It is April 17th. Day 1 of the lunar cycle: the first day of the New Moon. The sky is clear, and the stars provide some illumination even though there is no lunar orb to cast its own glow.
During the past week, Seska and Sabine went down to the village. On their return, they shared with Claudio and the other sires that Seska's retainers had found her at the village. It seems that on some previous trip through the village, Seska had sent a messenger from that inn back to the original inn, with news that Seska survived. Her retainers promptly relocated there.
Claudio was mildly displeased with this news, and Al-Nasir was sent out to investigate if the retainers had been followed. He found no sign of pursuit. Amisa has been very cold and distant towards Seska since then.
It has been noticed that Taduz seems a bit more... feral, recently. It's not so much that he has a temper, just that everyone feels a little uncomfortable around him. As if he were somehow dangerous.
Nothing else of major note seems to have happened during the past week. [I still haven't heard from Alina or Gedeminas. Once I have, this section may get edited to reflect what they've told me.]
As the sun sets, and everyone rises, Claudio is waiting in the Inn's dining room again. By now, the sires and the players have grown accustomed to each other, and are sitting in their customary groups.
Claudio sits at one table with Violetta and Valdemar, all three haling from Venice.
Lady Almanov and Theophania, both from Budapest, sit together at a second.
Lord Mieczyslav and Dimitra, the two Romanians, sit together at a third.
Amisa and Al-Nasir, who call Genoa home, share a fourth.
"My friends, the time is upon us. Tonight, we strike a blow for freedom everywhere. Japheth will fall, and I will take his place. Then, we will rule Venice. With the might of Venice in our hands, we will be able to strengthen Genoa and Budapest, to help fight Hardestadt's influence, leaving his conquest of Romania behind."
"On this first night of the New Moon, we go now girded for war. There is no plan, per se. Japheth has no easily exploitable weaknesses. And so, I will leave only these instructions: we must destroy Japheth at all costs. And, if that arrogant fool Hardestadt shows his face, it too shall greet the sun, come dawn, as will all who stand against us."
With that, he gestures to the front door, "Our carriages await, and with them our futures." [Unless anybody wants to respond, you can simply get in the carriages and soon arrive at Japheth's monastery. Or, if you want more detail and role-playing, tell me at which table you sit. Perhaps someone chooses not to attend at all, or to leave the Inn entirely.]
