The Game - Acting it out [Team Dawn & Dusk]

[Nyahna Sasin]

Sasin sighed. "Other entrances? Not that I know of." He stayed quiet about the kelvic he knew was nearby. Better safe than sorry. He hesitated, then spoke up. "This game.... unerves me. Who knows who, or what is behind this? A castle appears in the woodlands, masked creatures kill anyone without a mask, a teardrop of blood to represent a killer...... It's all very mysterious. Who's behind this? A god? What god would play games like this?"

He scowled as Devandre spoke of killing their teammates. "You're forgetting one thing. There are only two of us, and all of them could kill us. And even if we kill them, so what? What could we stand to gain from killing them?"

His musing was interrupted by a mask falling between them. "What in Sssiku's name....." He hissed, jumping backwards. Glancing up, he realized there was a platform above. "My, my, my." He turned away. It held no interest to him.

He was about to speak again when the curtain fell. He started slightly, his eyes straining in the dark. He turned to Devandre. "I doubt they will miss us. Shall we take this conversation outside?" He asked.

[Kamalia Timandre]

Queya followed Queen Eugenia’s elderly advisor into the reassuring embrace of the shadows, and her dark crimson irises glinted like blood rubies in the darkness She watched with calculating eyes as the inventor unmasked himself and politely requested for Kamalia to do the same. An enigmatic smile curled beneath her porcelain façade, as she stood regally before the two men in an icy, foreboding quiescence. Queya allowed Jaeden and Alistair to speak first, motionless like a stark statue, yet her eyes followed every moment and every gesture. Finally, the moment came when she gently removed her sky blue mask with both hands, revealing the unmistakable pulchritude of a young konti maiden.

Delicate lashes framed almond-shaped eyes that swallowed a crimson sunset, and long locks of white and silver spilled to her legs. Kamalia Timandre held not the simpering gaze of a timid maiden; she regarded them with intelligence and without any trace of cowardice on her face, as if she were an experienced warrior. “We would do well to waste less time on idle pleasantries, gentlemen,” the konti said softly yet resolutely, her thin fingers inching close towards the suvai scabbard fastened at her sash. “Innocent lives are at stake here. If you care little about winning, then Team Dusk must win this Game,” she declared while staring them in the eyes, unwavering, “and if anyone of you dared to obstruct us, I will not hesitate to spill blood onto the stone.”

By all appearances, Kamalia seemed determined to win, no matter what it would take. Silently, the konti wizard prayed to the Goddess of Seers that she would not have to fight with these humans to rescue the children at Stitch’s Orphanage. She lifted the corner of her lips once again in a mysterious smile, before once again slipping the mask into her face. Clearly, she refused to join Jaeden to go back out into the courtyard, as she had other plans in mind.

[Alistair deGrey]

Never expect logic to resonate for more than a fraction of a second within the mind of a sorceress. Amusing how the enlightened are also ignorami, is it not?

A scowl crossed Alistair's face as the Konti magician spouted off the senseless babble her breed was wont to do. All too clear was it that Kamalia's djed rattled mind had lost the ability of cogitation. Fool. It was, at this point, impossible to discern any motes of lucidity floating behind her speech. Despite the likelihood of their inanity, Kamalia's words reverberated in Alistair's mind. Each sentence replayed, becoming ingrained into the fabric of his brain. Whatever it was the witch meant, Alistair would piece it together as he gathered more information. Perhaps Stitch would be of more aid.

A whir, a click, and Alistair opted for the path that would temporarily remove himself from the witch's babble and brethren. "I will accompany you, there are other structures to examine." His eyes flitted around the newly dimmed backstage, his eyes resting on Stitch for a brief moment. Upon my return, perhaps. Conjecture dictated that Alistair should allow the man time between his outburst and contact. "Right, then." deGrey stepped deeper into the shadows, toward the courtyard.

[Stitch]

Stitch was swift to move, and when Alistair's eyes would find him, Stitch would be quickly approaching the Lady Kamalia. When he took his position by her side, right behind her left shoulder, he might actually scare her with his rather sudden appearance. His mask was gone, but not forgotten, now hanging loosely from his left hand. Although his eyes still burned with an unearthly red, the warmth from the orphanage owner was unmistakable. A small smile was on his lips once more, and the rage of earlier was completely gone. One would wonder if it had all been just an act, and he had now dropped the act. After all, they had been participating in a rather dangerous play. Whatever the case, now he stood there, once more the guardian of Lady Kamalia. His voice echoed out, and it was also gentle and warm, soft and smooth. "Pleasantries are a welcome blessing in this rather ill game, milady. This one would request you be a tad more gentle with the other fellows here. This man in particular is a good friend of this one." Stitch nodded at Alistair, clearly indicating the inventor with the small tilt of his head.

He paused again, and then once more spoke clearly, this time being a bit more firm. "Their lives are also quite innocent, milady. This one will protect all in his sight, not just the children. If this one can help it, no innocent blood will be spilt tonight." Turning to Alistair, he gave a short bow, his friendly smile once more seeming to direct some invisible mass of incredibly warm and loving emotion at the man. "Greetings, milord. This one hates to meet you again under such stressful circumstances, and on opposing sides, as well." Alistair might noticed Stitch seemed a little odd. His voice had only stayed firm when he was talking to Kamalia, and now trembled just a bit. He was sweating too, an abnormal amount, but gave no other sign that something was wrong. Perhaps the Game was just stressing him out?

As Jaeden, Sasin, and Alistair made a move for the courtyard, Stitch spoke loud enough for the three of them to hear. "Please be careful, milords. Yell if you require assistance of some sort." Turning once more to Alistair, Stitch extended his hand, offering a firm handshake. "Stay safe, milord."

Once the three had made their move outdoors, Stitch would turn to Lady Kamalia, unseen eyes scanning her over. It would be a small and awkward silence, but Stitch would eventually break it, speaking of a matter they had both left unsettled for too long. "Milady Kamalia. Would you happen to know the whereabouts of Milord Gromhir?"

[Tarot]

OOCJaeden, Gromhir, Nyahna, Kamalia, Alistair and Stitch are allowed to continue this thread. Everyone else is thereby excluded from the adventure (they can, however, ask me for XP should they return).

The masked man began pacing slowly across the room, his head following Gromhir as he did. "You should know that better than anyone here, Gromhir the Kelvic. You are an animal. Why do animals - or even men - play? It is no mere pastime; no, it is training, preparation for life. We rehearse, like in a play, the things we must learn so we can succeed later on. Some will win, some will lose; such is the nature of everything under the sun." "We need to find individuals with some specific… traits," the masked man stopped on his tracks. "Let's just say the winners of the Game, if any, will embody those traits to a remarkable degree. Should there be no winners, alas, we shall try again next time… some time, somewhere. Provided the world does not end first, of course." He said it in utter seriousness, as if the danger, or perhaps the time span involved, was entirely real. Meanwhile, it became obvious Evarette, Karona, Devandre, Rhylen and Demetri had left the place - and Danica, who had not even entered the building was nowhere to be found. Devandre ignored Sasin's words and muttered something unintelligible before disappearing into the nearest black door - he did drop his mask on the floor. though. Evarette also left through a black door and got rid of her mask. No-one saw Karona depart - maybe she was just hiding and planning something devious? The others were also unaccounted for and so were their masks, at least for the moment. To those leaving the theater and heading back to the courtyard, they would find everything there completely unchanged. The shops were still in place, with the same tempting deals and treacherous opportunities as before. They must not take long, however, for the second act was soon to begin. And right here and right now, they had to come up with a plan to justify the loss of so many characters to the audience. And perhaps be prepared to play more than one character.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a slow wave to Stitch as he continued out of the Backstage area. "We'll be careful. Watch out for the critical sharp weapon crowd though, I feel they'll be more of a threat than anything right now." Jaeden hollered back to Stitch.

Jaeden made his way out to the open courtyard, pulling his mask upward for a better view as he began looking over the various shops. He first made his way over to the forge, inspecting what were present, oblivious to the fact that other members in the game were making their exit and disappearing. He paused for a moment, looking around as he scanned the courtyard. “Interesting,” Jaeden commented idly to Alistair, “wasn’t there another Drykas out her. Danica or something?”

Jaeden then looked down to a longsword for a moment out of simple habit before he began searching for any sign of a composite longbow and some arrows, grabbing one if he saw such. He oblivious for the moment to the exits that the other members of the game were making inside the keep. “She must have decided to exit out of this when we were all in there.” Jaeden then commented idly to Alistair if he was still nearby before making his way down to the Tanner’s shop, looking over the wares to be found there. “Not that I blame her. From what I’ve seen so far, this game is very much set up so that everyone is likely to fail. The beating heart at the doors, making us face each other in a play. I’ve noticed the drop appear on your hand as well.”

Jaeden shook his head, looking over some of the leather armors, snagging some if any seemed exceptional before making his way down to the bakery and examining the foods in there. If he continued on this, there was a chance he would be in the keep for a fair amount of time, long enough that his own rations would likely be depleted more than he would like. “That’s one-third of our team already marked as a Sinner, and we haven’t even gotten through the second trial yet, nor do we know what other trials and how many are still waiting for us should we even pass this one?” Jaeden then pointed out. “The elements already present also make it likely that another sinner will be marked in this play. Whether it be through the tensions running between our two teams, the subject of the play itself forcing conflict, or conflict with the weapon wielding crowd itself, having to fend them off in case we are considered untalented hacks in their eyes.”

Jaeden then began grabbing at the foods that appealed to him, looking over any notes or descriptions the shop may have had for the food. “So, what do you think will happen for the second act?" Jaeden then said idly to Alistair.

[Gromhir]

The Kelvic crouched, resting on his haunches as the masked man revealed a little more of the Game’s purpose to him. For a moment, he considered simply thinking quietly to himself but that would achieve little. Here, he felt he could voice his thoughts, felt that they could be understood. “There is no denying what you say,” Gromhir spoke plainly, his gaze continuously fixed on the man like a hunting wolf. “But that much is obvious. You are not simply playing the game, you are manipulating it. Manipulated is the word, yes? You say you are looking for individuals but what do you get from this? What will you do with these individuals? From all I have seen, this game is designed to cause conflict. It is meant for us to treat everyone as our enemy. Then how do you expect us to win? What traits are you looking for?” Gromhir stopped, realising how many questions he had posed to the masked figure. But he had one more. “Do you have a name?”

[Nyahna Sasin]

Watching Devandre shake his head and leave, Sasin wondered whether he should do the same. Still, some sense of curiosity kept him going, and he turned from his retreating friend, and walked out into the courtyard. He noticed that both sides seem identical, and, ignoring the smaller shops, walked into the opportunity shop.

Examining the scrolls, he felt a tiny idea trying to find purchase in his brain. He scowled as he examined the scrolls, paying attention to the one called the scroll of betrayal. He lit up as he caught the idea, and all but ran back to Stitch.

"We can all win." He blurted out. "People are missing. How many people are on our team? How many people are on the other team? If we all join up, we have a better chance of winning."

[Alistair deGrey]

Conjecture is necessarily centric upon facts and logic- anything readily verifiable. When the world about you lacks any ordered structure, the path of assumption becomes foolish if not dangerous.

Alistair allowed a curt nod to the blind man as he was addressed, "Salutations, Stitch. Now if you will excuse me, I must be departing for a short moment." He pursed his lips and ran cold fingers over the porcelain of his mask. Seeds of a plan had begun to germinate, tiny tendrils coiling around his mind and taking root; yet it was only a fledgling plant, it would need time to bloom. The relationship between the witch and Stitch was of interest, revealing a possible route to coalition. As it stood, Jaeden and Alistair stood little chance without aid. No longer did he harbor any velleity toward the subject, now survival spurred his volition.

As deGrey exited the theater, he proceeded to sort through other immediate issues they had been presented with. His mind inevitably turned to the voluptuary, and temperamental, audience within. Half the characters had abandoned their roles within this game, leaving both casts heavily diminished. If the armed attendees did not seem pleased with the original rendition of the play, the streamlined version would likely garner them no favors. Yet within this potential tragedy lay a lodestone to give this meandering performance a true direction. The maid, the jester, the princess, and the queen. Two extraneous characters had vanished, taking the figureheads of Team Dawn with them. This, in retrospect, was not such a terrible happening. Alistair's vines grew, entangling each character in the beginnings of a plot.

Jaeden Kincade shattered Alistair's reverie with a query regarding Danica, "Yes there was, and I would be inclined to concur." Mindlessly did he follow the other man to the bakery, still shaking off the last dregs of introspection. "I do not know what others will be doing for the second act, but I believe I have formulated my plan. I will require the masks of our teammates though, so we may wish to return in time for a proper retrieval."

Another structure laying in their periphery caught Alistair's attention- a church. Odd, what sort of deity would find patronage in this locale? Answers danced just outside the inventor's reach, and he chased them with reckless abandon. "I shall return momentarily, do pick up some bread for me if you would." Without so much as facing Jaeden or allowing a retort, the magnetized man was pulled to the church. Perhaps insight as to who created this keep and its ultimate purpose could be discovered. Alistair pulled open the building's door, eager to see what lay within.

[Kamalia Timandre]

Bearing the divine Gift of Avalis, it was not difficult for the wizard-seer to detect the eldritch nuances woven on the fabrics of truths and lies. Stitch’s presence had been upsetting her receptive Sight the moment he received that mysterious letter. It was as if he had morphed into some fearsome anathema that reeked of untruth. He was simply not in his usual condition. Kamalia instinctively felt that Stitch still hid something from her despite his revelation that the Welcome Home Orphanage was truly in danger. At the same time, her oracular intuitions also suggested that he was merely telling the truth. It was one of the few times when her common sense and her goddess-given Sight clashed with each other. Confused, the konti maiden merely stared at her blind friend as Stitch gently admonished her.

Kamalia spared no time to squander with the fools of Team Dawn. She turned to face Nyahna Sasin, staring through her porcelain mask with icy crimson eyes. “It appears that there are only two of them left in Team Dawn. The half-symenestra female must have vanished in the shadows, and is engineering some hideous machination against our team,” the konti sorceress said in a softly-accented Common, “and most likely against theirs. If those two human imbeciles choose to betray their own team to join Team Dusk using some of those scrolls Stitch had shown us, then they are welcome to join. If not, then we will see,” Kamalia said frigidly.

The konti gave Stitch an anxious glance, almost frightened, when he asked her about Whitemane. “I cannot tell the exact location where Gromhir is, but I can feel him through our bond,” she said, her voice sounding troubled. She realized that while she had Stitch, a capable fighter, by her side, the konti wizard felt that she was bereft of true protection. “I would like to go to him, but we can choose to remain here as we have only a few chimes left before the beginning of the Second Act,” Kamalia said.

The konti’s crimson eyes shone like blood-rubies as she nearly stepped upon Iolanda’s mask. Kamalia’s mind worked, as she began to devise plans and consider the possibilities. She gingerly picked up the mask, and waved it at Stitch and Nyahna with a sly smile. “Those halfwits must have forgotten they have left these behind. Let’s take them all first,” she said, before she began to scan the area for other masks and take them.