Kevin
Danico Felrantres
Vallen, Taemar

"Indeed" He replied to her mention of perspective amongst the outer villages, though the work he found himself doing out in said villages were mostly just healing or reagent trading, there were often times they needed something less.. Savoury. A blood ritual here, torture there, sometimes they needed someone to perform an autopsy but could not afford to send someone to the cities, sometimes crops would fail to grow as the land became less furtile through the colder months and so they were taught how to sacrifice blood to the land for better harvest. None of this bothered Danico, however. He did these jobs out of the pure intent to learn more about those jobs and the lives of the outer villages. So to that extent, Danico found it mildly amusing that she thought they were cut from the same clothe. Though he did not disagree- they were certainly both people with a high degree of interest in the art of learning, he also couldn't help but feel like they were worlds apart. 

"I view the world through a lens of science, sure, but I also take in every angle I'm granted." Finally, as the taste of the *'appetizer'* Left his tongue, the blood wine was returned to the table, happy if he'd never have to touch it again. "Seeing it for what it is, inspecting the parts you can physically touch only provides so much insight." His eyes remain locked with the wisdom's, not a thought crossed his mind about her flattering dress or auburn hair- she was pretty, but he had no interest in physical desires. He was far too interested in the woman and her ideals and background to be distracted by such carnal distractions.

"Tell me, Serafina, have you dabbled much in magic?" He fully expected her answer to be *"No"*, from what he understood, most religious people shunned magic on the basis of it being corrupt and innately evil. And although a lot of magic required some kind of ritual and/or sacrifice, Danico saw this aspect as simply a part of the science that makes the magic work. Much like how Callow Water- one of the most basic alchemical ingredients- is required for so many potions due to its ability to bring out the potential in reagents which all have their own part to play in the tinctures, each element of a ritual or spell has its own part to play.
Michael
Serafina - Magistrate Wisdom to House Terresol
Castle Grunewald, Vallen 

At the mention of magic, Serfina's right eyebrow rose slightly in surprise. 'What a curious question.' It was not unexpected given that few religious scholars had the patience or desire to practice it themselves. But Serafina, during her own study of the gods had taken it upon herself to learn all she could. As often as one may find her studying religious texts of Saris, they would find her among the alchemists, astrologists, and experts in other fields. To her, the neglect of science and magic cultivated among scholars of the Southern Pantheon was a grave mistake. What was the point of worshiping the gods if one did not take the time to understand the tools used to bring about their will? That was where all study met at a crossroads. 

"On the occasion." She admitted, taking a swig of blood wine before putting the empty goblet on the table in front of her. She smiled at him, knowingly, eyes holding an air of humour and mischief. "What use is worshipping the gods if you are ignorant of the tools they use to bring about their will for us?" Rearranging her position in the chair, Serafina sat a little straighter and leaned forward, curious about how the discussion would proceed. "I presume you've dabbled in much more than I have, however. Why do you ask?"
Robert
King Gregor Grunewald
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

"Play faster, will you?" Gregor called to the musicians, waving his finger vigoriously at them as if he was their conductor. His eyes were bloodshot and his face housed a lazy grin, courtesy of the blood wine he'd been binge drinking since the beginning of the evening. 

"Fresh hog meat, for our esteemed guests!" Kenmath announced, wheeling out a massive, roasted hog. It had an entire head of cabbage stuffed in its mouth. The servant wielded a butcher's knife and began to slice and serve. 

"Eh? Barrmount? Of the Iron Plaines? Yes... I've heard whispers of what's happening there. Shame. Your people are sick and starving, are they not? And now Vivayn has made his way there. Now *That's* A good man," Gregor said to Lady Anna, chewing loudly on his bog bread, "Why do you seek my help when you have Lord Vivayn there? Surely he will do more for you than I ever could, him being a native northerner and all." 

Princess Wilhemina poked her skinny finger at the jarred flower that Judas gifted the king. Gregor looked over and grinned. 

"OI, JUDAS!" He yelled over the polite conversations of the royals to the table at which the magician sat. "TELL ME, WHAT EFFECTS DOES THIS POISON HAVE?"
Rosa
The Pirate King Bradai Maith
The Castle Grunewald, Vallen

 It took a while for the Pirate King to get settled, sitting next to Cecilia. Although the hand on his left side relaxed, it never dropped the knife in his pocket, and he took to eating the bread and soup with a singular right hand. "It wasn't us, no I try to 'ave tha Poppies avoid contact wiff you, on tha account vhat you're a bottomless pit for gold and silver." Bradai said in between bites. The bog bread and stinging nettle soup that Kenmath had brought around wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The texture of the bog bread was a bit off, but when ripped apart and dunked in the thick cream soup, it became less egregiously awful and more bearable. The little girl next to him had whispered something about it, but frankly, Bradai didn't talk to mumblers. He looked down at her from above, she should hardly sense his glare through her wide brimmed hat. The girl kept sipping at the soup, skinny legs and knobby knees knocking with excitement. Bradai turned to Cecilia, "Is she wiff you?"


He watched as Gregor placed a sweaty hand on the top of the table and barked something to one of the private setting arrangements in the corner of his ballroom. Bradai turned towards Cecilia and leaned in, "The Hog King picks up a man and fhreatens 'im wiff deaff and execution. Vhen 'e's shouting down 'is ovher guests to talk about tha poisons 'e brought into 'is 'ome. It's nice to see our 'ost isn't fond of remembering grudges."
Wyatt
**Judas Merrilweather 
Grunewald Castle, Vallen.**

The young lord ate in silence for some time, observing guests from his spot as he ate and drank from the meal that was laid before him by the King's servants. When asked about the poison, he was in the middle of drinking Gregor's famed Blood Wine. He set the chalice down on the table, having eaten with the mask on. Droplets of the wine remained on the lips of the mask, making him look as if he was a vampire. "The Wine is delicious, my king." He began, wiping the mask with a napkin before continuing. "A true delicacy masterpiece, if I do say so myself."

"The poison," He began, "Is virtually tasteless and completely odorless when the petals are introduced to a liquid compound, such as water or wine. It takes effect rather quickly, causing paralysis in the limbs in a matter of minutes as if they're falling asleep. The numbness leads to statue-like symptoms and eventual death. Either your heart fails or you go catatonic and drift off into eternal sleep." Judas looked down at the chalice of blood wine before picking it up again, holding it as if he was to toast the King. "The life of which we live in is dangerous and bloodthirsty. Should you want to kill anyone and kill them quietly, the gift will do it nicely. Avoid the slaughter and reap the rewards, as my father always said." He'd finish with another taste of wine, enjoying the beverage unlike many others in the room. He was not a man of guilty pleasures or rich cuisine, so this tasted just fine to him. It tasted like the food from his home, minus the hog.
Robert
King Gregor Grunewald
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

King Gregor listened to the man's description of the poison, a prickle running down his spine. The familiarity of the symptoms Judas listed called forth an apparition in Gregor's eyeline. He blinked the being away and turned his drunken gaze down to his plate. "Paralysis? That would be cause for a frightening last moment...," He rasped. His fist tightened on his goblet, pink knuckles instantly turning a ghostly pale. His expression darkened and he eyed the flower, clearing his throat loudly. "Ah, I see. A grand gift, indeed," Gregor replied to Judas. 

Once his guests lost interest in the conversation, his eyes flickered over to the Queen of the Northshore and she stared back, her head cocked slightly to the side and her food untouched. He grinned broadly at her before forking an enormous piece of hog meat into his mouth. The queen looked away in disgust. 


The Romanovs
Castle Grunewald, Vallen

"How do you feel about that?" Queen Elle whispered to Sir Heath, keeping her gaze ahead. 

"I'll keep an eye on him," Heath replied back, eyes narrowed and focused on King Gregor. His lip curled in distaste as he watched the king chomp messily on a slab of meat. "Are you worried?" He asked softly, voice only registering to his sister. 

"Quite," She replied, sipping delicately on her wine.
Wyatt
**Judas Merrilweather
Castle Grunewald, Vallen.**

Judas sipped from his drink as he carefully acknowledged Grunewald's reaction behind the sunken eyes of the mask. The king was a peculiar man who, in a way, was very much like Judas. But in others, they were drastically different. Watching him gesture to who Judas presumed to be a queen brought forth his attention, his gaze shifting to her and the man that accompanied her. Never before had they met, but due to the clothing she wore his first guest was that she was royalty - a queen of some sort at best. The man who accompanied her was, in Judas's eyes, an escort or a bodyguard. 

The hog set before him smelled delicious, diverting his attention from the royalty to the plate that was set before him. He grabbed his utensils and began to carve bites from the meat he had been given, eating them every so often and continuing to observe those around him, with watchful eyes and listening ears. Royal gossip wasn't very interesting, but perhaps he'd learn something this evening.