A Letter From Queen Genevieve

Jim DiBenedetto, who plays Genevieve Lamballe in my Knights of the Astral Sea game, has been writing excellent in-character session logs in the form of letters to a close friend and colleague. Since last Saturday's session went so well, I thought I'd post one of the logs to give folks a taste of what happened. If you'd like to see additional logs in the series (especially those that explain the campaign backstory), just drop a note in the comments section.

Session notes after the break...

11 September 1938
Capt. Alastair Hawkesworth
Drake House, London, Tudor

Capt. Hawkesworth,

I have much to tell you. You will first note that I may henceforth be addressed as Sa Majeste Genevieve, la Reine du la Cour d’Automne. For simplicity’s sake, you may call me Queen Genevieve if you wish.

I shall explain my new position, temporary though it will likely be, in due course. Allow me to begin, though, by expressing again my joy at our long-delayed meeting upon my arrival in Tudor. I will not lie to you; I did fear the worst as weeks passed with no word of you or your ship. I should have known, however, that you would not disappoint me. I am disappointed, as I am sure you are, that we had only one evening to “catch up with each other” (I believe that is the correct phrase, no?). Until we meet again, you can read the letters I wrote to you during my journey to Tudor, and I shall read and treasure the letters that you wrote to me.

As you will no doubt have heard, I and my companions were immediately given a new assignment. It appears that our arrival on Tudor was forseen by Master Dee of the Royal Society, and further he foresaw that it must fall to us to enter the land of Faerie, and there retrieve the rightful heir to the Britannic Throne, young Artoria, child of King George and the Fey Lady Titania. And so to Glastonbury we went, there to be briefed by Master Dee, and sent off into Faerie with Master Dee’s apprentice, one Mr. Green as our guide.

We set off, on foot, following precisely in the footsteps of Mr. Green. As we went, the world around us changed, and we were in Faerie. Two of our company changed as well; Dr. Oceana’s appearance was altered, and she had the look of a Water Nymph, while Lord Tybalt found that he walked upright, had fingers and, most disconcertingly of all, a voice. Two other of our company vanished during our transition into Faerie; our valiant Marine officer, Marcus, and our young fellow of the Royal Society, Jude.

Mr. Green assured us that our companions were not lost permanently and that we would see them again. I can only hope that they are together, so that Jude can protect Marcus from the magical perils of Faerie, and so that Marcus can protect Jude from the myriad other perils which he has a distressing tendency to find himself in.

We pressed onward, heading for a large Goblin market. It was here, we had been advised, that we would find one Miss Lily Snowfall, who was known to Mr. Green and who was believed to know the location of Queen Artoria. As we entered the market – a very strange place, even for a traveler of the many worlds such as myself – we were accosted by a man who had the look of a carnival barker. He called out to Lord Crabbe, asking if our airship captain wished to know about his “missing year.” Therein lies a tale, I think, and I would be very curious to know it, but Lord Crabbe answered, correctly, that he was satisfied in his ignorance. The barker then turned to me, and inquired if I missed my husband.

I will say, Alastair, that I was at that moment grateful both for the stern warnings given us by Mr. Green concerning answering questions and receiving gifts in Faerie, and also that Lord Crabbe was asked before me. If I had not been forewarned, I might well have spoken inadvisedly. You know my feelings for Michel, and the sorrow I still feel over his loss; but this was not the time or place. I must admit to you that it is not only sorrow but also guilt that I feel. I am sure you will understand precisely what I mean.

In any event, prepared as I was, I simply said “No,” and the barker moved on. Only a moment or two later, I felt a hand reaching into my purse. I grabbed the offending hand and (you would be proud of me!) dislocated the wrist of its owner, an unpleasant little creature. The creature, a goblin of some type, claimed that I attacked him, but this was patently false. It was then that we saw that he was not trying to steal from me, but in fact to put something – a necklace – into my purse. By doing so, he would then be able to claim that I had accepted a gift from him and therefore owed him a debt. His plan failed, however, and a local official judged that the creature, Blix was his name, owed me instead.

Rather than claim an item of his as recompense, I told him that I would accept information as repayment, and I asked him to tell us where we would find Miss Lily Snowfall. The creature led us off through the market and to Miss Snowfall’s stall.   

Lord Crabbe took the lead in our conversation, and we learned that Miss Snowfall did have the information we sought, and was willing to trade it for a service. She desired the rescue of her intended, Lord Summerwind, who, she said, had been captured by the Autumn Witch. We agreed, and set off to the Autumn Court in pursuit of this goal.

At the same time, Lord Tybalt had discovered that not only did he have a voice, but in fact he was treated by the cats and other small animals of Faerie as their Lord. He turned this to our advantage on our journey, ordering the beasts to tell us what dangers lay ahead of us. We learned that a group of Red Caps – vicious Faerie demons – were preparing to attack us when me made camp for the night. We chose to lie in wait and turn their attack against them.

This we did. I used my weapon to destroy three of the Red Caps who carried crossbows; my weapon worked very effectively, although its operation was somewhat different than I am used to – rather than a beam of energy, it appeared to generate lightning bolts. Lord Tybalt took command of the largest of the attackers, a Bugbear, and the remainder of my companions took up swords against our attackers. I was able to destroy two more of the Red Caps, even as they were engaged at close quarters with my friends. It is well for them that I have become quite the markswoman.

When the battle ended, two of our number were injured. Elspeth was wounded severely, and I was able to render some small assistance, while Mr. Green was grievously wounded, and it took all of Dr. Oceana’s talents to retrieve him from death. She then tended to Elspeth, and we continued on.

We came to an inn, and traded Lord Crabbe’s personal stock of cheese – rare varieties of cheese from the mortal world proved to be of great value – for lodging and a grand meal. We also made the acquaintance of a family of were-rats. They offered us information on the location of the walking house in which the Autumn Witch travelled (and in which Lord Summerwind was imprisoned) in return for yet another service; the rescue of his daughter from Lord Siam, who resided at the castle of the Autumn Court. He gave us a very skillfully-drawn map, and after a good night’s sleep, we set off in the morning.

We arrived at the castle, and simply demanded entrance. It was without much surprise that we discovered we were expected, and so, in we went, guided to a gallery to await Lord Siam. As we waited, we saw in the sky a winged creature fly off; no doubt to inform the Autumn Witch of our presence. At this point, Lord Tybalt set off on his own to rescue the kidnapped were-rat, Desi by name, and the remainder of our company took refuge in a secret passage. A few minutes later, as we heard commotion in the corridors around us, Lord Tybalt returned, with a companion, who introduced herself as Lady Siam. She led us to safety, and Lord Tybalt told us to go on ahead and return Desi to her family while he attended to matters of importance with Lady Siam.

The were-rats were appropriately pleased at the return of Desi, and provided us with the information we needed – the route of the Autumn Witch’s house. It would appear at a nearby mushroom patch the next morning, and so we prepared to ambush it, and the Witch.

Morning came, and we found ourselves in the mushroom patch. The house arrived, a living house walking on giant chicken legs, much like the legendary Hut of Baba Yaga. Lord Tybalt jumped to the house, and quickly found and freed Lord Summerwind. He then attempted to take command of the house, and discovered that he could, in fact, do so.

As he did, we heard an angry, anguished shout in the far distance, and saw a formation of flying creatures approaching, with the Autumn Witch riding a broomstick at its head. Lord Tybalt caused the house to jump into the air, to disrupt the formation as it approached. We could see that the creatures were, in fact, winged monkeys, servants of the Witch.

I took aim and fired my weapon, and for the first time it failed me in my hour of need. Rather than flinging destructive energy at its target, the weapon emitted a blinding pulse of blue-green light in a circle around me. I saw Dr. Oceana fall to the ground, and the Witch’s house shuddered in mid-air.

And the Witch suddenly tumbled out of the sky and fell unceremoniously to the ground. And then her House fell on top of her. I must admit that I did not understand why Lord Tybalt and my other companions found the means of the Witch’s death so amusing, but it was explained to me later. When we return to Tudor, you must tell me all about “The Wizard of Oz.”

After some study, I discovered that my weapon somehow generated an anti-magical field, and it was that effect that caused the Witch’s downfall. I shall have to examine this further. Perhaps, once we are reunited with him, Jude will consent to be the subject of further experiments with the weapon to better understand what happened, and how it could be made to occur on purpose.

With the rescue of Lord Summerwind, Miss Snowfall was reunited with her beloved, and she told us all she knew of Lady Titania and Queen Artoria. And this is where my own Queenship comes into the story. It transpired that the Autumn Witch was also the Autumn Queen, and by killing her, I (and Lord Tybalt, who contributed equally to her destruction) have a claim to her throne.

We returned to the castle and met with the Prime Minister. He explained that there were other claimants to the throne, and I in turn explained that he might perhaps be appointed Prime Minister for life, should my claim to the throne be upheld. We then met with a very unhappy Lord Siam, who, we learned, was the Minister of Intelligence. He revealed that the closest and most entitled claimant to the Autumn throne was, in fact, Lady Titania.

And so there appears to be a clear path to the recovery of Queen Artoria: we can trade the throne of the Autumn Court for the return of Queen Artoria to the mortal world and the throne of Britannia.

In closing, I must note that in our benevolence, myself and Lord Tybalt gave titles to our companions:

Lord Crabbe was appointed Commandant du L’armee de l’air et le General du les Singes Avion

Dr. Oceana was named La Medecine Royale et la Guerisseur de la Cour

As there was already a Minister of Intelligence, and because it would have been impolitic to depose him, Elspeth was made Maitresse de Les Affaires du Culturelle

Upon our reunion with them, we will bestow appropriate titles upon Marcus and Jude.

Finally, in absentia I name you, Alastair, Defenseur de l’Honneur du la Reine, with all the duties and privileges thereof.

I look forward to our return to Tudor, firstly so that the rightful Queen can be restored to the throne of the Empire, and secondly so that I can bestow your new title upon you in person.

Until then, I remain your Queen, and, as always, your friend,

Genevieve Chantal Therese de Lisieux Lamballe, la Reine du la Cour d’Automne