Through the Hedge Maze is the fifth episode of season 14, A Court of Fey & Flowers.
Intro[]
- "Our previous chapter was a buffet of secrets and truths as our Fey begin to really settle into their roles within the Bloom. Andhera and Hob found common ground on the sparring grounds. Gwyndolin made a brand-new brunch friend in a human named Wannessa, and the Lords of the Wing took their stellar reputations for hospitality and maturity out for a spin."
- "But at this seaside high tea, potions and potables led to shocking revelations. Rue revealed their true form, a tall, statuesque equally fashionable owlbear, and Captain Hob, hot on the trail of the misdeeds of the Court of Wonder, got the first kernel of truth from Gwyndolin Thistle-hop."
Synopsis[]
Both Chirp and Squak begin the episode with Inspiration given by Aabria for their boastful displays at the news that they get to keep their newly-earned titles of 'the Matured' (Squak) and 'the Hospitable' (Chirp), and that their reputation tracks have now been reset to centre. As a result, at the beginning of the episode, Prince Andhera's reputation begins at 6/7, Captain K. P. Hob's at 6/7, Lady Chirp Featherfowl's at 4/7, Lord Squak Airavis's at 4/7, Delloso de la Rue's at 6/7, and Gwyndolin Thistle-hop's at 4/7.
The head of the Court of Seafoam, a sentient wave known as the Wavemaster, announces that the prize at the centre of the Hedge Maze will be the Crystal Heart. Every Bloom, the Crystal Heart is a prize and a title given out which functionally represents the honour of being the first to dance at the ball at the climax of the Bloom. However, over millennia, it has become an esteemed sign of being favoured by fame and fortune, as well as of being held in high esteem by all of the Fey gathered at the Bloom. If one was to look back through the histories of the families gathered at the Bloom, one would be unlikely to find a well-respected one without a Crystal Heart in their lineage.
Squak and Chirp decide that it would be off-putting for them to aim to retrieve the Crystal Heart due to their already very high reputations at the Bloom, and deem that it would be better to direct their attentions within the Hedge Maze to planting other seeds. The cousins notice that two faces appear to disproportionately light up at the news of the Crystal Heart being the prize at the centre of the Hedge Maze: Prince Apollo of the Court of Wonder, and Princess Suntar of the Unseelie, the older sister of Andhera. Squak asks if they will be able to use their powers to fly during the race through the Hedge Maze, and the Wavemaster demonstrates that they will not be able to by summoning a bird made out of water which, as it flies over the Hedge Maze, is entangled and ripped apart by vines. The Wavmemaster tells the gathered Fey that they must enter the Hedge Maze alone; they can attempt to find their friends inside, but the hedge seeks intentions and will help the participants down the path of what they truly desire. Wuvvy appears next to Rue and says that they will take charge of the rest of the required preparations if Rue wants to participate in the game at the Hedge Maze and revel in the moment of appearing in public in their true form. Rue accepts. Gwyndolin asks Rue if they could find her within the Hedge Maze as they have something to talk to them about that they cannot talk about in public. Rue promises to do so.
Chirp decides to hang back and cast Identify on the coloured potions that were put out on the tables during tea-time. She learns that: the red potion is Invoke Duplicity, which gives you a double; the orange, light blue, and gold potions are all various kinds of poison; the yellow potion gives you advantage on performance checks for an hour; the green potion is a Potion of Plant Affinity; the dark blue potion is a Potion of Water-Breathing, which lasts for three hours; the purple potion is a Potion of Detect Thoughts; the pink potion is a Philtre of Love; the silver potion is a potion of Truth; the clear potion is a Potion of Haste; and the black potion is a Potion of Greater Healing. She secretly scoops up a number of potions whilst pretending to dazzle people with her fan work. Hob grabs the tablecloth on one of the tables, sweeps it up, and gathers all of the potions up in it, deciding to identify them 'the old-fashioned way' as he does not have the Identify spell. Andhera wishes Chirp 'good luck' in the Hedge Maze. She says that she would love to see him win against his sister, and gives him a Potion of Haste. They thank her and downs an orange potion as he leaves, which makes them need to throw up, but his success on a constitution saving throw means that he does not immediately throw up in front of Chirp. Squak grabs two Philtres of Love. Gwyndolin grabs all of the leftover potions from the area, gaining one of each potion except for the Potion of Plant Affinity and the Potion of Detect Thoughts that had already been taken by other contestants.
As Squak enters the Hedge Maze, he decides that he wants to cause some havoc, targeting the Court of Wonder and, specifically, Prince Apollo. An arcane wind blows him to the right, and he becomes attuned to the direction of the wind, which take him directly to where Prince Apollo stands, trying to blast a straight line through the hedge in order to get to the centre. Squak decides to help Prince Apollo in his efforts, casting his Spiritual Weapon at a third level, which manifests as a bald eagle emerging from his forehead. He then gives Prince Apollo the Help action as he head-butts the hedge and casts Blight, causing the hedge to corrode and darken, opening up a hole. Prince Apollo asks Squak whether he will be a friend or a competitor in this race, and Squak replies that he plans to be a little bit of both as he follows Prince Apollo through the hole and deeper into the Hedge Maze.
Andhera enters the Hedge Maze and starts by casting Lester Restoration to ease the nausea he feels from swallowing the poisonous orange potion. They feel unsure about what his purpose is in the maze, having entered merely in order to take part in the group activity. As he puts his hand on the hedge and begins to move forward, the hedge frenetically opens up a number of different pathways and portals to them: behind some of these, Andhera can hear the voices of people he has just met and, behind others, they can hear the voices of people that he has known for a long time. Andhera puts their hands onto the hedge and asks them what they want. The Hedge Maze replies: 'to find the one that's worthy.' Under his palms, Andhera can feel the hedge blossoming under their touch. He casts Summon Steed, which they plan to feed the Potion of Haste that Chirp gave them when it arrives. As they do so, he tells the Hedge Maze that it can feel free to feast upon their thoughts and memories, and that he holds nothing back from them. He feels a vine curl around his foot, and receives the revelation that, despite being a very well-respected family, due to his mother's refusal to participate in the primary conceit of the Bloom, nobody in their family has ever been in possession of the Crystal Heart. The maze also shows them a brief glimpse of his sister, Suntar, who is racing through the maze in an attempt to reach its centre.
Gwyndolin enters the Hedge Maze, and Binx is thinking about finding Rue, who they hope will be an ally and understand their plight, as 'they are not like the others.' She aims to find Rue by tracking the peony that they are wearing. On a nat 20 roll, the maze reveals the way to Rue to them immediately. Realising that this is the most secluded place that they have been in so far, Gwyndolin approaches Rue and expresses her admiration for their appearance at the event in their true form. Gwyndolin says that Rue is not like the rest of the Court of Wonder, and Rue acknowledges that they are not. Gwyndolin says that they are trusting Rue and asks them not to freak out. Rue puts their hand on Gwyndolin's shoulder to reassure them as her glamour fades away and they reveal themselves in their true form as Binx Choppley. She says that they are not of the Court of Wonder but, instead, are the final remaining member of the Court of Craft, and are at the Bloom to find out where the magic of her court went, saying that she suspects the Court of Wonder stole it. Rue shares that Binx has their full support and thanks them for sharing her true form with them. Binx then asks Rue to hand them the key that they gave them previously along with a letter, and Rue hands it to her. They stomp on it to break it, revealing that it was a cursed key, but that it is not cursed anymore. Rue is incredulous that they would have given them a cursed key.
Hob enters the Hedge Maze. He is deeply touched by Rue's act of bravery in appearing in their true form, and resolves his feelings about the duel, which he previously believed was orchestrated by Rue due to the offence that he caused them during the Great Hart Hunt. He now believes that Rue was dealing with feelings far greater in relation to their true identity, and that it was foolish and arrogant of him to believe that any of his words or actions held any esteem in Rue's mind. He enters the maze thinking of finding the other goblins. However, succeeding on an insight check against himself, Hob smells peonies on the breeze. Looking in the direction of the smell, he sees a domed top past the hedge 20-feet away from him. Behind him, he can very faintly hear the sound of goblins giggling and having fun. Hearing the sound of the goblins laughing, it sounds enough like reproachful laughter that it reminds him of the scorn and derision that he faced last time he ignored his duty to make room for something greater. As a result, he turns and moves towards the sound of the goblin laughter, knowing himself to be a coward. He finds goblins of various sizes crowded around the Viscountess Grabalba. Hob sets up a system by which the goblins should test the vials that he has taken from the tables outside the Hedge Maze and report back to him with their findings.
Rue speaks to Binx about the revelation of their true form and Binx reveals her full name to be Binx Choppley. Rue asks who Gwyndolin Thistle-hop is to them, and she says 'a friend.' When Rue asks where Gwyndolin is now, Binx replies that they can talk about that later but that, right now, she is focussed on finding Hob, who they believe has sussed out their deal. As Rue thinks about what it is that they want, they are overwhelmed by feelings regarding the generally positive reception of their true form, as well as by their feelings for Hob and the look of approval that he gave them. However, they snap back to reality, looking at Binx as they touch a piece of the surrounding greenery, utilising the Potion of Plant Affinity that they imbibed earlier, and saying: 'Lead us to the Crystal Heart.' They tell Binx that it is entirely their choice when and whether she chooses to reveal their true self, but suggests that they make a declaration of her existence at this Bloom. They say they will find the Crystal Heart together, and asks Binx to tell them about her history as they make their way forward.
Chirp, entering the Hedge Maze on an ostrich, wonders whether taking a Philtre of Love and purposefully failing her saving throw would satisfy the demands of Rue's wager. A playback of Rue declaring the original conditions of the wager reveals that love must be reciprocated, and that magic must not be used to aid this, meaning that her plan with the Philtre of Love would not work. Instead, she downs a Potion of Plant Affinity and tells the hedge that she wants to 'start some shit' and begin a sibling rivalry between Andhera and Suntar. The hedge opens up a window so that Chirp can see Andhera, and she casts Slow on the princess. The spell takes its effect on Andhera as she finds it difficult to continue moving, and the hedge reaches out a vine to trip her, which they declare is 'just because they like' Chirp. They then close the portal to Andhera and make Chirp a bench made out of flowers and greenery upon which to sit. They then ask her what she would like to do about the two people who are looking for her within the maze. Chirp says that she would like to retreat, but takes a twig from the Hedge Maze so that they can continue talking when she is back at her nest. As she exits the Hedge Maze, over her shoulder she can see Lady Sylmenar, one of the ladies-in-waiting to Queen Titania from the Seelie Court, and a bird person who, upon the hedge's description, Chirp realises is Caw, the fixer who arrived at the Bloom with the Lords of the Wing. These were, presumably, the two aforementioned competitors seeking her out within the Hedge Maze.
In choosing chaos, Squak then decides that his aim will be to help Prince Apollo retrieve the Crystal Heart in whatever way Apollo decides is best. He notices that, every time they fight the hedge, it triggers a small Shambling Mound. Apollo chooses 'fighting' as the way that he will read the prize, and gives Squak Bardic Inspiration as he attempts to hit the Shambling Mound with his mind-eagle, which misses. Squak then casts a fourth-level Shatter on the hedge, the damage produced by which is large enough to impact the second layer of hedge as well. He walks through to the second layer of hedge, with Apollo following after him.
Andhera finishes Summon Steed, and a puddle of clear, bubbling cave water appears before him and begins to take the form of a horse. A dark murkiness begins to appear from the bottom and fill out the shape of the horse as it becomes a Nightmare, which Andhera calls Mucky. Andhera asks the hedge to lead them to his sister, as the hedge previously showed them the image of her racing to find the Crystal Heart. The hedge asks him if this is really what they want to do, and he says that it is. They pour the Potion of Haste that Chirp gave him into Mucky's mouth. As they jump onto Mucky, the elemental shard on the back of Andhera's neck glows, and a raincloud producing spring rain forms above them, the water from which is absorbed back into the form of his horse as it falls. As Mucky is now moving at such a high speed, they are unable to turn in time at all of the various corners of the Hedge Maze and, instead, begin bursting through the hedges themselves. Omar chooses to burn his horn relic in order to allow Andhera to land directly next to his sister in the Hedge Maze, but this means that their relationship with Chirp, who the horn is connected to, will be just a little bit harder to re-forge the next time that they see each other. Andhera chooses to give Mucky to Suntar in order to help her retrieve the Crystal Heart. He says that they want Suntar to retrieve the Crystal Heart as she is the 'crown jewel' of the family. Suntar asks why they don't take it for himself, and Andhera replies that it is very hard for them to ever receive approval from his mother, and that the approval of their mother at his helping of their sister to retrieve the Crystal Heart and bring respect to the family would be enough for him. Suntar asks him why they think she will not lie about his having helped her, and Andhera says that her having to lie would be enough of a feather in his cap anyway. Suntar gets onto Mucky and begins to ride. Just 100 feet from him, Andhera sees the Crystal Heart lying at the centre of the maze, with Rue and Binx, Hob and the goblins, and Squak and Apollo all also about 100 feet away from it. Seeing this, Andhera shouts: 'Dear sister, get fucked!' and clicks their fingers, ordering Mucky to run in the opposite direction. Suntar does not have enough time to react to this, and Mucky begins sprinting off in the opposite direction with her on his back, removing her from the running. For this, Andhera receives a crystal knight relic to place into his box. He then whispers to the hedge that, as they said, whoever most deserves the Crystal Heart will win, and they look forward to seeing who that is.
The gang who are 100 feet from the Crystal Heart all roll initiative, with Hob rolling the highest. He has Corporals Blash and Strump on his right shoulder: Corporal Blash has taken the Potion of Plant Affinity in order to give Hob live intel from the hedge, and Corporal Strump is giving Hob the Help action on the athletics check he is about to make. Lieutenant Gorebladder has taken the Potion of Detect Thoughts in order to detect whether there are any invisible or disguised participants approaching the Crystal Heart. Hob has taken the Potion of Haste, which allowed him to make his way through the Hedge Maze as fast as possible to get to the centre. Viscountess Grabalba took the potion which granted her advantage on performance, as Hob plans to throw her at the Crystal Heart. He does so, managing to throw her 37 feet closer to the Crystal Heart. He then closes this distance between him and Grabalba, moving at a greater speed due to his imbibing of the Potion of Haste, but Prince Apollo casts Dispel Magic, reducing his speed back to normal. As a result, Hob is only able to move another 30 feet, holding the Viscountess Grabalba.
Squak then decides to cause more chaos, shouting to Prince Apollo to hurry as 'the brave and tremendous Hob' is nearly at the Crystal Heart, giving Hob Bardic Inspiration. He says that it would not be befitting for Apollo to lose to his ex-fiancée, the Viscountess Grabalba. He casts Hypnotic Pattern on the group of goblins. As Squak makes this comment about Apollo's ex-fiancee, gasps can be heard from outside the Hedge Maze, emanating from the spectators who are scrying on the events going on at its centre.
Chirp is outside the Hedge Maze, running the gambling. She is granted a bonus Rumour phase as she has a captive audience outside of the Hedge Maze. As Squak's comment about Apollo's ex-fiancée is broadcast to the spectators, she spreads the rumour that Viscountess Grabalba showing up on the arms of two gentlemen (referring to Prince Andhera and King Oberon) must have really rankled Prince Apollo. This rumour is heard by the crowd, and the head tier of the Court of Seafoam, including Efendra and Baroness Alven, appear most taken by it. Chirp can hear the rumour being spread throughout the gathered audience.
Binx begins running towards the Crystal Heart with Rue. She appears to the crowd in their true form as Binx, not having had time to change back before the hedges revealed the group to each other. As she looks at Apollo, their Gwyndolin form pops back briefly but is suppressed as she thinks of the Court of Craft and how they are the only one left. She realises that her appearing as Binx would be seen as a warning shot to the Court of Wonder, and they cast Fog Cloud to obscure her true form from everyone. Squak Counterspells Binx's Fog Cloud, dispelling it. Binx continues running forward towards the Crystal Heart.
Rue uses Misty Step to teleport 30 feet closer to the Crystal Heart, and then uses Pyrotechnics, letting off a firework from their hand which releases smoke, obscuring their surroundings in a 20 feet radius.
Andhera looks over at Rue, recognising them, but not initially recognising the figure next to them. However, as they look closer at Binx's eyes, he sees Gwyndolin's eyes in Binx's. They look towards her and give them a nod. He moves 30 feet towards the Crystal Heart, and then casts Darkness, pointing at a spot 60 feet away in order to engulf the Crystal Heart. They then turn to the hedge, whispering that he trusts their judgment.
The group (minus Chirp) all roll Investigation to find the Crystal Heart amongst the Darkness. As Grabalba is out of the race due to being incapacitated by the Hypnotic Pattern that Squak cast earlier, Hob decides that his priority is stopping Apollo from reaching the Crystal Heart. Squak decides that his priority is helping Apollo to reach the Crystal Heart. Both of their roles will be used to either help (Squak) or hinder (Hob) Apollo's roll. With a nat 20 roll, Andhera reaches the Crystal Heart first, and secretly places it in the hands of Binx. As he does so, their hands touch, and, with a higher Perception check than Andhera's Deception check, Binx is able to smell storm clouds and realise that it was Andhera that pressed the Crystal Heart into her hands.
The Hedge Maze intercedes and drops Andhera's Darkness, as Binx Choppley emerges from the Hedge Maze, holding the Crystal Heart. Overwhelmed by the attention, Binx announces herself as Binx, the last member and sole leader of the Court of Craft. The Wavemaster approaches Binx, with a look of reverence on their face from one leader to another, taking their hand and declaring: 'All hail the Weaver of Fate, Binx Choppley.'
Characters[]
Players[]
- Lady Chirp Featherfowl
- Gwyndolin Thistle-hop a.k.a. BINX Choppley
- Captain K. P. Hob
- Delloso de la Rue
- Andhera
- Lord Squak Airavis