Play@YSDC

Duc's Palace, Great Hall - Vyones, Auvergne, France
8:15 AM - Monday, April 20, 1517

The great hall of the palace was vast, easily large enough to hold all of the assembled guests, guards, and servants. The Duc and Duchesse entered to a tremendous fanfare, arm in arm, striding down the carpeted central aisle to a raised dais at the back of the room upon which sat a pair of golden (or at least gold-plated) thrones. The Duc was a man in his fifties, fat and bald, who carried himself with an air of authority. The Duchesse was in her thirties and pretty, smaller than her husband but still pleasantly plump, with long black hair. They both wore flowing purple robes over their elegant clothing. They reached the thrones and sat side by side upon them.

A guard marched in Gui at swordpoint, following him closely. "Your Grace, I have caught the escaped thief!" he announced. "I did it, me, by myself!"

"Well done," said the Duc. "I shall see that you are rewarded. Bring him forward!" The guard marched Gui down the aisle to the front of the room, before the thrones. "What do you have to say for yourself, Monsieur?" he demanded of Gui.

Gui bowed deeply before the Duc. ”Your Grace, I fear there has been a grave misunderstanding, not helped in anyway by misinformation that has been spread about me. It is true that I entered Monsieur Da Vinci’s room last night, but only as an devotee of his art. I found a man dead on the floor and in attempting to render aid, I was assaulted my that man, there!” He glared at du Bardin. ”I tried to explain that I was acting in the role of Good Samaritan but he was deaf to my entreaties!”

”As for being in the passages behind the walls, I heard the young ladies moving about and entered to ensure their safety. A man has died and until the miscreant has been apprehended, no true gentleman would allow such beautiful ladies to come to harm!” He straightened up, tugging his jerkin down and very much giving off the air of the affronted party.

Wincing at Gui’s display, Brook contrives to fade in the background. She sidles next to Story and Elizabeth and rolls her eyes.

"A likely story!" snorted the Duc. "Do you take me for a fool, Monsieur..." The Duchesse leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Monsieur l'Argot? Let us hear what the other witnesses have to say."

Jacques:

Jacques steps forward and bows with military precision. Well used to reporting to noble superiors, he starts calmly, "Your Grace, this is an odd matter but I would be pleased to give you a short report of the events of last night."

Gui rolled his eyes. ”With all due respect, Your Grace, this man has taken an instant dislike to me for reasons I cannot fathom! So much so that he tried to kill me without pausing the discern the facts of the situation.”

Jacques:

Jacques ignores Gui, and remains politely attentive to the Duc, other than to raise an eyebrow.

"I think I have an idea why he may dislike you," said the Duc to Gui. "I am developing such a dislike myself. Be silent, knave! Chevalier, please give your report."

Gui opened his mouth to retort then thought better of it. He had the feeling that he was in enough trouble as it was…

In her head, Brook grabs a tub of popcorn and sits back to enjoy the show.

"What else did he say to you, Brook?" Story murmers to Brook and Liz whilst everyone else is watching Jacques.

“I rather believe him but it doesn’t look promising.” Elizabeth murmurs to Story and Brook. “And he may drag us down with him at this rate. We won’t be able to help him if we are stuck in gaol too.”

“Gui didn’t say much to me, apart from his wish not to get caught,” Brook whispers to her friends.

”He didn’t say why he’s here, though to be honest I didn’t ask.”

“We didn’t find anything of interest in the rooms we looked into; did you? A guard found me before we could go much further down the passages. Luckily I was discovered before Gui. I played the little lost girl, so hopefully they won’t tie us to that geezer too much.”

“We still gotta explain our presence here though…”

Jacques:

“Your Grace, some instinct kept me from my sleep last night. Thinking something amiss, I dressed hastily and went for a patrol of the near corridors of your palace.”

“I found the door ajar to the apartments of Master Da Vinci, who I previously only knew of as the famous painter and inventor. Thinking it strange the door was not shut, I looked through into the half-dark to see a man down, slain with a halberd, and M. L’Argot relieving the deceased of a gem.”

“In the gloom, I mistakenly thought M. L’Argot had slain the great master and was now robbing his body. I resolved to apprehend L’Argot although foolishly I was armed with nothing but the dagger in my boot. I threw my dagger, wounding him, yelled for the guards, then demanded L’Argot surrender. Were he to grab for the halberd, my plan was to charge and wrestle him to the ground lest he murder another guest.”

“Whilst I was arguing with L’Argot, the real Master Da Vinci emerged from his bed chamber, very much alive. Three foreign ladies also entered from, ah, somewhere. They hail from the land of Narnia.” Jacques shrugs at this to indicate he doesn’t know where that is.

“Ultimately, L’Argot surrendered. It appears the dead man was a thief, slain by one of Master Da Vinci’s famous devices, that acts as a thief trap. Quite what L’Argot was doing in the room, uninvited, late at night, is a matter for Your Grace to judge.”

“I had your guards take L’Argot back to his room to ensure he would attend the audience this morning. I hope you will forgive my taking this liberty with your men but I did not wish to disturb Your Grace’s evening.”

“I swear by St John, this is the truth as I know it.”

"Thank you, Chevalier," said the Duc. "Master Leonardo, have you anything to add?"

"I did not witness this myself, Your Grace" said Leonardo, "as I was asleep in bed at the time. I was awakened by the noise and came to investigate, where I saw these two men in my workshop, and the dead man. Monsieur l'Argot had a wound in his shoulder, which I bound for him. Had the Chevalier wished to kill him, he could have easily done so without difficulty. The dead man in the room had indeed been slain by the halberd held in the gauntlets of my automaton, but it was not designed as a thief trap. The automaton can take no actions of its own, unless someone operates its controls. The dead man had stolen a crystal that had been in a puzzle box, which he had managed to be clever enough to solve and open, yet not clever enough to prevent his own demise."

"Thank you, Master. Do the ladies have anything to add?"

"We were also drawn by the reputation of Master Leonardo, Your Grace," Story says, "We arrived soon after the altercation, so we cannot shed any light on the death of the intruder. We can at least confirm the latter part of M. L'Argot's tale, regarding finding us in the passages."

Jean Luc sits in attendance doing his best to appear disinterested while making a sketch. In actuality he keeps a keen eye on the proceedings and those in attendance, straining to pick up a clue that more than meets the eye is afoot, as he had grown accustomed to doing.

Elizabeth stands quietly, wondering about the mystery automaton operator. She scans the audience to see if anyone is taking more than the usual interest in the proceedings, other than that artist.

Psychology 47, roll: 57

Brook nods to emphasise Story’s account.

“What he- she said.”

"What is your connection with the dead man?" the Duc asked Gui. The Duchesse whispered in his ear again. "With Giueseppe de Milan?"

”None, Your Grace,” replied Gui. ”Until I saw him last night, I had never laid eyes on him before!”

Jacques:


Jacques continues to look blandly attentive.

Story doesn't say anything, but her ears prick up at the mention of Milan.

"He was an invited guest," said the Duc, "as were you. It seems I must make wiser choices who to invite into my home. Is there anyone who can vouch for you?"

Yes, that's the first time you've heard that he was from Milan.

“Should we vouch for Gui, do you think?” Elizabeth whispers to Story and Brook. “Or will that drop us into trouble?”

Jean Luc standing up " I can vouch for him my lord."

Somewhat taken aback at the stranger’s intervention, it was all Gui could do to bow his head in his direction.

Brooks thoughts on the matter must remain a mystery, for as she opens her mouth to speak, the stranger interjects.

Instead, she cocks her head, puzzled, at Story and Elizabeth.

"Who's this guy?" she whispers.

Taking a second to read the room he continues, "My lord I can assure you that this young man is a gentleman of fine pedigree and finer moral fiber. I've known his family for decades, if he says a thing then it is so."

"Very well, Monsieur..." said the Duc. The Duchesse leaned over and whispered in his ear again. "de Monet. Monsieur l'Argot may remain as my guest and shall have the liberty of my palace, but he shall be your responsibility. If he should do anything untoward, you shall both face the consequences."

You probably got your invitation by seducing a woman and becoming her "plus one."

”Merci, Your Grace,” said Gui, bowing deeply - as much to hide the look of relief on his face as anything. He glanced at de Monet. He was grateful for his intervention but couldn’t help but wonder what his motives were… …

Yeah, that sounds like Gui…

Elizabeth breathes a sigh of relief. “A timely saviour, whoever he is.” She says to Brook. “He must be of some repute to sway the Duc’s decision.”

Jacques:

Jacques bows politely and withdraws back into the throng equably.

“I guess so,” whispers Brook in reply. “We’d better look respectable; must be our turn for interrogation next…”

Jacques:

When he can do so without being rude or obvious, Jacques attempts to make his way to Leonardo Da Vinci.

Jean Luc continues to monitor the actions of those in the room without overtly appearing to.

Sorry for the absence.

"The Duc seems to have a poor memory for names," Story murmurs to Brook and Liz. "I wonder if it was more the Duchesse who was swayed. And Leonardo lived in Milan until a few years ago, which makes me think we should look harder at the late thief."

Jacques made his way through the crowd over to where Leonardo stood. People between them moved out of the way, out of respect for either or both of them.

"Well, now that that unpleasantness is out of the way," said the Duc, "let us talk about the festivities I have planned! Tonight there will be a banquet for all of my guests, during which you will have ample opportunity to get acquainted with each other. Tomorrow night, there will be the performance of a play by a troupe of actors I've hired. The play is called Le Roi en Jaune. You will get to meet the players at tonight's feast. The night after the performance, we shall have a masquerade ball. My servants stand ready to assist you all with your costuming needs. You will be entertained by trying to guess who your fellow guests are! At midnight, we shall all remove our masks and see who is who."

“A banquet and a masked ball,” exclaims Brook to her friends. “Sounds like we’ve stepped into some Hollywood movie!”

“Let’s try to take a look at the dead guy before the festivities kick off, yeah?”

A play? Gui galled inwardly. Men prancing about with overloud voices and feathers in their pants! He almost wished he’d been thrown out!

He heard Brook say she wanted to see the dead man. That made the play sound almost inviting!

Jacques:

Jacques smiles (grimly) and nods agreeably. He will of course join any polite applause.

Jean Luc begins a new sketch

Jacques could whisper to Leonardo briefly while the audience was applauding without much chance of being overheard, but he might be seen doing so.

"Let's," Story says to Brook. "The 'King in Yellow.' I don't think I've heard of it. I have enough clothes from home for either of you to come as Time Lords if you wish."

Elizabeth doesn’t answer, she stands there looking very pale and puzzled.

Cthulhu Mythos 5 roll... 2! And I’m racking my own brains over ‘King in Yellow’ which I’ve heard before, somewhere.

Jacques:

Still smiling, Jacques inclines his head towards Da Vinci and, under cover of applause, whispers quietly...

"Master, is it my imagination or is that the first time we have heard the dead thief's full name?"

Spotting Jean Luc sketching, Gui took a careful step backwards, so that others in the room were between him and the artist. He’d learned the hard way that it was better that people didn’t have a record of what he looked like.

Elizabeth has heard of this King in Yellow before. She isn't certain exactly where. Maybe it was from looking through the TARDIS's data banks. Maybe it was something connected to Eugene's account of his visions of other worlds after he had looked into the Shining Trapezohedron. Maybe it somehow filtered into her mind through some sort of Jungian collective unconscious when she had seen the horrifying hybrid creature on the TARDIS scanner in the sea cave in Dunwich and gone a bit doolally.

The King in Yellow was a herald, or perhaps an avatar, of an entity known as Hastur, which caused corruption, decay, and entropy. The King wore ragged yellow robes and a pallid mask. Those in contact with him risked descending into madness. He came from a planet known as Hali, which had two moons, and he was associated with a palace on the shore of a lake. There was also a play set there by the name of the King in Yellow. It had been performed in London in 1928, but only once. The performance had culminated in chaos and riot. The witnesses afterward gave conflicting accounts of what had happened, including of the parts of the play they had seen until the disastrous final act. This made sense to Elizabeth, as Hastur was in some way associated with alternate realities, alternate histories.

"It is indeed," Leonardo whispered back. "The Duc clearly knew his name because he was an invited guest, or at least his wife knew it. Someone must have either recognized the corpse or noticed his absence."

"Elizabeth?" Story says. "Are you all right? Did that mean something to you?"

Brook also cocks her head in inquiry.

Jacques:

Jacques just nods and says, "Hmmmm..."

Jacques:


Jacques, no longer whispering but speaking quietly so as not to disturb the Duc in conducting his Audience, says to Da Vinci, "Well Master, so long as the dead thief was acting alone, you should anticipate no further intrusions." There is a dry edge to his tone.

Elizabeth looks at Story and Brooke and shakes her head, “No, I think we’re in trouble- the play, The King in Yellow, has terrible significance; I’ve heard of it before. But we can’t talk here; as soon as I can, I’ll tell you.”

Brook nods. “I guess we’ll be dismissed to get ready for the festivities soon; we can talk then,” she whispers.

"I am not convinced he was," replied Leonardo to Jacques. "I am highly suspicious of Monsieur l'Argot, for one thing. There is also the matter of the lady who hired Giuseppe."

"Luncheon will be served at midday, here in the Great Hall," announced the Duc. "Until then, feel free to explore the palace and its grounds, mingle with your fellow guests, peruse my library, and admire my art collection. If you need directions or have questions, feel free to ask my servants."

"The Duc's invitation sounds like our chance to have a look at M. Giueseppe de Milan."

“Let’s do that before anyone else does.” Agrees Elizabeth.

"Let's do this," says Brook. "Where did they put the body do you think?"

Gui bowed to the Duc, then looked around to see what everyone else was doing.

Jacques:

Mr. Handy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 20, 2021 12:52 am "I am not convinced he was," replied Leonardo to Jacques. "I am highly suspicious of Monsieur l'Argot, for one thing. There is also the matter of the lady who hired Giuseppe."

Jacques thinks: "the man is a genius but irony is lost on him, evidently."
He continues talking quietly. "I'm sure you are right, in fact, Master. Guard that gem well, I'd suggest."

"I must stretch my legs outside, I have been indoors too long. And I should take my warhorse, Buttons, for some exercise before he decides to murder a stable boy. I'll bid you good morning, Master." Jacques gives Da Vinci a polite nod and wry smile.

Seeing Jacques depart, Gui thought about approaching da Vinci to try to mend some broken fences, but thought better of it. If da Vinci refused to accept his apology, it would not cast him in a good light, so he decided to leave it for now.

Instead, he turned to look for Jean Luc. Seeing his benefactor, he approached him and bowed. Checking they weren’t at risk of being overheard, he said quietly, ”I think you have me at a disadvantage, Monsieur. You seem to know all about me but I know not you at all.”

Jean Luc
"Au contraire my boy, we are in fact on equal footing in that regard, I have no actual idea who you are. To be honest I don't know where that bout of altruism came from, completely uncharacteristic I assure you. Regardless something tells me you will be a marvelous distraction for me. You will won't you?"

jp1885 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 20, 2021 8:11 pm"Let's do this," says Brook. "Where did they put the body do you think?"

"That Jacques fellow may know, and it couldn't hurt to try building some more bridges."

”A distraction, Monsieur,” replied Gui with a cool smile. ”You mean that while everyone is looking at me, you are free to go about your ‘business’?

“Sounds like a plan,” replies Brook, grinning. “Let’s put on the charm.”

She looks around for the soldier, hoping to catch his eye.

Jean Luc
"It's true I could make a great haul from this place but something tells me you're on to something much more valuable, and dangerous."

Gui raised a questioning eyebrow. ”Dangerous? How so, Monsieur?” he asked.

Jean Luc let's out a boisterous laugh."Haha well now you don't think the duc was going to give you a slap on the wrist before I stepped in do you? I tell you what when you decide to let me in on the game I'll be around, ok?." Laughing again he rips out a page and leaves Gui with a sketch of himself.

“There he is.” Elizabeth points over to the soldier standing on the other side of the room, holding a sheet of paper.
She leads the way over.

Buttons?!!

Jacques:


Jacques sees Elizabeth, Story and Brooke approaching and gives them a polite, informal bow, and a cheery smile.

"Ladies, I hope the morning finds you refreshed after the unpleasantness of last night."

"I was just coming to find you all. My steed, Buttons, has a naturally vile demeanour, and is most likely to commence eating stable boys if I do not shortly take him for a morning canter."

"Should any or all of you be interested in a morning ride about the Duc's estates? A gentle canter only, I assure you. If you have your own mounts, I'm sure they would appreciate stretching their legs. If not, I have no doubt the Duc's Stable Master will have some finely trained fillies available for you."

"It would be a fine opportunity to see the local countryside, and see how the people of the region live."

A fearsome steed and scourge of infidel would-be invaders.

Gui scowled at the departing Jean Luc. The fellow seemed very full of himself, even if he may have just saved Gui’s life!

Brook’s smile falters slightly at the mention of horses.

“Um, I’ve never ridden a horse before… though I guess I could give it a try, after we’ve…”

She pauses, as if preparing to broach a sensitive subject.

“Well, after you’ve taken us to wherever the body of the thief is being kept. We’d like to examine it, er, him.”

Jacques:

Jacques looks slightly appalled. "Miss Brook, why should you want to do that? I searched him thoroughly last night and the only item of interest he possessed was that letter we read last night. That and some tools for picking locks. I assure you, if there was anything else to find, I should have found it."

"And then, there are other considerations once someone has been dead more than a few hours..." He trails off, not wishing to offend sensibilities.

Elizabeth rallies,
“Where we come from in, er, Narnia, we specialise in solving puzzles and mysteries. This problem of the dead thief has rather piqued our interest; not to mention that it would be a great honour for all of us to help M. Da Vinci in some way.”

"We were there in the aftermath," Story adds. "We feel it has become somewhat incumbent on us to help if we can. We appreciate your chivalry of course, but surely you understand."

Jacques:

Jacques generally looks cheered by the implied compliment and is clearly not averse to the company of ladies.

"If you wish to try to help Master Da Vinci, of course I am honour bound to support you all," he starts slowly, rubbing his beard.

"But I do not see the merit in further examining the dead thief. You all saw him last night. I searched him thoroughly. And I do not think there is much debate on what caused him to part body and soul. To be honest, I'm rather hopeful he has already been moved again to whichever parish is to be his final rest."

"The question yet to be answered I believe, is why did Master Da Vinci's strange suit of armour decide to slay the thief?"

"What say we further attend the great master in his apartments, discuss that issue, then go for a short ride? There is some further information I can add, but not here." This last is said rather more quietly.

Jacques is clearly very uncomfortable with the thought of taking the ladies to the body.

‘Look at him, the preening cock!’ thought Gui to himself as he watched the Chevalier talking to the young women. ’What a cul de chevaux!’

Naturally, he would have also liked to enjoy their company but the thought of having to spend time in the company of the pompous fool was too much to bear, so he decided to go for a look around the Duc’s residence instead, admiring the fine art and potentially spotting any items that he might like to take home as a souvenir…

Brook looks to her friends.

“I suppose that makes more sense,” she says.

“Yes, there is more to speak of. And we don’t have much time.” Elizabeth says darkly. “Lead the way, Chevalier if you would.”

Jacques:


"Please call me Sir Jacques," he says, sounding rather relieved.

If Da Vinci is still in the hall, Jacques will casually wander over and quietly ask if the ladies may come to his apartments to see some of his current artwork in daylight. If not, he'll lead the way back to DV's rooms. Or wherever he thinks DV may be now.

"Very well," Story says. "I presume you noted that the thief was from Milan."

Jacques:

Jacques looks as blank as he can. "Was he? Well, there you go. Dodgy crowd, Italians. He certainly won't be going home."

"Now, where's Da Vinci?"

Psychology 93. Rolled 07.

"It's not just that," Story replies. "Master Leonardo himself lived there until a few years ago. It makes me wonder whether this crime was not so much one of opportunity." She watches for his reaction, wondering if Sir Jacques already suspected as much.

Jacques:

"That's a worrying thought, but perhaps the middle of a crowded audience hall isn't the best place to thrash this one out. Why don't we start heading for the good master's apartments?"

Not really waiting for a reply, Jacques starts leading the way, unless he sees Da Vinci in passing.

“I guess we’d better follow,” says Brook, hurrying to keep up with the soldier.

Elizabeth takes one last look around the hall; its troubled future playing on her mind, and then follows the others.

Story likewise.

Jean Luc spends some time in his appointed quarters getting his thoughts together and changing clothes. When he emerges again he is dressed in a way that he won't be immediately recognized by anyone who saw the events at court. He will casually wonder the halls with an eye for anything that may not be meant for the regular guests, the events in court drew his curiosity and he wants to find out whats going on.

Gui l'Argot is moving to the thread linked below:

Thick as Thieves

Jean Luc de Monet is moving to the thread linked below:

Be My Guest

Everyone else is moving to the thread linked below:

Da Vinci's Inquest