The Avalon Gambit

After an Avalon gentleman bumps into Aleksei on the street, the Avalon lord and Sebastien exchange words and agree to duel. Julien is named Sebastien's second, and he arranges the time and place with a friend of the Avalon man, now revealed as Roger Northrup, 7th Earl of Luthon and one of Queen Elaine's favorites. Though a young man, his brilliance makes him Avalon's foremost envoy.

Beneath The Pond

The duel is set for the next day at noon at the Sunken Fountain, a feature in one of the ponds in Le Labyrinthe. Through ingenious workmanship, a small plaza and fountain have been set ten feet below the surface of the water on a tiny tree-dotted island, providing a private place to fight. The heroes and the Earl of Luthon - as well as his second, a Lord Pembsley - arrive on time, and Sebastien and Lord Roger have just taken their places when a shot rings out. Lord Pembsley falls down dead, and a Crescent woman with revealing attire and twin scimitars steps down into the plaza, flanked by a dozen evil-looking pirates. She tells the players that she has no quarrel with them and that they can go; unsurprisingly, they decline, and a fight ensues.

The Crescent woman beelines for the Earl, who she quickly fells, as Sebastien and Julien engage the pirates. Aleksei drags the Earl away just as the Crescent woman is about to strike a killing blow, and Sebastien and the woman set to fighting. Sebastien begins to prevail - the woman is distracted as Julien cuts off her rather brief bustier, and as the tide turn she makes to flee, running for the bushes. Julien pursues but cannot catch up as she dives into the waters of the pond.

She comes up not that far away, and the heroes see a man - a familiar man - help her into a small boat and row away. The man is Captain Crispino, their opponent from an earlier encounter. Meanwhile, Northrup recovers enough to speak, thanking the heroes and confessing that this may be related to a diplomatic mission to Castille. He invites them to a party the next evening at the home of his host, Lady Moncrieff - a woman Aleksei is trying to avoid from his last encounter.

Interlude: Julien la Croix and Philip du Paix

In the intervening time, Julien goes to meet with the heroes' patron, Philip du Paix. He tells Philip what transpired, and Philip confides that Lord Roger's mission to Castille does not bode well for Montaigne. He introduces Lucien du Lac to Julien, and Philip asks Julien to take a brooch from Lucien and acquire Lord Roger's diplomatic pouch by the stroke of midnight, at which point Lucien will come to him. Philip acknowledges that this whole business has the stink of espionage, and suggests that Julien be discrete where it comes to his more honorable companions.

Lady Moncrieff's Party

The next night is the party at Lady Moncrieff's, who has a manor on Le Labryinthe's grounds. At the receiving line, Lady Moncrieff coos over Aleksei, telling him she plans on bringing him to the spa with her. He quickly begs Roger to take him with him to Altamira, getting the heroes aboard the Earl's voyage. Then - perhaps feeling a need for mischief - Aleksei decides to set Julien up with someone who likes dangerous men, and chooses Nicolette du Montaigne, the Emperor's daughter. Perhaps unfortunately, Nicolette and Julien hit it off brilliantly and swiftly enough disappear upstairs.

Also at the party, Sebastien meets a lady of his own: Christine Rois et Reines, who (unbeknownst to him) is the sister of Jean-Marie Rois et Reines, Captain-general of L'Empereur's Musketeers. Aleksei - knowing the woman's family as well as her reputation as rather clingy - tries to keep Sebastien from leaving the party with Christine by challenging another Musketeer at the party to a duel. Unfortunately for Aleksei, Sebastien sees what is up and convinces the Musketeer to back down.

Meanwhile, Julien is upstairs with Nicolette, where they are playing a very dangerous game with knives: L'Empereur's daughter has induced Julien to throw daggers at her, something that is perhaps beyond Julien's ability. With luck and gritted teeth, Julien does not kill Nicolette - but it is now just before midnight, and so Julien must introduce Nicolette into his plan and bring her with him as he goes to search Lord Roger's rooms.

Julien and Nicolette sneak into Roger's room and begin to search, but minutes later - just before midnight - they hear Roger and a lady at the door. Quickly, they dash into the closet, where they discover a chest with the pouch - but Lucien will open the portal in minutes. Thankfully, Aleksei - suspecting something amiss - notices a scrap of Julien's coat on Lord Roger's door, and distracts the Earl by telling him that his companion's husband is searching for her. In the midst of this distraction, Lucien arrives through Porte portal and swaps one diplomatic pouch for an identical other. With Lord Roger still outside, Julien and Nicolette escape through Lucien's portal, only to arrive elsewhere in Le Labryinthe - Lucien's rooms - and be faced by Captain Crispino and a party of men with muskets. They take the pouch from Lucien and make a swift exit.