DM notes, I’ve been using my hobby desk lamp as “camera holder” and it is starting to come loose so I bought this 4smarts LoomiPod Fold Selfie Stand that has worked out great so far.
Anyway.. on with the show…
Our heroes woke up refreshed and well rested in the small but cozy tent in the middle of Grim Glee Jubilee. And after a solid breakfast, the Hell Benders were ready to try the entertainments of the park.
First up: Mole Wack-a-Pole.
This turned out to be not quite what our heroes expected. This was a race to 6 large wooden poles at the end of a arena.
The heroes ran with joy and enthusiasm until they realise a gigantic enraged mole came running after them.
Half in panic, the heroes tried to climb up the slippery poles. Pestilence with his cat-like agility, made first big leaps only to realise the pole was greased. Kari kept pace, but Thorga struggling with the grease fell down in the maw of the giga mole and was throw right out of the arena taking some serious physical damage, but that didn’t hurt as much as his pride.
In the end Kari managed to race past Pestilence in the last second winning the race and the Goblin’s Giggle Giblet prize, a magic item when tilted would let out a snickering goblin giggle.
Next up: Pixie Panic
In this game the heroes each had to get their little energetic pixie across the finishing line without touching the little creatures or use magic.
This proved harder than expected.
Kari tried a combination of encouraging the pixie to chase her owlbear cub and as well as flattery and promises.
Pestilence opted for threats turning the little delicate creature into a nervous and scared wreck. And even tried magic (but got spotted by the referee).
And Thorga tried scare tactics using his Pseudodragon as well as some underhanded tactic using his Bottle of Mist to hide the Pseudodragon picking up the pixie.
As the heroes got their pixies in order, it was neck to neck to the finishing line with Pestilence and Kari crossing the line simultaneously, while Torga’s pixie lost interest at the very end and wandered off.
Kari and Pestilence each won a little bag of Pixie Dust.
Third entertainment: The Fey Flight Simluator
Donning some clunky wooden wings, the heroes suddenly realised they could fly. And fly they must through 10 magically hovering circles.
This race was a mess with the heroes barely making it through the rings, Pestilence completely fell out half way through while Kari won the prize of the wooden feather.
Battled and bruised, the party nevertheless decided to go to the next entertainment:
The Sylvan Swoop Bungie Jump
Thorga went first. Heavy elastic band wrapped around his feet after which the Gnome Attendant told him to jump in a hole in the ground.
Thorga, suspicious of this odd version of a bungie jump, decided to search his Box of Need and tool out a 10kg weight and proceed to jump in the hole.
However, he did not fall in. The hole was a magical device reversing gravity and instead sent Thorga “falling” upwards and away from the ground until the elastic band snapped in place.
Unfortunately, the band came of one of his feet. And cold ran down Thorga’s brave spine when he realised that if he would come undone, he would fall into the stars forever lost.
The Gnome Attendant noticed the malfunction, but was too small to pull Thorga down. Quickly Kari stepped in with Pestilence’s assistance and simultaneously with Thorga dropping the weight into space, they pull him down and got him back to safety.
The panicked Gnome Attendant kept apologising and gave Thorga a little family heirloom as a consolidation prize: Figuring of Useless Unicorn.
Number 5: The “Whispering Wheel” Ferris Wheel
At this point the heroes could use a break so decided to take the calm looking Whispering Wheel.
but as they reached the top point, a family of somewhat polite ghosts appeared in their cart claiming it to be their home and with some magical power started to force the heroes out of the cart.
Luckily, Thorga could Misty Step to the next cart and Kari and Pestilence made the jump across aided by Kari’s Jump spell.
And thus the party made it down to the ground safe and sound.
Final entertainment: The Dreamweaver’s Shade
Last, but not least, the heroes visited the odd looking Dreamweaver’s Shade tent, which turned out to be a portal to the Realm of Dreams.
Here Pestilence dreamt of the warm embrace of Seipora, her late owner.
Kari dreamt of her home, her mother and the otherWater Witches and Thorga dreamt of his spouse Miss Gentlefeet.
The party left the tent each feeling Inspired for the future.
Dinner at Chief Chester Nihilus
Nihilus was over the moon that the heroes had not only tried his rides, but spent the whole day trying out all his favourites and for the next couple of hours they retold their experiences.
Now Nihilus was ready to help.
He promised to ensure safe passage through Elderthorn Forest and some miles further south, but he also told them that there were three lost fairytale books in the forest and each would have a piece of a map of Castle Rostak where the Hell Benders were heading and while he didn’t say it out loud, Kari had a feeling that not only was he telling the truth, there might even be more he could help with.
That evening the party went to sleep knackered from a day of fun.
Finding a Fairytale
The next morning the party heading out bright and early.
The pixie Pestilence had tormented during the Pixie Panic game, had snuck in the darkness of night and painted a crooked mustache on his face.
Heading South, the party came to a river with a sturdy bridge across.
Thorga had a sense of familiarity of the bridge, but more like from stories he heard as a child than anything else. But he couldn’t pin it down further.
He sent his Pseudodragon across and as soon as the creature was half way across, a booming voice from underneath the bridge shouted:
“Who dare trample on my bridge?”
But with no rely from the Pseudodragon, nothing further happened.
At that point the Thorga and Pestilence was reminded of The Three Billy-Goats Gruff and the party decided to mimic the fairytale.
First Kari crossed and sure enough half way over the bridge the Troll shouted “Who tramples across my bridge?”
Playing along, Kari told the Troll that she was merely trying to cross and when the Troll suggested he would come up and eat her, she told him that a much bigger friend (and bigger meal) would follow her. At which the Troll stayed below.
Second, was Pestilence acting as the middle Billy-Goat Gruff and same procedure.
Finally came Thorga.
He was to act as the final (and biggest) Billy Goat Gruff who would fight the Troll, but the party’s plan was for Kari and Pestilence to jump at the Troll from the back at the same time.
Everything went according to plan and the Troll and Thorga started battling on the bridge, but to his companions’ horror, they realised too late that the bridge was protected by a magical barrier allowing only a single participant on the bridge.
But fortunately it was Thorga with his Troll Slaying abilities and tactics, and in the end he was victorious splitting the troll in half with the Soul Devourer sucking its soul into the weapon.
And with the Troll last breath the whole scene, Troll, bridge, the river all of it was sucked down into a single fairytale book for the party to pick up before they headed out to find the next fairytale.