lethevale_ooc | A Ball at the Hall

Sir & Lady Melmoth request the pleasure of your company on Friday, 17 May...

It's been a rough couple of weeks. The storm has left a trail of destruction in its wake, many farmers lost their stock to those wolves, and now, to top it all off, it's started snowing. Not a good start to springtime.

Lady Clara Melmoth has a solution to the effect this must be having on everyone's morale. It's a predictable solution to those who know her, particularly when she and her husband are well aware that there are a few newcomers to town - it does get awfully tedious, up here in the mountains.

So, there's going to be a party!

Invitations have been sent out to the whole town, beautiful hand-written invitations on card stamped with the Schedoni crest (yes, Schedoni, not Melmoth, it's a long story). At the same time, word is going around that an enterprising visitor could stand to make a little extra money by helping out in the kitchens, or serving.

WHAT CAN MY CHARACTER DO IN THIS PLOT?
You can assume that your character, regardless of their class, has been sent an invitation. If they would ICly refuse to attend as a guest, but you would like them to be there anyway, the housekeeper for Lethe Hall, Mrs Minsk, will be going around the inns and lodging-houses of Lethevale to try and find temporary staff: feel free to assume she talked your character into stepping up.

This plot mostly exists to offer characters an excuse to explore the Hall and to socialise with each other and with NPCs. As such, it's very freeform; you can really have your characters do just about anything, so long as you're willing to accept IC responses.

The party itself will take place over three setpieces:
1. The Dinner - Newcomers to the town will be invited to dine with the Melmoths around six o'clock. This will be an opportunity to meet other PCs as well as the Melmoth family themselves. It will also be the only part of the evening where the Melmoth children (a son and a daughter) are present, and the Melmoths will be subtly hinting at their need for a stable tutor and/or nanny.
2. The Ballroom - The dancing will take place from 8pm onwards, and the whole town are invited. As much of the town aren't exactly cultured, it's likely to be less of an elegant soiree and more of a free-for-all, but it should be fun. This will be an opportunity to meet any of the Lethevale-based NPCs (i.e. not the Witch or Karl Orlok, but anyone else listed here), or to mingle with your new neighbours. The unscrupulous among you may also find that it's a good place to stir up trouble or to get people interested in a con.
3. The Parlour - If the music and dancing is too much for you, you may wish to retire to the parlour, where gentlemen are invited to share in cigars and port with the master of the house. Ladies can also share in cigars and port, but they might get some strange looks for it. This room is a quieter space, where you can have a private conversation if you desire.

You can also feel free to have your character wander off to explore the Hall, either alone or with someone else.

Whatever you choose to do, if you would like to plot with any NPCs, pump them for information, etc., please comment to the thread below to let the mod know!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Please comment here if you are interested in a thread with a specific NPC. The full list can be found here; if you're interested in an NPC who fits a different role than these, that can be arranged too.

Your comment should include:
Character: Your character
NPC(s): Who you would like to thread with
Where: Which of the three setpieces you're interested in, or if you'd like to discuss a thread taking place somewhere else (e.g. the kitchens, the gardens, around the Hall)
What: Is there any particular plotting you'd like to do, questions your character would like to ask, etc?

This will allow the mod to plan threads, get any required information/plotting in order, and put up a starter for you when the IC log goes up.

A Ball at the Hall - OOC Plotting Post

NPC REQUESTS