Balloon, Meet Carpet [Session 58]

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Current Situation 

• Day 2 the Feywild: (1 long rest at Skabatha's house) 
• Offering to help with the repairs of a balloon, the Trollmates learn a bit more about Lorna and her relationship with the Bullywugs of Downfall.

Session Summary

• Arriving in Downfall: the village itself is centered around a lake. In the middle is a very tall tree with what looks like a house or series of houses at the top. There are cloth huts all around, making up the Bullywug's buildings, with docks and rivers in and around the lake proper. 
• The king, who is called "Captain" by one of the dock wards, leads the group to check out the balloon that Z has offered to help fix. They cross some stepping stones which turn out to be the back spines of a large, stone golem-like creature that lives in the lake. He grumbles the group is heavy, but is otherwise silent and leaves them alone. 
• Ely's pearl and Barrett's scar glow a bit more brightly in proximity to this creature.
• The group is introduced to a young Bullywug named Bloff. He is the Head Balloon Sewer. He doesn't seem good at his job at all.
• Puffs of swamp gas seem to have lit off in this place and continue to smoke or pop into bits of flame, even as they stand there.
• Assisting and talking to Bloff:
  • Bloff doesn't know why the gas keeps igniting. He doesn't think it's supposed to do that. It's only his second day on the job.
  • A couple of days ago, Grumble, the original Head Balloon Sewer, died in an explosion.
  • The gas is supposed go into barrels. Ely notices a pipe system and deduces the gas is supposed to be collected outside of this building. With Barrett assisting, she's able to gauge how to reassemble the pipes properly so that the gas, coming up, can be appropriately funneled outside.
• Z sees several char marks on the balloon as well as a massive diagonal tear across the material. The Tabaxi hops around with his needle and Mending.
• Dhann helps Bloff with the twine tangle and asks some questions about Lorna.
  • The Bullywugs have been bringing her supplies since before he was even a tadpole.
  • They have never seen Lorna leave her house, or be in it, but smoke is seen from her chimney.
  • Her house is at the top of the staircase in the middle of the swamp.
• The Cleric also takes a bit of a look around the room while everyone else is busy. Several ropes stretched in the room have heavier fabrics slung over them, perhaps used for balloons. He also notices a small coal bin next to a sort of oven, and the thing is empty, with the coals spread around on the ground, as if they were specifically placed. A few nearer to gas vents seem to glow before gas puffs up, and this seems to be where the fires are originating.
• Frustrated by the mess and slow pace, Z sings an untying song to help Bloff along. The Bullywug makes a bit of progress on a knot. Dhann helps keep this knot untangled and asks about the coal, and if it's supposed to be spread out. Bloff comments that the coal must "think it's funny," and that it's supposed to be in the bucket, but never stays. The coal moves by itself, apparently. 
• Wanting to keep more fires from happening, Dhann sees some tongs (Bloff shows him that the coal can burn, evidenced by a sore palm) and Barrett lends him a large reinforced chainmail gauntlet he got from the Steam and Steel. With a protected hand, tongs, and a bucket, Dhann approaches a piece of coal but it swiftly dodges the tongs. Ely tries Mage Hand, but the coal scurries away and approaches a piece of the heavier fabric on the ground. Seeing that a fire might start here, Dhann tries to coax the coal (using Sylvan) that he has a game, but the rock ignores him. Instead, Dhann runs and scoops up the fabric with the coal on it, asking it not to move. It doesn't.
• With a deft move, Dhann flips the piece of coal into the bucket and it lands inside with a plunk and a slightly steamy hiss - it appears a bit of water was in the bottom. Ely helps to keep the lid shut with Mage Hand while Dhann is able to gather the rest of the coal, in time to Z's music, by dropping the fabric to entice the coal to hop onto it before he tosses them into the bucket.
• Bloff watches the goings on and is able to untangle a couple more knots thanks to the inspiration provided by Z's drumming. 
• While Z sews the tear in the balloon, while the fabric is old, he notices that it's no mundane fabric. While he works, he casts Identify on the balloon. In the meantime, Ely and Barrett get back to working on the pipes and are able to figure out the system rather quickly. They find that the pipes funnel the gas past a large vent with a flu-like system that can allow the gas entry into the main room, or keep it flowing out of doors.
• Barrett asks Bloff if he knows how to gather the gas and Bloff admits that Grumble was his cousin, and Bloff doesn't know how to do any of this. He recommends the group talk to the King. Ely had noticed barrels outside, a couple of metal ones, and she wonders if those are for collecting the gas. 
• Z recognizes that the balloon is made of magical fabric and is similar in characteristics to his carpet. The balloon is most likely responsible for being able to fly, and the Bullywugs only think the gas does the work, not the balloon. Z gauges that being inflated - with anything - is what makes the balloon work, and the gas the Bullywugs were using, to the frogs, was what did the trick. Ely asks about a metalsmith to repair some of the metal barrels and there used to be a cooper in town, beneath Big Barklass. However, he's been gone for some time. 
• All that seems left to do is help Bloff with the knots. First, though, Z asks if his carpet can look at the balloon, and the carpet is clearly distressed at the terrible state of the balloon. It wants the balloon to be outside, rather than in here. Barrett blesses the carpet for its efforts in helping the balloon. Together, the group pulls the large balloon outside.
• Now that they're outside, the group can see that the green yard is more of a place to moor the balloon and it shouldn't really be inside at any point. Barrett uses Fog Cloud to inflate the balloon, with the carpet whirling around in support. As the balloon seems to recover even more, a few Bullywugs watching in the distance give applause, impressed these strangers have repaired their balloon so quickly. 
• Z fetches Bloff to explain to him how the balloon is actually supposed to work. He comes, trailing twine, positively dumbfounded at the balloon being fixed, and working fine. Z gives him the technicals of how the thing works. 
• Bloff explains that this balloon doesn't have a basket, it uses a large cargo net. Supplies are flown up to Lorna's and dropped down the chimney. 
• When the group asks about going to talk to Lorna, it's clear he's trying very hard not to say something about that. Z plays the untying song again while Dhann helps with the eternally knotted twine, and Bloff seems to relax a bit. He mentions in a whisper that the Bullywugs are essentially being forced by Lorna to deliver goods, under threat of her flooding their village if they do not deliver her exact demands. 
• Dhann activates the Sanctum and tells Bloff he can say anything he'd like, as no one will hear them, and Barrett emphasizes this by yelling at the top of his lungs. This definitely helps, and explains that Lorna has been around for a long time. She's enslaved the town, essentially. The Bullywugs do almost everything they do in service for her, not them.
  • She asks for foods and what seem to be components for potions or weird brewing. She puts her demands in with the King and the Bullywugs go out and get the goods, by whatever means necessary. 
  • Bloff also explains that Lorna's sisters are horrible (mentioning that Skabatha kidnaps children and they're the ones making all of the wooden carvings, and Bloff doesn't know what Endolyne does, besides using "puppets," but all three sisters are terrible people). It's clear Bloff holds a lot of fear when it comes to Lorna.
• Dhann asks Barrett and Z if they can make a little frame for Bloff to untangle the twine onto and they are able to do so in no time. Z reminds Bloff on how to properly care for the balloon, and the overwhelmed Bullywug looks a bit more sure of how to do his job. At any rate, he'll be better at it tomorrow than he was today.

-

Barrett watches Bloff hop-walk through the Sanctum back towards his shop, ball of twine in hand.  He shakes his head at what they just learned from the Bullywug; the size of the fiefdoms may change, but from Lorna and Skabatha to Nini to Silverhand to Cyric, the Ankheg-holes at the top of the heap remain the same.

“So, with confirmation that the Evil Hags are, in fact, evil,” He says without looking at anyone in particular, “Does this change our approach to acquiring the hourglass? I’m just guessing that even if we steal it, Lorna will still have the necessary power to oppress and bully this swamp. Did our mission just expand to saving they whole place from Lorna’s influence? For that matter, are we signing up to free a bunch of child labor from Skabatha…or do we turn a blind eye to the whole situation and stay completely focused on getting to Miridia, regardless of who we have to work with?”

"I think approach can be decided once we talk to King Goloop...But we need to get the hourglass. Regardless of how we do, we've entered that deal. But I do think that obtaining it, getting it off of Lorna's person - that should reduce her power considerably, based on what Skabatha's said." Dhann shrugs slightly, giving their surroundings a considerate look. "What we do here may extend to helping this place. We may not know, though, to what extent that is until after we have the glass. I should hope we leave it better than we found it, if we can."

"Well I'm not looking to kill her outright but we do have to get the hourglass and if the situations comes to that, the town might be better for it." Elyana picks at the palm of her hands as she continues, "We have time at least. What we do here and how long it takes shouldn't matter if time passes differently between here and home."

"I agree that we need to talk to the captain-king for his input, Dhann. And I agree with you too, Ely, that I'm not hoping for a straight up murder if it can be avoided. But it has occurred to me that if we accept the offer to use the Bullywugs' balloon, we've now involved them. What I mean is that if we are successful in stealing the hourglass - or even if we aren't - she may turn her wraith on them once we are gone, as revenge for helping us." Barrett pauses for a moment, glancing at the balloon, then at the stairs rising up out of the swamp. "I think that needs to be part of the equation when we talk with Goloop. There could be consequences to the people of Downfall for what we do.  We might have to take the stairs." He looks over at the Warlock, and asks, "Ely, are your hands okay? Did you get bit by something?"