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Last we left off…
The Mosaic Quarter is a place of polished tilework, high-society elegance, and—as you quickly discovered—suffocating paranoia.
Entering The Gossamer Thread to acquire your wedding attire, you quickly deduced the secret of Master Weaver Kaelen and his apprentice, Spindle: they are Anadi, surviving the city's martial law by hiding their true spider forms. By earning their trust, you pulled off a flawless, dual-track infiltration. While half the party kept the tailors talking, the others slipped into the back rooms to photograph and steal highly sensitive delivery manifests and venue blueprints.
The tension spiked when Harven Solt, an icy "Efficiency Consultant" for the Nachtshade Assembly, entered the shop for a surprise inspection armed with a magical Mirror of Truth. With quick thinking and silver tongues, you successfully deceived Solt, protecting the tailors' lives and keeping your own cover identities completely intact.
You have returned to the tavern above the stir fry noodle shop with new allies, hidden armor, and a mountain of actionable intelligence. The wedding is only a few days away. It's time to figure out what you do next.
Back at the tavern, spreading out the stolen documents and Spindle's notebook reveals a terrifyingly precise conspiracy:
The Perimeter: The Nachtshade Assembly has fully taken over the inner security perimeter of the Royal Wedding. Regular city guards are restricted to the outer walls.
The Uniforms: An Assembly leader named Consultant Aldric Vane commissioned identical black-silk uniforms for their operatives. They will be posing as staff and catering, indistinguishable from legitimate workers.
The Mystery Cargo: Spindle observed large, unmarked crates being smuggled into the palace by Assembly operatives under the cover of merchant traffic. Whatever is inside those crates is completely off the books.
The Replacements: Multiple high-ranking Thres Protectorate officials have had their garments canceled "due to sudden illness." The seating chart shows Nachtshade representatives have systematically taken their places at the head tables.
Seating Chart Anomalies: The seating arrangements reveal that The Mad-Mage Aurick is attending. More disturbingly for Violais the attendance of one Dmitri Everhund. It is highly alarming that he is operating so openly at a covert event without an alias, especially since Avamar himself is completely absent from the guest list. Furthermore, Dmitri is seated next to an "Inarivyss Everhund"—a name that does not exist in any of Viola's family records.
Kaelen & Spindle (The Anadi Tailors): Now staunch allies, they have offered their shop's back room as a safehouse after hours. Kaelen confided that two of Gelnara's six Anadi families have been "registered and relocated" by the Assembly.
Harven Solt & Consultant Aldric Vane: Newly identified operatives of the Nachtshade Assembly.
The Venue Blueprints: You possess a complete architectural map of the Symposium Hall and Palace Gardens, including servant entrances, VIP holding rooms, and catering paths.
"The Symposium Special": Hardened spider-silk styled as high-society finery (functions as Leather Armor or a Chain Shirt, requiring a DC 20 Perception check to spot as armor).
The Escape Silk: Gifted personally by Master Kaelen. A spool of thread that functions as a Feather Token (Ladder) or 50 feet of unbreakable silk rope.