LOL, OK, lore fail, don´t worry, I'll just file the Stedes of Leucas under 'random irreleveant background detail'. Stands to reason that Anne wouldn't know or care to know much about them, if they were from far away and not related to her intrigues.

Scarlet gives Drizella the widest of berths and does her usual effort to absorb the onslaught of information about cat husbandry that Erikus vomits endlessly. It's more work than usual, with the impatience that buzzes in her mind: long-term, because Zenobia's birthing is nearing and she wants to make a good impression on the Spymistress, and short-term, because she can't wait to see Xabin at the sword lessons, now that Idalaiz has offered Scarlet a way in.

So she´s sorely disappointed when Xavin does not show up. She carries on with the fencing, trying not to do too badly, but her mind is not in it. She excuses herself a few minutes before the end of the lessons and scurries away, in case Alyssa and her stooges are coming to bully her again.

Since the emetic is now a thing she will get from the Spymistress, she focuses on acquiring a key to Alyssa's chambers. Since she overheard the conversation between Sir Fischbacher and the locksmith, she has decided the easiest place to score a spare key is the latter's workshop. She goes looking for the place.

Well, you know where the maintenance office is already.  What is your approach?  You can start with just observation, which will be an easy stealth roll (DC 12) to avoid being noticed doing it.  The downside of failing that roll is just that a later disguise or bluff would be harder.  After that, you might try disguise, stealth, bluff, or ...?  It seems unlikely, to me, that there would be a secret passage entrance that you could get to, since we are talking about the maintenance crew.  Also, as I mentioned before, you know where Alyssa's apartment is in general, narrowed down to one of five (those of the unmarried handmaidens), but you're not sure exactly which one it is.

I'll go for a look-see:

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 19 using 1d20+6.  Stealth.

Scarlet wasn't familiar with the tradesmen and their ways, let alone their facilities. Waiting until nobody was around, she peered from around a corner, trying to get an idea of how to swipe the right key...

One I have the key, I guess it's a matter of trying those five locks, see which one opens. Even if it opens all of them, I guess I can open a wardrobe or chest and watch out for some dress I remember her wearing, or something like that.

I have actually no idea what the state of lock technology was in the renaissance, which is the tech level I have sort of been targeting, but I imagine that I've already exceeded it by quite a bit.  We'll assume that it's a more paranoid society and therefore lock technology has outpaced a  lot what our own world had.

Scarlet walks past the maintenance office several times, looking at the layout of the room.  It is a fairly large room; most of the walls have shelves which hold books, scrolls, loose papers, and tools, all in a disorganized jumble.  There is a large desk, with a similar jumble of junk, and the maintenance chief sits behind it, engrossed in a drawing of some sort.  There is also a large circular table and chairs and a small sofa.  All the furniture, even the chairs and sofa, have stacks of books, papers, and tools.

Focusing on where he might keep a collection of keys, Scarlet sees that behind the chief on the wall is a locked shallow cabinet; and in one corner is a 3-foot-high freestanding metal cabinet with a solid lock.  There is nothing so convenient as a pegboard with dozens of keys on hooks, unless it is on the one interior wall she can't see without entering the room.

After walking by the room three times, Scarlet waits nearby listening and wondering what to do next.  She hears the chief get up from his desk and come walking out, turning back and locking the door to the room carefully before he walks off, fortunately away from where Scarlet is loitering.  He is a big man, powerful looking but with a heavy layer of flab over his once-athletic frame.  When he locks his door, she sees that the key is on a ring with 5 or 6 other rings on it.  He drops the ring of keys into a pouch at his side and walks off with a purposeful stride.

There is only one way to do it, Scarlet realizes, as she steels herself to do it.

She takes a deep breath and starts walking fast, at a stride that would be almost a run if she weren't a lady. She puts on the deep frown of a courtly lady going on some urgent errand, something that occupies her mind completely and takes absolutely priority, to the extennt that she isn't really looking where she's going and...

"Oops!" she exclaims convincingly as she collides with the tradesman, deftly nicking the keyring as she does, her frown intensifying. "I shall thank you to get out of my way, commoner," she says dimissively, outraged at having come into physical contant wiht a lowborn. She leaves the scene quickly, before the man can retort or realize anything.

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 25 using 1d20+5.  Sleigh of Hand (to steal the keyring).

Hell yeah!

LOL.  What were you planning if that failed?  I'm going to give him a slim chance to notice you.  ~goes to roll~
13:26, Today: Zag, for the NPC Head of maintenance, rolled 6 using 1d20+5.  Notice the little thief.
Wow.  That roll was legit: I rolled a natural 1 to combat your natural 20.  You could steal from Idalaiz with that combo.

As Scarlet bumps into the man, she slips her hand smoothly into his pouch and immediately grasps the full set of keys.  She comes to a sudden understanding -- to steal something loose and jangly, you have to grab the whole thing so the jangles don't make a noise as you draw them away, and she has grasped them perfectly.

The man is so startled that he jumps a bit and then tries to skip away, causing him to trip and hit his head against the wall.  "I, uhh, I'm so sorry, miss," he calls after Scarlet as she speeds away.  He stops to rub his head where a small bump is already rising.

It was never going to fail.

Scarlet heads straights for the residential wing to discreetly try the keys. Meanwhile, she ruminates on what she knows of Alyssa's routine. It won't do to go to all this trouble, only to be caught snooping around her room...

Scarlet is not sure if Alyssa is still taking lessons with the girls' tutor, but if she is, that's where she would be right now.  The girls' tutor taught the younger girls all morning, and the older girls' lesson still has another hour to go, at least.  If she no longer takes lessons, then she might be in her room, she might be attending the Duchess, or she might be anywhere.

Scarlet approaches the first of the five doors in this wing and listens, hearing nothing.  She tries the keys, scoring a hit with the third key in the ring.  Opening the door smoothly, she finds herself staring at Lady Ypirétria, the ancient spinster who is the head of Duchess' Ladies' Council (the handmaids and maidens).  The woman is sitting in a rocking chair facing the door with a bit of needlepoint resting on top of a colorful lap blanket.  Scarlet has, of course, seen the old woman at numerous events, but has not ever had more than a brief conversation with her.

Lady Ypirétria squints at Scarlet and calls out in her frail voice, "Bertie?  Is that you?  I'm afraid I will need a fresh pot of tea, dearie.  I seem to have dozed off before drinking it."  A full cup of tea sits in a tray beside a silver teapot and a small plate of biscuits.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:21, Sun 19 June 2022.

Oh damn.

Scarlet clears her throat and does her best impression of a serving maid's voice.

"It's not Bertie, milady, but I shall fetch your tea right away."

She exits and closes the door before the old woman can turn around to see her.

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 26 using 1d20+8.  Perform (Act).

It seems to create no incident, or, at least, the old lady stays quiet as Scarlet leaves.

The next door is similarly quiet, and it opens with the same key.  Looking inside, it is clear that this can not be Alyssa's room, unless Alyssa suddenly acquired the decorating tastes -- and the smell, it seems -- of an old woman.

The third door also opens with the same key.  It is clearly that of a young woman, so Scarlet slips in and takes a quick look in the closet.  Sure enough, she recognizes a dress that Alyssa was wearing the other day.  She sees the girl's ballet costume, as well.  As the lead of the dance troupe, Alyssa had the only violet costume, and here it is, on a small wooden structure intended for the purpose.  The ballet shoes are draped across the structure's "shoulders" in an artistic fashion.

Gotcha.

Scarlet resisted the temptation of stealing or sabotaging something in Alyssa's room. That would be gratifying, but any hint that the room had been illicitly visited and the first thing anyone would do was change the lock. Better to wait. Revenge was a dish best served cold.

Scarlet locked the door again and left.

Now all that was left to do was wait for Zenobia to give birth so Idalaiz could win her bet against sir Fischbacher... and Scarlet get her vengeance on Alyssa.

Several days pass, with Scarlet visiting the Zenobia, bring her treats and catnip and solidifying their relationship.  She visits the laboratory where Idalaiz has left for her some of the emetic she promised: an envelope which contains four small packets, each with about a teaspoon of a white powder.  She also spends a bit of time with Erikus, going over some parts of the book that she feel bears repeating, but finally she feels that she knows all he can teach her.  (Do you do anything with that relationship?)

Much of the castle is buzzing with the theft of the master keys to the castle, and rumors abound.  One of the most common is that a page boy was really a midget working for the Enklimatíes (a semi-mythical crime organization), and he assaulted the head of maintenance to take them.  Demands to have locks changed IMMEDIATELY can be heard bellowed at anyone even remotely connected with castle maintenance or construction, and people have generally been staying in their rooms to keep their own valuables safe.  The level of paranoia in the castle, always simmering slightly, has become a full boil.

Midsummer's Eve dawns.  There is supposed to be a large party this evening, and it is unclear how much the new mood of the castle will affect it.  Probably, Scarlet thinks, people's desire for a party will overwhelm their caution and the activity will be even more raucous than usual.

Scarlet is surprised that the theft of the keys is reported as such, as she was counting on the tradesman covering his failure. Either too responsible or too dumb to come up with an excuse, Scarlet guesses, and makes a mental note to study the commonners more closely from now on. For the moment she limits that endeavor to keeping a cordial rapport with Erikus, inasmuch as one can be 'cordial' with the strange lad.

At any rate, the day arrives and Scarlet gets ready to make a move. Hopefully Mother will go as hard as usual on the claret and be too drunk to interfere with her plans. For the time being, Scarlet lets herself be maneuvered in a fancier dress, sighs as Mother tightens her corset too much in an effort to "display some of your bosom, such as it is" and keeps her mouth shut. She has hidden well her supply of emetics, except for two doses that she keeps on herself, ready for whenever the chance of payback presents itself.

Before she joins the party, Scarlet pays a quick visit to the secret lab, in case lady Idalaiz has left any indication that tonight is indeed the night, or any other message for her; that done, she steels herself and goes to the dinner.

Scarlet finds nothing new from Idalaiz at the lab.  When she arrives at the party, a few people have already arrived, but everyone is rather sedate, staying in small groups and talking quietly.  Anne arrives and looks in horror at Scarlet, then pulls her aside and around a corner.  "Where do you go that you get so covered in dust?" she asks as the slaps her dress and hair.  Finally satisfied, she rearranges the girl's blond curls and the two return to the party.

In the interim, a few more people have arrived, including a triumphant-looking Alyssa.  She and her parents are sitting in a table marked 'Reserved,' one that is quite close to the head table.  While Scarlet watches, trying her best to keep from being noticed watching, Xavin and his father arrive, sitting at the same table.  The two older men greet each other with warm handshakes, and then Alyssa's mother bestows a pair of air kisses in the direction of Xavin's father.  Alyssa moves to greet Xavin formally, with a small curtsey and a possessive, slightly predatory smile.  The lad's eyes are on the attractive young woman, and he misses seeing his own father leering down Alyssa's bodice, actually rising on his toes a bit to get a better angle.

Once everyone has a drink (some have had several), the first course arrives and everyone takes a seat.  Scarlet can see Alyssa whispering to her father; his response is clearly, "not yet."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:44, Thu 23 June 2022.

...And not ever, if I can bloody help it.

Scarlet resists the temptation to slip some emetic into Alyssa's glass. It would be a satisfaction to see her embarrass herself in front of everyone, but that would probably mean she was sent back to her chambers. And that would invalidate Scarlet's plan of planting a Savannah cat in her rooms this very night, as soon as she plays her part in Lady Idalaiz's prank on Sir Fischbacher.

Patience, girl, patience. It's two birds with the same stone, and we're so close now...

To be clear, the kittens had not been born yet, but ...  Also, narratively, we would want to end the chapter with a positive triumph rather than a negative one.  That is, Alyssa's complete downfall should precede the successful encounter with the cats.  Of course, you do still have to make sure it is successful.  :-)  Idalaiz's challenge with Sir Fischbacher could happen any time in the kittens' first couple of weeks.

After an appetizer course of oysters, then a cold soup which the chef declares has a French name that Scarlet doesn't catch, the chef announces a course of shaved ice with raspberry port wine sauce.  On such a hot day, it's quite an impressive feat that these are delivered still (mostly) frozen.  After this course, the Duke rises, gets everyone's attention, and says, "Ladies, Gentlemen, everyone, I would ask you all to give your attention to Count Travis, for a happy announcement."

Alyssa's father stands, waits for the applause to die down, and announces, "We are excited to announce the betrothal of our daughter, Alyssa, to Count Gemlia's fine son Xavin.  Please send your warm wishes to the happy couple."  He drones on for a bit, saying nothing more of substance.  A number of people head over to their table to greet the couple in person, including Lady Idalaiz, who looks quite frail, leaning heavily on her cane, holding it with a slight tremor.  She walks directly to the table, without standing in the line that is forming, and is shown deference.

Just as Sir Fischbacher is the next person in line behind someone Scarlet does not recognize, a young woman dressed in everyday clothes comes up to him.  Scarlet recognizes Lavaleen, the woman who works in the kennel along with Erikus who speaks to him in hushed tones that Scarlet is unable to catch.  Sir Fischbacher steps out of line and leaves with the woman, just as it was about to be his turn to greet the young couple.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:37, Tue 28 June 2022.

Oh, my bad, I got the timing all wrong, sorry.

...No, screw that, she goes down tonight, Scarlet thinks, seeing red.

Carefully she gets up without calling undue attention towards herself, located a servant going in a clear trajectory towards the lady, and crosses paths with him.

"Watch where you´re going!" she protests, bumping into him, not too hard that the drink spills, but hard enough to catch his attention and cause a string of protocol apologies while she slips the emetic into the cup destined for Alyssa's lips...

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 16 using 1d20+5.  Sleigh of Hand (spike the emetic).

Hmmm.  A little less bold, though safer, than actually going up to her table to congratulate her and slipping it in, there.  I'll give you a decent chance of being the right glass.

1: Alyssa's Mother -- 2: Alyssa's Father -- 3-5: Alyssa -- 6-7: Xavin -- 8: Xavin's father
~Goes to roll~
14:49, Today: Zag rolled 1 using 1d8.  Randomize who gets the glass

Scarlet observes the servant with the 5 glasses of champagne, clearly destined for Alyssa's table, the only one with 5 people seated.  After calculating the alignment of glasses to guests, she deduces which is destined for the bimbo and slips the emetic in.  To Scarlet's horror, the servant pivots the tray after his lame apology and completely changes the arrangement.  She watches as the spiked glass is placed in front of Alyssa's mother.

I was going to go on, but maybe you want to intervene.  I'm not implying that you should, but I don't want to run roughshod if you did want to.  I'm not even sure what you can do other than something embarrassing, but maybe you'll think of something.  The alternative is to try to spin the result as an ill omen, or just let things play out on their own and maybe they'll end up that way, anyway.

Just her luck, Scarlet thinks, as she watches the disaster unfold. Very little she can do about it right now, without incriminating herself or at least making herself look like a bumbling fool, and none of that would put a dent in Alyssa's plans as things stand. So she stands in the background, watching with equal parts anger and fatalism...

It seems we are ready to wrap up this chapter.  All the dominoes are in place and it is just a matter of pushing them.  My primary question is how you are going to get a kitten (or two?) from their mother and into Alyssa's room, since the times that it is safe to visit the cats correspond to times that are not safe to go to her room.  Also, you know from The Book that newborn kittens shouldn't be away from their mother for too long, since they feed nearly constantly for the first couple of days.  Four or five hours won't be a problem, and even up to half a day won't be a serious problem, but longer might be an issue. 

From Alyssa's point of view, it is comical watching Alyssa's mother pick up the glass of champagne, raise it to her lips about to drink, when someone makes another toast and she is forced to raise the glass high once again.  Then she is distracted talking before she goes again to sip, when another toast is offered.  Finally, she takes a good drink of the beverage and Scarlet, having anticipated for so long, is expecting an immediate reaction.  The reality is somewhat less explosive but still quite satisfying.  She starts with a slightly wild look in her eyes, glancing left and right as if there is something about to attack her.  Then she seems to hold in a huge belch, and finally she turns and vomits massively, splattering an unsuspecting server, with a splash hitting her husband and Alyssa.

At this point, chaos reigns: people around the room are talking and shouting; those close to the feature table are moving away with alacrity; and the poor woman is struggling unsuccessfully to keep from vomiting further.  A clever servant upends a fruit bowl that was on the table and holds it for the woman to vomit into as he escorts her out of the room.  Alyssa's reaction is the most satisfying to Scarlet, the mix of horror, fury, and humiliation transforms the attractive face into that of a monster as the tears streak her makeup into scars down her cheeks.  Finally, she runs out the room as well, followed by her father.

Xavin is obviously overwhelmed.  He turns this way, then that, at a loss for what he can do to help.  The only calm in the room is that of his father, who has a bemused smile as he sits back in his chair and sips his drink.  Scarlet can see Xavin talking at him frantically, but he responds calmly and waves to his son to sit back down.  The boy complies, but it is obvious his nervous energy has him wanting to do something.

Finally, the scene calms down.  The servants clean up the mess; Alyssa and her father finally return, speak quietly with their tablemates, and sit back down, and the dinner proceeds in a much more subdued pace.  Alyssa's mother never returns to the room.

---

That night, Scarlet slips again into the kennel, and learns that Zenobia has, indeed, given birth to seven kittens.  The proud mama is slightly more standoffish, but once presented with several hunks of salmon that Scarlet saved from dinner, the cat is back to her friendly self.  Scarlet picks up each kitten, almost overwhelmed with how cute they are.  She counts five males and two females.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaLTd2MLTgg
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:41, Wed 06 July 2022.

Scarlet finds herself enjoying the ensuing chaos, even when it achieves very little for her own ends. Beyond the obvious joy at Alyssa's outrage, Scarlet has just discovered she is enjoying the scene for the sheer, intimate satisfaction of knowing she brought this pandemonium upon the scene. For someone who has never wielded any power, and whose day to day existence entails being pushed around by Mother, knowing she has caused this is a success in its own. And the promise of more power as she keeps growing under the tutelage of lady Idalaiz is a tantalising prospect on its own; never mind what she would use that power for, the power in itself is intoxicating.

A few hours later, Scarlet is holding a beautiful kitten, stroking its soft fur as she considers the best way and time to slip it into Alyssa's chambers. This is something she has been giving thought for the last few days, so she has a sort of plan in motion: she'll borrow one of the cages to keep the kitten in, and hide it in Idalaiz's secret lab until the morning, then wait until Alyssa leaves her chambers for breakfast to retrieve it and free the (by then probably frightened and starving) kitten in the bitch's room. With any luck, that will achieve a double purpose: to maximise destruction at Alyssa's chambers when freed, and also to make her look even worse when she's "found out".

Cruel, yes, she tells herself, but who isn't, in Castle Moresby? And the kitten will survive, after all, with only a few hours' worth of mild suffering. Unlike Alyssa's reputation, which shall be forever tarnished! Scarlet smiles sweetly at Zenobia while she gets up slowly and borrows her newborn...

Scarlet looks at the cages that the cats are kept in, and realizes that none of them are small enough for her to carry through the secret passages.  She decides that she can just use an overturned basket to keep the kitten from wandering off -- after all, its eyes are still closed and it can barely crawl.  She chooses one that has just finished feeding, with milk still dribbling from its adorable little mouth, and tucks it inside her blouse.

After a few hours' sleep, Scarlet awakens to the general clamor of the castle waking up.  Anne, of course, is still sleeping off the excess of alcohol she drank at last night's event, so it is easy for Scarlet to slip away unnoticed.  She retrieves the kitten, which is just where she left it, and heads over to Alyssa's room.  After listening at the door, she unlocks it with her master key and enters, breathing a sigh of relief to find it empty.

She considers what to do next:  Just leave the kitten on the girl's bed?  And what should she do with these master keys?  They are incriminating evidence if she were ever discovered to have them.  Finally, once the loss of a kitten is discovered, how will those searching ever think to look here?  The whole plan hinges on the kitten's discovery by the authorities.  What if Alyssa returns and finds it?  She is smart enough to realize that she is being set up, and might do something drastic like disposing of the tiny beast.  She might even figure out who it is who set her up and look to retaliate.  If she is caught, she probably won't be able to do much, but if she manages to avoid the trap, she will have ample opportunity.  Scarlet suddenly realizes that a plan like this needs to be thought all the way through.

This crisis point has helped you grow up considerably.  You are now second level in all but the added Ability Score Points that you will get as part of the new level.  These will require a bit of time working with the swordmaster if you're going to be increasing STR, DEX, or CON, or studying to level up INT or WIS.  Otherwise, though, level up the character, with skill points, BAB, etc.  Remember that you already got one skill point in advance.

OK, I think I did everything? Spent 11 skill points, increased BAB and Ref save as per Rogue, got Evasion, not sure if hit points are rolled or fixed amounts?

Scarlet mutters a curse. All her plan has been based on the (wrong?) assumption that even a newborn Savannah cat would be noisy and rowdy if left alone in a lady's chamber for a few hours, thus attracting attention. But if all the useless ball of fur is going to do is curl and sleep cutely, then Scarlet is in trouble...

Let's just do max hit points.  You're supposed to be heroic characters, after all.

So what are you going to do?  I gave you a pretty big hint that you should leave the master keys here, because, frankly, I can't have you owning a set of master keys to the castle.  My alternative is to assume that the maintenance guy is going to change out all the keys, but key technology is not really all that far along, and your newly-learned Disable Device is going to get you into most place, though with a little more risk.

Anyway, there are a few ways you can draw attention to the kitten before Alyssa returns, with varying degrees of having yourself "involved."  And don't forget how skilled you are at disguise.  I fully intend to have Idalaiz chastise you for not being disguised when you stole the keys in the first place; I just haven't had a chance.  "After all," she says, "even with the best-laid plans, sometimes someone is not where you expect and you are spotted.  It's best that the person they 'spotted' is a persona you can just discard."

Well, there is a way, a little too exposed for her liking, but fortune favors the bold.

Scarlet slips the master key under Alyssa's pillow, where it will be easily found, and leaves the kitten on the bed. Then she leaves, clicking the door closed behind her, then hurries to Lady Maranno's chambers.

Assuming she finds her there, she curtsies with a nervous smile and bids her good day.

"My lady, I... there is something I must tell you... I think. Forgive me, for I might be making a fool of myself, but... I feel I must mention this to you, for I know nobody else I can trust with it, and because you said your noble husband was friends with Sir Fischbacher. Last night I was on my way to the kitchens for a late nigt snack when I so happened to pass by the door of the kennels. I saw a girl coming out of it, and locking the door behind her. She did not see me, and although I found it odd, I did nothing about it. But this very morning, in fact not half an hour ago... I was having a morning walk when I heard a soft meowing in one of the residential corridors. Now, my lady, I would be loath to extract the wrong conclusions from these coincidences, but... I thought I should mention it to your ladyship, to ease my conscience that the right thing is done?"