SE07 : EP03 - A Simple Honey Run - Part III

General Summary

The party finds themselves in the marble-walled courtyard leading to the King's castle. A human man dressed in finery approaches them. "I am Marque, the head of house for the King's servants. Please follow me."
They follow him into the main keep.  They are arranged through a gallery of statues mysteriously missing bases and feet. Keen eyes among them note that these seem elven and stoles through pillage and conquer. 
They are given cleanup facilities and will be offered finery for a dinner audience with the King. Essa is a specific but polite reminder the King would not appreciate his participation in the bathing and such. The party asks him after Marque leaves why he called him out. "I am considered a servant and thus lesser." They wince at the notion. They arrive in a bathing room manned by servants. As they bathe, Essa speaks with a house member he knows. They catch up and mention how things have changed since he left, after his wife... before stifling themselves.  From there, the party is taken to an overwhelmingly well-stocked wardrobe. They help each other pick out outfits for the occasion. 
They find themselves in the luxury of the main dining room. Everyone is seated, even Essa, who is surprised and slightly uncomfortable with the gesture. Two rambunctious boys run through the chamber before Marque enters and announces the royal entrance. A young man no more than twenty enters Percival Armant, the King of Alabaster. There is an air of superiority that wafts off of his smug but genital features. He welcomes them, and they begin the elaborate dinner service. 
 The King asks them about the Meridians and their miraculous Occulus. During these, he takes a sip of his water before spitting it out. He has Marque call for the Bishop. The leader of the community church is rushed out and criticized for the lack of appropriate blessing for his water. The king demands the disposal of the failed water and a fresh batch of holy water be made for him... now!
King then returns to pleasant conversation. As it goes on, Pryce and Yith exchange looks as if the King seems too interested in the mechanics of the Iris and Occulus.
The Princess Veronica and the royal concubine Hope announced and entered the room. The Princess makes eye contact with Pryce and haste to the empty chair beside him. Hope is a more downtrodden figure. Glimmering tattoos on her wrist are some form of magical restraints. King's gaze often lingers on her, and he frowns on others addressing her. 
Pryce feels the Princess's hands reach for him. Merrit mentions this to Mo'Bahn, who blurts out, "Oh, the Princess wants to sleep with Pryce." The room falls silent. Marque's face flashes disgust mixed with wrath. The king recovers the conversation quickly. Transition to Yith telling him more tales of the Meridians. He takes all this as Pryce attempts to brush off the advances of Veronica. This leads to a question directed at Essa, "What do you make of these Meridians? "They may be unorthodox, but they are reliable."
"Good." He explains that while dealing with the adventuring guild lately, he has been concerned with the existing deals and wishes for more favorable conditions.  The king snaps his fingers, and Marque produces a chest filled with Goald. "I would like to make future arrangements with Merridans."
The energy in the room grows tense as the blatant bribe sits on the table. At length, Pryce and Yith honor the gesture while sidestepping the inability to say anything definitive. King seems disappointed but not so much to be put in a bad mood. With that, he offers for them to stay the night. This lightly flusters Marque. The king wishes them a good night and leaves with the Princess, and Hope follows him. 
They get to their rooms, and Cass makes a point to talk to Yith about her feelings about these people. Cass mentions that the guild makes deals with bad people, like the ones that hurt Gynn. Yith thanks her profusely and realizes just how caught up in the moment and was thinking clearly. She calls the group together to discuss the events of the night. They agree that things are nasty here, and they need to get through this and back to Horizon to see what they can do about this problematic kingdom.

The next morning, Marque explains that Essa is needed at the Castle and another man will escort them. They quickly hatch a plan to get him out using silent images and invisibility; it's scary for a while, but they are able to sneak through the city and out into the wilds.  They feel they got away with it as they camped for the night. As they settle, a bright blue bolt streaks the sky. The party, one by one, blacks out. 
Sometime later in the night, they return to conscious. Pryce has a splitting headache and, after blinking out the sleep, sees three figures standing by the road. They come into focus as Yith, Airexen, and Enakahs, each standing in separate bodies.

Related Reports

Season Seven
SE07 : EP01 - A Simple Honey Run - Part I
SE07 : EP02 - A Simple Honey Run - Part II
SE07 : EP02 - A Simple Honey Run - Part III
SE07 : EP03 - A Simple Honey Run - Part IV
SE07 : EP05 - A Simple Honey Run - Part V
SE07 : EP06 - A Simple Honey Run - Part VI
SE07 : EP07 - A Simple Honey Run - Part VII
SE07 : EP07 - A Simple Honey Run - Part VII
SE07 : EP08 - A Simple Honey Run - Part VIII

Notes

An adventuring guild member signaling for Yith’Airézen’Eñahkais Æn’Pailynnoire'Horizon
Elidyr Jowynn Anlyth Pryce
Cassandra
Mobahn
Nuk Kul
Essa Urali

Report Date

02 Oct 2023