As the squirrel gives chase, G'Reg wastes no time in trying to direct the mundane questions in his favour as smoothly as possible. "Anyway, I've been told that sometimes the price of admission comes with a little extra, some pumpkin heads and some memory reallocation, all fun and games I'm sure. What would gleam's job be in regard to the patron's that she is assigned?"
Northwind stops short and is silent for a moment, confused. When he does start talking, it's slow at first, but he soon returns to his rambling chatter:
Ah... okay, so like... I think Nikolas Midnight sometimes makes these sketchy fey pacts instead of, y’know, them actually paying for a ticket or whatever... But Gleam? Yeah, she used to be an acrobat — like, seriously good. Her and her twin brother, Glister, were this total power duo. "The Selene..." The Selion..." No clue, it’s been a while. Anyway, we don’t really see them anymore. Like, Glister's straight-up vanished and Gleam? Only her shadow shows up now, which is lowkey creepy. So no, she’s not working here, and like how do you even assign a shadow?? LOL. But it’s definitely her shadow. You can just tell. Mister Witch and Mister Light get super touchy when you bring her up though. Like, major bad vibes. They’re already in a mood all the time, but this is extra. And I don’t think it’s because they’re sad about the old carnival. Honestly? I don’t even think they want to go back.
The weasel is out of sight, but Greginald can see the squirrel has stopped some distance away. It is certainly out of earshot, but is looking back at the conversing pair suspiciously...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
A dwarf? This doesn't vibe with any of the thieves he's been given a heads up on but it is a curious thing. Mulligan does his best to observe this dwarf stealthily from a distance to try to figure out if they're a part of something or just some individual trouble maker...
"That was quite clever. It sounds a little like the carnival. But is Prismeer a name for the carnival or one of these lands you've been to for lute strings? And Zybilna, well that's a fun name to say. Zybilna. She trades for -" Rowan stops talking when he opens his eyes and notices he's all alone.
"Hmm. Gone before I can ask if Zybilna might be the shape changer causing mischief in the faire."
He strums his lute a few more times then decides to leave the orchard and look for something to do until the big extravaganza. He really wished he could remember when it was. The nice goblin, Nikolas Midnight did tell him. Maybe it really was his inability to pay attention to anything for too long that caused time to run differently for Rowan. What did Mr Midnight say? Nilbog o'clock? No, that didn't make sense, and he was pretty sure nilbog wasn't a standard time. Midnight, midnight, midnight.
Rowan smacks his hand against his forehead and laughs loudly.
"Midnight, of course." Rowan says proudly, looking around but still seeing no one. Then he sighs. "I wonder when it will be midnight."
He looks at the map again and starts heading towards the Big Top. He'd just find something to do near there until he got a sense of the time.
"I wonder what a calliope is?" Rowan muses and then heads in that direction to find out, still strumming on his lute as he goes.
The shapeshifter-as-dwarf moves steadily through the crowd, with greater agility than would be expected from such a stocky race. Mulligan follows from a distance, watching as the prankster makes simple mischief along the way, such as knocking food and drink from people's hands, tripping patrons and causing them to stumble, or simply heckling them with an odd-sounding young-human-male voice. The creature appears to have some magical talent, as it stops occasionally to disrupt sideshows with simple cantrips: creating extra illusory targets, knocking pins over with a conjured hand, and so on.
Mulligan follows the creature all the way to the northern-most point of the carnival, an area marked on the map as Silversong Lake. Enormous swans glide through the water here, pulling ornate wooden gondolas draped in flowers, which depart from a small jetty. Mist gathers at the banks of the shimmering lake, at the center of which a mermaid lounges in a giant bowl, singing a glorious, haunting song that captivates spectators on the lakeshore. In response to the song, the lake water coalesces into magical sculptures that whirl around her as she performs. It is an enchanting performance indeed, and the onlookers are enthralled and delighted.
The dwarf-creature stops for a few moments amidst the crowd, watching and listening to the mermaid's song. Suddenly a voice blasts out over the music, unnaturally loud. It is the same voice Mulligan has heard from the dwarf, like that of a young man, but it booms over the crowd:
Ha! You sound like a rooster with a sore throat! Haha!
The mermaid's song falters, and a wave of discontent ripples through the crowd, souring the mood. The dwarf pushes his way through the crowd a short distance and stops again. With a slight waver in her voice, the mermaid recovers and picks up the song again, but almost immediately the voice blasts out again:
Not again! My ears are still bleeding from last time, you old banshee!
This time the mermaid claps one hand over her mouth, and the song ceases again. The crowd is more disturbed before, and there are shouts of anger as people look around for the source of the heckling. The dwarf moves once more before issuing a third insult:
Thanks the gods, it's stopped. I thought someone was squashing hellcats around here!
The mermaid can take no more of the abuse, and with a wail of dismay she leaps out of the water bowl, splashes into the lake, and swims away to the south. A groan of disappointment goes up from the crowd and they start to disperse, while Mulligan hear that the music of the distant calliope has taken on a decidedly more mournful tone. With a puff that leaves black feathers floating to the ground, the dwarf vanishes and is replaced with the figure of a slender female elf - identical to someone Mulligan has seen in the crowd.
Rowan
Leaving the Orchard, Rowan makes his way across a small bridge toward an area labelled on the map as "Silversong Lake". Enormous swans glide through the water here, pulling ornate wooden gondolas draped in flowers, which depart from a small jetty, where guests line up to board the gondolas. Mist gathers at the banks of the shimmering lake, at the center of which a mermaid lounges in a giant bowl, singing a glorious, haunting song that captivates spectators on the lakeshore. In response to the song, the lake water coalesces into magical sculptures that whirl around her as she performs. It is an enchanting performance indeed, and the onlookers are enthralled and delighted.
Suddenly a voice blasts out over the music, unnaturally loud, booming over the crowd:
Ha! You sound like a rooster with a sore throat! Haha!
The mermaid's song falters, and a wave of discontent ripples through the crowd, souring the mood. With a slight waver in her voice, the mermaid recovers and picks up the song again, but almost immediately the voice blasts out again:
Not again! My ears are still bleeding from last time, you old banshee!
This time the mermaid claps one hand over her mouth, and the song ceases again. The crowd is more disturbed before, and there are shouts of anger as people look around for the source of the heckling. Before the mermaid has a chance to recover again, a third insult blasts out:
Thanks the gods, it's stopped. I thought someone was squashing hellcats around here!
The mermaid can take no more of the abuse, and with a wail of dismay she leaps out of the water bowl, splashes into the lake, and swims away to the south. A groan of disappointment goes up from the crowd and they start to disperse.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
G'reg thinks for a moment before just going for it as he sees the squirrel hesitating. "Could it be selune siblings or something along those lines? Sylvan perhaps? Also can you tell me what the old carnival was like?"
Northwind seems to get the gist, and enjoys spouting secrets when given the chance, so he talks even quicker. G'Reginald wonders momentarily if the treant is still speaking Common, but manages to make sense of it:
Yeah, I think it was like… Sella Nella Lion? Or something that sounds cool but no one can actually say right. Anyway, Witch and Light are from the freakin’ Shadowfell, dude, so their old carnival? Total emo aesthetic. Dark, depressing, probably smelled like sadness. I heard there’s this deal that if their old carnival ever crosses paths with this one again, they’ve gotta do a full-on trade — like switch back. No take-backsies, I guess. Kinda makes you wonder how Isolde’s doing, right? She was our old boss. Now she’s the one running the shadow carnival. Hope she’s cool with all that spooky gloom. Or, y’know, not losing her mind.
By now the squirrel minder has returned, and caught the last of the conversation. With an ever more rapid speech, but much higher-pitched, it blurts out to Northwind:
with the information dump spinning wild theories in G'reg's head he more or less ignores the rapid tirade of warnings from Red and instead holds out a fist for Northwind to bump, "you've been real helpful man, stay righteous." And then squints his eyes at red, crouching his gnomish frame down even lower to talk to red in a conspiratorial tone. "Red... if Witch and Light wanted these things to remain secrets, they wouldn't involve others in their business... They sound like people who have eyes and ears everywhere right? and that being true would mean you should likely watch your tone with people you don't know, because you have no idea just how involved they really are... Take a leaf from Northwind's playbook, and chill. There are worse things than toilet duty. Now show me to a dragonfly, I feel like a ride" and with that vague and meandering threat, Greg produces his ticket and follows whoever it is who gets him seated on the ride.
Barria stares at the goblin as his words twist and twirl in her mind getting all conjumbled. The only thing that sticks is what she asks, "Who is Nicolas Midnight?" and then to cap it all off, she puts the cookie she has back in her pack, and takes one off the offered plate. Holding it up like an toast she remarks, "Time to let loose!" and she eats it. another one.
"I think I would like a ride in a bubble." she says as she chews the cookie.
Did the Calliope react to this guy? This changeling? Mulligan wonders as he strives to keep an eye on his target. He sort of recalled it changing earlier... He didn't much note exactly when, during the Halfling Problem, he assumes. Which this guy wasn't a part of, far as Mulligan knows... So maybe the Calliope is just a coincidence then. Or maybe it's reacting to the crowd in general? The mood of the guests?
Interesting, but ultimately not his problem, Mulligan decides. His problem, or at least the problem he decided to make his, is the changeling themself. Maybe solving that will do something for the Calliope. Maybe not. But what to do, what to do?
Mulligan aims to stay within thirty feet or so of this person, never losing sight of them so that they don't lose them if/when they change their appearance again. Still, he tries to keep himself hidden, or at least not stand out as watching them or taking any note of them at all.
What you doing?
The words appear in the shapeshifter's head. Flat. Cold. Emotionless and with any lack of tone or even curiosity. Just the words.
Why you doing it?
Again, as always, the words have only the tone and emotion put upon them by the target, as if they were reading words out of context of the rest of the book. Unfortunately Mulligan cannot hear any reply they make, even if they make one, unless it is done aloud and he is close enough to hear it. For now he thinks stealth is still probably the way to go.
I am looking for thieves. Are you one of them? Helping them?
Mulligan considers delving into their mind and trying to see what is in there but such puts a lot of strain on him and he can only do it once a day... This trouble maker could have nothing to do with what he is really interested in so probably best to hold back. At least for now. (Does get Detect Thoughts once a day... but not yet.)
You are upsetting people. Upsetting the Calliope. This makes my investigation harder. Makes me unhappy.
Though it does occur to Mulligan that whether they find his words in their head disturbing or not this kind of one way attempt at interrogation is kind of pointless. He may need to make his presence known if he wants more from this changeling...
Red the squirrel glares back at G'Reginald, his bushy brows like flame above his smoldering eyes. All he does in reply is to thrust a dried dandelion at the gnome and say: here-you-can-have-the-first-one-Just-blow-and-make-a-wish before scurrying back up the treant. Northwind stands tall and says: Aight, peace out, bestie. Dragonfly rides are, like, just over there. We’re off to drop some welcome gifts — y’know, spread the vibe. Oh! Catch a seed if you want one...
Emerald clouds start to swirl above Northwind, the gilt ribbons in his branches begin to glow, and golden, spinning sycamore seeds begins to rain down all around. Northwind walks off as fairgoers run up to catch seeds before they hit the ground, while Red scampers along the boughs handing out more dandelions.
If Greg would like to catch a falling seed, please make a DC 10 DEX check. On a pass, please also roll 1d8 to determine what gift he receives.
Barria
The goblin explains that Nikolas Midnight is the goblin at the ticket booth at the entrance of the carnival.
With the tea break over, Barria is the first of the gathering crowd to enter the teapot. The doorway has no typical door, but as Barria passes the portal, she is plunged into darkness. There is a sensation of movement and in the time it takes to blink she finds back in the bright lights of the carnival, emerging from the spout of the teapot, enveloped in a thin but sturdy bubble, which floats higher above the crowds.
Please make DC 13 Wisdom saving throw for the cookie, with advantage because this isn't Barria's first hit.
On a fail, Barria will be high as a kite once more and remember the bubble ride only vaguely.
On a pass, Barria is filled with euphoria as she rides the bubble over the carnival. She can then also make a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to gain control over the bubble, to steer it in any direction, and finally pop it over any location on the map. A failed Dex check means she will simply ride the bubble until it pops of its own accord.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Confused, G'Reginald takes the dried dandelion and is careful with it, not wanting to shake the seeds loose before the right time. He does however catch the seed loosed by Northwind (17 Dex to catch and 2 for the effect)
What could red have meant by a wish? Surely the squirrel wasn't handing out enchanted items with such powerful spells imbued, and Greg had just purposefully irritated the creature, tricks and half truths were the name of the game in this Carnival and Greg did not trust this dandelion. As he walks on over to the dragonfly ride he takes a seat just outside of the mounting area and performs yet another ritual, this time detecting the means by which the dandelion is enchanted. (Identify)
Barria sits back and enjoys the taste of the cookie, the tea and the visions that surround her as she floats above. She smiles to herself, really enjoying this carnival and hopes that the proprietors will be equally as helpful when she asks about her missing recipe.
While en route to the calliope, the sound of the singing mermaid pulls Rowan to the side for a moment. It's quite lovely and he smiles while he listens.
At the sound of heckling though, Rowan frowns and looks around to see who's saying that.
"Don't mind that knob," Rowan calls to the mermaid. "Clearly he thinks it's funny to bully people. I think your singing was fantastic. Perhaps I can play while you sing when I join the carnival."
Then Rowan looks around some more to find the source of the heckling.
Whether it's because the prank has run its course, or because Mulligan is in their head, either way the heckling ceases. The creature (currently in she-elf form) stops in the milling crowd and starts to look around for the source of the voice. She/It doesn't seem to have noticed Mulligan yet, who stays out of her/its vision, but he can tell she/it is speaking vocally in reply - not shouting, just speaking in a soft male-human tone - and Mulligan catches just a few of the words among the din in the moments when she/it is not facing away from him:
...about the thieves. No, I'm... ...to make an omelet. Maybe they'll take notice if...
Rowan
Looking around for the source of the voice, Rowan catches sight of something odd. In the area from where the second heckle emanated, Rowan catches a glimpse of someone short pushing through the crowd. The third heckle comes from that location, and as Rowan pushes his own way toward that spot, he glimpses a male dwarf moving away through the crowd. In a split second there is a puff of black feathers, and a slender female elf is pushing through the crowd instead. The shapeshifter! After a few moments though, the elf stops and stands still, as if listening. As Rowan gets closer, he catches a few snatches of spoken words, in a voice unlike that of a female elf and more like that of a young human male:
...So, you know... ...not one of them... ...You need to break a few eggs... ...I hit them where it hurts. They're the only ones who know what's going on in Prismeer.
Prismeer !!
G'Reginald
G'Reginald catches the sycamore seed and feels it pop in his hand. There is a chromatic shower of sparkles, and the gnome feels uplifted and confident. Taking a seat by the pond, G'Reginald focuses on the dandelion for 10 minutes, and pulls on the threads of the weave to deduce the magical workings surrounding the little treasure.
Sycamore Seed Result: Greginald gains a d4, which he can add to one ability check he makes before dawn.
Identify Spell Result: The dandelion contains a weak aura of conjuration. It certainly doesn't possess the power to grant wishes, but it seems that making a wish does have some remote property of conjuration that causes the wish to be recorded somewhere in some fashion, although the exact nature and location remains inscrutable despite the spell.
Barria
As the bubble soars over the carnival, Barria gets her first aerial view of the complete site. From up here it is even more wonderous and captivating, as the myriad lights and crowds are all visible in a glance. Sound is somewhat muffled inside the bubble, but the cheers and laughs and music and singing and calling all rise and flow and waft around Barria like soothing steam from a warm bath. The bubble meanders back and forth as it soars northward, and looking down the dwarf can see the entrance and Lost Property area that she first visited. She flies over a pond where giant passenger-carrying dragonflies are taking off and landing, then past the Carousel that she was told about. There is an orchard of fruit trees where much feasting and drinking is taking place, with fruit being plucked from the trees by elves on stilts. There's even a walking tree with golden streamers in its branches and an emerald cloud above it - seeds shower down around it, and fairgoers jump to catch them before they hit the ground.
Barria has just started to glide toward a lake where a mermaid sings inside a large glass bowl, when there is a loud and obnoxious voice that blasts through the din. Inside the bubble she can't make out the words, but the crowd surrounding the lake shore appears disturbed. Two more times the voice breaks the reverie, and the change in the carnival mood is palpable, with even the music from the calliope turning discordant and dark. The chaotic crowd slowly disperses as Barria's bubble gradually descends and finally pops just in front of the entrance to the Big Top.
Rowan’s not sure how he feels about the shapeshifter. He has nothing against harmless pranks but what they said about the mermaid’s singing was untrue and seemed to hurt the performer.
He leans towards letting the shapeshifter, that is maybe some sort of avian related creature, just go about their day until they mention Prismeer.
That triggers a bubbling of emotion in Rowan and he steps closer.
He gets ready to pounce on the fake elf if they run but will try talking first.
”Excuse me, can you tell me what Prismeer is? Oh, and pranks are great and all but you really shouldn’t be so cruel to a singer like that.”
If the shapeshifter makes any attempt to run that triggers Rowan’s chase instinct and he’ll lunge to grab them (Athletics: 20+6=26)
Mulligan swings his banjo around from his back to his front and starts plucking out a tune as he mulls things over. Asking questions from afar isn't very helpful since he can't hear the answers... But he doesn't want to reveal himself quite yet if he doesn't have to. Perhaps if he seems lost in the playing it won't occur to the shapeshifter that he is the one asking questions despite his wandering closer? Worth a shot, anyway... Picking out a slow, calm song he indeed wanders in the direction of his target. Not directly at them but in an rambling, directionless kind of way as if he's just avoiding the crowds.
Sorry but you will need to speak up. These old ears are not what they used to be. You understand. So you are not one of the thieves but you want them to notice you?
Mulligan aims to try to get to within earshot... Hopefully with some crowd still around so he's not entirely obvious.
G'Reg feels happy with the sycamore seed, somewhere deep within him he knows that the small boon will help him in the future. Once the identify spell takes hold and delivers the information, the gnome sits back pondering a moment. Should he just hand it off to someone else, the wishes get sent to someone or to some where, he guesses likely Mister Witch and Mister Light using these as a means to spy on the carnival goers. He wanted no part of that, unless... Could the 'wish' be used to convey a message, something that would provoke interest in him by the person or place that receives and stores the wish.
He grins putting the daffodil up to his mouth and blows, quietly muttering "I wish for Mister Witch and Mister Light to cross paths with Isolde." Getting attention and being taken seriously is going to be the first step in getting his hoe back, he thinks as he tosses the spent stem of the dried flower into a nearby rubbish receptacle and enters the dragonfly riding area, hoping to catch a ride and see what, or who, he can observe from above.
The dwarf fully enjoys the bubble ride. She ends up with her palms and face smooshed up against the film as she takes in the dragonflies, the orchard, and everything else she can spy from this vantage point.
Her euphoria of it all is cut short as the obnoxious voice cuts through the din. She looks around to where she is once the bubble pops and she is glad to see the Big Top. She wants to be able to be one of the first in line once the Extravaganza gets going. She really hopes to get a meeting with Witch and Light, aaand is very curious about the show itself.
She saunters down to where the mermaid is in the large glass bowl, moving through the crowd that is dispersing in the other direction. She tries to figure out what is going on here with the mermaid and the loud voice.
Rowan barely gets his first question out before the shapeshifter attempts to bolt away, but Rowan is ready for them this time, and grabs their arm, holding it fast. Immediately Rowan can also tell that the arm he is holding is not soft elven skin as it appears, but feels like rough feathers.
Cruel? Ha! says the shapeshifter in the male/human voice that clashes with the she-elf visage. It would be -ugh- cruel to let it -ugh- continue... It tries a few times to tug its arm free, but seems to give up the idea as futile, and relaxes instead. In a sudden burst of feathers, the she-elf is replaced with a black-feathered bird-creature, wearing the customary fake butterfly wings over a dark tunic. In the same male/human voice it speaks its thoughts, as its head swivels around as though looking for someone else:
Hmm. I recognise you. You're the one that tried to catch me in the puppet theatre. But you don't work for them... And you're not the voice in my head... Who are you and why are you asking about Prismeer?
Mulligan
As Mulligan draws closer, he sees a male elf approaching from the opposite side. The elf says
Excuse me, can you tell me what Prismeer is?
Immediately the shapeshifting she-elf makes to run, but the elf grabs her by the arm and holds her fast.
The conversation continues, now perfectly audible to Mulligan...
Oh, and pranks are great and all but you really shouldn’t be so cruel to a singer like that.
Cruel? Ha! says the shapeshifter in the male/human voice that clashes with the she-elf visage. It would be -ugh- cruel to let it -ugh- continue... It tries a few times to tug its arm free, but seems to give up the idea as futile, and relaxes instead. In a sudden burst of feathers, the she-elf is replaced with a black-feathered bird-creature, wearing the customary fake butterfly wings over a dark tunic. In the same male/human voice it speaks its thoughts, as its head swivels around as though looking for someone else:
Hmm. I recognise you. You're the one that tried to catch me in the puppet theatre. But you don't work for them... And you're not the voice in my head... Who are you and why are you asking about Prismeer?
G'Reginald
G'Reginald makes his wish, and with the divination spell still active, he senses the completion and dissipation of the conjuration cantrip on the dandelion. Now ready for a new distraction, Greginald stamps his ticket with the human ticket-keeper, receives some brief safety instructions, and mounts the saddle on the giant dragonfly. With a lurch the insect lurches into the sky and zooms out over the carnival, giving the gnome his first aerial view of the complete site.
From up here it is even more wonderous and captivating, as the myriad lights and crowds are all visible in a glance. Sound is somewhat dampened by the buzz of the dragonfly's wings, but the cheers and laughs and music and singing and calling all rush around Greginald as much as the wind from the zooming insect. The dragonfly zips back and forth somewhat erratically, and Greginald has to make and effort to make the ride comfortable.
Please make an Animal Handling check to see how well Greginald rides the dragonfly. Meanwhile, I'll continue the narration...
Greginald's dragonfly flies over the adjacent carousel with its wooden unicorns, then back over the familiar orchard where the cupcake competition took place. It then flies over Northwind who is busy distributing seeds and dandelions, and he even catches flashes of Red the squirrel through the treant's foliage. Next is a lake where a crowd is dispersing and... something looks off. There is a small group standing somewhat apart from the crowd... and smartly-dressed elf, a shabby hobo, a female elf - no wait! the female suddenly vanishes and is replaced with a black-feathered bird-creature, and it looks like the elf is restraining it from escaping. Clearly some kind of disturbance has just occurred here.
Greginald could land the dragonfly if he wishes, or he can continue his flight toward the Big Top and then over the rest of the carnival...
Barria
The mermaid bowl is empty by the time Barria arrives on the scene, and the crowd is all but gone, save for a couple of interesting individuals. A male elf is holding a black-feathered bird-creature by the arm, as though preventing it from escaping. There is some conversation happening there, but... Barria can't make it out. A few dozen other fairgoers are still milling around, but none appear to be part of the altercation. Perhaps it's a carnival-worker apprehending a miscreant.
G'Reginald's inquisition.
As the squirrel gives chase, G'Reg wastes no time in trying to direct the mundane questions in his favour as smoothly as possible. "Anyway, I've been told that sometimes the price of admission comes with a little extra, some pumpkin heads and some memory reallocation, all fun and games I'm sure. What would gleam's job be in regard to the patron's that she is assigned?"
G'Reginald
Northwind stops short and is silent for a moment, confused. When he does start talking, it's slow at first, but he soon returns to his rambling chatter:
Ah... okay, so like... I think Nikolas Midnight sometimes makes these sketchy fey pacts instead of, y’know, them actually paying for a ticket or whatever... But Gleam? Yeah, she used to be an acrobat — like, seriously good. Her and her twin brother, Glister, were this total power duo. "The Selene..." The Selion..." No clue, it’s been a while. Anyway, we don’t really see them anymore. Like, Glister's straight-up vanished and Gleam? Only her shadow shows up now, which is lowkey creepy. So no, she’s not working here, and like how do you even assign a shadow?? LOL. But it’s definitely her shadow. You can just tell. Mister Witch and Mister Light get super touchy when you bring her up though. Like, major bad vibes. They’re already in a mood all the time, but this is extra. And I don’t think it’s because they’re sad about the old carnival. Honestly? I don’t even think they want to go back.
The weasel is out of sight, but Greginald can see the squirrel has stopped some distance away. It is certainly out of earshot, but is looking back at the conversing pair suspiciously...
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
A dwarf? This doesn't vibe with any of the thieves he's been given a heads up on but it is a curious thing. Mulligan does his best to observe this dwarf stealthily from a distance to try to figure out if they're a part of something or just some individual trouble maker...
Stealth: 22
Rowan
"That was quite clever. It sounds a little like the carnival. But is Prismeer a name for the carnival or one of these lands you've been to for lute strings? And Zybilna, well that's a fun name to say. Zybilna. She trades for -" Rowan stops talking when he opens his eyes and notices he's all alone.
"Hmm. Gone before I can ask if Zybilna might be the shape changer causing mischief in the faire."
He strums his lute a few more times then decides to leave the orchard and look for something to do until the big extravaganza. He really wished he could remember when it was. The nice goblin, Nikolas Midnight did tell him. Maybe it really was his inability to pay attention to anything for too long that caused time to run differently for Rowan. What did Mr Midnight say? Nilbog o'clock? No, that didn't make sense, and he was pretty sure nilbog wasn't a standard time. Midnight, midnight, midnight.
Rowan smacks his hand against his forehead and laughs loudly.
"Midnight, of course." Rowan says proudly, looking around but still seeing no one. Then he sighs. "I wonder when it will be midnight."
He looks at the map again and starts heading towards the Big Top. He'd just find something to do near there until he got a sense of the time.
"I wonder what a calliope is?" Rowan muses and then heads in that direction to find out, still strumming on his lute as he goes.
Mulligan
The shapeshifter-as-dwarf moves steadily through the crowd, with greater agility than would be expected from such a stocky race. Mulligan follows from a distance, watching as the prankster makes simple mischief along the way, such as knocking food and drink from people's hands, tripping patrons and causing them to stumble, or simply heckling them with an odd-sounding young-human-male voice. The creature appears to have some magical talent, as it stops occasionally to disrupt sideshows with simple cantrips: creating extra illusory targets, knocking pins over with a conjured hand, and so on.
Mulligan follows the creature all the way to the northern-most point of the carnival, an area marked on the map as Silversong Lake. Enormous swans glide through the water here, pulling ornate wooden gondolas draped in flowers, which depart from a small jetty. Mist gathers at the banks of the shimmering lake, at the center of which a mermaid lounges in a giant bowl, singing a glorious, haunting song that captivates spectators on the lakeshore. In response to the song, the lake water coalesces into magical sculptures that whirl around her as she performs. It is an enchanting performance indeed, and the onlookers are enthralled and delighted.
The dwarf-creature stops for a few moments amidst the crowd, watching and listening to the mermaid's song. Suddenly a voice blasts out over the music, unnaturally loud. It is the same voice Mulligan has heard from the dwarf, like that of a young man, but it booms over the crowd:
Ha! You sound like a rooster with a sore throat! Haha!
The mermaid's song falters, and a wave of discontent ripples through the crowd, souring the mood. The dwarf pushes his way through the crowd a short distance and stops again. With a slight waver in her voice, the mermaid recovers and picks up the song again, but almost immediately the voice blasts out again:
Not again! My ears are still bleeding from last time, you old banshee!
This time the mermaid claps one hand over her mouth, and the song ceases again. The crowd is more disturbed before, and there are shouts of anger as people look around for the source of the heckling. The dwarf moves once more before issuing a third insult:
Thanks the gods, it's stopped. I thought someone was squashing hellcats around here!
The mermaid can take no more of the abuse, and with a wail of dismay she leaps out of the water bowl, splashes into the lake, and swims away to the south. A groan of disappointment goes up from the crowd and they start to disperse, while Mulligan hear that the music of the distant calliope has taken on a decidedly more mournful tone. With a puff that leaves black feathers floating to the ground, the dwarf vanishes and is replaced with the figure of a slender female elf - identical to someone Mulligan has seen in the crowd.
Rowan
Leaving the Orchard, Rowan makes his way across a small bridge toward an area labelled on the map as "Silversong Lake". Enormous swans glide through the water here, pulling ornate wooden gondolas draped in flowers, which depart from a small jetty, where guests line up to board the gondolas. Mist gathers at the banks of the shimmering lake, at the center of which a mermaid lounges in a giant bowl, singing a glorious, haunting song that captivates spectators on the lakeshore. In response to the song, the lake water coalesces into magical sculptures that whirl around her as she performs. It is an enchanting performance indeed, and the onlookers are enthralled and delighted.
Suddenly a voice blasts out over the music, unnaturally loud, booming over the crowd:
Ha! You sound like a rooster with a sore throat! Haha!
The mermaid's song falters, and a wave of discontent ripples through the crowd, souring the mood. With a slight waver in her voice, the mermaid recovers and picks up the song again, but almost immediately the voice blasts out again:
Not again! My ears are still bleeding from last time, you old banshee!
This time the mermaid claps one hand over her mouth, and the song ceases again. The crowd is more disturbed before, and there are shouts of anger as people look around for the source of the heckling. Before the mermaid has a chance to recover again, a third insult blasts out:
Thanks the gods, it's stopped. I thought someone was squashing hellcats around here!
The mermaid can take no more of the abuse, and with a wail of dismay she leaps out of the water bowl, splashes into the lake, and swims away to the south. A groan of disappointment goes up from the crowd and they start to disperse.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
G'Reginald's thoughts.
G'reg thinks for a moment before just going for it as he sees the squirrel hesitating. "Could it be selune siblings or something along those lines? Sylvan perhaps? Also can you tell me what the old carnival was like?"
G'Reginald
Northwind seems to get the gist, and enjoys spouting secrets when given the chance, so he talks even quicker. G'Reginald wonders momentarily if the treant is still speaking Common, but manages to make sense of it:
Yeah, I think it was like… Sella Nella Lion? Or something that sounds cool but no one can actually say right. Anyway, Witch and Light are from the freakin’ Shadowfell, dude, so their old carnival? Total emo aesthetic. Dark, depressing, probably smelled like sadness. I heard there’s this deal that if their old carnival ever crosses paths with this one again, they’ve gotta do a full-on trade — like switch back. No take-backsies, I guess. Kinda makes you wonder how Isolde’s doing, right? She was our old boss. Now she’s the one running the shadow carnival. Hope she’s cool with all that spooky gloom. Or, y’know, not losing her mind.
By now the squirrel minder has returned, and caught the last of the conversation. With an ever more rapid speech, but much higher-pitched, it blurts out to Northwind:
Who's-losing-their-mind-What-are-you-two-talking-about-You-know-you-can't-keep-secrets-Northwind-You-better-watch-what-you-say-or-the-bosses-will-put-us-on-latrine-duty(then-to-Greginald)As-for-you-buster-you-better-not-be-up-to-no-good-or-you'll-have-me-to-answer-to-that's-right-they-call-me-Red-but-you-can-call-me-mister-Red-or-sir-and-if-you-or-anyone-else-gets-up-to-any-mischief-it'll-be-the-old-one-two-Bam-Pow-that's-what-no-one-messes-with-the-carnival-on-my-watch(then-to-Northwind-again)now-we-have-work-to-do-so-let's-get-back-to-it(then-back-to-Greg)so-forget-about-shadows-and-all-that-its-none-of-your-business-that's-what-it-is.
And with that Red the squirrel scurries back up into the treant's branches.
Just chill, Red, says Northwind lazily. I'm like ten percent chlorophyll and ninety percent vibes...
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Greginald's musings.
with the information dump spinning wild theories in G'reg's head he more or less ignores the rapid tirade of warnings from Red and instead holds out a fist for Northwind to bump, "you've been real helpful man, stay righteous." And then squints his eyes at red, crouching his gnomish frame down even lower to talk to red in a conspiratorial tone. "Red... if Witch and Light wanted these things to remain secrets, they wouldn't involve others in their business... They sound like people who have eyes and ears everywhere right? and that being true would mean you should likely watch your tone with people you don't know, because you have no idea just how involved they really are... Take a leaf from Northwind's playbook, and chill. There are worse things than toilet duty. Now show me to a dragonfly, I feel like a ride" and with that vague and meandering threat, Greg produces his ticket and follows whoever it is who gets him seated on the ride.
Barria
Barria stares at the goblin as his words twist and twirl in her mind getting all conjumbled. The only thing that sticks is what she asks, "Who is Nicolas Midnight?" and then to cap it all off, she puts the cookie she has back in her pack, and takes one off the offered plate. Holding it up like an toast she remarks, "Time to let loose!" and she eats it. another one.
"I think I would like a ride in a bubble." she says as she chews the cookie.
Did the Calliope react to this guy? This changeling? Mulligan wonders as he strives to keep an eye on his target. He sort of recalled it changing earlier... He didn't much note exactly when, during the Halfling Problem, he assumes. Which this guy wasn't a part of, far as Mulligan knows... So maybe the Calliope is just a coincidence then. Or maybe it's reacting to the crowd in general? The mood of the guests?
Interesting, but ultimately not his problem, Mulligan decides. His problem, or at least the problem he decided to make his, is the changeling themself. Maybe solving that will do something for the Calliope. Maybe not. But what to do, what to do?
Mulligan aims to stay within thirty feet or so of this person, never losing sight of them so that they don't lose them if/when they change their appearance again. Still, he tries to keep himself hidden, or at least not stand out as watching them or taking any note of them at all.
What you doing?
The words appear in the shapeshifter's head. Flat. Cold. Emotionless and with any lack of tone or even curiosity. Just the words.
Why you doing it?
Again, as always, the words have only the tone and emotion put upon them by the target, as if they were reading words out of context of the rest of the book. Unfortunately Mulligan cannot hear any reply they make, even if they make one, unless it is done aloud and he is close enough to hear it. For now he thinks stealth is still probably the way to go.
I am looking for thieves. Are you one of them? Helping them?
Mulligan considers delving into their mind and trying to see what is in there but such puts a lot of strain on him and he can only do it once a day... This trouble maker could have nothing to do with what he is really interested in so probably best to hold back. At least for now. (Does get Detect Thoughts once a day... but not yet.)
You are upsetting people. Upsetting the Calliope. This makes my investigation harder. Makes me unhappy.
Though it does occur to Mulligan that whether they find his words in their head disturbing or not this kind of one way attempt at interrogation is kind of pointless. He may need to make his presence known if he wants more from this changeling...
G'Reginald
Red the squirrel glares back at G'Reginald, his bushy brows like flame above his smoldering eyes. All he does in reply is to thrust a dried dandelion at the gnome and say: here-you-can-have-the-first-one-Just-blow-and-make-a-wish before scurrying back up the treant. Northwind stands tall and says: Aight, peace out, bestie. Dragonfly rides are, like, just over there. We’re off to drop some welcome gifts — y’know, spread the vibe. Oh! Catch a seed if you want one...
Emerald clouds start to swirl above Northwind, the gilt ribbons in his branches begin to glow, and golden, spinning sycamore seeds begins to rain down all around. Northwind walks off as fairgoers run up to catch seeds before they hit the ground, while Red scampers along the boughs handing out more dandelions.
If Greg would like to catch a falling seed, please make a DC 10 DEX check. On a pass, please also roll 1d8 to determine what gift he receives.
Barria
The goblin explains that Nikolas Midnight is the goblin at the ticket booth at the entrance of the carnival.
With the tea break over, Barria is the first of the gathering crowd to enter the teapot. The doorway has no typical door, but as Barria passes the portal, she is plunged into darkness. There is a sensation of movement and in the time it takes to blink she finds back in the bright lights of the carnival, emerging from the spout of the teapot, enveloped in a thin but sturdy bubble, which floats higher above the crowds.
Please make DC 13 Wisdom saving throw for the cookie, with advantage because this isn't Barria's first hit.
On a fail, Barria will be high as a kite once more and remember the bubble ride only vaguely.
On a pass, Barria is filled with euphoria as she rides the bubble over the carnival. She can then also make a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to gain control over the bubble, to steer it in any direction, and finally pop it over any location on the map. A failed Dex check means she will simply ride the bubble until it pops of its own accord.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
G'Reginald's catch.
Confused, G'Reginald takes the dried dandelion and is careful with it, not wanting to shake the seeds loose before the right time. He does however catch the seed loosed by Northwind (17 Dex to catch and 2 for the effect)
What could red have meant by a wish? Surely the squirrel wasn't handing out enchanted items with such powerful spells imbued, and Greg had just purposefully irritated the creature, tricks and half truths were the name of the game in this Carnival and Greg did not trust this dandelion. As he walks on over to the dragonfly ride he takes a seat just outside of the mounting area and performs yet another ritual, this time detecting the means by which the dandelion is enchanted. (Identify)
Barria
Barria sits back and enjoys the taste of the cookie, the tea and the visions that surround her as she floats above. She smiles to herself, really enjoying this carnival and hopes that the proprietors will be equally as helpful when she asks about her missing recipe.
Rowan
While en route to the calliope, the sound of the singing mermaid pulls Rowan to the side for a moment. It's quite lovely and he smiles while he listens.
At the sound of heckling though, Rowan frowns and looks around to see who's saying that.
"Don't mind that knob," Rowan calls to the mermaid. "Clearly he thinks it's funny to bully people. I think your singing was fantastic. Perhaps I can play while you sing when I join the carnival."
Then Rowan looks around some more to find the source of the heckling.
Perception: (15+4) = 19
Mulligan
Whether it's because the prank has run its course, or because Mulligan is in their head, either way the heckling ceases. The creature (currently in she-elf form) stops in the milling crowd and starts to look around for the source of the voice. She/It doesn't seem to have noticed Mulligan yet, who stays out of her/its vision, but he can tell she/it is speaking vocally in reply - not shouting, just speaking in a soft male-human tone - and Mulligan catches just a few of the words among the din in the moments when she/it is not facing away from him:
...about the thieves. No, I'm...
...to make an omelet. Maybe they'll take notice if...
Rowan
Looking around for the source of the voice, Rowan catches sight of something odd. In the area from where the second heckle emanated, Rowan catches a glimpse of someone short pushing through the crowd. The third heckle comes from that location, and as Rowan pushes his own way toward that spot, he glimpses a male dwarf moving away through the crowd. In a split second there is a puff of black feathers, and a slender female elf is pushing through the crowd instead. The shapeshifter! After a few moments though, the elf stops and stands still, as if listening. As Rowan gets closer, he catches a few snatches of spoken words, in a voice unlike that of a female elf and more like that of a young human male:
...So, you know...
...not one of them...
...You need to break a few eggs...
...I hit them where it hurts. They're the only ones who know what's going on in Prismeer.
Prismeer !!
G'Reginald
G'Reginald catches the sycamore seed and feels it pop in his hand. There is a chromatic shower of sparkles, and the gnome feels uplifted and confident.
Taking a seat by the pond, G'Reginald focuses on the dandelion for 10 minutes, and pulls on the threads of the weave to deduce the magical workings surrounding the little treasure.
Sycamore Seed Result: Greginald gains a d4, which he can add to one ability check he makes before dawn.
Identify Spell Result: The dandelion contains a weak aura of conjuration. It certainly doesn't possess the power to grant wishes, but it seems that making a wish does have some remote property of conjuration that causes the wish to be recorded somewhere in some fashion, although the exact nature and location remains inscrutable despite the spell.
Barria
As the bubble soars over the carnival, Barria gets her first aerial view of the complete site. From up here it is even more wonderous and captivating, as the myriad lights and crowds are all visible in a glance. Sound is somewhat muffled inside the bubble, but the cheers and laughs and music and singing and calling all rise and flow and waft around Barria like soothing steam from a warm bath. The bubble meanders back and forth as it soars northward, and looking down the dwarf can see the entrance and Lost Property area that she first visited. She flies over a pond where giant passenger-carrying dragonflies are taking off and landing, then past the Carousel that she was told about. There is an orchard of fruit trees where much feasting and drinking is taking place, with fruit being plucked from the trees by elves on stilts. There's even a walking tree with golden streamers in its branches and an emerald cloud above it - seeds shower down around it, and fairgoers jump to catch them before they hit the ground.
Barria has just started to glide toward a lake where a mermaid sings inside a large glass bowl, when there is a loud and obnoxious voice that blasts through the din. Inside the bubble she can't make out the words, but the crowd surrounding the lake shore appears disturbed. Two more times the voice breaks the reverie, and the change in the carnival mood is palpable, with even the music from the calliope turning discordant and dark. The chaotic crowd slowly disperses as Barria's bubble gradually descends and finally pops just in front of the entrance to the Big Top.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Rowan
Rowan’s not sure how he feels about the shapeshifter. He has nothing against harmless pranks but what they said about the mermaid’s singing was untrue and seemed to hurt the performer.
He leans towards letting the shapeshifter, that is maybe some sort of avian related creature, just go about their day until they mention Prismeer.
That triggers a bubbling of emotion in Rowan and he steps closer.
He gets ready to pounce on the fake elf if they run but will try talking first.
”Excuse me, can you tell me what Prismeer is? Oh, and pranks are great and all but you really shouldn’t be so cruel to a singer like that.”
If the shapeshifter makes any attempt to run that triggers Rowan’s chase instinct and he’ll lunge to grab them (Athletics: 20+6=26)
Mulligan swings his banjo around from his back to his front and starts plucking out a tune as he mulls things over. Asking questions from afar isn't very helpful since he can't hear the answers... But he doesn't want to reveal himself quite yet if he doesn't have to. Perhaps if he seems lost in the playing it won't occur to the shapeshifter that he is the one asking questions despite his wandering closer? Worth a shot, anyway... Picking out a slow, calm song he indeed wanders in the direction of his target. Not directly at them but in an rambling, directionless kind of way as if he's just avoiding the crowds.
Sorry but you will need to speak up. These old ears are not what they used to be. You understand. So you are not one of the thieves but you want them to notice you?
Mulligan aims to try to get to within earshot... Hopefully with some crowd still around so he's not entirely obvious.
G'Reginald's mischief.
G'Reg feels happy with the sycamore seed, somewhere deep within him he knows that the small boon will help him in the future. Once the identify spell takes hold and delivers the information, the gnome sits back pondering a moment. Should he just hand it off to someone else, the wishes get sent to someone or to some where, he guesses likely Mister Witch and Mister Light using these as a means to spy on the carnival goers. He wanted no part of that, unless... Could the 'wish' be used to convey a message, something that would provoke interest in him by the person or place that receives and stores the wish.
He grins putting the daffodil up to his mouth and blows, quietly muttering "I wish for Mister Witch and Mister Light to cross paths with Isolde." Getting attention and being taken seriously is going to be the first step in getting his hoe back, he thinks as he tosses the spent stem of the dried flower into a nearby rubbish receptacle and enters the dragonfly riding area, hoping to catch a ride and see what, or who, he can observe from above.
Barria
The dwarf fully enjoys the bubble ride. She ends up with her palms and face smooshed up against the film as she takes in the dragonflies, the orchard, and everything else she can spy from this vantage point.
Her euphoria of it all is cut short as the obnoxious voice cuts through the din. She looks around to where she is once the bubble pops and she is glad to see the Big Top. She wants to be able to be one of the first in line once the Extravaganza gets going. She really hopes to get a meeting with Witch and Light, aaand is very curious about the show itself.
She saunters down to where the mermaid is in the large glass bowl, moving through the crowd that is dispersing in the other direction. She tries to figure out what is going on here with the mermaid and the loud voice.
Rowan
Rowan barely gets his first question out before the shapeshifter attempts to bolt away, but Rowan is ready for them this time, and grabs their arm, holding it fast. Immediately Rowan can also tell that the arm he is holding is not soft elven skin as it appears, but feels like rough feathers.
Cruel? Ha! says the shapeshifter in the male/human voice that clashes with the she-elf visage. It would be -ugh- cruel to let it -ugh- continue... It tries a few times to tug its arm free, but seems to give up the idea as futile, and relaxes instead. In a sudden burst of feathers, the she-elf is replaced with a black-feathered bird-creature, wearing the customary fake butterfly wings over a dark tunic. In the same male/human voice it speaks its thoughts, as its head swivels around as though looking for someone else:
Hmm. I recognise you. You're the one that tried to catch me in the puppet theatre. But you don't work for them... And you're not the voice in my head... Who are you and why are you asking about Prismeer?
Mulligan
As Mulligan draws closer, he sees a male elf approaching from the opposite side. The elf says
Excuse me, can you tell me what Prismeer is?
Immediately the shapeshifting she-elf makes to run, but the elf grabs her by the arm and holds her fast.
The conversation continues, now perfectly audible to Mulligan...
Oh, and pranks are great and all but you really shouldn’t be so cruel to a singer like that.
Cruel? Ha! says the shapeshifter in the male/human voice that clashes with the she-elf visage. It would be -ugh- cruel to let it -ugh- continue... It tries a few times to tug its arm free, but seems to give up the idea as futile, and relaxes instead. In a sudden burst of feathers, the she-elf is replaced with a black-feathered bird-creature, wearing the customary fake butterfly wings over a dark tunic. In the same male/human voice it speaks its thoughts, as its head swivels around as though looking for someone else:
Hmm. I recognise you. You're the one that tried to catch me in the puppet theatre. But you don't work for them... And you're not the voice in my head... Who are you and why are you asking about Prismeer?
G'Reginald
G'Reginald makes his wish, and with the divination spell still active, he senses the completion and dissipation of the conjuration cantrip on the dandelion. Now ready for a new distraction, Greginald stamps his ticket with the human ticket-keeper, receives some brief safety instructions, and mounts the saddle on the giant dragonfly. With a lurch the insect lurches into the sky and zooms out over the carnival, giving the gnome his first aerial view of the complete site.
From up here it is even more wonderous and captivating, as the myriad lights and crowds are all visible in a glance. Sound is somewhat dampened by the buzz of the dragonfly's wings, but the cheers and laughs and music and singing and calling all rush around Greginald as much as the wind from the zooming insect. The dragonfly zips back and forth somewhat erratically, and Greginald has to make and effort to make the ride comfortable.
Please make an Animal Handling check to see how well Greginald rides the dragonfly. Meanwhile, I'll continue the narration...
Greginald's dragonfly flies over the adjacent carousel with its wooden unicorns, then back over the familiar orchard where the cupcake competition took place. It then flies over Northwind who is busy distributing seeds and dandelions, and he even catches flashes of Red the squirrel through the treant's foliage. Next is a lake where a crowd is dispersing and... something looks off. There is a small group standing somewhat apart from the crowd... and smartly-dressed elf, a shabby hobo, a female elf - no wait! the female suddenly vanishes and is replaced with a black-feathered bird-creature, and it looks like the elf is restraining it from escaping. Clearly some kind of disturbance has just occurred here.
Greginald could land the dragonfly if he wishes, or he can continue his flight toward the Big Top and then over the rest of the carnival...
Barria
The mermaid bowl is empty by the time Barria arrives on the scene, and the crowd is all but gone, save for a couple of interesting individuals. A male elf is holding a black-feathered bird-creature by the arm, as though preventing it from escaping. There is some conversation happening there, but... Barria can't make it out. A few dozen other fairgoers are still milling around, but none appear to be part of the altercation. Perhaps it's a carnival-worker apprehending a miscreant.
The black-feathered bird-creature:
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?