• Solo • The Great Smooglenuff Bonfire, Part 2

A small island with an active volcano, Faldrass is the home to Saoire's school and to the Faldrass Induk.

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Devin
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Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:25 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Baron Smooglethorn
Renown: 1195
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The Great Smooglenuff Bonfire, Part 2

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Continued from here.

Cylus 1, Arc 722

While Devin helped distribute the blankets and pillows, while Marvin checked the bonfire that his assistants and he had constructed on the beach that was covered with fine orange sand and while Mrs. Adams took care of the food, the rest of the guests gradually arrived.

First was Marvin’s sister Miranda, a small brown mouse cadouri that wore a warm, dark blue cape with a hood over her dress because it promised to be quite cold. She was followed by Korim, the butler, who had traded his livery for more comfortable clothes, a red knit sweater, a jacket and pants – Devin had rarely seen him in normal clothes so far.

On Korim’s arm was a fluffy white cat cadouri girl that looked adorable in her pink dress. She was a kitchen aide, but also took part in Devin’s sword fighting lessons on a regular basis. Even Devin’s other roommate, Talieson the bard, came even though he had been reluctant to move to Faldrass at first.

He was accompanied by not one, but two people. There was a young man on his right arm, and a young woman on his left arm. Devin smirked when he noticed them and shook his head, but he didn’t say anything. He had absolutely no problem with someone romancing more than one person as long as all the people involved were in agreement.

He greeted every guest that arrived at the beach personally and shook their hands before he gestured for them to find a place to sit – he had made sure that people of all sizes, from the smallest cadouri to the biggest humans would be able to sit comfortably (Fortunately, there were no gigantic Ithecal with even more gigantic tails in the manor at the moment).

Every guest was immediately given a packet of orange sand so that their hands wouldn’t freeze, and a hot drink, provided that they wanted one. For a while, the beach that was crowded with tourists in summer was filled with quiet, anticipatory chatter and the sounds of the waves that crashed against the shore. The air was filled with the smell of hot chocolate and coffee and delicious food, and a hint of the salty smell of the sea.

A lot of people came, perhaps more than Devin had expected. Few people wanted to miss a party with food and drinks, and in the company of one of their Barons, at that. There were some that were noticeably absent though. The guardhouse was, as always, manned, and there were guards as well as a few servants in the manor as well. Devin didn’t know if there were any bandits or monsters on Faldrass, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He was responsible for this land and its people, and he didn't think they'd follow him or like him anymore if he didn't keep their home safe.

An empty manor was more or less an invitation to all kinds of nefarious elements!

For that reason, he also carried a newly acquired Echo Scroll in one of his pockets. One of the guards that were currently on duty in the guard house carried its twin, so that they would alert him immediately in case of trouble. Of course, the young man didn’t think too much of trouble right now. Most of his thoughts were centered on the bonfire directly in front of him.

When it seemed as if everybody that wanted to come had arrived, Marvin handed Devin a torch and bowed slightly, and the Mortalborn stepped forward. He bowed as well, in a somewhat dramatic way and with a radiant smile on his face, before he lit the fire.

Everywhere around him there was applause, and when the applause had finally died down, someone called out, “Speech! We want to hear a speech, Your Grace!” Several voices joined in. Devin was of course quite happy to oblige. He had planned on holding a speech anyway because you couldn’t celebrate the Barony’s accomplishments properly if you didn’t talk about said accomplishments, but only ate and drank.
Last edited by Devin on Thu Feb 10, 2022 3:49 am, edited 7 times in total. word count: 701

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Devin
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Posts: 1701
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:25 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Baron Smooglethorn
Renown: 1195
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Re: The Great Smooglenuff Bonfire, Part 2

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“Exactly an arc ago, to this trial”, Devin said and let his gaze sweep over the people around him, smiling even more radiantly than before if that was at all possible because he was just so very happy. “I attended Saoire’s Cylus Dusk celebration. I learned about Enri von Smooglenuff and about Baron Rodrigues’ last will. When the time for a successor to be chosen came, I advocated for our very own Baroness Alyssia due to the bravery that she had shown. But what am I talking about? You already know the story!” he remarked and laughed. Here and there people laughed as well.

“We have a manor now! We have a road that is actually two roads. We have a guardhouse. We have reached out to Saoire’s School and the Spirit’s Rest Oasis. We have glowing chickens and regular sword fighting lessons for anybody who’s interested, and the Smooglenuff Wine project is well underway. When the worst of the cold is over, I plan on doing some work in the garden in general, and I’ll also buy us a boat – because the Barony should have its own means of transport in my opinion!” he proclaimed, his voice rising to a veritable crescendo, which caused a couple of people to spontaneously cheer.

“None of the things that you can see in the Barony would have been possible without you all though!” he continued once the cheers had stopped and people were paying attention to his speech again. “Without Marvin, our engineer, we wouldn’t have a road or a guardhouse, for example, and maybe not even a chichen coop”, he said and gestured towards the young mouse cadouri. Marvin who loved food was just munching on a sandwich with obvious gusto, but when he noticed that all eyes were on him, he briefly stopped eating, grinned and bowed.

“Without Miranda, our head maid, and Korim, our butler, the manor would be chaotic to say the least”, Devin continued and gestured towards Marvin’s sister. “Without our amazing Mrs. Adams, we would all be hungry, and the vineyard project might never be realized because she’s not only the best cook on Faldrass, but also a talented brewer!” he pointed out which caused people to look at the human woman for a moment before they turned to face Devin once more who continued to mention the accomplishments and contributions of the people that were part of the Smooglenuff Barony.

The young man talked in a very enthusiastic tone of voice in the hope that some of his enthusiasm would rub off on them, and finally he proclaimed, “Ultimately, this is not the Barony of Nir’wei, Darius or me, or even Alyssia’s Barony, but our Barony and the work of all of us together. Without any of you, what we have now wouldn’t have been possible, and for that, I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart and celebrate you. Does anybody have a drink for me please? I’d like to give a toast”, he asked, and one of the people who worked in the kitchen quickly handed him a cup of hot chocolate.

Devin eyed it for a moment.

He had never given a toast with hot chocolate before, but only with alcohol, but he didn’t mind because hot chocolate tasted better than most alcoholic drinks in his opinion, anyway. So, he raised his cup, waiting for the others to do the same, in case they wanted to join the toast, and exclaimed, “To you, for an absolutely amazing arc! Let’s hope that the new arc will be just as great! And now enjoy the celebration!” he added.

Having said that, he took a big gulp before he bowed in a somewhat dramatic manner and finally sat down next to Mrs. Adams. As he did so, there was another round of applause.

“To us!” the people of Smooglenuff Manor exclaimed.

One person, one of the stable hands, a young man with bright red hair and a face full of freckles, had something else to say though, once the applause had stopped. He walked over to Devin, looked at him for a moment, raised his cup of coffee slightly and grinned all over his face before he remarked, “I really like your outfit, Your Grace! It glitters!”

Upon hearing that, the young Baron beamed at the stable hand because he liked receiving compliments about his outfits, bowed and replied in a cheerful tone of voice, “Thank you very much, good sir! I decided to combine two current fashion trends for this evening because such a special trial requires a special outfit in my opinion. I’m a pirate dragon!” he explained and raised his cup of hot chocolate once more.

word count: 804

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Devin
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Posts: 1701
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:25 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Baron Smooglethorn
Renown: 1195
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Re: The Great Smooglenuff Bonfire, Part 2

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The celebration lasted for several breaks. The people of the Smooglenuff Barony ate and drank and chatted. Devin’s roommate Talieson the bard spontaneously began to sing and play his lute. A few servants began to dance, very badly, but with obvious joy, and one of the maids even decided to take a bath in the cold ocean. A few moments later, she already left the water again though, teeth chattering. Some of her colleagues immediately wrapped a blanket around her and handed her a hot drink. She accepted it with obvious gratitude.

Devin tried to spend a little time with each member of staff, asked them about their life and made small talk with them, because he wanted every single one of them to feel valued, and he didn’t want anybody to feel neglected. A good leader didn’t play favorites, and he wanted to be the best leader that Faldrass and Scalvoris as a whole had ever seen!

Finally, he came to sit next to Mrs. Adams again though. The two of them talked about the party and the food, and then the head cook remarked in a somewhat thoughtful tone of voice, “I didn’t think that I would ever be given the opportunity to work in such a beautiful manor, and in my forties at that. I’m turning fourty-two in two trials!” she added and shook her head for a moment before she took a sip from the cup of coffee in her hands.

Devin looked at her for a moment before he exclaimed, a smile on his face, “Congratulations, Mrs. Adams!”

“You told me that you miss your son sometimes and that you see him far too infrequently now that you are on Faldrass”, he remembered. “How would you like to get a few trials off as a birth trial gift so that you can visit him again? I know that the people of Scalvoris celebrate their birth trials very differently”, he quickly continued. “But I’d like to do something for you. If you want to, you can consider it an early birth trial gift from me, because my own birth trial that is coming up next season. I know that people usually only give their family members gifts, but you all are my family in a way”, he told her in order to hopefully convince her to accept his gift.

Besides, it was true. He had grown up without much of a family – it had just been his parents and him most of the time – but now he was surrounded by all those wonderful people!

“I’ll also give you a cake before you leave”, he added, because a birth trial without cake sucked in his opinion and because Mrs. Adams liked to eat cake, from what he knew.

“I thank you, Your Grace”, Mrs. Adams replied, bowed slightly and smiled before they talked some more, about Scalvoris, the Barony and everything in between. There was a soft smile on the cook’s face now. What Devin was doing might be a slightly unusual take on the tradition, but one that made her very, very happy. She loved working at the manor, but sometimes, she missed her son, especially since her husband had passed away.

word count: 545

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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User avatar
Devin
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Posts: 1701
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:25 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Baron Smooglethorn
Renown: 1195
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Wealth Tier: Tier 10

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Re: The Great Smooglenuff Bonfire, Part 2

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It was already very close to midnight when the fire finally went out, and the last partygoers returned to the manor. Marvin poured some water on the embers and made sure that the fire wouldn’t start again for some reason, and then Devin, Mrs. Adams and he made their way back together.

The young Baron was a bit tired and yawned a bit every now and then, but he briefly stopped by the guardhouse regardless in order to deliver the remaining food to the poor guards that had been on duty that evening.

They deserved a reward for all their work. They deserved a little celebration as well.

One of the guards, a young biqaj woman, accepted the basket full of sandwiches and cookies with a smile before she curtsied and remarked, “Thank you, Your Grace! My colleagues and I will share the food once we’ve all finished our shifts! Would you like to come in for a moment?” she asked and gestured towards the door of the guardhouse.

Devin did of course go inside and nodded at the guards that were there, armed and ready to defend the Barony, before he asked, “Did anything out of the ordinary happen during my absence?”

“No, Your Grace”,
a human male with brown hair and a moustache answered that was somewhere in his thirties, from what Devin could tell, replied. “There was no trouble, but Your Grace’s flunny tried to sneak out when the guards at the front door changed shifts. We were faster than that little bugger though”, he added with a chuckle before he asked, “Can I offer you anything to drink, Your Grace? My shift’s over now”, he added so that Devin wouldn’t think that he was neglecting his duties now.

Devin agreed, in spite of the fact that it had been a long evening and sat down at the table in the guardhouse in order to join the man for tea and chat with him for a little bit.

“By the way, I should return this here to you”, the brown-haired man eventually said and produced the Echo Scroll that Devin had brought to the guardhouse prior to the start of the party. The young Baron looked at it for a moment before he shook his head.

“Keep it, please”, he decided. “It would be a good idea if there were an Echo Scroll in the guard house at all times so that you can immediately alert me in the case of trouble, no matter where I am! This is good, by the way!” he added and raised his cup before he eventually bade the guards farewell and made his way into the manor proper and his bedroom – only in order to find out that his bed was already occupied.

Heidi, his little pet goat, was lying in his luxurious four poster bed, on his equally luxurious blanket. He looked at her for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders, moved her to the foot of his bed so that there would be enough room for him and lay down. Some people shared their bed with a cat or a dog, and he happened to share his bed with a goat.

So what?

word count: 541

Appearance

  • Due to an encounter with a magical tree Devin has bright violet eyes.
  • Devin has fancy black claw-like nails. The Grafter Rakvald made them from the spines that grow on the dubaebo's back and attached them to Devin's hands.

Items

Devin owns a Ring of Reversal. He's always wearing it, unless stated otherwise.

Potions

N/A
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Pig Boy
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Re: The Great Smooglenuff Bonfire, Part 2

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Player Name: Devin

Points awarded: 10
Magic xp: none

Knowledge:

Socialization: Holding a speech to celebrate your staff
Leadership: People are unlikely to follow you if you don't keep them safe
Leadership: Don’t favorize any of your employees

Renown: 10 for hosting a party event and giving a grand speech.
Loot: Please note in your CS who you are sharing those echo scrolls with, NPCs or otherwise. Thanks!
Injuries/Overstepping: -
Wealth Points: -

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level
Notes: And now I get to read about not just the preparations for the Cylus Dusk celebration at Smooglenuff Manor, but I get to read about the celebration itself. I like how you described some of the party goers, including the polyamorous fellow with a man on one arm and a woman on the other. Little details about the other people and flavor npcs that attend a place are often glazed over, but you always give them a measure of attention to detail.

The speech was great, as it ought to be given Devin's silver tongue. I found it amusing that a cup of hot chocolate was provided to Devin for a toast, rather than an alcoholic drink.

I didn't realize in the last one that the pirate dragon outfit was all about following trends. That said, I'd like seeing more threads where trends are acknowledged by pcs. They seem like a fun thing that is underutilized. I'm glad the stable boy approached him and asked him about his outfit, otherwise I might not have known that you were respecting a trend.

Sharing echo scrolls with your security seems like a good way to keep aware of any potential threats, and will surely keep the people of the Barony safe.

Great writing.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!
word count: 318
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