Session Overview
The party successfully locates the hidden birthday pie recipe and begins preparation, but their cooking session is violently interrupted when the remaining goblins and bugbears awaken from their magical slumber. After a chaotic battle involving summoned wolves, magical potions, and a temporary romantic enchantment, the party emerges victorious and negotiates a lasting peace between the goblins, dryads, and mushroom folk while establishing the pie shop as a functioning business.
Fionn’s Journal Entry
[Written by firelight during the evening rest after the conflict, with sketches of wolf pack formations and goblin social structures]
The morning brought recipe discovery—hidden beneath false wood like secrets beneath forest floor. Tiffany’s persistence uncovered what lay concealed: the birthday pie instructions on simple cards, ingredients listing the three sacred apples.
[Sketch of index cards with notes: “Hidden knowledge, preserved”]
We set about the ancient ritual of baking. Lumina’s strength guided preparation while Tiffany commanded cleaning magics like a storm clearing deadwood. I gathered apples with the dryads, their humming creating harmony between grove-guardians and earth. Even the mushroom folk joined the melody from their distant circle.
The conflict erupted when the sleeping ones stirred too soon. Violence was not our intention, but the bugbears chose aggression over understanding. I called upon the wolf-spirits—eight companions manifesting from fey-touched energy to restore balance. They answered with pack-loyalty and predator’s grace.
[Detailed sketch of wolf pack tactical movements]
Lumina fell under strange enchantment—a love-draught that confused her warrior’s heart. Yet even bewitched, her strength remained true. Tiffany’s eldritch forces carved through opposition like lightning splits old oak.
When the storm passed, wisdom prevailed. The goblin chief proved more reasonable than his subordinates. Through careful words and shared purpose, we forged understanding. Each goblin learned one step of the recipe, ordered by height—a system even their scattered minds could follow.
The grove now holds peace. Goblins, dryads, and mushroom folk share purpose in the pie-making. The shop breathes again with Grandma Marie’s intended spirit, though she walks different paths with her Eduardo.
[Note in margin: “All conflicts need not end in blood when patient voices speak truth”]
Attendees & Status
Present:
- Jinks playing Fionn (he/him) - Level 6 Firbolg Druid
- Sidney playing Lumina (she/her) - Level 6 Dragonborn Paladin
- Erik playing Tiffany (she/her) - Level 6 Warlock
- Justin Van Nostrand as Dungeon Master
Status Changes: All characters reached sufficient experience to level up
Setting & Atmosphere
- Daytime cooking and preparation in Grandma’s pie shop kitchen
- Multiple ovens, cooking surfaces, and kitchen equipment
- Apple orchard accessible nearby with cooperative dryads
- Mushroom folk maintaining their peaceful presence
- Autumn atmosphere with continued cooperation from nature allies
Key Events
- Discovery of birthday pie recipe hidden in false bottom of desk drawer
- Extended cooking and preparation session with magical assistance
- Awakening of remaining goblins and bugbears leading to combat
- Fionn’s summoning of eight wolves significantly shifting battle dynamics
- Lumina affected by love potion during combat
- Complete defeat of hostile goblin forces
- Successful negotiation with surviving goblin chief
- Establishment of recipe-sharing system with remaining goblins
- Creation of lasting peace between all factions (goblins, dryads, mushroom folk)
Character Moments
- Tiffany’s methodical investigation uncovering the hidden recipe location
- Fionn’s peaceful gathering of apples while bonding with dryads
- Lumina’s protective instincts despite romantic enchantment
- Tiffany’s obsessive cleanliness creating comedic moments during cooking preparation
- Fionn’s tactical use of wolf summoning to turn the tide of battle
- Creative problem-solving in teaching illiterate goblins the recipe through memorization
Important NPC Interactions
- Goblin Chief: Initially aggressive but ultimately reasonable, agreeing to peaceful coexistence and recipe sharing
- Dryad Guardians: Continued cooperation in apple gathering and territorial harmony
- Mushroom Folk: Maintained supportive presence throughout cooking and conflict
- Bilge & Colmar (Bugbears): Primary antagonists who initiated final combat encounter
Loot Acquired
Party Treasure
- Various small valuables from defeated goblins and bugbears
- Collection of magical potions from goblin barrel
Magical Items
- Bloodhand Sword (terrifying skeletal-handled blade from Bilge)
- Enchanted armor and morning star combo with energy absorption properties
- Unbreakable mysterious bottle (unknown contents/properties)
Notable Item Details
- Multiple magical potions with various effects: healing (2d4+2), oil flask, love potion, sleep potion, speed enhancement, gender transformation, horn growth, silence effect, drunkenness
- Energy-absorbing armor that transfers power to connected weapon when struck
- Unbreakable bottle appears to be unique crafted item
Relationship Web
- Successful mediation between previously hostile factions
- Goblins now integrated into pie shop operations
- Dryads maintaining territorial protection while allowing sustainable harvesting
- Mushroom folk established as peaceful neighbors
- Party gained respect and trust from goblin leadership
graph TD P[Party] -->|"Negotiated Peace"| GC[Goblin Chief] P -->|"Recipe Teaching"| G[Remaining Goblins] P -->|"Continued Alliance"| D[Dryads] P -->|"Friendship"| M[Mushroom Folk] GC -->|"Leadership"| G D -->|"Territorial Sharing"| G M -->|"Peaceful Coexistence"| G PS[Pie Shop] -->|"Operational Base"| P
Emotional Highlights
- Lumina’s protective nature persisting even while magically charmed
- Tiffany’s satisfaction in establishing proper hygiene and cooking standards
- Fionn’s joy in diplomatic resolution after necessary violence
- Party’s collective pride in completing their quest while establishing lasting peace
- Comedic moments during cooking preparation and potion effects
Narrative Consequences
- Pie shop restored to functional business operation
- Sustainable peace established between all territorial factions
- Goblin knowledge of recipe ensures continued pie production
- Party gained a permanent base of operations
- Regional stability improved through diplomatic resolution
Decisions Made
- Chose to teach goblins the recipe rather than keep it exclusive
- Implemented systematic memorization approach for illiterate goblins
- Established territorial sharing agreements between all factions
- Decided to collect and distribute magical potions among party
- Committed to maintaining the pie shop as ongoing operation
Notable Quotes
Tiffany: “Leave Lumina alone!” (Screaming while casting Thunder Wave to protect her companion from bugbear attackers)
Fionn: “Guys, I think the more we injure him, the more possibly charged his weapon is. We should try not to get struck with his weapon.” (Providing tactical observation about the enchanted armor’s energy-absorbing properties)
Lumina: “I’m not even angry. I’m just disappointed.” (Sighing before entering combat with the awakened goblins)
Cliffhanger/Unresolved Questions
- Return journey to Elder Forgoth with completed birthday pie
- Distribution and effects of collected magical potions
- Long-term management of pie shop operations
- Potential future adventures stemming from new base of operations
Next Time
- Journey back to Elder Forgoth to complete the original quest
- Final delivery of the special birthday pie
- Resolution of promised estate inheritance
- Potential exploration of magical items and potions acquired
Epilogue
So maybe fetching a pie for an eccentric old man isn’t exactly what you might call ‘heroic’, and it certainly doesn’t scream ‘adventure’… but the old man was kind and it wasn’t really asking too much, after all, and if the rewards he’s offering are genuine it’s too good to pass up. A couple days ride, put some coin in the right hands, bring back a pie from sweet ol’ Granny. Simple enough.
At least it would be, if it weren’t for all the feisty flora! And Granny’s missing! Not to mention all the pie-hungry goblin squatters that have been raiding the nearby village now that they’ve eaten their way through the majority of the shop’s food supply! But let’s be honest, when is anything really ‘simple’ for our adventurers?
Their first meeting with the grumpy and confused old treant bearing the ironic name of Sweetleaf did not start off quite so sweetly, however Fionn was able to calm the old oak enough to talk. His mind was foggy but his great distaste for the ‘little scum’ who had taken over the pie shop was quite clear, as were the recent signs of hacking and burning all around the base of his trunk. Promising to settle the score and clear out the filth, our adventurers set forth into the abandoned bakery.
A very noisy entrance left little time for an equally noisy search of the storefront before the ‘little scum’ came to investigate the source of the ruckus, and upon finding three armed, uninvited, un-goblin intruders in their new home they raised the alarm and it wasn’t long before our adventurers were captured and chained up. It was here that the full numbers of the goblin party was discovered as well as the presence of their apparent leader, a large goblin chief named Snarlak, and the two menacing bugbears that served as his guards, brothers named Builge and Kolmar. A brief escape attempt by Fionn and the ensuing search for him were cut short when the goblins, bugbears, and our adventures all started dropping to the ground one by one falling into a deep sleep, the results of the pacifying spores now drifting through the air courtesy of the band of myconids who live nearby and disapprove of the goblins’ violent ways.
Having the advantage of not being goblins, the adventurers quickly set themselves apart in the myconids’ eyes. Fionn made for a great ambassador and soon became quite comfortable amongst the peaceful and slow-paced mushrooms who also introduced the adventurers to the dryads who looked after the apple trees in the bakery’s orchard, protecting them from the greedy hands of the goblins. The three parties devised a plan to find the recipes hidden somewhere inside the pie shop and to bring an end to the goblins’ ongoing destruction and disrespect for the once-beautiful and thriving store.
Taking advantage of the spore’s effects on the goblins, the adventurers set about searching the building and eventually found the hidden recipe for Granny’s Special Triple Apple Birthday Surprise. They also discovered a tattered old journal that once belonged to ‘Granny’(real name Marie) that told the story of a budding romance and the eventual eloping of Granny and a charming suitor named Eduardo, both now presumed to be enjoying their lives together in Eduardo’s home town (unnamed).
Fionn and Lumina handled the gathering of the necessary ingredients with the help of the dryads who taught Lumina the song Granny used to sing to the apple trees. Tiffany, unable to bear the thought of preparing food in such a filthy setting, took to scrubbing the place top-to-bottom (using magic, of course). Restoring the magic to the enchanted cooking utensils and stoking the fire were the last steps, and with a few hours left before the goblins awoke, the adventurers started baking.
Things were going smoothly and the pies were getting better with every one made when the penny dropped. The bugbear brothers had shaken off the spores and seeing an opportunity for their favorite thing (violence), they gathered some of the more aggressive goblins, grabbed some weapons and a big old barrel of potions they had plundered over multiple raids and caught the adventurers off guard with a surprise attack. Again they proved that diplomacy and negotiation are not popular concepts amongst goblinoids and in an assault of flying potions and swinging blades, the fight was on! Chaos reigned as the wild effects of all the different potions and poisons played out; oil burned, glue stuck, fear struck…heck, Lumina even found love standing against her in battle! Goblins fell, wolves were summoned…Tiffany napped. It was wild, it was bloody, and it was short. In the end only our heroes remained, their foes slain or sent running for their lives.
Upon waking, the Goblin Chief saw what the adventurers had done and quickly realized the foolishness in any thoughts of opposing them. It appears at least some goblins are capable of diplomacy, and after a long morning of discussions as well as some baking lessons a new agreement was reached. The goblins agreed to stop attacking the trees and mushrooms and destroying the area. In return the dryads will take care of the apple trees and supply the best apples for use in the shop as well as keep Sweetleaf comfortable in his old age. The myconids will act as peacekeepers and ensure there is no fighting, using their spores to keep any rulebreakers under control in exchange for all the discarded apple cores and rotten apples to use in their compost compound. Old delivery invoices found in Granny’s office gave the parties information on who to contact in order to set up various shipments to and from the shop, the goblins were taught how to make pies (although there was still some room for improvement when it came to singing Granny’s songs), and the blueprints for restoring and running the pie shop were set. It sounded crazy, sure. But if they could make it work, everyone would win. No more fighting, an endless supply of food, even the villagers nearby would benefit from end to the raids.
There were only three things left to do
- Give the new store a name!
- Bring Elder Forgoth his Special Triple Apple Birthday Surprise!
- Collect your rewards!
As for rewards
Elder Forgoth made good on his promises, granting you the deed to his home to use as a base of operations, as well as his seat on the town’s council. You now have a place to start a ‘guild’ our PCs (current and future) can utilize, and a representative of the guild (PC or NPC) can sit in as the sort of Voice on the Elder Council.
Your current characters all Level Up.
Any EQ/Treasure you found can be kept, sold, stored at the guildhouse for use by future PCs.
A monthly share of the pie shop’s profits will be sent to the Players.