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• Arhian Vos – Human Monk
• Hartmut Helmsworth – Elf Monk
• Sindri Waggletop – (Forest) Gnome Wizard
• Rettniss Kulvith – Water Genasi Druid
• Avacyn “Jolyne” Uloth the Merciless – Half-Orc Paladin
• Twilight Skybane – Tiefling Bard – Not Present This Session

• With the portal stabilized, Sindri steps through the portal – surprised his companions are nowhere in sight – it’d only taken a few moments to stabilize the portal, so it’s odd that his companions aren’t right inside (DM Note – Sindri wasn’t present last session so he had “stayed behind” to hold the portal stable as a way to explain why he wasn’t present)
• Inside the portal, he sees several deceased, unusual looking large bird creatures – that have the bodies of a giant eagle, but the head of a deer or elk, with horns – and their mouths lined with razor sharp teeth – there’s blood everywhere, from both the “deer birds” (DM Note – they’re perytons which wreaked havoc on the party last session)
• Fearful that these creatures may have taken his companions, Sindri turns around and sees the portal behind him has closed, so he has no choice but to continue down the path alone. It’s there he sees a good sign that his companions may yet be alive; there’s a large portion of the snow covered path that had been turned to slick ice – and a rope tied to the top allowed him to descend – he hoped that the rope was a sign that his companions had made their way down the path
• He finally reaches the bottom of the path, where he sees his party members breaking up their camp; and after briefly speaking to them – he quickly realizes, they’ve not simply teleported to somewhere else on Kne’Urth – they’re in the Faewild. He heaves a deep sigh knowing that there are some very wild and unusual things that dwell in the Faewild.
• Hartmut details what happened with the “deer birds” as well as the Will O’Wisps in the swamp; and Sindri looks ahead of them and sees a large swamp in front of them. Arhian explains that the Hobgoblins have gone through the swamp and that they need to give pursuit
• Twilight draws her rapier and explains that she will scout ahead in the swamp to see what she can find out (DM Note – This was to explain why Twilight would not be in the upcoming things this session since she wasn’t present. DM Note 2 – I messaged Twilight as to what she saw while she “scouted ahead” for the next session to provide some RP and make it seem like something came of her “scout mission”)
• Sindri, still suffering from exhaustion from going up the Path of Enlightenment – and that he’d not gotten to rest since time worked differently outside the Faewild for him
• Rettniss eyes Sindri and snarks, “Yes, I am sure you must be exhausted from all the battles you missed.”
• Avacyn offers to carry Sindri, grumbling in her deep voice, “Just don’t get your nasty small person smell on me.”
• With their equipment packed, the party ventures into the swamp – and it rapidly goes from ankle deep to knee deep – and each step is an effort to move forward as the swamp itself seems to be attempting to slowly devour the party by refusing to release their legs and feet when they pull them up to take their next step – and quickly the swamp drains the efforts of each party member, except – yet again – Hartmut (only person to successfully pass their Constitution Save)
• Exhausted, the party presses on, using torches to keep the swamp gators away – when suddenly they see a figure running – rather quickly through the swamp – seemingly unbothered by the dredge of the swamp’s ability to grasp onto feet and legs – and the pattern he’s running in – zig zagging back and forth is all too familiar – and as he gets closer and closer – his red and white outfit is clearly seen – though covered mostly in mud – his hat is disheveled – Avacyn sighs, “Oh no, not him again…” recalling her last time she’d seen him – and as he reaches the party, despite being covered in mud, he smiles, “Oh, good! It’s all of you again!”
• It is none other than the mystical figure, Nikalos.

• Just as the party begins speaking with Nikalos about why he was in the swamp – a Swampheg emerges (DM Note – I thought it’d be fun to make a replica of their first encounter with Nikalos with the zig zagging – and when they originally met him it’d been an Ankheg that had chased him and attacked the party – I made a version of it called a Swampheg with slightly different abilities)

• Sindri glances around to see if there’s a tree or vine he can grab so he can get off of Avacyn’s shoulder (fearful of just jumping down into the swamp itself because of how deep it is) – but doesn’t find one (DM Note – being a swamp with vines and everything, I actually left this to chance making it a 40% chance there was one – had Sindri roll the percentile dice and asked for 60 to 100% for there to be one – and he rolled a 31% meaning there was none there)
• Sindri then decides to use Misty Step to go to a branch then casts Firebolt which misses, hitting the swamp, creating an odorous smell
• The Swampheg slams Arhian for some damage, but prevents being knocked prone – and lunges in for a bite, but misses
• Hartmut draws his shortsword, but the trashing Swampheg avoids being struck; Hartmut manages to land a punch – and penetrate the creature’s armor and deal some damage (DM Note – We’ve joked how Arhian and Hartmut seem to miss with their physical weapons but always land fist / kick hits with flurry of blows or unarmed strike)
• After having been hit, Arhian manages to hit with the Quartstaff – then a flurry of blows and manages to do a Critical Strike (Natural 20)
• Rettniss casts Frostbite which the Swampheg is unable to avoid (covered in liquid, it makes sense) invoking Disadvantage – however, it did not survive the attack – as it gets hit with frostbite – Rettniss runs up and kicks it where Arhian had broken its armor – and delivers the killing blow – she, however, falls into the swamp water after the kick (DM Note – I try to ask, “How do you want to kill it?” from time to time to allow the players to flavor the creature’s death – so for example in this instance, it was the Frostbite that killed it – so the kick attack was never rolled, but how Rettniss flavored the killing blow – something I like to do because it allows the players to flavor how a creature dies at their hands and keeps them engaged and helps write “the story”)
• Nikalos thanks the party and explains, “There I was! Flying through the sky! Minding my own business – making my deliveries – when these hobgoblins – nasty little buggers they are – shot my sleigh down! I crashed in the swamp – but the impact from the swamp lurched the sleigh forward and I lost sight of my bag of holding! And I need it to finish doing my deliveries! Would all of you mind going in there and searching for it?”
• Sindri quickly volunteers the party to help
• Arhian asks about the Hobgoblins and Nikalos points in the direction that he’d just run from
• Nikalos thanks them and pauses to say, “Oh. And by the way, when you go deeper in there… there is … something deeper inside…. and it talked to me… inside my head… about judging who is naughty or nice… so… take that as you will, going forward.”
• Sindri shouts, “Can someone help me down? I don’t want to use another spell.”
• Rettniss, now wearing the Ring of Water Walking comes to stand under Sindri – but fails to get a hold of him as Sindri leaps down – catching only his robe – and sending a half naked Sindri into the swamp (Failed Dex). Avacyn trudges her way over, and tries to pull Sindri out of the swamp – but from the impact the gnome is firmly wedged into the mud (Failed Strength) – but gives another firm tug and manages to pull the muddy Sindri from the mud and places the drenched and stench wizard – from the swamp water – Sindri casts Prestidigitation to clean himself off
• After they get further into the swamp – the “lanterns” seem to linger in the distance, which the party knows to be Will O’ Wisps – but after a little while – the party notices that it’s become eerily silently – no insects, no splashing of gators in the water – only the trudging sounds of their foot fall in the hungry swamp mud; the deeper the party ventures, the more odorous the swamp becomes, the pungent fragrance seemingly burning nose hairs and upsetting their stomach
• Suddenly Sindri hears a voice in his head, “Enidda Pleasantleaf… how that names rings in your head… hoping to find her… and what? Find out the truth? Find what she’s found? Is she alive? Are you chasing a dream? Look at where you are! Riding the shoulder of a half orc.”
• Sindri looks around, and his companions all have mud streaked faces with grim determination, marching forward, unphased by the voice – and Sindri realizes it would seem he’s the only one hearing it
• Sindri asks, “Anyone hear that?”
• Arhian and Hartmut look at Sindri, and both say, “I don’t hear anything.”
• Sindri sighs, “This is what Nikalos was talking about. I hear a voice in my head.”
• Avacyn grumbles, “This odor that’s getting worse better not have been you defecating on me because you’re hearing voices.”
• At that moment, Arhian suddenly hears a voice in her head, “Ah, would dear old Felix and Rhiannon, be turning in their graves, seeing their daughter trudging through this filthy swamp with the likes of a half orc?
• Arhian pauses, “I hear it now.”
• Sindri looks happy, “Oh! Good! You hear it too.”
• The party continues; but it continues to follow them – mocking them, taunting them
• Rettniss and Hartmut suddenly spot a creature, in the green mist – one large eye, watching them

• Hartmut recalls hearing of such creatures – who supposedly came from the darker side of the Faewild – but now exist on the Prime Material Plane as well – known as Nothics
• The creature, realizing it has been discovered, and the mind games are over, bursts from the mists, hungry for flesh

• Rettniss, disturbed by what she’s seeing attempts to Thornwhip the creature – however, due to the Water Walking, she miscalculates the whip and thornwhips Arhian and spins Arhian in a circle, sending her falling into the mud (Critical Fail)
• The Nothic attempts to use Rotting Gaze on Rettness – however, Rettniss is able to avoid it (Natural 20!)
• It turns its eye to the other who spotted it, and uses Rotting Gaze on Hartmut – who fails to save against it, causing significant necrotic damage to Hartmut who feels the dark energy of the Nothic’s gaze through his body
• Sindri uses his Wand of Holding to cast Hold Monster which the Nothic fails against; and follows that up with Magic Missile
• DM Note – both the Nothic and Sindri rolled Natural 20’s on their Initiative, which I celebrate as having a free “Action” round – see House Rules
• Despite the creature being held – both Arhian and Hartmut miss with their weapons (even with Advantage – see what I mean about miss with their weapons?) 😉
• Sindri shouts, “It’s literally held! How are you missing?”
• Rettniss casts Frostbite – but the Nothic fails
• Avacyn slowly begins trudging her way through the swamp towards the Nothic, but lacks the Step of the Wind type movement that the Monks have
• The Nothic attempts to save against being Held, but continues to fail
• The following round; the party is able to decimate the Nothic, silencing it forever
• Sindri tries to climb down the vine, and the vine snaps; sending Sindri into the swamp again
• Avacyn pulls Sindri out of the swamp, and Sindri once again casts Prestidigitation and Avacyn puts him on her shoulder
• They party finds an area of the swamp that is about 30×30 feet, that is dryer land – and the party uses this opportunity to try and take a long rest to remove the effects of Exhaustion for those who still have it
• The party continues marching on, and encounters a number of Will O’ Wisps
• Hartmut and Avacyn go into the swamp to investigate the lights, since this time they’ve “turned off”
• This allows the other Will O’ Wisps to sneak into the camp and attack the party; Hartmut and Avacyn quickly race back
• But the party dispatches a few, and the others quickly flee – though, it’s not because they’re losing – something has frightened them
• The party presses on – and suddenly Rettniss, Hartmut, Avacyn and Arhian spot something that looks like walking vegetation approaching them

• Rettniss casts Spike Growth – which causes the creature damage as it passes through the spiked growth
• The party waits for it approach – with Rettniss following up with Entangle which it fails to break free of – and they’re able to defeat it – and as it crumbles into a blob-like mess, Nikalos’ Bag of Holding floats to the top of the swamp; the party retrieves it and turns around, surprised to see Nikalos standing there with his sleigh and thanks the party – and promises to watch over them – during the watch – the part gets Full Rest, One Bonus Level Of Exhaustion Removed (so 2 Levels Removed – one for long rest, one from Nikalos’ guard, and all spell slots are restored, as well as full healing)