16 Kythorn 1491

A long rest later, and the group is ready to enact their plan. The way to the beacons will take them directly past the standing stones.

Upon being faced with more rain, Mell morphs into Morgort, to better tolerate the wetness. They all travel onward, reaching the henge.

At the centre of the henge is a dying fire and small checkered game board with pieces on it. Phee gleefully rushes forward while shouting at Mell to play a jaunty tune while she dances around the board.

Yndrus investigates the board and fire. The fire is clearly recent, the board is showing a game in progress. He also spots a couple sets of sooty hoof prints leading away from the fire and towards the standing stones. He stokes the fire, then follows the footprints.

Yndrus says to the stones, he’s seen that game is almost over, one move from a win.

Mell, curious, follows Yndrus and helps to coax the game players from out of their hiding place; which is to say, they emerged directly out of the stones.
Out of the rain strides a Korred, straight to the game board and makes a triumphant move. A second appears and sulkily recognises their defeat.

The party and Korreds introduce themselves to each other.

Mell asks if the statues they’d heard of were Korreds turned to stone against their will by the hag. That’s not the case, but the mention of the hag set the Korred’s hackles on edge. The party states they’re trying to end the hags’ reign. Turns out Endeyln has cut the hair of one of the Korred and has been using it as magical strings to manipulate her grotesque theatre actors.

Mell asks if there’s a way to neutralise the hair and is rewarded with the Korred picking up a stone and crushing it into a blue gem.

“For assisting you.”

And gives it to Yndrus. As he takes it, he feels strangely lucky.

She goes on to say “I must warn you, the hag is dangerous. She manipulates a contraption, the Orrery of Tragedies, to peer into the future. It’s fuelled by those copper rods, which sends lightning to power this orrery.”

Yndrus proposes a wager, play the board game and if Yndrus wins, they help bust up the obelisks catching lightning. But before he can finish, the Korreds grind their teeth and stomp their feet. The party hears the quiet sound of mining picks. One of the Korreds about something called Brigganocks. Phee is confused. She knows Brigganocks as small, rodent-faced creatures known to be miners who move incredibly quickly, with a lust for gems. But they aren’t known as anything to be angry at though. Phee asks why the Korreds dislike the Brigganocks why no likey?

Apparently they are helping build the wicked contraptions of the hag, and the noise of their tunnelling aggravates the earth-sensitive Korreds.

Mell asks if they’ve been forced to or are they willing? The Korred is unsure, but they hate the noise. Perhaps it’ll be in the favour of the party to try and free the Brigganocks, to cripple Endelyn and spare the Korreds the cacophony. Apparently the Korreds had sent in an elemental to deal with the problem and overheard the wee buggers talking about a tunnel that leads into the castle.

The Korreds decide the party may be of assistance and summon six more of their kind. They start some kind of ritualistic dance with lots of stomping, and the rain abates, the sky lightens. With wild grins and wilder hair, they beckon the party to join them. The entire party does so with glee, Mell transforming into Burly and Yndrus morphing into a brown bear.

A Korred steps forward and starts manipulating his hair. It moves seemingly of its own will. He says to Phee and Mell, if they mimic his hand movements, the party should be able to manipulate the corrupted hair used by Endelyn. Mell offers to return the corrupted hair to their people if the party is able, otherwise they will do their best to destroy the hair so it won’t be used against them ever again.

The Party stumbles onward, heading towards the noises of the Brigganocks digging away. Given a location by Amidor, they travel through a lot of inclement weather along a narrow rocky mountain path.

Eventually they come across a stony entrance, with grumpy looking Korred statues looming before it. As the party cautiously approaches the entrance of the cave, Amidor, the bee, Clapperclaw and Squirt hang out outside as the rest of the step across the threshold.

Mell reverts back to her base self and investigates the surroundings for activity; she spots old and new small hoof prints leading down one of more than one cave hole option and points them out to the others. They follow the road most travelled. About 10 min in, both Mell and Morgort slump to the ground. Phee tries to shake Mell awake, to no response. She slaps Mell, also to no response. Yndrus deduces that they’ve been affected by some sort of arcane sleep.

As Yndrus looks around for the source of the spell eight Brigganocks appear from around the corner, with wheelbarrows containing ropes and pitons. They turn to rush off and Phee yells.

“Wait, we need your help! And we are here to help you!”

Some of them stop to hear her out. Most of them eventually scuttle off, but two remain, peering nervously out at Phee from around a corner.

Phee starts to read their thoughts and can tell she is feared be them due to her size. In an attempt to cast a reduce size spell, she freaks them out and they run. A minute later, a tall, slender human with a smile and a few Brigganocks chilling on their person, appears. They greet the party and ask why they are tresp assing. Phee tries to be charismatic at the new person.

Phee ingratiates the party to this new person. She and Yndrus are informed that the rest of the party will wake in an hour or so. The human introduces themselves as Molliver, and settle with Phee and Yndrus over a cup of tea that Phee produces. She flirts and tries to get info on the goings on. Yndrus asks after the friction between the Korreds and Brigganocks.

During the tea ceremony, Mell and Morgot start to awaken.

Phee is introduced to Trig, the leader of the Brigganocks, who is chillin’ on Molliver’s shoulder.

Eventually Endelyn name is brought up, apparently she’s kidnapped their head architect Golmo. More chats ensue around the conflict between the Korreds and Brigganocks. The Brigganock have lost their architect, the Korreds have had their hair taken against their will. Perhaps they and the party can help each other out?

Mell lays out the hard truth; they’d love to help with the hag, but will need help to get close to her.

Trig speaks up, and they are willing to have someone show the party a secret route into the inner sanctum of Endelyn in exchange for a favour.

Trig to Molliver

The test is very simple, they must cross Rivenwish cavern, a gash in the earth where the Brigganocks hurl malignant wish stones.

Wish stones are echos of the wishes of mortals crystallise in the earth of the Feywild. Brigganocks excavate them and toss the malignant ones into the pit.

Peryton: a monstrosity. Body and wings of a bird of prey with the head of a stag. Their shadows look humanoid. Apparently they are involved with the issues around the beacons that are being disrupted whenever the elf tries to light them.

Molliver is hunting down villains from the League of Malevolence. Mell is grumpy upon hearing that group’s name, and bitches about their assassination attempt. More conversation ensues and it becomes apparent that Molliver has been in this hole a while, cause they seem to think that a couple of their friends are “safe in Zybilna’s‘” palace.
Technically if Molliver’s friends are also frozen, then they are safe. Frozen. Like, if they are mid falling off a balcony, we could shove a mattress below them and they’d be totally fine should time start up again.

Once the party does the test for the Brigganocks, Molliver agrees to help the party “save the world”, also to save their friends in the palace.

On the way to the chasm, Mell shifts into a large Brigganock. They reach the chasm, there’s a bridge across it, with a grotto of stalagmites and stalactites on the other side. Bridge looks nice and sturdy. Mell checks out the acoustics in the area.

Phee steps onto the bridge. When nothing bad immediately happens, the party walks out over the abyss. The moment they’re over the chasm, three lights from below start to approach the party. They press on, and the lights get closer, rising above the bridge and burst into three ghastly glowing green skulls.

The party breaks into a run, and the skulls begin to chant, two tossing fire spears, one muttering some kind of nefarious incantation.
Phee counters one of the flaming spears, but the other burns bright and hot ahead of them as a massive jet of fire blasts at the party from behind. Mell gets pretty crispy as a result.

Furious, Mell wheels around, barely standing, and screams blasts the shit out of the offending skull with Shatter. One of its eye socket lights gutter out, but it’s still kicking. Yndrus shifts into a wolf and makes a break for it, Phee and Mell attempt to grab on, but Phee fails to do so.

Phee is crushed beneath the weight of a spell that strips her of all her health. Mell and Yndrus skid to a halt and try to help Phee out, with Mell snarling and Shattering one of the skulls into dust.

The skulls cackle and start to sink back beneath the bridge and Mell stumbles bloodily to the side of the bridge, casting Shatter again and taking out another of the skulls. She cackles maniacally, coughing up blood from her charred lips, spitting it after them. The last remaining skull floats back up above the bridge and stares malevolently at Mellow. She grins and spreads her arms wide as the skull shoots black void projectiles at her, striking her once in the chest, once in the head. She goes down laughing.

Phee, having been healed by Yndrus, takes revenge for her fallen comrade and eldritch blasts the skull into oblivion.

Yndrus, irritated with Mell for having antagonised the skulls, begrudgingly heals Mell.

The party makes it across to bridge and into the grotto. In the centre of it is a pony with blinders, a tiny house perched atop its back. Phee excitedly rushes forward and offers some grass to the pony, who accepts it and starts munching away. An old Brigganock appears in the door of the tiny hut and greets the party.

Phee introduces the party, that Trig had sent them their way. Obud is the name of the Brigganock, and the pony is Keg.

Phee explains they are searching for the secret tunnel and Obud agrees to tell them in exchange for something. Phee offers a swapping of tales over a cup of tea.

Mell shifts back to her default state to rest and recover, and Yndrus notices a strangeness along the wall behind Obud. Obud notices and recommends not going through it. It’s the secret entrance, about which Endelyn does not know.

The party decides to head back to Molliver and Trig, armed with new info. As the party crosses back over the bridge, Phee apologises into the void, Yndrus follows suit and says good game. Mell follows suit as well and shouts.

When reconvening with Molliver and Trig, it seems that an understanding that could be reached between the Brigganocks and the Korreds. Phee suggests the Brigganocks offer some kind of physical olive branch to present to the Korreds. Trig proposes a wish stone.

The Brigganocks have also agrees to stop passive aggressively mine at all hours and pissing off the Korreds, as a show of good faith.

Yndrus offers to Muliver a space in the party for when the time comes to head to Zybilna’s palace.

The Party decide to camp for the night at the Brigganock’s mine, being shown to a appropriate side tunnel by Molliver.