TG402

Geas Who's Coming to Dinner

Episode Number: (TG402)
Original Airdate: 1/2002

Still reeling from their new knowledge of the Ta'bar'pur, the party must deal with a threat of a different sort: a formal dinner party at TwinGate Keep, hosted by DukeEledin himself. After some initial banter and relationship wackiness between Tierney and Emcee, all hell breaks loose when black-clad attackers start firing crossbows and such. DukeEledin has disappeared, and the party is being attacked by a lot of people.

Plot Points: Politics

• Emcee's older sister is Regivan Hartsdotter, a member of the BlackPillar Triumvirate. The party met her in Good Morning, Mister Thornbane.
• The other member of the Triumvirate is a half-orc named Vargon. He and Scoutmaster Gandal grew up together in IronPass.
• Tierney has been invited to study at the LibraryOfIronPass.
• Murmurings of unrest in the DemonWood and GoldenWood towns have spread quickly through the upper ranks of the TwinGate guards.
• Ambassador Fayel can detect scrying with ease.
• Agents of the OathMaker may be responsible for DukeEledin's disappearance.
• The attackers were wearing a symbol of a shield with a black lightning bolt.

Plot Points: Personal

• So as far as most of the party can tell, Tierney failed to invite Emcee to the dinner. But someone else DID invite her -- Yadarjin. And she and Tierney seem to be trading barbs.
• Gryffid has had another encounter with his "benefactor", Bavrika. Her exact motives are still unclear.
• Aldea has Farribar with her, the only party member to really have a date.

Unanswered Questions:

• Where is DukeEledin? What happened to him?
• What, exactly, is Yadarjin? Or, at least, why was he behaving that way?
• What's going to happen to Tierney's and Emcee's relationship? Will Tierney pursue a relationship with Regivan purely for political reasons?
• Who replaced Simon in the Triumvirate?
• What were those spinach things that everyone was raving about?

Analysis:

• This episode features Yadarjin in his first "out of Arcanae" appearance. And attempts at physical comedy by Patrick.
• It appears that the party just can't go anywhere without getting into some kind of a fight. Even in a (supposedly) safe place where ambassadors, guard captains, members of the BlackPillar Triumvirate, and the Duke himself gather for a formal dinner, the party gets involved in combat.
• This, of course, leads to the question: how did the assassins/kidnappers get in? Security would have to be airtight, given the high-profile attendees. Was there a security breach? Or do the kidnappers have inside sources?
• It's unlikely that the party will leave their quarters unarmed again.

DMP Speaks

A lot of laughs on this one. After all the grim violence and angst of the last season, Season Four is just a fantastic chance for some fresh ideas. This season could well turn out to be "The Year of the Tropes", just running through all the grand cliches of fantasy and science fiction.

What is Yadarjin?

Man, some people are just never satisfied with small elements of harmless mystery. There's nothing really dangerous about Yadarjin, and only one or two people even saw him petrify one of the attackers while arguably bluffing a spellcasting. And no one, even those who saw him, really know what that means. It might not mean what they think it means.

Dave Speaks

I'd like to personally apologize for the players (if not the characters) being strangely unmoved by DukeEledin getting shot in the chest. I believe thoughts in people's heads ranged from Colin's "did he say that right?" to Dave's "well that took long enough" to Geordan's "...ok...and now the TBP show up....ok... make that now....or....now...hmm" (I'm just actually guessing wildly here.) I am, in fact, quite interested in exactly what's going on at this point. I think to truly surprise the players in the future DMP's going to have to start occasionally having NPCs who turn out to be exactly what they seem to be. Just one or two. Just for the shock value. =P

Tierney Speaks

(whimper)

A brutal episode, all in all. And the evening's not over yet.

Oh, there were some assassins and things too.

Gryffid Speaks

To answer the unanswered questions:

(1) I don't know. But someone will pay for the transgression. It's just a matter of whether or not I get put on the job.

(2) Har'gra. This should suffice as an explanation.

(3) (a) Looks like it's all downhill from here. (b) Hell yes, if he has any bit of sense in that skull of his. (Bluff 10)

(4) Hopefully someone who's only a bastard (as opposed to a rat bastard). My calculations do not support this. (Maybe Aldea's do.) But I can be optimistic when I want.

(5) They don't know how to cook meat, they sure as hell don't know how to cook vegetables either. People were raving about these things?

And as for Yadarjin himself...well, all I can figure out is that he is a merchant. And an amazingly good one, despite his utter lack of social skills when outside his shop. I've known dead spiders who were better conversationalists.

Yeah, I'm angry. Why do you ask?

Notable Quotes

Yadarjin: Oh, pardon my clumsiness. I am not quite comfortable in this... ... ... outfit.
Party: (sigh)

Yadarjin: I am glad to see you all in good health. I hope that you continue to adventure and amass large quantities of coinage to spend on magical items.

Yadarjin: Our store has a strong commitment to excellent prices.
Emcee: (glares at Tierney) Commitment is such a wonderful thing to have, isn't it?
Tierney: I continue to drink.

Regivan: The Black Pillar is so misunderstood. It's not as though we're out to crush and eviscerate all who oppose us.
Vargon: Um, actually...
Regivan: Well, okay. But it's not as though anyone who practices a different religion is considered to be opposing us.
Vargon: Um, actually...
Regivan: Have you heard our choir?

Patrick: And if you go to a dinner party, I doubt you'd have Slay Living prepared. But a Twingate dinner party...

Tony: I know! We can resurrect it and see if it comes back as Simon!
Patrick: (mumbling) Things Patrick did not plan for...

Timus: I didn't want be the one to bring this up, but...
Patrick: Damn, you're hot.

Aldea: I'm only 4.5 feet tall. My cleavage is limited.
Tierney: On the other hand, all of us have a wonderful vantage point.

Aldea: Have you any attraction to a more...woody type of companion?

Tahlia: (sounding like a soulless white woman) Let's get jiggy with it.

Geordan: You know, that scene at the end of "She's All That..."
Tony: (making the finger-crucifix) Chick flick, I banish thee!

Dave: Goodness-disinclined personages?
Patrick: (swoons, smiles)
Dave: What was that?
Patrick: That was me, basking in the glow of evil...

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