COMPLETED: Dinner with the Duke

After returning from Rescuing of Novah and Viola Holly seeks to meet with the party. She has evidently been invited to some party that Duke Hawthorne is throwing for a visiting political figure, General Nimitz.
The party preps in the days forthcoming by acquiring suitable clothes and learning the proper etiquette.
The morn of the Dinner Party the group comes together for some last minute preparations including getting clothes figuring out if they should be attending early or not etc. Holly is nervous, this being her first human party and decides to be there on time despite the common practice of arriving fashionably late.
3pm: The party arrive on time as escorts to Holly and are announced as such to the attendees. Of those in attendance they only recognize a handful; Mayor of Farronvue Clement Northrup and his partner Xanthe Sepio, who are looking over Bruce, only son of Lady Daunterae, as he is attending alone. Mess and Pious recognize two others though they've never met; a Doctor Nen Fairwind and the Shipwright's Guildmaster Severain Milwood, from their paintings in the Shipwright's Guild House. Duke and Duchess Hawthorne kick off the festivities with a speech giving honor to General Nimitz whom they mark as not yet being in attendance. After which the wait staff bring h'orderves to the tables in the main seating area.
3:15pm: Xanthe takes it upon herself to introduce Holly and Libertas Dacia to some of the others in attendance, starting with Castellan Gordon. He's a heavy set man who looks as though once upon a time he was quite capable but now is only a puppet to the Duke. He has heard of Holly as she is the talk of the town and especially on the castle grounds as she was apparently buried here for quite some time. But when it comes to the party he knows that they had rescued her but couldn't recall their names. Bruce expresses to Aethelin that he's excited to be in attendance, this is his first real ball, Aethelin confides that it's hers as well. When Clement returns he's pleased at the quality of the food especially fawning over the crab cakes as a lot of the seafood has been driven off by the turbulent seas. During their discussions Orator Lucario, head priest of the Temple of the Nine, comes to talk with and be creepy to Holly. Pious, filling his plate, overhears a snide remark from someone of Hawthorne familial semblance.
3:30: The time many were awaiting had finally arrived and the Duchess introduces Grace Melenia as the Ball Orchestrator who promptly kicks off the ball. Xanthe uses this as an excuse to usher Holly away from Orator Lucario. They enter the dancing hall and see Lady Marth Gardiner, in mourning, seated beside the dance floor with two of her 5 daughters. She is kind and endearing to Xanthe. She introduces two of her daughters to the party and excuses her other three girls who are enjoying the dance. As the party enters Pious has decided he's going to sneak away from the group with some mysterious purpose. Araz see's him go but fails to see any hidden meaning behind his words.
3:30 (Pious): He has successfully gotten away from the party and heads to the game room, which is being used as a waiting room for the gentlemen in need of the restroom. There is another gentleman already in hear reading a paper, he also bares strong Hawthorne familial semblance. They mutually ignore one another and Pious enters one of the bathrooms to drink a potion of alter self. His appearance shifts and now he realizes that he will need a change of clothes. After sneaking into the coat check he finds some of the loaner suits and puts one on.
3:45: Holly and Aethelin are both asked to dance however since Xanthe refuses to dance with anyone other than Clement, most of the gentleman also steer clear of Ostreseliea. Araz is busy at the food table. Mess abstains from dancing preferring conversation.
3:45 (Pious): Having donned a disguise he tries to search out the Duke. First looking into the commons and then the ballroom, however he is no where to be found. He then tries some of the upper rooms. A guard notices him and informs him that the upper floors are private residences of the owners and he cannot be allowed through within express direction from one of the family. Pious feigns drunkenness and heads back downstairs. Sitting in the commons area he begins to people watch. New arrivals enter at a pretty good pace now, it being fashionably late to do so. Amongst them a familiar face, Amalie Ranni. She being a Scarab member he decides not to divulge who he is or what he's doing here. He tries to get some information out of her but she gives nothing, except that her fiance, Detlav Blackham, was invited but couldn't attend.
4:00: The party enjoys more of the company and festivities. Some are debating the purpose of the General's visit whether it may be to depose the Duke given his blunders, some suspect that lead to the war with Galmere. There are staunch defenders on both sides of the arguments but most curious of all is Persian Hawthorne's view of his father and that he wouldn't be surprised if the General's truly was here for that purpose. Ostreslia learns more about Nen Fairwind. A new arrival, Captain Faelin arrives ahead of the General as captain of his guard. She finds soon after that someone had been stealing and kicks them off the property.
4:00 (Pious): Pious thinks about where he might be able to find the Duke so as to poison him. After a moment he decides he'll check around the back of the manor. He is easily able to avoid the light patrols out right now arriving at a lattice leading to a balcony.
4:15: Ostreseliea notices that Pious is missing. The others confirm they haven't seen him. Araz being the last one to see him says that he had gone to the bathroom. They decide to start searching for him, however Holly was just asked to dance by Vincent Hawthorne so Mess decides to keep an eye on them. After searching the bathrooms, commons, and gardens Pious is nowhere to be found. Upon returning back to the ballroom
4:15 (Pious): After scaling he peaks into several empty rooms and one with it's windows blacked out. He eventually arrives to a