Prologue: The Children's Journey

Our story begins in a cold, filthy, poor and destitute orphanage in the city of Dalton. It is a city where the Nobles are at the top of the food chain followed by the spellcasters/ merchants/bards then the thieves, paupers, scoundrels, fighters, assassins, and farm/stable hands sit at the very bottom licking the dung and boots of the rich. The city of Dalton show high respect and regards to the monks , clerics, and paladins that travel around to help others as they treat them almost as holy missionaries and prophets as they do and share their good works to all.

It is a cold and dark autumnal night. The dead trees begin to rattle at the windows after shedding its final lifeless leaves which copper brown in color falls to the ground before being crushed underfoot by all sorts of things that go bump in the night. But the monsters and watchers in the dark do not prowl this night and leave the city of Dalton alone. Because tonight something else is on the wind and it brings with it a sour sweet smell.

Sitting alone in a room with tattered and threadbare blankets on the bed and looking out at a broken window looking out at the many stars shining in the night sky is a little girl.

@Svande Svande, can you tell us who your character is and describe your character to us and tell us what she is currently doing right now this night at this very moment?

As the wish has been spoken aloud by Flora, you see a bright flash of white light which blinds her for a second but when the light finally clears and her eyes begin to adjust again, standing over her on her bed is a tall elderly woman with long flowing snow white hair and black eyes wearing a long green gown covered with animal bones, skulls, and leaves.

-Picture of Baba Yaga.

She pats her large plump stomach and looks at Flora with a toothy hungry smile. Holding her long gnarled hands out to her, she whispers "I'll happily take you away, my dear sweet child. "

Before Flora can do anything, the elderly woman blows a stream of purple, pink and blue stars into her face. She coughs before falling fast asleep and the woman says to herself before taking Flora into her arms and teleports away with a stream of dead leaves, and dark flowers "Baba Yaga will take you away from here. You'll soon be home in my stomach. " She then lets out a dark witch-like cackle before taking her home to her large chicken leg hut in the Fey/spirit realm. The blankets fall off the bed and dead leaves are the only things that remain on Flora's bed.

I'm going to roll to see how long it will be before you wake up again, Flora.

Flora you wake up in three hours only to find yourself in a Strange hut and see the woman who rescued you from the orphanage looking down at you with a smile.

"You're awake? Excellent! Did you enjoy your sleep, child? It was a long trip back to my home in the Fey/Spirit realm after all. " The woman asks. She looks at Flora through a child-sized bird cage made completely of human bones which is on the floor close to a large black soup cauldron which she began to place logs underneath and with a snap of her fingers, she started a fire which begins to boil tons of water inside of it.

Baba Yaga chuckles at that and stares at Flora with amusement.

"You are in my home in the Fey/spirit realm, my dear sweet child. You had been asleep for three hours. You made the wish, correct? Well, I made your wish come true. You no longer will have to be in that horrible Orphanage. You are now home with me. Unfortunately, everything comes with a price. Nothing in life comes for free, little girl. My cages are made by the bones of the children I eat. I am very hungry and you will make a delicious meal for me tonight! Baba Yaga will feast good tonight. Time to pay the piper. " Baba Yaga told Flora darkly giving a toothy witch-like grin.

Opening the cage, she lifts a finger and Flora slowly begins to hover over the large black cauldron where large clouds of steam and boiling water greets her. Dropping the finger, Flora quickly falls into the cauldron with a large splash.

The steam and boiling hot water begins to slowly choke and burn her as it felt like she is being boiled alive.

Baba Yaga just looks at Flora and licked her lips before smiling and letting out a large witchy cackle before she grabs a large wooden mixing spoon and begins to stir Flora and the other vegetables that were added to her cauldron. She then sprinkled some pepper on Flora and some other spices before she sneezes. Baba Yaga then places an apple inside Floras mouth and says in a sing-songy voice "Going to have a scrumptious little girl stew! Its good for me but not good for you!"

Before Baba Yaga could continue watching Flora cook in her large cauldron, a large ghostly mage hand quickly knocked the cauldron over and Flora fell to the ground with a thud.

" Baba Yaga, how dare you corrupt a child's pure wish only to fill your bloated stomach?! She trusted you to save her and you used her kind and pure wish for your own selfish desires!" A voice called out from behind Baba Yaga.

Baba Yaga quickly spins around and growls as she sees a woman wearing a beautiful blue dress covered in a variety of multicolored flowers in front of her. She then calms down and smiles after a moment.

"Grandmother Sophie, what a surprise! I couldn't give up this opportunity. She should have learned to be careful what she wished for as you never know what you'll get. I answered her wish and brought her here. The child should have been more specific with her wish. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a little girl to devour." Baba Yaga replied.

Before she could grab Flora, Grandmother Sophie grappled Baba Yaga and they began to fight leaving Flora on the floor.

Flora, because you were in the cauldron for a few moments, you take 1d6 fire damage from the hot boiling water.

The fight between Grandmother Sophie and Baba Yaga lasts for several minutes as spells are flung all over the hut. Baba Yaga lays on top of her overturned cauldron exhausted.

Grandmother Sophie slowly reaches over to Flora and says "Don't worry, I will get you out of here. I will protect you. I promise and I always keep my promises."

Before They both could leave the hut, Baba Yaga shouts " You owe me, little girl. For not giving me my meal, One day I will take something from you that you will truly care about. You won't know when it'll happen, but when I come for it, you should be prepared to lose it. I won't forget. A witch never forgets or forgives when she's been wronged!"

Grandmother Sophie takes Flora by the hand and wipes her tears with her white handkerchief that is in her blue gown . "Come with me, I will keep you safe away from the evil witch Baba Yaga. " And she teleports away with Flora away from the chicken leg hut of Baba Yaga until they appear in front of a beautiful cottage in the woods.

"Yes I do , young Flora. My name is Grandmother Sophie. I am the Guardian and keeper of this cottage and the woods and village surrounding it. As long as I am around, I protect all and help all who enters my domain which borders on the gateway between the human realm (where you come from) And the Fey/Spirit realm (where creatures like Baba Yaga, Fey, banshees and other Fey spirit creatures are from with demons and more. As long as you follow my rules while you are here, I promise to keep you safe and protected with my magic. My rules are as follows : If you are asked to do a chore, you must do it and do it well, any open door is an invitation but a closed door is an answer, Always be home by nightfall as you must never go out after dark because there are monsters , watchers in the dark and other creatures who prey on those found outside at night, and do not walk on any roads for a road is a path and the paths you choose have a price. Final rules and these are the very utmost ones that you follow while you are in my care...Always keep your promises and if you make one, you must hold up your end of the bargain no matter what it is. Also wishes on stars are very powerful. You must be careful what you wish for as a wish is a verbal contract and like a promise, you must always keep to them. You never know what you are going to get though.

Midnight already? You must be tired. Let me take you to bed and I'll give you a tour of the cottage and the grounds tomorrow. " Grandmother Sophie says to Flora as she leads her by the hand inside her cottage which the door slowly opens up to the both of you.

The smells of Apples, and sweet spring flowers, and peppermint fill your nostrils as you enter Grandmother Sophie's cottage as this is what she smells like and what the cottage smells like.

She takes you to a large mattress filled with goosedown feathers and covered with fluffy goosedown feather pillows and quilts and blankets that she had sewn herself made of soft spider silk and yarn. Placing you softly in the bed and tucking you in, she kisses your cheek before wishing you goodnight and shuts the door softly behind her.

As you lay in bed, you feel a calm and peace come over you that you never had being at the Orphanage or at Baba Yagas chicken leg hut. You feel safe and finally are able to sleep as you haven't had a good nights sleep in a very long time. Before you fall asleep, you see a owl give a friendly wave at you before leaving the room with Grandmother Sophie.

Flora is able to take a long rest now.

We then turn to the streets of Dalton where a young wood elf boy is trying to survive. It is morning and everyone is busy doing their shopping at the tents and shops in the Bazaar, getting breakfast at the local Inn/Tavern or at one of the many restaurants in town while the local bard/storyteller is regaling a few orphaned children with stories about a Prince saving a cursed sleeping princess from a fire-breathing dragon and knights doing amazing Heroic deeds.

@Eyes Will you describe your character to us and what he is doing at this very moment?

The shopkeeper, a robust dwarf man with a long red beard and short curly hair wearing a olive green vest, golden shirt with brown khaki pants and brown buckle shoes and long white stockings looks at you, Woody with a smile and a twinkle in his green eyes.

"Top of the morning to you, laddie. Lovely day today, isn't it? Looking for a gift for a special lady friend , eh? Let's see what Old man Mccorrmick has for you, shall we?" The shopkeeper named Ian Mccorrmick says.

He looks through his many shelves until he finds a velvet box and chuckles.

Mr. Mccorrmick returns to you and after blowing the dust off the red velvet box, opens it and says showing you a emerald green heart shaped necklace out to you with a golden chain connected to it "This has been collecting dust on my shelves for years. Haven't found a home for this beautifully unique but unwanted treasure. I will happily part this with you for 1 silver. I don't know who gave this to me but they told me that the person who made this was a crafter of magical artifacts and could make jewelry and other special items that spellcasters and others could use to help them on their journey. This necklace is called the emerald heart necklace. If you want it, I'll give you the box with it free of charge. I collect unique and curious treasures from all over the place so for a beautiful necklace like that to remain on my shelves collecting dust is a shame."

The necklace shines brightly in the sunlight as it lays in the dust-covered velvet box.

Mr. Mccorrmick smiles at that before handing you Woody, the emerald heart necklace that is inside the red velvet box and places the coins in the store cash box.

After you place the box in your backpack, he replies "That is very kind of you, good Sir. Your father is a wise and kind as well as strong man to say that. I don't know why really. I sell more curiosities and rare treasures and artifacts here that people don't know about and some are safe while others may be cursed or dangerous items. I just take them and don't ask questions. I even have an item someone gave me that they had stolen from Baba Yagas chicken hut house. It was an Apple of Withering. They thought it was just a regular apple but when I saw that their body was withering and decaying from it, I knew they were cursed. They gave it to me for free but I just keep it locked up in a black box away from public eyes. I don't know if the foolish man who gave me that is still alive or not. So I only cater to customers who feel drawn to my shop and if I find what they need, I sell it to them. I don't sell potions or anything like that though. That's why they just refer to me as the Treasure man. So I just named my Shop Mccorrmicks Treasures and other curiousities."

Woody as you place the Necklace in your backpack, you have received a Necklace of the Indispensable. It's a Wondrous rare item requiring attunement and while wearing the necklace, your Constitution goes up to 20 and you can use the sending spell once a day.

Also there are no city guards around right now at the moment due to your perception check roll. They are currently busy dealing with the other crimes in the city and dealing with the giant rats that sometimes comes out to terrorize the townsfolk.

Jocko smiles. "Well, I have heard that place has cursed items and artifacts besides all of the other weird stuff that is in there but did you not notice why there are no guards, Woody? That place has tons of magical wards and security in place to keep it safe and I heard he activates a prismatic wall at night that covers the entire place. The shop only appears and allows customers it wants to have come in. But once you buy something or do your business there, the place disappears and moves to another location. So we won't be robbing from there not unless we have a death wish or something. Instead, we are going to hit up HollowThorn Orphan Asylum tonight. Heard Baroness Georgette Grimes got herself a Landfall fortune recently and we are going to go see if the rumors are true. There's also been rumors that she's been child trafficking to the Goblins too and that's where she is getting the goods from." He said a moment later to you before messing up your hair and giving you a gold piece just for checking the place out.

"Thanks for checking the place out anyway. Go get you a treat from the Bazaar. We'll meet you at the Orphanage tonight when it gets dark. Remember the three rules of thieving: Stay stealthy, Trust no one, and Don't get Caught. Trouble comes to those who ask for it and get caught." He added before going back to talk to the other boys drinking a large glass of Honey mead as he walked along even though he was 14 and took it illegally from a drunk man in the local inn/Tavern.

You arrive to Jocko and the gang who are looking over a blueprint layout map of the Orphanage Asylum. Jocko looks up at you and smiles before giving you a fist bump.

"Glad you came! We've been planning this heist for a while now. Now here's what we have been thinking. We sneak into the asylum via the roof by going down the chimney after everyone is in their beds asleep . Heard Intel that the fire in the fireplace inside the study extinguishes itself at exactly midnight which is when the Baroness goes to bed after she makes her rounds. That's where we will get in. We plan to sneak into the basement where we heard she is keeping her ill-gained fortune after we pry open the door. We just got to be wary of that creepy cat that's been prowling around. Also, someone told us that a child was taken away by Baba Yaga the other night and never returned. All that was left on their bed were crumpled dead leaves and some ratty blankets. I thought they were pulling my leg until they brought me a intact but dead maple leaf from there. While we sneak in, you'll be keeping a lookout for any sign of trouble. If you see anyone coming, you make an animal noise and that means we need to bolt. Understand?" Jocko tells Woody a moment later after circling areas on the map with a piece of charcoal he found on the ground.

You then look at the large grandfather clock in the center of the Orphanage Asylum grounds and it chimes 10:00 PM. There are only two hours until you put this foolhardy heist into action.

Two hours pass. Everything is silent. All of the children are fast asleep except for the unlucky ones who were sent to the Goblin King to be eaten. Satisfied, Baroness Georgette Grimes takes her large bag of platinum and jewels and takes it with her to her bed chambers and locks the door behind her. In mere moments, she is fast asleep. The creepy cat silently prowls the halls like a ghost.

When the fire goes out, Jocko throws a rope down into the chimney before stealthily climbing down the chimney into the fireplace of the study. Shaking the soot and ashes from his clothes he quietly calls out to the others "It's all clear. Follow me and stay silent!"

The other boys nod and follow Jocko. They reach the basement door and with a Bobby pin that one of them stole from a little girl, they begin to unlock the door. With a click, the slowly creaks open. They then walk down the stairs only to see tons of jewels, gold, and platinum pieces equaling to 5000. Jocko quickly opens up his bag of holding and begins to throw the jewels and as many coins as he can into the bag. It is only when one of the boys sneeze really loud that a loud cat-like screech echoes from above them as the creepy cat spots them.

"Bolt!" Jocko calls. Taking the bag of holding, he turns invisible and exits out through the open window after climbing several boxes to get to it and seeing Woody calls out "Head back to the Hideout quick!" Whether the others made it out is unknown. That is something you will have to ask Jocko later. But if you chase after him, you will arrive safely back to the Thieves guild hideout before the Guild leader wakes up.

As we leave Woody and the Thieves guild, it is now morning at the HollowThorn Orphanage asylum and all of the children silently wake up and make their beds before heading to do their morning chores. Fearful at seeing the empty beds, they quickly go about their day not to anger the Baroness. We see a young boy among them too. Sunshine streams through the windows bathing everyone in its golden warm light.

@Seck Will you please describe your character and what he is doing at this very moment that morning?

Tink, you finish your daily chores just before the dinner bell where you join the other children in the dining hall. Tonight is rabbit stew night so everyone gets their bowls of rabbit stew with vegetables and honey drizzled butter bread before going to sit down to eat and talk about the many goings on.

"I heard someone in the Orphanage got taken by Baba Yaga a few nights ago. Their bed was really dirty, it was covered in dead leaves and ragged tattered blankets. I had to go burn them all when it was my turn to do all the sheets and stuff so Baroness Grimes wouldn't get upset. Also, she got really angry this morning when she saw the basement door open this morning. She grabbed the Goodwin Twins and accused them of stealing from the Orphanage fund that she was given by a mysterious benefactor and patron for doing such a good job here of running the place and the twins hasn't been seen since." One of the girls that you have met that does kitchen duty sometimes named Mariah said after taking a bite out of the honey drizzled butter bread.

"That creepy cat that looks like a ghost that stalks the school at night screamed bloody murder one night. I don't know why the Baroness tolerates it on the grounds. It gives me the shivers. Hey Tink, what are you going to do during your leisure time tonight? If you go see Mr. Carlin, tell him I said Hello." The boy across from Mariah who is your other acquaintance friend Darius adds a moment later before finishing his rabbit stew. They then go tend to dish duty after dinner leaving you to have your meal.

After you eat, Tink, you silently head out to Carlin's shack with a smile.

Knocking on the door, Carlin opens it and smiles. He is a short but stout and strong old dwarf with short graying hair and beard with blue green eyes wearing an artificers uniform which is overalls, long leather gloves, boots, protective goggles and a protective helmet.

"Tink, my boy, come in! You are just in time. I am finishing up on my birthday present to Princess Melody. Come see." He cries out with excitement and shuts the door behind him.

Carlin shows you a music box with a beautiful ballerina inside that spins around on a golden disc. He gives it a few cranks before the ballerina slowly spins around to the musical tune of "Swan Lake." When the song finishes, the ballerina finishes her dance.

"I was about to start painting the music box and ballerina when you came in but ran out of time. Princess Melodys birthday is tomorrow. Alas, I cannot deliver it to her party tomorrow, but hired a page to come by and pick it up. Hopefully I can finish it by the morning. I think you might need to make your escape. I saw who The Baroness's mysterious benefactor and patron is. She has been working with the Goblin King Trogdor and his Warlock Advisor Silas whose cat has been stalking the grounds. She has been giving children here from the orphanage to the King to eat. So quickly grab all of the things you hold dear and I'll show you the way out." Carlin says to Tink a moment later.

Carlin replies "Flora is with my good friend Grandmother Sophie in the Enchanted Woods. She saved Flora from Baba Yaga, who does in fact, eat children and Flora has been there ever since. If you are ever in trouble, go to Grandmother Sophie. She will help and protect anyone in need. Grab what you need and escape!"

If you gather your possessions and meet back up with Carlin, he leads you to a secret tunnel which he activates by lifting up a book. The bookcase slowly opens revealing a tunnel.

"Follow this tunnel out. The end leads all of the way to the drainage system which leads out of the city. Follow and you'll end up at the lake in the Enchanted Woods which is where you will find Grandmother Sophie's cottage. Stay safe and if we don't see each other again, then I am proud to have been your mentor and friend. Keep on creating things to help others and that will help save the world. Goodbye my friend. "

As soon as Carlin takes his hand off the book, Baroness Georgette Grimes standing right behind him quickly stabbed him in the back through the heart with her long great sword with a dark smile. She slowly removes the sword. Carlin falls to the floor lifeless with blood pouring underneath him on the floor.

"You took my profit away from me. Now you die old man." She growls through clenched teeth looking at Carlin with crazed blue eyes and her long blonde curly hair encased around her face.

The bookcase quickly falls down in front of you leaving you alone in the dark tunnel that leads out of the orphanage into the city drainage system that will empty out into the lake.

What does Tink do when this unfortunate event happens?

Awesome roll!

Tink, You find a long and loose metal pipe on the ground. You use that to make a makeshift torch lantern and holding it you continue on through the long dark tunnel that takes you underneath the Orphanage and out of the city into the drainage system where you quickly jump into the water and with your pipe torch lantern swim until you appear in the crystalline clear blue waters of the lake of the Enchanted woods.

Reaching the shore, you head towards a large beautiful cottage of Grandmother Sophie and you knock on the door and standing behind Grandmother Sophie is a familiar face, you see Flora who beams at you with an excited grin.

Grandmother Sophie looks at you with a smile and says "Come in, young Tink or should I call you Atrius? I am Grandmother Sophie and I promise to keep you safe and protected just as I have with Ms Flora here. As long as you are here, you must follow my rules. Now hurry inside, it is almost nightfall. "

Tink, you walk inside Grandmother Sophie's cottage with Flora just as the sun slowly begins to set below the horizon.

As we leave this scene for now, we head back to the Thieves guild where it is the next morning and we find a young boy waking up ready to face the new day.

@Basil Basil, describe your character to us and what he is currently doing at this very moment.

Ollie, you hear a gentle knock on the door and opening it is a 6 foot tall man with short brown hair and blue eyes wearing a brown vest, white shirt, brown trousers and black boots. Across his forehead is a red bandana signifying him as the King of Thieves and guild master of the Thieves guild and around his neck is a necklace of animal teeth he collected from those he called animals that double crossed him. Dodger sees you Ollie and smiles.

"Good morning Ollie, my boy! I hope you slept well. Hurry up and get dressed. I'm taking you to breakfast this morning at the Wounded Dragon Tavern. You deserve it for being a great help to me and the others lately. " Dodger says a moment later in his deep commanding voice fit for a king.

Dodger looked at Ollie with disappointment in his eyes. "I was thinking of just getting us the Breakfast of Strength for us which is eggs, deer sausages, honey rolls and bacon. We don't have to have their flat cakes. C'mon, it will be mine and Jockos treat since he gave us such an amazing treasure haul stealing from the Baroness recently. But, if you think hanging out with your dad is such a drag, then fine, sleep the day away. You'll have to clean the guild hall before bed tonight then. I was giving you a chance to eat breakfast with me and not have to work tonight. I also received a letter from my friend Grandmother Sophie I wanted to share with you . Seems two of your old friends from the orphanage Tink and Flora recently found shelter and protection there. But if you don't want to hear about it, I can tell you another time." He said and pitifully pretends like he is going to walk away with his head down to the ground.

Do you decide to go with him when you hear that? @Basil

Dodger laughed at that. " That was very good my son, You certainly fooled me. Let's go!"

Dodger follows you out the door to the Wounded Dragon Tavern where Jocko is waiting for the both of you having already ordered the Breakfast of Strength.

"Took you both long enough. I already ordered. The food should be here soon. Have you told him about the job yet, Boss?" Jocko asked curiously.

"I'm going to Jocko. Let us eat first then I'll tell what Grandmother Sophie has to say." Dodger replied.

Moments later and a large plate of sausages, honey rolls and bacon comes out to everyone with mugs of freshly squeezed orange juice. Digging in, it is delicious.

Once Dodger finishes eating, his face gets serious as he pulls out a magical scroll. "So I received a letter from Grandmother Sophie. The letter is as follows: To my dear friend Lord Dodger King of Thieves, I hope this letter finds you and the Scoundrels well. I am doing well. I am in need of your services. I need two healthy and hearty as well as strong young men to help me out for the Summer. If you know of two who will spend the Summer with me and help me with some pest control issues, I will handsomely pay them both 1000 gold once their task is complete. They will get room and board if they come and will stay safe/protected as long as they follow my rules which I will tell when they get here. Tink and Flora are both thriving here since coming here. I know they have been through a lot and it would be good to have other children to run around with. Stay safe and may the stars be your guide. Sincerely, Grandmother Sophie ."

Dodger places the scroll away before smiling at Ollie. "I think you and Woody should take this job as you are both qualified to undertake whatever obstacles come your way. It will be a great opportunity for the both of you to make new contacts and gain experience in teamwork and to help you become a good leader. Plus you will have ample opportunity this Summer to learn all you can and more. The guild will still be here when you return. Jocko is about to become a full-fledged member of the Scoundrels as an arcane trickster rogue and will be taking freelance jobs abroad soon so he will be taking his initiation test before the Summer solstice starts. So are you interested in taking the job? " .

Dodger smiles at both Ollie and Woody. "Excellent! You'll leave the night before the Summer solstice (which is tomorrow night) so be sure to pack what you need and make me proud as it is a day's journey to get to the cottage. I wish both of you the best of luck and Ollie, make your father and King proud. " He says before giving both Ollie and Woody a huge but crushing bear hug. Releasing the two of you and drinking his orange juice in one gulp, he leaves before saying to Jocko "Good luck in your initiation test, you'll need it."

Jocko nods. "Thanks, Lord Dodger. I will try my best."

When Dodger leaves , Jocko looks at both at you with excitement. "Your first ever abroad assignment and you both haven't done the test to become Scoundrels yet. You must be vying to go freelance like I am . Those jobs actually pay better than what the guild pays for. You got something Adventurers guild grade. That's amazing! Be careful travelling to the Enchanted woods at night though. I heard there are monsters and creepy animals and stuff in there that only prowls at night. Heard someone went in there once at night and must've got eaten by a giant Frog or toad or something as they were never heard from again. I know you both aren't scared of anything though. Promise you'll keep in touch while you're gone?" He said and hands Woody a sending stone to keep in touch. He then hugs Ollie and Woody before finishing his orange juice and goes to see what needs done around the guild hall.

As you both finish or have finished your breakfast, what do you both do for the rest of the day as you only have one day to pack and be prepared for your journey to Grandmother Sophie's cottage the next night? @Basil,@Eyes

So you both pack up and gather everything you need on your journey to Grandmother Sophie's cottage (clothes and other things). It is 9 am when you are all set and ready to leave.

After you say goodbye to Jocko and the others, you head out to Grandmother Sophie's cottage in the Enchanted woods. From the city of Dalton to her cottage is a day's travel on foot. It will be almost midnight by the time you get to the cottage.

Do you do or say anything while travelling to the cottage, Ollie and Woody? @Basil,@Eyes

It is almost midnight by the time you both get to Grandmother Sophie's cottage. A note is placed at the door with the door cracked open.

The note reads
Dear Woody and Ollie,
I am so sorry we didn't get a chance to meet. Please come inside and go on to bed. You will be bunking with Tink and Flora. In the morning after breakfast I will show you the grounds and show you where the pest problem is at that you have been hired to do with what the rules are that you must follow while under my protection. Have a good sleep and see you in the morning. Sincerely, Grandmother Sophie

As you both enter the beautiful and immaculate cottage of Grandmother Sophie while shutting the door behind you, you enter the room where Tink and Flora are sleeping and settle down to rest. Come the morning your true Summer adventure with Flora and Tink will officially begin.

The next morning you all wake to see a friendly little brown owl smile at you with a wave. It is Grandmother Sophie's familiar Archemedes who you have seen before that first night that you had come to the cottage Flora.

It hoots at you all before heading out and you all smell the sweet smell of bacon wafting through the walls with a sweet smell of maple syrup. It is time for breakfast in the cottage. So what do you all do as you begin a new day? Describe to me what you do this morning Flora, Tink, Woody and Ollie. @Basil,@Svande,@Eyes,@Seck

Grandmother Sophie comes in wearing her beautiful blue dress and smiles at everyone. "Good morning Ollie, Flora, Woody and Tink! Breakfast is ready when you all are. Flora, I have your fruit salad and scrambled eggs and we have pancakes too for you since I know you don't like meat but theres bacon for everyone else with pancakes too and eggs. Don't forget after breakfast that you have your morning chores, Tink and Flora. Woody and Ollie, I would like to talk with the both of you after breakfast if that is ok. You're not in any trouble. I just want to give you a tour of the grounds and the cottage as well as tell you the rules I expect you to follow while being here and why I hired you both. Also, I hope Archimedes wasn't a bother. He just loves to give his morning greeting. " She said after a moment scratching his head lovingly. Archimedes happily hoots back before nuzzling her hair with his feathery head. She then leaves back to the kitchen with Archimedes on her shoulder leaving everyone to get ready for breakfast.

Grandmother Sophie smiles and replies "My pleasure, dear Flora. Woody and Ollie, when you've finished breakfast, don't forget to wash out your plate and I'll meet you in outside to begin our tour. Tink and Flora, don't forget to do your morning chores. If you get them done early, you can have some leisurely playtime before lunch."

After she finishes her breakfast, she goes to wash out and dries her dishes before going outside with Archimedes following her where the sun is shining brightly through the windows.

Once you all have finished breakfast and washed your dishes out, Flora and Tink go to get started on getting their morning chores done which is feeding all of the animals and filling up the honey jars to bring into the kitchen pantry and to gather some maple syrup too from the woods.

Ollie and Woody, You see Grandmother Sophie and she waves at you both with a smile.

"I hope your travels here went well. My name is Grandmother Sophie and I am the Guardian witch of these woods here at this cottage and resident witch of the village nearby here. I'm what people call a "White witch." While most witches and hags like Baba Yaga uses the dark arcane magic, my magic is only used for good and to protect and to keep others safe. I try to help out those who needs help as best as I can. My cottage borders between the Fey/spirit realm and our realm here in the human realm. We are self-sufficient here. I raised all the animals here to give us milk and eggs and the bacon is made from the boars who happily sacrifice themselves to be the meat that we eat. We also have honeycombs from the hives we have that the bees make and we get the maple syrup from the maple trees in the enchanted woods using a maple tree siphoner. The water comes from the rain we get in this well here too. I hired the both of you for a different reason though. Come along with me here and I'll explain the pest problem I have. " She explains as she takes you through the many areas of the grounds showing you the barn, coop, well, the bee area, and more.

She then stops at two large adamantium doors which are built into the ground that leads down into the cellar and sighs before taking a deep breath and speaks again. "This is where the pest problem lies. This isn't your normal pest problem. A few months ago I had been trying to help people out by curing them of their fears. By extracting their fears out of them, I had hoped that it would be the end of it. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The machine I used on them to trap their fears inside broke and their fears were released and the magic in the machine brought them all to life inside the cellar. I tried to destroy as much as I could but it quickly became too much for me so that is why I locked the doors behind me and asked for help. I chose you two because you both have the potential at your chosen skills of being a rogue and a fighter. If you can help me out, I'll happily pay you the 1000 gold each at the end of the Summer. If you get in trouble, you can go get stronger than come back and try again. I took out the stirges but I don't know what else lies within because the fears in people's minds are a mysterious but dangerous thing. When you are ready, I'll unlock the doors and allow you to venture down. I'll even give you the key Woody so you both can come and go as you please in there. Also, whatever you find is yours to keep. "

She then relays to the both of you the same rules of staying there that she had told to Flora and Tink which was Don't be out at dark, don't make wishes on stars unless you are willing to deal with the consequences of your actions, if you do your chores, do it well and always keep your word as your word is a verbal contract and promise. After she finished speaking, she waits to see if Woody and Ollie have any questions for her and hands Woody the key to the cellar.

Grandmother Sophie smiles. "There is a village a mile down the road that has a general store that sells hunting supplies, shields, armor, weapons, potion, anything you need. Even ration packs with candy, nuts, fruit, and jerky. You can go there to get them. They even sell lanterns. Tell them that I sent you and they'll give you a discount. " She tells Woody and Ollie.

"Also you never know what fears come out of people. I've only seen stirges but haven't seen what else is in there because I got scared and locked the doors. So there may be Giant rats, Giant frogs, things like that but you won't know unless you go in there." She adds a moment later.

"If you need me , please don't hesitate to come find me or say my name. Just remember that a closed door is an answer and an open door is an invitation. If you would like to go gather supplies, you can go take my horse Chestnut in the stables to take you to the village which is only a 30 minute ride to and from. As its your first day here, you don't have to start this today. You can start tomorrow. I'll give you a day to get situated and settled here. Who knows? Maybe Flora and Tink would like to help you in your task as it's a great way to bond and gain experience and everlasting memories is working together to take down your foes." Grandmother Sophie said before heading to the garden to water the flowers and pull weeds out.

So what is Woody, tink, ollie and Flora doing right now?

It is 11 am once the tour of the grounds is finished and lunch is usually served at 1 pm so if you all leave now, you can make it back in time for lunch. What do you all decide to do? @Basil,@Svande,@Eyes,@Seck . If Tink and Flora have finished their morning chores, they can go with Woody and Ollie to the village to gather supplies.

As you all head out and two of you ride on Chestnut the brown horse that Grandmother Sophie owns while the other two walk alongside, Woody, Tink, Ollie, and Flora all head to the Coastal village of Port Shale. It is a beautiful bustling town (reminiscent of Port Royal from Pirates of the Carribean) full of busy people shopping at the bazaar and the fish market down at the docks. As you enter and Chestnut walks down the cobblestone street you see a sign that says "We Got What You Need, Buckeys General Store". With a picture of a Haregon rabbitfolk drawn next to the sign holding a carrot in its mouth bugs bunny style. You can smell the ocean and feel the cool ocean breeze on you before you enter the quaint store which is small on the outside but bigger on the inside after hopping off Chestnut tying her up to the wooden post outside.

A white Haregon rabbitfolk jumps off the front desk when he sees you wearing a buttoned up shirt vest and a pocket watch and says with excitement "Welcome! I am Buckey and this is my general store. How can I help you fine adventurers today?"

Tink, as you explore Buckeys store, you find like the front end of a flamethrower nozzle just sitting there on top of a book that says "How to use fire magic in firearms for artificers and gunslingers. " The flamethrower nozzle looking at the price tag is 1 gold and the book under it says "5 gold". There is also a leather wristband belt strap with belt buckle which you can attach to your wrist and make a fire bolt flamethrower wristband out of. The strap is only 1 gold. There is also a bucket of metal cogs, springs, and tubing in there too. Those are 1 copper a piece. Inside there is also a iron triangle which can be used as a detect magic dowser too which is in the bucket as the other parts.

Buckey smiles and says "The weapons and armor/accessories are in the back and I can go ahead and get you set up with the ration packs here and the lantern as well." Buckey says a moment later placing 4 ration packs and the metal lantern on the desk. "So far for the ration packs and lantern, it is 10 gold altogether. I'll leave them up here for you and will calculate everything else for you once you finish shopping."

Flora, are you looking around too?

Buckey looks at the dagger and goes "I can take a copper a piece for the daggers and the component pouch, my dear. And sure thing. Go raise the money you need and I'll keep it in a special room where I keep reserved purchases at which is my office." He tells Flora and Ollie.

"Do you still want the ration packs and lantern though? I can ring that up for you and anything you can't afford, I can keep reserved for you. The weapons and stuff are fairly cheap. Armor and weapons are cheap for starting adventurers like yourself. Potions are 50 gold a piece too. That's why saving up money is important so you can get what you need and then as you obtain more money or sell what you don't need, you'll be able to get what you want. If there are things you no longer want or need anymore, I'll buy it off your hands like books and more. " Buckey says a moment later to all of you.

As you all continue to look around, Ollie, you see that Buckey sells and has started a lending library in the shop which includes a few fantasy novels, some clean Fantasy romances, and some tutorial books like the fire magic in firearms for artificers and gunslingers. There is also a book called "How to take control of your lycanthropy and vampirism as a blood hunter and things to do to keep your friends safe." There is also a clean Fantasy romance novel sticking out called "In the Arms of an Aasimar". There is even a Fantasy novel you recognize Ollie, that you read a while back called "Cameron Creed and the Treasure of Dead Man's Cove" which is a Pirate adventure about a normal orphan boy named Cameron Creed who dreams of adventure who gets captured by pirates and is forced to become one after finding out that he has the map within him.

Woody seeing the grandfather clock in the shop it reads: 12:15 pm and you remember that its almost lunchtime and it will take you guys 30 minutes to get back to the cottage.

Buckey counts out how much it is on his rabbit Paws and says "All together that is 51 gold. Ok I'll do it and keep you to your promise. You got a deal, young sir." Buckey shakes your hand Woody and takes the necklace from you before putting that and the book Tink wanted for safekeeping in his office after waving goodbye to everyone and replied "Please tell Grandmother Sophie I said hello and I look forward to getting a batch of her delicious Carrotcake cookies in the future. Hope to see all of you again soon."

Buckey takes the coins from all of you and smiles. "Thanks for your patronage. Hope to see you again soon." He tells Ollie after giving you your items.

"Ma'am, would you like to buy the dagger and component pouch? " He asks Flora a moment later.

Buckey nods. "Sure thing. It'll be 51 gold and 2 copper for the ladies items if she wishes to buy them." He says a moment later.

"Thank you Tink. You didn't have to do that. I could have saved up the money myself. I promise to pay you back. " Flora says in her sweet and adorable voice as she gives a polite bow as she was taught to do from Grandmother Sophie.

Buckey takes the money and says goodbye to everyone.

When you all leave the shop, you get on Chestnut after untying him and head back to Grandmother Sophie's cottage just in time for lunch. You enter the cottage to the smell of delicious rabbit stew, with freshly baked bread.

"How was your trip to town everyone? Tell me all about it. " Grandmother Sophie said with a interested look on her face.

"Remember, whatever you find is yours to keep. I know I found some interesting things among my travels that I no longer use anymore, including a strange set of magical cards that can bring good or bad consequences to the person who draws the cards. I never drew any of them so they are just collecting dust down there. So clear out the pests that are actually people's fears turned real that are like monsters and stuff and anything else you find is yours. " Grandmother Sophie says a moment later to everyone.

[OOC] You're not eating Buckey. It's another harengon rabbitfolk. Lol. [/OOC]

It is bedtime after you all finish dinner. Is there anything you all want to do before going to bed? Just curious.

You easily create the flamethrower wristband and magical divining rod Tink with Ollie's help and go on to bed just as the blue light encases around you in its warm comforting embrace as if you are being given a hug by a friend.

The night is quiet and peaceful. You all rest without an issue until the Sun comes up and Archimedes Geandmother Sophie's owl familiar quickly flies into your room with an excited screech as it chases a rat that has come into the room overnight. It then swoops down and swallows the rat in one gulp before flying back out of the room.

What does everyone do once they have woken up? Breakfast is waiting in the kitchen and Flora has already gone to meet y'all there. @Basil,@Eyes,@Seck

As you all eat, Grandmother Sophie arrives with a smile.

"Good morning everyone. I hope you all have had a good sleep last night and are ready to seize the day! Flora, I see you have a lot of arcane potential in you. If you want, I can begin your magical training today. Let me know. Otherwise, get your chores done and the day will be yours to do with as you wish afterwards." She then takes a bite of breakfast and moans with pleasure after that.

As you all finish breakfast and wash your dishes, you quickly get to your chores and you get done with all of your chores within an hour of feeding the chickens, goats, horses, pigs, cows and other animals, collecting milk and other things, watering the garden and more.

With the chores done, you all see the large foreboding doors of the underground storm cellar. Once you get inside, please give me a perception check Woody, Tink, and Ollie.

Tink as you all enter the room after walking down a flight of stone stairs, you see a table with a Deck of cards (33 in total) sitting in a velvet box to the left of you, and towards the back of the room is a sinister looking machine that has a table with chains, a long hose with a mask at the end of it connected to a large burlap sack that is currently empty and a wheel and gauge next to it. This is the machine that Grandmother Sophie used to extract people's fears and store them in the machine. As you can see , there is blue magical puddles all over the place from where the machine had regurgitated all the fears out of it making them real. The room has a torch sconce that had been magically lit but has yet to fade away.

There is also a large cauldron in the center of the room covered in the same magical blue substance that is all over the place.

Flora, you recognize it as the cauldron Baba Yaga had thrown you in and tried to cook you inside it.

Avoiding the Extractor machine for now, you all are about to move on to the next room when the giant cauldron that had been in the center of the room now blocks the way to the next room. Looking closely, you can now see a spooky face on it as it has instantly comes alive and tries to slam Woody inside of it with its lid.



Woody please give me a Strength Saving throw DC 18 as the Cauldron is going to attempt to grapple you if it hits you.

Running out of the cellar, Flora takes Woody to Grandmother Sophie.

"Grandmother Sophie, we need help! Woody got attacked in the cellar. Can you help?" She asked.

Grandmother Sophie nods. " Give him to me."

She quickly places a hand on Woody and casts cure wounds on him before saying "I shouldn't have let you go in there. You are not ready for what is in there. You all need training. Go rest and you will all start your training tomorrow. "

It is now 2 pm since you all went into the cellar only to retreat for now. What are you all doing for the rest of the day? @Basil,@Eyes,@Seck . Flora mentioned going to play in the woods or go swimming and Sunset isn't until 6:30 pm.

Grandmother Sophie smiles and replies "Sure honey. Come with me."

She takes Ollie to a very large library/study that is as big as the one from Beauty and the Beast. Shelves and shelves of books greeted them both as they entered the room and Sunlight filtered through the lone stained glass window in the room casting rainbow light in the room.

"Here we are. Read and study to your hearts content, Oliver. There are books on all of the different types of fighting techniques on the Battlemaster to the rune knight to the echo knight, Samurai and more. There are also fiction books and more. Whenever you get lonely, know that your friends are outside and I will only be a room away. Have fun!" She says before leaving Ollie to his own devices.

You all do some training until the sun begins to set and you all head back to Grandmother Sophie's cottage just in time to wash up for supper and eat.

She hands you plates of roasted duck with potatoes and orange slices before asking everyone "So what are your plans for tomorrow? Flora , if you want, I can start your training in spell crafting tomorrow. Just let me know. "

Grandma Sophie smiles at that. "I would be honored to help you all train in spellcrafting and fighting. We will begin tomorrow morning right after breakfast and chores are done. I hope you will come train with us too Ollie. I hope the library study was satisfactory to you too." She says to everyone a moment later after swallowing a delicious piece of duck.

Is there anything else you do for the first day of Summer before you rest for the night after you eat? Just curious. @Basil,@Eyes,@Seck .

[/ooc]

Grandma Sophie comes to eat breakfast with you and says "After breakfast and chores, please meet me in the backyard. We will start your training there. I have test dummy scarecrows out that you can test your skills on. "

After she finishes her breakfast, she goes to wait for everyone in the backyard area of the cottage.

What is everyone doing before they go meet up with Grandmother Sophie? Just curious. @Basil,@Eyes,@Seck . Flora is doing her chores before she meets up with everyone. It'll take her an hour to do without anyone helping her.

After you finish up your chores, you all meet Grandmother Sophie at a large clearing in the backyard. She smiles at everyone and says "Today begins your training. To start, choose a training wooden dummy. That will be your opponent during your training. Then, I want you to try and see if you can attack it. " She tells everyone.

The dummy's hit and collapse to the ground after being attacked by Woody and Ollie but at Tinks attack, the dummy sways to the side and the flaming fire bolt lands into the well instead and gets extinguished.

"Oof. Good try, Tink! Great job Woody and Ollie. Flora, how about you give it a try." Grandmother Sophie says to everyone with an encouraging smile.

Flora throws her spear and it lands a few feet behind the dummy stabbing the ground with a thud.

6 Months later...
Flora, Tink, Ollie, and Woody have all spent their Summer at Grandmother Sophie's cottage learning how to fight and defend themselves as well as learn how to use magic.

It is the first day of October and there is a nip in the air. You all wake up and looking out the window you see the leaves in their autumnal colors of red, orange, yellow and brown dancing in the wind as they slowly fall to the ground. Everyone wakes up stronger and wiser as level 1 adventurers. What do you all do as you wake up this morning and let me know how your training went and what has changed about your character since then?

Grandmother Sophie calls out to everyone"Be careful out there. Be sure to be back before nightfall if you go into the woods! Have a good and safe time!"

She then goes back to working on her garden and harvesting some herbs, medicinal plants and other spell components that she had planted in the garden placing them into her basket along with some tomatoes and other vegetables.

Once everyone finishes their chores, you all meet in the woods only to see Flora slowly try to sneak up to a fat goblin who is chuckling to himself and saying if you speak goblin

"If Meezah Sees a fleshy human, Meezah going to capture it and take it back to my village to share with our tribe and eat together. I have my trusty net gun to help me succeed." The goblin says in goblin language before chuckling with a excited smile.

The goblin quickly sees Flora and crying out with excitement quickly shoots her with his net gun.

The net quickly falls onto Flora and she is restrained and unable to move.

The goblin laughs and says to Flora in common "Meezah got you , tasty human! Meezah going to take you home to feed you to my tribe!" And pressing a button on the gun, he slowly reels the net with Flora in it towards him. You can hear the chains that are connected to the net that is being pulled begin to rattle as Flora terrified tries to break free.

The Goblin looks at Tink with surprise when he sees the fire bolt coming towards him.

The Goblin cries out in pain as it takes 1 fire damage and tries to pit himself out.

Woody as you strike the Goblin he falls to the ground and with his last breath before he keels over and dies lets out a loud whistle.

The Goblin was not alone and was only a scout. 4 more Goblins appear and look at all of you with hunger and anger on their faces.

Everyone roll for initiative!

The Goblins prepare to attack.

Initiative:
Goblins-21
Flora-7

Initiative:
Goblins-21
Flora-7
Ollie-6

Initiative: (Green is who is currently in initiative and blue is who is next on deck)
Goblins-21
Tink-20
Woody-18
Flora-7
Ollie-6

On the Goblins turn:

Goblin #1 sees their dead companion and turning towards Tink who killed him pulls out a crossbow and shoots a crossbow bolt at you.

Goblins #4 grabs the net gun from their fallen companion and shoots it at Flora with a hungry smile. The net instantly hits Flora again and she falls into the net entangled and restrained.

Goblin #3 dashes up to Woody and prepares to attack with his Scimitar on his next turn.

Goblin #4 runs 30 feet up to Ollie and attacks him with a scimitar.

Tink turn is now Woody, Flora, and Ollie you are next in initiative.

The fire bolt strikes goblin #1 with the shortbow and sets him on fire Tink. Burns begin to cover his body as he falls to the ground dead.

The other goblin sidesteps your attack Woody and just laughs.

Flora is next

Ollie is on deck

Ollie is next followed by the Goblins

Ollie slashes the goblin attacking Woody across the throat and it falls dead to the ground.

The final goblin outnumbered runs for it bringing opportunity attacks from everyone.

The beam misses the goblin but leaves behind a charred spot.

As the fire bolt misses again, the dagger hits its target and Ollie strikes straight for the Goblins heart and the goblin lies dead on the ground.

You then hear someone yell "Pathetic!" And you all turn around to see a large half-elf man in luxurious clothes slap Flora across the face and she falls to the ground with a yelp of pain. There is a large pink handprint on Floras face now.

"I told you to go kill a goblin for me and yet you failed ,Flora, even after I gave you the power to protect those you care about. You are a pathetic child. I'll give you one more chance to do this favor for me. " He tells her and seeing one more Goblin around the corner, casts hold person on it and brings it over to her.

"Go ahead. Kill this goblin for me. Its brethren tried to capture you and planned to eat you and hurt your friends. Get your revenge, my servant!" Oberon says with a wicked smile on his Archfey face.

The Goblin gets struck in the heart by the blast and falls to the ground dead.

Lord Oberon smiles at Flora and says "I'll call on you for my next favor soon. For now, keep practicing and don't let your fears freeze you in place. You have people you care about to protect now, my pet."

He then pats her on the head and disappears into thin air.

Give me an investigation check, Woody to see what you find on the Goblin besides the weapons.

Woody besides the weapons, you find a pouch of 50 gold pieces.

Tink looking at the goblin you are investigating, you find 100 gold pieces, the net gun, and the clothes and pointy shoes that were on his feet. He was also wearing a cloak of protection.

The one with the shortbow had 10 copper and gold teeth in its mouth.

The first one you killed only had 20 gold on him.

The one Flora killed had 200 gold and a spear.

You leave the bodies and head back to Grandmother Sophie's cottage just before it becomes dusk.

Grandmother Sophie sees all of you and says with a warm smile "Hello everyone, you are just in time for dinner! Go wash up and you can tell me how your day went while we eat. I bet you all had a crazy adventure today."

"That sounds amazing. Goblins are terrifying creatures but I'm glad you all worked together to stop them. What are your plans for tomorrow?" Grandmother Sophie asks everyone as she hands everyone a plate of Roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and orange wedges and a slice of bread and water glasses.