Protocol I, Article 37 (Session Summary)

**Protocol I, Article 37** details the events of the April 18, 2021 session summary where the party's continued investigation of Cecily and Hendry's kidnapping, while Simon and Aedryan attend court.

## Session Notes

* Talos, seeking clues about Cecily’s whereabouts, looks around Cecily’s room and finds mud, blood, and black lace along the windowsill. Upon further investigation, he spots missing roof tiles and a broken iron spike, with more blood dotted along the way.
* Talos continues his investigation in the garden maze, and finds that a section of the hedge maze had been torn out, giving way to a path from a nearby lake. Along the path to the lake, he sees signs of struggling and decides it’s best to bring news back to the group.
* Anastasios kept Sorni up all night with his fretting, but she convinces him to at least consume something for breakfast so he has energy for the day – he chooses coffee. Sorni reminds him that a liquid breakfast hardly counts and urges him to eat.
* Talos relays the information he uncovered during his search to the couple, which seems to placate Anastasios enough to actually eat something.
* Aedryan wakes up to find her bed empty and Simon’s voice in the next room, discussing the plans for the day: it seems as though the two of them are to hold court later that morning.
* Aedryan and Simon meet up with the group in the breakfast room as Talos continues to share his findings, mentioning that signs point to Cecily having been taken through the market.
* Simon tells the group that he and Aedryan are scheduled to visit the market after court, and encourages Anastasios, Sorni, and Talos to visit the markets under the guise of doing a security sweep.
* Further discussion of Talos’ investigation yields information that another kingdom may be involved, as their king is Fated and would easily start a war with Trafarna.
* Aedryan and Simon leave for court. Along the way, he seems frustrated and, when prompted, he warns Aedryan that he may have to make amoral choices that might cause Aedryan to think less of him. She reassures him that she isn’t going anywhere.
* The King and Aedryan receive petitioners and it starts to become increasingly clear to Aedryan that easy concerns have been brought to the two of them. Once she realizes this, Simon offers to make things harder for her, saying he loves to watch her squirm in front of the court.
* Aedryan tells him no, saying she would rather be helpful. She is worried that she will be an embarrassment and doesn’t want to be used as entertainment.
* The king calls forth a trio of bickering representatives who lay out a series of complicated land disputes between them. Simon tells her that she is on her own, and likewise informs the court that her decision is final and not to be questioned.
* Though Simon tries to kiss Aedryan’s hand, she pulls away, clearly upset with him. She tries to work out the problem without asking for help, reviewing their maps to discover that someone has been accepting bribes to create multiple “official” maps for each representative.
* Meanwhile, Sorni speaks with a guard and learns that someone has been forging letters from Anastasios, claiming guards were needed at his estate. Sorni informs the guard that any further missives are to be ignored.
* Talos agrees to head to the manor to investigate, while Sorni’s interrogation continues — starting with the local children.
* Spotting a young entrepreneur, Sorni asks if the girl has seen Cecily and, it turns out, the girl is willing to exchange information for money.
* After handing over a decent amount of Sorni’s pocket change, the girl confirms that she did see Cecily being carried over a man’s shoulder as she attempted to beat him with an iron rod while shouting *“When Oberon hears about this, he’s going to kill you, Peaseblossom.”*

## Additional Information

*Protocol I, Article 37* refers to the Geneva Convention prohibition of perfidy, the act of capturing an adversary via deception.