Journal 21

May 17, 2026 3/29/753 ATC

Note – When Professor Fisk destroyed the rune stones the portals our portal home closed, trapping us in the shadow realm. We are making our way back to Toresta along the Shadow Coast to Toresta’s known stable portal.

We feed the horse pulling the wagon and leave the feedbag on the horse to prevent it from eating.

In the morning, while [we] prepare, Luna notices we’re being watched by a 7ft Bearfolk, a hunter, who introduces himself as Beorst, Guardian of the Yogiyte Wood. He invites us to his village and recommends we travel along the Shadow Road instead of the coast. He also informed us that distances ebb and flow as the tide, and with the moon.

Take the north road

We arrive at the village Yogitoon and the village elder Denarsi asks Luna in Druidic where we are headed. Luna responds with that we are seeking the city of Toresta in the material realm.

She recommends we take the north road and avoid Fandival, the city of Goblins. The north road is not on any map and is a game trail used only by the Bearfolk.

She tells us of the story of Mysilwi Gwi’azd the Hunter.

4/1/753 ATC

The North Road is marked with protective glyphs that keep the shadows at bay. A heavy fog only permits a few feet of visibility. If we stray from the road it would be unlikely we would find our way back, not just from lack of visibility but magically. As evening falls, we find a clearing and start to make camp.

Icarus realizes we’ve been surrounded by a group of 8 hunters hunting lycanthropes by order of the king Frulio Cornutus.

Monocle of truesight

One of them looks through an oversized monocle that detects lycanthropes. Mickey examines it and Icarus uses Identify on it. They determined they might be able to make one but is very rare. mickey recognizes a maker’s mark, the mark of a milton.

We make camp and take turns on watch. During mickey’s watch he heard whispers in the night beckoning him to leave the protection of the road and step into the forest.

4/2/753 ATC

We come across a bridge. There seems to be a strange black water in the stream, and mickey uses Mage Hand to collect a sample in a vial. As night approaches, we find an abandoned building. Mickey investigates, it seems the place may have caught fire. We rest for the night. During the night we’re attacked by werewolves.

Koda was on watch alerts us. While we’re raising from bed he jumps into battle Casting Booming Blade and hitting the closest werewolf for 15 damage. One werewolf, partially transformed, uses a bow and hits Koda for 13 piercing damage

Mickey runs out of the carriage casting Firebolt but missing.

Luna gets out of the wagon and casts Moonbeam on one werewolf. It saves, taking 7 radiant damage. Icarus is next out of the carriage. He uses his bow and hits for 12 piercing damage. A wolf attacks twice with bite attacks but misses both times. Professor Fisk attacks with a Firebolt for 10 damage.

Another wolf appears, bringing the total to five. It ferociously mauls one for 11 slashing damage. Koda casts Command, ordering one werewolf to run. One of the wolves stays in the Moonbeam, failing its save. It turns back into human form and suffers 18 radiant damage. Mickey casts Thorn Whip, hitting a werewolf for 1 piercing damage and pulling it toward himself.

Luna moves her Moonbeam across the four remaining werewolves, dealing 6, 12, 10, and 16 radiant damage. She then repositions to keep her distance. Icarus casts Chromatic Orb on one werewolf for 15 damage. A werewolf tries to attack Koda twice but is stopped by Mickey’s Sanctuary both times.

Another werewolf attacks Mickey twice, hitting him once for 9 piercing damage despite Luna trying to distract it with Silvery Barbs. Another werewolf attacks Koda twice, resisting the Sanctuary once and hitting Koda for 9 piercing damage with its bite. Both Koda and Mickey manage to resist being cursed. The werewolf commanded by Koda turns and runs away. The last werewolf attacks Professor Fisk and misses him both times. Luna zigzags her Moonbeam around the battlefield, hitting the four werewolves for 5, 8, 13, and 9 radiant damage and killing the second one. Luna then casts Healing Word on Koda for 9 hit points.

Icarus goes next, hitting a bloodied werewolf for 8 piercing damage, killing it. Seeing two of its friends die, this werewolf runs away. Professor Fisk goes next, hitting the last werewolf with Cinder Strike for 15 fire damage, killing it.

With the fight over, Luna heals Koda with Cure Wounds for 19 hit points. Icarus reconstructs O.L.Y.E. after the fight. The night passes.

4/3/753 ATC

We decide to sleep in and rest to get a full night’s rest.

Professor Fisk lets us know that we should keep a low profile when we arrive at the Rose Palace as we seek Sith, the bearfolk druid, who will help us to find Ayiesh Vardain, who knows the path to the portal leading back to Toresta.

We arrive at the Rose Palace and are stopped by a group of drow guards. Luna is driving and greets the guards and is guided inside. She lets everyone else know we arrived. The guards ask who we are and what we’re doing here. Luna lets them know we’re travelers from Toresta (the material plane) and seeking Syth (the bearfolk druid) to find the path back. They are almost excited to accept us as guests and let us know the king will want to speak with us outsiders. We are also told Syth is out in the forest gathering ingredients.

Professor Fisk exits the wagon in the finest of clothes, speaking with the guards and unfortunately unable to avoid the meeting with the king. A gnome runner is sent to the palace.

We’re given a few minutes to freshen up. Luna changes clothes into something more appropriate for a palace. We are brought before King Frulio Cornutus, Duke of Roses, Court of Spiders, Lord of Illusions, Lord Mayor of Lurgestown, Baron of the Void Immaculate.

There is an immaculate-looking gentleman from Milton, Giggo Hanno, here investigating trouble with the leylines and trouble with the shadow roads. Overhearing, is Dobrilo, a foreign ambassador.

We are next on the audience list. Professor Fisk is called and explains to the king we are travelers seeking the Wizard Road. Fisk continues that we came following a goblin invasion from the Shadow Realm. The king requests we stay for dinner so we can go into more detail about these goblin incursions into the material plane.

Fisk is disappointed to hear this as staying for dinner represents a contract with an Arch Fey.

At dinner, we see Syth sitting across the table, though we won’t have a chance to talk until after dinner. Icarus tries to explain what happened and why we’re here and provides an overly short explanation. Professor Fisk takes over explaining we came here investigating a goblin invasion from the shadow realm. We found and passed through a portal to the shadow realm and destroyed the rune stones that had been set up stabilizing the portal, effectively trapping us here in the shadowrealm. We know a stable portal exists to the material plane, to the city of Toresta, and are seeking passage to the King’s Road. King Frulio accepts this explanation and finds it interesting. He says he’ll have his agents look into why goblins from the Shadowrealm are finding themselves in the material plane.

After dinner, Syth approaches us and assures us that the food we had eaten was free and clear of corruption. Luna asks if food in the material plane is in a similar way corrupted for those of the shadow realm while visiting the material plane.

“No, the corruption is limited to the shadow realm, and it is absolutely a corruption,” she replies. She offers additional information about how the shadows are kept at bay and the roads maintained. This may have something to do with how/why the leylines in the material plane have shifted.