Dorian and Julia start with a conversation talking about the box, heading back to the Pangol Inn. They try to find out more information about the box. The box is full of something, but to empty it, it needs to be emptied into something. Julia advises to empty it into Dorian’s hollow head, mocking him. She says that ancient wizards crafted it, and that it drives people into madness. The T.I.P. realizes that they’ve delivered the parts of a golem to a wealthy family, and that this box could animate a pristine golem in the heart of a city. The very golem they delivered for the wizard rave...
Bird Girl mentions the sword. Dorian questions her change in tone from before - Bird Girl enjoys playing with fun words. Words are fun!
The party is in a tough situation. Vani and Dorian are worried that the girl is dead - Ren is deeply concerned about this. They resolve to travel to Malkara, with Vani acting as a scout disguised as a bland looking character with a full, luxurious beard.
They arrive at Lucien’s shop with Bird Girl. Bird Girl and Dorian unwraps the box and displays it to Lucien. Lucien gives Dorian a shipping manifest at a specific location. Lucien inspects the box, then throws it into a trash can inside his shop. Ren’s face drops - she is furious. But she doesn’t do anything. Lucien walks over to the cafe.
Dorian passes the info about the box to Vani, and tells her, “get the box!” The TIP breaks up into two teams.
Team Unboxing
Ren leads Dorian to the dock. Ren cracks open the box and finds a dwarf girl, gaunt and trapped. She breathes deeply, Ren hugs her deeply. The dwarf girl scarfs a number of the good berries, provided by Bird Girl.
The dwarf girl is named Eurydice and puts up her guard again.
“Do you know who did this to you?” asks Dorian.
“A big man. I’m going to kill him next time I see him,” replied Eurydice
“He’s already dead. Do you know Lucien?”
Ren apologizes for the party and asks what can be done. Eurydice doesn’t want our help, and tries to draw a dagger that isn’t there. Ren gives her the location of Bloodline - now Shoreline manor - and lets her know that if she needs anything, the TIP is there to help her. With that, they leave.
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Team Soooooper Sneaky
Bird Girl and Vani find an open window in Lucien’s house. Bird Girl flies up and spots a figure in the shop, shrouded in shadow and dressed all in grey. She taps on the window to draw its attention, but it darts away. Vani climbs up and asks what is going on. A sneaky person is in the shop. Looks like they didn’t leave. They want to go in. Bird Girl grabs Vani and tosses her into the window, but Vani is not a good projectile. Vani flies through the air and attempts to tuck and roll through the open window. Instead, she breaks through a pane of glass and falls inside, sprawling on the floor.
With deadly accuracy this time, Bird Girl throws a pomegranate seed directly in front of Vani’s face. Their stealthy approach now compromised, Bird Girl tries to unlock and enter the window. What appeared a simple task proves to be too much for Bird Girl. She is wedged firmly and ungracefully in the window.
Vani scrambles up and tries to shoo Bird Girl away, then moves deeper into the shop. She tries to be stealthy, but speed trumps stealth. She reaches the trash can where Lucien tossed the box, but it’s empty!
She rushes to the vault and attempts to unlock it - it takes a little bit longer than before. As this is happening, Bird Girl, finally making her way inside, joins Vani.
In the vault is a single sheet of paper that says - I’ll find you.
Bird Girl bursts through the front door of the shop. But Vani hears a noise from upstairs. Bird Girl turns to see where Vani went, but Vani sneaks back to the upper level of the shop. Bird Girl’s version of being sneaky involves a careening through the shop, flying up to the second level, wings spread wide and plumage on full display.
They see a half-elf clad in grey escaping the building. Bird Girl attempts to grab the half-elf before they can get away. She lunges, but the thief drops and ducks away. The thief dives through the window, and skirts another grasp, doing a gainer through the window. Vani tries to replicate this and also dives gracefully through the window. But Vani’s descent is less acrobatic. Her beard gets caught in the window, and she spirals through the air to the ground. She hits the ground hard, and the thief glances down momentarily. Again, a pomegranate seed lands in front of Vani. The thief grins and darts away. Vani recognizes the thief - Shay. Vani shouts after them and tries to pin down their cloak by throwing one more knife. It misses as Shay ducks a corner and gets away.
Bird Girl erupts from the front door in a flurry of feathers. She looks around for the thief - Vani is hurt, but not in mortal danger. She can’t identify the thief either - the thief has disappeared into the vastness of the city.
Vani is in a panic and wants to rush to House Degas, the location of the golem. But first Bird Girl gives her two feathers. One for good omens, the other for bad omens.
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Ren, Bird Girl, and Dorian. Meets up at a halfway point between the docks and the shop. Vani is nowhere to be seen. Bird Girl lets Dorian know where Vani went - the golem. Ren is filled in about the aristocrat’s golem.
Bird Girl shouts “SHHAAAAYYY!” to describe who has the box.
The three of them dither and discuss various options.
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Vani, in mutton chops, arrives at the gate of house Dega, which is kept in impeccable shape. The gates bear no thieves cant, so Vani changes her disguise into that of a human child. The walls of the palace are scalable, not too much of an obstacle. Guards amble throughout the grounds, but are more decorative than menacing. Vani scales the wall and is able to access and assess the grounds without being detected. Vani slowly scales the wall of the palace to a balcony on the second floor. She manages to get inside, waits a bit, then enters the bedroom. To complete her disguise, she takes a stuffed bear and holds it to her chest - a purple bear. She names the bear Mr. Snuggles, and Vani and Mr. Snuggles sneak around the Degas palace. They make their way to the ballroom, where the golem resides.
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Dorian, Bird Girl, and Ren continue to plot out what to do and are having some difficulties figuring things out.
Ren - “I’m afraid I’m a bit out of my element.”
Dorian - “I am too.”
Bird Girl reaches into her bag and pulls out a semi-metallic object. She calls it a “spleen” collected from the demon spirit “Kai.” The spleen is a glassy-metal hybrid.
We get on about greasing golems using Dorian’s newfound powers. Dorian considers what to do, Bird Girl suggests a performance troupe. Dorian is skeptical, and hurts Bird Girl’s feelings. She flies up overhead to sulk, but Dorian reconciles it.
Bird Girl and Ren will serve as a distraction, with Bird Girl describing the black feather, white feather messaging tool.
Dorian uses his newfound magic to disguise himself as a guard, then hops the fence. Parkour! Parkour! Dorian joins the rotation, then makes his way into the house.
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Vani throws a white feather at the feet of the golem.
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Bird Girl becomes the rockstar, Jovi Buffett, puffing up her plumage. Bird Girl shows Ren a small dance. That was beautiful!
They walk boldly through the gate as if they had been invited. A page approaches them.
“We are a gift by request of lady Victoria. From Early Dusk. We are here to audition for the next party.”
“Uh, you’re not, uh, not on the list,” stammers the page.
“I don’t want to be kept waiting. This should have been on the list. Lady Victoria assured me that I would be on the list.” The page trails after Bird Girl and her bodyguard, Ren as she marches forward. Bird Girl bursts into the ballroom in a shower of feathers. She sees the white feather - Vani is alright.
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Vani notices just then that there’s a guard on the balcony across from her, staring directly at her. He winks at her menacingly. Vani recoils. The guard reaches into his pocket and pulls out… a black and a white feather. Oh, it must be Dorian! They all recognize each other.
Bird Girl spots the white feather. “What is that?? Did you have another entertainer in here?? Ren - what is happening? Get him out!!”
Ren points to the exit. The page leaves. The four of them reunite.
They show each other our new toys, and make our ways to the golem. Bird Girl begins a song to act as a distraction as the two rogues tend to the golem. They scale the golem and open its rear panel. The space that should hold the golem’s box is empty.
They are about to attempt to jam the spleen into the golem, hoping it will prevent the thief from putting the box into the golem, and thus reanimating it. But the demon spleen strangely wants to be put inside. As this happens, the door bursts open - Victoria stands, furious. Dorian ducks down, hanging from the golem’s back, and puts the pulsating spleen in his tunic - it’s still pulsing. Dorian grits his teeth.
Victoria and Bird Girl indulge in aristocratic banter.
Bird Girl states her reason of being. “Lady Carnation of the entertainment house. How else would I have graced the presence of such a noble woman?” She points to Ren. “It’s dangerous to go alone. So I take this with me.”
Dorian casts an illusion to disguise himself as an additional chunk of iron on the golem’s back.
Lady Victoria, “Why are you here?”
Bird Girl refers to the entertainment house where she was raised.
“The whorehouse?”
“They are in other lines of work. We are a legitimate operation.”
“Did Dorian put you up to this?”
“Yes. But our contract is legitimate. Please take a look and contact me.” Bird Girl motions to Ren that they are leaving. It takes some time for Ren to figure out the rheoteric, but she picks up on it and follows Bird Girl.
Ren and Bird Girl get escorted out by the page. They reach a corner and Bird Girl seizes this opportunity to try knock out the page. Ren interrupts her, then Bird Girl causes a scene. Ren disagrees with Bird Girl and heads to the front door, the page trailing after her. Bird Girl heads back to the ballroom again, and stealthily heads to the gallery.
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Victoria is in the ballroom, organizing guards for a dinner. She stays in the space for a while, and after a while, a small toddler enters, aged two or so, looking for bear-bear. Victoria is happy and shows affection to the young child. Vani throws Mr. Snuggles over, feeling bad about stealing the boy’s bear. Dorian’s illusion is wearing off soon, but he tries to get away. A servant looks up at the sound of Dorian dropping from his perch on the statue. Dorian ignores the look and strolls casually toward the exit. Bird Girl is back in the room - Dorian and Vani’s eyes meet and they signal each other to leave.
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Ren strikes up a conversation with the page, introduces herself. The page’s name is Claire. They make small chat. Claire’s parents work there. Victoria is the advisor. House Dega is something that is a bit over Ren’s head. Ren tells Claire the page about adventuring, recreating scenes and swinging her anchor about.
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Dorian and Vani chat about Shay. Vani gives some information about Shay and describes how they might be able to work together. Would Vani steal something back that was freely given and delivered? Yes. Vani will send out signals to locate Shay, then recuperate.
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We pass by Lucien’s shop, and the place is in shambles. Dorian notices what has happened, and is… perplexed. Bird Girl holds up a black feather by way of explanation for the fiasco and they head home. As they head back, Vani and Dorian have a quick chat about the book that was stolen from Lucien.
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As we head back, Jeremiah is cleaning up a tremendous mess.
“There wath a robbery. The manor hath been ranthacked.”
Bird Girl rushes to the library. Dorian asks about the state of things. Ren asks how Jeremiah is doing.
“Oh, and thir. There wath an invitation thent to you. Dorian ith to meet Lord Dega at hith earlietht convenienthe.”
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Dorian and Vani continue their conversation. Vani gives information about the book and where she stole it. Vani has the bookmark and gives it to Dorian.
“I took these things, because I’m curious. And I opened the vault again to see what was inside. It said I’ll find you.”
Dorian examines the curious placement of holes in the gilded bookmark. “In for a penny, in for a pound,” he says as he goes off to examine the book and bookmark.
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