Humblewood Recap #9

Humblewood Recap #9 Sunday April 26, 2026 @ 12:00- 4:30 P.M.

 

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

PART 2: THE BANDIT MENACE

   The party camped and took a Long Rest to recover from the giant spider ambush…

 

   The group passed the Shrine to Reya and left the Humblewood for the mountain pass over the next two days.

    Going up the mountain pass, Quilliam saw two griffons in the air. Perhaps they had moved into the area after the mountain lions had been killed. He knew they were territorial, so advised the rest of the group to turn back.

     When the group turned back, Zivvy noticed four Birdfolk hiding behind rocks. Zivvy cast Detect Thoughts and learned that their orders were to follow Lucius to the Bandit Fortress. She saw the message in their mind:

Perch Guard Scouts,

 

     Lucius and company have a message for the supposed Bandit Leader, Benna Serridan. Follow them and ascertain the location of the bandit base. Return once you know the location. 

        -The Council

 

     The group passed them on Zivvy’s advice and then Zivvy told the rest of the group to continue backtracking while she went to deal with the four Birdfolk…alone.

    Zivvy cast Sleep and made one of them unconscious. One of the guards woke up the unconscious Birdfolk. The guards decided that Zivvy could be killed and that they could follow Lucius without disobeying their orders. So, one of the Birdfolk Guards reached her and stabbed her with his spear. Zivvy disengaged and ran away 30 feet. The Birdfolk guards ran after her, with one missing and the other three guards 5 feet, 10 feet, and 15 feet behind (The slowest being the one who had to get up from prone). Then suddenly, the two griffons swooped in and grabbed the two Birdfolk guards lagging behind. They soared off to their nest presumable with dinner.

    Zivvy cast Dissonant Whispers and killed a Birdfolk guard. The last Birdfolk Guard standing attacked her and missed.

   Zivvy cast Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. The last Birdfolk guard fell backward off the cliff and pointed at Zivvy with both hands, laughing all the way as he fell to his death crashing into the crags below. Zivvy grabbed an electrum piece from the body of the only Birdfolk left.

    By the time Zivvy got back to the others, she saw that Galadriel the Outlander had been enlarged to nearly 9 feet tall. Zivvy told them the coast was clear and the Griffons were fed for the moment, meaning it would be easy enough to pass.

   The group has a Long Rest and continued up the mountain pass a day to reach the Bandit Fortress.

     Lucius delivered the message from the Birdfolk Council to Benna. The message read:

To Benna Serridan,

    You want Peace? We want Justice. We agree to your terms on one condition. You must turn yourself in and face the judgment of this Council. Know that the penalties for your crime of disrupting the Realm’s Commerce and Killing Perch Guardians on your orders is Death.

   -The Birdfolk Council

 

    Benna said that if this was the price for her utopia, she would gladly pay it. Fray Merridan would lead the Bandits of the Bandit Fortress after her death. Benna prepared her things for the trip to Alderheart and bid the group rest the night at the Bandit Fortress.

     As the group went down the mountain pass, they encountered four unresponsive Mapach bandits standing still. Benna called out to them, “Patrol, Report!” But the only retort was the susurration of a howling wind in the canyon. As they approached, they saw that the Mapach bandits had been turned into statues and chunks had been bitten out of them.

     Suddenly, the mountain pass seemed to move as a Basilisk left its cave entrance. The Basilisk gazed at Benna as she threw a dagger at the Basilisk. Benna blinked and missed. The Basilisk gazed at Zivvy as she tried to shoot the Basilisk with her hand crossbow. She seized up and then turned to stone. The Basilisk gazed at Lucius as he tried to shoot the Basilisk with his short bow. He seized up but shook off the petrification. The Basilisk bit Galadriel and sent its venom into her veins. Quilliam cast Enlarge on Galadriel and hid from the Basilisk’s gaze behind the now massive Cervan. 

    Benna averted her gaze and then missed her melee attacks with her scimitar and short sword. Lucius averted his gaze and tried to use his rapier to reflect light into the eyes of the Basilisk. Galadriel averted her eyes then flew into a frenzy. Galadriel managed to hit the Basilisk once with her battle-axe. Quilliam climbed Galadriel. The Basilisk attacked Galadriel but missed.

    Benna struck the Basilisk once with her short sword. Galadriel missed her two axe attacks. Lucius reflected his sword into the Basilisk’s eyes aided by a Druidcraft spell by Quilliam. The Basilisk gazed at the rapier and tried to petrify its reflection turning its own attack on itself but made its Constitution save.

     Benna missed all three of her attacks. Galadriel missed her two axe attacks. Lucius averted his eyes and missed an attack with his rapier. Quilliam jumped off Galadriel and landed on the Basilisk’s back. Quilliam cast Chilling Touch and a deathly chill spread on the back of the lizard with a critical hit.

     Benna held her Blade of the Wood aloft and said “Justice!” A Spike Growth grew from the cave to underneath the Basilisk. Lucius averted his eyes and tried to reflect light on his rapier. Galadriel looked the Basilisk in the face and drove her axe down into its neck, beheading the creature.

     Lucius cast Prestidigitation to clean the Basilisk head and then grabbed the decapitated head, shoving it in a sack. Quilliam harvested oil from the gullet of the Basilisk and then slathered it on Zivvy’s mouth. Zivvy’s stone body reverted to the furry flesh of a Mapach. Zivvy cut off the Basilisk’s tail and placed it in a sack. Zivvy made a torch out of a Basilisk’s arm. She placed oils from the Basilisk in its hand and wrapped a cloth around it. She then lit it and they entered the Basilisk’s lair. Inside they found a masterwork arrow, 5 rubies worth 25 gold pieces each, and an ewer than made sloshing sounds even when empty.  

      The party had a Long Rest after the tough fight with the Basilisk.

      The party found no remaining Birdfolk bodies on the mountain pass as they moved through Griffon territory.

      The party entered the Humblewood and the box knocked, delivering a Healing Potion to Lucius. Lucius commissioned an Animate Dead scroll for 500 gold pieces from the box. passing the Shrine to Reya, and walked to Alderheart without incident.

      Through trial and error over several Beats (days), Quilliam determined that the ewer was an Alchemy Jug and would fill with a chosen liquid once per day on a command word. Water would fill it with salt water, but Fresh Water would fill it with potable water.  He determined it could fill with Basic Poison (1 dose), Beer, Wine, Fine Wine, and Milk, among other liquids. Each liquid would only fill a set amount and it was different for each liquid. Wine would give a whole bottle and Fine Wine perhaps a pint.

     The next day, the party entered Alderheart and was summoned to the Birdfolk Council. The Birdfolk Council heard Benna’s story in person. Quilliam stepped in to plea for Benna’s life stating the dangers of killing her and allowing Fray Merridan to take over the Bandit Coalition in her stead. Benna was allowed to return to the Bandit Fortress. She gave Quilliam her Blade of the Woods as thanks.

     The group stayed in Alderheart for a Measure (1 week). Zivvy found Susan the Seer (Susan of the Swamp in disguise) in the Canopy Market selling fortunes and potions. Zivvy altered a potion recipe with her Basilisk’s tail and got a Potion of Stone to Flesh instead of the normal result from Susan’s cauldron.

     Zivvy bought rations and water from Eliza. Eliza had a Gauntlet of Defense for 3,600 gold pieces and an old spell book for 315 gold pieces.

     The box knocked and gave a scroll smelling of brimstone and sulfur to Lucius. With no more commissions the Lesser Demon seemed to sigh in relief as the box was closed.

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

Humblewood Recap #8

Humblewood Recap #8 Sunday April 5, 2026 @ 12:00- 4:30 P.M.

 

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

PART 2: THE BANDIT MENACE

     The party rested for an hour and waited for Benna to write her message to the Birdfolk Council…

      Benna gave them a sealed map and scroll case bearing the wax seal of the Bandit Coalition. A group of 8 Mapach Bandits, 4 Jerbeen Thieves, and 2 Vulpin Captains escorted them a day away from the Bandit Fortress, leaving them to camp on their own near dusk.

      The party had a Long Rest to recover from the fights in the Bandit Fortress.

      The rest of the travel down The Crests Mountain pass was uneventful. After entering the Humblewood, the party had an uneventful day of travel followed by a day where they passed the Shrine to Reya.

      On the third day of travel in the Humblewood, they encountered red imp-like creatures. They were holding paintings and then their bodies radiating fire and heat. They threw the now burning paintings at trees in the Humblewood, setting the area on fire. They then sat down and starting playing with rubies like they were marbles. The red rubies began to whiten in the intense heat. The elementals laughed and spoke in Ignan, but this was not understood by the party.

     Galadriel ran up and threw a javelin at the ground near a sitting Magmin. Quilliam used stealth to gain a better vantage point for a Gust of Wind spell cast. Lucius leaned against a tree and waited. Zivvy shot a Magmin with her hand crossbow. The Magmin stood up and attacked Galadriel, burning her clothes. 

     Galadriel charged a Magmin in the back but missed. Quilliam used a Gust of Wind to put out two of the trees on fire and doused the Magmin slightly as well. The Magmin were pushed back and one of them knocked over by the wind. Lucius moved behind a tree and shot a Magmin with a Sneak Attack from his short bow. Zivvy shot the Magmin on the other side in the side with a bolt on a critical strike from her hand crossbow. One of the Magmin got up and moved towards Quilliam but the elemental didn’t make it far in the wind gust. The other Magmin got up and flanked Galadriel who was now being burned from both sides.

      The bloodied Galadriel flew into a frenzy, killing the flanking Magmin. The Magmin exploded, causing her even more pain. Quilliam cast Ice Knife to kill the Magmin in the Gust of Wind. He then moved his Gust of Wind to extinguish the last tree that was on fire and suppress the last Magmin. Lucius shot the last Magmin with a Sneak Attack critical from his short bow that killed the elemental. It did not explode, perhaps due to the suppression from the wind gust.

      Quilliam used the Gust of Wind to douse any of the smaller brush fires. The party found five red rubies worth 50 gold pieces each although the art objects had been destroyed by the Magmin. Zivvy healed Galadriel with a Cure Wounds.

      The party had a Long Rest that night to recover from the fight.

      On the fourth day in the Humblewood, the party found an encampment with a tent shredded by claw marks, and four Birdfolk corpses. One of the corpses was missing an arm and one a leg. Quilliam noticed scuff marks showing a body dragged off away from the camp. The party found a cave. Quilliam lit a torch and entered the cave. Inside the cave, he found a dire wolf with weapon scars guarding three dire wolf cubs. A Birdfolk skeleton picked clean was in the middle of the cave. The dire wolf growled at the party. Quilliam cast Animal Friendship. The dire wolf stopped growling. Quilliam offered a trail ration and the dire wolf gave it to its cubs. Quilliam looked over the skeleton and found a map and scroll case on it as well as 12 electrum pieces. Zivvy grabbed a spear and put it into her Efficient Quiver. The party left the cave.

     Outside the cave, the party tried to figure out what to do with the loot. There were 4 chain shirts, 4 shields, and 4 spears that Zivvy put in her Efficient Quiver as well as 48 electrum pieces. Zivvy reluctantly opened Eliza’s Box. Inside of the box was an imp with a cat’s ears, face, and tail but with devil wings and a pink body. Having seen what was inside, Zivvy finally understood the magic at play. Eliza’s Box used magic similar to the spell circle used by Susan of the Swamp to contain the Lesser Demon. A spell circle which she had already seen fail once.  

      The Lesser Demon gave them a tutorial on how it worked. The party tossed a copper into the box and got a torch. Then they put the torch back in the box got nothing back. The Lesser Demon said, “Half a copper doesn’t exist so end of tutorial!” Quilliam started shoving random objects in the box, stones, branches, and even the tattered tent, which gave him 1 gold piece. The chain shirts and shields netted 150 gold pieces. The Lesser Demon asked if they wanted to commission an item before they closed the box. The Lesser Demon explained they could commission a magic item and it would be available in a Measure aka six Beats (One Week= Six Days). Quilliam suggested a Chainmail Bikini for Galadriel. The Lesser Demon said 500 gold pieces. Lucius wanted a poisonous short bow. The Lesser Demon said 1200 gold pieces. Quilliam commissioned a Healing Potion for 50 gold pieces. Zivvy closed the box. A timer next to the box had 144 then 143:59:59 and started counting down.

      Quilliam opened the message he had found:

Perch Guard Scouts,

 

     Lucius has left with the prisoner Fray. We assume they are heading to the main base of the bandits. You are to discreetly follow them. Return to base when you ascertain the location of the main bandit stronghold.

        -The Council

    Quilliam was unnerved by the message and its ramifications.

    The party then traveled to Alderheart and camped outside the city.

    The next day they were summoned to the Birdfolk Council in the Council Plaza. They delivered Benna Serridan’s terms to the council. She demanded the absolution of the Birdfolk Council to be replaced by a Humblefolk Council. Each one of the ten races must be allowed a member on the council. Furthermore, the Bandit Fortress was to remain independent of Alderheart rule. Lucius vouched for Benna’s desire for peace. Quilliam brought up the message and the Birdfolk Council dismissed it as a forgery. Zivvy was suspicious but was convinced it was a fake by a council member.

      The party stayed in Alderheart for 1 gold piece. Lucius stole 15 gold pieces in the Canopy Market. Quilliam got a book for 1 gold piece. The party visited Eliza who had added a magical Scroll for 150 gold pieces and a Cloak of Strigkind for 300 gold pieces to her wares. The party bought 28 rations and waterskins from Eliza.

       The next day the Birdfolk Council gave Lucius a message for Benna Serridan in a map and scroll case with a wax seal of The Birdfolk Council.

     The party left to go to the Bandit Fortress with the message. They had an uneventful first day of the journey. On the second day, they found three Birdfolk corpses left. One had been dragged off.

      On the third day, there was a knock from within Eliza’s Box. Zivvy opened the box, and the Lesser Demon delivered a Healing Potion to Quilliam. Lucius commissioned a Healing Potion for 50 gold pieces and Zivvy shut the box.

      Later that day, they came upon a series of webs in the forest and a cocooned Birdfolk 30 feet up in the air. Quilliam strode forward as if nothing was going on and was promptly webbed by a silken cocoon. A giant spider missed a web spat at Lucius. Another giant spider attacked and poisoned Galadriel.

 

       Lucius peered into the forest trying to find the hiding spiders. The Birdfolk in the cocoon struggled and freed himself. He glided down from the cocoon and landed a downward strike on the Giant Spider attacking Galadriel. Galadriel responded by going into a Frenzy and killing the Giant Spider. Zivvy cast Gust Barrier to protect herself and used Bardic Inspiration on Lucius.

[The two remaining Giant Spiders made their morale check and kept fighting. Yeah, I rolled a Will save for both to see if they would keep fighting with one giant spider down and one enemy freed which tipped the scales 4 to 2 outnumbered but both 19s.]

     One of the Giant Spiders came out of the forest shadows and killed the Birdfolk Skirmisher. The other one attacked Lucius and poisoned him. Quilliam struggled to free himself from the web. 

     Lucius disengaged as a Bonus Action and cast a fiery Chromatic Orb at the Giant Spider that struck it and burned the nearby web. Galadriel frenzied and struck the Giant Spider that killed the Birdfolk Skirmisher once. Zivvy shot her hand crossbow at the Giant Spider near Lucius but missed. The Giant Spider missed Galadriel with its bite. The other Giant Spider webbed Lucius. Quilliam freed himself from the web.

    Lucius struggled to free himself from the web cocoon. Galadriel cleaved the giant spider through the abdomen and it lay still. Zivvy missed again with her hand crossbow.  The Giant Spider attacked Lucius but missed. Quilliam cast Flame Sphere and used it to free Lucius and incinerate the last Giant Spider.  

    Zivvy put a spear into her Efficient Quiver from the dead Birdfolk Skirmisher. Lucius found 11 silver pieces on the Birdfolk Skirmisher. Quilliam found 70 gold pieces in a victim’s cocoon.

   The party camped and took a Long Rest to recover from the giant spider ambush…

[End of session.]