Session 018 - The Theatre Production
General Summary
Bahr Reigh is approached by Amidor the Dandelion who leads him to the garden within the Palace of the Hearts Desire, where he discovers the party lying on the ground. Concerned that his friends are dead, Bahr Reigh checks on each of them, and is relieved to learn that they are simply unconcious. As he revives his friends, Bahr Reigh finds a letter from the Hourglass Coven. While reading it the heroes learn that the hags have stolen the groups Bag of Holding which contains the bodies of their friends, and encourages them to visit Motherhorn. At the bottom of the letter, Lilygrove Thornwhisper reads a final warning that is elvish that states that the heroes have twenty-four hours to follow the request or their friends' bodies will be destroyed.
While this is happening, Pippa Quickstep re-strings her bow which had been damaged in the previous battle, while Tarin Ganu-Maga asks Bahr Reigh if he can repair her broken axe. While he cannot, he has an optimisitic and can-do attitude. Klej however is able to mend it for her, using some handy magic. After some discussion it is decided for the group to rest and tend to their wounds before heading back to Yon and Motherhorn.
After resting, Lilygrove Thornwhisper upset and frustrated at the continual defeats by the Hourglass Coven demands for Amidor the Dandelion to take them directly to Motherhorn. On their way back to Yon, Bahr Reigh discusses having an open marriage with Lilygrove Thornwhisper to which she agrees. As the heroes travel up the road to Motherhorn they meet a farmer named Bredrick. The kindly farmer sympathised with Meela Puddlemuck sad story and gifted the heroes each with a cupcake that had healing properties. Ever suspicious, Lilygrove Thornwhisper refuses.
The heroes reach the front door of Motherhorn where a skull appears on the door stating that the "moon-twin" is not welcome to enter, meaning the nearby Gleam. The heroes briefly speak with her and she asks for them to save her sister Glister, which the heroes agree to do. Lilygrove Thornwhisper, impatient enters Motherhorn first, with Meela Puddlemuck following closely while yelling out to Gleam that she shouldn't trust the group to get anything done. Amidor the Dandelion, Pollenella the Honeybee, and Gleam remain outside of Motherhorn to wait for the heroes to return.
Walking through some red curtains into a corridor, the heroes transverse further into Motherhorn. Pippa Quickstep offers Meela Puddlemuck a ride on her shoulders to keep the young gnome safe. Shortly after the group enter a space designed to be a theatre and Pippa Quickstep notices that Endelyn Moongrave was sitting above the theatre watching the heroes. Overcome with fury, Lilygrove Thornwhisper casts fly on herself and flies towards the hag, with Bahr Reigh following his wife slowly. Before Lilygrove Thornwhisper could reach Endelyn Moongrave, twenty-five darklings suddenly appear to protect her. Casting her eyes over the hag, Lilygrove Thornwhisper fails to identify the Bag of Holding.
While this occurs the rest of the group is approached by Stage Fright, a gnome that appears to be the leader of the theatre troupe, who invites them onto the stage. Bahr Reigh attempts to distract Endelyn Moongrave by flirting with her, however the hag is intensely focused on the furious Lilygrove Thornwhisper. Tarin Ganu-Maga calls out to Lilygrove Thornwhisper saying "Lily, you crazy bitch, get down here". Lilygrove Thornwhisper swaggers back down to ground level and rejoins the group realising she had no chance on defeating the hag at that moment. Before things could continue, three darklings had to convince Tarin Ganu-Maga to join her friends on the stage, while Pippa Quickstep and Bahr Reigh have a disagreement on how to comfort Meela Puddlemuck who had recently lost her stepfather Gahr Reigh and is traumatised.
When all the heroes are on the stage, they are introduced to three actors who are on the stage; Elanys, Granam, and Helgalar. Curious on their surroundings Pippa Quickstep looks behind the stage where she sees a ten thousand feet drop. Endelyn Moongrave calls out to the heroes that if they wanted the Bag of Holding back, they need to ensure they do not disappoint her during their performance of a play.
Each of the heroes are given a role to play by Stage Fright:
Pippa Quickstep is to play a drunken satyr.
Meela Puddlemuck is to play an honourable knight risen from the dead.
Bahr Reigh is to play a failed magician.
Tarin Ganu-Maga is to play a high and mighty princess.
Lilygrove Thornwhisper is to play a nervous apothecary.
Klej is to play a mean-spirted servant.
Before leading the heroes to the prop room, Stage Fright explains that the performance must be gruesome, depressing, and darkly humorous. Bahr Reigh also experiences jealously for the first time, due to not getting the role that he wanted, and struggles with how to react to these new feelings. As the heroes mill in the prop room, Stage Fright explains that they need to put all of their equipment into a magical locker. Pippa Quickstep suspicious requests to test the locker first, which Stage Fright gladly gives her a bag of gold to use as the test object. Pippa Quickstep tests the magical locker and is happy with the outcome, resulting in each of the heroes placing their belongings into the locker. During this, Stage Fright explained that gnomes use bags of gold to propose to their loved ones, and asks Pippa Quickstep on a date, to which she agrees if he helps them.
Curious Lilygrove Thornwhisper pops her head through a nearby curtain and sees a library full of goblins. Mischevious she starts to undress in front of the goblins, causing one of them to fall of the ladder. It is at this time, the heroes see that Lilygrove's body has no gentalia. Once the heroes have gotten changed into their costumes and obtained their props, they are escorted back out to the theatre where they see that Endelyn Moongrave has been joined by her sisters Bavlorna Blightstraw and Skabatha Nightshade. Stage Fright explains that the play will be improvised as they don't have enough time to memories the lines, and offers Lilygrove Thornwhisper to call out to the theatre watchers what the play will be called, to which she states "The Fall of the Three Sisters."
Before they start, the heroes are told that a goblin on the side of the stage, Bradley who will support them with prompts to ensure the play is a success. What follows is a convoluted tale of a young man learning the princess is his mother, amidst the killing of each of the hags. At the end of the play, the heroes recieve a standing ovation and Endelyn Moongrave grants them an audience. The hag offers the heroes a room to stay and rest in and leaves the theatre with her sisters.
The heroes are escorted to where they will be staying and they enter a dressing room with three tables sitting in front of mirrors. They identify a bugbear sitting at one of the mirrors as Hurly, the Bugbear, the missing brother of Burley, the Bugbear. On closer look they notice that Hurly appears to have a sickly appearance in the mirror. When Tarin Ganu-Maga looks in the mirror she looks normal, Meela Puddlemuck looks haggard, and Pippa Quickstep sees a skeleton wearing her clothing when she peers into the mirror.
Having enough of magical mirrors, Lilygrove Thornwhisper decides to break them all, only to release a posionous gas that wounds some of the heroes. Quickly getting out of the room, the heroes entered the adjacent room where they find a series of cells, that is filled with crying people.
Investigating the cells the heroes met a series of trapped persons:
- Elmic the Excellent a human who was crying and informed the heroes that he made a pact with Endelyn Moongrave and is required to give her five hundred gold pieces.
- Diamand Misriddle a forest gnome, who tells them of a story of three of her sisters being killed and a fourth sister who she pushed into the forest. It is identified that Meela Puddlemuck was that fourth sister. Overwhelmed by emotion, Meela Puddlemuck surged with wild magic, causing a wave of power bursting from her. The heroes give the sisters space to reconnect, while Pippa Quickstep stays close by.
- Puff Rivernoggin-Lemonseed a lightfoot halfling who tells the heroes that there are no visitors in Motherhorn.
- Klee Westerly a non-binary human who is trying to learn their lines, and is helped by Klej who recieves a dagger for his effort.
- Elegy a female tiefling who is talking to a tiefling skull. She informs the heroes that she begged Endelyn Moongrave to reattach her arm after it was ripped off by a bugbear. Elegy mentions that she knew Myrtle Shellback which causes Tarin Ganu-Maga to cry. She also informs the heroes that storms provide Endelyn Moongrave the lightning she needs to power her machines, and then gifts Tarin Ganu-Maga three potions of healing.
Report Date
28 Jun 2024
Related Plots
Related Characters