Grand Dining Hall

[Jester of the FoS]

Entering the Dining Hall you are struck momentarily silent by the sheer opulence of the room. A deep crimson carpet covers the floor from wall to wall and a single large curved table cuts a semi-circle through the centre of the room. The hollow middle of the semi-circle is set aside for servants to rush to about and move freely, seeing to the needs of the diners. A single white tablecloth is draped over the entire table and places are currently being set by the small army of hired help.

Decorations adorn the wall, newly added in celebration for the return of the Fraternity’s long-journeying member. Lining the eastern wall are portraits of the Fraternity’s brothers, both past and current. The ornate frames match the many granite columns and pillars of the room.

A hurried servant dashes around you, almost colliding with you from behind. Ignoring the insult you move from the room to elsewhere in the Manoir, now is not the time to admire the busy room.

[Viktor Hazan]

Once again the Dining Hall you are strikes you mute with its opulence and grandeur.

A deep crimson carpet covers the floor from wall to wall and a single large curved table cuts a semi-circle through the centre of the room. The hollow middle of the semi-circle is set aside for servants to rush to about and move freely, seeing to the needs of the diners.

A single white tablecloth is draped over the entire table and places are meticulously set with ivory and silver cutlery and the finest of porcelain dishes.

Decorations adorn the wall, newly added in celebration for the return of the Fraternity’s long-journeying member. Lining the eastern wall are portraits of the Fraternity’s brothers, both past and current. The ornate frames match the many granite columns and pillars of the room. Bits of edging add colour to the walls and there are several small banners with the logo of the Fraternity dangling from the roof. A restrained use of streamers also adds to the festive atmosphere without reducing the Hall’s appearance to one of a lower class’ get-togethers.

Set up against the back wall, by the straight section of the table, is a large stage that has been set-up for the speakers. A single wooden podium has been placed in the middle of the stage. From the hustle and noise you notice the splendid acoustics in this room, a speaker would easily be able to project his voice and even the softest of speakers could be heard across the room.

Dinner is being readied as you enter. A few have already sat down and are being served with their choice of starters.

The menu

Starters
Broccoli & Darkonese Stilton Soup
Stuffed Borcan Mushrooms - Served with garlic butter & parsley
Chicken Liver Pate - Served with cranberry & Invidian port wine compote accompanied by toast

Main Courses
Roast Mordentish Turkey
Roast Sirloin of Beef à la Richemulouse
Chicken Gabrielle - Cooked with mushrooms in cream & Invidian brandy sauce
Grilled Salmon Steak - Served with parsley butter

Fruit salad and assorted sweets

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[Viktor Hazan]

October 29th, 7 pm
Ste Ronges Manoir de Pénombre

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[Viktor Hazan]

OOC: please end your conversation at the Grand Entrance Hall and post here afterward!

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The Dining Hall's large circular table is nearly completely filled and you need to check carefully to find a seat not already taken.

The room is noisy and the aromas of the sauces are appetizing. The four piece chamber orchestra is heard with difficulty.

With the effect of a few glasses of sparkling wine, the conversations are louder now. Many are laughing loudly. Near Sir Balfour de Castelle, many are laughing loudly of a joke by the elder.

Others are instead whispering in sinister tones. Old friends are met, news deals are made.

Van Rijn is still upstairs.

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[Lucius]

Drinking his glass of wine Lucius turns to Viktor.

"Nice to meet you Monsieur Viktor. I´m a wanderer by nature, always going and coming. In the last years I travelled wroud the Core. I setled for one year in Lamordia, and now, here I am.

You must be asking yourself why I do travel so much...well, I do because a I like to discover new cultures and because I´m an student of the human behavior. In truth, I´m more dedicated to study the physical pleasures....and (taking another glass, this time with something stronger inside) "un"pleasures, for some."

[Viktor Hazan]

Viktor watches Abaddon carefully. Then he asks: "Are you familiar with François de Pénible's work?"

[Lucius]

Puting his glass over the table Abaddon thinks, as if recording something.

"Indeed, I know this name, and I know about who are you talking.

I must confess that I don´t know his work with details, but I think he would be an interesting subject for my studies...and i believe that his work could be of some interest."

[Grey Arcanist]

Conrad overhears the conversation between Viktor and Abbadon, and says, "I have some small familiarity with Monseiur de Penible's thinking...I found I'd gained some insight into the matter during my last visit to my home city of Chateaufaux. It was almost as if there was something in the water that shifted the course of my thinking. But I realized that there was a connection between de Penible, and the work of Dr. Daclaud Heinfroth, of the Dominia Sanatoreum. Have you read Heinfroth's work? He's made some remarkable discoveries regarding the structure of the Human brain. He's learned there are some parts of the brain, which when stimulated in certain ways, generate intense feelings of either pleasure or pain in the subject. Heinfroth is trying to find ways to rewire the brain, so that these sensations can be produced by stimuli other that those which normally produce them...think for instance, if pleasure or pain could be effectively produced simply by stating some simple word, or in response to obedience or disobedience...at any rate, de Penible's efforts to change the way his subjects react to pain could be very instructive, if only there was a way to examine the way his subject's brains change as the transformation de Penible strives to achieve proceeds.

[Mayhew Donovan]

Donovan dashes into the Dining Room breathing heavily and collapses into a chair.

"Late for the appetizers but at least the main course is still going on..." he pants.

[Anthony Reuland]

Anthony Reuland slides through the backdoors and enters into the diningroom quietly. It isn't until he has nearly finds his seat that anyone even notices his current presence. The grey-skinned man looks impeciably clean this evening. He wears a crisp black suit coat and trousers that match with his tall tophat. Under the dark coat, he wears a crimson vest and a white silken shirt. A pair of taint spectacles adorn his nose and hide his eyes. Even his wild mop of black hair has been carefully trimmed and pulled back. Yet, despite all the primping and preening, a strange arome of decay surrounds the man...

"Evening, Viktor. Ambrose." Anthony says as he politely nods to his colleagues. Finding his seat, he rests his right hand on his walking cane and looks around the room. "Has Erik joined us yet?"

"Yes," Viktor reponds tensely, "he arrived a little while ago and needed to rest from his travels."

"Ah," Anthony reponds in turn. "I would imagine that he would want his full strength for his presentation tonight. We have gather a far larger croud than what I was initially anticipating."

With that having been said, Anthony turns his attention to the rest of the room and began scanning each individual from behind his dark glasses.

[Mayhew Donovan]

The young Darkonian slides his chair closer to the table and takes a sip of the cooling soup. It's a plesant attempt at his homeland's cuisine. Reasonably authentic even.

"I'm still a little shocked to be here. When does mister van Rijn begin his speach?"

[Anthony Reuland]

"I would imagine sometime soon," Anthony casually replies as he sits down and begins working through his own courses of food. "Then again, I'm sure that Professor Van Rijn has traveled quite a bit to be here this evening. I would not begrudge him wanting to get some rest before beginning his presentation."

[Erik Van Rijn]

No sooner had the main meal begun when the main entrance to the Dining Hall opened signalling another arrival

Van Rijn enters and takes his place behind the podium; those assembled are again shocked by the change in him. His face is the colour of yellowed parchment, almost hidden in the tangle of his greying hair; only the piercing grey eyes show it is not a face of wax. His formerly smooth baritone is broken by bouts of coughing as he speaks:

“My brothers in shadow, this will be a memorable occasion. I am very grateful to my colleagues of the Richemulot Fraternity of Shadows who have supported this conference, especially as I feel sure it will be my last opportunity to speak with those with whom I have shared this great exploration of the Mists in which we dwell.

“Those who know me know what I have given to our great cause; how I have struggled to bring to light the secrets of this land in which we dwell. I hope I may be indulged in pointing out a few of these accomplishments; my monograph on the inhabitants of Kartakass, my verification of several of the alchemical formulae brought to our attention by the Weathermay twins, my personal interview with that noted sorceress known only as the Lady of Ravens, together with other explorations of natural and supernatural philosophy. All this in addition to my sometime work in preparing a digest of your own experiences and investigations, which has become the foremost journal of arcane studies in all this land of Mists--work undertaken, of course, in conjunction with my esteemed colleagues.

“I have, I think it fair to say, worn out my life in pursuit of knowledge, and all of that knowledge I have most faithfully shared with you, my fraternal brothers. In all these things I have been most true to the aims and persons of our organization. It pains me deeply, therefore, to see that my efforts have been slighted, my contributions set at naught, my advancement impeded. And why? For any real or imagined peccadillo of necromantic study? No! For such things are not punished if indulged in carefully--oh, no, they are applauded in secret.”

Mild exclamations of surprise spout from about the room, all of, which van Rijn ignores.

“For any treachery to the body of the Fraternity? Likewise, no! For any divulging of those secrets which I have sworn to keep? No, no, and again, no! Instead, because of my study of what the Fathers, in their exceeding wisdom, have been pleased to call "the study of the overly gross and fleshly concerns of transmutation, in place of that enlightened study of illusion which central to our understanding of Shadow"!”

From his place at the table Reuland begins to rise and Hazan’s face darkens. Van Rijn continues unabated

“For this, and this alone, is my advancement denied. Therefore, I throw down this gauntlet to the Umbral Fathers, the Lords of the Fraternity...”

There is an out crying from across the room as people voice their shock and dismay. From his seat at the middle of the table Lord de Castelle attempts to speak but cannot be heard over the ruckus. All eyes focus in on the centre of the commotion, van Rijn who is gripping the podium so tightly the wood creaks beneath his fingers. He sways gently back and forth.

Then, sudeenly, Van Rijn collapses limply onto the ground. Several servants rush to him and he is quickly carried from the stage.

[Moral Machivelli]

Buchvold stares at the podium where Van Rijen has just stood, A look of utter suprise on his face.
"Well, I did not anticipate that." He turnes to the others seated near him
"Did anyone?"

[Pamela]

Gertrude’s lips parted slightly in wonder as she entered the dining room. The furnishings were grand, but her attention was drawn to the portraits of the brotherhood. And brotherhood it was… She stood tall and eyed the gentlemen who stared down at her from their places of prominence. Never forget, madame, that you wish more of a legacy than a likeness upon a wall. Nonetheless it still rankled.

She was surprised and gratified when she saw that there were no seating cards. She watched where Crow and Huntley sat, and seated herself near them. Remembering her earlier vow, she slipped on a pair of dove-grey gloves before taking up her wine goblet. “Les champignons, s’il vous plait,” she murmured to the servant who approached with the appetizers, “et après, le poulet.” The turkey was good, but she would easily be able to have it in Mordent. And as far as she was concerned, nobody outside of Paridon knew how to properly make roast beef.

The mushrooms were divine, and she began her plate of Chicken Gabrielle with relish. Then Rijn entered and dampened her appetite with his gross coughing. For heavens’ sake, man, can’t you let us enjoy our meal? I suppose he may not make it through the dinner…She listened to his speech. Oh wonderful, a premature eulogy by the dying man himself… She listened, outwardly attentive to his list of accomplishments but inwardly bored…

Until he began to criticise the brethren. Hello, what’s this? She thought, excited at the potential confrontation. She grew irritated at his list of imagined slights. Try and walk in these shoes, sir- at least people acknowledge your name and don’t ask how your wife is doing, and what a shame she couldn’t make it…

Aaaah, she thought, at the mention of the barrier of his field. She of course shared this obstacle. She leaned forward, keenly taking in his words, and let a look of dismay cloud her face when he collapsed. Oh by the bloody sun, what a diva. Penny dreadfuls have had better swan songs… “Is…is he still alive?” she asked, her soft brown eyes round with concern.

At Buchvold’s question, she turned to him, and replied, “I myself have never been introduced to van Rijn. I had no idea of his feelings on this matter. But what did he mean about the secret accolades for necromancy? He obviously had someone in mind…”