The Game is Revealed

**“The Game is Revealed”** is the fifth session of the Delirium game.  Barcelona and Melanine are sent to the northern reaches of Cornaith’s territory, where they are brought into contact with another Noble of the Courts, and are given a glimpse at the larger politics at play in Delirium...

# Synopsis

## Sonoy 14

Immediately after Belazon announced where they would be heading next, Barcelona requested a bag of holding, which Belazon acquiesced to, instructing Alekos to retrieve one that he received from Yalda (who, incidentally, invented the bag of holding in the first place).  The three of them sat in a stilted, awkward silence for a couple of minutes… before Belazon began to inquire how the two felt about the party last night.  Barcelona and Melanine both did not answer to Belazon’s satisfaction, who began to grow defensive about the fact they didn’t have fun.  This quickly devolved into a conversation about Belazon’s dance moves, which was interrupted by Alekos returning with the bag.  They were saved from that conversation…

...until Melanine requested some hushleaf for their trouble.  Belazon again acquiesced, and again Alekos left to go fetch it.  The conversation began anew, as Belazon got up and began to dance again (this time without the benefit of booze *or* music).  Melanine was struck by the similarity to Schnicktick’s moves before Alekos ushered the two of them deeper into the Grotto.

Alekos bid the two of them good luck, and voiced his hopes they would return unscathed.  From there, the elvish arcane practitioners under Belazon’s employ activated Belazon’s teleportation circle, sending them over the vast expanse of Cornaith’s territory to the territory of the Pumpkin King, Ig-Fatui.

They were given a warm (pun intended) welcome to the Gnarled Acres, the Court of Ig-Fatui.  As this Court is far to the north (and much closer to Yalda’s territory), Barcie and Mela had left behind the comfort of mid fall for the waning days of the season.  The Pumpkin King’s territory is filled with mountainous amounts of leaves that have fallen from the barren trees, and *massive* vines that link together pumpkins the size of houses dot the landscape.  The weather is also *far* colder.

The two of them were guided to the Pumpkin King by a couple of will-o-wisps.  The throne of his Court was set in the largest pumpkin, I can say with certainty, in the entirety of Ramunda; this pumpkin dwarfs some castles on Loctet in size.  Within, they were properly introduced (or reintroduced, in the case of Barcelona) to the Pumpkin King: a humanoid figure of normal size, wearing a rich navy double breasted jacket, black gloves and slacks, nice shoes, a deep maroon scarf, and a pumpkin for a head with a burning light inside.  After a pleasant introduction, it was down to business.

The Pumpkin King makes it very clear that, despite Belazon going through the whole process of cashing in this favor to get Barcelona and Melanine to the Gnarled Acres via teleportation, he actually knows very little of *why* they are here.  The two immediately fill him in, and Ig-Fatui immediately slumps in his throne in shock.  He goes on to explain that the staff, as established, carries the full weight of Merroweigh’s power.  If the staff is completed, Belazon would have the power of two Nobles simultaneously; a development which could signify all out war.  Melanine, hearing this, *immediately* requested elaboration.

Under each of the four Monarchs are the Nobles; much like the mundane politics of Loctet, these Nobles are all jockeying for prestige and favor of their Monarch.  For the most part, this takes the shape of petty backstabbing, sabotage, blackmail, and favors.  Rivalries (some more aggressive than others) abound.  However, each Noble is roughly as strong as another, which makes outright war a difficult proposition.  What Belazon is doing, however, would actively destroy this tenuous balance, and plunge Cornaith’s territory into outright civil war.

Discussion then led to the nature of Melanine’s geas; Ig-Fatui found it incredibly odd that, instead of any of his servants, Belazon is electing to use a (admittedly proven and competent) repatriate from Loctet rather than any of his Delirium born servants.  Ig-Fatui offered to break the geas, making it *very clear* of his distaste for Belazon tangling up innocent people in his schemes.

## Sonoy 15

First day on the road.  The two are making good progress, when the path they are following bisects a massive apple orchard with some of the biggest, most succulent apples you’ve ever seen with your eyes.  Both are tempted for a moment, but they remember the honey attack not four days prior, and decide better of it, passing it by without giving into temptation.

## Sonoy 16

Second day on the road.  The two encountered a ring of satyrs around a long dead campfire, with one drunkenly stumbling to his feet to offer the two whatever booze they’ve been taking punches of.  They politely and firmly decline, sending the envoy back to the fire (but not before he hugged an unwilling Melanine and told him to “call him if he needed any help”).  The rest of the day passed without incident.

## Sonoy 17

Third day on the road.  Early on in the day, the two of them enter a clearing, and find a figure laying on the ground in the center of a ring of mushrooms.  Said figure had incredibly long gray hair and wore tattered clothes they were clearly too big for.  Barcelona *immediately* recommended stealth to get by without making a noise.  Melanine was able to pretty dexterously sneak by on his hooves, but Barcie’s armor made a loud clanging noise as one arm errantly hit her breastplate.  This stirred the figure into semi-wakefulness; a hand with nails the length of claws reached out towards the noise, with the figure making a croaking out the word “daddy”.  The two *immediately* made a beeline out of the grove, with the sound of that croaking voice chasing them as they rushed.  They didn’t sleep well that night.

## Sonoy 18

Fourth day on the road.  As the two made camp at the end of the day, Barcie’s keen eye picked up on a rare (and valuable) naturally occurring foodstuff from Delirium: invisiberries.  The ephemeral fruit, when eaten, makes the eater completely invisible for an hour.  She managed to pluck six of them from the root that had pushed out of the ground.

## Sonoy 19

Fifth day on the road.  As the two of them were discussing what their next step should look like in regards to the *several* revelations they were given by Ig-Fatui, they came across a warren of almiraj traveling across their path.  Barcelona *immediately* grew smitten with one of them, using a bit of divine magic to encourage it to stay with them.

## Sonoy 20

Sixth day on the road.  Barcie continued to care for her new pet, still debating on a name.  As they journeyed on this day, they kept hearing the sound of branches snapping far above their heads.  Eventually, the source revealed themself: a shearling, a shearling, following them from above.  They had the traits of a barn owl with brilliant gray feathers, and black paint on their face suggesting the shape of a skull.  The unnamed shearling locked eyes with Barcie and Mela for a minute or two, neither side saying anything… and then, without a word, the shearling took off, flying away from the duo.

## Sonoy 21

Day of their arrival.  They make it to the outskirts of the Thespian’s Respite when a leaflurk attacks.

# Dramatis Personae

* ???: shearling with skull paint.
* Alekos: satyr servant of Belazon, first decent NPC of the campaign
* **Barcelona: elf cleric of Cornaith, is inured to all this nonsense but still wants it to end**
* Belazon: the Stag Baron, odious individual
* Ig-Fatui: the Pumpkin King, Noble of Cornaith
* **Melanine: centaur fighter of the Avonstead Forest, pretty done with all of this nonsense**
* Royce: Barcelona’s almiraj, and almost certainly a good boy

# Game Data

* Time played: 2:03
* Day played: 4/21/2021