Chapter Three

The morning after the festival, you wake up to a brisk Spring morning in Robellia. There are Fae already awake and cleaning up from the night before. You spot a circle of fairies still doggedly swaying and tapping their feet to an inaudible tune, their eyes faraway and bloodshot. A Fae throws a pail of water over the lot of them, breaking the enchantment.

You check your person and by some miracle have managed not to lose your belongings, avoid getting trapped in a fairy circle, and not made any drunken fairy promises. A promising start to the day! But more to the point, it might be time to seek out this Sparrow fellow.

As you step out onto the streets of Robellia again, a bird swoops down and drops a hastily scrawled note in your hands.

Finally - a quest! The script is messy and it lacks the Guild insignia, but its the same handwriting and paper as your first letter. This certainly seems like instructions from The Sparrow. But why is he cautioning you about the Flower Parade?

It's still early, and you have some time before the parade starts. If there's something going on in Robellia, perhaps you should look around the city and see if you can spot anything suspicious. At the very least, you can kill some time sightseeing.

Your efforts to gather information bore fruit. You learned the Duke and Duchess of the Spring Court will be attending the Flower Parade today, along with an honorary guard of knights. You also learned the Duke and Duchess are responsible for protecting items of extraodinary magic power (alongside their ruling duties of course). Some say that these items are held deep within the Castle, including one of the four legendary divine weapons of the Goddesses - the Bow of Rhiannon, "White Harvest".

Speaking of the Flower Parade, it's about to start! You quickly make your way onto the main road of Robellia where crowds are lining up to watch the Parade. Just in time, horns start to blare and a jovial drumbeat picks up. The air is thick with the sweet smell of flowers, and flower petals rain down from the sky like confetti.

Huge structures made entirely from flowers start parading down the street. A herd of wild horses made from flowers canter by, animated by magic. A gigantic gnome dances past, even pulling its flowery pants down to moon the crowd! They roar with laughter as it moves on. More gigantic flower structures parade past you - a flock of ducks, a mouse in a teacup, a thumping jackalope...

Finally, a grand flower statue of a beautiful red haired woman moves serenly down the street, smiling and throwing flowers into the crowd. The crowd oohs and ahhs in delight. This is Rhiannon - one of the goddesses of Folkland!

A hush falls over the crowd as the next figures pass by. Two tall and exceptionally beautiful High Fae riding white elks follow the Rhiannon statue down the street. They wear long silk robes laden with flowers and jewellery, tall floral crowns on their heads, and golden armour. They turn their heads gracefully, smiling serenely at their subjects. This must be Langley and Fridenot, the Duke and Duchess of the Spring Duchy and rulers of the Spring Court. You've never seen such opulence! Their dense, magical aura washes over you, making your head swim.

They are preceded by a chanterelle mushroom page with a moustache, and followed by a troupe of Knights in shiny green armour. “Greenbriars!” a fae next to you whispers excitedly, pointing at the knights. “The lord and lady’s royal guard!”

As they make their procession down the street, Fae curtsy or bow. Flowers sprout from cracks in the cobblestone, from out of flowerpots and baskets, and from the crevices of house boards as they pass by. As they continue on their way down the street, the magical energy lifts and you feel normal again.

The next parade floats are made up of bands playing jaunty tunes, young Fae children riding wagons decked with flowers, a giant real white rabbit throwing painted eggs into the crowd, and even a peculiar puppet performance.

As you clear the main street, the six Greenbriars that made up the Royal Honorary Guard finally make it onto the scene and engage the attacking puppets. The Greenbriars are formidable fighters, the best of the best, but this is an honorary guard of 6, and they are outnumbered. Whichever way you look at it, they are in a pickle. 

As these quests are part of the main campaign, there is no due date to complete them. Quests also do not need to be completed in order.

Stay tuned for Chapter Four!