"I'm sure you have other places to spread your mischief Nathair, but I'll be happy do oblige with a mournful tune." Serena says with a graceful bow to the disembodied smile and with a swift motion of her hand the fiery demonic Serena starts singing a requiem aria resounding in the alley below.

Performance if needed: 7

The cacophony produced by the demoness Serena is infernal indeed. As Kurt and his thugs begin to back away to her illusions song, she hears an in tune fart from one, then another from another, and another... till soon all of them are farting in questionable harmony to the tune. Kurt looks in embarrassed horror and turns to run away.

It is at this point that Serena notices that his bottom is bright red!

The smile floating next to her grows larger and slowly a body appears around it... but it is not a halfling, but rather a small dragon!

Serena starts to laugh warmly out loud as she watches Nathair's mischief creating chaos in the alley below, her eyes going teary with her laughter before turning to the...small dragon. "Well, you are certainly full of surprises Nathair. Would this be the real you now, or is there even such a thing?" The slender green-haired girl asks with a curious smile. "Might I presume the court you mentioned are one of the courts of the Feywild?"

(Any chance Serena have heard of Nathair, Int check if needed: 19 )

(Nope :-P)

The tiny dragon giggles and rolls over, the disparate light from the city lamps playing across his body in shimmering, shifting  colors.

He flits up on gossamer butterfly-like wings, makes a circle and lands before Serena, "So sorry for the prior deception," he chuckles, "Nathair Sgiathach at your service, Lady Serena, of the Seelie court." The grinning dragon dips its head in a form of bow, then rolls over like a dog that wants to play. Flappy flits off of Serena's shoulder and lights in front of Nathair. Serena is mildly surprised to see Flappy repeat the bow like motion before Nathair.

"Ooooh what wonderful games," then looking up at Serena with the first earnest look she has seen on this creature in any form, "will the Summer Court's champion return to play with me when your quest is done?"

"Oh, it would be my honour to play more games with you Nathair Sgiathach, but I'm currently without a quest..." Serena says with another graceful but playful bow to the tiny dragon. "...as far as I know." She adds with a curious smile, taking up the golden coin from her pocket. "Anything I should know about your precious gift Nathair?"

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom Volo's Guild...

Banjo ambles along, looking for Sneeze in the Hall of Illusion and Enchantment.  He is still puzzled by his bizarre experience in the library earlier, but he has too much on his mind to focus on that for long.  

• He wishes to inquire about the little figurine they found.  It seems touched by fiendish magic.  It could just be some residue from lingering for so long in the haunted halls of the Forge of Fury.  But it's make and origins are unknown to him yet and Banjo always prefers to chase a lead to its bitter end.
• He wants to ask Sneeze about this 'Creeping Darkness'.  When did the Guild come into possession of this tome and who authored it.  Was the subject matter ever properly investigated?  It has tickled his interest.
• Have any other wizard trainees reported their spellbooks talking to them... no.  Best to keep that under one's cap for now.  He can investigate that more on his own.

"Oh ho ho! We were having such fun I almost forgot!" Nathair coughs clearing his throat. Then rising up as if to mimic a court minister says in a mock self-important, haughty voice, "Her Majesty, the Queen of Summer, the Queen of Light, the Queen of Fairies, calls all champions of the Seelie Court in proximity to the recent events to take up the quest."

He then slinks to the roof and rises like a snake looking at Serena, "That would be you... as you are undoubtedly marked of the Seelie Court, are in the proximity of the recent events, and you are certainly a champion - indeed you may be the only Champion of the Seelie court who can help!"

Seeing that his words still seem to confuse Serena, he looks long at her with his huge grin - as if hoping his enthusiasm will jog loose some recognition. An uncomfortable pause passes, and he begins again - "Oh... you don't know what has happened? Did you see the sparkles fall from the sky earlier? You need to collect them from where they fell all throughout Waterdeep and return them to the Seelie Court. It is a matter of great importance to matters of state."

Banjo makes his way through the halls with his quandaries looping through his mind. Asking for directions in his search for Sneeze bring him to an area he has not visited before.

The wood paneled hall is similar to others in the more studious wings of Volo's. The walls are populated by intermittent curios containing adventuring trophies and oddities. Between curios there is sometimes a comfortable bench or set of chairs with a small end table. Currently, these are all vacant. The further Banjo goes along this long corridor, the more this stillness of this hall presses upon him. In a guild of adventurers, this quiet is not usual - even the library has the sound of turning pages or books being moved on shelves by other scholars. In this hall, however, it is truly quiet with the exception of what sound Banjo brings himself.

There is another difference in this hall from others in the guild. As Banjo walks on, and on in this seemingly ever longer hall, he begins to realize there are no doors on either wall of the hall. If he had been expecting to see a door between a set of curios, he now would be surprised to see any. This hall seems to be a vestigial appendix in a building which otherwise is full of purpose. At last he slows approaching the end of the hall feeling a bit foolish. He had been marching for the longest time toward it, but now he is here - two boring urns holding dried vegetation on each side and a large, unremarkable painting of a landscape. Nothing more. 

Banjo ponders the financing hurdles Volo must have gone through to get a place like this built, while he wanders the halls in search of Sneeze.

When he reaches the end of the hall, he taps his foot impatiently.  "Illusionists..." he mutters.  Then he casts a spell to see through this silly ruse and looks around to see where he is really standing.

Feeling exhilarated by being offered this seelie quest, Serena bows deeply to Nathair. "It would be my honour to collect these sparkles strewn across this city of wonders." She says with sincere reverence. Looking at the dragon she continues after a moment with a curious smile. "Anything more I should know about these sparkles and how to find them, and about your gift?"

Nathair bobs his head before Serena winking, "Of course you accept! You're a champion." Then in a fluster he burbles, "Oh, you will need this.." drawing out from nowhere a tiny golden bell. To Serena's surprise, he tosses the bell into the air and two golden wings unfurl. The wings begin to churn the air rapidly as the bell rights itself, then flits over to hover behind Serena's left shoulder.

"That will let you know when you are near to one. When you have collected all seven of the lost sparklies, touch my coin and I shall return to ensure their safe return."

As Banjo casts his spell, he has the sensation of a bright light suddenly being flashed in his eyes. For a moment, he cannot make out anything. Then slowly, the light breaks up into smaller swirling blobs of color. He now sees that the brightness comes from the many strands of the weave that have all been woven into this hall. Every object and surface radiates geometric patterns of illusionist magic. He does see that the walls appear to have some rectangular shapes of weave that go to the floor, but beyond that, it is not possible to see what the illusion is or isn't masking. Also along the walls, ceiling and floor he detects parallel weaves of transmutation magic.

It appears that both reality, and perception of reality are bent in this hallway.

Serena laughs softly as she is presented with the very cute golden bell. "Yes, we will find them all, won't we?" She says to the tiny bell with a warm smile. "Thank you Nathair for this opportunity to serve, I promise I will retrieve those sparkles for you, eventhough it will likely take some time to find them all." Serena says with another graceful bow with a flourish.

Banjo purses his lips and scratches his beard as he takes in the beautiful artistry in the way the weave has been worked into this place.  "At least they have been getting in some good practice."  He also wonders, to himself, how much of this majestic guildhall might also be just smoke, mirrors and illusion.  It would certainly explain his financing questions.

Uncertain about the parallel weaves of transmutation magic, he approached one of the rectangular illusions which he presumes to be a hidden door.  He feels for a handle and attempts to open it... hoping at the last moment that he is not about to walk in unannounced into the gymnasium's invisible locker room showers.

Banjo gingerly touches the wall where he believes a door to be. Relieved, his fingers find a knob and he gently turns it. The illusion dissolves about the rectangular area (but not the rest of the hall) as a dark wooden door opens smoothly at his touch revealing a warm inviting glow from within.

Banjo enters the room.

((Roll Wis save.))

Quote from Oberon99 >>

Serena laughs softly as she is presented with the very cute golden bell. "Yes, we will find them all, won't we?" She says to the tiny bell with a warm smile. "Thank you Nathair for this opportunity to serve, I promise I will retrieve those sparkles for you, eventhough it will likely take some time to find them all." Serena says with another graceful bow with a flourish.

 Nathair flies a circle in delight then laughs... "No, not for me! Bring them to me and I shall return them. Then her majesty will be content and the party can continue. But be on the look out for Unseelie who may wish to sadden our Queen's day." 

"I best should be off. Take care Lady Serena!" He says, rising in the air and slowly fading from visibility, leaving only a shimmering sprinkling of sparkling dust falling lightly down upon the roof. 

The thugs below are long gone and Serena and Flappy are alone.

"Did you hear that Flappy? I'm a Lady and a champion of the court of Feywild with a quest to complete. Isn't that marvellous?" Serena says with a warm laugh, then finding her way down from the roof and back to her quarters at the guild for a good sleep dreaming of sparkles in the City of Wonders. Next morning she would try to find Banjo to tell the gnome about her quest before heading for fencing practice.

WIS 5

As Banjo passes through the door into this room, he is hit with an overwhelming scent of blue berry scones, freshly baked, so delicious... 

He shakes his head a moment. While the scent lingers in the air, he resists the urge to focus all his energy on finding and consuming said scones - which a simple glance to the side of the room reveal to be piled high on a table, with a little piping tea set besides.

On the other side of the room, sitting in large overstuffed leather chairs are two elderly figures with book and quill in hand. They sit perfectly still watching.

When Banjo does not immediately run to the table and begin gorging himself with scones, one of the quills moves making a little check mark. It's owner exclaims "You see! It needs a bit of Cardamom!" The source of this exclamation is an old female human with knobby knuckles, large rimmed spectacles and gray hair piled high into a messy bun. Her interlocutor responds, "You are probably right. Well, next time, Geeni." Banjo recognizes this voice and form to be that of Sneeze.

Geeni chastises Sneeze "Probably! Do you remember the time you tried to lure that dragon with an illusion of apple pies, but you forgot the raisins! I would think you would know to trust me by now. Probably indeed."