Kettlesteam; A Laughable Proposal; Goozl

☕ Start of session

The party is tracking the shadowy figure who disrupted the dragonflies last session.

Meet Kettlesteam

Vera is taking a watchful position near the carousel while Michael and Elmer approach.

Elmer successfully gets closer without the shadowy figure noticing. He is able to tell that the shadowy figure is using Disguise Self, and is actually a Kenku.

Michael sends Robin down to scare the Kenku and Robin does just that! The Kenku turns and runs directly into Elmer, who produces a “Nevermore” kind of quip that disarms the Kenku enough to stop and talk to the party.

The party learns:

• This is Kettlesteam (NOT KETTLESTREAM) the Kenku
• Kettlesteam is a warlock with Zybilna as a patron, and hasn’t felt a connection with Zybilna for several months now
• Kettlesteam is convinced that Mr. Witch and Mr. Light have something to do with it, given Zybilna’s history with the carnival
• Trying to cause chaos to force the two managers to have an actual conversation with her. That’s the plan
• Hasn’t been to Prismeer since her fey pact with Zybilna started years ago
• Thinks that carnival staff may be helpful to the cause
• Replays a conversation she overheard between Mr. Witch and Mr. Light:

Someone is going to find out about this! They’ll shut us down!"
“We agreed to this pact. Our hands were forced but our eyes were open. We let the Hourglass Coven take what it wants, and in return, we stay in business. That is what you want, right?”

The party agrees to try to get an audience with the managers, and will meet with Kettlesteam before the big top extravaganza coming up soon.

The party also suggests that freeing some snails may be a good way to sow some chaos. Kettlesteam heartily agrees.

Hall of Illusions

The party heads to the Hall of Illusions next. A male and female halfling approach as well - they get close to a glass cabinet, and the male halfling drops to one knee to propose to his partner. The female halfling, however, bursts out into laughter. The male halfling rushes away into the Hall of Illusions, embarrassed.

Elmer and Vera check out the glass cabinet, which contains a figurine of a tall dark-haired woman, and the label mentions “Tasha”, a powerful witch who is known for her original spells now in common usage, such as “Tasha’s Hideous Laughter”.

Michael chases after the halfling in the Hall, getting his ticket punched by a silent carnivalhand in mostly white makeup. Michael eventually finds the halfling, staring into a mirror - the reflection is not his, but a young girl(?) in a pig mask who appears to be beckoning the halfling to step into the mirror. She startles as Michael approaches and disappears from view in the mirror.

The Halflings

The halfling’s name is Rubin, and has been seeing Ween for about 8 months, quite some time. Michael convinces him to leave the hall.

Vera and Elmer catch up inside the hall. The mirrors have some sort of magic to them, but attempts to pass into the mirror fail; they just act like regular mirrors that way.

Other glimpses in the mirrors:

• Young Elmer, Michael, and Vera
• A city of good people with a looming evil
• A city of street vendors and toasty bars
• A city of metal chariots lined as far as the eye can see, and also tacos
• Fireworks of red, yellow, blue, white, sparkling and drifting
• Roses floating across rippling waves
• Tiny yellow flies swarming and disbanding
• A shadowy figure, perhaps in a dark dress, but only the smallest glimpse
• A slimy green-skinned(?) limb(?)

The party persuades Rubin to try again with Ween, who has recovered from her fit of laughing. She agrees, they embrace, ain’t love grand. They skip and twirl into the Hall of Illusions together.

Drinks

Before heading to the Big Top Extravaganza, which is soon, I swear, the party stops at the drink booth.

Vera orders a white wine, which comes with a spiel about the collection process that involves sleds in the frozen north.

Elmer agrees to try a Goozl, a thick, viscous, strong drink, enhanced with fey botanicals. It has a slightly metallic taste. The vendor pours it into a glass, tosses the liquid into the air, spins the glass in his hands, and catches the liquid again.

Michael will have one lager, please.