Mist gathers at the banks of a shimmering lake. Near its center, a mermaid lounges in a giant bowl, singing a glorious, haunting song that captivates spectators on the lakeshore. In response, the lake water coalesces into magical sculptures that whirl around her as she performs.
It costs nothing to visit the lake and behold its star attraction: the merfolk Palasha (chaotic good). Audiences crowd the lakeside just to witness her beauty and hear her song.
Palasha is no ordinary mermaid. Her singing has the ability to emulate the effects of a control water spell. Once per day, as an action, she can also summon a swarm of quippers that obeys her commands until it disappears after 1 minute.
Palasha is in love with Candlefoot (see “Hall of Illusions”) but finds it tragic that he has lost his voice. She can’t face seeing him after his very public marriage proposal went awry. The mermaid is also fiercely devoted to the carnival. “We are an impossibility in an impossible universe,” she tells colleagues and strangers alike, with great pride. Additional roleplaying notes can be found in the bio for Palasha.
This event occurs the first time the characters watch Palasha perform. Kettlesteam, the kenku warlock, snakes through the crowd, using disguise self and Mimicry to pose as different hecklers. After three mean-spirited jeers, the mermaid falters in mid-song, leaps out of her bowl, and darts off, heading downriver. Her abrupt departure causes the carnival’s mood to lower by 1 step (see “Tracking Mood” in Chapter 1: Witchlight Carnival).
Characters who try to identify the hecklers can spot Kettlesteam in her current guise with a successful Wisdom (Perception) check contested by the kenku’s Charisma (Deception) check. See “Catching Kettlesteam” if the characters try to corner her.
If she is driven from Silversong Lake by heckling, Palasha takes refuge in the river near the Hall of Illusions. To coax her back to the lake, the characters must perform an act of gallantry, such as helping Candlefoot find his lost voice.
If the characters persuade Palasha to return to the lake and resume her performance, the carnival’s mood rises by 2 steps (see “Tracking Mood” in Chapter 1: Witchlight Carnival). Palasha offers a singing lesson to any characters who helped her. On the Story Tracker, jot down the names of characters who received a singing lesson from the mermaid. Their talent might benefit them in chapter 3 (see “Uncorrupted Fairy Rings”).