Planning ahead

by Gael

We were enjoying a lovely breakfast, courtesy of Dynia, when Liliana suddenly asked, “So Dynia, what is that glamour you have on you?” The room instantly fell silent. You could’ve even heard a pin drop. A few moments later, we asked her to please explain. She claimed that she had it from a reliable source that Dynia was under the effects of a glamour of some kind. And while she didn’t name anyone, it was clear that we could all see Lady Vivienne’s hand in this.

Dynia seemed genuinely surprised by this. Having no idea what Liliana was talking about. But as she was pressed further on thies, she quickly made an excuse about having work to do in the kitchen and left the room.

The way she left the room felt forced. Not like she made a decision, but rather was compelled to leave the room. Perhaps a failsafe in the glamour, designed to prevent her from learning more about it. Though whether that meant it was either malicious or protective in nature was hard to say.

Luke mentioned that he could likely remove such a glamour, though he warned that without understanding its purpose, it might be dangerous to do so. I mean for all we knew, it might even be a last gift by Queen Titania herself. And time not being on our side. What with Galiene’s condition worsening and the High King’s command hanging over us, we would not be able to deal with any fallout. Thus we agreed to leave that mystery untouched, for now at least.

After breakfast, we spoke with Lady Vivienne about our journey ahead. She confirmed that she would indeed guide us through the Lorewood. But beyond that, into Neverhold itself, we’d be on our own to reach Nimmerhold in time.

According to the map she presented, reaching Nimmerhold would take just under two weeks. But in the Feywild, with time and distance being fluid. That didn’t really seem much. What seemed like two weeks here could be far longer or shorter there.

And time wasn’t the only obstacle we would face. One of the biggest challenges was the Kingscleft. A vast ravine filled with lava that spread across the map as an ugly scar and cut Neverhold in two. Having appeared only a scant few centuries ago, no one , save maybe the High King, knew of its origins or had managed to remove it.

There was only one safe way across: the bridge at Crow’s Crossing. The city stood as Nimmerhold’s shield, guarding the sole crossing. To make things worse, Vivienne warned us that orders had already been sent ahead to delay us, meaning a cold welcome awaited us from every holding we might pass.

Studying the map a bit further, an alternative plan was proposed. Heading east along the edge of the Lorewood we could reach Whitewail, Vivienne’s own domain. From there, we might be able to take a boat and sail down the coast. Thus avoiding the Kingscleft entirely.

We considered both options. And while Allistan’s strategies, Dadroz’s skills, Liliana’s deep knowledge of the Feywilds inner dealings and the considerable talents of both Hayley and Luke might’ve seen us through either route, I believed our best chance lay in facing Crow’s Crossing. As we had little experience with sailing, especially in magical waters and no time to gamble. So I argued strongly against Whitewail.

Perhaps too strongly. I regret how forceful I was. But this group, chaotic as we tend to be, is as close to me as family. And watching them charge headstrong into danger unprepared, like sailing Fey seas with no sea legs amongst us, was something I simple couldn’t ignore. For as the ranger, it was my duty to guide them through the wilds.

Still, tradition is tradition. We voted, and the majority chose Whitewail. So I relented.

But there was one more piece of information that gifted us. Although our journey might take only two weeks there, the material plane might experience much more time passing. Days, months, even years could pass us by. A major problem even without the looming threat on Galiene’s life weighing on us.

She offered us a solution. For powerful fey like Lady Vivienne had the ability to shield others from this distortion. But in return, we would owe her a year of service. Not immediately of course. We were free to choose when to fulfil this. But if we died before paying it back, we would serve posthumously until our debt was repaid.

It was a heavy decision. Even for the long-lived, a year is not insignificant. And Liliana’s silence about her own time in Vivienne’s service was telling. But the risk of not taking the offer could mean losing everything.

Then Luke, ever the defiant mage, stood up and boldly declared that there had to be another way. He gave himself until noon to find a solution and marched out. Cloakless, but with enough dramatic flair to make me wish I had one ready for him. I made a mental note to buy one for him in Keralon when I would have more time. I would have gotten him one in Nimmerhold, but I feared he’d spend a fortnight searching for hidden curses in the fabric.

With Luke off to research and with an unexpected window of time,, I decided to go and take care of some last unfinished business. First, Victor’s mask. The high king had already demonstrated that he was quite keen on getting his hands on it. Even sending out a squadron of hobgoblins after it. So I wasn’t exactly keen on delivering it straight to his doorstep. The keep was too risky for me. Even though the protective box blocked divination, it still felt unsafe.

Instead, I turned to the Circle of the Rose. As a knight, I was able to store the mask, box and all,in one of their secure vaults beneath Keralon. The key I kept in my room, though I suspected it would soon end up in Pim’s hoard.

With that done, I turned to something more solemn. We had returned the elder De La Roost scion’s remains. And the De La Roost twins were finally able to lay him to rest proper. It was a quiet, intimate farewell. Just them and a few close friends. I hoped it brought them the peace they deserved.

Next, we had to meet the new mysterious benefactor of Wolf’s Rest. While we were gone, someone had placed a large order with the local carpenters, boosting the village’s economy. So it was only proper that we would introduce ourselves. Curiously, and perhaps a bit suspiciously, this patron had taken up residence in Aunt Pattie’s old home. Most people would be reluctant to live in a former hag’s cottage, though perhaps she simple didn’t know its history.

The cottage looked just as cozy and warm as last time. Minus the giant geese that greeted us last time of course. It was clearly lived in. We knocked, and a woman’s voice called us in. But the house itself was empty. On the table sat a wooden horn and a note: Call in case of emergency. Since it was just a courtesy visit, we decided to let it be.

Back at the keep, we reconvened with Luke. And found him in the company of Lady Elsa. She looked worried, with a slight frown gracing her face. As she told us, she had been scammed by a traveling merchant. Convincing her to invest heavily in a business that didn’t exist. Only for him to quickly leave town. Leaving her with a large debt that she was now unable to pay off.

It was truly shocking. Elsa experience at court had given more experience than most in reading people. Whoever this swindler was, he was clearly not to be underestimated.

Which is why Luke had brought her here. Hoping that we might be able to help her. But we were stretched thin. With both time, money, and resources all in short supply. Then someone, either Hayley or Allistan if memory serves, remembered the boon we held from Lady Morenthene. We could use it to pay back Elsa’s debt. Thus buying us more time to find a better solution. We couldn’t after all just let someone get away with hurting one of our own.

With that resolved, we turned back to the glamour issue. As expected, Luke had indeed found a way to protect us from the High King’s temporal manipulation. But sadly simply lacked both time and materials needed to complete it. Which forced us once more to reconsider Vivienne’s offer.

This time, we couldn’t simple resolve things by vote. It had to be a unanimous decision, or the deal was off the table. So we declined her offer, respectfully.

Vivienne took our decision with her usual grace and elegance. Even going so far to offer us one final piece of advice. If we passed through a settlement called Hall, we might be able to acquire Fey mounts during their seasonal festival. Which would prove useful during the journey ahead.

And with that, we packed our gear and, with Vivienne as our guide, stepped into the Lorewood—to face the mysteries, wonders, and dangers of the Feywild.

Continue reading...

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30th of Daga, 121 year of the tree

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30th of Daga, 121 year of the tree

Departure
1st of Lug, 121, Era of the Tree

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2-5 Lug, Year 121, Era of the Tree

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7th & 8th of Lugh, 121 Year of the Tree

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The Journal Entry’s title

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2nd of Nuan, Year 126, Era of the Tree

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A festive day
10th Nuan, Y126 Era of the Tree

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The Journal Entry’s title

The Journal Entry’s title

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16th - 17th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

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18th - 21st of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

The Journal Entry’s title

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22nd - 23th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

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23rd of Nuan, Y126 E.O.T.

Intermission: Letter home

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28th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

The Journal Entry’s title

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29th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Breaking and making deals
1st of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

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2nd of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

The Journal Entry’s title

The Journal Entry’s title

Dinner for Seven
9th of Aran, 126 Era of the Tree

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25th of Aran, Y126 EOT

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24th of Aran, Y126 EOT

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26th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

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26th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

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Lord Quinn I presume
4th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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5th - 6th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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6th - 8th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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8th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Heart of Acid
8th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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11th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

The Journal Entry’s title

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12th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

The Journal Entry’s title

Latebra Velora
16th of Brigan, Y126 E.O.T.

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16th - 17th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

A royal summons
17th - 20th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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21th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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21th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

Hall
Hopefully 22th - 25th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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I think 25th of Brigan, 128 Era of the Tree

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No clue

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7th of Mannan, 128 Era of the Tree

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still no idea

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30th of Gobu 126 Era of the Tree

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1st of Mannan, 128 Era of the Tree

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1st of Mannan, 128 Era of the Tree

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11th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

A key challenge
11th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

Planning ahead

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