Damn, missed opportunity. Could’ve done it like a Sarah J Maas novel and gifted her skin oils scented with Rhinecliff’s own aroma. Truly some of the whackiest shit I’ve read before.
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He’ll let Nyx cook here, yeah.
Now this is where I offer a possible collaboration, Click, where Mirie can ferry Rhinecliff instantly into Hathforth. Just for the purpose of relieving Nyx and also for confusing the Royal gang further kekek.
<Snipped quote by ERode>
How did you know I was waiting for youuuuu
Ok, here's the directive: attend the gala under the guise of Duke Rhinecliff. Feel free to present whatever gift you feel would be appropriate to the Wizard-Queen (the Duke will ensure that Nyx is prepared for this). He'd recommend she wear gloves for the occasion, but will have a substitute signet ring given to her just in case.
This is probably the kinda situation where Nyx would be in literal dagger-stabbing range of the Wizard-Queen, so its probably also a test...but it's a test that he wouldn't mind too much if she failed. ;3
“Olivia, you’ve worked hard these past years. Consider what I’m about to do for you now a small reward. Don’t be greedy, understood?”
A pause. A ring of smoke bloomed out from the nobleman’s lips as white ash was tapped into a crystalline tray.
“Though I suppose I wouldn’t be too opposed to it, if you can’t help yourself.”
…
The Rhinecliff Estate stood tall upon a cliff overlooking the Fey River. From the tallest tower, one could see the entirety of the nobleman’s domain, terraced fields and irrigation channels fueling the agriculture that made up the second half of the city-state’s name. Grand as the ancient walls and gothic spires were, they appeared muted in comparison to the architectural wonders of Odonfield itself, with grand libraries and universities, with the great cathedrals of the All-Force and the hundreds of scribes that continued their work in illustrating beautiful tomes and texts. Wondrous too, was the purpose with which people carried their lives, the light of ambition or inquisitiveness that drew so many here. Though they lacked the gambling halls and places of pleasure that Caelin held, Odonfield was a nexus as well, and infinitely more accessible than that sea-bound place.
Indeed, House Rhinecliff had protected their domain during the bloodstained era of the splintered province, had made the city-state ever more prosperous during the reign of the erudite King, and had safeguarded Odonfield’s interests even into the tyrannical era, where Seeds of unnatural power shattered the paradigm of spell and sword. The golden era had not yet faded, and even in the absence of their lord, the servants of House Rhinecliff were not so undignified as to allow a Viscount to bruise her knuckles against the great doors of their master’s abode.
The doors swung inwards, a handsome butler bowing in the Viscount’s presence. “His Grace is out at the moment, Viscountess Skybound,” she said. “He’s out hunting, but we expect him to return within the hour. If it would please you, allow us to receive you in the lounge until then.”
Of course, if such matters truly were so urgent, the young viscount ought to have no reason to decline. She would be brought up two floors up to one of the many rooms within the Rhinecliff Estate. Books lined one shelf for her perusal, while large windows opened up for a view of the city-state on a separate wall. A pot of tea and accompanying snacks were brought in a few moments later as the viscount was allowed to enjoy herself upon the plush seating, while a servant stood silently by the door, prepared to attend to any other need of hers. Time passed idly, the gears of the clock spinning in their perpetual measure.
And then, in due time, Duke Laurent Rhinecliff, black gloves adorning his hands and a dark blue cloak tossed over his shoulders, entered.
He was as sharply-dressed as could ever be expected of a duke receiving one of the favoured viscounts of the Wizard-Queen, the only strands of hair that were out of place having been intentional. In the subdued lighting of the lounge, his circular glasses did not gain the sharp glare they often did in other encounters, allowing the warmth of his brown eyes to come through more easily. There was amusement present as he strode in, the faint scent of the forest carried by his stride and accompanied by hints of sweat and blood.
“Lady Skybound,” he said, his moustache tickling the back of her hand as he greeted her. “I do hope the road to Odonfield was pleasantly uneventful. To what do I owe your visit?”
Alright, Donut. Imma get a post out tonight, and you should know what to do afterwards. ;3
Est, so temporally, how does this work? I'm guessing the post you did for the Gala is further into the future than the posts you did for the more personalized things?
Alright, better get this outta the way now, considering how I've been meaning to do so for a good while. Gonna be going through the cast and yapping.
So, first off...
@Estylwen In consideration to Evelyn's relatively unstable rule at the moment, as well as the presence of @Theyra's character, who is basically a former royal guard that now took power over his family's duchy, I think it'd make sense from the start for the Wizard Queen to be more focused on Duke Corrin rather than Duke Rhinecliff, especially because that'd straight up be what Laurent himself would have guided her towards considering. Seeing that rebellion itself hadn't yet broken out, Rhinecliff would likely only have made small, surreptitious movements thus far, while there's so many signs that Duke Corrin will fucking behead the Wizard Queen if given a chance that it'd be hilarious to ignore the elephant in the room.
He would, however, perhaps already be in touch with Eirwen (@LunarParadox), due to that relatively prosperous and scholarly nature of Odonfield and the court mage's own ambitions. That would probably be the main cause for concern that Safina (@Psyker Landshark) could hold towards Laurent. As well, however, we could have a whole ass concern with regards to the very existence of Ironhand (@twannyman). I'd imagine that there'd be a whole ass story behind why an artifact capable of no-selling all forms of magic ended being straight up lost, when magic and offensive Seeds are what separate nobility and their personal retainers from being just flesh-and-blood normies. I'd imagine that early on at least, Roderic would be in a situation where he hopefully understands that he oughta keep real fucking quiet about his Seed, or bro's gonna be jumped by all the Dukes + the Wizard Queen + the Coven + the College of Hathforth + whatever else exists.
Either that, or he immediately aligns himself with a faction that's unlikely to be so unethical as to just slice off his arm in order to remove the Ironhand from him.
For the remaining nobles in the roster thus far...
In regards to what Duchess Bastille (@Irradiant) would have seen of Duke Rhinecliff thus far...she'd have been too young to have seen his work on the battlefield, but honestly, she'd not have seen him on the battlefield even if she had been old enough. Bastille marches on the frontlines, but Rhinecliff remains warm and cozy in his castle, probably smoking a cigar and sipping on wine while his men fight kilometers away. Honestly, at least this early on, I'd imagine she'd have sent that letter to him more as a formality, trusting that House Rhinecliff would generally be as passive as they were during Ludwig's ascension and Evelyn's coup. More of a 'stay out of this, boomer' kinda vibe.
I'd imagine that Duchess Agustria (@Click This) would understand Duke Rhinecliff as more of a kindred spirit, despite their clear differences in regards to the place of religion in society. This would be mostly due to position reasons. The Fey River, which splits Arrowfell cleanly in half, can only really be safely crossed through the territory that Odonfield possesses. Otherwise, you're crossing through mountains for no reason, or you're going through some of the last remnants of proper fey bullshit within the Tearmoon Glade and the surrounding forests. As such, I'd imagine it'd be a situation where Caelin receives exports by sea, Odonfield receives exports by land, and it all funnels into Hathforth afterwards. They probably wouldn't do more except exchange letters though. Maybe even collaborate on occasion, with regards to the flow of goods from East to West.
Now, as for the fey-type fellows...
Chances are Duke Rhinecliff wouldn't even know who Melisande (@Izurich) is, unless Eirwen would have talked about a promising youngster in the Society of Young Magic who was excelling in chronomancy of all subjects. Due to the proximity of the Tearmoon Glade and Odonfield, however, I think it'd make sense that the two territories would have built up an understanding over the course of centuries. There's probably more than a handful of ancient geasa and vows that keep either territory from encroaching too heavily upon the other, and I'd imagine that there'd also be exchanges of ideas and arcane knowledge too. Something along the lines of...Odonfield becomes a premier 'starting city' for travellers from the Tearmoon Glade, where they can gradually pick up an understanding of broader human society after living in a sheltered coven for so long, before they head off to the rest of the province and beyond. If you want it to be the case, it could even be that Jezebel called up a favor from Duke Rhinecliff to act as a backer for Melisande if a societal problem props up, but eh, that would mean that he knows the beloved daughter of the Matriarch is so far from home.
I don't have as much to work with in regards to Olivia (@Donut Look Now), but I'd imagine that she'd have disclosed her Changeling status to the Duke, either willingly or under duress. In exchange, he'd probably have been the one to see to her education in the two years since the Wizard Queen's rise, and would have given her preferential treatment specifically because she knew who Evelyn was before the Wizard Queen came out of nowhere and murdered her way to the top. That preferential treatment didn't come with a free Seed though; in that particular case, it would've been a final test of her usefulness as a spy where she'd be sent to slip into the Royal Gardeners, follow their process, and steal the reaped seeds.
Heck, maybe something goes hilariously wrong in the process, and that's why the Ironhand was just found out there in the middle of the wilderness for no particular reason!
Anyways, that's my yapping done. Lemme know if there's anything y'all would like to add on or change. Mostly did this because almost every character should at least have encountered or have passing knowledge of other characters.
So, first off...
@Estylwen In consideration to Evelyn's relatively unstable rule at the moment, as well as the presence of @Theyra's character, who is basically a former royal guard that now took power over his family's duchy, I think it'd make sense from the start for the Wizard Queen to be more focused on Duke Corrin rather than Duke Rhinecliff, especially because that'd straight up be what Laurent himself would have guided her towards considering. Seeing that rebellion itself hadn't yet broken out, Rhinecliff would likely only have made small, surreptitious movements thus far, while there's so many signs that Duke Corrin will fucking behead the Wizard Queen if given a chance that it'd be hilarious to ignore the elephant in the room.
He would, however, perhaps already be in touch with Eirwen (@LunarParadox), due to that relatively prosperous and scholarly nature of Odonfield and the court mage's own ambitions. That would probably be the main cause for concern that Safina (@Psyker Landshark) could hold towards Laurent. As well, however, we could have a whole ass concern with regards to the very existence of Ironhand (@twannyman). I'd imagine that there'd be a whole ass story behind why an artifact capable of no-selling all forms of magic ended being straight up lost, when magic and offensive Seeds are what separate nobility and their personal retainers from being just flesh-and-blood normies. I'd imagine that early on at least, Roderic would be in a situation where he hopefully understands that he oughta keep real fucking quiet about his Seed, or bro's gonna be jumped by all the Dukes + the Wizard Queen + the Coven + the College of Hathforth + whatever else exists.
Either that, or he immediately aligns himself with a faction that's unlikely to be so unethical as to just slice off his arm in order to remove the Ironhand from him.
For the remaining nobles in the roster thus far...
In regards to what Duchess Bastille (@Irradiant) would have seen of Duke Rhinecliff thus far...she'd have been too young to have seen his work on the battlefield, but honestly, she'd not have seen him on the battlefield even if she had been old enough. Bastille marches on the frontlines, but Rhinecliff remains warm and cozy in his castle, probably smoking a cigar and sipping on wine while his men fight kilometers away. Honestly, at least this early on, I'd imagine she'd have sent that letter to him more as a formality, trusting that House Rhinecliff would generally be as passive as they were during Ludwig's ascension and Evelyn's coup. More of a 'stay out of this, boomer' kinda vibe.
I'd imagine that Duchess Agustria (@Click This) would understand Duke Rhinecliff as more of a kindred spirit, despite their clear differences in regards to the place of religion in society. This would be mostly due to position reasons. The Fey River, which splits Arrowfell cleanly in half, can only really be safely crossed through the territory that Odonfield possesses. Otherwise, you're crossing through mountains for no reason, or you're going through some of the last remnants of proper fey bullshit within the Tearmoon Glade and the surrounding forests. As such, I'd imagine it'd be a situation where Caelin receives exports by sea, Odonfield receives exports by land, and it all funnels into Hathforth afterwards. They probably wouldn't do more except exchange letters though. Maybe even collaborate on occasion, with regards to the flow of goods from East to West.
Now, as for the fey-type fellows...
Chances are Duke Rhinecliff wouldn't even know who Melisande (@Izurich) is, unless Eirwen would have talked about a promising youngster in the Society of Young Magic who was excelling in chronomancy of all subjects. Due to the proximity of the Tearmoon Glade and Odonfield, however, I think it'd make sense that the two territories would have built up an understanding over the course of centuries. There's probably more than a handful of ancient geasa and vows that keep either territory from encroaching too heavily upon the other, and I'd imagine that there'd also be exchanges of ideas and arcane knowledge too. Something along the lines of...Odonfield becomes a premier 'starting city' for travellers from the Tearmoon Glade, where they can gradually pick up an understanding of broader human society after living in a sheltered coven for so long, before they head off to the rest of the province and beyond. If you want it to be the case, it could even be that Jezebel called up a favor from Duke Rhinecliff to act as a backer for Melisande if a societal problem props up, but eh, that would mean that he knows the beloved daughter of the Matriarch is so far from home.
I don't have as much to work with in regards to Olivia (@Donut Look Now), but I'd imagine that she'd have disclosed her Changeling status to the Duke, either willingly or under duress. In exchange, he'd probably have been the one to see to her education in the two years since the Wizard Queen's rise, and would have given her preferential treatment specifically because she knew who Evelyn was before the Wizard Queen came out of nowhere and murdered her way to the top. That preferential treatment didn't come with a free Seed though; in that particular case, it would've been a final test of her usefulness as a spy where she'd be sent to slip into the Royal Gardeners, follow their process, and steal the reaped seeds.
Heck, maybe something goes hilariously wrong in the process, and that's why the Ironhand was just found out there in the middle of the wilderness for no particular reason!
Anyways, that's my yapping done. Lemme know if there's anything y'all would like to add on or change. Mostly did this because almost every character should at least have encountered or have passing knowledge of other characters.
Says the person who just has their Seed do what others already do with regular magic. ;3
They read Rhinecliff's Frenzy spell and were like "naw brah, ain't no way I'm letting my pure warrior character go unga bunga".
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