Saralas: The Feywild Chapter 11

On Course for Thither

We had a lot to process after the events in the clearing. Wodna had a blade that could cut Time, she knew Kaira well somehow. Min was dead, or alive, or something worse. Raksha was still out there searching for his daggers, and though these interwoven problems seemed important I had no idea where to go next to deal with them.

I looked around at the others. Most were quiet, thinking, but Baerwin’s eyes were bright. “I’d like to find a special glaive. One that could cut through time, like Wodna’s,” he mused aloud.

“Isn’t your glaive already pretty special?” I asked.

“Yes, but it can’t cut time. I think it would be pretty great to have that.” He was looking at something I couldn’t see. Probably some great heroics he would do with the time blade.

I shook my head. “That seems like a dangerous responsibility.”

“You can trust me,” he said. I had my doubts about that but decided to let it go.

“What should we do now?” asked Resda. “We don’t really know where Min or Wodna went, after all.”

“There’s still the problem of the World Mushroom,” Karthos chimed in.

“Right,” I agreed. “I don’t know what we can do about Wodna,” I paused, took a breath, then continued. “Or Min. I think trying to free Zabilna is still our best way forward for getting info on the Mushroom.” I paused again. “And we still promised poor Bun we’d help with his friends.”

“But what about the hags?” Resda asked.

“I’m hoping Zabilna can deal with them. Our other option is to fight, but that seems incredibly dangerous.” I looked around at the others. “If we have to do that we’ll find a way, but I’m hopeful we don’t.”

“I agree,” said Karthos. “We can fight if we’re forced but let’s keep on for now.” He turned to Morgort, who was still piloting the balloon with Clapperclaw watching. “Onward to Thither?”

Morgort nodded, and got the balloon moving again. We traveled for some time, Morgort and Clapperclaw conferring with each other. The scarecrow kept checking a small pocketwatch, which seemed to help guide them through the clouds.

Eventually we left the thick clouds and found ourselves flying over a verdant forest. Motes of dust and pollen floated sparkling in the air below us. There was a clearing and cave below, and Morgort landed the balloon smoothly in the open area.

“We’re here,” Clapperclaw said.

We decided to step outside and look around for a bit before deciding where to go next. And I wanted to inspect the cave. We gathered our things and made our way outside.

Torchlight was radiating from the cave entrance, and there was a large tree near the cave with a sheet of weathered parchment nailed to its trunk. Baerwin went over to the tree to inspect the parchment.

“It’s a wanted poster, I think,” he said, “but I can’t read it.” Karthos and I joined him. On the poster was the image of a boy drawn in ink, and words written in Elvish.

Karthos translated. “It says ’Wanted: Will of the Feywild. A reward is promised for returning the boy. Deliver the rascal alive and unharmed and as payment I offer you the power to bring the dead back to life.” It was signed Granny Nightshade.

“Maybe this boy knows Bun’s friends,” I said. “We should look for him.”

Nib’s Gold

But before we did I wanted to see what was in the cave. I stuck my head inside the entrance, where I saw a wizened old man wearing a blindfold. He was sitting by a spinning wheel, surrounded by piles of gold. As I watched, he took handfuls of gold coin, which transformed into gold fibers he was weaving into thread on his spinning wheel.

“Hello?” I called, quietly but clearly.

“Hello,” he said, slightly startled. Then waved invitingly. “Come in, come in!”

I entered the cave and asked about him and what he was doing.

“My name is Nib,” he said, “and I am making amends for my cruel and heartless existence. I earned great riches by exploiting my tenants’ misery, far away in a city called Waterdeep. I bought up property, charged exorbitant rents, never fixed anything, and let people live in squalor while I took from them all I could. Now I am making amends, spinning my ill-gotten gold into useful items to give to others.”

“You were in Faerûn, in Waterdeep?” I asked. “How did you get here?”

“I cheated one too many tenants,” he answered, “and they banished me here. I wandered for a while, starving, until Granny Nightshade found me and offered me a way to atone.”

By this time the others had entered and said hellos.

“Would you like me to spin you good people anything?” Nib asked. “It would be my pleasure to make you something nice. You could chose something, or I could try to make something I think would help you.”

“I would happily accept,” Karthos said, “if there’s anything you think would help me.” Nib nodded, and quickly spun Karthos a golden cloak of protection.

“May this keep you safe,” he said, handing it over.

The rest of us also thanked him and asked him to choose appropriate gifts. He smiled and got to work. To me he handed golden boots of elven make, “may you pass swiftly and silently.” To Kaira soft gloves, “to help you in your acquisitions.” A wand for Resda, “may no secrets be hidden from you, my lady.” A golden amulet for Korag, “may your enemies be unable to find you.” A bag for Baerwin, “for the man with many weapons; this will hold many, many things.”

As he spun I noticed shadowy apparitions appearing, and peering over his work. Karthos seemed to see them too.

“My friend,” I said, “these gifts are very kind. Thank you. May I ask why you wear the blindfold?”

“So I do not have to look upon the apparitions.” he said. “They are the ghosts of my unkindness, and I cannot bear to look upon them.”

I thought of the rules of gift giving in this place, and asked if I could give him anything in return for his gifts.

“No, no need,” he said. “I am happy to offer these freely.”

Still, I felt I should give something in return. I offered him one of the purple pears I still carried from the grove in the Caves of Hunger. It was still fresh, somehow, and he accepted it gladly.

“Thank you again,” I said. “By the way, do you know who this child Will is? There was a wanted poster hanging outside your cave.”

“Oh, he’s a boy who helped a handful of younger children escape from Loomlurch.” He laughed. “He and his rascals are known as the Getaway Gang, and they cause Granny Nightshade no end of trouble.”

“Do you have any advice for dealing with Granny Nightshade?”

“She is quite treacherous,” Nib warned. “Do not trifle with her. But if you’re interested in finding Will, I might know the right direction for you to head. Seek the Little Oak.”

“Is that a tree or a person?” Resda asked.

“It’s kind of both,” he replied. “It’s a treeant.”

“Well, thank you again,” I said, “we’ll leave you now.” And we headed out of the cave.

The Centaur (Prismeer is Fading)

We headed back outside to a shocking sight. The balloon was ascending into the air, already well out of reach. Clapperclaw was hanging by one claw from the side of the balloon basket, and Morgort was stomping at his claw until finally he let go and fell to the ground. They were taking the balloon!

Baerwin made to throw his trident but the balloon was too far away and eventually he thought better of it.

Clapperclaw dusted himself off and joined us as we stood dumbly watching our ride fly away.

“Well, should have seen that coming,” Resda said. “But where’s Bun? Did they take him?”

In answer Bun crawled sleepily from her pack, and waved.

“Oh good,” she said. “Well, nothing much to do now. Let’s go find Little Oak.”

“That’s a good idea, Resda,” I said. “Will might know Bun’s friends and where to find them.”

“Do you know of Little Oak?” Resda asked Clapperclaw.

“I’ve heard of him,” he replied, “but never met personally. He’s known to inhabit a glade on the other side of the kingdom.”

Before we started walking I decided to try on the boots. They fit well, and as I walked I realized my footfalls made no sounds. “This could be handy,” I said, as I tap danced silently. Then I looked around for a path or obvious way forward. I saw none, but the scarecrow shrugged and pointed into the forest. We started heading that way.

“Do you think this is the right direction?” Baerwin asked. “My compass is still doing the weird thing.”

“Honestly Baerwin I don’t know,” I said. “I usually know my way but this land confuses me somewhat.”

As we walked Karthos pulled out a mushroom and started talking to it. It sprouted limbs, hands, feet, eyes, and was wearing a hat.

“His name is Sneebert.” Karthos said as he set the little creature down.

As we traveled into the woods, Clapperclaw seemed to gain confidence in the direction we were heading, but I could have sworn we kept passing the same landmarks and were going in circles. Before I could ponder this too deeply though we came upon a centaur.

I raised my hand in greeting and called out “Hello.”

“Hello,” he replied in a very deep voice.

“Don’t meet many centaurs,” Karthos said.

“Especially not now,” he said, sadly.

“What do you mean, friend?” Karthos asked.

“Prismeer is fading,” he explained. “More disappears every day. The centaurs decided to leave for another plane before it was gone entirely, but I am very old, and I couldn’t keep up. They left me behind.” He sighed deeply. “Now the way out is gone. You should leave here and return to your own plane before it is too late. Each day the clouds and mist consume more of this land, and more of the world disappears.”

“Do you have any idea why it’s happening?” Resda asked.

“I have no idea,” he replied, “but the results are clear as day. You should go.”

“Do you think it’s because Zabilna has been imprisoned?” I asked.

He seemed surprised to hear this. “She’s been imprisoned?” Then he thought for a moment. “It could be,” he said slowly.

The centaur didn’t know the way to Little Oak, but he said he could point us towards Loomlurch, where Granny Nightshade’s factory was. We agreed and he gave us guidance on how to find it.

“Before we go,” I said, “what should I call you?”

He stood proudly, looking down at me. “Winterbow is my name.”

I bowed deeply. “Thank you, Winterbow.” I said.

“You should seek out the unicorn of the Wayward Pool, if you’re not sure where to go next.”

“Why is that?” asked Resda.

“It may be able to help you. But I urge you to leave this place.”

“But how can we do that?” she asked.

“The mirrors are the way out,” he answered. “You have to find a mirror. All the hags have them.”

“Oh, we found one back in Hither,” I said. “It was at Bavlorna’s cottage in downfall.”

Though he had perked up at first, he looked crestfallen by the time I finished. “I couldn’t possibly make it there. The Mists have eaten the mountains.”

“If we find a way here we’ll try to get word to you,” I promised.

“If it was just Prismeer, couldn’t you head to another kingdom?” Baerwin asked.

“Not without the invitation of the ruler,” Clapperclaw explained. “The kingdoms are held together by the imagination of their leaders.”

It seemed that without Zabilna the realm of Prismeer was fading. We wished Winterbow well and headed on our way.

Fairy Circle

Clapperclaw wasn’t familiar with a unicorn, but he did have a vague idea of where the Wayward Pool might be, and it wasn’t far. We were still unsure our best approach to this land and the hag who ruled it. Maybe the unicorn could help.

We traveled for a while, and eventually made our way to a clearing. But it wasn’t the unicorn’s pool. In the clearing there was a ring of mushrooms. Obviously a fairy ring, and it was inhabited by a swarm of campestris who were singing and dancing inside of it.

When they saw us they urged us to join in, waving and shouting in little voices, excited with our visit.

Most of us joined in, though Kaira notably watched from the sidelines. Korag sang in a surprisingly sweet voice, and Baerwin seemed to lose himself in celebration. Karthos and I clapped shoulders and sang loudly in Elvish, off key. Resda barked something horrible to hear; a great sorcerer perhaps, but an awful singer.

The singing went on for some time. After a while I paused to inspect the ring. Though it was clearly very magical, I could not exactly how. Though Resda couldn’t sing, she was talented. “It’s a magical crossing,” she explained. “But it needs to be activated by someone with Fey ancestry.”

“Karthos, do we qualify?” I asked my fellow elf. “We’re descended from the Fey, if distantly.”

“Very distantly, Saralas,” he said with a frown. “A fey elf certainly would, but our families have been separated from the Fey for far, far too long.” He grinned suddenly. “We’re just not fey enough!”

“Ah well,” I sighed. “Where would it even lead?”

“Most likely another location on the material plane,” Resda said. “Probably another fairy circle.

“Ah, very good,” I said. “I’m not sure we can make much use of this, though.”

“Not with that attitude,” Skant called out.

I bit back an angry insult. “Thank you, Professor.”

After some more time singing (the campestri seemed to have inexhaustable energy), Karthos stopped to thank the mushrooms. They all lined up in a cute little line, waving goodbye.

We waved back, then turned and kept making our way towards the lake.

The Wayward Pool

After a while trekking through the woods we came to a clearing. Beyond was a small lake, mist drifting over its surface. Forested crags lined the far shore, and there were mossy rocks in the shallows. A rocky islet appeared to sit near the center of the lake.

We approached the lake, the Wayward Pool in fact, but as we got closer to the shore we found ourselves back where we started. We tried making our way to the shore again, and again we had mysteriously returned. There was no sense of movement or shifting, we just couldn’t get close to the lake shore.

We started experimenting. Baerwin walked away from the lake with no issues, so we weren’t stuck at this spot, just couldn’t get closer. Then he tried walking towards the lake with his eyes closed. No success.

“How odd,” said Clapperclaw. “I’ve never seen the like.” He ran towards the lake again and was suddenly back with us. “Unicorns are creatures of great power,” he said, “it must be some kind of protection spell.”

We talked for a while how we might get closer. Korag was silent during this time, but eventually chimed in. “It’s definitely magic. Illusion magic of some kind protecting the lake.”

Resda pulled out her new wand and used it, but said she couldn’t detect any hidden entrances or the like. Korag looked around for wildlife, and noted that no animals appeared to be getting closer to the lake shore than we were, about 300 yards out.

I sighed, and braced myself. “Professor Skant,” I said reluctantly. “Do you have any thoughts?”

“Well, if I was a unicorn,” the orb replied, “I might too seek a refuge.”

“How do you think the spell might be bypassed?” I asked.

“It probably lets unicorns in,” Skant said sarcastically.

“Karthos, turn into a unicorn,” said Baerwin.

“I can’t, I don’t have that,” Karthos replied. “Maybe it would let another animal through, though. Maybe it just stops people.”

“You could try a wild shape” I tried to say as I suddenly became a beaver, the words trailing off into beaver noises. Karthos!

I tried to move towards the lake as a beaver, but before long I found little beaver self right back where I started. Suddenly I transformed back into myself.

“No dice,” said Karthos.

“Why didn’t you just wild shape?” I asked, checking that all my limbs were in the right place again.

“This was funnier,” he replied with a laugh.

“We’ve come to seek wisdom,” Korag called across the lake, but there was no response. Korag carefully removed his weapons and armor and set them in a pile next to him. Then, unarmed and unarmored, he tried to walk towards the lake. No luck.

“You know, some of you are as ugly as a horse,” Skant said.

“I can become a horse,” Karthos said, “but does that help us?”

“We can make a fake horn!” said Baerwin.

“I doubt it will work,” Karthos said skeptically, then sighed. “But if we’re going to try every random thing that comes to mind…” and then turned into a horse. Baerwin took one of his weapons and broke the haft to to be a fake horn and tied it to his head. Karthos the horse looked disapproving.

“Surely we can make a more convincing horn,” I mused. I found some wood in the forest and pulled out my knife to carve a more passing unicorn horn, and tie it to Karthos the horse.

Korag spoke suddenly, “I think we’re being watched, but I know not by what.” We all looked around, but could see nothing.

“Go ahead and try Karthos,” I said. “If it doesn’t work you can tell us ‘I told you so.’”

Unicorn Karthos made his way easily to shore. Skant seemed smug. “I told you so.” He was right, the spell kept all but unicorns out, but it wasn’t particularly sophisticated. A sufficiently unicorn-shaped disguise was enough.

Karthos the horse stood a while at the lake shore, starting out towards the island near the center of the lake. Looking from where I stood I followed his gaze, to where I could see a large iron bowl perched on the island’s highest point. After a while a unicorn appeared on the island, staring back at him.

I wasn’t not thrilled with Karthos doing his thing on his own, in case there was danger. I carved another horn and held it to my head, trying to go closer to the lake. It didn’t not work, and Professor Skant laughed.

I shrugged. “Had to try, Professor.”

“At least you’re not as ugly as a horse,” he replied.

“I am beautiful,” I responded absently. A scoff was all I got in return.

At the lakeshore Karthos turned back into an elf, and started swimming towards the island. After a few moments he swam back up onto the shore where he started, and then was back standing with us.

“Welcome back Karthos…” I said.

“I hoped just getting to the lake would be enough.”

Kaira had been quiet a while, and had a distant look on her face. Then she laughed softly. “Guys, I am talking to her,” she said. “She said she’s doing fine, and that one is enough.”

Kaira asked the unicorn if she knew where Will was, but she did not. When asked how we could save Prismeer, the unicorn replied that Zabilna ruled Prismeer, but it was taken over by her stepsisters. If we could end the spell and free Zabilna she would be able to return the land to harmony.

I was surprised to find that the hags were the archfey ruler’s stepsisters. That must be how they knew how to overpower her.

The unicorn continued. Zabilna was vain, selfish, and deceitful at times, but her magic kept Prismeer safe. As soon as they captured her, all of that came to an end.

The hags used the horn of her mate Elidon to imprison Zabilna in her stronghold, the Palace of Heart’s Desire. The horn was needed to free her, but she didn’t know where it was, nor where her mate was. She was sure he was still alive though, because she would feel it if he died. She suspected he was the hags’ prisoner.

She begged us to free Zabilna, and save this land.

“Is there something we can say to Elidon to show we are allies?” Bearwin asked.

“If you were to meet him, ask him of the arch in the moon glade.” She seemed relieved to hear we were interested in helping Prismeer. And she offered the pool as a place to rest.

“Thank you, that is so wonderful of you,” Kaira said.

We chose to rest under her protection, and several of us decided to refresh ourselves by bathing in the water. The water was magical, and could remove exhaustion, curses, and madness.

As I bathed I felt a new lightness, and reflected for a while. Something terrible had happened, and I had been needlessly rude for a long time.

Afterwards I apologized profusely to Resda for all the times I got angry, acted sullen, walked away, yelled, and complained whenever someone praised her. “I’m sorry Resda,” I said. “I couldn’t hear praise for another without wanting to scream. And you were praised so much.”

She accepted my apology with grace, and we relaxed and began to prepare some food.

The unicorn contacted us telepathically, and said that if we wished to travel to the Palace of Heart’s Desire, Amidor the dandelion was the only person she knew who knew the way. He could be found in Yon.

It sounded like we need to find a guide to get us to Yon, but first we needed to find the unicorn’s mate and horn here in Thither.

As we lounged and thought on our increasingly complex path to saving Zabilna, and eventually learning more about the World Mushroom, Korag saw a burlap sack wearing a horn moving towards the lake.

He yelled, and tackled the sack, which was a human clumsily disguised as a unicorn. He cursed Korag.

“What are you doing here?” Korag asked.

“I need the unicorn’s horn,” he said, struggling under the giant.

“What for?” Baerwin asked, picking up his trident.

“There’s quite a reward for it. You must know that, you’re trying to get it.” He seemed confused why we were so hostile.

“I don’t think we can let you take the horn.” I said.

“Let me turn this around,” Baerwin said. “Why should we leave you alive?” He looked suddenly terrified.

“Is your only goal gold?” I asked.

“Yes, gold!”

“You know,” I said thoughtfully, “there’s some gold over that way, in a cave.”

“Really?” His eyes were greedy. “How much gold? Where?”

“Over that way, through the forest,” I pointed. “A cave, with big piles of gold in it.”

He is very interested, and started running towards the cave.

“And if you come back I’ll kill you,” Baerwin called.

“I’m hoping the gold was cursed,” I explained. “But I also hope I didn’t put Nib in danger. He may be a landlord but I don’t want him hurt.”

I suppose that I’ll find out the consequences of my actions later.

The man dealt with, we decided to rest, as it seemed somewhat safe and some of our group were tired.

Unicorn’s Knowledge

Karthos did not seem to rest well. He woke up to find himself covered with a dusting of spores. “How odd,” he said. “I saw fungal corruption traversing the planes as I meditated.”

He investigated more closely “The spores seem to belong to some terrible thing from the far realm. It infects all mycelia, destroying it.”

Baerwin asked the unicorn if she knew the way to the world mushroom. She had heard only stories of the world mushroom. “It is said by some that it exists in the underdark, but I think that’s probably not true. But the path to it might be there.”

She paused. “That’s a very escoteric question, why do you want to know?” she asked.

“Our friend,” said Baerwin, pointing to Karthos, “has nightmares about the world mushroom dying and taking all the realms with it. We’re hoping to speak to Zabilna, hoping she has information about it.”

“Are you a spore druid?” she asked Karthos.

“I am a druid of the moon,” he said.

“Have you been eating mushrooms from the underdark recently?”

“Probably…” he said.

She sighed, and then told us a story of an extremely rare species of mushrooms found only in the underdark, cultivated by spore druids. “It affects the brain,” she said, “giving access to the dreamscape, a perilous surreal place where reality warps. It is a place of imagination and dreams that ties together into the mycelial network.

“Spore druids who gained enlightenment are even physically able to travel through the dreamscape, through the mycelial network.”

She cautioned Karthos that if he’s been exposed to their mushrooms and does not have training, it’s possibly dangerous.

“Zabilna may know,” she continued. “Or perhaps you should try locating a druid of the spore.” She warned that continued contact with the dreamscape may cause permanent psychic damage.

“Unfortunately I have no way to control it,” Karthos said. “I may have to find a druid of the spore.”

I thanked her for her help. She said Prismeer doesn’t have much hope, because without Zabilna the realm will be consumed.

She also warned that if we do make our way to the Palace of Heart’s Desire, we should be extremely wary of the jabberwock who lives in the palace. It was extremely dangerous, and should it find our trail would follow relentlessly.

I wondered if any of this is connected to Wodna. “That reminds me Kaira,” I said, “did you know what Wodna meant when she mentioned South Ridge?”

“I did not, and I would tell you if I did,” she said. I looked at her, but couldn’t tell if she was truthful.

“Well, there are 3 weeks,” I said. “I think we should be there.”

The unicorn asked who we were talking about, and I began to describe Wodna, in a lot of detail. I went on for a long time, talking about her face, her hands, her hair, her personality, her kindness to my family, and more, until Baerwin eventually broke in to give a more straightforward physical description of her, and our recent encounter.

“She has the time blade?” she asked, concerned.

“Yes she does,” said Karthos.

“That is worrisome,” she said. “It is an object of great power the Netherse made. They only made one, but to power it she would need an object of great magical energy, like a Mythallar, but no one has seen one in forever.”

“Oh,” I said slowly. “We helped her obtain one from the lost Netherese city of Ythryn.”

She blinked, and went on. “The blade could be used to cut through any time. But it drove its owner mad, because every time its used the user sees all the threads of probability of their timeline. It would take a great deal of will to use it safely.”

“She is very strong in that way” I said, without doubt.

Surprisingly the unicorn knew about Wodna, and we learned from her that Wodna was 750 years old, and her mother lived in the time of Netheril, and said it was something to behold. “Their capacity for magic is unrivaled even today. But I don’t know where she would have found the blade.”

“We found the Mythallar in a crashed Netherese city,” I said. “There must be other pockets of the old Netherese empire out there.”

“She must have found it somewhere,” the unicorn said.

“She must have experienced something terrible and thought she needed the power of time to fix it,” I said. To myself, I thought she was doing this for noble reasons but was taking enormous risk to do so.

But I worried that it would destroy her, and pondered what I could do to help save her from this fate.

Raw Notes

• “I’d like to find a glaive that could cut through time like Wodna’s daggers”
• “Isn’t your glaive already pretty special?” I ask.
• “Yes, but it can’t cut time.”
• “That seems like a dangerous responsibility,” I say.
• “You can trust me.”
• We talk for a while about our options. I go over my “plan” to learn about the spell that imprisoned Zabilna in an attempt to find a way to break it. The idea would be that she would help deal with the hags and give us info on the
• Clapperclaw is giving Morgort instructions on how to find Thither.
• We travel for some time, Morgort and Clapperclaw conferring with each other. Clapperclaw uses a pocketwatch to help guide them through the clouds.
• Eventually we come before a verdant forest. Motes of dust and pollen sparkle int he air.
• We alight by a cave. Torchlight radiates from the entrance.
• Near the cave entrance is a tree with weathered parchment nailed to its trunk.
• Baerwin goes to inspect. There is a poster, which contains the image of a boy written in ink. There are words written in elvish. It reads “Wanted: Will of the Feywild. A reward is promised for returning the boy. Deliver the rascal alive and unharmed, and as payment I offer you the power to bring the dead back to life.” It wants us to return this person to Granny Nightshade.
• I look at the cave we parked by. Inside the cave, a wizened old man wearing a blindfold sits by a spinning wheel, surrounded by piles of gold. He takes handfuls of gold coin, which transform into gold fibers he weaves into his spinning wheel.
• “Hello?” I say.
• “Hello,” he responds, and invites me into the cave.
• I ask who he is, and what he is doing.
• His name is Nib, and he has lead a cruel and heartless existence. He earned riches by exploiting his tenants misery in a far off city called Waterdeep. Granny Nightshade is helping him make amends, by spinning his gold into useful items for others.
• He says he cheated one too many residents, and they banished him to this plane, where he wandered until Granny Nightshade found him.
• He makes for Karthos a golden cloak of protection.
• I say I would accept his offer. Was there anything I could offer him in return?
• “A gift is not necessary,” he says, and offers me boots of elvenkind, Kaira gloves of thievery, resda a wand of secrets, korag an amulet of proof against detection and location, and Baerwin a bag of holding.
• I offer him a purple pear, which he accepts gladly.
• While he works, we notice various shadowy apparitions appearing, and peering over his work as he spins.
• “My friend,” I say, “these gifts are very kind. Thank you. May I ask why you wear the blindfold?”
• “So I do not have to look upon the apparitions.” They are the ghosts of his unkindness, and they haunt him. He can’t bear to look at the, and so he wears the blindfold.
• “Do you know who this child Will is?”
• “He’s a boy who helped a handful of younger children escape from Loomlurch. He and his rascals are known as the getaway gang, and cause Granny Nightshade no end of trouble.”
• “Do you have any advice for dealing with Granny Nightshade?”
• “She is quite treacherous, and not one to be trifled with. If you’re interested in finding Will, he might know the way to point us.”
• Baerwin would like to find Will.
• “Seek the Little Oak,” he says.
• “Is that a tree or a person?” Resda asks.
• “It’s kind of both. It’s a treeant.”
• I thank the man again and leave the cave.
• As we go outside, we notice a shocking sight, which is Clapperclaw hanging off the side of the basket as it ascends into the air. Morgort is there, stomping at his hand. Finally he lets go, falling to the ground.
• Baerwin makes to throw his trident but the balloon is too far. He thinks better of it.
• Clapperclaw dusts himself off. Bun is still with us.
• “Well, should have seen that coming,” Resda said. “Let’s go find the little oak.”
• “That’s a good idea Resda.” I say. “Will might know Bun’s friends and where to find them.”
• “Do you know of Little Oak?” Resda asks Clapperclaw.
• “I’ve heard of him, but never met personally.” He’s known to inhabit a glade on the other side of the kingdom.
• I try on the boots of elvenkind. I gain advantage on stealth checks, and my footfalls make no sounds.
• I look around for a path or obvious way forward. I see none, but the scarecrow shrugs and points into the forest.
• We start heading towards the place he pointed.
• “Do you think this is the right direction?” Baerwin asks. “My compass is still doing the weird thing.”
• “Honestly Baerwin I don’t know,” I say. “I usually know my way but this land confuses me somewhat.”
• Karthos starts talking to a mushroom, which sprouts limbs, hands, feet, eyes, and is wearing a hat.
• “His name is Sneebert.” Karthos says.
• We make to enter the woods.
• As we travel, Clapperclaw seems confident in the direction. I worry that we are just going in circles.
• But before I can ponder this too deeply, we come upon a centaur.
• “Hello,” I raise my hand and wave.
• “Hello,” he replies in a very deep voice.
• “Don’t meet many centaurs,” Karthos says.
• “Especially not now,” he says. Prismeer is fading, and we ought to return to our own plane before it disappears. He stayed because he was very old, and the other centaurs left him behind. “Each day the clouds and the mist consume more of the land, and more of the world disappears.” He doesn’t know the cause, but the results are clear as day.
• “Do you think it’s because Zabilna has been imprisoned?”
• He seems surprised. “She’s been imprisoned?” Then he thinks a moment. “It could be.”
• He doesn’t know the way to Little Oak, but he does know the way to Loomlurch.
• It’s where Nightshade’s factory is.
• What should I call you?
• He stands proudly. “Winterbow is my name.”
• I bow deeply, and thank him.
• He suggests seeking out the unicorn of the wayward pool, if we are not sure where to go next.
• “Why is that?” asks Resda.
• “It may be able to help you. But I urge you to leave.”
• He explains that the way to leave is to find the mirrors. “All the hags have them.”
• I say we found one, but he is disappointed to find it was in Hither. “I couldn’t possibly get there. The Mists have eaten the mountains.”
• Baerwin asks why he was trying to leave the plane, if he could have gone to another realm.
• Clapperclaw explains that he wouldn’t be able to enter another kingdom without the invitation of the ruler. And that the kingdoms are held together by the imagination of their leaders. Without Zabilna the realm of Prismeer is fading.
• Clapperclaw is not familiar with the unicorn but he knows where the pool might be. It’s close.
• We think maybe the unicorn could help, and Clapperclaw guides us towards the pool.
• We come to a clearing. A fairie ring. It is inhabited with a swarm of campestris, singing and dancing inside of it. They urge us to join in their reverie.
• Several of us join in, but Kaira watches from the sidelines. I gain the benefit of true seeing.
• The campestri love singing. They try to get us to sing along with them. Several of us join in. Karthos and I sing loudly, off key. Resda barks something horrible to the ear.
• The singing goes on for some time. After a while I inspect the ring. It’s clearly very magical, but I cannot see exactly how.
• Resda explains that they appear to be magical crossings, that need to be activated by someone with fey ancestry.
• Karthos and I confer, though we are elves and distantly descended from the fey, we are not fey enough any more.
• Resda explains that we would go to an unspecified location on the material plane. Mostly likely another fairy circle.
• “Very good,” I say. “Not sure we can make much use of this though.”
• “Not with that attitude,” Skant calls.
• “Thank you professor.”
• Karthos thanks the mushrooms, who all line up in a cute little line, waving.
• We wave goodbye and keep making our way towards the lake.
• Mist drifts over the surface of a small lake. Forested crags line the far shore. Mossy rocks are in the shallows. There is a rocky islet in the center of the lake.
• We approach the lake, the Wayward Pool. As we do, we find ourselves weirdly back where we started. Any time we try to get closer we find ourselves right back where we were.
• Baerwin walks away from it. He does. He walks forward, eyes closed, ends up back where he was.
• This seems odd even to Clapperclaw. He knows unicorns are creatures of great power.
• It must be some kind of spell the unicorn put on the pool to keep people away.
• Korag sinks into a trance. He detects illusion magic protecting the pool.
• We’re struck 300 yards from the lake shore.
• Resda uses her wand but says she can’t detect anything.
• Korag looks for wildlife. No animals seem to enter the area.
• “Professor Skant,” I ask. “Do you have any thoughts?”
• “Well, if I was a unicorn I too might seek a refuge,” he says.
• “How do you think a unicorn’s spell might be bypassed?”
• “It probably lets unicorns in.”
• “Karthos, turn into a unicorn,” says Baerwin.
• “I can’t, I don’t have that,” he said.
• “I don’t know why you didn’t just wild shape” I try to say as I become a beaver, the words trailing off into beaver noises.
• I try to move towards the lake as a beaver. Before long I am right back where I started. Suddenly I am myself again.
• “We’ve come to seek wisdom,” Korag calls across the lake. No response.
• He takes off his weapons and armor and tries going towards the lake. Nothing.
• “Some of you are as ugly as a horse,” Skant says.
• “I can become a horse,” Karthos says, “but does that help us?”
• “We can make a fake horn,” says Baerwin.
• Karthos is highly skeptical, but turns into a horse anyways. Baerwin breaks one of his weapons to be a fake horn and ties it to his head.
• “I think we’re being watched, but I know not by what.”
• Karthos the horse looks disapproving. I find some wood in the forest and carve a more passing unicorn horn shaped object and tie it to the Karthos horse.
• “Go ahead and try Karthos. If it doesn’t work you can tell us ‘I told you so.’” Unicorn Karthos makes his way easily to shore.
• Skant seems smug. “I told you so.”
• So a unicorn disguise is sufficient to pass the barrier.
• Karthos sees the island is about 250 feet from the lake shore. He can see a large iron bowl perched on the island’s highest point. After a while a unicorn appears on the island, staring at him.
• I am not thrilled with Karthos doing his thing on his own. I carve another horn and hold it to my head and try to go closer to the lake. It does not work, and Professor Skant laughs.
• “Had to try, Professor.”
• “At least you’re not as ugly as a horse,” he replies.
• “I am beautiful.”
• Karthos turns back into an elf, and starts swimming towards the island. He swims back up onto the shore where he started.
• “Welcome back Karthos…” I say.
• Kaira gets a distant look on her face, then laughs softly. “Guys, I am talking to her,” Kaira informs us. “She said she’s doing fine, and that one is enough.”
• Kaira asks the unicorn if she knows where Will is. But she does not. When asked how we can save Prismeer, the unicorn tells us that Zabilna ruled Prismeer. But it was taken over by her stepsisters. If we can end the spell and free Zabilna she will be able to return the land to harmony.
• She was vain, selfish, and deceitful at times, but her magic kept Prismeer safe. As soon as they captured her, all of that came to an end.
• The hags used the horn of her mate Elidon to imprison Zabilna in her stronghold, the Palace of Heart’s Desire. The horn will be needed to free her, but she doesn’t know where it is, nor where her mate is. She suspects he is the hags’ prisoner.
• She thinks he is still alive though, because she would know if he died.
• She begs us to free Zabilna, and save this land.
• “Is there something we can say to Elidon to show we are allies?” Bearwin asks.
• “If you were to meet him, ask him of the arch in the moon glade.” She seems relieved to hear we are interested in helping Prismeer. She offers the pool as a place to rest.
• “Thank you, that is so wonderful of you,” Kaira says.
• We choose to rest under her protection. The water is magical, and can remove exhaustion, curses, and madness.
• I feel a lightness, and reflect for a while. Afterwards I apologize profusely to Resda for all the times I got angry, acted sullen, walked away, yelled, and complained whenever someone praised you. I couldn’t hear praise for another without wanting to scream. ANd you were praised so much.
• The unicorn contacts us telepathically, and says that if we wish to travel to the Palace of Heart’s Desire, Amidor the dandelion is the only person she knows who knows the way. He can be found in Yon.
• It sounds like we need to find a guide to get us to Yon, but first we need to find the unicorn’s mate and horn here.
• Korag sees a burlap sack wearing a horn. Korag tries to grab the sack, which catches our attention as he moves. Korag tackles the sack, which is a human clumsily disguised as a unicorn. He curses Korag.
• “What are you doing here?” Korag asks.
• “I need the unicorn’s horn,” he says.
• “What for?” Baerwin asks.
• “There’s quite a reward for it. You must know that, you’re trying to get it.”
• “I don’t think we can let you take the horn.” I say.
• “Let me turn this around,” Baerwin says. “Why should we leave you alive?”
• “Is your only goal gold?” I ask.
• “Yes gold!”
• “You know there’s some gold over that way, in a cave” I say.
• He is very interested, and starts running towards the cave.
• “And if you come back I’ll kill you,” Baerwin calls.
• “I’m hoping the gold was cursed,” I explain. “But hope I didn’t put Nib in danger. He may be a landlord but I don’t want him hurt.”
• I guess we’ll find the consequences of our actions later.
• We decide to rest, as it seems somewhat safe.
• Karthos does not seem to rest well. When he wakes up he finds he is covered with a dusting of spores. “How odd, I saw fungal corruption traversing the planes as I meditated.”
• The spores seem to belong to some terrible thing from the far realm. It infects all mycelia, destroying it.
• Baerwin asks if the unicorn knows the way to the world mushroom. She has heard only stories of the world mushroom. “It is said by some that it exists in the underdark.” She thinks that’s probably not true, but the path might be.
• “That’s a very escoteric question, why do you want to know?” she asks.
• “Our friend,” says Baerwin, pointing to Karthos, “has nightmares about the world mushroom dying and taking all the realms with it. We’re hoping to speak to Zabilna, hoping she has information about it.”
• “Are you a spore druid?” she asks.
• “I am a druid of the moon,” he says.
• “Have you been eating mushrooms from the underdark recently?”
• “Probably…” he says.
• She tells us of an extremely rare species of mushrooms found only in the underdark, cultivated by spore druids. It affects the brain, giving access to the dreamscape, a perilous surreal place where reality warps. It is a place of imagination and dreams that ties together into the mycelial network.
• Spore druids who gained enlightenment are even physically able to travel through the dreamscape, through the mycelial network.
• She cautions that if he’s been exposed to their mushrooms and does not have training, it’s possibly dangerous.
• “Zabilna may know. Or perhaps you should try locating a druid of the spore.” She warns that continued contact with the dreamscape may cause permanent psychic damage.
• “Unfortunately I have no way to control it. I may have to find a druid of the spore.”
• I thank her for her help. She says Prismeer doesn’t have much hope, because without Zabilna the realm will be consumed.
• She warns that if we do make our way to the Palace of Heart’s Desire, we should be extremely wary of the jabberwock who lives in the palace. It is extremely dangerous, and should it find our trail will follow relentlessly.
• I wonder if any of this is connected to Wodna. “That reminds me Kaira, did you know what she meant when she mentioned South Ridge?”
• “I did not, and I would tell you if I did,” she said.
• “Well, there are 3 weeks, I think we should be there.”
• The unicorn asks who we are talking about. I describe Wodna, in a lot of detail. I go on for a long time. Baerwin eventually breaks in to give a phsyical description.
• “She has the time blade?” she asks, and seems concern.
• It is an object of great power the Netherse made. They only made one, but to power it she would need an object of great magical energy to power it, like a Mythallar, but no one has seen one in forever.
• I explain that we helped her obtain one.
• It could be used to cut through any time. But it drove its owner mad, because every time its used the user sees all the threads of probability of their timeline. It would take a great deal of will to use it.
• “She is very strong in that way” I say without doubt.
• We learn that Wodna is 750 years old, and her mother lived in the time of Netheril, and said it some something to behold. Their capacity for magic is unrivaled even today.
• “There must be other pockets of the old Netherese empire.” I say.
• “She must have found it somewhere,” the unicorn says.
• I think she must have experienced something terrible and thought she needed the power of time to fix it. I think she is doing this for noble reasons but is taking enormous risk to do so. I worry that it will destroy her, and ponder what I could do to help save her from this fate.