After returning to either the Noble district or Shadowshore, the characters complete their various errands and clean themselves up as best they are able. As the sun sets, the fearsome four end up gathering outside the walls of the Toregson manor house, the early comers hesitating to go inside until the others have arrived. All in all, the party behaves more like they are going to storm the place rather than honoured guests.


Champion District Map

But when the last of them arrive (it's Logan - he's late of course), they finally make their way in through the imposing 20' foot gates that lead off the Avenue of Champions into to the estate grounds.

It quickly become clear that the Toregson's are a family who are proud of their heritage in the Sasserine arena. It also becomes clear that they like ornamentation... and lots of it. The grounds and the buildings are a mish-mash of a dozen different styles with the only common theme being that quantity is its own sort of quality, and you can never have enough sculptures of swords, shields and daggers.


Gargoyles above the main gate


Famous Toregson ancestors set in stone
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:49, Wed 11 Mar 2015.

The party are greeted by a servant who conscientiously checks their names against a list, and happily all four of them are on it. They are directed towards a path at one end of the garden which leads down to an underground grotto lit with torches. There are a large number of people already cramped into the underground space, probably nearly 100.



The party waits and makes small talk (feel free to fill that in) for what seems like a long time. Eventually a thickset man bursts into the grotto from a side door at the end.

"The wedding is off!" screams the man. He is dressed in an expensive yellow silk shirt covered by a white jacket tailored to resemble widely spaced chain mail. His large build and biceps the size of coconuts mark him out as a proud member of the Champion district's body building scene. A tattoo on his left arm which reads 'Amarilde Forever' suggest that he is probably the groom.



"Listen to me!" he screams over the muttering crowd. "I, Soren Toregson, do declare that my bride to be is a harlot and a tramp. I refuse to marry a woman that would spend the night before the wedding carousing in such an ill reputed establishment as 'The Mermaid's Secret!."

There is a multitude of gasps as the gladiator makes his accusation, followed by some howling from the side door opposite the one that Soren came through.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:42, Fri 13 Mar 2015.

"It isn't true!" screams Amarilde as she bursts out of the door. "I swear it! I wasn't there, I have never been there. Please, why would you say such things my darling?" She goes to hold him, but Soren shoves her back, much to the dismay of Amarilde's family. Some of the well dressed Vanderboren men rush forward to intervene, followed a second later by some meaty looking blonde fellows that are surely Toregsons.

"I have two witnesses you wench!" exclaims the man. He pushes two young men forward, who begin to begin to tell their story while looking quite uncomfortable.

Groomsman 1: "Well, yeah, it's like this. Me and Robert were walking 'round Azure district..."

Groomsman 2: "Looking at the ships mind you..."

Groomsman 1: "Yeah, that right. Looking at the ships in the harbour. And then we see that woman that looks like Amarilde walking into the Mermaid's Secret. So we go in there after her..."

Groomsman 2: "Just to check it out. We've never been in there before mind you!..."

Groomsman 1: "Yeah, that's right. Just to see if it was really her, because that would have been right strange considering it was the night before the wedding. Well, strange any night actually. So anyway, we get in there...

Groomsman 2: "We didn't look at the dancing girls!..."

Groomsman 1: "Err. No, we were just looking for Miss Vanderboren. Anyway, we get in there and WOW, it is Amarilde. And she is dancing on the tables and all sort of crazy stuff and then she goes up into one of the rooms where you can get up to mischief with these other guys!"

Groomsman 2: "At least that's what we've heard the rooms are for, we ain't even been in them..."

Groomsman 1: "Ahhh.... Yeah, thanks Robert. We just heard the rooms are for that sort of thing. Anyway, she goes in one of the room and we were going to go in after her but then she came out after a few minutes anyway and... dance on the tables again and then she left."

Groomsman 2: "And then we left too, straight away!..."

Groomsman 1: "Yeeeah, we left pretty much straight away too. Anyway, it was definitely her because we were really close up and we heard her talk as well. So we came back and told Soren just now."

Groomsman 2: "And we aren't going back there again!...

Groomsman 1: "Oh shut up Robert..."

"There you have it!" screams Soren. He points a finger at Amarilde. "What do you say to that, you hussy! Two witnesses, man of unimpeachable good character. What do you say?"

Amarilde seems stunned. "It isn't possible. I was home alone last night, thinking about you. Please, just check it out. Go there and ask, I swear you will find a dozen people that can confirm I was never there."

Soren shakes his head. "I will not drag my family's good name through the mud going to a place like that, and neither will anybody else I know."

Amarilde looks out into the crowd. Searching for her saviour.

Alohan & Remmi found acceptance with Celene, Logan and Angati outside the Toregson manor while they waited to be herded inside. He spoke Nuari with Remmi in low tones, remarking how different the city was in the terms of architecture, cuisine, and customs. Needless to say, a wedding between Nuari man and woman was more festive -if not more violent. It was Nuari custom for a man to have as many wives as he can safely subdue, manage, and tolerate. The wedding itself was usually a light-hearted bout of pa uma where potential mates threw each other about in the name of good fun. Things often got ...heated... ending festivities prematurely as potential couples drifted off to carry on their pa uma in private. With foreign cultures continuing to influence the native people, unions between man and woman were becoming increasingly monogamous, for better or for worse. Of course, Nuari's older generation still boasted a harem of at most, three to four female wives. "I struggle to find one, let alone several' he thought to himself, listening to Remmi explain how tonight's wedding would differ.

Once inside, Alohan patiently waited for the accusations to cease. He was confused about the whole situation. Why wasn't Amarilde allowed to dance? Was she that terrible of a dancer? Was her husband so embarrassed by her lack of grace to end their nuptials? 'How silly,' he thought, 'to end a courtship over a woman's lack of rhythm.' And the concept of a man forbidding his wife to do anything was foreign to him. Any Nuari woman would no doubt set the man on his ass, no matter his girth.

It took Remmi's prodding for Alohan to recognize Amarilde was searching for him. He towered over most of those gathered but his decorated dark skin no doubt felt more comfortable in the grotto's darkened interior. He held up a hand, drawing her attention. His ko'u aloha needed him once more.

Amarilde practically sobs in gratitude. "Alohan Nuari. Yes! Thank you. I am sure that a man of your determination can clear this up in no time. Please, is anyone else willing to make sure my reputation is no sullied unfairly?"

Angati walked in with the others looking at the garish ornamentations of the house and fidgeted nervously until the groom made his appearance, she couldn't help whispering to Celene "Ahhh ! there you go... so she is not part of the setup, she is just really stupid the poor girl... anyway, at least it looks like she found a good match of wits in her groom", and she added, "well, like we like to say in my family, better that just one family goes to waste rather than two... lets keep these together", while mentally thinking 'and I am sure my mother and father might get some profit out of having the thorensons in debt'

So, seeing that, no one else seemed to go after Alohan, she just sighed and stepped in "I'll help too, I am rather inclined to think that the girl is innocent... someone already tried to ruin this wedding before...".

Feeling a strange reassurance by the company of those she had only known for so short a time, in the face of the utterly unknown world of nobility and their inner society, Celene entered the imposing mansion. She met the expected pomp and splendour, as well as the formal style and ritual manners of the upper class, so unlike the society of her upbringing. She at least had some years during her time at the temple to get accustomed to the nobles and their manners from the outside.

But this formal style and ritual abruptly ended with the awkward entrance of the groom, leaving a mud fight fitting any social layer.

Celene was halfway tempted to let this opéra comique run its own course, but she recognized the pattern in these accusations, leading to a disrupted wedding. Repeating Angatis sigh inwardly, she stepped up to stand beside Alohan and Angati. Adressed to Amarilde, but loud enough for everyone else, she stated, "I too will help. Not for your reputation or sake, but for justice. As this Lady stated, this wedding has been attempted disprupted by outsiders before, and I care not to see them succeed where they have so far been foiled."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:31, Thu 19 Mar 2015.

Logan had spent the party marveling at everything in the manor house/castle.  Even the gaudiest decoration seemed, to the poor half-eleven rogue, the be the height of wonder.  He kept mostly silent, not wanting to betray his origins or upbringing.  But when the commotion over Amarilde's supposed entertainment was brought to question, Logan had to suppress a laugh.  "The Mermaid's Secret?  They couldn't have picked a worse place to accuse her of being."  The rogue stops to consider.  "Well, maybe a few worse...there's this one place in Shadowshore where..."  Logan shakes his head.  "But that's not important.  I've been there, my lady, and can't believe someone would make that kind of accusation.  I'll work with these fine people here to help you."  Logan smiled, thinking of what kind of reward such a thing would bring to him, if the return of a wedding dress brought him so much wealth.

Amarilde smiled through her tears. "Thank you, all of you. I'm sure with your capable efforts my good name can be proven."

"Just one second!" exclaimed Soren. "These four are all part of YOUR party. How do I know that they will truthfully report back what they find? No. I need some people from my side who I know I can trust. Who will stand forward and do this task for the Toregsons?"

No-one immediately stepped forward. It appeared that few were willing to walk into the worse part of the Azure district at night, especially such a place of ill repute. Or maybe it was that no-one wanted to get involved in this interfamily feud that looked like it might end so poorly.

OOC. Kassius. You are technically a guest of the groom. Are you interested in helping?