Session Narrative
The party does not go immediately to the woodcutter. Something — conscience, the memory of Podwick’s face, the fox’s patient eyes — gives them pause. They follow the fox named Clover through a fairy door: an arch of woven hawthorn that simply appears in a hillside, warm light visible through it like an open oven.
The Feywild receives them like a held breath released. It is heartbreakingly beautiful here — the light is amber and rose and deep blue simultaneously, the trees are silver and impossible, flowers bloom in patterns that seem to mean something. Against this backdrop, the weight of what they agreed to last night feels heavier, not lighter. They are not going to kill the woodcutter. They decide this together, without a vote.
Dagon does not accept this decision gracefully. The curses arrive quickly and inventively: one party member’s hands blister with cold; another can hear their own heartbeat at deafening volume; a third finds their shadow moving independently. The afflictions are painful, humiliating, and escalating.
Everwinter lies at the deep heart of the Feywild — a realm of permanent frost and still, cold air that smells of iron and ozone. At its centre stands the fortress of the Red God: a citadel of crimson ice whose walls catch the absent sun and glow from within. The Red God himself is ancient, vast, and irritated — the perpetual expression of someone who has been watching people make bad decisions for ten thousand years and has not yet finished being surprised by them.
He berates the party at length. He questions their commitment, their judgment, and their general life choices. He is not wrong. After much negotiation — and, possibly, a touch of pity — he agrees to help: removing Dagon’s curses and offering each party member a ‘time out.’ Each is sent, briefly, to a destination of their choosing or their need, separated from the others, to reflect. They will find each other again in Porthaven.
Key NPCs
- Clover — Fox fey. Speaks only in impressions and images. Ancient, kind, and interested in Kuso specifically.
- The Red God — Ancient deity of winter, judgment, and difficult truths. Appears as a towering figure of red-veined ice. Deeply sarcastic. Genuinely cares, which he disguises poorly.
Encounters & Mechanics
Dagon’s Curses
Roleplay/survival challenge. Each party member suffers a unique affliction (DM to customise). Constitution DC 13 per long rest to avoid worsening. Driving the story to find the Red God before the curses compound.
Feywild Hazards
The journey to Everwinter takes 1d4 days. Daily Wisdom DC 12 or become briefly lost in Feywild glamour (1d4 hours lost).
Loot & Rewards
| Item | Notes / Value |
| Curses Lifted | The Red God removes all Dagon’s afflictions. |
| Time Out Destinations | Each PC is sent somewhere meaningful — player’s choice or DM’s assignment. Use this as an opportunity for individual character backstory scenes. |
DM Notes
The Red God’s lecture should be earned — let it land. He is right about everything, and he knows it, and the party knows it too. The ‘time out’ is a structural beat to allow for individual character development between Sessions 9 and 10. Consider running short one-on-one vignettes for each player before the next group session.