[Spoilers C4E40] Episode Discussion
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Halloween Outfit Episode!
Runtime Break start 3h 57m 1h 59m
Episode 40: Masks in the Round
We return to the exact moment we left off with our Schemers Table some few weeks ago, I believe. Here at the Hallowed Round, pitched battle commences as the assassination of Wicander Halovar is still in process even though Wicander Halovar is no longer in this dimension at all.
I'm going to give us a recap of the previous episode, but I'm actually going to do a little fun thing here and do it in-world based on a roll. Liam, as Halandil Fang, would you give me an Insight check, if you'd be so kind?
Halandil Fang, standing to your feet woozily from unconsciousness, as Hollis Kinnywater (the halfling warlock and servant of Tsul'rekshi, who unbeknownst to you had her throat cut out, cut open and her tongue pulled out and severed by Tyranny less than an hour ago). Hollis Kinnywater heals you very slightly, turns around, and takes the man you've been desperately trying to save and banishes him to the Pit of demonkind and then drops to all fours, going perfectly still which (without him needing to cast a spell at all) begins to render him invisible as Hollis (in any lack of motion) turns invisible.
With a 12 Insight getting to your feet, you are immediately next to Godard Halovar (whose massive half-celestial fist just pummeled you with a single blow into unconsciousness) who is now being directly questioned by Harondus Einfasen (who was right next to him) who is also pointing at Murray and the assassins to put them under arrest. On a 12 Insight, everything is blurry and swirling around you, but several things become clear to you:
- You are the only person who saw Hollis Kinnywater.
- You are the only person that saw that he did something to Wicander Halovar (and Wicander and Tyranny are both gone).
160 feet up this way, Azune (no longer in the box) is all the way up here (having rushed forward into the audience) holding Wicander to reunite him with Tyranny, rushing down into this place. Murray, you have leapt into the box here. You can hear (Hal) noise happening over on this side. You also look around you and it all starts to come back. You were doing the play. Effie Parvinas, Jekara Vodik, and Agztash Splitknuckle and his Candescent Creed nurse are all here in their boxes. Tsul'rekshi sent them invitations that were magical. They've all come. This was your night to try to make inroads into the Revolutionary Council and then all this happened. "Death to the Sundered Houses, death to tyrants" as the assassins did their bloody work. The Lady Iris Halovar (a mere 15 feet away from you) prostrate on the table next to one lone guard of House Halovar is still unconscious but stable on that table. You cast a Suggestion on one of the assassins and it worked and it gave them enough time for Wick to get away.
Harondus has tried to arrest the assassins but also, Murray has leapt into the box. She has cast Haste on Azune. Azune was hurling spells at a masked figure who disappeared from sight for reasons that are unclear. But more than any of this, the assassins are both still up. One of them is bloodied. One of them is injured but not bloodied. There's light. Did Wick grow wings for a second? You know they're trying to kill him here. There was some kind of magic at work.
The three Revolutionary Council members are here watching chaos. Everyone else in the theater is watching the show. You see people watching what (but for an incredible amount of arcane effort) would've just been the ruinous end of The Hallowed Round. Wicander Halovar being assassinated with those assassins calling out, "Death to the Sundered Houses" in this place. But there's confusion around. People are shouting. You hear people nearby going, "He's trying to help!" Are they talking about you? They are.
No one knew that a spell got cast, but they saw you tell one of the assassins to restrain the other one (and he seemed to listen) until Godard Halovar punched you in the head. People don't know what that means. You realize that what has happened here is obvious chaos that the Hallowed Round does not need, but it's not telling the story that Yanessa Halovar wanted it to tell.
What is happening in this box in front of 10,000 residents of Dol-Makjar, is a play with a very confusing first act that the ending has not yet been written to. You got the whole city watching. I think on that 12 Insight, the last thing you see (in addition to some that watched you take a hit from Godard Halovar calling out that you hadn't attacked anyone or done anything, even though that's a small number of people because that was not flashy). There's a lot of spell energy flying around. What is flashy is your friend, Captain Azune Nayar (who, with Chromatic Orbs flying and with the professor's Haste spell) is crackling with electricity, sprinting up the steps and looks for all the city like an avenging sorcerous angel who has just publicly saved Wicander Halovar in front of the entire city.
Who knows what this play is? You didn't choose to write it. But people remember plays by their ending. Maybe we can save it.
We return to initiative. Ending that round, Murray Mag'Nesson, you are up at the bottom of that round. As everyone watches Lioran Halovar (the little brother of Wicander) throw that healing spell as his brother apparently grows wings (but it's impossible to tell because there's also demonic mist and vapor all around them from Tyranny's Banishment followed immediately by Wicander's that all scans as one magical act).