KINGSTON
We are awoken in the predawn in preparation for the debates. We are whisked off to the Royal Palace.
There is a massive crowd in a ring around the massive dais in the Royal Square. Outside are commoners, then inside are nobles, and at the center are the royalty and then in the very middle are those with votes.
Queen Catherine seems to take over the moderation, which is something that Sabre Khaludz seems to be angry at. He was supposed to be the one moderating.
The Queen asks the Jendryg family to speak. They seem to have an issue with Antony, which makes sense given that Sygmond, their family member, was kept under house arrest by Antony.
Then the Queen speaks to the Alegan family. They argue that Pyyrhos should be sitting there, not someone that may not be royal (speaking of Able)
Then the Queen speaks to the Cartwright family. Lydia speaks for them. She says that she is at the whim of the royals, and exists to serve.
Then the Queen speaks to the Cornwallis. Zane and Frowena speak, they remain committed to the crown.
The Lytton family are then asked to come forward. William does not arrive, his son Charles then speaks for the family, apologizing for his father, as he is unwell. He speaks in support of the crown.
Next the Cleves, who speak in support of the royal family. Jahve Cleves supports new thought, and Ruby Cleves applauds a woman candidate.
Rosa Lytton then comes forward. She has a question for each of people sitting. She asks Edmund when he put his name in. He said the first opportunity. This isn’t likely true, as Sygmond was held captive by his son, likely to keep his name from the challenge to the throne. Rosa refuses to give Antony a question, a deliberate insult that Antony is enraged by. He asks Morys how he will respond if his wife becomes queen, Morys says he will respect her. She asks Cecily if she will allow women to inherit, and Cecily says yes. He asks Niclas what he wants changed, Niclas says he wants people to be able to love who they wish to love. And finally she asks Able if he knows who he is voting for.
There’s a brief break. Codex uses Sending, asking if Bale wants Michael to ask any questions, he is here as Baron of Everlife. Bale sends back a question about relations to the other kingdoms.
When Codex uses Sending to give this message Michael, he says he has a few questions.
When the recess is over, Michael steps forward – he speaks of the fallen city of Everlife to the undead horde, and wants to know if the new King will pursue justice, and about relations to the other kingdoms. Only Antony shrugs off the questions.
Then the Queen opens the conversation to the other kingdoms.
First the Elves come in. then the Island kingdoms, and then the Southern kingdom – Lion Kyngstowne made a surprise arrival and supported his sister, to the anger of Patrick.
The next up are the Kingdom of the Tiger. The Khan then asks to speak privately to the Royalty, which the Queen permits at the end of the Debates.
Then the Planar Observers come forward – they offer their services to the next King, and their contract is still in place for the next 1500 years.
Then the royal family are moved into the citadel, where they can privately speak to the Khan. The Khan comes in with her guard, which includes Karcsi. Berdyn notices that Ban Chao is nearby, disguised as a guard.
The Khan tells Edmund that the Emperor gives his blessing. Edmund is pleased with this. She then says to Morys that the Emperor extends his blessing to him as well. She says to Gilbert that the Emperor gives his old friend welcome, and hopes that the next time he meets him he will not be king. Then she steps in front of Antony, and things are tense. She says “you are a usurper, unfit and unwelcome the Emperor disregards you the same way an eagle disregards an ant.” Antony says that “Even an Ant Bites”, and the Khan says “Not without their mandibiles”, and drops a Shader-kai dagger and says “The Quartet send their regards”. Outside, Antony’s Royal palace explodes.
Then she says to Niclas that the Emperor regards him as a pure soul, and welcomes him to the Palace of the Tiger to visit with his consort. Finally she speaks to Able, and the Emperor through her extends a welcome and an offer of friendship.
Finally, the Emperor speaks through the Khan and wishes the Queen well, telling her the former King is at peace, and she will join him shortly.
Then we leave, and see the flames of the destroyed Palace of Antony. We head out and Bale gets a message, telling him that Jaquette and Kraken escaped to the Undercity after an attack on Gilbert’s Royal compound.
We race back to the compound, find out that three shader-kai were killed, two outside and then one in Pyyrhos’ estate. Four entered, and one followed Jacquette.
We go to the Coin, a tavern with an above ground location and an undercity location underneath. This was where Jacquette was hiding with Hunter, a contact of Bale’s. We meet her and Hunter and Kraken. We find out that she took a few superficial injuries, and Kraken savaged the Shader=kai. She ran into the Undercity and when the Shader-kai followed, she went to where there were a lot of people, and then pretended to be a little girl afraid of a scary shader=kai, and the crowd attacked the assassin. She then went to the Coin.
We get her cleaned up and get her a change of clothes from Hunter. We then let Pyyrhos knows that all is well, he tells her that we should return unseen. We explore the Undercity a bit, which looks like a sunken underground city.
Jacquette returns us to the Compound, showing us a way up to Gilbert’s Royal Compound, a wishing well in the garden. She reunites with her father.
We then head to the Elven quarter to speak to Elenaril about the expedition. She explains that a number of people were given a vision. She also got a Sending from Epiphany, or Piph as her friends call her.
According to the Sending - Epiphany was content. She had filled her path, and she was prepared. She saw what we suspected was true, and she had faith in the visions and the God’s will.
Codex finds out the Mission was to find out whether or not the Citadel was inhabited, and if so, by what.
There is a wind approximately a week out pulling things towards the Citadel. The closer you get, the more it tries to drain. There is a strong suspicion that an open gate is in the Citadel. It is suspected that the open gate is draining the world, and it is suspected that Tiamat is the reason the Gate is opens, she is stuck halfway through, maybe. This means the world is draining into Avernus, the first level of hell.
We need one more vision. We need to go to the Glade in the Moonsilver enclave. There is a dragon there, one of the last metallics of their kind. He can share the vision he saw and what he remembers. Be careful – he is old and very bitter due to survivor’s guilt.
We send our goodbyes, and then return to Gilbert’s Compound. In the evening, Codex performs a commune. He asks Ioun if Epiphany tells told any mortals her vision, and the answer is yes. Codex asks if he has met these mortals, and the answer is no. He then asks if he travels across the planes to Epiphany, will she tell me her vision, and the answer is unclear, it would be up to Epiphany.
Then we rest for the evening.