, especially given the trees' ties to the Feywild. Because of that, I had to dive more deeply into that realm. Again, details are sparse so I relied on internet resources and a few resources from the DMs Guild.

Along with the evermore tree, I had to also create The Keeper of the Tenth Promise of the Sisterhood Concord, the being who guarded the passage between Skyfell and the Feywild. This person was first mentioned in Session 37 by Den-var All-greens in response to Tauffae’s description of Auntie (whom the party had met way back in Session 10 while crossing over into the Shadowfell). Much like the evermore trees and Thel culture, I have a large amount of lore I’ve been stewing on regarding the Sisterhood Concord. So, again, I'm excited for the opportunity to explore this some more.

There was another NPC and storyline I wanted to dig into around Tauffae and his origins. I had reached out to Rodney months ago asking if it was okay for me to dive a little deeper into his backstory and provide some new story hooks that might expand that backstory and perhaps take it in directions he hadn't considered. He agreed and so I’ve been happily waiting for the start of that storyline. Of course, I hadn’t planned on needing to use that NPC in this first session. Of course, my players had different ideas.

One thing I did not do (and still haven’t done) was update the sidekicks’ stats because they all leveled up when the player characters did. Thankfully, I don’t foresee an immediate need for them but it is something that must be done.

There was one more bit of preparation I had for this session. If you’ve been reading along, you’ll know that funnel cake has played a wonderfully strange role in this game. First introduced when the party arrived on Clockworks of Carnage back in Session 17, funnel cake and references to funnel cake have come up quite frequently ever since. It’s become Fizzlestick’s signature dish around which his gourmand feat is justified. Rodney has joked that Tauffae will retire to create a chain of stores to sell his funnel cake recipe. (And yes, I have already planned out how this will work.) Dan even drew up a logo for that business. So, yeah. Funnel cake. Who knew?

In honor of the conclusion of the Rise of the Glutton “book,” I thought it would be fun to serve up some homemade funnel cake. For this I called upon my wonderful wife for help. I had a sense that this might be a difficult task so we spent an evening trying out various recipes and techniques that we found on cooking web sites, YouTube, and TikTok. I was glad we did this test run because it was much more difficult to get everything just right than one might expect. We burned through a lot of batter that night but we did learn a lot about making funnel cake. We were confident that we would be more successful on the day of the session. I didn’t tell my players about any of this so it would be a surprise.

Doing Our Best to Make Funnel Cake

Another thing that happened is that after I posted the previous session summary, my players pointed out that I hadn't included any chip awards. I had totally forgotten to add them. Worse, though, I could not find my in my notes where I had recorded those awards. No one could remember exactly what they had received either. So, there's that. I feel bad about this. I promised to track the chip awards differently in the future and now have a dedicated spot for them.

Finally, I wanted to start putting together some more playlists for background music. I started with some songs that I felt were expressive of Skyfell. This was a new thing for me because I have only used instrumental music in the past. I wanted to branch out a little into lyrical music though. I'll continue to refine that playlist and put together a few more specifically for the Feywild. I'm looking forward to that experience.

Pre-game

Since the previous game, I had discovered the existence of action figures based on the original Dungeons & Dragons cartoon from the 80s. If you've read my history as a gamer, you'll know that I loved this show because it was one of my only exposures to D&D as a kid. The other was the LJN toys which I collected. I always wanted figures of the characters from the cartoon but they never made them. When I discovered that Hasbro was releasing a set I got super excited at the chance to fulfill this minor childhood dream. The figures are pretty darn cool despite the price tag. If you have the means, I highly recommend them. One of the figures in the set is Dungeon Master. So, the day of the game I could not resist bringing him down to the table to help referee the goings on.

My Pal, Dungeon Master

As start time drew near, my wife and I got all set up for the funnel cake extravaganza. As I had hoped, the cakes came out quite nicely. We also had a selection of fruit toppings and whip cream for that extra muchness. 

Nom Nom Toppings

Mine was delicious.

Funnel Cake, YUM

The bigger surprise was that Rodney showed up dressed to the nines with an amazing ascot and top hat for a little Tauffae cosplay. The top hat has always been a staple of Tauffae's clothing. The ascot was a new edition, made by the gnomes of Little Roots in honor of the great heroes who save the burrow from destruction using the bolt of fancy cloth that Auntie had given Tauffae (again, see Session 37). He was looking pretty sharp. This, of course, earned him an immediate blue chip for roleplaying. 

Rodney Being All Dapper

Another nice interaction was that Leslie presented Jeff a drawing of a gift that Onyx would give to Tabbi. It was a braided feather from Tilt, meant to be an expression of her solidarity and empathy for Tabbi's recent loss. This earned Leslie a blue chip but more importantly it was a perfect way to build upon the story we were telling about the two tabaxi and their growing friendship.

Tilt's Feather

After tucking into the funnel cake, admiring Rodney's ritzy digs, and catching up, we got started with the story.

In-game

Tauffae, shocked by Drekzhar's transformation and convinced ghosts or some other evil spirts were afoot, drew Mid-gloom's Dark Bite ready for a fight. His fears were calmed when Onyx explained that due to their proximity to the Feywild they should expect strange things to happen and this was not so unusual. Onyx herself had received a warning to put back what she had taken. While she wanted to comply, she could not think for the life of her which specific item among all that she had acquired during her last visit was the item the mist wanted returned.

The group continued toward the firbolg village, at least aware that they had arrived in an unpredictable place. They had landed their ship just on the edge of the evermore tree's canopy. The entire area was shaded by the tree's branches and covered by its giant root system. This made the terrain uneven and fairly treacherous to cross. The lowest areas were filled with pools of water; the higher areas were carpeted with mosses and patches of mushrooms.

Chwinga riding campestri joined the party in their trek. The chwinga clicked and sighed as the campestri sang. They were, of course, out of tune, discordant, and singing different songs. But what can be done? Campestri must sing. Drekzhar let out a couple verses from The Heroes of Moss Creek to offset the cacophony, which the campestri eagerly, and loudly, began singing. Quickly, other campestri in the area took up the tune and the party could hear it spreading well ahead of them.

Chwinga Follow the Party
Source: Princess Mononoke

The firbolg village lie under the canopy of the evermore. Its log cabins, each housing a family of the tribe, were built amongst the ruins of a temple compound whose inscriptions and design indicated it was devoted to Solonor Thelandria. Scattered remnants and rock piles hinted at other structures as well as a compound wall. Wood palisades filled the gaps between these remains to form a defensive perimeter around the firbolg village proper. The main gates to this protected area were open. Beyond, the party could see a courtyard with a large tree at its center. Behind that was the was the temple itself. It had clearly faired far better than its counterpart back on Dead Island (see Session 24) because it was mostly intact.

Temple Ruins
Source: The Dark Crystal

A pair of stegosauruses draped in spiked, wooden armor each stood to either side of the main gate. They watched our heroes closely as they approached.

Two firbolgs stood just within the entrance. One was tall, exceptionally muscular, and wholly unwelcoming if not outright intimidating. The other was slightly shorter and slightly less defined, and only slightly less unwelcoming. Onyx explained that the former was Olofir Taltint, a powerful warrior prone to fits of unbridled rage when provoked. The latter was Varic Sedri, a druid of the shepherd and the tribe's leader. 

Onyx extended her greetings to the two firbolgs once again before introducing her friends. Meribore followed the usual firbolg protocol when greeting new cousins by exchanging a small token of appreciation and promise of good will.

Meribore explained their purpose for coming to Misty Mountain, including their own role in shutting off Moss Creek from the Feywild. There was some tense exchanges and confusion as the story unfolded. Eventually, though, Meribore was able to convince the firbolgs of their good intentions. They were invited into the courtyard to rest and wait until Thel-isara (the evermore tree) was ready to meet with them.

As the party entered the firbolg village, they were greeted by other firbolgs. It soon became clear that this tribe was composed of three firbolg families: the Sedri (including Varic, his wife Miahana who wore the holy symbols of Iallanis, and their teenaged daughter Torrora who was clearly a druid like her father), the Taltint (including Olofir, his wife Yesna who was as buff as her husband, and daughter Petwila who acted every bit the angry teenager), and the Eleston (including husband Adren, wife Keybella, and daughter Elekeen all who seemed to walk the ranger's path). There was also a dysalotosaur name Dino who appeared to be the tribe's pet.

Onyx raced to the tree at the center of the courtyard and gave it a warm hug. Slowly, an elderly female face took shape in the tree bark as its branches hugged her back. Onyx introduced her as Mother Brightblossom, a treant. The notion of a talking tree really confused Tauffae but he felt a sudden affinity towards her. He gave her a giant hug as well and settled into the joy and comfort he felt when she hugged him back.

Mother Brightblossom
Source: Pexels with Digital Manipulation

The party settled as the firbolgs offered them food and drink. Meanwhile, Tauffae and Onyx exchanged stories with Mother Brightblossom. What surprised Tauffae the most was that the treant spoke orcish (though it was heavily accented and some of the words weren't quite right). She explained that she had learned the language from Zardoz, another ondonti like Tauffae who lived on the side of Misty Mountain in a place called the Autumn Meadow. She kept referring to the ondonti as Tauffae's cousin, which he took literally. This made him very excited to go and visit this until now unknown relative.

A few hours went by before Varic invited Meribore into the temple for their audience with Thel-isara. This was a shadowy, circular chamber whose walls were decorated with fine mosaics depicting the history of an evermore tree and its Thel. Beams of light snuck into the darkness from cracks in the stonework. They cut through wisps of druid leaf smoke that trailed up from a half dozen censers positioned about the room.

Druid Leaf Smoke Fills the Temple
Source: Pexels

The entire tribe sat on the hard-packed dirt floor in a circle around a large root that curled out of the ground. A young tree, perhaps five feet tall, sprouted up from this root. Meribore was invited to join the circle. Then, Miahana began a series of chants and prayers that praised the Thel and asked in the most respectful of ways for a brief audience.

Shortly, the translucent form of an elderly woman materialized around the young tree, radiating the same healthy green energy as the dryad. Her bent and wrinkled body bore its well earned badges of age with pride and strength. The firbolg kowtowed before Thel-isara, the spirit half of the great evermore tree whose protection defined every aspect of their lives.

After some ritual exchanges between the Thel and the tribe, Meribore was granted permission to speak. She explained the situation at Moss Creek. She also talked about the remains of Thel-alessa on Dead Island (see Session 25). Thel-isara saddened with the talk of her long-passed sister. She reminisced about days before The Cataclysm when they were both much younger Thels when the elfey tended the vast forests that spread across what had been a single continent of wild nature and even wilder magic. She granted Meribore a vision of Thel-isara's temple before it had fallen to the chaos and destruction wrought by The Cataclysm. Meribore recognized in that vision one elfey in particular because his likeness had been depicted in the mosaics back on Dead Island; he even wore the vestments they had found in the hidden wardrobe.

The Wardrobe that Contained the Vestments
Source: Pexels and D&D3e, Digitally Altered

Thel-isara explained that their causes to restore the Feywild energy to Moss Creek and to revive Dead Island were good and just. But she wasn't entirely certain they were capable of accomplishing such lofty goals despite their good intentions. Only by completing The Test of the Branches, The Test of the Trunk, and The Test of the Roots would the party demonstrate their courage and wisdom, thereby gaining the knowledge they sought to complete their quest.

For The Test of the Branches, they must reassure the jealous winds.

For The Test of the Trunk, they must calm the frightened stone.

For The Test of the Roots, they must soothe the crying waters.

The jealous winds could be found at the top of Misty Mountain.

With that, Thel-isara departed.

Meribore rejoined the party and explained what had happened and what they must do next. They all agreed to stay over mid-gloom in the village and head for the peak of Misty Mountain at equi-light. Varic explained that the peak was very windy and that it probably would not be a good idea to take their flying machine there. The party decided, then, to fly to Autumn Meadow, which was about half way up the mountain. From there, it was only a day's journey to the peak. This plan made Tauffae extremely happy as it meant he would have a chance to meet his long lost cousin.

Happy Tauffae
Source: Heroforge, design by me

This also made Mother Brightblossom happy. She had not seen her mate, Father Thistletwig in quite some time. He had gone to the Autumn Meadow to tend to their orchard of children and she was, shall we say, anxious for his "company." She wondered if they might be dears and deliver an invitation for him to join her at his earliest convenience. They agreed.

At equi-light, the village provided the party rations of pemmican, nuts, dried fruits, and water for their journey. Before leaving, Tauffae challenged Olofir to an arm wrestling match, explaining that among his people it was a way to honor a great warrior such as the firbolg. Olofir scoffed at first, but soon his ego succumbed and he agreed. Drekzhar played The Hereos of Moss Creek as Tauffae prepared himself for the challenge, weaving a bit of Bardic Inspiration into the tune for his friend's sake. Fortunately, none of the firbolgs seemed aware of the secret aid.

The match was grueling because Olofir was indeed a powerful individual. For a while, Tauffae was sure he was going to lose but the words to Drekzhar's song kept playing through his head, giving him an unexpected strength. Olofir's strength began to wane. It slowly occurred to the firbolg that he was going to lose the match and he was not pleased.

Tauffae recognized the burning in Olofir's eyes and the pulsing veins in his forehead as the telltale signs of a berserker slipping closer and closer into their blind rage. Olofir's wife, Yesna, obviously recognized these signs as well because she began to take on a progressively more aggressive stance as the match went on, taking up a position that would be most benficial to her if (and when) a fight broke out. She would stand by her husband in whatever might go down, even if that meant slaughtering their new acquaintances. 

As soon as Tauffae won, he did not celebrate. Not just because he didn't want to send Olofir into his rage but because his arm was wholly and completely tapped out. It fell limply by his side. He instead thank Olofir for the opportunity to challenge such a powerful warrior. This placated the firbolg, and his budding rage soon turned to a broad grin. He gave Tauffae a crushing hug and praised him for his strength. He also made it clear that they would have another challenge soon.

The party departed in the runabout for Autumn Meadow. The ship rose up along the entire 1250 foot height of the evermore tree. Our heroes were awed by the sure size of the tree and marveled at the micro-ecosystems that thrived around its boughs. It seemed that entire lifetimes could unfold among its branches with no knowledge of the rest of the island let alone the rest of Skyfell. Even as they continued further up the mountain and away from the evermore, it was always there. It stood as a reminder of the strength of this wild place and how important it was that they succeed in their quest.

Soon, Drekzhar felt a consistent downdraft from the peak taunting the runabout. At first it was quite weak, but it became subtly stronger the further they went. Just as little gusts began to tap at the ship's hull, they came upon a wide shelf where a meadow of tall grasses cut a gap into the dense forest. They soon spotted a homestead set up alongside fields of wheat and corn. A garden spread out beside a quiet little cabin where a line of smoke drifted up from its stone chimney. An orc was meandering among the wheat. Shirtless, with a straw hat and overalls, he looked more like a halfling farmer than any orc Tauffae had ever seen. As they circled around, they also spotted a lone tree standing watch over an orchard of much younger trees. All of them bent their branches as if to watch the ship fly overhead.

Drekzhar chose a spot somewhere between the orchard and the homestead that was sufficiently non-threatening. As they landed, both the orc and the tree started toward them. Onyx was the first out the door and she rushed toward the tree even as it approached. This was clearly Father Thistletwig and she eagerly shouted the greetings from Mother Brightblossom before hastily adding a greeting for herself and her friends. She leaped into the tree's branches and purred happily.

Father Thistletwig
Source: Pexels with Digital Manipulation

Tauffae was the second one out of the runabout. His goal was to meet the orc who must clearly be Zardoz, his long lost relative. He offered his best greetings in orcish as he wrapped his arms around his cousin in a happy hug. Thankfully, Zardoz took this in stride and very easily slipped into the joy of the moment. It was not every day that he met an ondonti he didn't know. During the clumsy introductions that followed, Tauffae did his best to explain who exactly they were and why they were there.

Zardoz invited the entire party to join him at a firepit near his cabin so that they might talk, meet his wife Mimzeef and their children, and relax a little in the full bright.

Zardoz and Mimzeef
Source: Monstrous Compendium

On their way to the cabin, the group passed the garden. Among the vegetables were a dozen or more little hairy creatures with floppy ears and a single horn. This reminded the party of the creature that Bronte had described during one of his reports on their adventures in the Feywild. Zardoz sternly chased them off, saying that he would tell their father (Fenfir) about this minor thievery the next time the smoked together. Only then did the party understand that the creatures were the young of their kind.

Creatures Steal Vegetables
Source: Tomb of Annihilation

Meribore noticed that everything in the meadow, from the wheat and corn to the garden vegetables and even the surrounding trees were all laden with the bounty of autumn harvest. It seemed to here that there was some energy about the place that kept everyone healthy and bountiful. 

Mimzeef, with the help of her three young boys, offered freshly baked bread and drink to the party as they gathered around the fire pit. Zardoz passed around druid leaf, which he grew in his garden. Shortly after, Father Thistletwig (who moved quite slowly because he took every step with serious deliberation) planted himself among the group, allowing Onyx to remain within his branches. Campestri soon joined them, all chanting the verse of The Heroes of Moss Creek that Drekzhar had sung during their approach to the firbolg village. Clearly the song had gone viral among the fungi. The notion was only reinforced when answering lyrics drifted out from the surrounding forest.

Campestri Love that Song
Source: Dungeon Magazine, Issue 41

Tauffae did his best to expand on their purpose, with help from Meribore.

Zardoz explained that a curse plagued the peak of Misty Mountain. While neither he nor anyone else in the Autumn Meadow had ever been there, he knew it to be a dangerous place best left to its own fate. But, if the party must go, then they must be careful of the winds as they were easily angered.

Tauffae also asked more about Zardoz and how he had come to live on the island. Zardoz explained that his parents had come from a place called the Plain of Airless, where his people had lived for many generations. They were forced to leave that place, however, when the eladrin elfey moved into the area. The Keeper of the Tenth Promise of the Sisterhood Concord had shown his parents and a few other ondonti families the way to this land, and Thel-isara had allowed their passage through the gate deep in her roots. He, himself, had been born in the Autumn Meadow as had Mimzeef. Neither seemed to understand that they were not in the Feywild, which caused some among our heroes to wonder whether they had not already unwittingly crossed into that other plane.

The thought of his cousins being bullied by elfey angered Tauffae but Zardoz eased this anger. He explained that the wisdom of Eldath taught one to walk a path a peace, to live without attachment and therefore without suffering. And so, though the ondonti of the Plain of Airless left, it is what happened and it was what must happen, and therefore there was no need for anger. Besides, no one can own land and so no one can steal it. Tauffae was not so certain about this and remained convinced that the elfey were jerks.

The group remained together for an hour or so before our heroes decided it was time to continue on their journey. Zardoz showed them the path they must follow to the peak, again warning them of the danger. He offered kind words from the wisdom of Eldath for a safe and peaceful journey.

It was a full day's journey to the peak. As they scaled the mountain, the winds became stronger and more insistent. Soon, the trees began to show signs that even they could not resist the power of the gusts. Their trunks became bent and grew at an angle as though some gigantic hand had come through and pushed them all to one side.

Windswept Trees
Source: Amusing Planet

The peak of Misty Mountain was more of a tabletop than a point. The winds were much stronger here so that even the rock was subject to its forces. The gusts had carved the surfaces into strangely angled formations and worn what amounted to a groove that circled the entire peak. And as the gusts whipped across the uneven surfaces, they produced a series of long, low howls. Drekzhar noticed a structure to these sounds. They formed a melody and it occurred to him that the winds themselves were singing the song of the island. He explained this to Meribore before committing the notes to his memory. For her part, Meribore noticed that when she focused on the island's heartbeat, that rhythm went along perfectly with the howling wind. And so she too understood that the wind was indeed singing the very soul of the island.

A little while later, they found the humble beginnings of a ravine that wound its way through the formations of the peak. Meribore cast commune with nature to gain a sense of what lie ahead and especially within the deeper portions of the ravine. Through her questions, she understood that there were elementals ahead and that the natural formations ended abruptly at the far end of the ravine indicating that there was some sort of large structure there, such as a city. This only confirmed their certainty that they must go into the ravine.

So they did.

They walked for quite some time. The path became quite wide at some points and quite narrow at others as it dug deeper into the ground. Soon the surface was some 300 feet overhead. The winds were calmer here but they still came in periodic gusts. Shortly, the path cut off sharply around a corner so that they could not see what lie ahead. Nearby, a dust devil swirled around them only to eventually settled just a few yards from the bend. As it picked up dirt, rock, and other detritus, it slowly took on a the form of a small, winged humanoid.

A Being Forms from the Dust Devil
Source: Monster Manual

"Can you spare a little something for someone in need?" it said.

End Session 38.

Experience earned:

Drekzhar - 765 (72,437 total)
Meribore - 765 (72,381 total)
Onyx - 750 (72,054 total)
Tabbi - 750 (72,264 total)
Tauffae - 750 (72,760 total)

Supplemental Material

A Piece of Advice

Go see the Dungeons and Dragons movie.

Do it now.

Do it often.

This is the way.

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