They have returned to Beldabarr’s and slept overnight. with only slight conflict about the recent dark events.
Breakfast is served, Gunther couldn’t manage another bite.
Shuki Bigballs (Gunther) and Incredible Bendy Wendy (Lia) are ready for performance
Thoradin is going to be a croupier again
Leshanna is disguising herself but she’s not allowed to wear a purple robe. She’s the cousin of Londer and it’s red.Faylor Swiftsong is the resident artist
Shuki Bigballs wears a Priscilla outfit with long train. Incredible Bendy Wendy is
Miss Moss is disguised as Eliza Mabel Palebright, cousin of Londer and looking very classy.
They head towards the dock.
Thoradin heads up first, at the time of the staff docking. The Captain is checking people off his list. PowMing is there. The level of security is much higher than last time. He has to give up his weapons, amulets and magic items – potions, everything.
Shuki Bigballs and the Incredible Bendy Wendy are arm in arm, they are sure they are being noticed. They are in a line of people assembled at the dock. Miss Moss (Eliza) has been watching from a distance. She realises that the detect magic spell will reveal her. Shuki Big Balls introduces himself to Nelvin again, the crowd murmurs in excited recognition. Lia as Bendy Wendy puts her leg behind her head. The drinks are free.
Miss Moss has a presto change and now she is the bodyguard for Londer, who is pretending to be Boris of the Feld. Leshanna is dressed in a red robe and pretending to be his cousin. Miss Moss suddenly has a really good idea and puts all her armour and weapons into the bag of holding, ties it to the dock and it hangs underneath. Miss Moss is wearing a medieval muscle t-shirt that shows off her weapons.
Boris of the Feld and Siranalda of the Feld introduce themselves, and Boris points out Miss Moss, who is his bodyguard for the evening. There is a ripple of excitement through the crowd. She will not be admitted. Suddenly Shuki Bigballs and the Incredible Bendy Wendy begin greeting her enthusiastically. Nelvin is happy to let them through.
Boris’s hidden dagger is found.
The boat takes off up the Subrin.
Leshanna gets a sense that underneath the smiles things are a little dilapidated, a little less well kept than the last time they were there. Below them are oars, like a Viking ship and above them another level. Many people are looking at Miss Moss as a celebrity on the boat. They are impressed.
Thoradin takes a break and comments to his colleagues about the higher security. The supervisor, Mirilla tells him that the security has just started since yesterday.
The rest of the gang is on deck. There are a lot of people milling about. They cannot see Dryland. Magin begins to illuminate the lamps on the deck as the sun is setting and night is falling.
A fat noble fellow already appears very drunk, he’s snacking on hor d’ouves. Another man is telling animated stories, he seems like a celebrity with his audience much enamoured. There is an older man, and a halfling who is dressed up very fine, looking out across the water with a glint in his eye – a thousand yard stare.
Boris the Feld gets himself a nice drink and comes over to introduce himself to the halfling. His name is Laurend Greenbottle. He’s here to gamble and to make an absolute killing.
Miss Moss goes to speak to the drunk man and accidentally on purpose slips her foot between his feet to trip him so she can save him. He trips and lands in her arms. She pulls him over to a nearby seat. She asks if he’s ok. There’s quite a lot of talking about his cravat. He’s born and raised in Yartar, part of the Frankbarry family. He is Frank Frankbarry and his father was Barry Frank Frankbarry. Miss Moss asks if he is married. He wonders if she has designs on him. She flex’s her muscles and says “I don’t think so.”
Miss Moss quickly asks him another question. “Does Dryland come on this boat much, doesn’t he own it?” Dryland’s on the boat, he normally comes down around 10;30. He has an octopus on his shoulder. He introduces himself again but this time as Guilldamere Frank Frankbarry.
Miss Moss bids him farewell.
They all congregate in the dining hall.
Shuki Bigballs speaks to Nelvin to see if they can perform.
The menu:
- Braised shellfish with dried apricot and blackberry tart
- Pickled trout with roasted potato and garlic
- Jerkied Owlbear liver with scrambled egg and water cream soup
- Baked gooseberry with sage and myrtle and a side of boiled desert greens
After dinner there is a hubbub and excitement to get out of the room. Everything is feeling fairly procedural, they are ushered into the gambling room where there is a statue of a goose and all the tables set up. On one side is the portrait of Dryland filling up the side of the room. The room is very ornate, on one side there is a piano. There are chandeliers.
The croupiers have taken their places on the tables and the room is ready for the evening. A piano player emerges playing some Western style piano.
Lord Dryland enters the room. He is unaccompanied by anyone except the octopus on his shoulder. He looks tired and seems a little thinner than the portrait.
Shuki and Bendy Wendy make a b-line for Dryland to introduce themselves. Bendy Wendy does a death drop hello boy on the spot.
Pow Ming walks over and asks if she can help. Gunther feels her mind enquiring into his. Fortunately, when Gunther goes into an act he goes deep, so there is very little left of his mind at all. He giggles as he feels a tickle in his mind and she basically echoes around in the void. He feels that she has attempted to pry into his mind. They lock eyes and she realises she has not been successful. She seems a little defeated and says “Very well Shuki, you can perform.”
Boris begins to gamble, next to him he sees the halfling Laurend gambling hard. Boris deliberately loses some coins to him, but Laurend continues to lose anyway. He notices Laurend taking out of his pocket a ring and gives it to Pow Ming who examines it, before giving him a whole stack of chips. He proceeds to gamble some more but continues to lose.
Pow Ming announces the performance upstairs. Dryland goes back to where he came from but does not go upstairs, he appears to head towards the kitchen. Thoradin excuses himself to take a break and get something to eat as well. He sees Dryland climbing the stairs. There’s a teifling cleaning tables, she is noticeably glum. She’s clearly sad.
Thoradin approaches her and asks why she’s looking so sad. She waves it away but Thoradin suggests they have a pipe and a chat. She suddenly grins and pulls out her own pipe. She tells him that the place used to be filled with joy but now the boss seems run down and there’s an air of cruelty everywhere. Dryland’s gone mad, he’s paranoid and seems like he’s lost his wits. He spends all his time alone in his room. Her name’s Tasmyn.
Upstairs there is an assembled crowd. Lia is not saying anything as she’s terrified of blowing her cover but is performing her heart out, doing death drops everywhere. Faylor Swiftsong is there and Shuki greets her and announces himself and Bendy Wendy with a special song they have prepared.
The crowd goes wild. Faylor gets her hat and stamps it down in fury.
Shuki calls out, “Ladies and Gentleman, Faylor Swiftsong!!!”