The harengon brigands look at each other glumly and then make a promise to Horatio and Ben to end their operation. Two have a farm to go home to, another an aunt with a locksmithing trade, the fourth who will try to find their way back through the mists to the forests of Thither where they came from.

"Friends, friends!" protests Longscarf. "We're all family here! You won't leave old Agdon alone in the swamp?"

One of the harengon offers to bring their former leader as a captive back to Longscarf's grandmother's house. The invisible captive grunts in horror at that prospect.

Ben:

”That all sounds good to me,” says Ben, “especially the part about Agdon’s grandmother—hopefully she will teach him some manners.  I would also take it as a personal favor if one of you would stop by Jingle Jangle’s island and return his truffles along the way.”

Turning to Horatio, he adds quietly, “And one of them is going to take us by skiff to Bavlorna’s place, right?  I would rest more easily if they were all gone but that one before we slept.  What do you think?”

Cadwallader:

Cad stands and stretches. "Sounds like as good of a plan as we're going to make. I'd prefer Longscarf was in the hands of someone like Jingle Jangle, but I'm not going to cart him all the way back there so this is the best we'll get. And it'll be good to have a local guide to the hag's lair. We've got a basic direction but no idea how far it is, so we risk stumbling right into her without a guide. But one last thing before we go: Horatio, do you still have that magic flask? It only works for its owner, which is currently this rogue. I want him to transfer ownership to me; seems like an item that could be useful if we have to deal with this hag."

"Good idea!" Titaani adds, beaming. "I hope Longscarf's grandmother gives him a piece of her mind."

The party sets off again, in two skiffs, ducking under the causeways on slowly rising waters which eventually coalesce into a sluggish swampy river heading past two distant portions of the raised highway you entered this realm upon. The fog thickens again. With you is the harengon brigand who offered to help guide you to Downfall.

Behind you, you leave a trio of crestfallen harengon dragging their bound and still invisible (to you) leader into the swamp in the direction you arrived from.

(Presumably you kept their weapons, including the magic brand, unless you tell me otherwise. Longscarf claims that he cannot transfer ownership of the flask - only Bavlorna has such powers. Any other unfinished business?)

Downfall, the brigand explains, is home to the Soggy Court, a society of bullywugs that clings to strange, noble customs and rules of etiquette. They should not likely be initially hostile. Downfall is built around a body of standing water called Murky Lake.  Bavlorna’s Cottage, says your guide, stands in the middle of Murky Lake on thick wooden stilts.

Ben:

Honorable harengon,” asks Ben, “What has Longscarf said about Queen Zybilna?  We seek to recover items or people stolen by Bavlorna, but I think perhaps the key to restoring the proper order here in this realm is to reinstate Zybilna to her rightful place.”

Titaani nods. 

"I agree, in fact, I believe that only the fey can once more bring justice to this realm," she says with a sense of deep respect. "The sooner we reinstate the queen's power, the better for everyone involved." 

She dips her hand into the water as they glide along, then turns to the Harengon, as if she's just remembering something important. "Hey, why is it called the soggy court? And what are the customs that they follow?"

"Zybilna has gone quiet and hasn't been seen," replies the harengon. "Bavlorna and her sisters - Hourglass Coven - have taken charge. It's assumed they probably did something to Zyblina. They split Prismeer into three splinter realms. This one Bavlorna turned into her swamp."

"The Soggy Court is the bullywug ruling class," she answers Titaani. "They're really preoccupied with pomp and courtesies - they love the courtly intrigue. They have a bullywug monarch who rules over them, but they keep getting overthrown and I don't keep track anymore of the names."

The skiff continues its course downriver through the reeds and fog.

Thick fog hangs heavy in the air, obscuring the area around you so that the world appears to have shrunk to only twenty feet in all directions. Before you, the waterway widens and the current slows, giving the impression that you have entered a lake. Croaking voices penetrate the fog, through which dark shapes appear, resolving into two rowboats. Manning the oars of each rowboat are two bullywugs.

"Downfall," announces your harengon guide.

Cadwallader:

Cad experiments with making a smaller ritual circle than he's used before in the bottom of their raft. The book doesn't say what size it has to be...  He tries to split his attention between their guide's explanation and the Analyze ritual, but finds himself frequently restarting the ritual. Over the course of their boat ride, he identifies the properties of as many of the faintly magical items as he can, starting with the intriguing orb.

During the journey, Cad explores the minor enchantments of the various trinkets:

Matilda stares in interest at the frog people.

They wave in a friendly manner. The four bullywugs seem to be enjoying a boat ride on the lake. All four are dressed in frilly, formal, but very soiled garb. In deep croaking voices, they say,

 (Anyone speak Sylvan?)

Ben:

”I haven’t heard that language since…since…since I was a child,” says Ben, “They are greeting us.  I will respond in kind unless someone else is more fluent.”

Looking to the bullwugs, Ben responds haltingly in their language.

The bullywug doffs his feathered cap and makes an awkward little bow from his rocking rowboat. He croaks back to Ben.

 (He points ahead and to the left.)
He continues:

(He gesticulates wildly in roughly the same direction.)

Ben:

Nodding his thanks, Ben says in halting Sylvan, “Thank you.  We go there.”

Translating for his friends (feel free to read the spoilers), he adds, “Either I am more rusty at this language than I think, or things are about to get significantly weirder here.”

Titaani almost immediately forgets the directions Ben gives her, but seems excited at the prospect of meeting the king. 

"Gullop XIX! What a fantastic name! Do you think he'll like us?" She says to no one in particular, then narrows in on Ben. "Wait. Where'd you learn Slyvan? That's so cool!!"

Cadwallader:

Oh, Sylvan! Of course! It's still strange that Ben would know such an obscure -- in their world at least -- language, but it made more sense than him speaking the language of these frog-people. He gave the bullywugs the most polite bow he could manage without standing in the unstable boat. "The Nineteenth: that is indeed an impressive lineage. His family must have held the throne for many generations." Cad began smoothing his rumpled clothing, all too aware of having trudged through a swamp and slept in them for days. Not what I would have chosen to present myself to royalty in...

"Indeed!" croak back the bullywugs to Cad, in Common. "His worshipfulness has been King nearly three weeks!"

A set of small ramshackle docks appear through the thick mist where the bullywugs had indicated. A couple of small rowboats are tied up here with frayed lines of rope. One line leads nearly straight up, where something massive above the edge of the pond creates a dim silhouette in the fog above you. You hear more croaking bullywug voices nearby.

Ben:

”I’m not sure,” answers Ben, “but when I heard it, I was able to understand it.  I am starting to believe that my life was on a different path before I lost, well, whatever I lost, at the carnival.  This is all starting to feel somewhat…familiar.”

”Let’s get to that dock over there.  Thank you, kind harengon, for bringing us this far.  Hopefully we can set things to rights here soon,” he adds to their guide.

Titaani's eyes sparkle at the promise of sharing a similar fate with Ben. Had he too, gotten lost in the Feywild one day? Had he liked it there as she did? She opens her mouth to ask - only to catch herself, realising that asking Ben might bring back unpleasant memories, besides, he probably didn't know the answers anyway. 

'Yes, thank you so much friend!" Titaani chooses to agree with Ben instead, turning back to the Harengon and trying to hide her disappointment at not being able to interrogate the stonemason. "Maybe you aren't so bad after all! Better than Longscarf, at least."