The Festival of Wonders
The Day of Wonder dawned bright and brilliant over Waterdeep, its streets alive with color, noise, and magic. From the harbor to the Castle Ward, banners fluttered in the breeze, and every temple, guild, and tinkerer filled the day with marvels. The House of Inspired Hands led much of the parade with their clockwork creations—mechanical doves, self-playing instruments, and their newest wonder, a clockwork dragon that loomed over the streets, steam rising from its joints as it let out perfectly timed roars.
Morning Misadventures
Quertex, ever the meddler, rose early with a plan in mind—to sabotage Azerty’s invention before the parade began. His attempts, however, were for nothing. The temple’s wards and the vigilance of its artificers kept him far from success, leaving him only the frustration of seeing the dragon roll proudly through the city later that day.
Meanwhile, Nithgrea paid her respects at the Temple of Lathander, where the priests held a sunrise ceremony honoring invention as a divine spark of creation. Even though she was unwanted in her temple. She found quiet strength in the light of her god before rejoining her companions amid the festival noise.
The others wandered the streets, partaking in the many smaller attractions and contests that filled the city:
- Goblin Wrestling: Quertex entered, naturally. His opponent, a goblin, proved far stronger (and far more slippery) than expected. Quertex lost in spectacular fashion but gained new friends in defeat—the goblins later sharing their ale with him, cackling about his “excellent flailing form.”
- Cyclops Staring Contest: A single massive eye blinked not once for five straight minutes as contestants dropped out one by one.
- Gnome Poetry Contest: A flamboyant gnome host rang a small silver chime and shouted, “Sound the chime, it’s time to rhyme! You bring the poem—we bring the gno-em!” The rhymes were terrible. The crowd loved it.
- Test Your Magic: A booth where a hovering crystal revealed the “inner color of your weave.” Each party member placed a hand upon the crystal and watched as it flared in unique hues, shimmering with personality and power.
- Guess the Feathers: “Birds of a feather? How about feathers of a bird!” cried the halfling merchant hosting the game. The table was stacked high with jars filled with feathers. No one guessed correctly, but Punko walked away with a consolation ribbon reading, “So Close!”
Xoblob's Prophecy
They visit a purple fortune telling tent, which upon entering they noticed was hosted by none other than Xoblob himself.
He gave them the following prophecy:
You will lose your star,
the darkness will shatter,
don't believe the person who wants to put it back together,
trust your stars.
Visions in the Parade
As the sun reached its peak, the Parade of Wonders began. The Sea Maiden’s Faire led the charge with carriages pulled by golden-scaled horses and performers tossing streams of fireworks into the sky. The House of Inspired Hands followed with their clockwork dragon, its brass wings spreading wide above the crowd.
Quertex scowled, recognizing the device he had failed to sabotage, while Cracuta froze mid-step—among the passing performers, he caught sight of two hyenas marching on hind legs, their fur painted with carnival colors. He stared after them long after the parade moved on, haunted by the suspicion they might have once been his kin.
The Circus of Zord
That evening, the crowd gathered once again at the Field of Triumph, where Zardoz Zord himself took the stage beneath a canopy of glittering illusion lights. His crimson coat shimmered like starlight as he swept into an extravagant bow.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! See the four-faced firbolg! See the tiefling with seven tails! See the halfling staring back and forth into the infinite void! See the elephant-faced lady—two for one! Indeed, I am your host, Zardoz Zord! My goal in this world is only to vacate the people’s mind. And twice now, towards the sky, the men on giant fireflies— the flying bugbear brothers, yes! Stardust, ladies and gents, free of charge! Candy with the taste of the heavens! Enjoy the show!”
The performance that followed defied belief—acrobats soared on enormous fireflies, jugglers tossed flames that became doves midair, and illusionists warped the arena floor into a living canvas of color and light. The crowd roared in delight, swept away by the sheer spectacle.
The Arena Battle
When the show ended, the next event began: the Team Battle Tournament. The party entered as a unit, facing off against a host of challengers—from seasoned adventurers to mercenary teams. Among them fought Tinnitus and his two dwarven companions, not yet bound to the Trollskull Crushers by fate. Blow by blow, spell by spell, the party fought their way to the top.
Victory came hard-earned. The crowd cheered, the announcer declared their triumph, and the gates opened once more for the final challenge—the Arena Champion himself.
The Champion’s Challenge
From the iron gate emerged a towering Goliath clad in scarred armor and ritual tattoos—the undefeated champion known to all of Waterdeep’s arenas. To Skalmöld, he was something more. Even through the haze of battle and the curse of his bindings, she recognized him—her father.
The battle was fierce and brutal. The champion moved with the efficiency of a weapon long used to war, and though the party fought valiantly, they could not overcome him. In the end, he disarmed them one by one, his final strike felling Skalmöld to her knees. Yet in that instant, something flickered behind his eyes—a flash of memory, or mercy.
He reached to his belt and drew forth a dagger that shimmered faintly with planar energy. With a silent nod, he pressed it into Skalmöld’s side. The weapon shimmered briefly before vanishing—a Blink Dagger, a parting gift from a father still lost within his chains.
The Crimson Gem Egg
Though they lost the final match, their victory in the team battle earned them the festival’s highest honor. Azerty presented the party with a strange and beautiful reward: a Crimson Gem Egg, its surface faintly pulsing with inner light.
The cheers of the crowd followed them as they left the arena—triumphant in spirit if not in score. None could know then that this glittering gem, handed over amidst applause and laughter, would one day tie their fates to something far darker and far grander than any festival game.