Session 0033: Another Feathertoes

The party continued north along the Starfall Trading Route—a well-maintained, cobblestoned road wide enough for two wagons to pass abreast, marked at intervals by stone distance markers. In the distance, a group of hawks soared overhead. Artemis attempted to approach them, but they wouldn’t allow him near. The group chose not to investigate and instead pressed onward.   As dusk settled, a lone figure came into view: a Halfling hastily setting up camp. After a brief and cautious exchange, the group agreed to share the campsite. Lev took time to scout the perimeter, ensuring their safety. During introductions, the Halfling introduced herself as Brewyn Feathertoes. She explained she was seeking the whereabouts of her cousin Verbenna. Cathlynn somberly told Brewyn of Verbenna's fate, news that Brewyn seemed to absorb without emotion or reaction.   After some shared conversation, the group turned in for the night. Lev, needing only four hours of rest, took on additional watch duties. That evening, he arranged his stones in Alignment with the first constellation he saw, a quiet ritual of reverence or perhaps grounding.   During his watch, Lev spotted a ghostly figure—a very young Halfling—approaching Brewyn’s tent. Acting quickly, he called out, both to awaken the others and to confront the apparition. The figure vanished instantly upon being called out.   The next day, they resumed their journey north along the cobblestones. Near day’s end, Lilly sent Dorian off to hunt rabbits while she combed the banks of a small pond for herbs and other useful flora. True to Halfling luck, she discovered a small, mud-caked mirror half-buried near the water’s edge. When Lev examined it with his magic, it pulsed faintly with both divination and transmutation—suggesting a dual enchantment. Peering into it revealed a foreign night sky, as though reflecting stars not of this world.   Dorian, skilled as ever, returned with two rabbits. While on his hunt, he had also encountered a raven bearing a small scroll tied to its legged stamped with the letter “M.” The raven flew off before Dorian could investigate further.   That night’s camp began like any other. Lev again took the first watch. But during his shift, he spotted movement: both Cathlynn’s and Brewyn’s tents had been breached, and the two were already bound when he noticed another figure attempting to enter another tent. Lev shouted, “To arms!” and the camp erupted into chaos.   The attackers turned out to be five humans and one hobgoblin. A fierce battle ensued. Lev called on his divine power, facing off against two attackers and another who tried to shoot him from afar. Dorian engaged the hobgoblin in a tense ranged duel, using his ranger magic to amplify the damage. Lilly called upon her druidic magic and summoned the spirit of the bear, empowering Lev and bolstering the party. Brewyn, partially bound, managed to break free and position herself behind Dorian. Cathlynn, using her cunning and wild shape ability, transformed into a wolf and leapt upon the enemy captain.   The skirmish turned in their favor. Lev dropped the two assailants engaged with him and closed in on the archer, who had already been injured by Lilly’s magic. He quickly surrendered. The hobgoblin and the captain, however, managed to flee into the night.