Jub had been about to continue following after Brutrumukk when he spotted the bullywug prisoner within the holding cells. The manner in which they held themself brought to mind that of a knight, which in turn reminded him of the dead knight they had spotted when rescuing Sir Talavar from the balloon.
"Err, just hold for a moment," he said to the barbarian. He then started walking over to the cell. "Err, hello?" he called, waving over his head towards the prisoner. "Hello over there, you wouldn't happen to know a Sir Talavar, by any chance?"
Octavian answers her words of reassurance that they would find his heart, "Thank you. If you bring my heart back to me, I'll repay you and give you my pipes," He holds up the instrument he is holding in his hands to show what he was talking about when he said 'pipes'.
The knight looks up as Jub approaches the cell. When he asked about the knight knowing Sir Talavar, the bullywug knight looks surprised, and she stands up quickly. As she does so, she asks Jub,
"You know Sir Talavar?!"
She then composes herself, and answers Jub, "Yes. Yes, I know him. How do you know him?" Her tone was civil, but there is a sense of both hope and a bit of trepidation.
"Err, just hold for a moment," Jub spoke up, making Brutrumukk pause and look back.
"What? Why?" The bugbear gnome asked.
"Err, hello?" Jub answered Brutrumukk's question by calling out to the bullywug knight in the jail cell. "Hello over there, you wouldn't happen to know a Sir Talavar, by any chance?"
"That tiny dragon what gave me the dagger?" Brutrumukk asked as he turned to fully face Jub and followed him into the jail. "What would some frog in a cage know abou-"
"You know Sir Talavar?!" The bullywug knight exclaimed suddenly.
"More than I expected, I guess." Brutrumukk said with a shrug.
"Yes. Yes, I know him." The knight continued. "How do you know him?"
"We found 'im 'angin' from a tower what some dead frog crashed a balloon into." Was Brutrumukk's answer. "What about you? 'Ow d'you know 'im?"
Jub hadn't expected such an immediate reaction to his question. Before he could respond, however, Brutrumukk cut in with his own response, which Jub decided to further clarify to avoid any misunderstanding. "Yes, he was in a cage," he said. "We were able to get him out though. I don't know where he is now, but last time we saw him he was fine." Jub tilted his head to the side. "I'm guessing you're one of his knights or something?"
Aurora gave a slight nod in acknowledgement of before addressing her companions. "I don't see the store that Charm mentioned earlier, though I am uncertain if we should trust them. They do appear to be working with or for Bavlorna and Charm did mention that she thought the hag should leave this area. We should keep moving and see if we can find anything that will help us." The elf looks over to Octavian again. "Farewell for now Octavian."
Rory started to head towards the near by structure wondering what would be here and if Jub was having any luck with Brutrumukk.
Octavian bids the group farewell as they head in the opposite direction of the storm cloud. They would eventually come across a building, with the door closed. There doesn't seem to be anyone around. The interior is also silent upon first impressions.
The bullywug knight listened to Jub and Brutrumukk as they answered her question. As she processes this information, she answers Jub and Brutrumukk, "No. No. But Wigglewog and I did help Sir Talavar escape. I got caught, while Wigglewog managed to escape with Sir Talavar in the Balloon. I'm glad to hear that Sir Talavar has escaped, but...you're saying Sir Wigglewog perished?"
She is definitely sullen at the news, but she does compose herself and give a knightly bow as she speaks again, "Ah. Apologies, I have not introduced myself. I am Morgort, Knight of Warts, enemy to Bavlorna Blightstraw,"
She then rises from the bow, and she speaks, "And...I await my trial by combat for helping Sir Talavar escape,"
"I'll go a head and see if there is anyone here. I should be able to keep quiet enough to avoid alerting anyone." Aurora said to her companions before slowly approaching the structure to peer through the windows or the door.
Stealth roll for Rory just in case was a total of 18.
Sensing an opportunity, Brutrumukk approached the cell holding Morgort and leaned against the bars. "In somethin' of a bind, eh?" The bugbear gnome asked. "I reckon we could 'elp each other out then. I lost some things out on the water by that big tree what ain't got no bark, on the other side o' the lake. I'll spring you from this cage if you promise to get me things back fer me."
"Go on, we'll be behind you." Gabe motioned for the elf to move along, yet just in case he had a hand planted upon the banded hilt of his rapier in the event he needed to draw it.
Aurora effectively creeps closer to the hut's window and is able to peek inside. She sees more of the hut after she approached.
This hut has a steep thatch roof. A small wooden chest rests in the middle of the floor, and scattered around it are six fraying silk cushions. The air in here carries the stench of decaying fish. A lit brazier hangs from a rafter, providing the dwelling's only light.
Morgort shakes her head and answered, "That is very kind of you. But please, do not worry about me. I can get myself out of the trial by combat,"
She then suggests to both goblinoids, "You might want to get out of here, before King Gullops XIX's guards catch you here. You do not need to be accused of treason just by talking to me," She continues, "And I'm guessing you're here to make a deal with Bavlorna?" She spits at the ground after speaking the name.
"Whatever you're here for, don't make a deal with her. She's a recluse who enjoys making foul deals with visitors,"
"That is very kind of you. But please, do not worry about me. I can get myself out of the trial by combat,"
"Your funeral." Brutrumukk scoffed with a scowl, frustrated that Morgort wouldn't help him but also amused by the frog knight's belief that the hag would let her go. Best case scenario, Bavlorna had already ensured Morgort's trial would be a fight she couldn't win. Worst case, the hag would come upon Morgort after she'd won her freedom and subject her to a fate worse than death.
Either way, Brutrumukk wouldn't be around to see it. The moment he'd spoken his words, the bugbear gnome turn on his heel and left the cells, paying no attention to anything else the frog knight had to say as he made for D6 to continue his search.
Jub had opened his mouth to interject when Brutrumukk turned and walked away from the imprisoned bullywug. Instead of words, Jub could only let out a sigh as he listened to the rest of Morgot's words. "Trust me, I have no desire to make a deal with a hag," he responded. "However, my companion seems dead set on it, and I've learned very quickly that he's not very easy to dissuade once he's got his mind set on something." He glanced back towards the prisoner. "I should go before he gets himself into more trouble, but considering we're likely to run into Bavlorna sooner or later, is there anything you can tell us that might help us? We know she's allergic to widdershins, but anything else would be much appreciated."
The bard tip-toed by the elf next to the window "Psst, Rory what do ya see?" Gabriel asked in a hushed voice, he tried his best to prick up his ears to listen for any noise coming from the hut.
"Not much aside from that chest and cusions in there. It seems like there is but anyone here." She replied to Gabe keeping her voice quiet in case there was someone hidden. "I suppose one of us can step in and get a better look. I've not seen nor heard anyone inside."
Morgort watches as Brutrumukk leaves. Her attention then is drawn back to Jub and she answers the goblin mage, "About Bavlorna? I'm afraid I don't know much more than what I just told you," She then tells Jub, "If you need to escape from Downfall quickly, then the best way would be to escape via balloon. You'll have to steal one though," She points towards D2 after giving them an escape route.
"Telling you this is the least I can do for you, since you helped Sir Talavar and told me about Wigglewog. Thank you,"
Downfall: His Royal Majesty King Gullop XIX (D6)
Brutrumukk's Perception check of 9 does not allow him to see the large group of bullywugs in time for him to start sneaking.
Brutrumukk makes his way to the next spot (so does Jub assuming he follows) and he sees a grand marble gazebo stands atop a mound of soggy earth, its white stone streaked green with algae. The support pillars have sunk into the muck unevenly so that the domed canopy now sits askew.
Short steps ring the gazebo, leading to a raised floor where bullywugs dressed in shabby clothing lounge on pillows. Among them, a harpist sends forth delicate notes that mingle with the murmured croaking of the gathered nobles. On a dais, a flabby bullywug wearing a crown of woven lily flowers sits on an ornate throne with his legs folded under him. He has a large leather-bound book open across his lap and is mouthing the words he reads on the pages.
Without looking up, he says, "Have you no herald to announce your presence before King Gullop the Nineteenth?" He slams the book closed as if to punctuate his question, regarding you for the first time.
Sleepy bullywug guards standing around their monarch snap to attention and ready their weapons.
"Ah bugger." Brutrumukk cursed under his breath as he noticed more bullywug nobility too late to escape their notice as he passed by. Brutrumukk quickened his pace instead. With any luck, he'd be able to pass on by before any of them decided to- Brutrumukk's train of thought ground to a halt along with the bugbear gnome himself as he noticed the large book that the fat frog wearing the crown was reading. The sight of it dredged a vague memory up from the hooch murk that his first visit to Bavlorna's cottage had become in his mind. The bugbear gnome faintly recalled the hag speaking of a big book that had gone missing. Could it be?
"Have you no herald to announce your presence before King Gullop the Nineteenth?"
Brutrumukk snapped to attention along with the guards as King Gullop slammed the book shut. After a moment, he relaxed again and spoke. "The 'ag's missin' a book. A big book." Brutrumukk declared. "You wouldn't 'appen to know anythin' about that, would ya?"
Upon not hearing any new sounds, Aurora went to the door and stepped inside to investigate the interior. The building did appear to be vacant, at least for now. Her next action was to check the chests contents and found little. She closed the chest and left the building returning to where Gabe stood.
"Nothing here. We probably should move on. Do you see anything if interest?
"I can hardly believe that in the middle of the bloody Feywild we find a completely normal and abandoned hut in the wilderness I was expecting...More!" the bard said to himself as he watched and waited for his elf companion to return, shaking his head at her question when she closed the door of the shack behind her "No, we should likely get a move on."
"Well, if you're sure there's nothing we can do for you," Jub said. He waited awkwardly for a moment before saying, "Err, good luck to you." He gave a little nod before hurrying after Brutrumukk.
He remained quiet as he followed after the barbarian, his mind going over the interaction with Morgot, as well as the encounter with the shopkeepers earlier. He felt emotionally exhausted by it all, and he was gearing up the courage to suggest that they take a rest when they happened upon the bullywugs and their strange king. When King Gullop addressed them, Brutrumukk responded in his usual blunt fashion. Jub gave a sigh before stepping forward, "Err, apologies your majesty, my compatriot's manners are... wanting. We've had a very long day and he's very tired."
"I understand the feeling. It is more surprising to see nothing here at the moment. We could perhaps use this as a rest area if need be." Aurora looked further down the path and noticed a few more structures across a bridge. "It looks like there are more buildings over that way. We can check over there next." Rory says to the others and pointing towards the two other buildings, (D16,D17).
