Social Pursuits (Mousetrap)

Maurissen Blacktooth grows even more disillusioned by the freely lawbreaking actions of the Duke of Blackwash, who indirectly had an attempt made on her life. In addition to the huge ball she threw for the sole purpose of putting her name on the lips of nobles, she made a deal with Earl Stavron Murra. She would “graciously” give her time to helping the Earl arrange the Winter Solstice events. Of course, the Duke of Blackwash hates everything nonhuman, and the Earl must have already known this.

All for Profit (jimtheduckie)

The city of Blackwash was ripe for the picking, and Terasian Goldbraid knew it. During the few weeks he was traveling with his new business partner, Reynard Mallefoot, he had developed a new type of scheme, one that would not only take money from the pockets of the people he interacted with, but also the pockets and purses of those who his targets engaged with. The premise would be something of a pyramid, with him sitting on top, and each layer down would bring more money towards the top. The “Pyramid Scheme” worked like this; the business would find a small number of targets. These targets would pay the business 50 gold coins, then find 5 other people to also pay 50 gold coins. After these 5 people were found, the initial person would be paid 150 gold. Then to put the icing on the cake, for every person in their pyramid who signed up, they would receive 2% of the profits. After explaining how simple the ploy would be, and how profitable it would become, convincing Reynard to assist in the up-front expense of purchasing an office and hiring an accountant was a simple task. Soon enough the scheme was bringing in large sums of gold. The secondary thing it brought in was an extensive list of Blackwash’s greedy, desperate, stupid, or curious people who would be most ideal for further ploys. And so Terasian sold “magic” rings, started a lottery, and began an extensive phony bank lending service (A Ponzi scheme of the sort) which sucked the income out of many of his targets.

Wedding Bells (BrieCS)

Vizegraf Mannpurtz has enjoyed great success in finding a prospective wife for her brother, settling on the granddaughter of the Earl of Murra. The marriage is planned for January of the coming year.

Since she’s been primarily uninvolved in the investigation of the Duke (even though she has made the Earl aware of her presence and willingness to help), she has been instead enjoying the noble life, exchanging gifts with the Troll prince, and enjoyed further victory at the Winter Solstice Tournament. While she did not place in the archery contest or the joust (not for lack of trying; she smelled of mare urine and dead animal for days – a trick to throw off other riders’ horses), she triumphed again in the melee. The competition allowed for another opportunity, however, when she beat the Black Judge narrowly once again during the melee, then was solidly trounced by him in the joust. His constant ability to match or beat her has brought him to the height of her interest for marriage.

At Maurissen’s ball prior to the tournament, Ursula announced that anyone who beat her in the tournament could be considered her suitor if they wished, and would be invited to a ball at the end of January for her twenty-second birthday. She seems most excited by the fact that the Black Judge was victorious in the joust, and is therefore a viable suitor.

A notable event during the joust was her victory over Kenaz the Wolf, in which she had a mage (a man she had beaten in the melee) light her on fire to frighten her foe, who was a frosty follower of Norric riding a winter wolf. She humiliated him thoroughly for his refusal to join her for dinner, considering him to have disrespected her rank as Vizegraf (Viscount).

Her current occupation is her brother’s wedding and finding the best way to marry the most worthy man she can find.