Session Date: 03/24/2025
Last Week
Widald is staring at Tabby all the time because he wishes to understand what makes Tabby ticket so that he will be able to fight Tabby effectively. Tabby mentioned friendship, and now Widald is trying to understand the concept of friendship (and failing).
Something was wrong with the animals on a part of the trip, and there was a castle that was partially destroyed in the distance. Faylen was reviewing the manual for the construct and there was a very large ape standing before him. It was an animal, going straight at him. Akker is also here, but he’s decided we can handle this without issue.
The Great Ape
We’re staring down the way at this great ape. Mary can tell that he’s not enraged, but he’s rather confused. He doesn’t seem to be fighting, but is confused and upset about it. Mary explains this is our forest, and then asks where he’s from. The ape says that this is a forest, it doesn’t smell like the jungle. He’s really unsure on if this is his forest now, or if it’s ours? He asks if Mary rules here, and she explains that we are going through to where others of our kind live.
She asks how he got here, and also what happened at the destroyed fort. Ape says that the destroyed fort is a bad place. He was living in his jungle, and he was suddenly here. He didn’t listen to talking that was happening, then there was an explosion, which made him happy. He asks where the jungle is, and Faylen whispers to Mary that the nearest jungle is across the entire Commonwealth, just about.
We opt to leave the ape as he is for now and go investigate the ruined castle. We hope that we can find the cause of the large animals appearing here, and use that to send the animals back to home. We chat on the way there and decide that perhaps what happened was that a magic user opened up a portal to summon something, and was unable to get it closed again.
The Grounds
There is a beautiful gate with two life-like statues of lions, which look at us as we approach. They speak in unison: one of us always tells lies, and the other always tells the truth. There is also a huge hole in the wall not too far away. Bosch harasses the lions a little bit: asking what they’d if there was a hole in the wall, what color is the sky. One lion says that this is fun, and Bosch decides that’s the one that lies.
The group loses interest and moves in through the hole in the wall as Faylen explains the correct answer to that particular riddle is to ask one what the other would say.
As we enter the courtyard, there are all kinds of empty cages that have been broken out. Mary sees so many magic or unusual beasts. They are all dangerous in some form, and most of them are not from anywhere remotely near here. There are some snakes that are venomous, running away from an enormous bird hunting them. None of these creatures are paying attention to us, but there is absolute chaos happening here.
Faylen uses detect magic and can tell that the cages that are still in tact are reinforced to some extent. There is a heavy trace of teleportation magic as well, but it is not recent. Whatever happened had to have been deliberate: there were backup spells, and backups to those backups, and they’re all destroyed at this point.
Akker comments that this is absolutely perfect: he loves that this is happening. Faylen comments that we need to send them home, and Akker asks why? They’re about to form a society. Mary and Faylen head the discussion about how these animals need to be sent home. There’s some back and forth where Akker asks which he can eat, and Mary is so unimpressed by the question.
The Castle
Mary starts to head in to try to find who caused this, with Tabby following, and Faylen thereafter. Mary guides us through the crowd of animals and we find a sign that says Mortcombe’s Magical Menagerie, implying this was meant to be a place of business. We find a way into the castle and we find that there are no people here. The place is still clean and in order, so there was some way to make staff appear here.
We can tell that the explosion happened while we were traveling, within the time we’ve been traveling in the construct. It’s clear that this was all set up as if it were a grand opening for this business: there are signs marking restrooms, some merch with an overworked logo. We continue to search and eventually find a rather opulent door.
There’s a voice on the other side of the door that says that he’s fine, and the Menagerie will open on time. Bosch yells that this is an intervention and to open up, or we will go in. We get into the room and Faylen recognizes Floy Mortcombe from school. They start talking and the trouble started after he got some dogs that are way too smart (as far as he is concerned). We convince him to send the animals back home (under Mary’s supervision), and the rest of us promise to look for the dogs. He doesn’t know what dogs they are.
Mary sends Talitha to the ape to ask him to come closer so that we can send him home.
As the rest of us look for the dogs, we hear a voice: a speech about how they are done living under the rule of those who have opposable thumbs and people with hands shall be beneath them. Another voice speaks up and says that there’s a counterpoint where they go home and continue being good boys and girls.
Tabby opens the door enough to peek in. There are two types of dogs inside: a large short-eared black-coated dog (this is the one talking of revolution) and a smaller, shaggier dog. The big black dogs are barghests - they can be pretty nasty and can change shapes - and the others are blink dogs.
As a group we manage to convince the barghests not to carry out their revolution here, and we get the barghests to be sent back home by Floy. The lead barghest was disappointed he couldn’t start a revolution here, and Tabby comments that he can always lead a revolution back at home where he’s from. There’s some more back and forth and we get back to Floy and finish sending all of the animals back home. Akker does the most beautiful demolition of the castle, and Floy realizes he’s ruined. Bosch comments that Zeth Seegmiller is dead now, and that money is up for grabs.
Floy takes away the idea that he has to steal his fortune and then stumbles into the forest to try to make his way back to Jewel to obtain said riches.
The Construct
We return and Oryeon Onyons is upset that we are still stopped and everyone is having a picnic. We assure Oryeon that it’s been taken care of and Orvel Onyons invites us over to his area, saying he saved us a spot. We eat and tell Orvel a little bit of what happened and then ask how he’s been doing and how he’s fitting in here. He’s been working on his bird sketches.
The construct has shed its wheels and it now hovers above the ground, and it’s just slightly wider than it was when we left. We are halfway through our journey north.
After everyone eats, we all head back inside of the construct and the journey resumes.