Eternity RPC Board
06-26-2017, 01:15 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-26-2017, 01:15 AM by Jamzor the Jaxxor.)
Turenne, Kingdom of Caparetta
Saint-Guillaume Cathedral
Vintyr 4, 1584
The large, old cathedral was packed with people, or at least as packed as it could be without disgracing the noble-blooded attendees by having their shoulders rub together. The death of Archduke Siegfried, Crown Prince and Heir Apparent, demanded the attendance of every noble that would be considered to be of any note, and so that meant that nearly all of them attended, or tried to. It really served a double purpose, as with most things in the social life of a Caparettan aristocrat. One’s importance and rank could be judged by their position in the cathedral. In the front rows, of course, were the royal family. The new Crown Prince, Frederick, was of course present with his wife and children, as were the king’s other sons and daughters. The king’s brothers and sisters and their children, the Crown Prince’s uncles, aunts, and cousins, in addition to a variety of distant relations, were also there. Immediately behind the royal family were the most important of the aristocracy, the upper class of the upper class. Duke Clément of Arraine, Guernot of Pomainte, Joachim of Lochut, Adrian of Bronfurt; Count Otto of Nadaronne, Bartolt of Mangou, Fabien of Montpensier; Marquis Othon of Arterach and Henneck of Hermark. Lord Mayor Wautier of Lambersville, somewhat to the chagrin of the nobles around him, was also among the first rows.
The viscounts of Kasburg, Tuteliard, and Weissen, as well as the barons of Bonhalden, Aledan, Mergoul, and Etellec, and the lord mayor of Partorre, among others, were present as well. Indeed, the whole of the cathedral was full to the brim with aristocrats and their families, and they even spilled out into the yard. For these latter attendees, speakers had been installed so that all would be able to hear the funeral proceedings. Whether this was a blessing or a curse was up to speculation. The entire event was unimaginably boring, even for those veterans of social events that one might have thought were used to this sort of thing. Because House Ladislaus were Sentric, a Sentric priest was there to pray and preach. About half of his speech was in an archaic Lanlanian tongue that few were able to easily understand, even those who spoke Lanlanian. The other half, spoken in a Geinic language, spoke about the purposes of life, duty to God, duty to family, duty to the dead’s legacy, etc. Then various persons stepped forward to speak about the deceased’s fine character, pure heart, and important legacy. Naturally, no one wanted to be outdone by the others, so they all strove to make their speeches sufficiently long and flowery. When, finally, after many hours, the ceremonies and funeral were over, the noble attendees immediately went to their many waiting cars and were driven straight to the wake, the social gathering after the funeral. It was held in the royal palace, so naturally no expense was spared. The royal palace was finely decorated, gold and silver trimmed the ornate walls and draperies of silk swung high from the ornately decorated ceiling of the great hall, containing frescoes of Caparettan historical moments. Servants dressed in lavish purple coats and white powdered wigs walked the halls carrying silver trays of food. Flanking each door of the palace, household guards dressed in red ceremonial tunics carried halberds.
Otto, count of Nadaronne, approached the circle where Duke Joachim of Lochut was engaged in polite conversation with several people. When Otto came up, Joachim excused himself, and they walked off together. After several long moments of silence, Otto said in the Geinic tongue used by the nobility, “That’s an exquisite suit, my duke.”
“Don’t test my patience, Nadaronne,” the duke responded tersely. “What is it?”
“We should discuss strategy,” Otto said calmly after downing a glass of fine wine and taking another off of a servant’s tray. “The king’s directive was quite clear, the investigation must immediately commence, and you are the minister of justice.”
“Yes, I know that,” the duke responded sharply. “It was rather… crude of him, though, to get so directly involved.”
“His son and heir was brutally murdered, cut down in the prime of his life. Wouldn’t you?”
Joachim frowned a sour frown. “Yes, I suppose it is understandable. In any case, at least we no longer have to deal with that bastard Siegfried. I swear, if he had looked at my wife like that one more time-”
“Calm now, Joachim,” Count Otto interrupted. “Not another word about it. We did just come from his funeral. Forget about him.”
“And how can we forget? He was an ass, but he was the Crown Prince! And he was assassinated by peasants! Do you realize what sort of repercussions this could have? If the commons get into their heads the idea that they can simply kill-”
“It’s not gone that far,” Otto assured him. “It was an isolated incident, and it’s your duty to ensure that it stays that way by making an example out of the perpetrators. Now, as I was saying about strategy-”
“Hold on! There’s the king,” Joachim said, gesturing with his chin to a far balcony. The balcony was high above the floor, and the king looked down upon all of the guests. He was a middle aged man, about sixty years old. As with all his public appearances, he wore his regal robes and crown, and held his royal scepter. A herald cried, “Announcing his Royal Majesty, Leopold Renaud Étienne Ludolf Konrad Magnus Alexander Filip Ladislaus, King of Caparetta, Sovereign Lord…” The herald went on to list his many titles.
The hall was utterly silent. Finally, the king spoke. “Our loyal subjects, who honor us with their presence and grieve with us for the tragic loss of our beloved son, we welcome you. We entreat you to enjoy yourselves, to partake in our arrangements of food and drink. We entreat you to enjoy yourselves, as our beloved son would have wanted you to.” The king raised a glass of wine. “To Siegfried, beloved son, brother, husband, father, and friend.” Everyone in the hall raised a glass, and said as one, “To Siegfried.” The king took a drink from his glass, turned from the balcony, and left.
After the king was gone and the party returned to normal, Otto looked at Joachim. “Indeed, to Siegfried,” he said, and took another drink of wine.
Saint-Guillaume Cathedral
Vintyr 4, 1584
The large, old cathedral was packed with people, or at least as packed as it could be without disgracing the noble-blooded attendees by having their shoulders rub together. The death of Archduke Siegfried, Crown Prince and Heir Apparent, demanded the attendance of every noble that would be considered to be of any note, and so that meant that nearly all of them attended, or tried to. It really served a double purpose, as with most things in the social life of a Caparettan aristocrat. One’s importance and rank could be judged by their position in the cathedral. In the front rows, of course, were the royal family. The new Crown Prince, Frederick, was of course present with his wife and children, as were the king’s other sons and daughters. The king’s brothers and sisters and their children, the Crown Prince’s uncles, aunts, and cousins, in addition to a variety of distant relations, were also there. Immediately behind the royal family were the most important of the aristocracy, the upper class of the upper class. Duke Clément of Arraine, Guernot of Pomainte, Joachim of Lochut, Adrian of Bronfurt; Count Otto of Nadaronne, Bartolt of Mangou, Fabien of Montpensier; Marquis Othon of Arterach and Henneck of Hermark. Lord Mayor Wautier of Lambersville, somewhat to the chagrin of the nobles around him, was also among the first rows.
The viscounts of Kasburg, Tuteliard, and Weissen, as well as the barons of Bonhalden, Aledan, Mergoul, and Etellec, and the lord mayor of Partorre, among others, were present as well. Indeed, the whole of the cathedral was full to the brim with aristocrats and their families, and they even spilled out into the yard. For these latter attendees, speakers had been installed so that all would be able to hear the funeral proceedings. Whether this was a blessing or a curse was up to speculation. The entire event was unimaginably boring, even for those veterans of social events that one might have thought were used to this sort of thing. Because House Ladislaus were Sentric, a Sentric priest was there to pray and preach. About half of his speech was in an archaic Lanlanian tongue that few were able to easily understand, even those who spoke Lanlanian. The other half, spoken in a Geinic language, spoke about the purposes of life, duty to God, duty to family, duty to the dead’s legacy, etc. Then various persons stepped forward to speak about the deceased’s fine character, pure heart, and important legacy. Naturally, no one wanted to be outdone by the others, so they all strove to make their speeches sufficiently long and flowery. When, finally, after many hours, the ceremonies and funeral were over, the noble attendees immediately went to their many waiting cars and were driven straight to the wake, the social gathering after the funeral. It was held in the royal palace, so naturally no expense was spared. The royal palace was finely decorated, gold and silver trimmed the ornate walls and draperies of silk swung high from the ornately decorated ceiling of the great hall, containing frescoes of Caparettan historical moments. Servants dressed in lavish purple coats and white powdered wigs walked the halls carrying silver trays of food. Flanking each door of the palace, household guards dressed in red ceremonial tunics carried halberds.
Otto, count of Nadaronne, approached the circle where Duke Joachim of Lochut was engaged in polite conversation with several people. When Otto came up, Joachim excused himself, and they walked off together. After several long moments of silence, Otto said in the Geinic tongue used by the nobility, “That’s an exquisite suit, my duke.”
“Don’t test my patience, Nadaronne,” the duke responded tersely. “What is it?”
“We should discuss strategy,” Otto said calmly after downing a glass of fine wine and taking another off of a servant’s tray. “The king’s directive was quite clear, the investigation must immediately commence, and you are the minister of justice.”
“Yes, I know that,” the duke responded sharply. “It was rather… crude of him, though, to get so directly involved.”
“His son and heir was brutally murdered, cut down in the prime of his life. Wouldn’t you?”
Joachim frowned a sour frown. “Yes, I suppose it is understandable. In any case, at least we no longer have to deal with that bastard Siegfried. I swear, if he had looked at my wife like that one more time-”
“Calm now, Joachim,” Count Otto interrupted. “Not another word about it. We did just come from his funeral. Forget about him.”
“And how can we forget? He was an ass, but he was the Crown Prince! And he was assassinated by peasants! Do you realize what sort of repercussions this could have? If the commons get into their heads the idea that they can simply kill-”
“It’s not gone that far,” Otto assured him. “It was an isolated incident, and it’s your duty to ensure that it stays that way by making an example out of the perpetrators. Now, as I was saying about strategy-”
“Hold on! There’s the king,” Joachim said, gesturing with his chin to a far balcony. The balcony was high above the floor, and the king looked down upon all of the guests. He was a middle aged man, about sixty years old. As with all his public appearances, he wore his regal robes and crown, and held his royal scepter. A herald cried, “Announcing his Royal Majesty, Leopold Renaud Étienne Ludolf Konrad Magnus Alexander Filip Ladislaus, King of Caparetta, Sovereign Lord…” The herald went on to list his many titles.
The hall was utterly silent. Finally, the king spoke. “Our loyal subjects, who honor us with their presence and grieve with us for the tragic loss of our beloved son, we welcome you. We entreat you to enjoy yourselves, to partake in our arrangements of food and drink. We entreat you to enjoy yourselves, as our beloved son would have wanted you to.” The king raised a glass of wine. “To Siegfried, beloved son, brother, husband, father, and friend.” Everyone in the hall raised a glass, and said as one, “To Siegfried.” The king took a drink from his glass, turned from the balcony, and left.
After the king was gone and the party returned to normal, Otto looked at Joachim. “Indeed, to Siegfried,” he said, and took another drink of wine.