The Pernicious Poisoning of Peachblossom - Part One

> "*Oh great, Fraya's jumping into radioactive goop again."*"
> ― Butylene O'Kipple
>
>

**The Pernicious Poisoning of Peachblossom - Part One** is the ninth episode of Queens of Adventure: Legends. It is the first half of the Pride 2019 special episode in which a drag party tries to help the struggling town of Peachblossom.

## Synopsis

A horse cart carries a load of apples, hay, and drag queen adventures towards the hamlet of Peachblossom. The queens have been hired to perform at their Harvest Festival, and a friendly farmer named Sheila Cornsilk has offered them a ride to the crossroads near the village. Sheila is also surprised to see a water genasi, a drider, and a tiefling. Londyn, the firbolg, might fit in better in the country. Londyn jokes she just joined up with the group on the road.

At a crossroads, the queens hop off the cart and follow a sign west for about fifteen minutes. They notice a strange scent in the air... something is rotten. Turning a bend, they reach the town of Peachblossom with no sign of a festival. The tavern is being boarded up, and the well has a contaminated sign. A man in a gray robe approaches, apologizing. He is Elder Berry and the show has to be cancelled.

Elder Berry explains that the crops are poisoned, there is a dragon in the area, and their children are missing, but noting they are also adventures, the town wants to hire the queens to help. While Fraya and Arson try to negotiate price and drink tickets, Londyn asks about the children. Elder Berry noticed signs several teens might be werebears. In the past the town ran werebears out of town, but he tried to cure them and the teens ran away. He realizes his intolerance was wrong and he needs someone to go and find them and pass on the town's apologies.

Arson wants to know what he will do to make sure what happened never happens again. Elder Berry says the town voted to never exile or cure werebears again. Butylene suggests they create a safe place, maybe a werebear bar. Elder Berry gives a large peach pit to them to give to the youths to help protect them. It is a rare object, grown on a tree in town once per year, and protects from poison.

The Elder continues to explain the youths left three weeks ago, and the green dragon showed up shortly after and the crops died and the water became tainted. He recommends they not try to draw the dragon out due to its ferociousness.

The queens head west out of town, following the path the youths would have taken, through a field of gourds. Three large flail slugs are feeding on the gourds, which leak green gas when crunched. Fraya walks up the gourds and uses *purify food and drink*. The group teases she could have used that on the town well. One of the slugs sniffs at the healed gourd and slithers away. Londyn uses *speech with beasts and leaf* to ask the slugs to accompany them. They surround and sniff the firbolg.

With the slugs trailing them, they move down the path into the forest and find signs of bears, and some other large predator has knocked down trees. Butylene finds a hive of bees and uses her pipe of smoke monster to create smoke bees. This calms the hive while she harvests some honey comb, wrapping it in large leaves. Arson hears a bear distantly.

They find a clearing with a river in it. The bridge across has been smashed. Across the river, strange shapes hang in the trees above a small pile of mammal bones. Fraya sees massive poisonous snakes in the water. They insist Londyn talk them into making a path across the river, despite her and Fraya's discomfort. Three heads rise to the surface. Londyn *shapeshifts* into one, earning their trust as she explains their mission. The snakes braid themselves to create a bridge. Fraya runs onto them and acrobatically jumps to the other bank.

As she lands near the bones, looking up she sees ten sturges hanging overhead, looking hungry. She uses *light* to make herself glow in case they attack. Butylene tries to follow, doing somersaults, but loses her footing and falls into the water, but the current sweeps her to the other side. The water is brackish and smells, but she barely keeps her head out of the water and claws onto the bank. Up above, she can see the sturges over Fraya's head.

To Be Continued...

###  Characters

#### Party

* Arson Nicki- drider warlock
* Butylene O'Kipple - tiefling alchemist
* Fraya Love - water genasi cleric
* Londyn Bradshaw - firbolg druid

#### NPCs

* Sheila Cornsilk
* Elder Berry

#### Monsters/Enemies

* Flail Slugs
* Poisonous Snakes
* Sturges

## Episode Notes

### Lore

* The town of Peachblossom's youths regularly develop lycanthropy and are usually driven from town for it.

### Memorable Quotes

* "I'm still not convinced this cornsilk isn't corn polyester." - Fraya Love
* "I'm wondering if the bees are actually going to be on their knees as you suggested." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "But why don't we just talk to the snake?" - "YOU could talk to the snakes." - Londyn Bradshaw and Fraya Love
* "How are you going to cross the damn river, sister?" - "I can cross the river any damn way I please. I can walk across water, gurl." - Londyn Bradshaw and Fraya Love
* "They made us all sandwiches and now they are going to sacrifice themselves." - Londyn Bradshaw
* "What kind of motivational speech are you going to give these slugs?" - Butylene O'Kipple

### References

* Catherine Tate Show - How Very Dare You
* Mean Girls - She Doesn't Even Go Here
* Crossroads (movie)
* Hamlet - Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark
* Tammy Brown - "Walk the Children In Nature"
* Labyrinth
* Care Bear Stare
* Harry Potter extendable ears and Parseltongue

### Name That Tune

* "Anaconda" - Nicki Minaj
* "I Say A Little Prayer" - Dionne Warick
* "Hop On It" - Ginuwine

## Behind the Queens

* The episode was originally released in June 2019 in the Main Feed as the 2nd Special Episode. It was part of a crossover with
* This episode was part of a special Pride event where five D&D podcasts each released an episode, one episode per day, with each podcast taking inspiration from the symbolic meaning of a different color of the Pride Flag's rainbow. Queens of Adventure took Orange, which represents Healing.
* The podcast event used the song "LGBTQ" by Liz Sooy as its theme song, and it replaces the legends version of the Queens of Adventure theme song in this episode.

**Enter the Wigsnatch** - Part One -- Part Two
**Day of the Lepus** - Part One -- Part Two
**Live Panels** -- RuPaul's DragCon 2018 -- Minneapolis LIVE: Gaylaxicon 2019 -- PAX West 2019
**The Pernicious Poisoning of Peachblossom** **Part One** -- Part Two
**QoA x NeoScum**: Feet Pics for the Hellwasp - Part One -- Feet Pics for the Hellwasp - Part One -- Fingering the Bone Throne - Part One -- Fingering the Bone Throne - Part Two
**Hang Ten**: Part One -- Part Two
**Geekhaus Live**: Part One - Part Two
**Emerald Forest Adventure Con**: Part One - Part Two
**Children of the Cornball**: Part One - Part Two
**Seattle in Chicago**: Part One - Part Two