Session 23

The Ball Begins

The Fated Eight arrived at the Beck Family estate for the evening’s ball celebrating High Quarterfest; where they took in the sights of the immaculately designed marble building. They made their way inside - handing over their weapons and belongings - before entering without a formal announcement (out of consideration of Morgyn’s past). Inside they saw multiple displays of Douglas Beck’s personal collection of statues - detailing various species not commonly seen amongst Vaelorys - and magical artifacts - with a glaive known as Lyveltha’s Breath most prominent amongst them. There were multiple comments made about how lifelike and realistic the statues were.

Many of Roan’s most well-known were given grand introductions as The Fated Eight watched the foyer and then first-floor of the estate fill up with people in all manner of formal attires. The group watched as an androgynous half-elf took the stage and began to sing a beautiful song - the once favourite song of Queen Anastassia Vaena - that almost the entire floor danced along to. Graxious was given the hint - after Douglas Beck announced that the main act for the night was running late - to offer his musical services instead. The Leonin Paladin did so - delivering a spectacular performance of the song his Father had used to woo his Mother - before unknowingly sharing words with Prince Dannick Vaena backstage.

Dannick Vaena was interviewed on stage by Douglas Beck as some of The Fated Eight began to try to gather intel from the elites from across Terick. Aurevald discovered Peter Ridgley’s Uncle suffering from poison in the upstairs lavatory. The Goliath cured him and escorted him out safely - learning that a woman with vibrant red hair had served him a dessert earlier in the night. Dannick Vaena’s interview came to a close as Douglas Beck announced that dinner was to be served. Before Axton could make his way to line up; he felt a cold metal device contact the back of his skull and the pale hand of a familiar Woman grab his shoulder. She threatened him to come quietly or she would end him right there. Aurevald and SHAI noticed their Tiefling friend being dragged into a basement as they got the attention of their group, and followed suit.

The Plot Thickens

Ariella - as Axton recalled her name - threatened him to spill where Kezark had gone after their groups separated a few days earlier. Axton managed to bide his time before a familiar voice commanded him to flee at the first moment he got - just as a giant cloud of smoke caught Ariella off-guard. He managed to regroup with The Fated Eight unscathed, as Ariella vanished with a flick of her cloak - realizing she was outnumbered. The group heard the sounds of a vault door being blown off it’s hinges and followed after it; arriving at a large vault with several filing cabinets lining the walls. Here, they found their belongings stashed in a pocket-dimensional drawer as they prepared themselves for whatever could come.

Shortly after changing, they heard a shrill Woman’s voice from the corridor begging for help - a voice that SHAI recognized as one that BLUE was fond of using from their school days. They burst out of the room to see an unconscious BLUE being dragged at top speed by a dextrous and oddly familiar Woman. A chase began as Lady raced ahead and caught a glimpse of the figure - stunned to see a near mirror-image of herself- as the culprit. The doppelganger turned sharply into a nearby room and locked the door behind her. Moments later the others arrived and forced the door open - seeing the same feminine figure from before alongside 6 other oddly familiar silhouettes. The figures each jumped through a glowing green portal on the other side of the room after throwing the unconscious body of BLUE into the nearby corner, leaving only The Fated Eight and BLUE in the chamber. The room had 4 stone pillars in a rectangular arrangement with a faint Arcane residue between them. Whilst the party searched the room for answers, the door to the room suddenly slammed shut - but no explanation could be provided as to how. A few moments later; a familiar Lithe & cloaked figure caught SHAI & Morgyn off-guard whilst they tried to restore BLUE to consciousness. A skirmish took place in the damp and closed off chamber - as the walls were revealed to be covered in a Arcane repellent that prevented spells from exiting the space - as the other two cloaked figures appeared within the room. Aurevald managed to withstand the Brutish one’s assaults, whilst SHAI seriously disrupted the Clinical figure’s strategy (b2b nat 20s, fuck me), and the others handled the Lithe figure. Each cloaked figure melted into a pile of black ichor upon their defeat.

Searching the room following the combat; the door they had entered from had been sealed shut from the outside - leaving only the Arcane portal created after Axton found a hidden button on one of the pillars. SHAI & Morgyn tended to BLUE’s condition but he was in need of more serious medical attention. Whilst some were apprehensive - the ongoing alarm sounds eventually convinced each member to hop through the portal. On the other side, they found themselves in an expansive study with familiar display cases and books - this was the study of Douglas Beck himself. Morgyn confirmed that they were in Zenytha after a glance outside; noticing the commotion as Royal Guards flooded the city. They caught a sight of Thelnyron Dose speaking with some members of the court before witnessing Dannick Vaena march up the steps towards the Castle. Inside the study; Graxious felt his eye twitch nearby two of the cabinets - a larger one for statues and a smaller one for a weapon - cleaning the nameplates revealed a disturbing reality about Douglas Beck’s collection of statues. The box - after cross-referencing with a ledger in the nearby desk - had been intended to; or at one stage did, contain his Uncle - Drethos Longwood. The group reached out to Thelnyron for support and were instructed to return to Cynthia’s abode in Roan; with the promise that Thel would keep them updated in the early morning. They exited through a familiar mirror that seemed to allow travel between Zenytha and Roan - before regrouping with GRAY and returning to their abode for the night - noting the eerie darkness and silence that had taken over Roan.

Consequences

Graxious struggled to sleep - as nightmare after nightmare kept him from finding rest - before the calming presence of his Mother invited him to return home where it was safe. The Leonin Paladin had a choice in front of him; and realizing that he might be in even more danger after seeing Douglas Beck’s study - he made the difficult decision to flee Roan under the cover of night. The Fated Eight each said their farewells to their Leonin friend and shared trinkets with him as keepsakes of their time together. The others returned to sleep to get what rest they could before Thel was supposed to update them on what had happened.

Morning came and Thel arrived with summons for their group to Castle Roan - stating that he believed it was to reward them for their good deeds these past few weeks. He escorted them to Castle Roan - the once seat of power within the Vaena Kingdom.

They were shown to the Throne Chamber - where they were gestured into the central focus of the room whilst elites, council members, and familiar faces like Thelnyron, Cynthia, Dae’hya, and Douglas Beck filled in the seats around them. It was clear from the number of Royal Guards and the whispers around the room that most people were unsure or speculating as to why the council session had been summoned. Court was called into session as Dannick Vaena entered the chamber with a serious and sombre look on his face. He announced to the entire room that King Terick II had been killed amidst the affairs of the Beck Family ball the previous night - and accused The Fated Eight of having been behind it. An Arcane projection revealed 7 figures - matching the appearances of The Fated Eight - enter the bedroom of Terick II and stab him with a Knife.

“Members of the court of Roan, it is with a pit in my stomach, and a hole in my heart that I announce to you that our King - my BROTHER - IS DEAD!” speaking softly at first before screaming at the end. Murmurs, rumour, and discourse take over the room.”

“Please everyone, this is hard enough for us all as is - let us not stoop their level and speak the tongue of deceivers. I would not have brought this to you all so soon if there was doubt over who was responsible for this heinous crime. Please remain seated as we play you the recording of the King’s chambers following the midway point of last night’s ball.”
- Dannick Vaena’s shocking announcement…

Thel came to the defence of The Fated Eight - realizing too late that he would be implicated in the crime as well. Attempting to flee - Davison darted across the room and prevented his Teacher from escaping his fate. The Fated Eight were helpless to resist as an unclear Magical binding kept them locked in place whilst their Magical abilities were nullified - whoever was behind this scheme had planned accordingly. Thelnyron and The Fated Eight were bound and carried off to the Grand Gaol awaiting trial for the crimes they were accused of.

They awoke an unclear amount of time later in a prison cell deep underground - as their eyes adjusted, some noticed the bruised body of Thelnyron suspended from a spectral chains around his arms and waist. Whereas others noticed that Kezark - the Orcish man that had been associated with Varg’s Valiants - was being kept in the cell next to theirs. Their belongings taken - and their Magic supressed - it seemed infeasible that they would be able to escape, before Thelnyron seemingly started speaking to no one in particular.

“Well that went fucking brilliantly, didn’t it? You can come out now - there’s no one around.”
- Thel speaking aloud…

Kezark was the first to see a young Mage walking towards them holding a chest under his right arm, The Fated Eight soon thereafter recognized him as Davison. Without saying much - he waved a hand and opened the cell doors for The Fated Eight, Kezark, and Thelnyron. He instructed the group to get their belongings sorted whilst he attempted to free Master Dose. Just as everyone had prepared to leave - an alarm sounded; triggered by Davison’s attempts to free his teacher. Thelnyron Dose commanded his pupil to ignore him; warning that there was not enough time and that it was more important to get The Fated Eight to safety. The session closed as Davison turned to the group and informed them it was their choice where he could warp them - The Feywild, The Paradisian Coast, or Stahn.