"Your choice in stew meat aside, I believe I have misjudged you, Jeny Greenteeth," he smiles. "Would that I might have your permission to return if I so choose to visit you again."
"Your manners are atrocious, dearie," Jeny says with a smile. "But for your little imp, and Hex and Auriel, I might consider making an exception."
When Auriel frees the remaining villagers from their cage, the man whispers, "Thank you," eyes darting over to Jeny to make sure she couldn't hear. The woman falls into Auriel's arms in a hug, but as Jeny glances over, pushes back off, trying to brush it off as a stumble.
OOC: We have the matter of the chest/cloak to resolve (who is taking it, etc.) and any final conversation with Jeny, then we can start to close this chapter!
Sylyra's smile falters in genuine surprise, then darkens into a frown. "Your loss, hag," he hisses. He turns away, his cloak billowing out dramatically. He walks to the edge of the clearing before turning back, raising his hood to cast his face into shadow once again, and pausing to wait for the others.
Carl stands upright, jaw firm, rocking up and down on his toes. He feels a little miffed that he wasn’t invited to return. There’s much that I could learn from Jeny… if I survived it. Carl offers to help carry the chest and cloak, give help to whoever is carrying it. Later they can talk over how this deal went down, and how to share these items. When Sylyra says “Your loss, hag”, he looks on with a surprised look, then turns to her with an expression of “I told ya so…”.
After they start to walk away, villagers in tow, Carl muses to himself, “Where to from here? I wonder, just how long before they run afoul of Jeny again…”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Even after walking away from Jeny and the others, Auriel hears her invitation. If only he could use it to see Nerys again ... but the mere thought of accepting the hag's offer creeps him out. The less contact with a being like her, the better. If he ever gets the chance to return to the Quivering Forest, it will be without her intervention, even if it means taking the risk of not returning at all. With that thought, he turns to the hag and bows slightly, "Thank you. That won’t be necessary."
When the paladin spots Carl carrying the chest and cloak, he approaches him and says, "That looks heavy. Let me carry it for you, Carl. We can take a look at the contents later, on our way back to Kabel's Hills, if that is okay?" He glances at Hex and Uragum as well when he asks this. It's clear he wants to leave Jeny's glade —and the Quivering Forest in general—as soon as possible.
When everyone is ready to depart, he nods curtly to the hag as a farewell. Then he gestures to the man and woman, leading them out of the glade. "Let's go home, shall we?", he says softly to them.
As they walk away, Uragum continues to remain weary while his tried to calm his conflicting emotions. He had been every bit prepared to kill the Hag. Appraised his spells, thought up strategies and prepared to restrain companions should there be mind trickery. Yet, no one was attacked, no spell muttered, no blood drawn. In fact, they walked away with the pact reinstated and a chest full of treasure. Unable to put his unease down, he shifted it to the news of the cult. Maybe when they got back, he could do a little more looking in to it. They had their fingers in everything and likely they weren't done. "Yes, let's go home. I feel the need of a bath after that meeting."
Hex raises a brow at the hag's sudden... kindness? She had expected her to be so much more feral and frightening. Maybe they were wrong or maybe Jeny was just really good at acting. Either way, she looked at the chest and cloak with interest.
As Jeny offers an invitation to her, Auriel and Pipyap to visit her again, her instinct is to decline but she hesitates just enough to let the logical side of her brain to reason it might be useful. "Thanks for the invite, Jeny. I'll... think about it."
Hex gives Auriel a nod as he suggests heading back to Kabel Hill to sort through Jeny's gift and calls out to Pipyap. "What are you going to do now, Pip? Gonna hang with the Hag?"
Auriel releases a long breath once the glade and the hag are far behind them. The road towards Kabel's Hill is still long and dangers may still lurk in the forest, but at least they're closer to leaving it. The distance from the hag begins to ease the eladrin's tension and his earlier anger begins to dissipate slowly. His hair, eyes, and tattoos gradually shift from the fiery hues of Summer to the softer tones of Autumn. Still, the hollow feeling lingers, and that will take time to fade.
As they walk, Auriel looks at their surroundings with curiosity. Does the Quivering Forest still feel as hostile as before, or has something shifted now that they've appeased Jeny Greenteeth? Will the fey let them leave without issue, he wonders.
Later, he turns to Hex to ask her about Jeny's offer. "I thought you'd decline Jeny's invitation. Would you really take her up on that? She might've seemed kind in the end, but that doesn't change what she did —what she could easily do again if she felt like it." He glances at Sylyra, extending the question to the druid too, since he also showed interest in meeting Jeny again. "Would you really visit her again? What good could come from that?" The very idea feels unthinkable to him, but is interested to know what the rest think.
The Eladrin also addresses the two Hillsfolk. "There's one of you we never found. Do you know what happened to him?"
"What are you going to do now, Pip? Gonna hang with the Hag?"
"So I can be a part of her next dish? No thank you," Pipyap says, crossing his arms while his wings hover him in midair as the party leaves Jeny's glade. "No, seeing as I'm not in Halvin's service anymore, I don't need to stick around this old dump. The hells are nicer and warmer than this place."
"There's one of you we never found. Do you know what happened to him?"
"You saw what happened to Rerk," the man rescued from Jeny says, eliciting a sob from his companion. "The elves refused to aid us. Apparently they learned about Halvin and sent a group to meet him, but none of 'em came back. Said Halvin used some fell magic to kill them all, and didn't believe us when we said we didn't know what he was up to. Then they drove us off with arrows. We saw Lem get hit but couldn't help him. If we'd stopped runnin', we'd still be there layin' next to him."
He shakes his head at the memory then says in a quieter, hushed tone, "When we finally made it to Jeny's, we didn't know it was her. We were near starving by that point. Jeny fed us and said she survived in the forest so long because of her magic. She made a bargain with Hop and Rurie, said she could use her magic to make it so they'd never be hungry again. When they agreed, they just sort of...died. She put us in the cage after that. We didn't see it happen, but we guessed they was in the stew."
"We're the last of the six of us," the woman murmurs, clutching her arms together.
The deafening silence that filled the Quivering Forest upon your entry seems to have dissipated. Your journey back to the entrance of the forest seems much shorter, and the forest is filled with the sounds of wildlife. The invisible forces that plagued you on your way to Greenhall trouble you no longer.
The people of Kabel's Hill are pleased with your efforts upon your return. Hupe gladly provides the promised reward, and the villagers provide many rounds of drinks for yourselves and the pair you rescued - Pipyap not included, as the devil is not interested in finding out how the villagers might react upon learning the source of their slain livestock - though they seem more haunted by their journey than interested in enjoying the revelry.
Once able to inspect Jeny's gifts, you see that the chest contains 125 gold pieces, along with a copper diadem inlaid with pieces of amber, three pieces of jade, a single garnet, and a set of silver flatware. Even the chest itself looks valuable, if the right buyer could be found. The cloak, however, seems even more impressive and appears to be magical in nature.
Though only the tales trees tell might be able to fully describe what occurred after Halvin entered the Quivering Forest, the party has ensured that the town of Phlan has retained a major ally in the hag and the other fey of the Quivering Forest - and with things the way they are, the town certainly seems to need all the help it can get.
OOC: For convincing Jeny against allying with the Cult of the Dragon, each character has received 150 XP. Additionally, each character receives 50 XP for rescuing the remaining villagers of Kabel's Hill.
We are headed into ten days of downtime between this and the next adventure. In your next post, feel free to conclude any loose ends you wish from this adventure. Divvy up the treasure however you wish (I've split the gold 5 ways and added 35 gp to each character's inventory, but the rest of the items are unclaimed). Then, specify how your characters wish to spend their downtime. Any of the Downtime Activities listed in the PHB, DMG, or XGtE are valid activities, along with any buying or selling of items, identifying/attuning to magical items, or any other relevant RP activities.
Hex laughs at Pipyap's answer and tries to sneak in a little scritch on his head. It was more for her than it was for him. She had enjoyed his company, the funny little creature he was, even if the others would disagree. It was a shame their time together had come to an end.
On the way back to Kabel Hill, Hex shrugs at Auriel's question, trying to appear nonchalant. "I was going to deny it but having connections to powerful beings can be useful... even if they aren't necessarily good beings. Jeny seemed a lot more reasonable than I had expected though."
Once Jeny's gifts had been sorted through, Hex would try to sell off any bits that no one else claimed, including the chest, assuming the gems would prove useful to the more magically inclined members of the party. She also tries to sell the two black stones they had plucked out of poor Rerk's sockets. She wasn't sure anyone would want them considering they had Jeny's mark on them but any extra coin would be good. She'd split whatever gold she managed to get equally amongst the party.
The cloak, she was interested in. If no one else minded, Hex would like to take it for herself and identify it - or at least find someone else to identify it.
When the party finally arrives back in Phlan, Hex reports back to Chaab as usual, making sure to let him know she has an in with Jeny that could prove useful to the faction. After that, she spends the rest of the tenday just working to make some money and keeping an ear out for anything relating to the Cult of the Dragon.
(I would like to do a bit of rp with Sylyra but I'll wait until everyone has done their downtime stuff first)
Later, he turns to Hex to ask her about Jeny's offer. "I thought you'd decline Jeny's invitation. Would you really take her up on that? She might've seemed kind in the end, but that doesn't change what she did —what she could easily do again if she felt like it." He glances at Sylyra, extending the question to the druid too, since he also showed interest in meeting Jeny again. "Would you really visit her again? What good could come from that?" The very idea feels unthinkable to him, but is interested to know what the rest think.
"The hag is not like us," Sylyra says. But he does not expound. Other than that cryptic response, the wood elf is silent for the return trek to Kabel's Hill. He takes the position of rear guard, and is sometimes as far as 20 or 30 feet behind the nearest teammate. Any furtive glances in his direction reveal that he is either staring resolutely forward or has turned to admire the forest as they walk. His face is always in shadow from his hood. He does not take part in any revelry back in the Hill. He sits alone, accepts one drink, holds onto it, never drinks, and never orders another. When it is time to turn in, he retires to his room in silence.
The next morning, when the party gathers to set off for Phlan, Hupe hands a folded piece of paper to Hex, saying he found it on the bar top that morning. One of the outside halves has the tiefling's name scrawled upon it in neat handwriting.
Letter to Hex:
It is my time to leave. I cannot return with you to Phlan. Please leave the other letter at the Laughing Goblin. You may collect anything I have left in my room. Tell Uragum I am sorry.
Hupe hands over a second letter with the name Olisara Lightsong written on it when asked.
Letter to Olisara Lightsong:
Beware those who worship the dragon. Watcher Wasanthi
Hex notices Sylyra's withdrawal from the rest of the party and is instantly worried. She gives him his space on the way back to Kabel Hill but as he continues to isolate himself, she approaches him and tries to get him to open up. When it becomes obvious he doesn't want to talk or interact, she doesn't not force him to. She chats with him a bit, not expecting any response, before eventually quietening down and watching everyone else have fun. When Sylyra finally decides to retire to his room, Hex follows him for a bit. She hesitates before grabbing his wrist. She looks at him with eyes filled with regret.
"Sylyra. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I know I'm not perfect and I've made a lot of mistakes but I do care for you. Just... if you need to talk to someone, I'm here." She gives his hand a squeeze before letting him go.
For the rest of the night, she sits in the same seat she did before by herself. She's friendly if anyone approaches her but she doesn't seek anyone out herself.
In the morning, when she receives the letter, she crushes the paper in a shaky fist. Her heart aches and her eyes water as her fear comes true. She knew there would be a chance that Sylyra would leave but she had hoped she could speak with him again and convince him otherwise. But, once again, she was too late. She could only hope he would find happiness elsewhere. She takes the letter for Olisara and puts it away carefully.
When the rest of the party comes to together, she gives them some time to simply eat and wake up before letting them know Sylyra has left. She looks at Uragum in particular and places a hand on his shoulder. "He wanted to let you know he's sorry."
Upon their return to Phlan, she gives the letter to Olisara. She doesn't make conversation with them. Just hands them the letter and then leaves.
Auriel doesn't fully understand Sylyra's response to his question. Between pressing the matter and letting it rest for now, he chooses the latter. Perhaps later, or when they reach Phlan, he can try asking again—about this and about the two of them. The journey to Kabel’s Hill had begun so differently, and he still can’t fathom why it had deteriorated with each passing day. He had hoped that leaving the hag and the Quivering Forest behind would improve things, but seeing the druid withdraw again upon their return proves him wrong.
He feels a flicker of hope when Hex tries to draw Sylyra out of his isolation along the way and later during the celebration, but it quickly becomes clear that it isn't working. As the druid retreats upstairs to his room, Auriel follows him with his gaze, wondering what’s on his mind. Is it about the Cult of the Dragon? The mention of dragons had unsettled him so much in the marsh... could Jeny's revelation be weighing that heavily on him?
The next morning, when Hex shares the news, Auriel stares at her in silence. It takes a moment for him to ask, "What do you mean gone? Gone where? When did he leave?" When Hex shakes her head, indicating she doesn't know, Auriel sets his mug down hard on the table, the sound echoing through the room. He sinks back into his chair, struggling to process what he's just heard. For a moment he sits there, eyes fixed on the table, then stands abruptly, muttering, "You've got to be kidding me."
Auriel strides upstairs and enters Sylyra’s room, hoping against hope that this is just a joke—but knowing deep down that Hex would never joke about something like this. Once inside, he scans the room, searching for any sign that might indicate when Sylyra left. Did he leave early in the morning, as they were all still resting? Or had he never tranced here at all? As if any of this could tell him where in all of Toril the druid might have gone.
After staring at the empty room for what feels like an eternity, he slams the door shut with a loud bang and returns to the others. Sitting down, he looks at them with a mixture of anger and sadness, but above all, defeat. "Why?" he asks. "Is this about that cursed Cult? He was so on edge whenever he heard about dragons back in the marsh. Why was that? What's happened to you all and the Cult of the Dragon up to now?"
Once back in Phlan, Auriel doesn't head with the others to the Laughing Goblin. Instead, he goes straight to the Temple of Tyr. This particular journey had weighed heavily on his heart in more ways than one, and even before reaching Kabel’s Hill for the second time, he had already resolved to spend most of the time at the Temple, helping there however he could. He hoped it might lift his spirits, even if it couldn’t change the outcome of what had happened with the elves, the hag and so forth. But, after the latest blow of Sylyra's departure, now he needs this more than ever.
Even if he spends most of the downtime at the Temple, he will still visit visit the party at Laughing Goblin. He will ask Hex to let him accompany her when it's time to sell the chest and its contents, and he wants to help investigating the Cult of the Dragon however he can. For the most part, though, the red-headed Eladrin is seen at the Temple or at the city hospital, putting to good use the remainder of his healing powers at the end of each day. The gratitude of those he heals brings some comfort, but there is an emptiness in his chest refuses to fade.
Back in town as the celebration began, Uragum only mildly joined in. Good food and free ale should be enough to celebrate but since the continued new of the Cult of the Dragon, his mind remained pre-occupied. So much so that he missed the warning signs Sylyra was giving off. When morning came and Hex delivered the new, Uragum's fist clenched at his side as nearly every muscle went tense and then he signed and relaxed.
Uragum weakly raised his arm up as to stop Auriel but just called out, "It's no use, if he said he's gone, he's gone." Letting his arm drop, hung his head a moment and grabbed a seat at a table. He called for some breakfast and slowly began to eat it while Auriel shuffled around in Sylyra's vacant room. Once he returned with his questions, Uragum gestured to a seat before he began to respond.
"Syryla, is complex, like most elves, I assume but there's a whole bag of unresolved issues there. We didn't get into it much, too proud on both sides to delve that deep... No, I don't suspect this has anything to do with the Cult. Maybe, but I doubt it. My best guess is it has something to do his family. Maybe seeing the more elves made him homesick or he's going back to face whatever caused him to leave his home or maybe he figures news of his whereabouts will reach old enemies and he chose to leave rather than bring trouble to our doorsteps. Whatever the reason, I bear him no ill will, nor do I think this will be the last we hear of him."
Hex slumps back in her chair, arms crossed and head down. "Yeah, this doesn't have anything to do with the Cult of the Dragons. I think Uragum got it right with the unresolved baggage. Something he brought with him before we even met. I'm sorry, Auriel. I really wanted to make it work but I was just... too late."
A few moments pass when Hex suddenly stands up. "Ah, I just remembered Sylyra said we can collect whatever might be left behind in his room so I'm gonna go check. Stay here, enjoy breakfast, it shouldn't take too long."
Hex heads to Sylyra room to collect any belongings left behind before returning to the group so they can start travelling to Phlan.
((Carl gives Hex the cloak, nodding and indicating that would be for the best.))
Carl sits at the same table with Auriel, Hex, and Uragum, listening and taking it all in, mainly remaining quiet. He holds his head down as they start the mention Sylyra and try to predict his state of mind, future plans and the oddness of it all. “I uh… well, it’s no secret that me and that elf didn’t get along, didn’t see eye to eye at times. But, I’ll have to say, he was damn good at what he could do. And that was a lot. Pulled us through a few scrapes, eh? Had quite a temper too… can’t say tha I don’t meself, so no faultin him there. I speck you’re right, we prolly haven’t seen the last of ole Sylyra, I imagine. Too much to imagine…”. Carl looks down into his coffee and then takes a deep slurp.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"I'm sorry, Auriel. I really wanted to make it work but I was just... too late."
At this, he lifts his eyes to meet the tiefling’s. "Don't be sorry. It was never your fault." When she returns from Sylyra's room, he gives a bitter smile. Empty. Of course. The Eladrin grabs his mug, downs its contents in a single gulp, and says, "We should head out."
On the way to Phlan, he hums a quiet tune now and then, breaking the silence occasionally.
I thought it would be nice to start and end the journey with some music. (Borislav Slavov is a-ma-zing!)
OOC: Since Auriel is working through downtime, no change to inventory. Additional info being sent via private message.
CARLTHUZAD:
OOC: I'll default Carl to the "Practicing a Profession" downtime since his player has been dodging a hurricane. No change to inventory.
HEX:
Jeny's chest sells for 50 gp to a collector of art in Podol Plaza.
OOC: Hex spends 10 gp in living expenses during this downtime. Split five ways, the chest sells for 10 gp each. I'll assume that she also takes the 10 gp that would have gone to Sylyra, since she used her downtime activity to sell it. Added 20 gp total to Hex's inventory and 10 gp to Carl, Auriel, and Uragum's.
URAGUM:
Phlan's lack of arcane expertise continues to thwart your efforts in crafting a magical item. You are unable to learn any notion of the ingredients you seek during this downtime.
OOC: Removed 10 gp in living expenses.
OOC: The adventure continues in Outlaws of the Iron Route.
"Your manners are atrocious, dearie," Jeny says with a smile. "But for your little imp, and Hex and Auriel, I might consider making an exception."
When Auriel frees the remaining villagers from their cage, the man whispers, "Thank you," eyes darting over to Jeny to make sure she couldn't hear. The woman falls into Auriel's arms in a hug, but as Jeny glances over, pushes back off, trying to brush it off as a stumble.
OOC: We have the matter of the chest/cloak to resolve (who is taking it, etc.) and any final conversation with Jeny, then we can start to close this chapter!
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Sylyra's smile falters in genuine surprise, then darkens into a frown. "Your loss, hag," he hisses. He turns away, his cloak billowing out dramatically. He walks to the edge of the clearing before turning back, raising his hood to cast his face into shadow once again, and pausing to wait for the others.
Carl stands upright, jaw firm, rocking up and down on his toes. He feels a little miffed that he wasn’t invited to return. There’s much that I could learn from Jeny… if I survived it. Carl offers to help carry the chest and cloak, give help to whoever is carrying it. Later they can talk over how this deal went down, and how to share these items. When Sylyra says “Your loss, hag”, he looks on with a surprised look, then turns to her with an expression of “I told ya so…”.
After they start to walk away, villagers in tow, Carl muses to himself, “Where to from here? I wonder, just how long before they run afoul of Jeny again…”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Even after walking away from Jeny and the others, Auriel hears her invitation. If only he could use it to see Nerys again ... but the mere thought of accepting the hag's offer creeps him out. The less contact with a being like her, the better. If he ever gets the chance to return to the Quivering Forest, it will be without her intervention, even if it means taking the risk of not returning at all. With that thought, he turns to the hag and bows slightly, "Thank you. That won’t be necessary."
When the paladin spots Carl carrying the chest and cloak, he approaches him and says, "That looks heavy. Let me carry it for you, Carl. We can take a look at the contents later, on our way back to Kabel's Hills, if that is okay?" He glances at Hex and Uragum as well when he asks this. It's clear he wants to leave Jeny's glade —and the Quivering Forest in general—as soon as possible.
When everyone is ready to depart, he nods curtly to the hag as a farewell. Then he gestures to the man and woman, leading them out of the glade. "Let's go home, shall we?", he says softly to them.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
As they walk away, Uragum continues to remain weary while his tried to calm his conflicting emotions. He had been every bit prepared to kill the Hag. Appraised his spells, thought up strategies and prepared to restrain companions should there be mind trickery. Yet, no one was attacked, no spell muttered, no blood drawn. In fact, they walked away with the pact reinstated and a chest full of treasure. Unable to put his unease down, he shifted it to the news of the cult. Maybe when they got back, he could do a little more looking in to it. They had their fingers in everything and likely they weren't done. "Yes, let's go home. I feel the need of a bath after that meeting."
Hex raises a brow at the hag's sudden... kindness? She had expected her to be so much more feral and frightening. Maybe they were wrong or maybe Jeny was just really good at acting. Either way, she looked at the chest and cloak with interest.
As Jeny offers an invitation to her, Auriel and Pipyap to visit her again, her instinct is to decline but she hesitates just enough to let the logical side of her brain to reason it might be useful. "Thanks for the invite, Jeny. I'll... think about it."
Hex gives Auriel a nod as he suggests heading back to Kabel Hill to sort through Jeny's gift and calls out to Pipyap. "What are you going to do now, Pip? Gonna hang with the Hag?"
Auriel releases a long breath once the glade and the hag are far behind them. The road towards Kabel's Hill is still long and dangers may still lurk in the forest, but at least they're closer to leaving it. The distance from the hag begins to ease the eladrin's tension and his earlier anger begins to dissipate slowly. His hair, eyes, and tattoos gradually shift from the fiery hues of Summer to the softer tones of Autumn. Still, the hollow feeling lingers, and that will take time to fade.
As they walk, Auriel looks at their surroundings with curiosity. Does the Quivering Forest still feel as hostile as before, or has something shifted now that they've appeased Jeny Greenteeth? Will the fey let them leave without issue, he wonders.
Later, he turns to Hex to ask her about Jeny's offer. "I thought you'd decline Jeny's invitation. Would you really take her up on that? She might've seemed kind in the end, but that doesn't change what she did —what she could easily do again if she felt like it." He glances at Sylyra, extending the question to the druid too, since he also showed interest in meeting Jeny again. "Would you really visit her again? What good could come from that?" The very idea feels unthinkable to him, but is interested to know what the rest think.
The Eladrin also addresses the two Hillsfolk. "There's one of you we never found. Do you know what happened to him?"
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
"So I can be a part of her next dish? No thank you," Pipyap says, crossing his arms while his wings hover him in midair as the party leaves Jeny's glade. "No, seeing as I'm not in Halvin's service anymore, I don't need to stick around this old dump. The hells are nicer and warmer than this place."
"You saw what happened to Rerk," the man rescued from Jeny says, eliciting a sob from his companion. "The elves refused to aid us. Apparently they learned about Halvin and sent a group to meet him, but none of 'em came back. Said Halvin used some fell magic to kill them all, and didn't believe us when we said we didn't know what he was up to. Then they drove us off with arrows. We saw Lem get hit but couldn't help him. If we'd stopped runnin', we'd still be there layin' next to him."
He shakes his head at the memory then says in a quieter, hushed tone, "When we finally made it to Jeny's, we didn't know it was her. We were near starving by that point. Jeny fed us and said she survived in the forest so long because of her magic. She made a bargain with Hop and Rurie, said she could use her magic to make it so they'd never be hungry again. When they agreed, they just sort of...died. She put us in the cage after that. We didn't see it happen, but we guessed they was in the stew."
"We're the last of the six of us," the woman murmurs, clutching her arms together.
The deafening silence that filled the Quivering Forest upon your entry seems to have dissipated. Your journey back to the entrance of the forest seems much shorter, and the forest is filled with the sounds of wildlife. The invisible forces that plagued you on your way to Greenhall trouble you no longer.
The people of Kabel's Hill are pleased with your efforts upon your return. Hupe gladly provides the promised reward, and the villagers provide many rounds of drinks for yourselves and the pair you rescued - Pipyap not included, as the devil is not interested in finding out how the villagers might react upon learning the source of their slain livestock - though they seem more haunted by their journey than interested in enjoying the revelry.
Once able to inspect Jeny's gifts, you see that the chest contains 125 gold pieces, along with a copper diadem inlaid with pieces of amber, three pieces of jade, a single garnet, and a set of silver flatware. Even the chest itself looks valuable, if the right buyer could be found. The cloak, however, seems even more impressive and appears to be magical in nature.
Though only the tales trees tell might be able to fully describe what occurred after Halvin entered the Quivering Forest, the party has ensured that the town of Phlan has retained a major ally in the hag and the other fey of the Quivering Forest - and with things the way they are, the town certainly seems to need all the help it can get.
OOC: For convincing Jeny against allying with the Cult of the Dragon, each character has received 150 XP. Additionally, each character receives 50 XP for rescuing the remaining villagers of Kabel's Hill.
We are headed into ten days of downtime between this and the next adventure. In your next post, feel free to conclude any loose ends you wish from this adventure. Divvy up the treasure however you wish (I've split the gold 5 ways and added 35 gp to each character's inventory, but the rest of the items are unclaimed). Then, specify how your characters wish to spend their downtime. Any of the Downtime Activities listed in the PHB, DMG, or XGtE are valid activities, along with any buying or selling of items, identifying/attuning to magical items, or any other relevant RP activities.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Hex laughs at Pipyap's answer and tries to sneak in a little scritch on his head. It was more for her than it was for him. She had enjoyed his company, the funny little creature he was, even if the others would disagree. It was a shame their time together had come to an end.
On the way back to Kabel Hill, Hex shrugs at Auriel's question, trying to appear nonchalant. "I was going to deny it but having connections to powerful beings can be useful... even if they aren't necessarily good beings. Jeny seemed a lot more reasonable than I had expected though."
Once Jeny's gifts had been sorted through, Hex would try to sell off any bits that no one else claimed, including the chest, assuming the gems would prove useful to the more magically inclined members of the party. She also tries to sell the two black stones they had plucked out of poor Rerk's sockets. She wasn't sure anyone would want them considering they had Jeny's mark on them but any extra coin would be good. She'd split whatever gold she managed to get equally amongst the party.
The cloak, she was interested in. If no one else minded, Hex would like to take it for herself and identify it - or at least find someone else to identify it.
When the party finally arrives back in Phlan, Hex reports back to Chaab as usual, making sure to let him know she has an in with Jeny that could prove useful to the faction. After that, she spends the rest of the tenday just working to make some money and keeping an ear out for anything relating to the Cult of the Dragon.
(I would like to do a bit of rp with Sylyra but I'll wait until everyone has done their downtime stuff first)
"The hag is not like us," Sylyra says. But he does not expound. Other than that cryptic response, the wood elf is silent for the return trek to Kabel's Hill. He takes the position of rear guard, and is sometimes as far as 20 or 30 feet behind the nearest teammate. Any furtive glances in his direction reveal that he is either staring resolutely forward or has turned to admire the forest as they walk. His face is always in shadow from his hood. He does not take part in any revelry back in the Hill. He sits alone, accepts one drink, holds onto it, never drinks, and never orders another. When it is time to turn in, he retires to his room in silence.
The next morning, when the party gathers to set off for Phlan, Hupe hands a folded piece of paper to Hex, saying he found it on the bar top that morning. One of the outside halves has the tiefling's name scrawled upon it in neat handwriting.
Letter to Hex:
It is my time to leave. I cannot return with you to Phlan. Please leave the other letter at the Laughing Goblin. You may collect anything I have left in my room. Tell Uragum I am sorry.
Hupe hands over a second letter with the name Olisara Lightsong written on it when asked.
Letter to Olisara Lightsong:
Beware those who worship the dragon. Watcher Wasanthi
Hex notices Sylyra's withdrawal from the rest of the party and is instantly worried. She gives him his space on the way back to Kabel Hill but as he continues to isolate himself, she approaches him and tries to get him to open up. When it becomes obvious he doesn't want to talk or interact, she doesn't not force him to. She chats with him a bit, not expecting any response, before eventually quietening down and watching everyone else have fun. When Sylyra finally decides to retire to his room, Hex follows him for a bit. She hesitates before grabbing his wrist. She looks at him with eyes filled with regret.
"Sylyra. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I know I'm not perfect and I've made a lot of mistakes but I do care for you. Just... if you need to talk to someone, I'm here." She gives his hand a squeeze before letting him go.
For the rest of the night, she sits in the same seat she did before by herself. She's friendly if anyone approaches her but she doesn't seek anyone out herself.
In the morning, when she receives the letter, she crushes the paper in a shaky fist. Her heart aches and her eyes water as her fear comes true. She knew there would be a chance that Sylyra would leave but she had hoped she could speak with him again and convince him otherwise. But, once again, she was too late. She could only hope he would find happiness elsewhere. She takes the letter for Olisara and puts it away carefully.
When the rest of the party comes to together, she gives them some time to simply eat and wake up before letting them know Sylyra has left. She looks at Uragum in particular and places a hand on his shoulder. "He wanted to let you know he's sorry."
Upon their return to Phlan, she gives the letter to Olisara. She doesn't make conversation with them. Just hands them the letter and then leaves.
Auriel doesn't fully understand Sylyra's response to his question. Between pressing the matter and letting it rest for now, he chooses the latter. Perhaps later, or when they reach Phlan, he can try asking again—about this and about the two of them. The journey to Kabel’s Hill had begun so differently, and he still can’t fathom why it had deteriorated with each passing day. He had hoped that leaving the hag and the Quivering Forest behind would improve things, but seeing the druid withdraw again upon their return proves him wrong.
He feels a flicker of hope when Hex tries to draw Sylyra out of his isolation along the way and later during the celebration, but it quickly becomes clear that it isn't working. As the druid retreats upstairs to his room, Auriel follows him with his gaze, wondering what’s on his mind. Is it about the Cult of the Dragon? The mention of dragons had unsettled him so much in the marsh... could Jeny's revelation be weighing that heavily on him?
The next morning, when Hex shares the news, Auriel stares at her in silence. It takes a moment for him to ask, "What do you mean gone? Gone where? When did he leave?" When Hex shakes her head, indicating she doesn't know, Auriel sets his mug down hard on the table, the sound echoing through the room. He sinks back into his chair, struggling to process what he's just heard. For a moment he sits there, eyes fixed on the table, then stands abruptly, muttering, "You've got to be kidding me."
Auriel strides upstairs and enters Sylyra’s room, hoping against hope that this is just a joke—but knowing deep down that Hex would never joke about something like this. Once inside, he scans the room, searching for any sign that might indicate when Sylyra left. Did he leave early in the morning, as they were all still resting? Or had he never tranced here at all? As if any of this could tell him where in all of Toril the druid might have gone.
After staring at the empty room for what feels like an eternity, he slams the door shut with a loud bang and returns to the others. Sitting down, he looks at them with a mixture of anger and sadness, but above all, defeat. "Why?" he asks. "Is this about that cursed Cult? He was so on edge whenever he heard about dragons back in the marsh. Why was that? What's happened to you all and the Cult of the Dragon up to now?"
Once back in Phlan, Auriel doesn't head with the others to the Laughing Goblin. Instead, he goes straight to the Temple of Tyr. This particular journey had weighed heavily on his heart in more ways than one, and even before reaching Kabel’s Hill for the second time, he had already resolved to spend most of the time at the Temple, helping there however he could. He hoped it might lift his spirits, even if it couldn’t change the outcome of what had happened with the elves, the hag and so forth. But, after the latest blow of Sylyra's departure, now he needs this more than ever.
Even if he spends most of the downtime at the Temple, he will still visit visit the party at Laughing Goblin. He will ask Hex to let him accompany her when it's time to sell the chest and its contents, and he wants to help investigating the Cult of the Dragon however he can. For the most part, though, the red-headed Eladrin is seen at the Temple or at the city hospital, putting to good use the remainder of his healing powers at the end of each day. The gratitude of those he heals brings some comfort, but there is an emptiness in his chest refuses to fade.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Back in town as the celebration began, Uragum only mildly joined in. Good food and free ale should be enough to celebrate but since the continued new of the Cult of the Dragon, his mind remained pre-occupied. So much so that he missed the warning signs Sylyra was giving off. When morning came and Hex delivered the new, Uragum's fist clenched at his side as nearly every muscle went tense and then he signed and relaxed.
Uragum weakly raised his arm up as to stop Auriel but just called out, "It's no use, if he said he's gone, he's gone." Letting his arm drop, hung his head a moment and grabbed a seat at a table. He called for some breakfast and slowly began to eat it while Auriel shuffled around in Sylyra's vacant room. Once he returned with his questions, Uragum gestured to a seat before he began to respond.
"Syryla, is complex, like most elves, I assume but there's a whole bag of unresolved issues there. We didn't get into it much, too proud on both sides to delve that deep... No, I don't suspect this has anything to do with the Cult. Maybe, but I doubt it. My best guess is it has something to do his family. Maybe seeing the more elves made him homesick or he's going back to face whatever caused him to leave his home or maybe he figures news of his whereabouts will reach old enemies and he chose to leave rather than bring trouble to our doorsteps. Whatever the reason, I bear him no ill will, nor do I think this will be the last we hear of him."
Hex slumps back in her chair, arms crossed and head down. "Yeah, this doesn't have anything to do with the Cult of the Dragons. I think Uragum got it right with the unresolved baggage. Something he brought with him before we even met. I'm sorry, Auriel. I really wanted to make it work but I was just... too late."
A few moments pass when Hex suddenly stands up. "Ah, I just remembered Sylyra said we can collect whatever might be left behind in his room so I'm gonna go check. Stay here, enjoy breakfast, it shouldn't take too long."
Hex heads to Sylyra room to collect any belongings left behind before returning to the group so they can start travelling to Phlan.
Sylyra's room is empty.
((Carl gives Hex the cloak, nodding and indicating that would be for the best.))
Carl sits at the same table with Auriel, Hex, and Uragum, listening and taking it all in, mainly remaining quiet. He holds his head down as they start the mention Sylyra and try to predict his state of mind, future plans and the oddness of it all. “I uh… well, it’s no secret that me and that elf didn’t get along, didn’t see eye to eye at times. But, I’ll have to say, he was damn good at what he could do. And that was a lot. Pulled us through a few scrapes, eh? Had quite a temper too… can’t say tha I don’t meself, so no faultin him there. I speck you’re right, we prolly haven’t seen the last of ole Sylyra, I imagine. Too much to imagine…”. Carl looks down into his coffee and then takes a deep slurp.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Auriel listens to the others in silence, idly tracing the rim of his mug as he stares into its contents.
At this, he lifts his eyes to meet the tiefling’s. "Don't be sorry. It was never your fault." When she returns from Sylyra's room, he gives a bitter smile. Empty. Of course. The Eladrin grabs his mug, downs its contents in a single gulp, and says, "We should head out."
On the way to Phlan, he hums a quiet tune now and then, breaking the silence occasionally.
I thought it would be nice to start and end the journey with some music. (Borislav Slavov is a-ma-zing!)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
AURIEL:
OOC: Since Auriel is working through downtime, no change to inventory. Additional info being sent via private message.
CARLTHUZAD:
OOC: I'll default Carl to the "Practicing a Profession" downtime since his player has been dodging a hurricane. No change to inventory.
HEX:
Jeny's chest sells for 50 gp to a collector of art in Podol Plaza.
OOC: Hex spends 10 gp in living expenses during this downtime. Split five ways, the chest sells for 10 gp each. I'll assume that she also takes the 10 gp that would have gone to Sylyra, since she used her downtime activity to sell it. Added 20 gp total to Hex's inventory and 10 gp to Carl, Auriel, and Uragum's.
URAGUM:
Phlan's lack of arcane expertise continues to thwart your efforts in crafting a magical item. You are unable to learn any notion of the ingredients you seek during this downtime.
OOC: Removed 10 gp in living expenses.
OOC: The adventure continues in Outlaws of the Iron Route.
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