SOLD! To the Gem in the back! (Plum,Chip 2 others?)
Feb 22, 2017 0:13:26 GMT
Grand Inquisitor, Mr. O and Zriphelo (Gaspeite) like this
Post by Plum Pearl on Feb 22, 2017 0:13:26 GMT
Evening had fallen and all was about to begin. The auction hall was tall and spacious, with vaulted celings and arched collums. It was certainly a venue fit for Empire City's finest citizens, deep pockets all of them, and each coddling a reputation for being a patron of the arts. Tonight in particular was a special benefit, an auction and estate sale, with several items up for bit, donated most graciously from the Brandt family, old money from the founding days of Empire City.
The sale was focused on the sale of items from a property that had been in the family for generations, but had since fallen out of use, an upstate lodge previously owned by a distant relative of the present day Brandt family members, an eccentric by the name of Thaddeus Brandt, who nearly two centuries ago, fancied himself an alchemist, and sought to unlock the secrets of amassing great wealth by utilizing not only arcane and occult secrets but also the bounless mysteries of the burgeonig age of 'Modern' Science, a realm that in the early 1800's, humanity was just beginning to uncover on a scale that it could affect the lives of many.
So it happened that one day, while traveling in the lands known in modern times as India, Thaddeus uncovered a treasure, while exploring.. *COUGHPLUNDERINGCOUGH* a site in the Indian Jungle near the coast facing Sri Lanka. It was there in an oddly pyramidal shaped structure, he came across what appeared to be a mysteriously large Pearl, fantastically large by Human standards, and with it a ring of mysterious whitish metal, together in the dush and grit of the ruins.
Taking the treasure for himself, he returned to America and in a rather primitive and (by gem standards) sloppy magic ritual, fused the large pearl to his own compiled book of alchemic secrets, with the whitish metal ring he found along side it, by filling in the gaps with a putty of quicksilver, babbot and cork paste, sealed with resin from oak sap. Many strange things occured over the life of Thaddeus, often when in close proximity to his book, and to locals, he was both an object of fear and curiosity, as the years passed. Oddly though, Thaddeus was a very jealous and secretive man, and he never shared his findings with his family members, and so upon his death, the contents of his laboratory and study were locked away in trunks, stored in the attic of the manor that had been his home. Over time, the trunks were forgotten, the keys were lost and the dust that gathered upon them became thicker and thicker. Until finally light spilled over the attic, and the chests were carted out of the residence, and placed into the back of moving trucks to be brought to tonight's auction and gala, along with the rest of the contents from the house, over the subsequent years.. to this benefit for the Empire City Cultural and HIstorical Museum.
And here we find our players, gems and humans alike.. although any gems in the crowd are either in disguise so as to not draw attention to themselves.. or possibly well enough known by the human citizens that they feel no need to hide their true nature. Whichever the case, the night carries on with all manner of gavels smashing, voices rambling, cummerbunds and ball gowns milling and mixing, socializing in the fun of the evening.
As the music of a waltz dies down, a gentlman in a long tailed tuxedo, deep lines of age upon his face, and a willowy weathered tone to his voice, stepts up to the podium, tapping the microphone lightly, creating some feedback and then with an apologetic look, fishes a pair of fine round spectacles from his breast pocket and and a small stack of cue cards, from the other..
*Sniff..Smak Smak.. aherrrmmmmm....sniff....* (old man throat clearing sounds)
"WherewasI, WherewasI..hmm.. ah yes! Thank you One and All for attending this annual benefit auction, for our dear Museum of Culture and History!"
A chorus of white gloved applause rattles through the air of the amber lit room as all manner of suits and tuxedos shuffle and shift to face the podium once more, glasses of champange and wine in their hands.
"I am pleased to announce, that our auction tonight surpassed all expectations, and the new wing of the museum shal begin construction forthwith, this coming spring.. yes yes, very good. Now... that the large items are all out of the way.. what say we have a bit of fun to close off the night, hmm?"
A curtain behind him lifts and reveals a collection of trunks, all antique looking upon a platform.. Attendants select the largest and most ornate trunk first, and lift it onto a trolly, and wheel it out front, beside the podium..
"What we have here... are trunks.. trunks of the best sorts. Trunks with secrets, keys lost and forgotten. Our final round of bids will be on these ..erm.. ahem..'Mystery Trunks'! We shall be keepig this little competition light and fun for those of us who um.. uhh. perhaps have not yet, secured a treasure to take home yet.. umm.. tonight. Well then, Shall we begin? The bids will open at a mere 100 Dollars.. come now what say you??"
And with that, the old man fishes out a small gavel from his outter left pocket and brings it down upon the podium with all the force and dinn of a field mouse sneezing into a summer breeze...The old auctioneer's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the first paddle to raise
The sale was focused on the sale of items from a property that had been in the family for generations, but had since fallen out of use, an upstate lodge previously owned by a distant relative of the present day Brandt family members, an eccentric by the name of Thaddeus Brandt, who nearly two centuries ago, fancied himself an alchemist, and sought to unlock the secrets of amassing great wealth by utilizing not only arcane and occult secrets but also the bounless mysteries of the burgeonig age of 'Modern' Science, a realm that in the early 1800's, humanity was just beginning to uncover on a scale that it could affect the lives of many.
So it happened that one day, while traveling in the lands known in modern times as India, Thaddeus uncovered a treasure, while exploring.. *COUGHPLUNDERINGCOUGH* a site in the Indian Jungle near the coast facing Sri Lanka. It was there in an oddly pyramidal shaped structure, he came across what appeared to be a mysteriously large Pearl, fantastically large by Human standards, and with it a ring of mysterious whitish metal, together in the dush and grit of the ruins.
Taking the treasure for himself, he returned to America and in a rather primitive and (by gem standards) sloppy magic ritual, fused the large pearl to his own compiled book of alchemic secrets, with the whitish metal ring he found along side it, by filling in the gaps with a putty of quicksilver, babbot and cork paste, sealed with resin from oak sap. Many strange things occured over the life of Thaddeus, often when in close proximity to his book, and to locals, he was both an object of fear and curiosity, as the years passed. Oddly though, Thaddeus was a very jealous and secretive man, and he never shared his findings with his family members, and so upon his death, the contents of his laboratory and study were locked away in trunks, stored in the attic of the manor that had been his home. Over time, the trunks were forgotten, the keys were lost and the dust that gathered upon them became thicker and thicker. Until finally light spilled over the attic, and the chests were carted out of the residence, and placed into the back of moving trucks to be brought to tonight's auction and gala, along with the rest of the contents from the house, over the subsequent years.. to this benefit for the Empire City Cultural and HIstorical Museum.
And here we find our players, gems and humans alike.. although any gems in the crowd are either in disguise so as to not draw attention to themselves.. or possibly well enough known by the human citizens that they feel no need to hide their true nature. Whichever the case, the night carries on with all manner of gavels smashing, voices rambling, cummerbunds and ball gowns milling and mixing, socializing in the fun of the evening.
As the music of a waltz dies down, a gentlman in a long tailed tuxedo, deep lines of age upon his face, and a willowy weathered tone to his voice, stepts up to the podium, tapping the microphone lightly, creating some feedback and then with an apologetic look, fishes a pair of fine round spectacles from his breast pocket and and a small stack of cue cards, from the other..
*Sniff..Smak Smak.. aherrrmmmmm....sniff....* (old man throat clearing sounds)
"WherewasI, WherewasI..hmm.. ah yes! Thank you One and All for attending this annual benefit auction, for our dear Museum of Culture and History!"
A chorus of white gloved applause rattles through the air of the amber lit room as all manner of suits and tuxedos shuffle and shift to face the podium once more, glasses of champange and wine in their hands.
"I am pleased to announce, that our auction tonight surpassed all expectations, and the new wing of the museum shal begin construction forthwith, this coming spring.. yes yes, very good. Now... that the large items are all out of the way.. what say we have a bit of fun to close off the night, hmm?"
A curtain behind him lifts and reveals a collection of trunks, all antique looking upon a platform.. Attendants select the largest and most ornate trunk first, and lift it onto a trolly, and wheel it out front, beside the podium..
"What we have here... are trunks.. trunks of the best sorts. Trunks with secrets, keys lost and forgotten. Our final round of bids will be on these ..erm.. ahem..'Mystery Trunks'! We shall be keepig this little competition light and fun for those of us who um.. uhh. perhaps have not yet, secured a treasure to take home yet.. umm.. tonight. Well then, Shall we begin? The bids will open at a mere 100 Dollars.. come now what say you??"
And with that, the old man fishes out a small gavel from his outter left pocket and brings it down upon the podium with all the force and dinn of a field mouse sneezing into a summer breeze...The old auctioneer's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the first paddle to raise
(As it stands, there are a couple gems set in stone, to participate in this thread, if one or two others wnats to participate and be contendors in the auction or some such thing, then there is an open spot or two for them. Be nice and keep it fun)