#elsewhere

Athena and Hephestus enter into the Carnival celebrations of hIgh Reed. THe Duke here cannot deny the ancient traditions or else folks might riot.

As is proper!

Baron Dioache (close to his original name I think) capers in green and gold foolscap an says "Pick a card, any card?" As he shuffles and offers to do tricks for folks

Alas, sidhe are protected from merely being embarrassed by cantrips, fortunately the cards aren't so protected. Hephestus makes a gesture, there's a brief flash of glamour, and Athena can see the card he is trying to search for, is now in the lame god's hand.

And a missing card? That can be embarrassing "Ah, mmm"

Hephestus smirks at Athena as the Fool for the night scrambles to deal with his failing.. and gets booed and jeered for it.

Hard to see Athena's expression - but those dark eyes twinkle with merriment.

There are rotten tomatoes handy. No doubt the sidhe will have magics ready to clear it off, but some can lob now, others prefer water balloons, and still others enjoy just yanking a bell

Hephestus mutters "Shall we go, torment him some more, or ...tour this brand new hold?"

"Much to see, nu?"

"So A or C eh?" A smile, for he can whisk them to another carnival, or they can snoop and hope Professor Plum is focused on protecting his lord more than the hold's secrets

A gentle tug on his hand... oh yes, snooping it is.

And they move...she knows where the rookery is... and that study... but this hold is like a Labryinth layered over a puzzlebox surrounded by a fog machine's output.

With the main events in the (for now) main hall, she and he move towards more private areas. They do see some guards on duty, blocking one path. Mm looksl ike someone didn['t get Carnival off

Athena, wise Athena, might realize that they're almost ostentatious in uniform and arms. Making quite a show to block this path.

So... where is the hidden path the Baron wants unnoticed?

Fog, chimerical, to be sure, but dreamed 'realisticly' enough that it moves like it's autumn brother... so..why is that seemingly solid wall near the empty sconce drawing some of it in near the floor?

Why indeed...

Hephesutus nods... and distracts the guards as if curious about the space THEY are guarding

and that makes sure their eyes won't be watching Athena. Of course, as quietly as she can move, it shouldn't be trouble for her, but.. then she is much taller than she is used to.

And shinier!

But... there she goes, yes

Oh yes, a secret passage, and it has a lock based in shifting the bricks carefully. There's a pattern.

Ha. She's gotten good at patterns in ways that might impressive the Varich, if the bigots could overcome their kithism

And there... oh my, it shifts upon the phases of the moon. It won't be like this next time. Clever Eiluned.

Damn the man.

She has her opening, a slit. Good thing she didn't use magic. That would have alerted the hold.

And despite her appearance - she IS a sluagh. A slit is enough.

Indeed, no one would expect the amazon to fold and collapse upon herself. Her paramour knows her skill and will trust her to be alone, even if, truly troll like, he worries even as he trusts.

His training proceeds nicely as a suitable suitor for a wriggling witch.

And into the slit she goes and through...a hall within a hall, narrow for anyone but a sluagh really. And it has a choice, to the right and sloping up, or to the left and sloping down. Good thing she has nightvision or she'd walk right into the wedge of it.

"Octa, to the right..."

And Zara, to the sinister.

Octa races along. It's rather gratifying to use the former agent of one Eiluned to look into another.

And Zara winds her way down.

And she finds, a dungeon.

She bristles.

She supposes every noble must have some place to contain criminals or their enemies, often not the same thing, yet this dungeon appears to have 6 cells ... and the angles are so she can not see who is in them, not without exposing herself down the main row. She can feel weaverwards in play at each cell door

Well, she is masked... and with a gesture, veiled... indeed, a veil ON the veil, damn the man.

And she goes down the hall... and looks...

Cell one..

empty.

Cell 2

Empty

Cell three...empty?

Cell four.. a chimerical skeleton that looks aged and worn with a silver circlet

But it is Cell 6, of course, that actually has a prisoner.

Zara eyes her prize.

It is no kithain, that is to be sure

What is it, instead?