15 - Scouting Past the Monastery

by lichbrush

## Cast

Greg Hansen - Dungeon Master

DCode - Tadz

Travis:Melody

Irotor - Wandell

Keith - Belmond Bronzehand

DC 10: Navigation Passed

*ENTERS THE HOWLING FIELDS*

#### Encounter 1: Dust Cyclones

As the party ventures from Farfield Keep, sometime in the afternoon Belmond notices that dust begins to rise up and form small cyclones that move against the wind towards the party. As they approach the cyclones grow arms and long snouts. After reaching out with their claws and taking some damage from the group they burst forth slamming the group with their carried debris blinding Melody. Tadz drops grease turning two of the dust creatures full of grease (disabling their special ability and making weapon damage deal full damage). They quickly dispatch the two greasy elementals. As Melody stays blinded dancing in place the remaining elemental summons two smaller versions of itself forth. The final large elemental has grease thrown at it and picks it up. As Belmond strikes down the last of the large elemental the smaller ones disappear.

#### Encounter 2: Fighting in the Night

Early on in the night Tadz notices an unearthly howl in the night and another even less natural houl, then hears animals fighting in the night and heard a pitched battle. Tadz notices a large winged beast carrying of the corpses of large wolves.

DC 10 foraging: 2 passes 2 failures

### Day 2:=

normal pace north

DC10 Navigation Failed

#### Encounter 3: 4 Axebeaks in the Fields

As they are making their way through the howling fields Melody notices four large axebeaks heading through the tall grasses towards the party. Melody puts one of the creatures to sleep with an enchanting melody, Tadz tries to make one laugh with Tasha's Hideous Laughter but the creature is too dumb to understand jokes. Melody gets hacked down by the charge of one of the axebeaks. The group manages to down another axebeak as melody barely clings to life with the help of Wandell. They manage to dispatch the last two axebeaks and kill the final one as it sleeps. They start harvest some meat from them taking 4 ½ rations. They take a beak, a heart and a fistful of feathers.

#### Encounter 4: The Faerie Ring

Tadz notices around noon an enormous faerie ring 60–80 feet in diameter large toadstools of pure white grow in a ring, it is hazy and shimmering in the middle of the ring. Melody starts to write about it as Wandell heads straight for the faerie ring, Melody is talked down from writing and heads towards it as well. Tadz heads further from the faerie ring. They get visions of large growing trees and bushes, a spring, and animals lounging in the shimmers they hear the sound of water and humming. Melody starts playing his pan flute while he crosses into the ring. As he crosses into the faerie ring, Melody's vision becomes blurry and he feels a magical pressure then he finds himself in a beautiful forest glen with large trees a babbling brook, all kinds of creatures. The other 3 see him shimmer and disappear. Tadz attempts to project an illusion through the faerie ring and fails. Belmond follows in with a rope which remains taught through the portal. Melody heads towards the humming. Belmond follows Melody. Wandell then tugs on the rope trying to indicate that Belmond should come back before they run our of rope, Belmond and Wandell struggle to pull the rope, eventually Belmond gets jerked off his feet and dragged back into a large tree. Belmond cuts the rope and heads further in following Melody. Wandell after conferring with Tadz heads in as well hoping to find the others while Tadz stays on the outside. Tadz casts detect magic detecting nearly blinding conjuration and camps down waiting for the day.

#### Encounter 5: The Whispers of the Fae

Wandell calls out in Slyvan asking for anyone around to show themselves and the music intensifies and gets louder in response. Wandell attempts to find a portal back but fails completely. The two then follow after Melody as he continues to wander off. Melody tastes the water and it's clean and clear and delicious. They travel for a long unknown period time and reach a clearing in the forest around a cave going into the ground. There are tendrils of decay and rot and charred ground. It looks almost looks like a wound. There is a large elflike creature, there are runes across their body. They are dressed in a plain brown robe. They seem to be attempting to care for this wound in the forest. The creature notices them and welcomes them. Melody asks if there is anything they can do to help. The creature says they can do no harm despite having powerful magic, he can only heal the damage. He says “We came to this land long ago when it was in need of healing, my sister and I cared for this area. We did as best we could but the sickness of this land was too much, too painful. It has taken my sister, corrupted her. At night she will come and undo what I have done as is the cycle.” He asks the group to end the pain his sister causes. They ask about the faerie ring and a way back, he says the ring is to contain his sister. His sister is the one that holds the key to getting back. The creature then takes a bit of the water from the stream and heals their wounds. They bed down for the night to rest. As they finish their rest they receive a full (PHB rules) long rest.

#### Encounter 6: The Transformation of the Fae

As they return to the damaged ground the man begins to change his hair grows out long his blue skin turns pale white he turns into a cold and wintery form. He still has somewhat similar features but is in a female as his humming turns to cackling. A black magic strips the life from around the cave as a withering emanates from it at this creature's will. The party retreats further into the forest. Two bears of the forest come behind them with the intent to fight them. Wandell gets slashed down by the claw of the bear. Melody brings Wandell back to consciousness. Belmond slashes the bear in front of him heavily damaging it. But he falls as the bear sinks its teeth in deeper. Wandell dies as he is slashed in half by a bear. Melody heals Belmond to bring him back to swing his axe. As Belmond slashes across it again it is barely alive. The last two go unconscious, but Melody wakes up grievously wounded who kills one before dying to the bite of the last remaining bear. Belmond too seems to get a last bit of life breath and flees into the night and attempts to hide. A huge constrictor snake fell on top of him and he turns to fight slashing into him. Belmond falls, dying to the constrictor snake.

#### Encounter 7: 1 Axebeak

Tadz heads back to town alone. An axebeak comes out and devours a donkey as Tadz runs leaving the other mule behind returning to Farfield Keep.