Ben:

Reacting in horror as the creature transforms the helpless creature into a mask, Ben suddenly thinks about the implications of all the other masks scattered around--and someone's offhand comment about this hag transforming people into masks!  Images of hungry and mistreated creatures flash before his eyes, and before he can think of the implications, Ben is already across the room with his blade out, stabbing at the creature sneering in joy at the de-personing of the defenseless goblin, willing the power of Sune to destroy this affront to life!

Attack 1 with Level 1 Smite (on a hit):    Attack: 16 Damage: 18

Attack 2 with Level 1 Smite (on a hit)     Attack: 20 Damage: 13

(If this thing happens to be a fiend or undead, here are extra d8's for each attempted smite:  2 2 )

(welp, there goes Ben's invisibility) 

"Huh, that's weird. I feel like something happened with my spell, but I don't know what it was," Titaani says to Pud, looking at her hands curiously. "How strange. Anyway, I think snooping sounds like a good idea. Shall we fetch Matilda so she can join us?"

In two massive, radiant blows, Ben cuts down the sadistic fey, and becomes visible. This thing, similar in look and stature to the library patrons he saw recently, was no lightweight – it took all of Ben's power and cunning to fell this thing so quickly.

But before Ben can act further, a magical light flashes out from its dead body in a 10-foot radius, as its body and possessions (except its scimitar) burn to ash. Ben must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 8 radiant damage and is blinded. (On a successful save, Ben takes half damage and isn’t blinded.)

The caged goblin (just out of range) shrieks in surprise and fear. "You shouldn't have done that! You should have left me to my fate! Bitter End can do worse than turn us into masks!”

Ben:

Constitution Save:  16

Ben:

Now fully visible, Ben says quietly, “You are probably right, my caged friend,” as he looks at his hands and belatedly considers his action, “But I could not allow such evil to progress in front of me when I could do something about it.  All life has its beauty, and to transform it so maliciously into a lifeless mask is…horrible.”

“Do you know how to reverse the mask transformation process?” he asks as he moves over to the cage and looks at the locking mechanism—perhaps the key he found or an unseen key in the ashes of the evil fey remains will allow the trapped goblin egress.

Pud looks at Titaani with a concerned look. Though not anywhere near gifted as Titaani, Pud knows a thing or two about the arcane arts.

”Uh…that’s not good. I wonder if is Ben or Gleam. Or both.

Yeah, let’s get Matilda and have a look around. I’m gonna try to send a message to Horatio.”

Pud turns and looks towards the hallway where he left Horatio. He focuses in on him and casts message.

”Horatio…this is Pud. Titaani said something happened to her invisibility spell. Something might’ve happened with Ben or Gleam. We’re gonna look around.”

Ever the packrat Matilda heads for the box and begins sorting through it.

The small iron key Ben took from under the throne cushion does not fit the lock on the cage the goblin prisoner occupies. But poking through the ashes of the fey Ben just felled, he finds a ring of three keys. Dusting them off and testing them, he discovers that one indeed opens the goblin's door. 

The goblin steps out nervously. "Look," she says, "I like working here, I do. I was trying hard to please Bitter End! But Binky and I accidentally dropped a backdrop in the middle of 'An Island of Death in an Ocean of Tears', ruining the show and angering her. We deserved our punishment I guess. She's so powerful! She has a pair of magic scissors that she uses to snip off other creatures’ shadows. Did you know that? These detached shadows live in the shadow theater. And she has a prison! And some hateful human woman named Charmay, who claims to get her magic from a pact she made with Baba Yaga! Now she's going to be so mad when she finds out what you did!"

----

Meanwhile, Matilda pokes through the box of junk. Besides the powder brush, she finds a pretty gold hand mirror that seems to remove wrinkles, blemishes, and scars from her reflection when she looks into it. There's also a beautiful if slightly sticky wand that looks like an antique rather than a prop. "Those are the belongings of actors who have perished in Motherhorn," says the tiefling with the skull. "Take whatever you want, but you don't want your stuff ending there. Creeping Lyn loves a gruesome story – don't make it your own!" She goes back to pacing. 

Horatio walks quickly to where he thinks Pud is.

Ben:

"But do you know how to reverse the mask process?" repeats Ben, moving to place the mask on the back of the chair between the two spheres.  He moves over to the lever and prepares to try it if the goblin doesn't answer his question...

"Oh, and where is the prison? And do you know how to reattach the shadows?" he asks, starting to put on the disguise he purloined from the prop room.

Quote from cbaer8 >>

Meanwhile, Matilda pokes through the box of junk. Besides the powder brush, she finds a pretty gold hand mirror that seems to remove wrinkles, blemishes, and scars from her reflection when she looks into it. There's also a beautiful if slightly sticky wand that looks like an antique rather than a prop. "Those are the belongings of actors who have perished in Motherhorn," says the tiefling with the skull. "Take whatever you want, but you don't want your stuff ending there. Creeping Lyn loves a gruesome story – don't make it your own!" She goes back to pacing. 

" Oh this mirror will be great for old people like Ben and Horatio!"

She tucks the powder brush and wand away with the mirror and looks at the Tiefling and other actors, " Why the hell do you people stay here?  Everywhere we go people are being killed and tormented and none of them have the nouse to just leave.  Does she have some way of holding you here?"

Pud cranes his neck looking towards the hallway trying to see if Horatio is coming.

"Titaani...I think Horatio's comin' over. Let's get Matilda and try to figure out what's going on with Ben and Gleam. Maybe we can find out what's upstairs too."

DM: Did the magical signature appear to be stationary or was it moving?

"I don't know how to un-mask anyone! I don't think it's ever been done! And I don't know how to fix shadows, either!" cries the freed goblin to Ben. "The prison is up the stairs," she adds, pointing in the direction of the circular staircase Ben saw moments earlier. "You need Stagefright's scepter to get in, though. I don't like Stagefright. He sucks up to Charmay. Charmay has powerful friends and belongs to a group called the League of Something-or-Other. She doesn’t like goblins and mistreats us every chance she gets..." 

--

Meanwhile, Matilda chats with the unhappy actors. "We all want to leave!" cries the tiefling. "But we can't; some of us have an unfulfilled bargain with the hag, or a couple of us are working to win back her favor. You should really leave Motherhorn before Creeping Lyn snares you in her traps." She sighs. "But even if Creeping Lyn hates you, it’s still possible to win her favor by telling a gruesome or depressing story on her stage—that’s what we’re all trying to do.”

--

Horatio and the rest of the posse arrive in the prop room, as Titaani and Pud continue to chat. Pud gathers that the magical signature upstairs is both stationary and moving - it seems to be pulsing, or moving back and forth in a mechanical rhythm. 

Ben:

”League of Malevolence—nasty people,” replies Ben, “and thanks for the information about opening the prison with Stagefright’s scepter.”

”Let’s see if this works,” he adds.  With the mask in between the two copper spheres, Ben moves the lever up to see if it will reverse the process.  If that does nothing, he will try moving it the other way.

Ben pushes the lever. Nothing. Then he pulls it again. Pzzzap! Another line of golden lightning, 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, flashes between the two copper spheres, catching the inanimate wooden mask between them. A slight smell of ozone hangs in the air. The mask... remains a mask. It is undamaged by the flash, but also untransformed.

"Poor Binky!" cries the freed goblin. "I don't think they can be changed back!" She begins to cry.

Ben:

(Is Golmo still in Ben’s pocket?)

Ben starts gathering the masks and putting them in a sack or some such container.  He says, “All is not necessarily lost,  young goblin,” and hands over the bag.  “See if you can get you and your mask friends to safety—or at least hide.  If we can free the Archfey Queen perhaps she can restore them.”

Making sure his disguise is as secure as possible, Ben checks his pockets to see if Golmo is still around—a consult on the mask machinery could be useful.  Unless there is more Golmo and/or the goblin wish to discuss, Ben heads back out and towards the circular staircase to try and catch up with Gleam.

As Horatio finds Pud in the prop room, a look of concern on his face, he asks, "Hey, what's going on? Where did you see Ben last?" As he speaks he begins to check his armor straps and backpack to make sure everything is secure for a fight. "Listen, if things go sideways, that Jester-guy was hanging out around the elevator quite a bit, and there are still props moving up and down. If we needed to block the elevator to prevent Charmay - or anyone else - from getting down here then you need to... (( he explains to Pud and the others the most efficient way he could think to sabotage the elevator. ))..." Once done, he waits for Pud's instructions on where to begin looking for Ben, cracking his knuckles as he does. 

"Is it safe?" asks Golmo, peeking out of Ben's pocket. "I don't know any of this complex. They never let me out of the workshop! I don't know any of this machinery," he adds, looking around hopelessly. "Although I know that storms provide the lightning that Bitter End needs to power her contraptions. Without them, this show can’t go on.” 

~~

Stagefright reappears in the prop room and examines Pud's and Titaani's costume. "Here you are! The mean-spirited servant! Perfect! And the failed magician.. Okay. And you..." he looks Horatio up and down. "No costume? Well, I guess you'll pass as the honorable knight risen from the dead as-is. And you!" He looks at Elkhorn. "You're the cowardly noble! You need to look the part. Find something! We're running out of time. Where are the others? You're on in ten minutes! Into the dressing rooms with you!" He tries to herd everyone to the rooms to the west, where Matilda recently wandered off.

Ben:

”Thanks, Golmo,” says Ben, looking now at the goblin, adding, “Take the masks and go hide or run away—my friends and I will do our best to rescue the queen so she can save your friends.”

He asks both of them once the lightning power is mentioned, “Do you know how to get to the lightning rods that power the hag’s contraptions?  If we disable those, we may stand a better chance of victory.”

Once they are finished talking, Ben will head out and go to the spiral staircase.

Quote from cbaer8 >>

Meanwhile, Matilda chats with the unhappy actors. "We all want to leave!" cries the tiefling. "But we can't; some of us have an unfulfilled bargain with the hag, or a couple of us are working to win back her favor. You should really leave Motherhorn before Creeping Lyn snares you in her traps." She sighs. "But even if Creeping Lyn hates you, it’s still possible to win her favor by telling a gruesome or depressing story on her stage—that’s what we’re all trying to do.”

--

" Gruesome or depressing........", Matilda cast her mind back to her family and various rumours and gossip she had heard over the years.

" How about.....I dunno.....just tell your own stories? From the amount of crying they must all be pretty depressing."

" But so far here I've seen a ton of abused goblins, a bunch of you actor types and others as well........you all pick up something sharp or heavy and work together and Lyn is going to be in a spot of bother."