After the battle in Stone Sand, we talk to the Dryads. Pearl talks to Elswyth and she reveals that she is a Fey of the Summercourt, blessed by Titania herself. We decide to take camp for the night
While resting, Glittr is granted a vision from the past. In the dream Glittr is given more divine smites that he is normally allowed to have. He feels empowered by Lliira with a sense of reward and possibility. He notices that under the great tree where they are standing, a beautiful staircase of stained glass. He climbs the stairs as they ascend upwards. At the top of them, he sees the stained glass platform where he normally sees and visits Lliira. Then, a red crack of thunder erupts down from the sky and she says, “Excellent Honesty, courage, duty. You continue to do great things in my name. You must continue this path. Continue to fulfill these tenants and walk this path.”
We know the Lurkwood is east of us. In the morning, we decide to head back to the path we came from, really unsure of where we are or what direction to head. Brylwynn finds some old humanoid tracks that are barren feet. On the path, a caravan, a woman tells us that we will reach Longsaddle in about a day and a half’s journey. Caulkin buys 1lb of flour from her. Our journey to Longsaddle is unremarkable.
As we enter the city, we see nothing out of the ordinary. We see a large building on the other side of town where children got fried dough. This is a High Harvest Festival, signaling that Fall has arrived. Glittr purchases a hoodie for Droop and mails it to him after having the troupe sign the left arm sleeve. Caulkin does some street gambling, Ari eats everything, Brylwynn plays her lute, Pearl stands awkwardly in the corner eating a candy apple, and Glittr participates in a hay bale tossing contest.
The shopkeep in the apothecary sells us some items. She speaks about The Harpells. She used to be married to one of the Harpells but stayed back in town after he passed away. We spoke with her about the recent attacks in the area and she shared that she has been having visions of giants. As she hands Caulkin and Glittr two Potions of Healing, her hands feel extremely cold, and her eyes glaze over:
She exclaims to Glittr that there is a lot of darkness in our group and says, “Many horrors await you. Creatures of the air. Creatures of the sea, creatures bereft of the light. I see you slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow.”
As she talks to Caulkin she says, “Youuu cursed child…. Misbottogen mistake of a child… Watched child…hateful child…to go forward you must go back. To go south you must go north. To touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow.” We need to go to the Fuzzy Quarterstafffor additional information.
We find the Fuzzy Quarterstaff and get drinks. While talking to the barkeep, Ari and Glittr check in with the Barkeep, Dia, who briefly reveals metallic dragon scales on her face, similar to Ari’s. Yue (you-aye), the apothecary owner, is a divination wizard who had some history of the Harpells. Dia invites the party into the basement of the Fuzzy Quarterstaff. In the basement, there is a large stone area with tables scattered throughout the room with another bar area on the side wall. In the center of the room, we see a pit in the center of the room. We talk to the barkeep in the basement who is named Voth.
Voth says the pit is their “screening process.” In the pit, we face off one-on-one fighting each other. Caulkin and Ari fight one on one, while Brylwynn and Pearl face off, while Glittr fights the champion, Keyon.
At the end, Voth speaks to “Mr. Harpell” who is sitting at the bar drinking red wine. He invites us to meet him at The Manor in the morning here in Longsaddle.