Session 47-A: Parting Gifts

## Key Plot Developments

**THE PARTY (MINUS PIX AND GLYN):**

Pix and Glyn’s deaths have been confirmed. The party returns to the Society of Brilliance, defeated. Trix goes to look for any signs of the bones of Pix and Glyn because he doesn’t know how to interact with his family right now. Rotgut tries to be of some comfort. Briar suggests getting their friends back by using the machine in the labyrinth.

When Bogtooth suggests that everything will be okay, Tremble lashes out and starts choking Bogtooth. He screams out of grief for his lost friends. Bogtooth only cries, silently averting his eyes as he’s shaken by little Tremble. Lemon casts calms some of the high emotions here. Heels everyone that they need to work together. Trix, feeling numb and looking past everyone, tries to contact his patron, but once again, it doesn’t work.

Tremble is furious. Rotgut, despite his chronomancy-induced trauma, asks how far back the group would go if given a chance to use the machine. Trix steps in and lays down the rules: the Machine will ONLY be used to get their friends back, and nothing more, no matter how strong the temptation is to change their pasts. They agree to go to Blingdenstone to rest after they report back to Y.

Briar grabs Bogtooth by the collar to usher him away from this bone yard. Bogtooth finds a small device that looks like a beak before he leaves (unbeknownst to him, this is a voice changer to help mind flayers communicate verbally instead of telepathically).

They make their way back to the Society of Brilliance’s sealed teleportation circle to the mind flayer colony. Skriss, Y, and Grazilaxx are all there and safe. They tell Grazilaxx that Pix and Glyn are dead… for now.

Grazilaxx meets Briar and probes his mind, which he opens willingly.  We see a flashback of Briar’s past.

Briar is in a forest by the sea. There’s an explosive army marine life attacking the surface—and a titanic two-headed creature, blocking out the sun. The Fey are being squished and gobbled up. The Demogorgon and his minions are destroying Briar’s forest. One of the Demogorgon’s heads notices Briar—and, just like he did with Trix back in Sloobludop, he designates Briar as ‘special’ and allows him to become the grove’s sole survivor.

Grazilaxx, trusting Briar, tells the group that he saw Orcus himself. Orcus is collecting magical artifacts. He’s followed by scores of ghouls, his bone-white wand, and various rings of power.

Grazilaxx, learning more about the maze engine, suggests using the machine to take them back to a time before Orcus got all these new weapons. This would mean that everything they did with Gracklstugh, Blingdenstone, Jimjar, Mistress Ilvara, and more would be undone. Y, who wants to revive Misu, concurs.

Trix suggests there’s a better way to banish the demon lords—the ritual, which involves the six goblins. Tremble realizes that Trix is just putting on a façade of bravery.

Bogtooth, realizing that Briar is connected in Dulcinea, demands he provide more information about the goblins’ place in the fey/divine ritual. Briar admits he doesn’t have any answers.

Bogtooth, who can’t sleep, talks with Rotgut. Rotgut, who couldn’t sleep in the time loop, also has a hard time sleeping. Rotgut draws Bogtooth’s ire—mainly because he’s too at peace with the idea of goblins dying and being downtrodden. Bogtooth has grown from a goblin fundamentalist to a progressive warrior; he realizes how far he’s come from the clan’s outcast.

When he finally falls asleep, his dreams are invaded. A multi-colored skulll with no brain and silvery threads emerging from its eyes greets him. He detects the unmistakable scent of Zuggtmoy’s fungus.

Sarith, now more slug than drow, emerges and invites Bogtooth as a guest of honor to his lady’s wedding.

Bogtooth attacks Sarith in his dream, who is unperturbed. He tells them they have 40 days before the wedding changes the world. Bogtooth awakens and begins chanting about the upcoming wedding.

Trix, awakened by Bogtooth’s ramblings, seeks divine intervention—and a miracle happens.

Trix calls upon his patron, whoever is looking out for him, to revive his sister.

**PIX’S STORY:**

Pix, back in Elysium, speaks with Grandpappy Droop! They talk about how goblins get their clan names--whoever conquers them forces them to take on their last name. ‘Cragmaw’ wasn’t Droop’s clan name; it was forced on him by the bugbears who conquered his clan back in Phandalin. They reminisce about some of the goblins from the Sunless Citadel, including the shaman Grenl (Droop can’t remember much about her).

Droop gives Pix his hat out of affection; the magic of Elysium recreates it as Pix’s old hat of disguise. Pix imagines herself in various forms—a thief, a hero, a storyteller, even a drow matriarch—and reflects on her journey. Pix tries to convince Droop to go on more adventures, but he is content where he is. She sees a stag galloping away in the reflection of the river. Droop, happy, goes off to sleep in a sunflower field and says goodbye to Pix, for now.

Pix wanders around some more. As she journeys to a corner of Elysium, this place reminds her of Bogtooth’s fey magic. She sees an elven warrior in glittering armor. He asks how Pix has come here to Elysium and if she’s here to destroy it. She says no and he is amazed by the fact that she earned her way to eternal bliss. He wants her to come with hi to his benefactor. His name is of no import (he says) he is but a lowly soldier following a holy mission; she names him Knighty, because you need a good name to make a good story.

They walk together and come across an elegant woman in armor with a rapier. Pix is in awe. She is Lady Vinethra, Shire Knight of Autumn Winds. We find out that Knighty’s real name is Christopher. Lady Vinethra is looking for someone named Hirsam, known as the Prince of Fools. Hirsam, an archfey, is an extremist. He seeks to rid the Feywild, Elysium, and all the upper planes of beings who “don’t belong”. She suggests Pix and Droop get away and find shelter for now.

Pix walks away and says bye to Knighty. She finds Droop sleeping, wakes him up, and explains the situation to him. As Droop, realizing Hirsam’s designs threaten his place in the afterlife, takes action to get out of there, he freezes.

Everything around her stops. Garl Glittergold appears right next to her. She tells him of her troubles in Elysium and he tells her that she is being called back by her family. He explains to her why gods are not allowed to interfere on the material plane, but clarifies that he can see and hear what’s going on through Finn Dubh Cata.

Pix accepts her resurrection.

**THE PARTY, REUNITED (MINUS GLYN):**

Trix, who just created a miracle, is there to engulf his sister in a frantic hug. Tremble cries. Pix tells them much of what happened in Elysium (except Finn’s true nature). She’s returned with Grandpappy Droop’s hat.

Bogtooth congratulations Pix on her resurrection but is preoccupied with his vision of Sarith. They have 40 days before the Lady of Rot’s ‘wedding.’

Y wants Trix to bring back Misu, but he cannot right now. Grazillaxx apologizes to Pix for sending her out without proper healing.

Everyone decides to go to the labyrinth after resting in Blingdenstoen. They are teleported. They see Stool Team Five. Finn shows up and is happy to see everyone; he used his free time to help the dwarven prisoners make it back to Blingdenstone. Rotgut becomes acquainted with his clan’s allies.

Y laments Misu’s death. Tremble goes to visit the healing Jimjar. They have a conversation about loss and keeping the faith. Bogtooth talks to Stool Team 5 about their recent troubles. He tells them about his dream about.

Pix and Trix talk about Elysium and what happened to Pelek. Then conclude the best they can do is be good people and not worry where you end up when you die.

Trix talks to Finn, who runs away back to the tower.

Tremble is playing games with Jimjar. They meditate on the idea of perseverance. When they meditate, Tremble's consciousness travels to a battlefield in the far distance. He opens his eyes and sees so much fighting. And he sees a bloody and battered 40-year-old Pyrite. She’s in despair. He runs to her and sees the wound in Pyrite’s shoulder starts to crystalize. She warns him that Annarei is planning to take all the goblins away.

## New NPCs

1. Christopher, Knight of the Autumn Winds
2. Vinethra, Shire Knight of the Autumn Winds

## Memorable Quotes

* **Rotgut:** Hey Trix, I know didn’t talk much when we was back in the citadel, but…
* **Trix:** We…we gotta find them!
* **Rotgut:** Right….I’m gonna help ya. I know these isn’t the message you want here right now, but… I’ve seen many of our clan die across the years. Picked off by brigands, attacked by human merchants. This is the way of things.
* **Trix:** But they weren’t PIX and they weren’t GLYN!
* **Briar:** I know where we can find them--in the Labyrinth with that machine.
* **Rotgut:** We…we can’t be using that machine. We gotta destroy that thing.
* **Briar:** Well, certainly we will--once we use it.

**Briar:** Wouldn’t it be easier to find them if they were alive? Through time?

* **Tremble:** What’s wrong with you, Bogtooth?
* **Rotgut:** Tremble! We can’t be doin’ that, alright? Clan’s blood, our blood, right? We can’t just be attackin’ each other!
* **Tremble:** They’re DEAD, Bogtooth, and they’re NOT coming back!! So STOP saying that they’re alright! Why won’t you SAY something? WHY WON’T YOU SAY SOMETHING, YOU IDIOT!?
* **Lemon:** No we can’t be…we can’t be… please be NICE! We can’t be fighting each other! We gotta find everyone! And..and then it’s gonna be good, but we gotta be calm! We gotta be cool as a cucumber, okay?
* **Tremble to Bogtooth:** You’re such a coward.

**Trix:** We all have to agree… this is JUST to get Pix and Glyn back…nothing else. No matter how much you wanna change the past or get something else that you’ve lost, that’s IT!

* **Grazilaxx:** Rotgut! You’ve returned!
* **Rotgut: ‘**Ello, Mr. Grazilaxx! I apologize— it has been a very long time indeed since our meeting.
* **Briar:** Pix and Glyn are dead… for now.
* **Grazilaxx:** For now? Also, who are you?
* **Trix:** This is Briar.
* **Briar:** Hello.
* **Grazilaxx:** I am Grazilaxx of the Society of Brilliance. Please do not be put off by my illithid appearance, I assure you that I mean you no harm and I have never had any quarrel with fey folk.

**Demogorgon:** Hey, buddy, it’s okay. The other guy, he’s really mean. If he sees you, he’s gonna mess you up--really badly. But I’m gonna make sure that you get to live, okay? Because unlike the rest of the guys here, you’re special. You and I, we have a special destiny, alright? So come on, get out, go. I won’t let him know, alright? See ya, buddy.

* **Grazilaxx:** You trust this drow?
* **Trix:** I trust that a certain amount of his interests align with ours.
* **Grazilaxx:** I can respect that.

* **Y:** Let me get in on this for a moment…which option brings back Misu?
* **Briar:** Who?
* **Y:** Oh, she’s just like this really crazy, fun chick. I never really understood what she was saying, but she was like a firecracker!

* **Trix:** Hey..hey Tremble. Um, you know we’re gonna get them back, right? I mean there’s so many different ways that we can do it: We’ve got magic, there’s the time machine, or we can GO to where they are and get them from there.
* **Tremble:** Whatever we have to do, we’ll do it. It’s fine.
* **Trix:** I’m trying to say that it’s all gonna be okay… one day.
* **Tremble: T**hings will never be ‘okay’ again. We’ll make them as right as we can.

* **Bogtooth:** Briar, what’s the second half of the prophecy?
* **Briar:** Oh, there’s no second half of the prophecy, no—
* **Bogtooth:** Briar, don’t bullshit me right now. I heard you slip up.
* **Briar:** Not, there’s—no…
* **Bogtooth:** Briar don’t lie to me, I’ll tell Dulcinea where the fuck you are this very minute—
* **Briar:** There’s no other section of the prophecy, it was a song that I made up!

* **Rotgut:** Trouble sleepin’, too, aye?
* **Bogtooth:** doesn’t matter how long you stand there, I’m not gonna say anything to you.
* **Rotgut:** I mean, I dunno what I did, Bogtooth, to provoke you like this. But, um, I dunno, maybe I just need someone to talk to. I have memories of like a thousand years just looping and in none of those memories do I fall asleep, so…I guess it’s just been a while. I guess I just kinda forgot how to do it, ya know?
* **Bogtooth:** …….first step is being quiet.
* **Rotgut:** …right. That is the goblin thing to do. First hide, then take action.
* **Bogtooth:** Stop saying that.
* **Rotgut:** Listen, Bogtooth. I don’t think that any of us are disposable or nuthin’ like that. I remember the names of every one of us that we lost. Remember Sklonda? A little before your time? Bogtooth, when you live as long as I have, if you let your heart be broken after every death… there’s no heart left to break. When I do anything, I do it with dozens and dozens of my clan’s blood running through me. And I can’t let myself be paralyzed, nuthin’ like that. I go forward. And it’s led me here. Because I know that things can be different.

* **Sarith:** Hello, Bogtooth .
* **Bogtooth:** You’ve looked better.
* **Sarith:** Bogtooth, you have to tell me where Pix is! I tried to extend the invitation to her but I can’t seem to find her! You’re the guests of honor, Bogtooth!

* **Bogtooth:** We’ll be there…
* **Sarith:** Oh good! Oh good, I thought I’d be all alone for grand show! We all look forward to seeing you, Bogtooth. Me, most of all. Please bring Pix and Tremble with you.

**Droop:** So anyway, like I was sayin - the Cragmaw clan, that weren’t what we always was. Goblin clan names, its basically what’s the most powerful around us is the name that we take. So at some point we were the Horrocs….

* **Droop:** Up here do I think of myself as Droop Cragmaw? Nope! Maybe Droop Mountainlion, when my friend was around, but he hasn’t been back in a minute, so… that’s how goblin naming works!
* **Pix:** Wow. It’s really something to think about how long everyone has been around. You and me and the family. I’m really glad tome spending this time with you, Grandpappy Droop!

* **Droop:** I was never much for religion, but it seems to me there are pros and cons to every afterlife. Like here, it's real peaceful and nice but there aren’t a lot of folks what look like us. And the place I think we would have gone normally sees like a miserable hellhole where you’re always fighting forever… but there ARE a lot of folks who look lie us in that miserable hellhole always fighting forever.
* **Pix:** Well, seeing family would be nice. But Grandpappy Droop, I’ve learned that you can make friends with all sorts of people who aren’t goblins. I dunno. It’s okay if people don’t look like us!

* **Droop:** They don’t even like my halfling impression. Really, they say things like, “You know Haflings say more than ‘is that mine?’" But honestly have you EVER known a halfling what doesn’t say that?
* **Pix:** Maybe they’re expecting a little nuance, you know a good impressionist has do a lot of layers.
* **Droop:** Layers, huh? Maybe halflings are like cabbages?

**Pix:** If you ever see a talking mushroom, say hi!

* **Droop:** That looks very good on ya! You can take it with ya!
* **Pix:** Awwww! Really! That you Grandpappy Droop!
* **Droop:** It’s just a hat. I can always make another. You can always make things!

* **Pix:** It seems like you’ve seen some crazy things and had some adventures. I know you’re not really into the battling and stuff but I bet you’d love to have more experiences! You’d get tell more stories! There’s so much to DO here!
* **Droop:** Listen, a lot of what it is to be a goblin is to find ourselves in a nice little room, disengage from things around us, stealthy, hidden, don’t pick up fights that we’re not going to win… and looking around here, that’s kinda how I feel.
* **Pix:** I get that…
* **Droop:** I don’t want them to eat me. That’s a reasonable ask, right? Like, you wouldn’t want to be eaten by something.
* **Pix:** ……………yeah…………….

**Pix:** All those things that wanna gobble, gobble, consume - we’re actually pretty small, probably stringy.

* **Droop:** I am going to find a nice little beautiful sunflower field and I'm going to make it a blanket over myself and fall asleep for a time. It’s not necessarily that I need sleepy or any sustenance. Instead, I find the experience relaxing and pleasurable, and so I will have it pursued immediately.
* **Pix:** That sounds nice.

* **Pix:** I’m really happy I got to meet you! And here’s to not be eaten. [tips hat]
* **Droop:** Yes, of cou—  Is that mine? I’m kidding, you enjoy it!
* **Pix:** Bye, Grandpappy Droooooop!

* **Lady Vinethra:** Sent here directly? Not part of a scouting party to destroy all that which we hold dear?
* **Pix:** Noooo, I didn’t even know that was a thing. No, like he said, I got munched up by spiders down in the Underdark, quite a grisly affair and I’m coming to terms with it.
* **Lady Vinethra:** Remarkable…. Sir Christopher, back to your post.
* **Christopher:** Yes, of course!
* **Pix:** CHRISTOPHER?

* **Pix:** Prince of fools? He sounds like a fun guy!
* **Lady** Vinethra: He is not.

**Pix:** no, nonono— My grandpa's here. He can't go anywhere else. This is kinda good for him. For the first time in his life, he's been chased by a lot of things and he gets to fall asleep in sunflowers here and look at rivers!

**Pix:** The fact that paradise had war and intrigue is new to me…

**Lady Vinethra:** Take care of yourself and your grandfather to get as far away from here as possible for the time being, as we try to constrain Hirsam’s influence and hopefully constrain him in the Feywild.

* **Pix:** Garl!
* **Garl:** Hi there! Sorry to disrupt you; what’s going on so far?
* **Pix:** Well it was going great, I met my grandpa which is great, but apparently, there’s this bad boy here who doesn’t want goblins here and he’s in trouble!
* **Garl:** Oh… well shoot!

**Garl:** This I realize is not opportune timing, but, um…your family is calling you back. Trix reached out to me…. There’s a reason why gods like myself aren’t allowed to actively interfere on the material plane….

**Garl:** Nobody can know that I’m there right now--as Finn Dubh Cata!

**Garl:** It was one of mine who caused you so much pain so long ago now: Grampus. And I gotta say two things! I don’t claim him, as in I don’t support anything that he did. But also I HAVE to claim him because he’s a gnome. And so that means shared accountability.

**Pix:** I want to remember everything. Otherwise, it’d be a pretty shit story.

* **Trix:** PIX!
* **Pix:** TRIX! (the twins reunite)

**Bogtooth:** 40 days! 40 DAYS! PIX IT’S YOU! YOU’RE ALIVE! ARE YOU A DEMON?

* **Tremble:** I thought we weren’t gonna see you again, sis.
* **Pix:** We weren't in the endless battlefields… we were in Elysium!
* **Uncle Rotgut:** How was dad?

**Pix:** Garl was there!....Really good god….

**Trix:** I guess a roof is like a hat for a building.

**Stool Team Five:** You have heard our cries! Welcome, Friends!

* **Finn:** Where’s Glyn?
* **Trix:** HE’s dead right now…we’re gonna get him back.

* **Tappy**: A fish person came to me the other day. He would not speak to me in the common tongue.
* **Pix:** What did he look like?
* **Tappy:** How you say? Chunky muscle!

* **Lemon-Finn:** Glyn isn’t here….I am now going to replace every instance of the word “Glyn” with the word Finn. It’s an easy adaptation. That is what I shall do.
* **Finn:** Oh, no, you don’t want my name!
* **Lemon-Finn:** Yes, I do, and I took it.

* **Briar:** I agree with Y.
* **Y:** I like the cut of your jib! How’d you like to join the Society of Brilliance?

**Y:** I’m looking for Misu. She had skin like a really, really, red tomato. Eyes like a really, really red carrot. She wore clothing that was red! Like various vegetables, because vegetables are red. And she had eyelashes like a really really black tomato.

* **Tremble:** I dunno If I ever really was a hero to begin with.
* **Jimjar:** And yet you saved my life.

* **Jimjar:** Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, sometimes we save them, sometimes they die. But if we DON’T fight, then we always lose and they always die. The little ripple of good that we do is drowned in a sea of evil.
* **Tremble:** How am I supposed to keep fighting when they keep taking all the things I care about?
* **Jimjar:** I tried to keep my faith as they tried to take everything from me, and you got everything back in. a. DAY. That is not something to mourn. That is something to celebrate.

* **Bogtooth:** So, lots of mushroom things going on, huh?
* Stool Team Five: All of our things are mushroom things! But we will reciprocate. A lot of goblin stuff going on, huh?

**Tappy:** What we do is we take water or ale. Then we take clumps of very fine soil. Then we put so much sugar on them that you don’t even taste the soil!

**Trix:** So, um. How was it being dead?

**Jimjar:** Move your awareness to your fingers. Think about everything they have done for you. The bow strings they have pulled back. The chests they have unlocked. The hands they have grasped. They’ve helped you hug those you care about. Move up to your arms. Feel how they have grown in strength. Feel that every day they help you grasp that which makes you stronger, that which helps you protect. Move to your chest. There you find your heart. It beats still.

* **Pyrite:** Glyn! He’s still charmed by Annarei, he’s trying to kill all my goblins. You have to stop Annarei, she trying to take all the goblins away!
* **Tremble:** WHAT?!
* **Pyrite**: You need to stop Annarei, she’s going to take all the goblins away!
* **Tremble:** What does that MEAN Pyrite? What does that MEAN!?

* **Tremble:** What just happened, Mr. Jimjar?
* **Jimjar:** I have no fucking idea.