Saralas: The Feywild Chapter 6

Translated from the original Elvish by the historian Steve Block

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

Traveling to Downfall

The Other Baerwin

Baerwin hefted his trident, preparing to throw it at the mirror copy of himself. Last time he attacked the creature he badly hurt himself, but this didn't seem to deter him. His arm went back, and he was just about to release the weapon.

"Wait a moment, Baerwin!" called a voice from the riverbank. Kaira had reappeared, swimming out of the river. "It's not attacking yet, and we need a better plan." Baerwin halted his throw but held himself ready for action.

"Kaira, where have you been?" I asked. She shook her head, water falling from her hair to the ground, declining to explain her absence.

"Let me see here..." muttered Karthos. He walked closer to the mirror Baerwin, searching its face and his thoughts. "I have it!" he declared loudly. It's an inverted copy. Harming it heals it, but hurts Baerwin. It should work the other way!"

"Karthos, you mean healing it will hurt it?" I asked?

"Precisely!" The other elf said excitedly. "I think healing it is hurting it, and hurting it is healing it!"

"Got it!" shouted Baerwin, and without warning lunged for the other Baerwin. It tightened its grip on its weapon as Baerwin crashed into it. They tumbled to the ground, in the dirt and mud, rolling around until both were covered. I was no longer sure which Baerwin was ours and which was the copy.

"Take it off!" yelled Karthos, who may have lost his mind.

"Which is which!?" Resda yelled. "Which is ours?"

"He's that one!" said Kaira, pointing at one of the muddy fighters.

Assuming she was pointing out the real Baerwin, I tested Karthos' idea by casting a strong healing spell on the other man. The agonized scream that erupted from him seemed to prove Karthos right. He was hurt!

Korag rushed forward, speaking a low, powerful word. As the impostor screamed again, Korag tied a short ribbon around his leg.

Baerwin let his mirror image go, looking confused and standing there like a fool.

Karthos cast another spell, and the mirror Baerwin screamed in agony again, smoke exuding from his mouth.

The screaming changed to a roar of anger, and a huge cone of freezing cold air and ice erupted from him, hitting us all and knocking several people over. Korag was still standing though, and after another word and a moment, the impostor screamed again. Smoke poured from eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and soon every pore. He fell, and soon there was nothing there but smoke, floating away in the breeze.

Catching up Kaira

Immediate threat dealt with, I turned to Kaira. "Kaira, there's something I need to tell you," I started. "When you were away we came across Min fighting our old companion Pearl in the forest. Min killed Pearl, and we found Bun." Bun, emerging from the bushes where he was hiding, waved.

I explained what we learned from Bun, that the Daggers seemed to have overcome Min, and how Pearl rescued Bun from an apparent dark ritual. Resda joined in with the story of meeting Raksha, and our worries about Min and the daggers. I still wanted to help free Min, if we could.

Kaira also wanted to help Min, if possible. "Should we go looking for her?" I asked.

"I have a feeling she'll find us," said Kaira.

"By the way Bun, are you planning to stick with us?" I asked. Bun nodded enthusiastically, flying around us excitedly, or nervously.

"She's still out there," he said in a squeaky voice.

"You're making it really hard to pretend it never happened by talking about it so much," said Baerwin, who like Karthos clearly wanted to forget our encounter with Raksha.

"I want you to remember," I replied cooly.

Back on the River

We piled back into the skiff. With Korag and Kaira here the small boat was crowded, but still floating. We pushed off from the riverbank, still trying to head towards Downfall.

After some time heading up/down the river, we found ourselves deep in a thick, heavy fog. I could no longer see more than about 20 feet in any direction. We kept poling, trying to hold the idea of Downfall in our minds.

After some time moving through the fog, the waterway clearly widened, and I felt the current slow. I was pretty sure we had entered a lake, but heavy fog still obscured my vision. Two rowboats appeared out of the fog, each manned by two bullywogs dressed in soiled clothing.

They croaked something in a language I couldn't understand. "Welcome to Downfall, travelers," Kaira translated for us. "It's Sylvan," she explained.

"Thanks, we're glad to be here," said Resda, Kaira translating for her.

They told us that King Gullop would be honored to make our acquaintance, and suggested heading to a small dock nearby. They also described where to find him, past the stepping stones, through the balloon factory, across the bridge, and then to the gazebo.

Between this King Gullup and the talk we heard from Televar and the Soggy Court Auxiliary about Bavlorna, Karthos seemed confused about who ran what in this place. It seemed clear to me though that Gullup was King through Bavlorna's indulgence. He ran the Soggy Court, but she ran Thither, and he could be replaced at any time.

We argued about what to do next in Common. Luckily the Bullywogs in the other boats didn't know Common, or I'm sure we would have offended them greatly. Bearwin was still itching to fight, saying "I thought we had to clear this town, kill the hags!"

And maybe he wasn't wrong, but I wanted to take things one step at a time, because we were operating on limited information and if the Hourglass Coven was able to depose the ruler of the realm they were likely powerful.

"Let's dock first, and see what we can learn from the residents of this town."

Downfall

Arrival

We poled the skiff to the dock and tied up on the ramshackle wooden pier. Looming above us was a large balloon hanging from posts driven into the swamp. A gas bladder in the balloon expanded and sagged in intervals as swamp gas filled and then leaked out through many tears in the fabric. A bullywog sat trying to repair it, and there were also giant frogs around lazily eating insects flying through the air. Both the bullywog and the frogs looked as us warily, but didn't seem hostile.

Karthos looked at them, then back at the skiff? "Is there a mooring fee?" he asked, in Common. Like the first group we met on the lake he didn't speak Common, and just stared at him blankly.

Shrugging, we walked past. Past the pier a row of boulders spaced about two feet apart made a walking path across a 40-foot section of the water along the walkway. The water was muddy, and it was tough to tell how deep it was.

Karthos started across the stepping stone path, and halfway across one of the stones moved under his feet. He tried to steady himself, arms windmilling, and then fell in the water, which proved to be only a few feet deep.

The moving stone turned out to be a creature made of rock, (a galeb duhr, I later learned). He looked quite offended to have been trod upon, and grumbled loudly under his breath in Dwarvish. Karthos started stammering a hasty apology, offering the offended creature gold.

"What a terrible apology," the creature said angrily, staring daggers at Karthos. "Try again. If you can sing your apology to me, with feeling, then perhaps I will accept it."

Karthos, still stammering, sang a song of shame and regret, and how sorry he was. Mollified, the creature accepted, moved away, and sank back into the water. Karthos climbed back up onto the stone path and made his way to the other side. We all followed, careful to not step on any more creatures along the way.

"Well done Karthos," I said quietly as I rejoined him. "I feared he would cause a scene."

"No one likes being trod on, without consent," he said wryly. "Still he was reasonable enough."

Putting out Fires

On the other side of the crossing was a wooden structure built on stilts above the lake. Smoke drifted from the top, out of the thatched roof, but not through a proper smoke hole or chimney. And the windows were blacked out. A clothesline was attached to one side of the building, frayed garments hanging from it.

Karthos walked up to the door and opened it. The room inside was a charred mess. Hazy smoke hung over piles of burned and broken shelves and whatever else may have been on them. There was a bullywog with a bucket of water scurrying around the room trying to put out the fires.

Karthos grabbed another bucket from the junk strewn about the floor and filled it with lake water. Seeing the sense of this, Korag and I also moved to help.

Re-entering with full buckets we looked for the source of the flames. We quickly noticed that there were several animated coals running around the floor, six in total, and they were spraying burning embers everywhere. Korag threw his bucketful of water at one but it danced out of the way, setting a shelf on fire. Karthos missed too, the nimble coals cackling with glee.

"Is there anything we can do to stop them?" asked Kaira in Sylvan.

"I've been trying all morning," the bullywog wailed in despair.

I threw a bucket of water onto one of the coals, putting out its fire. A black lump was all that was left. I ran back outside to refill the water bucket.

Resda made a little soot ball, and, curious, the coals gathered around it. Korag took the opportunity to pour a bucket over them, and the rest of the flaming coals were put out. They looked sad in their soggy, unburning state, but the building (what was left of it, anyways) was safe.

The grateful bullywog introduced himself as Duke Ickrind. In thanks for our assistance he gave Korag a brass broach shaped like a fly with fluttering wings. "Wear this when you meet with King Gullup," he said, "it will help."

"How did this happen?" Kaira asked.

He started to explain. "Yesterday, someone stole a balloon, and set fire to the balloon factory, and damaged the other balloon." He said the thief was Wigglewog.

"Wigglewog is dead," Kaira said. Duke Ickrind seemed relieved.

"That's good. They caught his accomplice Morgwort too. She was trying to escape. They've got her in the proving grounds now."

"The proving grounds?" she asked.

"We do trial by combat here, and the proving grounds is where it happens." He made a show of looking us over. "Actually, you look like you could be quite entertaining in trails of combat."

I kept quiet, preferring to avoid getting drawn into anything as fooling as a combat trial. But the others kept volunteering information about who we were, what we'd seen. Thankfully they did so in common, and he didn't understand us.

"Why do you keep talking?" I said pointedly at Karthos in Elvish, but he didn't seem to catch my meaning.

Kaira thanked Duke Ickrind for the information, and we made to leave. "Visit the King, I'm sure he'd like to meet you," he said as he waved us out the door.

The Bridge of Insulting Heads

We continued down the way to a flat wood-plank bridge. It was lined with rows and rows of bullywog heads sat on wooden spikes. A small figure sat at the center of the bridge, apparently talking to himself, but then the severed heads erupted in a cacophony of voices, in response to his words.

As we walked onto the bridge, the heads began hurling insults at us in Sylvan. "The Soggy Court is a disgrace, they'll let anyone in here these days," and so on. Kaira translated a few of them but declined to repeat everything hurled our way.

"You don't even know us!" Kaira said.

"We know enough!" they shouted in response.

She asked a few questions, and we learned that the heads belonged to former Monarchs who were deposed and killed. Many of them were betrayed by others whose heads also adorned the bridge.

As much as they didn't appear to like each other, the heads were in apparent agreement that Gullup was a weak and feckless leader. There were rumors that another coup was in the works.

While Kaira talked with the heads, Bun poked his head out from the pack he was riding in. He was very interested in the small figure at the center of the bridge. I looked more carefully and saw the figure was a three-foot tall scarecrow. Bun ran up to it and gave it a huge hug, greeting it like an old friend.

"Who is that?" Karthos asked, but Bun didn't not reply. "Who are you?" he asked the scarecrow, but both rabbit and scarecrow ignored him, embracing each other like they'd never thought to see each other again.

I looked the scarecrow over. I was pretty sure this was Clapperclaw, based on Jingle Jangle's description. He looked up at us, and as he did I heard a rattling, jingling noise coming from his head, which was a gourd set on his scarecrow shoulders.

I knelt down in front of the small creature and explained that we were looking for him, and hoped he could help us.

"I can't help anyone until I get my head back," he said, sadly.

"This isn't your head?" asked Resda.

"This is a replacement head," he said, shaking it self-consciously. "Agdon Longscarf stole my real head, and this poor substitute will not do."

"What does it look like?"

"A beautiful stag's head, not this poor gourd." He put his head in his hands, "But Longscarf took it."

"Does he live here?" asked Karthos.

"In the Soggy Court? No. I'm trying to find out where it is from these heads, but haven't learned much." He described Longscarf as a thief and a bandit, but he didn't know much more. "He looks like a rabbit wearing a long scarf."

Clapperclaw turned back to Bun, looking him over again. "It has been a long time since I've seen you."

"How did you get away?" Bun asked.

"I waited for her to be drunk, and slipped out at night, came to the Soggy Court, and I haven't looked back."

"Bun, is this one of your friends that was taken by Granny Nightshade?" I asked, remembering Bun's request for help to save his friends.

"Yes," he said.

"We were taken, in a manner of speaking," Clapperclaw added.

"I don't think I understand."

"Granny Nightshade is in constant need of labor. She steals the souls of children and uses them to animate her creations. Like us." Bun and Clapperclaw were both the souls of children, stolen, and now embodying these bodies. Bun escaped a while back, Clapperclaw more recently.

"That's the worst thing I've ever heard," I replied somberly, thinking of my own grandchildren, and how terrible this fate was. And the children missing from the Witchlight Carnival. Was this their fate?

I learned that they are trapped in these forms forever, they do not age. The scarecrow is frightened, "I fear there will be no end to the cycle, if she is not stopped."

I leaned in close so no one could overhear, and asked if we freed Zabilna if that she could stop Granny Nightshade. He thought so, but Zabilna was deposed before his time.

"If you can help me get my head back, I'd be glad to show you to wherever you needed to go!" Clapperclaw said. Bun was enthusiastic to help his friend, and I agreed without hesistation. Children's souls being stolen and placed in enslaved constructs was a terrible, evil sin. I don't know that I could do much, but I could help this child find his head, at least.

We asked about King Gullup, and if he might know the whereabouts of the thief, but Clapperclaw was too scared to talk to the King. "He might turn me over to Bavlorna, and she would send me back to Granny Nightshade in a heartbeat."

Kaira asked the heads lining the bridge about the bandit. "He is famous, and does come to Downfall from time to time," was the reply. He also met with Bavlorna recently, here in Downfall.

Karthos asked if there was a bar, or another place to get a drink. Kaira translated. "There's no bar here."

"What do you drink, then?" he demanded.

"Water!"

While they argued about where to find something more refreshing than water to drink, I looked down towards the far side of the bridge. I could see the bones of a structure buried in the thick fog. It looked light it may be a gazebo, and based on the instructions we got from the first residents we met on the lake, was likely King Gullup's court.

King Gullup

Following my gaze, Karthos brightened. "Must be Gullup's court," he said, and crossed the remainder of the bridge, the rest of us following.

At the end of the bridge, a once-grand marble gazebo stood atop the earth, steps streaked with algae and slime. The marble pillars supporting the roof have sunk into the mud, and the canopy is askew. A flabby bullywog wearing a crown of woven lilies sat on a throne on a dais, reading a book. This must be King Gullup, I thought.

"Have you no herald to announce your presence?" he shouted loudly in Common.

His guards, previously languid and bored, suddenly snapped to attention.

"I am Karthos," Karthos said, bowing low.

Korag walked up as well, chest thrown back so the broach was clearly visible.

"What brings you to Downfall?" Gullup asked with a tone of suspicion.

Karthos explained that it's our first time in Downfall, and we were looking for a guide. Why is everyone so freely giving away our business today? I fumed, but kept quiet.

"A guide? To where?" he squinted more closely at Karthos.

"Hither, Thither, and Yon," was the reply.

"And why would you want to leave Hither? It is clearly the best place. Look around you!"

Gullup and Karthos talked a while, past each other, neither saying anything of value. At least Karthos was not, yet, giving away more of our business during the exchange.

Gullup tapped his fingers on the book on his lap, staring at us. He then noticed the broach on Korag's chest. "How did you get that?" he asked, pointing at Korag.

"Helping Duke Irkrind put out the fires," was Korag's reply.

"Clearly you have made yourselves of service to the Soggy Court, which pleases your king, and you might be of service another way. I have a matter I wish for you to discuss with Bavlorna." He leaned forward. "But only members of the Soggy Court may talk to her."

He wanted us to join the Soggy Court, get outfitted in appropriate attire, and then have an audience with her.

"We don't have a choice, do we," said Karthos, shrewdly.

Gullup smiled. "No."

I had no interest in joining this court, or indeed helping this person in any way. But I was anxious, feeling that if we refused we might bring more trouble on ourselves. Better, perhaps, to play along and look for a way to slip off later.

While Gullup and Karthos talked, an attendant brought a cup to Kaira. She went to drink, and then pulled out a slip of paper, peering at it. Gullup saw this, and halting his conversation with Karthos demanded to see the paper. Kaira handed it over, and Gullup read aloud "Find Illig, the Baron of Muckstump, at once. The revolution lives!"

Furious, Gullup shouted "Sieze her!" and two guards grabbed the attendant, dragging her away screaming. "Gather a cauldron of oil, for boiling," he told another, who ran off immediately.

"Well now, you should be off to the palace," he said to us, gesturing lazily behind him.

"Indeed," said Resda, and we left as quickly as we could without seeming too hurried.

The Palace

We made our way up the hill past the Gazebo and found ourselves approaching a ramshackle hall built around a big tree. Bullywog courtiers crowded the space, filling it with gutteral croaks. They appeared to be in poor condition, stained clothing, mud stained faces. This seemed to be the state of all Downfall, pretending to finery, but worn and filthy. Attendants appeared, holding bundles of clothing, livery of the same sort that we've seen throughout the Soggy Court. They ushered us to changing screens and urged us to don the garments.

Resda balked, clearly disgusted with both the style and condition of the clothing. Karthos though threw them on without hesitation.

Baerwin looked at his soggy, filthy clothes for a moment, then put them on and said a quiet word. The clothes looked slightly cleaner. Prestidigitation, no doubt. A good idea, but better executed before donning them, I thought.

I cleaned my own clothes with a word, then put them on over my leather armor. Kaira and Resda were still hesitating. "Ladies, may I?" I asked, and at a nod cleaned their garments as well.

Korag, much too large for any clothes they had, ripped open his robes, throwing them over his armor like a makeshift tabard.

Almost as soon as we dressed, King Gullup entered, clutching a book.

"Ah, my newest courtiers. You must return this book to Bavlorna," he said, raising the volume he held. "I have learned that this book was stolen from her. It is very important that you return it to her, and that you make it clear that I had nothing to do with the thieving."

"Who did steal it?" asked Baerwin.

Gullup looked annoyed, and said "That isn't important, just do what your king demands."

"Of course, sire," I agreed, and the king handed the book to me and left. Baerwin, unable to stop talking, wondered if this Longscarf fellow that took Clapperclaw's head also stole the book.

I considered this, but thought it unlikely. "I think it's clear that Gullup stole it," I replied, "or had someone steal it. When he realized what he had he also realized he had to take it back, but definitely doesn't want to return it himself."

"She'd probably kill him," said Karthos.

"What's in the book?" asked Resda.

I looked at the cover. The title of the book was "The Big Book of Bad Blood." Flipping through the pages, I saw it was written in a woman's hand. It appeared to be Bavlorna's book, a chronicle of exactly how everyone has disappointed her, each slight and fault recorded in exacting detail.

"I've heard of this book," I remarked.

I flipped to the end, and on the last page of the book found our names: "for rudeness with the Soggy Court, for Min, and a rift torn through the planes of existence."

"She's going to kill all of you," said Clapperclaw.

We walked outside of the court. There was another structure on the island. But before we could leave, an attendant rushed after us, saying that to reach Bavlorna's house we'd have to ascend the stairs in the middle of the lake, and would need the boat tied to the dock behind the palace. We thanked the attendant and started walking. I looked around for prying ears and eyes.

Baerwin demanded to know how we got in the book. I tried to explain that she must have heard about it and written it down, but he was unsatisfied. "It's the Faewild, Baerwin. Things must just work differently. It doesn't really matter how we got in the book anyways, what matters is that we're in it at all."

"What if we just burn the book," offered Resda.

I didn't hate the idea, but if we were in it in the first place, it probably wouldn't work. "I imagine there will be a new book," I replied, "and we'll be the first entry. 'Burned the first book.', it will say."

Talking to Bavlorna was clearly dangerous. Keeping the book was dangerous. Burning the book was dangerous. I wasn't sure what our best path forward was from here. I told the others that I thought our best bet for the World Mushroom problem was probably to free Zabilna. And so here, in this place, our best plan was probably to try to learn about the cauldron the Hourglass Coven used to take over, and undo the spell freezing Zabilna and her court in time.

Raw Notes

The Fight with Baerwin

• We are at the riverbank, and our skiff is there. The other Baerwin is also there.
• Kaira swims out of the river, she is soaking wet.
• The other Bearwin is wary, but watching.
• Karthos studies the other Baerwin. "It's an inverted copy of Baerwin, healing it is likely to be the key."
• "Karthos, you mean healing is will hurt it?" I ask?
• "Yes, I think healing it is hurting it, and hurting it is healing it."
• "Got it!" shouts Baerwin, and lunges for the other Baerwin. It tightens its grip on its weapon.
• He grabs the other Baerwin, and they tumble in the dirt and mud. When the dust clears it isn't clear who is who as they roll around.
• "Take it off!" calls Karthos, who may have lost his mind.
• Resda yells "which is which!?"
• I can't tell who is who, they're both covered in mud.
• Kaira seems to be able to tell which is which. "He's that one!" She yells, and points.
• I assume she pointed out Baerwin, and I cast a healing spell on the other one, who yells in agony.
• Korag speaks a word and the other Baerwin yells again. As he does so he rushes forward and ties a ribbon around the leg of the impostor.
• Baerwin lets him go and stands there like a fool.
• Karthos casts healing word. Other Baerwin screams in agony, smoke exuding from his mouth.
• The other Bearwin yells and a cone of freezing weather erupts from him, hitting everyone in the party.
• Korag, still standing, casts another spell, and the other Bearwin screams, smoke exuding from everywhere, then falls. As he falls, everything he is and was carrying turns to smoke, floating away in the breeze.
• I tell Kaira what happened with Min and Pearl, and that Bun is traveling with us. Bun emerges from the bushes where he was hiding and waves.
• "Bun, are you planning to stick with us?" He nods enthusiastically, and flies around the party.
• "She's still out there," he says in his squeaky voice.
• We also describe the appearance of Raksha.
• Kaira wants to help Min. Should we go looking for her?
• "I have a feeling she'll find us," remarks Kaira.
• "You're making it really hard to pretend it never happened by talking about it so much," says Baerwin.
• "I want you to remember," I reply cooly.

Heading for Downfall Again

• We pile onto the skiff, still trying to head towards Downfall.
• Thick fog hangs heavy in the air, obsuring everything. We can only see about 20 feet in any direction.
• The water has widened and the current slowed. We might have entered a lake
• We see two rowboats appear, manned by two bullywogs dressed in soiled clothing.
• They croak in Sylvan "Welcome to Downfall, travelers," which Kaira translates for us.
• "Thanks, we're glad to be here," Kaira relays for Resda.
• They tell us that Gullop would be honored to make our acquaintance, and suggest heading to a small dock nearby, where we can head past the stepping stones, through the balloon factory, across the bridge, and to the gazebo to meet him.
• Karthos seems confused about who runs what. We argue about what to do next in Common. Luckily the Bullywogs don't know Common, or I'm sure we'd offend them.
• Bearwin is itching to fight. "I thought we had to clear this town, kill the hags!"
• I think we should take it one step at a time, and recommend docking and then scouting and talking with people.

Downfall

• We pole the skiff to the dock. Looming above a ramshackle wooden pier is a large balloon hanging from posts driven into the swamp. A bladder expands and sags as swamp gas fills and leaks out through tears in the fabric. A bullywog is repairing it, there are giant frogs around as well.
• They are looking at us warily, but do not seem hostile.
• "Is there a mooring fee?" asks Karthos, in Common. They stare at him blankly.
• We walk past. A row of boulders spaced two feet apart create a walking path across a 40 foot wide walkway in the water. It is tough to tell how deep the water is.
• Karthos goes first. Halfway across, one of the stones moves under his feet. He steadies himself but falls in, and a creature made of rock (galeb duhr) rises out of the water. He seems offended to have been trod on. It is grumbling in Dwarvish.
• Karthos apologizes and offers him gold. He stares at him and says it was an awful apology. "If you sing the apology to me with feeling, perhaps then I will accept it."
• Karthos sings about how sorry he is, and the creature accepts the apology and sinks back into the water.
• I cross after Karthos, carefully not stepping on this creature.
• On the other side of the crossing, we find a wooden structure on stilts above the lake. The roof is made of thatch. Smokes drifts up from the top, and the windows are blacked out. A clothesline attached to one side of the building hangs with frayed garments.
• Karthos walks in. The room is a charred mess. Hazy smoke hangs over piles of burned and broken shelves and whatever else may have been on them. A bullywog with a bucket of water is scurrying around the room with a bucket of water.
• Karthos grabs a bucket and fills it with lake water. Others move to help.
• We quickly notice that there are animated coals running around the floor. Six of them are running around spraying embers everywhere.
• Korag throws water at one of them, but it dances out of the way, and sets a shelf on fire.
• Karthos misses too.
• "Is there anything we can do to stop them?" asks Kaira in Sylvan.
• "I've been trying all morning," he wails in despair.
• I throw a bucket of water on one of the coals, and it goes out. I go to refill the water bucket.
• Resda makes a little soot ball, and curious, the coals gather around it. Korag pours a bucket over them and it goes out.
• The bullywog is grateful for the help. He introduces himself as Duke Ickrind, and he gives Korag a brass broach shaped like a fly with fluttering wings. He tells Korag to wear the broach when he presents himself to Gullop. "It will help when you introduce yourself to King Gullup." Korag thanks him.
• "How did this happen?" Kaira asks.
• "Yesterday, someone stole a balloon, and set fire to the balloon factory, and damaged the other balloon." He says the thief was Wigglewog. Kaira says Wigglewog was dead. He seems relieved. He also says they caught his accomplice, Morgwort, who was captured trying to escape, and is being held prisoner in the proving grounds. This is their arena of combat.
• The duke looks us over, and says "Actually, you look like you could be quite entertaining in trails of combat."
• The others keep volunteering information, but in common so he doesn't understand us.
• "Why do you keep talking?" I say, pointedly, at Karthos, in Elvish. He doesn't seem to understand my meaning.
• Kaira thanks him, and says "Visit the King, I'm sure he'd like to meet you."
• We continue down the way, to a flat wood-plank bridge. It is lined with rows of bullywog heads on wooden spikes. A figure sits at the center of the bridge, apparently talking to himself. But then the severed heads erupt in a cacophony of voices, in response to his words.
• As we walk onto the bridge, the heads begin hurling insults in Sylvan. "The soggy court is a disgrace, they'll let anyone in here these days," and so on.
• "You don't even know us," responds Kaira.
• "What are they saying?" asks Resda, and Kaira explains.
• They heads belong to former Monarchs who were deposed and killed. Many of them were betrayed by others, whose heads also adorn the bridge.
• The heads think Gullup is a weak and feckless leader, and rumors that another coup is in the works.
• Bun appears, and he is very interested in the figure in middle of the bridge. It is a 3-foot tall scarecrow. Bun runs up and hugs the scarecrow, greeting it as an old friend.
• "Who is that?" Karthos asks, but Bun does not reply.
• "Who are you?" he asks the scarecrow.
• I look the scarecrow over. This appears to be Clapperclaw. He looks up at us, and as he does I hear a rattling, jingling noise.
• I kneel down and explain that we were looking for him, and hoped he could help us.
• "I can't help anyone until I get my head back." He has a head, but it's a gourd. "This is a replacement head," and he is very conscious about it.
• "Agdon Longscarf stole my head, and this poor substitute will not do," he describes his head to Resda, a beautiful Stag's head.
• "Does he live her?" asks Karthos.
• "In the soggy court? No. I'm trying to find out from these heads, but haven't learned much." Longscarf is a thief and a bandit, but he doesn't know much more. He looks like a rabbit wearing a long scarf.
• He resumes examining Bun. "It has been a long time since I've seen you."
• "How did you get away?" bun asked.
• "I waited for her to be drunk, and slipped out at night, came to the soggy court, and I haven't looked back."
• "Bun, is this one of your friends that was taken by Granny Nightshade?"
• "Yes," he says.
• "We were taken, in a manner of speaking," Clapperclaw says.
• "I don't think I understand."
• "Granny nightshade is in constant need of labor. She steals the souls of children and uses them to animate her creations." Bun and Clapperclaw are both the souls of children, embodying these bodies. Bun escaped a while back, Clapperclaw more recently.
• "That's the worst thing I've ever heard," I reply somberly.
• They are trapped in these forms forever, they do not age. The scarecrow is frightened, and he fears there will be no end to the cycle.
• I lean in close so no one will overhear, and ask if we free Zabilna if that will stop Granny Nightshade. He thinks so, but Zabilna was deposed before his time.
• If we can help him get his head back, he would be glad to show us wherever we needed to go.
• Bun is enthusiastic to help his friend. I agree to help. The image of children's souls being stolen and placed in enslaved constructs distresses him greatly.
• Clapperclaw is too scared to talk to the King, because he is worried that he might turn him over to Bavlorna, who would definitely send him back to Granny Nightshade.
• Kaira asks the heads about the bandit. "He is famous, and does come to Downfall from time to time." He met with Bavlorna recently. She is the ruler of all Hither, and resides here in Downfall.
• Karthos asks if there's a bar, translated by Kaira. "There's no bar here."
• On the other side of the bridge is a structure in the thick fog. It may be a gazebo. It is likely Gullup's court.

King Gullup

• Karthos crosses the bridge with us following.
• A grand marble gazebo stands atop the earth, steps streaked with algae. The pillers have sunk into the mud, and the canopy is askew.
• A flabby bullywog, wearing a crown of woven lilies, sits on throne on a dais, reading a book.
• "Have you no herald to announce your presence," he shouts loudly.
• His guards suddenly snap to attention.
• "I am Karthos," he says, and bows.
• Korag walks up as well, chest thrown back so the broach is clearly visible.
• "What brings you to Downfall?" he asks, with a tone of suspicion.
• Karthos explains that it's our first time here and we are looking for a guide
• "A guide? To where?"
• "Hither, Thither, and Yon"
• "Why would you want to leave Hither?"
• They talk a while, past each other.
• He taps his fingers on the book on his lap, staring at us. He notices the broach on Korag's chest.
• "How did you get that?" he asks, pointing at Korag.
• "Helping Duke Irkrind put out the fires"
• "Clearly you have made yourselves of service to the Soggy Court, which pleases your king, and you might be of service another way. I have a matter I wish for you to discuss with Bavlorna."
• "But only members of the Soggy Court may talk to her." He wants us to join the Soggy Court, get outfitted in appropriate attire, and then have an audience with her.
• "We don't have a choice, do we," says Karthos.
• "No."
• I am anxious, not interested in joining anything. But I have a feeling we might cause trouble if we refuse.
• While they talk, one attended brings a cup to Kaira. Inside is a piece of paper, which she pulls out. Gullup sees, and demands to see the paper. He reads the paper out loud, saying "Find Illig, the Baron of Muckstump, at once. The revolution lives!"
• Two guards grab the attendant, dragging her away. She starts screaming. Gullup asks another attendant to gather a cauldron of oil for boiling.
• "Well, you all should be off to the palace," he says, gesturing lazily.
• "Indeed," says Resda.
• Karthos starts walking towards the palace. Kaira follows.

The Palace

• A ramshackle hall built around a big tree. Bullywog courtiers crowd the space, filling it with gutteral croaks. They are in poor condition, stained clothing, mud stained.
• Attendants appear, holding bundles of clothing, the same sort that we've seen throughout the soggy court. They usher us to changing screens and urge us to don the garments.
• Resda balks.
• Karthos puts them on without hesistation.
• Baerwin puts them on, then says a word. They look slightly cleaner.
• I clean them, then put them on. Then clean Kaira and Resda's clothes as well.
• Korag makes a tabard of sorts out of his.
• The king then enters, clutching a book.
• "You must return this book to Bavlorna." He has learned it was stolen from her. It is very important we take it back, and make it clear that he had nothing to do with the thieving.
• Baerwin asks who did steal it. Gullup appears annoyed and says that isn't important, just do what your king demands.
• I agree, and the king turns and leaves. Baerwin won't let it go and wonders if this Longscarf fellow stole it.
• "I think it's clear that Gullup stole it, or had someone steal it," I say. When he realized what he had he realized he had to get it back, but definitely doesn't want to return it himself.
• "What's in the book?" asks Resda.
• I look at the cover. The title of the book is "The Big Book of Bad Blood." Flipping through the pages, it is written in a woman's hand, and it appears to be Bavlorna's book. It chronicles a big list of how everyone has disappointed her.
• "I've heard of this book," I remark.
• On the last page of the book is our names, for rudeness with the Soggy Court, Min, a rift torn through the plains of existance.
• "She's going to kill all of you," says Clapperclaw.
• We walk outside of the court. There is another structure on the island. An attendant rushes after us, and says to reach Bavlorna's house you have to ascend the stairs in the middle of the lake. We'll need the boat tied to the dock behind the palace.
• Baerwin demands to know how we got in the book. I explain that she heard about it and write it down. It's the Faewild and doesn't seem to work the same way that Faerun did. We're in the book, how we got there isn't super important.
• "What if we just burn the book," says Resda.
• "I imagine there will be a new book, and we'll be the first entry. 'Burned the first book.', it will say," I reply.
• Thinking about next steps from here, as talking to Bavlorna is certainly dangerous, I explain that it seems to me our best bet for the World Mushroom problem is to free Zabilna. So we should try to learn about the cauldron the Hourglass Coven used to take over, and undo the spell freezing them in time.