Saralas: The Feywild Chapter 4

The Feywild: Chapter 4

Translated from the original Elvish by the historian Steve Block

Initial bullet points captured during the translation process can be found below.

At the Well

I peered into the well, trying to see what, if anything, was down it. It looked exactly like the well we arrived in, but that couldn't be possible because we had followed the path in nearly a straight line. I searched around; there was no writing and no symbols anywhere on the well. There was a sign nearby, which looked much like the sign we saw before. But I couldn't be certain if it was the same sign. This place was confusing, and clearly didn't work in the way I was used to.

Kaira grabbed a small rock and dropped it into the depths. It fell out of sight, enveloped in darkness, and we never heard it hit the bottom. Suddenly Karthos jumped into the well and disappeared out of sight.

"Well, that was bold," I said.

"We should probably go in after him," said Resda. "Maybe these wells change their destination."

I looked around further, maybe there was something I was missing. But other than the path, the trees, the sign, and the well there was nothing. Resda reached into the well with one of her several arms and felt around, but without success.

I finished my survey of the area, and, looking around at the two women and the giant, said "Well, I don't see any other path. Any ideas?" Resda suggested making a chain of people, but before we got much farther in the discussion Korag jumped in too. I didn't realize the cleric would be so impulsive.

Kaira, Resda and I sat down and had a picnic, talking about our options going forward. It was a nice enough break and we felt refreshed afterwards, but still didn't have any new good ideas. Resda shrugged with all three arms and climbed into the well, hanging from the edge. Then she let go. Kaira jumped in next, leaving me alone next to the well, my companions all gone through a portal of some kind or maybe just falling endlessly. Suddenly paranoid, I looked around for grell, but saw nothing.

I didn't see any other good options before me. Either wander here with no obvious way back, or jump in myself. "Nothing ventured..." I muttered, and jumped in.

Inside the well I fell until the light above disappeared and it was pitch black. I could feel myself going faster and faster, and no sign of the bottom. Panic started to build and I forced myself to be calm. I couldn't stop what came next but I could at least keep my head.

Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, I was thrust into twilight, landing on top of Kaira and Resda from what felt like about 5 feet. We all got to our feet, bruised but otherwise intact. A portal indeed.

The Causeway

I dusted myself off and made sure the others were OK. Looking around, I saw we were standing on the edge of a large raised causeway; a massive decaying bridge about 20 feet wide and maybe 100 feet high. A huge swamp ripe with the smell of rotting plants was below us, and rising from the swamp was the sound of life. Birds, frogs, insects, and more. There were large gaps in the causeway where sections of the bridge had fallen into the swamp below. Other than the humidity and smell the weather was pleasant and temperate.

"Smells like home," remarked Karthos.

The portal we entered this space from appeared to be gone, I couldn't see anything but the twilight sky filled with unfamiliar constellations. The causeway continued in front of us, but behind us was a large missing section that we could not traverse. We proceeded forward with no particular care. Like before distance, speed, and time did not seem to be fully coupled, and we made more progress than I thought we should.

Eventually we found ourselves at the edge of the bridge, looking down through a broken section into piles of rubble in the swamp below. There were large mushrooms growing from the stone and we were still about 100 feet above the swamp.

Karthos said we should use the mushrooms to work our way down. I thought the handholds in the stone causeway itself would be more suitable, and started climbing down. As I climbed using these hand- and footholds, I looked up. There was a large balloon, patchwork in construction about a mile away. It was spinning out of control as if it had been punctured and the gas was escaping, and the basket was swinging wildly. It disappeared out of sight into the fog about a mile from where we were.

We made our way to the bottom, where sticky mud squished beneath our boots, and mangroves and mushrooms grew all around. Fireflies and moths were flying around, and snatched out of the air by hungry frogs.

The Balloon

At the bottom I told the others about the balloon I saw and suggested we head that way to see what happened and if there was anything we could do.

"Maybe we can get some help," said Resda.

"They might need help, it looked like it was crashing," I replied.

We started heading towards where I saw it go down. Although I estimated it was only about a mile away, it seemed to take all day to get there. Eventually we came to a crumbling stone tower rising crazily out of the swamp. It was leaning at such a steep angle it seemed ready to fall at any moment. Black brambles clung to the tower and grew all around it.

Above us was the large woven basket of the balloon, dangling 30 feet above the swamp. It was still connected to the balloon, which was flat and hanging from the tower. I looked up at the balloon and called out "Hello, anyone there?" but there was no reply.

I looked at the tower, wondering if we could climb it to access the balloon basket. Looking more closely, I saw two giant constrictor snakes curled up asleep, blocking access to the door of the tower. There was no way to easily move past them, and the path to the tower was thick with brambles.

Karthos approached the snakes and brambles, and as he did we heard something call out in a loud whisper, "I am in a bit of a bind. I, sir Televar, ask you to assist me." The voice explained he was escaping from someone named Bavlorna. The pilot of the balloon, Wigglewag, did not survive the crash, and he needed to tell his queen of the fall of Prismeer. He also warned us of the snakes I had seen.

Karthos said something, and the two sleeping snakes awoke, disentangled themselves, and moved over to Karthos. They seemed friendly to him. He said something more and the snakes slithered up the tower to the hanging basket. They retrieved it and brought it back to Karthos.

Inside the basket was the corpse of a bullywog, and laying at the bottom a silver cage holding a small fairie dragon. The dragon spoke again, confirming he was Sir Televar and the one who was speaking to us before. Karthos picked up the cage and looked for a way to open it, but it was held shut by a small locked door. Kaira stooped down and pulled out a set of lockpicks, but couldn't get the door open. Karthos looked more closely and said the cage was enchanted.

Karthos asked about the tower, but Sir Televar, having just crashed her, doesn't know anything about it. "It does appear to be in very poor repair," he remarked. Karthos then turned to the snakes and said something snake-ish, relaying to us that the snakes weren't interested in the tower but rather how tasty the frogs were.

Baerwin pushed his way through the brambles and made his way up to the tower door. He knocked, and then opened the door, calling us forward. I looked around, and the inside of the tower was in ruins, covered thickly with brambles. It was getting late, and thinking we might rest here we spent an hour or so clearing out the brambles. I was feeling tired, and took a break on the floor, leaning against the wall. I lit my pipe and watched as Karthos poked at Sir Televar's cage.

While Karthos prodded, Baerwin asked about Wigglewog. "Should we bury him?"

Sir Televar shrugged. "I didn't know him very well. He was one of the servants of Bavlorna, but he took pity on me and helped me escape." He made a small dragon shrug. "Burial seems as good as anything," he continued, "but it might be tricky in a swamp. It's the corpses, you see. They float."

Karthos was still staring at the cage. He said something unfamiliar then rocked backwards as if struck. He blinked and shook his head, then paused, then did it again. "Where are the colors?" he asked.

Kaira had another go at the lock but was unable to pick it open. She was clearly getting frustrated. Eventually, tired, we decided to take a break and rest here until morning. After meditating for a while and feeling refreshed, I paused to write of the day's happenings. I noticed that Baerwin and Resda were tossing and turning in their sleep. They appeared to be having nightmares.

Talking with Televar

In the morning we started planning where to go next. "And what are you going to do about me?" Sir Televar asked. He didn't know what spell was used to seal the cage or how to open it, but inside the cage he was unable to cast any spells. He also knew where the key to the cage might be found, in the direction of Downfall.

He explained that Downfall was a bullywog settlement that Bavlorna called home, but the key was actually in the possession of a goblin named Jingle Jangle who lived at the top of Telemy Hill. He then explained more about himself and his mission.

Sir Televar told us how he was a noble fairie dragon and emissary of the Summer Queen. He had come to Prismeer to meet with Zabilna and negotiate an alliance. But when he got there he discovered that Prismeer had been seized by the three hags of the Hourglass Coven. He was captured by the hag Bavlorna, who with her two sisters who she hates, had teamed up to use the power of a magic cauldron (I didn't catch the name) to freeze time in Zabilna's palace. After this the hags split Prismeer into three kingdoms to rule as they saw fit. Bavlorna ruled this realm, called Hither, and turned it into a swamp.

He must get free and return to his realm to report the terrible news.

Baerwin asked us what our real goal was, to find the world mushroom or to help Prismeer. Televar, looking annoyed, said "If anyone would know, it's Zabilna," in Elvish.

"Well, certainly not this lot," Professor Skant chimed in, also in Elvish.

I laughed quietly and replied in Common. "It sounds like the thing to do then would be to help you." I asked how far his queen was from here, and he explained it was a long ways away, through the magical wells. I also asked why the goblin was called Jingle Jangle. Resda guessed that it was because she carried a lot of keys and jingled as she walked. Televar confirmed that this was right, she wore chainmail made of hundreds of keys and carried many more.

Karthos asks him to describe the key. I suggested we look for a key that matched the look of the silver cage itself. Jingle Jangle is apparently friendly.

"Maybe we can trade a key," said Kaira. "Does anyone have a key?"

I still carried the adamantine key from Ythryn, and I had no intention of ever returning. "I have a key," I replied. We decided to head in search of the hill.

Looking for Telemy Hill

Pranked

Before we left, Karthos asked Sir Televar for directions on how to get to the hill. Televar just looked confused. "By going there," he said, as if it was obvious. I suggested we try walking uphill. Baerwin said we should hold Telemy Hill in our minds as we went, which wasn't a bad idea.

Karthos strapped the silver cage containing Sir Televar to the top of his pack, and we started walking. After a while Karthos stopped, telling us to be quiet. He heard giggles coming from amongst the trees, but none of us could hear anything. A while after we continued on, Baerwin stopped us saying he heard the same thing. Soon after, Resda quietly said "I now hear it too."

Sir Televar didn't know what the sound might be, as he hadn't spent much time in Prismeer, and even less in what it had become. The woods grew thicker as we walked, and it was difficult to see far. We could all hear the giggling now, flitting in and out of the trees. We stopped, listening, and called out to whoever was there, but heard no response.

With no better options we tried to continue on, when suddenly we fell forward, flat on our faces. At some point we didn't notice, ropes had been tied around our ankles.

"Fucking fairies!" Karthos shouted. Kaira was laughing loudly. The giggling in the trees grew louder for a moment, and then was gone. We had been pranked!

I untied the ropes, and shrugged. "Well, they win."

Detour to the Geyser

Thoroughly pranked, we moved on. Along the way towards Telemy Hill I heard the sound of rushing water in the distance. It didn't appear to be quite in the direction we were going, but I was curious, if it was a waterfall or rapids or something. I made my way towards the sound.

I came to a clearing where there was an owell, 10 feet tall and 5 in diameter. A steady geyser of water was shooting from the well, rising to a height of 30 feet. Karthos had followed, and pointed out three white and grey mushrooms bobbing at the top of the geyser.

"Does anyone want to go for a ride?" he asked.

I looked at him skeptically, "My curiosity is satisfied."

Karthos stepped into the water, riding it up to the top. As soon as he did this several wil-o-wisps appeared, shouting at him and calling him a thief for trying to take their mushrooms. Karthos apologized, and tumbled back to the ground, soaking wet. The wisps were flitting around the top of the geyser.

"Why are you protecting these mushrooms," Karthos asked.

"We were picking them when we were killed, Thief!" They had called him Thief several times now.

"That's not my name," he called.

"Too late!" Then they disappeared.

Meeting Jingle Jangle

We left the geyser behind and started back on our way to Telemy Hill. We passed through a thick mist and found ourselves at the base of a hill covered in dozens of willow trees. A narrow game trail led up the side of the hill. Although there was no breeze in the air, the willows were swaying. I pointed this out to the others, and then called out.

"Are you alive?"

As if in response, five willow trees made their way over to us. They spoke Common in low, rumbling voices, welcoming us to the hill. They wanted to know how long we would stay.

"We're looking for Jingle Jangle," I explained.

"We know her," they said, and told us that her home is just up the path. We ask about her and they tell us she is very friendly and they like her a lot. She collects keys and wears them endlessly, even a coat of keys that jingle and jangle as she walks. They told us that she returned a few days ago and hasn't left again, and they are worried about her.

"She must be very hungry."

Since the trees seem friendly and like Jingle Jangle, and Sir Televar also seemed to know her, I suggested we head up the path to meet and talk with her. I asked the trees if they wanted anything but they said they were fine. We started up the path, and the trees closed ranks behind us, shooing us along with their branches. Farther up the hill four more trees joined in. We couldn't really turn back, but I didn't sense a threat. It was more a sense of eagerness.

We made our way to the top of the hill, where there was a cave with an entryway shaped like a keyhole.

"Go in!" the trees said. "See our friend."

I knocked on the door. "Come in, it's open," I heard a voice call.

"Go in," said the trees.

I opened the door. Inside, warm stone steps went down into what seemed like a cellar. It was chilly, and I could smell iron in the air. Candles illuminated the room at the bottom, where I saw a multitude of keys dangling from strings from the walls and ceiling. There were hundreds of other keys strewn everywhere across the floor.

I heard a jangling, and a goblin entered the room. She was wearing a coat of keys like Sir Televar had described, and she carried a flail, but with locks on the end rather than a more traditional design. She clearly had a thing for locks and keys, and she jingled and jangled as she walked.

"How can Jingle Jangle unlock happiness for you today?" she asked. I explained that we were looking for a key to open the cage containing Sir Televar.

"Oh indeed I have the key, what will you give me for it?"

"I heard you were hungry, would you like to share some food with us?"

She agreed, and while I set out a meal from our stores she started searching for the key. She was looking everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, in containers, but didn't find it. Finally, she opened a chest, rifling through it, and picked up a silver key.

"This must be it," she said. "Better you should have it than that unseemly type," and she handed the key to Karthos.

He pointed towards me, and I heard his voice in my head asking if we want to give her a key in return.

"Let me out!" Sir Televar shouted.

"Just open the cage," I replied.

Karthos unlocked the door and Sir Televar flew free, thanking us profusely. He flew over to Kaira and handed her his tiny sword. Then he flew out the door and was gone.

Resda seemed dismayed that we let him go. Professor Skant asked "Were you planning on just keeping it a prisoner like me?" Resda was surprised to find that Skant wanted some autonomy and freedom to move on his own.

Now that Sir Televar was free we sat down to eat, and while we did I asked Jingle Jangle about how things have been going in the kingdom, particularly since the Hourglass Coven took over. She looked downhearted and said things had been awful since the Hourglass Coven took over. The place was called Prismeer, but now it was broken into three kingdoms called Hither, Thither, and Yon. Jingle Jangle herself had been cursed by one of the hags and ever since she had an insatiable need to collect keys, and often forgot to eat.

She was pretty sure that only Bavlorna, who cursed her, would know how to undo it.

Resda asked if she had heard anything about people disappearing from the Witchlight Carnival, but she didn't know anything about that.

"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Karthos asked.

She asked for a story, and I told her a story of a Beautiful Elf, and the Even More Beautiful Dark Woman he followed. She clapped, and seemed happy for the story. She leaned forward and confided that the best guide in Hither was a pincer-clawed scarecrow named Clapperclaw. He lived in Downfall, and knows all the ways around the kingdom, and the way to the neighboring realm of Thither. She also told me that Thither is run by a hag named Granny Nightshade.

"Thank you, Jingle Jangle."

"Jingle Jangle is happy to help," she replied. I couldn't help noticing that she always referred to herself in the third person. Resda wondered if that behavior was a key to not accepting a name from others.

We got ready to leave, and as we did I quite obviously, but "accidentally" dropped the adamantine key behind me.

Outside, the trees were in a fantastic mood, capering about and waving their limbs. Jingle Jangle was their friend and they were happy that we had stopped by and lifted her spirits. One of the trees raised a branch with an iron key on it.

"Jingle Jangle dropped this," it said. "She won't miss it, but it will help you later." I took the key and tucked it into the pocket where I held the adamantine key before. It sounded like we should make our way towards Downfall.

Raw Notes

At the Well

• We come to a well, which seems to have no bottom. It has no writing or symbols on it either.
• There is a sign here, which appears to be much like what I remember before, but I can't tell for certain
• Kaira drops a rock, which goes in and is enveloped in the darkness. We don't hear it hit the bottom
• Karthos jumps in and disappears
• "Well that was bold," I say.
• "We should probably go in after him," says Resda, "maybe these wells change their destination."
• I look around but don't really see anything other than the path, trees, and the well.
• Resda reaches in and feels around.
• "Well, I don't see any other path, any ideas?" I look around at the two women and the giant. Resda suggests making a chain.
• Korag jumps.
• I have a picnic with Kaira and Resda and we talk about our options.
• Resda climbs in, then lets go and drops into the well.
• "Nothing ventured..." I say, and jump in. I fall until I can see nothing but black. I seem to be going faster and faster and faster.
• Finally, I am thrust into twilight, and fall about 5 feet on top of the others.
• We all get to our feet, bruised but not broken.

The Causeway

• We find ourselves standing at the edge of a raised causeway.
• Large sections of it have fallen away. Large gaps appear. Below is a swamp, and rising up from the swamp is the smell of rotting plants.
• It's about 20 feet wide and about 100 feet above the swamp below.
• Also rising up from the swamp is the song of birds and sound of frogs and insects. The weather is quite nice.
• Karthos remarks that it smells like home.
• The portal we came from appears to be gone, and we see nothing but the twilight sky and unfamiliar constellations.
• Karthos suggests heading north towards the end of the causeway.
• We walk casually down the path, making more progress than maybe we should.
• We make our way to the edge of the bridge, looking down we can see rubble from the broken causeway. We can also see large mushrooms growing from the rocks. It's about 100 feet down from here.
• Karthos suggests using the mushrooms to get down. I look around and see hand- and footholds we could use.
• We climb down to ground level from this point. As we are going down, I see a great balloon made of a patchwork material. It spins out of control as if punctured, and the basket is swinging wildly. It disappears out of sight into the fog about a mile away
• At the bottom, sticky mud squishes, and mangroves and mushrooms grow all around. Fireflies and moths fly around until they are snatched out of the air by hungry frogs.

The Balloon

• I ask the others if they want to head towards where I saw the balloon go down.
• "Maybe we can get some help," says Resda.
• "They might need help, it looks like it was crashing," I reply.
• We start heading towards where I saw it go down.
• We travel for what feels like the rest of the day, but cover the distance of maybe 1 mile, if I can trust what I see.
• A crumbling stone tower rises out of the swamp, leaning at such an angle it threatens to fall.
• Black brambles cling to the tower
• We see a large woven basket dangling 30 feet above the swamp, it is the basket of the balloon hanging from the tower.
• I look up at the balloon and call out "Hello, anyone there?" There is no reply.
• On inspecting the tower, I notice two giant constrictor snakes curled up asleep, blocking the door of the tower. There are a bunch of brambles in front of the door as well.
• Karthos approaches the edge of the brambles. As he does, something speaks to him from the basket in a loud whisper
  • I am in a bit of a bind. I, sir Televar, ask you to assist me.
  • He was escaping from someone. Bavlorna.
  • The pilot Wigglewag did not survive. He says he must tell his queen of the fall of prismeer.
  • He warns of two snakes below that might attack.
• Karthos says something, and the snakes disentagle themselves and move over to Karthos. They seem friendly to him.
• The snakes retrieve the basket and bring it to Karthos.
• Inside the basket we see the corpse of a bullywog. On the bottom of the basket, a silver cage rests, and inside is a small fairie dragon. He is Sir Televar, and speaks Common.
• Karthos looks to find a way to open the cage but is unable to see a way.
• Kaira stoops to look over the cage, and notices a tiny door, which is locked. She pulled out a set of lockpicks but is unable to open the cage. There is an enchantment on the cage.
• Sir Televar doesn't know anything about the tower. He observes that it does seem to be in very poor repair.
• Karthos says the snakes don't appear to be here to protect the tower, and they are telling him about how good the frogs are here.
• Baerwin pushes his way through the brambles. The inside of the tower is in ruins, and thick with brambles.
• We take about an hour to clean out the brambles from the tower. We are quite tired at this point.
• I take a break to sit on the floor, leaning against the crumbling wall. I light my pipe and watch Karthosh poke at the cage.
• Baerwin asks about Wigglewog, should we bury him? Televar shrugs, "I didn't know him very well, he was one of the servants of Bavlorna but he took pity on me and helped me escape."
• Burial seems as good as anything, he remarks, but it might be tricky in a swamp. "The corpses float, you see."
• Karthos is staring intently at the cage. He says something, then blinks and shakes his head. He blinks and shakes it again. "Where are the colors?"
• Kaira squats down and tries to pick the lock again. But it does not open. She is getting frustrated.
• We are quite tired, and decide to rest here. Before we turn in I set an alarm on the door.
• After I finish my meditation, I notice that Baerwin and Resda are tossing and turning. They appear to be having nightmares.

Talking with Televar

• "And what are you going to do about me?" sir Televar asks.
• He does not know how to open the case or what spell was used but he noticed he can't cast magic. "There is a key in the direction of Downfall."
• It is a bullywog settlement that Balorna calls home.
• He is a noble fairie dragon and an emissary of Titania, the Summer Queen
• He discovered that Prismeer had been siezed by the three hags of the Hourglass Coven.
• Balorna has two sisters who she hates, but they teamed up and using the power of ??'s cauldron froze time in Prismeer.
• One Zabilna was out of the way, the hags split Prismeer into three kingdoms, to rule as they wanted. Balorna tunred this section of Prismeer into a swamp.
• A goblin named Jingle Jangle has the key to the birdcage. He does not live in downfall, where Televar was captured, but rather at the top of Telemy hill. He must be freed so he can report to his queen the terrible news.
• Baerwin is asking what our real goal here is, to find the world mushroom or to help Prismeer.
• "If anyone would know, it's Zabilna," says the dragon, in Elvish.
• "Well, certainly not this lot," Skant replies sarcastically.
• I reply in common, "well, it sounds like the thing to to would be to help you."
• "Does anyone know the Knock spell?" he asks, but no one does.
• I ask how far is his queen. It is quite far, through the magical wells is the reply.
• "Why do they call him Jingle Jangle?" I ask. Resda guesses that he has a lot of keys. Televar confirms that he wears chainmail made of hundreds of keys.
• It is a silver key.
• "Maybe we can trade a key?" says Kaira. "Does anyone have a key?"
• "I have a key," I reply

Looking for the Hill

• Karthos asks for directions on how to get to the hill. Televar looks confused "By going there," he says.
• I suggest walking uphill. Baerwin suggests holding Telemy Hill in our minds as we go.
• Karthos straps the silver cage to the top of his pack.
• We travel for a while, and Karthos is sure that he hears giggles from amongst the trees.
• We stop, but don't hear anything else. We continue on.
• After a while, Baerwin hears giggling amongst the trees.
• We keep going, and Resda hears giggling. "I now hear it," she says quietly.
• Sir Televar doesn't know what it might be. He hasn't spent much time in Prismeer, and even less in what it has become.
• The woods grow thicker, it is difficult to see far. We all hear giggling flitting in and out among the trees. We hear no reply to our inquiries, and try to continue forward.
• We suddenly all fall. Ropes have been tied around our ankles.
• "Fucking fairies!" says Karthos. Kaira is laughing.
• The laughing in the trees grows for a moment and then is gone.
• I untie the ropes, "well, they win."

A Geyser

• We move on. We hear the sound of rushing water in the distance. It does not appear to be quite in the direction we are going.
• But I am curious and would like to see what this is. We make our way towards the sound of rushing water.
• We find an owell, 10 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. A steady geyser of water shoots from the well, rising to a height of 30 feet above the well.
• Karthos notices at the top of the geyser, 3 white and grey mushrooms bobbing in the stream.
• He asks if anyone wants to go for a ride into the air.
• "My curiosity is satisfied," I say.
• Karthos steps into the water. As soon as he does, several Will-O-Wisps appear, shouting at him for being a thief. They are their mushrooms. Karthos apologizes.
• Karthos tumbles back to the ground, soaking wet. The Wisps flit about the top of the stream.
• Karthos asks why they are protecting the mushrooms.
• "We were picking them when we were killed, thief." They've called him thief several times.
• They then disappear.

Telemy Hill

• We pass through mist, dozens of Willow trees are on the hill. A narrow game trail leads up the side of the hill. The willows are swaying.
• There is no breeze. I point this out to the others.
• "Are you alive?" I say.
• 5 trees make their way over to the party. Speaking common in low, rumbling voices, they welcome us to the hill. They ask how long we plan to say.
• I explain we are looking for Jingle Jangle. They know her, they say. She is just up the path.
• They tell us that she is very friendly, and they like her a lot. She collects keys and wear them endlessly. She even wears a coat of keys that Jingle and Jangle as she walks.
• She returned days ago and has not left. She must be hungry by now.
• I suggest we go up the path and talk to her, if she's friendly and hungry.
• I ask if the trees would like anything, but they say they are fine.
• We make our way up the path. The trees close ranks behind the party, shooing us along with their branches.
• As we climb the path, 4 more trees join in, shepherding us up the path.
• At the top of the hill we find a cave with an entryway shaped like a keyhole.
• "Go in!" the trees say. "See our friend."
• I knock on the door. "Come in, it's open" I hear a voice call.
• "Go in," the trees say.
• I enter. Warm stone steps go down into what seems like a cellar. It's chilly, and I detect a sense of iron in the air.
• Candles illuminate a multitude of keys dangling from strings. Hundreds of other keys lie strewn across the floor. I hear keys jingling as a goblin enters. She wears a coat of keys and carries a flail with locks on the end.
• She asks how she can help. I explain we were looking for her help finding the key to open the cage.
• "Oh indeed I have the key, what will you give me for it"
• "I heard you were hungry, would you like to share some food with us?"
• She agrees and searches for the key. Looking everywhere. Finally she opens a chest, rifling through it, and picks up a silver key. "This must be it," she says, "Better you should have it than that unseemly type." She hands the key to Karthos.
• He points towards me, asking if we want to give her a key in return.
• "Let me out!" Sir Televar says.
• "Just open the cage" I reply.
• Sir Televar flies over and thanks us profusely. He flies over to Kaira, handing her his tiny sword, and then flies out the door and is gone.
• Resda seems dismayed. "Were you planning on just keeping it a prisoner like me?"
• He seems to want to have some autonomy.
• I ask Jingle Jangle how things have gone since the kingdom went weird
  • Things have been awful since the Hourglass Coven took over teh world
  • The kingdom was called Prismeer, but now the three places are called Hither, Thither, and Yon
  • She has been cursed with an insatiable need to collect keys, often forgetting to eat
  • She thinks only Bavlorna would know how to break this curse
  • She does not know anything about people disappearing from the carnival
• Karthos asks if there's anything else we can do to help, and she asks for a story.
• I tell the story of a Beautiful Elf and the even more Beautiful Dark Woman. She claps, and is happy for the story.
• She confides in me that the best guide in Hither is a pincer-clawed scarecrow named clapperclaw. He lives in Downfall, and knows the ways around the kingdom, as well as the way to the neighboring realm of Thither, which is run by a hag named Granny Nightshade.
• I thank her for the information. She is happy to help.
• I notice she always refers to herself in the third person.
• As we leave, I quite obviously, but "accidentally" drop the adamantine key behind me.
• Outside, the trees are in a fantastic mood, thrilled that we have raised Jingle Jangle's spirits.
• One raises a branch with an iron key, and says Jangle Jangle dropped it. She won't miss it, but it will help us later. I take the key and tuck it away where I held the adamantine key before.
• Resda suggests maybe the key to not accepting a name.
• What's next?