La Maison Soulombre: Entrances

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Rotipher of the FoS
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Post by Rotipher of the FoS »

[OOC: Crow has his guitar-case with him. What's inside it this time remains to be seen ... although it's a safe bet he wouldn't knowingly bring Tiahn within ten miles of the vipers' gatherings! :wink: ]
Nathan of the FoS wrote:"Ibelis natha Quiret, your servant," he says .... With a self-deprecating gesture he continues, "I meet so few of the brotherhood at these functions--I mean, of course, the bardic brotherhood--that I thought I might venture to impose my acquaintance."
He's seen the name on the programme, just moments before, of course. And he'd made a point to broach the possibility with Buchvold, months ago, when they were planning his re-entry into the circles of the FoS: few could pose a greater potential face-to-face threat to the bard's imposture than another bard, so being caught unawares was not a risk they could afford. Neither, alas, is this the first time Crow has been confronted with living proof that music's blessings and beauty aren't barred to the comprehension or talent of the corrupted.

(Still, buried deep within the VRS spy's subconscious, another name has been added to a list: a list, whose closest counterpart in Van Richten's mind might have compiled such shameful titles as "Shauten" or "Bollenbach". There are many kinds of loyalty in the world -- to kin, to cause, to Art's benevolent glory -- and just as many kinds of treachery.

(The bard's conscious self wholly shuts it out: he is working.)

Whatever his moral merits or lack of same, the slight feyblood's accomplishments are easily as lauded in bardic circles as they are within the Fraternity, and quite likely more so. The spy hadn't needed the Borcan's coaching, to recognize this name. Smiling at first hesitantly, then very brightly indeed, 'Brother Crow' widens his eyes and stands up straighter; by appearances, he's suddenly as alert -- and impressed -- as he's been since his arrival.

"My word, Songmaster Quiret!," he all but burbles, addressing the man as befits his professorial title at the Art Colegiu. "Heavens, but this is an honor, sir, not an imposition: an honor and a privilege, to meet you at last!" The black-curled bard extends his hand, perhaps a trifle diffidently, then shakes the half-elf's enthusiastically when the gesture is accepted.

Crow gushes on, like a raw apprentice overcome with hero-worship.

"An honor, yes ... and an Honored Brother, no less, by this programme's reckoning! Goodness, I have been out of touch, to have missed such a milestone for such 'fringe dilettantes' as we: whenever did that happen? Congratulations, even belated ones, are surely in order!" He laces his remarks with admiration, and his snide quotation of 'fringe dilettantes' -- a direct citation from one of Van Rijn's more-noteworthy FoS articles, which he and Buchvold had compiled during their mutual prep-work -- with sarcastic scorn.

"Mind you, when I saw your name among the panelists, I'd hoped to finally get the chance to introdu-- oh bother, I haven't done that yet, now have I? A right idiot at times, I am.

"Crow, Songmaster. The name is Crow."



[OOC: Like virtually every word the bard has said today, nothing in these statements -- despite his personal contempt for evil bards -- is actually a lie. :wink: ]
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
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Post by Joël of the FoS »

Llana wrote:She hid her concerns however, and laughing remarked, “How utterly Falkovnian of you, Professor; I fear you might have been here too long already…And if you would name the cad who maligned you with bad spelling, I will see to it that he shall never repeat that error again.”
OOC: this is a joke between Roti and me. She once miswrote Viktor as Victor in her “art in Paridon” article and latter gave mock apologies Here’s my salute to it ;)

“Don’t worry, my dear”, Hazan said with a mischievous smile, “This novice had been sent a gentle reminder. For there is supposedly powers in true names, you see, so some say it’s not a good idea to let it out of your control…”
Her face was briefly a caricature of fierceness before returning to her usual composure. “May I enquire into what line of studies you have been pursuing? Or are they still in progress?”
“Oh, well I’m still deepening my knowledge, I’m sorry, our knowledge of the Plane of Shadows. It is a mirror of our physical plane, and it keeps some kind of memories from the emotions in our world, so perhaps in these researches will we understand more about the physics of our beloved little world. The powers of shadows and darkness is possibly much greater then any other kind of arcane school, including this silly necromancy…”, said Hazan, while looking at her guest for any reactions.

“Ever heard of shadowcasters?”, Hazan murmured, so only Gertrude would hear.

OOC:
She looked with curiosity at Crow when Viktor asked his name. She had mentioned the bard's name; Hazan was hardly a forgetful man. A brief hint of concern and caution rose in her eyes as her own early suspicions rose to the fore once more.
Well he’s gone now, so Viktor shows his tongue to Crow when Crow isn’t looking.
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Post by Rotipher of the FoS »

Joël of the Fraternity wrote:Well he’s gone now, so Viktor shows his tongue to Crow when Crow isn’t looking.
OOC: If this is more of our joking, Joel, you'd better make that bit OOC too; AFAIK, the Paridon Survey project hasn't even gotten started in-character yet, and up until then, Crow won't have written anything for the Fraternity! :wink:
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
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“Don’t worry, my dear”, Hazan said with a mischievous smile, “This novice had been sent a gentle reminder. For there is supposedly powers in true names, you see, so some say it’s not a good idea to let it out of your control…”
“As long as the matter has been dealt with then, although some would say the best way to protect your true name is to use an alias, not to insist on it being correctly spelled. I personally rather enjoy the attention,” Gertrude said laughing.

She nodded thoughtfully at Viktor’s comments, making a slight moue at the mention of necromancy. Many theories abounded about the Land of the Mists, but one thing most theorists seemed to agree upon was that the role of Shadow was foremost in its creation. Twenty years ago she would have argued against such a theory. Now… “Emotional impressions,” she murmured aloud. “Fingerprints of the soul, so to speak. Does van Rijn still have one, in the state he is?” It was a rhetorical question, but one which had fascinated her once she started reading up on the undead. Were they truly conscious? Or were they shells of flesh animated by long-harboured grudges which survived death?

She was brought back to herself by his question. Looking puzzled, she remarked in a similarly low voice, “I’m afraid not…?”

She noted Crow sidestepping Hazan’s question, as if he'd been distracted by his programme. Not bloody likely... When the half-elf approached, she paused to watch for a moment then turned away to devote her attention fully to her host. He can’t be a fraud, she hoped fervently. Her eyebrows raised and she was startled into laughter by the Dementlieuse’ act. No love lost there... She remarked with some amusement, "I hope that that is not some new secret signal?"
His only real danger is if stupidity is contagious and lethal. In which case, we’re all dead…-Gertrude
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Post by Moral Machivelli »

At the mention of the Plane of Shadows Buchvold starts paying even closer atention. It is reasonably easy to guess that the Borcan is perticularly interested in the Plane of Shadow.
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

Rotipher wrote:
Joël of the Fraternity wrote:Well he’s gone now, so Viktor shows his tongue to Crow when Crow isn’t looking.
OOC: If this is more of our joking, Joel, you'd better make that bit OOC too; AFAIK, the Paridon Survey project hasn't even gotten started in-character yet, and up until then, Crow won't have written anything for the Fraternity! :wink:
OOC: Actually, Alfred Larner started the Paridon project at roughly the same time Hazan et al. relocated to Souragne. (His preliminary report is on the program.) He felt the need to prove his trustworthiness and that of the Paridon cell; he himself was introduced to the Fraternity by Hazan and van Rijn, and most of the Fraternity members in Paridon came to the Fraternity through alchemy and transmutation, as van Rijn did. Van Rijn's work generally was very highly admired in the Paridon Fraternity until recently.
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

Rotipher wrote: "Crow, Songmaster. The name is Crow."
At the name the songmaster smiles widely. "Crow!" he repeats. "He is not usually considered a musical bird; but Crow's a clever fellow, and can turn his hand to anything, as my mother used to tell me.* I am honored in the acquaintance. You are very kind, m'sieur Crow; I received my step a little while ago now, but I have not had a chance to attend a general meeting in some time. If only a being a "fringe dilettante" brought with it an extra measure of hours in the day, I would accept the charge gladly enough. Tell me then, my brother, what is your area of expertise? You are a guitarist?"



*An allusion to Kartakan archetypes--a Kartakan would be nicknamed Crow only if he were a lousy singer but a very clever and not terribly scrupulous fellow.
Last edited by Nathan of the FoS on Tue Jul 18, 2006 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Llana wrote: She nodded thoughtfully at Viktor’s comments, making a slight moue at the mention of necromancy. Many theories abounded about the Land of the Mists, but one thing most theorists seemed to agree upon was that the role of Shadow was foremost in its creation. Twenty years ago she would have argued against such a theory. Now… “Emotional impressions,” she murmured aloud. “Fingerprints of the soul, so to speak. Does van Rijn still have one, in the state he is?” It was a rhetorical question, but one which had fascinated her once she started reading up on the undead. Were they truly conscious? Or were they shells of flesh animated by long-harboured grudges which survived death?

She was brought back to herself by his question. Looking puzzled, she remarked in a similarly low voice, “I’m afraid not…?”
“This is what I’ve been able to do in the last six months. Focus, my dear, focus! But you’ll see later this week. I believe the traitor will be very surprised at this new field we can develop. Half of the day was spent for these studies, while the other half I spent meeting interesting Souragniens and helping novice Fraternity members.”
Moral Machivelli wrote:At the mention of the Plane of Shadows Buchvold starts paying even closer attention. It is reasonably easy to guess that the Borcan is perticularly interested in the Plane of Shadow.
Hazan notices the man looking at the duo and listening to them. “Well, did your mother ever tell you it’s not polite to eardrop?”, said Hazan, happy to see the slight discomfort in the Borcan. “So join us instead! Your name is Buchvold if I remember correctly? You were a lousy student, but a good researcher. Arcane items, no?”
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

Nathan of the FoS wrote:
Rotipher wrote: "Crow, Songmaster. The name is Crow."
At the name the songmaster smiles widely. "Crow!" he repeats. "He is not usually considered a musical bird; but Crow's a clever fellow, and can turn his hand to anything, as my mother used to tell me.* I am honored in the acquaintance. You are very kind, m'sieur Crow; I received my step a little while ago now, but I have not had a chance to attend a general meeting in some time. If only a being a "fringe dilettante" brought with it an extra measure of hours in the day, I would accept the charge gladly enough. Tell me then, my brother, what is your area of expertise? You are a guitarist?"

Before Crow can respond to this new query, a slip of paper is slipped into his hand; before he can react, a dark-coated figure with white-blond hair steps past him and hands another paper to Ibelis, who looks at it in some puzzlement.

"Brother Crow, twenty-seven," he says quickly, "Brother Quiret, twenty-eight." With that, he walks off, dispersing papers as he goes.
Last edited by Nathan of the FoS on Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Joël of the Fraternity wrote: Hazan notices the man looking at the duo and listening to them. “Well, did your mother ever tell you it’s not polite to eardrop?”, said Hazan, happy to see the slight discomfort in the Borcan. “So join us instead! Your name is Buchvold if I remember correctly? You were a lousy student, but a good researcher. Arcane items, no?”
The brother distributing papers walks past at this moment, handing one to Buchvold as he stands to acknowledge Hazan's greeting, then giving one each to Hazan and Kingsley. "Brother Buchvold, thirty-one. Brother Hazan, thirty-two. Sister. Sister? Must be...Kingsley? Pleased to make your acquaintance. Thirty-three." With that he moves away into the crowd, still distributing his slips of paper.
Last edited by Nathan of the FoS on Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Moral Machivelli »

Joël of the Fraternity wrote:
Llana wrote: She nodded thoughtfully at Viktor’s comments, making a slight moue at the mention of necromancy. Many theories abounded about the Land of the Mists, but one thing most theorists seemed to agree upon was that the role of Shadow was foremost in its creation. Twenty years ago she would have argued against such a theory. Now… “Emotional impressions,” she murmured aloud. “Fingerprints of the soul, so to speak. Does van Rijn still have one, in the state he is?” It was a rhetorical question, but one which had fascinated her once she started reading up on the undead. Were they truly conscious? Or were they shells of flesh animated by long-harboured grudges which survived death?

She was brought back to herself by his question. Looking puzzled, she remarked in a similarly low voice, “I’m afraid not…?”
“This is what I’ve been able to do in the last six months. Focus, my dear, focus! But you’ll see later this week. I believe the traitor will be very surprised at this new field we can develop. Half of the day was spent for these studies, while the other half I spent meeting interesting Souragniens and helping novice Fraternity members.”
Moral Machivelli wrote:At the mention of the Plane of Shadows Buchvold starts paying even closer attention. It is reasonably easy to guess that the Borcan is perticularly interested in the Plane of Shadow.
Hazan notices the man looking at the duo and listening to them. “Well, did your mother ever tell you it’s not polite to eardrop?”, said Hazan, happy to see the slight discomfort in the Borcan. “So join us instead! Your name is Buchvold if I remember correctly? You were a lousy student, but a good researcher. Arcane items, no?”
OOC :Buchvold never went to the Universite de Richemulot. Is this an intentional error?

Buchvold lookes a litle embaresed
"My apologies , Sir" He replies "But our areas of study overlap. I have resontly been working on..."

Sudenly the gentleman with the paper arives.
Buchvold glances at it purplexed but waits for someone else to question what the paper is. Could be anything from a new secuity mesure to the seeting plan he thinks to himself
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Gertrude’s smile grew at Viktor’s enthusiasm and determination. “Were these novices natives or…?” Her question trailed off at the sudden question at the eavesdropper, and she turned to look to see if she recognized the man.

The Borcan, she thought, That explains his bad manners. Had he overheard the whispered comments about the shadowcasters? Lousy student and good researcher- doesn’t work well with others and is best independent for everyone’s sake…

She said nothing but raised her eyebrows at Buchvold’s attempt to excuse his behaviour. Whatever thoughts she had on the matter were not addressed as a gentleman approached her. She nodded at her name, and accepting the paper, said, “And good to make yours, Brother..?”
His only real danger is if stupidity is contagious and lethal. In which case, we’re all dead…-Gertrude
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

Llana wrote:Gertrude’s smile grew at Viktor’s enthusiasm and determination. “Were these novices natives or…?” Her question trailed off at the sudden question at the eavesdropper, and she turned to look to see if she recognized the man.

The Borcan, she thought, That explains his bad manners. Had he overheard the whispered comments about the shadowcasters? Lousy student and good researcher- doesn’t work well with others and is best independent for everyone’s sake…

She said nothing but raised her eyebrows at Buchvold’s attempt to excuse his behaviour. Whatever thoughts she had on the matter were not addressed as a gentleman approached her. She nodded at her name, and accepting the paper, said, “And good to make yours, Brother..?”
But Kingsley's greeting is too late to stay the blond Fraternity brother in his progress; by the time she has finished her query he has moved on.

"Brother Harko Perrison," Hazan supplies, glancing at his own paper.
Last edited by Nathan of the FoS on Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Rotipher of the FoS »

The VRS spy stiffens at the touch of the blond Brother's hand, then closes his fingers tightly around the note. He looks at the giver in honest perplexity -- had some minor lapse by himself or Buchvold spurred their leery hosts' greater suspicion? -- that fails to lessen when a number is assigned him, and similar notes and numerals are distributed to others nearby. Crow shuffles his recollections of previously-encountered FoS members, failing to place the blond man's face.

He glances at the note carefully, hiding it like a cardsharp checking the contents of a fresh hand, then looks up to Quiret in puzzlement, and ask the 'senior Brother', "Party games, perhaps...?", in tones rather more baffled than wry.
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
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Gertrude nodded at Hazan’s naming of the man with the white-blond hair, and followed his example. She looked at her paper, a puzzled look upon her face, and then folded the paper. “Are we to keep these private?” And what in the world do they mean with this and the numbers?
His only real danger is if stupidity is contagious and lethal. In which case, we’re all dead…-Gertrude
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