Session Report 10: A Royal Audience and a Prophecy

General Summary

Our party found themselves back at the Tawil Townhouse one hour after having become the Champions of the Arena at the Grand Sentinel Games. It had been a very full day of combat and athletic contests, and so the Heroes of Sentinel spent the next few hours relaxing and preparing for the royal banquet. The faithful Tawil Butler, Geoffrey had prepared a few warm tubs and snacks to ease their sore bones.

While everyone was bathing and preparing for the event, Darshan Tawil came down to congratulate the party on a successful day at the Arena. Darshan also requested a conversation with a totally disarmed Steve, who still lay naked in the bathtub in a room with Cleetus and Aethrondil in two different tubs. Darshan was inquisitive of Steve’s upbringing and standing in Cyrodill. Steve explained that his mother had died at a very young age while his father had participated in the War of the Red Diamond and had never returned. Darshan expressed his sympathy to Steve, as a good man needs his father. Going on a bit of a tangent, Darshan noted that it was up to Camila to ensure the legacy of the Tawil Vineyards as Cleetus’ ex-wife had gone on to marry a Crown, while Lady Shaia Kurt was already married to a Duke in High Rock. In order for the Tawil Vineyards to continue after Darshan and Jeahleen die, Camila must be wed to a man of good standing and who will commit to continuing their legacy. He also chastised Steve for not asking his permission to begin courting Camila, something he understood as possible cultural ignorance therefore was willing to over look it. With one final word of fatherly warning, Darshan took his leave to allow the party to continue getting ready.
It wouldn’t be long after the Heroes finished their preparations that Jeahleen and Camila would arrive from the Townhouse. It was time to begin the banquet. As the group began the walk to Castle Sentinel, they noticed a heavily armored presence of Imperial soldiers interspersed with the Order of the Candle knights. Lord Commander Saraad let the party in, directing them to meet with the eccentric palace steward, Finnius Vaughn for a quick lesson on court etiquette. The party were told the proper titles to address both the King and the Empress with, while also being shown the correct way to bow before them. Once Finnius was satisfied with their attempts, he led them into the great feast hall where they were given a seat with some of the various nobles and merchants in town like Grizlyc of the East Empire Company and Varric, the Arena Announcer.
Exchanging pleasantries with the other guests for a few minutes, it would not be long before the arrival of the King and the Empress, followed closely by Imperial guards and Blades Agents, including Knight Sister Solaine. Upon taking their seats, the jovial and bombastic King Fahara’jad the IV thanked everyone in attendance and gave a toast to the Heroes of Sentinel. The Empress would then rise and give a great speech, announcing the Empire would fund the reconstruction and expansion of the Sentinel docks, the Empire would create a permanent Imperial presence in Hammerfell in order to assist Saraad in rooting out the Darkin, and finally, she announced that her son Cassynder Septim, the heir to the Imperial throne and the Kingdom of Wayrest would be betrothed to Fahara’jad’s daughter Princess Maryam.
After the speech, the party would be granted an audience with the King and Empress. The party would all nail the introductory bows, save for Cleetus, who in completing the bow fell flat on his face, much to the delight of the young Prince Cassynder and Princess Maryam. The King would congratulate them for an excellent showing at the games, and thank them for their work in rooting out the Darkin hideout. The Empress would remark to Aethrondil that he showed exceptional skill as a mage, and offered to potentially make introductions to Imperial Battlemage Direnni if he would like after Aethrondil expressed his desire to potentially join their ranks.
During the audience, a messenger would arrive to whisper into the King’s ear. His typically bombastic and jolly demeaner would change drastically upon hearing the message, dismissing the party back to their tables. It would not be long after they sat down that the doors would push open and a small squad of Crowns warriors would enter the room, followed by the young Prince Phastos of Hegathe, along with a Priestess of Tall Papa and a Priestess of Satakal.
The King would remark that the Prince was not invited to this court, at which the Prince would reply that he decided to come present himself before the Empress anyway. The party would learn from the conversation between the King, Empress, and Prince that Prince Phastos’ father was once the King of Hegathe, however after siding with Potema Septim during the War of the Red Diamond, he and his holdings were reduced to a small Princedom, and many of the Crowns strongholds had shrunk in power and influence.
Phastos also came with a warning, a prophecy that he claimed had come from Tall Papa himself, the Ra Gada version of Akatosh. He gave a harsh criticism of the King, declaring him unfit to be the spiritual shepherd of the Ra Gada after having so easily allowed the worship of the Nine Divines in Sentinel. The Priestess would then perform the prophecy at Phastos’ request, giving the whole feast hall a die warning.
“The Worldskin coils around the cosmos
A never-ending cycle of rebirth and destruction

He rises from his sleep, an age too soon
Corruption and darkness disrupt his nest
Prodding him to awaken from his rest

The Ra Gada remember when he last woke
Yokuda, our homeland, torn asunder and broke
Pulled beneath the waves, our treasured land
A call to heroes, the Ra Gada’s final stand.”
After the prophecy was delivered to the hall, the Empress at the behest of the Imperial Battlemage, quizzed Phastos on what could be done to satiate the Worldskin, the ancient Yokudan serpent god of everything, who’s cycles of hunger bring about the destruction of worlds and birth of worlds anew. Phastos would implore the King and Empress to seek out the fallen city of Satakalaam, and retrieve one of the fabled Scales of Satakal. The power instilled within one of these scales could be used to learn more about why Satakal has risen from his slumber.
With a look of bemusement and at the bequest of the Empress, King Fahara’jad declared that he would send out an expedition, if not just to shut Phastos up, and tasked the Heroes of Sentinel with the quest. The Empress personally requested that both Knight Sister Solaine, and Imperial Battlemage Direnni’s apprentice, a Breton named Theodane Endall, would also take part in the expedition. Lastly, the King instructed them to seek out the Dunmer, Darius Bor, as his skills could come into good use on this quest.
Somewhat taken aback at how easy this was, Phastos would retreat into the city, declaring his intentions to spend sometime in Sentinel before returning to Hegathe.
The party would spend the rest of the evening drinking and engaging in the various festivities of the banquet. At some point Peeeeen-Ja would separate from the party to seek out companionship after a long and frightful day. It would not be until the morning that he would awaken in a dank ally of the outskirts, sleeping next to one of the Meatheads, an orc from the Arena games the day before. Shamefully, Peeeeen-Ja would return to the Tawil Townhouse, fully embodying the walk of shame. The following day, the party would engage in some light downtime activities: Steve would join the Imperial Temple as a Paladin, gaining a quest to escort a missionary to a particularly stubborn tribe of Redguards. Aethrondil would also receive a quest, being tasked with seeking out a God Crystal somewhere in the desert to be traded for lessons in Enchanting.
It had been sometime since the Party had been given the opportunity to gain some rest and recuperate after a heavy couple of weeks adventuring and questing. The party had some time to kill before Steve’s obligations to the Imperial Temple would kick in, while the party still did not have much information about this Quest to find the Fallen City of Satakalaam. They knew that they needed to bring along the Knight Sister and Theodane, and also to seek out the Dunmer named Darius before disembarking for their next great mission. How they intended to find Satakalaam remains to be seen.

Missions/Quests Completed

Attend the Royal Banquet

Report Date

16 May 2022

Primary Location

Sentinel

Related Characters

• Camila Tawil
• Darsan Tawil
• Empress Katariah
• Geoffrey - Tawil Household Butler
• Grizlyc Dunlevy, Head Merchant for the East Empire Trading Company in Sentinel
• Jeahleen Tawil
• Jovron Direnni
• King Faharajad IV of Sentinel
• Knight Sister Solaine Duraria
• Lord Commander Saraad
• Prince Phastos of Hegathe
• Varric Dondarrion