Family in Flames is the fifteenth episode of season 1, Fantasy High.
Recap[]
"Last we left our heroes they were in the arcade of the Elm Valley Mall with a mangled and wounded Biz Glitterdew, having just received a series of text messages, on Johnny Spells' burner. Pictures of your homes and the phrase, “Be very careful about the choices you make next.”"
Synopsis[]
The episode starts out with the Bad Kids discussing their next move after the arcade ambush. The kids decide to have all of their parents to hang out at the Strongtower Luxury Apartments. Gorgug asks his mom and dad who had them build the power source. They respond and tell him it was Frank Dunford, who is just some guy who is just excited to open an arcade. Gorgug then tells them to go meet up with Sklonda and Gilear at Strongtower Luxury Apartments. Kristen also texts her parents to go to the apartments, but they just reply saying that they wish she had gone to mass with them on Sunday. Adaine texts her mom asking, "Do you even care where I am right now?" She gets no response. Fig also tries to call Gorthalax, but he doesn't pick up. Riz leaves his mom a voicemail about how there's a been a threat at the apartments and asks her to look after Gilear who has "a little knife."
The gang then investigates the Arcade Prizes for a final time and splits them amongst themselves. Adaine casts her Identify Spell, for what the spell refers to as the best use of the Identify Spell, to find out about each of the items.
As the Bad Kids walk out of the mall, they get arrested. Angela Worrel, an agent of the Council of the Chosen, comes forward and tells them that they're all under arrest for the murder of Johnny Spells. Sklonda tries to bargain with Angela Worrel by trying to explain that the kids all go to the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, but Worrel does not listen. Adaine tries to claim her diplomatic immunity, but since Solace and Fallinel are at war, the immunity does not apply. The Bad Kids are then brought into custody.
Adaine tries to find a way out of the cell but finds nothing. A police officer hands a crystal into the cell so that the kids can have their phone call. Fabian calls his dad and asks him to bail them out. His dad agrees and says he will be there soon. Sklonda comes over to visit Riz in the jail cell. She tells the kids that Arthur Aguefort had a way of handling these kinds of cases, and now since he's dead, they're not entirely sure what to do. Riz asks if there's any way out of the cell, but she says no.
Kristen takes out "On The Subject of World Religions" and reads it, and a prisoner tells her that if she finds God, she can likely get out earlier. He tells Kristen that he doesn't necessarily think there is one true religion and that it is all subjective. Gorgug calls the Thistlesprings to make sure they got to Gilear's apartment. The Thistlesprings are there, singing to Gilear who feels he is being mocked. He neglects to mention to them that he's in jail.
Adaine calls Goldenhoard the next day, telling him that they've been arrested. Goldenhoard says that he's going to go into Aguefort's personal library and tells them that if they have the opportunity to make a break for it they should take it. She also asks him to look at Aguefort's trash can because it relates to a clue they found.
Later, Sandra Lynn walks in to tell Fig that she and Gorthalax talked, but that she had to explain to him that she wasn't interested in being with him. She says that after the conversation that she isn't able to contact him and says its possible that Gorthalax went back to hell, despite the risk of being demoted and already having a job as Aguefort's athletic coach. Fig gets angry that her mom "scared Gorthalax away again". Sandra Lynn says she's helping Sklonda to get them out and gives Fig a photo album of Gilear, Gorthalax and herself in their teenage years. In the pictures, the young Sandra Lynn is very similar to the way Fig dresses currently. Fig tells the group that she always thought she had daddy issues, but now is suspecting that she has mommy issues. Her friends tell her that she just has issues.
Later that day, Bill Seacaster walks up to the cell and has it open. Gorgug rolls a Nat 1 and begins to suspect that Bill Seacaster may, in fact, be his father and that Fabian and himself are in fact brothers, or perhaps twins. Gorgug shouts "father" and Bill, prompting Bill to draw his sword and asking Gorgug if he is his son. Bill reveals that he has, in fact, slept with orc women, but Fabian stops the commotion and ridiculousness.
However, Fig discovers a crystal palimpsest in Bill's pocket. Fig successfully pulls the crystal out of his pocket, as Bill lectures Fabian about getting caught. Bill tells Fabian that he is soft and shoves him. Fabian attempts to grapple his father but fails. Bill takes Fabian to the ground and Fabian punches him in the jaw. Bill flops onto the ground. Fabian gets on top of him and hits him again, scattering some teeth across the floor. Bill tries to get up but Fabian hits him again, knocking Bill unconscious.
Adaine tries to detect magic, but it appears that it is just Bill Seacaster. Riz looks through Bill's pockets but only finds gold coins and bank slips from KVX Bank. A guard comes by and sees the commotion. Fig casts Suggestion on the guard, telling him to give her the key to the cell when she asks for it. The guard asks if she works for the feds, to which Fig replies yes. The guard drags Bill Seacaster's body out of the cell, but Fig's suggestion spell is broken by Angela, telling the guard that Fig doesn't work for the feds because she is inside the cell with the others.
Gorgug goes into a rage and tries to pull the bars apart, but fails. Adaine sees that there is a ward on the door so any transportation spells won't work. Riz tries to squeeze through the bars but fails. After their failed attempts, the Bad Kids stay in jail for weeks.
Fig disguises herself as Angela and starts making a commotion saying "that little bitch got away!" Fig convinces the guards that she is Angela and that Fig is on the run, but instead of taking "Angela" out of the cell, the guards open fire down the cell block. One of the guards shoots Angela, who scolds at the guards for their idiocy.
Kristen calls Angela over to offer her help in finding members of the Harvestmen, but Angela says that the only people she was trying to find were the Bad Kids. Angela then goes over to Fig (who is still disguised as Angela) and asks "what is your name?" to which Fig answers incorrectly, prompting a brief argument between the two. Kristen hands Angela a page from On The Subject of World Religions about the Harvestmen. Fabian contacts the Hangman and asks the bike to assemble a party to break them out of jail. Riz then tries to use the Sword of Shadows to get out of the cell but is unsuccessful.
A few days pass, and the group realizes that it is May 15th, the day of prom. Out in the block, a small Halfling postman comes through. The Bad Kids tell him that "the pigs" got them for Johnny Spells's murder. Bud Cubby explains that the Hangman already told him the plan, and that "laws are threats made by the dominant socioeconomic ethnic group in a given nation," and that police are an "occupying army." Bud then pulls a mask over his face, pulls a lit Molotov cocktail out of his bag and throws it. He opens the cell, and Halflings with black ski masks start shooting. The Bad Kids escape into an alleyway.
The Bad Kids then go to the school, and Fabian sends the Hangman to spy on his father. Riz unlocks the doors to the school and they go to Aguefort's office. Riz fails at opening the door to the office, so Fabian kicks the door down. They investigate the office and find "Watches and Wards" in Aguefort's office. They also find some payroll and federal paperwork information. Adaine discovers that Kalvaxus cannot touch "Watches and Wards", nor can he ask someone to remove the book for him. Adaine also discovers that only Arthur Aguefort and the Elven Oracle can remove "Watches and Wards", and since she was the one to remove "Watches and Wards", Adaine must be the new Elven Oracle. The question then becomes how did Aelwyn know Adaine was the Oracle (as she was the one who told Adaine to steal a book on the first day of school).
Kristen and Riz then examine the payroll with the diversity initiative paperwork. Riz realizes that one of the lists has one more on it than the other. On their way out of Aguefort's office, Riz realizes that the waste paper bin is not in the same spot as it used to be. The gang concludes that Goldenhoard must have taken whatever was in there before.
On the way to Goldenhoard's office, Adaine puts "Watches and Wards" back in the library. When she places the book on the shelf, she floats up in the air and sees a spectral image of the previous Elven Oracle who died in the shipwreck mentioned in Episode One by her father as he was reading the newspaper. Adaine has a short conversation with the past Oracle, and Elven Oracle tells her that the future is in good hands.
Riz realizes that there is no Dragonborn on the diversity papers, meaning that Goldenhoard is not accounted for. Adaine then remembers that Goldenhoard asked Kristen to take "Watches and Wards" to Principal Aguefort's office, and makes the connection between that and the fact that Kalvaxus cannot touch "Watches and Wards".
The Bad Kids rush to Vice Principal Goldenhoard's office, and Gorgug and Fabian kick in the door. They find a secret drawer under Goldenhoard's desk and find a scroll case and a crumpled up piece of paper. The scroll is the binding of Goldenhoard to the Adventuring Academy, but only as long as Arthur Aguefort is alive. The scroll also states that Kalvaxus must relinquish his dragon form, part from his treasure, and never harm any citizens of Solace. The Bad Kids then become certain that Goldenhoard is Kalvaxus.
The second piece of paper is a prophecy from a previous Elven Oracle that says,
When Kalvaxus once again beholds his glittering treasure, And seven maidens once more are chained at the mouth of his lair, When war befalls the realm, And a king and queen are crowned anew in Solace, Then will the Emperor of the Red Waste be released from bondage. His destruction will know no bounds, the sun shall fall from the Heavens, and the world as we know it shall perish forever.
The Bad Kids realize that once prom king and queen are crowned then Kalvaxus would be released from bondage and that they already 7 virgins: Katya, Antiope, Danielle, Sam, Penny, Ostentasia, and Zelda.
Goldenhoard comes over the PA system to talk to the Bad Kids, saying that the party will not stay loyal to each other and that they will all make the selfish choice. Everyone receives a video on their phone of fires being set to each of their homes. Fabian, Fig, Riz, and Gorgug dart off to their homes. Adaine and Kristen stay to investigate the AV club.
Adaine sits down and finds a video of Goldenhoard asking "Mr. Fallowglade" to send some cats and owls to find Edgar, Zayn Darkshadow's rat familiar. Adaine also finds video of the girls getting back into their bodies with chains around them and being loaded into an airport shuttle. Adaine also notices that there are security camera streams in the AV room, but the number of streams is not even close to the number of cameras in the school. It is revealed that teachers all over the school ground are sucked into palimpsests disguised as cameras.
Kristen gets a call from her mom, saying that people are attacking the house. Kristen calls an Uber and while she waits for the Uber, she sends Adaine to investigate the gym. Adaine tries to find the crowns but doesn't find them. Adaine hops in the car with Kristen and Rodolfo, who speeds to the Applebees Residence. Adaine and Kristen both rate him 5 stars.
Everyone who opts to fight in the battles loses half their hit points and half their spell slots, in exchange for having advantage on Brennan's rolls to determine the outcomes of the fights (instead of actually going through the combat turn-by-turn). Everyone (except Adaine) fights. Adaine uses a divination roll on Kristen's family, but Kristen gives up her hit points for Adaine's family.
Fig arrives at the Faeth Home to find her mom lying on the ground, with blood coming from her head. Fig heals her and then apologizes to her mom for focusing on Gilear and Gorthalax but not on her, and they share a moment. Sandra Lynn tells Fig to go help her friends, as hops on her griffin to go look for the missing girls.
At the Strongtower Luxury Apartments, Riz sneaks into his apartment only to find fire everywhere. Sklonda comes out of the secret room (that belonged to his father) in Riz's apartment, and the two of them exit the apartment to find a shaken Gilear. Riz explains everything to his mom and asks her to go to prom with him. Sklonda agrees and then contacts other members of the police force to tell them to go to the Academy after she scolds Agent Angela. Riz asks Gilear if he wants to join but he refuses in fear.
At the Thistlespring Tree, Gorgug finds his parents in the center of the tree, alive and well surrounded by dead enemies holding what seems to be 'Tesla' weapons. Wilma sees an invading army, and Wilma and Digby hop in their tank to go fight off the invading army, but not before letting Gorgug take some bombs to the prom. Gorgug sees his parents do a rock-paper-scissors match to see who gets on the gunner before they get on, and Wilma wins as she gets on the gunner in excitement and lights up a cigar meaning Digby is the one driving.
At the Applebees Residence, Kristen helps to heal her brother and help her parents, Mac turns to Kristen and asks if she thinks they were illegals which makes her feel uncomfortable and immediately leaves her parents. She hops in the family car with Adaine and starts heading to Adaine's house which is burned to the ground. However, a powerful Teleport spell was cast, implying that the Abernants all escape, making Adaine feel bitter about them.
On his way to Seacaster Manor, Fabian learns from the Hangman that it was caught by his father but was given a crystal with a message for Fabian from him. Fabian plays the message from Bill. Bill tells Fabian that they're nothing like each other, but it's the most wonderful thing that Bill could have ever imagined, and that Fabian has done him proud. Fabian rushes in and runs to his mother's sensory deprivation egg. Fabian helps Cathilda fight and tells his mom to pull herself together, and as he leaves he sees his mother walking towards a light Elven rapier and picking it up.
Before Fabian can reach his father, a Harvestman in a tuxedo pins Fabian under a flaming beam. He also slices through Fabian's eye, pulling it out of his head. Fabian pierces through the Harvestman's left hand but is then hit by a falling beam. Fabian gets out from under the beam and finds Bill Seacaster chained upright so he could stay standing and keep fighting against the invaders.
Fabian takes his father off the post, and Bill thanks Fabian for going after his mother first, stating that he would've slit his throat if he came for him first. Bill reveals to him that he had became the palimpsest supplier for KVX Bank because he still craved adventure. Fabian helps his father onto the balcony and tells Fabian to write his name on the face of the world with his heroic deeds so that he can be remembered. Bill also says that the story is going to get better. He hands Fabian his eye-patch. Bill tells Fabian to leave as his jacket would explode any minute so Fabian takes the eye-patch and then drives his sword deep into Bill's heart, with him saying to Fabian, "That's the way to do it!"
Fabian jumps through the air, catching the sword of his father and lands on the seat of the Hangman, taking off as Seacaster Manor explodes behind him. Fabian also smashes his father's message, getting rid of any evidence that Bill ever had emotions, securing the legend of Bill Seacaster.
The Bad Kids all rush to the prom, and on the way, Gorgug gets an old message forwarded by his parents that contains a playlist from Zelda, which gives him the ability that whenever he rolls a Nat 20 during an attack while listening to the playlist it would make his opponents go prone. They arrive at the gym right as the prom king and queen are about to be crowned. The party rolls for initiative.