You stand at the edge of a raised and broken causeway under a hazy, twilit sky. The causeway, which is built from pale stones that glow faintly from within, towers over the surrounding landscape, but large sections of it have crumbled away. The parts that remain in place are separated by large gaps where portions have collapsed.
A fog-shrouded swamp spreads out below you in all directions, and up from its murk wafts the smell of rotting plants. Also rising from the swamp is the music of nature—a discordant symphony of croaking frogs and singing birds.
The characters are on an isolated section of @The Queen's Way , which once was an elevated highway leading to and from the @Palace of Heart's Desire . Since @Zybilna became frozen in time, the Queen’s Way has gradually fallen apart so that only sections of it now remain standing.
Before the characters descend from their perch on @The Queen's Way, the one with the highest passive Wisdom (Perception) score notices something.The doomed balloon crashes into @Slanty Tower, which the characters can’t see through the fog and haze
The swamp beneath @The Queen's Way is presently at a low water level (see “Random Enfounters in Hither” in the Lore). As the last character reaches the marshy ground, a giant crane previously hidden by the fog emerges and takes flight. The giant crane poses no threat, but its sudden movement alerts a band of brigands lurking nearby.
Coming from one direction are several voices joined in a marching song. The singing grows louder as six bipedal rabbits ( @Harengon ) wearing clothing emerge from the fog. Two of them tug at the reins of a giant snail, and the others carry clubs and slings.
The singing harefolk are six harengon brigands who delight in thievery but avoid killing. Their marching song is dedicated to their notorious captain, @Agdon Longscarf, whom the characters might encounter later in the chapter. The @Harengon Brigands’ song is as follows:
With sticks and stones, we’ll break your nose;
We’ll beat you blind and steal your clothes.
But none among us can compare
To one wily, swift, and stand-up hare—
Scarf that’s glorious, thief notorious,
His deeds are truly meritorious!
With a wink and a grin, he’ll show his cunning;
A flash of his scarf, he’ll take off running.
Quick as a bolt, his long scarf trailing,
Gasping, grasping, you’ll end up flailing.
You’ll pout, you’ll moan, you’ll huff, you’ll sneer;
Thanks to Agdon Longscarf, brigand prince of Prismeer!
Four of the @Harengon Brigands' have their weapons drawn, and the other two browbeat their pack animal, a giant snail. The snail is hostile toward its keepers and indifferent toward other creatures. Characters who participated in the @Witchlight Carnival’s snail race have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks made to win over the giant snail, turning it into a friendly ally.
If the characters don’t attack immediately, one of the brigands with weapons drawn signals the others to stop singing with a wave of her hand. She introduces herself as @Jebbek, and she says to the characters, “This is a robbery. If you resist, we’ll beat you black and blue.”
@Jebbek has no interest in treasure. She demands that each character surrender the feeling of delight they remember from when they were given the best gift they ever received. @Jebbek produces a stoppered gourd that can hold these memories. The stopper sports a golden knob, and any character who voluntarily touches the knob while @Jebbek is holding the gourd loses the memory @Jebbek wants to steal, as it is siphoned away and trapped in the gourd. (Give each player a minute or so to think about what the character’s memory could be and then to note it on their character sheet, as a matter of record.) Removing the stopper releases all memories trapped inside the gourd, whereupon they return to their original owners.
If all the characters comply, the @Harengons leave with the gourd full of happy memories, saying that “ @Agdon Longscarf is much obliged.” If one or more characters refuse to give up their cherished memories, the brigands threaten the characters with a beating. At this time, the characters can make a DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation) group check. If the group check succeeds, the brigands are cowed by the characters’ resolve and retreat into the swamp rather than risk getting whomped by the party. On a failed check, the @Harengons try to beat the characters unconscious and steal their weapons, though they flee if the fight turns against them.
@Jebbek's gourd was a gift to @Agdon Longscarf from @Bavlorna Blightstraw. Although any creature can plug or unplug the gourd’s stopper, only @Agdon Longscarf or another creature he designates (in this case, @Jebbek) can use the gourd to trap memories.