Action: Come one, come all!

[ofthebeast]

Characters: ALL THE PEOPLE
Open? Yes.
Where: The Palace
When: The night of the 3RD
What: A masquerade ball and a very deep sleep.
Warnings: Part of a comm-wide plot!

The Prince Sif has felled an unknown beast, and presented its stuffed head to the King. This would be reason enough for a ball, but there are victories to celebrate. More heroes arrive every day. The kingdom was aptly defended when the forest wall fell. No one has tried to assassinate the king in several days.

All told, a good night for a party. The theme of the ball is a masquerade, and shops in town have been surprisingly (almost suspiciously) able to provide gowns and masks in ready supply.

The palace has been opened to heroes and townspeople alike, provided they can present themselves appropriately. The heroes have been strongly encouraged to attend, and those who do not come voluntarily may well be greeted with royal retainers at their doorstep, outfit and dance card in hand. Expect a very full dance card, heroes.

The banquet table is stacked full of food – roasts and cheeses, summer fruits and vegetables, rivers of wine and more ornate desserts than should be permitted in a time or war. This evening is about success – best to enjoy it.

In the center of the ball sits the beast’s head. A scaly, purple thing. Its eyes have been taken out and replaced with rubies, its mouth twisted in the same sort of anguished look on its face as when Sif killed it. There has never been a beast like this in Schwanheim before – if you like, come closer and take a look. The king is very generous with his gifts.

[ooc: The party is a LIE. Well. No, it isn’t! Enjoy the party. Your characters will be expected to wear full masquerade gear, or they will be shunted aside and dressed properly.

After the attendees go home, they will be plagued with dreams more tangible than they have ever felt. More information here]

Comments

[consultmybooks]

"Sometimes, um, craftsmen will use glass. Those, um, can look startlingly like genuine eyes. As for these..." He peers a little more closely at the gem stones. "Well. Fancy. Ornate. Suitable for a ball, I suppose."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

There is more consideration. "King might like jewels better. Don't know if here has a glassmaker that can make eyes."

He looks up at Giles. "Know what kind of beast? Faolan has never seen anything like it."

[consultmybooks]

Giles shakes his head. "Haven't the foggiest. I, um, I managed to see a, a couple of others, in the forest, but I knew what they were. This..." He reaches out without thinking and passes a hand through the great beast's eerily grinning maw. "...this is a new one on me. I, um, I wonder if Sif would know."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"I only saw normal animals in the forest," Faolan said. "Should find Sif. Maybe Alanna knows."

He wouldn't mind asking either of them. Alanna was awesome and is teaching him the crossbow, and Sif gave him a sausage.

"Faolan will look!"

[consultmybooks]

"Yes, um, well. You're also in bed before sunset, or, um, so you mentioned to me. If they stumbled across this thing, i-it would have been well after dark. Still." Here he looks around at the general crowd. Although he's only ever seen Alanna the once, the two heroes of the hour should stand out well enough. "I-If you want, they'd be the ones to ask."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"yes! Am curious. Want to know."

He smiled up at Giles. "Giles wants to know too, right?"

[consultmybooks]

"I am very curious, yes. Finding out the names of things that, um, no one else knows the name of used to be my job, believe it or not. So, if, if you see them, feel free to, um, scamper off and ask."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"Yes. But Faolan will come back to tell Giles! Because you're curious too!"

He grins at Giles and dashes off into the crowd to find Sif or Alanna.

[consultmybooks]

"Very. Shoo."

And when he gets back, maybe Giles can finally broach the subject of first- and second-person profiles. Faolan is a smart kid. Giles knows that now. He could probably figure them out.

As it stands, though, Giles will wait by the severed head as Faolan scampers away into the crowd. It isn't as though he has much else to do at the party.