Saralas: The Feywild Chapter 3

The Feywild: Chapter 3

Translated from the original Elvish by the historian Steve Block

Translation is currently in progress. Initial bullet points captured during the translation process can be found below. This page will update with the full narrative when translation is complete.

Raw Notes

At the Carnival

Goblin Wrestling

• Resda isn't thrilled with the thievery option and wants to look for another way
• The others want to go see the Goblin Wrestling
• We make our way over and there are a number of angry-looking goblins standing around
• Korag walks over to get the details and the goblin says they wrestle, you lose, and they take your ticket
• Korag wants to wrestle. The goblin starts dusting his hands with chalk. He looks quite strong.
• They wrestle, and Korag manages to flip the goblin over and pin him down. He wins! A toy spider is his reward.
• Baerwin wants to wrestle as well. He's very eager. A smaller goblin comes over and punches his ticket, and then whistles. A giant of a goblin comes into view. Baerwin manages to flip and pin him until he taps out. He gets a small pack of pixie dust as a reward.
• I decide to give it a go, but I don't necessarily expect to win. Another goblin approaches and makes a mocking gesture of standing upright and being superior like an elf. I'm feeling good though, and manage to pin him. I win magic face paint.
• I ask the goblin how long he's been doing this. "It's hard to say, I grew up in the carny you know". He doesn't seem to keep careful track of time.
• Baerwin wants to go to the Thunderdome, though I'm not sure what that is.

Thunderdome

• We make our way over. We see a large, inverted metal dome with various goblins and other creatures hanging off it. Visitors are clustered around the thunderdome, yelling excitedly.
• "This can only be good!" says Baerwin, approaching.
• We push our way through the crowd to see an adventuring party fighting monsters. It looks dangerous, and Baerwin is practically dancing with anticipation, he really wants to fight.
• He talks to the operator and finds that you need to buy a license, and Mister Witch handles these things.
• As he does this, one of the adventurers is stabbed and appears to die, but it's not clear if it's real or not. The crowd is going wild.
• Baerwin wants to fight but is not optimistic about convincing Mister Witch to let us.
• The others seem willing and so we head towards the staff area. The entire area is enclosed in thorn bushes. We previously passed through an opening in the thorns which was opened by a stage hand. So we may not be able to enter.
• We go looking for a stagehand to ask about the Thunderdome. License applications are a serious matter, as entertainment is the priority but injury and death are likely. To get a license you must pass an interview with Mister Witch. He'd be happy to set up an interview for the following day.
• We agree and are told to meet outside the big top the following morning at 10 am.
• There is talk about going to the Mystery Mine

Mystery Mine

• We have about an hour until the final event. Karthos wants to go to the Mystery Mine
• The ride costs 1 punch, and people coming out seem a mix of bewildered and afraid.
• A dwarf is operating the ride, and beckons us over to a contraption that looks something like a mechanical eye. He beckons us to look into the eye to see what we see.
• I look in and see a Grell. I back away in alarm, reaching for the sword that I am not wearing.
  • Karthos looks and backs away quickly. He says he saw "the eye".
  • Resda comes back smirking. "I saw only myself"
  • Baerwin shouts "Kobolds! NO!"
  • Kaira, shaking, says she saw Bun.
  • Korag saw an undead Yeti
• An empty mine cart, large enough to hold 8 people, rolls up. The dwarf beckons us to enter. We do
  • As soon as we are in the cart the dwarf slams the door shut, pulls a lever, and the mine cart hurtles into the dragon's mouth.
  • We enter an illusion-filled spectacle of undulating hills, corkscrew trees, and prismatic skies. As the cart hurtles, we begin to see our worst fears.
  • First we are assaulted by grell. I see through the illusion, but Kaira starts screaming.
  • The sky then goes dark, as if an eclipse has occurred. Resda starts screaming. Korag is yelling.
  • As we pass through a fake town the cart slows down. The buildings are just propped up. A resda is there, her eyes dripping with black. She flies around the mine cart hurtling wild magic to and fro. I start yelling, it's awful.
  • We plunge into the mines, besieged by kobolds. They are everywhere, it's horrible.
  • We then find ourselves in an etherial forest. Huge spiderwebs coat the trees. Suddenly Bun, covered in blood, is flying about with daggers in hand. He looks possessed.
  • Suddenly we jump planes and we are hurtling through the frozen tundra. Out of nowhere a pack of undead yeti appear, bashing at the mine cart and howling. It's an illusion, I know this.
  • The cart bursts out and we are back at the fair. It lurches to a stop and the door swings open. Others are looking at us curiously.
• Resda and Baerwin look shaken. The rest of us look OK. Korag and Karthos seem entirely unaffected.

Asking Around

• I ask whether we've come up with any ideas other than the thievery of Mister Witch's watch.
• Baerwin wants to spent the rest of the time asking around about disappearances.
• I become a vaguely handsome human so I can limit my exposure.
• The staff is mostly unhelpful. We do learn that magic is used to shuffle the carnival around, and that magic is controlled by Mister Witch's watch, which can pack up the carnival. Mister Light's weathervane is used to navigate. Without either, the carnival is stuck.
• We also learn that Witch and Light are not the original carnival owners, but no other details.
• So if we were to steal one of these items we would have leverage and might be able to force them to tell us more
• I ask Karthos is he has mushrooms that could deal with this. "Do you have any mushrooms that could make them talk?"
• The coronation is approaching. Kaira tells us that the ceremony happens every night and they crown the person who has most contributed to the carnival and its mood.
• I feel like Burly's plan is still our best bet. Kaira says this coronation is the best opportunity to get close. Witch keeps the watch on a chain so to steal it you'd need to be able to break the chain. I purchase some scissors and prepare myself.
• Kaira thinks she could probably do it but isn't really thrilled to be stealing from her former employers. If it comes to it I might try to do this myself, so I'm preparing myself.
• Baerwin and Karthos seem OK with the thievery plan but don't seem interested in actually participating.

Crowning the Witchlight Monarch

• We make our way over to the Big Top.
• A huge displacer beast escorts Mister Witch, quite theatrically, from the trailer.
• The monarch is selected by Mister Light holding up his weathervane. He shakes it quite theatrically, and from it a golden crown appears. It flies around the Big Top, looking for who to crown.
• The crown settles on Baerwin's head, and he receives the Charm of the Monarch. He can sprout a pair of beautiful butterfly wings at will. He gains flying, and has +5 to charisma checks.
• Bearwin is jubilant. Mister Witch and Mister Light approach to congratulate Baerwin. He stands up and waves to the crown. A troup of clowns appear, gathering glitter.
• I see the watch on Mister Witch's pocket. I quickly and deftly snip the chain and take the watch.
• Witch and Light escort Baerwin around the stage. Burly the bugbear sets of fireworks, Baerwin is rejoicing. Mister Witch is suddenly nowhere to be seen.
• After making a circuit, Mister Light congratulates Baerwin and wishes him the best, returning him to the party.
• We discuss how to meet with them to get what we need. We have a meeting set for the next morning, perhaps we can use that to set the meeting.

Talking With Mister Witch

• Mister Witch approaches. I don't hear him approach.
• "I think you have something of mine."
• "We want to go to the Feywild" blurts out Baerwin
• Mister Light laughs. Why do you want to do that?
• Karthos explains about the World Mushroom, and wants to go to Prismeer to do it.
• I explain about Madrick, and Prismeer, and Zabilna. And I apologize for taking the watch.
• I say it was a foolish plan. "Foolish indeed," he remarks. Well, we may as well get on with it.
• We follow him. He takes us to the Hall of Illusion, where Mister Light is waiting outside. As we move through the hall, their reflections appear as children. The mirrors now show everyone's true age.
• "Will you give me the watch?" he asks.
• I hand it over. "Everything you seek and more is behind the mirror".
• If you wish to travel, say this rhyme: "Hither thither, here and there, wander yonder, show me where."
• I recite the rhyme, and the mirror in front of me turns into a portal. Baerwin starts telling Mister Witch how much he loved the carnival, but before he can get more than a sentance in Mister Light shoves him through the portal. We follow.

In the Feywild

• We find ourselves at the bottom of a brick well. There is about a foot of water at the bottom of it. There is no ladder.
• Korag climbs out of the well. Baerwin follows. They help the rest of us out.
• We are in a forest of rather ordinary looking trees, but oddly as we look away from things we tend to forget them.
• A wooden sign, scrawled in blood, reads "do not stray from the path."
• I change out of my fancy robes and into my gear.
• The feywild is a plane inhabited more with concepts than with real creatures. Everything is half imaginary, and half remembered. Names and debts have tremendous power in this realm. Names are dangerous. Karthos has heard of such paths, and knows them to be exceptionally dangerous. Straying from the path leads to consequences untold, as no one has ever come back (untold, ha).
• Karthos also warns us not to give things a name, or to respond to a name. To respond to anything that tries to give you a name is to accept that name, and doing so twice will give that creature incredible power over you.
• We start moving, following the path. But before that we tie each other to each other using the rope, buddy system.
• Karthos looks around. We are deep in the woods though, so there is not much to see. We start down the path. Baerwin takes the lead, with Karthos staying behind.
• We head down the path for about half an hour, but we've only made it about 20 feet from the well in this time.
• We travel another half hour, and again cover maybe 20 feet of distance. We're not quite sure where the time is going.
• "Let's try running" says Resda. We jog for a while, and make it another 20 feet or so.
• She next suggests walking backwards. After another half hour or so we make it about 20 feet.
• Karthos closes his eyes, with a distant look on his face. He says he is trying to imaging himself making his way down the path. We join with him but make no progress.
• We travel for a while while only looking at the path itself, not around us. After about half an hour we look around and feel realize we can no longer see the well, though we're not sure how far we've come.
• Baerwin suggests it might be our mental state, maybe if we walk without care we'll make more progress. Karthos thinks just staring at the path is the way to go. The path is quite distinct, I don't see any risk that we will stray from the path.
• We try Baerwin's suggestion, not giving any real care to our surrounding. After 10 minutes we find we have traveled a long distance, probably farther than we really would have given our speed.
• I suggest we continue to follow the path to see where it leads us.
• It is difficult to tell how much time is passing, as the sun doesn't seem to be moving in the way would would normally expect.
• We forget about this when we come across a table which has been set across the path. There is an ornate table cloth, and sitting at the table is a large frog. The frog bids us hello.
• "Hello," says Korag.
• The frog offers us tea, which is freshly brewed. Karthos declines.
• "Well that is quite rude, refusing a gift." The frog frowns. "Where are you off to so rudely?"
• "We're looking for a friend," says Resda, describing Bun and Min.
• I sit down. The frog pours tea, which I drink. It tastes like fine tea. I ask if the frog would like something to eat, and at an affirmative pull out a ration, sharing it around. Karthos accedes and accetps some tea, handing over a mushroom in return.
• The frog seems mollified. "So you're looking for your friend," he says. "It was some days ago she passed."
• "How was she faring?" Karthos asked.
• "She looked in a rush", he replied.
• He says the path is dangerous to travel, alone or together. Do you know where the path goes?
• "Hopefully to Prismeer" Karthos replies.
• "Well, the path will lead you where you seek, but you must follow it to the well"
• "Which well?"
• "Exactly"
• "Do you have any advice for travelers unfamiliar with this land?" I ask.
• "Stay on the path," he replies, smiling. "And watch out for the rude one," pointing at Karthos.
• We continue down the path. We are losing track of time and if we are making any progress, though I think we are. We continue to travel, and eventually come to the brick well.
• It isn't clear if it is the same well or not.
• I look into the well and cannot see the bottom.

Punches

1. Bubble-Pop Tea Pot 2. Snail Racing 3. Guess the Feathers 4. Goblin Wrestling 5. Mystery Mine