64 - Looking for Friends

We spend a week uncovering and repairing the Citadel, which we discover a permanent Teleport circle, gathering Paildreo and Melody looking to revert their concerned party member to their former selves (with the help of Pebbles for Paildreo).
When we're searching for the Wonder of Heavens, the door leads to the sky, but we can't really see if it leads to a place, or if it's literally showing the sky or Heaven.
Towards the end of the week, most of our new headquarters has been repaired, as it's a clean functioning Citadel now, except for the shadow of the Valkyrie which won't disappear no matter what we do.
Finally, when exploring, Gemini stumbles upon a small circular room, with a circular table with 9 chairs, with an orb on the center, but nothing comes out of it.
Gemini casts [Light] on the Orb, but nothing happens.

Hugh touches the orb which dispels the [Light] spell, and some different light shoots from it, which blows up the dust around, finally showing us a screen displaying "You have 10M+ messages".

There are many options, with the most prominent one is to check the prior unread messages.

When looking closer and trying to manipulate and use this device, it can organized by date, the destined Wonder...

Suddenly, several voices start to talk around at the same time, it comes from different places, but when we're focusing on single lines, we hear lines like "Please don't make me late at work" or someone asking for safety, until one voice remains as the others are dimming.

The screen displays that this message is two weeks old. On that, Gemini takes the initiative to cast [Sending] to contact Sprigg.

But there's no answer.

Hugh checks the most recent message of the Wonder of Time, showing prayers wanting to live in the time before the Moon vanished.
Nesvalyn checks the last messages of the Wonder of Heavens, showing people praying at the moment now, as they're still being worshipped by some people.
Persy goes through the prayers and look for references or leads, but after one hour, it's pretty inconclusive.
Nesvalyn tries to reach Sprigg using the communicator, which we finally have an answer... but it's not Sprigg picking up, but an old gnomish woman.

She starts explaining coming from the place, and after several minutes, we start to understand it's in the Southern part of the Eastern Continent, to which she hangs out.

After some discussion, we teleport the Citadel nearby this area.
Persy goes to the bridge, and adjust the where we want to go on the globe, press a button, and we feel we're in a different place, as the scenery seems to have switched with different odors coming by.

As we had a precise description from the Gnomish Lady, we try to teleport directly to the shop.
We're attempt to teleport to the place, and we're actually on the land, with cliffs and the sea nearby. Finally, we see that shop standing in the air, between two cliffs.
We're also under the rain, and we notice Eledamri's summoned scorched Griffon.

The Griffon sounds like thunder when it screams.

We're crossing a bridge and we enter the shop normally (except Gemini, who's using her Boots of Spider climb to pass through the cliff), then we notice that the inside is bigger than the outside, filled with magical junk and curios.

As we're looking for her, we almost miss her as she's behind the counter, as her head is barely poking over.

She grabs her glasses and inspects us.

We're trading many items to update our gear, and after we're asking more about Sprigg and Sabine, being the reason of our presence here.

Persy gives a description of Sprigg.

Nesvalyn gives a description of Sabine.

*Gemini casts [Sending] to Sabine.**

Gemini casts [Sending] again.

Gemini turns to the party.

We're going towards the North cliff. As we reach this cliff, the rain stops, and we make our journey to the North. We're travelling for about a week, until we reach the aboard of an abandoned city, but it has a sign with an arrow with "Troud-Merde" written on it.

Gemini casts [Locate Creature] to find Sabine, and we make our way to this abandoned city. When we follow the signs to the city, and we notice a tip top of a tent. When we make our way around it, we see it's surrounded by a caravan, but the mounts are different fantastic creatures, they're circling around the tent.
Along that, a big gate leading to the inhabited city.
As we approach, Gemini senses Sabine is in the Circus' tent.

When we're going around the Circus, we notice an archway with a gate written on it "Tsoimreck Family Circus".

As we approach the gate of the circus, we notice seated on the stool in front of the gate what seems to be a half-giant bearded lady, with a costume dress.

We regroup a bit further.

We get back to the Gatekeeper.

This whole time, we notice she hasn't opened her eyes once.

We get back and explore our options, and we decide to get back later.
We decide to approach the city's gates, which are shiny golden colors, and from the tower above, we hear a guard halting us.

The gates open, and we enter the town of Troud-Merde.
We notice it used to be a city, but as the population declined, it got centralized to a town. Contrary to the abandoned part, this part is kept properly, it's esthetically pleasing, the people walking around is a mixed people, but it does appear there are different social people, some fit with the apocalypse, others are regular working classes and a few aristocrats with white paint.

We ask around about the Wonder of Heavens and trying to get information, but people are walking away from us, or even ignoring us. Finally we walk to ask someone, and glares at us, and points further down the street a group of four people, dressed in all black.
Eledamri recognizes them as servants of the church of the Undying. We notice also that their clothing is close to Eledamri.
Persy stops asking around. Eledamri greets them non verbally, which makes the patrol stops them, salutes, then resumes.
Nesvalyn and Persy corner Eledamri in a small street after that strange interaction.

In the meantime, Gemini goes to play in the street to entertain, gathering a quite big crowd, earning 15 gold. ([Performance - Pass ✔])
Hugh feels inspired, takes a sip of his grandpa's drink, and asks for a request and make a duo, but makes the crowd go away ([Performance - Fail ❌])

As the show ends, we hear a shocked gasp and we see a air balloon floating above the city.

The people seems really excited about it, and starts to head towards the Circus.
Persy grabs Gemini and starts to run, Hugh runs, and Eledamri gets on their steed to race... and we arrive more or less in the same time in the line.

We spend 25 gold to enter the tent.
Hugh uses the Robe of Alter Self to be bipedal and avoid using more seats, and we all sit in the places Persy wanted.

We hear a lot of chatter waiting, and after 15-20 minutes, the lights goes out and the audience stops chattering, and a spotlight lights the center.

Floating down from a (cardboard) cloud (piece) and landing dressed in a suit with a top, braided ponytail and a paper thin mustache, Ephan the Surreal.
They hop down the cloud and throws the top hat which hangs in air, they raise their hands in the air, showing kind of feminine features on a masculine body, making it unsure of their gender.
We hear their booming voice.

The public claps.

They hop on the (cardboard) cloud again, and it raises slowly to the ceiling.
Finally the show begins with some gymnastics doing spins and flips. As the show goes, we notice many performers: strong men, fire dancers, women on horses, and finally the aerial style show.
The spotlight opens on a single aerialist, high up on the ladder, with a shock blue hair, but she's too far away to see her face. A classical musical arrangement plays as she leaps through the ceiling and throws familiar ribbons and shoots down, doing a beautiful show. One thing is sure, it is Sabine.
The shows continues, but as it's been one hour, [Alter Self] wears off and Hugh transforms back to a centaur injuring people around, and Persy casts [Cure Wounds] to the injured ones.
And it finally ends, and everybody is leaving.

We're going outside the tent and we're trying to go around towards the performers, and there's a stage door. But there is a halfling sitting on a barrel of ale, who calls us when we're getting closer to the door.

Nesvalyn enables the [Psychic Whispers] for 8 hours within party.
Persy casts [Invisibility] on Nesvalyn and he sneaks in.
↪ [Stealth - Pass ✔] Nesvalyn manages to sneak in the dressing room.
As they finish changing, they leave to their respective caravans.

In the meantime, the group is moved out of the Circus due to the "night time", and wait nearby.
Nesvalyn is tailing Sabine going to her caravan. The girls accompanying her say "Good night Sabine!" and they split and she's alone, entering her caravan.
Nesvalyn knocks at the door and becomes visible again, and Sabine opens up.

[Insight - Pass ✔] She looks behind and closes the door.

[Perception] You don't hear anything.

Sabine shoots up a light in the air.

We're not resisting and we're all arrested and gathered in the Circus.
After a few minutes, Ephan comes out, their pink hair unbraided, wearing a floral dressing.

[Insight] When looking them up and down to have a better view, they're so stunningly beautiful.

The mention of the Undying makes laugh the troop.

Sabine looks at us then notices a specific person is missing in the party.

Sabine shows signs of anger and is about to retaliate.

The crowd turns, as we see Sprigg in the doorway. He looks more stressed and older now, and seems to be standing on his own.

As the carnees leave, the circus has only Ephan, Sprigg, Sabine and us.

We deploy the Portable Hole so Sprigg can go check the sword. As they get out, Sprigg pulls out Irhan's Rage, strikes a pose, and we hear badass music and thunder striking around.

They're starting to argue between promising to stop The Undying, having a chance to avenge, bringing back the moon and not doing that to stay safe live their life.

Sprigg tosses the sword while they keep arguing. It goes for a while, when finally it breaks down to this.

On that note, Sprigg joins the party happily, and Sabine less happily.

Next session: 65 - Blood and Clueless