Dicing with Death: Episode 024

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==Recap==
===Day 40===
Seagate at the Rustling Jimmies inn. It is the day of the Garden Party. Qualneer and Iris spend the day preparing.
Half an hour after sundown they arrive outside the castle gates in the noble clothing. Qualneer presents the invitation and he and Iris are allowed in. They cross the long bridge to the Castle proper, lit all the way by magical light spells.
When Qualneer arrives at the courtyard, he is announced by the Herald to the courtyard already full of people. The three courtyards are open, making a larger linked area. In the second courtyard, Michelle is on a makeshift stage playing background music on her harp. Lord Steven Seagate, the son of the Duke. is next to the stage in full platemail. 
In the third courtyard is Duke Mathew Seagate and Duchess Condoleezza Seagate, with the Duke talking to a man in white robes and a man in teal leather armor with orange studs. 
Qualneer and Iris mingle with the people in the second courtyard, with Qualneer using his heavy elven accent. The group Qualneer is mingling with are merchants who own several ships each, but they are distrustful of Qualneer as an elf. 
Qualneer and Iris approach the stage. Iris distracts the Lord Steven Seagate while Qualneer talks with the Lord and Michelle, not breaking his persona. Qualneer then leaves Iris with Lord Steven Seagate to collect 2 wine glasses, and pours poison in one of them. Qualneer gives the poisoned wine to Steven Seagate who downs it immediately. Qualneer and Michelle go into a nearby corridor as Mika distracts the Lord Steven, to conspire.
Michelle escorts Qualneer upstairs, with Qualneer feigning an illness. Once upstairs Qualneer picks the lock on the Duchess's Chambers. In the chambers he breaks into lock-boxes containing jewellery, which Qualneer pockets. Qualneer finds the magic hand mirror but he is unable to activate it, but is able to confirm it is magical with his lens. 
Qualneer then breaks his way into the Duke's Chambers. He finds a secret door to an office. In the office is a chest full of coins. Qualneer sadly leaves the coins alone since has no way to carry them without being discovered. He leaves his note saying "It Looks Like Your Castle Was Haunted By The Spectre" in the office, then heads back downstairs to the courtyards.
Qualneer returns to the stage in the 2nd courtyard and Iris and Lord Steven Seagate are gone while Michelle is playing harp on the stage. Michelle says they went off together to the 3rd Courtyard. Qualneer says is ready to leave, and for Michelle to get ready.
In the shrubs of the 3rd Courtyard Iris is giving and Steven Seagate fellatio. Qualneer walks away, give them time.
Qualneer then finds the wizard, Gareth, a Diviner from Solstace (average height human with olive skin, sandy-brown hair, grey-blue eyes, clean-shaven, simple white robes, a brass chain with a white medallion around his neck in the shape of an eye). Qualneer warns Gareth about the threat to his life, explaining the Goldsmiths Union wants him dead. Gareth thanks Qualneer for the warning.
Qualneer returns to the 2nd courtyard and Michelle and Steven Seagate are gone. Qualneer and Iris go looking for Michelle. After several minutes Qualneer hears an argument between Michelle and Lord Steven. Qualneer tries to cause a distraction to let Michelle escape, but Lord Steven just backhands Qualneer with his gauntlet and tells him to leave.
Qualneer leaves the situation and panics, waiting to save Michelle from Lord Steven. He tries to find the wizard again, but is unable to do so. Qualneer desperately pulls out the magic mirror and wills it to make the next man he talks to fall in love with him, then he returns to where Lord Steven is.
Lord Steven immediately is enamoured with Qualneer, giving Michelle the chance to escape upstairs. Qualneer is able to delay Lord Steven's passions, asking him to meet with him tonight at the Seabreeze. Qualneer meets with Michelle upstairs and finds she has finished packing.
Qualneer, Michelle and Iris head towards the front doors of the castle to escape.
They arrive at the Rustling Jimmies inn and change into common clothes. Qualneer rings the bell for Ed and gives Ed a large tip, as well as pays off his tab at the inn. Then Qualneer asks for Master Bates to bring a carriage around for them.
Everyone gets in the carriage with all of Michelle's luggage. Then they ride the carriage to the Guilded Rat. Qualneer quickly steps inside the tavern alone. 
Qualneer goes to Stirge, who takes him into the back room. Stirge is upset that Qualneer failed to poison the wizard, that Qualneer has failed to join the guild.
Qualneer leaves the tavern and runs into Chance. Chance gives a told-you-so for trusting Stirge. Qualneer asks about Denna, and Chance says she is waiting in the bay for Qualneer like he asked her too. Qualneer admits he should have stayed with Chance. Before leaving, Qualneer asks Chance about the Red Duke, and he doesn't get the details, just he is a mysterious figure.
Qualneer has Bates load the luggage in a nearby rowboat, then Quelneer, Michelle and Iris get into the boat. Qualneer rows out towards the black sails of Denna's ship, The Icebreaker. After arriving and exchanging greetings, the ship sets sail out of the bay.
As the ship is moving, Qualneer shows Denna the note he woke up with about Stirge needing casters. 
Qualneer goes below deck with Iris and Michelle to count out the loot. While counting the loot The Icebreaker comes under attack. Qualneer rushes up on the deck with his weapons and sees a massive bull-elephant seal on the deck. Denna says it lept out of the water.
The bull-elephant seal is a wereseal, and transforms into a tall bearded muscular man wearing a bull-elephant seal skin. He introduces himself as King Trillion, ruler beneath the waves. He is here to kill Qualneer for shaming his daughter. 2 more seals leap out of the water onto the deck behind their King, and transform as well. Denna and Qualneer charge the intruders. After a round of exchanging blows, Michelle joins in the fight.
Qualneer faces off against King Trillion, Denna kills one of the minions, Michelle grapples the other. Qualneer is knocked to the ground. Denna kills the other minion. Qualneer hits King Trillion with bloodletter. King Trillion knocks Michelle unconscious.
Then Sigothe arrives on the ship, the selkie that Qualneer seduced in his first episode, just as her father, King Trillion, is killed by Denna. Sigothe rushes to her father's side. Sigothe appears to be pregnant.
Qualneer and Denna inspect Michelle, and she is going to recover. Qualneer then questions Sigothe over the attack. Sigothe says that Qualneer shamed her, but Qualneer points out that she came onto him. Sigothe then says Qualneer stole her birthright, the pearls. Qualneer lies and claims they were just pearls, and he sold them a long time ago for gold.
Sigothe tries to leave with her father's body, but Qualneer stops her, and threatens her life. Sigothe leaves The Icebreaker by herself, and dives in the ocean.
==Experience==
Experience: 6268 (+626.8 exp 10% prime requisite bonus) = 19344 exp total
Category:Dicing with Death Episodes
Category:Qualneer Episodes