You have been courteously invited to the manor of Lord Edward Terny Theone III, for the reading of the late Lord’s will and last requests. A fine dinner will be provided for you, and we look forward to your arrival. Please bring this invitation, as access will be denied without it.
That was all that the note said. The late Lord Theone, the words seem difficult to believe at first, and perhaps even now you still refuse to accept their truthfulness. Certainly, Theone’s obsession about immortality may have seemed mad at the time, but if any man had the resolve and the resources to discover a means to cheat death, it was Theone. Especially the resources, that man was perhaps as rich as they come, without actually being royalty. And tonight, perhaps there is a slice of those riches for you in that will. If nothing else, does that not deserve your attention?
Perhaps not, you think as you force your way through the mud and the rain, walking uphill to Theone’s manor. Nevertheless, you reach the door where the elderly butler greets you. He asks for your invitation and your name, and as you give him these things he checks you off of a guest list. He gestures inside, and you step in, grateful to be out of the rain.
The dining hall is exactly as Theone left it. Paintings of great battles are on all four walls, marble busts of long dead men and woman sit within glass cases and the table has enough seats to serve a small army. You take your seats, and are understandable cautious of those around you. Other men and women either trickle in, or have already been seated, depending on the time of your arrival, and you cannot help but to size them up.
Your eyes fly to the most flamboyant figure in the room, a Mulan woman of Hazlan. Her head is ritualistically shaved, and her entire body is tattooed, as is the custom for the Mulan. It takes only a moment for you to recognize her, and you gasp to be in the presence of royalty. You recognize her from countless paintings and descriptions, Eleni, heir to Hazlik the Red Wizard, lord of Hazlan. It seems that Theone had more powerful friends than you imagined.
The next guest you can barely stop yourself from cringing from, a bearded elderly man dressed in a soldier’s uniform. However, you only note these things after noticing that the entire right side of his face is scarred and deformed, along with his right arm. His eye is still there, and appears to function, but the wound has taken a terrible price. His right eye is almost decaying, has turned yellow and has become overrun with red.
A scholarly, attractive woman is next, dressed in far more modest clothing than the other guests. She wears a wooden holy symbol and holds a journal in her hands. She cannot be more than twenty years old, and she seems naïve for lack of a better word. Her eyes constantly jump from one guest to another, as though they could answer some question for her.
Then we have what appears to be a gentleman from Darkon, wearing a golden chain, complete with two guards, each carrying a walking stick. The gentleman keeps his right hand pressed against his chest, and occasionally gestures to one of his guards to come closer, to whisper something into the man’s ear, only for all three to burst into laughter.
You gasp, the next man, perhaps only eighteen, is the spitting image of Lord Theone. For a moment you even believe that he is the same Lord, but catch yourself. This young man has subtle, but important, differences; slightly different shade of brown hair, blue eyes instead of green, smaller build. No, he is not Theone. But he’s darn close.
A man covered in furs is the last to enter. He simply sits down, only grunting as he passes. When the food is served, he digs in, caring not for manners or subtlety. This man was hungry, and cares for little else as of the moment.
The food is brought out, and it all looks quite good. Breads, soup, cakes, wine, just as extravagant as when Theone lived here. You may want to introduce your characters now, whenever the butler, who has introduced himself as “Christian Daryl, at your service,” refuses to answer any questions about Theone or the will “until all of my guests are properly fed and comfortable.” If you wish to make an action now, or contradict an assumed action that I have put in this scene, including attending the dinner in the first place, go right ahead.
