Dr. Emily FriedmanMeanwhile Thaisha looks at Kattigan's Wolfric -- a front paw has a magical prosthetic.
Aabria casts Speak with Animals for fun. Religion/Nature NAT20 = a potent magical bond means Consequences if she tries this.
"Are you good?"
Wolfric keeps his own counsel.
Theor hasn't seen his brother in years, and asks about how long he has been part of this plot.
The group exchanges notes about the two suspects, their roles in the plan.
At a certain point Vaelus inserts herself to try to get up to speed, focused wholly on the Stone of Nightsong -- which may mean she is looking for the same suspects the others are.
She will not say how she tracked down Thjazi.
Thimble is asked what Thjazi wanted with it.
She holds up the letter.
Brennan uses his go-to NPC Loza to remind the table their goals are fairly aligned at present, then indicates it's time to call it a night.
Occtis sends Pin up the stairs after Vaelus as she speaks to Thimble. V tries to convey that she is not the cause of Thjazi's death. "I'm not the bad guy here."
We have Laura and Ashley in split screen.
V notes that Bolaire led her here.
She winks at Pin.
"Shit" says Occtis.
Thimble confronts V, when V suggests Thimble didn't have free will & thus wasn't responsible for her part in the theft.
But Thimble says "you're an elf, you know our history -- better than I do!"
But he was great -- he was her partner, they were equals, "Can you believe that? equals!"
{THIS IS THE SHIT YOU CAN DO WHEN A TABLE TALKS TOGETHER BEFORE A CAMPAIGN}
We get extended Pin description, calculated to send a zillion Critters demanding a plushie, as indeed they are in Beacon chat.
(not for the first time, I ponder the contractual IP terms of the expanded cast RE: merch)
Thaisha and the Ancients ain't no joke -- a fascinating slice of what it means culturally to have some number of ArchDruids with lifespans to match.
Brennan laces so many exchanges with backstory and lore it's keeping @omenarchive.com and the Wikis hopping.
Teor's moment is being given half of the torn banner -- if anyone would know when the time would come for it to fly again, it would be him.
Loza is relatable in retirement: "I think I'm gonna go fuckin' crazy. But my knees hurt."
Cranberry roll bit continues and builds. Vaelus is sugar-free which... aren't you immortal?
Hal hands them over with a threat.
Vaelus sits outside in trance for the night, like a gargoyle, cranberry rolls beside her.
(could have lived without the cheap shot about religion, Liam)
Speaking of cheap shots about religion, Sam and Whitney are called to table.
(this is me being overly cynical)
The set brightens, and they face Teor.
We are now in the section "The Candescent Creed" and Mulligan asks Sam to describe the family home.
White stone -- or off-white stone -- tall, prismatic glass, symbol of CC, security on perimeter, but not heavily armed, serene with teal robes, not scary.
In a long Versailles-like hall is Tyranny, feeling good overall about the proceedings, sweating from the solar heat.
Her towering sister Enmity & other sister Cruelty (hot as hell) check in.
They yell for Agony (the small sister, bespectacled, monk-ish, bright blue skin, yelling in, you know, agony as she faceplants)
Tyranny knows Wic is the only one who believes, and she doesn't want to touch it.
"We're here to help" she says -- and her sister's "guys" are more suited than Wic for what needs to be done.
"Help WHO, Tyranny?"
Their job is to "help the family... and get them where they need to be."
"Remember where you're from, and what you are"
"Yeah and BTW I made a friend Thaisha and she's in love"
Agony perks up
"Oh yeah we'll be able to use them to our ends, right?"
(she is dragged away)
Tyranny meets Teor & welcomes him to the "Candy Creed"
Wic's got his mantle on backwards as he welcomes them into his office. He's barely slept -- not used to that many people mad at him.
Always rememeber POO -- Protect, Observe, Obey.
A carriage of House Halovar rolls, its crest similar to CC
"It's hard to tell where the noble house ends and faith begins" (sigh)
A crate falls on a guard, and on NAT20, Teor heals an injured guard as Wic and Tyranny see him bathed in sunlight in this moment.
Wic is struck as he arrives on the scene.
Travis leans into the vibe.
Teor calls himself a "friend of the Light" -- and inquires as to the caustic mystery liquid that hurt the guard.
Wic is notably mum about this.
Their handshake is ... intense. Wic, with a grip like wet veal, squeaks. Tyranny says the quiet part out loud.
Wic is too young to recall the war but he knows his people and Teor's fought on opposite sides.
Wic's Grandma arrives and Teor is asked about whether he is of their faith, given he healed with radiance. He blusters (poorly: Deception/Persuasion 5) that he is new to town, etc.
Extended mutual BS ensues, and when Teor leaves, Wic is dressed down for his trust in said BS.
We are told that Wic has been sheltered, kept only in the light -- with no knowledge of the shadow.
"It's time for you to know the truth"
"To promote me?"
"Yeah Wiccy, you're getting promoted"
Break!
We break at 2:19 -- and from here you might want to circle back to this thread in 15 minutes if you're on YT/Twitch as I jump to Beacon.
But first: at break 44,865 are holding on YT, 10K on Twitch, 8154 on Beacon Discord channel.
We return to the brightly lit set, with Murray, Bolaire, Azune, Kattigan, and Julien at table as Brennan describes the Archenade and its setting, and more lore ensues.
(meanwhile, the Mighty Nein trailer is playing for the non-Beacon platforms, ICYMI earlier today)
Brennan hands over description to Tal, as we look at the exhibit halls of the Archenade.
Brennan then points our attention to a dull iron blade that never knew the touch of fire -- so common that even magical light cannot rest on its edge.
Working all night, Bolaire & Murray have been researching. Rolls ensue, prompted by Brennan.
Box is still closed.
No rolls necessary for Murray to note they won't find much about it without opening it.
Above table, Brennan says they don't HAVE to.
Bolaire has a kind of magical fume hood.
Brennan asks if Identify is cast on exterior. (Marisha hates this)
Tal asks about black box ("a little more deteriorization")
They -- carefully -- open the box.
This is ALSO recently built. Lining is just open mist. Wood from far north -- deep within the Wastes, where the Shaper of the Elves, Sylandri, died.
The plates are ancient, Halfling, set into the coffin, dedicated to Rauwyn, the Trickster God of the Halflings.
This (it says) is the Coffin of Olbalad -- "The Sister of Mists," a Celestial, the Halfling Angel of Death/Psychopomp -- a working of blasphemy in its way.
We are told what wizards all know: that after the gods died, wizards discovered that beings older than the gods had existed (the fey, demon, giants).
Some beings were not here before the gods, but sung into being -- the celestials. They went feral, like monsters, after the gods died.
We get a heck of a response from Bolaire (channeling very Percy vibes) and Murray (broad Kentuck)
Brennan prompts them to consult folks at the Penteveral. Bolaire thinks they need to chuck someone's familiar in to look around.
"can't make an omelet without breaking a few puppies"
Marisha as a wizard is full scope for her actual INT (and notetaking skills) that is lovely to see.
We move to the scene marked "House Royce" with another carriage moving swiftly drawn by snow white horses
Gen Raimond Davinos stands before a house of ... companionship, barking "JULIEN! JULIEN!"
What state do we find him?
Groggily climbing over his bedmates (masc & femme) of the prior evening.
As he comes out, his father yells "DON'T SALUTE HIM"
The two have a difference of opinion on what constitutes "local culture."
Julien is remarkably unhelpful when his father asks for intel from the Fang funeral.
As Julien needles his father, it's made clear that Dad & Thjazi were formerly thick as thieves: at the end of the War of Axe and Vine, Thjazi saved a cousin of their house. But they ended up on opposite sides in the Falconer's Rebellion.
Julien's hatred of Thjazi baffles his father.
"You got your glory, and it's as if you hate him for it. Why?"
Julien clenches his jaw, does not make eye contact. His father threw away the golden path that was his to follow Fang. He can't forgive that, or what he did to Aranessa.
Julien is now told by his father that there was a plot to rescue Thjazi, and there's a hunt for a young boy who might be part of that plot, who would have been acting against his family.
As they prepare for what is to come -- including upcoming social events which must now be doubled down on -- we switch to the short scene called "Kattigan's Woods" and Brennan prompts Robbie to describe where we find Kattigan. Sleeping out -- rough. Sweat, alcohol.
No cartilage left as he cracks his entire body.
Yay snuff (says former smelly prof)
"He's lost again" -- no gold, food, anything.
The image he's locked on was the fairy, her tears. That's how he remembers the events of the evening.
He looks to Wulfric, then gestures to say "find the pixie" -- and the beast takes off, Kattigan following behind.
The Grey Tower, a monument -- small, humble -- near the river, a falcon rests there. Which naturally makes sense, but he's reminded of "Broken Wing," the light of Thimble's body, grief that has the power to destroy -- the last thing Thjazi would want.
He will be the first to arrive back at Hal's that morning.
But first we have a scene in "Brethern Hall" which elides the nuance of the realities of the war between mortals & gods. We see Azune, and Brennan prompts Luis to describe his morning duties.
We get more "as you know..." exposition here.
A NAT20 Insight reveals that Azune's new boss is truly dangerous.
Penteveral has skybridges for familiars what thee actual fuck.
Also I am too tired to untangle the implications of pentagram shapes being noted here.