Winter is Coming
After defeating the satyr Elektra and preserving the accumulated Glamour of the duchy
from Ravishment, our heroes were acclaimed by the Duke and invited to Court the next
day to receive their rewards. They partied the night away and woke up, in various
conditions, the next morning. Jenny never made it home; she was last seen on the
arms of several satyrs, a cross-dressing troll, and a very drunk boggan.(ok, I made
that up. That’s what Allison gets for missing a game ;-) )
The next morning our heroes got dressed in their finest garb and attended Court.
Court is almost always held in Duke Valerian’s freehold, Coral Cove. Coral Cove is
a grotto full of shining crystals, coral in every color of the rainbow, and other
lovely treasures of the sea. It is accessible from a small tourist store in La Jolla
Cove; instead of walking straight down the wooden steps to the Cove, as the tourists
do, changelings can follow a hidden branch in the trail that leads to the gateway
of Coral Cove. There was, of course, a gatekeeper - not just any changeling can attend
court, after all. Our heroes passed that checkpoint with no problems; by now, word
of their deeds had spread throughout the faerie community.
While Pensius, Franklin, and Erendil had been to Court before, it was a new experience
for the childlings, Edward, and Jenny. Pensius pointed out various noblemen and noblewomen
to the others, filling them in of current court personalities and politics. They
watched as various supplicants made presentations to the Duke. These included a group
of pooka telling the Duke of the disappearance and possible destruction of a small
Lakeside motley of pookas. Their freehold was devastated and the pooka were nowhere
to be found. They asked the Duke’s aid in investigating this situation. Another pooka,
a librarian from UC San Diego, reported that original artwork from the Dr. Seuss
collection was stolen by mysterious means. She suspected changelings, most like Ravagers
who could get a substantial charge of glamour out of Dr. Seuss art. Other fae also
told the Duke of the disappearance of several sidhe, and several childlings from
many different kiths. The Duke promised to look into all these suspicious disappearances.
They observed that the Duke’s rather flippant behavior in Court, a tendency which
causes him to be viewed as superficial by some in the Kingdom, masked a genuine concern
for his people and a shrewd mind.
Then Sir Pensius and crew were presented to the Duke for an official thank you and
reward. In addition to the acclaim of the populace, they each received a small pouch
of “pixie dust”, a magical substance which can enhance the use of fae abilities and
cantrip casting. They were only given a few pinches each (this stuff is really rare).
Pensius took the opportunity to ask for the Duke’s help in tracking down Mel. The
Duke saw the possible connection between Mel’s disappearance and that of other childlings,
and decided to give Pensius and Co. aid to help them solve this mystery. The Duke
asked his lover, Lady Tourmaline, a sorceress of considerable power, to assist the
group. Tourmaline, long considered the protector of childlings in the Duchy, agreed
to lend them her aid. Sir Lorien, the brown-clad Dauntain hunter our heroes had met
before, also volunteered to lend his not inconsiderable skills to the venture. The
Duke charged the group to go forth and investigate, promising his aid if needed and
agreeing to accompany the group back to the temple to do a preliminary investigation
into Mel’s disappearance.
Erendil spent time engaging in subtle political maneuvers with fellow sidhe, while
Toby was remarkably well -behaved even as Court dragged on longer that the average
childling can stand. He seemed quite taken with Lady Tourmaline, who was able to
keep him calm and collected with a few quietly spoken words. After enjoying the rest
of Court, our heroes returned to Starry Wisdom Temple accompanied by Lorien. Tourmaline,
and Duke Valerian. When they arrive, they discovered that all of Mel’s possessions
had disappeared. It looks as though someone came in and got only what Mel himself
owned; nothing else was taken. Edward decided to use a pinch of his faerie dust while
he used his enhanced senses to track whoever cleared out Mel’s things. He succeeded
beyond his expectations as the pixie dust so enhanced his natural coyote speed and
tracking ability that he quickly followed the trail for miles, running as fast as
Coyote in a pair of Acme Superspeed Rocketjet shoes. Despite this amazing feat, he
lost the trail just short of Ramona.
After Edward returned to the temple, they discussed the events surrounding Mel’s
disappearance with Lorien, the Duke, and Tourmaline. The Duke was soon needed back
at his freehold, but Tourmaline and Lorien stayed to discuss the situation and help
the group decide their next move. As our heroes are absorbed in this discussion,
they heard a faint scratching at the door. It is Socrates, Mel’s chimerical rat companion,
and he doesn’t look real good. In fact, he is barely able to croak out “Winter is
Coming” before he weakly falls over and begins to fade away...
Continued next time.
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