IB Session 1: Dying for the Drama
General Summary
Month 6, Week 4, Year 850Island in the storm,Buffeted by his cruel winds,No rest for tonight.
I sought to make a better life for myself to the north, but Despero's greed kept pulling me back. An invitation to Marquis George Vechian's will reading found me thousands of miles away, interrupting my studies in the Way of the Slap. Perhaps my former employer had a change of heart at the end of his life, including me in his will to seek atonement for all those exploited and abused by his greedy ambitions. A merchant vessel of Sardivelian bullywugs took me quickly from Suika to Brei, from there it was merely a quick ferry ride to the Marquis' private island of Ashera. I ignored the mocking looks from the nobles in attendance, focusing on the gold that would soon be mine to donate to the monastery's recruitment efforts. As great Slapmaster Arjun would say, 'There is no forest that cannot be pushed through with the right mindset'. Dozens of nobles gathered for displays of exaggerated grief at the island's temple, the only genuine tears coming from a tabaxi woman moments before the service was set to begin. I recognized the Marquis' son Geo and his business partner Daniel Vidaru, I take comfort in the fact that we all had an unpleasant time during my years working at the Vechian factories. Many returned to the mainland after this flood of crocodile tears, only a dozen seemed to stay behind for the reading of the will. A tiefling woman with some tenuous connection to the Vechians invited me to join her on a carriage to the mansion, but I needed the time to center myself and take some much-needed time away from all these bluebloods. Just as Slapmaster Arjun meditated to learn the contours of the Golden Forests, so I learned Ashera's every winding path and trail. The rain began to fall as I arrived at the manor, a servant by the name of Lucas leading guests towards the will reading. The tiefling and some type of bard had taken an interest in Lucas' daughter. I did not. I situated myself in the corner of the room, watching as the rotted fruit of the Vechian family tree made their way into the chambers. Geo's spawn Thierry tormented everyone within earshot, Iona would do anything to obtain the attention she never got from the Marquis, and Theo appeared solely interested in carnal pleasures. The Marquis' cousin Christa appeared to be an even harsher judge of character than myself, and nobody seemed to have anything to say about a dwarven woman named Madame Anastasia. Geo's wife Lucina and Theo's beloved Mircea were also there, the former taking an interest in a tabaxi warrior by the name of Spark of Life. I can understand why: with those claws and such strength they could become one of the greatest slapmasters of our generation. Despite my entreaties, this Spark of Life seemed more interested in the ways of the flesh than the way of the slap. But as Arjun once said, 'Even a peryton will fall from the sky with enough force'. The Marquis' lawyer Milena Chouet finally began reading the will, the sole reason for my descent back into Despero. The Marquis' holdings were distributed among his business partners and next of kin while odd items were left behind for specific individuals. A candle for the Madame, and every corrupt member of the Vechian family fell into a frenzy when a ring was given to the tabaxi who had wept over the Marquis' body. Is this family so devoid of emotion that they would refuse to recognize true feelings? Then came my inheritance, a single alchemist's factory in Havre. 'I am currently working on recycling animal feces into something useful, a procedure I wish I could apply to you'. Those words would ring in my ears for the rest of the evening, the Marquis humiliating me from beyond the grave. If any more names were listed in the will I didn't hear them, I was too busy seeking out Lucas to inquire about the first ship off the island. The rain had turned into a dayslong storm, making any voyage to the mainland all but impossible. So I found myself stuck on an island surrounded by everything I hated about Despero: its opulence, its pettiness, and its shameless corruption. Lucas prepared a transcendent meal at the least, I do hope he uses his wealth to escape this depravity and create something better for himself. Spark of Life appeared more interested in Mircea than the teachings of Slapmaster Arjun, Iona complained about unfair treatment from her deceased father, and Theo was destined to make the biggest scene while leaving the dinnertable. I wanted to meditate on the trials and tribulations of previous Slapmasters, but cries from upstairs interrupted such transcendent studies. It was Lucina, Geo's wife, found poisoned in her bed. History had repeated itself on Ashera: first as tragedy, then as farce. Geo did not seem to appreciate my observations, the tiefling Jupiter even attempting to pull me from the room. But I seemed to be the only one with the sense of mind to gather a list of everybody who had left the dinnertable before Lucina's death. Christa Vechian, Thierry, Madame Anastasia, the tabaxi Spark of Life, and even Lucas must now be considered as suspects in this mystery. How far has the rot of house Vechian spread?
Character(s) interacted with
- Christa Vechian - the Marquis' stuck-up cousin
- Daniel Vidaru - the Marquis' dragonborn business partner
- Geo Vechian - the Marquis' firstborn son
- Lucina Vechian - Geo's wife, found poisoned in her bed
- Thierry Vechian - Geo and Lucina's annoying son
- Iona Vechian - the Marquis' overly dramatic middle child
- Theo Vechian - the Marquis' fast-living youngest son
- Mircea Vechian - Theo's pregnant wife
- Lucas - the Marquis' former manservant
- Rho - Lucas' cinnamon roll of a daughter
- Madame Anastasia - a mysterious dwarven woman with some connection to the Marquis
- Milena Chouet - the Marquis' personal lawyer
Report Date
23 Feb 2021
Primary Location
Featured Players
- Aura of Passion
- Gaultier Menard
- Jupiter Talzerine
- Spark of Life
- Ysmyrelda Starr
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