The High Forest was alive in ways that defied mortal sense—its air thick with memory, its canopy a shifting green labyrinth of will and purpose. Thorn led the way beneath its ancient boughs, his elven stride sure, though even he felt the forest’s slow, sentient regard upon them. Behind him came Elora the Majestic, her eyes bright with wonder and wariness; Maledurk, all muscle and restless energy, ill at ease among roots and whispers; and Tempest, giggling at a dragonfly large enough to cast a shadow like a hawk’s.

They had come seeking answers—answers to the unseen hand that had toyed with their fates, pulling them from one world to the next like pawns on a cosmic board. Now, the trees themselves seemed to conspire in riddles, paths folding back upon themselves until they reached what appeared to be a dead end: a small glade hemmed in by living wood, no exit save the one behind.

Thorn frowned, feeling the weight of countless eyes from above. “We are being watched,” he murmured.

No one argued. The forest had already shown signs of intention—branches moving of their own accord, the path changing beneath their steps. But it was Thorn who broke the silence, looking upward with sudden resolve. “If they will not show themselves, perhaps they’ll listen.”

He climbed into the trees and, with elven grace and questionable judgment, began a strange ritual of words and movement. At first, he spoke to the air with solemn reverence. When the forest remained still, he grew theatrical—arms wide, shirt discarded in some symbolic gesture known only to himself, voice rising to implore the unseen guardians to grant passage. Maledurk groaned audibly. Tempest laughed until she hiccuped. Elora folded her arms, torn between admiration and embarrassment.

Then, faintly, came a voice: “No, no—keep going.”

The others froze, glancing about. The words came not from an elf, nor from the shadows, but from a chipmunk perched high upon a branch, tail twitching with mild amusement. Elora spotted it first and realized, to her disbelief, that its tiny mouth moved with each word.

“Okay,” the creature said after a pause, “that’s a bit much.”

Thorn, oblivious to the absurdity, doubled down—dancing now, calling out compliments to the majesty of the trees, the beauty of the forest, the perfection of its form. The chipmunk folded its paws, unimpressed but entertained. “All right,” it said finally. “That proves it—you belong in the forest. You’ve passed my eye test.”

Branches groaned, bending aside, and a path opened before them.

The company followed, Thorn preening under Maledurk’s incredulous glare. The new trail led them into a vast, circular glade suffused with sunlight. A great tree stood at its center, its trunk broader than a cottage, its crown a cathedral of leaves. Power hummed through the air like a distant song. Elora’s breath caught; she could feel the ancient magic pulsing through the ground beneath her boots.

When the tree spoke, its voice was the rustle of wind through eternity. “I am pleased you found your way here,” it said. “Welcome, travelers. I am Jareth.”

They knew the name. They had come seeking her counsel.

Jareth listened as they told their tale—their battles through strange planes, their escape from Barovia, their confrontation with gods and monsters. The tree’s face, rough-hewn in bark, seemed to shift with emotion as they spoke.

“You have drawn the gaze of powers not of this world,” Jareth said at last. “I sense magics that are not mortal, perhaps not even divine. Whoever or whatever toys with your fates does so with purpose.”

Thorn’s voice trembled with both awe and fury. “We’ve been hunted like quarry. Why? What did we awaken?”

Jareth’s branches swayed as if in thought. “Perhaps nothing you took, but something you did. You’ve meddled with death itself, with the undead, the divine, the profane. Such things leave echoes. And echoes call to the deep.”

Elora’s hand tightened on her staff. “Then let it come. We can prepare. We can trap it.”

A pause—a creaking of wood like the groan of an old door. “You might,” Jareth allowed. “But to bait such a force requires knowledge—and power equal to its own.”

When asked where that power might be found, Jareth hesitated. “There is a witch,” she said. “Nimue Ashcap, who dwells in the Star Mounts. She sees between worlds and may divine what stalks you. Yet her magic demands rare offerings. You must bring her these: black salt from a storm beyond the planes; bone marrow honey from the carrion bees; lich moss from the skull of a dead archmage; ember fungus that burns in the Nine Hells; and a blood gourd from the bone thicket.”

Even Thorn, so quick to jest, fell silent at the list.

“These are not errands for the faint of heart,” Jareth said softly. “But if you succeed, Nimue may pierce the veil that blinds us all.”

She gestured, and the chipmunk—Jerry, as it turned out—scurried forward, holding a tuning fork of shining metal. With a resonant strike, its tone filled the glade, vibrating in their bones, harmonizing with the very pulse of the forest.

“This is your key,” Jareth said. “It will return you here from other planes. My realm is shielded from all eyes but yours.”

Elora bowed low. “Then this shall be our refuge.”

Jareth’s vast form seemed to sigh with something like affection. “May it serve you well.”

With a whispering of light and a swirl of golden dust, the glade dissolved around them. The world twisted—stretched—and in the next heartbeat they stood in a frigid valley, before the glittering wall of a glacier split by a dark fissure. The air stung their lungs. Snow whispered across stone.

“Lich moss,” Thorn said grimly, pulling his cloak tighter. “She sends us grave-hunting.”

Elora stared into the crack in the ice, where a cold wind breathed secrets older than men. “Then let’s find what death has forgotten.”

And together, they stepped toward the darkness.

Session Notes

  • The party traveled deeper into the High Forest after leaving the Long River, following a narrow, single-file path that wound away from the water.

    • Earlier attempts (recapped) to fly or walk gaps in the canopy had looped them back to the boat, but Thorn’s connection to the forest allowed progress this time.
    • Maledurk, on edge in the forest, spotted an elf-shaped figure leaping between trees above and ahead, briefly observing the group before vanishing from sight.
    • Tempest was noted (in the recap) for giggling at a dragonfly the size of her hand and later at a stumble; she remained distractible but cheerful.

  • Continuing along the unbranching path for roughly 10–15 minutes, the party entered a small, roughly circular clearing (about 10 feet across) that ended at dense trees—a dead end with only their back-trail still open.

    • Perception checks were called for; nothing new was spotted moving in the canopy this time.

    • Elora flew up into the canopy (about 15–20 feet of vertical room before branches thickened) to scout.

      • From above, she observed an unusually dense, interlocked canopy forming an almost cave-like barrier—no passable route forward aloft without cutting.
      • She noted the branches were living and flexible but too dense to push through without chopping, which the group wished to avoid given the forest’s apparent sentience.

  • Thorn attempted a diplomatic/ritual appeal to the forest and its watchers.

    • He climbed into the branches, removed his shirt, and began an earnest spoken plea for harmony and passage.
    • After initial silence and growing self-consciousness, a disembodied voice finally said, “No, no, keep going,” prompting Thorn to continue.
    • At Elora’s prompting and Thorn’s escalation, the “performance” expanded: Thorn danced, flew short aerial loops, and (with cantrip effects like lights consistent with Minor Illusion/Prestidigitation) staged a showy display.

  • The source of the voice was identified.

    • Group Perception checks were rolled; Elora rolled a 27 and pinpointed a chipmunk on a branch roughly 15 feet up and 8–10 feet from Thorn.

      • Elora saw the chipmunk’s mouth move in sync with the voice (“Okay, okay. That’s a little much,” etc.), confirming it was the speaker.

    • The chipmunk, amused, wanted to “see how far he’ll take this,” even slow-clapping Thorn’s finale and pronouncing that Thorn had passed its “eye test.”

  • The chipmunk revealed its purpose and opened the way.

    • It stated it had been sent to bring them to Jareth and, satisfied, gestured for trees to part, revealing a new forward path.
    • The party proceeded, with Thorn (proud) and Maledurk (skeptical) exchanging a brief aside about the usefulness of Thorn’s antics; Tempest continued to be entertained.

  • The group entered a larger, sacred-feeling glade (approximately 20–30 feet across) beneath a thinner, dome-like canopy that allowed shafts of sunlight.

    • A single enormous tree (trunk ~15 feet across) dominated one side, orienting the space like a natural temple or forum.
    • Upon entry, the path behind them sealed as trees closed. No other exits were visible.
    • Thorn and Elora both strongly sensed great magical power resident in the place.

  • Jareth revealed herself and greeted the party by name (Elora, Thorn, Maledurk, Tempest).

    • The face of Jareth appeared upon the great tree’s trunk; her voice was familiar from prior contact.
    • Jareth joked about wanting to see Thorn’s jig (Thorn declined, feigning fatigue), then turned to business.

  • The party briefed Jareth in detail on their recent history and disruptions.

    • Jareth contrasted their early, chosen quests (helping Waterdeep; traveling to the mountains in search of Kwalish; undertaking the Chult mission to end the Death Curse) with later involuntary displacements where they were forcibly drawn into situations across planes.
    • She noted their victories: destroying the Soulmonger in Chult; wielding the Sun Sword against Strahd and escaping as Barovia appeared to collapse; defeating a dangerous wizard at a school; and overcoming the Demogorgon in the Underdark.

  • Jareth’s assessment of the overarching threat:

    • She suspected “creatures from beyond this world” or ancient, undead arcanists with multi-planar reach.
    • Names raised by the party’s research—Acererak and Vecna—were acknowledged as plausible actors; Strahd’s status remained uncertain (whether the entity destroyed in Barovia was truly him, or an aspect within his “dream”-realm).
    • Jareth identified a common theme: powerful magic-users who died yet refused to remain dead, exerting influence across realms.
    • She believed the party’s actions had “poked a hornets’ nest,” drawing hostile attention.

  • On surveillance, security, and where to plan:

    • Jareth asserted her glade is warded against scrying and similar magics; discussions held there should be safe.
    • Outside the glade (even elsewhere in the High Forest), hostile scrying or influence might be possible.

  • Strategic options discussed:

    • Passive: Wait for the enemy to abduct or attack again (not preferred; cedes initiative).

    • Proactive: Seek out the source or set a trap to draw it in.

      • Thorn proposed acting as bait and attempting imprisonment or decisive neutralization if it manifested; Jareth agreed this was plausible but emphasized the need to first learn what, exactly, they were facing.

  • Allies and safe havens:

    • Jareth pledged that the elves of the High Forest would not interfere with the party and would be supportive; the High Forest itself would be inhospitable to most enemy minions.
    • Jareth warned that “civilized” peoples (humans, dwarves, orcs, dragonborn in cities/nations) are prone to corruption; discretion is advised before involving them.

  • The path to obtaining actionable intelligence:

    • Jareth identified a reclusive witch, Nimue Ashcap, dwelling in the Star Mounts (central High Forest).

      • Jareth described a professional, if not always warm, relationship with Nimue; Nimue is neither hostile to nor fully aligned with the elves.

      • Nimue possesses divinatory powers (foretelling, future-reading, cross-domain sight) and had indicated she must examine the party in person to unravel the current mystery.

      • Nimue required five rare components to perform the necessary working:

        1. Black Salt — gathered from a storm (akin to a sandstorm) in another realm; the salt falls from the sky within the storm.
        2. Bone Marrow Honey — honey made by carrion bees that hive inside large dead creatures and feed on the marrow.
        3. Lich Moss — a moss that grows on the skulls of dead liches.
        4. Ember Fungus — a mushroom that grows in one of the layers of the Nine Hells.
        5. Blood Gourd — the fruit of the Bone Thicket.

      • Jareth had “leads” for all items; Ember Fungus might be “easiest” among hard options, though “easy” is relative.

  • Travel, extraction, and return logistics:

    • Jareth can shift the party to other planes, but Teleport does not cross planes; returning to the Material requires the party’s own magic aided by a focus.

    • Jareth arranged for a planar “home beacon”:

      • The chipmunk, now named Jerry, presented Thorn with a tuning fork attuned to the Material Plane/Jareth’s world.
      • When struck, it resonated audibly and magically within the glade; Elora and Thorn felt its harmonics.
      • Function: Using their own magic, the party can use the fork to return to this plane from other planes. Arrival point on the plane is not guaranteed to be the glade.

    • Glade warding and teleport anchoring:

      • Direct teleportation into the glade is blocked by Jareth’s defenses.
      • Jareth indicated a nearby side space among the trees (just outside her ward) that the party can visually memorize and use as a reliable Teleport destination on the Material.
      • Creating a permanent Teleportation Circle is impractical here (requires daily work for a year).
      • Plan agreed: memorize the outside spot, Teleport back there after each excursion, then walk into the glade to consult with Jareth.

  • Choice of first objective:

    • The party opted to start on the Material with Lich Moss to test their workflow before deeper extraplanar runs.
    • Jareth had a lead on a tomb that might contain what they need and offered to send them there immediately, with the caveat that it may not pan out and they might have to continue the search.

  • Jareth’s send-off and new destination:

    • Jareth thanked them, indicated eagerness to see them return safely, and invoked a transport effect (dust motes brightening and swirling; the familiar stretch/pull sensation without pain).

    • Arrival: A cold, desolate mountain valley with sheer, tall mountains flanking a wide trough; the party stood roughly 200 yards from the towering face of a glacier.

      • A large fissure at the glacier’s base appeared just big enough for person-sized entry.
      • The ground was dry rock and dirt, sloping gently uphill toward the ice.

    • The scene cut there for the session end.

  • Session end and advancement:

    • The DM announced the party would advance to level 13 for the next session, anticipating increasingly “crazy extraplanar” challenges ahead.