Mid-Range Game 43: Death Comes As The End

[+Lotus]

Sophia stepped into the party. Despite her wearing her best outfit, her dark green dress looked laughable against the blue and purple swirling silks.

She grabbed a glass of cider off one of the waiters, and began to wander around the room. She knew almost nobody here, only a few she recognized from the broadsheets.

“Oh, Sophia! It’s so good of you to come”

Sophia turned to see Lord Talbot walking toward her.

”I was in the area.” She replied curtly. He was holding a glass of dark red wine.

”I need to get out to my property by New Serene again. Wow, I haven’t been out there for what, three years?”

”Well, it’s still standing.” Sophia replied. She took a sip of her cider.

”Still own a farm? Still working for that old buzzard of a noble. What’s his name again? Lord Coal, right. He’s still obsessed with saving those big birds...” he continued to yammer on until Sophia managed to excuse herself to get another glass of cider. She was going to need it to get through this.

[Vapor]

6 minutes ago, Gears said:

Augusta turned to look at the person sitting in the other comfortable armchair. "I could if you want me to, darling," she said. "Would you like to chat?"

This woman appeared to be a noblewoman. I'll play along,Vapor thought. "Of course! I overheard that you were an author. I don't do that sort of stuff, though. Too dull."

[Gears]

2 minutes ago, Vapor said:

This woman appeared to be a noblewoman. I'll play along,Vapor thought. "Of course! I overheard that you were an author. I don't do that sort of stuff, though. Too dull."

Augusta couldn't tell if the woman was speaking bluntly or subtlely insulting her, so she continued as if there was no insult. "Well, it's not for everyone. Some people just don't have the knack for it. No shame in that."

[theTruthshaper]

2 minutes ago, Vapor said:

This woman appeared to be a noblewoman. I'll play along,Vapor thought. "Of course! I overheard that you were an author. I don't do that sort of stuff, though. Too dull."

"Do you not know who she is? She is Augusta Christine! One of the foremost authors of our time!" Watcher asked hotly.

[Vapor]

"Are you talking to me? You, a scholar? I am the highest of the high! I am descended from Lord Elend himself!" Vapor stood up and strode off, offended.

Edited July 5, 2020 by Vapor

[Gears]

4 minutes ago, The_Truthwatcher said:

"Do you not know who she is? She is Augusta Christine! One of the foremost authors of our time!" Watcher asked hotly.

"Don't worry about it," Augusta said gently. "Some people just can't appreciate art."

[Vapor]

Vapor stopped and stared at the woman next to Lord Talbot. What was she wearing? Green was out of fashion! Blues were! "Lord Talbot! Hello!" She politely pushed him away from the woman and struck up a conversation with him. He was high up enough to talk to,

[theTruthshaper]

Just now, Gears said:

"Don't worry about it," Augusta said gently. "Some people just can't appreciate art."

"I know. I probably shouldn't have gone off on her. I just.. dislike people who dismiss and belittle others' interests.", replied Watcher, dolefully.

[Gears]

Just now, The_Truthwatcher said:

"I know. I probably shouldn't have gone off on her. I just.. dislike people who dismiss and belittle others' interests.", replied Watcher, dolefully.

"It's alright," Augusta said. "Those types of people really get on my nerves too. You just have to remember that they'll never be happy."

[+Lotus]

4 minutes ago, Vapor said:

Vapor stopped and stared at the woman next to Lord Talbot. What was she wearing? Green was out of fashion! Blues were! "Lord Talbot! Hello!" She politely pushed him away from the woman and struck up a conversation with him. He was high up enough to talk to,

Sophia was very glad of the excuse to get away, but as she got a piece of cake, watched the woman from a distance. That dress was showing far to much neck, even if it was a quite lovely shade... She blushed, but did not turn away.

[Vapor]

Lord Talbot excused himself from the room and left Vapor just standing there. She smiled and grabbed a cider.

[Mist]

The post came. Surprisingly, she had a letter. Opening it, she found an invitation to a party from a Lord Talbot. Straining her memory, she thought she recalled him, from her days back in Elendel. Perhaps one of the noblemen who had been promoted after their superior was found to be corrupt? 

Looking at the date, she saw that time would be short. She packed her nicest clothes quickly and left right away. 

Lumen rode up on her horse. She had been riding for a week, and just made it in time. 

"Where should I stable my horse?" she said.

[|TJ|]

A FEW HOURS AGO: 

Loqlaw Mora was in a fix. He had waited until the last moment to implement his plan, and most of it would depend on luck. Of course, he had planned for every possible way his plan could fail, but still most of his plan hinged on luck. And luck, he had loads. You see, Loqlaw was a Slider-Spinner Twinborn. Everyone thought his powers were the reason he was so good at what he does, but that was barely the truth. They even had a Twinborn name specifically for him - a Swiftswipe. He stiffened as he thought of the name. He absolutely despised it. His methods were anything but swift. He loved making extensive plans and playing long cons. They thought he was so successful because of Bendalloy bubbles. But in truth, he loathed using them. Where’s the fun in that? Where’s the look of betrayal in the face of the person who had given you their confidence for a long period of time? Though he derived immense satisfaction from it, he wasn’t a sadist. Each and every one of his victims got what he gave them (well, what he took from them). 

He shook himself out of his reverie. He had a job to do. Earlier today, he had received a message from one of his numerous contacts, which usually meant a new job. This time, it just contained the address to a manor, and a short message to be there with an invitation. In a short while, he had figured out the identities of several other legitimate guests and chose his mark.

Sat right across from him on a train from Elendel to Bilming was Lord Elmar Valand, extremely prideful of his scholarly pursuit and too greedy for his own good. He knew exactly what to do with these types.

“Wasing the went of the where?” Loqlaw asked, hiding his smug grin. 

Valand looked up from the book he was reading, seemingly perplexed. You see these types, they only show off their possession of knowledge. They do not actually make an effort to study. Best way to deal with them is to baffle them with High Imperial.

Valand tried to eke out a response “Eh, going of wasing to Bilming.”

“Ah, notting the not of feeling the bad. Wasing the thinking of wanting to knowing.” Loqlaw could barely contain his laughter as he saw Valand thoroughly annoyed. But that was enough. It wouldn’t be wise to chase his victim away.

“I meant to ask where you are going, sir.” Loqlaw put his brightest smile. This question seemed to brighten up Valand. “Why, I’ve been invited by Lord Talbon Oswin at his manor for a part, of course! I assume you are as well, Mister…”

“Ah, I’m Varybed. Lord Varybed Theef. Of course I was, but unfortunately I had to decline. You see, I was invited to Mayor Severington’s private banquet. Alas, I would have loved to go to Lord Oswin’s party instead. You see, I really do not like to be among political plotters. Lord Oswin, now that’s a good man. Always pleasant to spend time with. But I had already accepted Severington’s request and I could not go to Oswin’s party without someone replacing me.” 

“You.. don’t have anyone to go in your stead.”

“Alas, no. I leave quite the lonely life.” Loqlaw could see Valand plotting in his mind, slightly grinning.

“Say what. Shall we exchange our destinations? You seem to be eager to go to Lord Oswin’s party, and let’s say I would love to make some connections in Bilming.”

Loqlaw gave out his largest fake smile. “You do that for me? Oh, Lord Valand. I do not know how to thank you!”

“You can thank me by handing out your invitation”, Valand said with an evil smile.

Loqlaw removed a sealed envelope before eyeing Valand. “I’ve got strict orders to seal the invitation after reading it. Do not open it before you reach. 

He nodded and handed his invitation, and it was as easy as that. He didn’t even need to tap Fortune. He rose up, bowed slightly.

“Seeing you out of the seeing without!” He turned around to steal a final glance at Valand’s face and left. 

Lord Severington was about to be one confused host to one utterly confused guest.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Loqlaw Mora was standing outside Breezing Manor, wondering why his contact had sent him here, and what valuable treasure was he to loot. This would be an uncertain, but exciting night. Feeling pretty confident, he showed his stolen invitation to the Secretary, and strolled in.

[Vapor]

Vapor strolled along the hall. As she passed the study, she heard a rip. Her dress! She screamed. Right next to her, there was a statue, and the sword had fallen and cut her beautiful dress, and her leg. She fainted.

[Kasimir]

GM Reminder:

-You are allowed to send in actions this cycle.
-You are allowed to vote for your choice of room this cycle.

Enjoying the RPing, and logging out for the night!

[Lahilt]

Thaill had no idea why he had been sent to this party but he immediately liked the atmosphere, it was so much better than the ones where they drink different colors of wine and plot behind each others backs. These people actually seemed to be enjoying themselves and not just putting on fake smiles. Thaill knew that he had to blend in, and what better way to do that then to get genuinely drunk he told himself this as he went searching for the beverages.  Kitchen

Edited July 5, 2020 by Lahilt

[StrikerEZ]

Variel had arrived to the party shortly before it started. He hadn't known whether or not to arrive early or late, and he decided it would be better to arrive early. That was the wrong decision.

There were hardly any people there, so it was just Variel and Talbot awkwardly sitting in his study while Talbot's servants finished the last preparations for the party. They'd made some small talk, but the whole time all Variel could think about was the little bit of skin peeking out of the low collar Talbot was wearing. Variel shook his head, trying to focus on the words Talbot was saying, to some success. It was awkward, the two of them sitting her as nothing more acquaintances, when Variel used to know Talbot very well. 

As more guests made their way to the manor, Talbot eventually left to greet them as they entered, and Variel made an excuse to leave the man alone. Eventually, he found his way to the kitchen, where he proceeded to ask for the strongest drink the staff had. And not just the stuff they kept for guests. It may have been awhile, but at least the head chef recognized him and got him the fine wine. 

At some point, another man walked into the kitchen, and Variel knew exactly what he was here for too. "You here to drink your sorrows away as well?" Variel asked

@Lahilt

---

@Kasimir Do we vote in thread or in our PMs for which room we want to go to? And does it matter what color we make the vote in?

[DrakeMarshall]

Zachary Holcomb threw open the doors to the Study and entered, resplendent in a finely tailored three-piece cerulean suit. Entrances were important.

"Hello, hello." He traded the blot-stained invitation at the door for a fluted glass. "Talbot, you've been holding out on all us city folk. I never knew you had a place this lovely squirreled away." He almost meant it, too. Breezehome was unexpectedly lavish, for the private stomping grounds of a backwater noble.

He'd run into Talbot a fair few times, now. A quintessential rich idiot, the man had excellent taste in parties and horrible taste in everything else. He never knew Talbot was connected to the Herons, though. Now there was a name that carried weight, back in Elendel.

He scanned the room with trepidation, and experienced a peculiar mix of relief and indignation when none of the other guests seemed to immediately recognize him. At least the festivities wouldn't be ruined. Who knows, Talbot's grand blowout might even be fun.

Time to work the room. He sipped his beverage thoughtfully while sidling up to one of the guests in the crowd.

"Evening. The name's Zachary Holcomb, and alas I am in sore need of a conversation partner. I don't suppose you would indulge in my silly request? To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with for the night?"

[Kasimir]

2 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said:

 

---

@Kasimir Do we vote in thread or in our PMs for which room we want to go to? And does it matter what color we make the vote in?

You are lucky I suffer from insomnia  Unless I have specifically told/will tell any of you otherwise, room votes go in the thread. So, for colour, the rules state orange. I understand the confusion is because I swapped colours between the original ruleset in AoGC and here, so I won't penalise people for it. However, I would prefer orange so I don't miss it, as the purple can be rather tricky.

@Gears, highlighting you to note that I did change the original stipulated colour so I am not too fussed about it and have recorded your room vote down so it's not a problem.

But please, y'all, I am an old man, it's been 84 years since I last GMed, have mercy on my failing eyes  

[Lahilt]

11 minutes ago, StrikerEZ said:

Variel had arrived to the party shortly before it started. He hadn't known whether or not to arrive early or late, and he decided it would be better to arrive early. That was the wrong decision.

There were hardly any people there, so it was just Variel and Talbot awkwardly sitting in his study while Talbot's servants finished the last preparations for the party. They'd made some small talk, but the whole time all Variel could think about was the little bit of skin peeking out of the low collar Talbot was wearing. Variel shook his head, trying to focus on the words Talbot was saying, to some success. It was awkward, the two of them sitting her as nothing more acquaintances, when Variel used to know Talbot very well. 

As more guests made their way to the manor, Talbot eventually left to greet them as they entered, and Variel made an excuse to leave the man alone. Eventually, he found his way to the kitchen, where he proceeded to ask for the strongest drink the staff had. And not just the stuff they kept for guests. It may have been awhile, but at least the head chef recognized him and got him the fine wine. 

At some point, another man walked into the kitchen, and Variel knew exactly what he was here for too. "You here to drink your sorrows away as well?" Variel asked

@Lahilt

---

@Kasimir 

Drink my sorrows away? Colors no! I drink because it is a lovely evening to drink and getting  drunk will only make it better.   

[|TJ|]

Loqlaw Mora had a job to do. He walked through the gardens ignoring all the other guests. If many of the guests started figuring out they didn't know him, he'd be in trouble, and he'd have to face unnecessary questions. He would have to especially avoid Talbot Oswin. He sped into the manor and passed the lounge. Just past it, he could see a few people in the kitchen. Well, food would come later. Time to see why his contact had sent him here. He roamed around the manor till he found a corner of it which was relatively quiet and free from guests. He tried one of the doors, and entered. It was quite small in comparison to other rooms and just seemed to exude comfort. It was a retreat of sorts, with loads of books and a warm fireplace. He was in a personal place of Talbot Oswin, and he was very likely to find some interesting things here. For he was in Talbot Oswin's Growlery.

Edited July 6, 2020 by TJ Shade

[Vapor]

When Vapor came to, she was sitting in the lounge. No one was in the room, and she was on the most dreadful orange couch. She decided to stay. It was nice in there.

[Araris Valerian]

Lord Aralis Heron,also known as Ookla the Curmudgeonly, having finally completed the bothersome social niceties at Oswin's party, began to stump his way down towards the Study. The fortune of House Heron was owed in a large part to individuals that, among their other talents, often held equally impressive gatherings, and Oswin was proof that Heron still retained that skill. It seemed, however, that when you got as far away from the ruling line as Talbot was, party organization was pretty much the only distinguishing mark of Heron that remained.

Upon entering the study, Aralis promptly sat himself down in a lavish armchair occupying a corner of the room. Unfortunately, the seat's comfort and appearance were not equally apportioned, and Aralis reached to rub his aching backside. Figures. Just like everything else Oswin does, this chair is all show and no real use. Back in my day, anyone daring to link themselves to the Heron's at least had comfortable chairs.

33 minutes ago, DrakeMarshall said:

"Evening. The name's Zachary Holcomb, and alas I am in sore need of a conversation partner. I don't suppose you would indulge in my silly request? To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with for the night?"

Aralis started up from his doze, noting that perhaps the chair was more comfortable than he had first assumed.

"Bother. Does it look like I was sitting in the corner away from everyone trying to engage in conversation? Still, you look slightly less tiresome than those other tittering fools. Holcomb, hmm, never heard of you. I, of course, am Aralis, somewhat recently Lord Heron. What is your excuse to be wasting time here?"

[StrikerEZ]

I'll be going to the kitchen then. Just pretend I did it in my first RP post.

[Mist]

Garden

Lumen walks in, having found the stables. The servants panicked, finding a guest stabling their own horse. 

Looking around, she decides to go to the garden, although not before wandering through the mansion talking to people. It's always wise to question witnesses. (Go ahead and RP with me if you want.)

Edited July 5, 2020 by Mist
Adding info/RP