Ben:

”There is a cauldron the has frozen the queen in time, right?  I seem to recall that,” says Ben as he steps through the gate.

Titaani doesn’t seem to hear Ben as she races through the gate, bursting with excitement. “There are other gnomes here!!”

She speeds to a stop as she reaches the nearest one, and lets out a stream of excited gnomish before stopping abruptly as she realises the gardener’s predicament. “Oh. Oh no, what happened here?”

The warlock inspects her fellow gnome, trying to discern a bit more about the enchantment placed over them and the rest of the garden. Arcana: 20 (in game log)

Titaani can see they are trapped in some form of temporal stasis - they've become frozen in time. A time-frozen creature is incapacitated, can’t move or speak, doesn’t age, and is unaware of their surroundings or the passage of time. Moreover, they can’t be moved, harmed in any way, or affected by any other magic. All other conditions and effects on them are suppressed until they are no longer frozen in time. This is extremely powerful fey magic. Destroying the artifact that did this would probably end the effect on everyone, but perhaps there are other ways to reverse this condition, one-by-one. It is far beyond Titaani's arcane experience.

" Find the cauldron. Kill the baddies. Lets get to the palace."

Matilda can see the main palace doors, on the far side of the garden.

Ben:

”Let us proceed with caution and stealth…We don’t want that Jabberwocky to find us if we can help it,” says Ben, moving as silently as his armor will allow.

Stealth with PWT:  13

"I like the plan." Horatio also attempts to be stealthy.

(( Stealth = 5, at Disadvantage ))

Stealth check: 30 (18+2+10)

Pud creeps forward a bit trying to keep somewhat close to everyone. He cups his ear trying to hear the voices and music.

Perception check: 10

DM: Can Pud hear anything in particular coming from the pavilion? Any particular languages being spoken or the mood of the music?

The shadows seemingly clinging arcanely to them, the party begins to quietly and carefully proceed into the garden toward the distant palace doors. (Which path do you want to take?)

Pud can see a little into the open pavilion as he passes. Seven figures — one of them a talking bear — lounge around a picnic table covered with an emerald-green cloth and laden with cakes, teapots, teacups, and cutlery. Two of the guests are motionless and silent, but the others are engaged in spirited conversation. At the back of the pavilion, a string quartet of badger minstrels plays delicate chamber music. They seem to be speaking Common, but Pud can't hear much of the conversation without getting closer. The only phrase he catches is "clotted cream". They seem too engaged in their conversation to pay much attention to Pud or his companions.

Matilda came up with Pud trying to listen in.

Stealth- 34

Perception- 14

"Oh, are we sneaking?" Titaani whispers, popping up next to her sister and Pud. "What are we listening to?"

Stealth: 23

Matilda, Titaani, and Pud brave a better look into the pavilion. There are nearly a dozen figures inside, none of them paying any attention to the outside, most of them heavily invested in their conversation. There are a couple of humans (one holding a pumpkin), an elf, a headless dwarf, a halfling, an orc, and a talking bear, together with a quartet of badgers playing stringed instruments.

The high elf, nodding stiffly, politely pronounces, "Sumai, that might be the tradition in Toril, but in my land we prefer to apply the jam first. The cream then forms a delicate layer atop it."

The headless dwarf stomps once.

The man with the pumpkin nods vigorously: "See? Obal agrees with me! Cream first!"

The bear mutters with a mouth full of food, "I think both ways are fine, as long as there's plenty to eat. Why make such a fuss?"

The human woman interrupts, "But Bodger, there’s a matter of tradition and taste at stake here. How can we simply dismiss it?" As she speaks, a quill magically writes furiously on a piece of parchment. Her place at the table is piled with sheets of parchment.

The badgers continue to play traditional, if high-brow, chamber music. They are quite talented.

Ben:

Hanging back given his poor ability to sneak even given the spell, Ben takes cover keeps an eye to the sky for any sign of the Jabberwocky as his friends investigate the gathering in the clearing.

(Passive Perception 14)

Matilda frowned, " None of them seem particularly like the League of Malevolence...."

Elkhorn does his best to stay quiet in his bulky armor. Stealth: 16

He grumbles to Matilda, "You'd be lookin' for a greedy, narcissistic sociopath named Kelek. Bald, white beard, big staff, bad attitude, likes fire. Human. Another human named Warduke. Idiot, plate mail, flaming sword. Zargash, stupid winged mask, a real creep. Odious human men, all of them."

Their description doesn't match the one human man in the pavilion holding the pumpkin, who looks more like a farmer.

Ben keeps an eye to the skies, but sees nothing but a handful of bright blue hummingbirds, frozen motionless in the air.

Satisfied that none of the individuals are a danger, Titaani wanders over to them. "Personally, I like putting the jam first, and then the cream. That way I can pile the cream as high as I like!"

"Anyway, I'm Titaani Annabella Leelathae! It's nice to meet you," the little gnome holds out her hand for them to shake. "We're looking for a cauldron and a fey queen. Have you seen either of them?"

Pud side steps a bit to gain a better vantage of all the people in the tent.

He watches them carefully intently and he will cast detect thoughts on the first person to speak to Titaani.

Horatio shakes his head in bewilderment as any pretense to the group being stealthy ends, and their ultimate purpose announced to all. He once again pulls out the javelins, positioning them at the mouth of his backpack for easier draw. He steps about ten feet from the others to ensure they aren't too close if things get violent. 

Matilda simply smirked and followed her sister.

The farmer holding the pumpkin looks at Titaani and sighs with frustration. "But it's about practicality! The cream holds the jam in place!" 

The human woman nods kindly at Titaani. "Please, make yourself comfortable while we wait. Tea?"

The high elf interjects, "See, the jam brings out the flavor of the cream when applied first. It's a balance of sweet and rich." 

The bear scratches his head. "Well, I just eat them both together. Isn’t that what really matters?" He turns to Titaani. "Fey Queen? You mean Zybilna? Yes, we're all waiting. It's been awhile, but they have a good spread here." He helps himself to another cake.

Pud tunes into their surface thoughts. They are indeed waiting, a little bored, but comfortable and well-fed, even as they continue to get drawn deeper into this argument about scones. 

Titaani and Pud both notice that the halfling and the orc, seated around the table with the others, appear to be frozen in time. They remain perfectly still.

The farmer huffs at the bear. "You just don’t understand, Bodger."

The human woman, a noble by her bearing, gives a thoughtful look. "What if we consider regional differences and personal preferences? Maybe there's no single right answer."

The headless dwarf stomps his boot twice.