Tuuli smiles, but not unkindly, “And I still haven’t seen a ring pass through someone’s head!”

She pulls out a well used deck of cards, “But, I have seen…” and she fans them, shuts them, then cuts them with one hand…

Sleight of hand: 12 

… she fumbles a little and blushes purple, but eventually draws a card showing a kingly figure with a dagger in his head. “…oh, well, a guy with a dagger that also didn’t pass through his head.”

She sighs a little to herself.

Calista's eyes widen. She shakes her head and steps closer a little. "How'd you do that?" she asks.

The archaeologist watches Tuuli perform her trick, and she grins. "Can you do the trick where you pull the card I'm thinking of?" she asks.

Anyone with a passive perception over 7 (all of you?) can see right through the old orc's sloppy "magic" trick, but it's a good effort.
He compliments Tuuli on her own performance. "Very good! Very good!"

"I don't do card tricks," he adds, "but I do have dice!" He pulls out a tray of dice carved from various types of wood and stone. "Two copper for a pair."

"What else are you looking for tonight?"

Walt claps and laughs like a giddy school child.

"Good show! Ahaha! Good show!"

"Perhaps there is a business opportunity for you two! The Night Market could use a new performing act!"

Walt continues laughing as he turns and walks away. He looks back at his friends and says, "Whenever you're ready, I believe I have an idea how we can begin getting some answers here."

Once the party reconvenes, Walt takes his friends aside and shares the information he learned from Va.

"Alright, my friends. I thought I could get some answers out of Va by speaking in his native language. Though he would not share much information, he did point us in the right direction."

"Apparently, the vendors of the Night Market like to keep to themselves. They don't have much trust for outsiders. Va says that one way to gain their trust, is by competing and winning the Market Games!"

As Walt says that thought aloud for the very first time, another thought creeps into his mind.

"Now that I think of it, Kasem sure didn't want us to compete in the games. And...and he put up a smoke screen and tried to prevent us from getting to the bottom of this mess!"

Walt begins pacing back and forth and fidgeting nervously with his new ring.

"Did any of you catch how Kasem's own brother seemed to be caught off guard by Kasem speaking out against the Market Games?! I did. And that did NOT sit right with me then!"

"Unless anyone else has any ideas, I say we join in the games, win them and get to the bottom of this!"

You are beginning to form a mental map of the night market. You are currently at Va's Lucky Amulets, in the northeast quadrant of the market. The Market Games take place inside three golden tents located in the Event Grounds, which are situated in the center of the Dyn Singh Night Market. Crowds are currently forming there, as you sense the games appear to be starting soon.

Rycroft answers to Kusa,

”None my lord, but that the world’s grown honest”

He catches up just in time to hear talk of market games and nods enthusiastically “You can’t lose a game if you don‘t play the game!”

And shares the strange smashed persimmon with the others, “MyStErY fRuIt. No OnE sElLs HeRe.”

“Ah yes! That’s the spirit, Rycroft!”

Walt claps his hands and pumps his fists excitedly as if trying to garner support from his friends.

”’Mystery fruit you say? Very interesting. There sure seems to be many secrets and mysteries in the Night Market.”

Tuuli sighs at her fumble fingered card trick, but enjoys the praise. She is for visiting the Games and learning more about what is involved in competing there, as Walt thinks it important to do so.

Unless the party has further business with Va, the group strolls down to the Event Grounds to see what's going on. The three flashy golden tents are brilliantly lit. A large crowd has gathered.

You overhear a tall, bearded man summarizing the proceedings to his rotund halfling friend. He points at the three tents in turn: "Aroon Family Pepper Challenge - an endurance test hosted by the Spicy Brothers. Battle Prawn Challenge - a cooking contest hosted by Sid Squid of the Trusty Leek. And the Hide-and-Seek Challenge - game hosted by Madam Kulp. Do you want to compete?" he asks. His friend shakes his head, no.

Tuuli glances at Knicknack, “Fancy some hiding and seeking?” she asks with an eyebrow raised in challenge. (Though she, and I, do not know if it is head to head or timed or what.)

"Ooh, I think I could handle the cooking challenge," Calista says confidently. "That doesn't sound bad at all."

The cooking challenge tent appears to be the one closest to you. This tent is decorated in a nautical theme, heavy on rope decor and brass fixtures. "Sid" – a tall, well-groomed human man – and his five assistants, all wearing yellow chef’s outfits, are eagerly working the audience to recruit four volunteer chefs to participate in their cooking challenge. Sid’s shrimp cakes were voted best dish during a festival competition last year, they make sure to let everyone in the crowd know. You can see bleachers set up within the tent where visitors are getting seated to watch.

The Hide-and-Seek Challenge, a game hosted by Madam Kulp’s Silk, appears to be in the eastern tent, the flap of which is closed. A barker stands outside, inviting participants (only) to enter. This event has no audience. 

Walt considers the hide and seek challenge, but his creaky knee's might pose a problem squeezing into the prime hiding spots.

He considers his options, and he decides on the Aroon Family Pepper challenge. He's still a but curious about what these guys have up their fancy sleeves.

Walt waves to his friends and says, "Best of luck everyone! I'm going to visit our old friends the Aroon brother's."

"I have an appetite for something spicy!" Walt shouts out as he walks away towards the Spicy Brother's tent.

Walt gets his first look at the third golden tent, to the southwest. One of the Spicy Brother’s assistants, a human garbed in a garish red-and-green uniform, is actively seeking participants for the "Aroon Family Pepper Challenge".  "It's the traditional Aroon Family test of fortitude and willpower!" cries the assistant to the crowd. "Do you have the stamina to eat three mystery peppers? Let's find out! We need at least four volunteers to Greet the Heat!"

“Actually, Spicy Brothers,” Walt speaks up before throwing his hat into the ring “I have to tinkle. Count me out this round, but I will be back later!”

Walt heads over to the hide and seek gaming tent and joins in on that game. 

With Walt at least in for a game, Tuuli walks with him and any others to the hide and seek tent. She busies herself tying her unruly hair up, so that it is at least somewhat contained. Her individualized breeze still fitfully wafts at the loose strands. She doesn’t even blink at creaky Walt joining in.

To the barker, she asks, “Anything you can tell us about the game inside?”

Rycroft waddles along behind Tuuli, pulling his hood fully over his head as he approaches the Hide-and-Seek tent.

Tuuli, Walt, and Rycroft approach the Hide & Seek tent, while Calista peers into the cooking challenge tent. Knicknack and Datari remain in the crowd for the moment.

Tuuli questions the barker outside the Hide & Seek Challenge. In response, he ushers her inside, where Madam Kulp herself awaits. "Hello again!" she says pleasantly. She is at the middle of this sizable empty tent, working amid tangles of colorful yarn. Several fuzzy, kitten-sized blue caterpillars drowse on her, nestled in her clothing and hair. The gnome peers up and says, “Are you here to play hide-and-seek with my gentle friends?”

Meanwhile, Calista checks out Sid Squid’s Trusty Leek and their sponsored game, "Battle Prawns: The Shrimpening". The challenge is simple: assist in making a gigantic shrimp cake - his signature dish - in record time. Participants must rapidly prepare prawn meat and chop beans for the sous-chefs. If they perform these preparations fast enough, they might complete the recipe in record time. Up to four people may participate at a time.

(Would Knicknack and Datari like to play a game?)

Walt’s eyes open wide with excitement at the sight of the caterpillars and he approaches Madam Kulpa ever so slowly with a huge gaping smile. 

“Helloooo again. And what have we here?” Walt is absolutely amazed at the size of this caterpillars. “Aren’t you the cutest little thing?”

Nature check to see if Walt knows anything about creatures like this. 3