lathany

We started the 100 Secrets session with something of a plan (for once). We were heading to the capital via the Villefontaine estate. We still had the Lord Ingenuity Tevus (who Neddra was trying to help with alcohol and peg games) and the gem. Carlos had discovered that the gem reacted to people, particularly to Rose by gushing light and fire. At the estate we discovered Rose's father was home. He asked her to move forward her agenda for the assassination.

From there we went to the capital. Rose talked to various families and we all prepared for the grand council meeting. The Villefontaine family were trying to become one of the great families and this required diplomacy (which in Granmark usually involves assassination). Carlos continued studying the gem and Neddra looked after Lord Tevus. Rose suffered a nasty attack on the estate of Orschiel (when she sneaked on to have a look around) and it was clear that they had Half Lord allies. The Council meeting finally arrived and, on the way there, Rose's brother was killed by troops of the Half Lord. Rose decided to go to the Council in armour.

The Council chamber was fascinating for Neddra as it turned out to be covered in Geometry magic. She discovered that the whole council could be portalled out of the chamber. This turned out to be necessary after the Council rejected the Half Lords proposals that they have a seat (and their representative Ceorcus Balt). Rose agreed at Council to arrange a meeting with the Sarenland Kingdom in Exile.

The remainder of the session was spent running around and setting up a second Council/Sarenland meeting at Eyestone Hill. There Valor Joven attacked Rose and tried to kill her to stop the treaty going ahead. Loy defended Rose from Valor, who was her father. Eventually Loy and Carlos managed to kill him with the Jewel. The treaty was signed and the Villefontaine family got their place on the Council as the Orschiel family surrendered (and there is now a Joven vacancy). Neddra located the second chamber under Eyestone Hill which usefully had a pool of healing so we were able to recover. Then some years down the line we had peace...

...until the next section of

bateleur's game begins.

Last weekend we saw the film Capote: a biographical film about Truman Capote, following the events during the writing of Capote's non-fiction crime book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman did a good job of the lead (for which he won an Oscar) and I liked Catherine Keener as Harper Lee. However the film was a bit disappointing, slow and tedious in places. The relationships were interesting, but it all felt rather spun out and padded with scenes relating to the success of To Kill A Mockingbird.