Wardove's Rumble in the Jungle

Game Master Laithoron

[ Links: Matrix | ToC | Wiki ]


9,251 to 9,300 of 11,113 << first < prev | 181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | next > last >>

"Well I don't see what the big deal is." Sasha's brow was furrowed as she poked at the little flower on the dish before her. "If slaves are illegal here then why not just sell them off in Malatesta or Loxphari? My mom had lots of slaves and it wasn't illegal back home..."

With that, the ranger popped the ginger blossom into her mouth, eyes immediately going wide as she looked about for bread or wine.


Noble Lady

"Honestly... hmmph!" Elendreth rolled her eyes at Lucio and Sasha's comments, and raised her chin towards the seat of honor, daintily applauding the Princess.


Lureene hid her exultation at how easily the boorish nobleman fell for her ruse. She knew he was infatuated with her and would be most...tractable in the future. Almost giddily she raises her wine glass for another refill, almost dropping it on the table as it nearly slipped out of her fingers.

Maybe this was not such a good idea after all...

"I am quite pleased to hear that, Lord Gallo. I feel her Highness has done a...fair job convincing me slavery is not a sound economic model. I am pleased to find you feel the same way!" She sets the goblet down, and feeling more than a tad tipsy decides she should have some of the ginger along with some bread to soak up the wine. Whether it was the spiciness of the ginger or the thickness of the bread, she felt the tipsiness pass over her.

At least it was not shellfish...

Rolls:
Fort save (drunk) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25


While Amhranai had been around long enough to know that anyone with enough eloquence could string together the right words, the black-haired elf was seemingly more content to watch and see what developed. As she observed, the polite applause died down, and the Princess continued to speak.

"Looking around this hall, I can see that many of Dafar's key industries are represented — agriculture, forestry, livestock, transportation, commerce, and magic... Not surprisingly, this makes each of you prominent citizens within your districts; in some cases, you may be members of our protectorate's peerage..."

"Yet just taking Port Eldarion as an example, a walk along the walls of Colossineum reveal that the city's census has excluded a great many of the people who live, work, and die here. While enjoying the start of our midday feast, Lady Hlokenar posed a question to me. 'Your Highness,' she asked, 'who do you believe should represent the Zuck's best interests?' When I in turn inquired as to which nobles currently represent their best interests, I was met with a curious response."

Here Alis paused for several moments. As the last echoes of her voice faded away, the faint sound of falling could be made out, a low-hanging cloud of steam rising from the now glistening peristyle garden to the north. All around the chamber, there was a growing sense of uneasiness. No one in their right mind would dare to interrupt the Princess, but was she waiting on a reply?

From Lady Lureene's exedra, the red-headed warrior, Sasha tentatively raised her hand, but a single word, "Silence!" filled the chamber like the peal of thunder.

Even as the huntress paled, thinking the comment was directed at her, Alis continued, "When I asked which nobles currently represent the natives' best interests, I was met by... silence."

As the comment faded, the rainfall began to increase in volume, resounding throughout the porticoes and halls of Villa Sempronius in a morose drone.

"While we continue to dine, I would like each of you to reflect on how we might best stand-up for those weak many who inhabited this land before us. Make no mistake, the Zucks' plight can only go unanswered for so long before their tears salt the earth and wash we privileged few into the sea. We have already seen the sort of leaders who might arise from strife and discord. Unless we wish for more O'beilumanjis, then we would do well to provide the Zucks with the leadership they need... not with the leaders we might deserve."


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20

Theme: Harappa

With that, the Princess returned to her seat, and give a nod to the conductor. Once more, the chamber orchestra began to play, this time performing a piece with more gravitas, that incorporated both heavy strings, and native instruments to the accompaniment of a somber chorus.


Well...that was certainly dramatic of 'Lis, however she is right though. If we don't do something about the plight of the Zucks, then more troubles will arise...Waitaminute...I thought I asked that question of her, not Lily!

Lureene steals a quick look at her dinner 'companion', trying to read how the Guildmaster reacted to the pronouncement from the Princess.

Rolls:
Sense Motive 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5


Dwarf Lightbringer

Hell of a show! Darvesch grins as he finishes his meal. How the hell did my father deal with these parties? While the party continues, Darvesch goes over the list of things he'll need in his head once more.


Male Sky Elf Game Master lv 20

While the Princess' oratory and the midday rainstorm had certainly cast a pallor over the event, it did have the desired effect of dispelling any notion that she was frivolous or complacent. Clearly Dafar's new ruler was not only apt to hold others responsible for doing their part, but she had implied that those who were part of the problem might forfeit their station. She had no need to plead for compromise and self-sacrifice when the instinct for self-preservation might necessitate it.

Rolls:
Alis: Oratory 1d20 + 14 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 14 + 5 = 38 diviner's fortune


Guildmaster: Viamaré Concern

"Wuu-uh-uh-uh..." With a shudder, Lord Gallo had swallowed his ginger blossom, drawing closer to Lureene and pulling one of her wings around him as if trying to fend off a chill. As the tipsy beauty looked up at him, he bulky nobleman, he put an arm around her and said in a loud whisper, the large amount of wine with which he and the succubus had been plied evidently affecting him as well, "Y- your P-princess is as scary as she is beautiful, my Lady. D- do you think the Zucks could really rise up like she says? And wh-what of the p-pirates? We are beset on all sides it seems!"


"Wwwmph!" Sasha nodded anxiously, trying hard to swallow a mouthful of bread. "Yeah Highness Lissi seemed really mad alright, I thought she was going to smite me when I held my hand up!"


"Heh," Gelik gave an amused chuckle as he savored the spicy aroma of his morsel. "Her Highness, Sasha dearest, certainly was intense, but truthfully your action was immaterial to Alissariel's reaction — from where she stood, the Princess could not even see you."

With a sidelong glance at Lord Gallo he commented, "Unlike, for example, the nobleman presently laying his hands upon her lady in waiting..."

With that, he downed his ginger blossom, savoring the sensation spreading thru his sinuses as it cleared his palette and set his mouth to watering. "Ah, is that a stuffed boar I spy? I wonder if the chefs prepared any goatfish..."


Noble Lady

As surely as the mention of stuffed boar made Sasha perk up, Lady Elendreth blanched. Averting her gaze, she looked instead at Lureene and Lucio and commented, "Such a vulgar display, is that really quite appropriate before a princess of Ilmarond?"

Rolls:
E Innuendo 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Sense Motive DC 19:
L 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
g 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
i 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
S 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 + 2 = 23 human

l 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26


"Oh I wouldn't say that," Ieana commented, either paying no mind to the dual-nature of the abjurer's criticism of both the stuffed boar and the pig who was getting handsy with Lureene. "Compared to the spectacles we have been a party to this past month, I rather imagine the sight of a bloated pig being split open could hardly phase any of us, least of all the Princess. I rather imagine Alissariel is becoming rather inured to such visceral displays by now..."


Noble Lady

"Heavens forbid..."


Guildmaster: Viamaré Concern

For a brief moment, Lord Gallo made eye contact with Sasha, who returned his glance with a wolfish grin. When the red-head quickly raised and lowered her eyebrows in excitement, he gave a cough, anxiously looking at the chef who now made a show of sharpening his blade as the Princess looked on unperturbed. Slowly, as if trying to avoid drawing the attention of a predator, the sotted nobleman withdrew his arm by feigning to scratch an itch on the opposite shoulder.

"Sooo..." he began, "it sounds like your group must have had quite the adventures while shipwrecked on the Reaver's Shiv. Was it truly haunted as the legends say?"


It took all of Lureene's considerable willpower to avoid doing something to the besotted nobleman that would raise a scene, to put it mildly. Once Lord Gallo withdrew his arm she gives the ladies (and Gelik) sitting across from her a quick nod of gratitude.

This lecher actually CAN take a hint!

As she reaches for her glass again, she dimly realizes she has had too much to drink. However, considering the company she was forced to endure, maybe an extra drink was in order...

Lord Gallo's question caught her off-guard. She takes another drink of wine to help collect her thoughts. Turning to face Gallo she replies softly, "Yes, it is...or I should say WAS haunted. Sasha, Gelik and I ran into one of those restless spirits and, fortunately we were able to send it to its resting-place."


"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Sasha exclaimed. "I had that old sea captain, what was his name, Captain Accordion? aaall taken care of and then Lureene got him all riled up again! One minute he thought I was his 'crimson-haired elven goddess', A-she-ma-rue, then next thing I'm all cut up from his hook — I thought my heart was going to crap out on me!"

With a Hmmph, Sasha stuck out her tongue at Lureene, and idly found herself gazing at Lady Sindariel. "I bet he wouldn't have done that to her," she murmured to herself.


Noble Lady

"Captain Accordion? Ashemaru" Elendreth raised an eyebrow. "What rather odd names these sailors have..."


"To be fair," Gelik offered, "Ms. Nevah's recollection may be a bit hazy from the trauma of the experience. I believe the ghostly gentleman's name was Avret Kinkarian, captain of the 'Brine Demon'. His lady love's name was Aeshamara."

Twirling the end of his mustache and puffing out his chest a bit, the toga-clad gnome remarked, "I have made it something of a point to chronicle the adventures of the pulchritudinous playmates into whose care fate has delivered me. Our run-in with that ghost was among our tamer exploits, I assure you."


Baron: Whaling

"Hoo boy!" Following Alis' speech, Rindaldo patted his forehead with a handkerchief. "That young lady certainly knows how to read a man the riot act!"

"Now call me crazy, but the way I see it, you want to teach a boy to be a man," he thumped the heel of his fist on the table, "you've got to give him responsibilities! Just no sense in one man doing all the work and giving hand-outs to another able-bodied lad. Too much charity is just coddling, it robs a man of his dignity."


Baroness: Livestock

Theme: Indulgence

As the previous song died down and another began, Baroness Mondracus dolefully eyed the great boar that was being set on its feet above a silver platter the size of a rowboat. With a sullen look, she ran a finger around the edge of her wineglass. "Is mucking about in a beast's innards the sort of responsibility you have in mind, Rinaldo?"


Baron: Whaling

"Now, now," the whaling baron waved a finger, "hunting's a fine tradition and a way of life for some folks. Dressing a gazelle is one thing but a man has to be careful with a kill as big as a whale. That's a job for a whole team of men and they've all got a responsibility to one another, it's dangerous work, but work that's got to be done just the same!"


Baroness: Livestock

"So naturally because their ancestors have had to fend off dangerous jungle beasts, the Zucks should stick to what they know best, bloody butchery, is that what you're implying?"


Baron: Whaling

"Hmm," the husky gentleman ran two fingers back and forth along his jawline. "Not quite sure I'd put it like that, mind you. Don't think the Dafari were exactly what I'd call deep sea whalers you know."

Chuckling a bit, he winked at Angrem and continued, "My dear Carlina, a man passes on what he knows to his son so the boy can grow up to make a living for himself some day. Why I've gone on more than a few hunting and fishing trips in the back country to tell you that's as true among the tribes of the Zuktol as it is with stonemasons and shipwrights. Might not be as big a part of your business as mine, but even some of your livestock is raised for slaughter."


Baroness: Livestock

There was ice in the Baroness' voice as she responded, "Our economy has all the hunters, butchers, and unskilled laborers it can stand, Lord Dagonius. Many of those Zucks living outside the city walls no longer have the benefit of being able to learn relevant vocations from their fathers."


Guildmaster: Cartwright's

A long, slow sigh escaped Master Rochmir as the two barons argued back and forth. Looking to Amhranai he said, "Here we go again," before turning his attention to upcoming spectacle.

There, in the center of the great hall, the master chef had finished sharpening his knife and now and approached the boar, the orchestra building tension with every stroke of their strings, every swell of their horns.


Harbormaster

"Ah, haha!" Jaro had waved off wine in favor of a stout of which he had just taken a deep draught. "Look at the peacocks sweating their estates, Ize. Your kid sister just stirs up all the hornets' nests, doesn't she?"

When the music had changed and the serving staff paraded the giant boar thru the chamber, the harbormaster had grinned in anticipation. "Guess they don't grow boar underground," he had said, "but you're in for a treat, dwarf!"

Now, sitting a bit closer to Isaac so he could see, Jaro commented, "Your cousin's quite the firebrand herself, isn't she Darvesch? Old Governor Taurion would never have had a stuffed boar at one of her parties!"


With a nod of approval, the master chef handed his blade to a lithe dancing girl who Lureene might have recognized were she able to see past Lucio's bulk. Clad in gold and red silk, a belt of chiming coins girding her hips, the dusky-skinned woman lilted around the boar in time to the music, hips and breasts swaying to the beat of the drums. With each rising course of the instrumentation, she whipped her hair about, black curls cascading like surf upon the glistening curves of her arms and back.

Lord Gallo and Master Corvinus were not the only one enraptured by the dance of the sultry, green-eyed beauty. Melianna's grip upon her husband's sleeve grew tighter, and Sindariel nodded subtly in appreciation of the woman's skill. For his part, Arion's eyes never strayed from the flashing blade in Yvonne's hand.

As the song reached its crescendo, the gypsy princess whipped her hair back and forth, kneeling beside the great boar until finally, on the last strain of the horns, the blade slashed open the belly of the great boar. Like so many intestines, the sausages and fruit with which it had been stuffed spilled forth, covering the vast silver platter in its bounty!

Yet instead of becoming covered in the stewed 'gore', the dancer had lept clear with her follow-thru, and knelt, legs beneath her, in a reclined position, back arched parallel to the floor, breathing heavily.


Even as Lord Poe and Lady Elendreth turned a pale shade of green, Princess Alis' applause was swiftly and enthusiastically joined by the rest of the party, Lilyana and Naiobe every bit as appreciative of the Setenbori woman's choreographic skill.

"My thanks, Lady d'Calla, for a splendid performance! The Golden Drakes shall always be welcome at my court. Now all of you, feast and consider how we might enable all of Dafar's people to share in her bounty!"


Conversation drew to a close as the business of eating commenced around the table. Amhranai settled back in her chair, a steady stream of grapes, cheeses and meats disappearing from the table and, in between trips, the seemingly unmindful elf sucked the detritus from her ash grey fingers, eschewing the cloth laid out for the express purpose of cleaning one's hands. Alis' voice rang out as those fingers now carried a glass of water off the table, halting halfway to its destination.

Straight for the jugular then. Will these convictions hold in the face of adversity though? Amhranai peered over the lip of the glass, seeking out those faces she could see from her seat and gauging the reactions she found there. I wonder whose heart just skipped a few beats. Not as if any of those here have also not heard the same before. Who will be the first to test the new governor? And how direct will they be in that test? Water washed down her drying throat, which was grateful for the attention. More importantly, what will her response be? Doing away with some of this opulence might be a good start, Princess, if you wish to really catch the attention of the Zucks.

A sour grimace greeted the Baron's exclamation. Exchanging glances with Rochmir as the other two spoke, Amhranai's lips turned down further, exposing her teeth. The skin of a grape wrapped around one tooth, which she freed before speaking. "Hunting is a fine tradition, Baron, until it leads to extinction. You humans are young yet, but there are some creatures that no longer roam the earth thanks to the 'fine tradition of hunting'. Note that for a way of life, hunting is not a sport. While some of the needs your vocation meets will always be required, it should not become the sport it is to so many."


Dwarf Lightbringer
Jaro Corvinus wrote:
Now, sitting a bit closer to Isaac so he could see, Jaro commented, "Your cousin's quite the firebrand herself, isn't she Darvesch? Old Governor Taurion would never have had a stuffed boar at one of her parties!"

"Heh, you have no idea how much of a firebrand she really can be. You should see her in battle sometime." He heartily laughs. "Not everyone is as adventurous as Ali.. i mean, the Princess." Quickly he finds more food to occupy his mouth, an attempt to save more embarrassment.


Baron: Whaling

"Extinction?" Rinaldo's eyebrow popped so high that his monocle took a tumble, dangling from his pocket by its cord. "Can't say I know what to think about such a notion..."

"Hrm." The middle-aged gentleman propped his elbow on the table as he looked out at the steam rising up from the boar's false entrails, that fist supporting his chin, the other resting on his hip. In a low, thoughtful tone, he murmured, "Be a mighty sad fate to be a hunter with no game left to trail..."


Guildmaster: Cartwright's

Angrem nodded knowingly at Amhranai's wisdom, "Given time, even mountains decrease. Sorrow on the other hand..."


Baroness: Livestock

Speaking a bit more tenderly to Rindaldo than she was usually inclined to, the elves' morbid truths making her shiver, Carlina said, "That is exactly the situation many of the Zucks now find themselves in, Rinaldo. For those forced to abandon the jungle, they might as well be hunters without game. They have become strangers in their own land, and their old leaders can no longer lead them — at least not here."

Shoulders slumping with resignation, she looked to Amhranai and asked, "It is up to us to help lead them now, isn't it? That or let them fall prey to the greed of others like strangers in a foreign land..."


Harbormaster
Darvesch wrote:
"Heh, you have no idea how much of a firebrand she really can be. You should see her in battle sometime. ... Not everyone is as adventurous as Ali.. i mean, the Princess."

As Darvesch quickly helped himself to the piping hot sausages that were set before them, Jaro gave Isaac an incredulous look before leaning over to get a better look. "We're still talking about the little blonde elf girl, right? Hell, I'm twice her size and that's just my left arm!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jaro clapped Isaac on the shoulder and said, "Well, you might have blown it with the Princess, Ize, but I'll volunteer to take your place. So, Darvesch..."

Jaro regained his seat and nodded in appreciation to the serving girl that had just laid a side of pork at their table. Straightening the silk tie about his neck and smoothing his doublet, he asked, "What would it take to get a Princess to marry outside her station? Just need to solve this crisis she's on a rial about right? Just tell her I got this. The rest is details!"

With a good-natured laugh, he rapped his hands on the edge of the table and flipped a fork into his hand by striking the tines with the heel of his fist. "Ah, let's eat!"


Dwarf Lightbringer

"Heh, don't jump head first into the forge, friend. Trust me." He smiles before finishing the last off his plate, realizing he's getting full, and impatient for the end of this party. An afternoon/evening with Greasha awaits. Darvesch smiles at the thought.


Er... well this ended up in the wrong thread!


Harbormaster

The chuckle that escapes Jaro at Darvesch's warning soon turns into an incredulous gape. "Dwarf, they not feeding you up in the palace? This is just the start of the main course — you have to pace yourself!"


Gelik Aberwhinge wrote:
Twirling the end of his mustache and puffing out his chest a bit, the toga-clad gnome remarked, "I have made it something of a point to chronicle the adventures of the pulchritudinous playmates into whose care fate has delivered me. Our run-in with that ghost was among our tamer exploits, I assure you."

Lureene's mouth waters as the smells of the delicious feast waft to her nose. Before she starts digging into the food, she does spare Gelik a smoldering gaze. "You just stick close to me, Master Gel, and there will be many more exploits for you to...cover!"

That reminds me, I do need to have someone look over those ledgers we found there, and I do still have her locket...It will be interesting to see if I can track her down...


Gelik had just tipped his glass to Lureene with a wink when the royal guards crosses their halberds in the path of an exotic looking woman, strongly-built with light-brown skin and hazel eyes.

"Heads-up, Sash," the gnome murmured, brow furrowed as he watched the disguised assassin, Arion, approach the situation.

From where Lureene's company sat, it was easy enough to see that the woman was about the same height as Alis and Lily and garbed in the fashion of the city guard. Her particular uniform marked her as a battle priestess of some sort. At the scribe's approach, the guards momentarily withdrew their polearms, allowing Arion to pass so that the two might converse.


"Oh hey," Sasha said with some excitement, "she's got pointy ears just like Li...ily and the... Highness!"

Nearby Ieana stifled a snort of amusement at Sasha's last-second save. Old habits died hard.


Noble Lady

With a disinterested sniff, Elendreth remarked, "Yes, yes, no doubt a Dafari owing half her heritage to an elven father. If she intends any mischief then she shall find a sound thrashing awaits her here!"


"Aww... Well she's kind of cute and curvy, don't you think, Gel? I wonder what she wants..."


Recalling that the official report mentioned four half-elven, half-Zuck women were responsible for Governor Taurion's assassination, Gelik answered hesitantly, "So are you, my dear, but that doesn't make you any less dangerous now does it?"


"Daaaw..." Even as Sasha turned towards the gnome, blushing at what she perceived to be a grand compliment, Arion nodded to the newcomer and waved off the guards, quickly escorting the woman to Major Hlokenar's table.

"Oh, I guess she must be friends with Izey!"


Amoya walked up to major hlokenar table with purpose and her features stoic. She isn't mind the looks she was being given after being use to it for so long, though the fact that she was being escorted probably brought more attention to herself.

She placed a hand on Isaac's shoulder and leaned in to whisper, though all tht were at his table could hear her. "Sir, we have a situation that requires your attention." she said rather flatly, though Isaac seemed to know that tone by the uncomfortable look he got on his face.

She stood up straight after giving Isaac the information and gave the young Poe a look that wet straight through him, narrowing her eyes at him as if to say 'you best be behaving boy.' and headed out with the guards who escorted her in.


Harbormaster

Jaro cocked his head to the side, brown eyes appraising the sway of the young woman's hips as she departed. "So, why is it that when a guy parks his carriage illegally it's always some fat bastard who issues the citation instead of someone like that? Hell, if she wanted to frisk me..."

Suddenly realizing the fact that he'd just been talking to the dwarf about courting his cousin, the harbormaster feigned nervousness and said, "Oh damn, I'm going to find out if that dungeon beneath the palace is real now, aren't I?"


"Well that was fast!" Sasha protested as she watched Corporal Echorn make her way back out of the great hall. Beside Elendreth, the huntress was practically bouncing in her seat as she rapidly kicked her long legs back and forth beneath the table, chewing on the corner of her mouth in agitation. "I better go talk to Ize — official warrior stuff and all that. Just scream if you sprout any blades, ok? Bye-ee!"

And just like that, without waiting for Lureene to give her leave, Sasha was off like a distracted humming bird!


Guildmaster: Viamaré Concern

"Hunnh?" Lucio practically choked in surprise as the red head darted away, the large man having paid no heed to anything but gorging himself since the main course had been served.

Wiping the grease from his mouth with the side of his thumb, he looked at Lureene, eyes finding a good angle on her cleavage, and asked, "Heh heh, your guard woman, she has a lot of energy, doesn't she?"


"Indeed," Gelik remarked, leveling a steely gaze at the nobleman, "You should see her when she has a sharp blade in hand. Why on this one occasion not long ago, Sasha swam two miles thru shark-infested waters, climbed a cliff, and broke into a prison manned by giant cannibals just to save her friends. Why the gleam that dear girl had in her eyes as she eviscerated those over-grown man-eaters was positively frightening — you've never seen so much blood!"

"Oh and the screeaams," the short-statured storyteller shook his hands in the air for effect, "I had always imagined castration to be an uncomfortable experience at best, but then one would think a knife to be better-suited to the procedure than a cut and thrust sword. Daresay I'm rather glad she was on our side! Energetic girl... energetic girl..."

With a shudder and shrug, the gnome turned his attention back to the dinner spread and pointed, "Pardon, milord, but could you pass the sausage? Short-reach I'm afraid."

9,251 to 9,300 of 11,113 << first < prev | 181 | 182 | 183 | 184 | 185 | 186 | 187 | 188 | 189 | 190 | 191 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Online Campaigns / Play-by-Post / [PbP] Wardove's Rumble in the Jungle All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.