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Message: <blockquote data-quote="InVinoVeritas" data-source="post: 3151594" data-attributes="member: 41485">Chapter Two: The Masks We Wear[sblock=OOC]I'm moving the action this far forward this quickly just because it's Halloween, and, well, I kinda have to. Feel free to interrupt the events of this post. I'll reshuffle and retcon as necessary.By the way, awesome Intimidate, folks. Natural 19+11+8 from assists=38. Pants will have to be changed.[/sblock]Lug looks around and puts a hand on his boy's shoulder. "Fair enough," he replies, "I'll stay outta your hair. We only want to make sure the little girl makes it back safely... and you look ready to make that happen. Don't foul this up, though. We all know what happens to pretty things that are left unattended."He looks over to Ada one last time, pointing in her direction as the two make their retreat. "They get taken."From across the street, Lug calls back, "Oh, and Ru, don't think that Ari's forgotten about you! Strahd boy in life, Strahd boy in death, Ru!" The mists seem to conspire to cover the tracks of the two ruffians as they scurry away rapidly."I am not a little girl..." Ada mutters tremulously, but then clings tightly to Fr. Berman and shivers. "Thank you," she adds.*     *     *The carriage finally arrives. Once everyone is ready, they clamber aboard, and head off to the gnome district. Ada struggles to stay awake, but the events of the night, and the slow rumble of the carriage over the cobblestones put her to sleep. She ends up resting against Fr. Berman's arm. She's warm.The sounds of music and celebration slowly rise in the air as you get closer to the clock tower. A raucous festival dominates the tower square, and gnomes dance, merchants have stalls set up, and everyone celebrates the new year. The dense fog does nothing to slow the spirit, and the festival blends and fades into a miasma of color in the distance. Pops and flashes of magic and fireworks light the fog as multicolored wisps in the distance, and the smells of fresh grilled meats and sweaty bodies suffuse the carnival.Everyone in the party wears masks. They are all colors of the rainbow, and come in all shapes and sizes and styles <img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/386680653_fa8519e551.jpg?v=0" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> From the elaborate... <img src="http://static.flickr.com/50/147717497_4c821dcf44.jpg?v=0" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> ...to the simple. A merchant wears a comical mask with a long, round nose, prominent ruddy cheeks, and a big, toothy grin calls out to you, "New Faces for the New Year! Come and join the action!" Indeed, his stall is filled with masks upon masks of any design imaginable. The carraige continues, and Darian takes note of one individual, dressed as a jester, watching carefully as the carriage passes by...<img src="http://static.flickr.com/53/174381971_dfbb3bb85d.jpg?v=0" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> An intriguing jester. POW! SNAP! The carriage horses rear up in shock and the driver struggles to control them. He calms them down successfully, but not after considerable jostling of the carriage. "No alarm!" the driver calls back to you, "just a couple of firecrackers spooked the horses." Another gnome, slender and dressed in a tight white outfit and white cape, with the exception of a tall black hat and mask with matching codpiece calls out, "So sorry! My girls should have been more careful!" Indeed, three women hang on him appreciatingly as he speaks. The long, pointy nose and lusty sneer his mask has are oddly appropriate. Two of the three women are also dressed in tight outfits and capes patterned harlequin-style with multicolored diamonds, and the third is dressed in what appears to be simply layer upon layer of pastel veils. The three women's masks have keyholes where their mouths should be.Ada, awakened by the firecrackers, looks around and groggily says, "My home's just down this street, half a block."[sblock=ooc]Photos on flickr from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/doodlegoeswest/174381971/" target="_blank">doodlegoeswest</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/larajade/147717497/" target="_blank">Lara Jade</a>, and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/victorbautista/" target="_blank">Victor Bautista</a>. [/sblock]</blockquote>

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