Campaign 2, Episode 6: Lost Girls

Episode 6: Lost Girls (2x06) is the sixth episode of the first chapter of the second campaign for the Venture Maidens. The trio, having explored the hut they now call home, finally lay down to rest. What gift does the Wyrd Sister bring Toni? What's the deal with Coven? Did Rook get taller? Why is that cat wearing an eyepatch?

Synopsis
To faerie town our heroes head

Hoping to earn a little bread

But with all these rules to swallow

Trouble is sure to follow

Drowsy Gifts
Several hours of travel have passed since we last saw the group, and they have taken the time to settle into their new home. They have consumed a delicious dinner and retreated into their own rooms. Toni is sprawled across her bed, deep in sleep, when she feels a soft warm hand snake its way across her stomach and a soft body presses against her side. Toni, still half-asleep, catches the scent of wildflowers and hears the familiar voice of Selene, the Wyrd Sister, offering her a gift that she desires.

Toni opens her eyes to see the fey and quickly realizes that she is dreaming. She asks the fey if another kiss is the payment for her gift, but Selene has not decided what the price will be just yet as she slides her hand up Toni's chest. The fighter, still foggy with sleep and intense curiosity, doesn't want to turn the Wyrd Sister away since she has come all this way with a gift. She feels the body shift beside her and watches as the sister straddles across her chest before looking deep into Selene's midnight blue eyes, full of sparkling stars.

Toni's vision shifts to a space underground and she realizes that it is a basement of a building. She can hear animal noises around her, clawing at stalls, and a damp, dirty, metallic smell washes over her. She comes to the last stall and sees the most beautiful horse she has ever seen. Its skin is the color of jade and flowers naturally bloom from its mane of hair. The horse slams and kicks at the door, and Toni can hear someone yelling at it. She feels a flash of pain as the horse draws back and her vision clears as the noise of the basement is replaced by someone knocking on her bedroom door.

Now awake, she can hear Gordon calling from the hallway, demanding to be let in because they sensed a fey in the house. She shoots out of bed and throws open the door with a start. Gordon rushes past her and swats their vines at the edges of the room as they are chasing a serpentine creature. They finally land a blow on it and it vanishes in a puff of dust. Gordon reprimands Toni for not closing her windows at night as they closes her shutters and draw the curtains. Toni apologizes, asking the pumpkin creature what the serpentine creature was. Gordon's head turns like an owl to peer behind them, the candlelit eyes glowing in the morning gloom, and they assure Toni that it is nothing to be worried about because it was just a little dream creature, but to also be careful because they will crawl into her brain. Toni uneasily thanks them and motions for them to leave, but the vines that carry the jack-o-lantern head recede back into the gourd and it drops onto the floor with a soft thump. Toni grabs it and places it on the mantle in the living room.

Whipped Ricotta and Honeyed Praise
Lu, hearing movement in the hall, opens her door in a muumuu nightgown and illuminates the darkness with a candle. She asks Toni if she is alright, and the half-orc explains the situation with Gordon, passing on the warning to keep the windows closed. Lu wonders if it is possible to manifest a lock on the door using the hut's innate magical properties. Toni suggests that Lu go back to bed as she heads into the kitchen to find some herbal tea. Aoife, used to sharing a room with five siblings, sleeps through the entire ordeal.

Toni opens a cabinet to find it full of canisters. She pulls one down and sees that they are all blends that her mother made, even the more experimental ones. She snatches one of the bad ones with a joyful gasp and begins to steep it. Lu, unable to go back to sleep, changes into her day clothes before returning to the kitchen to bake some bread and make breakfast.

Eventually, they hear a thumping coming down the stairs before Rook turns the corner. She is noticeably taller and slightly curvier than the day before. She immediately begins to dig through kitchen drawers, pulling random bits of food from within. Lu intervenes, begging for twenty minutes to finish cooking breakfast. Rook reluctantly accepts the offer and slinks over to her armchair next to the fire.

Lu charges into the kitchen and whips up a batch of french toast, whipped ricotta, and spiced peaches with a crispy brûlée on top, all drizzled in decadent honey. Aoife wakes up to the smell of the food and begins to get ready for the day. She throws open her closet and is greeted with an explosion of outfits. She picks out a layering black to white handkerchief dresses under a crocheted batwing sweater. To top the look off, she pulls out a witch's hat and pops it on her head. Rook groans when she steps out of the room.

Lu exits the kitchen with dishes expertly stacked along her arms before quickly disseminating the bounty. She folds her hands and looks at everyone without sitting with them. Toni and Rook finish their breakfast quickly while Aoife savors one of her favorite foods, honey. As she takes her last bite, Toni gives Lu a slow clap and offers to repay her. Lu asks everyone else's thoughts on the dish. Aoife assures her that it is really good and Rook is confused that she needs to provide commentary on food.

The drow, slightly angered by Rook's lack of enthusiasm, enters back into the kitchen and stabs her chef's knife directly into the butcher block countertop before turning her attention to the dishes. Rook tells her that Gordon will do the dishes, and that they don't even need to put them in the sink, but the drow ignores her. The hunter turns to Aoife for direction, confused by Lu' s angry reaction. Aoife leans in and explains that cooking is Lu's "thing", much like bounty hunting is Rook's "thing", and she should just say likes the food. Rook, taking the advice, expresses her appreciation for the food in a pained tone, but Lu chooses to believe it is sincere.

Rook's Rules
Rook calls everyone to the living room to discuss their plans. They gather around as the hunter explains where they are headed. Their destination is Coven, a town located in the Wildes, which means that there are rules that they have to follow. Rook instructs them are not to give their names to anyone, not to make deals, or accept any gifts. Lu suggests that they don't eat anything but Rook tells them that it shouldn't be an issue in Coven. The hunter repeats they should not trust anyone, because everyone is out to get them. After a second, she further recommends that they just don't talk to anybody at all.

Rook then informs the group that there will be a lot to do when they reach Coven, and she is going to need them to do something on their own for her. She is going to turn in the Tachinid bounty while they go and track down another job. They are to follow the blue lamps to the town square, go to the Witch's Brew, ask for a dryad named Tandy and tell her that they are looking for work. They are then to meet up with the hunter later in the town square. Rook also adds that they shouldn't mention her at all when speaking with Tandy. Aoife asks if Rook is in trouble with the dryad, but she deflects the question.

Rook gives the party three hours from the time they enter the city to meet her back in the square. If she is not there, they are to assume that she is dead and they should go back to the hut. She quickly assures them that if they don't show up in three hours, she will assume that they are dead and do the same. She dismisses them to get ready since they will be arriving at the crossover point soon.

Toni asks if there is any reason not to follow the blue lamps and rolls her eyes as Rook explains that the blue lamps will take them directly to the town square, emphasizing again there is a very high chance they could die if they venture off or talk to anyone besides Tandy. Lu reassures Rook that she has the instructions written down in her notebook. Toni remarks on Rook's gain in height over the last few days, asking if she if going to wind up turning into an old woman in a week, but the hunter adamantly tells her to go get her stuff before heading up the stairs and slamming her door.

Crossing Point
The group quickly preps for their journey into Coven, with Lu making sandwiches so that they have plenty to eat without having to accept food from anyone. Rook finally descends from her room, wearing her armor with a bag flung over her shoulder. They note the hunter is wearing a heavy cloak with a deep hood and a black mask to obscure her features. They feel a sudden lurching sensation, much like a boat stopping suddenly, before the hut lowers itself to the ground. The door pops open and they can see a deep jungle beyond it. All of the colors of the jungle are wrong, as if someone had painted it in vibrant pinks, greens, and fluorescent blues. The smell of damp earth and nature wafts through the door and Toni inhales deeply. Rook hands them each a vial of chunky chicken shit in case they need to see the house, warning them not to give it to anyone, before she heads off into the jungle.

Aoife tries her hardest not to touch the vibrant flowers, imagining an elegant gown the same color as the flora around her. The fruits hanging from the trees catch Lu's attention and she asks Rook if they are edible. Rook reminds her of the rule that they are not to eat anything outside of Coven. Lu wonders what would happen if she were to eat one, but Rook doesn't know and assures that's the point of the warning. She pushes past some branches into an area of flat earth. The only thing in the center of the clearing is a dilapidated well with crumbling red bricks, overgrown with ivy. The rope that once held the bucket has rotted away with age. Aoife points at it while saying that it is definitely cursed. Rook informs her that it isn't cursed. It's one of the crossing points that lead into town.

From around the corner of the well, they spot the singular green eye of a house cat. They only see the singular eye because the other is covered by an eyepatch. The cat glares at them and asks them in a gruff voice if they are heading to Coven for the first time. Toni asks it its name, but Rook quickly explains that Wilde Cats don't have names (that's why they are so magical). The crew admits this is their first trip to the town and the cat tells them the rules: each person has to put something on the line to enter. If they commit violence or otherwise 'fuck up,' they lose whatever they put on the line. Toni pulls her sword to offer it since they are not allowed to perform acts of violence, but the cat clarifies that normal violence is acceptable as long as it isn't done in the service of one of the Sovereign Courts.

With the flick of its paw, the cat casts out pieces of paper to each member of the group, except for Rook. Instead, it nods at her and addresses her as sister. Toni opens the paper and notes that it is a contract noting that if she breaks the contract, she must give up the color of her eyes. Aoife opens hers to find she would have to sacrifice the words to a beloved tune. Lu would need to give up the taste of sugar. She signs while demanding that they all follow the rules to a T.

Coven
Rook instructs them to jump into the well, which Aoife haphazardly does, followed by Toni and Lu. They fall for just a moment before landing on a cobblestone street. As they look around, they see perfect little buildings lined up in rows with street lamps on every corner. Around them, various creatures going about their day, ranging from trolls pulling carts to sentient flowers walking around. Rook points out the lamps of various colors and has them go over the plan once more before separating on their own errands. The bounty hunter disappears into the crowd as the others begin to follow the blue lamps.

Different things stand out to each person as they make their way towards the square. Aoife spots a centaur who looks to be in two pieces as its human half is chasing its horse half. Toni notices a park where people are interacting with various large butterflies, the smallest of which is the size of a parrot. A vendor is selling cups of nectar to feed to them. Lu catches sight of someone coming out of a shop and they toss some trash into a nearby garden, but a plant snaps closed, devouring the trash before it hits the ground. The smell of rain drifts through the streets as the clouds above them roil and churn with the color of rainbows. Being surrounded by all of the magnificence makes Aoife miss her home and she sniffles as she walks closer to Lu. The chromatic rain falls on them in oversized droplets, and as the rain hits the lamps they sizzle and go out.

Toni is sure that if they continue forward they are sure to find the town square and Lu reminds them to keep an eye out for The Witch's Brew. They duck under awnings as they go to avoid the bucket sized rain drops that stain things like viscous paint. They reach a split in the path and try to determine which way to go without the guidance of the lamps. Toni looks for any street signs, but doesn't see any. The shops all have signs labelled in sylvan. Toni attempts to eavesdrop on passing conversations to see if anyone is heading towards the town square, but she is greeted with the sounds of a multicultural city full of different languages and dialects. The half-orc sees a cockroach couple walking hand in hand talking about heading to an event, and she watches as they head right before taking a sharp left a few blocks down the road.

Toni turns to her friends for suggestions. Lu, unable to read or speak sylvan, has no idea what is going on, and Toni suggests it might be best if they find a place to hide out the rain in the hopes that the lamps would relight when it ended. They duck into an alley to wait. Aoife keeps an ear out for anyone talking about the town square or The Witch's Brew. She manages to catch a conversation about a secret horse race happening this evening. She points it out to Toni, who gets a strange sense of deja vu. Toni asks if they know anything about jade horses, but Aoife hasn't heard of anything specifically while she was growing up. Toni admits that she has seen one in her dreams before quickly pivoting the conversation back to the town square.

The fighter suggests she head down the road to take a look, promises that she won't talk to anyone, and that she will come back to get them if she finds the square. Lu does not trust Toni to go alone because she has lied to them about Rook in the past and they admit that they don't trust one another yet. Lu doesn't think they should split up, and Aoife agrees that they should all go together. They follow the cockroach couple that Aoife noticed previously, and find themselves in a less pleasant part of town. The streets are dirty litter and things are in disrepair. The group comes to an intersection where they are completely alone. The hackles on Lu and Toni raise as a blue blur whizzes past them. Aoife feels a sharp pain as some of her hair is ripped from her head. She screams out as delighted laughter emanates from the surrounding debris.

This is where out journey ends. Until next time -Venture Away!

Player Characters

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

Non-Player Characters

 * Gordon
 * Rook
 * Selene
 * Wilde Cat

Mentioned

 * Tandy

Locations

 * Chicken Hut
 * Coven

Inventory
All members of the group received a vial of chicken shit paste.

Quotes
"This ain't your little sister's fey campaign...this is hardcore shit!" -Celeste

"It kinda sucks living with other people." -Rook

"Well, someone's taste buds are dead, and that's only breakfast." -Toni

"Just say that you like it; just make her happy. It's really like her thing, ya know?" -Aoife

"No wonder she's like this." -Aoife

"That is definitely cursed." -Aoife

Trivia
Aoife's next door neighbor was a beekeeper when she lived at home, and honey is one of her favorite foods.

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