Session 275 - What Ethan Remembers (of the Court)

​​GM’s Observations

- The last of the ‘filler’ episodes. David and I are catching up tomorrow (5th August 2022) for the next session where Grant is the focus. Unfortunately I’ve been sick which has delayed things.

- This session is designed to fill in some of the blanks as to what happened to Ethan in the Courts of the Shadow Fey. The success or failure of these encounters was dealt with by a simple Fortune Roll (see Blades in the Dark or Vergence RPG rules). I didn’t really care whether they were successful or not because Grant is the main character of the Courts of the Shadow Fey storyline, and what happens to Ethan is all in the background.

- Note that the Courts of the Shadow Fey is a Kobold Press adventure for D&D, but it can easily be adapted for Amber Diceless or Lords of Gossamer because it is mostly a series of social adventures.

Major Characters

- Ethan and Isabelle

Adversaries

- None

Adventure Hook

- The session follows on directly from Session 274.

Adventure Summary

- Ethan feels much refreshed and goes to find Isabelle. She is in the Conservatory, a room in the Athenaeum which simulates a real greenhouse. It’s decorated with many plants and gives the illusion of being surrounded by lush outdoors. None of the doors open and go anywhere - they are just part of the wall - but the sunlight feels real and the air feels fresh. Ethan eyes a plant with orange-tipped leaves. It seems to have barely grown since he last saw it - but he hasn’t been in this room in years.

*Sourced from Google Images

- Isabelle pours tea for both of them, and gently asks him about the Courts of the Shadow Fey. He was there for a whole year. Ethan acknowledges this but says that the passage of time ‘felt different’ in that place. He doesn’t think it moved faster or slower than normal but simply that neither he nor Grant realised how much time was passing. 

- Ethan recounts how the Moonlit King (of the Shadow Courts) made claims on the Agora. He and Grant went to investigate and they were joined by Lucien and Macavity. After some investigations in the Agora and conversations with the Queen’s ambassador, they decided to make their way into Shadow to visit the Courts themselves. On the way, Ethan and Grant became separated from the others. When they arrived at the Courts, they found the low courts seemingly deserted and there were places that they simply could not approach. Ethan felt that the Shadow Fey were there, but they couldn’t perceive them. Occasionally they could hear sounds - laughter for example - but it was difficult to ascertain where they were coming from. (GM’s note - these events are covered in the Sessions 237-240 writeups)

- Ethan and Grant found guest lodgings near the gate, and they spent time exploring the low courts. They found the stables and the kennels. Grant thought he could hear music playing and went to investigate whilst Ethan made his way to the kitchens. Over time, they met some of the servants - goblins running the kitchens, the houndmaster Kolya and some stable hands, and Grant met an elf from the summer court who was playing melancholic music that they had heard from time to time. From these initial contacts they learned that the Court was likely aware of them, but had decided to ignore them in the hope that they would leave of their own accord. (Fortune Roll with the kennels = 6, with the Court Musician = 2, with the Goblin Courts = 6)

- Ethan’s first breakthrough was in meeting the Ravens, a group of shadow fey who sought prestige through duelling. Ethan’s reputation as a ‘dragonslayer’ was well known and they were curious about him. Ethan fell in with these young rakes and fought many duels, figuring that it was better to join in their ways rather than be ignored. (Fortune Roll = 6) He lost contact with Grant during this period - Grant also fought some duels but he slipped away and Ethan didn’t see him until meeting the Black Prince. 

- Ethan admits that he lost track of time. There seemed to be duels every day, and the Ravens were always up to mischief at the expense of someone. There were paramours to woo, rivals to discredit and challenges to be made. At this point, Ethan takes out his pendant that Isabelle made for him before going to the Shadow Court, and he explains that this helped him to remember and stay focused. The fey noticed Isabelle’s amulet and tried many times to separate it from him, but they did not succeed.

- Over time, Ethan explored more of the lower courts. He met a number of the lesser nobles, including ambassadors and travellers from other places who had come to interact with the Shadow Court. Whenever he went, he was known as the ‘dragonslayer’. That reputation went everywhere. Ethan notes that the leader of the Ravens, a shadow elf called Brightspur, seemed pleased to count Ethan as one of ‘his men’. But he knows that there were others like Baron Suvid who were watching his every move. 

- At this point Isabelle asks why he was so patient - why didn’t he seek an audience with the King or Queen and negotiate this swiftly. Ethan explains that he hadn’t been invited to the High Court - they were still making up their minds about him and he couldn’t just force his way in there. He was wondering about whether Grant had tried - and he hadn’t seen Lucien or Macavity since the fog but he assumed that they were okay. He notes that Wayfinding seemed to work ‘strangely’ in the Courts. It was not reliable.

- Ethan continues his story. He was invited to visit the Blind Seer, one of the many dignitaries that had come to visit the Shadow Court. The Blind Seer was a holy ‘man’, possibly a celestial or angel. The Seer advised Ethan that a Demon Lord named Akyishigal had come to the Shadow Court with the intent of corrupting them, and the Seer asked for Ethan’s help in this matter. (Fortune Roll = 6) He accepted a token from the Seer and this greatly raised his profile in the court. He ended up with new allies, and some enemies as well. Some of the more highly ranked duelists also took an interest in him - most of them were friendly enough but they still wanted a crack at ‘the dragonslayer’. It was during this time that he met Sorrenminx of the River Court.

- Ethan speaks sadly of Sorrenminx. She was an emissary from the River Court but had grown bored of her appointment and seemed to enjoy his company. He admits that they didn’t get along at first - and she challenged him to a duel with ‘wand and blade’. Isabelle gives a little smile - she admits that she loves the feeling of enchantment at faerie balls (GM’s note - they visited the Feymoon ball in Session 159) - she thought it possible that he might meet someone else special in the Courts. Ethan shakes his head and says that it wasn’t like that - she was a friend and a companion, nothing more. But he admits that he liked her.

- Putting down his tea, Ethan explains that the way to get noticed was to behave in a way that would be acceptable and agreeable to the fey. He fought many duels. He even threw some of those duels because it bolstered his relationship with another party. He participated in the occasional bit of mischief, but was careful not to cause grievous insult. He found the servants of Akyishigal to be irritating - but the shadow fey didn’t seem to mind if Ethan maimed or even killed them because they weren’t fey. He certainly took note of some of the ladies at the Court, particularly when he earned enough respect to be invited to the High Court. However, he was very careful to position others and not to pursue the court ladies himself. 

- Isabelle is a little sceptical, even when he reminds her that he kept her pendant at all times. Ethan pours some more tea and asks her if she’d prefer that he had pursued Sorrenminx or one of the others. This irritates Isabelle - of course she doesn’t wish that but neither does she believe that Ethan is a saint. She finds it difficult to believe.

- Ethan decides to continue with the story and explains what happened when he was invited to one of the Royal Balls. It was the first time that he’d been invited to the High Court and he wasn’t sure how he would be received. Brightspur and Sorrenminx had already told him about the players to watch out for, but he wasn’t sure if his announcement would be fleeting and attract little attention, or not.

- To his surprise, the Shadow Fey announced him prominently. He was ‘Ethan the Dragonslayer’, but also Demonbane, Elf-friend, Lord of Gossamer, Sorcerer Supreme and a dozen other flashy titles. The shadow elves took a lot of notice, and the court ladies all noticed. With that much attention, Ethan thought he would be the target of a dozen duels by the end of the evening, but it didn’t play out like that. (Fortune roll - on 4 dice I rolled 4 ‘6s’. An unbelievable roll. Basically he could not have a more favourable result)

- Macavity had been at the High Court for ages, and had been preparing for Ethan’s arrival. By the time Ethan walked in the door, the Court was smitten by him. At least half the ladies in the room wanted Ethan, many of the younger nobles wanted Ethan as their friend and even the major nobles (barons, baronesses, dukes and duchesses) desired to make his acquaintance. Only the royals seemed to be above this. The Moonlit King was absent. The Queen of Night and Magic was present but inscrutable and distant. Their son, the Black Prince, watched from afar but said nothing.

- Ethan explains that he doesn’t know quite how he managed it, but from that evening, he was accepted. He admits that he flirted a little to show appreciation, but was very careful not to go too far. It was during that time that he met Beethania - Lord Wynterlyr’s wife. Ethan didn’t think much of her - she was just another faerie, although she was from the Summer Court - but he could tell that she liked him (from a distance).

- One day after that (he doesn’t know how long after), he was invited to meet the Black Prince. Ethan felt that he was finally making progress - this was the way to get to speak with the Queen. The Black Prince was deliberately arrogant and rude towards him, such that Ethan felt compelled to challenge him to a duel. However, when Ethan won the duel, the Prince’s attitude changed completely. He became courteous and hospitable, and invited Ethan to join him on a hunt. (Fortune roll = 6)

- The hunt itself was no ordinary hunt. It was to be conducted in the dark woods around the Courts where wild things roam, and the quarry was the legendary Firebird (a Phoenix). Joining the hunting party, Ethan was surprised to find Grant already with them. But they had little chance to talk before setting off.

- Ethan puts down the cup and frowns. It takes him a little while to find the right words. At last, he explains to Isabelle that this is where things become confusing (for Ethan). Ethan remembers the hunt. The Firebird was very fast and very hard to catch.

- Ultimately, Grant was the one who caught the Firebird. But rather than being pleased, the Black Prince was not happy and he insisted that the bird be turned over to him. But Grant didn’t do this - he presented the Firebird to the Queen in front of the entire Court. This pleased the Queen of Night and Magic. She referred to Grant as the ‘royal birdcatcher’. She spoke briefly with him and then Grant accompanied her to talk privately. The Black Prince was furious and left in a huff, and the rest of the court seemed to be in a state of shock.

- After the initial shock, Ethan decided that his friend had been very cunning and found a way to talk directly with the Queen. For a few days after that, the mood of the Court was a little subdued and the Black Prince was unwilling to talk to Ethan at all.

- It felt like weeks passed and then Grant returned. The Shadow Fey had renounced their claim to the Agora and that was that. Ethan asked Grant how he had done this but Grant wouldn’t give him a straight answer. Ethan found that unusual.

- Macavity didn’t want to leave - he was having too much fun. Grant and Ethan decided to leave without him and when they left the High Court, they found Lucien. Lucien was still in the lower courts, trying to be noticed and earn enough prestige to be invited to the High Court. When he heard that Grant had arranged for the fey to withdraw their claims, Lucien expressed disappointment that he’d missed all of the fun. He didn’t seem sad to leave but he would have liked to see the High Court.

- Ethan shrugs and says that there’s nothing more to tell. The next time he saw Macavity was with Abbie so clearly the Cat did not stay at the Shadow Court. The Shadow Fey had continued to be interested in him ever since he acquired Wynterlyr’s Ring.

- With Ethan’s story concluded, Isabelle asks some general questions about the Courts. Ethan has no desire to return, but he believes that he will one day (GM’s note - he has done a Divination spell to predict this) When Isabelle runs out of questions, Ethan asks what she has discovered from the Voidship and other vessels. He is curious about their next adventure. There is some further conversation about whether Ethan intends to return to Tyrnador - he expects to have to do so at some point but is not in a rush. He also wants to investigate the realm ruled by House Barida (GM’s note - described by Lady Vala in Session 266). Isabelle agrees to accompany him to the realm which Vala asked him to investigate, and he agrees to come with her to investigate Hephaestus’ ship of bronze. They end the conversation wondering what Hilda will want to do, and when Lucien might return to reclaim the Athenaeum.

Other Impacts

- Continuing to foreshadow what happened to Grant in the Courts of the Shadow Fey and lay the groundwork for what is to come when we finally complete that storyline.