04-18-2022, 09:49 AM
This is a playthrough of A Faerie Court Visitation I played over the course of a few days.
--Prologue--
My mother always told me about the bargain an ancestor of our family made with the fae.
They would give him great fortune, enough wealth to keep our family standing for years to come.
In exchange, my ancestor offered one of his descendants as a marriage candidate for a future fae royal.
I always thought of this bargain as a simple story that has been passed down through generations. After all, my mother said the bargain was struck 100 years ago.
At least, until today.
It all started when I heard my mother telling me someone was waiting for me outside the house.
Of course, I did as my mother asked and went outside.
And then I realized that the story my mother used to tell me was more than a simple story.
The first thing I saw was a girl around my age. She was dressed like a princess from a fantasy novel. Fancy dress and all.
She introduced herself to me as Lymselia, princess of the summer court.
Lymselia told me that she has come to claim my hand in marriage, as my ancestor promised her parents 100 years ago.
I was confused at first. Why did Lymselia choose me as her husband? I've never done anything important in my life.
I guess Lymselia noticed the confused look on my face, because she gave me an offer.
I was to stay a period of two weeks in the summer court, acting as part of their consort. After these two weeks, I could either take Lymselia's hand in marriage, or make an alternative payment on my part and go my own way.
I chose to accept Lymselia's offer. After all, I had to fufil my and of the bargain.
Before deprating, Lymselia gave me some time to pack my bags for the trip. I decided to take my backpack, phone, headphones and power bank. I didn't really need anything else for the trip.
After I was done packing up, I told Lymselia I was ready to go visit the summer court.
--Day 1--
Lymselia took me to visit a place known as Mirror Gorge. The water there is almost invisible to onlookers, hence the name.
What peaked my interest the most were the shadows moving across the water's surface.
According to Lymselia, the shadows I saw were Aquawings, a race of winged merfolk who live in lakes across the Faewyld.
The two of us simply sat by the lake and watched the Aquawings swimming around.
[Card drawn: 8 of clubs. Keeping a respectful distance, you watch finfolk by the lochs dart about in their underwater world.]
--Day 2--
I was on my own today, so I decided to pay a visit to the summer court's library.
Since I myself was part of a bargain from 100 years ago, I decided to spend the day researching about fae deals and trades.
Turns out that offering one of your descendants to the fae as payment is surprisingly common among humans. I don't know how do I feel about this discovery.
[Card drawn: Jack of diamonds. You visit the local library to research fae deals and trades.]
--Day 3--
It's safe to say that today was quite interesting, if not a bit awkward.
Lymselia and I went on a walk in a nearby forest. I'm not the type of person to enjoy outdoor trips, but I really enjoyed the view.
After we spent a few hours in the forest, we started to head back to the palace.
And then, without any warning, it started to rain.
It's a good thing Lymselia used her magic to create a small hut for us to take cover from the rain in.
We spent the time waiting for the rain to end by exchanging stories from our lives.
Lymselia told me about the time she helped finding her mother's personal steed after it ran away from the royal stables.
As for me, I simply shared some of my experiences playing TTRPGs over the years.
We wouldn't have to spend the night in Lymselia's improvised shelter, as a group of fae knights found us in the forest after about a few hours and escorted us back to the palace.
[Card drawn: 8 of hearts. Caught in torrential rain the faerie royal improvises a shelter to keep you warm and dry. You exchange stories to pass the time until the sky clears.]
--Day 4--
Lymselia decided to show me the various islands in the Faewyld.
When she told me the trip would be by sea, I was expecting we would go on a boat trip.
Instead, Lymselia and I went around the Faewyld riding on the backs of giant swans.
To be honest, each island I saw today almost felt like I was looking at an entirely different world.
I made sure to take as many photos as I was able to during the trip.
[Card drawn: queen of hearts. The faerie royal takes you to as many islands as the day holds time for, showing you the sights and salutations of the faeries inhabiting each one.]
--Day 5--
As it turns out, today is the Moonlight festival in the Faewyld.
Lymselia was busy with setting up the celebrations in the palace.
I wanted to help Lymselia with her tasks, but she told me she was fine on her own.
So yeah, I had the whole day to myself.
I decided to visit the royal stables, as they were close to where my room in the palace was.
When I arrived at the stables, I noticed some of the stalls were empty.
One of the stablehands, an elf called Tialha, told me that some of the animals ran away from the stable and asked me to help her retrieve the lost animals.
I was told to act as part of the royal consort, so I agreed to help Tialha out.
At one point, I had to calm down a pegasus which was flying in the air without falling off its back and get it to land back on the ground so Tialha could lead it back to the stable.
We managed to return the missing animals to the stables in the end, but it took Tialha and I most of the day to do so. Lymselia also lended us a hand in rounding up the animals.
Also, Lymselia saw me trying to calm down the pegasus and was impressed by how determined I was despite the fact I was really scared.
After we returned all the animals to their stalls, Lymselia asked me if I want to perform with the summer court's sky knights during the Moonlight festival.
I wanted to refuse Lymselia's offer, but I didn't want to let Lymselia down, so I accepted her offer.
In my opinion, the best part of the day was the Moonlight festival itself.
The festival started with an aerial show by the summer court's sky knights, which I took part in.
After that, Lymselia and I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the festival.
Before returning to the palace, the captain of the sky knights, Elora, said she was impressed with how I handled my pegasus during the show despite the fact I only learnt how to ride a pegasus today.
Elora asked me if I want to join the sky knights for real. I told Elora that I'll take her offer into consideration.
After that, Lymselia and I returned to the palace.
[Card drawn: joker. Each joker represents a holiday in the court, which I can spend in any way I want.]
--Day 6--
After what I've been through yesterday, I told Lymselia that I'll be staying in my room to take a rest for the day.
It's a good thing I took the day off, because today my online TTRPG group is meeting up for another session of Griffons and Grimoires.
Like always, I made sure to log into the voice chat before the beginning of the session.
I did tell the group that I'd be forced to join the voice chat from my phone during this session and the next one, as I would be far from home during that time.
The session started out quite tense. Our last G&G session ended with the party fighting the members the Dark Iron cult.
My character, a Darkin Soul-weaver, was on his last few hit points with most of his mana points being depleted from the amount of spells I had to use during the encounter.
We started the session with the turn of the Dark Iron cultists, and the rest of my party was as desperate as I was.
The cultists started attacking the party, trying to wear us down. Luckily, our Oracle still had a single use of Vision left, which turned a critical hit into a fumble, saving our warrior.
It seems luck wasn't on our side, as most of our turns were nothing but missed attacks and failed spells.
Soon it was the cult leader's turn, and he decided to finish off my character, seeing as my character used to be a member of the Dark Iron, but was exiled from the cult.
The GM rolls for the leader's attack. It hits. If I had enough mana to cast Soul Barrier, that would be a miss.
He rolls for damage and I'm brought down to 0 hit points.
At this point, I know I'm doomed. I've been playing my Soul-weaver for the past year, and I really enjoyed playing him.
The GM tells me to make a death saving throw. I roll the dice and fail the saving throw. I'm not dead, but I will be on my next failed death save.
The GM describes as the cult leader pulls out his ritual dagger, ready to claim the soul of the one who betrayed the Dark Iron and offer it to the cult's deity.
Before the GM can finish the leader's speech, he's interrupted by someone.
Suddenly, I hear Lymselia's voice in the call, telling the GM that she still hasn't taken her turn yet.
The GM realizes this mistake and apologizes to the group, telling Lymselia to describe what her character is doing.
Lymselia describes as the cult leader's right hand man, a NPC our party knows, casts Soul Barrier on my character, right before the leader strikes my character down.
Not only that, she uses the NPC's Necrotic Blessing trait and restores my character's hit points and mana.
The cult leader, enraged by the sudden action of the NPC, asks him what was the reason for his action.
Lymselia describes as NPC tells the cult leader that he had enough with the way the Dark Iron cult has been acting over the years and have forgotten their true purpose.
The battle continues with our party gaining the upper hand over the cultists, ending with the defeat of the cult leader.
After the battle, the GM describes the campaign's epilogue and the fate of each of our characters.
When it comes time to my character's ending, the GM describes how my character became the new leader of the Dark Iron cult.
I was glad that my character got to the end of the campaign, but I was a bit confused as of how Lymselia was able to join the voice chat.
Lymselia entered my room after the session ended and I asked her why did the GM let her play as the cult leader's right hand.
As it turns out, after I told Lymselia about my group's G&G campaign, she was interested in joining the group.
I told Lymselia that I'm okay with this, but she should speak with our GM and the rest of the group before she can join.
While I was busy with helping Tialha with getting the lost animals back in the stable before the Moonlight festival yesterday, Lymselia talked with our GM and asked him if she can join the group.
The GM agreed to Lymselia's request, but he had a feeling today's session will be the end of the campaign, so he let Lymselia take control of the NPC instead of having her create a character just for this session.
Lymselia also told me that the GM explained to her about my character's backstory and why he was exiled from the Dark Iron cult.
The GM also shared the NPC's backstory with Lymselia, which was just a bunch of small notes and told Lymselia that she's free to interpert these notes however she likes.
Overall, it has been an exciting day for me.
[Card drawn: 7 of hearts. When the faerie royal stops by to check up on you, they find you spending time engaging in a hobby. Intrigued, they are keen to join in.]
--Day 7--
After the G&G session we had yesterday, the GM asked the rest of the group if they agree to let Lymselia join the group. They agreed.
Since I was going to run the next campaign, I decided to help Lymselia with creating her character.
I thought it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to help Lymselia create her character. I was wrong.
Just taking a look at the ancestry and class sections of the core book gave Lymselia a lot of ideas for her character.
Eventually, I offered Lymselia that I'll roll on the NPC creation tables in the GM's guide to help her come up with a character concept.
We ended up with a Florai Pyrodancer with the former cultist background.
Lymselia suggested that her character was exiled from the Dark Iron cult due to her uncontrollable fire magic.
It took us about an hour before Lymselia's charcter was finally done.
After that, I ran Lymselia's charcter through a solo adventure to help Lymselia learn the rules of G&G and to also flesh out her character's backstory.
[Card drawn: 7 of diamonds. The fae royal admires you at work on one of your crafts. They take the time to sit beside you and watch intently.]
--Day 8--
Today the summer court had a dancing ball in the palace.
I don't really enjoy going to parties, but I felt like I had to participate.
Most of the day wasn't anything noteworthy, except for the end of the ball.
At some point during the evening, I heard someone calling my name from the balcony.
Lymselia was busy dancing, so I went alone.
When I arrived at the balcony, I was met by a cloaked figure. I couldn't see their face.
They introduced themselves as one of the bargained, people who were traded away to the fae by various bargins.
They have been aware of my arrival to the Faewyld ever since the first day.
The figure reached out into their cloak and pulled out a book. Just before they handed me the book, I heard Lymselia's voice calling out for me.
The figure quickly fled, and I was soon left alone with the book.
Lymselia asked me why did I left the entrance hall. I replied with saying someone called to me and showed Lymselia the book.
I noticed Lymselia was suspicious upon seeing the book, as she soon casted a spell on it.
Turns out I've been given a grimiore of black magic, which could bring ruin to the Faewyld if it was ever used.
I have no idea why was I given this grimiore. Did the bargained see me as a pawn for their own goals?
Come to think of it, I've been in the Faewyld for about a week now. Maybe I should ask Lymselia where can I learn how to cast spells.
[Card drawn: queen of spades. A sinister figure approaches you at the end of one of the court’s events, about to slip something into your hands before the two of you are interrupted.]
--Day 9--
Lymselia and I went on a riding trip outside the palace today.
There weren't many animals in the stable today, so we had to share a horse together.
We decided to take a rest at a nearby lake.
While looking around the lake, something caught my eye. A lone horse was standing by the lake.
It had a black fur and a long, flowing mane. It even wore a saddle and tack.
I asked Lymselia if I could go explore the lake on my own for a while, and she agreed.
I decided to take a closer look at the horse. Maybe its owner went missing and the horse was left behind.
The horse looked friendly when I arrived. I was able to pet it without getting bitten or kicked.
I figured that since this horse was all alone, I might as well take it with me for the rest of the trip.
I decided to climb onto the horse's saddle and before I could grab the reins, the horse started running as fast as it could around the same spot.
I tried to get off the saddle before the horse would run away, but I couldn't get off the horse.
I thought I could grab the reins and pull the horse to a halt, but I wasn't able to get a hold of the reins.
Soon the horse started running towards the lake and I started fearing for the worst.
But then I heard Lymselia calling out to me, and the horse soon came to a halt.
Lymselia dismounted her horse and walked towards where I was. She spoke with the horse in words I couldn't understand, and I was able to get off the saddle.
Lymselia told me that the horse I saw earlier was actually a kelpie, a mischivious water spirit living in the lakes of the Faewyld.
The kelpie didn't realize I was traveling with Lymselia, and thought I was a simple traveler. The kelpie then apologized to me for almost dragging me to a watery fate.
I accepted the kelpie's apology, knowing that it couldn't recognize me and Lymselia from far away.
Afterwards, Lymselia and I rode back to the palace. Of course, I apologized to Lymselia for being reckless and having my guard down near the keplie.
[Card drawn: 10 of spades. A lakeside stroll takes a dangerous turn when you are almost eaten by a kelpie. The fae royal swoops in to rescue you just before you are dragged into the depths.]
--Day 10--
Lymselia was busy helping her parents today, so I decided to take a walk in the woods by myself.
After my encounter with the kelpie yesterday, I figured it's best to just do the trip on foot.
Thankfully, nothing really happened during the trip.
As the day drew to a close, I started making my way back to the palace.
I soon spotted a distant figure dressed in moss disappearing between the tress. I could go after the figure, but it was getting late.
But then I noticed something on the ground: A book of some sorts.
I picked up the book and made my way back to the palace. I'll show this to Lymselia once I'm able to do so.
[Card drawn: king of clubs. Walking through the woods as the sun goes down, you notice a figure cloaked in moss and foliage disappearing between birch trees.]
--Day 11--
Since my stay at the summer court will be over in a few days, I decided to pay a visit to the library again.
This time, I decided to read on the Faewyld's history.
Turns out the Faewyld is divided two opposing factions: the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court.
I also learnt about how deals with the fae actually work.
Each deal struck with a faerie is enforced by a powerful magic. Should that deal be broken, the one who violated the terms of the deal is cursed.
The curse of the punishment depends on how significant was the price paid by each side, as well as the nature of the deal itself.
There may be ways to violate a deal without getting cursed, but it depends on how the deal was worded in the first place.
I spent a few hours in the library while doing my research.
[Card drawn: jack of clubs. You visit the local library to research fae deals and potential loopholes.]
--Day 12--
During my trips outside the palace, I met a dryad called Galloris in the woods.
When I met Galloris today, I told her about how my experience so far in the Faewyld and my recent interest in learning magic.
To my surprise, Galloris had the same idea too. After Lymselia told Galloris that I came from a world without magic, she thought teaching me a few magic spells may be a nice gesture on her part.
I spent the day learning a few spells from Galloris.
The spells I learnt weren't that powerful. Most of them are common utility spells used in the summer court.
I also learnt a few offensive spells and a minor healing spell in case I'll need to defend myself.
[Card drawn: queen of diamonds. A dryad you have started to befriend offers to teach you a little magic found in the trees.]
--Day 13--
We had a few guests from the Blizzard court in the palace today.
They came for a meeting with Lymselia's parents regarding a peace agreement between the two courts.
One of the guests, prince Alred Oloris of the Blizzard court was quite arrogant.
He kept telling stories about his heroic deeds in the Faewyld, how he fought countless battles against the Unseelie court.
Alred also mentioned that he came to the summer court after he heard that Lymselia is searching for a partner.
I mostly remained silent during Alred's speech, but then he said something that caught my attention.
"Of course, I do believe I am a better match for princess Lymselia than this human can be."
At this moment, I just wanted to stand my ground against Alred, but I didn't want to escalate the situation.
I simply said that I agree with Alred's opinion. I'm just not fit to rule an entire kingdom.
The rest of the meeting was as usual. Alred kept bragging about his exploits while Lymselia and I listened.
[Card drawn: 2 of spades. While sharing scones with visitors, an argument breaks out. The fae royal gives you an apologetic look as they attempt to restore peace... until a snide comment about their choice of consort is made.]
--Day 14--
Today is the last day of my trail period, so Lymselia decided to do something special for me.
She decided to take me on a trip to one of her favorite places in the Faewyld, the Lilypad Expanse lake.
As we rode towards the lake, we came across a lone horse.
We stopped near the horse and got off our saddle. Lymselia decided to talk with the horse, as it seemed stressed.
That horse turned out to be a kelpie serving the Blizzard court. It fled from a nearby castle that was recently damaged in a battle with Unseelie soldiers.
We decided to split up. Lymselia will check near the castle for any remaining Unseelie soldiers while I'll search the ruins for any survivors.
After we made our decisions, Lymselia mounted her horse and rode towards the field while the kelpie led me to the castle ruins.
I dismounted the kelpie and entered the ruins on foot, searching my surroundings for any survivors.
It seems we arrived at the castle too late, as all I could find were the bodies of defeated Blizzard court soldiers, broken weapons and torn banners.
I spent a few minutes investigating the ruins just in case I missed something.
To my surprise, there was something hidden in the ruins: A letter.
I put the letter in my backpack and prepared to return to Lymselia, when I suddenly heard her scream from outside.
I rushed towards the entrance of the ruins and noticed Lymselia being surrounded by a group of cloaked figures.
Lymselia wasn't alone, as I could spot prince Alred standing guard over Lymselia's unconcious body.
The moment the figures noticed my presence, one of them attacked me.
I tried using the spells Galloris taught me to fend off the attacker, but my spells were negated. I had to resort to physical combat, but I was forced to use my fists since I didn't have any weapons.
Eventually, I did manage to defeat my attacker, but I saw Alred being overwhelmed, so I had to help him as well.
It was a tough fight, but the figures soon fled from the ruins.
I stayed near Lymselia to make sure she wasn't hurt during the fight.
Of course, Alred bragged that he didn't really need my help defending Lymselia, saying that he had taken part in battles on a larger than scale than this one.
Lymselia eventually returned to conciousness, although she was exhausted from the fight.
I helped Lymselia stand up on the ground before asking her what happened.
Turns out that a group of assassins from the Unseelie court attacked the castle in an attempt to destroy the Blizzard court.
After the initial attack, some of the assassins set up an ambush for any reinforcements that may arrive at the scene.
The assassins waited until Lymselia and I split up, attempting to capture Lymselia once there was no one to protect her.
Alred arrived at the castle when he recieved a message from the castle's general, arriving only to find Lymselia being under attack.
I decided to search for Lymselia's horse, as we needed to return to the palace.
I wasn't able to find Lymselia's horse anywhere. I guess it ran off during the ambush.
Fortunatly, the kelpie from the Blizzard court was still around, so Alred brought it to us.
Alred told Lymselia he'll take her back to the summer court palace and inform her parents what happened.
When Lymselia asked what about me, Alred replied saying that getting Lymselia back to her parents is more important than getting a simple human like me back to the palace.
Lymselia told Alred that I arrived at the Faewyld as part of the summer court's consort as part of her offer to me two weeks ago.
Alred simply scoffed at the idea that Lymselia even gave me that offer in the first place.
I told Lymselia that she should just go back to the palace with Alred, as Lymselia returning to the palace was more important than getting me back to the palace.
Lymselia refused Alred's idea, saying that she's not leaving without me.
Alred made a few more attempts to convince Lymselia to come with him before finally giving up on the idea. He simply mounted the kelpie and started riding away from us.
I asked Lymselia why she didn't go with Alred. She said she didn't want to leave me here all by myself.
I knew we wouldn't be able to make it back to the palace on foot before the sun goes down.
I decided to take a look around the ruins now that we were alone. Maybe I could find a few mounts for us to return to the palace faster.
After a few minutes of searching, I wasn't able to find anything.
Just as I decided to give up and tell Lymselia we'll have to make camp here for the night, I heard the neigh of a horse.
To our surprise, a pair of pegasi were grazing nearby the castle, so I told this to Lymselia.
As we approached the pegasi, I recognized one of them as the pegasus I rode on during the Moonlight festival last week.
Without any time to waste, Lymselia and I got on each of the pegasi and made our way back to the palace.
As we flew closer to the palace, we overheard Alred talking with Lymselia's parents, saying that he would be glad to lead a search party to find Lymselia in the ruins he left us at.
Before Alred was able to exit the palace, Lymselia and I made our entrance.
The moment Alred noticed us, he immediatly stuttered. Saying that Lymselia managed to rescue me from being buried in the ruins after they collapsed.
I was confused, as I was able to leave the ruins without any issue.
Turns out that Alred was lied to Lymselia once he arrived at the palace.
He said that Lymselia refused to leave the ruins without me and told Alred to head back to the castle to request a search party to find me at the ruins while she searched for herself.
When Lymselia mentioned the pegasi she and I rode on to get to the palace, I noticed that Alred paused for a bit.
Alred said he knew Lymselia and I would have to walk all the way here if the search party did not arrive in time, so he ordered two of his soldiers to leave their pegasi near the ruins just in case we'd need a ride back to the palace.
Lymselia and I knew that Alred was lying. The pegasi arrived long after Alred left the ruins, I even mentioned that one of the pegasi was the same one I rode on during the Moonlight festival.
Alred apologized to Lymselia and her parents for coming to false conclusions and left the palace soon after.
Before heading to my room, I showed Lymselia's parents the letter I found at the ruins.
The letter was written in the faerie language and mentioned a deal between a part of the Unseelie court and another benefactor which Lymselia's parents could not recognize.
However, I was able to recognize the name mentioned in the letter: Zack Digger, the CEO of Black Hat Media located in my home city.
[Card drawn: king od spades. Taking a chance to explore nearby castle ruins you become separated from the faerie royal. As you search for them, you find a trail of blood leading around a corner and the sound of a scythe being sharpened.]
--My decision--
After spending two weeks as part of the summer court, I had to make a choice regarding Lymselia's offer.
I told Lymselia that I don't wish to accept her marriage proposal, as I don't think I can rule an entire kingdom.
Lymselia told me she understands my choice and that she actually enjoyed spending time with me.
I thanked Lymselia and told her that if she ever needs my help, she can always call me.
Before I left the Faewyld to return home, Lymselia gave me a gift to serve as a reminder of my time in the summer court.
The package contained the costume I wore for my performance with the sky knights at the Moonlight festival, as well as a basic spell book.
After that, I left the palace and returned to my own home.
[Final choice: ace of clubs. While you do not wish to accept the faerie royal’s marriage proposal, you decide to stay in the court and offer your friendship and assistance.]
--Prologue--
My mother always told me about the bargain an ancestor of our family made with the fae.
They would give him great fortune, enough wealth to keep our family standing for years to come.
In exchange, my ancestor offered one of his descendants as a marriage candidate for a future fae royal.
I always thought of this bargain as a simple story that has been passed down through generations. After all, my mother said the bargain was struck 100 years ago.
At least, until today.
It all started when I heard my mother telling me someone was waiting for me outside the house.
Of course, I did as my mother asked and went outside.
And then I realized that the story my mother used to tell me was more than a simple story.
The first thing I saw was a girl around my age. She was dressed like a princess from a fantasy novel. Fancy dress and all.
She introduced herself to me as Lymselia, princess of the summer court.
Lymselia told me that she has come to claim my hand in marriage, as my ancestor promised her parents 100 years ago.
I was confused at first. Why did Lymselia choose me as her husband? I've never done anything important in my life.
I guess Lymselia noticed the confused look on my face, because she gave me an offer.
I was to stay a period of two weeks in the summer court, acting as part of their consort. After these two weeks, I could either take Lymselia's hand in marriage, or make an alternative payment on my part and go my own way.
I chose to accept Lymselia's offer. After all, I had to fufil my and of the bargain.
Before deprating, Lymselia gave me some time to pack my bags for the trip. I decided to take my backpack, phone, headphones and power bank. I didn't really need anything else for the trip.
After I was done packing up, I told Lymselia I was ready to go visit the summer court.
--Day 1--
Lymselia took me to visit a place known as Mirror Gorge. The water there is almost invisible to onlookers, hence the name.
What peaked my interest the most were the shadows moving across the water's surface.
According to Lymselia, the shadows I saw were Aquawings, a race of winged merfolk who live in lakes across the Faewyld.
The two of us simply sat by the lake and watched the Aquawings swimming around.
[Card drawn: 8 of clubs. Keeping a respectful distance, you watch finfolk by the lochs dart about in their underwater world.]
--Day 2--
I was on my own today, so I decided to pay a visit to the summer court's library.
Since I myself was part of a bargain from 100 years ago, I decided to spend the day researching about fae deals and trades.
Turns out that offering one of your descendants to the fae as payment is surprisingly common among humans. I don't know how do I feel about this discovery.
[Card drawn: Jack of diamonds. You visit the local library to research fae deals and trades.]
--Day 3--
It's safe to say that today was quite interesting, if not a bit awkward.
Lymselia and I went on a walk in a nearby forest. I'm not the type of person to enjoy outdoor trips, but I really enjoyed the view.
After we spent a few hours in the forest, we started to head back to the palace.
And then, without any warning, it started to rain.
It's a good thing Lymselia used her magic to create a small hut for us to take cover from the rain in.
We spent the time waiting for the rain to end by exchanging stories from our lives.
Lymselia told me about the time she helped finding her mother's personal steed after it ran away from the royal stables.
As for me, I simply shared some of my experiences playing TTRPGs over the years.
We wouldn't have to spend the night in Lymselia's improvised shelter, as a group of fae knights found us in the forest after about a few hours and escorted us back to the palace.
[Card drawn: 8 of hearts. Caught in torrential rain the faerie royal improvises a shelter to keep you warm and dry. You exchange stories to pass the time until the sky clears.]
--Day 4--
Lymselia decided to show me the various islands in the Faewyld.
When she told me the trip would be by sea, I was expecting we would go on a boat trip.
Instead, Lymselia and I went around the Faewyld riding on the backs of giant swans.
To be honest, each island I saw today almost felt like I was looking at an entirely different world.
I made sure to take as many photos as I was able to during the trip.
[Card drawn: queen of hearts. The faerie royal takes you to as many islands as the day holds time for, showing you the sights and salutations of the faeries inhabiting each one.]
--Day 5--
As it turns out, today is the Moonlight festival in the Faewyld.
Lymselia was busy with setting up the celebrations in the palace.
I wanted to help Lymselia with her tasks, but she told me she was fine on her own.
So yeah, I had the whole day to myself.
I decided to visit the royal stables, as they were close to where my room in the palace was.
When I arrived at the stables, I noticed some of the stalls were empty.
One of the stablehands, an elf called Tialha, told me that some of the animals ran away from the stable and asked me to help her retrieve the lost animals.
I was told to act as part of the royal consort, so I agreed to help Tialha out.
At one point, I had to calm down a pegasus which was flying in the air without falling off its back and get it to land back on the ground so Tialha could lead it back to the stable.
We managed to return the missing animals to the stables in the end, but it took Tialha and I most of the day to do so. Lymselia also lended us a hand in rounding up the animals.
Also, Lymselia saw me trying to calm down the pegasus and was impressed by how determined I was despite the fact I was really scared.
After we returned all the animals to their stalls, Lymselia asked me if I want to perform with the summer court's sky knights during the Moonlight festival.
I wanted to refuse Lymselia's offer, but I didn't want to let Lymselia down, so I accepted her offer.
In my opinion, the best part of the day was the Moonlight festival itself.
The festival started with an aerial show by the summer court's sky knights, which I took part in.
After that, Lymselia and I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the festival.
Before returning to the palace, the captain of the sky knights, Elora, said she was impressed with how I handled my pegasus during the show despite the fact I only learnt how to ride a pegasus today.
Elora asked me if I want to join the sky knights for real. I told Elora that I'll take her offer into consideration.
After that, Lymselia and I returned to the palace.
[Card drawn: joker. Each joker represents a holiday in the court, which I can spend in any way I want.]
--Day 6--
After what I've been through yesterday, I told Lymselia that I'll be staying in my room to take a rest for the day.
It's a good thing I took the day off, because today my online TTRPG group is meeting up for another session of Griffons and Grimoires.
Like always, I made sure to log into the voice chat before the beginning of the session.
I did tell the group that I'd be forced to join the voice chat from my phone during this session and the next one, as I would be far from home during that time.
The session started out quite tense. Our last G&G session ended with the party fighting the members the Dark Iron cult.
My character, a Darkin Soul-weaver, was on his last few hit points with most of his mana points being depleted from the amount of spells I had to use during the encounter.
We started the session with the turn of the Dark Iron cultists, and the rest of my party was as desperate as I was.
The cultists started attacking the party, trying to wear us down. Luckily, our Oracle still had a single use of Vision left, which turned a critical hit into a fumble, saving our warrior.
It seems luck wasn't on our side, as most of our turns were nothing but missed attacks and failed spells.
Soon it was the cult leader's turn, and he decided to finish off my character, seeing as my character used to be a member of the Dark Iron, but was exiled from the cult.
The GM rolls for the leader's attack. It hits. If I had enough mana to cast Soul Barrier, that would be a miss.
He rolls for damage and I'm brought down to 0 hit points.
At this point, I know I'm doomed. I've been playing my Soul-weaver for the past year, and I really enjoyed playing him.
The GM tells me to make a death saving throw. I roll the dice and fail the saving throw. I'm not dead, but I will be on my next failed death save.
The GM describes as the cult leader pulls out his ritual dagger, ready to claim the soul of the one who betrayed the Dark Iron and offer it to the cult's deity.
Before the GM can finish the leader's speech, he's interrupted by someone.
Suddenly, I hear Lymselia's voice in the call, telling the GM that she still hasn't taken her turn yet.
The GM realizes this mistake and apologizes to the group, telling Lymselia to describe what her character is doing.
Lymselia describes as the cult leader's right hand man, a NPC our party knows, casts Soul Barrier on my character, right before the leader strikes my character down.
Not only that, she uses the NPC's Necrotic Blessing trait and restores my character's hit points and mana.
The cult leader, enraged by the sudden action of the NPC, asks him what was the reason for his action.
Lymselia describes as NPC tells the cult leader that he had enough with the way the Dark Iron cult has been acting over the years and have forgotten their true purpose.
The battle continues with our party gaining the upper hand over the cultists, ending with the defeat of the cult leader.
After the battle, the GM describes the campaign's epilogue and the fate of each of our characters.
When it comes time to my character's ending, the GM describes how my character became the new leader of the Dark Iron cult.
I was glad that my character got to the end of the campaign, but I was a bit confused as of how Lymselia was able to join the voice chat.
Lymselia entered my room after the session ended and I asked her why did the GM let her play as the cult leader's right hand.
As it turns out, after I told Lymselia about my group's G&G campaign, she was interested in joining the group.
I told Lymselia that I'm okay with this, but she should speak with our GM and the rest of the group before she can join.
While I was busy with helping Tialha with getting the lost animals back in the stable before the Moonlight festival yesterday, Lymselia talked with our GM and asked him if she can join the group.
The GM agreed to Lymselia's request, but he had a feeling today's session will be the end of the campaign, so he let Lymselia take control of the NPC instead of having her create a character just for this session.
Lymselia also told me that the GM explained to her about my character's backstory and why he was exiled from the Dark Iron cult.
The GM also shared the NPC's backstory with Lymselia, which was just a bunch of small notes and told Lymselia that she's free to interpert these notes however she likes.
Overall, it has been an exciting day for me.
[Card drawn: 7 of hearts. When the faerie royal stops by to check up on you, they find you spending time engaging in a hobby. Intrigued, they are keen to join in.]
--Day 7--
After the G&G session we had yesterday, the GM asked the rest of the group if they agree to let Lymselia join the group. They agreed.
Since I was going to run the next campaign, I decided to help Lymselia with creating her character.
I thought it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to help Lymselia create her character. I was wrong.
Just taking a look at the ancestry and class sections of the core book gave Lymselia a lot of ideas for her character.
Eventually, I offered Lymselia that I'll roll on the NPC creation tables in the GM's guide to help her come up with a character concept.
We ended up with a Florai Pyrodancer with the former cultist background.
Lymselia suggested that her character was exiled from the Dark Iron cult due to her uncontrollable fire magic.
It took us about an hour before Lymselia's charcter was finally done.
After that, I ran Lymselia's charcter through a solo adventure to help Lymselia learn the rules of G&G and to also flesh out her character's backstory.
[Card drawn: 7 of diamonds. The fae royal admires you at work on one of your crafts. They take the time to sit beside you and watch intently.]
--Day 8--
Today the summer court had a dancing ball in the palace.
I don't really enjoy going to parties, but I felt like I had to participate.
Most of the day wasn't anything noteworthy, except for the end of the ball.
At some point during the evening, I heard someone calling my name from the balcony.
Lymselia was busy dancing, so I went alone.
When I arrived at the balcony, I was met by a cloaked figure. I couldn't see their face.
They introduced themselves as one of the bargained, people who were traded away to the fae by various bargins.
They have been aware of my arrival to the Faewyld ever since the first day.
The figure reached out into their cloak and pulled out a book. Just before they handed me the book, I heard Lymselia's voice calling out for me.
The figure quickly fled, and I was soon left alone with the book.
Lymselia asked me why did I left the entrance hall. I replied with saying someone called to me and showed Lymselia the book.
I noticed Lymselia was suspicious upon seeing the book, as she soon casted a spell on it.
Turns out I've been given a grimiore of black magic, which could bring ruin to the Faewyld if it was ever used.
I have no idea why was I given this grimiore. Did the bargained see me as a pawn for their own goals?
Come to think of it, I've been in the Faewyld for about a week now. Maybe I should ask Lymselia where can I learn how to cast spells.
[Card drawn: queen of spades. A sinister figure approaches you at the end of one of the court’s events, about to slip something into your hands before the two of you are interrupted.]
--Day 9--
Lymselia and I went on a riding trip outside the palace today.
There weren't many animals in the stable today, so we had to share a horse together.
We decided to take a rest at a nearby lake.
While looking around the lake, something caught my eye. A lone horse was standing by the lake.
It had a black fur and a long, flowing mane. It even wore a saddle and tack.
I asked Lymselia if I could go explore the lake on my own for a while, and she agreed.
I decided to take a closer look at the horse. Maybe its owner went missing and the horse was left behind.
The horse looked friendly when I arrived. I was able to pet it without getting bitten or kicked.
I figured that since this horse was all alone, I might as well take it with me for the rest of the trip.
I decided to climb onto the horse's saddle and before I could grab the reins, the horse started running as fast as it could around the same spot.
I tried to get off the saddle before the horse would run away, but I couldn't get off the horse.
I thought I could grab the reins and pull the horse to a halt, but I wasn't able to get a hold of the reins.
Soon the horse started running towards the lake and I started fearing for the worst.
But then I heard Lymselia calling out to me, and the horse soon came to a halt.
Lymselia dismounted her horse and walked towards where I was. She spoke with the horse in words I couldn't understand, and I was able to get off the saddle.
Lymselia told me that the horse I saw earlier was actually a kelpie, a mischivious water spirit living in the lakes of the Faewyld.
The kelpie didn't realize I was traveling with Lymselia, and thought I was a simple traveler. The kelpie then apologized to me for almost dragging me to a watery fate.
I accepted the kelpie's apology, knowing that it couldn't recognize me and Lymselia from far away.
Afterwards, Lymselia and I rode back to the palace. Of course, I apologized to Lymselia for being reckless and having my guard down near the keplie.
[Card drawn: 10 of spades. A lakeside stroll takes a dangerous turn when you are almost eaten by a kelpie. The fae royal swoops in to rescue you just before you are dragged into the depths.]
--Day 10--
Lymselia was busy helping her parents today, so I decided to take a walk in the woods by myself.
After my encounter with the kelpie yesterday, I figured it's best to just do the trip on foot.
Thankfully, nothing really happened during the trip.
As the day drew to a close, I started making my way back to the palace.
I soon spotted a distant figure dressed in moss disappearing between the tress. I could go after the figure, but it was getting late.
But then I noticed something on the ground: A book of some sorts.
I picked up the book and made my way back to the palace. I'll show this to Lymselia once I'm able to do so.
[Card drawn: king of clubs. Walking through the woods as the sun goes down, you notice a figure cloaked in moss and foliage disappearing between birch trees.]
--Day 11--
Since my stay at the summer court will be over in a few days, I decided to pay a visit to the library again.
This time, I decided to read on the Faewyld's history.
Turns out the Faewyld is divided two opposing factions: the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court.
I also learnt about how deals with the fae actually work.
Each deal struck with a faerie is enforced by a powerful magic. Should that deal be broken, the one who violated the terms of the deal is cursed.
The curse of the punishment depends on how significant was the price paid by each side, as well as the nature of the deal itself.
There may be ways to violate a deal without getting cursed, but it depends on how the deal was worded in the first place.
I spent a few hours in the library while doing my research.
[Card drawn: jack of clubs. You visit the local library to research fae deals and potential loopholes.]
--Day 12--
During my trips outside the palace, I met a dryad called Galloris in the woods.
When I met Galloris today, I told her about how my experience so far in the Faewyld and my recent interest in learning magic.
To my surprise, Galloris had the same idea too. After Lymselia told Galloris that I came from a world without magic, she thought teaching me a few magic spells may be a nice gesture on her part.
I spent the day learning a few spells from Galloris.
The spells I learnt weren't that powerful. Most of them are common utility spells used in the summer court.
I also learnt a few offensive spells and a minor healing spell in case I'll need to defend myself.
[Card drawn: queen of diamonds. A dryad you have started to befriend offers to teach you a little magic found in the trees.]
--Day 13--
We had a few guests from the Blizzard court in the palace today.
They came for a meeting with Lymselia's parents regarding a peace agreement between the two courts.
One of the guests, prince Alred Oloris of the Blizzard court was quite arrogant.
He kept telling stories about his heroic deeds in the Faewyld, how he fought countless battles against the Unseelie court.
Alred also mentioned that he came to the summer court after he heard that Lymselia is searching for a partner.
I mostly remained silent during Alred's speech, but then he said something that caught my attention.
"Of course, I do believe I am a better match for princess Lymselia than this human can be."
At this moment, I just wanted to stand my ground against Alred, but I didn't want to escalate the situation.
I simply said that I agree with Alred's opinion. I'm just not fit to rule an entire kingdom.
The rest of the meeting was as usual. Alred kept bragging about his exploits while Lymselia and I listened.
[Card drawn: 2 of spades. While sharing scones with visitors, an argument breaks out. The fae royal gives you an apologetic look as they attempt to restore peace... until a snide comment about their choice of consort is made.]
--Day 14--
Today is the last day of my trail period, so Lymselia decided to do something special for me.
She decided to take me on a trip to one of her favorite places in the Faewyld, the Lilypad Expanse lake.
As we rode towards the lake, we came across a lone horse.
We stopped near the horse and got off our saddle. Lymselia decided to talk with the horse, as it seemed stressed.
That horse turned out to be a kelpie serving the Blizzard court. It fled from a nearby castle that was recently damaged in a battle with Unseelie soldiers.
We decided to split up. Lymselia will check near the castle for any remaining Unseelie soldiers while I'll search the ruins for any survivors.
After we made our decisions, Lymselia mounted her horse and rode towards the field while the kelpie led me to the castle ruins.
I dismounted the kelpie and entered the ruins on foot, searching my surroundings for any survivors.
It seems we arrived at the castle too late, as all I could find were the bodies of defeated Blizzard court soldiers, broken weapons and torn banners.
I spent a few minutes investigating the ruins just in case I missed something.
To my surprise, there was something hidden in the ruins: A letter.
I put the letter in my backpack and prepared to return to Lymselia, when I suddenly heard her scream from outside.
I rushed towards the entrance of the ruins and noticed Lymselia being surrounded by a group of cloaked figures.
Lymselia wasn't alone, as I could spot prince Alred standing guard over Lymselia's unconcious body.
The moment the figures noticed my presence, one of them attacked me.
I tried using the spells Galloris taught me to fend off the attacker, but my spells were negated. I had to resort to physical combat, but I was forced to use my fists since I didn't have any weapons.
Eventually, I did manage to defeat my attacker, but I saw Alred being overwhelmed, so I had to help him as well.
It was a tough fight, but the figures soon fled from the ruins.
I stayed near Lymselia to make sure she wasn't hurt during the fight.
Of course, Alred bragged that he didn't really need my help defending Lymselia, saying that he had taken part in battles on a larger than scale than this one.
Lymselia eventually returned to conciousness, although she was exhausted from the fight.
I helped Lymselia stand up on the ground before asking her what happened.
Turns out that a group of assassins from the Unseelie court attacked the castle in an attempt to destroy the Blizzard court.
After the initial attack, some of the assassins set up an ambush for any reinforcements that may arrive at the scene.
The assassins waited until Lymselia and I split up, attempting to capture Lymselia once there was no one to protect her.
Alred arrived at the castle when he recieved a message from the castle's general, arriving only to find Lymselia being under attack.
I decided to search for Lymselia's horse, as we needed to return to the palace.
I wasn't able to find Lymselia's horse anywhere. I guess it ran off during the ambush.
Fortunatly, the kelpie from the Blizzard court was still around, so Alred brought it to us.
Alred told Lymselia he'll take her back to the summer court palace and inform her parents what happened.
When Lymselia asked what about me, Alred replied saying that getting Lymselia back to her parents is more important than getting a simple human like me back to the palace.
Lymselia told Alred that I arrived at the Faewyld as part of the summer court's consort as part of her offer to me two weeks ago.
Alred simply scoffed at the idea that Lymselia even gave me that offer in the first place.
I told Lymselia that she should just go back to the palace with Alred, as Lymselia returning to the palace was more important than getting me back to the palace.
Lymselia refused Alred's idea, saying that she's not leaving without me.
Alred made a few more attempts to convince Lymselia to come with him before finally giving up on the idea. He simply mounted the kelpie and started riding away from us.
I asked Lymselia why she didn't go with Alred. She said she didn't want to leave me here all by myself.
I knew we wouldn't be able to make it back to the palace on foot before the sun goes down.
I decided to take a look around the ruins now that we were alone. Maybe I could find a few mounts for us to return to the palace faster.
After a few minutes of searching, I wasn't able to find anything.
Just as I decided to give up and tell Lymselia we'll have to make camp here for the night, I heard the neigh of a horse.
To our surprise, a pair of pegasi were grazing nearby the castle, so I told this to Lymselia.
As we approached the pegasi, I recognized one of them as the pegasus I rode on during the Moonlight festival last week.
Without any time to waste, Lymselia and I got on each of the pegasi and made our way back to the palace.
As we flew closer to the palace, we overheard Alred talking with Lymselia's parents, saying that he would be glad to lead a search party to find Lymselia in the ruins he left us at.
Before Alred was able to exit the palace, Lymselia and I made our entrance.
The moment Alred noticed us, he immediatly stuttered. Saying that Lymselia managed to rescue me from being buried in the ruins after they collapsed.
I was confused, as I was able to leave the ruins without any issue.
Turns out that Alred was lied to Lymselia once he arrived at the palace.
He said that Lymselia refused to leave the ruins without me and told Alred to head back to the castle to request a search party to find me at the ruins while she searched for herself.
When Lymselia mentioned the pegasi she and I rode on to get to the palace, I noticed that Alred paused for a bit.
Alred said he knew Lymselia and I would have to walk all the way here if the search party did not arrive in time, so he ordered two of his soldiers to leave their pegasi near the ruins just in case we'd need a ride back to the palace.
Lymselia and I knew that Alred was lying. The pegasi arrived long after Alred left the ruins, I even mentioned that one of the pegasi was the same one I rode on during the Moonlight festival.
Alred apologized to Lymselia and her parents for coming to false conclusions and left the palace soon after.
Before heading to my room, I showed Lymselia's parents the letter I found at the ruins.
The letter was written in the faerie language and mentioned a deal between a part of the Unseelie court and another benefactor which Lymselia's parents could not recognize.
However, I was able to recognize the name mentioned in the letter: Zack Digger, the CEO of Black Hat Media located in my home city.
[Card drawn: king od spades. Taking a chance to explore nearby castle ruins you become separated from the faerie royal. As you search for them, you find a trail of blood leading around a corner and the sound of a scythe being sharpened.]
--My decision--
After spending two weeks as part of the summer court, I had to make a choice regarding Lymselia's offer.
I told Lymselia that I don't wish to accept her marriage proposal, as I don't think I can rule an entire kingdom.
Lymselia told me she understands my choice and that she actually enjoyed spending time with me.
I thanked Lymselia and told her that if she ever needs my help, she can always call me.
Before I left the Faewyld to return home, Lymselia gave me a gift to serve as a reminder of my time in the summer court.
The package contained the costume I wore for my performance with the sky knights at the Moonlight festival, as well as a basic spell book.
After that, I left the palace and returned to my own home.
[Final choice: ace of clubs. While you do not wish to accept the faerie royal’s marriage proposal, you decide to stay in the court and offer your friendship and assistance.]
