Ok, I am back again from vacation and it is time to continue the story from where we left off.
The party:
Galion – Elf ranger lvl. 4
Shaith – Fire elf fire domain wizard lvl. 4
Killian – Human priest of Heironious lvl. 3 / Church Inquisitor (renamed to Church Templar – just to avoid confusion)
NPCs
Haddin
Crystin
Torrent
(Tiljann – in a short while)
January 4 continued
The party left the temple and started to discuss what to do now. Shaith wanted to explore up river, to find what the priest had mentioned, but in the end he lost the vote as both Galion and Killian wanted to go downriver to fulfil their part of the bargain/contract that they had agreed to.
Leaving the village they watch as a fey (Tiljann) is assaulted by other fey. Shaith, being from the Inennotdar Forest originally recognize the race as Seela. They decide to help Tiljann, and are a bit surprised that she doesn’t want to kill them. The luck however is not with the party, as they kill four of the assailants and two of them run off. She is not too happy with the outcome, but does realize that the wanted spare the Seela.
Tiljann is very taken with the party as, Vuhl’s promise of something beautiful clearly has come true. She tells them about the situation in her village, and that there are two groups; one who believe that singing is all that saves the forest and the other that believe that the singing is keeping the forest unnaturally alive. If the singing stops, the forest fire will burn out and the forest will be able to start over.
DM Note: I deliberately used a rhetoric that made it sound like the forest was kept in a state of unnatural life, so that the players would be in a real dilemma – was the forest kept in some kind of undead state? Were the singing Seela hurting the forest, while trying to do a good deed?
Tiljann is clearly in favor of keeping the song going. She believes that the fire can be put out if someone were to kill the stag at the bottom of the lake. This gives the players a new dilemma – they had promised to save the creature at the bottom of the lake, but now someone wanted to kill it.
Their dilemma did not get easier as they reached the edge of the lake. Here Kazyk reappeared to hear their decision. He told them again, that he would help them stop the singing and then have the papers – they could copy them all they would like (within a reasonable time limit of a day or two), as long as he got them when this was over. They told him that they wanted to kill the creature, and that ought to stop the fire as well. He told them that he would help them with that task, if they gave him the papers now. Not after the fight, not after copying them – but right now. They clearly sensed that the devil was nervous
DM Note: The adventure states that he fears Indomitability, so I played it along that line. He would like the papers and he wouldn’t mind helping the players. However, should things start to go awry, he would have the papers and could teleport away safely with them. He would, no care if the players would be left in dire trouble. He would of course be bound to return after being healed to see if he could still help.
The players discussed this shortly and decided that they wanted to kill the creature, but did not want to hand over the papers. Kazyk told them that he was sorry to hear that, and asked them to reconsider, as he would have to return at a time, that would not be advantageous to the players and take the papers by force, if they didn’t change their minds. They decided that they would take that chance, rather than part with the papers.
As they arrive to the Seela village, they are confronted by Papuvin, who bids them welcome after a short conversation. He tells them to behave themselves and that as long as Tiljann says they are ok, then they ae welcome at his village and cave.
After the confrontation Killian and Galion walk over to Vuhl to have a talk, as they had noticed him watching them. Shaith stays a little longer and talks with Papuvin. Papuvin tells that from his perspective it seems like most Seela have given up hope. Those who still sang were those with the hope intact, and with hope there is always a chance for change – with despair there is nothing
In the meanwhile Vuhl bids Killian and Galion to come to his cave and is a good host.
He tells them that his view is that the forest lives in a state that is unnatural, and by maintaining this state they are hurting not only the forest but all the creatures in it. He asks them if they have encountered some of the burning creatures in their travels, and if that would be considered a natural and peaceful state of life? They cannot say that they do. He also tells them that the Seela are among those kept in an unnatural state, they spend their lives in despair and singing. He honestly believes that if the song ends so will the Seela and all other creatures kept in the unnatural state of the forest. It will however restore balance and allow for a new beginning, and he for one would gladly lay down his life for that. He tells the players that the song needs to be stopped for the forest to get a new beginning. One way of doing that would be to kill the Dryad Timbre, another creature kept in a burning state of madness. To get to Timbre they will need to go to the Nymph Gwenvere, who might be able to help them. They are welcome to bring her to Vuhl if they cannot convince her themselves.
Shaith arrived at some point during the conversation and seems a bit worried about what Vuhl says, while Killan and Galion both seem to see his point.
DM Note: I am not really sure how I managed to pull this off, but they left the meetings with the feeling that Vuhl was the more reasonable and caring person. His views would lead to genocide, but that the sacrifice was worth considering, as the forest and all the creatures seemed to be caught in a state of non-life. They seemed to believe that while Papuvin meant good, he was actually doing some harm. They told me after the adventure that they had never been suspicious of Vuhl being a bad guy.
After the meeting they are found by Tiljann, who shows them the village. It soon becomes clear to them, that she is the only one in the village that shows some joy and happiness. Everyone else seems caught in a despairing mood, whether they are singing or not. She tells them that a bit about the triangle love story of Anyariel, Timbre and Gwenvere. One thing is clear to the player’s; Timbre and Gwenvere are not the best of friends.
They return to Papuvin for a more in depth talk with him. To him it is clear that killing the stag is the only solution to the problem of the burning forest. They also spend a little time talking to the other Seela and find that if one wants to talk to Gwenhere, one ought to bring some meat.
January 5
On the way to the pond, they hunt down a burning boar and get some fresh/smoked meat. They use it to lure out Gwenhere, who of course is no longer a Nymph but a Water Hag. They tell that they want to go to Timbre and ask her if she can help. She tells them that the only thing that would probably get them an audience is her severed head or the lock of hair from Anyariel, and she is not willing to part with either of them. In the end she agrees to go with them to Vuhl and have a talk with him.
They bring her to Vuhl who smiles and bid them welcome. He offers them food and drinks again, and then asks their permission to talk with Gwenhere alone. He will go to the bedroom, and they are of course welcome to stay in the main room.
DM Note: They believed in Vuhl so completely that they didn’t even try to listen in on the conversation, so I let them hear some low muffled voices talking, and then a wet sound followed by a gasp.
They rush into the bedroom and see Vuhl staring in horror at the now dead hag, who has taken her own life. Vuhl is clearly shaken and tells them that he was telling her of his version of how everything was kept in a state of unnatural life, and that his vision for a new chance meant the old forest had to die. She had started to cry saying that she too was unnatural and would have to die, and then she killed herself. Her last words were: Make use of my head to make everything beautiful again.
DM Note: In DMG a DC 43 challenge is ‘Track a goblin that passed over hard rocks a week ago, and it snowed yesterday’ – I decided that a bluff skill of +53 ought to be more than enough to trick an NPC to commit suicide. The players were, once again, a bit shocked… they had not expected that. And it was clear as day, that it was suicide.
They take the head of the Water hag and decide to go find the lock of hair, so they have both bargaining chips. They find the hair and Galion tries to take it. He activates the curse and that scares the party. At first Shaith tries to convince Galion that he is now safe, as he cannot be hit twice by the curse. However, after saying this he reconsiders and adds… maybe. He then consults his notes and then changes his statement. They all look at each other no one wanting to be the one taking the chance of being cursed. The stalemate breaks when Haddin mumbles something degrading about the party and just takes the hair. He also tells them, that the hair is not cursed, the mirror is.
DM Note: It was a pleasure knowing that he actually saved them from a difficult challenge, they really loathe him
After this they return to the Seela village to prepare for the meeting with Timbre.
January 6
After a good night’s sleep they go to Timbres grove, planning to kill her. They have decided that this is the best course of action. As they arrive at the grove and see the threatening creatures it all seemed to come to the inevitable fight with the Nymph. But for some reason the players stayed their hands at the last moment, and presented Gwenhere’s head. This turned Timbre positive and she invited them in and told them the story of the forest and how it is all connected to her and the first tree
DM Note: I was sure that they had turned to the dark path at this point. I must admit, I hadn’t expected Vuhl to be so convincing with his understated compassion and apparent honesty. They told me after the adventure that they had been extremely close to killing her and stopping the song. At the last moment, something made them change their mind. I don’t know what it was, but it made our experience of chapter 2 quite the tale of changing the PCs minds.
Timbre tells them about the living blade that was bound to her lover. She will unbind the sword so one of the PCs can be bound instead and save the forest. When the creature dies, Timbre knows that she and the forest will die. But, the Living blade is made from the first tree, and as long as it is bound to a living creature, so will the forest be bound to the world of the living and in time it will regrow.
At this point they all agree and decide to kill the stag. This makes Indomitability angry, and they hear his voice in their heads again. He swears to kill them and make them burn forever. He also take back his boon.
They return to the village and announce that they have decided to kill the stag. Vuhl shakes his head in disappointment and goes to his cave. Papuvin applauds their decision. They send Galion out in the water to pull out the sword.
DM Note: This challenge was actually pretty tough. Strength DC 26 actually requires a Strength score of 22 and then a roll of 20. I decided that if they beat the DC 21, then the following check would be easier as the blade was loosened.
His first tries are not successful, but on his third try he manages to wriggle the sword a bit, freeing the stag. As the stag jumps out of the water with Galion hanging on its side the others jump in to try and help him pull the sword out. They manage on the first try and the fight is on. A few rounds into the fight Kazyk appears and start killing off/disrupting the singing Seela.
They manage to kill Indomitability before Kazyk kills off all the singers, and they turn their attention to him, including the remaining Seela. It comes as a surprise that indomitability rise from the dead, and as no one is singing he is now incorporeal. He tries to flee, but is brought down by a spiritual weapon and is finally killed
DM note: I made a mistake; I forgot that he could not be killed without the song of forms. So I decided that the song of form lingered, echoing over the lake. It was not enough to keep him in his solid form, but enough to kill him.
As the stag dies Kazyk realizes that he is now fighting a losing battle. He decides to live to fight another day and teleports away. At the outskirts of the battle they see a strange incorporeal creature leaving the dead body of Vuhl. The creature tells the players that they will meet again, and it flies away into the forest.
January 7
The forest finally stops burning in the afternoon and the Seela are free for the first time in 50 years. The forest is dead, but a tiny green sprout can be seen on the Living Blade (that has transformed into a longbow overnight). The PC’s travel back to the village and put the lock of hair back on the pedestal in the shrine.
January 8
They decide that they have wasted enough time in Inenotdar and it is time to travel on. Tiljann asks if she can go with them. She wants to see the world, and maybe see if she can find the Longstrider, her legendary hero of the Seela.
End of chapter musings:
The chapter got some added depth as one of the players originated from Inenotdar. I can really recommend this, especially with a bit of effort to giving the PC a good backstory and ties to specific areas in the forest. It gives the backdrop setting a much more nuanced life and gives the whole setting an even more tragic note.
One of the reasons that this chapter worked so well for me was that I managed to present all the wrong choices in the adventure as being very attractive, and the right choice as being not so attractive. None of the bad guys were stupid, and they actually really wanted to get the PC’s to help them. That meant that they actually had to be believable and have valid reasons that the players would be able to relate to.
I made Kazyk the reluctant devil, that wanted to piss off his summoner, and wanted to get the players to help him achieve this, within the letter of the deal. Vuhl I made a softspoken Seela, with a lot of compassion for the balance and the good of the forest. I had him being very adamant in mentioning the unnatural state of the forest and how it made everyone suffer.
The party never went upstream. In their point of view there was little to none valid reasons for taking that detour, especially since they had a priority mission. I think that maybe a few more hints at was what upstream combined with the journal being upstream could give them some reason to go there, maybe. I also regret that they never did take the dreamseeds. With two elves in the party I had planned that the Human would have a real trip, ending with the encounter, while the elves experienced nothing but a bitter taste.
The secret below the shrine also ended up giving the game a new edge – after a long while, as I wrote earlier. Galion is now very outspoken against the Shahalesti, which is going to be nice when it comes to the roleplaying scenes in the later chapters, and deciding who to ally with.
I must admit that this chapter really did go very well too. The many changes of hearts and the many dilemmas that they managed to have during the chapter made it quite the story to watch. No one, even I had any idea how this would end up, right until the very end. I hope everyone else will have the same great experience, but it will take making the PC’s see as a Vuhl a credible ally.
The party:
Galion – Elf ranger lvl. 4
Shaith – Fire elf fire domain wizard lvl. 4
Killian – Human priest of Heironious lvl. 3 / Church Inquisitor (renamed to Church Templar – just to avoid confusion)
NPCs
Haddin
Crystin
Torrent
(Tiljann – in a short while)
January 4 continued
The party left the temple and started to discuss what to do now. Shaith wanted to explore up river, to find what the priest had mentioned, but in the end he lost the vote as both Galion and Killian wanted to go downriver to fulfil their part of the bargain/contract that they had agreed to.
Leaving the village they watch as a fey (Tiljann) is assaulted by other fey. Shaith, being from the Inennotdar Forest originally recognize the race as Seela. They decide to help Tiljann, and are a bit surprised that she doesn’t want to kill them. The luck however is not with the party, as they kill four of the assailants and two of them run off. She is not too happy with the outcome, but does realize that the wanted spare the Seela.
Tiljann is very taken with the party as, Vuhl’s promise of something beautiful clearly has come true. She tells them about the situation in her village, and that there are two groups; one who believe that singing is all that saves the forest and the other that believe that the singing is keeping the forest unnaturally alive. If the singing stops, the forest fire will burn out and the forest will be able to start over.
DM Note: I deliberately used a rhetoric that made it sound like the forest was kept in a state of unnatural life, so that the players would be in a real dilemma – was the forest kept in some kind of undead state? Were the singing Seela hurting the forest, while trying to do a good deed?
Tiljann is clearly in favor of keeping the song going. She believes that the fire can be put out if someone were to kill the stag at the bottom of the lake. This gives the players a new dilemma – they had promised to save the creature at the bottom of the lake, but now someone wanted to kill it.
Their dilemma did not get easier as they reached the edge of the lake. Here Kazyk reappeared to hear their decision. He told them again, that he would help them stop the singing and then have the papers – they could copy them all they would like (within a reasonable time limit of a day or two), as long as he got them when this was over. They told him that they wanted to kill the creature, and that ought to stop the fire as well. He told them that he would help them with that task, if they gave him the papers now. Not after the fight, not after copying them – but right now. They clearly sensed that the devil was nervous
DM Note: The adventure states that he fears Indomitability, so I played it along that line. He would like the papers and he wouldn’t mind helping the players. However, should things start to go awry, he would have the papers and could teleport away safely with them. He would, no care if the players would be left in dire trouble. He would of course be bound to return after being healed to see if he could still help.
The players discussed this shortly and decided that they wanted to kill the creature, but did not want to hand over the papers. Kazyk told them that he was sorry to hear that, and asked them to reconsider, as he would have to return at a time, that would not be advantageous to the players and take the papers by force, if they didn’t change their minds. They decided that they would take that chance, rather than part with the papers.
As they arrive to the Seela village, they are confronted by Papuvin, who bids them welcome after a short conversation. He tells them to behave themselves and that as long as Tiljann says they are ok, then they ae welcome at his village and cave.
After the confrontation Killian and Galion walk over to Vuhl to have a talk, as they had noticed him watching them. Shaith stays a little longer and talks with Papuvin. Papuvin tells that from his perspective it seems like most Seela have given up hope. Those who still sang were those with the hope intact, and with hope there is always a chance for change – with despair there is nothing
In the meanwhile Vuhl bids Killian and Galion to come to his cave and is a good host.
He tells them that his view is that the forest lives in a state that is unnatural, and by maintaining this state they are hurting not only the forest but all the creatures in it. He asks them if they have encountered some of the burning creatures in their travels, and if that would be considered a natural and peaceful state of life? They cannot say that they do. He also tells them that the Seela are among those kept in an unnatural state, they spend their lives in despair and singing. He honestly believes that if the song ends so will the Seela and all other creatures kept in the unnatural state of the forest. It will however restore balance and allow for a new beginning, and he for one would gladly lay down his life for that. He tells the players that the song needs to be stopped for the forest to get a new beginning. One way of doing that would be to kill the Dryad Timbre, another creature kept in a burning state of madness. To get to Timbre they will need to go to the Nymph Gwenvere, who might be able to help them. They are welcome to bring her to Vuhl if they cannot convince her themselves.
Shaith arrived at some point during the conversation and seems a bit worried about what Vuhl says, while Killan and Galion both seem to see his point.
DM Note: I am not really sure how I managed to pull this off, but they left the meetings with the feeling that Vuhl was the more reasonable and caring person. His views would lead to genocide, but that the sacrifice was worth considering, as the forest and all the creatures seemed to be caught in a state of non-life. They seemed to believe that while Papuvin meant good, he was actually doing some harm. They told me after the adventure that they had never been suspicious of Vuhl being a bad guy.
After the meeting they are found by Tiljann, who shows them the village. It soon becomes clear to them, that she is the only one in the village that shows some joy and happiness. Everyone else seems caught in a despairing mood, whether they are singing or not. She tells them that a bit about the triangle love story of Anyariel, Timbre and Gwenvere. One thing is clear to the player’s; Timbre and Gwenvere are not the best of friends.
They return to Papuvin for a more in depth talk with him. To him it is clear that killing the stag is the only solution to the problem of the burning forest. They also spend a little time talking to the other Seela and find that if one wants to talk to Gwenhere, one ought to bring some meat.
January 5
On the way to the pond, they hunt down a burning boar and get some fresh/smoked meat. They use it to lure out Gwenhere, who of course is no longer a Nymph but a Water Hag. They tell that they want to go to Timbre and ask her if she can help. She tells them that the only thing that would probably get them an audience is her severed head or the lock of hair from Anyariel, and she is not willing to part with either of them. In the end she agrees to go with them to Vuhl and have a talk with him.
They bring her to Vuhl who smiles and bid them welcome. He offers them food and drinks again, and then asks their permission to talk with Gwenhere alone. He will go to the bedroom, and they are of course welcome to stay in the main room.
DM Note: They believed in Vuhl so completely that they didn’t even try to listen in on the conversation, so I let them hear some low muffled voices talking, and then a wet sound followed by a gasp.
They rush into the bedroom and see Vuhl staring in horror at the now dead hag, who has taken her own life. Vuhl is clearly shaken and tells them that he was telling her of his version of how everything was kept in a state of unnatural life, and that his vision for a new chance meant the old forest had to die. She had started to cry saying that she too was unnatural and would have to die, and then she killed herself. Her last words were: Make use of my head to make everything beautiful again.
DM Note: In DMG a DC 43 challenge is ‘Track a goblin that passed over hard rocks a week ago, and it snowed yesterday’ – I decided that a bluff skill of +53 ought to be more than enough to trick an NPC to commit suicide. The players were, once again, a bit shocked… they had not expected that. And it was clear as day, that it was suicide.
They take the head of the Water hag and decide to go find the lock of hair, so they have both bargaining chips. They find the hair and Galion tries to take it. He activates the curse and that scares the party. At first Shaith tries to convince Galion that he is now safe, as he cannot be hit twice by the curse. However, after saying this he reconsiders and adds… maybe. He then consults his notes and then changes his statement. They all look at each other no one wanting to be the one taking the chance of being cursed. The stalemate breaks when Haddin mumbles something degrading about the party and just takes the hair. He also tells them, that the hair is not cursed, the mirror is.
DM Note: It was a pleasure knowing that he actually saved them from a difficult challenge, they really loathe him
After this they return to the Seela village to prepare for the meeting with Timbre.
January 6
After a good night’s sleep they go to Timbres grove, planning to kill her. They have decided that this is the best course of action. As they arrive at the grove and see the threatening creatures it all seemed to come to the inevitable fight with the Nymph. But for some reason the players stayed their hands at the last moment, and presented Gwenhere’s head. This turned Timbre positive and she invited them in and told them the story of the forest and how it is all connected to her and the first tree
DM Note: I was sure that they had turned to the dark path at this point. I must admit, I hadn’t expected Vuhl to be so convincing with his understated compassion and apparent honesty. They told me after the adventure that they had been extremely close to killing her and stopping the song. At the last moment, something made them change their mind. I don’t know what it was, but it made our experience of chapter 2 quite the tale of changing the PCs minds.
Timbre tells them about the living blade that was bound to her lover. She will unbind the sword so one of the PCs can be bound instead and save the forest. When the creature dies, Timbre knows that she and the forest will die. But, the Living blade is made from the first tree, and as long as it is bound to a living creature, so will the forest be bound to the world of the living and in time it will regrow.
At this point they all agree and decide to kill the stag. This makes Indomitability angry, and they hear his voice in their heads again. He swears to kill them and make them burn forever. He also take back his boon.
They return to the village and announce that they have decided to kill the stag. Vuhl shakes his head in disappointment and goes to his cave. Papuvin applauds their decision. They send Galion out in the water to pull out the sword.
DM Note: This challenge was actually pretty tough. Strength DC 26 actually requires a Strength score of 22 and then a roll of 20. I decided that if they beat the DC 21, then the following check would be easier as the blade was loosened.
His first tries are not successful, but on his third try he manages to wriggle the sword a bit, freeing the stag. As the stag jumps out of the water with Galion hanging on its side the others jump in to try and help him pull the sword out. They manage on the first try and the fight is on. A few rounds into the fight Kazyk appears and start killing off/disrupting the singing Seela.
They manage to kill Indomitability before Kazyk kills off all the singers, and they turn their attention to him, including the remaining Seela. It comes as a surprise that indomitability rise from the dead, and as no one is singing he is now incorporeal. He tries to flee, but is brought down by a spiritual weapon and is finally killed
DM note: I made a mistake; I forgot that he could not be killed without the song of forms. So I decided that the song of form lingered, echoing over the lake. It was not enough to keep him in his solid form, but enough to kill him.
As the stag dies Kazyk realizes that he is now fighting a losing battle. He decides to live to fight another day and teleports away. At the outskirts of the battle they see a strange incorporeal creature leaving the dead body of Vuhl. The creature tells the players that they will meet again, and it flies away into the forest.
January 7
The forest finally stops burning in the afternoon and the Seela are free for the first time in 50 years. The forest is dead, but a tiny green sprout can be seen on the Living Blade (that has transformed into a longbow overnight). The PC’s travel back to the village and put the lock of hair back on the pedestal in the shrine.
January 8
They decide that they have wasted enough time in Inenotdar and it is time to travel on. Tiljann asks if she can go with them. She wants to see the world, and maybe see if she can find the Longstrider, her legendary hero of the Seela.
End of chapter musings:
The chapter got some added depth as one of the players originated from Inenotdar. I can really recommend this, especially with a bit of effort to giving the PC a good backstory and ties to specific areas in the forest. It gives the backdrop setting a much more nuanced life and gives the whole setting an even more tragic note.
One of the reasons that this chapter worked so well for me was that I managed to present all the wrong choices in the adventure as being very attractive, and the right choice as being not so attractive. None of the bad guys were stupid, and they actually really wanted to get the PC’s to help them. That meant that they actually had to be believable and have valid reasons that the players would be able to relate to.
I made Kazyk the reluctant devil, that wanted to piss off his summoner, and wanted to get the players to help him achieve this, within the letter of the deal. Vuhl I made a softspoken Seela, with a lot of compassion for the balance and the good of the forest. I had him being very adamant in mentioning the unnatural state of the forest and how it made everyone suffer.
The party never went upstream. In their point of view there was little to none valid reasons for taking that detour, especially since they had a priority mission. I think that maybe a few more hints at was what upstream combined with the journal being upstream could give them some reason to go there, maybe. I also regret that they never did take the dreamseeds. With two elves in the party I had planned that the Human would have a real trip, ending with the encounter, while the elves experienced nothing but a bitter taste.
The secret below the shrine also ended up giving the game a new edge – after a long while, as I wrote earlier. Galion is now very outspoken against the Shahalesti, which is going to be nice when it comes to the roleplaying scenes in the later chapters, and deciding who to ally with.
I must admit that this chapter really did go very well too. The many changes of hearts and the many dilemmas that they managed to have during the chapter made it quite the story to watch. No one, even I had any idea how this would end up, right until the very end. I hope everyone else will have the same great experience, but it will take making the PC’s see as a Vuhl a credible ally.