Episode 20

Content Warning
Content Warning w/ SPOILERS: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence, including blood and gore, depictions of burning buildings, including asphyxiation, and sound effects to simulate a burning, collapsing building. Finally, this episode contains the death of NPCs. This includes the depiction of the death of a family member, which takes place towards the end of the episode, around 1:40:00.

Recap
''The violence championed in Wheldon finally takes its toll. The stakes rise with each moment passed. How will the Strings of Fate face the phantasmagoria made manifest before their eyes? ''

Part 1
On the balcony, Vincent and Renaer hear gunshots and screams from inside the ballroom, but Renaer is focused on the red glow of fire consuming the Thorn and Walsh manors. They decide to go get the others.

Inside, time literally stops around Azzurum as Tyron fires at him, the bullet halted in mid-air. At the table is a new guest, flipping through a small ledger. He is a lithe man with darker hair that is neatly styled, shrewd silver eyes behind black-framed glasses that sit upon a pale face. He wears a business-like three-piece suit. In his left hand is a silver-chained pocket watch with a swirling emblem, and in the right a ballpoint pen.

The man, known as the Huntsmaster, slides a contract across the table as he address Azzurum. He explains that the contract from the Mistress is different this time, an open contract with no singular target. The Mistress had determined that Wheldon was about to become a hotspot for extraplanar activity, and "hunters" in the surrounding areas are being called in to deal with any creatures that cross the veil. When asked for more information, the Hunstmaster says that the local religious structure calls this plane the Plane of Gluttony, which might help. He also says that there is no particular quota, so long as Azzurum "exhibits his participation." Any failure to fulfill his duties will result in the termination of the contract and revocation of any powers granted.

As he reads and signs the contract, Azzurum asks if he will be able to meet the Mistress. The Huntsmaster says it is not impossible, but Azzurum would need to come "where we are." He says he will put in a good word and submit the paperwork to HR. He closes the ledger and disappears - time resumes.

Vincent and Renaer enter the ballroom from the northern balcony. Looking around, they see Tasha frozen in fear on the stage while Valentina moves towards her with an ebony black dagger in her hands. The staff and orchestra - unaffected by the spell, since they didn't drink - are panicking and running, but many are attacked by the guests as they attempt to flee. Vincent bolsters one orchestra member with bardic inspiration as he makes his way to Tasha on the stage, trying to cut Valentina off. Valentina shouts at Vincent to get out of her way and lunges forward with her dagger - and Renaer jumps into her path, taking the strike instead. The dagger is poisoned, and Renaer takes a great deal of damage, is poisoned and stunned. Vincent recognizes the poison as the same one used on Aona.

Meanwhile, Lidara and Azzurum agree to split, with Lidara moving stealthily towards Tasha, Vincent, and Renaer. Valentina is raving at Vincent, saying how the party had been against her from the beginning, and had been working for Tasha the whole time. Vincent, not having time for this, grabs Renaer and casts Dimension Door to pull them onto the balcony. With the path to Tasha cleared, Valentina goes to attack her true target, but Lidara is faster - her thrown dagger buries itself into the back of Valentina's head, killing her in one hit. Lidara grabs Tasha and tries to calm her down as they move away - and they catch sight of a blond head of hair in the rafters - Finnegan, expression blank.

Simultaneously, Azzurum squares off against Tyron, drawing him towards the eastern balcony. Tyron tries to take another shot, but his gun jams. Frustrated and still motivated by the spell, he drops the gun and instead pulls another black dagger, similar to the one held by Valentina. The dagger drips a sizzling liquid as he makes a strike against Azzurum, but Azzurum shrugs off the worst of the poison's affects. Unable to pull away from Tyron, Azzurum instead pulls him closer and launches them both off of the edge of the balcony. As they fall, Azzurum launches an Astral Hook back up the balcony and kicks Tyron off of him. Tyron falls to his death, while Azzurum is pulled back to safety.

The party converges on the balcony, Tasha in tow. They discuss their options and decide to use Polymorph to turn Lidara into a giant eagle (black, with silver wingtips). They pile on and begin to fly towards the Thorn manor, but they see Finnegan Walsh standing at the edge of the balcony with that same emotionless face, devoid of any of their usual smiles, winks, cheekiness, or charm. Vincent casts a Message towards Finnegan, asking what they hoped to accomplish. Finnegan replies monotonously, "Just a bit of chaos, I suppose." They then send a crackling red energy towards Lidara, which Vincent Counterspells.

They fly over the town towards the Thorn Manor, and below they can see Thorns and Walshes making their way to the center of town, where things are going to get ugly.

Part 2
Arriving at the Thorn Manor, Tasha points out the window where the genasi family would be staying. The room is filled with debris and burned to a crisp, but they can make out that the wall to the hallway has been blown outward. Vincent contacts Selk with Sending but receives no response. Azzurum leaps from Lidara's back into the building, crashing through the window. As he lands, electricity pulses from his skin and a gust of wind puts out the fire int he room around him. Lidara follows, crashing through the wall in her eagle form with the others before reverting to her normal self. Azzurum continues forward, running into the hallway with Lidara on his heels.

The smoke in the hallway is too thick for Lidara to breathe, and at Azzurum's urging, she turns around. Azzurum continues on alone to an entertainment room where the family is huddled together. The twins are crying over their mother, Adelaide and Adela are trying their best to breathe, and Cygnet is attempting to lift debris off of Aona, who is trapped beneath. Once more summoning that wind power within him, Azzurum extinguishes the fire in the room, and works together with Cygnet to free Aona. Two well-placed blasts are enough to blow a hole in the wall to the exterior of the building, and using Lidara's borrowed rope of climbing, Adela's ability to shape water, and Aona's powers, they are able to get all of the family lowered down to the grounds of the manor. Azzurum shouts down to Aona to keep them safe, and Aona meets his eyes for the first time, nodding.

As Azzurum goes back through the hallway, it collapses on him. Lidara, who was still nearby, casts Longstrider on him, and they are able to make their way to the main foyer.

Meanwhile, Vincent asks Tasha for directions to Tyron's study and heads there himself, hoping to find information on the poison. Although he does not find what he's looking for, he does take a ledger. He rejoins Renaer and Tasha in the foyer as Azzurum and Lidara arrive, and Azzurum asks if he had gotten his friend.

Guilt at forgetting Archie overcomes Vincent, and he freezes as the voice in the amulet laughs. Renaer grabs his face and casts his version of Calm Emotions, and offers to go get Archie. Vincent refuses to let Renaer go, and instead has Lidara accompany him. A message to Archie confirms he is in his room, but trapped. On the second floor, Lidara is once again strongly affected by the smoke in the air and is forced to turn back. Vincent moves forward and clears the debris blocking the door to Archie's room. Entering, he lifts Archie and moves to the window, messaging Azzurum to ask if he could cast Levitate. Azzurum confirms that he can, and Vincent leaps from the window with Archie - they are safely caught by Azzurum's magic.

With everyone rescued from inside, the party runs away from the building, which finally collapses behind them. The force created by the collapse knocks Azzurum unconscious, but a Cure Wounds (delivered by a slap to the ass) by Vincent brings him back quickly.

They meet up with the genasi family on the grounds, where they discover that Selk has slipped away. Around her, the family is grieving while Aona is doing chest compressions to attempt - in vain - to revive her. Azzurum exclaims that he cannot let another person die on him, and Vincent and Lidara attempt to calm the group down, reassuring them that Vincent will be able to do something to help. They relocate to a small garden shed for safety, and Vincent casts Private Sanctum around them, again summoning the image of the astral sea.

Meanwhile, in the center of Wheldon, the fighting rages on and more buildings are consumed in flame. The cobblestone streets run with blood, and we focus on one puddle flowing from a Thorn uniformed body... and that pool of blood twitches.

The Strings of Fate

 * Azzurum Esen-Carr
 * Lidara Mormaer
 * Vincent Obra
 * Renaer Neverember

Returning

 * Valentina Thorn
 * Tasha Thorn
 * Tyron Thorn
 * Finnegan Walsh
 * Archie
 * Selk
 * Adela
 * Adelaide
 * Cygnet
 * Tidus and Tidan
 * Aona

Debuts

 * Mistress (mention)
 * Huntsmaster

Mentions

 * William Walsh
 * Jarlaxle Baenre