Ack: Richie

[Martha Villiers]

One of the more useful Elysian staff helps new arrivals and discreetly directs any Kindred towards The Stairs.

The Stairs lead away from the mortal nightclub to a subterranean area set aside for Kindred use...

Anyone descending The Stairs will detect the tangy aroma of freshly squeezed lemons which wafts up from the sub-space.

Once at the foot of The Stairs a new arrival can see the layout more properly.

http://nwod.org/wiki/index.php/Avalon_Underground

In the cellar vault beneath the nightclub the lights are low. The silence is almost tangible.

A calm atmosphere prevails.

Recessed lamps cast a soft glow and the bright and rich scent of freshly made lemonade and squeezed lemons fills the air.

A Latin motto is inscribed over the doorway as one descends The Stairs. It reads in delicate silver lettering: "Per Ardua Ad Astra" ~ through struggle to the Stars.






The Court area is decorated with long black and purple silken drapes cascading from floor to ceiling. Draped in elegant bunches and gathered into valances across door frames and between supporting pillars.

There's a rich and lingering scent of exotic rose incense; the lighting is intentionally low.

A delicately painted pattern and illustrations of ancient and mysterious Zodiacs adorn the ceiling.

Adorning the walls and carefully lit are truly large digital prints of NASA's renderings of the largest galactic entities and the very farthest reaches of Deep Space.







To any casual observer and Kindred who haven't met her before, Martha appears quite Mortal... if a little pale and petite.

Martha's attire for the evening seems to be that of an Edwardian English schoolgirl. Dainty. Demur. Neat and tidy. Her hair is tied into two long twin tails, bound by red ribbon bows. She's added a small dab of matching red lipstick.

For the moment, she's shunned her Blush of Life but she emits no Beast and may well, for those who don't know her, appear Mortal.

It's obvious that she's wearing hipster style spectacles, a straw boater hat, a blazer with some heraldic device on her breast pocket; highly polished Oxford style shoes and white knee socks. The knee sock on her false leg has slipped down to her metal ankle. Martha doesn't seem aware of this yet.





She's stood happily at the bottom of The Stairs.

Leaning on her cane and quietly waiting for Colonel Fury.


SoraLow

[SoraLow]

Richard walked cautiously through the Avalon club trying his best not to bring unneeded attention to himself. He wore a tailored white collared shirt under a dark grey form fitted vest that butted just below his pectorals. His jeans were rather baggy unlike his upper attire. On his feet were a pair of olive Timberland boots. Though in the surface this place appeared to be nothing more than a night club, he knew that in truth, this place was essentially city hall. Shortly after entering he had been instructed towards a set of stairs that descended into an underground area of the club, apparently this is were Martha should be waiting for him for their meeting. Once reaching the bottom of the stair case Richard was met with the familiar aroma of freshly squeezed lemonade. All around him he saw astral depictions and other deep space related imagery. "I'm definitely in the right place" he said aloud to himself. Richard continued to glance around observing the scenery and the atmosphere, in fact he was so enthralled that he hadn't even noticed Martha standing there at first. As his curiocity faded and his attention returned to him he finally locked eyes on her and was almost taken by surprise. She had been standing so close and yet he hadn't sensed her presence in the slightest. That was a bit unsettling. "Ahh, Madam Senschal, thank you for having me. I take it you had a hand in decotating this place yes?"

[Martha Villiers]

"Good evening, Richard!" she chirped and smiled sweetly. Limping close to offer her hand in greeting and to guide him a little further away from The Stairs.

"I did indeed, sir!" a happy giggle.

"It is good to see you! May I say, your guise as Colonel Fury was so becoming and suitable, I feel a little disorientated to see you in mufti!" she adds with a shy smile and clearly working under some sense of admiration for the power he had exuded as Director of Shield.

"Please, sir, do enter this Elysian Field! I have the honor to serve this Domain and His Grace the Alder Asa Clarke as his Mistress Keeper of this Elysian Field and you are welcome! Please, feel free to look around and inspect the images!" tiny Martha, dwarfed by the impressive Richie, looked to him with wide blue eyes and nodded in overall... well, was it, perhaps, an excitement of sharing?

[SoraLow]

Richards face stiffened as he fought to suppress a grin when she offers her hand to him. He stood much taller than her and so naturally the angel at which she had to hold her arm was amusing. Reaching down Richard met her hand with his own, completely encapsulating it within his grip. He made an effort to not squeeze too tight before gently releasing.

"Yes, my Colonel Fury disguise doesn't fit much to my typical fashion sense. Though I suppose the costumed theme does help to break the ice." Richard took a step to the side and returned one last time to admiring the images that lined the walls. Since entering this Domain Richard was beginning to discover just how simple he was as a kindred. Like many of the things that he had discussed that night at Court he thought little about space exploration or anything that existed beyond their on skies. It made him wonder if was falling behind in the times, or if Martha herself was simple ahead of the curve.

"I thank you for the invitation. Things have been going rather smoothly for me since coming to the city. I haven't quite established a permanent haven yet, but I have had met a few kindred whom I seem to be getting along with pretty well." In fact he counted Madam Senseschal among them. Along with her was Konrad, the gentlemen she had introduced him to, Velma, and of course Emma. Just thinking of her caused pulsating waves of positive vibes to emit from him. There was so much that he needed to do to adjust to living in the city, being here right now was very high on the list. His body was present but his mind faded in and out to images of her smiling at him in response to what ever cheese he was dishing out at the time.

Richard blinked a few times as if attempting to cut loose from the tether that bound his mind and imagination so that he could focus more on the task at hand and also to not disrespect Martha. Sure she was a means to an end, he needed to be acknowledged, she could acknowledge him. He needed information about the city, she provided said information. Even though those things were true and they did play the leading factor in why he would need to remain on good terms with her Richard did find himself happy to see her as well. He didn't bother to ponder much about why that was because he already knew the answer. She represented a source of knowledge to a man who had just recently discovered just how little he actually new about a world that he had existed in for over a century.

[Martha Villiers]

"How excellent! Excellent! I am pleased to hear it! I shall help all I can. I will supply you with the details of a very affordable and pleasant set of apartments, if that would be useful to you! I found such places useful when I first moved here! Ah, and the apartments in question have a most charming communal swimming pool too!" Martha clapped her hands in a playful, yet sincere, gesture of delight. Hooking her cane over one arm, she limped and skipped along towards the sofa and chairs in a communal part of the Court where her coffee table was buried under a pile of neatly handwritten notes, newspapers, printouts of journals and spreadsheets and official looking maps.

There were several glass tumblers and a carafe of freshly made lemonade too.

"I am here to help!" she chirped merrily. Her false leg dragging heavily as she coaxed Richie towards the seating with a gesture. "Please, sir, at your leisure, take a seat! Though I am only too happy to wander the Court and speak too! The choice is yours, sir!" she smiled and seem attentive to Richies requirements. Watching him with wide eyes, she waited to see if he sat or cared to wander about a little longer.

[SoraLow]

"That sounds nice actually. I was thinking about procuring some sort of work space for me to continue making my sculptures but I can't even think about such things until I have a light tight place to sleep during the day. The cardboard over the window trick isn't gonna cut it for much longer" he said making amusement out of his poor living conditions. Richard decided to take a seat rather than drag her along with him all over the place. She obviously overcome her handicap but that didn't mean Richard felt comfortable tip toeing around trying to avoid forcing her to strain herself to keep up with his pace and besides, there was always time for sight seeing later. For now, he wanted to get down to business so that he could spend more of his attention on pleasures. "I am happy to sit. By the way is there some sort of list of folks names and titles? Twice at Court I was reminded to be mindful of addressing others properly. That's something that is gonna take some getting used to for me." Richard leaned back in his seat to get more comfortable, he already knew that he was about to be in for a butt load of information but it was necessary that he learned this stuff if he was going to have any hope of thriving in this city yet still even now all he could think of where those shimmering green eyes.

[Martha Villiers]

Nodding, tiny Martha sat neatly. Taking care to cross her flesh leg over her C-Leg. Brushing her gymslip to neaten it, she listened and smiled.

She is clearly glad to be seated.

Taking a ballpoint pen and some spare paper she wrote out some information on a recommended set of apartments and gently handed it to Ritchie:

http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartm...a-Place/84591/

"There you go, sir! I hope you find these helpful!" she smiled sweetly.

"If you wish, I can help by supplying, as a loan, a cash amount to help meet the deposit for you." she offered happily and carefully rested her hands in her lap.

As Ritchie asks his extra questions, she nods and gestures with her ballpoint pen towards the closed door of the nearby Meeting Chamber.

"Oh, yes! I understand! Well, I have maps and charts to help with those questions in the Meeting Chamber! Shall we head that way now, sir?" she asks sweetly. Already she's reaching for her cane and tucking her pen into the inside pocket of her black blazer. Smiling and eager.

[SoraLow]

Richard accepted the handwritten information about the apartments. An apartment wasn't much but it was exponentially better than his current living circumstances. "Now I wonder how accommodating they will be with allowing me to schedule a night time move in." Typically when renting out an apartment one needed to be interviewed by the property manger, hopefully he would be able to setup some time around six or seven when the sun had gone down and it was safe to remove the cardboard. "Erm..I appreciate the offer but I would rather not." he answered shortly to the loan offer. Richard has spent a little over a century in service of another. As far as he was concerned to owe someone money was just another way to sacrifice ones freedom. He didn't want to owe anyone a damn thing beyond kind favor and he was especially opposed to be financial indebted to someone he had just met. Richard placed both hands upon his knees and gripped them tightly to try and release some of the tension that he felt from the offer. He was sure that she didn't mean any offense and as such he made up his mind to not hold it against her. Still though the idea alone brought a few defensive walls up in his mind. "Yeah..let's do that" he said, eager to get on his feet and on his way to the next subject, as to leave this unpleasant one where it belonged, in the past. He waited patiently for her to lead the way, he preferred to let her set the pacing so that he didn't have to worry about his own stride. As they walked together he would ask her one additional question now that he had eased himself. "Is there any work that needs to be done within the domain of which I could be of service? I don't like to be in peoples debt, I would rather pay my own way so to speak"

[Martha Villiers]

As Ritchie outlines his rejection of her offer her face falls and Martha appears upset.

She remains a little miserable until he mentions a fierce independent streak and she brightens up with understanding.

"Ah, I see! Well," nodding, Martha smiles. "Splendid!" she chirps.

She grips at her cane and struggles to her foot. Leaning hard on her cane she giggles and makes a small hand gesture as if inviting Ritchie to follow her towards the Meeting Chamber.

Once Martha has led the way to the Meeting Chamber, her C-Leg more dragging than limping, she playfully takes off her straw boater hat and cheerily makes a show of theatrically waving a hand over her hat in gestures suggesting that of a stage magician.

With a playful giggle, she finds a key from somewhere within!

Happily using this key to open the door, she then courteously invites Ritchie inside with a gentle gesture.

This room also has a bright scent of lemons about it.

The source of it is a carafe of freshly made natural lemonade on the polished meeting table. There are yellow legal pads and pens to each seating place.

Once inside and smiling cheerily tiny Martha makes her limping...her C-Leg still more scraping than walking along the floor...way to the Flip-Chart she smiles sweetly to Konrad.

"Please, sir, do be seated!"

She enthused and smiled.

Martha, never tiring of supplying the Acknowledgement Presentation, blinks bashfully and meekly and daintily brushes nervously at her crippled hip and thigh before speaking in a gentle way;

"Well, this Domain, is like all others and therefore has a set of codes and protocols to permit for smoothly operating society. I shall now go over the elements of the Mortal City and the Laws of the Domain and once we have finished and discussed any questions I can offer the Oath of Fealty. I shan't read the Charts out to you...how simply silly and redundant that would be!"

"I have collected the charts into two sets...one covering more mundane information to help settle you in; the other focuses upon matters relating to fellow Kindred."

"So, sir, we shall begin...!” and with that chirpy commentary Martha happily turns to the chart and flips over the top page.

Martha allowed enough time for Richard to read each one before turning to the next sheet.

The Charts begin...

Welcome to the City of Sacramento!

LOCAL FACTS and DEMOGRAPHICS

1. Sacramento, since 1854, has been the capital of the State of California.

2. Sacramento is where the Sacramento River and the American River converge. The convergence is at Discovery Park. The Sacramento River is the longest river within California, flowing south for 447 miles. Close to the American River is where, in 1848, gold was found and led to the Gold Rush.

3. Sacramento is home to six sports franchises:

* The Sacramento Kings (Basketball – NBA)
* Sacramento Monarchs (Basketball – WNBA)
* Sacramento Capitals (Tennis – WTT)
* The Rivercats (Baseball – Triple-A)
* California Storm (Soccer – WPSL)
* The Sacramento Sirens (Football – IWFL)

4. Total Population: 1,900,000 in the metro area

5. There are 30 parks, 120 city parks with 6 million trees and 4 public golf courses covering over 500 acres of fairway.

6. Transportation:

* 36.87 miles of light rail system
* 3 mainline railroad tracks
* 10.4 million passengers pass through the Sacramento International Airport per annum
* 870,000 short tons of cargo shipped annually

7. Public Facilities

* 19 major public & private colleges & universities
* California State University, Sacramento - major local university and one of the 23 campuses in the California State University system
* University of California, Davis is located nearby (west of the capital) and one of the 10 campuses in the University of California system
* 16 public school districts
* 15 major art and historical museums
* 26 public libraries
* 10 hospitals

Kindred Chart 1

The Traditions

Keep The Three Traditions in full

Breaking the Masquerade shall incur the Prince's displeasure.

The Prince: has exclusive Right to Permit Embracing Childer

Regnants are responsible for their Thralls and Childer.

Those who have committed the Amaranth and members of the Kallisti Bloodline are NOT welcome

Chart 2

Presentation & Acknowledgment

Any Kindred entering the Domain have Two Weeks to present themselves to the Prince, or His Herald

Prisci may take full responsibility for one of their own. Presentation is then deferred until the next Court.

Only the Acknowledged may Hunt in the Domain

Chart 3

The Blood Hunt

Only the Prince, or His Seneschal, may call a Blood Hunt.

Treason - is thus: violation of allegiance toward His Majesty, His Property or His Will. Acts of waging war actively or passively, or aiding His Enemies.

Chart 4

Etiquette

Kindred shall show their Respect by appearing in Court.

Failing to appear to two successive Court meetings invalidates Acknowledged status.

The Alder Prince places high value on good manners at Court

It is prohibited to wear face covering masks in any of the Elysian Fields

Chart 5

Should any find themselves in His Presence, please be respectful

If His Majesty finds himself under duress, then all Kindred should render swift aid.

Only His Majesty shall decide whom is bound by Blood Vinculum

It is Forbidden to use Powers of the Blood in the Elysian Fields - except for Obfuscating the Beast or using Powers in the Defense of the Prince, the Elysian Fields, Officers of Court or with prior permission.

Chart 6

Feeding

None shall Feed upon, Ghoul, Kill, or otherwise harass, the following:-

* Law Enforcement
* Firefighters
* EMTs
* Hospital Employees

Chart 7 - (this chart is a flow chart and organ-a-gram)

Alder Prince: His Grace, Alder Asa Clarke, Duke of Sacramento
Seneschal: Martha Villiers
Reeve: Dillon Connery
Mistress Keepers: Martha Villiers and Lady Au Pair Daniella Sage
Harpy: Miss Velma Star
Deputies and Rangers: Dr Emma French and Dr Micheal Redfill

Regent (F) Dr Micheal Redfill, Deputy Reeve of Sacramento
Regent (RM) His Grace, Alder Asa Clarke, Duke of Sacramento
Regent (CH) Dr Erika Brady
Regent (V): Dillon Connery, Reeve of Sacramento
Regent (SS) Roxie Hart

Chart 8

As this Chart is flipped over, Martha adds;

"Now...I shall offer a brisk overview of local geography, sir!"

Tiny Martha giggles... Nodding to Richard before adding;

This sheet is a fairly detailed sketch map of the Domain boundaries of this chart for clarity as per this:

http://nwod.org/wiki/index.php/Vampire_Subinfeudation

Martha pauses to add more detail;

"Now...the local Regents hold the rights to Tenancy and Feeding for those areas under the command of His Majesty the Prince who acts as their Lord Paramount. Each Lord or Lady Regent may award rights to those as they see fit." she gestures with a delicate finger to each of the Regency Zones.

"Should you decide to approach one of the Regents, be aware that they may require some type of agreement, or service, from you for the privilege of Feeding and Tenancy Rights. Each Regent has their own eccentricities!" she glances towards Ritchie, remaining very cheerful as she adds;

"Though once you have received Acknowledgment, you are certainly free to reside and feed within the Communal Zone."

"It is worth my mentioning that Regent Brady has also kindly offered that members of Clan Mekhet may petition her for Hunting Rights. Doctor Brady anticipates a quid pro quo, but it is a well intentioned offer by the Regent."

Martha tried a shy smile and, using her small hand as a guide she carefully indicates the Rack on the map with gentle gestures;

"Well...now here you will notice this darkened area on the map... This is the Alder Prince's Private Rack. Here you can see here the limits of the Communal Zone too!"

"This personal Rack is an area encompassed roughly north of West Street and Capital City Freeway; east of 5th Street; west from 29th Street and south from J Street, that would be the Rack."

"The Rack is Royal Domain, and Feeding rights are very highly protected. But the rest of the Communal Zone is open to all for both dwelling and Feeding. Should you choose to dwell therein there is no obligation to make your Haven known to the Prince...though some do as it is a valuable aid for general security. We can patrol more effectively with this information."

There is a pause while she let this information settle in.

Chart 9

The Elysian Fields

NB: Unless with prior permission, it is Forbidden to use Powers of the Blood (save for Obfuscating the Beast) or carry weapons into the Elysian Fields.

The Elysian Fields in this Domain are:-

* The Nox Populi nightclub
* The Ember nightclub
* The Ballo Della Notte Theater

Chart 10

Covenant Leaders

Carthian Movement: Mattimeo Campbell (contact details: XXXX)
Circle of the Crone: Dr Emma French (contact details: XXX)
Invictus: His Grace, Asa Clarke
Lancea Sanctum: Bishop Dillon Connery (contact details: XXX)
Ordo Dracul: Grand Wyrm Martha Villiers (contact details: XXX)

Prisci

Daeva: Miss Velma Star (contact details XXX)
Gangrel: Dillon Connery (contact details XXX)
Mekhet: Lady Au Pair Daniella Sage (contact details)
Nosferatu: Miss Jennifer Hazelton (contact details XXX)
Ventrue: August Galloway (contact details XXXX)


Once this last chart is flipped over and displayed, Martha looks to Richard;

"Well, sir, I appreciate that this is a great deal of information, so please feel free to ask any questions you may have! Also, these charts remain here should you wish to consult them at a later date."

"Copies are, along with the main Laws, in each Elysian Field for consultation at any time! Well... I wonder, did either of you have any comments or questions, sir?" she rubs at her crippled hip and the top of her false leg.

To judge by the brief and unhappy frown, she indulges in Martha's probably alleviating the ache of a phantom limb.

Nevertheless, her enthusiasm is soon revived and obvious. With sincere cheeriness Martha waits to see what comments or questions Ritchie might have.

[SoraLow]

Richard listened tentatively to Martha as he educated him about the information necessary to live within the realm. He was astonished at the level of detail that went into the presentation. While logically he appreciated the value of making sure that any kindred living in the city was aware of its history, customs, and more importantly its rules, he still felt rather intimidated by the sheer volume of facts that was being thrown at him. None the less though he remained focused on absorbing the information. He had no intentions of leaving this city any time soon, in his short time here he had already established a brief list of reasons to want to settle down here. As Martha reached the end of the presentation he noticed that she listed herself as the Grand Wyrm of the Ordo Dracul. "Madam Seneschal. I see here that you apparently hold title among the Ordo Dracul covenant. Is there anything that you can tell me about them?" He had heard rumors of the Ordo Dracul, just like had heard rumors about every other major vampire covenant. Seeing as though he found himself in the presence of a not only a member but apparently a member of some status, he thought he might as well see how open they were about sharing their secretes.