Episode 28: The Wyllowwood

This is another episode of the misfits trying to deal with a powerful and out of control evil wizard named Halaster. While our party and several armies have wrestled Waterdeep back from Halaster for now, the threat remains. I was not actually present for this game session, so this is me piecing things together from the rest of the players. As a reminder this party consists of:

Unit 2408, the Warforged (humanoid living construct) Barbarian

Luthis, the Kenku (humanoid raven who can not fly) Blood Hunter

Dancing Wind, a Tabaxi (humanoid cat) Wizard

Morlech, a Human Druid with a penchant for fire

Evangeline, the Tiefling Paladin of Tyr

When last we left this party we had gone out the actual front door to the Arena and gone down a tunnel labeled Wyllowwood. Our intelligence has it on the 5th floor and we're back to our primary mission of figuring out Halaster's mad plan.

As we exited the tunnel we enter a giant cavern. Beyond giagantic, and it may not even actually be a cavern. And, we're hit by a breeze and bright sunlight. Looking up there's blue skies and sunshine. There are trees, a dirt path, a river, and the sun is warming our faces.

Looking about we're seeing signs of small wildlife, things like squirrels, song birds and such. It really does look like a small forest hundreds of feet underground. The walls of the cavern go straight up, much like a sheer bluff or cliff. Looking about the forest is on both sides of the river. The river is substantial, about 100' across and has a steady current to it, and is significantly deep enough to drown in.

First Unit 2408, then Dancing Wind climbed trees. The Tabaxi could get higher in the trees as he's lighter than our construct friend, and he spies from his vantage point a few things. Further down river there is a stone bridge crossing the river, and what appears to be a stone watch tower on our side of the river. And it appears the river goes around a mile or so then bends west, but the path does keep following it at least to the bridge.

So that's what we did, wandered down the nice dirt path. No signs of hoof prints or wheeled vehicle ruts in the path and it was an easy stroll. Still abundant flora and fauna going on, everything seems to be like a surface based forest, though the Druid is being remarkably quiet about things.

Getting to the bridge we find it's a solid stone bridge that goes across the whole river and seems in good shape. The watch tower, however, hasn't faired as well. It's your standard round structure with interior stairs that spiral up to the flat roof with crenelated half wall. It is showing signs of decay, missing stones, rotting wood and the like.

On this side of the river there's also a standard 2 story tavern looking building, stone foundation with wood upper. It has a sign of a pig on a platter covered in gravy, labeled "Greased Swine Inn".

There is also a sign post. Pointing across the bridge the sign says "Wizards Tower"; pointing west (deeper into the forest on our side of the river) it says "Wyllowwood". And there's a sign pointing south that says "Ruined Fortress", but that's been scribbled out and replaced with "Ogres Only". Oh good.

We have almost like would be a town square if there was, you know, a town. But, there is the tavern, a well, and a stable at least.

Since we're gathering information we decide to go in and see if the tavern has a tavern keeper. Turns out it does, an Orc. Dancing Wind, who apparently doesn't know what a stranger is, decides to chat up the tavern keeper.

"Gor Mond is my name, but my friends call me Gor!"

In chatting with him we're able to get some information about the local area. He doesn't really know much about the wizard other than rumors and stories. The Wyllowwood is watched over by a female elven druid known as Wyllow. Morlech pipes up at this point with "Oh she's my type". Gor just laughs and says "well I don't know about that, she is a prickly sort so don't get on her bad side".

He does know that Wyllow and the wizard do not get along, at all, though he doesn't know why. They're basically enemies.

Now the ruined fortress is actually occupied by an Ogre tribe called the "Stone Giant Clan", ran by a fellow called Grimgor. Delusions of grandeur much?

We then decide to reserve 2 rooms, acquire some "pocket bacon", and take off into the Wyllowwood.

And that's where this session ended. Sorry it's not as fluffy as normal, I wasn't actually present for any of this!