| game,character,aliases,num_appearances,total_scenes,scene_ids,example_0,example_1,example_2,example_3,example_4,valid | |
| fool,Magnificent Magnus,"['Magnificent Magnus', 'Magnus']",486,5118,"actiiscene1_royaltrip_845,actiiscene1_royaltrip_858,actiiscene1_royaltrip_870,actiiscene1_royaltrip_963,actiiscene1_royaltrip_872,actiiscene1_royaltrip_923,actiiscene1_royaltrip_937,actiiscene1_royaltrip_944,actiiscene1_royaltrip_966,actiiscene1_royaltrip_973,actiiscene1_royaltrip_978,actiiscene1_royaltrip_995,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1160,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1164,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1172,actiiscene2_meetsaul_28,actiiscene2_meetsaul_54,actiiscene2_meetsaul_71,actiiscene2_meetsaul_95,actiiscene2_meetsaul_118,actiiscene2_meetsaul_74,actiiscene2_meetsaul_88,actiiscene2_meetsaul_98,actiiscene2_meetsaul_106,actiiscene2_meetsaul_111,actiiscene2_meetsaul_121,actiiscene2_meetsaul_134,actiiscene2_meetsaul_140,actiiscene2_meetsaul_145,actiiscene2_meetsaul_214,actiiscene2_meetsaul_217,actiiscene2_meetsaul_239,actiiscene2_meetsaul_254,actiiscene2_meetsaul_273,actiiscene2_meetsaul_278,actiiscene2_meetsaul_347,actiiscene2_meetsaul_349,actiiscene2_meetsaul_492,actiiscene2_meetsaul_502,actiiscene2_meetsaul_508,actiiscene2_meetsaul_520,actiiscene2_meetsaul_537,actiiscene2_meetsaul_541,actiiscene2_meetsaul_548,actiiscene2_meetsaul_557,actiiscene2_meetsaul_740,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1301,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1305,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1309,actiiscene3_graverobbers_66,actiiscene3_graverobbers_89,actiiscene3_graverobbers_155,actiiscene3_graverobbers_160,actiiscene3_graverobbers_170,actiiscene3_graverobbers_173,actiiscene3_graverobbers_202,actiiscene3_graverobbers_205,actiiscene3_graverobbers_208,actiiscene3_graverobbers_211,actiiscene3_graverobbers_224,actiiscene3_graverobbers_227,actiiscene3_graverobbers_231,actiiscene3_graverobbers_234,actiiscene3_graverobbers_250,actiiscene3_graverobbers_253,actiiscene3_graverobbers_258,actiiscene3_graverobbers_261,actiiscene3_graverobbers_521,actiiscene3_graverobbers_538,actiiscene3_graverobbers_604,actiiscene3_graverobbers_626,actiiscene3_graverobbers_611,actiiscene3_graverobbers_618,actiiscene3_graverobbers_637,actiiscene3_graverobbers_649,actiiscene3_graverobbers_675,actiiscene3_graverobbers_725,actiiscene3_graverobbers_731,actiiscene3_graverobbers_686,actiiscene3_graverobbers_943,actiiscene3_graverobbers_774,actiiscene3_graverobbers_891,actiiscene3_graverobbers_757,actiiscene3_graverobbers_765,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1047,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1053,actiiscene3_graverobbers_877,actiiscene3_graverobbers_937,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1058,actiiscene3_graverobbers_792,actiiscene3_graverobbers_801,actiiscene3_graverobbers_807,actiiscene3_graverobbers_817,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1059,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1063,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1068,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1078,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1082,actiiscene3_graverobbers_826,actiiscene3_graverobbers_838,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1088,actiiscene3_graverobbers_953,actiiscene3_graverobbers_987,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1015,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1153,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1219,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1229,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1272,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1321,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1375,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1404,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1436,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1407,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1414,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1422,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1429,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1439,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1446,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1454,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1461,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1492,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1546,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1568,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1502,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1541,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2558,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2567,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2575,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2673,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2610,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_97,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_105,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_114,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_122,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_302,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_276,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_291,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_306,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_312,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_208,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_280,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_285,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2308,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_320,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_249,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_331,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_354,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_251,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_859,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_864,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1038,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1084,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1463,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1601,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1222,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1439,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1470,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1447,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1455,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1251,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1511,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1520,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1256,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1265,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1343,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2467,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1348,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1353,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1648,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1735,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1900,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2116,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2121,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_97,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2126,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2154,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2165,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2165,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2187,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2194,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2222,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2133,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2140,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2147,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2169,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2175,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2181,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2198,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2206,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2215,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2232,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2242,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_963,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_192,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_211,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2323,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_971,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2300,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2309,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2339,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2264,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2313,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2343,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2849,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_985,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_413,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2855,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2867,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2880,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2892,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_731,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_422,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2870,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2876,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2889,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2895,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2899,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_641,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_537,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2928,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2943,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_538,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_542,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2905,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2910,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2916,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2922,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2930,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2945,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_875,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_630,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_581,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1225,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1185,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_883,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_887,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_892,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_940,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_945,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_586,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_564,banished_ending_127,banished_ending_147,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2421,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2433,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2446,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1299,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1472,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1813,muse_elections_25,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1308,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1485,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3121,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1800,banished_ending_282,banished_ending_288,banished_ending_310,banished_ending_318,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2992,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3089,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1895,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3061,muse_elections_42,banished_ending_549,banished_ending_336,banished_ending_340,banished_ending_555,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1327,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1042,activscene1_coronation_113,banished_ending_354,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1057,activscene1_coronation_183,banished_ending_461,banished_ending_507,banished_ending_568,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1378,activscene1_coronation_122,activscene1_coronation_146,activscene1_coronation_153,activscene1_coronation_185,activscene1_coronation_200,activscene1_coronation_208,activscene1_coronation_229,activscene1_coronation_243,activscene1_coronation_249,banished_ending_406,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1746,activscene1_coronation_274,activscene1_coronation_194,activscene1_coronation_218,muse_elections_94,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1759,banished_ending_527,muse_elections_271,banished_ending_534,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1467,actiiiscene3_darkdays_918,banished_ending_537,banished_ending_540,banished_ending_605,actiiiscene3_darkdays_823,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1438,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1450,writing_dream_17,actiiiscene3_darkdays_26,writing_dream_19,writing_dream_39,muse_elections_121,actiiiscene3_darkdays_42,actiiiscene3_darkdays_50,actiiiscene3_darkdays_55,actiiiscene3_darkdays_60,actiiiscene3_darkdays_66,actiiiscene3_darkdays_72,writing_dream_47,writing_dream_50,writing_dream_53,activscene1_coronation_504,banished_ending_767,banished_ending_813,actiiiscene3_darkdays_82,actiiiscene3_darkdays_85,muse_elections_393,activscene1_coronation_531,activscene1_coronation_688,activscene1_coronation_804,activscene1_coronation_809,banished_ending_797,activscene1_coronation_813,activscene1_coronation_816,activscene1_coronation_819,actiiiscene3_darkdays_104,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1191,muse_elections_430,muse_elections_254,activscene1_coronation_884,activscene1_coronation_890,activscene1_coronation_853,activscene1_coronation_858,activscene1_coronation_871,actiiiscene3_darkdays_154,activscene1_coronation_789,activscene1_coronation_832,activscene1_coronation_841,banished_ending_857,activscene1_coronation_767,actiiiscene3_darkdays_335,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1740,actiiiscene3_darkdays_346,actiiiscene3_darkdays_269,actiiiscene3_darkdays_247,actiiiscene3_darkdays_254,actiiiscene3_darkdays_275,actiiiscene3_darkdays_282,actiiiscene3_darkdays_294,actiiiscene3_darkdays_323,actiiiscene3_darkdays_386,actiiiscene3_darkdays_394,actiiiscene3_darkdays_564,writing_dream_142,banished_ending_54,banished_ending_63,gramercy_treaty_48,writing_dream_109,writing_dream_143,writing_dream_150,muse_elections_671,actiiiscene3_darkdays_637,actiiiscene3_darkdays_531,muse_elections_1086,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1887,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1944,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1949,writing_dream_192,muse_elections_679,muse_elections_682,muse_elections_692,actiiiscene3_darkdays_698,actiiiscene3_darkdays_707,writing_dream_175,activscene1_coronation_1663,gramercy_treaty_134,activscene1_coronation_2730,activscene1_coronation_2812,writing_dream_313,muse_elections_741,muse_elections_1060,activscene1_coronation_2794,activscene1_coronation_2798,activscene1_coronation_1739,activscene1_coronation_1763,activscene1_coronation_1676,activscene1_coronation_1757,activscene1_coronation_1797,activscene1_coronation_1807,activscene1_coronation_1731,activscene1_coronation_2398,activscene1_coronation_2408,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1601,gramercy_treaty_231,activscene1_coronation_2849,activscene1_coronation_1822,activscene1_coronation_1829,activscene1_coronation_1844,activscene1_coronation_1864,activscene1_coronation_1872,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2085,gramercy_treaty_232,activscene1_coronation_1878,activscene1_coronation_1886,activscene1_coronation_1891,activscene1_coronation_2462,activscene1_coronation_2471,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1624,activscene1_coronation_2910,activscene1_coronation_2570,banished_ending_574,activscene1_coronation_2523,activscene1_coronation_2537,activscene1_coronation_2546,activscene1_coronation_2557,activscene1_coronation_2597,activscene1_coronation_2617,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1424,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1451,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2350,muse_elections_981,activscene1_coronation_1938,activscene1_coronation_1948,activscene1_coronation_2005,activscene1_coronation_2026,activscene1_coronation_2040,activscene1_coronation_2057,activscene1_coronation_2076,activscene1_coronation_2102,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2467,activscene1_coronation_402,muse_elections_204,activscene1_coronation_2140,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2475,activscene1_coronation_406,activscene1_coronation_409,activscene1_coronation_2335,activscene1_coronation_2127,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2500,activscene1_coronation_311,activscene1_coronation_420,activscene1_coronation_2180,activscene1_coronation_2184,banished_ending_5,activscene1_coronation_434,activscene1_coronation_447,muse_elections_1080,banished_ending_12,banished_ending_23,muse_elections_3,activscene1_coronation_329,activscene1_coronation_953,activscene1_coronation_1063,activscene1_coronation_1083,activscene1_coronation_360,activscene1_coronation_368,activscene1_coronation_379,activscene1_coronation_1420,activscene1_coronation_2302,activscene1_coronation_1323,activscene1_coronation_1383,activscene1_coronation_1267,activscene1_coronation_1411,activscene1_coronation_2995,activscene1_coronation_3213,activscene1_coronation_3208,activscene1_coronation_3018,activscene1_coronation_3025,activscene1_coronation_3032,muse_elections_1120,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1999,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3341,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3353,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3363,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3442,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3446,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2743,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2816,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2807",Magnus.,"""Magnus is as good as anything, I suppose,"" you think, scratching your jaw. | |
| ""Hoo. Hoo. Hoo. Hoo."" | |
| You catch sight of two soldiers, your resplendent armed escort on the way to His Majesty, watching you. They are clearly amused by the company you keep. | |
| ""Hush now, Magnus,"" you say, mostly to yourself.","If I am still and placid and don't trouble myself about Magnus, it will be bound to absorb my calm at some point. | |
| With more than a touch of wishful thinking, you admit, you elect to weather the noise and adopt a stoic air for your mutual benefit.","If I devote my reason to deducing what is wrong, perhaps I can make remedy in Magnus's eyes. | |
| You muster up as much compassion as you can and scoot closer to the cage. ""What ails you, beast?"" | |
| You look into its eyes.","Phlegm insulates your ears and mind so, over time, the hooting troubles you less and less. | |
| Hours later, you realize that the sound no longer troubles you at all because Magnus has ceased making it. The little ape is staring at you in a distant manner, its chest heaving, but its voice silent at last. | |
| ""That's it, little one,"" you say, approvingly. | |
| It turns from you in a snit and falls asleep. You don't seem to have endeared yourself to the creature [-Magnus], but given the result, you're confident you made the right choice. [+Surety]", | |
| fool,the Prinxe Hail,"['the Prinxe', 'the Prinxe Hail', 'Prinxe Hail', 'Hail', 'Prinxe']",400,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_764,actiiscene2_meetsaul_764,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2662,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2668,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2673,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2673,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2471,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2478,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2478,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2486,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2492,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2499,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_141,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_177,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_186,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_201,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_208,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_240,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_362,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_362,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_339,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_339,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_373,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_844,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_265,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_382,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_384,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_391,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_397,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_404,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_413,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_420,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_420,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_420,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_440,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_448,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_448,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_456,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_468,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_468,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_468,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_485,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_549,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_558,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_568,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_579,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_590,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_590,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_659,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_682,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1174,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1587,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1203,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1866,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1866,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1541,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1541,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1873,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1562,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1562,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1574,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1579,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1325,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2479,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2485,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2485,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2493,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2493,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1900,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1913,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1915,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1933,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1921,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1927,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1935,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1935,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1940,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1949,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2054,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1953,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1972,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2025,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2625,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2100,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2104,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_90,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_105,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_215,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2348,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2355,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2362,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_384,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_384,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_364,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_364,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1211,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1216,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1216,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1267,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1267,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1237,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1249,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1276,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1282,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1282,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1253,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1291,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1312,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1256,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1299,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1299,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1328,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1260,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1783,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1820,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1856,activscene1_coronation_14,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1884,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1831,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1839,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2983,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1313,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1315,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1317,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1508,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1867,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1867,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3019,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3052,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2992,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3089,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1525,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1542,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3061,actiiiscene3_darkdays_742,activscene1_coronation_103,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1611,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1651,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1693,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1334,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1660,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1335,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1342,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1351,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1363,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1363,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1368,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1378,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1378,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1677,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1682,actiiiscene3_darkdays_755,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1416,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1462,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1462,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1424,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1432,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1438,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1450,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1450,actiiiscene3_darkdays_26,muse_elections_328,muse_elections_331,muse_elections_336,muse_elections_340,actiiiscene3_darkdays_37,actiiiscene3_darkdays_42,actiiiscene3_darkdays_46,actiiiscene3_darkdays_50,actiiiscene3_darkdays_55,actiiiscene3_darkdays_60,actiiiscene3_darkdays_66,actiiiscene3_darkdays_66,actiiiscene3_darkdays_66,actiiiscene3_darkdays_72,actiiiscene3_darkdays_72,actiiiscene3_darkdays_72,actiiiscene3_darkdays_78,actiiiscene3_darkdays_82,actiiiscene3_darkdays_85,activscene1_coronation_688,actiiiscene3_darkdays_104,actiiiscene3_darkdays_114,actiiiscene3_darkdays_122,actiiiscene3_darkdays_130,actiiiscene3_darkdays_137,actiiiscene3_darkdays_147,actiiiscene3_darkdays_147,activscene1_coronation_871,actiiiscene3_darkdays_156,actiiiscene3_darkdays_156,actiiiscene3_darkdays_164,actiiiscene3_darkdays_164,actiiiscene3_darkdays_175,actiiiscene3_darkdays_185,actiiiscene3_darkdays_185,actiiiscene3_darkdays_203,actiiiscene3_darkdays_335,actiiiscene3_darkdays_714,actiiiscene3_darkdays_714,actiiiscene3_darkdays_714,actiiiscene3_darkdays_212,actiiiscene3_darkdays_302,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1740,actiiiscene3_darkdays_238,actiiiscene3_darkdays_229,actiiiscene3_darkdays_261,actiiiscene3_darkdays_269,actiiiscene3_darkdays_269,actiiiscene3_darkdays_308,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1754,actiiiscene3_darkdays_247,actiiiscene3_darkdays_254,actiiiscene3_darkdays_275,actiiiscene3_darkdays_282,actiiiscene3_darkdays_320,actiiiscene3_darkdays_323,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1863,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1853,activscene1_coronation_21,actiiiscene3_darkdays_394,actiiiscene3_darkdays_415,actiiiscene3_darkdays_419,actiiiscene3_darkdays_424,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1831,actiiiscene3_darkdays_582,epilogue_speech_1,epilogue_speech_39,actiiiscene3_darkdays_462,gramercy_treaty_55,actiiiscene3_darkdays_632,actiiiscene3_darkdays_644,actiiiscene3_darkdays_644,actiiiscene3_darkdays_651,actiiiscene3_darkdays_494,actiiiscene3_darkdays_531,actiiiscene3_darkdays_620,actiiiscene3_darkdays_620,actiiiscene3_darkdays_660,actiiiscene3_darkdays_660,actiiiscene3_darkdays_668,actiiiscene3_darkdays_675,actiiiscene3_darkdays_698,actiiiscene3_darkdays_698,actiiiscene3_darkdays_703,actiiiscene3_darkdays_703,activscene1_coronation_1739,activscene1_coronation_1768,activscene1_coronation_1789,gramercy_treaty_150,gramercy_treaty_159,gramercy_treaty_165,activscene1_coronation_1676,activscene1_coronation_1694,activscene1_coronation_1713,activscene1_coronation_1751,activscene1_coronation_1751,activscene1_coronation_1771,activscene1_coronation_1771,activscene1_coronation_1779,activscene1_coronation_1779,activscene1_coronation_1783,activscene1_coronation_1783,activscene1_coronation_1792,activscene1_coronation_1797,writing_dream_225,activscene1_coronation_1721,activscene1_coronation_1731,activscene1_coronation_1731,activscene1_coronation_2398,gramercy_treaty_210,writing_dream_227,activscene1_coronation_2423,activscene1_coronation_2433,gramercy_treaty_215,gramercy_treaty_225,gramercy_treaty_232,gramercy_treaty_241,activscene1_coronation_1878,activscene1_coronation_1891,activscene1_coronation_1891,activscene1_coronation_1891,activscene1_coronation_2487,activscene1_coronation_2487,activscene1_coronation_2564,activscene1_coronation_2501,activscene1_coronation_2504,gramercy_treaty_288,gramercy_treaty_303,gramercy_treaty_321,activscene1_coronation_1905,activscene1_coronation_1905,activscene1_coronation_2507,epilogue_speech_374,activscene1_coronation_1911,activscene1_coronation_1915,activscene1_coronation_1917,activscene1_coronation_2510,activscene1_coronation_2523,activscene1_coronation_2523,activscene1_coronation_2546,activscene1_coronation_2557,epilogue_speech_408,activscene1_coronation_1919,activscene1_coronation_2610,activscene1_coronation_1934,activscene1_coronation_1934,activscene1_coronation_1979,activscene1_coronation_2088,activscene1_coronation_2088,activscene1_coronation_1938,activscene1_coronation_1938,activscene1_coronation_1943,activscene1_coronation_1943,activscene1_coronation_1948,activscene1_coronation_1948,activscene1_coronation_1993,activscene1_coronation_1993,activscene1_coronation_2005,activscene1_coronation_2005,activscene1_coronation_2026,activscene1_coronation_2026,activscene1_coronation_2040,activscene1_coronation_2040,activscene1_coronation_2046,activscene1_coronation_2046,activscene1_coronation_2057,activscene1_coronation_2057,activscene1_coronation_2069,activscene1_coronation_2076,activscene1_coronation_2092,activscene1_coronation_2097,activscene1_coronation_2097,activscene1_coronation_2102,activscene1_coronation_2111,activscene1_coronation_2111,activscene1_coronation_2118,activscene1_coronation_2118,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2464,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2464,activscene1_coronation_2372,activscene1_coronation_2140,activscene1_coronation_2140,activscene1_coronation_2151,activscene1_coronation_2335,activscene1_coronation_2127,activscene1_coronation_2127,activscene1_coronation_2130,epilogue_speech_496,activscene1_coronation_2180,activscene1_coronation_1967,activscene1_coronation_1972,activscene1_coronation_2197,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2516,activscene1_coronation_434,activscene1_coronation_447,activscene1_coronation_2207,activscene1_coronation_2207,activscene1_coronation_5,activscene1_coronation_2211,activscene1_coronation_2216,muse_elections_3,activscene1_coronation_2224,activscene1_coronation_2227,activscene1_coronation_2233,activscene1_coronation_2236,activscene1_coronation_2255,activscene1_coronation_2279,activscene1_coronation_2282,activscene1_coronation_2290,activscene1_coronation_2296,gramercy_treaty_362,activscene1_coronation_2954,activscene1_coronation_2957,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1993,activscene1_coronation_3145,activscene1_coronation_3149,activscene1_coronation_3155,activscene1_coronation_3155,activscene1_coronation_3164,activscene1_coronation_3170,activscene1_coronation_3170,activscene1_coronation_3179,activscene1_coronation_3189,activscene1_coronation_3189,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1943,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1947,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1935,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3341,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3353,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3363,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3328,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3328,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3332,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3293","""The King?"" | |
| Kitty Harlowe follows your gaze and nods. ""Before dinner is his appointed time for Grievances and Disputes,"" she says, indicating to you the row of stools that lines the outside wall. More than a dozen additional nobles in various states of dudgeon are apparently waiting in line for a moment of the King's attention. While they wait, they stare at the backs of the small cadre of aristocrats who are currently seated at the long tables, amusing themselves with wine, cheese and talk. | |
| ""His Majesty's Royal Council, as well as his Generals and the Knights of the Glade…his personal guard."" | |
| The esteemed Councilors, Generals, and Knights seem far more interested in each other than in His Majesty. You note that the other two thrones on the dais are empty. ""Queen Hero will be in just before dinner is served,"" Kitty explains. ""And the other is for the Heir Apparent, Prinxe Hailey, sometimes called Hail."" | |
| ""Will the Prinxe also be in attendance tonight?"" | |
| She is silent for a moment. ""That chair is reserved for Prinxe Hailey,"" she repeats. [i]There's a story there,[/i] you think, your curiosity bubbling up. | |
| You keep your other questions to yourself as Kitty fills you with additional tidbits, scanning the rather gloomy space. This room either needs an expert fool to lighten it up or a tidal wave to simply wash it clean. The trick is, you shan't know which until after you start, and your waterskin is in your other trunk….","""The King?"" | |
| Kitty Harlowe follows your gaze and nods. ""Before dinner is his appointed time for Grievances and Disputes,"" she says, indicating to you the row of stools that lines the outside wall. More than a dozen additional nobles in various states of dudgeon are apparently waiting in line for a moment of the King's attention. While they wait, they stare at the backs of the small cadre of aristocrats who are currently seated at the long tables, amusing themselves with wine, cheese and talk. | |
| ""His Majesty's Royal Council, as well as his Generals and the Knights of the Glade…his personal guard."" | |
| The esteemed Councilors, Generals, and Knights seem far more interested in each other than in His Majesty. You note that the other two thrones on the dais are empty. ""Queen Hero will be in just before dinner is served,"" Kitty explains. ""And the other is for the Heir Apparent, Prinxe Hailey, sometimes called Hail."" | |
| ""Will the Prinxe also be in attendance tonight?"" | |
| She is silent for a moment. ""That chair is reserved for Prinxe Hailey,"" she repeats. [i]There's a story there,[/i] you think, your curiosity bubbling up. | |
| You keep your other questions to yourself as Kitty fills you with additional tidbits, scanning the rather gloomy space. This room either needs an expert fool to lighten it up or a tidal wave to simply wash it clean. The trick is, you shan't know which until after you start, and your waterskin is in your other trunk….","You can't decide whether you're filled with unease or delight at the bizarre news that your companion was of royal birth. On the one hand, how many peasants can lay claim to so much personal time with one so highborn? | |
| On the other hand, when the story emerges that the Prinxe was injured in your protection and not the other way 'round, how will that make you come across? [i]Who knows how their convalescence might follow after that chaotic brawl,[/i] you think with concern. | |
| ""If you do happen to meet the Heir when you're back at your station,"" says the orator, his envy transparent as ever, ""remember your friends to them, will you?"" | |
| ""If I meet them, we'll have no shortage of what to discuss,"" you promise, putting on a smile.","""But the great tragedy is that, last night, Their Highness was walking alone in the secluded hills of the town and was set upon by brigands of some sort,"" says the musician, her eyes flashing with unseemly excitement. | |
| ""How does Hail fare?"" | |
| ""Wounded, though none knows how seriously. They stumbled to the Guildhouse and revealed their identity. Transport was prepared to take them to the masters of physic at Westfenster post-haste."" | |
| ""When you're back in the old stomping grounds, you'll know more, I suppose,"" says the orator, openly envious of your prestigious position. ""I assume you'll share what you learn with your dear friends…?""","You have difficulty focusing the rest of the day, and it's not due to the wicked stench Magnus has accumulated from somewhere. To think that you had been in the company of the Prinxe…and that at the same time you were gyrating to the Tarantalong, Their Highness was fighting for survival. | |
| [i]Well,[/i] you think, [i]what could I have done, had I been there?[/i] The answer, of course, is that you'll never know. And you admit to a bit of trepidation to think how Prinxe Hail may remember you, as they convalesce in the exceptional care of the physicians at Westfenster…to say nothing of how the King and Queen might take to the knowledge that you raised a glass with the Heir apparent. | |
| [i]Lord, let me just stay on stage where life is simple,[/i] you think for a moment, preparing yourself for the day's performance.", | |
| fool,Young Fleance,"['Young Fleance', 'young', 'young Fleance', 'Fleance']",289,5118,"actiscene1_festival_585,actiscene1_festival_1162,actiscene1_festival_1012,actiscene1_festival_1012,actiscene2_farm_28,actiscene2_farm_245,actiscene2_farm_256,actiscene2_farm_435,actiscene2_farm_156,actiscene2_farm_279,actiscene2_farm_448,actiscene2_farm_451,actiscene2_farm_472,actiscene2_farm_524,actiscene2_farm_656,actiscene2_farm_300,actiscene2_farm_373,actiscene2_farm_383,actiscene2_farm_717,actiscene2_farm_747,actiscene2_farm_730,actiscene2_farm_737,actiscene2_farm_751,actiscene2_farm_758,actiscene2_farm_767,actiscene2_farm_788,actiscene2_farm_853,actiscene2_farm_943,actiscene2_farm_1148,actiscene2_farm_1214,actiscene3_ruffinos_341,actiscene3_ruffinos_510,actiscene3_ruffinos_667,actiscene3_ruffinos_970,actiscene3_ruffinos_1110,actiscene3_ruffinos_1208,actiscene3_ruffinos_1353,actiscene3_ruffinos_1356,actiscene3_ruffinos_1558,actiscene4_court_124,actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_385,actiscene4_court_419,actiscene4_court_464,actiscene4_court_623,actiscene4_court_623,actiscene4_court_523,actiscene4_court_547,actiscene4_court_561,actiscene4_court_677,actiscene4_court_809,actiscene4_court_926,actiscene4_court_951,actiscene4_court_1033,actiscene4_court_1111,actiscene4_court_1225,actiscene4_court_1309,actiscene4_court_1336,actiscene4_court_1395,actiscene4_court_1421,actiscene4_court_1483,actiscene4_court_1371,actiscene4_court_1530,actiscene4_court_1538,actiscene4_court_1549,actiscene4_court_2302,actiscene4_court_2305,actiscene4_court_2308,actiscene4_court_2308,actiscene4_court_2334,actiscene4_court_2468,actiscene4_court_2538,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_74,actiiscene1_royaltrip_108,actiiscene1_royaltrip_205,actiiscene1_royaltrip_356,actiiscene1_royaltrip_396,actiiscene1_royaltrip_466,actiiscene1_royaltrip_466,actiiscene1_royaltrip_495,actiiscene1_royaltrip_600,actiiscene1_royaltrip_622,actiiscene1_royaltrip_629,actiiscene1_royaltrip_697,actiiscene1_royaltrip_713,actiiscene1_royaltrip_719,actiiscene1_royaltrip_769,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1133,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1167,actiiscene2_meetsaul_162,actiiscene2_meetsaul_220,actiiscene2_meetsaul_320,actiiscene2_meetsaul_476,actiiscene2_meetsaul_578,actiiscene2_meetsaul_620,actiiscene2_meetsaul_627,actiiscene2_meetsaul_640,actiiscene2_meetsaul_653,actiiscene2_meetsaul_978,actiiscene2_meetsaul_875,actiiscene2_meetsaul_991,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1010,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1159,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1195,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1257,actiiscene3_graverobbers_72,actiiscene3_graverobbers_189,actiiscene3_graverobbers_852,actiiscene3_graverobbers_751,actiiscene3_graverobbers_704,actiiscene3_graverobbers_863,actiiscene3_graverobbers_877,actiiscene3_graverobbers_918,actiiscene3_graverobbers_817,actiiscene3_graverobbers_973,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1239,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1260,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1272,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1337,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1568,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1511,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1523,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1564,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1587,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1941,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1944,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1950,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2630,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1983,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2492,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2456,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2283,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_122,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_141,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_290,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2294,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_171,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_227,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_320,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_331,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_256,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_465,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_923,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1047,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1135,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1152,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1168,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1215,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1587,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1683,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1504,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1615,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1692,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1562,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1878,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1362,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1281,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1291,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1383,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1399,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1407,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2525,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1780,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1802,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1809,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2627,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2686,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2703,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_146,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_146,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_240,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_838,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_856,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_920,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1211,epilogue_speech_110,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2403,banished_ending_127,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2425,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2440,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2453,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1304,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1306,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1308,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1789,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3121,muse_elections_33,banished_ending_416,banished_ending_310,banished_ending_435,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3028,banished_ending_555,banished_ending_458,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1392,activscene1_coronation_153,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1740,epilogue_speech_79,actiiiscene3_darkdays_730,banished_ending_654,muse_elections_121,muse_elections_393,muse_elections_143,muse_elections_422,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1199,muse_elections_430,actiiiscene3_darkdays_147,writing_dream_70,activscene1_coronation_871,actiiiscene3_darkdays_714,actiiiscene3_darkdays_269,muse_elections_482,muse_elections_492,actiiiscene3_darkdays_290,muse_elections_500,actiiiscene3_darkdays_568,actiiiscene3_darkdays_574,epilogue_speech_1,epilogue_speech_39,actiiiscene3_darkdays_589,actiiiscene3_darkdays_485,writing_dream_157,actiiiscene3_darkdays_620,muse_elections_1038,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1892,actiiiscene3_darkdays_505,actiiiscene3_darkdays_515,writing_dream_175,activscene1_coronation_2784,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1934,muse_elections_1049,activscene1_coronation_2730,activscene1_coronation_2803,activscene1_coronation_2742,activscene1_coronation_2879,activscene1_coronation_2882,activscene1_coronation_2402,gramercy_treaty_210,activscene1_coronation_2887,writing_dream_402,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1623,activscene1_coronation_2570,writing_dream_253,muse_elections_885,activscene1_coronation_2541,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1692,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1727,muse_elections_907,epilogue_speech_387,activscene1_coronation_1911,activscene1_coronation_2931,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1451,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1492,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1556,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1581,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2392,muse_elections_192,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2415,activscene1_coronation_2076,activscene1_coronation_2111,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2310,muse_elections_1001,muse_elections_1010,muse_elections_220,muse_elections_225,muse_elections_1018,activscene1_coronation_2180,activscene1_coronation_460,muse_elections_3,activscene1_coronation_368,activscene1_coronation_340,activscene1_coronation_344,activscene1_coronation_356,epilogue_speech_355,epilogue_speech_592,epilogue_speech_735,epilogue_speech_720,muse_elections_1110,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2606,gramercy_treaty_366,gramercy_treaty_355,gramercy_treaty_344,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1964,activscene1_coronation_3170,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1947,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3363,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2844",Fleance.,"""Sir Jaundyce, regular friend 'o the gaoler,"" says one constable, drawing her sword. ""Expected you might be paying us a visit after the holiday was done, but this is early in hours for e'en you."" | |
| The knight glares at the constables and the crowd, stepping away. ""This Fontybelle stole my dog,"" he shouts. | |
| ""Fleance, actually, pleased to meet you,"" you call out to the constables, raising your hand from the grass.","The crowd is starting to titter, and the sailor smiles indulgently, her dark cheeks going cherry-red. You've enough heat in your temperament, it seems, to make this ridiculous wooing amusing. | |
| She puts a protective hand on your shoulder and glares at Sir Jaundyce. ""This is a holyday, sir, and I for one was quite enjoying young Fleance's flights of fancy before you interjected."" | |
| ""Before the rogue stole my best friend, you mean!"" | |
| The whole crowd joins in with a chorus of boos. Sir Jaundyce takes a step back, as if surprised afresh to find himself in public. | |
| ""Go on with you!"" | |
| ""Sniff out your dog somewhere else!"" | |
| ""Away!"" | |
| He draws himself up, glaring at you. You salute him with a wink. ""Smooth sailing, kraken."" | |
| ""This is not over, Fontybelle,"" he says. Then he stalks away, the wine only getting the better of his balance for one stumbling step.","The crowd is starting to titter, and the sailor smiles indulgently, her dark cheeks going cherry-red. You've enough heat in your temperament, it seems, to make this ridiculous wooing amusing. | |
| She puts a protective hand on your shoulder and glares at Sir Jaundyce. ""This is a holyday, sir, and I for one was quite enjoying young Fleance's flights of fancy before you interjected."" | |
| ""Before the rogue stole my best friend, you mean!"" | |
| The whole crowd joins in with a chorus of boos. Sir Jaundyce takes a step back, as if surprised afresh to find himself in public. | |
| ""Go on with you!"" | |
| ""Sniff out your dog somewhere else!"" | |
| ""Away!"" | |
| He draws himself up, glaring at you. You salute him with a wink. ""Smooth sailing, kraken."" | |
| ""This is not over, Fontybelle,"" he says. Then he stalks away, the wine only getting the better of his balance for one stumbling step.","""Go slop the hog,"" your mother says. | |
| She thrusts a bowl of potato peelings into your arms and goes back to her baking. Your mother is perpetually aggrieved, so humorless she can't even get a rise out of her yeast. Loaves dense as cannon shot are all that remains after her wrangling with the leavening, and your guts and those of your family pay the price— | |
| ""I said go!"" she bellows, slamming her hands against the table. Flour lifts into the air and hangs about her face, like a cloud of gnats. ""Saints alive, Fleance, but you hang about."" | |
| You scurry towards the door, the scintillating inner monologue you had going vanishing as you flee.", | |
| fool,Muse Wendell,"['Wendell', 'Muse Wendell']",211,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_341,actiscene3_ruffinos_352,actiscene3_ruffinos_354,actiscene3_ruffinos_356,actiscene3_ruffinos_358,actiscene3_ruffinos_419,actiscene3_ruffinos_423,actiscene3_ruffinos_368,actiscene3_ruffinos_372,actiscene3_ruffinos_431,actiscene3_ruffinos_478,actiscene3_ruffinos_499,actiscene3_ruffinos_441,actiscene3_ruffinos_462,actiscene3_ruffinos_506,actiscene3_ruffinos_451,actiscene3_ruffinos_472,actiscene3_ruffinos_488,actiscene3_ruffinos_508,actiscene3_ruffinos_510,actiscene3_ruffinos_520,actiscene3_ruffinos_522,actiscene3_ruffinos_1059,actiscene4_court_872,actiscene4_court_926,actiscene4_court_934,actiscene4_court_965,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_74,actiiscene1_royaltrip_83,actiiscene1_royaltrip_90,actiiscene1_royaltrip_96,actiiscene1_royaltrip_112,actiiscene1_royaltrip_118,actiiscene1_royaltrip_124,actiiscene1_royaltrip_131,actiiscene1_royaltrip_138,actiiscene1_royaltrip_147,actiiscene1_royaltrip_162,actiiscene1_royaltrip_167,actiiscene1_royaltrip_175,actiiscene1_royaltrip_183,actiiscene1_royaltrip_191,actiiscene1_royaltrip_196,actiiscene1_royaltrip_200,actiiscene1_royaltrip_235,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1231,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1239,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1242,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1260,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1289,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1245,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1265,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1272,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1278,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1285,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1290,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1295,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1313,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1321,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1249,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1255,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1326,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1333,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1337,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1348,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1354,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1362,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1375,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1404,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1436,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1468,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1469,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1476,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1484,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1384,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1397,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1407,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1414,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1429,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1439,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1446,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1454,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1461,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1492,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1546,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1568,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1501,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1516,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1532,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1557,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1560,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1581,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1502,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1508,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1511,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1517,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1523,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1538,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1564,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1587,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_910,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_968,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_996,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_949,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_971,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1018,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_978,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_985,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1222,muse_elections_42,writing_dream_39,muse_elections_430,activscene1_coronation_2642,activscene1_coronation_2644,muse_elections_438,muse_elections_440,activscene1_coronation_2656,activscene1_coronation_2659,activscene1_coronation_2662,activscene1_coronation_2665,muse_elections_442,activscene1_coronation_2668,muse_elections_470,muse_elections_517,activscene1_coronation_2670,muse_elections_449,muse_elections_474,muse_elections_482,muse_elections_492,muse_elections_529,activscene1_coronation_2672,activscene1_coronation_2675,muse_elections_456,muse_elections_463,muse_elections_500,muse_elections_509,muse_elections_544,muse_elections_552,muse_elections_1086,muse_elections_731,activscene1_coronation_2701,writing_dream_199,writing_dream_175,muse_elections_735,muse_elections_1043,activscene1_coronation_2757,muse_elections_738,muse_elections_745,muse_elections_1049,activscene1_coronation_2708,activscene1_coronation_2730,activscene1_coronation_2776,activscene1_coronation_2780,activscene1_coronation_2788,activscene1_coronation_2803,activscene1_coronation_2812,activscene1_coronation_2817,muse_elections_741,muse_elections_750,muse_elections_1060,activscene1_coronation_2716,activscene1_coronation_2724,activscene1_coronation_2836,activscene1_coronation_2742,activscene1_coronation_2752,activscene1_coronation_2876,muse_elections_757,activscene1_coronation_2830,activscene1_coronation_2857,activscene1_coronation_2857,activscene1_coronation_2879,activscene1_coronation_2882,activscene1_coronation_2868,muse_elections_766,muse_elections_795,muse_elections_825,activscene1_coronation_2844,activscene1_coronation_2887,muse_elections_856,muse_elections_773,muse_elections_784,muse_elections_802,muse_elections_813,muse_elections_832,muse_elections_843,activscene1_coronation_2849,activscene1_coronation_2901,muse_elections_873,muse_elections_880,muse_elections_1099,activscene1_coronation_2910,muse_elections_885,muse_elections_890,muse_elections_911,muse_elections_925,muse_elections_939,muse_elections_953,writing_dream_413,muse_elections_901,muse_elections_907,muse_elections_942,muse_elections_950,muse_elections_981,muse_elections_1001,muse_elections_1018,muse_elections_1032,activscene1_coronation_3213,activscene1_coronation_3208,muse_elections_1153,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2743","You stare as he raps three times on the trunk of a massive dead elm two hillocks in the other direction. The Duke's courtier and the soldier emerge from the hollow tree, heads bare and looking much younger somehow than when they were by the roadside. | |
| ""It was all an act,"" you realize. | |
| ""Another exemplary performance conceived by your servant Wendell, Prince of the Bardbrood,"" the curly-haired youth says with an ostentatious genuflection. ""And his associates,"" he adds carelessly. | |
| ""Oh, I like that,"" sneers the soldier, his voice light and playful. ""Do we have to endure the deprecations of self-crowned royalty?"" | |
| ""I did not crown myself,"" Wendell sniffs. ""My talent did it for me."" | |
| ""You heard him; or, should I say, this raw embodiment of talent we're fortunate enough to know,"" quips the courtier. ""And now you're fortunate enough as well, dear…?"" | |
| ""Fleance,"" you answer the prompt. You clear your throat, wondering what to ask as these curious artists chuckle amongst themselves.","""What's the Bardbrood?"" | |
| ""A band of broody bards; I thought that clear enough,"" Wendell says,","""Why feign at being auditors from the Duke?"" | |
| ""Because someone has to,"" Wendell says cryptically,","""How oft have you run this performance?"" | |
| ""Not so many times it ceases being amusing,"" Wendell says,","helping the soldier pull a chest from within the elm tree. [i]I wonder what else these squirrels have stashed therein,[/i] you marvel as they open the chest to reveal bits of costume. He gives a nod to the courtier, who comes over to you as she takes off her outer garb. | |
| ""The Bardbrood's a society, I suppose you'd say, for artists who don't mind a spot of trouble,"" she winks. ""I'm sure you ken that writing the wrong pamphlet or staging the wrong play can send you to the gallows, if you're taking swipes at powers-that-be all alone. The Bardbrood helps the work get out and the artists stay safe and secret."" | |
| ""Our Crown Prince here is ever so keen on secrecy, you can tell,"" the soldier joshes him. | |
| The soldier by this time has disrobed to his bare chest and trousers, and is reaching for a simple tunic. The one-time courtier is in a thin shift and hose and accepts a blouse that Wendell tosses her.", | |
| fool,Tom Fletcher,"['Tom Fletcher', 'Tom', 'Fletcher', 'fletcher']",207,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_282,actiiscene2_meetsaul_362,actiiscene2_meetsaul_372,actiiscene2_meetsaul_295,actiiscene2_meetsaul_295,actiiscene2_meetsaul_309,actiiscene2_meetsaul_320,actiiscene2_meetsaul_336,actiiscene2_meetsaul_336,actiiscene2_meetsaul_349,actiiscene2_meetsaul_349,actiiscene2_meetsaul_355,actiiscene2_meetsaul_374,actiiscene2_meetsaul_374,actiiscene2_meetsaul_388,actiiscene2_meetsaul_334,actiiscene2_meetsaul_334,actiiscene2_meetsaul_416,actiiscene2_meetsaul_416,actiiscene2_meetsaul_433,actiiscene2_meetsaul_439,actiiscene2_meetsaul_447,actiiscene2_meetsaul_453,actiiscene2_meetsaul_461,actiiscene2_meetsaul_476,actiiscene2_meetsaul_476,actiiscene2_meetsaul_482,actiiscene2_meetsaul_421,actiiscene2_meetsaul_426,actiiscene2_meetsaul_465,actiiscene2_meetsaul_470,actiiscene2_meetsaul_548,actiiscene2_meetsaul_570,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1294,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1296,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1298,actiiscene3_graverobbers_642,actiiscene3_graverobbers_649,actiiscene3_graverobbers_655,actiiscene3_graverobbers_675,actiiscene3_graverobbers_725,actiiscene3_graverobbers_737,actiiscene3_graverobbers_656,actiiscene3_graverobbers_656,actiiscene3_graverobbers_666,actiiscene3_graverobbers_682,actiiscene3_graverobbers_720,actiiscene3_graverobbers_729,actiiscene3_graverobbers_733,actiiscene3_graverobbers_688,actiiscene3_graverobbers_943,actiiscene3_graverobbers_774,actiiscene3_graverobbers_782,actiiscene3_graverobbers_852,actiiscene3_graverobbers_852,actiiscene3_graverobbers_886,actiiscene3_graverobbers_891,actiiscene3_graverobbers_891,actiiscene3_graverobbers_751,actiiscene3_graverobbers_757,actiiscene3_graverobbers_757,actiiscene3_graverobbers_765,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1030,actiiscene3_graverobbers_704,actiiscene3_graverobbers_704,actiiscene3_graverobbers_715,actiiscene3_graverobbers_863,actiiscene3_graverobbers_863,actiiscene3_graverobbers_877,actiiscene3_graverobbers_900,actiiscene3_graverobbers_912,actiiscene3_graverobbers_937,actiiscene3_graverobbers_788,actiiscene3_graverobbers_817,actiiscene3_graverobbers_817,actiiscene3_graverobbers_826,actiiscene3_graverobbers_838,actiiscene3_graverobbers_838,actiiscene3_graverobbers_956,actiiscene3_graverobbers_960,actiiscene3_graverobbers_987,actiiscene3_graverobbers_969,actiiscene3_graverobbers_973,actiiscene3_graverobbers_981,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1425,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1433,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1470,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1470,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1239,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1247,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1481,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1490,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1490,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1278,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1278,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1696,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1712,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1726,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1299,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1303,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1840,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1859,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1802,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1809,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1817,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_101,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1208,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1168,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_558,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1175,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1175,banished_ending_104,banished_ending_109,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1807,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1815,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1820,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1820,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1831,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1839,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1848,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1857,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1867,banished_ending_288,banished_ending_318,banished_ending_318,muse_elections_36,banished_ending_502,banished_ending_566,banished_ending_465,muse_elections_100,banished_ending_537,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1420,actiiiscene3_darkdays_782,actiiiscene3_darkdays_800,writing_dream_17,actiiiscene3_darkdays_805,muse_elections_294,muse_elections_299,writing_dream_35,actiiiscene3_darkdays_859,actiiiscene3_darkdays_866,actiiiscene3_darkdays_50,actiiiscene3_darkdays_879,actiiiscene3_darkdays_890,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1807,muse_elections_538,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1839,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1840,actiiiscene3_darkdays_450,actiiiscene3_darkdays_494,actiiiscene3_darkdays_494,actiiiscene3_darkdays_519,gramercy_treaty_80,gramercy_treaty_81,gramercy_treaty_89,gramercy_treaty_89,writing_dream_206,writing_dream_206,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2013,writing_dream_227,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1363,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1364,writing_dream_240,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1357,writing_dream_258,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1380,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1384,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1389,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1397,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1405,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1405,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1409,writing_dream_298,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1464,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1504,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1551,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2335,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1469,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1478,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1478,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1492,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1517,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1528,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1540,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1540,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1556,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1569,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1581,activscene1_coronation_1378,banished_ending_1237,banished_ending_1228,muse_elections_1116,muse_elections_1142,muse_elections_1129,writing_dream_821,writing_dream_814,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1964,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2570,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2582,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2846,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2802,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2791,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2827,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2783","Back inside the stables, he gathers up leather lines and a fistful of pincers and punches and sets them on the tabletop. He seems to have a clear sense of what to create to help you keep the ape by your side. | |
| ""They call me Tom Fletcher, by the by,"" he says, meeting your eyes with a soft look as he does. | |
| ""Fleance,"" you respond. | |
| ""I support His Majesty's huntsmen however is needed. Generally, with…"" Here he raps a knuckle against the quiver. ""However I can play stablehand or menial in a pinch, as today."" | |
| You nod in understanding. ""I can play the sackbut in a pinch, but it tends to frighten livestock when I do, so the room needs be well insulated."" | |
| His eyes widen as you go on to explain your role, such as you understand it. ""So you'll be performing for His Majesty and the whole throng tonight? Lord, I'd shiver myself bald with fright 'twere it me. You must be quite the talent."" | |
| You mull over how to approach this moment with a gentleman you may (or may not) be seeing a great deal during your time here.","I will let my body language relate one message to the handsome swain while my words offer another. | |
| You've found that trading on your looks is a high-risk, high-reward opening gambit in a flirtation; but you're confident enough in your conditioning to make the effort. | |
| ""Yes, I'll be appearing before the Court tonight…we'll see if I can get a rise out of them,"" you say casually, smoothing your hair. You touch Tom's upper arm as if struck by a sudden idea. | |
| ""I could use some opinion on the manner of my entrance before His Majesticality. May I draw your eyes for a moment?"" | |
| He blinks before crinkling his gaze in a smile. ""S'pose,"" he drawls. | |
| You cavort away a few paces before composing yourself. | |
| ""The Dramatic,"" you gush in a husky voice, striking a pose and flashing your eyes at him over your shoulder. After a bit of strutting and pouting you reset yourself to neutral. | |
| ""The Ebullient,"" you cheer, jigging towards him with a brilliant smile. You press your hand against his chest and pull away laughing to your designated spot. | |
| ""The Mysterious,"" you whisper, rolling your hips and obscuring your face with exotic hand gyrations. | |
| You continue for as many iterations as you can muster, quite enjoying yourself.","Tom finally clears his throat. ""Well?"" you ask.","[i]""An evening's diversion is yours for to claim,""[/i] you sing. | |
| [i]""Three shillings a head; you'll be glad [/i] | |
| [i]""That you came…!""[/i] | |
| The acoustics in the stable are surprisingly rich, and you're quite pleased with how the showy final note of the troubadour standard sounds. [+Surety] | |
| ""Heavens,"" Tom laughs, eyes wide as you bow. ""Wish I could see you tonight."" | |
| ""Come on up, then; I'm so new here you're as close as I've got to a familiar face."" | |
| ""Oh no, not possible,"" he says, falling back to his work. ""You belong up there with the nobles, and I belong down here. But I wish you the best; I'll tell everyone to keep an ear out for you."" | |
| You belatedly realize that impressing him may have won you a devotee. [+Fletcher] You discern that you'll have to help him through his shyness if you want to get much closer.","[i]""An evening's diversion is yours for to claim,""[/i] you sing. | |
| [i]""Three shillings a head; you'll be glad [/i] | |
| [i]""That you came…!""[/i] | |
| The acoustics in the stable are surprisingly rich, and you're quite pleased with how the showy final note of the troubadour standard sounds. [+Surety] | |
| ""Heavens,"" Tom laughs, eyes wide as you bow. ""Wish I could see you tonight."" | |
| ""Come on up, then; I'm so new here you're as close as I've got to a familiar face."" | |
| ""Oh no, not possible,"" he says, falling back to his work. ""You belong up there with the nobles, and I belong down here. But I wish you the best; I'll tell everyone to keep an ear out for you."" | |
| You belatedly realize that impressing him may have won you a devotee. [+Fletcher] You discern that you'll have to help him through his shyness if you want to get much closer.", | |
| fool,Kitty Harlowe,"['Kitty', 'Kitty Harlowe', 'Harlowe']",162,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_661,actiiscene2_meetsaul_669,actiiscene2_meetsaul_683,actiiscene2_meetsaul_689,actiiscene2_meetsaul_701,actiiscene2_meetsaul_704,actiiscene2_meetsaul_714,actiiscene2_meetsaul_716,actiiscene2_meetsaul_719,actiiscene2_meetsaul_723,actiiscene2_meetsaul_731,actiiscene2_meetsaul_740,actiiscene2_meetsaul_746,actiiscene2_meetsaul_764,actiiscene2_meetsaul_764,actiiscene2_meetsaul_771,actiiscene2_meetsaul_775,actiiscene2_meetsaul_792,actiiscene2_meetsaul_827,actiiscene2_meetsaul_857,actiiscene2_meetsaul_798,actiiscene2_meetsaul_868,actiiscene2_meetsaul_963,actiiscene2_meetsaul_800,actiiscene2_meetsaul_807,actiiscene2_meetsaul_816,actiiscene2_meetsaul_985,actiiscene2_meetsaul_991,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1007,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1007,actiiscene2_meetsaul_939,actiiscene2_meetsaul_949,actiiscene2_meetsaul_953,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1153,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1153,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1086,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1092,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1127,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1139,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1159,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1168,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1202,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1257,actiiscene3_graverobbers_155,actiiscene3_graverobbers_300,actiiscene3_graverobbers_343,actiiscene3_graverobbers_343,actiiscene3_graverobbers_400,actiiscene3_graverobbers_409,actiiscene3_graverobbers_478,actiiscene3_graverobbers_495,actiiscene3_graverobbers_431,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1047,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1047,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1053,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1059,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1068,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1073,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1078,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1082,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1088,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1094,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1132,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1127,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1134,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1141,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1143,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1145,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_97,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_114,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_122,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_186,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_193,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_208,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_208,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_339,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1078,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1078,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1866,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1866,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1873,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1878,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1362,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1891,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1399,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_101,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1002,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1002,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_963,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1156,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1198,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_552,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_552,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_552,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2390,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2403,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2403,banished_ending_112,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2425,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2425,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2440,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1542,actiiiscene3_darkdays_774,actiiiscene3_darkdays_790,actiiiscene3_darkdays_828,actiiiscene3_darkdays_842,actiiiscene3_darkdays_851,muse_elections_121,muse_elections_121,muse_elections_393,muse_elections_393,muse_elections_401,muse_elections_417,muse_elections_422,muse_elections_161,activscene1_coronation_526,muse_elections_430,activscene1_coronation_884,activscene1_coronation_890,activscene1_coronation_545,activscene1_coronation_679,activscene1_coronation_666,activscene1_coronation_780,activscene1_coronation_848,muse_elections_544,muse_elections_544,muse_elections_547,muse_elections_552,muse_elections_566,muse_elections_593,writing_dream_175,writing_dream_231,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2097,muse_elections_856,activscene1_coronation_1886,muse_elections_911,muse_elections_939,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1424,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1437,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1451,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1469,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1478,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1556,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1556,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1581,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1581,muse_elections_192,muse_elections_192,activscene1_coronation_44,muse_elections_204,muse_elections_204,activscene1_coronation_2180,muse_elections_248,activscene1_coronation_460,activscene1_coronation_5,activscene1_coronation_481,activscene1_coronation_911,activscene1_coronation_953,activscene1_coronation_996,activscene1_coronation_1052,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2595,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2566","""Catherine Harlowe, called Kitty,"" she says after a firm, well-practiced handshake. ""I serve Steward Fig as Chief Designate for Matters of Spectacle."" | |
| ""Ah, good fortune, for my eyes are sore strained. Do you grind the lenses yourself, or…?""","She lays a hand on your wrist. ""Reserve that for the Court,"" she says, politely but with iron behind her words. [i]Understood,[/i] you think, closing your mouth. | |
| Kitty Harlowe raises a slate in one hand and a spear of white chalk in the other, clearing her throat. ""I understand you're to do a bit of an exhibition for His Majesty today, and that you're at the Court's disposal for the foreseeable future. Is that so?"" | |
| ""Indeed."" | |
| ""What is it you intend to do? I don't mean,"" she says, pointing the base of the chalk at you, ""what ballads are you going to sing, or riddles you will tell, or like tedium. I only mean to discern what you intend to accomplish through your performance."" | |
| You blink. ""'Accomplish?'"" | |
| ""What effect do you intend to have on those who hear you?"" | |
| Such thoughts as you had directed towards your exposure before the Court centered on the specifics. You hesitate as you ponder what you would like your illustrious audience to actually feel at the conclusion of your work:","""From what I've seen, Westfenster is a haven of calm and control. If I provide a bit of jostling, it'll do all parties good."" | |
| Kitty watches you closely as you explain your aim. King Saul and his courtiers have tremendous power, and can revel in its richness here at Westfenster as nowhere else. But if they have a clever gadfly in their seat of power—attentive, irreverent, pointed—it can help remind them that they too are human, just like the millions of souls they rule. The most valuable service you can provide for Brenton as a whole is to use your position to keep the Court humble. | |
| You've done a great deal of thinking about this, and though it freezes your blood to think of how it may go wrong, you're convinced in the moment that your greater obligations make it the best choice. [+Melancholy]","""I want to make them marvel, and show them talent on a level they've not experienced before."" | |
| Kitty watches you closely as you explain your aim. This is the grandest stage in the nation, and the art that transpires on it should be the envy of all nations. Even if your skills are not where you want them to be ultimately, you affirm that you will push yourself to demonstrate the truly extraordinary for King Saul and his courtiers, to inspire awe in those who inspire awe in others. | |
| The more you articulate your vision, the more heated you become to put it into action. [+Bile]","""Very well,"" Kitty says, writing illegible notes to herself. ""I ask because I believe the most useful means for assessing a person is the benchmark that soul sets for himself."" | |
| ""So you are to assess me, on conclusion of the night?"" | |
| ""In good time,"" she says, meeting your eyes with a thin smile. You find it very difficult to decipher her personal reaction—if there was any—to your answer.", | |
| fool,-Audrey,"['Audrey', '-Audrey']",152,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_72,actiiscene3_graverobbers_106,actiiscene3_graverobbers_114,actiiscene3_graverobbers_89,actiiscene3_graverobbers_98,actiiscene3_graverobbers_118,actiiscene3_graverobbers_126,actiiscene3_graverobbers_146,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_859,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_864,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_910,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_925,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_945,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_949,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_959,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_971,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_999,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1007,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1018,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_978,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_985,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_933,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_939,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1421,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1429,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1504,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1235,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1243,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1612,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1511,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1631,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1640,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1325,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1335,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1780,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1787,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_668,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_678,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_725,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_764,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_811,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_817,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_829,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_838,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_849,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_856,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_865,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_561,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1209,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1169,banished_ending_102,banished_ending_106,banished_ending_138,banished_ending_147,muse_elections_34,banished_ending_282,banished_ending_310,banished_ending_546,muse_elections_48,banished_ending_336,banished_ending_499,banished_ending_458,banished_ending_564,banished_ending_461,muse_elections_97,banished_ending_397,banished_ending_534,banished_ending_603,actiiiscene3_darkdays_782,muse_elections_283,muse_elections_288,banished_ending_611,actiiiscene3_darkdays_812,banished_ending_620,actiiiscene3_darkdays_859,actiiiscene3_darkdays_871,actiiiscene3_darkdays_884,actiiiscene3_darkdays_890,activscene1_coronation_724,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1754,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1754,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1784,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1798,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1764,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1770,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1785,muse_elections_541,actiiiscene3_darkdays_582,actiiiscene3_darkdays_443,actiiiscene3_darkdays_443,actiiiscene3_darkdays_462,actiiiscene3_darkdays_593,gramercy_treaty_63,gramercy_treaty_64,gramercy_treaty_72,writing_dream_206,writing_dream_221,writing_dream_318,writing_dream_225,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1357,writing_dream_243,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2335,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2337,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2341,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2350,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2366,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2392,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2430,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2371,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2383,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2469,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2475,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2480,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2488,activscene1_coronation_308,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2510,activscene1_coronation_474,activscene1_coronation_329,activscene1_coronation_379,activscene1_coronation_1428,activscene1_coronation_1580,activscene1_coronation_1431,activscene1_coronation_1452,activscene1_coronation_1464,activscene1_coronation_1476,activscene1_coronation_1516,activscene1_coronation_1506,activscene1_coronation_1509,activscene1_coronation_1312,activscene1_coronation_1317,activscene1_coronation_1546,activscene1_coronation_1363,activscene1_coronation_1383,activscene1_coronation_1396,activscene1_coronation_1553,activscene1_coronation_1557,banished_ending_1232,banished_ending_1225,banished_ending_1217,activscene1_coronation_3040,activscene1_coronation_3048,activscene1_coronation_3053,muse_elections_1110,muse_elections_1137,muse_elections_1125,writing_dream_821,writing_dream_814,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1956,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3423,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3442,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3446,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3417","""Beg y'r pardon,"" she says, averting her eyes. ""I'd just finished up the hallway…. Someone managed to track ale through the hall and the stairs, no less! And I was fit t'tend y'r room, thinkin' you'd be out. Don't know your patterns yet, y'see."" | |
| ""Oh, my patterns are like clockwork, Miss, believe me…one of those cuckoo clocks,"" you mutter, trying to wrest your hat out of a four-pawed grip. | |
| The maid snorts a laugh. You give her a closer look. If she's amused by you, she has a highly refined sense of humor. | |
| ""I'm Fleance."" | |
| ""Audrey,"" she says. ""Dressers dusted, floors mopped, conversations listened in on; here for all weathers, I am,"" she says with a wink.","I'm due to see Steward Fig and she needs to clean the room, so I shouldn't lollygag. | |
| ""Well, I'll be out of your hair straightaway. I've got a meeting with the Steward, and I shouldn't keep him waiting more than forty-five minutes."" | |
| Audrey smiles and dips her head, treating you more like a noble than a fellow commoner. ""I know, you've quite a posh assignment here in the Palace. Don't let me stand in your way."" | |
| As you duck back in your room, you feel a twinge of uncertainty. It excites you to think of how your reputation will improve if folks like Audrey have the impression you're busy and valued [+Bile]; but if you wind up making friendly commoners feel small in the process, that's a cost as well. [-Audrey] | |
| You shake the thoughts away. You'll just have to see how it all breaks down in the end.","That accent of hers is divine. If I've the repertoire to match it, the connection may help plant the seeds for romance. | |
| ""Where are you from, then, Audrey?"" you say, leaning casually against the wall with a monkey in your arms. | |
| She grins sheepishly and pushes her hair behind her ears. ""Y'mean, this accent o'mine doesn't draw a map for ye? I'm a Carning Valley gel through an' through.""","""A tableau—did you hear that, Magnus?"" you say into the beast's eyes. ""Someone ought to hang us on a wall. Maybe then we wouldn't get into as many scrapes, eh?"" | |
| Audrey chuckles, covering her mouth with her hand. Your wit is moving easily this morning, especially with such a friendly audience, and you keep her laughing for several pleasant minutes. [+Surety] [+Audrey] | |
| ""I should be getting on,"" you say, genuinely disappointed. | |
| ""And I should get at cleanin' up y'r messes—and y'rs,"" she says, looking at you and your ape in turn. ""We'll see if I can guess which of ye's the greater slob."" | |
| ""Magnus never hangs up its clothes, no matter how many times I say to,"" you confide, tsk-tsk-tsking in mock disdain. Audrey clasps your arm, grinning widely as you finally go in to get changed.","""Oh, come, just a bit of monkeying about before breakfast, that's all,"" you quip with an overlarge wink. | |
| Perhaps it's the early hour or the alignment of the stars, but you can't muster up enough of a joke to draw out more than a smirk. What's more, the harder you try, the more visibly Audrey becomes impatient to have her time imposed on. [-Audrey] She has to clean your room, after all. | |
| ""Well, I won't keep you,"" you say after all. ""I've got audiences to delight today, no doubt."" | |
| ""Good luck,"" she says, with a bit more worry on your behalf than it makes you comfortable to hear. [-Surety]", | |
| fool,Honored Timshel,"['Honored Timshel', 'Timshel']",140,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_1021,actiscene3_ruffinos_1049,actiscene4_court_119,actiscene4_court_124,actiscene4_court_132,actiscene4_court_188,actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_375,actiscene4_court_381,actiscene4_court_385,actiscene4_court_352,actiscene4_court_398,actiscene4_court_436,actiscene4_court_304,actiscene4_court_411,actiscene4_court_419,actiscene4_court_425,actiscene4_court_430,actiscene4_court_438,actiscene4_court_445,actiscene4_court_456,actiscene4_court_464,actiscene4_court_473,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_482,actiscene4_court_597,actiscene4_court_623,actiscene4_court_649,actiscene4_court_490,actiscene4_court_532,actiscene4_court_570,actiscene4_court_603,actiscene4_court_611,actiscene4_court_614,actiscene4_court_629,actiscene4_court_640,actiscene4_court_494,actiscene4_court_500,actiscene4_court_511,actiscene4_court_523,actiscene4_court_535,actiscene4_court_544,actiscene4_court_547,actiscene4_court_561,actiscene4_court_573,actiscene4_court_667,actiscene4_court_836,actiscene4_court_846,actiscene4_court_851,actiscene4_court_677,actiscene4_court_800,actiscene4_court_884,actiscene4_court_893,actiscene4_court_896,actiscene4_court_913,actiscene4_court_926,actiscene4_court_934,actiscene4_court_941,actiscene4_court_951,actiscene4_court_965,actiscene4_court_996,actiscene4_court_1007,actiscene4_court_1013,actiscene4_court_1022,actiscene4_court_1025,actiscene4_court_1136,actiscene4_court_1029,actiscene4_court_1033,actiscene4_court_1049,actiscene4_court_1069,actiscene4_court_1079,actiscene4_court_1100,actiscene4_court_1105,actiscene4_court_1127,actiscene4_court_1131,actiscene4_court_1144,actiscene4_court_1111,actiscene4_court_1119,actiscene4_court_1175,actiscene4_court_1195,actiscene4_court_1216,actiscene4_court_1225,actiscene4_court_1235,actiscene4_court_1249,actiscene4_court_1290,actiscene4_court_1312,actiscene4_court_1571,actiscene4_court_1574,actiscene4_court_1446,actiscene4_court_1594,actiscene4_court_1596,actiscene4_court_1600,actiscene4_court_1604,actiscene4_court_1609,actiscene4_court_1615,actiscene4_court_1621,actiscene4_court_1626,actiscene4_court_1641,actiscene4_court_1647,actiscene4_court_1743,actiscene4_court_1767,actiscene4_court_1667,actiscene4_court_1677,actiscene4_court_1693,actiscene4_court_1705,actiscene4_court_1724,actiscene4_court_1733,actiscene4_court_1749,actiscene4_court_1758,actiscene4_court_1838,actiscene4_court_1847,actiscene4_court_2199,actiscene4_court_2204,actiscene4_court_2177,actiscene4_court_2054,actiscene4_court_2065,actiscene4_court_2070,actiscene4_court_2299,actiscene4_court_2302,actiscene4_court_2414,actiscene4_court_2416,actiscene4_court_2418,actiscene4_court_2420,actiiscene1_royaltrip_225,actiiscene1_royaltrip_228,actiiscene1_royaltrip_235,actiiscene1_royaltrip_243,actiiscene1_royaltrip_250,actiiscene1_royaltrip_621,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1184,actiiscene3_graverobbers_266,banished_ending_458,writing_dream_649,writing_dream_652,writing_dream_687,writing_dream_586,writing_dream_610,writing_dream_664,writing_dream_700,actiscene4_court_2611","""Ah…you're one of those,"" the sentry grumbles. She locks both hands around her pike and calls over her shoulder. | |
| ""Is the Steward's office still seeing scoundrels like this?"" | |
| A short footman looks at you briefly and frowns. ""I think Timshel said they were done."" | |
| ""Timshel,"" she scoffs. ""I say he's done, if you ask me."" | |
| The sentry looks to the queue behind you and sighs. ""Take this one to Malodoro then, get an answer direct."" | |
| The man salutes her, then gives a sharp whistle to you. He turns his back and starts walking towards the drawbridge. | |
| You blink. You rank with the hounds, then, it seems…. | |
| You bow to the sentry and scurry after him, just glad to be past the gates.","""And who is this Timshel who seemed to think there was no more need for performers?"" | |
| ""Timshel?"" He looks over his shoulder back up at you. ""Aren't you from Port Covens?"" | |
| ""No, I'm a vagrant."" | |
| He frowns. ""Timshel's been at it for years in these parts. Duke Ruffino's fool."" | |
| Your feet catch on an uneven part of the stone floor. ""His Magnificence already has a fool?"" | |
| You think the footman nods, but he largely refuses to look at you so it's difficult to tell. | |
| If the Duke already has a fool…why cast such a net for novices like you? You try not to let the unexpected news rattle you. | |
| Your footsteps echo oppressively. You consider how else to fill the space.","""Have you been with the company long?"" | |
| ""Oof…Nigh eighteen year?"" Joan says with a frown. Gilbert nods confirmation. | |
| ""T'weren't much of a company to speak of in the early days. Just us, Millicent, and Timshel. The Duke kept a fair sober court."" | |
| ""Millicent be th'orator,"" Gilbert elaborates as he tunes his strings. ""Fine voice."" | |
| ""And Timshel been the fool quite some time. Afore us, even.""","""Any advice for a new player?"" | |
| ""God's honest?"" Joan points her instrument right at your nose. ""Find your fief."" | |
| You blink. ""…My fief?"" | |
| ""Find your fief and rule it. Malodoro wants spectacle, but she don't know what it means. My advice if you want to stay? Stake out a place, show what makes you special, and you keep doing that better than anyone else."" | |
| ""Oh, and don't pick pipin', 'coz we're right set there,"" she adds, trilling at you with the cornett. ""And Millicent's the speechifier, and Timshel's the fool, a'course."" | |
| ""Balderhogs,"" Gilbert puts in. ""Take it from a man who's only got one skill in life: you want options. Not a one of us knows what's doing here. If you can pop in wherever you're needed, that's what'll make you valuable."" | |
| ""You contrary cuss,"" she chides. ""Now the poor thing has two old dolts to ignore."" | |
| She brushes her hair out of her eyes and leans closer to you. ""You'll find your way, young Fleance. Do what feels right for you and let the rest of us hang.""","""Do you know what a Lurker is supposed to do, exactly?"" | |
| ""A what?"" | |
| You explain Malodoro's description from the previous night, and the musicians look at each other in confusion. ""Can't say as we've had such a one before…."" | |
| ""Used to be one o' the seamstresses would pop by of an evening t'mend the worst of the jackets and all,"" Joan goes on, waving a hand vaguely at the wall of outfits. ""I s'pose you could take that on?"" | |
| ""When it was just us two on music, and Millicent for speeches and Timshel for the…the whole jester bit, we'd each take care of ourselves,"" Gilbert thinks aloud. | |
| ""Maybe we do need a savvy soul a-lurkin' round us now, makin' sure we can all hit our marks for His Grace. How's your sheepdog act, then?"" Joan says with a wink.", | |
| fool,Steward Fig,"['Steward Fig', 'Stew', 'Steward', 'Fig']",123,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_667,actiscene3_ruffinos_1021,actiscene3_ruffinos_1134,actiscene3_ruffinos_1339,actiscene3_ruffinos_1558,actiscene3_ruffinos_1548,actiscene4_court_1574,actiiscene2_meetsaul_71,actiiscene2_meetsaul_95,actiiscene2_meetsaul_57,actiiscene2_meetsaul_83,actiiscene2_meetsaul_106,actiiscene2_meetsaul_145,actiiscene2_meetsaul_162,actiiscene2_meetsaul_187,actiiscene2_meetsaul_199,actiiscene2_meetsaul_200,actiiscene2_meetsaul_226,actiiscene2_meetsaul_489,actiiscene2_meetsaul_661,actiiscene2_meetsaul_939,actiiscene2_meetsaul_953,actiiscene3_graverobbers_106,actiiscene3_graverobbers_155,actiiscene3_graverobbers_118,actiiscene3_graverobbers_139,actiiscene3_graverobbers_146,actiiscene3_graverobbers_165,actiiscene3_graverobbers_167,actiiscene3_graverobbers_170,actiiscene3_graverobbers_175,actiiscene3_graverobbers_177,actiiscene3_graverobbers_179,actiiscene3_graverobbers_181,actiiscene3_graverobbers_208,actiiscene3_graverobbers_211,actiiscene3_graverobbers_231,actiiscene3_graverobbers_234,actiiscene3_graverobbers_253,actiiscene3_graverobbers_258,actiiscene3_graverobbers_261,actiiscene3_graverobbers_266,actiiscene3_graverobbers_300,actiiscene3_graverobbers_675,actiiscene3_graverobbers_675,actiiscene3_graverobbers_682,actiiscene3_graverobbers_692,actiiscene3_graverobbers_720,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1030,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1030,actiiscene3_graverobbers_699,actiiscene3_graverobbers_704,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1094,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_97,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_138,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_141,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_177,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_167,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_190,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_208,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_227,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_197,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_216,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_220,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_237,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_240,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_244,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_339,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_354,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_345,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_707,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_710,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_733,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_722,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_735,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_745,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_745,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_766,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1587,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1549,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1362,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1891,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1399,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_552,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_580,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2390,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2403,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2403,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2453,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3104,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3095,activscene1_coronation_67,activscene1_coronation_72,activscene1_coronation_113,activscene1_coronation_258,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1199,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1199,actiiiscene3_darkdays_568,actiiiscene3_darkdays_568,actiiiscene3_darkdays_574,actiiiscene3_darkdays_574,actiiiscene3_darkdays_582,actiiiscene3_darkdays_589,actiiiscene3_darkdays_589,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1873,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1873,actiiiscene3_darkdays_593,actiiiscene3_darkdays_637,actiiiscene3_darkdays_644,actiiiscene3_darkdays_651,actiiiscene3_darkdays_597,actiiiscene3_darkdays_620,actiiiscene3_darkdays_675,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1878,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1881,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1884,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1887,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1887,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1934,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2480,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2488,activscene1_coronation_2180,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2725","The lutist lowers her instrument and stares at you for a long moment. ""What's your name, young one?"" | |
| ""Fleance. Rhymes with I'd-very-much-like-a-bowl-of-that-Fleance,"" you clarify, jutting your chin towards the cauldron. | |
| She grins at you, shaking her head. ""Cheek. We haven't near as much to spare as we would if these other trappers weren't dogging our catch…."" She stops to spit on the ground. ""But take a bowl and a quick sit, since you're here."" | |
| The others stand and offer handclasps or nods of welcome, clearly reassured now that the lutist is satisfied. | |
| ""Stew's not much, but take what you like."" | |
| ""Young slip like him,"" one of the women says with a wink. ""How much could he eat anyway?"" | |
| ""Allow me to demonstrate,"" you say, to general acclaim. | |
| In fact, you do great justice to the hot meal, relishing the feeling of heat and a solid foundation in your belly. [+Conditioning] You enjoy conversing with the trappers fireside about the challenges they've faced. You haven't much wisdom to offer, but they seem impressed that you were able to deduce so much about them from so little in the first place. You get the sense they'll remember this encounter even after you part ways after sunup. [+Renown] | |
| The fire dies and you gladly take an offered bedroll and a space of your own, enough removed from the trappers for privacy.","""Ah…you're one of those,"" the sentry grumbles. She locks both hands around her pike and calls over her shoulder. | |
| ""Is the Steward's office still seeing scoundrels like this?"" | |
| A short footman looks at you briefly and frowns. ""I think Timshel said they were done."" | |
| ""Timshel,"" she scoffs. ""I say he's done, if you ask me."" | |
| The sentry looks to the queue behind you and sighs. ""Take this one to Malodoro then, get an answer direct."" | |
| The man salutes her, then gives a sharp whistle to you. He turns his back and starts walking towards the drawbridge. | |
| You blink. You rank with the hounds, then, it seems…. | |
| You bow to the sentry and scurry after him, just glad to be past the gates.","""I have to admit, dear Steward,"" you say with a sigh, ""that, glad as I am to be here, I miss my dog greatly. Have you a dog?"" | |
| ""Yes, several,"" say Malodoro. ""For the chase."" | |
| ""Ah! A fox hunter,"" you grin, pulling a length of thin rope out of your pouch. | |
| ""Foxes, servants,"" she shrugs. | |
| You try not to let your expression slip. ""Indeed…Well, fine and obedient creatures they are, I'm sure. Mine was not so."" | |
| ""A firm hand or a firm boot will address that. Are you going to do something?"" she demands, crossing her arms over her chest. | |
| [i]Saints preserve me,[/i] you think.","The room echoes merrily to the rhythm of your bells and your boots. The jig is rhythmic and precise, with a syncopated pattern that has always appealed to you. As you hit your marks with all the leaps and turns, you flatter yourself that you see the impassive Steward's finger tapping to the beat. | |
| For fun, you end by flipping yourself into a handstand and pointing your toes to the ceiling. ""My,"" Malodoro says despite herself. | |
| ""Thank you, Steward,"" you say as you right yourself, your heart beating quickly. Her demeanor remains cool, but you believe you acquitted yourself well.","Lean on Malodoro. | |
| ""Oh, Steward, you can't imagine…"" you begin, feeling your knees buckle. | |
| You shuffle towards Malodoro's desk. She leans her body away from you warily. | |
| ""I'm simply…I'm just so overjoyed. And so tired,"" you go on, feeling the weight of your journey and the emotional strain of the audition all at once. [+Blood] | |
| You launch your hand out and grab her by the arm to steady yourself. ""Unhand me,"" she booms, suddenly wielding a black-iron hatchet, ""or I will unhand you."" | |
| ""Where'd you get that?"" you slur. Did your eyes blink closed for a moment? | |
| She places the head of her axe into your chest and gives a modest shove. Under normal circumstances, you might have simply stepped back, but today, you tumble gracefully backwards like a falling pine, resting your skull on the stones of her office. | |
| She looks down at you, visibly disgusted. ""Are you inebriated, Fleance?"" | |
| ""No,"" you promise. ""Just happy."" | |
| Some time later—seconds? minutes?—several sets of hands lift you up. ""To his quarters,"" you hear Malodoro say, clearly disgusted. You can hear the servants who hold you talking about your boldness at daring to touch the Steward. It seems as if you're losing no time building a reputation. | |
| But all's well yet, you think, letting your eyes close as they heft you down the hall. You will do your new comrades proud…And you will begin at last living the golden life fated to you.", | |
| fool,Malodoro,['Malodoro'],100,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_1045,actiscene3_ruffinos_1087,actiscene3_ruffinos_1118,actiscene3_ruffinos_1126,actiscene3_ruffinos_1134,actiscene3_ruffinos_1143,actiscene3_ruffinos_1174,actiscene3_ruffinos_1189,actiscene3_ruffinos_1239,actiscene3_ruffinos_1254,actiscene3_ruffinos_1267,actiscene3_ruffinos_1275,actiscene3_ruffinos_1280,actiscene3_ruffinos_1327,actiscene3_ruffinos_1339,actiscene3_ruffinos_1345,actiscene3_ruffinos_1360,actiscene3_ruffinos_1366,actiscene3_ruffinos_1394,actiscene3_ruffinos_1405,actiscene3_ruffinos_1411,actiscene3_ruffinos_1441,actiscene3_ruffinos_1446,actiscene3_ruffinos_1451,actiscene3_ruffinos_1467,actiscene3_ruffinos_1475,actiscene3_ruffinos_1531,actiscene3_ruffinos_1558,actiscene3_ruffinos_1572,actiscene3_ruffinos_1548,actiscene3_ruffinos_1578,actiscene3_ruffinos_1524,actiscene4_court_124,actiscene4_court_132,actiscene4_court_150,actiscene4_court_188,actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_204,actiscene4_court_375,actiscene4_court_221,actiscene4_court_438,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_951,actiscene4_court_1025,actiscene4_court_1195,actiscene4_court_1574,actiscene4_court_1580,actiscene4_court_1621,actiscene4_court_2204,actiscene4_court_1937,actiscene4_court_1955,actiscene4_court_1984,actiscene4_court_2225,actiscene4_court_2231,actiscene4_court_2236,actiscene4_court_2255,actiscene4_court_2177,actiscene4_court_1918,actiscene4_court_2006,actiscene4_court_2027,actiscene4_court_2161,actiscene4_court_2117,actiscene4_court_2171,actiscene4_court_2113,actiscene4_court_2334,actiscene4_court_2355,actiscene4_court_2368,actiscene4_court_2396,actiscene4_court_2448,actiscene4_court_2453,actiscene4_court_2467,actiscene4_court_2503,actiiscene1_royaltrip_37,actiiscene1_royaltrip_191,actiiscene1_royaltrip_382,actiiscene1_royaltrip_384,actiiscene1_royaltrip_391,actiiscene1_royaltrip_403,actiiscene1_royaltrip_422,actiiscene1_royaltrip_429,actiiscene1_royaltrip_438,actiiscene1_royaltrip_458,actiiscene1_royaltrip_466,actiiscene1_royaltrip_408,actiiscene1_royaltrip_413,actiiscene1_royaltrip_495,actiiscene1_royaltrip_529,actiiscene1_royaltrip_536,actiiscene1_royaltrip_546,actiiscene1_royaltrip_570,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1348,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_201,banished_ending_416,banished_ending_435,muse_elections_1049,writing_dream_393,writing_dream_541,writing_dream_548,muse_elections_1018,activscene1_coronation_1117","The short footman leads you to a small door on the side of the red stone keep. The light level drops precipitously as you enter. Torch sconces are very widely spaced, and no windows reach the narrow hallway the footman chooses. | |
| You clear your throat. ""Did I hear we're going to meet Malodoro? Prithee, who is that?"" | |
| ""She's Chief Steward,"" he says without looking at you. | |
| Only one of the most influential people in the entire Duchy. Perfect.","The room is a small box like a friar's cell, and nearly as spartan. A wall candle-sconce and two arrow slits in the stone provide the only light. An empty chair faces a nearly empty desk with a neat rack of scrolls on one side and an ink-pot on the other. In a high-backed chair jutting with arrowhead-shaped adornments on its top rail sits— | |
| ""Wait,"" says Malodoro without looking up.","You decide to use the cramped room to your advantage. You break into a sprint directly towards the far wall and lift one leg high just in time enough to propel yourself off the wall into a backflip. | |
| You use your momentum to continue pouring yourself backwards for two more back handsprings before shoving off the opposite wall and landing in a side split directly in front of the Chief Steward's desk. | |
| You fling your arms up in triumph. | |
| ""Fine,"" Malodoro says, nodding. She waves one hand in a dismissive, circular gesture. ""Now, something else."" | |
| Your smile falters for a moment. Something else? You think as you pull yourself back to your feet. I suppose being exceptional at one thing isn't enough for her….","You start off with a bit of jigging, showing off your fancy footwork. [i]Hard to do much else in this crate of a room,[/i] you think behind your smile. | |
| After a number of high kicks, you leap down into a handstand, wincing as your palms strike the stone. You stretch out your legs to each side, but misjudge the spacing slightly and catch one set of toes against the wall. You barely maintain your balance, and decide to flip forward into a somersault rather than risk an embarrassing tumble. | |
| You pop up to one knee and throw out your arms in triumph. | |
| ""Mmm,"" Malodoro grunts, visibly bored. She gestures for you to stand. ""Now try something else."" | |
| Something else? You let a quick breath out through your teeth. What else can you do that she'd prefer?","""I have to admit, dear Steward,"" you say with a sigh, ""that, glad as I am to be here, I miss my dog greatly. Have you a dog?"" | |
| ""Yes, several,"" say Malodoro. ""For the chase."" | |
| ""Ah! A fox hunter,"" you grin, pulling a length of thin rope out of your pouch. | |
| ""Foxes, servants,"" she shrugs. | |
| You try not to let your expression slip. ""Indeed…Well, fine and obedient creatures they are, I'm sure. Mine was not so."" | |
| ""A firm hand or a firm boot will address that. Are you going to do something?"" she demands, crossing her arms over her chest. | |
| [i]Saints preserve me,[/i] you think.", | |
| fool,Majesty Queen Hero,"['Queen Hero', 'Majesty Queen Hero', 'Hero', 'Queen']",99,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_764,actiiscene2_meetsaul_963,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1075,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1098,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1184,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1202,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1248,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1257,actiiscene3_graverobbers_211,actiiscene3_graverobbers_266,actiiscene3_graverobbers_284,actiiscene3_graverobbers_300,actiiscene3_graverobbers_300,actiiscene3_graverobbers_320,actiiscene3_graverobbers_439,actiiscene3_graverobbers_338,actiiscene3_graverobbers_336,actiiscene3_graverobbers_448,actiiscene3_graverobbers_428,actiiscene3_graverobbers_422,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_369,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_397,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_468,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_644,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_549,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_489,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_493,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_518,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_522,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_690,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1894,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2622,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_90,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_306,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1211,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1216,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2425,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1305,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1287,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1297,banished_ending_985,banished_ending_995,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1759,actiiiscene3_darkdays_933,actiiiscene3_darkdays_937,activscene1_coronation_510,activscene1_coronation_510,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1117,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1130,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1153,activscene1_coronation_638,activscene1_coronation_789,activscene1_coronation_759,epilogue_speech_170,gramercy_treaty_32,actiiiscene3_darkdays_668,gramercy_treaty_120,actiiiscene3_darkdays_698,actiiiscene3_darkdays_703,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2070,gramercy_treaty_225,gramercy_treaty_278,gramercy_treaty_321,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2246,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2405,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2256,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2268,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2464,activscene1_coronation_390,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2310,activscene1_coronation_416,activscene1_coronation_420,activscene1_coronation_2180,activscene1_coronation_434,activscene1_coronation_2202,activscene1_coronation_1500,activscene1_coronation_1440,activscene1_coronation_1637,activscene1_coronation_3040,activscene1_coronation_3046,activscene1_coronation_3048,activscene1_coronation_3053,activscene1_coronation_3095,activscene1_coronation_3070,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2606,gramercy_treaty_379,gramercy_treaty_379,gramercy_treaty_382,gramercy_treaty_382,gramercy_treaty_370,gramercy_treaty_370,gramercy_treaty_373,gramercy_treaty_373,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1928,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3249,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3252","""The King?"" | |
| Kitty Harlowe follows your gaze and nods. ""Before dinner is his appointed time for Grievances and Disputes,"" she says, indicating to you the row of stools that lines the outside wall. More than a dozen additional nobles in various states of dudgeon are apparently waiting in line for a moment of the King's attention. While they wait, they stare at the backs of the small cadre of aristocrats who are currently seated at the long tables, amusing themselves with wine, cheese and talk. | |
| ""His Majesty's Royal Council, as well as his Generals and the Knights of the Glade…his personal guard."" | |
| The esteemed Councilors, Generals, and Knights seem far more interested in each other than in His Majesty. You note that the other two thrones on the dais are empty. ""Queen Hero will be in just before dinner is served,"" Kitty explains. ""And the other is for the Heir Apparent, Prinxe Hailey, sometimes called Hail."" | |
| ""Will the Prinxe also be in attendance tonight?"" | |
| She is silent for a moment. ""That chair is reserved for Prinxe Hailey,"" she repeats. [i]There's a story there,[/i] you think, your curiosity bubbling up. | |
| You keep your other questions to yourself as Kitty fills you with additional tidbits, scanning the rather gloomy space. This room either needs an expert fool to lighten it up or a tidal wave to simply wash it clean. The trick is, you shan't know which until after you start, and your waterskin is in your other trunk….","Trumpets blare through the dark room. Your eye is drawn to movement on the dais. | |
| ""Her Royal Majesty, Queen Hero."" | |
| Everyone stands to welcome the stately Queen, her lilac gown luminous against the deep gray stones. She ascends to her throne and clasps her husband's hand, waving to the assembled multitude. As she sits, two ladies-in-waiting take up positions at her side of the dais…waiting. | |
| For their part, the unserved petitioners stand, disgruntled but accepting, and begin to file out of the room. Odds are they will be back to try their fortunes with the King tomorrow, you conjecture. | |
| Another short fanfare surprises you. ""The soup course,"" the herald calls out solemnly. | |
| ""S'blood, the soup is held as high in esteem as the Queen,"" you whisper to Kitty Harlowe. | |
| ""A serious business, soup,"" she deadpans. ""And on the topic of serious business—now the meal is afoot, you have work to do. Are you prepared?""","His Lordship's drunken animus is growing cruder; what's more, there are an unsettling number of hoots and whistles from the tables on either side, and looks that had seemed warm are now alight with wolfish smiles. | |
| A searching glance up to the dais shows King Saul enmeshed in his document and Queen Hero blowing languidly on her soup. Some in your audience may like you—but, as the moment lingers, you see none are bold enough to openly challenge the propriety of Bisqueath's request. | |
| Which means, you realize, that how you respond to this taskmaster's test is completely up to you. Lord…did Kenkle ever face such a room as this? | |
| ""Well, speak then, man,"" says Lord Bisqueath, rapping his knuckles impatiently on the tabletop.","I will make King Saul understand that this conduct is happening in his name, and force him to endorse or condemn it openly. | |
| If you are a mouse before these foxes today, they shall make a meal of you for the rest of your tenure. You take a deep breath. Come what may, you will not let them treat you like refuse. [+Surety] | |
| Members of the Court hoot at you at first, but the noise quiets as you begin to talk toward the royal dais. King Saul lowers his document and Queen Hero her soup spoon as you do.","You're just dreading how to reclaim the company's attentions when Queen Hero smooths her gown and rings a silver bell set by her table-setting. | |
| ""Ho there, fool,"" she calls out. She gestures for you to come closer. | |
| ""Newly thus at liberty,"" she says, indicating the empty thrones around her, ""I wonder, would thou be so good 's to fill my time? The company at large will not object, I trust…?"" | |
| This last is directed specifically at Lord Bisqueath. The nobleman tightens his lips and grips the chain around his neck with both hands, but bows his head immediately. ""Of course, Your Majesty—as you desire,"" he says. | |
| You practically skip your way closer to the dais, filled with relief at being lifted from Bisqueath's direction. You take a close look at Queen Hero's face as you draw near,", | |
| fool,Though Lord Bisqueath,"['Though Lord Bisqueath', 'Lord Bisqueath']",97,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_939,actiiscene2_meetsaul_953,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1268,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1064,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1069,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1075,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1123,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1153,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1092,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1103,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1114,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1139,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1159,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1168,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1184,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1292,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1257,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1038,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1047,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1051,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1135,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1190,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2485,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2503,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_157,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_164,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2721,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_200,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_660,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_395,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_413,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_768,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_829,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_838,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_249,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_501,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_849,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_865,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_262,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_875,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_945,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_586,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_567,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1305,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1783,actiiiscene3_darkdays_959,activscene1_coronation_113,actiiiscene3_darkdays_898,activscene1_coronation_499,activscene1_coronation_570,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1108,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1093,activscene1_coronation_557,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1175,activscene1_coronation_671,activscene1_coronation_735,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1335,activscene1_coronation_652,activscene1_coronation_789,activscene1_coronation_767,banished_ending_72,actiiiscene3_darkdays_593,actiiiscene3_darkdays_597,actiiiscene3_darkdays_668,actiiiscene3_darkdays_698,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1601,activscene1_coronation_2423,epilogue_speech_543,activscene1_coronation_2570,activscene1_coronation_2617,activscene1_coronation_28,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2464,activscene1_coronation_2372,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2469,activscene1_coronation_2380,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2495,epilogue_speech_496,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2504,activscene1_coronation_434,activscene1_coronation_454,activscene1_coronation_5,activscene1_coronation_2211,activscene1_coronation_1112,activscene1_coronation_2304,activscene1_coronation_1584,epilogue_speech_333,activscene1_coronation_1445,activscene1_coronation_1572,activscene1_coronation_1616,activscene1_coronation_1546,activscene1_coronation_1259,epilogue_speech_260,activscene1_coronation_1563,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1915,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1947,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1935,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1999","""Fool,"" King Saul says at last, raising both hands. Not even you can muster up the defiance to ignore that command. | |
| From the corner of your eye you catch sight of a grizzled nobleman with a huge star-shaped necklace—Lord Bisqueath, you recall Kitty saying—raising his significant bulk from his seat. ""Will't please you, Good My King, to see this fool taught manners in a fashion meant to last?"" | |
| ""Peace, peace,"" says the monarch, waving Lord Bisqueath back to his seat to your relief. You're not at all sure you wanted to experience the mannerly tutelage of His Lordship. | |
| ""Discipline, decorum, protocol; these elements are fine as minted coin,"" The King says in a low voice to you, his smirk vanished. ""If thou dost wish to wrangle for Our cheer, thy tongue thou shalt restrain until a space is vacant in th'quotidian [i]liste d'affaires[/i]."" | |
| ""So…not during Disputes and Grievances,"" you say, deliberately obtuse. | |
| King Saul sighs and stares at the floor. ""Meals, mayhaps,"" he says, grudgingly, ""and any sort of mirth at which the common throng will wave their caps,"" he says. ""Speak thou to Fig afore you face Our haunts again."" | |
| You swallow and bow—falling into a somersault.","""My Liege,"" the fuming petitioner butts in, straightening her plumed hat, ""why do you suffer this buffoon t'impinge upon your diamond-precious time?"" | |
| Before you can speak, King Saul points two fingers at you. Immediately his guardsmen sweep in, seize you by your shoulders, and begin to march you down the center of the room. You crossed a line with your conduct and weren't quite clever enough to outrun the consequences, you realize. [+Knavery] [-Saul] | |
| ""Steward Fig will help thee, fool, to grasp th'importance of decorum in thy post,"" the King intones. ""When this lesson has been deeper learned, mayhap you can attempt thy jibes again."" | |
| ""To bolster Goodman Fig, Your Majesty,"" says a grizzle-faced man with a huge necklace in a star shape—Lord Bisqueath, you recall Kitty saying—""perhaps we ought to school this youth forthwith."" | |
| As you see the faces of the nobles from the tables that surround you, you're not enthusiastic about receiving their schooling in such a mood. [-Surety]","""Come, soldiers, here's a bonny washing-place for our well-traveled fool to take a soak,"" hollers out Lord Bisqueath. | |
| The courtiers howl, raucous as any peasant crowd, when they see what Bisqueath is indicating—a hogshead of ale, just outside the rectangular space bounded by the tables. | |
| ""I'm scarcely thirsty, though the thought is kind,"" you whisper to the guards at your shoulders. | |
| ""Dunk the dunce! Dunk the dunce! Dunk the dunce!"" | |
| You can scarcely blame the soldiers for following a direct order, when chanted dozens of times over by the highest nobility in all of Brenton. But it still doesn't make it any more pleasant to be hung upside-down in the barrel of small beer for what feels like the rest of the evening. | |
| A resounding success, you think, struggling not to pass out.","""What think you then, Lord Bisqueath,"" King Saul says, his quiet voice carrying across the hall as if by magic, ""of the youth?"" | |
| The grizzled noble with the enormous pendant who spoken before steeples his fingers. ""As the fool does seek to learn our ways, it is meet that we should conjure a taskmaster's battery,"" Bisqueath says, leaning forward against the table. ""By your leave,"" he adds, grinning in a way that does not please you. | |
| You look across the room to King Saul. An aide has just handed him a scroll to review—some edict or other—and he is preoccupied. He gives Bisqueath a single nod and the entire room turns its attention to you.","""A taskmaster's battery!"" you say, clapping your hands with an eagerness you scarcely feel. ""Brilliant, it's been ages! My old schoolmaster used to give me tests and weep when he saw my answers—because of how their quality and refinement reflected on his tutelage, I'm sure."" | |
| ""A peasant from Ruffino's coastal span,"" Lord Bisqueath says, ignoring you, ""is like infected by th'unwholesome wind that blows fishmonger's boats in stinking blasts. Canst smell the scales and guts yet on this fool?"" | |
| There's a ripple of dark laughter as he makes a show of sniffing in your direction and gagging at the imagined pong. At least, you assume it's imagined, taking a clandestine whiff of yourself. | |
| You try to press through with a smile. ""The dockyards were not my prim'ry haunt—"" | |
| ""O no? Then where, more wholesome, did you carry on with lusty sailors and fishmongers' wives? Atop a table in the pub, perhaps?""", | |
| fool,Royal Highness King Saul IV,"['King Saul IV', 'Royal Highness King Saul IV', 'King Saul', 'Saul']",94,5118,"actiscene1_festival_1236,actiiscene1_royaltrip_466,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1068,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1086,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1133,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1133,actiiscene2_meetsaul_683,actiiscene2_meetsaul_731,actiiscene2_meetsaul_802,actiiscene2_meetsaul_816,actiiscene2_meetsaul_822,actiiscene2_meetsaul_939,actiiscene2_meetsaul_953,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1064,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1098,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1109,actiiscene3_graverobbers_266,actiiscene3_graverobbers_316,actiiscene3_graverobbers_492,actiiscene3_graverobbers_699,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1088,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1717,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1860,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_320,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_362,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_448,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_456,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_644,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_515,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_549,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_568,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_590,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_661,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_690,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_722,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2525,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2571,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2586,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2589,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2622,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_963,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_236,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_678,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_686,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_697,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_708,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_788,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_805,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1211,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1267,activscene1_coronation_14,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1490,activscene1_coronation_88,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1567,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1531,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1599,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1634,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1677,activscene1_coronation_615,activscene1_coronation_747,activscene1_coronation_644,activscene1_coronation_871,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1863,actiiiscene3_darkdays_668,actiiiscene3_darkdays_698,activscene1_coronation_1783,activscene1_coronation_2408,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1601,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1613,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1631,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1644,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1648,epilogue_speech_374,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1581,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2246,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2256,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2464,activscene1_coronation_416,activscene1_coronation_434,activscene1_coronation_2211,activscene1_coronation_2304,activscene1_coronation_1584,activscene1_coronation_1500,activscene1_coronation_1517,activscene1_coronation_1440,activscene1_coronation_1616,activscene1_coronation_1637,activscene1_coronation_3062,activscene1_coronation_3070,activscene1_coronation_3078,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2603,gramercy_treaty_382","The skies are expansive as you walk, the sunset before you making you squint. Billingsley behind you is still humming with activity, and yet for all its seeming size and bustle you know that in the entirety of the Kingdom of Brenton, 'tis closer in scale to your average beehive than, say, the mighty metropolis of Hondelet where King Saul IV reigns. | |
| Such a vast world you inhabit…and you, so small a mote within it, fit to be snorted into and sneezed out of Your Maker's nostrils at any second. | |
| And yet, mote though you are, a grand dream has held on within you ever since you were a stripling. The dream took root when, against your parents' wishes, you ran with other children to see the traveling players who had set up a wagon in a meadow near your farm. | |
| More than their ramshackle finery, you remember the way the players commanded the attention of their audience…and their raucous portrayals of kings, queens, nobles, and their fools.","""You,"" you repeat dully. ""Meaning…"" | |
| ""You. Potentially. Indulge the hypothetical, young Fleance,"" Malodoro says, snapping her fingers, ""and elucidate for us what you think best expresses what about you would appeal to His Royal Highness King Saul IV."" | |
| The balcony stones seem to fluctuate under your feet as you try to focus. They cannot…they cannot possibly be extending to you the prospect of a life in Westfenster Palace. In the service of the Crown!","Your repertoire fails you, but it feels wrong to let these irreverent views go un-countered. You draw up your nerve and face the clerics from a vantage point in your cart. | |
| ""With respect, holies, this is neither the time nor the place,"" you chide. ""We travel to honor His Majesty on a milestone day, and should—"" | |
| ""This milestone is precisely the time,"" the shorter one thunders, barreling over you. ""And this is our country, our birthright—never say that it is not the place!"" | |
| ""I only mean—"" | |
| ""Fie, King Saul, to you and your legions of bamboozled!"" the other cleric shouts, delighting in having you as an adversary. ""All thinking Brentons, take this time to reflect on what our monarch has done, not what you feel he is owed! Reflect—and reject!"" | |
| You try another time or two, but can't come close to matching the bile and heat of the protesters. Your interjections only make their criticism more pointed and—you must admit—compelling. [i]Hardly what I intended,[/i] you think, feeling quite sheepish. [-Surety] | |
| As the wagon train makes fit to leave, you hear scattered boos and resentful calls against King Saul and the extravagant largesse being shown him on his anniversary. But these people came out to watch the caravan go to their King, you think, astonished; and now they disdain him? The moment demonstrates just how mutable the masses' views can be, when stirred up by a persuasive presence. [+Discontent]","""They would tear down King Saul the man,"" you say, relieved by the quickness you feel in your mind. ""If we build up Brenton the nation in response, 'twill drown them out."" | |
| The Captain frowns, but in calm, measured tones you coach him through your strategy. At the end, he nods and takes a deep breath. | |
| ""Down with King Saul!"" the protesters are shouting again. | |
| ""Up with Brenton!"" bellows the Captain, drawing all eyes to him.","""Yea, King Saul; Saul, the Hollow King,"" you shout out, scowling mightily. ""How else could he gorge himself on quail and cream pies and stay so slender?"" | |
| The Captain of the escort wheels on you, and the attending peasants give you their eyes as well. ""Saul, the Feckless! S'Truth, have you ever seen him feck? I suppose Her Majesty the Queen would know…."" | |
| ""Watch your tongue, fool!"" bellows the soldier as the audience performs the combination of laughter and scandalized gasping you've come to love. | |
| ""Saul, the Feckless; Fleance, the Neckless,"" you say, pantomiming having your throat slit. ""That I should like to avoid…but losing my tongue, sirrah, would be no hardship, as I can blow hot wind just as well from a second opening. Desirest thou a demonstratum?"" You point your bottom at the guard and bat your eyes. He goes red and the crowd goes wild.", | |
| fool,Moargen,['Moargen'],91,5118,"actiscene4_court_256,actiscene4_court_292,actiscene4_court_297,actiscene4_court_304,actiscene4_court_321,actiscene4_court_473,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_599,actiscene4_court_603,actiscene4_court_614,actiscene4_court_511,actiscene4_court_851,actiscene4_court_711,actiscene4_court_809,actiscene4_court_827,actiscene4_court_976,actiscene4_court_987,actiscene4_court_1049,actiscene4_court_1073,actiscene4_court_1124,actiscene4_court_1259,actiscene4_court_1290,actiscene4_court_1300,actiscene4_court_1303,actiscene4_court_1306,actiscene4_court_1309,actiscene4_court_1318,actiscene4_court_1320,actiscene4_court_1322,actiscene4_court_1324,actiscene4_court_1330,actiscene4_court_1336,actiscene4_court_1345,actiscene4_court_1350,actiscene4_court_1382,actiscene4_court_1402,actiscene4_court_1476,actiscene4_court_1487,actiscene4_court_1502,actiscene4_court_1358,actiscene4_court_1395,actiscene4_court_1407,actiscene4_court_1421,actiscene4_court_1498,actiscene4_court_1584,actiscene4_court_1371,actiscene4_court_1439,actiscene4_court_1519,actiscene4_court_1530,actiscene4_court_1538,actiscene4_court_1549,actiscene4_court_1609,actiscene4_court_1781,actiscene4_court_1835,actiscene4_court_1858,actiscene4_court_1788,actiscene4_court_1798,actiscene4_court_1823,actiscene4_court_1838,actiscene4_court_1847,actiscene4_court_1862,actiscene4_court_1871,actiscene4_court_2241,actiscene4_court_2244,actiscene4_court_2250,actiscene4_court_2426,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_90,actiiscene1_royaltrip_124,actiiscene1_royaltrip_243,actiiscene1_royaltrip_250,actiiscene1_royaltrip_629,actiiscene1_royaltrip_683,actiiscene1_royaltrip_706,actiiscene1_royaltrip_642,actiiscene1_royaltrip_677,actiiscene1_royaltrip_686,actiiscene1_royaltrip_697,actiiscene1_royaltrip_719,actiiscene1_royaltrip_650,actiiscene1_royaltrip_732,actiiscene1_royaltrip_739,actiiscene1_royaltrip_744,actiiscene1_royaltrip_756,actiiscene1_royaltrip_761,actiiscene1_royaltrip_769,banished_ending_458,banished_ending_461,banished_ending_465,writing_dream_396,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1340","""Bit cryptic, that,"" says the dark-haired dancer Moargen with a smirk. | |
| ""What is your area?"" demands Millicent, crossing her arms. | |
| You debate whether you should lay claim to a domain where you know you excel, or one where you're looking to improve. After all, you're in a world of new beginnings now.","""Tumbling, gymnastics, and dance."" | |
| The tumblers and the dancer take your measure, and you do your best to let your warmth show through. | |
| ""Well, good on you,"" says Gitel with a nod as Aaron smiles. | |
| ""Perhaps we can work a few figures out together,"" says Moargen, arching his back. ""Can you show us a bit?""","You never need a second invitation to demonstrate a trick. You begin with a bit of waltzing and pretend to trip, before turning a series of somersaults instead and vaulting up into the waltz again as if nothing happened. | |
| Inspired by your skill, the tumblers begin a comic waltz themselves. Moargen comes over to waltz with you before similarly feigning a spill and flipping lithely back to his feet. ""Something on the floor here, I fear,"" he calls out in a deadpan. | |
| It's a relief to be welcomed by your fellow movers. [+Surety] The company seems pleased that a power struggle did not manifest itself—at least, not yet. [+Company]","""You mean now?"" You feel their eyes on you. | |
| Moargen frowns. ""If you like."" | |
| You decide to try a string of cartwheels, which go passably enough in that you don't brain yourself or kick Timshel in the teeth; but your stiffness belies your claim to be a master of movement. | |
| You can tell the other dancers, through their smiles, are protective of the quality of their work and not so keen to have you bringing it down. The rest of the company exchanges worried glances. An early power struggle between you will only make things more challenging. [-Company]","He does, and the group gasps with delight. The pieces swing on hidden hinges and the partially hollow egg inverts itself to transform into a chunky, neckless bird with dangling legs. Aitoko's eyes are alight with curiosity as he folds the pieces up and down again on their hinges, deconstructing it in his mind. | |
| ""As I said, it needs some polish, but I thought it could be an interesting gag in the right piece,"" you say. ""What do you think?"" | |
| ""At least you're not another mover,"" he quips as he claps you on the shoulder, drawing scandalized chuckles from the siblings and the dark-haired Moargen. | |
| You grin, relieved to have made a good impression on your fellow tinkerer. The company seems pleased that a power struggle did not manifest itself—at least, not yet. [+Company]", | |
| fool,Brentons,"['Brentons', 'Brenton']",83,5118,"actiscene1_festival_1247,actiscene2_farm_37,actiscene3_ruffinos_419,actiscene3_ruffinos_774,actiscene3_ruffinos_774,actiscene4_court_926,actiiscene1_royaltrip_200,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1068,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1086,actiiscene2_meetsaul_388,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1153,actiiscene3_graverobbers_426,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1617,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1810,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1838,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1818,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1840,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1878,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_177,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_186,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_468,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_549,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1207,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1370,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2543,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2748,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2796,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_768,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_920,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1216,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1831,banished_ending_1100,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1730,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1424,banished_ending_951,muse_elections_383,activscene1_coronation_688,epilogue_speech_236,activscene1_coronation_767,muse_elections_500,epilogue_speech_1,actiiiscene3_darkdays_450,activscene1_coronation_2724,activscene1_coronation_1763,activscene1_coronation_1751,activscene1_coronation_1771,activscene1_coronation_1779,activscene1_coronation_2868,activscene1_coronation_2844,activscene1_coronation_2423,epilogue_speech_543,activscene1_coronation_2564,muse_elections_925,activscene1_coronation_2507,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1727,muse_elections_901,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1464,activscene1_coronation_2617,activscene1_coronation_1986,activscene1_coronation_2069,activscene1_coronation_2372,epilogue_speech_496,activscene1_coronation_2329,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2504,activscene1_coronation_434,activscene1_coronation_996,activscene1_coronation_920,activscene1_coronation_942,activscene1_coronation_968,activscene1_coronation_1063,activscene1_coronation_1083,activscene1_coronation_1100,activscene1_coronation_1137,activscene1_coronation_1162,activscene1_coronation_1173,activscene1_coronation_1296,activscene1_coronation_1383,gramercy_treaty_373,activscene1_coronation_2943,activscene1_coronation_2947,activscene1_coronation_2950,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1903","Quicksilver, the treasured jester whose inspired artistry ever transcended the pettiness of Court. | |
| Generations ago, Brenton's King Theoden adored Quicksilver—the daughter of a foreign dignitary who delighted the crown so much with her youthful wit at her first state dinner that, nearly on the spot, the King requested her lifelong service as his licensed fool. | |
| A keen mind, exemplary physical control and command of a colossal repertoire were all hers to bring to the stage. Aloof in private life and possessed of no particular political dispositions, her focus was ever to divert and delight, never to divide. | |
| Her focus on pure technique rather than worldly wisdom and influence has been an inspiration during your independent training. [+Repertoire] [+Phlegm] [-Sagacity] | |
| There's something appealing about a performer whose undivided focus on her craft lets her achieve universal acclaim….","Your family manages to dredge up a living year after year on this plot of hilly earth a few hours' walk from Billingsley. The soil is not much for food crops (which is just as well, because given your mother's culinary handicap, your family is not much for eating). | |
| However, your father discovered that some quirk of moisture, minerals, and sunlight makes your acreage suited to bumper crops of deadly nightshade, crab's eye, foxglove, and more of nature's fatal foliage. Ever enterprising, he established your farm as the premier supplier of thoroughly toxic vegetation to all the nobly minded souls in the region with interest in such things: physicians, game hunters, and natural philosophers. | |
| When pressed on whether or not he was also likely supporting Brenton's assassins, murderers, horse-thieves, and suicides, he was wont to answer, ""Don't mind who they are, long as their coins clink."" The clinking of coins being notably connected, of course, to salvation in the hereafter.","""I must know,"" you say, clearing your throat after a moment's pause. ""Is His Grace the Duke genuinely seeking performers? Or are the stories about his search only taking your act as their source?"" | |
| ""Oh, no, Ruffino has real teams at work watching our fellow Brentons embarrass themselves,"" Wendell says. ""And he is seeing supplicants at his palace who care to try their luck."" | |
| It's a relief to be reassured that you did not break away from your family for a pure fantasy. ""Have any from the Bardbrood showed their skill and sought a position in the court?""","""A lute?"" you sneer. ""Come, come, real Brentons don't need such things to make music,"" | |
| ""Oh, don't they?"" she inquires, bringing the lute back to her arms. | |
| ""Hardly! The music of Brenton comes from the heart. Here,"" you say, accosting the nearest man and stuffing your hand down his collar. | |
| ""Steady on,"" the lutist says, frowning. | |
| You come up with your hand pulsing, as if holding a beating heart. ""See here? All we have to do is hollow this out—were you using this, by the way? We just hollow this out, and put in a bit of a valve, and voilà!"" You pantomime blowing into the heart and make a squawking sound with your lips. ""It's like bagpipes, with more blood and less charm,"" you grin. | |
| You continue in this madcap vein for minutes on end until even the lutist is chuckling. ""You're an absolute loon,"" she says, shaking her head. | |
| [i]You're the one who's completely forgotten you asked me to play the lute.[/i] You can't help but feel cheered and pleased with your cleverness as they invite you to join them around the fireside. You get the sense they'll remember you long after you part ways at sunup. [+Renown]","""A lute?"" you sneer. ""Come, come, real Brentons don't need such things to make music,"" | |
| ""Oh, don't they?"" she inquires, bringing the lute back to her arms. | |
| ""Hardly! The music of Brenton comes from the heart. Here,"" you say, accosting the nearest man and stuffing your hand down his collar. | |
| ""Steady on,"" the lutist says, frowning. | |
| You come up with your hand pulsing, as if holding a beating heart. ""See here? All we have to do is hollow this out—were you using this, by the way? We just hollow this out, and put in a bit of a valve, and voilà!"" You pantomime blowing into the heart and make a squawking sound with your lips. ""It's like bagpipes, with more blood and less charm,"" you grin. | |
| You continue in this madcap vein for minutes on end until even the lutist is chuckling. ""You're an absolute loon,"" she says, shaking her head. | |
| [i]You're the one who's completely forgotten you asked me to play the lute.[/i] You can't help but feel cheered and pleased with your cleverness as they invite you to join them around the fireside. You get the sense they'll remember you long after you part ways at sunup. [+Renown]", | |
| fool,Grace Duke Ruffino,"['Duke Ruffino', 'Ruffino', 'Grace Duke Ruffino']",81,5118,"actiscene2_farm_876,actiscene2_farm_1172,actiscene2_farm_952,actiscene2_farm_988,actiscene2_farm_996,actiscene2_farm_1007,actiscene2_farm_1062,actiscene2_farm_1083,actiscene3_ruffinos_299,actiscene3_ruffinos_419,actiscene3_ruffinos_503,actiscene3_ruffinos_518,actiscene3_ruffinos_526,actiscene3_ruffinos_563,actiscene3_ruffinos_909,actiscene3_ruffinos_730,actiscene3_ruffinos_954,actiscene3_ruffinos_1049,actiscene3_ruffinos_1531,actiscene4_court_92,actiscene4_court_926,actiscene4_court_1278,actiscene4_court_1580,actiscene4_court_1621,actiscene4_court_1641,actiscene4_court_1641,actiscene4_court_1896,actiscene4_court_2204,actiscene4_court_1974,actiscene4_court_2015,actiscene4_court_1937,actiscene4_court_1955,actiscene4_court_1984,actiscene4_court_2225,actiscene4_court_2279,actiscene4_court_1918,actiscene4_court_2006,actiscene4_court_2027,actiscene4_court_2161,actiscene4_court_2161,actiscene4_court_2416,actiiscene1_royaltrip_282,actiiscene1_royaltrip_306,actiiscene1_royaltrip_360,actiiscene1_royaltrip_364,actiiscene1_royaltrip_384,actiiscene1_royaltrip_458,actiiscene1_royaltrip_569,actiiscene1_royaltrip_833,actiiscene1_royaltrip_1109,actiiscene2_meetsaul_39,actiiscene2_meetsaul_57,actiiscene2_meetsaul_121,actiiscene2_meetsaul_200,actiiscene2_meetsaul_220,actiiscene2_meetsaul_502,actiiscene2_meetsaul_646,actiiscene2_meetsaul_747,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1054,actiiscene3_graverobbers_175,actiiscene3_graverobbers_238,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1219,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1219,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2403,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_968,banished_ending_458,banished_ending_475,banished_ending_519,banished_ending_531,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1069,writing_dream_325,writing_dream_383,muse_elections_856,writing_dream_700,banished_ending_12,activscene1_coronation_911,activscene1_coronation_953,activscene1_coronation_996,activscene1_coronation_1052,activscene1_coronation_1117,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2725","You look at him, and apparently your eyes form into question marks for he elaborates immediately: ""For Duke Ruffino's Court."" | |
| ""Duke Ruffino's Court?"" | |
| Luca blinks. ""The Duke's couriers were treading the festival all day, announcing that His Honor is seeking tumblers and japesters of all sorts. Food, lodgings, wardrobe, all of it provided. My dear cuz Mabletham packed a jug and loaf and beat feet then and there, and her only talent is making duck sounds, and only when wet."" | |
| You stare. | |
| ""She does manage a good likeness,"" he admits.","""I recently learned about a remarkable opportunity, and I wanted to see what you thought."" | |
| You share everything you've learned about Duke Ruffino's interest and hold back to hear their reaction. Gauging how they feel will help you be more thoughtful in how to proceed. [+Phlegm] | |
| ""You're asking what we think?"" your mother says, frowning. You nod.","Recite a long comic ode to keep my mind occupied. | |
| Best to use the time purposefully rather than let yourself stew about this business with Ruffino either way. [+Phlegm]","""A festive St. Grunion's Day to all, a bit late,"" you say with a dip of your head to the farmers. ""Did any of you travel to Billingsley, by any chance?"" | |
| ""I did,"" says a thick-shouldered man with a wide hat. | |
| ""How very fine! A friend of mine said she saw some of Duke Ruffino's staff wandering the grounds,"" you say, rubbing your forehead in perplexity. ""Whyever that should be the case, I'm hardly sure…."" | |
| ""It's simple,"" the farmer says, looking down his nose at you. ""I know just why…."" | |
| You join the rest of the gossips in focusing all your attention on the farmer. You're wise enough in the ways of people to know that giving him the opportunity to be the expert and set an outsider straight would get him talking.","""So…who has heard the latest about a certain nobleman?"" you say, slyly. | |
| You have their rapt attention immediately. | |
| ""A certain Duke we all know,"" you prompt again. | |
| ""What Duke?"" | |
| ""His name rhymes with…"" damned but you got yourself into a hole with that one, you realize. ""Rhymes with Ruffino, ha ha,"" you say, affecting a playful air. | |
| The farmers look at each other. ""What about him?"" a thick-shouldered man asks. ""What do you know?"" | |
| Perhaps this indirect line of questioning wasn't the wisest option after all. ""The question is…what do you know?"" | |
| The farmers scoff and mutter amongst themselves, ignoring you.", | |
| fool,Lord High Regent Bisqueath,"['Lord High Regent Bisqueath', 'Regent Bisqueath', 'Bisqueath']",66,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_1268,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1064,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1075,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1086,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1114,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1127,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1139,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1159,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1184,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1202,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1248,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1062,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1047,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1073,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1110,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1126,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1174,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1222,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1207,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2485,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_211,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_236,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_817,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_328,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_615,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_875,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_940,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_945,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_958,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_920,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1216,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_580,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1268,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1789,actiiiscene3_darkdays_970,activscene1_coronation_118,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1057,activscene1_coronation_146,actiiiscene3_darkdays_931,muse_elections_121,activscene1_coronation_564,activscene1_coronation_573,activscene1_coronation_578,activscene1_coronation_688,activscene1_coronation_593,activscene1_coronation_884,activscene1_coronation_890,activscene1_coronation_896,activscene1_coronation_610,activscene1_coronation_625,actiiiscene3_darkdays_615,actiiiscene3_darkdays_620,actiiiscene3_darkdays_675,activscene1_coronation_2610,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2475,epilogue_speech_496,activscene1_coronation_474,activscene1_coronation_3083,activscene1_coronation_1431,activscene1_coronation_1587,activscene1_coronation_1252,activscene1_coronation_1548,epilogue_speech_260,activscene1_coronation_2995,activscene1_coronation_3095,activscene1_coronation_3095","""Come, soldiers, here's a bonny washing-place for our well-traveled fool to take a soak,"" hollers out Lord Bisqueath. | |
| The courtiers howl, raucous as any peasant crowd, when they see what Bisqueath is indicating—a hogshead of ale, just outside the rectangular space bounded by the tables. | |
| ""I'm scarcely thirsty, though the thought is kind,"" you whisper to the guards at your shoulders. | |
| ""Dunk the dunce! Dunk the dunce! Dunk the dunce!"" | |
| You can scarcely blame the soldiers for following a direct order, when chanted dozens of times over by the highest nobility in all of Brenton. But it still doesn't make it any more pleasant to be hung upside-down in the barrel of small beer for what feels like the rest of the evening. | |
| A resounding success, you think, struggling not to pass out.","""What think you then, Lord Bisqueath,"" King Saul says, his quiet voice carrying across the hall as if by magic, ""of the youth?"" | |
| The grizzled noble with the enormous pendant who spoken before steeples his fingers. ""As the fool does seek to learn our ways, it is meet that we should conjure a taskmaster's battery,"" Bisqueath says, leaning forward against the table. ""By your leave,"" he adds, grinning in a way that does not please you. | |
| You look across the room to King Saul. An aide has just handed him a scroll to review—some edict or other—and he is preoccupied. He gives Bisqueath a single nod and the entire room turns its attention to you.","His Lordship's drunken animus is growing cruder; what's more, there are an unsettling number of hoots and whistles from the tables on either side, and looks that had seemed warm are now alight with wolfish smiles. | |
| A searching glance up to the dais shows King Saul enmeshed in his document and Queen Hero blowing languidly on her soup. Some in your audience may like you—but, as the moment lingers, you see none are bold enough to openly challenge the propriety of Bisqueath's request. | |
| Which means, you realize, that how you respond to this taskmaster's test is completely up to you. Lord…did Kenkle ever face such a room as this? | |
| ""Well, speak then, man,"" says Lord Bisqueath, rapping his knuckles impatiently on the tabletop.","You give your hair a bit of elegant primping; then, with a sudden jolt, playact having been pinched by a knavish crustacean. The laughter of the throng turns from the dark, controlling mirth Bisqueath seems to favor to a more honest appreciation of your talents. | |
| Even Bisqueath seems pleased that you took a more deferential tack; and no one can deny that you know how to move effectively. [+Renown] [+Bisqueath] | |
| At one point you note Kitty Harlowe regarding you with a curious look. She seems to be taking stock of the fact, when maligned by nobility, your impulse was to placate them. How she feels about that choice is not exactly clear, but she's certainly attending to it.","You know the gesture you wish to make, and can only hope your argument comes out clearly; sincere advice and argument are rarely your strong point. | |
| ""Your Highness, by your gracious leave, I am impugned by this besotted Lord. Lord Bisqueath seems to think me a whore smeared in fish entrails. If you do not speak out against thy subject's abuse, know that thy silence blesses the enterprise."" | |
| ""Shame, youth!"" Bisqueath speaks out, with a voice like a crossbow bolt. ""Shame, to speak and act the boor in absolute defiance of thy setting. None shall defile this dignified estate by speaking to our goodly monarch thus. Your Majesty, may I teach this youth his place?"" [-Bisqueath] | |
| King Saul just waves an impatient hand, displeased at being called away from his paperwork. [-Saul] As Bisqueath gestures for two guards to approach you, you fear your attempt at an honest petition was too brash and not wise enough in the manner of court. Something tells you you're about to have bigger regrets, however.", | |
| fool,Lady Gramercy,"['Lady Gramercy', 'Lad', 'Gramercy']",65,5118,"actiscene1_festival_178,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_690,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1022,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1024,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1126,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1135,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1168,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2467,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1367,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2554,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2554,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2563,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2563,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2571,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2586,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2589,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2593,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2612,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2643,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_97,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2703,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2715,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2318,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_215,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_668,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_678,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_764,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_708,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_768,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_779,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_805,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_630,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2957,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_903,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_920,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2965,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1267,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2967,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1271,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1282,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1286,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1319,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1567,muse_elections_379,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1117,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1144,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1111,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1114,gramercy_treaty_7,gramercy_treaty_26,banished_ending_85,gramercy_treaty_63,gramercy_treaty_80,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2062,gramercy_treaty_206,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1613,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1621,gramercy_treaty_303,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1670,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1417,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1492,activscene1_coronation_1993,activscene1_coronation_2046,activscene1_coronation_2372","Some tumbling. | |
| You elect to show them your range by demonstrating something quite different that you've worked on. | |
| ""If you'll pardon me, gravies and lentilmen,"" you say, affecting a popinjay's whine, ""my consommé is in dire need of fresh herbs."" | |
| You take a quick breath and pitch forward onto your palms, shooting your soles to the sky. The audience gasps as you hold the handstand steady as a post. | |
| ""I like to get close to nature,"" you explain, nose in the grass. ""Let us see…."" | |
| You begin ripping out fistfuls of grass and tossing them to the side, your muscles throbbing as you rock onto one arm, then the other. ""Summer savory, thyme, sage—ah! Tobacco, perfect for that smoky flavor."" | |
| You can see many pairs of upside-down legs stopping to watch. ""Splendid,"" you squeal, ""that's all the herbs I need!…oh dear."" | |
| There is a moment of silence. | |
| ""Lad,"" you hiss to the youngest of the Hutchins. ""Lad?"" | |
| ""What is it?"" he says, a giggle in the back of his throat as he crouches to try to look you in the eye. | |
| ""I'm stuck,"" you hiss, wiggling your toes. | |
| The crowd chuckles as you cajole the boy into giving your feet a push. As you flip back to standing with a series of handsprings, a smattering of applause breaks out. All the cuts and scrapes and sores from hours of calisthenics may have been worth it after all. [+Conditioning]","""Well,"" says King Saul after an interminable pause. ""For service rendered, owed it seems thou art an expression of our royal gratitude."" | |
| Another silence follows. | |
| Was that it? you wonder. Or will they continue to owe me until the expression is voiced at a future time? | |
| ""Happy indeed to be of service,"" you say, bobbing your head a tick. | |
| Queen Hero brushes her knees free of nothing. ""Good my fool, as heard I'm sure you have, Lady Gramercy and all her train of nobles from the north are on their way for feasts and honors from their gracious Throne…small recompense for the warlike sacrifices they made to help us win the Flenish Wars."" | |
| ""And much has yet to be prepared indeed."" | |
| ""In truth, we do have much to yet prepare,"" the Queen echoes King Saul's murmured excuse, a bit lamely. | |
| They all stare at you another moment before you figure out that you're being given the boot. ""By'r leave, then, your eminent Majesties.""",but with your appearance before the Court and the visiting Gramercy clan but days away you can't brook the distraction.,"but with the Gramercy clan on their way, you'd be better served finding a way to put yourself forward in the palace rather than dwelling on a fellow thespian's rudeness.","""True enough, m'lord,"" you shrug. Wherever is the gentleman going? | |
| He burnishes his starry amulet as he explains that His Majesty and Lady Gramercy are likely to engage in some discussion about the spoils resultant from the victorious Flenish Wars, which naturally touches on affairs of the Treasury in which, as Brenton's chief taxmaster, he has a keen interest. | |
| ""Participant I'll be in open talks, but sure as sunrise 'twill be [i]tête-à-têtes[/i] between our gentle King and fiery guest that no ears save their own will ever mark."" He presses his hand against the wall and sighs. ""If past affairs have taught me aught about our noble King, then I would bet ten pounds that 'tis in intimate exchange he might be swayed."" | |
| ""Beg your pardon, but swayed how?"" | |
| ""Into some deal injurious to the Crown,"" Bisqueath says, ""'twill mortgage future strength for present calm."" | |
| He steps closer and puts two meaty hands on your shoulders. ""All I ask, young fool, is that you help me do my duty to the realm my best,"" he says. ""Say yes that thou will be my eyes and ears, and give intelligence on what is being said between our King and Hotfoot and her train, as much as thou can muster."" | |
| You take a moment to process what's being requested.", | |
| fool,Millicent,['Millicent'],65,5118,"actiscene4_court_119,actiscene4_court_124,actiscene4_court_132,actiscene4_court_158,actiscene4_court_182,actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_256,actiscene4_court_385,actiscene4_court_273,actiscene4_court_334,actiscene4_court_452,actiscene4_court_276,actiscene4_court_282,actiscene4_court_364,actiscene4_court_401,actiscene4_court_406,actiscene4_court_411,actiscene4_court_419,actiscene4_court_425,actiscene4_court_438,actiscene4_court_445,actiscene4_court_456,actiscene4_court_464,actiscene4_court_477,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_623,actiscene4_court_629,actiscene4_court_640,actiscene4_court_511,actiscene4_court_535,actiscene4_court_547,actiscene4_court_745,actiscene4_court_791,actiscene4_court_1049,actiscene4_court_1073,actiscene4_court_1105,actiscene4_court_1119,actiscene4_court_1175,actiscene4_court_1204,actiscene4_court_1269,actiscene4_court_1478,actiscene4_court_1571,actiscene4_court_1609,actiscene4_court_1626,actiscene4_court_1719,actiscene4_court_1724,actiscene4_court_1733,actiscene4_court_1749,actiscene4_court_1758,actiscene4_court_2161,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_74,actiiscene1_royaltrip_162,actiiscene1_royaltrip_183,actiiscene1_royaltrip_600,actiiscene1_royaltrip_609,actiiscene1_royaltrip_612,actiiscene1_royaltrip_615,actiiscene1_royaltrip_618,actiiscene1_royaltrip_799,actiiscene2_meetsaul_704,actiiscene2_meetsaul_714,actiiscene3_graverobbers_266,muse_elections_38,muse_elections_3","""Have you been with the company long?"" | |
| ""Oof…Nigh eighteen year?"" Joan says with a frown. Gilbert nods confirmation. | |
| ""T'weren't much of a company to speak of in the early days. Just us, Millicent, and Timshel. The Duke kept a fair sober court."" | |
| ""Millicent be th'orator,"" Gilbert elaborates as he tunes his strings. ""Fine voice."" | |
| ""And Timshel been the fool quite some time. Afore us, even.""","""Any advice for a new player?"" | |
| ""God's honest?"" Joan points her instrument right at your nose. ""Find your fief."" | |
| You blink. ""…My fief?"" | |
| ""Find your fief and rule it. Malodoro wants spectacle, but she don't know what it means. My advice if you want to stay? Stake out a place, show what makes you special, and you keep doing that better than anyone else."" | |
| ""Oh, and don't pick pipin', 'coz we're right set there,"" she adds, trilling at you with the cornett. ""And Millicent's the speechifier, and Timshel's the fool, a'course."" | |
| ""Balderhogs,"" Gilbert puts in. ""Take it from a man who's only got one skill in life: you want options. Not a one of us knows what's doing here. If you can pop in wherever you're needed, that's what'll make you valuable."" | |
| ""You contrary cuss,"" she chides. ""Now the poor thing has two old dolts to ignore."" | |
| She brushes her hair out of her eyes and leans closer to you. ""You'll find your way, young Fleance. Do what feels right for you and let the rest of us hang.""","""Do you know what a Lurker is supposed to do, exactly?"" | |
| ""A what?"" | |
| You explain Malodoro's description from the previous night, and the musicians look at each other in confusion. ""Can't say as we've had such a one before…."" | |
| ""Used to be one o' the seamstresses would pop by of an evening t'mend the worst of the jackets and all,"" Joan goes on, waving a hand vaguely at the wall of outfits. ""I s'pose you could take that on?"" | |
| ""When it was just us two on music, and Millicent for speeches and Timshel for the…the whole jester bit, we'd each take care of ourselves,"" Gilbert thinks aloud. | |
| ""Maybe we do need a savvy soul a-lurkin' round us now, makin' sure we can all hit our marks for His Grace. How's your sheepdog act, then?"" Joan says with a wink.","Just then, a heavy-shouldered woman with a red bonnet wanders into the room. From her gait and her gray she has about five years on either of the musicians. You must seem a swaddled babe to them…. | |
| ""Millicent, there,"" says Joan, pointing appreciatively with her pipe. ""Can give a speech like to set your bones afire, that one."" | |
| ""We dug up another new one today, old Millicent,"" Gilbert calls out, pointing his chin at you. | |
| Millicent blinks at you, bows her head slightly, and turns away, murmuring [i]sotto voce[/i]. | |
| ""Practicing, you know,"" explains Joan, wetting her reed with her lips.","A dark-skinned man with long, beaded mustachios shuffles in next, closer to the ages of Joan and Gilbert than the rest of the young company. You follow him with your eyes, never having seen someone from the Fein Empire in person before. He carries a satchel of scarves and trinkets and mutters to himself as he takes inventory. Millicent the orator tells him something you cannot make out as they cross paths and his dour face lights up. He waggles his fingers and mutters back and she bursts into laughter, shaking her head. | |
| Musicians…an orator…tumblers…a dancer…and an illusionist, you think, scanning the room.", | |
| fool,Sir Jaundyce,"['Sir Jaundyce', 'Jaundyce']",60,5118,"actiscene1_festival_522,actiscene1_festival_527,actiscene1_festival_613,actiscene1_festival_620,actiscene1_festival_628,actiscene1_festival_648,actiscene1_festival_670,actiscene1_festival_726,actiscene1_festival_829,actiscene1_festival_834,actiscene1_festival_834,actiscene1_festival_839,actiscene1_festival_688,actiscene1_festival_694,actiscene1_festival_707,actiscene1_festival_712,actiscene1_festival_716,actiscene1_festival_736,actiscene1_festival_742,actiscene1_festival_749,actiscene1_festival_757,actiscene1_festival_767,actiscene1_festival_779,actiscene1_festival_804,actiscene1_festival_812,actiscene1_festival_845,actiscene1_festival_853,actiscene1_festival_868,actiscene1_festival_876,actiscene1_festival_876,actiscene1_festival_921,actiscene1_festival_1149,actiscene1_festival_943,actiscene1_festival_932,actiscene1_festival_977,actiscene1_festival_1006,actiscene1_festival_1031,actiscene1_festival_1107,actiscene1_festival_1162,actiscene1_festival_1166,actiscene1_festival_899,actiscene1_festival_904,actiscene1_festival_912,actiscene1_festival_912,actiscene1_festival_987,actiscene1_festival_997,actiscene1_festival_1012,actiscene1_festival_1023,actiscene1_festival_1044,actiscene1_festival_1056,actiscene1_festival_1071,actiscene1_festival_1130,actiscene1_festival_1138,actiscene1_festival_1197,actiscene2_farm_332,actiscene2_farm_622,actiscene2_farm_632,actiscene2_farm_778,actiscene2_farm_870,actiiscene3_graverobbers_435","You are nearing the end of your prepared material when a noisy clatter behind you attracts your attention. You flick a glance over your shoulder and are startled to see a thickly built man stumbling towards you. | |
| He is partially armored, like a knight whose squire left in a huff just before the joust. Boiled leather greaves and boots in the dark green of Ponteroy province deck his stout legs and a chainmail cowl rests on his head and neck, but his torso is quite scandalously informal in a long woolen undershirt. | |
| You remember him in a flash—Sir Jaundyce, an itinerant knight who joined a provincial campaign against Flenish spies a year ago and lingered in the area after the fighting was done. | |
| It does not escape you that he has a dirk sheathed at his waist and holds a wicked mace low at his side.","""There you are,"" Jaundyce says, eyes narrowing. There is a bilious unsteadiness to his movements and, you note, a spatter of wine across his shirt. ""There you are, Fontybelle…."" | |
| He advances. The crowd shuffles away from you; you take a step back as well, hands raised. | |
| ""Sir, my name is not Fontybelle."" | |
| Jaundyce spits on the ground and continues to advance. | |
| ""You are the man Fontybelle,"" he says.","""Fleance, which is a far cry from Fontybelle, by my reckoning."" | |
| The crowd titters nervously. You realize that in their eyes, this encounter is still a part of your performance; you are, however, far from certain that Sir Jaundyce is a trustworthy scene partner. | |
| ""Enough, scamp,"" the knight says, planting his significant feet and jabbing a finger in what for the sake of argument can be called your direction. ""You have wronged me and you must answer for it.""","""If thou'rt insistent I should answer for it, at least let me know the question…."" | |
| Sir Jaundyce blinks, evidently having some trouble following. He shakes his head and scowls. ""You exfoliated with my dog.""","You blink. ""I'm quite certain I would have remembered that,"" you deadpan, pleasing the audience. That one was for free. | |
| Sir Jaundyce kicks a clod of earth at you. ""Villain, my dog was at my feet when I reclined some hour-and-a-half ago. In my alert slumber—for I always sleep with eyes cocked—I saw you approach and heard noise of barking. I know 'twas you for I saw that hat looming above me. | |
| ""I demand you 'linquish my hound at once, sirrah, or taste my blade."" He hefts his mace with a bloodshot glare.", | |
| fool,McKenna,['McKenna'],57,5118,"actiscene2_farm_41,actiscene2_farm_49,actiscene2_farm_54,actiscene2_farm_87,actiscene2_farm_90,actiscene2_farm_95,actiscene2_farm_239,actiscene2_farm_245,actiscene2_farm_264,actiscene2_farm_279,actiscene2_farm_280,actiscene2_farm_288,actiscene2_farm_293,actiscene2_farm_364,actiscene2_farm_656,actiscene2_farm_698,actiscene2_farm_300,actiscene2_farm_315,actiscene2_farm_325,actiscene2_farm_340,actiscene2_farm_353,actiscene2_farm_373,actiscene2_farm_717,actiscene2_farm_795,actiscene2_farm_730,actiscene2_farm_737,actiscene2_farm_758,actiscene2_farm_788,actiscene2_farm_803,actiscene2_farm_810,actiscene2_farm_403,actiscene2_farm_930,banished_ending_689,banished_ending_695,banished_ending_700,banished_ending_711,banished_ending_716,banished_ending_733,banished_ending_739,banished_ending_747,banished_ending_752,banished_ending_763,banished_ending_767,banished_ending_804,banished_ending_808,activscene1_coronation_2402,activscene1_coronation_2408,activscene1_coronation_2415,activscene1_coronation_2423,activscene1_coronation_2441,activscene1_coronation_2452,activscene1_coronation_2462,activscene1_coronation_2471,activscene1_coronation_2501,banished_ending_571,banished_ending_574,activscene1_coronation_3087","The saving grace of selling an exotic crop to an exotic audience was that there was money to spare, from time to time, and your parents (to their great credit) invested it in education for their offspring. Not for you, of course, but for your sister McKenna, the firstborn, in an effort to increase her marriageability. | |
| You shift your hands against the bowl of potato scraps, smiling as you think back to McKenna's early tutoring sessions. Without fail, you would abandon your duties whenever the tutor came 'round and hide where you could listen in on the lessons. You particularly loved:","Picking up etiquette, manners, and courtly dance. | |
| McKenna had a surprising affinity for making curtsies and setting tables, so the tutor often obliged her interests with long discourses on the codes of high society. You soaked up the knowledge as well, envisioning yourself in a hall of gentles and ladies, charming them with your voice and [i]bon mots[/i] when you cared to and delighting them with wickedly ribald tales as the mood struck you. | |
| The number of mock balls you attended in the field behind the barn, perfecting your footwork in [i]pas de deux[/i] with rakes, holding court with rocks and stumps…. [+Repertoire] [+Conditioning]","Exploring engineering, mathematics, and craftsmanship. | |
| The tutor's mathematical lessons always involved the most exciting gear: a sack of colorful blocks of all shapes and sizes; prisms and protractors; a gaily painted abacus and a rusty old merchant's scale. You would have given anything to get your hands directly on the materials, as McKenna could. | |
| Instead, you assembled your own collection of like-sized stones and whittled tools to drill the half-remembered lessons on your own, learning how to fashion the shapes in your mind into images and objects for all to see. [+Stagecraft]",I'll look for my sister McKenna in the barn.,"If there's interesting work to be had anywhere, it'll be in the barn. McKenna is likely there right now. A bit of sibling time could hardly go amiss. [+Blood]", | |
| fool,Bardbrooders,"['Bardbrood', 'Bard', 'Bardbrooders']",51,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_358,actiscene3_ruffinos_419,actiscene3_ruffinos_431,actiscene4_court_511,actiscene4_court_856,actiiscene1_royaltrip_90,actiiscene1_royaltrip_124,actiiscene1_royaltrip_193,actiiscene1_royaltrip_235,actiiscene2_meetsaul_719,actiiscene3_graverobbers_757,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1256,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1126,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1185,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1190,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1239,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1246,banished_ending_127,banished_ending_975,banished_ending_1100,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3205,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3209,banished_ending_819,muse_elections_129,muse_elections_401,muse_elections_146,muse_elections_161,muse_elections_430,banished_ending_853,banished_ending_855,activscene1_coronation_767,muse_elections_444,activscene1_coronation_2868,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2013,activscene1_coronation_1886,muse_elections_867,muse_elections_873,muse_elections_925,muse_elections_939,muse_elections_901,activscene1_coronation_2610,muse_elections_210,activscene1_coronation_2335,muse_elections_248,activscene1_coronation_460,muse_elections_3,activscene1_coronation_1117,activscene1_coronation_1192,activscene1_coronation_1259,activscene1_coronation_1267,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3353","helping the soldier pull a chest from within the elm tree. [i]I wonder what else these squirrels have stashed therein,[/i] you marvel as they open the chest to reveal bits of costume. He gives a nod to the courtier, who comes over to you as she takes off her outer garb. | |
| ""The Bardbrood's a society, I suppose you'd say, for artists who don't mind a spot of trouble,"" she winks. ""I'm sure you ken that writing the wrong pamphlet or staging the wrong play can send you to the gallows, if you're taking swipes at powers-that-be all alone. The Bardbrood helps the work get out and the artists stay safe and secret."" | |
| ""Our Crown Prince here is ever so keen on secrecy, you can tell,"" the soldier joshes him. | |
| The soldier by this time has disrobed to his bare chest and trousers, and is reaching for a simple tunic. The one-time courtier is in a thin shift and hose and accepts a blouse that Wendell tosses her.","""I must know,"" you say, clearing your throat after a moment's pause. ""Is His Grace the Duke genuinely seeking performers? Or are the stories about his search only taking your act as their source?"" | |
| ""Oh, no, Ruffino has real teams at work watching our fellow Brentons embarrass themselves,"" Wendell says. ""And he is seeing supplicants at his palace who care to try their luck."" | |
| It's a relief to be reassured that you did not break away from your family for a pure fantasy. ""Have any from the Bardbrood showed their skill and sought a position in the court?""","""I'm sharing these secrets because you're the only soul yet to discern that what you saw was theatrics, which means you have an artist's eye,"" Wendell says, more in tones of an aged professor than a peer no more than two years your senior. ""But I certainly don't expect you to understand yet the value of the Bardbrood's work."" | |
| You look at the three of them, trying to decide how you feel about the whole affair.","""This a game called 'Bard's Fancy,'"" you say a moment later, recalling a yarn-spinning game you devised last summer with other fanciful children in the valley. | |
| One member, you explain, is to be the Bard and weave a story extempore. ""The Bard,"" you tell Millicent, to whom you have appointed the role, ""delivers one line at a time, while others in the company pantomime the action."" | |
| ""We act out what she says,"" gorgeous Moargen confirms, glancing to the tumblers and the illusionist. | |
| ""And at intervals, a new Bard may step in,"" you suggest, indicating yourself and Timshel. With a nod to Joan and Gilbert, you finish, ""the effect is greatly enhanced by musicality."" | |
| ""How droll!"" laughs Timshel, twirling in place. ""Do begin, Millicent, do!"" | |
| As Joan and Gilbert pick up their instruments, you see an appreciative light dawning in their eyes. Millicent similarly gives you a smile, and you wink at her. It may not be a rehearsal, but at least your game lets the company practice the skills that matter to them, instead of vocalizing and running in place for hours more. | |
| As the Bard begins her tale there is a renewed energy in the room, and—you are so bold to believe—a bit more respect in the manner with which the company regards you. [+Company] [+Surety]","Dinnertime is nigh, and you move for the feast halls as one unit. As you travel, you position yourself next to Aaron and Gitel. There's a question been lurking in your mind all day, and you ken that you'll have less risk looking foolish asking it of your same-aged peers. | |
| ""I was wondering, o partners in pageantry, what you could tell me of the Bardbrood."" | |
| Gitel shrugs. ""We've a chapter here in Port Covens. If you're ever after a nap, go attend one of their meetings and it'll put you right out. Unless you like talking about the ethics of costumery and the impermanence of memory or some such clabtrapple."" | |
| ""Not enough drums,"" Aaron puts in. | |
| ""Not a single drum, too right. They stage good work, though, now and again. Most of it is a little too torches-and-pitchforks for me, but The Muse sent a show our way some years ago,"" she says, preening a bit. | |
| ""And who's The Muse, then?"" | |
| They look at you. ""Only the cleverest visionary running in all Brenton,"" Gitel explains. ""If the Bardbrood had a monarch, The Muse would be it. Always something to say, and always presented in just a brilliant way."" | |
| ""That last show had words aplenty, but also spectacle like you wouldn't believe. Moved me to tears, and I haven't cried since the day I was born,"" Aaron boasts. | |
| ""Stop putting on airs. You shed a few last night when you dropped your spice bun and the dog ate it."" | |
| They fall into squabbling, leaving you to process what you've learned.", | |
| fool,Lady Hotfoot,"['Hotfoot', 'Lady Hotfoot', 'Ho']",50,5118,"actiiiscene1_hotfoot_906,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1126,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1163,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1168,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1207,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2554,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2563,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2571,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2622,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_97,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2703,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_660,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2836,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2766,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2813,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_708,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_731,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_738,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_788,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3197,actiiiscene3_darkdays_85,actiiiscene3_darkdays_130,actiiiscene3_darkdays_147,gramercy_treaty_7,gramercy_treaty_26,gramercy_treaty_32,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1884,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1946,gramercy_treaty_115,gramercy_treaty_121,gramercy_treaty_121,gramercy_treaty_127,gramercy_treaty_134,gramercy_treaty_150,gramercy_treaty_208,gramercy_treaty_210,gramercy_treaty_210,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1364,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1613,gramercy_treaty_278,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1621,gramercy_treaty_288,gramercy_treaty_303,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1417,muse_elections_199,muse_elections_201,activscene1_coronation_2372,activscene1_coronation_1584,gramercy_treaty_366,gramercy_treaty_342","[i]Hi, Ho, Jesterel[/i] | |
| [i]The worm-fool of the dell![/i]""","""True enough, m'lord,"" you shrug. Wherever is the gentleman going? | |
| He burnishes his starry amulet as he explains that His Majesty and Lady Gramercy are likely to engage in some discussion about the spoils resultant from the victorious Flenish Wars, which naturally touches on affairs of the Treasury in which, as Brenton's chief taxmaster, he has a keen interest. | |
| ""Participant I'll be in open talks, but sure as sunrise 'twill be [i]tête-à-têtes[/i] between our gentle King and fiery guest that no ears save their own will ever mark."" He presses his hand against the wall and sighs. ""If past affairs have taught me aught about our noble King, then I would bet ten pounds that 'tis in intimate exchange he might be swayed."" | |
| ""Beg your pardon, but swayed how?"" | |
| ""Into some deal injurious to the Crown,"" Bisqueath says, ""'twill mortgage future strength for present calm."" | |
| He steps closer and puts two meaty hands on your shoulders. ""All I ask, young fool, is that you help me do my duty to the realm my best,"" he says. ""Say yes that thou will be my eyes and ears, and give intelligence on what is being said between our King and Hotfoot and her train, as much as thou can muster."" | |
| You take a moment to process what's being requested.","""Certain fooling customs are held dearly by these nobles and their licensed fool, a scamp named Baggage, whom Hotfoot favors well. These customs, youth, will catch thee unawares; thou wish'st to look a fool, and not an ass, correct? Then you must mark me when I say that, as the champion of Good King Saul's honor when thou tak'st the wicked stage, you'd do well to learn what thou wilt face."" | |
| He adjusts the buttons of his coat. ""My knowledge of these customs I will share,"" he says casually, ""so long as you agree in courteous style to learn what King and Hotfoot do discuss and share the sense with me."" | |
| You feel the confines of the room tightly, as if the world is tunneling in on this moment. You surprise yourself with the steadiness of your breathing as His Lordship continues to regard you, fingers patiently interlaced.","""Far be't from me to second-guess the Throne, but when I learned that thou wast called to Court only to be tossed aside with but a 'Thanks,' it seemed to me a wasted chance indeed!"" He tilts his head in pity. ""Well, I have no small sway in whom I choose to join my retinue in these events; and warmly will I call thee to attend the feast where Hotfoot will be hailed a Royal friend."" | |
| Lord Bisqueath looks at you for a silent moment, letting the idea rest in the air between you. ""Think of that stage, Fleance,"" he whispers. ""Think thou of the audience will be there, and what could mean to win their favor'd eyes. If ever hadst ambition, thou must see what being present there could mean for thee."" | |
| He gives you a gentle squeeze on the arm. ""Say thou'lt make small notes on what Our King and Lady Gramercy might say in conversations some might style as a [i]tête-à-tête[/i]; and, in return, to thee I'll open up a grander world of decorated fame."" | |
| You feel the confines of the room tightly, as if the world is tunneling in on this moment. You surprise yourself with the steadiness of your breathing as His Lordship continues to regard you, fingers patiently interlaced.","Bisqueath proceeds to fill you in that, when Northerners like Lady Hotfoot feast and do business with other clans, 'tis customary for the first night to involve a grand ""Duel of Fools."" | |
| ""As gladiators of old, you and the Gramercys' fool, Baggage, will share a stage and demonstrate whose wit or thespian acumen reigns supreme."" He pulls a face. ""A raucous affair, to be sure, with insults and quips hurtled quick as can be. A carefully spelled-out message is the key to bringing victory and honor to your house. Some fools build up their own masters' graces; others tear down the reputations of the stately guests; others simply limit themselves to [i]ad hominem[/i] broadsides against the other fool. | |
| ""Think carefully about how thou'lt carry thyself, for thou shalt scarcely find thyself on a more consequential stage."" | |
| You're certainly glad to know that the event is going to thrust you front and center as a champion competing for the honor of Brenton's throne. Much better to walk into that with eyes open, you think. | |
| If Bisqueath's information is at all accurate, you'll be grateful for it. It remains to be seen if it'll be worth the price he's asked you to pay….", | |
| fool,Joan,['Joan'],48,5118,"actiscene4_court_114,actiscene4_court_119,actiscene4_court_124,actiscene4_court_132,actiscene4_court_142,actiscene4_court_150,actiscene4_court_158,actiscene4_court_182,actiscene4_court_188,actiscene4_court_334,actiscene4_court_327,actiscene4_court_477,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_511,actiscene4_court_523,actiscene4_court_547,actiscene4_court_762,actiscene4_court_827,actiscene4_court_976,actiscene4_court_987,actiscene4_court_1022,actiscene4_court_1105,actiscene4_court_1119,actiscene4_court_1315,actiscene4_court_1318,actiscene4_court_1320,actiscene4_court_1322,actiscene4_court_1571,actiscene4_court_1586,actiscene4_court_1626,actiscene4_court_1781,actiscene4_court_1788,actiscene4_court_1838,actiscene4_court_2199,actiscene4_court_2204,actiscene4_court_2213,actiscene4_court_2261,actiscene4_court_2221,actiscene4_court_2225,actiiscene1_royaltrip_594,banished_ending_458,activscene1_coronation_1117,activscene1_coronation_1129,activscene1_coronation_1159,activscene1_coronation_1137,activscene1_coronation_1146,activscene1_coronation_1162,activscene1_coronation_1215","The musicians, cousins Gilbert and Joan, seem pleasant enough as they lead you to a high-ceilinged room lit with standing torches. The back wall is lined with weathered armoires, trunks, and racks of outlandish hats, jackets, capes and cameos. Your heart leaps ahead several beats. | |
| ""The rehearsal room,"" Gilbert announces, strumming a wry little fanfare. Joan gives a single honk on the cornett and laughs. | |
| For now, you seem to be the only ones here.","""Have you been with the company long?"" | |
| ""Oof…Nigh eighteen year?"" Joan says with a frown. Gilbert nods confirmation. | |
| ""T'weren't much of a company to speak of in the early days. Just us, Millicent, and Timshel. The Duke kept a fair sober court."" | |
| ""Millicent be th'orator,"" Gilbert elaborates as he tunes his strings. ""Fine voice."" | |
| ""And Timshel been the fool quite some time. Afore us, even.""","""Any advice for a new player?"" | |
| ""God's honest?"" Joan points her instrument right at your nose. ""Find your fief."" | |
| You blink. ""…My fief?"" | |
| ""Find your fief and rule it. Malodoro wants spectacle, but she don't know what it means. My advice if you want to stay? Stake out a place, show what makes you special, and you keep doing that better than anyone else."" | |
| ""Oh, and don't pick pipin', 'coz we're right set there,"" she adds, trilling at you with the cornett. ""And Millicent's the speechifier, and Timshel's the fool, a'course."" | |
| ""Balderhogs,"" Gilbert puts in. ""Take it from a man who's only got one skill in life: you want options. Not a one of us knows what's doing here. If you can pop in wherever you're needed, that's what'll make you valuable."" | |
| ""You contrary cuss,"" she chides. ""Now the poor thing has two old dolts to ignore."" | |
| She brushes her hair out of her eyes and leans closer to you. ""You'll find your way, young Fleance. Do what feels right for you and let the rest of us hang.""","""Do you know what a Lurker is supposed to do, exactly?"" | |
| ""A what?"" | |
| You explain Malodoro's description from the previous night, and the musicians look at each other in confusion. ""Can't say as we've had such a one before…."" | |
| ""Used to be one o' the seamstresses would pop by of an evening t'mend the worst of the jackets and all,"" Joan goes on, waving a hand vaguely at the wall of outfits. ""I s'pose you could take that on?"" | |
| ""When it was just us two on music, and Millicent for speeches and Timshel for the…the whole jester bit, we'd each take care of ourselves,"" Gilbert thinks aloud. | |
| ""Maybe we do need a savvy soul a-lurkin' round us now, makin' sure we can all hit our marks for His Grace. How's your sheepdog act, then?"" Joan says with a wink.","""What's His Grace the Duke like?"" | |
| ""Well, he's…"" | |
| Gilbert looks over at Joan, who takes a sudden interest in practicing her arpeggios. | |
| ""He's…he's a cultured man,"" Gilbert says, not looking up. ""Learned, you know. He, ah…he's…you know where you stand, with him. You always know how he's feeling."" | |
| ""Quite an honor to perform for him, I've always said,"" Joan puts in. | |
| ""Quite an honor, yes. Quite honoring."" | |
| And with that they both fall silent. | |
| You open your mouth, looking back and forth between them, then close it again. What on Earth was all that supposed to mean?", | |
| fool,Gilbert,['Gilbert'],44,5118,"actiscene4_court_114,actiscene4_court_119,actiscene4_court_124,actiscene4_court_132,actiscene4_court_138,actiscene4_court_142,actiscene4_court_150,actiscene4_court_158,actiscene4_court_182,actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_385,actiscene4_court_334,actiscene4_court_477,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_570,actiscene4_court_511,actiscene4_court_573,actiscene4_court_762,actiscene4_court_819,actiscene4_court_827,actiscene4_court_976,actiscene4_court_987,actiscene4_court_1022,actiscene4_court_1586,actiscene4_court_1626,actiscene4_court_1781,actiscene4_court_1788,actiscene4_court_1838,actiscene4_court_2199,actiscene4_court_2204,actiscene4_court_2213,actiscene4_court_2261,actiscene4_court_2221,actiscene4_court_2225,actiscene4_court_2265,actiiscene1_royaltrip_594,banished_ending_458,activscene1_coronation_1117,activscene1_coronation_1129,activscene1_coronation_1159,activscene1_coronation_1137,activscene1_coronation_1146,activscene1_coronation_1162,activscene1_coronation_1215","The musicians, cousins Gilbert and Joan, seem pleasant enough as they lead you to a high-ceilinged room lit with standing torches. The back wall is lined with weathered armoires, trunks, and racks of outlandish hats, jackets, capes and cameos. Your heart leaps ahead several beats. | |
| ""The rehearsal room,"" Gilbert announces, strumming a wry little fanfare. Joan gives a single honk on the cornett and laughs. | |
| For now, you seem to be the only ones here.","""Have you been with the company long?"" | |
| ""Oof…Nigh eighteen year?"" Joan says with a frown. Gilbert nods confirmation. | |
| ""T'weren't much of a company to speak of in the early days. Just us, Millicent, and Timshel. The Duke kept a fair sober court."" | |
| ""Millicent be th'orator,"" Gilbert elaborates as he tunes his strings. ""Fine voice."" | |
| ""And Timshel been the fool quite some time. Afore us, even.""","""Any advice for a new player?"" | |
| ""God's honest?"" Joan points her instrument right at your nose. ""Find your fief."" | |
| You blink. ""…My fief?"" | |
| ""Find your fief and rule it. Malodoro wants spectacle, but she don't know what it means. My advice if you want to stay? Stake out a place, show what makes you special, and you keep doing that better than anyone else."" | |
| ""Oh, and don't pick pipin', 'coz we're right set there,"" she adds, trilling at you with the cornett. ""And Millicent's the speechifier, and Timshel's the fool, a'course."" | |
| ""Balderhogs,"" Gilbert puts in. ""Take it from a man who's only got one skill in life: you want options. Not a one of us knows what's doing here. If you can pop in wherever you're needed, that's what'll make you valuable."" | |
| ""You contrary cuss,"" she chides. ""Now the poor thing has two old dolts to ignore."" | |
| She brushes her hair out of her eyes and leans closer to you. ""You'll find your way, young Fleance. Do what feels right for you and let the rest of us hang.""","""Do you know what a Lurker is supposed to do, exactly?"" | |
| ""A what?"" | |
| You explain Malodoro's description from the previous night, and the musicians look at each other in confusion. ""Can't say as we've had such a one before…."" | |
| ""Used to be one o' the seamstresses would pop by of an evening t'mend the worst of the jackets and all,"" Joan goes on, waving a hand vaguely at the wall of outfits. ""I s'pose you could take that on?"" | |
| ""When it was just us two on music, and Millicent for speeches and Timshel for the…the whole jester bit, we'd each take care of ourselves,"" Gilbert thinks aloud. | |
| ""Maybe we do need a savvy soul a-lurkin' round us now, makin' sure we can all hit our marks for His Grace. How's your sheepdog act, then?"" Joan says with a wink.","""Do you want to see a trick?"" | |
| ""No."" | |
| ""Can't say that I do,"" agrees Gilbert, not even looking up as he plucks out a scale. | |
| Right then. You brush your hands on your sides.", | |
| fool,Elder Raphael,"['Elder Raphael', 'Raphael']",40,5118,"actiiscene1_royaltrip_609,actiiscene1_royaltrip_615,actiiscene1_royaltrip_618,actiiscene2_meetsaul_704,actiiscene2_meetsaul_719,actiiscene3_graverobbers_558,actiiscene3_graverobbers_563,actiiscene3_graverobbers_569,actiiscene3_graverobbers_585,actiiscene3_graverobbers_591,actiiscene3_graverobbers_597,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1383,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_993,muse_elections_38,muse_elections_42,muse_elections_260,muse_elections_94,muse_elections_275,muse_elections_103,muse_elections_377,muse_elections_388,muse_elections_393,muse_elections_401,muse_elections_408,muse_elections_412,muse_elections_254,muse_elections_544,muse_elections_547,muse_elections_552,muse_elections_639,muse_elections_1086,muse_elections_731,muse_elections_867,muse_elections_1099,muse_elections_981,muse_elections_993,muse_elections_1010,muse_elections_220,muse_elections_1032,muse_elections_3","It sounds as if the artistic community of Brenton's capital is several orders of magnitude more compelling. Something to consider exploring; or is it folly to think you'll have even more time at liberty in a more illustrious court? | |
| ""If you're so inclined, look for the Bardic Elder Raphael, and say that Millicent sent you.""","""I'll have to get my feet under me first; but I don't want you to think I'm not grateful!"" | |
| Millicent raises her hands and shakes her head with a little smile. Your rushes of anxious melancholy have become familiar to her. [+Melancholy] You're quite sincere, however; you would be absolutely open to approaching this Raphael character, but only when you are confident that doing so wouldn't jeopardize your position with His Majesty.","""Thanks for your kindness. Whatever is meant to be will be."" | |
| Millicent gives you a bow. You're pleased to have an entree into the society in Hondelet, but the way life typically works, if there's to be any sort of meaningful connection between you and the Bardbrood in the future, it will begin with a clear signal that this is the right path to take. [+Phlegm] Until such time, you're not at all inclined to rush the fates by seeking out this Raphael.","This seems as good a time as any to get your bearings in your new environs, and ask about a connection you've been curious to pursue. ""Do you know where I might find Raphael, a Bardic Elder within the Bardbrood?"" | |
| Kitty cocks her head to one side as you explain that your oratorical colleague Millicent recommended you get in touch with him. ""And why is it you're interested in connecting with that society?""","Kitty smooths out her doublet. ""You'll have no difficulties encountering fellow fools who count the Bardbrood their artistic home in Hondelet,"" she says with a shrug. ""But from what I know, Raphael himself is more elusive. You will encounter him if he cares to be encountered."" | |
| ""Just as secretive as The Muse, then?"" | |
| ""Who?"" | |
| You wave the last question away with a smile, proffering words of thanks. Though not unhelpful, she clearly does not travel in the proper circles to get you the answers you seek.", | |
| fool,O Jesterel,"['O Jesterel', 'Jesterel']",39,5118,"actiiiscene1_hotfoot_864,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_906,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_925,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_996,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_949,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_971,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_999,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1007,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_978,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_985,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_939,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1541,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1562,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1362,writing_dream_21,activscene1_coronation_2665,muse_elections_482,muse_elections_529,writing_dream_123,writing_dream_150,writing_dream_175,activscene1_coronation_2729,activscene1_coronation_2730,muse_elections_1060,activscene1_coronation_2836,activscene1_coronation_2742,activscene1_coronation_2752,writing_dream_318,activscene1_coronation_2830,activscene1_coronation_2868,writing_dream_348,activscene1_coronation_2844,writing_dream_385,activscene1_coronation_2849,writing_dream_243,muse_elections_953,activscene1_coronation_3243,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3429,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3435","""[i]Sing, O sing the tale to me of Jesterel the Worm,[/i] | |
| [i]A fool who set the ants to laugh with each diverting squirm.[/i] | |
| [i]The beetle-King did suffer Jay to wriggle in his court,[/i] | |
| [i]'Til all the wood did know him by the ass-ear hat he'd sport.[/i]"" | |
| ""Steady on,"" you say, putting a hand on Audrey's arm. Magnus puts a hand on her arm too, for the fun of it, while Audrey raises a finger and continues. | |
| ""[i]A moth there was, with lissome wings and wit as bright as sun,[/i]","[i]Hi, Ho, Jesterel[/i] | |
| [i]The worm-fool of the dell![/i]""","I'll deny it up and down, cool-headed enough to convince her. I suspect Audrey will gossip away anything I tell her. | |
| She blinks. ""But this Jesterel works for the King, and wears a, wotsit; 'by the ass-ear hat he'd sport.' Isn't that you?""","I'll joke away the whole ridiculous affair. The piece is out there, and jests will help me show a graceful spirit about it. | |
| You admit that you know Wendell but downplay any connection between Jesterel's antics and your real encounters.","At first, Audrey is disappointed to be deferred from the project of absorbing, sponge-like, every drop of juice out of this tale; but as she watches you set to work memorizing Wendell's piece, her demeanor changes to awe. Within minutes, you've committed the first two verses to memory and implemented the various insights you've gleaned from your questions about how the piece was received in the square. | |
| ""You're something to watch, y'know that?"" [+Audrey] [+Renown] | |
| ""I've heard that on occasion,"" you say with a wink. | |
| You recognize that confirming your identity as Jesterel will only intensify interest in the unflattering song at Westfenster for quite some time. [+Bawdiness] But given that rumors were going to fly either way, better to insert yourself directly into the tale on your terms. | |
| Or perhaps you just like the idea of being chatted about, you think with a smirk.", | |
| fool,Luca,['Luca'],38,5118,"actiscene1_festival_432,actiscene1_festival_451,actiscene1_festival_458,actiscene1_festival_465,actiscene1_festival_472,actiscene1_festival_479,actiscene1_festival_490,actiscene1_festival_496,actiscene1_festival_502,actiscene1_festival_507,actiscene1_festival_1154,actiscene1_festival_904,actiscene1_festival_1124,actiscene1_festival_1191,actiscene2_farm_853,actiscene2_farm_876,actiscene2_farm_892,actiscene2_farm_896,actiscene2_farm_907,actiscene2_farm_935,actiscene2_farm_965,actiscene2_farm_1177,actiscene2_farm_979,actiscene2_farm_1062,actiscene2_farm_1069,actiscene3_ruffinos_192,actiscene3_ruffinos_974,banished_ending_599,banished_ending_626,banished_ending_631,banished_ending_665,banished_ending_635,banished_ending_654,banished_ending_675,banished_ending_647,activscene1_coronation_2931,actiscene1_festival_1634,actiscene1_festival_1641","Before you can press forward, a familiar voice rises up from the crowd. | |
| ""That's my friend! That's my friend, there!"" | |
| Luca, a long-haired youth only a year or two older than you, points and waves. Having previously known you only for your skill at hefting hay bales or netting eels, it is no great wonder the farmhand seems so taken by the idea of you on a stage. | |
| You are just preparing a jibe to incorporate his interjection into your performance when you see him push to the front of the audience, hand raised. [i]Heaven preserve us, he's going to make a request[/i], you realize. | |
| You may have spent years cultivating skills on your own time, but you're far from proficient at all the things bards and rascals might be asked to do onstage. Your mind centers on one particular offering you would not be prepared to attempt in public:","""Do not ask for some feat of bodily mastery…."" (You are prepared for such as this) | |
| ""Give us a flip-and-a-roll, then,"" Luca crows. ""I seen you leaping in the hayloft afore, a right ape you are! Go on, show us a tumble!"" | |
| The crowd applauds, stepping back away to give you a bit more space. You hide a scowl. Everyone loves tumbling, can't see why…any dead log can do it. | |
| The top and tails of it is, apart from your natural endowments, you haven't cultivated your physique overmuch…. [-Conditioning]","""Pray, do not demand I use my wit extempore…."" | |
| ""Let's hear some joshing,"" Luca cackles. ""Let's hear some rogue's talk! What think you of Old Man Temkey?"" | |
| The crowd grins; Old Man Temkey is an eccentric loner up the hills, a daylong target for whispered jibes and rumor. You fight down a grimace. It should be easy for a fool to give the man a tongue-lashing, especially behind his back. | |
| Save that you haven't trained your wit to be alacritous as all that…. [-Wit]","""Ask not for some artistry or sculpted trick of the stage, I prithee…."" | |
| ""Let's see a little flash, then!"" Luca caws. ""A little spectacle from the new hero of the stage!"" | |
| The crowd murmurs and looks expectantly at you. You make a show of cracking your fingers, buying yourself time. Players and machinists bring spectacle; why should I have to do the same? | |
| No way around it, if it's a marvel in steel and silk they want you haven't much to offer…. [-Stagecraft]","""Prevail not on me for philosophy…."" | |
| ""I always knew you were a bright one,"" Luca says, beaming. ""Let's hear a toast, then! Pearls of wisdom from the thinker!"" | |
| You see members of the crowd exchanging glances and looking at you expectantly. [i]Gads, they think I have something to say[/i], you realize, swallowing behind a smile. | |
| You've never spent much time plotting out how to make an audience think…. [-Sagacity]", | |
| fool,Baggage,['Baggage'],37,5118,"actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1163,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1207,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2593,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2612,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2643,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2652,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2658,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2663,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2671,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2678,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2693,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2703,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_107,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2712,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2715,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_120,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_125,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_146,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2822,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2829,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2836,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2842,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2740,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2766,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2788,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2813,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2905,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2910,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2916,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2922,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2930,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2937,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2945,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2951,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2978,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2980","""Certain fooling customs are held dearly by these nobles and their licensed fool, a scamp named Baggage, whom Hotfoot favors well. These customs, youth, will catch thee unawares; thou wish'st to look a fool, and not an ass, correct? Then you must mark me when I say that, as the champion of Good King Saul's honor when thou tak'st the wicked stage, you'd do well to learn what thou wilt face."" | |
| He adjusts the buttons of his coat. ""My knowledge of these customs I will share,"" he says casually, ""so long as you agree in courteous style to learn what King and Hotfoot do discuss and share the sense with me."" | |
| You feel the confines of the room tightly, as if the world is tunneling in on this moment. You surprise yourself with the steadiness of your breathing as His Lordship continues to regard you, fingers patiently interlaced.","Bisqueath proceeds to fill you in that, when Northerners like Lady Hotfoot feast and do business with other clans, 'tis customary for the first night to involve a grand ""Duel of Fools."" | |
| ""As gladiators of old, you and the Gramercys' fool, Baggage, will share a stage and demonstrate whose wit or thespian acumen reigns supreme."" He pulls a face. ""A raucous affair, to be sure, with insults and quips hurtled quick as can be. A carefully spelled-out message is the key to bringing victory and honor to your house. Some fools build up their own masters' graces; others tear down the reputations of the stately guests; others simply limit themselves to [i]ad hominem[/i] broadsides against the other fool. | |
| ""Think carefully about how thou'lt carry thyself, for thou shalt scarcely find thyself on a more consequential stage."" | |
| You're certainly glad to know that the event is going to thrust you front and center as a champion competing for the honor of Brenton's throne. Much better to walk into that with eyes open, you think. | |
| If Bisqueath's information is at all accurate, you'll be grateful for it. It remains to be seen if it'll be worth the price he's asked you to pay….","Lady Gramercy gestures to the far side of the room, where a very tall, wiry man sees her signal, points at his chest as if in surprise, then runs pell-mell across the room to her, limbs flailing every which way. When he's but a dozen yards away, in the empty patch of stones ringed about by the feast tables, he pretends to trip and rolls the rest of the way in a deceptively clumsy series of tumbles. (Watching closely, you know just how much training the man must have to fling his body about so without doing genuine harm.) He finally rolls to a stop right at Lady Gramercy's hot feet and mugs for the audience in a show of dizziness. | |
| ""This…is Baggage,"" says Lady Gramercy. ""Say hello, Baggage."" | |
| ""Hello, Baggage,"" he says, his nasal voice reaching every set of ears in the hall. ""Why am I greeting myself? I did that this morning,"" he stage-whispers to his liege. | |
| ""No, sirrah,"" she says, gesturing to the crowd, ""You greet this august comp'ny."" | |
| ""'Tis August already?"" He leaps to his feet in terror and begins patting his pockets. You notice that his khaki motley has dozens of pockets and pouches sewn on every surface, from his chest to his back and all up and down his legs. ""I must get a birthday present for my mother before it's too late!"" | |
| Lady Gramercy blinks at him before putting a hand on his shoulder. ""Sirrah, dost not recall? Thy mother's passed…."" | |
| ""Well, I guess it's too late. She probably wouldn't have wanted this anyway…."" He pulls a pure-white turtledove out of a pocket and looses it in the room, much to the astonishment of the assembled throng. | |
| This display continues for a few moments more, with Lady Gramercy ably playing straight alongside this lanky buffoon. You watch him closely as the rest of the room leans in for a better look.","""Enough, Baggage! Peace!"" Lady Gramercy says in mock high dudgeon as the audience laughs more and more at her fool's antics. Lady Gramercy composes herself and turns back to the dais. | |
| ""Your Majesty, excuse this late request: is there a fool of yours you'd care to name could square off 'gainst my Baggage here in fun?"" | |
| ""The Duel…of Fools…"" Baggage intones, sweeping his hands through the air. | |
| [i]Oh Lord,[/i] you think.","King Saul is visibly uncomfortable, and grows all the more so when the jolly crowd howls in excitement, eager to see more of Baggage and whoe'er the King might name. You know full well he's not personally fond of fooling, but to fail to name someone now would be a grave disappointment to the multitude, and could even be construed an insult to the Gramercys. Hotfoot set this up admirably well, you think…. | |
| He leans back in his throne, and Hero and Hail lean inwards for a brief royal conference.", | |
| fool,His Grace the Duke,"['His Grace the Duke', 'His Grace', 'Duke', 'Grace']",37,5118,"actiscene2_farm_128,actiscene2_farm_996,actiscene3_ruffinos_328,actiscene3_ruffinos_895,actiscene3_ruffinos_989,actiscene3_ruffinos_1417,actiscene3_ruffinos_1531,actiscene4_court_142,actiscene4_court_385,actiscene4_court_640,actiscene4_court_667,actiscene4_court_1025,actiscene4_court_1574,actiscene4_court_1615,actiscene4_court_2177,actiscene4_court_2136,actiscene4_court_2383,actiscene4_court_2386,actiscene4_court_2393,actiscene4_court_2453,actiscene4_court_2538,actiscene4_court_2503,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_339,actiiscene1_royaltrip_339,actiiscene1_royaltrip_324,actiiscene1_royaltrip_330,actiiscene1_royaltrip_382,actiiscene1_royaltrip_384,actiiscene1_royaltrip_391,actiiscene1_royaltrip_396,actiiscene1_royaltrip_418,actiiscene1_royaltrip_570,actiiscene1_royaltrip_582,actiiscene1_royaltrip_706,actiiscene2_meetsaul_175,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1337","It can discern trash from truffles and prefers the latter, but will glean what it can from the former. | |
| And so it may be with audiences, you muse. Though diverted by casual fare, they rise to what is presented to them, embracing quality when it emerges from the flax and dross. As, by Grace, one day they may so embrace you….","""So…who has heard the latest about a certain nobleman?"" you say, slyly. | |
| You have their rapt attention immediately. | |
| ""A certain Duke we all know,"" you prompt again. | |
| ""What Duke?"" | |
| ""His name rhymes with…"" damned but you got yourself into a hole with that one, you realize. ""Rhymes with Ruffino, ha ha,"" you say, affecting a playful air. | |
| The farmers look at each other. ""What about him?"" a thick-shouldered man asks. ""What do you know?"" | |
| Perhaps this indirect line of questioning wasn't the wisest option after all. ""The question is…what do you know?"" | |
| The farmers scoff and mutter amongst themselves, ignoring you.","""Steady on there,"" a voice rises from the crowd. ""Your Duke should be ashamed!"" | |
| There's great consternation in the crowd to hear such rebellious talk. You turn to see the curly-haired man who spoke some moments ago stepping forward with an aspect of high righteousness. | |
| ""He raises up the hopes of his less fortunate countryfolk with this search for rare talents, and the promise of luxurious accommodations and fine foods and great prestige to the lucky few chosen. But he does not mention that the life of a courtly performer is valued no different from the exotic beasts captured from jungles or sandy climes to amuse His Grace and the other drunken dilettantes in his orbit!"" | |
| [i]Good Lord,[/i] you think, startled at the brashness of the youth's talk. But you can see that as the firebrand goes on, there's a good bit of nodding and irate chatter from the knot of disappointed peasants. Even the poor maligned farmhand seems swayed.","Your thirst slaked, your hunger in abeyance for the moment, you stifle a yawn. A good sleep will help you be fresh for the day to come, but you're also aware that the closer you get to the Duke, the fewer opportunities you'll have to prepare for the single most important audience of your life. | |
| Perhaps a bit of practice—something, at least, that can be done in pitch black—would serve you better….","I've brought myself here. Only fate can decide where I go next. | |
| Well, obviously, you'll go to the keep first, you amend the sentiment. But only fate knows how your performance will be received by the Duke and his staff. You do your level best to embrace that uncertainty. [+Phlegm]", | |
| fool,Gramercys,['Gramercys'],36,5118,"actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1174,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1203,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1866,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1207,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1278,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2479,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2512,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2622,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2663,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_963,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_125,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2836,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_240,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2740,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2788,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_249,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_641,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_618,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1884,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1677,actiiiscene3_darkdays_85,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1108,gramercy_treaty_26,gramercy_treaty_97,gramercy_treaty_64,gramercy_treaty_81,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2062,gramercy_treaty_210,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1364,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1670,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1705,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1716,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1540,activscene1_coronation_2368,activscene1_coronation_2312,activscene1_coronation_2372","""Right now I understand you're putting together some ramshackle tribute to the Prinxe's wounds, to be performed in who knows what corner of the grounds."" Bisqueath shakes his head at the indignity of it all. ""Thou should be in Court during this state visit, sharing your gifts with illustrious company and building a reputation to be proud of! | |
| ""I could arrange for you such access, now during the Gramercys' visit and beyond. You would be a permanent fixture in Brenton's Court at last."" | |
| He looks at you. ""What say you, fool?"" | |
| You feel the confines of the room tightly, as if the world is tunneling in on this moment. You surprise yourself with the steadiness of your breathing as His Lordship continues to regard you, fingers patiently interlaced.","He explains how, after your performance in honor of Prinxe Hail, he will cultivate a positive impression for you throughout the Court and arrange to have you included in all the courtly events with the Gramercys after the opening feast. Your heart is pounding as he speaks, but you certainly recognize the exceptional opportunity for visibility that his assistance will lend. | |
| And all you have to do is inform on the holder of Brenton's throne. [i]Capital.[/i] Capital punishment, that is, if you're caught….","Time vanishes beneath your feet, as it is wont to do when you've got a grand task afore you, and it is suddenly the evening before your exhibition in the Prinxe's honor. As you stretch and vocalize, Kitty Harlowe comes to check on your preparations. | |
| ""All is arranged for you to begin just before lunchtime tomorrow in the Cowslip Gardens. Prinxe Hail's balcony overlooks the spot, so the Heir can attend every moment without interrupting their convalescence. We expect the Gramercys' arrival late this night, so many of their luminaries are bound to be in attendance as well."" | |
| Kitty dusts off her palms. ""Have you any concerns, afore the morrow?""","Bisqueath proceeds to fill you in that, when Northerners like Lady Hotfoot feast and do business with other clans, 'tis customary for the first night to involve a grand ""Duel of Fools."" | |
| ""As gladiators of old, you and the Gramercys' fool, Baggage, will share a stage and demonstrate whose wit or thespian acumen reigns supreme."" He pulls a face. ""A raucous affair, to be sure, with insults and quips hurtled quick as can be. A carefully spelled-out message is the key to bringing victory and honor to your house. Some fools build up their own masters' graces; others tear down the reputations of the stately guests; others simply limit themselves to [i]ad hominem[/i] broadsides against the other fool. | |
| ""Think carefully about how thou'lt carry thyself, for thou shalt scarcely find thyself on a more consequential stage."" | |
| You're certainly glad to know that the event is going to thrust you front and center as a champion competing for the honor of Brenton's throne. Much better to walk into that with eyes open, you think. | |
| If Bisqueath's information is at all accurate, you'll be grateful for it. It remains to be seen if it'll be worth the price he's asked you to pay….","Tom Fletcher. | |
| ""Well, well, the conquering hero,"" Tom says with a thin smile as you make your entrance at the stables. After the help you rendered to restore the coin he lost at Hazard, he's keen to greet you the instant you appear. | |
| You warm up into the conversation before feeling able to share the topic highest on your mind; the royal encounter you had and the engagement soon to come after the Gramercys arrive.", | |
| fool,Morris,['Morris'],35,5118,"actiscene2_farm_99,actiscene2_farm_103,actiscene2_farm_108,actiscene2_farm_429,actiscene2_farm_435,actiscene2_farm_445,actiscene2_farm_458,actiscene2_farm_448,actiscene2_farm_451,actiscene2_farm_472,actiscene2_farm_485,actiscene2_farm_524,actiscene2_farm_656,actiscene2_farm_698,actiscene2_farm_702,actiscene2_farm_480,actiscene2_farm_717,actiscene2_farm_747,actiscene2_farm_558,actiscene2_farm_563,actiscene2_farm_539,actiscene2_farm_549,actiscene2_farm_737,actiscene2_farm_758,actiscene2_farm_767,actiscene2_farm_778,actiscene2_farm_803,actiscene2_farm_810,actiscene2_farm_820,actiscene2_farm_516,actiscene2_farm_930,banished_ending_555,banished_ending_562,banished_ending_813,activscene1_coronation_2408",I'll look for my brothers Oliver and Morris at the stream.,"Oliver and Morris had been tasked with doing the laundering, you recalled. They'll likely be quite pleased with company and inclined to talk. [+Blood]","It's quite likely that Oliver and Morris are still doing laundry down at the stream. After a whole afternoon of soaking and scrubbing, they're bound to be inclined towards conversation. You have so much to talk about, and if they're stuck with the washing it hardly seems likely they'd say no to a quick listen. [+Blood]","""Oliver! Morris! Where are you?"" | |
| Any number of things could have happened to them. They could have been washed downstream. They could have been attacked by bandits. They could have gone off to relieve themselves and been eaten by wolves. | |
| You can feel your heartbeat quicken and your gooseflesh rise as you scan the waterline for clues. Ill fortune still strikes on sunny days. [+Melancholy] | |
| ""Oliver! Morris!"" you call again. You catch sight of a few footprints in the muddy meeting of water and hillside and follow them.","After a few moments you approach a copse of thin-leaved willows alive with birdsong. There's a bit of laundry next to the cluster of trees, and there seems to be movement therein. ""Brothers, 'tis Fleance! Are you well?"" you call out. | |
| The tuneful sound stops, and you realize that it was not birdsong but whispered laughter. Your older brother Oliver peeks his head out of the small grove, his face flushed and his shirt hanging off his shoulders. His eyes widen when he sees you. | |
| ""Fleance—what are you doing here?"" he hisses. | |
| ""I saw the laundry in disarray and suspected the worst…."" | |
| ""Of course you would,"" he says, rubbing his palm over his face. | |
| Your brother Morris, bare-chested, also comes out of the trees, closely followed by a girl with chestnut hair and a wiry young man with a shaved head. The girl puts her hand on Oliver's back and the boy presses his fingertips against Morris' shoulder, a brief question that Morris answers with a reassuring nod. | |
| Comprehension settles in. You don't think that pile of clothes is laundry after all—at least not yet.", | |
| fool,Their Highness,"['Their Highness', 'Heir']",31,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_2471,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_208,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_339,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_420,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1940,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1867,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1342,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1759,actiiiscene3_darkdays_238,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1752,actiiiscene3_darkdays_261,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1798,actiiiscene3_darkdays_407,actiiiscene3_darkdays_419,actiiiscene3_darkdays_419,actiiiscene3_darkdays_660,actiiiscene3_darkdays_482,activscene1_coronation_1768,activscene1_coronation_1694,activscene1_coronation_1771,activscene1_coronation_1797,activscene1_coronation_1891,activscene1_coronation_2487,activscene1_coronation_2507,activscene1_coronation_1919,activscene1_coronation_1993,activscene1_coronation_2102,activscene1_coronation_2377,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2516,activscene1_coronation_1563,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3259","""Tomb-defilers!"" They let fly with a commanding shout the likes of which you have not heard from their throat as of yet. The scoundrels instinctively pause at the sound. | |
| ""I offer thee parley; an undeserved boon for thy dark ilk."" | |
| ""'Parley?'"" snorts the woman. ""Who hast th'advantage here, whelp?"" | |
| The stranger reveals a medallion clasped round their throat on a braided chain. ""The Throne of Brenton, now and forever,"" they say, copper eyes bright as a furnace. ""I am Prinxe Hailey, Heir Apparent to the sainted Throne of Good King Saul the IV."" | |
| Your jaw drops and a pair of gnats fly into it. You scarcely notice as you spit them out. The Heir—who you've never seen in all your time at Westfenster—is swilling ale and dueling brigands in the streets? | |
| ""Continue to attack, and I may fall,"" the Prinxe goes on in a voice with no fear. ""But one of you will join me—this I vow—and t'other will be hunted 'cross the realm for regicide, the pinnacle of crimes, which carries punishment eternal to the blackguards who e'en make th'attempt.""","""Their Majesties the King and Queen greatly desire, I know, that the Heir should find the Court a welcoming and celebratory place, and may be convinced to stay and discharge royal duties more consistently. To that end…"" | |
| Fig tips his head to Harlowe. | |
| ""We should like you to create a piece,"" she says, ""paying tribute to the Prinxe in this difficult time."" | |
| ""The Heir's heroism, their resilience…"" Fig says, swirling a hand in a circle. | |
| ""Their powers of coagulation,"" you nod. Magnus swirls a hand in mimicry of Fig and becomes so dizzy it falls over. | |
| ""And we should like you to perform it five days hence, whilst the event is so nearly transpired,"" Kitty concludes, tilting her head as she regards you.","You lay back on your cot again and peruse the scroll. 'Tis Steward Fig's own hand, written in some degree of haste and agitation. Dashed it off when Harlowe told him you were not coming to his summons on the instant, you think, frowning. | |
| There's a lengthy preamble about how Westfenster was in shock to learn of the attack suffered by Prinxe Hail in the town of Melinchome. (It gives you a pang to read and be reminded of it.) | |
| ""Now 'tis a time for honoring the boldness of the Heir in rising to their own defense, and publicly affirming the esteem we bear for them…"" you mutter aloud. | |
| You stop as you come at last to the part that treats on you. The Chief Steward wants you to prepare a piece celebrating the Prinxe in their time of convalescence, and to perform it for the assembled throng in five days' time.","The King's eyes widen. At first you hope he's alight with surprise and pleasure, but the Prinxe's snickering makes you think otherwise. | |
| ""My Old Brenteel is not my strongest, mind,"" says Hail in a bit of stage-whisper, ""but—father—if mistaken am I not—"" | |
| ""No need to speak of it,"" says the King. | |
| Prinxe Hail leans closer to you. ""The phrase 'man's domain' is painfully close to 'man's bowels,'"" they explain, dropping the cadence of court for the moment. ""And while celestial virtue is important wherever it resides, that's not—"" | |
| ""There is no need to speak of it, dear Heir."" | |
| King Saul clearly wasn't intending to think about bowels and is probably more upset with your failure to speak Old Brenteel correctly than he would have been at a run-of-the-mill courtly hello. [-Saul] You resolve not to trot out your dead languages without a bit more private study in the future. [-Surety] The one saving grace is that Prinxe Hail seems genuinely amused. [+Hail] | |
| You try to keep your face calm as the King composes himself and continues.","You've always considered yourself skilled with voices and dialects, so a bit that involved mimicking the Heir and their attackers seemed a sure-fire hit. However, it seems you forgot to check beforehand if your audiences tended to consider you skilled with voices and dialects. | |
| You can tell straight away that you may have misjudged the strength of your repertoire of talents. I'faith, every time you speak as Prinxe Hail you see members of the crowd whisper worriedly toward them. Something about your rendition may be genuinely offensive. Whatever may be going on, you don't feel in control of it—so you elect to cut the display short and move on.", | |
| fool,Gitel,['Gitel'],30,5118,"actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_292,actiscene4_court_856,actiscene4_court_872,actiscene4_court_694,actiscene4_court_783,actiscene4_court_809,actiscene4_court_976,actiscene4_court_1073,actiscene4_court_1079,actiscene4_court_1111,actiscene4_court_1195,actiscene4_court_1216,actiscene4_court_1225,actiscene4_court_1235,actiscene4_court_1324,actiscene4_court_1571,actiscene4_court_1574,actiscene4_court_1898,actiscene4_court_2054,actiiscene1_royaltrip_49,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_205,actiiscene1_royaltrip_210,actiiscene1_royaltrip_213,actiiscene1_royaltrip_250,writing_dream_385,writing_dream_405,writing_dream_541,writing_dream_548","""Two items of business before I leave you to your…work,"" she says distastefully, swirling her hand in the air. ""This Sunday shall His Grace host an assemblage of dignitaries provincial and foreign. A splendid board is expected, and fine entertainment; therefore shall this full company perform together for the pleasure of the esteemed multitude."" | |
| ""Sunday?"" Gilbert says with a start. | |
| ""…All of us?"" says the younger tumbler Aaron, pointing at his chest. His sister Gitel listens closely. | |
| ""Yes, yes, neophytes and old hands alike,"" the Steward says, tapping her toes. ""The greater the affluence of His Grace's Court in the eyes of his guests, the stronger his reputation becomes. Besides, it is high time you infants should begin earning your keep."" | |
| ""We've scarcely begun joint rehearsals,"" begins Millicent in a powerful voice before the old jester stops her. | |
| ""Leave it to me, 'centavo,"" he says with a wink. ""Your servant Timshel has it in hand."" | |
| ""Second! There is the new one,"" Malodoro says, swiveling to you. Seemingly as one, the rest of the company follows suit. | |
| ""Fleance, I believe…unless that was someone else. At any rate, this specimen is to be lurking about you, supporting from the shadows the efficient and effective comportment of this company.""","""Tumbling, gymnastics, and dance."" | |
| The tumblers and the dancer take your measure, and you do your best to let your warmth show through. | |
| ""Well, good on you,"" says Gitel with a nod as Aaron smiles. | |
| ""Perhaps we can work a few figures out together,"" says Moargen, arching his back. ""Can you show us a bit?""","Dinnertime is nigh, and you move for the feast halls as one unit. As you travel, you position yourself next to Aaron and Gitel. There's a question been lurking in your mind all day, and you ken that you'll have less risk looking foolish asking it of your same-aged peers. | |
| ""I was wondering, o partners in pageantry, what you could tell me of the Bardbrood."" | |
| Gitel shrugs. ""We've a chapter here in Port Covens. If you're ever after a nap, go attend one of their meetings and it'll put you right out. Unless you like talking about the ethics of costumery and the impermanence of memory or some such clabtrapple."" | |
| ""Not enough drums,"" Aaron puts in. | |
| ""Not a single drum, too right. They stage good work, though, now and again. Most of it is a little too torches-and-pitchforks for me, but The Muse sent a show our way some years ago,"" she says, preening a bit. | |
| ""And who's The Muse, then?"" | |
| They look at you. ""Only the cleverest visionary running in all Brenton,"" Gitel explains. ""If the Bardbrood had a monarch, The Muse would be it. Always something to say, and always presented in just a brilliant way."" | |
| ""That last show had words aplenty, but also spectacle like you wouldn't believe. Moved me to tears, and I haven't cried since the day I was born,"" Aaron boasts. | |
| ""Stop putting on airs. You shed a few last night when you dropped your spice bun and the dog ate it."" | |
| They fall into squabbling, leaving you to process what you've learned.","If that's all the Bardbrood has to offer, I don't see myself investing much time in exploring it. | |
| You've nothing against attending good performances, but all the rest of it has little appeal now; the tedious meetings and the rabble-rousing perspective Gitel alluded to, which you certainly saw on display in Wendell's offering.","The tumblers Gitel and Aaron, given my acrobatic leanings. | |
| ""Join us,"" says Gitel as you come closer. The younger Aaron claps you on the shoulder, then continues his stretches.", | |
| fool,Oliver,['Oliver'],30,5118,"actiscene2_farm_99,actiscene2_farm_103,actiscene2_farm_108,actiscene2_farm_429,actiscene2_farm_435,actiscene2_farm_445,actiscene2_farm_458,actiscene2_farm_448,actiscene2_farm_451,actiscene2_farm_472,actiscene2_farm_524,actiscene2_farm_656,actiscene2_farm_698,actiscene2_farm_480,actiscene2_farm_717,actiscene2_farm_747,actiscene2_farm_558,actiscene2_farm_563,actiscene2_farm_539,actiscene2_farm_549,actiscene2_farm_730,actiscene2_farm_737,actiscene2_farm_751,actiscene2_farm_758,actiscene2_farm_778,actiscene2_farm_803,actiscene2_farm_516,actiscene2_farm_930,banished_ending_813,activscene1_coronation_2408",I'll look for my brothers Oliver and Morris at the stream.,"Oliver and Morris had been tasked with doing the laundering, you recalled. They'll likely be quite pleased with company and inclined to talk. [+Blood]","It's quite likely that Oliver and Morris are still doing laundry down at the stream. After a whole afternoon of soaking and scrubbing, they're bound to be inclined towards conversation. You have so much to talk about, and if they're stuck with the washing it hardly seems likely they'd say no to a quick listen. [+Blood]","""Oliver! Morris! Where are you?"" | |
| Any number of things could have happened to them. They could have been washed downstream. They could have been attacked by bandits. They could have gone off to relieve themselves and been eaten by wolves. | |
| You can feel your heartbeat quicken and your gooseflesh rise as you scan the waterline for clues. Ill fortune still strikes on sunny days. [+Melancholy] | |
| ""Oliver! Morris!"" you call again. You catch sight of a few footprints in the muddy meeting of water and hillside and follow them.","After a few moments you approach a copse of thin-leaved willows alive with birdsong. There's a bit of laundry next to the cluster of trees, and there seems to be movement therein. ""Brothers, 'tis Fleance! Are you well?"" you call out. | |
| The tuneful sound stops, and you realize that it was not birdsong but whispered laughter. Your older brother Oliver peeks his head out of the small grove, his face flushed and his shirt hanging off his shoulders. His eyes widen when he sees you. | |
| ""Fleance—what are you doing here?"" he hisses. | |
| ""I saw the laundry in disarray and suspected the worst…."" | |
| ""Of course you would,"" he says, rubbing his palm over his face. | |
| Your brother Morris, bare-chested, also comes out of the trees, closely followed by a girl with chestnut hair and a wiry young man with a shaved head. The girl puts her hand on Oliver's back and the boy presses his fingertips against Morris' shoulder, a brief question that Morris answers with a reassuring nod. | |
| Comprehension settles in. You don't think that pile of clothes is laundry after all—at least not yet.", | |
| fool,Frustratio,['Frustratio'],26,5118,"epilogue_speech_91,epilogue_speech_110,epilogue_speech_602,epilogue_speech_61,epilogue_speech_79,epilogue_speech_135,epilogue_speech_156,epilogue_speech_236,epilogue_speech_170,epilogue_speech_201,epilogue_speech_1,epilogue_speech_39,epilogue_speech_543,epilogue_speech_580,epilogue_speech_374,epilogue_speech_387,epilogue_speech_439,epilogue_speech_453,epilogue_speech_487,epilogue_speech_496,epilogue_speech_530,epilogue_speech_260,epilogue_speech_284,epilogue_speech_292,epilogue_speech_320,epilogue_speech_592","""I knew of him, Frustratio, | |
| The first soul who did work to resurrect | |
| Our one-time custom of a royal fool. | |
| A hearty personage, gorgeously formed, | |
| Whose marv'lous monkey scarcely left his side, | |
| He spread laughter out to many hearts; | |
| Fair idolized beyond the castle too, | |
| His sudden injury broke many hearts.""","""Think thou, Frustratio, that you or I | |
| Will touch as many lives, for good or ill,"" | |
| As did Fleance in his time on Earth? | |
| And will our maker gift us lifelong health | |
| Or test our loves by striking us infirm? | |
| Promise me, Frustratio, if I face | |
| An injury like that which struck this fool, | |
| That thou wilt feed me broth, and mop my brow, | |
| And tend my chamberpot 'til my last breath!"" | |
| ""What is a friend for, good my Lord?"" his spectacled companion says, mustering up a tight smile.","""Wouldst thou care for this, Frustratio?"" the young nobleman says, extending the skull to his friend. | |
| ""I'm fine,"" Frustratio says, backing away. | |
| The princeling gives a heavy sigh as they continue walking. ""So many bones beneath us, each one with a story of its own to pass along. To think how differently each life could go, with different choices made at different times…it makes one hope the mystic sages right in all their reincarnative beliefs, that we might all have more than one attempt to tell the story of our living days."" | |
| ""Next time, I'm maxing bawdiness."" | |
| ""What was that, Frustratio?"" | |
| ""Nothing indeed, my Lord. Shall we adjourn to more wholesome air?"" Frustratio says, wiping his glasses clean. | |
| ""Ay me, would that a wholesome patch of breath could finally cleanse my soul and heartsick frame…"" the Prince sighs as Frustratio masters himself enough not to push the nobleman into an open heap of patellas. | |
| The bones of Westfenster's dead return to their rest as their footfalls recede and the gravedigger's shovel falls silent.","""I knew of him, Frustratio, | |
| The first soul who did work to resurrect | |
| Our one-time custom of a royal fool. | |
| A hearty personage, gorgeously formed, | |
| Whose marv'lous monkey scarcely left his side, | |
| He spread laughter out to many hearts; | |
| Fair idolized beyond the castle too, | |
| His sudden, hasty death broke many hearts.""","""Think thou, Frustratio, that you or I | |
| Will touch as many lives, for good or ill,"" | |
| As did Fleance in his time on Earth? | |
| And will we meet our maker peaceably | |
| Or, as this sorry soul, in violent haste?"" | |
| ""Who can say in truth, my Lord?"" his spectacled friend says, clearing his throat.", | |
| fool,Kenkle,['Kenkle'],26,5118,"actiscene1_festival_1276,actiscene4_court_2326,actiiscene2_meetsaul_1075,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2030,activscene1_coronation_153,epilogue_speech_185,writing_dream_81,writing_dream_87,writing_dream_89,writing_dream_93,writing_dream_98,writing_dream_109,writing_dream_113,writing_dream_123,writing_dream_136,writing_dream_143,writing_dream_150,writing_dream_181,writing_dream_157,writing_dream_202,writing_dream_172,activscene1_coronation_2335,activscene1_coronation_2324,activscene1_coronation_2329,epilogue_speech_304,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1906","Kenkle, the shrewd fool whose trusted counsel was worth a million trinkets and twirls. | |
| Kenkle began his service to the Elyrian crown in the orchards, where his deep botanical knowledge and gentle wit won the appreciation of the prince. From thence, stepping-stones emerged to him in rapid sequence; a position in the kitchens to serving at the royal tableside to, finally, a curious hybrid of majordomo and fool, whose humorous tales and meditative parables were a source of great satisfaction to the Royals and their guests. | |
| No accounts cite Kenkle as the most adroit wit or cunning satirist of his age; and certainly his personal conduct was far too tame to make him a caricature in fireside tales. But whenever the Elyrian crown counselors met, Kenkle was not consigned to the corner to waggle his bells and turn cartwheels. His place was at his master's ear, sharing his wisdom and keeping his liege well-provided for. | |
| His example of how fooling can be a means towards a powerful end, rather than the be-all end-all of life's work, has been an inspiration during your independent training. [+Sagacity] [+Melancholy] [-Stagecraft] | |
| What other pathway could a commoner take to win such influence over the nobly born?","After muted celebration of a battle survived with the company, you withdraw to your cot earlier than normal and pass out. Not necessarily an exhibition worthy of Kenkle's memory, you think with a yawn, but it certainly could have been worse….","His Lordship's drunken animus is growing cruder; what's more, there are an unsettling number of hoots and whistles from the tables on either side, and looks that had seemed warm are now alight with wolfish smiles. | |
| A searching glance up to the dais shows King Saul enmeshed in his document and Queen Hero blowing languidly on her soup. Some in your audience may like you—but, as the moment lingers, you see none are bold enough to openly challenge the propriety of Bisqueath's request. | |
| Which means, you realize, that how you respond to this taskmaster's test is completely up to you. Lord…did Kenkle ever face such a room as this? | |
| ""Well, speak then, man,"" says Lord Bisqueath, rapping his knuckles impatiently on the tabletop.","Some aged gossips loitering in Melinchome's streets encourage you to follow the old northwest wall to the hill for the best view of the moonlight. It's a remarkable night, full of stars and thin, slumbering clouds. | |
| You offer up a few quips to the stranger, who responds in kind for an exchange or two but demonstrates a strong tendency towards silence as you walk. In their presence, you're aware of the distant rush of the waterwheel in the town mill, the low drumbeat of the Tarantalong back at the alehouse, the braying of an insomniac goat somewhere in town. There's a certain appeal to being with someone who knows how to be quiet. | |
| ""A fool's life must be a queer one,"" they break in after a long time, running a hand over the top of the old wall as you walk. ""Where do you see it leading, for thee?"" | |
| You give your chin a scratch. ""I think about Kenkle, I suppose,"" you say at last. ""Are you familiar?""","""I cannot thank you enough,"" you tell the herald as the guards bind the captive. | |
| ""Come now, Fleance,"" she says, clasping you on the arm. ""Do you think we'd ever suffer you come to harm?"" | |
| You sigh with pride as the small mob of defenders all take a moment to hail you and express their satisfaction at having been able to help as they lead the attacker away. You give a whistle and Magnus climbs back up from its sequestered spot and comes to your side. | |
| Winning applause on the stage is one thing; but having positioned yourself in the hearts of your community such that they'll risk their lives for you on a moment, and with pleasure? Kenkle and the other great fools of history would have been proud to achieve what you've secured for yourself. [+Surety] | |
| You give a sniff and tousle Magnus's fur. ""Come on, dear beast, we've a show to prepare. Let's pay back what we owe."" | |
| Off you trot, down the hall and out to where your public awaits.", | |
| fool,Aaron,['Aaron'],25,5118,"actiscene4_court_195,actiscene4_court_292,actiscene4_court_856,actiscene4_court_694,actiscene4_court_809,actiscene4_court_976,actiscene4_court_1073,actiscene4_court_1079,actiscene4_court_1216,actiscene4_court_1225,actiscene4_court_1235,actiscene4_court_1324,actiscene4_court_1571,actiscene4_court_1898,actiscene4_court_2054,actiiscene1_royaltrip_49,actiiscene1_royaltrip_124,actiiscene1_royaltrip_205,actiiscene1_royaltrip_213,actiiscene1_royaltrip_216,actiiscene1_royaltrip_250,writing_dream_385,writing_dream_405,writing_dream_541,writing_dream_548","""Two items of business before I leave you to your…work,"" she says distastefully, swirling her hand in the air. ""This Sunday shall His Grace host an assemblage of dignitaries provincial and foreign. A splendid board is expected, and fine entertainment; therefore shall this full company perform together for the pleasure of the esteemed multitude."" | |
| ""Sunday?"" Gilbert says with a start. | |
| ""…All of us?"" says the younger tumbler Aaron, pointing at his chest. His sister Gitel listens closely. | |
| ""Yes, yes, neophytes and old hands alike,"" the Steward says, tapping her toes. ""The greater the affluence of His Grace's Court in the eyes of his guests, the stronger his reputation becomes. Besides, it is high time you infants should begin earning your keep."" | |
| ""We've scarcely begun joint rehearsals,"" begins Millicent in a powerful voice before the old jester stops her. | |
| ""Leave it to me, 'centavo,"" he says with a wink. ""Your servant Timshel has it in hand."" | |
| ""Second! There is the new one,"" Malodoro says, swiveling to you. Seemingly as one, the rest of the company follows suit. | |
| ""Fleance, I believe…unless that was someone else. At any rate, this specimen is to be lurking about you, supporting from the shadows the efficient and effective comportment of this company.""","""Tumbling, gymnastics, and dance."" | |
| The tumblers and the dancer take your measure, and you do your best to let your warmth show through. | |
| ""Well, good on you,"" says Gitel with a nod as Aaron smiles. | |
| ""Perhaps we can work a few figures out together,"" says Moargen, arching his back. ""Can you show us a bit?""","Dinnertime is nigh, and you move for the feast halls as one unit. As you travel, you position yourself next to Aaron and Gitel. There's a question been lurking in your mind all day, and you ken that you'll have less risk looking foolish asking it of your same-aged peers. | |
| ""I was wondering, o partners in pageantry, what you could tell me of the Bardbrood."" | |
| Gitel shrugs. ""We've a chapter here in Port Covens. If you're ever after a nap, go attend one of their meetings and it'll put you right out. Unless you like talking about the ethics of costumery and the impermanence of memory or some such clabtrapple."" | |
| ""Not enough drums,"" Aaron puts in. | |
| ""Not a single drum, too right. They stage good work, though, now and again. Most of it is a little too torches-and-pitchforks for me, but The Muse sent a show our way some years ago,"" she says, preening a bit. | |
| ""And who's The Muse, then?"" | |
| They look at you. ""Only the cleverest visionary running in all Brenton,"" Gitel explains. ""If the Bardbrood had a monarch, The Muse would be it. Always something to say, and always presented in just a brilliant way."" | |
| ""That last show had words aplenty, but also spectacle like you wouldn't believe. Moved me to tears, and I haven't cried since the day I was born,"" Aaron boasts. | |
| ""Stop putting on airs. You shed a few last night when you dropped your spice bun and the dog ate it."" | |
| They fall into squabbling, leaving you to process what you've learned.","The tumblers Gitel and Aaron, given my acrobatic leanings. | |
| ""Join us,"" says Gitel as you come closer. The younger Aaron claps you on the shoulder, then continues his stretches.","""Hoy there, Fleance,"" Aaron says some time later. ""We had a bit of patter during our last set of lifts, but can't recall it now. Mind reading it back to us?"" | |
| ""I…I don't know what you mean."" You flip back through your notes, and think you must have been watching Moargen at the time. | |
| The tumblers look at each other. ""What's the good of you staring at everyone, if you don't capture what we need?"" says Gitel under her breath as they go back to work. | |
| Indeed, as the day goes on the company seems to view you more as dead weight than a resource. [-Company] For your turn, you find yourself increasingly daunted by trying to capture meandering content in the form of notes that will serve the precise need of any one of the company's number. [-Surety] There must be more to a Lurker's life than this, you think.", | |
| fool,Aitoko,['Aitoko'],22,5118,"actiscene4_court_204,actiscene4_court_311,actiscene4_court_315,actiscene4_court_321,actiscene4_court_589,actiscene4_court_578,actiscene4_court_851,actiscene4_court_728,actiscene4_court_800,actiscene4_court_1022,actiscene4_court_1073,actiscene4_court_1111,actiscene4_court_1216,actiscene4_court_1225,actiscene4_court_1281,actiscene4_court_1571,actiscene4_court_1626,actiscene4_court_1635,actiscene4_court_1767,actiscene4_court_1677,actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,activscene1_coronation_321","""What?"" says Aitoko the illusionist, his drooping mustachios echoing his frown. | |
| Malodoro sighs. ""Explain what it is you're to be doing.""","""Matters of spectacle and stagecraft most excite me."" | |
| Aitoko steeples his fingers under his chin and regards you closely. You radiate all the non-threatening enthusiasm you can muster. | |
| ""Have you a demonstration?""","You're rarely asked to discuss your projects, so it's with a good bit of satisfaction that you reach into your satchel. ""It's not fully painted yet, but I do have this…."" | |
| The group leans in closer as you pull out an unvarnished wooden egg, reminiscent of something laid by a horrifying bird four times the size of a goose. Thin seams trace the outside of the shape like veins. | |
| Aitoko raises his eyebrows as you extend it towards him. ""Pull that pin, if you please,"" you prompt.","He does, and the group gasps with delight. The pieces swing on hidden hinges and the partially hollow egg inverts itself to transform into a chunky, neckless bird with dangling legs. Aitoko's eyes are alight with curiosity as he folds the pieces up and down again on their hinges, deconstructing it in his mind. | |
| ""As I said, it needs some polish, but I thought it could be an interesting gag in the right piece,"" you say. ""What do you think?"" | |
| ""At least you're not another mover,"" he quips as he claps you on the shoulder, drawing scandalized chuckles from the siblings and the dark-haired Moargen. | |
| You grin, relieved to have made a good impression on your fellow tinkerer. The company seems pleased that a power struggle did not manifest itself—at least, not yet. [+Company]","""Attend, attend, all,"" Timshel says, clapping his hands above his head. ""Since you insist on parade ground drills, here are thy marching orders. Joan, Gilbert, begin thy strummings."" | |
| Shaking their heads indulgently, the musicians begin to improvise a pleasant, courtly air. | |
| ""I shall begin our display with the jokes and canny observation for which I am known,"" the fool goes on. ""I shall then yield the floor to Moargen, for a bit of a dance. Something sprightly, I should think, to keep a sense of motion. Than shall I deliver an interlude to set the stage for thee, Millicent, for something grand…a thrilling tale, to make them clutch their chests in the telling…"" | |
| You can't help but frown as the monologue continues. Timshel wants each company member to appear in isolation—which would let each of you play your individual strengths to the hilt, and would be simple to rehearse. But you can't help but wonder if a more coordinated performance, wherein different disciplines are joined together, would come closer to the vision of spectacle Malodoro has in mind. If Timshel did a bit of clowning with the tumblers, you muse…or Aitoko the illusionist used his stagecraft to enliven Millicent's speeches…it would require more diligent practice, but could be quite compelling.", | |
| fool,Hemdall,['Hemdall'],20,5118,"muse_elections_50,muse_elections_438,muse_elections_440,muse_elections_442,activscene1_coronation_2668,activscene1_coronation_2670,activscene1_coronation_2672,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1887,writing_dream_206,writing_dream_321,writing_dream_325,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2013,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2018,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2038,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2048,writing_dream_419,writing_dream_439,writing_dream_449,writing_dream_538,writing_dream_545","""You might say that,"" he says with an appreciative light in his eyes. ""Your work on the [i]Hemdall[/i] piece alone demonstrates that yours is a talent that needs to be shared as broadly as possible.""","""I know you've been writing as well, from time to time; and though I'm not over-familiar with what you've created I understand it's been well-received,"" Wendell says patronizingly. You find it somewhat hard to believe that he isn't aware of any of the several parodic [i]Hemdall[/i] pieces you've written at the behest of Hondelet's bardic elders.","""I understand you tried your hand at writing, and the piece was not too badly received by half,"" Wendell says in a stunningly patronizing tone. You find it hard to believe that he has no direct awareness of the [i]Hemdall[/i] piece, seeing as how he was its inspiration.","""I understand you tried your hand at writing at one time; bully for you for rising to that challenge!"" Wendell says in a stunningly patronizing tone. You find it hard to believe that he has no direct awareness of the [i]Hemdall[/i] piece, seeing as how he was its inspiration.","""I know you've been writing as well, from time to time; and though I'm not over-familiar with what you've created I understand it's been well-received,"" Wendell says patronizingly. You find it somewhat hard to believe that he isn't aware of any of the several parodic [i]Hemdall[/i] pieces you've written at the behest of Hondelet's bardic elders.", | |
| fool,Egad,"['Egad', 'Gad']",19,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_71,actiscene3_ruffinos_1096,actiscene4_court_1888,actiscene4_court_2204,actiiscene1_royaltrip_923,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2231,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_138,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1541,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1562,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1291,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2047,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_668,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_865,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_641,actiiiscene3_darkdays_164,actiiiscene3_darkdays_269,actiiiscene3_darkdays_632,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1551,activscene1_coronation_2263","""Rooooooooar!"" | |
| The animals and the woman look up the hillside as you emerge moments later. You have half a dozen cattails shoved behind your neck, rising twice the length of a man's arm over your head, and twice as many stuffed into each sleeve, lengthening your limbs considerably. You hold your arms out like a scarecrow and waggle them a bit, shaking your head side to side as well, so you're a blur of motion and spindly size as you stomp slowly down the hill. | |
| [i]Gad, this is itchy,[/i] you think as the stalks rub against your skin. | |
| ""What…what…?"" the woman stammers, leveling her knife at you. The bear is equally nonplussed, its nose working furiously as it takes a few steps back. | |
| Noticing an opportunity, the woman bellows, rushing the bear in its distraction and slashing towards its face. Her panicked swing goes wide, but the bear (deciding, apparently, that the road is growing much too crowded) recoils from her. As it turns its flanks knock the woman backwards into her mule-cart, jostling its contents and frightening the mule into a leap. The whole cart tumbles off the sloped road and lands with a splintering crack. From the debris, the mule slips free and breaks into as close to a gallop as its old legs can muster. | |
| ""Come, come, hep! No, no, no…"" the woman wails, snatching up as many sacks as she can carry from the overturned cart before chasing the mule. The troubled bear trots off in the other direction. | |
| You stop and let your arms lower. The cattails slide out of your sleeves into a pile in the grass. ""The cattail giant was never seen again,"" you intone, removing the remaining grass (with pleasure) from your shirt. Quite a clever little maneuver, if you dare say so yourself. [+Surety]","Egad, you realize a heartbeat later, she's just staring at you.","Gad, I'm excited! | |
| This is the moment you've spent years preparing for.","After a moment of uncertainty, Duke Ruffino stands and makes a gesture that encompasses your troupe and Malodoro's staff in one flick of the wrist. ""A dance,"" he proclaims. | |
| ""Everyone! Everyone!"" laughs the giant Viscount as the tables and chairs are whisked away and the space cleared for a dance. | |
| Timshel nods frantically to Joan and Gilbert, who (ever prepared) begin the opening strains of a moderate-paced reel. You join the rest of the company for a hasty conference. ""Gad, 'tis nothing more frightening than a request,"" says the old fool. | |
| ""They'll be looking to us to lead this dance. I, for one, haven't a clue as to the particulars and plan to feign drunkenness."" He wipes his hands over his face, then regards each of you in turn. ""Do your bit; save yourselves; and, as you love me, do nothing to embarrass His Grace.""","It's hard to think through your repertoire properly with all the noise. You clear out the dust from your throat and decide to croon an impromptu lullaby: | |
| [i]""Still, be still, little monkey[/i] | |
| [i]All is well on the road[/i] | |
| [i]Just stop wailing and flailing [/i] | |
| [i]Like you're fit to explode….[/i] | |
| You continue in this vein for what feels like an hour, but after its initial curiosity Magnus goes back to carrying on fervently as before. You squeeze your eyes shut. [i]Egad, why couldn't His Grace have just shot me like one of his pumpkins?[/i]", | |
| fool,Mistress Hutchins,"['Mistress Hutchins', 'Hutchins']",18,5118,"actiscene1_festival_65,actiscene1_festival_129,actiscene1_festival_138,actiscene1_festival_145,actiscene1_festival_165,actiscene1_festival_165,actiscene1_festival_178,actiscene1_festival_238,actiscene1_festival_253,actiscene1_festival_325,actiscene1_festival_365,actiscene1_festival_381,actiscene1_festival_392,actiscene1_festival_402,actiscene1_festival_420,actiscene1_festival_670,actiscene1_festival_868,actiscene1_festival_1157","Well, what of it? Let your humors slosh how they may, you've resolved the world will see you with fresh eyes this St. Grunion's Day. Today, you will finally show the public what you have worked so hard to— | |
| ""What are you wearing?"" | |
| You turn to see the three Hutchins children staring at you—more specifically, at your costume. The eldest daughter carries her skepticism openly, like a drawn blade. | |
| ""You look a fool,"" she says. | |
| It worked! You glance down at yourself with satisfaction. You're a bit proud of your homespun motley, especially the signature item you decided on:","The younger Hutchins children are picking each other's noses, and the daughter is casting her eyes elsewhere. Best to act quickly if you want your audience to stay.","""Pardon, I'm not ready…."" | |
| You hastily shuffle over to the grassy stage, smoothing out your clothes, adjusting your hat, and demanding your heartbeat slow. Your guts feel frozen with apprehension. [+Melancholy] | |
| You exhale into your hand to check your breath and recoil in horror at what you discover. One of the younger Hutchins titters. You feel the eyes of other passers-by flick to you, the paces slowing. Act now, you fool, you hiss to yourself.","""Mark me."" | |
| You draw yourself up and, with wordless strides, make your way to your chosen place on the grassy stage. You can feel the Hutchins children watching you, unsure what to expect. | |
| Their wonder is your currency, the thought strikes you, sounding quite deep and thrilling inside your head. [+Phlegm]","A bit of wordplay. | |
| You elect to show them your range by demonstrating something quite different that you've worked on. | |
| ""Forgive me, my Royal Hutchiness,"" you say to the daughter, stifling a yawn as you bow. ""I was up into the wee hours helping my cousin, the shepherd. Do you know my cousin?"" | |
| She blinks at you, rubbing her arm with her hand. ""No…."" | |
| You frown. ""I'm surprised, he's out-standing in his field. But no matter, no matter,"" you continue, noting as a handful of others stop behind the Hutchins trio to listen. ""I was in the mountains with him all last night because his prize milk cows broke their ties and fled, somewhere up there."" | |
| ""Oh my,"" she says, smiling uncertainly. | |
| ""'Oh my, I'm in trouble,'"" you repeat in a forlorn voice, ""that's what he said on the mountain last night. 'I'm really up the peak without my cattle.'"" | |
| Young Mistress Hutchins is a perfect foil as you continue, stifling laughter and striving for dignity as her siblings giggle at either hip, no help at all. | |
| A goodly crowd has gathered about you, amused and curious. Your countless hours spent twisting and turning words in your head seem to have amounted to something; they don't mind listening to you talk. [+Wit]", | |
| fool,The Muse,"['The Muse', 'Muse']",17,5118,"actiscene4_court_856,actiscene4_court_856,actiiscene1_royaltrip_74,muse_elections_121,muse_elections_393,muse_elections_401,muse_elections_401,activscene1_coronation_2662,muse_elections_603,muse_elections_1086,activscene1_coronation_2757,activscene1_coronation_2784,activscene1_coronation_2730,muse_elections_1060,muse_elections_885,muse_elections_911,muse_elections_1001","Dinnertime is nigh, and you move for the feast halls as one unit. As you travel, you position yourself next to Aaron and Gitel. There's a question been lurking in your mind all day, and you ken that you'll have less risk looking foolish asking it of your same-aged peers. | |
| ""I was wondering, o partners in pageantry, what you could tell me of the Bardbrood."" | |
| Gitel shrugs. ""We've a chapter here in Port Covens. If you're ever after a nap, go attend one of their meetings and it'll put you right out. Unless you like talking about the ethics of costumery and the impermanence of memory or some such clabtrapple."" | |
| ""Not enough drums,"" Aaron puts in. | |
| ""Not a single drum, too right. They stage good work, though, now and again. Most of it is a little too torches-and-pitchforks for me, but The Muse sent a show our way some years ago,"" she says, preening a bit. | |
| ""And who's The Muse, then?"" | |
| They look at you. ""Only the cleverest visionary running in all Brenton,"" Gitel explains. ""If the Bardbrood had a monarch, The Muse would be it. Always something to say, and always presented in just a brilliant way."" | |
| ""That last show had words aplenty, but also spectacle like you wouldn't believe. Moved me to tears, and I haven't cried since the day I was born,"" Aaron boasts. | |
| ""Stop putting on airs. You shed a few last night when you dropped your spice bun and the dog ate it."" | |
| They fall into squabbling, leaving you to process what you've learned.","Dinnertime is nigh, and you move for the feast halls as one unit. As you travel, you position yourself next to Aaron and Gitel. There's a question been lurking in your mind all day, and you ken that you'll have less risk looking foolish asking it of your same-aged peers. | |
| ""I was wondering, o partners in pageantry, what you could tell me of the Bardbrood."" | |
| Gitel shrugs. ""We've a chapter here in Port Covens. If you're ever after a nap, go attend one of their meetings and it'll put you right out. Unless you like talking about the ethics of costumery and the impermanence of memory or some such clabtrapple."" | |
| ""Not enough drums,"" Aaron puts in. | |
| ""Not a single drum, too right. They stage good work, though, now and again. Most of it is a little too torches-and-pitchforks for me, but The Muse sent a show our way some years ago,"" she says, preening a bit. | |
| ""And who's The Muse, then?"" | |
| They look at you. ""Only the cleverest visionary running in all Brenton,"" Gitel explains. ""If the Bardbrood had a monarch, The Muse would be it. Always something to say, and always presented in just a brilliant way."" | |
| ""That last show had words aplenty, but also spectacle like you wouldn't believe. Moved me to tears, and I haven't cried since the day I was born,"" Aaron boasts. | |
| ""Stop putting on airs. You shed a few last night when you dropped your spice bun and the dog ate it."" | |
| They fall into squabbling, leaving you to process what you've learned.","""You're too kind, but the honor isn't mine at all,"" Wendell is saying to two bearded sycophants as you wait in queue with your company. 'Tis the Prince himself whose script is to be measured up this eve against that of the mysterious Muse. | |
| Wendell is still pontificating. ""The honor belongs to the work, which flowed through me and is now a distinct being. I observe it as tonight it shares the stage with the work of The Muse. I celebrate it as a parent might a child, but so too I cleave it from myself. It stands on its own and no longer reflects on me for good or ill, for I am on to the next creation. Hold—is that you, Millicent?"" | |
| Wendell bids the small knot of well-wishers around him to part and approaches your band. As Wendell and Millicent clasp arms, you can see he takes note of you as well. His eyes flash. | |
| ""I'm led to understand you're already acquainted with Fleance, the most freshly-baked arrival in our ragamuffin troupe,"" Millicent says, following his gaze. | |
| ""In passing, I think? Yes,"" Wendell says, affecting a frown. ""Forgive me, Fleance, if I don't recall the particulars."" | |
| You know full well from the look on Wendell's face when you appeared that he remembers your encounter perfectly. Your company looks between you two, as do some of Wendell's hangers-on.","As you contemplate how best to proceed of a morning, you're surprised when Kitty Harlowe falls in next to you outside the East Tower. ""Walk with me for a tick, will you, Fleance?"" | |
| As you pull into a nearby garden Harlowe draws close to you and speaks in a low whisper. ""What I'm about to tell you is a matter of dire importance to your life and mine."" | |
| You try to keep Magnus relatively still as she enumerates certain facts about the Bardbrood in the reign of Lord High Regent Bisqueath. Members feel more animated than ever to speak out, but more fearful than ever of retaliation. | |
| ""It is a time for new leadership; a time for a new Muse to guide and inspire artists across Brenton."" She takes a deep breath. ""In other words, time for me to step down from that role."" | |
| You blink. ""You mean to say that…that The Muse is you?"" | |
| Kitty Harlowe nods.","One St. Lyra's Eve, Raphael bids you walk with him. | |
| ""There is a rather grand opportunity approaching, Fleance,"" the old man says, ""for those who wish to pursue it."" | |
| ""I know, Catherine's spaniel is about to whelp her puppies; but Magnus says I'm not allowed to petition for one."" | |
| ""There is, shall I say, a different grand opportunity approaching,"" Raphael says, looking a little more critically in your direction. ""It has to do with the person of The Muse."" | |
| You nod. You'll never forget the performance you saw of The Muse's work back in Port Covens all those years ago. | |
| ""Well met, Fleance,"" a voice from among the trees carries through. | |
| You turn, and your eyes widen. ""Kitty,"" you breathe as Kitty Harlowe steps into view, hands clasped before her.", | |
| fool,Fontybelle…Fleance,"['Fontybelle', 'Fontybelle…Fleance']",15,5118,"actiscene1_festival_527,actiscene1_festival_546,actiscene1_festival_726,actiscene1_festival_760,actiscene1_festival_861,actiscene1_festival_812,actiscene1_festival_932,actiscene1_festival_892,actiscene1_festival_977,actiscene1_festival_1031,actiscene1_festival_1162,actiscene1_festival_987,actiscene1_festival_1012,actiscene1_festival_1044,actiscene1_festival_1332","""There you are,"" Jaundyce says, eyes narrowing. There is a bilious unsteadiness to his movements and, you note, a spatter of wine across his shirt. ""There you are, Fontybelle…."" | |
| He advances. The crowd shuffles away from you; you take a step back as well, hands raised. | |
| ""Sir, my name is not Fontybelle."" | |
| Jaundyce spits on the ground and continues to advance. | |
| ""You are the man Fontybelle,"" he says.","""…my name is most assuredly not Fontybelle. They call me:""","I will bamboozle him. | |
| [i]Courage, Fleance,[/i] you think. Courage…. [+Blood] | |
| ""Master!"" you say with sudden brightness. ""Do you not understand, oh dear master, what you see before you?"" | |
| Sir Jaundyce frowns as you scamper a few steps closer to him (and his mace). | |
| ""Fathom thee this, dear father, 'tis I!"" | |
| ""Aye, 'tis thee, Fontybelle! Or whatever it may be."" | |
| ""No, nay, never, 'tis I! Your honest dog!"" | |
| You flop down on your side and rub up against his boots. The crowd gasps and giggles, delighting in this dangerous display.","I know just the song for the occasion, if I can drum up the nerve to sing it…. | |
| [i]Cool, my nerves, and make me steady….[/i] [+Phlegm] | |
| ""You are feeling the loss of your friend,"" you say, a peaceable expression on your face. | |
| ""Indeed, Fontybelle,"" he says, tightening his fist around the mace-shaft. ""Bring him me at once or pay the price."" | |
| You close your eyes and start to sing.","If I keep my composure, perhaps I can fashion a way to help him. | |
| This is a time for caution, not gambles. [+Melancholy] | |
| ""No need for violence, knight,"" you say, raising your hands. ""The notion of a lonely mutt roaming the fen without his noble master troubles me to my core."" | |
| ""Lies, Fontybelle,"" he growls. | |
| ""On my honor, and then some, I know not where your dog may be—but I will help you find the creature.""", | |
| fool,Fein,['Fein'],14,5118,"actiscene1_festival_1256,epilogue_speech_236,activscene1_coronation_615,activscene1_coronation_735,epilogue_speech_543,epilogue_speech_374,epilogue_speech_496,activscene1_coronation_1083,activscene1_coronation_1211,epilogue_speech_333,activscene1_coronation_1330,epilogue_speech_260,epilogue_speech_292,epilogue_speech_720","Vatch, the reedy rapscallion who embarrassed nobles and elevated peasants. | |
| Vatch had a relatively short tenure as a licensed fool to the Emperor of Fein, and was lucky to face exile rather than execution after his conduct. While his wit was bitingly keen, he chose not to cultivate his body or other talents overmuch so as to focus on his satire. By the scores he published damning pamphlets, ballads and plays with reckless boldness under his own name. | |
| A notoriously brutal house of nobles was so reviled in his works—which were so brilliantly delightful they spread like weeds throughout the empire—that the Imperial Court was compelled to censure their excesses and make honest redress to their peasants. | |
| His life in Court was far from comfortable, but his impact on the real lives of those in need was considerable, and his writings left a greater legacy than even the most brilliant ephemeral performance ever could. | |
| His focus on expressing important ideas rather than treading a stage has been an inspiration during your independent training. [+Wit] [+Bile] [-Conditioning] | |
| Quite remarkable, to think that a commoner with nothing but his pen and his bravery could reshape the course of his nation….","""Think'st thou, Frustratio, the efforts of this fool | |
| To see the Regent fall were ever doomed, | |
| And Brenton's destiny it was to sink to war | |
| For decades, first the ruinous fight with Fein, | |
| With civil strife succeeding our surrender | |
| Until, thank God, Queen Hero's forces won | |
| And now we are restored, however weak….""","After a pair of encounters with no subterfuge or inquisition on your part, you decide that you must begin pressing forward with the true purpose of your seduction. You must learn what, if anything, this fellow knows about the business of the regicide and the evidence that laid the blame at the feet of the Fein. | |
| It doesn't exactly make for natural bedside conversation. You conjure up all the wisdom and social grace you possess to try to find the right time and the right fashion to raise the topic. | |
| ""What is it?"" he says one day as you roll away from him on the bed, drawing a robe about yourself with a sigh. Sweat is beaded on his blocky frame despite the winter's chill. | |
| ""I was just remembering His Majesty, King Saul,"" you say.","Because no pure-minded leader could move from ascending the Throne to leaping into war so abruptly. | |
| ""Assassination is not cause for war?"" she says, raising an eyebrow. | |
| ""It's the speed of it, is all. You know better than I, of course; were relations with the Fein so poor while His Majesty lived that this action might seem possible?"" | |
| She allows as how it was a grave surprise to see the evidence of the neighbor-nation's involvement. | |
| ""So His Majesty, begging your pardon, is laid low at the feast, completely unexpected. Shortly thereafter, Lord Bisqueath influences his way to the formation of the Regency; again, unexpected. Among his first acts is to announce that the investigation points squarely to the Fein, and war must needs follow; two more unexpected turns. And here we are: without much time to even understand what's happening, as a nation we're all but being told that questioning the steps that got us here would threaten all our success on the field of war….""","""I knew him, Frustratio, | |
| A fool whose talents far surpassed the stage. | |
| Installed the Prinxe Hail upon the Throne | |
| He did, an act of global consequence. | |
| Were't not for Monarch Hail's pursuit of truth, | |
| We Brentons might have warred the Fein | |
| In earnest, to our massive detriment. | |
| As't was, Lord Bisqueath was exposed in time | |
| To forestall war and chide him for his crimes. | |
| Think on't, Frustratio—history's course | |
| Shaped entirely by a stalwart fool.""", | |
| fool,Baroness Kiell,"['Baroness Kiell', 'Kiell']",11,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_649,actiiscene3_graverobbers_675,actiiscene3_graverobbers_774,actiiscene3_graverobbers_891,actiiscene3_graverobbers_699,actiiscene3_graverobbers_797,actiiscene3_graverobbers_801,actiiscene3_graverobbers_817,actiiscene3_graverobbers_838,actiiscene3_graverobbers_969,actiiscene3_graverobbers_973","He explains that a mercenary in the employ of the visiting Baroness Kiell stopped by the stables at day's end, all smiles, and invited Tom to play a few rounds of Hazard with her comrades. More keen on the company than the pastime, Tom drank their ale and tossed his chances until he'd had his fill of losing. | |
| ""But then the six of them, all sharpening their knives and the like, were just ever encouraging that I should keep trying my luck, and…"" | |
| He shrugs helplessly. ""I'm the fool for not walking away while my purse still had weight to it."" | |
| You scratch Magnus absently as you listen. Poor Tom is inclined to blame his ill fortune, but to you the tale smacks of predation, a scheme of which Tom may be just the most recent target. What gall, for visiting mercenaries to squeeze coin from hard-working souls within His Majesty's walls.","I'll approach Steward Fig in full bluster and see what can be done about these misbehaving guests. | |
| ""With me, Thomas,"" you say, pulling him from the workbench. He hands the half-mended cap back to Magnus, who clasps it with both arms and gnaws its brim lovingly. You feel your passages growing seasoned for battle. [+Bile] | |
| Steward Fig is in his chambers sipping bone broth from a mug when you storm in. He wipes his lips as you explain the situation, with Tom chiming in with details at your prompting, tho' in excessively self-effacing tones. | |
| ""Full sorry I am, Goodman Fletcher, that Dame Fortune treated you so ill,"" Fig says at last, clearing his throat, ""but absent clear proof of malfeasance, raising this accusation would only embarrass the Baroness Kiell, and disrupt the diplomatic business His Majesty needs to transact."" | |
| Tom bows and steps backwards towards the exit, having been ready to leave from the moment you dragged him from his tools. You regard Fig's face for just a moment longer.","""This seems dangerous and morally suspect."" | |
| ""Like all worthy causes,"" you reassure Tom with a wink. He stands still, facing you with a coin pouch slung low at his hip. | |
| You give a low whistle and continue to entertain Tom with your scintillating witticisms. Meanwhile, Magnus sneaks up behind him and cunningly unties the pouch, cackling with delight before it runs away. | |
| ""Well done, o cutpurse!"" you crow. ""Tom, did you even feel that?"" | |
| ""I'faith, I did. The cackling was rather a giveaway as well."" | |
| ""That could be more muted,"" you concur, pursing your lips. [i]It would also be helpful if Magnus came back to us with the money,[/i] you think as you watch the beastly brigand capering across the green back towards the East Tower. | |
| Still, for a day's work teaching Magnus the finer points of pickpocketing, it could be worse. The question is, will Magnus be effective enough in a real scenario, before Kiell's mercenaries?","You set Tom to keep hold of Magnus at a safe distance whilst you approach Kiell's mercenaries by yourself. You've asked a friend from the Regal Regiment—dressed in civilian garb for the day—to stand watch with Tom and witness the proceedings; and also to be ready to step in with steel drawn in case you are menaced. | |
| [i]My most dramatic role to date,[/i] you think. | |
| The mercenaries are relaxing in a campsite arrayed for them outside the southeastern gate. Several argue in jocund tones while others nap or wait for a cauldron of fish stew to be complete. As you approach with halting footsteps in your wooden clogs, their officer rises up to greet you with an appraising look. You brush the bangs of your long black wig out of your eyes and dip your head. | |
| ""Halloa, ever so sorry to be popping on you like this,"" you say, voice pitched far higher than normal and eyes widened, ""but I heard you souls were ever ready for a round of Hazard."" | |
| ""Aye? Where'd you hear that?"" | |
| ""Tom Fletcher? An old friend…he said he knew you had plenty I might win?"" you shrug. | |
| The officer barely even tries to hide a predatory smile. ""Well now, time will tell; draw near, stranger, and let's lay the stakes.""","""If you raise the issue to Her Ladyship, there's a modest risk that she is offended and dismisses the matter out of hand. If you do not raise the issue, let me enumerate the other risks that arise…."" | |
| He leans back in his chair as you expound the possibilities. Unchecked, the mercenaries could become more emboldened and extort coin from more of the King's menials; even perhaps spreading the word to other bands that easy victims are to be found at Westfenster Palace. Uninformed, Baroness Kiell could face even greater embarrassment if a game of Hazard instigated by her troops ever turns into a melee, as is plausible if the scheme continues. Unaddressed, it's possible that King Saul could learn about the pervasive dice-playing and wonder why, given his royal disdain for games of chance, his Steward did not have a firmer handle on the roguery. | |
| With your melancholy at the fore, you're well-equipped to overwhelm Goodman Fig with unpleasant eventualities. [i]I can dream up disasters all the livelong day, dear Steward.[/i]", | |
| fool,Lady Godinna,"['God', 'Lady Godinna']",11,5118,"actiscene2_farm_687,actiiscene1_royaltrip_697,actiiscene1_royaltrip_949,actiiscene2_meetsaul_476,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_413,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2885,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1327,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1759,activscene1_coronation_1783,activscene1_coronation_2882,activscene1_coronation_2408","""I'm not a child any more, and right glad I am you've decided not to treat me as such."" | |
| ""By God,"" he snarls. ""If I had any idea where that cane went I'd tan your flanks with it."" | |
| ""You'd have to catch me first,"" you spit back, ""and terror makes me quite sprightly!"" | |
| He buries his face in his hands. You put your hands on your hips, feeling courage and venom in your body. [+Bile] You're all set for another insult and rejoinder when he simply straightens up.","With those gorgeous eyes on you, your thoughts scatter and all that replaces them is a longing that would be much too risky to display. So you shove it down and fall back on safer fare: | |
| ""I think you go through life too fully clothed,"" you say, drawing a significantly arched eyebrow from your audience. ""'Twould be preferable for you, and those around you, if you took as your patron paragon Lady Godinna, the famed nude mountebank who braved substantial itching to ride her stallion through the town square bareback, with nothing but her flowing locks to conceal her—"" | |
| Your ""advice"" is received about as well as could be expected. [+Bawdiness] | |
| ""You're a saucy one, Fleance, ever saying one thing and doing another."" Moargen shakes his head just before you part company. ""I'll say a prayer for you that His Majesty's Court is a fit place for such antics, lest they fit you with a hangman's noose."" | |
| ""If I survived Malodoro, I can survive anything,"" you quip. But, as you walk back to your longhouse to pack, you admit that a sliver of uncertainty pricks your mind. [-Surety] Absent a tolerant audience, a knave is just a pest…and pests tend to be squashed.","It takes mere seconds for the beast to recognize the rattle's potential, and it falls to happily playing straight away. The rhythmic shaking fades into the background amidst the horses' hooves and creaking wagon wheels. ""Thank God,"" you breathe aloud, leaning back. | |
| You seem to have made a friend in the monkey, who makes you smile with a game of offering you the rattle and withholding it at the last minute. [+Magnus] And you catch sight of soldiers in your escort conversing while pointing at your cart, nodding appreciatively. You may have impressed others with your creativity as well. [+Renown]","""I would say God be with ye, but for aught I know thou art in contemplation of a bit of cards, or dice, or idleness and would sooner not play host to God's full majesty at this present hour; so instead I'll offer this from the poet Tellion: 'Eat well, sleep well, all will be well; wish thou me well, and I'll bid thee well."" | |
| Tom's eyes widen and he laughs in surprise. ""Quite the dismissal, dear Fleance! Can't say I have heard it before."" | |
| You can tell Tom is impressed as you dip your head to him. [+Fletcher]","Danger be damned, I'll confront Lord Bisqueath before the whole throng, and be ready to run or fight come what may. (Requires an Excess of Surety) | |
| [i]May God protect me.[/i] You wouldn't mind having some protection from Westfenster's soldiery either in the moment, should this come to blows. So concerned are you about violence that you reclaim Magnus from its minders; in a pinch, you can always fling the beast in an attacker's face like a hairy, fanged bolas. | |
| You and your ape station yourselves near the eastern gates, through which the party is bound to return. While Magnus practices somersaults, you do a bit of stretching to pass the time, and to limber yourself up in the likely event that you need to beat a hasty retreat. | |
| Near an hour passes before the wide gates are opened and the hunting party trots through, a score strong and thronged by twice as many hounds. There is Lord Bisqueath riding in front, clad in leather and armed with blade and bow, in brisk commentary with two of his peers. You draw a deep breath and step forward. | |
| ""Lord Bisqueath, Master of the Star Chamber,"" you call out, projecting your voice as ably as you can. Most of the party does not notice you right away, but you see that his Lordship does. His eyes widen as you raise up his note. ""I accuse you of treason against the Crown.""", | |
| fool,M'Lord,"[""M'Lord"", 'Lord']",9,5118,"actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1056,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2497,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_164,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_896,banished_ending_620,muse_elections_379,activscene1_coronation_2211,activscene1_coronation_325,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3446","""I feel we've not been fairly introduced,"" he rumbles. | |
| You don't need any introduction to remember Lord Bisqueath, the Royal Taxmaster who had you doused in a barrel of ale on your first night at Westfenster. ""Well met, M'Lord; are you keen to see me submerged in something new today?"" | |
| ""A rowdy welcome, that; think nothing on't,"" he dismisses. ""You were forward with the King, if mem'ry serves, and warranted correction in some small degree. But let that go."" | |
| [i]Let that go? We'll see, Your Lordship,[/i] you think with crossed arms.","You nearly bump into the broad chest of Lord Bisqueath as you turn away. | |
| ""Aha, ho ho!"" the merry Exchequer guffaws, clapping both your shoulders. ""God save thee, toothsome fool!"" | |
| ""God preserve thee as well, M'Lord,"" you say, sidestepping away from the lusty lord's wandering hands and turning the gesture into a flourishing bow. ""At least, let him preserve the parts of thee that thy imbibing has not already pickled."" | |
| You banter back and forth with the burly nobleman, drawing some attention and laughter from those in earshot. After but a few moments, His Lordship bids you adieu and the eyes look elsewhere. He locks a meaningful stare on your face, and you give a jaunty little salute in reply, not letting your expression betray anything. | |
| Your heart is racing. Do real spies feel thus all the time, living a secret life in public? You hadn't realized what a luxury it was to be able to have that separation between onstage and off….","One morning in your bedchamber, a bit of post comes your way courtesy of an unwitting Herald—a scroll of fine parchment from dear Lord Bisqueath, commending you in bland tones on your efforts at the feast. [i]You shouldn't have, M'Lord,[/i] you think. | |
| As you unwrap the whole scroll, a second scrap of parchment falls to the floor. You snatch it up and peruse it: | |
| [i]""I fondly recollect our [i]tête-à-tête[/i], and shall be ever attentive to thy work.""[/i] | |
| [i]In other words, please get on with the skulduggery,[/i] you think, folding the scroll back up with a few sharp twists of your hands. | |
| You let out a sharp sigh, leaning your back against the stones. Is today the day you make good on your promise to the treacherous taxmaster and try to spy on King Saul?","His Lordship is already at the lovely spot by the time you arrive. Metal globes buffed to a mirrored finish rise out of the water on spiraling posts at regular intervals, reminiscent of massive tadpoles leaping into the sky. It's a curious and evocative artistic display. Bisqueath is letting his dozen dogs drink from it. | |
| ""Fleance,"" His Lordship says, leaning on his riding-crop. | |
| ""Tally-ho, M'Lord,"" you say with a little bow. | |
| ""Noted I your serenading at the gates; an unexpected gift to end our chase."" He smiles tightly by way of thanks. ""I wonder, hast thou other songs to sing, or speech to speak?"" | |
| All his servants are far enough distant and occupied in their work that you feel safe drawing a bit closer and sharing what you learned.","Audrey proves to be a study in fecundity, informing you with pride mere weeks after you first attempted conception that she has already felt the quickening. ""Who's the star of the stage now?"" she teases, throwing her arms around your neck. | |
| The pregnancy treats her well, and—secure in her own cottage and with naught but you and the trusted midwife at her side—labor is over practically before it begins. ""Lord,"" you say aloud as you behold her in bed, your infant girl in her arms. ""That was scarcely two hours! I've watched plays far longer."" | |
| ""That, my love, is a sign that we should do this again,"" she says with a weary smile. | |
| And so you do about two years hence, adding a second girl to your numbers and crowding the cottage on your parents' land that much more, but in a rather pleasing fashion.", | |
| fool,O Lurker,"['Lurker', 'O Lurker']",9,5118,"actiscene4_court_132,actiscene4_court_809,actiscene4_court_1157,actiscene4_court_1193,actiscene4_court_1563,actiscene4_court_2423,actiscene4_court_2426,actiscene4_court_2443,actiiscene2_meetsaul_762","""Do you know what a Lurker is supposed to do, exactly?"" | |
| ""A what?"" | |
| You explain Malodoro's description from the previous night, and the musicians look at each other in confusion. ""Can't say as we've had such a one before…."" | |
| ""Used to be one o' the seamstresses would pop by of an evening t'mend the worst of the jackets and all,"" Joan goes on, waving a hand vaguely at the wall of outfits. ""I s'pose you could take that on?"" | |
| ""When it was just us two on music, and Millicent for speeches and Timshel for the…the whole jester bit, we'd each take care of ourselves,"" Gilbert thinks aloud. | |
| ""Maybe we do need a savvy soul a-lurkin' round us now, makin' sure we can all hit our marks for His Grace. How's your sheepdog act, then?"" Joan says with a wink.","""Hoy there, Fleance,"" Aaron says some time later. ""We had a bit of patter during our last set of lifts, but can't recall it now. Mind reading it back to us?"" | |
| ""I…I don't know what you mean."" You flip back through your notes, and think you must have been watching Moargen at the time. | |
| The tumblers look at each other. ""What's the good of you staring at everyone, if you don't capture what we need?"" says Gitel under her breath as they go back to work. | |
| Indeed, as the day goes on the company seems to view you more as dead weight than a resource. [-Company] For your turn, you find yourself increasingly daunted by trying to capture meandering content in the form of notes that will serve the precise need of any one of the company's number. [-Surety] There must be more to a Lurker's life than this, you think.","What is a Lurker for, if not to lighten the work of the rest of the ensemble?","If Lurker you are, then lurk you shall, shoring up the shadows.","As Lurker, I have a new appreciation for all the facets of the wicked stage. | |
| There's wisdom to be gleaned from the careful study of those around you—oftentimes, lessons in what to never, never do.", | |
| fool,Zest,['Zest'],9,5118,"muse_elections_856,muse_elections_867,muse_elections_873,muse_elections_885,muse_elections_890,muse_elections_981,muse_elections_1018,muse_elections_1120,muse_elections_1133","""We now commence the final consideration,"" Kitty declares, making a gesture to the stagehands. | |
| You look around. By the grace of Heaven, you're among the final four contenders to be the Bardbrood's designated Muse. | |
| Allitropa is a stout-hearted woman of middle age you know well by reputation; her personal story from orphaned scullery-girl in a corsair fleet to nationally renowned scholar and reformist is itself the stuff of high drama. Ever welcoming, she gives you a nod as your eyes wander across the stage. | |
| The fool who styles himself ""Zest"" was unknown to you until this day, but with his great mane of lemon-blond hair and scarecrow's limbs he's thoroughly unforgettable once espied. His comic timing is exquisite and his movements a mesmerizing riot of grace and puppyish disorder. He has his eyes closed, perhaps offering a prayer for having made it so far despite having enjoyed less public acclaim than any of the rest of you. | |
| On the far side of the stage stands Wendell. Your eyes unfocus as you remember that day at the start of your grand excursion when his sham auditions for Ruffino's company made you feel, however briefly, that your adventure was over mere hours after it began.","Raphael pulls you from your reverie by gesturing to four boxes set on the stage. Each of you stands on your makeshift pedestal, looking down at the expectant audience as Raphael's fine voice lifts through the woods. | |
| ""A debate we shall see now, hearkening to the Senators of Old Themis and their principled discourse on the critical questions of the day."" | |
| ""Except without hemlock administered to the less persuasive parties in our case, I hope?"" quips Zest, his wild face a caricature of anxiety. | |
| ""If it is needed, at least we know a ready supplier,"" Allitropa says with a twinkle, indicating you. | |
| Laughter sings through the air as you bob a quick bow and pretend to scrawl out a quick order for your family. These competitors are worthy foes indeed, sharp-witted and at ease onstage. You have hard work at hand to best all three of them. | |
| Raphael, beaming with good humor, raises his hands for calm. ""The next Muse will inherit a dangerous time and an uncertain nation,"" he explains. ""In direct address to us, your community of peers, explain your vision of the role the Bardbrood needs to play in the Kingdom. Many will be looking to you for inspiration in the days to come; what will you offer them?""","In this case, you imagine that quality of debating will come into play to some degree; but of more consequence will be how clearly each of you can articulate a position that matches your reputation. There's likely only so much fighting against type you can do without risking confusing your audience more than winning them over. | |
| Through fortune—good or ill you've yet to discern—you're to be the last to speak. | |
| Therefore you attend closely to the others' impassioned visions and make your interjections whenever you think it meet; though not nearly so oft as Wendell, who pounces on every inartful phrase or vulnerable claim like a jungle cat, wearing down his prey one wickedly playful swipe at a time. Allitropa holds her ground and then some against his rhetorical barbs, but you can tell that Zest, more performer than philosopher, is thoroughly tripped up by them. [i]And then there were three, perhaps?[/i] | |
| You're keeping half a brain fixed on whatever you might say when something in the midst of Wendell's stirring speech catches your ear: | |
| ""The world to come is only to be further atomized, with noble houses turning against themselves; trades scrabbling for stronger footholds in our growing cities; and rival nations waging strife 'gainst each other by the pike and the purse alike to secure advantage. In the world to come, each can only rely on himself; and thus grows the power of the stories this auspicious Bardbrood of ours can tell,"" he says, raising his arms to scattered whoops of excitement. ""We can help our fellow citizens realize their own power and forge their own destinies. Our tales of self-determination will be invaluable to helping them navigate tomorrow's rocky seas on whatever driftwood rafts Dame Fortune has let them cobble together for themselves. We—"" | |
| ""No,"" you hear yourself say.","Binding together in cooperation must be the path we choose; and it starts by electing not a singular Muse, but a group of them. | |
| ""Can I say, I'm for it?"" Zest puts in to the audience's delight; he seems to realize full well his chances of landing atop the pack are most slim. | |
| ""Come now,"" Wendell says, a genuinely perplexed cast to his face. ""As a tactic to make embarrassment in this vote less likely, I can understand your proposal. But as a matter to be seriously weighed, I can see only bringing disorder and fragmentation into this society."" | |
| You take a deep breath and point yourself squarely at Wendell. ""I, Fleance, who has performed for kings and queens, whom you styled a worm to the amusement of my city and my own shame, who has known your face as long as I have chosen this life: I say publicly that if this assembly deems me worthy of the tremendous honor of serving as The Muse, that it must do the same for you.""","You look across the crowd as your words are weighed. ""And if we two, different in approach but capable enough to have found our separate paths to this stage together before you; if we two are worthy of being your Muse, why not these two?"" You gesture to Zest and Allitropa. ""Why not the twoscore others who entertained you earlier?"" | |
| ""Steady on,"" Allitropa laughs, her eyes widening. ""A handful of Muses might be one thing, but a full Chorus is quite a change!"" | |
| You temper your position, but still make so bold as to press for a more collaborative spirit in the Bardbrood, starting from the top and feeding downwards. Without the need to compete driving you apart, who knows what the group might accomplish? | |
| At a natural pause, Wendell draws in a deep breath. Your attention turns to him, along with that of the whole multitude.", | |
| fool,Grabel,['Grabel'],8,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_558,actiiscene3_graverobbers_563,actiiscene3_graverobbers_569,actiiscene3_graverobbers_576,actiiscene3_graverobbers_585,actiiscene3_graverobbers_591,actiiscene3_graverobbers_597,muse_elections_3","Looking for this Raphael to demonstrate my competence on the stage to Hondelet's Bardbrood. | |
| Everywhere you ask, Raphael himself is a shadowy figure, known by reputation, not in whereabouts. In your wanderings through the artistic quarters of the buzzing city, one Bardbrood member you meet is a bright-eyed, rounded lass named Grabel who's delighted to hear you making enquiries. | |
| ""The best way to draw attention to yourself is to get involved,"" she says, ""and we've a symposium tonight in Thackladge Hall that needs moderating. 'S on the theological implications of the modern machine play and the ethical complexities of clerics adopting techniques of stagecraft to provoke religious ecstasy. Care to help?""","You soak up the conversation, held by luminaries of philosophic thought and stage contraptionism known throughout Brenton. When it comes time for audience inquiries, you flatter yourself that your questions are among the most trenchant and likely to spark novel discussion. | |
| From Grabel's appreciative mien at the end of the night, and the way she cheerily introduces you to others, you dare to hope that others enjoyed hearing your knowledge as much as you enjoyed hearing theirs. [+Bardbrood] You may not have met Raphael, but you head back the the palace much encouraged in your quest. [+Surety]","You're practically in a stupor by the time you're walking back home to Westfenster Palace. Not only did you learn that your repertoire is not nearly as extensive as you thought, after hearing the night's remarkable panelists, but you made the gross mistake of opening your mouth with a question during the audience inquiry section; and something so ignorant emerged that it set the room into an uproar, certain you'd made a joke. | |
| Grabel gives you a polite, perfunctory goodbye as she sees you off, but you can tell you did nothing to help your quest to find Raphael tonight. [-Bardbrood] You've much more reading to do before you'd dare approach one of these symposia again. [-Surety]","Your hot humors put enough animation into your regret-laden decline that Grabel seems understanding. ""Some other time, I hope,"" she says, with evident sincerity. [+Bardbrood]","Sure enough, your behind-the-scenes prowess helps you set the panelists in place for maximum acoustic effect in the room and ensure the discussion is well-managed with no one speaker dominating. Grabel is highly appreciative when the event ends and is happy to introduce you to a few of her fellows. | |
| You may not know Raphael yet, but as you head back for the palace, you feel like you're making headway in a group you're keen to know better. [+Bardbrood] [+Surety]", | |
| fool,Westfenster,['Westfenster'],8,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_485,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_339,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_413,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1239,epilogue_speech_602,activscene1_coronation_1312,activscene1_coronation_1383,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_3256","At first, all seems well—you even hear that some of the lords in Court are speaking well of you for your steady devotion to wholesome fare. [+Bisqueath] But you soon realize that your repertoire is becoming stale, and you haven't quite the skill to make the renditions less tedious the more you try them. You find yourself caught between the track you want to pursue and the ability you have to actually achieve your aims. [-Surety] | |
| Paradoxically enough, the more you spout patriotic fervor, the more groans and disinterest you hear from your primary audience of Westfenster's menials. You might actually be doing harm to their love of the nation. [+Discontent] You continue to muddle through as best you can, working in more popular (but still unobjectionable) pieces into your offerings.","You lay back on your cot again and peruse the scroll. 'Tis Steward Fig's own hand, written in some degree of haste and agitation. Dashed it off when Harlowe told him you were not coming to his summons on the instant, you think, frowning. | |
| There's a lengthy preamble about how Westfenster was in shock to learn of the attack suffered by Prinxe Hail in the town of Melinchome. (It gives you a pang to read and be reminded of it.) | |
| ""Now 'tis a time for honoring the boldness of the Heir in rising to their own defense, and publicly affirming the esteem we bear for them…"" you mutter aloud. | |
| You stop as you come at last to the part that treats on you. The Chief Steward wants you to prepare a piece celebrating the Prinxe in their time of convalescence, and to perform it for the assembled throng in five days' time.","Danger be damned, I'll confront Lord Bisqueath before the whole throng, and be ready to run or fight come what may. (Requires an Excess of Surety) | |
| [i]May God protect me.[/i] You wouldn't mind having some protection from Westfenster's soldiery either in the moment, should this come to blows. So concerned are you about violence that you reclaim Magnus from its minders; in a pinch, you can always fling the beast in an attacker's face like a hairy, fanged bolas. | |
| You and your ape station yourselves near the eastern gates, through which the party is bound to return. While Magnus practices somersaults, you do a bit of stretching to pass the time, and to limber yourself up in the likely event that you need to beat a hasty retreat. | |
| Near an hour passes before the wide gates are opened and the hunting party trots through, a score strong and thronged by twice as many hounds. There is Lord Bisqueath riding in front, clad in leather and armed with blade and bow, in brisk commentary with two of his peers. You draw a deep breath and step forward. | |
| ""Lord Bisqueath, Master of the Star Chamber,"" you call out, projecting your voice as ably as you can. Most of the party does not notice you right away, but you see that his Lordship does. His eyes widen as you raise up his note. ""I accuse you of treason against the Crown.""","You dedicate yourself to performing for Westfenster's soldiers and menials with as much enthusiasm as you can muster, and likewise dedicate a few hours to the first fifty words of what's sure to be a transcendently beautiful magnum opus, Bardbrood's snootiness be damned. But truth be told, it's a challenge to stay excited about being in the seat of power in Brenton, yet on the outside looking in.","""Wouldst thou care for this, Frustratio?"" the young nobleman says, extending the skull to his friend. | |
| ""I'm fine,"" Frustratio says, backing away. | |
| The princeling gives a heavy sigh as they continue walking. ""So many bones beneath us, each one with a story of its own to pass along. To think how differently each life could go, with different choices made at different times…it makes one hope the mystic sages right in all their reincarnative beliefs, that we might all have more than one attempt to tell the story of our living days."" | |
| ""Next time, I'm maxing bawdiness."" | |
| ""What was that, Frustratio?"" | |
| ""Nothing indeed, my Lord. Shall we adjourn to more wholesome air?"" Frustratio says, wiping his glasses clean. | |
| ""Ay me, would that a wholesome patch of breath could finally cleanse my soul and heartsick frame…"" the Prince sighs as Frustratio masters himself enough not to push the nobleman into an open heap of patellas. | |
| The bones of Westfenster's dead return to their rest as their footfalls recede and the gravedigger's shovel falls silent.", | |
| fool,Gallibrans,"['Gallibran', 'Gallibrans']",7,5118,"actiiiscene3_darkdays_147,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1914,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1934,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1701,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1469,actiiiscene3_darkdays_1492,actiiiscene3_darkdays_2586","At the evening's close, with your bellies warm with food and your heads warm with ale, the Prinxe finally suggests you should make your way back out under the stars to slumber. | |
| You stare at their back as you walk the mostly-empty streets. Hail scarcely reacted hours earlier when you fed them the news of Lady Hotfoot's attack on Gallibran. You're itching to know what the Heir actually feels about this development…. | |
| ""Your Highness?"" you say, a little too loudly for public. | |
| ""Take care, Fleance,"" they whisper, turning to you. | |
| ""It seems the times are growing troubled, with what happened in Gallibran,"" you begin, not sure exactly where you're going as you speak…","You begin to spin a mad tale of how long ago you had relatives in Gallibran who were known horse-thieves, and were exiled from the community from many devious and scandalous acts. | |
| ""On our departure, the matriarchs of Gallibran declared that none from my family should ever return, down to the last descendant,"" you conclude. ""So were I return, 'twould violate that injunction and cause no end of strife."" | |
| Fig just raises an eyebrow. ""'Down to the last descendant?' How many horses did your kin steal, exactly?"" | |
| ""Oh, herds,"" you say, dabbing the sweat off your brow. ""Forgive me; it fills me with anxiety just to remember the wrongs wrought by my ancestors."" | |
| ""I've no doubt. Well, here's some advice; don't go enumerating your parentage to the matriarchs, and focus on doing your duty as a servant of the Throne and conducting a fine performance. Oh, and while you're there, try to restrain yourself around their horses."" | |
| [i]That could have been more convincing.[/i] You heave a sigh. Not only are you Gallibran-bound now, you've irritated the Steward with a substandard excuse. [-Surety] [+Knavery] You'll just have to hope another opportunity as promising as the Bacchanal emerges to debut your piece.","Fig listens with a fair amount of patience as you try to conjure up a case that doesn't seem wholly self-serving. | |
| As you conclude, he adjusts his spectacles. ""Let me be clear."" | |
| ""And I'll be Fleance,"" you whisper. | |
| ""You are a servant of the Throne, as am I. Your personal engagements, for your personal aggrandizement, are as nothing when stacked against the direct orders of Their Majesties the King and Queen."" He gives a sigh. ""The fact that you would even try to argue against obedience in this case, where the directive is to offer comfort to your countryfolk traumatized by civil violence? It does not redound to your benefit, Fleance."" | |
| He gives you certain instructions and departs, rather cross. You sigh. Not only are you Gallibran-bound now, you've irritated the Steward with line of reasoning you should have known would not persuade. [-Surety] [+Knavery] You'll just have to hope another opportunity as promising as the bacchanal emerges to debut your piece.","If my tongue's quick enough, I can weave a tale to ensure that the King will not forget his subjects' humanity. | |
| Common folk like the Gallibrans are too oft forgotten. | |
| ""Your Majesty may regret his kindness in extending me the floor,"" you say with a devilish grin. ""Once a fool takes the stage, we tend to plant roots, so I hope no one else intended to speak on this matter."" | |
| You'll have to settle for the handful of patient smirks you get in response, and consider this audience as warmed up as can be. [i]Wits, don't fail me now.[/i]","With care and eloquence, you're able to make a reasoned case insisting that the Crown do more to protect its citizens without stirring the crowd into a mob. There are wet eyes on many faces moved by your words—especially Tom's. A cheer goes up as you finish your speech to a crowd that, to your satisfaction, has grown in size threefold since when you started. [+Surety] | |
| ""Thank you,"" says Tom as he embraces you while the roused-up crowd continues to chant ""Justice for Gallibran!"" at the palace gates. | |
| You happen to catch sight of Kitty Harlowe some distance away. As you and Tom pull away she gives you a smattering of applause. ""I knew there was quite a mind in there,"" she says approvingly. ""You'd do well to get some of those thoughts on parchment."" [+Bardbrood] | |
| [i]Who knows,[/i] you think, looking up at the Palace.", | |
| fool,Halloa,['Halloa'],7,5118,"actiscene3_ruffinos_91,actiscene3_ruffinos_109,actiiscene3_graverobbers_891,banished_ending_555,activscene1_coronation_531,activscene1_coronation_599,writing_dream_359","A bear would only behave this way if it were ravenous, or already accustomed to the presence of humankind. The bear looks well-fed, so perhaps it's lived amongst (or near) humans before, and is convinced this woman will be as hospitable as past ones have been…. | |
| ""Halloa!"" you call out, waving for the woman's attention. ""Hello there!"" | |
| The animals and the woman all look up at you. The bear's nose crinkles, and the woman's eyes widen. ""What…who…who are you?"" | |
| ""Just trying to help—what do you have in the cart?"" | |
| ""It's mine! Brigands, you're working in consort!"" she howls, leveling the knife at you. | |
| You blink. ""The bear and I?"" you put your hands on your hips, considering. Now there's an act for you…. | |
| ""Back, back, beast!"" she rails as it sneaks a step closer to the cart. The animal has a curious eye on you as well. | |
| ""It wants some of what you have. I think it's used to being fed,"" you call out. ""Probably quite harmless—if you give it a taste, I imagine it'll let you leave—"" | |
| ""Feed the bear?!"" | |
| The woman may not like the idea, but the bear loves it. Its attention is almost entirely focused on you at this point. You allow yourself a moment of preening—looks like you can add ""master of the animal psyche"" to your ever-expanding knowledge base. [+Surety]","The bear must be rabid. There's no other reason why a great beast would wander up to a traveler on the road in broad daylight. | |
| ""Hello! Halloa there!"" you call out, waving your arms feverishly. | |
| The animals and the woman all look up at you. The bear's nose crinkles, and the woman's eyes widen. ""What…who…who are you?"" | |
| ""So you know, you're in grave danger!"" | |
| ""From the bear, you mean?"" She sputters, waggling the knife in your direction. ""Well, thank you so much!"" | |
| ""The bear is rabid! Leave the cart, step away!"" you say, gesturing for her to come up the hill. ""Whatever you have in there, it's not worth it."" | |
| ""Rabid?!"" she says, sinking further into panic. | |
| The bear, for its part, is not acting particularly rabid, you realize. Its movements are smooth and its muzzle decidedly clear of foam. After glancing up at you, its nose gets to twitching and it immediately turns back to the cart. | |
| ""Saints preserve me!"" the woman hollers, worked up into a lather as the bear comes closer. [i]I think I owe you an apology, bear,[/i] you decide, biting your lip. You seem to have just made the woman go rabid, not the beast…. [-Surety]","You set Tom to keep hold of Magnus at a safe distance whilst you approach Kiell's mercenaries by yourself. You've asked a friend from the Regal Regiment—dressed in civilian garb for the day—to stand watch with Tom and witness the proceedings; and also to be ready to step in with steel drawn in case you are menaced. | |
| [i]My most dramatic role to date,[/i] you think. | |
| The mercenaries are relaxing in a campsite arrayed for them outside the southeastern gate. Several argue in jocund tones while others nap or wait for a cauldron of fish stew to be complete. As you approach with halting footsteps in your wooden clogs, their officer rises up to greet you with an appraising look. You brush the bangs of your long black wig out of your eyes and dip your head. | |
| ""Halloa, ever so sorry to be popping on you like this,"" you say, voice pitched far higher than normal and eyes widened, ""but I heard you souls were ever ready for a round of Hazard."" | |
| ""Aye? Where'd you hear that?"" | |
| ""Tom Fletcher? An old friend…he said he knew you had plenty I might win?"" you shrug. | |
| The officer barely even tries to hide a predatory smile. ""Well now, time will tell; draw near, stranger, and let's lay the stakes.""","You catch sight of a figure all of a sudden, bent double in a bed of night-blooming devil's trumpet. Your donkey brays at Magnus for walking too close, drawing the man's attention. | |
| ""Halloa there,"" your brother Morris says warily, his shears at his side in his gloved hands. | |
| Your voice catches in your throat. ""Halloa yourself,"" you call back. | |
| He blinks, then takes several steps forward until the moon comes out from behind a cloud. His face is longer and his build stockier after years more of field labor, but otherwise he is no different from the youth you left behind. You wonder if you are similarly recognizable…. | |
| ""Fleance?"" | |
| ""The same,"" you say with a small bow.","Days go by with no perceptible change in the patterns of the Palace. Then one day, you and Magnus are doing a bit of a balancing act for a crowd on the parade ground when you spy the blacksmith's aide eyeing you, flanked by a quartet of soldiers. | |
| You speed on into a big finish, which, being rushed, draws only a fraction of the applause it was supposed to. But you get a sense that there's a conversation to follow that you might not want to defer. | |
| ""Halloa there,"" says the blacksmith-to-be, rubbing his palm against the back of his neck as he approaches you. ""D'you remember borrowing those engraving tools from me?"" | |
| ""Indeed. Thankee for the loan. Do they seem fine, now I've returned them?"" | |
| ""Aye. What'd you make, then? While you had 'em?""", | |
| fool,Hazard,['Hazard'],7,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_649,actiiscene3_graverobbers_737,actiiscene3_graverobbers_891,actiiscene3_graverobbers_740,actiiscene3_graverobbers_765,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1470,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1278","He explains that a mercenary in the employ of the visiting Baroness Kiell stopped by the stables at day's end, all smiles, and invited Tom to play a few rounds of Hazard with her comrades. More keen on the company than the pastime, Tom drank their ale and tossed his chances until he'd had his fill of losing. | |
| ""But then the six of them, all sharpening their knives and the like, were just ever encouraging that I should keep trying my luck, and…"" | |
| He shrugs helplessly. ""I'm the fool for not walking away while my purse still had weight to it."" | |
| You scratch Magnus absently as you listen. Poor Tom is inclined to blame his ill fortune, but to you the tale smacks of predation, a scheme of which Tom may be just the most recent target. What gall, for visiting mercenaries to squeeze coin from hard-working souls within His Majesty's walls.","Well, no sense forcing him to dwell on this pain. Let me change the subject with some dry jests. | |
| After some appropriately sympathetic noises, you sidle a step closer to Tom. ""Well, friend, you know what they say about playing Hazard."" | |
| ""No; do I want to?"" he says with a quiet grin.","You set Tom to keep hold of Magnus at a safe distance whilst you approach Kiell's mercenaries by yourself. You've asked a friend from the Regal Regiment—dressed in civilian garb for the day—to stand watch with Tom and witness the proceedings; and also to be ready to step in with steel drawn in case you are menaced. | |
| [i]My most dramatic role to date,[/i] you think. | |
| The mercenaries are relaxing in a campsite arrayed for them outside the southeastern gate. Several argue in jocund tones while others nap or wait for a cauldron of fish stew to be complete. As you approach with halting footsteps in your wooden clogs, their officer rises up to greet you with an appraising look. You brush the bangs of your long black wig out of your eyes and dip your head. | |
| ""Halloa, ever so sorry to be popping on you like this,"" you say, voice pitched far higher than normal and eyes widened, ""but I heard you souls were ever ready for a round of Hazard."" | |
| ""Aye? Where'd you hear that?"" | |
| ""Tom Fletcher? An old friend…he said he knew you had plenty I might win?"" you shrug. | |
| The officer barely even tries to hide a predatory smile. ""Well now, time will tell; draw near, stranger, and let's lay the stakes.""","""There are two ways to consistently win at Hazard,"" you offer. ""The first is to always throw a handful of dirt onto the mat a second after you toss the dice, so the numbers are obscured and you can tell the judge you rolled whatever you needed to make your best odds."" | |
| ""What if you're playing inside?"" | |
| ""Lo, simple; you arrange matters so you are always taking a swig of strong black tea as you toss, so you can expectorate the beverage onto the table-top after you toss."" | |
| ""I expect-orate my fellow players won't appreciate that much."" | |
| You gasp and place a hand over his smiling lips. ""Oho, sirrah, who licensed you for such foolery? Don't you know it's boorish in the extreme to be wittier than the genius who's aiming to cheer you up?"" | |
| ""Fine, very well, withdrawn,"" he says, raising his hands. ""Now what, pray tell, is the second way to win at Hazard?"" | |
| ""Why, to nick an fistful of coin when no-one's looking and run like hellfire.""","""One oaf trots up to another and says 'Look, James, I was just rolling the dice at Hazard and now I've got twenty pence in my wallet!' | |
| ""'Blow me, superb! How much did you start with?'"" | |
| ""'Two pounds,'"" Tom joins you in finishing out the punch line for the well-worn joke. | |
| You try another quip or two but he seems not to be in much of a mood. You can tell your wit's not in superior fettle at the moment, nor are your humors even enough to avoid putting more sting on the jibes than you might intend to. | |
| It isn't long before Tom finishes up with the cap, its appearance improved but not immaculate as he returns it to Magnus's questing hands. You notice a tightness in his aspect as you bid him farewell. [-Fletcher] | |
| Well, you tried to help him. Short of loaning him most of your coin, you're not sure what you could have done to significantly impact his mood; and you've got other considerations to tend to.", | |
| fool,The Prince,"['The Prince', 'Prince']",7,5118,"actiiscene1_royaltrip_67,actiiscene1_royaltrip_74,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_921,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_945,muse_elections_42,muse_elections_474,activscene1_coronation_2840","Aitoko is teaching Moargen how to juggle as you and the tumblers walk up to meet them. Millicent has forged ahead in impatience, sighing heavily on the other side of the palace gates. Moargen happily passes off the beanbags to you as you and the illusionist, by silent agreement, attempt a bit of tandem juggling whilst you walk. | |
| ""Your first time attending a Bardbrood event, is it?"" Moargen says, ducking as one of your throws goes wide. | |
| ""Aye, for all intents and purposes."" You fumble a catch and place the bag on your foot before launching it up to continue the exercise. ""There was this mad affair I saw on the road to the Duchy, where a pair were pretending to be His Grace the Duke's lackeys, recruiting for the company, and this firebrand Wendell was placed within the audience—"" | |
| Now it's Aitoko's turn to drop a catch. You break off as you realize your company-mates are all staring at you. | |
| ""You've met Wendell?"" says Moargen, eyes wide. | |
| ""Yes…"" You give a bit of a scoff, uncertain what all the looks might mean. ""He styled himself 'The Prince of the Bardbrood.' Imagine!"" | |
| Gitel puts an arm around your shoulders. ""Fleance…do you recall I said there were two works to be debuted tonight?""","""You're too kind, but the honor isn't mine at all,"" Wendell is saying to two bearded sycophants as you wait in queue with your company. 'Tis the Prince himself whose script is to be measured up this eve against that of the mysterious Muse. | |
| Wendell is still pontificating. ""The honor belongs to the work, which flowed through me and is now a distinct being. I observe it as tonight it shares the stage with the work of The Muse. I celebrate it as a parent might a child, but so too I cleave it from myself. It stands on its own and no longer reflects on me for good or ill, for I am on to the next creation. Hold—is that you, Millicent?"" | |
| Wendell bids the small knot of well-wishers around him to part and approaches your band. As Wendell and Millicent clasp arms, you can see he takes note of you as well. His eyes flash. | |
| ""I'm led to understand you're already acquainted with Fleance, the most freshly-baked arrival in our ragamuffin troupe,"" Millicent says, following his gaze. | |
| ""In passing, I think? Yes,"" Wendell says, affecting a frown. ""Forgive me, Fleance, if I don't recall the particulars."" | |
| You know full well from the look on Wendell's face when you appeared that he remembers your encounter perfectly. Your company looks between you two, as do some of Wendell's hangers-on.","You made an attempt to show him a degree of kindness, and this is what follows? No wonder the once and future Prince was alone and destitute when last you met.","I'll admit it, then pump her for information so I can add this piece to my library as soon as possible. | |
| Audrey crows with delight. ""Garn, how fabulous! I need every last scrap about you and this Prince, on the nonce!"" | |
| ""In good time. For now, may I prevail on you to see that scroll? And tell me all you recall of when this piece was performed.""","You scoop Magnus into your arms, processing Raphael's proposition. ""I wasn't aware there was a Bardbrood Academy,"" you say. ""I thought entertainers like us just spawned through spontaneous generation in environs rich in noise and drink."" | |
| ""S'truth, the most promising fools are oft planted 'cross the land by God's whim,"" Raphael agrees, ""with only their innate ambition and love of craft compelling them to new heights. You are such a one, as is Wendell, and many others."" | |
| ""Of course, wouldn't want to forget the Prince,"" you murmur, your lip twitching. | |
| ""But there are many others who have th'inclination to use their voices shrewdly, on page or on stage, but want tutelage to prepare them. Hence, th'Academy."" | |
| ""And you want me to…what? To be a professor?""", | |
| fool,Allitropa,['Allitropa'],6,5118,"muse_elections_856,muse_elections_873,muse_elections_890,muse_elections_953,muse_elections_901,muse_elections_1120","""We now commence the final consideration,"" Kitty declares, making a gesture to the stagehands. | |
| You look around. By the grace of Heaven, you're among the final four contenders to be the Bardbrood's designated Muse. | |
| Allitropa is a stout-hearted woman of middle age you know well by reputation; her personal story from orphaned scullery-girl in a corsair fleet to nationally renowned scholar and reformist is itself the stuff of high drama. Ever welcoming, she gives you a nod as your eyes wander across the stage. | |
| The fool who styles himself ""Zest"" was unknown to you until this day, but with his great mane of lemon-blond hair and scarecrow's limbs he's thoroughly unforgettable once espied. His comic timing is exquisite and his movements a mesmerizing riot of grace and puppyish disorder. He has his eyes closed, perhaps offering a prayer for having made it so far despite having enjoyed less public acclaim than any of the rest of you. | |
| On the far side of the stage stands Wendell. Your eyes unfocus as you remember that day at the start of your grand excursion when his sham auditions for Ruffino's company made you feel, however briefly, that your adventure was over mere hours after it began.","In this case, you imagine that quality of debating will come into play to some degree; but of more consequence will be how clearly each of you can articulate a position that matches your reputation. There's likely only so much fighting against type you can do without risking confusing your audience more than winning them over. | |
| Through fortune—good or ill you've yet to discern—you're to be the last to speak. | |
| Therefore you attend closely to the others' impassioned visions and make your interjections whenever you think it meet; though not nearly so oft as Wendell, who pounces on every inartful phrase or vulnerable claim like a jungle cat, wearing down his prey one wickedly playful swipe at a time. Allitropa holds her ground and then some against his rhetorical barbs, but you can tell that Zest, more performer than philosopher, is thoroughly tripped up by them. [i]And then there were three, perhaps?[/i] | |
| You're keeping half a brain fixed on whatever you might say when something in the midst of Wendell's stirring speech catches your ear: | |
| ""The world to come is only to be further atomized, with noble houses turning against themselves; trades scrabbling for stronger footholds in our growing cities; and rival nations waging strife 'gainst each other by the pike and the purse alike to secure advantage. In the world to come, each can only rely on himself; and thus grows the power of the stories this auspicious Bardbrood of ours can tell,"" he says, raising his arms to scattered whoops of excitement. ""We can help our fellow citizens realize their own power and forge their own destinies. Our tales of self-determination will be invaluable to helping them navigate tomorrow's rocky seas on whatever driftwood rafts Dame Fortune has let them cobble together for themselves. We—"" | |
| ""No,"" you hear yourself say.","You look across the crowd as your words are weighed. ""And if we two, different in approach but capable enough to have found our separate paths to this stage together before you; if we two are worthy of being your Muse, why not these two?"" You gesture to Zest and Allitropa. ""Why not the twoscore others who entertained you earlier?"" | |
| ""Steady on,"" Allitropa laughs, her eyes widening. ""A handful of Muses might be one thing, but a full Chorus is quite a change!"" | |
| You temper your position, but still make so bold as to press for a more collaborative spirit in the Bardbrood, starting from the top and feeding downwards. Without the need to compete driving you apart, who knows what the group might accomplish? | |
| At a natural pause, Wendell draws in a deep breath. Your attention turns to him, along with that of the whole multitude.","We can help our people better by exposing corruption and abuse among the moneyed peerage than with tales of grit to cheer their hearts. | |
| ""A fine sentiment,"" agrees Allitropa, applauding your zeal. ""Holding the powerful accountable is one of the greatest services we can provide to the populace."" | |
| ""Easily said; but not so easily enacted,"" Wendell sniffs. ""Each piece must be carefully calibrated to carry enough truth to shame the nobility and hearten the peasantry, but not in such a tone that it enrages the nobles into retaliation and repression; similarly, if too tame, it risks venting off the righteous anger of the lowborn as laughter at minor frustration, rather than arming them with the knowledge and will to take their indignation and turn it into action. Esteemed company, do you really think that this fool—who, mind you, has spent his entire career in noble or royal service—can be trusted to do any of that well?"" | |
| ""My life is an open book; you should know, seeing as you wrote a certain song about it,"" you quip, drawing a knowing laugh from all lovers of Jesterel the worm-fool. ""And I might contend that all my time in close service to those in power has given me a unique capacity for knowing and naming their excesses.""","""I still say you've spent too long at Court and are playing at intrigues,"" he says with a wry smile, ""but, even if I don't see that the role of The Muse should be shared, I fully allow that a more cooperative spirit amongst the Bardbrood could lead to better work, spread further. And this I say as perhaps Brenton's premiere example of a thespian more motivated by superiority than pure artistry."" | |
| ""Surely you jest,"" Allitropa deadpans. ""How old were you when you styled yourself Prince of the Bardbrood? Four?"" | |
| There's a merry chuckle through the air at that. You can tell that Wendell's moment of authentic appreciation for your unorthodox idea impressed the crowd, e'en though he stopped short of endorsing it.", | |
| fool,Goodman Fletcher,['Goodman Fletcher'],6,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_320,actiiscene2_meetsaul_355,actiiscene2_meetsaul_374,actiiscene3_graverobbers_675,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2818,actiiscene3_graverobbers_2809","""I observe that you are an observer,"" you tell him with a gentle smile, ""with discernment that extends beyond the stable-walls."" | |
| A look of satisfaction fills his eyes as you continue in this vein. You have taken his measure accurately, or, at least, hit upon a truth he believes about himself. | |
| ""I genuinely can't say much about the tastes of His Highness,"" Tom apologizes, ""but I do know your sort will be quite novel up there. In all my days I've never heard tell of a fool in Westfenster; a licensed fool, I mean."" | |
| ""S'truth? Was not Quicksilver a noted fool within these walls, in the days of King Theoden?"" | |
| ""Generations in memory, good Fleance. The Crown has entertained your odd minstrel, certainly—a musician here, a tale-teller there—but all have been…curtailed?"" Here Tom places a hand over his lips in illustration. ""They haven't that license to say whatever they please in the name of jest."" | |
| You nod, slowly. ""A valuable bit of advice and no mistake, Goodman Fletcher."" | |
| ""Are you the sort who likes to play the rogue, anyhow?"" Tom's face is lit with curiosity.","Tom Fletcher is happy to describe his process, but the techniques are unfamiliar to you and you're quickly at sea in a torrent of craftsman's gobbledygook. You feel a bit sheepish at not being able to follow along. [-Surety] One saving grace is that Goodman Fletcher—though he quickly grasps that you're not as mechanically inclined as he—appears to appreciate the attention and the effort. [+Fletcher] | |
| You'll just have to trust that the harness works as he says it will. Better than living each moment in terror that Magnus will loose its bonds. [+Phlegm]","""I'd say any one of them will make an impression,"" he says. You note his demeanor with satisfaction, having seen it before; he likes the way you move. [+Fletcher] | |
| ""The one with the eyes was the best."" | |
| You blink at him. ""Sirrah, my eyes tend to be a feature of all my expressions."" | |
| ""It was like…"" He looks to the back wall, then whips around with his lips in a pout and his eyes gleaming from passion (or a speck of sawdust). | |
| You struggle mightily to swallow a laugh. ""Hmm…I'm not sure I follow. Can I see it again?"" | |
| He turns away obligingly before catching himself. He sees the mischief on your face and grins. ""Aren't you a wag!"" | |
| ""A wag, Goodman Fletcher?"" you complain, placing your hands on your hips. You swivel to highlight your hindquarters. ""Do you see a tail?"" | |
| The poor man laughs and begs your mercy to return to his work; you assent, magnanimously, concealing a sigh as you watch him. No doubt he'll spill forth some tale or other about the flirtatious fool from the coast who descended on his humble workbench [+Bawdiness], but you get the sense he's not the sort who would ever take this opening for a rough roll in the sawdust. A gentleman in fletcher's clothing… | |
| In any event, getting such an entertaining reaction from an audience of one stirs up your confidence as you contemplate the day to come. [+Surety]","I'll approach Steward Fig in full bluster and see what can be done about these misbehaving guests. | |
| ""With me, Thomas,"" you say, pulling him from the workbench. He hands the half-mended cap back to Magnus, who clasps it with both arms and gnaws its brim lovingly. You feel your passages growing seasoned for battle. [+Bile] | |
| Steward Fig is in his chambers sipping bone broth from a mug when you storm in. He wipes his lips as you explain the situation, with Tom chiming in with details at your prompting, tho' in excessively self-effacing tones. | |
| ""Full sorry I am, Goodman Fletcher, that Dame Fortune treated you so ill,"" Fig says at last, clearing his throat, ""but absent clear proof of malfeasance, raising this accusation would only embarrass the Baroness Kiell, and disrupt the diplomatic business His Majesty needs to transact."" | |
| Tom bows and steps backwards towards the exit, having been ready to leave from the moment you dragged him from his tools. You regard Fig's face for just a moment longer.","""You're worth it, Goodman Fletcher.""", | |
| fool,Herald,['Herald'],6,5118,"actiiiscene2_saulschoice_164,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1267,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1276,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1490,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1746,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1759","One morning in your bedchamber, a bit of post comes your way courtesy of an unwitting Herald—a scroll of fine parchment from dear Lord Bisqueath, commending you in bland tones on your efforts at the feast. [i]You shouldn't have, M'Lord,[/i] you think. | |
| As you unwrap the whole scroll, a second scrap of parchment falls to the floor. You snatch it up and peruse it: | |
| [i]""I fondly recollect our [i]tête-à-tête[/i], and shall be ever attentive to thy work.""[/i] | |
| [i]In other words, please get on with the skulduggery,[/i] you think, folding the scroll back up with a few sharp twists of your hands. | |
| You let out a sharp sigh, leaning your back against the stones. Is today the day you make good on your promise to the treacherous taxmaster and try to spy on King Saul?","As far as you can piece together, Prinxe Hail and King Saul had a squabble in a back chamber of such intensity that even his mellow voice was raised enough to carry to the back stairwells. Off in great temper stalked the Prinxe to their chambers with a vow to pack and never return, a threat which seemed to give His Majesty far more pleasure than distress. | |
| ""But what have they to fight about so?"" you ask. ""Which silver to use with breakfast and which with lunch?"" | |
| A Herald smooths back her hair before answering. ""Something to do with the Gramercy clan, and a petition they've made. The Prinxe seems to think His Majesty's being ill-advised.""","One afternoon, you're noodling about on a fife while the courtiers eat sweetbreads and wait for King Saul to appear for the hour of petitions when raised voices filter through to the Throne Room. | |
| You lower the volume of your playing, keeping an ear cocked. One of the voices is Prinxe Hail—but can the other really be His Majesty? | |
| ""I've never known the King to raise his voice like that,"" says a scullery-maid, clustered with you in a knot of gossipy commoners. | |
| The din dissipates after a few moments, leaving the Throne Room still except for the rustling of curious whispers. Before long, a white-faced Herald slinks into the Throne Room through the kitchens to give a report. | |
| ""Prinxe Hail is leaving again.""","The room is a dream come true. You have to press your gaping mouth closed again at the sight of so many books all in one place. You would have sold your family and both feet for one shelf of books such as these, back in those first hungry days of learning when your hunger for reading was bottomless but there were only three tomes in the whole household. | |
| A pair of gilded grimoires are open at the end of the ornately carved table, but King Saul is standing some distance away at the window, lost in his thoughts. | |
| You nod at the Herald, who lets out an anxious breath and exits the room. | |
| ""What ho, your Majesty,"" you say, not too loudly. | |
| He looks over his shoulder at you.","The guards and Herald look at you agog as you depart. ""What did he say?"" | |
| ""Come back anytime,"" you shoot over your shoulder. ""Come on, Magnus."" | |
| You can hear them gabbing to each other behind you as you depart. [+Renown] Let's see what comes of this, you think.", | |
| fool,Monarch Hailey I,"['Monarch Hail', 'Monarch Hailey I']",6,5118,"epilogue_speech_543,activscene1_coronation_2377,activscene1_coronation_2380,epilogue_speech_496,activscene1_coronation_2304,activscene1_coronation_2304","""I knew him, Frustratio, | |
| A fool whose talents far surpassed the stage. | |
| Installed the Prinxe Hail upon the Throne | |
| He did, an act of global consequence. | |
| Were't not for Monarch Hail's pursuit of truth, | |
| We Brentons might have warred the Fein | |
| In earnest, to our massive detriment. | |
| As't was, Lord Bisqueath was exposed in time | |
| To forestall war and chide him for his crimes. | |
| Think on't, Frustratio—history's course | |
| Shaped entirely by a stalwart fool.""","Brenton reels through all the changes in so short a span—seeing the Regency disbanded and the Heir restored, seeing the initial skirmishes of a righteous war give way to news of false pretenses and no benefit to be seen by the nation writ large…but as Monarch Hail navigates the complicated diplomatic dances with the Fein to extricate from war, the realm is delighted to see danger yield to dialogue and conflict to compassion. [+Fealty]","""Good on them,"" you sigh from your cell in the dungeon with each new report. | |
| One inevitable consequence of a thorough accounting of Lord Bisqueath's crimes, and his associates therein, was that your involvement was uncovered. Monarch Hail and Queen Mother Hero agonized over the decision of how to treat you, in light of your service in seeing the Royal family returned to the Throne; but a desire to seem even-handed in punishing all who contributed to the regicide meant that you too could not escape justice entirely. | |
| A brave new future for all of Brenton; except you, that is. | |
| The one great benefit is that now you have all the time in the world to write….","""I knew of him, Frustratio, | |
| A fool with quite a complex history. | |
| Installed the Prinxe Hail upon the Throne | |
| He did, an act of global consequence. | |
| Were't not for Monarch Hail's skeptical pursuit | |
| Of truth, we Brentons might have warred the Fein | |
| In earnest, to our massive detriment. | |
| As't was, Lord Bisqueath was exposed in time | |
| To forestall war and chide him for his crimes. | |
| Unfortunate indeed that this our fool | |
| Had closely worked with Bisqueath, to's disgrace.""","You're not arrogant enough to assume that your influence has exclusive sway over Their Majesty's actions…but the fact is that their coronation comes and goes, and many weeks follow it, without your hearing any further news of Monarch Hailey I doing anything to re-examine the Regency-era conclusion that the Fein Empire was responsible for the death of King Saul. The Fein deny it categorically, of course, but that is presented as only to be expected. | |
| Given such a heinous provocation, the march towards all-out war begun during the Regency continues apace. Indeed, for all Their Majesty's youthful energy and skill in speech-making, in the realm of policy and warfare they lean even more heavily on the Council than did King Saul. 'Tis a gross disappointment for all those who, uneasy with the direction of affairs during Lord Bisqueath's brief reign, expected a grander leap into the future with royal blood restored to the Throne. | |
| Their Majesty does not take kindly to the grumblings of dissent, and withdraws from the public sphere even more; which, naturally, lets rumor and ill-will spread only further. When winter and spring both yield grievous setbacks in the campaign against the Fein, whatever goodwill Monarch Hail established at the outset of their reign is grown sorely depleted. [+Discontent]", | |
| fool,Sirrah,"['Sirrah', 'sirrah']",6,5118,"actiiscene2_meetsaul_262,actiiscene2_meetsaul_374,actiiscene2_meetsaul_445,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_1562,actiiiscene1_hotfoot_2593,actiiiscene2_saulschoice_137","I needn't stand and wait for his hobby, and I don't mind telling him so. | |
| ""Sirrah, I have many tasks and little time before a royal appearance tonight,"" you say. ""I'd appreciate your prompt consideration."" | |
| While you can't say how long it takes the typical nag to flick her tail, it is in fact mere moments before he completes his task and slides the new arrow into a half-full quiver. Even so, you find it a bit galling that the man finished his task rather than see to you. [+Bile] | |
| ""Done and done,"" he says, turning to you with a neutral expression. You can tell he didn't appreciate your impatience.","""I'd say any one of them will make an impression,"" he says. You note his demeanor with satisfaction, having seen it before; he likes the way you move. [+Fletcher] | |
| ""The one with the eyes was the best."" | |
| You blink at him. ""Sirrah, my eyes tend to be a feature of all my expressions."" | |
| ""It was like…"" He looks to the back wall, then whips around with his lips in a pout and his eyes gleaming from passion (or a speck of sawdust). | |
| You struggle mightily to swallow a laugh. ""Hmm…I'm not sure I follow. Can I see it again?"" | |
| He turns away obligingly before catching himself. He sees the mischief on your face and grins. ""Aren't you a wag!"" | |
| ""A wag, Goodman Fletcher?"" you complain, placing your hands on your hips. You swivel to highlight your hindquarters. ""Do you see a tail?"" | |
| The poor man laughs and begs your mercy to return to his work; you assent, magnanimously, concealing a sigh as you watch him. No doubt he'll spill forth some tale or other about the flirtatious fool from the coast who descended on his humble workbench [+Bawdiness], but you get the sense he's not the sort who would ever take this opening for a rough roll in the sawdust. A gentleman in fletcher's clothing… | |
| In any event, getting such an entertaining reaction from an audience of one stirs up your confidence as you contemplate the day to come. [+Surety]","He's one I'd like to become fond friends with; a warm and inviting farewell might set the stage, if he feels the same. | |
| ""Oh, I'll be back indeed, sirrah…I'm in need of companions in jolly adventuring, and you are the first I want at my side.""","You continue, oblivious, to put forth a stream of chatter so asinine and unceasing that the guards have a silent conference amongst themselves as to whether they need check with Their Highness or simply heave you down the stairs. | |
| To your good fortune, one of them elects to enter the Royal Sanctum. Even you can scarcely believe your luck when the guard comes back in a moment, white-faced, and announces, ""Their Highness will see you now."" | |
| ""Fancy meeting you here, Fleance,"" Prinxe Hail says with a wink as you enter and make a deep bow. ""Or is it Jesterel, worm-fool of the dell?"" | |
| You feel your cheeks flushing. ""Egad, Your Highness; think you everyone in the palace has heard that song?"" | |
| ""It's quite tuneful,"" Hail explains. | |
| Their Highness looks well, all things considering. Hail is conventionally clothed as opposed to in a dressing-gown, though you can see a bulge in their tunic where you assume the bandages are heaviest. The Heir is reclining in an overstuffed chair cutting themself slices from an apple, copper eyes as sharp and mischievous as you remember. | |
| Hail watches your face closely as you explain the performance you've been asked to devise. ""Let the record state I would never have asked for such an exhibition in honor of such an event,"" they say in tones awfully hard to interpret. | |
| ""Understood. But since these be my marching orders for the day…have you any counsel as to the content or tone of the piece you think would suit it best?"" | |
| The Heir's knife digs into the apple; what is cut is eaten directly off the blade. ""I do believe, dear sirrah, that that very question is your job.""","Lady Gramercy gestures to the far side of the room, where a very tall, wiry man sees her signal, points at his chest as if in surprise, then runs pell-mell across the room to her, limbs flailing every which way. When he's but a dozen yards away, in the empty patch of stones ringed about by the feast tables, he pretends to trip and rolls the rest of the way in a deceptively clumsy series of tumbles. (Watching closely, you know just how much training the man must have to fling his body about so without doing genuine harm.) He finally rolls to a stop right at Lady Gramercy's hot feet and mugs for the audience in a show of dizziness. | |
| ""This…is Baggage,"" says Lady Gramercy. ""Say hello, Baggage."" | |
| ""Hello, Baggage,"" he says, his nasal voice reaching every set of ears in the hall. ""Why am I greeting myself? I did that this morning,"" he stage-whispers to his liege. | |
| ""No, sirrah,"" she says, gesturing to the crowd, ""You greet this august comp'ny."" | |
| ""'Tis August already?"" He leaps to his feet in terror and begins patting his pockets. You notice that his khaki motley has dozens of pockets and pouches sewn on every surface, from his chest to his back and all up and down his legs. ""I must get a birthday present for my mother before it's too late!"" | |
| Lady Gramercy blinks at him before putting a hand on his shoulder. ""Sirrah, dost not recall? Thy mother's passed…."" | |
| ""Well, I guess it's too late. She probably wouldn't have wanted this anyway…."" He pulls a pure-white turtledove out of a pocket and looses it in the room, much to the astonishment of the assembled throng. | |
| This display continues for a few moments more, with Lady Gramercy ably playing straight alongside this lanky buffoon. You watch him closely as the rest of the room leans in for a better look.", | |
| fool,Your Highness?,"['Your Highness?', 'Your Highness']",6,5118,"actiiiscene2_saulschoice_1392,actiiiscene3_darkdays_147,activscene1_coronation_2026,activscene1_coronation_2140,activscene1_coronation_2151,activscene1_coronation_2130","""With such a weighty problem to consider,"" you say, affecting a grave countenance, ""I would approach it as the painted mystics of Raichor Nalu might, and first enter a trance to gain wisdom from on high."" | |
| You demonstrate what such a trance might look like, splaying out your hands and letting your eyes roll back in your head. You make a low moan and hold it for as long as you possibly can; which, given your breath control, is quite some time. | |
| After near a minute has elapsed, you hear sounds of the Prinxe moving 'bout again and open your eyes. Their Highness has gone back to packing. | |
| ""Be with you in a moment, I'm still begging insight of the spirits,"" you say. | |
| ""Take all the time you need, Fleance,"" they say, not looking at you. | |
| You bring the moaning to a close, but are not sure how to re-engage with Their Highness afterwards. You'd intended for the bit to center around testing their patience and making them smile with your roguery, but it seems all you succeeded in doing was exhausting their patience in fact. | |
| You position yourself in front of the Heir's eyes. ""Your Highness?""","At the evening's close, with your bellies warm with food and your heads warm with ale, the Prinxe finally suggests you should make your way back out under the stars to slumber. | |
| You stare at their back as you walk the mostly-empty streets. Hail scarcely reacted hours earlier when you fed them the news of Lady Hotfoot's attack on Gallibran. You're itching to know what the Heir actually feels about this development…. | |
| ""Your Highness?"" you say, a little too loudly for public. | |
| ""Take care, Fleance,"" they whisper, turning to you. | |
| ""It seems the times are growing troubled, with what happened in Gallibran,"" you begin, not sure exactly where you're going as you speak…","As they conclude three verses later, you're not unhappy with your impromptu choir. You'd put some care into finding folks who could carry a tune and had a bit of presence to them; a nice cross-section of ages and genders, too, to make Hail realize the whole of Brenton was singing to them. [i]Once a Lurker, always a Lurker,[/i] you think, with a rush of pride for all those who coordinate great art in the shadows. | |
| But when the song concludes and the Prinxe rises, applauding in sardonic ovation, you realize your performance didn't have its desired effect. | |
| ""Stirring. What a special surprise; my sorrows are melted as the mountain ice in July's heat."" | |
| The choir smiles awkwardly, not sure what to make of the Prinxe's reaction. You take a moment to thank and soothe them as Hail turns and walks away. | |
| You catch up with them moments later after a jog. ""So, Your Highness,"" you whisper. | |
| ""That song is a plodding relic, and everyone knows it,"" Hail says. | |
| You grow as bristling as Magnus's winter coat. ""My regrets for not having offered a more pleasing selection,"" you say as politely as you can manage. ""'Twas the symbolic message of the song that I hoped would come through, less than the—"" | |
| ""The symbolic message is that we, the living, should wear the lives of the dead like overcoats, and tread the paths they trod in unthinking fidelity…though the song remains startlingly silent as to why."" Their Highness wheels on you. ""What say you, puppet-master, who assembled this exhibition? Hmm? Why should we invite the ancients to live our lives for us?"" | |
| You take in a deep breath. ""I know you must appreciate, Your Highness, that the fact of your bloodline makes your circumstances unique—"" | |
| ""Enough.""","""Your Highness?"" you call out. You cannot see them in the chapel itself, though perhaps there's a secluded room you haven't seen…. | |
| ""Ho there."" | |
| The voice from behind you makes you leap. Prinxe Hail snorts and grins down at you from atop their horse. | |
| Your eyes note that the Heir is in their traveler's cloak and has saddlebags packed for a trek. You dare to feel the stirrings of hope. | |
| ""Does this mean…"" you begin. ""Are you inclined to return—"" | |
| ""Not an ounce of gloating or self-satisfaction, if you please,"" Hail demands, ""or you can wear these saddlebags instead of her."" | |
| You press your lips closed as Hail gives their mount a pat. With a jerk of the head, they indicate for you to climb aboard the saddle. | |
| Magnus hoots and runs alongside the horse cheerily as you make your way back to Westfenster Palace together, the sunlight clear and gleaming through the brisk air.","""Perhaps I will come back to the Palace, in my own time, for my own reasons, under my own power,"" Prinxe Hail says after a long silence. ""Whatever happens next in my story, I want you in no part of it."" | |
| You sigh. ""My apologies, Your Highness—"" | |
| ""By the Heaven-vested power in me as the Heir to the Throne of the Realm of Brenton, I banish you from Westfenster Palace and all the Royal lands, under pain of lifelong internment should you violate these terms or place yourself in view of a member of the Royal family again."" | |
| A bird caws thrice outside. A bit of wind stirs a leaf into the chapel. | |
| ""You wanted me to behave more regally, did you not?"" Prinxe Hail says, raising an eyebrow. | |
| You make a slow bow. ""By your leave,"" you whisper before turning to go.", | |
| fool,Ahmamset,['Ahmamset'],5,5118,"actiiscene3_graverobbers_1362,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1468,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1469,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1476,actiiscene3_graverobbers_1484","You stare up at him moments later, standing atop the table with one arm high in the air. | |
| ""It's not too great a strain for you, is it?"" Wendell asks. | |
| ""It's just rather a strange way to pass an evening."" | |
| ""Come now, gentles, do you mark him?"" Wendell calls out to the patrons of the pub, who were already casting their eyes in your direction. ""This young soul serves as fool to the Royals themselves, and is yet too scared to do a bit of a speech and dance for ye!"" | |
| There's a bit of whooping from the more inebriated corners of the room as Wendell starts to jig and recite [i]The Passage Of The Stars[/i] at the same time, the thousand-line epic that represents the greatest contribution the sailing Matomket people made to the culture of Brenton (apart from a large number of blue-eyed babies). | |
| ""[i]When Ahmamset first awoke, she of the shining mane,[/i] | |
| [i]All was void about her, shadow-still, and soundless [/i] | |
| [i]Until she roared and split the void with 'Here I Am!'""[/i] | |
| The throng laughs and applauds as Wendell punctuates Ahmamset's immortal declaration with a high kick. He twirls around, smirking down at you as he continues. Unless you want to lose by default, you need to find yourself a table and dive in.",Let Wendell hang with his insistence we do the same thing; I'm going to fashion a likeness of Ahmamset out of what I see lying about and enact his narration.,"You snatch up a tablecloth with a long golden fringe and quickly twist it about your head so it streams backwards, like Ahmamset's mane. Wendell looks askance at you as you stride ponderously about the room in character of the great beast, but his eyes widen when at the next mention of a Phrase of Creation—""[i]Witness my form![/i]""—you snatch up a drink of spirits and a long lit taper and spit the drink into the flame, sending a burst of fire through the air. | |
| The crowd is enraptured by your creative exploration of the materials you find, and the manner in which you're able to intensify the impact of the story with inventive impromptu staging. You can tell that Wendell, for all that you've completely ignored the terms of his challenge, is equally impressed. [+Renown]","You do your level best, taking a couple of napkins and tucking them about your head as a makeshift mane in the manner of Ahmamset, but they keep slipping and the effect isn't as impactful as you intended. | |
| Just when the audience and Wendell alike are about to dismiss your roving about in character of the great mythic beast, you scoop up a sip of liquor and a candle just in time for the next mention of a Phrase of Creation—""[i]Witness my form![/i]"" At that moment, you spit the spirit into the flame and send a burst of fire through the air, to the delight of the crowd. | |
| Your exhibition is roughly patterned thus, with moments of inspiration interspersed with moments of struggle. Still, on the whole you think you did better to support Wendell's storytelling than to simply stand next to him and play a game of who can stomp and shout more loudly.","You cast about for something that can serve as Ahmamset's mane and come up thoroughly empty. Finally you grab a stool and hold it at the back of your head, but the effect is more reindeer than mythic lion, and that's with a good portion of charity. It also twinges your neck. | |
| You feel you embody the character of the great creator with reasonable facility as you stride about the room and the tables in keeping with Wendell's narration, but the lack of any inspired staging elements makes your rendition lackluster. You weren't too keen on a competition in the first place.", | |
| fool,Lance Corporal Peggy,['Lance Corporal Peggy'],5,5118,"activscene1_coronation_953,activscene1_coronation_965,activscene1_coronation_968,activscene1_coronation_977,activscene1_coronation_988","A militaristic tour with the splendor and pageantry of the army is what's called for; I've the expertise to coordinate the staging. | |
| It would be a monumental exercise in coordination, but would ensure that good feelings raised up from the performance translate into great love for the war itself. | |
| The more you think on't, the more convinced you are. A traveling exhibition that's part vaudeville and part military parade will light all the various fires you hope to kindle in a Brenton's heart. What's more, having spent a great deal of time performing specifically for the Westfenster garrison, you've all the connections you need to handle the martial and the theatrical contingents for your plan. | |
| With Kitty Harlowe's help, you recruit a full troupe of performers, from acrobats and musicians to fellow fools. A little-used barn is cleaned for your purposes. The first day you look across the assembled throng and prepare to address them takes you back to those early days in the employ of Duke Ruffino. [i]A motley crew we were then,[/i] you think with a smile. This assemblage shall do much greater things. | |
| ""Gather 'round, all, if you please. No, not there,"" you clarify to Magnus, who wraps all four of its limbs around your trunk, to the amusement of the company. [i]Off to a fine start,[/i] you think wryly, extricating yourself from the beast. | |
| ""Our aim, compatriots, is to help our fellow countrymen understand that, with our strength, this war with the Fein Empire is one we cannot lose."" | |
| A writer in an exceptionally long scarf frowns and raises her hand. ""Do you mean 'can't lose' as in 'can't possibly lose,' or as in 'can't afford to lose?'"" | |
| ""Knowing that it's the latter, let's project that it's the former,"" you explain. ""The way we're going to help the war effort is by joining with some very special guest performers…."" | |
| Right on cue, a dashing figure in emerald parade armor gallops into the barn on a powerful charger, its hair white as moonlight. Your company leaps in fright, then stares agog at the rider as she flips up her helmet and flashes a bright smile. | |
| ""All, meet Lance Corporal Peggy,"" you say, pleased to be playing host.","The next weeks race past at a furious pace. Not only do you have to conceive of and rehearse your conventional show, with its variety of comic acts, songs, dances, and spectacle; but you have to train your performers and Lance Corporal Peggy's team of parade experts in how to work together in an exhibition that feels integrated, not slapdash. | |
| You aren't bathing or sleeping nearly as much as normal, with all the work to be done. You've never attempted a feat of stage direction and production quite as extensive as this before. By the time you're on the road, your nerves are stretched taut as a hungry bloodhound's leash.","At your first location, your extensive crew spends well on two hours building the scenery, including a fenced riding area the size of a small ballroom for the dressage display. The costumes you designed are immaculate; the properties gleaming and well-organized; the entrances and exits well-marked and well-rehearsed. All that remains to be seen, you think as the audience starts to assemble, is whether or not it'll work. | |
| To your immense relief, it does. The audience responds so well it's as if they too are following your choreography, to gasp with delight here, laugh uproariously there, cheer with patriotic fervor there. Your company is just as thrilled as you to hear the crowd leave the theater at the night's end singing Brenton's warlike anthem, [i]On To The Sunset[/i]. [+Fealty] | |
| ""You seem to be on to something, fool,"" says Lance Corporal Peggy, clapping you on the shoulder.","At your first location, it takes an eternity for your crew to actually build the scenery as you conceived it, including the steeplechase elements for Lance Corporal Peggy's team. You curse yourself for not having planned to have a larger crew. You curse yourself in a number of different areas, in fact, where there's just enough disconnect between your vision and the planning necessary to execute it smoothly to cause problems. | |
| [i]Please, let us just survive this night,[/i] you think. You resolve not to beg Heaven for a smashing success, just enough good fortune to avoid a debacle. | |
| In practice, your well-trained company far exceeds the debacle standard. The crowd is amused and diverted by your players and musicians, and dutifully impressed by the militaristic prowess on display. The whole event as a cohesive piece of entertainment is not as clearly conceived as it could be, nor is the pacing enough to keep momentum building throughout, but it is entirely serviceable. | |
| The feedback you glean from your associates, listening in to the crowd as they disperse at night's end, is that all were made merry and had renewed confidence in Brenton's soldiery. [+Fealty] ""We survived our premiere, all,"" you shout to the company, delighted. ""This calls for a toast!"" | |
| One toast turns into three, or five, or more…which, while pleasant in the moment, has a spillover effect onto the next day's performance. You resolve to be a bit more restrained going forward.","At your first location, you realize that your crew neglected to bring one of the ramps that was integral to the exhibition of obstacle-traversing dressage you'd assigned to Lance Corporal Peggy's squad. This scale of error is repeated half a dozen times over, in different facets of the performance. Though you're not shy in the moment about raising your voice at the individuals responsible for the mistakes, you know full well that the fault should truly be laid at your feet. If your skills were equal to the colossal trial of planning and execution that you undertook, nothing would be missing. [-Surety] | |
| As it is, your performance is clumsy and halting, and the disparate pieces detract from each other rather than elevating the whole. It seems for all the world like an over-large group of roving minstrels is occasionally interrupted by soldiers who ride up and down in silence. Boos and jeers ring out more often than laughter, by night's end.", | |
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