Session: Feb. 5th, 2024

The nerves are getting to me. I'm trying very hard to appear calm and collected on the outside, but inside I'm screaming. We left Chaedove's home (which, slight good news there - it looks like it was decisively abandoned and not hastily abandoned), and headed into town to grab our carriage. It was easy enough to find, and only required about a 15 minute wait on our end, which I appreciated. The closer we get, the less I want to wait, even though I'm nervous as the hells.
 
We attempted to do some group planning, but as Elegant pointed out, there are just too many factors at play to really figure out a good strategy ahead of time. Ideally we'd be able to get Mother alone, kill her, and before anyone has realized, go free the hostages. Then I can deal with whatever madness is leftover so I don't leave an entire province in chaos. Perhaps Father would be willing to preside over it...gods know he'd be a significantly better option for them. But being able to go with that plan requires many things to fall into place - it means Dan'or'avil can't be there, we actually get Mother alone, we're able to actually use the distraction of guests as a help and not a hindrance, not all the guards or servants will be against us, G'Vath'Haz isn't able to somehow overpower me and Mortalis, we find the hostages, etc. Also depends on whether or not the layout of the house has changed at all. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see, which I am not a fan of. We agreed we'd take at least a day to take stock of the situation and figure out where we stand.
 
When we got into the main town, it was apparent they were setting up for some celebration, though none of the townsfolk seemed particularly excited for it. They also seemed to be a bit off-put by our carriage. I'm hoping that means that people aren't content about the way things are being run, and that killing Mother and putting someone new in place will be easier than I think.
 
When we arrived home, there were a couple new very gaudy sphinx statues out front, which I thought was interesting. She'd always had the lions, but this was a strange addition. It was just as well taken care of as I remembered, though I'm wondering if she's still getting Father to do a lot of the grounds work, or if that's too much of a risk nowadays.
 
And then...there she was. In all her snake-like glory. She was as charming as ever, being the doting noble she wants people to think she is. She and Elegant didn't talk about much, she just welcomed him and said we'd be welcomed to get settled before meeting 'her and her husband' for dinner. I felt my breath catch when she said that - Father will be at dinner. I'll actually get to see him. It's been two years, and that feels like an eternity. I have Subtle Spell too...so I can send him a message at the dinner table without anyone knowing. I can actually see his face while I'm talking to him. What a joy that will be!
 
We were led to our rooms shortly after, and Mud asked the servant what was on all of our minds - what was the celebration about? Apparently, my birthday. It's almost laughable that she forces the townsfolk to hold a celebration for her "missing and presumed dead" daughter every year. Though, it was strange, because Mother's Chamberlain said I had been executed recently, and this servant was saying I was presumed dead, which are two very different states of being. But when I asked, he kind of danced around the subject.
 
It worries me a little, the timing of it all. I hadn't been paying attention to the fact that my birthday was coming up. We've had a lot going on, and it's never been something I particularly cared about. But the fact that she would ask us here, for that "celebration"...knowing I used to travel in this group...it seems suspicious. I don't know for sure that she got us here just so she could pull something on my birthday - though that would be just like her. Find a way to make my birthday all about her getting what she wants. It just seems too coincidental, and it has me even more on edge than I originally was. I'm hoping I might be able to sneak around the house tonight, or have some practice with Mortalis...I need to do something to make me feel like I'm being productive in the situation. I waited 15 years to get my revenge; I can hardly believe the time is finally here.