Flight of the Dragonfly

and

Justin as the DM

"**Flight of the Dragonfly**" is the seventh episode of Rise of the Arcane, the third season of Tales From Del'nasra

The City of Embers is under siege by an army of Umbral Knights, while the newly named Fonkey Casuals flee the destruction in their new flying vehicle, with a jabberwock hot on their tails…

## Episode Synopsis

#### **Previously on Tales from Del'nasra**

*"While you all slept Hopper was visited by a fey spirit in the shape of a fox who gave them an update on their family and slightly dire news of the Feywild, but was woken up abruptly during this dream message by Antyr shouting for Grin in the common area of your private inn room. Everyone aside from Doe gathered in the chamber to begin planning for the day ahead, and settled on calling themselves The Fonkey Casuals, spelled Fonkey as in monkey. Antyr also explained to the group that the metal disc they received from Sir Arthur was in-fact a type of flying fey vehicle used by the Seelie Courts in a civil war known as the War of Eight Colours a very long time ago, and that this vehicle resembled a massive, metallic dragonfly. While Hopper revealed they had made a bag of holding, and in the meantime remembering an old fey urban legend about the Bagman, an entity that can travel between bags of holding and pull people into the bags while they sleep and leaving odd trinkets behind.*

*The party then made their way towards Sir Arthur’s tower in the rain to hand in the contract. Upon doing so, they officially were known as the Fonkey Casuals and set off to run a few more errands around the city, and split up, agreeing to meet at the cathadiuum mines to meet Oussa Forenta to possibly learn some things about some supposed magical items in their possession.*

*During the split up, Hopper bought some tools and steel and Torger commissioned something at the Grimsteel Armory. Doe and Antyr visited the Eidolon’s Labyrinth, the city’s local library and pursued for information, with Antyr learning some more about the ley lines and the Grand Restoration while Doe learned about religious uprisings and revolts happening on the continent of Anundiel by a group called the Children of Penitence who believe the Faust and the Furious prevented eternal peace given by the gods by reversing the Unmaking six years ago.*

*The party regrouped at the cathadiium mines, seeing they were closed under orders by a group known as the Ley Guardians, and being concerned about Oussa Farenta not answering their calls, Grin flew inside and saw that Oussa had been brutally murdered. Antyr sent in their familiar and unseen servant and took a spellbook and a letter for the group to read over while Grin attempted to hail down two mages of the Quartz Armada who patrol the city, and they seemed vacant and “empty” with no real emotions or care on display. Hopper learned that these guards were feebleminded, and as the group made way towards the guard barracks, they encountered more of these mages along the way in the same state.*

*The investigation at the barracks provided more of the same, and so did the meeting with the captain of the Quartz Armada, but when asked certain questions he seemed to bleed from his eyes, nose and mouth, and eventually slit his own throat with a letter opener. The party gathered his important belongings, with Doe stealing his robes and Antyr downed a Potion of Clairvoyance, seeing Umbral Knights attacking the Cathadiuum Mines, while Hopper and Vonkar witnessed everyday people in the city also falling under the same effect as the guards.*

*You all commandeered a flying stagecoach and flew towards the mines just in time to witness a full blown siege breaking through the eastern reaches of the city in the form of umbral knights and these large stag-beetle like vehicles which fired beams of green magic that seemed to disintegrate the buildings they hit. You all narrowly dodged one of these beams in the stagecoach, and flew back towards Arthur Wordweave’s tower, just as a familiar jabberwock to some in the group showed up, with an armored figure on the back with a billowing crimson cloak enchanting the rain, which Hopper discovered was causing the feebleminded-like state of the people below.*

*The party arrived at the tower, picked up Arthur and Terry, while Antyr summoned a large, flying vehicle shaped like an iridescent green dragonfly while you all took off just in time with the jabberwock hot on your tails…"*

#### The Episode

The Fonkey Casuals continued to flee aboard the Luminaera while Duskreaper Aelinor chased after, astride the jabberwock and firing beams of white hot flames from its eyes, scorching large swathes of the jungle below. Antyr piloted the luminaera with ease, weaving through the air and trying to get away from the jabberwock as quickly as possible while the rest of the party fired arrows and crossbow bolts towards Duskreaper Aelinor, with some hits successfully hitting him, with Hopper landing a critical hit, angered and determined to kill Aelinor for them killing Oberon. Leek summoned Cabbage and commanded him to fly in the direction of the jabberwock.

Duskreaper Aelinor damaged a few members of the group with *Magic Missile* spells, and Vonkar utilized the ability granted unto him by the luminspire and caused his skin to turn into solid adamantine, before he clambered onto the tail of the luminaera and prepared a shockwave in case the jabberwock got close enough. During the encounter, the party (including Antyr in the cockpit) could hear something roaring from somewhere in the clouds above which also seemed to briefly catch the attention of the jabberwock and Duskreaper Aelinor himself.

As the jabberwock closed in towards the back of the luminaera, he fired beams of white hot flame from his eyes striking both Cabbage and Torger. Cabbage seemed fine due to his innate fire resistance, but Torger was burned horribly by the flames which caused the members of the party with knowledge of the jabberwock to realize that it could now track Torger for twenty-four hours while on this plane of existence.

Vonkar unleashed a shockwave from his new abilities granted unto him, by the jabberwock and Aelinor expended some legendary resistance to succeed on the saves, while the luminaera gained more ground against the chasing duo. Suddenly, the roars from above got closer and a young silver dragon with granite-like scales slammed into the jabberwock. This dragon also had a rider who was briefly seen and appeared to be a human with short brown hair, a brown beard and wearing a billowing blue cloak. The two creatures slammed into the ground, before the silver dragon took off towards the City of Embers and up into the clouds, while the jabberwock chased after.

The Fonkey Casuals then watched as in the distance a mint-green colored dome of energy rapidly encased the City of Embers. With this, Antyr decided to keep flying the luminaera northwards and after a brief conversation, the group decided they needed to go to a different plane of existence for twenty-four hours so Torger couldn't be tracked by the jabberwock. Antyr mentioned that he knew someone that could get them into the Feywild and began flying towards Auntie Gothel's abode to the northeast, with much excitement coming from Leek at the prospect of seeing his 'momma' again.

The flight took eighteen hours total with Doe flying the luminaera for the last hour. They landed in a small clearing in the jungle, and Leek began leading the way towards Auntie Gothel's abode which required an off-road walk through the dense jungle with the group passing by strange, otherworldly foliage. Eventually, the group arrived at a large manor towering into the jungle canopy and built atop a large stump. The house was covered in colorful, exotic foliage and surrounded by vegetable gardens kept watch by a whimsically dressed scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern-like head.

As the group arrived on the property, a mossy lump rose up from the garden and was revealed to be a shawl, and rose to a height of nine feet tall was revealed to be Auntie Gothel, a towering, angular jointed elderly woman with mottled gray skin. She was incredibly pleased to see her adopted son, and invited the group inside for tea. During this meeting, it was also revealed that her humpback was its own sentient creature, and was Auntie Gothel's first husband, Glebosus.

#### After the Break

The party followed Leek into the home, and saw it was a strange interior with a dirt floor covered in straw mats with strange herbs and skin hanging from the walls and ceiling. A couple of figures were sat at an uneven wooden table, a plump satyr adorned in a jester-like outfit made from dead fish and an emaciated, bald, milky-eyed eladrin who was missing their lower half. This figure was revealed to be Auntie Gothel's second husband, Rattle.

Auntie Gothel made everyone her 'special tuber tea' and the group mentioned they were running from a jabberwock and needed a way to the Feywild for twenty-four hours. She mentioned she could easily help and as a reward for being friends with Leek and bringing him home for a visit, she gave the party a series of strange magical items that oddly seemed catered to them in a way. She then had a hushed conversation with Grin about Leek's anger and that if he ever succumbs to it, the results could be catastrophic. She mentioned that if the anger rises there would need to be a soothing lullaby or song sung to him, or casting a spell on him, but she refused to charm her own son.

Downing their tea, Auntie Gothel led the group into the flooded basement of the manor and reached into the stone oven and handed everyone some small handheld pies before leading them towards an archway in the basement and opening a fey crossing into the Feywild, mentioning that Antyr and Hopper had already been through this specific crossing before. The group passed through, with Auntie Gothel telling Vonkar that he better come back unscathed as she was curious about hopefully wooing him to be her third husband.

Upon passing through, the party found themselves in a massive thorny hedge maze, with the directions out beamed directly into Vonkar's head. He began leading them through the maze, and arriving at a ruined windmill with a strange painted prop door on the hedge behind the windmill. The windmill was surrounded by horrific looking scarecrows and as Torger moved closer to investigate the windmill's ruins, he heard the sound of a twig snapping as a colossal scarecrow climbed out of the ruins, did a brief dance before screaming loudly which caused the horrific scarecrows to wake up and rush the party.

## Featured Characters

### Player Characters

* Antyr Xiloscient
* Doe
* Hopper Thimblefoot
* Leek
	+ Cabbage
* The Creep
	+ Grin
* Torger Otrson
* Vonkar Eldsaga

### Returning

* Duskreaper Aelinor
* Sir Arthur Wordweave
* Terry
* Vorpalon, Predator of the Seelie Court

### New

* Auntie Gothel (first appearance)
* Ciphersworn, the Page Eater (first appearance)
* Glebosus (first appearance) a sentient hump on Auntie Gothel's back and is her first husband
* Grundle (first appearance) a plump satyr who dresses like a jester and is familiar to some members of the group
* Rattle (first appearance) an emaciated eladrin whose missing his lower half and is Auntie Gothel's second husband
* Seymour (first appearance, unnamed), a eagle sized sparrow-like fey creature with a bald head and covered in quills