Leaving the Balloon Factory, the party came to a bridge with an individual talking to the heads on the pikes on the side of bridge
He introduced himself as Clapperclaw the Scarecrow who said he was looking to get his old stag head back instead of the gourd he currently had
His head was taken by Agdon for supposedly being a spy for Thither
Bavlorna Blightstraw kicked him out of her hovel because he kept making her sneeze and threatened to take his claws and feet
He offered to take the party to Thither if they got his head back
The bullywug heads on the pikes do actually seem to be talking and mostly complaining
It actually turns out that each of the heads on the pikes are previous kings and queens of the “Soggy Court” of Downfall who all seem to have assassinated or killed their predecessors
They head to the gazebo on the other side of the bridge
Several bullywug in fancy clothes lounge on the dais surrounding King Gullop the 19th
The king asked why they didn’t have a herald and Amrynn said that heralds are normally furnished by the court and the king prompted one of the bystanders to become the new herald
Another bullywug snuck up to King Gullop the 19th and stabbed him repeatedly to death
As they dragged the king’s body into the swamp, the other bullywug declared himself king
He introduced himself as King Blackcroak the 2nd and said he could help with the missing items the party needed but had several problems to deal with
He said they were constantly plagued by harengon bandits; Amrynn said that they had dispatched Agdon and his bandits on their way in
King Blackcroak the 2nd said they should celebrate his defeat of the bandits and that for their help in the matter, he would appoint the party as junior royal investigators and problem solvers of the soggy court
Once this is formalized, they should be able get through the fog towards the hag’s home in the center of Downfall as formal representatives of the court
However, the party needs to assist in finding the possible threats to the new king
Bavlorna Blightstraw would not appreciated him having her bad book of bad blood, supposedly taken by King Gullop the 19th
Four people may be pawns of Bavlorna Blightstraw or still loyal to King Gullop the 19th:
- Duke Ickrind
- Lady Squelchtoe of Slime Gully was an advisor to King Gullop the 19th and stepped away while King Blackcroak the 2nd was talking to the party
- Duchess Volvamp of Bogwater, the royal animal trainer, spends too much time with toads and frogs
- Baron Slimetongue of Festerblight, the royal tailor, is the most suspicious and newest member of the court, would likely be in the royal palace to the east
One of the waiters passing out snacks and drinks forced a cup of “wine” into PB’s hands but it turned out that there was a slip of paper in the cup with the following message written in Sylvan:
“Find Baron Illig of Muckstamp at once, the rebellion still lives”
They went to see Duke Ickrind and told him that King Blackcroak the 2nd took the throne
Duke Ickrind seemed to imply that the party should help him take the throne still by rescuing Sir Mugwort “taking a balloon ride over the new coronation” and that he would give the party Bavlorna Blightstraw’s book
He gave us some information on some of the royal court members but mostly just said much of what King Blackcroak the 2nd told them
They then decided to head towards the prison near the palace
East of the palace was a small hut with balloon behind it made of a storm cloud
Inside the hut there are two cells with one occupied by Sir Mugwort
She was happy the Gullop was dead and that Sir Talavar was successful in his quest
It turns out that her cell door was unlocked and she was staying just to satisfy her knightly honor and wouldn’t leave without proof the party had authority to release her
They then head towards the balloon, a sign above a gray glass window reads, Wonderous Ware and Fair Fares
Two darkling creatures, Trinket and Bauble are merchants
- Very good thimble, finger not included
- Duskmellow pie with decorative bite marks (seems like normal pie they were eating)
- Bundle of dry wood, good for starting a fire
- Ink portraits done here, if we have to look at you, so should you
- Moonlight monocle
They would be leaving as soon as their boss, Charm, was done doing business with Bavlorna Blightstraw
PB went back to King Blackcroak the 2nd to get a written note stating their status as investigators of the court
Mugwort told us that Baron Illig of Muckstamp had a residence in the southern section of Downfall
The party then headed to the palace to talk to Baron Slimetongue of Festerblight
The palace is full of courtiers in muddy clothes with one bullywug with better clothes who is trying to sew together a scarf out of scraps of cloth
He says the party is completely underdressed and suggests several potential “improvements” to the party’s outfits including a giant neck ruffle for PB
They were able to have the palace staff bring their skiff over to the docks behind the palace so that they could get to the southern portion of Downfall
Their next plan is to seek out Baron Illig of Muckstamp to learn about the rebellion before otherwise releasing Sir Mugwort and potentially going along with Duke Ickrind’s plans