The Midwinter Masque

[sockymaguire]

The Court of Night Blooming Flowers
The Night Court is the casual name for the 13 houses of Mont Nuit in the City of Elua
where the Servants of Naamah worship and ply thier trade.
Elua's blessed principle is 'Love as thou wilt' but love can take many forms.
These houses see to each and every shade and color of Elua's principle.
Pay a house fee and take your pick, but remember to leave a patron gift if you have been well pleased by Naamah's gifts.

How it Works

1. Comment with your character/s. Put their name and canon along with preferences in the subject space.
2. Others will tag with their character and the house they have chosen from the list.
3. Your character can either be visiting the house or working as one of Naamah's servants.
4. Play nice! Or naughtily, if you happen to be in Valerian or Mandrake house.

The 13 houses are essentially brothels, although religiously affiliated ones, so sexual situations are to be expected. Also some houses lend themselves to more triggering fare so please be respectful of each other and talk it out with your RP partner if there are problems with a scenario.

If you’re having trouble with a scenario might we suggest:

The Midwinter Masque

On the Longest Night Cereus House hosts the Midwinter Masque, an elite and private function that all the houses attend in grand costume. The guests of the house are those chosen by each house's Dowaynes and of the highest status. Royalty, political leaders, high ranking officials. All of these are likely to attend and on the Longest Night no coin is exchanged. It is a night of revelry and gaiety spurred on by the evening's drink of choice. Joie a clear, potent liquor made from a rare and exquisite white flower served in small crystalline glasses by the youths of the House. And as our own Longest Night approaches we highly suggest taking the opportunity to play with that setting!

If you'd like to play by the rules of the Masque, please make note of it in your post!

The 13 Houses of the Night Court
(After some houses shall be the theme their house dressed in at the Masque in the first book for you to use as inspiration!)

1. Alyssum- The House canon is modesty. Their motto is "with eyes averted", and the servants here are well suited to acting shy, modest, and slightly uncomfortable with their own desires. If you wish your lover to tremble and blush with shame when you reveal their nakedness, this is your destination. (Alyssum's adepts dressed in the veils and robes of Yeshuite priests and priestesses)

2. Balm- The House canon is compassion. Their motto is "rest and be soothed". Those who need healing and soothing through gentle touch and companionship may come here. These adepts are also the most skilled at massage of all the houses.

3. Bryony- The House canon is cupidity and the desire for money, the motto "Wealth Seeks Company". Their house is more of a carnival of wonders, where you may gamble with your desires in a game of will and wits. Be careful what favors you gamble with though, for the adepts who work here are said to rarely lose.

4. Camellia- The House canon is perfection. Those who work here are physically perfect, without flaw, and as such they are considerably more proud of their station. Perhaps haughty and brilliant would best describe the adepts who reside here.

5. Cereus- The House canon is fragility, their motto "all lovliness fades". The youthful and delicate serve here, those who hold their beauty for a fleeting moment. Cereus also has the distinction of being the oldest of all the houses. The adepts here are ones who know the value of living for the present and making each moment count. (Dressed as snow/ice creatures in white and silver)

6. Dahlia- The House canon is dignity and regality. All those who serve in Dahlia house conduct themselves as royalty, with the proper mannerisms, decorum, and attitude. (Gold to rival Cereus' silvery white)

7. Eglantine- The House canon is performance. Those who serve here are skilled in the arts of singing, dancing, and poetry and can perform together or privately for their patrons. (Dressed as Tsingani, arrayed in bright colors as of our gypsies or street performers)

8. Gentian- The House canon is purity of spirit. The adepts here can read visions and dreams, and may reveal things that hold great meaning to those they share their knowledge with. (Seers preceded by incensers)

9. Heliotrope- The House canon is love and devotion. Their motto is "thou and no other". It is said that when one lies with an adept from Heliotrope, they shall make you feel as if you are the only one who has ever touched their hearts.

10. Jasmine- The House canon is sensuality. Their motto is "for pleasure's sake" and the experience is pure hedonism. Adepts are said to be the most exotic of all the houses, and they emphasize this in their dress. (The exotica of faraway lands, some draped in naught but sheer veils)

11. Mandrake- The House canon is sadism and dominance. The motto is "yield all". Adepts are Mandrake are trained to dominate those who come seeking such release, using skills and tools to bestow plain and pleasure. A signale is arranged beforehand that patrons can use should they ever wish to stop their session. (The Court of Tartarus, a deliciously sinister note amidst the gaiety of the others, heavy black robes of velvet or satin and bronze masks at once beautiful and grotesque.)

12. Orchis- The House canon is mirth, it's motto "joy in laughter". Adepts from this house are joyful people who believe in fun above all else. They are quick with a grin and a game, and skilled in making their patrons smile. (A stunning aquatic theme filled with mermaids and fantastic sea beasts)

13. Valerian- The House canon is submission, the motto "I yield". Adepts are trained from childhood to experience pain with all pleasure and pleasure with all pain. They also have a signale they can use if they need to stop. (Somewhat similarly to Jasmine, a theme of a Middle Eastern harem)

Premise is based on Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series. Format borrowed from darkdangeline

Comments

Sylvain Gautier | fe3h | ota

[ruinedsky]

ooc: Either a guest/patron, or a Servant. He could be Camilla, Heliotrope, or Jasmine. Either a fresh adept newly taking his own patrons or a more experienced Servant with half of his marque complete.

[backstreetbard]

[ would you care to have sylvain as one of dorothea's guests? she would be either camellia or eglantine. ]

Raine | dhampir/shifter original character | OTA

[catarmy]

[Guest/patron or servant. Very likely to be of the houses: Heliotrope, Jasmine, Mandrake, Orchis, and Valerian. Balm, Dahlia, and Eglantine are all possible.

[Kinks list here.]

hypnos | hades | ota

[haveyoutriednotdying]

[I'm def feeling Servant role for this. He could be Balm, Orchis, or Valerian.]

Bella O'Rourke | OC | OTA

[mollified]

[ SO Valerian, SO SO SO Valerian. ]

Haku | Naruto | m/m

[whitesnows]

[ cw: character is 15, happy to age up! ota for gen, m/m for ship or naughty, all ages 15+. canon, crosscanon, ocs, cross-medium all welcome. ]

This youth is lovely and seemingly fragile enough in his pale and delicate appearance to be an adept of Cereus, but rather than any silvery winter frock, his gauzy robes are instead decorated with twisting laurels and yellow blooms of Balm. His dark hair is pinned atop his head, adorned with sparkling jewels and ribbons twisted into dangling flowers.

"May I?" Haku asks in a soft voice, his smile gentle as he is poised to pour another draught of wine into the cup of a Midwinter Masque patron who looks as if they desperately need it.

[diabolical_adonis]

The young man's meticulous dress uniform--a deep, ominous black with gold trim and red accents--speaks to why he's been invited to the occasion. The filigreed half-mask obscures his eyes and brow, but his ​scowl is in sharp contrast to the surrounding revelry.

Since his promotion to commander, he's been required to appear at more formal occasions and, while he enjoys basking in the status, he has no patience for hobnobbing. He's a soldier, not a politician. So he adopts his usual strategy: drink and project an air of aggressive disinterest.

From his seat on a settee, he lifts his empty glass, only sparing the offering servant a cursory glance; they're all more obliging, attentive and--in some cases--less clothed than he's accustomed to. He's not sure what to make of it; he'd only given the invitation a cursory glance--enough to glean that it was some kind of solstice celebration.

"Leave the bottle," he grunts, in lieu of thanks.

[ Note: I play Dilandau as AFAB. Happy to stick with gen/flirty if you're down for it. ]

Loki / MCU / OTA

[coldsong]

[If he's here as a visitor, he's likely to seek out Balm, Heliotrope, or Mandrake servants. If playing as a servant of one of the houses, himself, he would be Dahlia or Eglantine.]

all for you

[counterstep]

( when word comes, he can't help the way his heart flutters. loki has paid for his assignation again — an entire night — and his nerves dance even as he prepares for loki's arrival. he nearly nicks himself shaving, but thankfully he's ever the pristine adept when he checks himself one last time in the mirror.

he's assigned to his usual quarters again, a finer room than how he spends his nights when it's only him and the other adepts, but as far as the adgardian prince knows, it's his. how he wishes he could have such splendors, but to one who still owes his life to the house, the only time that could come is once he's payed his marque in full. even with loki's generosity, james finds it difficult to imagine. yes, he hopes to keep the man's favor, but there's a growing part of him that sooner wishes the time they've spent together was true, unmarred by his own duty to perform for heliotrope house.

he makes changes to the room, the little last touches that make it more his than one shared by many. pillows sitting a little less tidily, a blanket draped lazily against the shoulder of the sofa. the ottomon is nudged near the fireplace, as if he would sit upon it reading into the night. simple things, but things that feel more real, things that make his earnest act more true. after all, who could find comfort in a room that's seen little life?

plucking several books from the shelf, he lays them about as if he hasn't already ready them through, and when he's finished, james takes his seat on the sofa, curled to one side with the last book perched between his knees. his shoes have long been abandoned near the door as if kicked off lazily, his dress robes on the floor nearby. as always he sports only a simple tunic with loose pants, as if he could have just woken or returned from a long day to settle for the evening.

he hasn't any real reason to, but he starts rereading the romance novel set in his lap as he waits. even though he finds he quite despises the love interest, reading about the antagonist's desperately cheesy attempts to keep the lead's faith holds its own form of entertainment. )

Albert Wesker / Resident Evil / M/F

[subject_013]

[Either an Adept of Camellia or Mandrake, or a patron seeking a Valerian Adept.]

Nico Acosta | OC | OTA

[anoranza]

[ooc: Patron or Servant. Alyssum, Balm, Heliotrope.]

Evie Montgomery | OC | OTA

[la_bonne_chose]

[ooc: Servant. Alyssum, Balm, Heliotrope.]

natasha romanoff | mcu | ota

[brushpass]

(an eglantine adept! i'm not saying that she's a spy planted deep in the ranks of eglantine on behalf a high ranking official, but i'm not not saying it either.)

melisande shahrizai | kushiel's legacy | ota

[eveningsapphire]

( YELLS anyway she's either a patron of Valerian House or this is an AU where she's a Mandrake adept, take your pick! )

Amelia Atwater | OC | OTA

[good_at_heart]

[ooc: Patron or servant. If servant, then could be placed in Balm, Eglantine, Heliotrope, or Orchis.]

james buchanan barnes | mcu

[counterstep]

( likely serves eglantine or heliotrope. would possibly visit alyssum, balm, gentian, and orchis. if you're unsure, feel free to plot with me! c: )

josephine grey | vampire: the masquerade (oc) | ota

[ex_peintures388]

( if she's an adept she's either Camellia or Eglantine, as a patron she's likely to visit either of those two, Cereus, or Jasmine. AUing her mortal by default but we can do Night Court vampires if you wanna! )

Paris | Greek mythology

[eidosariste]

[Adept. Most probably Jasmine, but Heliotrope, Eglantine or Orchis are possibilities as well. m/m or m/f, but in the case of the latter I'd like to keep to oral sex and/or pegging.]

alais fierlaine | final fantasy xiv (oc) | ota

[rougir]

( either a Gentian adept or patronizing Balm, Eglantine, or Orchis. )

raven | guilty gear | ota 20+

[paaaanzer]

[An adept of Valerian, or a patron of Mandrake; either way, he's either famous or infamous for being able to take immense amounts of punishment (and for being fucking weird about it). As an adept, he's been here for decades upon decades, remembered by everyone, and yet he hasn't aged a day. As a patron, the adepts know him and whisper about how previous generations had to deal with similar clientele, though it was likely all the same man.

He can also moonlight as an adept of Balm, and knows how to patch up any physical hurts with an outstretched palm.]

[ENDWALKER SPOILERS] | Final Fantasy XIV

[sharpeyes]

ooc: Orchis or Gentian adept.

riki the dark | ai no kusabi

[rikithedark]

[ guest or servant of jasmine, mandrake, valerian. ota.]

Shen Qiao | Thousand Autumns | M/M prefered but feel free to pm ideas!

[lostlotus]

[ooc: As a patron, he'd be a rather unfamiliar face due to being in seclusion most of his life and would be comfortable with all houses except Bryony and Valerian while having a canon leaning towards Balm. As a servant, he'd probably debut in Balm, Cereus, Gentian, or Heliotrope but open to others.]

jyn erso || rogue one || ota

[made_of_stars]

[ooc; patron or servant. if servant, probably the soft domme type in mandrake, although i'm open to discussion otherwise.]

cassian andor || rogue one || ota

[rebellionbuilt]

[ooc; patron or servant. if servant, i think he's been trained in the arts of all the houses, but most likely he can be found in valerian. open to discussion.]

rey || star wars || ota

[see_the_stars]

[ooc; patron or servant. if servant, most likely alyssum or balm, but i'm open to discussion.]

ben solo || star wars || ota

[in_the_grey]

[ooc; patron or servant. if servant, most likely jasmine or valerian (i like him subby, what can i say?), but i'm open to discussion.]

bodhi rook || rogue one || ota

[bravenough]

[ooc; patron or servant. if servant, most likely bryony or balm, but i'm open to discussion.]