-
The Baron d'Eufroid, Jehan d'Alard, was dragged in chains before the Palais Dirigeant, fettered, muzzled, and filthy. The scattered murmurs of the disapproving nobility were silenced when the Baron escaped his shackles and bonds, his fetid breath palpable to those among the crowd as he spat vitriol at those assembled, including his own wife. His tirade was silence when one of the Gendarmes present struck him, and the scene descended into a mob of public justice that left the Baron's broken corpse bleeding upon the cobblestones. With his last words, he proclaimed wicked delight at the depravities he visited upon the noble line of Desrosiers.
Some time later, a quintet of Borcans clad in black and white arrived through the city's gates astride dark mounts; at their center rode a woman veiled and dressed in silks. She and her honor guard, adorned in dark steel plate a hundred years out of fashion, took up lodging in Governor's Hotel before paying visit to the Palais for some as-yet unclear purpose. Within minutes of their dramatic arrival, Lord Louis de Bellegarde himself was seen following on heel, disappearing behind the closed doors of the gleaming edifice of power and intrigue.
//Old Thread. (https://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=16508.msg714557#msg714557)
-
In the early hours of the day, just ahead of their planned departure for their honeymoon, newlyweds Aidan and Dhelindria Rathcore were seen heading into the Palais Dirigeant.
When they emerged over an hour later, the two House Desrosiers retainers appeared in relatively good spirits. Curiously, though, their trip seems to have been postponed.
-
On the 6th of the month, Emeric and Noémie Desrosiers renew their hotel room before heading to take a carriage. Hotel staff are asked to forward their post to Valey until their expected return at the week's end.
-
[A spirited debate over the Borcan grain proposal broke out in the Quartier Publique this evening between several individuals, notably Warden Shuttleworth, Cornelius Valcourt, Aldous Hargreaves, Mariah Parsons and Aidan Rathcore. The debate got rather heated and incomprehensible when the topic of Falkovnian aggression was brought up, with the arguments devolving into questions of character of certain valiant war heroes and their attitudes towards Falkovnian refugees. The conversation finally fizzled out when the war hero in question, Fleury de Montaigne, stepped into the terraces and many of the others went on their way.]
-
Word begins to spread rapidly among the citizens of Port-a-Lucine that Brielle Desrosiers the youngest Granddaughter of Valerian Desrosiers, Marquis de Valey has finally become engaged to none other than Marco Corbeau of House Corbeau.
-
The Dowager Contesse de Placide is seen within the Palais Dirigeant conversing with Maitresse Blaise Aguillard, remarking on the latter's good taste in dress and style. She later laughs off suggestions of any animosity between them, and is heard lamenting that people put so much stock in gossip and rumors.
-
A few hours ago, the peaceful day in Port-à-Lucine was rocked by a violent explosion outside the Bank. There appear to be a dozen dead and over three times that many injured. The scene in the Port's most travelled quarter is one of chaos, confusion, and death.
(( Check with DMs Macabre and Indolence for details! ))
-
The weary form of Gendarme Basile Corbeau could be seen hammering down several bold signs warning passers-by to stay away from the unstable foundations of the recently blasted open terrace floor.
-
A saddened Warden Shuttleworth is seen praying near the site, then asking and offering blessings to aide the workers in their efforts; Soon after, she grabs a pick and begins to join them in their efforts. She offers to tend to any injuries sustained by the laborers or those impacted by the blast.
(https://i.imgur.com/5i7IO2b.png)
-
Robine Camus tends to the injured, then retreats to a hospice of Hala in the Ouvrier. There, she takes a veil and remains to treat all comers.
-
Donning the colors of House Desrosiers again for the first time since his failed bid for citizenship, Aidan Rathcore is seen weaving spells of massed strength and endurance over the workers removing the rubble; before descending into the sewers in the unlikely company of Alexandre Vaillant, bearing numerous timbers. The pair are said to have built supports down below in order to attempt to forestall further collapse of the streets above.
-
The various members and retainers of House Valcourt work tirelessly into all hours of the night and day to clear the rubble. The odd sight that even their legal representation Colin can be seen lending a hand sweeping up debris and singing sea shanties to bolster morale. No comment was made as to where he learnt the shanties as the lively tunes were quite welcomed for the working force.
(https://i.imgur.com/eY06a22.png?1)
-
Not long after the Service in the Ste Mere, Warden Shuttleworth returns to the terraces in her workclothes, and joins the workers for another shift, working to remove the rubble that yet remains.
(https://i.imgur.com/otuXH78.png)
-
[Two days have passed and Stella Seifert of La Société de Legerdemain, usually seen with regular frequency around the terraces or in Club L’Artiste, seems to be in neither place, nor has she been seen in the other parts of the city. Regulars in the smoke-filled establishment, if asked, can only speculate regarding her present whereabouts…]
-
[Word has spread of Stella Seifert once again being seen in the City of Lights, her face occasionally contorting into a pained grimace as she moves through its streets and a few nasty bruises being seen on her skin where none were before...]
-
It would be noticeable that Maitre Emeric Desrosiers, and his wife, Dame Noémie Desrosiers, have been absent from the city. It is said that Dame Noémie is with child, a pleasant surprise for the couple, and they have retired to Valey during her confinement.
A shelving following bereavement in real life, making this character's RP too close to reality. Thankyou to Emptyanima for being understanding of my needs currently.
-
Less than a day after Madame Dhelindria Rathcore resigned in full from La Troupe du Théâtre de la Cathédrale, she and her husband, Monsieur Aidan Rathcore, were seen leaving the Governor's Hôtel with a sizable amount of luggage. Later, at the Eastern Gate, the purple-clad pair boarded a Clerque and Verbois carriage and departed towards Eaufroide.
The Rathcores have been shelved until further notice.
-
Word spreads of payments being made to various families affected by the previous month's bombing; these payments are both anonymous and egalitarian, paying for the death or injury of a noble victim the same as for an entertainer's.
-
Warden Shuttleworth departs the City of Lights in the early hours of the Morning, armored and with a large pack for travel, marching on the road toward Mordent. A few written notices to a select few are sent; the departure is a quiet one.
OOC: Shelving Abigail Shuttleworth until further notice.
-
[A weary Cornelius Valcourt arrived back in Port-a-Lucine after more than a week long absence from Dementlieu. His business brief, rumors begin to spread that he came bearing news that Aldous Hargreaves has likely passed away. After a consultation with Docteur Vasya Sarukina, Valcourt departed to the Dementlieuse countryside, citing a need for "personal wellness."]
//After wrapping up a plot, I need a bit of a break on Cornelius for the time being or I'll burn out. Apologies to anyone looking forward to a scene with him!
-
[Having made her stay at the Manor Retreat since her arrival in the city of Port-a-Lucine, Holly Holtz had not been seen checking in or out of the place for several nights in a row. It seems as though she'd found somewhere else to sleep. There might be a rumor or two of the restless woman leaving the city late at night, every night, like clockwork.]
-
Several weeks after their departure to Eaufroide, Aidan and Dhelindria Rathcore were sighted in Port-à-Lucine once again. After the pair conducted a number of apparent meetings inside La Fleur d'Ambre, the telltale sounds of construction could be heard from within the salon.
The Rathcores are no longer shelved.
-
[In the middle of the night, the quiet Governor's Hotel is disturbed by the sound of a woman screaming, then the sounds of two infants crying coming from Fleury de Montaigne and Lily-Rose de Montaigne's room, the formerly scandalous pregnancy of Lily-Rose bearing fruit. The Fraternal Twins, a boy and a girl came into the Core without incident. The newly parents have seem to kept to themselves since this birth, rumoured that the family are intending to make their travels to Bourdonnet and Duchbourg in an effort to win over House Vaillant's affection with the addition to the bastard 's lineage.]
Fleury and Lily-Rose are shelved until further notice.
-
The sound of a Gendamre whistle!
And not long afterwards, Juliette de Bellavace and a Gundarkite woman are escorted off to the barrracks by Caporral de Sauvre and two armed Gendarmie. Words are used like 'Arrest', and once inside, though time drags on, neither of the women emerge...
-
Under the guise of briefly visiting her family, an ever so sickly Nàdia Gardinier is seen slipping out of the city and into a carriage, a luggage carrying Brisco in tow.
Despite the excuse, though, the pair have far too much baggage for it to be such a fleeting stay.
As the days stretch on, the only word returned is of her rapidly declining health. It seems she will not be returning as swiftly as made to believe...
-
======== 1. AVRIL, 777 B.C. ========
It has been several months, since a carriage escorted by Company cavalrymen saw the return of the Baronesse d'Estellier to her distant Estate among the Border Baronies. Precarious in timing, as her name was sung upon the streets by bards, and art galleries dedicated to her exploits. Though word infrequently returned from the East of the activities, throughout the months, the common sight of members of The Company of the Phoenix lodging within the Capital, and surrounding areas, waned by the day. Once merchantmen and private soldiers, many of the fresher faces of the Company of the Phoenix would return to their homes in Port-à-Lucine, though not in any manner of uniform. Word among the commons soon became that The Company of the Phoenix had amicably begun the transition away from their mercenary past; The veteran soldiers who served faithfully by the Baronesse d'Estellier's side were rewarded with grants of tenency within Estellier, and employment within the Household Retinue.
A family born of ambition, trade, and war had grown silent in the months following. Trade resumed from Estellier, through the River Musarde into Borca, Richemulot, and beyond. The uniforms that once served with a dated sigil of a singular Phoenix were given the crests of a Noble Household, charged with the precarious duties of guarding portions of Dementlieu's Eastern Border, and managing trade tariffs upon a river port.
In the early morning of the 30th of Mars, 777 B.C., a carriage could be seen travelling along the Avenue du Progrés, colours of wine-red, and a pale navy blue emblazoned upon the wood-lacquer of the body, and the crest of a defiant Phoenix of white-marble glistening in the Dementlieuse sun. Mounted cavalry of the de Phélypeaux brought the carriage to the city limits, before departing, and off-stepped the Baronesse d'Estellier alongside her former First Lieutenant of the Company of the Phoenix, Monsieur Thibaut Duport; Now, purported to act as Capitaine de la Garde of her family's retinue.
A woman known for passion, ambition, and for being politically outspoken returned from Estellier with a tired countenance, a passive air, and reservation to engage in the political arena. What once twinkled in the eye of this ambitious young woman had been tempered by the weight of her station, and now it was not uncommon to see a mirthless dull in her gaze, for what time she was found in the public eye.
Most would remark that she could be seen staring off into the terraces, or enjoying tea and coffee alongside Monsieur Duport's watchful eye in the time since, keeping to herself.
What burdens of the aristocracy removes a youthful luster so?
-
The celebrated Mournful Lily Acting troupe, fresh from their performance of the Silver Steed and in the high esteem of the gentry, depart the gates of Port-a-Lucine, bound for stages unknown. Though their numbers are seemingly reduced, they leave with no shortage of admirers, many of whom mark them as due for the higher accolades than mere fame and fortune.
-
[The renowned stage magician Stella Seifert was seen by onlookers cradling the body of an older man, gore and entrails spilling out where he looked to have been impaled; after a fashion, Stella sets the body down and kneels near it, puncturing the quiet night with a wail and violent, ugly sobbing. The body is carried off by the Gendarmerie in short order, and she follows an officer off in the direction of the Quartier Savant, moments later, alongside a Dementlieuse woman in blue chainmail.
Later, Stella walks through the terraces again, with all the energy of a sleepwalker. She makes past Club L'Artiste towards the docks, venturing inside Boutique d'Outremer; she does not exit for some time.]
-
Late in the night, as nobles and visitors to the Serene Republic were enjoying a nice quiet evening on the terraces of the Publique, a gigantic blood elemental laid waste to the lower terrace. Many Gendarme lost their lives, along with a few nobles. Foreigners and natives alike, quickly sprung into action to dispatch the creature. The group then made their way around the city, looking for the cause of the disturbance. Hours of searching yielded no results
-
With the Célébration de la Gloire Martiale approaching, one of the championship prizes is displayed on the Terraces. La Gloire du Champion- the unique rapier is rumored to depict scenes of valorous Gendarme in action on its flats, etched out in a fortune's worth of carefully cut sapphires and diamonds embedded in the silvery blade itself. It is rumored that the Gendarme-honoring blade will be placed on display at La Fleur d'Ambre sometime ahead of the coming tournament.
-
The Red Vardo have set up shop in the Quartier Public, a wide selection of rare goods on display.
-
Some rumors speak of the young woman, Madeleine Voland having passed out in the lobby of the Governor's hotel. After some assessment, she was carried off for a doctor by the Maitre, Emeric Desrosiers and two other women in their company.
-
-Rumors of a grotesque caliban or magical conjuration attempting to assault a local nobleman briefly spreads across the Quartier Publique. Though, after being dispatched by the Gendarmerie Nationale with zero casualties or injuries, all seemed to be well and life continued as normal.-
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/486236706920726529/969723288668483584/unknown.png)
-
The execution of Arielle de Bellavance saw, as she was delivering her last words, the body of her younger sister, Juliette, brought forth and presented by an elven woman in red and black, to the shocked and horrified gasps of many in the crowd.
The body was covered up quickly, though not before Arielle could see it, cursing the elven woman with her dying breath...
-
[The people of Port-a-Lucine, be they aristocrat or lowborn, were shocked to see the massive, ruined cathedral in the heart of the city, Ste. Mere des Larmes, become enveloped by mist and then replaced by a dense and thick forest of giant trees, if only for a few minutes' time. Eventually, the leaves on the gigantic trees turned yellow and brown, falling off their branches. The trees seem to vanish as autumn turns to winter, revealing the cathedral just as it was before. Onlookers across the city were stunned, spell-bound by this incredible feat of illusion.]
-
[Dark carriages arrive by nightfall to The Governor's Hotel, quietly unloading furniture and luggage. A handful of men and women, some of whom appear to be Borcans garbed in black and white, remain as the carriages retreat from the city some hours later.]
-
The Vicomte de Mazerac and the granddaughter of Seigneur de Bellegarde are noted strolling the Savant and the Quartier Publique, arm in arm. Their quiet and chaperoned outing is cut short when Marie-Louise de Bellegarde catches a glimpse of Gendarmes carrying away a body, covered in a blood-stained sheet. Her scream startles many of the nearby gentry, and several of the more gentle among them follow Marie-Louise's example in fainting on the spot.
-
Bride-to-be Madeleine Voland is seen out and about on the terraces of Port-a-Lucine, striking up a conversation with the Dowager Comtesse de Placide of House Richelieu (https://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=28877.msg353010#msg353010). Voland is noted as expressing her admiration for street and stage magic, crafts largely considered by her peers as frivolity at best. Further, Volland derides the "folly" of the fine arts institutions of Port-a-Lucine. The Jalaberts in particular are singled out, their celebrated Theatre of the Cathedrale being disparaged as "old, empty, and dusty". Gossiping tongues wag, wondering that what grudges Houses Voland and de Sauvre have against Dementlieu's artistic elite.
-
Falkovnian ambassador Hermann von Wittendorf and Sieur Dorian de Sauvre were seen to lock horns verbally this morning. After numerous barbs directed at the institution of the Gendarmerie and then at the Chevalier's wife, the Sieur defended her honour with a challenge to the ambassador: a game of chess, "a game without the possibility of deception or misdirection", to be held tomorrow (https://a.chronus.eu/1A4BF40) at the Faculty of Law ...
-
In the bustling streets of Port-a-Lucine, neither carriages nor riders astride horseback are a remarkable sight. The departure of one of Hermann von Wittendorf's Falkovnian aides draws notice only for the unseemly haste with which he rides east, and the laughably unfashionable clothes he wears.
-
Monsieur Andre de la Cour was escorted from the Governor's Hotel in shackles by an off-duty Gendarme, Marcel de Renault, and Mademoiselle Rithwarian Luelana towards the Gendarmerie Nationale de Port-a-Lucine. A few nobles were left stunned and speechless at the sight, though it otherwise proceeded without spectacle or fanfare.
-
An almost all green clothed warden is has been asking about his sister in faith Danika around the terraces.
His communication efforts hindered by his lack of knowledge of high mordentish and questionable usage of the common tongue, has nonetheless left a notice seeking information about her.
-
Ongoing negotiations between Borca, Richemulot, and Dementlieu are rocked when General Gaston Virieux is seized by a sudden tremor, collapsing to the ground. Quick action by members of the Gendarmerie Nationale see his life saved, and he's rushed into a carriage to be tended in his home. Negotiations are undeterred, though an impassioned speech and accusations by the Ambassador from Richemulot, Esteve Peirol, sees the Dementlieuse delegates lose footing. In the end, a grand bargain is struck. No doubt the remaining details will be finalized in backroom dealing within the halls of power, but for now an accord stands, though none seem truly satisfied.
-
Madame Celeste Seifert is seen ascending the ramp to the terraces when three Gendarme stop her. After a brief exchange of words, the Gendarme lead the stiffened woman towards the Gendarmerie. She is not seen for some time.
-
[Flashy and large posters begin to sprout up prominently around the Quartier Publique, in particular on the notice board for the public as a Gendarme recruitment official makes rounds, laden with stacks of paper.]
(https://i.imgur.com/s0vIwVA.png)
//placed in game
-
Lost and found:
Items of significant value were left on the counter at the bank last night (the 20th), but I secured them for their rightful owner. You can recover them by contacting me and identifying what was lost and in what quantity. I can be contacted at the Keep of the Dryad and as a Solamnian I seek no profit from your misfortune merely to return this misplaced property.
- Owen Harrow of Harrowgard
A few of these notes are found at the bank, and terraces outside.
-
A few days after being seen leaving the city on horseback riding towards Edrigan, it is a much smaller group, almost cut in half, that comes back to the city. Gendarmes Gabriel d'Aubry and Basile Corbeau are seen slowly making their way towards the Gendarmerie, their armor wearing clear signs of battle. The blond nobleman seems to be in a state of shock, ignoring the looks and questions of bystanders as he dragged himself to the Quartier Savant. Both of them were seen entering the building and weren't seen again for many hours...
-
Luggage is loaded, farewells are said. The newly wedded Mesdames de Chauret are seen boarding a carriage early in the morning, a rabbit bundled in the shorter's arms. They depart in the direction of Richemulot. It is unclear of whether the guise of a honeymoon is truthful or not.
-
On the eve of White Day (https://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=64955), a heavily laden wagon arrives at the back of the Governor's Hôtel. Dozens upon dozens of various crates marked "decorations" are carted into the ballroom.
-
A small, handwritten note is posted along in unobtrusive corners of the message boards of the publique. It is written in High Mordentish.
seeking instruction
I am a self-taught violinist in search of a professional teacher. Private lessons are preferred.
Please write to Mademoiselle Mariana Dragavei at the Manor Retreat.
-
The Phantom Ball, hosted by House Ambroiseux and the Red Vardo Traders, seemed poised to be the zenith of the month's social events. A cavalcade of costumes equally ghoulish and debonair were on full display, and its attendance is marked by not one but two members of the Council of Brilliance, with whispers of House Ambroiseux earning the favor of Sieur Regnier Chaboteaux, Culture Adviser, himself. These whispers quickly turn to sneers of derision when both Councilors leave early, after a hapless guest inadvertently spilled a glass of wine upon one Councilor, and then contradicted the conservative Chevalier de Tannegarde in public on matters of fashion. Both faux pas went without censure by the hosts. The indulgence shown by this bore is the talk of the city, and there's an unmistakable shift in the air, both figurative and literal, as young ladies of breeding and quality discreetly put up their Ambroiseux branded perfumes in favor of fragrances less scented with controversy.
-
Baudouin de Courcillon, nephew to the Baronet de Courcillon, is seen leading a contingent of his guardsmen with a prisoner in tow to the Palais Dirigeant. They are receivedby War and Defense Advisor Jacques Reynard, who after a terse exchange with the prisoner, orders his Gendarmes to take him into their custody. Monsieur Baudouin de Courcillon is lauded by the Councilor, for it seems Courcillon's catch is none other than Captain Parent of the Free Company of Concerned Citizens, a small but militant group of disaffected Dementlieuse mercenaries who flocked to the banner of the Bitter Flames, led by Captain Valentine Voiculet. A frequent refrain among Baudouin's detractors who favor other candidates in the city's political squabbling are quick the utter the refrain "it takes a bastard to catch a bastard". Nonetheless, doubtless this small victory will do much to weaken the bandits within the Champs Silencieux to the south
-
From the Baron de Miseaux's Tomas de Fré's estate of Col de Sang, couriers ride forth to Port-a-Lucine, Chateaufaux, Chateaunoir, and Ste. Luciennes. The missives they post along several of the country's most traveled thoroughfare are of fine vellum make, but bear no words. Instead, they show the coat of arms of the House de Courcillon expertly painted in brilliant shades: Tierced per pale; sable a sword jules, jules, and argent a rampant wolf sable. A line of wax seals show the support of many heads of house from the eastern aristocracy and a few other men of means, among them some titles of note:
Baron de Miseaux
Baron de Mortain
Baron de Challignac
Baronet de Corbeaux
Baron de Chalaines
-
[As dawn greets the city of Por-a-Lucine, a lonely, small figure dressed in red and black is seen walking toward the Theatre of the Bay. The red light of the rising sun shines on the rippling waves of the Sea of Sorrows, offering a glimpse of beauty in a day that otherwise seems mostly overcast, with several clouds passing through the sky.
The figure opens a case and retrieves a violin from it, richly decorated and clearly suitable for an artist of some level. The halfling clearly is not such, but after some tuning and trying he's seen closing his eyes, a haunting tune, with imperfect notes, resonates through the bay for a couple of minutes. Once he is done, the figure lingers still, looking far toward the sea, unmoving, the violin resting by his side. As quietly as he arrived, he places the instrument back and leaves, somberly.](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/959210897878962176/1051152104531697704/Alm_violino.JPG?width=1138&height=600)
-
Gabriel d'Aubry attends a final performance in the City of Lights before taking the road south. It's rumored a commission, backed by the recommendation of his distant cousin, Her Grace the Duchesse de Beauvais ,awaits him at the Chateaunoir Gendarmerie. Some say the flinty demeanor and heavy hand of the young nobleman will serve him well in his new position. Certainly the underbelly of the Quartier Ouvrier breathes a sign of relief, at least for now. His many noble backers in his political and military pursuits largely agree the commission is well-earned, and look forward to what the future holds for the noted duelist, soldier, and scion of the Serene Republique.
-
In the early hours of the morning, a tiny caliban quickly darted into the Publique in-between Gendarme patrols to the displeasure of the nearby nobility. A letter was slapped on a wall before the creature was chased off.
Gossip quickly spreads along the terraces of why such a creature should have been allowed to even enter The Publique, and little mind is paid to the contents of the letter itself.
The letter itself was shortly removed thereafter.
-
A white and golden clothed merchant seems to be setting up a public shop near the bay in Quartier Publique
-
Upon the lips of gossip circles and onlookers alike is that, during the late hours of a dying evening, a grotesque scene emerged as the result of some altercation or another. The details on what transpired exactly remain clouded, but one thing is reported with certainty from circle to circle; a green-faced gendarme is seen hauling, by his best efforts, a bisected corpse through the streets of the Quartier Publique, flanked by one of his colleagues and followed by several individuals. Their destination seemingly the Gendarmerie de Port-à-Lucine.
-
By dawn's light, the remnants of the Black Army of Gundarak are seen departing the City of Lights, few giving the splendid capitol and its sun-kissed terraces a second glance. Better known to the locals as Demetrius Ajkler's Black Company, rumors swirl of bad blood or failed contracts between the war-hardened group and its patrons within the city. Once celebrated for their efforts to deliver grain and guns across the north-western Core as well as their small part in the defense of the Council of Brilliance, the Company's star seems to have dimmed among all but their most earnest supporters. For those who bother to gossip on the affair, three questions linger:
What becomes of Ajkler's hard won legacy?
What becomes of a mercenary company without a contract?
What becomes of an army without a state?
-
Singing the praises of both the late Josephine Chantreaux and the Four Towers, Councilor Jacques Reynard sees of an assemblage of Borcan and Dementlieuse retainers, Gendarmes, mercenaries, and condottieri. In Chateaufaux, shouts of "Pluck the hawk!" and the admiring glances of many a man and woman follow the procession. Not far from the Richemuloise border, sporadic gunfire and the rumble of earth greets the force's scouts, and a small party of bandits, brigands, and worse are routed. The group, awash with glory and the flush of first blood, vanish beneath the boughs of the Champs Silencieux...
-
The Captain of the Silent Fields, Baudouin de Courcillon, is seen entering the city from the East accompanied by a Borcan Condottieri, a member of the Company of the Bridge, and a small retinue of retainers that have clearly seen battle. In their care is a line of seven Dwarves and one man of Vaasi descent, chained in irons. The group is marched directly toward the Gendarmerie Nationale. He and his retinue are greeted with loud cheers, and many a drink is lifted in toast to his name.
-
A strange new addition has joined the ranks of archivists tending to the Grande Bibliothèque. Dot of blue grey in a sea of pale white faces, she attends her tedious labors dutifully from dusk until dawn, long rounded ears ever alert for calls for assistance.
-
The gentry gape and stare as Sacha Frelon is escorted by a Gendarmerie patrol from the Cathedral to the Gendarmerie Nationale...
-
MURDER! MASSACRE!
The Governor's Hotel resounds with violence at its highest level, as the Penthouse rented by Mariah Parsons is invaded during her Victory Celebration for the Silent Fields; bloodshed and carnage as the gentry are assaulted and slaughtered by the MADMAN DAIDRANN VALSTAHD! Rumours speak of the Falkovnian Ambassador assassinated, several Gendarmes and guests cut down, and the host, Mariah Parsons, abducted!
-
Rumour and gossip circles are abuzz with horrific and visceral accounts of the events that would become known as "The Penthouse Masssacre", detailing several murders of the gendarmes, the gentry, and even the Falkovnian ambassador himself. People speak the name of the assailant in fear and in whispered breaths, but they speak tale of the butcherer Daidriann Valstahd, self-proclaimed "The Vaunted", and his infamous axe-blade as the source of the handiwork. Many gurgled screams, shouting and taunting is heard from within the Governor's Hotel, as well as the clashing of steel and magics throughout the night.
In the aftermath, many a body lays bisected and broken. The bodies of a red-haired sorceress and the Falkovnian ambassador are found impaled in the garden of the Quartier Publique, but the scene is hastily surrounded by coats of blue, ushering victims and witnesses away from the gruesome message. A macabre air hangs in the wake of the savagery, an unsettling wrongness not easily shaken.
-
Screams of horror and shock equate the vast majority of citizens reactions when they come across several of the party guests, clothes covered in viscous crimson hurrying to the eastern side of town, several wounded and unable to walk without support. Shortly thereafter rows upon rows of Blue-coats arrive on the scene, swarming the exterior of the hotel and surrounding it's entry points. The officer on scene, noted to be Sieur Basile Corbeau took charge of the ensuing chaos, martialling patrols that began to sweep through the streets and denying entry to all but those who live within the Governer's hotel until the investigations were concluded..
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/822967324214034442/1074144463389200444/image.png)
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/905615375662719058/1074206692797063238/image.png)
-
Rumours would make their way around the city that the Courts are preparing to bring to trial Sacha Frelon for Treason and Kidnapping later in the day...
((OOC: Tonight at 7pm EST, in approximately 5h30 from this post. Apologies for the short notice...))
-
Word would spread that the execution of the convicted traitor Sacha Frelon is being postponed due to inclement weather...
-
Word would spread that Sacha Frelon is to be executed later in the day, before the Palais Dirigeant...
(( 5pm EST / 10pm UK Time ))
-
From the Quartier Savant to the Publique, the sound of whistles, gunshots, and screams of pain carry on the wind in the hours before Sacha Frelon's execution. A company of Gendarmerie Nationale cavalry patrol the streets, fighting off dozens of what will later be described as "criminal malcontents". The execution carries on as scheduled, however, with the only additional interruption being the detonation of a pair of cannons stationed atop a terrace to oversee the affair. While half a dozen Gendarmes are immolated and dismembered in the incident, so to is the would-be saboteur. A bittersweet accident, since a rogue element for powers unknown is removed from the board, albeit at great cost. The Lady-Governor, reputedly determined to not let justice be aborted by Frelon's allies, orders the execution to continue. In one last twist of fate, it seems some hapless bureaucrat has made a critical error in fitting the guillotine's blade, since it fails to sever Frelon's head, and indeed leaves the poor man alive and transfixed until Lieutenant Dorian de Sauvre executes him with an efficient shot to the back of the head.
Peace is restored swiftly, and soon the happy people of the city resume their talk of galas and masquerades.
-
(https://i.imgur.com/DKEWjZI.png)
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/496912187747729418/766730516157169675/FwYyZmK.png)
Word trickles out, slow as molasses, that the esteemed Theatre de la Cathedrale, that sparkling jewel in the crown of the august House Jalabert, has made two appointments to the role of Assistant Manager. A void has been filled, an abscess left in the wake of the ignominious fortune teller-turned-playwright Mademoiselle Dove, the late Borcan Consul Roxana Barozzi, and the poor, sweet Dame Geneviève Chaboteaux. Surely, the grim fortunes of these last three individuals to hold the title were mere happenstance, and not some diabolic machination or eldritch curse. The folk of Dementlieu tend to be above such backwater superstitions, after all.
Congratulations, however anxious or muted, are surely due to the fresh-faced appointees: the valorous Souragnien noblewoman, Maitresse Josephine Perigord, and the ambitious Ouvrier-born commoner, Mademoiselle Alisaie Goulet.
Troupe Manager Chiara Grassini herself is conspicuously absent from public life, not having been glimpsed beyond the walls of the playhouse since the Expédition aux Champs Silencieux marched South, almost six weeks ago. Even to her own staff, she is somewhat elusive. Letters have gone unanswered. Perhaps what was once a hardworking reclusiveness has begun to fester. In the dead of night, if one places their ear to the stone, strange noises may be heard, muffled and distant. Scratching. Wailing. Weeping. But in such a old building, odd sounds are nothing new. And many can attest that the Borcan woman is alive and ambulatory.
With the appointment of new Assistant Managers, the gears of the grand playhouse have once more begun to turn. And yet, no public statement is made. Silence reigns. Meetings are had. Letters are responded to, belatedly and by proxy. Productions are envisioned. Calendars are drawn up. Quill is put to parchment. While an uneasy pall may have descended upon the stage like stubborn Mordentshire fog, the show - as they say - must go on ...
-
[Sieur Basile Corbeau of the Gendarmerie is seen plastering recruitment posters upon the noticeboard within the Publique]
(https://i.imgur.com/s0vIwVA.png)
The Gendarmerie de la Nationale seeks any able-bodied men & women to serve in the nations most exemplory military forces. The threat of war is on the horizon, will you let our nation be defenseless? Will you leave your fellows to fight the enemy alone? Serve with duty and dilligence, come home with honours.
Receive a steady wage, get fed well, earn respect, chances for citizenship!
The Gendarmerie de la Nationale wants
YOU.
Pour la République,
⚜ THE GENDARMERIE NATIONALE DE DEMENTLIEU ⚜
-
Rumors spread about Éléonore Ambroiseux being sighted again after her kidnapping. Bruised and battered, the noblewoman was seen limping through the terraces with what appeared to be a broken leg.
She did not stay for discourse, being led by Lt. Delmar of the Red Vardo Traders to the Quartier Marchand and out of sight.
-
Gossip abounds that Late into the evening of the Rose Day Ball a drow man in dark finery was seen leaving the Governor's Hotel followed shortly by a masked woman in extravagant attire, soon afterward a small number of well-dressed guests filter out and follow the drow off into the night toward the Quartier Savant...
-
With recent news through the social grapevine of plague bearing civilians entering the city, the Gendarmerie de la Nationale seen to have erected a Quarantine checkpoint just outside the western gate in order to combat this threat to the safety of the city. Stringently, they are not allowing anyone in without submitting to a thorough frisk of their persons...
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/995234888661872722/1095139492744138772/image.png?width=909&height=513)
-
A young man in a smart trenchcoat, but otherwise the typical attire of a worker, is seen visiting the library for long periods, ensconcing himself in corners with various books and periodicals.
-
The swift stride of Basile Corbeau could be seen stalking through the Publique in a black rage. Curiously, his clothing looked to have been torn in places and a bandage was roughly wrapped around his arm..
-
In the first hours of the day, a carriage awaits in front of the Governor's Hotel. After a little, a few footmen help carry luggage and load it onto the vehicle.
The coachman is heard moaning for the short heads-up and the hour of the day, too late to leave for Borca, since the roads, he reckons with anyone not fast enough to run away, are bound to be swamped by the spring floods.
He however finds the common sense to fall quiet, as Cavalier Romeo Lascaris, a black coat and an even darker expression, is seen exiting the Hotel and climb inside the coach. He bangs a few hits on the coach inner walls, and the coachman, a newfound passion for the silent contemplation of the road, drives the coach eastbound past the city gates.
-
After performing perhaps one of Pòrt-à-Lucine's most prolonged yet unimportant vanishing acts, the magician Oriel Kurin was spotted dragging a chest almost the same height as him through the Quartier Publique and into Club L'Artiste.
-
Throughout the bustling city of lights, wherever a scrap of revolutionary propaganda is found, a blue cloaked squadron is seen removing them with urgency, depositing them into trashcans, fires and anything else containing refuse..
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1107123931678261338/1107818667569336351/image.png)
-
[Word spreads of the presence of a solitary spider with a shiny black carapace, no larger than a man's fist, attacking two women speaking to themselves at the lightpost, one being Dame Enora de Courcillon and the other being famed painter Odette Cloutier. Despite their attempts to stomp on the spider, it moved too quickly and the spider's venom seemed to cause both to freeze up and then fall unconscious, much to the alarm of the gentry who were watching helplessly. The eight-legged menace was fortunately undone, its remains decorating the cobbles near Voix de l'Ame...]
-
[Sounds of a scuffle could be heard behind the Governor's Hotel later in the morning, the Gendarme patrolling on the level above passing by either unaware or apathetic to the incident below. Hours pass and all that remains are splatterings of blood and shreds of torn fabric. Crates and barrels in a small shed built on the back of the hotel building occasionally shake or clamor.]
-
The horrifying sight of the grieviously wounded Darkonian woman, Silventia Tacita is seen, covered head to foot in blood and deep cuts exposing her flesh, staggering into the Publique from the Marchand at night. Onlookers are too shocked to react as she descends past the Manor's Retreat and stumbles into the Widow's Walk. She doesn't speak, only moaning, presumably in agony.
-
A fresh gendarme returns to the board of Port-a-Lucine from Chateaunoir. Short cropped hair and a frosty disposition, she got on better with the bodies in the morgue then she did with the ones still breathing on the street. None the less, she is often seen on the beat on the major thoroughfares through and about the capital. She had a habit of coming to rest at the Theatre de la Baie with a cigarette and sword cleaning kit.
-
[The same elven woman seen entering the city not long ago has been making several stops, walking around the public unobtrusively. She enters the public library, and is there for several hours before leaving a small set of books and parchment, though none of it seems to be the property of the library...]
-
Puits d'Orchestre, sponsored directly by the Culture Advisor and his wife the Dame are lauded for a production of Wilhiem Wagner's Symphony of the Balinoks. The packed house includes numerous notables, including the Baron and Baroness de Clemenceau, a scandalous pair long sought by their creditors and reputed to be "summering in Richemulot" for the past several years. Rumors of the latter's untimely demise on the road spread through the city not long after, while the former is reputed to have gone into hiding or faked his own death. Speculation swirls that the Baron tired of both his monumental debts and his wife, and has seen them undone at once.
-
In the days leading up to the ‘Return of Le Marchand Fair’ hosted by the Red Vardo Traders, a noble Mulan of Hazlan, a tattoo of a manticore upon his shaved head, is seen arriving with a mysterious shipment. Exotic spices? Textiles? Eldritch artifacts? All that is certain is that he was later seen delivering several crates to the local bank to be secured in the vault.
-
In the early evening hours, sobbing, wails, and crys of violent outrage can be heard. An unwelcome and improper distrubance for many of the civil Quarter Publique. The source appeared to be the Borcan knight, Sieur Raphael d'Argenti; uncharacterist for those familier with the man. Threats of firey vengence and imolation were shouted at the top of his lungs causing no small amount of concern from onlookers. Who these were actually directed at remain unclear. The man, although unarmed, was not unladen. He carried a horribly disfigured corpse in his arms like a small child. A giant hole in the body's chest could be seen by those who got too close. Small bite marks all over and burnt flesh could be witnessed on closed examination. Sieur Raphahel would make his way to the Catherdral at the center of the city and has not been seen since. Curiously, the body the man carried some what resembled the Knight himself...
-
The crimson-haired Marcelia of the self-proclaimed House of Aaru is at most times a curiosity when spied among the gentry of Port-a-Lucine, her presence cause for speculation about her associates or the reason for her masked visage. Her appearance at the Golden Fig this morning in the company of Andrei Palascu, Trade and Commerce advisor the Lady-Governor sparked a great deal of debate about her relationship with the rakish councilor. A slip of the tongue by the 'exotic' merchant, in particular the use of the Councilor's first name, seems to have settled into the minds of most onlookers that some manner of mixing of business and pleasure has occurred.
-
After the auction held by House Aaru, a man in a black toga was seen setting down and strangely enough speaking to what appeared to be an empty bird cage. The black haired man who had set it out notably referred to it as a "prison." Upon the onset of rain, the man and the gilded cage made their way into the governor's hotel.
-
[One night, a fine china teacup and it's corresponding saucer can be seen floating in the rainy waters surrounding the Theatre de la Baie, like a ship lost at sea. Some might wonder how it got there. Eventually, it breaks against the stone.]
-
Warden Jean-Louis de Biron has been making fewer and fewer public appearances. There is a rumor his health is ailing, having come down with pneumonia. It's whispered that he might be bedridden for months... if he recovers at all at his age.
//Shelved for the time being
-
Word arrives that the Vicomtesse de Sarbagne, Eleonore de Ambroiseux-Tabouillot, died en route to Sarbagne giving childbirth without the care of a physician. The morbid news is shared with the revelation that she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. With her last breath, she gave them their names: Genevieve de Tabouillot and Solomon de Tabouillot.
-
Romance is in the air! Word spreads first in the Publique and then elsewhere throughout Port-a-Lucine that Baudouin de Courcillon, Knight of the Order of Serene Abundance and Baron of Puymeras, officially announced the upcoming marriage between himself and Etolie Verroux - the second oldest daughter of Baronet Gervais Verroux - during the evening of the Rose Day Ball.