Surprise Surprise

Gregory cleaned the Hunting Lodge in Arden. It was (surprise surprise) still filthy from the hordes of creepy fae that had been living there. Gregory wanted to make it look nice for his daddy’s return. He wanted to use a mop, but he didn’t have one. So he used a mop-topped fae critter that looked like a Muppet^TM instead.

Now that Osric is really, really dead, Raj, Searlas and The Witch poked around Osric's personal chambers. They found some good fruit and a gigantic ewer. Searlas used the Trump sword to contact Gabriel, who was (surprise surprise) poking around Brand’s personal chambers in the Keep. Gabriel hid in a closet before pulling all three of them through.

Giselle spoke with Ailill, both euphemistically and literally. She decided she wanted to visit Merlin but couldn’t right away  because she was (surprise surprise) naked. She took a shower and dried herself with a fluffy towel. Remembering that she didn’t have Merlin’s trump, she called Mandor at his ways.

Aedan went looking for Martin. He was directed to Julian’s rooms where he found Gerard pacing in the antechamber. Apparently, Martin and Julian were having a private conversation. Gerard told Aedan that nobody had been able to contact anyone in Rebma and that the usual method of travelling there had been disrupted by Leviathan’s water show. Aedan trumped Giselle. She was only wearing the fluffy towel, so he gave her his trump so she could call him later. Aedan ate dinner, then reviewed security for the castle and environs and found (surprise surprise) that the reserves had been called up.

In Fact

Eventually, Giselle called Aedan back. He brought her through to Amber. They watched the sun set from a small gazebo on the lawn and spoke at some length. According to Giselle, the Seraph wants to be a player in the Avatar-Goddess game, but it isn’t. Giselle said that she believed that none of the current crop of avatars are her type. She’s a creator, a bringer of life, not a creature of death and war. Giselle claimed she had rejected the Seraph. In fact, she showed her scar-free hand to prove it. Aedan gave Giselle his trump of Flora. Aedan trumped Gregory and brought him through to the castle.

Raj brought the Witch called Sunset through to Amber. They toured the castle and bumped into Gregory and Aedan in the Great Hall. Sunset asked what was wrong with Gregory, but the game only lasted six hours so there wasn’t, in fact, enough time to tell her everything. Aedan and Gregory saddled up their horses and rode out. Raj and the Witch went to the Pattern room.

Gregory and Aedan rode off into the evening. They shifted until they came upon a freaky desert scene. A muscular woman was dancing to Arabian music. They approached the tent and spoke with her. She was, in fact, The Tower. She didn’t try to convince Gregory to join her side. She left a bloody thumbprint on Aedan’s eyeball and departed.

Sort Of

Raj and the Witch viewed Brand’s paintings in the Gallery, most notably some of  Brand’s more abstract work. Sunset had a “splotch” in her brain sort of like Brand’s art. They returned to Osric’s realm so she could think.

Giselle was finally allowed to meet with Lugh. She also saw Finnvarra, who was almost alive. The old guy wanted to meet with all of his known children: Lugh, Giselle, and Cian. Giselle went to get Cian and to investigate a book that Athena1 sort of left behind.

Then for Aedan the world got weird. The sand got all bloody and the air felt heavy and thick. Aedan summoned the Seraph so he could insult it. It attacked him and he fought back. Gregory stepped between the two combatants and exhibited a heretofore-unknown spooky power that sort of involved sucking.

Where was Gabriel this whole time? 

[Chronicler's Note: The Original Hidden Message in this Chronicle told us that Gabriel was getting to know muppets, fruit, and a legion of unwashed masses in a "biblical" way.]