After the rather dismal and overbearing dark fairy tale vibes of the Liberation of Sliberberg, it is time for something lighter, something festive. It is December, and I have been marinating my brain in Jethro Tull’s Christmas Album, The Chieftains’ The Bells of Dublin, christmas albums from Straight No Chaser and Penatonix and Trans Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas trilogy. So, I am in the mood for some Christmas-themed adventurers. Today, we got a little pallet cleanser; if the Liberation of Sliberberg was the first arc in a serialized TV series, this is meant to be a low-stakes, roleplay heavy, holiday special. Like all good holiday specials in a TV series, it is meant to show the characters in a new light, be fueled by sentimentality, and give the viewer a timely and holiday-relevant moral. I was aiming for a Hallmark Christmas movie or the old claymation Christmas specials I used to watch as a kid for the tone; this is the first time I tried to write cozy fiction, so bear with me.

Background

There are few things more tragic than a toy left abandoned and forgotten in some dismal trash can or in a clump of weeds in the park. In Sliberberg, the toys agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. When dolls, stuffed animals, toy soldiers, and wind-up automata are thrown away, lost, or forgotten about within the city limits, they come alive. These so-called misbegotten toys wander the city looking for children to be their new owners, usually in vain. Eventually, when they are caked with mud and their stitching starts to come undone, they make their way to the alleyway between the Gleamspark Toy Emporium and the Fey Hobby Stop. On this little stretch of pavement, shorter than most blocks in the city, is a small second-hand toy and toy repair shop where their kind always ends up. There, they spend their days waiting on shelves, tables, and window displays, hoping that today will be the day that a few patrons come to the alley of Misbegotten toys, choose them, and they feel the love of a child once again. This is what all Misbegotten Toys dream of, even though the moment is bittersweet. Once a misbegotten toy finds a new owner, life and sentience fade from its body, and it returns to being a simple plaything. Until that time, they languish under the care of Wilburt, the first of the misbegotten, an intricate and lifelike mechanical centaur the size of a ten-year-old boy. Wilburt owns WIlburt’s second-hand toys and is the caretaker for the misbegotten toys, repairing the new arrivals and bargaining with the few customers who come to his store. On the surface, Wilburt might seem like the perfectly happy ten-year-old boy, but deep down, he yearns for the owner who never wanted him to return and take him back to Castle Sliberberg so he can be a toy again. As Yuletide approaches, Wilburt puts on a brave face. Yuletide is hard on all misbegotten toys, but for him, it is a grim anniversary; it was on that day so long ago that he was gifted to a king and promptly discarded like trash.

The adventure begins

The players receive a letter from Queen Aoibheann asking them to help her with her Yule shopping. She wants her first yule back with Fredrick after 500 years of self-imposed separation to be perfect, which means getting him the perfect gift. She asks them to meet her at Market Grove Bazaar the day before Yuletide Eve. When they arrive, they see a scene from a winter wonderland. 

Read the following

The new fallen snow crunches underfoot as you walk towards Market Grove Bazaar. All around you, the whimsical buildings of the Grand Fey Marketplace have taken on a festive flare. Holly, evergreen, and mistletoe hang from every eve and window frame, and ornaments of glass and tin sparkle in frosted windows. Walking down the street, the crowd parts in front of you. You can hear them whisper in awe at their heroes among them.

As you step into Market Grove Bazaar, it feels like entering a scene from a storybook. Fairy lights in red, green, and white twinkle from every bough, filling the cavernous hall with a warm glow. Stalls overflow with trinkets, sweets, and holiday wares. Cheerful music fills the air, and festive decorations are everywhere. Children dart through a crowd that bustles with cheer and merriment. Through the crowd, Queen Aoibheann flits excitedly from stall to stall, her fur-lined cloak swooshing gently behind her. She inspects stalls and trinkets with the joy of a little girl. She spots you through the crowd, and her face lights up even brighter. She rushes up and says, “Oh, there you are! I’ve been waiting for you! Isn’t this year’s Yule market simply magical?”

She takes the players aside, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, and asks them what they have been up to recently. It has been a few weeks since Murtagh’s downfall, and both she and Fredrick have been so busy rebuilding the kingdom and integrating the conquered lands into the new Greater New Mountainheart that they’ve had little time to speak with the player characters.

Let each player regale the queen with tales of their exploits since the downfall of Murtagh, The Usurper. (If you are not running this adventure as a follow-up to the Liberation of Sliberberg, feel free to use some other major event from the past.) Aoibheann will listen with wide eyes and will occasionally interrupt to ask the players to go into more detail.

Once the storytelling naturally subsides, she takes two of the players by the arm. She tells them they are their escorts and advisors on this little shopping trip. With Fredrick and her apart for so long, she has to make this Yule special, which means she needs to find a special gift for her hubby. She then drags the players toward the marketplace.

Shopping in the Yule Market

Aoibheann will lead the players through the bustling marketplace as eager as a kid in a toy store. When she spies a stall that she thinks will have the perfect gift, she will speed off, dragging at least one of the players along with her. Roll once on the stall table. She will then take an item from the stall, dramatically show it to the players, and ask what they think. Encourage the players to debate or discuss whether or not the gift is a good fit for Fredrick. However, regardless of what the players say, Aoibheann’s expression starts to turn from glee at finding the perfect gift to worry, ultimately deciding for one reason or another why the gift is not right for Fredrick.

You should also encourage the players to do their own Yuletide shopping. Encourage them to peruse the stalls Aoibheann stops at and choose gifts for their loved ones, friends, and acquaintances. Go wild with describing the interaction between the players and the shopkeepers.

Random Stall Table

Roll a d10 to determine which stall Aoibheann visits next:

Roll	Stall Type	Sample Items or Description
1	Art Supplies and Stationery	High-quality parchment, enchanted quills, shimmering ink that changes color, blank canvases that inspire the viewer.
2	Bookseller’s Stall	Rare tomes bound in shimmering leather, journals with self-inking pages, or poetry collections inscribed with tiny illuminations.
3	Magical Trinkets	Enchanted pocket watches, snowflake-shaped crystals that hum softly, tiny bottled winter landscapes.
4	Tailor & Clothier	Festive scarves, gloves that warm the wearer, cloaks that shimmer like frost in sunlight.
5	Artisan Smith	Ornate daggers, decorative metalwork, enchanted wind chimes, or elegant silver goblets.
6	Music and Instruments	Handcrafted lyres, enchanted music boxes, crystal chimes, or tuning forks that create perfect harmony.
7	Toymaker’s Stall	Miniature clockwork animals, carved wooden soldiers, enchanted snow globes that show winter scenes.
8	Sweet Treats & Candies	Candied apples, magical chocolate that changes flavors, jars of glowing honey, or enchanted gingerbread golems.
9	Pet & Familiar Stand	Tiny enchanted owls, glowing fish that swim through the air, a playful wisp in a jar, or a baby pseudodragon wearing a festive bow
10	Adventurer’s Curiosities	Magical trinkets like a cloak pin that turns into a tiny shield, a compass that points to the nearest warm fireplace, or a necklace that glows with seasonal colors.

Fellow Market Attendees

Along with Aoibheann, several of the player’s other friends and acquaintances are at the market that day. When the players are between stalls, they will bump into these people. Feel free to run as many of these encounters as you like in whatever order.

The Silver Moon Bakery and Cafe festive treats stand.

Read the following.

Aoibheann eagerly pulls you through the bustling crowd, weaving between shoppers and vendors. Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out:

“Oi! G’day, yer ‘eroyships and yer grace! Fancy a nibble?”

 The cheerful comes from a stall selling festive cookies, cakes, and pies. The young women manning the stall wear the unmistakable garb of the Silver Moon. Amidst the hive-like activity of the stall, Tansy Fleetfoot waves at you.

Tansy is unusually chipper today. She offers the Aoibheann and the players a free sample of gingerbread men decorated like the player characters. While the players enjoy their treats, Tansy and Aoibheann chat about the affairs of the coven. Tansy admits that things could be better. Murtagh had damaged the newly expanded kingdom so much that the coven’s resources had been stretched so thin trying to keep the people warm, fed, and healthy. It is so bad that the seven other matrons of the coven have come to the kingdom to lend a hand. Even with the help, some of their charges will likely have a bleak winter. 

A slip of the tongue. At the mention of harsh winters for the common folk, Aoibheann lets something slip. Read the following 

“It seems that the Grandfather Yule and the snow maidens are going to be needed more than ever this year,” Aoibheann absentmindedly says,” but I am sure you and the” Tansy cuts her off with a sudden shushing motion. Aoibheann’s cheeks redden with embarrassment, but then smiles coyly and changes the subject.” 

If the players make a DC 8 history check, they recall that Grandfather Yule is a prominent figure in yuletide tradition in the Feengrenze, an archfey who takes the form of a jolly hobgoblin who embodies the holiday and makes toys the children of the Feengrenze which he delivers on the solstice eve, riding out in an ornate wooden sleigh pulled by unicorns. The snowmaidens are Grandfather Yule’s granddaughters and are tasked with creating the Yuletide snowfall and helping their grandfather deliver the gifts.  If the players try to inquire into the gaft, they only learn that Tansy knows Grandfather Yule. The truth is that Aoibheann, being the kingdom itself, knows that Grandfather Yule is a creation of the Silver Moon Coven, and the Silver Moon Sisters are the ones who make the toy deliveries.

Caitríona’s and Lorcan’s first date

Aoibheann pulls you through the bustling marketplace, her eyes scanning stalls for the perfect gift. Suddenly, she collides with someone—a well-dressed Sir Lorcan, his arms laden with parcels and boxes, and a young hobgoblin woman in a pink-and-white dress with a fur cape. With a resounding thud, Lorcan topples backward, and the parcels scatter across the ground.

“Oh my gods, Lorcan, are you alright,” Aoibheann gasps.

Lorcan scrambles to his feet, his face bright red. “N-no, Your Grace, I’m fine!” he stammers, quickly gathering the scattered boxes.

Aoibheann’s gaze shifts to the hobgoblin woman, who has turned her back to you. Her long, red braid tumbles over her shoulders, and there’s something oddly familiar about her. Aoibheann’s voice turns syrupy sweet. “And who might your lovely friend be, Sir Lorcan?”

Lorcan freezes, cheeks turning even redder. “Uh, she’s, um—” he stammers, glancing desperately at the hobgoblin woman, whose shoulders stiffen.

Let the players try to guess the identity of Lorcan’s date. If they do not guess right after about a minute, Aoibheann squeals in delight, telling the players that Lorcan and Cassidy Rose make such a cute couple. 

The girl behind the Cowgirl. If the players guess correctly or AoIbheann makes the revelation, Caitríona, aka Cassidy Rose, turns around, her cheeks flushed crimson, revealing that the queen is indeed correct. Aoibheann squeals in delight again, and heaps of praise on her dress, her makeup, and her hair. If the players ask what the two of them are doing together, they sheepishly admit that they are on their first date. If the players ask why Cassidy Rose, the queen of the bounty hunters, is dressed in such girly attire, Caitríona blushes and admits that Cassidy Rose is just one side of her and feels good to indulge the girly girl side of herself, especially since her bastard father is dead.

The Food Court Grandfather Yule

Aoibheann darts through the center square of the marketplace. However, halfway through the square, Aoibheann stops so abruptly that you almost collide with her.

She points to a charming mockup of Grandfather Yule’s castle, made from wood and sparkling paint and adorned with whimsical decorations. With a mischievous grin, she says,  “Look at that. I bet you cannot guess who playing Grandfather Yule for the kids this year.”

The hobgoblin in the red and white fur robe and soft fur-lined cap sitting on the throne does look familiar. The old man seems born for the part: red skin, a long snow-white beard and hair, a round belly, and a jolly twinkle in his eye. 

“Have you been good this year Mary?” Grandfather Yule asks a little girl perched on his lap, his deep voice booming warmly. “Jolly good, you deserve a little reward,” asks Grandfather Yule as he hands the girl a stuffed doll. There is definitely something familiar about that voice and how he says Jolly good. 

Encourage the players to try to guess the identity of the Grandfather Yule impersonator; if they do not correctly guess that it is Dean Gwilym Cwmwllyd Aoibheann bursts into a giggling fit and tells them, “Oh, you silly gooses, it’s Dean Gwilym Cwmwllyd! Who else could it be.” She gives Gwilym Cwmwllyd a playful wave with a wink. Gwilym smile grows even wider, and he chuckles as he waves back. As she walks off towards the next group of stalls, she states that Gwilym is the perfect fit for the role despite being the dean of the city’s college for all things magical.

Elina’s Hugs

As you weave through the crowded marketplace, a pair of slender arms suddenly wraps around you in a big bear hug from behind.

“Hey, besties for resty,” comes the unmistakable voice of Elina Foul through the din of the marketplace. 

She releases you from the bear hug, and her face lights up with a big, cute grin. The teenage green-hag witch girl has gone overboard with the festive attire; she is wearing a red fur-lined mini skirt with white trim, a GrandFather yule cap perched jauntily on her raven hair, and red snow boots. Somehow, despite her green skin, the outfit looks good on her. 

Upon seeing Elina’s dolled-up look, Aoibheann squeals with delight and starts complimenting her dress and makeup. Elina fakes modest embarrassment and even manages to fake a blush.

Holiday Plans. After some time being complimented, Elina sheepishly asks what the players will do for the holidays. She’s so new to having actual friends that she doesn’t know what to do for Yuletide Eve and Yuletide Day. Encourage the players to describe what they plan to do on the holiday. 

A selfish Request. Once the players finish describing their plans, Elina puts on her biggest, most hopeful puppy dog eyes and meekly asks the player with her favorite set of plans if she can come along too? She has no plans for the holidays and wants to do something special on the special day. If the players do not agree to have Elina as a plus one, Aoibheann will ask Elina to attend the big feast on Yuletide Day. Whoever invites Elina to their holiday plans will receive another big hug from Elina and be peppered with excited thank yous. 

A gift. Before she goes, Elina takes a couple of jars out of her bag and gives one to each player, saying it’s an early Yuletide gift and a new product sample. The jars contain skin moisturizer that reduces cold damage by two points for 6 hours.

The grinchy Duchess Muirín and her daughter

Aoibheann continues her hunt for the perfect gift for Fredrick, flitting from stall to stall like a hummingbird between flowers. Midway between two stalls, her gaze catches on someone moving gracefully through the crowd, and she calls out with a bright smile:

 “Good morning(afternoon) Muirín.” 

You spot Duchess Muirín moving through the crowd with an escort of her Selkie guardsmen. She is the picture of opulence, wearing an oversized fine white fur coat draped dramatically over a shimmering gold mermaid dress. Her ears and neck sparkle with gold and jewels. Her red hair is in a tight bun and adorned with a fashionable white fur hat. 

Tailing a few steps behind is her daughter Aeliana, looking just as stunning as her mother but with her hair down.

Muirín pauses, her face taut as if carved from ice. She responds with clipped politeness, her voice betraying just a hint of displeasure, “Morning (afternoon), Your Majesty.”

As Aoibheann glides over to Duchess Muirín and starts to make small talk, the conversation quickly turns to a study of contrasts. Aoibheann remains cheerful and pleasant, her demeanor radiating pleasant warmth, while Muirín responses increasingly turn colder, and her body language —a stiff posture and forced smile—speaks volumes.

Encourage the players to observe the exchange. A DC 15 insight check reveals that Muirín seems jealous of Aoibheann. 

By the end of the conversation, Muirín can barely keep herself contained. Muirín’s facade cracks, and she practically drags Aeliana away, her fur coat billowing dramatically as she retreats in a huff.

If asked what that was all about, Aoibheann replies that Muirín wants what she has: her effortless charming personality, eternal youth, and, most importantly, Fredrick.

Aeliana’s Displeasure. As tension rises between Muirín and Aoibheann, Aeliana slips away from her mother and retreats to the relative safety of her friends among the player characters. She tells them that her mother has been like this since Aoibheann officially made her return. Her mother has always made everything about her; she must be the queen bee. With Queen Aoibheann back, she knows she has no chance of being King Fredrick’s beau or the belle of Sliberberg’s social scene, and she hates Aoibheann for that.

A Romantic Gesture. If the players save Aeliana from Admiral Kraggath’s ship during the Liberation of Sliberberg, Aeliana develops a crush on one of the male player characters. As Muirín and Aoibheann’s conversation continues, Aeliana takes the opportunity to approach the object of her affection. With a shy smile and downcast eyes, she will present the object of her affection with a small festive box containing chocolates; she will sheepishly ask if the player character is going to attend the feast at Castle Sliberberg on Yuletide Day and, if so, if they could sit together. 

The alley of Misbegotten toys

After exploring the marketplace for hours and finding no gift that feels just right, Aoibheann’s expression shifts. As the sun starts to go down, Aoibhean leads the player characters to the northern side of the market, towards the alley between the Gleamspark toy Emporium and the Fey Hobby Stop. If asked where they are going, she says, with a wistful smile, that she wants to check on a friend. 

Read the following.

This alleyway has an air of desperation despite an effort to brighten the space. There are colorful murals on the wall resembling children’s drawings. The tiny toy store in this alley and its accompanying outdoor display tables are painted in bright colors. As you follow behind Aoibheann, a cacophony of pleading voices suddenly erupts from the tables. Stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys have suddenly risen to their feet and are pleading with you to buy them, many of them waving price tags and sale signs that promise very low prices. “What with all the hubbub?” comes a whistly voice from inside the store. Through the door marches an incredibly life-like clockwork automata in the form of a ten-year-old centaur boy in homemade clothing carrying several wooden trays. Aoibheann smiles wistfully and says, “Hello, Wilburt.” The centaur boy drops the trays in shock. “My Silver Lady,” he blubbers out before bowing his head respectfully. 

Wilburt the mechanical centaur, owns the toy store and is the oldest of the misbegotten toys who call the alley home. Aoibheann introduces the players to him and explains that she met him long ago. She then starts a conversation with Wilburt, inquiring about his well-being; her voice has an almost motherly or more accurately a godmotherly tone. Aoibheann and Wilburt can help the players understand the nature of the misbegotten toys. Wilburt, on his part, truthfully answers questions, but his answers are clipped and terse as if he is trying not to reveal something he is ashamed of. 

Wilburts Story. Eventually, Aoibheann asks Wilburt how the search for a new owner for himself is going. Wilburt looks like a boy sent to the principal office and responds that he has not been looking for a new owner because he wants Fredrick to take him back to be his owner again. If the players ask for him to elaborate, read the following.

It was decades ago I was created by one of the past master toymakers of the Gleamspark family. Back then, I was merely a curiosity, a mechanical centaur who could understand simple voice commands. On Yuletide morning, they brought me to the castle and presented me to King Fredrick as a gift. He gave the toymakers some words of gratitude and sent them on their merry way. However, even as an inanimate clockwork mechanism, I could tell that the words were forced empty platitudes, and he had no interest in me. Once the toymakers were gone, he ordered me to be thrown away. His men threw me over the walls of the castle. As I lay there, the silver lady, the one you call Aoibheann, came up to me with a tear in her eye. She could not stand the miserable site of me lying discarded in a heap at the base of the walls, so she touched me and granted me life and consciousness. Before she faded away, she told me that she gave me life so that I could find myself a new home. But I don’t want a new home.” If Wilburt was flesh and blood, you could imagine him crying,”  I want my old owner to take me back and love me as a toy.”

A special favor. After hearing Wilburt’s plea, Aoibheann turns to the players and tells them she has finally found the perfect gift for Fredrick and has a special favor to ask them; she wants their help convincing her husband to take Wilburt back as a toy.

The castle Parlor

Wilburt follows Aoibheann back to the castle; he is clearly very nervous about reuniting with his former owner. As they walk up the mountain, it starts to snow. The falling gentle crystals glisten in the magical streetlights, lending the scene a bit of winter charm. When they arrive back at Castle Sliberberg, Aoibheann leads them up to the parlor. Read the following

The servants and guards bow respectfully as their queen and the local heroes pass. The decorators tasked with fixing the damage Murtagh had done to the castle pause their work and give respectful nods from atop their ladders. Wilburt is obviously uncomfortable with the treatment as you move ever closer to the man who threw him away. As you make your way to the third floor, she tells you to hide Wilburt behind you when they enter the parlor. 

She leads you into the castle parlor, where Fredrick is sprawled out on the couch, his massive frame draped in exhaustion. The moment he sees his wife, the weariness evaporates from his body. 

“Darling,” he says as his massive furry frame lifts itself from the couch and rushes over to embrace his wife, “How was the market?” 

She smiles, and with a giggle, she says, “Oh, it was so wonderful; I have not had so much fun in centuries; I wish you could have come too.” 

Fredrick’s wolf-like face cracks a smile, and he says, “I wish I could too, but the issue with the new Duke of Drumbane could not wait.” 

Aiohebean smiles sweetly and says, “I brought someone to see you.” Wilburt steps forward with all the timidity of a lamb approaching a wolf’s den.

Fredrick does not immediately recognize Wilburt; it has been 110 years since he last saw the automaton. Wilburt timidly tries to explain his origin as a gift presented to him decades ago; with each word he speaks, he stammers nervously. By the time Wilburt finishes his explanation, Fredrick’s smile has turned into a frown; he remembers that particular Yuletide all too well. It was right after he returned from his penultimate journey into the multiverse to find Aoibheann. He would rather forget that dismal celebration; hell, he would rather forget the five hundred years he spent alone in the castle; hence, he ordered a redecoration instead of just repairing or replacing damaged paneling and fixtures that Murtagh decorators destroyed. To illustrate the point, he then gestures at a blank spot on the wall, which causes Aoibheann to gasp; the spot was where the Drowning of Mountainheart, one of the magic paintings Fredrick painted, once hung, is now bare. Fredrick then states it will be the first of many; every bit of decor that will remind him of the bad centuries will go. Wilburt is a living memory of one of the most dismal Yuletides he has ever experienced, so he does not want him around. Every word in Fredrick’s rant makes Wilburt shrink a little further back as if trying to disappear.

Changing Fredrick’s heart. The players will have their work cut out for them to convince Fredrick to accept Wilburt back into his life. The encounter will mainly consist of the players trying to find an argument aided by skill checks that will pierce Fredrick’s stone wall refusals using what they know of Fredrick’s personality and character. The player cannot simply do a skill test to overcome the encounter; they must pair skill tests with arguments. Prompt the players to think back to the time they spent helping Fredrick recover from Murtagh’s torture to find clues to the challenge.

• If the players make a DC 16 insight check, they realize that Fredrick’s position comes from a place of deep pain. He is desperate to put the misery and bad days of the past 500 years behind him, which is likely the reason that he is refusing. 
• If the players ask Aoibheann for help, she tells them that Fredrick has nightmares about his waking life being nothing but a dream, and when he awakes, he returns to being alone again.
•  If the players remember the liberation of Sliberberg, Frederick was known to show shame at his behavior on his bad days and repeatedly expressed a desire to make amends. 

If the players make a DC 17 persuasion check and either argue that his fears of returning to his loneliness are unfounded or that Wilburt is one of the victims of his behavior during his bad centuries, Fredrick’s expression softens as he recognizes how much he hurt Wilburt without realizing it. He kneels down, embraces the cowering little toy, and tells Wilburt that he is home now.

The Miracle

Wilburt seems to be on the edge of tears, but before he says anything, a change overtakes him. Read the following

WIlburt’s lifelike movement starts to falter and turn mechanical as if the magic animating his brass body is fading. His bright young eyes seem to lose their sparkle, and his voice cracks and stutters as if spring has run down to nothing. Frederick notices the change and shouts, “What’s going on? Are you all right, Wilburt?” Wilburt’s motion, increasingly mechanical, says, “I’m fine… I got my wish granted… I don’t need to be alive anymore.’” With that last statement, Wilburt reverts to being nothing more than a clockwork Automaton. Frederick is inconsolable and blubbers on about him killing this boy, and he was only a child, cradling the mechanical boy in his massive arms.
If the players are wondering what is going on, Aoibheann tells them it is the nature of misbegotten toys to return to being toys once they find new owners, or in rare cases when their owner reclaims them, it is what all misbegotten toys yearn for, to be playthings once again in the hands of children. If the players try to console Fredrick, he growls, “What good is being an archfey if I cannot save the life of one boy and he was alive until a moment ago,” he shouts with tears in his eyes. Aoibheann soothingly asks if he really meant that, and Fredrick replies yes. She smiles and tells them that if they combine their powers, there is a way, but they will need the player’s help. The royal couple holds their hands. 

Invoking the memories of holidays past. Aoibheann calls out to the players, not their characters but the players behind those characters by name, and asks them to describe their most precious holiday memory from their childhood; by using these memories, she and Fredrick can turn Wilburt into a real boy. Prompt the players to share a short but meaningful memory from their own childhood (pre-10 years old, to be more specific) related to the holidays that happen around December, reminding them that this is supposed to be a safe space to share these memories. After the last player shared their memory, read the following.

Golden light flows from each of your hearts into Aoibheann, and Fredrick joins hands as Aoibheann invokes the spell. The light then drips down to the lifeless form of Wilburt, who starts to glow brightly. The light is intense, and when it fades, Wilburt is transformed. No longer is he a thing of brass and clockwork; he is a real centaur boy. Wilburt’s ear twitches, and then his eyes burst open, and he gasps for breath. He looks around, confused, and then at his hands seeing that they are indeed flesh and blood, “I am alive,” he says, “how? I found an owner and should be nothing more than a toy again!” “Yes, Wilburt,” says Aoibheann as she sits down beside the reborn Wilburt,” but Frederick wanted you to live on so badly that we willed you to life. You’re a real boy now.” 

The news that Fredrick and the players willed him into a real boy moves Wilburt to tears. Frederick, Aoibheann, and Wilburt share a group hug, and the players are encouraged to join it too.

Conclusion

After the touching moment in the parlor, Fredrick offers Wilburt a position at court as his squire. It is the least he owes Wilburt after causing him so much pain, and he is the right age to start training to become a knight. The offer delights Wilburt, but he hesitates. Nobody will care for other misbegotten toys in the Alley of Misbegotten Toys if he becomes Fredrick’s squire. Aoibheann giggles and says she will take care of it soon.

The flight of the Snow Maidens

On Yuletide Eve, Aoibheann leads the players down to the Alley of Misbegotten Toys with a carriage and many sacks. When they arrive, Aoibheann gives an address to the toys, swearing an 8-fold oath that if they come with her, they will have new homes by Yuletide morning. The toys eagerly jump into the sacks. Once back to the castle, she leads the players and a small train of servants up to the castle’s ramparts just as the sun sets. The players and the servants wait there for a moment until dark shapes start to materialize in the bright yuletide full moon. As they grow closer, the shapes become clear, taking the form of dozens of women in pointy hats and fur coats riding on broomsticks. Tansy and Agatha Ironraisin are in the lead. The two matrons greet the queen as the rest of the flight of witches alight on the battlements. They pick toys from the sacks and place them in bags of holding affixed to the broomsticks. 

Aoibheann, Tansy, and Agatha explain to the players that the matrons and a select group of young witches are the the ones who deliver Grandfather Yule’s gifts. Aoibheann contacted Tansy earlier today and asked the witches to deliver the misbegotten toys to children in every place Murtagh’s tyranny touched; after all, the children need comfort the most in these times of rebuilding and reconciliation. After the witches finish packing their bags, they take off one by one to make their deliveries to the children of New Mountainheart. Tansy is the last to leave, and just as she lifts off on her broom, a doll pokes her head out of the bag and waves at the players. True to Aoibheann’s oath, throughout all the land, children found a surprise waiting for them, and the misbegotten toys had found new homes.

Wilburt’s new life

The next time they see Wilburt at the Yuletide feast the next day. He is wearing a brand new fine doublet and trousers.  He is taking to his new life like a fish takes to water. He plays with all the energy and joy with the other children his age. His smile seems infectious as he chases after Mittens, the kitten with Sorcha Ó Tighearnaigh and the other children. Fredrick and Aoibheann look with big smiles on their faces; there is clearly a bright future for Wilburt in their court.