(SK) Gathering At Reverence

[Martha Villiers]

Martha had excluded Dr Brady from invitation. No longer feeling able to trust Erika, Martha had only called together a small team of people with she felt she could trust and weren't otherwise engaged on patrols or other work. Her polite text requesting the gathering at the Ember had gone out to @Daniella Sage Dr Swift Brother Raluca , the Heirophant @Chris Wooding and with @Dillon Connery helping provide security.

It had ran: "By invite, please can you attend a investigative and historical research seminar in the private function room at The R on 21 Jan '13? RSVP Kind regards, M"

While she waited Martha fussed over and dusted the closed funeral casket laid out in the middle of the room.

A coffin getting unloaded here, she felt, attracted less attention than the Avalon or Ember...and would be simply too gauche for the Duchess' tastes at the Ballo.

Made certain that the Flip-Chart had enough pens and paper ready for any brain-storming and checked again that all the previously assembled papers, scrolls, urns, books and artifacts where present, annotated and neatly labelled with small Post-It notes and ready for the team to consult.

Surely they would now get to the bottom of these crimes soon.

As she made her inspection, Martha checked that there were enough glass tumblers for the lemonade she had made and then began peering over the wire rims of her spectacles to examine the room and air around her...sweeping it carefully with her Powers of Aura Detection...lest anyone be lurking or eavesdropping in this realm or the adjacent Spirit Realm.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-01-21 08:04:16		Martha Villiers rolls 10 to possible Clash of Wills check (10 Again)		4, 5, 7, 1, 5, 6, 10, 8, 6, 10, 4, 8		4 successes

ooc:
@Swift @Beej @West <-- so you can see what everyone is up to

[West]

Martha detects nothing out of the ordinary...

[Chris Wooding]

As Chris was already aware of the meeting he had enough time to prepare, and he promised to come prepared. He had a quick bite on his way here, and he's carrying his full shoulder bag a.k.a. portable altar. His car is parked nearby in case they need his little friend to help somewhere. In case they go investigating somewhere outside the Reverence, the Hierophant is wearing his think leather jacket. As soon as he enters the Elysium he also takes his katana out of the plastic bag it was in. He wouldn't want anyone to think he's trying to conceal his weapons.

Now let's do this.

When he arrives at the private room he is surprised at first. A coffin? Oh this is far more exciting than he would have hoped or expected. So soon that is.

'Good evening, Herald Villiers.' Then Chris sees all the other stuff. 'I see there are indeed quite some things we "may need to review".' He says with a smile, referring to their earlier conversation.

   Feeding roll

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-01-21 09:56:22		Chris rolls 5 to Strength + Subterfuge for some extra feeding (10 Again)		5, 1, 6, 9, 2		1 success

[Daniella Sage]

Daniella arrives soon after Chris does, making her way through the club to the room mentioned in the text message. She wasn’t sure what to expect, only that it should involve some investigating and history, both quickened her steps as she enters the room. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the coffin that was in the center of the room, interesting, she thinks. Dressed in a dark grey long dress, she smiles to those she sees, “Herald Villiers, good evening.” She says with a bow as she closes the door, looking to Chris, “Good evening to you as well Priscus Wooding.” She bows to him as well. As she straightens, “I hope you are both well.”

[Swift]

Dr. Swift was not one to pass up an opportunity for historical research or investigation. As such, after a quick bite to top off the tank a bit he makes his way over to the Reverence. He checks his cane at the door with his coat and brings his satchel with him to the gathering space. Given the nature of the last time he had met with the Herald, he had also brought the journal with him tonight.

As he enters the room with the other Kindred he braced himself against the surge of the beast within. A moment only and he smiles in greeting. He had spoken with everyone present before, which made it easier. "Good evening, Herald Villiers, Hierophant Wooding, Lady Au Pair Sage. I hope it finds you well."

The doctors gaze catches and lingers on the coffin for a moment. Interesting. I'm going to assume that isn't just some dramatic conceit.

[Martha Villiers]

Martha had just finished ensuring her invitational text had gone to Aileen McFarlane and Deputy McCann too and looked up to smile at Dr Swift, Daniella and Chris. [ @Bigpaw ]

"Good evening, good evening one and all! A delight to see you all!" she chirped merrily to each as they arrived. "I am very well, thank you and hope you are all well also!" a happy and sincere smile to each.

Seeing the coffin is becoming a centre of attention and not merely a physical obstacle, she nods to it and responds to Chris' words; "Yes...yes indeed. The coffin...well...there is more to see...As you shall be made clear...one aspect of which is this..." she makes a wave of her cane towards a long side table near the lemonade and a small solid shape resting under a red velvet covering.

Limping over to it and...Martha actually has to physically pause to resist the temptation to reveal a small metal box with any dramatic flourish...she carefully removes the red velvet covering which had shielded the box.

This box is roughly the same dimensions as a stack of four or five standard Blu-Ray or DVD boxes and appears to made of a black metal and have some distress of age upon it. The upper most face of the box shows a heraldic device embossed on the metal which, in area, occupies most of the centre of the upper face.

Martha shyly smiles to the Heirophant, Dr Swift and Daniella. "As you see...it carries the embossed heraldic symbol of the arms of the Spanish region of Castile and bears the motto: 'plus ultra'. Well, I should urge some patience on our part and wait for Miss McFarlane and Deputy Reeve McCallum to arrive...they have quite a story to tell about obtaining the coffin, the contents and this box and I should so hate to reveal it and steal their thunder!" she neatly folds the velvet cloth and rests it next to the box on the side table and turns to look to those gathered.


[ @Callum McCann ]

[Chris Wooding]

Since he had no idea who would be coming, Chris is happily surprised to see the wonderful presence of Daniella Sage, and then his fellow Acolyte.

'Good evening Lady Au Pair Sage, Dr Swift. Yes, thank you. I hope you are both fine as well.' He nods to them both to greet them.

When Martha starts giving away the first pieces of this big mystery a smile appears on the Hierophant's face. 'We just arrived, waiting another minute couldn't hurt.' Especially since the two seem to play a big part in this play.

[Aileen McFarlane]

Even though she had been glad to get rid of the coffin she and Callum had "acquired", Aοleen had never managed to really cease thinking about it. The beautiful woman was very much puzzling, and the Shadow was torn between avoiding the matter altogether, or trying to follow through, and see if it was linked to her... situation. In the end, she opted for the latter, for she had come to Sacramento precisely for that reason.

Walking in the Reverence, she hoped she wasn't underdressed in jean denim and a casual top, but it didn't seem so. The other Kindred gathered were mostly familiar to her, so their Beasts weren't much of an issue, but for a dark-hair man that she needed to get used to before joining the crowd. She used that time to took stock of the various items on display too, and wondered what to make of it.

"Good evening... Herald Villiers" out of the Ordo, she had to use the Doman Title of the woman "Hierophant Wooding, Lady Sage, Brother Raluca..." The young Shadow then stopped short in front of the other man, and extended her hand I'm Aοleen McFarlane, how do you do ?. She had barely stopped before saluting him, and those who had adviced her to be more confident would have been proud.