Episode 14: What's in the Box?

**Episode 14: What's in the Box?** (C1E14) is the fourteenth episode of the first campaign of The Table is Yours: A Role-playing Adventure Show. The Faded Fates finally face off against Vorano at a deadly auction...

## Synopsis

### Cazamir Spares No Detail

Isa sits in the bath staring up at Cazamir, who just asked her a rather alarming question. She stands up to face him directly and asks who exactly is his brother. He explains that his brother is Balthazar, and due to his obsession with a certain member of her adventuring party, Codex, he has a lock on them. Isa already knows that Balthazar has a fascination with Codex, so she wonders why Cazamir is bringing this to her now. He says he is only speaking with her because she noticed him watching, and it would be rude to leave without having some conversation. Also, he wants to warn her. Balthazar is more dangerous than she knows, and since they are after Vorano, who is working very closely with him, that can get them into serious trouble. Isa asks how he knows all of this. He tells her that since Balthazar is the brother of Fiara, Bull of the Neremont Society, he’s also involved with her and has her knowledge. He and his sister don’t like what Balthazar is getting up to, so they have also been keeping tabs on The Faded Fates. Fiara has a particular interest in two of the members, Codex and Cornelia. Isa isn’t sure who Cornelia is, but deductive reasoning indicates it is One, the only person not to reveal their name. Cazamir says that Fiara is interested in those two because of their involvement with The Darkroot Diamond, but Isa is totally lost on that part.

Changing the topic of conversation, Isa asks if Balthazar is responsible for the attacks on the colleges. Cazamir says yes, in a way it was almost like a “test run”. Vorano got to test his serums, and Balthazar was supplied with an army of dead people to raise and command. Isa grimaces at this knowledge and Cazamir takes note. He asks, or rather tells her that her lover was one of the ones who passed in the massacre, and there is a strong possibility that he is enslaved by Balthazar in a sort of undead army. She asks if there is any of him left in his body, or if he is merely a shell under Balthazar’s control. Cazamir, ever blunt, says it is likely the latter. Isa fiddles with her necklace, clearly uncomfortable, and tells Cazamir that she had learned enough for the day and begins to make her leave. He tells her he is sorry for upsetting her and it was not his intention. She says she just needs to digest what he told her. She offers for him to attend the event they are throwing to lure out Vorano. Cazamir says he will keep it in mind as Isa retreats to her quarters.

### The Plan

Back in the taproom of *The Lost & Found*, Terrance sits with Wash and Shae who had abandoned the idea of party-planning altogether to drink their worries away. Terrance decides to make the plans for the party himself and pulls Shae and Wash back to the table to discuss the idea of an auction. He explains they can disguise it as a fancy charity event, and it will draw the attention of people of status, whether that is good or bad. Shae agrees that bigger, although more dangerous, will be better, especially if they want to actually donate to the cause at hand. Terrance nods and is looking forward to The Faded Fates not having to supply the big ticket items themselves. If they really want to draw Vorano out, however, they will have to make it clear that they are the ones hosting it.

At this point, Codex returns to the taproom, seeming somehow less upset but more stressed. They tell her the plan, and she says she can deliver the invites to the locals, and if there is anyone outside of her jurisdiction, she can send them through the Aurel Envoy with her connections. Darrien chimes in to offer the idea of marking Vorano’s invite with the same arcane “V” he marked Terrance’s coins with so they can track his arrival. Isa has also returned at this point, with a slight unease waving her usual calmness. She thought they were supposed to keep this small and not draw any attention, but since everyone else seems to be on board with this scheme, she makes a call to Maude and updates her with her party’s plans. Maude sighs, knowing that this probably won’t go the way they want it to but accepts that there is nothing she can do to stop it. She agrees to reach out to people to spread the word and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity, and she says she’ll be in attendance.

### Reservations & A Reservation

With the group having a week to plan, Shae swindles more money out of Darrien. They give her 10,000 gold, and they tell her to divide what isn’t used as payment to the party. Terrance, Wash, Codex, and Isa sit at a table making the invitations. Shae gives them a list of people she wants to invite and then makes her way out to secure the location - Teeter’s. As she enters the building, she joins Klaya at her table. Klaya starts their exchange of information by referring back to the coins Shae distributed the last time she was there; apparently those coins reached Vorano. Shae offers up that Vorano is just a pawn supplying Balthazar with the potions he used to create the giant men that attacked the graduations. Klaya asks Shae for the recipe, circling back to their prior conversation where Shae had let slip that she knew the person who crafted the potions. Shae tells Klaya he doesn’t have it written down anywhere. Despite feeling like Shae is hiding something, Klaya moves on, asking if Shae can figure out what kind of magic is used in the serums, and Shae says she’ll try.

Shae thanks Klaya for the information and asks if they can keep their lines of communication open, as it seems that their relationship can be mutually beneficial. Klaya agrees, and Shae invites her to the auction they are hosting in a week; she tells her there will definitely be some interesting characters there with interesting information. Klaya smiles and says to count her in. As Shae gets up to leave, she stops at the bar and places a bag of 1,000 gold down. She says to consider this a down payment to rent out the space next week. The owner of Teeter’s, Lop Teh, scrambles to grab the money and tells her it’s a done deal. She thanks him and makes her way back to the Echochamber to drink with the rest of her party.

### Invitations Are Sent

The Faded Fates take the week to prepare for their event. Wash and Codex are tasked with the job of delivering the invitations and taking the long distance ones to the Aurel Envoy. On their outing, Wash talks to Codex about the night they decided to throw the event. He asks if she is doing alright, considering she seemed pretty upset at the time. She says she is doing better now, but it feels like they have so many problems piling on top of each other, and when she talked to One, it didn’t help her to feel any less stressed. Wash raises an eyebrow when she says that she spoke with One, and he tells her he thought they seemed closer recently. Codex tugs on her ears and asks if she can tell Wash a secret. He gives her a quizzical look. She speaks directly into Wash’s head using the Message spell and tells him about “Problem Number Five”: the fact that she stole the Darkroot Diamond and made One regain a bunch of her memories from a green devil. Wash is stunned for a moment, but without any context of what the diamond is, he doesn’t see a reason to panic. He asks if this is a problem that will come back to bite everyone in the ass, and Codex shrugs. Wash sighs and runs a hand through his hair, but ultimately he tells her to keep him in the loop.

The pair approaches the Aurel Envoy office to drop off the invitations, and a familiar face is behind the counter. Phoebe smiles a very customer service smile as they enter; she asks how they are doing. They tell her they are throwing an auction to help out the schools affected by the graduation attacks. Codex hands Phoebe an invitation addressed to her, and while she does, she casts the message spell into her head. She asks Phoebe if she can send one of these invitations to Balthazar. Still speaking through the spell, Phoebe wants to know if Codex thinks that’s a good idea. Wash notices this prolonged eye contact while placing the rest of the invitations on the counter. Phoebe grabs the parcel and tells them she will get them sent out straight away. She smiles and bids them farewell as the two leave to continue delivering the rest of the letters. Wash, almost immediately, pulls Codex into an alley and asks her what just happened. She says that there is nothing to worry about, it was just business. He gives her a look and says he trusts her. She reiterates not to worry, she has a plan. He smirks because it makes him worry even more.

### Science Partners

With only a few days left until the auction, Terrance decides to knock on One’s door to see if she is around to talk. She answers with a rather sultry voice asking who it is. When he chokes out that it’s Terrance, she quickly drops the act and asks what he wants. One dons her armor and opens the door for him, and again she asks what he wants. He gestures to go inside, and she reluctantly lets him in. He sits down in a chair and looks up at her. He wants her help with something, he knows she is a scientist like himself, granted in a different way, but scientists have similar minds. She waves her hand as if to say, “go on”. He fumbles with his bag and pulls out a serum. Terrance explains that he has been working on it since he was young and it finally works, but since he’s only using it on himself, and it severely affects his cognition, he can’t document the results. Terrance is there to see if she will consider working with him as partners. One seems intrigued with his offer.

Terrance says he assumed that she made v2 and her armor and he’s always been curious about him. Terrance asks what One’s goal is. As he asks this question, a familiar green devil appears next to One, nearly scaring Terrance out of his skin. Chartreuse tells Terrance that One is attempting to create artificial life. Or rather, create real life out of artificial materials. After he regains his composure, Terrance’s interest is piqued. He says that would be a remarkable feat, and he examines v2 a bit closer. Chartreuse explains animals are the first step, and there are still some bugs to work out, but neither of them are quite sure how to make it work completely. Terrance asks if this giant green devil is One’s patron, but Chartreuse clarifies that they are more like partners working towards the same goal. If he wants to offer his assistance to the cause, he is more than welcome… and then she vanishes again. One looks at a very confused Terrance and agrees to help him, as their scientific minds will be beneficial for each other. Terrance holds out a hand, and asks, “partners?”. One gives an unseen glance at Terrance’s hand and takes it in hers; "partners".

### The Auction

The day of the auction finally arrives, and The Faded Fates are guided by Shae to Teeter’s. She explains that it isn’t explicitly a place where seedy people gather, however, it is a place that overlooks any “flaws of moral character” if you have enough money. So, basically, everyone should feel safe there, including Vorano. As they enter the venue, Shae speaks with Lop Teh to settle the payment. He asks if she wants to keep this event “invitation only.” At first, Shae is steadfast to keep only people on the list, but Lop Teh tells her that word has gotten out about this event, and many people will pay good money to attend something like this. Eventually, Shae agrees, but the hosts have final say, and she wants the price to be dropped since Lop Teh will make a considerable profit from the extra attendees. His original price was set at 10,000 gold for the all-inclusive package, but with the additional guests and the guarantee that a certain famous couple will be in attendance, he drops it down to 8,000 gold.

After settling up with the owner, Shae rejoins her party and does not mention the discount. One decides it is best for her to dress as a server; this way, she will be ignored AND not in full armor. The rest of the group divides themselves: Shae will be the main host, greeting people by the door, and Isa, Wash, and Codex will mingle on the floor. Terrance will hide on the second floor to avoid contact with anyone who wants him dead.

With a line around the block for their event, Shae stands by the door and greets people as they enter. Her good friend, Professor Theyarus, is one of the first to arrive. The two embrace and are each glad to see that the other is okay, and Theyarus is overjoyed to see that Shae is doing something to support Summit. She and other professors are in attendance to offer what they can. Lady Liadre, aka Maude, walks in and sarcastically commends the party on keeping their event subtle. Others slowly start to arrive: Klaya, Elise, Isa’s parents Salvador and Elena, Phoebe, Cazamir, and Balthazar. As he walks in, the party notices and converses immediately. Codex stares at her feet, feigning surprise, and it doesn’t take long to figure out that she is the one who invited him. She tells everyone that she has a plan, so the group, frustrated, disperses back to their posts.

### The Faded Fates Socialize

Isa is abruptly intercepted by her parents who begin to gush over her accomplishments at the university; they heard from her professors at Holy Sun that she is a triple major, studying to be a holy knight. Of course, the Red Raven Adventuring Guild is falsifying her records to hide the fact that she no longer attends the school, but Isa expertly goes along with the lie. She tells them it is hard work, but she wants to bring the whole family together by accepting the sun, moon, and stars into her heart. They embrace their daughter and say they couldn’t be prouder. They ask if her partner will be in attendance tonight, as they heard she was seeing someone and would love to meet them. Trying to hide the sting of grief that courses through her, she says that he will be there. She looks around the room and spots Cazamir by himself in a corner and tells her parents she will meet up with them later.

As Isa crosses the room, she passes by Wash and Codex. Wash pulls Codex into a corner and asks if Balthazar being here has anything to do with the “business” she was attending to the other day with Phoebe. Her ears fall back a bit, but she promises she has a plan. He glares at her for a moment before she continues. She feels that, because Balthazar is totally obsessed with her, she will be able to convince him to drop Vorano. Wash runs a hand over his face and through his hair and asks her if she has considered the fact that he is an extremely dangerous vampire. She waves him off and tells Wash to trust her and, albeit reluctantly, he does.

Down a corridor on the other side of the room, an unarmored Connie dressed as a server is pretending to dust a picture frame. She is approached by a ruggedly handsome man with red hair and light stubble. He asks what a pretty girl like her is doing working an event like that. Her gaze darts to his left eye, and she catches a glint of a purple triangle before he says, “do you even have to look, kitten?”. She turns back to her “work” and asks what they are doing there. Darrien, in this new persona, says that they were going to ask her to dance, but it would be odd to pursue one of the waitstaff. She tells them it is the only way for her not to be obviously spotted, and when they point out that they found her pretty easily, she rolls her eyes. Darrien says that Vorano is on his way, referencing the tracker they put on his invitation. In the meantime, Darrien asks if they can get her some clothes so she can actually participate in the event instead of hiding in the corner. She says yes, but only if they can share a dance. They agree and slip away to find her something to wear.

Darrien passes by Wash and Codex speaking in hushed voices as a looming figure approaches them. Balthazar makes his way to Codex, completely ignoring Wash, and asks her for a dance. Wash butts in with a greeting, and Balthazar’s eyes dart to him, his eyeshine reacting in the dark lighting of the venue. Codex jumps in to introduce her friend… as “Dave”. Wash shoots a look at Codex and says through gritted teeth, “Hi, I’m… Dave”. Balthazar couldn’t care less at their poor attempts to lie. He offers his hand to Codex who takes it as he leads her to the dance floor.

From across the room, two pairs of eyes stare daggers at Codex and Balthazar on the dance floor. Klaya stands with Shae and asks the same question that seems to be on everyone's mind, “why the fuck is Balthazar here?”. Shae rubs a hand on her face and says with a twinge of resentment that she is asking herself the same question. Klaya asks Shae if she knows anyone who smokes because she needs something to take the edge off. Shae points at Wash who is standing in the corner with his arms crossed also shooting daggers at Codex and Balthazar. Klaya thanks her and makes her way to him, and being rather blunt, she makes a smoking gesture with her hands and asks if Wash wants to get out of there for a second. He tells her absolutely, and they make their way to the front. Klaya makes sure to shoulder-check Balthazar on their way through the crowd.

### Balthazar's Power Play

Balthazar keeps his composure after being jostled by the sudden jolt of Klaya’s shoulder. Codex tells him she is glad he attended, that the rest of the party is more hesitant about him than she is. She smiles and says that he seems like a very… reasonable person. He half smiles back at her and tells her he is happy to be there, and he brought something for the auction. Codex laughs nervously. He then asks why she invited him, if everyone else is so hesitant. As the two sway through the crowd, she says that she believes they can come to an agreement of sorts, and without missing a beat, she asks, “what trade would you accept to kill Vorano for us?”. Balthazar pauses for the briefest of moments, caught off guard by her straightforwardness, but this passes quickly and he gives her an eerily charming smile. He tells her that he likes this idea and believes that they can come to an agreement, but they should wait to talk business until after the auction. Codex gives an anxious smile and continues her dance with the vampire.

The two spin past Isa and Cazamir who are against a wall observing the room. Cazamir says that he isn’t usually fond of parties. Isa agrees, and she says she is usually there for the musical entertainment since she is a bard. He tells her he is a musician as well and produces a ghostly guitar that vanishes just as fast as it appeared in his hands. Cazamir is also surprised to see his brother there, and considering Fiara will also be in attendance, the auction will turn into a whole family reunion. Isa tells him that she had no idea he was going to be there, but if there is going to be a fight, it could make things difficult. Cazamir says if things get hairy, he and Fiara will leave. They can’t risk themselves for this, unfortunately. Isa understands and asks Cazamir to dance, which he accepts with the slightest of smiles.

Just as Wash and Klaya reach the front entrance, a large processional carrying a long box comes through the door. Everyone in the room pauses what they are doing to get a look at this incredible offering. Balthazar halts his dance with Codex and seems pleased to announce that his donation for the auction has arrived. Lop Teh announces to the room that the first donation is going to be auctioned off and gathers everyone together. As the rest of the doors shut, the crowd is ushered into the garden area. Lop Teh begins to announce the procurer of the donation when he is interrupted by Balthazar, who takes the stage. The box, which looks a lot like a coffin upon closer examination, is placed in front of everyone. Balthazar calls The Faded Fates to the stage. The lid is pried open to reveal the corpse of Vorano lying inside. Balthazar gives the party a smug look as he announces: “The Faded Fates have found and defeated the enemy that has caused such trouble to our education system here in the Third Precinct. Now I think it’s best if anybody would maybe like to be a benefactor to them. Who has the first bid?”