Breath Note - 06/07/2022 - A Kavel Perspective

Back in the City

It’s been six nights since the invasion ended. I came to the city to check on Mendal, Morgana and Anton. I have spoken to Morgana, my old woodcarving instructor and Anton, my carpentry instructor and they are doing as well as can be.

Mendel used the Sending Spell during my walk her to contact me. I was relieved to hear his voice. But, I have not managed to speak to him face to face yet. We agreed to meet up later though. I have been reassured by locals in the Dwarven Quarter that Mendal built the turning platform on this new performance stage opposite Hammerfall Smithy - the wreckage that was in the spot before was cleared by a whale… Mendal will have to explain that to me later.

As I walked to the dragon, I saw posters for a concert in Port Ffirst to be held in a few days time with all ticket and merchandise funds going towards the renovation of the harbour town. My comrade Felix was advertised on the bill.

I was exhausted when I reached the Dragon, so after a meal and a drink, I went straight to sleep. I was so tired, at least I must have been, because the sound of the croaky singing I could hear coming from somewhere did nothing to stop me from falling asleep… actually if anything, it might have helped me sleep?


Is This A Dream?

“What was in the beer?!” I heard comrade Felix say. Speaking for myself, I only had the one ale. But, here I am nevertheless - and where is here?

Comrade Felix and Celina were here with me, along with two new comrades I hadn’t met before; Ana and Elias.

Ana is a white-skinned goliath, very tall with blond hair. Mendel had mentioned her. Elias, was an elf - and glued to his eight legged horse.

I took it for granted that my two new companions did not regularly look as blocky as they did then, because Felix, Celina and I were also looking a little blocky as if someone had drawn us in a painting as if we were made up of cubes. Even the landscape looked cubular from the rocks and the trees and even the river and bridge near us, and I could still hear the faint sound of that croaky frog song I heard before going to sleep.

Ana discovered a frog. Ana said it had a face that reminded her of her grandfather. I took a look, and was surprised that the frog’s face reminded me of Sampson. I was wondering if it was possible that Ana and I shared a goliath family lineage. But, then Celina came to have a look at the frog and caught me off guard, when she exclaimed, “Sammy!”

It took me by surprise that comrade Celina was on familiar terms with Sampson. “You used to call Sampson, ‘Sammy’?” I asked.

“You called Sammy, ‘Sampson’?” Her response.

“Tall, goliath Sampson?”

“No. Halfling Sammy.” She said. Ah! that cleared things up.

Elias saw a cat person when he looked at the same frog - I definitely couldn’t see that.


Talking to a Frog

I asked the frog why it looked like my old friend Sampson. The frog responded that everyone we loved was here and that we should all stay. I translated for my comrades. But, it turned out that my translation was not needed, as the frog had responded in Common.

Comrade Felix was using the Detect Magic spell and noted that everything was an illusion.

“Show me Sammy!” Celina was poking the frog. The frog disappeared.

Comrade Elias wanted to go east over the bridge. I suggested that what could be happening here is that we were all asleep. Comrade Felix volunteered to cast a very noisy spell, Thunderwave, to try and wake us up. I said I would slap myself really hard as well.

One thunder spell and red faced cheek later - we were still in this weird blocky place with the faint music.

“I could have told you we are not asleep - I am an Elf. I wasn’t asleep when the music brought us here,” Comrade Elias said, providing us with further evidence to reject our hypothesis that we were asleep.

Ana tried to drink some water from the river, but when she tried to do so, there was an invisible field around the river, preventing her from entering it. Elias casted the Dispel Magic spell and we saw an invisible wall of force appear where the river was, but then the illusion sowed itself back up.

We agreed to go east.


Over the Bridge

On the other side of the bridge there were frogs rustling in the bushes. Ana took to testing the environment further. She began slashing the tall grass with her sword… green gems appeared floating in the air. Ana would go to grab one, and it would disappear… I think into her coin purse?

We came upon a large cottage. There was a dug moat surrounding the cottage. A square moat. In fact, everything here was square, not just our blocky bodies. Even the tall grass Ana cut through would shred in the shape of square patches. The road north was blocky too.

Felix went to knock on the door - with his boot, and narrowly avoided kicking a small child in the face, who opened the door.

The small child was wearing green face paint to look like a frog - he was very fond of frogs. Gregory Gregory, as he introduced himself, had magically created this entire landscape where we were. Gregory Gregory thought his paradise for frogs was the best thing ever and insisted he had done a good thing for us. Gregory Greg possessed very powerful magic. Gregory knew we were sad, and thought that creating a land where the many frogs here reminded us of our fallen loved ones, would make everyone feel better. Why the frogs? Frogs are amazing - his words. Also the logic of a child.
The boy mentioned he had sent his singing frogs to Port Ffirst to perform in the same concert that comrades Felix and Elias were headlining. The singing of these singing frogs would send the concert-goers to this place, much like… oh! I guessed it was those singing frogs I heard at bedtime that transported me here! This was bad, and the kid was clueless as to why.

Fortunately, our thoughtful, but presumptuous and far too powerful kidnapper was persuaded by my fellow comrades that his methods for making people feel better were appreciated, but problematic. Gregory informed us that he could do nothing to stop the frogs from reaching Port Ffirst and the concert in three days' time, but he was happy for us to leave by following the northern road towards the portal, which would come out at Daring Heights. It would then be up to us to stop the singing frogs. Gregory gave us a one and a half foot long box with holes in it to house the thirteen singing frogs, when we found them.


Back in the City

Exiting frog land, we emerged through a portal outside Daring Heights. The next morning, Elias went with Ana to go see Aurelia and discuss Gregory. This was productive. Celina and Felix wanted to drink - this was not productive. I joined the day-drinking team to keep an eye on them. I was on shandies all day to limit the damage. In order to ensure my two sub-team comrades would actually make it to Port Ffirst in time, I promised I would carry a cart full of booze to Port Ffirst with me.

Elias and Ana eventually joined my sub-team and presented some ideas about how to stop the singing frogs. We eventually agreed that we would construct a small building adjacent to the Flourished Hook - where the concert would be held - call it ‘The Green Room’ and advertise it as the exclusive dressing-room for the singing frogs. From inside the ‘Green Room’ we would get the frogs in the box Gregory provided us.

There wasn’t much time to construct a small shed-like building, so we decided to leave for Port Ffirst immediately.


An Observation about Comrade Celina

Obviously, comrade Celina was still mourning the loss of her Sammy. But, it occurs to me that this was not the first time Celina had chosen to contribute to the team by frequenting a tavern. This happened in Kundar as well, where she got drunk with Ivan whilst I, Kruger and my departed bros did some admirable masonry work, and dear Silvia along with Gerhard helped me persuade rock genie’s to give a shit about their fellow rock people.

I think my City Watch member friend Derthaad keeps a suspicious eye on comrade Celina on legal grounds. I am more concerned with her fondness for booze.


The Adventurers Contribute to the Renovation of Port Ffirst in Their Own Way

We did not actually travel to Port Ffirst immediately. We carried on drinking, and then left the next morning via teleportation circle thanks to comrade Felix’s magical abilities. No hangovers surprisingly. I think comrade Elias did something to our drinks - well done them.

With the aid of my comrades, I constructed a shack next to the Flourished Hook. It was shit. A passable pagoda. I really wasn’t as proficient a carpenter as I had hoped yet. I still needed an instructor. But, it seemed like the building could be passable as a dressing-room for frogs - maybe? I carved out thirteen different vanities, which Celina helped decorate. Ana went and scavenged lots of flies, crickets, grubs and other delectables for frogs.


Performance Day! / Intercept Singing Frogs Day!

We had double checked the line-up for the day of the concert. Felix and Elias were on last. The singing frogs we on before them.

Elias was up in the sky getting a birds eye view of the area to spot the frogs’ arrival. Felix had animated some of his musical instruments to help with the search, Ana - fluent in animal speak like me - had recruited some local fauna to welcome the frogs. Celina went off to procure a bucket of booze - hopefully for the frogs.

I stopped to think about from which direction the frogs would come from, as I thought about the surrounding nature - and then Mr. Bear came to chat with me!

“Mr. Bear!” I said greeting him.

“Hey Kavel. You're looking for singing frogs, right?”

“Yes Mr. Bear. That is correct”

“Hmmm. That direction over there old boy,” he pointed, “Have a good day now.”

“Thank you Mr. Bear! You too.” Mr. Bear is always so helpful when I need to commune with someone who knows about the surrounding nature.

My comrades found it easier to spot the frogs after I helped locate the frogs’ path.


Celebrity Frogs Arrive

“We’ve prepared the greatest Green Room ever,” Ana said to the frogs when they arrived a few hours before their call time.

One of the frogs asked if we got their ‘rider’. Elias assured them that we did and mentioned examples such as procuring them only red flies, and individual vanities to get ready in.

The frogs entered the ‘Green Room’ and seemed satisfied with the booze bucket, vanities and decor. They asked me to help them on to their individual vanities. I obliged.

At this point my comrades and I realised we hadn’t connected the dots between getting the singing frogs in our Green Room and then into the box Gregory gave us. So, we improvised, and Elias casted the Darkness spell, and rounded all the frogs into the box. Success!

I then pointed out that the Flourished Hook’s concert was now missing performers, and they were up next. I suggested Felix and Elias extend their sets - despite my many adventures with magical experts, I am still naive in their ways of finding solutions - comrade Elias turned us into temporary frogs, and suggested we could perform as the singing frogs ourselves!

I did my best as a ‘dancing’ acrobatic frog performer, but I was far from the highlight of the frog performance. All my companions were musically gifted, and we were very well received as singing/dancing frogs. Fortunately for Felix and Elias, they did not upstage their later performances.


The Outcome

The concert was amazing. The organisers sold many tickets and a lot of merchandise - frog merchandise for sure. They exceeded their goals, and as such were able to compensate us for our efforts whilst still having amassed a considerable fund for the Port’s renovation.

Impressively my shit Green Room was still standing in the morning.