Humblewood Recap #11

Humblewood Recap #11 Sunday June 21, 2026 @ 12:30- 3:00 P.M.

 

<<WARNING SPOILERS FOR THE HUMBLEWOOD CAMPAIGN: AN URGENT SUMMONS! >>

PART 3: AN URGENT SUMMONS

     After healing themselves and Quilliam collecting ten Emberbat wings, the party continued deeper into the burning grove on the edge of the Humblewood.  

     The party found a Birdfolk spirit wreathed in fire. The specter appeared to be on its knees trying to grasp something on the ground. The brush that was touched was set on fire. The ghost put its beak into its talons. Quilliam cast Druidcraft to put out the fire. Quilliam found a bluebell flower in the brush that he picked just before the fire specter set it ablaze. Zivvy cast Detect Thoughts and learned that the spirit needed the bluebell to place on a grave. Quilliam found some reeds and Lucius brushed them away to reveal the grave. Quilliam placed the bluebell on the grave and the spirit disappeared, its last act finally performed.

     The party moved to the edge of the burning grove in the Humblewood. The land changed from sparse forest to an ashen plain. The wind picked up, making ashen clouds and burning embers. The party reached the Scorched Grove.

     As the party moved onto the ashen plains, Quilliam and Lucius found something moving in the ash below. Cinders, embers, and ashen dust rose from the ashen plains in the wake of the creature. An ashen snake rose up and attempted to use its breath weapon, but was pushed back by Quilliam’s cast of Thunderwave and then shot by an arrow from Lucius’s shortbow before it burrowed out of range. Zivvy dropped prone and kicked up ash and cinders into the air. Galadriel charged the ash cloud where the snake burrowed and slashed down into it, hitting a glancing blow on the creature.

      Galadriel went into a frenzy and slashed at the burrowed snake, kicking up ash first, then hitting once for good damage. When the ashen snake came up to attack Zivvy, attracted by her thrashing, Quilliam cast Infestation on the creature and moved it away from Zivvy but towards Lucius. Lucius fired his bow at the creature and hit it point blank, but was then bit, grappled, and constricted by the ashen snake. Lucius fell unconscious as the snake poised to crush him. Zivvy got up and attempted to use Mage Hand to poke the snake in the eye, but missed.

      Galadriel ran and slashed the snake’s head clean off with a critical hit. Lucius fell to the ashen sand below next to remnants of the snake. Quilliam cast Healing Spirit to heal Lucius. Zivvy cast Cure Wounds on Lucius.

     But then there was an earthquake. Stirred up by the tremors, four ashen wakes surged toward the party. A second earthquake followed by a massive roar seemed to spook the ashen snakes and they fled away from the party to the southeast.

     A massive creature erupted from the ashen plains, a mountain that seemed to move with a flow of magma for legs. The gigantic creatures chased the party, throwing massive balls of magma at them. The party tried to flee. Zivvy and Galadriel easily escaped. The wounded Lucius and exhausted Galadriel fell behind. Lucius nimbly avoided a fireball and then pushed himself to get away. Galadriel was hit with a fireball and willed herself forward despite her half movement speed to the relative safety of the Burning Grove.

    Lucius used his Nest Charm in the Burning Grove. The party had a Long Rest but the Nest Charm was smoldering when it returned to its normal form. Lucius felt his connection to it end.

[Attunement Lost due to the item being damaged.]

    The party traveled back through the Humblewood for two days and returned to Alderheart. They camped at the base of the city. Quilliam gave Lucius his ten Emberbat wings to sell. Lucius sold ten Emberbats to Susan the Seer for 12 gold pieces. He kept 2 and gave 10 to Quilliam. Lucius stole 7 gold in the market with a pick pocket attempt.

[He rolled a 20 on Sleight of Hand, and I rolled 4d6 for a 7 result, which was rather low with two 1s.]

    At Alderheart, they met with the Birdfolk Council and discussed the two creatures that they had seen, the ashen snake, and the magma mountain. A council member shaking with fear said, “It could not be the legendary Aspect of Fire, could it?!” Bita, the Council Speaker, gave the group a letter of introduction to be given to Dean Gabe Windsworth of the Avium as well as a 500 gold pieces worth letter of requisition. Tevor thanked the party for helping The Tenders learn more about the Scorched Grove by giving a Feathered Helm with one of his Gallus feathers to Galadriel the Outlander.  

    The party prepared to go to the Avium, a two-to-three-day journey to the east of Alderheart. Quilliam bought three Potions of Resistance [Fire] from Eliza for 300 gold pieces off of the letter of requisition. Eliza had a new item, a Staff of the Python, but Quilliam had nightmares about the ashen snake and declined. Quilliam sold Susan the Seer some old Shifting Slime residue from their first adventure for 25 gold pieces.

    For completing the third adventure, the characters gained an Inspiration.

[I had already leveled them to 4 in the last session; Inspiration is all I had to give. End of session.]

 

 

Humblewood Recap #10

Humblewood Recap #10 Sunday May 24, 2026 @ 12:00- 4:00 P.M.

 

<<WARNING SPOILERS FOR THE HUMBLEWOOD CAMPAIGN: ADVENTURE IN THE WOOD! >>

 

Player Name: Emily

Character Name: Finn

Companion Name:  Thimble the Cockroach

Race: Jerbeen (A mouse-like humanoid)

Class: Ranger

Subclass: Swarmkeeper

Alignment: Neutral

Background: Urchin.

Character Appearance: A 2 feet, 20 lbs., 9-year-old Jerbeen covered in tattered but baggy clothes that hide her swarm of cockroaches.

Character History: She grew up in the Underfall in Alderheart as a street urchin. She befriended a cockroach called Thimble who leads her legion of cockroaches who lived in the roots of the Underfall on the crumbs of the destitute Humblefolk.

Player Name: Amber

Character Name: Eclipse

Race: Dusk Corvum (A crow-like bird humanoid)

Class: Rogue

Subclass: Thief

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Background: Wind-Touched

Character Appearance: A 4’5” inch tall, 100 lbs., 20-year-old dressed in a purple and black hooded cloak.  

Character History: She grew up in The Branches of Alderheart where she used her gliding and skulking to perform breaking and entering thefts.

PART 3: AN URGENT SUMMONS

     After a week, the party was summoned to the Birdfolk Council…

      In the Council Plaza on the way to the Council Chambers, the party overheard a Huden Gallus talking about the spreading fires. He was accompanied by a shy Sable Luma, a Jerbeen, and a Dusk Corvum.

     After his speech, the Huden Gallus approached the party and introduced himself as Havel of the Autumn Moon. He thanked the Defenders of Alderheart as the folk of Alderheart had started calling them for saving a friend of his on the night of the bandit attack on Alderheart. Quilliam said, “You are welcome.”

    The party entered the Council Chambers. Bita, the Council Speaker asked the Defenders of Alderheart to investigate a new threat to the Humblewood in The Scorched Groove.

   The Sable Luma from earlier was introduced as Tevor of the Spring Path. He described seeing snake-like or worm-like creatures burrowing in the ash fields of The Scorched Grove. The adventurers that he had hired to go with him to The Scorched Grove were introduced as well. One was Finn, a Jerbeen Ranger and the other was Eclipse, a Dusk Corvum Rogue. With their greater adventuring experience than Tevor, they could bring the Defenders of Alderheart near the spot Tevor had seen these creatures in his stead.

    The party accepted the mission and then resupplied their water and rations at Eliza’s Emporium. The party discussed going the short or long way and decided to take the shortcut. The party traveled one day through the Humblewood to the edge of the Scorched Grove.

   In the Scorched Grove, the party was quickly approached by a swarm of a hundred Emberbats 60 feet away.

   Zivvy cast Shatter and killed a couple of the Emberbats. The Emberbats moved 30 feet towards the party. Even at this distance, the intense heat started to hurt those near the swarm. Galadriel chucked a couple of Javelins at the swarm and downed a couple Emberbats. Lucius cast Ray of Frost and steam cooked an Emberbat. Finn shot her longbow but missed. Eclipse shot down an Emberbat with her shortbow. Quilliam cast Speak with Animals but the Emberbat seemed distracted saying, “Fire! Fire! Fire!”

     Zivvy cast Shatter a second time and a dozen of the Emberbats dropped. With the swarm reduced somewhat, a ball of light could be seen in the middle of the Emberbats swarm. The Emberbats moved forward biting at Quilliam and Galadriel, striking Galadriel. The sweat on the brows of Quilliam and Galadriel started steaming from the intense heat of being inside the swarm and next to the fiery orb. Galadriel frenzied and attacked the orb twice with her axe, hitting once. She felt her axe get stuck in the orb, feeling it resist her physical strike. Lucius cast a Thunderwave at the swarm, taking out three of the Emberbats. Finn shot her longbow and hit one of the Emberbats out of the sky. Eclipse took out her rapier and attacked the orb. Feeling the intense heat within the swarm, she disengaged and retreated. Quilliam heard the Emberbat say, "The Light! The Light! The Light!" Quilliam reacted by casting Moonbeam at the orb. 

[As Dungeon Master, I was honestly surprised the orb didn't have Radiant damage reduction or immunity.  All you can do is shrug and then Mills Lane, “I’ll allow it.”]

      Zivvy shot her shortbow at the orb but missed and took down an Emberbat instead. It seemed that the swirling Emberbat swarm worked like a shield against attacks from the outside.

[The orb had +2 AC against outside attacks. But AC 13 for the Emberbats was struck on a miss against the higher AC of the orb.]

      The Emberbat swarm swirled around the orb biting at Quilliam and Galadriel but missing. The orb couldn’t seem to move forward with Galadriel blocking its path. Galadriel swung her axe twice at the orb, striking it once. Lucius cast a Ray of Frost at the orb which struck an Emberbat instead. Finn cast a Fog Cloud centering on the Emberbat swarm and orb and retreated. Eclipse retreated further away from the intense heat. Quilliam’s Moonbeam disintegrated the fiery orb. Quilliam heard the Emberbat say, “We are free!” Quilliam asked what was controlling them and the Emberbat said, “We were drawn to the heat, flame, and light of the orb and could not look away.”

     Zivvy dashed away. The Emberbats scattered in every direction over the course of four turns. Galadriel and Quilliam were blinded by the Fog Cloud and were singed by the confused Emberbats as they escaped. Galadriel tried to escape the Fog Cloud and fell over Quilliam, becoming impaled by some of his quills. Lucius retreated out of the Fog Cloud, fortunate to be only in its periphery. Finn and Eclipse followed Zivvy. Quilliam waited for Galadriel to get off of him, then cast Goodberry.

      Galadriel got up and helped Quilliam get to his feet. After the Emberbat swarm had dispersed, Finn dropped Concentration on the Fog Cloud.

       Zivvy thought about the orb of fire and understood that it was a byproduct of some Conjuration spells, specifically decaying magic circles…

[End of session. It was relatively short due to character creation. Everyone either leveled up to Level 4 or made a Level 4 character.]