A Shadowy Figure

21/06/21 Jeremy 16 Comments

Quick! Throw the fallen shield in the chest, right the stool, and kick the corner of the rug back where it goes. You’ve got places to be as well!
– Finvaara

There’s no time to lose.

You rush around the room, righting furniture, flattening bed sheets, and hiding any trace of damage.

Perfect. It’s like you were never here.

Think up witty responses just in case you are late to work and they give you crap about it.
– Fuzzypaws

The last thing you want is a scolding on your first day. You concoct a story about finding a giant scuttle-bug in the dorm, and having to fight it to the death. It’s the perfect cover story – believable, yet heroic.

You’re late! Quick, bite into the cake and start running to the main hall with it sticking halfway out of your mouth like a proper tardy protagonist!
– Violet the Screeching Creature

You leave the barracks through an ostentatious set of doors and find yourself in the palace’s marble-floored east wing. Paintings of aristocrats watch as you dash down the hallway, cake in mouth.

Up ahead, you spy a gangly figure clad nose-to-paw in dark robes.

It’s Plaguemaster Aquila, the minister responsible for public health and safety.

Aquila lacks scruples, if word in the tunnels is to be believed. But you’re not the sort to pay heed to rumour and gossip. Or are you?

What do you do?

16 Comments

Ask how he got his plague doctor mask.

Salute your superior! Rodent hierarchy is complicated, but a minister would probably be your superior, right?

Offer a piece of your cake to the Plaguemaster Aquila!

I like dis one

“Good Morning Plaguemaster~” as you run past him. He’s not your objective right now!

Go back to bed

I’m going to level with you: a story about a mouse who goes back to bed is very relatable, but not very compelling.

Ask if he needs help locating his scruples, whatever those are.

Hug the walls to try and sneak by without being seen…..that mask HAS to cut off his vision, right?

Cheerfully greet this under-appreciated and yet vital official. Negative rumors about people are even worse than the scuttlebug you heroically ejected from your room! Don’t dawdle too long, though. Knights have responsibilities outside of respecting the community as well.

We spent our morning looting our room, cleaned it by kicking things around, and came up with a lie for why we’re late. We have no scruples either.

We may as well sincerely ask Aquila if he needs any assistance. If he says “yes”, our excuse for being late just got MUCH better.