The Pernicious Poisoning of Peachblossom - Part Two

> "*The wet lady flopping around the lake is with me too.*"
> ― Butylene O'Kipple
>
>

**The Pernicious Poisoning of Peachblossom - Part Two** is the tenth episode of Queens of Adventure: Legends. It is the second half of a special one shot story that was originally recorded for Pride 2019 as part of a multi-podcast event.

## Synopsis

Previously: *Four queens were hired to perform at a Harvest Festival, only to arrive at Peachblossom and learn it was facing a poisonous blight, and their youth had run away. The queens head into the woods to find the missing youth, who were subject to a werebear curse.*

Arson, after watching Fraya do a complicate run across a river, just walks normally across the snake bridge the group had made. She suggests to Londyn (who is in a snake form), who is crossing, to use the slugs as food distraction for the sturges. As this happens, Fraya prays for them and the party leaves the clearing.

They emerge from the forest to a blighted landscape where they can hear muttering. They find a rainbow maned unicorn named Pantine.. He explains it is his duty to preserve the land's health, and he can do it with his unicorn tears. He needs an enchanted flower to produce those tears, but it doesn't look safe. The group follows across the field, and the massive dragon flies overhead. Arson turns invisible and Fraya negates her light spell on herself while creating a *fog cloud* to hide them. The dragon leaves, and Butylene asks the unicorn if the dragon is the cause of the poisoning. Pantine believes it is and explains green dragons despise fresh fruits and vegetables.

They head into another forest and to a clearing with a single blue flower. The unicorn tears up after eating the flower and lets Butylene take one tear in a glass vial. A moment later animals rush across the clearing, first mice, then rabbits, and then five wolves crash past them. Then a stampede of aurochs come towards them.

Arson drops her invisibility and screams at the aurochs to *intimidate* them. They bellow in shock and many of them peel off and avoid the party. Fraya uses *animal handling* to grab one's horns and leaps onto its back. It carries her off. Butylene checks the *nature*around her to find a safe place to gather the rest of the group together. The unicorn runs off with the herd, thanking them for their help.

The group finds Fraya stuck up in a tree. Going to get her, Arson walks partway up the tree alongside Londyn. The drider wraps the cleric with spidersilk so when they cut her down they can lower her with safety after the snake breaks the branch.

On the ground they can see fur and pawprints, and thirty feet beyond there is a waterfall hiding a cave. A voice burbles up from the lagoon. A face emerges from the waterfall, the guardian of the healing springs. The group explains they are trying to find the werebears and provide a token from their families to create mediation. As the group explains their reasons for wanting to help the werebears, the waters ebb, revealing a passage. The water spirit tells them to go with health.

Peering into the cave, Arson can see a small encampment. Butylene wades across the lagoon in faux slow motion, wafting the honey. Several human faces pop up from behind some equipment. A tall woman, Ursula, stands and asks them who they are. Butylene explains their mission, to offer apologies and a token of protection. She sets down the honey and takes steps back to appear harmless and tells the werebears about the poisoning of town and presents the peach pit. The bears aren't sure they can trust Peachblossom.

Butylene sympathizes with them, and says she does think the town genuinely seems to regret what they did, and they may have convinced them to open a bear bar. Arson suggests they all come back, temporarily, heal the town, and then decide if the werebears want to stay or not. Londyn turns back to fibolg now, to try and ease the group's concerns. Ursula and the others decide to try and the waterfall splashes Fraya, who had tried to sing, for her poor performance.

They trek back across the wilds, past the fields empty of aurochs and dragons, past poisoned sturges near slime trails, back over the bridge of snakes that reforms for them. Back in the farm land, Fraya grabs a vine of gourds. They hear beating of wings and shouting as the green dragon circles the town. Fraya takes her gourd vine, spinning them over her heads to throw at the dragon. Arson tries to distract the dragon with a sultry dancing and a *prestidigitation* song. Butylene charges across the town with the unicorn tear while Londyn turns into a big bear to draw the dragon's attention away from her teammate.

Fraya's gourds tangle up Arson and they both tumble down. The dragon sees Butylene, but then sees Londyn transform, and behind her the youths have also shifted to bear form. They charge through town, distracting the dragon. Londyn grabs Elder Berry.

Butylene bloops the tear into the well. After a moment of silence, a shimmering rainbow rises out of the well rising into the sky. The plants around the well revive, and fruits and vegetables revive. A ring of purification flows over the town. Ursula hurls a revived tomato against the dragon, followed by the other bears. From the tavern, townsfolk run out and join in the fruit throwing. The dragon beats its wings and flies away.

The rest of the townsfolk emerge from hiding and gather around the werebears. Elder Berry steps forward and apologizes, knowing it will never be enough, but he wants to make the town a safe haven for lycanthropes. Perhaps in time they can heal the pain, as they healed the town. They shake hands with the apologetic townsfolk.

The elder thanks the party, and tells them they will rebuild, replant, and maybe someday have that Harvest Festival. Londyn requests two drink tickets for every performance and suggests a name for the bear bar: Furry Furblog.

A few months later, the queens perform on stage, as the town and werebears celebrate the Harvest Festival.

### Characters

#### Party

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

#### NPCs

* Pantine
* Guardian of the Healing Springs
* Ursula and the Werebears
* Elder Berry

#### Monsters/Enemies

* Flail Slugs
* Poisonous Snakes
* Sturges
* Green Dragon
* Aurochs

## Episode Notes

### Memorable Quotes

* "What kind of motivational speech are you going to give these slugs?" - Butylene O'Kipple
* "There will be plenty of time for blood smells later." - DM Matt
* "I'm turning invisible. This is a big nope. I have the ability; I'm using it." - Arson Nicki
* "Is it like rats where you can tell if it's a boy?" - Butylene O'Kipple
* "A tiefling, a drider, and a snake walk into a bar... and we order a hennesey." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "The wet lady flopping around the lake is with me too." - Butylene O'Kipple
* "It's okay, we have the gourds." - Fraya Love

### References

* Richard the III - Now is the Winter of Our Discontent
* All Dogs Go to Heaven

* Diana Ross
* Gandalf (although Butylene may have meant Dumbledore and the Pensieve)
* Dr Seuss - Hop on Pop and the Lorax
* Legolas
* Lion King
* Grandmother Willow - Pochahontas
* Avon
* Pokemon - Magicarp
* Flashdance
* Vine

### Name That Tune

* "I Say A Little Prayer" - Dionne Warick
* "Hop On It" - Ginuwine
* "Waterfalls" - TLC
* "Around the Riverbend" - Pochahontas
* "Honey" - Robyn
* Theme from Baywatch
* "Bring Them Home" - Les Miserables
* "She's My Cherry Pie" - Warrant
* "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" - Dead or Alive

## Behind the Queens

* This episode uses the special alternate theme song "LGBTQ" by Liz Sooy, which was used by all the podcasts in the original Pride week event.
* In the outro, DM Matt plugs the new Twitch channels for several members of the cast. As of April 2020, at least one queen is streaming every day. They can be found at Arson Nicki, Fraya Love, and Londyn Bradshaw.

**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