Track 2: Into The Hollow

General Summary

After the ladies discovered the animated doll and spoke with Pelleo's family about its owner, they split up for the night and reconvened in the morning. Together, they went to the neighborhood playground to find the little girl, Yoana, who owned the toys. They don't know what the girl looks like so they take out the toy horse and noticeable fiddle with it until a little girl comes over.
They speak with her and confirm she is indeed Yoana. Rilla offers her back the horse and explains why they had to break her doll. She blames Pelleo and says he's a loser which is why he stole the toys in the first place. They ask the girl how she did it and Yoana agrees that since they got her horsey back it'll be okay, "but it's a kids only secret, no grown ups. Promise?" The girls agree and Yoana explains there's a tree in the woods and that "a man lives in the tree". If you go to the tree and tell it your problems it makes your wish come true. Yoana explains she told the tree that the boy stole her horse and it told her to leave her window open and her horse will return.
The ladies thank the little girl and start to think a Druid is creeping on children.
They decide to go to the forest the next day after they gather some info. They learn from the innkeeper of The Moony Loon that there is a massive tree in the forest and lots of local myths about how the tree is special and some of the tees in the forest are connected to it. He shares that as a child, it was called "The Old Man of the Woods" but its traditional name is simply 'Arbodal'. Later that night they go clubbing in the harbor district at the sailor bars. Rilla gets drunk and starts to hit on the hunky men, so Areia drags her out and takes her home. They stay at the rogue's house overnight and have breakfast there.
They go to the forest in the morning and evade detection by some wild boars. Deeper into the forest they find a strangely dim clearing filled with tiny notes of light just like what came out of the doll. Across from them is a ragged old tree with a big, dark hollow.
They look at each other and call out to the hallow. "You the tree that makes wishes?" A pause.
"You're not children?" A little voice comes out of the hollow.
"We're young at heart."
They confront the hidden voice in the tree and start to ask details about the children coming to speak to it. The voice weighs their intentions and decides its okay to share. He explains that they only started this wish granting exchange a few months ago when a young boy got lost in the forest and wished a way home. A mote led him home and he told other kids and it became myth. It shares that it will grant any child any wish.
"Would you kill a kid if another kid wishes for it?"
"If that's what they wanted..."
"So you'll grant our wish?"
"I didn't say that."
The whole time they speak with the tree hollow there is the sound of wood clattering. There's a little light at the back of the hollow and a silhouette growing closer. It starts tiny and gets a little bigger to about a foot and a half tall.
A marionette sticks it body out of the tree and speaks in the same voice, "Do you want to see how it works?"
"Show us."
"Follow me"
The marionette falls back into the hollow and starts to hop through the shadows inside. The ladies follow after and the hollow is actually a long passage. Little motes of light float in this hallway and a beam of light can be seen at the end.
The girls emerge at the end in a massive forest unlike any they've ever seen. A minuscule human flies past their heads riding a giant dragonfly, "Ey watch it!"
A pair of squirrels chase are running around a massive sequoia-esque tree, "get back here with my acorn, I swear I'll kill you."
Their eyes fall back on the marionette who has transformed somewhat. A little taller, with brighter clothes, it's face and hands are so much more flesh-like. It bows to them and says, "Welcome to the fey wild."

Rewards Granted

None

Missions/Quests Completed

Find "the man in the tree"

Character(s) interacted with

Yoana
Zeke
Innkeeper, The Moony Loon
'Puppet'

Campaign

Ladies Night

Protagonists

Report Date

18 Feb 2021

Primary Location

Dagdara

Related Historical Events

• 830 ER
  Areia and Rilla investigate the Animated Doll