This note is for other Deep Lore that occurred during this quest or is related to its contents.
Participants: Young Elder, Reiko Amiri, Zinlynndise Imare, Delin Andar, Bethany Claie
Locations: Eleutheria, Dreamwaters
Loose ends: Lord Attys and Lady Vesper’s dealings; the ruins that Nacrea lives in; the possibility of other planar anomalies in the Baronies / the New World.
Short summary:
So much… so much. In short form, we went to seek Attys for answers for Reiko, then made a deal to hunt a light creature for him. Along the way Lynn unwittingly became a part of a lesbian marriage, and when we went to her new wife’s house, we fell asleep and had the craziest dream. We all assumed a different persona and recreated the murder of a wealthy Elven family. They deserved it, maybe. Anyway we woke up, killed the light creature, got our loot, and came home.
Full report:
It’s me, Young Elder, beastmaster and Summoner. I write this report on a foray into the Fey Baronies through the Portal Shrine. I was joined by Reiko, the Wily Witch; Lynn, the Port in a Storm; Delin, Priest of Vengeance; and Beth, the Mothergunner.
We met outside First Landing, then went through the portal in the Elemental Shrine. It was tended by very annoying Mephits. On the other side, there were Beety, Elgie, and Xamak - also very annoying, but they are Fey. They were quite mean to me, calling me a stinky dog. A macroaggression, perhaps?
The other side of the portal is a Temple on an island in the middle of a lake. It would be too hard to cross ourselves, but thankfully a coxswain came to us on his boat to ferry us across. This is Marsyas, and we quickly bonded over how furry we both are. Indeed, we are best friends now. As payment for the ferry, we all told stories, and mine was best.
And so we landed. Marsyas confessed to being an exile from the Baronies, and that story was still not as good as mine. Anyway, in the forest, we came across a wounded Unicorn. It was clearly a trap, and we walked into it anyway. An evil mandrake root of some sort and two Leshies piloting tree-golems emerged to attack us - and wouldn’t you know! The Unicorn we rescued joined them. We slaughtered the Mandragora, and I incinerated one of the Leshies; the Unicorn and remaining Leshy surrendered. The Unicorn turned to our side, and Lynn convinced us all to let the Leshy live. A mistake really, but who cares, it’s weak. Allegedly, it went by Thorn, and I murdered its twin.
The real rub of it, though, is that the Unicorn ensorcelled Reiko into a Fey pact. After I healed it, nonetheless! This creature we healed and cared for, and it ensnared our dear Bard in a primal contract. With some bravado and mortal threats, we got out of it; what a lesson to learn, however.
We tarry on. And further in the woods do we witness Lord Attys and Lady Vesper as they perform their changing of the sun. Essentially, when the sun passes from the eastern sky to the western, it passes from Attys' territory to Vesper's. So poetic.
As it turns out, Attys knew we were listening, and we danced our linguistic dance with each other for a while. Reiko finds out the exact detail of her poisoning via Fey wine from Aseron's Wedding - turns out, she’s infused with Nymph energy. She seems more alright with it than I would be. He then asks Lynn if she’s mentally challenged. No, really, he did. We make a deal with him anyway to eliminate a creature of light from his lands; in return, he would answer Reiko’s questions and send his vintage Fey wine to First Landing, diluted for humanoid safety. We take the deal.
And quite soon after we set off do we find a Fey wandering in the woods. And, due to more Fey trickery, Lynn ends up engaged to an ugly Draxie. A small kerfuffle breaks out, nothing really important, and we follow the Draxie back to her home for the night. Her home appears to be some sort of ancient religious ruins, and she has a small dragon’s hoard in there. Over dinner we discuss what Nacrea - oh yes, this thing calls herself Lady Nacrea, Châtelaine of Dreamwaters - and Lynn plan to do for their wedding, along with light gossip on Attys. Meanwhile, Beth pulls a wand from a statue. We’re told of the Dreamwaters, how the pond surrounding these ruins has a soporific and hallucinogenic effect on those whom sleep near it.
We go to sleep. I remember that we had a dream as a party, but truth be told, I do not remember it.
In the morning, we meet Nacrea’s familiar Nector, for Nacrea is a Witch. We make waffles and leave. Soon enough, we meet some Dryads singing the praises of a light creature. We assume it’s the same such creature we hunt, and lo and behold, we are correct. We fight a creature called a Gliminal - positive energy manifested in corporeal form. The Dryads seem to revel in its light, to wish that they would be “cured” - but when a creature receives enough of the Gliminal’s light, it explodes. We nearly lose Lynn this way, for she did not wish to destroy the Dryads or the Gliminal. Thankfully, I was there to cast Fireball. Also, Reiko exploded her summoned Unknown, truly vicious. We kill the Gliminal and leave no survivors. It was a creature lost in a foreign Plane - pitiable, but we had no choice.
Lord Attys then appears immediately. Quite suspicious - were we followed? By a Lord, even, and not some scout? Something was amiss here. Nevertheless, we secure both wine for the Blinking Pug, and loot for ourselves. Our conversation with Attys is more theater, and we leave to see Marsyas.
I ask him one question - what would he do if First Landing were to march on the warpath towards the Baronies? He said he would stop the ferry and force us to ford the lake ourselves, and that the Baronies might even join forces to post guards at the Temple. Things to remember. But otherwise, we succeeded at our quest.
In this final section, I wish to editorialize. Each Fey we encountered here tried to trick us or otherwise berate us, for it is in their very nature. Only Marsyas never beguiled us - the Unicorn, Nacrea, Attys, they all did in some way or another. And the Dryads at the end took the side of a creature that would kill them. These creatures are a danger to First Landing explorers, and they are irredeemable. They must be destroyed.