The party camps a little off the road from the lodge of the 4 of clubs.
The party discusses whether they should attend this ball, the merits of rescuing the people of Lyric, or simply finding their own way home by powering the dagger.
They are interrupted by a dust cloud marching up the road which resolves itself to a caravan. The party observes:
- A noble in a carriage with 4 guards, later resolved to be the 8 of spades.
- A cook scrambling around even as the caravan moves
- A merchant panicking about his wares
The party decides to join the caravan. Helia (as the only Fae) masquerades as the owner of a menagerie of exotic creatures restrained by ropes.
The party hails the merchant and learns that the caravan is headed to the City of Hearts to supply the ball. The merchant is convinced that he can somehow profit from this menagerie and that the Queen of Hearts will be most pleased.
As the party travels with the caravan they pick up minor gossip from the cook. The 8 of spades seems stressed and stays largely to himself.
The caravan heads back down southwards, back towards the Town of Diamonds.
The caravan breaks for lunch, where they notice Archer striding into camp and walking straight to the 8 of spades. Archer disappears into the carriage for a short duration, and then emerges after with the 8 of spades in tow.
The 8 of spades gestures to the merchant, who eventually gestures in the direction of the party.
Hanzo breaks away into a nearby thicket. The archer marches towards the party.
There is some thomaturgy that the archer peels way 2 guards for.
The archer confronts Helia about where these non-Fae came from. Did they escape from the town of diamonds?
Helia claims that these non-Fae are completely unrelated. After the archer presses for details, Harloc blurts out that they are sex slaves and they don’t want to talk about it more. The party also reveals that they know something about the Princess of Diamonds, at which point the Archer wants to take them away from the camp to talk further.
The party calls out to Hanzo, who sets up a haphazard ambush. Reunited again, the party heads off the camp to talk with the Archer:
- The party relates their knowledge of the Tinkers Guild transposition and the princess of diamonds.
- In response, the Archer states that the humans are not being held against their will. Some of them are trying to dig back to the material plane (which the party had assumed was a concentration camp from a distance).
- The Archer is troubled by transposition but doesn’t have much else to offer. She suggests that the party find some way into the Queen of Hearts ball, at which point the archer can grant an audience.
The Archer returns the party to the camp making a big show of how pleased the Queen of Hearts will be with this menagerie, hinting at the carnal pleasures to be enjoyed.
This causes much embarassment and the rest of camp largely keep their distance from the party. The party does pick up a little gossip here and there.
The party arrives in the city of hearts and heads towards a seedier pub The Roly Poly Little Bat Faced Girl.
Harloc retcons a personal connection to the bartender Al, who wants nothing to do with him. Hanzo asks where the nearest occultist shop might be and Al gives the party directions.
The party splits, with Helia and Harloc looking for an inn.
Hanzo, Cory, and Louis head to the occultist shop with dark windows. As they enter, a voice from the back asks them to go away and leave him alone.
Cory responds by plainly stating that they are looking for rubies with evil souls stuck in them, which immediately triggers a combat encounter.
Louis is knocked unconscious by a reflection and the 3 of them catch a glimpse of a cloaked figure with glowing tattoos (Prince of Darkness) before it casts darkness. The party flees from the shop and makes their way to the inn with Helia and Harloc who promptly heal Louis.
As the waning crescent moon rises, the party experiments:
- The dress shows no change
- The orb shows no change