#experimentaldata

THE TERRIBLE TINKERER OF TALDOREI

They were all devastated. Cassandra was furious. While before they had huddled together in hope, now they sat, angry at themselves and each other and the dead woman who did it. Had they failed him, or had he chosen not to return? They couldn’t know. All they had were their thoughts and fears and—

The letter. They destroyed the guns he had. They watched his work broken into bits and melted into formless, red hot metal. His workshop they left the way it was. Untouched, half-done projects lying out, collecting dust and settled ash.

Percival of Vox Machina’s legacy would be Whitestone.

They took a few days to breathe, to grieve, a beat. But the dragons loomed and they knew they had to keep going.

They were still in their shadowy corners when a travelling show rolled into town. A bright, eye-catching lavender tiefling—the amazing thing was, his skin tone wasn’t the most shocking thing about him. He wore a vibrant coat with elaborate embroidery, followed closely behind by a cart that proudly proclaimed in gold leaf:

MOLLYMAUK TEALEAF

entertainer extraordinaire

Sword Juggling, Fortune Telling, and Puppet Shows

Hanging up behind the stage was exactly what he promised: impressive, flashy curved swords, glitzy decks of cards, several elaborate marionettes. He bounced around, calling out to the passerby, juggling swords,  offering fortunes, and collecting money intermittently. 

Vax appeared in Vex’s doorway as she huddled with Trinket and watched the performer from afar.

“We… need to get going, Stubby.”

Vex looked up at her brother, lit by the cool light the cloud cover allowed through the window.

“We’re going to talk to Gilmore about something, then we need to leave for Vasselheim.”

Vex nodded. The group of them left the castle and crossed 

(This need to be better thought out for why they pass by??)

“Mollymauk Tealeaf here! All those in need of a good time, the show starts in just a few minutes!” The tiefling shouted, beginning to remove the marionettes from where they hung.

As they walked by, Vex’ahlia gave the tiefling a glance, looked away. A double take. She noticed one puppet in particular—white hair, blue clothing, bits of glass glued to the face in lieu of eyes or glasses.

She lingered.

“Come hear the tale of the terrible tinkerer or Taldorei!” the man proclaimed jovially.

The rest of the party turned sharply, this catching their ears even if the puppet didn’t catch their eyes.

The performer moved the marionette about. “Might makes right!” he exclaimed, putting on a posh accent. “So if I’m to always be right, I need to blow them all out of the water!”

The party froze. They stared.

“Literally!” At this he set off a small pyrotechnic, a bang to release a bit of light and smoke.

“Luckily I am the smartest, and I—”

Vax strode forward and promptly punched the man in the face.

The many earrings and piercings on the tiefling jingled with the hit. “Perhaps we haven’t been introduced,” he said, his lips curling into a smile around the bit of blood at the corners.

Vex held her breath. 

“If you dare say another word about that man ever again, if I see you in his city ever again, I swear—”

Grog stepped forward and lifted the man off the ground so he dangled. 

“Name’s Mollymauk Tealeaf, just like it says on my cart,” he said, not shaken by the punch or the Goliath lifting him off the ground or the people standing around him and glaring. “Friends call me Molly.”

“Mollymauk it is, then,” said Scanlan.

Vex continued breathing. 

“You know the man himself, I assume?” said Mollymauk. 

“Knew,” said Vex, finally. “We knew him.”

The party all looked back to Vex where she hung in the background. Mollymauk looked from one person to another, taking in the dynamics. Or as well as he could a foot and a half off the ground. 

“I see,” he said. “Well if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back on the ground and to my business. How about I stick to cards and juggling and you don’t kill me too much.”

Scanlan nodded to Grog, who put Mollymauk on the ground.

Keyleth narrowed her eyes. “Where did you even hear a story like that?”

“Word gets around about such things,” said Mollymauk, dusting off his extravagant jacket. “Story is he invented things can kill faster than any trained wizard and didn’t care who they hurt. Sold them to anyone in the street. Made deals with demons and devils and led them around on a leash. Not,” added Mollymauk, setting his jewelry to rights and flashing a broad smile, “that there is anything wrong with fiendish types.”

“Well he didn’t do any of that,” said Vex, anger rising in her throat like hot bile. “So get your facts straight. That was all by a woman named Dr. Ripley, who’s dead now too, and thank all the gods for that.”

Mollymauk paused as he checked the lapel of his coat for tears. “So he didn’t invent those things? Make deals with demons?”

Vex looked away. 

Mollymauk turned to put his marionettes away. “You should be prepared to hear more of the same. This is the story going around, and all a person’s legacy has is what people say about him. And you can’t control who’s doing the talking.”

“We can try,” said Vax.