Walking a Twisting Trail
Ceren Charadric's parents, Caratacos and Aislinn, were captured by the Glade Knights and have been exiled to the Twisting Trails for their crimes, and as potential bargaining chips for capturing their son. Ceren and the Owls must use their wits and wisdom to traverse the Feywild and save them from that place of lost memories and foggy recollections, lest the Twisting Trails swallow them up too.
Themes
Being lost
Finding your way
Family
Finding your way
Family
Components
Goals
Save Ceren's parents
Ceren's parents are trapped in the Twisting Trails, and are slowly being drained of life as they become more monstrous. They have already lost a century of life, and they are beginning to lose more life.
Leave the Twisting Trails alive
When they have found Ceren's parents, they must begin to leave it before they are killed by their pursuers, which may include the Twisting Trails, but definitely consists of the Warden and the Hunters. The Warden will try to kill them as they leave the Twisting Trails, but will give Ceren a chance to turn himself in. In return for this he will let Aloisia and Caratacos go free. The Hunters will attack them while they are travelling home, and will go after the parents. They will tell Ceren to give them the files he has, as they are impressed with his work in the Twisting Trails, and will offer him a job when he gets old as the Hunters need good agents.
Ceren's parents are trapped in the Twisting Trails, and are slowly being drained of life as they become more monstrous. They have already lost a century of life, and they are beginning to lose more life.
Leave the Twisting Trails alive
When they have found Ceren's parents, they must begin to leave it before they are killed by their pursuers, which may include the Twisting Trails, but definitely consists of the Warden and the Hunters. The Warden will try to kill them as they leave the Twisting Trails, but will give Ceren a chance to turn himself in. In return for this he will let Aloisia and Caratacos go free. The Hunters will attack them while they are travelling home, and will go after the parents. They will tell Ceren to give them the files he has, as they are impressed with his work in the Twisting Trails, and will offer him a job when he gets old as the Hunters need good agents.
Hooks
The Twisting Trails shows Ceren his parents suffering through dreams
Ceren will have dreams of his parents growing older and weaker and being tempted more and more by the fog. This is an illusion crafted by the Twisting Trails on the orders of the Hunters to lure Ceren in, so they can hunt him down and kill him. This is bait, pure and simple. This works like the aggressive version of the Dream spell, and begins the night of the 5th of Storm, then the 12th, the the 18th, then the 23rd, then the 27th, then the 30th, then the 32nd then the 33rd and then every day after that. The DC for this is equivalent to a Balor's DC.
Dream 1:
Ceren ser ein av foreldrene sine, faren sin, og ser at han byrjer å få grå pels opp langs hodet sitt samt gule auge. Faren han kjenner han ikkje igjen, og reflekterer rundt om det er bedre å gå inn i tåken eller å fortsette med å vandre, utan at han husker noko. Kva om han allereie har gått inn i tåken?
Altsehash tries to help Ceren to earn his trust, by giving him advice on how to navigate and get to the Twisting Trails
Altsehash will try to help Ceren to earn his trust, by giving him advice in dreams on how to navigate and get to the Twisting Trails. He will tell him of different artefacts one can use and different anchors, in the spirit of friendship and partnership. He will also offer his aid if Ceren does a job for him.
Ceren will have dreams of his parents growing older and weaker and being tempted more and more by the fog. This is an illusion crafted by the Twisting Trails on the orders of the Hunters to lure Ceren in, so they can hunt him down and kill him. This is bait, pure and simple. This works like the aggressive version of the Dream spell, and begins the night of the 5th of Storm, then the 12th, the the 18th, then the 23rd, then the 27th, then the 30th, then the 32nd then the 33rd and then every day after that. The DC for this is equivalent to a Balor's DC.
Dream 1:
Ceren ser ein av foreldrene sine, faren sin, og ser at han byrjer å få grå pels opp langs hodet sitt samt gule auge. Faren han kjenner han ikkje igjen, og reflekterer rundt om det er bedre å gå inn i tåken eller å fortsette med å vandre, utan at han husker noko. Kva om han allereie har gått inn i tåken?
Altsehash tries to help Ceren to earn his trust, by giving him advice on how to navigate and get to the Twisting Trails
Altsehash will try to help Ceren to earn his trust, by giving him advice in dreams on how to navigate and get to the Twisting Trails. He will tell him of different artefacts one can use and different anchors, in the spirit of friendship and partnership. He will also offer his aid if Ceren does a job for him.
Stakes
Ceren's parents are slowly dying in the Twisting Trails
Moral Quandaries
Should we try to save more people here in the Twisting Trails?
Cruel Tricks
The Hunters will use Ceren's parents as bait
The Twisting Trails will send him dreams of his parents suffering, to lure him in
The Twisting Trails will send him dreams of his parents suffering, to lure him in
Relations
Protagonists
Ceren
Allies
Altsehash
Aislinn Charadric
Smooth-talking, charming and charismatic, Aislinn is a beautiful and clever con-woman who once made a living cheating businessmen and rich folks of their money in Chéad Cathair. She was always confident and a charmer, and she found an excellent mate in Caratacos with his cool methodology and silent confidence. The two of them together were perfect partners in crime, making sure that they never lived in financial trouble. They stayed under the radar for decades, succesfully hiding their tracks and making connections in the city.
Aislinn loved her son, Ceren, very much, and wanted nothing more than to protect him and make sure that he found a wife for himself at some point. She had plans to have a final heist at some point, which could set her family up permanently and allow her and Caratacos to take up more safe and legal occupations.
Her family was brutally taken from her when the Glade Knights, legendary and feared warriors, attacked their apartment and arrested Aislinn and Caratacos. She tried to stab one of the Knights, who broke her hand as punishment for this foolishness.
Neither her nor Caratacos understood what had happened, but they knew that Ceren had gotten away. The Glade Knights explained nothing as they were taken to the dungeons of the Amber Palace. A Glade Knight in great chains and with an executioner's axe on his back explained that their son had commited treason against the Eternal Throne, and that they would be held in exile in the Twisting Trails until their son had been captured and punished for his crimes.
And so Aislinn was separated from Caratacos and Ceren in the Twisting Trails. She has wandered for a long time, determined to find her family again. She wanders even now, and if she find either Ceren or Caratacos again she will embrace them without a moment's hesitation and then try to get out of there.
Unlike people like Jeleneth or Ibrahim, she is just a normal person who wants to survive and not a hero.
Aislinn is a wood elf bard, without any spells, who wears the same tattered clothes she was captured in. She is a chaotic neutral character with the charlatan background.
Caratacos Charadric
Originally of the savage tribes, Caratacos Charadric came to the city to try his luck as a thief, hoping to use his skills as a hunter in the pursuit of less dangerous but more profitable ventures. Caratacos was cold, efficient and confident, always getting the job done and doing his very best to do so quietly. He lived a lonely and isolated life, until he saw a beautiful woman steal a necklace from a merchant right off his neck, a necklace he had been scouting out for days. He met the woman, hoping to follow her home and take the necklace quietly from her, but instead he found himself going on a date with her to the market the next day. She was very perceptive and even more persuasive.
She introduced herself to him as Aislinn and he found an entirely new sort of camraderie. He found someone who understood him, who he could trust with anything and who shared his abilities and passion for crime. The two of them soon began working together, leaving a trail of stolen gold and valuables throughout the Outer City. Soon enough their friendship and partnership in crime turned to love and partnership in romance, as they realized they fulfilled eachother. Where Aislinn was talkative, Caratacos was observant. Where Aislinn was charming, Caratacos was intimidating. Where Aislinn was loud, Caratacos was quiet. The two of them made eachother complete, and soon enough they were one.
Not long after their union, they had their son, Ceren. Caratacos loved Ceren with all his heart and taught him the secrets he had been taught by his tribe in the Wildwood: how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to sneak, hunt and track prey and how to maintain focus on whatever task is at hand. He took Ceren out on several of his misions and even entrusted him with keeping watch and doing simple sleight of hand on a few. When the Glade Knights attacked their appartment, Caratacos was mortified. Had they come for him? He was an exile from the wild tribes, and those were not well loved by the Eternal Throne. He grabbed for his hidden hand crossbow, hoping to take one of them down and distract them so Aislinn and Ceren could run.
But he wasn't fast enough.
The lead Glade Knight saw him pull out a weapon and cast forth a wave of piercing magic, cutting through the hand crossbow and hitting Caratacos in his left eye. Blood flew through the air and Caratacos fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ceren in the other room, and he told Ceren to run quickly as he himself grabbed one of his knives and flew towards the Glade Knight. Caratacos did not make it very far, but he and Aislinn bought just enough time for Ceren to run.
Caratacos was thrown to the ground and the knife kicked out of his hand. Alongside his wife, who was berating the Glade Knights and protesting at their arrest, he was taken to the dungeons of the Amber Palace. Caratacos fell in a brooding silence, knowing that it was better to listen to dangerous predators than to try to reason with them and to bide ones time. They were left in the dungeon, and an ancient Warden came to them. He explained that their son was guilty of treason against the Eternal Throne, and that they would be taken into custody in a particular prison until agents of the throne had captured their son.
Caratacos held on to his wife as the Warden brought terrible fogs in around the dungeon. He held on as tightly as he could, but his wife was robbed from him. He found himself in the Twisting Trails, a place he knew by reputation from his childhood. He had lost everything, his wife, his son, and he was very, very alone again. But Ceren was alive! Clutching that hope close to his heart, he began walking the trails. Ceren was smart, he would find a way to get away from the Glade Knights and their family would be united again. Caratacos just had to find Aislinn and get out of the Twisting Trails.
Caratacos is a wood elf spy. He is clad in hides and leathers he has stolen from Lost and other prisoners, and he has fashioned himself a warmask from pines, branches and the claws of animals. He has grown suspicious of others and hostile, and he will hide in the fogs while holding his breath, waiting for enemies to pass by. He will only approach Ceren or Aislinn, and when he sees them he will hug them tight. He has lost his right eye, and a nasty scar runs along his skull. He is a true neutral character with a combination of the criminal and the outlander backgrounds.
Aislinn Charadric
Smooth-talking, charming and charismatic, Aislinn is a beautiful and clever con-woman who once made a living cheating businessmen and rich folks of their money in Chéad Cathair. She was always confident and a charmer, and she found an excellent mate in Caratacos with his cool methodology and silent confidence. The two of them together were perfect partners in crime, making sure that they never lived in financial trouble. They stayed under the radar for decades, succesfully hiding their tracks and making connections in the city.
Aislinn loved her son, Ceren, very much, and wanted nothing more than to protect him and make sure that he found a wife for himself at some point. She had plans to have a final heist at some point, which could set her family up permanently and allow her and Caratacos to take up more safe and legal occupations.
Her family was brutally taken from her when the Glade Knights, legendary and feared warriors, attacked their apartment and arrested Aislinn and Caratacos. She tried to stab one of the Knights, who broke her hand as punishment for this foolishness.
Neither her nor Caratacos understood what had happened, but they knew that Ceren had gotten away. The Glade Knights explained nothing as they were taken to the dungeons of the Amber Palace. A Glade Knight in great chains and with an executioner's axe on his back explained that their son had commited treason against the Eternal Throne, and that they would be held in exile in the Twisting Trails until their son had been captured and punished for his crimes.
And so Aislinn was separated from Caratacos and Ceren in the Twisting Trails. She has wandered for a long time, determined to find her family again. She wanders even now, and if she find either Ceren or Caratacos again she will embrace them without a moment's hesitation and then try to get out of there.
Unlike people like Jeleneth or Ibrahim, she is just a normal person who wants to survive and not a hero.
Aislinn is a wood elf bard, without any spells, who wears the same tattered clothes she was captured in. She is a chaotic neutral character with the charlatan background.
Caratacos Charadric
Originally of the savage tribes, Caratacos Charadric came to the city to try his luck as a thief, hoping to use his skills as a hunter in the pursuit of less dangerous but more profitable ventures. Caratacos was cold, efficient and confident, always getting the job done and doing his very best to do so quietly. He lived a lonely and isolated life, until he saw a beautiful woman steal a necklace from a merchant right off his neck, a necklace he had been scouting out for days. He met the woman, hoping to follow her home and take the necklace quietly from her, but instead he found himself going on a date with her to the market the next day. She was very perceptive and even more persuasive.
She introduced herself to him as Aislinn and he found an entirely new sort of camraderie. He found someone who understood him, who he could trust with anything and who shared his abilities and passion for crime. The two of them soon began working together, leaving a trail of stolen gold and valuables throughout the Outer City. Soon enough their friendship and partnership in crime turned to love and partnership in romance, as they realized they fulfilled eachother. Where Aislinn was talkative, Caratacos was observant. Where Aislinn was charming, Caratacos was intimidating. Where Aislinn was loud, Caratacos was quiet. The two of them made eachother complete, and soon enough they were one.
Not long after their union, they had their son, Ceren. Caratacos loved Ceren with all his heart and taught him the secrets he had been taught by his tribe in the Wildwood: how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to sneak, hunt and track prey and how to maintain focus on whatever task is at hand. He took Ceren out on several of his misions and even entrusted him with keeping watch and doing simple sleight of hand on a few. When the Glade Knights attacked their appartment, Caratacos was mortified. Had they come for him? He was an exile from the wild tribes, and those were not well loved by the Eternal Throne. He grabbed for his hidden hand crossbow, hoping to take one of them down and distract them so Aislinn and Ceren could run.
But he wasn't fast enough.
The lead Glade Knight saw him pull out a weapon and cast forth a wave of piercing magic, cutting through the hand crossbow and hitting Caratacos in his left eye. Blood flew through the air and Caratacos fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ceren in the other room, and he told Ceren to run quickly as he himself grabbed one of his knives and flew towards the Glade Knight. Caratacos did not make it very far, but he and Aislinn bought just enough time for Ceren to run.
Caratacos was thrown to the ground and the knife kicked out of his hand. Alongside his wife, who was berating the Glade Knights and protesting at their arrest, he was taken to the dungeons of the Amber Palace. Caratacos fell in a brooding silence, knowing that it was better to listen to dangerous predators than to try to reason with them and to bide ones time. They were left in the dungeon, and an ancient Warden came to them. He explained that their son was guilty of treason against the Eternal Throne, and that they would be taken into custody in a particular prison until agents of the throne had captured their son.
Caratacos held on to his wife as the Warden brought terrible fogs in around the dungeon. He held on as tightly as he could, but his wife was robbed from him. He found himself in the Twisting Trails, a place he knew by reputation from his childhood. He had lost everything, his wife, his son, and he was very, very alone again. But Ceren was alive! Clutching that hope close to his heart, he began walking the trails. Ceren was smart, he would find a way to get away from the Glade Knights and their family would be united again. Caratacos just had to find Aislinn and get out of the Twisting Trails.
Caratacos is a wood elf spy. He is clad in hides and leathers he has stolen from Lost and other prisoners, and he has fashioned himself a warmask from pines, branches and the claws of animals. He has grown suspicious of others and hostile, and he will hide in the fogs while holding his breath, waiting for enemies to pass by. He will only approach Ceren or Aislinn, and when he sees them he will hug them tight. He has lost his right eye, and a nasty scar runs along his skull. He is a true neutral character with a combination of the criminal and the outlander backgrounds.
Neutrals/Bystanders
The Twisting Trails
The Twisting Trails is the fey princess of the deep forrest with its winding paths, and embodies the idea of being lost and walking a road simply for the sake of walking a road. She is a relatively young fey princess, being born from the fear of mortals walking through he old forests after the First War. She fought in the Dream War against the Wood Elves, but was defeated when the Eternal King bound her with chains of permanence and stability. Today she serves as the ideal exile for those the Eternal King deem either too dangerous or too useful to be kept in ordinary prisons. She is allowed to sap the strength and life-force of her prisoners, and is even allowed to mostly feast freely on whatever victims she desires, so long as her machinations do not get in the way of the Eternal King.
The Warden of the Lost has watched over her for thousands of years and is a position chosen from among the Glade Knights. The Warden has the power to manipulate the Fogs of Forgettance and the Twisting Trails with the chains placed upon her by the Eternal King. The Twisting Trails does not like the Warden or the King, but she accepts their rulership as long as she is allowed to feed to her heart's content.
She feeds on the memories, relationships and youth of her prisoners over centuries of slow torment, in which their sanity is eroded by the eternal trails they must walk for her.
She has no true maliciousness towards the Owls, seeing that their success may be an indirect way to foil her own gaolers' plans. She will offer them hints that the Warden is onto them and may even be persuaded to shelter the Owls for a time, for a price of a cherished memory. Such a memory may be:
If the Owls have entered the domain by killing one of her children she will offer no such reprieve and will instead work hard to kill the owls. She will begin by sending the Lost against them, then send more of her children and finally she will send the Warden against them and threaten to kill Ceren's parents. She will be enraged.
The Twisting Trails is the fey princess of the deep forrest with its winding paths, and embodies the idea of being lost and walking a road simply for the sake of walking a road. She is a relatively young fey princess, being born from the fear of mortals walking through he old forests after the First War. She fought in the Dream War against the Wood Elves, but was defeated when the Eternal King bound her with chains of permanence and stability. Today she serves as the ideal exile for those the Eternal King deem either too dangerous or too useful to be kept in ordinary prisons. She is allowed to sap the strength and life-force of her prisoners, and is even allowed to mostly feast freely on whatever victims she desires, so long as her machinations do not get in the way of the Eternal King.
The Warden of the Lost has watched over her for thousands of years and is a position chosen from among the Glade Knights. The Warden has the power to manipulate the Fogs of Forgettance and the Twisting Trails with the chains placed upon her by the Eternal King. The Twisting Trails does not like the Warden or the King, but she accepts their rulership as long as she is allowed to feed to her heart's content.
She feeds on the memories, relationships and youth of her prisoners over centuries of slow torment, in which their sanity is eroded by the eternal trails they must walk for her.
She has no true maliciousness towards the Owls, seeing that their success may be an indirect way to foil her own gaolers' plans. She will offer them hints that the Warden is onto them and may even be persuaded to shelter the Owls for a time, for a price of a cherished memory. Such a memory may be:
- one's first kiss
- the time one found true love
- the memory of a parent's smile
- an old friend
If the Owls have entered the domain by killing one of her children she will offer no such reprieve and will instead work hard to kill the owls. She will begin by sending the Lost against them, then send more of her children and finally she will send the Warden against them and threaten to kill Ceren's parents. She will be enraged.
Adversaries
The Warden of the Lost
The Warden of the Lost is the Glade Knight put in charge of keeping the Twisting Trails under the control of the Eternal King and making sure that she doesn't consume the Eternal King's prisoners. He is also in charge of bringing in new prisoners and dispensing justice if any of them are to be put to death. He is a lawful neutral Wood Elf Ancient Paladin with special powers in the Twisting Trails. His knowledge of the fogs allow him to use them as weapons and he is master of the Lost, and can call them to aid in battle. He fights with his fog-powers and his great executioner's axe, using them together to fool and incapactiate his enemies before bringing swift and relentless justice.
The Warden appears ancient, even by elf standards, as he stand tall and lanky. His face has grown a deep shade of brown, like the bark of the pine trees, and his hair is a dark grey, like the fogs that surround him. His eyes are fogged over and he appears blind. Having no need for his eyes as he sees by supernatural means, he wears a black bandana over his eyes. He wears a silvery plate armour that appears to radiate coldness and loneliness, as the mists drip from it and faces of forgotten, crying souls can be seen in the depths of its reflection. Across the Wardens body are bound ancient chains and scrolls that ward him from the effects of the mists and the Twisting Trails, while allowing him to manipulate them to his own ends. Across his back is strung an ancient executioner's axe that has seen the wear and tear of milennia of use. Moss and plants grow along its spine, but its killing edge remains sharp and brutal.
The Warden exudes an aura of forgotten memories, lost futures and broken promises.
He uses his chains to manipulate the fogs and execute his magic.
Hunters
The Hunters are the long arm of wood elven justice, hunting down those who defy the eternal king and dragging back to Chéad Cathair in chains. They are the best wood elven warriors, chosen for their skills in tracking, their loyalty and their ferocity. Rather than lose themselves to the dreaming, they through elemental rituals and bonding with the Eternal King become immortal and slowly grow more and more powerful as their dreaming continues. The leader of the hunters dedicated to the hunt of Ceren Charadric is Laghairt, whose change is slowly turning him into a velociraptor-like beast. He has the stats of a relentless slasher. In addition there are:
The Warden of the Lost is the Glade Knight put in charge of keeping the Twisting Trails under the control of the Eternal King and making sure that she doesn't consume the Eternal King's prisoners. He is also in charge of bringing in new prisoners and dispensing justice if any of them are to be put to death. He is a lawful neutral Wood Elf Ancient Paladin with special powers in the Twisting Trails. His knowledge of the fogs allow him to use them as weapons and he is master of the Lost, and can call them to aid in battle. He fights with his fog-powers and his great executioner's axe, using them together to fool and incapactiate his enemies before bringing swift and relentless justice.
The Warden appears ancient, even by elf standards, as he stand tall and lanky. His face has grown a deep shade of brown, like the bark of the pine trees, and his hair is a dark grey, like the fogs that surround him. His eyes are fogged over and he appears blind. Having no need for his eyes as he sees by supernatural means, he wears a black bandana over his eyes. He wears a silvery plate armour that appears to radiate coldness and loneliness, as the mists drip from it and faces of forgotten, crying souls can be seen in the depths of its reflection. Across the Wardens body are bound ancient chains and scrolls that ward him from the effects of the mists and the Twisting Trails, while allowing him to manipulate them to his own ends. Across his back is strung an ancient executioner's axe that has seen the wear and tear of milennia of use. Moss and plants grow along its spine, but its killing edge remains sharp and brutal.
The Warden exudes an aura of forgotten memories, lost futures and broken promises.
He uses his chains to manipulate the fogs and execute his magic.
Hunters
The Hunters are the long arm of wood elven justice, hunting down those who defy the eternal king and dragging back to Chéad Cathair in chains. They are the best wood elven warriors, chosen for their skills in tracking, their loyalty and their ferocity. Rather than lose themselves to the dreaming, they through elemental rituals and bonding with the Eternal King become immortal and slowly grow more and more powerful as their dreaming continues. The leader of the hunters dedicated to the hunt of Ceren Charadric is Laghairt, whose change is slowly turning him into a velociraptor-like beast. He has the stats of a relentless slasher. In addition there are:
- A man with the characteristics of a moose, a relentless juggernaut
- A woman with bat-like characteristics, a nosferatu
- A woman with deer-like characteristics, an archdruid
- A man with the features of a tiger, a warlock of the archfey
Backdrops
Locations
The Twisting Trails
The Twisting Trails is both fey princess and fey court. She is a big land of deep valleys, tall pine trees and impenetrable fogs. Working their way through this inscrutable and ominous landscape are the Twisting Trails from which she takes her name, most of them small patches of gravel that lead ever forwards and occasionally twist and turn and divide themselves. Sometimes the trails nearly dissappear, reduced merely to worn-down paths through the woods, but they can always be found again so long as one continues forward. The world behind one is formless and grey, all that exists is the path ahead. Sometimes the trails diverge and one must choose. No path leads out of the court, but one can never stop moving forwards.
In the fog between the trails, dark creatures can be seen hounding and running and screaming. These are the Lost, forever damned to walk in the nothingness without their personality or memory. These are jealous creatures and will attack those who are not yet lost on sight. But the Lost are not the strangest creatures in the Twisting Trails, as her many children have claimed small groves and glades within her land, and frequently return home with gifts of lost souls for their mother. These glades are strange sights of mildewy lanterns and colourful ribbons floating in the air. The most common of the Twisting Trails' children are the hulders, women-like creatures who lure the foolish and naive into their maws, but there are other, stranger creatures yet.
The Tree of Light
One of the few places in the Twisting Trails with anything approaching merry light, the Tree of Light is a massive oaken tree that can be seen through the fog by virtue of the many colourful and vibrant lanterns that hang in its great branches. It is the home of the Stranger, and the lanterns are the burning souls of children it has stolen away. The Stranger is one of the favored children of the Twisting Trails, and the creature that has stolen away Astrid's brother. The Owls will find a dirty human child that has run through the forrest. The child is scared of anyone they meet, and will run in the wrong direction by the crossroads once they see the Owls. The Owls must then choose to follow or continue on their path. Following will give them 200 XP. The child's name is Ole, and he was stolen away from his family by a beautiful light in the forrest. He is from the Sceyan town of Snehøj (her er skrekk-sessionen). If Aloisia is with the Owls, she will want them to follow.
The Lake of the Lost
This cold lake lies in the middle of the forrest, and is one of the few places where one can see more than thirty feet into the fog, as it opens to reveal the deep dark waters of this godforsaken lake. Out in the lake, floating corpses can be seen drifting with impossible currents. One of the party, as they are walking past, must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or suddenly feel a need to jump into the cold, dark waters. If the character does so, the water's spirit will restrain them and try to drown them. Any who try to intervene must fight against the spirit, which is a powerful child of the Twisting Trails with the stats of a Juvenile Kraken.
The Lonely Giant
As the Owls walk, the woods around them suddenly open up, and they can see a mountain in the distance. The mountain stands completely alone, all that remains of a family of mountains that once stood together. As the Owls walk past this mountain they will come across a dwarven miner lying on the ground. He is catatonic but is visibly happy to see people again. As he slowly regains his wits he explains that he got lost from his mining company, and that he doesn't know where to go from here.
The Whispering Wilds
The Whispering Wilds is the birthplace of hulders. It is populated with strangely glowing trees, and the wind seems to form words that lie just beyond the edge of understanding. As the Owls walk through here, a hulder decides to play a trick on them. The hulder allows the fog to come close to the Owls, and takes the place of Blaecbrand. After a while, Blaecbrand rejoins the Owls, and the Owls must discover which of the two is the true Blaecbrand. The hulder will flee if attacked, and the Twisting Trails will intervene if they come close to killing her child.
Det er her Huldre blei født, og trea dei er bundne til er her. Dei kviskrer og prøver å lure folk ut. Dei bytter seg ut med Blaecbrand og Ida får spele hulderen som er ho, mens eg speler Blaecbrand. SNAKK MED IDA OM DETTE. NESTE GONG.
Dead End
Dette er inngangen til The Twisting Trails, og kor partyet skal gå når dei skal ut igjen. Det er "lika" til mange skogalver her, da dei tek ein feil tur og går ein plass dei ikkje kan snu seg igjen. Om partyet går hit blir dei kasta ut av the Twisting Trails.
Tomb of Silverspear
Máelán Silverspear was a prince of the Wood Elves, and was witness to the terrible attack when Altsehash, the Fanged Father of Jesters, tried to claim the power of Crann Domhanda for himself. This attack left huge parts of Chéad Cathair in ruins, giving the city scars it still bears today. He dedicated himself to avenging his people on Altsehash, and brought a few warriors with him on his quest. While the Dream War raged in the Feywild, Silverspear dedicated himself to tracking down Altsehash through his many machinations and learning as much about him as possible.
After centuries, at least to him, of discovering secrets and hunting for Altsehash he finally had the weapon he would need. This weapon was the silver spear from which he took his name, inscribed with wards and words of power that would allow him to wound Altsehash. In the final battle, in which Máelán, supported by the Eternal King, attacked Altsehash, Máelán was mortally wounded by the Old Wolf. But as Altsehash circled the dying Máelán, he grew cocky. He was too slow in drawing close to the elven prince, and found himself skewered in the side by Máelán. Máelán thus became the first mortal to ever wound Altsehash, and gave him and his children a dreadful fear of silver, as well as terrific pain if they were ever wounded by such blades.
While Altsehash's wound was far from fatal, it was a painful reminder of his mortality and a serious blow to his pride. He ended up bending the knee to the Eternal King, and a deal was made between the two of them. The Eternal King would remain quiet about Altsehash's fear of silver and would guard the Silverspear, the weapon destined to kill the Old Wolf, and Altsehash would never dissent against the wood elves again.
Thus was Máelán Silverspear forgotten by all but his few loyal followers, who burried him in this tomb in the Azerheim forrest, alongside his writings regarding Altsehash's weaknesses. These followers buried themselves alongside Máelán, taking the forms of ghosts who would repel any invaders sent by the Old Wolf but would give their secrets to those who had Altsehash as their enemy.
The tomb of Silverspear holds Silverspear's loyal warriors, now reduced to spirits, and Silverspear's writings about Altsehash. In particular one book, locked in a silver casket, which is the Máelán's Chronicle, and holds details on Altsehash's strengths and weaknesses, as well as his true name. This book also talks about the Silverspear, the only way to truly kill Altsehash. The other books chronicle Máelán's personal war on Altsehash.
The Twisting Trails is both fey princess and fey court. She is a big land of deep valleys, tall pine trees and impenetrable fogs. Working their way through this inscrutable and ominous landscape are the Twisting Trails from which she takes her name, most of them small patches of gravel that lead ever forwards and occasionally twist and turn and divide themselves. Sometimes the trails nearly dissappear, reduced merely to worn-down paths through the woods, but they can always be found again so long as one continues forward. The world behind one is formless and grey, all that exists is the path ahead. Sometimes the trails diverge and one must choose. No path leads out of the court, but one can never stop moving forwards.
In the fog between the trails, dark creatures can be seen hounding and running and screaming. These are the Lost, forever damned to walk in the nothingness without their personality or memory. These are jealous creatures and will attack those who are not yet lost on sight. But the Lost are not the strangest creatures in the Twisting Trails, as her many children have claimed small groves and glades within her land, and frequently return home with gifts of lost souls for their mother. These glades are strange sights of mildewy lanterns and colourful ribbons floating in the air. The most common of the Twisting Trails' children are the hulders, women-like creatures who lure the foolish and naive into their maws, but there are other, stranger creatures yet.
The Tree of Light
One of the few places in the Twisting Trails with anything approaching merry light, the Tree of Light is a massive oaken tree that can be seen through the fog by virtue of the many colourful and vibrant lanterns that hang in its great branches. It is the home of the Stranger, and the lanterns are the burning souls of children it has stolen away. The Stranger is one of the favored children of the Twisting Trails, and the creature that has stolen away Astrid's brother. The Owls will find a dirty human child that has run through the forrest. The child is scared of anyone they meet, and will run in the wrong direction by the crossroads once they see the Owls. The Owls must then choose to follow or continue on their path. Following will give them 200 XP. The child's name is Ole, and he was stolen away from his family by a beautiful light in the forrest. He is from the Sceyan town of Snehøj (her er skrekk-sessionen). If Aloisia is with the Owls, she will want them to follow.
The Lake of the Lost
This cold lake lies in the middle of the forrest, and is one of the few places where one can see more than thirty feet into the fog, as it opens to reveal the deep dark waters of this godforsaken lake. Out in the lake, floating corpses can be seen drifting with impossible currents. One of the party, as they are walking past, must make a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or suddenly feel a need to jump into the cold, dark waters. If the character does so, the water's spirit will restrain them and try to drown them. Any who try to intervene must fight against the spirit, which is a powerful child of the Twisting Trails with the stats of a Juvenile Kraken.
The Lonely Giant
As the Owls walk, the woods around them suddenly open up, and they can see a mountain in the distance. The mountain stands completely alone, all that remains of a family of mountains that once stood together. As the Owls walk past this mountain they will come across a dwarven miner lying on the ground. He is catatonic but is visibly happy to see people again. As he slowly regains his wits he explains that he got lost from his mining company, and that he doesn't know where to go from here.
The Whispering Wilds
The Whispering Wilds is the birthplace of hulders. It is populated with strangely glowing trees, and the wind seems to form words that lie just beyond the edge of understanding. As the Owls walk through here, a hulder decides to play a trick on them. The hulder allows the fog to come close to the Owls, and takes the place of Blaecbrand. After a while, Blaecbrand rejoins the Owls, and the Owls must discover which of the two is the true Blaecbrand. The hulder will flee if attacked, and the Twisting Trails will intervene if they come close to killing her child.
Det er her Huldre blei født, og trea dei er bundne til er her. Dei kviskrer og prøver å lure folk ut. Dei bytter seg ut med Blaecbrand og Ida får spele hulderen som er ho, mens eg speler Blaecbrand. SNAKK MED IDA OM DETTE. NESTE GONG.
Dead End
Dette er inngangen til The Twisting Trails, og kor partyet skal gå når dei skal ut igjen. Det er "lika" til mange skogalver her, da dei tek ein feil tur og går ein plass dei ikkje kan snu seg igjen. Om partyet går hit blir dei kasta ut av the Twisting Trails.
Tomb of Silverspear
Máelán Silverspear was a prince of the Wood Elves, and was witness to the terrible attack when Altsehash, the Fanged Father of Jesters, tried to claim the power of Crann Domhanda for himself. This attack left huge parts of Chéad Cathair in ruins, giving the city scars it still bears today. He dedicated himself to avenging his people on Altsehash, and brought a few warriors with him on his quest. While the Dream War raged in the Feywild, Silverspear dedicated himself to tracking down Altsehash through his many machinations and learning as much about him as possible.
After centuries, at least to him, of discovering secrets and hunting for Altsehash he finally had the weapon he would need. This weapon was the silver spear from which he took his name, inscribed with wards and words of power that would allow him to wound Altsehash. In the final battle, in which Máelán, supported by the Eternal King, attacked Altsehash, Máelán was mortally wounded by the Old Wolf. But as Altsehash circled the dying Máelán, he grew cocky. He was too slow in drawing close to the elven prince, and found himself skewered in the side by Máelán. Máelán thus became the first mortal to ever wound Altsehash, and gave him and his children a dreadful fear of silver, as well as terrific pain if they were ever wounded by such blades.
While Altsehash's wound was far from fatal, it was a painful reminder of his mortality and a serious blow to his pride. He ended up bending the knee to the Eternal King, and a deal was made between the two of them. The Eternal King would remain quiet about Altsehash's fear of silver and would guard the Silverspear, the weapon destined to kill the Old Wolf, and Altsehash would never dissent against the wood elves again.
Thus was Máelán Silverspear forgotten by all but his few loyal followers, who burried him in this tomb in the Azerheim forrest, alongside his writings regarding Altsehash's weaknesses. These followers buried themselves alongside Máelán, taking the forms of ghosts who would repel any invaders sent by the Old Wolf but would give their secrets to those who had Altsehash as their enemy.
The tomb of Silverspear holds Silverspear's loyal warriors, now reduced to spirits, and Silverspear's writings about Altsehash. In particular one book, locked in a silver casket, which is the Máelán's Chronicle, and holds details on Altsehash's strengths and weaknesses, as well as his true name. This book also talks about the Silverspear, the only way to truly kill Altsehash. The other books chronicle Máelán's personal war on Altsehash.
Threats
The Fey Wild
Research:
From 20th to 26th of Rain
The Twisting Trails:
Hvordan domenet fungerer/hvordan ikke bli lost
Blaecbrand finner ein bok med barnefortellinger fortalt nær gamle skoger i Gullimperiet for å halde styr på barna:
Don't take a left, don't take a right
On the Twisting Trails tonight
Where did you go, what did you do?
To stand here, without even a shoe
Did you scream, did you yell
Did you say a secret you shouldn't tell?
Now you're alone, in the dark
On a path of gravel so stark
"Move forward" you hear yourself say,
"move forward and it will all be okay."
The mists around you laugh,
and your hope is broken in half
You're lost, you're alone
all you hear is the wind's moan
Don't take a left, don't take a right
On the Twisting Trails tonight
The following is the elven translation of a nursery rhyme popular among the humans who live near the forests of Sceya. It appears to be a referance to the Twisting Trails, who Imperial scholars believe to be an insidious fey princess. Such nursery rhymes often contain more than a hint of truth, so we should analyze it to see what we can glean from it. The Twisting Trails appears to lure people into her court, and enjoy them becoming lost in her realm. How one would escape such a realm is uncertain, but if her court obeys the same rules of dream-logic the rest of the Feywild seems to obey, then perhaps having something to navigate by that can't be manipulated would be useful. Ideally something with symbolic meaning, such as a creature with which one has a connection or an object that represents a guiding light in one's life. It is likely that no maps exist of her court, and that compasses would simply prove useless if they were brought in. Another fey prince might be able to manipulate her court, though one would have to pay a price to such a being that might be worse than simply being lost for all eternity.
Naviation:
Hvordan en navigerer i the fey wild - kommer seg dit en vil
Etter å leite mykje rundt om magi, teleportering og vandring mellom planes finner du ein gammal alkymistisk manual som reflekterer rundt forskjellege kulturer og deira tilnærming til magi. Etter å leite litt i den finner du eit kort avsnitt som handler om skogalvers "Dreamwalking", skrevet på gnomisk:
The Wood Elves hail from the far-away continent of Maeril and they have no ships, navies, ways nor desires to travel to ocean. How is it then that Wood Elves have been observed, at least once, in nearly every major forest of Dain, our own continent, and that a city of Wood Elves named Cathair Salann exists on our northern coast? The answer to this question is both simple and complicated. Simple because it is easy to say, complicated because it is difficult to explain. The Wood Elves make use of the Dreamways, wherein they wander through the Feywild to their destination. This of course seems preposterous to us. The Feywild is a realm in constant change, where there are few permanent signs to navigate by and where the speed of any journey is completely at the mercy of temporal disruptions. Yet clearly, it works for them. The author once had the pleasure of speaking with a Dreamwalker, the Wood Elves charged with leading others on the Dreamways and discovering new ones, and the entire conversation answered some questions while raising many others. First some misconceptions many imperials have about the Dreamways must be cleared up: the Dreamways are not roads like our Imperial Highway. The landscape one travels through is not the same every journey, and one cannot trust landmarks as they can move relative to one another, or simply cease existing altogether. The Dreamwalker explained that it is the destination that matters. The Dreamwalkers cast spells and perform rituals which they use in tandem with artefacts to move towards a destination. The Dreamwalker showed the author a piece of amber, which he told me was from the great Glowing Trees of Cathair Gheal, a substance that was infused with the essence of its origin. She could use this to return her party home. She had several similar artefacts from different places in the Wood Elven nation. Now of course, the author found this very strange. This is a magic of symbols, of dreams. Perhaps alchemists could eventually learn to decipher how such magic works, but Wood Elves would likely take dire offence to any attempt to infringe upon their borders. Regardless, it seems that dreamwalking works not by charting a path through an ever-shifting landscape, but rather by having a connection to one's goal.
Time in the Fey Wild:
Hvordan en ikke mister tid i the fey wild
Eit utdrag frå "Travel between the continents of the known world" av bror Alejandro
"So far in the book we have discussed the mundane ways of travelling between the known continents of the world (those being Dain, Qi, Maeril, the elven homeland and Draconis) in the form of ships traversing the Countless Oceans, caravans travelling through the Underways and the airships of the cloud giants and sky gnomes. While the first is the most common form, the other two must be considered 'mundane' as they require actually moving through a lane towards a destination. The remaining ways of transportation are stranger, and most include such heretical practice as trans-planar teleportation. One of the most well known forms of such travel is Dreamwalking, used by Wood Elves to travel through the Feywild. This method seems to shorten the journey by weeks. Given the strange temporal nature of the Feywild, yet the ubiquity with which the Wood Elves use this method, it seems likely that the Dreamwalkers have the ability to, at least partially, control the time-altering nature of the Feywild."
The Fog of Forgettance
Walking too long in the fog between the twisting trails will result in one losing one's memory and becoming one of the Lost. The Lost also attack those who move in the fog. They have stats similar to the Shadowspawn from Mordenkainen's. They can work like the Mists of Dread from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, except they cause exhaustion instead of damage. Reaching the final stage results in becoming one of the Lost, rather than dying.
The Twisting Trails
As the Owls move along the twisting trails, they find that they change and double back in mysterious ways. The Owls must use Altsehash's map to guide them around the Twisting Trails. This will be a logic puzzle, where the party must find out where in the Twisting Trails they are, use the direction to Ceren's parents as a compass and then use Altsehash's map as a guide. The map has certain points of permanence, which the party must use to navigate the changing ways.
Walking too long in the fog between the twisting trails will result in one losing one's memory and becoming one of the Lost. The Lost also attack those who move in the fog. They have stats similar to the Shadowspawn from Mordenkainen's. They can work like the Mists of Dread from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, except they cause exhaustion instead of damage. Reaching the final stage results in becoming one of the Lost, rather than dying.
The Twisting Trails
As the Owls move along the twisting trails, they find that they change and double back in mysterious ways. The Owls must use Altsehash's map to guide them around the Twisting Trails. This will be a logic puzzle, where the party must find out where in the Twisting Trails they are, use the direction to Ceren's parents as a compass and then use Altsehash's map as a guide. The map has certain points of permanence, which the party must use to navigate the changing ways.
Encounters
The Lost and the Damned
As the night goes on, the Owls come under attack from the Lost with as they walk the Fogs of the Twisting Trails. These encounters escalate, beginning with easy, then medium, then hard. The first encounter begins after the Owls have entered the Twisting Trails, the second after they find the first parent and the third after they find the second parent.
Finding the Mother
Aislinn walks the Twisting Trails, and when she sees Ceren she goes running towards him and gives him a big hug. She asks him so many questions but will focus on the task at hand if she is told to focus.
Finding the Father
Caratacos walks the Twisting Trails, just along the edge of where the trails meets the fog. When someone comes close to him he will try to hide in the fog, but when he sees Ceren or Aislin he will run up and hug them, and ask if they are alright. He will hug them close, then focus on getting out of the woods, asking if they have a way to leave. If they have not found Aislinn yet he will ask the Owls to move to find her as soon as possible.
He doesn't talk much, preferring to focus on getting out and wishing to speak with Ceren more in depth later. Talking with the Twisting Trails
The Twisting Trails will wish to meet with the Owls almost as soon as they enter her domain. She will explain that she holds no maliciousness towards them, but that she won't help them find their way in her. That would go against her nature. She can however give them a place to rest for a short while, for the price of a memory. She will travel to them after most of the fights against the Lost, asking if they wish for her to protect them.
Strangers with a familiar face
For a moment, the fog obscures everything, and then there are several of Ceren's father/mother around them. These extras are huldres, and will try to convince Ceren that they are the real parent. Ceren must choose the right one. This can either be a "random encounter" as they are walking through the Twisting Trails on their way to finding the second parent.
The Warden of the Lost
As the Owls try to leave the Twisting Trails they are stopped by the Warden of the Lost. He confronts Ceren, telling him that his treason against the Eternal Throne is a serious matter, and that he is to be tried in the capital. He can either come along willingly, in which case his parents will be released from the Twisting Trails alongside his travelling companions, or he can resist and justice will be dispensed immediately, and all of his companions will be left in the Twisting Trails, completely at her mercy.
If the Owls and Ceren resist, the Warden will say that he is dissappointed but not surprised. He will then use his mastery of the mists to send the party into hallucinations of their most lonesome moments.
If he is reduced to very few hitpoints he will yield, asking the Owls for mercy and offering to let them leave the Twisting Trails. Lonesome memories:
Davor: Ensomt øyeblikk por Davor: tiden før Davor ble tatt inn av kirkå. I tiden før var Davor i stor grad etterlatt til seg selv og hadde ikke noen han virkelig kunne støtte seg på. Dette var ting han fant i brorskapet. Davor, du er eit barn igjen. Du går rundt omkring i For Sur sine gater, til lyden av hammere frå smiene og samtaler mellom gruvearbeidere. Du vandrer blant dei i håp om å kanskje få ein liten jobb, slik du kan tjene litt gull og få litt ekstra mat i magen utover det kyrkja gir deg. Men i det du går rundt blandt smiene ser folk på deg med ein blanding av pity og contempt. Du er klanlaus, utan familie og foreldre. I så godt som alle verkstadane er det born på din alder, born som leiker saman og blir lært opp av klanen sin til å være smeder. Dei et god mat i pausene sine og spring rundt omkring og leiker tikken i skikkelege klede og gode sko. Du står på kanten av alt saman, altid tolerert men aldri inkludert. Du står aleine i ein by kor felleskap er allting.
Når ting går bra: Davor, du står og ser på dei andre barna leike mellom smiene. Du står utafor, men du høyrer nokon bak deg: "Hei gutt, kan du hjelpe meg med å bære dette?". Du snur deg og ser ein stor dvergisk mann med eit tjukt svart skjegg løfte nokre kasser av ein vogn. Bak han kjem det eit sterkt gull-aktig lys Han går i ein simpel smeds garb, med ein laus skjorte, tjukke bukser og ein simpel hammer i beltet. Håret hans er kort, men skjegget hans er langt og er fletta på fabelaktige måter. Det einaste som peiker han ut som noko spesielt er bronse-armbandet han har på overarmen, som forestiller ein drage som snur seg rundt overarmen hans. Han kaster ein gullmynt til deg, reint gull!, og får deg til å hjelpe han med å løfte kassene. Han er ein av prestene i kyrkja. Han spør deg: "sei meg gutt, har du høyrd om Drageguden før?". Dette byrjer reisen din inn i kyrkja, kor du finner ditt fellesskap.
Når Davor våkner opp ser han Mushu som har prøvd å få han til å våkne opp. Mushu går opp på skuldra hans og gjer seg klar til kamp.
Rod: Han våknar opp begravd etter å ha sett heile familien og landsbyen sin bli drept.
BB: Den tidlege tida når ho prøvde å lære seg magien sin, men var aleine i Tornehoffet.
Når ting blir bra (spel the Yawning Grave): Før eller sida dupper du av Blaecbrand, heilt tømt for energi etter magien og sorgen din. Du våkner igjen seinare, det er framleis mørkt ute så du trur det er seint om natta. Døren opner seg og det lyser opp med eit varmt gull-aktig lys, i det ein silluett kjem inn i rommet. Det er bestemoren din, Alvana. Ho har ikkje på seg nokre av sine fabelaktige kjoler, men heller simple og praktiske klede, nesten som om ho var ein jeger. Det er noko med måten ho går på som viser hennar fokus på deg i akkurat dette augeblikket. Du er for trøtt til å sei noko (?). Du ser noko rart då. Ho har ikkje masken sin på seg, det vakre metall-ansiktet hennar henger i beltet hennar. For den første gong nokon sinne, og den einaste gong på lenge, ser du Alvana sitt ekte ansikt. Ho likner ikkje veldig på deg eller Jeleneth, hennar features er på ein eller anna måte meir noble enn dikkar. Ho har djupe, brune auge og eit skarpt ansikt. Det er noko nesten overnaturleg med ho, som om ho var ein statue gitt levande form. Men den ærlege kjærleiken i auga hennar for deg viser alt anna. Ho lener seg ned og løfter deg opp som om du veigde ingenting. Du visste ikkje bestemor var så sterk. Du føler deg heilt beskytta i hennar favn, med ein visshet om at uansett kva monstre eller demoner som kjem etter deg vil bestemor altid passe på deg. Ho byrjer å løfte deg inn på rommet ditt for å tucke deg i sengs. Du høyrer ho såvitt sei "We're going to deal with this, sweet child. Your mother is a brave woman, and your grandmother still remembers a few things from her youth. We will protect you and help you get through this." Hotek deg på panna og drar noko av håret ditt ut av panna. Ho smile vemodig og seier "You'll always be our little firestarter." Lyset frå ho blir blennande og du "våkner opp".
Ceren: Ceren sitt mest einsame augeblikk må ha vore rett etter at foreldra blei tatt og han rømmer aleine inn i skogen.
Når ting blir bra (spel Scared of the Dark): Ceren spring inn i lyset og me ser mange av dei mest sentrale tinga, kor han møtte partymedlemmene og blei venner med dei. Dei er hans veg gjennom einsomhet. Ha scener med alle karakterane (og nokre NPC-er) som ender med at Ceren finner igjen foreldrene sine.
Dolk: Når kjæresten døde i den Akshusiske ørkenen. Dolk blir sint og lar Raiq ta over. Hen mocker Dolk sitt mest einsame minne og seier: "Me må verkeleg ha gløymd mykje om dette er vårt mest einsame minne. Grin me verkeleg over eit einaste menneske, når me har så mange søsken å grine over og uskyldig blod på våre hender?". Etter ein interaksjon med Dolk spør Raiq: "Det er berre når du-eg- er sint at eg kan komme ut av mørket. Så eg vil du skal fortsette å være sint. Kvifor burde eg då hjelpe deg?" Forhåpentligvis greier Dolk å overtale Raiq om å hjelpe. Dolk seier at hen vil være med å redde Sølv. Så gjer dei ein "deal".
Andre gode sitat å bruke: "Ja, du har rett. Det er mine hender. Du er berre skyggen som er igjen når eg blir tatt vekk. Du er ingenting."
Fire
Når Dolk overtaler Raiq om å hjelpe blir dei to til ein igjen, og dei får ein felles stemme. Hen puster ut eld som brenn vekk tåka og gir Uglene tilbake makten deira. Flammene får alle til å sjå noko positivt i sine eigne minner. The Warden er i sjokk og tar retrett og summoner ein hær med dei fortapte for å slåss mot Uglene. Dolk ser seg rundt og gir ordre med Raiq sin autoritet: "Ok Ugler, me har ein alvorleg kamp forann oss. Prioritetene er som følger: drep Vokteren slik me kan komme ut og beskytt Ceren sine foreldre. Davor og Blaecbrand, bruk magien dikkar til å halde så mange av monstrene tilbake som mogeleg. Eg vil ha dei stoppa før dei kan true Caratacos og Aislin. Brenn dei, reduser dei til støv, hald dei unna. Forstått?" "Po, eg vil ha deg på support duty. Slå til der du føler er best og bruk magien din til å halde oss i gong. Det gjeld og for deke, Davor og Blaecbrand. Forstått?" "Ceren, vi går i duell mot Vokteren. Hjartet vil beskytte deg frå tåka, så du kan kjøpe tid til meg og halde Fortapte unna medan eg tar meg av den heidenske alven. Forstått?" "Rod og Geronimo... drep så mange deke kan." Dolk tek halberden sinn inn i mitten, for å signalisere til laget at me har eit moment. Så seier hen: "Ugler... la oss fly."
Dolk går då i duell mot Vokteren, som seier: "If you fight half as well as you run boy, this might be a worthy battle." Under kampen kjem det ganske mange av the Lost, som partyet får anledning til å slåss mot å gå ham mot.
The Hunters
As the Owls are on their way home through the Feywild, the Hunters track them and eventually ambush them. They are dangerous and powerful. If the Owls understand that the Hunters track the parents, they will both willingly offer themselves up if nessecary. Eventually the leader of the hunters, the velociraptor, appears in a nearby tree and says: "Hello again, prey. Its been to long. Oh, and don't think your honeydaddy is going to save you now," viser sølvkniven "this time around, we'll make sure he remembers who holds his leash."
As the Owls begin moving home through the Feywild, the hunters reveal their agency in all this. They were the ones who made the deal with the Twisting Trails to get Ceren into the trails. They offer to take the documents Ceren stole and be done with the whole business, promising that Ceren and his family will be allowed to find peace. They also offer him a job in the future once his change begins, as he is clearly a skilled and dangerous individual.
If Ceren refuses to give up the documents, the party will be attacked by the hunters.
As the night goes on, the Owls come under attack from the Lost with as they walk the Fogs of the Twisting Trails. These encounters escalate, beginning with easy, then medium, then hard. The first encounter begins after the Owls have entered the Twisting Trails, the second after they find the first parent and the third after they find the second parent.
Finding the Mother
Aislinn walks the Twisting Trails, and when she sees Ceren she goes running towards him and gives him a big hug. She asks him so many questions but will focus on the task at hand if she is told to focus.
Finding the Father
Caratacos walks the Twisting Trails, just along the edge of where the trails meets the fog. When someone comes close to him he will try to hide in the fog, but when he sees Ceren or Aislin he will run up and hug them, and ask if they are alright. He will hug them close, then focus on getting out of the woods, asking if they have a way to leave. If they have not found Aislinn yet he will ask the Owls to move to find her as soon as possible.
He doesn't talk much, preferring to focus on getting out and wishing to speak with Ceren more in depth later. Talking with the Twisting Trails
The Twisting Trails will wish to meet with the Owls almost as soon as they enter her domain. She will explain that she holds no maliciousness towards them, but that she won't help them find their way in her. That would go against her nature. She can however give them a place to rest for a short while, for the price of a memory. She will travel to them after most of the fights against the Lost, asking if they wish for her to protect them.
Strangers with a familiar face
For a moment, the fog obscures everything, and then there are several of Ceren's father/mother around them. These extras are huldres, and will try to convince Ceren that they are the real parent. Ceren must choose the right one. This can either be a "random encounter" as they are walking through the Twisting Trails on their way to finding the second parent.
The Warden of the Lost
As the Owls try to leave the Twisting Trails they are stopped by the Warden of the Lost. He confronts Ceren, telling him that his treason against the Eternal Throne is a serious matter, and that he is to be tried in the capital. He can either come along willingly, in which case his parents will be released from the Twisting Trails alongside his travelling companions, or he can resist and justice will be dispensed immediately, and all of his companions will be left in the Twisting Trails, completely at her mercy.
If the Owls and Ceren resist, the Warden will say that he is dissappointed but not surprised. He will then use his mastery of the mists to send the party into hallucinations of their most lonesome moments.
If he is reduced to very few hitpoints he will yield, asking the Owls for mercy and offering to let them leave the Twisting Trails. Lonesome memories:
Davor: Ensomt øyeblikk por Davor: tiden før Davor ble tatt inn av kirkå. I tiden før var Davor i stor grad etterlatt til seg selv og hadde ikke noen han virkelig kunne støtte seg på. Dette var ting han fant i brorskapet. Davor, du er eit barn igjen. Du går rundt omkring i For Sur sine gater, til lyden av hammere frå smiene og samtaler mellom gruvearbeidere. Du vandrer blant dei i håp om å kanskje få ein liten jobb, slik du kan tjene litt gull og få litt ekstra mat i magen utover det kyrkja gir deg. Men i det du går rundt blandt smiene ser folk på deg med ein blanding av pity og contempt. Du er klanlaus, utan familie og foreldre. I så godt som alle verkstadane er det born på din alder, born som leiker saman og blir lært opp av klanen sin til å være smeder. Dei et god mat i pausene sine og spring rundt omkring og leiker tikken i skikkelege klede og gode sko. Du står på kanten av alt saman, altid tolerert men aldri inkludert. Du står aleine i ein by kor felleskap er allting.
Når ting går bra: Davor, du står og ser på dei andre barna leike mellom smiene. Du står utafor, men du høyrer nokon bak deg: "Hei gutt, kan du hjelpe meg med å bære dette?". Du snur deg og ser ein stor dvergisk mann med eit tjukt svart skjegg løfte nokre kasser av ein vogn. Bak han kjem det eit sterkt gull-aktig lys Han går i ein simpel smeds garb, med ein laus skjorte, tjukke bukser og ein simpel hammer i beltet. Håret hans er kort, men skjegget hans er langt og er fletta på fabelaktige måter. Det einaste som peiker han ut som noko spesielt er bronse-armbandet han har på overarmen, som forestiller ein drage som snur seg rundt overarmen hans. Han kaster ein gullmynt til deg, reint gull!, og får deg til å hjelpe han med å løfte kassene. Han er ein av prestene i kyrkja. Han spør deg: "sei meg gutt, har du høyrd om Drageguden før?". Dette byrjer reisen din inn i kyrkja, kor du finner ditt fellesskap.
Når Davor våkner opp ser han Mushu som har prøvd å få han til å våkne opp. Mushu går opp på skuldra hans og gjer seg klar til kamp.
Rod: Han våknar opp begravd etter å ha sett heile familien og landsbyen sin bli drept.
BB: Den tidlege tida når ho prøvde å lære seg magien sin, men var aleine i Tornehoffet.
Når ting blir bra (spel the Yawning Grave): Før eller sida dupper du av Blaecbrand, heilt tømt for energi etter magien og sorgen din. Du våkner igjen seinare, det er framleis mørkt ute så du trur det er seint om natta. Døren opner seg og det lyser opp med eit varmt gull-aktig lys, i det ein silluett kjem inn i rommet. Det er bestemoren din, Alvana. Ho har ikkje på seg nokre av sine fabelaktige kjoler, men heller simple og praktiske klede, nesten som om ho var ein jeger. Det er noko med måten ho går på som viser hennar fokus på deg i akkurat dette augeblikket. Du er for trøtt til å sei noko (?). Du ser noko rart då. Ho har ikkje masken sin på seg, det vakre metall-ansiktet hennar henger i beltet hennar. For den første gong nokon sinne, og den einaste gong på lenge, ser du Alvana sitt ekte ansikt. Ho likner ikkje veldig på deg eller Jeleneth, hennar features er på ein eller anna måte meir noble enn dikkar. Ho har djupe, brune auge og eit skarpt ansikt. Det er noko nesten overnaturleg med ho, som om ho var ein statue gitt levande form. Men den ærlege kjærleiken i auga hennar for deg viser alt anna. Ho lener seg ned og løfter deg opp som om du veigde ingenting. Du visste ikkje bestemor var så sterk. Du føler deg heilt beskytta i hennar favn, med ein visshet om at uansett kva monstre eller demoner som kjem etter deg vil bestemor altid passe på deg. Ho byrjer å løfte deg inn på rommet ditt for å tucke deg i sengs. Du høyrer ho såvitt sei "We're going to deal with this, sweet child. Your mother is a brave woman, and your grandmother still remembers a few things from her youth. We will protect you and help you get through this." Hotek deg på panna og drar noko av håret ditt ut av panna. Ho smile vemodig og seier "You'll always be our little firestarter." Lyset frå ho blir blennande og du "våkner opp".
Ceren: Ceren sitt mest einsame augeblikk må ha vore rett etter at foreldra blei tatt og han rømmer aleine inn i skogen.
Når ting blir bra (spel Scared of the Dark): Ceren spring inn i lyset og me ser mange av dei mest sentrale tinga, kor han møtte partymedlemmene og blei venner med dei. Dei er hans veg gjennom einsomhet. Ha scener med alle karakterane (og nokre NPC-er) som ender med at Ceren finner igjen foreldrene sine.
Dolk: Når kjæresten døde i den Akshusiske ørkenen. Dolk blir sint og lar Raiq ta over. Hen mocker Dolk sitt mest einsame minne og seier: "Me må verkeleg ha gløymd mykje om dette er vårt mest einsame minne. Grin me verkeleg over eit einaste menneske, når me har så mange søsken å grine over og uskyldig blod på våre hender?". Etter ein interaksjon med Dolk spør Raiq: "Det er berre når du-eg- er sint at eg kan komme ut av mørket. Så eg vil du skal fortsette å være sint. Kvifor burde eg då hjelpe deg?" Forhåpentligvis greier Dolk å overtale Raiq om å hjelpe. Dolk seier at hen vil være med å redde Sølv. Så gjer dei ein "deal".
Andre gode sitat å bruke: "Ja, du har rett. Det er mine hender. Du er berre skyggen som er igjen når eg blir tatt vekk. Du er ingenting."
Fire
Når Dolk overtaler Raiq om å hjelpe blir dei to til ein igjen, og dei får ein felles stemme. Hen puster ut eld som brenn vekk tåka og gir Uglene tilbake makten deira. Flammene får alle til å sjå noko positivt i sine eigne minner. The Warden er i sjokk og tar retrett og summoner ein hær med dei fortapte for å slåss mot Uglene. Dolk ser seg rundt og gir ordre med Raiq sin autoritet: "Ok Ugler, me har ein alvorleg kamp forann oss. Prioritetene er som følger: drep Vokteren slik me kan komme ut og beskytt Ceren sine foreldre. Davor og Blaecbrand, bruk magien dikkar til å halde så mange av monstrene tilbake som mogeleg. Eg vil ha dei stoppa før dei kan true Caratacos og Aislin. Brenn dei, reduser dei til støv, hald dei unna. Forstått?" "Po, eg vil ha deg på support duty. Slå til der du føler er best og bruk magien din til å halde oss i gong. Det gjeld og for deke, Davor og Blaecbrand. Forstått?" "Ceren, vi går i duell mot Vokteren. Hjartet vil beskytte deg frå tåka, så du kan kjøpe tid til meg og halde Fortapte unna medan eg tar meg av den heidenske alven. Forstått?" "Rod og Geronimo... drep så mange deke kan." Dolk tek halberden sinn inn i mitten, for å signalisere til laget at me har eit moment. Så seier hen: "Ugler... la oss fly."
Dolk går då i duell mot Vokteren, som seier: "If you fight half as well as you run boy, this might be a worthy battle." Under kampen kjem det ganske mange av the Lost, som partyet får anledning til å slåss mot å gå ham mot.
The Hunters
As the Owls are on their way home through the Feywild, the Hunters track them and eventually ambush them. They are dangerous and powerful. If the Owls understand that the Hunters track the parents, they will both willingly offer themselves up if nessecary. Eventually the leader of the hunters, the velociraptor, appears in a nearby tree and says: "Hello again, prey. Its been to long. Oh, and don't think your honeydaddy is going to save you now," viser sølvkniven "this time around, we'll make sure he remembers who holds his leash."
As the Owls begin moving home through the Feywild, the hunters reveal their agency in all this. They were the ones who made the deal with the Twisting Trails to get Ceren into the trails. They offer to take the documents Ceren stole and be done with the whole business, promising that Ceren and his family will be allowed to find peace. They also offer him a job in the future once his change begins, as he is clearly a skilled and dangerous individual.
If Ceren refuses to give up the documents, the party will be attacked by the hunters.
Past Events
Sins of the son
The Twisting Trails
The Twisting Trails
Related Characters
Related Session Reports
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