The House of the Snow Fox

Romana came to Chloe and told her how Julea had turned against her
during the Review of Faith, claiming she raped Ariel, is into narcotics
(which is true, and not illegal as far as Chloe knows, but apparently it
was raised in the negative), and called Chloe a liar – recanting her
testimonies about the Tenebrae that she told Chloe.

Romana and Chloe decided amongst themselves that they believe Benedictus is
sleeping with Julea, and that Benedictus is a weak leader of the Holy
Order. Chloe asked Romana to drop her subversion of Tobin and will
approach Tobin to seek his aide.

Chloe suggested that, as Julea was Sapiente whilst Tenebrae was a known
mage, she is most definitely a heretic. Romana said that it is possible
that she has enough support within the Knights to see Julea quietly
executed. Chloe knows of the plan, but has agreed to stay out of it and
let Romana do her work. For her part, she has quietly removed her support
of Julea, but intends not to upset the ‘rattlesnake’ so to speak by
confronting her. She believes Julea is treacherous enough that she will
bring about her own downfall… And maybe she already has.
Sun Mar 4 04:14:26 2012

Chloe notes that Julea wears a pewter ring bearing the Cardinal’s seal.
Sat Mar 3 06:31:56 2012

Chloe, once again, is feeling threatened. (I have to admit it OOCly
bugs me because I don’t think she did anything at all to warrant a threat),
but here it is:

Deviah Domnius smiles wryly at Chloe. “I bear no ire to my fellow priests.
I know that truth will always prevail.” He holds out bardiche. “For truth
is far more deadly to sinners.”

Deviah Domnius shows you a damascus bardiche with a leather wrapped
cherrywood shaft. White leather wraps around the cherrywood shaft, which
has been inlaid with rosegold, burnished and varnished. The gold inlay
spells a single word: Truth.

Deviah Domnius smiles enigmatically at Chloe. “Aside, I said I resigned.
Why would I bear any ire towards my replacement?”

Deviah Domnius wiggles his fingers at Chloe. “Dav guide your hand, lady.
I do hope that truth finds you in your persuits.”

Anyway, I figure this is minor. However, out of the RP, Chloe ascertained
the following:

– Deviah appears to blame Romana for his being displaced as Grand
Inquisitor. He claims he resigned, but he was quite challenging to Chloe
and blatantly spoke against Romana’s methods for burning Julea’s foot,
which to Chloe implies speaking against the Grand Inquisitor. She
basically told him that she felt it was inappropriate for a High Inquisitor
to speak thus about the Grand Inquisitor.

– Deviah is a flashy soul with more flair than substance.
Sat Mar 3 03:38:50 2012

Chloe is upset. Everything seems to be going wrong.

Marisa wrote her a letter that truly hurt her feelings about Ariel. She
doesn’t feel she took any advantage of him – she’s absolutely certain that
she was reasonably transparent about why she was leading him to her
bedroom, and he seemed more than willing, right up to the point of dry
humping! And now Lady Damassande is sending her subtle threats? Ariel
clearly can’t keep his mouth shut about indescretions either. Afterall,
they were all masked, so there was no need for anyone, even Chloe, to have
to ‘acknowledge’ who anyone else is.

She’s decided to pretend she has no idea who the Dreaming Prince was as she
doubts it’s likely anyone would question the tailor as to who was who, and
further, whether or not Chloe knew.

Following up on this, the Tenebrae’s sent her another threatening letter,
and it angers and frightens her. What will it take to be rid of this man?

You examine a piece of mail.
Lithmore Pigeon Post
.:*C*:._.:*O*:._.:*U*:._.:*R*:._.:*I*:._.:*E*:._.:*R*:.
To : Chloe Written: Thu Feb 23 05:45:08 2012
Date: Balasdes, Maius 30 353

My dear. You can have your little party. I will not complicate it.

You are lucky that one we both happen to have an interest in the one
that stayed my hand. And it is because of her that I have no interest
in sharing the bed of a whore. But others in the fold might. I will
advise them of your interest.

No matter. I will stay down in my portion of the city and you in yours.
There is no need for a war between us. Truce.

Shadows be with you,
-T-

To : Chloe Written: Sun Feb 26 04:19:57 2012
Date: Votumas, June 11 353

Don’t get too comfortable. I may still be wanting to take you up on
that offer of your bed. For now my demands are to keep quiet. Let things
play out.

-T-
Mon Feb 27 15:33:47 2012

Chloe received the following in the mail:

You examine a piece of mail.
Lithmore Pigeon Post
.:*C*:._.:*O*:._.:*U*:._.:*R*:._.:*I*:._.:*E*:._.:*R*:.
To : Chloe Written: Wed Feb 22 06:41:54 2012
Date: Lunisda, Maius 26 353

Dearest Chloe,

The Tenebrae -does- listen to his Sapiente.

There will be no murder. There will be a truce.

Jules.

Chloe’s opinion?

Well, she’s relieved:

You examine a piece of mail.

**** Royal Lithmorran Courier ****
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
To : Julea Written: Wed Feb 22 17:03:13 2012
Date: Votumas, Maius 28 353

Dearest Jules,

I am so relieved to recieve your letter. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Chloe

But she doesn’t trust it one bit, and will eliminate Tenebrae
the first chance she gets.
Wed Feb 22 17:10:37 2012

Chloe’s Notes

Also to note. Chloe is being powerfully subverted, so she dug around a
bit to find out why. Her suspicions paid off, and she discovered that her
sister, Romana, is reciving a lot of negative attention. A large number of
the King’s supporters are working against her.

And hence Chloe.

At this point in time, Chloe intends to sit on the information, but it has
certainly dealt her a blow, and she is displeased with both Tobin and her
sister over the matter.
Tue Feb 21 23:25:21 2012

What a week it’s been for Chloe!

She received the following in the mail:
============
To : Chloe Written: Tue Feb 21 08:55:38 2012
Date: Balasdes, Maius 23 353

You, my dear, will do exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you to
do it, or I will be forced to give you a reason to be afraid of me. Do not
play coy with me, please. I really hate ignorance and games.

You’re sadly mistaken, as is your sister it seems to believe I am a mage.
I am not. I have already attempted to convey this to the Church, however
the Church is so simple minded they fail to look at all the facts and
possibilities, only what their eyes allow them to see. It is because of
this, that I am now deemed a user of magic. A black cloak, and a mask, is
not something so difficult to come by. But that really does not bother me
much, as I don’t leave Southside as it is.

Not that I am in any need to justify myself to you, or them. It really
does not matter. Regardless, I will simply stay in my portion of the city
and work my dealings from here. But I do intend to use you, dear. Or we
will have some complications that will need to be resolved. With this been
said, I do hope your party goes off without any complications. Would
really hate for a real murder to occur with so many play suspects present,
hmm?

Shadows be with you,
-T-
============

Chloe promptly wrote her sister, the Earl Marshall, and the Justicar to
explain she is being blackmailed, then met with Julea to attempt to get the
other woman to betray the Tenebrae to her, rather directly. Julea did not
turn on the Tenebrae, but at some stage claims she does not know who the
Tenebrae is.

During the conversation, Chloe came to believe that:

– Tenebrae is definitely a mage. Julea claims to have left love bites on him
during sex for her to look for later, but stated that he ‘heals them’ too
quickly for that method to work.

– Julea confesses to sleeping with both Remi and Tenebrae, and indicated that
Remi is being arrested because others believe he is Tenebrae. Julea hopes
that during Remi’s arrest, the Tenebrae will demonstrate something to prove
that Remi isn’t Tenebrae. Chloe, threatened, is inclined to grasp at any
straw she can to get rid of the man blackmailing her, so it is possible
that she will strike out at Remi in hopes of eliminating the Tenebrae.

– Chloe is suspicious, but has no physical proof, that Remi is Tenebrae, but
she does have some interesting coincidental parallels around what Julea
has to say of both men, particularly they they’re both sleeping with her.
Chloe wonders just how many sexual partners a woman or man can have before
it becomes unlikely.

– Chloe asked Julea how good the Tenebrae is in bed, and apparently he’s
sweet, passionate, and caring. Remi ‘just fucks’, and they did it at
the waterhole, so at least he was bathed.

– Finally, Chloe gave Julea a copy of the above letter and requested she
attempt to dissuade Tenebrae from causing her grief.
Tue Feb 21 22:12:19 2012

Chloe’s Desc Notes
Chloe believes Captain Remi LeBou to be a mage because of the following
exchange:

Chloe comments, “Anything involving the Daravi is suspicious. They’re
uncanny and evil, not to mention capable of unholy acts we cannot
comprehend. He knows nothing of our land. How could he possibly be the
real Amdair ab Lassidar, a dead man, returned?” Chloe answers her own
question, practically spitting, “Magic.”

Remi LeBou makes a horrifically fierce expression with his mouth at Chloe’s
remark, and lifts his hand up, forefinger and thumb connected as if he were
to pluck an elusive response out of the air. But all that comes out is a
barely audible grunt from his throat. “Ye really be thinkin? Heard they
can be fartin fire.” His offhand remark is random, of course.

To her, it looked like he might have been fixing to cast a spell on her.
She practically fled.
Wed Feb 15 23:20:21 2012

Romana asked Chloe to mention to “Julea that Safir Mara’aye had been
arrested.” Chloe’s not sure how she likes that, being used without her
permission. In any case, the Cardinal seems to think the woman is linked
to Tenebrae, and therefore is guilty of ‘heresy’.
Mon Feb 13 06:34:56 2012

Chloe notes that Julea uses a Book of Penances as a container.
Sat Feb 11 23:28:45 2012

Chloe has decided to try to get the identity – or at least identifying
charactersistics – about the Tenebrae out of Julea to pass to Romana in an
effort to capture and eliminate him so that her retainer, Julea, can rise
to the role of Tenebrae herself. She does not think Julea would approve of
the plan, as much as Chloe believes she is acting in Julea’s best interest
(with, of course, the best interest of her family, namely Romana’s career,
also being served. She does so like two birds with one stone).

Additionally, Romana has asked Chloe to use Julea to “find dirt” on the
Grand Inquisitor to assist her in ousting ‘the bastard’ – Chloe has agreed
to ask Julea to do so – and isn’t above fabricating the evidence if it will
help Romana get what she wants.
Sat Feb 11 10:23:02 2012

Chloe knows Julea is Sapiente, though she really wishes Julea hadn’t
told her. Of course, Chloe knew Julea was a member of the thieves, but if
it remained unconfirmed, she could go about her life quietly and subtly
using the information without being truly liable for the knowledge.

In the short term, Chloe intends to pretend as if she did not know, but
she’s considering whether or not she can get away with the knowledge, or if
it will be too much of a burden to be worth the value of retaining Julea
(afterall, their close relationship is likely to be remarked upon at some
point).

In addition to this, Chloe wishes Tenebrae’s death and/or removal as, not
only has he disappointed her in the past by selling her out to Myranda le
Argent, proving to Chloe he’s not a good businessman, regardless of his
position regarding the importance of using the information to purchase
Myranda’s loyalty to Tobin. In Chloe’s mind, putting the honor of his
entire organization on the line was far more important than the throne’s
owner, and that very former topic was a betrayal of his guild – which is
the foremost reason that Chloe turned Julea down when asked if she would
join the Thieves. Quite simply, Chloe refuses to work with someone like
the Tenebrae due to their poor leadership and, given the nature of the
Brotherhood, joining that group under a leader like that could mean her
life. She doesn’t trust him.

Finally, Chloe is now a countess instead of just a gentry person with
business needs. She sees becoming a member of the Brotherhood unnecessary
to meet her needs through them. She can both protect them and finance them
without claiming membership. Though she knows this means she will be
excluded from some secrets, that troubles her not at all given her own
business is really all that she has the time for. So long as Julea
maintains her support and loyalty, Chloe will do much the same towards the
other woman – but this loyalty very much does not extend to the Tenebrae.

Chloe’s Notes:
Chloe never went to the meeting, deciding not to trust the Tenebrae.

You examine a piece of mail.
To : Chloe Written: Wed Dec 28 01:47:09 2011
Date: Eldes, Octobris 20 352

Blind Horse, south side, on tavern road. The route will be cleared for
you. I will await you there.

Shadows be with you,
-T-

Wed Dec 28 05:32:54 2011

You examine a piece of mail.
To : Chloe Written: Tue Dec 27 09:03:50 2011
Date: Arendas, Octobris 17 352

Your proposal to meet is one of interest, however in such a place is
where I cannot be found. My identity has been kept from the public for
some time, so it would be odd for a concealed individual to enter the
bluebird, further more I would hate the need to spill blood should a Reeve
or Knight attempt to uncover my concealment. Should this be in a more
neutral setting, then perhaps I would gladly agree to the arrangement of a
meeting.

Though, you should already know that Tobin will be king, as I have already
stated to the other supporters, my influence runs thick across the realm,
no matter how it is perceived or initiated. He will become king, and we
will likely be seeing the Earl Marshal show her true colors by starting a
civil war.

Shadows be with you,
-T-

Tue Dec 27 18:20:08 2011
You examine a piece of mail.
To : Chloe Written: Tue Dec 27 03:09:20 2011
Date: Votumas, Octobris 16 352

My Lord/Lady Tenebrae,

I’ve no need to really cause Miss le Argent further trouble – she’s foolish
enough to cause her own. I’ve forwarded her blackmail letter to the
Reeves, naturally. Afterall, blackmail is illegal whereas hiring a town
crier is not.

Very well, I think I shall choose to trust you that you did not actually
betray my name, merely that there was a job, to her. I would be foolish to
take this trust to extremes given the circumstances.

I think we ought to engage in a more personable relationship. They say the
pen is deadly, for obvious reasons. Seek me out at the Bluebird’s Ballad.
I’ve made the same offer to Miss le Argent, though she rebuffed me – the
time is coming neigh that we supporters of Tobin cannot risk in-fighting in
spreading our influence across Lithmore. We should place a map between us
and plan our moves. I’ll see you there.

Sincerely,
{> CvD

Tue Dec 27 03:09:27 2011
You examine a piece of mail.
To : Chloe Written: Tue Dec 27 00:08:14 2011
Date: Votumas, Octobris 16 352

Well, your embarrassment will need to be dealt with in however manner
you feel appropriate. Do not let it be on my behalf. She traded the
information for support of the one we seek to sit on the throne. A deal I
felt was fair enough for the both of us. Such an agreement plays much more
importance than your issues with a merchant trader.

I do apologize for the deception, however do understand I am a business
opportunist, so any chance that I get to strike a deal to my liking, I will
be taking. Then again, I may have very well taken your deal, should you
have approached us sooner. Such things require planning, in which you
truly gave no time to do so. I will gladly refund your coin back to you,
if you feel as if you might need use of it again in the future, or you may
use it as a down payment for something else you may desire of us in the
future.

And no, the merchant trader is not a member of the fold, due to the very
reasons you stated. I would be forced to drag a blade across her throat in
a matter of weeks because of her inability to keep her mouth closed. Or we
could simply stich it shut, though I hardly see what use she would have for
anyone at that point.

In any case, I did inform her of the letter sent. I did not however, state
from who. So her assumptions in pointing fingers are hers alone. Your
name was never mentioned in the interaction, only that a random, unsigned
note was sent to us regarding the request.

There is no proof that you had any dealings with us, so her threats to
blackmail you are nothing more than a bluff you will likely need to call.
Who will believe her anyway? Was her party crashed? Is there anything
that can trace you to the truth of her words? I believe you can answer
these questions yourself and form an appropriate conclusion to the issue at
hand. Though, if you need help then we already have your previous down
payment. Certain there are ways or methods we can use to eliminate the
problem all together.

Shadows be with you,
-T-

Tue Dec 27 02:58:37 2011
You examine a piece of paper.
To : Chloe Written: Mon Dec 26 21:40:42 2011
Date: Solisda, Octobris 15 352

My Lord (or Lady) Tenebrae,

Might I enquire if it’s the new practice of the Brotherhood to inform the
public of one’s interactions with the guild, or is it merely that Myranda
le Argent is a (rather shamefully loose-tongued) member of the fold?

She has taken great pleasure in writing to me about how I paid the
Brotherhood to ruin her party, and has actually attempted to blackmail me
regarding it for twice what I offered.

It’s bad business, you know, to blackmail clients. Frankly, I’m
embarrassed on your behalf.

Sincerely,
{> CvD

Mon Dec 26 21:58:01 2011
Chloe wrote Tenebrae and told him that Myranda has attempted to
blackmail her for contacting him to ruin her party and indicated that she
will never do business with the Thieves again. If she has the time and
opportunity, she may begin her own rival body of thieves to supercede
them.

She also hopes they punish Myranda (whom she assumes is one of them – how
else would she know about Chloe’s attempt to contact Tenebrae?) For both
acting on her own and attacking a client, but she won’t hold her breath.
She suspects Myranda might actually -be- Tenebrae, but knows she has too
little information to firmly believe it.

Mon Dec 26 21:48:18 2011
After a recent attempt for Chloe to reconcile (on Tobin’s behalf) with
Myranda le Argent, and the latter’s demands for money and insults, Chloe
has decided to frame Myranda for attempted murder.

Mon Dec 26 16:48:36 2011
Myranda has claimed all of the places that Chloe put her influence into,
which annoys Chloe. However, she intends to call a meeting of Tobin’s
supporters – in secret to make sure the meeting isn’t burned down, to
better distribute their influence and coordinate their attacks across the
map to ensure Tobin succeeds.

Wed Dec 21 18:14:47 2011
Chloe sent a town crier in reply to Myranda’s town crier to open her
Ship Party, that the Luck’s Bounty was on fire because Myranda insulted her
when she was talking to Anschel, saying she was stupid and such.

This was in hopes of bolstering an attempt she made to pay the Brotherhood
to have some thugs show at the party and ruin it.

Sun Dec 11 19:16:15 2011
Amelya was the name of a girl that Chloe made not ‘sit right for a week’
with a prank when she was a child.

Sun Dec 11 02:51:15 2011
Chloe has begun to subvert Angold because he ordered her to eat nothing but
bread and water for two weeks, cannot be alone with a man in private, and
must pray for three hours a day over having a lustful thought. She also
feels he made up other crimes to punish her for, such as saying that
‘because she assumed that wealth would buy her an easy punishment’ which,
to her knowledge, isn’t a sin, she thinks he was just being vengeful.

She also hates that he forced her to state she was gentry rather than
nobility, always a sore point for her sort.

Fri Dec 2 19:20:07 2011
Chloe’s pondering arriving at the palace and simply attempting to
purchase a title.