Setting the scene
It is closing in on Christmas in the City of Equilibrium.
Having saved the party goers of the city, our heroes Double Trouble had been deputised as Investigators of the Balance.
While they technically reported into the Grand Examiner Felix Marlowe, the role did not carry any official duties other than they could be called upon to investigate difficult cases if needed.
It also meant that Double Trouble could draw on the resources of the city if needed.
But Double Trouble had laid low for the last months, not the least as their deal with the Hag Dressmakers had unintentionally cursed their friend the old Red Dragonborn baker Carnavix to lose his fiery breath as well as cause their adversary Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies to lose all her hair.
Although Rizzo had no evidence, she strongly suspected our heroes for being the cause of her mysterious hair loss. But the recent deputising of the two, meant she couldn’t take action without any substantial evidence.
In the Meantime, the bubbly halfling Vivi Greentoes and her rowdy twins Liz and Lars had moved in next doors to Amazin’ Glazin’ Bakery and she quickly noticed Carnavix needed help in the bakery having lost his breath he used to bake his cupcakes with. And the two had formed a strong relationship.
Autumn, the Cleric of Sekhmet, had looked after Liz and Lars once in a while and the two children had taken to her with equal amount of respect and love.
A storm is brewing
As the neighbourhood went to bed, Penny and Autumn noticed that the icy rainy storm that is looming over the city has unusual lightning with colours almost remiscent of the spell Fairy Fire.
Not particularly tired and curious about the weather, the two withdrew to Penny’s room where they, some time past midnight, in a flash of lightning saw a hunched over silhouette with a long soft hat.
But before they could give it much thought, somebody started banging violently downstairs.
Cautious and ready for battle they opened the door only to find a drenched and exhausted Vivi with eyes wide with panic asking if the twins had somehow come over to the bakery.
Before the heroes could answer, another flash revealed the the same hunched silhouette moving swiftly across the roof tops on the opposite side. and to their horror, children cries could be heard from the sack the figure had slung over its shoulder.
Quickly Autumn threw a javelin at the creature and even as the heavy icy rain was a disadvantage to her throw, Sekhmet guided the weapon and it pierced the creature’s thigh.
Penny reacted instinctively and commanded the creature to STOP with a booming magical voice freezing the creature on the spot which gave the heroes a moment to rush across the rainy street and scale the slippery wall.
But the creature regained its composure and while the experienced heroes threw everything they could at it, it still jumped off the roof and elegantly slipped away (DM notes, by rolling two 20s on its dex check with disadvantage).
As the adrenalin of the battle subsided the heroes were shaking from the freezing cold and rushed back inside to get out of the rain.
With no clear net steps, everybody went to sleep to follow up the next morning.
Walking through the moody streets
Early next morning the heroes hurried to the University of Necromantic Studies to speak to Penny’s connections there.
On their way the streets were fully of tense chatter and crying. Several other children had been taken in the night.
Rumours whispered about an attack of Fey that had come to the city in the cover of the storm. Some said Fey had been spotted along the river and at the harbour.
Talking to Penny’s old class mate the Orc Necromancer Oaken, they agreed that the creature spotted was much more likely to be a Fiend rather than Fey, which confused the situation further.
They spoke to the principal of the university, Professor Maxima Blackstone, who also happened to be the school’s recident Fiend expert.
But Blackstone had other, more pressing things to consider, namely a broken lattern with a dead Illumination Fairy inside that had been found on the banks of the Crimson River.
This creature was clearly Fey, not Fiend.
The heroes left more puzzled than they came and after a brief pit stop at The Wave of the Wand, that mainly revolved around a cringy attempt from the owner the charming, but drunken, rastafari Halfling Harmony Hall to invite Autumn on a date, they decided to to walk up the river banks to the docks.
A walk along the banks of the Crimson River
Walking up the banks led Double Trouble to a large rowboat with beautiful fey carvings and a hook for a lantern.
They approached it cautiously as Autumn picked up evil hints with her Detect Evil spell.
The boat was full of caked blood that led on to the banks in what looked like footsteps, but the rain had washed most of it away revealing no further information.
It was time to go to the Docks.
The Docks
At the docks, Autumn switched to Detect Magic as she scanned the 5 warehouses. While all had hits of more mundane magic such as healing potions, one warehouse that looked abandoned had strong magical vibes on unusual nature.
Looking inside they could see the hunched creature sitting on the floor with its back to them.
Penny quickly cast Invisible on the two, kicked in the door (or rather smashed it to oblivion) and Autumn ran in and gave the creature a heavy blow with her Warhammer.
The creature turned around, hissed and punched Autumn with unusual strength and luck (DM notes, rolled nat 20 and dealt 49 damage. Autumns HP max is 50 so she narrowly escaped an instant kill 😲)
It then ran behind som crates in the corner, out of sight.
Penny quickly ran over to heal the downed Cleric, and as Autumn got on her feet she ran after the creature, only to find there was nothing behind the crates.
Where did it go?
But with no way out, the heroes approached cautiously to prevent the potential invisible creature escaping.
To lure it out, Penny summoned an illusion of a child in the corner of the warhouse while she mimicked the voice of a child. Her performance was so convincing that the creature revealed itself by clawing at the illusion: It was under the floor!
The heroes could here the frustrated growls of the creature before they heard it run further underground. Autumn summoned some water to flood it out, but it was clear from the sound of how the water flowed down that the space underneath was quite large.
Going down
Without a moment to spare the heroes jumped down after the creature. They landed in some dark old ruined tunnels and Penny cast Dancing Lights to be able to see.
Unfortunately the lights attracted to angry looking little fey: Redcaps!
While the vicious, blood thirsty creatures were dangerous, they were no match for the experienced heroes who quickly dispatched them and before moving on, they took a minute to investigate and quickly realised the blood the Redcaps had soaked their hats in, was the same as found in the fey boat earlier.
Quickly, they rushed forward to a wide door from which growls, children cries and foul chanting came from.
Showdown!
Penny threw her bottle of smoke in the large room they faced. It was more effective than expected and covered almost the entire room with thick smoke.
But before the smoke manifested, she saw three Redcaps chanting around a group of children and that it looked like the chanting caused the children’s life force to leave their bodies and be absorbed by the foul creature they had been chasing.
Autumn then cam rushing in with the intent of grabbing the children to get them out of harms way, but the thick smoke meant she could see nothing.
Lost for options she dropped to her knees, opened her prayer book and prayed to Sekhmet for help. And she felt the divine energy from the goddess building up ready to unleash.
Out of the smoke came the foul creature attacking Atumm, but to the surprise of the heroes it had grown to the size of a large ogre.
But Autumn was ready and unleashed the divine energy ripping half the creatures life force apart.
The smoke disappeared and the life force of the children was sucked into the creature that crew to impossible large size in matter of seconds.
Then it grabbed and stuffed Penny into its sack that was already full of the kidnapped children.
Autumn summoned a Spiritual Scythe and attacked the Redcaps to disrupt their incantation while she herself swung the Warhammer at the foul creature damaging it enough for her to scoot around to its back.
Pony time
Inside the sack, Penny was getting squeezed. Seeking a solution desperately while trying to calm the frightened children, she asked the children for their help to get her up on her magical Pony of Wonder.
A plan took shape, she activated the Figurine of Wonder and the Pony appeared while the children lifted her on top of the magical creature.
Penny went all in with her desperate plan and the Pony struck a seem in the sack opening the entire side (DM notes, Nat20) letting both Penny and the children flooding out of the sack.
The Pony took on its Pony of Terror manifestation and all three Red Caps seeing the scary hairy beast, fled the scene!
The foul creature in its rage smashed its mighty fists on Penny, knocking her down, but Autumn was not ready to give up and shouted at the children to grab Penny’s healing potions and give them to Penny while Autumn herself would continue the fight.
The children, eager to help found each and every potion Penny had and poured it all down her throat.
Meanwhile Autumn summoned her strength for one last mighty swing knowing the jaw clean of the foul beast finally ending its evil life.
It was finally over.
Ho ho ho
A door of bright light appeared.
Out of it stepped an elderly gentleman in a white t-shirt, suspenders handing down his red trousers. A white bushy beard could barely cover the wide smile and jolly nature of this chap.
“Ah, you found my sack! Thank you so much dear ladies. What can I give you as a thank you? what do you wish for”, said the man.
Autumn asked for Carnavix’ fiery breath to be restored, but while Penny for a brief moment considered wishing for Rizzo’s hair to regrow, she knew her and Autumn would continue to face dangerous foes so she asked for better protection (AC) for herself instead.
Epilogue
The xxx healing potions had had a unexpected effect on Penny’s physiology and her Constitution had forever improved.
Meanwhile Autumn’s Wisdom had increased from the desperate, but pure hearted prayer for help.
All was good and Christmas was soon upon the Amazin’ Glazin’ Bakery where Carnavix served fire breath roasted pork for the heroes and Vivi and the twins.
Happy Christmas!
Post credit
She had been sitting for hours pondering, scheming, in front of the fireplace.
Suddenly she stood up, her features lit from below by the fireplace.
“I got it!”, Rizzo exclaimed in the night to herself.
“I know how to get them now!” she laughed….
