A meeting of the Lords

[Aiden Whitney]

Every word that Thomas oozes out to Lenora causes Aiden's face to darken more and more. The sheer disrespect of it all.

Still it wasn't surprising. Nor was Jacque's reaction. They were notable members of the Domain who sought to lead the clan, and ultimately were unsuccessful. Newcomers took what they viewed as rightfully theirs. Moreover, they were Lords. Yielding wasn't exactly in their nature.

Regardless, the behavior couldn't be allowed to stand. If they could disrespect the Priscus with impunity, Aiden would be eaten alive.

Then she laughed. Just before Aiden could speak, Lenora cut through the posturing with a laugh of her own. She spoke with authority, and did not yield. The lingering threat at the end wasn't as forceful as Thomas', but it cut a clear line. Far be it from Aiden to try and add a further tongue lashing.

In an effort to support the threat, Aiden rose from his chair and moved to the door. A cold hand rested on the knob, and once again his face darkened into a wicked form. Aiden's eyes bore into Thomas with menacing intent.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-09-19 22:46:21		Aiden Whitney rolls 8 to Stare 'Em Down (10 Again, WillPower)		6, 2, 6, 3, 5, 10, 6, 3, 1		1 success

2019-09-19 22:46:21

"Enough."

Enough of the disrespect. Enough with the mood swings. Enough of the maddening behavior.

At this point Aiden held the door open. If Thomas accepted Lenora's offer the door would close, but if he didn't Thomas' exit would be that much faster. The choice was out of Aiden's hands.

[Lenora]

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-09-21 17:22:20		Lenora rolls 4 to see if Thomas is being dishonest (10 Again)		10, 5, 3, 9, 8		3 successes

Lenora is rolling to see if Thomas is being dishonest. Her response is dependent on the result so please be patient. Woland Thomas Boyle Please roll if Thomas is lying. If he is being honest, let me know!

[Youngblood]

Please hold for Woland to rewrite Thomas' subterfuge detection. After review of the thread and other supporting documents it is determined that Thomas' fast talk was actually a subterfuge attempt. Objectively, it looks like Thomas fell short in a power play and is now trying to save face. It should be represented that way in the roll.

Correcting the dice pool for the fast talk roll 82302 would leave one success (manipulation and subterfuge = 1 die)

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-09-19 23:43:46		Thomas Boyle rolls 9 to Smooth things over (Fast-Talk) (10 Again, WillPower)		10, 6, 9, 8, 6, 3, 9, 10, 6, 8, 9		7 successes

Furthermore, people have gotten extremely lazy across the venue and the site in general with documenting spends with the power icons. I will be writing another post on this later but the rule is and has always been "If you don't document it then it didn't happen." This is why the WP from that dice roll was also removed.

[Vampire ST]

Corrected. Everyone else -- please continue Jacque Aiden Whitney Lenora

[Lenora]

At Thomas’ speech, Lenora’s eyes narrowed and a light frown decorated her lips. Black knew the man was lying. Lenora’s face said as much, as this was not a moment for subtlety. It seemed Thomas recognized as much as well, as he departed without even a word, in effect denying the resolution Lenora had offered via the system of Prestation.


Lenora’s eyes remain locked on the door for a long moment before she finally speaks.


“Whip Whitney,” she says, “In the absence of a Harpy I believe it prudent that we make note that Mr. Boyle has chosen to leave the meeting rather than resolve our dispute with Prestation as offered. Please make note of it.”


Then she turned her head to Jacque .


“Herald, it seems I owe you an apology. That man is wholly unreasonable,” she offers, her tone slightly tired, “With this revelation in mind, do you wish to take the seat? Mr. Boyle’s departure has proven your argument to be the correct one.”


Then a glance to Aiden Whitney , “While you may disagree with the offer, let me remind you that it may be beneficial to have a more established Lord in the role than myself and, by lying to me and subsequently departing when he realized it failed, the Herald’s claim of Boyle’s nature has born some fruit.”


Leaning back into her seat, Lenora let out a sigh.


“However, should you choose to deny the seat, I will remain in it through my probationary period,” she says, “If only to prove to the Domain our family is unified. The Clan of Kings is not weak and we must show them we can come to a consensus.”


Lenora liked the idea of the title, but she knew she was not likely to retain much influence over Jacque. After all, the exit had proven the Herald right. If she remained Priscus, it would merely be an honorific. If Jacque was Priscus, at least it would mean something. Thus, the olive branch was extended.

[Jacque]

Dead eyes wandered across all the moving pieces. Lenora being respectfully firm, Aiden holding the door open and finally Thomas, declaring himself an ally of a clan he just spent the whole evening trying to divide. The very thought was so laughable that he took a moment to stifle a chuckle.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-09-23 22:56:46		Jacque rolls 6 to detect lies/deception (WIT+SUB) (10 Again)		6, 5, 10, 7, 6, 4, 1		1 success

  3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-09-23 22:57:45		Jacque rolls 4 to stifle a chuckle (resolve+composure) (10 Again)		8, 8, 8, 7		3 successes

Then came Lenora's unexpected apology... and subsequent offer which Jacque carefully considered before waiving his hand dismissively, "There is nothing to forgive. The Crone have a saying, 'Tribulation brings enlightenment' and your handling of Mister Boyle's little stunt has left me even more confident of your ability to act as Priscus. I see no reason to deviate from the plan we all agreed upon." A pause is offered before adding, "However, I do share your concern on the Domain's view of the clan appointing both a Priscus who has been here a month supported by a Whip who has been here merely a week. Whether you wish to revisit that decision before we adjourn is your privilege, Priscus Black." He looks to Aiden, "This is of no disrespect to you, of course. I simply suggest giving the bystanders as few reasons to probe as possible and an established Whip supporting a fresh face would help deter that."

[Aiden Whitney]

The door closes gently behind Thomas as he makes his exit. "Well that settles that," Aiden said as he returned to his chair. A nod was given to Lenora at her instructions on prestration.

As she offers Jacque the position of Priscus, and then he counters, Aiden sits quietly ruminating on the position. His tongue gently rubbed on his left incisor.

"If we are speaking of appearances then the position should go to our senior member." A hand to Jacque. "If I am replaced, but Priscus Black is not, it will give a clear image of the Herald being the power behind the familial throne." The other hand to Lenora. "Personally, I have no desire to rehash the debates of the evening. I will respect whoever leaves this room as Priscus, regardless of whether or not I remain Whip." Then his hands fold in on themselves. "I believe myself more than capable of fulfilling the duties of Whip, and would like to retain the position, but the Whip serves at the pleasure of the Priscus. Without complaint or tantrum."

The good of the clan was certainly a concern for Aiden, but he was still a Lord. He couldn't just roll over.

With that he sat back in his chair, a slight smile on his lips, and eyes eagerly awaiting Lenora's decision.