Been thinking about the narrative choice to send Sir Julien chasing after Occtis for two reasons.
First, the overture plot:
Itās clear that House Royce is in trouble. Aranessa was kept waiting at the Halovars, she outright told Hal that her houseās power is waning and she didnāt have the pull to save Thjazi. The Royce resupply wagons/carriages are not only being stopped, but their intel is also bad - somethingās gone wrong with the rear guard and information is only arriving piecemeal. (Side note: sure hope Alogarās okay in the middle of all of this since it seems like he is connected to House Davinos/Royce via Julien.)
Aranessaās decision to try and collect Occtis is overtly tied to the trouble that the Royce family is experiencing in her conversation with Raimond and Julien. The conversation about the issues with the wagons leads directly into the conversation about Occtis and feeling like it would be prudent to get a hold of him before the Tachonis do (both for Occtisās own well being and, due to the context of the conversation, possibly as political leverage or a bargaining chip).
Then thereās the mention of the gala and the need to keep up appearances. Iām sure everything will go so, so good at the gala and will be totally fine and not at all be a launching point for Julien to suddenly have motivation to be involved with the rest of the PCās for a full campaign for any reason.
Itās amazing how well the Tachonis have been set up as this massive, looming threat, how quickly we understand that House Royce is in a precarious position that could falter at any moment, and how we the audience are as deeply invested in Aranessaās wellbeing as Julien is. Also A+ work to introduce both Aranessa and a sweet, awkward young wizard whom the PCs and the audience are very much invested in and then immediately put that woman and that wizard in extreme danger. 10/10 no notes.
Second, Julienās personal character arc:
This mission comes up right after Julienās fraught conversation with his father. Julien is portrayed as aimless and bitter. He brought the rebel in twelve years ago, brought the house name back up, but has been frozen ever since. Thjazi is still loved by his father and Aranessa. His father is still actively comparing Julien to Thjazi. The glory Julien gained feels hollow, and he still mourns the āgolden pathā he thinks he should have had without Thjaziās interference. Julien feels like the world owes him and is bitter about having to work for what he thinks should have been his all along, bitter about Thjazi not being roundly despised like Julien feels he should be, bitter about basically everything.
And now heās being sent to collect some kid from House Tachonis - an heir, not even a vassal, of the most powerful house on the block, one even the Halovars donāt feel they can cross - who has apparently thrown all of his own āgolden pathā away for Thjazi. A kid who has, according to the rumors (which we the audience know to be true) defied his family the same way Julienās father did out of friendship for a man that helped him once.
Occtis hasnāt even thought through the full ramifications of what heās done! When Thimble asks if it would be stupid for him to come with her to the Crow Keepers, wondering how āinā he still is with his family, Occtisās response is a somewhat panicked āoh I havenāt even thought about thatā but then he immediately affirms that he will come anyway and that theyāll just have to hope that disguise self will be enough.
Occtis is, for all purposes, the anti-Julien. Young, hopeful, and almost painfully unconcerned with the consequences of what he sees as doing the right thing. Contrast that with Juilenās bitter focus on survival above all else. Occtis isn't lamenting about losing a golden path. Occtis doesnāt seem to even like being part of his grand house. Heās not offended by everyone he respects talking down about the Tachonis. I donāt think he sees the path as being all that golden at all.
They're such interesting narrative foils and I'm so curious to see how the two of them interacting will go.
