Hard to Bard - This is the self-preservation society

Crystalline Ward

This ward houses only the most prominent members of Jade society and is quite extravagant. Every building is made of crystal and the streets are laid with solid gold. 

Only the most ancient and most prominent fey folk are found within this ward of the city, all are extremely wealthy and hold some amount of sway in the Summer Court. As the band explore the area, passersby make no effort to hide their stares and whispers.

Key areas:

1. Primrose’s Apartment
2. The Golden Council
3. The Gilded Path, which leads to:
4. The Jade Palace

Hyronymo informs the band that he thinks they have had a tail since the market.

a human female with short black hair and an eye tattooed next to each of her actual eyes, dressed in gray leathers that are adorned with a black cloak and hood.

When the band enters the Crystalline ward, she makes contact with the band....

She introduces herself as Vanessa Side-Eye.

She is looking for a crew to rob the Jade Palace.

Vanessa is always twirling a dagger, pen, or another sharp object in her hand while talking.

Look i am aware of your bands quest to retrieve the Bards’ Tale and well we can together steal the fifth chapter from Gaila if you help her gather the other spoils that are found within the palace.

See win win

After some questioning by the band, she reveals that she was once connected to major thieves’ guild in the material plane but has resorted to freelancing since arriving in the Feywild when Richester was transported.

The other spoils, well, they are worthy of my effort, but the Bards Tale is worthy of yours if you wish to complete it.

The tax on dreams is a relatively small amount of money in the Jade Metropolis and hasn’t affected the wealthy denizens of the upper and crystalline wards but has been extremely challenging for those that live in the lower ward. Those who live outside of the walls find themselves deprived of rest and drained of inspiration and emotion after weeks of being unable to dream. Many folk from the lower ward seek rest deeper in the enchanted forest but this has led to many being killed by the dangerous creatures that lurk within or becoming lost and unable to return to their homes. 

The fifth chapter of the Bards’ Tale is housed in the Jade Palaces Entry Hall in a 10 foot tall and 20 foot wide curio cabinet, which houses her most prized treasures, including the chapter of the Bards’ Tale that was personally given to her by King Richmond almost 1,000 years prior.

After Vanessa promises to do no harm (unless provoked) with the other items, the band agree to the heist.

Vanessa draws out a map, and asks the party if they wish to enter by day or night, and by the front or via a secret route via the cellar (you may/will get wet)

 J1. Entry Hall

J2. The Jade Court

J3. Gaila’s Quarters

J4. Barracks

Cellar J5. Lowly Dungeon 

The band agree to go at night, when Galia is resting and be a quiet as possible, they enter via the sewer system that leads down to the Lower Wards.

With much swimming and then exiting through an illusory wall, they enter the Dungeon in the Cellar.

Jade Palace

J5. Lowly Dungeon 

This room is formed roughly in the earth and only has rudimentary brick work. 

The walls are moist and the air is humid. 

The sound of battle and spellcasting can be heard coming from area J6, which Ekam stops sister from running to.

Several prisoners are locked within the tiny cells, many of which are myunche from the lower ward who have passed out from exhaustion and some are townsfolk from Albyn that wandered too far from the village. 

The Band push on and stealthy within a Silence bubble up through the trap door into the barracks.

J4. Barracks 

The trap door opens in the center of the room.

This dimly lit chamber is sparsely furnished, three bunks line the right side of the room while on the left is a round wooden table covered in playing cards and dice. 

4 Jade Sentinels are sleeping in their beds, silently the band seek through the room to The Jade Court

J2. The Jade Court

This brilliant courtroom is made of peppered white granite with green silk rugs lining the major walkways. 

The middle walkway is flanked by oaken pews for onlookers to bask in the glory of the goings on of the court. In the back of the room is a magnificent throne made of marble, similar in design to structures found in Richester.

The band are lucky and there are no patrols in this room, they head out to the Entry Hall.

J1. Entry Hall

Enormous crystalline doors open to a magnificent hall that greets visitors with the sight of riches and oddities. An immense display case lines the rear wall that is full of strange and wondrous items of historical and arcane intrigue. Sofas dyed emerald green line the halls inviting visitors to an appealing respite.

Gaila’s Curio Cabinet.

Inside of the display case are many items, the most important of which, and most well presented is the fifth chapter of The Bards’ Tale. 

Sister detects that the cabinet is heavily enchanted to prevent meddling and to alert Gaila of those who would try to pilfer its riches. 

There is divination and abjuration magic that wards the cabinet. 

After sister dispels them all individually.

• Abjuration
• a 5th-level glyph of warding
•  a 5th-level arcane lock. 
• Divination 
• an enchantment that alerts Gaila when the cabinet is tampered with and allows her to watch the tamperer from afar. 

Vanessa then steps up and picks the massively complicated locking mechanism.

Three of the band become cursed by it being opened, but Sister again steps up and removes curse from them.

Vanessa hands the Bards Tale to Lemmog, and she stuffs the other contents into a bag that seems to have more space inside than the outsides suggests.

• 4,000gp of art pieces
• A feather
• Some Scrolls
• A heart shaped necklace
• A Belt
• A Wand
• A Big Book
• A Rod
• and a Haversack (which Vanessa wears and does not stuff into the bag)

The band then sneak back down to the Dungeon, where they free the prisoners and tell them to escape via the sewers with Vanessa.

The townsfolk from Albyn have witnessed many awful deeds committed by Gaila in the dungeons and would be willing to testify against her, the band just say thank you and leave them to it.

As the Band are about to leave, Vanessa and Heironymo check out the sound of screaming.

J6. Torture Chamber

A tall cloaked and hooded figure, aided by several undead, is attacking a green-skinned woman dressed in black wizardry robes and a pointed hat. 

Another green-skinned woman is trussed up on a rack.

Noticing Sisters approach, she calls for aid. 

The victims of the torture have their energy sapped by the dweomer of the Dream Tax and are raised as undead soldiers to fight against Richester. 

The green-skinned woman introduces herself as Sebille and that the person trussed up is her sister Primrose

Sebille has the strong features of a young human woman. She has smooth green skin, piercing brown eyes, and dresses in traditional black wizard garb

Primrose appears to be a human woman with tightly pulled back hair. She has plants bound to where here arms would be.

Sebille says that her invisibility spell wore off right in front of the torturer, and you must save my sister, and yes she was born with no arms, but she can manipulate plants and bind them to her shoulders and use them as arms and hands.

Sister channels her divinity and destroys the undead creatures, then banishes the torturer.

After a quick conversation it is apparent that the sisters cannot go via the sewer or they will melt in the water.

So the Heironymo resounds the silence and they rapidly escape, as they exit the doors, Ekam casts Darkness on the Jade guard just outside the doors, and in the surprise they run away, the sisters summon their brooms and fly away.

The Band quickly rush out of the Jade Metropolis 

Through a marble archway, that Sister reads in Sylvan 

“Here can be found the greatest mystery left to us by Richmond the Magnificent.”

The marble archway is similar to the one found in Richmond’s Tomb, bearing the symbol found on the fifth chapter of the Bards’ Tale and the inscription: “Life is full of doors, and music is the key.” 

Down The Gilded Path 

This road is paved in gold and leads directly from the front doors of the Jade Palace. 

It is a true masterwork of metalcraft and infrastructure. Throughout the day a team of pixies polish the road after times of high foot traffic have ended. 

Through the other gates and out into the Enchanted woods, where Bianca makes good work of avoiding and trackers.

Approaching the Town of Albyn

The treeline ends at a stone wall, broken in several places by makeshift wooden repairs. Past the wall lies a thriving town squarely in the middle of the forest. The ancient road passes through an open gate with a pair of guards standing on either side of the path. Each guard is accompanied by a tiny winged figure, wearing thimbles for helmets and carrying swordlike needles on their belts. 

Town Gates

As the band see the gates and the guards, they are ambushed by four displacer beasts.

The band despatch them just as further guards and towns militia arrive on the walls to shoot arrows at them.

The band enter the town as heros, that Lemmog laps up and proudly juts out his chest.

The town offers a bounty of 50 gold pieces for each displacer beast killed. 

Residents of Albyn 

Talking with the Guards and Townsfolk they find that Albyn is split between those who support Madeline’s claim to the crown of Richester, and those who would see her removed as queen.

Claims against the monarchy range from Madeline’s illegitimacy, to complaints about the effects of moving Richester to the Feywild, rumors of King Henry’s return, and Henry’s incompetant rule. 

Albyn’s sprites are loyal to the townsfolk and the region’s baron, and stay out of political affairs. 

Loyalists. The Loyalist faction is a loose group of nobles and commoners who support Queen Madeline. Some are happy with the Queen’s rule, some hope to curry favor with Madeline and her followers, and others have simply benefited from Richester’s current situation. More than a few are partially motivated by the fear of potential reprisals against suspected treasoners. 

Reformers. The Reform faction began slowly during King Henry’s rule. Eventually, a number of aristocrats, merchants, and scholars began consolidating power to place checks on King Henry. With his disappearance and Madeline’s rise to power, the reform movement turned into outright rebellion. Many reformers hide their affiliation to avoid retaliation from Madeline’s troops and loyalists, but several actively work to get supplies to General Warner’s rebels in the forests of Nevernever. 

Albyn’s ruler, Baron Frederick Schoen, his primary concern is the people of Albyn, and works to shield them from Madeline’s conflict with General Warner

Areas of Albyn 

• King’s Square
• King’s Square was named in honor of King Richmond, and is adorned with a 15 foot-tall bronze statue of the king posed in his human guise. The statue stands on a 15-foot square made of solid marble and brandishes an ornate longsword and shield
• Albyn General
• Albyn’s general store is managed by Nicanor a male satyr and sells items in the “Adventuring Gear” section in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook worth 50 gp or less
• Cael & Cor 
• Caelynn Amakiir a female wood elf, a commoner serves as Albyn’s smith, and works alongside the town’s only tinker Coriander a female pixie. In addition to the standard weapons from the Player’s Handbook, the shop stocks a few pistols and muskets (see Chapter 9 in the Dungeon Master’s Guide) as well as bullets and paper cartridges filled with black powder.
• Red Oak Tavern
• The place the band are told they can get a room for the night
• Sycamore Street
• the route to Hammond’s house goes through Sycamore Street.
• Hammond’s House
• Alec Hammond’s house sits on the northern side of Albyn.

Red Oak Tavern

A massive red oak tree emerges from the roof of a two-story wooden building, complete with several chimneys puffing grey smoke up into the air. Beneath the crimson boughs hangs a wooden sign with a mug of ale on one side and a roast chicken on the other.

Lodging at the Red Oak costs 1gp a night and includes a dinner meal. Dinner patrons are treated to music played by Anika’s wife, Thaleia.

The Red Oak 

The tavern’s namesake runs from the basement level up through the first and second floors and out above the roof. The tree is cordoned off on each level by a rope running between several wooden posts. 

The band after ordering some food and drink hear the locals talking about 

• A recent murder on Sycamore Street. 
• General Warner and his merry band of rebels recently raided a storehouse run by Madeline’s guards. The rebels made off with an entire complement of cannons and Madeline has upped the bounty on Warner’s head to 6,000 gp. 
• A local couple, Vitya and Velia, were to be married this week. It seems the groom got spooked and broke off the engagement really suddenly. His groomsmen won’t talk about what happened. 
• At the Lake Tomunga Theatre, the acting troupe has stopped producing the comedies they were so well-known for. Now everything on that stage is just more propaganda for Queen Madeline. 
• A magical cat wanders through the Nevernever wood, telling stories she never seems able to finish. 
• A group of goblinoids were spotted in the wood, led by a very long-winded commander. 
• Rumor has it a group of fomorians were looking for help to defeat a bunch of redcaps. Why giants would need help fighting those things, I’ll never know. 
• The village of Arathill has lost its archfey guardian. Now the forest around it is dying as the village falls to the power of winter. 
• It’s a seriously marked change in the theatre from the smutty plays to the propaganda pieces Quintiles puts on, it’s only a matter of time before his debts catch up to him. I wonder who will run it next? 
• It’s a shame Julian Cantari left the stage and sold the Tomunga Theatre to the satyr Quintiles. No one seems to know what happened to him after that. It’s almost like he vanished into thin air. 
• A bunch of folks from a nearby Summer Court city have come to Albyn to nap, they say that they can’t afford to sleep in their own homes.

A human near the fire is reading aloud from a pamphlet to a small group of patrons. The pamphlet is written by someone named ‘Publius’ and cites legal precedent to argue that Queen Madeline isn’t the rightful ruler of Richester.

Voices quickly raise as loyalists and reformers argue, before one of the loyalists throws a punch. A brawl breaks out between eight patrons.

Lemmog puts his feet up to sup his drink and watch the show.

Ekam and Heironymo play an accompanying sound track.

Sister tries to calm the situation down and then between Sister and Ekam the emotions have calmed.

Thaleia a female Dryad with wild crimson hair and a skin tone matchings the dark brown bark of her tree. Entangles all the fighters.

Anika Stark a female human with  dark hair tied out of the way. Her clothes are serviceable and plain, thanks the band for their help and states

“Welcome, travelers. How was the road from Richester?”

The band explain that they travelled from the Jade Metropolis and are heading soon onwards to Richester.

They obtain a bed for the night and dinner.

Anika and her wife Thaleia explain that

• From dawn till dusk, a traveller headed to Albyn can find it by following an ancient and broken road to the south. Once twilight hits, the village shifts, and anyone seeking the town must head into the woods beyond Richester’s eastern gate.
• Albyn is a former trading post that grew into a moderately-sized town. When much of the kingdom was pulled into the Feywild, Albyn’s residents found their rolling countryside replaced with dense forest.
• The change left them out of sight and largely out-of-mind from the capital. To the nearby farmers’ surprise and relief, the Feywild soil around Albyn lets crops grow in the shade of Nevernever’s massive oaks, and more than a few homes now feature still-living trees where support beams used to be.
• For the most part, Albyn’s residents have accepted the odd situation and made the best of it. The same can’t be said for the original inhabitants of the forest.
• This area was once displacer beast hunting grounds, and the monsters now prey on anyone who wanders too far from the safety of the town.
• Smaller fey—pixies, sprites, and the like—that were once hunted by the predatory cats have banded with the local residents for their mutual protection.
• Several residences now host brownie caretakers. The household fey live happily with their much-larger roommates, so long as the humans express their gratitude appropriately.

Then they head out to find where the last chapter of the Bards Tale is.

The route to Hammond’s house goes through Sycamore Street. When the band arrive, they find one militia member standing in front of a house, trying to manage a small crowd of onlookers. A moment later, two more militia members leave the house, carrying a dead body on a stretcher.

The band except for Heironymo stop to listen to the crowd, they hear the townsfolk talking about the deceased: a lawyer by the name of Jean Jacot. 

Several of them are asking questions of Jacot’s landlord, Colette, a human female commoner, who found the body an hour ago. 

Via Distracting the militia members and crowd, the band learn:

• Jacot was in debt to a sidhe lord.
• Jacot was part of the reform faction.
• No one in the neighborhood heard anything during the night.
• Jacot was working on a legal case for the baron. 
• Jacot always kept the curtain to his room closed at night.

Meanwhile, Heironymo talks to the dead Jacot and finds out he was killed from behind by some shadow fey.

Jacot’s throat was slit from behind with a sharp blade.

The cut is precise and clean—the kind of wound caused by a practiced killer, not a struggle or a fight.

Jacot says he had not chance to defend himself

Get the Note from my room, you must protect Jacob Morrison, he could be next.

Heironymo then goes invisible and sneaks into the house.

He finds bloodstains and footprints but cannot tell what type of thing human or otherwise left them.

Jacot’s bloody room key rests atop scattered papers stained beyond reading by spilled ink and blood. 

The legible papers on the desk include a half-written legal brief, a letter from Jacob Morrison with a small triangle drawn in the upper left corner, and a few pages of what look like research notes.

Heironymo then finds a carefully folded sheet of paper hidden between the back of the desk and the wall. the mattress. 

The sheet is blank, except for a triangular mark in the upper left corner. It has a number of boxes cut out of it, turning it into a grille cipher. 

Placing the grille cipher over the letter from Jacot’s cousin reveals a hidden message. 

Madeline Making deal with dark fey

pub lius must stop.

Leave Albyn 

The fireplace is filled with ash and some fragments of burned paper, but nothing legible remains.

Horseshoe. Heironymo remembers a myth about iron horseshoes warding off the fey. The horseshoes didn’t work, but Jacot seems to have hoped they would have.

The window shows no signs of having been picked or forced open.

Heironymo returns to the band, and shares the details with them.

Ekam proclams to the Milita who are halfwits that Arcane Fire have solved this Murder and saved the day yet again.

Jacot was killed by shadow fauns, sent by Queen Madeline.

The militia calls for one of their sprites. 

When the band mention the footprint and the note about ‘dark fey’, the sprite looks worried and confirms the killer could be a shadow faun. 

The sprite when quizzed provides the following information: 

• Shadow fauns are assassins who work for the Queen of Air and Darkness. 
• They create an aura of silence around themselves that lasts until they are incapacitated. 
• They can walk from one shadow to the next, even without seeing their destination. 
• Like many fey, they are resistant to magic.

So Ekam proclams even louder that Arcane Fire have solved this Murder and saved the day yet again.

Jacot was killed by shadow fauns, sent by Queen Madeline. 

These unseelie fey are followers of the Queen of Air and Darkness, and members of her Gloaming Court. 

 Madeline gained their service as part of an agreement to bring her nation to the side of the unseelie once her control of the region is complete. 

The shadow fauns entered the room by moving through the shadows. 

They then slit Jacot’s throat, found the drafts for his next essay arguing against Queen Madeline, and burned it.

The band then bid their farewells and make their way towards Hammongs house.

Hammond’s House

Alec Hammond’s house sits on the northern side of Albyn. The house looks new, with fresh paint and a well-tended garden around the house. By the time the band arrive, the curtains on the second floor have all been pulled shut.

The band knock on the front doors and a human servant greets them and asks why they wish to speak to Mr. Hammond.

The Band convince the servant that they are on official business and need an audience with Mr Hammond.

The servant lets them come inside.

H1. Entry Hall

An opening opposite the front door leads to a staircase that climbs to the upstairs landing.

The hallway to the south leads to the second door to the sitting room, as well as the hall to the kitchen and the dining room.

North of the front door is a closet filled with cloaks, coats, and boots. An explorer’s pack of elven design sits against the eastern wall, full of travelling equipment.

The servant takes them to the sitting room (area H2), and leaves to tell Hammond that he has more guests.

H2. Sitting Room

The sitting room is spacious and well-furnished. Two large sofas face the windows towards the front of the house. Two doors, on the northern and western walls, lead to the entry hall (area R1). 

Peering through the western doorway gives an uninterrupted view of the empty dining room.

A few of the band can hear muffled voices in the room above the parlor.

Once the servant knocks on the door, the voices stop. A moment later, the servant returns to tell the band that Hammond is currently meeting with someone and will be with them shortly.

The servant waits by the stairs, keeping an eye on the front door and both doors to the sitting room (area H2), making sure the band does not wander. 

Heironymo asks to use the bathroom, and is led outside via the kitchen to the outside facilities.

He glimpses the Library

H3. Library

This room features a number of bookshelves, along with two padded chairs turned towards the northern window. The eastern window faces the back patio.

Then through the Kitchen and past the Dining room and out through the Kitchens back door

H4. Dining Room

Eight high-backed chairs sit around a well-carved table by the fireplace. Two pewter candlesticks sit on the table.

H5. Kitchen

The kitchen is filled with pots, pans, and other cooking equipment. A nearby sink is currently filled with dishes and soapy water from a recent meal for what looks like at least five people. The door in the north wall leads to the back patio, the garden, and the privy outside.

A second of Hammond’s servants (a human commoner) is currently heating water to make tea for the band in the sitting room. A large cabinet stands opposite the entrance to the kitchen.

The cabinet near the kitchen contains valuable-looking silverware along with more mundane plates, cups, and dinnerware.

Heironymo is shown the privy outside.

As he exits the room, Ekam uses the opportunity to misty step to the stairwell then sneaks up the stairs to overhear the conversation.

H6. Landing

The staircase climbs up to a small landing with three doors and a nearby hallway. A nook behind the staircase holds a large bookshelf with a well-worn rug laid in front of it.

Hammond and his guests are still talking, and muffled voices can be heard from the eastern door to area H7.

Listening In

Listening in, Ekam hears Hammond arguing with a man named Burroughs. 

A. Hammond: “She’s declared war on an enemy none of us have even seen. Her assassins killed Jacot.”

A. Burroughs: “You can’t prove that, Hammond.”

A. Hammond: “Who else would have killed him?”

A. Burroughs: “I didn’t say I disagreed. I said you couldn’t prove it.”

A. Burroughs: “Warner would be happy to have you, but if you’re going to stay with your family, keep your head down. Madeline is no King Henry.

If she thinks you’re a threat to her power, she won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Burroughs’ chair creaks and footsteps move towards the door.

A. Burroughs: “Stop writing those pamphlets, ‘Publius’. Jacot is already dead. How long before she sends people after you?”

Hammond seems to have been one of the people writing under the name ‘Publius,’ drumming up support against Queen Madeline. Burroughs advises him to stay quiet and keep his head down.

At the end of the conversation, Ekam finds a secret room hidden behind the bookshelf and avoids being noticed by Hammond and his guests.

H13. Secret Room

Dust clings to the surfaces in this small, dark room. A large iron-bound chest sits against the back wall, and multiple rifles sit in a rack against the wall. 

The weapons rack holds 3 muskets, 30 bullets, and 3 powder horns of gunpowder.

Iron Chest. Inside the iron chest are four scroll tubes, each one holding what looks like a page of sheet music that matches the Bard’s Tale.

Ekam takes and hides all four, then sneaks back into the sitting room where he joins Heironymo and the rest of the band.

Convincing Hammond

The band together try to persuade Hammond to hand over his piece of the Bard’s Tale, but it is not a simple matter. Jacot’s murder has made Hammond and his allies wary of anyone who might be an agent for Queen Madeline, and he needs a good bit of convincing to help the band.

1. Hammond was pleased that the band kept both militia members and both sprites alive during the fight with the displacer beasts.
2. A band member tries to explain that one piece of the Bard’s Tale can be used to find the others. If Madeline gets even one piece, it could lead her straight to him. 
3. A band member tries to convince Hammond that King Henry has turned over a new leaf and wants to be a better king.
4. A band member plays part of the Bard’s Tale. If they can turn Richmond’s magic and legacy against Madeline, she won’t stand a chance.
5. A band member demonstrated that the party would have an easier time hiding the Tale from Madeline and her assassins. 
6. A band member demonstrated that they decoded Jacot’s letter.
7. A band member suggests that the Bard’s Tale could be re-written or magically altered to declare a more worthy ruler than either Henry or Madeline.
8. A band member argues that Henry is still legally the king of Richester. Helping him would give Hammond and his allies more influence over the king, and hopefully give them the chance to make the changes they want to see. 
9. A band member points out that the party would be better able to keep the Tale from ending up in Madeline’s hands. 
10. A band member tries to convince Hammond that siding with Henry is the better option.

Despite the bands best efforts they could not fully convince Hammond to hand over the Bards Tale (Now thinking about it, it was kinda lucky they failed this so dramatically, as Ekam had already stolen the Tale).

Hammond is willing to give them one last chance. Hammond offers to hand over his piece, under the condition that the adventurers do a favor for him.

Hammond thinks the recent killings have been the work of Madeline’s assassins, and that Jacob Morrison is next. If the band agree to protect Morrison for one night, he and his guests will spend the time getting Hammond’s family ready to leave.

The band agree and head back to the Red Oak Tavern where Morrison is staying in the large guest room and coincidently the band have already paid for lodgings.

The Real Piece

At the Red Oak Tavern Ekam examines the 4 Bard Tales that seem to be the same chapter, they all identify as the Bard Tale.

It seems Hammond made 3 fakes of the bard’s tale. The fakes have been enchanted with nystul’s magic aura to make them match the magical appearance and aura of the Bard’s Tale.

Like the real piece, the fakes give off an aura of enchantment magic when viewed with detect magic.

Lemmog suggests playing them, to find out which one is wrong.

Ekam quickly stops and distracts Lemmog from his suicide mission of self destruction.

Ekam with his forgery kit can identifies the 3 fakes and the true version.

Magic Items

The Bards’ Tale

Wondrous Item, Legendary
Before King Richard reached his thousandth year, he knew he must create his magnum opus and ensure that his legacy would be upheld. With all of the resources available to him, he spent the next 30 years leading to his thousandth name day creating the work that would be boldly dubbed “The Bards’ Tale”.
While the contents within are simply an epic account of his many achievements and victories, weaved within the paper itself is a magic that’s connected to the magic of Richester itself. When Richmond built the city, he made sure to weave a bit of himself into every brick, statue, and tile. When the song was sung in its entirety, it’s said the trees dance and sway to the tune and the very architecture of the theatre changes to resemble the tone of what’s being played.
Thus, it has only been performed once on the day before Richmond passed.
Five Chapters. The tale is composed of five chapters that each resemble a chapter of Richmond’s story and each one is a powerful magic item in itself.

The first chapter of The Bards’ Tale reveals the locations of the other chapters to whoever reads it in the form of a map of Nevernever.

The map can be projected onto surfaces or into someone’s mind.  

Chapter 1 Coming of Age

• This chapter is about Richmond’s formative years. 
• The creature that holds this chapter looks about 10 years younger than they are and has a +1 bonus to persuasion and performance checks. 
• Additionally, this chapter can magically reveal the locations of the other chapters on the same plane of existence to the reader. 

Chapter 2 The Revolution

• This chapter is about Richmond’s conquest on the material plane and the epic battles that he led armies to victory in. 
• The creature that holds this chapter has a +1 bonus to their armor class and to all saving throws. 

Chapter 3 Erecting the Castle

• This chapter is about the legendary feat that Richmond enacted by raising Richester single handedly by channelling Elder Fae Magic. 
• The creature that holds this chapter gains a +1 bonus to their spell attack bonus and spell save DC. 

Chapter 4 One Regret

• This chapter is about the only time Richmond’s heart was truly broken, the death of his first wife who was a human.
• He tried to resurrect her from the dead, but the gods refused to allow an elder soul to live again.
• The creature that holds this chapter may cast Resurrection without material components. 
• This ability cannot be used again for 100 years. 

Chapter 5 Requiem

• This chapter is about Richmond’s acceptance of his own mortality and the enlightenment that comes when one is no longer afraid to die. 
• The creature holding this chapter has advantage on Death Saving Throws and only gains one death save failure from critical hits. 

Bloodline Keeper. 

The entire arrangement can be performed when all five chapters are combined.
To perform the entire arrangement, you must concentrate and use your action to attempt a DC17 Charisma (Performance) check for three consecutive rounds. If at least two of the three checks were successful, the arrangement will have been completed. When this happens, the heir to Richester by blood is revealed to all who can see. While performing, you are granted the following benefits:

• Whenever a friendly creature within 30 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1).
• You have advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration.
• Hostile Creatures within 30ft. cannot cast the wish spell.

Life Has Many Doors. 

Throughout the Nevernever, the characters will discover strange symbols set upon walls, statues, and other surfaces that correspond with a symbol found in a chapter of the Bards’ Tale.
When the motif of the corresponding chapter is performed, the magic of the music will cause a secret to be unlocked, normally in the form of a secret door opening or a room reshaping to a more favorable form. 

Getta Bloomin' Move On!
(The Self Preservation Society)

This is the self-preservation society

This is the self-preservation society

Go wash your German bands, your boat race too

Comb your Barnet Fair we got a lot to do

Put on your Dickie Dirt and your Peckham Rye

Cause time's soon hurrying by

Get your skates on mate, get your skates on mate

No bib around your Gregory Peck today, eh?

Drop your plates of meat right up on the seat

This is the self-preservation society

This is the self-preservation society

Gotta get a bloomin move on

Babadab-babadabadab-bab-ba

Gotta get a bloomin move on

Babadab-babadabadab-bab-ba

Jump in the jam jar gotta get straight

Hurry up mate don't wanna be late

How's your father?

Tickety boo

Tickety boo

Gotta get a bloomin move on

Self-preservation society

This is the self-preservation society

Put on your almond rocks and daisy roots

Wash your Hampstead Heath and wear your whistle and flute

Lots of lah-di-dahs and cockneys here

Look alive and get out of here

So get your skates on mate, get your skates on mate

No bib around your Gregory Peck today, eh?

Drop your plates of meat right up on the seat

This is the self-preservation society

This is the self-preservation society