Ben:

”Let us skirt to the side of the standing stones and head towards the bridge,” suggests Ben.  He moves to the east of the stones and begins heading towards the bridge.

Unless you have further business at the Pavilion, the party begins to follow Ben deeper into the garden, toward the front doors of the Palace, skirting eastward along the outside of the circle of Standing Stones. Twelve moss-covered stones form a ring in the middle of a small clearing. An arcane sigil is inscribed on the inward-facing side of each stone, and the space between the stones is free of vegetation.

To the west, across a stream frozen in time, you can dimly make out a gleaming greataxe embedded in a withered tree stump.

To the northeast, willow trees encircle a sheltered pond. Lily pads dot the mirror-like surface of the water, and hungry dragonflies dart about, feeding on motionless fireflies that form an unmoving cloud above the still water.

Ahead, just west of the main path to the front gate, is a marble fountain, overflowing with time-frozen water that spills from the mouths of sculpted animals.

Ben:

Casting a glance over at the ace, Ben says, “That axe might be useful if we run into the Jabberwocky or the League of Malevolence.  Should we go take a look?”

" Looks a little too tempting but....why not? Whats the worse that can happen.", grinned Matilda.

"I'm kind of curious about these stones, actually," Titaani says, tracing her hand over one of the arcane sigils. "What do you think of them, Pud?"

Pud investigates the standing stones with Titaani.

"Hmm...I dunno. Interesting that there's no flowers or vegetation in the middle there. 

I wonder if that patch has been trampled down by some one or something. Or if there's some magic at play here."

He looks up at some of the symbols without setting foot within the circle. Pud get out his [magicitem]Pole of Collapsing[/spell] and says the magic word to extend it. He'll attempt to nudge some flowers or plants into the middle of the circle to see if anything happens.

DM: Can you describe the sigils? Are they all the same? Are they glowing or do they react in any way from Pud or Titaani's actions?

Pud and Titaani take a closer look at the Standing Stones. (Make an Arcana check - individual or by Helping the other.) The sigils – which vary in shape from stone to stone – appear arcane in nature. Touching them – or the flowers inside – with Titaani's hand or Pud's pole does not seem to activate anything. The flowers and grass within are well-tended, like the rest of the garden.

Meanwhile, Ben and Matilda turn their attention to the greataxe embedded in the tree stump. To approach it closely, you will need to ford the stream, which appears time-frozen in its shallow bed. A trio of pixies are frozen mid-frolic in the stream. Glittering gold and silver fruit hang from the nearby trees. Further to the north they can see a colorful rose garden bordered by a circular bronze fence.

Ben:

Heading over to the stream, Ben touches the water with a toe, wandering how it will react frozen in time.  If it is strange, he will attempt to hop over the stream instead of wading through.

Athletics if needed:  14

Pud retracts the pole and secures it to his side.

"Hmmm...interesting. Those symbols are definitely arcane in nature.

12 stones. Each with a different symbol. Look it there...what do you make of that?.."

He spends a few moments chatting with Titaani about the symbols, pointing out some possible patterns, similarities and differences. He feels like this type of magic is more like her cup of tea and he hopes to help her figure this out the best he can.

Matilda jumped over the stream then was distracted by the frozen pixies.....

Athletics- 14

Casts Jump.

"It's pretty cool," Titaani replies, scratching her head thoughtfully as she and Pud approach the puzzle in front of them. "Your pole didn't change in any way when you put it in - I wonder what these sigils do, then?"

Titaani tries to draw on the innate understanding of fey magic she has had since she entered her pact: Arcana: 18

Ben examines the time-frozen water in the stream, which he discovers has the consistency of soft dough when he attempts to ply it with a toe. It is definitely strange.

Fortunately, the stream is less than four feet wide. It is easy enough to hop over without magical aid (or even much of a running start.) The greataxe is deeply embedded in the stump. It looks like a formidable weapon, but it's also styled in the form of a traditional woodcutter’s axe.

Meanwhile, Titaani and Pud try to puzzle out the runes. Spurred by Pud's observations, Titaani recognizes it from her readings. These sigils evidently combine into a sequence that allows the ring of standing stones to function as a teleportation circle. Someone who has this sequence written down or committed to memory can use it in conjunction with a teleportation circle spell to arrive inside the ring. Of course, teleportation magic is a bit beyond her abilities quite yet...

Ben:

Moving up to the stump, Ben grabs the handle of the axe and tries to work it loose from the stump.  As deeply embedded as it is, he asks Matilda to help him.

Strength check (w/extra roll from advantage of helped):  13 ( 18 ) (+3 if Athletics applies)

Matilda looked at her arms and then at Bens, " You should probably be the one to try this..."

 "Woah..." Titaani murmurs, fascinated by their discovery. "It kind of reminds me of when I drew that circle, and pulled Elkhorn and I through it and onto the balloon...but this is way more advanced. I think other people use magic to travel here, maybe it was for other archfey from other parts of the feywild coming to see Zybilna? Wow, I wonder if Titania has used this circle before!"

Even with Matilda's help, Ben lacks the strength to pry the axe loose from the stump.

Ben:

”That wooden wedge the pixies had would be useful here,” says Ben, pulling out his mason’s tools and trying to use the metal wedge in there to open up the stump crack a bit around the axe.

Mason’s Tools:  21

Ben:

Sighing in frustration, Ben sits on the handle of the axe, using it as an impromptu support as he considers what else he might do to dislodge it...

"Wow, that's pretty cool. I wonder if you can transport to different planes with this thing?.."

Pud stops, stands on his tippy toes trying to get a visual on Ben and the rest of the gang.

He giggles when he see's Ben and Matilda struggling with the axe.

"haha look at them. Let's go see what they're up to."

Pud runs off to join Ben and Matilda.

Try as he might, Ben is unable to release the gleaming greataxe from the stump, with or without tools or Matilda's help. It is very firmly wedged inside.

Pud hops the stream to join them. Elkhorn and Horatio remain with Titaani for now.