In the City of the Castle Cailleamhan, the siblings have gathered to attempt to find birthday gifts for Addlebert.

Ariel
- chooses to steal Rordon-Gamsay's gift for Addlebert
- John Smith hasn't been accepting food lately

Timothy Bronze - wants the most guarded book in town:
Ruudin jotun glassblower, wife is fire giant - heavily guarded tome
enchanted tome in the castle itself in a glass vault - heist movie target
- convinced an enemy agent is after the same target; there's a chicken that isn't one of their mom's chickens that's been lurkin' lately

Pip - catch him a protective creature to protect him

Teg - something to unlock Addlebert's creativity; perhaps a medium like a paint by numbers set. Options:
Gramble, the wandering merchant, has odds and ends
The Bubble Studio
Ruudin the glassblower
- is in a contest to perform at the castle, so has to put together their Art for the coming of age celebration

Tigz - looking for Vibes

Rordon-Gamsay heads to the new bakery, followed by Ariel (secretly) and Tim (not secretly). Tim tries to trick the chicken about where he's going, but the chicken watches him ominously before vanishing when he loses sight of her. Ariel slips a recipe for human soup into Rordon-Gamsay's pocket. Rordon-Gamsay obtains a platter of mini bagels, a sampler of bagels. The tiefling in charge offers said sampler in exchange for spreading word of the store. There is a human man serving drinks. Ariel steals a ring out of his pocket; it has a date of some sort inscribed in it, but she doesn't recognize what it is or what the significance could be. There is an aarakocra in the back drinking a coffee and reading a newspaper; he is not of the chicken persuasion, so Tim leaves him alone for now. Teg inquires as to what the tiefling's most exquisit work might be. After some consideration, he decides that an edible chocolate dragon would be cool, molten chocolate coming out of its mouth, its scales being removeable biscuits to dip in said chocolate. When they explain that they wonder if perhaps they could awaken a passion for cooking in Addlebert. The tiefling gets very excited about the concept of inventing the easy bake oven. He offers it to the goblins.

Tigz is shopping by vibes - nerd vibes specifically. They locate a person-sized caterpillar playing a card game with a gnome in front of a news stand, surrounded by children also playing. A goatman running the stand tells them about the game, explains that there are startie decks the sell for 5 coins each, or 10 each for the shiny startie decks. He offers to trade some startie decks for some fancy paper made by Old Gus by the river.

Pip is kidnapping John Smith to use as bait. He is kept in somebody's basement. John is willing to go with Pip, but resists Pip's attempts to direct him. She eventually ends up running him into a wall, which knocks him out. Pip hunts down someone who is willing and able to help move the human to the desired location. She locates Kurlus and offers three eggs and two acorns to help move the body to the woods; he agrees on the condition that she doesn't explain why she has a human. She does explain that she wants to get a unicorn for Addlebert to prevent people from picking on him; the vibes of a unicorn are better for Addlebert than of something like an owlbear. Kurlus explains that unicorns are actually attracted to disasters of people rather than virgins. Or she can use a golden apple, which can be obtained a number of ways; he suggests perhaps giving the apple to Addlebert so he can lure the unicorn on his own. Kurlus puts John Smith back in the basement.

Timothy Bronze sneaks away from the group and into the castle library. He grabs a book he thinks might be the same size as the tome he is here for. He hears the sound of footsteps somewhere above, but can only see birds. He heads to the vault in the back of the library.

Ariel is hiding under a table in Life is Pain, lurking and watching the humans eating food with their beautiful human teeth. After determining that all of the food in this place is being eaten, she steals something random from the counter, which she takes to John Smith in hopes of finding something he'll eat. It has been broken into, but her human is still tied up, unconscious. She wakes him and gives him the scone she stole. He requests a pot of tea, which she doesn't have. She asks if he has any birthday present ideas for Addlebert. He tells her about the book, sword, and ring he had been given by his partner, clearly upset about them having been taken from him. Ariel decides to go in search of a book or sword. Also Xelbari has now cursed John Smith with permanent chickenpox because he ate something without paying for it.

Teg takes their oven to The Bubble Studio. A large monarch butterfly is at the front counter. She is able to make a custom bubble of intellectual inspiration for Addlebert. She agrees to trade the oven for such a bubble, which she blows on the spot. Teg realizes now that they don't really have anything to give Addlebert.

On the way to the waterfront to find Old Gus, Tigz encounters Gramble the wandering merchant. He is selling a number of strange items including, a frying pan, waterskin, ring, sword, sandals, rock, tutu, basket of fruit. She ultimately buys the tutu in exchange for delivering a package to the marquis for him.

Rordan-Gamsay takes the sampler platter back to the house to store until it can be given to Addlebert, then begins preparing supper. The remaining goblin sibling is enlisted to assist in the preparations. The sibling attempts several times to sneak food off the platter, and is intimidated into not doing that anymore.

Ariel goes in search for a book or sword to steal for Addlebert. On the way to the bookstore, she also passes Gramble. She steals the sandals as she passes. She offers to trade the sandals and John Smith's hair for Edraska's guide to Every Plant. He observes that the human is still nearby when he agrees to the trade.

Tim is keeping track of the other person in the library. They are larger than him, lanky, and top-heavy, wearing a tall hat. He pretends to be a librarian and sneaks past the creature to reach the glass vault door. After several failed attempts to sneak in, he decides instead to simply break the glass using one of the books of his disguise. Someone has stolen the book before him. The lanky person, Addlebert, is dressed in a horribly uncomfortable testfit, and is looking at him in confused amusement. Tim blames a chicken for having broken the vault. Addlebert says he'll probably need a new coverstory; Tim agrees, stating that they should workshop it over drinks. He hands the book to Addlebert as his gift; Addlebert secretly puts it back.

Pip sneaks over the wall around the orchard. She is able to locate a solitary golden apple tree, a long-limbed person sitting under the tree, a single apple in the upper branches. Pip carefully and stealthily attempts to climb the tree to reach the apple unnoticed. A strong gust of wind blows as she's reaching for it, nearly knocking her out of the tree and knocking the apple loose as well. She manages to catch it, but falls out of the tree in the process. The marquis catches her. Hoping to not be turned into something unpleasant, she explains her plans for the apple, which he finds acceptable enough. He gives her the apple, and she flees.

Teg, frustrated by their lack of a gift, goes home and cries on a canvas to create an abstract depiction of despair.

Tigz finds Pip as she flees the castle. She tells them where the marquis is and agrees to take Tigz' package in case Tigz is killed horribly. Tigz accidentally gives Pip the marquis' gift, then delivers the tutu to the marquis. They flee.

Ariel does not wrap the gift for Addlebert; it is not already in the castle library. Tim has already given his gift to Addlebert; the chicken followed him home at a suspicious distance. Pip offers the golden apple to Addlebert, who does not understand at all what it's for or what their trip is going to be. Teg's art is very well done. Tigz feels very bad about their gift, but gives it to him anyway.

The mysterious package for the marquis was a filled journal, the writing gossamer thin; it appears to have been kept by a young fey noblewoman from at least twenty years ago. He spies the first name of the marquis and realizes that the young woman was involved with the marquis. Her murder was faked in order to separate the two, as politically it wasn't allowed. Addlebert decides that he should maybe give the journal to the marquis.

The bagel bites survived to the party. Ward's food pickiness is explained: he grew up on fey food and then tasted Xelbari's food. He didn't stand a chance.

Tim accidentally pops the chicken. Lugg arrives home at the last minute, having had to hunt for the human that was sighted. He gives Addlebert a gift card for Gramble's Wandering Merchant Shop.

Introduced

• Ariel - (Steak) has given Addlebert wierd gifts from her human project - Addlebert isn't into the human thing, but will listen to the infodump. Enjoys the research part of things, doesn't mind the gross stuff.
• Timothy Bronze - (Devin) has created cover story; studied Addlebert to learn about him - not the most useful coconspirator; he's really into books.
• Pip - (Hollis) lays traps for Addlebert to train him to not step on them; rides on Addlebert's head and tries to control him with his hair - somewhat incautious but trainable and will go along with the bit; go with the flow.
• Teg - (Patch) lets him infodump then creates are based on it; attempts to guide him along the path to fulfilling himself - he can make art, but is bad
• Tigs - (Pickle) shares their depressing poetry with him; stands behind him ominously and instructs him into self care - also the depression, heeded the ominous warnings, high tolerance for weird crap.
• Rordon-Gamsay - (Cynthia) cooks for him; drags Addlebert along for gathering trips - ruined Addlebert's taste for variety; he hates going outside.
• Newsman (goat man)
• John Smith (Ariel's captive human)
• Kurlus (triton hunter)
• Monarch Butterfly (Bubble Studio artist)
• Gramble (hobgobin wandering trader)
• Wolfkin (bookstore owner)

Returning

• Addlebert (Ward)
• Xelbari
• Marquis Jaidoc Telestarossa

Mentioned

• Ruudin (jotun glassblower)
• Wife (fire giant)
• Old Gus (paper maker)
• Lugg (Addlebert's brother; off to be a dog knight)