Lots of information gathered and learned in the last couple of sessions. Mari’s map, in particular, had a lot of info…almost like it provides almost twenty different sites that an adventuring group might want to check out. If it only wasn’t for the rest of the pesky world interfering, the party could go off and do just that. Said interference in this case is something of a disturbing dragonborn that needs the tomb of the legendary Jheri Tiburcaex found and explored before a bunch of gnolls, led by a woman dressed all in black, plunder it first. And so off went our little group.
We pick up with Woody exploring away from the party…he needs a wall to smash to satisfy the requirements of Crius’ Rampart or lose some of his strength. Damn double-edged swords, er, shields, er, fey items! So let’s pickup with what Woody just discovered…
- Cresting a hill off from the river being followed, Woody spots salvation in the form of a couple of buildings and maybe an outhouse. Rushing down and busting down one of the doors, the building is full of webs and an ettercap! More arrive to attack. The rest of the party catches up and the fight goes their way. Not too much of interest here and the party camps.
- In the morning, everything feels different. The air is crisper and colder. The trees have autumn leaves with incredibly vibrant colors. The buildings seem the same. Heading back on their way, Gandave concludes that they are now in the Feywild!
- Pressing on, some gnoll bodies are wrapped up in branches. A fight with plant creatures ensues. Later, three ogres are encountered, dispatched, and looted. Continuing forward, the party comes to a clearing in the woods with a hut in the center. It is getting dark and an elderly woman is spotted shooing a ghost out of the hut.
- She is Fiala Glass and, um, “convinces” the party to have tea with her. She can smell her naughty boys (the ogres) on the party. While she doesn’t mind that the party killed them, they were not the party’s to kill. The party owes her something in exchange for their lives.
- Fiala suggests that the party could deal with the pesky ghost that keeps bothering her. She has three beautiful daughters. A noble of great hubris, Taleric, came to the north and set up a lumber camp (i.e., the buildings that the party had just recently spent the night). He and his men captured, enslaved, and defiled Galene, one of her daughters. When Galene finally escaped, Fiala tortured and killed all of those involved. She hung Taleric from the Kipu Tree.
- There had been no issues with Taleric’s ghost until recently when a woman, Aljuzae, dressed all in black and traveling with gnolls passed through. In exchange for an appropritate gift, which turns out to be Crius’ Rampart, Fiala shares the following information:
- Aljuzae is a member of the Illustrious Order of the Black Pearl and some sort of necromancer.
- She was sent to discover Jheri’s tomb by a tiefling to find one of the Abyssal gates of the Slaughtergarde. However, Fiala shares that there is no such gate at Jheri’s tomb, but Aljuzae did not ask about that.
- Aljuzae had a number of human prisoners along with the gnolls. After she completes her task, she is to return to Fallcrest to meet with her benefactor again.
- Fiala even scrys upon Aljuzae for the group. The necromancer is at the tomb with a dozen gnolls, a dozen skeletons, and about a half dozen human captives. The prisoners are being forced to dig to reach the inner tomb. There is also something old, evil, and tired that resides in the waters of one of the caves that make up the tomb.
- Party heads off to the Kipu Tree. They deal with the ghost AND put its spirit to rest. Taleric’s corpse had a holy symbol of Bane and so Nalniss is able to say the appropriate rites, even if they make her feel dirty. Fiala is happy and satisfied that the party’s debt has been paid.
- Fiala offers to direct the party to someone who can return the party to the Midrealm. Of course, an appropriate gift must be offered in exchange. The party first offers the iron spike that summons the Rotskiff of the Rhymer. Fiala wants nothing to do with the nasty thing and suggest that the party dispose of it. A magical torch found on the ogres was offered next and accepted. Fiala directs the party to Galene, her daughter, and the waterfall where she can be found.
- Before departing, Fiala tells the party to bring her Aljuzae’s eyes. She gives Woody some tea. The party just needs to go back to the lumber camp, drink the tea, and Fiala will guarantee their safe passage out of the Feywild.
- Galene just wants a kiss from Woody. A long, long kiss…underwater. She claims that she removed the remnants of Crius’ power that remained within Woody. Stepping into a nearby magic circle, the party is returned to the Midrealm. They are in a forest and a stone circle. The markings on the stones indicate that they are in the territory of the White Wolf tribe of barbarians, a tribe known to include shapeshifters, that resides in the Winterbole Forest.
- Fortunately, the party is able to get their bearings (and not encounter any White Wolf barbarians) and eventually reach the site of Jheri’s tomb. It is a cave right on the shore of a small lake with the expected dragon figurehead. The group encounters skeletons, some odd creature in a lake that only went through the motions of fighting, and then some gnolls and Aljuzae. Some eyes were taken and shoved in a bag.
- Pressing deeper into the complex, more gnolls and a number of human prisoners. The former are killed, the latter are rescued. The prisoners are all fishermen from Nenlast (a small village quiet some ways away). Nenlast was attacked by a large force of gnolls and about a dozen prisoners taken. Many had been killed and eaten already.
- Aljuzae had not yet reached the inner tomb but was very close, having broken through to a new section of the tomb. The party explores and here are the highlights:
- One chamber has countless bones (no skulls) and a pillar of dragonborn skulls.
- A handful of chambers with the crypts of Jheri’s officers.
- Jheri’s tomb. A large statue of her holding Jheri’s Wing and wearing an amulet, a symbol of Bahamut. A large pit filled with tiefling skulls dominates the chamber. Clearly, the tieflings built the tomb to the fallen dragonborn based on their own culture and beliefs. Four-armed gargoyle statues in each corner of the room animate and attack. After defeating them, Sulrinn is able to retrieve Jheri’s Wing and the amulet.
- There is also a side passage off of the tomb. It looks like it crashed through the walls of the tomb. The stone and the large iron doors are just like those from the Slaughtergarde under the Riverroars catacombs. Because Fiala had already informed the party that no gate existed here (and because they have the fishermen from Nenlast to look after), the party decides to note explore beyond the doors for now…they’ll come back at a later date.
- The party departs the tomb with the fishermen. A day or two into their travels, they realize that they are being followed. The movement around them suggests a relatively large group so the party looks for a defensible position. They find a hill, pretty steep on every side, with remnants of ruins on its flat top…probably the remains of an old Nerathi outpost or watchtower. The party takes up position on the hill. Dozens of gnolls approach as it gets dark.
Good spot to stop. Here are the details on Jheri’s Wing (although I’m not sure that Sulrinn has attuned it yet).
Jheri’s Wing is a +1 glaive. In addition, you gain advantage on all Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks with flying mounts and the ability to speak Draconic. You also have resistance to fire damage, automatically “cast” feather fall if you fall more than 30 feet, and can cast fly as a bonus action once per long rest.
Next time we’ll see what happens with the gnolls at the knoll.
