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votivescholarsWelcome to the world of the Durants...
Guests from the Nexus are met by an Isidor who is still dressed for business when she PINpoints them directly to the venue. She is on a mission and pleasantries are swiftly exchanged so that she can give instructions and explain how the day is going to go. The first thing to hit them is that it's hot, and bright. They are now in France, Isidor tells them, her narrative changes appropriately as she leads them from the small stone building, through immaculate gardens and towards a sprawling palace which she insists is small for what it is. This is the home of Gnonyma Durant, her grandmother. A 17th Century French palace once owned by royalty but was gifted to her family as thanks for 'a service' which Isidor says was so private that even the mage's journal doesn't detail what it was.
The air is dry and still, which makes the cool shade of indoors a pleasant relief. Like the ornate facade, the interior of the building is lined with intricate mouldings; decorated with impressive portraits; painted in bright, colourful shades; and filled with flowers and draping fabric. There is plenty of space, a fact emphasised by tiled floors that amplify each step and word. It looks as though almost every room is being used, from the way all the doors are held open for the steady flow of traffic. They are, however, let through the building and out another door. It's the quickest way to where seats sit lined up to face a gazebo decorated with ribbons and flowers that stands in front of a pond that might as well be a lake. Some people might notice the air above them ripple slightly, which certainly has nothing to do with the perfectly ornate poles at each corner of the seating area.
There are already plenty of people milling about. Servants stride from one place to another, expertly staying out of the way of the guests. There are some men and women who are dressed well for the occasion, but like the servants they stay out of the way and scan the area repeatedly, making no attempts to engage with the guests - security, judging by their earpieces. Members of the Durant family are easy to spot. They move in groups or pairs, often getting headed off by people looking to talk to them. A large majority of them also sport sashes of either red or purple with gold trim and ornate pins that vary from person to person. This, Isidor explains, is how you spot a patron and an accomplished scholar, based on the red or purple respectively. Viatorus is not yet an accomplished scholar, which is why they have no sashes. Members of Runa's family are equally easy to spot for those that know her. They would be the large group of tall, golden haired men and women with the distinctive Swedish accents happily talking to anyone and everyone.
After guiding them to their seats she tells them that the ceremony will be another twenty minutes and takes her leave to go and sort out the other numerous things on her endless list. Nobody bothers them while they wait. Everyone is too busy spotting old friends or making their way to their seats. It's a good time to enjoy the scenery. There is a small collection of musicians with harps, violins and flutes to one side. Even the breeze is smelling sweet with the perfume of the bouquets.
Within fifteen minutes Viatorus appears in a tailored suit of light grey and deep purple. He is closely followed by an older, stocky looking man in a black suit and purple tie, and sporting a red and black sash that is even more ornate than any others. Whatever the man is saying to him Viatorus barely gets more of a wave of recognition in to his friends before he's being guided to the gazebo and kept there. Shortly after he's joined by a young man and two women with tanned skin and black hair dressed in simple, but high quality clothes of purple, draping fabric. They look as serious as the man beside Viatorus. That is about the time Isidor reappears in more appropriate attire. She in turn heralds the appearance of a woman who shares her features, dressed in elegant gold and black, who is accompanied by a man whose black suit and purple tie are considerably more simple than his purple sash. Its intricacy matches that of the red one worn by the man standing next to Viatorus. The mood seems to shift at the appearance of these last two guests, becoming quieter, expectant. The Durants gather together, and Viatorus' fidgeting increases tenfold as they exchange words. The men with the sashes and the woman in gold take their seats, many of the guests follow suit.
The ceremony begins...
The young man in purple walks with his staff to stand at the head of the aisle and asks that everyone takes their seats. Exactly twenty minutes after the Nexus guests were shown their seats, the ceremony begins. The young man introduces himself as the high priest of Despoina and welcomes them to the union of the two families Durant and Nyström. As it is a ceremony to mark the union of two families with two sets of tradition and two sets of gods to honour, this will be a merging of these two cultures. It will be a handfasting ceremony of the Old Ways, he explains. This means that the couple will be as man and wife for a year and a day, and after that time they must choose if they wish to marry or separate. The guests now better informed, the priest stands back under the gazebo where a nervous Viatorus and patient Isidor stand waiting. On cue, the musicians start playing unfamiliar, but pleasant music to introduce the arrival of Ingirun dressed in white and accompanied by a rounded, red cheeked man, and followed by a woman who must certainly be one of her sisters. Once she was beside Viatorus, Ingirun's father sat down and the ceremony began.
The priest talked of uniting the two families, naming the virtues of both, as he got the bride-and-groom-to-be to hold hands which he bound in ribbons. He then took them through their vows before invoking the gods and goddesses to bless the union. The mixture of Greek and Norse deities made for a complicated blessing that might have been compared to seeking the approval of two powerful families. With wishes given, the priest unwrapped their hands and had the betrothed drink from the same cup. All in all it was a short ceremony as ceremonies go. A few more blessings were given and then the couple were prompted to kiss to seal the pact, which a bright red Viatorus did, very timidly. Luckily that only made Runa beam more brightly than she already was.
Dinner was in a large hall with close family at the head of the room and everyone else seated at round tables. Every position was carefully chosen, of course. The inevitable speeches came from the father of the bride (who rambled joyously about how happy he was to see his daughter with such a fine young man) and the mother of the groom (who gently, warmly, welcomed Runa into the family and spoke of how proud she and his father were). Drinks were plentiful, as were the courses. There were six in total with a selection of each: Appetisers, soup, fish, the main course, dessert, and a palate cleanser. No one will be going hungry tonight, that's a certainty.
After dinner it's Isidor who stands to say a few last words. She thanks everyone for coming and instructs them to enjoy the evening and all the festivities which "will go on at least until dawn". With that, guests are bid to go and enjoy the entertainment filling the palace.
And now for the party...
There isn't a single place that isn't being used for the party. The gardens have pleasant music playing in them, chairs and tables laid out with cushions and blankets for people to lounge in. One of the largest halls is set out for dancers and their spectators to enjoy live musicians that will play ballroom music for the first part of the evening and be replaced by a band that plays modern music for the second. There is a small room of bookshelves and leather armchairs where men congregate to sip whiskey. Rooms with couches and chairs have people moving in and out of them joining and starting conversations. The priest tends to three statues of goddesses that stand at the end of one room. Here he collects gifts and offerings for the couple's happy future. A man with a perfect smile enthralls a crowd with stories that are only exciting because of the way he tells them. A demure woman facilitates a conversation between straight backed men with chiseled features and shorter tanned men who look equally as disciplined. Servants are found throughout, bringing drinks and snacks to anyone who asks or so much as looks as if they're considering either.
((Feel free to backtag, threadhop, start threads, look for more NPCs, whatever you like! If you're unsure of something, looking for more details, or want to plot then you know the drill - Send a message my way and we'll chat!
Note about gifts: It will say on your character's invitation that gifts are optional and it is suggested that a gift to the gods/goddesses would be more than suitable instead.))
The Nyströms | Hephaestia | The Archon, Liselotte & Stathis | The Priest | Oraskis - The Seer
Lieselotte or Stathis | Poenia & Sagyne | Harrowheart & Anna | Adia | Felix & Jim | Evening Event | Isidor | Klaus
Guests from the Nexus are met by an Isidor who is still dressed for business when she PINpoints them directly to the venue. She is on a mission and pleasantries are swiftly exchanged so that she can give instructions and explain how the day is going to go. The first thing to hit them is that it's hot, and bright. They are now in France, Isidor tells them, her narrative changes appropriately as she leads them from the small stone building, through immaculate gardens and towards a sprawling palace which she insists is small for what it is. This is the home of Gnonyma Durant, her grandmother. A 17th Century French palace once owned by royalty but was gifted to her family as thanks for 'a service' which Isidor says was so private that even the mage's journal doesn't detail what it was.
The air is dry and still, which makes the cool shade of indoors a pleasant relief. Like the ornate facade, the interior of the building is lined with intricate mouldings; decorated with impressive portraits; painted in bright, colourful shades; and filled with flowers and draping fabric. There is plenty of space, a fact emphasised by tiled floors that amplify each step and word. It looks as though almost every room is being used, from the way all the doors are held open for the steady flow of traffic. They are, however, let through the building and out another door. It's the quickest way to where seats sit lined up to face a gazebo decorated with ribbons and flowers that stands in front of a pond that might as well be a lake. Some people might notice the air above them ripple slightly, which certainly has nothing to do with the perfectly ornate poles at each corner of the seating area.
There are already plenty of people milling about. Servants stride from one place to another, expertly staying out of the way of the guests. There are some men and women who are dressed well for the occasion, but like the servants they stay out of the way and scan the area repeatedly, making no attempts to engage with the guests - security, judging by their earpieces. Members of the Durant family are easy to spot. They move in groups or pairs, often getting headed off by people looking to talk to them. A large majority of them also sport sashes of either red or purple with gold trim and ornate pins that vary from person to person. This, Isidor explains, is how you spot a patron and an accomplished scholar, based on the red or purple respectively. Viatorus is not yet an accomplished scholar, which is why they have no sashes. Members of Runa's family are equally easy to spot for those that know her. They would be the large group of tall, golden haired men and women with the distinctive Swedish accents happily talking to anyone and everyone.
After guiding them to their seats she tells them that the ceremony will be another twenty minutes and takes her leave to go and sort out the other numerous things on her endless list. Nobody bothers them while they wait. Everyone is too busy spotting old friends or making their way to their seats. It's a good time to enjoy the scenery. There is a small collection of musicians with harps, violins and flutes to one side. Even the breeze is smelling sweet with the perfume of the bouquets.
Within fifteen minutes Viatorus appears in a tailored suit of light grey and deep purple. He is closely followed by an older, stocky looking man in a black suit and purple tie, and sporting a red and black sash that is even more ornate than any others. Whatever the man is saying to him Viatorus barely gets more of a wave of recognition in to his friends before he's being guided to the gazebo and kept there. Shortly after he's joined by a young man and two women with tanned skin and black hair dressed in simple, but high quality clothes of purple, draping fabric. They look as serious as the man beside Viatorus. That is about the time Isidor reappears in more appropriate attire. She in turn heralds the appearance of a woman who shares her features, dressed in elegant gold and black, who is accompanied by a man whose black suit and purple tie are considerably more simple than his purple sash. Its intricacy matches that of the red one worn by the man standing next to Viatorus. The mood seems to shift at the appearance of these last two guests, becoming quieter, expectant. The Durants gather together, and Viatorus' fidgeting increases tenfold as they exchange words. The men with the sashes and the woman in gold take their seats, many of the guests follow suit.
The ceremony begins...
The young man in purple walks with his staff to stand at the head of the aisle and asks that everyone takes their seats. Exactly twenty minutes after the Nexus guests were shown their seats, the ceremony begins. The young man introduces himself as the high priest of Despoina and welcomes them to the union of the two families Durant and Nyström. As it is a ceremony to mark the union of two families with two sets of tradition and two sets of gods to honour, this will be a merging of these two cultures. It will be a handfasting ceremony of the Old Ways, he explains. This means that the couple will be as man and wife for a year and a day, and after that time they must choose if they wish to marry or separate. The guests now better informed, the priest stands back under the gazebo where a nervous Viatorus and patient Isidor stand waiting. On cue, the musicians start playing unfamiliar, but pleasant music to introduce the arrival of Ingirun dressed in white and accompanied by a rounded, red cheeked man, and followed by a woman who must certainly be one of her sisters. Once she was beside Viatorus, Ingirun's father sat down and the ceremony began.
The priest talked of uniting the two families, naming the virtues of both, as he got the bride-and-groom-to-be to hold hands which he bound in ribbons. He then took them through their vows before invoking the gods and goddesses to bless the union. The mixture of Greek and Norse deities made for a complicated blessing that might have been compared to seeking the approval of two powerful families. With wishes given, the priest unwrapped their hands and had the betrothed drink from the same cup. All in all it was a short ceremony as ceremonies go. A few more blessings were given and then the couple were prompted to kiss to seal the pact, which a bright red Viatorus did, very timidly. Luckily that only made Runa beam more brightly than she already was.
Dinner was in a large hall with close family at the head of the room and everyone else seated at round tables. Every position was carefully chosen, of course. The inevitable speeches came from the father of the bride (who rambled joyously about how happy he was to see his daughter with such a fine young man) and the mother of the groom (who gently, warmly, welcomed Runa into the family and spoke of how proud she and his father were). Drinks were plentiful, as were the courses. There were six in total with a selection of each: Appetisers, soup, fish, the main course, dessert, and a palate cleanser. No one will be going hungry tonight, that's a certainty.
After dinner it's Isidor who stands to say a few last words. She thanks everyone for coming and instructs them to enjoy the evening and all the festivities which "will go on at least until dawn". With that, guests are bid to go and enjoy the entertainment filling the palace.
And now for the party...
There isn't a single place that isn't being used for the party. The gardens have pleasant music playing in them, chairs and tables laid out with cushions and blankets for people to lounge in. One of the largest halls is set out for dancers and their spectators to enjoy live musicians that will play ballroom music for the first part of the evening and be replaced by a band that plays modern music for the second. There is a small room of bookshelves and leather armchairs where men congregate to sip whiskey. Rooms with couches and chairs have people moving in and out of them joining and starting conversations. The priest tends to three statues of goddesses that stand at the end of one room. Here he collects gifts and offerings for the couple's happy future. A man with a perfect smile enthralls a crowd with stories that are only exciting because of the way he tells them. A demure woman facilitates a conversation between straight backed men with chiseled features and shorter tanned men who look equally as disciplined. Servants are found throughout, bringing drinks and snacks to anyone who asks or so much as looks as if they're considering either.
((Feel free to backtag, threadhop, start threads, look for more NPCs, whatever you like! If you're unsure of something, looking for more details, or want to plot then you know the drill - Send a message my way and we'll chat!
Note about gifts: It will say on your character's invitation that gifts are optional and it is suggested that a gift to the gods/goddesses would be more than suitable instead.))
✣ · ✣ · ✣ · ✣
The Nyströms | Hephaestia | The Archon, Liselotte & Stathis | The Priest | Oraskis - The Seer
Lieselotte or Stathis | Poenia & Sagyne | Harrowheart & Anna | Adia | Felix & Jim | Evening Event | Isidor | Klaus
no subject
Date: 2017-07-19 11:53 am (UTC)Jim refrains from laughing again though his smile has turned awfully soft and warm as he is pulled along over to the flowering bush to aid in this Very Important Mission the little girl has. Exaggerated faces of thoughtful contemplation ensue as he overs over each tiny bunch of white flowers until the girl insists that one that, that one and he nods in solemn agreement to her tastes and plucks the blossoms carefully at the base of the stems for her before bending back down to offer them to the child.
Joanna must be nearly this old, Jim reckons. He's only ever met Bones' daughter once and it was in a transmission sent from the ship. He wonders if she'd be this headstrong too. More than likely even worse considering she's Dr. McCoy's. Shuffling in the grass and the burbling of the toddler have Jim looking up after only a moment with a polite smile on his face.
The handshake is returned without making Erling wait. He's got his hands full it seems.
"Jim Kirk. It's a pleasure, Erling. Klemens. And--" Jim looks down and offers a reassuring smile to the girl as well, "Theresa. I'm pleased to meet you too." Oh goodness when she pouts she's even more adorable. The captain can't help but to chuckle just a bit before returning his attention to her father.
"I'm a friend of Viatorus' from the Nexus."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-23 11:47 am (UTC)"Are you from Runa's Other-World?" Theresa pipes up suddenly, pouting forgotten. Now her eyes are wide with excitement and wonder. "Is it really so big that it never ends? Are there really zombies who drink tea and sea monsters with hats and cafés run by bears? And tall houses next to short ones? And libraries as big as cities? Are you an alien?"
no subject
Date: 2017-07-23 03:09 pm (UTC)Jim joins in on the laughter, taking half a step back and slipping one hand into his pocket casually while they talk. It gets his sleeve tugged rather insistently when Theresa finds her voice again.
Every time Jim looks down at her his smile gets even more small and soft. She reminds him so much about his best friend's daughter and Jim wishes he could afford Bones more chances to see her. Let him squat down a bit and offer the young girl a grin.
"That's right. I live on a space ship and make sure everyone on board is okay and well. My first officer is an alien and we travel to alllllllll sorts of different worlds to study them." Is it weirder that he's agreeing with her or that he's not even lying? He gives Theresa a conspiratorial wink before he gets up again.
"Harrowheart is a good friend of mine, actually." Tea drinking zombie indeed. "And there is a bear who runs a cafe, that is also true. The Nexus is a strange and wonderful place." Jim looks back at Erling and smiles.
"Aside from wrangling the most adorable group of children, what do you do? Are you a mage as well? Or..wizard? I'm not sure on the terminology, forgive me."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-24 08:30 pm (UTC)"I practice magic like my wife, Luna," Erling says He turns and gestures to the young woman chasing another two toddlers around in dizzying circles. "But most of the time I help my father run the family business." Before Jim can get at all excited he shrugs dismissively. "It's a health company. Not very exciting compared to all of this, or being on a space ship, but it's doing well and it's good work."
"I want to go to the moon!" Theresa exclaims suddenly, jumping up and down. She pats Jim's leg excitedly. "Will you take me? Will you take me to the moon?"
no subject
Date: 2017-07-26 03:21 pm (UTC)It's when things go wrong or they discover something new that they get to have a bit of fun. Or danger. Both of those things happen, just not nearly as often as people like to make it out to be.
"What's on the moon to see, squirt?" Jim bends down again and scoops Theresa into his arms this time, holding her up against one of his hips so she's on equal ground as the adults talking. "My ship is very very far away from this planet right now. In a whole other solar system, even. I'm sorry."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-28 09:36 am (UTC)"There's mister moon and giant's toes and you can see the whole world from up there!" Theresa tells him, uninterrupted by the transition from the ground to being held. She is, however, put out by the news that Jim is far away. "But you're right here." She points up at the sky. "It's only that far away."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-28 12:47 pm (UTC)Jim turns that chuckle back toward Theresa then and follows her pointed gaze up to the moon.
"I am right here, thanks to that magical place Viatorus goes to. Even when my ship is faaaaar far away I can get to the Nexus all the same. Though, as to how I arrived here this evening, that has more to do with my friend Felix's magic. I can't do magic of any kind."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-31 08:58 am (UTC)"How did you get into space without magic?" Theresa asks, wrinkling up her nose.
Erling sighs. "Theresa, don't be rude."
no subject
Date: 2017-08-02 03:26 am (UTC)He snorts without meaning to and hastily excuses himself for the ungentlemanly laughter that keeps threatening to take him away as a chuckling mess. Especially when Theresa asks her question.
"Well, unless this Earth is much different than mine, your people first went to space too without magic in the mid 20th century. For hundreds of years people stared up into the space with curiosity and wondered what was out there. It was around that time that mankind first stepped foot on the moon. They did it by building on centuries of study and the same curiosity you have."
Jim smiles down at Theresa softly.
"Because we don't have magic, we do everything manually. With mathematics and science."
no subject
Date: 2017-08-06 04:41 pm (UTC)"Don't pull faces, Theresa," Erling tells her. "You like technology and science. You love riding the train."
She seems to take this into consideration before declaring, "The train goes so fast. You can see the whole world through the window."
"And I bet you can see the entire planet from a space craft," Erling says, looking to Jim for confirmation.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-07 10:39 pm (UTC)"The entire planet and many other planets too. Warp capabilities have made traversing the galaxy not only feasible but fairly routine within the Federation."
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 09:45 pm (UTC)"Theresa, stop pestering the poor man," Erling scolds gently, and then looks apologetically to Jim. "I'm sorry. Luna is better at making sure the kids remember to be polite." He bounces the boy in his arms who squeals happily at the motion. "Do you have your own children? Or nieces? Nephews?"