Episode 8: The Lying, The Sheep & The Briefcase

**The Lying, The Sheep & The Briefcase** (C1E8) is the eighth episode of the first campaign of The Table is Yours: A Role-playing Adventure Show. The Faded Fates continue their time at the gala where they meet a colleague of Maude's, as well as cause quite the party foul...

## Synopsis

### Group Dynamics & A New Member

As the gala begins, The Faded Fates enter The Polished Wall, and all of their weapons are checked at the door. Shae leaves Sir Rainer at his table with the rest of the Blue Crows as the rest of the party claims a table. Shae walks to her party’s table and realizes Terrance is having a full meltdown, believing his cover is blown after his not-so-nice conversation with the Blue Crows. Shae drags Terrance to the bar for a drink to calm his mind. Codex notices Balthazar in the corner arguing with Fiara di Marte, the Bull of the Neremont Society, just as Lady Liadre approaches the group’s table. The Faded Fates start unloading on who they know is Maude: Terrance is panicking, Shae says the Blue Crows are already suspicious of their party, Codex rambles something about her encounter with Balthazar and assumes he is their mysterious voice from the woods, and then Maude realizes Wash is outside smoking, which is unacceptable at events such as the fundraising gala. Maude as Lady Liadre puts her hands to her temples and says she will fix it.

Lady Liadre walks over to the orchestra and speaks with one of the musicians, an oboist named Isabella. She is wearing a long, black cloak, with the Red Raven insignia, covering what appears to The Faded Fates to be gym clothes. Lady Liadre calmly explains the situation to Isabella, who nods in understanding. She tells Isabella she needs to assist and guide The Faded Fates through this mission because of her standing and experience in the guild. The two walk over to the party, still without Wash, and Lady Liadre introduces Isabella and goes to remedy the problems The Faded Fates relayed, sighing as she leaves. Isabella introduces herself to the party as “Izzy” and asks if they revealed their true identities to any party goers. Everyone raises their hand. She instructs them to use fake names moving forward and asks where their fourth party member is. They point her in the direction of Wash on a nearby balcony, smoking. Izzy successfully retrieves Wash, after wasting a cigarette and slightly threatening him with the fact that if the party didn’t get their act together, they could literally be executed by the host.

Shae wanders off to find Sir Rainer and the Mystic Dukes again. They do not welcome her arrival, but Shae tells them if they are stupid enough to believe the lies that had been told about The Faded Fates, then they are not worth anyone's time. She then threatens them, saying they don’t want to be on her bad side. At the table, Codex and Terrance are on the lookout for familiar faces. Codex spots Phoebe, and Terrance sees his old cohort, Visrai, flanked by two of Vorano’s goons. As Shae, Wash, and Izzy return to the table, Terrance explains who Visrai is and why it is very, very bad for the party that he is there. If Visrai sees Terrance, it will only be a matter of time before they get kicked out, or worse. Izzy suggests they all dance to stay moving and watch the goings on of the party. As the group moves toward the dance floor, Codex is grabbed by Balthazar for a dance. At the same time, an announcement is made that Lady Serafima Rousseau is entering the gala. She is surrounded by guards and confidants of the utmost importance: a pale, tall, dark-haired human-looking man introduced as Felurum Darkfury, an older human-looking man, in what looks like an officiant outfit, named Neldor Sha, a balding dwarven man announced as Mr. Bralgrum, and an elven woman called Ailuin Brysée. Lady Serafima thanks the attendees of the event and commences the fundraiser.

### If Your Friends All Jump, Would You Jump, Too?

As The Faded Fates dance, they notice Codex dancing and chatting with Balthazar, and Shae and Izzy spin closer to eavesdrop. Before they hear a single thing, they notice Balthazar has no reflection. Red flag. Codex tells Balthazar it is funny how nice he is being to her considering they are sworn adversaries and all. He chuckles and seems oblivious to what she is implying, and he responds saying he likes her and has no intent of being her adversary. They continue to dance, albeit uncomfortably, while the rest of The Faded Fates try to figure out their next move. Shae and Izzy notice Sir Rainer speaking with Visrai, who nods and begins to walk towards Lady Rousseau’s table. The pair ditch their dance partners and hurriedly walk to intercept Visrai before he tells Lady Rousseau anything about them, especially the rumors being spread by the Blue Crows. They attempt to slow him down with false familiarity, but he sees through it and teleports to get closer to Lady Serafima’s table. Codex breaks free of Balthazar’s dance (and arcane charm) and joins Wash to plan their escape as they clock Visrai and the imminent danger. Terrance immediately grabs his things from Lin at the check and runs back into the fray, deciding not to leave his new friends behind.

Lady Liadre notices the mayhem. She finds Shae in the crowd and slides her a piece of paper, essentially a spell scroll for Feather Fall. Liadre tells Shae and Izzy to run to the balcony and jump with the rest of The Faded Fates, which will leave her to fix their mess (again). The rest of the group do their best to follow Shae and Izzy to the balcony overlooking The Wilds, fending off guards along the way. Wash and Codex are caught for the briefest of moments. Wash is able to worm his way out of the guards’ grasps, but Codex is having trouble. The party watches as Codex screams “Get off!”, and a charge of electricity shoots through the guard as he falls to the ground. Simultaneously, in a pink flash, Codex is transformed into a sheep. Wash scoops up the sheep version of Codex and hoofs it to the balcony. The Faded Fates, and Izzy, look over the balcony to the depths below but put their trust in Lady Liadre, the guild, and each other, as they jump to The Wilds and unforgiving land below.