Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

On their way to the Badlands, the party stops at a fey village in time for their winter solstice celebration. They help a pixie cursed by Mrs. Claws.

## Major Plot Points

* While brunching with their newly reunited friends and Ruthless Baddie Ginsburg, the tiefling entrepreneur shared a secret she overheard with the group - the missing Colossus of Akros was spotted in the Badlands where the minotaurs live. Many Therosians want to wage war to retrieve it.
* King Demetrius Heliodson returned to Setessa to reclaim his throne and silence the cries for war. He asked the party to investigate the sightings. Brettnay Matthews and Titus volunteered to escort him. A pixie Muchomucho M Amor was holding onto left when she realized no one wanted her there in the first place.
* Unabot was officially welcomed to follow the party and Layla was welcomed back with open arms.
* On the way to the Badlands, the party found a fey village celebrating Winter Solstice Eve. There was a candelabra lighting to celebrate the Eight Crazy Nights where Phaenax blessed a party with bottles of wine and lube that lasted eight nights instead of one. Aryan Grande took home the gold snowflake medal in the iceskating competition. Clows Kufas won the gold in the baking competition with his delicious crab cakes. SBG3 crashed into a dryad's tree she planned on using in the tree decoration competition. He helped repair it and she won the gold.
* The group participated in the gift exchange where Sybil Ringwell got a taxidermied opossum flask, Aryan got a Cuchie purse, Muchomucho got festive thread and needles, Dikarus Bottombane got a black hood, Clows got a small telescope, and Sprocket got an abacus.
* Towards the end of the day, a pixie named Noelle Poinsettia accidentally flew into Clows and she dropped her coffee and papers all over the place. She was in a rush because Mrs. Claws cursed her. If she didn't kiss her Solstice Mate by midnight on Solstice Day then she'd be turned into a spinster. She was too focused on her career to find love right now.
* Sprocket was hesitant to help after hearing Noelle was cursed after she was rude to Mrs. Claws. The party ultimately agreed to try to talk Mrs. Claws into removing the curse. Noelle retorted the spirit of Solstice was Snow and Blood.
* The party arrived at Mrs. Claws' gingerbread house. Clows gained them entry answering "Ho, Ho, Ho," when a riddle wreath asked, "What do you say when you have three thots?"
* Juxxtina and Sprocket tried eating the house but realized it was poisoned.
* The first room was filled with decorated Solstice trees. Clows found a beak key and a magic jingle bell in a pear tree. He used the key to gain access into the next room.
* Half of the party entered the hallway blindly. Muchomucho and Sprocket got stuck in molasses and had hard candy rained upon them.
* Juxxtina was drawn to the oven in the kitchen, which she was coaxed into by the sweet smell of cookies. Layla fucked the locked door open.
* The next hallway was filled with dreidels of death. Sprocket realized their runes represented cold, fire, and lightning energy. Once Sprocket and Muchomucho exposed the dreidels to their corresponding energies, they deactivated. Sprocket grabbed the Menorah Wand before moving on.
* Dikarus fell victim to an incubus dressed like a sexy elf in the next room. He was charmed by him and nearly died from his kiss. Juxxtina found a present in this same chamber and was attacked by a mimic. Clows cast slow on the enemies to make them easier targets. Sybil shot a witch bolt at the incubus only to realize he was resistant to lightning damage. Muchomucho shot him with a firebolt but the incubus was resistant to that too. Juxxtina struck the mimic with her lightning javelin. Sprocket used his new menorah wand to cast sacred flame on the incubus. The mimic was finally taken down by Muchomucho's scythe and Sybil killed the incubus with her witch bolt. Sybil claimed his magic mistletoe as a reward.
* The party entered a room with a roaring fire place and a few stuffed animals. Sprocket befriend the stuffed animals named Dhiel the Seal and Pengy. They were people cursed by Mrs. Claws. Seven stockings hung over the fireplace. When every party member put something in the stocking that had their name on it, the fire went out. Dikarus put his ex's sending stone in his. Aryan put her gold snowflake medal in it. Sybil used her wand of wonder to teleport hers into the astral plane. Juxxtina put a half eaten jelly donut into hers. Sprocket built a small trinket as his offering. Muchomucho offered one of his crow bandanas. Clows put a blanket into his, overstuffing it.
* The group then traversed a hallway covered in hot chocolate using magic and floating marshmallows to pass.
* They entered Frosty the Blowman's chamber next. He was built of snow and stardust so his snowballs could cause his victims to get really high. Aryan's thunderclap spell destroyed the ice golem. Dikarus claimed the icicle dagger hidden in him as a prize.
* In the next hallway, our heroes found a swarm of humbugs flying around a snow globe hanging from the ceiling. Sprocket hummed a tune they liked and calmed them down. Juxxtina took the magic snow globe.
* Aryan stole a book of curses she retitled the Necrognomicon from Mrs. Claws' lab.
* The next chamber was a club where a harpie was dancing on a north pole. Her bard canceled on her and the snowmen she was performing for looked unimpressed with her routine. Aryan sang Wet Ass Gnome and the crowd cheered. Some of the snowmen were so impressed they melted.
* Sprocket fixed some broken toys in the next room. Dinosore begged to die because he was made to be covered in sores. Muchomucho lit him ablaze. Hello Dolly and Ted The Bear joined the other toys in Layla's chest compartment.
* Clows cast gust to part a river of poisoned eggnog so the party could enter Mrs. Claws' chambers.
* Juxxtina and Aryan immediately offended the ice hag when they entered, ending any chance of peaceful negotiations. Her gingerbread guardsmen attacked Sybil. Dikarus was able to destroy one while Sprocket destroyed the other with his sunglasses. Mrs. Claws unleashed an ice storm spell and a cone of cold on the party. Muchomucho and Clows nearly froze to death. Juxxtina's healing spells saved the party. Muchomucho ended her life with a fireball spell.
* You're all Level Six now!