Episode 250 - Party Time

## Intro

**Episode description:**
Excellent

**Opening Quote:**
N/A

**Player introduction:**
**Sean**: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Tabletop Champions podcast, I'm Sean your dungeon master and with me tonight we have Lauren who plays Ophelia...
**Lauren**: What do you call a yeti who does a lot of sit ups? The abdominal snowman. Ha ha ha.
**Matt**: Euahhhh.
**Sean**: Stephanie who plays Kuviana...
**Stephanie *(in Kuviana's voice)***: Ahoy-hoy.
**Sean**: Matt who plays Wrath...
**Matt *(in Wrath's voice)***: For glory!
**Sean**: Ben who plays Balinor...
**Ben *(in Balinor's voice)***: Hello.
**Sean**: And Kyle who plays Barry Dingle.
**Kyle**: Hello and welcome to the Tabletop Champions podcast, I'm Sean your dungeon master and *\*seltzer can opening\** grip it and rip it baby!
**Sean**: I didn't step on your thing tonight. You know what I really wanna do is I wanna get a slim jim and try and snap it, but I've tried it and it doesn't make a noise.
**Kyle**: They don't actually make a noise, yeah.
**Sean**: I know, it was unfortunate.

## Episode Summary

The episode opens on the morning of the heist. Ophelia tells Kuviana about her dream and asks if she's alright. Kuviana assures her that everything is fine, and that the heist will go swimmingly.

Downstairs, Barry is eating granola, and Wrath is eating bacon with less than his usual gusto.

Balinor goes to the Dibblebeck Manor at noon for work. A two story paper dragon is being constructed on the roof. A dwarf gives him a uniform to change into and shows him the kitchen, the food and drinks he'll be serving, and the great hall, where he'll be working. He is told not to go elsewhere in the mansion, though he gets a peek at the main entry hall, a guard post, and a vestibule with a coat check through doorways off the great hall. There is also a door leading north from the pantry. As Balinor is milling, a very finely dressed woman and man approach the dwarf.

To dress up for the party, Barry simply put bow ties on himself and Jingle, and put a bell on the tip of his hat. Wrath, hearing that the Fallscrest Festival is occuring in the form of a masquerade instead of a more traditional celebration, is angry about cultural appropriation. They decide to arrive on time, at 6, meaning Ophelia and Kuviana will be separated for the first hour. Wrath is wearing traditional Fami formalwear, though not his own.

Approaching the manor, they see a queue of people with invitations and a crowd of poor people looking on longingly. At the door, Wrath criticizes the festival being private, but the doorman says they wouldn't want the rabble coming in. Balinor is told to take their coats, and he hands them a map he drew from what he's seen. It seems that there are two entries, with two parties. Only the elites are in the great hall.

They enter the great hall, and Wrath sees that while they tried to emulate the harvest festivals of the Fami Isles, they missed the mark. They are introduced to the finely dressed woman, Evelyn Dibblebeck, as the Gestalt family. Wrath holds his temper and tells her she's done an amazing job representing his culture. She shows him the food and bows obsequiously before backing away.

A huge man comes to compliment "Cynthia," aka Ophelia, on her fighting prowess, and asks her to dance, given that she is unmarried. The person she's impersonating is known as a master swordsman. Ophelia agrees, and the man awkwardly attempts to perform a traditional dance.

**Secret Scene:** Wrath recognizes the next song as the one that he was conducting in his dream. Wrath was raised playing the kokyū, and grew so skilled that he became a professional performer in the military addition to fighting. In fighting, he was always compared to a great figure in his clan who died a couple years ago, and couldn't quite measure up. After one particular battle, he wandered through the ruined village to a music hall. Sad to see it empty and in shambles, he took out his kokyū and began to play. Remembering, Wrath now realizes it was the same song as in the dream. He opens his eyes from the memory and finds himself playing the last note on a kokyū that isn't his, and everyone looking at him in awe.

The rest of the party hears Wrath begin to play with the band. All other sound vanishes from the room as the beautiful song plays, and then it finishes. Evelyn applauds, and the crowd joins in. Charles thanks Ophelia for the dance and asks her for a nightcap. She tells him he can wait outside for her, and he does so. She tells Barry to go with Balinor to explore north of the pantry, but Barry wanders off on his own. As he heads to the kitchen, he is stopped by one of the waitstaff. The man tells him he can get any food he needs from Balinor, but Balinor says Barry has dietary restrictions, and offers to escort him into the kitchen to see what he can eat. As they go to the pantry, they're stopped in the kitchen, but explain the dietary restrictions. Once the cook realizes Barry is a Gestalt, they call for the pantry to be cleared so he can see the food. Barry grabs some snacks while they're in there.

Ophelia, Kuviana, and Wrath explore the other party to the south. Kuviana tries a locked door and is noticed; Wrath promises to reprimand her for her curiosity, and is told it is only guest quarters. After Barry fills his pockets and pack with the most expensive foods from the pantry, he unlocks the door from the pantry and finds the head servant's quarters. Knowing they should be close to the master's quarters, he and Balinor continue to the west to find the master bedroom. There's another door to the west, and a heavily locked door to the south. As Barry fails to unlock it, Balinor hears footsteps and the jingling of keys from the west. Barry hides under the bed. Balinor goes to hide in the closet, but is too late. The episode ends as Balinor looks to the opening door.

### New Information

* The Isles of Fami were inspired by feudal Japan. It's a culture with a very strict honor system. The orc clans follow exact social protocols, while the orcs outside the clans are more relaxed.
* Barry claims to be good at juggling.

## Memorable Quotes

**Sean**: Do you have physical dice on you?
**Stephanie**: Me?
**Sean**: Yeah.
**Stephanie**: Um, no, but I can. Oh I do, I have a d20. I have one right here. Of course I do, I'm a fuckin nerd.
**Matt**: Nerrrrrrrrd.
**Stephanie**: *\*rolls die\** I crit.

**Kyle**: I wander off, is Balinor there?

**Kyle**: Can I make him roll at advantage by being extra fussy - oh, you're doing alright nevermind.

## Trivia

### Stats

(DM)
(Balinor)
(Wrath)
(Ophelia)
(Kuviana)
 **Nat 20s** | 0
 **Nat 1s** | 0