Fogbound Peaks Slopes / Forest of Ages
With Simon and Hlin now rested, the party decides that Simon should head back to town, escorted by Gregor. As they head back to the sprite who will guide them out of the forest, the rest of the party follows the cliffside up the mountain with Hlin. Moana lends her a mace for her to use to defend herself. They stay out of the forest for as long as they can before the cliff and forest merge. Battling thistles, thorns, and a few blights.
Vairs: “Do we get anything off of them?”
DM: “... they’re plants”
The party follows the cliffside as it slowly lowers to a reachable height. Varis learns more about Hlin in that she bounced around from job to job in town, sometimes working in the forge, other times in the tavern, and other oddball jobs.
Moana attempts several times to hook onto a tree and climb up the cliff, but isn’t successful. Varis stealths away and climbs up to the same point and looks down on the party. Moana attempts one more time but Khadgar catches it with a mage hand. Unfortunately the mage hand cannot hold up Moana’s weight, so the party continues further up the mountain to where the two levels meet.
As the party treks further up the mountain, they notice that while the forest at this point is very coniferous, 3 very large deciduous trees seeming to grow naturally are present in one particular spot. As they proceed further, they begin to notice other plants like ferns and shrubs oddly growing here and there as the forest begins to thin out. As they reach the edge of the forest, they see a billowing wall of clouds rolling past obscuring all the rest of the mountain.
The Mysterious Fog
Gavin enters the clouds and finds visibility severely limited. The group decides to tie each other with Varis’ rope and keep trekking upward. Moana and Hlin take the lead as Varis follows at the back. After about an hour of walking, Moana and Hlin notice the slope begins to level off, and the terrain instead of the expected rock and snow, is returning to dirt and grass. As the fog begins to lift, the party enters a mysterious clearing where plants are growing in a warm pocket untouched by the fog. Ahead, past the brush is a large and barren plain. Gavin hears a rustling in the grass, but cannot determine the direction it came from.
The party unties themselves and move forward. Movement from the left catches Gavin’s eyes. Khadgar and Hlin notice something odd about the plain. It seems to shift ever so slightly as if it isn't solid or real, like a mirage. However, they do not inform the rest of the party. As the entire party nears the plain, 2 owlbears jump from the forest and attack. Gavin’s Phantasmal force makes one of them believe it’s paws are on fire which ends up with it retreating (getting opportunity attacks from both Hlin and Moana) and flopping on it’s back and trying to put it out.
Varis puts the first owl bear out of its misery as the rest of the party quickly dispatches the other. Once finished, a voice rings out from around them.
Voice: “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Gavin: “We come from the town of Uxena.”
Voice: “Awww, they named a town after me…. I mean… I do not know this town, and you have not answered why you are here.”
Varis: “We come to defeat the evil that has taken hold of the mountain.”
Voice: “I know not this evil of which you speak.”
Gavin: “People are going missing from the town. We’ve come to find what is taking them. Do you know anything about them?”
Fogbound Lake
With that the illusion of the barren plane fades to a large, glimmering, and beautiful lake. At its center a yellow glow emanates from the depths. A female eladrin wearing robes of dark orange and maroon, with a cloak of autumn leaves appears at its border and stares intently at the party. Gavin, being very well read in all manners of stories, immediately identifies her race and is very concerned.
Gavin: “You’re an eladrin!”
Uxena: “Yes I am.”
Varis: “Uxena… is this your domain? Why are you here?”
She glances over them again, glances to the glowing center of the lake, and is choosing her words very carefully.
Gavin: “Is this the feywild? Are we in your domain?”
Uxena: “... I live not far from here, you are correct.”
At this point Hlin brushes aside the party, steps forward and points her mace at Uxena.
Hlin: “Listen, elf. I was sent to retrieve a treasure from this lake, so tell me where it is.”
Varis: “I’m so sorry about her. We mean you no harm. We are totally fine with turning around right now and not telling anyone about this place.”
Gavin goes up and lowers her mace arm.
Gavin: “Right. We just are here to find out what is happening to the good people of Uxena. You haven’t seen anyone else on the mountain?”
Uxena: “... my focus is here. I… I don’t see what happens on the mountain or in the town you've mentioned… though it sounds like a lovely place.”
Gavin: “It is, right Hlin.” he goes to elbow here which may or may not have hit her head
Varis to Hlin: “I don't think she is responsible for the missing people or locking you and the others away.”
Hlin: with tears forming in her eyes; “I have lost so many friends and family to this damn quest for treasure. I cannot let them have died in vain. I need to find it. For them.”
Gavin: “So we don't want to mess with the feywild. And I certainly don't want to mess with you so we will happily be on our way, but if you could help us find this treasure or who is responsible for these people dying, we would appreciate it.”
Uxena: “You… you really don't know where you are… do you?”
Hlin: “Everyone in the town knows the legends of Fogbound Lake. Rumors of treasure up in the mountains are enough to draw in the adventurous and the desperate. Many go missing. Those who returned came back with no memory of turning around or finding anything. Everyone knew it was folly to attempt to search for it. But that didn’t stop Mirkwood from sending people to find it.”
Uxena: “If what you say is true, we cannot have people continuing to make their way here. If there is an evil in the mountains forcing this, I will help you.”
Gavin: “Do you know the Sprites? Do you talk with them?”
Uxena: “Yes, I know the various Sprite villages in this area. Though… I cannot say how long it has been in your time since I last spoke to them. Too long if an evil has come and caused this much chaos.”
Varis: “So you’ll help us?”
Uxena: “Yes. … Please, step up to the lake’s edge.” The party is hesitant. “I promise I mean you no harm. I won’t take your memories. You are correct, there are actually many treasures here, of a sort. You see the yellow glow? That is a large crystal with the ability to store and manipulate memory as well as other magics. It is anchored here in a place where the veil between the feywild, my home, and your realm intersect. In a way we are neither in the feywild, or your realm, but somewhere in between. I guard this entrance between realms. No one has come as far as you in a very long time, even for me. My guardians and illusions usually deter even the most persistent.”
The party looks at the bodies of the dead owlbears, most likely guardians.
Varis: “oh… sorry.”
Uxena: “It’s alright. I understand. Now, I can use the crystal’s power to see beyond the lake. I will search for this evil you speak off.”
Uxena spreads her hand over the lake and mutters an incantation. A few moments pass and then images begin to appear in the water of the lake near its shore, but they are blurry and undefined. She lowers her hand and looks to the party.
Uxena: “Do you have anything, any information, I can use to help narrow the search?”
Varis produces the patch from Zelena and hands it to her. She takes it and resumes the scry. With a definitive focus, the spell works much more clearly. The vision zooms down from the lake through the fog and to the forest. It pauses as the scene shows 5 city guards in full armor marching to the summit. It then continues past the ruins and cave where Simon and Hlin were held, down through the forest to the fork in the road, pauses, and then goes down the left path towards the mines and descends to a scene of darkness when the scry suddenly ends. Uxena takes a step back, and with a shocked look on her face, she looks down at the symbol and hands it back to Varis.
Uxena: “I don’t understand. Something has blocked my site. Not many things can do that. Something is down in the mines. Something dark and dangerous. Something to do… with that.” and she gestures to the symbol.
Gavin: “Do you recognize it?”
Uxena: “... not that exact symbol, but… there is something… familiar about it. I think… I think I have seen it once or twice on some of the structures in the feywild, but it isn’t native to there. I think it is older.”
Varis: “Older than the Feywild… oh boy.”
Uxena: “Also… there is something else. Those guards… they were sent here for you. All of you.”
Khadgar: “Well that can’t be good. We should probably go.”
Hlin: “Wait, we still haven’t found out what has been attacking and killing people.”
Uxena: “You say you were attacked? Just inside the fog? … … I … I might be able to help there too. I would need you to step into the lake and lie down. Then I would use the crystal to try to recover your memories about the incident.”
Hlin is very concerned at this.
Gavin: “We found Gerard’s corpse in that cave with you. Your friends, your family. You can find out who did this to them and avenge them.”
She looks at Gavin, then at Moana, and hands him back his Mace. She then steps into the lake and lies down. Uxena reaches out her hand and begins the spell. A build up of a yellow glow rises at the center of the lake and then sends a pulse of yellow light across the surface.
Khadgar OOC: “Is it pretty?”
Varis OOC: “Of course it’s pretty. Everything in the feywild is, that’s how they get you.”
The pulse races across the lake and passes over Hlin and reaches the lakesides and dissipates. At first nothing happens, but then blurry images start to take shape in the water. The first memory (from Hlin’s perspective) the party can distinguish is that of a scene with the smiling faces of Gardevra, Gerard, Thrain, Ruby, and Barkley. It quickly fades and a new memory takes its place. This time of a dwarf male that Hlin seems to be clinging to until he shrugs her off, throws a pick axe over his shoulder and heads up the mountains. The memory fades and one of a consoling Ruby and Gardevra appears and fades. Various faces and places around the city appear until the memories seem to take a sharper focus as they show Hlin’s trek up the mountain.
As she approaches the fog, she kneels down and makes a mark in the rock. She then proceeds straight into the fog. Another memory quickly arises as several shadowy figures appear on the edge of her site. Before the vision fades, the party distinguishes humanoid shapes and the distinct symbol of the city guard’s uniform on the closest silhouette. The spell ends and Hlin is already thrashing in the water and struggling to get back up. Uxena takes a shaky step back, presumably drained from 2 very powerful spells.
Hlin: “Those bastards! I’m going to kill them! I will make them pay for what they’ve done.” She rushes at Moana. “Give me that mace!”
Varis: “Hold on. We need a plan. We have 5 guards on their way here and they were pretty close.”
Gavin: “Uxena, these guards are on their way. Do you want us to stop them from getting here?”
The party all turns to Uxena who is starting out across the lake. She turns and an eerie but sly grin forms on her face.
Uxena: “Let them come. It has been a long time since I have used my spells. And I will not stand idly by as evil takes root in my… I mean… your town.”
Hlin: “Aye, let them come. I have a few things to say to ‘em.”
Gavin: “OK, I guess we’ll stay. Uxena, just leave one for Hlin to take care of.”
Uxena: “That can be arranged.”
And with that, her form begins to change. The autumn colors fade away giving rise to vibrant greens, yellows, and pinks accented with various plants and flowers. Her cape changes from fall leaves to a carpet of woven grass, vines, and flowers. A new life seems to have flared in her eyes.
The party prepares as the barren plain illusion is reinstated. Gavin sits in the middle of the bush on a stump playing his lute. Soon, 5 guards all wander into the brush area. They pause when they see Gavin and slowly approach. The lead guard pauses just shy of Gavin.
Guard: “You. Identify yourself!”
Gavin: “... I cast Phantasmal Force. He now believes a snake has risen from the ground and swallowed him.” and the guard fails the save.
As their captain is now screaming like a madman, combat begins as the rest of the party charges from their hiding places. Lighting tridents flash, Chromatic orbs fly, Crescent sabers whirl, knees are smashed by a mace, and the bard continues to sit on a tree stump causing mass panic. Suddenly, the illusion behind them all drops to reveal Fogbound Lake as 3 enormous geysers are spouting accented by the crystal’s glow. Uxena stands at the edge of the lake as mist swirls around her. She saunters forward and calls down lighting at the oh so conveniently grouped up guards. The party and allies easily obliterate the guards and Hlin gets her kill.
Gavin: “Wait, I want to interrogate one of them.”
As the lead guard attempts to flee, Uxena chases after him with a wicked grin on her face. She grabs him by the shoulder and points. He is magically teleported 10 feet above the surface of the lake and drops in full plate armor into the shallow water. She walks back to the edge of the pond, glances back to the group with a look as if asking for any objections.
Gavin OOC: “Ah I see. We don't need to interrogate him. We can just use his memories. I like this plan.”
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