Ode to the Seasons - 02/05/2024 - Archie’s Extracts

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The Temple For All Seasons and All Courts

My multi-talented wizard friend, Calla Prim invited me to join her for the opening day ceremony of the fully excavated and renovated Temple For All Seasons. The temple is located in the Feywild’s Court of Harmony, a vassal court of the Summer Court, and we were treated to an exclusive first tour of the temple before its official re-opening.

Ruler of the Court of Harmony, Queen Merla, has opened the renovated Temple For All Seasons with a welcoming hand of peace to all courts in the Feywild with a desire to promote harmony amongst rival courts. The temple has shared history with the four main seasonal courts of the Feywild and as such, Queen Merla feels the temple could be a place that allows for harmony to grow between the courts and wash away bitter rivalries. This is an applaudable endeavour from the Court of Harmony.

However, for several hundreds of years, forgotten by most, the temple had been used as a prison during greater rivalries between the courts. Rivalries are not easily overcome.

Record Keeper Artholos and the fourth cantor of the Court of Harmony led our tour of the temple. During that time, I was able to investigate the door which magically locked the horn of the hunt away and out of the hands of Drusilia. I had previously tried to investigate the magic of the great door before, in a previous visit, but this was some time ago. I felt that with my recent improvements with magic, now feeling a much greater sense of oneness with my awakened spellbook; I might now be able to discover something I hadn’t previously. In my hubris; I thought I might uncover a way to replicate the magic that concealed and secured the great horn from anyone’s grasp. Artholos, the Fourth Cantor and my adventuring party humoured me with the time to investigate - yet I was unable to discover anything new.

During the tour, I was able to see the rooms that I had previously not been able to explore. The prisons that I was told about, in the spirit of promoting harmony, had been renovated into resting areas for visitors from all over the Feywild.

In what could be described as the heart of the temple, with two statues of individuals who, if I’m not mistaken, also appear in the antichamber by the entrance to the temple, we were each granted a boon before leaving to join the opening ceremony.

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A Brief Outline of What is Currently Known About the Feywild Struggle With the Man Known as the Lord of the Hunt

My dear friend Kavel was first amongst adventurers - and anyone at all - to visit the temple when it was first rediscovered. Kavel and his party were tricked into gaining a treasure from inside the temple for a hag called Drusilia. The treasure was the magically powerful hunting horn of the Lord of the Hunt.

Other adventurers' attempts at good deeds also led to Drusilia acquiring the spear of the Lord of the Hunt.
Through sheer misfortune another group of adventurers ended up reawakening the memories of Oriniax, The Lord of the Wildings’ Great Mount. Horn, spear, and mount; Drusilia had the three items she needed to release the Lord of the Hunt from his magically secluded prison between planes.

My own knowledge of the Lord of the Hunt is far from adequate. Whilst I wouldn’t say with certainty that between the Winter Court and Summer Court one court could be deemed to be entirely ethical in their behaviour towards the other, I do, however, feel a certainty in saying the Lord of Hunt’s hunting of people in the feywild is not behaviour that should be condoned. Certainly not as the hunting involves the mind control of people, with the use of the Lord’s magical hunting horn. Imprisonment of the Lord of the Hunt is just, as is the appropriation of; the horn and spear, and the imprisonment of Oriniax.

Kavel was part of a group that later attempted to thwart Drusila and her daughter, who is in fact, Oriniax, from releasing the Lord of the Hunt from his prison and prevent him from leading the Wildlings on renewed hunts of the Feywild’s population. Unfortunately, the adventurers were too late. They themselves became enthralled by the Lord of the Hunt, or so it seems, for a brief period, as they have little recollection of their time after the Hunt Lord reappeared and their own reappearance back in Daring Heights. These adventurers were, however, able to piece together brief recollections that led to the conclusion that the Lord of the Hunt is romantically involved with the Queen of the Winter Court. This conclusion has more recently been confirmed.

An ally against the Lord of the Hunt and his Wildlings, Jasper, is presumed to be dead. Kavel witnessed the Lord of the Hunt hurl his spear at Jasper, penetrating his chest. The fey foxman teleported to safety, but the wound was critical. To my knowledge, nobody has found a body to confirm death, however, it is not likely that Jasper lives given his wound as reported.

During a later encounter by adventurers, of which my friend Kavel again was part of, the adventurers managed to severely maim Orianiax, the Great Mount while others in the party faced down the Lord of the Hunt and his Wildlings. This appeared to have prevented the Lord of the Hunt from easily teleporting around the Feywild causing hunts to start with no warning and no time to intercept.

I believe there was another encounter with the Lord of the Hunt that other adventurers experienced during an invitation to the Winter Court by its ruler, Queen Morinn, and her consort the Lord of the Hunt. My own recollection of recounts is that there was a hostile interruption from the Summer Court, possibly even by Queen Titania, but I cannot confirm that myself.

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The Disruption of the Opening Ceremony of the Temple For All Seasons

Tragically, the ceremony was disrupted by the Lord of the Hunt. Perhaps in retaliation for events that occurred in the Winter Court?

Queen Merla extended an olive branch of peace towards the Lord of the Hunt, who is her uncle. The offer was violently rejected as I witnessed the Hunt Lord throw his spear at the Queen. My adventuring colleagues attempted to save the Queen, who herself attempted to save the manifestation of harmony itself that attempted to save her. When the dust settled, It was Merla who was struck in the chest. I am told the Lord of the Hunt may have intended to hurt his sister, Queen Titania by killing the manifestation of harmony. It is heavily conjectured at this point that the Hunt Lord had not intended to truly target Queen Merla. The reasoning here is he did not appear pleased at the target his spear found, even though his aim would have indicated the intended target was Queen Merla.

The Master of Revelries, Kruxheral, also the consort of Queen Merla, planeshifted us adventurers and the queen to Daring Heights, to seek urgent aid from two veteran adventurers I had met before, Varis and Ser Baine Cinderwood of the Order of the Crimson Fists. Sadly, Merla’s critical injuries were beyond even these senior adventurers’ powerful divine healing magic. The last I was able to discern of the matter is that Queen Merla is back in the Feywild and has been made stable by use of a powerful sleep spell that has suspended her from succumbing to her critical wound. All attempts to heal her, I understand, are being explored.

There is a sense of tension among the Dawnland Adventurers and Daring Council as to what further news will come from the Feywild between the Summer Court and Winter Court.

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Temple Colleagues

Calla - like myself, my elven wizard friend has mastered the Contingency spell and found tremendous use from its ability to aid in anticipated dire matters. Calla very cleverly has the Wall of Force spell ‘contingently’ prepared to be casted when she performs a particular hugging motion. It is unfortunate that Calla had not been able to shield, who later appeared to be the correct target, although it is also not clear whether the Lord of the Hunt’s spear would have had the power to penetrate a Wall of Force spell. The fact that the robustness of the Wall of Force spell is being called into question, is worrying, and equally worrying is not knowing the answer to the question itself.

Mittens - there wasn’t much need for spellcasting during the tour of the temple, and with the sudden tragic turn of events, it seemed inappropriate to do what I had intended to do with my young tabaxi friend, which was to quiz him on his spell learning.
I am pleased to see Mitten’s friendship with Calla. Seeing the young man’s concern for his friend when Calla requested to perform a dangerous ritual in the final room of the temple, was touching. It was also commendable of Mittens to remain with Calla whilst she performed the ritual, for her safety.
Calla is immensely secretive. I am beginning to be worried that she has something planned that I wouldn’t find advisable. I hope, perhaps, her friendship with Mittens may develop in a direction where he; the younger of the pair is trusted as mature and sensible enough to offer counsel to her; the older of the two. Much of that depends on Mittens’ maturation.

Raine - my half-elven friend attempted what she could to defend her queen’s life, but unfortunately it was to no avail. I shall call in at the Feylight Theatre to check in on Raine; about herself, and whatever news she may have. I imagine the mood in the theatre may not be its usual one given that Queen Merla is patron of the theatre. All members there may understandably feel concerned.

Sterling - my halfling, artificer and surely colleague was keen to acquire the cold iron that was used in the temple to seal off access to fey intruders. Record Keeper Artholos, understandably, did not accept Sterling’s offer of trade.
To my surprise upon reflection, I find both Sterling and myself more drawn to autumn than any other season, which we discovered when the temple blessed us with a temporary, magical enhancement.

Dulgrun - I had not previously had the pleasure of meeting the dwarven adventurer, Dulgrun. I was confused as to whether or not he had or hadn’t visited the temple before. He seemed quite familiar with the fourth and first cantor of the court.

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A Temporary Insight into Divine Magic

The temple granted me temporary enhancements. At the time of writing this, the enhancements are long gone. They were:

Magical Resistance to Necrotically Incurred Wounds - Kavel did not understand why I did not test this ability. Such is the confidence of someone younger and more ridiculously well-conditioned to sustaining injuries; the man is routinely struck in combat by strikes that would be fatal to anyone but himself. It follows, I suppose, that he has little concern for testing the veracity of a newly acquired ability to resist harm.
My goliath friend also felt the resistance I had attained was gained through ‘cheating’, as opposed to earning it through strength and conditioning as he has done. I feel this ‘cheating’, as he put it, I could potentially attain for myself another way, if I pursued how to create my own Potions of Resistances. However, it is not a priority at this moment.

Ameliorated Wisdom - I did feel considerably more perceptive for the time I benefited from the enhancement. The feeling was somewhat similar to being under the effect of the Enhance Ability: Owl’s Wisdom spell, and yet also as if you were wiser at base level, so to speak.

The Ability to Cast the Guidance Cantrip - the spell, as I had suspected does feel very similar, yet again, to the Enhance Ability spell, but more ‘a la carte’ without having to select the specific subcategory of the spell. But also; more temporary in duration. It was Mendal this time who felt I had ‘cheated’ my way into experiencing this spell. Unsurprisingly he felt the same about the final temporary gift I had acquired…

The Ability to Cast the Cure Wounds Spell - like the above cantrip, I do feel I may be able to learn these spells, contrary to popular belief, without becoming divinely blessed by a deity. With the right research and practice, I feel one could initiate oneself with divine magic, if not eldritch too. The ability to cure one's own wounds is very attractive to me. However, as with Potions of Resistance, this is not a priority for me at the moment.

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One of the Highest Forms of Magic: The Wish Spell

I believe I witnessed Queen Merla cast the Wish spell. It is not surprising that an Archfey, which I believe she is, is able to cast this spell. After the Clone spell, I shall move on to mastering the Wish spell, its enormous power and versatility will be tremendously useful to me as an adventurer and researcher both. The Wish spell, to my understanding is another way I could - to use my friends’ term here - ‘cheat’ my way to accessing divine magic.

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Another’s Perspective to One’s Own

Not only did I receive temporary magical enhancements from the temple, I was also met with a curious question when ready to leave from its magical exit. ‘Fire’ or ‘whetstone’. I chose whetstone. Whilst fire provides tremendous utility; providing warmth and enhancing food. I am attracted to the idea of the whetstone being akin to a book; both are the sharpening device for its intended item; blade in the case of the whetstone and mind in the case of a book. Though I chose whetstone, there was no additional gift given after my decision was made Nor did it seem my fellow adventurers left with an item they did not have with them before entering the temple.

Mendal, my dwarven cleric friend, offered an alternative view on which item; fire or whetstone I should have chosen. I quote:



Conversation on the matter went further.

Mendal asked the following of me, rhetorically, “Bet you didn’t check if you could pick both?”

I told Mendal that it was highly unlikely that choosing both items was an acceptable answer, to which he responded, “I don’t see why not; it’s not like they even gave you a whetstone after you made your choice?”

I am not sure what will come from my choice, if anything. But, reflecting on the choice with another does make one wonder if during other decisions a person makes, they place restrictions on their decision making that may not in fact truly need to be?

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