Vulparan Family/Daario/The Pirate King's Study

Roleplay from Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-14 19:14:57

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea A formerly seaside keep at the edge of the city towers above the buildings around it. Defensive walls built of dark granite stone surround an ancient collection of keeps and holdfasts cobbled together over time into the Ducal Palace of Perdan. During a normal day, the gates were open for trade, visitors and court appointments. The courtyards all buzzing with activity, knights and their retinues, servants, attendants, and nobles all going about their business in the city within the city. At its helm was the Duchess of Perdan, the one chosen by the Queen to keep it all running smoothly while she burdened herself with greater issues for the good of the realm. In the outermost holdfast of the Palace was a room build to face the West to catch the last bit of light any day had to offer. In the past the huge window at the back of the room had been sprayed with sea water and over decades had become clouded with salt. Since the changing of the land, the rains had washed it clean. It now looked over the realm of Alexandria. Sir Daario is one of Aila’s knights, as such he is treated with great care upon his arrival. His horse will be given royal treatment while he is attending his business, and castle staff give him a wide respectful berth in the halls approaching him only to ask if they can serve in any way. The Duchess has made it well known that upsetting her knights has grave consequences. When guided into the study by a familiar attendant, the knight will see his Duchess sitting at a desk far too large for her, in a seat that dwarfed her. It had been made for someone else, clearly someone far larger. Unlike most rooms the Duchess spends her time in this one is relatively plain and empty except for the furniture. Heavy oak shelves lined the walls and were gleamingly polished but nearly bare, with a small collection forming here and there. What decor was left was suspiciously nautical, Aila certainly didn’t look like a sailor. She looked more like a hunter, wearing riding leathers with her hair braided in a wispy windswept coil down her back. A pink tinge in her cheeks suggests she has just come inside from the chilly spring day- he has caught her just after a successful hunt and as a result; in a glorious mood. “Sir Daario” Gideon introduces the young knight to his equally young Duchess who stands from her desk with an uncharacteristically bright smile. “Come in, do you drink?” The best first question to always ask any nobleman.

Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Roleplay

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-14 19:41:33

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea His stomach full with the gastronomic marvels the cooks at the Ducal Palace of Perdan, the young knight trailed the attendant silently - his mind not so restful in state as his body. The matters which brought him here upon the Duchess' invitation continued to weigh heavily on his mind, as they had done so for the past few days. Did I speak out of turn? Is my honour to be slighted? Am I the fool in all of this? A laughing stock for all the realm, the new Knight cast asunder by his Lady Liege? Am I dismissed away from my childhood home like a cur? What would my father make of this, of the prospect of Nascot, and of me? Thoughts raced almost uncontrollably: building and growing; and twisting and turning like a rouge wave in the midst of a most terrible storm. His mind felt ready to crash as Gideon opened the door. The Duchess he saw before him, however, as Gideon made introductions, was a picture of radiant calm - her pinked cheeks a lull in a storm, and her joyful mood a gentle breeze that fills the sails of a ship carrying its crew to harbour, to home. "My Liege, it is truly an honour," the young knight remarked reverently, a smile vanquishing the concerned frown that blighted his face and taking pride of place upon his lips. "Yes of course," he replied, a wave of comfort crashing over him - the offer of drink from his Lady Liege about as good as anything he had heard so far this past week. "Like any good man of Perdan," he added assertively, the faintest of smirks dancing on his mouth ever so briefly as he spoke.

Roleplay from Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-14 20:10:17

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea She had laid eyes on this man before, he had attended the coronation and done well but they had never met up close. As she nodded to her attendant to serve them some drinks she sized him up in that particular way she always did. He was young, younger than her and while it was not by much, the Duchess -quite- exciting as it was a very rare thing. She finds his face to be unique in its own charming way, certainly not unattractive, and the rest of him made it easy to judge that he was probably a fine swordsman. He looked very strong. Gideon hands her a heavy cup filled with liquor, the drinks in the study were far stronger than her usual wine simply because she stocked the sideboard with what was always there, before her. Over the years she had developed a taste for it, though did not partake as much as she did with wine. As Gid moves to hand Sir Daario his own drink Aila snatches it from him and hands it to the knight herself, guiding him with a gentle hand on his shoulder to the old armchairs near the massive fireplace with its scarred up wooden mantle. A daily reminder to the staff of one of Aila’s worst tantrums. “Brandy” was all the little woman had to say about the contents of the cup. She hoped that it went without saying that it was the finest in the land. “Now I know you’re not here for this but I just have to say it’s so nice to finally meet the man behind those charming letters. It is so refreshing to meet a noble man who knows how to write properly to a Lady. After so many wars I fear it has become somewhat of a lost art among us.” She sits gracefully, maintaining a straight back and slanting her knees properly despite her hunting gear allowing her to do otherwise. With a gesture of her hand she motions for him to take a seat in the armchair beside her, between them is a little mahogany table covered in intricate carving work to to rest their glasses. “Please sit, and we will talk about this unpleasant estate business.”

Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Roleplay

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-14 22:57:44

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea "Such kind words are unnecessary, my virtuous Lady Liege," Daario replied gently as he received the glass with a smile. By Leandra, he thought excitedly, a proper drink! "Proper etiquette is something that all nobles of our great realm - and indeed the continent - should embody in their every word, letter, and action, lest we descend into savagery like those marauders of Yssrgard." As he sat, the young knight unbuttoned the tight dark leather jacket that hugged his athletic figure, revealing the crisp, clean, cream shirt underneath. "Yes of course, my Liege," Daario said curtly as he relaxed deeper into the chair, swilling the brandy and taking ruminating sips as they spoke. As the topic turned to the more serious matter of the estate and oaths, his face lost a measure of the shine that Aila had bestowed upon it.

Roleplay from Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-14 23:19:08

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea Daario had made her smile with his words, and then she repaid him by dashing his with the mention of estates. He was upset, upset in a way she understood more than he could appreciate. “You grew up on the Crooked Pathway.” She presses, recalling what he had said in his letters to her, “I grew up in Oceanview, in a manse by the sea,” she reveals. “I was raised her, went to school here,” she continues, “we are peers, you and I. Not in title but in every other sense of the word. With different luck we might have known each other as children” Clearly, the Duchess was amused by this idea; she sat back in her chair tasting the brandy as she let that idea live in their imagination for a moment. “Maybe we did. Certainly I don’t remember everyone I've ever met.” Aila put her glass down again and nodded in his direction “You are hesitant, do you feel you are abandoning your oath? The love I have for this city goes beyond Oaths, and promises. It’s a part of me. Perhaps you are the same?” As someone else had put it, she possessed a stare so intense the sun itself would turn away from if it could... Her voice remained gentle as she asked her questions, but those Hazel eyes were not. They bore a hole into him that demanded more than answers.

Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Roleplay

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-14 23:41:43

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea The thought of them knowing each other as children brought a further smile to his lips, a quiet, furtive chuckle escaping as she continues to speak. "Perhaps, my Lady, we may have met in the flurry of childhood for the briefest of moments," the young knight began once she had concluded. "I was not raised in Crooked Pathway itself," he said, hesitant to correct her, "but very close to it. It was thus no challenge to move my family and our belongings to the grand and most beautiful house from which the estate is run." Her stare was met with a strong gaze of his own, the young knight's eyes burning with an intensess of honesty. Beneath the gaze the trust in which he regarded the Duchess could be easily perceived, and the sincerity and gravity with which he considered every word he spoke was plain for the Duchess to see. "I have sworn to you, my Lady Liege. Any man is only worth the value of his word. The sacred oath that I swore to you is my word, and your word is my command." "I hear despicable talk, condescending rumours spoken about those who have changed allegiance or altered their oaths..." The young knight paused for a moment in thought. "Forever speaking truthfully to you, my Lady," he continued earnestly, "the honour of myself, my House, and the realm is of greater worth to me than my life or those of my men. It would pain me immensely to hear such vile rumours bandied across the realm about myself or House Vulparan - or indeed any other personal slight against the virtues, dignity, and honour I uphold, and which I consider with every action I take or word I speak. Thus, I shall endeavour to prevent opportunity for such vile talk to spread across any despicable underground tendrils that lie across the realm." His oratory concluded, he slipped somewhat deeper into the chair and, after another deep sip of brandy, inhaled and exhaled deeply as if an entire army of misgivings and concern had been lifted from atop his shoulders.

Roleplay from Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-15 00:50:42

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea “We of this City are a particular breed I think” His words echoed her own feelings perfectly, hauntingly so. Her heart had quickened as he spoke about it, stirring up a pride within her for her family name, same as his. She put a hand gingerly on her chest before turning to drink the last sip from her brandy- she needed it. Aila couldn’t shake the feeling of guilty pride that he had told her something so stirring so soon after meeting. The steely gaze was dropped at once, it was now obvious to Aila that this man was no threat to her. She paused for a painfully long moment leaning on the arm of her chair and thinking of whether or not to repay the favor. “When my…” A familiar tightness in her throat caused her to falter and in the end stopped her from phrasing it in a way that mentioned her father at all. “When I became the head of my household, I was left with nothing. I was seventeen, alone.” Like the godsend he was Gideon was right there at her side to top up their drinks before fading away back behind her desk, out of their way but close enough if she needed him again. With a refreshed drink Aila felt more brave, she did not set it on the table between them between sips as she had before. “My mother sold the manse by the sea and pocketed the profit. I didn’t return for two years even to visit; bereft.” She hadn’t spoken about that period with anyone but Dustiria up till now, very rare was it a helpful thing to dwell on. “I was a dame of Aix up until I became Duchess of Perdan. I was not even asked. I had no purpose other than my own. Do you think…” His Duchess pauses to recall his wording “That I damaged my family name by leaving this City for another?” The poor man had suffered enough, she answered for him “No.” Another sip before puts the brandy aside at last, feeling the warmth of the brandy lingering in her cheeks down. “Nascot is a good cause, it’s Countess is very precious to me and it is worth safeguarding. I myself spent many months there scouting the north for Kenneth Macarbin, before he was the Duke. Before there was a Duchy in fact.” She noted with an odd inflection, as if even she had forgotten a time before the Riverlands. “If the Realm is what you serve then for now, Nascot is where you go.. It is by my order you leave this city, I release you of your Oath to myself in the name of Perdan to serve the Realm in the matter of safeguarding Nascot. When your duty there is done you will always have a place in my city. All roads lead home Sir Daario. Some roads simply wind more than others."

Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Roleplay

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-15 02:03:39

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea The young knight nodded and sipped, smiled and furrowed his brow, cricked his neck in interest and shook his head in where appropriate, years of tutoring in Perdanese etiquette subconsciously coming to the forefront as he became enthralled by the story the Duchess was spinning infront of him. Such beautiful, almost poetic, oracy he had not experienced from any noble of Perdan - save only perhaps for the Queen in her finely-penned letters and missives - and he adored every moment of it. He knew where it was headed naturally, for he was not too naïve as to know the intentions behind the Duchess' invitation, but he was wrapped up by the tale and her manner all the same. As she concluded there was almost not a word more to be spoken: the order had been given; the bondage of oath had been released; the young knight belonged to the realm for now, and no-one else. Her words had soothed the burning concerns which burdened him as he entered her study - that he was a fool to be mocked, or a turncoat to be scorned, that the fledgling reputation of House Vulparan would be stained jet black forevermore. He knew what he had to do, and he had anticipated that this would be the result of the meeting, and he was glad in this moment that he had considered what he would say - although how much of what he went on to say in the emotions of the moment had passed through his mind prior remains a mystery even to himself. He lifted himself from the chair and knelt down on one knee before the Duchess. "It has been an honour to serve under you as a knight of the city, Duchess Storme," the young knight stated confidently with a bowed head, a growing lump in his throat threatening to endanger his dutiful display. "May through your virtues, your good sense of duty, and benevolent wisdom you continue to bring prosperity and joy to all those who serve you." With that, Sir Daario of Perdan rose from his knee, delving a hand into his jacket. From a small pocket he produced a small silver fox - a small, finely-crafted sculpture that would fit perfectly into a palm. He held it tightly at first, as if imparting a prayer unto it with deliberate firmness of grip, and presented it to the Duchess in an open palm. "A silver fox, Your Grace, crafted by a silversmith from our city. I gifted a similar one to Her Majesty to mark her coronation, and as a physical reminder of the loyalty I shall forever owe to her." He paused for a moment, his deeply honest and unmistakably juniper eyes locked with hers once more. "This one is for you, my Lady; may it remind you of the loyalty I shall owe you so long as I live, even as you release me of the knightly oath to you and the Duchy of Perdan." "I pray that, one day," the young knight continued earnestly, "I may be reunited with such an oath to you, and may stand in dutiful and honourable service as a true Knight of Perdan."

Roleplay from Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-15 03:15:27

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea Darrio's touching display was not lost on Lady Aila, she felt a similar feeling of worry that she may not be able to keep her composure as he knelt in front of her. No one had even knelt before her, it was a very strange feeling. A feeling short lived as the man who was her own knight moments ago stood and presented her with a gift. ​​​​​​ A silver seal, his heraldry. The man at the back of the room wore a gleaming silver falcon on his tunic to show his devotion to her house. It was a sacred thing to the Stormes and to receive this little fox was a great compliment to her. "Thank you." She sounds truly astonished. A hand much smaller than his reached into his palm, she lifted the silver fox and took it into her possession. Aila stared down at the symbol cradled in her palms and could tell at once that it was no cheap trinket, but a quality bit of art. One could only expect as much from a craftsman in her city. With it, he had rendered the confident young Duchess near paralysed. The regret she felt from offering her friend this fine knight finally shows through her demeanor as he tells her of what he prays for. "Do not just pray to return to my service some day Sir Darrio, see that you do."

Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Roleplay

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-15 12:55:04

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea The grace with which the Duchess accepted his gift brought warmth to the young knight's heart. He nodded courteously as she thanked him, shaking his head humbly. As she held the fox so gently and investigated it with intent interest, Daario traced her face with his gaze. Now was the best opportunity he had so far to really perceive the look, and indeed the attractiveness, of the Duchess. As she brought her gaze up from the gift, locking eyes with the young knight once again, she asserted her intention to have Daario return to her service. He instantly dropped his eyes with humble dramatism. "Such a return would bring me great honour, my Lady." He said courteously, a genuine warmth in tone radiating from his words. "Now, Your Grace," he began with apologetic enthusiasm, resting his hands gently upon his thighs as if to soon push himself up, "I must respectfully ask my leave. I am sure you understand that there is still much for me to do to prepare for the upcoming war, in my new position as Vice-Marshal of our Golden Lions."

Roleplay from Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan

Message sent to All Nobles of Perdan (29 Recipients) - 2020-11-15 18:54:57

The Pirate King's Study: A Manse By The Sea - Fin This was a knight she could be proud of, and while it was hard to see him go she was glad to send him to a friend like Dustiria. With his taxes supplemented by herself, she hoped that Nascot would prove as enjoyable to him as it had been to her. As he announces that he must leave, Aila looks quite surprised for half a second- it wasn’t often someone actually had a prompt productive meeting and actually got out of her hair. She felt prouder than ever to be from that city, convincing herself it was the fine schooling they had both received, and truly proper manners at last that made the man so agreeable. “Of course, the Golden Lions are of great importance, you've done well to gain rank among them so quickly. I DO hope the Countess appreciates your strides as much as I… I would never offer you up if I did not think you would find the place agreeable but, if for any reason you find yourself unhappy there, truly unhappy; Write to me first. Do keep yourself safe Sir Daario. True Lions of Perdan are becoming increasingly rare.” With a nod from Aila her attendant approaches the heavy wooden door of the study and holds it open, waiting at the side for Sir Daario to leave.

Aila Storme, Duchess of Perdan