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+--- Thread: ANNOUNCEMENT Meeting No. 1 | JULY 2024 (/showthread.php?tid=18215)
Meeting No. 1 | JULY 2024 - yvonne - 07-08-2024
TLDR:: the original council of elders has been removed from power, Yvonne has declared herself as the new Lady and has announced the promotions of Project K, Phoenix and Rosemary to Knight Captain, Grand Marshal and Apothecary, and has announced the plan to host a masquerade ball (themed to jewelry, feathers and golden accents for a royal theme - characters are asked to wear a mask and a cloak) and a tournament to celebrate taking over The Horde. Additionally the Job Board is created as a means of weekly tasks and 'paid jobs' for the members of the Horde, able to be utilized by characters in the group and those outside of it. There has also been a request for volunteers to travel to the other groups alongside Yvonne, as volunteer ambassadors.
[ Click Here For Job Board ]
It had been nearly three weeks since Yvonne and her siblings had returned to their homeland known as The Estate. It had been three weeks of bloody political infighting. It had been a long three weeks to the start of their new life, and the start of her reign over the family and Horde. If anyone had anything to say, she hadn't even had the time to hear them. She had no counselors she could trust, fewer yet friendly faces. The return to the territory had been rough and even rougher yet had been the council of elders accepting it as fact. The accusations against her and her kin had been the most painful thing she'd had to bear yet, fighting back against the accusation that her kin had killed their father, the former Lord by the name of Lothen.
Today found Yvonne walking around the city of Fort Crom in the wee morning hours, her mind too full to stay cooped up in The Estate. Her paws took her to The Marketplace where the young woman watched the bodies milling around, merchants and other holders of ware gathering in the early mornings to set up for the day. The smell of baking bread filled the air in a pleasant way, the early morning fog curled through the streets, the soft crows of livestock filling her ears. Coming up to the fountain of the square that The Marketplace resided around, her eyes casting over the cool babbling water of the fountain. A frown took her young features as she lifted her head once more, looking back the way she had come as the sound of paw steps quickly caught up to her ears. Exhaling wearily, "I wonder when they'll ever stop chasing me. I know it's because of the Elders' orders, but I hate it." She muttered to herself before turning back to the fountain. The voices of merchants soon filled the foggy air of the square, the clink of armor giving away the movements of knights and adventurers as her guards made their way after the young lady. Puffing out a breath of air, looking deeper into the fountain. She supposed it was time to change.
More specifically, time to change a lot of things, least of all those who were supposed to be loyal and support the Rosencrantz Family and those that had the best interests of the Horde at heart. Those folks had become corrupt, or so she could see. It was not a lie that she told, she had not been responsible for the murder of her father, and she doubted that any of her siblings were capable of it. She doubted that even she herself could ever have done it, and she prayed that the eldest amongst them hadn't been the one to do it though he had been the one that had left the group of children most often. She could still remember the darkness in his face the night that their father and the elders had driven them out of The Estate, the vow to make them all pay for what they had done, what they had planned to do. As the children of the Lord, they were first-hand able to experience the corruption of the Elders counsel.
The citizens of The Horde and those that resided in Fort Crom had been on edge for the last month or so, they could feel the tensions in the air, they could see the vampires moving around at night. It would be no surprise for them to see the members of the Counsel moving through the city as if they were fleeing something. There had been a few cases of guards reporting movements of groups of individuals at night and it had done nothing to soothe the concerns of the people nor the royal children. If anything, it had put more pressure onto Yvonne to take the situation under control and finalize her plans. Her thoughts were to promote new faces, those that she believed she could extend some trust to, and had heard good things about, as well as to start a few events that would be good for the morale of the group.
Blinking as voices reached her ears, the young lady lifting her head and looking around as one of her guards finally caught up to her. Offering a half-apologetic smile to the individual in question, getting to her paws, "Alright, let's get this over with." she murmured as she moved along, her guard murmuring something in agreement as she walked past, falling in at her hip. She would wait until the sun was kissing the horizon before the young lady would jump up onto the edge of the fountain and clear her throat, inhaling to call a summons, "Could I have your attention please!", her gaze would cut down one of the alleyways leading to the square, to the knights that marched towards the square with cloaked figures led between them by force. Swallowing, fear thrilling down her spine, she wasn't ready to do this, she wasn't ready to do these kinds of things. Paws clammy with sweat, she anxiously sheathed and unsheathed her claws, waiting as curious merchants and civilians would slowly gather around The Marketplace, including the usual crowd. Most of the murmurs running through the crowd were questions about why the young lady was in the square at dawn.
The feeling of so many eyes on her pelt made her wish for the ground to open up and swallow her whole, to hide in it's dark and safe embrace. Feeling her legs tremble, breath shaking in her lungs as she shuffled her paws as more and more bodies gathered. Breath coming fast as the knights came into the square with their held prisoners, the rattle of chains setting her nerves to fire. Reggie where are you? I'm scared. I wish you were here. I'm not- I'm not ready. I know you said you believe in me, but I'm the one who doesn't believe in me. What am I supposed to do? I'm so scared. her mind was a whirl with emotion and thought, concern coursing through her before she finally remembered to take a deep breath as the gazes grew hotter and whispers started.
"Folk of The Horde, of good Fort Crom. I come before you this morning bearing news. You all have been waiting for the last three weeks, and waiting with baited breath. Before you stands the Elder's Counsel, those who were supposed to have your best interests at heart, who were supposed to look after all of you fairly. Today, I bring them before you for judgement on their crimes, for your opinions on what their punishments should be. Before my siblings and I were driven from The Estate by these individuals, we were shown just how cruel and corrupt they were in how they handled our father. It is no secret to anyone that Lord Lothen Rosencrantz was failing in his mental health before his untimely death, and that he was not of sound thought or decision. My siblings and I were ordered by him, by his puppeteers, these Elders if you can still call them that, to be wed off to other groups or to be killed to secure his throne, his power over The Horde. We would have been nothing more than chess pieces on his board, just as you were until his death. I am once again declaring our innocence, we were not the ones with his blood on our paws. We were driven from our only home by an old insane man who met a bad end, alone."
Inhaling as she took a break to calm her thundering heart trying to claw its way from her throat, taking in the expressions and whispers of the crowd. Opening her mouth again to speak, jaw locking before she swallowed hoarsely and swept her paw in the direction of the Elders in their chains and hoods, breath catching, "The Elder's Counsel is now disbanded and stripped of all noble rank and title, all of your assets have been taken and will be used properly, for the benefit of the common folk, for the good of Fort Crom. This is your only warning, you are to leave Fort Crom and all territories belonging to The Horde by mid-morning. If you have not left the territories by the appointed time, you will be killed on the spot.", her voice cracked as she looked upon the folks she had grown up around, among them her father's old loyalist servants. It was the only kindness she could afford them, and probably not a good look but Yvonne was not as blood-hungry as her ancestors had been, she was not so heartless as her predecessors.
Looking at the people now as they spoke and argued amongst themselves, her ears switching back as she took another deep breath, "A-And I'm declaring myself the next Lady of The Horde. As part of this declaration, I will be removing all people from their positions of power under my father's reign. I apologize, but I cannot trust them, and those that I call forward have been spoken well of by the people, and those few loyal to my siblings and I. I promise that I will do better than my father, I will lead you all in a better and more fair direction. To help me, I would like to call Project K, Rosemary and Phoenix forward to the front of the crowd now. This is informal but in order, I would like to promote you three to Knight Captain, Apothecary and Grand Marshal. I would be forever in your gratitude if you accepted these promotions and worked alongside me for the betterment of the folk of The Horde."
Waiting with held breath as the named individuals were likely to hear their own names or be alerted by others, feeling her paws shaking as she struggled to breathe evenly. Claws sliding from their sheaths, pricking at the stone as she swallowed tensely, waiting for their responses. Blinking a few times to ground herself, "I would encourage the rest of you to work towards promotions, there will be many positions to fill in the coming seasons. In celebration of ... taking over the reign of The Horde from my father, I would like to host a grand masquerade ball to which I would like to invite the leaders and their chosen invitees of the other groups of this land. Take it as a peace offering, an extension of will to fix the past wrongs. To that decree, I am releasing all local prisoners and prisoners of war that we have taken under my father's rule."", she paused to let the words and intended event to sink into the crowd, nervous for the whispers in response. Met by excited words, she relaxed a little, "The ball will be hosted at the Gated Gardens and will be themed. If you plan to attend, please wear masks adorned by jewelry or feathers with golden or gold-like accents and capes. I expect that it will be chilly in the evening of the ball. To any who would like to, I ask of you to come up with some fun and exciting ideas of what to do at the ball for both ourselves and our hopeful guests. Moving on, I would also like for The Horde to hold an official Tournament to accept new Knights and Adventurers into our service, I look forward to seeing new faces around. The Tournament will be held alongside the Ball, with proper Knighting of our new Knights as well as our new Knight Captain, Grand Marshal and Apothecary to finish the week of festivities.", finding a bit more strength, a bit more drive to speak her words and express her desires. This was the easy part, planning things, not the whole having to tell people what to do, part of things.
Listening to the growing murmur of things, biting at her tongue as she waited for the sound to die down before inhaling to speak again, "That's not all. I would like to revitalize a service that hasn't seen much use in recent months. That being the Job Board, where locals, visitors and travelers can utilize. This will be a place where job and task requests can be put up with rewards in coin, item or other things. Those available are asked to check the board often and try to take these jobs. Some of these requests will be posted by our own folk, while others might be handed in by other groups. Check this board for any extra weekly tasks. It will remain here in The Marketplace, and requests can be handed in to the Innkeeper who will put the jobs up for everyone to peruse. On the topic of tasks and weekly tasks, I would like to ask someone to volunteer themselves to host weekly tasks for the next little bit. At the end of this ... tumultuous start to the day, I want to ask one more thing of you all. I would like to ask for volunteers to make ambassadorial visits to the other groups that call this land home, and I would like to ask you to go along with me to visit these groups and seek out alliances with them. I'm new to this, and I know it's a big request, but please. I need help with this. Thank you. That will be all, thank you for your time and patience." Her breath came faster now, anxiety trilling down her spine.
"C-Can Project K, Phoenix and Rosemary please meet with me at their earliest convenience?" Now she just wished the ground could swallow her whole, she wished that she wouldn't have to speak to anyone for a week but she knew that there was no hope of that. Hopping down from where she stood, walking off a way as the crowd began to break up and speak among themselves, her mind buzzing. There was still so much to do, and she still didn't want to be here doing this.
RE: Meeting No. 1 | JULY 2024 - Project K - 07-08-2024
Well, isn't this a surprise.
Lady Rosencrantz turned out to be far younger than the wolf thought, but she seemed to give the aura of power, of cautious willingness to lead. Good, this was good, Project was going to be working for someone who would listen to individuals with experience on a matter. Even better, it seemed that she preferred loyalty through compassion than subservience through fear. A respectable ethos, the thought of which brought him back to foggy memories of days long since passed.
The black canine would approach the gathering slowly, quiet as he focused wholly on the words coming from his leader as she spoke, heterochromatic gaze fixed on the squares center, his mask catching the light as he let a look of surprise cross his face before quickly dispelling it with a shake, quickly moving his way through the gathering to the front of the crowd, following Yvonne's command wordlessly.
He was now the Horde's Knight Captain, the first to fulfill the position under the newly announced Lady. Project presumed he should be flattered, but all he could muster was a polite, tight lipped smile, the leather collar of his armor feeling suddenly tighter as he dipped his head in a small bow of gratitude and silent acceptance. The words of prisoner exchange or release was not of much surprise to him, the wolf would have done the same if this was his situation, but the request of ambassadors did catch him off guard.
"Lady Rosencrantz, I would like to volunteer to aid your ambassadorial duties." Project spoke evenly, trying to take into mind the possible risks that presented themselves. Who else would volunteer for this job, who could he trust to have the Lady's back, let alone his? Would any of the other groups try to puppet his leader? What were their standings already? So many questions would run through the grizzled veteran's mind as he continued to listen, a slight twist of a sour frown appearing as he continued his thoughts.
As soon as Yvonne descended from her platform, the wolf moved, quietly following after his leader, his boss, as she had requested to speak with the trio of new promotees. A polite clearing of his throat makes the creature's presence known, the white porcelain mask hiding his burn easily, yet lending to his discomforting presence in the company of others. "You wished to speak with me, Lady Rosencrantz?" He asks simply, his words curt and clipped, professionalism dripping from his lips. "If you have questions or comments, ma'am, I am more than willing to assist you."
RE: Meeting No. 1 | JULY 2024 - ROSEMARY - 07-08-2024
ROSEMARY ROUX
The ocelot heard the summons. She followed a group of knights to where the young lynx had called for the announcements in the marketplace. Rosemary hung at the edges of the crowd. She didn’t want to meander through people for a good view. After all, she had been living in the Estate… as a Rosencrantz, if not in name and certainly not in refined noble behavior.
Whatever refined noble behavior meant. Rosemary considered herself lucky to escape the cult of her birth with usable socialization skills.
As Lady Rosencrantz—Yvonne, she realized, though it took quite a while for her to connect the name to the face—spoke the announcements, Rosemary winced in sympathy. Lady Rosencrantz was not a good public speaker. Though she was trying, and, perhaps, she would grow into the role. But the announcements showed a clear head for the Horde’s wellbeing. This was better than the cult she’d grown up in, where the narcissist at the helm was only a master of propaganda.
When her name was called, her ears perked up. Huh. Promoted to Apothecary? She had a sneaking suspicion this was because there was simply nobody better qualified—and less attached to the dead Lord—than herself. Still, this meant Lady Rosencrantz likely didn’t consider her as a suspect in her father’s death.
However, the promotion came with the expectation of talking and interacting with others. A chill ran down her spine. Oh. No.
Jaw clenched, she followed behind Project K. She mirrored his body language. Almost exactly. Calm. Collected. Slight smile. Polite bow of the head. But with a bit of twitchiness in her forked tail.
Standing in front of the crowd caused her thoughts to race. She focused herself by glances at Project K and constant appraisals of her mirroring of his body language. However, she didn’t copy the scowl on his face; her expression remained neutral. As neutral as an ocelot with four eyes could look, anyway.
At the announcement’s closure and the lessened focus of the crowd, Rosemary exhaled. She flicked her tail and felt the tension dissipate out of her body.
However, this was not the end of socializing. She glanced at Project K and, once again, mirrored his body language as she walked to meet with Lady Rosencrantz. It was a lot more difficult to fake calmness and professionalism without someone to mirror.
After Project K spoke, Rosemary tilted her head a tad to the right. Then, she looked at Lady Rosencrantz. “Likewise.” She tilted her head with a glance at Project K, to imply she meant exactly as he’d said.
RE: Meeting No. 1 | JULY 2024 - PHOENIX DRACO - 07-14-2024
Grand Marshal. He never thought he would hear those words in reference to him, and the orange tabby froze for a few seconds, stunned at the announcement. She entrusted him with being her second-in-command? He would have to take some time to process all of this later, it was a lot to take in. He was grateful, just slightly dumbfounded.
Phoenix realized he probably appeared rude staring off into the distance for a hot minute while his mind raced, and he quickly adjusted his paws, cleared his throat, and looked off to the side. What was he supposed to say in this instance? Saying nothing was not an option, the Lady deserved a response.
“I would love to assist you in taking care of the fine folks of this land, Lady Rosencrantz. It’s an honor to serve as your Grand Marshal.” Phoenix could hear the blood pumping in his ears, his heart picking up the pace a bit as realization set in. He had much work to do.
The orange tabby gave her a polite bow, hoping it would show his appreciation for this opportunity and promotion. He would do his best to help guide the people of the Horde to a prosperous and glorious future, as a proper knight-based society should be.
He listened attentively to his leader’s speech, nodding in agreement when appropriate. There wasn’t anything else for him to add, or to ask about. Once she stepped away from the crowd and began to walk away, the tabby would follow in with Project and Rosemary.
“You asked for my presence, Lady Rosencrantz? I’m here to listen and lend aid where I can.”