In Search of Daylight

Moss, the sage of The Twinning Trees

In Search of Daylight was the second session of Arine of Riveryew, Lord Darcy Hall, and Orion Brightward in Campaign 1. The session saw the adventurers travel through The Dusk Woods in search of Deirdre's body.

The following contains spoilers for the Tale of Locksmith's Bane.

## Plot

Moon Day 3 Chauntoro 1021 TE

After being thrown out of Northolde, the adventurers, and Deirdre make their way into the Dusk Woods, changing out of the Northolde guards' armour. As they wander down the path in the eerie woods, they hear horsesteps galloping behind them. A figure emerges on a horse, wearing an odd swan-shaped helmet and calling himself Sir Cygnus, the Enduring. Cygnus introduces himself as a Paladin from Edac, a small town outside of Euteria in Eastern Thorn, and another worshipper of Ilmater. His horse's name is Goose. Cygnus is on his way to Pontoporea, under orders of the King. However, after the trio explain that they are searching for Deirdre's body, Cygnus decides to aid their quest.

The companions stumble upon the spot of Deirdre's death, surrounded by the mushrooms Deirdre had been picking. Unfortunately, they cannot find her body. However, Arine discovers that there are tracks leading back to Northolde, and the body must have been dragged that way. Deirdre slumps into the mushrooms, in tears, realising that her life is now over, and that she will always be a ghost. She retires into Darcy's waterskin to hide away from the world. As it gets late, the group set up camp off the beaten track. As she doesn't need to sleep as long, Arine stays watch during the night. She sees a doe staggering about the woods in the moonlight, before it is quickly savaged by a wolf, waking up the rest of the party. In fear, Darcy climbs up a tree. Orion and Arine hold back, watching nature unfold. Cygnus, however, cannot leave the deer in pain and attempts the help, but is pushed away. The wolf drags the deer's body into the woods, and the party try to get back to sleep.

Sun Day 4 Chauntoro 1021 TE - Pray Day 6 Chauntoro 1021 TE

The next morning, the group head to Fearn's Rest, a Hamlet, loyal to Thorn, in the center of the forest. They stop at The Broken Birch (Inn) and Cygnus buys the group "Meat Sandwiches" and tea from Paul and Barry, the bartender and chef respectively. In response, Paul labels them "leaf lovers". Suddenly, Herder, an aarakockra, enters the inn and asks if the adventurers could help him find his daughter, a young aarakockra girl called Daylight. The group ask Herder some questions and he reveals that after a party in The Twinning Trees the previous night, Daylight was nowhere to be found. He and his husband, Hunter, have searched the canapies of the forest, from The Grey Mountains to The Stormy Sea with no luck, she must be beneath the treetops. They all spend the better part of the day wandering through the forest, with Arine info-dumping about all of the wildlife and flora that she can remember. Herder stops them along the way, and they crouch behind the trees. In front of them is a vicious Owl Bear. Once the monstrosity wanders passed, they continue to the Twinning Trees.

The settlement in a rough hamlet, made of broken twigs in front of a drooping willow tree, and beside the rushing river Donal. Hunter reunites with Herder, who breaks down at the sight of him. They tell Arine, Darcy, Orion, and Cygnus to go past the houses, to through the willow leaves. Before they go, they are introduced to the inhabitants of the hamlet, Sorna, Bryneth, and Gorilla.

As they enter, they find a Myconid named Moss, sitting patiently beneath what is revealed to be two trees, intertwined, the willow and a chestnut tree. There is also a Satyr, Sips to their right, sleeping on a chair. Moss performs a ritual, placing their hands on the base of each of the twinning trees. They tell the group that they can feel Daylight's energy in the North, and tells them to follow the river northward. The adventurers question everyone in the hamlet, going from house to house, in case there are any clues as to Daylight's whereabouts, but to no avail. Orion is shocked at the living conditions of Hunter and Herder's shack.

Walking up the river for a number of hours, Arine, Darcy, Orion, Cygnus, and Goose find themselves before a dark cave opening. They discuss the possibility of Daylight being in the cave, as a Giant Vulture lands above it. The team ready themselves to fight as Cygnus charges up the side of the cave to duel the beast upon Goose. He is quickly taken in the creature's talons. As Darcy fires bolts at the bird with his crossbow, successfully hitting it's leg, he does not prevent the vulture from carrying Cygnus away. Startled by how quickly Cygnus was captured, the trio tie up Goose and enter the cave. They find staligmite spikes in the entryway, pointing towards the light of day as warnings for intruders.

As they enter, Orion smashes his way through the staligmites and wandering down a narrow corridor, stepping upon a trap. The trap releases small fungal spores into the air which enter his respiratory system. Soon the walls begin to expand, the corridor elongates, and, as Orion turns to face his companions, he finds two giant beings before him. Arine and Darcy watch as a fully-sized Orion panics for no seeming reason. He runs fowards into a wall and slinks into a sitting position. Beside him are two glowing mushrooms, red on the left and purple on the right, which guard two passageways. Each tell the adventurers that their way is the right way. Orion chooses not to respond to the two giant talking mushrooms, but Arine realises the trick: one lies, the other tells the truth. She asks them their colour, and each states "purple".

Arine hands Darcy her rope, and he ties up the frightened Orion, dragging him down the path of the purple mushroom. Down the path, they come across a room lit with the glow of 10 buttom mushrooms upon the wall. Standing far away from the mushrooms, Arine speaks aloud, pondering what kind of logic puzzle stands in their way. Darcy quickly takes out a dart and throws it at a green button mushroom, revealing a trap door beneath it. Being careful not to fall in, he retrieves his dart and returns to Arine. After a few tries, Darcy gets fed up and eldritch blasts all the mushrooms until the red one on the far left opens a door in the side, and the duo drag Orion down the passageway. As they walk for about an hour, Orion begins to come to, but is equally frightened as the walls seem to shrink around him. They untie Orion and enter The Fungal Pass.

In the Fungal Pass, the adventurers come across tall mushroom-shaped houses, emitting a low light, and a tiny purple myconid. The Myconid seems playful, but then quickly runs away, scared of the three. Darcy knocks on the door of one of the homes, and an orange myconid peaks their head out from their door, asking who they are, and what they want before slamming it shut. A yellow myconid arrives and asks what they want. Arine says they are looking for a baby aarakockra. The myconid escorts them to the myconid sovreign, Red-Top. Red-Top introduces the party to the Fungal Pass, and explains their own situation, having had to flee from their underground monarchy of Espora, after a mining incident reached down into the underdark, and Troglodytes began to pour out of it into their land. Their existence relies upon finding moisture in the stones of the mine, but, in the grand city of Espora, there is the "Moist Stone", an artifact that would produce enough water for the surviving myconid peoples. The group ask about Moss' relationship with Espora, and Red-Top informs them that Moss was not welcome under their ruling and left. In favour for helping their search for Daylight, Red-Top asks the trio to retrieve the Moist Stone from the monarchy below, having to find a town hall, and press a red mushroom to be granted access to the city. Begrudgingly, the group accepts and are lead to the staircase down which will be blocked by a boulder. The tiny purple myconid is placed as guard of the boulder.

Their path is dimly lit by bioluminescent mushrooms as they pass through wide corridors. Stumbling upon a myconid hamlet, the sound of Orion's armour attracts the attention of a troglodyte and they are forced to do battle. This situation is repeated uncountable times as the group are forced through hamlets, blocked by collapsed tunnels, and find themselves going in circles. Darcy and Arine are able to hold their own against the creatures, but it is Orion who defeats most of the reptiles with his war pick. Searching through hamlets, the trio uncover a couple of potions. Arine identifies one as a water-breathing potion, but the other (with a giant toenail in it) is less obvious. Darcy rudely snatches the former from Orion, and Orion gives him the latter in debt of rations. During this trek, the trio are forced to seek refuge in myconid homes twice, in hiding from Troglodytes and sleeping in turns.

Although they refrain from speaking, in fear of alerting troglodytes, the trio grow individually as adventurers. Quietly practicing his prayers at each rest, Orion begins to feel Ilmater's presence, striking each trogloydyte with ease. Quietly reading her many packed booked, Arine figures out new spells. Rewarded in his commitment in search of Daylight, Darcy is granted more powerful, agonizing blasts as he sleeps. Eventually, they find their way to a town, with beautiful glistening mushroom buildings, and a large central mushroom town house. Evading any troglodytes which may have been lurking in the town, the adventurers press on into the town house, where they find a large troglodyte, displaying his body upon a sofa at the end of the hall. He attempts to speak with the trio and Darcy uses a spell to understand him. In a flirty manner, the creature is impressed at how the adventurers managed to get so far without succumbing to the horde.

As Darcy and Orion edge closer to the troglodyte, Arine stealthily touches a red mushroom on her right, and is teleported into the grand city of Espora, where she immediately sees the Throne of the Sovereign and the Moist Stone beside it. Taking it, she teleports back to the townhouse. Meanwhile, the Troglodyte asks them if they would head down to the mines, to have a look for any transluscent people that invaded their home in The Underdark. Arine whispers to the others of what she found. They quickly turn to leave, and run out of the town house, with Arine clutching the stone. The troglodyte chases them, confused. Darcy understands it's confusion as the creature asks why they are running away, but he catches up he only wishes for them to have a look for the transluscent people. Darcy relays the information and Arine realises the transluscent people are ghosts. Darcy frees Deirdre from his waterskin and the troglodyte jumps back in horror. As Deirdre tries to understand what has been going on, the troglodyte runs away. Darcy rebottles the ghost and they all head back to the Fungal Pass staircase. Knocking on the boulder, it takes the tiny purple myconid a few seconds before they open up the passage, and the adventurers are free.

Returning to Red-Top, Arine hands over the Moist Stone. Red-Top gestures to their followers who bring Daylight out from one of the mushroom houses, who seems to have been playing with some of the myconid children. The sovreign explains that they needed the stone, and had to force adventurers here to help, but Darcy slaps them before they can finish. Red-Top understands. Leaving the cave with Daylight, the group find Goose alive, still tied up, drinking from the river. Back at the Twinning trees, Daylight is reunited with her fathers, and the group discover that they were in the caves for over two days.

Cygnus is resting in Herder and Hunter's hut after being dropped by the vulture. Orion has a private word with him. Asked about their relationship with Espora, Moss tells the adventurers that Red-Top banished them for not being able to reproduce and having toxic spores. The tiny purple myconid follows the group out of the cave. Moss speaks with them, and learns that their name is Buttons, and that they have lost their family. Moss agrees to look after Buttons. Deirdre is released from the waterskin as the town get high from Moss' spores. Sips awakens to play an enchanting tune.

Feast Day 7 Chauntoro 1021 TE

As the inhabitants of the twinning trees get high beneath the willow and chestnut, Arine, Darcy, and Orion find a burst of white light above them. They follow the light through the forest, leaving the others behind, intoxicated for the full day, and stopping at the Broken Birch for more tea and meat sandwiches. In the evening, they follow the light out of the woods, to a farm, and a hut surrounded by Scarecrows. Arine and Orion watch the scarecrows as Darcy opens the door to the hut, frightening Bethelda, the witch. It seems Bethelda knows the light, a Will O' Wisp, and she was also the one to sell Chief Reaper to Lord Pelt. Darcy notices a snake-embellished signet ring on Bethelda's hand, deducing that she too follows Lillith. Trusting her, they allow Bethelda to read their palms.

Orion's palm shows her his strong heart. Darcy's palm shows her the heavy burden he carries on his back.

Arine's palm shows her an important object she carries. The black book is revealed to be Tzermir's Tome. There is a fire in the eyes of Arine, and it shows war. The book is said to stop wars and disease and that to open it is crucial to saving the world from a terrible fate. But the book cannot be opened by anyone other than Tzermir himself. The adventurers must travel to Tyrnia and have the corpse of Tzermir touch the tome in order for it to open. In exchange for this information, Bethelda asks that the group return to her when the moment in right. Darcy will know.

After their exchange, she welcomes the trio to camp between her scarecrows as the sun sets. The session ends there.