Phandelver - Of Oxen and Faeries

Friday, March 11, 1491

Getting up with the first rays of a new sun, Fugnar leaves his comfortable bed and heads down the stairs to the common room at the Stonehill Inn, where the wonderful smell of freshly made bread and cooked bacon combine into a pleasant odor. Though he is up early, Fugnar is surprised to see that someone is already sitting at the bar. Toblen Stonehill, the proprietor, introduces Fugnar to Dice, a dragonborn wizard who arrived during the night. Toblen serves Fugnar with a heavy plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, four slices of fresh bread, and freshly churned butter. The meal is excellent, and soon Fugnar and Dice are sharing stories of the wilds and of their adventures.

Gundred Rockseeker told everyone to be back at Barthen's Provisions by 8 am, but by half past 7 Fugnar is still the only one present in the common room, and he starts to worry. He heads back upstairs, and knock on the doors to Kritza, Kaine, and Kyrdean, only to learn that all three of them ate something last night that did not agree with them, and they're too sick to get out of bed. Returning to the common room, Fugnar asks Dice if he would like to work on a caravan, given that they're now short staffed. Dice agrees to check it out.

Meanwhile, back on Alderleaf's farm, Kite wakes up at the crack of dawn when Alderleaf enters his barn to milk the cows. She helps him, and in exchange he brings her a steaming hot breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruits, and a hot mug of coffee. Now satiated, Kite heads back to town and enters the Stonehill Inn. Fugnar greets her loudly, then introduces her to Dice. They shake hands, before departing the inn and walking the two blocks to Barthen's Provisions. Gundred stands animatedly by the fenced gate to the courtyard, and he throw his fancy hat on the ground before stumping on it in front of Sildar, who is frowning slightly, a visibly upset Dori, and an unperturbed Durgan.

Kite inquires why Gundred is so upset. He tells her that the caravan's four oxen have been stolen, right under Emmy's nose. Fugnar asks the dwarf were the Tabaxi is, and he replies she's still sleeping in one of the caravan's wagons. Fugnar enters the wagon, and notices that Emmy is in fact still sleeping despite the racket outside. He notices a light sprinkling of pale blue powder on her face. He claps in front of her face, and she does not wake up. Dice takes a look at the blue powder, and clearly, this sleep is magical. Dice identifies the powder as fey sleeping powder.

Gundred is worried about his animals. There's evidence that someone was here, and the animals were led away. Kite tells him they will investigate who stole them, find the animals, and bring them back. Gundred offers each of them 20 gold pieces if they bring back all four of them so that the caravan can depart back for Neverwinter. Fugnar informs Gundred about the sick members of the caravan, and the dwarf swears loudly before stomping on his hat again. Kite, worried for the hat, redirects his energy, and says that by the time they get the oxen back, everyone should be back in good health. Mollified, Gundred picks up his hat, and dusts it before putting it back on his head. Sildar has an amused look on his face.

Examining the warehouse and the work yard, Kite notices several sets of smaller footprints moving around the pen where the animals were sleeping. It looks like goblins were in this space last night. Looking at the tracks, Fugnar determines that the oxen were not dragged out, but instead stampeded out of their pen and out of the gate, before heading out of town. Fugnar, Kite, and Dice follow the tracks left by the oxen. They ran out of Barrthen's Provisions, and headed south of Phandalin. The tracks are easy to follow, and Kite, Fugnar and Dice soon reach an abandoned farm house about 10 minutes outside of Phandalin. The tracks leave the road and clumb up the path leading to the rundown house. A large barn stands behind the house, and several ancient-looking trees which have seen better days pepper the property. 

Kite follows the road a few more steps, then jumps over the fence and sneaks to stand by a tree, providing archery cover if it is needed. Fugnar and Dice carefully walk up the path, weapons drawn. The tracks head to the left side of the barn, which leads to the barn's basement. Fugnar heads to the barn, while Dice stops by the house.

Abandoned house and barn

Looking inside the house through a broken window, Dice spots hundreds of stick bugs crawling all over the ruined kitchen furniture and implements. It seems odd, considering that it is March, and the weather is still cold. Based on the layer of dust on the ground, Dice is sure no one has been in the house recently. He leaves the house and joins Fugnar by the barn.

Descending the path to the barn's stone basement, Fugnar sees the tracks disappear inside. Everything is pitch black underneath the barn. Fugnar throws a torch, but no light comes from the basement's interior. Both Fugnar and Dice hear soft music coming from deep inside, and they can also hear the bellows of an ox. Throwing caution to the wind, Dice enters the barn's basement, and is no longer visible.

Not seeing any threat, Kite leaves her guard post, and joins Fungar, who tells her what Dice did. Kite can also hear the music and the sound of oxen. Looking at each other, both Fugnar and Kite shrug, before entering the barn.

They join Dice at the end of a small grove of trees, in the middle of the night. Seven large pillars of stones stand about 10 feet tall, surrounding a small pond. Trees encircle the pillars, and the air is thick with stick bugs flying or resting on the pillars. The four oxen stand by the pond, in a sleep-like trance. Kite and Fugnar both notice they no longer have their collars. Looking up at the sky, Fugnar notices that the stars and constellations do not resemble those from home.He also sees the outline of the portal that can take them back home right behind them.

Now that they are here, the music they were hearing comes from this grove, and is produced by the stick bugs rubbing their hind legs on the stones, each of which produces a different tonality.

Fairy grove

Kite takes our her sprite flute and attempts to match the music. Despite not being a musician, she does a passable job, attracting the attention of several stick bugs that fly by her. A large stick bug, about five feet tall, detaches itself from the northernmost pillar, and morphs into a smooth humanoid shape, roughly as tall as a human child of ten. The fay walks forward and stops by the oxen, petting them before greeting the visitors in a singsong Common, and asking them their purpose in visiting the grove.

Kite introduces herself and her two companions, and tells the fay they are here to retrieve the oxen. The fay introduces themself as Twiggleleaf, the leader of this First World grove, and they tell Kite and her companions that they heard the bellows of the oxen as they were threatened by three goblins. Twiggleleaf and their friends came to the oxen's rescue. They captured the goblins, and freed the oxen and invited them to come to the grove to find peace and calm. Twiggleleaf tells them the oxen have said they are happy to be here and would like to stay.

Kite politely argues that the oxen must return with them, because they have a job to do and they are stranding a caravan, and a lot of people depend on their labor. Twiggleleaf briefly talks with the oxen, and then reports that they agree to go back, provided they get more food and more gentle care. But first, Kite, Fugnar and Dice must solve riddles asked by the oxen, then perform a dance and music routine to entertain the oxen, who wish for more fun in their lives.

 The first ox steps forward. Fugnar recognizes it as the strongest of the four oxen. The ox bellows, and Twiggleleaf translates: "Four pillars hold me, yet I bear tenfold. Mountains kneel when I unfold. What am I, with grip so fast, that bends the iron, shatters glass?" Fugnar, Kite and Dice discuss among themselves for a few moment, before Fugnar answers "Strength." The ox bellows, then steps back, while Twiggleleaf claps and bows. Fugnar finds a pice of glass about fist-sized.

The next ox steps forward. Kite remembers that this ox is the fastest of the group. The ox bellows, and Twiggleleaf translates: "I outrun whispers, chase the sun, before the day is even begun. I leave the stars in dusty trails, across the sky on silver rails. What am I, a fleeting streak, a blur of hooves on thunder's peak?" Without hesitation, Kite answers "Speed." The ox bellows proudly, then steps back to the group. Kite also finds a colored piece of glass at her foot.

The third ox steps forward. Fugnar recalls that when the other three oxen were flagging at the end of the day. this one was always ready to keep going. The ox bellows, and Twiggleleaf translates: Time itself I stride upon, through endless summers, winters gone. From sunlit dawns to starlit nights, I bear the burdens, hold the lights. What am I, with tireless tread, the ever-marching, unbowed thread?" After a short conversation, Dice hesitantly answers "Endurance." The ox bellows, and steps back. He finds a colored piece of glass at his feet.

The fourth ox steps forward. Kite vaguely remembers this ox as being the quietest and calmest of the four. The ox bellows, and Twiggleleaf translates: "A feather whispers in my touch, a tear I dry, so very much. With quiet hooves and moonlit grace, I mend the wounds of time and space. What am I, with calming art, the soothing balm within the heart?" After much pondering, Fugnar, Kite and Dice agree that the answer is gentleness, so Dice volunteers the response, and the ox bellows, bows, and he finds yet another piece of colored glass at his feet.

Twiggleleaf explains that the glass pieces are trickery tokens, four iridescent glass tokens, each reflecting a different aspect of the oxen (strength, speed, endurance, and gentleness). When pressed against an object, the token imbues it with the corresponding aspect for a short duration. Twiggleleaf explains that for example, rock becomes super-strong, a feather swift, a rope unbreakable, and a touch becomes soothing.

Now that the oxen feel satisfied they have been recognized as individuals, Twiggleleaf tells the companions that they must now perform some act of entertainment that will display strength, speed, endurance, and gentleness. Fugnar, Kite and Dice huddle and come up with a plan. Kite takes out her sprite flute. She will play music while running, and she will jump in Dice's hand, who will throw her in the air. Fugnar will catch her, then walk around with Kite on his shoulders, while Dice dances around them. All of them will then fall to the ground and roll in the grass. They hope this performance will satisfy the oxen. 

They start the performance, and Kite's playing is much better than it was when they first entered the grove. Dice adds some drums to the music, while Fugnar jams to the music. Kite runs around the barbarian, then runs up to Dice, who take a hold of her feet and propels her into the air. Fugnar moves himself into position, and Kite lands directly on his shoulders. With her securely positioned on his shoulders, Fugnar performs a feat of martial agility with his trusted battle hammer, while Dice and Kite continue to make music. Following this display, the three of them collapse to the ground in the grass and lay still.

For a second nothing happens, but then all of the four oxen begin bellowing, and Twiggleaf claps. They translate for the oxen, telling Kite and her companions that their performance was appreciated by the oxen, and they could recognize themselves in their fluid movements. The oxen are agreeing to return with them, but would like to come back to the grove when their work is completed. Kite heartily agrees.

Stick bugs then move three magically sleeping goblins from beyond the pillars. Twiggleleaf tells them these goblins were trying to lead the oxen away. Fugnar asks why Emmy was also afflicted with the magical sleep, and Twiggleleaf replies they didn't want the Tabaski being hurt while the faeries rescued the oxen. Twiggleleaf also gives them four pods of a sleeping flower. Crush the pod, and the blue powder will put the person inhaling it to sleep.

Fugnar ties the sleeping goblins and places them on the oxen's backs after asking Twiggleleaf if the oxen would agree to carry them back to Phandalin. Dice asks Twiggleleaf what is happening in the house next to the barn, and Twiggleleaf reports that the house is occupied by an angry spirit that comes out at night and that dwells in the basement. The spirit is quite evil, but seems attached to something in the house. The spirit's corruption is slowly consuming the house, but the stick bugs are doing what they can to reduce some of these evil influences.

Emerging out of the barn's basement, they realize that it is late afternoon. The oxen lead the way back to Barthen's Provision, where a grateful Gundred welcome them back, handing Fugnar, Kite and Dice a purse each containing 20 gold pieces. Kite tells the dwarf that the oxen want to be better treated, and after hearing their story, Gundred agrees the animals will get more food and less abuse from Dori.

After having seen that the oxen are taken cared of, Fugnar brings the goblins inside the warehouse. When the first one wakes up, Dice spits acid on a bone to intimidate the creature. Fugnar pulls out his knife and a wet stone, and begins sharpening it. The goblin doesn't know why he's here, but he says he will tell them whatever they want to know. Fugnar asks why they were trying to steal the oxen. The goblin replies that they had been ordered to steal two of the oxen by their leader, Klarg, so that the caravan would be slower and easier to ambush. The goblins were to take the oxen to Cragmaw Castle, but when they entered Barthen's Provisions, they decided that they might as well take all four oxen. Then the next thing they knew they were waking up tied here.

Fugnar tells the goblin that he will not kill him. Instead, he gives him the purse containing 20 golds, and informs him he's been hired to harass those who walk around Phandalin with scarlet cloaks, and that for everyone of them who leaves town, he will give them more gold. All they got to do is bring back their cloaks. The goblin, who introduces himself as Blonk, agrees this sounds fun. Fugnar releases the other two goblins, and after they awake Blonk leads them out of Barthen's Provisions and they head northwest.

As they head back to the Stonehill Inn, Gundred tells them that the caravan will depart tomorrow morning at 8 from Barthen's Provisions, and hopefully everyone will feel better.

Gundred tells them the caravan will head out in the morning.