Baby Fever

Guild members venture into the woods to save a baby from a hag and some dancing fey creatures.

## Adventurers Attending

* Poli'ahu Mahynah
* Juniper
* Arr'dain
* Gip

## Mission Notes

Poli, Juniper, Arr’dain and new recruit Gip were enjoying a quiet morning at the guildhouse when the silence was broken by a weeping, anxious mother looking for help. Her baby was abducted when she was preparing breakfast and she ran for 2 hours straight from her house to Otha’s Rest to ask for help. The group calmed her down, promised to help and went off with her back to her house on Hamer’s cart.

The group investigated the house and Juniper found drops of purple oil inside the baby’s crib. Arr’dain licked the oil but it was not a type of oil that was familiar to him. Poli, Gip and Arr’dain then went out to look for clues while Juniper stayed with the anxious mother. While out of the house, Poli saw a scarecrow hiding behind the trees. Arr’dain minor illusioned a fire at the feet of the scarecrow and caused it to jump out of hiding. Though it was hesitant to do so, the scarecrow pointed the group in the direction of where the baby went, further into the woods, after being persuaded by Poli. Juniper rejoined the group and they set off into the forest.

With keen perception and impressive survival skills from Juniper and Gip, the group managed to follow the tracks of the abductor (more oil!) and avoid stirges that were hiding in the trees.

Arr’dain licked the oil off the muddy path and discerned that the oil was from boggles. They followed the tracks to a quaint cottage. Upon entering the cottage, the illusionary magic in place faded and the disgusting conditions of the cottage was revealed. Dried sausage links over the fireplace were revealed to be dried up entrails, the pleasant floral scent turned into the scents of rot and decay. The group descended a loosely covered up hatch in the cottage and entered a tunnel.

In the underground cave system, the group came across a sleeping ogre. The group got past easily with stealth and deceit. They then came across another chamber, where sounds of drumming and sounds of argument in sylvan can be heard. In here, quicklings, boggles and a goblin were having a dance battle. They challenged the group to a dance off and were thoroughly impressed by Arr’dain dance skills (assisted by kinetic jaunt and Poli’s casting of colour spray to mimic a rave) so they let the group pass. They also taught Poli one of their signature dance moves ‘flight of the bumblebee’ which would later prove handy.

They continued down the tunnel and came across a puzzle. On their left, a mural depicting various fey creatures holding gemstones of varying colours and on the right, a corresponding number of unlit candles. Arr’dain lit up the candles and found their flames to be of different colours, Gip arranged the candles according to the colours of the corresponding gemstones and a path was revealed.

They continued down the path and ended up in a large chamber. In the centre, a baby was dancing with impressive skill. On the side were darklings and mites cheering the baby on. Another human male figure can be seen sitting in the far corner. Before entering the chamber proper the group heard the man say to the fey creatures and the baby that “There can be 100 people in a room and 99 of them don’t believe in you, all it takes is one to change your life and that is me.”

The group confronted the man and he was revealed to be a hag. She claims the baby is *the* Baby Gaga, a baby destined to be one of the greatest entertainers in the material plane and she intends to devour the baby. The group fought hard against the hag and her underlings and soon gained the upper hand. The hag then threatened to eat the baby unless the party let her leave. The party acquiesced. True to her word she set the baby down and she turned invisible and fled. The party safely retrieved the baby. Somehow unfazed by the fight, the baby continued to dance and Arr’dain conjured a floating disk to hold the baby aloft so she could dance uninterrupted. On their way out of the cave, Gip offered the dancing fey creatures a place to stay at his home and hopefully find suitable venues for them to show off their dancing. They agreed and conga’d out the cave with the adventurers.

Once above ground and out the cottage, time stopped for everyone except the baby. An ethereal light shone down and a mysterious androgynous figure emerged seemingly out of nowhere. The 10ft tall figure with tan skin, long flowing blonde hair and a lute behind their back smiled down at the baby and gave her a gentle touch on the cheek, seemingly content with the safety of the baby. The baby let out a cheerful laugh and continued to dance in delight. The figure looked back at the adventurers, offered a bow and disappeared. Time seemed to flow naturally again and the group could only deduce the figure as someone of a divine nature.

The group got back to the house and returned the baby to her grateful mother.

## Rumours

* Where did the hag go and what will she do next?
* Who is the mysterious figure that greeted baby gaga when they emerged from the cottage?