Session 108: A Beeline to the Ball

General Summary

19th Brussendar 836PD   Rested after the White Dragon fight and as prepared as they can be, Arthur lays down the sigils for his newly learnt plane shift spell. Scrawling the last of the elven symbols, the Fey realm attuned fork hums and the Unbroken are pulled in an instant shift of swirling blue energy into a lush multi-coloured fey forest.   The Feywild’s flora seem to react to the Unbroken’s presence, climbing up their legs as if trying to trap them! Although only Raphael is spared the flora’s attention, as the plants don’t care for the cold of his Winter Court. Before their new environment turns completely hostile, a commanding voice of ‘Stop’ emanates from the shade in the woods, and the flora release their new guests as Lady Enessa Saeness, the drow ranger steps towards her former group.   Whether it’s the wild magic of fey time, or just the scars of the battle against Tharizdun’s forces, the young drow Lady they had known had matured, although she hadn’t completely grown out of teasing ‘Raphy’. As Raphael had continued to be quiet and a little sullen about their ‘frivolous detour’ of going to the Summer Ball.   Soon following Enessa out of the woods, was Ussi her black panther fey beast, and a small goblin, who was introduced as Vots. After the comforting warmth of familiarity and introductions of new Unbroken members, Arthur and Raven. The wary goblin pressed with his ‘Mistress’ to hurry up as they have a mission to do!   “That’s right young Vots, which is why I’ve brought you all here”, the voice springs suddenly from the surrounding trees, and is soon revealed to belong to an elderly female halfling, the favoured form of Sariel Oakenheel an Exarch of Melora!   Sariel offers her apologies to Arthur for slightly manipulating his plane shift to ensure that the Unbroken landed exactly where Enessa was going. She warns that there are a lot of egos at play in the fey realm, giving the que for Enessa to elaborate on her mission. She had been sent by the Lord of the Hunt to ‘weaken’ the Bear King, another fey lord member of the Wild Hunt. He’s seeking to overthrow the current Lord of the Hunt, in protest of the Hunt’s move away from its traditions to now fighting the aberrant forces of Tharizdun that are tearing through the planes.   Sariel warns that the Bear King is gathering members to launch a coup against the Lord of the Hunt soon, and if he wins then one of their greatest forces in the fight against the Unchained Oblivion is lost. If the Unbroken can aid Enessa in this mission, not only will it help their cause but Enessa will be able to safely guide them to Tuath Tennan, the Summer Court.   Sariel wishes them well and giving a wink to Raven, she turns into a raven herself and flies off into the wilds of the forest. With their ‘mission brief’ over, the Unbroken continue on the path Enessa was following to one of the Bear King’s last known hideouts.   Enessa scouts ahead, with Raven in tow, the group take some time to catch up on what’s happened since they last met. A particularly proud Enessa shows off the fabled quiver, Prey’s Folly, that she had been long on the hunt for to reunite with its other half that she possessed, her vestige bow, Death’s Whisper.   After a couple of hours travel, they reach the border of the Feywild with the Summer realm, the Everburning Forest, a forest completely ablaze in in harmless flame.   As they move through the ash mounds of the ground, they feel a tremor beneath their feet, and the ground bursts with a giant purple Fey Caterpillar!   Arthur flies out of the reach of the creature’s senses and squeezes it with the chilling touch of a floating skeletal hand. With the swinging caterpillar held still, Raven and Orlando pinprick along its centre with their radiant bolts and bullets. Weakening it enough, that Enessa’s volley from Death’s Whisper splits the purple peril in two!   But the decapitated ends of the Caterpillar regenerate, creating two smaller whole caterpillars! The first caterpillar bites the nearby gnome Orlando, and swallows him whole. The second caterpillar strikes its poisonous stinger deep into Ussi’s side, the foul fey poison fells Ussi causing him to flicker out of existence, he must rest in spirit until he can be called from the magic of the wild again.   Simeon moves in to catch the second creature’s attention, deftly dodging its stinger. Arthur directs his psychic lance at the first caterpillar, incapacitating it enough for Raven to target the monstrosity as his Moon Bow’s Oathsworn, and fell it with a shot of silver light through its eye.   Raphael cuts a hole in the first caterpillar’s gut for Orlando to roll out and land on his feet, and blasts the second creature with his cold court powers. Indignant at being swallowed, Orlando clears his guns, jammed with the flickering goo of the fey creature’s stomach, and deadeye gets the Caterpillar to swallow his lead instead, with a shot that blasts through it’s mandibles and out of it’s head. “Choke on that you fey fuck!” retorts the slime covered gnome.   As the dead caterpillars lay upon the ashy ground, the harmless flames of the forest spread towards the bodies and immolate them into the same ash that cakes the earth of these everburning woods.   The party recover and continue on their trail, where not long after they find a cave hideout. As they stealthily scope the cave, they find some supplies and signs of previous occupancy, as well as a large mithril cage, housing a large golden bee. The Bee, telepathically talks to Arthur, introducing herself as Queen Terabithia, and haughtily asks for their help in freeing her.   Arthur sets up his telepathic bond so that the Queen can talk to all of the Unbroken, in exchange for her freedom she will share whatever information she has on the Bear King. Simeon opens the cage, and the Queen stays true to her word.   She informs the group that the Bear King was last at this hideout a couple of days ago, and won’t be back for a couple of weeks. She had entered into an agreement with him that she would provide him and his hunt members a steady supply of her healing honey, and he would offer her protection. But as typical with Fey Lords, his twisted words entailed keeping her in the mithril cage for her protection. But with this betrayal she vows to never help the Bear King again, which would weaken his forces by removing their supply of healing honey.   Before she leaves for her hive, Raphael wise to the tricks of the fey, asks if she knows of the Summer Ball and as invited guests would the Queen bee(!) in attendance? She confirms she has an invite, and that the Bear King will also be there as well. She advises them on the rules of the Summer Court and Ball. First is to not speak to Queen Titania, unless spoken to first. The second rule, is that no blood can be spilt on the Court’s floor without the Summer Queen’s permission…