Humblewood Recap #2

Humblewood Recap #2 Sunday November 9, 2025 @ 12:00-4:00 P.M.

 

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

 

CHARACTER BIOS

 

Player Name: Nick

Character Name: Lucien Lucius Hemlocke

Race: Vulpin (A foxlike humanoid)

Class: Rogue

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Background: Bandit Defector

Personality: He is loud and boisterous.

Character Appearance: He is a Vulpin who wears a black hood with holes for his ears and black clothing with purple satin lining.

Character History: Separated from Lucien, he was going to Meadowfen to meet him after learning his whereabouts while in Winnowing Reach.

[I usually don’t allow the twin brother trope. However, in this instance, with the villain that killed his brother still alive, I think it makes things a bit more interesting. There were definitely some emotional body blows in this session.]

 

PART 1: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

     They went back to the merchant’s cart. Quilliam bandaged up Lucien’s body and they placed it into the bottom of Eliza’s cart. They gathered up Eliza’s goods and put them on top of the body. Luna grabbed the hand cart and carried it forward. The group headed towards Winnowing Reach in the east…

     

      Lucien’s brother Lucius was knocked out by the pommel of a short sword. When he came to, he saw a female Vulpin with an ornate sword and a beautiful but cruel grin on her face. Lucius immediately recognized the bandit captain’s sword at this distance, and knew he was in danger. His hands tried to move to his sword, but his hands were bound. Lucius tried to speak but he was gagged.

     The female Vulpin cut his money pouch off and tossed it into the air. Seeming to take its measure she said, “90 gold should be more than enough to replace my men and get them some gear.” She leaned down and took his short sword, slung his short bow and quiver, and then she plunged the dagger she had used to cutpurse him into the ground. “Your brother took a shot at me. Whether it was a warning shot or he was a bad shot, I sent three arrows into him. I doubt he lives; at last glance he was face down in a pool of his own blood. I should kill you deserter. But I am in a charitable mood after Lucien’s companions let me go and being 90 gold richer. Lucien’s companions are on the road to the south heading east towards Winnowing Reach. I also feel like it is wrong to kill a whole family on the same day. So, if you survive, I am sure you will find me if you seek your revenge. But I doubt you will with that cloud of smoke behind you. I bid you adieu.”  

     Lucius first felt the heat and then he was surrounded by a cloud of smoke. His gag and bindings burned and left him with searing scars on his face and wrists. But he was free. He rolled forward, grabbed the dagger, and leaped up to a full run chased by the cloud of ash.

    

     Meanwhile, the party moved into a stretch of the road with a burned forest to the north of the path and swamp to the south. They saw an ashen plain with stumps of trees with burning embers just beyond a thin copse of trees being what remained of that part of the forest. Suddenly, a single Vulpin emerged from the copse of trees.

      Luna moved to block the Vulpin’s path. Luna said, “Who are you and where do you think you are going?” Lucius replied, “Are you serious right now? Look behind me!” Luna said, “I won’t fall for that trick!”

      Eliza hid under the cart.

      Quilliam cast Speak with Animals and successfully persuaded the bats with candle nose flames to return to their territory to the north promising to take the Vulpin who had trespassed in their territory away with them.

      Zivvy strummed a lute and sang, oblivious to the events around her.

 

      Lucius moved to go past Luna. Luna took offense to this. Luna grabbed him and tossed him into Eliza’s cart. Eliza mewled from beneath the cart and skittered out from under it. Lucius stared in horror, seeing his brother Lucien’s lolling head turn to him, staring into Lucien’s lifeless eyes, with his whole body wrapped in cloth like a mummy. Lucius got out of the cart and stood howling in rage.

      The party explained that they had placed Lucien’s body in Eliza’s cart to bury him at Winnowing Reach. Lucius agreed to help escort Eliza’s cart to Winnowing Reach, and Eliza handed him a short sword she had taken off one of the Mapach bandits.

     The rest of the trip to Winnowing Reach was uneventful.

     Upon arrival in Winnowing Reach, the party looked for a graveyard. They learned that the local custom was burial in the bog with the hope that it would keep the slimes away from the town. Lucius could not accept that for Lucien’s grave. So, they headed north of town into the forest. Zivvy put together a makeshift shovel from a branch and a rock. She chiseled the rock into the shape of a spade and tied the branch to the rock with vines. Lucius dug a hole and buried his brother. Zivvy sung an ode about Lucien’s last battle and then a funeral dirge. She patted Lucius on the shoulder and left. Lucius knelt at the grave in quiet grief for another hour. He watched as the shovel Zivvy made simply fell apart, the vines binding it together withered, the branch and chipped rock separated and fell onto the forest floor.

     Quilliam went to Eliza’s cart and bought a perfectly preserved and polished mouse skull for 1 gold. Quilliam went to the apothecary and bought healing potion ingredients for 25 gold. At the bookbindery he purchased a book about herbalism for 1 gold. He then went to The Wrangler’s Rest to eat, drink, and sleep for the night for a gold piece. Luna headed straight to the inn and was already asleep by the time Quilliam arrived.

    Zivvy saw two silos, some guards, and some workers moving food into one silo, and slime into the other silo. She went to Eliza’s cart and asked her about it. Eliza told Zivvy, “Oh, its strange alright, but that is normal in Winnowing Reach. The slime is used for alchemical research. Hunters go after the slimes in the nearby Mokk Fields swamp and Mokkden Caverns and sell it to researchers, alchemists, and the like here in Winnowing Reach.”

    Zivvy headed to the north and asked the Birdfolk guard about why he was guarding an empty cage. The guard replied, “I am watching the road to the north, but this is also my post when we have prisoners.” The empty cage was open with a chain attached to the top.

    Zivvy went to the Magistrate’s house, but she was stopped from entering by two Birdfolk guards.

    Zivvy went to the bookbindery and purchased a book about arcana for 1 gold. She then went to The Wrangler’s Rest to eat, drink, and sleep for 1 gold.

   Without a copper to his name, Lucius picked a pocket and grabbed a gold to pay for his stay at The Wrangler’s Rest. He had a drink and made a toast to Lucien before heading to bed.

    In the morning, Quilliam brewed a healing potion and then he headed out to the town’s gaol. He asked the Birdfolk guard if he could use the cell. The town guard was shocked by a person wanting to enter the cell of their own volition, but didn’t say no. He locked the cell door, and then cranked the winch. This raised the chain and suspended the cell in midair. Quilliam rocked back and forth and the cage swayed slightly in mid-air.

     An aged Corvum in well-worn nobleman’s attire entered The Wrangler’s Rest in the morning accompanied by two Birdfolk guards. He introduced himself to Zivvy, Lucius, and Luna as Walden Krane, Magistrate of Winnowing Reach. He wanted the group of adventurers to save a female Corvum researcher named Kenna Brightspark. He offered the group 5 gold to dispatch slimes on their way to save Kenna. He also offered them letters of introduction if they completed two tasks for him. He declined to say what the second task was to be performed. He would tell them if they completed the first task. Zivvy was suspicious of this behavior. Lucius being broke, readily agreed to do the mission for 5 gold. Luna being good natured also immediately agreed to help. After they agreed to help, Walden handed Zivvy a map to the Mokkden Caverns.

    The party went to see Eliza who told them she saw Quilliam head up to the north and east near the northern entrance.

    When they got to the town gaol, they were shocked to see Quilliam in the cage. They asked the Birdfolk guard what he had done wrong, “Nothing, he wanted to cage himself, so I allowed it. Not like we got other prisoners for now.” The Birdfolk guard released the winch and lowered the cell to the ground. Then he opened the cell door with his key. Quilliam left the cell and the party told them they had a quest to defeat slimes in the Mokk Fields or Mokkden Caverns and save Kenna Brightspark in the Mokkden Caverns.

   Zivvy opened up the map and saw there was two different paths to the Mokkden Caverns. A straight shot through the Mokk Fields or a longer path mostly on the road around them. The group chose the longer path.

    Along the way, a swarm of rats with gills emerged from the bog. They attacked Luna and knocked her out. Quilliam gave her a healing potion, waking her up. He cast Shillelagh on his quarterstaff. Lucius delivered a sneak attack critical and had two rats skewered on his short sword.

    The swarm of rats attacked Luna but missed.

    Zivvy missed badly and stabbed Luna instead.

   

    Quilliam smashed some of the rats to bits with his Shillelagh staff with the impact throwing some of them back into the muck. Lucius skewered another rat with a sneak attack. Luna got up and slashed a rat in half with her battle-axe.  

     The swarm of rats attacked Luna but missed again.

     Zivvy whiffed again.

 

     Quilliam missed with his staff. Lucius scattered the last of the swarm, stabbing a rat, as the rest fled into the marsh.

     Quilliam found 4 gold among the corpses of those slain by the rats. Lucius found a black cloak with a red satin lining. 

      The party camped near the entrance to the Mokkden Caverns marked on their map. Lucius attuned to the cloak. The inner lining changed to a purple color, matching the rest of his outfit. The cloak was a magical item that granted the user the ability to swim 40’ by swishing the cloak back and forth with their hands, gives Advantage on Stealth rolls, and allows the wearer to turn into a rat once per day as per the polymorph spell. They had a Long Rest and the night was uneventful.

[I rolled a Cloak of the Bat with a random treasure roll, so I modified it to a Cloak of the Rat to go with the monsters and swimming is less powerful than flying at Level 1. Flying is also very powerful in the Humblewood, because combined with leaping/gliding, Birdfolk can gain a lot of aerial movement options.]

      The party entered the musty cave. Quilliam had to light a torch to be able to see. At the entrance, there was a 60 feet long x 10 feet wide hall way. It opened to a 20 x 20 room.

      Zivvy took out a cloth and wrapped it around a bolt. She used Quilliam’s torch to light it and fired it at the 20 x 20 room. Inside the room, there were two green slimes crawling on Birdfolk skeletons.  Luna took out her longbow and fired at one of the slimes but missed.

      The slimes lurched forward. One of them rolled over the flaming bolt and doused the light but seemed to be burned by it. Then they stopped.

      The rest of the party drew out their melee weapons and sneaked ahead along the right wall. Luna fired her longbow again and hit the slime on the left.

      The slimes surged forward towards the party.

     

      Zivvy attacked one of the slimes with her rapier but missed as the blade went through the Birdfolk skeleton’s ribs and missed the slime crawling on it completely. Quilliam cast Ice Knife using droplets of water dripping from the ceiling of the cavern to form it and then hurled it at the slime on the left. The green slime recoiled at the touch of the cold.  

     The slimes reached out with acidic pseudopods and Zivvy was knocked her out from the pain of the caustic wounds.

      Lucius threw his dagger at the slime on the right and struck it. Luna dropped her bow and slashed at the slime on the left with her battle-axe but missed.

   

      Zivvy failed her death check, having a vision of her unmarked grave, having died in obscurity. Quilliam cast Cure Light Wounds on Zivvy waking her up.

     The slimes attacked Luna and Zivvy but missed.

     Lucius took the dodge action as he couldn’t quite reach the slimes in the narrow corridor.

     Luna slashed the slime on the left with her battle-axe and split it in twain. But she was splashed with acid bursting from where she struck the slime.

 

     Zivvy got up and missed the slime with her rapier again. Quilliam hit the remaining slime with his staff. He used a reaction to reduce the acid splash damage caused by the bash.  

    The slime turned around and attacked Quilliam but missed.

    Lucius flanked the slime on the left and delivered a sneak attack that finished it off. He adeptly dodged out of the resultant acid spray from the slime.

    Lucius took some acid damage and grabbed his dagger out from the slime’s guts. Quilliam separated a Birdfolk skull head from the slime and 4 silver coins were shaken out of the slime.

    After thirty minutes of travel, Lucius put his hand up. A tunnel ahead had hazardous boulders held in the ceiling by support beams and struts. Lucius turned into a rat and scouted ahead for an hour.

    The party had a short rest. Quilliam’s torch went out halfway through, so Zivvy used her Scroungecraft to make him a torch using a stick, slimy oil, a strip of cloth, and lit it with a flint rock she found to make a spark. Quilliam used his Herbalism Kit to assist Zivvy’s caustic wounds.

    When Lucius returned, he transformed from a rodent to his normal Vulpin form. He told them there was a cave about thirty minutes ahead that split into three different paths, a situation too dangerous for him to scout alone.

   The group tried to move slow and use stealth to move through the corridor. Unfortunately, Zivvy and Luna didn’t move carefully enough. The struts broke and they both took 5 damage from falling boulders.

   After thirty minutes of traveling, the party arrived at the large cavern that was 60 feet x 60 feet wide and 30 feet tall. On the other side of the cavern were three cave exits. One was large-sized, one was medium-sized, and one was very small in size. The party entered the large cavern…

 

[End of session.]