In Session 15 - Pies and Pestilence, the players found Talan Windfern in The Druid Grove they found attacked by cultists.
Talan is a young druid initiate whose master at the Grove was killed. He is nervous, overly anxious, but cares deeply about nature and Circle of Verdant Flame, the druid order he belongs to.
The party was only able to find the grove because its wards that usually keep it protected from intentional (much less accidental) discovery were destroyed by the cultists that attacked it. The druid ambassadors in the Balandel enclave sympathize with Talan when he tells them what happened at the Grove, but they will also give him a task: to make sure the players remember nothing of the circle’s secret locations, rituals, etc.
Talan does not know, however, that the druid ambassadors in Balandel have been compromised by the Order of the Black Star. That is how they are gaining secret information.
Talan will act as the player’s guide (as long as they accept) through the forest, but will also cast Modify Memory on them regularly. In order for the players to not suspect anything, though, he will try to make them drink a special wine that dulls their senses (mechanically, makes them automatically fail wisdom saving throws for one hour).
He will also tell the enclave everything about the party’s plans whenever they are in Balandel. This may affect things in the rest of the arc.
The players may discover his duality in many ways:
- A DC 18 Insight Check directly on him will reveal that he is hiding something
- A DC 18 perception check on the wine will reveal something is off about it
- Talan has the sense-dulling draught in his bags, if they search them.
- Something may make it obvious that someone told the enclave something secret between the party