Campaign 2, Episode 4: Out of Tune

Episode 4: Out of Tune (2x04) is the fourth episode of the first chapter of the second campaign for the Venture Maidens. Our crew has made it back to camp with a newly cured Winnie, but is what awaits them worse than the fey they slayed? What is a Carillon?

A Price to Pay
The group manages to climb back to the surface with Winnie and the two living guards and make their way back to camp. After the survivors are whisked away and the group tells everyone what happened, they are congratulated by the Captain before finally being left alone.

Toni asks the group to look her over for any possible change after her deal with the fey. Lu looks her over but doesn't note any difference before shifting her focus to Rook. She asks the child what the deal meant because none of it made any sense. Unfortunately, Rook is not sure because the Fey are particularly capricious but hopes it was simply a kiss.

Toni asks Rook how well she knows the Wyrd Sisters, as they seemed to know a lot about Rook's condition. Rook has known them for a long time, and admits that they are very useful, especially if you need something done, but there is always price to pay.

Lu is curious where the child will go now and Rook reveals that she left a friend nearby that she needs to go and retrieve before she heads out to find more fey. The group discuss how worried they are for her, Lu even admitting that she gets anxious thinking of the child out there fighting those creatures. Rook, unused to these displays of caring, almost becomes emotional and tells them that she will be back in a few days if they would still care to join her then. They wave and watch her leave camp.

Toni assures the group that Rook will be okay, and they should focus on making sure Winnie is getting the care she needs. Lu apologizes to Toni for the price she had to pay. Toni tells her that she has nothing to apologize for and feels like it is the least she can do after feeling useless in the previous fight. Lu reveals that her family does not forget favors and to let her know if she needs anything.

They set off to check on Winnie, and travel back to the tent she shares with Aoife. Charlie is waiting for them and says that she seems fine and has been sleeping the whole time before he sets off for bed himself. Aoife pulls a green four leaf clover felted charm and tucks it under Winnie's head.

Lu goes to prepare dinner and is approached by an upset Aoife. The Satyr explains that she doesn't think she is going to be able to sleep after everything and begins process the day in a rapid stream of consciousness finally tearfully admitting she thinks she needs to go home. Lu sits and listens before picking up a potato peeler and putting Aoife to work. The drow tells Aoife that she will be fine, especially with how she handled herself that day. If Aoife had not been there, Charlie likely would have died, and Lu is not about to let that go. She admits that starting out is intimidating, but it would all work itself out. They share an awkward hug before Aoife heading to bed.

Storm Tossed Nightmare
Lu finishes prepping the kitchen for breakfast and finally settles into her nightly Trance. As she meditates on her family and drifts off into her past, memories begin to come to her. She quickly realizes that this is not a memory of her own, but something new. She is shocked because, as a person of elven descent, she has never before had a dream. She can feel the rocking of water, dipping her to-and-fro. She can see a large mast rise up in front of her but has little time to take anything in before she recognizes a familiar person nearby, seductively spinning around the base of the mast, using her dusty rose colored arms to balance. A rope is wrapped around one of the woman's hands, and she is longingly looking to Lu before making a come-hither gesture with her finger.

Lu stammers and embarrassed greeting, shy around the sexual forwardness of the Wyrd Sister before her. She lays a hand on Lu's cheek, filling the drow with a pleasurable warmth that almost masks the feeling of the cold water that has begun to slosh across the deck of the ship. The sea below has grown more violent, battering the sides of the boat. Lu struggles against the water, reaching for the safety of the Wyrd Sister, but sees the look of horror flash across the sister's face when she realizes that the rope wrapped around her wrist holds her firmly to the mast.

A scream comes from behind Lu and her vision shifts to the prow of the ship. Jada, a tall woman with wiry blonde hair, whom Lu holds dear to her, is reaching up towards the sky in a gesture of clerical supplication, but no magic is coming to  her. Lightning strikes the mast of the ship, causing it to topple towards Lu, who is suddenly awake.

Lu sits up and takes a moment to ground herself, wiping a tear from her eye. She hasn't seen Jada in a long time and she tries to process those emotions the best way she knows how, so she begins to get ready to head back to the kitchen to comfort herself with work.

As she gets ready, she accidentally kicks something across the ground and sees a clear glass marble skittering away. She pockets it, figuring someone left it lying around, and makes her way to the kitchen. People are already starting to line up to eat, so it doesn't take long for her mind to become numb with work.

Debrief
Toni wakes up to see that her scout team has left already and chose to let her sleep in. A soldier pops their head in to tell the fighter that the Captain is looking for her. Curiously, they ask about the fight with the fey, but Toni says that if anyone fought a fey, it was Charlie, and then kicks the soldier out of her tent.

She heads for her Captain's tent and steps in to witness Harmony standing at her desk, deftly handling multiple couriers and messengers. She looks up to see Toni and orders everyone to leave the tent, then motions for the half-orc to take a seat. Imdra asks Toni what happened the day before. Toni informs her of the fey they had slayed the day before, revealing that another person helped them save Winnie. The Captain asks who this other person was, questioning if it was another in her command but Toni tells her of a child that she isn't convinced actually is a child. Imdra is hung up on the fact of a child being in camp and Toni responds that the child found them when they were inspecting Winnie, but she helped them find the fey's lair and to help Winnie.

Captain Imdra wants to know where the child is, so that she may thank the extraordinary child, but is informed that the child has left to strike out on her own once more. The Captain finds the whole situation suspicious, that a child showed up the same day that another fey attacked the camp. Toni assures her that the child was there to help them, but she doesn't think that the child was a fey herself. She guesses that Rook may be fey touched, which drove her decision to help Toni's group in finding and killing the fey.

Toni tells her Captain that she didn't feel that it was her place to stop the child from leaving because the child was much more useful than she, admitting that she had shortcomings during the rescue. Captain Imdra comforts Toni, admitting that she has never faced a fey in combat, but knows what they are capable of, but because the camp was attacked, and someone was taken, protocol dictated that Imdra send word to Ashtar. A Carillon, Whistler, would be arriving the following day and may not be as sympathetic to the situation. She suggests that Toni and her friends get their stories straight. They are at war with the fey, and the Carillon sent has a known reputation, causing Imdra to warn the half-orc to be careful.

Before she moves to exit, Toni asks for leave if the child came back, so that she might assist her and gather more information. Imdra agrees since Toni has already served her two year minimum service.

Get The Story Straight
Toni tracks down Lu in the Mess Hall, spotting her at a table that the drow has already set with large portions of food. The chef shoos anyone that attempts to sit at the table other than Aoife and Charlie, who are already digging into the delicious spread.

Toni fills the group in on her meeting with her Captain, and questions which of them was spreading word of their fight. Charlie says that he didn't realize they weren't supposed to talk about it. Toni admits that a Carillon was on the way and would be at camp the following day. She wants to make sure they have their story straight, and Lu tells them that they should not mention Rook or Toni making a deal with a fey.

Toni agrees, but says that the Carillon might be the only one capable of telling them what kind of deal she had struck with the Wyrd Sister. They finish eating and continue with their day.

Around midday, Lu takes a moment to inspect the marble she had found that morning. She tucks herself away and finds that the marble is actually a hollow sphere of empty glass. Aoife spends the day sketching up a pattern for a new set of armor for Rook. She tracks down spare scraps of leather and bits of fabric and sets to work."Celeste takes a moment to explain that Carillons are an Order specifically trained to combat the fey. They use bells to control, banish, and influence their foes. It is difficult to become a Carillon and only 20 or so are currently active, all of which have been granted special permissions by the Eldrin Government so that they can do whatever they need to do to stop the fey."

Whistler
The following day arrives in a nervous rush. A wagon is finally spotted coming from the mists of the plateau and everyone begins to disperse as it comes to a stop. A human male in his late-forties-early-fifties steps out of the wagon wearing a well worn muddy duster and cowboy hat. He has watery blue eyes, a five o'clock shadow, mushy features, and a belt of seven bells strapped from shoulder to waste. He asks for someone to direct him to the Captain.

Aoife offers to take him, rattling off rapid small talk to fill the silence. Once they arrive at the tent he asks her if she is done and she nods, directing him into the tent. A moment later the Captain exits the tent, informing Aoife that she is being summoned before fetching the others, pissed that she has been kicked out of her own tent.

Lu arrives with a tray of food for Whistler and stands with her friends. Whistler's expression remains the same and he sits in silence until Lu asks if they can help him in some way. He admits that he does need Lu's help. Strange stuff has gone down and he is trying to understand it. He asks if he has them to thank for killing the fey. Lu agrees that it was them that killed the creature and Aoife nervously rambles about the experience, attempting to dance around the forbidden information.

Runa
Whistler asks if they know what his job is and Lu guesses he is there to keep the fey at bay. He nods and begins to take the satchel of bells from his shoulder. He pulls and inspects them one by one, each etched and possessing a leather thong that holds the clapper stationary. He admits that he is there to fight the fey, but he is also there to protect the country. He continues to inform them that fey have a way of twisting the truth and they tended to have ways of controlling a person, and part of his job is to figure out those that are lying to him about being influenced by the fey. He pulls the smallest bell, the size of a jingle bell, and twists it in his hand.

He asks how they knew where to find the fey, especially since the entire camp was looking for the source of the initial attack. Aoife tells him that they spoke to Winnie, before she was taken, about where she was walking in the forest. Whistler nods, and follows up with a question about how Winnie turned back from being a plant creature.

The talkative Satyr launches into the tale of their travel below ground, and how Toni got snatched away by a vine and separated them. She continues to relay the fight with the creature and finding Winnie, but changes the story by telling him that the vines and stuff that has been growing on Winnie receded after they killed the creature.

Whistler turns to Lu and asks her what it was like watching this. Lu agrees with Aoife's version of events and the man asks if they know what the bell he holds does. He removes the leather thong from the clapper as Toni tells them that the bell can destroy fey creatures. Whistler picks up the explanation, naming the bell Runa. It is the most powerful bell a Carillon possesses, and any creature with fey blood responds to it, and is the reason that Eldrin cannot become Carillons. He has never rung it in front of a Satyr, but is curious of what would happen.

Toni threatens to fetch the Captain, but Whistler tells her he doesn't want to use the bell, but it is important that they all know that he can if he needs to. He is not convinced that they all walked away unscathed by their encounter with a fey that could corrupt and influence to such an extent.

Toni cuts him off, telling him that they have told him everything they know and everything that they saw. Whistler admits that he doesn't foresee getting any more information out of them since they all appeared to be close-knit. He tells them that he is going to make a recommendation to the Captain that they will all be accompanying him back to Ashtar, including Winnie, to make sure the truth of the matter is known and dismisses them.

Imdra is waiting for them outside, asking what they told him. Lu informs the Captain that Whistler threatened Aoife and Imdra asks Aoife what she did to cause that. Toni, seething from the words of Whistler, tells the Captain that Aoife didn't do anything, and that Carillon only ever came to ring a bell and take credit for other people's work. Imdra tells them that she has to do what Whistler tells her because he outranks her, and that it may be best if they move on, perhaps to follow up with Rook.

I'm Squawkin' Here!
The group cloisters themselves in a tent and talk about their plans, coming to the decision that it is best they leave camp. Lu heads off to make lists of instructions for her helpers. Aoife rushes back to her tent and attempts to finish the rest of her work for the week and tucking the scraps in her bag. Toni packs her belongings in a sack and perches in a tree near her tent to watch for anyone coming to get her.

Toni eventually hears the sound of a birdcall from the tree line and can spot a hand waving from the tall grass before Rook's head pops out and she calls for the half-orc. Toni leaps from the tree and scurries over to Rook, shoving the child behind a stump. She notices that the child has grown, and some of her features have smoothed out, making her look a few years older.

Toni tells Rook that there is a Carillon in the camp and she told her Captain about the child and her involvement with what happened. Rook admits that she has dealt with much worse things than a Carillon, but agrees that they are annoying. She extends an invitation to Toni to assist her in hunting bad fey. She tells the fighter that she has a ride if they need one, and Toni readily agrees.

Rook tells Toni that she has something cool she wants to show her and pulls a jar from her pocket, instructing Toni to put the contents on her eyes but not to smell it. Toni rubs the cream on her eyes and follows Rook. As they army crawl from camp, Toni can see the dew that has gathered on the foliage, and they shine like gems. Everything is much shinier, and as they crest over the ridge, Rook points and informs Toni that they are at their ride out.

Toni makes out the shape of an orange scaled bird's foot. Following the leg up, she makes out the shape of a house on chicken legs.

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

 * Captain Harmony
 * Charlie
 * Jada
 * Rook
 * Selene
 * Whistler

Locations

 * Unnamed Outpost
 * Mess Hall
 * Captain's Quarters
 * The Chicken Hut

Inventory
Lu gained a hollow glass sphere the size of a marble.

Quotes
"Catch you on the...flip side?" -Rook

"Toni, you know that all of this is....concerning, correct?" -Captain Harmony

"Call it professional caution if you will." -Whistler

"Is this chicken shit?" -Toni

Trivia
The group leveled up. There current HP is:

Toni: 22

Lu: 17

Aoife: 13

The Maidens convinced Celeste that medieval fantasy balloons exist in the Venture Maidens universe.

Sage received the campaign's first DM Inspiration when Aoife showed a sweet side to sew Rook new armor.

Aoife reveals that she wants to make a dress for the tsarina.

Current FECK count: