Loose threads: What really are the Faded, will we run into them again?
Participants : Pita Injera Alexandra Hoppers Cornelius Wintercrest
Locations The First World
Short summary:
We try to find out about the First Blossoming
Full Report
Field Report: The First Blossoming of ThistleShade and the interference of the Faded:
Filed byn Cornelius Wintercrest, field observer, blossom partaker, chai tea enthusiast.
It began as a simple walk through memories. A light dive into the collective recollections of the hidden fey village known as Thistleshade tucked inside the heartwood forest, accessed by way of Sylvaith, a being woven into the very soul of the region. The objective: observe the origins of the firs blossoming festival, and perhaps enjoy some floral tea and beetle racing along the way(sorry Injera). What followed...was something else entirely.
We entered the projection as a group, myself, Pita, Injera, and Alexandra, greeted by golden sun filtering through a canopy, pollen fell like snow and joy bloomed through the streets as villagers danced and wove petal talisman. There was music and celebration and we first decided to head to the chef, a goblin named Grub. He was quite the chef brewing and smoking and cooking wonderful cuisine for each of us.
As the day wore on, tension became clear. People were hoarding petals, staring too long, and speaking too softly. Grub hinted at past service tot he Fey courts and having lost something he could not name. A storyteller named Feather told children a parable about a broken promise and the threads that came to collect. We chased rumours across town and began to piece together what was happening...
And then time broke.
It began with a bell tolling, Day beccame night, and the great tree at the edge of the town burned. People screamed, blossoms got ripped from the earth, and our group went into action. Alexandra and I went after the looters, Pita and Injera...did something... I don't know I didn't ask
We were each then isolated into our own personal visions. I faced a poor reflection of myself, Alexandra a shielded shadow, Pita a robed figure telling secrets, and Injera doppelgangers of the rest of the party(and he killed me first. Rude) After all of us defeated the shadows we were grouped together and able to take part of some of the heartbloom flowers which helped us.
Then a large shadow manifestation appeared and...we almost immediately put it down with large hits coming from Injera and Alexandra and Pita, and I helped I guess.
After it was defeated we were whisked back to the present in our physical bodies and Sylvaith looked rough. She smiled at us and tried to apologize, for what we had witnessed was real, the festival, the village, the fear, and the eventual rupture between the courts and thistleshade. Something called the Faded had breached her illusion and used it to hurt her to turn us into a weapon against her.
This is when it was revealed that Sylvaith was in fact the person who had caused the split from the courts and had been exiled because of this. Additionally Feather the storyteller was Sylvaith. Sylvaith is now forced to live in isolation. She seemed to have been hurt by the Faded, but it was mostly mentally so I was of little use.
Respectfully submitted,
Cornelius Wintercrest
Word count: 533
