Shadows&BloodTies : Book I

EPILOGUE - Player's Panel

Book 1 is over! We have finished an epic tale of love, secrecy, betrayal, and friendship! The regency-parallel land of Regencia has seen a huge upheaval, with the bulk of the Royal Family being dethroned, and de-lifed (lol). Our main character's have each found themselves in a truer, deeper way than they- and the real life Player's who played them- expected. We come together now to reminisce, answer burning questions, and see the Players behind the Characters!

Chapter 29 & 30: Dawn [Part 1 & 2]

It is the last chapter- all cards are on the table as our heroes try to save Dominic from execution! A great coup is underway- Dove and Elinor will break into Shadowby Castle, attempting to defeat the powerful princesses of illusion; Nicholas is waiting at the gallows in Justice Square, preparing to break his brother free before they can take his life; and allies that they have had to put much blind trust in have agreed to stand by them when all comes to a head, and the Shadowby's rule is challenged! Can they save any of the Royal family for Tiasho the Fey to heal? Can they save themselves from the tumble of such a powerful system?? ...May the goddesses bless us all.

Journals

• A Journal Entry dated Sept 20 something, 813 Dove
• The Final Chapter Elinor

Chapter 28: Before the End

Journals

• Swallowing Flies Dove

Chapter 27: Seance

Chapter 26: The Pet Parade! [Part 2]

Cute and terrifying animals have been seen and enjoyed!: House Vaneforge's SNAIL takes "Best Dressed" in a surprising win, just ahead of Royal House Shadowby's WOLF. The Sterlings SERRANO display paddocks are impressive, interactive, and informative. Paddy, the baby Brewwick SKUNK, has yet to be fawned over, but the day is gloriously chill and sunny! Flowers are magically held in bloom on foliage everywhere, and all have turned up for one of the most enjoyed events of the Season! Amidst the fun, however, Nicholas decided to confront Prince Solomon about his double-life as High Bishop of Balan while simultaneously accepting Solomon's triunion proposal. Solomon played sly, and decided to help Nicholas "get rid of Lord Frost"... however, the party waiting at the Eastern Fountain to apprehend the villain had grown from 1 person, to 3: Dove, Dominic, and Berig. Just as Dove takes the final blow, ending a lifetime of grief, a horrific form rises up from the shrubbery behind Berig. Only briefly recognizable as Solomon, the figure deforms and changes, transforming into a half-human, half wereweasel moster! As the terrifying creature's claws rake Berigs back... we all wonder- WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?! In this weeks chapter of Shadows & Blood Ties, we will find out!

Chapter 25: The Pet Parade! [Part 1]

The Pet Parade is the social pinnacle of House Brewwick’s contributions to the Season, combining their elevated and aristocratic charm, mastery of potions, and flair for magical theatrics. Held in one of Donlon’s grandest gardens, Rose Park, the event transforms the green into a dazzling tapestry of enchantment, fabulous creatures, and... murder.

Journals

• A Journal Entry Dated Sept 18th, 813 Dove

Chapter 24: I Choose You... Forever

Some big conversations are stewing, and will be finally drunk in this chapter! The known, and unknown, enemies are playing with powerful hands, and if the future is to be saved- our heroes must play their most powerful cards in response!

Chapter 23: Fire & Ice

Nicholas is sent a dangerous, and unique proposition- one in which confuses his heart and loyalties. But, outside of matrimonial legalities, a dearly beloved individual is in great peril, sending the Sterlings and Blumetts rushing to the call for aid! Incredible feats of magic and teamwork will be written in our book to be sure, but even those victories cannot completely hide the sorrow of a great life, lost.

Chapter 22: Where The Dead Rest

Who expected that so many answers would be found protected by the dead?! Our Players are getting desperate for answers, and will seek in places most would shutter to consider. With hearts panging for love, and minds reeling in confusion, necks start to prickle with fear as a dark dawn looms on the ever approaching horizon....

Journals

• Mother Dove

Chapter 21: Nicole

Someone comes back into the Character's lives, bringing conflicting emotions both regretful and hateful. Could this person prove to be the key that unlocks the door leading to poor Fitz's freedom?! And will the Players agree to again join ranks with untrustworthy persons to save their friend... we will see, tonight!

Chapter 20: Gregor the Innocent

Desperate to connect some dots, and gather answers to the puzzles before them, our Players all decide to confront trouble instead of hide in safety when Dominic receives a concerning letter with cryptic warnings....

Journals

• A Journal Entry Dated Sept 13, 813 Dove

Chapter 19: Everyone is Fine, Nothing is Fine

Chapter 18: Running, Running...

Chapter 17: The Temple of Love

Chapter 16: What Now?

Is Barik spying FOR the Sterlings, or ON the Sterlings? Is Solomon Shadowby as worthy a match as Gale Stormont? Does Dahlia really have sincere feelings for Elinor, as a person, or just looking for adventure? Has Dove seen the last of her first ever ghost, Lucy? Oliver is gone, the country is more divided than ever, and there are still so many parties to go to. I think the biggest question for the Sterlings is... what now?

Chapter 15: Three Days

The city of Donlon, typically a glittering hub of aristocratic splendor and magical innovation, has been thrown into an uneasy silence. The recent uprising, led by a small group of commoners emboldened by the rising tensions between the nobility and the populace, has left a scar on the heart of the capital. Under the cover of night, a band of rebels—driven by desperation and rage—stormed the sacred Fortress of the Arcane Guild. What began as a mere murmur of discontent erupted into a bloody confrontation.

Journals

• A Journal Entry Dated Sept. 7, 813 Dove

Chapter 14: Callers & Confessions Pt. 2

This chapter 'Part 2' is a continuation of our last. The Goddesses will be appealed to, old friends will be reunited, and drastic measures may be taken by the oppressed! But, which side feels the most oppressed? Anything is possible, in Regencia.

Chapter 13: Callers & Confessions Pt. 1

The Ashton Masquerade was a luxurious event of fashion costumery, pyromantic showmanship, and a confection of gossip! It was also the location of a murder. His Royal Highness, Prince Philip Shadowby, in self-proclaimed self-defense, shot and killed his husband, His Grace, Yil-koon Brewwick-Shadowby, in their royal carriage outside of Ashton Manor. The charred remains of a body, inside the burned shell of a carriage, within a half-mile of ruined and smoking cropland signify dire decisions and secrets vowed to be kept. The night is over. The dawn has broken across the land, and things are more uncertain than they've ever been. In our newest chapter, the Goddesses will be appealed to, suitors will call upon romantic interests, and fates may even be divined! Anything could happen, in Regencia.

Journals

• Target Practice Dove

Chapter 12: Masking Murder

The Elemental Masquerade, 1st event of the season, has come. House Ashton, master fire manipulators, are hosting- creating a ball of wonder and fire. Our main family attended, and engaged in flirtations, dramatic confrontations, and tempting offers... until Oliver, while stealthily searching for his ex-lover, Prince Philip Shadowby- and his husband Yil-koon Brewwick, who were fighting, witnessed a gunshot coming from Philip's royal carriage! Tearing the door open, there lay Yil-koon's lifeless body, and Philip holding a small pistol, smoking! A murder has been committed.

Chapter 11: The Elemental Masquerade

Finally, after nine chapters in our story, the courting SEASON has finally begun! Our Players were presented before the Crown and had their first opportunity at finding matches under the scrupulous eye of the Queen herself! For better, or worse, the Season has started and there's no going back now. The first big social event on the calendar?- the ELEMENTAL BALL at Ashton Manor! Anyone who is anyone will be there, and it promises to be a juicy affair... for this host family of Pyromancers don't play safe. Things are sure to heat up in Chapter 11 of SHADOWS & BLOOD TIES!

Journals

• Dancing Dom Dominic

Chapter 10: A Season of Purple & White

Journals

• A Journal Entry dated Sept 1, 813 Dove
• A Season of Change Elinor
• A Royal Fool Dominic

Chapter 9: Meetings

Journals

• The Perfect Valet Dominic
• A Journal Entry dated Aug 27, 813 Dove

Chapter 8: DONLON

Tea has been enjoyed, flirtations have been given (and received), and a beloved duck has been... murdered? Killed? Either way, it was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the Sterlings make their goodbyes to their gracious hosts, and leave the Blumett estates, the next big thing (biggest thing of all, really) now looms before them: THE SEASON IS ABOUT TO START! Moving to Donlon for the Season is a huge upheaval, a project involving months of belongings, and many of the staff normally at Sterling Estate) being transferred to the Sterling's Manor in the city. No longer will our five main characters be safe in the privacy of the countryside- for all doors are accessible in a city so large and busy as Donlon, Regencia.

Journals

• Bear Dove
• Storybook Beginnings Elinor

Chapter 7: Trouble at Tea

The Countess Nichole Sterling has been sent off to a facility to... recover. Nicholas and Dominic have finally confronted the bitter truth's about their positions in the Sterling Family, through the facilitation of Uncle Oliver. Elinor and Dove are finally ready to head OUT from the estate and meet at the Blumett's beautiful property... so I hope you're ready to drink some tea!

Journals

• Zennias Dove
• Back with the Family Oliver
• Blooming in Friendship Elinor

Chapter 6: The Snow Globe

So many things have gone wrong for the Sterling's in the last couple of weeks that this year's Season has approached with greater speed than a Blumett Eagle diving for prey! While the Countess Sterling recovers at home, Elinor is determined to meet her Tea Date commitments, Dominic has gambled a potentially vital business deal with the Brewwicks by inviting Miss Lacewing (journalist for The CAROUSEL) to join, Dove is to be fitted with a new... everything... so she can enter society as a Lady's Companion (all in a ploy to save her life), Nicholas has finally let out 18 years of pent up frustration and might be looking into what else the world of Regencia has to offer him... and, finally, last and most dashing, Lord "Uncle" Oliver must take up the reins and lead our pack of green aristocrats out of the safety of the working-wage pond and into the ocean of the gentry! Problem is... the ocean is full of trouble.

Chapter 5: "Quoted"

That was a dark night.... Her Ladyship, the Countess Sterling, had been discovered on the front terrace, having fallen from one of the balconies, it seemed, and was in a critical condition- shockingly alive- but broken and fading. To multiply the Sterling's stress, another one of those horrid C. M. Carver articles had been published, spreading misinformation and drama regarding the Frost and Sterling's business transaction. To try and lessen the impact of the lies, an invitation had been sent to Quillton Press Co. in the form of inviting their team for a special interview directly with House Sterling, at the Sterling Estate! Not typically a time for a columnist to come calling, but the life for the newest family of the aristocracy is never boring....

Chapter 4: The Maid & The Bastard

The Sterlings recoil from the horrors of the ribbon-cutting ceremony- how the ancient creature called a Kelpie appeared in chaotic attack upon those present on the beach. The Frost family now on route back to their wintery northern home, and the Sterlings and their staff all having arrived back at the comfort of Sterling Estate, things must return to normal day-to-day! With the season drawing constantly nearer, there are social appointments, business meetings, formal announcements, and aesthetic expectations that simply cannot be ignored. However, under-threading all these checklists lies the issues brought to light in the confines of a carriage, and in the privacy of a hidden stretch of beach: Dove, halfling lady's maid, revealed her true self and history, admitting to being the holder of extremely dangerous secrets, ones that very nearly got her killed and could put the Sterling family in mortal danger by association. And heir to the Sterling titles and hope for the family's future, Nicholas Sterling, despite his best efforts, now sees the world through eyes the color of ice. Eyes that expose powers he might no longer be able to hide...

Chapter 3: The Kelpie

The Sterlings and Frosts are gathered to formally honor business relations in the form of the purchase of a new ship. A speech was made, the ribbon was cut, and conversations pepper the beach as the two families interact. Dove, however, feels danger is drawing ever closer and begins to make for the carriages. Suddenly, a scream pierces the air as Glenn Bottom is tripped right over the dock's edge into the sea! The surface of the water ripples unnaturally, and a Kelpie emerges in a spray of saltwater and fury! It rears up, letting out a bone-chilling scream that echoes across the docks! The air seems to grow colder in the presence of such a beast... PLEASE ROLL ME INITIATIVE!

Journals

• Mending Dove

Chapter 2: Ribbon-Cutting

The storm has passed, but its legacy lingers. The once mighty, but even more so *necessary*, vessel of the Sterling Mining Fleet lies in ruin, a grim reminder of nature's caprice. Before any tea parties, operas, or upcoming Season events can be focused on, the Sterlings (and most particularly, Lady Elinor) *must* restore productivity of the mining operations. However, hope sails on the horizon with the arrival of a new boat from the reclusive House Frost. Tonight, the Sterlings will host a grand ceremony to welcome this generous gift into their fleet, a gesture that promises to restore the lifeblood of their gem mining operations. Of course, the entire family must attend."

Chapter 1: Letters

This year's "Season" (a series of balls, receptions and social and sporting events which typically run from September to May each year) is just around the corner! Merely TWO WEEKS to be exact. Soon, many letters will be pouring in to invite members of your family to all manner of activities. But!- there is no time to think of the future, now, for the first letter has just arrived....