Welcome to the Court (BA001)

**“Welcome to the Court”** is the first session of the tentatively titled “Belazon’s Agents” campaign.  Melanine, mere moments after the conclusion of the battle with the plant creature, finds himself in a new and dangerous world…

# Synopsis

Thanks to the flow of time being occasionally out of sync with Loctet, time will be measured in days since Melanine’s arrival, rather than by dates.

## Day One

Melanine, mere moments after landing the finishing blow, was grabbed and thrown by the plant creature through the pink portal, landing in the center of a giant hollowed out tree.  Gathering his wits, he looked around, seeing several of the thorny vines that composed the plant creature’s body.  After trying in vain to see if he could get the portal back open, Melanine emerged from a knothole to find a *vastly* different world than the one he was raised in.

The heat and sweat of the summer of Loctet was immediately cooled by the fall breeze that blew past his face.  The leaves, green and hale where he just came from, were now a kaleidoscope of color: vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows swirled around him.  The trees stretched high, *high* into the sky.  And he found himself on a branch the size of an average tree trunk about ten feet off the ground.  Making his way to the ground, he walked over to a small pool of cool, refreshing water.  Slaking his thirst and splashing a bit on his face, he came to a sobering conclusion: *he was not dreaming*.

As he began gathering his thoughts (his confusion beginning to change into raw frustration), a figure emerged from the trees: a well dressed satyr, wearing a pair of gold horn rimmed pince nez glasses.  Introducing himself as Alekos, he inquired what Court Melanine belonged to.  Melanine, confused, explained he, quite literally, had *no* idea where he was.  Upon briefly explaining the circumstances that lead him here, Alekos grew more and more flustered, before *insisting* that Melanine come with him.  At the grumbling of his stomach, and the promise of food, Melanine obliged.

We then cast our eyes over to our other main player, Barcelona.  A direct servant of Cornaith, the Seasonal Monarch of Autumn, Barcelona has been sent to keep an eye on Belazon, one of Cornaith’s vassal archfey.  Escorted by an Awakened servant to her quarters, Barcelona barely had any time to start settling in before she was summoned by Belazon to his throne.

Belazon, the Stag Baron, welcomed Barcelona into his Court, the Sinking Grotto, and inquired if Barcelona was impressed.  Barcelona, already an old hat at dealing with various archfey, maintained a level of blase indifference.  She also took a drink of Belazon’s wine which, since it was brewed specifically for an archfey, is no mean feat.  This somewhat flirtatiously tinged tension was broken as a sweaty, out of breath Alekos arrived in the Sinking Grotto, stating that a mortal had taken care of the “Estival” issue.  Belazon bade him to explain, which he did by bringing Melanine into the Court.

Melanine, now *very* confused, finally began receiving the answers he desired: he had been dragged into Delirium, a parallel plane to Loctet, populated entirely by the Feyfolk.  As a Centaur, he was also considered part of the Feyfolk, even if his family, at some point, had left.

The plant creature he and Team 3.5 had taken down was once an elf by the name of Estival Helianthus.  Barcelona, when she realized that Estival was *dead*, began to laugh that Belazon for failing to do something a handful of folk from Loctet managed.  Belazon *loudly* repeated that he could have taken care of it at any time, but he was trying to teach Estival a lesson.

Regardless, Estival was a member of Belazon’s Court, and was one of the most gifted individuals with nature magic many had ever seen.  Estival, however, also harbored extreme views on life from Loctet, seeing them as a sickness and nothing but a threat to the Feyfolk.  To that end, decades ago, during the Day of Doors, Estival leapt over into Loctet and began a campaign to slaughter every single mortal.

Alekos stated that two human royals pushed him back, and when he returned to the Grotto with his tail between his legs, Belazon punished him by putting him in a form where he could sit and do no harm: that of a flower.  What Belazon was *not* counting on was Estival being so powerful that he could work at the bars of this enchantment, breaking it enough that he regained agency as an elf-plant monster.  Alekos also made it clear that it was someone on the Loctet side that opened the portal back up, not them.

Belazon, after this explanation finished, demanded a feast in Melanine’s honor.  As the table was being set, Barcelona and Melanine returned to the mouth of the Grotto, where the two talked at length about Barcelona’s role and Melanine’s confusion.  They were summoned back for dinner by a stag beetle Awoken, which was just *another* completely wild thing Melanine had to get used to.

The table and spread was *immaculate*; Melanine was given the seat of honor at the other end of the table opposite Belazon.  Barcelona, as a fellow honored guest, was given free reign to sit wherever she desired.  Playing the gadfly, she acted as if she was going to sit next to Belazon, before she sat next to Melanine instead.  Seven courses in total were brought out; Melanine enjoyed each and every one of them.

As the meal ended, the table was whisked away by servants, and Belazon called Melanine forward to speak.  The Stag Baron asked the centaur what, as an archfey, he could do for him.  Melanine first asked for a little bit more context, and second what avenue he could pursue to return home.

Belazon recounted the earliest story the Feyfolk have: that of the early Folk being protected by the four Seasonal Monarchs as a battle of some sort raged in the heavens above them.  Belazon at that time was a simple deer and nothing more.  Moreover, Belazon *could* send him home… but he doesn’t see what’s in it for him.  When Melanine brought up the fact that he *took care* of a pretty big problem, Belazon stated that yes, but he could always do more.  When Melanine asked what would happen if he refused, Belazon stated that he didn’t have that luxury: Melanine had eaten his food and drank his ale, seven times over.  And for that, Melanine owed him seven times over; a geas had been placed on Melanine, with Belazon as the one in control.

Belazon explained that an old rival of his, Merroweigh, had disappeared a long time ago, sealing his power into his staff and breaking it into seven pieces.  Melanine (and Barcelona, as she stood by the Centaur) would go retrieve these seven pieces.  Should he do that, the geas would be dissolved, and Belazon would be more than happy to return him.  Barcelona then summoned an apparition of Cornaith, explaining to her patron that she would be aiding Melanine, and that she should send another agent (“with patience”) to keep an eye on Belazon.  The Autumnal Warden agreed.

With that, Melanine’s first night in Delirium ended… but not before finding a letter in his chambers, with the words “No geas is unbreakable” printed upon it in fine lettering.

# Dramatis Personae

* *Alekos: the perpetually nervous Satyr steward to Belazon*
* **Barcelona: full blooded Elf servant of Cornaith, the Autumnal Warden**
* *Belazon: THE STAG BARON; vassal under Cornaith, deer spirit, generally a  contemptible guy*
* *Cornaith: the Autumnal Warden, Seasonal Monarch, and Barcelona’s benefactor*
* **Melanine: Centaur warrior from Loctet, trapped on Delirium**

# Game Data

* Day played: 3/16/2021
* Time played: 2:01:00