Rumors at the Banquet

Also see: Otherwhere Faction Renown | A Guide to Tir Na Drayocht | Game Map of Tir Na Drayocht

After the four heroes of the Vestiges settle into their new home, the five noble houses of the Tree Lands call for a banquet in your honor. A feast chamber is prepared in Birch Hall, its walls adorned with tapestries, weapons, shields, and other decorations signifying Celtic and druidic lore. Platters of pork, beef, venison, and game birds abound, accompanied by breads, cheeses, fruits, and nuts. Musicians drawn from across the Tree Lands play harps, flutes, and drums, while various Tir Na Drayocht commoners come and go from the waters outside to make toasts in honor of the gods, the nobles, and the heroes. (Click for example of music.)

The bards sing:

"In Vestige realms where shadows grow, four heroes arrived with hearts aglow.
Lost souls they sought, beyond a knife, to guide them towards their afterlife.

"Together they, wise and strong, through black spheres they moved along.
With love and courage, heart and soul, the gods led spirits to their goal.

"No longer lost, the souls took flight, towards their dawn, towards the light.
And in their wake, the four made new, their deeds were noble, pure, and true."

In addition to festivities, it becomes clear this event is also grounds for nobles to network and display their house's wealth, with playful competitive bouts of wrestling, spellcasting, and feats of strength frequently interrupting the banquet. Amid the chatter, you catch complaints and rumors of troubles affecting various groups and noble houses...

News of the Heroes' Deeds

The Archqueen of Trees sits at the head of the largest table. She claims all present are honored you have chosen her domain as your next home, especially as other lands also mark events in your names: a statue of Jervis Chevalier raised in the Fire Lands, a new poetry archive in the Wind Lands named for Li Bai, and a holiday called "Pernicious Day" declared in the Stone Lands. However, news in the Machine Lands is critical of the four, with some conspiracy theorists there claiming the "so-called heroes" sabotaged the Hawking-13 mission, murdered everyone at both New Oz technomagical facilities, and currently hold Elora the Darling Mage as their prisoner. (See "Otherwhere Faction Renown" for more info on what these notes mean for characters.)

Faces of Note at the Banquet

Unless otherwise noted, "payment of one item chosen from DMG Magic Item Table X" allows the character to pick the result from the table. Rewards from House Flachach are always rolled randomly.

	Archdruid Sheybaigh says the trees of the Dark Woods are whispering about a new disease being spread by filthy travelers in bloody cloaks who roam footpaths by night. The archdruid cannot find such figures by divination, but she trusts the word of her trees. Perhaps more mundane observation could track the mysterious figures. Possible Reward: Returning a living cloaked figure merits one DMG Table B magic item and 200 g.p. per hero. Bringing back a dead cloaked figure only merits 1,000 g.p. per hero. Either earns improved renown among the Order of Druids.
	Limimis, the First Merlin, is working on a more powerful divination spell. He seeks adventurers to get him a fresh dragon scale as a spell component, either by negotiation, force, or stealth from a live dragon. (The color of dragon does not matter.) Possible Reward: Returning a fresh dragon scale merits one DMG Table C magic item per hero and improved renown among the Council of Merlins; no reward if the scale is not fresh.
	Flaith Ulit Ulaid is matriarch of House Ulaid, direct descendants of the original Tuatha De Danann bloodline and hosts for the banquet. Her great-granddaughter, Baroness Boada Ulaid, went into the Dark Woods on a treasure hunt five days ago and is overdue to return. The High Queen of House Ulaid seeks adventurers to find and return her missing great-granddaughter. (See: Lineage of House Ulaid) Possible Reward: Returning Baroness Boada Ulaid (alive or dead) merits each hero 1,000 g.p. each and improved renown among House Ulaid.
	A hunting party found Cune ni-Ulaid, husband of Baron Malle Ulaid, crucified in the Dark Woods. They returned his body back to Tir Na Drayocht and, thanks to a Raise Dead spell, were able to determine the hill giant Gorkil was guilty of the crime. The Ulaids seek justice by sending adventurers to slay this giant and its all his ilk. (See: Lineage of House Ulaid) Possible Reward: Returning the head of Gorkil the Hill Giant merits each hero 1,000 g.p. and improved renown among House Ulaid. An additional bounty of 200 g.p. each is offered for the head of any other hill giant.
	King Celionar Duibne is patriarch of House Duibne. He claims he received a Sending spell claiming Duke Alamrodh Duibne has been kidnapped and, as ransom, a service must be given from a magic user able to cast major invocations (8th level spells). The kidnapper might be a dragon or hag, as either are known to bargain for favors in exchange for captured nobles. (See: Lineage of House Duibne) Possible Reward: For each hero, identifying the kidnapper is worth 100 g.p., identifying the location of Duke Alamrodh Duibne is worth 500 g.p., and actually returning Duke Alamrodh to Tir Na Drayocht is worth 5,000 g.p. each. Any help earns improved renown among House Duibne.
	Prince Cirdaneth Duibne, the most daring and successful parlor gambler in Otherwhere, seeks adventures to rescue kidnapped villagers being held in a frost giant lair bordering the Stone Lands. Treaties between the two realms make the mission difficult, but half of any "recovered" treasure can be kept by the heroes as payment. (See: Lineage of House Duibne) Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of 50 g.p. per rescued villager. As a group, half of whatever treasure can be gained from the frost giants' lair. Any help earns improved renown among House Duibne.
	Queen Laserie Silures is the matriarch of House Silures. She has arranged for Duchess Arwel Silures to marry Prince Finore Duibne in order to strengthen ties between their houses. She seeks adventurers to accompany the adventurous Arwel on a last "bachelorette party" hunt in the Dark Woods. (See: Lineage of House Silures) Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of one item chosen from DMG Magic Table C upon completion of the five-day hunting trip, plus 100 g.p. each if Arwel bags a trophy kill, and improved renown among House Silures.
	A group of treants have been blocking paths into part of the Dark Woods where a remote and unidentified transit sphere is found. Prince Maglorfin Silures seeks independent adventurers to investigate the site and discover why the treants are acting so strangely. (See: Lineage of House Silures) Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of one item chosen from DMG Magic Table B and improved renown among both House Silures and the Guild of Everywheres.
	Queen Shrila Anir Erainn is the matriarch of House Erainn. She seeks adventurers to kill Bibanoosha, a hag that is threatening to place a new curse over the Tree Lands. The Council of Merlins has denied her requests for aid, and she seeks adventurers to find and stop the hag. (See: Lineage of House Erainn) Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of one item chosen from DMG Magic Table I and improved renown among House Erainn, but loss of renown among the Order of Druids and the Council of Merlins.
	Lord Erhath Erainn is a notorious sybarite. His latest folly is to have a tryst with a wood nymph, and he wants adventurers both as escorts and rescuers to return him to normal form afterwards. A Remove Curse scroll or spell should work. (See: Lineage of House Erainn) Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of one item chosen from DMG Magic Table C and improved renown among House Erainn.
	High Magnus Atham Flachach is patriarch of House Flachach, a close family of halfling wild magic sorcerers. Atham seeks adventurers to escort him into the Dream Lands to find a magic item called "The Awakening Orb" that grants expanded divination powers. (See: Lineage of House Flachach Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of one item randomly determined from DMG Magic Table D upon completion of the five-day trip and improved renown among House Flachach.
	Magess Cora Flachach seeks adventures to take a tribute payment to a specific location in the Dark Woods and leave it there, no questions asked. In exchange for this service, she offers a spell scroll moderate power (5th level) once the couriers return to Tir Na Drayocht. (See: Lineage of House Flachach) Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of three item randomly determined from DMG Magic Table A upon completion of the five-day delivery trip and improved renown among House Flachach.

Others at the Banquet

	Guild Broker Veil oversees the Guild of Everywheres' local hub of transit spheres. He's unhappy with his current physical form, claiming the spellcaster responsible "didn't get the look right" for Bob Geldolf. Unlike the more adventurous Cipher, this Veil seem content to hold a Guild "desk job" for the rest of his career in the Tree Lands. Veil is supportive of Prince Maglorfin Silures' mission proposal, but offers no additional reward other than renown.
	Emissary Vedyne of the Stone Lands is an ambassador from the underdark below the frozen north. The Stone Lands and Tree Lands have a long history of raids against each other. Vedyne promotes trade alliances as a way of minimizing warlord aggressions. Vedyne is suspicious of Prince Cirdaneth Duibne's frost giant claims along the Tree-Stone border, but should the group go on his mission, she would pay well for a detailed covert report of what he really is after... Possible Reward: For each hero, payment of 400 g.p. and improved renown among the Stone Lands.
	Prince Joo Lau of the Wind Lands is a foster/hostage, the son of warlord Joo Reyi. Lau is held and raised in Tir Na Drayocht as part of the peace terms following a war with the Wind Lands several years ago.
	Prince Kenamu of the Fire Lands is a foster/hostage, the brother-in-law to Queen Lesarie before her husband's death. Kenamu is held in Tir Na Drayocht as part of the peace terms following a war with the Fire Lands several years ago.