So we return your possessions and you shall guide us to the place of passage and provide the key. That is the deal?
Mulligan puts the words in the head of Mister Witch, still bouncing his watch in his hand. He's a bit wary of giving up the item before the deal is clear...
Barria looks up to Burly and as she does, slips her small hand into his large one and gives it a squeeze. "I will do my best to find Hurly and tell him that you miss him, Mr. Burly. I will."
She then lets go of the big man and looks to Mulligan and G'reg to return the items so they can be on their way. She really didn't want this to turn sour, who knew... maybe she could come back in eight years after all this was over and actually enjoy the carnival!
Mister Witch doesn't quite know how to respond to a voice in his head. He seems to know where it's coming from, so he turns to Mulligan and nods clearly, extending his hand. Perhaps he is trying to say something with his mind at the same time, but Mulligan doesn't hear that.
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How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
"Well then!" Greg straightens up looking proud of himself, he accepts the three bottles and the earring, "communication and a little bit of an edge on any resistance we meet. And if anyone asks we Definitely didn't get given these or shown the way whilst at the WitchLight," he turns and elbows Mr Witch in the knee with a bit of a heavy nudge and a theatrical wink, highly over acting the bit, "and we DEFINITELY weren't sent on our way by the two shadar-kai AT the witch light" Nudge, Wink "because those guys would heave DEFINITELY stopped us, probably with CHAINS! They were SOOOO adamant that we NOT go!" Wink, Nudge, Wink.
The weasel, makes it's way slowly back toward the caravan, it's tiny round ears flat against its head as it stinks closer ready to attack should anyone make any sudden and scary movements.
The words are placed in Mr. Witch's head when Mulligan sees him nod. Mulligan then steps up and takes his extended hand, giving it a brief shake before placing the watch within it. Mulligan then takes a step back and surveys the scene to see if everyone else is ready... and to see just what comes next.
"happy to." Greg responds, and hopping from out of sight the weasel clambers onto mister Light's shoulder, butterfly wand in its little mouth. "So what now hm?"
With the watch and wand returned, Mister Light turns to Mister Witch and hurriedly hisses:
Quick and quiet, swift and true, Before the 'Xtravaganza's through. Best unseen away we go, No gawking crowd need ever know.
Witch nods in agreement, dismisses his magical chest, then leads the way out of the staff area (Thaco the Clown remains prostrate and snoring on the grass), through the hedge (which magically parts to allow everyone through) and through the deserted carnival to the nearby pavilion signposted as the "Hall of Illusions". Inside is a long series of identical mirrors. As the group pass each mirror, they see their reflection somehow shift to represent them as tiny babies, and each successive mirror shows a new reflection of gradually increasing age. The reflections of Mister Witch and Mister Light are clearly visible, and appear as gloomy shadar-kai children.
The procession continues along the passage, but Mulligan knows exactly which mirror they are destined for - it is the same one he arrived at during his previous visit, the one corresponding to the reflection representing the current moment, which for all purposes appears to be a normal mirror. Mister Witch turns to the group, and in a hushed tone says:
Everything you seek lies beyond these mirrors. If you mean to step through, then stand in front of the glass and repeat the key rhyme.
Mister Light then steps forward, and with a theatrical flourish, recites the password:
Hither, thither, here and there; wander yonder, show me where.
There is a pause as nothing happens, but Mister Light gestures toward the mirror as though inviting the group to try for themselves. Burly the Bugbear and Kettlesteam the Kenku look on as the group repeat the phrase. As they do so, not just one mirror but three magically shimmer and shift, turning into a blue swirl which shifts and changes into a vision of a breathtaking landscape, each one different from the next...
The mirror on the left (the direction the group came from) shows a lush green forest. Towering trees with silvered bark and leaves that shimmer with dreamlike colours overlook mossy paths lined with wildflowers. It is only a vision as yet, but one can almost taste the air, heavy with the scent of sweet honey, fresh rain, and distant memories.
The central mirror displays a scenic wide meadow, stretching out to a horizon that seems ever more distant. Grass like spun emerald is dappled with blossoms that sway in unison as though to a silent tune. Fireflies drift in the daylight, their glow leaving lazy spirals in the midday air, and one can almost feel the warm breeze carrying the sound of distant laughter.
The mirror on the right (further along the corridor) appears as a picturesque mountain-scape. Mountains rise like jagged crystals, their peaks catching the light in rainbow prisms. Snow glitters with a pearly sheen, while rivers of gold flow through the valleys below. Just looking at the sight, as ones very thoughts and dreams seem to echo back from the ranges beyond.
"Hmmm, Thither, Hither, and Yon." g'Reg mumbles to himself inspecting each mirror and making connections where there may be none. "Which one of these mirrors will take us to yon?" He asks to the shadar-kai gesturing to the mirror on the right in a roundabout guess.
Turning to the others he suggests, "the sisters are likely equally dangerous, but if I were to guess, the younger would be the easiest to manage, living in a land of what is to come, the branching paths of what might be, constantly changing... it would scramble even the most sane person's mind, I think she is the one to target first Endelyn Moongrave. Though I'm open to suggestions"
The one on the left, I believe, is the one the forlorn marriage proposer was brought through. At least I believe it to be the same verdant forest. As such, I believe that is Thither, realm of eldest sister of the Hourglass Coven, Skabatha Nightshade. At the carousel Towan was told "her dear little Sowpig trots off to the carnival on a pilfering spree." I would guess the Sowpig refers to the girl in the pig mask which is who led the halfling proposer through the mirror in his distraught.
I'm afraid I don't really have much to go on to try to figure out which of the other two may belong to which witch sister. The first is itself only a guess. Perhaps the Misters can say which is which?
Mulligan sends this first through Group Chat and then to g'Reg as well. He then fidgets a bit and then sends a different set of words to Mister Witch.
Will be repeating the rhyme in thought be sufficient?
Mulligan is torn on which mirror to choose, if he is even able to step through as he is not able to speak the rhyme. Part of him selfishly wants to guess at Endelyn Moongrave's domain, the youngest sister. Not because, as g'Reg supposed, she may be weakest, but because he believes it is she who has his voice. Yet another part wants to go to the forest. Perhaps there was still time to save the halfling before whatever is to happen to him happens...
Rowan, having been distracted by the many different mirrors had stopped near the entrance starring into the one that showed him at his youngest. There was something about him as a baby then as a toddler that didn't seem to connect with who he thought he was.
"Can you talk?" Rowan asks the mirror. "Why do you think our parents are the way they are?"
By the time Rowan has a short conversation with himself, he realizes he's fallen behind and has to run to catch up to the others, only waving at his aging self in the mirrors as he races past.
"Ooh, a nice forest," Rowan says when he gets to the mirrors. Then he looks at the others. "These lead to Prismeer? Let's go then."
The two shadar-kai state they have never actually been to Prismeer, and don't know the terrain, how or why it is divided, or what such divisions are called.
However, the group do recall from the unicorns that: - Thither is the land of "remember-whens" - Hither is the land of "here-and-now" - Yon is the land of "whats-to-come" ... so Greg's guess of Yon being on the side of the mirror extending into the future-reflections seems a logical guess.
Once again, Mister Witch doesn't respond verbally to Mulligan, but replies with a simple shrug of uncertainty, then glances nervously at his watch...
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How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Barria looks to Mulligan and says outloud, "There was forlorn marriage proposer? And they went through the forest mirror? Do you want to follow them? I'm confused. If you want to help them as well as work on our quest, I'm all for two birds with one stone and all that. But if that is not a weighing factor, then I'm open to all options. But yes, Rowan the forest does look nice."
The dwarf holds back and let's the rest decide, but also feels the time ticking away as Mister Witch looks at his watch.
Mister Witch and mister light excuse themselves, as they have to get back to the Carnival. But as they depart, they say that the illusion hall will be signposted as down for maintenance, to maintain the secrecy of the mirror portals.
Kettlesteam also prepares to depart, explaining in her unique manner that according to the terms of her arcane pact with Queen Zybilna, she cannot enter Prismeer. But she thanks the group for their assistance with discovering the truth, and bids them do what they can to free the Queen from whatever dark fate has befallen her.
Burly the bugbear shakes Barria's hand once more and then departs with no further words. The four would be travellers find themselves alone (but not alone) before the three mirror portals...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Have I not told that tale? I will once we have a moment then.
To the groupchat (and then to g'Reg):
We seem to lack a decision since we don't really know for sure what we'll face after any choice. So let us leave it to chance then...
After that Mulligan steps to the first mirror, draws a copper coin out of his pocket and flips the coin dramatically.
The odd mirror out is the one we take.
He then steps to the middle mirror and again flips a coin. And then the third. Unless all three flips yield the same result then the decision should be made.
First flip at the left mirror: Heads Second flip at the middle mirror: Heads Third flip at the right most mirror: Tails
Odd man out it is.
That "said," Mulligan mentally recites the passcode and steps into (through?) the mirror on the right...
Each brave traveler steps into the mirror on the right, the image of the glorious mountain-scape within glimmering with impossible beauty. The mirror surface shivers as they pass through, cool as still water. For a breathless instant, they are nowhere — weightless, suspended in shimmering silence. Colors flash around them: blue, violet, green, too bright to belong to the mortal world. Stomachs lurch, heads spin, ears ring as though some vast, invisible chord has been plucked.
The air is cold, sharp, metallic with the scent of ozone. The mountains are all around now, but cloaked in storm. The jagged peaks cut the heavens, not like refracting crystals but like black knives, and above them, instead of blue sky and wisps of cloud, thunderheads churn, their bloated bellies glowing with restless lightning. Each flash paints the cliffs in silver-white before plunging them back into shadows that seem to circle like shapeless predators. Birdsong is replaced with a howling wind. The ground itself seems to hum faintly with energy, and the air is filled with a sense of impending dread.
More lightning flashes nearby, the bolt striking a tall slender tower on a nearby peak. The pinnacle of the tower is a shaped like a crescent moon, and the lightning arcs from the top of this tower to the top of another on an adjoining peak. This in turn arcs to one yet further, until the series of lightning bolts illuminates an imposing castle carved out of a distant mountain.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
"well then" the gnome begins, turning around to get a good look at what remains of the portal that they just stepped out of, was it just sheer rock face, some kind of summoning or teleportation circle? "I for one would like to find somewhere to rest, this evening's activities have taken quite a toll and I fear if I take another hit then I may not be here to see another day. Shall we find a cave or something?" he taps his chest a little trying to ramp down the nauseous feeling from the teleportation and takes a good look around their new surroundings.
Mulligan steps into one scene but arrives in another. The process quite disturbing and unsettling to the extent he almost immediately bends over and suffers a short bout of dry heaves before pulling himself together. That was not fun. Not fun at all. It's a thought he doesn't bother to broadcast to the others but is likely apparent on his face anyway.
This is not the serene scene we were shown.
Mulligan does absently share that thought to the others as he turns slowly about, still a bit worried about his stomach and thus not spinning quickly, and surveying the surroundings. He squints and blinks as the lightning flashes out, the bright light reminding him of a headache he didn't know about, but it does afford him the opportunity to spot a castle far off on a distant mountain. He points to it, if the others have not noticed it yet, and frowns a bit. He didn't exactly suit up for mountaineering when he headed off for the carnival what seems an eternity ago.
I should have got some snacks from the carnival.
This he almost accidentally sends out after the g'nome mentions rest. Still, not much to be done about it now. He does have some squirrel jerky in one of his pockets, he believes, and that should hold him for a while if needed. He wasn't looking forward to it though, whoever labelled squirrels as the chickens of the trees obviously had never tasted either! But a bit of a rest did not sound illogical as there was no telling of how long their journey would be or what they may encounter so Mulligan shrugged and started looking around for possible possibilities, mostly with an eye towards the castle as he looked.
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So we return your possessions and you shall guide us to the place of passage and provide the key. That is the deal?
Mulligan puts the words in the head of Mister Witch, still bouncing his watch in his hand. He's a bit wary of giving up the item before the deal is clear...
Barria looks up to Burly and as she does, slips her small hand into his large one and gives it a squeeze. "I will do my best to find Hurly and tell him that you miss him, Mr. Burly. I will."
She then lets go of the big man and looks to Mulligan and G'reg to return the items so they can be on their way. She really didn't want this to turn sour, who knew... maybe she could come back in eight years after all this was over and actually enjoy the carnival!
Mister Witch doesn't quite know how to respond to a voice in his head. He seems to know where it's coming from, so he turns to Mulligan and nods clearly, extending his hand. Perhaps he is trying to say something with his mind at the same time, but Mulligan doesn't hear that.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
"Well then!" Greg straightens up looking proud of himself, he accepts the three bottles and the earring, "communication and a little bit of an edge on any resistance we meet. And if anyone asks we Definitely didn't get given these or shown the way whilst at the WitchLight," he turns and elbows Mr Witch in the knee with a bit of a heavy nudge and a theatrical wink, highly over acting the bit, "and we DEFINITELY weren't sent on our way by the two shadar-kai AT the witch light" Nudge, Wink "because those guys would heave DEFINITELY stopped us, probably with CHAINS! They were SOOOO adamant that we NOT go!" Wink, Nudge, Wink.
The weasel, makes it's way slowly back toward the caravan, it's tiny round ears flat against its head as it stinks closer ready to attack should anyone make any sudden and scary movements.
Deal then.
The words are placed in Mr. Witch's head when Mulligan sees him nod. Mulligan then steps up and takes his extended hand, giving it a brief shake before placing the watch within it. Mulligan then takes a step back and surveys the scene to see if everyone else is ready... and to see just what comes next.
Seeing that things were finishing up and a deal had been made, Barria looks to the strange little gnome, "Please, give Mister Light back his wand."
"happy to." Greg responds, and hopping from out of sight the weasel clambers onto mister Light's shoulder, butterfly wand in its little mouth. "So what now hm?"
With the watch and wand returned, Mister Light turns to Mister Witch and hurriedly hisses:
Quick and quiet, swift and true,
Before the 'Xtravaganza's through.
Best unseen away we go,
No gawking crowd need ever know.
Witch nods in agreement, dismisses his magical chest, then leads the way out of the staff area (Thaco the Clown remains prostrate and snoring on the grass), through the hedge (which magically parts to allow everyone through) and through the deserted carnival to the nearby pavilion signposted as the "Hall of Illusions". Inside is a long series of identical mirrors. As the group pass each mirror, they see their reflection somehow shift to represent them as tiny babies, and each successive mirror shows a new reflection of gradually increasing age. The reflections of Mister Witch and Mister Light are clearly visible, and appear as gloomy shadar-kai children.
The procession continues along the passage, but Mulligan knows exactly which mirror they are destined for - it is the same one he arrived at during his previous visit, the one corresponding to the reflection representing the current moment, which for all purposes appears to be a normal mirror. Mister Witch turns to the group, and in a hushed tone says:
Everything you seek lies beyond these mirrors. If you mean to step through, then stand in front of the glass and repeat the key rhyme.
Mister Light then steps forward, and with a theatrical flourish, recites the password:
Hither, thither,
here and there;
wander yonder,
show me where.
There is a pause as nothing happens, but Mister Light gestures toward the mirror as though inviting the group to try for themselves. Burly the Bugbear and Kettlesteam the Kenku look on as the group repeat the phrase. As they do so, not just one mirror but three magically shimmer and shift, turning into a blue swirl which shifts and changes into a vision of a breathtaking landscape, each one different from the next...
The mirror on the left (the direction the group came from) shows a lush green forest. Towering trees with silvered bark and leaves that shimmer with dreamlike colours overlook mossy paths lined with wildflowers. It is only a vision as yet, but one can almost taste the air, heavy with the scent of sweet honey, fresh rain, and distant memories.
The central mirror displays a scenic wide meadow, stretching out to a horizon that seems ever more distant. Grass like spun emerald is dappled with blossoms that sway in unison as though to a silent tune. Fireflies drift in the daylight, their glow leaving lazy spirals in the midday air, and one can almost feel the warm breeze carrying the sound of distant laughter.
The mirror on the right (further along the corridor) appears as a picturesque mountain-scape. Mountains rise like jagged crystals, their peaks catching the light in rainbow prisms. Snow glitters with a pearly sheen, while rivers of gold flow through the valleys below. Just looking at the sight, as ones very thoughts and dreams seem to echo back from the ranges beyond.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
"Hmmm, Thither, Hither, and Yon." g'Reg mumbles to himself inspecting each mirror and making connections where there may be none. "Which one of these mirrors will take us to yon?" He asks to the shadar-kai gesturing to the mirror on the right in a roundabout guess.
Turning to the others he suggests, "the sisters are likely equally dangerous, but if I were to guess, the younger would be the easiest to manage, living in a land of what is to come, the branching paths of what might be, constantly changing... it would scramble even the most sane person's mind, I think she is the one to target first Endelyn Moongrave. Though I'm open to suggestions"
The one on the left, I believe, is the one the forlorn marriage proposer was brought through. At least I believe it to be the same verdant forest. As such, I believe that is Thither, realm of eldest sister of the Hourglass Coven, Skabatha Nightshade. At the carousel Towan was told "her dear little Sowpig trots off to the carnival on a pilfering spree." I would guess the Sowpig refers to the girl in the pig mask which is who led the halfling proposer through the mirror in his distraught.
I'm afraid I don't really have much to go on to try to figure out which of the other two may belong to which witch sister. The first is itself only a guess. Perhaps the Misters can say which is which?
Mulligan sends this first through Group Chat and then to g'Reg as well. He then fidgets a bit and then sends a different set of words to Mister Witch.
Will be repeating the rhyme in thought be sufficient?
Mulligan is torn on which mirror to choose, if he is even able to step through as he is not able to speak the rhyme. Part of him selfishly wants to guess at Endelyn Moongrave's domain, the youngest sister. Not because, as g'Reg supposed, she may be weakest, but because he believes it is she who has his voice. Yet another part wants to go to the forest. Perhaps there was still time to save the halfling before whatever is to happen to him happens...
Rowan, having been distracted by the many different mirrors had stopped near the entrance starring into the one that showed him at his youngest. There was something about him as a baby then as a toddler that didn't seem to connect with who he thought he was.
"Can you talk?" Rowan asks the mirror. "Why do you think our parents are the way they are?"
By the time Rowan has a short conversation with himself, he realizes he's fallen behind and has to run to catch up to the others, only waving at his aging self in the mirrors as he races past.
"Ooh, a nice forest," Rowan says when he gets to the mirrors. Then he looks at the others. "These lead to Prismeer? Let's go then."
The two shadar-kai state they have never actually been to Prismeer, and don't know the terrain, how or why it is divided, or what such divisions are called.
However, the group do recall from the unicorns that:
- Thither is the land of "remember-whens"
- Hither is the land of "here-and-now"
- Yon is the land of "whats-to-come"
... so Greg's guess of Yon being on the side of the mirror extending into the future-reflections seems a logical guess.
Once again, Mister Witch doesn't respond verbally to Mulligan, but replies with a simple shrug of uncertainty, then glances nervously at his watch...
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Barria looks to Mulligan and says outloud, "There was forlorn marriage proposer? And they went through the forest mirror? Do you want to follow them? I'm confused. If you want to help them as well as work on our quest, I'm all for two birds with one stone and all that. But if that is not a weighing factor, then I'm open to all options. But yes, Rowan the forest does look nice."
The dwarf holds back and let's the rest decide, but also feels the time ticking away as Mister Witch looks at his watch.
Mister Witch and mister light excuse themselves, as they have to get back to the Carnival. But as they depart, they say that the illusion hall will be signposted as down for maintenance, to maintain the secrecy of the mirror portals.
Kettlesteam also prepares to depart, explaining in her unique manner that according to the terms of her arcane pact with Queen Zybilna, she cannot enter Prismeer. But she thanks the group for their assistance with discovering the truth, and bids them do what they can to free the Queen from whatever dark fate has befallen her.
Burly the bugbear shakes Barria's hand once more and then departs with no further words. The four would be travellers find themselves alone (but not alone) before the three mirror portals...
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
Mulligan gives a sad smile to Barria.
Have I not told that tale? I will once we have a moment then.
To the groupchat (and then to g'Reg):
We seem to lack a decision since we don't really know for sure what we'll face after any choice. So let us leave it to chance then...
After that Mulligan steps to the first mirror, draws a copper coin out of his pocket and flips the coin dramatically.
The odd mirror out is the one we take.
He then steps to the middle mirror and again flips a coin. And then the third. Unless all three flips yield the same result then the decision should be made.
First flip at the left mirror: Heads
Second flip at the middle mirror: Heads
Third flip at the right most mirror: Tails
Odd man out it is.
That "said," Mulligan mentally recites the passcode and steps into (through?) the mirror on the right...
"good choice!" Greg responds verbally to the telepathic communication and steps through the right most mirror following Mulligan.
Rowan smiles, bobs his head for a moment, recites the poem, waves at Barria to come on, and jumps through the mirror after the others.
Each brave traveler steps into the mirror on the right, the image of the glorious mountain-scape within glimmering with impossible beauty. The mirror surface shivers as they pass through, cool as still water. For a breathless instant, they are nowhere — weightless, suspended in shimmering silence. Colors flash around them: blue, violet, green, too bright to belong to the mortal world. Stomachs lurch, heads spin, ears ring as though some vast, invisible chord has been plucked.
Then the four stagger out the other side...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The air is cold, sharp, metallic with the scent of ozone. The mountains are all around now, but cloaked in storm. The jagged peaks cut the heavens, not like refracting crystals but like black knives, and above them, instead of blue sky and wisps of cloud, thunderheads churn, their bloated bellies glowing with restless lightning. Each flash paints the cliffs in silver-white before plunging them back into shadows that seem to circle like shapeless predators. Birdsong is replaced with a howling wind. The ground itself seems to hum faintly with energy, and the air is filled with a sense of impending dread.
More lightning flashes nearby, the bolt striking a tall slender tower on a nearby peak. The pinnacle of the tower is a shaped like a crescent moon, and the lightning arcs from the top of this tower to the top of another on an adjoining peak. This in turn arcs to one yet further, until the series of lightning bolts illuminates an imposing castle carved out of a distant mountain.
How does a red dragon blow out the candles on its birthday cake?
"well then" the gnome begins, turning around to get a good look at what remains of the portal that they just stepped out of, was it just sheer rock face, some kind of summoning or teleportation circle? "I for one would like to find somewhere to rest, this evening's activities have taken quite a toll and I fear if I take another hit then I may not be here to see another day. Shall we find a cave or something?" he taps his chest a little trying to ramp down the nauseous feeling from the teleportation and takes a good look around their new surroundings.
Mulligan steps into one scene but arrives in another. The process quite disturbing and unsettling to the extent he almost immediately bends over and suffers a short bout of dry heaves before pulling himself together. That was not fun. Not fun at all. It's a thought he doesn't bother to broadcast to the others but is likely apparent on his face anyway.
This is not the serene scene we were shown.
Mulligan does absently share that thought to the others as he turns slowly about, still a bit worried about his stomach and thus not spinning quickly, and surveying the surroundings. He squints and blinks as the lightning flashes out, the bright light reminding him of a headache he didn't know about, but it does afford him the opportunity to spot a castle far off on a distant mountain. He points to it, if the others have not noticed it yet, and frowns a bit. He didn't exactly suit up for mountaineering when he headed off for the carnival what seems an eternity ago.
I should have got some snacks from the carnival.
This he almost accidentally sends out after the g'nome mentions rest. Still, not much to be done about it now. He does have some squirrel jerky in one of his pockets, he believes, and that should hold him for a while if needed. He wasn't looking forward to it though, whoever labelled squirrels as the chickens of the trees obviously had never tasted either! But a bit of a rest did not sound illogical as there was no telling of how long their journey would be or what they may encounter so Mulligan shrugged and started looking around for possible possibilities, mostly with an eye towards the castle as he looked.