Book 1: Crownfall, Act 1: All The King's Men

[Zorbeltuss]

"Humility is for foreigners and rabble, mostly so that they can show the proper deference to their betters." Mercutio is not one to introduce himself quietly. "Of course, my fellow bearded cousins would try and phrase this along the lines of the distinguished members of society having earned it."

"Though few of them have as much of a tenth of my lady's boldness!" Up until now, he has held his gaze firmly upon her face, and the faces of the others, though he had of course looked through the corner of his eye, now he found the perfect excuse to cast his attention to that which she clearly intends to show off. Seeing that he happens to be discussing it. "I will be an honest man today and admit that I like the outfit. Someone will surely look down his nose on it today, but he will be staring all the same."

[GuyWithSword]

The human woman flat out giggles at the comments about humility. “Yes indeed. You must’ve NEVER been to Oppara, or even most of Taldor, if you think being modest is anything close to being in vogue right now, especially amongst the nobility. Still, there’s a certain...naive charm to your demeanor. I’m sure we will get along swimmingly.”

To Mercutio, Aurelia performs a slight curtsey, although it was difficult to find enough dress to actually lift. What she wears (or rather lacks) underneath her dress is confirmed clearly. “Well, finally someone with both good taste and honesty. A somewhat rare combination in Oppara. And what is your name, kind sir? I suppose your talent is to be as charming with your tongue as I can be with my tongue?”

She gauges the reaction of each person. It is always important to learn the “buttons” of each person, so she can push those buttons if need be.

[JohnnyWeird]

Crichton pours himself a glass of wine and pairs the fig jam with a soft Andorran cheese on a small slice of toasted bread. His buttons apparently unpressed, he waits for the young aristocrat's response.

[Zorbeltuss]

"I prefer to use Mercutio, my lady." His eyes dart back again to hers, it is hard to tell if he invites to flirting or just is interested in who she might be and how she reacts. She gets the feeling that he is aware of those two options and goes for all of the above. "I might be here for any number of reasons, I share with our host that I too hail from an illustrious family that does not exactly approve of what choices I have made in life or what life has given me, one of the two. Though if my most humble exterior is just a facade, I might think to myself that I am here because of my many talents and dashing good looks."

[ManWithDoor]

The elven maid disappears into a back room while the group converses. A few minutes later, the Lady makes her appearance. She is dressed in an elegant but reserved gown of blue and white. She wears a delicate golden necklace and tiara, with precious stones tastefully displayed. The maid follows her to the table, where the Lady sits, and the maid pours fresh tea. "I'm so pleased you could join me this evening." Her voice is pleasant and confident.

She casually places a metal cricket in front of her on the table. The little mechanical device makes a strange, low buzzing sound. "You may speak freely in the manor. I have taken all appropriate countermeasures to make sure our conversation remains private." A small smile creeps on to her face. "And from what I have heard I have retained the correct individuals. My little birds barely caught a whisper of your inquiries around town this week. If I hadn't specifically been looking, I never would have noticed anything out of the ordinary." She puts a dollop of honey in her tea, then takes a sip. "I assume that since you are here you have no issues with my background? Any concerns before we get into the deeper reason as to why I retained your services?"

Lady Martella Lotheed

[JohnnyWeird]

Crichton nods to the first question and offers none of his own. His expression is subdued curiosity.

[Vardaen]

Theodrix only smiles to Aurelia, "And we wonder why the state of things are as they are?"

He leaves her and the others and stands against a wall looking at the room until Lotheed arrives. When she does he moves over and bows politely to her and sets down his drink giving her his full attention. A keen ear hears him whisper, "Modesty, who refreshing."

His stance is on edge a bit, ready as if danger were about as Lady Lotheed speaks about the group's activities during the week. He lightens up a bit however, "If you know as much as you claim Lady, you know we don't care about your status. I for one would prefer to hear what you had in mind plain and simple."

[Zorbeltuss]

"My Lady." Mercutio bows deeply, meeting his eyes, his mannerisms blurring the line between courtesy and flirtation, how the melody of his voice plays upon the utterance of lady. "How could I possibly find any issue that I would not find in mine own reflection?"

[GuyWithSword]

The minimally-dressed enchantress studies each person's reactions carefully, noting how much poise and control they have. Solid potential, this bunch. I like working with people with a cool head on their shoulders.

"Pleased to meet you, Mercutio." Before Aurelia can continue further, the Lady Martella Lotheed makes an entrance, and Aurelia drops her dress back down.

"Lady Lotheed, pleased to make your acquaintance. Your background is intriguing, and I must say I am rooting for you. I am also interested in those contraptions you have. Like that cricket over there. Is eavesdropping now impossible?"

[ManWithDoor]

The Lady is not immune to charms, even as she recognizes it is simply another tool of influence. Her eyes sparkle as she smiles at Mercutio. "How indeed, good sir?" Her visage looks like she is considering something, then she shakes her head a little and turns her gaze back to the group. "The cricket is of my own invention and construction. It is not ... perfect. But is you went a few paces away from the table, that low buzzing sound would be greatly distracting. It isn't exactly a cone of silence, but I also don't need loud incantations and sweeping gestures to turn it on." The little mechanic cricket continues its little buzzing, the internal mechanisms going about their business.

"As for my purposes here, I assume you are all familiar with the gossip around a possible vote by the Senate changing the inheritance laws of Taldor. I can confirm that that is more than a rumor. If everything goes according to plan, the Senate will be voting this very evening on the matter. I represent a political faction interested in backing the change away from agnatic primogeniture." She pauses, shaking her head a little ruefully. "Not that I'm involved purely out of good will and altruism. While I am not the sort to be going the assassination route, I do intend to run my House some day. And when I am shown to be a more fit leader, I will lawfully claim the Lotheed Estates."

She waves her hand dismissively. "I am too well known to act covertly. Thus I need capable agents such as yourselves to act in my stead. So to keep our connection from being observed, I procured a number of Senatorial Aide Badges." She pulls out a number of gold broach pins, embossed with the image of a dragon battling a unicorn. "Taldan Senators require a large number of proactive staff to administer their duties, sometimes taking their representatives to all corners of Oppara and beyond. These pins, displayed on armor or clothing, easily display one's loyalty to a specific Senator." She hands out one to each of the party. "These bear the seal of the long-dead Senator Voritas, whose family line was involved with the Senate for nearly a thousand years, before dying out about a century ago."

She rolls her eyes as she continues. "A strange tradition has formed over the years, where politicians of note hand out Senatorial Aide Badges of extinct or exiled family lines to guests their invite to Senate events, identifying them at a glance as guests rather than sitting Senators or staff." She sighs. "So one has to memorize dozens of current and extinct family heraldry, rather than simply having a single Badge for guests. But regardless, they are still useful." She pulls out a more ornate and jeweled version of the same Badge. "They also allow magical communication with the Master Badge. I can converse silently with each of you, and even act as a sort of relay for messages." She narrows her eyes. "Try to minimize that though. For emergency use only. I'm not an errand girl."

Senate Aide Badge

The Real Cone of Silence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5piMRY1fU

OOC

Alright! She has Missions she can offer. In the Book it appears that I'm supposed to list the missions, and you can pick and choose, knowing what's involved. But where's the fun (i.e. my amusement) in that??? Instead, I'm going to list the Mission title. Everyone OOC pick one, and those will be the ones she requests the group to accomplish. In addition to whatever personal schmoozing you wish to do.

First come, first served!

Aide (running messages / items for various people)
Discovery (who's going to vote how, and why?)
Fraud (create a scandal / rumormonger against certain people)
Politicking (persuade someone to put their influence towards the Yes vote)
Sabotage (tamper with something to ruin it, embarrassing someone)
Spy (subtly keep tabs on someone)
Theft (there are some display items that it would be soooo unfortunate to go missing)