My Big Violent Desmian Wedding

After surviving the Feywilds Expedition and spending a year recovering, Savros and the group (himself, Teva, Jacob, and Kara the cat-priest) gathered together again to investigate the foul influence that has taken hold in Nefka. 

Setting Up Shop

Rather than dive directly into the death trap that is the Feywilds, Savros and the squad decided to probe the edge of the Feywild borderlands. They set up the Ditara river and scouted through the territory of the Kidon March to best get an idea of where the Fey Borderlands started. Savros found troubling signs that the March's control wasn't as great as they claimed: Desmian homesteads were fortified islands of control in a largely wild and bandit-strewn countryside, and the homesteads further out had subtle signs of Dusk Traveler or Violet Company allegiance and business connections. These homesteaders were supposedly a buffer against the these Feywild powers, but seemed to be working with them in a protection racket just to survive. In some ways, it seemed that the Borderlands only stopped at the actual city of Kidon. 
Savros and the squad understood their plight and continued on. They headed to the furthest Desmian homestead along the river to make a base of operations: the village of Adeen. Adeen was in pretty rough shape: Kidon had failed to reinforce them for years, and a plan to connect Adeen to the other homesteads by a series of watchtowers had been stalled for what was now decades. The Orthodox priesthood had failed to reinforce the town as well, and the settlement was without a priest. The town's old leader had gotten Gem Plague and was no longer able to lead, and one of the town's investor-families had sent the third of a lesser aristocrat to take over. This was Lady Kenara, and she was still adjusting to the new situation. Savros and the squad decided that this was their first step to establishing a headquarters, and offered their aid to the town's leaders.

The Plight of Adeen

Adeen's most pressing concern was a group of Feywilders on the other side of the river. Once, this Feywild group and Adeen had left each other alone as long as each side stuck to their side of the river, but Kenara had expanded hunting and fishing operations into the river and swamp proper. The Feywilders had responded by raiding their food stores and wounding a fisherman. War with this group seemed imminent, and Kenara tried to recruit the squad in joining them. 
Savros urged caution and decided to act as a mediator and diplomat. He and the squad headed across the river bearing signs of peace, and sought out the Feywilders for contact. The Feywilders accepted them and guided them to their base in the nearby hills: a fortress town by the name of Thikip. Thikip seemed much better put-together than Adeen, with terrace farms and elevated fortifications galore. The group was taken before the leaders of Thikip for peace talks. A young queen in iron armor and furs, a priestess wearing Desmian red, and an elder statesmen all greeted them.

The Other Side of the Story

The leadership of Thikip claimed to be a Kingdom that rightfully controlled the entire valley. While they had willingly shared the resources on the far side of the river with the newcomers of Adeen, they had never granted these foreigners use of the river. Fishing on their side was fine, but actively boating out and taking things from the river islands or other side of the river constituted theft. The hunters and fishers of Adeen ran when approached by Thikip's warriors and were clearly avoiding paying their fines. The raids were being done to reaffirm Thikip's ownership of the valley and collect the fines by force. 
Savros also discovered an interesting complication: the people of Thikip did not consider themselves 'Feywilders' and were very offended by this terminology. They considered themselves Desmians, and when Savros visited their temple he saw shrines to ancient Desmian ancestors, Ishkibal, and the Gods of Feywild religion. According to their oral histories, Thikip was preceded by a Desmian vassal state that paid tribute to the ancient Kingdom of Kidon. When that kingdom of Kidon was utterly destroyed by a Nefkan army six hundred years ago, Thikip survived and has held the valley for itself ever since. The focus on surviving in the Borderlands seemed to have stripped much of the "kill dryads on sight" focus of their religion, but basic Desmian ideas and aesthetics remained. 

Peace Talks and a Romcom

Savros headed back to Adeen, determined to find a path to lasting peace between the two groups. The colonists of Adeen seemed flabbergasted at the idea that Thikip claimed to be their rulers (as the masters of the valley) and the idea that Thikip was Desmian. Savros and Kara began to slowly coach them through how to speak with and interact with the people of Thikip, to avoid having the colonists offend any of Thikip's leaders. The leaders of Adeen were eventually convinced to pursue peace and cordiality, and Savros formulated a plan: create a binding agreement with some kind of institutional backing to encourage the two groups to interact with each other peacefully and regularly. 
Savros organized a peace festival in Adeen to test out what might work. After both groups reaffirmed that they wouldn't attack the other, they had a lovely party together in the village square. Tensions slowly thawed, and the squad tried their most ambitious play yet: they set up Lady Kenara and Rayla, Queen of Thikip, in a friendly and possibly romantic atmosphere. Once they got over their differences in etiquette, the two women seemed amazingly compatible, and the night went swimmingly. Over the next weeks, Kenara and Rayla met up several more times and were both amenable to starting a relationship. For the sake of their people, they decided to jump into a political marriage that would unite the valley.
Rumors of the wedding spread to visiting merchants, and the Queen began to worry that a unification would attract unwanted attention from the Nefkan Violet Company. Savros pledged to bring every resource available to defend the kingdom from any attack and sent to Kidon for aid from the other members of the Feywilds expedition. 

A Marriage Story

Kara the cat priest married Lady Kenara and Queen Rayla in a two-part wedding that traveled from Adeen to Thikip. Adeen formally recognized Thikip as their rulers, and both villages had a great wedding party. Dryad effigies were burnt and the Demon Gods were rebuked, there was much drinking and the Nefkan merchants were tossed out during a drunken brawl. 
Not long after the wedding, a Violet Company caravan arrived to investigate this change in affairs. The Nefkans demanded Rayla and Kenara accept Nefkan overlordship; the dual queens invoked an ancient treaty of neutrality. The caravan asserted that marrying a Desmian aristocrat violated that neutrality clause and launched an attack of Thikip. The game was on.
The Nefkans attacking Thikip were a small but well-armed group: they had blasting powder and shrapnel grenades to bust down the gate, as well as a druid. The Queens of Thikip were able to delay these forces a night in negotiation while Savros and the warriors of Adeen snuck into position across the river.
During the night, Savros and the squad snuck into the swamp behind the Company warriors to better flank the group and destroy the blasting power. They discovered something horrible in the river, though: a huge crocodilian monstrosity that seemed to be smashed together from a dozen animals. This monstrosity (certainly no Feywilds creature) seemed to avoid attacking the Nefkans but did ambush some of the reinforcing warriors. Savros and co. fought the beast and slew it, with some injuries. 
The battle afterwards was no less brutal. Thikip's walls held and the Nefkan forces were surrounded and defeated, but luck seemed on their side at every turn. Savros and the squad tried to ambush their leaders, but it was a horrible fight. In the end, Savros and the enemy Rogue were the last two standing, with everyone else bleeding out in the ground. The Nefkan rogue had the upper hand and seemed ready to strike them down, but Savros held alchemist's fire over the blasting powder in a desperate gamble. If the rogue struck, they would both surely die. It was a tense standoff, and after a brief exchange the rogue retreated with the remaining Nefkan warriors. The Battle of Thikip had been won, but only barely.

Political Solutions

The day was won, but what about next time? If Thikip was to survive, the queens needed their treaty of neutrality re-affirmed or they needed a patron who would defend them. The Dusk Travelers sent a representative to scout being their new patron, and the Violet Company seemed to be raising a new warband from the neighboring villages. Refugees fleeing from destroyed villages or monster attacks began arriving in Thikip as well, as news of their victory spread. A strange, sizable batlike creature was spotted overhead a few days later. 
Savros traveled back to Kidon to see what resources he could bring to the table. He could try to get Kidon's military involved, but the only person who would be able to help in time would be Grand Master Arkad the Dragon's daughter, Takya Sanik. But Takya would want the Queens deposed and replaced with loyalists - and would like the loyalty of Savros' little group as well. 
Savros turned to the priesthood instead. Through Priestess Vizura, he was able to set up a meeting with Kidon's Grand Chaplain. Vizura, Savros, and the group cashed in all political influence and good favor they had to convince the Grand Chaplain to intervene for Thikip. The Chaplain mobilized his forces and set up the river for Thikip. In order to get the resources on the fly, the Chaplain had to make a deal with the military leaders of Kidon. The Grand Master had long been pushing the Chaplain out of playing an active role in government, and the Chaplain was getting tired. The Chaplain agreed to stop interfering with military matters in exchange for freedom to help out communities on the frontier. 
The Chaplain arrived with his forces in a great display, and the queens invited representatives of the Violet Company and Dusk Travelers to sit down with them for negotiations. The Chaplain formally recognized Thikip as an independent kingdom and signed their new treaty of neutrality. The Dusk Travelers and Violet Company followed suit, afraid of the possible Desmian army intrusion if they didn't. 
In the end, the Chaplain left, but had materials and specialists sent to Thikip to help them build new fortifications. The queens set to work building a secure river port that would replace Adeen. Savros even used his family's guild connections to send an invitation to Selkie merchants. Thikip was safe, but the efforts had revealed just how close the forces of darkness were getting to Kidon's walls.

Components

Goals

QUEST GOALS:

• Investigate the Greater Demon Cult
• Get Arstam safely back to Adava so he can pay everyone
• Rescue Abet, the medic, from the Feywilds
• Protect the Fey Borderlands from the forces brewing in Nefka

NEW GOALS:

• Protect Thikip
• Investigate instances of Ederstone monstrosities in the Borderlands

Relations

Allies

Savros' Family:

• Parents, Fyra and Dareo: Fyra and Dareo are well-to-do Kidon cobblers who own a shop in the nicer part of town. The middle-class as we know it doesn't really exist at this point, but its a fairly secure existence compared to the rest of Kidon, with their shop and home secured by the Cobbler's Guild. They are kind but pragmatic people, and sometimes a little blunt and direct.
• Ida: Ida is the oldest sibling of Savros' family. He is a full-time cobbler, is married, and is primed to take over the family business after Fyra and Dareo retire. He is warm, friendly, optimistic, and a little distant. He has lived a life free of violence, and seems to exist in a happy bubble of ignorance for how bad things really are. Wife is Fenail.
• Rinn: Rinn is Savros' older sister. She is constantly torn between staying as a cobbler and leaving Kidon, and has been struggling in her professional life and relationships for it. She is protective of Savros and worried about his struggles - she had a near-death experience during her coming-of-age and knows how quickly things can go badly. Dating Nema, a Selkie.

Teva Fisher's-daughter: Teva is one of Savros' childhood best friends and squadmates. She only made it into the artisan district of Kidon through her family's long history in the city and a great deal of luck - otherwise she would be with her parents in the unsanitary dockside district. Teva is quiet and awkward, but perceptive and capable. She sees herself as a hero, and strives to protect as many people as possible from the traumas inflicted on her. This can lead her to act a bit brashly and violently towards those she perceives as evil, but she has a good heart.
Jacob Krivika: Most of Jacob's family lives in the Northern Palisades district - a part of town where Feywild merchants come to trade, city guards are often absent, and the citizens are unprotected from the great stone fortifications of the main city in the event of an attack. The Krivikas have connections to kin in the Feywilds that they trade with, and Jacob's parents used a lucky break from that trade to open a shop in the artisan district. Jacob is a bit of an outsider for this, but has become a bit of a social butterfly despite (or perhaps, because) of this. Jacob is kind, friendly, and gentle, preferring diplomacy to violence. He is not very skilled in the arts of war, but he is a capable outdoorsman and negotiator. Currently an Ishkibite paladin.
Priestess Vizura: Vizura is an old woman and a veteran of many battles. She enjoys spending her retirement training the children of Kidon, and she is happy to mentor Savros as a student and shrinekeeper. While easygoing and always a fan of humor, she is not lax in her focus or devotion. She channels her love into making her wards the best warriors and crusaders they can be, and spares nothing in inspiring (or perhaps scaring) them. Vizura is very well respected in the Orthodox Conclave of Kidon.
Arstam of Hasbala: Arstam is a third son of a middling noble family in the town of Hasbala of the Kingdom of Adava. He is a veteran of the Silver Crusade (the war against Kenahai and the Ishkibites of Izekra ) but wanted something more glamorous and important. He prepared everything he could for his expedition into the Feywilds, but this is his first actual venture North. He was confident, friendly, and sometimes charming, but is currently having a mental break
Kara of Arket: Kara is a humanoid Cat from the neighboring Kingdom of Odala - the town of Arket to be exact. Kara is an Orthodox priest, and a zealous one at that - he craves the destruction of demonkind and welcomes fellow Desmians as friends. He has joined the expedition as an observer, scribe, and Confirmer of Deeds; essentially, he records the number of demons slain by whom so that every demon-slayer can be properly confirmed and rewarded.
Torin: Torin is a fine fellow from the lands of the The Platinum Order, and a veteran of the wars against the Seruvians.

Neutrals/Bystanders

"The Mayor" of Adeen: An old man and the prior leader of Adeen. Hospitable, respected, groggy, and struggling with an advanced case of Gem Plague 

Lady Kenara Renefet: A woman in her early 30s sent by her lesser noble house in the Kingdom of Torza to oversee Adeen after they acquired it. Refined, polite, and unfamiliar with the world of the Feywild borderlands. Enjoys hunting and dueling and other sportly things.
Queen Rayla of Thikip: A human woman in her mid 30s and hereditary monarch of the petty kingdom of Thikip. Pragmatic but loves a good night of wrestling or drinking. Casual but demands respect.
Priestess Nemet of Thikip: Head priestess of the petty kingdom of Thikip. Keeps a temple of Zirun with heavy Orthodox overtones, but she considers herself Orthodox. 
March Chaplain Bered of Kidon: Religious leader of the Kidon March. A jolly old man who loves the youthful enthusiasm of the new generation. Once fought alongside Priestess Vizura.

Plot type

Quest

Parent Plot

God of the Empty Sky

Subplots

• Hunting the Sky Devil

Related Organizations

• Kingdom of Torza
• The Kidon March
• The Violet Company

Related Locations

• Kidon
• The Fey Borderlands