(S034) Planting a Seed

Guided by a magic eight ball to a secluded cottage, the party survives a basilisk ambush, negotiates with a disguised hag named May, and slays a lightning-breathing Behir in ancient ruins to plant a seed that begins healing the corrupted Feywild.

📝 Session Summary

The Wild Cards were called The Menagerie by some until they came up with the name The Wild Cards.

• Barlo: A grizzled tabaxi barbarian who has been doing some work for a network that one should be wary of.
• Bastion: An orphan human who spent his life studying magic and blades, even though his elder pushed him away from the sword. He replaced Reginald.
• Calliope: This bardic faun joined the party late when she needed to find help to save her homeland.
• Reginald: A leonin cleric who was off to show his family's royal background and would later find out there were secrets leading to him becoming a king.
• Sas: A tortle hermit was given an item of power and a quest.
• Shadow in the Snow: This tabaxi got a coin, and her curiosity set her on a path.

🎬 Scenes

• Scene 1: Barlo's Backstory — From The Bronze Canyon in Kampos. Gave up Tabaxi name, "Smiles". Help move people. On way to Eushia to help Black Road with a client. Currently on ship near Carrune.
• Scene 2: Bastion's Backstory — When Bastion Bladesinger was very young he lost both of his parents to a plague. He took care of himself as he taught himself how to use the rapier his father once wore. He lived in Dyrt and watched all of the great knights. He also had an interest in the ways of magic and he wished he could do both – use swords and excel in magic – like many elves he had heard about.
• Scene 3: Calliope's Backstory — Calliope was born into the nestled highlands of the Oraniad Mountains. The Skola Vale, wild and free, blessed by the gods and inhabited by whimsical Satyr and Faun. Deep within it among the lush valley, reside the Dawngreets, a long generational line of storytellers and lore keepers.
• Scene 4: Reginald's Backstory — He was born at home, a modest-sized mansion where his family lived a modest means – even though his father could never stop talking about how they were royalty and yet this was the only lands they currently possess. His childhood was generally a happy one full of several friends. He was an only child.
• Scene 5: Sas' Backstory — Sas was born on the continent of Oth'Mar – a content mostly inhabited by Tortles and is far to the south of the Carrune Isles.
• Scene 6: Shadow's Backstory — Deep in the snowy mountains high in the north, there lived a large group of Tabaxi, The Blinding Wild Clan.

📜 Missions & Quests

• Completed:
  • Established individual party origins and initial connections to the world of Dierde.
• Active / Discovered Threads:
  • Barlo's ties to the smuggling rings and the Black Road.
  • Bastion's mysterious past and fallout with Grognard.
  • Calliope's quest to save the Skola Vale.
  • Reginald's pursuit of his family's royal mint commission and claim in Neyer.
  • Sas's vision of the Cat Goddess Bast and journey to find her lost lands.
  • Shadow's golden coin and mystical calling from her clan shaman.

NPCs

S034: Planting a Seed

Date: 2022-07-16

Short

The party awoke deep in the Feywild, seeking a hag who could help fix Skola Vale's mysterious stasis. After lightening their overburdened bag of holding and using a magic eight ball for guidance, they discovered a cottage surrounded by white stone statues and guarded by a mysterious elven woman named May. The woman, tended by blood-capped gnome-like creatures, invited them inside, but three basilisks emerged and attacked. The party fought fiercely—Bastion transformed into a giant ape, Barlo crushed skulls with his maul, and Shadow's arrows found their marks—until all three creatures were slain, though Barlo was briefly petrified by one's gaze. May then revealed herself and her sisters to be hags who tended the "fallen fey" statues, explaining that the Feywild was corrupted by an ancient Arch Fae's attempt to create a conduit between planes. She proposed a bargain: defeat a powerful lizard terrorizing corrupted ruins and plant a special seed there, and the hags would help restore the Skull of Veil.

The party followed May's directions to ancient purple ruins surrounded by Shadowfell portals, where a massive Behir—a serpentine creature crackling with electricity—burst from the ground. The battle was intense and dangerous, with the Behir's lightning breath searing Barlo and its lair causing stone to crumble on Sas. Bastion's fire magic was amplified by the Feywild, Calliope manifested the creature's deepest fears through illusion, and Shadow's precise arrows weakened it significantly. After Barlo scaled the stonework to engage it in melee and endured electrical blasts, the party's combined assault brought the Behir down as it attempted to burrow away. They harvested its valuable thirty-pound horn, which would vibrate near dragons, and twenty-five pounds of unique blue scales. Calliope and Sas then planted the hags' seed in the ruins and watered it, observing the Shadowfell corruption begin to recede as they rested before returning to complete their bargain with May.

Summary

The party awoke to find themselves deep in the Feywild, their quest to locate a hag who might hold the key to fixing Skola Vale's mysterious stasis weighing heavily on their minds. As they gathered their bearings, they noticed three distinct paths before them, each winding through the thorny brush and twisted trees. Shadow pulled out a magic eight ball and asked if the hag they sought lay straight ahead, and the mystical orb responded with "Outlook good," which the party decided to trust as their guide.

Before setting out, the group realized their bag of holding had become excessively heavy, weighing a burdensome 154 pounds. They spent time sorting through their collection of monster parts, discarding items of little value such as orc tusks, troglodyte claws, and mandibles. Artie, Shadow's owlbear companion, happily munched on some discarded troglodyte meat chunks before they lightened their load to exactly 100 pounds. With their inventory managed, they established a marching order with Shadow in the lead, followed by Artie, Barlo, Sas, Calliope, and Bastion bringing up the rear.

Sas wove her magic around the party, casting an enchantment that made their movements blend seamlessly with the forest and left no tracks in their wake. As they crept forward, Shadow spotted a well-hidden bear trap in the pathway and carefully guided everyone around it. The forest gradually opened up to reveal a cottage surrounded by a wrought iron fence, and as they drew closer, Shadow's keen eyes picked out numerous white stone statues scattered across the property, depicting various people and creatures frozen in poses of fear or mid-battle.

Shadow observed movement around the cottage and spotted small, gnome-like creatures with red caps performing various chores, their caps appearing to be stained with dried blood. More striking still was an attractive elven woman tending to a large, intricate tree in the center of the property. The woman noticed the party and sent her gnome-like minions to open the gates, inviting them in with a gesture.

Before approaching, the party discussed what they knew about hags. Calliope explained that hags wielded magic differently than other practitioners, often using macabre ingredients and innate abilities to craft their spells. Barlo added that hags were particularly dangerous when gathered in covens of three, as the Feywild's magic resonated with that number. They recalled the various types of hags they might encounter—Annis, Bheur, Green, Night, and Sea hags—each with distinct appearances and abilities, and all known for making deals that invariably favored themselves.

As the party cautiously approached the open gates, three large, eight-legged creatures with crimson spines and glowing green eyes emerged from behind the statues. The basilisks, as they were later identified, immediately attacked. Bastion transformed into a giant ape and hurled a massive rock at one of the creatures, drawing first blood. Shadow fired two precise arrows that buried themselves deep in the same basilisk's scaly hide, causing it to wince in pain.

The wounded basilisk retaliated by biting Bastion, its venomous fangs sinking into his ape form. Barlo, filled with primal fury, charged forward with his maul and delivered two devastating blows to the injured basilisk, the second strike crushing its skull into the ground and ending its life instantly. Calliope attempted to distract another basilisk with cutting insults, but the creature seemed unfazed by her words.

Sas channeled her magic to blind one of the remaining basilisks, causing its glowing green eyes to dim and go dark. Bastion, still in his ape form, finished off the basilisk that Shadow had wounded by smashing its head with his massive fists. Shadow continued her assault with her bow, landing critical strikes on the last basilisk and further weakening it. As Barlo moved to engage the final creature, he locked eyes with it and felt his body begin to stiffen and turn white as stone, temporarily petrified by its gaze.

Calliope drew her crossbow and shot the remaining basilisk in the eye, while Sas rushed forward with her magically enhanced club and delivered the final blow, bringing the creature down. As the last basilisk died, Barlo felt the petrification recede, his body returning to its normal state. The party caught their breath and examined the fallen creatures, recognizing them as basilisks whose gaze could turn living beings to stone, explaining the numerous statues around the property.

The elven woman, who introduced herself as May, approached the party and revealed that she and her two sisters tended the gardens and the "fallen fey"—the petrified statues. She explained that the Feywild was broken due to the Skull of Veil situation, where an ancient Arch Fae had attempted to create a conduit between the Shadowfell, the Material Plane, and the Feywild, corrupting the lands. May proposed a bargain: if the party would defeat a powerful lizard terrorizing a corrupted area and plant a special seed there, she and her sisters would help restore the Skull of Veil.

The party questioned May's true nature, and Calliope used her magical glove to touch the seed, receiving a vision of three green-skinned hag-like creatures creating it with their essence. May admitted that she and her sisters were indeed hags, explaining that they appeared in forms that would make others more comfortable. Despite their suspicions, the party agreed to the task, with Barlo carrying the seed as May directed them to a trail leading to ancient ruins.

Following the trail through the Feywild, the party arrived at decrepit purple stone structures overgrown with moss and surrounded by pools of dark essence. Bastion identified these pools as portals to the Shadowfell, confirming the area's corruption. Shadow noticed a strange smell in the air and disturbed ground, suggesting a burrowing creature. When Shadow moved to the center of the ruins, the ground began to shake, and blue sparks erupted from the dirt.

A massive serpentine creature emerged from the ground—a Behir, with a long tubular body, six pairs of legs with sharp talons, and a snake-like head crackling with electricity. Barlo shouted a warning as the creature's lair reacted to its presence, causing stone to crumble and fall on Sas, knocking her to the ground. Barlo charged forward in a rage and struck the Behir with his maul, while Shadow's swords cut through its scales, causing blood and electricity to spark from the wounds.

Calliope created a swirling vortex of magical daggers around the Behir and sang an inspiring song that filled the party with vigor and temporary vitality. Sas channeled necrotic energy at the creature, causing a patch of its scales to wither and collapse. The Behir retaliated with a devastating lightning breath that struck Barlo, singing his hair and burning his skin, before leaping onto the structure fifty feet above the ground. As it moved, Barlo and Shadow seized the opportunity to strike it again.

Bastion unleashed multiple rays of fire at the Behir, feeling the Feywild amplify his magic now that the pixie curse had been lifted. Barlo used his incredible speed to scale the stonework and engage the creature in melee, landing two powerful blows before an electrical charge blasted through the structure and temporarily incapacitated him. Shadow switched to her bow and fired two arrows that struck true, causing the Behir to show clear signs of injury.

Calliope tapped into the creature's deepest fears, creating an illusionary manifestation that caused the Behir to become frightened and shake with terror. The Behir, now desperate, bit Barlo twice and attempted to wrap its body around him before leaping down near Shadow and trying to burrow into the ground. As it did so, Calliope's nightmare magic caused it to convulse violently, and Shadow's final arrow struck its legs, causing the massive creature to collapse with its front half buried in the ground and its tail twitching in death.

After the battle, Barlo consulted his hunting book and identified the valuable parts of the Behir: its scales, horn, and lightning sack. The party used magical pixie dust to lighten the creature's body and pull it from the ground. They attempted to extract the lightning sack but accidentally caused an electrical discharge, making it too dangerous to retrieve. However, they successfully harvested the Behir's thirty-pound horn, which would vibrate when a dragon was nearby, and twenty-five pounds of its unique blue scales.

Calliope and Sas planted the special seed in the soft dirt of the ruins, and Calliope used her alchemy jug to water it. As they did so, the party observed that the glowing blue pools of Shadowfell essence slowly began to constrict, suggesting the seed was already beginning to counteract the corruption. The party took a short rest to recover from their wounds, feeling secure in the area, before preparing to return to May and complete their bargain.

Scenes

Session Recap and Journey to the Hag's Cottage

The DM recaps the party's quest to find a hag responsible for Skola Vale's stasis and their journey through the Feywild, culminating in their approach to a mysterious cottage.

• The party is reminded of their quest to find a hag to fix Skola Vale's stasis, which is affecting the Elder's power.
• Previous adventures included clearing meenlocks, finding a crystal in a large meenlock's head, and discovering a unique book that Shadow's brother is interested in.
• They journeyed north into the Feywild, encountering Fomorians, Almiraj, pixies, unicorns, and displacer beasts.
• After defeating an ettercap and its spiders, they found a mysterious bag containing a spell book, a botanist notebook, and several crystal jars with miniature creatures like a beholder, a displacer beast, and a Fomorian, with one broken jar labeled 'ettercap' and an empty one labeled 'pixie'.
• Tharros, the Wanderer, appeared during Bastion's watch, providing a flat blue stone to cure a pixie curse that was affecting the party's magic items and abilities.
• The party wakes to find a cottage with a wrought iron fence and statues, with three paths leading from their resting spot.
• Shadow uses a magic eight ball to ask if the hag is on the path straight ahead, receiving the response 'Outlook good'.

Inventory Management and Preparations

The party reviews their heavy bag of holding, discarding various monster parts to reduce weight, and establishes a marching order before proceeding.

• The party realizes their bag of holding is excessively heavy at 154 pounds and decides to lighten their load.
• They discard items like orc tusks, troglodyte claws, and mandibles, noting their low value and lack of expiration.
• Artie, Shadow's owlbear companion, consumes some troglodyte meat chunks.
• The party successfully reduces the bag's weight to 100 pounds.
• The party establishes a marching order with Shadow in the lead, followed by Artie, Barlo, Sas, Calliope, and Bastion.
• Sas casts Pass Without a Trace, granting the party enhanced stealth as they approach the cottage.

Stealthy Approach and Discovery of Petrified Statues

The party stealthily approaches the cottage, navigating a bear trap, and discovers numerous statues of petrified creatures and people around the property.

• Shadow, in the lead, spots a well-hidden bear trap in the pathway, allowing the party to avoid it.
• As they get closer to the cottage, they observe a wrought iron fence and numerous statues and sculptures.
• Shadow's perception reveals that the statues depict various people and creatures, many in poses of fear or mid-battle, all carved from a similar white stone, suggesting they are petrified beings.
• Shadow observes movement around the cottage, noticing small, gnome-like creatures with red caps performing chores and an attractive elven woman tending to a large tree.
• The elven woman notices the party and sends her gnome-like minions to open the gates, inviting them in.

Hag Lore Discussion

The party discusses the nature of hags, their magic, covens, and various types, drawing on Calliope's Fae knowledge and Barlo's hunter guide.

• Calliope explains that hags control magic differently, often using unique, macabre ingredients and innate abilities.
• Barlo adds that hags are particularly dangerous in covens of three, due to the Feywild's reliance on the numbers three and eight.
• The party learns about different types of hags: Annis, Bheur, Green, Night, and Sea hags, noting their distinct appearances and that Night Hags are fiends, while most others are Fey.
• They recall that hags are known for making deals, which are almost always in their favor.

Basilisk Ambush at the Cottage Gates

The party is ambushed by three basilisks near the entrance, leading to a chaotic but decisive battle.

• Three large, eight-legged, lizard-like creatures with crimson spines and glowing green eyes emerge from behind the statues.
• Bastion, polymorphed into a giant ape, throws a rock at one of the basilisks, causing a deep cut and drawing blood.
• Shadow fires two arrows at the same basilisk, burying them deep in its scaly hide and causing it to wince in pain.
• The injured basilisk bites Bastion, dealing piercing and poison damage.
• Barlo rages, charges the injured basilisk, and delivers two powerful blows with his maul, cracking bones and smashing its head into the ground, killing it instantly.
• Calliope attempts to use Vicious Mockery on the second basilisk, but it is unaffected by her insults.
• Artie positions himself defensively to protect Calliope.
• Sas casts Blindness/Deafness, successfully blinding one of the remaining basilisks.
• Bastion, still a giant ape, finishes off the basilisk that Shadow had wounded by smashing its head.
• Shadow lands critical hits with arrows on the last basilisk, further weakening it.
• Barlo is temporarily petrified as he attempts to attack the last basilisk, his body turning white and rigid.
• Calliope uses her crossbow to shoot the remaining basilisk in the eye.
• Sas uses Shillelagh to deliver the final blow to the last basilisk, ending the combat.
• Barlo's petrification recedes as the basilisk dies.

Basilisk Analysis and Encounter with May

After defeating the basilisks, the party identifies them and discusses their valuable components, while Shadow observes the hag's cottage and its inhabitants.

• The party identifies the defeated creatures as basilisks, realizing their petrifying gaze was the cause of Barlo's temporary condition.
• Bastion recalls that basilisks are used in arcane practices and that their gaze can turn creatures to stone, suggesting the nearby statues are petrified adventurers.
• Barlo notes from his hunter's guide that basilisk teeth and eyes have some value, though the eyes are difficult to extract and the bile is not worth much.
• Shadow observes movement around the cottage and spots an attractive elven woman, May, tending to a large tree, along with small gnome-like creatures with red caps that appear to be stained with dried blood.
• May, noticing the party, sends her minions to open the gate, inviting them in.

Negotiations with May, the Hag

The party engages in a tense negotiation with May, an elven woman who reveals herself to be a hag, proposing a bargain involving a special seed and a powerful lizard.

• The party expresses distrust, suspecting May is a hag in disguise, given their knowledge of hags' abilities to change form and their dislike of beauty.
• May introduces herself and explains she lives with her two sisters, tending the gardens and 'fallen fey' (the statues).
• May reveals that the Feywild is 'broken' due to the Skull of Veil situation, where an Arch Fae created a conduit between the Shadowfell, Material Plane, and Feywild, corrupting the lands.
• May offers a task: defeat a powerful lizard terrorizing a corrupted area of the Feywild and plant a special seed there to counteract the Shadowfell's influence.
• Barlo attempts to use his cat speed to get behind May, causing her gnome-like guards to become defensive.
• The party questions May's true nature, her sisters' whereabouts, and the properties of the seed.
• Calliope uses her magical glove to touch the seed, receiving a vision of three green-skinned hag-like creatures creating it with their essence.
• May explains that the seed was created by her and her sisters using the essence of the Feywild to counteract the Shadowfell's influence.
• The party questions May's intentions and the nature of the seed, as well as the 'lizard' she wants them to deal with.
• May describes the lizard as a huge, lightning-powered creature that burrows, but is not a dragon and cannot turn things to stone.
• The party agrees to the task, with Barlo carrying the seed, and May directs them to a trail leading to the ruins where the lizard resides.

Journey to the Corrupted Ruins

The party follows May's directions to ancient ruins, discovering portals to the Shadowfell and a strange, electrical atmosphere.

• The party follows a trail through the Feywild, maintaining stealth with Sas's Pass Without a Trace spell.
• Calliope notices a faint blue glow from the large gnarled tree at May's cottage as they depart.
• They arrive at ancient ruins characterized by decrepit purple stone structures, moss, and large pools filled with a dark essence.
• Bastion identifies the dark pools as portals to the Shadowfell, confirming the area's corruption.
• Shadow notices a strange smell and disturbed ground, indicating a burrowing creature.

Confrontation with the Behir

Shadow's quick movement to the center of the ruins provokes a massive serpentine creature, a Behir, leading to a fierce battle.

• Shadow zips to the center of the ruins, causing the ground to shake and blue sparks to erupt.
• A huge serpentine creature, a Behir, emerges from the ground, crackling with electricity.
• Barlo and Calliope identify the creature as a Behir, a huge, centipede-like beast with electrical powers.
• The Behir uses a lair action, causing crumbling stone to fall on Sas, knocking her prone and dealing bludgeoning damage.
• Barlo rages and attacks the Behir with his maul, dealing significant damage.
• Shadow attacks the Behir with her swords, cutting through its scales and causing electricity to spark from its wounds.
• Calliope casts Cloud of Daggers at the Behir and uses Mantle of Inspiration to grant the party temporary hit points and movement.
• Sas casts Blight on the Behir, causing a patch of its scales to wither and dry out, dealing necrotic damage.
• The Behir unleashes a lightning breath attack, striking Barlo and dealing substantial lightning damage.
• The Behir leaps onto the structure, approximately 50 feet up, prompting opportunity attacks from Barlo and Shadow, who both land hits.
• Bastion casts Scorching Ray, feeling a surge of power from the Feywild as two of the rays strike the Behir.
• Barlo uses his sprint ability to scale the stonework and engage the Behir in melee, landing two powerful blows with his maul.
• As Barlo attacks, an electrical charge blasts up through the stonework, incapacitating him.
• Shadow drops her swords and uses her bow to fire two arrows at the Behir, both striking true and causing it to show signs of injury.
• Calliope casts Phantasmal Killer, tapping into the Behir's nightmares and causing it to become frightened.
• Sas attempts to cast Chill Touch, but the spell misses the Behir.
• The Behir bites Barlo twice, dealing piercing damage, and then attempts to wrap its body around him, but fails.
• The Behir leaps down near Shadow, who deftly moves out of its way, and begins to burrow into the ground.
• The Behir takes psychic damage from Calliope's Phantasmal Killer spell, shaking violently.
• Shadow seizes an opportunity to fire a final arrow, which strikes the Behir's legs, causing it to collapse, defeated, with its front half buried in the ground and its tail twitching.

Harvesting the Behir and Planting the Seed

After defeating the Behir, the party dissects the creature for valuable parts, plants the special seed, and takes a short rest.

• Barlo recovers from his incapacitation as the Behir dies.
• Barlo consults his hunting book, identifying the creature as a Behir and learning about its valuable parts: scales, horn, and lightning sack.
• The party uses pixie dust to lighten the Behir's body, allowing them to pull it out of the ground for easier harvesting.
• The party attempts to extract the Behir's lightning sack, but accidentally causes an electrical discharge, making it too risky to retrieve.
• They successfully extract the Behir's horn, a 30-pound item that vibrates when a dragon is within a mile.
• Bastion collects 25 pounds of the Behir's scales, noting their unique properties for potential armor crafting.
• Calliope and Sas plant the special seed in the soft dirt of the ruins.
• Calliope uses the alchemy jug to water the newly planted seed.
• The party observes that the glowing blue pools of Shadowfell influence slowly begin to constrict after the seed is planted.
• The party takes a short rest, feeling secure in the area, before planning to return to May.

Memorable Moments

Shadow uses a magic eight ball to ask if the hag is on the path straight ahead, receiving the response 'Outlook good', which the party decides to trust as their guide.

The party is trying to determine which of three paths to take to find the hag

"Stay back!"
— Barlo

Barlo shouts a warning as a massive Behir emerges from the ground, crackling with electricity

Barlo is temporarily petrified by a basilisk's gaze, his body turning white and rigid, but recovers as the creature is slain.

During the basilisk ambush, Barlo is caught by the creature's petrifying gaze but is saved when the party kills it

Shadow's final arrow strikes the Behir's legs as it attempts to burrow, causing the massive creature to collapse defeated, its tail twitching in death.

The climactic moment of the Behir battle, with the creature on death's door from Calliope's Phantasmal Killer

"Wow, you're going to make an amazing belt!"
— Calliope Galanodel

Calliope casts Vicious Mockery on the Behir, though the insult fails to affect the creature

NPCs

The Elder of the Dawngreets

Known as the Elder of Skola Vale or Elder of the Dawngreets, her power is in flux due to the stasis in Skola Vale, prompting the party's quest.

Shadow's Brother

An NPC who previously helped the party find a unique book and was sent back to the village in Skola Vale.

Dryad Deodara

An NPC who was helped by the party and sent back to the village in Skola Vale.

Tharros the Wanderer

A famous wizard known for appearing throughout history at unique events. He provided Bastion with a flat blue stone to cure a pixie curse affecting the party's magic items and abilities.

Artie

Shadow's owlbear companion, who is present with the party. He consumes some discarded monster parts and positions himself defensively to protect Calliope during the basilisk encounter.

Basilisks

Three large, eight-legged, lizard-like creatures with crimson spines, scaly hides, and glowing green eyes. They have the ability to petrify creatures with their gaze. The party encounters and defeats them near the hag's cottage. Their teeth can be crafted into daggers, and their eyes are desired by alchemists, though they are not worth a lot.

May Greenteeth

An attractive elven woman who appears to be tending a large tree at the cottage. She is revealed to be a hag, one of three sisters, who seeks the party's help to plant a special seed and defeat a powerful lizard to restore the Feywild from Shadowfell corruption. She is charming but guarded, and her gnome-like minions are fiercely protective of her. Calliope's magical insight reveals May and her sisters are green-skinned hag-like creatures who created the seed.

Redcaps

Tough, elderly gnomes, three to four feet tall, with hunched backs, wiry muscles, leathery tan skin, evil-looking smiles, sharp teeth, heavy iron boots, leather pants, and bright red leather-pointed caps that appear to be stained with dried blood. They perform chores around May's property and act as her protective guards, pulling out scythe-like blades when threatened.

Behir

A huge serpentine creature resembling a centipede and a crocodile, with a long tubular body, six pairs of legs with sharp talons, and a snake-like head with glowing light blue eyes. Its mouth crackles with electricity, and its scaled hide is deep blue, fading to pale blue on its underside. It emerges from the ground in the corrupted ruins, using lightning attacks and attempting to burrow. Its horn vibrates when a dragon is nearby, and its scales can be used for armor.

Locations

Skola Vale

A region experiencing a weird stasis, which is affecting the Elder's power and is the reason the party is seeking a hag.

Feywild

A magical and unpredictable forest where the party has been traveling, encountering various creatures and phenomena. It is described as having dark parts to the north. The lighting varies based on location, with the party currently in dim light as they move deeper into the twilight of the Feywild.

May Greenteeth's Cabin

A cottage with a wrought iron fence, surrounded by thorny brush and numerous white stone statues of petrified adventurers and creatures, many in poses of fear or mid-battle. The property is tended by small, gnome-like creatures with red caps and an elven woman named May. A large, intricate tree with a faint blue glow stands in the center of the property.

Darkstone, Corrupted Feywild Near Cottage on Kampos

A decrepit structure of purple stone, overgrown with moss and partially consumed by trees. The area is marked by pools of dark essence that Bastion identifies as portals to the Shadowfell. The ground is tilled and broken, suggesting the Behir's burrowing activity. This is where the party confronts and defeats the Behir and plants the special seed.

Shadowfell

A dark plane whose influence is encroaching upon parts of the Feywild through portals, creating corrupted areas and pools in the ancient ruins.

Items

Crystal from Meenlock's Head

A unique crystal found in the head of a very large meenlock, taken by the party.

Unique Book

A magical book that Shadow's brother is very interested in, which he helped the party find.

Mysterious Bag

A bag found in the forest after defeating an ettercap, containing a spell book, a botanist notebook, and crystal jars.

Spell Book

A book of spells found inside the mysterious bag.

Botanist Notebook

A notebook containing botanical information, found inside the mysterious bag. Shadow attempts to use it to identify the special seed but finds no matching descriptions.

Crystal Jars

Weird crystal structures with runes, corks, and gemstones, found inside the mysterious bag. They contain miniature creatures: a tiny beholder, a displacer beast, a Fomorian, a broken one labeled 'ettercap', and an empty one labeled 'pixie'.

Flat Blue Stone

A stone given by Tharros to Bastion, intended to cure a pixie curse affecting the party's magic items and abilities when touched.

Magic Eight Ball

An item used by Shadow to ask yes/no questions about the past or present, which responded 'Outlook good' when asked about the hag's location.

Bag of Holding

A magical bag capable of holding up to 500 pounds of items, used by the party to store various items. The party reduces its weight from 154 pounds to 100 pounds by discarding low-value items, and later stores the Behir horn and scales in it.

Orc Tusks

Eighteen tusks from orcs, considered low value and used for ornamentation or trophies, which the party decides to discard from their bag of holding.

Troglodyte Claws

Claws from troglodytes, used for making small weapons and tools, but of low value and discarded by the party.

Troglodyte Meat Chunks

Meat from troglodytes, saved for Artie, who consumes some to lighten the party's load.

Almiraj Horn

A horn from an Almiraj (a bunny with a horn) that the party possesses. It has an indefinite lifespan and is kept in the bag of holding.

Golden Compass

A gift from Barlo's father that points towards the nearest portal within one mile. When used, it indicates a portal back to where the party came from, not deeper into the Feywild.

Special Seed

A very large, palm-sized brownish seed with weird, thorny textures, created by May and her sisters using the essence of the Feywild. Calliope's magical glove reveals it was created by three hag-like figures and possesses a strange, living essence tied to the Feywild. It is intended to be planted in a corrupted area to counteract the Shadowfell's influence. The party plants it in the ancient ruins, and it causes the glowing blue pools of Shadowfell essence to slowly constrict.

Behir Horn

A large, 30-pound horn harvested from the Behir, valued at 300 gold. It magically resonates and vibrates when within a mile of a dragon (true form or polymorphed), serving as a dragon detector. It can be crafted into a dagger, potentially retaining its magical property if done skillfully.

Behir Scales

A pile of 25 pounds of thick, flexible blue scales harvested from the Behir. They are described as lighter, smoother, and more flexible than dragon scales and can be crafted into scale armor.

Behir Lightning Sack

A light leathery sack located inside the Behir's mouth, containing caustic chemicals that constantly crackle with electricity. It is prized by alchemists, armorers, and weaponsmiths for crafting lightning oil or storm callers, but the party fails to extract it without causing an electrical discharge.

Pixie Dust

A magical dust that, when sprinkled on an object, grants it a flying speed and the ability to hover. Barlo uses it to lighten the Behir's body, allowing the party to extract it from the ground.

Alchemy Jug

A magical jug capable of producing various liquids, including fresh water. Calliope uses it to water the newly planted special seed.

Barlo's Maul

A heavy two-handed weapon wielded by Barlo, which he uses to deliver powerful blows to the basilisks and the Behir.

Shadow's Bow and Arrows

A bow used by Shadow to fire arrows at the basilisks and the Behir, piercing their scales and dealing significant damage.

Calliope's Hand Crossbow

A small crossbow used by Calliope to shoot a basilisk in the eye from a distance.

Sas's Magic Club

A club wielded by Sas, imbued with Fey magic through the Shillelagh spell, causing crystals within it to glow as she uses it to strike down a basilisk.

Animated Shield

A shield that Barlo activates during combat with the Behir, allowing it to defend him autonomously.

Hunting Book

A book containing information on various creatures, used by Barlo to identify the Behir and learn about its valuable components.

Spells

Pass Without a Trace

A spell cast by Sas that grants the entire party a significant bonus to their stealth scores and prevents them from leaving tracks, making them harder to detect as they move through the Feywild.

Polymorph

Bastion uses this spell to transform into a giant ape, gaining immense strength and resilience, which he uses to engage the basilisks by throwing rocks and delivering powerful fist strikes.

Favored Foe

Shadow utilizes this ability to enhance her ranged attacks against one of the creatures, causing additional damage and making her arrows more effective.

Vicious Mockery

A bard spell cast by Calliope, attempting to insult and distract a basilisk, but it fails to affect the creature.

Blindness/Deafness

A spell cast by Sas, successfully blinding one of the basilisks, causing its glowing green eyes to dim and hindering its ability to use its petrifying gaze.

Shillelagh

A druid spell cast by Sas, imbuing her club with magic, causing crystals within it to glow, and empowering it to deliver a powerful final blow to a basilisk.

Healing Word

Calliope considered casting this spell on Bastion, but it was determined he was not in need of healing at the time.

Command

Calliope considered casting this spell but realized it would be ineffective on a creature that did not understand her language.

Cloud of Daggers

A spell cast by Calliope that creates a swirling vortex of magical daggers, dealing damage to creatures that enter or start their turn within its area. It was aimed at the Behir during combat.

Mantle of Inspiration

A bardic ability used by Calliope that grants temporary hit points and allows affected creatures to immediately move up to their speed without provoking opportunity attacks, filling them with vigor and speed.

Blight

A spell cast by Sas that causes plants around the target to wither and die, dealing necrotic damage. It was used against the Behir, causing a patch of its scales to collapse.

Scorching Ray

A spell cast by Bastion that unleashes multiple rays of fire at a target. When cast in the Feywild after the pixie curse was lifted, Bastion felt its power significantly amplified, with two of the four rays striking the Behir.

Phantasmal Killer

A spell cast by Calliope that taps into a creature's nightmares, creating an illusionary manifestation of its deepest fears visible only to the creature. It caused the Behir to become frightened and take psychic damage at the end of its turns.

Chill Touch

A cantrip attempted by Sas, manifesting as a ghostly skeletal hand with small shrooms and fungus growing on it, emerging from a mushroom-like mist. It was used against the Behir but missed.

Rage

Barlo activates his primal fury, enhancing his combat abilities as he charges the basilisks and the Behir.

Guidance

A cantrip that provides a bonus to an ability check, used by Sas to assist in the harvesting of the Behir's parts.

Bardic Inspiration

A magical ability used by Calliope to provide a bonus to an ally's roll, used to assist in the harvesting of the Behir's parts.

Notes

NEED THIS!!!

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid party found themselves deep within the twisted realm of the Feywild, seeking a hag who might hold the key to restoring Skola Vale from its mysterious stasis. After consulting Shadow's magic eight ball and lightening their burdensome inventory—much to Artie the owlbear's delight as he feasted on discarded troglodyte meat—the group ventured down the path that fate had chosen for them. Their careful approach led them to a cottage surrounded by an iron fence and dozens of stone statues frozen in terror, where they encountered May, an elven woman who, along with her sisters, tended to the "fallen fey." After a brutal battle with three basilisks whose petrifying gaze explained the garden of statues, May revealed her true nature as a hag and proposed a bargain: defeat the corrupted creature plaguing the ancient ruins and plant a magical seed to begin healing the Feywild's corruption.

Following May's directions to the decrepit purple ruins surrounded by pools of Shadowfell essence, the party barely had time to assess the danger before a massive Behir erupted from the ground in a shower of blue sparks and crackling electricity. The serpentine beast proved a formidable foe, its lightning breath searing Barlo's flesh and its powerful jaws threatening to crush him as it leaped across the crumbling structures fifty feet above the ground. Through Calliope's fear magic, Shadow's precise arrows, Barlo's devastating maul strikes, and the combined efforts of Bastion and Sas, the party brought the creature down just as it attempted to burrow to safety.

With the Behir slain, the party harvested its valuable horn—which would vibrate in the presence of dragons—and twenty-five pounds of its unique blue scales, though the lightning sack proved too volatile to extract safely. Calliope and Sas planted May's seed in the soft earth and watered it with the alchemy jug, watching as the corrupted Shadowfell pools began to slowly constrict and recede. Now, as the party rests among the ancient ruins and prepares to return to the hag sisters to complete their bargain, the question remains: what price will May and her coven truly demand for their aid in restoring the Skull of Veil?

Middle English

Harken well, ye brave and true,
To tales of heroes bold and few,
Who ventured deep in Feywild's maze,
To seek a hag through twisted ways!
With magic eight ball's guidance bright,
They chose their path through thorny night.

Through forest dark with Shadow's lead,
Past hidden traps with cautious heed,
They spied a cottage, iron-bound,
With statues white upon the ground.
Fair May appeared in elven guise,
But hag-born truth lay 'neath her lies!

Three basilisks with eyes of stone,
Did charge with fangs and venomous moan,
Yet Bastion's ape and Barlo's maul,
With Shadow's arrows, slew them all!
Though Barlo turned to stone so white,
The party won that fearsome fight.

May spoke of seeds and bargains made,
To heal the lands where Shadowfell had strayed,
The party ventured to the ruins old,
Where Behir dwelt, both fierce and bold!
With lightning breath and serpent's coil,
It fought upon corrupted soil.

Through Calliope's fear and Shadow's aim,
Through Barlo's rage and Bastion's flame,
The beast did fall with arrow's sting,
Its horn and scales a worthy thing!
The seed was planted in the ground,
And Shadowfell's dark pools were bound!

Snarky

Our disaster party followed a magic eight ball into the Feywild to find a hag, because apparently "Outlook good" is now a valid navigation system. After spending quality time sorting through their hoard of monster parts like the world's worst Marie Kondo episode, they stumbled upon a cottage surrounded by petrified statues—which should have been their first clue to turn around, but self-preservation has never been this group's strong suit.

The "attractive elven woman" named May turned out to be a hag (shocking absolutely no one with functioning brain cells) who immediately sent her pet basilisks to attack them before casually offering a deal. The party somehow survived the basilisks—with Barlo getting temporarily turned to stone because of course he did—and then agreed to May's bargain despite knowing hags are literally famous for screwing people over. They then fought a massive lightning-breathing Behir, with Barlo getting electrocuted and bitten multiple times while Shadow did most of the actual damage. The party planted May's magical seed in the corrupted ruins and watched it start working, which means they've either just saved the Feywild or unleashed something terrible—honestly 50/50 odds with this crew.

Limerick

The party awoke in the Fae,
With a hag to find on their way.
A magic eight ball,
Said "straight ahead" to them all,
So they followed its guidance that day.

Through the forest they crept without sound,
Past a bear trap that Shadow had found.
At a cottage with statues,
Red-capped gnomes came to greet you,
And a beautiful elf could be found.

Three basilisks leapt to attack,
But the party would not be held back.
Barlo crushed one with might,
Sas ended the fight,
Though Barlo turned briefly to rock!

May the hag made a deal with the crew,
Plant a seed where corruption broke through.
At the ruins they'd go,
Face a Behir's bright glow,
And restore what the Shadowfell slew.

The great Behir with lightning did strike,
But our heroes fought on through the night.
Shadow's arrow flew true,
Calliope's nightmares came through,
And they harvested scales shining bright!

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16