Session Date: 06/09/2025
Returning Home
We are booted out of the feywild and we wind up finding out that time hasn’t shifted too much: it’s as if we just had a very long breakfast. Mary is explaining to Tabby what just happened. Bosch notices Akker with the promise of grenades, and the two run off to blow some stuff up for fun. Widald gets up and leaves (Mary has attended to his broken arm).
Tabby is surprised by what happened, and he thinks it’s very neat. It occurred to him way back when we helped the hobgoblins the fey were afraid of the shadow dragon, and it seems that he’s done it. We discuss the concerns about Kaymanth is upset, possibly moreso than before, and all agree that he at least has more of an interest in Tabby than he did before.
A Little While Later
The voyage continues on with the construct gliding over the glades and nature grows more wild. Mary notices that the animals are watching us as the construct goes through. The animals seem to have an almost military training as they watch over. Mary works with the people on the construct to make sure they do not overhunt, and otherwise she keeps an eye open for a druid to teach Blackbeam how to be a druid. He’s definitely learning and has potential - possibly being the city’s druid just like Joe Bullheart was a city druid.
The construct starts to buzz with excitement as we grow close. The animals are always observing, keeping an eye on us. We arrive in a valley and see the mountains. The valley is beautiful and we make it to the spot for the city. There is a (hopefully) final confrontation with the rival group where most of them admit that they recognize our competence and ability. We all participate in helping offload all the items out of the construct as we prepare.
Mary, Tabby, & The Druid
Mary notices that there are no animals in the area, which is odd. She notices that Talitha is gone. Mary immediately begins to look for her, and finds her struggling with a bigger, nastier squirrel. Mary approaches and asks what is going on - Talitha explains that the large squirrel - Grrh - thinks that this is a rescue mission. Grrh explains that Mary is a bad druid, he’s taking Talitha away from the bad druid, and is going to the good druid. Mary offers to go with them to the other druid, and Mary lets Faylen and Tabby know. Faylen suggests that perhaps someone should go with her, and they agree that Tabby should go while Faylen stays behind to help with the construct.
They follow Grrh for quite some time, Mary and Tabby both leaving marks so that Faylen and/or Bosch can find them should they not make it back. There are plenty of animals following along, and there are no neutral animals in this: every animal is working for the druid. They arrive at a cave, a huge bear emerging out of it. The bear regrettably shakes off the bear form and a wild-looking man with a huge beard, holding a staff that is just an uprooted tree.
The druid congratulates Grrh on a job well done, and Talitha says she is not saved, and the druid calls her a traitor. He asks what Mary is doing here, and she explains she wishes to strike balance between the natural world and the cityfolk. The druid says he is not interested in balance, this is a place for balance. Mary explains that there is no stopping it, and the wild druid explains the best way to do this is to stop them from settling here to begin with. Mary says she doesn’t think that will be possible, and he says that in a few days he will get them out, or feed the wolves. Tabby comments that he doesn’t like them, and the druid confirms.
The druid explains that we are not welcome in his forest, in his valley. Mary comments she will continue north, but the others will be staying. There is more at stake than the city in the druid. The druid does not care: if they do not leave, their bodies will be used to nurture the wilds. He says that people consume and destroy, building ugly structures, and he will burn it all down. Tabby explains that this is a gross overgeneralization, and there are plenty who wish to work with nature, preserve it. The druid explains there is no working with nature, only living in, and anything else is destruction.
Mary says that there is no real choice: things are far bigger than this city. The druid says he said what he said, and Mary says she heard him: it just doesn’t change anything. The druid says that they will die, then. Mary shrugs and says that he will as well, and this place will be overrun and destroyed. Mary explains she has convinced them to leave him alone, if he leaves them alone. The druid shakes his head and says that people lie, the moment Mary is gone then the people will consume and destroy, and he must protect what is here, and what is nature. He asks what kind of druid Mary is to be standing with them.
There is more back and forth and the druid keeps strong to his point: people are awful and will destroy nature. Mary explains that they are not going to destroy everything, but if she is not allowed to go north then what comes after will destroy everything, and we at least must be allowed to continue.
The druid thinks about it and admits he has no desire to negotiate, but he will serve his rules to the people and as long as they live up to the rules, then he will leave them alone.
Tabby and Mary discuss what just happened as they walk back to the camp.
The Camp
Mary and Tabby return, rounding up Faylen and Indracht Krell (and Oryeon Onyons is also here) to explain what happened. Indracht is tempted to leave it for the other guy - he’s only here to set things up and then he goes back to Jewel. Indracht asks if there’s any way to negotiate, as the rules sound like it’s designed to give him an excuse to attack, and Tabby and Mary both confirm that is it. Oryeon suggests killing the druid, and Faylen says it sounds like the animals would all attack if that happened. Mary confirms that the animals all seem to work for him.
Oryeon explains he isn’t living here, and he is leaving sooner than we are. He comments that it’ll be an issue if he leaves the druid here - Izoraxx will not be happy. Mary explains she will mediate and make sure things are okay.
Grrh brings the list of demands, which includes things such as:
- No hunting
- Do not enter the forest
- Do not go into the northern forest
Among other things that make things difficult. Oreyon finds these rather unreasonable and eventually goes off to pout. Indracht comments that he would like to talk to the druid and try to negotiate to make things more reasonable for both sides of the equation. Mary says she will make an attempt, but she doesn’t seem confident.
We look around and see Bosch and Akker doing Bosch and Akker things, Dr. Cecily Sÿtz is putting up a field hospital, but Oryeon and Widald are currently missing. We eventually see Oryeon coming back saying that he’s fixed it, nobody has to worry anymore. Mary asks what is going on and what he fixed, and Oryeon comments that he has an assassin in his employ. Mary sighs and comments that he started a war, to which Oryeon says no, he fixed it.
Mary immediately moves to go to warn the druid, with Faylen and Tabby in tow. We find Widald threatening Grrh with two wolves that are growling at him to try to get Grrh back. We come up on him and Mary uses tangle vine to tie him up to let the squirrel go, and the wolves run off along with Grrh. Widald is upset and says he WILL kill someone before this is over, so it may as well be one of us. There’s some back and forth before Oryeon suddenly shows up and draws his staff, frustrated and calling us unreasonable.
Oryeon complains that he thought we understood his way of doing things, but we’ve ruined it all. Tabby draws his weapon and things are incredibly tense.