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.]

Humblewood Recap #7

Humblewood Recap #7 Sunday March 22, 2026 @ 12:00- 4:15 P.M.

 

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

PART 2: THE BANDIT MENACE

     Quilliam used Healing Spirit to treat the injured. Quilliam and Lucius skinned the mountain lions and got some meat out of them. Even though they were larger animals, the amount of rocky skin and inedible organs filled with stones led to less rations than the wolves. The party was slowed down as Galadriel’s speed was reduced to 10 feet with two levels of fatigue. They were forced to set up camp early for the day…

     The party listened to Fray’s infiltration plan. Fray described the Coalition’s Bandit Fortress as a natural stone castle built into The Crest Mountains itself. She proposed her manacles transferred to Lucius and her Bandit Captain’s sword given back.  Lucius would be her prisoner. Quilliam could turn into a spider. He could carry the key and Lucius’s weapons. On a signal he could end his wild shape, unlock Lucius’s manacles and give him back his weapons. Galadriel the Outlander and Zivvy would need to acquire bandit outfits and could play the role of Fray’s underlings. The party decided to hunt bandits the next day.

      The party gathered food, hunted goats, and found water the next day. They also found a bandit patrol. The bandit patrol had set up a trap, a rope net strung across the mountain pass. Zivvy and Lucius saw it and stopped in time. Galadriel the Outlander and the Fray’s wolf raced across the net as the trap sprung and ended up on the other side. Quilliam was trapped inside the net.

      The Vulpin bandit leader called out, “Well look at that. Thought you were the ones hunting, did you? Attack!” Her Mapach bandits moved forward and attacked Galadriel twice, hitting her once in the leg. Fray’s wolf lunged forward and ripped out the throat of the Mapach bandit that had hit Galadriel. The wolf’s ferocity seemed increased by the threat to Fray. Zivvy thrusted her rapier into a Mapach bandit and left them bleeding from a wound in the ribs. Galadriel cleaved the other Mapach bandit with a wicked downward swing of her axe. Lucius fired his short bow at a Mapach bandit but missed. The Vulpin bandit leader drew her rapier and attacked Galadriel twice. She feinted her first swing and then delivered a wicked stab into Galadriel’s ribs as she was off balance dodging the first attack.

     The Mapach bandit that had been stabbed by Zivvy fell over while trying to stab her back with his dagger. Fray’s wolf bit the Vulpin bandit captain in the femoral artery in her thigh which gushed blood from the wound. Zivvy stabbed the Mapach bandit on the ground in the neck with her rapier. Lucius shot his short bow at the Vulpin bandit captain puncturing her ribs with an arrow in the side. The Vulpin bandit captain cast Charm Person. She charmed Galadriel the Outlander and said, “Be a dear and get rid of that wolf for me.” Galadriel hit the wolf in the side with a downward sweep of her axe. The wolf whimpered in pain.

     The wolf bit the Vulpin bandit leader. Zivvy finished off the Vulpin bandit leader with a stab in the back. This ended the Charm Person spell on Galadriel. Lucius released Quilliam from the net. Quilliam cast Goodberry and dropped one on the ground. Quilliam gave all the berries to Fray’s Wolf and the wolf licked him in appreciation. Galadriel the Outlander debased herself by picking up the Goodberry from the ground and ate it. Zivvy healed Galadriel with a Cure Wounds spell. Zivvy grabbed a Mapach bandit outfit and Galadriel had to make do with the Vulpin bandit uniform. Lucius grabbed a short sword and rapier for later.

      At camp, they made their preparations for the infiltration the next day. They transferred Fray’s manacles to Lucius. Zivvy used her disguise kit and cosmetics to disguise the manacle bruises on Fray. They altered the Vulpin bandit uniform to try and make it look like that of a regular bandit instead of a captain. Quilliam cast Speak with Animals and asked for a woodpecker for a distraction the next day.

     As the party approached the bandit stronghold, they saw 100 feet high stone walls, two stone towers 200 feet tall, and two gates guarded by Mapach bandits. One gate was a wider wagon entrance and the other gate an entrance for people on foot. The party lead by Fray approached the two Mapach bandits guarding the entrance for personnel. Fray explained that she was here to see Benna after dropping off her prisoner, the traitorous Lucius. She flashed her Bandit Captain’s sword and they wilted under her intimidating gaze.

       The party entered the 240 feet long inner courtyard. Fray and the party were escorted around the courtyard and given a tour before heading to the northern inner keep. Lucius was escorted to the prison by two Mapach bandits. Two Jerbeen thieves guarded the entrance of the prison tent. A Mapach gaoler watched the cells from a chair in front of a desk. Lucius was placed in one of the four empty cells underneath the tent tarp. The slightly rusted metal cells also seemed to prop up the tarp above. The Mapach bandits who escorted him to the cell left. Lucius gave the signal to Quilliam and he crawled out of his shirt. He transformed into his normal Hedge form underneath the prison bed. Quilliam unlocked the manacles on Lucius’s wrists. Quilliam unlocked the manacles on Lucius’s ankles next. Lucius opened the cell door by casting Mage Hand and using his legerdemain to pick the lock. Quilliam cast Blindness on the Mapach jailer which blinded him, and then he screamed for the Jerbeen thieves outside who rushed into the tent.

     Quilliam handed Lucius his short bow and then cast Shillelagh on his staff. Lucius shot his short bow and hit a Jerbeen thief with an arrow that nicked him in the shoulder and made a hole in the tarp as it struck the tent. The Jerbeen thieves drew out their knives. The Mapach gaoler got up from his chair and ran into the courtyard.

    Quilliam cast Ice Knife and punctured a Jerbeen thief with the icy projectile right in his arrow wound. The Jerbeen thieves moved forward and attacked Quilliam and Lucius twice, both hitting once. Lucius realized that Quilliam still had his melee weapons and tried to bite the Jerbeen thief but he ducked out of the way. The Mapach jailer continued blindly running ahead.

    Quilliam smacked a Jerbeen thief unconscious by shattering the ice that had been lodged into his arrow wound with a strike from his staff. The remaining Jerbeen thief attacked Quilliam twice but missed. Lucius ripped out the last Jerbeen thief’s throat with a Sneak Attack bite. The Mapach gaoler continued running into the courtyard but then got shot in the back by Lucius and dropped dead. Quilliam gave Lucius back his short sword and rapier.  Lucius tried to sneak into the courtyard and retrieve the Mapach gaoler’s body. He did grab the body and returned to the tent with it. He was, of course, spotted out in the open. The prison tent was surrounded by bandits. Quilliam raised both his hands to the sky. As if by serendipity, hundreds of birds led by a woodpecker descended upon the Bandit Stronghold’s courtyard and defecated on the bandits. Lucius and Quilliam skulked away in the resulting confusion and revulsion.  

     Meanwhile Fray and her wolf, Galadriel the Outlander, and Zivvy went to the northern inner keep. Fray convinced the Mapach bandits manning the inner keep gate to let them inside to see Benna after seeing a flourish of her Bandit Captain’s sword and her steely gaze. They entered a meeting hall and tried to negotiate with Benna’s personal Jerbeen bodyguards to see her. Benna herself strode out of her personal quarters to see what the noise was about. Benna listened to Fray’s story about Lucius being the traitor who had entered the Bandit Fort and let in the Perch Guard leading to the fall of the fortress and dismissed it as a lie. She noticed the manacle bruising as well. Perhaps coerced into treachery… She also noticed Galadriel’s ill-fitting and tight uniform and the dirt that they had used to try and cover up the Bandit Captain rank on her uniform. Zivvy managed to convince Benna she was a Mapach bandit just following Fray’s orders. Benna had her personal bodyguards search Galadriel and take all her weapons. Fray kneeled and gave Benna her Bandit Captain’s sword. With the traitors disarmed, Benna decided to go and see this Lucius for herself…

      Quilliam and Lucius snuck into the northern inner keep and saw the two Mapach guards at the gate. Lucius cast Minor Illusion to make a skunk and Quilliam cast Druidcraft to give the air an oppressive feel. The Mapach guards didn’t leave their post to investigate. Instead, they took out a dagger each and threw it at the illusion of the skunk. One of the daggers pierced the illusion of the skunk and the other guard slipped on the cold and damp stairs and fell over. Quilliam cast Fog Cloud and made it look like the skunk had erupted into a musky cloud. Lucius snuck up on the fallen Mapach by following the wall. When his foot hit him on the ground, he stabbed downward with a sneak attack and dispatched the guard. Quilliam followed the wall on the other side trying to sneak up to the other guard. Quilliam cast Shillelagh on his staff. The other Mapach heard his ally fall and then tripped over him trying to get to Lucius.

        Lucius missed the Mapach guard in the fog, or at least the living one. Quilliam hit the Mapach guard with his staff. The Mapach guard got up and hit Quilliam with his axe.  

        Lucius missed again, not realizing the guard had moved back towards Quilliam. Quilliam missed a Chilling Touch attempt. The Mapach guard hit Quilliam hard and he went down bleeding on the floor. The Fog Cloud ended as Quilliam was no longer concentrating on it.

       Lucius cast Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, but the guard didn’t fall for it. Then the two of them just kept missing each other for a couple rounds as Quilliam started to bleed out.

       Finally, Lucius hit the Mapach bandit with his rapier and finished him off. He gave a Healing Potion to Quilliam just before he left the realm of the living.

       Lucius grabbed a key from one of the Mapach bandits and opened the door. They entered the small courtyard of the inner keep just in time to see Benna and her entourage escorting Fray and Galadriel the Outlander as prisoners.

      Benna said, “Well you must be this Lucius that I have heard about from Fray. So, what is the truth about the Bandit Fort? How did you get your burn scars?” While asking this, she took off her red bandana and revealed her burn scars. Her left ear was gone, her face scarred, and her left eye seemed barely able to see at all out from the scar tissue surrounding it.

    Lucius explained how Fray had left him to die in the Humblewood tied up by rope as a swarm of Emberbats descended upon the forest. How Fray’s actions had led to him becoming scarred like this. That he had a role in the fall of Fray’s bandit fort, but failing to defend it was her fault.

     Benna said to Fray, “It would have been better for you if you had just killed him and be done with it. Now you must be punished for failing to defend the fort and disobeying me.”

    Lucius persuaded Benna to try and make peace with the Birdfolk Council. Benna seemed to feel Lucius was a kindred spirit who had been capriciously scarred by the burning woods.

    The party went to the courtyard and witnessed Benna’s justice. She heated Fray’s own Bandit Captain’s sword and pressed it to her right cheek. The burn left her cheek hairless and scarred. The she doused the sword and gave it back to Fray. Benna said to her, “Do not fail me or betray my rules again.”

    The entire bandit encampment had come out to see this including orphaned children and elderly Humblefolk with a few Birdfolk here. Most had been burned and scarred by the ever-increasing burning woods.

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

[End of session]