Team Durango Presents: Disney's Enchanted Palace

[Outbound]

A Project by Team Durango

As you can see in the short letter above, Disney World has unveiled big plans for the future of Disney Springs. The legacy of the Adventurer’s Club has come full circle as a spiritual successor is planned to dominate the far end of the Shopping District. And yes, it will “dominate”. At ten rooms (its predecessor held five) Disney’s Enchanted Palace is all about taking the lessons learned from the Adventurer’s Club and applying them on a grand scale.

A faraway view of Disney’s Enchanted Palace, across the bridge from the Landing.

Wherever you are in Disney Springs, you’ll be able to spot Eladin Castle, the home of this grand experience. It rests on the far right edge of the map, between Disney’s Saratoga Springs and the Rainforest Cafe.

Map of Disney Springs, updated for the Enchanted Palace.

At its core, the Enchanted Palace holds an incredibly rich mythos. Eladin is the Capital of the Kingdom of Eladore, and the Seat of House Hugeon, the Kings Across the Water.

Situated at the Mouth of the Great River, Eladin is brilliantly constructed, to assert control over the six principle houses:

The Duchy of Rulevaul, led by The Most Honorable House of Rowen,
The Duchy of the Southlands, led by The Most Noble House of Belmont,
The Duchy of Corvona, led by The Most Cunning House of Corvon,
The Duchy of Emeraldis led by The Most Enlightened House of Westley,
The Duchy of Eastvale, led by the Most Brilliant House of Harthorn,
And the Archdiocese of Yohnsburg, led de facto by the Most Peaceful House of Ponswick.

Eladin was built four hundred years ago not by hand, but by magic. Supposedly an ambitious and just magician by the name of Eladin the Builder united Eladore with this magical castle. For many centuries, the Magical House of Eladin’s rule was undisputed, until 54 years ago.

FROM ACROSS THE SEA
In 873, the King of Taria died with no sons and eleven nephews. Each nephew argued that they had equal claim to the throne, so their only compromise was to split their once great kingdom into eleven territories. The House of Hugeon, descended from Norbert Hugeon, controlled Hugalia in the southern tip of Taria. Although the brothers lived in relative harmony, their descendants weren’t so peaceful. As soon as the eldest nephew died, his son attacked Hugeon territories. The Hugeons retaliated, with the support of the other lands, and quickly, the eldest nephew’s land was destroyed.

However, over the next few centuries, it became apparent that these states were almost entirely controlled by corrupt politicians, and these states were almost always at war. By 1220, the Hugeons were losing most of their land, and Henry Hugeon was desperate for a way out. His advisors told him about his claim to the throne of Eladore- Henry and the King of Eladore were distant cousins, with their common ancestor having lived in the 900s. With this in mind, Henry made the bold decision to vacate Taria, sailing across the Emerald Sea to Eladin, where he waged war on the Royal Family.

WAR FOR THE CROWN
Eladin was besieged by the Hugeons, but it was clear that they didn’t have the forces to overtake the castle alone. All seemed lost when the Rowens attacked the Hugeons from the rear. With only days before being destroyed, the Hugeons received reinforcements from the Belmonts, the Westleys, the Corvons, and the Harthorns (Yohnsburg sent assistance in the form of supplies, but would not be drawn into the fighting). The other houses had long felt taken for granted by the King of Eladore, and Henry had a reputation of being a kind and generous ruler. Facing four houses of Eladore, the Rowen force was quickly defeated, and the houses quickly joined the Hugeons in the Siege of Eladin, which lasted through the winter. In the spring of 1221, the Hugeons broke through the walls of Eladin and overthrew the Royal Family. With the support of the houses that assisted in his conquest and the Rowen family signing a peace treaty with him, Henry Hugeon was declared King of Eladore, establishing the Hugeon Dynasty that currently rules the great Kingdom of Eladore.

51 YEARS LATER
Now King Henry is on death’s door, at a most unnatural age of 76. His only child, Prince Matthew, died last year, leaving his grandchildren (Andin, Clayton, and Lyla) the future of the kingdom. Fearing the loss of his realm, Henry has called for a marriage into House Rowen, the Dukes of Rulevaul. This has angered the other Houses, as the Rowens notoriously were the only ones to not back Henry’s original claim to the throne. However the Rowens have a history on Eladore dating back near as far as the Eladins, and the Hugeons desperately need credibility.

Now, at the midsummer’s eve of 1272, Princess Lyla Hugeon is to marry Lord Matthias Rowen. The event is the most exciting of the year, and every major Nobleman is expected to attend. It will surely be a night to remember!

The Royal Banner of the Wedding, found often around the Castle. Combines the Rowen’s Shield-At-Arms with the Hugeon’s Shark and Crown.​

 

[Outbound]

-- FACTIONS --
Disney’s Enchanted Palace is largely inspired by the political intrigue of Game of Thrones’ initial four seasons. It should be understood that this is no Disney Fairytale… at least at first glance. Each Noble Family has their own objectives at this Wedding -- some rather sinister. Let’s take a look.

(These descriptions can be found by scanning any of the respective banners using the PlayDisneyParks App while on location)

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[Outbound]

-- CHARACTERS --​

Within each House are numerous characters attending the Wedding. Some are scheming for power or revenge, but most are simply there to have a good time.

But perhaps the most interested part of the new characters was not their depth, but their interactions with each other. If left alone, characters may not even approach guests. Instead, they’ll talk to other characters, just as you’d expect them to naturally do, which in turn allows you to eavesdrop into some very interesting conversations. And always feel free to butt into these conversations with your own opinions or suggestions to problems.

Characters are divided into three tiers: major, minor, and one-time. 14 Major Characters appear for the entirety of the night and play a significant role in a storyline. Often they have a “character arc” over the course of the night. Minor Characters are also present for the entire night, but they do not have as many scripted events, and often serve in a supporting role to a major character. Nevertheless, they can still be talked to, and often have an enriching detailed backstory that ties to a surprising number of other characters. One-Time Characters only appear for a short show/performance. An actor/actress often plays multiple one-time characters depending on the event. They are not listed here.

Below is a list of all Major Characters, in first indentation, and Minor Characters, in second indentation.

• Koro the Friendly Pirate: A friendly former pirate turned merchant. Koro considers us his/her “friends” and has paid for our trip across the Sea from the Wayward Isles. Koro can be played by either a man or woman, and can be of any ethnicity, provided they appear foreign to the rest of the uptight crowd. Koro explains the backstory to Eladin during the induction ceremonies, and during the party is available to answer any questions.
  • Samuel: Koro’s servant. Samuel walks around the party, less social than his boss, but still available to answer any questions. Samuel was sent to Koro by some Lord of Eladore, but who exactly that is must be uncovered by you.

• • King Henry: Aging King, all guests entering must greet him in the throne room. This animatronic sings a small song before allowing guests to enter the Gala proper. As he is very old, he has elected not to attend such a rowdy event and will instead sit back on his throne.
• Prince Andin: Henry’s eldest grandchild, with the recent death of his father Andin is now next in line to the throne and effectively treated as king. The ever-polite and enlightening gentleman spends most of his time in the ballroom or drawing room, conversing with ladies and a few elder lords on the politics of the realm. He has no interest in the tourney. But for all his good characteristics, there is a rumor going around the real reason his wife the to-be Queen is constantly ill for parties and never with child is that he spends all his time with his attendant…
  • The Prince’s Attendant: Not a major character, but instead goes around giving people drinks. Also asks anyone walking by if they need help or directions. However if you strike up a conversation you’ll find he’s much worse at keeping secrets than his beloved Andin...
    
• Prince Clayton: Henry’s middle grandchild, Clayton is tall and broad, obsessed with fighting swords and drinking ale. You can find him mostly beyond the main gala, at the wine cellar. He boasts that he will win the Melee coming later in the evening.
  • Sir Bartholomew: Clayton’s right hand, they have been friends since childhood. Follows Clayton around exchanging war stories. Just as Clayton is nicknamed Clay by those close to him, he’s nicknamed Barty.
  • Sir Kristoff: Clayton’s left hand, friends since childhood, nicknamed Chris. Also in on Sir Barty’s secret.
  • Ford: A sellsword who has befriended the three noble knights, also follows Clayton around, but is more his own person than a mindless cronie.
    
• Princess Lyla: The bride to be. As Henry’s youngest grandchild she is to marry Lord Mathias Rowen, but she secretly doesn’t want to. According to rumors, she already has a secret lover. Lyla can be found on the second floor, with almost no one else, constantly questioning her looming marriage. She must decide between love and politics. You can help Princess Lyla with the PlayDisney App, solving riddles that will help her uncover the Castle’s secrets and possibly provide her with answers.
  • Gabrielle: Lyla’s friendly and humorous assistant, the Princess confides in her and the two create a strong foil.

• Lord Mathias Rowen: The 40 year old lord and a brilliant military strategist who proved decisive in the War for Eastvale. He has had three marriages: the first, to the Duke of Corvana, died in childbirth; the second, to the Duke of Eastvale, died to a bandit raid (which in turn triggered the War for Eastvale) and is now scheduled to marry the 20-year-old Lyla Hugeon (there are a few more morally righteous characters who express dislike for this). Lord Rowen is cold and calculating, said to have turned bitter after the Eastvale Incident, he sees this marriage as purely political. For if Prince Andin were to unfortunately pass this night, this marriage would put him next in line...
  
• Sir Charlie Rowen: Distinct opposite of his brother. Loves to tell strange and wacky stories. Claims to partake in the tourney, but makes a huge fool of himself when he slips in the mud and is then removed from the event. Later returns to host games of charades. Can be found arguing with his brother about “morals” throughout the night, seemingly opposed to something about to happen...
  • Lady Penelope Rowen: Charles’ older daughter, enjoys gossiping in the ballroom with her sister.
  • Lady Arianne Rowen: Charles’ younger daughter, enjoys gossiping in the ballroom with her sister.

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• Lady Ira Belmont: A seemingly nagging, but really brilliant elderly lady who rules this house. Doesn’t bow down to the Hugeons: she is less than thrilled about the Sara incident and very supportive of Jory after he wins the tourney. But most see her as just annoying.
  • Lord Orin Belmont: A weak-willed “lord” whose mother is really in charge. Whenever he speaks, he references his total support for the monarchy, despite his treacherous daughter, Princess Sara, whom he refuses to talk about (you’ll need to go to Clayton or his friends for that story).
    
• Sir Jory Belmont: Young, small, yet dashing, people rumor he is Lyla’s secret lover (this is a red herring). His older sister married into the royal family, but things didn't turn out that well. At the tourney, he defeats the expected winner Prince Clayton. Accused of cheating by some of the bitter knights, whether or not this is the truth is never explained.

• Duchess Lucinda Westley: A strong and courageous leader, Duchess Lucinda is the first female leader of Emeraldis, and she has quickly gained favor and respect throughout Eladore. Lucinda is a shining light of what the women in Eladore can strive to become. However, even though she has been leading Emeraldis well for a couple of years, Lucinda still feels insecure in being one of the only female leaders in Eladore. Throughout the night, this leads to conversations with her husband and several women in the castle (Ira Belmont, etc.), building up to a dramatic moment near the statue of Eladin the Builder, where Lucinda makes a brief, impassioned speech about the strength of women and how they make great leaders. Princess Lyla can be seen watching, maybe an hour before her wedding, conflicted and inspired…
  • Duke Marauvin Westley: Duke Marauvin is often in his own world, more interested in the progression of science and technology than helping his wife run Emeraldis. Although this may make him come across as being a disengaged husband, he loves his wife deeply and supports her ambitions. Throughout the night, he can be found more often than not in the Astronomy Tower, marveling at the technological advancements being made in Eladore. However, he will leave at various times to dance with his wife or briefly socialize, and he encourages her before her big speech at the end of the night.
    
    
  • Eila: Emeraldis is known for its diamond mines; however, the need and desire to mine has led many “enterprising” people to employ young teenagers to work in the mines. Eila was a diamond miner from the age of 14 to 17, but when Duchess Lucinda became the leader of Emeraldis, child labor was outlawed when the Duchess visited Bulmarion, the mine where Eila worked. The Duchess, unable to have children of her own, adopted Eila. Now, three years later, Eila desperately wants to fit in with the other young royals of Eladore. Throughout the night, she can be seen socializing with those royals and telling the stories of her time in the mines and the castle of Emeraldis.

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• Duke Theodric Corvon: A spiteful man of 68, and the second oldest of the high lords in the kingdom, Duke Theodric was the first of the great houses to back King Henry’s claim to the throne, believing that it would put his house back on the map after a great failure many ages ago where House Corvon betrayed and killed a once-great king, inciting a war between the houses. Theodric worked incredibly hard for his whole life to bring his once-great house back to glory, hoping it would lead to one of his own children marrying into the royal family. However, now that House Rowen, the traitors who refused to back King Henry, are marrying into the family, and Duke Corvon has a secret plan: to utilize the venom of the Beast of Corvana, a legendary serpent who lives beneath the castle of Corvana, to poison Lord Mathais. As the party goes along, make sure to eavesdrop on Duke Theodric to hear about how his plan is going. He also blames Mathais for the death of his grandson, a child Mathais himself sired and lost to stillbirth.
  
  
• Lord Huet Corvon: Son of Theodric and future Duke of Corvon, Lord Huet was once one of the most revered and feared duelists in all of Eladin. No melee or joust would be complete without Lord Huet showcasing his talents in the arena. At the great Tourney of the King, a yearly event celebrating the king’s birthday, where Lord Huet was to duel Prince Henry, the two took their stances and began to duel. Lord Huet was able to best the prince, landing him on the ground, about to deal the finishing blow when a bird pooped on his helmet, distracting him. This allowed Prince Henry to trip Lord Huet and defeat him in the battle. Due to the shame of being defeated in such an embarrassing way, Lord Huet refused to remove his helmet in shame. For five years Lord Huet refused to remove his helmet around anyone else. He hoped to prove himself against Prince Henry again, yet with his unfortunate untimely death, Lord Huet fears he’ll never restore his honor. Lord Huet does not resent House Rowen in the same way his father does, and, upon discovering his father’s plan to poison Mathias, he seeks to stop his father’s plan and regain his honor.
  • Thomyson Corvon: The sole son of Huet and his now-deceased wife, a commoner, Thomyson has no title nor claim to Corvana due to his mother’s peasantry. Thomyson attends the party in an attempt to gain squireship to a great knight or lord, or to find a lady who will marry him in an attempt to legitimize him in the eyes of his grandfather.

• Duke Howland Harthorn: Duke Harthorn is in his 50s, and for the past few years, he’s been training his son, Harland, to become the next Duke of Eastvale. Eastvale is notorious for having started as a primitive farming community that grew into a great part of Eladore, forming part of the border with Serdian. Howland has tried to maintain that farming tradition. Throughout the night, he will have eager conversations with people, guests and actors, about farming and how proud he is of his son. As a single father, his kids are his life, and it is beautiful to see how much he cares for them.
  • Sir Harland Harthorn: Harland is the 20 year old son of Duke Harthorn, and he has been trained to become Duke for when his father steps down. However, Harland doesn’t want to be the Duke. He cares deeply for his father and doesn’t want to disappoint him, but he wants to become a traveling bard. Throughout the night, he’ll interact closely with the musicians of the castle, making music with them. About halfway through the night, his father will be trying to pull him away from the musicians to discuss politics with the leaders of the other lands, which will result in an outburst from Harland that leaves his father stunned and hurt. They’ll reconcile in the garden, with Howland accepting that Harland has dreams beyond the castle walls, and Harland will end the night making music with the other castle musicians.
  • Lady Haelane Harthorn: Haelane is the daughter of Duke Howland and, unlike her brother, possesses the skill and desire to lead Eastvale after her father steps down. However, she has never told her father this dream because she knows how badly he wants for Harland to succeed him. Throughout the night, observant guests will overhear Haelane talking about complicated political theory, indicating her ability to succeed her father. After Harland’s outburst, she comforts him, telling him how jealous she is that their father wants Harland to be the Duke instead of her. Harland tells his father this, and following Duchess Lucinda’s speech, Howland proudly tells his daughter that she will be the first Duchess of Eastvale.

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• Archbishop Yanick Ponswick: A elderly, pious, devout archbishop who cares deeply about the people of Yohnsburg and Eladore as a whole. He is fully supportive of the marriage between Lyla Hugeon and Mathias Rowen. He represents the views of his people, who are primarily pacifist and were tired of the animosity towards the House of Rowen. However, he does not realize that he holds little political power anymore. He is the 10th Archbishop of Yohnsburg, and the minister he appointed was Minister Reuven Dunne, who has slowly taken control of the running of Yohnsburg. Throughout the night, it becomes apparent that all the leaders from the other lands of Eladore view Ponswick as nothing more than a political puppet, which could lead to confrontation by the night’s end...
  
  
• Minister Reuven Dunne: An ambitious, scheming administrative official, he rose through the ranks of Yohnsburg’s government, catching the attention of the Archbishop. He has served as Minister for almost ten years, and in that time, he has managed to gain control of Yohnsburg’s government and the respect of the rest of Eladore. Unlike the Archbishop and the people of Yohnsburg, Dunne despises the Rowens and is furious that the House of Ponswick was passed over for the strategic marriage, which could have resulted in Dunne seizing more power. If he interacts with Mathias Rowen for too long, he could inadvertently expose himself to the Archbishop as a traitor…
  
  • Lady Elinor Ponswick: The niece of Yanick, Elinor is an apparent airhead with little interest in the family business of running Yohnsburg. Throughout the night, she falls in love with Sir Jory Belmont, which causes her to be jealous of Lyla Hugeon. Of course, this causes some conflict between her and her uncle, but she’s more concerned with what Jory thinks of her. She will do anything to be with him, and unfortunately for House Ponswick, even though she isn’t engaged with politics, she knows enough about the government of Yohnsburg to pose a threat to Minister Dunne..

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• Merlin the Inventor: The puppet inventor of Eladin, Merlin the Inventor is actually a far descendent of the Wizard Merlin, an off-shoot of Eladin. As such, he introduces himself as Merlin and encourages the belief that he is the great wizard. Any time a character is in the Astronomy Tower where Merlin lives, they correct the belief that he is a wizard. Interactions with Merlin make it clear that he desperately wants to replicate the magic of his ancestor, so much so that he took to inventing many technological marvels to appear as magical as possible. The story of Eladin isn’t really advanced through the character of Merlin, but his story is complex enough to entertain guests in between the primary events of the night. Because of guests being able to use the app to activate different inventions, interactions with Merlin will vary throughout the night. Additionally, he will occasionally leave his elevated workshop area and sounds of a hammer and gears whirring can be heard, indicating that he is off inventing something new while the puppeteer gets a break.
  
  
• Old Mag: An elderly woman who spends her time in the library. Like Merlin, she is a realistic puppet, occasionally taking breaks to “sort through the old books” but most often sitting on an inaccessible balcony talking down below. “Mag” is actually short for “Magician” and she is secretly the last remaining heir of the Eladin Dynasty. As such, she contains some magic, and once you solve her riddles around the castle, can help her change the Wedding in the name of True Love.

 

[Outbound]

GROUND FLOOR

To any guests hoping to enter Disney’s Enchanted Palace, you’ll want to arrive at either 8:00, 9:30, or 11:00. These are the three times where the Induction Ceremony will occur. Feel free to wait in the Entrance Courtyard, a themed waiting area with a few hidden secrets, but nothing too special. When the clock hits the scheduled time, young Thomyson Corvon comes by and attempts a welcoming speech before he is interrupted by Koro.

Koro explains before entering the party, guests must bow before the Honorable King Henry. He teaches us that after King Henry announces “and Koro’s Friends, From the Wayward Isles”, guests must say together, “Your Majesty”. The King will then welcome the group inside.

With this, guests are ushered into the Throne Room. This is a smaller room home to the throne and King Henry AA. All fourteen major characters gather here and state their names and houses before the King while bowing (cleverly introducing us to everyone important). Guests follow Koro’s instructions and Henry’s nods. He then begins a short song, explaining his House’s Backstory in a fun manner before the doors open behind him, and he allows us to pass by.

Guests enter the Atrium, the main area of the club itself. This is like the Adventurer's Club. There are many lounge tables and chairs with a central statue (this being of Eladin the Builder, who some say used magic to build the castle). At the statue of Eladin the Builder, guests can scan the statue with the Play Disney Parks app to access more information about the history of the castle and Eladin the Builder. From here are two large rooms: the Banquet Hall and the Ballroom.

The Banquet Hall has three long wooden tables. A giant map of the Kingdom is present alongside all the major Noble Family Banners. Like in the Atrium, guests can scan the map and the family banners to learn more about the history of Eladore and the families. These descriptions can be found between the family banners and character descriptions. This is the perfect place to sit and eat. Large-scale shows, often re-enactments to contribute to world’s history, will occur here.

The Ballroom, in contrast, is more formally decorated. Classical music plays and guests are encouraged to dance along. When not dancing, many of the Noble Ladies can be found by the walls gossiping (some rumors are true, some aren't, you are encouraged to seek out the various characters and figure out the mysteries for yourself).

Just off the Ballroom is the Drawing Room, which no, is not for drawing but for resting. Some smaller-scale games and shows (such as charades) will occur here. When games are not occurring, many of the older men and ladies can be found discussing politics.

Back in the Atrium, exiting through the far doors will take guests to the Garden, and entirely outdoor area. The themed characters don't really go out here with the exception of the Tourney at 8:30. However, there are many hidden details: for instance, a pond full of singing frogs. With the app, guests can make music with the singing frogs and fountains. You can also reach the Astronomy Tower this way.

BOTTOM FLOOR

Heading down the northeastern walkway of the Atrium leads to the Bottom Floor. Built out of stone, the Wine Cellar serves as the go-to Bar of the Club. The younger noblemen can be found here boasting of their talents on the battlefield.

Across The Sea

One cool point of note here is a painting on the far side, which when a certain loose stone-brick is pressed will open up and reveal the Dungeons, which has no one inside but is home to a few easter-eggs. Although access to the Dungeon is only granted through a physical action, the app will give clues to accessing it. Additionally, in the Dungeon, the app will give more information on the easter eggs and what may or may not have happened within the Dungeon.

UPPER FLOOR

On the other side of the Atrium is a walkway up to the Overlook, wrapping around the second floor of the Atrium. There are a few seemingly magical Statues of Knights lined along the walls, which can be made to move by solving puzzles in the app. Overall this area is much quieter: the characters barely come up here. A Balcony overlooks the Garden and is ideal seating for the Tourney.

Just off here is the Library, a mysterious area home to Old Mag, the old librarian / secret magician who is the only one that knows the full extent of the Castle's Secrets. Even though Old Mag is the primary source of knowledge about the castle, extra details and secrets can be discovered by scanning old books, laid out on tables, with the app.

You can also walk across the Bridge, a picturesque walkway. On one side you can see all of the Garden and on the other all of Disney Springs. This Bridge takes you to the Astronomy Tower, a quirky area filled with strange inventions, and home to Merlin, the castle’s inventor, who encourages guests to try out his various machines. Ancient runes would cover the walls, with translations possible through the app. Within the tower, several wacky inventions can be activated using the app, causing surprises and new experiences in the tower every night.

As you may have found by this point, the Disney App plays a significant role in uncovering puzzles. This is for two reasons. First, it takes the Adventurer’s Club to the digital age by providing interactivity with what all the characters call “that magic box”. Second, it allows puzzles to be solved without giving it away to all the other guests, thus ruining the surprise for others. Overall, the digital age is the future, and Disney’s Enchanted Palace is fully committed in that regard.

Whether you enjoy solving puzzles, uncovering secrets from the diverse cast, or simply walking around a detailed medieval castle, the Enchanted Palace is built to please. ​

 

[Outbound]

 

[Outbound]

A NIGHT AT DISNEY'S ENCHANTED PALACE
With @Outbound and @goofyyukyukyuk17

I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of Disney’s Enchanted Palace alongside my fellow trip reporter, @goofyyukyukyuk17 . We made sure to arrive early, at around 7:30 (the club opens at 8, and runs to midnight) and bought the frankly pricy entry ticket (well worth it). We normally wouldn’t advise arriving this early, but we wanted to grab front seats to the induction ceremony, so we made sure to wait for a while.

At exactly 8:00, the bells from a nearby clock-tower rang, and suddenly our group was greeted by a young man, dressed in medieval attire. He spoke as follows (I secretly recorded this part, and a few other key scenes):

PAGE: Greetings all. I am Thomyson Corvon, looking to squire. Welcome to the Most Noble Castle of Eladin. This is the most mighty, mysterious, and dare I say, magical place in all of our realm. Legends say this castle was built not by hand, but magic. They say that the House of Eladin was skillful in its use of fantasy, and only it’s members knew all of it’s secrets. A shame then, that 51 years to this day, that House was overthrown and replaced with Hugeon from Taria. We may never know this castle’s full secrets.

Suddenly, a rather large, African-American man came running in, smiling at us wildly.

KORO: My friends, my friends! You made it, oh you made it! I was beginning to worry. My name is Koro, the Friendly Pirate. Well, I used to be a Pirate, then I stopped. Now I am really a Merchant, but I keep up the name for good fun. You are from the Wayward Isles, no? I paid for your transport! It is so good to see you made it across the Sunken Sea. Oh, so many ships nowadays sink there, terrible storms. But I see you got out alright? Oh well, I am getting ahead of myself. Let us focus on the here and now -- Samuel!

A younger looking fellow, similar in age to Thomyson, but in ragged commoner attire, comes out.

SAMUEL: Yea sir?

KORO: This is my servant Samuel. He was given to me by Lord --- oh wait, no no, I shouldn’t say. Anywho, Samuel yes, he will answer any questions you have at the party. So will I, just come and ask. We are all friends! Now you will find not everyone is as friendly as me. This is a wedding, and many are angered by the choice of groom. You see, the King needs credibility, so he has agreed to marry his daughter to a family that once bitterly opposed him. They have claimed loyalty for now, but we will see. Whatever the case, understand who you are surrounded by. They are all egotistical maniacs. NOW! Before we enter, we must understand how things work. The King is in charge. When we walk through, we will see him, do not make small talk. Do your best to be quiet. Wait until he says “and the Friends of Koro, From the Wayward Isles” only then you must say “Your Majesty” and only that, nothing else. Understood? Good. Let us practice!”

Koro led us through a short practice, which was simple enough. Then, the doors opened, and we passed inside the Enchanted Palace for the first time.

We entered the Throne Room, which was all empty aside from the King, an elderly man fast asleep. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was no man -- this was an audio-animatronic. Well, it certainly looked real.

Koro made us stand as far away from the King as possible. I soon understood why: thirteen other actors walked up to the front, and all bowed to the King, still fast asleep. One character, Andin, knocked on the floor to make him wake.

The King was suddenly jerked alive, and began looking around the room, confused. The cast then began introducing themselves formally to the king, and by extent, informally to us. I saw many Lords, Ladies, Dukes, and Duchesses. I frankly lost track, but I assume later through the night I will get a better track on everyone.

After going through everyone, the King asked for Koro, who did exactly what we were supposed to. He then said exactly what we were all waiting for, and the party eagerly shouted “your majesty!” which seemed to please the King. Going on a short tangent about the wonders of youth, he suddenly burst into song --

Rule, Great Taria! Great Taria rules the waves!
Hugeons never, never, never shall be slaves!
When Hugeons first, at heaven's command,
Arose from out the southern plain,
This was the charter of the land
And Hugeon cousins sang this strain:
We nations not so blest as thee
Must, in our turn, to tyrants fall,
While thou shalt flourish great and free:
The dread and envy of them all.
Still we must as enemies rise,
Attack you fierce with foreign stroke,
As the loud blast that tears the skies
Serves but to hurt thy native oak.
Those haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame,
All their attempts to bend me down
Sent me cross the sea to bring fame,
Which brought both hope and a crown.
To me ended my rural reign;
Eladore now with Hugeon shine;
All lands shall be my subject main,
And every shore it circles, mine.
The houses, still with freedom found,
Shall live forever in my care.
Blest land! with matchless beauty crowned,
And Hugeon hearts to guard the fair.
Rule, Eladore! Eladore, rule the waves!
Hugeons never, never, never shall be slaves!

Finally finishing, the King declared he was now tired again, and without warning, dozed off. The doors behind the Throne opened, and we followed the fourteen other actors into the wedding party proper.

Giant banners lined the walls, each a major house in this fictional world. A giant statue stood in the middle. Chairs and tables lined the edges of the circular room, providing seating for anyone wanting to take in the sights. And a great chandelier stood upon the ceiling. It was a sight to take in.

But there wasn’t much time for relaxing, as Koro suddenly shouted to the crowd of the arrival of his Marvellous Musicians. This foreign band instantly broke the ice of the party, which I have to admit was my biggest fear going in. A Medieval Party sounds great, but it has the risk of being very uptight and formal. Starting off with something so upbeat and encouraging of dance was a smart move.

Goofy and I stayed for the entire show, as did most of our party. During the music I tried talking to a few characters. I was introduced to Duchess Lucinda Westley, the first female ruler in Eladore, ruling Emeraldis. Her husband, Duke Marauvin, seemed kind but in his own world, rambling on about the latest inventions.

When it was over, the music moved to the Ballroom, adjacent to the Atrium. It was now your expected Medieval Music, but still did a good job of remaining upbeat for modern audiences. Because if the Rains of Castamere had started playing, I would have bolted.

But most headed the other direction, to the Banquet Hall. Just as the Marvellous Musicians closed at 8:20, a tall and broad man, who I recognized as one of the characters from the Throne Room, was shouting that a Knights Show would be occurring. Wandering in, I found who I recalled as Prince Clayton, the second grandson of King Henry. Clayton had three others with him, whom I hadn’t seen in the Throne Room -- they introduced themselves as Sir Bartholomew, Sir Kristoff, and Ford the Sellsword.

The “Four Good Sirs” told the story of House Hugeon’s conquest of House Eladin, which I had already read up on prior to attending to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and was widely pleased that said reading was unnecessary. Although the world backstory is deep and rich, it is all explained by the characters in the event. No outside context needed.

Throughout the ten minute show, the Four relied on Audience Participation to tell the entire story. It reminded me of a Monty Python skit, and no, it’s not just because they were riding invisible horses!

After the show, I checked the Disney App to see if anything else was scheduled, and saw Ballroom Dance Lessons. While I’m not one for that sort of thing, it’s nice to see them encouraging new guests to learn. Anyways, Prince Clayton declared, “Time to Head to the Wine Cellars!” and Goofy and I decided, why not? So we, along with a number of other guests, followed the Four Good Sirs down to the bottom floor, where you could order straight from the bar (you can also order from the waiters, wandering around all the other rooms).

What I was perhaps most surprised by was not how the cast interacts with us (that level of detail was also in the Adventurer’s Club) but how they interact with each other. The “Four Good Sirs” went to their own table and loudly talked among themselves without any guest interaction. Prince Clayton was going on and on about some heroic deed in the War for the Eastvale, while Ford was laughing about how chaotic it had been for Seridan: evidently, he had not been employed by Eladore yet.

At some point, a random guest walked up and asked something that was (at the time) very strange…

GUEST: Umm, excuse me Prince Clayton?

PRINCE CLAYTON: Yes thy Wayward companion! What is it that you have come for? An autograph? I am rather loved by the ladies in court --

GUEST: Umm, if you don’t mind me asking, do you know who killed your wife?

PRINCE CLAYTON: Hahahhaha! No worries my companion no worries at all. Have yourself an Across the Water, they taste excellent. Yes, I know who killed my wife. You see us here? Sir Barty, Sir Chris, no not Ford you miserable prat --

FORD: I’m always excluded I swear to --

PRINCE CLAYTON: No! So you see back in the day it was always the four sirs, and yes, an actual knight not sellsword. Myself, Barty, Chris, and Reg, short for Regulus. Well anyways, I marry into House Belmont. Lawww de daww they like horses and I ride horses: so I guess I got to ride House Belmont.

(The three others laugh)

PRINCE CLAYTON: And the marriage with Sara went wonderful. Until one day I come into our room and find her lying with my friend since childhood, Reg. Betrayed, I tell you! So there was only one solution. I get really angry and kill em’ both.

(The three others cheer)

PRINCE CLAYTON: I hope I haven’t traumatized you lad. But there’s your answer.

GUEST: Uhhh thank you.

PRINCE CLAYTON: Anytime! Hey can we get another round! I’m set to win the tourney tonight, best we party early!

This story got even more interesting two minutes later, when Clayton left for a short while to do his business.

SIR BARTY: You know Ford, the Sara story gets better.

FORD: Oh really? Do tell.

SIR CHRIS: Well Reg was always the voice of reason. Ya see, it was us who started the affairs with Clay’s wife.

SIR BARTY: We each did thrice!

FORD: No! That’s hilarious.

SIR CHRIS: The best part is, we had to actually convince Reg to do it. And the one time he does, he gets caught. Felt a bit guilty afterwards, but also couldn’t stop laughing.

FORD: Ha! And here I am, believing in true love.

SIR BARTY: All a lie.

SIR CHRIS: Cheers.

Well after that disturbing story we decided to stop eavesdropping and focus on our own beverages. I started with the non-alcoholics, not wanting to get too intoxicated just yet. I went for the Dragon’s Blood, a Tomato Soup served in a Medieval Goblet. As I was given the drink, the server explained in the past such a drink served as a rite of passage for its immense heat. Though since cooled to more enjoyable measures, it still supposedly holds magical healing properties.

After sitting a bit longer, Goofy and I decided it was time to take out our phones (or “magic boxes” as I was getting accustomed to hearing the actors call them) and saw at the top of the list, the option to go up to the Library to “find hidden secrets and solve ancient puzzles”. That sounded fun, so we went up there.

It didn’t take long to “find Old Mag”, a realistic puppet on an upper balcony of the library, inaccessible to the public.

OLD MAG: Ah, another has arrived. Gosh, in my day we had so many interested. Now people are only coming on the promise of gossip. Oh well, I need to know how your skills are first before I can trust you. Tell me, I’ve been trying to find out whatever happened to Sara Belmont. She was the sweetest girl I tell ya, and the only one actually interested in the library. But the whole subject is taboo around here! Luckily, her father should be at the party, so you can talk to him.

Our phones were suddenly updated. We now had to fill in the answer to the question, who killed Sara Belmont. I suddenly realized why that person had spoken to Prince Clayton about the very topic. Sara’s father was likely not willing to speak about it and was redirecting everyone to Clayton.

Since we already knew the answer, we didn’t bother waiting. I typed in “Clayton” and it came as correct. I assume there are a variety of these possible secrets to uncover, and we just got really lucky. Anyways, we headed back to see Old Mag.

OLD MAG: Ah, you did it. Wonderful. Now this kind of in-person communication is getting too boring, I’m going to just speak to you through your magic box now. Yes, I know how. And I won’t tell you, you have to read the books for yourself.

Sure enough, Mag’s writings now read onto our phones. They told us to solve the puzzle of the Knightly Statues, just outside.

If you want to help us, the One True House, you can do so tonight. Magic is in the air, but we must be silent if we are to succeed. Not for intrigue, not for violence, but for true love at its finest.
-- Mag

Five Knight Statues were standing along the Overlook, on the second floor of the Atrium. The app took us to a VR setup (sorta like Pokemon GO, if you know it) which allowed us to “move” pieces of the knights to other statues. It turns out each Knight had a different style of pauldron, kneecap, and feather, and we had to group them proper in the app to solve the puzzle.

We finished and suddenly the Knights started moving, alive. They sang a short song.

We know, we know,
We see everything.
We see the bride,
She does not want to marry the Lord.
She is conflicted, she is conflicted.
She loves her family, and wants to help,
But she also loves another.
Who is this secret?
We will not say.
But you must awaken us more.
Many other magics are asleep.
Wake as many as you can,
For Midnight Tonight is sure to be interesting.​

 

[spacemt354]

Speechless

 

[Outbound]

PART TWO: GOOFY'S PERSPECTIVE, 9:00 - 10:00
The dancing knight’s song continued to ring in my head. What was with the Princess? What was the Castle planning? I figured answers would come later in the evening.

Outbound and I decided to split up to explore Eladin some more. I got a notification on my phone about the Corvon Puppet Show in the Banquet Hall. One of my favorite things about the Adventurer’s Club was the puppets, so it was hard saying no to going to the puppet show, but I knew that it’d be worth it to go play in the card tournament.

It was held in the Drawing Room, so I ordered a Harthorn Margarita on the way before joining the tournament. My first game was with two other guests and Sir Charlie Rowen. I’ve got to say, I’ve never seen cast interaction with guests on a level like this. We were playing a real game of cards while he told us stories of the history of the House Rowen and some of his adventures. My favorite story was about him dueling his brother until, out of the woods, a huge… actually, it’s probably best if I don’t spoil that story for all my readers.

Somehow, I won that hand and advanced to the second round, which was with another guest and Lady Ira Belmont. This woman was not messing around. She was pretty annoying because she was really vocal about her opinions on a lot of things. One of the things she kept talking about that kept getting looks from around the room was the way she talked about the Hugeons. It was really obvious that she didn’t think they were good rulers, which was sort of weird, considering that I thought her son was the one in charge of the Southlands anyways.

To be honest, I think that Lady Ira may have been using all that annoying talk to distract me, because she ended up winning and went on to play the championship hand with two other guests and Prince Andin, but you better believe I stuck around to watch! Whereas Sir Charlie and Lady Ira were relatively interesting, Prince Andin was an absolute bore. All he did was talk about politics and the interactions of the different lands of Eladore. I guess, as the future king, it makes sense for him to be talking about politics, but still, it was pretty boring. Thankfully Lady Ira was able to keep him on his toes, and one of the guests actually won the tournament and got to pick out a drink from the cellar on the house (I assume Prince Andin had the authority to give those out).

While I played cards, Outbound went to watch the puppet show, and I wanted to include some of his description in my portion of the trip report, so this is based on what he told me. I know a lot of people think of puppets as being child entertainment, but trust me, this is a show that sort of adds some icing to the cake.

The puppet show was called A Serpent’s Tale, and unlike the Old Mag Puppet up in the Library, these puppets were purposefully stylized.

The show told the story of the Corvons, which is the ruling family of Corvana, and was hosted by the Duke Theordic and his son, Lord Huet, who refused to remove his knight helmet (something about a bird pooping on his helmet and making him lose a tournament in shame or something). Anyways as it turns out, Corvana was established by a necromancer who captured this giant snake called the Beast of Corvana. To keep the Beast contained, the necromancer built a castle over the chambers where it was held. Because of that, the Corvons have had a reputation of being snake-like and perhaps a little dark.

It lasted about fifteen minutes, but even hearing Outbound’s description of the show gave me a better understanding of why the Corvons seemed a little on the outs with the other families. It also added another layer to the lore of Eladore without being necessary to understand the night’s story. Overall, it was cool to be given a deeper look into the founding of Corvana, which gave guests another lens to view the rest of the night’s events through.

By that point, it was about 9:20, and I had agreed to meet up with Outbound at 9:45 to watch the tourney, so I used the next twenty minutes to explore the castle a little bit. I knew one of the things I had been wanting to do was explore the ways the Play Disney Parks App could be utilized within the castle, beyond just solving Old Mag’s puzzles. I knew there were lots of scannable items within the castle, so I started in the Atrium.

The first thing to scan was the giant statue of Eladin the Builder. On the app, it gave a little description telling more of his backstory and the backstory of the castle. It also gave me a “sticker” and said I had nine items left to scan before I could redeem my prize. I knew I had enough time, so I set out on my own quest.

Also in the Atrium was a display with the crown jewels of the Hugeons and the Eladins. These didn’t give so much information on the families as they did on how the jewels were made and came into the possession of the families. Then the app said that the rest of the items were in the Banquet Hall. As soon as I walked in, I realized what I was supposed to scan. On the walls were the banners of the six houses of Eladore. I scanned each one, learning more about the history of each house and earning stickers along the way.

When I finished, I was told to head up to the Library to receive my prize. I went up into the Library and went back to the Old Mag. She told me to scan my app into her catalog and she would give me my prize. I did, and an awesome souvenir pin dropped onto the table in front of me. With my cool collectible in hand, I hurried over to meet Outbound on the balcony to watch the tourney.

Outbound and I walked up to the Tourney Grounds, a roped off area in the center of the Garden, where everyone was standing in preparation. I noticed most of the major characters were gone: I remembered later that it was time for the second induction ceremony, so they had gone to the Throne Room to stand before King Henry again.

A band was playing on the Tourney Grounds. Outbound and I couldn’t find any good seats, so instead we decided to explore the Garden. We found a quaint pond, and upon scanning a strange-looking rock on the App, some animatronic frogs came to life:

We are the Dancing Frogs,
Ribbit Ribbit!
We live in the Magic Pond,
Ribbit Ribbit!
Oh we are the Dancing Frogs,
Ribbit Ribbit!
Won’t you join our fun?
Ribbit Ribbit!

After this it was getting close to 9:45 so we headed back to watch the Melee Tournament. I’m no action writer, but I’ll try to describe what happened at the tourney as best as I can.

The four competitors were Prince Clayton, Sir Bartholomew, Sir Kristoff, and Sir Jory Belmont. Sir Charlie also came in full knight armor, proclaiming he would be joining the Tourney, but everyone laughed. As he started swinging around with his sword, he slipped in the mud and fell. Sir Huet the Helmet-Wearer (a shame he didn’t partake in the tourney) dragged him out.

SIR HUET: I tell you Charlie, if I ever had the chance to duel you, you would know what true knighthood is.

SIR CHARLIE: Well why don’t we try. Dilly dilly, click click, wift wift! Oh wait, you lost your precious honor!

SIR HUET: Boohoo!!!

Sir Huet then comically ran off, crying. Sir Charlie got up from the mud and rejoined his brother Matthias on the stands.

The first duel was between Clayton and Bartholomew, although it was more of a comedy show than a duel. It was very obvious that Bartholomew was allowing Clayton to win, but it was acted in a way that Bartholomew was just being submissive, not a bad actor. He kept tripping, while Clayton kept scoring points by touching his vest with his sword, until finally, Clayton reached ten points and ended the bout.

The second duel was between Kristoff and Jory. Kristoff is a really big, brawny guy, and Jory is a little on the smaller side, so it was sort of expected that Kristoff would beat Jory. Kristoff scored a few early points, but then Jory started dancing around Kristoff’s strokes, lightly tapping him with his own sword while tiring Kristoff out. Eventually, Jory won, beating Kristoff 10-6.

This made the final duel be Clayton against Jory. Everybody knew that Clayton expected himself to win, but it was also expected that he’d be dueling against Kristoff, who probably would have let him win. With Jory, there was a sort of rivalry because there was a rumor going around that he was Lyla’s secret lover, which would have likely offended Clayton, so there was a lot on the line. Both men showed they were very skilled in dueling, and quickly, they were tied 9-9. Clayton took a swipe at Jory which clearly missed, but he started celebrating like he had won. He turned his back to Jory, who quickly tapped him on the back, scoring the final point and winning.

Clayton was furious. He ran up to the judge, who simply shrugged, letting Clayton know he wasn’t going to let everything go his way. While Clayton was fuming at the judge, Jory took a rose from a flower bed near the dueling ground and gave it to Princess Lyla. We were all a little surprised at how forward he was, but it was the royals that were truly stunned. They all quickly started whispering to each other, and Mathias looked angry enough to strangle Jory. However, Jory went into the castle to celebrate while Clayton stormed off to the Wine Cellar, furious that he lost the tourney he expected to win.​

 

[Outbound]

PART THREE: OUTBOUND'S PERSPECTIVE, 10:00 - 11:00
The Tourney was over, but all the characters were now talking loudly about Princess Lyla’s secret lover. I suppose it wasn’t as much a secret as the Magic Knights had made it out to be, although no one had proof to who it was, I found myself agreeing with the rest that it had to be Sir Jory.

Anyways, there was now music coming from the Atrium and everyone was making their way back inside. A man, wearing the banners of House Harthorn, was playing music with a small band before the crowd. He was a talented musician, but I was a bit confused about who he was until I recalled him as Duke Harthorn’s son and heir apparent.

I was able to find Harland’s father, Howland, looking annoyed by the music. I eavesdropped into him speaking to his daughter, Haelane, about how she wasn’t suited to political theory.

Also, along the walls, I was able to hear Princess Lyla talking (probably just through the wall). She was with who I assume was her servant, and they were arguing about if they should go through with the marriage. My mind went back to Sir Jory.

By the time the music ended at 10:20, Howland ran up to his son and started talking to him about the prospects for a strategic marriage with one of Sir Charlie’s daughters. This triggered a surprising outburst from Harland (which I didn’t get to record, but I’ll paraphrase) in which he said he didn’t want anything to do with politics and ran off.

This triggered another outburst, though more formal: Duchess Lucinda Westley, whom I had spoken to during Koro’s Marvellous Musicians. Lucinda jumped upon the Statue of Eladin the Builder.

DUCHESS LUCINDA: For many days, months, and years I have heard this same tale. It would seem that so many are opposed to my reign, they fail to see why. They fail to understand that it is not labor laws or tariff cuts that they oppose, but the rule of a woman. Most would care to not admit it. They would prefer to think of themselves as just men with just excuses. That is not so. The Honorable Duke Harthorn, I know you as a man who cares most for his children. I ask you then, why are you so blind? It is clear to me that it is your daughter who hopes to succeed you, and your son who hopes to do something else. Why must you push forth your expectations upon them? They are the very same expectations that have challenged me for so long, and yet despite your supposed support, you now cling to them.

Duke Howland stands there for a moment, awestruck. He then runs off, following his son.

DUKE HOWLAND: Perhaps you are right, Lady Westley! Haelane, you may take up your ambitions. I must find your brother!

I didn’t follow the Duke, but I assume he went to the Garden to make up with his son, possibly giving him formal permission to continue his dreams as a musician. Finally, a subplot that doesn’t end with murder and backstabbing!

It was now 10:25. The music on the schedule had long ended, but the speech and subsequent events had kept everyone’s attention. Now people were dispersing, some headed to the Ballroom, some upstairs to take up Old Mag’s offer, and a few to the Drawing Room for a Charades Tournament at 10:30. Goofy had played in the Cards Tournament and gotten pretty far, and he wanted to try a hand at Charades. I, on the other hand, was more interested in the Astronomy Tower Open House.

Only problem was, I didn’t know where to go. Looking around, I spotted Koro, and decided to take him up on his offer earlier. I approached him talking to Lord Matthias Rowen.

MATTHIAS ROWEN: I must thank you again for taking up… you know.

KORO: Oh yes. Samuel works very hard, honest and true boy. You should be a proud father.

MATTHIAS ROWEN: Quiet!

KORO: Ahhh my apologies --- ahh! Hello my friend!

OUTBOUND: Hello Koro. I was wondering, how do you get to the Astronomy Tower?

MATTHIAS ROWEN: I wouldn't go there if I were you. Sir Marauvin spends all his time there, and if you stay too long he’ll rope you into his ventriloquist show later in the evening. How embarrassing. If it weren’t for his wife Emeraldis would have been pillaged to Earth’s End by pirates -- no offense Koro.

KORO: None taken, My Lord. My friend, good for asking. Koro always knows the way. Follow me, I will take you there!

OUTBOUND: Oh! Great!

Sir Charlie suddenly walked in, cleaned from his muddy tumble earlier.

CHARLIE ROWEN: Brother. Before the Charades start, are you sure about this?

MATTHIAS ROWEN: Absolutely! Now be quiet.

CHARLIE ROWEN: We already have the Corvons on us. Heavens know they’ll slip some Serpent’s Venom in our drinks. Do we really move against the Sharks?

MATTHIAS ROWEN: What is it with everyone giving away my secrets? Yes. We’ll be fine brother, we always have. This -- is for father.

When I was present, I only catched the very beginning of that short dialogue. Only later, when I rewatched everything, did I understand that conversation's full significance.

Anyways, Koro led me up the spiral staircase of the Atrium and past a stone bridge, giving me a beautiful view of the Disney Springs Waterfront. Along the way he spoke vaguely about some adventure in his youth, smuggling rum from Alantor into Taria. Suddenly we were there: the tower was cramped and full of inventions, and sure enough Duke Marauvin was playing with the gadgets. Koro left me here, saying he had a date with Lady Arianne in the Ballroom.

A number of guests were already inside. I could see there was another way to enter the Tower, from a spiral staircase outside, connecting to the Garden. We all waited for 10:30. Then, a very realistic puppet stopped out of a giant telescope, greeting us friendly.

MERLIN THE INVENTOR: Hy ho, hy ho! My name is Merlin. No, not that Merlin. He lived a while back. I’m his descendant though, and a wizard also!

DUKE MARAUVIN: But you’re not. You just use technology to make it seem like magic.

MERLIN THE INVENTOR: Uhhhhhh

DUKE MARAUVIN: I can clearly see the wires.

MERLIN THE INVENTOR: Uhhhhh no comment. Would anyone of you like to try out my latest creations? Hmm? I am looking for test subjects. My last subject came to an unfortunate demise. But I promise you everything here is safe. Expect that one. And that one. And that one too, and you know the one next to it wasn’t too safe either… well just try to trust me, will you?

This went on like this for a while. Merlin kept trying to get people to sign up for his “experiments”. Before we knew it, ten minutes had passed, and Merlin retired back into his telescope for a short while, but we were still allowed to look around. There were a lot of strange, “Leonardo da Vinci” like inventions lying around. I struck up a conversation with Duke Marauvin, who couldn’t stop talking about the wonders of ventriloquism. I recalled Lord Matthias talking about it and asked the Duke when his show was, he told me at 10:45, in the Banquet Hall. Looking up at the Tall Grandfather Clock in the Astronomy Tower, he yelped and ran off, saying he was late to practice.

I stayed around a bit longer, then checked my app for any other riddles. Since the Knights puzzle, Old Mag had been writing through the phone giving us instructions. They were all fairly simple puzzles, but fun to look around and find. After solving two, I noticed it was 10:45, and decided to take up Duke Marauvin’s show.

Heading into the Banquet Hall, I messaged Goofy: he told me the Charades Tournament was even more fun than the Cards, but he’d been eliminated early on. He was staying to see who would win. I told him when he finished to go to the Banquet Hall.

Sitting in the Banquet Hall, I found another character I had yet to speak too. Her name was Elia, and she was a commoner who was adopted into House Westley and was excited to watch her father perform. Between Lucinda and Maurvin, I was beginning to really like the Westleys. She told me about her days as a diamond miner before Lucinda had outlawed child labor, and with no where else to go she was taken in.

The show itself wasn’t as much an embarrassment as the Rowens were expecting. It was actually pretty good! Marauvin made fun of the big personalities at the party, including but not limited too Prince Clayton the Sour Loser, Prince Andin the Very Proper Prince With No Life, Princess Lyla The Big Mystery.

Before I knew it, it was 11:00. And that’s when everything went to hell.​

 

[Outbound]

PART FOUR: GOOFY'S PERSPECTIVE, 11:00 - 12:00
Prince Andin died at 11:00 PM.

The Charades Tournament had ended ten minutes earlier, but Andin had offered free drinks to everyone who had partaken. We all stood for a while, talking what was now usual: the Rowens didn’t deserve the marriage, the Rowens did deserve the marriage, Sir Jory was Lyla’s secret lover, Sir Huet was Lyla’s secret lover (that was the weirdest theory) and more. Then at 10:55 the drinks arrived, later than usual, but no one said anything.

Andin took the first sip, as a cheers to the winner of the tournament. Just as he finished, his Attendant ran up, shouting that the wine was differently colored. Andin looked around… and then collapsed, dead.

For such a sudden death, there was a surprising calm. Only the Prince’s Attendant seemed saddened, shouting that he loved the Prince… wait a minute, now that I think about it… they did act strange around each other, and it would explain why the Prince was never with his wife… anyways I’m getting ahead of myself. They need to make a subreddit just for Eladin Conspiracy Theories.

All the main characters headed backstage, carrying Andin’s limp body. With the Prince dead, I suppose that put Princess Lyla and her soon-to-be husband next in line to the Throne. They would have to discuss all the details now (though in reality, they were going back to the Throne Room for the third and final induction ceremony).

To be honest, I think most of us were more shocked than actually sad (Andin was kinda boring) but to think they would kill off such a major character made me uncertain for the rest of the night. I decided to head over to the Banquet Hall and meet back with Outbound.

There was line dancing in the Ballroom, but I think it’s been a theme tonight for Outbound and I to skip the dancing in favor of exploring the castle and learning more about the story. So we headed back down to the wine cellar (not just because we wanted to try more drinks!) and sat down at the bar. I’d been eyeing the Golden Chalice all night long, so I ordered that, and Outbound got the Beast of Corvana.

While we were sitting at the bar, we noticed Clayton sulking near us. I walked over to him and asked how he was feeling after the tourney. Let me tell you, you should let another guest ask him. You’d think he lost his life with how upset he was. (This part is paraphrased because I was honestly too immersed in the story to think about recording the conversation). He was ranting and raving about how the judge cheated, how Jory cheated, how the crowd was in on it. Even though he was yelling though, he did a great job pulling in some guests, asking them what they thought about what happened, cheering those who agreed with him, hissing at those who disagreed with him.

I think Clayton was too worked up (and more than a little tipsy) because he was only talking for a few minutes before he went upstairs, presumably to find the judge and discuss what happened again. Outbound and I followed him up, but quickly, we were sidetracked by seeing the court jester putting on a show. The jester was juggling some balls and then some goblets before telling us a couple jokes and stumbling out of the room, tripping and falling to lots of laughter. Then we started hearing some shouting.

PRINCE CLAYTON: Good Sir Jory, Good Sir Jory! I’ve been looking for yeee all night. Oh, how wonderful must it be for you. First you mess with my sister --

SIR JORY: As I have said before, I am not Princess Lyla’s lover.

PRINCE CLAYTON: Liar! Second, you cheat in my sport! I was going to win, I tell you! You cheated somehow!

SIR JORY: How?

PRINCE CLAYTON: I don’t know! Perhaps you drank a grapefruit that gave you super strength. Or maybe you ate a bean to jump higher!

SIR JORY: You’re not making any sense.

PRINCE CLAYTON: Liar liar liar! If not that, something else. There is no way you could have best me, obviously the best. I am the greatest knight this kingdom has evererer seeeenen.

We headed into the Ballroom and saw an obviously intoxicated Clayton struggling to find excuses to cover up what was clearly just a poor showing in the tourney. Everyone had seen Sir Jory legitimately best the Prince.

Eventually, Clayton was pulled aside by Ford. He took him backstage, and the Drunk Prince wasn’t seen until the Finale later that night.

Then, a girl by the name of Lady Elinor (who I believe had spent most of her night in the Ballroom, neither of us had really gotten the chance to speak with her) ran up to Sir Jory and shouting about how excellent he was. It was clear she was infatuated by him and jealous of Princess Lyla. She seemed to say something that startled him. He then walked up to an elaborately dressed man, the Archbishop of Yohnsburg, and a very minimally dressed man, his Minister Dunne. Again, I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to them earlier, but it was clear what was happening.

The Minister said something that then offended the Archbishop, and then shouted “Your traditions have no say here, the Rowens clearly plotted this attack and we act as one nation in Eladore!”. Then the Archbishop, who I later realized was Elinor’s uncle, ran off, clearly upset.

Outbound and I only had about ten minutes before the wedding was supposed to take place, and we only had one more puzzle to solve. We had to go back down to the wine cellar, where we were told to scan the entire room. We did and found there was a glowing stone on our screen. We walked up to that stone, trying to figure out what to do with it. Outbound decided to try and just push it, and when he did, part of the wall swung open, revealing the Dungeon.

There wasn’t much in the Dungeon, but to be honest, we were just focused on what our app was telling us. We were supposed to find a faded heart on one of the walls (keep in mind, it was pretty dark inside of the Dungeon). We searched all the walls, and finally, inside of one of the cells, we found the heart. The last thing we had to do was cast a spell on it using our app. If I remember correctly, the spell was “Amor Liberabit Vos.” I assume there was a microphone in the wall because as soon as we said those words, the heart glowed pink for a brief second, and our app told us we had accomplished our tasks for the night, ensuring the night would end with love reigning supreme. With only minutes to spare, we hurried back up to where the wedding was to be held.

Thanks for the help. And before any of you ask, “Mag” is short for Magician. I needed to restart some conduits. I am the last of House Eladin, and we True Kings will have the final say… Amor Liberabit Vos.
-- Mag

As a fair warning to anybody still reading this: the rest of this post contains massive spoilers as to how the night ends. Read at your own risk.

The wedding was to take place in the throne room, and everyone was packed in bench seats on both sides, with the royals at the front, waiting for Lyla to walk down the aisle. When she entered, everyone was stunned at how beautiful she was; it was almost like her dress was glowing. However, she didn’t look truly happy. At the other end of the aisle, Lord Mathias looked a little disinterested, giving the indication that neither of them loved the other. I guess that’s how a lot of weddings were probably like between royals in medieval times though.

King Henry was presiding over the wedding, but he kept falling asleep. Both Mathias and Lyla said their vows. Right before Lyla said “I do”, the throne room went dark, and a shimmering golden trail raced around the walls and up onto the ceiling, exploding into the pulsating pink heart that Outbound and I had seen in the Dungeon. When the lights came back on Lyla was on a horse behind… Ford the Sellsword. All the royals were in shock as Lyla called to King Henry, who was still sleeping, “I’m sorry father, but I love Ford, and I’m going to be with him!” Ford then laughed, shouting, “You all thought it was that Belmont boy, no one thought simple Ford, the Commoner, was capable of thinking for himself, eh? Well, your titles mean nothing!” Without another word, Ford directed the horse back down the aisle, while the golden trail ran down the walls, blowing open the doors as Ford and Lyla rode past the guards and into the night.

All the royals looked confused at what had just happened and the clear display of magic. Mathias seemingly couldn’t be bothered, as he just called for a glass of wine. The royals were all talking over each other, and then all of a sudden, Mathias, who had set down his glass by the throne to enter conversation with the royals, collapsed. Everyone rushed around him, but it was pretty obvious that he was dead.

Quickly, Lord Orin Belmont (followed closely by Lady Ira), Minister Reuven Dunne, Duchess Lucinda Westley, Duke Theodric Corvon, and Duke Howland Harthorn (bringing along Lady Haelane) rushed to the center of the throne room while Sir Bartholomew and Sir Kristoff carried Mathias out of the throne room. There was frantic whispering, as different names were thrown out as potential heirs and marriage partners.

Thankfully, they were talking loud enough for the guests to hear. From what I remember, Minister Dunne suggested that Mathias’ death would ultimately be a good thing, so Duchess Westley slapped him and had him forcibly removed from the castle by Sir Bartholomew and Sir Kristoff.

Duke Corvon was getting sort of aggressive with demanding that his son, Lord Huet, should be part of a strategic marriage, but Huet called him out, saying that he was the one that murdered Mathias. He directed Bartholomew and Kristoff, who had just walked in from throwing out Dunne, to throw Duke Corvon out of the castle. Then, in an emotional moment, Huet removed his helmet, tears flowing, looking proud of himself.

Based on what I remembered from the night’s events, I realized that the only people left huddled around were those who wanted the Hugeons and Rowens to marry. They were all talking in hushed tones, when Clayton, very drunk, stumbled into the throne room. They all went quiet, turning to him in sync, drawing a laugh from the crowd.

The royals got even quieter; none of the guests could hear what they were saying. Suddenly, Lord Orin (followed by Lady Ira) went up to talk to King Henry, who merely snorted in his sleep. Taking that snort to be an affirmation, Lord Orin turned around and took a deep breath, when his mother cut in, announcing that Clayton, the heir to the Hugeon throne, would marry Lady Penelope Rowen, Sir Charlie’s oldest daughter. Penelope (who had spent the evening gossiping with her younger sister) was ecstatic, and Clayton seemed excited and very confused.

Sir Charlie, who had been lurking on the outskirts of the crowd, yelled loudly and rushed at Clayton with a sword. However, Bartholomew and Kristoff had just walked in again, and moved to challenge him. Then Sir Huet stepped forth, helmet removed, and challenged Sir Charlie for that match he promised on the tourney grounds. The battle saw a single parry: that was all it took for Huet to knock Charlie to the ground, and toss him out the castle victoriously.

(Outbound and I were talking afterwards and realized that Charlie must have been the one to poison Prince Andin, which is why he must have been so upset that his daughter was about to join the family line. Kudos to Disney for that plot twist, since Charlie seemed like a great guy, but also not being super obvious about it).

After the fight, Clayton was being ushered out of the room to get ready when he glanced down and saw the glass of wine that had killed Mathias. He drunkenly toasted himself as the next king of Eladore, and before anyone could stop him, he drank the wine, collapsing, dead, seconds later.

So to recap before finishing the story, Prince Andin died earlier in the night, Prince Clayton, the next in line, had just died, Lord Matthias, who would have been heir was also just poisoned, and Princess Lyla, the last heir of King Henry, had just run off with Ford. That meant that King Henry didn’t have an heir.

The royals huddled around Henry’s throne before stepping back, realizing that he’d stopped snoring. He had died peacefully in sleep. They drew black curtains around him as Duchess Westley went up to the throne and the royals continued along their business.

Once again, the royals huddled together, and while the conversation was still going on, the curtains pulled back, revealing an empty throne, and Lucinda rejoined the group. To try and keep things light hearted, the court jester started performing tricks until the lights dimmed in the room again. The only light came from some candles, high on the walls. Slowly, a low hum came seemingly from the walls themselves, and a light shined on a guest named Joshua that was sitting near us and the court jester. Duke Harthorn brought the guest and the jester towards the center of the room, and the Old Mag, who appeared at a balcony, declared that King Henry had two long lost relatives who were in the throne room at that very moment.

First was the court jester, who was King Henry’s fifth cousin. They were both descended from Henry’s grandfather, Edward, but Henry’s uncle, George, the court jester’s great-grandfather, was outcast from the family because he married a commoner. George never told his descendants about their royal lineage.

Second was Joshua from the Wayward Isles, who was the great nephew of King Henry’s brother, who wanted nothing to do with the invasion of Eladore decades before. His brother, James, moved to the Wayward Isles and lived a normal life, dying surrounded by his loving family.

(I talked with some cast member friends about this process, and they explained it to me like this. A cast member would be employed for the sole purpose of finding a new monarch that wasn’t too intoxicated and would ruin the finale. The monarch would be notified ahead of time to ensure the security of this process. Should the visitor get out of hand, Bartholomew and Kristoff would escort the guest out, and the royals declare that the court jester would be crowned King.)

Old Mag declared that Joshua was the closest living relative of Henry’s (that wanted the throne), so the royals crowned him as the King of Eladore as the lights grew brighter. However, Joshua could not marry a Rowen because he was already in love. Therefore, the jester had to marry a Rowen to preserve the strategic relationship.

While the lights were dimmed, Archbishop Ponswick had re-entered the room, and when the lights came back on, he said that his niece chased him down and brought him back, filling him in on the way. Duke Harthorn blurted out that Penelope is cursed because her fiance killed himself mere moments before their wedding. Immediately, her younger sister, Arianne, ran forward, pushing her sister out of the way, and kissed the jester, drawing laughs from the crowd.

Duchess Westley nudged the Archbishop and he quickly said, “Before anyone else tries to escape from marriage, I now pronounce you husband and wife!” This caused even more laughter, and suddenly, the lights went out for the last time. More golden trails ran around the walls and up to the ceiling as the Old Mag mystically waved her arms. Suddenly, the ceiling exploded in fireworks. Luckily, I found a recording of the fireworks, which you can watch below.

At the end of the show, the lights came back up, and all the royals at the front of the throne room (including Joshua, sitting on the throne, wearing a crown) waved goodbye to all of us, as attendants slowly ushered us back into the courtyard and eventually back into Disney Springs.

To be completely honest, I usually am not so generous with reviews, but I can’t get Eladin out of my head. It’s been a few days since we visited, and I am still thinking about the complex storylines, all the characters and interactive elements, and all the stuff I didn’t even have time to do. I opted to follow the storyline and character development as much as I could, so I missed out on the dancing and getting to go explore the Astronomy Tower, but I had a very full experience. Having never been to the Adventurer’s Club, I don’t know if I can make an accurate comparison, but I can say with full confidence that there has never been a place as spectacular and immersively detailed as Eladin.

All too often, people pay an entry fee and don’t feel that they got their money’s worth, but Eladin is one place where I don’t think I’ll ever feel that. It truly blew me away. I felt like I had as much excitement as a day in a theme park without losing a significant portion of a park day, and for less than the price of a park ticket. I’ve heard people talk about Disney Springs as “Disney World’s 5th Park”, and even though I haven’t necessarily agreed with that opinion, Eladin has absolutely elevated Disney Springs into a destination in and of itself.

I will fully recommend Eladin to anyone, regardless of age (well at least those above 21, hahaha) or interests. If you are wanting to go to a theme park, you will want to go to Eladin. I’ve never been anywhere like it before, and I cannot wait to go back. It surpassed my highest expectations and raised the bar for immersive entertainment. Moreover, it facilitated a great time for Outbound and I to hang out and have an awesome shared experience together. I think we both agree that it was one of the coolest nights ever. To be honest, I don’t think words alone can describe Eladin. Frankly, all that’s left to be said is-when are you getting your ticket to the most magical place in Disney Springs?

To anyone who read through all of that, know that was the equivalent of 73 pages on a Google Doc... pat yourself on the back. Thank you for reading, and all of Team Durango hopes you enjoyed!​

 

[Outbound]

Unrelated to project but