6 - Wisps and Serpents

Session 1	Session 5	Session 6
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Ashira Brolin Frostbite	Ashira Brolin Frostbite	Ashira Brolin Frostbite

Mud and Water

Played on 22-12-2024

Day 10
by Ashira

Walking through the swamp, the air reeked of rot and damp earth. Every step the stench of stagnant water filling our noses. Maeve seemed convinced there was a demon behind every tree. I couldn’t tell if she was scared or if the Feywild was starting to get under her skin.

Will-o'-Wisps

We came across a strange sight: a stone wall, circular, with water spraying up like a fountain. Brolin’s curiosity got the better of him, and he jumped on top with one of his rabbit hops. He shouted down that there were strange things floating in the water, a stuffed animal, a thimble...

Then I noticed them: four glowing orbs, circling the fountain before drifting toward us. Frostbite explained they were Will-o'-Wisps, once living people. One of them, Agatha, told us Bavlorna had killed them and begged for revenge. I didn’t want to promise something I wasn’t sure I could deliver. I always keep my promises, so I only make them when I mean to keep them. Frostbite, on the other hand, made the promise. He’s convinced Bavlorna has whatever he’s lost.

While talking to the Wisps, we learned something important: Zybilna is the Queen—the "dormant queen" that Light mentioned. I explained this to the others, but instead of being grateful, they complained that I hadn’t shared it sooner. Typical. I guess for now they didn't deserve to learn about the "Rule of three" then.

The Wisps also warned us about Longscarf, a bandit who’d been nailed down by Zybilna but was now free. As for Bavlorna, they said she was in a village called Downfall, somewhere in this miserable swamp. Apparently, it moves. Great.

Serpents

The swamp’s water level was rising, slowly but surely. We pressed on, eventually finding a crumbling stone tower leaning to one side. The balloon we’d been searching for was stuck at the top, its basket hanging halfway down. Brambles surrounded the tower, and from within the basket came a whispering voice introducing itself as Sir Talavar. When we asked why he was whispering, he warned us about two giant serpents in the brambles.

Dhanell started burning some brambles to clear the area below the basket. After that was done Brolin sprouted wings—the price for being the carnival monarch—and flew to the basket. Inside, he found Sir Talavar, a fairy dragon who claimed to serve the Summer Queen. Before Brolin could free him, there was a loud crack. His quarterstaff snapped when he tried to pry the cage open, and the noise woke the serpents.

The fight was chaotic. I marked my target and my arrows flew. Maeve taunted the serpents with magical whispers while Dhanell set the brambles ablaze. Brolin managed to break free from the serpents grip and it tried to reach him by moving up the tower. I let loose an arrow, killing it. The massive body crashed down together with the tower.

The second serpent grappled Frostbite, and something in him snapped. He raged like I’d never seen before, like a wild beast. Frostbite kept hammering the second serpent’s corpse long after Brolin killed it with an incredible strike. It was unsettling—as if the swamp had stirred something dark in him.

Sir Talavar

After the fight, Dhanell and I searched for Sir Talavar's cage. The water had nearly submerged it, but we managed to drag it to dry ground. I tried picking the lock, but it refused to stay open. Every time I thought I had it, it clicked shut again. Magic, no doubt.

Dhanell, after finishing a ritual to detect magic, confirmed it. Sir Talavar explained that Bavlorna had captured him and that his dead companion had freed him. He told us about Jingle Jangle, a key collector who might have the key to his cage. In exchange for freeing him he promised to explain the way to find Bavlorna, and we would get his magic sword.

Bavlorna, he said, resides in the heart of Downfall. We also learned that Zybilna is frozen in her palace, trapped by something called Iggwilv’s Cauldron. And about the Feywild’s strange rules, the Laws of Prismir:

- Rule of Reciprocity: Gifts and help must be repaid with equal value.
- Rule of Hospitality: You must welcome others into your home until they prove undeserving.
- Rule of Ownership: Stealing is forbidden, even from enemies.

Even the witches, according to Sir Talavar, mostly follow these rules, except for the last one. I understand why—it’s a stupid rule. Sometimes, stealing is the best option.

We took a rest after that. Frostbite seemed to have calmed down, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted in him. In all of us, really. This place… it gets inside you, twists you when you’re not looking.

As our rest ended, a huge shadow moved in the distance. Whatever it was, it was far away. For now.

Session 1	Session 5	Session 6
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Ashira Brolin Frostbite	Ashira Brolin Frostbite	Ashira Brolin Frostbite

Updated on: 02:17