Michael
**Lady Surany Torok**
*Grunewald Castle, Taemar*

As the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, the sounds of hoofbeats clopped along the cobblestone. The small but elegant carriage strolled through the streets, the driver careful to avoid the straggling people. It was sure to not be the only carriage to be heading towards the castle tonight; everyone knew that King Gregor had been rather... Energetic towards the feast being held tonight. And at first, Surany had been unsure if she would go. But the girl could never turn down the opportunity to have a good time, and everyone knew that one had to make an impression at smaller events. 

As the carriage pulled up to the entrance of the stone edifice, the horses' hooves slowly came to a stop. While they nickered and pawed at the ground, a footman came around, drawing back the door and curtain. His hand was soon encompassed by another, more feminine one. Slowly and gracefully, Surany emerged from the vehicle, covered in a dark, navy blue cloak. The familiar rustle of fabric brushing against itself hinted at the outfit underneath the protective covering, but that was not to be revealed until inside, away from the dirt. Smiling, she nodded to the man, letting go of his hand and proceeded forward. 

Upon entering the man's domain, the Lady was then guided towards the feast, surrounded by multiple servants. It was at this moment she sighed to herself, wishing that Bella had been able to make it. But the poor thing had somehow caught a slight sniffle, and the last thing they needed was her new maidservant being stabbed for a small case of the sniffles. Really, the plague had everyone on edge. Especially since Taemar was the only land to not have any (known) cases. It had been with a heavy heart that Surany had left her behind, but it was for the best. 

Sighing once more, the Lady gazed around at the strange decor of the royal family as she made her way.

Eventually, she felt a tug against her cloak, and with a slight movement of her shoulders it slipped from her body. And just in time to enter the grand dining hall. 

"Lady Surany Torok of Araedia!" Cried a man's voice, announcing her arrival. 

And what an arrival she made. Taking in her surroundings, Surany was glad that she had gotten a bit more dressed up. Her body donned an emerald green dress, covered in a shiny overlay. It had a large skirt, much larger than the fashions deemed. And the amount of skin she showed around her shoulders and neck was very inappropriate (she swore that her nanny Mina was having a fit). But the golden threading, along with the golden leaves around the top, made it even more gorgeous. Her hair had been pinned up with multiple golden pins, each having a small leaf as well. 

Smiling, the Lady of the Wine begun to stride around the room, making sure to soak in any attention given to her. Being somewhat respectable, the noblewoman approached the royal family, curtsying deeply to them in the proper order. "Your Highnesses, Your Majesty, I thank you for having me attend tonight's feast. It is an honor to be dining with the reigning family of Vallen." As she stood, the girl kept her smile graced upon her face, awaiting further instructions or orders from the King.
Kathleen
Viola Godwin
Grunewald castle, Taemar

Water sloshed onto the floor of Viola's room as she washed her hair in boiling water. Her skin was an aching red and raw from harsh scrubbing. Travel had always made her feel uncomfortably dirty and she wanted to look her best for the council.

Happy that she was presentably clean, the gentlelady stepped out from the metal tub and wrung her heavy red hair over the water, letting as much drip from it as it would allow. Becoming Valentine had always been a sort of ritual for the lordsblood lady, allowing her to step out of her skin and into a freer mask. Now sitting by the vanity near an open window (which allowed her hair to dry in the cool breeze it let in) she bound her chest as tightly flat as she could manage.

Breathing freely was a small price to pay for the freedom to education, teaching, and courtly intrigue, after all.

Donning her best doublet, hose and breeches of a cold pallet went against the warm colour of her hair but the rich colour allowed her to appear a little more important than she was - and Valentine always aimed to impress. She pinned her long hair up intricately to appear shorter with the help of an overly eccentric hat, decorated with a stuffed pigeon and azure flowers. Despite Viola's attempt to avoid her own femininity it seemed Valentine was not afraid to display his own.

She decided to walk to the castle. Viola needed the exercise after so long travelling by carriage and as she was bringing a journal she hoped to find something to document. Though Taemar had never been very interesting until now. 

After an uneventful walk and being allowed in, she followed a small group into the dining hall, immediately, she adapted into Valentine. She walked with impeccable posture and an air of confidence now as opposed to her usual unsure gait, as if she had any real right to be here. As if, In a few days, she would not be laughed out of meetings.

With a charming smile and an occasional wink, she intended to charm the court with the ease of a leannan sidhe.
Heather
Marsila Vema 
The Marvelous Malefactor
Vallen, Taemar

Her heart almost paused in her chest while she ceased any movement when the man rose his hand, interrupting her from saying anything further. She thought he was about to deny her of any help after having explained they may need to leave Vallen but was left surprised when he instead refused to take her money. Her brows furrowed together once he gained a serious persona, speaking of his own proposal while bringing out a unique feather she had not once come across during her travels. Small bumps began to form along her skin as his demeanor grew more serious which Marsila simply ignored, knowing she would do absolutely anything in hopes to find her parents. Hell, if this strange man asked to bed her in exchange for his help she wouldn't think twice. 

"I will do it." She almost didn't let him finish explaining when she spoke out. Marsila separated her entwined fingers and slid them towards the edge of the table as her panic from earlier settled. She was no longer alone. "You have done me a great favour and you can rely that I will find this *Pet* You have been searching for."
John
**King Dennon Bigsby and Kirk Pinewood
The Home of James Pinewood**

Dennon had a full night's rest and woke up the following morning in a much-improved condition. However, he still seemed unnerved as Kirk sat with him alone in the parlor after breakfast. "I've had shifters penetrate my mind before with their inaudible brain-speak." Dennon uttered quietly as he held a warm beverage close to his chest. "This was something else. It felt like an abduction of my consciousness. A dream that I couldn't escape. If he had held on to me longer, would I be worse off than I am now? Would I be babbling in a nuthouse? Magic is dreadful stuff. People call Cleburn the Mad King, but with the things he must have seen, I'm surprised he was as sane as he was." He thought back to the grimoire left in his office. "And now we have the Mad King's magic book. I'd never dealt with magic before I touched the damn thing. Now as time passes, supernatural incidents seem to be happening more and more frequently. Does a similar fate await me?" He looked to Kirk. "Will you run away and leave me to die?"

"No..." Kirk responded uncomfortably.

"Well, at least pirates aren't known to frequent the valley of Ib. It might be difficult to get their ships over the mountains." Dennon said, taking a sip of his drink as the front door opened, where Leah entered and flashed a sealed document. Kirk sighed in relief at the change of subject.

"Mail for the king and queen." She said with a bright smile, bringing it to Dennon.

"Wait." Lucrezia interrupted, appearing in the parlor from a hallway. "Let Kirk open it."

"Why me?" Kirk asked.

"If it's poisoned, I'd rather it be you." She said wryly.

Dennon grabbed the letter in annoyance and broke the seal. After reading a moment, he held it up for the group to see. "We've been invited to a pre-council dinner this evening. The message was rather full of misspellings, but the seal is definitely from Grunewald castle."

"How generous." The queen said with an unsubtle hint of sarcasm. 

"We can bring additional guests as well. Kirk, you can come. Leah, as thanks to you and your father for opening your home to us, we'd love to take you along. Do you think your father would be—" 

"Yes, yes, please yes." James Pinewood belted out excitedly, revealing where he had been listening from the kitchen. He then rushed into the parlor. "It would be an honor."

Dennon smiled. "I suppose we all have some preparing to do, then."

. . .

"This is exciting!" James said as the group rode together in the freshly cleaned carriage.

"Very exciting..." Leah echoed, placing her hand on Kirk's thigh. The antiquities dealer didn't seem to notice, but Dennon saw all of it as he sat across from them.

"Have you ever been to the castle before, James?" Lucrezia asked.

"No. Unfortunately. I've been by it many times, but they usually keep it pretty closed off to the public."

"It has a low bar to clear if it wants to be the best Taemarian castle I've ever visited," Dennon joked, referencing the brief stays he'd had in Castle Merovingian. Anticipation for the dinner had taken off his mind the previous day's encounter with a mage.

. . .

Their carriage pulled up in front of the castle and they all climbed out before it rolled on to be unloaded, since the plan was to stay at the castle. The queen was first to reach the check-in point. 

"Queen Lucrezia Scheer and guests," She declared, smiling. 

"Thank you, your highness," The dinner staff member said, gesturing her on.

Dennon's pride was disturbed at being lumped in as a "Guest." When the rest of the group had moved on, he stayed behind a moment. "King Dennon Bigsby has also arrived," He added.

"King? I didn't vote for you," Said the staff member, laughing at his own joke. Dennon inhaled deeply and ran his tongue along the inside of his teeth before turning to walk on. "Uh, we graciously accept tips, sir," He said, holding out his hand.

"Tips...? You're joking. You didn't ask her," Said Dennon, angrily pointing at his wife ahead.

"She's the queen."

"A long night." Dennon muttered, pulling a couple coins from his pouch. "This is going to be a long night." He made the *Generously offered* Donation before rejoining the group as they made their way to the dining hall.

. . .
Kevin
Danico Felrantres
The Marvelous Malefactor
Vallen, Taemar

"Simple, straight to the point. I like it." Danico said with a half smile, his body language going back to a more casual tone. "But don't get too hasty. No point making a deal like this if you're just going to throw yourself into danger." Danico reached back into the pouch at his side, taking out a few pieces of paper with writing on it. One page contained a drawing of two animals- one adult and one young, the young animal circled. Across the top noted the name; "Owl Griffin". The second piece of paper notes the behaviour, morphology and ways to track the adult Owl Griffin. The final piece has a simple map of central Terresol, with a circle over a general area. "This feather belongs to the mother. I, however, want the child." Danico pushes over the three pages before continuing. "I originally heard there was an Owl Griffin child in a forest in Terresol, following this lead, I managed to estimate its mother's location being somewhere around here.." He says as he places a gloved finger on the circle on the third piece of paper. "However, you have to understand, this isn't something I can do- not because I am unwilling or uncapable. Rather, I am unmanned and unarmed. I am not a fighter nor do I have people to send on an errand like this."

As he speaks, a convoy of assumedly guests for the feast and council begin to make their way through the streets nearby- the sounds of their horses and guards clatter against the coble path. "Ahh, it appears the evenings festivities shall be at hand soon." Danico fiddles with the pouch he pulled the notes from, as well as a bag by his side, assuring he has everything needed to prepare properly for the feast, returning his attention to the conversation at hand, tapping his fingers against the table softly. "Let me give a few words of advice. First, this isn't something to be taken lightly. I'm sure the local lords and ladies won't take kindly to poachers taking local wildlife- especially wildlife as rare as the animal I'm after." His focus sharpens as the conversation continues. "Secondly, where there is a baby, odds are there's a mother. Which is why you'll need a group. Run into trouble with the mother, rest assured you won't make it out on your own. Griffins can be vicious beasts, more so than bears. If you prepare properly you should be more than capable of doing what I ask." 

His posture relaxes once more as he takes a hold of the bag, placing it on the table in preperation to get up. "Have you any questions?"
Robert
The Romanovs
Grunewald Castle, Taemar
 
"I'm not very keen on Taemarian cuisine. When I lived here, I nearly starved for two years," Sir Heath Romanov said gruffly as he fastened his gold cufflinks. The Romanovs had resigned to drinking in their tent until the evening's festivities. King Daniel briskly got ready and then shut himself back into the carriage until it was time for them to go into the castle.
 
"You haven't been keen on any food ever since you died," Aleks remarked, already dressed before his siblings. He lounged in a chair, pulling from a flask. He extended it to Heath, who received it gratefully.
 
"You'll displace whatever feelings you have regarding food this evening. We are *Grateful* Guests in their castle and we are not going to make the same blunders that the North already has before the council. Being in Gregor's good graces is of our upmost concern tonight," Queen Elle said. She wore a stunning scarlet gown with silver beadwork. Her golden curls fell down to her waist in loose curls and her lips were stained a berry red. "We can complain about whatever they feed us on the carriage ride home," She added.
 
"Do you hear that, Aleks? If you so much as pout when you get sprayed by hog's blood, the queen will have your head," Heath said, tipping back the flask. Aleks grunted and stood.
 
"The Northshore has never been accused of lack of decorum during royal events," Aleks said, smacking the back of Heath's head, causing him to nearly choke on his drink.

Once the Romanov clan was sufficiently dressed in their fine clothing, they exited the tent to meet King Daniel outside. He stood stoically outside the tent, next to what appeared to be a hot pink creampuff.

Prince Nickles donned a large, layered pink hat with a brim so large it concealed his face unless he tilted his head up. He was engulfed in a matching pink dress with gigantic cap sleeves that made him appear as though he had the wings of a fairy. His cheeks were painted rouge and his lips stained bright pink. Heath took one look at him and drained the rest of the contents of the flask.

"At least we won't lose sight of that one," Heath muttered to Aleks, who choked back a laugh.



The Feyorians entered the dining hall of Grunewald castle, the candlelight gleaming off their hair and jewels. The hall had been decorated beautifully, a surprise considering the typical state of the Grunewalds affairs. From what King Daniel could see, the Ibethelians and a few non-royals were already there. He glanced back and saw to his dismay that the Romanovs had already left his side and were by the windows, being served blood wine by an ancient looking servant.

"I hope they don't debone the hog before they serve it to us," Prince Nickles said from down by King Daniel's knees. He bounced up and down excitedly, making his sleeve caps flutter. Then, he gasped. "Who is that?"

Daniel looked over to the man Nickles was motioning to. "King Dennon Bigsby of Ibethiel, I believe."

"I love him," Nickles clutched his heart. He floated into Dennon's line of sight and began to wink erratically.