Fiction | Game | Medium Adventurers League ⚔️
The Queen, the Forest, and the Goblin Lord
Part 1 of a quest
This is part of a story that works as an interactive game. You’ll need to have some paper and dice at the ready! Click here for the beginning of the story, and find a reminder of the rules here.
Click here to go back to Hearthstone Hideout.
If you didn’t previously play “The Elf Queen’s Temptation” quest, you might want to check that out first.
You look at the piece of paper for your latest quest, and find something familiar about it:
Hey. Queen Arriana here. Sup?
You look over your shoulder, wondering why you got the sense that the piece of paper was speaking just to you. But that’s silly. Anyone could have taken up this quest…
Then you glance back at the paper.
No, my friend. This is just for you.
Your eyes widen. Of course, Queen Arriana is magical, and you saw her make magical notes before. You didn’t realize that they could engage in a live dialogue…
“Uh…” you mumble awkwardly. “So, what’s going on with the Queen?”
I am the queen, dummy. And I think you know what’s going on. The stupid elves won’t give me my throne back.
You are aware that Queen Arriana was previously captured by goblins, and planned to return to the Feyglades to resume her rule. You also know that the Feyglades are infested with giant spiders and worse. “So, your Majesty… where exactly should we meet?”
I don’t want you to go wandering around in the forest. Far from it. Come and meet me at Dishy Dan’s Dice Den. Come alone.
“Got it.”
You crumple up the paper, and go to get your equipment.
An hour later, you are at Dishy Dan’s Dice Den, a popular drinking and gambling spot in town. There is nobody in sight that you recognise, least of all the beautiful elf queen, who you are pretty sure you wouldn’t fail to notice.
But then, just as you have ordered one of the regular warm ales that the establishment sells and settled yourself at a table in the corner, Arriana comes in. She has a hood up, but her big turquoise eyes are unmistakable, even in the gloom of the tavern.
She sits opposite you without ordering. “How’s the adventuring life?”
“Not bad,” you say. “I went fishing and killed a bunch of trolls…”
The elven queen cuts you off with a wave of her hand. “We can chat about all that on the road. I’m glad to see you alive and well. And for now, will you help me secure my homeland?”
You hesitate, wondering to what extent you want to get into elven politics. “What exactly is needed, here? I don’t know if I want to go killing your rivals or anything.”
“Nothing like that. It’s true, the elven realm has a new ruler of sorts, one who claims to be the rightful leader. But I am certain that he’s a traitor to our people, and an agent for Lord Rotter the Great.”
“The goblin king?”
“Right. Rotter has agents spreading misinformation throughout the realm. Now, some elves think that I’m the traitor!”
“What’s his game plan?”
Her big eyes narrow. “He plans to enslave all of the elves, and then use them as slave-warriors to take over The Bastion and every other settlement. He wants the whole island as his domain!”
“Shocking.” You shake your head, and drink some more ale.
“I know, right? Now, I won’t kill any elves, and nor should you. I am not even keen on killing goblins, even after they kidnapped me. But the evil of Lord Rotter has to be stopped. And I will reward you for your service, don’t worry!”
What’s it to be?
- If you agree to help Queen Arriana, read on.
- If not, you can return to Hearthstone Hideout, or to Rebel Bar.
“I’m in,” you say. “When do we start?”
She smiles sweetly. “Any time now. I have equipment that will be useful in a wagon outside town. And the reward if you can help me return to my throne is 100 silver, plus a magical item from my family.”
“Sounds good,” you say eagerly, standing up and spilling the dregs of your drink. That ale sucked, anyway. You move to the door, holding it for Queen Arriana.
Soon, you and the elven queen are outside the city walls of The Bastion. There you are joined by two other elves, both tall and muscular. One is male and one is female; they are alike enough to be twins.
“These are my nephew and niece, Chantilla and Polkin,” says the queen. “They are as loyal as they are brave.”
You nod politely, and the four of you set off along the road. The morning is bright but not sunny, and at first you make good progress despite the warmth. Then, about a mile along, the trio of elves stop where a wagon has stopped on the road in the shade of a tree, with a halfling woman as a driver.
“Here’s our ride,” says Arriana. “We will follow the woodcutters’ road until we reach the Feyglades, then conceal ourselves before we approach the elven capital.
“That area of forest is full of giant spiders,” you comment, as the four of you clamber onto the back of the wagon.
“We can deal with those,” says Chantilla, picking up a bow from the back of the wagon. “Here, you can borrow one of these — our family crafted them to the very best specification.”
“You do know how to shoot, right?” Chantilla adds.
“I could do with practice,” you reply.
The pair look at each other, then shrug. “Maybe we can spend 10 minutes running this one through the basics, Aunt Arriana?” says Polkin.
The queen nods regally, and the pair begin setting out some small wooden blocks on the grassy slope alongside the highway.
(Here is a link to a dice-rolling app!).
Encounter: Target practice with Chantilla and Polkin.
Difficulty hard (20+)
Roll on brawn. Add +2 to brawn instead of your current weapon modifier.
You can roll up to 10 times.Count the number of times (out of 10) that you succeed.
Then see below.- If you succeed 4 times or more, add +1 to brawn and in addition, you have done enough to persuade the elves that you deserve to keep the bow.
Add elven bow (brawn +2) to your character sheet.Add 10 arrows to your character sheet.- If you succeed 2–3 times, add +1 to brawn.
- If you succeed 1 time or fewer, you did just about enough to stay on the mission, but Chantilla and Polkin are both chuckling to themselves as you get back onto the wagon.
You slump back in the wagon, watching the countryside go by. You’ve rarely been in these parts before. A few merchants are travelling between the southern villages and The Bastion, or going to the forest itself. Creatures of all different species can be seen, no doubt residents of the many tiny communities that dot the land in these parts: half orcs, lizard-folk, fish-folk, halflings, and more.
At first, it feels pretty safe. But as the day goes on, the cloud thickens, and the weather darkens. You notice a smell of smoke, and as you sit up in the wagon, you see that a small house set back from the road is on fire.
You grab your weapon, ready for action.
“We should check that place, and see if anyone needs help,” says Chantilla.
But Queen Arriana disagrees. “We have a mission, and the elven people need our help urgently. We can’t delay for every homesteader.”
Polkin shrugs, unwilling to take a side, after which everyone looks to you…
