Сборы к венцу (Session Summary)

**Сборы к венцу** details the events of the October 31, 2021 session where the party makes their final preparations for the wedding and deals with unexpected trouble.

## Session Notes

* Having been tasked with security for the impending wedding, Talos patrols the city. Despite recent unrest, things are quiet — suspiciously quiet. Talos’s suspicions are confirmed when he catches a glimpse of someone sitting on top of a nearby wall who isn’t there when he looks again; all he can see is remnants of a tree that had been removed years earlier.
* Multiple investigations and shocks later, the wall gives way to darkness — as though reality has been torn open. He immediately leaves to report his discovery.
* Meanwhile, Aedryan is having her final fitting for her wedding dress, while Sorni, Chae, and Cecily try on their bridesmaids dresses, to varying degrees of discomfort. Miri is also in attendance, enjoying the romanticism of it all.
* Cecily mentions that Simon has made efforts to follow as many traditions as possible, including calling upon Master Bartleby, the artist who painted the wedding portrait of Simon’s parents, to paint Simon and Aedryan’s wedding portrait (modeling separately, of course).
* During the course of the conversation about Bartleby, an exasperated maid enters the room while complaining about Lady Finch — which immediately captures everyone’s attention.
* The maid explains that Finch started creating a scene with Lord Raven and Prince Theo, demanding to know where the bridesmaids are having their dresses fitted, despite not actually being a bridesmaid, so that Theo could walk her down the aisle.
* Immediately, Chae, Sorni, and Cecily begin plotting how they can pass the time while Aedryan’s portrait is being painted and, obviously, the best way to spend their time is punching Lady Finch in the face while in their bridesmaids dresses.
* Aedryan and Miri leave for the studio to meet Bartleby, escorted by an unbearably smitten Lord Hendry, while Sorni, Chae, and Cecily make their way down to the main hall.
* Upon entering the main hall, the group can hear Lady Finch and Anastasios arguing over her alleged status as a bridesmaid, and their glorious antagonizing begins.
* Emily, in a pitiful attempt to keep up in the battle of wits, tries to insult Chae with profanity and insults about her character, but finds herself unable to keep up — turning to violence as she tries to rip Chae’s bandana off her head.
* After two embarrassing failures, Lady Finch starts mumbling to herself about being promised to marry Prince Theo, and tries for Chae’s bandana again — this time with more grace and skill. Sorni pushes herself between the two and takes a scratch to the face for her valiant efforts.
* In the group’s efforts to restrain Lady Finch, the woman is able to both bite Sorni’s shoulder and scratch across her face — igniting fury within Anastasios, who grabs Emily and begins squeezing her to death.
* Meanwhile, Talos joins the fray and Chae determines that Ximena is controlling Lady Finch, urging everyone to restrain – but not kill – her as soon as possible.
* Sorni, disappointed that Emily won’t be dying today, talks Anastasios out of murdering the woman.
* Once Emily is restrained, Talos carries her to Simon’s chambers, along with the rest of the group. After arriving, Cecily takes care of Sorni’s wounds while the others debrief Simon and Theo about the attack.
* Talos takes the opportunity to mention the weird tear in the wall that he saw earlier in the day, and arranges to have guards monitoring it around the clock. Before leaving, he drops a smooth line on Cecily and manages to make her blush.
* Simon asks Sorni, Chae, and Cecily to go get changed and pick up Aedryan so that everyone can have lunch, and the ladies make their way back to the studio.
* Back at the studio, Bartleby is preparing to work on the portrait and discussing art with Aedryan, and she admits that she’s been working on a gift for Simon.
* The group retrieves Aedryan and, as they head back to her chambers to get changed, they discuss the imperfections of their respective paramours.
* While discussing the notion of having to refer to Aedryan as “Her Majesty” after the wedding and delighting in the reactions of some members of the court, the group leaves to go meet Simon for lunch.

## Additional Information

The title references a painting by Akim Egorovich Karneev, *Preparation for the Crown,* and depicts a common woman getting dressed in fineries, preparing to wear a crown.