Mission # 9 - Festival at Rataneran Keep

[lucetimods]

Who: Jack Sparrow, Pao-Lin Huang, Remy LeBeau, Buffy Summers, Maron Kusakabe, Raine Sage, Albert Silverberg, Trafalgar Law, Neferteri Vivi, Rogue, Pepper Potts, Cloche Leythal Pastalia, Temperance Brennan, Norma Beatty, Raven, Grune, Sokka, Kiba Inuzuka, Eusine, Peeta Mellark, Yamanaka Ino, Jiro Kusano, Rainbow Dash, Steve Rogers, Booth, Joshua Bright, Leonhardt, Syre Atries
What: MISSION # 9 - Festival at Rataneran Keep
When: August 17th to 18th
Where: Rataneran Keep
Summary: Volunteers have been summoned to Rataneran Keep to put on a festival for the time-honored “Founder’s Day Festival”. However, three assassins have been assigned to put an end to a certain Count.


Upon being deployed from Luceti, the group of volunteers were transported by private jet for three hours. Due to containment requirements, the windows were blacked out, preventing them from seeing outside. These few hours went by rather quietly, as they were given food and other necessities by a staff of worker droids. When they landed, they were greeted by a businessman in a brown suit, attended by several aides and a security detail. He looked frustrated, overworked, and unhappy to be there. But when the group had all arrived, he spoke to the lot of them.

“Welcome adventurers, heroes, and whoever else the rest of you might be. I’m CJ- that’s short for Cave Johnson. I’m the RP Manager for the Malnosso Assignment and Reward Service. That’s right, Service. Starts with an S. Makes the MARS acronym work that much better. Now, today you’re not here to save any lives or fight cultists or anything in the pursuit of science. No, tomorrow you’re going to put on stupid costumes, face paint, and put on a damn good show. Big wigs from the organization are going to be at this festival, just like every year. Now you might be thinking to yourself this is your big chance to get to know the Commandant. Or that you have a shot at rubbing elbows with the head of the science department. Well time to get that thought out of your head. You’re here for one reason. Information. Information about things that have nothing to do with those people.”

Deep breath and Cave Johnson stopped to continue, but his cell phone rang. Shushing the volunteers, he turned away and started talking. Those with especially keen hearing overheard something like, “No, Janice. I said no- okay, fine. Fine, yes. If those damn Segretarians want to keep escaping, then we’ll stop working with them. Alright. Alright. I heard you. Okay. Bye.”

Entirely unapologetic, he turned back to the group. “I’ll lay this out simple for you folks on how this is going to work. The lot of you? You’re not from Luceti. Or any other enclosure. You’re a traveling circus known as the Feathered Phenomenals. A real popular group that’s been paid to not show up. You people will be filling in for them. That means taking over their caravan, their costumes, their animals, and all the hard work that comes with it. You’ll be sleeping outside of Rataneran Keep for your first night, so if you don’t like sleeping on the ground, then you should have thought of that before signing up.”

“So what are you keeping your ears out for?” He asked. “Well here’s your spoilers, kids. Count Zompano is the one running this gig. You know him already. He’s the son of a bitch running the enclosures now. That puts him in charge of experiments, the authorization of abductions and arrivals, and whether I keep my job and the MARS project keeps going on. So you bunch need to find any dirt you can on him. Talk to the servants and guards, but don’t give yourselves away. If we can blackmail the bastard, we’ll put him out of a job and we all go home happy. Now, if you’ll talk to my aides, they’ve all got identities and roles set up for you to fill. Don’t go complaining if you don’t like what you get. Any questions?”

Cave Johnson stuck around a little longer to answer any questions in his stubborn, blunt way. But eventually his cell phone rang again and he was summoned away. This left the volunteers to get their badges that would reveal what roles they would be playing in the troupe. They were strictly forbidden from trading or to use their real names. They were also given see-through adhesives to put over their barcodes, for those with short enough hair to be exposed. These effectively made the barcodes vanish and be imperceptible.

While that lot was busy, the security quietly picked out Joshua Bright, Leonhardt, and Syre Atries at different times, separately and done to ensure no one noticed anything awry. Each were taken to a private black van where Specialist Davis was waiting for them. Each one received a private primer on what they would be doing. Perform as unimportant members of the troupe. While the show was running, they would assess the security, make preparations to corner Count Zompano, and at last knock him out and abduct him. They would then meet with Davis again, at night time of the second day, to deliver the Count for delivery to the cultists. If the assassins succeeded, they would receive an extra reward.

However, each assassin was not made aware of the other two, leaving them under the impression they would be working alone and without competition. They were sternly warned not to reveal their role to ANYONE. Should they do so, Cave Johnson had already arranged specific punishments for such an occasion.

Day 1:

The first day of the mission, besides transportation and being informed of the situation, will be spent allowing the volunteers to get into the roles designated for them. All of them will be expected to do their part in setting up the stage, high wires, cages, and other parts needed to put on the show. Some of the work by the castle’s staff will already be completed, but most of the first day will be spent doing the finishing touches and, of course, rehearsing. They will not be permitted to wander around the castle at this time. At night, they will set up tents outside the walls of the Keep.

For a ten mile radius around the castle (which extends far beyond the castle walls), a Shift preventing the use of any special powers has been erected. This will prevent anyone in the group from using special abilities that cannot be performed by an ordinary, mundane human being. Along with having no weapons, this puts the group at a severe disadvantage should they try to pick a fight. The castle is itself host to a large and efficient security detail. Although they are not members of the Malnosso Security Force, they are armed with the same sorts of weapons and use radios to relay information. Notably there are no droids being used among the castle staff. Every task is performed by a multitude of underpaid servants.

During this time they will have ample opportunities to talk to the servants, some of which will be more forthcoming than others. The security will be less talkative, but that’s nothing that they can’t handle if they’re willing to flirt a little, invite them to a drink, and lull them into a false sense of security. Examples of snippets they will provide in the comments below.

Day 2:

The majority of the Founder’s Day festivities will be taking place in Rataneran Keep’s grand hall. Although normally kept austere and severely underdecorated, a large battalion of underpaid Malnosso underlings have truly outdone themselves. There are tapestries on the walls depicting famous scenes from the Organization’s history, hanging chandeliers filled with smoky, wax-dipping candles, and great wooden tables piled high with delicacies culled from a variety of the world’s most profitable enclosures. But don’t even think about snagging a pastry or cut of meat for yourself! The help has been strongly discouraged from sharing in the master’s feast -- such pilfering will come with stern reprimands and, in severe cases, lost digits.

Squat, raked seating fills both ends of the hall and servants scurry back and forth between the food and the guests, serving them with gusto. The count and his more esteemed guests sit in a box-like seating area, flush against the long east wall. Security is also present. However, the center of the room is empty and so houses the real entertainment; it is in this space the volunteers would have set up as their stage on the previous day. Before the Feathered Phenomenals perform, there comes a choir that seemed to be made up of captured cultists. Their otherwise majestic, long wings are clipped and bound together. Most of the festival’s guests seem mildly troubled by the display; the count, meanwhile, guffaws and applauds the loudest. The man appears heartless. Why -- one servant whispers wide-eyed to the gathered Lucetian troupe before they went on -- apparently just the night before, the count had ordered the execution of an entire company of painters, one of which had displeased him by painting his nose just a little too big. It didn’t matter that his nose was big to begin with, she clarifies. Just that the count had been insulted, and that he’d felt a week of being dead would lend the painters some additional perspective. And so, she warns, the circus performers had better do their utmost best unless the count should also choose to put these mice through their paces.

Count Zompano himself will not be difficult to spot. A man with a gaudy sense of fashion, he dresses in foofy clothes and wears a pompadour wig. What makes him particularly distinctive are his pink-ish skin, yellow eyes, and large pink wings, which he decorates with glitter. With a foppish attitude and a tendency to refer to anyone he does not consider his equal as ‘little mice’, he is a man who makes himself the center of attention wherever he goes. Typically surrounded by a security detail, there are few times when he is ever alone and not basking in attention. He is extremely brutal to those who interrupt him, displease him, or otherwise annoy him. Guards who fail in their duties to him are swiftly executed and servants are often sent below the castle to be ‘re-educated’ of their role.

In the evening, before the final act, is when the Count will be successfully abducted. This final act will be the play about Founder’s Day. As the four actors put on their show, the rest of the troupe will be packing up to leave. At its conclusion, the group will be ready to leave. With the help of the Security Forces, they will be allowed to depart without incident, despite the castle security doing a sweep to find their employer. The remaining assassin will rendezvous with them later after delivering the Count to Specialist Davis.

---

OoC Information:

-You can make up fake names and identities that your characters will assume. They’re just locked into the professions revealed before. Feel free to come up with your own costume and makeup ideas too!
-Any attempts to escape or fight their way free will result in them being detained by security. Specialist Davis will arrange for them to spend the rest of the mission in MSF custody.
-For the assassins: Leonhardt is the designated assassin to succeed in capturing Count Zompano, Joshua Bright will fail but be otherwise undetected, and Syre Atries will be killed after being discovered by security. For these three assassins, we will set up threads for you to interact with the malnosso account so we can react to your character’s actions and set up the scenario, leading to their conclusions.
- All volunteers can talk to CJ before the mission for any additional questions they have. He will be unavailable to speak with after that point. What they do at that point is all on them, since he’ll be watching in the audience.

NOTE: Details for the play are still in the work. We’ll have a separate thread dedicated to it to be appended to the log later, which should have all the details you need. We hope to have this ready sometime tonight.



That’s all! For any plotting or questions, please use this post

Comments

NPC Snippets

[lucetimods]

These are the sorts of things that the servants and security guards will talk about:

Servants
- “Count Zompano is a terrible man. He hasn’t given any of us a raise in decades. He lowered my aunt’s pay when she died and reapplied as a teenager!”
- “Oh no, the Commandant is going to be here! I really hope I don’t have to go around her. She’ll probably kill me if I do something wrong...”
- “Well. You didn’t hear this from me, but I heard the Count is wanting to bring back abductions for those poor people in the enclosures. Biliruben managed to finally outlaw that horrible practice, but I suppose some things never change.”
- “Ugh, Mister Johnson is such a jerk. He keeps flirting with the maids any time he gets a chance. What a creep.”
- “What do you mean how long has the Count been around? He may not be a founder, but without the money he poured into the organization, it would’ve never became what it is today! He may be a monster, but he’s the reason we have any trace of a society. He doesn’t need to be on the board of directors for everyone to know he practically runs this world.”
- “I heard Henderson just got back. I don’t know how he keeps getting rehired for security detail. The guy doesn’t know how to keep a secret to save his life. And since the Count can be pretty bloody about his punishments, you think he’d learn...”
- “Oh great. They hired a bunch of Lucies to help run the party. You know you can never trust them. Huh? Oh! Of course you’re not one of them. You don’t have those hideous giant wings like they do.”

Security (when properly loosened up)
- “What? Weaknesses in the security? Ha! This place is a fortress! You’d need to disable the cameras in the control room to think of getting anywhere. And there’s no chance of that happening. Huh? Where is it? Oh, that’s on the east wing. Why do you ask?”
- “I heard Baxter, the grunt with the eyepatch? I heard he’s on probation with the Count for accepting bribes from servants in order to turn his remaining eye away from pilfered goods from the kitchens. That guy’ll take a payday from anyone. Of course, with salaries getting delayed again...”
- “Somewhere a little more private, eh? There’s one of those secret staircases behind the Age of Airships tapestry. Just let me grab another drink, why don’t you? Hmm? Oh, it goes right up to the great hall’s mezzanine. I think they’re storing extra linens up there...”
- “You know, I wonder why an arachnophobe decided to move into such a dreary old castle. There’s gotta be at least a couple thousand spider nests in the west wing alone.”
- “Count Zompano has...abilities. None here have seen’em, of course. Because the Shift on the castle affects him too. But my brother-in-law’s green-grocer said she once saw him at an Organization fundraiser, and he actually hurled a guy across the room with his mind! Apparently, the guy was making fun of his massive pink wings. And the Count? He didn’t say anything. He only thought it and it happened.”
- “You’re a pretty one, ain’t ya? How about we go somewhere no can hear us, alright? Then I’ll tell you anything you wanna hear, heh heh. Hey, where are you going?”

Day 1 (Talk to CJ)

[malnosso]

Before they leave the airport, CJ waits a little longer to answer any questions. He looks impatient, so it's best to hurry up and ask something than to wait for later.

[handing]

In some ways, Cave's announcement of their assignment reassured Pepper; he spoke and acted much like any number of the businessmen she'd dealt with at home, right down to rudely taking a phone call during the meeting. So when the group was dismissed she headed for him instead of the aides.

"You must be pretty desperate if you're resorting to blackmail."

[beltbucklerebel]

[if they were going to do this right, it would help to be clear on all the details behind the case.

Barring that--since he figured that was never going to happen--Booth would try to just solidify a few things]

So this Count...he's the freak who was getting all sing-songy about mice, right?

[touchofrogue]

All business, Rogue had listened to CJ's presentation with unfaltering attention, her mouth pressed into a line. When the opportunity came to talk to him alone presented itself, she quickly slipped away to take it, "Two things. Maybe three."

Day 1 (Talk to Davis - assassins only)

[malnosso]

In the black van, Davis finished up giving the mission details. Any last questions before you leave him?

[eyesofstrength]

[Once Leonhardt obtains the basics, what is expected, where to report to upon success, the description of the target, etc. he really has few remaining questions other than what comes after. He wants to be sure he's prepared for any questions that are likely to come when he vanishes to deal with the Count and if this will cause any consequences for him.]

Assuming the successful completion of this mission, will there be anything else I need to be wary of after removing him from the keep?

[removeimpurity]

[Syre is silent throughout the mission briefing. When Davis finishes up, the Ecliptian is silent a few moments before speaking. Her voice is unusually even for something that should be a stressful matter.]

I will assume that my sentence, should I be caught in the act, will be no trivial matter. What awaits me, if I should fail? A counter-assault? Interrogation? Torture?

Day 1 (Setup)

[lucetimods]

Here the volunteers begin their set up for the festival tomorrow. This is going to be a lot of hard work, after all. They're inside the Keep currently, so this gives them a chance to talk to the servants and guards.

[setting up]

[all7seas]

"Oi! We need more glittery sawdust over here, mate! And where on earth's that highwire got to? I need to test it."

Jack Sparrow strode nervously back and forth across the great hall. Jitters, that's all it was. He always got them before a big show -- whether that was one put on for the benefit of Joshamee Gibbs, or for his fellow pirates, or for some unwitting widow. What Jack was good at was calming down in the moment and performing without a hitch.

Now, though, he indulged his nerves with pacing and rather grouchy orders.

[herotypical]

Powerless or not, Buffy still spent the set-up time trying to actually set things up. This went...not so well. From straining over crates that were too heavy for her deslayered strength to simply overcompensating for her new 'weakness' and so having the occasional moment of lost balance, Buffy Summers hardly seemed like a candidate for acrobatic feats. But -- and she had faith enough in this fact -- she would adapt.

You can help her carry a box or two or perhaps join her in some rehearsal? Or maybe you'd like to go lean on some guards with her? Action brackets are also welcome, if prose ain't your thing.

[wise_maiden]

Raine will assist where she can in the set up, which would include minor things with assisting others with costumes, props, and trying to keep track of people's new identities, and listening out for whatever the servants have to say, when there is time for it. For a few reasons she can't quite pull her physical weight the way she normally might, for the situation-- the lack of relying on anything considered supernatural, for one-- but those who had seen her during the week would notice her significant improvement, as she wouldn't have accepted the mission to begin with if she couldn't handle something like this.

In any case, it's the rehearsing that would certainly require a lot more time of her day than anything else, especially if they only had a day to prepare for the play itself. Balancing a new role on top of already playing a role... this would be interesting. At least she already has a suitable inspiration for this role -- it makes her think of Lloyd, for one, and she's no stranger to emulating him as needed. And for her own costume, it seems fairly hero-ish - in a somewhat similar design to what's seen here, though the colors might be a little brighter to suit the setting, with a cape added to it for a more dramatic effect. She'll be wearing a wig, of course, to add more flavor to the 'spiky haired' look.

When she's not in costume she's dressed similarly to the other performers, with no trace of her usual style of clothing. Something more relaxed, very flattering, a touch revealing -- they are there for information, after all.

[chikaidestroyer]

In a troupe of this sort, everyone was a laborer at one point or another; this in itself was not a surprise to Albert. The place that they found themselves setting up in, however... Well, suffice it to say that it had been a long time since he had seen a castle of any kind. He saw no signs of droids; it seemed their host may be against their presence, or at least kept them out of plain sight. Interesting.

The servants are stressed and vocal during the setup hours, and he takes advantage of their loose tongues to listen to whatever gossip they have to offer. A lot of the complaints had to do with wages and the importance of the festivities, but he kept at it with a sympathetic ear and jovial, self-deprecating wit.

Complete with the occasional smile and laugh. Yes. If it was their job to wheedle information and remain undetected, a more approachable facade was necessary.

Besides, an actor had to act, right?

[neversurrender]

Steve had never done this sort of work before. His parents haven't even had enough money to take him to a show like this when he was a kid. The atmosphere was completely different from anything he'd ever experienced before; but if there's one thing he's good at, it's learning to blend in.

So he watches people do their various jobs and jumps into any available positions he can grab. And if it happens to helps him to over hear certain conversations then so much the better. The only thing he deems slightly annoying is that he doesn't seem able to lift quite as much as he could before on his own. And he breaks a sweat doing tasks he's sure wouldn't have effected him otherwise.

If you happen to stumble across him, he'll be helping to move props and settings into their proper places.

[beltbucklerebel]

It's early enough that he doesn't need to be in character, but Booth already looks the part. Dressed in a dingy white t-shirt and suspenders, he's busy helping set up the tent, as well as lugging the other supplies and sets to where they need to go. He'd feel it in the morning, but the slow burn in his muscles was good. For the past few months, his only real workout had been simulated. It felt good to be doing something real.

[eyesofstrength]

[Leonhardt will be acting in the role of a laborer during the setup. As much as he can he will definitely be questioning the servants and guards since he will need as much information as he can get to form a plan of action for his real mission.

He also is going a bit more in depth in making sure he appears nondescript. Everything he brought to accomplish his mission is well concealed. He is making sure to wear clothes that fit his role and allow him to blend in. He is even also wearing a hat pulled low and used a temporary dye that will wash out quickly on his hair to further hide his very distinctive eye and hair color as much as he can. He wants to be sure he appears ordinary and not worth any notice as he helps with the setup, but also that he can move easily while performing chores.]

[truthin_bones]

It's important to pitch in, be part of the cohesive unit that's life in the circus. Despite the clingy clingy blue floral dress, Brennan's everywhere she can be -- carrying boxes, helping to set up tents, any odd job that needs to be done. It's all approached cheerfully and, perhaps, over enthusiastically.

As soon as she finds a moment to herself, she's practicing her vocals. Even if Buck and Wanda Moosejaw have made their return in this circus, their Russian knives of death act has been left behind in Texas. She's a singer now and has to practice.

Re: Day 1 (Setup)

[deathsdoctor]

'Torao Kasai' is handling the riggings for the acrobatic acts, fearless up high, where other servants tremble as they set up for the act to come. Which is an excellent opportunity to strike up a rapport. Ever the dashing gentleman, he comes to their rescue and strikes up inane conversation to ease the nerves. Inane conversation that's coaxed in directions to milk out the information they need. In their relief and gratefulness (and still a little lingering fear of heights) he doesn't have any trouble keeping them talking.

On the ground, he makes sure to help the servants in between his own duties. He smiles, flirts lightly with a few maids, and is rewarded with a few shy smiles. After being called little mice, a simple 'as you wish, m'lady' worked wonders. He's chosen dress that conveys the image he wants. Formal enough to give him an air of gravity, comfortable enough for labor, and styled simple enough to be relatively unpretentious, fit for a simple actor. It also conveyed a bit of mystery, romantic or otherwise and he was quite pleased.

He scratches at his beard. He already had a goatee, so he hasn't been shaving for over a week to let the rest grow in. It's filled in pretty nicely. He looks just different enough from Trafalgar Law so he wouldn't be recognized at first glance. His costume, though he is not wearing it now, makes him even more unrecognizable - such a departure from the conservative Captain.

The rest was just a matter of acting. Well. That was what he was there for anyway.

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi's donned a simple disguise for the mission--a smart tailored suit and gloves, her hair loose and straight instead of up in her customary ponytail. She pitches in with the set-up, though keeps to the more simple and less labor-intensive tasks, more for the sake of appearances than because she's unable to do heavier work. If her role in this mission is that of an actor, she reasons, it can't hurt to develop something of a persona to fit that. A persona that is something of a minor diva, truth be told.]

[To that end, you might find her in various places inspecting costumes, props, and the set for the play, offering her advice for how they might be improved upon to better showcase her talents--or rather, those of Miss Athene Sapphire, the alias she's chosen for herself.]

[removeimpurity]

[Syre keeps a low profile as she plays the part of a Laborer: she speaks only when spoken to, her voice an octave higher than it would be normally; her hair, bangs included, had been recolored using a makeshift blend of charcoal and oils, and was settled into a pair of french braids; her normal attire -- her glasses included -- had been left at home, replaced by a loose-fitting shirt and even looser pants.]

[In between bursts of work, she makes sure to listen in to whatever gossip is going around in the background; she needs every lead she can get in order to carry out her mission.]

[Otherwise, this humble, silent servant will be bustling about, setting things into their proper place.]

Day 2 (Camping)

[lucetimods]

Tonight we sleep outside, under the stars. These stars are different from the ones in Luceti, for anyone keeping track. We have tents and some food. Maybe we can make a little merry before tomorrow begins. We have the instruments and a group made for entertainment.

[Jack's tent and surrounding environs, either the first night or the second night]

[all7seas]

Much of the evening, Jack will be in his tent, rehearsing to himself -- pacing about -- maybe catching some sleep -- probably also trying on his costume. The dreadlocks have been tamed back for the show; the mustache and beard trimmed considerably. There will be ladies in the audience to charm.

Maybe he will even experiment with glittery eye colorings rather than his usual kohl. Green? Blue? Purple?


Maybe he needs help with this part.

Day 2 (Festival!)

[lucetimods]

The festival has begun! Now it's time to show what you can do! Get into costume! Move things around! Clean up animal dung! Whatever it is you're here for, make your best of it. Or the Count will be displeased and raise the stakes.

1/? dunno even

[all7seas]

"Ladies and gentlemen, winged dignitaries and waggish lords, and, most especially, our gracious host, the incomparable Count Zompano! Welcome, welcome, welcome to the flightful fancies of farflung frolic! The Feathered Phenomenals are here, gents and lasses, to fling you from the titanic heights of wow."

Day 2 (The Play)

[lucetimods]

The Script is here! The four actors may play out this scene. They are welcome to adlib or mess up on lines. However the crowd may become unhappy and boo them if they mess up too much.

The Play -- Introduction

[all7seas]

"Bend your ears this way, fillies and gents! For tonight we have a special performance! Our troupe of skilled actors and lady-actors have amalgamated, for your gasps of transported pleasure, a dramatical exercise. Love! Pain! Death! Heroics! More death! More love! DramadramadramadramaDRAMA.

And all for you. And all from us. Without further ado, my dearest Count Zompano! Without further preface, fair ladies and gentle gentlemen! May I present for you ---


Our Feathered Phenomenals Dramatical Stars!"

Day 2 (Assassins)

[lucetimods]

((Each of the three assassins can comment here and we will guide them through their actions. So reply here with some starting information on what your character is up to and we will guide you through it.))

[eyesofstrength]

[Leonhardt did his utmost to look nondescript and unremarkable before coming in. Unlike Joshua, while he could look female to disguise himself well, he can't pull off that role since he'd need to be able to speak. So instead he goes with something very bland looking, but with enough places to conceal everything he'll need. He'll also have actually used a temporary dye that will wash off in a few days to conceal his distinct hair color and instead make it a dull brown and will also be wearing a hat pulled down low to draw attention away from his eyes. He'll also be wearing gloves. On him is concealed a large amount of a sleeping agent that has no side effects that he used previously to knock out targets (definitely enough to give the Count and most of the guards a long nap), and a few smoke canisters. The canisters are a backup plan, since they can create a distraction without harm and will make it appear as if a fire started.

After questioning all the servants and guards he can, he has a few things in mind to do. The most important will be disabling the security cameras since that appears to be the biggest thing making security tight. Other things he will do will be to obtain some extra linens, especially some sheets or a thick blanket to use to conceal the Count when he's rendered unconscious, and also to tie him up with. He'll also be smuggling in an empty crate large enough to hold the man since that will be needed to remove the Count from the castle undetected, much like how they removed Professor Russell from the Central Factory amidst numerous witnesses in his world.

Also, if he wasn't able to bring in a few concealed knives, he'll see what he can do to obtain at least two. If he can't borrow them legitimately, he'll see about pilfering them. He doubts he'll need them as a weapon, but it is best to be prepared and his sword is too large to conceal.

And one last thing he will do is obtain spiders from the nests in the west wing. That fear of spiders may well be key to get the Count away from a security detail without alerting all of the security in the process. Either he will run away, or he'll hide somewhere while security deals with the spiders. That will make for a good opening if Leonhardt can't find the man away from security. How many he gets will depend on their size.]

Day 2 (Departure)

[lucetimods]

Time to shuffle on out of this place. Any last minute interactions can take place here. Don't act too suspicious, because the guards are on high alert.