#wild chrys spotted!

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{I WANNA SHOW OFF MY DYES IN CASE I DON'T GET TO SHOW UP THIS YEAR

Been holding onto these since last year, but I can't decide on wings or cape ;w; Fashion brain go brrrr}

[ronan-dreaming]

ARE Y’ALL READY FOR A WILD RIDE? Because the session notes from our particularly spooky session last weekend are here, and they are 100% wild. 

As before, Bree began to question Mera regarding their leads, this time specifically the noble families of Zadar.

Falón asks about the heirs, Alwyn to start with. Mera shares with us that she’s very beautiful and has many admirers: a moon elf and an actress, playing the lead in the religious play currently going on. Then she tells us about Aimo; a human who’s family has fallen from favor due to disreputable rumors swirling around his mother. Apparently, she was committing sacrilegious acts outside the church... like sacrifices to a demon for the family clout. She was exiled after these rumors spread.

Falón asks if Mera works in seamstress’ guild, as that’s where she heard these rumors, and when she says yes Bree shows her the scrap of velvet they found. Mera concurs that it looks like it would be worn by a noble, but that many nobles often work with specific seamstresses or have servants make their clothing for them, so she doesn’t know much beyond that.

We say goodbye to Mera and step into an alley to discuss how to continue. We agree to try and get the earring back by masquerading as a servant to one of the families; Chrys offers to play the role for us, and so we head to the jewelers.

Falón joins Chrys inside while Bree and Finryn wait across the street. Like the previous cycle, the copper dragonborn (who our DM calls Bordany) is still working there and eyes the two of them warily. Chrys approaches the counter, and although he begins a bit slow and awkwardly and Bordany seems skeptical, he acknowledges him as a servant of house Mirna and fetches the earring for him.

After they rejoin the rest of us, we agree to go find a seamstress to ask about the velvet. We wander for a bit before finally spotting somewhere useful, and there’s an older blue dragonborn lady working there that Bree approaches. It’s cute: the dragonborn assumes Bree is trying to keep up with the latest fashions, which Bree rolls with. She tells them that she did make a garment out of it for both family heirs: a cape for Aimo and a gown for Alwyn’s roll in the play. Bree also asks for directions to Aimo’s house, and she’s more than happy to help.

Outside, Falón comments on how nice Bree was to the dragonborn and how weird it was to watch, before we head to the manor of house Mirna. The estate has a very “hollow, fragile look about it”. Very plain on the outside, looking like “bleached bone”. Falón knocks and we’re greeted not by a manservant, but by a very well dressed young man with long, blond hair and beautiful golden eyes. He introduces himself as the man of the hour, heir Aimo, and then asks what business we have.

Falón stammers a bit and asks if he’s missing a piece of jewelry. We notice then, that he is wearing a matching earring to the one we hold, but one of his earlobes is bare. Aimo asks if we found his earring and Bree states that we may have, but we do hand it over. Aimo asks how he can repay us and then invites us inside for a drink. Bree accepts and he leads us through his grand, very dusty, hall and into the garden.

He pours us all a glass of wine and makes small talk about our business in time. At one point, Bree excuses themself to the bathroom and begins to poke around. They discover nothing upstairs, but that the path downstairs seemed traveled more, so they headed down into the wine cellar. After a series of shitty rolls, Bree begins to head back, only to see at the last moment a patch of dark something on the ground. They investigate it and give it a good sniff and yep, it’s blood!! They shove the barrels aside and find a passage that leads to a massive pile of bodies, all dead and seemingly devoid of blood.

Bree quickly makes their way back upstairs and to the garden. They use the Message can trip to fill their companions in on what they found, and immediately Falón’s face turns and alerts Aimo. He calls Bree out on snooping, but doesn’t deny it, and then admits to eating his victims when we ask about the missing organs. And then, since none of us state it, he confirms that he’s a vampire as well... and yet, he’s standing in the sun.

Falón asks why he leaves the son alive. Aimo laughs and says he doesn’t have to do it, but he’s mimicking someone else: the Murderer of Tathar. Falón demands to know what he knows about those murders, and Aimo aunts him that he doesn’t need to tell us, but thanks to his good ol’ bad guy mentality, he tells us anyway. 

Aimo tells us that he’s part of an order: he’s one of 13 in the War Dogs of Asmodeous. Bree’s stomach immediately churns, and Aimo goes on to say that his superior was in clan Tathar for a while and that was the one who killed the others, and said superior was in high favor with Asmodeous, and that’s Aimo’s goal.

Bree sneers that they would never want anything from Asmodeus, and Falón tries to get the name of Aimo’s superior, which Aimo admits that he doesn’t know because anonymity is such a big thing in their group. He taunts Bree some more about how everyone could stand to gain something from Asmodeus, before Falón confirms with Bree that we don’t need anymore information from him, and then he draws his bow and attacks.

Bree at one point taunts Aimo for not getting in Asmodeus’ good graces by killing two of his offspring, and while Aimo isn’t phased by this, he does end up having a really hard time hitting them, so ;) Bree wins. 

Ironically, the only reason anyone fell unconscious during this fight was because Chrys cast a spell that Aimo saved against... and Falón didn’t. So he fell unconscious. Thanks, Chrys.

After being healed a bit Falón deals the “final” strike through Aimo’s heart, only for Aimo to dissipate into mist and begin skedaddling along the ground. Chrys, being our most trained magic user, is the only one who knows what to do and tells us to keep attacking the mist.

AND WE KILL HIM! Falón deals the TRUE final blow.

However, at the end of the fight, Falón feels very lightheaded and Chrys comments on him not looking so hot. He then collapses, seemingly unconscious. As Bree rushes over, Finryn checks and doesn’t find a pulse. She tries to cast Revivify, and it doesn’t work.

With help, Bree drags Falón inside and they find a bedroom to lay him on. They’re sending constant prayers to the Raven twins to find out why Falón is dead, demanding to know what’s going on, and Finryn is crying silently as Chrys suggests we visit the Raven King’s temple. Bree tells him they’ll go, and Chrys goes with them while Zoved stays behind with Finryn.

They rush over just as the sun begins to set. Bree goes to the center and, in prayer, again demands to know what’s going on. The Raven Queen speaks but doesn’t appear, and says “do not fret over much. You have completed the task. When you wake tomorrow, it will be a new day.” Bree states that Falón had better wake up, and the Queen laughs and wishes them luck.

Chrys and Bree share a tight hug before heading back with the news. After we inform Finryn and Zoved, we all find a semi-comfortable place around Falón’s bed, and fall asleep.

The next day!! We made it to the actual next day! No Mera!

Falón is the first to wake up, miraculously. The sun shines down on him through a window... and it burns. Just as Falón scrambles out of bed and away from the sunlight, we end.

VAMPIRE FALÓN  VAMPIRE FALÓN  VAMPIRE FALÓN  VAMPIRE FALÓN!!!!!

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{CATBOY CHRYS CATBOY CHRYS CATBOY CHRYS-}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

How a standard morning usually is with Catmander Chrysallus and his lieutenant, Aurienal. As you can see, even though he only has his morning caffeine in hand, Auri is already feeling today is going to be a long day :)

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

I wanna be clear, I hopped up here to be up high and get some pre-parade screens, and I'm just now realizing that the flames are invisible from one side lmao

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

Vibe check time:

Which music genres do my trio give off? Can be solo, duo, or trio vibes.

Left to right: Chrysallus, Aurienal, Arioch

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Yes, I bought the new chair specifically for aesthetic reasons}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

rank your trio from most to least popular with their coworkers!!! (for arioch that can either mean when it was with the court or now that it's hanging around w the commander and co) -@wyldblunt

Hehehehe-

Honestly, I feel like making two separate lists for this

In terms of "most liked/respected" it goes like this

Aurienal: They are sociable, they are caring and compassionate, they are single-handedly managing Chrys's stress half the time so he's not either tearing heads off or imploding from his anxiety, and they can have a good time!

Chrysallus: He may be Pact Commander and Aurene's champion, but beyond the titles, a lot of people don't know him well enough to make comments. Part of that is the apparent propaganda war between Aurienal and Arioch about his personality. Chrys knows nothing about this. Otherwise, he is capable of being civil for a lot of bullshit.

Arioch: As a Courtier? There are a lot that want it dead. After joining Chrys's group and then post-PoF though, they see it as a source of entertainment, spinning wild conspiracy theories. It's seen more as a person when it opens a little shop in LA, selling potions and incense mainly. Does it still grate on people's nerves? Hell yeah, it's funny to rile people up. But at least people aren't trying to kill it.

Now the list for the Court, because they are people too and have heard enough gossip to debate this

Chrysallus: Beside the vested interest of "if we turn the dragon's champion and hero of tyria to nightmare, we'd be unstoppable!" train of thought, he's actually pretty well-liked among the Court. There was a period of time where Chrys got into all sorts of trouble for spying on the Court, but Auri was the only dreamer who knew about certain things, like tending to an injured courtier's wounds out of the kindness of his heart. This is met with a lot of confusion, but they felt respected as people. He's usually left alone for that day.

Arioch: Again, it is a source of entertainment by the Court when it was there by potion mishaps and wild mechanical creations wreaking havoc in Caledon. Popularity spiked hearing that Chrys was dead and it's Dark Hunt was complete, but fell out of favor once it left the Court for good. Now it is kill on sight if a courtier spots it.

Aurienal: For obvious reasons, they are seen as a more devout Dreamer. Let's also not forget the incident with the white stag, which Sariel took high offense with enough to attack the Grove over. They would kill courtiers on sight as a reflex, but so long as they don't trigger their fight or flight, they are usually left alone.

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{A couple of the pre-Gala photos, since I was still fretting about my outfit and dyes by then}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Went to the fashion show that @zhenghuaz hosted! I had a lovely time, even though I mostly watched}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Went back to one of Chrys’s little hiding places. He spent a good portion of PoF/LWS4 up here. It’s so peaceful and beautiful at night}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{So he got a new outfit. It was time for a change in wardrobe anyway}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Character ref for art later, but this is his gear}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Popped into the Grove for a bit for a little photo shoot before I went to work, I think I finally decided on his Virtuoso gear ~🌸}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Some of my favorite screens of Chrysallus while running around Tyria}

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

{Couldn’t decide on the angle, so I just posted all of them. I liked the vibe, couldn’t help myself}