EXEXCRUCIATION - a Noblilis PbP

Once.

"That would be acceptable." States the giant statue. "I'm willing to assume that the noble of... chivalry... will have a fairly generic 'castle'. Correct?" It is fairly obvious he is not intending to spill out the story of his life at this point.
 

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Assuming you at least introduced yourself...

"Well, I'm David, Baronet of Chivalry and True King. This is Innocence, Keys, and Shadows."

David leads the way to an area of the chancel, and you enter a bustling street of people. It looks like there is some sort of celebration, or at least everyone seems mostly jovial. Children play a game with a ball of various colors and stones, people are laughing or displaying art, and a conglomeration of music bounces in the background.

As you walk, a few children run by, through the group. One hides behind Once, giggles and runs away, playing some form of tag. Since the people are provided with most of what they need, people do what they enjoy -- music, arts, crafts, research, read, party -- there are not a lot of worries, and this feeling of euphoria permeates everything. Some people stop to wave hello, and David smiles and greets them each by name (using a divination to know them). You make your way through the crowds toward the stately castle.

David's castle is ornately decorated with a variety of colors -- it is a formal looking castle, but also seems laid-back due to the bright color scheme. Spires offer another touch of ornamentation. Guards come to attention as you walk by, and David also greets these people by name, pausing to ask a few of the men about their families and whatnot. They main gate opens into a courtyard from which most of the areas of the castle can be reached.

The personal rooms (and those in which David works) are mostly simply decorated with mohagany flooring, leather furnishing, and green marble, as well as very tall ceilings. The throne room's ceiling is arched, making the room even taller than the rest, and has extra seats so that when he is visited by a large number of people, they may sit down. It is set up like a courtroom in this regard, but it is not a surprise since he holds some court sessions here, and some meetings. From his view: directly to his right his advisor sits, to his left is an extra seat (often used when another official is present and acting as an expert or advisor, and other seats are sometimes brought out if there are more officials), in front of him is a podium where one typically addresses him but David only specifies that it be used when there are a large number of people present (so that all may hear).

The throne room is also ornamental in many regards, so David sometimes uses a smaller courtroom, or meeting room, or his private office or study for smaller occasions. The study doubles as a two-story library.

The dining room has mohagany flooring and leather furniture, and room for a hefty number of guests. The banquet hall is brightly colored and is large enough to comfortably fit all the guests one would consider inviting anywhere, without considering an outdoor festival instead.

This is probably way more information that necessary, but I got carried away. :D
 

<OOC: sorry guys, I had to shot off on business and had to go straight off on family vacation as soon as I got back. Have finally got access, but it is through a public terminal, so can't get on regularly.>

In the meantime:

The entrance to shadowkeep is set into the base of a large mountain range. The entryway is framed by two massive white marble columns, which seem to gleam palely in the deep shadow of the mountain.

No matter how you try, light does not seem to pass beyond the lintel - with the open portal showing a complete absence of any illumination within.

Stepping between the columns brings you to a tunnel, leading through the mountain, lit by flickering torches, casting shadows everywhere you look. Oddly, your own shadows seem to have a life of their own, forming strange shapes on the walls, seemingky mocking you.

<OOC> will post more as I can get on.

will be back online normally in 8 days.
 

Jdvn1[i said:
This is probably way more information that necessary, but I got carried away. :D[/i]

Not really. That is exactly the freedom you get in your chancel, IMO. There is still enough room for me to introduce things. watch this space later when I get off work and study ...

It really took a load off my mind to see you all back. :D
 

sophist said:
Not really. That is exactly the freedom you get in your chancel, IMO. There is still enough room for me to introduce things. watch this space later when I get off work and study ...

It really took a load off my mind to see you all back. :D
ooc: ... I could go on! ;) I wanted to leave some stuff up to you, and up to the other characters, so I didn't say we entered the place either. If someone comes up to us and tells us something or you (or a player) wanted to throw in an event, I hope I left opportunity for that.

And we're not all actually back, but Shadows at least checked in (which is nice). Amy will be back in a few days, hopefully (her last final is Friday, then she might have to pack or something but I'm not sure). Keys has been online, so I assume he's been checking the thread.
 

OOC: Once will have identified his new creation and power, as you'd expect. I was trying to play up his terseness. I assume we are working on a 'grand chancel tour' thing - everyone visits everyone elses castles?


Once leads the familia to his castle. As you draw nearer the square of executions, the chancel changes slightly. The streets have no people, the houses sag and look dilapidated, and the square itself is absolutely DEAD. Not even weeds between the flagstones. There is a set of footprints set (ie, sunk) into the paving stones, leading to and from the pedestal to each entrance to the square (so 4 sets). These are obviously Once's footprints, and he walks perfectly within these prints as he approaches the pedestal.

The pedestal itself is about 10 feet tall, and is a ornately carved cube of marble. It is 8 feet on a side. Once boots it uncerimoniously, and one side collapses in (apparently on hinges). There is a staircase within, leading down. It is black, ribboned with white - the opposite of marble. After descending 30 metres, it emerges into inky blackness. Far far below you can see a faint shimmering light. From this point, it is about a mile straight down, until the stairs merge into the courtyard of a small castle. By small, we are talking a castle with 10 feet width, 10 feet length and 15 feet height. There is a open door, looking out over a large shimmering lake, filled with moonglow. Apart from the castle and the lake, there is nothing. The cavern is totally filled by the lake, and the castle sits on an island in the middle of it, about 100 metres across. The cavern itself is huge, several miles by several miles. Attempts to ask Once how the city is supported is met by a shrug, as is questioning why he has a 'castle' several times larger than the town it is under.

Any items left in the 'castle' disappear.
 

<Oops sorry, due to difficulties with the Uni, my free access diappeared. :confused: I am rearranging my schedules around that, so I am not gone.>

The castellan greets everyone in Chivalry castle. "Good to see you, Mylord. We have been noticed that you have taken the mantle. The Guards await your muster. The elite guard has driven the peasant leaders here as we assumed that in continuation of the old rule they needed to be shown their place. Of course you will care for them my Lord, but they need to show their respects first."

"Shall we show them the way to the throne room now or shall they wait until you can waste your precious time on them?"

<I am only starting with Chivalry's castle ... later I will resolve what you find in the others, mainly the servants the old familia has left behind. I can speed up and do it in paralell if you want to but so far I decided for a sequential handling, so we can all concentrate on one scene at a time.>
 
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ooc: umm... can I use a Lesser Divination to know what, exactly, the elite guard did to 'drive the peasant leaders here'? I need to know if I'll be annoyed or not. :uhoh:

assuming I'm not annoyed (basically, the leaders were treated decently)... and that the castellan's name is Edward. If I'm annoyed, I'll edit this thread.


With a smile, "Yes, thank you, Edward." David pats Edward on the shoulder, "It's nice to be here. I will look over the guards first -- in the mean while, you may let the local leaders wait in my personal study. Provide them with whatever drink they care for and make sure they're comfortable."

Should I also assume the muster goes well, or do you want to roleplay it? I might be able to do some of it, but I don't know all of the logistics of a castle. Same question for the leaders.

Edit: if it's just three guys, I'll have them meet in my study, not the throne room.
 
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Well, what the elite guard did is clear enough, as you quickly gather from
tidbits of their conversation. They gathered the leaders the old noble appointed
from their homes as soon as the castellan told them there is a new Baron. Since
then they have been waiting in a corner of the courtyard. They complied quickly,
and the guards did not act wantonly, so no real violence was nessesary. But it is
obvious that the farmers acted out of fear.
There are three of them: one for the fields surrounding Derr, one for those near
your castle, and one for the other outlying farmers.
As you sift through your visions, you understand that old chivalry enforced a
strict feudal rule.

At your mentioning offering the the local leaders drinks, Edwards bows:"Very
generous, Mylord. After your duties, there is something pleasant: two marriages
have been celebrated, and due to his service to her Highness, the old Lord could
not use his privilege of ius primae noctis yet. This now falls to you, Mylord."

<if you want to roleplay things, just mention you go there. We will pick up from
there. Just rember this is not the Authetic Middle Ages, but more likely the
interpretation your predecessor instituted here.
this should not deter you. As you confront the legacy of the past, you can bring
your own vision of what you represent into sharper focus. This goes for the other
estates
(Keys, Innocence, Shadows) as well. Only the empty was created without precedence, and maybe only for once.>
 

I decided to roleplay it a little, but to basically rush through it. If there's anything you want to spend a little more time on, go ahead. Otherwise, we have three or four other castles to go to

David raises an eyebrow, "Edward, I am different from the past Lord. Hospitality is an integral part of a civil and society, which leads to chivalry. The people will be treated well unless a court deems otherwise. Another key issue is Honor. I will speak with the couples in the marriages to congratulate them."

David first goes to the guards to inspect them, making sure everything is in proper order (checking uniforms and equipment, etc) since a guard should command the respect of others. If there is anything to be corrected, David will ask people to adjust their uniforms accordingly. If everything is in proper order already, David will congratulate the guard and make sure their meals tonight are better than usual.

Afterwards, he goes to speak with the peasant leaders. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting..." he starts off. He wants the peasant leaders to feel like eventhough they're David's subordinates, they also have worth. David spends some time meeting each leader, getting to know them a bit, taking note of their names and information about their families... "If you gentlemen have any recommendations for anything in the Chancel, I want you to tell me. If you do not have time to tell me personally, make a list and have it sent to me. Don't be afraid to mention anything you think of. If you can, discuss it and get ideas from the people you watch over." I think you get the idea.

Lastly, David arranges a meeting with and speaks with the recently wed couples. "I'd like you to know that I respect the sanctity of marriage -- as such, it'd be rude of my to impose myself on the women. Also, it is not only in poor taste, but is also unhonorable and a mark of poor hospitality. Instead, I offer you my blessing in your marriages. I wish you long lives full of happiness with each other."

When done with his meetings and such, David makes sure Edward is filled in of all the details... hopefully, he'll start to get the idea of the new Chivalry.
 

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