Out of the Nest and into the Snake Pit

[Saguzar]

I'll pass for this round of posts, both Saguzar and Ramiro, as any posts they make at present would be filler material at best. I also think that establishing the dynamic between Marcella and Bertran is fairly important, so I don't mind missing a round or two of posts while they converse

Which means... BERTRAN, you're up!

[Saruna]

Was wondering...will post!

[Saguzar]

Alright, I think it's time to return to a more regular posting order

As I'm fond of alphabetical, I suggest Bertran -> Marcella -> Saguzar

Bertran is up again =p

[Saruna]

Pffff, we were in a regular posting schedule again, but your sense of equilibrium suggested to you that it would not be a regular posting order until we were in alphabetical order. One day I will insist everything is horribly out of order, but luckily for you that day is not today!

[Marcella Guiate]

Let me know if you guys would prefer Marcella to have more knowledge of stuff and I can change stuffs to include stuff or take out stuff. I feel like I am winging it right now. This is currently my hardest thread since it is so serious and I am still getting feel for playing Marcella, helpful criticism or advice is always welcome. I look forward to moving forward with this whole thread though!

[Saguzar]

Sorry it took so long to post.

On the bright side, I have a plan of action for once the trio arrive in Qadis.
I figure one more Bertran and Marcella post is required in-carriage, and I'll use most of Saguzar's next post to set the scene upon their arrival at the estate.

The above plan, of course, is completely open to amendment based on what the RP and you guys want - but at least I can guarantee some action once we reach Qadis.

Muahaha.

[Saguzar]

Some handy links as a mental note re: staff complements in large estates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_house
http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/peopl ... n-england/
http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/servantwages.htm (Has some very useful and detailed descriptions of servant duties)

I have also updated the description of the housestaff in Qadis, here: http://www.tharshaddin.com/rp/viewtopic ... 976#p37976

[Marcella Guiate]

Quick question...Shall I post next or would it be better for Bertran to post his entrance before I continue? And then we can get back to our alphabetical order of posting

[Darrik]

Aye, I think we should have Bertran post next, and give Kat a chance to make up something awesome about the Algonquin Consortium

(No pressure, Kat. Muahaha. =^_^= )

[Saruna]

Ugh, the post is gonna take another day or so while I work on the npcs (very clever, James). Hurrr.

[Saguzar]

Well, Colours' post was awesome, and the thread lives again!
I've posted, which means it's time for Swagdaddy Bertran to rock the yolo. =^_^=

[Saguzar]

Kat and I were sad when you timed out today, Colours.
But here's some notes from talking over thread ideas for the next few posts

tl;dr: A couple of posts each, where our posts introduce and flesh out the personalities of various NPCs around the household.

For example, I'll be working on Girardo and a couple of others.

I'm hoping that, with Catalina's first post in this 'introduce the household' tangent, I have given you a sterling opportunity to have some fun with introducing Marisol and Yolanda to the thread

-------Ideas from Chat------

(11:02:46) Darrik: Hard thing is deciding where to lead to in the next scene
(11:03:01) Darrik: I was hoping Colours would stick around XD
(11:03:09) (can't_even): I vote for overnight politicking
(11:03:17) (can't_even): I know I wanted to do a little scene with bertran's minions
(11:03:29) (can't_even): before the morning
(11:04:00) Darrik: So, three individual 'what they did that night' scenes before picking things up again group-wise in the morning?
(11:04:16) (can't_even): unless you want to play cross minion npc style
(11:04:25) Darrik: ?
(11:04:30) (can't_even): or have a saguzar/marcella scene
(11:04:36) (can't_even): and I'll do some npc posts
(11:04:45) (can't_even): all of us play npcs during the night
(11:05:44) (can't_even): but yeah. corezo has all of my favorites right now.
(11:06:40) Darrik: Help a sleep-deprived man out and explain the NPC scene(s) you are proposing please =p
(11:06:50) Darrik: Which npcs, etc
(11:07:53) (can't_even): Staff, primarily. Sorta a little bit of behind the scenes -- what they've been dealing with, how they're handling fallout from current situation. Establishing friends and enemies within the bigger picture. It'd deepen what we have for the estate, but also take more work so . . .
(11:08:13) Darrik: Ah, now I get you
(11:08:22) (can't_even): if we want to keep warming up to qadis each of us doing a solo what-they-did works too

(11:18:50) Darrik: I'm wondering if a Catalina/Girardo scene might be a nice segue into a 'The household at night' sequence of posts.
(11:21:09) (can't_even): I really want to see catalina outside of noble interaction >>
(11:23:52) (can't_even): I'm interested in how she'll act.
(11:24:59) Darrik: Well, as a Lady's companion/chaperone, Catalina definitely has reason to need to get to know the household and worm her way into the domestic infrastructure. And Girardo, as head footman, makes sense as her first foothold - as his role dictates he will be involved in many of the tasks Catalina attends to
(11:29:11) Darrik: I have some loose ideas already:

I'm thinking the housekeeper Maria, being of a somewhat prudish mindset, will not approve of Catalina's personality.

The butler Pero's devotion to Ramiro will extend to Ramiro's daughter Marcella.

I'd like Colours to flesh out the stable master Bartolo, as scenes involving riding and equestrian matters are her forte.

(11:29:31) (can't_even): I dig it.
(11:31:07) Darrik: And, as new NPCs crop up, I'll add them to the plot discussion post detailing 'The Pazo Guiate de Qadis'

I know the Cook and kitchen hands will eventually need to go in there when described
(11:33:10) (can't_even): I wanna yeah, I wanna have a few named peons (maids, footmen) introduced
(11:33:40) (can't_even): to help convey the bustling, functioning estate feeling
(11:34:56) Darrik: Agreed
(11:35:21) Darrik: Hmm, yes, a post to flesh out Girardo and maybe a couple more NPCs would be a nice segue.

Colours could then use her post to introduce her maids, Marisol and Yolanda. You could either flesh out other household NPCs or do more with Pau and Miguel
(11:35:54) Darrik: Then, once those posts have run out of narrative potential we can cut to the morning after
(11:36:41) Darrik: Depending on how the posts go, they might just be a single post each or go for a few posts to explore the scenario if it proves interesting
---------------------------------

[Talia Idris]

sounds good! although, perhaps you guys can skip a post with me if you guys are delving deeper into the rest of the house staff. Marcella's handmaids are basically her gossip police, they report back to her what is being said and occasionally help her spread rumors so she probably will have them give her a report on their first impressions of the staff. I am thinking that they are sisters. One of them is the typical older sister...more serious keeps her younger sister (who is more energetic and out spoken) in line - just in case you need a lil something if the other staff say something about them

[Marcella Guiate]

So I gave the Housekeeper a last name since no one had done that yet. So if anyone objects to Maria Martinez just let me know I can make an edit.

Some other random facts:

Marcella always keeps a maid in her room during the night, in case she need something or as an extra pair or eyes/hands/voice should something happen in the middle of the night. The girls take turns every week with that task.

Currently Merielle will wait outside Catalina's room until she returns to inform her of the morning plans. She will pretend to be more quiet and shy, if not almost intimidated/unsure of the new companion. Also will do her best to subtly find out what Catalina is like for Marcella

Merielle is energetic, as a people person she usually can weasel her way into most situations and with sharp eyes and ears she picks up anything she can - she loves this part of working for Marcella, it makes her feel like a spy and provided the excitement she craves especially because being a lady's maid can sometimes be quite boring. Unfortunately she sometimes can make errors when assisting in the bedroom - she was almost fired when she ripped a pair of expensive stockings as she helped dress Marcella and the small rip became a massive run that was more then a bit of an embarrassment. Thankfully not too many people saw before it was fixed. She had no previous skills as a lady's maid and had previously been working odd jobs such as washing laundry, helping with at some small farms that she could get to, maybe occasionally picking a pocket or two....anything to keep her entertained and busy. She probably wouldn't have accepted the job working for Marcella if Marisol hadn't convinced *cough*forced*cough* her too. Merielle can be a bit resentful towards Marisol who tries to keep her reigned in.

Marisol is older and with 4 more years of experience then Yolanda as well as a bit of background with hair dressing and other such small talents of a lady's maid so in most ways she is a perfect ladies maid. She is relatively skilled at being able to predict the needs and wants of Marcella.She takes her job almost too seriously and unfortunately Marcella finds her relatively...unentertaining since they do not share many interests. Marisol is religious but keeps it to herself. If she is not doing her work she can be found with a book or a piece of embroidery. Her quiet and shy nature keeps her from interacting too much with the other household staff which sometimes makes them think that she is a snobby, although sometimes because she is quiet people can forget she is around and listening - a very different tactic then her sister. She can get quite verbal with her younger sister though, especially if she thinks that she will do anything to jeopardize Marcella's reputation or their jobs. Besides that they have a decent relationship although Marisol is a bit jealous of her ability to fit in with other people so naturally.


any other questions let me know. Sorry if the post wasn't the best but at least I did it (finally)

[Saruna]

Duuude, I feel like Yolanda should be the one to stumble over something important... I like her.

I loved the post, colors! Now we move onward to more intrigue and murder!