i love house bc what would you even do if you were dying in hospital and then your doctor walks into your room, does the fucking ‘got your nose’ trick on you, tells you you have the bubonic plague, and then calls you a bitch 😭😭😭
Joined by their newest member, Pyre, the Party received a request from the City Government of Guldoon to aid one of the largest businesses in town, Eckhart's Apothecary, that was going through a tough time. Aside from the promise of a substantial financial reward, the Party was promised an amazing opportunity if they completed the task. With Jason pointing out that this could be their "ticket to the big leagues", the Party decided to accept the request.
Heading to Eckhart's Apothecary, they learned from the Proprietor, Dell Eckhart, that monsters had recently infested the harvesting grounds for the ingredients he needed for his Premium Potions. While Eckhart himself was a retired adventurer, & quite capable, he couldn't handle all of the threats himself, especially while protecting the assistants he'd hired to help him with the harvesting. One of Eckhart's assistants, Eve, a young & lovely Owlin woman, offered to be the Party's guide, leading them to the harvesting sites so that they could deal with the monsters. She also ended up being very quickly seduced by Jason, & the two spent the first several hours of their journeying together getting intimately acquainted.
Heading out of town on an Ox drawn Cart, the Party quickly made their way to the forest. As they reached the first harvesting site, it became apparent that what made these "harvesting sites" special was their links to various elemental planes, the magical energies from said planes allowing for the growth of HIGHLY unique plant life. However, upon investigating (after being attacked by some plant-monsters), it was discovered that a secondary type of magical energy had been recently introduced, which was likely responsible for the monster attacks.
The second day started with a lakeside battle in which Fareem discovered a bit of bloodlust & Korinna displayed some Dragon-like possessive/protective tendencies towards her friends. Pyre repeatedly demonstrated her value to the team with massive AOE attacks, & Jason ended up embracing the art of summoning/conjuration. Near the end of the battle, Redcaps, Fay assassins, attempted to ambush the Party, but were cut down with little effort.
Heading into a swampy area, the Party (& ESPECIALLY Jason) were surprised by the sudden sound of music. Music that Jason recognized. Suddenly, a fan-boat (literally, a boat being propelled by an oversized folding fan) pulled up, ridden by an anthropomorphic frog & a robed figure (holding the fan). Jason instantly & enthusiastically recognized the former as Kermit the Frog, somehow present in Faerun. Eve, the guide, mentioned that he & his friends were the "Guardians" of the swamp. Kermit then invited the Party to his home for Lunch. His place, coincidentally, being the next harvesting site.
Arriving at Muppet Manor, a stately, if uncanny, mansion in the middle of the swamp, the Party briefly investigated a covered structure next to the house before going inside (after witnessing a live performance of the Muppet Show Opening). The structure turned out to be a strange mechanical vehicle, broken down, & being worked on by Honeydew & Beaker. After a brief conversation with them, during which Jason & Fareem helped with some of the maintenance (& Pyre collected an order for parts that needed replacing) the Party headed inside, where they were greeted to a second performance. A duet, performed by Miss Piggy (who had been the robed figure on the boat), & special guest Dolly Parton. Afterwards, Dolly explained that her tour bus had been attacked while she was touring the Planes around Faerun (specifically coming from the City of Brass). It had crashed in the Swamp of Oblivion, but luckily the Muppets, old friends of hers, were able to help her out. Dolly identified the one most likely behind the attack, as well as the one most likely supporting whoever was causing trouble in the forest, as her longtime nemesis, JOLENE. Dolly didn't know why Jolene was causing her trouble, only that she never gave up. After this meeting, the Party had a lovely, MAGICAL lunch, & were then on their way
An evening ambush in a particularly frigid site saw most of the Party being swarmed by flying plants, craving to steal the warmth & life-force of the Party, while Korinna retrieved & defended the Cart. While Fareem, Jason, & Pyre fought off several waves of enemies, Korinna, having dispatched her assailants, fell victim to the wiles of a beautiful woman, Katya, who quickly lured her in with a damsel-in-distress routine & then dominated the poor Paladin's mind. The Party then had to rescue their friend (while avoiding being captured by her) before they, too, fell victim to Katya's magical charms, a prospect which revealed some truly surprising wrath from Pyre, & seemed to further fuel Fareem's aggressive streak, & brought out an unexpected Dominant side.
The third day was mostly uneventful, until they reached the final harvesting site. There, they encountered the mastermind behind the Forest's problems, a Hag. After Pyre tricked her into agreeing to some terms, a fearsome battle ensued, with the Hag summoning Ash Drakes to swarm the Party while she planned to demolish them from a distance with her spells. However, between the protective Aura's of Korinna & Pyre, the Hag's magic was initially ineffective. Pyre also managed to charm two of the Ash Drakes, removing them from the battle entirely. Thanks to a well timed Psychic Lance from Fareem, the Hag spent most of the first round incapacitated. And, thanks to Jason's latest summon, Lil Mac the Hag spent quite a bit of time getting slammed in the face by giant, stone fists. Not a strong start for the Hag.
After several rounds of getting her ass kicked, while the Party, empowered by magical aid from some Fareem's tutor & Jason's patron, the former of which the Hag seemed familiar with, the Hag got fed up. Warping elsewhere on the battlefield, she unleashed a powerful lighting bolt, though it still proved fairly ineffective. However, she caught a lucky break when, after taking some heavy hits from the Ash Drakes, Fareem decided to Eldritch Escape, ending up behind the Hag & trying to recoup her losses with a Vampiric Touch. While this hit hard, & did heal her, it also left Fareem well outside the range of her allies' protective auras. As such, when the Hag warped behind her, blasting her with her MOST POWERFUL lightning Bolt, Fareem's smoking body fell to the ground, unconscious.
Thankfully, Pyre, who was also hit & hurt by the lightning, was able to rush over & save Fareem's life. And, while he had been temporarily eluded, Lil Mac was able to chase down the Hag to distract her from the two BADLY WOUNDED casters by continuing the beat-down. Korinna, enraged by the fall of her friends, when into a SMITING FRENZY, cutting through the Ash Drakes like a mad-woman while Jason provided cover fire for his allies.
Getting desperate, the Hag warped again, trying to take out Korinna to free up her Drakes, so that they could help her with Lil Mac. This gave Pyre & Fareem the chance to recover, the latter playing dead & biding her time, while the former then moved to help Korinna & Jason. Korinna, still swarmed by Ash Drakes, was starting to take some damage, & Jason, getting mad that his friends were getting hurt, sniped the Hag in the face with some powerful blasts. Between that & the renewed assault from Lil Mac, charging over & knocking her off of her feet, the Hag realized that Jason should be her real target, as breaking his concentration would get Lil Mac off of her back & onto the Party's. However, it was a bit late for that, with most of her Drakes gone & those remaining being worn down.
With one final lightning bolt, the Hag tried to take Jason down. And, while she hit him hard, he defiantly maintained concentration, restraining her with the tentacles of his Patron, making her an easy target for Fareem to knock out, so that they could interrogate her later. A besieged Korinna was caught off guard by a HEALING KISS from Pyre, mentally bluescreening for a moment while her wounds were healed, then proceeding to cut down the remaining Drakes with the aid of her friends.
With the enemies dispatched, the Party began interrogating the Hag. Having agreed to Pyre's terms, she couldn't refuse to answer, though other Deals prevented her from telling ALL. The Hag revealed that she was just one member of a Coven of Hags who had been behind SOME of Guldoon's problems, though not all. Apparently, the Coven's Headmistress, JOLENE, had agreed to help out some OTHER PARTIES (specifically indentifying a "Shadowy Aristocrat" & a "Military Type shrouded in Mist/Fog") in exchange for their aid in getting WHAT SHE WANTS. What that is, the Hag could not say. She also revealed that her Sister, her fellow Hags working under Jolene, had various schemes of their own, & that the Forest had just been her assignment. Mayhem, the Fairy/Pixie behind the plague, had been a prospective member of their order, & Katya, while not officially under consideration, had been another potential recruit.
The Hag noted, to the Party, that she was dead no matter what. If they didn't kill her, her Coven would for failing. When asked why she remained loyal, given that, she replied that "there were worse things than death" waiting if she attempted to betray the Coven. She also revealed that there were several useful magical items in her hut nearby. Then, she had a private conversation with Fareem, whom she had been taunting about her tutor, Albericht, inquiring if he had deliberately sent Fareem to "fuck things up". Despite having nearly died, Fareem was diplomatic towards the Hag, thanking her for the "lesson" & inquiring if there was any way to get her out of her deadly predicament. Particularly, if her tutor, being an apparent thorn in the Coven's side, could help her out. The Hag, caught off guard, shifted her demeanor. After thinking about it, she admitted that Albericht was one of the few who might be able to. When Fareem promised to ask him, the Hag became emphatically grateful, swearing that she'd do whatever she could to repay this kindness.
The Hag's life was nearly claimed seconds later, when some dark magic threatened to induce untold suffering. However, as Fareem called her friends for help, a vibrant jade light, the signature of her tutor, dispelled the threat. The Hag, panting, thanked Fareem & Albericht, & offered up more magical items in thanks. She also offered up true proof, from a Fay, of her trust & loyalty. Her name: Adelaide.
The Party collected & identified the magical items. As they did so, the magic of the area, as well as unknown forces, warped the items from already useful, albeit generic items to specifically customized magical gifts for each member. With their new gifts, the Party went to sleep (save for Jason, who spent most of the night with Eve), glad that their adventure was nearly over.
After a good night's sleep, the Party headed back to town, with their new friend, Adelaide, accompanying them in the form of a Cat. Returning to Eckhart, they informed him of their success, explaining the situation & turning in the harvested supplies. Eckhart thanked them with some of his PREMIUM POTIONS, as well as status as FAVORED CLIENTS. Both quite valuable.
Next, the Party traveled to the Guild Hall, where they spoke to the Mayor (& his incredibly sexy Deputy Mayor, the Fire Genasi, Sara Bellisimo) about the Quest, the promised monetary reward, & the proposed "opportunity". The Mayor, an elderly Tortle named Tortimer, paid them VERY HANDSOMELY, explained that he was fully aware of the troubles that the town was facing, & then offered the Party positions as Guldoon's "Champions", an officially recognized Adventuring Party with government authority & a generous retainer's fee. The Party, now identifying themselves as the Silver Tongues (due to their typically diplomatic approach & high average charisma) accepted, & then went to Coochie's to celebrate.
Sadly, Fareem would be heading out, seeking out her tutor for help with Adelaide, as well as further instruction. Korinna, seeming a bit off & sad about the impending departure, is being a bit secretive. But hey, they're about to meet Pyre's family! Bright side!
Is anyone else as obsessed with the Charlotte Holmes series as I am? I’m so freaking excited that it’s going to be four books instead of a trilogy! I was so scared of it ending because it’s honestly my favorite series (rn) and the new book is coming out in like three weeks and AHH I’m so excited!! I love these characters so freaking much!!
