Lydia notes the change in scenery as the trio travels on. "It is as if some of the magic has left this realm. The Mute Hag seems to have been tied to its creation in some way--perhaps she was a twisted echo of Sonnorae herself. I wonder what will become of the realm once we have finished our quest here."
The half-elf seems bemused by the appearance of the rabbit. "Greetings, Rabbit Prince. I will allow our storyteller to regale you with the tale." She gestures to Alainn.
"Well, you see." Alainn begins, fanning out the Harrow Deck. "We began in the Midnight Circus," producing the card "and have traveled hither and thither across the realm drawn by a powerful yearning, a quest for truth, justice and the Andoran Way! We have fought mighty monsters, powerful witches and denizens from realms yet unknown. For we seek the tokens required to confront Dread Zassiron, the Patchwork Lord. I am Alainn the Ever-Cheerful, so named by a mighty warrior as he left on a quest for redemption. The Heroes with me are Lydia and Sercha, united by bonds of the Truest Love. All that tries to divide them shall fail!" A card flashes briefly, was it The Marriage? "And you, no doubt are the Rabbit Prince." Another card appears. "Yet you flee the Tangled Briar." Yet another card, somehow Alainn appears to be holding at least five cards at this point - a couple are even floating.
"Will you aid us good sir? To overthrow the Tyrant? Then your name shall resound with glory in this greatest of stories!"
The Rabbit Prince has a very short attention span, and even with Alainn's interactive storytelling, he doesn't seem to pay much attention after the first sentence, instead looking everyone up and down.
When Alainn poses the question of aid, he pauses, mulling a thought over in his mind.
"I know - you must need my token, the Dancing Heel, to defeat the Dragon Lord. I challenge one of you to an honour duel! If you win, you get my token and defeat the Patchwork Lord!" He pulls out a broken sword from a sheath, seemingly positive about the idea of a duel.
"She accepts!" Alainn replies promptly, pointing to Sercha.
"All yours," Lydia says, yielding to Sercha should she wish to accept. Of course, she protects the fetchling with shield of faith and bolsters her with heroism before the battle commences.
Sercha turns a pleading gaze to Lydia. "But he's sooo cute. I don't want to fight him." She sighs and steps forward, shifting her shield into place and summoning her sword.
"I accept," she declares, glaring at Alainn.
Alainn bows theatrically, leaps into the air and draws a large ring, about twenty-five feet in diameter across the clearing in a thin line of fire.
"Ready? Then go!" The gathlain declares.
Alainn's ring of fire doesn't even get started, its as if the Briar itself is looking after the Rabbit Prince.
Bowing first, the Rabbit Prince takes advantage of Sercha's initial reluctance and makes the first move, he rushes forward to swipe at Sercha with his broken sword and then rushes back out of her reach.
He then bounds into a tree onto a sturdy branch to get off the floor.
"Ok then. It's going to be that kind of fight," Sercha says as she dismisses her sword and re-summons it.
She then readies it to strike at the evasive rabbit.
"Oh, a mighty opponent! he declares, jumping back out of the tree before leaping forward to attack and away again.
72/97
Knowing that she can't reach him and still attack, Sercha approaches cautiously and prepares for his inevitable dashing attack.
The Rabbit Prince dashes in again to make another attack but just before he manages to swipe with his broken sword, Sercha slashes with her longsword.
He stops suddenly in his tracks, not making his planned attack.
"A draw! A draw!" he calls, trying to save face. "You may have my token in order to complete your quest my worthy opponent. Make sure you come back to visit - there is just nothing to do here, and I would love another duel!
He hands a tiny shoe carved from green feldspar to Sercha and retreats into his briar.
Sercha frowns and lets her sword vanish.
"I didn't even get to pet him," she says with a pout.
Allowing Sercha to rest for a few moments after the duel, you take some time to rest a little.
A few minutes later, muffled thunder rolls through the skies, followed by a hideous screeching of metal against metal. The sun above, held aloft on its brass rod, comes to a halt. Red light bathes the world as the moon jams into place before it, and a rumble echoes from the ground.
The thorny plants bordering the clearing twist and move into a dense pattern, sealing off all the exits, as a skeletal hand breaches the ground in front of you, grasping to pull itself out of the ground.
Alainn kicks off into the sky to examine the moon more closely.
"Well that's weird." The gathlain reports, unhelpfully, as it fishes into the Harrow Deck and produces The Eclipse.
Seeing the undead figure emerging from the ground, Sercha dismisses and re-summons her blade and takes a step to stand between Lydia and the creature.
Lydia strides forward and swiftly decapitates the undead!
Moon 66/75
As the red light washes over everything in sight, five more undead rise around you in a large circle.
As soon as Alainn approaches the Eclipse, the moon begins to slowly crumble.
"The moon! Alainn, can you reach it with your spells?" Lydia asks. She rushes over to another undead to slice off its head.
"Sure." Alainn replies, rising another thirty foot or so. A rather beautiful streak leaves the gathlain's hand, arching across the sky like a pink-purple comet before it slams into the moon.
Sercha takes out another undead as the fireball streaks across the sky, causing an explosion on the surface of the moon. Moon rock comes crashing down to the Harrowed realm, somewhere in the distance.
The eclipse now has a jagged outline instead of a perfectly circular ring with the moon crumbling fast.
Moon HP 31
The three undead that are still standing hulk towards Lydia and Sercha and attack as five more undead claw their way up from the ground.
Alain sends another comet arching into the lunar mass.
Lydia hisses in pain as the skeletons claw at her. "Fighting them is futile! We have to shoot the moon!"
She steps back and drops her blade, drawing her bow and firing up at the moon!
"Well shoot the bloody moon, then!" Sercha shouts out as she continues to swing at the skeletons.
Two of the skeletons go down to Sercha's strong attacks, but two more claw their way up out of the ground.
Six skeletons surround and attack both Lydia and Sercha relentlessly.
High above the combat another comet blazes through the sky.
"Back to back! Sercha shouts out. "Don't let them get behind you!"
The comet impacts the moon and the remaining parts of it shatter into hundreds of pieces, raining down onto the ground below.
The skeletons surround Sercha and Lydia as they fight back to back with style, eventually dispatching the skeletons in synchronicity before the situation becomes too perilous.
The red light vanishes with the moon and sunlight bathes the land again.
--------------------------------------------
After resting, the three of you make your way towards the final token, the end in sight.
The woodland path that you found opens up to show a two-storied wooden building with a red roof. On the front is a large, dark wood half-open door, and next to it you can see a sign. If you squint you can read these words.
Balimar and Balio are proud to bring to you
The Most Lamentable But Also Very Funny, We Promise, Tale Of The Man Who Lost A Shoe And Was Therefore Sad
The Masterpiece of legendary writers
Balimar and Balio
in an all new production, starring
Eliara
and
The lower parts of the sign look like they were violently hacked away with a sharp object.
"Looks like they're missing their star performer." Alainn says. "Maybe Sercha could fill in?"
The gathlain strides forward and calls out. "Hello? Is the show on? We'd love to see it!"
Lydia snuggles with Sercha under the blankets that night, grateful for their reunion.
When they reach the building, the half-elf casts heroism and shield of faith on herself and the fetchling. "This must be The Theater, Alainn. Let's be ready for anything."
"Oh yeah." Alainn says, producing the card and holding it out like a ticket. "Can we come in please?"
Noone answers Alainn's polite requests to attend the show, and outside the theatre is pretty much deserted.
Stepping into the lobby, the place looks like a very typical, but very old and threadbare, theatre.
The red velvet covering nearly every surface of this lobby is threadbare and faded. A cracked mural on the ceiling depicts debauched acts between satyrs and all manner of mortal women. Two sets of double doors to the north lead into a massive chamber, and between them golden bars protect a ticket office. Smaller doors occupy the eastern and western walls.
You hear a fiddle playing, but notice that it is playing itself unassisted, following a little man pacing backwards and forwards just out of reach across the lobby. The tiny fey-like man has an elven upper body, two long antennae protruding from his forehead, and the lower body of a cricket, complete with spindly legs and a pair of gossamer wings.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, this little fiddle has gotten away from me again and I cannot stop the incessant music," the little man says with a blush.
"Mr Soft-shoes is the name, directing shows was my game." He says, look downhearted.
You cannot avoid dancing along to the joyful music. After one round of listening, all non-fey creatures must make a DC 18 Will save or begin dancing as if affected by the spell irresistible dance.
Destroying the fiddle would stop the irresistible music. Alternatively, you could attempt to outperform the cheeky fey instrument through dancing.
"Nice tune." Alainn says with a smile. "So what happened? Why can't you do shows any more? I'm a fan of your work though. Could you sign this for me?"
The gathlain offers The Cricket card towards him.
Lydia's eyes rove over the ceiling's mural, blushing slightly at the subject matter depicted. She then turns her gaze on the fairy, resisting the urge to dance. "You are The Cricket, I presume? We are here to claim the last of the conspirator's token. What can you tell us about this place, and of the people who dwell here?"
His eyes light up momentarily seeing Alainn produce the deck of Harrow cards but he tries to cover it up again quickly, if unsuccessfully. His feet begin to tap along to the music, but he quickly shakes off the need to dance.
"I am just Mr Soft-shoes, no other title to go by any longer. There is no reason for me to sign that card my friends... I was once this theatre's musical director."Mr Soft-shoes informs you quietly, just loud enough to hear over the music. "They got rid of me because they said the fiddle could play better than I could." he mutters, blushing at his embarrassment.
"I know nothing of a token, but maybe Balio and Balimar, the successful performers might. Balimar is the most skilled, the most convincing, the most magical puppeteer of all time! Balio is his lifelike puppet - such a good performance they do. He has clearly rehearesed this poor sales pitch before.
"The leading lady, Eliara, used to dominate the stage as well but recently is refusing to perform so I think Balimar and Balio have been trying to recast the romantic lead in the new production."
1 - fail
pass
Alainn resists, more or less, the urge to cackle madly with glee at Mr Soft-shoe's explanation. "Oh, well maybe we can help?" The gathlain says with a gleam in its viridian eyes.
"Looks like they're missing their star performer." Alainn says. "Maybe Sercha could fill in?"
This earns the fey another glare from the fetchling. "I am no thespian," she says. "I have morals."
~~~~
Sercha glances up at the ceiling and then does a double take before averting her eyes and clutching at Lydia's arm to pull her closer. "That's disgusting," she hisses.
~~~~
The music seems to stir something in the warrior, but knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to top her performance in the desert, she resists the urge to move her feet in time to the merry tune.
Sercha glances up at the ceiling and then does a double take before averting her eyes and clutching at Lydia's arm to pull her closer. "That's disgusting," she hisses.
"I am not sure if that one is even physically possible," the half-elf whispers back, cocking her head at an odd angle to try to figure out what is happening in that particular section of the mural.
***
"We shall speak to Balio and Balimar, Mr. Soft-Shoes," Lydia agrees. She gestures for the others to proceed further inside the theater.
Alainn leads the way, humming the tune that the violin was playing. After a moment the gathlain breaks out into (quiet) song.
"And we're going to be alright,
Dry your tears and hold on tight.
Can't you tell I've got new for you?
The sun is shining and so are you!"
At the last words a light springs up behind Lydia's head, leaving her actually shining as they proceed further into the theatre.
Mr. Soft-Shoes points the way through to the auditorium and gives his excuses that he will not be joining you.
This bulging auditorium offers an excellent view of the stage to the north from any of its dozens of seats. Dust and cobwebs cling to everything. A half-dozen glassy-eyed bodies lie in the northwest corner like discarded props.
This massive, open space offers ceilings some 80 feet high, but stands remarkably empty.
On the stage, you can see a strikingly handsome Varisian-looking man holding a very lifelike puppet that looks like a blonde version of himself.
As you move closer, you hear the puppet shouting. "We can't afford to send her away! She's our best and greatest actress, I don't care a bit for her tantrums! Storykin should be honored to work with her- what am I saying, to work with US! So what if they can't manage her... personality? They are just not worth it!"
"Hello!" Alainn calls. "You must be Balio and Balimar! Can we help you? We're very good at helping out, formed a conspiracy or two in our time and never even got found out."
The gathlain watches closely for any sign of reaction to the word 'conspiracy'.
As Alainn calls across the theatre, the man spins around, flipping the marionette over his head, where it starts speaking.
"AHA! It looks like the answer has just walked into the room!" It says, ignoring Alainn's comments. [b]"What a convenient, conspicuous consumption! A radically remarkable rapscallionry! A sophisticated, spectacular skullduggery! You, yes, you! You shall have the lead role in our Most Lamentable Romantic tale!"
The pair jumps off the stage, heading directly towards Sercha.
"You! Yes, you shall be perfect! The innocent, charming, quietly competent, dashing hero, braving hells and beyond for True Love and Fortune, even though she's cursed with having Only One Shoe! Oh, you shall be a fantastically flamboyant fanatical for our dazzingly deplorable deprivation!"
The two whirl around Sercha, taking her measure with dazzling speed.
"And you shall play together with our great Eliara! ELIARA! COME DOWN! She's the greatest star of the whole Realm! But this outfit, nonono, this won't do, we'll need something silky and delicate, all in pink with delicate frills and lace, for a magnificent, miraculous megalomany!"
In all of this, the marionette has been the only one to speak, the man has only moved it around.
"Well, pink is her color," Lydia comments with a bemused grin. Meanwhile, though, she checks the puppet and puppeteer for auras.
"What? Wait! What?!" Sercha responds with confusion as she tries to follow the marionette's articulate alliterations. "No. I'm ... No!" She turns a pleading gaze to Lydia, hoping the the half-elf will relieve her of this expectation.
Having had her fun, Lydia's expression turns stern again. "Balimar the Puppet Master. We have come for the conspirator's token you possess. We mean to defeat the Patchwork Lord. Surrender it peacefully, or we will take it by force."
"Our token, Balimar, what is this? And where is Eliara!" shrieks the marionette, its knees clacking together in fright.
With a crack of thunder, the theatre vanishes into a cold night made even colder as all of your apparel melts, replaced by Varisian silks.
Driving rain pours down, cascading over the stone dais beneath your feet. Dozens of shadowy figures stand in the distance, laughing and mocking, while eight shadowy figures draw close with ravenous eyes.
You recognise these figures as the conspirators you have already faced. Balimar and Balio are moving swiftly between the figures.
"You will never catch us!"
Alainn produces the Twins from the harrow deck before leaping into the air and beating hard to gain height.
Lydia declares judgment as she attacks Balimar.
Balimar and Balio seem to trip other each other for a second, before separating slightly to keep further away from one another in such a hectic situation.
Lydia's blade hits Balimar, causing him to let out a gasp, the first sound you have heard from him so far.
The marionette comes slamming into Lydia's side.
Balimar reaches out and grabs Lydia's shoulder and she can feel the energy drain out of her.
Balimar: 49
Balio 77