Lady Tysha's Feast

[i]Valdir, the son of a simple huntress, had never really cared for the fine etiquette of the Pendorian nobility, nor had he worn the fancy coloured clothes that great wealth could afford. However, he had to adjust to this new position of Count and had been trained in the noble ways by his somewhat aged steward, who sadly could not attend the feast.

His company was small and would not join in with the crowd, their colours, showing a black crossbow on a somewhat darker tint of red, were neither flashy nor noteworthy and had not been created for the purpose of being noticed. The newly appointed Count lead them into his private tent, Valdir was dressed in the same colours as his men, but wore a white woolen sleeveless vest to contrast the black crossbow that he had chosen for his personal sigil.

Brown hair stuck out from underneath his red hat and he hadn't shaven since he departed from his own estate. One could even question if he was able to perform in the noble society. In fact, Valdir wondered this himself and he was nervous enough to remain in his private tent for the time being.

Vealdis arrives at the festival grounds and was greeted by a small group who showed him and his small band of 7 retainers to all their own tent. Vealdis enters his tent, followed by a servant who brings in his footlocker.

''Good, now leave me and say to those serfs that I want some peace!''

The servant lays the wooden footlocker down and gives a small bow to the count before he leaves the room. Vealdis touches his belt and stops when he finds a brown pouch with a linnen cord. He takes a key out of the pouch and uses it to open the footlocker, which he had placed on a table in the corner of the tent. Vealdis removes his leather cuirass and helmet and places them next to the footlocker. He takes a thick, green coat trimmed with beige fur out of the footlocker, and puts it over the brown tabbard bearing his sigil, two golden axes facing each other with a ship facing front in the middle of them, on a field of blue under and green above.

Vealdis faces himself in a mirror standing near the bed.

''Good enough for this lady and her tents.''

He grins as he walks out of his tent, the sun shining upon his brown hair and the wind gushing in his face.  

ooc: Late aswell, will post later next day.

Simon Lane sat alone in his private tent, chiseling away at a small, ebony wooden statue. The statue had a separate piece for a base, which was carved in the likeness of a rock formation, as well as a small slot to place a small wooden shaft that would serve as a banner. The main centerpiece, and the focus of the Count, was a lion roaring in triumph. The banner, of course, was not made of wood, but was a re-purposed piece of the invitation letter that bore House Abaddon's seal.

As Simon finished his work, a servant arrived to inform him that the feast was finally ready. The isolationist Count thanked her for the information, but did not get up from his position. He carefully positioned the lion on top of the base, and slid the complete banner into its socket. The piece was finished.

Leaving the ebony statue on his makeshift workstation to dry and and become ready for presentation, the Count followed the servant to the feast in the main tent. The scent of such a magnificent array of meats, spices, and breads led Simon to become ravenous, and he took a seat near the corner of the semi-circular table.

As he sat down, he took no delay in taking a chicken leg and devouring it whole. Soon afterwards, the Count drank from his tankard as small drips of ale seeped into his beard. The food and drink available was at his mercy...

When Vealdis stepped out of his tent he saw that more lords had arrived. More banners dotted his view, one of them a black crossbow on a field of dark red. He then looked to the two man standing infront of his tent.

''Carolan, come with me,'' he said in his usual tone, "Adskhan, guard the tent, let some of those servants get you something but don't dare to leave this tent unattended!''

Willem gave a nod and Carolan, Vealdis' squire followed Count Vealdis as they walked to the main tent. A female servant that had been waiting for the Count rushed to them, seeing them walking to the main tent.

''Lord Vealdis, might I escort you to the feast?''

''Ofcourse you may, even though the tent is in clear sight infront of us but without your escort we will surely get lost in those few last steps."

The servant blushed with shame and Carolan grinned. The servant then escorted the two to the main tent and closed the flap of the tent behind them when they were inside.

He was then greeted by the sight of Thysa Abaddon and Simone Lane, who already had his fair share of the food, and more than that.

The Invitation to feast reached Vincent just a few after he arrived at his new home. The first few days were busy but just after he and his family got comfortable he had to leave for the feast.
Lucky for him the Location of the feast wasn't far away, he traveled much longer and on worse roads before he came here.

He brought only a small retinue with him. Just as they were setting up their tents he made his way to the main tent. He had no information about Lady Tysha or anyone else who would attending so he only wore a plain linen Garb with small embroideries. A little bit of gold here and there and some traces of green.

He entered the Tent silently but was immediately greeted by a Servant who handed him a cup of wine. He then lowered his head and voice towards the Servant.

"Be so kind and tell me if Lady Tysh ..." he stopped abruptly as he saw her. A dream in Gold and Black, it seemed her hair was made pure Gold. He started slowly walking over to her, disregarding everyone in his way. He would have enough time to talk to everyone else, but first he had to thank the Lady for the invitation.

He bowed with a smile on his face as he reached her but his eyes never left her face.

"Lady Tysha, may I introduce myself? I am Vincent Margrove. And I want to thank you for the invitation, the travel was made worth while by your beauty. Astrea has blessed this day with wonderful weather and it seems the golden rays of the sun have found their way into this Tent as well."

Lady Tysha smiled and inclined her head towards the singer of compliments.

"You're most kind, my lord," she said as her gaze rose up to meet his. "Please be welcomed to this humble encampment that is my temporary home. Won't you sip the wine of Janos? It just arrived last night, and I was afraid it wouldn't at all."

Her left arm stretched out towards the side of the tent, where several dull-colored jugs sat upon a table lined with metallic goblets. The servant attending the table carried over one of the goblets and a jug of the wine, before filling the former with the contents of the latter. The well-dressed serving boy, seemingly in his teens, handed the wine cup to Lady Tysha, who promptly offered it to the lord in front of her. As the servant returned to the table, a plate-armored man stepped away from it. It seemed that he had moved to guard the unattended table. His plate was painted black with the golden lion of House Abaddon on the front. An experienced eye might have noticed that the paint was entirely unchipped, and thus likely new.

After some time, Lady Tysha's other guests arrived to participate in the great feast. Despite Simon's bottomless appetite, there was more than enough food and drink to go around for everyone.

The Count then finished his meal, taking in one final piece of spiced, salted fish before sitting back to let everything settle. Surprisingly, the area around him was not littered with bones and other waste from the foodstuffs, but all non-edible materials were neatly piled on a spare wooden plate off to the side. The only real mess Simon made was the small bits of ale that got into his beard at the beginning of the feast, and even that was somewhat remedied by a silk handkerchief that Simon carried around to cleanse the beard of any contaminants.

Simon Lane, now content with the meal provided, relaxed in his chair. From time to time, he would sip from his tankard, but otherwise remained idle. He made no attempt to start conversation.

Vincent looked puzzled as the Lady handed him another Cup of wine. So he quickly emptied the one he held in his right Hand and then placed the empty cup on the table to his side.
He then took the Cup from the hand of Lady Tysha and then clinked his against hers.

After taking a small Sip he continued

"And there you already know about my biggest weakness. I can not say no to beautiful women." He smiled warmly again.
"But the wine is really good, I will have to get some as well for my little home. Speaking about homes. I would like to invite you to my holdings as well. Of course only after everything is finished, which would take some more weeks. I guess each of us has much working still to do."

Did the wine already get into his head? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to empty a full cup on an empty stomach. He stopped himself before talking any more. They only met just now and he was talking to her like they knew each other for years.

Vealdis seamed openly annoyed by Vincent who claim all the attention of their Hostess. Vealdis then saw Lord Simon sitting near the corner of the table. Vealdis walked over to the man and took the seat next to him. Carolan followed without hesitation.

When Vealdis was seated the servant that handed Vincent his wine also came to his seat. Vealdis ordered a goblet of mead. Carolan did not drink and stood silently behind Vealdis his chair, head bowed to the ground. Vealdis then turned his head towards Lord Simon.

''It seems that one guest has more of an eye for the host her
bosom and pretty face then for the other guests. Vealdis Hullcleaver, pleased to be your acquaintance''

Vealdis then got handed his goblet of mead, small sips followed.

Valdir didn't drink much, as he didn't want to make his men feel the temptation to disobey. He had -ordered- them to keep sober, to keep their guard up. While serving the Lord Constable of the Silvermists in the noble wars, he had heard many tales of the deceit and plotting nature of some of the more ambitious nobles. It were those stories that made him decide to stay in his tent while other nobles had already joined the festivities.  

"Guess I might as well get it over with. I should've taken Rabastan with me, he'd at least fit in."

His captain, Rabastan the swine, had grown up among the Marleons upper citizenry with Morten Astigi, Valdir's half-brother. Despite his cruel and slightly barbaric ways, Rabastan was well spoken and could handle himself in the company of the fancy and rich. Much unlike the peasant-turned-Count Valdir.
He pondered on that for a moment, before he reassured himself with a firm nod and quickly left his private tent before he changed his mind.

The main tent was an interesting scene, with a beautiful woman that had to be the hostess and a very small number of guests surrounding an immensity of food and drink. A servant quickly approached him, waiting for his demands. Valdir was felt like a fish out of the water, but managed to play his role.

"Please inform the Lady Tysha of my arrival," he tilted his head a little as to seem very confident in his superiority, but hastily added "Once she's free, ofcourse."

Expecting the servant to move out of his way now, he was surprised that he didn't.

"Uh-, I'm sorry Sir, but who may I say has arrived?"

"Tell her it's Count Valdir of Bazzano"

The servant nodded and walked over to Lady Tysha, but Valdir was left with a bitter aftertaste. Bazzano? Had he decided with which name he would start a dynasty?

ooc: Tysha, insert the servant whenever you want.

Tysha smiled at Lord Vincent and gave him a slight nod.

"I am honored by your invitation, my lord. I of course accept it." Her gaze turned towards the message-bearing servant, who leaned in to whisper. She gave yet another nod in response and turned back to Lord Vincent.

"If you'll excuse me, my lord. Please enjoy yourself."

With that she turned towards this 'Bazzano' lord. A strange name, even for the monstrous patchwork of Mordred's kingdom. She took a few small steps in the direction of the newcomer, but stopped well short of speaking distance from him. Apparently, he would have to come to her.

He understood what was happening, apparently it was always the same with the inbred nobles. Superiority comes with the Dynasty name, and his had never been heard before. For a moment he debated whether he should play along with his host or shrug and move away to taste some of the spices. However, she was still the hostess and he closed the distance between them.

"Milady Tysha, I am honored to have received your invitation." Valdir took off his hat and bowed slightly, this he had done many times before and was probably the only noble thing he was good at. "I have come into the possession of a county not far from here and I would be most pleased if you'd accompany me during my next hunting event."

Tysha smiled at the Bazzano noble, much as she had with Lord Vincent.

"A gracious invitation, I accept, my lord," She glanced around the tent before continuing. "Have you ruled in the Steppe long. A former Silvermist, perhaps?"

"I fought on their side in the noble wars together with my half-brother, but we saw the true cause in the end and made amends."

He watched her with unbelief, for the steppe had no master but the Jatu and didn't he just said he recently acquired..with a bitter aftertaste because the wit could not match the beauty, Valdir excused himself.

"My apologies milady, but have a rather big appetite tonight."

He did another bow and returned the hat to its high place, before he left her for a prime spot at the table where he carefully selected chickens, fresh beef and grapes.

The moment Vealdis removed himself from Tysha's presence, Vealdis got up from his seat and walked to the hostess.

"My apologies milady, thanks to the interference of some of the more eager nobles in our midst my introduction was a little bit delayed.''

Vealdis looks around the tent, resting his glare for a few moments on the faces of Valdir and Vincent.

''The name is Vealdis Hullcleaver of Windholm, merchant, treasurer, capitain of the ship called Windbreaker and since a few weeks a Count in one of the most esteemed areas of Pendor. It is indeed a pleasure to meet you.''

Vealdis gves a little courteous bow after his introduction.

((Typed this earlier but thanks to the maintenance it got deleted.))

Tysha smiled at the newest lord and curtseyed ever so slightly.

"Welcome, my lord. No doubt as a ship captain you're well-accustomed to delayed introductions. Have you tasted the wine, my lord? I've acquired a fine vintage from the lands of the old Empire. I'm sure as a captain you've tasted much better, of course."

Tysha reached her arm towards the side of the tent, and repeated the same act with the servant as she had with Vincent and offering the cup from her own hand. The plate-armored man once again silently moved close to the table, no doubt guarding against poison.

Vealdis smilled at the damsel and kindly raised his hand.

"I'm indeed known with the taste of the wines from Janos and not many wines match it, but wine is not to my taste nor do I wish to loose my wit on this day of celebration. The flagon of mead will be enough for me.''

Vealdis signals Carolan with a hand gesture that he wishes for his cup. Carolan gives a little grumble of annoyance but walks over to bring the cup. He then walks away to the place he had been standing.

"The promise for 'a war that will end' doesn't come on any day. We might even rule these lands in peace now and get rid of the more less adored folk in the Juta steppes and the Northen lands, but all in good time. As the hostess of this merry gathering, will you be saying a few words? Some of these lads seem to need some words of wisdom in their skulls.''

Vealdis sips from his mead as he waits for the lady's response

Simon Lane was content in his little corner of the world. One after another each guest made way to greet the hostess of the feast, even the man who sat down briefly to introduce himself before getting up again. Another lord seemed desperate for attention, trying to speak with the lady whenever possible. The man of Astrea also seemed starstruck by her as well.

The warrior simply shrugged. Nobles liked to play their childish games with words and politics. Marriages arranged for power or wealth were relatively common. For Simon himself, he married a simple farm girl from the local village of his estate. There was no real benefit in terms of kings and nobles, but for Simon and his wife Selena, they were childhood friends of differentiating castes.

The Count then finished his tankard in one swig and got up from his seat, making way for the exit. He told the servant there he would be returning momentarily.

Tysha nodded to the lord in front of her.

"A rare occasion indeed, that we can prepare to celebrate a peace while a war continues. I do hope we might maintain it now, although there are Silvermist traitors not yet hanged," She smiled and seemed to drift away for a moment, the dream of glory unmistakable in her eyes.

"As for a few words, I might wait a while yet. The evening is still quite young."

Vincent stood in the place he was left by Lady Tysha for quite some time, he looked around the room, trying to find someone who isn't speaking.

He went over to the table where Valdir was sitting. He walked closer slowly and waited for a moment were he wasn't eating to introduce himself.

"Greetings my Friend, I overheard your conversation with the Lady before, Valdir Bazzano, It this right? If I may introduce myself.
Vincent Margrove is the name. Our holdings shouldn't be too far from each other I presume. But don't take my word for granted, I am quite new to this game of Nobles, the only thing I can do is talk."

Vincent made a small pause and exhaled quite loudly.

"And now that I notice it, I am still talking. May I sit down? I am starving."

Valdir, still with his mouth full chicken, nodded in agreement.

"New to the nobility hm? I am as well, so we'll get along well enough."

he smiled, but it seemed to be out of politeness instead of joy and his face visibly aged underneath his beard.

"Tell me your story Vincent, how did you manage to acquire your holdings?"

Vealdis looks around and sees Valdis and Vincent. He smilles and turns his head back to Tysha.

''It seems those two will get along, atleast for tonight.''

Vealdis face then turns a little bit more grim. He lowers his voice.

''Listen...I'm not as informed about recent events as I should been for someone in my position...could you tell something about our other guests?''

Tysha smiled, yet again, and spoke softly as she leaned in.

"The Silvermist attacked the lord of Marleons. The other lords rose against them in turn. We destroyed the traitor Rangers, but not before -they- destroyed Poinsbruk. And now their lands have become our lands."

She smiled again and leaned back. Her gaze swept over the room momentarily, at each guest.

While the other nobels were busy chatting wiith each other, Quirus walked into the tent. Wearing a rather militaristic formal suit, he wouldn't be out of place in a war council of the Royal Pendor Army. Leaning on his sturdy oaken walking stick, he gazed at each lord and other person present before limping to a seat. No sense approaching people with other obligations.

Quirus didn't touch the food nor talk to anyone. He figured that the hostess had something deeper to say, if she had bothered to send such elaborate invitations to each Lord of the steppe. Most of them were present if he remembered the reports of their names correctly.