Meera's Journal : of fauns and Feywild

Melendil 14

With a rising sun and cheerful step our group set out from Guardholm, headed northeast towards Sagebrook. Aesthelus and Weskin joined me though sadly Fontina, such a lovely name, was feeling ill and not able to come adventuring. I'll make a note to check on the lass when I get back, can't have the whole manor down with the flu. Perhaps I can purchase some chickens to make a good stew. I'll need carrots and celery as well, oh and some quality grain to roll out the noodles. I'd best bring parchment and make a list.

The morning passed as we traveled. These two seem like good folk and it's especially good to have another halfling around. Dwarfs are strange folk but always reliable. It was about lunch time when we came to a split in the road. A large signpost noted farms to the south, Annavielle, Magar, and Draxon. We followed the signs and soon came upon a large farmhouse, painted a wonderful yellow. While in the farmhouse itself was in good condition the rest of the farm was messy and ill kept. These humans, they try and be all worldly but they've no clue how to keep something as simple as a farm in good shape.

Seeing a sign noting the owner we sought our group approached the house and knocked on the front door. A man, presumably Annavielle, opens the door to talk. Well, not the door exactly, instead he merely flipped open a tiny mail slot. (ugh humans! Don't they know how to greet a guest? Have they never heard of mead, bread, and cheese? I'd not be surprised by city folk, but you'd think a man of the land would have better sensibilities.).

The farmer was oddly distressed and panicked, instead of talking he tried to shoo us away, feigning ignorance. We suspected that there were others there, possibly putting the man in danger. Rather than arouse suspicions and put the farmer at risk we withdrew to the road and conversed. Our small stature was a boon on this day (as it is on many days), allowing the three of us to conceal our position using only the stone wall by the roadside. Aesthelus called upon his diety and projected his eyes into the farmhouse, an impressive and quite useful feat.

To our alarm Aesthelus saw several brigands present and it looked like they were threatening to kill the good farmer. We dashed into the home and made quick work of the dastardly fellows. After questioning the last thug, it became clear that they meant no good. It seems that the troublesome folk were 'Shatterspine' mercenaries and promised to help the farmer only double crossed him. To add insult it came out that his ungrateful daughter had encouraged the bandits, hoping to get her inheritance sooner. Shameful! Had it been my home, she'd have gotten a good thwacking with a wooden spoon. Not a mere soup spoon either, a nice heavy ladle. Speaking of ladles, I wonder if the manor even has a decent ladle. I'd need a full set if I'm to make soup.

After tempers calmed a bit we spoke with Annavielle about the matter at hand. It seemed he had several problems that needed solving. The fauns, who had become drunken troublemakers of late, were tormenting him day and night. They had left some sort of dangerous contraption in the place of his scarecrow. He wasn't sure of the nature of it, but he was certain he wanted it gone. In addition his grain silo was full of "evil monkeys". Uncertain, Aesthulus once again cast his vision afar, this time into the grain silo where he found hunched forms. Note: this is not the place to purchase grain. Or chickens for that matter.

The first lunchtime of the day was overdue and with plenty of adventure ahead of us, we spent the night enjoying the hospitality and company of the farm. Without any other information on the scarecrow or the "evil monkeys" it seemed best to investigate the fauns. Perhaps we could clear all three issues at once. The next day we set out toward the vineyard hoping to gather wine which we could use to calm the fauns.

We took the last bandit with us, at first in shackles, then later contracted to work for us. It seemed safer then simply letting him free and the promise of gold kept him from simply running off. We would later turn him in to the mayor(?) or Eridor, who'd take him to Sagebrook to be tried for his crimes.

Not half an hour down the road, past an area full of hillocks and tall grass, we found the vineyard. Right on the edge of a lake as Annavielle has described. The area reminds me of home and times past when... things were different.

. . .

The farm was tended by Elia and Mista, two shockingly young girls. The house had the feel of a hunting lodge and was well kept. Despite their age these girls seem to be able to handle themselves, good for them, though I worry about children without a parent to guide them. On the subject of the fauns the two humans had a differing opinion than Annavielle. The fauns were no trouble as far as they knew. While they had no dealings with the fey beyond selling them wine the girl's parents would go into the Brazenwood and talk to the creatures on occasion. We purchased some wine for the fauns, gathered directions from the two girls, and set off into the forest.

A short hour of travel around the serene lake and we happened upon some odd ruins, which we'd later discover were an entrance to the fey realm. A cumbled stone structure with a large tree in the center. The fauns have the key for this side of the gateway, but, I get ahead of myself, back to the path. Not more than half an hour past the treeline we came to a split in the road. To the right, and another half an hours walk, is the small hamlet of Eridor. Mista travels alone from the vineyard to Eridor so it would seem that the Brazenwood is not a dangerous place.

Another half an hour and we came to a fork in the path. To the left we would find the home of some man or creature named Kavoc. To the right is a set of 'standing stones' and the fauns. We investigated the left and found a crumbled building, guarded by a strange mannequin (the same thing which we saw at Annavielle's farm) and two ogres, Smashmar and Crushnor. A blight on the land those nasty creatures are. We made quick work of them and investigated the ruins.

The structure was filled with skeletons, some small and others larger, which posed little threat to us. Flashes of steel, fire, and radiant energy destroyed the cursed creatures. During the battle a voice, later claiming to be Kavoc, shouted at as from an unknown location. The mayor of Eridor would later tell us that Kavoc is a name that has been around for 'hundreds of years' though he hasn't been seen for 'around 100 years'. It's unclear if the voice was indeed Kavoc or a trickster merely using the name.

Kavoc claimed to have created the mannequins and was quite upset that we'd dispatched his undead guards. The ogre's were also in his employ, hired to keep the fauns at bay. After negotiation he gave up a 'control gem' allowing us to direct the mannequins. We left him to his 'experiments'. It seems likely he is some soft of necromancer. It's unclear what he's up to and I think it best that the manor return to investigate soon.

Although we killed the ogres and undead easily, it taxed our resources. We decided to go to Eridor and be rid of the Shatterspine bandit. The mayor, Parret Pelham, was welcoming and agreed to take the rogue. We spent the night in in the Pelham home, eating hearty food. I entertained the children with simple tricks of magic, much to their delight. After the little ones had been put to bed, learned some about the troubles of the tiny town. The Shatterspine had been mercenaries contracted by the government but when the war made the money dry up they took to crime. The people of Eridor would be glad to be done with them, considering them bandits. He also spoke of kobolds to the south, which had been encroaching further and further towards the town. Perhaps the manor could assist routing those two sources of chaos.

Melendil 15

The sun rose the next morning, as it's likely to do every morning, and we returned to the wood, intent on finding the fauns. Taking the second fork to the right we easily found the standing stones. From there it was a short walk down a game trail into a grove strewn with bottles and creatures sleeping under the leaves.

We had finally found the fauns.

The fey, sadly, were not in good shape. They awoke hung over, desperate for drink, and weary. Although they are pranksters by nature their games had been escalated nearly to their breaking point by a Satyr located in the fey realm. Something evil was driving the satyr into a fenzy and it in turn was driving the fauns to cause more and more trouble. The fauns had a key to the fey realm but wouldn't part with it without assistance from us. To the north was a group of nymphs which were being terrorized by an ogre, causing the nymphs to go into hiding. The fauns were desperate to see the water fey. They agreed to lend us the key to the fey realm of 'Treefall' if we could get the nymphs to come out and play. Fortune smiled on us and we found the ogre sleeping near the nymph's pond. After executing the brute the nymphs spoke Aesthulus briefly. We returned to the fauns and delivered the good news.

With the key in hand we proceeded into the fey realm. It was a place like no other I've been. The air was heavy and teaming with the raw essence of life. Everything seemed to be made of live wood or plants. It was nothing short of amazing, the entire place had an energy not unlike a summer's night full of feast, beer, a roaring bonfire, and passion.

We found the satyr lying on a bed, sobbing and nearly insane. Something vile called the Melding had infected the realm. It was some sort of blending of the Feywild and another plane, allowing evil to spill into his home. The massive tree in which he lived had been able to confine the spread of the corruption but not the symptoms of it's presence. If we were to assist him we would need to clear many 'boils' off of the tree. With those cleared and a set of rune stones in hand we could open a room below, which contained the worst of the corruption.

When struck, we soon learned that the boils erupted with energy. Red spewed flames, yellow brought a gout of acid, green spread healing, purple a flock of butterflies, and orange a spray the sap used to make a tanglefoot bag. We encountered a group of devilish monkeys (perhaps the same that infested the grain silo at Annavielle's farm) as well as some bird demons called gryphs along the way. Tired and drained we returned to the material plane and rested at the vineyard.

Melendil 16

The next day we returned to Treefall, intent on finishing the matter. The satyr has regained his composure and grateful of the help agreed to come with us to battle the source of the evil. We encountered some sort of bird demon called a gryph and destroyed more of the energized boils. Once we had all the stones, ee slotted the them into heavy doors on four walls of an enclosed chamber. The entire tree rumbled as the doors opened, leaving us face to face with a large bearded demon. Besides the demon, two nasty imps assaulted us, winking in and out of sight. During the battle the satyr fought by our side, commanding one imp to flee and summoning a leopard to assist in destroying the other.

It was not an easy fight and we are lucky to have escaped alive. I count my blessings that the satyr came with us, without his help we may have been overwhelmed. The wounds the demon inflicted left terrible gashes which bleed uncontrollably. We also found that this horror was able to resist even our strongest magic. Thankfully, with force of will and luck some of our spells were able to bypass the fiends protective barrier.

When the demon was almost defeated it winked out of existence. We had thought the day won only to discover the fiend on the other side of the chamber with another bearded demon freshly summoned. Unsure if we could win but unwilling to abandon the satyr we redoubled our efforts. Arrows flew and spells flashed across that tiny chamber and we felled the horrid creature. The satyr's magic, perhaps made stronger by the death of the demon, finally overcame the summoned creature and the fey bound the terrible fiend to run far, far away from his home.

That left us with a single rune stone which opened up a door to a 'prismatic boil'. The satyr warned us that this was a dangerous thing and not to be taken lightly. We burst the blight, determined to see the last of the corruption erased. Energy pulsed through the entire tree and every inch of the wood radiated with each color of energy at once. We safely avoided all of the effects, including a stray fireball which could have killed us all, and were rewarded with a rose colored stone.

With that, it seemed the realm was cleansed. They satyr would no longer drive the fauns into a furor and balance would return to the area around the farms. Not all was made whole though. The satyr warned us that the source of the Melding remained and that the evil would eventually return.

We crossed the gate back to the material plane, injured and drained. Before returning home we stopped by Annavielle's farm to collect the mannequin using the control gem. It seemed too dangerous to leave and that if we left it in Annavielles control that he would abuse the power.

I'm quite proud of our little group. We fought bravely, helped the innocent, and purged evil. It was an adventure I'll not soon forget and one that taught me quite a bit. Up until now I have relied on my spear and cunning to solve problems as the flows of magic while easy to access were difficult to weave. This trip was different and I feel as if something has changed. I was somehow able to twist the the spray of light I've always relied into an arc of flames, I don't know why I didn't think of it before though I'm not sure I could have managed it before.Beyond that I find that I've been able to tap into the well of energy left by my lineage in ways I've never imagined.

Most surprisingly, a strange thing has happened to Brie, my ever present companion. She's grown so much since she was a tiny orphan kit, huddled against the edge of an embankment while rain and lightning crashed down around her. It seems that sleeping at my feet has endowed her with part of my energy. She's become cunning and alert beyond anything I've seen in an animal. What's stranger is that I can feel what she's feeling and at times see through her eyes. There's some sort of persistent link as well, easily wide enough to pass the energy of a spell.

That accounts for the tale of the past three days. It was good to get this down on paper. In the morning I'll make a copy for Percival since he'll want to add it to the records. It's time to cuddle up in bed, my bed. One only needs several blankets, some hot buttered rum, a cut of cheese, a cookie or three, and a tiny fox to feel at home.