Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

[madame_de_fer]

WHO: Select Orlesian and Fereldan Nobility and the Inquisition
WHAT: Josephine and Vivienne have orchestrated a good-will soiree in response to this dastardly rumor.
WHEN: Drakonis 15, Evening
WHERE: Skyhold Great Hall
NOTES:
- A list of nobles in attendance can be found here. The list was provided by the mods but there will be no npc support for them. Play away.
- A secondary outside party is being held in the valley in the tent town for anyone who couldn't/wouldn't attend and/or behave in the fancy pansty party.
- The goal of the evening is to clear up a spurious rumor about Cassandra and Leliana, with secondary goals of establishing the Inquisition as a respectable presence in Thedas (and fish for more money). Any major disruptions that would Game Over the court approval should probably be brought to the advisors and/or mods.



To say that Josphine has far outdone herself with this little soiree would be the understatement of the year. The Lady Ambassador has pulled out all the stops in providing a festive and yet elegant stage for this political intervention. Because sometimes gossip can be more deadly than a sword.

The Great Hall of Skyhold has been converted into a grand receiving hall, glittering with hundreds of lights around the room, in addition to the repairs accomplished to the original chandeliers. Of course, there has been artful placement arranged so there are a few shadowy corners for rendezvous of the more suggestive nature. Just in case. The majority of the floor has been cleared for dancing, and a fine troupe of musicians have been installed for the bulk of the evening's entertainments. Some members of the Inquisition have plans to entice attendees with their own artistic performances in addition to the group of mages performing illusory tricks to oohs and aahs.

For those who feel their energy flagging, there are chairs set against the walls, with a few tables interspersed between. Servers hired for the evening circulate the crowds with wine, fine Orlesian and Nevarran reds as well as crisp whites from Antiva. Refreshments are set out on buffet tables, tasteful and extravagant nibbles, including imported cheeses, spicy saucisson, dried fruits and nuts, and the highly sought after deep mushroom and anise petits fours that are all the rage in Orlais.

Comments

[obi_wanmanshow]

"There aren't any rules against a Jedi who can't use the Force, it's just very unlikely," The Force, as they say, moves in mysterious ways. Technically, should the individual be skilled enough, and the situation uniquely dire, there's no reason anyone couldn't be a Jedi.

But it's not as if the council pursues it.

"Certainly not. But, as Force-sensitive children grow, they will experience a great deal of confusion related to their abilities-- it can be dangerous. Even so, a Democracy is founded upon the rights of its citizenry; the Temple cannot compel families to give up their children, and the decision whether to send their young ones rests ultimately with the parents. But, we do provide the highest quality of care and education. Many are proud to see their children attend."

[bookish_lioness]

"Then it's sort of like Hogwarts," she decides. "The school I go to to learn magic. At least insofar as the Muggle-borns are concerned; that is, the children born to non-magical parents. They obviously can't force our parents to send us away to school, but it is in everyone's best interests, and the staff make sure that the families are well aware of that."

Of course, she's heard about the Circles, and how children are taken away from their parents in a much more permanent sort of way. "Can children still visit with their families once joining the Order? During holidays and such?"

[obi_wanmanshow]

"Holi-- Well, there are no rules against it," Aside from the omni-present rules surrounding outside attachments, although children were naturally given more leeway to err than most, "Miss Granger, younglings will frequently be halfway across the galaxy from their birthplaces. We are an educational institution, for those we take in, but the Jedi Temple does not primarily function as a school. There aren't any summer holidays, and the Temple takes full legal custody of its youngest members, at least until they're old enough to be responsible for themselves."

It wasn't like the Circles, of course. Young Jedi had all the rights of a republic citizen, and if they weren't raised with a mother's warmth, they were safe, well-fed, and had a gaurantee of education unmatched almost anywhere else in the galaxy. Even those that never became Jedi were virtually gauranteed either a healthy severance packet, or a useful, gainful employment with the Temple. Not a boarding school or a prison-- the Jedi Temple was, as might seem from the name, something like a cross of military base and Buddhist monastery.

[bookish_lioness]

Though Hermione had never really had an overly close bond with her family - she'd only had her parents, after all, and she hadn't cried when she'd first been sent away to school, and had only felt homesick during the extreme duress of the war - the idea of an institution taking legal custody of a child filled her with a sense of unease. She didn't really think about having children of her own someday, but she knew she'd like to sometime far in the future, and the thought of having a child taken away from her care, even for something noble... she just didn't know that she could do it.

"I'm sure you're biased, but... is there a real need for the Jedi in your world? I can't imagine that many parents would want to give up their children - even for something as seemingly prestigious - unless there was a dire need to train more of these knights."