"While you two do that I might just poke around the shops there too."

Once the group navigates their way back towards the Lintoll, the sun is getting low in the sky. But the noise from the Lintoll grounds appears to be rising. Music from different tents echo into the sky. Lanterns glow along the whole perimeter and bright fireflies zip about in the sky. The giant dragonflies from earlier now trail glowing, multicoloured ribbons, getting read for darkness.

The elderly halfling you encountered before is no where to be seen. Instead a wiry blonde woman stands at the ticket booth. She smiles at the group.

“Ah, you’ve returned,” she says and waves you all in.

Once inside, you head down the main lane, this time the flowers sprouting up from the sides are glowing like small lanterns.

The bookshop, Chapters and Verse, is where you left it.

Signs point in all directions for the bigtop, that some of you visited earlier, to the carousel, and to a host of other attractions - dragonfly rides, the never-ending slides, the house of illusions, fortune tellers, punch the goblin (which Avaria dominated earlier, ring toss, wall climb, catch the dragon by the tail, Gnome poetry, mud wrestling, the Dance Off, staring contest with a cyclops, the giant snail races.

As you take it all back in again, Ula nudges Marrin and points out Mard and a couple of guards watching you.

"I think we should perhaps play a bit of the role of happy fairgoers, yeah?"

Jan will look around for a game of skill nearby, perhaps the ring toss or something of the sort.

Ethel makes a beeline for Chapters and Verse.  Stepping inside, she walks to the counter and greets the host.

"Good evening.  I have a list of texts I would like to inquire about."  She slides a piece of parchment paper with a handwritten list of books across the counter.

She allows a few moments for the list to be read.  Then she continues.  "Absent any of these texts, then I would be interested in procuring inks and parchment paper of sufficient quality for spell scribing.  Do you have such items on hand?"

• Turba Philosophorum
• Key of Wisdom
• The Garden of Blood and Bones
• Ars Magna et Ultima
• Netherese Ghost Stories
• Teachings of Talib
• The Testaments of Carnamagos 
• The Grimorium Verum
• Book of Eibon
• Necromancy, Theurgy and Intermediary Beings

Marrin would ask the woman at front,

"Where would one find musical instruments and the like for purchase here?"

Lintoll - Main Lane: Jan, Marrin and Ula

When Marrin asks the question at the front, the woman taps on a large map of the Lintoll behind her. A small tent on the map, near the carousel, lights up. Under that tent are the words "Hear Here."

"Finest musical instruments on the Sea of Fallen Stars," she says.

Jan spots a nearby purple, gold, and white striped tent. A small sign in front reads "Almiraj Ring Toss". Sounds of laughter, clinking of metal, and shouts of joy and despair echo from within. A short, plump, golden furred Harengon sits on a stool by the entrance.

"Think you've got a good enough eye to play ring toss?"

In Chapters and Verse: Ethel and Avaria

Ethel walks into Chapters and Verse, and sees the same tabaxi as before.

Avaria sees the inside of Chapters and Verse for the first time, and its multiple levels of darkened aisles and aisles of books, far too many to fit in the tent she saw from outside.

The tabaxi eyes Ethel's list with interest and then looks closely at Ethel.

"I think we might be able to help you find some of these,' the tabaxi says. "Are there any more than another that interest you?"

The tabaxi then indicates a corridor directly behind the front desk. It lights up showing shelves of different paper and ink.

"Of course we have inks of every colour available, but I suspect, based on this list of books, that you're looking for something more refined and rare. We have that of the giant octopus from the depths of the sea, some from the innards of behirs, the blood and ichor of a medusae, squid combined with giant slug intestinal fluid, and the list goes on. Perhaps if you let me know what you wished to scribe, I could provide you with the most appropriate ink. Of course, we have less specific, more generic ink that can do in a pinch for most uses."

As Avaria looks around at the amazing bookstore, she is a quite taken aback.  Before Ethel really gets into it, Ava leans over and whispers, "I would love to check out the fortune telling after we leave here."  

She then backs off and leaves her to chat with the tabaxi while keeping watch as she promised.

"Yes, fortunes, of course..." Ethel answers absent mindedly as she begins to search the stacks where the Tabaxi suggests. 

After a few minutes she returns empty handed, disappointed but undeterred.  "Nothing.  I feared as much, but that is quite all right.  Ink and materials are a more pressing need anyway."  She walks the ink corridor, perusing what is available.  Along the way, she narrates what she is looking for.  "I have scroll work at hand...  both ways.  Necromancy scrolls I need to copy into my spellbook, and divination, enchantment and illusion spells to be transcribed into functional scrolls.  Giant Octopus Ink, I think, could work for most of what I have in mind, though I'd welcome any recommendations...".

[Ethel has 200gp to work with.  She is looking for inks necessary to copy a 2nd level spell scroll into her book, and inks and parchment for scribing as many first level spells as she can afford.]

Marrin thanks the greeter and heads to Hear Here!

"Sure! How hard can it be?!", Jan says, approaching the ring toss with a show of bravado.

While Ethel peruses the inks, Avaria figures she'd ask the tabaxi a few questions.  "Good evening!  First off... how do you fit all of this inside the tent?!" she spreads her arms wide indicating the vastness of the bookshelves.

"And this is probably a long shot, but would you have any books on or by a Professor Samuel Owens?  Or on the subject of the Unthalass catacombs?"

In Chapters and Verse:

The tabaxi smiles at Ethel.

“Unfortunately on one of our last stops, someone else with a strong interest in your subject matter cleaned me out of most of what you were looking for,” the tabaxi says. “Perhaps next time we come this way I’ll have more to suit your tastes.”

They then adjust the lighting in the ink and paper aisle, putting spot lights on two bottles of ink and several sheets of yellow paper.

“Octopus is certainly a workhorse,” the tabaxi says. “But I prefer this one here, it’s giant squid with a drop of black dragon blood mixed in. It almost never smudges and lasts longer than the author.”

(200 gp would allow the 2 level spell into the spell book, plus 4 spell scrolls of first level spells to be created – 6 level one spell scrolls if the 2 level spell she wants to put in her spellbook is from the School of Necromancy).

The tabaxi looks over at Avaria as Ethel decides on how much ink and paper she would like.

“A magician doesn’t reveal their tricks,” the tabaxi says with a smile at her first question but then a puzzled look crosses their features at the second question, a hint of a frown also. “No sorry.”

Hear Here:

Marrin finds the music shop without much difficulty. It’s set up much like a midway game, with rows lining the back wall but instead of games, it’s different instruments of almost every conceivable kind.

A bored looking orc, with very large hands, sits on a stool in front of the instruments.

Almiraj Ring Toss:

Jan walks into the tent, just as a group of teens, all but one laughing and that one looking dejected, exit in the opposite direction.

The harengon starts to ask for a ticket, but as soon as he spots the black on in Jan’s hand, they smile and clap Jan on the back.

“This almiraj is no mirage. Adorn its horn with two or three rings to win a prize!”

This game involves tossing rings over the horn of a wooden statuette of an almiraj (a cute, bunny-like creature with a horn like a unicorn’s). But as Jan is thinking that sounds pretty easy, she noitces that the statue of the almiraj teleports around on a tabletop, never stopping in one place for more than a second. The harngon hands Jan three rings.

(Dex DC 17 to hit the almiraj).

"A fine evening to you!"

Marrin says to the bored orc as she walks in and starts critically inspecting the instruments,

"What's the problem? No one in Spandelyion interested in your wares?"

She looks back to the orc and smiles,

"But I'm here now! Got anything that would wow me? Percussion? Winds? Strings?"

Jan twirls the rings and watches the almiraj, looking to see if there's any sort of pattern to where it teleports to and from.

Ava shrugs at the response, then continues to keep watch as Ethel does what she does.

Hear Here:

The orc eyes Marrin up and down and then sighs.

"People come to be entertained not to entertain," the orc says. "This booth is more punishment than anything."

He waves his hands at the merchandise.

"Try out whatever you like."

Marrin notes that all of the instruments are perfectly serviceable but nothing that's likely to be of any special vintage. A very wide selection of instruments are visible but nothing that speaks of rarity. 

Almiraj Ring Toss:

Jan watches the wooden almiraj appear and disappear. Sometimes it sits in one spot for a second, other times it makes as many as three teleportation jumps in a second. Unless the pattern is incredibly long, Jan doesn't spot anything repetitive at this point.

Jan also notes that Ula has joined her in watching the almiraj.

Chapters and Verse:

The tabaxi moves closer to the ink and paper to help Ethel find what she needs but casts the occasional glance back at Avaria.

Ethel will take the 200gp worth of inks and parchment paper.  As they are settling the accounts, she casually mentions, "Oh, you know, Headmaster Noon was singing your praises, thought highly enough to recommend this place for this supply run.  Funny thing, my friend here worked some real magic of her own helping out the Lintoll with an unfortunate situation earlier today.  Seemed like they made quite the impression on the Headmaster in the process."  She nods at Avaria.   "Anyway, it got me thinking, and I wanted to let you know I will be letting Noon know how helpful you've been.  It's good to have friends in the Lintoll."

[Persuasion 22 to see if Ethel can successfully drop the hint and perhaps get a bit of a discount.]

Then she points at Avaria.  "Excellent thought, by the way, about asking for works by Professor Owens.  He's well known in some circles, but I'm not sure any of his books have seen wide circulation."  Then she turns back to their Tabaxi host.  "And that reminds me of another thing.  Yet another friend of ours was in here earlier today.  A quiet, nervous gentleman.  We were hoping to catch up with him again this evening and I was wondering if he happened to mention where he was headed after he finished shopping with you?"

Rather than try to frantically catch up to the Almiraj, Jan focuses on a specific area, waiting for the almiraj to appear there before making a quick toss.

Dex: 21

"Hmm. Fast little bugger."

Dex: 19

Dex: 11

"Ah, didn't think of that. Not much turnover."

She walks over and inspects some of the flutes then over to the lyres. She'll pick up the nicest of the lot, meaning red wood with the best carvings, and give it a quick test.

((Performance 19, cus she's showing off at all times.))

"Hmm. I've heard better. What's the asking on this one?"