Voxi Protest

Voice, through trusted messengers, has asked that members of the Voxi use reconnaissance to sneak into the King's Garden and stage a peaceful protest during the ball in which they camp out as long as they can, making a statement about how it is Winter and yet, through the King's wealth, they can still cultivate flowers, thereby indicating the disparity of resources.

Participants: 5 Voxi

Each roll is a measure of "persuasiveness" where 20 (critical hit, 25 points) is the most persuasive and 1 (critical failure, -3) is the least persuasive (and in fact you accidentally provide reasons contradictory to your cause)

You have 4 rounds to reach a cumulative 225 points, which will be enough to seed doubt and sway the crowd. If you win, you get 5 points for the Voxi side and are able to escape. If you lose, the Royalists get 3 points and each member will have to make a saving throw [Roll out of 10] to avoid prison.

The prison sentence risk: 1 week.

ELIGIBILITY

Be a member of the Voxi party

Make a post by September 13th, 11:59 pm PST

HOW TO JOIN
Reply here with your character sneaking into the garden from the ball (if they have a ticket) or from the outside (if they do not). No spot saves.

N

imue found access easily, having scoped it out during the Garden Party and being the first to arrive at the Ball. It paid to think ahead. She would wave others in this way as she could and then would drift around the garden, eyeing the pristine growth that thrived here even in winter.

She approached a bed of crimson roses, wrinkling her nose at the utter perfection of the buds. Carefully she leaned forward and snipped one of them from the bunch. “Oops!” She snickered and kicked the pruned rose towards the central area she assumed they’d gathered before seating herself with one of the roses.

“Hope this isn’t considered a casualty…” Nimue shrugged and then seated herself, a raging hurricane within her storm blue eyes challenging onlookers and enemies alike.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

It was not her first time in the garden. Baelfire had brought her here before, and had shown her the King’s private garden in full bloom for Adamh’s birthday. She had enjoyed it in the moment, but she could never quite be rid of the squirming sensation in her stomach. She had wanted to ask if he really thought that this was the best way the king could be spending his time. If a pretty garden in the middle of winter was the best use of his gardeners and herbalists when their expertise could be best put to use in the college, in the cities, preserving their stores to last through the winter. She had slipped away from the ball, thankful for the mask that covered her features from view as she edged by nobles in their fancy suits and elegant dresses. She had tried, truly, for Baelfire’s sake to be on her best behavior. He had wanted her here with him, even though he knew her reservations - she had not been shy in voicing them. But she couldn’t sit by and play pretend any longer. The revelrie of the upperclass was turning her stomach. Voice had called, and she would answer. A solitary figure sat in the garden amongst a bed of roses. Despite herself, Sorcha felt a smile pull at her lips. She was one of the wolves who had joined her in Inverness. It was reassuring to see a familiar face, and to know that she would not be alone in this endeavor. Protests in the Highlands were one thing, this was the heart of the problem. She took her seat amongst the roses, next to the younger wolf. “We meet again, sister. I’m glad to see you here.” "If the accident will."

STOCK➤ Kati H on DawnthievesART+CODE➤ Amphi

T

win pools of vivid violet stared out from the mask, crafted from crow’s feathers to give the she-wolf the appearance of a beaked corvid. Perhaps it was inevitable that the interests of another would spark her own flame of resistance, that passion to make better an unjust system to which Rhiannon had long been a hapless victim.


All along, she had known that something was wrong in this world. Maybe it was having attended the garden party previously, as well as the ball only minutes prior, that had altered her perception in some way. Now, she had seen the opulent, wasteful ways of those who called themselves in control.


There was a king who sat high above them all, most powerful, just what many brutes desired. The powerful just needed others who would believe them. And what was so special about this king, he who commanded an army and claimed the forests as his own? Only a fool could believe in his capacity to own the earth and the animals that dwelled upon it. That evening, Rhiannon had observed that fool with her discerning eyes, and had deemed him certainly no better and probably much worse than the average wolf.


Just outside the decaying stone walls of the castle, beyond the festivities, bellies were empty and children were living in want. They had been impossible to miss in the town, but the revelers here danced as if nothing was wrong in the world. But they were mistaken, and their beautiful garden was not the haven they expected.


A group gathered on the garden grounds. Rhiannon had not exactly been invited, but her curiosity lured her closer and her will determined that she would stay and call herself one of their one. From this night forward, she would be Voxi, too. And she was not sorry to spoil the party.


She cast a nod of greeting to the rest: Nimue, who had had anticipated seeing, as it was she who illuminated the problem to Rhiannon. There was a beautiful fae decorated in hues of rust and ember, who Rhiannon had never met. And then there was the white brute with orange eyes, one familiar enough to the pewter femme to utter a short laugh at the sight of him. She grinned. What were the odds?


The wolfess would come to stand beside Nimue, to whom she would share a secret glance and a smile before her steely gaze wandered among the crowd, wondering who would step in to disturb the protest. ”I stand with Voice.”


@Nimue @Sorcha @Satchel

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

  

The King's Garden. Llyr knew the second her paws graced the royal grounds that this was much different than the Brothel she'd known as home since her youth. She could already hear Balfour barking her ear off about how this would be considered 'out of character' for the female which many referred to as 'The Mute.' The ebony coated wolf was silent as she maneuvers amongst the blooms and feels her muzzle scrunch with mild disgust. Was this truly the best usage of his Majesty's time? Surrounded by blossoms year round when others suffered with famine and illness? Icy silver eyes gleam with irritation before settling on a gathering which had.. not been intended. At least not in her opinion. Llyr allows her attention to pass between the many strangers with a soft murmur under her breath. "And so we gather."

   STOCK➤ Dawnthieves   ART ➤AMPHI

      

— FULL : thank you for participating!! —

mephisto & sea

She shouldn't have even been in the garden. The only reason the sea-farer had gotten pulled in was due to Nimue. The other Voxi had tugged Maui along with her into the King's celebration. She didn't belong in there, not at all. It'd been clear when her bossed scoffed out that she'd be doing nothing more than transporting supplies. How likely were the odds that Nimue would appear out of nowhere and drag her to the party? How did wolves even know about stuff like this? It'd been somewhat mentioned in their little meeting. But she never thought of herself caught in the limelight of the King's affairs. She blends into the walls of the castle, monochromed pelt camouflaging her. She doesn't want to stand out. Not when you 're a thief at night. It wasn't a matter of being insecure. Not that she had much to lose. Maui had been caught in the shadows when Nimue had slipped away. She stood quietly, looking towards the castle walls. She'd barely been in Castle Stuart, and never for this long. The stars seemed so far, so dim from here. Another world away. It's not till she hears her friend's voice, 'Oops...' The beautiful lass giggled. Her ears prickle, taking a step forward in immediate defense of the other girl. She felt some obligation now that they were all in this together. She caught herself within another step forward, holding there as someone else wandered from out of the crowd. 'Sorcha.' Maui remembers, with a glance around, others slipped from the bushes of the garden and shadows in between guests. Attention turned to them. Rhiannon even seems to be among the wolves; that she knows assumes, are all a part of the Voice.

"Shit." She mutters, out of inconvenience and debate. Her eyebrows knit ever so slightly before she sighs, making a wolf or two turn their heads as if she is also one of them. She doesn't care, moving past them with a subtle growl in her throat. But it simmers as she crosses the threshold of the parted crowd and in front of the group. Her eyes slide among them, catching on Nimue, before she makes her steps onto the stage, sitting to the side of the stairs, waiting for the Imperial Army to come around. She stares at the crowd; as unruly looking as she is from a long day of work, and speaks, "Odd how it's dead winter out, and there are all these lovely flowers." The sides of her mouth twitch into a small smirk, as if to diss the King's event, sliding closer to the group of women. She'd protect them if she had to, even if it meant blowing her cover for a while. She had a built in mask on her face, shaded with dark strokes of her pelt.

T

he crowd had soon grown weary and agitated with the protestors. It seemed they cared more for their king and his precious flowers than the point the Voxi women had attempted to make, but it had fallen on ears either deaf or ignorant. Rhiannon returned to indignant glares with her own as her lip curled into a snarl. ”Fools! What happens when you are the ones at the bottom? Your king shall not save you!” But it was unclear whether any of them heard her ominous words, and in a flurry of activity, Rhiannon soon found herself apprehended by someone larger than herself, with power granted to them by their ridiculous king to take the females prisoner.


But Rhiannon would not go from the garden without speaking her mind, cursing those who watched with ambivalence, or, worse, were satisfied to see these rebels taken away so that they could continue to enjoy the king’s festivities in peace -- or, rather, in what they called peace. ”Who is to say you will not be next!? And you! You happily accept your fates as lesser-than until you --” Her eyes turned frantically about in search of Nimue, who had been lost from view in the ensuing mayhem.


A face, one unfortunately known to Rhiannon, took her as prisoner, and the silvery woman’s anger made her feel feverish. Amethyst sights picked out a familiar set of bright green eyes from the gawking crowd, and her heart sank -- she had not thought about Juniper in all of the chaos, and she yelled out for the child, words now stolen from her maw and instead replaced with angry screaming. ”Get away from me!”” But her words were useless, and she would be promptly swept away to the underground prison of their alleged fair, good king.



/exit Rhiannon by force


@Nimue @Nassar @Juniper @Sorcha @Maui

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

F

or a moment it had seemed that they might be making progress with the Mainlanders. Any sign of hope was quickly extinguished, however, and they had lost common ground with the King’s subjects in an instant. The guards had arrived and Nimue watched them move in, ushering the partygoers aside as they started to disband the protestors, in an attempt to silence them.

Stand your ground… Nimue willed herself as she adjusted her stance, lifting herself tall and holding her head high as she glared into the masses. They slowly became more Imperial than civilian and she met them with the storm that raged on within her deep blue orbs. Movement caught her eye and one of the Voxi had slipped away while the others were being apprehended.

A soldier moved to grab for her and she recoiled with a shake of her head and a curling of her lip. “No, you will treat me with dignity and respect and allow me to be escorted without force, thank you.” She was then waved away to where it looked like they’d already begun to move Sorcha. Following with grace, shouting split the night and caused her to whip around to find Rhiannon putting up a hell of a fight.

“Rhia-don’t touch me! Rhiannon!” She tried to call out to her, to try to meet her wild amethyst eyes as the other girl screamed with fury out at the crowd and to her assailant. Nimue tried to dodge out of the way of her own armed guard to try to help her dearest friend, but her path was blocked and she was shoved backward.

When she looked up again, she saw Juni in the crowd. No! What is she doing here! The young girl was likely terrified and so Nim thrust herself forward in one last attempt to reach her found family. “Juniper! No, no, let me speak with her!” She snapped at the guard that was now detaining her roughly, shoving her into the ground where she tried to frantically spot the child again.

“Juni, we will get out of this and we will come for you!” She grimaced with the weight of the soldier stop her before they began to drag her away. “Find Gwendolyn!” She cried out to Juniper before she was removed from sight and beneath the earth where she supposed they’d expect her to reflect in the consequences her actions.

[Exit Nimue]

@Rhiannon @Juniper

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The people scattered during the fight in the castle, some of them fearing for their lives—no doubt some, perhaps, were on the losing side, and they chose to make their escape before more soldiers appeared. Nevertheless, they bustled and brawled, pushing and pulling, trampling and stepping, and little Juniper, small as she was, could not navigate the pull of the crowd. They were like a violent tide when the ocean waves stirred, thunder and lightning brewing above.

She was separated from Willow, who was likely snatched away to safety by her mothers, and Juniper cried for her at first, only realizing that her voice was drowned out by the chaos. But even as she scampered, beneath bellies, weaving between legs, and made her way out of the castle into the drifting snow, she saw more turmoil, the crowds shouting and more soldiers displacing—

Her breath caught in her throat, and she forgot the pain from being buffeted by the wolves that swarmed around her. “Rhiannon! Nimue!” her dear sisters, part of the only family she knew. Juniper dashed from the stone pathway, trying to push through the crowd with all of her tiny strength. “No!” she cried, the fright in her eyes, “you can’t take them! You can’t! Let them go!” Of course, her demands fell on deaf ears, and even as she attempted to butt the soldiers with her head, she was forced to the ground a kick to the side.

She heard Nimue’s instructions, her ears swiveling toward her. “W-who’s Gwendolyn?” she said, her question swallowed by the commotion of the crowds. Tears pricked at her eyes, threatening to spill—she felt so helpless, and even with Nimue’s guidance, she did not even know where to begin. Who was this Gwendolyn?

[Juni exits tearfully]

@Rhiannon @Nimue

manip + code: clae