Session 88: Sense & Sorcery

General Summary

With the Arrival Promenade completed, the party went back to their villa to get ready for the day. On arriving, the party found several of the attendants awaiting their return. Sylas Staghollow was shirtless and excitedly awaiting Bolvaic to tell him the news of what he was able to procure for him for the festival. With that introduction, he gave a swift tug and his pants came off--they were tear away pants. He told Bolvaic that he got a set for him for the events later that evening, and Bolvaic was very pleased with Sylas's outfit design.   Violet Faeheart and Fiachra Grimthorn then addressed the party. They let them know that the Autumn Canopy Ball happening after the dinner feast would culminate in a group dance that includes all of those attending. The dance was described as the dancers beginning in a multi-armed spiral and one by one, breaking from the spiral branches as falling leaves. Ultimately, each of the "leaves" finds another partner and the dance ends with a whispered secret shared from each partner.   They described the dance as not particularly challenging, however, there are subtle intricacies to the movements, especially at the end. With a bit of instruction, skill, and luck, a dancer could end with a partner of their choosing to share secrets with. They offered the party instructions on the basics of the dance, as well as a more advanced instruction on mastering the subtlety of controlling the ending.   Everyone in the party, save Bolvaic, decided to stay for the first instruction of the dance. Bolvaic went to Emberhold, the villa of the Court of Cinder and Ash. The villa appeared as a secluded glen that a fire tore through with much of the wood and trees still carrying the glow of heat and burn within them. Bolvaic was met by Smolder, a warlock whose patron is the Ashen Lady, who is in charge of the villa. Bolvaic was hesitant to give his "true name", so he had Smolder call him Bolvy. Smolder gave Bolvaic a tour of the villa and took him to see the Ashen Lady, who was sitting with her pupil, Ashwyn Mariglow, a young Half-Elf girl who is scarred from burns over half of her body.   Bolvaic was curious of the Ashen Lady's interest in him during the Promenade, and she told him that he is a man whose entire past was burned away and that it was beautiful. Bolvaic didn't get the meaning of the Ashen Lady's words, not being burned himself, like Ashwyn was. Bolvaic also asked about the nature of his name and moniker, having been warned about names and the Fey. Ashwyn told Bolvaic that the name given to him by his family was most likely not his true name, even if it is the only one that he knows, so unless his parents were prophets or foolish, his name is most likely not his true name.   Bolvaic enjoyed the company of the Ashen Lady until she needed to ready, at which point Smolder was summoned to show him more of the villa. Bolvaic met the rest of the visiting Court and eventually returned back to the party's villa.   As the dance lesson ended, the goblin Cobb arrived at the villa. He stated that since the Goblin King now accepts that Ilbryen is now Cobb, their Court Herald, he was turned away from the villa for not being a goblin in the Court. He arrived at the villa asking if he could now be Ilbryen and he demonstrated that he had a book to help with his new identity. It was the Unauthorized Biography of the Goblin King, written by the Goblin King. When asked about how it could then be unauthorized, Cobb stated that every other chapter the Goblin King threatens to sue himself.   Ilbryen stated that they did not wish to be Cobb and offered to go to the Goblin Court with him to settle the matter. No longer having a name, he asked if he could not be Ilbryen, then who should he be. Levi suggested that he be Not-Cobb--though the naming did not amuse Illevaere. Levi also offered to go with the group, since he wanted to fight the goblin bear that he was challenged to fight by the Goblin King. Tove Gundarsson and Whisper Scrollleaf were to go with Levi and Ilbryen. When Sylas discovered that Bolvaic would be going to the Court of Yestermorrow with Aralmeni where there would likely not be any fighting, he joined Levi and Ilbryen to watch the battle of the bears. Levi asked Not-Cobb what type of tactics he could expect for a goblin to use against a bear, but Not-Cobb stated that the standard goblin tactic was to run from a bear.   Levi, Ilbryen, and the others arrived at the Discordant Den, seeing that it was already a mess with trash and refuse. They found their way to the Goblin King's throne room. Ilbryen tried to insist that they were not Cobb, to which Not-Cobb insisted that he was actually not Cobb, but Not-Cobb, and Ilbryen was Cobb and not Not-Cobb. The Goblin King was not immediately moved by the plea, but did offer a resolution--in three days time, he would hold a competition between Cobb and Not-Cobb, a challenge of heraldry to the death! Ilbryen stated that it would not be to the death, and the Goblin King seemed to settle on a challenge of heraldry not to death, but possibly to serious maiming.   When Levi stated that he was there to fight the bear, the Goblin King had the goblins to clear the tables and chairs to make the throne room a battle arena and ordered one of his goblins to fetch the bear. After a few minutes, the goblin returned bringing with him another goblin, but dressed in what appeared to be ratty children's pajamas that looked like a bear. Levi immediately sensed that this was just a normal, mundane goblin, and transformed into a bear and let out a growl. All of the goblins, save the Goblin King, immediately fled, following the tactics that Not-Cobb had told Levi about. Levi went after the goblin bear and grabbed him with his mouth and brought him back. He told the goblin that he was his cub now and the goblin fearfully agreed.   The Goblin King admitted that he thought a battle between two bears would have been more bloody and impressive to watch. However, he named Levi their Court's new bear and informed Levi of the Court's three major objectives. The first was to be taken seriously. The second was to lick the Frost Prince to see if their tongue stuck to him. And finally that they were planning on stealing the prize at the banquet and that a bear mauling people would be a great distraction for their heist.   Aishling went the the Eternal Summer, the villa of Álfheimr with Violet Faeheart. She was met by Quinn Leeds, the lady's maid for the Queen of Elphame, who brought Aurielle Sunweaver out to see her. Aurielle was very pleased to see that Aishling had come to visit. She suggested that the pair of them head out to a more secluded part of the yard to speak. Violet immediately took to the role of attendant, walking behind the pair and not speaking if not spoken to. Aurielle sat with Aisling on a bench by a fountain surrounded by hedges.   She talked to Aishling about her mother, Sorsha Hawthorne, and her mother's artwork, admiring Aishling's stained glass themed dress. She asked if Sorsha had warned her about the Queen of Elphame, to which Aishling gave a veiled response. Aurielle then proceeded to give Aishing a more in depth warning.   She stated that the Queen of Elphame is fickle and dangerous. She finds a beauty or artist to be her muse, but quickly tires of them, moving onto other endeavors. Many of them become relegated to servants--Quinn Leeds, for example, was once the Queen's pride, but now is her lady's maid no longer given a spotlight. She also said that her current interest is Veluthe Al Shee and, originally, she had planned on being her Court's tithe of a soul to Hell, due every seven years. However, the Queen has decided that she is not finished with Veluthe yet and instead is looking for someone else to be her tithe.   Aurielle warned Aishling that the Queen intended for the contest to see who would be the Summer Muse for the Court was a way of determining a good mortal to give as her Court's tithe. She warned Aishing about gaining too much recognition, but told her that she would do what she could to protect her, but that as long as Aisling did not claim the position, or if she was bound by other ties or oaths, she would be protected from being the tithe.   Aurielle did want her to rise in the Court, however, and told her that at the Harvest Feast, there would be a prize of a golden apple to be given to whomever makes the beast toast. Many use it as a way to honor their Court and Aisling giving a toast to include Álfheimr would do well. She also gave Aisling a brooch, the Inspiration of Álfheimr. While the brooch is small and unassuming, it actually gives inspiration to anyone making art, be is painting, song, or speech, provided that the subject is visible while it is made.   Illevaere went to the Rotting Reliquary, the villa of the Court of Carrion and Decomposition. There they found Myconid drones and knights taking care of the villa. Speaking through spore communication, one of the sporeknights spoke to Illevaere and took them to see Squamulose who was busy growing Psilofyr from the Great Mycelium, the underground fungal root system that connects all of the forms of Psilofyr which runs through many of the Courts as well as the mortal realm. Other fungus is also connected to the Great Mycelium, but with all of the aspects of Psilofyr grown from it, they are all part of his same consciousness, but each is also individual. Squamulose tries to be consistant with her growing of Psilofyr to keep the aspects as in sync as possible, but sometimes they differ, even disagree, and there have been wars between aspects of Psilofyr.   Squamulose invited Illevaere to help grow Psilofyr, and was immediately impressed with their quick ability to understand how to appropriately tend and grow him. She said that Psilofyr would be grown by the end of the night and that Illevaere should return to visit. In their conversations, Illevaere asked about the other Courts, including the Court of Thorns and Brambles and discovered that there is an aspect of Psilofyr within that Court. Psilofyr grows as a mushroom would, so the open and sun-filled Courts are difficult for a proper incarnation of him to grow in, so most of his forms are grown in the Autumn Courts and Winter Courts.