Adventures in the Feywild

Mid-Autumnfade, specific time and year unknown

The Garden of Graves was a cemetery of the Gloaming Fey that had been taken over and transformed by some powerful, malevolent force. As the party explored the place they discovered new buildings and structures, many with odd architecture, built as if to be large glyphs or sigils. Parts of the Garden seemed to be portals to other places, including the Shadowfell. Some of the fey dead had been reanimated and forced to inhabit the place, and it was also home to other creatures of dark or arcane origin (including some seemingly non-sensical things like sentient gambling tables.

While exploring, the party discovered that many of the buildings' walls were covered with magical symbols and runes. Eventually they learned that these symbols were funneling magical power to a central location in the Garden. When they arrived at this palace they found arcane machinery by the channeled energy, protected by a twisted, plant-like creature. A battle ensued, the creature destroyed, and the machinery dismantled.

When the sorcerous engine was destroyed, the Garden echoed with a scream of despair, originating somewhere far in the distance - and perceptibly not in the Feywild. Whatever had been undone by the party seemed to be part of a larger scheme, one which might unveil itself in the future.

Fortuitously, a segment of the Rod of Seven Parts was found amongst the wreckage of the arcane device.

Autumnfade 11, 1104

JD "forgot" something and dove back into the river to swim back out to the other cave. Ingrid went with him to convince him that whatever it was could wait and his skill was needed. Garet finally showed up and hauled himself out of the water.

A short while later, the extremely easy battle was over, the beholder dead and the PCs victorious. In a corner niche the group found a cache of treasure.

JD and Ingrid showed up again. JD used one of his ritual scrolls to open a portal to the Feywild at the circle of mushrooms. Crossing over, the group found themselves in a cave much like the one they'd been in, though this one has more oddly-colored fungus and its walls were peppered with glowing violet crystals. They swam back out and exited the cave. Outside the geography was again very similar but much more lush, rough, primal, and wild. The sky was perfect blue, the trees more widespread, and the hills more rugged. The group trekked through the hills back to where the village should be.

Along the way they encountered a campsite but it was empty. Nearby the body of a half-elf was found, half-covered by a strange carpet of moss which appeared to be moving ever so slightly. The PCs began to burn it, which seemed to draw the ire of nearby trees. They continued on their way.

Later, over a ridge they spied an elder green dragon locked in combat with a group of six cyclopses. They wisely skirted the battle.

Eventually the party arrived at the spot where Avendale should have been, and it was indeed there. Arriving in the village it was obvious that it had been attacked. Doors were broken down, houses looted, and a few bodies were on the ground. Some were of dogs, one was of a villager, and the rest were goblins. From the tracks leading north it looked like goblins had attacked the village and hauled off the inhabitants.

While getting ready to march north encountered a beautiful eladrin woman calling herself "Maiden of the Moon". She was hunting in this area when she came upon the village which was rather unexpected. Speaking with some of the local fauna, she learned that the village appeared earlier. The humans were befuddled and confused. A few left to see what they could see but never returned.

About three days later, a small army of goblins and bugbears attacked the village, rounding up the inhabitants and looting the homes. They marched the prisoners north. The Maiden suspects that they were brought to a cave she knows of that is an entrance to the Feydark, specifically to a Fomorian kingdom known as Vog Tarugh. She regrets not being there when the goblins attacked since she could likely have stopped them. But even with her "considerable powers", she cannot take on the Fomorians of Vog Tarugh (nor could she with the PCs). However, she suggested that the Quiet Hall of the Gloaming Fey might help if the PCs could assist in removing the corruption from the Garden of Graves, a resting place for their dead.

The Maiden left to find someone to speak for the Quiet Hall. As they waited, the PCs looked for an inn to wait in, being city folk who didn't understand that not every podunk village would have an inn. Taverns are not uncommon, though, and they found a large building that might have been one. Closer examination of the ransacked building revealed that it was a shrine to the god Adonhim.

The Maiden returned with an eladrin representative. He and the group came to an agreement that if the PCs were to remove the Undead infestation in the Garden of Graves, the Gloaming Fey would free the villagers from Vog Tarugh. He brought them to the entrance to the Garden.

Autumnfade 10, 1104

The party entered the cave, fought with a roper and some chuuls. A water-filled tunnel led to another cave which contained a fairy ring - and a beholder.

Autumnfade 7-9, 1104

The party arrived back at the site of the village, then set out across the hills for the fey crossing cave. They were ambushed by a band of ogres and ettins, but though hard-pressed for a bit, they eventually defeated the humanoid band. Eventually the party found the cave mouth; it had a river flowing out of it, though there was roughly five feet on either side to enter. They went away a bit from the cave and rested until the next day, intending on returning at full strength.

Autumnfade 4-6, 1104

The party headed down to Corathmyr to see if the Sylvari there might have more information to impart. En route to the elven city, the party was set upon by a displacer beast, an owl bear, and a displacer beast pack lord. The battle concluded with little loss to the PCs. They noted that the creatures that had attacked them were fey, and their behavior was unusual.

Arriving in Corathmyr, JD sought an audience with the lord of the city, Daeladir Oakwarden. The group was directed to Anbereth Goodtree, one of the lord's advisers. She couldn't confirm JD's suspicions but said that they were conceivable as odd things had been happening to the Feywild as of late. Corathmyr couldn't do much to help since they were dealing with fey attacks and aggressive behavior in the woodland around and south of the city. Anbereth said that they had sent some expeditions into the Feywild but they hadn't returned. Since JD indicated he planned on entering the Feywild, she gave him the location of a fey crossing in a cave not too far from Avendale. She also gave him two ritual scrolls to facilitate travel between the Feywild and the natural world. Anbereth also mentioned that the corresponding area in the Feywild was under the influence of the Gloaming Fey, archfey associated with dreams, twilight, the moon, and similar things.

Besides discovering the fate of the village (and rescuing its inhabitants), the group committed to determining (if they could) what was causing the strangeness in the Feywild and putting a stop to it if possible.

Quinn tried to seek an audience with Oakwarden, claiming to be an acquaintance of the eldarin lord. He was informed that while the lord did not know him, someone in his court did - and not favorably (seems Quinn swindled some noblemen with a fake gold scheme in Ilmara).

Autumnfade 3, 1104

The party arrived at Avendale, or where it used to be. A large area of grass covered where the village once stood. Closer examination revealed that the grass was slightly unusual, suggesting that its origin was elsewhere.

The party spent the night in the area to see if the village might return by daylight; it did not.

Autumnfade 1-2, 1104

Upon returning to Ilmara, JD was visited by his brother-in-law Garret Ballaster, from JD's village of Avendale (an insular community of Adonhim worshipers). He told JD that he and some fellow villagers had been off hunting and when they'd returned to the village, it had disappeared. They tried to figure out what happened but their efforts came to naught. In desperation, they sought out JD (shunned by the village save Garret due to his wizardry). JD promised to investigate while Garret took the survivors east to resettle until the issue could be resolved.

Research suggested that Avendale might have been the victim of "worldfall". Worldfall occurs when a place in the Feywild falls into the natural world. This is not uncommon for places in the Feywild, but generally it doesn't work in reverse.