Oblivion Cycle IC

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Lord Leoros Stalkingwolf's Manor

Somehow, you've ended up here. This euro-gothic manor, already decorated in true Karrnathi fashion. Most people are here looking to make friends with someone important, to socialize, or to look posh in public, but you have a more particular goal in mind. The Lord himself has not yet arrived on the scene, and until he does most people are entertaining themselves with frivolous, unimportant activities. A group of men in white wigs discuss legal matters, some traders are chatting about recent business developments. Well-dressed women gloat about their jewely to the wives of their husband's rival, and some younger ones look for wealth to cling to.

Very few people as of yet have bothered to leave the main lobby - there are plenty of places to sit, tables with food, there is music and art along the walls for people to gawk at. For whatever reason, you're in here, too. Whatever are you doing?

Please choose a color other than Dark Slate Gray. Post your speech in colored bold. Your entire post should be in-character.
Link to the OOC thread. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6951059) Put OOC info here, like dice rolls.
NOTE: If the other players would not know what you are doing, just PM me your actions and post saying you did that in a spoiler block.


{table=head]Player | Character
drakir_nosslin | Skelos Tynal
Dreamshifter | Esper
Eldan | Therakash Raanhaedra
Salvonus | Talishana
ScreamingEvil | Gann
Wiz | Ket[/table]

:xykon: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7DJYSyMMBg&feature=related)

[Eldan]

Therakash Raanhaedra

The general had to hold himself back not to snort in disgust, to bang the heads of all these idiots together. Instead he smiled, a gesture which, not entirely unintentionally, bared the well-polished fangs in his upper jaw.
It all felt like a joke to him. Here he was, stuffed in red silk and black leather and a velvet cloak. His advisor had told him to hide his warrior's braid under a hat, and that idea alone had tempted him to grab the goblin's throat and not let go until he had learned what tradition meant. Still. He wore his old breastplate, all gleaming silver mithral, his regalia, the black claw, in fine onyx. This counted, this and the sword at his side.
And so he stood there, trying to smile and chat to these powdered fops with their silly wigs and their jewellry. This is what our continent has been reduced to. Ruled by weaklings and cowards.
And because it was, he had been sent here. To represent the Dhakaani. Listen to their senseless prattling, their spewing of "Duke, Duke, Duke", whenever he was near, as if he was impressed by them remembering his official title.

[drakir_nosslin]

Skelos Tynal

Skelos raised his glass of cool, white wine in a toast to the merchant he was currently pretending to listen to, while idly picturing the one hundred and one arcane runes that can be used in the summoning of a minor demon in his head. The merchant suddenly became silent, and Skelos realized that he had been asked a question.
"Yes, indeed interesting, but tell me, are you trading only in luxury goods?" He took another sip of his wine and continued to pretend, like he had done his whole life.
He was currently dressed in a dark blue robe with silver lining, and a thin cloak in the same color with a picture of a charging unicorn done in fine silver threads. His hair was held back in a ponytail with a golden ring, and his shoes were black and polished until they shone.
I wonder how many here that hides under similar disguises? A night like this more than one, I would guess.
With a nod and a pleasant word Skelos left the merchant who had turned to a rather large noblewoman in a much too small dress. Finally being free of the troublesome man, Skelos started looking for the count, it was important that he got some time to talk with the man.

[ScreamingEvil]

Gann

My actions have been PMed to Tatsel_Ganav as per request

[Wiz]

Ket is an incredibly beautiful woman who is getting plenty of attention at the party. She's obviously a mage but seems to have a lot of people skills. She is circulating, talking, getting a lot of stares and obviously basking in them.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t71/Medieval_Magic/SexyWitch-1.jpg

If she meets anyone who needs particular finessing, I threw in a diplomacy roll (or it can be used for her general presence). Diplomacy: [roll0];

The GM knows what particular information is important to her, so here's what she's able to glean within the first 20 minutes at the gathering. Gather Information: [roll1] - Takes [roll2] minutes.

[Dreamshifter]

Esper

Stillness. More than his (if you thought of Warforged as male) height, more than his appearance, the stillness of the Warforged called Esper makes it stand out at this gathering. Certainly, he moves from time to time, head following a particular individual for a while, but those movements are slow, and infrequent.

However, his height (well over seven feet), and appearance (shiny metal plating covering it's entire body, and it's red tweed cloak and hat) are not to be ignored. More strangely, at his side is an almost tall, beautiful human (though, those familiar with them might recognize her as a Kalashtar), dressed in a simple (though hardly plain) black dress. Though she holds his arm closely, for a time he does not seem to realize she is there, or at least, it isn’t important to him. Then at last, he turns his head to her, and speaks, in a low, almost monotone, voice. “While I dislike admitting it, it seems your were correct once more, Talishana. Many of out list of people of interest are indeed here, and might allow better access to them in a public place. Shall we converse separately, or remain as a single unit and allow you to use your silver tongue to pry information from them?”

[Tatsel_Ganav]

After 30 sadly uneventful minutes at the party, a young man in expensive, jeweled blue and black robes presents himself from a balcony alcove above the crowd and announces himself with a loud shout of, "People, people! Quiet down, please! Good... Now. My father, Lord Leoros Stalkingwolf, wants to make sure to meet as many of you as possible, but he cannot do that in such a setting as this. As such, we shall be playing a game. Each of you is going to be given a paper with directions to a certain part of the manor. Please follow them there. Further instructions will be awaiting you." He turns and vanishes into the darkness behind the balcony alcove. It does not take long, only a few minutes, for black-robed servants to begin handing out folded bits of paper. Yours reads...


Do not tell anyone what this says. Take the second door to the left of the main entrance to the room you are in. Follow the hall you enter down three doors to the right, and enter. I know something you want to know - you would be missing a great opportunity if you ignore this letter.
~Lord Leoros Stalkingwolf

[Wiz]

Ket follows the directions on her paper, wondering if it will lead her to the information she's come to this party to discover.

[drakir_nosslin]

Skelos

The well dressed man receives the message with a gracious nod and opens it, not reacting the slightest as he reads the information. Skelos thanks the messenger with a smile and starts to look for the door he has been directed to.
He doesn't really like the way things are developing and while following the instructions he has been given he relaxes his mind a bit, to be better prepared for whatever that will happen.
Passing by a mirror he sees tendrils made of shadows and darkness following him in the reflection, but ignores them as he has done for so many years now.
As he progresses down the hallway, the air around him fills with voices of the past, whispering to him to turn back and to make everything right, to give up this foolish quest of truth and surrender to what he knows is the reality.

For the DM
PM sent

[Tatsel_Ganav]

You end up in a small group of individuals, making your way through the halls of Stalkingwolf Manor. The place is decorated in the dreary, bleak style of a Karrnathi nobleman except for some highlights of red, such as velvet curtains over mirrors or roses set in black vases. You and your strange new companions end up walking through a maze of hallways - you are to go to a guest room labelled "EA13."

You are currently wandering the halls of Stalkingwolf Manor. I apologize for the extremely late post.

[Wiz]

Ket glances at her companions as she walks along, curious, but doesn't say anything yet. She moves to the assigned room.

ooc: glad to be back playing... no need to apologize for lateness, RL always intervenes

[drakir_nosslin]

Skelos

Without slowing, Skelos greets the others in the group with a polite nod, but refrains from speaking. He slows his steps so that he is the last one to enter the room.

[Eldan]

Therakash Raanhaedra

Delays, delays and more delays. Why, he tried to remember, were these races calling themselves civilized? Because they thought they could afford play stupid games with their guests instead of behaving properly? The worst thing was they were probably right. If the rights of hospitality still had any meaning, the host would have shown himself instead of demanding this silly masquerade.
The generals heavy boots were echoing loudly on the polished marble floors as he marched along the corridors, eyes straight ahead and brow furrowed, not giving the slightest indication of being interested in his companions. If they were of any importance, they would have been introduced to the crowd, or they would have been part of the dossier he had been forced to read before this evening's waste of time.
Arriving at the assigned door, the general shows no indication of slowing down, instead pushing against the door impatiently with one hand while opening it with the other, entering without hesitation.

[Tatsel_Ganav]

Room EA13 is a relatively mundane bedroom for guests with expensive tastes, and keeps with the gothic design of the rest of the place. A painting of some old man adorns one wall, and in a corner is a pedestal sporting an expensive vase on top. The four-poster bed is luxuriously designed, and an attractive young Karrnathi woman is laying, asleep, on the bed. She is clad in a plain but elegant evening gown and seems quite peacefully at rest. An unseen music box is playing soft, pleasant music.

[Wiz]

Ket looks at her companions and at the woman sleeping on the bed. "So... we're here for...?"

[Eldan]

Therakash Raanhaedra


The general sighs loudly, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Somebody wake her up please? If I do it, the methods will not be entirely courtly."
He then proceeds to stand in the middle of the room, posture erect, but his right hand slightly trembling, the left gripping the hilt of his sword.

[Wiz]

Ket smiles, "Oh... we need to have an awakening suitable for court... sleeping princesses and such?" She walks over to the bed and leans over, giving the sleeping woman a delicate kiss on the lips.

[drakir_nosslin]

Seeing the sleeping woman, Skelos moves closer, to get a better look of her face, but otherwise ignores her. He smiles when Ket kisses the sleeping one, but choses not to comment. Instead he walks over to the painting of the man and pretends to study it.
These people are strange, but unlike the rest of the guests, I suspect that there might be substance behind their masks.
"Interesting painting, it seems that Lord Stalkingwolf has quite the expensive taste."

[Tatsel_Ganav]

The ashen-skinned woman wakes with a start and jerks back when Ket kisses her, then looks around quickly, "You all... must be Lord Stalkingwolf's guests... right?" She looks a bit wary and rolls quickly off of the bed to face three people new to her room. "Why were you sent to me?" She stands slightly back in a coiled, readied posture, obviously a bit suspicious.

[drakir_nosslin]

Skelos

The brown eyed man smiles towards the woman.
"I'm sorry, my Lady, I, and I guess that this is true for the others who have gathered here as well, was directed here by one of Lord Stalkingwolf's servants." Skelos smiles reassuringly towards her. "This is a large manor, and it is possible that we took a wrong turn somewhere. Perhaps you know if Lord Stalkingwolf intended for you to meet with some of his guests, or are we intruding?"

[Wiz]

Ket shrugs, "I was told to wake you." She smiles.