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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: 2017-07-01 08:25 pm (UTC)"Definitely the case. Viatorus and Isidor are sorta like the prince and princess of magic in their society, I think," Harrowheart says quietly. "Isidor told me once that they ain't officially titled or nothin', but I don't think I was wrong. Their father, the Archon? Have you seen him around tonight? He's sorta the king of magic. I don't know if that's for the whole world, or just their kingdom, or what..."
Anna nods along until she quietly adds, "Did you know they're related to a dragon? That means all the Durants in this room must be! I think that's what gives them rights to being magical royalty. Can you imagine? Being part dragon? I've never even se–" She stops abruptly and shakes her head. "Well, no, I saw Deathwing as he was flying toward Stormwind, but I've never seen a dragon up close!"
Harrowheart jabs a thumb into his chest and whispers back, "I have. Dead ones, mostly, though. But I can't imagine a live one up close. And falling in love with one? Shoot, you'd have to be brave..."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-02 12:27 am (UTC)Her eyebrows shoot up at Anna's reveal of the Durant ancestry. "No, I --" She clears her throat, lowers her voice from conversational to whispery. "No, I didn't. That's wild. Is that their source of magic?" She can buy Isidor having dragon blood, but Viatorus seems distinctly non-dragon-y. Not unless the dragon was one of those cute little ones that is the trusted sidekick of some brave adventurer. It must be very far back in the bloodline.
For a moment, she wishes she had access to some Durant blood and a good DNA sequencing program , but she tries to push that thought from her mind as soon as it pops up. "I've never seen a dragon," she informs them. "Not even in the Nexus. What are they like on Azeroth? Are they big? Do they breathe fire?"
no subject
Date: 2017-07-18 06:34 pm (UTC)Anna is the one who knows the most about dragons on Azeroth, though, so it's easy for her to jump on in and explain, "They do breathe fire! But some of them breathe sand or lightning, and others breathe ice or pure arcane storms! Some can even spit lava! It all depends on their color. And they can be as small as a cat or as large as this whole mansion! They're perfect shapeshifters, and some of them walk among mortals disguised as the humanoid races. I figure that's got to be the same on this world. How else would the Durants be part dragon?"
Adia! Somewhere out there exist creatures that might even be able to change their entire DNA at the drop of a hat! Honey, you need to find you a dragon. But imagine the size of the mouth swab you'd need...
no subject
Date: 2017-07-18 08:45 pm (UTC)It's discordant, but it's a thought for another time, because Anna is telling her about dragons, and although Adia will always be a pegasus girl at heart, dragons are pretty awesome, too. "They sound amazing. And that makes sense -- the shapeshifting, I mean."
She throws out a covert look of curiosity at the other party guests. Could one of them be a shapeshifter? Maybe she's already met someone who shapeshifts, and she doesn't even know!
"Harrowheart talked about other races on Azeroth once, but I only remember the orcs, and... aliens? Are there others, besides them?"
Has she met a shapeshifter?... http://imgur.com/a/wn9nz
Date: 2017-07-22 05:26 pm (UTC)He glances at his sister, but just as Anna opens her mouth he blurts out, "FORSAKEN. They're the bad kinda free-willed undead. They got yellow eyes and they don't do nothin' but badness."
"They're part of the Horde," Anna clarifies. "The faction opposite the Alliance, which the humans are part of. The Horde has trolls–" and she quickly raises her voice before her brother can say anything, "Which Harrowheart hates! We know." He looks put out and crosses his arms as she continues. "And some of the beastfolk. Like the tauren – cow folks. The Alliance and the Horde both have pandaren, a type of bearfolk."
"There are tons of beastfolk on Azeroth," Harrowheart clarifies with a nod. "Most of 'em don't live with the factions, they're out on their own with their own kind. But the Alliance has one kinda beastfolk: The worgen. People who're cursed by the wolf god Goldrinn, they can turn into wolf-men or take a human form at will."
Anna looks up at her brother with an unspoken yet tangible expectation. He returns her look with thought and uncertainty, his lips shifting left and right as he mulls over his options here. Finally he nods.
"I'm a worgen," Harrowheart says. Just gonna lay that little factoid out there.
Anna, bright-eyed, eagerly says, "The whole family's thinking about becoming worgen! We really don't see the downside. Honestly, I think it'll be fun. Kind of adventurous, you know? And we'll all be so strong. Farm work will be so much easier in worgen form."
no subject
Date: 2017-07-22 09:35 pm (UTC)It's also hard for her not to smile every time one of her friends interrupts the other. As an only child, sibling relationships are a bit of a mystery to her. It's like they have their own unspoken language, although that expectant look that Anna gives her brother is hard to miss. It keeps Adia from interrupting with another question, letting him take his time to say what he needs to.
Even so, she was not expecting that.
"Really?" She looks up at him in surprise. "Even though you're also a death knight? Which happened first?"
She doesn't seem to find this news disturbing or scary. Perhaps compared to his undead status, being a werewolf is no big deal. Anna's enthusiasm at her family becoming werewolves, too -- well, that throws her for a loop. "You... um?" She fiddles with the clasp of her purse, unsure of what to say. "That seems like a really big change to go through..."
/slides into your inbox 2 weeks later with Starbucks "Sup."
Date: 2017-08-11 04:10 pm (UTC)"He became a worgen first," Anna says stiffly, and Harrowheart absently nods.
Slowly, hesitantly he explains, "I wouldn't have been strong enough to become a death knight if I hadn't been a worgen. I'd be Forsaken at worst, or just... Dead-dead."
Anna purses her lips and fights against saying anything, but she loses the battle quickly. She turns to him and through grit teeth stresses, "Or you'd be alive."
Her brother looks at her, dejected and defeated. The longer he watches her with his dead eyes, the more her anger cracks. Eventually she can't look at him any longer and puts her hands on Adia's. "It was good seeing you," she says, and without waiting for a reply heads off into the crowd.
Harrowheart forces a half-hearted smile for Adia. "Don't worry," he says, because he's sure Adia is going to blame herself for that. "You just go on and have a good time at the party tonight, huh? I got a lotta folks to meet, myself..."
new phone who dis (kidding!!!)
Date: 2017-08-13 01:52 am (UTC)Her friend knows her well. She does in fact blame herself. But as much as she hates conflict, she can't let him leave, too, not without finding out what happened. "Harrowheart, wait." She places a hand on his arm and looks up at him with pleading eyes. "Will you at least tell me what I said wrong? I don't want to accidentally hurt your sister again. Or you."
no subject
Date: 2017-08-13 03:05 am (UTC)"She gets... Real touchy when it comes to certain things. Sometimes her mind connects some dots she thinks she sees and she goes off, y'know? She's just... Still real bitter about how I died. I guess askin' which one came first made her think things woulda been different if things had gone some other way?"
While he holds her at arm's length he takes a moment to inspect her face as his own expression falls back to guiltiness. "There's nothin' you can say that won't make her act like that, Adia. When I said it ain't your fault, I meant it. All you can do is forget about it, hmm? That's what I do. Let her have her emotion, then move on. She ain't gonna remember it anyway."
no subject
Date: 2017-08-13 12:20 pm (UTC)Well, everyone has a sore spot. Hasn't she gotten defensive with him a couple of times? It just doesn't feel right to ignore hurt feelings, to not try to talk things out, but he knows his sister better than she does. If Harrowheart thinks it's the right thing to do...
"I'll try not to bring it up around her again." She smiles weakly. "If you ever feel like talking about it, it won't bother me."
no subject
Date: 2017-08-14 02:09 pm (UTC)"Thank you," is all he manages, quietly. It's a few more long, dazed seconds before he parts his lips one last time, but whatever it was he thought he should or could say, he doesn't. Instead he forces a small little smile, honest despite the effort it takes.
Maybe some day he will talk to Adia about it, but for now it seems he isn't quite ready to make that promise.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-14 04:00 pm (UTC)His quiet expression of gratitude is a relief, and all at once she understands. There are some stories that cut too deep to one's center, that leave one vulnerable and exposed. This must be one of them.
Her smile turns to one of reassurance, and she pats his arm much the same way he had done for her. "I'll be fine," she tells him, in case there is any lingering concern for her. "Go enjoy the rest of the party."