A group (Da'Vi,
Mord,
Mukrit,
Vylynn, and Xavier) set out from Ambervale for a leisurely jaunt through the woods to meet with the pseudodragon
Vemplexia. Having traveled to the stump previously, Vy was easily able to remember the path through the Shade Wood Forest. The stump itself was covered with inscrutable arcane runes, a peculiar sight so deep in the woods. To summon the creature and gain its favor, Mord placed 10 gold pieces upon the stump. The gold melted away, and in its place appeared Vemplexia, who was obliged to spread her blessing to the travelers. After receiving an additional 40 gold pieces, the cheerful creature breathed an iridescent vapor upon Vy, granting her a minor affectation of
Prestidigitation.
Courteously, Vemplexia answered many questions for the party, revealing the following--
- Vemplexia was granted the ability to bestow boons due to her friendship with the spirit of the Shade Wood.
- When questioned about the rash of undead beasts that have been spotted in the Fell, Vemplexia confirmed that she had seen both an undead deer and a raccoon missing an arm while attending a party at the nearby Firbolg Village.
- She is not from Falder Fell nor this plane at all. Rather, her origins are in the feywild. Daring adventurers can enter the feywild by traveling two days eastward from the stump, crossing the Wandering River, and deciphering the runes on a ring of standing stones.
- Another fey creature, Bovay, the "spirit of the woods", lives in a pond on the other side of the glade (unsure, but perhaps Wapatoba Glade?). Bovay exists in the world between this one and the fey, and she enjoys making herself known to wanderers who visit her pond.
The group set up camp near Vemplexia's stump while Da'Vi performed a ritual to locate the standing stones. Xavier summoned his familiar, a thin, brown owl with green eyes named Hooterton, to survey the nearby forest and play with Vemplexia. This act prompted Mord and Xavier to discuss their mutual affinity for arcane rituals, and they enthusiastically agreed to share notes upon returning to Ambervale. Much to Da'Vi's dismay the ritual was unsuccessful, leading him to conclude that the standing stones had not been mapped previously.
In the morning, the group discussed the best method of testing Vemplexia's blessing on various beasts in the wilderness. Spurred to action by Mukrit, Da'Vi guided the party towards the lair of the most renowned beast of the Shade Wood Forest,
Beatrix. It became quickly evident that the adventurers had arrived at their intended destination when they spotted a still-living deer deeply ensnared in some webbing on the ground. As Da'Vi tried to calm the frightened creature, a voice boomed from the canopy ordering him to leave the deer undisturbed.
Surprisingly, the voice belonged to Beatrix! She claimed that the deer was bait for a larger, more satifsying meal--an owlbear that she had seen nearby. Additionally, Beatrix also revealed that she had killed and partially consumed
Jade, but she would allow the party to retrieve Jade's belongings if they would assist her in capturing the owlbear. After some negotiations, the group agreed and attempted to hide near Beatrix's nest while lying in wait for the owlbear.
The party was a bit too boisterous while discussing whether it was wise to parlay with Beatrix, and the owlbear caught wind of their presence. A battle ensued, culminating in the beast being rendered unconscious via Xavier's well-timed
Sleep spell. A couple of Beatrix's children quickly descended upon the owlbear to encase it in a silk cocoon, and Beatrix allowed passage into her lair to retrieve Jade. Not wanting to risk their lives, the group instead sent Hooterton and Con, Mukrit's mechanical creation, to retrieve the stolen treasure. Mukrit's simple order of 'retrieve treasure' caused strife within the lair, as Con attempted to search through the belongings of some other unlucky adventurer who had been captured by Beatrix long ago. Enraged, Beatrix ordered her children to destroy Hooterton and Con, and they obeyed with overwhelming numbers.
Now knowing that a more discerning eye would be needed, the party tentatively agreed to retrieve Jade's possessions in person. Inside, they discovered that Beatrix's lair was a vast compound of multiple stories extending into the forest canopy. Beatrix directed the group towards Jade's remains, where they also found the spider queen waiting. After a brief conversation in which Beatrix revealed that she knew the Common language from being raised by Drow in
Dark's Row, Beatrix betrayed the party and ordered many of the spiders to attack! While fleeing, Mord found a shortcut through the webbing which Xavier burned away with a
ball of fire, revealing a network of trees extending down to the forest floor. Vy helped the weaker members of the party down from the canopy, and Da'Vi assumed the form of a panther to expertly lead the party through the woods away from the lair.
After putting a great distance between themselves and Beatrix, the group lamented leaving behind the enchanted sword and spell scroll that Con had spotted before his untimely dismantling and began thinking of ways to recover them.
