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daybreakacademy2020-04-26 01:16 pm
thewatchers) wrote in daybreakacademy2020-04-26 01:16 pm
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WALPURGISNACHT BALL
Walpurgisnacht Ball
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There are, of course, several large social events for the supernatural community; the exclusive Masque de Chasseur by the “Elites” of vampiric society held in hours suitable only for the dead, the Mondruf for the shifters that changes dates with the cycle of the moon, and the most relevant: the Walpurgisnacht Ball, on the 30th of April. Arising from the legends of witch’s sabbats, the Magus of European society hold a grand fete to make social calls and present the heirs to their lineage as well as making suitable matches. And of course, this was an occasion to flaunt one’s wealth and power, with a dizzyingly array of impossible fashion created by spellcraft and enough gemstones to make any thief’s mouth water. For reasons lost to history, Daybreak Academy had been blackballed from the celebrations for a long time, and tonight it is the 300th anniversary of the disinvitation. And every year since then, representatives official and unofficial have made it a habit of ruffling the feathers of the Mages with tricks and pranks. While there has been a rule to ‘annoy, confuse - don’t infuriate’ for the pranks, as the idea always has been to make the Mages regret their snubbing not to anger them enough to lose their support completely. The upcoming date made it quite palatable to pull out all the stops to make it an absolutely memorable ball.
The host, Lord Carolmon zu Bechtel, is well aware of the tradition, and has stationed additional security, wanting to be the first to completely thwart the mischief of the Academy. This year, Lord zu Bechtel has set the party located in a vast crystal cavern system that lay hidden inside the Herz mountain range where it is completely inaccessible to mortals. The caverns are lit only by firelight to cast a dazzling array of colors and shimmer over the guests as they dance and walk across glass-clear surfaces of subterranean lakes to give the ball a truly otherworldly feeling.
One of the most popular “games” for the party-goers is Seances, thought unlike their mundane counterparts, the specters brought forth are real - but not in the name of closure for the living or rest for the departed, but for elaborate guessing games and prying into secrets that is not theirs to ask.
A. Planning + Entry
For a proper plan, everyone needs to know what everyone’s doing and where - it would be mortifying to get caught in someone else’s prank, after all! And for those who get tired of the preliminary preparations, there’s all sorts of interesting things to cause havoc with, in the crystalline caverns that lead to the main event - indoor weather, summoned spirits acting as servants, and all sorts of dazzling magical effects meant to entertain and amuse. All of these things can be edited and outright seized for your own purposes, with the right combination of magic.
Or, for those more subtle, you could always dress up and walk in like you were meant to be there...
B. Schmooze and Dash
Since you’re here, might as well take advantage of the lavish spread - but don’t get caught by the guards installed specifically to stop any troublemakers. But while you’re there, why not have a little food-related fun? As long as nobody gets hurt, there’s nothing stopping you from making food look and behave in some interesting, unexpected ways.
C. Illusory Ballroom
Mages spare no expense when it comes to showing off in front of their peers, and tonight is no exception. Due to expected interference, however, the grand crystalline cave reserved for dancing has been armed to the metaphorical teeth with all sorts of illusions and traps, meant to make it incredibly difficult for those who aren’t approved to enter from any angle. Such traps can be disarmed or turned to more nefarious purposes, however…
And for those wanting to mess with mages more directly, there’s no end of powerful figures with lavish displays of magical fashion and jewellery, including the host himself. There’s plenty of chaos for a clever prankster to get up to.
D. Call in the Spirits, Wherever they are!
There are seances scattered all over in little alcoves where the lights are only just enough to not trip over one’s feet. Crystal balls, bell, book, and candle are laid out on velvet-draped tables. Laughter and hushed whispers fill the air until someone hushes the group, to start calling down whatever spirit they could reach - famous names, even familiar ones can be heard passing the summoner’s lips. These mages are so focused on their mischief that they don't notice anyone coming in - if the intruder is quiet enough.
These seances have other effects that might prove irritating; those who are linked to the undead might feel pulling and whispers from one circle to the next. Those who are spiritually sensitive are more than capable of sensing such disruptions. And for the more notable among you, you could even find yourself abruptly summoned into a circle yourself, provided the mages are careless enough to cast their net wide - or particularly specific.
Though one little alcove is different, full of younger mages that are barely in their twenties, fidgeting and whispering, constantly searching around and the reason soon becomes clear - instead of a crystal ball, there was a magic circle laid out in semi-precious stones and inside was a hunched over creature that looked like a hairless rabbit with a wide, toad-like mouth and spindly human-like hands. It scampers from one part of the circle to the other, unable to cross the line, while the young mages seem to take sport in teasing the small daemon.
E. Wildcard
Have some other mischief in mind? Just for tonight, you’re free to prank as many mages as you can find.
Valvatorez | OTA
Still, he took to wearing a magical disguise to appear more human. Not strictly like his Professor Torres guise he was fond of, something a little more generic looking.]
[A]
[During the planning phases of this operation, Valvatorez hung back and listened to the various plans and pranks on offer.]
Have we done the fake door routine yet? Throwing up a spell that transports someone who opens a door to another, random door in the venue? I love that one. They never see that one coming.
[C]
[Who would've thought that all the traps and wards on the dance floor would be so shoddily set up? After all, they seem to be going off willy-nilly, even on approved guests! And no one seemed to understand why. Valvatorez sat at a table, not far away, enjoying a cocktail and watching all of this unfold. Of course, subtle, innocent hand movements of his, a mix of under the table and in plain sight while talking to whomever is sitting with him, reveals he's responsible for at least a few of the wards going off.
Like the one that just flung a particularly snooty noble mage off the ball floor laterally, sending him sliding across the floor outside like it was greased. Val simply chuckled and took a sip of his drink.]
My, my. Perhaps he didn't make a large enough donation to the host.
[D]
[This one, this was no laughing matter. Messing with the spirits of the dead for trivial matters was already disrespectful. But it didn't send the vampire into anger. Sure, he messed with some of the seances from a distance, usually by releasing the spirit back to go home. It embarrassed some mages, which was a good start, and he was subtle enough to not be noticed. ...But then he came across the young mages in the alcove. He watched as they tormented a small, ugly little daemon, something they had no doubt summoned just for this sort of sport. This... this was not something he abode in his students on the best of days, but these braggadocios, foolish mages clearly had yet been shown what happens when they mess with things they ought not to.
First thing was first... make sure no one would get actually hurt by an aggressive action. That was a requirement to being here, after all. He pondered for a moment, then realized what he needed to do. Valvatorez subtly waved his hand, creating a massive rush of wind blowing into the alcove; a gust like what a disturbed spirit would create as a warning. When that distracted the mages in the alcove, a little bit of magical telekinesis simply moved one of the gems out of the circle, disrupting the ritual. The daemon inside the circle yelped, squealed, even, realizing it was free.
But before it could do anything, the entire alcove was engulfed in thick, impenetrable magical darkness. Val could easily see through it, and in the confusion, he quickly banished the daemon back where it had come from; a painless procedure, and one that ironically enough saved it. But he wasn't done yet. Amidst the chaos, he quietly whispered a complex incantation to himself, preparing a highly elaborate illusion that would appear in the darkness.
Suddenly, two glowing yellow eyes appeared, piercing through the inky blackness, and a voice boomed out.]
Thought you should be summoning daemons, did you?... Starting small? Fools!
[The darkness quickly began to clear away like smoke in the air, and in the circle where the tiny daemon once was? Something much, much larger. A spider like creature, with two crab pincers, and a hideous countenance.]
Now, you must still survive... EVILLAK!
[Screams and panic welled up as the daemonic illusion began rampaging around; it had at least enough power to knock things around, but it didn't actually hurt anyone. As the fear and panic spread and mages fled from the chambers, Valvatorez had to resist the urge to laugh heartily, instead, smugly smiling to himself as he walked calmly away from the scene. The illusion would fade after a few moments, but it was good enough.]
Looks like I've still got it.
B
What a pity for his dignity. [ He watches impassively as another mage desperately tries to keep her footing on shoes that suddenly seem to be disobeying her. ] It's certainly entertaining, however, so I can't feel too sorry for him.
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[Valvatorez couldn't sound more mocking if he tried, but he sipped from his cocktail again afterward. His eyes watched the mage dealing with her wild shoes, smirk tugging at his lips. Oh, this was grand.]
I hope someone's been recording this. It'll be great to enjoy with a bowl of popcorn later. A sizzle reel, perhaps.
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I say we do that. I think the kids would enjoy splicing their own episode of Funniest Home Videos. Give them a bit of humor to work with, and we'll have laughs for a solid year.
I'm already imagining all the music videos they'll cut with all this.
[Subtly, Valvatorez gesticulated with one hand, an impish, evil smile on his lips as he watched someone cross a ward he had sabotaged.
A body then immediately goes flying right over their table, all the while making a sound that was suspiciously like a Wilhelm Scream. They flew out of the room and into the adjoining hall.
A moment later, a groan could be heard, followed by a more dazed sounding "I'm okay..."]
Can't wait to see what the kids do with that one. Maybe a trance remix of that scream.
C
Or, perhaps he merely triggered a spell without watching where he was going, hmm?
[Even his voice is different, a richer and deeper baritone than normal. A non-glowing butterfly quietly sails off in a certain direction...and shortly after, a ward fires off, causing a partygoer to slam face first into the wall that suddenly shoots forth.]
Ah...it seems the young are ever so clumsy. How disappointing.
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Honestly, mages these days don't know the meaning of the word caution. They all think they're invincible when there are incorrigible pranksters in their midst. After all, what good is being a mage if you can't have fun with your magic now and then?
It's their fault for dropping their guard so readily! It's an important lesson!
[He takes a sip of his cocktail, and is quite happy to keep playing this up.]
Some things never change, my friend. The youth will always be clumsy and reckless, and while sometimes it works out for them... [The professor subtly waved his hand as another person walked over a ward, a veil of darkness suddenly covering the person with a yelp. The darkness itself was harmless, but when they panicked and stepped in the wrong place, the floor twisted and shifted, sending them skidding off the dance floor and back out toward the hall.] Sometimes it doesn't. Honestly, learn to use your detect and dispel magic abilities.
[Valvatorez then lowered his voice, to something impishly, cartoonishly sinister, so only Moriarty could hear.]
...Even if we both know they won't work.
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[At that lowered voice, he gives a sharp smirk - a little too sharp for the elegant, serious older mage he was playing, but one that could easily be explained away.
What he quietly says next really can't be.]
Of course. After all, it's their hubris that caused this entire thing to happen, is it not? At the very least, they called me here when I expected to merely stay behind.
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[Not that even he was immune to hubris; it'd caused his own fall in the past, after all. So even he had a stake in making sure others didn't make the same error in their own ways.
Valvatorez took note of that dagger-like smile, the kind that spelled trouble with a capital T, and it brought mirth to his daemonic heart. As reformed as he was, there were certain things that would always tickle that dark side of him, and sometimes mischief well-earned was one of them.]
I confess, I was surprised that you chose to stay home in the first place. But I'm even more galled that they would be that foolish. Hell, were they at least drunk when they made that call, or were they purely stupid?
B
What a shame, truly.
[At his side, Shadow is playing with a magical crystal--V's not sure where the familiar got the thing, but tonight he's not inclined to ask too many questions. Griffon can be heard faintly cackling in the distance as he heckles other guests.]
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You'd think people would learn to watch their step, especially around other mages. We're all notorious pranksters.
[Another person tried to set foot on the floor, and a subtle wave of Val's hand triggered another ward. But this one, instead of launching the mage away, simply inverted the person's colors, displaying more like a negative than what they should.]
Case in point.
D
How unfortunate that the dread "Evillak" would reveal himself on tonight of all nights. I've heard stories of the cities he's razed, the souls he's devoured, the-
[She pauses for a moment, as the illusion continues its destructive rampage.]
-tables he's overturned. Truly a monstrosity we cannot hope to best.
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Without a second thought, when Urtz beckoned him over, he took a seat beside her with an appreciative smile.]
That's the most dangerous thing about him. You scarcely know when he will arrive, or what to do to stop his destructive might.
[In the distance, Evillak flung another table, sending silverware falling to the ground as he menaced a particularly large mage, whose significant other quickly fled.]
No fork, no knife... and now, no wife!
[Val chuckled a little to himself.]
And he's such a card. Always a hit at parties.
How's the night been treating you so far, Lady Cromwell?
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Indeed, quite the lively individual. He's certainly out there "living his best life", as Jail would say.
[She reaches off to the side, where she has commandeered a small table, picks up a glass of wine and hands it over to Valvatorez.]
Well enough. I've been having a great deal of fun myself. Truthfully, I was a little worried that this "distraction" business might become rather dull, but now I'm considering volunteering for it next year. The look everyone's faces when Jail and I walked right through the front door...
[Which Urtz then promptly replicates for Valvatorez's enjoyment.]
...truly a night I am unlikely to forget. Though I cannot say I have been entirely good.
[She gestures to the wine that she handed him. Should he taste it, he'll find the flavor quite familiar. And more than a little fishy.
She grins.]
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[Val almost wishes he was the one down there directly causing chaos, but he's doing it by proxy, and that will have to do. As will Urtz's little show of faces, which gets Valvatorez to laugh quite cleanly. An actual amused laugh.]
Well, speaking for myself, it would be a delight to have you here again next year. Assuming of course, I am allowed to volunteer again myself. There have been times I have... gotten carried away.
[Said as his latest prank makes a break toward the washrooms, to do who knows what while there. That said, he gave it no mind as it did so, before reinforcements arrived to put a stop to it.
That's when Valvatorez took a smell and a sip of the wine she'd given to him, where he feigned a cough and a splutter.]
Oh, that's absolutely dreadful, what were the hosts thinking with this? Oh, I hope you got the bottle so that no one but me should have to suffer it.
[It's all a bit, given the pleased smirk he's doing a bad job hiding.]
...But I suppose that would defeat the purpose.
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[After all, if they notice Urtz and Jail being relatively good, then that means they won't think they're up to something and the whole plan will be for naught. Though there may be a solution to that.]
Perhaps, but I'm sure I could procure you one before we make our leave. Though in exchange, I would love to hear the stories of how you took things too far in the previous years.