Presence
Mantle - Chilling breeze, summoning tiny leaves
4 successes
A cold wind ripples through the entire Hollow - overhead, the leaves shift and rustle and an indistinct shape moves through them, sending waves of gold and brown through the entire tree. Swirling around the boughs is an amorphous form which circles around the trunk. An Avatar of Autumn made of swirling leaves, trailing them like a comet, walks down the air around the trunk as if there was a spiral staircase around it, alighting to rest next to the Wyrdstone, a blustering arm resting upon it. Starting at the bare, root-enclosed feet the leaf-storm takes form, assembling into the legs and robes of the Dread Lord of Autumn, in Deep wine-red robes that allow the full form of his foliage and flowers to breath free. His appearance is.... almost majestic. GFantastically, almost magically, striking.
"My Friends," his voice booms through the hollow, resonating deeply.
"Thank you all for joining us here in the Court of the Leaden Mirror. As Summer gives way to Autumns chill, we harvest - concern to survive the dead of winter was the rationalization of the fear of the animals that do exactly the same. Last year I spoke of Fear, when there were enemies walking through our midst. This year, there are not such dangers at our gates, but I beg you do not become complacent - Fear itself is not the enemy, for it can keep you alive, and teach much."
The hand resting on the Wyrdstone whitens as his grip ont he stone increases, sending the Glamour of the season within.
The Wyrdstome pulses as the Glamour flows into it.
"While I preach on the lessons of Fear, we do well to remember those that stand with us against it. The power of the Wyrdstone helps us recognise our Freehold allies, and all who become so are the guests of Autumn at this time - they may revel in the bounty. All who have joined a court and offered their link to the Wyrdstone gain this protection, and those who choose to walk outside the courts must remember to rebind themselves at this time. Where the Wyrdstone is kept, we now have resources to share what we know to spread information through the Freehold - I recommend making use of it."
Rhodes smiles, spreading his arms before the gathered Freehold. He had made liberal use of the information there - almost as if an Autumn valued intelligence, for some reason.
"All courts strive to keep their traditions alive - through roles, responsibilities, records. At this time I have some traditions I wish to revive from my Season - recognition of worth, and opportunities for all to partake. First, I ask that Anatole come forth." The Dread Lord looks to the dwarf. "This Wizened has shown himself to be bold, determined, and unyielding. He has shed blood for this Freehold multiple times and stands stalwart in the face of it's enemies. Though the Leaden Mirror embraces subtlety and misdirection, we know practicality and force are sometimes needed when faced with foes that will not be swayed by such... or must simply be removed. Anatole embodies these virtues, and it is with great pride I wish to bestow upon him the mantle of Paladin of Shadows, should he accept." Rhodes smiles broadly. Though they did not spend much time together, the dwarf had proven his worth.
"Second, I welcome a new courtier of the Fall, Ashley. She has given to the stone, and I ask you treat her with the hospitality you have all become accustomed to." He gestures to the nervous-looking Autumn.
The Dread Lord looks around the room.
"Finally," he pauses, solely for effect, taking his time to pick up the horn from the table and hold it in front of him, "I offer an opportunity to you all - for tonight and tonight only. Autumn is the season of the harvest.... and also the Autumn Hunt, a tradition going back centuries that combines both comradery and competition. I have prepared just such a hunt for a very unique quarry, one both cunning and dangerous, that I will reward to the person or persons that succeed in tracking down the creature and returning it - dead or alive. That person or persons may ask one Boon of myself as Dread Lord of Autumn that I will provide. I reserve the right to refuse any request that brings undue risk or any not within my power or rights to give, but should I do so another request may be made of me. How much you work together... or against each other, is a matter for your conscience. The reward asked from a lone Hunter may certainly be greater than that given to a group - all in a partnership may request a separate boon, but the grandeur is divisible by it's members. However, I recommend not to abuse my generosity - my patience is finite." There was a smile but also a chill to the words.
"The rules are as follows. Any who seek entry will be bound by Pledge for their honesty regarding all topics relating to the hunt. Any who wish to partake - but especially the victor or victors, should there be any - has the potential to earn the Goodwill of Autumn, but not limited to the victors alone. Any who get close, spot, find, give chase - I admire the tale, the effort, of all who seek to engage the quarry. This is a ceremony of Autumn - you have only the window of the season. When the position of Monarch passes from myself to the Onyx Court, the guarantee of the rewards close - so as to provide motivation... and equality. And finally, there is only one target for all - should one hunter or hunters emerge victorious, an announcement through the noticeboard shall be made."
The Dread Lord beams at the gathered Crowd, building to his crescendo.
"Any who wish to partake should see me tonight for details. The window of opportunity is narrow. But for all, I wish you the celebrations of the season. Eat, drink, and be merry, for fear of the unknown and the certainty of the cold winter is all that lies ahead!"
Yes, that would do. Modern Ideas were as integral as tradition... and Fear of missing out was another form of Modern Fear.
Sorry for a slightly wordy post! First, Rhodes currently has Striking looks 4 as per this contract.
This is a slightly experimental style of Plot! As such it requires a little cooperation from the players. Of course, if only one group takes Rhodes up on the hunt this is not an issue, but I wanted to feel out something different. It will also require a little separation of IC and OOC knowledge, as to give you (the players) the most time, some information will have to be revealed before coronation enters continuity.
First, any scenes for this plot will be sticky (approved by Saber Sloth), because time is a factor - not just for the season, but each other. This date will be how we define the time frame as to how the plot resolves - there will be no in-scene time skips. If people agree to do research or investigation, this will need a glimpse I will respond to as quickly as possible so everyone has a fair opportunity. If someone decides an action based on the ST response glimpses, then a new scene must be created and the scene will be counted as the day the scene doing the action begins. If a scene is opened on the same day as a glimpse without an ST response, it will not be counted.
Second, I am happy to take as many groups as are willing to participate, but you are all chasing the same prey. This means that if a group makes a move at a certain point, it will likely disturb continuity of things a different group is doing. In taking up this plot, you may need to accept that someone gets the jump on you and a scene may need retconning because someone gets there ahead of you. If there's only one group, this can't happen, but I am preparing for different eventualities.
Third, and similarly to point 2, there may be a PvP element - if someone decides to stab their team in the back to steal the big W, I can't stop that! That's (hopefully) covered by the Pledge of Truth that is a requirement for entry, so the betrayed team would still have an opportunity for rewards.
Fourth, I'm completely honest about this being an opportunity to gain Autumn Goodwill, but you will still need to spend the appropriate XP to gain this merit accordingly. No short cuts. Mechanically, an individual acting alone that kills the target is likely to be able to buy up to Goodwill 3, captured alive Goodwill 4. A group will be able to get up to Goodwill 2/3 depending on the scenario - this is also about impressing Rhodes. Anyone that is able to track down and spot/observe the target that doesn;t result in the kill/capture can still have an opening for Goodwill 1/2 depending on how close they get to the kill. If you wanted Rhodes to teach an Autumn Contract as your boon, for example, he would do so - but mechanically you would need to have the prerequisite Goodwill to do so. Again, no short cuts. If you want a specific contract but don't get the required goodwill, Rhodes will cite this as a contract being too complex for one outside the Court, even in spite of the reward.
I will have a plot recruitment thread in the OOC shortly.
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Presence
Presence
Attribute (Strength)
Dreaming, Cloak of the Elements
