Previously: Chapter 19: Unexpected Visitors
The Library
The next morning, the group wakes up and heads straight for the library, searching for potential answers to the problem with the spreading corruption. As they arrived in the evening when they got to Tempervale, they are astounded by how much more crowded the city is today. Willowbark looks around at all the people wandering the streets, on their way to do their jobs or go shopping. They overhear a town crier in the distance, proclaiming loudly that Princess Satine is rumored to be back in Ravenforge because the king supposedly is beginning to be sick, and in other news, a local dwarf has found the long lost Wave Echo Cave. The party remarks at how fast news travels.
As they reach the square in front of the temple dedicated to Adea, an old beggar woman asks Willowbark for a coin. She prepared to open up her coinpurse to give up all her money, but Kal quickly sees what is happening and intervenes, telling her to give her a silver or something. Willowbark does, and the old lady clutches Willowbark’s hand as she accepts the coin, thanking her for her generosity. The old lady then continues walking past and disappears in the crowd. Willowbark tries to look for her, but she seems to have vanished into thin air. She catches up with the rest as they reach the library.
Standing outside, they are all in awe at the beauty of the architecture, clearly being centuries, if not millennia old. Within there are massive bookshelves that reach from floor to ceiling, containing thousands of books. The scholars that work there move around, up and down the bookshelves using the stairs that are built to reach the highest levels, retrieving books and putting them back. A large desk dominates the center of the library, with a spiral staircase leading to the lower floor. An incredibly old elf stands behind it, writing in a book. The nameplate on the desk reads “Aelar Yaeldrin”.
Penny buys a journal for herself, while Kal buys some books to use as spell components. Theren wants to purchase a map of some regions, making it easier to track where they need to go, and asks for a world map, region map and a city map. They are hoping to get one of the Central Plains as well, but that is not something they have available, but the old librarian tells them he can just pop over to Elvenroth to see if they can provide a map of that region. Penny seems amazed that he can just casually travel over there, but he explains to them that they have a teleportation circle. It’s not available for public use, but they can buy access for a one time travel for 50 gp per person.
Wandering around, Penny goes over to random people and asks what they are doing, much to the annoyance of the scholars who are just trying to do their research in peace. One man who is in the middle of a lot of big books yells at Penny to leave him alone, prompting stern looks from the attendants, before he returns to his studies. Penny is unfazed and goes to look at all the various books around the library. Meanwhile, Demetrius is looking for information from or about The Rangers of The Wild, so Granny joins him. They get told that the Rangers are a bunch of disorganized adventurers, but they do confirm a safehouse is located to the south of the city proper. Remembering the request for brave adventurers, Demetrius and Granny decides to go and check that out, with Penny joining them, having nothing better to do.
Willowbark explains that she is trying to do research on the topic of corruption, so the librarian hails for one of the attendants to fix her up with a table, and retrieve a stack of books for her to go through. She has all day, which costs her some gold, but she thinks it will probably be worth it. Theren asks him about law books, wanting to see what is allowed and what’s not. He is told that there are no updated tomes on the subject, but some older ones should suffice. Kal asks the elf about Willowbark’s gods, and surprisingly he has heard of them, and even manages to pinpoint her home based on the gods, much to the surprise of the party members. He goes on to tell her that they theorize that Faunus and Selvans are aspects of the goddess Phymera, the goddess of nature and wind. There is a temple to her on the southern side of the city, along the river.
When asked if they can get directly to Ravenforge from the teleportation circle below, they are told that they only have a direct link to the Royal Athenaeum, but there is a teleportation hub in Elvenroth, where it is located. Kal considers borrowing a book to study her new found religion, as they require a deposit, and they are heading north to seek the treasure, the elf recommends them to get a guide to lead them safely through the mist fields south of the Twilight Peaks.
A Tooth for a Hand
Penny, Demetrius and Granny are all walking to Minotaur Park, to meet up with this mysterious Kody who is asking for adventurers. When the trio gets there, they can see a figure standing out, obviously waiting for someone. Each time someone gets close to him, he lights up, before realizing they are not stopping and moving on. Noticing a lute on his back, Penny thinks that he might be a bard. When they get closer, he realizes that they are actually stopping for him, and perks up, asking if they are here for his quest. When they respond, he cheers loudly.
He tells them that he is in dire need of brave adventurers who can help him in vanquishing a mighty foe, as he needs its teeth. The trio looks at him curiously, suspicious by the fact that he doesn’t say what the foe is. He caves, and tells them that it is a stone giant. Not any one in particular, just that he needs to kill a stone giant and bring back a tooth as proof of his deeds.
The party wants to know why before they promise to help him, and he tells them that he is hopelessly in love with a girl named Anne, but her father doesn’t like or approve of Kody, and so has told him that the only way for him to prove his worth, is to take down a stone giant and bring back it’s teeth as proof of his great deed. Granny is conflicted, as stone giants aren’t inherently evil, so is having a hard time deciding if they should go through with this. Demetrius tells Kody that there are three more members in their party, which makes Kody even more ecstatic, saying this will ensure their victory. He then asks what they will be paid for helping him, and they do a little back and forth, without coming to a conclusion that either party is satisfied with.
The trio moves a bit away to discuss in private, with Kody taking out his lute to play a song. They all seem very unsure of the mission, seeing as he is asking for their help in killing something they are unsure deserves to be killed. They decide that they have to confer with the rest of the party before giving a definitive answer, and when they tell this to Kody he tells them that he will go by himself if they will not help, as he is desperate to have this done. But he will give them time to think about it, telling them that he will be in the same place tomorrow at 10-ish, depending on when he wakes up. He leaves the party, playing a song as he crosses the bridge of Udall to head home.
The Rangers
Afterwards, the trio decides to move on to find the Rangers of the Wild and their base, and so heads outside the city walls to the shanty town beyond it. Looking around, and asking the locals, they are guided towards an old cabin a bit further away from the rest of the buildings. As they approach they see a tabaxi sitting next to a campfire. When they get close, she welcomes them, introducing herself as Right Handed in Woods, asking how she can help.
Granny asks them for a membership, as she would like to join their organizations. Right Handed in Woods looks at her and seems to analyze her, looking her up and down, before asking her some very simple questions, for instance if she will protect nature, defend the innocents, and uphold the natural balance. Answering yes to all these questions, the tabaxi calls for her partner, Thorne, to bring some emblems. A halfling comes out with a box, and places it next to her, while sitting down by the campfire, as they both look at Granny, waiting for her to say something.
Granny tells them she would like to contribute to their cause as she travels, wanting to help out wherever she can. She also asks them about the corruption in the forest, saying that she is on a quest to help her friend get rid of it. The tabaxi tells her that the corruption is well known to the Rangers in the area, as it has been spreading for a few years, then slowed down, until it eventually stopped. But it doesn’t seem to recede, indicating it is here to stay. They have lost some of their members to the more dangerous areas, but doesn’t elaborate on what she means by “lost”.
Granny asks them about the Ruins of Thundertree, and tells them about the sickness currently plaguing Spiral Woods down south. The Rangers look at each other, worryingly. They tell Granny that Thundertree was taken by the corruption, forcing people to leave the area. If the corruption is spreading, then they have to stop it. The group ask the tabaxi how they can know if it is the same corruption, with the tabaxi replying that the one plaguing the Jaded Wilds is not easily fixed by magic, as opposed to other dangers that can plague the woods. They help them by telling them about three areas of corruption in the Jaded Wilds, explaining how to reach them. One is not far from Tempervale, another is near Thundertree and the last one is far to the east, on the other side of the mountain.
Granny tells the pair about Willowbark, and that she is the one on the quest to save her tribe. The halfling asks if Granny knows if she has been experiencing hallucinations, and when she confirms that she has dreams about a green eye, he tells them that some of the survivors of Thundertree also spoke of having nightmares and hallucinations. The party knows just one survivor from Thundertree, the woman who sent them for the emerald necklace.
Feeling confident that Granny can be a fine addition to the Rangers, they give her a pin, and fasten it on her shell, telling her that she is on a probationary membership, she still has to prove to them that she can uphold her promises. If her group manages to revert the corruption, that is definitely a good start.
The trio thanks them for their help and guidance, and so the tabaxi and halfling ask where they are heading next, and the party tells them that they are seeking treasure near the Twilight Peaks. The halfling tells them to be careful heading that way, as it is riddled with wyverns and other terrible stuff. They thank them for the heads up, and return to the Narrow Bar, waiting for the other half of the party to return from their research.
On the way back, Granny and Penny go looking for a shop to pick up some ink, quill and paper. They find The Unseen Arcanity, with a lot of magical items, as well as the things they require. Penny asks the shopkeeper Claira what the oldest thing she has in the store is, and is shown a beautiful harp that will set her back 120,000 gold pieces. Penny jokingly checks her purse, and tells the woman that it’s not in her budget at the moment, but it sure is beautiful.
Having purchased what they need, they walk over to the tavern, as Granny tells Penny to write down the names of everyone in the group. As they do, they can suddenly hear large metallic footsteps, and everyone in the square around them freezes up, watching the approaching figure cross the square. A massive humanoid shaped creation made of metal, with fire coming out of its head like a brazier. Penny asks Granny what that was, with a bystander replying that it was a Royal Incinerator, royal bounty hunters sent out to track down the worst of the worst. They are rumored to be unkillable.
Studies
Back at the library, Kal is very curious about Roshan that has a bridge, but she cannot remember ever hearing about her. Aelar tells her about the Betrayal, which was a cataclysmic event that happened when one god went against the others to overthrow them. During that time, Roshan was the first casualty by the god, and this caused the world to fall into darkness for over 10 years. During this time, monsters from the Underdark emerged and invaded the world. Kal asks for the name of the god, but he tells her that he won’t say it, as it is forbidden to say out loud. Kal is surprised that gods can be killed, but he tells her that gods are powerful, but not immortal against other gods.
Eventually, after a long conflict, the evil god was overthrown and defeated, as was his army of drow, which in turn was nearly extinct. Roshan’s sister Ilene took over as the goddess of the sun as well as the moon which was her original divine task, returning light to the world. Kal takes Aelar to Willowbark, considering his previous knowledge of her gods, and asks her if she has heard of the Betrayal in her pantheon, but she tells her that this is news to her. She does mention that Baskar as the spirit of the sun, and Aruna as the spirit of the moon, but they are considered husband and wife. Aelar suggests that they might be influenced or be an aspect of Roshan and Ilene, but he cannot be sure.
Willowbark goes back to her studies, looking through all the books and papers she has been provided. She gives herself guidance by telling herself that she can do this. She discovers some information about Thundertree and that the disease acted slowly, and a few of the survivors had dreams about the same eye as Willowbark. It has also happened in a forest named Mirewoods. When she looks at the map, she cannot find a place or forest that has that name, so she asks Aelar about Mirewoods and he tells her that it has changed names and now it’s called Unknown. It is now a swamp at the end of Frumpkin Hills.
The forest was turned into a swamp around 250 years ago. There was a time of corruption, before it settled down, and then it got worse. The place is uninhabitable and there are rumors of a dragon having moved into the area, but he doesn’t know if that is true or not. Willowbark is scared of this happening to her forest as well. Hearing Willowbark mentioning the dying wood and watchful eyes in her dreams, he remembers something, and goes off to find an old book. He gives it to Willowbark and it seems like a fairytale book. Suddenly she finds something:
"Of all the creatures that roam the planes, few are as twisted and evil as the hags. Hags dwell in dark and twisted woods, bleak moors, storm-lashed sea costs or gloomy swamps. In time, the landskape around a hag's lair reflects the creature's noxiousness, such as the land itself becoming toxic. Livestock gets poisoned, food and crops wither and die, and the inhabitants eventually get corrupted themselves, either dying or worse. A coven of hags might even watch their victims from afar to relish in their misery."
Aelar tells Willowbark that he knows that hags can take the appearance of anyone they have killed, which fits with what happened with Willowbark in the forest, although this saddens her as this probably means her mother is truly dead. She asks him how one prepares to fight a hag, but he unfortunately does not know, but tells her that the answer probably lies somewhere around them, looking around at the vast bookshelves that surround them. She thanks him, as he has given her hope at least, revealing her enemy to her.
Regrouping
The party all meet up back at the tavern, finding Granny helping Penny working on her writing, with Demetrius watching whilst drinking a glass of wine. They all notice that Willowbark seems a bit conflicted, and tells them what she learned about the corruption, and that her mother might be truly gone. Noticing that Willowbark has a hard time putting the words together, Kal tells the others that the most likely culprit of the corruption is one or more hags.
They go through several of the various kinds of hags that Willowbark has researched, and they all agree that it probably isn’t a sea hag, so most likely it’s a green hag or maybe even a night hag. Either way, they are dangerous, evil, and must be stopped, lest the whole forest will be potentially ruined forever, like what happened to Myrewoods. Granny tells them what they learned from the Rangers, and they gave them the location of three spots of corruption. They take out the map they have purchased, and place markers on the locations described.
Spotting on the map a place in the middle of the forest called Castle Phalorn, they realize that this is the location of Cragmaw Castle, but nobody has heard about the Phalorn family. They look around, asking Penny where she is from, and she tells them that she’s from the Emerald Earth Sanctuary, and gives a vague description of what she remembers of the place, it being in the woods near water, and that she and Morgan sailed from Arcanharbor to Port Emerald. They figure that she is probably from somewhere near Rednook. Demetrius points to his home city of Cantalos, while Penny asks where Kal is from. She is hesitant to tell them, but eventually reveals that she’s from a place called Centahelm, showing it on the map. Penny realizes that is where Morgan disappeared from.
Demetrius and Penny tell the others about Kody and his wish to defeat a stone giant in order to retrieve a tooth from it. Granny shares her mixed feelings about it, not wanting to kill an innocent in a quest for love, but when they tell the others that Kody is going to go with or without them, they decide they should come along, otherwise he will surely be killed. Penny and Willowbark both agree that they should try to talk to it, as Willowbark knows the giant language, so may be able to resolve it peacefully, maybe even being able to talk Kody down and buy a tooth from somewhere.
Come Hell or High Water
The next morning, Theren heads out before the others, hoping to find a particular item he has been searching for in one of the nearby magic shops. He goes to the Unseen Arcanity after Penny and Granny told them about it, to talk to the owner, Claira. He asks her for a particular set of armor, but she tells him that she doesn’t carry any of those, but recommends he talk to her colleague Arha Perry, who runs the Tranquil Eye, as she is more diverse in her stock, since Claira mostly makes her own items.
Going there, Theren finds the half-orc who owns the shop, and she confirms to him that she indeed has one in stock that might be what he is looking for, but she tells him that it will cost him 2000 gold pieces. Checking his funds, he realizes that it is a bit beyond his price range, and that they will soon travel north to the Twilight Peaks, which prompts Arha to think for a moment, before coming up with a proposal. She has been wanting for a while to work on a flail snail shell. She explains that they are known to reside near the mountain he is going to, and if he can procure that for her, then she could be willing to sell him the armor for a mere 750 gp instead, and tells him that she can hold the armor for one month. He agrees to this, and returns to the party after buying some spell components he has been needing.
When the party heads towards Minotaur Park, they can see Kody waiting there, and spotting Penny, Granny and Demetrius, he quickly runs over to them, excited to see them, thinking they have agreed to join him. Willowbark introduces herself and begs him not to go through with this, saying there are other ways, but Kody tells her that he has made up his mind. He doesn’t want to start off his relationship by lying, so want to defeat a real one, and after hearing the concerns Granny had the day before, he asked around, and as luck would have it, a stone giant has been harassing some local villages, so they would be doing a good deed by taking it down. The party agrees that if that is the case, they might be inclined to join him, but asks for payment. They negotiate a deal for him to pay them 75 gp per member on the successful retrieval of the tooth.
The group joins Kody at the stables where they boarded their horses, with Kody riding with Penny in order to be able to exchange songs, considering they’re both bards. As they walk he asks if she truly is who he thinks she is, and she confirms that she is Penny from Bows’N’Roses, prompting Kody to bow down to her, chanting “I’m not worthy!” in a joking manner. He tells her that he saw their show in town a couple of weeks ago, but Penny does’t realize the implications of this at first.
The party heads south from the city with Kody, towards the woods, and stops by a small hamlet on the way to the clearing where Kody has been told the stone giant was spotted. They meet a local farmer named Ballard, who confirms Kody’s claims that a stone giant has attacked the locals when they are out hunting or chopping wood. Willowbark is a bit ambivalent about the whole situation, saying that the villagers shouldn’t destroy the woods, but the group explains that the forest is big enough to regrow faster than the farmers can chop it down.
When they get closer to the area they are looking for, they dismount the horses and hide them in the nearby woods. Sneaking up to the clearing, they can hear a few voices talking, and can see that the stone giant is conversing with an ogre. Willowbark and a very reluctant Kal decide to make their presence known to the giants, in order to try to talk to it, hopefully solving things peacefully. Kal has little confidence in the plan.
When they emerge from the woods, hands up and showing they mean no harm, the stone giant turns toward them in a curious manner, wondering who is daring enough to approach willingly. They see a few ogres around, and notice that they seem outnumbered, but the giants apparently haven't noticed their party members hiding in the woods. Willowbark talks to the stone giant in his language, and tries to convince him that he is in danger if he doesn’t stop with his harassment of the local population. The giant laughs at her, being overconfident in his own survival, and does not heed the warnings. Kal comes up with an idea of trading the tooth for something the giant desires. Willowbark conveys this to the giant, but he just laughs again, and offers them ogre teeth instead, and the ogres are offended when they decline.
Kal says to Willowbark that they would have been better off if they just decided to ambush them. This causes a few of the ogres to look at each other and then scan the surrounding forest to find anyone else, before telling the giant that it is a trap. Apparently some of the ogres knows common, and draws their weapons, ready to attack the pair.
Next: Chapter 21: Toothache