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Welcome to the world of Fortuna, a land of fantastic proportions. This is an original fantasy roleplay that takes place in a world developed over nearly a decade of work and collaboration. We aim to encourage all participants to have a hand in the stories of the characters here, and the world around them. Your choices are key - so make them with pride. You decide who wins the wars, you decide who becomes King, the world is ours, and together we will bring it to life!
Post by Edgar Vanros on Dec 22, 2016 10:27:12 GMT -7
Early Afternoon, The 8th of the Scales of Judgment, 5152 Masquerade Ballroom, Dimant, Capital City of Sector A, Dirys
As Edgar had promised, the center of attention in the ballroom today was one Ser Phineas de Castillon III, as well as Irene, now the Lady de Castillon. Edgar had found some wonder new silverware for them, as the newlyweds certainly deserved more gifts than a single book, though Phineas did seem rather thrilled that Edgar had picked out a romance novel. Edgar had only picked it because the cover looked nice, but it just so happened to be the latest installment of a series that Phineas was a fan of. Well, at least it meant that Phineas did had some genuine interest in romance. Edgar was certain, Phineas had absolutely no idea that he had paid for a slave. He must have truly loved her, though whether or not Irene had told Phineas the truth, Edgar did not know.
The past week had been relatively quiet, or at least as far as quiet could be when you were the host of some many festivities. Zechariah would be returning in just two more days, and although he didn't always meet with Zechariah or Nicole, he took some comfort in the idea that they were still somewhere in Sector C. Now, neither of them were even in Dirys. Nicole was off in Liesdro, but it was for a good cause. Zechariah, however, he was not sure, but he did seem excited about the opportunity. Compared to them, Edgar felt a little lonely. They were off trying to accomplish something, but here he was, just waiting for the right opportunity to approach him. Phineas and Irene could enjoy their day in the spotlight, and it would be selfish to try and let his own loneliness get in the way of that.
For now, Edgar would simply mingle with the crowd. After all, Phineas had extended his invitation to even the most common people. It hurt Edgar somewhat to agree to let the riffraff into the ballroom, but was that not another gift to Phineas? The bigger your audience was, the bigger your reputation must have been. It meant that all these people would have come here to see him. Perhaps the same could have been said for Edgar himself. Perhaps he wasn't entirely lonely today.
Post by Ekahi Darktail on Jan 13, 2017 1:23:21 GMT -7
The ballroom was massive. The entrance to the masquerade had opened to reveal a room filled with painted marble pillars and stained glass windows, all bathed in a warm light from several enormous chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling. Elegant music floated through the air as dancers glided across the floor, just audible over the murmur of a hundred or more masked attendees congregating along the edges of the ballroom, and the march of those still flooding in through the polished doors at the head of the room. It was colorful. It was magical. It was exciting. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before in her life.
And Ekahi was nearly lost in her glee.
The panthro stood wide-eyed and grinning as she looked around, her tail whipping back and forth and nearly tripping the couple who had filed into the ballroom behind her. Ekahi had heard stories about such “masquerades” before. It was hard not to, living in the extravagant capital of Dirys and all that, where lavish parties and shows of wealth were the norm. But not often were they open to the commoners, and even when they were the cub had no reason before to attend one. Alten had never allowed her to go to any and since joining the Shroud the cub had simply been too busy. But now…now she had every reason to be there, and it was one of the most amazing things Ekahi had ever gotten a chance to see.
In fact, the pantho was nearly tempted to ignore the very reason she was there and become lost in the living dream in front of her. But Alten had trained the cub better than that, and with a wistful sigh Ekahi pulled down the mask resting on her head and began to slink through the growing crowd. She did have to find one Ser Godfrey Thorburn, after all. A minor noble in Dimant, the man had decided to threaten blackmail on a few of the more powerful, and wealthy, individuals in the capital in exchange for political favors. At least that’s what Ekahi had been told. They were clearly wealthy enough to afford the Shroud at least, and before the ink on the contract was even dry the cub had been handed the job, and an invitation to one masquerade on the 8th of Scales of Judgement conveniently directed to Ser Godfrey. It was a public event. It was a crowded event. All in all, it was exactly the kind of message their clients wanted to send.
Ekahi though? Ekahi was honestly a little less thrilled about the whole deal, even if the incredible sights of the masquerade had certainly made up for some of it. The cub had no issue performing the contract or even doing one so public. No, what she was not thrilled about was needing to blend in to gain access to the event. Ekahi’s specialty had always been ranged assassinations, and yet she had been handed a contract involving a crowded and enclosed ballroom with very specific clothing choices. The end result was that she now found herself without her armor, without most of her weapons, without even her prized crossbow, wearing nothing but her usual clothing underneath the stiff white dress she had “loaned” from a nearby house, and only one of her daggers hidden along her leg in case things went sour. The panthro almost suspected that the Shroud had given her the job on purpose. She had, after all, apparently “defaced the doorway to the sanctuary with childish inscriptions, again”, and really the only consolation Ekahi had was that she had been assured that another assassin would drop off the tools she would need for the job in one of the rooms on the upper level of the building. That and the feathered mask she had been given to wear.
It was pretty cool.
In fact, the more the cub thought about it the more the whole situation seemed like one big challenge. She would have to find her target in the crowded ballroom, get whatever weapons she had been left without being spotted, take out the nobleman, and escape with her life in the end. Complicated, dangerous…and exciting! Things had been getting rather boring in the Boneway lately, and like many at the masquerade it would most certainly be an interesting night for the cub. Even if maybe not for the same reason. With a grin once more on her face Ekahi continued to push her way through the other masked attendants, all the while keeping her eyes open for the man who was about to have one very, very bad night.
OOC: Hope this is okay! I wasn't sure if you were hoping for more people to join so I apologize for being a little passive, but I figured I should let things start out smoothly before they get interesting! x3
Post by Edgar Vanros on Jan 20, 2017 18:46:38 GMT -7
"My, my, is that Edgar Vanros I see, all on his lonesome?" Ser Godfrey Thorburn was a thin man, bowing to Edgar. He peered through his hawk mask, spun on his heels, and planted himself on a seat beside Edgar, the wine in his glass staying perfectly still. "Come now, you are souring the mood of your own festivities with that glum face of yours. Where's that smile you're so famous for?"
Of course Godfrey was here. He was an "inspector", or so he claimed, and he knew all about Edgar arranging Irene to be Phineas' bride. He could probably point to every individual in the room and figure exactly which ones were from Telon. "Phineas and Irene seem happy, and I highly doubt that will change because I might smile or not."
"Yes, I'm sure that Irene is happy to have tied the knot. Trading one of master for another, yes?"
"I'm not in the business of keeping people in slavery. I like to think I play matchmaker."
Godfrey waved his finger, playing a tune in his mind. "Ah, yes. Matchmaker, Matchmaker, you bring the veil… No, you're always in the business of… shall we say, transportation. I'm surprised you haven't commissioned your railways to expedite your smuggling. That was not a suggestion, for the record. But why remove the slaves yet keep the slavers? Your well must dry up sooner or later. I'm sure many of your guests have the demand, but how long can Telon maintain the supply? I hear Christel Lirrae gave a wonderful speech last week, warning the people of Enezenn that your friends in Telon may start branching out."
"At that point I doubt there will be enough nobles to be interested in buying." There had to be people in Telon that slavers had tried to get off their hands, but the nobles wouldn't settle for just any slave. They still had to be beautiful, capable of satisfying their base pleasures, and worthy of bearing promising heirs. "Get to the point, Thorburn."
Godfrey shrugged. "If there was a point to be made, I wouldn't bother talking with you. This wedding has gone on without incident. The details of how you found Irene can stay our little secret. Just you, me, and all your friends."
Edgar raised an eyebrow. "No, you want something in return. What do I owe you?"
"Why do you have to owe me something?" Godfrey pressed his hand to his chest, feigning his best attempt at appearing offended. "It's an exchange of good will between friends. All I ask is for your support in the next election. Sector D and the Fayane Party have no say in our country, and it's pointless to entertain the notion that either of them are relevant. I'll take a seat so neither of them can have it. Sector D offers so little income, and plenty of what they do contribute requires you to give meaning to otherwise empty lives, while the Fayane Party is simply a relic of a bygone era. I say kill two birds with one stone, and let a seat pass to me. Sector A would hold exactly half the seats in the country, the Militant Party maintains its leadership and we get that much closer to cleaning out the bottom of the barrel. What do you say?"
It was an interesting prospect. Godfrey wanted something more, and Edgar could respect that, but Godfrey had all but implied his threat: Don't help me, and the whole world will know. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out. You've got my vote!" Edgar shook Godfrey's hand. The noble's grip was firm, but he walked away without another word. He simply smiled, then blended into the crowd.
"Such a rude little beast!" One of the noblewomen was covering her face with a fan. A small figure, a beastfolk, was casually pushing through the crowd. The invitation was open to all, but he hadn't expected a beastfolk to attend. He wasn't opposed to the idea, it was just… unusual. Edgar raised his hand, and the guests stood back, letting him walk through, and towards the beastfolk. A few were muttering about how he was getting too close to the animal, that she must have been carrying a disease.
"Excuse me," Edgar said to the young beastfolk. "Can I help you?"
Last Edit: Mar 14, 2017 8:26:13 GMT -7 by Edgar Vanros
tagged. Edgar VanrosEkahi Darktail | words. 614 notes. omg I did not know what to do with her so she’s just there lol x.x
Red was absolutely and completely thrilled.
Most of her days (up until today!) were spent in isolation, except when Papa came to run a test or ask her a few questions. Oh – she’d found ways to pass the time, sure, but if she had to compare listening to the distant thoughts of her sister or frowning at her dumb, useless reflection that wouldn’t do any magic or counting the faded scales on her left leg to going to an actual real-life party? I mean, come on!
It was the cherry on top that she got a brand new dress and a mask to match, and so of course she chose the black satin, tied ‘round the waist with a wide ribbon that joined at the small of her back in a large bow. She was going to look like a lady today. The dress poofed widely, nearly a tutu, and skimmed the top of her knees, blue leg hidden by white stockings.
As she exited the carriage, smile so wide it was already making her cheeks sore, she had to remind herself that she was here because Papa had sent her, Papa needed her to make sure that her brother Black was going to fit in with his old family.
It was a boring job. Reconnaissance, he said. But it involved a party!
The girl, nervously twirling a ringlet around her fidgety index, click click clicked her mary janes down the long walkway into the event, ignoring the sidelong double-takes; where are her parents? She had a mission. A vital mission: meet Black’s other family. Not his real family, of course. But they had watched over him while Papa was away, so they couldn’t be all bad.
But as soon as the redhead stepped through lavish doors to take in the mental whispers of the partygoers, she was completely overwhelmed; a hundred voices shouted at once, prattle insistent and loud. Everyone wanted to be heard, and she, not having been in the physical presence of more than two people at one time, was caught dead in the shockwave of demanding clamor; blue eyes impossibly wide, lips drooping into a dazed ‘o’.
She tried to sort, mind struggling past the incessant uproar, listening for brother, Zechariah, Edgar, Nicole, Zota. Something she could connect with her big brother.
And she got terribly lucky because, somewhere in the chaos, she caught a Vanros. Without hesitation, she spun to follow the fleeting thought, shoes clicking along the floor past all manner of silks and satins.
- secured his vote, at least –
The man she followed was tall and imposing, smirking with someone else’s secrets; and she lost him as quickly as she’d found him. It was difficult, in the crowded hall, to follow a faint voice that sounded so similar to so many others, and the girl, dejected, stood hesitantly, eyes darting.
So many voices....
”Excuse me, can I help you?” This one was aloud, though, and so she responded, turning to look over a lithe shoulder, to find that it wasn’t her he was speaking to, but a girl who looked like a panther, donned all in white. Beastfolk, Red thought she remembered, though she’d never seen one. The panther seemed as tickled as Red was by the ball, but was surrounded by whispered thoughts, calling her all sorts of unkind things.
Red hated that, and her lips dipped into a frown, brow furrowing underneath her lace mask.
The man approached – suspicious, she felt, but not as distrustful as the others.
She was here to watch... but this panther, she decided, was her friend, and if the humans turned on her, Red knew she would act.
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Post by Ekahi Darktail on Jan 25, 2017 12:15:57 GMT -7
Animal.
Diseased.
Not welcome.
Ekahi was a trained assassin. She was taught how to notice the little details in things, like finding the smallest opening in a guard’s armor or which cup of now poisoned tea the magistrate was most likely to pick up, and the cub’s hobby of drawing gave her an almost natural eye for it. So, she heard the whispers. She also noticed the turned faces, saw the disapproving looks, and even dodged slightly out of the way of a mother ushering their kid away from the panthro. Dirys was not Muerte, but Ekahi had learned well enough that there were still many in the nation, especially among the nobility, who were less than happy to have her around. But that was okay! The other kids at the Little Palace had always whispered about her. Sometimes even shouted. At least here the nobles stopped short of using their hands, so the cub could hardly complain.
What she could complain about was just how crowded the ballroom was. Everywhere the assassin looked there were more and more people. People eating food, people dancing, people sitting and talking, people getting in her way, it was…it was…amazing! And really annoying! As colorful and dressed up and fantastical as everyone at the masquerade was, so far it was also making it impossible for Ekahi to find anyone who looked like they could be Ser Godfrey. For all she knew she had already passed the man twice over. Ignoring the shrill complaint of a woman as she nudged her way past, Ekahi let out her own frustrated hum. This was getting her nowhere. She would need to change her strategy or the cub risked being there all night, and as almost not bad as that sounded, she still had a job to get done.
A job which involved not calling attention to herself. Only a few seconds after the noblewoman’s outburst the panthro became aware of the crowd parting around her, as well as footsteps quickly approaching, and her ear twitched as a man’s voice addressed her. Uh oh. Turning and expecting to see a guard, Ekahi instead came face to face with a rich, golden mask and a white suit so clean it made her own “borrowed” dress look like rags. Not exactly a soldier’s uniform. In fact, though her heart skipped a beat, the assassin soon realized he was just another noble at the party, and not one of the few guards she had noticed earlier stationed at the doorways. What more, the cub was taught how to recognize opportunity when it came.
And fancy, pretty mask or no, this man was every bit an opportunity.
Spinning around to face the noble Ekahi gave him a toothy grin. All she had to do was what Alten had shown her how to do so many times before. Play the man right, and finding her target would become that much easier.
“Hi!"
Her tail swishing behind her, the panthro then feigned thought, placing a clawed finger to her chin and letting out a sigh.
“Actually, there is something you could help me with, mister. I’m supposed to find someone here, but…”
Ekahi frowned.
“…I’m a little lost. This place is just so big!”
The assassin hoped the noble was everything the others at the Boneway said they were. Well-connected, gullible, and having just enough pity to help a poor little girl out.
Last Edit: Jan 25, 2017 12:22:27 GMT -7 by Ekahi Darktail
Post by Edgar Vanros on Jan 25, 2017 18:05:17 GMT -7
Edgar needed this girl to leave before the gossip would cause a scandal. So many of the nobles loved their scandals. As much as Phineas may have tolerated the riffraff, a beastfolk would be another story. Edgar took the girl's hand, a gesture that several of the guests loudly gasped in shock towards. This child wouldn't embarrass him. The girl would leave, and he could spin the story as a way of peacefully handling the situation without having to resort to the savagery that beastfolk were so famous in Muerte for. If anyone in Muerte would think to call anyone savages, the Mots either found someone far worse than even themselves, or were miserably lacking in self-awareness.
"This place has quite the history to it!" He wasn't afraid of the panthro, and she needed to believe she would be welcome. It would make it all the more easier to let her down gently. "But, I just so happen to be the man in charge, so I would be happy to help. Are you looking for your parents?" The child was alone. He hadn't seen any other panthros, and everyone's attention was focused on the child. If there were other panthros, they must have been outside, yet they let their own daughter go on ahead of them. They must have been rather irresponsible.
tagged. Edgar VanrosEkahi Darktail | words. 421 notes. I realized after writing this post that it is pretty much completely useless LOL. But it keeps me up to date, and if either of you two would like to notice the random child staring, feel free lol. If not, Red will make her intro eventually xD
Panthro.
She was a Panthro.
And she was a trained assassin.
Red’s eyes widened terribly noticeably, her hand whirring up to clap to her mouth. She was far enough from the two that they didn’t notice, though others did, turning questioning eyes on her unbidden outburst.
The girl only knew the word from the most adult-ish of books she had read, and truthfully didn’t know much about them except that they killed people. Her inclination was to shout at the man, warn him... but the Panthro just seemed so... nice.
And so, hand drifting from her lips, stuck solidly in the form of an ‘o’, she said nothing. She listened. As was her job.
It seemed that the Panthro – Ekahi, she learned – was as enamored of the ball as Red herself was, eyes darting about playfully, wonder reflected in her budding smile. She’d never been in a place like this before – just like Red! – and it was all so magical to her.
Red decided they could be friends, so long as Ekahi could be properly remorseful for her actions. People deserved second chances, didn’t they?
The man who approached her was a noble, Ekahi gathered, and Red’s interest piqued, eyes flitting to the human, donned in fresh-pressed frost; and his eyes were similar, hard.
This thoughts were no different, either. Scandal, embarrassment.
Leave.
Red thought it was all quite unfair, and sprouted a dimpled frown, arms crossing over her pretty silk dress. He was hardly giving her a chance, all because of what she looked like!
He took her hand, then – and Red thought, perhaps, that he had forgotten his judgment, but his thoughts betrayed manipulation, and Red was disappointed.
"This place has quite the history to it! But, I just so happen to be the man in charge – “
Red blinked.
The man in charge.
He hadn’t so much as thought of his own name yet, so she couldn’t know it, but he was just right; he was a noble, concerned foremost with neutralizing the apparent threat that was the embarrassment of his beastfolk guest (Red wanted to scoff), his mind on his reputation and little else.
He was a Vanros.
He was thinking something about Ekahi being irresponsible, and the twelve-year-old’s mind was working at hyperspeed, trying to figure out what Papa would want her to do. Should she speak up? Should she gather the attention of those around her? But imagine if she did, and she stuttered? Exposed herself?
Better to bide her time, she thought, listen, wait.
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OOC: Just a notice to participants in this thread: Lucard is no longer with us, so his engagements in this thread should more or less be treated as though they did not happen. I took the liberty of removing his posts here just for convenience, as he had not yet directly engaged with anyone.
Post by Ekahi Darktail on Mar 3, 2017 2:07:49 GMT -7
[attr="class","bsmain"]
[attr="class","bsimg"]
[attr="class","bslyric"]
[attr="class","bslmarg"]WHY CAN'T I SEE?
[attr="class","bsltmarg"]PLEASE CAN I BE
COLORFUL AND FREE?
[attr="class","bsbody"]Ekahi flinched when she saw the noble’s hand reach toward her. It was a common gesture, but also one the panthro was still getting used to even after so many years in Dirys, and it was only after realizing the man was simply reaching for her own hand that she calmed down a bit. Not that the assassin was entirely comfortable. As the noble’s hand wrapped around her own furry palm several loud gasps and disgusted scoffs erupted from the crowd, and the panthro’s trained eyes were more than able to see the hostility hidden behind some of the colorful masks staring at them. It was troubling. The more hostile the crowd became the more likely they would do something with her, and even an act as innocent as escorting Ekahi outside would all but ruin her chances at completing the contract. Or at the very least make things really messy.
And that would be pretty bad!
Ekahi’s worries were pushed aside for the moment though and she grinned a bit wider when she heard the noble talk again. No way! Not only did it sound like the man was willing to help her, but she happened to stumble across the one person in charge of the whole masquerade. Things could not have been more perfect for her. If anyone in the ballroom knew where Ser Godfrey was, he had to be the one. All the panthro had to do was coax the information out of him and then ditch the noble to go find her equipment. And how hard could that be?
“Oh, I bet! Everything here is just so…magical. It’s like walking through a dream. Are there always this many people though? It’s even busier than the market!”
And the market was hard enough to walk through and steal from as it was.
“And I’m not here for my parents! I don’t really have parents anymore. I’m looking for…well, I’m looking for…”
Ekahi faked a frown and looked puzzled for a moment, before leaning in and whispering into the man’s ear.
“I’m not really supposed to tell anyone this because it’s a secret, but…I also need to find him, so it’s probably okay. I was told to give a message to someone named Ser Godfrey Thorburn? I really hope you know where I can find him, I was told the message was really, really important, and I would hate to disappoint anyone!”
It was one lie after another, but the panthro had heard stories from some of the other assassins in the Boneway about how nobles and politicians liked nothing more than a good bit of cloak and dagger intrigue and gossip. That was what the Shroud was for, after all! Hopefully this way though the noble would become especially intrigued if he thought Ser Godfrey was up to something, and that much more inclined to help Ekahi find her target.
The assassin began to lean back away from the man but faltered for a moment, as her eyes fell on a young, red-haired girl standing not far behind them. She could not have been much younger than Ekahi and was wearing a really lovely dress, but what caught Ekahi’s attention more than that was how intently she seemed to be staring at the panthro. It was…just a little unsettling, honestly, but the cub stayed where she was as she waited for the man to respond. The girl was unimportant and no threat, creepy or not, and she had to stick to the contract.
Edgar Vanros and Scarlet Dunnx 586 x So sorry for the wait!! And hopefully Red can jump into things here soon! I am trying to think of ways to get here involved.
Post by Edgar Vanros on Mar 14, 2017 8:37:18 GMT -7
The girl was filled to the brim with wonder. It was… perfectly childish, though the girl was an orphan. How did she even get in? Who let her in? That it mattered to his other guests, who booed and jeered at the panthro. With cries of "Get that animal out of here!" and more nervous, incoherent whining, their demands were obvious: The girl was to be escorted out of the ballroom.
Edgar turned his back to the girl, but wagged a finger to command her to follow. Thorburn. Of course this girl was here to deliver a message to him. Whoever sent this girl must have been in Thorburn's pocket. Edgar didn't face the girl to speak to her, keeping his eyes on any of the guests who were watching for the slightest misstep on his part. "If you're looking for Thorburn, you'll be happy to know that he's here. If you have a message for him, I say you make it quick. Your presence is… disturbing my guests, and I'm afraid I may have to ask you to leave. I doubt Thorburn would be interested in listening to you unless you just tell him your message outright. Or you could also tell me your message, and I can just to relay it to him."
What would the cover story be? That someone in security was shirking in their duties and let an unsupervised beast into the ballroom? Someone would need to be blamed, and it would not be Edgar. No, he would be the hero in this scandal. He had the courage to reason with the child, and prevented the situation from escalating any further. This would be a unique incident, and one that would not be repeated. "I understand that you have your secrets, but this is my dance floor. Before you can see Godfrey, I'd like to know how exactly you get in."
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