Eyes Unclouded - Session 4
Eulalie Osgood Grover. "I Am the Queen" from Kittens and Cats; a Book of Tales. 1911.
These are the records of a lightly modified game of Cairn 2e that I am playing with an in-person group. I've expanded Eyes Unclouded, a now out of print collection of Studio Ghibli themed 5e adventures, into a more open-ended sandbox. You can find our last session here. I'll try to keep these spoiler free, so enjoy!
Guests of the Cat King
This week, we rejoined the group as they were led towards the castle of the Cat King:
- Flame, a little fire spirit piloting a steam automaton body
- Madrigal, a halfling werebear and fungal forager
- Sir Percius, a human paladin and upholder of the Queen's law.
- Ambrose, a human mountebank.
Additionally, they were joined by:
- Sir Horsius Swiftwind, a stout draught horse
- Airen, apprentice to the late wizard, Calvero Brightflame
Jaspern the Magpie and Viora the Frog led the group out of the garden, across a heath, and into a small village. As the group walked, they drew curious glances from the villagers who were busy cleaning the town and hanging mint green bunting from the eves of their cottages.
The guards led them up a winding path to the castle proper and into a small courtyard. The castle was diminutive - Flame observed it was almost like something out of a snow globe. They were ushered into a small, nearly unfurnished room to the right of the gate, where Jaspern bid them wait. Someone would be along shortly to see to their bath and appropriate attire for an audience with the King. The magpie locked the door behind them.
Sir Percius was put off by what seemed like rough handling for a guest. Flame made a fire in the room's fireplace and Ambrose produced a tea kettle, some tea, and some chipped teacups from their cart full of sundries. The party tried their best to get comfortable.
Soon, there came a gruff knock at the door - a huge stork carrying a silver, clawfooted tub over one shoulder. He introduced himself as Fenlo and slammed it down in the middle of the room. The party asked for towels, a changing screen, and soap and the burly stork traipsed off to acquire them.
He returned and the party asked about the decorations. Fenlo didn't know all the details but said an emissary from somewhere else in the woods was soon to arrive and the Cat King wanted everything just so.
Soon after, an orbweaver arrived, again human-scale. She introduced herself as Celyn and inquired as to what kind of formal attire they would need. She didn't have time to make fresh garments but would see what she could cobble together off the rack:
- Flame got a fancy hat and a sash.
- Sir Percius, a nice tunic.
- Madrigal, a dress and accompanying bodice.
- Ambrose had the most detailed request: something like a tuxedo but with flared pants.
Celyn more or less accommodated their requests, and the party washed and dressed themselves in their new mint green formalwear.
An Audience
When they were ready, Jaspern led the party across the courtyard to the main hall, ominously wishing them luck as he pushed one of a pair of double doors open to allow them entrance.
There they found the Cat King lounging at the head of two long banquet tables atop a throne on a raised dais. He was nearly 12 feet tall and maybe just as wide, sprawled lengthwise across the seat. A fire ranged uncomfortably hot in the nearby fireplace.
The Cat King hemmed and hawed at their entrance, before greeting them and calling his two advisors. From a stairwell at the back of the room came a crow and a recognizable ferret - Whimwick.
The King bid the party explain how they came to arrive in his court. They said they were led by Whimwick in exchange for a golden coin. "Ah!" cried the Cat King and nimbly pulled the coin marked with a cats paw as if from nowhere. "You paid a king's ransom. Literally." Whimwick had cashed in the coin to achieve the rank of vizier in the court.
Somewhat miffed, the party explained that where they had come from, where they were headed, and how they had accidentally caused the fire in the garden and tried in earnest to put it out. Ambrose gave a particularly florid apology that impressed that Cat King greatly, so great that he only pretended to sentence them: "for the crimes of trespassing, disturbance of the peace, destruction of the King's property, and murder, I sentence you to... a few hours of manual labor." The king laughed at his own joke.
Someone asked if the Cat King knew how to get to the Verdurous Court. He said yes, that they often had visitors from there. There was a portal in some old human ruins just a short ways south. He ordered Merlina, the crow, to retrieve a small map for the party and marked the location - about 8 hours walk south.
With that taken care of the king said he regretfully must ask the party to leave Eleutheria. They were expecting an ambassador from Fyrir, another entity deep in the woods, and he didn't want them to cross paths. He offered that they could stay in their room across the courtyard and leave early in the morning. He also warned that the party should avoid eating food here. It would have unexpected effects and gradually change their mortal forms.
An Intrigue
Back in their room, Fenlo provided them with a mix of oddly sized beds. Flame would sit in the fireplace. The party discussed the audience and specifically Whimwick's deception. Sir Percius felt most betrayed. Flame expressed real hurt about being let down by him, but also a real desire that they might someday be friends. Ambrose helped Flame draft a letter to the ferret that they might leave here.
As they finished the letter, they heard another knock at their door. This time it was Merlina the Crow, robes and gnarled staff in tow. She asked if she could come in and shut the door behind her.
She asked the party to assist her with a delicate matter. There had been too many coincidences in the past few days. First, news of an emissary from another power that had never contacted them before and they had no means of contacting back. Then, a slough of uncanny hamsters had joined the village. Animals came and went from Eleutheria, but so many at the same time. The party's appearance and the appointment of a new vizier in the same day was the last straw.
The party agreed to help.
They had a broad ranging conversation with Merlina about the nature of Cat King, animals in the spirit world, and their relation to the material world. They gleaned a few key ideas:
- The forest they found themselves in was the Woods Inverted. Anything that happened in the mundane Blue Woods would have rippling consequences here and vice versa.
- Transit to and from the Woods Inverted was possible through enchanted portals, but also sometimes through the hole in an oak or a particularly secluded glade.
- Animals from the spirit world can all talk, but shrink down to their mundane proportions when they go to the mundane world. Mundane animals don't change when they come to the Woods Inverted.
- Some particularly ancient animals achieve a kind of divinity - taking on archetypal characteristics, increased longevity, and fulfilling some sort of key mystical function.
To this last point, Merlina suggested asking around at the Verdurous Court. They were scholars and some were specialized in the nature of spirits.
They also learned some more practical facts:
- Esmine, a wizard of the Verdurous Court, was a regular in Eleutheria and an expert in botany and alchemy.
- The supposed emissary represented Fyrir, an elder wolf god that lived towards the center of the woods.
- Merlina knew of a deer god named Eirnos, but had never encountered them or their folk.
- The Cat King was not immune to harm and part of her job was to help shield him from potential threats.
- There was a lizard hermit who lived in the human ruins to the south that might be able to help mend Madrigal and Sir Percius' wounds.
With many questions answered, the party set to work. They'd need to either figure out what was up with this emissary before they arrived or leave town.
Snooping on the Hamsters
Flame came up with a plan. The fire spirit would hop onto a torch and then Viora, one of the guards, would walk the streets. Flame would then be able to check for enchantments on the hamsters. In the meantime, Jaspern would fly over the forest to look for the emissary or a scout that Merlina had sent to confirm the emissaries credentials.
The rest of the party took the time to rest and recuperate for a bit. They'd been on the road since early that morning and it was approaching midnight.
In the village, Viora held Flame's torch up to a window on the side of a cottage. Inside, were two of the wall-eyed hamsters. They seemed to be standing, T-posed, in the middle of the room. Flame figured there was something off about them, like a puppet or doll.
Flame suggested grabbing Celyn the tailor and pushing in under the pretense that they needed to urgently fit the hamster for formalwear before tomorrow. They stopped by the orbweaver's shop and she promptly agreed.
Back at the hamster's cottage, Viora knocked on the door. One hamster answered while the other remained motionless. At Flame's urging, the Viora pushed in. Celyn went to measure the motionless hamster, threading a measuring tape around its waste. She pulled tight and it popped, collapsing to the floor with the sound of a deflating baloon.
The other hamster took the opportunity to dive out the window. As it did, its costume deflated too, revealing a small figure of about Madrigal's height wading inside. The figure was too fast and escaped into the nearby woods before Viora could round the corner to give chase.
Viora and Flame secured the scene while Celyn fetched the rest of the party and notified Merlina. The rest of the group arrived soon after.
Madrigal peaked inside of the fireplace and found a narrow ladder carved into the back wall. Climbing up she found a cubby with a notebook and a stash of coins.
Ambrose pulled on his experience with laying low and deduced that this was a listening post of sorts - a place to observe and spy on the residents of Eleutheria. The place was barely touched and definitely not lived in.
Searching the room thoroughly, they found two trunks, both locked. They shook both. One clunked with the sound of something metal swaddled in fabric. The other let out a sharp yelp. Someone or something was inside.
GM Notes
I started this session more fatigued than I have been for most recent games I have run. It's been a long week of social events and I don't think this was my best work.
The players on the other hand did great work digging into the lore, bouncing off of the variety of characters we introduced, and spending time on in-character reflection on the events so far.
The last little bit with Flame riding the torch was particularly difficult to run. Flame wasn't really embodied, so they were exerting influence on the scene by telling NPCs what to do. I gave a little push back here and there, but I think I could have done more with them balking at breaking into the hamsters' house without evidence. At the same time, I wish I'd had something to be pressing the other player characters - whether that was another social visitor or a second research task to split their efforts on.
We're now thoroughly in material from Eyes Unclouded (with, of course, many tweaks and characterizations). You can feel the linearity and urgency of that plot in tension with the sandbox plot of travelling to the Verdurous Court and the more open-ended investigation that suggests.
One final note: Cairn 2e's healing rules are tough! It takes a week of rest to heal attribute damage. Madrigal and Sir Percius suddenly became very interested in pursuing magical healing as soon as we found that out.