🎪44. faire-going

session 44• 10/11/2022 • 1,252 words

🌞 DAY 10.5 • 📅 HARVESTIDE

Words of Wisdom(?)

Granpappy is once again at his stall, and pretends that his memory got reset again just to fuck with the group lmao. No one is amused. He confirms that Urdlen has been banished back to the Abyss and gives each of the party a little reward and some parting words--

Hugh - Granpappy acknowledges that family is big with dwarves, and now that Hugh's found one, he needs to take care of it. Ominously, Granpappy cites that "a storm's a-coming" and that Hugh would need to remain a pillar of strength through it all for the group. Hugh receives a belt of giantkind!

Droop - Granpappy reminds Droop that he was once in a sticky situation when the group saved him, and that he should repay the favor by helping the party in the coming fight. Droop receives a pipe of smoke monsters.

Will - Granpappy gives Will a bow that seems to be made of light (reflavored lightbringer), and--seeeeemingly having eavesdropped on their conversation during interlude: amends--reminds Will that the only way that he could have done anything to save his village was to have killed the drow noble girl, which isn't the kind of person Will would want to become anyway.

Sildar - Granpappy chides Sildar for his self-sacrificial tendencies, both at the pudding and with Urdlen. He tells Sildar in no uncertain terms that the group will need him to be alive and strong in order to survive, and enchants Sildar's shield to become a sentinel shield.

Soren - Granpappy also scolds Soren for "hiding who he is with a silly hat" (and heavily implies that another drow has once also come through disguised by a silly hat 😉), urging him to become comfortable with himself. Granpappy also leans in and whispers a warning to Soren: that he's headed down a dangerous path, for "the road to redemption ain't paved with pleasure". Everyone hears this. Soren cordially agrees and receives a small hand-mirror, as well as is cured of his exhaustion from Grazzt.

Satisfied, Granpappy disappears and leaves behind a final gift: a tiny kitten that has the fur patterns of Snap, Crackle and Pop. Will is OVERJOYED.

Enjoying the Faire!! FINALLY!

Arabella's Caravan

Droop goes off to play with Josie and Vanessa. The group visits Arabella, finding Elsie hugging her after the trauma of yesterday. They send Elsie ahead to Phandalin. Will purchases some flowers from Arabella and gives sunflowers to Hugh, hyacinths to Soren, gladiolus to Sildar and celosias (did they get given out?) to Droop.

Soren, recognizing that hyacinths mean forgiveness or asking for forgiveness, thanks Will for the gift sincerely.

Pig Wrestling

We wrestle the pig and Sildar once again wins. Soren, who has taken off his circlet at Granpappy's behest, strips down to his pants and boldly engages in the competition despite his spider tattoo and scars; no one seems to mind! Maybe Granpappy did something 👀 Will is uncomfortable / nervous about being shirtless, but does so regardless.

Archery Competition

We head to the archery competition, where we witness a puppy love gone wrong where Tribi, the girl from yesterday who got sabotaged, wants to dance with Maisie, who is a wealthy halfling girl; but Maisie's parents don't like Tribi, who is now trying to win the archery contest for this.

The party comfort her and tell her to be herself, then we refrain from entering out of hoping she wins, which she does! Maisie comes back and tells her that they're going to dance whether the parents like it or not. The party goes aww

Gag Reflex Test

We then head to the eel eating contest, where we read some lore about Glittergold.

Myco, Hugh's head demon, wakes up to helpfully interject that their god (Zuggtmoy) HATES Urdlen and that we did good banishing him. He says that the Crawler isn't invited to the wedding, then gives Hugh a big headache :(

Sildar, Hugh and Soren attempt the eel eating contest, SURPRISINGLY Soren rolls worst at getting long slippery things down his throat and loses! He should have had advantage because he does Not have a gag reflex let's be real.

A gnome child tries to swallow three eels at once and starts choking; Will and Soren manage to give him the heimlich and save him.

Stoneskip Lake

We then head to the lake and help Mimsy get the recognition she deserves for the rock-throwing. She once again passes out from excitement, but everyone saw her god-tier throwing!

Wrestling Ring

Sildar and Hugh destroy the wrestling competition while Soren and Will watch and eat popcorn. Eventually, they face off each other in the finals, but after a tough battle, Hugh emerges victorious.

The Psychic

The group eventually makes their way to the psychic for the first time, where Sildar meets his friend, Petunia Peppergrass, from Waterdeep's Force Grey. She greets the group as though she doesn't recognize Sildar, at which point he jokingly asks if she's going to say hi, and she hurriedly greets Sildar like an old friend.

She claims that she got tired of her Waterdhavian life and divorced her wife of one year over this disagreement. Sildar, who knows of how much she loved her wife and how good she was at her job, is concerned and then begins to get suspicious over her nonchalance over this.

"Petunia" is offering a challenge where contestants try to stump her with personal questions; Hugh writes "What's in my head?" and the answer as "demon" LMAO. Petunia becomes terrified upon maybe probing into his head and admits defeat. Sildar shoves Will into the seat to distract her LMAO and starts confiding in Soren that something is wrong.

Petunia, who can presumably read minds, FUCKING just bolts at this. Sildar uses his sword's active for the first time and tackles her to the ground. Petunia refuses to explain herself, so Soren holds his new mirror out to her--it starts showing what seems to be Petunia's life.

We see a young girl (who doesn't look like Petunia) with three other children, wading through the rathills, which Sildar knows to be a stretch of garbage and landfill outside Waterdeep. We see the kids struggling to eat, fend off giant rats, and altogether struggling. Eventually, we see the children huddled in a dirty alley for warmth when a terrifying creature approaches them

and extends a hand to them, as though asking them to join it. Finally, we see the girl, now grown up, cornered in a sewer by whom looks like Petunia. Petunia lowers her battleaxe and tells the girl to go.

The group deduces that this "Petunia" is a doppelganger who took Petunia's form and escaped to forge a new life for herself. "Petunia" pleads with the group to let her be, that she's trying not to hurt anyone. Sildar asks her to at least take a different name so as to not get confused with real Petunia; Will says he understands wanting a home and suggests "Rose", which she likes.

Sildar says that he still hasn't gotten to go, and Petunia smugly asks him to sit down and write down a question and answer. He writes down "Who do I love the most?" and starts thinking random shit LMAO, which actually does confuse Petunia's mind-reading. She guesses "your wife?" and Sildar says "close enough" and pays her 5 gold to be nice cuz he's a big softie.

Soren is a LITTLE alarmed and siddles over to look at the answer, Sildar reveals the answer and it's Soren, Soren instantly dies goodbye.