For the gala, he will rent a slightly more fashionable suit of clothes,
Pritchard procures a stiff black doublet with gold embroidery, worn over a red linen shirt, and black breeches with red piping. His cape and boots are black. Between renting the outfit for the night and having it taken in for his measurements, he spends 30gp.
The outfit includes a black and gold domino mask. This is not a masquerade, but wearing a mask is somewhat in fashion. For Pritchard, it is optional.
tailored with a hidden pocket in the jacket where he can stow his Rod of Cancellation.
At three feet in length, hiding the rod in a jacket pocket is simply not feasible, no matter how well tailored. Passing it off as a walking stick is a possibility, though Pritchard would want to be careful to avoid too much wear and tear.
He will keep his Gloves of Lightning in the pockets but otherwise approach unarmed. Again, he will prepare his normal spells.
Not a problem. It's considered rude to attend a party with dangerous magic items and spells, but it's also understood that most everyone does it anyway. Pritchard certainly won't be the only one.
Frédéric de Troeven's gala is at a refurbished d'Ambreville manor high up on Wizard Hill, overlooking the river. Lamps blaze in every window and courtyard.
Pritchard shows his invitation and is admitted promptly to the estate. A two-story foyer opens out into several other rooms on both floors. Mirror, paintings, and sculpture abound. Musicians play sprightly music on woodwinds and strings.
A valet leads him first to a marble basin to wash his hands in rose-scented water, then to an enormous dining room with a U-shaped table enclosing a broad performance space. In the Glantrian fashion, a variety of hot and cold dishes are being brought to the table for the guests to serve themselves and their neighbors. Pritchard finds himself seated several spots down from de Troeven, whose neighbors laugh uproariously at some jest of his.
To Pritchard's left, closer to the host, sits Jean-Marie de Sylaire, a noted bibliophile and patron of the arts. To his right sits Lucius, a saturnine sorcerer close to Pritchard's age, and leader of the Company of the Scroll. Lucius informs his neighbors that he will be departing early, as he is in the midst of a sorcerous working that demands his presence.
Jean-Marie is eager to discuss her latest acquisition, a satirical novel by an anonymous author. Titled Candlesnip, or the Wondrous Amours of a Gnome on Wizards' Hill, it purports to describe the picaresque adventures of a gnomish clockmaker among Glantri's aristocracy. It's clearly inspired by Snickwick, though as far as Pritchard can tell from Jean-Marie's description, the narrative bears little resemblance to any real events.
Lucius is taciturn, speaking only intermittently with his farther neighbor. Pritchard is sufficiently acquainted with the sorcerer to recognize that there's no ill will here; Lucius will converse if Pritchard raises a topic of mutual interest.
The banquet proceeds apace. A steady stream of servants carry trays away from the table, replacing them with ever more elaborate dishes — gilded meats, sugar sculptures, exotic Southern fruits. At one point, a black dove flutters out from a freshly carved pie. At another, a chimerical beast is served; it's unclear whether this is a sorcerous creation, or if the goat and calf heads were cunningly sewn onto the pig by the chefs.
Similarly, various entertainments are brought in turn to the central floor. Dancers are followed by acrobats, then trained monkeys, then a swirling duel of illusionary flames.
(Let me know of any conversation or activities that Pritchard wishes to engage in before the post-dinner mingling and socializing, where Frédéric de Troeven will most likely make himself available.)
