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Post by Lord Aeradar Caltarys on Dec 18, 2018 15:21:48 GMT
The labyrinth of the Caltarys Estate is a hedge maze in the gardens,with fountains and sculptures depicting the various beasts of the continent. There are thirty-nine fountains in total, each representing a different animal that calls Sothoryos home. Water jets spurting from the animals mouths were conceived to give the impression of speech between the creatures. There is a plaque with a caption and a quatrain written next to each fountain.
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Post by Lord Aeradar Caltarys on Dec 18, 2018 17:03:26 GMT
For the masquerade, Lord Aeradar has arranged a special activity for his more thrill seeking guests within the hedge maze. In honor of his sister's adventurous spirit, the labyrinth has been designed as a trek into the depths of the jungle. Thanks to a bit of alchemy, dry ice has been dispersed throughout, providing a thick fog within the dark winding pathways. Slaves stalk the passages, dressed sparsely in furs and masks to resemble the various predatory creatures that call the continent home. Guests are welcome to flee from or hunt these animals, all of them very talented pleasure slaves in case the hunters want to enjoy a more primal experience. Somewhere within the maze is hidden a golden monkey statue and Lord Aeradar has promised a unique prize to the guest that finds it.
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Post by Micaela Vaenys on Jan 10, 2019 19:03:43 GMT
"I have never even met Lord Caltarys outside of the occasional Council meeting. He does put on a marvelous bloodsport though." Visenya took her by the hand and entered via the nearest entrance. She giggled like a small child. "My uncle Furyo had one of these on his estate near Lys, but my mother never allowed me to go in it after dark." "But why not?" Micaela felt her excitement rising like butterflies fluttering around her stomach. She'd seen the outside of maze during her visits with Helaena but hadn't ventured inside, though she'd been longing for the opportunity. "Did your mother worry that you were going to fall prey to a handsome fortune hunter hiding in the maze?" |
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Post by The Terror on Jan 10, 2019 19:27:52 GMT
"If 'fortune hunter' is a synonym for 'pirate', then yes. Lys itself is surrounded by high walls, but my uncle lived outside them. He kept a strong retinue of bodyguards, but it wasn't uncommon for local peasant children to be snatched up by slavers and trained as bed slaves for the city magisters."
Visenya grazed the elaborate hedge shrubbery with her hands as they passed through. She laughs at the sound of some hidden slave imitating the mating call of a monkey.
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Post by Micaela Vaenys on Jan 10, 2019 20:18:35 GMT
Micaela burst out laughing as well. The imitation mating call wasn't something she'd expected to hear within moments of entering the maze.
"Lord Caltarys would never let harm come to his guests," she said confidently. "Besides, we could protect one another if need be. No rogue would dare take on us." She grinned.
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Post by Captain Illesso Stassios on Jan 11, 2019 7:29:00 GMT
Having been led over by Aelyx, Illesso approached the maze. He really was not sure what to expect, but headed straight in.
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Post by The Terror on Jan 16, 2019 18:58:33 GMT
Micaela burst out laughing as well. The imitation mating call wasn't something she'd expected to hear within moments of entering the maze. "Lord Caltarys would never let harm come to his guests," she said confidently. "Besides, we could protect one another if need be. No rogue would dare take on us." She grinned. "I dare say we are too fierce," grinned the other noblewoman. She held Micaela's hand tight and began singing a little pirate ditty sung by Volantene children but not actual pirates. It was a Valyrian woman who flees a marriage and becomes enamored with a pirate king. Her husband hires his own fleet and tracks them down, but the pirate king defeats him in a duel. Or perhaps the nobleman won the duel but the pirate king won her heart. The ending was more ambiguous to the now adult Micaela. |
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Post by The Terror on Jan 16, 2019 19:09:52 GMT
Having been led over by Aelyx, Illesso approached the maze. He really was not sure what to expect, but headed straight in. Illesso finds himself before one of the fantastical fountains. It is some sort of wyvern that probably appears more ominous than necessary for the occasion. Nearby, there is a tall, masked figure in thick dark red robes staring at it. He smells awful to Illesso, like hundreds of dead fish at port market. But his crimson clothes are occasionally accented with various pieces of gold jewelry. However, the pieces only seem to make him more garish than palatable. The stranger just stares at the wyvern-shaped edifice, ignoring the tailor's arrival. |
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Post by Micaela Vaenys on Jan 16, 2019 19:46:19 GMT
"I dare say we are too fierce," grinned the other noblewoman. She held Micaela's hand tight and began singing a little pirate ditty sung by Volantene children but not actual pirates. It was a Valyrian woman who flees a marriage and becomes enamored with a pirate king. Her husband hires his own fleet and tracks them down, but the pirate king defeats him in a duel. Or perhaps the nobleman won the duel but the pirate king won her heart. The ending was more ambiguous to the now adult Micaela. "I haven't heard that song in years," Micaela confided. "It was one of my favourites when I was a girl, but I liked the fact that the lady was having an adventure more than the love story. Though I suppose I did swoon over stories about handsome pirates once or twice after that. What prompted you to start singing?" |
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Post by Captain Illesso Stassios on Jan 16, 2019 19:57:01 GMT
His voice was crisp and educated. "It is a wyvern, presumably intended to be the subspecies located in the nearby mountain range. Though I detect various... inaccuracies in the rendering. No doubt the artist was too terrified to attempt to study such a creature up close. This town is full of such cowards, I am afraid."
His fingers were long with nails like claws. He employed one such appendage to gesture. "Note how the artist depicts symmetrical locations for the ear holes. In reality, the wyvern's ears are offset, thereby allowing them to more easily track their prey through the thick foliage of the jungle. Imagine you are an elephant calf, traveling with your herd. And then suddenly you hear a cry. You look up, but you can see nothing through the canopy." The stranger's monstrous hand reaches up. His goldringed fingers look more like claws than something that could have ever grasped a pen or lover.
But your family is frantically stampeding in fear. Your idiot parents think the terror above will have a more difficult time locating you if you are moving. But neitherthe jungle nor your parents can protect you. Your father weighs three tonnes, more than most trees. But the crushing weight of his hooves only attracts death."
The clawed hands swoop down like a raptor. "Your father is torn apart by something your immature mind cannot comprehend. Unlike tigers and wolves however, the wyvern does not consume its prey in the same spot it is killed. Rather, it shears just enough weight from its prize so it can lift it off the ground and carry it to its nest. Thus the wyvern may digest in peace and sleep. They are like mundane reptiles in that sense, you see. They must consume their food whole and hibernate until they have finished the laborious digestion process. This is in stark contrast to the Valyrian dragon, who feeds exclusively on roasted meat and more frequently as a result..."
As the lecture ends, the stranger's hands open and close, as though grasping at something unseen to Illesso. "I... trust that satisfies your curiosity, Braavosi."
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Post by The Terror on Jan 16, 2019 20:40:03 GMT
Visenya laughed. "You did, with your talk of fortune hunters. So tell me, Micaela... do you expect to become filthy rich in the jungle? Are you going to buy a bigger palace? Somehow, you don't strike me as the harem connoisseur type. Rather..." She considered her companion's possible desires. "Aha! A library! One to rival the Citadel in Oldtown. Filled with books on pirates and dragons and whatever filth the Wise and Wealthy Lady Vaenys enjoys when no one is looking."
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Post by Micaela Vaenys on Jan 16, 2019 20:57:18 GMT
Visenya laughed. "You did, with your talk of fortune hunters. So tell me, Micaela... do you expect to become filthy rich in the jungle? Are you going to buy a bigger palace? Somehow, you don't strike me as the harem connoisseur type. Rather..." She considered her companion's possible desires. "Aha! A library! One to rival the Citadel in Oldtown. Filled with books on pirates and dragons and whatever filth the Wise and Wealthy Lady Vaenys enjoys when no one is looking." Micaela giggled. "A big library is my ultimate goal, of course. Lots of books on a hundred different subjects, chairs so comfortable you can fall asleep in them, and big desks for studying at. That's what I want. Wealth would be wonderful, of course, only a fool thinks otherwise, but in all honesty. I will be happy with enough money to live comfortably forever, with some extra left over to buy new books whenever I want. Although..." Her face was lit with excitement as she said "If I become very wealthy perhaps I might even sail to Oldtown for a visit! Have you ever been to Westeros?" |
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Post by Captain Illesso Stassios on Jan 16, 2019 20:58:45 GMT
Illesso was surely weirded out by the commentary on his family and immediately knowing that he was a Braavosi. However, he maintained a straight face throughout the man's rant. "Right. That is fascinating." He stood there a moment, looking around the clearing somewhat awkwardly. "I'll be off, then." He moved toward the leftmost exit of the area, muttering "Strange son of a bitch..." as he went.
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