Campaign 2, Episode 1: Spring Awakening

Episode 1: Spring Awakening (2x01) is the first episode of the first chapter of the second campaign for the Venture Maidens. A new outpost is being established on the border to the Feywalk Jungles. Over the past several months, the encampment has been secured and the party has called this place home, but what will they do when their friends are stricken sick by fey magic? Does the answer lie within the Feywalk Jungles? Can they save their camp from a terrible fate?

= Synopsis = Our story begins in a world at war

Where neither fey nor mortals

Know quite what is in store

But from humble beginnings

Three heroes will rise

Destined for greatness

Laughter and sighs

It is spring when our beginning is spun

And fairies now struggle with the fate they have won

Wilde Dreams and Fashionable Things
This episode starts with a dream that Aoife has had often, almost every day since she set up camp near the Wildes. The purple and blue-tinged trees grow tall, weaving a tapestry that drowns out the sky. There are giant insects and everything is vibrant and alive, filling the area with soft natural sounds. A young satyr girl, 17 years of age, with chin length auburn hair and copper skin. Swirling ram horns, bat-wing crocheted sweater, layered skirts, leg warmers. She cautiously walks through the foliage. She has come to know this dreamscape well and takes a sketchbook from her bag before plucking some flowers and smearing the color on the page, using the foliage to inspire impassioned fashion.

The ground begins to rumble and shake beneath Aoife's hooves and she senses something close by. She clutches her book to her chest and grabs the closest tree for stability until the ground stops shifting. The sounds of the forest have left her in a still quiet. She can sense that something large beyond her vision, enveloped in the darkness of the wood. She moves towards it pushing her way through the forest, climbing over large vines and roots that seem to move in her way.

As she crests a wall-sized vine, she spots the figure of a young girl. She is enrobed in a white gown and is holding something out towards the satyr, but every time Aoife reaches for her, the girl gets farther and farther away. She sees clutched in the girls fingers a single daisy. Suddenly the ground shakes and the large creature that Aoife sensed in the forest appears behind the girl and whisks her away as the satyr wakes up in her canvas tent just before dawn.

She can hear the clamor of the early rising camp around her. She is in the Unnamed Outpost on the edge of the Feywalk Jungles. The Outpost is so new that it is still under construction and she can hear the sounds of construction from beyond her tent. The hundred person outpost is divided evenly among soldiers and civilians. Aoife has called this place home for five weeks.

Rising, she throws on a coat and lights a lantern before opening her chest to dig through a collection of un-darned socks and damaged military uniforms to begin her work for the day.

Breakfast Is Ready
Lu has been up for several hours, improving the lackluster breakfast supplies and trying her best to supply the camp a decent breakfast while maintaining her trademark scowl. As people wander in, she pulls out a stick of cinnamon and grates it over the bowls before tossing in some dried fruit and nuts.

Lu has deep purple skin scattered with cuts and scars, with flower and knife tattoos trailing down her arms and back. Sitting astride a broken nose are her bright magenta eyes, matching the ends of her ombre silver hair, dyed pink with beets. A maroon handkerchief ties her hair back from her face, and matches perfectly to her high waisted pants. A billowing white blouse hugs her ample curves with knee high black boots leading the eye upwards to thighs that could kill a man.

The kitchen staff, made of those with no other discernable skill, are busy preparing the meal. Winnie Flinn, a young half-elf woman that left her family behind to go on an adventure in the frontier and assist the army, but wound up everyone's errand girl, is setting the dining tables and centerpieces. Lu notices, almost smiles, and nods to the girl before returning to work.

Night Patrol Returns
Fittonia 'Toni' Silvertail has just returned from night patrol. Unlike the other patrol members, she still has a decent amount of energy left, priding herself on her stamina. She towers over her two patrol mates, standing 6'4" with bright grin half-orc skin, dappled with vitiligo. Her black hair is streaked with grey and white curtain bangs frame her face. She chooses to adorn herself with gold accessories, leading the eye up towards her sweeping white collar. Her frame is cinched with a leather banded corset, ending in bicep length fingerless leather gloves.

She walks into camp humming and singing along to the strum of her guitar. One of her companions, Bishar, looks tired; the other, Doreen, is dragging her swords along the ground in exhaustion. Toni has been at the Unnamed Outpost for about a month and she has come to realize how tough building an outpost truly was, especially as the first line of defense to the Feywalk Jungles, where the Material Plane borders the Wildes.

The patrol the night before had been quiet, which was a blessing as Doreen was still new to the division and was still working towards building her experience and stamina. Everyone in the eldrin empire always speak of the terrors of the Feywalk Jungles, but Toni hadn't run across anything to write home about.

They makes their way to the mess hall when they hear Winnie ring the breakfast bell. Aoife sits with Lu and Winnie, who is the closest in camp to the satyr's age. Lu thanks Aoife for mending her blouse and pays her with a splash of honey in her porridge. Aoife assures her it was no problem, unlike the annoyances of the canvas bags and uniforms she always has to fix. Lu agrees to give her nicer things to mend and returns to her work.

Toni, professionally familiar and friendly with the cook, asks Lu if she has any porridge ready for her. Lu points out a bowl that is slightly larger than the others before pulling out a baggie of almonds from her apron and handing them to the half-orc for additional protein. Toni blows Lu a kiss and walks away.

Pushing Daisies
Toni spots Charlie, a wide half-elven man that goes on regular patrols and Lu's brother, come up behind an unsurprised Lu and envelope her in a bear hug. He asks Lu if she has double rations and tells her that he found a rabbit the night before. Lu is incredulous as he tells her that he thought it was a fey at first because it shot out of a bush. She loudly tells him that she is not giving him double rations to feed a rabbit, but hands him two bowls anyways.

Lu checks in with some of the people that are allowed into the jungle to see if any of them brought back herbs that she can plant or dry. Winnie suggests that Lu come out with her next time. She knows that they aren't supposed to, but there are beautiful flowers out there. She points to a vase on the table, and Aoife has a moment of deja vu as she sees a daisy propped in it.

Winnie asks her if she is okay and Aoife excitedly tells her about her recurring dream, and the significance of the daisy. Winnie says that a lot of the flowers aren't native to the area and drones on about local flora.

Poison?
Toni and her patrol mates are conversing at another table. Doreen is complaining about how hard everything is, but Toni assures her that it will be easier when she gets her stripes. A moment hangs in the air before anyone notices that the mess hall has become quieter. Winnie has stopped speaking and begun to turn a sickly shade of green as she rocks side to side.

Aoife asks her if she is okay, and Winnie goes to stand up and barely misses the table as she collapses. Lu drops to the girl's side and checks her over for any signs of poison or injury.

Captain Harmony Intari, a tiefling Knight that is the commander of the Unnamed Outpost, rushes over as Lu tells her she doesn't know what happened. The captain asks her if it is something she ate and commands everyone to stop eating. She grills Lu on the ingredients she used in the porridge, but Lu assures he she only used some cinnamon. Captain Harmony commands Toni to take Winnie to her personal tent, and instructs Lu to go and tend to the girl.

Charlie stays behind and introduces himself to Aoife. Aoife reveals that she has a brother named Charlie and his twin is named Connor. She awkwardly transitions the conversation to the rabbit he almost caught and he regales her with the tale.

Winnie unconsciously twitches in Toni's arms as the half-orc carries her to the captain's tent. She checks the half-elf over for anything else that may be wrong. Her breathing is still strong, and the greenish tint on her skin has become more pronounced. When she lays the girl on the bed, Winnie appears to be having a bad dream.

Lu explains that Winnie ate the same thing they all had, and suggests it may be the daisies that she brought back from one of her impromptu trips into the jungle. Toni, who has walked the jungle, doesn't remember seeing any poisonous daisies or anything really dangerous on the border. She pulls out some smelling salts from her boot and tells Lu to avert her delicate palette, before popping it under Winnie's nose.

Winnie opens her eyes, which have turned a bright green color. She says that she hurts everywhere and asks what happened. Lu washes the girl's face while asking if she went in the jungle. Winnie says that something is wrong and that she doesn't feel good. She holds up her hand and Lu can see that tiny white hairs have begun to grow at her fingertips like the stems of a plant.

I'll Have You Know
Charlie has finished the rabbit story and offers to walk Aoife over to check on Lu and Winnie before he goes to bed. She asks after Winnie when they get to the tent and Lu asks if she feels any different. Aoife says she feels fine and Toni says that this whole thing is strange, even for being this close to the Wildes. Lu suggests they check the border of the Feywalk Jungles. Aoife reminds them that they aren't allowed to leave the outpost, but Lu tells her that Winnie might die if they don't and it is better they find what caused this so that it doesn't happen again.

Toni is concerned about taking someone as young and inexperienced as Aoife to the border of the jungle. The satyr informs her that she has five younger siblings and had to keep them in line, so she is more than able to handle whatever happened out there. Lu tells Charlie that he is coming so that he can show her where Winnie got the flowers from.

Lu goes to tell Winnie the plan, but the sick girl is not listening, focusing on her hands. Toni asks her how she is feeling, to which she responds that she is thirsty before chugging a large glass of water that the half-orc offered. They promise that she will be alright and that they will be back soon.

Lu stops in at the mess hall to instruct them to make sure that Winnie gets water, while Toni informs Captain Harmony about their plan. She asks Toni if they should quarantine Winnie and Toni agrees it would be best to keep her at minimal contact until they return.

Into the Woods
The group arrives at the border of the Feywalk Jungles and fan out to investigate the area, sticking to the marshy exterior of the woods, but they can't find any daisies or notable flowers in the muck. Toni leads them a little deeper into the woods. Aoife hasn't been in the jungle, but remembers the stories her grandparents would tell her of how the centaurs and other hooved races first arrived on the Material Plane through this jungle. She quickly catches up to Charlie and sticks close to him at Lu's insistence.

All around them are gorgeously ancient trees that twist into the canopy above. Aoife is nearly overcome with another wave of deja vu, having seen similar trees in her dreams. Every so often they stumble on patches of buttercups and other flowers and Toni slices them at the root and collects them in a handkerchief for later comparison.

After a while they hear the bell that signals mealtime, but Lu hasn't prepared a meal and suggests they go back to the outpost to check in. As they get there, they can see the camp is getting prepared. They spot Captain Harmony, who is going from group to group asking questions. When she gets to the party, she asks if they found anything out there. Unfortunately, they found nothing useful and are informed by the captain that two people have gone missing. She tells them that Malachai and Sandy went missing on patrol a half hour ago and their battalion reported seeing a plant creature grab them from below the ground. They searched for tracks and cave systems, and headed straight for camp when they couldn't find any sign of the missing guards.

Condescending Child Detective
Harmony tells the group to get their gear and prepare to help search for the missing guards before she rushes off to mobilize the other guards and civilians for the search. Toni heads for the captain's tent to check on Winnie and she steps in to find that there is a crouched human child, maybe 10 years of age, with brown skin and amber eyes who is searching for something in the corner.

The group question the child, asking who she is, where she is from, and why she is there. The girl, annoyed by the interruption, explains that she got in recently and is looking for clues about why their friend is turning into a plant before trying to to shoo them away. Toni suggests they can help her and she scoffs. They ask if she has seen anything like this before, but she hasn't, going so far as to explain that creatures that tend to do this sort of thing had a tendency to travel.

Toni tries to reason with the girl, offering the group's help in tracking Winnie down, but the girl answers with a condescending no. Lu, annoyed by the stuck up child, jumps in and informs the child that since she is the only one that seems to know what is going on, Lu is going to go with her and help her even if she doesn't want the help. Aoife, emboldened by Lu assertion, cusses up a storm at the child, telling her that their friend is in danger and they are going to come help fix her. The child stares the satyr down, giving away no sense that she is intimidated and Aoife picks up that she seems older than she actually is. Finally the girl agrees, if only to have them act as meat shields for her, and straps a large crossbow to a harness on her back before taking off for the Feywalk Jungles.

Rook to F4
Toni tells the girl her name, and is immediately met with the argument of the child that she should never reveal her name to a fey before introducing herself with the alias 'Rook'. Aoife introduces herself as Sersha as Toni laments her duty of babysitting.

They let Rook take the lead as they enter the jungle and begin searching. After a bit of tracking through the woods, she holds up her hand for the group to stop and asks if any of them have fought a fey before. They admit they hadn't and she warns them that Winnie may be small or plantlike and to be careful not to injure her, but that she is also no longer the friend they knew. They are on the lookout for whatever creature is turning mortals into fey.

After a few minutes more of travel, Rook drops to the ground, waving for them to be silent. They slowly move forward, creeping up to a line of bushes. Peering through, they can see a half dome structure formed of branches and trees and they can hear an undulating wail coming from within. Lu makes her way towards the structure, followed by Rook, Charlie, and the rest. Rook motions for either Charlie or Toni to smash the structure. Toni draws a greatsword with a carved hilt that resembles a horse's head and engravings of three sprinting horses on the blade and brings it down on the dome. They hack away and finally crack open the dark interior, inside of which is a well like structure that is dug into the ground. Punctuated at points along the wall are thick vines covered in large vegetative pods that wriggle and move and the party can hear groans and wailing coming from the pods.

This is where our journey comes to an end, until next time! -Venture Away

Player Characters

 * Aoife Flannery
 * Lluvyras 'Lu' Ssath
 * Fittonia 'Toni' Silvertail

Non-Player Characters

 * Winnie Flinn
 * Charlie
 * Captain Harmony Intari
 * Doreen
 * Bishar
 * Rook

Mentioned

 * Charlie Flannery
 * Connor Flannery
 * Malachai
 * Sandy

Locations

 * Unnamed Outpost
 * Mess Hall
 * Captain's Quarters
 * Feywalk Jungles
 * The Wildes

Inventory

 * 1) Lu gave Toni a baggie of almonds
 * 2) Lu gave Aoife a pour of her honey stash

Quotes
"I have in my notes that he is a half-elf Himbo." -Celeste about Charlie

"I don't feel good." -Winnie Flinn

"Thank you for mending my blouse the other day." -Lu

"Oh, its no problem! Its certainly an easier project than all of these feckin' jackets I have to stitch and restitch. Ugh, I hate canvas. If I ever see a canvas bag again, its always too soon." -Aoife

"I always forget the mouth you have on you, and it will never stop amazing me..." -Lu

"You should never give your name to a fey." -Rook

Trivia
Aoife has a crush on Lu's brother, Charlie.

Feck Count: 4