Duelling Fops of Vindamere - Game Thread

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ooc: Voros Voros, feel free add to the setup and how Basil reacts.)

Over the two weeks following the ball, notes have been passed furiously. This leads to events at another party - there is always another party.

Patrina is dressed scandalously. She's in pants. Not only that, with her hair tied up and tucked into her hat, she could pass for a servant. Some will point out that, despite her family's money, she's not true nobility so this sort of impropriety is only to be expected. Others will applaud her initiative to gain her true love.

She climbs up into a second story of the servants quarters where the servants of guests drink, gamble, or just nap until it is time to go home. Patrina slips a bit of opium into the drink of Basil's driver, just enough that he'll sleep until morning.

When the festivities end, Patrina drives the carriage around. Who is going to pay enough attention after a party to notice a change of drivers? Basil gets in. Then, Patrina intends to drive to a hamlet where an understanding priest will be waiting in the morning.

(If Basil is a willing party, then he would know and cooperate, If he is a kidnap victim, he might be too drunk to know he's going the wrong way until the next morning.)
 
OOC: Note that it's more fun if we leave Basil's consent unclear at this time. ;)
 
Fenris-77 Fenris-77 A Fiery Flying Roll Black Leaf Stan Stan

The next morning Aumont is notified by the servants that her father hasn't returned from the night before. She breakfasts without worry as his affairs often keep him from returning home in the morning but as time passes into the afternoon and dusk comes on she feels a quiver of concern.

As irresponsible as her father is he would have sent a note if he was going to miss dinner or suddenly leave the capital.

As night comes on she steels her resolve and sends note to Benito summoning him to her parlour.

She still has no romantic interest in him, or so she tells herself, but hopes to persuade him to seek out the location of her pater familias this night.
 
OOC: What are the rest of us supposed to be doing with/in/about this scene?
 
Fenris is next to act, as his main PC

HIs options are:

CONSPIRE WITH THE CLIMBER (Foppish + Aristocrat)

Success gives disadvantage to the next person whose action would derail the adventure. Failure messes things up so bad it gives them advantage!

SWEAR VENGEANCE

A standard brag, but one whose form must be something like "I shall impale the dastard responsible for this"

SEARCH FOR THE INTENDED (Serious + Aristocrat).

RP ones this, with no mechanical effect. Success you know who did it, failure you have no idea.

LAY A WAGER

You place a bet on the eventual outcome. Not just who did it but whether they're caught and punished or live happily ever after. Success gains +1 Foppish. Failure nobody cares.
 
The front door would be too easy, too declassee, and certainly not worthy of enshrining in verse, so Benito will ghost his way into Aumont's parlor through a side door or over the back wall, or something equally daring. He is hoping for a rekindled romance but is also a man of the world. Perhaps a dashing entrance and a gallant attempt at ... whatever Aumont wants ... might serve to soften her icy heart. Heart aflame with a somewhat poetical and fuzzy sort of love, Benito swishes expensively into Aumont's presence (you can only swish expensively when your clothing budget is a big as Benito's).

He is somewhat (again poetically) crushed that her desire is help, and not the needs of her heart, but Benito will bow low, and reassure the lovely girl that his every resource will be bent toward finding her father.

Looking for Aumont's Pa: 1d10+9 10

Sadly, every resource Benito can muster doesn't seem to be worth the fart of a two copper pig. Benito is crushed, and will probably brood darkly while wearing a suitably muted ensemble.
 
Maximilian is, as all the worst people are, very much a morning person. He insists that every morning should be started at 5 am, with a hearty breakfast of wild boar bacon rashers and quail eggs (which naturally he eats with soldiers, who he often names after his rivals and makes them beg for mercy before wolfing them down).

Even worse, he insists that breakfast is a time for "conversation". The man truly is a monster.

The burden of providing this conversation falls, as always, to poor Priscilla.

"I say, dear. Have you heard that Basil Applethorpe has failed to return home for breakfast?"

Maximilian leaps to his feet in horror.

"I say! A man would only miss breakfast if he has been captured by ruffians or ner do wells! The man may be an unforgivable bore, but nobody deserves that kind of treatment from people that may be" *shudders* bloody FOREIGNERS!"

He storms out of the house. Priscilla sights. "He could have at least wiped the egg of his chin" she mutters to herself.

Next we see Basil banging on the door of the Applethorpe residence.

Somewhat confusededly the Butler opens the door, to find Maximilian pushing past him boldy to go and find Aumont.

"Never worry, helpless maiden! It is I, Maximilian Croup, famed duellist, renowed wit and most relevant to this current situation, rather a dashing detective if I do say so myself. It is time for me to do some detectiving and track down the ruffians who are holding your father captive, no doubt as part of some dastardly scheme".

Unfortunately, it turns out that Maximilian's idea of "detectiving" is to interview the servants one by one, by shouting "which of you lower born types is responsible for the kidnap of the poor fool Basil Applethorpe and where are you stashing the imbecile? Tell me or I shall have the lot of you horsewhipped!"

(OOC: Serious + Aristocrat roll. Result: 17)

Miraculously, this approach bears fruit. One young housemaid, near tears, mentions that her sister works for the Trindlebottoms and has said that Patrina has been "mooning over that Basil chap".

Egads! It is worse than Maximilian thought! Clearly Basil is some kind of sorcerer and has bewitched poor sweet innocent Patrina Trindlebottom into feelings she would undoubtably not have for anyone but Maximilian without the use of magic. If Basil has dishonoured the naive young girl there will be hell to pay or is name isn't Maximilian Croup!
 
Voros Voros

It is now time for Basil to take his action! Naturally, a lot of this will come down to whether he is "willing party" or "reluctant kidnap victim".

The options:

ESCAPE MY DURANCE VILE

This is hardcore. You wait until Patrina's guard is down and then skewer her and make your escape. It's a SERIOUS + DUELLIST roll.

Success: She dead. You may append the honorific "The Virgin" to your name, although I have to say that's stretching creduality for a man with children.

Failure: She's probably got you aren't interested now. If this happens it's up to Stan Stan whether she kills you, keeps you or lets you go. If she lets you go you either finger her to the cops (she gets -1 Aristocrat) or keep quiet (you get -1 Aristocrat.)

PARTAKE IN MY OWN RAVISHMENT

Sex Moves!

No roll required and one suspects some fading to black.

Where it gets interested is what happens next. You both have to agree on this or stay locked up and unavailable!

You both elope, leaving the game and running off somewhere. (If this happens I think this early on we let Voros play one of his children).

You publically announce your enagement, taking -1 Serious each.

DEMAND RELEASE

Shout, pout, whine and all other shenanigans to make it clear Basil isn't worth all of this. FOPPISH + DUELLIST.

If you succeed, well done. Patrina lets you go and is no longer besotted with you.

If you fail, she decides you're playing hard to get. You'll eventually still get away, but your reputation is ruined. -1 Foppish and -1 Aristocrat.

BASHFULLY WED

You accept Patrina's attention, but insist she does this the proper way and says sorry to your family for her behaviour, before getting wed. This kind of unorthodox situation takes a SERIOUS + ARISTOCRAT roll to pull off.

Success - Your daring eccentricity is seen as admirable rather than outrageous. You're now married with no stat penalties.

Failure - You're still married, but it's the scandal of the century. You both take -1 Aristocrat and -1 Serious.
 
Basil develops a taste for Patrina's opium, a new vice to him, and locks himself away in her retreat's tower for long hours to indulge, eventually giving in to her romantic overtures to keep the supply flowing and not minding the lovemaking either.

She insists they marry otherwise she would be considered a disgraced and lost woman. Again, taking into consideration the opium and the more carnal pleasures Basil agrees without much thought or concern to the consequences to himself, Patrina or Aumont.

'Damn what others think!' he says and recites Shakespeare's 130 sonnet before formally proposing engagement and calling for a carriage to take them back to the soon-to-be scandalized city.

[If there is agreement]

'If anyone dare insult my lady or our love I will skewer them through like an apple with a paring knife!!' he shouts, before nodding off in the plush carriage seat.

-1 Serious
 
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