Previously: Chapter 81: Time Flies
On the Subject of Hags
The rest of the party helps Kal up from her tumble, getting her on her feet and wiping off the dust. Clarita looks at her with her hands in front of her, asking if she is okay, to which Kal replies that she is okay, and if she can tell them anything more that can help them clear her curse. Clarita looks concerned, possibly by seeing a chance to be released, and maybe seeing that chance slipping away. In either case, she tells the party that she has nobody to really talk to, so she hasn’t learned anything of use that the party can use. The only thing she knows is that the queen sometimes takes her to ride in the nearby forest, before Pantharos takes her back to the fields, but Seraphina sometimes stays behind. She knows not what she does after they part.
Realizing this will not lead anywhere, Penny suggests that Kal maybe do a legend lore on Hagatha to see what they might be up against. Kal agrees, and so sits down, takes out some of her incense and ivory strips, and begins casting the spell in order to learn more about their quarry. As the ritual completes, she is not taken to the familiar chambers of Udall, but instead, all sound disappears, and then suddenly, as if someone is sitting next to her shouting in her ear, she hears the voice tell the tale of Hagatha Greenthumb.
Hagatha, the twisted crone of the Feywild, is no mere hag but an archfey of great and terrible power. She is the sister of the late Archfey Tatiana, the Queen of Light, whose passing plunged parts of the Feywild into mourning. As Tatiana’s dark mirror, Hagatha embodies the wild, untamed magic of the Fey, the embodiment of chaos and trickery. Aunt to Seraphina, the Summer Queen, her influence weaves through the shadows of the Feywild, unseen but ever-present. Older than the moon itself, her power is unbound by the silver light that touches so many in the fey realms. Known by many names throughout the ages, she has whispered dark bargains to those desperate or foolish enough to seek her out... but in all corners of the world, she is most feared under a single name… Baba Yaga.
The party realizes that they are up against a force of nature personified, the hag before all other hags, older than Elysum, and extremely dangerous. But Relic suggests that they are on a quest to kill one god, so this would be a good trial run. In either case, they decide to write the song for Lirael first, and then go after Hagatha afterwards. Clarita tells them that they know where to find her, and then returns to the other horses, leaving the party to do their business.
The Grove
The party realizes that they are not entirely sure when the appointment with the tribunal is, and want to make sure that they have the time right so that they don’t miss their appointment the next “day”, so they decide to just go back to the castle and double check with Pantharos. Let into the castle by a pair of sheep-guards, they find Pantharos to the side, looking through some important looking documents. As they approach, he exclaims his joy that they have already completed the task, but they disappoint him with the truth. They ask what he meant when he said that the tribunal would meet them “tomorrow”. Exasperated, he says that he adjusted the meeting to join up with “their” notion of tomorrow, so when they have slept, it will be tomorrow, but couldn’t tell the party when they need to be there, saying that they cannot be late, otherwise their owls will be lost forever.
Thistlethorn and Penny both sense his dislike of Kal and Relic in particular, and suggest that if he helps them complete their task, then he would be rid of them sooner rather than later. He looks at them, pondering, but declines, saying that he has more important things to do, and that he has more important things to do anyhow. Thistlethorn gives him a nasty look, which he appreciates, and pays for with a small pebble. She finds herself unable to give him another nasty look, but reluctantly accepts the payment, a memory of their adventures so far.
The party exits the castle once more, and takes a right towards the Grove. As they walk down the path, they pass by the dark and desaturated area they saw from a distance, getting a closer look. They see that it appears to be a massive maze surrounded by walls and several big gates. Through the gates, Thistlethorn spots what appears to be the Caretaker of the Garden. She is tending the walls of the maze, but she doesn’t get a good look at her face, but it’s not Hagatha or Agatha, so she thinks nothing of it, and continues onwards with the rest of the party.
To their left, they see the forest, glinting several creatures, among them trees who walk about, a group of animals holding a tea party, and mushrooms dancing in a circle. To their right, they see the vast and beautiful lake, which looks more like an ocean, green and blue like emerald and sapphires, waves crashing against the cliffs below, with the glimmer of the Summer Queen casting its light across the vista.
They continue to walk on the path, and before they realize it, find themselves in a vast, beautiful field of green, with scattered trees, flowerbeds, and the odd animal here and there. Nowhere can they see the forest or lake, and no mountains are visible. It’s like they’ve stepped through to a hidden gem, away from all the dangers of the world.
Thistlethorn leans down to talk to the flowers, as she has been granted that gift from the Heartwood Staff, asking them if they have found the Grove of Eternal Spring. The flowers confirm that indeed they have, but that they should leave as they are not allowed to be here. Or so they guess. But Thistlethorn manages to convince them to give them a chance, so the main flower tells another one to go fetch Craggle and Tumble, as they will be able to give a definite response.
Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, and two massive creatures form from the underground roots that sprout up from below the earth. Relic goes into a defensive position, but the rest of the party seems calm, so he relaxes. Although Thistlethorn can understand them, it seems to be quite rudimentary. They both seem to be staring at Penny, while asking why they have come. She explains that they wish to write a song to honor Lirael, which appears to be an acceptable reason. Craggle, or Tumble, they are unsure, points to Penny, asking about wood. Penny suspects that they wonder about Harmony, so she holds it up towards it, allowing the guardian to play a tune on it. As they do, Penny sees that the grain of the wood matches that of the guardian. They seem to accept the group, and go off to wander about the grove, while the party is allowed to do what they came for.
Penny senses that there is something lingering here, and Relic does too, feeling that the magic in the grove is thick, almost moldable. Penny tries to connect with the area, sitting down, playing a tune. It is quite beautiful, but it’s not quite right, something they can all feel. It’s almost as if the melody is there, just out of reach. The party decides to try to help out, so that Penny can find the right notes.
Relic, sensing that the magic is strong, decides to take out some of his paper and quill, and begins to make a rudimentary music sheet from the magic that he can sense. Thistlethorn sits down in order to try to get more in touch with the surrounding area, hoping to find a way to help, and discovers a rhythm. Through their connection, she sends the rhythm to Penny, who can also feel it. Kal, unsure what to do, uses a divination spell to ask for guidance from the higher powers. She gets a reply from an unknown god, suggesting that she should send Penny her emotion, as she is clearly feeling joy from being in this peaceful place.
Armed with the help from the rest of the party, Penny sits down, and tries once more to write the melody. She can feel that she almost is remembering a song, not writing a new one, but it seems to resonate with her instrument. She sits there, surrounded by her companions, as the flowers approach, guardians looking back at the gathering before getting closer. The local fauna also seems entranced by the melody, as they come out from their hiding spots to listen in. The music is beautiful, and as she ends the song, they can all see two figures appear a ways away, near a flowerbed. A young elven child, with her mother, Seraphina. The emotion coming from the memory overwhelms them all, before it fades away. Penny needs not write the melody down, she knows it by heart.
The party realizes that they have been working for hours, and they begin to feel tired from their efforts of the day. The disconnect of having it always be twilight is hard to get used to, and decides that it is time to find rest. They contemplate summoning the mansion, but the grove seems so safe, so they ask the flowers if they can be allowed to stay for the night. The flowers agree to look over them, in case someone comes, while the guardians seem to not object. The flowers ask for payment, accepting Penny and Thistlethorn’s offer of watering them, so they line up to get their reward.
Penny uses her song of creation to summon a makeshift grill, allowing Kal to make a fire so that they can get a proper meal, and afterwards, they all find a cozy spot to lie down, resting and recuperating for the night. Before Penny goes to sleep, she walks over to the spot where the memory was seen, using a programmed illusion to make it permanent, a small gift for the Summer Queen. That night, she dreams of being Lirael as a little girl, wandering through the grove with her mother, Seraphina, while an older, more regal looking archfey can be seen with them. Tatiana, the last Summer Queen. Memory, or dream, she cannot tell.
Reclaiming the Owls
As they wake up, feeling well rested, they decide that they should not linger for too long, as Pantharos suggested. The flowers speak lowly of him, saying that he sometimes comes to kidnap and murder their kin, suggesting that Pantharos sometimes make bouquets of flowers from here. Thistlethorn offers to tell him to stop, but they somehow seem to enjoy being murdered. Not wanting to waste more time than they have, they head back towards where they came. Turning around, Penny sees the memory still in place, with the guardians giving a wave of goodbye. They then suddenly find themselves on the path once more.
Kal wonders if they can find their way to the castle even if they go the other way, but Thistlethorn wishes not to dally for too long, lest they miss their appointment. Kal reluctantly agrees to try later. On the way back, they spot Agatha wandering through the forest to their right, seemingly unaware of the party, but they decide to not approach or engage, they have bigger fish to fry.
After walking for a while, with the castle somehow never getting closer before they’re suddenly next to it, the approach the gates, thinking them first empty, but then seeing that two mice in uniforms keep watch, letting them through. Walking up the stairs and opening the doors, they find the palace seemingly empty. High above them, on a balcony, Pantharos stands waiting for them, so they ascend the stairs, greeting him. He tells them that if they had been one minute delayed, they would have missed their appointment, before sending them through a set of doors, leading to a room with a balcony high on the wall, with a small podium at its center. Four eladrians, two of each gender, one of each season, stand on the balcony looking down at them.
The party approaches, and the autumn eladrian, Aurelius, tells them to hurry with their request, as they don’t have all day. Thistlethorn explains the situation, that they didn’t know about the ban on flying, and thinks it unfair that the owls should be punished. Eira, the winter eladrian is surprised that they didn’t do proper research, while Viridion, the spring eladrian suggests that their owls can be returned a feynight after they depart the plane. At first thinking this sounds reasonable, Relic points out that a feynight is about 10 years on the material plane. The party declines, saying there must be another way. The tribunal brings various suggestions, from cutting off the wings of the birds, or just executing them, with Kal offers up earthbind or polymorph as a solution, but the tribunal finds this too tedious. Solara, the summer eladrian, and also apparently the most level headed, offers that the party can have their owls returned, as long as they sign a waiver, with strict rules about how the owls should act.
The tribunal tosses down a thick pile of documents, written in sylvan, and another one in common. The party spends some time reading through it, and although the rules are ridiculous, with a set limit on how many times a day an owl can hoot, and how many feathers they are allowed to shed and where, but most importantly, they can only fly within 100 feet of the party if within the gardens. They see no terms they aren’t willing to live with, and decide to sign. Thistlethorn signs her name, while giving the date as the date they left the material plane, hoping that they can return the same day. She feels a weight on each of her shoulders, as suddenly Argus and Ira are with them. They nuzzle up to their “mother”, greeting the rest of the party in turn, saying that they have missed them dearly, but that they did have a good time, meeting many new friends.
As the tribunal is done with their ruling, they tell the party to leave, as the floor vanishes from below them, sending them all into the darkness below. The tunnel leads to a trap door, spitting them out on the road outside the castle, all of them sliding out, but Kal managing to land on her feet. Thistlethorn embraces her owls properly, and tells them about their limitations, overjoyed at having them back.
The Weeping Falls
After their reunion, they decide to take a stab at the next part of the song, the emotion, remembering that they were told that the Weeping Falls behind the castle has been infested by the sadness of the queen, so it might be a good place to get a proper emotion for the song Penny is writing. Relic remembers seeing a path leading towards the coast next to the maze, so they decide to go there.
The path leads to the cliff edge, with a winding pathway leading down to the landing below. It is quite steep and arduous, so much so that both Thistlethorn and Kal lose their footing, tumbling out towards the hard rock floor below, but a quick feather fall from relic saves them. Penny and Relic both make their way down safe, meeting up with the fallen.
The walk along the stone ground, seeing the falls in the distance ahead of them. Leading into a chasm in the wall beneath the castle, the area seems dark, gloomy and depressing. Peering in, the party can see glowing shapes wandering through what was once a quite beautiful forest, with small spheres reminiscent of will-o'-wisps floats around. Movement in the water around the forest hints at other dangers lurking.
Not wanting to risk the owls, Argus and Ira both decide to wait, sitting on the ground, outside of the darkness, as the party all ventures into the falls. The air is humid, and also heavy with emotion, as they instantly feel the gloom and dread that permeates the area. Ahead of them, towards the innermost corner of the falls, a half-finished statue of Lirael stands, made of crystals, waiting to be completed.
The party has tried to be stealthy, not wanting to disturb whatever spirits linger, but one of the figures notices them, and wanders over towards them. They see the unmistakable visage of Seraphina, but overcome with emotion. The spirit demands to know what they are doing here. Kal offers to give a proper goodbye to Lirael, but the spirit wants to know if they can bring her back. The party looks uncomfortable at each other, then tells the spirit that they cannot. It begins to cry, disturbing the rest of the spirits wandering around, which turns hostile towards the party.
From the water, large surges of emotion come down at them, attacking the party with emotional damage, which Penny and Thistlethorn are especially susceptible to. Kal casts a beacon of hope, hoping to lessen some of the emotional effects, while Thistlethorn tries to use a lesser restoration on a spirit, helping a little, but not enough.
The spirits tries to flood the party with emotions, wounding them greatly in the process, but the party holds back, and uses some very powerful spells to hold the spirits at bay. Nearly overcome with grief, Thistlethorn releases a sunburst, while Penny uses a prismatic spray, managing to banish three of the emotions to a different plane, with Relic firing several fireballs and lightning bolts at the emotions, holding them back, but is at one point overcome with the gloom of the large spirits from the water.
Eventually, a few lamentful spirits linger, but are dispatched. With all the negative emotions vanquished, the light returns to the falls, the water becomes more clear, and they can see that the statue has acquired a tear on its cheek. Penny falls to her knees, as all the negative emotion rushes through her, but instead of resisting or letting it overtake her, she allows it to flow through her, feeling the sadness and longing of the Summer Queen for her daughter. She gets a feeling of familiarity, and now knows what emotion to use when performing the song for the queen.
Another memory appears, a fully grown Lirael, standing in front of the statue, with her mother Seraphina embracing her in a longing hug. Penny realizes that this is the memory of their final time seeing each other, although neither knew it at the time. As an offering, Penny uses another spell to make a programmed illusion, making the memory linger forever, as the rest of the party pays tribute in their own way, before turning to leave the Weeping Falls, which now needs a new name. Two parts down, now only the lyrics remain, and Penny has a feeling she knows where to find them.
Next: Chapter 83: Crescendo