Session 03

## We're Off to Meet the Ringmasters! (Witch & Light)

As the group begins to follow Burly to Witch & Light, Bucky makes a critically pathetic attempt to convince him to let them bring Tessa, as well, but fails utterly. Fortunately, Aria has far greater success making the case that Tessa should not be left unsupervised. And off they go.

Burly waves his hand at a wall of thorns behind the Big Top and they part, allowing the group to pass. They reach an extremely ornate wagon, guarded by a ... clown, known to Bucky and TOM as THACO.

They are greeted by Witch and Light. Mr Light thanks the group for their exquisite performances and their contribution to the mood of the carnival. He draws their attention to his staff, The Witchlight Sceptre, which lets him know who is affecting the mood of the guests and how. He asks them why they are here.

Aria answers first, she says she wouldn't miss this legendary event. Her deception fails utterly. Mr Light acknowledges it is the greatest in all the realms, but...would she like to answer again...and speak true? She says she had felt coming would help her find something she had lost, give her some inspiration or something...

Witch "I think I've seen her before...many years ago."

L: " yes, I was thinking the same. You lost something while you were here. You lost something while you were here? Yes, that happens... I promise it's not us... there are forces on the other side that are beyond our control. the wheel of time turns ever on, what's gone is gone."

L turns to the Kenku, handing him a notepad so he can write it out "also looking for something, i lost?"

L: "like I told your friend, I hope you don't blame us..."

TOM: I heard you weren't the original owners...

Light: "Yes..."

Long ago, they owned another carnival before...they were in the same place at the same time as the Witchlight. Their carnival sucked, because they were from the opposite of the feywild. All murder and terror. So she made a deal with the then-owner of the not-yet witchlight. So they swapped. They decided to trade carnivals until they landed in the same place again.

Bucky then asks about Prismeer and helping find Zylbina and can they help them get there. Zylbina is also the carnival's patron...but. "Nope. Go see the clown for your presents" - which are balloon animals.

Bucky - badger, Tessa - crow, Aria - lion, TOM - puppy!

## Burly's Proposition

Burly pulls them aside quickly on the way out, removing his mask. He explains everything is going wrong. He thinks maybe we'll help...he suggests the party Steal the Witch Watch to force W&L to answer their questions. Without it, things cannot run time... bucky is concerned for consequences

Dirlagraun the displacer beast (cat thing), Candlefoot the mime, Perlasha the merfolk performer. could also help. He warns us to avoid Thaco.

They need the watch back before the Witchlight King/Queen is announced. The watch is always attached to Mr Witch so we'll need a way to cut it off, or unfasten it. Burly wishes us good luck and leads us out of the staff area.

Hours 5...

Bucky Suggests they Go Meet a Merfolk and gestures to the nearby silversong lake. They begin to head northeast.

## Stealing a Watch

Knowing that Kettlesteam has stolen Candlefoot's voice, they head to the lake. Perlasha is singing and making the waves dance...in the middle of the lake. So Aria flies across the lake to talk to her. But she has to work for the whole day/night. oops.

Bucky suggests they head off to the Lost Property Wagon to talk to Dirlagraun, the displacer beast.

A boy finds a shiny ball and asks to play with it. Dirlagraun grabs it and growls. which scares the boy off... Dirla asks Bucky for help to catch the boy... Bucky and Aria are able to find him quickly enough hiding behind a candy stall. Bucky gives him a bunny-hop shoulder ride back. For which Dirla is grateful. The boy they found was called Viro.

He explains he could not lose another kid... The mirrored ball belonged to his daughter who is lost... Bucky asks if she was also lost here.. He has some insight between what the kenku said, what mr light has said, and what he just heard now: probably things are going through the portal to Prismeer. It is obvious they will need to force their way forward - Bucky suggests this quickly to the group and then suggests they look for Troubadour who presumably has Kettlesteam. Aria flies up to look for Troubador, but does not see him.  :(

After returning to the group, Aria shares this sad outcome. A moment later, someone taps her on the shoulder - someone who looks very similar but is attired differently. A gnome lady. Elliwick McTumblstrum... A QUEST HAS ARRIVED. She knows us very well. She speaks of fate and important tasks. We follow her to the eating area. She confirms we need to get to Prismeer, and see wtf is happening with the Archfey.

They decide they will rob Mr Witch or Light for the Witchlight Vane or the Witchlight Watch - whichever chance they can get or make. TOM morphs to appear as Candlefoot and takes his place beside Mr Witch. To that end, Aria spoke to Pershala to arrange for a distraction if needed. Bucky asks Dirla to help with getting the Watch - on condition of no plan to hurt Mr Witch and to look for his daughter Star. He gives Bucky the Mirror Ball. Tessa, Bucky, and Aria take a place hoping to get lucky enough to be crowned... Sadly, they are not.

Mr Witch takes the crown from TOM/Candlefoot. He crowns the halfling that was chosen. Perlasha performs, Witchlight monarch flies about the room, the crown leaves him and returns to candlefoot's box. As the procession ends, they go outside. and sneak to the thorn wall... Well, Tessa sneaks them to the thorn wall. Bucky fails, Aria doesn't do well, but Tessa is slick as Ice. Dirla totally distracts Mr Witch...Tessa just pockets that watch like nothing. Cuz MVP goes to the Kenku who didn't get in the box!!

They regroup in the Big Top, where Mr Witch and Mr Light find them. Bucky offers the fact the party waited until the end of the carnival to steal the watch as proof that they "Want to Help." Mr W&L take them to the Hall of Illusions, explaining as they walk. They swore to never enter Prismeer (to who? they also cannot say). The end of that. Yes, the problems happening at the Witchlight have been getting worse. The original owner was an \_\_\_\_\_ elf, not, so far as he knows Zalbina. or whatever her name is.

In the hall of mirrors, in one section, the mirrors reflect the party accurately. Mr Witch reveals a the spell to open the portal:

```
hither tither
here and there
wander yonder
show me where
```

He warns the party - this mirror is a one way portal, they'll need to find another way home. Buckie remarks that'll be his eleventh one way portal - he is unfazed. The party goes through the portal: Tessa, then Aria, then TOM, then Buckie.

Buckie salutes before leaving and Mrs W&L call out to him, "wait!" They recite a sing-songy rhyme.

Witch: Mind the Rule of Three: Future Present and Past

Light: Find the Alicorn and free the dormant queen at last...

And with that, he entered the Prismeer.

In Prismeer, it is a huge swamp. Full of birds and frogs and shit.

And we got a LEVEL!

End Result:

GOT TO PRISMEER. GOT A LEVEL.