Session 27: "I'm Bunn, I Sell Potatoes", The Day, The Night, Visions of Home
General Summary
Trust Issues and Bunn, Seller of Potatoes
The session began with you all these Spiritual Travelers just having been the doing of waking up and being go through the wall puzzle that was been doing will be passed. And now there is the other side of wall. The first thing on your list was to plan your day, and there were some differing opinions about what might be appropriate at this ungodly hour of Noon. Kaswink was worried about going into a town as her past experiences with such things usually resulted in people thinking that she was a monster. The group readily offered the rest of your support for her, and Kaswink began to make a disguise. Hysteria helped with applying paints and hiding her fur while Kaswink pulled a hood over her head and rolled up some cloth to make a hunch. Frode began to feel a bit feverish, though, much like his remaining stacks of blight, he did his best to make sure nobody knew he was sick. Still, plans to visit an apothecary or doctor of some kind were thought of to see about finding some protection against the Rot should a certain Gate ever be visited. Some of the words that were echoing over the farmland and reaching you all at the border between swamp and forest were understood and heard clearly amongst the echoing choir of different, unseen, people shouting or talking. These words were all simple and innocent things involving the need to be done faster as they're "losing daylight" and they want to "relax with a pint and some Potato Crepes at Measan's". Some of the words were not understood by all of you and instead came in a strange form of fae speak that was sing-songy and creaking. Hysteria understood it to some degree though it was just more farmtalk. Still, hearing the language of the fae caused Hysteria some anxiety and they insisted on scouting ahead to make sure it was safe.While Hysteria scouted ahead, Kaswink improved her disguise a bit by adding a wooden leg, and Hysteria began to disguise themselves as well by somehow modifying their mask to appear a bit less jestery and a bit more natural, shifting its form until it fit the creatures that they eventually saw. As they Approached this farm village they saw more clearly that the silhouetted figures were indeed frog-like humanoid beings similar to Croak. Their colors were mostly solidly vibrant with darker or otherwise drab clothing covering them reminiscent of peasant or farmwork garb. Some of them had duller colored skin with vibrant clothing complimented by darker trims. However it is arranged, there is consistently an amount of contrast between light and dark, with light being the prominent form and dark being just a sort of treat that exists within it. They had a variety of shapes and sizes as well, reminiscent of material plane frogs ranging from bullfrogs to rain frogs, glass, tree, etc. As they got closer to the village one of the farmers had stopped to speak to a farmhand. He was a canyon tree frog, short and stout with an off-white colored peasant ensemble complete with a straw sun hat. Dark, charcoal grey suspenders provide a bit of the mentioned contrast along with a seemingly superfluous charcoal grey belt. Seeing the inhabitants, Hysteria decided to send the all-clear to Kaswink and the rest of the group began to move forward. Meeting up with Hysteria, you saw the familiar clothing of your unusually-dressed companion though their face had become that of one of the frog-like creatures that you saw around you. Agave began to sketch the architecture of the area and saw more of the farm, small village motif. He also suggested that perhaps you search for a scholar amongst these people, though Kaswink thought perhaps it would be better to look for that at night. Namina looked over the Auras of these frog people and found that their colors were very bright. Not much darker tones, just bright greens and yellows. Their auras also were so bright that they were causing shadows to appear on the ground, at least for Namina, they were their own source of light. This caused Namina to comment that these are "very good people" which was met with suspicious looks from Hysteria. At this time they even signed to the group that "these people are not to be trusted". The group then moved behind a building to get out of sight.
Hysteria began signing again, "These people, they ... I have heard tales of people like this that look trustworthy, but- Namina, I've never seen you trust that readily, even for you, and you are very trustworthy." While they were signing this information some guards walked past the building that you were all hiding behind. They were wearing uniforms and walking with authority though they weren't carrying any weapons. Frode perked up, but Hysteria prevented him from going to speak with them. Hysteria reminded you all that these people should not be trusted, that they are fae creatures and they are not tricky. They suggested making sure that they are "actually trustworthy" before trusting them. Agave decided to run closer to the village while staying hidden and using some magic to both check the weather and see if any of these people are "anti-magic" like the weird rain spirit. The weather looked to be pleasant, not manipulated in any way by some magic user, and looking to get hotter as the day goes along. The heat likely to cause the water from the rains to create an unpleasant amount of mugginess. While Agave ran ahead, Hysteria continued warning the group, especially Namina, by suppressing their own aura positing that "if I can do that, what do you think they might be capable of?" Agave's test with the magic revealed no ire from the townsfolk, but their running to the next building did catch the attention of a familiar farmer that was seen outside of town. He appeared to be just standing at a nearby foodstand selling Potatoes. This farmer seemed to either see Agave or just noticed some movement as he was leaning away from his stand and looking in Agave's direction. He returned to the group and further planning/discussions on trust continued.
The Day
Kaswink went to the cafe to gather information and alcohol. The exterior had some relaxing frog-folk enjoying breakfast foods like scones and such along with mimosas, lattes and more! Inside she saw a typical cafe aesthetic as well with a counter, some spirits on display like Measan's Chardonnay and some generic champagne. Different types of coffee, tea, foods, menus, the works. The barista, a deep forest-green frog person with soft, barely visible brown spots covering her body similar to a leopard print, greeted Kaswink as she entered. She had a name tag that said "Luth" and her company-issued cream colored apron, some black slacks and a black button-up shirt. She was forcefully excited to see Kaswink at first, though as the conversation and dealings progressed she became more and more genuinely interested, especially in the story regarding Logren, The Mantis Knight. Meanwhile, the potato bartering continued. Frode wanted all of the potatoes, and while Namina's painting would've gotten a great deal of Russets for the crepes, he seemed to want more things if he was giving up all of his potatoes. Frode said that he has lots of stories to tell, and the one about the Queen of the Forest sparked Bunn's interests in particular. He asked to have the story written down so that he could have it which caused some concern to arise again in Hysteria. Worried that wanting a story written down was nefarious, the group decided to stick with just a painting, though Bunn through in some extra potato. Frode ended up cooking this person some fried fish and potatoes which warranted even further potato bounty from this potato salesman.While speaking with the barista, Kaswink was able to learn a bit more about Croak. When offering just her wooden leg she learned some fairly obvious information about how he is polite when he comes to this town, and some less obvious information about how he seems to exist during both the day and night and how this is unusual to most frog people. After telling her the story of Logren, Luth became a bit more open about what she "knows" about Croak. Her attitude towards Kaswink brightened a bit, and she provided the following info along with all the wine and food that Kaswink ordered. Luth: "Why're you so Curious about that man Croak?" Kaswink: "Lots of people in the forest say that they're the person that is supposed to be ruling the forest and we wwant to know who to trust." Luth: "Do you have any candles?" Kaswink: "I have incense, I have a wick that I've had since the beginning of my adventure... but I don't have a candle." Luth: "He's not one of us. He doesn't belong to our same light. But if he's one of theirs, one of the ones that should be walking only at night, well then I'm not sure how he's here during the day. I don't know what he is. I don't know where he came from, but he is not as respected here as the one that vanished those years ago."
Agave then entered this establishment. Hoping to acquire even more wine, he approached the counter and began offering up copies of maps and other scenery drawings. She was particularly interested in a drawing of Logren after Agave mentioned that he can draw. She ended up settling for just a drawing of the scene that the fight took place in and handed him another bottle of Chardonnay and some tasty bread. Agave and Kaswink began their celebrations as the first bottle of wine was opened. The first toast was to finding the information about the Blight and Rot and such. Meanwhile, Namina finished her painting and Frode was in the midst of cooking some fried potatoes and fish. They had a delightful conversation about how the young ones love fried food, but it isn't good for them. Bunn was very confused about the concept of "young ones" and any explanation just created further confusion. This frog seemed to have no concept of reproduction, raising children or anything along those lines. He even commented that he was "never smaller than he is now", and, in answer to Frode's confusion, he explained that he doesn't have parents just Aotrom, "The Day", "The Light". Frode seemed to understand, bringing up other religions where the "Planet" is their mother. He explained that, no, she is our light as he pointed towards the statue of Aotrom in the middle of town. "I don't know how good or bad it is, I just know it's Light, the rays of the sun and the morning sunrise. When we wake up, we're here. And the days, they're always there, and if they weren't, we wouldn't be." "They say when she wakes up, when her gown is casting rays over this valley that's when we come into existence. Each night when her sister rises, her cloak of stars casts new little shadows that the nightfolk come out of. Does that make any sense?" Frode was ... unaffected, claiming he's seen weirder things while he's been in the Spirit World. He then lamented the pain and suffering that has been experienced since coming here, and explained a bit about Ilmater while claiming that the Eadarling God is "all about not existing." Bunn claimed that his god is "Right over there" as he pointed toward the statue of Aotrom which had a similar looking frog person walking around the statue and into another area of town. The meal was delicious, and Frode was rewarded with a sack full of a variety of potatoes. He then went to join the rest of his friends.
Celebrations continued, and Namina along with Hysteria and DAN went to go pray at the statue of Aotrom after hearing the news about Croak from Kaswink. Upon hearing this information about Croak being "something else" it was theorized that Croak might be an "outsider" like you all. This was a good thing for Hysteria as if Croak isn't Fae he is more trustworthy. As they were about to leave the waitress commended their efforts to give thanks and commented that "you might see her walking around town" which was met with some shock. Hysteria, still not trusting of these good gentle farm folk, requested that Namina investigate all the food and drink for magic or to see if it is affecting people's auras while they tested for poisons. There didn't seem to be any magic, and the food/drink was all clean. Arriving at the statue, Namina hoped to cleanse herself of any earthly sins before praying, though there didn't seem to be anything like that around this statue. Just a small garden around a statue, some benches, plaques with a little prayer and a throne. Both the statue and throne were made of marble. Namina kneeled and prayed to this statue offering thanks with the provided poem and felt a strange warmth almost like being in the sun and relaxing. While this would normally be a bit uncomfortable for a fish, it was just a comfortable sunny warmth similar to how she provides "comfort" by making people feel like their lungs are full of warm water. Hysteria happened to be there as Namina went to return to the cafe, and they observed Namina looking for anything unusual or off about her after the prayer. She apparently looked kind of guilty, for some reason, and Hysteria commented that "This whole place seems...off." The two of them discussed fae and how the elves seem to have a weird fear mongering look at them, and Namina tried to convince Hysteria that they're not all bad. Though, Hysteria stopped and explained that you can't trust any fae, they aren't people, they're something completely different that cannot be trusted. Hysteria continued insisting that Fae cannot be trusted as they are beings of pure deception. They explained that their whole life is dedicated to dealing with Fae threats, and that they came to the Spirit World to deal with someone affected by the fae and to make sure that this person and the fae don't hurt anyone else. They also revealed that the fae hurt their people long ago, apparently.
The Night
Celebrations continued throughout the day until sunset. Kaswink explained her understanding of the Fae to Hysteria in that some of them might be trying to trick you for nefarious reasons but others just want to have fun. Though, Hysteria had issue with that as the group isn't being careful so avoiding tricks would be a bit more difficult. Kaswink replied that you can be polite and careful, though Hysteria has been rude and careful which could lead to problems as Frode and Namina need to see their families. As the sun began to set, Hysteria pulled Namina and Frode aside to discuss the upcoming tattoo event and what they would be willing to give up to see their families as their suspicion of these fae makes them believe such a thing will involve a hefty "price" of some kind. "These things can ask for a lot, they can ask for your memories, your life, they could ask for your family or your soul." Namina seemed keen on keeping those bargaining chips for another time, though Frode seemed confused by the question and uncertain if he would bother if he couldn't interact with them and could only observe them. They also had a bit of a discussion on what kind of danger these fae pose. Worries of Power being offered those losing who you are and other such things.As Hysteria was heading back inside to the cafe several crazy things began to happen, and some of them involved frogs. They first saw the sun was setting, and as it was entering these twilight hours between the Day and Night, the buildings began to fade from existence as the sun was no longer in the sky. As they circled around the slowly vanishing building, they saw the same small child-like, pale frog standing near the statue and continuing to get smaller. Hysteria chose to continue observing as she became more and more just a normal looking frog. They tried tapping her on the shoulder, but she just kept hopping around and a much, much smaller frog began to grow. It started out as just a black dot on a leaf, but it became more noticeable as it became larger. Stretching limbs as she became a person. First just half of Hysteria's height, then their full height, then twice their height and ending at two and half times Hysteria's height.
Meanwhile, outside, Hysteria had some questions for this weird frog. Hysteria: "Are my friends in any danger of being here?" Dorcha: "Only if they do something really stupid, like get into a fight with someone... we have your basic city laws here. We have no intent of causing you any harm." "Are you fae?" "I am the night. I am the stars in the sky and the darkness that lets them shine." "What about everyone else?" "They are my stars. You might see them as fae. Your people may not trust them, but I don't think they've done anything wrong, and I don't think you have yet either. Remember to pray at my statues. I don't really care if you do, but they get pretty upset when I'm not respected. A Simple nod as you walk by will do, you don't need to get overly formal about it." She then offered Hysteria a small, smooth river pebble and said that they "might need this."
Frode still had some concerns about trusting these "fae" creatures, especially since Hysteria seems to be an expert and doesn't trust them. He also is concerned that all the information about this tattoo or the information shown from it could be a lie, thinking that maybe they are truly evil creatures that get joy from your suffering. Kaswink still thinks that they shouldn't be judged until they are met, and Namina agreed though with the caveat of keeping them at arms length. The bartender, when approached, was eager to provide information at the expense of a tip. Kaswink promised to carve the wooden leg a bit to give it a pretty design, and the questions began. When asked about the Tattoo parlor, the bartender didn't provide much more information than Traveler's Guide to Dorchar. He did warn that sometimes it can be better to not know what is happening with your family. He provided a warning along with his description of the location, "Don't ask if you're in the right place, what his name is, and don't address him by name. Remember, it all comes at a price. If you treat him with respect, he's a trustworthy enough guy." Agave attempted to order another beverage, though passed out from the effort as Hysteria re-entered ready to order some Vodka.
It was now Kaswink's turn to scout ahead. She climbed some buildings and trees, passed by a DINER with large windows revealing some surly patrons and diner workers inside, and eventually found a vantage point that provided her a clear shot of a small strip mall with a beauty salon, a shop with a carving of a fire-breathing dragon and a neon sign on an otherwise inconspicuous building that just said "TATTOOs". While there were no stars to be seen with the perpetually cloud-filled sky, the city itself looked like the starry sky that one would expect to see when looking up at a cloudless night in the middle of nature.
Visions of Home
The road narrowed before reaching an intersection and widening once more as an intersecting street was ahead of you with the tattoo parlor and other shops in the strip mall visible. Namina offered her amulet to Hysteria so that they could keep it safe. They agreed and hid it from view. Agave reached the door first and waited for everyone else to show up, Namina was leading and began reaching for the handle. Her arm was suddenly grabbed though, shocking! Following it back, you all saw that it was coming from Frode, a third arm had sprouted from him and it was keeping her from opening the door. Hysteria immediately stabbed at it, blood gushing forth and Frode suffering the pain of this attack showing that it was definitely a part of him. He leaned back as Agave and Hysteria worked to pull the arm from him, and Frode began to cut at the arm as well. He hurt himself trying to remove this strange mutation, and the arm was eventually cut free from his body and flew up into the air with the combined momentums. The fountain of blood that resulted from this covered the shop door, sidewalk and part of the street. While this ordeal was happening, the supposed Tattoo artist, a yellow banded poison dart frog appeared at the door and frowned as he pulled it open. DAN, meanwhile, walked away from the whole situation to go fix their equipment. As the arm was severed from Frode, Hysteria and Agave fell backwards into the shop with a disappointed frog guy looking down at them and at the whole situation.Namina began treating Frode's wounds along with Agave, and she cleaned the sidewalk using some fancy water magic at the request of this tattoo artist. Inside his parlor several questions were presented to Namina after she was the first to show interest in his mystical services. "Who/what do you care for? What does this person/place/thing mean to you? Where are you from? Why did you leave? Who cares for you? What mineral do you feel a connection to?" And she replied honestly. Providing the pertinent information needed for this frog person to give a meaningful experience and to help her see her home. As she spoke he began sketching a strange shape which was eventually revealed to be the tattoo given to her. The shape was ...amorphous, meaningless, just random lines, though they began to glow as Namina held a similarly provided moonstone in her hand while focusing on her home. “You’re handed the requested stone. It fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and some intricate carvings run from the front to the back in a spiderweb type design. The “Front” of the stone matches the tattoo you were given, and as you hold this stone your tattoo begins to glow gently. You feel your eyes drifting closed as you focus on this stone and think about what you wanted to see. The familiar warmth of being surrounded by and filled with water washes over and through you, and the next time you open your eyes you are a lot shorter, but your tail helps you swim through the water and correct the height discrepancy easily enough. “Looking around you you recognize Kyofunoka, the gorgeous underwater architecture illuminated by the glowing scales and hair of all the merfolk you used to see everyday for so long. Everything looks peaceful, everything seems fine. What a relief! The city is starting to shift around you though, whoever this is seems to suddenly focused on the area just outside of town… “A low, deep, muffled rumble is heard in the distance. Very far away, you feel yourself getting excited. A piece of Namina knows that this was probably just some surface person doing a surface person thing, nothing to really worry about, but the person you are inhabiting is panicking, growing worried, heart racing, something is wrong and whatever it is isn’t entirely visible. “Something within this person escalates to a point that you are worried they’ll pass out from a panic attack or something, but it is almost instantly relaxed. A voice, one you’ve heard before but not like this in a really long time, whispers in its level-headed and wave-like way. “You will be fine, child, come to the depths. I have something for you there." This last message in this vision almost felt like it was being spoken to Namina.
Meanwhile, DAN was still on a mission to repair their gear. They visited a local smith by the name of Ceai and began the typical Spirit World bartering. While DAN didn't seem to have anything that this person really wanted, at least not something "valuable" enough to move their request up in line to be done faster, they did end up having "something from Croak" which sparked the Eadarling's interests. They traded over their remaining ginseng with promises of finding more in the future and also agreed to write down what they know about the roots for the benefit of the smith's own interests. As Namina was experiencing this vision, Frode also began debating on whether or not he wanted to even get this tattoo. Some confusion over how they were supposed to see their family was brought up, and some doubt over whether or not what is happening is really, well, happening. This tattoo artist was as honest as he could be, explaining that there really isn't a way for Frode to truly trust him, but that all of the people that request his services tend to claim they wouldn't trade the experience for anything. That being said, it can be bittersweet as learning of what happened to them without being able to speak to them and let them know you're safe is heartbreaking. Kaswink was also off on a mission involving meat. She found a local butcher and offered to work for him for a time to gather some meat and trade it for more chili for the rest of the group.
Namina focused once more, this time on her family. “Your eyes close again, the city noises around you fading and being replaced with some muffled though excited shouting. You aren’t sure who you are, but whoever it is has a great deal of care for you and seems worried about your safety. Their thoughts aren’t of themselves, so it makes it difficult to pinpoint who it is, but as their situation becomes more clear you also begin to feel a bit of anger at what is happening both from yourself and from this person. A fin slaps against some glass, ouch, banging from outside the partition, noise…so annoying and loud in here, wish they’d stop.” A voice is heard more clearly, high pitched, it says "Look mommy, its waking up! What is it?” A very muffled response, a bit lower but still at least an alto, “Oh, Ferik, stop banging on that, you’re upsetting it." Vision becomes clearer as the sleep becomes further and further behind you and it is obvious what is happening: You’re imprisoned, in a glass box, submerged in water, and the many happy faces of Elven families surround you. A question, “Is this a circus?” is prevalent on your mind but is answered by your other thoughts, “So sick of this circus…” Another voice, it’s clearer but rough and low, “Hey, grab the trident and swim around a bit! We don’t keep you around to look unhappy and boring." This is met with the meat camera you reside in swimming and picking up a trident in the corner, it is clearly just a prop, wouldn’t do any damage, but determination is at the front of your minds. Escape is essential, Namina needs you." Namina then hoped to communicate with this person, and while she did manage to calm him down she was unsure if the words actually reached him, and a new burst of passion grew within this merfolk.
Meanwhile, Frode's discussion with the tattoo artist continued. In the end he decided that the magic involved was not something he was terribly keen on and ended up getting just an ordinary tattoo based on a symbol of Ilmater. The artist obliged, and it was a quick job, though while he was working he pointed out to Frode that he seems to have an eye on his back, right underneath his right shoulder blade and not much bigger than just an ordinary eyeball. Hysteria saw this too, though the feelings experienced from this eye were not the paranoia he felt from a spirit long ago, but instead feelings of anxiety. Namina's visions continued as she tried to instead focus on the high priestess, a leader in her hometown. "You try to focus again, for a moment your eyes are opening and you feel yourself in a familiar place. A feeling of regret is very heavy on your mind, but it is being masked by responsibility and outward appearances that need to look a certain way. Covering up your own feelings and any worries or concerns are being pushed aside in favor of the crowd that is standing in front of you as your eyes open for just a moment before all you see is the tattoo parlor as the little stone in your hand has gone cold before the tattoo flickers and goes out."
Snàthad, the tattoo artist, was happy to see Namina awake as discussions about Frode's unusual anatomy were interrupted with her opening her eyes back in the Spirit Realm. He explained that the smooth river pebble will be payment enough, and that if they wanted to get him some Chili that would be greatly appreciated.
What's up with that fire breathing dragon store next door? Will we ever learn what was in Logren's Gift? Will the Spiritual Travelers ever get their chili? Find out next time!
In-Game Date:
Nurend 17, 308
Discovered Races/Cultures
Eadarling
Discovered Communities
The Daytime Village of Aotri
The Night City of Dorchar
Discovered Religions
Aotrom
Dorcha
Discovered Alcoholic Beverages
Measan's Chardonnay
Nurend 17, 308
Report Date
02 May 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Plots
Eadarling
Discovered Communities
The Daytime Village of Aotri
The Night City of Dorchar
Discovered Religions
Aotrom
Dorcha
Discovered Alcoholic Beverages
Measan's Chardonnay
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