The band head out in the morning towards the Keep, walking through the city.
The band come across a stone cathedral that boasts an angular gothic style and opens to the street through a set of extravagant double doors made of refined ebony and rosewood.
Many beggars, commoners, and townsfolk pass through the temple.
From chatting to some they find out that:
- The Temple of the Morning Lord is the main place of worship in Richester.
- It was made illegal to publicly worship any god other than Lathander during the reign of King Richimo III about 150 years ago.
- During the day, the homeless are fed warm stew and given battered blankets.
- At night, the temple shelters up to 100 folks who need it for free. The characters can stay here as well if need be
- The Morninglord is the only god that can be openly worshipped in the city.
- Heretics live within the castle and are performing occult rituals.
- There is a curse set upon the people of Richester by the neighbouring fey in the Jade Metropolis.
Sister is disgusted about the illegality of worshiping any other god.
The band push on and pass the Gretchen and Co. General Store.
This utterly mundane establishment has walls lined with traveling gear. It looks as though the place was recently stocked.
Gretchen and Co. used to have stores all over the land around Richester. Unfortunately, since being moved to the Feywild, this shop is now their only location.
They sell a variety of gear needed to survive in the wilds and are capitalizing on the fact that more and more folks venture into the wilds of Nevernever every day.
O’Hare Contrair works in the store. O’Hare wears a shop apron over a colourful outfit and always has a lute or quill nearby to jot down ideas as they come to him. He has fair skin, strawberry blonde hair, and dashing green eyes.
O’Hare informs the band that he wants nothing more than to become a legendary minstrel exploring the Feywild and write epic poems of their travels. Currently, he works at the general store to support his sick parents and his younger siblings.
O’Hare informs the band:
- Any non-magical adventuring gear listed in the Player’s Handbook is available for sale.
- Non-magical weapons and armor listed in the Player’s Handbook are available for sale for 30gp more than their listed price with the exception of ammunition which is sold at a normal price.
- +1 weapons
- Javelin 400 gp
- Shortsword 500 gp
- Rapier 600 gp
- Longbow 800 gp
- Trimm, the potion seller, illegally makes and distributes poison in the black market.
- Many people in Richester have been taking up the adventuring business since arriving in the Feywild.
- Weather is unpredictable in Nevernever, which is why the city is having an early winter this year.
The band head further on into Kenway Square.
Kenway Square is perhaps the busiest part of Richester and the most luxurious. Boutique shops, expensive manors, and lavish restaurants can all be found within the square. Rich folk spend a lot of their free time here, and the guards tend to chase off the common rabble.
The band despite not wearing fine clothes or magical weapons, armour, or robes. persuade the guards to let them through as they have a meeting with the Queen.
The street opens up into a glamorous piazza lined with beautiful, snow-covered trees. The smell of fresh baked bread and fine meats fill the air as a violinist performs for onlookers
This plaza is in the near centre of Richester and is named after the legendary general Krigard Kenway, a half-orc that had, against all odds, risen to the top of military command about 50 years ago. He was killed in battle defending Richester from invasion.
The town square was named after him to honour his sacrifice.
The band find the following services in Kenway Square:
- Magic item identification can be done free of charge.
- Magic items from Magic Item Table A, B, or C in the Dungeon Master’s Guide can be found for sale.
- Roll 1d6 times on any table or just pick and choose what is available.
- Inns offer aristocratic quality rooms for 10 gp a night.
- Restaurants offer wealthy and aristocratic meals for 16 sp and 4 gp respectively, two times the price listed in the Player’s Handbook.
Then the band head past Trimm’s Potion Shoppe, a two-story wooden building that has an especially pointy roof and many chimneys from which multi-coloured smoke floats into the atmosphere.
Further on is Finnegan’s Finery. Finnegan’s Finery is owned by Alcides Finnegan, a master tailor known for providing the royal family with lavish garments.
Lining the walls of this fine establishment are garments of many different colours, materials, and cultural designs.
The following services are available at Finnegan’s Finery.
- Fine clothes listed in the Player’s Handbook are available for sale.
- Commission work is also available for 20-50 gp depending on the complexity of the request. Commissions are ready within one week.
Onwards and upwards to the Richester Keep
The keep is where the noble court conducts their day-to-day business and where the Queen hears appeals from the commoners. Normally, the monarch of Richester would live outside the castle, but the royal residence was lost during the transition into the Feywild. Queen Madeline had her servants set up her private quarters here and it is where she spends most of her time.
The keep is kept under high alert due to both recent kings being assassinated by an enemy kingdom.
Patrols make their way down the halls at all hours of the day but will only enter private chambers if they hear a disturbance. Each patrol is composed of two knights. They wear the new black and red garment of Madeline’s court and carry torches.
Richester Keep Courtyard
Despite the globe of winter that has wrapped itself around Richester proper, the courtyard itself is full of lush greenery that seems to thrive in the fresh snowfall. In the centre, a white stone statue of King Regent Gerald stands vigil, solemnly juxtaposing the beautiful scene before him.
The courtyard opens up into a set of marble stairs in front of the lofty white castle that acts as the centrepiece of Richester.
Two knights adorned with the black and red tabards of Madeline’s court of Richester flank the doors.
With some persuasion and a show of the letter from the Queen the band are admitted by the knights.
The golden double doors loom above the band and open smoothly as they enter.
Richester Keep Entry Hall
This polished stone hall contains the coats and outerwear of any guests within the walls of the Keep.
The walls are adorned with paintings of the forest that Richester once resided in on the Material Plane.
Upon their entrance, Chives a male human with light skin and slicked back hair, the lead butler, rushes to greet the band. He assumes they intend to make their arrival known.
Chives asks that they leave their arms and spellcasting components with the guards to prevent enemy spies from bringing harm to the queen.
There are two guards here that watch over a chest. The chest contains the weapons and spell components of the Keep’s current guests.
Richester Keep Waiting Room
Commoners await their audience with the Queen in this room. It is sparsely decorated and doesn’t contain much in the way of seating. There are currently 10 commoners waiting in this chamber. Several are disgruntled, having waited and returned several days in a row without being granted an audience.
After a few hrs waiting the band get bored and put on a performance.
It was either their time or the pitch awful sound of them, but either way they are ushered into the Throne Room by Priventis Avenor the queens trusted advisor.
Pure white pillars dot the edges of the room, and an ornate crimson rug lies on the walkway leading to the throne.
A beautiful woman with long black hair and a jagged crown sits slouched in the throne, appearing bored.
Against the eastern wall of this room, a massive marble throne adorned in cold iron embellishments looms over anyone who walks in. A brilliant crystal chandelier hangs over the centre of the room.
There are six knights in the throne room.
Meeting with Queen Madeline
Madeline asks the band to venture into King Richmond’s Tomb to track down the assassins that killed King Consort Gerald. The assassins are searching the tomb for an artifact to end Richester once and for all. She will award them 5,000 gp for slaying the assassins if the characters return with proof of the assassins’ deaths and the artifact that they hunt.
The Band negotiate with the Queen and agree on 5,500 gp to slay the assassins and return with proof of the assassins’ deaths and the artifact that they hunt, but any other treasure they can keep.
The artifact in King Richmond’s Tomb is the first of five pieces of King Richmond’s The Bards’ Tale.
The band head back into Kenway Square, where they busk for the gentry, and even charm the Guards with their performance.
Mostly just nobles and aristocrats frequent the square, and gossip runs rampant through the upper class.
From Busking they make 50 gp and find out:
- There is a scraggly mountain man that owns the biggest mansion in the city. No one knows who he is or how he came into wealth.
- The Queen is mourning the loss of the recently deceased King Consort Gerald.
- The restaurants found in the square don’t mark their prices up as much as lower-class taverns are.
- The beggars and commoners are contracting a disease causing them to grow frost giant skin.
They hire Bianca to guid them through the Feywild and purchase provisions for the trip.
The trip will take 5 days to get to the Tomb.
Day 1 of 5
Burnt Out Gingerbread House
A short distance from the main path lies the burnt out shell of some sort of structure. Low, uneven walls of brown stone trace a 15 foot square. Red and white striped fence posts are mostly covered in moss. The roof has caved in, but white shingles can still be found strewn about the area, covered in glittering red and green decorations of some sort. The only furnishing still standing in the structure is a cast iron pot bellied stove.
The band search the wreckage, they can find several fused iron bars, the remains of a large cage, they notice that the walls are not stone but gingerbread, and the various decorative features that survive are all made of candy.
They break down what’s left, and the band harvest a week’s worth of rations for them all.
Day 2 of 5
Knights Dancing (As Able)
The band spot three knights, all clad in plate armour, dancing about in the forest. Though their feet move energetically, their faces show fatigue and woe.
The knights, Bors, Gawain, and Ector, cannot stop dancing.
They claim they were ensorcelled by an archfey for saying some forbidden word (which they will not repeat again).
They don’t know how long they have been dancing; hours, days, or more.
The archfey who cursed them said they could only be released from this powerful geas by completing some impossible task, like chopping down a tree with some type of fish.
Lemmog utters some quip and suddenly starts dancing on the spot.
Sister Dispels magic on him, and then removes the curse from two of the three knights.
Ekam calms Ector down and they manage to tie him to the back of the wolf before he starts dancing again.
They then move on at Half speed, as the knights are well and truly exhausted.
The band rest up
Day 3 of 5 (now 5 1/2)
Sister removes the curse from the third knight, the knights are only too happy to help the band in there quest.
The band push on with Bianca leading the way, but at a slower pace now they have the exhausted knights with them.
That night as they rest Sister spots some small creatures with an oversized heads, hands, and feet. Their whole body has an oily sheen, but most noticeably their hair which seems to have been styled stiff into a magnificent peak.
Greasy Boggle Thieves
The boggles make off with Lemmog's sheild and Ekam's bell before they are spotted, where they flee into the shrubbery for a framed area to use their Dimensional Rift ability.
But Lemmog's wolf is on their scent, and tracks them to their lair: a dank cave that containing a magnificent red lacquered carriage, adorned with random shiny items (including some stolen from the band) and with the words “Greased Lightning Bolt” written on one side.
Aside from its appearance, it is identical in value and utility to the wagon listed in the Player’s Handbook.
The rest of the cave is strewn with other gems and shiny items with a total value of 50 gp.
Lemmog makes a move to steal their Greased Lightning, there is then a battle cry as Boggles leap out of all different crevice's to attack the band.
Why this cart is automaticIt's systematic
It's hydromatic
Why it's Greased Lightnin' (Greased Lightnin')
Lemmog is covered in gnawing and biting boggles
We'll get some overhead lifters and four barrel quadsOh yeah
(Keep talking, whoa keep talking)
Fuel injection cutoff and chrome plated rods, oh yeah
(I'll get the money, I'll kill to get the money)
With the four speed on the floor, they'll be waiting at the door
You know that ain't no shit, we'll be getting lots of tit
In Greased Lightnin'
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Ekam eldrige blasts the boggles
Go Greased Lightnin', you're burning up the quarter mile
(Greased Lightnin', go Greased Lightnin')
Go Greased Lightnin', you're coasting through the heat lap trial
(Greased Lightnin', go Greased Lightnin')
You are supreme, the chicks'll cream for Greased Lightnin'
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Lemmog just powers on ignoring the boggles covering him
Go Greased Lightnin', you're burning up the quarter mile
(Greased Lightnin', go Greased Lightnin')
Go Greased Lightnin' you're coasting through the heat lap trial
(Greased Lightnin', go Greased Lightnin')
You are supreme, the chicks'll cream for Greased Lightnin'
Sister has a radiant aura that burns the boggles off of Lemmog and then out of the crevices
Lightnin', lightnin', lightnin'
Lightnin', lightnin', lightnin'
Lightnin', yeah
Comments
Post a Comment