Session 22: Did you Scooby that Doobie? Report

General Summary

As Roisin Marshfield woke, Quirico kneeling above her, tears began to stream down her face as the newly restored memories came to her consciousness. Roisin Marshfield expressed regret at recovering these memories, and Boris and the others sought to comfort her that it is better to know the truth, even if it is hard or disturbing. Roisin Marshfield insisted that if she should ever ask to return home, she should be knocked unconscious and restrained, to ensure she must never go back. Cigfran reminded her that he must return her someday, as that was his mission. Roisin Marshfield explained she will become a sacrifice for Alathius Marshfield's evil plans if she should return home, so she must not return, as his evil plans will cost many lives. Quirico asserted that Alathius Marshfield did not seem so evil, but quickly retracted the statement. Roisin Marshfield explained she had been forced to drink foul and evil elixirs for years, and had sisters she could not remember before this restoration. Quirico heard, but seemed not to be paying much attention. Cigfran stepped up and explained she would have to go home eventually to stop Alathius Marshfield; Roisin Marshfield agreed but asserted it would be on her terms, not Alathius Marshfield's. Cigfran agreed that she could be delivered on her own terms; nothing in the contract set the terms on which she should be delivered. Roisin Marshfield explained her "mother" was not her real mother either, but a woman who had been magically mistreated and controlled in some way. Quirico and Jeeves began suggesting that if Roisin Marshfield died it might frustrate her father's plans, but remembered that Alathius Marshfield could raise her corpse and thus make equal use after her death; perhaps even finding it a better path. More discussion about death and dying, and Jeeves asserting his patients do not die. Boris mentioned that if he gained more skill he could destroy a soul to prevent its misuse by Alathius. Roisin Marshfield explained that her goal was to set an example to show that noble birth does not imply evil or power hungry ways, and a rose can grow from toxic soil; to, as Boris put it, bring good from the evil Alathius planned. Roisin Marshfield also explained that she would do her best to keep her friends, her "thorns" alive. Jeeves mentioned needing to handle the Jelly, and Roy had not really heard anything about it.

As Roy spoke, there was a shimmering twisting of reality, and Roy , Roisin Marshfield, Quirico , and Jeeves quickly found themselves standing in a forest, at night time. The trees around filled with fairy lights, some in red and others in green. Jeeves asked Roy if this was another simultaneous dream or magic thing. Roy and Quirico noted that Roy had not cast a spell, and Quirico noted they had not gone to sleep. Roisin Marshfield asked if they recognized the environment, but nobody recognized the place. Quirico asked a question, but the GM didn't hear it and there were some background sound issues. Jeeves reached out to grab one of the green fairy lights in the trees. A flash engulfed them, and they found themselves in a grand chamber, filled with elves, of a sort.

There were a few, perhaps a tenth, who looked like the old tales, but many were very different. Some were far too tall and heavy; others were very small. Some had blue skin and webbed fingers and toes, others had wings. Some even had midnight skin and white hair, and seemed blind with their all-white eyes. All had the characteristic fey-touched features, however. There was an argument taking place among the vast tiers of seats, and on the speaking platform far below an old elf (do such exist?) of the "normal" variety spoke quietly, but it was clear all in the chamber heard the quiet voice clearly.

"It is our oldest and most sacred charge. None of the First may marry in the Second or beyond. You, alone, among the First have not married, in honor of the one lost you claimed, and now that there are no further women of the First available, you choose one from the Second, it is intolerable. You must not do this thing, for it is forbidden with good purpose, and the fruit of such a union shall be accursed."

Seated upon an emerald chair, with eight other emerald chairs arranged four on each side, and all but one occupied by other very old elves (all of them "normal" types), was another elf, one who seemed both old and young at the same time. Kneeling beside that chair was a young female of such beauty that their breath caught and their hearts stopped as they looked upon her, they were driven to look away lest such beauty cause their death. The woman's eyes were downcast, and she had a palpable aura of both great joy and terrible fear about her. The one in the center chair radiated determination and an anger so strong it made them angry in sympathy, even from almost two hundred feet away. All throughout the vast chamber there were others, of all types, who seemed divided about this issue, and in moments of silence they heard many murmured side conversations. At the top of the domed roof they saw an open circle, and the light in the room came from bright noonday sunlight shining through that opening. Nobody seemed to notice their presence. They gathered together near Roisin Marshfield and tried to decide if this was real or a vision. Roy decided to poke one of the large ones nearby, and doing so caused it to react with violent anger, backhanding Roy into the wall nearby, and warning the "filthy human" to not dare touch an elf again. Roy answered flippantly, called the elf "filthy" and deliberately repeated a phrase when ordered not to. Jeeves revived Roy , and Roy continued to be disrespectful and incendiary, earning yet another fist to the face. Jeeves finally dragged him away, still trying to get himself killed. Quirico was much more respectful and asked a "normal" elf and learned there was a great controversy being debated, the The First of All was seeking to marry one of the "Second" and it was forbidden for a "First" to marry a "Second", the first generation (all created together) being forbidden to marry the children (their own or sort of a niece/nephew), Quirico asked another question already answered and was told his memory must be broken, and he should seek a healer. The group discussed for a bit, and Quirico asked why Roy seemed so unhinged (or perhaps just very prideful), and was told by Roy that it was just assaults and mistreatment. The vast crowd began to move to the sides, many to the north, some to the south.

The First of All began to speak.

I understand your anger, I understand your fear; but I am the first, I am different. I was here before the others, and I will be here after them all. I chose not to marry when one of our number died, it was never intended, she was to be my wife but we made a mistake and she fell and did not rise. It has been forty thousand summers; it is time to make a change. You must understand Il'Rei'Fia, look at her, she is...incomparable, she is a gift of The Source and I will not decline that gift, whatever it cost. If I must surrender my throne I will; if I must leave our people I will; if our people must separate, so be it. but I will be married to my bride, at dawn.

Cheers of support and screams of anger arose from different sides of the room. One of the elders stood and raise a hand.

Il'Shaf'Niar'Haf'Aelf, it is true you are The First of All of us, and you walked with The Source for many years alone, but it is clear there is a time and a place for things, and you have changed what is allowed. We cannot change with you. You cannot step down, it is your birthright, and we will not see you murdered, we will have to separate. You have shattered our people. I and the others will take those of us who will not accept this violation of our oldest taboo and we will leave, we will find other places. We will explore the world as you SHOULD HAVE DONE millennia ago, but did not because you feared another would die; death is part of life even for us. Goodbye, we leave, we shall not return. May The Source have mercy upon you, and may he have mercy upon us all for the curse you bring upon the world will affect us all.

Most left then, a paltry few, perhaps a few hundred, remained and all looked like the elves of old, from the histories and stories. The one who remained went to the woman, lifted her face, another brought a ruby chair and he seated the woman upon that chair. Eight older ones tool the chairs to either side, and the rest spread around the chamber.

Our people are shattered, it is a terrible thing when brothers fight, but at least we have not had war. I apologize for bringing this about. I can step down, I can abdicate my throne. Would you have me do so?

There was almost unanimous shouts of no.

Very well, I will retain my throne. I will continue to lead our people, those who remain. Go, invite all the people, to witness the wedding tomorrow, and let them know the price of our disagreement, that they may pray that we will be unified forevermore.

All but the leader left, and he remained on his chair, head in hands.

Once alone, he stood and looked up at the party.

And so you witness our greatest shame. I know who you are and why you are here. Do not judge elves by that one, his kind never accepted other species. You are unlikely to meet others of that kind. I have been given some vision of the future and I know what I do today will cause terrible pain. I know also that it is intended; I do not understand why. There is a battle between beings so far beyond you and me that we cannot begin to comprehend the smallest, most trivial of their thoughts. I and all my lineage will pay for what is about to happen; but I cannot turn away. There is nothing more valuable than spouse and children. If you have received that gift do not despise it, or you will regret it forever. Hundreds of millions will die because of my children. I still count it the greatest blessing I will ever be given.

Roy responded "hundreds of millions sounds more like a curse than a blessing"

The curse is upon me, not my children, and it is because of my actions long ago, because I did not do what is right in the early days. I saw betrayal and did not call it truthfully. That is why the destruction comes through me. The destruction would have come no matter what, it is the result of those vast entites battling. It could have come through me alone, instead it will come through my children, but not all of them; one will be a light in the darkness. Remember what you have seen, I will return you to your own time, far in my future.

Jeeves : "What made you bring us here?"

I did not, The Source brought you here for its own purpose. You have heard the name Liathiar; Liathiar is a servant, not a god, not a being of worship, just a servant, but a friend. Listen to them, they are wiser than us all. Beware the Pudding King.

The image wavered and shifted, and the four found themselves once more among the fairy trees. Jeeves then realized he had grasped an actual fairy, and they were struggling to escape his grip. Jeeves released them, they gave him a dirty look and resumed flying about the tree. Quirico then jumped in among the red lights of another tree, and found himself surrounded by foul corrupted sprites who immediately attacked. The ten sprites tried to bite Quirico , only three hit, but they hit with impressive ferocity. The three hits nearly killed Quirico outright, and the festering necrotic energy of their bites continued to work its way through Quirico . Another strike, and Quirico would have fallen. Roisin Marshfield cried out, however, and Quirico took heart and managed to continue fighting. Roisin Marshfield then directed Quirico to attack, and he destroyed one. Roy used gravity manipulation to weaken three more. With the next couple attacks one hits and Quirico almost falls, but at the start of his turn the flesh around the many bites begins to decay and deliquesce, but Roisin Marshfield again cries out, and Quirico just manages to remain conscious through the excruciating pain of hit flesh dying all over his body. Quirico quickly dispatched two of the attacking sprites, and Roy used a mystical boon to allow Quirico to attack even more than normal, so Quirico quickly dispatched four more, leaving only two attacking. One of the remaining creatures struck and Quirico finally fell, unable to sustain the many repeated assaults. Jeeves patched up Quirico 's wounds as best he could with herbs and bandages. Another creature struck Quirico , biting him again. Roisin Marshfield directed Roy , who's bolt of fire severely burned one of the creatures. Quirico tried to strike from the ground, but missed. Roy then cast a firebolt, and missed. Another bite, and Quirico was again near death. and the continuing death of his flesh brought him low at the start of his turn. Jeeves stepped up, and burned one with holy fire, and destroyed the other with the same powerful magic. The one remaining sprite tried to bite again, but missed. Roy then fired a fire bolt at Roisin Marshfield's direction, and missed. Jeeves struck out with his rapier, and hit, striking the sprite in the shoulder, but a matching wound appeared in Jeeves ' shoulder. Roy , on his turn, then fired another fire bolt, and burned the last sprite to ash. As this happened a flight of green sprites rushed from the large tree to the smaller tree now cleared of sprites, and began to fortify themselves around that tree. Jeeves then used magic to stabilize his friend.

The group discussed what to do next, and agreed a short rest in a rope trick was best, so Roy summoned the rope trick with its hiding space above, and everyone climbed in to rest for an hour. Quirico woke at the end of this hour. While they rested one red tree was conquered by green, and one green tree was conquered by red; remaining balanced. Quirico suddenly noticed that the constellation on his hand that he received some weeks before while keeping watch, when he met a person with what seemed to be constellations under their skin, had been made more active; powerful perhaps, by the temporal traveler the night before. Jeeves became convinced the war was ended as he noticed no further fighting. Roisin Marshfield approached the tree and asked what was going on. She was not very persuasive, but Jeeves was then able to gain their attention and get an answer to a somewhat silly question of "do you know where we are". Another flew up and explained this is the "Dark Forest" of course. Nobody knew what that meant, Roisin Marshfield didn't even recall it from her fairy tale stories. Quirico asked why it was a swamp, and Roisin Marshfield explained he was in a forest, not a swamp. Jeeves asked why they weren't fighting a war anymore, and one flew up in his face and explained they were in the midst of a war, and pointed out there were thousands of trees involved, and thousands of fairies. Explaining the war had been going on for a thousand years. They asked about helping, and Quirico immediate talked about starting a fire, so the sprites fired a flight of arrows at him. One hit. The sprite told him not to burn the forest. Quirico asked about help to go home. The sprite explained they had no idea how they were brought there, or how to send them home, but suggested perhaps kill more bad fairies; couldn't hurt. Jeeves asked how to kill the bad fairies; the sprite explained "Beat 'em, with a big stick", and Jeeves pulled out his club. Quirico fired a couple arrows, but realized the nerve damage from the disease still hadn't healed enough. Roy tried to figure out the type of wood, but wasn't very successful. Quirico then unleashed a powerful plague of insects on one of the trees captured by dead fairies, and killed the fairies, but also killed the tree, leaving little more than termite dust. Roy again tried to examine a tree, for uncertain purpose. Quirico asked them to heal him, and the sprite explained they were hard pressed to keep their own people alive. Jeeves asked if he could heal them, and was asked if he understood fairy anatomy. Jeeves asserted they couldn't be that different from a human, and the sprite explained fairies are nothing like humans. Roy asked to approach the tree, and the sprite asked what he wants to know; the sprite explained it's an oak tree, and fairies aren't highly interested in the pursuit of knowledge. He did learn that when a tree is killed unnaturally some of the fairies become the dead fairies. Jeeves asked about origin and learned a Hag curse created the first dead fairies. The Hag still around is a big part of why there's a war. Quirico foolishly claimed to be a giant, and the sprite explained he's a human and not a giant, or even a hag as Quirico then claimed to be. Jeeves asked about the hag, and the sprite gave directions, and Quirico asked her name, which the sprite explained as "Hag? I didn't ask her name...". Jeeves asked why a hag would curse a forest, and the sprite answered "Does a hag need a reason, I mean, it's a hag, it likes making things bad". Roy asked if getting rid of the hag would help the sprites. The Sprite answered "You'll die trying, but perhaps you'll slow her down". Roy asked if killing the hag would get them to forgive Quirico and help; the Sprite answered "If you defeat the hag you'll definitely be forgiven" (they had already explained they didn't know how to help the party). Roy didn't seem to believe the sprite about how the forest was cursed and what might free the forest. The party discussed what might happen if the hag were destroyed, although they were imagining fairy tales, not proper magical effects. Roy asked if they could be guarded and cared for during a rest, and the sprite explained they were in a war zone, and he had to get back to it.

Several flights of arrows flew back and forth, Jeeves stepped right into the arrows, and the rest managed to avoid the bulk of the arrows. Quirico quickly patched up Jeeves and the group moved behind the front lines to be out of the line of fire. Roy again advocated to abandon the fairies and leave them to their fate; this time Roisin Marshfield seemed to agree. Most of the discussion then centered around expectation that they could not handle a hag. Roy began hearing voices in his head. As they headed east they encountered a middle-aged woman, who explained to stay on the path, avoid the trees, and don't get between red and green. Quirico asked about rest, and the woman offered the floor of her hut. Roy declined claiming he could create a place to rest. The woman asked about the cute little child. Roisin Marshfield objected and the woman apologized for her old eyes, thinking she was a little girl instead of a halfling. Quirico asked about the forest, and the old woman said it was the "Dark Forest" because it's always dark, then laughed and ended up in a coughing fit. Roy made to continue on, and the woman insisted they should go to the hut. Quirico talked about living in a swamp, and the woman joked that that isn't why she lived in a swamp. The woman claimed it was a nice place to live and gather herbs, especially mushrooms. Quirico thought about it for a bit and realized that indeed mushrooms would be a good thing to find in the area. The forest being magical, perhaps even magical mushrooms. Quirico mentioned the hag, and the old woman said it was absolutely true, then lashed out to grab Roy 's arm, but he pulled his arm away quickly.

Roy launched a phase bolt and the woman accidentally steps into the bolt. Roy thought he missed way too high, but the illusion dropped and he realized he had blasted its shoulder off. Roy , seeing the ugly horror, shouted out "If this one possesses me, just kill me please!". The hag used horrific feast to consume some fairy bodies she had on hand. This resulted in Jeeves being frightened and confused with horror. Jeeves then wandered a bit, unable to process the horror of what he had just seen, and remained unable to shake off the horror. The hag summoned a cloud of fog in the area to hide them from the fairies. Two claw attacks from the hag nearly knocked Roy unconscious, but Roisin Marshfield's cry helped him to keep going. Quirico manifested his echo, moved to flank, then attacked the hag, hitting once, and unleashed his incarnation to hit once more. Roisin Marshfield moved out of the fog and ordered Roy to attack. He fired a firebolt and managed to burn the hag painfully. Roy then used a destructive resonance to attack the Hag's mind before backing off closer to Roisin Marshfield. Jeeves then wandered through a tree and past the Hag, and continued to be confused by the horrific sight earlier. A group of sprites rushed out of the tree, and fired at the hag. The hag bit Quirico but missed with both claws. Quirico remained alive, but then the hag clawed him again; tearing out his throat and killing him. Roy screamed in anger and fired another firebolt, burning the hag to ash, which quickly dissipated in black smoke. The fog disappeared, and a strangely dressed woman stepped from among the trees. "Thank you for freeing the forest, I have been trapped for many years because of that hag. Your friend should not have died, leans down, and places a green-glowing hand on Quirico who was revived. Moments later the sun rose, like dawn, but it was late morning. The red and green fairies alike were gone, but the group of sprites gathered around the woman with lines of mystical light connecting them all. Roy asked what duskwood is, and was informed it is very rare, and only found near the Cursed Waste or on the Korth Steppe. Jeeves asked about herbs and was directed to a little yellow flower, and was told to have a priest care for the flower for 30 days. They said "There is one more thing I can give you before you leave". A spell was cast, and everyone fell asleep. They awakened back in the mines, standing up, as though no time had passed, but feeling very refreshed. Cigfran noted that they "flickered" for a moment.

After some confusion over what a cleric and a priest are, Jeeves gave the flower to Boris and asked him to care for it; Boris looked at it and realized it needed to be in a reliquary or similar, and receive daily prayer. The group explained their experiences to Boris and Cigfran . Roy mentioned Quirico died, and Boris looked at Quirico , said "I'm not surprised", and laughed. Quirico tried to insult Jeeves for not being super strong for some reason, and Jeeves just pretended not to hear. After a bit more general discussion Roy asked Cigfran about the Korth Steppe, and Cigfran mentioned he'd been there. Quirico asked why, and Cigfran said "you're looking for duskwood?" Roy confirmed that, and Cigfran noted that the wood does grow on the Steppe. Quirico also wanted to go to the Steppe, to see where his dad fought in a war. Cigfran warned that to go to the Steppe they'll need to fly, travel far east or west, or go through Corvein Pass, where an ancient dragon lives. Cigfran suggested not going to the Steppe, or flying. Roy seemed very confident, and Cigfran laughed about their chances. a bit more conversation about dragons and then some confusion was cleared up about where the The Pits of Borelius are.

As the party chattered, a gnome figure approached, and asked them about their interest in oozes, and revealed he was friends with the Gelatinous Cube, and a black pudding, and green slime. In fact he called himself the Pudding King, and now stood with slime, pudding, and jelly creatures right in front of Roisin Marshfield.

Rewards Granted

Four characters received the effects of a long rest. Knowledge of where to find duskwood