Arnie proudly produces a gold key from his pocket and says I obtained this when... um... well, this place is doing strange things to my memory, but the point is that I have it!

"Well, let' see if they open the box then," Omm says eagerly, hoping it will bring them one step closer to returning home. He keeps a watchful eye for the sudden reappearance of the Jester, his hand firmly placed on his pommel, just in case.

In a farrago of insertion, removal, and reinsertion, you finally find three things that fit the triplets, the three locks that is, and the tripart lockbox pops open as satisfyingly as, say, the clasp on a vestal's belt.

Within you find one ivory card: the Devil. It's a pretty good card and you feel that, while you don't have all of the cards, you have a good many of them, a damn good hand. You'd really want to try to "shoot the moon" with this one.

Although it would be impossible to sense such a thing in place such as this, you think you detect the buzzing of one additional fly among the millions already buzzing.

Omm looks around, swatting away at the small flies hovering near his head in an effort to discern whether a larger insect might be lurking about.

"You think this card might help us get across that lake we had trouble with earlier?" he asks his companions while still looking for any sign of approaching enemies, particularly those of the insectoid, winged variety.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Fri 20 Nov 2015.

Arnie is busy celebrating their progress (internally, anyway), but Felix is curious to see how the jester has reacted to the new acquisition.

''Lake? I dunno. Did we have any trouble crossing the lake? I thought we went under it...'' Zar muses.

''Either way,'' Sidd cuts him short, a strained ear catching a worrysome sound. ''I think our welcome here is running out. Let's leave and see how to, well, 'shoot the moon'.''

''And a good day to you, sir,'' he nodds to the fool.

Omm looks confused and comments, "I thought there was a moon hanging over that tower on that island. So I figured shooting the moon had something to do with that. Maybe. I dunno..."

Looking toward the exit, "I'm all for leaving though. We got what we came for, so yeah, let's leave!"

With that, the warrior leads the way out of the Fool's abode.

Felix and Arnie both shrug and walk out with the others.  Unless, of course, anything interesting should catch their eyes at the last moment.

-- after which nod he feels like a fool for no fool stands to receive it. One might be flying, might very well be a fly, but picking out the fool from the flies would be very foolish indeed, so you quit this cell of the fool's abode.

Up through the piss hole to the low gate and then back into the throne/card room. Your servile octet, having slapped together several semi-ruined tables, plays its games of elimination hearts.

"He's trying to shoot," #4 warns, trying to trick one of the others into taking a heart-laden trick.

The captain has returned from his hunt and offers his grim respects if not his fealty.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:45, Tue 24 Nov 2015.

''I actually... have no idea how to shoot the moon. Wasn't the tower even behind the moon?'' Zar sounds flabbergasted.

''We could go ask the enchantress...'' Sidd offers.

''No way,'' Zar replies, ''she would just ask us for that horned card, and then we would do what? Let's ask our own men instead.''
''Hey, you, Sir Captain. How do you shoot the moon?''

All this talk of card tricks is making Felix a bit curious.  While the guards play their game, he tries to get a glimpse of who is holding what, or what cards are out on the table at the moment.  He's not above pulling up a chair to watch a hand or two if that's what it takes for him to see something.

"That's not my game," the captain responds sardonically. Before you can absorb the fullness of his meaning, number#3 interjects chipper as can be: "Shooting the moon's when you capture all of the tricks with hearts and the bitch. Everybody else gets--"

The general air of disapproval and a few audible clavicle clicks forces #3 to retrace his verbal steps: "...when you capture all of the tricks with hearts and take the Queen of Spades as well."

"To her room," he adds defiantly.  "To her room!"

At this, the octet can't help itself.

The Prince of Swords, as he's known on his card, provides his counsel.

"You have it all, the power and glory. You could rule this spit of a demi-plane. Make pronouncements from up high: tell that Matron where to shove it. Better yet: demand that she join tonight's hunt. If that's what you want to do. The glory and the power, you have it all."

He leans back against the demi-throne, flicks a bit of skin and hair off one of his oiled boots.

Sidd is thrown off his track by this line of thought, obviously imagining about how to put that kind of influence over the three ladies to good use. However, Zar is less enchanted by the prospect.
''Rubbish! I do not want this fly-infested piece of supernatural real estate! It is a curse, not a boon! I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life here!''
''The question is, how do we leave?''

Arnie, also one for the occasional metaphysical thought (though he's unlikely to label it as such), suggests What if ruling this place means being able to physically change it?  Perhaps then we could create our own exit.

Zar and Sidd, being pretty clever in the cleverness department, recall something the Captain has just said: "Make pronouncements from up high."

Taking a look around the room, it's not hard to catch his meaning.

Sidd and Zar stare at the throne and then at each other. ''Make pronouncements from up high,'' they start in unison.
''We can just sit down on that throne and state our desires!''

''Like calling forth the ladies for some cuddling...''
''Or simply denouncing this whole shit-hole!''

"Yes, you could do that," the octet replies in unison, the flow of their game unstopped, "but you wouldn't leave us, would you?" Their voices have an unexpected harmonic quality, as if all their bones were resonating just right. It doesn't take much imagination to imagine their fate should you decamp this pleasure plane.

The captain says nothing, but you detect the light of hope in his eyes, that accursed glimmer.

"Well, what's it going to be lads?" Omm asks. "To my mind, this here isn't really our battle. Never was, except when it was thrust upon us. We've spent our whole time here trying to find a way to leave, and if we have an opportunity to do so, we should!" he says with conviction.

"Say it!"

"Make it so!" he implores.

''Yeah, you are right,'' Sidd says, stepping towards the throne. ''I will accept the respon...''

''Rubbish!'' Zar interrupts him sharply. ''I don't trust you as far as I can throw you - and I cannot even lift you. You simply cannot keep your head straight. I will do it.''

''But ...,'' Sidd starts, but he has trouble coming up with a suitable answer. ''The ladies!''

''See?'' Zar shoves him aside.
Already on the lowest step of the throne he turns to the others and says ''Okay, everyone alright with me taking a seat here and speak for all of us? If that works. Maybe everyone of us has to refuse this plane for himself.''

"I, for one, want no part of this plane. I want to return home, to familiar surroundings."

Omm paces a few steps and continues, "So, yes. I refuse it for myself, if it means a shot at leaving."

Arnie raises his hands and face to the heavens (at least he hopes that's still above them somewhere) and proclaims As all the gods witness, yea, you shall deliver us from this wretched place!

Felix, being of a far less melodramatic mind, just shrugs and says Sure, go for it.

''Okay then,'' old Zar says. He takes a deep breath and sits down on the throne.

''We, Omm the warrior, Arnie the holy man, Felix the half-man, Sidd the moron,'' ''Hey!'' ''and I, we have vanquished the riddles and challenges set before us since we were brought to this plane and trapped here. We vanquished them all and won the appropriate cards, or most of them.''
''We could rightfully call this plane ours now,'' he proclaims.

''But we do not! We do not want any part of it! We will go free. And in addition we decree that the other people trapped in this world will be free, too. The red dame of the lake, the ladies three and and their matron in black, the staunchy captain, our trusty servants of bone, and even the vile mantis priest, everyone shall go free - except the Fool. He shall rot in this prison.''

''This I say, and so it shall be.''
For someone declining to rule Zar seems quite smug that he can lord it from the throne above and announce his disdain of this plane in particular but likely also the world in general for everyone to take notice.

Omm shakes his head in agreement to each of Zar's pronouncements. When his companion is finished, Omm offers in refrain, "Well spoken Zar. Well said!"

The warrior then waits in anticipation of what will come next, his heartbeat strong and slow.

Arnie and Felix similarly show appreciation for the little speech, and eagerly anticipate the result.  Surely some cosmic (or at least demi-cosmic) power must be taking notice...

And Zar frees you from the fetters of fate's fell plane (demi-). But in the same way that freeing a planet from its cozy solar orbit rockets it into the black abyss (see the Sage), severing the tie between you and here would be world-ending (literally and metaphorically). This is, fortunately, foreseen, for upon sitting his tokus down on the throne, the wizard enjoys near-godlike prescience, granting him enough foresight to extend a key phrase:

"Everyone shall go freely to a...more civilized abode," his addendum eliding the fool's punishment.

What might a more civilized abode be? It probably doesn't have anything like a Wild Hunt, Grand Fete, or a Dark Mass. Well, depending on the sense of humor of the god who might be spying on this place for its amusement.

With that, the demi-plane winks out and its vanishing welcomes its denizens to oblivion.