Bards event write up
NB: Despite the wording of this report, the event plot was actually quite approachable and engaging. I just don’t play a character who approached or engaged it.
Nemiel, Kerr, Tarquin, Althea, Bliquis, Ryn, Ravenfire and I decided to continue the tradition (of a couple of years’ standing anyway) of a bunch of us Lions going to Merinhault and hanging around the bards of an evening. This time it was technically because an administration clerk was stepping down, but any excuse for a party really.
Kerr was on the high table, at which she carefully arranged everyone according to rank and privilege, while Nemiel and I were in the cheap seats with Prosperity and Michael from the Dragons, Albrecht who was a female elf researcher from the college of darkness, and a couple of other bods from the Dragons who’s names I’ve forgotten. One was a Brehon and also high sheriff, so we have a bit of a natter about that. Albrecht was feeling a bit left out - apparently she didn’t leave the college of darkness very often, but we managed to find a crossover between paperwork and forgeries which meant she could join in the conversation a bit. She was really into forgeries, which I generally find rather interesting too, so it was an easy common ground.
We also found an envelope addressed “To whom it may concern”. Being the first one there I opened it, found some ribbons which I gave to prosperity, and a cryptic encrypted note. We discussed it amongst the table and decided it probably wasn’t for us, so we neatly scored out the address and returned it to the guild with the note “not known at this address”. However Cade eventually returned it to one of the Dragons at the table and offered to Harm him if he didn’t get it translated, so Prosperity helpfully wrote out a rough translation based on what he thought might be fun. He then amazed himself by being partway right - ok, so you gained ultimate cosmic power by wearing the ribbons and standing in shadows rather than by stealing “the midnight sable hat of Kay’de”, but it was still pretty close. Ryn tried to bargain for Prosperity’s ribbons, but fell afoul of Prosperity’s lust for cruciferous vegetables.
Speeches were made, food was had, conversations were silly, Ravenfire, Ash and someone else (I can’t remember who) had a competition to rub cheese on themselves. This was deemed to be my fault. The researcher guy retired, so did Jackdaw. Ryn wants to join the sheriffs, which is great. Nemiel agreed to be one of my deputies, which is also handy. Althea confirmed that we were now having 100% fewer high council meetings, which was amazing (I’ve never been a fan of meetings, gets in the way of doing things).
Cade found a dog, and persuaded Ravenfire to wear Kerr’s tabard (I don’t think these facts were related). Someone mugged Prosperity and stole his ribbons. I had a catch up with Cawd which is always nice (he’s changed job again, which seems to be a hobby of his) but he did have some bad news in that a lovely lady I knew called Polly from the Scouts had been killed over the winter.
Some folks decided to do a rite to the Bastellus, which was pretty much inevitable - it seems whenever 30 or more people are in the same location, a rite will happen. I’ve no idea why this rite was wanted, but I presumed it was something to do with the College of Darkness, which has apparently left the Mages for the Bards, then gone in the huff with the Bards too and split into two warring factions. One faction consists of Bliquis, Althea and possibly Vincenzo, and the other consists of a lot of people with paperwork who don’t like putting themselves forward too much. Clearly this was an epic battle across the ages which could only end when Vincenzo decided whether he was playing or not, since he seemed to be the only one involved who was actually armed on a regular basis.
Either way, they did a rite which resulted in the retired researcher attacking Vincenzo with Whisper. I’m not sure who it was reacted to this news with “We’ve all felt like doing that at some point”, but the situation rapidly dissolved into a whole bunch of anecdotes about times people have wanted to hit Vincenzo with Whisper, or at least with the nearest sharp implement. I suggested that this might be a bardic retiral policy and queried whether Jackdaw would be doing the same, but apparently he hadn’t totally retired, only stepped down from his current role, which didn’t really answer my question but did seem to mean he wasn’t going to be attacking Vincenzo face to face any time soon. Very sensible too, in my opinion, Vincenzo would be ready and expecting it at that point.
The evening continued until everyone was too tired, drunk, hoarse, or fed up talking about rituals and we made our way home.
Nemiel, Kerr, Tarquin, Althea, Bliquis, Ryn, Ravenfire and I decided to continue the tradition (of a couple of years’ standing anyway) of a bunch of us Lions going to Merinhault and hanging around the bards of an evening. This time it was technically because an administration clerk was stepping down, but any excuse for a party really.
Kerr was on the high table, at which she carefully arranged everyone according to rank and privilege, while Nemiel and I were in the cheap seats with Prosperity and Michael from the Dragons, Albrecht who was a female elf researcher from the college of darkness, and a couple of other bods from the Dragons who’s names I’ve forgotten. One was a Brehon and also high sheriff, so we have a bit of a natter about that. Albrecht was feeling a bit left out - apparently she didn’t leave the college of darkness very often, but we managed to find a crossover between paperwork and forgeries which meant she could join in the conversation a bit. She was really into forgeries, which I generally find rather interesting too, so it was an easy common ground.
We also found an envelope addressed “To whom it may concern”. Being the first one there I opened it, found some ribbons which I gave to prosperity, and a cryptic encrypted note. We discussed it amongst the table and decided it probably wasn’t for us, so we neatly scored out the address and returned it to the guild with the note “not known at this address”. However Cade eventually returned it to one of the Dragons at the table and offered to Harm him if he didn’t get it translated, so Prosperity helpfully wrote out a rough translation based on what he thought might be fun. He then amazed himself by being partway right - ok, so you gained ultimate cosmic power by wearing the ribbons and standing in shadows rather than by stealing “the midnight sable hat of Kay’de”, but it was still pretty close. Ryn tried to bargain for Prosperity’s ribbons, but fell afoul of Prosperity’s lust for cruciferous vegetables.
Speeches were made, food was had, conversations were silly, Ravenfire, Ash and someone else (I can’t remember who) had a competition to rub cheese on themselves. This was deemed to be my fault. The researcher guy retired, so did Jackdaw. Ryn wants to join the sheriffs, which is great. Nemiel agreed to be one of my deputies, which is also handy. Althea confirmed that we were now having 100% fewer high council meetings, which was amazing (I’ve never been a fan of meetings, gets in the way of doing things).
Cade found a dog, and persuaded Ravenfire to wear Kerr’s tabard (I don’t think these facts were related). Someone mugged Prosperity and stole his ribbons. I had a catch up with Cawd which is always nice (he’s changed job again, which seems to be a hobby of his) but he did have some bad news in that a lovely lady I knew called Polly from the Scouts had been killed over the winter.
Some folks decided to do a rite to the Bastellus, which was pretty much inevitable - it seems whenever 30 or more people are in the same location, a rite will happen. I’ve no idea why this rite was wanted, but I presumed it was something to do with the College of Darkness, which has apparently left the Mages for the Bards, then gone in the huff with the Bards too and split into two warring factions. One faction consists of Bliquis, Althea and possibly Vincenzo, and the other consists of a lot of people with paperwork who don’t like putting themselves forward too much. Clearly this was an epic battle across the ages which could only end when Vincenzo decided whether he was playing or not, since he seemed to be the only one involved who was actually armed on a regular basis.
Either way, they did a rite which resulted in the retired researcher attacking Vincenzo with Whisper. I’m not sure who it was reacted to this news with “We’ve all felt like doing that at some point”, but the situation rapidly dissolved into a whole bunch of anecdotes about times people have wanted to hit Vincenzo with Whisper, or at least with the nearest sharp implement. I suggested that this might be a bardic retiral policy and queried whether Jackdaw would be doing the same, but apparently he hadn’t totally retired, only stepped down from his current role, which didn’t really answer my question but did seem to mean he wasn’t going to be attacking Vincenzo face to face any time soon. Very sensible too, in my opinion, Vincenzo would be ready and expecting it at that point.
The evening continued until everyone was too tired, drunk, hoarse, or fed up talking about rituals and we made our way home.