- PCsReginald & Sir Ares escort Oskin to Honeyside, and agree to help secure the shire.
- PCs commission 6 custom firework arrows.
- PCs demonstrate their power to a strange pack of animals and Young Deer in the Stormshield Valleys.
- PCs join the Wild’s pack and secure the path to Honeyside.
- PCs collect ranged weaponry and firework arrows from Honeyside.
- PCs are attacked by flying zombies on the path to Port Yulia.
- The Fanatics begin marching west towards Soleme.
- Oharad, the South Bishop, is assassinated by the Blades of Khazari.
Honeyside
PCsReginald & Sir Ares escort Oskin to Honeyside via a less travelled northern route. They encounter an inquisitive giant badger, who they try to scare off with ranged attacks.
At Honeyside, the PCs learn the strange pack of animals have approached but not attacked the shire.
PCs accept 950gp each from Oskin. Analyn then asks them to secure the path to Port Yulia, in exchange for high-quality ranged weaponry. The PCs agree, and design 6 experimental firework arrows for the job.
Firework arrows
- Big Mumma: Double firepower and a blinding + deafening explosion.
- Fairy Dust: Demoralises enemies with its ludicrous whistling and honking sounds, and pink sparkly glitter explosion.
- Sparkler: Single target, high intensity and prolonged burn.
- Vampire Screecher: Causes fear in enemies with howling sound effects and an explosion resembling a monstrous visage.
- Skunk Bomb: Green explosion which creates a vile lingering odour, rendering a space impassable for a time (if it works),
- Spread the Love: An unpredictable multi-explosion. Silver colours on impact, into golden follow-on explosions.
Manoeuvring
In the morning, the PCs set out for Port Yulia. In the Stormshield Valleys, they encounter a pack of somewhat aggressive wolves and giant badgers.
Reginald briefly attempts to communicate with a group of wolves. The PCs then continue towards Port Yulia, leaving the pack behind them. They reach the river crossing, and find only animal tracks there.
Return
Travelling back towards Honeyside, the PCs encounter a group of wolves, giant badgers, owlbears, a griffon, and a humanoid in the distance.
The PCs take cover in some trees, and distract the griffon by sending their horses back towards the river crossing. One horse is killed, but the other escapes.
The PCs both consume Behind the Veil, and see the following things:
- The various animals and humanoid are unified as one pack.
- The pack is not being aggressive for territorial reasons.
- There is a bigger force further away, which serves as the pack’s alpha.
- The pack has a hierarchy: the alpha, the griffon and humanoid, the owl bears, the giant badgers, and the wolves.
Attack
The PCs fire Fairydust, Skunkbomb, and Screecher at the animals. Only the Screecher has its intended effect.
An owlbear rushes the PCs. They throw a dose of Funworld into its mouth, and it becomes convinced the PCs are its cubs.
After the firework arrows, and with an owl bear on the PC’s side, the other animals cease their aggression.
Young Deer
The PCs approach the mysterious humanoid: a female druid named Young Deer. She acknowledges their power, and asks them to follow her.
A wolf named Greyjaw tells Young Deer that the PCs are weak because they ran from him. The PCs deny the importance of this.
The PCs reach a dense thicket guarded by several animals. Inside, they find a tiny clearing with a wooden bowl of water. Young Deer begins a magical ritual, and summons the Wild.
The Wild
The PCs are offered a place in the Wild’s pack. They learn the pack’s desires:
- Kill the “Underdwellers”: those who dare to create beasts, as only the Wild should.
- Find a mate for Young Deer - although not a “royal one” like Reginald.
- Demonstrate the pack’s power to the Archfey. Young Deer says two feylings are at Port Yulia.
To assist them, the Wild grants each PC a crystal of power wihch they can use to summon the Fury of the Pack. The PCs are also promised the Might of the Predator, should they help the pack achieve its aims.
Finally, the PCs request that the pack allows safe travel along the road to Honeyside.
Return to Honeyside
The PCs return to Honeyside and tell Analyn about the Wild’s pack. They also provide the engineers a full report on their arrows.
The PCs remain in Honeyside for a few days, and claim their rewards for helping the shire:
- 2 x High quality, personalised shortbows (+1)
- 4 x Skunkbomb
- 4 x Fairydust
- 2 x Big Mumma
- 2 x Smoke bombs
They also invest 1000gp into experimental direction changing firework arrows (70% chance of success).
Complications
While in Honeyside, the PCs hear that the Blades of Khazari have assassinated Oharad, the South Bishop. They also learn that the Fanatics have begun marching west towards Soleme.
The PCs set out for Port Yulia. Along the way, they’re attacked by 4 flying zombies.