Saralas: The Feywild Chapter 7

Translated from the original Elvish by the historian Steve Block

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

Jailbreak

Book in hand and wearing our shabby livery we headed out of the palace. The word was that Bavlorna's cottage was in the center of the lake, up in the air, and though we had agreed to return the book we weren't eager to do so.

We decided to explore a bit more. There was another building on this same spit of land, a long stone's throw from the palace. We walked that way, and saw a sturdy wooden hut rising out of the soggy earth, an open doorway to one side.

"This looks delightful," came a sarcastic comment from Professor Skant. I was willing to try to come to a more respectful relationship with the know-it-all orb, but it is determined to be sarcastic, insulting, and borderline useless instead.

I entered the hut, which turned out to be a prison, with two holding cells. Mangrove roots served as bars. The floor of one cell was covered in several inches of stinking swamp water but was otherwise empty. The other cell held a sorry looking figure in rags slumped against the back wall. I looked around but there were no guards in sight. I looked back at the figure and called out softly to the figure. I wearily raised its head, asking who we were. I explained, somewhat vaguely, why we were there.

"Who are you?" I asked. "And how did you end up in here?"

"My name is Morgort," she said, standing up to peer as me. "I was the best balloon pilot in the region, and with along with Wigglewog I helped a little fairie dragon escape from Bavlorna in a balloon. But they caught me before I could escape." She sobbed a little. "But I will never bow to King Gullup." She sat down again in the mud with a splash. "If only I knew what happened to my friends."

"Oh, I can tell you," I said, "but it's sad." I shook my head. "Wigglewog and Sir Televar escaped successfully, but the balloon crashed in the swamp. We were able to save Sir Televar, but Wigglewort didn't survive the crash."

She put her heads in her hands and started crying again. "Poor Wigglewort!"

I Looked at the others. "Is there any way we can help her?"

In answer Korag just rolled his massive shoulders, while Kaira said "I can pick locks."

"But what are the consequences?" I mused.

"And where would I go?" asked Morgort. "I don't really have any friends around here. We planned to just get Sir Televar back to this home land, but you say he's gone already and Wigglewort is dead."

"My plan is to get to Thither to save my friends," piped Clapperclaw. "Maybe she can help us with the balloon we'll need to get there."

"I'll help you if you get me out of here," Morgort said.

"But Wigglewort and Sir Televar's balloon crashed in the swamp," I said, "and the other balloon we saw in town is damaged. But it looked like they were repairing it."

"It doesn't ususally take too long to fix them," she replied. "It's a simple job once you get the hang of it.

It seemed like a good enough plan, but we still had a lot to do to execute it. We needed a fixed balloon to ride in, and we needed to find Clapperclaw's head before he was willing to leave.

"Kaira, can you open the lock?" I asked.

In answer, she pulled out a beautiful set of lockpicks and deftly opened the lock. Having done so, she bowed theatrically. Truly a child of the Carnival.

I turned to the now-freed bullywog. "Morgort, is there somewhere to lay low for a while? And how can we contact you when it's time to leave?"

A loud snort sarcastically from Resda's pack answered.

I turned. "Yes professor, what is it?"

"Well," he said, "it seems to me that disguising her and bringing her with you would be prudent."

Unfortunately we didn't have a proper disguise kit with us. I had the magic face paint in my pack but it would only last an hour. And even with the goading and complaining from the others I wasn't willing to give up my hat, or wait the time it might take Morgort to attune with it.

I asked if she might be able to pass unremarked if we got her different clothes, but she was doubtful. "I'm quite well known in this town, I think I would be recognized immediately."

I asked how long they might leave her here before coming for her. Was it safe to pretend she was still in prison, but with an unlocked door, until we could find everything else. But she didn't know how long it might be.

"It's not like they gave me an itinerary. Usually they execute people at night, but night is whenever people wish it."

"I could turn her invisible for an hour," offered Resda.

"I could polymorph her, but that also only lasts an hour," said Karthos. Best idea we had so far, though we would still need to be careful, and watch the time, as much as we could in this place. Karthos sighed and turned Morgort into a rat. He picked her up, pocketing her. She peeked out of his pocket, looking adorable, beady eyes looking around.

"We still need to find my head!" said Clapperclaw.

I looked at him. "I have a terrible idea about that," I said. "We heard that the thief talked with Bavlorna recently. She might know." But of course we were trying to avoid her if we could.

I looked around the small hut again. "We should make this seem impossible," I said. "Kaira, can you re-lock the cell?"

She smiled and quickly and skillfully reset the lock. The group filed out of the little prison, and I carefully cleaned up our tracks from the floor, restoring it as best I could to the condition it appeared in when we entered, to make it look like no one had been here. I similarly cleared our tracks from the muddy entrance to the hut.

As we stood by the lake a short ways from the hut, Baerwin suddenly fell from the sky, dripping wet, and landed in the lake with a splash. He crawled out of the lake, dripping and covered in mud.

"Did you see Wodna!?" I asked, excitedly. He just shook his head, looking at me funny. But I remember the time Min and Wodna both disappeared and then Min came back dripping wet.

Crossing the Lake

Baerwin having joined us, we discussed where to go next. Karthos was struggling, "we've seen the Soggy Court, and we've seen the palace, but where is Downfall?"

I tried to explain. "Karthos, the Soggy Court is not exactly a place, but the gathering of nobles. The burned out building, the gazebo, the palace, the bridge, those are in Downfall. There's no downtown, there's no city center, it's just this miserable muddy swamp town."

"Well what else is there?" he replied.

"Why not ask the little one?" came Skant's sarcastic voice.

"You've seen about half of the town," Clapperclaw said. "Bavlorna's cottage is in the middle of the lake, and on the other side is the rest of the town. There should be boats at the Palace docks." He pointed towards the palace, where we could see an inner bond at the back of the palace grounds, and docks beyond.

We headed back to the palace, waded through the knee-deep water of the pond, and took one of the small rowboats tied up at the docks there. Karthos jumped in first, and the rest of us piled in after him. I took the oars and started rowing.

"If you just head straight across the lake from here we'll come to some docks on the other side," Clapperclaw said, pointing. I aimed at the place he marked and rowed across the lake, though we couldn't see the other side through the mist and fog.

After a short while though we could make out docks on the other side, and tied up the boat at the landing.

The Tree

We found the path leading from the docks to rest of the town and started walking. After a while I could make out what seemed to be the gnarled branches of a large, ancient tree through the fog.

"Oh look at that," Karthos said. "Let's go investigate!"

"Why, do you think the tree knows where to find the thief?" I asked, just managing to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

"Maybe," he replied, and walked off the path towards the tree.

I followed, and we inspected the old tree. The tree had lost all its bark, and only a few leaves still clung to the gnarled branches. There were several holes dotting the trunk of the tree, and a clothesline was tied to it, the other end disappearing into the fog hovering over the lake.

Karthos walked closer, peering intently at the tree, and especially at the holes in the tree. Suddenly a volley of tiny arrows the size of pins erupted from the holes, falling well short of Karthos, and I could hear tiny voices yelling.

"Leave! Be gone! This is our tree! Get away!", they shouted in tinny little voices.

"Wood sprites!" exclaimed Karthos. "They must have claimed this tree as their own." He looked again, careful to avoid getting close enough for the arrows to hit him. "Ah," he said knowingly. "This isn't a tree at all, it's a tree blight, and these buggers are trying to get us to attack so it will kill us."

"Oh, they do that to everyone," said Clapperclaw.

"Should they be taught a lesson?" Resda asked.

I shook my head. Why invite more trouble than we need. "I think we should move on."

Karthos nodded. "Yes, let's go south."

Clapperclaw looked confused, for a gourd. "What is south?"

"You need one of these," said Baerwin, pulling out a compass. It was a fine piece of work, but the needle was swinging wildly.

"Wow, you must be rich!" I declared, seeing this. "That must have cost 50 gold."

Resda looked exasperated. "Saralas, you've spent many times that amount on gear. 50 gold isn't expensive."

"Yeah," said Baerwin. "You have fancy robes made by tame spiders in Ythryn, how is a compass remarkable?"

"It seems expensive," I said. "Besides, I've never needed a compass. I simply use my great skill to navigate. The trees and the lichen, the sun and the moon and stars tell me all I need to know." I paused for a moment. "Though in this place I find myself unsure of distance or direction at times."

"That's why I have a compass!" said Baerwin. "It's great!"

"Ah, because you don't have great skill." I said. "Of course. But I see the compass is also confused by this place." I felt a little better at this.

The Unfeeling Elf

Compass argument concluded, we headed further down the path, until suddenly I was filled with a sense of loneliness bordering on despair. My heart went cold as I heard a haunting flute song pouring out from the direction of a path of tall, blue mushrooms.

The others clearly felt it too. Karthos tried to cheer up the sad-looking mushrooms, but wasn't able to overcome the song. I heading into the bog amongst the mushrooms, searching for the source of the song. I found a slender wood elf with pale blue skin sitting in the shade of a tall toadstool, playing a somber tune on a double flute.

"Why the sad song?" I waved, introducing myself as a traveler in these parts.

He stopped playing and sighed, and then in a total deadpan told his story. He came to Bavlorna seeking magic to make him forget his lost love. They struck a deal, but when it came time to pay up he refused to pay the agreed-upon price: his still beating heart. As punishment for this she took his heart by force, switching it with a goat's heart, enchanted so that he could not die. And because of this he could no longer feel or express emotion.

He shrugged. "I know what she did was wrong, but..." he trailed off.

I turned to Karthos "Do you think this guy knows our thief?"

"What thief?" the elf asked.

"Agdon Longscarf," I replied, and pointed at Clapperclaw. "He stole this one's true head."

"Oh, he's basically the greatest thief around." The elf shook his head. "But I don't have any idea where to find him."

"How did you lose your love?" Baerwin asked.

"They died..." he answered. "Humans, you see, they live such short lives, but they smell so good."

I sighed, remembering Eleanor. The difference in lifespan didn't feel fair, and I understood his sorrow. But to make a pact with a hag to forget? That I could never understand.

"You're not originally from the Feywild?" asked Baerwin.

"I'm a wood elf," he responded evenly.

He told us that remembered everything of his partner, but could no longer feel anything about it. nothing happy, nothing sad. No joy or sorrow. Another terrible crime. Between the children's souls from one hag, and the stolen hearts from another, I knew we had to find a way to free this land from their rule.

I asked the elf his name. He shrugged, "It's Octavian Meliame."

"Well Octavian," I said, "if there is a way we can help you we'll try. Otherwise we'll leave you to your sad song." In response he picked up his flute and started playing again. We took our leave.

Searching the Town

A short ways further down the path we found a wooden hut with a steep thatched roof. The door was closed.

"Do you know who lives here?" I asked Clapperclaw.

"Not really, that's not how dwellings work around here."

Karthos went up and knocked on the door but received no answer. Baerwin opened the door and went inside.

The hut was empty, except for the small wooden chest in the middle of the floor, surrounded by 6 cushions. The place stank of fish. Baerwin opened the chest, and inside was an assortment of cookware, spices, old fishbones, and a mummified toad.

I picked up the toad to examine it. As I did so I realized that it seemed to be magical. I turned it over in my hands, studying it. It held evocation magic.

"This toad holds magic of some kind," I said.

Resda came over to look. "I can identify that." she said. I handed the toad out to Resda. After a brief examination she said that if the toad is tossed into water it would disappear, and cast a darkness spell that would last for 10 minutes. Seeing the potential use of this, I pocketed the toad.

There was nothing else of interest in the house, and so we continued down the path. We came to a bridge over one of the rivers feeding in/out of the lake. As we approached the bridge, a dark shadow whipped by above the water towards the middle of town.

"It's one of those pieces of Raksha," said Baerwin. "I'm sure of it."

"I thought you wanted to forget" I said.

"I tried, but people keep bringing it up."

The Rebel Hideout

There was another hut on the other side of the bridge. As we approached we heard a bullywog inside say, first in Bullywog, then in Common "push the note under the door." We guessed this was the note that was confiscated in King Gullup's court.

We didn't have the original, but Karthos wrote the message he heard in the court on a piece of paper. He made no attempt to try to mimic the actual note, but it was enough. The bullywog unbarred the door and opened it.

Karthos entered, saying "We know of the resistance!"

Standing inside the door was a jittery-looking bullywog holding a spear. Behind him was a crate with hunting gear piled atop it, and there were four more bullywogs huddled together, carrying on a nervous conversation.

We could overhear some of what they were saying. They were plotting the overthrow of King Gullup. Their leader named himself as Illig, the Baron of Muckstump. "Gullup is a weak and feckless king," he said. "Downfall needs a leader of vision, and so I am going to kill him and take over."

"How do you intend to do that?" asked Karthos.

"I'm going to approach him in his court as normal. Then I am going to 'accidentally' trip, and stick him in the eye with my dagger." He flourished a large, wicked-looking blade.

"How do you feel about oil?" I asked sarcastically.

"Do you think Gullup will allow you to have your dagger?" asked Baerwin.

"Oh I always have my dagger," he replied, and demonstrated his tripping-and-stabbing plan using the wall.

"Impressive," said Baerwin. "Has this been done before, or this is a new and unique creation?"

"It's completely unique!" replied Illig, offended.

"Are you doing this alone, or do you have help?"

"Alone of course! It would be highly suspicious if several people were holding the dagger!" He looked at us like we were incredibly thick.

I turned away, struggling to to hold in a torrent of laughter at this unintended joke.

"When will you do this?" Baerwin asked.

"The coup is planned for Coup-o-Clock. If whatever has him worried about Bavlorna is resolved, he will probably have a drink to relax around Drink-o-Clock and be unready for me."

About this time, Morgort returned to her normal form, tearing Karthos' pocket open. Seeing this, the bullywogs jumped up! "What is this" they demanded.

"Someone who stood up to Gullup too," said Karthos.

"Is that Morgort?" Illig asked.

Morgort stood up straight. "It is, I did what was right."

"You're a traitor," Illig said.

Wanting to avoid more trouble with Morgort, Korag pointed out the box with hunting gear piled on it, with Bavlorna's name written on the side. "What's in the box?"

"Ah," Illig replied. "Bavlorna is an amateur taxidermist, and so we've gathered some animal skins and carcasses as a gift for her, after I've taken over." He swept off the hunting gear, opening the box to show us. Inside were seven animal carcasses of average quality. He seemed quite proud of his gift.

"Good luck, Illig," I said, and made to leave.

"Oh, you can't leave now, it's not Coup-o-Clock!"

I explained that we know that Gullup is worried about something with Bavlorna indeed, and we may be able to help with that so that he's more relaxed. Bearwin joined in, and after a roundabout argument about which time came before what we were allowed to leave.

Before we did, Karthos asked me via Message if we should give them the book. I replied in kind that I thought of that, but really didn't know if it was a good idea. We left.

I Have a Bad Idea

Once we were outside I took the group aside to explain my thoughts further. "Karthos, I had the same idea, but I don't know that they are any better than Gullop. And I also considered that the book might prove useful for getting in Bavlorna's favor. Specifically the returning the book part."

"But we're in the book," Karthos replied. "That seems dangerous."

"I think everyone is in the book." I flipped through the book, scanning the names and disappointments it listed. Basically everyone in Downfall and far beyond was in the book. It was an exhaustive list. I found Gullop, Agdon Longscarf, and almost everyone else listed. "Everyone is in here except her sisters. I wonder why that is."

"She probably has a separate book just for them," said Clapperclaw.

"Perhaps so." I shook my head. "Anyways I have a very bad idea. We might have to go to Bavlorna's cabin. We just learned she's an amateur taxidermist, and she met with the thief who took Clapperclaw's head, and that head was a stag's head. I think she may have it now."

"So if everyone is in the book, and we are returning it, it might be safe to see her?" asked Korag.

"It's definitely not safe," I cautioned. "Nothing here is safe."

"Sure, but isn't our goal to deal with the hags?" he asked Korag.

"I suppose so Korag." I paused. "But right now it's more that I want to see what we can do about the cauldron and the spell used to imprison Zabilna, and how to counter it, rather than trying to just try to fight our way through them."

The Cauldron and the Giant Toad

"Well if you're looking for a cauldron," Clapperclaw said, pointing towards a large cauldron near the hut. "That's definitely hers."

I look at it from the path, but I'm pretty sure that though he's probably right it's Bavlorna's, it's probably not the cauldron I was thinking of, which all three hags of the Hourglass Coven used to imprison Zabilna.

There was another hut nearby, the door open. We headed over to investigate. Inside, a giant toad was tethered to a wooden post in the middle of the floor. The toad looked uncomfortable, and suddenly a pair of hands appeared, pushing their way out of its mouth. The toad regurgitated a sticky-looking bullywog onto the floor.

Karthos went inside. The Bullywog was alive, but covered in toad saliva.

The bullywog shook himself off. "It likes to play 'swallow the handler'," he explained. "Can you watch it while I go wash off?"

"Of course," Karthos agreed.

The bullywog seemed appreciative and hurried to the river to jump in. A few minutes later, the toad tried to swallow Karthos. Karthos, seeing this coming from a mile away, nimbly evaded the attempt. "He does that!" the handler yelled from the river.

He returned a few minutes later, saying "I'll take it from here."

We headed back to look more closely at the cauldron. It was bulbous, and green-black in color. It sat on a bed of coals on six crab-like legs. A lid capped the cauldron, a wooden ladle hanged from a lanyard looped around the lid's knob. It was bubbling away over the coals.

We argued about what to do about the cauldron. Baerwin suggested that destroying it would just piss off Bavlorna. He tried to lift the lid of the pot, but it was secured by magical means.

Karthos took a closer look at the pot. "It's definitely a hag's magical cauldron. There's a potion brewing, but I'm not sure what it's for." He squinted, squatting down. "This fire is peculiar though."

As he poked at the fire, a tiny magmin appeared in the coals, saying something in Ignin, which we do not speak. "If only we had Min, and she was sane" I remarked. "She could comprehend languages."

Raw Notes

Freeing Morgort

• We're leaving the Soggy Palace
• There is another building on this island. I'd like to know what it is.
• To the northeast of the palace, rising from the soggy earth, is a sturdy wooden hut with an open doorway on one side.
• We go to investigate.
• "This looks delightful," says Professor Skant. I believe he is being sarcastic.
• At the back of the hut are two holding cells. Mangrove roots serve as bars. The floor of one cell is covered in several inches of stinking water. The other holds a figure in rags slumped against the back wall.
• There are no guards in sight.
• I call out softly to the person in the cell. They wearily raise their head and ask us who we are. I explain, vaguely.
• She is one of the most skilled balloon pilots in the region, and she helped a fairie dragon escape. Her name is Morgort.
• "I will never bow to King Gullup," she declares, and sits down in the mud with a splash. "If only I knew what happened to my friends."
• "Oh, I can tell you," and I explain what happened to Wigglewort and Televar.
• She is quite sad at the news of Wigglewort's death.
• I look at the others, "is there any way we can help her?"
• Korag rolls his shoulders. Kaira says "I can pick locks."
• "But what are the consequences?" I ask.
• "And where would I go?" Morgort asks.
• She doesn't have any friends, really, and Wigglewort's plan was to get Televar to his home land.
• Clapperclaw says his plan is to get to Thither, and to do so one would need to steal a balloon. Which is how she got caught in the first place. She promises to help us if we can break her out.
• I explain that Televar's balloon crashed, and the other balloon looks like it was damaged and they were repairing it. We may just have to wait a little while for it to be fixed.
• "It doesn't take too long," she says. "It's a simple job once you get the hang of it."
• I think the right thing to do would be to get her out of here. Kaira is willing, and she quickly picks the lock open. She bows theatrically.
• I advise Morgort to lay low, then ask how we can contact her when it's time to leave.
• I hear Skant snort sarcastically from Resda's pack.
• "Yes professor, what is it?"
• "Well," he says, "it seems to me that disguising her and bringing her with you would be prudent."
• I have magic face paint but the spell only lasts an hour, we are not sure how close to repaired the balloon is. If we got her new clothes would she pass unremarked. She doubts it, as she is well known in town.
• I ask how long they'll leave her here, but she doesn't know. "It's not like they gave me an itinerary. Usually the executions happen at night, but night is whenever people wish it."
• "I could turn her invisible, but that only lasts an hour."
• "If only someone could polymorph," inserts Skant.
• "Does no one have a disguise kit?" asks Karthos, but no one does. He sighs, and, using polymorph, turns Morgort into a rat. He picks her up and pockets her. She peeks out of his pocket, looking adorable, beady eyes looking around.
• We discuss what next. Where is the head?
• I have a terrible idea. The thief talked to Bavlorna recently. She might know. But we're kind of hoping to avoid her for now.
• I want to make it seem like we were never here. Kaira deftly re-locks the lock to the cell and we file out, careful to not be seen. I clean up the floor of the prison to make it look like no one has been here.
• While we discuss next steps, Baerwin falls from the sky, dripping wet, landing in the lake with a splash. He crawls out of the lake, muddy and dripping wet.
• "Did you see Wodna?" I ask, excitedly, remembering that time Min disappeared and came back dripping wet. He shakes his head.

The Rest of Downfall

• Karthos keeps asking where Downfall is. We try to explain that we are in downfall. It's a miserable muddy swamp town. Bavlorna's cottage is in the middle of the lake. But what is on the other side of the lake?
• "Why not ask the little one?" Skant asks sarcastically.
• Clapperclaw asks us which way we entered. We explain, and he says we've seen about half of Downfall. He points the way to docks that are attached to an inner pond at the palace.
• We wade through the knee-deep water of the pond, and come to the docks where a small rowboat is tied up.
• Karthos jumps in. We follow. Clapperclaw says if we head straight across from here we'll get to the other side. I take the oars and row us across the lake. We tie up the boat on the other side.

The Tree

• Shrouded in fog, I can see what appear to the be the gnarled branches of a tree. Karthos is interested. "Do you think the tree knows where to find the thief?" I ask. "Maybe." is his response, and he wanders towards the tree.
• Several holes dot the trunk of a gnalred old tree that grows on the shore of the lake. It has lost all its bark, and a few leaves cling to its gnarled branches. A clothesline is tied to one side of the tree, the other end of the clothesline disappears into the fog hovering over the lake.
• Karthos walks closer, examining the tree and the holes.
• As he is looking at the tree, a volley of tiny arrows the size of pins erupts from the holes, and tiny little voices yell at him to leave and be gone. "This is our tree! Get away!"
• "Wood sprites!" exclaims Karthos. They must have claimed the tree as their own. And the tree is actually a blight, and are trying to convince us to attack so that the blight will kill us.
• "They do that to everyone," says Clapperclaw.
• "Should they be taught a lesson?" asks Resda.
• "I think we should move on." I say.
• "Let's go south" says Karthos.
• "What is south?" says Clapperclaw?
• "You need one of these," says Baerwin, pulling out a compass. The needle is swinging wildly, without any coherence. "Wow, you must be rich!" I declare. That must be 50 gold!
• We argue for a while about if that's really expensive or not. I declare that I do not have a compass and simply use my great skill.
• "That's why I have a compass!" says Baerwin.
• "Ah! Because you don't have great skill!"

The Unfeeling Elf

• We travel down the path, and suddenly my heart is cold, filled with a sense of loneliness that borders on despair. A haunting flute song pours out from across the way, from the direction of a patch of mushrooms. They are about 6 feet tall, and blue.
• Karthos tries to cheer them up, but is unable to overcome the sadness of the song.
• I try to find the source of the flute song. I head into the bog among the mushrooms. A slender elf with pale blue skin and black hair sits in the shade of a tall toadstool, playing a somber tune on a double flute.
• I wave, and introduce myself, asking "Why the sad song?"
• He stops playing, and sighs. In a total deadpan, tells us his story.
• He came to Bavlorna seeking magic to make him forget his lost love. They struck a deal, but when it came time to pay up he refused to pay, his still beating heart. As punishment she took his heart by force, switching his heart with a goat's heart, so that he could not die.
• He cannot feel or express emotion. He shrugs "I know what she did was wrong, but..."
• I turn to Karthos "Do you think this guy knows our thief?"
• "What thief?"
• We explain, and he shrugs, "oh, he's basically the greatest thief around." But he doesn't have any idea where to find him.
• "How did you lose your love?" Baerwin asks.
• "They died..." he answered. "Humans, you see, they live such short lives, but they smell so good."
• I sigh, knowingly.
• "You're not originally from the Feywild?" asks Baerwin. "I'm a wood elf," he responds.
• He remembers everything of his partner, but can no longer feel anything about it. Another terrible crime. Between the children's souls from one hag, and the stolen hearts from another...
• I ask the elf his name. He shrugs, "It's Octavian Meliame"
• "Well Octavian, if there is a way we can help you we'll try. Otherwise we'll leave you to your sad song." I say, and he picks up his flute and starts playing again.

Searching the Town

• We move on down the path. There is a wooden hut here with a steep thatched roof. The door is closed.
• "Do you know who lives here?" I ask Clapperclaw.
• "Not really, that's not how dwellings work around here."
• Karthos knocks on the door. There is no answer.
• Baerwin opens the door and goes inside.
• A small wooden chest sits in the middle of the floor. Around it are 6 cushions. It stinks of fish. Baerwin opens the chest. Inside he finds cookware, spices, old fishbones, and a mummified toad.
• I pocket the toad. When I pick it up I realize it seems to be magical. I meditate for a little while on the toad, eventually finding it is evocation magic.
• "I can identify that" says Resda. I hold the toad out to Resda. She tells us that if the toad is tossed into water it will disappear, and cast a darkness spell that will last for 10 minutes. I pocket the toad.
• We head out of the deserted hut and walk down the path. We come to a bridge over one of the rivers feeding in/out of the lake. As we approach the bridge, a dark shadow whips by above the water, towards the middle of the town.
• The shadow seemed somewhat familiar. Min? Raksha? Baerwin looks more closely, it is indeed a piece of Raksha.
• "I thought you wanted to forget" I say.
• "I tried, but people keep bringing it up."

The Rebel Hideout

• On the other side of the bridge is another hut. From inside we hear a bullywog say, first in Bullywog, then in Common "push the note under the door." This must be the note that was confiscated in King Gullup's court.
• Karthos tries to write the message he heard in the court on a piece of paper. He doesn't try to forge the original, just writes what he heard read aloud.
• The bullywog unbars the door and opens it.
• Karthos goes in. "We know of the resistance!"
• Standing just inside is a jittery bullywog with a spear. Behind him is a crate with hunting gear piled atop it. There are four huddled bullywogs carrying on a nervous conversation.
• They are plotting the overthrow of the king. Their leader is Illig the Baron of Muckstump. He thinks Gullup is a bad king and wants to kill him and take over. He intents to approach Gullup, and "accidentally" trip and stick Gullup in the eye with a dagger.
• "How do you feel about oil?" I ask sarcastically.
• "Do you think Gullup will allow you to have your dagger?" asks Baerwin.
• "Oh I always have my dagger," and demonstrates his tripping-stabbing plan using the wall.
• "Has this been done before, or this is a new and unique creation?" Baerwin asks.
• "It's completely unique" replies Illig, offended.
• "Are you doing this alone, or do you have help?"
• "Alone of course! It would be highly suspicious if several people were holding the dagger!"
• I struggle hard to hold in a torrent of laughter at this unintended joke.
• The coup is planned for Coup-o-Clock. If whatever has him worried about Bavlorna is resolved, he will probably have a drink to relax around Drink-o-Clock and be unready.
• About this time, Morgort returns to her normal form, tearing Karthos' pocket open.
• The bullywogs jump up! "What is this" they demand.
• "Someone who stood up to Gullup too."
• "Is that Morgort?" Illig asks.
• "It is, I did what was right."
• "You're a traitor," Illig says.
• Korag points out the box with hunting gear piled on it, with Bavlorna's name written on the side. Karthos asks what is in the box.
• "Bavlorna is an amateur taxidermist," and within the box are various animal skins Illig intends to present to her to help earn goodwill when he is king. Inside are 7 animal carcasses of average quality.
• "Good luck, Illig," I say.
• "Oh, you can't leave now, it's not Coup-o-Clock!"
• I explain that we know that Gullup is worried about something indeed, and we may be able to help with that. Bearwin joins in, and we are allowed to leave.
• Karthos asks me via Message if we should give them the book. I reply that I thought of that, but really didn't know if it was a good idea.

I Have a Bad Idea

• Once outside I take the group aside and explain my thoughts. One that I don't know that they are better than Gullop. Another that the book might prove useful for getting in Bavlorna's favor.
• I also explain that I have a worry that we might have to go to Bavlorna's cabin anyways. Because we just learned that she's an amateur taxidermist, and she met with the thief, and Clapperclaw's head is a stag's head. I have a growing worry that she has the head.
• I check the book again. Basically everyone in Downfall and far beyond is in the book. It's an exhaustive list. Gullop, Agdon, and almost everyone else. Interestingly, her sisters are not in the book.
• "So it might be safe to see her?" asks Korag.
• "It's definitely not safe," I caution. "Nothing here is safe."
• "Isn't our goal to deal with the hags?" asks Korag.
• "Well Korag," I explain, "it's more that I want to see what we can do about the cauldron and the spell used to imprison Zabilna, and how to counter it."

The Cauldron and the Giant Toad

• "Well if you're looking for a cauldron," Clapperclaw says, pointing towards a large cauldron near the structure.
• He explains that it is definitely Bavlorna's cauldron. I am pretty sure it's not the Cauldron I am thinking of, which all three hags of the Hourglass Coven used to imprison Zabilna.
• We head to another house nearby. A giant toad is tethered to a wooden post in the middle of the door. It looks uncomfortable, and a pair of hands appear, pushing their way out of its mouth. It regurgitates a bullywog onto the floor.
• Karthos goes in. The Bullywog is alive, but covered in toad saliva. It likes to play "swallow the handler". He asks if we can watch the toad while he goes to wash off.
• Karthos agrees. The bullywog seems appreciative and hurries to the river. A few minutes later, the toad tries to swallow Karthos. Karthos, seeing this coming from a mile away, nimbly evades the attempt. "He does that!" the handler yells from the river.
• He returns a few minutes later, saying "I'll take it from here."
• We head to look at the cauldron. It's bulbous, green-black in color. It sits on a bed of coals on six crab-like legs. A wooden ladle hangs from a lanyard looped around the lid's knob. It's bubbling away.
• We argue about what to do about the pot. Baerwin suggests that destroying it would just piss off Bavlorna. He goes to lift the lid of the pot, but it is secured by magical means.
• Karthos takes a closer look at the pot. It looks like a hag's magical cauldron, and she is brewing up a potion. He can't tell what it is, but the fire seems peculiar.
• As he is pokinga round the fire, a magmin appears in the coals, introducing itself as the coal tender, in Ignin, which we do not speak. "If only we had Min, and she was sane" I remarked.