Willow's Grasp

The Dreamers prepare for a party that is not all it seems.  Tragedy strikes across the continent.

## Plot:

Where we last left off, the Dreamers had decided to do a lot of shopping.  They had acquired a number of acutremon for the banquet as well as getting things together for their future travels.  They had also met the lady of the keep who insisted that she pay for their tailoring.

### A few hundred miles south, in the capital of Aon’Tach:

A parade of knights and nobles marches through the city heading towards the castle, to pay their respects to the King and to celebrate another year passed.

A group of knights together patrol the halls.  First is the nameless son of a lumberjack with a massive greatsword.  Second was Sir Percival, the son of a low ranking knight by the name of Zealot.  Sir Percival is a bit of a hall monitor due to the harsh lessons taught by his father.  He obsessively maintains his armor and weapons, and takes great care with his personal appearance.

Third is Margariit Massettii II, granddaughter of Simon Massettii.  Fourth is Thalia Omena, oldest in a family of nine, she ran away to become a knight so that she wouldn’t have to help raise her siblings.  When push comes to shove she’s good at getting things done.

Fifth is Deastrius Fallow, otherwise known as Deastrius the Gallant.  He wanted to have tragedy strike him in his youth, but to his misfortune his family is alive and well, and he had a patient, kind mentor that helped him become one of the youngest knights in the kingdom.

The last is Ser Margot Lazuli, the seventh daughter of a minor noble family, and trained by her father in war and hunting like the son he never had.

The group has some minor notoriety as the apprehenders of a jewel thief, and are greeted in passing by the king as he makes his way up to his chambers for the night.

The group spends a few hours on watch before being interrupted by the sound of something collapsing within the royal chambers.

A pitched battle with a quintet of Deep Knights ensues, but by the time the knights of Aon’Tach reach their king, he has already been slain.

The Camera pans out and screams echo in capitals all across the continent as a single assassin visits every world leader within minutes of each other.  Not all perish, but the few who survive barely cling to their lives.

### Back in Caerle’on

The Dreamers have picked up their tailored clothing and Saoirse has quickly gathered the machined parts for her repeating crossbow design.

The party checks their weapons at the door, and the Entity’s Panther is asked to stay in the stables.  The Entity instructs it not to eat horses, and eat other things instead.

Saoirse gives the Entity a list of phrases it is allowed to say at the party.  Emelya sneaks in a phrase about bloodlust.

The party is unexpectedly small, with the only attendees being the Dreamers, Sir John, Sir Hebron, and three others: The Lady Elanor, wife of Lord Bae’artha; Lady Olwen Ephemera, an elven diplomat from Orion; and Lord Barvugh, a finely dressed Dwarvish man.

The party is tense and strange, with Lord Bae’artha not in attendance and with Lady Elanor trying to prise information out of sir John.

After the party wraps up, with Lady Elanor and the other two guests leaving quite abruptly, the Party is shown to their rooms, where they locate some small magical stones that were likely set to listen in on the party.

Sir John and Emelya discuss their kiss from the week prior, and then in whispers, Sir John tells Emelya that anyone who holds the sword he carries would have a claim to the throne of Synjalo, and that he had been intending to present it to Lord Bae’artha, but that this whole party had made him wary.

As the pair consider that, the Episode comes to a close.

## Quotes:

> I very much crave the blood of my enemies at this moment.
>
> The Entity, **Willow's Grasp**