S4E12 Tea With The Queen

This is a transcript of Seline's conversation with the Queen of Night and Magic excerpted from S4e12 The Barrens Part 2

## Transcript

> **DM Molly**It doesn't feel the same. The air here is colder and the wind whips around you like you are on a Hilltop. And then there's a shape in the darkness. A somehow darker shape than the rest of the blackness around.[Seline narrows her eyes.]**DM Molly**It begins to approach. Until when it's about 15 ft away it breaks into some sort of ambient illumination, the same illumination by which you can see yourself. Long dark hair, dark dress, a face that is a mirror of your own.. the Queen of Night and Magic.[Seline freezes]**DM Molly**As she approaches the expression on her face has she comes in to the illumination is unreadable.[Seline takes a step back.]**DM Molly**There is an extended moment of silence before the barest hint of amusement touches the corners of her eye.[Seline looks down averting her gaze almost like she's trying not to be seen]**Sarastra Aestruum**Is that how you greet the lords in the material plane?[Seline is still looking away but at that, she looks up.]**Seline Argent-Grey**I... I don't**Sarastra Aestruum**Since. I know that you are new at this, let me go first. Welcome, Lady of the Silken Weave, Mistress of Pale Shadows, The Wanderer in White. Now you go.**Seline Argent-Grey**What do you want with me?**Sarastra Aestruum**Well, firstly I would like you to adhere to the rules but then all I want is to talk.**Megzie Sass-Council**Seline looks very scared.**DM Molly**Recognizing the fear on your face Sarastra looks around and with something of a dismissive gesture the scene suddenly shifts. You are no longer on a pitch-black, wind-blasted surface, you are in a sitting room. The walls made out of a stone so dark it could almost be onyx. There's a fireplace with a low fire but it's enough illumination to reveal two sitting chairs with a small table between them.**Megzie Sass-Council**Does it look like the same sort of sitting room that I spoke with Nicnevinen in?**DM Molly**There's a sort of similar vibe, that feeling that this is a place to sit and discuss**Seline Argent-Grey**I don't understand**Sarastra Aestruum**I thought this might make you more comfortable. Sit.**Seline Argent-Grey**Why? What do you want?**Megzie Sass-Council**Now, Seline is on the defensive**Sarastra Aestruum**For you to sit and for us to talk**Megzie Sass-Council**Seline keeps her eyes on the Queen of Night and Magic and she still looking very dubious and defensive but slowly she sits.**Sarastra Aestruum**Good.**DM Molly**She sits across from you motioning again and summoning a tea set on the small table.**Sarastra Aestruum**The tea is safe, don't worry.**Seline Argent-Grey**Safe from what?**Sarastra Aestruum**Ahh so you know some of the rules. This tea is given without any expectations of favors or gifts in kind.[Seline still looks dubious but she takes one of the teacups]**Sarastra Aestruum**You can relax there is no need for you to be so... nervous**Seline Argent-Grey**You still haven't told me what you want**Sarastra Aestruum**I had quite the abrupt ending to my wedding that did not allow me to mingle with my guests and I feel as though you being such a.. noteworthy up and comer in the feywild now that we should meet.**Seline Argent-Grey**Why?**Sarastra Aestruum**Because it was my wedding and you speak to guests at your wedding[At the mention of the wedding again Seline sets her jaw.]**Sarastra Aestruum**It was not the wedding I wanted it… it, had ahh too much drama for me. Personally, I wanted to make my speech. For my husband to make his speech. Which he did not get to do. I wanted to speak with my guests to have good food to open my gifts.. I had so many gifts I did open them they were very nice the rib was especially good. That's a really good idea. I mean… it is never what one wants when their husband gets choked by their father and then their father gets stabbed by their husband and then there's blood no one wants that at their wedding and that's what I mean by drama. I don't know how common that is on the material plane weddings but…**Seline Argent-Grey**Funny, I seem to recall you telling everyone to leave after that happened.**Sarastra Aestruum**Would you have wanted to stay? Watch the cleanup? See me cry? You want to stay and see all of that? I had grief that I had to exercise and also my husband disappeared which is distressing to say the least. no one knows where he is. I do not know where he is.[The Queen sighs]**Seline Argent-Grey**What?**Sarastra Aestruum**What an odd thing to get married and then your husband to run away! Usually they run away before the marriage. But you did not marry a man, yes?**Seline Argent-Grey**No.**Sarastra Aestruum**You married a woman and she did not run away either. That's good.**Seline Argent-Grey**No one has seen him?**Sarastra Aestruum**No not since that fateful day. But you see now you understand that I could not have guests around after that event. Would you? Your father chokes your wife and then your wife stabs your father wouldn't you tell all your guests to leave too? I would hope so. Very rude to have to watch corpse clean up.**Seline Argent-Grey**I suppose. So why am I, why am I here then? Why would you... if all you wanted to do was to talk about your wedding, why do you want to talk to me about it?**Sarastra Aestruum**Well, it is rude not to talk to one's guests at one's wedding. It is even ruder not to talk to one's family.**Seline Argent-Grey**What?**Sarastra Aestruum**oh you did not know.. or do you? Do you know? I would have thought it would be obvious between you know the mirror… our appearances… practically sisters.**Seline Argent-Grey**I… I suppose we are both descended from the previous Queen of Night and Magic. I never thought of it that way.**Sarastra Aestruum**Now you are thinking of it that way and once you get to know one’s family especially when they finally joined the world that they belong in.**Megzie Sass-Council**Seline's posture until this moment had been very stiff. She's been very stiffly holding her teacup but she starts to relax a bit.**Seline Argent-Grey**I see. I'm so used to people wanting something, having ulterior motives it's strange that someone says they want to talk and they really just want to talk.**Sarastra Aestruum**You and I have that in common. Many people want things from me all the time. It's a demanding life being a feylord**Seline Argent-Grey**I can't even imagine what people must try to get from you.**Sarastra Aestruum**Name a star for me, build me a mountain, give me title. No, no, no, it's all no’s all the time I don't have time for them. I have my own things to do. Just like you have your own things to do. Develop your realm, get to be… comfortable with who you really are.**Seline Argent-Grey**I have been trying.**Sarastra Aestruum**admirable**Megzie Sass-Council**Any remaining tension in Seline's shoulders slowly relaxes and she actually takes a sip of her tea.**Seline Argent-Grey**It is an honor to be called here, Duchess of the Heavens, Countess of Thorn, Bride of Shadows, Queen of Night and Magic.**Sarastra Aestruum**Oh, you learn fast for material-born child**Megzie Sass-Council**Seline actually gets a little bit of a grin on her face**Seline Argent-Grey**I've sort of had to**Sarastra Aestruum**I imagine**Seline Argent-Grey**A year ago I didn't even know I was a fey. I thought I was human. Maybe some elvish in my background but I just celebrated a birthday... name day. I was thinking how different everything is now from my previous birthday. Which I celebrated in a quite different way. When is your birthday?**Sarastra Aestruum**It's during the winter.**Seline Argent-Grey**Did you do anything fun to celebrate your birthday? Your name day?**Sarastra Aestruum**Name days come and go it's been a long time since I actually celebrated. When you get to be my age it doesn't mean so much anymore.**Seline Argent-Grey**I see.**Sarastra Aestruum**The longer you are a feylord the more you will come to understand these things. They take time to embed themselves in you. Learn as you go I say.**Seline Argent-Grey**That's what I'm doing.**Sarastra Aestruum**How is the development of your realm coming? Well, the redevelopment of your realm I should say whatever he left behind I can't imagine it was to your taste.**Seline Argent-Grey**Fine, I think. I did recently redecorate. I don't know if that's the right word. Lord Longfellow's Realm was dreary and dower and I made it into something that feels a bit more me**Sarastra Aestruum**Good, good. When you become at home in your own realm it gives you a stronger sense of self. It's true listening to you talk about your own realm reminds me of when I was bequeath the lordship the things I did to make this place mine. And all the things that I had to learn on the job. Things like subjects would want things from you as I said earlier they would want you to make them get a plot of land, a little house but they want a big house now. They're also.. needy.**Seline Argent-Grey**My subjects are bunnies**Sarastra Aestruum**Keep them that way. They will want for very few things if they remain rabbits. One would hope.**Seline Argent-Grey**Noted**Sarastra Aestruum**It's when they want, when they want a piece of sky for themselves to look up and see, oh yes I love this purple dark kind of this black kind of.. This, these star arrangements.. they want so much from you**Seline Argent-Grey**None of mine have asked me for anything.**Sarastra Aestruum**So young. I miss those days. But it will become more than just your subjects that want things from you. The other lords will come they will ask for.. maybe not favors at first. Maybe if they think that you have something that they want or something that you could do for them that only they think you could do or want a deal. Deals are a necessary part of the fey life. You make them, you complete them, you don't break them. Sometimes you need to make deals to get what you want or you have to go to other lords for them.**Seline Argent-Grey**There is nothing that I want**Sarastra Aestruum**Not now but as you age as you feel the constraints of a small realm such as you have you may want more realm, more room. You may want more titles you may want more subjects. Some people have some really interesting subjects that, well, they don't mesh well with other subjects. But they are interesting, they are entertaining. That is another thing that you will find is… right now you say you have bunnies as your subjects. I'm sure they are entertaining for now…**Seline Argent-Grey**Oh and mice.**Sarastra Aestruum**Oh mice, oh all right. So adorable of you. It is making me so nostalgic for my childhood. What is a good example of a deal. Well, the deals that I made with my husband that we made before the wedding, the marriage..**Megzie Sass-Council**At The mention of that Seline stiffens a bit.**Sarastra Aestruum**You make deals you fulfill them, the marriage fulfilled the deal. So there complete, completed. It can become a complicated dance. It may not be the same for you. You may not want to get married to another feylord.**Seline Argent-Grey**Lucky for me I'm already married..**Sarastra Aestruum**It is lucky for you but you are a feylord, you will last very long. She may not. Marriage, it is not because I love him. I would say I sometimes feel the opposite that emotion towards him but the deals are done. I have what I want he has what he wants and he is off running around in the forest somewhere probably.**Megzie Sass-Council**but I've been seeing him around my realm, right?**DM Molly**That is correct.**Megzie Sass-Council**okay I'm going to put a pin in that.**Sarastra Aestruum**My husband is of the opinion everyone around him is a tool for him to use. He is all about the deals which I'm sure you have experienced.**Megzie Sass-Council**Seline is looking down at her teacup, sullen.**Sarastra Aestruum**I do know about the relationship between you two. I'm aware of it.**Seline Argent-Grey**What relationship?**Sarastra Aestruum**The one where he uses you whenever he pleases however he pleases. He considers you his favorite tool in his little toolbox.**Seline Argent-Grey**He will never use me again.**Sarastra Aestruum**Good attitude. You and I, we are not people to be used by others.**Seline Argent-Grey**Especially not by him.**Sarastra Aestruum**Correct. And I have what I want out of him. If he never comes back, well that will be a mystery I will not enjoy having unsolved but it wouldn't be so bad if I never had to see him.**Seline Argent-Grey**He's been skulking around the borders of my realm. Well, I haven't seen him but I've been told by...**Sarastra Aestruum**Your bunnies?**Seline Argent-Grey**Yes, actually.**Sarastra Aestruum**It is good that they are loyal to you and they tell you such things. Interesting he is so evasive so hard to find and yet there he goes right back to where I should have looked in the first place, right back to you! He's like a magnet, a magnet to the vulnerable but you are not going to be vulnerable again.**Seline Argent-Grey**No, never again. Not to him.**Sarastra Aestruum**Good. I cannot promise and I will not promise anything but I will make my best efforts to make sure he does not interfere with your development and your growth and your rise has the feylord you are destined to be.**Seline Argent-Grey**Really?**Sarastra Aestruum**Of course. You are my blood. We are as I said earlier practically sisters and if you can achieve even a fraction of the greatness that I have achieved in my time…**Seline Argent-Grey**I have never had a sister**Sarastra Aestruum**Me either until you popped into the fey realm where you belong.**Megzie Sass-Council**Seline smiles a little bit**Sarastra Aestruum**You do find it to your liking, yes?**Seline Argent-Grey**The feywild?.. sometimes a bit more than I would like to it's something I'm trying to work out.**Sarastra Aestruum**It is not a struggle that I had. Born here, lived here, raised here, never left if I could help it. You are of two worlds, you will have to choose one day between them. Not today, not tomorrow, well however long it is until tomorrow. One day you will have to make a choice. Your realm is your responsibility and it is a lot of responsibility. The larger it grows, the more titles you get, the more renowned you achieve among the lords, and the people of the feywilds you will have to choose**Seline Argent-Grey**I didn't even think about that**Sarastra Aestruum**Mortals will fade they will come in and out of your life you can choose to let them in and stay a while but they will leave they will and you will continue on. And the one thing that will remain constant for you is your realm and your responsibilities**Seline Argent-Grey**I suppose that is something I have to think about**Sarastra Aestruum**Maybe not today that is a heavy topic a heavy subject**Seline Argent-Grey**And like you said not a decision I need to make today**Sarastra Aestruum**No, but don't make it a decision that someone else makes for you though. You need to take control of that yourself.**Seline Argent-Grey**I will.**Sarastra Aestruum**good, well I think I have kept you long enough, in your dream**Seline Argent-Grey**Will we talk again?**Sarastra Aestruum**Yes I think so. I would very much enjoy it, I think**Seline Argent-Grey**So would I.**Sarastra Aestruum**Well, you have done me much honor by accepting my invitation**Seline Argent-Grey**I am honored to have received it**DM Molly**With that the fire dies down, the darkness enveloping the scene and you wake and that is morning.

## Characters

### Players

* Seline Argent-Grey
* Talia Argent-Grey

### NPCs

* Sarastra Aestruum, Queen of Night and Magic