( closed ) Immortal Aphrodite, on your intricately brocaded throne,

[champions]

WHO: Marisol and the circus of dreams: Janzik, Jester, Julian, Mal, Petra, Resa & Sarah
WHAT: Party in Privantium - a mission to schmooze and entertain some nobility
WHEN: Bloomingtide (prior to the rifter phylactery discussions)
WHERE: Privantium, Tevinter Imperium
NOTES: Party style it up & have fun! If you have any questions, please feel free to grab me. I’ll be NPCing here and there as best I can.

The Mission.

Go dazzle. The Laseca family—matriarch Didia, patriarch Lar, and an assortment of five young adult and teenage children—have transitioned from the Soporati into the Laetan class within the last decade due to three of their children developing magic. They have money and some power, love attention, and have no interest in the current Tevinter social order.

Lar is throwing a lavish—bordering on garish—party for Didia, and seeking the aforementioned attention, has invited the Inquisition to send representatives. Mindful of appearances, the Inquisition isn't openly accepting this invitation on paper, but it will nonetheless send Marisol and a few others to put on a show and try to see what information or favor there is to be won in the bargain.

The Lasecas will look favorably on flashy magic demonstrations, rifters (how novel!), and drama that will leave their guests talking, as long as it isn't at their expense. They'll look less favorably on any outrage over their use of slaves or open attempts to talk politics or secure promises outright.

Be warned; if Marisol’s assignment should be undermined in any way by a member of the travelling party, the Laseca family and the authorities at the Inquisition will be the very last of their concerns. Have fun. 😊🗡️

I. Travel Recovery & Party Preparation ( A Fancy Bathhouse Adventure. )

The trip from Kirkwall to the Laseca estate is a drawn out and possibly exhausting one - a ship to Cumberland and travelling along the Imperial Highway is, at least, less wearing than journeying over the Vimmark Mountains might have been. Crossing Nevarra becomes more oppressive and warm as they meet the desert of the Silent Plains, and eventually cross east to Privantium. Thankfully, the Lasecas make for excellent hosts, and their first welcoming gestures to the Inquisition are to guide them to their rooms, stable their horses and carriages, and escort the entire party to the estate’s bathhouse.

First there is the room for doing away with their clothes, taken by servants to be washed and placed in their rooms, and gaining towels to proceed with. Next there is the cold room, with a pool of cold water to shock and refresh the body, then the warm room, and the hot room, where the mind and skin can be cleared with steam. The hot room is heated with braziers, and has basins of cool water to splash their faces with. Then there is the opportunity to rub down with oil and exfoliate, and then to return to the warm room to cleanse once more in the baths.
Once they emerge there is the chance to enjoy a message, but guests will all be offered luxurious white and slate grey robes to wear as they return to their rooms and prepare for the party.

Don’t worry if you don’t have anything to wear; rifters can attend in their traditional garb of their home worlds (newly cleaned or refreshed, if necessary) or they have the option of being provided with something rather more formal, ornate, and classically Tevene. Servants are available to make sure everyone is attired and coiffed appropriately.

II. Feasting & Festivities ( A Party of Distinction. )

Ah, the party. What a party it is. Live music, dancing, names being announced, and entertainment abounds. The entire estate is wound into the celebration, and there are servants ready to attend with drinks and food whether one is in the gardens, or the balconies, or in the populated dancehall of the main house.

For entertainment there are contact jugglers rolling glowing glass balls over their skin, there are others who are silent and painted gold, with black and white snakes coiling and slithering over their bodies and arms, and then some dressed only in flowers, gifting crowns of blooms to many guests. Through the evening other entertainments are present, although with that said, any mages and rifters visiting from the Inquisition would be welcome and encouraged to offer their own flair and performances throughout the evening.

The food and drink are lavish and in excess, as one mightexpect. Honeyed wines, elaborate fruit concoctions (no ale, though, that's too utterly Fereldan.) Multiple tables and multiple trays being carried around hold more offerings than cab be listed; various small wildlife roasted and dipped in honey and poppyseed, a vessel of melted cheese, more varieties of olives than could possibly be necessary, candied nuts, entire roast pigs (with signature apple), snails cooked with garlic and parsley, small hot peppers stuffed with cheeses, ostrich stuffed with peacock and dove and marinated in wine, oysters (baked or natural), caviar... And then there's dessert, trifles, many tiered cakes and a chocolate fountain with all manner of things to dip in it. If there's something desired then it's probably here, unless it's not fancy and frivolous enough, and then why ever would you want it?

The gardens are as as ornate as everything else. The scent of jasmine fills the air, but there are countless varieties of flowers, beautiful maintained. Marble statues stand amongst elaborately styled greenery and sculpted hedges. There are fountains big enough to stand in - to dance in, if you really wanted. Be careful, though, not to upset any of the golden pheasants that populate the gardens. They are very beautiful, and very precious.

( ooc: I’m going to do some NPCing of the Lasecas and maybe some guests, if you’d rather no GMing please make a note in your subject line and I’ll make sure to avoid! You’re welcome to include interactions with other guests, as well. )

III. Wildcards for Wildcards.

Have random scenarios you want to do? Maybe some shopping in Privantium? Checking the horses in the stables? Travel to and from? Go for it.

… Just don’t make Marisol keep anyone in line.

Comments

[champions]

( Better than anticipated. She applauds with the rest, the corner of her mouth faintly curved as Mal descends. )

What a lovely flare for the dramatic.

[mal_adjusted]

[Mal turned her entire body - only way you could move in this dress - before her eyebrows arched. Somewhere between suspicion and gratitude.]

I - ah. Thank you.

[She paused, twisting her fingers for a moment before she lifted her chin up.]

I practiced. To make sure I didn't embarrass anyone.

[See, she's here to be useful.]

[champions]

( Gently, Marisol reaches out to rest her fingers against Mal's - just briefly, just long enough to suggest stop at the twisting, without drawing attention to it overmuch. It could simply have been a reassuring gesture between friends, with all of them in attendance together. )

And it paid off.

( A server goes past, snakes draped over his body and a tray balanced on one hand, bearing absurdly over-decorated drinks, wine mixtures with caramelised sugar and twists of orange peel and skewered fruit. She gestures for the server (slave) to stay just long enough to determine if Mal would like one as well, and take one if so. )

Never imagine that anybody who does anything of merit doesn't practice. If they claim to be a natural, they are either lying, or too stupid to realise the risk they are taking.

[mal_adjusted]

[Mal stiffened a little more, but she did stop her finger twisting. Her body immediately relaxed when the other woman moved away, adding her words to lift Mal's unease that the 'leader' of their little group had come to speak with her.

With a properly imperious nod, she took a drink from the servant (slave), then turned to Marisol once more.]

I usually find 'stupid' is the more likely culprit.

[She sips the drink. Her eyes widen slightly, but she schools her face not to suck in her mouth at the sweetness.]

-- let me know what other party tricks are required later on.

[champions]

Usually, ( Marisol agrees, casting her gaze towards the party, the mingling crowd, as she takes a sip of the drink. )

Are you saying that to set me at ease, or are you genuinely cautious about trusting your own instincts?

[mal_adjusted]

[Mal looks at Marisol once more, before her green eyes narrow thoughtfully on the crowd.]

These people aren't looking to start trouble. Gossip, maybe, but not actual trouble. If they try to catch us out, and fail, it's social suicide.

[An elegant shifting up of her shoulders.]

So yeah, at ease. I don't think their leader is even here - they aren't flocking to one person in particular. All we need is a little flash and sizzle, and we'll be fine.

[champions]

True. ( And well observed. It is easy to become paralysed by the potential horrors that could lurk beneath the situation. Marisol has certain advantages here, but is well-versed in disadvantage. This would normally be the place for a bitter ramble about the place of mages in Thedas, but let's not dwell when there is a party to see to. )

Perhaps their fate would not be so dire - we do not have the upper hand in a good many places - but it could certainly be a poor move for them to offend our hosts.

( A brief swirl of the drink, ) Have you attended many parties of this nature?

[mal_adjusted]

[Mal steeled herself and took another drink of her Too Sweet concoction, managing to control her face much better than she had from the first sip.]

No, we do not. However, we're the only ones doing something ... and getting somewhere. That's why our hosts invited us here.

[Another pause, as Mal's face became carefully, politely blank with a faint smile.]

Yes, a number of them as a child. Trotted out to see all the famous people. The Cumberland Circle also had us invited to a fair number of parties - again, little mages trotted out to do tricks. I made a mean ball of electricity when I was nine.

[Her gaze became a little more distant.] Ostwick ... was quieter, but the First Enchanter had many noble friends so we all got a chance if we liked to go with her to banquets. She liked getting mages placed with households once we passed our Harrowings. Get us out into the world.