A Keeper’s Attack & A Korred’s Counsel

Session 4.1 opened with the party facing down a furious cyclops beekeeper atop Lockbury Henge in Yon. The beekeeper, enraged by the party’s presence and Acornagorn’s failed attempt to shoot him with an arrow, summoned three swarms of bees from his portable hive and attacked.

The Battle of Lockbury Henge

What followed was a brutal battle, with the party using all their skills and spells to survive. Highlights included:

• Filbert, using his cunning and knowledge of illusions, tricked the beekeeper twice with “major images” of swarms of Pollenellas. This momentarily confused the cyclops and gave the party a chance to regroup.
• Zahala, ever resourceful, used her magic to enchant the beekeeper with a Crown of Madness spell. This forced the cyclops to turn on his own creations, destroying two of the three bee swarms he had summoned.
• Amidor, the brave dandelion knight, fought valiantly to protect his companions, but was eventually crushed by a rock hurled by the cyclops, forcing him to make death saving throws.
• Acornagorn, heeding Filbert’s desperate plea, scooped up the wounded Amidor and made a daring run for safety while the cyclops was distracted. However, the cyclops, enraged by their escape, hurled another rock, striking Acornagorn and sending him tumbling to the ground, also to make death saving throws.
• Gleam, attempting to incapacitate the cyclops, tried to cast a powerful moon spell that would have transformed the creature into a bat. Unfortunately, her first two attempts failed. Her third attempt, though successful, was short-lived, as the cyclops managed to shake off the magical effect. Realizing the futility of her efforts, and with her magical energy depleted, Gleam fled, calling for the rest of the party to follow.
• Zahala, seeing Acornagorn lying wounded on the ground, rushed to his side and used her healing magic to save him from death.
• Filbert, realizing the dire situation, cast Tasha’s Hideous Laughter on the cyclops. The spell took hold, and the cyclops, overcome by uncontrollable laughter, collapsed, giving the party a chance to escape.

Seeking Refuge

Battered, bruised, and significantly depleted of spells and energy, the party, with Acornagorn and Amidor seriously injured, limped away from their encounter with the beekeeper and sought refuge within the ancient stone circle of Lockbury Henge.

Inside the Henge

• The party discovered eight towering megaliths, each standing an imposing 20 feet tall and crafted from different types of stone.
• Filbert, his keen eyes scanning the area, noticed that each of the eight megaliths was constructed from a unique type of stone.
• Acornagorn, observant as ever, spotted a set of footprints leading from a nearby game board to two of the megaliths, one made of shale and the other of chalk.
• Zahala, recognizing the familiar layout of the game board and pieces, realized that the pieces on the shale megalith were positioned to defeat those on the chalk megalith in a single move.
• Filbert, ever the adventurer, decided to investigate further and leaped to the top of one of the monoliths, only to find nothing of note.

A Korred’s Counsel

After a period of discussion and careful consideration of their options, Acornagorn, guided by Zahala’s insight, decided to make the winning move on the ancient stone game board. As he moved the final piece, two figures emerged from the megaliths: Queen Argantle, a korred, emerged from the shale monolith, her laughter echoing across the henge, pleased with the victory. From the chalk monolith, Jagu, another korred, grumbling about his perpetual losses, joined his queen.

After a brief conversation where the party assured the korreds of their honorable intentions and shared their history as enemies of the hag Bitter End, Argantle and Jagu shared valuable information about their current situation:

• The korreds, once frequent revelers at Lockbury Henge, no longer held large gatherings there. Argantle, fearing the treacherous schemes of the hag Bitter End, had instructed her fellow korreds to seek refuge within the stones, ensuring their safety for the foreseeable future.
• Bitter End had stolen locks of Argantle’s hair, using her powerful iron shears to sever them from the queen’s head. The hag, known for her cruelty and twisted sense of artistry, fashioned korred hair into iron ropes, using them to manipulate the infernal contraptions within her theater.
• The korreds, unable to tolerate the constant din of the brigganocks’ mining operation, had resorted to creating statues and placing them near the mine’s entrance, hoping to frighten the creatures away.

A Moment of Respite and a Dance of Gratitude

Exhausted from their ordeal with the cyclops and grateful for the korreds’ hospitality, the party decided to rest. The korreds, touched by Zahala’s kindness and bravery, promised to protect them during their much-needed slumber. As they settled down to rest, the sounds of distant mining reached their ears, a discordant symphony of clangs and crashes that grated on their nerves. Argantle, her keen hearing picking up the noise, hurled a rock a remarkable 100 feet, her booming voice echoing across the hills as she cursed the source of the disturbance—the brigganocks.

When the party awoke, refreshed and ready to continue their journey, Argantle, wanting to show her gratitude, summoned her fellow korreds from their stone slumber, and together, they performed a lively, energetic dance to the beat of rock drums. Zahala, impressed by the korreds’ performance, joined in, her own dancing skills captivating the creatures. Her enthusiasm and skill earned her a special gift from the korreds—the ability to control the iron ropes Bitter End used to manipulate her theater, a power that would undoubtedly prove invaluable in their coming confrontation with the hag.

• You started this session with a beekeeper cyclops bearing down on you. The first person to act, Acornagorn, shot an arrow at it and missed. This did not make an angry cyclops very happy.
• Some highlights from this long, difficult battle:
  • The beekeeper called three swarms of bees from his portable hive.
  • Filbert tricked the beekeeper twice with a major image of a swarm of Pollenellas
  • Zahala used Crown of Madness to enchant the beekeeper and to get him to destroy two of the three swarms he created.
  • Filbert eventually used Tasha’s Hideous Laughter to incapacitate the cyclops.
  • Amidor fought bravely, protecting several of you as best he could, until he was crushed by a thrown rock and started making death saving throws. At Filbert’s request, Acornagorn grabbed Amidor and made a run for it while the cyclops was incapacitated.
  • Acornagorn was also crushed by a thrown rock and was making death saving throws until Zahala healed him.
  • Gleam tried to cast a moon spell on the cyclops but she filed twice and the third time, the cyclops was able to shake off the effect she was trying to achieve, which was to turn him into a bat for a short while so he could be put to sleep (or whatever). When her magic ran out she knew she was outmatched and she ran, beckoning for you to follow.
  • Everyone eventually made it to safety, and a party with several hurt members and many spell slots missing trudged into Lockbury Henge
• In Lockbury Henge
  • You discovered eight 20-foot tall megaliths, which Filbert noticed were all made from different stones.
  • Acornagorn noticed that there were footprints going from a game board to two different megaliths—one shale and one chalk.
  • Zahala recognized the game and noticed that the shale pieces could beat the chalk pieces in one turn.
  • Filbert jumped to the top of one of the monoliths and found nothing atop them.
  • After some discussion between all of the party members, Acornagorn elected to make the winning move, at which point, Queen Argantle emerged from the shale megalith, laughing about the win, and Jagu emerged from the chalk one, grumbling about always losing.
  • Upon being convinced that the party is honorable, and learning that you were enemies of Bitter End, the korreds shared the following information:
    • The korreds no longer hold large gatherings at Lockbury Henge. Argantle fears the consequences of Bitter End’s meddling and has instructed her fellow korreds to ensconce themselves in stone, thus remaining in relative safety for the foreseeable future.
    • Bitter End used iron shears to cut off locks of Argantle’s hair. The hag fashions korred hair into iron ropes and uses them to manipulate her theater’s infernal contraptions.
    • Bitter End uses a contraption called the Orrery of Tragedies to glimpse all possible futures. Copper rods on the mountaintops of Yon capture lightning and channel it into this device.
  • And then, as you were preparing to take a long rest (during which time the korreds promised to protect you, you heard the sound of distant mining.
  • Argantle threw a rock 100 feet and yelled about the Brigandocks. She told you the following about them:
    • The brigganocks are helping Bitter End build wicked contraptions. They also hide and guard schematic diagrams for new contraptions in their mine. (The korreds are mistaken. The hag terrorizes the brigganocks and has kidnapped their chief architect, forcing him to work under duress in Motherhorn.)
    • The korreds can’t stand the noise of the brigganocks’ mining, so they craft statues and leave them outside the mine’s entrance, hoping to frighten the brigganocks into leaving.
    • A galeb duhr working for the korreds infiltrated the mine and overheard several brigganocks talking about a secret tunnel that connects the mine to Motherhorn. The tunnel is hidden by brigganock magic.
  • You all took a rest and upon waking, Argantle called the other korreds from the other stones and they performed a dance to rock drums.
    • Zahala especially impressed them and received a special ability after learning a jig—the ability to control the ropes Endelyn uses to control her theater.
  • You are now standing atop Lockbury Henge, thinking about your next move.

You are motivated to:

• Help Gleam get reunited with her sister (and help her sister escape from Endylyn)
• Perhaps help Hurly and Burly reunite, as well
• Find Filbert’s lost item
• Find and rescue Zybylna