The soft, sweeping flow of violins and cellos floated through the air while the noblemen and women moved about the court. They chit chatted, gossiped, and engorged on lavish roasted fowl, fresh vegetables, and most importantly, warm bread.
The hall itself, picturesque: marble floors and columns; intricate stained glass windows; wrapped in velvet. At the end sat the White Throne, a seat held by few, currently owned and occupied by King Vauclain. Under his rule, Avignon’s elite flourish.
“This is lovely! What craftsmanship!” Vauclain exclaimed while examining the gilded hilt of a ceremonial blade. “The engraving is wonderful as well.” With squinted eyes, “‘For only we, the chosen.‘“ The Duke of Durant, presenter of the blade, bowed in appreciation.
With hustled footsteps, a page entered the court from the servants’ quarters and hurried to the King’s side. He took a knee and whispered into his ear.
“One moment Duke…” Vauclain leaned over to listen.
Without losing his grace, he stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, the throne’s work is never done!” The king then left the court for his small room.
In the room, the King’s economic advisor hesitantly waited.
“What is it, DuPont? What calls for my urgency?”
“It’s the people, sire! They’re at the gates!”
The King walked to the window and peaked outside. Angry citizens banged on the prong-tipped metal gates as guards and soldiers held them at bay.
Vauclain, however, shrugged this off. “Send them away. I will not have them scare my guests.”
“We’re doing the best we can, but-“
“Remove them…I will not order you again.”
The King entered the courtroom once more with a smile as the last time. He walked back to the throne. “Duke! Where were we?” The conversation continued.
===
The Black Court focuses on the royal court of Avignon, a monarchy ruled tightly by King Vauclain, on the edge of revolution.
In the story, you’ll be a noble member of the court. You can either be a regular in the region or a foreign dignitary. Dukes, duchesses, generals, knights, clerics, lower level advisers and higher classed people of society are all welcome, but lower level people are not.
The Black Court is low fantasy, so magic and wizards are only the things of rumors and storybooks, although sleight of hand and alchemy (combustibles, such as gunpowder) are around and used by some. I plan to do more politics than fighting, if that’s your thing. Also, as you may have guessed, Avignon and much of the culture is loosely based on French culture in the 1700’s.
I’m looking for 3-4 players–quality writing comes first over being quickest to apply, so take your time submitting. Feel free to make your own cards, as long as they stay within the context. I’m not a big fan of first person writing, so please stick to third person. Also, I like to read writing samples over character descriptions but won’t turn you away for submitting a description if that’s your thing.
Hosted and narrated by:
Christopher Fidalgo (Fandangalo)
Started 11/25/14.
Scenes played: 3
License: Community License
