Return to the Fey Fort (Date 1/8/30)

Practice continued as the party made their way through the forest. Every night when they stopped to camp, Yuri would recite the monologue with Lex to accompany him, working on the finer points and polishing up the performance. It became rote for all within earshot.

One day, just as they suspected they were getting close, the woods became dark and shadowy and whispering figures darted in the corners of their vision. The prince called a retreat and they backtracked to safe ground to prepare themselves for the show. That night a beast wandered out of the fey-tainted forest. Covered in acidic pustules, distorted and hunched, it was Antionne! He fought like a madman bereft of his senses, and the prince called for his capture rather than killing. Together they brought him down and bound him to a tree.

In the morning as the party was preparing spells, the wilderness came to them. The darkness deepened and all around them voices chortled and gibbered. One by one they fell into enchanted slumber. All save Marty who decided to fake it. Figures stalked in from the shadow, gathering up the sleeping party and carrying them to the fort to be presented before Queen Boudicca. They pled their case and played their song. Well, Yuri was disqualified for having already performed for the queen, so the performance changed to Lex on flute with Marty doing oratory and Justice providing drums. The performance was accepted and turned into a revel.

At the party, Lex was turned out by the Queen Boudicca, who said, he could not remain. The party also met a druid named Ilyana who asked them to wish for her release. And the Queen granted them audience with Gaston, who seemed content, if melancholy, and asked that his father be released in his place. He apologized for killing himself and explained how the Queen knew of his music and gathered his soul upon dying and reincarnated him here. He whispered to the Prince that the Queen might be a threat and that Malwan might benefit by having someone on the inside, namely himself.

The party were given leave to return, if in the future they felt their kingdom needed to parley with hers in an official capacity, and they awoke where they had fallen – even Marty. Antionne was among them. His sanity returned, he rejected the notion of returning to the lumber consortium just yet and decided to strike out on his own to find the companions he had traveled with.