Author: Veris, Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:45 PM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

After having spread rumors about a few of the nobles being caught participating in unlawful acts, veris quietly excused himself from the party.

Author: Veris, Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 1:52 PM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

Veris entered the estate, grandly dressed in a butler uniform ( a bit of a joke on his part as it was  reflective of his position) and an ivory and gold colored mask. He joined the fray of milling bodies, ignoring the curious glances aimed at him by the lesser nobles. 'The higher they are, the harder they fall.' He thought to himself. He glanced around descreetly, searching for a target.

Author: Xunatar, Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:44 AM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

“Ah, what a lovely name, my lady”, Sylvester smirked, but in a mannerly sense. While many found her appearance gruesome, he saw it in another light. That was the different between those that went with the norm and lacked the imagination that others had, and then there were those like him and her. He praised her for the uniqueness but he couldn’t help but to wonder what inspired such creativity. She seemed to want more than just meeting the new lord, no he could see it in her eyes that she clearly wasn’t human. Green eyes smiled at her and he allowed a swirl of darkness to invade them before it faded as quickly as as it came.

“Yes, it is. In fact, the old owners had been kind enough to sell me this place at a very easy price.” The price being their lives, though there hadn’t been such a blessing he spoke of. But then again, as the Lord of Lies, he could sell anything to practically anyone he wished. All it took was a few cunning words and a lot of charisma. “I’m from Adeluna, but I found the city there to be quite boring. I figured that a change of scenery would be good for me. I don’t like to remain stagnant for too long.”

He offered her his hand to accompany him, largely ignoring the whispers of his other guests. Their opinions were like their lives in his hands; they hardly mattered and only served to be snuffed out into the night. “I can show you a tour, if you’d like. I think you will find that this place has some secrets you may be interested in.” Another smile was flashed at her.  

Author: Nixie Laundelle, Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:07 AM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

Nixie felt his lips meet her hand, burning against her ivory cool skin. As Nixie looked up from her hand to the host's face she met his striking blue eyes. Where many would be intimidated by his direct gaze, she faced him as boldly as her mask, in fact she challenged him. Her yellow-green animalistic eyes bored into him from within the grotesqueness that currently surrounded them. "Pleased to meet you, Nixie Laundelle." She took a moment to read him. She felt in him the irrefutable draw of another predator. Between them the atmosphere was subtle but Nixie felt it, the same primal understanding shared by two wolves. She cared little for grandeur or possessions, but unlike wolves, she tamed her speech with pleasantries. "You have a beautiful home."

Author: Xunatar, Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 3:38 PM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

Sylvester watched the people flock like sheep to his new home. Beneath the fun and excitement, he pondered if any would ever have a clue of the former home owners and their family laid on the bottom floor, decaying away while the pleasant music played and the joy of laughter filled the air. It was a shame, but it was a necessity that he was willing to have done for the sake of his plans. He watched the pretty people in their pretty little get-ups. They weren’t too unlike peacocks, strutting around and trying to one up each other in subtle ways. It was something that the elite would always do…they believed that they were so high and mighty. That they were above everything else in the world. Perhaps this was while he was so enthralled with using them. To make them pawns instead of the kings and queens they believed themselves to be and the perfect part was that they would absolutely would not know.

When he came to greet his guest, false smiles with flashed at them and his hand met with each of the other men’s and shook them firmly and when it came to the ladies, he made sure to bless theirs with his lips. What they saw was yet another member of their society- young, charming and mannerly, not the monster that he truly was capable of becoming when he felt like it.

He noticed in time that some of them were talking among themselves about a certain guest, a lone lady that didn’t seem to fit in with their social class. Her clothes seemed plain and dirtied and her mask… While the rest of them wore elegant and flamboyant ones, her was something quite opposite. It was absolutely horrid and disturbing and it was the first thing that caught his eye when he found her. More of the guests collected themselves into small groups and talked wicked things beneath their breaths as he passed them by. Many likely figured that he would have her tossed out of his home for such disrespect. Soon he came to her and looked her up and down before a smile arose. “What a captivating mask you have there, miss. I must say that it is a welcomed change of pace here.” He bowed halfway at her before offering his hand to take hers so that he could kiss it. Many of the guests looked dumbfounded and others kept their tongues to themselves. All in all, one could see this as nothing more than him being polite, but she had earned his attention for being so different against the grain. “What is your name? I am Sylvester Dawson, the new owner of this house”  

A wolfish grin was flashed at her.    

Author: Nixie Laundelle, Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 1:44 PM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

Nixie picked carelessly through the Duke's belongings. She didn't much care for his precious riches, exquisite jewellery or priceless paintings but she examined them nonetheless in case she overlooked something of real value. The faerie came to be welcomed into the Duke's mansion by something of a mistake. She had befriended the old coot in her first days upon Revaliir's soil and extracted knowledge and silver from him in order to survive. The relocation from her realm to his one was certainly cushioned by the Duke's comforts. His warm rooms, plush furnishings and constant supply of lavish food made her feel welcomed, if only under false pretences. He believed the faerie was a noble lady, estranged from her family but polite and kind towards him. Wearing the mask of inexperience she charmed him. Nixie had wove this tale from research and ingenuity and it was not long before the Duke became irrevocably besotted with her. She moulded him to meet her needs and this was easily achieved. Nixie pondered whether the Duke was aware of her manipulation. Surely his great many human years had left him yearning for excitement after monotonous days counting gold and awaiting death. He had opened his arms to the dark haired beauty and whatever evil stirred beneath her skin. It was this stirring also that enticed him, as he mistook her cold, clinical malice, writhing like a pit of snakes, for passion. Her mysterious, commonly expressionless face was hypnotic to him. He so wished to bring joy to her cheeks, to see her eyes soften and witness a rare flash of teeth. He worked tiresomely and dutifully to see a smile. He was a slave for it.

In those early days the Duke's love and devotion to her had sufficed for Nixie to feed upon. Journeying to this realm had been an achievement but it came at a price. This price was the requirement to feed upon emotions. This was as vital to her as sunlight is to budding flowers. Without harvesting she would wilt and her power would fade, something she felt driven never to experience. As she grew bored of the Duke and his slimy lust-filled looks, his devotion didn't satisfy as much as rage, sorrow or total desperation. She decided to leave in order to seek pastures new and since then she had not given him a second thought. That was until she heard news of his death. The love, however false or wicked, he had felt for her had remained with him for the end of his days. The intoxication she had inflicted upon him had led him to gift her all his worldly belongings if she ever returned to him, whether he be alive or dead.

Nixie dropped the jewellery box with complete apathy and moved to the royal looking writing desk. She littered papers and parchments all over the oxblood red floor, the polish still glistening from weekly cleaning. Amidst his papers Nixie's graceful fingers danced over a scroll with a purple silk band and felt an instant prickle of energy travel up through her bones. Yellow-green eyes focused in on the scroll, moving all other things away from it, allowing the mystery parchment space to breathe, unfettered by his other correspondence. If only the Duke would have seen her now, he would have witnessed her smile but this grin was wide and predatory, not coy and cute. This smile was not performing for another but displayed something of a feeling rising up from within her hollow soul. Hands outstretched she touched the scroll again. Energy coursed through her, subtle and fascinating. It seemed to her that this invitation had once been touched by an otherworldly spirit, perhaps similar to her own, perhaps entirely different, but powerful. Energised, Nixie untied the ribbon and devoured the contents.
"A masquerade party". A whisper escaped her lips. Surveying the room once more she was pulled towards a flat box on the desk. The Duke must have ordered it then received it after he passed away as the box was sealed and fresh, as if all the dust particles in the air were too afraid to land on it. She ripped the paper off the box and found a mask. It was ghoulish and ugly, a twisted demonic face. She stopped dead staring into the hollow eyes. It was almost as if she was looking in on a mirror image of her true face. The one that lived within. 

The evening of the party, Nixie lined up behind some of the other guests trickling into the manor of Lord Sylvester Dawson and wore her grotesque mask with a sort of pride. She did not change her clothes, a simple white dress, a corset and a cape, all seasoned with the mud of the forests and the grime of the roads. Amidst the other guests, her mask was the most vile. Curious and disturbed glances ran over her skin like fire ants and fed her ego. They could look all they wanted but she still felt invisible. Uninvited, disguised and disgusting she wanted to unravel what was occurring here.

Author: Xunatar, Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:01 PM, Post Subject: Hidden Sights [P,R]

After the body of the last man of the household and dropped and his life slipped away, the god looked at the handiwork of his rogue. He had been swift as always in clearing out the place of everyone with a pulse. Virgil was cleaning his dagger before his eyes rose up and gave a brief nod in recognition. “My lord, as you had wanted. The place is ripe for the taking.” He peaked down at the man of the house who just seconds ago had fright painted across his face over his then impending death and that of the loss of his family. There was more on his mind but he didn’t bother to voice his “concern” for the lord could easily know what the problem was. Xunatar turned to face him and smiled. “Why? You are wondering why I wanted this? It’s simply, my boy. I needed someplace to host a party.” Virgil looked at him with slightly wider eyes, “Of course I didn’t wish to do it at the Cradle. I wanted to show the world that I am unlike the others. I wish to observe the ants from their anthill rather than from the top of my pedestal.” He peeked out to the window, watching the moonlight basking the area.

“Within the next few days, everything will be ready. You are free to join, if you wish. Just bring a mask.” The assassin chuckled to himself and pushed off from the wall. “Thank you my lord, but you know me- I’m not the sort that attend these things.” With that he bowed and took his leave but he’d await for his master’s next assignment. Meanwhile Xunatar looked back out to the night sky and started his scheme.

As he had said, soon there would be invitations all over the island, all were invited to attend the masquerade to welcome Egjora’s newest elite- Lord “Sylvester Dawson”. Those that had once been familiar with the previous family were made to be believe that they had simply up and left or perhaps never existed at all. It was after all, in the range of his power to make it so. The glamour he held was nigh perfect as he hired staff to clean up the mess that his assassin had left before affecting their minds as well.

As the evening of the party was to start, the new lord of the manor smiled elegantly as he brushed at his red locks and looked on with vivid green eyes onto his reflection in the mirror. Slipping onto robes of ebony and gold,  he donned a golden mask in the shape of a wolf’s face; appropriate considering that he was to go into a bash full of sheep. Once satisfied, he slipped downstairs with his staff awaiting. With a simple nod, he sent them off to prepare. The band had arrived and started to play a soft melody as the guests poured into the main hall. The tables were filled with the finest of food and drink and for this night, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the meek and the power would rub elbows with one another. But a night of festivities was not what he sought for this eve. No, he had much more sinister plans for his guests, but why rush things?