This is part of a series called "Tales of the Magaambya," and is in my set of TTRPG Wrap-Up fiction. I am in several TTRPG groups, whether it be D&D, Pathfinder, or something else, and to keep track of the plot and keep myself on my toes, I write session wrap-up notes in the form of in-character journals. In this case, this is the grand tale as told by a bard of their personal adventures and exploits. It is based on the characters in a Pathfinder 2e game of Strength of Thousands that I run, which takes place in the world of Golarion. Consider this your warning that THIS SERIES WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE STRENGTH OF THOUSANDS ADVENTURE PATH FOR PATHFINDER SECOND EDITION. All within is personally written by me personally, summing up the exploits at my personal table, and are not at all considered "canon" to the adventure, and ABSOLUTELY contain deviations from the published adventure that I put in myself. But it will spoil the story, so beware.

Part 4

Fey Abeyance

Wealday, Arodus the 5th, 4720 Absalom Reckoning

Early the next day, Kahara woke quickly and walked to the Heron Archives to talk with Teacher Ot. She told him of her concerns regarding the gremlins she faced the previous day, and the potential of this "Kurshkin" becoming a threat to the school. He assuaged her fears, teaching her of gremlins and their propensity for storytelling, but promised to take her concerns seriously, promising to look into it personally.

As she returned, the rest of us had awoken and had tea at the ready, already talking to a human girl, hair a mess of tangles and clothed in brilliant colors, sitting with a large monitor lizard on her lap, who introduced herself as Mariama Keitana. Along with her, the friend they had worked with the previous day, Anchor Root, and a dozing Amurrun by the name of Chizire. Mariama explained that, despite Anchor Root's presence, they would be performing a task for the Cascade Bearers, and that she was only filling in due to her fellow Cascade Bearer, Chizire's, inability to perform a task asked of him, explaining he was a master napper.

But as Kahara joined them, Mariam informed us that, in the interest of the Cascade Bearers, the branch most connected with magic craft, arcane academia, and the advancement of magical theory, the party would be helping perform a ritual to keep the gremlins out of the storage room (and possibly other areas, should the ritual function as hoped). All the cohort would need to perform it was three ingredients: Bone Oil, Caterpillar Oil, & Scarlet Cap Oil.

After a quick study in one of the campus' libraries, the party ventured out into the jungle to find the elusive Red Fork Caterpillars, toxic to the touch. Thanks to Jhaan's keen eyes and Kahara's natural sense of survival in the wilderness, the party found a collection of them within the trees, collecting plenty thanks to Jhaan's illustrious use of Mage Hand.

We then sought the Scarlet Cap Mushrooms, which grew atop a rare oak tree. They found one, and Kahara climbed the tree, finding the mushrooms growing atop it just as predicted. But as she did, a small green mushroom man known as a Myceloid ambushed the party with a cloud of toxic spores! While most managed to escape it, Oyana breathed them in, and was beset with a coughing fit, feeling ill deep in her gut.

The Cohort fought off the Myceloid bravely until it ran off into the woods, defending their sickened wizard. In the aftermath, Kahara collected the mushrooms, and looted a small hidey-hole packed with treasures that the Myceloid presumably stole from various sources.

Upon returning to town, they sought out what Anchor Root described as "Lucky Bones." Kahara set to the library within the Heron Archives to research birds that used bones in their nests, while the rest of us looked in the Trading Bazaar, following a rumor. Word said this cow, when brought to the crowded market by its owner, stood stock still and uttered, "A market in the city? Death would be better!" and collapsed on the spot, dying that instant. Oyana deemed it lucky, both by merit of the story and with her divination, and we collectively hauled it to a butcher to retrieve the lucky bones.

The Cohort, mushrooms and bones in hand, actively mashing the caterpillars to spare Anchor Root the trauma of doing so, returned to campus, ready to complete the ritual before dinner. With the help of Mariama and Anchor Root, we set up the ritual in the storage barn as instructed. Kudra and Oyana performed the ritual, and despite our best efforts, it failed, fizzling before the end. Upon casting, Mariama commented that the ritual itself would need tweaking regardless, due to it targeting all fey creatures, not just trouble-causing gremlins.

While Kudra and Oyana studied the ritual for future use, recording it in their spellbooks, and Jhaan and I washed up and took our dinner, Kahara instead sought out an orcish tattooist in town, finding it in Asylum Ink, a shop run by Rast and Kitzo Boldshift, two Matanji orcs. There, she had them craft for her a stylized tattoo in black of a mushroom cap on her shoulder-blade, to commemorate the battle against the mushroom man.

But by the end of the day, ritual recorded, tattoo inked, and dinner ate, we collectively collapsed upon our beds, curious, and near dreading, what task laid ahead.