The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

A Series of Bizarre Events

Episode 1: Transposition

Other than the bitter cold that covered the land, it seemed a normal day for our adventures sitting around the fire in the Vales. The four heroes, Vifur, Leigh, Tiberia, and Ilthara were chatting about the strange weather when a strange creature walked past their camp. It looked like a Satyr but it didn’t act like one. It held a strange glowing orb to its ear and seemed to listen in different directions. It ignored the heroes’ attempts to speak to it and instead moved south. Curious, our brave warriors followed. As they ran after it suddenly they fell under attack from all manner of dark creatures. The enemy force was composed of flying eyes, hook horrors, driders, and intellect devourers. This force was no match for our heroes, however, and were quickly dispatched! What struck our heroes as odd was that several of the gnolls seemed to have been killed by the creatures. Some of the gnolls even died without a scratch of a wound on them. Clearly foul magic was afoot.

So our adventurers continued to follow the trail of the mysterious Satyr (who mentioned himself as Drat). As they continued they came across even more foul creatures! The other creatures this time were joined by a beholder and a mindflayer. With a tad more effort these enemies were also vanquished. After the battle the heroes searched the bodies and discovered a scroll on the mindflayer. The scroll had a single word written on it. None of our heroes could read it so Ilthara volunteered to fly back and have Alistra translate it. The word was “Transposition”

And with that, the mystery thickened! Our heroes followed the trail all the way into minotaur lands. Deep in the lands with the foul air our heroes came upon a portal guarded by an army of the terrible creatures. Next to the portal stood Drat. As soon as our heroes saw him, he lifted his orb high above his head and threw it into the ground. Upon impact the orb shattered and a bright light flashed. In an instant Drat was gone and where he once stood was a powerful Mindflayer darkener. When the Darkener spotted the brave warriors he ordered his minions to attack. In the meantime he started casting a long and complicated spell of some type. It was a grueling battle but once again our heroes were victorious. Furious that his spell was interrupted the Mindflayer attacked and our heroes had no choice but to finish him!

With the death of the mindflayer, the portal started to shrink and our heroes could hear a voice screaming through it. The voice warned of an evil that was coming to Sierra Na and how his agents were merely trying to stop her. He warned that this “Planeswalker” would come and tell them lies and get them to work toward her own dark ends and that the world would tremble if she came. Once the voice disappeared and the portal closed our heroes were left to wonder.

Whose voice was that in the portal? Who is this “Planeswalker”? Is she really as evil as the voice claims? Was the voice really trying to help the world? Find out next time when the adventure continues in… A Series of Bizarre Events, Episode 2.


Episode 2: A Broken Message

All was quiet in the Vales as our heroes, Tiberia, Ilthara, Paetyr, Sweetpea, and Gwen, sat around the campfire and discussed recent events. Their talks were interrupted however when a small satyr stumbled into camp. It took a few moments for Tiberia and Ilthara to recognize the satyr, Drat. It seemed that he had changed. He was smaller and looked as if he had no idea where he was or what he was doing. After trying to talk to him, they determined that he was clearly mad. The cleric, Paetyr, determined that a more powerful cleric might be able to heal Drat’s mind. As our heroes began to form a plan, a few of them spotted movement to the north. Curious, our heroes headed toward the forest Lake. As soon as they arrived they were ambushed by a group of creatures just like those they had seen before, Hook Horrors, intellect devourers, and even beholders. After a grueling fight our heroes were victorious!

Briefly, Sweetpea and Ilthara tried to determine where the creatures came from but they were unsuccessful. Then they returned to the camp to find Drat. They determined that they would need outside help so Ilthara flew to Elpis and convinced her to come and see if she could help Drat. After examining him, Elpis told them that powerful magics had been used to make him this way. She said that she didn’t know how to make him permanently better, but she could make some sort of potion to make him better temporarily. To do so, she would need a dark ingredient only found among clerics and worshipers of dark Gods, a powder commonly called “Mindless Dust”. Upon hearing this, Paetyr knew where to go. He had seen the place before.

Paetyr led the adventurers through the orc lands to a dark mountain covered with orcs and guarded by a Fey’ri. After another vicious battle they made it to the top. At the top of the mountain our heroes found an altar and some of the dust. They quickly brought it back to the Temple of Sune, where Elpis had taken Drat.

Using the dust, Elpis managed to help Drat recover a fraction of his insanity. Drat told the group that a lady in red had found him, freed him, and sent him here to give the people at the camp a message from her.

The message said that they should find the Keeper of the Rose, and tell him that the time is coming once again. The barriers keeping them out were weakening. Gather the Roses, keep them safe from the Halfling in White. Soon she would come, and then the Keeper of the Rose could help her end this once and for all.

The message seemed to make sense to Paetyr and Sweetpea. Paetyr assured Drat that the message would indeed be delivered to the Keeper of the Rose. This left Ilthara and Tiberia confused but Paetyr wouldn’t say much more.

Who is the Keeper of the Rose? What do Paetyr and Sweetpea know about him? What are the Roses and why do both the Halfling in White and this Lady in Red want them? Find out next time when the adventure continues in… A Series of Bizarre Events, Episode 3.


Episode 3: Time

It was a bitter cold day in the Vales as two of our heroes, Paetyr and Tiberia, sat around the campfire. They were talking quietly when yelling and other sounds of battle echoed from the south. Upon hearing the sounds they broke off their conversation and started walking south. Before long they came upon two heroes that were new to the lands of Sierra Na, Anwan and Laurik. The two warriors had been attacked by several dark creatures. Paetyr identified them as minions of the “Dark Soul.”

As the four traveled back to the Vale they came upon Ilthara, who had also heard the sounds of battle. Back in the Vale the group of adventurers discussed what was happening. Their conversation was interrupted however, when lighting started cracking all around the camp. After a few minutes a strange halfling appeared. He was dressed in flowing white robes and seemed to glow. The Halfling in White seemed a bit distressed that he was there. But after a brief tantrum he focused on the party around him. He told them that his being here was bad because “She” was likely close behind him. He told the party that if she, the planeswalker, came then they would be in grave danger. She was a creature of evil! Who wanted magical roses so that she could use them to destroy the world. The only way to stop her was to find the roses and give them to him!

The wise band of adventurers was not convinced. In fact they seemed almost bored by the Halfling’s conversation. It was clear that they would never help him. Angered, he disappeared. It was then that Paetyr stood up and started casting protective spells. The others looked at him curiously but he just told them that they would likely be attacked. He was right!

Only a few minutes later a swarm of creatures attacked the camp and our heroes fought them off. Then they tracked the creatures north, deep into the Troglodyte cave area. There they discovered a mindflayer, and the magical energies of a portal. They were too late however, the portal was already closed. It seemed that it wasn’t time.

Is the Halfling in White telling the truth? Is the “planeswalker” truly evil? What is the purpose of the mysterious crystal roses? Find out next time when the adventure continues in… A Series of Bizarre Events, Episode 4.


Episode 4: Circles

It seemed a normal day when our adventurers, Ilthara, Paetyr, Sweetpea, Laurik, Merago, Gilian, Sorilla, were standing outside of the Dwarves’ house in the Vales. Their peace was short-lived however for Elpis soon came to them. She told them that the satyr she had been watching over, Drat, had disappeared. She was unable to track him but was hoping that one of them could. Ilthara readily agreed and the others followed both she and Elpis to Sune’s Temple.

Ilthara searched for signs of tracks while others searched Drat’s room for clues. Sweetpea noticed that one of the cabinets in the temple was slightly open. When she and Elpis searched the cabinet, Elpis discovered that a jar of powder was gone. She described it as “binding powder” which is commonly used in spells of summoning and the like. Worried that Drat was planning on using the power to summon minions of the Halfling in White, the brave heroes set out to track down and stop Drat.

Ilthara and the others tracked Drat deep into the minotaur lands. At last they found him standing in a clearing just beyond the poisonous air of the minotaur lands. He was standing on a large flat rock, clutching the jar to his chest. Slowly and quietly the adventurers spread out to surround him. As they got closer, they could hear him muttering words over and over.

“Make the circle. Walls weak. Make the circle. She will come.” Drat repeated these words again and again. After hearing it for the first time Paetyr knew who Drat was trying to summon and it wasn’t the Halfling in White or his minions. So the group watched as Drat made a circle with the powder then stepped out of it and waited.

After a few minutes they noticed the cracking of the lightning centered around the circle and the powder started to glow red. Then there was a blinding flash that cleared to reveal a woman wearing red leather armor and a red hood that veiled her face in shadow. She stood with a confident grace that left little doubt as to who she was, The Lady in Red, the Planeswalker.

She spoke with our heroes for a time. She told them about the Halfling in White, and about the Roses. She told them that the Roses would act like a key which would open a door. First they had to find the door, which Paetyr described as a room with scratch marks on the walls. A powerful mage would be needed to cast the spell and undo what the Halfling had done so long ago. She also said that the room would likely be at the “source.” Or the place from which the Halfling’s minions could be sent into the land. It was a physical place somewhere hidden. If they could find it, they could end it once and for all.

Before more could be said the Lady in Red flickered. She asked if they had been followed. Then with a start she realized that the Halfling knew she was there and that the adventurers were there. Coming to the same realization, Paetyr told the Lady in Red to go and that they now know what must be done! With a blink she was gone and Paetyr was already casting protective spells.

A few heartbeats later a horde of creatures attacked the party from all sides. But once again the foul minions of the Halfling in White were no match for our heroes! Before long the bodies of the horrible creatures covered the ground on which our heroes stood and all was quiet once more!

Is the source really where the roses must be taken? How can the source be found? Find out next time when the adventure continues in… A Series of Bizarre Events, Episode 5.


Story written by Child of Stark