"Wait!" Shavaris calls to the dwarves. "Are you sure it is that way to the castle? And what do you mean don't stop when you get to the clearing? And as my fairy friend just asked, what never opens? Isn't a clearing when things open up? Please, give us a little bit of your time?"
As the dwarves try escaping Travin follows them a little, making sure they are within ear shot, "Jareth pays no-one, yeh yeh! Jareth is not on the throne! Hmmm? But if Dwarvses help we can make sure they are paid!! Yeh! Dwarvses help Travin, Travin helps Jareth, Jareth pays Dwarvses! See! Hmmm?" With that sound reasoning Travin stops and waits to see if the dwarves are persuaded to stay and give better direction. He turns his head smiling wide at the party.
The Dwarves keep moving, pushing the wheelbarrow along, and looking over their shoulders as questions flood over them.
"Yep, it never opens! Don't bother." They say, absentmindedly. "Look, we're busy! We work the hedge maze! That's it! Probably need to go find a Dwarf that isn't specialized in a specific area. They can probably help you more than we can..."
They pause when Travin mentions pay.
"No, but he doesn't dip us in the Bog of Eternal Stench when we do what he says...what did you say though that he's not on the throne anymore? We kind of heard about that. But pay us to do what?"
"if Dwarvses give guide to Travin, hmmmm? We pay! Yeh? Yeh yeh yeh! And Jareth will not dip in the bog the dwarveses! Hmmm? No help for Travin means Jareth get no help too! Angry Jareth, yeh! Travin will say, Dwarvses no help! Yeh yeh! Bog time then for dwarvses! Hmm?" Trav looks pleased with himself as he retorts, resorting to indirect threats is not below his station.
Johnathan has been keeping his distance from the dwarfs. A part of him still felt guilty for what happened to Hoggle and he didn’t want a repeat. When the others mention a guide he just gets flashes of last time. He waits to see how they respond but knows that they don’t need guides as they pointed the way. Instead he sends Echo to fly up and get a birds eye view of the labyrinth, hoping to get an idea of its layout.
The Dwarves look at each other and a heated, though hushed, conversation begins. Words bleed out. "I don't know" and "where?" and "maybe...", a few others but nothing that strikes cords. One shrugs. The other calls that one an idiot. Then they both shrug again.
"I mean...we can try? We can take you to the edge of the hedge maze, if you want, but we don't know where we're going after that."
Shavaris is relieved as she hears the dwarves acquiesce to assisting them through the hedge maze. "Yes! Taking us to the edge of the hedge maze, towards the castle would be wonderful! If you would do that, it would be so much appreciated! After that, well.. I'm sure we'll figure something out."
"YEH YEH! GO TRAVIN!" Squeaks the junkman, he hops around and then turns, smiling at the group, very openly and unashamedly waiting for some kind of recognition.
The Dwarves are more than happy to comply with Travin after a little coin is flashed about, promises are made, and they find a closet built into a fat hedge that, weirdly enough, opens to a stone walled storage room where they can stash their tools. After that, they lead the band on for hours through the various backs and double backs, walkways and perfectly curated vegetation, and it's easy to get lost in the various twists and turns of the maze.
At one point they passed a small stone fortress swarming with Lupine. The inner courtyard was a ruckus of shouting voices, bow drills, clanging wooden swords as all manner of combat was practiced. A large mastiff Lupine who was, weirdly enough, riding an animalistic mastiff that was so short the riders feet were dragging the ground, accosted them as they passed, daring them to try to enter and being sure to remind them of the prowess of his sense of smell.
The Dwarves remained mostly quiet through the whole thing, talking only amongst themselves for the most part and just trying to get the group through their journey. They passed a huge clearing, where a single door stood alone in the middle. The clearing looked like a dead end...at first.
"Ah, see! It never opens!" One Dwarf said as he walked up to the door and turned the knob. "See! Does nothing! Most people pass through here and spend hours trying to figure out how it works! It doesn't! Just a distraction!"
"Yep! Watch this!"
The other Dwarf threw both arms out and shoved the door...and it fell backwards, clattering on the ground. As soon as it did, the hedges in the distance opened, revealing a new path.
"Man, that'd have really confused you guys! Okay, let's go!"
They led on, ushering the Dawn Guard on behind them, until the edge of the hedge maze came into sight. Although they had only been traveling for a few hours, the sky overhead was already growing dark, like a full day had passed. The Dwarves commented on this and seemed concerned about the weird passages of time, but kept this to themselves and didn't bother trying to discuss it with the Dawn Guard. A fire blossomed far off, a small fire, and as the band neared, they could see two figures there. One small and in armor, talking. The other tall but sitting on a log, his platinum blonde hair glowing orange in the firelight, his scepter waggling back and forth as his animated hands regaled the armor clad figure with riddles and wandering truths.
Then he pointed to the approaching Dawn Guard.
"Ah, see! I told you that you wouldn't have to be lost by yourself for long!" Jareth said as he rose from his seated position. That same wry grin was smeared across his lips, a toothy grin; you'd never known that only hours ago he'd been on the brink of death. "The Dawn Guard! Welcoming me back! And glad to see me, I have no doubt! I have told you before I was gracious, and you did not believe me. But then I allowed myself to become vulnerable, allowed myself to be damaged nearly beyond repair for you...and now here you are! Tricky business back there with the dual gates, huh? You all have such a way of overcomplicating things. Well, don't just stand there. Come over here, have a seat."
A glance at the fire reveals that seats have appeared from the ground around it. Seven total, including one very small one and one very odd shaped one that seems to be built for Travin's junk laden butt.
As the group nears Jareth and he finishes his greeting speech, Travin marches his junk laden butt right up to Jareth and points with a stubby, yet accusatory finger. "Jareth is indebted to Travin for saving him! Yeh yeh! 'Allowed myself to become vulnerable' hmm? Hogwash! Bullshit! Travin sees the king without his throne is no king at all! Yeh! But This group want Jareth back on the throne! Want Blix be gone!... Well Travin will help them, Travin will help you, but it comes with a price! Yeh! What does Jareth think of That!? HMPH!" His mouth forms a perfect semi-circle of a frown as he waits for Jareth's response, looking directly up at the former goblin king stubbornly through his large glass goggles and despite being only mere inches away from Jareth's crotch, Travin folds his arms in unhappy protest.
Delph seems to be a bit on the tired side at this moment and just enjoys the ride on Travin's back. However, when the former goblin king shows up the tiny fairy gets excited. They wanted to have a few words with the goblin king now that they learned Travin had something taken from them. The fairy was on alert of feylike tricks and ways. They don't take a seat but rather flutter in the air and are being careful not to agree or accept any gifts at this time, "Hello Jerath! It is ever so nice to see a familiar face! How did Hoggle, sir Didymus, Ludo and the hurt friend make out? Was the bog witch able to help them? I really hope they did."
Delphinium sees that Travin is quite agitated and the fairy flutters over and pats their shoulder and show some solidarity "Well, not quite what Travin said. I don't particularly care one way or the other if you are on the throne. I want three things. I want the alicorn horn we saw blix have. I want to find the unicorn that is being hunted. I also want to help my friend Travin. Who, I think you took something from. Was it part of a deal? Can we trade back for the thing you took from them? I don't think it's very nice to just pretend you don't know. Of course, as a fey I totally understand upholding a bargain or trade. I'm just curious what they need to do to get back something important to them. All good fey always have a way to trade back. As for a trade for what I want, I think a throne at the center of a labyrinth sounds like a good trade if you haven't managed to take it back yet."
Shavaris smiles upon seeing Jareth, despite herself. She heads on down to the fire and faces the man. "Good to see that you are back to your enigmatic self. As my fairy friend has asked, did Sarah survive? That was awful." she thinks about what the man just said, "The two gates? Have you been watching us Jareth? How do you manage to do that?"
"No matter, lost yes... are you offering to show us the way to your um, former castle? My friends are right, we are here to take out Blix. I do hope you can help us, I mean, we did help you when you, as you so eloquently put it, were being vulnerable." She looks at the man, unsure how to take him and knows Travin is going to have difficulties with him regardless.
Jareth, why am I not surprised that you are still creepy as hell. He gives a frown to the former king. Don’t pretend you were in the bog as a test. You wanted the alicorn didn’t you? You thought you would get it while we were distracting him. Clever. He listens as Travin makes a bargain? It was entertaining to watch at least. Funny, I remember you travelling with a lot more people. Here’s the deal. You seem to know some answers to stuff. To start with what is Shavaris’s sister have to do with Blix, some of us saw her fighting him? Secondly how do we corner Blix if he can teleport at will? Johnathan doesn’t sit down. Instead Echo will fly over and sit where Johnathan would’ve been.
Kerwyn will walk over to Jareth with Ole Ironsides uncomfortably close. "Been going through your little happy time maze of mind bending crappery, thank you very little. What happened to your little crystal balls, or did they get squished by those monsters out in that fricken bog? Seriously, Jareth, my man, I've had enough of this place. Can you point us the way forward toward the castle and Blix so that we can end this thing and get the unicorn, pronto?"
Kerwyn looks at Jareth with a confident smile like he just beat him in a game of verbal chess.
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A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Jareth smiles, grins...then sneers as Travin's stubby digit pokes toward him. The former Goblin King takes a step back as he listens to Travin, then points a finger of his own.
"Jareth is indebted to no one, you pathetic worm!" He says, his voice venom now. "I know you're a real dolt, but do you think for one instance that someone like me doesn't know the ins and outs of their own Labyrinth before it happens? Are you so intellectually stunted from your habitation of the junk fields that you think you have anything to bargain for?"
As Delphinium speaks up, Jareth smiles. He listens. He laughs with the laugh of a man who knows. It's malicious. It's almost wicked. He makes no secret that he's ignoring part of Delphinium's words.
"Oooh...my sweet, innocent little creature...yes. Yes it was part of the deal. And Travin, why...well. Whoever Travin used to be, I don't even remember anymore! He was just like Sarah! But you don't know her story either, do you? Let me tell you his, first. See, Travin grew up a spoiled, self centered brat. See, where Travin comes from, a world that is apart from this one, a world with different rules and different cultures...the world that Sarah and I hail from...there is a book. And if you read that book, you become aware that by calling on me or, well, the Goblin King...any bothersome child will be plucked from that world and brought to this one."
Jareth continues to sneer, grin...whatever he's doing, he's enjoying himself now. He holds one hand out and produces a single crystal orb, one of the two he had previously. He tucks his scepter under his arm and then holds his hand out...stretching the crystal orb until it is a couple of feet across. The band is suddenly viewing a road of solid stone with bizarre, metal constructions along the sides. There are houses with glass windows everywhere; it is uncommon to see so much glass outside of monasteries and castles. There, a young boy, almost a man, very close, in fact, to being considered a man, with the first hints of a darkening dead caterpillar mustache, is arguing on the front lawn of one of these houses with a younger boy, perhaps half his age. The older boy has a large, strange brown glove on one hand, and the younger boy is holding a club.
"Dad is going to be pissed!" The older boy is saying. "And I'm not getting grounded over you again! I'm going to the movies this weekend with the fellas! You did this so you need to admit to it!"
"But you know what will happen if dad finds out I broke another window!" The younger boy says. "Come on! He'll kill me! We'll never get to play ball ever again!"
"I don't care! I'm tired of being in trouble! Sometimes...sometimes I just wanna say the words..."
"Oh please! No! Don't!"
It was clear that the younger boy was distressed by whatever the older one was going to say. The older one smirked...not unlike the sneer Jareth sported now...
"I wish..."
"No!"
"...that the goblins..."
"No, please! I'm scared!"
"...would come take you away..."
A storm started to blow up overhead. The young boy, now in tears, went running up the yard toward the house. The older boy laughed.
"What a dweeb." He said.
Thunder rumbled.
The crystal ball retracts
Jareth looks into Travin's eyes, one pale eye and one dark eye greeting the junk person.
"Remember that, Travin? Hm, you should. You came here looking for your little brother after that. Made it pretty far, too! You lost your sneakers in the Bog of Eternal Stench, but then you somehow wormed your way out of there and made it to the forest and the Fiery's, well, back when they were little nuisances, slowed you down, then you wound up in the junk fields and then your feeble, selfish little mind was whittled down and down and down and....well. Here you are. Without the will power. So what is it you think you lost? Your little brother? He's a Goblin now. There's no undoing what you did. I couldn't find him now even if I wanted!"
Jareth's hand dances with the ball...and then the ball disappears. He looks around, watching the Dawn Guard gathered in front of him.
"What? Where did you think Goblins come from? Well some of them come about the old fashioned way but...well, a great number started off the same way Travin's little brother did. Some self centered spoiled child wishes a sibling away and then I come get them and they come here and slowly they become a Goblin. And now you know where Goblinkind comes from!"
He holds his arms up like he's revealed the greatest secret of all time and then laughs.
"To answer your question, little Fire Flight, no, he cannot have back what he gave away, because once the time was up, things were out of my hands. But! The good news for you is that I am here to work on getting you through the Labyrinth! Because, well, yes, I want my throne back! And if I get my throne back, you get the alicorn! And maybe then we can work on finding the mare, how's that? Ah, but if you think that I'll be bending to your will for what was given to me, then you are sadly mistaken. Sit down, let me explain something to all of you."
Jareth falls back onto the seat where he'd been when the Dawn Guard arrived, but now, without explanation, it's bigger and looks like a throne.
"No matter which gate you had chosen, I would have been waiting for you. One gate would have quickly dumped you out on the ground at the beginning of the Labyrinth where you first met me. The other...brought you here. You think you just happened upon me? Of course not, you're all too smart for that, even if you don't realize it. I was in that Bog nearly on death's door to let you think I'm like you but...I am not like you. You and I...we aren't even from the same worlds. Travin is like you now...but once, he was like me."
This gives him pause, and Jareth actually looks away, looks down at the ground and scrunches up his brow like he's thinking.
"Sarah..." He says with an absent minded detachment. "Sarah is alright. You saw my crystal orb? I used to have three. Blix captured one. I traded the other to Meg Mucklebones to bring Sarah back. She isn't like you. The chances she gets to do this right are far, far slimmer."
He sounds sad now. His hubris falters.
"I'm ignoring you, my sweet Dhampir." Jareth says to Johnathan. "Yes yes, I outted you. Get over yourself. Now then. I'm here to offer you a way through the Labyrinth. But this is your last chance for help. Once I give you this option, you either take it, or you do not. I know that the parts of you that are here are rather stubborn but the parts of you that are out there, beyond the wall, well....I hope they're paying attention because I am telling you, I have been soft...but I can be cruel. Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo have gone to their people to try to raise an army that can batter its way through the Goblin City. A terrible fight is coming, I am afraid. They'll do it. They can get through. What they cannot do is get through Blix. That will be your job. Without you, it'll be left up to Sarah...and she is mighty. But she cannot do what you do. If you wish to reconcile, I suggest you do so, and I'll make Hoggle take you the rest of the way. Refuse..."
Jareth holds his hands up in a 'what do you do?' fashion.
"Also, Kerwyn, no one is stealing my crystal ball, though your apology is appreciated."
Wards veins glow with flashes of white light as Jareth berates Travin but holds his tongue for the moment. "If armies are to be raised send word to the myconids of the forest. Tell them that Ward sent the message, that whatever happens will likely get to them sooner or later, and that their help would be appreciated in this. And, and to the Mistycomb Hamlet. Tell them that should I not send word soon, I am dead, and to do what they must find our allies and help them in any way they can should we not be able to do what is necessary here." Ward says, pausing for a moment before producing a small wooden coin, engraved with the image of a portal in a tree, in front of it a vine-covered staff. "The Hamlet will know it is me with this. Travin, we shall find your brother if this one lacks the ability to. Trust in that, my friend. Now Jareth, what do you mean reconcile? We attempted to apologize to Hoggle, he, reasonably, didn't exactly care for it all that much." Ward says to Jareth.
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P: The Traveling Ward: Natural Napalm Enthusiast. (AURYN: The Hunt For The Last Unicorn.)
Jareth nods as Ward makes his suggestion to summon the Myconids, and then holds his hand out for the coin. It lays there flat for a moment, and then Jareth closes his hand around it, waves it about in the air....and the coin is gone when he opens his palm again.
"Done."
The Fallen King smiles when Ward makes his comment about finding Travin's brother, and then waves him off when he thinks about the worm. Instead, ignoring both Kerwyn and Ward, he looks at Shavaris.
As Jareth tells his story, Shavaris watches Travin, her heart going out to the junk person. This crazy place was worse than she imagined. As Jareth continues his story, she watches him and as the realization dawns on her, she sits down. Hard. She thinks back to their time here and she cringes.
As Jareth summons her, she looks at him with utter disdain. "You don't have to tell me what to do, like I wouldn't have told them anyways. I don't speak in riddles and half truths like you." she sits there a minute, holding her head in her hands. As she looks up, there is pain in her eyes and she looks directly at Travin but speaks to all of the Guard. "Any of these goblins that we have encountered on our trip, especially those here in the Labyrinth... they could have been kidnapped children, ones wished away by their siblings. And any one of them could be Travin's little brother." she looks sharply up at Jareth, "Is there a way, any way to be able to find which goblin is Travin's little brother?"
"And right now you've got Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo raising an army to what? Kill more kids turned goblins? Is that your plan to get your throne back?"
Johnathan watches in amazement as Jareth shows them a different reality. A world where kids are taken and turned into goblins, where he infects them until they are monsters bent to his will. It takes a special kind of evil to do something like this. When Jareth says he ignores him Johnathan feels rage building inside. He took the time to answer everyone else but him. Damn these stupid games. Johnathan speaks to Jareth. Ignore me. Ha. You think I care you outed me? Get over yourself. Most of them have seen it now anyway. Maybe I should rephrase the question for you. Let’s suppose Hoggle raises this army, which by the way you haven’t mentioned where they are getting these forces but we will circle back on that, how can we stop Blix? He can teleport, has the alicorn and the throne. I’m hoping you have a plan besides we charge at him and hope for the best.
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"Wait!" Shavaris calls to the dwarves. "Are you sure it is that way to the castle? And what do you mean don't stop when you get to the clearing? And as my fairy friend just asked, what never opens? Isn't a clearing when things open up? Please, give us a little bit of your time?"
As the dwarves try escaping Travin follows them a little, making sure they are within ear shot, "Jareth pays no-one, yeh yeh! Jareth is not on the throne! Hmmm? But if Dwarvses help we can make sure they are paid!! Yeh! Dwarvses help Travin, Travin helps Jareth, Jareth pays Dwarvses! See! Hmmm?" With that sound reasoning Travin stops and waits to see if the dwarves are persuaded to stay and give better direction. He turns his head smiling wide at the party.
The Dwarves keep moving, pushing the wheelbarrow along, and looking over their shoulders as questions flood over them.
"Yep, it never opens! Don't bother." They say, absentmindedly. "Look, we're busy! We work the hedge maze! That's it! Probably need to go find a Dwarf that isn't specialized in a specific area. They can probably help you more than we can..."
They pause when Travin mentions pay.
"No, but he doesn't dip us in the Bog of Eternal Stench when we do what he says...what did you say though that he's not on the throne anymore? We kind of heard about that. But pay us to do what?"
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"if Dwarvses give guide to Travin, hmmmm? We pay! Yeh? Yeh yeh yeh! And Jareth will not dip in the bog the dwarveses! Hmmm? No help for Travin means Jareth get no help too! Angry Jareth, yeh! Travin will say, Dwarvses no help! Yeh yeh! Bog time then for dwarvses! Hmm?" Trav looks pleased with himself as he retorts, resorting to indirect threats is not below his station.
Delph holds up a gold coin to see if they are interested in gold and assist Travin in convincing the Dwarves to help guide them towards the castle.
Johnathan has been keeping his distance from the dwarfs. A part of him still felt guilty for what happened to Hoggle and he didn’t want a repeat. When the others mention a guide he just gets flashes of last time. He waits to see how they respond but knows that they don’t need guides as they pointed the way. Instead he sends Echo to fly up and get a birds eye view of the labyrinth, hoping to get an idea of its layout.
The Dwarves look at each other and a heated, though hushed, conversation begins. Words bleed out. "I don't know" and "where?" and "maybe...", a few others but nothing that strikes cords. One shrugs. The other calls that one an idiot. Then they both shrug again.
"I mean...we can try? We can take you to the edge of the hedge maze, if you want, but we don't know where we're going after that."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Shavaris is relieved as she hears the dwarves acquiesce to assisting them through the hedge maze. "Yes! Taking us to the edge of the hedge maze, towards the castle would be wonderful! If you would do that, it would be so much appreciated! After that, well.. I'm sure we'll figure something out."
"YEH YEH! GO TRAVIN!" Squeaks the junkman, he hops around and then turns, smiling at the group, very openly and unashamedly waiting for some kind of recognition.
The Dwarves are more than happy to comply with Travin after a little coin is flashed about, promises are made, and they find a closet built into a fat hedge that, weirdly enough, opens to a stone walled storage room where they can stash their tools. After that, they lead the band on for hours through the various backs and double backs, walkways and perfectly curated vegetation, and it's easy to get lost in the various twists and turns of the maze.
At one point they passed a small stone fortress swarming with Lupine. The inner courtyard was a ruckus of shouting voices, bow drills, clanging wooden swords as all manner of combat was practiced. A large mastiff Lupine who was, weirdly enough, riding an animalistic mastiff that was so short the riders feet were dragging the ground, accosted them as they passed, daring them to try to enter and being sure to remind them of the prowess of his sense of smell.
The Dwarves remained mostly quiet through the whole thing, talking only amongst themselves for the most part and just trying to get the group through their journey. They passed a huge clearing, where a single door stood alone in the middle. The clearing looked like a dead end...at first.
"Ah, see! It never opens!" One Dwarf said as he walked up to the door and turned the knob. "See! Does nothing! Most people pass through here and spend hours trying to figure out how it works! It doesn't! Just a distraction!"
"Yep! Watch this!"
The other Dwarf threw both arms out and shoved the door...and it fell backwards, clattering on the ground. As soon as it did, the hedges in the distance opened, revealing a new path.
"Man, that'd have really confused you guys! Okay, let's go!"
They led on, ushering the Dawn Guard on behind them, until the edge of the hedge maze came into sight. Although they had only been traveling for a few hours, the sky overhead was already growing dark, like a full day had passed. The Dwarves commented on this and seemed concerned about the weird passages of time, but kept this to themselves and didn't bother trying to discuss it with the Dawn Guard. A fire blossomed far off, a small fire, and as the band neared, they could see two figures there. One small and in armor, talking. The other tall but sitting on a log, his platinum blonde hair glowing orange in the firelight, his scepter waggling back and forth as his animated hands regaled the armor clad figure with riddles and wandering truths.
Then he pointed to the approaching Dawn Guard.
"Ah, see! I told you that you wouldn't have to be lost by yourself for long!" Jareth said as he rose from his seated position. That same wry grin was smeared across his lips, a toothy grin; you'd never known that only hours ago he'd been on the brink of death. "The Dawn Guard! Welcoming me back! And glad to see me, I have no doubt! I have told you before I was gracious, and you did not believe me. But then I allowed myself to become vulnerable, allowed myself to be damaged nearly beyond repair for you...and now here you are! Tricky business back there with the dual gates, huh? You all have such a way of overcomplicating things. Well, don't just stand there. Come over here, have a seat."
A glance at the fire reveals that seats have appeared from the ground around it. Seven total, including one very small one and one very odd shaped one that seems to be built for Travin's junk laden butt.
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
As the group nears Jareth and he finishes his greeting speech, Travin marches his junk laden butt right up to Jareth and points with a stubby, yet accusatory finger. "Jareth is indebted to Travin for saving him! Yeh yeh! 'Allowed myself to become vulnerable' hmm? Hogwash! Bullshit! Travin sees the king without his throne is no king at all! Yeh! But This group want Jareth back on the throne! Want Blix be gone!... Well Travin will help them, Travin will help you, but it comes with a price! Yeh! What does Jareth think of That!? HMPH!" His mouth forms a perfect semi-circle of a frown as he waits for Jareth's response, looking directly up at the former goblin king stubbornly through his large glass goggles and despite being only mere inches away from Jareth's crotch, Travin folds his arms in unhappy protest.
Delph seems to be a bit on the tired side at this moment and just enjoys the ride on Travin's back. However, when the former goblin king shows up the tiny fairy gets excited. They wanted to have a few words with the goblin king now that they learned Travin had something taken from them. The fairy was on alert of feylike tricks and ways. They don't take a seat but rather flutter in the air and are being careful not to agree or accept any gifts at this time, "Hello Jerath! It is ever so nice to see a familiar face! How did Hoggle, sir Didymus, Ludo and the hurt friend make out? Was the bog witch able to help them? I really hope they did."
Delphinium sees that Travin is quite agitated and the fairy flutters over and pats their shoulder and show some solidarity "Well, not quite what Travin said. I don't particularly care one way or the other if you are on the throne. I want three things. I want the alicorn horn we saw blix have. I want to find the unicorn that is being hunted. I also want to help my friend Travin. Who, I think you took something from. Was it part of a deal? Can we trade back for the thing you took from them? I don't think it's very nice to just pretend you don't know. Of course, as a fey I totally understand upholding a bargain or trade. I'm just curious what they need to do to get back something important to them. All good fey always have a way to trade back. As for a trade for what I want, I think a throne at the center of a labyrinth sounds like a good trade if you haven't managed to take it back yet."
Shavaris smiles upon seeing Jareth, despite herself. She heads on down to the fire and faces the man. "Good to see that you are back to your enigmatic self. As my fairy friend has asked, did Sarah survive? That was awful." she thinks about what the man just said, "The two gates? Have you been watching us Jareth? How do you manage to do that?"
"No matter, lost yes... are you offering to show us the way to your um, former castle? My friends are right, we are here to take out Blix. I do hope you can help us, I mean, we did help you when you, as you so eloquently put it, were being vulnerable." She looks at the man, unsure how to take him and knows Travin is going to have difficulties with him regardless.
Jareth, why am I not surprised that you are still creepy as hell. He gives a frown to the former king. Don’t pretend you were in the bog as a test. You wanted the alicorn didn’t you? You thought you would get it while we were distracting him. Clever. He listens as Travin makes a bargain? It was entertaining to watch at least. Funny, I remember you travelling with a lot more people. Here’s the deal. You seem to know some answers to stuff. To start with what is Shavaris’s sister have to do with Blix, some of us saw her fighting him? Secondly how do we corner Blix if he can teleport at will? Johnathan doesn’t sit down. Instead Echo will fly over and sit where Johnathan would’ve been.
Kerwyn will walk over to Jareth with Ole Ironsides uncomfortably close. "Been going through your little happy time maze of mind bending crappery, thank you very little. What happened to your little crystal balls, or did they get squished by those monsters out in that fricken bog? Seriously, Jareth, my man, I've had enough of this place. Can you point us the way forward toward the castle and Blix so that we can end this thing and get the unicorn, pronto?"
Kerwyn looks at Jareth with a confident smile like he just beat him in a game of verbal chess.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Jareth smiles, grins...then sneers as Travin's stubby digit pokes toward him. The former Goblin King takes a step back as he listens to Travin, then points a finger of his own.
"Jareth is indebted to no one, you pathetic worm!" He says, his voice venom now. "I know you're a real dolt, but do you think for one instance that someone like me doesn't know the ins and outs of their own Labyrinth before it happens? Are you so intellectually stunted from your habitation of the junk fields that you think you have anything to bargain for?"
As Delphinium speaks up, Jareth smiles. He listens. He laughs with the laugh of a man who knows. It's malicious. It's almost wicked. He makes no secret that he's ignoring part of Delphinium's words.
"Oooh...my sweet, innocent little creature...yes. Yes it was part of the deal. And Travin, why...well. Whoever Travin used to be, I don't even remember anymore! He was just like Sarah! But you don't know her story either, do you? Let me tell you his, first. See, Travin grew up a spoiled, self centered brat. See, where Travin comes from, a world that is apart from this one, a world with different rules and different cultures...the world that Sarah and I hail from...there is a book. And if you read that book, you become aware that by calling on me or, well, the Goblin King...any bothersome child will be plucked from that world and brought to this one."
Jareth continues to sneer, grin...whatever he's doing, he's enjoying himself now. He holds one hand out and produces a single crystal orb, one of the two he had previously. He tucks his scepter under his arm and then holds his hand out...stretching the crystal orb until it is a couple of feet across. The band is suddenly viewing a road of solid stone with bizarre, metal constructions along the sides. There are houses with glass windows everywhere; it is uncommon to see so much glass outside of monasteries and castles. There, a young boy, almost a man, very close, in fact, to being considered a man, with the first hints of a darkening dead caterpillar mustache, is arguing on the front lawn of one of these houses with a younger boy, perhaps half his age. The older boy has a large, strange brown glove on one hand, and the younger boy is holding a club.
"Dad is going to be pissed!" The older boy is saying. "And I'm not getting grounded over you again! I'm going to the movies this weekend with the fellas! You did this so you need to admit to it!"
"But you know what will happen if dad finds out I broke another window!" The younger boy says. "Come on! He'll kill me! We'll never get to play ball ever again!"
"I don't care! I'm tired of being in trouble! Sometimes...sometimes I just wanna say the words..."
"Oh please! No! Don't!"
It was clear that the younger boy was distressed by whatever the older one was going to say. The older one smirked...not unlike the sneer Jareth sported now...
"I wish..."
"No!"
"...that the goblins..."
"No, please! I'm scared!"
"...would come take you away..."
A storm started to blow up overhead. The young boy, now in tears, went running up the yard toward the house. The older boy laughed.
"What a dweeb." He said.
Thunder rumbled.
The crystal ball retracts
Jareth looks into Travin's eyes, one pale eye and one dark eye greeting the junk person.
"Remember that, Travin? Hm, you should. You came here looking for your little brother after that. Made it pretty far, too! You lost your sneakers in the Bog of Eternal Stench, but then you somehow wormed your way out of there and made it to the forest and the Fiery's, well, back when they were little nuisances, slowed you down, then you wound up in the junk fields and then your feeble, selfish little mind was whittled down and down and down and....well. Here you are. Without the will power. So what is it you think you lost? Your little brother? He's a Goblin now. There's no undoing what you did. I couldn't find him now even if I wanted!"
Jareth's hand dances with the ball...and then the ball disappears. He looks around, watching the Dawn Guard gathered in front of him.
"What? Where did you think Goblins come from? Well some of them come about the old fashioned way but...well, a great number started off the same way Travin's little brother did. Some self centered spoiled child wishes a sibling away and then I come get them and they come here and slowly they become a Goblin. And now you know where Goblinkind comes from!"
He holds his arms up like he's revealed the greatest secret of all time and then laughs.
"To answer your question, little Fire Flight, no, he cannot have back what he gave away, because once the time was up, things were out of my hands. But! The good news for you is that I am here to work on getting you through the Labyrinth! Because, well, yes, I want my throne back! And if I get my throne back, you get the alicorn! And maybe then we can work on finding the mare, how's that? Ah, but if you think that I'll be bending to your will for what was given to me, then you are sadly mistaken. Sit down, let me explain something to all of you."
Jareth falls back onto the seat where he'd been when the Dawn Guard arrived, but now, without explanation, it's bigger and looks like a throne.
"No matter which gate you had chosen, I would have been waiting for you. One gate would have quickly dumped you out on the ground at the beginning of the Labyrinth where you first met me. The other...brought you here. You think you just happened upon me? Of course not, you're all too smart for that, even if you don't realize it. I was in that Bog nearly on death's door to let you think I'm like you but...I am not like you. You and I...we aren't even from the same worlds. Travin is like you now...but once, he was like me."
This gives him pause, and Jareth actually looks away, looks down at the ground and scrunches up his brow like he's thinking.
"Sarah..." He says with an absent minded detachment. "Sarah is alright. You saw my crystal orb? I used to have three. Blix captured one. I traded the other to Meg Mucklebones to bring Sarah back. She isn't like you. The chances she gets to do this right are far, far slimmer."
He sounds sad now. His hubris falters.
"I'm ignoring you, my sweet Dhampir." Jareth says to Johnathan. "Yes yes, I outted you. Get over yourself. Now then. I'm here to offer you a way through the Labyrinth. But this is your last chance for help. Once I give you this option, you either take it, or you do not. I know that the parts of you that are here are rather stubborn but the parts of you that are out there, beyond the wall, well....I hope they're paying attention because I am telling you, I have been soft...but I can be cruel. Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo have gone to their people to try to raise an army that can batter its way through the Goblin City. A terrible fight is coming, I am afraid. They'll do it. They can get through. What they cannot do is get through Blix. That will be your job. Without you, it'll be left up to Sarah...and she is mighty. But she cannot do what you do. If you wish to reconcile, I suggest you do so, and I'll make Hoggle take you the rest of the way. Refuse..."
Jareth holds his hands up in a 'what do you do?' fashion.
"Also, Kerwyn, no one is stealing my crystal ball, though your apology is appreciated."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Wards veins glow with flashes of white light as Jareth berates Travin but holds his tongue for the moment. "If armies are to be raised send word to the myconids of the forest. Tell them that Ward sent the message, that whatever happens will likely get to them sooner or later, and that their help would be appreciated in this. And, and to the Mistycomb Hamlet. Tell them that should I not send word soon, I am dead, and to do what they must find our allies and help them in any way they can should we not be able to do what is necessary here." Ward says, pausing for a moment before producing a small wooden coin, engraved with the image of a portal in a tree, in front of it a vine-covered staff. "The Hamlet will know it is me with this. Travin, we shall find your brother if this one lacks the ability to. Trust in that, my friend. Now Jareth, what do you mean reconcile? We attempted to apologize to Hoggle, he, reasonably, didn't exactly care for it all that much." Ward says to Jareth.
P: The Traveling Ward: Natural Napalm Enthusiast. (AURYN: The Hunt For The Last Unicorn.)
DM:
Jareth nods as Ward makes his suggestion to summon the Myconids, and then holds his hand out for the coin. It lays there flat for a moment, and then Jareth closes his hand around it, waves it about in the air....and the coin is gone when he opens his palm again.
"Done."
The Fallen King smiles when Ward makes his comment about finding Travin's brother, and then waves him off when he thinks about the worm. Instead, ignoring both Kerwyn and Ward, he looks at Shavaris.
"Tell them. Tell them your insight."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
As Jareth tells his story, Shavaris watches Travin, her heart going out to the junk person. This crazy place was worse than she imagined. As Jareth continues his story, she watches him and as the realization dawns on her, she sits down. Hard. She thinks back to their time here and she cringes.
As Jareth summons her, she looks at him with utter disdain. "You don't have to tell me what to do, like I wouldn't have told them anyways. I don't speak in riddles and half truths like you." she sits there a minute, holding her head in her hands. As she looks up, there is pain in her eyes and she looks directly at Travin but speaks to all of the Guard. "Any of these goblins that we have encountered on our trip, especially those here in the Labyrinth... they could have been kidnapped children, ones wished away by their siblings. And any one of them could be Travin's little brother." she looks sharply up at Jareth, "Is there a way, any way to be able to find which goblin is Travin's little brother?"
"And right now you've got Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo raising an army to what? Kill more kids turned goblins? Is that your plan to get your throne back?"
Johnathan watches in amazement as Jareth shows them a different reality. A world where kids are taken and turned into goblins, where he infects them until they are monsters bent to his will. It takes a special kind of evil to do something like this. When Jareth says he ignores him Johnathan feels rage building inside. He took the time to answer everyone else but him. Damn these stupid games. Johnathan speaks to Jareth. Ignore me. Ha. You think I care you outed me? Get over yourself. Most of them have seen it now anyway. Maybe I should rephrase the question for you. Let’s suppose Hoggle raises this army, which by the way you haven’t mentioned where they are getting these forces but we will circle back on that, how can we stop Blix? He can teleport, has the alicorn and the throne. I’m hoping you have a plan besides we charge at him and hope for the best.