Schemes and Scoundrels (Inactive)

Game Master Idiot Cube

"I rather think you all have the wrong idea. As usual."

"Imagine the excitement were we to thoroughly embarrass these mercenaries. We'd be nationwide news! Rather than subverting or diverting them, I say we dig up as much information as possible, then devise a stratagem to trounce them so handily the local government will never THINK to oppose us again!"

The bored-looking Princess perks up at that. "oooh, I love a good social smackdown."

one does not get to live a long life by chosing direct conflict when indirect conflict will do. I am sure we could shame them if that is what you want by imolicating both they and the mayor in some delicious scandal.

Crackerjack waves his hand dismissively.

"Political scandals fade and erase themselves from collective memory. Worse, he'd just be replaced by someone else, either now or in the near future, and we'd be back where we started. Inefficient, and significantly less fun. There's no upside besides safety." he sneers the last word.

Markus once again taps his empty glass as he listens to the back and forth.

"Crayke does have a point, as much as it chides me to say. The media is a fickle machine, and such scandals would become forgotten all too quickly."

He mulls and smiles;

"Perhaps a compromise of stratagem? We buy off those willing to accept our gifts... opening them to blackmail and future leverage in the process. Those that turn down our charity we leave broken for all to see."

A servant comes and fills the wine glass finally and Lazarus says after, agreed then pay who we can, destroy the rest.

Markus toasts his host with a wicked grin;

"Better late than ever old boy. So is the wisdom of us ancients consensual? Crayke? Princess? Nevidomyy?"

By now, she's bored, so she's taking selfies with her phone. "Eh, whatever. Sounds like a good plan to me Molly."

"Acceptable."

The demon's meat-suit looks surprised, yet happy;

"Excellent! As close to a ringing endorsement as one could expect..."

His smile turns more cruel as he mulls their next move;

"So... Who is first on our list?"

the mayor controls the button to activating project libra so we research the mayor and the project and find their weaknesses and if members of the project will take money and then of course blackmail..

Markus nods in agreement;

"A cunning plan dearest Lazarus. Perhaps invite the Mayor to a formal dinner? You are a known philanthropist are you not? To discuss your concerns on this metahuman menace, and how your vast funds might assist in the city's endeavors..."

He drains his glass and sets it down;

"Besides your wine cellar is devilishly good!"

"Cellar would be useful... Provided it is not drained before dinner."

even if our demonic friend here was a satyr he could not drain my wine cellar before dinner. Besides I have only been bringing out the guest wines not the expensive or rare vintages. For instance the Chateau Lafite is worth about five thousand dollars a bottle from 1865 right now. Belvadere, bring me a bottle of the Lafite 65 and a glass each for our guests. Alternately the Lafite 1787 was particularly good and is about 150,000 per bottle. Why quibble over the fact my wine cellar is worth more then most average incomes or estates in this country?

Markus tips the nod to Lazarus with a smile;

"Satyr indeed... You cheeky devil Lazarus!"

The demon's vessel looks to the others;

"So where should we begin? A dinner party... Or are their any functions the mayor is attending that we can acquire invitations to?"

Crackerjack, any functions with the mayor coming up or do I have to create one?

Eyeing The Princess, Markus wryly adds;

"Best make it a fancy dress ball!"

The Princess wasn't nodding off. She was merely taking longer and longer blinks. But that the mention of a ball, she perks right up.

"Absolutely! Wonderful idea!"

Cube's on vacation until Thursday, so we need to wait until then for him to respond to Lazarus' question. Doesn't look like he posted that in this thread.

"As sarcastically as you may have said it, it's not a terrible idea. A masquerade could let us mingle with the guests unnoticed."

The mayor doesn't have any big public appearances coming up.

all right seems like we will be holding a masquerade ball here at Minmillion Mansion in honor of him and his rich friends who support him for a fund raiser to help city.

"Why would you hold such an event at your own home, where you could easily be implicated in any wrongdoing that occurs?"

Markus raises an eyebrow at the back and forth;

"True Crayke.... However... Should a crime be perpetrated here, during the event against Lazarus, it merely aligns him closer to the Libra Project and supporting the good Mayor's initiative?"

thanks to your abilities we looked nothing like ourselves except for our demonic friend whom will not be in that form during the party. No one knows we did that crime, the jewels have all been sold and are in cash form, and except for some nice things and some spending money most of my wealth is in land which is in these times is rarely seized or stolen. The mayor will want to meet me because a few moments of investigation will yield that I vote generally conservative to encourage strict sentencing on lower criminals so as to remove the idiots from the way.

"They clearly think the capes from Project Libra will be able to suss us out, perhaps with a clairvoyant of some sort. Better to be safe than sorry in this case, I'd suggest renting out an upscale banquet hall. We can reveal ourselves on our own terms if necessary."

thats a good idea to rent a place. I wonder, can one rent city hall?

Lazarus's most valued and faithful manservant, Malfred Nickelson, steps out from the shadows.

"Master Lazarus, might I suggest the New Jackstown Ballroom? As I'm sure you know, it has been a popular meeting place for the town's wealthy elite for over a hundred years. And its nineteenth century architecture provides a number of possible vantage points, quite suitable for surveillance or dramatic entrances."

Lazarus will then tell Malfred to go ahead and rent the Ballroom and he will have invitations set for a month from today(which I hope we can fastforward to) and then will ensure all of the rich are invited to the gala in order to make donations to the save city fund, which of course we shall make a fund to save the city for the rich to donate to and skim off the profits for staffing costs and gala costs of course.

Excuse my absence. I somehow wound up with one of those "job" things.

"Very good sir, I shall make the necessary arrangements."

You have a month of downtime until the fundraiser. Are there any additional preparations you want to make before then?

Lacing the food served to key individuals (all guests?) with tracking nanotec would be a good shout.

Perhaps get Gemstar involved? Auction off a date or meet/greet with her? We can use this as a set-up to take her down again?

something to protect from mental intrusion as well? Also I would love to enslave Gemstar to our nefarious side

Makes sense - anything we think is nefarious enough we should have a tilt at... Its what we do after all lol.

"I'm sure the Turner family will graciously accept our invitation. It will take some time for them to RSVP via mail..." Malfred's non-monocled eye twitches. "But that is just one of the many things that make serving Master Lazarus so interesting."

I did prefer the cslligraphy and stylish invitations from the victorian era dear Malfred which is why for one reason we still use those now. Lazarus says as if he has possibly said this a thousand times before.

Markus nods in agreement;

"Indeed. So many good things about the Victorian Era..."

He looks to the others;

"It will be a celebration of opulence most charitable...with Jackstown's elite in full presence. Fools and their money as they say... Pray tell any notions on how the event should play out?"

BUMP

Bump yourself. Look at the discussion thread.