after-party ♔ february

[wynn]

♬ Kodo (Inside the Sun remix) - Yoshida Brothers

WHO || Wynn, any and all Knights not currently on missions (if you are uncertain if your character would be at the castle for this, ask!)
WHAT || Squiring Ceremony Afterparty
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Ballroom
WHEN || February 1st, 2014, 6:00PM [backdated]
HOW || Prose OR Actionspam

The "afterparty" is the real main event of the night at every squiring, but tonight's party is a little different than usual - Faith has successfully lobbied (as in roped people into helping her decorate for) a Chinese New Year's party, or Lunar New Year, theme.  With Knights from all over the world, it was easy to get input from those who traditionally celebrate the holiday, and Wynn is all about the spirit of cultural unity.  Not to mention, the second of the 15 days of the spring festival is all about spending time with one's family and friends.  

The lavish, opulent ballroom has been transformed, filled with red lanterns, peach blossoms, kumquat plants, and chrysanthemums.    People are encouraged to dress in red to ward off evil spirits and bad luck, and avail themselves of the New Year's Cake, golden champagne cocktail, rice pudding, candied fruits, and the Tray of Togetherness.

As always, it is every new Knight's chance to mingle and meet some of their new brothers in arms. Of course, a couple hours are provided following the ceremony for everyone to change, do hair and makeup, and choose from the vast array of formal attire in the closets of the balcony "dressing rooms" located at the top of spiraled staircases on either side of the ballroom. A separate dressing room exists for men and women, and they include full bathrooms (with, thankfully, very modern plumbing).
The squires are usually among the last to arrive, and the ballroom is full to the brim with a fancy array of people, of all shapes, sizes and species.

Hope you aren't shy. They're all here to meet you.

Feel free to make your own open threads for people to come congratulate your newly pledged knight.

ooc; also if your Knight wants to get all gussied up, you can make a Disguise (Cha) check for how good they were at hair/makeup/stylin', etc! This goes for... any time.

Comments

[wynn]

Taking action without knowing why we do so is dangerous as well. There's nothing wrong with considering the reasons for our biases.

[fixyourproblem]

[His smiles fades away as he takes a moment to contemplate.]Then tell me why do we do so? Why do we take lives to save others? Is it because of quantity we can save or is it because the kind of lives we can save? [He is not angry, he is just ... lost.]

[wynn]

Sir Bancroft told me that your mission gave you some moral pause.

Tell me, Sir River, what is our overarching mission here? Is it merely to save lives?

[fixyourproblem]

No, of course not. We try to provide people with better lives in this world. So the stray can call this world their home. So people can live without fearing each other. That's our main mission, isn't it?

[wynn]

It is. And it is not ideal for us to take lives at any point during that quest - but to protect those strays, as you would call them, sometimes we must strike down great evil.

Do you know what the followers of Sarandis believe?

[fixyourproblem]

[He knows that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for greater good. But as far as he can see, that sailor was just a man who took some bad choice in choosing his career path. But maybe that's because he is just too naive to see the truth.

He states his answer by shaking his head.]

[wynn]

Sarandis belongs to a cabal who believe that the Christian God granted humankind dominion over every other type of life on earth - they use this Scriptural translation to justify a sense of superiority over all Shadowkind, as they are not of this world, and most are not human. They go even further to believe that God intended them to use Shadowkind as a farmer uses an animal to plow.

It should come as little surprise, then, that they have looked into ways to limit the capacity Shadowkind have to resist enslavement. Some of our Knights have discovered laboratories where they mutilate, murder, and graft sentient beings together to attempt to create monsters compatible with their mind control technology. All of which they justify through their belief in a God who favors them.

We didn't wish to kill any innocent men or women - which is why we wanted to make it seem as if the Knights were uninvolved in this operation. It was possible that these men were not practitioners of the same twisted beliefs - until they recognized Sir Bancroft. Sarandis would have only shown his photograph to his own personal agents - ones he has warned about our existence continually. We've lost Knights before to Sarandis' schemes. I won't have it happen again.

[fixyourproblem]

I see... [He understands the reasoning but still, it could have gone better. They could have let him live and put him in rehabilitation. Or exiled him somewhere off the map. But people's heart is hard to change so maybe what had happened is for the best.

He still cannot let go of the incident, but this talk does give him a little peace of mind.]

So, what happens now? If Sarandis is as smart as you said, I'm sure he could easily figure out that we are the one who sabotaged his operation. I'm sure just waiting is not a good option.

[wynn]

'Just waiting' has never been an option where Andres is concerned. Our Dragon's Claws have been staking out the island for a year now, testing points of entry, gathering intelligence to allow us to finally do what needs to be done.

Patience is different from inaction.

[fixyourproblem]

I'll trust your judgement then. And I'll try to find something on the street, I doubt there will be anything useful, but it never hurts to try. [He might not be as useful as a Dragon's Claw, but he is familiar with the underground world. Besides, he needs something to occupy himself so he could take his mind off the dead sailor thing.]

[wynn]

Just be cautious with your inquiries. Drawing attention onto yourself as looking into Andres might be reason enough for Sarandis to take an interest in you, and we can't afford the trouble that might bring as well. Whatever you do, don't try to make contact with anyone on the island itself.

[fixyourproblem]

[Brantley nods.] I'll try to keep a low profile. [Don't worry, he knows how to stay out of troubles. At least, most of the time, but still, he is not going to risk his life, or anyone else in this case, just because he needs something to distract himself.] And while I'm at it, do you need me to find something particular?

[wynn]

Sarandis is researching technology used to control the will of sentient Shadowkind. I want to know if he has any potential buyers. They might have a good idea of how close it is to completion.

[fixyourproblem]

I'll take care of it. [It's been a while since he took care this kind of business. But shady dealings and underground auctions are still in his area of expertise, so let's see if his skill hasn't rusted yet.] Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find some air. The fire play starts to bother me a bit. [Fire makes him remember how his father died, so he goes away to a place less bright.]