The Bell of Hope in the Shadowfell

The party set out from the Shadow Glass Apothecary with a heavy heart, leaving Dicer behind to brew elixirs for the siege. Armed with the Raven's Mercy, a weapon reserved for elite commanders of Queen Marguerite's Army, they pressed on toward the Cathedral of Uberfarb. Humperdink revealed a startling truth: his mother, Queen Margarita, was his patron, and the corruption at the cathedral was dampening her powers, making his magic inconsistent. He feared losing his magic if she was freed, but showed the party his gifts: Humperdinck's Healing Brooch, Humperdinck's Ring of Bravery, and Humperdinck's Cloak of Ethereal Travel. He warned them about Saren, Marguerite's loyal subject who was likely corrupted—rescue was preferred, but elimination was acceptable. The road to the cathedral was blocked by a deliberate cave-in, identified by Gren Hammerstone's stone cunning, so the party took an alternate path into the Shadowfell.

In the Shadowfell, the party encountered a massive Corrupted Cow—a fungal cow whose head flayed open into a fungal star. Its scream drew distant howls and screeches, and combat began. Gren Hammerstone fired a tangle vine trap into the path of approaching enemies, creating a 20-foot radius of entangling plants. He moved back toward Vash and Khord, then inhaled spores from his Pain Blinder Axe, gaining resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Vash used Sharpshooter to fire two precise shots at the fungal cow, dealing heavy damage. Khord cast spiritual weapon, summoning a spectral club that cracked the cow's head. Humperdink cast enlarge on Gren Hammerstone, making him large-sized, then slunk back behind the party. Gren Hammerstone swung his axe at the fungal cow's neck but missed, cursing, "Motherfucking son of bitch." The cow used Bullrush, moving through the party and forcing a poison save, then gored Gren Hammerstone for minor damage after resistance. Two Husks and Brutes approached; one husk critted Gren Hammerstone for 7 damage after resistance. The cow appeared heavily damaged but still standing.

Vash shot the fungal cow with a regular arrow, hitting it and forcing another con save from allies, then used Action Surge to fire a second shot that killed the cow. But its death scream activated all nearby thralls to take an extra action—they all missed. Khord cast Sacred Flame on the cow, dealing radiant damage that withered its spores. Humperdink fired an eldritch blast at a husk, but the magic fizzled; he shook his hands in embarrassment, swearing, "Guys, this doesn't normally happen. I swear this doesn't happen often." He climbed onto a rock and tried again with a double eldritch blast—one hit for minor damage, the other missed entirely. Gren Hammerstone finally landed a hit on a brute, but misidentified a giant puffball mushroom on its neck as its head, sinking his axe into the fungus instead. He muttered, "Well, hey. At least I hit it for something." Khord's spiritual weapon critted a brute, knocking off its mushroom pauldrons. Vash shot a brute through the skull with Sharpshooter, dropping it to one knee. The party learned the brute was the key to victory: defeating it would end the combat. Khord delivered the final blow with his Sun Catcher Staff, causing a radiant explosion that killed the brute. The husks, ineffective throughout, were declared defeated.

After the combat, the party took a short rest. Gren Hammerstone lamented his poor performance, saying, "I've been rolling my crap lately, man. This has been a pretty embarrassing outing for Gren." Humperdink explained that the bell in the tower was a symbol of hope for the people of Uberfarb, and fixing it would restore power to Queen Margarita and bring joy to the Shadowfell. He said, "It is hope in this otherwise very shitty fucking world. Nobody likes the tail, especially me. So that bell when it's ringing in the tower, it just resonates and it gives people just a little bit of joy and a little bit of hope in an otherwise very sad place." The party successfully harvested a Frail Essence and two pints of Zombie Cow Milk from the fungal cow. They learned that Saren could absorb life from husks to heal himself, so they must be mindful of other creatures in the cathedral during the final confrontation. The party planned to march to the cathedral after the short rest, aiming to confront Saren and fix the bell, discussing non-lethal tactics to potentially revive him later using petals.