So in the time between sessions, Ursa’s been getting more of a Youtube following, Nora’s been digging up dirt on Pyrite and Laniakea but not finding much, and Merlin’s mostly been styling his beard.
They’re told at the Institute that they have to do the annual performance review. It’s up in the gym. They get there and find that there’s a big ol’ obstacle course, and are told that it’s individual markings so no team stuff. Merlin doesn’t want to take part.
They all set off on the course, and the very first thing Ursa does is give the others Bardic Inspiration. She shifts into Saubra after that, and they tackle the course. Unfortunately there’s a bear blocking a door, and both Saubra and Merlin fall off in trying to get past! Nora manages it, and goes onto the final challenge: dressing up as an eagle and picking up a mouse with her foot. She just stamps on the mouse because she’s embarrassed, but it’s a mouse tulpa/egregore/servitor/whatever so no animals were harmed. Nora plots revenge against Emva for the bird suit.
The next challenge is a vision quest, courtesy of some fortune cookies from the Chocolatier. It’ll also be displayed on a big screen for marking purposes, but also there’s a crowd of other employees so it’s a bit embarrassing.
Ursa goes first and finds that she’s become a mermaid who has to convince a lobster not to tell her Dad that she’s made a deal with a sea witch (sadly she does not succeed). Nora becomes a scorpion and tries to convince a horrible bogan frog to carry her across a river, and though she rips off her own stinger, the frog just leaves anyway like an asshole. While she’s in the vision, Ursa makes sure nobody can film this embarrassing feat by hacking their phones with a bardic performance. Merlin has been kidnapped by Old Grandma Bastard, who thinks he is a baby, and he is able to escape by feigning that ‘baby wants a cuddle’. Incredible.
The last round is a one-on-one duel each. Merlin goes up against Stiletto Benevolent, and Merlin actually manages to take him down, after surviving an eighth-level fireball as well as Nora trying to shoot Stiletto and hitting Merlin (while Ursa distracted Cepheus by dropping him in it about his love of the Chocolatier’s sweets in front of his wife, who hates said chocolatier).
Nora faces Alkahest, and though she gets the first couple hits in, Alkahest’s powers have grown since reuniting with his sister for a bit (much to his chagrin), and he gets a massive critical hit.
Ursa goes up against Kojak, and gets a smart first move in that should have let her win by ring out, if this was fair. He flashes forward with his knife and gets a gutwound in, but Ursa thundersteps away. Nora hits him with a crit Toll the Dead timed perfectly to coincide with the thunderstep too, but it only slows him slightly as he finishes the fight on his next move.
Afterwards, they get their marks from Cepheus. Both Ursa and Nora passed with flying colours, for trying to cheat and help their teammates. It was a sneaky blind test! Merlin however, gets a bit of a dressing down – he’s commended for his resourcefulness and ability to win a fight that was designed to be near-impossible, but he simply didn’t demonstrate enough of a team spirit.
Director Brynner tells him that for the foreseeable future, Ursa and Nora will be technically his superiors, and to listen to their orders in the field to improve his team play. Merlin does not take it well.
He basically tells them that they can shove it, and makes to leave. And as he reaches the door, with the others trying to convince him not to, the Mantle of Order descends.
Roll History 