The Fifth Eclipse: Session 14 - A Proper Lady's Afternoon

Party: Claudia De La Quinne, Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux, Sibille Benotti, Cynis Avantarei

The party starts by checking out the remains of the spider, which slowly shrinks down to reveal a druidic corpse, from which Daisy lifts a bracer made out of flowers.
Surveying the scene, and with the bride back on her feet, the group quickly notices that the tunnel from which the spider-druid emerged is still a direct point of entry, so they try to block it off best they can. As Abdelaide slowly realizes the horror that almost came to pass, the small Heremine pours her another drink... of the sleepweed-dosed wine, knocking the bride right back out. A quick understanding is reached and most of the attending ladies help carry Abdelaide to the basement, which apart from MANY wines also contains a door that can be barred from the inside. Considering the situation to be appropriate for it, a roll-call occurs and many a bladed implement is removed from seams and boots. 
In the end, Sibille and Cynis decide to join Claudia and Daisy in discovering what is going on.

With Cornpone out chasing the last remaining assassin, the young Deveraux heir sends out her other pigeon, Roel, to scout. Sadly enough, whomever was waiting for the group to emerge from the villa spots this messenger pigeon and decides not to let the party call for reinforcements. A pair of crossbow bolts takes down the feathered friend of the party.

As the party does not know this, Daisy and Claudia go to the roof to check things out, spotting the ambushers on the grounds, while Cynis and Sibille keep guard at the front door. Now spotted, the ambushers forgo their plan and lay down a rain of crossbow fire on the porch of the house, while return fire ensues from those within with the ability to do so. Before long though, close combat ensues, with one assailant rappelling onto the roof to go toe to toe with Daisy in a rooftop melee that sees both wounded, but Daisy coming out on top (by kicking the opponent off) and Claudia firmly ending someone's life after making a daring swing to the ground from the rooftop.
Sibille and Cynis both also notch their own impressive kills, as Sibille bisects the leader of the ambush while standing as a central pillar of defense and Cynis kills a sneaky intruder right at the threshold of the house.

Searching through the corpses after making sure the immediate threats were eliminated, the party finds a note:
"Kill the Elf, she knows too much. Secondary target: halfling".

This gives the present members of the Fifth Eclipse a moment of pause, as they come to the conclusion that this may well have something to do with the disappearance of Claudia's father... and the death of Daisy's dad.

The Fifth Eclipse: Session 13 - They are in the trees

Party: Wenceslas, Claudia De La Quinne, Vholanthus Sumquaes, Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux, The Captain

The (mainly) male friends of Jim and a couple of hand-picked bodyguards attending the stag hunt (Eugene Priati, Salvadore Dorée, Lucius Tesodi, Calpar, Malin, Rusko Rohtzhane, Tangjostr, Blandus, Gerard Gustafson and Tobrokus) get introduced to the concept of stag hunting by an enthousiastic Wenceslas. Sadly enough, the nobles do seem to take it upon themselves to interrupt the elf as he explains things, their hunting dogs baying and tugging at their leashes to go.
The group sets out without too much of an issue and the Captain takes great pains explaining the benefits of delegation to Jim and those of proper teamwork to the nobles, while Vholanthus checks the surroundings.
What Vholanthus did not account for was a net-based trap that snaps him up into the trees, while a group of hidden ambushers strike out at the group.

The Captain (fully thinking this was entertainment set up by Wenceslas) rallies the defense to make sure Jim gets a moment in the sun, while Wenceslas (knowing that this is not the case) sets to defend his life dearly after hearing them say 'Get the Elf'. A rain of arrows strikes some in the group, but Jim manages to evade most danger, drawing a jewel-encrusted battle axe and heading into the fracas. The party gives a good accounting of themselves and Vholanthus transforms into a bear to break out of the net, thundering to the ground and beginning to maul the back-line of ranged assassins.
Tobrokus, Tangjostr and Gerard do what their instincts tell them to and get some nobles out of the line of fire, while Blandus makes an extremely good case for throwing knives. Rusko, aware that his new friends are in danger, brandishes a massive broadsword and lays into the foes, leaving many on the floor of the forest to become fertilizer.
As the tide of battle seems to turn into the party's favour, a concealed juvenile flickerfly boosts up from the floor, tossing the Captain into the air and making a general issue out of itself. When the creature perishes under the Captain's blade, the party notices all the assassins are dead as well.
The Captain, now seeing the expression on the face of Wenceslas and the carnage that the party inflicted, realizes that this was not as planned, but he takes it in stride.
They cleave the head off of the creature only for it to shrink down to a humanoid form, implicating druidic interference. 

Meanwhile the girls are at a peaceful mansion located at the heart of the vineyards of the family du Pleur de Nicheries, renowned for their excellent white wines. Daisy, talking with the Du Trêve girls, feels someone tugging on her sleeve. Heremine Durée, a petite elf girl with white hair, asks her to come look at a suspicious bottle near the foot of the wine table in the veranda. Investigating this, Daisy realises the draught that was inside to be a sleeping potion, but she fails to shake off the effects as it takes effect. Claudia, used to this sort of tomfoolery, sees the other ladies also dropping off and she understands that foul play is afoot. Four servants advance on her, leaving the sleeping bride and her friends out of the picture for now. As combat breaks out, it seems Claudia is outnumbered, but from the sleeves of Daisy's country gown come forth Cornpone and Roel, ready to tango with the villains that laid down their mistress. The three manage to eliminate the bulk of the assassins while Daisy and Cynis Avantarei get woken up when a massive spider bursts through the floor and proceeds to web the entire building with a mixture of silks and sharp stones. The creature did not account for the expertise of Claudia, Daisy and Cornpone at monster slaying and is soon on the receiving end of a point blank crossbow headshot, with Daisy holding a fang that gets dislodged by the impact.
Seeing the ploy failed, the last assassin throws a smoke bomb and runs off, with Roel in pursuit.

The Tale of the Fifth Eclipse

 

The Fifth Eclipse is an adventuring party comprising of:

Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux
Claudia De La Quinne
The Captain
Wenceslas
Vholanthus Sumquaes

Though they have been known to occasionally take others on board, such as Tangjostr, a guardsman.

Their adventures in Vertange, from the day they met and helped Jim of the House of Three Beams are documented below, in chronological order.

Prelude - A noble in danger
Prelude - Meeting the miss
Prelude - The value of evidence
Prelude - Courting danger

Session 1 - Downtime and Dryadic Dangers
Session 2 - Bats all the way down
Session 3 - Once upon a Bone Lion
Session 4 - From the Top
Session 5 - The Fifth Eclipse
Session 6 - Onward and Counter-birdwards
Session 7 - As White as Snow
Session 8 - The Dwarven Encampment
Session 9 - The Fortress of Shadow
Session 10 - The Return
Session 11 - On to New Adventures
Session 12 - Stags at the Opera
Session 13 - They are in the trees
Session 14 - A Proper Lady's Afternoon

The Fifth Eclipse: Session 12 - Stags at the Opera

Party: Wenceslas, Claudia De La Quinne, Vholanthus Sumquaes, Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux, The Captain

The party, having spoken to Jim and sent him on his way, is approached by a guard who asks them if the dungeon below was fully cleared and if it is ready to be sealed up. 
Due to their standing as adventuring party, the Fifth Eclipse gets the rights to the dungeon for as long as it does not become active again. It is sealed up and a mark indicating their ownership is painstakingly placed upon the former entrance.
A long overdue refreshing takes place, much to the general olfactory benefit of the surrounding.

A lot is discussed on how to tackle the bachelorette party and the stag night for the happy couple. The men will be hunting an actual stag outside of the city, while the women get to enjoy the comforts of an idyllic lodge nearby while sampling of some of the local vineyard products.
Nefarious minds as they have, they actually seek to set up a small 'kidnapping' of the bride to let the groom heroically save the day.
The group uses some of their local knowledge and a bit of 'speaking with Roel' to get a bead on the friends of Daisy. 
The list given by Jim was rather male-forward, after all.
Invites are made and sent out by winged messenger.
As the group is busy with this, Robert Sumquaes stumbles upon his uncle and requests he look in to the Iles Enchantés, as strange creatures have been spotted coming out at a recently purchased plot.
Considering all he has learned thus far, Vholanthus concludes that there may be druids behind this, and potentially corrupted ones at that.
When out and about in the Jardin, the group also meets a female guard named 'Isolde' who is interested in their actions until they seem harmless enough to let pass.

At the opera, with the ceremony opening, the social gathering is rife with opportunities for casual meetings and formal introductions. 
Daisy finds herself chatting with Paul Jones Junior, while the Captain is seen rubbing shoulders with Honora Du Calle. Seeing the elf out of sorts, a local courtier sets up a dig at Wenceslas, but fails to land any devastating jape as none of the strewn bait is taken. 

In a flashback to the pre-wedding festivities, we see Claudia seeking out one of the two De La Quinne's in attendance, accidentally bumping in to her while holding glassware. No glint of recognition passes behind the eyes of the young lady known as Seraphine.  
Vholanthus starts setting up for the stag hunt, creating paths for the hunters to follow while in beast form.

People of import to Jim of the House of Three Crossed Beams

There is some overlap with the NPCs for this one, but these are the folk that seem to have an importance for Jim, be that either in a financial sense or on a more personal level.

Fleurs Nobles:

Eugene Priati - Elf. A man of the cloth, can usually be found leading the Temple of the Lady of the Scales at the Plaza Equines, where the stables for the city guard are also located. Eugene has a reputation for being addled, yet exceedingly kind. 

Salvadore Duree - Human, usually called upon to organize the Moon Revels, a set of soirees that link into the Moon's aspects. From full mystery at a Maschera at the start to the opulent banquet at the end, Salvadore has everything working like clockwork, which has led to the Galettos practically worshipping the ground he walks on.

Hermant Duree - Human, a man of great resource, Hermant has made his fortune through shipping. Now, nearing his fiftieth year, he seeks to find a suitable heir for the naval fleet (12 ships and 2 more to be finished) he has built up.

Sandre Benotti - Half human, half elf, the Lady Sandre is a recognizable individual throughout Vertange, as she runs the Dulce Frustum, a successful chain of specialized candy stores, catering to the rich and extravagant.

Tangui L'Equichant - Dwarf, keeper of the Kennel, the best breeder of his generation. Tangui has an eye for the best characteristics of all manner of animals, which has made him one of the wealthiest individuals in the City. After all, a good watchdog may alert a family of intruders, but the best will bring down the intruders without much trouble. 

Francois Du Treve - Human, said to be the future for house Du Treve when it comes to the courtly matters. Graduated summa cum laude at the Grand University. In spite of this, he is extremely biased in favour of humans and elves, considering most other races to be lesser in both body and mind.

Luna Du Treve - Halfling. Luna is a diligent lawyer, though when there are no cases, she will restlessly examine the bottoms of her glass in the Absconding Dawn.

Robrigo Sombri - Human. Master of the Arx Infractorum, one of the eight Tidal Fortresses that form the outer defenses of Vertange from the sea. 

Lucius Tesodi - Elf. Lucius is almost a synonym for fashion within the higher circles of society. Where he leads, the others follow. Season in, season out, Lucius creates such masterpieces out of fabric that all stand in awe.

Honora Du Calle - Dwarf. The Lady Honora has been in charge of the main prison of Vertange (Saxum Catenatum) for two years and seems to be getting used to the role as director. She needs more allies in order to push through reforms in the Catenatum, but according to her that is only a matter of time.  

Robert Sumquaes - Human, Robert's a frequent traveler to both the upscale salons of the Jardin and the dives in the Area Vulgaris. He is known to be happy to throw his inheritance around, both in coin and more physical endeavors, and his indiscretions have caused his father Iulius Sumquaes many a headache. 

Vulgari:

Calpar - Dwarven wine merchant, came down from near Altharion to make his fortune, currently sitting in the middle of the pack, not earning the best coin, but able to spend a good amount without falling short of cash.

Malin - Dwarven ex-army chronicler, now full-time scholar. In younger days, she seems to have been quite the explorer and inquisitive mind, which has earned her free passage into the Grand Library.

Outsiders:

Beozrik Umbregon - Human leader of the Varangian Guard. Has personally defended the honour of the Emperors Argentonze and Argentize before retiring from active duty to a more ceremonial posting. 

Rusko Rohtzhane - Human from Freicove with a bad temper, membership of the Varangian Guard and connections within the regular guardsmen.

Blandus - Human guard at the Theatre Rouge Dramatique. Strong and capable, Blandus can also be found at the local wrestling pits in the Area Vulgaris.

Gerard Gustafson - Human knight of the Order of the Scorched Oath, always up for a spot of righteousness.

Paul Jones Jr. - A childhood friend, who sits in the Four Roses Consortium as investor.

Charles of the House of the Three Crossed Beams - His father
Felize of the House of the Three Crossed Beams - His mother

The ladies of great import to Abdelaide Durée

Adele holds a varied series of contacts within most of the big families.
She's a regular host at the 'Grenouille sans pattes', a salon run by the Durée family. 
As such, coupled with the rise to prominence as the breakout of this season and her natural hang toward kindness, the ones she holds to be her friends reciprocate gladly.

Adoré Priati - A devout girl who is a little shy

Cynthia Du Trêve - the older of two sisters, always brash and loud
Tina Du Trêve - the younger of two sisters, always brash and loud

Marie Du Calle - sophistication with a spill of auburn hair.

Sidoni Tesodi - The blonde sister. Never without a juicy piece of gossip, be it true or... approximately so.
Vallé Tesodi - The brunette sister. Always close to the food.
Tebraska Tesodi - The raven-haired sister. Always seems to be calculating.

Veronique De La Quinne - Has an eye on a L'Equichant, so is now enamoured with horses.
Seraphine De La Quinne - Born to travel the world, forced to be good at accounting. 

Sibille Benotti - Knows three different was to make a croquembouche.

Cynis Avantarei - The oldest of the friends, pushing 28. Always making sure everyone is safe.

Heremine Durée - Small and white-haired, this little elf usually gets pulled into whatever crazy ideas Adele comes up with.

The Fifth Eclipse: Session 11 - On to new adventures!

Party: Wenceslas, Claudia De La Quinne, Vholanthus Sumquaes, Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux

In the dwarven camp, Vholanthus reveals that he spent some time scavenging bones from the fallen foes (as directed by the dwarves themselves). From these bones, the ones from the Hounds slowly have been reverting into humanoid equivalents, though the magic in the others is enough to have one of the craftsmen create a bone bracer that will add more oomf to the attacks Vholanthus can make when taking animal form.
While the craftsman is rigging this up for Vholanthus, Wenceslas takes the elf aside to look at the compass-stone in the hopes of figuring out where the other Elfhames might be.

Claudia gets some mead, some fancy mead and a new dagger from Snorri to compliment her current gear, before the group gets back together and talks about the Lady of Shadows (or the Night Queen), as they suspect this is the strange voice they hear once in a while.
In these conversations, Vholanthus comes to realise he has been subject to amnesia whenever he came close to finding Elfhames, but that this has not come to pass this time as he was out of the Sumquaes holdings and working with friends instead of alone.
A number of theories is bandied about and discussed, from magical means (which Wenceslas deems unlikely due to the obvious need of reapplication) to potential mushroom-spiked meals (which Daisy ponders as that would be easy to administer and reapply without too much trouble if the subject is not suspicious). Vholanthus then touches upon the potential of a larger conspiracy from the Houses to keep the information about the Curse and the Elfhames down. More so if the Lady of Shadows is indeed the being known as the Night Queen, a deity worshipped by some in the De La Quinne family ranks.

When the party re-emerges in the streets of Vertange, they are met with an extremely anxious Jim of the House of Three Beams, who has seen his wedding day (and preceding stag/bachelorettes night) mildly in disarray as his wedding planner (the lovely miss Daisy) had gone missing with little formal information as to what was going on. He is immediately reassured by the Captain who promises to not let Jim down and that the stag night will be organised by him personally, while Daisy learns that the wedding venue would be the city's opera building.
She proceeds to get an entire list of important guests that should be invited and accommodated, which seems to go on forever.

The game plan for the party is laid out, with Vholanthus setting his sights on diving back in to the library, the Captain having two nights to figure out a good stag night, Daisy having three to fix the wedding party, with Wenceslas and Claudia available to assist where the urgency requires them to.  

[Party levels to 4]