Campfire Stories

The session "Campfire Stories" took place on June 18th, 2020. After having met an onion-themed eladrin knight, the party takes a moment of respite around the campfire to swap stories with some locals.

## Synopsis

The session opened up with the party sitting around a campfire with Grahmine, an eladrin knight with a fluffy beard and warm smile. He was eager to hear stories of the group's adventures and exploits and swore that unlike most fey, he would not steal anything from them.

Though most of the group initially looked to Sorithyn, Saphir was actually the first to speak up. Sorithyn sets the scene with some mood music and Clairen uses Prestidigitation to shine a spotlight on the drow, who opens up with a strong "Gather 'round me hearties!" Clairen and Sorithyn's eyes both *light up* over pirate-Saphir.

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> Gather about me hearties, and I shall spin ye a tale. Of treasure, of peril, of betrayal and vengeance. Every pirate worth their salt knows of the Dread Captain Blackheart. Feared from the Farflung to the Nearmost Seas, the black sails of his ship the Darkest Night struck terror into the hearts of ev’ry mortal that e’er saw them -- and so few lived to tell ‘bout them. ‘Spite his ferocity toward other ships, it’s said that Blackheart’s loyalty to his own was matched in its intensity. That is, until he learned of a lost artifact known as the Font of Life.
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> He believes that the Font is located on Golden Isle, an island that only exists in rumors and old tales. To find the Golden Isle, he sends the Darkest Night through a pass called the Path of Remorse. The boat is thrown against the rocks, and many crew members are lost at sea. On the other side, dark clouds gather. The Darkest Night is trapped in its own name.
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> Their supplies dwindle and sanity begins to slip. Time becomes unknowable. After what feels like weeks, they hear a voice. A woman sings to them. Ahead, they find her, her entire being glowing with radiance, a beacon of hope in this perpetual darkness. Blackheart invites her onto the deck -- and promptly slits her throat, casting her into the ocean. Her blood shines on the waves and creates a brilliant, glittering trail that leads them straight to the Golden Isle.
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> As they near the Golden Isle, a black wave as tall as a mountain rises up. It hurls the Darkest Night upon those shining shores, splintering it to pieces. All but Blackheart and Bluebell perish.
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> They wander upon the Isle for days, until they are on the brink of starvation. In the moment when they are at death’s door, they find a cave. Inside lies a golden chalice covered in engravings of farmers in fertile fields. Both Blackheart and Bluebell drink from the chalice. The taste of copper coats their tongues, but they feel as full as a Gladtidings feast. Like they will never have to eat or drink again.
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> Both immortal, they make their way back to the wreck with the Font of Life. The black clouds have parted and the sun warms their skin as they recover a lifeboat from the wreckage. A disagreement occurs between the two over sharing the Font. As they haul it into the water, Blackheart pulls his gun and shoots Bluebell through the heart. He leaves his first mate to die.
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> But Bluebell does not die. The magic of the Font of Life closes the bullet’s wound, but her heart bleeds with rage for loyalty wasted. Her chance to leave the Isle comes when the body of the bright woman washes ashore. She did not die either, but due to the wound suffered, she cannot sing again. The women make a pact to make Blackheart pay for his greed.
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> It’s many years later. Blackheart has retired from a lucrative sailing career. He has a wife and children, and they have many friends. He shares the secret of the Font of Life with his closest companions, and he allows them to drink so that he may never know the pain of loss again. At his youngest daughter’s wedding, he receives a note. “Meet me in the garden at midnight,” it says. Curious, Blackheart heeds these words -- and he’s greeted by a specter of his past. Behind him, screams erupt. Smoke and fire pour from the temple’s shattered windows. Blackheart tries to rush in, but the doors are melded shut. He falls to his knees and wails as his loved ones burn to cinders inside, and Bluebell walks into the night, hand in hand with the Bright Woman.
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The entire group stared with open mouths as Saphir closed his story, all of them genuinely surprised at the betrayal of his usual facade to spin such a fantastic tale. Grahmine is equally impressed, and ponders for a moment on what to give in return. Saphir takes the opportunity to ask the knight if he knows of a fey named Tor Shal the Outrider.

Grahmine explains that Tor Shal was the adversary of his former master and previous Knight of Spring, who he declines to give the name of out of respect. The two were both rivals in life and after the ritual of the dullahan took him into undeath - Grahmine reiterates that he was once a great knight before falling to the Nyl's corruption.

The group asked how the corruption came about, to which Grahmine gave a surprising answer: the knight had attempted to confront Nyl directly. He emphasized that most did not confront the Nyl for good reason - the corrupting madness of the dark fey was strong and difficult to resist. He adds that the ritual to become a dullahan is irreversible, "because after all, they lose the only good head on their shoulders." He also declines to give Tor Shal's previous name out of respect to the knight he once was, but does tell the group that their rivalry is what kept them within the courts. When pressed for more lighthearted or embarrassing stories about his master, Grahmine declines, insisting that he is a "goodly man."

Sorithyn took the spotlight next and recounted the old story of Lily the "tiefling"... a familiar tale to most of the party from their early days, though the target being sought out on behalf of a farmer was a little girl rather than a beecow.

Grahmine offered another story, one far more epic than searching for a lost little girl. A story of an intruder to the very woods that the group was camped in. The intruder darkened all that it touched, killing plants and poisoning the air. Master approached their monarch to ask for any details they may have of this creature, who told him that it was hidden deep in the forest in a dangerous miasma. The duo set out to tackle the enemy but found that they could not pass through the fog, no matter what they tried. This magic was much darker than the fey's usual tricks, though the Nyl had not been in their lands for quite some time.

The master drew a gleaming blue blade wrought in silver and inlaid with an unknown material, supposedly taken from a fallen star. The fog parted to an attack from the blade and the pair soon found their way to the middle of the forest. After a quick scan of the area, Grahmine's master quickly threw him to the ground just in time to get out of the way from a lunging beast: a green dragon.

A long and brutal fight ensued. Grahmine's master received a terrible wound on his face from the dragon's acid that rendered him blind in one eye, which Grahmine was not sure if had healed. Together the two struck the creature's heart, and though they were able to fell the beast, the ground remained tainted deep in the forest to this day. Grahmine honors the anniversary of the event even still, despite the fey typically not caring much for the passage of time. When Kalza asked for his name, Grahmine repeated that it is a great offense in the courts to ask for such, though said that we might call him the Knight of the Star Blades. The Knight of Spring was later replaced by an eccentric man who has tricked men and Neverthae alike with his mastery of illusion. Renowned as the Mad Magus, he is known to conjure visions that stupefy and amaze.

After a successful perception check, Saphir noticed an invisible fey that hid in the trees, which he promptly attempted to cast Faerie Fire upon. The spell failed and the fey attempted to reply with a spell of her own, though it was quickly Counterspelled by Clairen. A voice from above insisted that the mage was "no fun" - this was quickly determined to belong to Mia-Ni, a small faerie.

Rylee asks in the mental group chat if it would be okay to tell a story of Raxx'Ashak, though Sorithyn advised against it. The halfling instead elected to tell a bittersweet ghost story, which Mia-Ni did not appreciate as much as Grahmine did.

Grahmine next told the story of how he discovered the recipe for his famous stew. The knight had been troubled after his master left, and he wandered the land worrying of nothing but the avoidance of the Nyl. He lived as a transient intent on following his master's ideals, though found himself shaken by the loss nonetheless. He found himself in the lands of man, where he did his best to blend in.

One evening, he encountered a human woman crying for help. Battered and bruised, a man stood over her, brandishing an iron blade. He said something "most uncouth" that did not bear repeating, leading Grahmine to step forward and stop him. The man slew a string of insults at Grahmine, who despite his grievances, couldn't help but feel pity for the woman. The man threw dust in Grahmine's eyes and stabbed him with an iron blade, and in turn, the eladrin cleaved him in half with one fell swoop. It was only as he lay dying that the man realized that Grahmine was a real knight, and not merely some bloke in a costume.

The woman asked for Grahmine's name, a gesture that normally carried great offence in his culture. The knight understood the societal difference, however, and politely provided his name. He later spent some time in her home, which despite being dirty, small, and riddled with iron, was surprisingly cozy. He sampled human food, which he found pleasant and satisfying. He continued to watch her as her family settled on the island to the south, though to this day could not remember her name.

Grahmine looked to Clairen, who had remained mostly silent until now, asking if he had born some offense. She insisted to the contrary, that she was merely trying to think of a proper story to tell. Mentally, Clairen privately messaged to Saphir that she was considering telling the fey a story of Verien so that she may forget the abuse and trauma she endured at the demon's hand. Saphir understood her perspective, though persuaded her against it, for now.

The pixie gave a proper introduction at this point, and asked the group how they had made it this far past the Winter Queen, (to which Kalza replied that we had kissed her.) She then asked why the group was so afraid of losing their stories, to which Clairen replied that they "had enough troubles, and hoped to prevent further ones." This angered the pixie, who took great offense at the insinuation of breaking Grahmine's promise.

Kalza took the spotlight next, telling the two fey the story of how she came to escape from her birth parents and find her place in Reunion. Mia-Ni insists that the group tell happier stories and attempts to cast Calm Emotions on Kalza, but the wizard succeeds on her saving throw and the spell has no effect. Kalza insists that she is fine, despite the dark tone of her anecdote.

Mia-Ni next scolded the group for not accepting Grahmine's stew and ale, which she insisted was amazing. The group tried to explain their worry of accepting a gift from the fey, though Sorithyn was quickly able to deflect the conversation by assuring them that it could never compare to a hearty mammoth stew from the Winding Steppes.

The Seekers ask if either of their hosts could tell them about the Spring Monarch, but both seem hesitant. An insight check from Clairen assures the party that he genuinely is doing his best to be honest, despite the group's dubiousness.

Clairen next offers a gift from afar, rather than a story. She specifically declares that though she knows the rules insist a gift to the fey must be a truly magnificent treasure, this will be utter garbage. The human produces her remaining bottle of moonsugar vodka that she had purchased back in Altun, which piqued the curiosity of both of the fey. The pixie eagerly partook in the spirit by plunging herself into the bottle; Grahmine was much more polite, and took a shot poured into the cap offered by Clairen.

The pixie, now completely trashed off only a small amount of the liquor, let the group in on the knowledge that Grahmine was once the right hand to the Spring Monarch. Sorithyn assures the knight that she can relate to turning down a position of power that you don't feel best suits you. Deflecting from what seemed to be a slightly sensitive topic, Saphir decided to ask about the Mad Magus, inquiring about how he fought and defended the region from guests. Mia-Ni and Grahmine both answered: pranks and illusions. When pressed further, Mia-Ni explained that many were harmless, such as turning your hair into a bush, though often they could be truly debilitating or downright horrific.

In an attempt to relate to the pixie and lighten the mood, Rylee uses Wild Shape to turn into a copy of Cinnabar. Sorithyn, thinking she would gently cradle her beloved, grabs and holds the wrong squirrel. Thinking that Rylee loved shape-changing tricks like the pixie did, Mia-Ni transmogrified the halfling into a mulberry bush - one without sentience or intelligence. The group became panicked and angry, with Saphir quickly pulling a dagger out and threatening to "end" the pixie. Clairen casts Dispel Magic and dissipates the transmutation. Saphir left the immediate area in a rage, with Kalza following close behind to try and assure that he was alright.

While the pair was gone, Mia-Ni told the group of the druids in the Spring Court, often known as dryads. Rylee recounts a story in which she think she may have met one in her past, and Mia-Ni agrees that it could be likely.

As the sun begins to set and the group decides to wind down for the evening, Rylee expresses concern that Iris may intrude upon her dreams again, (though she turns down the offer of a protection spell from Mia-Ni.) Grahmine takes a moment to warn the group of the Mad Magus and insists that they be cautious, though also gives them a vote of confidence.

Once the group had settled into camp, Clairen snuck into Rylee and Sorithyn's tent and set up a ritual circle. Sorithyn caught her and spotted her casting the Dream spell on Rylee, though Clairen pretended not to notice.

Once Clairen was asleep, the now-calmer Saphir pulled Sorithyn aside for a quick conversation. Privately, he inquired on if she and Clairen had formalized any sort of relationship. Sorithyn explained that they hadn't yet, and that while she knew she loved Clairen, she was still trying to determine what that meant to her. Love seemed to be a relatively new emotion to the bard.

Saphir expressed his interest in Clairen, and Sorithyn did her best to help him attempt to sort out his feelings. The pair laughed that merely a year ago they were both quite sure that Clairen was going to kill them all, but now they both harbored a deep love for the young human. Saphir expressed his fears of telling her, though Sorithyn asked if he was ready to carry that fear for the rest of his life rather than confront it. She ends the conversation by encouraging the drow to speak with Clairen.

In a private RP post-session, Saphir confessed his feelings to the warlock over a field of flowers overlooking a beautiful valley of mist. Flattered but confused, she asked for time to sort out her feelings before giving him an answer. However, she did assure him that she loved him and cared for him deeply, and was so glad that he had grown to trust her. The two shared a tender embrace before rejoining the group hand-in-hand.

## Quotations

* Kalza: "I don't drink."
Clairen: "Yeah, me neither."

* Mia-Ni: "Yer no fun!"

* Mia-Ni: "She's thirty! And she can already talk! Mortals are so strange!"

* Sorithyn: "How do you collect your debts?"
Mia-Ni: "We have our ways."
Clairen: "Oh! Like how the tooth fairy collects teeth?"

* Mia-Ni: "Truly awful, but so sweet! It's like honeysuckle that hates ye!"