Session 015 - The Mushroom Hunt
General Summary
Clej receives a summons for cleric duties, prompting his departure. Gahr Reigh discusses splitting up, with the heroes ultimately choosing to ascend the stairs. Upstairs, they confront Pincushion, the Living Doll. Lilygrove seizes the doll, attempting to stifle its noises by choking it, while Meela, under Gahr Reigh's watchful eye, casts Shocking Grasp. The Doll's response is chilling laughter, causing Lily to lose composure and drop it. Reacting swiftly, Gahr Reigh pulls Meela to safety as she's propelled backward. Pippa attempts to shield the doll with a nearby rug, only to discover it's a Rug of Smothering, which retaliates. Meela resorts to Eldritch Blast, while Gahr Reigh intervenes to rescue Pippa from the attacking rug.
Pincushion inquires about the heroes’ presence, prompting Gahr to quip, “What’s your name, dollface?”. The living doll appears flattered but expresses a desire to find Skabatha. Thinking quickly, Gahr claims they’re inspectors sent by Skabatha, prompting the rug to hide, and Pincushion departs. In the next room, two tin soldiers stand guard. Lilygrove takes the lead, opening the door, stumbling slightly as she enters, and casting darkness. Taryn follows, assigned to babysit the changeling. Meanwhile Gahr, Meela, and Pippa venture off to search for the missing children.
Lily casts hex on a tin soldier, weakening its strength, before engaging with her great sword. The tin soldier’s slam attack narrowly misses Lily, while Tarin's swing at another tin soldier falls short, leading to a retaliatory strike from it. Undeterred, Lily strikes the tin soldier again, dispatching it before turning her attention to the second creature, transferring the hex. The tin soldier strikes back, dealing two blows to Lily. Tarin manages to land a successful hit on it, causing the soldier's body to decay rapidly.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Gahr leads the way, knocking on and opening the door to a dormitory. Inside, a young male dwarf lies in bed coughing, tended to by an older lad. In a clever move, Lilygrove carries and attempts to hide a tin soldier’s body in the bag of holding, but her aim falters. Quick to react, Gahr swiftly closes the bag, managing to conceal the tin soldier within.
Pippa turns to Meela, inquiring if she recognizes the boys. Meela confirms knowing Brottor, the poisoned dwarf in bed. Despite his condition, she greets him, but their conversation is hushed by the other boy. Brottor explains that he consumed mushrooms from the garden, and Pud confused and uncooperative. Gahr offers to carry Brottor, but as he lifts him, Brottor begins choking. Efforts to dislodge the obstruction fail, with both Gahr Reigh attempting the Heimlich manoeuvre and Lily trying to clear his throat manually, yielding only bile.
Suddenly, Meela recalls a potential cure, but Pud, paralysed with fear, remains silent. In a desperate attempt to extract information, both Lily and Meela simultaneously attempt telepathic communication with Pud, causing him to scream and alert three tin soldiers stationed on the balcony. In a swift move, Gahr Reigh tosses a mattress at the tin soldiers, successfully knocking one against the wall. He attempts to hold them in place with the mattress but they break free. Undeterred, he tries again, managing to trap them momentarily. However, one escapes and strikes Gahr Reigh twice, causing Meela to lose her footing and fall. Meanwhile, Lilygrove persists in her telepathic conversation with Pud, who vehemently rejects her intrusion into his mind. Lily's subsequent attack misses, but she manages to hex one of the tin soldiers. Pippa takes precautionary measures, securing both doors, while Taryn engages the other tin soldier with her great axe, landing a solid blow. Despite its attempts to break free, it continues its assault through the mattress.
Meela retaliates with a chaos bolt, dealing lightning damage to one of the tin soldiers before becoming its target. Gahr Reigh, in a display of strength, grapples both tin soldiers, urging Taryn to focus on finishing off the first one. Lily attempts to soothe Pud's distress with a mental rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," but he remains agitated. She then turns her attention to the other tin soldier, swiftly dispatching it and transferring her hex to the first one. Taryn delivers another blow to the first tin soldier, weakening it further. Despite its struggles, it continues its assault on Gahr Reigh. Meela, positioning herself strategically, casts Eldritch Blast at it, turning it to stone with a chilling cry of "Die!" Pippa rushes to comfort Pud, restraining his flailing arms and admonishing Lily to cease her telepathic intrusion. Before severing the connection, Lily imparts a stern message to Pud about toughening up in life.
Gahr Reigh, determined to end the threat, retrieves the remaining tin soldier from behind the mattress, pinning it to the ground and delivering a decisive blow with the butt of his sword, obliterating it. Gahr Reigh attempts to comfort Pud, but Lily's voice still reaches him, causing panic. Meanwhile, Taryn discovers a silver feather bookmark, a gold signet ring depicting a weeping willow, and a cracked bloodstone in Meela's pillowcase. Meela explains her imaginative belief about the bloodstone, and Taryn returns it.
Lily forcefully opens the door to venture into the garden, accompanied by Taryn, Gahr Reigh, and Meela, while Pippa stays behind with the boys. Lily recalls the location of the mushrooms and discovers five different types. Taryn recognizes one as a butterfly saddle, and Lily digs out ten. Meanwhile, Gahr Reigh searches the kitchen for a mushroom maintenance cookbook. He finds several candy cookbooks and a common and uncommon potions cookbook, which he keeps. Lily examines a Skrumbuffle mushroom, noting its poison-curing properties from her past experiences. Taryn investigates but finds no further information. Lily then inspects a grey Mumplewuffle (executioner’s hood), purportedly a cure for headaches according to "King Gullup." Gahr Reigh discovers a recipe for Potions of Resistance, which he begins preparing. Taryn examines the fourth mushroom, identified as a Crinkle Cut (actually an elder cap), known for alleviating toe pain. Lily inspects the last mushroom, a Pricklenoggin, popular for making hats, and picks nineteen.
As Gahr Reigh concocts the potion of resistance, Lily consumes a Crinkle Cut, causing Taryn to notice a sudden aging in her appearance. Lily then eats a Mumplewuffle, finding it delicious, and attempts to persuade Taryn to do the same. Ignoring Gahr Reigh's protest, Lily consumes the last mushroom, which tastes sweet, and selects the sweetest one to give to Brottor. Gahr Reigh rushes upstairs to administer the potion to Brottor and prevent Lily from giving mushrooms to the children. Lily and Gahr Reigh argue over Brottor's treatment, with Lily attempting to feed mushrooms to Gahr Reigh, but failing in her attempt. As Gahr Reigh administers the potion to Brottor, Lily attempts to offer mushrooms to Meela. Unnoticed by Gahr Reigh, Meela consumes the mushroom and falls onto the bed, appearing lifeless. In a fit of anger, Gahr Reigh attempts to backhand Lily, but is intercepted by Pippa, who holds two daggers to keep them apart. Meanwhile, Meela lies on the bed with the other children, while Taryn, positioned at the top of the stairs, voices her frustration over Lily's reckless behavior. Lily, in turn, behaves like a chastised child, bemoaning her predicament.
Taryn descends the stairs and collects thirteen of the sweet mushrooms, but despite Lily's consumption, her aged appearance persists. Showing the mushrooms to Pippa and Gahr Reigh, Pippa identifies them as Hummingbrellas, an anti-toxin. Administering one to Brottor, he begins to recover, but becomes agitated at the sight of Pud's face and the apparently lifeless Meela. Lily launches into a rant about the different names for mushrooms, condescendingly remarking on Pippa's origins in the outer suburbs. Gahr Reigh attempts to calm Brottor, who is increasingly panicked because of Lily's actions. Ultimately, Gahr Reigh places Meela and Brottor in a sling, and the party retraces their steps back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Pippa discreetly surveys the area outside, attempting to conceal the presence of mushrooms from Lily. However, Lily's attempt to subtly provoke Meela is noticed by Gahr Reigh, who accuses her of causing Meela's apparent demise.
Lily ventures outside to gather mushrooms, with Taryn standing guard at the doorway while Gahr Reigh and Pippa remain inside. However, as Lily reaches for a red and juicy specimen, she realizes they are Red Caps, and six of them materialize, hurling insults at her. In a panic, Lily casts darkness and hexes one of the Red Caps, but it retaliates with its sickle. Lily drops the Red Cap and rushes back inside, slamming the door shut. Inside, Lily attempts to explain her intentions of using the mushrooms to create a poison to attack the hags, but Taryn questions whether Lily intended to consume them herself. Moving into the next room, the heroes find themselves in a library-esque space with a mirror. Lily catches sight of her reflection and breaks down in tears, much to Gahr Reigh's frustration. Attempting to rectify her appearance with magic proves futile. Inspecting the books, Lily notices the withered frog motifs on the spines, and uses mage hands to knock one off the shelf. However, upon opening it, she discovers blank pages.
Utilizing Gahr Reigh's last scroll of identify, Lily examines a skull-shaped lantern. Though beautiful, it yields no magical properties. When Taryn attempts to discard it, Lily intervenes, hoping it might illuminate the books' pages, but it shatters against the wall, plunging the room into darkness. Gahr Reigh lights a torch for illumination. Taryn, curious, touches the mirror, but nothing occurs. Lily, in a desperate attempt to communicate with the books, writes a message with a quill, but the pages remain inert, transforming the book into a mere canvas for graffiti. Pippa grabs a book and gestures for Lily to join her, instructing her to kiss and lick the frog motifs. As Lily complies, text appears on the spines in Elvish. Though Pippa can't read them, everyone else can. Lily eagerly begins licking along the spines, revealing the titles: "Whispers of the Sylvan Grove," "Echoes of the Forgotten Forest," "Secrets of the Enchanted Marsh," "Tales from the Whispering Woods," and "Legends of the Mystic Glade." However, when Lily tosses one of the books at Pippa, the latter threatens to retaliate with a dagger. Eventually, Gahr Reigh and Lily decide to prank Skabatha by altering a volume series, leaving out volumes 3 and 8, and keeping them for potential use.
Among the scrolls found are records of pacts made by Skabatha, including one detailing the fate of a woman who was turned to stone after entering the parlour. Lily excitedly claims fame, but Pippa promptly tears the scroll in half. On the table, a potion bottle catches Lily's attention, though its contents remain a mystery. She pockets it along with several trinkets found in the room. Moving upstairs, the party discovers an orderly bedroom. Lily investigates a dollhouse, but it remains unresponsive. However, Brottor awakens and recognizes the dollhouse, suggesting that Cradlefall or Pincushion might help open it, as it's used by Skabatha to store her belongings. Pippa examines the moths but finds nothing unusual.
Taryn opens the furthest door, revealing bird cages with clockwork mechanisms and windows to Hither and Yon. Lily sends a message via the birds Glyff and Zwee, writing "we're coming for you." Among the items on the desk are three letters addressed to Skabatha from Bavlorna and Endelyn. Gahr Reigh makes copies of them, feeling a sense of intrigue stirring within him. As Meela regains consciousness, she advises Gahr Reigh to take a shower, prompting him to burst into tears of relief upon realizing she's alive. Lily, overcome with emotion, pushes everyone aside to shower Meela's face with kisses. A mental connection between Lily and Meela is established, with Lily constantly expressing apologies for the ordeal.
Pippa notices Pud's absence, realizing he hasn't been seen for a while. Meela examines the cradle, recognizing it as Cradlefall's before he outgrew it, and discovers a small balcony in the adjacent room. The party realizes their bags have lightened; the books have transformed into ashes due to a spell cast by Skabatha to burn them if they were taken from the library. Gahr Reigh, feeling the absence of his lost possession, surmises it may be inside the dollhouse but struggles to guess the magical keyword to open it.
A plan is hatched for Lily to transform into Skabatha to deceive Pincushion. Lily's face returns to its normal appearance, and Taryn reassures her of her beauty as she assumes the guise of Skabatha. Lily begins calling for Pincushion, with Meela accompanying her slightly apart from the group. Meanwhile, Gahr Reigh, Taryn, and Pippa set off to search for the last three missing children, heading upstairs from the tin soldier's room.
They encounter a goblin girl named Yevelda and a gnome child named Callybon at looms. Gahr Reigh kneels down to speak with them, using Brotter to reassure the children and dropping Will's name to establish rapport. Lily and Meela locate Pincushion, only to find her head missing and unable to speak. They retrieve her head from the room and reattach it, but Pincushion mistakes Lily for Scabitha and starts insulting her. Lily manages to persuade Pincushion of her identity and asks for help with the dollhouse, blaming her forgetfulness. Suspicion arises again when Lily incorrectly attempts the magic word, but she eventually guesses correctly. In a moment of frustration, Lily rips off Pincushion's head and flies to the room, leaving Meela to call for Gahr Reigh.
Pippa, Gahr Reigh, and Taryn find Meela and rush her to the bedroom while Lily smashes Pincushion's head. Lily then successfully utters the correct magic word, "Rumpleclump." Gahr Reigh selects a set of teeth from the trinkets, commanding them to smile, resulting in his transformation from an average appearance to a handsome one. As they leave the room, they encounter Pud, who reports to Lily-as-Scabitha and is apprehended by Taryn.
In each room, Gahr Reigh and Lily set fire to everything while Meela uses Dragon Breath to ensure thorough destruction. On the way to Will's, Callybon reveals that her brother Pogo was last seen heading towards the kitchen and the grate in the ground. Upon arriving at Will's, Meela casts cold Dragon Breath in the kitchen and they rescue Pogo from the grate, with Gahr Reigh sustaining a burn in the process. Taryn administers a healing potion to Pogo while Callybon expresses her gratitude.
Lily assumes the role of a 50's housewife, feeding everyone, while Meela and Taryn inquire about the Jabberwock. Sloane shares some information about its terrifying nature and warns them to be cautious. Lily, in her housewife persona, remains unfazed by Sloane's words. The group discusses rehoming the children with Will and Sloane, considering options like the Witchlight carnival. Taryn confronts Will about his non-human nature but fails to intimidate him, while Gahr Reigh attempts to charm him, leading to flirtatious banter between them. Meela requests a unicorn horn from Will, but he misunderstands their intentions, becoming upset once they clarify their need for Elidorn's horn. They eventually find a fairy ring and encounter Clej, reuniting the group before traveling back to the Witchlight Carnival for a much-needed rest.
Report Date
25 Jan 2023
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