Sonira waits for Medifir to make his first bet:"If you want to wait for the other tables to finish so we get an audience, do tell so. Otherwise please place a bet so I can raise the stakes."
Medifir scowls at Sonira and wordlessly tosses in four chips before settling back into his seat.
Jorgas grunts at Sorina's jock, but seems focused as he takes his cards.
After looking at his cards the tosses in twelve chips.
Llewellyn for his part continues talking using Sorina's comment as a springboard. "Proper? We I don't know if your a proper lady or not, but this one time I courted a true nobel Lady. She was beautiful, and rich too. Anyways she was smitten with me on account of my dashing good looks and immeasurable talent...
The ramblings continue as he takes his cards without pause.
He tosses in twelve chips as well just as he says, "and then she said she'd run away with me no matter what her father said. But I..."
Sir Bredwir takes his cards.
"I'm sure she did. But I think this game could use a bit of excitement. He then grabs a stack up chips to add to the pot. "Twenty. Now my lady, are you here to play? No need to worry about being proper anymore. The game's in full swing now."
With that it's Sornira's turn with the pot at 76 and the wager at 20.
[ooc]Becomes a 23[/dice]
Kasit wasn’t an especially good gambler. He knew how to play, but that was about it. And he wasn’t good at reading people either. Well, no more than the average man. He was a burglar. But that did mean he had one advantage...he was more than willing to cheat. And because of his telekinesis, he could keep his hands in plain sight.
”Bold? No, just foolish. Let’s see...” He counted the chips. ”Let’s do it! Nobody ever got old by having fun, and what’s worse than being old?”
"Oh I can think of several things worse than growing old." Ionacu says cooly. "Dying for starters."
Well, we do have quite a game going don't we. Hmmm, I'll raise the bet to fourty five." Bridget says in an innocent voice, but it's pretty obvious she counted Lord Mevinter's remaining chips.
Ionacu takes his cards quietly and with a look of deep concentration.
He then matches Bridget's bet.
Lord Mevinter scowls a bit when Bridget raises the bet, but seems to not be too concerned.
He pushes his remaining chips into the pot. "I am all in."
Kara who has been making her rounds swings by once again.
”All in!” Kasit said with a grin. He knew that he wasn’t the most skilled man here. Hell, he barely knew the rules. The only way he’d win would be through sheer good luck, and cheating. But whatever the case, he had grown up poor and as an adult had lived as a poor wanderer. In other words, he had always been poor. So losing here wouldn’t change anything. So why not go for broke?
The scores are tallied and the winnings devided.
Scores:
Bridget: 178
Ionacu: 146
Lord Mevinter: 143
Kasit: 159
Kasit was able to cheat throughout the game without being noticed, and he never noticed his opponents cheating either. Bridget seems pleased with herself having played the young Lord into a corner and forcing him out. Lord Mevinter for his part curses and swears, pounding his fist on the table. He stands quickly and leaves glaring at Ionacu and Bridget. Ionacu takes his winning with a sigh of relief. He then puts them into his belt pouch and after grabbing a haunch of venison leaves. Bridget lingers watching as the other sessions wrap up.
Winnings:
Bridget 138
Ionacu 113
Kasit 123
Chip totals:
Bridget 151
Ionacu 126
Kasit 123
Medifir scowls at Sonira and wordlessly tosses in four chips before settling back into his seat.
Sonira moves the 4 chips forward with one hand, then another 4 with her other:"See, that wasn't so hard was it?"
"20 now, is it?", Sorina ponders the chips in the pot for a moment, then moves in some more:"Then lets make it 25. Four people at the table, a fourth of our chips in the pot, that lines up nicely."
At Sonira's table:
Next to play is the young halfling Sariah.
With a smile that causes her plump cheeks to dimple Sariah asks, "So where are you from Sonira?" as she tosses in ten chips.
Lord Kent listens closely as the raven on his shoulder Bob's up and down.
Play then returns to Medifir who bears a constant scowl.
He tosses in ten ships as well, chosing not to raise the bet further.
Jorgas smiles after drawing his cards. "Twenty five huh? I'll go for that." He matches the bet.
"Well now like I was saying..." Llewellyn keeps his stories coming and tosses in twenty five.
Sir Bredwir matches the bet, and then adds a single chip. "Twenty six, m'lady"
"26, is it?", Sorina re-checks her cards:"That is not a very nice round number. I do not find this agreeable. Let us raise it to 30, then."
"Me? Ah, we are just wanderers on the road. Not really any one place to call home.", Sonira answers the Halfling, then asks: "Now, a slot start is all fine, but considering the other tables, it seems we are playing very conservative. We are here to gamble, we should not be so mechanical about it."
She adds the 2 she lacks from her bet, then adds 10 more, doubling the Bet to 20:"There, that'll not be bothersome for anybody but still be worth playing for"
Sariah matches Sonira's bet and tries to keep the conversation going, "So if you've wandered a lot I bet you've seen a lot of stuff right? What is the most amazing thing you've seen?"
As she finishes Lord Kent cooly reaches over and pulls a card from Sariah's sleeve. "Clever, but not clever enough. I'm afraid you're out of this round Sariah. Kind of you to leave us with so many of your chips though..."
Sariah coolers a bit but seems unabashed. "Should have known you'd have a keen eye m'Lord. I guess I'll get some food now."
Taking his own cards Lord Kent says, "Well now, since it's just the three of us there's more to split. I think twenty five sounds good, wouldn't you say?"
Medifir has a nasty grin on his face, glad to see Sariah caught. But his grin fades as he sees his cards. Still he matches the bet.
As the players lay down there cards the scores get tallied.
Jorgas 159
Llewellyn 134
Sir Bredwir 170
Sorina 104
As Llewellyn realizes he's the lowest he curses, "Bethmar's t!*$! How?! But I... Damn it all."
Sir Bredwir wears a wide grin. "I'm sorry little friend, maybe you should focus on the cards more and your stories less."
Jorgas for his part wears a contented smile.
Then the winnings as split and the chips counted.
Jorgas: 125 chips
Llewellyn: 56 chips
Sir Bredwir: 115 chips
Sorina: 104 chips
As the piles a split Sir Bredwir frown when he realizes Jorgas's pile exceeds his own. "But I beat you didn't I?" he comments.
"Aye, well yes and no. There's more to the game than just playing yer cards lad." Jorgas replies.
"I'll take a moment to think on your question, then", Sonira responds to the Halfling taking her leave, then turns her attention to the Lord: "By all means that sounds good. Unlike whatever sickly thing stinks and growls beyond that door at the corridor intersection."
It was a gamble. Kara herself had suggested to bring it to the Lords attention, but certainly she had not meant in such an open manner. But all the same, it could serve to throw his game off-balance...or test his pokerface...
Lord Kent stares at Sonira for a moment appraisingly, "I can't say I'm sure what you are speaking of. But perhaps we can speak after the game and you can show me what you are worried about."
Lord Kent seems to be lying, his jaw is tight and his eyes averted
"We would certainly welcome a chance to speak with our host - but don't tense up like that, there's no reason to.", she offers a friendly smile to the noble.
Lord Kent smiles as he draws his final hand. He tosses is a match to Onira's bet, "Well, let's see the scores."
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At Sonira's table the acrores of the three remaining players are tallied.
Medifir - 129 pts
Sonira - 153 pts
Lord Kent - 147 pts
Medifir - 61 chips
Sariah - 70 chips
Sonira - 140 chips
Lord Kent - 129 chips
Medifir's scowl deepens as he realizes his loss. Especially as he realizes Sariah has more chips than him dispute having been caught cheating. "You cheated too didn't you!" He moves to threaten Sonira, but Lord Kent quickly bares steel halfway drawing a very fine rapier. "Now Master Medifir, poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated. Calm yourself or you can leave." Scowling his settles back into his seat muttering to himself.
As the final table finishes it's play Kara calls for quiet. "I hope you all enjoyed your first session. I also hope you have seen how cheating does not mean you will prosper. Please enjoy the food, chat amongst yourselves. We will have our next session at the eighth hour tonight. We'll determine tables at the beginning of the session. Thank you." Kara then moves to leave.
Bridget moves to speak with Kasit "So my bold friend, where did you come from, how'd you end up here?"
Lord Kent makes small talk with a few people but fairly quickly pulls Sonira aside. "You seem quite... curious. How did you hear of my competition?"
Kasit turned to see Bridget and smiled. ”Me? Oh, my story is nothing special. Just a poor boy from a poor home who didn’t feel like working his fingers to the bone for a paupers grave. Not when the world is so much more exciting. So I left, and have wandered since. I don’t know what I am looking for, but I’m enjoying the journey. But that story is boring, and that isn’t why any of us are here. How about yourself? I’m sure that there is something there for the bards for sing about.”
As the tables finish play, Sorina rejoins Sonira.
Of course, the two KNEW how they performed, but they still gave each other a thumbs-up, showing the pouch of chips having grown heavier, when Lord Kent pulls aside Sonira.
Sorina watches quizzical, then opts to join, as Sonira responds: "We are curious...and attentive."
Sorina speaks up:"We were guests at Lord Mevinters place, a while ago. I suppose the information about the competition made it's way to us from there. At that time, we had no plans to join, thinking it was only for high-borns. But shortly after, we heared about it again, on the road. We talked things over and figured we had a fair chance - our clothing may give it away, but we are travelling folk...we sold our wagon and our horse so that we were both able to pay the entrance fee. Your competition is also...curious. There's 12 players, including you. That means the collective buy-in is only about half of the grand prize. If your interest is purely in gambling, I would have expected you to be around for a few friendly games in this wing of the castle, or watch others play to gauge the competition and get the most for your money - yet you seem occupied with other matters. Something came up requiring your attention?"
"Now, sister, don't be so forward.", Sonira chastises her, before turning to Lord Kent with a smile:"I told you we are indeed curious."
"I'm from down south, Lion's Bay mostly, but I've been on the road a while. Part of my homage, gotta to some exploring." Bridget replies to Kasit. She holds up her starknife pendent as if that explains it.
---
"I'm a busy man. I have a lot on my mind." Lord Kent says, his eyes lingering for a moment on the girls. Then the raven perched on his shoulder pecks at his ear drawing blood. He winces as he raises a handkerchief to staunch the small trickle of blood. "I'm sorry, Fiona is reminding me that I promised to let her out for a a while following the game. Perhaps we can speak again?"
Knowledge Planes or Arcana 14:
"Oh, if you promised, you certainly should not keep her waiting. Apologies for keeping your master, Miss Fiona.", Sorina shifts her attention from Lord Kent directly to the Raven.
Then she curtsies towards the noble:"Lord Kent, we'd look forward to speaking with you again if you are so inclined." with Sonira joining almost without delay.
As Sonria rises from her curtsy she notices the raven's turned it's head and fixed a red eye on her staring intently as Lord Kent nods. "Perhaps after this evening session." He then turns and steps into the courtyard.
Bridget leans in close to Kasit and says conspiratorially, "I'm also supposed to try talking less, you know contemplate in silence and all that, but I'm not very good at that part of it all."
Sir Bredwir steps up to the twins holding a large mug of ale and wearing a smile. He dips his head politely as he tries to engage them I'm conversation. "So Ladies, did you enjoy the session? I enjoyed playing with Lady Sorina, uh whichever of you that is. I post track and I'm afraid I can't yet tell you apart."
Bridget leans in close to Kasit and says conspiratorially, "I'm also supposed to try talking less, you know contemplate in silence and all that, but I'm not very good at that part of it all."
”And who would give you such horrible advice? I take it as a personal attack against me to me of hearing your voice.” Kasit replied, having completely forgotten about anything else but the woman before him. He was, it seemed, not a very good spy.
"Well, I'm a servant of the Black Butterfly, Desna's Shadow she's called sometimes. Anyways, one of her tenents is silent contemplation, which has it's place. I like the exploring part more though," Bridget says.
The sister the raven stared at stares back at the bird, winking at it once Lord Kent turned.
When Sir Bredwir approaches them, both sisters turn to him, implying a slight curtsy.
Sorina speaks up after he does, with a laughing smile:"It would be worrysome if you could tell us apart so easily. We do dress up the same because it is a joy to get mixed up, to confuse people - most people figure out we're identical twins without the get-up."
They both take a moment to pose showing their clothing is identical to the last detail: "The sessions were quite enjoyable for both of us. But then, so far we all came out on top. And I think I learned quite a bit today - I enjoy the challenge. And the wildly varying nature of the competitors...what brings you here? Love of the game? Hope for richness? The pretty company?"
"Ah well, I suppose that must be fun. I enjoy trying my luck, the 'love of the game' as you say." Sir Bredwir says. "The company is a nice surprise. Usually I must submit my self to coarser company to find a decent game."
”I have to admit, I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve never heard of a black butterfly before either. What kind of organization is it that you are in?”
"True that - as mixed folk as the contenders are, the entrance fee seems to have kept out that coarser company. One time, a man accused us of cheating - he figured he knew because HE was cheating and the outcome was unfavorable - but he was simply not very good at counting and it was his fault all along. It's kind of relaxing to play and feel somewhat safe doing so. So where do you hail from?", Sorina keeps the conversation moving.
Bridget moves to speak with Kasit "So my bold friend, where did you come from, how'd you end up here?"
Kasit turned to see Bridget and smiled. ”Me? Oh, my story is nothing special. Just a poor boy from a poor home who didn’t feel like working his fingers to the bone for a paupers grave. Not when the world is so much more exciting. So I left, and have wandered since. I don’t know what I am looking for, but I’m enjoying the journey. But that story is boring, and that isn’t why any of us are here. How about yourself? I’m sure that there is something there for the bards for sing about.”
"I'm from down south, Lion's Bay mostly, but I've been on the road a while. Part of my homage, gotta to some exploring." Bridget replies to Kasit. She holds up her starknife pendent as if that explains it.
Bridget leans in close to Kasit and says conspiratorially, "I'm also supposed to try talking less, you know contemplate in silence and all that, but I'm not very good at that part of it all."
”And who would give you such horrible advice? I take it as a personal attack against me to me of hearing your voice.” Kasit replied, having completely forgotten about anything else but the woman before him. He was, it seemed, not a very good spy.
"Well, I'm a servant of the Black Butterfly, Desna's Shadow she's called sometimes. Anyways, one of her tenents is silent contemplation, which has it's place. I like the exploring part more though," Bridget says.
”I have to admit, I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve never heard of a black butterfly before either. What kind of organization is it that you are in?”
Bridget chuckles, "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't assume people have heard of the Black Butterfly." Bridget pauses then begins a short explanation that sounds memorized. "So, the Black Butterfly is a goddess, well she's technically not a goddess, technically she's an empyreal lord, but nevermind that. According to legend, the Black Butterfly was conjured by Desna accidentally, as Desna placed the stars in the sky she made a pattern that, upon completion, manifested itself as the Black Butterfly. She teaches that in the silence between breaths and thoughts, one's true nature can be seen. She watches over explorers, the deaf and mute, and... parted lovers. Anyways, I am a cleric of the Black Butterfly, though I am just at the beginning of my service." Bridget hesitates pretty obviously before mentioning "parted lovers".
”Oh...that’s rough. I find that the quiet thoughts are always the ones that make you feel bad. So I suppose that I see the truth, but it sounds like a hard road to walk.” He replied. ”What made you decide on that path? And are there others of your faith here as well?”
Bridget smiles wistfully, "well, I met a sailor, Hameth. Strong quiet type, but he loved to explore, wanted to see things no man ever had. Anyways, he won my heart with his stories of the things he'd seen and the joy of real exploring. His eyes would light up when to was telling this stories and I felt like I was there.
We were going to get married, but he wanted to have a proper dowery. I told him it was stupid but he wouldn't listen. He took a job on a ship headed north along the West side of the island, beyond the Spine. His ship never returned. That was five years back.
When things were hard I sought out a cleric of the Black Butterfly, which isn't easy, there aren't many of us. He taught me what he could. Mostly he taught me I needed to find my own answers. I spent a lot of time praying and pining. In time I came to accept that Hameth is gone, but maybe I'll see him in the next life. Peace came through my faith, so I continue to serve her.
Sometimes when I sit and stare up at the stars at night I can feel Her up there watching, guiding me. That's part of why I'm here actually. I don't know why but I felt like I should head this direction. Wen I heard about the contest, I don't know, something just felt right. So I coughed up the cash and paid my way in. Maybe I'm here to win the pot. Then maybe I'll have enough to travel somewhere truly special.
So I guess you're right, it is a hard path sometimes. But I feel like it's worth it. Life is always hard. I can push through i because I feel like what I'm doing is right. Sorry, that's probably more than you wanted to know. But well I have to share what I've learned if I want to do right by my goddess don't I?"
Sir Bredwir nods, "Yes, the entry fee was quite high. More than most folk could probably muster. I was quite surprised when the halfling lass was caught cheating. I hope she learned her lesson. Lord Kent is being quite forgiving allowing cheaters to remain in the competition.
I hail from New Valan. My great grandfather was one of the founders actually. I was visiting Durauch when I heard of the competition and I decided I would come try my luck"
"I suppose cheating at games of luck is a skill in itself. I suppose finding the best player must account for that, as well.", Sorina answers, thoughtfully, "In a way, we all lie when playing, by hiding our emotions, bluffing and trying to read each others bluff. Physical cheating is probably just an extension of that mind game, for some.", she shrugs.
When he describes how he came to take part in the competition, Sonira smiles and takes over the conversation:"So we are more alike than I guessed. You also travel freely, when you were visiting one place and could decide to come here for the tournament, with no obligations binding you otherwise. The freedom of the road is wonderful, to go where you please. It's one of the reasons we hope to win big. Living without a worry, free as birds."
Sorina nods, then adds:"What would you do if you win?"
Here Sir Bredwir hesitates, "well I... Well, I plan to pay off some debts. After that I'm not sure."
Bridget smiles winningly as she finishes telling her story. "So, do you have anyone special in your life?"
"Though I have to win for it to matter, the competition looks to be tough, so what I want to do may not matter. I man can hope though." Sir Bredwir says.
”Well, I must say. I like you. Which I can’t say for many people here. If it isn’t me, I hope you win here today. And that you find what you are looking for. And who knows? Maybe we can talk again later. Perhaps your insight into the butterfly might help me see my own path clearer as well.”
Bridget smiles, "Thank you. I hope you do well too. If you find time I'm happy to chat." She then turns and leaves.
As Bridget leaves Ionacu steps up to Kasit. "Kasit, long time no see. Why don't we take a stroll..." He then cracks his knuckles before moving to put a hand on Kasit's shoulder and steer him towards the courtyard. "We have things to... discuss..."
Almost frozen, Kasit turned.
”Oh! Oh. Oh...uhm...it’s good to see you. Now, I’d love to but you see I’m quite busy andIhavetobegoingnow...” He said as he began to inch away.
"Na uh, as I said we have things to discuss, important business..." Ionacu squeezes Kasit's shoulder as he speaks, his words and stare ominous.
Kasit begins moving towards the door, obviously distressed when Jorgas seeing the situation breaks off his conversation with Llewellyn and Sariah and steps up.
"Kasit, I've been meaning to speak with you lad. How did Lady Luck favor you today?" Jorgas loos uncomfortable, but rests his hand on the haft of his mace. The then speaks a bit in Dwarven.