"If you're planning on hijacking that boat back towards the cottage, you're going to be sorely disappointed," Jub said, earning a questioning glance from Brutrumukk. "It's got some sort of enchantment on it to make it go back and forth between the two docks."

"Fuck." The bugbear gnome cursed un frustration. "Nothin's ever simple, is it?"

"I heard somewhere that gnomes are apparently more magically attuned than most other folks so I'm surprised you can't sense it. Maybe that's something they have to train themselves to do..." Jub added.

"Maybe." Brutrumukk said. "Managed to figure out a lot o' what a gnome can do by just thinkin' about it though. I'm smarter now. An' I can talk to small animals. An' like you said, I got some magic in me now. Don't know what kind yet, but I will once I find a bit o' fleece." As he finished his sentence, Brutrumukk noticed a look on Jub's face that suggested an idea had come to the goblin. "Somethin' on yer mind, booyagh?" Brutrumukk asked.

"Look, if I really can't persuade you not to go to that cottage, there is perhaps another way. Jub said. I still have a couple more uses of that charm the Witchlight Carnival gave me when I was crowned monarch. Now that we're about the same size, I could try and carry you over there."

"Nah, let's save those wings fer a rainy day." Brutrumukk dismissed the idea. "It shouldn't be too 'ard to find a boat. An' from what I can remember, those things only attacked 'cause they were 'ungry. Now though, I reckon they're full fer the time bein'." With that said, Brutrumukk waited for the boat to arrive at their side and stepped on when it docked.

Once again, Brutrumukk dismissed one of Jub's ideas, though not as rudely this time. The goblin shrugged. "Long way round it is then," he muttered, and followed the former bugbear onto the skiff. "But hey, at least you're starting to see the benefits of your new form. Like I said before, there are far worse things you could have been turned into." He was very tempted to add 'like a goblin' to end of that sentence, partly as a joke, but he had no idea how Brutrumukk would take that.

Still frustrated with the ordeal with Brutrumukk, Rory stood next to Gabe amd Tsak in mute silence. The other two seemed to have recognized the song that had been played by this elf that sat under the giant mushroom, where as Aurora had not really thought much about it aside from how melancholy it sounded. It seemed eery to her how empty of emotion this strange elf's voice sounded, unsettling Aurora enough that she only heard that Gabe was mumbling to himself and not what he had said. She waited for the others to ask their questions and for the stranger to reply.

The elf answers Tsak first, "I do not know. My apologies,"

After Gabriel speaks, he looks to him and answers Gabriel's introduction, "My name is Octavian Meliamne. It is good to meet you,"

He speaks again, his voice still devoid of emotion, "I realize my words may seem disingenuous, but I truly cannot feel any emotion after I lost my heart..."

---

The boat comes over to them, and Jub and Brutrumukk are able to jump on the skiff and hop off to reach the next location. In front of them, they see a ramshackle hall built around a big tree. Two of the tree's limbs reach out through the walls like enormous welcoming arms. The interior of the hall is roomy, with an open floor plan that allows occupants of the upper story to look out over the lower one. Bullywug courtiers are crowding into the space, filling it with their guttural croaks. Their clothing is faded and stained with mud.

Upon reaching the other side of the water and seeing the occupants of the hall, Brutrumukk's expression contorted into an expression of pure disgust. "Oh Mag damnit. Fuckin' nobbers." The bugbear gnome growled before looking to Jub. "C'mon. Let's get out of 'ere before they notice us an' start bein' snooty." Fortunately, there was a way around the hall. One that led somewhere much more interesting in Brutrumukk's opinion. "Oi oi. Booyagh." He said to Jub before pointing towards D10. "What d'you reckon that thing over there is?"

Jub observed the bullywugs with dull amusement. Snooty frog people? Yeah, that checked out. It made as much sense as anything else he'd seen since entering this weird plane. Just like Brutrumukk, he also didn't fancy his chances with mingling these guys, and started following the gnome around the hall until he drew his attention to something nearby. Jub eyed the cloud curiously, though no more surprised than how he had looked at the bullywugs. "That's a storm cloud... with ropes coming out of it," the goblin said flatly. He then shrugged. "You know, I'm starting to wish I'd found a book about fey nonsense instead of a spellbook. That would be very helpful right about now."

"Greetings Octavian, I am Rory." Aurora said while giving a curt nod. She was trying to keep the creeping feel of unease at bay. The comment about having lost his heart did however catch her attention. Perhaps he, like others here, had made a deal with one of the hags and it had been not been in his favor.

"I apologize if this comes across as rude and you do not have to answer on my account. How did you loose your heart?"

Octavian gives a nod to Aurora and answers, "Well met, Rory,"

He didn't seem to mind or take offense when Aurora asked about his heart. He answers her, "...I made a deal with Bavlorna. Long have I suffered heartbreak, anguish, and despair from losing the people I loved. I went to her, hoping that she would help me forget them, and thus, relieve me of the pain. She agreed to help, and she did so. But when it came time for me to pay, I realized the truth of her words.

She wanted my still-beating heart in return,"

He continues, "I refused her my heart. So, in punishment, she took it by force, and replaced my heart with a goat's heart,"

---

Brutrumukk easily makes his way past the building and to the ominous black cloud, with Jub following him.

A big black balloon floats over the lake, tugging at its moorings. Beneath it hangs a basket made of black wicker and wood, which serves as a merchant's stall. A large pane of gray glass is drawn closed across an opening above the counter. A sign mounted above the window reads, "Wondrous Wares & Fair Fares!"

As Jub observed earlier, the balloon is not made of fabric, but rather appears to be a roiling, dark rain cloud that has been contained somehow with lines and netting.

A sign below the counter lists the following

Available for a Limited Time Only!

Very good thimble (fingertip not included)
Mug of Bumble Beer (has a nice sting to it)
Duskmallow pie (with decorative bite marks)
Bundle of dry wood (great for starting fires)
Ink portraits (if we have to look at you, so should you)
Moonlight monocle (no more fumbling in the dark)

Two feminine figures with pale gray to blue skin, wearing black pointed hats speak to each other,

"Oh! Hey, Trinket! We've two munchkins coming up!"
"Ha! Finally! Some variety other than those froggies! Hello, Munchkins, whaddaya want to buy at our stall?"

As the proprietors came into view, Brutrumukk found himself unable to place their race alone. But a quick conference with Jub had the bugbear gnome realizing that they were darklings just in time for their opening remarks.

"Oh! Hey, Trinket! We've two munchkins coming up!"
"Ha! Finally! Some variety other than those froggies! Hello, Munchkins, whaddaya want to buy at our stall?"

"Oi oi to you too, fellow munchkins." Brutrumukk greeted. "Whaddaya want fer a Mug o' Bumble Beer an' a Duskmallow Pie? Also, do you 'ave any morningstars?"

Jub stayed a little behind Brutrumukk as they approached the unusual storm cloud, warily eying the two darklings as he tried to recall anything he knew about this particular type of fey. It took a while - despite his nonchalant attitude, his brain still seemed to be in a state of shock after everything that had occurred that day. Eventually, he was able to remember that darklings were sensitive to the light, which potentially explained the cloud. It was probably some form of magic to protect them from the sun, though how exactly they had managed to create something like that was beyond him.

"Of course that's the first thing you ask for," Jub mumbled to himself as Brutrumukk spoke to the shopkeepers. He then approached the two darklings himself, checking over their list of wares. "Erm, is this all you have for sale? Because we could really use some clothes for this fellow..." He motioned to Brutrumukk, still wearing only Jub's wizard cloak. "And if you had some incense, herbs and charcoal and a brass brazier, that would also be helpful. I need to re-summon my familiar."

The darklings let out laughs at the fact that Brutrumukk called them Munchkins in turn. After he asked about the Duskmallow Pie and the Mug of Bumblebeer, along with a Morningstar, they answered him,

"Do we look like weaponsmiths to you? No, we don't have Morningstars!"
"But you are a lucky customer! We have the last Duskmallow Pie and Bumblebeer!"

They bring out the items in question. The mug seems to be sealed with a stein like cover, and buzzing could be heard inside. The duskmallow pie, as the sign indicated, definitely has bite marks where a crust once was. Both goblinoids can see the interior of the pie: It looks like a butterscotch and marshmallow filling.

The darklings hold onto the items as they speak,

"The Duskmallow Pie is oh so sweet, especially when you're wounded! However, for this, we would like your ability to tan yourself and maintain your normal complexion when you're in the sun,"

The second darkling speaks up,

"A whole mug of Bumblebeer is great for when you want to boogie, socialize, and possibly find yourself a sweet honey! For this, we ask for your mental resilience to explosions of all kinds,"

After they give their offers for Brutrumukk to consider, they turn to Jub next for his requests.

They whisper to themselves and quickly rummage around the back. They then come out with the requested items.

The first item Jub requested were clothes alright....A full on pink and blue Jester Costume, complete with the hat with bells, and curled toe shoes. They speak,

"Now this is a deal! These clothes once belonged to a Jester. Now it's said that this Jester's spirit still clings to his attire, so should the wearer find themselves in danger while in this attire, they'll find themselves naturally able to tumble away! For this, I would say....the color of your blood would be a good price!"

The darklings then consult with each other quietly as they gathered the materials needed for the Find Familiar spell. They then seem to look through a small gadget and look in awe before giggling to themselves.

They speak to Jub once more, "For each component, there is a price!

For the herbs, we want the color of your eyes.

For the incense, you shall let the full moon influence you and let your wild side out to play forevermore.

For the charcoal, we ask for your most treasured memory.

And finally, the brass brazier...we have seen that your first born shall carve a great destiny for themselves! We want the custody of the child starting at the moment of their birth,"

Brutrumukk listened with interest as the darklings gave their prices. He was especially interested in the price of the incense. When he was a kid, Brutrumukk's mother often told tales at the gang's campfire. Some of these tales were of lycanthropes and their invincible power in battle. The darklings probably thought the whole 'curse that turns you into an evil, opportunistic creature that preys on the weak' thing was a steep sounding price. But to Brutrumukk - who already was an evil, opportunistic creature that preyed on the weak - that was like being paid to purchase something. The prices of the charcoal and the brazier sounded a bit steep though. However, Brutrumukk's gnomish mind got the sense that the brazier wasn't all that necessary anyway, and it also had an idea for how to get the charcoal without giving up memories.

"I'll take the pie, the clothes, an' the incense." The bugbear gnome said to the darklings. "Also, you darklings like art things, yeah?" Brutrumukk paused then as he reached behind him and untied the string binding the balloon tarrasque to his backpack. "What do you think o' this?" Brutrumukk asked as he presented the balloon tarrasque to the darklings. "Looks pretty artistic, don't it? Got a nice color an' it's shaped like a tarrasque an' everything. You reckon I could buy the charcoal with this rather than me best memory?"

"Wait you made a deal with Bavlorna to take away the pain of loss? And she wanted your still beating heart as payment?" Rory was experiencing two different forms of shock. One that someone was in a position that making a deal with Bavlorna was the best option. The second being that rather than undoing what was done, Bavlorna forcefully collected the payment. It took her a few more moments to process it all.

"Is there anyway to undo what was done?" She asked actually wanting to know if it could be undone. It would be good information to have in case someone in the group makes a deal they didn't want to pay the cost for.

"My good fellow I get that loss is difficult but why go to such extreme lengths to take the pain away?" Gabriel's expression looked a bit perplexed.

Anyone who was paying attention Jub's face would notice he was getting physically more exhausted with each 'price' the two Darklings read off. For some reason, he had just expected that gold pieces were valid here. Silly him, expecting the Feywild to do anything the normal way.

The first few asks weren't too bad - changing his blood and eye colour wasn't going to make him any less appealing to the common bystander. The full moon one was... strange. And vaguely worded enough that he wasn't exactly sure what it meant.

But it was the final two prices that really got him.

He tried to think about what even his most cherished memory was. He seemed to remember earlier on he and the rest of the group had been having an conversation about the memory of the best gift they'd ever recieved. That he was able to answer pretty quickly, as he'd recieved so few gifts in his life. But the most cherished memory he had? Ever? He wasn't even sure he could answer that question of the top of his head.

And then...

"And finally, the brass brazier...we have seen that your first born shall carve a great destiny for themselves! We want the custody of the child starting at the moment of their birth."

Jub just looked blankly at the two darklings for a long moment before giving an audible "Huh?!" Never in his life has he ever considered having children, and now he'd just been told that not only might he have one someday, but they were going to be special enough that the fey wanted custody of them.

"I... need to sit down," Jub said. He wasn't even paying attention to anything Brutrumukk was saying, he was so flabbergasted by this revelation.

Octavian nods in response to Aurora's question about his situation. When Gabriel asked his question, Octavian answers with a shrug, "I guess...the pain was great enough for me to seek Bavlorna's assistance,"

He then looks to Aurora when she asked about undoing it, and he answers, "I'm...not sure. Maybe if I had my heart back, it could be undone? Bavlorna has to have it somewhere in her residence..."

---

The darklings look to Brutrumukk with wide grins as he accepts the deals for the pie, clothes, and incense. Upon offering the Terrasque animal balloon, the darklings study it.

"Hmmm...This is well crafted, and it's obvious that it was created by a clown full of sadness and bitterness,"

The other darkling speaks up, "It's definitely of Witchlight Carnival quality! We never get to go to the Witchlight Carnival!"

The first darkling nods and speaks, "True! Very well, this is a fine trade for the charcoal," They toss the balloon towards the back in the stall, then they reach out a hand towards Brutrumukk with three clear marbles and a needle in the other hand.

"Your hand first!"

Once Brutrumukk offers his hand to take part in the deal, the darkling speaks,

"Hues be mine!
Lunacy be your shrine!"

With one prick of the needle point in hand, Brutrumukk immediately feels it! Lycanthropy now courses through his veins! While he feels that, he sees a drop of his now gnomish blood drop to the counter. The red of his blood seems to stream out of the blood towards one of the clear marbles.

The first clear marble is now red, while the blood stain on the counter is now alabaster white.

The colors of tan and white seem to also seep out of Brutrumukk's skin as a ray of sunlight shines on him. The colors fill the other two clear marbles, and now...Brutrumukk's skin is hot pink in the sunlight, like he just got a serious case of sunburn. When the sun light is shrouded, his skin color goes back to normal.

Once the processes were completed, the Darklings push the items towards him, "Pleasure doing business with you,"

They then look to Jub and they ask, "Well, do ya want anything?"

The other Darkling snickers, "I think he's still recovering from learning he's gonna be a Dad. Think he wants a Gender Reveal Party?"

Brutrumukk let out a quiet grunt as the needle drew blood. But when he felt the lycanthropy begin to course through his veins, the bugbear gnome began to grin. He felt the strength he had lost return to him and then some. He felt the invincible power that the stories had spoken of. And he felt the spirit of the tiger within him, offering power in exchange for prey. Brutrumukk agreed to those terms without hesitation. Then he doubled over in pain. As he felt his body begin to change, Brutrumukk barely managed to grab on to the cloak that Jub had lent to him, pulling it off his rapidly expanding body and casting it back to the feet of its true owner. Brutrumukk then fell to his knees with a cry of pain that shifted into a bestial roar halfway through as his nails turned to claws and orange fur with black stripes sprouted from and obscured his hot pink skin.

Or that's what Brutrumukk thought happened anyway. In reality, he was still just a gnome and the delusion that the darklings had placed on him had simply made him think that he was changing.

With the 'transformation' complete, Brutrumukk rose to his feet a gnome 'no longer'. The 'weretiger' let out a delighted 'purr' before speaking for the first time in his 'hybrid form'. "Oh it feels good to 'ave fur again." Brutrumukk declared before fixing his gaze on the darklings who had made him this way. "Sorry, you two. But I can't 'ave you makin' anymore weretigers. This place ain't big enough fer more than one."

A moment after those words were spoken, a bolt of light shot out of his chest and struck one of the darklings. It didn't seem to have much of an effect though. Brutrumukk made a note to wonder about that when battle wasn't at hand, then charged the darklings. In his 'new lycanthropic form', he vaulted the counter with ease and brought a 'claw' down on the darkling that the light had flown towards. However, the darkling managed to evade the attack. "HRUGGEK!" Brutrumukk roared as battle commenced in earnest.

The Darklings turned their attention to Brtrumukk when he started speaking. They were quick to act when Brutrumukk started to attack them. When a beam of light shot at them, Trinket grabbed a mirror and used it to reflect the light away from them.

Trinket and Bauble look unamused for once. Trinket speaks, "You just made a big mistake, kitty-cat. It would do you well to leave,"

Trinket then takes out their damage and gives Brutrumukk a swift cut. Now, with Brutrumukk's rage, normally it wouldn't do much. But Brutrumukk does feel the life drain from him once again as the cut lingers.

Brutrumukk growled in pain when one darkling revealed that the two of them carried magical daggers. Then he snarled in frustration when a second light bolt was deflected by the other darkling. He wasn't ready to give up just yet though. Brutrumukk went on the defensive, focusing of dodging the darklings' blades. With any luck, the bolts would get through sooner or later. He just needed to hold out until then.

Bauble gives a grin at Brutrumukk after he snarled and mocked “Ya missed,”
The Darkling gets into defensive position as well and they called to Jub, “Oi! If ya want to be able to shop at our stall at all, get a leash on your rabid gnome, or get him out of here! He ain’t welcome anymore!”