Anarion

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Nin and Tristan

This is Nin's truest specialty: Striking out on the road for a journey. She possesses many options for finding her way, both by mundane roads and the smallest trail and by the more spiritual. Tristan, you are most empowered to learn when you encounter the beast, but Nin will get you where you're going and though there is time aplenty on the road to plan, it is time now to strike out.

Talk as much as you wish, and when you're ready, Nin tell us how you find whatever of the beast you're seeking. I don't know precisely where it will be until you tell me how you find it, but I can tell you that it will be in the fields, with their tall golden wheat that still grows strong and proud. Even if the land is dryer and the seeds smaller than in past years, even if the treeline looms darkly not far away, the place where you find it somehow or other will be in the fields, in the tall grasses, the open sky and small clouds high and away above you.

But that is all I know for now.

Robena

The priestess Cerwen turns to you with some hesitation. She clearly does not wish to talk about the Azure knight. "I know of her" she says slowly, selecting the words for that sentence with caution as Constance begins the proper ritual. "I would not fain speak of it to her opponent though" she adds hastily, obviously searching for some reason to avoid this discussion. "Surely, you wish a fair and honorable contest and ought to ask her yourself of her background when you meet her? Though if you are afraid that she is now in the service of the Duchess, you need not worry there. The Azure knight is a knight-errant and will not be here long after the tournament, I should think. Would you wish my favor for your match, God is a regal ally." She laughs nervously, confident that she's thrown you off the trail and changes the subject immediately. "Perhaps you ought ask the Lady of the Low if she might make my temporary gift more permanent. It was a present from the Duchess for my service and of no small value."

She seems shockingly confident in her position to discuss the Duchess that way. Careful for her part, but utterly confident here, and therefore it's all the more strange that she doesn't want to discuss the Azure knight. You know enough about tournament rules that unless much has changed since you were gone, there's nothing wrong with asking about your opponent as long as you're not trying to gain an advantage on them. Perhaps Cerwen does have some sort of insider knowledge that she's afraid to reveal though.

You might seek to win her as an ally, or accept what she offers as it stands, or reject her for misunderstanding you perhaps. No matter what you choose, tell us after of your tournament preparations, and Apricot's regalia for the competition.

Constance

Let me tell you what you do not feel. You do not feel the world turn wrong ways around and hurl you from it. You do not feel the earth crack and shudder in rage. You do not feel angry clouds gather to block the sun nor hear the cries of birds forced from their perches in fright. You have not done wrong and the world has not rebuked your efforts. As to whether you have done right, you can judge from the shining eyes and sticky hands of the children, who are alive and as well as can be here today, and the pile of gifts that Robena is going to have to set somewhere so she can go and be in a tournament and win glory for her Lady Marianne.

Tell us why you nevertheless feel discontent and what remains on your mind for the afternoon. Will you watch the tournament?

Masks: BABYLON MUST FALL

[Potential 4. Insecure]

Set laughs. Long and high and light, her aura scintillates in light colors, slipping from white to pink with high energy. "You think I'm Set's priestess?" She laughs, twirls herself into a portal and kicks the seneschal in the back of his head leg while his glove is recovering, causing him to briefly lose his balance and stumble away from her. This further adds to his indignity as he has to try and stumble his way around a tower in the model before he can recover his balance. Set laughs yet again.

"I am the embodiment of Set, come to free the weak, the slave, the outsider, from your sad little chain! And I think..." She slips sideways, almost dancing around him with her portals so that she can whisper in his ear "...that all you little Annunaki secretly want it!"

Set giggles, and slips away again, backing up. "But today, today today is a special day because I know something extra special." She sticks out her tongue at him happily, the red almost looking like an open crocodile mouth with her makeup. "You see, I know that somebody might get in a looooot of trouble if, oh, the Phantom thief Marianne caused a huge public embarrassment for you while your high god is here. And it just so happens I've already told Marianne all about this, can you believe it?" She ducks backwards. It's becoming increasingly obvious that she's simply fighting defensively, letting him swing his nasty fist about and giving him gentle hits, pushes, and kicks without any intent to truly injure.

"So, why don't you stop swinging that silly little fist around, it does you about as much good trying that at me as it does at the wind, and instead take out your tablet. Because you see, if you'd like to keep your job, then we'd like you to release some prisoners. Right now, this very second. Come on hop to it, I've got a whole list. Order their immediate releases and have them sent to the lower city markets, here, here, here and here!" She taps the model with her foot in a few different places. Essentially random, she simply commits the spots to memory, to warp there later and pick them up, or have Marianne do it. That she picked several spots is simply a matter of creating a sense of pattern out of nonsense, to send the Seneschal chasing after shadows."

"Now, you be a good little boy, take out your tablet and I'll rattle off the list. Hurry hurry, I'm sure you still want to be Seneschal tomorrow, it seems like it comes with some great model kits!" And then she waits and glares like he's a child who's been caught trying to steal cookies and knows he has to put them back."

[Provoke: 3+2+3=8]

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Nin and Tristran

"I don't wish anything" the merchant snaps, but then immediately looks apologetic, Nin. "Look, I just, my friends go hunting all the time, and they swear on their grandmother's graves that what they saw was some kind of demonic beast, tall as two men stood on top of each other. It sounds like tall tales even as I'm saying it and I don't want to believe it. But that's what they said and what we've all heard. Some kind of huge beast, red eyes and long fangs and claws, big loose hair hanging along the coat. No wolf pack, just one big terrifying thing wrecking carts and stealing the food. Some folks have even said they saw it burst out of the ground like it was lying in wait with a trap or something, and they're starting to say it's part of the land itself and it wants its food back. We don't deserve it anymore."

Well that's enough to do the trick. You both know that it's probably some kind of demonic animal, and something that digs. Giant wolf maybe, certainly possible. Some kind of cat or weasel, maybe a mole could be possible. The real trick with something like this is figuring out the why of it. You could solve the immediate problem by just finding a way to lure it out and kill or capture it (capture would be real tough, there may not be a cage that can hold the thing in the whole keep). But the why is how you make things better, make sure it doesn't just get replaced in a month of two.

Constance and Robena

Cerwen looks uncertain. She knows your traditional role, Constance, and this is your castle and your bodyguard standing right there surrounded by your people. She could try for a power play here, but she'd be risking everything. If the crowd didn't go with her, if Robena stepped in, if other knights interfered, she'd have given up everything she tried to earn here. She's not that kind of person and she doesn't want to have that confrontation, at least not for a very long while even if things go very badly.

So, instead, she nods slightly and then walks over to Robena. "I offer a gift, to the Lady of the Low!" she calls out loudly, taking off her golden cross. "The sign of my god, in concert with the old gods! Let her bless the fields on all our behalfs!" And then, Robena, she takes that golden cross and walks right up to you and puts it around your neck to emphasize her point. She doesn't quite leave the space either, instead she's going to stand with the bodyguard, just a tad to the side and out of the way, and let you get started Constance.

So, go ahead Constance, bless the summer and the fields.

To Robena, she says, simply, "do you two know each other?" A clear tip off she didn't grow up in the keep even if you thought your memory was playing tricks on you, Robena.

Masks: BABYLON MUST FALL

[Potential 4. Insecure]
[Unleash Powers 6+6+2=14]

Set appears from her portal as though bursting through the translucent Caphtor with a blinding flash of light and iridescent color. Gold gleams shine from her crown and her staff and her jewelry is so bright that it cannot be looked at directly. The Seneschal may be preparing, but nobody can approach the radiant Set, goddess of lightning, in her moment. Instead, she holds out her staff and ever so gently lifts up the Seneschal's chin. "It's too crowded in here" she says, almost petulantly, as she looks him right in the eyes. And then, with a dismissive wave and another flash, without even taking her eyes off of the Seneschal, everyone else in the room suddenly finds that the floor under them is so much less sturdy than they thought.

Do not let it be said that the goddess of outsiders has no heart! Shelia and Muta'al, those poor ignored dancers, will find themselves mercifully in the garden, their sudden movement cushioned by the lovely soft grass. The others, however, are now all sliding off the exterior of the domed roof of the Seneschal's estate, each one in a different direction.

"Much better" she says, ducking under the charged fist of the now enraged Seneschal and making a tut tut motion with her staff. "No, no dear, now that we have some private time to ourselves, we need to talk." She steps back, balancing on the model of Caphtor and kicks over the figure of Shamash, waiting to see how the Seneschal reacts.

Masks: BABYLON MUST FALL

As Marianne fades through the walls, Anathet is left a little bewildered, but with a smile on her face that she just can't seem to shake off. Even though Marianne had called her a little rabbit again (which she clearly had to put a stop to before it became a permanent nickname, oh gods), she had also been almost...well human for a moment there. Anathet liked that a great deal better than the scary, smoke and mirrors, constant intimidation demon Marianne. Not that the act wasn't useful, but seeing that hint of a person under there who cared about her and ruffled her hair and even flicked her nose with fondness was...exhilarating! Anathet felt like she was party to a special secret and she'd just have to carry it to her grave.

As she walked the little path back home again, she put that smile and its memory in a special little part of her mind, a memory box as she imagined it. She redressed herself as Set, and painted the image of the crocodile across her face so that it almost totally obscured her cheeks and her eyes and would appear to be striking as she leaned in towards the Seneschal. Marianne had given a good reminder that the simple, primal fears were often the most effective. The list she read over once, memorized, and immediately burned with a very small laser blast, tossing the ashes in her trash. Marianne had made no secret that Antoine Ravenelle was the key target here, but she didn't want the Seneschal to know and that made perfect sense to Anathet.

When she was dressed and ready, Set took a deep breath, setting her personal aura to a deep black-red not dissimilar from Marianne's or Tias. An aura of darkness and destruction. If she did it right, she'd come in with a burst of light and completely dominate the room.

Set took a breath, readied herself, and then took a portal directly to the Seneschal's room.

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

A brief note for Numbers. Since you got the 7-9 result, you get just the imagery for your consultation with the spirits. I do have an opinion of what that imagery means, but I also might have created an image that could be interpreted multiple ways. For scene pacing in a PBP, if anyone gets the 10+ result for consult the other world, I'll just provide interpretive guidance rather than require multiple posts for back and forth questions (and if you want more info on a 10+, you can ask OOC or chat me on discord).

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Constance and Robena

The crowd is gathered, the gifts put to the side. The sun is nearly at its zenith and square is cleared for the ceremony. Robena, you are in place to ensure nothing untoward happens. It is...unlikely that anything untoward will happen, but there is something unusual.

The young priest who advises the Duchess is in the audience (Constance, you know her name is Cerwen, Robena you probably do not). Although you are newly returned Robena, you have already heard her preach at least, and so would recognize her as a priest by the fiery red hair, which she keeps long and loose over her brown robe, a sort of open challenge to many of the druids, though the small golden cross at her neck makes no doubt of her preferences. She is frowning and looking at something in the square with concern, and she presently strides forward ahead of the crowd.

She speaks in a low, hushed tone, but an unusually educated one as she approaches the two of you. Constance, you recognize her from counsel "My apologies, I know we had made our arrangements, but I am...concerned at the state of things. The harvest is liable to be poor this year, and I wonder, perhaps, if you would permit me to join the benediction. I could offer a blessing alongside your own, a small change to the ceremony of course. I think it would do the people great good."

Three points. First, you two have a moment for a few closing words before the priest strides forwards to talk. Second, she's not looking at either of you, she's looking at the ground as she's speaking, and the soil at your feet doesn't look particularly healthy, so it would be fair to say that she has a point. Third, what she's asking would deny you your right, Constance.

How do you respond?

Tristan

You slip away in the stream of pilgrims carrying your beers to one of the streams not far from the keep walls. It's not difficult to take a moment, there are many travelers on the road, but even a moment or two walking off the path leaves you quite alone. The air feels low and heavy without being wet enough to mist and the ground drinks the beer you lay upon it heavily. It seeps deep into the earth and you see small cracks form in the dry soil, as though opening from below, and a small beetle is thrown out and scampers for the nearest bit of grass to hide under, scattering the little pill bugs that were already there.

Nin

Depends what you mean by "best" exactly. Fastest would be to just walk right up to the pelt merchant. She's already talking, it's obvious she knows the rumors, just confront her directly, invoke the countess and demand that she speak the truth. You're absolutely in control here, even with Tristan slipped off somewhere. The question is really about how you want to play this longer. Your accusation carries a lot of weight and you'll embarrass the merchant if you take this route, as well as make the others hesitant to speak with you in the future because you'll look like someone dangerous to their good standing in the castle town. Especially if you react to what you hear with scorn after demanding it. If you're less concerned with speed and more with your relationships here, take a moment to look over the wares, maybe buy something, make small talk and let them disperse a bit. Ask the pelt merchant more quietly what she really saw, reassure her that you're interested in information and that you will not scorn her no matter what she shares with you.

Masks: BABYLON MUST FALL

"Marianne, I'm not...a...mmm....eeep!" Anathet never gets to finish saying what she may or may not be as the blush that was starting at the base of her neck works its way upward with astounding speed when Marianne gets to her ear and starts taking little nibbles. Anathet is rendered briefly speechless and she leans her neck into the shadow with pleasure.

When that's done, Anathet is left to try and compose herself, her aura all aflutter with a rainbow of colors. She in no fit state to say anything while Marianne talks about Canada's death with the same care as if she were proposing they all go out for garlic noodles after a mission. Then there's a smooth transition into Marianne's opinon on Anathet's job and she's suddenly feeling more than a little nervous. If her first meeting with Tia flashed her back to embarrassing childhood accidents, this moment is reminding her of the misery of having to explain herself afterwards to get help. She's already flushed and doing her best to keep some semblance of composure, which she uses to speak up hesitantly when Marianne is done.

"I can..." she clears her throat, starts again "I can go back there myself but...I'm not sure where the Seneschal is, my way of transporting doesn't let me see him until I get there and it's risky to jump to his office if I don't know what I'll find." She could stop there, but she has two other questions and she's sure Marianne can see her hesitating with them. "Also, I'm not sure what to ask for or...how to um 'ask' it so to speak. If you've got any suggestions for how I could do the, um, the theatrics without your help, Marianne, that would be really...nice."

[Marianne, Anathet is accepting the shift and listening to you about how the world works.]

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

Tristan and Nin

The traders think that there's some beast or pack of beasts that came out of the forest that's disrupting trade. You two are known as hunters for Duchess Marianne and you can see that they're trying to answer you in a respectable sort of way. One woman, her long hair braided up in an intricate knot who's selling pelts, steps up and offers that it's probably a pack of wolves come from the forest and roaming the fields amid the tall wheat because they couldn't find food elsewhere. Wouldn't be surprising for them to go for travelers at night if they're starving, or at least the goods they're carrying even if the travelers themselves can fend them off.

This is...sketchy at best. Sure, a cart full of dried meats and cheeses might attract wolves, but most fruits and grains aren't of interest to them, and it's rare indeed that armed men and a good fire wouldn't be enough to deter a wolf pack, even on the brink of starvation. It also doesn't help that several of the other merchants are giving the pelt seller sidelong glances as she offers the story. If you had to guess, they're hoping to be taken seriously and holding back from more wild tales and rumors because they don't want you to think that they're superstitious or mad.

This is probably enough to go on, if you don't want to push them, you could search the paths for signs of attack, try and track whatever "wolves" there are into the fields. But then again you might be able to get more information if you press here.

Robena and Constance

You're beginning to draw something of a crowd. Most of them seem to be whispering at the sight of Constance. You've lived here for some time, but you're often seen only from afar dancing in the fields or the forests, carrying out special rites and living a far off life. Now you've given a special berry to a child, who is holding it tightly as though you handed her a diamond. As you pass shops, they try to make you small offerings, if you'll take them. A little jar of amber honey, a piece of carved wood for a door with a design of flowers running up the sides, a fresh-baked sweet bread with little seeds scattered over the top of it. You can take them if you'd like, they are your due, or refuse them all out of kindness. If you take selectively, it will be viewed as a sign of your favor towards those whose gifts you accept.

Robena, you recognize that some of the goods on sale are based on designs you've seen before. You've been hearing news of traveling peoples landing their ships and offering a variety of goods, even venturing several days inland. Some of the rumors you've heard are a bit darker, that perhaps they are not offering goods, but raiding and kidnapping, and the designs taken from them are made by those who admire their strength rather than fear it. Similar tales have been heard in many places, and may be coming here soon.

Mixed with these are a few whispers of "the bear knight! I hear she's favored to win the tournament!" but these are fewer by far.

You're able to talk freely though. Barring the gifts, the people keep a respectful distance from Contance and her escort. Oh, by the by, where are you going? Where is the blessing for the summer held?

Dark Age (playtest): The Lands of Pendragon

For bookkeeping, I think the closest season move for Tristran is hunting (archery practice not being all stable targets), so mark him as having a bounty of fur and a bounty of meat (which can be used for trading or given as offerings/sacrifices later).

For Nin, I think tending to her flock is a form of working the land. Mark xp for a right of the land itself and mark a bounty of food (perhaps goats milk cheeses if she prefers not to harm them)

Constance spent her season in rites and celebrations. Choose between an xp for rights of the old ways or of the other world as you prefer.

Robena's is already noted in the IC post.