SUGAR & SPICE - 29/09/2021 - A Kavel Perspective

Prologue 1 - Downtime Woodcarving in Daring Heights

My lessons in woodcarving under the tutelage of Morgana Starbright were going well.

Morgana, she does not have the same appreciation for strength maintenance and improvement that I do. But, she is strong at woodcarving, and she will make me strong at woodcarving, so I have much respect for her.

Ha! She actually moved 500lbs of wood in the workshop all by herself! It was impressive. She used magic to do this of course, so that’s cheating. But, I say it’s an impressive use of magic. Of course, naturally I can carry 480lbs of weight around all day - no problem. And I can also lift 960lbs, which is twice as much as what Morgana lifted with magic, and I’d be able to do it again and again, and again without the need of sleep to replenish my strength, unlike her and her magical lifting. But, so what? I’m not comparing.


Prologue 2 - Morgana’s Advice

It was time to earn some more coin. I had to pay for my woodcarving lessons after all.

Since I wouldn’t be fighting in the Pits, it was probably best to keep Adventuring regularly.

A help-wanted note caught my eye. The note mentioned needing help procuring, “the most infamous of all vernal spices. Meet me at my abode, the Fiore Popolare ”.

‘Vernal spices’, I’m not familiar with the local drug-speak, but this sounded to me like drug peddling. I showed the note to Morgana. She said, “... no Kavel. This note is from Leona Autumn. The Fiore Popolare isn’t a drug stash, it’s a cocktail bar and herbalists shop. Leona is quite the mixologist and herbalist. She’s probably paying well. Maybe you should take the job?”

“Okay. Good. Yes, I will take this job”, I said in response.


Outside Fiore Popolare - Daring Heights

The note said to be at Fiore Popolare at 9am. I was there on time, by which, of course, I mean early. So too was comrade Derthaad, the blue dragonborn, who I last saw in the Angelbark Forest where we smashed and burned those foul corpse-flowers together.

A comrade of Derthaad turned up next, a human called Florian. Florian had a cool, laid back vibe about him.

Next came Anywn a white dragonborn, and I could tell from the build and the greataxe that I was in the presence of an iron-warrior much like myself. It brings me joy to see another warrior amongst a group of adventurers. Normally I’m entirely surrounded by magic users, and not even if they combined they’re strength could they bench more than me!

And finally, if it wasn’t my favourite elephant-transforming, shadow creature crushing; duck researcher! Yes, it was the fire-genasi Glint.

Glint knocked and the door swung open by itself. Magic is literally everywhere.

The smaller companions, Glint and Florian went in first, then Anywn, then Derthaad, and then finally me. As Anwyn walked in, I could see Derthaad visually marking Anwyn’s height against the door frame. Derthaad seemed pleased when he walked through the door and noted he was taller. As I walked through, I noted that I was half a foot taller than him.


Inside Fiore Popolare

The first thing we all noticed when inside Fiore Popolare was how immense the place was compared to the dimensions of the building from the outside. The ceiling was extremely high and hard to see. When we looked up, it was as if we were looking at the sky. Again; magic is literally everywhere!

At the centre of the room, I first mistook the object to be a pillar, but on second glance it was a giant willow tree with branches sprawling out high above us coated in autumn shaded leaves.

Florian, the cool bro, was impressed with the tree. He began talking to the tree like it was a person, paying it compliments.

“What was he doing?”, I thought. Maybe I mistook crazy for a cool demeanor, but then the tree rustled in a way that suggested... a response?

I was beginning to think I’d seen all that magic had to offer. Yet again, magic has proven me wrong..

A pleasant lady came to greet us, this was Leona Autumn, whom Morgana told me about. She carried a staff and appeared to have a pouch of herbs by her side.

It turned out that Leona was preparing a special cocktail for High Harvest that was soon upon us. The only problem was the delivery of her special - magical (of course) - pumpkins were late. She needed adventurers to investigate and get some of her pumpkins to her by the next day, or else she wouldn’t have enough time to get her main concoction ready for her cocktail party at High Harvest.

The pumpkins were being grown in New Hillborough, on the Plumstead family farm. Florian lives in the same town and knows the Plumsteads, so he was good to navigate us there.

Leona was aware that the son, Sammy Plumstead, had been in Daring Heights recently.

“Do you have any enemies?”, I asked Leona.

“... well”, she stumbled, “... maybe, but they wouldn’t”, she replied.

Maybe the Plumsteads are ill, or their carts have broken. We’d find out!

Leona offered us gold if we could set things right, and an invitation to her cocktail party, where we could sample her signature pumpkin spice cocktail. Glint asked if he could have some of the cocktail to bring to someone who wouldn’t attend the event.

Glint is always asking for things. When we accompanied Mr. Cleaves, Glint asked for a duck (he later asked for several ducks). If Glint came to Kavel’s Corner for Strength and Conditioning, would he ask for one of the heavy clubs I’m working on?


Leaving Daring Heights

As we leave Fioro Popolare, there is talk between Glint and Florion about a manticore that was in New Hillborough not too long ago. Apparently manticores are normally seen in pairs, so there are concerns that maybe the Plumsteads have been attacked by a manticore.

“If so, there will be plenty of smashing to do when we get to New Hillborough!”, I said expecting a group cheer in response.

Instead I got met with words about how the diplomatic option should be explored first from both Anwyn and Glint. I was disappointed in my fellow strength enthusiast, and as for Glint; if only Pixy was around to turn him into a foe-trampling elephant again!

Florian said he would show me these awesome rocks in New Hillborough, if there was nothing to smash when we got there. My comrade bro had my back.


At the Plumstead Farm

We arrived in New Hillborough later in the day, but still before the sun had gone down.

Florian got us to the Plumstead estate. There were apple trees all around at the front. We could see behind the two-storey halfling house, was a field of corn. No pumpkin patch yet. But, we could just about see a very large, giant scarecrow in the back fields.

At the front of the house, on the porch was a cornucopia and a plank of wood with runic symbols carved into it, presenting the cornucopia. The others told me this was a halfling offering to the provider god, Yondalla. Why were the pumpkins smashed then?

Belrin Plumstead came out to greet us. Followed shortly by his wife Adele. They toldl us that the pumpkin patch that Leona gave them the seeds for, had grown well. The patch was out back next to the corn field, but there appeared to be a spirit there, haunting the patch, as they heard a creepy, childish laugh when they last went there. In addition, their son wasn’t helping out with the work. The parents said he had been moping in his room for the last few days, refusing to work. Between when Sammy first stopped helping and now, the pumpkin patch became haunted.


The Pumpkin Patch

The Plumsteads went back in the house, while we made our way to the Pumpkin patch behind the house. The sun was going down, but we had just enough light left to see.

Both Florian and Glint summoned bird familiars to join us. Stryx, who I’d seen before, and Gigi, another owl.

Both owls began circling the pumpkin patch before we reached it. Florian informed us that Gigi could see a patch of soil had been disturbed near the scarecrow, who was indeed immense now that we could see it as we entered the pumpkin patch. Apparently there was a magical aura around the disturbed bit of patch. Derthaad went to investigate it. I joined him for protection, just in case the ‘diplomatic plan’ had to be abandoned for a plan that included smashing.

We are quite spread out now in the patch.

Anywyn and Florian shout that they have heard the creepy child laughter approach them and then disappear.

I, as a team-player, stuck to the diplomatic plan and announced loudly to the air:

“if there are any children here! You must be very careful! I may have to start swinging my polearm soon, and if I hit you, you will be dead!”

“It’s not kids dude!”, Florian responded to me, and added, “But, good communication dude”.

A few seconds pass by, and now me and Derthaad who are next to the dusturbed patch in the field, hear the creepy child laugh approach us and then disappear. The laugh had moved from the bottom of the field where some of the others were, to the top right corner where I was. Me and Derthaad moved closer to the centre of the field.

As I got near the middle of the field, Gigi joined me on my shoulder and made a sound to urge me in the right direction. There was a pumpkin out of place. And suddenly I could feel something trying to punch the insides of my head. I managed to shake it off. Gigi however took a full psychic punch to its head and was no more.

Before me, carved out eyes with a light shining through the eye holes appeared on the pumpkin I faced. More horrifically, a large creepy grin carved itself into a smile on the pumpkin and the source of the creepy child laughter was now clear to me.

The pumpkin jumped out of the field followed by a scorpion body in proportion to the pumpkin sized head. It had giant pumpkin pincers and a stinging tail. I later learnt this was a Jack-O-Laughter. I immediately learnt that the diplomatic plan was gone - it was smashing time!


The Jack o’ Laughter

Glint, it seemed, was not done with the diplomatic option. He seemed to be attempting to talk to our enemy.

Derthaad did not seem to have shaken off the same mental punch I received, but despite that he seemed to try the same tactics on our foe. Whatever Derthaad tried, it didn’t stop our adversary from attacking. Before I had time to react and get my breathing set, and get my body ready, the pumpkin attacked low and caught both my thighs with its pincers and began crushing them.. I was hurt badly and was being painfully held in place. The pumpkin monstrosity laughed, as if it was a child merely playing.

In my strength training, I try to be like bears. Bears are strong. In this painful moment I could do with the strength of bears, and as if plucked from my mind a bear appeared in the field. This was no bear I had seen before, it was as if it had an aura of fire, and it appeared to be summoned by comrade Florian. Yes bro! I gave him a thumbs up. As I began to feel inspired by this bear, I felt my injuries healing under the pincers of the pumpkin creature.

Anywn charged towards the action, roaring. They were taken with a barbarian rage, and swung their greataxe at our opponent. Yes! They had abandoned the way of diplomacy! That’s it! You are an iron warrior like me, Anwyn. Unlike me though, they were surrounded by an aura of lighting, which dealt some damage to our opponent. Nice.

I controlled my breathing and my body warmed. Following comrade Anywn, I too entered a barbarian rage. I retrieved the new poleaxe I was gifted from the magical library, and the pumpkin monster felt the bludgeoning end of it.

Glint compromised between diplomacy and attack, and casted a spell that now held the monster in place. The tables had been turned. I could feel protection magic cast on me from Derthaad, as the monster leg go of my legs to make an escape from the difficult terrain Glint had made. I seized the opportunity and smashed it with my poleaxe. It’s laughing response was less creepy than before. It was now just for show.

As the Jack o’ Laughter made its way towards Florian, my comrade summoned another animal. This time, a sturdy looking, black house cat. What it lacked in size, it made up for in ferocity as it lunged at the monster and bit down on the monster's sides. The laughing, by its own command, had stopped. It was to be replaced by a more hideous, but inflicted laugh caused by Glint’s magic. The monster lost its footing as it cackled out of control and fell incapacitated. We battled on, and Florian’s stout, little cat caused the fatal blow. The tiny panther had earnt my respect.


After the battle

The magic users concluded that our opponent was not similar to all the other magically planted pumpkins.

Glint, as I had seen him do before, produced a mighty flamme and directed it at some of the pumpkin remains of the monster. It was, to be fair, in this warmed state, delicious.

Sammy, the son came down to meet us, and he had much to tell us.

It turned out that comrade Celina from my library adventure was married to Sammy, but it was a crazy situation. It was a sudden wedding, and his parents did not approve. Sammy was upset, and as a result he refused to work. In his frustration he smashed the cornucopia on the porch and through some magic I don’t understand, this allowed a Jack o’ Laughter to appear.

Florian and Anwyn gave the young man some advice, and he took it well, and responsibly started harvesting the pumpkins and getting the first cart loaded for immediate delivery to Leona in the morning.

Florian offered to take me to the rocks he said I could try and lift, but we thought about the pumpkin patch and how it was getting too late to work the field. So, we helped Sammy with the harvest. No time for lifting unfortunately.

Glint tried the diplomacy route with Sammy’s parents, and I guess diplomacy got a win, because the next morning, we were accompanying Sammy and a cart full of pumpkins on the road back to Daring Heights.


A Successful Return

Leona was pleased with our success. She paid us 50gp each, and said she was working on some magical containers for us that could produce, not one, but three different special, pumpkin spice cocktails a few times a day. Leona informed Glint that she would make him two of these cocktail shaped containers, so he could give the second one to his friend. Who was his friend?

“Glint, who is the friend? Is it Sorrel, Angier, maybe Gerhard?”, I asked.

“No”, he said in response, “it’s a fellow researcher”.

I only knew one researcher, “oh it’s Professor Tumblefoot, right?”

“No… you don’t know him, Kavel”, came the response.

As we thanked Leona for her gift and made arrangements for when to come back and collect it, Florian decided to stay and hang with the willow tree, and Glint had left to catch up with Sammy, who had left already.

I said my goodbyes.


Epilogue - back at Morgana Starbright’s Woodcarving Workshop

I made my way back to my place of learning. There was dried blood - mine - on my legs from where my thighs were held in the vice-like grip of the Jack o’ Laughter’s pincers.

I walked into Morgana’s and made my way to the workshop.

“I’m back from the adventure”, I said to Morgana.

Morgana looked at my legs, and then up at my face. “Everything alright Kavel?”

“Yes. The adventure was not a problem”, I replied, “and you were right, Leona Autumn is an expert mixologist. She’s not a drug baron at all”.