Holiday at the Manor.

“Remind me why this is a good idea?  Liff could have cooked everything and all these decorations make no sense either.”  Mystra stood on a table arranging some decorations.

Renaer didn’t look at her while he spoke, “You need a break, so do they.  And bringing food to share allows them to contribute something.”

“Very well, but what about these colored glass lanterns and all these plants hanging everywhere?”  She took the lantern Renaer was holding out to her.

“It seemed fitting.  To make the inside warm and inviting while the outside is cold and miserable.”  He began to rearrange the tables to form one long line and set the chairs accordingly.  “When did you say they would arrive?”

“They should be here soon.”  She got off the table once the last hanging arrangements were hung.

“Then I should get going.”  He grabbed his coat.

“Why, I thought you were staying for the ‘potluck’?  Since it was your idea.” 

“My idea was that you all needed a break from Skulls, and mob underlords, vampires and whatever else you fight.  The Potluck was Guile’s idea.”  Mystra helped him put his coat on.

“That does not explain why you are leaving.”  

“Because I never intended to stay, I wanted to help you get things ready before everyone arrived.  See here, Corvin is coming down the stairs and I am sure others are soon to arrive, I must go.” 

“I am not sure how I feel about it, something tells me it will go wrong.  This group invites trouble.  Can you not stay, even an hour?”  She held the door open for him.

“You fit right in then. For as long as I have known you, trouble is close by.  Now I must go.”  With that he finished bundling up and stepped out into the cold winter.  Mystra closed the door behind him with some effort, the winter wind making it challenging.

Mystra turned to Corvin, “Is upstairs all ready?”  Mystra walked to the table and started setting it up with plaits, bowls, silverware etc...

“Yes, and all the doors you asked about are locked.”  Corvin helped set the opposite side of the table.

“Good, at least now if they go off and ‘talk privately’ they won’t rummage through stuff not their own.”  Mystra set napkins down when she heard the door open.

Antonio and Guile stepped through the door, shaking the snow off and putting up their coats.  Mystra and Corvin greeted them.  Mystra asked Antonio and Corvin to go down into the wine cellar and get her special stash of fine drinks.  Primarily an assortment of wine.  Guile took over for Corvin, while the two men went into the wine cellar, they also helped Liff bring up the ordinary barrel of ale for the party.  On their way up and across the floor.  As if rehearsed Polly walked through the door just as the two men lost their grip on the barrel.  With one great step she caught it and set it upright with the others.  Somehow balancing the dead elk she brought with her at the same time.  Mystra sighed and thanked Polly for catching it, though she glared at Antonio as if it was his fault.  She then told Polly that she could skin the elk out back in TrollSkull alley.  The door opened and closed as if on it’s own, Polly tried to thank the person but saw no one.  She shrugged and went about her business.  Mystra had made a point to add in each invention that the bar keep Liff would be in attendance as he never leaves, she also explained that he was a ghost and is invisible.  However she had forgotten to add it to Polly’s letter.

“Where does she find fresh unskinned elk in the city?”  Mystra looked at Guile.

“It’s Polly, who knows.  She probably killed it herself.”  Antonio answered.

“In a city?  She would have to go outside it’s limits and hunt and it’s not hunting season.”  Mystra cleared a place on the table for the elk when it was prepared.  

“As Antonio said, it’s Polly who knows.”  Guile moved to help Liff set the fireplace for cooking a large elk.  

Maren was next to arrive, with him was a well known high elf dish that Mystra looked forward to trying.  She set it next to Antonio’s popcorn shrimp, with a meat pie on the other side.  She had asked around about the meat pie but could not find who brought it, this annoyed her slightly.  Conversations started floating about, mostly started by Maren and his endless questions.

Pellanistra was the last to make herself known, she walked through the door and straight to the bar as if she owned the place.  At once she looked over all the drink options and began making her own improvements.  Liff found himself a friend in Pellanistra, someone who understood his heart for mixing drinks and serving them.  Though Pellanistra left all the serving bit to Liff, he did not mind. 

About an hour later Polly came in with her skinned elk, with all it’s other preparations.  Knowing it would take quite a while to cook over the fire, they decided to go ahead and eat and save the meat for later in the evening.   Each person took turns to sit down, Liff pulling out chairs for the ladies however when it got to Polly he waited until she was about to sit down then pulled it all the way out.  Letting Polly fall to the floor.

“Liff!  Polly are you alright?”  Mystra stood up at once.  Silence was his replay.  “Polly, I am so sorry about that.  This is not his normal.”  She glared in his last known position.

“Oh it is fine, he is probably just having a bad day.”  She smiled and sat down.

The meal continued, with only more incidents from Liff.  The first and second time Mystra could excuse, but when it came to spilling drinks and throwing food at Polly.  She could not accept and took Liff away quietly to talk to him, he had no way of speaking back except some paper and quill Mystra always kept under the bar in case he wanted to say something.  However it was not here today.

Meanwhile, almost everyone noticed that something was definitely different with Polly.  She never once got upset or threatened to kill the ghost or anything.  She seemed happy to just eat and drink and keep to herself.  At first they thought this was just another side of Polly they hadn’t seen before, but as the day went on it became clear there was more to it.  Antonio was just about to ask Guile if she had noticed the same thing when Mystra walked back in the room smiling.

“You must forgive me for leaving you all, I had something urgent to take care of.  I am back now, please enjoy.”  She set down again, and took up some ale that Liff just poured her.

Corvin smiled at first, but then watched more closely.  “Mystra, what was that Liff just poured you?”

“Some ale of course, would you like some?”  She motioned to Liff to give some to Corvin.

Corvin nodded his thanks, but did not drink it, thinking something poison or magic must be in it.  He looked around the table, the others seemed to be acting normal.  While he was thinking and was trying to make sense of this odd behavior in Polly and now Mystra.  Liff spilt a bowl of gravy on Mystra.

“You fool!  Now see what you have done, did I not warn you what would happen if you did this again?”  Mystra stood up, “Pardon me, I will be back soon, please enjoy yourself.  Guile, would you please come with me?  I could use your help.”

Guile nodded and followed Mystra upstairs.  Corvin moved over to sit with Antonio, “Have you noticed anything strange?”

“Yes, that’s what Guile and I were just discussing.  What have you noticed.”  Antonio kept his voice quiet.

“Mystra was drinking ale, and just now she yelled at Liff.  I’ve never seen her do either of these things.”  Corvin looked at Pellanistra and Maren to see if anything was different about them.

“I don’t see what’s wrong with her drinking ale, but I haven’t seen her yell either.  And Polly hasn’t gotten upset or threatened to kill anything.  She seems to be eating about normal, wait no, she has a small plate.”  Antonio watched without making it obvious.  

Soon the two ladies rejoined the group, Guile took her place back by Antonio and Corvin moved over.  Mystra apologized to the gathering again.

Liff however continued to get worse in his spilling and breaking, and indeed it soon seemed that he was purposely doing it and now he added Guile to his list of targets.  Soon everyone got up from the table and moved to the fireplace, while doing so Mystra asked for Marens help.  When they returned, Maren too was not himself.  Quite, and reserved, watching everything.

Antonio excused himself and asked Corvin and Pellanistra to join him, “Something is definitely going on.  I’m sure you have noticed it too Pellanistra.”

“Yes, I have.”

They began to discuss the problem and pointed out what each of them had noticed and what they should do about it when Guile called for Antonio.

“Captain, I don’t think you should be alone with her.”  Pellanistra nodded to the group by the fire, noticing that Liff would put it out and Maren would relight it. 

“Pellanistra, I am a respectable man and would never do such a dishonorable thing.”  Antonio then caught himself and understood what she meant.

“Antonio, please come here, I wish to speak with you.  Alone.”  Guile smiled sweetly, calling softly a little ways away.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go with her and learn what I can.  She will be more willing to share what’s going on with me.”  He turned to leave after giving them further assurance.  

Corvin and Pellanistra looked at each other, they understood two things at that moment.  No one could be trusted, and someone needed to follow Antonio.  Without another word spoken between them, Pellanistra followed as Corvin went back to the group and pretended everything was as it should be.

Pellanistra followed the two up stairs and into the Library, where she heard and saw someone standing in the shadows.  There Antonio came face to face with himself.  Before he could grab his sword or shout a warning, the imposter touched Antonio’s head and he fell to the floor.  Pellanistra stepped back and began going through rooms, most of which were locked.  Then she found one thickly veiled curtain room on the second story, inside lay all those who had been acting up.  She bent over one, they were asleep.  Except Maren who had a nasty gash on the side of his head where it seemed they knocked him unconscious, as whatever spell was on them could not work on him.

Pellanistra waited until they brought Antonio, once she was sure they were down stairs again.  She began walking them up.

Meanwhile downstairs, Corvin started a few conversations to keep them suspecting anything out of the ordinary.  Liff continued to throw things randomly at everyone, except Corvin.  This greatly upset the others and Maren and Polly even stood up and tried to find ways to stop him.  Then he heard Guile and Antonio walk down the stairs.  Mystra looked up at them, Antonio nodded back.

“Then it is time.”  Mystra looked at Corvin, with something like a dark glee in her eyes.  “Crovin Brightwood, there is no place to hide.  Your time has come.  The dark elf will not save you.  She too will be ours soon.”  Mystra walked to Corvin.  He backed up and was about to cast something when he heard a loud crash, Polly was on top another Polly.  The giant's rolling and smashing everything.  Next Mystra stood with sword drawn and plunging into the Mystra that was approaching Corvin.  The room then broke out into a massive brawl.  From shouts and grunts, crashing and braking sounds.  No one heard the front door open and a man step through.

“This was not the target, leave at once and turn back.”  His voice was low, and spoke just above a whisper.  At once all those who had stolen forms, turned back into humans, for the most part some had strange shaped eyes.  They walked to the door, wounds and scrapes healing as they got closer to the man in black and gray.  Snow still covered his hat and shoulders.  

The group still had weapons drawn and were ready to attack, “Who are you?  What are you doing here?”  Antonio and Mystra asked at the same time.

“I am here to claim my wayward Shifters.  And to ask that you let me touch your mind and erase this event.”  His face was covered by shadow, and all that could be made out was the tip of his nose, purple in color.

“Never, no one will enter my mind again!”  Mystra began to ignite her sword in black flames.  The rest of the group responded likewise.

“No matter, the spell will only be more challenging if you are not willing.  Nevertheless, it must be done.  When I am through you will remember nothing of my shifters and you will recall a pleasant evening.  I can do nothing to you ghost, only ask that you never bring this up or I will be forced to call on a higher power.  I apologize about what my shifters have done to your tavern.”  The group charged at him.  He held up his hand, his shifter came in again as monsters with tentacles and wrapped the group up in their arms.  Some of the group broke free only to be caught again.  

The man approached each person, looking in their eyes.  The older the person was the longer he looked.  When it came to the oldest, he looked in their eyes for what could feel like hours.  One by one he spoke something like a prayer, it changed for each person when he touched their head.  And as he finished each fell unconscious.

When they awakened, the room was as it should be.  Hanging glass lanterns of various colors, with hanging plants livening up the place.  Chairs and tables as they were, a hearth with a great warm fire.  Barrels of ale or wine in its place.  The elk had finished cooking and Liff was serving and happy again.  All were gathered around the table.  When food was finished the group went onto games.  All cuts, bruises and wounds are gone without a trace.  The day passed into evening, and none were the wiser.  Whether lasting friendships were made or not, memories were.  And for some, not soon to be forgotten.

Prompt, The party has a potluck.  Idea by DJ Hastings.