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The Masquerade Ball is the seventh episode of season 14, A Court of Fey & Flowers.
Intro[]
- "So, in our previous chapter, rumours ran rampant as our Fey lords traded missives and visits following the events of the Hedge Maze. In the nest of the Lords of the Wing, Lord Airavis's admission of his secret engagement was chased by Lady Featherfowl's revelation of a secret family in the Mortal Realm. And speaking of the Mortal Realm, BINX received a notification and concerning words from the real Gwyndolin Thistle-Hop, that the portals between the Fey Realm and Mortal Realm were closing. Eventually, Hob, Andhera, Rue and BINX met to possibly fight to the death, but instead conspire about the Court of Wonder's role and goals in making plans and breaking plans throughout the Bloom, and what deeper secrets they might be hiding from the Fey Realm and the Bloom, and from the players at this table. But that's enough of a recap. Let's do new shit!"
Synopsis[]
At the beginning of the episode, the reputations of the characters stand as follows: Prince Andhera on 4/7, Captain K.P. Hob on 4/7, Lady Chirp Featherfowl on 6/7, Lord Squak Airavis on 6/7, Delloso de la Rue on 4/7, and Binx Choppley on 4/7.
We begin by returning to the encounter between Rue, Binx, Andhera, and Hob from the previous episode, as Rue prepares to journey to their meeting with the Seafoam Court. They invite Binx to join them and they agree, with Rue using Polymorph to turn her into a golden frog who will pretend to be a brooch on their outfit so that they can join the meeting secretly. As the two go to leave the meeting, Hob thanks Binx for being an ally in these times. He then takes a private moment with Rue to apologise for suggesting that Rue was in love with the Viscountess Grabalba. When Rue asks him why he started this rumour, he says that it was because he did not understand why Wuvvy had instigated their duel, and chose to start the rumour in order to assuage his own humiliation. Rue warns him about the danger of rumours, saying that his stated mission to seek satisfaction from Prince Apollo worries them as it is not based in any fact. They tell Hob that he is being used by the Goblin Court, and spends so much time caring for the feelings of others that he does not spend time thinking about his own: his victory in battle allowed for the Viscountess Grabalba and Prince Apollo's engagement in the first place, and he gained nothing from it. Hob says that he has no response to these comments, that he admires Rue's bravery, and that he does not deserve Rue's compliments. He takes a Medal of Courage off of his sash and hands it to Rue as he holds back tears and turns to leave. Rue shouts after him to take care as Hob runs out into the storm. We return to Andhera and Binx having a separate conversation about the Mortal Realm and connecting over their love of reading.
Rue and Binx (as the golden frog brooch) leave to attend a meeting in a jasmine garden with the Seafoam Court. Present are: the Wavemaster, Lady Ephendra, Baroness Alven, Sorwen, the Sea Wall and champion of the Seafoam Court, and Wannessa, the human. Rue thanks those present for speaking with them, and asks for their feedback on the running of the Bloom thus far. The Wavemaster is hard to read, due to their difficult to discern form, but appears cold as they reply that Rue's running of the Bloom has been exemplary. Rue then asks how they feel about the spectacular entrance of Binx from the Court of Craft. The Wavemaster replies rather sneeringly that this was surprising, but that they would never refuse to extend hospitality to a member of any court. Rue replies that they have heard word that the Court of Craft is in need of magic, to which Alven pointedly coughs, remarking that the Court of Wonder, of which Rue is a member, is the foil to the Court of Craft, suggesting that it is assumed by many that the Court of Wonder is at fault for the decline in the Court of Craft's magic. She asks Rue their opinion on this, as a member of the Court of Wonder. Rue claims that they are present as the Master of Ceremonies for the Bloom, rather than as a member of the Court of Wonder. Alven replies that they are, arguably, the premiere member of the Court of Wonder, and so any word that they speak rings with the authority of that court. As a result, she says that the Seafoam Court holds their tongue on this matter for fear of repercussions from the Court of Wonder. The Wavemaster says that they are grateful for the magic lent to their court by the Court of Wonder, but fear for where the ambitions of the Court of Wonder might next be placed, before stopping speaking for fear of manifesting into existence such a negative fate for their court. They say that the Seafoam Court has bolstered their alliance with the Court of Stone so that, if the Court of Wonder chooses to advance upon them next, they will be able to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive: this is their concern, rather than the successful execution of a series of parties. Rue says that this has secured their belief that they need to undertake their own meeting with the Court of Wonder. Wannessa's eyes begin glowing purple, casting their Detect Magic over Rue and Binx in their golden frog brooch form, and clearly noticing her presence. The Wavemaster ends the conversation by letting Rue know that there has been a change to the upcoming ball, and that the invitations now read that it is a masquerade ball, as the revelation of true forms has been such a theme during this Bloom. They admit that this was a jab at Rue's recent revelation of their true form enacted due to the tensions between the Seafoam Court and the Court of Wonder, and apologise for this, adding that the Seafoam Court has members of myriad shapes and sizes, and that they have always admired Rue's quick wit and intelligence, rather than their appearance. Sorwen approaches Rue as they are leaving the meeting and lets them know that people move courts all the time, adding that he himself began at the Court of Stone and found happiness by switching to become a member of the Seafoam Court.
We move to the Lords of the Wing, who are contemplating an ostentatious letter sent to them by Prince Apollo, inviting them to a close-knit meeting in a private salon. Chirp makes a copy of Prince Apollo's handwriting. The cousins make plans for the meeting, and Chirp reveals that her wife in the Material Realm is 42 years old, and that humans only live for up to 80-100 years, which shocks Squak. Squak instructs Gobble, their butler, to fetch the red crystal drugs that Andhera gifted to them on the first day of the Bloom. Chirp uses Glyph of Warding to create an Arcane Eye, aka an Arcane Ibis, and a glyph of her flock of African Greys, which she will use to survey the group at the salon. The cousins take the drugs, meaning that any magic they use will no longer burn a spell slot for the next 3 hours. They decide to say 'fuck the wager,' and just bet against themselves so that they at least win money when they lose it. Squak shares with Chirp his excitement at his newly-discovered uncle status, and she shows him a craft that her daughter made. He asks what his niece's favourite drug is, and Chirp replies that mortals are very strict about this kind of thing, so she isn't taking any drugs yet. As Chirp holds the craft that her daughter made, she feels a strong surge of magic, as well as a sense of her child's mortality and importance that has suffused her magic. She tells Squak that her daughter's name is Philippa, but that he can call her Peep, as everyone else does. He then asks how the sex is with her partner, Esmé, and Chirp says that it is great.
The Lords of the Wing arrive at the private salon, where they see: Prince Apollo, who greets them but does not stand as they enter; the leader of the Court of Stone, Jarl Korguf, and his two attendants; Princess Suntar of the Unseelie Court; and Wuvvy. Squak makes his entrance by turning one of Jarl's attendants into a fish using Polymorph and throwing objects at him before turning him back into his original form and apologising to Jarl, who laughs and declares that the Lords of the Wing are truly back. Squak then casts Shatter on two of the windows, jumps into one, and casts Major Image so that a flock of birds fly in through one and out through the other. Chirp takes out her Shadow Blade to chop everyone's cigars from their mouths and pick up where they left off. Apollo is now standing and screaming in delight. The group begin talking about how boring the Bloom has been thus far, especially with the absence of the Lords of the Wings' usual antics. The cousins ask Suntar if it would be possible to get in on the betting in order to bet against themselves in their wager with Rue. Suntar replies that she can direct them towards the betting agents before complaining about her dashed chances at capturing the Crystal Heart in the Hedge Maze. She stands up next to Apollo and says that there have been rumours floating around regarding the Lords of the Wing since before the Bloom began: that Squak is secretly engaged, and that Chirp is seeking a love match after a recent heartbreak. She says that, should the cousins be seeking a profitable arrangement and be willing to forgo the rigmarole of finding a love match, herself and Apollo would be willing to form engagements with them, in whatever pairings the cousins choose. Chirp asks whether they would be coming into any potential engagements with any expectations of intimacy, and Squak ascertains, from a Perception check, that this could not be further from Suntar's mind, but that Apollo could be up for some fun. The Lords of the Wing leave momentarily to discuss this proposal, and decide that it would bode very well for their standing with their Grandfather. As they are talking, Chirp listens into the conversation between Apollo and Suntar using her African Greys, and hears the pair discussing whether or not to let them in on some kind of secret plan, which she Messages to her cousin. As they return to the pair, Chirp mentions what she overhead, but then uses Gift of Gab so that they do not remember hearing this. She Subtle Spell Messages to her cousin to run interference as she slips the Potion of Truth that she stole from the tea-party into Suntar and Apollo's drinks. As Chirp and Squak both fail Perception checks, they do not know whether Suntar and Apollo have been affected by the potion or not. Chirp reveals that she and her cousin overhead the two's conversation about potentially letting them in on a plan. Apollo says that, before the Bloom, there had been rumours that the Unseelie Court had been looking to curtail access to the Mortal Plane. He says that it then occurred to him that the Court of Wonder and the Unseelie Court had something in common: a want to stockpile magic. He says that, if they had a means to stopper the flow of magic into the Mortal Plane via portals, the two courts would be able to keep the magic for themselves and, hence, an alliance was formed. He adds that he had a sense that the Lords of the Wing would also benefit from the restoration of their house via access to greater magic, hence meaning that joining the plan would be profitable for them. From the revelation of this information, it is clear that the Potion of Truth successfully affected Apollo. He tells them that, at the upcoming masquerade ball, those in the know about this plan will be wearing royal blue: if the Lords of the Wing also wear royal blue, they will assume that they are in. After some back-and-forth regarding the potential of the designation of the royal blue colour as a symbol to limit their fashion choices, the Lords of the Wing also put forward that a symbol of a strawberry should suggest that they are choosing to come in on the plan also.
We move to the day of the ball: a black, white, and gold-themed masquerade ball that is to be held at an off-site grotto. In the run-up to the ball, Andhera goes to visit Binx at their lodgings to ask if she would be willing to craft them an outfit for the ball, the stated inspiration for which is: 'Prince of Darkness.' They set about crafting him a form-fitting outfit made of hypnotising obsidian stalagmites, and a gemstone rock cave crown. Binx thanks them for giving her the opportunity to craft an outfit for him, saying that it is one of their best days yet. They talk about her loneliness growing up, befriending mortals who then died. They imagine that Andhera's childhood must have been very different as he had a whole court around them. Andhera says that this couldn't be further from the truth: most of his friends growing up were rocks, and their mother cares only for the reputation of her children, rather than for her children themselves. He says that the elemental shard in the back of their neck was placed there by his mother as a humiliation tactic: they were known for being an emotional child so his mother made it so that, whenever they expressed emotions, a cloud would form over his head and rain on them. Binx asks if she can see the gem and Andhera replies that they can. She sees that the gem has been painfully inserted into Andhera's neck. They tell Andhera that, should he ever want her to, they can remove it. Andhera is touched by this, but does not quite have the emotional language to express it. They share that his family has a culture of scarcity, but that Binx's attitude towards magic has shown them that magic is love. Binx replies that that is the belief of her court and that, although there are those that want to hoard magic and control its flow, they have managed to create a loophole: a spinning cycle that allows magic to move between the Fey Realm and the Mortal Plane. In order to do so, she has been working with a group of three others who all believe in them and the cause, the leader of which is now a tree existing in the Mortal Plane as they were unable to travel back to the Fey Realm. She shares that it is important that the ability to travel between the Mortal Plane and the Fey Realm is maintained, as fey beings need to be able to return to the realm in which they belong. Andhera kneels and pledges allegiance to Binx's court, saying: 'let's take this entire fucking thing down.' Binx mock-knights Andhera with a cardboard tube, saying: 'Let's.'
Hob arrives at the masquerade ball wearing a cream military coat with gold brocade, a deep gold sash with his medals on, a cosmetic monocle with a golden chain, and white gloves, carrying his ceremonial halberd and his military cap. He spots Boil and Blemish, who are walking and talking with Lady Sylmenar, one of the ladies-in-waiting to Queen Titania of the Seelie Court. Boil and Blemish acknowledge him but do not invite him over, so he moves to stand next to the punch bowl. Chirp arrives wearing a gown made entirely out of masks, with an unseen servant carrying her train. She discusses with Squak whether they plan to signal to Suntar and Apollo that they are in for the plan. She says that she has interest in maintaining access to the Mortal Realm, as this is where her wife and child are, and Squak shares that he does too, as he wants to get blackout drunk with his niece one day. The two decide to string Suntar and Apollo along, so Chirp makes one of the masks on her gown a royal blue colour and attaches a strawberry to herself. She also takes a potion leftover from the tea-party that grants her advantage on performance checks, and summons her flock of African Grey familiars. Squak enters wearing all white -- waistcoat, trousers, shirt, and cravat -- with a cape of molten gold that leaves ethereal golden droplets behind him, which disappear after but a moment. He is wearing one cufflink of royal blue, and one that is a strawberry. As he enters, he casts Polymorph on one of the present attendants to turn them into a salmon, which he uses to intimidate another of the attendants into allowing him to drop a Philtre of Love into of the glasses on their serving tray. Rue enters alongside Wuvvy, who is wearing an outfit identical to theirs, but in all white as opposed to their all black ensemble. They are wearing a black ballgown with dyed black peonies cascading from the bust area down to the train. The underskirt is made out of liquid material in honour of the Seafoam Court, so it looks like they are surfing on water as the walk. They also wear a crown of black peonies, a pearl necklace, and a gold ring, which secretly contains the Medal of Courage that Hob gifted them. They notice that Wuvvy appears a little more reserved and stand-offish as they enter, and they ask her if she is alright, wondering whether her mood is due to worrying about the smooth running of the event. She replies that she is fine, not sharing further. Finally, Binx enters wearing a slinky black dress with a high slit that she has made out of a heavy curtain; across their neck are lost objects -- toys, broken pieces of glass, jewellery -- that are adhered to her in such a way that they look like feathers, they have a hood that forms the shape of owl-bear ears, and she dons a gold mask with a beak made of keys. As they enter, she tastes a fizzing bitterness across their tongue, which she knows to be the call of one of their warlocks. She immediately heads to the bathroom and picks up an object that allows them to connect to one of her warlock patrons, Scratch. They ask if he is alright, and see that his hamlet is being attacked by an Invisible Stalker. He wants advice on how to hit the monster, and Binx gives her craft magic to Scratch in order to grant him another spell slot, burning a token to do so, as well as giving him advice on how to best attack the monster. Binx returns to the ball and sees that the assembled guests are waiting for them as she is the holder of the Crystal Heart, and nobody can dance until they open the floor.
We cut to Andhera, who makes a pitstop before the ball to speak with the Trickster Court. As he approaches, Fable, the leader of the Trickster Court, is in conversation with the Viscountess Grabalba. Andhera tells Fable that they were hoping to come into the possession of a pair of twin items that he wants to pass on as gifts later in the evening, and that they would like the Trickster Court's help with stealing these items from the Court of Wonder. He says that they are hoping to put these items to the purposes of trickery and humiliation, and whispers to Fable the nature of the twin items. Fable is very excited by the prospect of this act of trickery, and Andhera gifts him two of his tokens in return for his help: one representing their lost duel and subsequent humiliation, and one representing a trick that he himself pulled on another, humiliating them. Fable thanks them and agrees to carry out the plan. As he leaves, Andhera feels their right pocket become heavier as a pair of twin items appear discretely within it.
Back at the ball, as Binx makes her entrance from the bathroom, Hob turns to Andhera and asks him if they will marry the Viscountess Grabalba as 'somebody has to.' When Andhera says 'no,' Hob attempts and fails to trip attack him into stumbling into Binx as they appear from the bathroom, and Rue attempts and fails to do the same to Binx in order to force the two into interacting. Binx decides to open the dance-floor by performing a solo rendition of the Cha-Cha Slide. Chirp instructs her flock of African Greys to fly above the dance-floor, twittering various compliments about Binx's opening dance. Whilst the attendants are a little slow to pick up her vibe, they soon join in and the dancing begins.
As the ball begins proper, Rue approaches Chirp, apologises for their delay in getting back to her regarding the letter that she sent to them about potentially revising the conditions of their wager, and thanks her for the help of her birds in aiding Binx's first dance. They tell her that they have not had much of a chance to think about the wager due to the busy events of the Bloom, but ask her, as a friend, how her search for love has been going. In response to Rue's direct questioning, Chirp admits that she is in love, that this love is reciprocated, and that there was no aid of magic in creating the connection, hence satisfying the conditions of the wager on her end. Breaking with the conventions of polite society, Rue gives Chirp a big hug and congratulates her on her love. She asks Rue in turn how their Bloom has been, noting that they have taken more time to themself this time around, and wondering whether they have turned their attention to securing any personal connections of their own. Rue blusteringly responds that they have had no time amongst the preparations for the Bloom. Chirp brings up the duel, that she remarks upon as a fabulous moment centred on Rue amidst the Bloom, and Rue makes a negative remark about the titling of Wuvvy as 'Rue's assistant' in the letter sent by the Lords of the Wing announcing the duel. Chirp sarcastically comments upon Rue's inability to let this go before casting Gift of Gab so that they never remember her saying it. Rue asks her how Squak is getting on with securing his own love match, and Chirp remarks that he is doing fantastically, glancing over at her cousin as he is attempting to secure drugs from Boil and Blemish.
As Squak heads over to Boil and Blemish, he overhears them speaking to a low-ranking fairy of the Seelie Court about a secured deal. He Polymorphs the fairy into a beetle before turning her back, in order to grab Boil and Blemish's attention. They have the countenance of two people who are relieved to have completed their business, and are now ready to party. Squak asks them whether they have any 'party favours' to liven up the event and they hand him a mask, which they direct him to wear for a minute, noting that they are only wearing half masks. Squak can see their eyeballs dilate as they begin tearing up the party, dancing and kicking glasses out of people's hands. He dons the mask.
Chirp sees Squak donning the drug mask and, wanting to go and join him, ends her interaction with Rue. As she goes to leave, Rue asks her, if she were to run the Bloom, what would be the one thing that she would want to happen. She replies that she would want everybody to have the courage and the opportunity to go for what they actually want. As she says this, Rue looks straight at Hob, but Chirp isn't able to pick up on this. As she leaves to approach Squak, she can hear her African Greys whispering the word 'Grandfather' under their breaths as they stare off into the distance, across the ball. As Chirp shouts for Squak, he finds her, cracks his mask in half, and places the other half on her face. She tells him that their Grandfather is coming, before realising that their Grandfather is already there, and is staring at them from across the dance-floor. They walk over to speak to him and, as they do, Squak places a hand on Chirp's shoulder and casts Intellect Fortress on her. The Lords of the Wing ask their Grandfather how he is enjoying the ball, and tell him that they have both secured highly suitable matches which they think will be to his liking. When he asks them to show him their matches, Chirp points to Suntar and Squak points to both Apollo and Alven and asks whether his Grandfather has a preference. Their Grandfather warns them that they had better not be lying to him, and, when they assure him that they are not, he says that he is impressed and would obviously deem Apollo to be the more suitable match for Squak. Their Grandfather says that he has other plans for the evening so will be taking his leave; when the cousins ask what his plans are, he tells them not to ask questions that they do not want to know the answer to. The cousins convince their Grandfather to wear both halves of the drug mask, claiming that he is under-dressed, and, as he passes his drink off to Chirp in order to put the mask on, she pours a Philtre of Love into it. As he leaves, heading (seemingly love-struck) towards some members of the Seafoam Court, he tells the cousins that he will attend brunch with them tomorrow.
As the ball continues, the illusory walls of the grotto fall away and a beautiful firework display begins. As it does, there is a sudden surge of motion as people begin to re-align their efforts, and hidden desires are revealed. Whilst Hob has spent most of the evening considering when to make his challenge to Apollo, upon an odds or evens dice roll, the bang of the fireworks causes him to rush over to Rue, in an action that surprises even himself. When he reaches them, he surrounds Rue with his arms, worried for their safety as he momentarily mistakes the noise of the fireworks for the grotto being under attack. As Rue sees Hob's claws next to their paws, they feel grateful and less alone. Hob tells Rue that they look 'resplendent' and they return the compliment. Hob asks whether he can write his name on Rue's dance-card, commenting that their card must surely already be full. Rue responds that their card is empty, and Hob declares the rest of the assembled arch-fey foolish as he inscribes his name on their card. In turn, Rue asks to see Hob's dance-card, which is also empty, and they declare the rest of the guests foolish for not writing their names upon the card of the most honourable gentleman present as they write their name upon it. Hob looks at his card, looks Rue in the eye, and then eats the card.
We cut to Binx, who has been chatting with Andhera in darker areas of the grotto all evening, as they split a black apple and offer to share it with them. Andhera takes the apple as Binx explains that it holds memories of the Mortal Plane, which the holder relives and feels the emotions of as they hold it. Andhera remarks that his happiness before now had been like 'striking a flint in the dark,' which they had been grateful for, but that 'this is now a fire,' before asking Binx to accompany him for a quick conversation with the Lords of the Wing. Binx and the Lords of the Wing begin by complimenting each other, before Andhera shares that Binx and they know that magic is being endangered, and asks them for their help. Binx appears concerned that Andhera is choosing to blindly trust the Lords of the Wing in this way, but reluctantly tells them that there might be people present at the Bloom who have something to do with the loss of magic. She says that it would be good if those who like to frequent the Material Plane could make sure that the portals remain open for travel, looking pointedly at Chirp as they say this. Due to Binx's pointed look at Chirp, Chirp realises that Binx must be Gwyndolin, as Gwyndolin is the only one (other than her cousin) that she spoke to about her visits to the Mortal Plane during the Bloom. The episode ends with Chirp calling Binx out by name as Gwyndolin, and asking if she has come to collect on the information that Chirp imparted to them.
Locations[]
Characters[]
Players[]
- Lady Chirp Featherfowl
- BINX Choppley
- Captain K. P. Hob
- Delloso de la Rue
- Prince Andhera
- Lord Squak Airavis