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The Masquerade Ball
What happens
- 00:00:11 Aabria's greeting names the six archfey. Recap (recap): the secret engagement of Lord Airavis and Lady Featherfowl's "secret family in the Mortal Realm"; BINX's notification and "concerning words from the real Gwyndolin Thistle-Hop" that the portals between the Fey Realm and the Mortal Realm were closing; Hob, Andhera, Rue and BINX meeting "to possibly fight to the death, but instead conspire" — 00:01:18, 00:01:41. She then picks up the scene seeded at the end of the last episode: the Sea Foam Court waits for Rue in a midnight jasmine garden by the shore — 00:01:41.
- 00:03:01 Before leaving, Rue tells BINX they are going to the Sea Foam Court to clear the rumors and offers to bring her; Rue uses Polymorph to turn BINX into a golden frog and wears her as a brooch (Aabria: a Performance check to hold still); Hob meets the frog, and the four talk in the tailor shop: Hob confesses to Rue that he began the rumor about the engagement, Rue tells him he was used, Hob gives Rue a medal of courage from his sash and walks out holding back tears, Rue tells him to take care of himself; Andhera and the frog chat; Polymorph lasts an hour, so Rue and BINX hurry off — 00:03:01–00:13:20.
- 00:13:22 Rue (Stealth 2) crosses the city; a figure with curly white hair notices them. In the jasmine garden the Wave Master, Lady Ephendra, Baroness Alven, Sorwen "the Sea Wall" and Wannessa wait. Alven takes notes; the Wave Master says Rue is "a credit to your court"; Alven says that if the Court of Craft's magic is gone, "we all have our guesses" and names the Court of Wonder; BINX rolls a natural 20 Performance to hold still; the Wave Master voices fear of the Court of Wonder's next ambitions and says the Sea Foam Court has bolstered alliances with the Court of Stone so that "we will be able to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive" — 00:22:07; Rue's Deception roll (a cough) has no stated result (see Unclear) while Wannessa's Detect Magic glows on them; the Wave Master reveals the ball is now a masquerade, a slight tied to the Bloom's theme of true selves, and apologises, saying the Sea Foam Court has "many types of beings in a myriad of shapes and sizes" and values Rue's "sharp mind and keen eye" — 00:25:04, 00:25:36; Wannessa says "Tell Gwyndolin I said hi." — 00:26:23; Sorwen escorts Rue back — 00:13:22–00:28:42.
- 00:28:42 The Lords of the Wing receive a gold-embossed invitation from Prince Apollo to a private salon, delivered by a gold automaton. Chirp tells Squak she needs a match; they talk about her Material Plane partner, Esme, and her child (Chirp's account: a four-year-old, Phillipa, "Peep"; the child's other parent is not stated); Gobble brings two red drug gems that Andhera had given them; Squak, learning he is an uncle, asks whether the child has "a favorite drug yet?" — 00:38:59, 00:39:16; the cousins prepare spells (Arcane Ibis from a Glyph of Warding, Flock of Familiars), take the drugs (no spell slot is burned for a stated time), decide to bet against themselves in the wager, and walk to Apollo's — 00:28:42–00:42:47.
- 00:42:49 The salon in the Court of Wonder's wing: two masked Chorus members, Apollo, Jarl Korguf of the Court of Stone with attendants Ruyin and Claete, Suntar, Wuvvy. Squak Polymorphs Ruyin, shatters windows; Chirp (natural 20) slices the cigars from every mouth; Apollo welcomes them; they ask to bet against themselves; Suntar, asking whether Chirp is "looking for a love match after having your heart broken", proposes that, skipping the rigamarole of a love match, the Unseelie Court and the Court of Wonder form an alliance with the cousins — 00:50:55, 00:51:08; Chirp eavesdrops through her African Grays and learns Apollo will send Wuvvy away; Chirp pours truth serum into the drinks (Sleight of Hand 29); Apollo says the Court of Wonder and the Unseelie Court share an interest in stockpiling the magic flowing through the portals into the Mortal Realm ("if we had a means to stopper it, to bottle it, we could keep that for ourselves") and offers to cut the Lords of the Wing in; the allied courts' colors at the masquerade will be royal blue; a "strawberry" sign is joked about — 00:42:49–01:08:19.
- 01:08:22 A day later: invitations out; the ball is a masquerade in black, white and gold at a secluded grotto. Preparations: Andhera visits BINX's living quarters, asks her to make him a "Prince of Darkness" outfit and crown, tells her of the shard in his neck, "a humiliation tactic" (Andhera) — 01:15:45, and speaks of magic as love; BINX tells of her loophole and the leader who became a tree; BINX's Performance 24 completes the outfit; Andhera kneels and pledges his oath, BINX knights him with a cardboard tube — 01:08:22–01:23:31.
- 01:23:33 Hob arrives at the masquerade through a gate into a pocket-dimension woods, then a gilt ballroom with an orchestra. Fit checks: Hob (cream and gold, a monocle), Chirp (a dress of masks), Squak (white with molten-gold cape), Rue (black gown, peonies; Wuvvy in white), BINX (curtain dress, key mask). Hob spots Boil and Blemish with Lady Sylmenar (Perception 7). Squak polymorphs one attendant into a salmon and intimidates the other; Rue reads Wuvvy as reserved (Insight 16); BINX tastes the call of one of her warlocks and talks with Scratch, who is fighting an invisible stalker at a thatched hamlet; she burns a feather token to send him one spell slot — 01:40:41, 01:41:06; as holder of the crystal heart no one dances until she opens the floor — 01:43:32, 01:43:36 — 01:23:33–01:43:49.
- 01:43:57 Andhera, in the meantime, goes to the Trickster Court: Fable (feet on backwards) is talking to Viscountess Grabalba; Andhera gives two tokens and asks for two items taken from the Court of Wonder, to be passed on as gifts ("quite a bit of trickery") — 01:45:14, to be delivered to him at the ball — 01:43:57–01:48:23.
- 01:48:23 BINX opens the bathroom door to a silent room; Hob asks Andhera whether he will marry Grabalba (no); Hob and Rue each try to trip Andhera into BINX with unarmed attacks and both miss; BINX leads a solo cha cha slide (Persuasion 25 with help from Chirp's birds) and the guests join — 01:48:23–01:53:14.
- 01:53:14 Free mingling. Rue talks with Chirp (on an ostrich): Chirp says she is in love, it is reciprocated and no magic was used; Rue says "congratulations on winning your wager"; Rue recalls the duel was written as Hob against Rue's assistant, and Emily says Chirp casts Gift of Gab so Rue won't remember it; Rue asks what she would do if she ran the Bloom; Chirp's answer sends Rue's eyes to Hob and Chirp fails to notice — 01:53:14–02:05:26. Squak gets party-favor masks from Blemish and Boil, who become wildly chaotic — 01:57:48–02:01:55.
- 02:05:08 Chirp's parrots say "grandfather"; Grandfather stands across the ballroom. The cousins share the mask, cast Intellect Fortress, tell Grandfather he seems "a bit underdressed" — 02:10:08, and tell Grandfather they have negotiated two matches; Squak points at the Baroness and Apollo, Chirp at Suntar; Grandfather says he has plans too, puts on a mask, drinks a love-potion-laced glass and, after the Grabalba scene, pushes off toward some members of the Sea Foam Court with "Brunch tomorrow." — 02:05:08–02:12:01.
- 02:12:01 The illusory walls fall away; fireworks. Hob (after a nat 1 on a roll with Oscar) rushes to protect Rue at the first bang; the two exchange dance-card signatures and Hob eats his card — 02:12:01–02:18:28. BINX and Andhera share a black apple with Mortal Realm memories — 02:18:32–02:20:19. Andhera and BINX, arm in arm, go to the Lords of the Wing and speak of the Material Plane; Chirp's History check leads her to address BINX as "Lady Gwyndolin"; Aabria ends the chapter — 02:20:41–02:24:36.
- 02:24:55 Next-time preview (see Table talk).
Frames
Key quotes
- “Omar's hands are so warm. It's amazing.” — Brennan 0:01:05
- “I can raise neither objection nor reproach to the words you have spoken here.” — Captain Hob 0:10:33
- “We have bolstered our alliances with the Court of Stone.” — Wave Master 0:22:07
- “Her name is Phillipa, but you can call her Peep.” — Chirp 0:41:41
- “We should just tell them. We should let them know.” — Suntar 0:55:04
- “Why the fuck did I say all that?” — Aabria 1:05:17
- “there was this idea of scarcity of love in my family.” — Andhera 1:18:21
- “Oh, now we're speaking the language that I love.” — Fable 1:45:38
- “It was quite an unexpected love that I did not expect.” — Chirp 1:56:04
- “Brunch tomorrow.” — Grandfather 2:11:54
Who and what appears
Player characters
- Andhera
- BINX Choppley
- Captain K.P. Hob
- Delloso de la Rue
- Gwyndolin Thistle-hop
- Lady Chirp Featherfowl
- Lord Squak Airavis
NPCs
- Baroness Alven
- Boil and Blemish
- Curly-haired figure
- Ephendra
- Esmé
- Fable
- Gobble
- Grandfather
- Jarl Korguf
- Lady Sylmenar
- Phillipa
- Prince Apollo
- Princess Suntar
- Queen of Air and Darkness
- Ruyin and Claete
- Scratch
- Sea Foam attendants
- Sorwen
- The Chorus
- Theodore (Fey Realms)
- Viscountess Grabalba
- Wannessa
- Wave Master
- Wuvvy
Locations
- Abandoned tailor's
- BINX's radiator
- Court of Wonder
- Court of Wonder tower
- Jasmine garden by the seashore
- Masquerade ball
- Sea Foam Court
- Tidal Island city and tidal lane
- Unseelie Court
Items and artifacts
- Apollo's invitation
- Black apple
- Cardboard tube
- Chirp's mask dress, ostrich, African Grays
- Dance cards
- Golden goblet
- Hob's formal halberd, cap, monocle
- Masquerade masks
- Medal of courage
- Red drug gems
- Royal blue
- Scratch's looking object
- Truth serum
- Twin items
- Woven heart-nest piece
Factions and organizations
Roll log
| Time | Character (player) | Roll | Result | DC / AC | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:12:41 | Rue (Oscar) | Insight | 12 | — | Aabria does not make them roll against it |
| 00:13:42 | Rue (Oscar) | Stealth | 2 | — | Rue does not notice a curly white-haired figure, who noticed them |
| 00:15:41 | Rue (Oscar) | Insight | 12 | — | the Wave Master's cold stillness |
| 00:20:15 | BINX (Surena) | Performance (Bardic Inspiration, Lucky mentioned) | natural 20 | — | holds as a brooch |
| 00:23:11 | Rue (Oscar) | Deception (cough) | "2, 8" (the first "16" was Performance) | — | total and result not stated |
| 00:27:46 | Rue (Oscar) | Performance | Aabria "natural 1"; Oscar "a 7, uh, 18" | — | Sorwen studies Rue |
| 00:34:27 | Chirp (Emily) | Constitution save | natural 1 | — | chooses to fail |
| 00:34:31 | Squak (Lou) | Constitution save | 15 | — | drugs |
| 00:35:56 | Chirp (Emily) | Concentration save | 14 | — | beats the threshold |
| 00:38:26 | Squak (Lou) | Constitution save | 15 | — | keeps the vibe |
| 00:38:29 | Chirp (Emily) | Constitution save | 12 | — | keeps the vibe |
| 00:39:59 | Chirp (Emily) | Arcana | 19 | — | feels her own magic in the woven piece |
| 00:46:11 | Chirp (Emily) | Shadow Blade attack | natural 20 | — | slices cigars |
| 00:49:52 | Chirp (Emily) | Persuasion | 9 | — | Suntar blows away |
| 00:52:17 | Squak (Lou) | Insight | 16 | — | reads Suntar and Apollo |
| 00:55:47 | Squak (Lou) | Performance | 14 | — | "14'll do it" |
| 01:00:37 | Chirp (Emily) | Sleight of Hand | 29 (21 plus 8 Bardic) | — | serum poured |
| 01:01:39 | Chirp (Emily) | Arcana | 14 | — | no magical effect on her glass |
| 01:02:24 | Squak (Lou) | Cutting Words | 3 | — | Aabria allows it on a save |
| 01:03:01 | Chirp (Emily) | Arcana (to learn who failed) | "nonstop 4s" | 17 | fails |
| 01:03:12 | Squak (Lou) | Arcana | 9 | 17 | fails |
| 01:21:44 | BINX (Surena) | Performance (Lucky) | 24 (17 plus 7) | 20 | crown and outfit done |
| 01:27:39 | Hob (Brennan) | Perception | 7 | — | spots Boil, Blemish |
| 01:32:35 | Squak (Lou) | Intimidation | 24 | — | attendant silenced |
| 01:34:31 | Rue (Oscar) | Insight | 16 | — | Wuvvy reserved |
| 01:39:38 | BINX (Surena) | Arcana | 22 | — | reads Scratch's state |
| 01:50:29 | Rue (Oscar) | unarmed attack | 8 | 18 (Andhera's AC) | misses |
| 01:51:02 | Hob (Brennan) | unarmed attack | number not said | — | misses |
| 01:52:25 | BINX (Surena) | Persuasion (disadvantage canceled) | 25 | — | crowd joins |
| 01:58:30 | Squak (Lou) | Perception | 11 | — | overhears a match made |
| 02:03:25 | Chirp (Emily) | Perception; Insight | 7; 10 | — | does not clock Rue |
| 02:04:51 | Chirp (Emily) | Perception, advantage | 5 and 3 | — | misses |
| 02:05:50 | Squak (Lou) | Perception | 19 plus 6, 25 | — | Aabria: "Inaccurate" |
| 02:09:15 | Squak (Lou) | Charisma, Inspiration burned | 10, then 23 | — | Grandfather impressed |
| 02:10:27 | Squak (Lou) | Persuasion, advantage | 21 and 25 | — | mask on Grandfather |
| 02:13:58 | Hob (Brennan) | odds-or-evens roll | natural 1 | Oscar called odds | Hob goes to Rue |
| 02:23:53 | Chirp (Emily) | History, advantage | 3 and 15; 22 | — | realizes |
Natural 20s: BINX 1 (Performance), Chirp 1 (attack) · Natural 1s: Chirp 1 (Con save, said "nat 1"); Hob's odds-or-evens roll 1; Rue's Performance at 00:27:46 was called "natural 1" by Aabria but the final number is unsettled.