Session 17: Agave's Discovery, Finding Croak, The Hidden Village of the Mothlights

General Summary

Agave's Discovery

We went back in time briefly to go over some downtime reactions. These events took place on Nurend 11, 308 (two days before the current date).
Agave went over the contents of a satchel he had found. Because of the familiar Blue Agave etching in the Wooden Hand, he hypothesized that someone from his tribe must have found their way into the Spirit World somehow. He mentioned something called "you know who" being around longer than he had initially thought, and described the Fountain Pen. Apparently the pen can record even the things that can't be said, and he mentioned it can help organize his thoughts and record information about the being messing with some of your minds.
Some of you didn't know who this "You know who" could be, particularly DAN and Hysteria. Agave, hoping to fill them in, tested his luck by thinking about sharing information and found that it was also quite painful to simply think about wanting to pass a piece of paper with the being's name on it.

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Hysteria tried to acquire the information by simply asking for it, and Agave instead took the information with him saying he would find a way to share it someday. While he was putting it away though, Namina used her magic to push the paper into the air so that it could "accidentally" fall somewhere that anyone could read it. Hysteria then had access to the painful info as they snatched a page from the air. On this page they saw the following message:

Show spoiler

"n̸̛̝ţ̴̈́̒ȑ̶̙d̵͎̣̚t̸̗̿͊.̸̙̩͗t̴̺̞́.̸͇̞̽…̵͎͝t̶̝̆̀ ̷̺̕.̸͓̟̎̉t̵̲̼͛͆t̴̨̯͋̇n̷͎͝ ̶͑ͅr̵̙̣͝t̶̹͈͊̄t̶̠̊t̴̖͉́ ̷̼̽.̴̖̩̕s̴̨̈d̴̠͊͒o̷̠̟̐͌n̸̤̅r̵̼̽̽.̶͔̩̌t̷̮̳͋ ̷̤̰͂̇.̵̘̤͂n̴͓̣͗ ̶̙͌s̸̗̓̇ṛ̶̲̉̂ǘ̷͓̩͘ ̴̤̠́t̶̨̚s̵̜̭̾o̵͌̉͜r̸͚̝͒͛d̴̘̾ŗ̷̠͆͝ ̵̮̿̋ǘ̸̜̩r̷̹̎͘ẗ̴̻͜n̷͇̭͒̕.̶̯́͜u̷̪̼͝ō̵̻̔ț̸̎̔ö̷̟͉́͘ ̸̣̋õ̴̟̙s̶̻͒ŕ̸͇͜ţ̷̳̑r̸̥̟̒.̴̫͔̀n̴͈̉̎t̴̰̱̽t̶̡̠̓ ̵͇̱̐̌t̷̰̗̓r̸͖̝͘͘ǫ̸̱̑͒t̴̛̻͈͒t̶̻̥̒t̸̡̊̆ͅr̶̡͙̋̕ ̴̙͌́u̴̙̓́t̷̩̙͠d̶͔͔̎̉u̸̹̓͗s̴͚̎ ̸̱̮́͗n̸̯̊o̶̤͇̐ş̸̃t̷̹̹̒̚ ̴̦̏o̴̭͝ ̴̺̫̊̕ũ̶̜̝͗t̶̳̹͐̌ ̶̞̿̀o̴̭̒́t̷̺̬̔̅r̸̘̈́͌ ̵͕̀̓ṡ̶͔͙r̷̛̘̙t̶͈̫̿̄u̷͚͒ ̵͕͂…̴͙̈ų̵͘t̸̘̒ͅț̴̒ň̶͕ỏ̵͔͝r̵̛͔͖ṣ̸͛̅o̴̭͛̍u̶̧͙̓̑.̶̢̫̈̚ ̵͚͋̈͜s̴̀ͅṳ̶͖͛d̸͓̾ ̴̛͖̯̓s̸͍̖͋͝t̶̨̺̃̀ö̶̩͙́o̸̮͓̚t̷̠̒t̸̩̳͑ǒ̷̗͙ ̷̡͉̓́u̶̧̼͝t̵͖̲̓s̵̺̬̉ḑ̵̒t̵̥̺̀͝.̷̼̊̾ö̸͓̅͜.̵̦̓t̷͕̮̿ ̵̢̗̑̎.̵̘͓̊͘s̶̟̀̈s̶̺̔̈́t̵͇́ ̵͚̻̒͘ȯ̴̻t̷̺̑͛t̷͓̚̕t̴̡̓̚s̵̯̊t̵͉͊t̴̤̒.̴̥̂ ̵͕͋̚ö̴̙̥́̈́r̷̻̠̓̔d̵̨̪͒́.̸͖̄t̷̥̄ͅ ̴̻͋͋ù̵͚ö̵̱t̴͕͌ ̶̓͑ͅs̸̬̎͋ ̶̛̥͛ṭ̵̈́ ̸̫̾̎ň̷͙d̵̯̫͂r̸̡͍̔ų̶͕̀̍t̷̝̜͘ ̸͍̳͋͘r̶̝͗.̸̝̿ň̵̪͎u̷̩̍̿ ̶̟́n̷̻̒d̷͇̗̈́̽u̵̢̲͗ ̵͖̅’̵̻̍ͅu̵͉͊͒.̵̗̓t̴̯̀.̸̼̫̀̑ů̷͍o̶̬̐̐ṭ̴̗͛͝ṫ̵̼ū̵̥u̴̮͋͊s̷̪̿͘͜ň̵̫͝s̴̤͍̕t̵̠͒o̵̞̞̓ǒ̵̰͊ ̸̠͂̈́͜ẗ̶̖́t̴͖̚s̸͔̟̃̃r̶̯̰̆d̴͔͈́r̶̡̩̓͐t̶͖̤͒s̵͎͗̾"
(unfortunately, I don't have a magic pen, so it got kinda messed up... is my nose bleeding?)
Here's the message again behind a second spoiler:

Show spoiler

"Do not Trust. Do Not Trust. DO NOT trust. dO nOt TRuST. Don’T TRUST. Trust. Trust. DO NOT TRUST. Trust trust trust trust trust trust DO NOT… NOT… DO NOT...TRUST..TRUST TRUST. NOT. DO NOT TRUST. DO NOT TRUST."

Kaswink also grabbed one of the falling pages, however, she did not look at it. She instead assumed what was on the page and threw it towards Hysteria with full intent of sharing the information. Because of this she suffered a bit of a migraine, and Hysteria was able to read another dangerous piece of paper.

Show spoiler

This page only had one word on it and it simply said "h̵̩̣͓̊͘͝r̵̳̱̖͈̩̃͆͗ü̸̮͗͜͝c̴͔͊ş̴̭͓̥̐̀̔͘͝n̷̹͈͆͌̍͊̚s̸̡̛̓́ọ̴̧͙̯̩̐̊ǘ̴̙͉̗̯̤̀͗͂̍o̶̱̹͝..."
agh, again?

DAN chose to not learn the info, and instead simply took the papers from Hysteria and removed them from view. Knowledge is bad, apparently. DAN also attempted to burn these pages, but Agave requested they be preserved as they are quite important. Confused, DAN tried to find out what was causing the problems, but was informed that the knowledge cannot be repeated.

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Finding Croak

Back to the present, the rest of the session was on Nurend 13, 308.
We started off with Kaswink focusing on Croak and feeling lost. While doing so she felt something being placed into her hand, and after some encouragement began moving her arm to shake this object. It turned out to be a bell, and in her mind she saw Croak walking towards her on a dimly lit path. The rest of you didn't see this bell or the vision of Croak.
Kaswink Continued to focus on him, and he soon appeared at the center of the group as she opened her eyes. There was no notice of his arrival, he just was there as Kaswink's eyes opened.

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You all explained the strange dream you had, and, after some more detailed descriptions of Tympi, Croak believed that what you had seen was likely the past as you described. He agreed to let you into the Mothlights, but only if you swore to not reveal the information on how to get there or any sensitive information inside to anyone that might use it for nefarious reasons. Notes are fine, though.
Croak led you to a mothlight tree using the same magic he did to get you back home after the frigid encounter with Christmas. He insisted that you all not tell anyone about this, notes are fine, but sharing them with those that might do harm to the village is strictly forbidden.
After walking through the tree portal you all arrived in front of a very softly glowing tree. It had aspen-like marbled bark, spade-shaped leaves similar to a catalpa, and a flash of light indicated some new transition. You all were once again able to see though, and you saw that you were in a village and swiftly being surrounded by mothlings.

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The Hidden Village of the Mothlights

Upon entering the village and being surrounded by these excited Mothlings, you all had things to do and places to be. Agave ran for the tavern, Kaswink hid from the crowd, DAN started juggling, Namina painted what she saw in town, and Hysteria helped with DAN's performance.
In Treestump Tavern, Agave met the bartender and tried some more mothlight vodka with a salad. The bartender, an Eyed Hawkmoth mothling named Daxi, was unusually quiet compared to the mothlings outside, but she eventually opened up.

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Meanwhile outside, DAN's performance grew more intense as they began juggling some of the rewards/tips that the mothlings were leaving at their feet. Hysteria acted as security detail keeping the more grabby mothling children from DAN's coat. The rewards that DAN received included a nice Silk Scarf, 50 feet of silk rope, and a bunch of strange trinkets which must have had some sentimental value to someone at some point. These included A wooden leg with a hidden compartment, A tiny brass clockwork cathedral that plays organ music when wound, An obsidian icon of a forgotten deity, A piece of volcanic rock that has never completely cooled down, and A right arm broken off from a statue. Additionally, everyone now has Advantage on Charisma Checks involving Mothlings in the village as long as they are near DAN.
Kaswink stole DAN's newly acquired wooden leg mid juggle which led to more applause from the mothlings.
Namina began painting auras and children's faces. It became quite the miniature fair. Namina received some silk as a thank you for bringing such cheer. Their aura's were notably innocent, almost sheltered, as if they hadn't seen much or any of the world. They had some innate, built-in desire to help outsiders, and their curiosity apparently stemmed from a combination of those things.

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Kaswink then went "north" with Croak to visit Tympi's Flower in the meadow. There was a simple fence with a far more advanced magical barrier surrounding it along with a sign describing Tympi and the meadow. Mothlings are apparently created from these flowers somehow, and come into the world as they bloom. Each flower is connected to a mothling somewhere, and as long as the flower is alive so is the relevant mothling. As she meditated she began to feel a strange sensation of confidence washing over her. She looked inside herself to better understand what she was feeling, and provided a small message to Tympi.
"I know it seems like a lot of partying and not finding you, but we hear you loud and clear, and i think it's their way of honoring you. I think it's a compliment. Hope to meet you myself soon."

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Agave's time in the tavern continued as he admired the labels on the various bottles. He asked the mothling bartender some questions about the village and learned that it exists within the lights emitted by the Mothlight trees. He learned that this village was created by Tympi as an escape from the darkness that once afflicted the land, and it was originally a way to keep the mothlings hidden from danger. He also learned that she did live in the town, where her home is, and that she would bring lost outsiders to the village if she found them in the forest.
Agave ended up purchasing 2 of everything from this bartender: 2 bottles of Mothlight Bean Vodka, 2 bottles of each available flavor of moonshine (fruit salad, cucumber mint, and vanilla bean), 2 bottles of Catalpa Bean Beer, 2 bottles of Pol’en Tol’n’go’s Rum and a bottle of Molly Melanny McMarymarg’s Mead. Details on these can be found on the Alcoholic Beverages in the Spirit World document.
Agave eventually ended up ordering this great deal of liquor utilizing his coins and some sentimental items: particular his old writing implement, some old notes from his travels back home on the material plane, a brief story about the airship ride, and a spiritual druid map the forest showed him. He also left some sketches that he made as a gift which she enjoyed.
After leaving the tavern, Agave informed the group that he had learned of a store which would sell a bag large enough to store this haul of liquor. He also informed them of where they should look for Tympi's house. DAN's finisher for the juggling act was to toss their implements towards Hysteria, but while they attempt to catch those tools, Hysteria would instead be juggled by DAN for a moment. This is accomplished by some clever acrobatics and choreography arranged by the two of them. The crowd rushed around them with applause before hitting them with too many questions at once as you all bowed out to explore the village further.

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While painting faces and auras, a mothling woman noticed Namina's damaged hand and offered her some assistance. Rather than go with the rest of the group to find the large bag for the alcohol, she decided to go with this mothling.
The mothling woman brought Namina to her home, mixed up a poultice from mud, some herbs, and the flowers from an Orchit. Namina was sure to watch the recipe to inform Hysteria later, and the woman massaged the goop into her damaged hand stating that she would need to repeat the process each day for the next few days.
In exchange for this goop, Namina gave this mothling the marble she found in The Maze. She explained that it reminds her of home, and the mothling accepted it very gently. Namina explained that perhaps the marble will help her think of the group and remind her that you are all out there finding Tympi. The exchange brought her to tears, she hugged Namina and she attempted to hide these emotions by returning to her kitchen to continue cleaning.

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At Pondside Parafernalia, the rest of you encountered a pair of Ruby Tiger mothling twins.
Agave requested a bag to store his myriad of alocholic beverages, and the keepers of this store were eager to assist. The brother, Marae, was more of the salesman and eager to have guests while the sister, Clavi, was more withheld and apparently preferred the curation, creation and so forth of items over interracting with guests.
Marae went downstairs to find the requisitioned bag while Clavi awkwardly interracted with the group. Marae eventually returned with a bag that had apparently been brought in by an outsider long ago and was apparently originally used to arrange several jars that they were collecting various specimens in. It was a suitable bag for what Agave had in mind, and Kaswink made the two of them a doll that looks like Tympi as an accidental form of payment. She also informed the two of them that you will find Tympi and return with her someday. They were overwhelmed for a bit, but continued helping you as Agave needed more help identifying the satchel he found.
It turns out that Clavi made this satchel long ago when a traveler not unlike Agave appeared. Tympi had found the traveler in her forest and rescued them from some other, unknown fate. The traveler requested the bag be made with the particular pattern etched into it, and Clavi eagerly obliged. Learning of this supposed connection between his people and Tympi, Agave had all the more reason to find her. According to these two mothlings, Tympi doesn't bring people into The Gates, but she does bring those that had accidentally found their way there to this village to keep them safe and provide some necessary guidance before they return to the world on their own.
You all intercepted each other again in the residential district with hopes of finding Tympi's Home and the session was brought to an end.

Session Recording: Monday - 2/21/2022

In-game Date:
Nurend 11, 2022 and Nurend 13, 2022

Report Date

21 Feb 2022

Primary Location

The Hidden Village of Mothlights

Secondary Location

Tympi's Forest

Related Plots

• The Succession of Tympi's Forest

Related Characters

• Croak, The Night's Eyes

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Discovered Locations
The Hidden Village of Mothlights

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Discovered Plants
Mothlight Tree

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Acquired Items
Big Sorting Bag...case...thing
Orchit Healing Poultice
A wooden leg with a hidden compartment
A tiny brass clockwork cathedral that plays organ music when wound
An obsidian icon of a forgotten deity
A piece of volcanic rock that has never completely cooled down
A right arm broken off from a statue

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Acquired Alcohol
2 Bottles of Mothlight Bean Vodka
2 bottles of Arjan's Fruit Salad Moonshine
2 Bottles of Arjan's Cucumber Mint Moonshine
2 Bottles of Arjan's Vanilla Bean Moonshine
2 bottles of Catalpa Bean Beer
2 bottles of Pol’en Tol’n’go’s Rum
1 bottle of Molly Melanny McMarymarg’s Mead