Binky, an asshole crow, Greguin, an organized priest, 9 Templar Knight guards arrive, following Aureth.

The Shrine of Gild is brightly lit and brightly decorated, gleaming with wealth. For today, it is also rife with tea, milk, cocoa, and baked goods, as well as a sizeable selection of kegs of ale and bottles of brandy fetched up from the Mangatans for the occasion. Three tables with circles of chairs around them are centered in the sanctuary, and each has an assemblage of fitted wooden blocks on them.
As people arrive, Aureth is gamely encouraging people to pick seats, shaking hands, and fussing his templars out of the way since obviously, here it is the Knights of Solace who are going to make sure nothing terrible happens to him. "Thank you for coming," he smiles at the congregation - as it were, since there doesn't appear to be a formal sermon in the offing - "and please do have something sweet. Indulging in our hospitality honors Gild, and you, the faithful, are the most delightful guests in our sanctuary. Besides, we don't usually get to eat cake in here, so it's almost like a feast day."

2 Redreef Wardens arrives, following Griffin.

1 Templar Knight guards arrives, following Udell.

(OOC)The scene set/room mood is now set to: Three round tables with assemblages of colored blocks await the clever hands of participants. Sweets and winter drinks circulate on trays. It's a cheerful seeming occasion.

Eirene is escorted in by an aide from the Saving Grace hospital. She's walking with the aid of a cane, and it's clear from her bruises that she was very badly damaged in some kind of fight. She wears a warm robe and slippers, something that normally she wouldn't caught dead in. But since she was nearly caught dead in her armor, something more comfortable will have to suffice. She has cocoa brought and has it spiked with the brandy for more flavor even if her aide looks unamused. She's the doctor, she can damn well drink what she wants.

Caspian enters the shrine with a smile and whistling a small tune under his breath. His eyes take in the festive scene, and his face brightens even more. At the sight of the confections and sugary delights, his face breaks into a playful grin, "hmm.. drinking and eating cake in the Sanctum. it already turned out to be a memorable event!" he bowed to the Dominus who was busy greeting others and smiled warmly, and then moves toward one of the tables. He takes a cup of coa and a pastry , and then pulls a chair out, pushing back, balancing it on the back two legs as he sat. The smile on his face grew as he nursed his cup of warm cocoa.

Wrapped in perhaps one layer more than would be deemed excessive comes Evander, seeking the warmth of the shrine with a quiet smile. He'd offer a tip of the head and a "My pleasure." in greeting before wasting no time to procure himself a warm cup of tea. When that's settled and done with he would make his way to the rightmost table, plunking down with a greeting to those already situated.

Eiran can't seem to decide between milk and cocoa, so ends up with two cups, and finds his way to a table, sitting straight across from Evander. "Do you know how to play this," he whispers. Loudly.

Ramona - A Guard in Ashford House Colours, Bigsby - A Thoughtful Looking Young Man in Nondescript Clothing, 2 Ashford Archer, 1 Ashford Scout arrive, following Lisebet.

Udell enters the Shrine, followed by a Templar which he keeps waving back for additional space. He smiles and bows his head to everyone already arrived and quietly takes a place to the side, fingers idly fiddling with the pendant at his neck.

Eirene has joined the a gold-inlaid bench of cherry wood, with plush aeterna upholstery.

Evander has joined the a gold-inlaid bench of cherry wood, with plush aeterna upholstery.

Eiran has joined the a gold-inlaid bench of cherry wood, with plush aeterna upholstery.

Sira strides in, looks around, and selects some cocoa to sip before stepping forward to greet Aureth. "Dominus, good to see you again. You likely don't remember the brief time we met before. Sira, Voice of the Silver Consortium." She gives the polite reminder and then steps aside to give others room to greet him as well. Her blue-gold eyes move, seeking out anyone familiar.

"Greguin, please make sure that Lady Eirene has all the cookies she wants. I'm pretty sure it's an aid to convalescing," Aureth tells his bespectacled aide, who murmurs something aside to one of the Disciples of Solace that are definitely in here that he has definitely appropriated from Porter. He rubs his hands together as people begin to get situated, giving a warm smile to all and sundry. "Welcome, Sira! I had a very close friend who used to be involved in the Silver Consortium, so I'm already inclined to have a positive impression." He clears his throat, then, and gestures widely, pitching his voice to carry so that he can explain the game as more people are getting situated and finding their spots:"Today we are going to build some towers together. You will see each table has a number of blocks. These ingenious things are designed to fit together and become a tower. Once we have built the towers together, each of us will switch towers, and start taking them apart, piece by piece. The goal is first, to build a good, sturdy tower, and second, to be the last tower standing."

OOC: The rolls:

To add pieces to the towers, each person will roll either intellect + artwork, wits + riddles, dexterity + riddles, luck + artwork, all at normal.

Once we switch to the second phase of the game, I will give you another set of rolls!

2 Redreef Wardens leaves, following Griffin.

Lisebet slips in quietly, glancing around to see who is there. She stays quiet as Aureth is explaining things.

Caspian listens to the instructions and gives a laugh, "oooh.. building things. well.. this will be interesting. im awfully good at knocking theings down.. far far less good at building them" he grinned broadly, rocking in the chair and taking another warming sip of his drink

Evander withdraws the cup he was nursing with a quiet chuckle, shaking his head admittedly to Eiran. "I haven't the faintest idea. Glad I'm not the only one?" He'd finish with an inflection that falls somewhere between a statement and a question. A gentle gaze would turn to survey the other tables, perhaps searching for equally uncertain faces. When the instructions are announced he'd give a look to Eiran, "Well, there we are then. I hope you'll build a fine tower, if we're to be swapping." A friendly smile would be cut short as he turns, muffling a few coughs into his scarf.

Eirene bows her head to Aureth. "My thanks, Dominus." She's grinning as she lifts her gaze. "Sweets lift the spirit, and a light heart is always good for recovery." She looks at Sira and overs a faint smile. "My husband, Cicero, was a founder. His statue's in the hall. I bring the kids to look at it from time to time," she says of the Consortium. The woman cautiously winds her way to a table and sits. "I should have brought them, they would have enjoyed this. Mostly the knocking down part."

"I was thinking of Brother Tomwell. Before he joined the Faith I believe he and Rook spent some time with the Silver Consortium, although I think whatever they did there involved higher maths of the kind I never figured out." Aureth ambles freely amongst the tables, nursing a cup of cocoa someone handed him that may or may not follow Eirene's example vis a vis the brandy. "The kinds of games children enjoy can sometimes have the sorts of lessons adults take for granted. I know that parlor games aren't the only way to interact with the public - but I always enjoy them. The Harlequins still do three-legged races and pin the leg on the spider at their picnics, I hope. Of course, the weather's too foul for that these days."

Aureth has joined the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Udell has joined the a gold-inlaid bench of cherry wood, with plush aeterna upholstery.

"Oh, I see." Eiran eyes the blocks while taking turns with his milk and cocoa, and eventually sets them aside, grinning at Evander. "Yes, same to you! The blocks are colored, maybe I can make a nice, aesthetically pleasing tower." He sets to work, carefully alternating the direction of each layer.

"Oh?" Sira looks from Aureth to Eirene, giving a small nod of recognition for the statue. "Minister Rook was my patron until just recently, though we maintain our friendship and shared work with the Consortium." As others begin to pick seats, she hesitates about choosing her own spot, finally settling at a more empty table.

Sira has joined the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Caspian has joined the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Aureth has left the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Binky, an asshole crow have been dismissed.

Greguin, an organized priest have been dismissed.

9 Templar Knight guards have been dismissed.

Aureth has joined the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

"Sounds very interesting," Lisebet says with a half laugh. "I could give it a try." She does give Caspian a long look, and then she says, "It's been quite a while, Master Wild. It's good to see you." Before she joins a table, she checks though. "I'd not want to unbalance any of the teams. They do look pretty balanced currently. I can provide morale support?" she offers.

"Oh, don't worry about the balance, people can go in and out; after all, how can you win a prize if you don't participate?" Aureth smiles at the duchess of Ashford from the seat he has taken nearest the ridiculously ornate altar, and toasts her with his cocoa. "But if you really just prefer to watch, I suppose I won't bully you."

As the mild coughing fit subsides a moment is spent adjusting a scarf before Evander sets to work on his own tower. He seems to spend a rather large amount of time simply pondering the blocks, head tipping side to side in assessment. When he does finally begin his movements are shaky at best, causing him to furrow his brow and bite a lip as he concentrates on not knocking it over before it's even fully been constructed.

Eirene checks wits and riddles at normal. Eirene is successful.

Udell checks intellect and artwork at normal. Udell is successful.

Evander checks wits and riddles at normal. Evander is successful.

Eiran checks wits and riddles at normal. Botch! Eiran fails completely.

Lisebet laughs softly. "We can change teams? Fine, I shall certainly be glad to play." She just picks a random table.

Lisebet has joined the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Aureth checks intellect and artwork at normal. Aureth fails.

Caspian checks dexterity and riddles at normal. Caspian is successful.

Sira checks intellect and riddles at normal. Sira fails.

Eirene chats with Udell as they build their tower. She's got a good eye for puzzles so they're fitting nicely into place. She sips her cocoa now and again.

Lisebet checks intellect and riddles at normal. Lisebet marginally fails.

Caspian looks to Aureth and Sira and bows his head, "im sorry.. i've been remiss." he places a hand to his chest, "Caspian Wild, at your service and it is my very great pleasure to meet you both. As lisebet sits down, he smiles broadly "Duchess Lisebet! its good to see you again! it has been some time" he holds up his mug of cocoa, "i do recommend the cocoa.. its delicious!" with a smile, he places the mug down and begins to work assembling the tower with a careful precision. he may have had NO idea WHAT he was doing.. but he would do it with great dexterity and care damn it!

It seems apparent that the teams are not exactly even in their tower building right away. Udell and Eirene seem to tackle the project at a decent pace, putting together a good base. Meanwhile, Eiran and Evander are trying, but Eiran's eye for aesthetics is overwhelming the structural integrity of the tower and it's becoming ... messy. Also, Aureth is definitely too busy talking to be very useful about building, and only Caspian's quick hands save their beginning tower from collapsing in disorder.

"So," Aureth says gamely, waving a bright blue block that he just completely failed to place and had to pull back out, "does anyone know what the most basic element of Civilization is? If you had to pick, what would you think it is?"

Aureth is overheard praising Caspian: A gracious and humble Champion who thinks he needs an introduction, ha!

Lisebet is a bit distracted chatting as well, and also, she may not be the best at building towers. She does try, gamely, but doesn't quite put her pieces where they ought to go, just a little bit off. She grins at Caspian, "Thank you, I shall try that, I think." She doesn't go for some cocoa just yet, instead pausing as she listens to Aureth. "The most basic element of Civilization? Working together?"

Eirene points a block in Lisbet's direction. "Cooperation, I'd say," she agrees in her rough low alto tones.

Eirene checks dexterity and riddles at normal. Eirene is successful.

"See, I love what you're going for visually..." Evander remarks, tilting his head at the slight mismatch of a tower in front of him, then to Eiran, "But these little decorative bits here might ruin the integrity. Though, if the other teams are pulling from it that might be just what we want..." He'd quietly hum to himself with a thoughtful look, a sip of the tea given. "Ah, I'm Count Evander Darkwater, by the way. I don't believe we've had the pleasure." He'd finally get around to making introductions, seemingly too focused on the building before. At Aureth's query he'd tap a finger a few times before responding, "Structure."

Udell checks intellect and artwork at normal. Critical Success! Udell is spectacularly successful.

Once settled, Sira murmurs - mostly to herself, "What am I even doing?" A small laugh escapes her, but Caspian's introduction quiets her. "Oh! Hello! Lore has been meaning to introduce us." She's still not smiling, though seems friendly enough. Building is clearly not her strong suit, which she quickly realizes and allows Caspian to take the lead on. A glance is given toward Aureth as he asks about the basic element of civilization. "Hm." Her eyes flick to Lisebet. "common cause or purpose are needed before cooperation."

Udell chatters idly with Eirene at their table, smiling as he adds some fiddly flourishes to their edifice with some of the blocks while listening to the conversations going about. Surely steady hands used to healing and a great deal of book learning is at work in what is happening at the table.

Evander checks wits and riddles at normal. Evander is successful.

"...I'm thinking you might be right," Eiran frowns. "Maybe if we..." He nudges and swaps a few blocks. "Gods, this destroys the gradient. Alright, alright, structure first. Structure..." He twists in his seat and tries to be discreet about eying the other towers. "Oh, sorry, yes, name's Lord Eiran Laurent. We've got this," he assures, mostly to himself.

Eiran checks wits and riddles at normal. Eiran marginally fails.

Caspian looks to Sira with a bright smile at the mention of Lore. "Oh?" he laughs merrily as he works to secure the tower, though its clearly the work of an amateur "Any friend of Lore is a friend of mine!" he glances to her, "im sorry.. i didnt catch your name. And you are right. Common cause is the great unifying factor isnt it. something that allows us all to look past little things." he glanced to the tower and frowned, "a cause like getting these blasted blocks to stop sliding all over the place." he shook his head, "i will leave this place with the utmost respect for architects everywhere."

Aureth smiles a little wider at what Sira says, and tips two fingers in her direction. "Everything that people are saying is good - I like to hear all this about cooperation and working together, particularly while we make common cause to build towers-- oh, blast." This last because he totally just dropped a wedge of wood onto the floor. He bends down beneath the table to hunt for it. He lacks the dignity of his predecessors.

Aureth checks intellect and artwork at normal. Aureth fails.

Sira checks intellect and artwork at normal. Sira marginally fails.

Caspian checks dexterity and riddles at normal. Caspian is successful.

Lisebet checks wits and riddles at normal. Lisebet is successful.

Eirene cranes her neck to look at the other tables. She leans in towards Udell with an impish smirk and nods, chatting in low tones. A vague gesture is made to the other tables, and an order is placed for more nibblies and cocoa,

"Interesting," Lisebet says, glancing at Sira. "Animals in packs have a common cause though. Does this make them civilized?" she muses. "I think it's a predecessor certainly, a building block." She looks at the red block she's got in hand and finds a good spot to put it. "Certainly it helps in diplomacy to have a common cause, I agree."

"--the thing about the towers, oh thank goodness Caspian is here to keep it from falling down... the thing about the towers is that it doesn't actually help you win if someone else's tower falls faster. Each tower will have a last person standing. The question becomes, if you build a strong foundation, what will be the last piece that brings ruin to your tower? Oh, well placed, Duchess Lisebet." Aureth climbs up from beneath the table and holds his piece of wood high, only to discover that the place he was going to put it isn't geometrically appropriate. He is not good at jenga.

Udell and Eirene's tower is growing by leaps and bounds. Evander is steadily, thoughtfully putting pieces into place, but their tower is now listing to the side in a leaning tower kind of way and may need more structural supports before it collapses entirely. Meanwhile, Lisebet and Caspian are making up for Aureth's distraction between them and the third tower is starting to come together in a more concrete way.

Sira properly introduces herself to Caspian - and Lisebet, noting, "In addition to being Voice of the Silver Consortium, I am a master seamstress." She turns an amused smile toward Aureth. "A sewing exercise, next time?" There's a mildly hopeless smile on her face now as she fumbles another block. "I do better with fine details, it seems." The woman doesn't even apologize for the pun.

Evander doesn't seem particularly confident in his own block placement, tilting his head to an almost comical angle as he observes the leaning tower before them. "Yeah well... Seems well enough so far, I suppose. If you tilt your head like this." He'd say with an amused huff, tilting his head the other way now. "Perhaps a bit more support on this side though... I will say, it looks neat if nothing else. Just, be careful not to breath on it." He'd chuckle to Eiran, taking a short pause to sip at his tea as he tries to puzzle out how to salvage this.

"The agreement is the basic building block of Civilization. A common cause between disparate interests can happen without it - but a studied, considered common cause, of the kind that can produce a writing, that is the oldest hallmark of civilization as we know it that we have. The Compact, then, is the bedrock on which our civilization is formed, a treaty between disparate houses all making common cause together, embracing, faithfully -- what we might together build." Aureth smiles, a bright gleam in his eye as he returns Sira's glance. "I shall have to speak to Wylla about a sewing circle party," he says. "I actually think quilts, in particular, can be an engaging life lesson in commonality - you just have to make sure to remain individual and pure about each quilt square and its meaning. But, many nobles don't have the first clue how to sew, and it's not quite as hands on a project if people are having their favorite mending retainer do the work in their stead--"
Aureth talks too much.

Aureth has left the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Binky, an asshole crow have been dismissed.

Greguin, an organized priest have been dismissed.

9 Templar Knight guards have been dismissed.

Caspian loos to Lisebet with a smile as he fits a block, deftly catching one Aureth nudged and sliding it back into place without a word. "Yes true! a pack is formed by common cause. and while i don't think them civilized. it is the foundation..." as Aureth speaks he nods to the dominus. Only a fool would try to out speak the dominus! he grins at the mention of sewing. "Well if thats the case im going to go fetch Lady Thesbe and Lady Olivia because the most i know about sewing involves sticking the pointy end through the fabric."

Eiran laughs helplessly, "Oh Evander, I'm so sorry, I... It got away from me! Look at it!" He does, indeed, tilt his head. "You know, I'm kind of fond of it now. It has its own charm. I'd visit a leaning tower. Could be a tourism location."

"If you bring my cousin in, Lady Olivia that is," Lisebet says, "I am sure we shall overcome." She laughs though, continuing to work on it. "An agreement, certainly." She nods her head gently to Aureth, not disputing that at all. She does look over at the other two towers, and their groups working in them, and adds, "For those I've not met, I'm Duchess Lisebet Ashford. And I am of course purely ornamental." The last is said straight faced, somehow.

Udell checks intellect and artwork at normal. Udell is successful.

Eirene checks wits and riddles at normal. Eirene is successful.

Evander checks wits and riddles at normal. Evander is successful.

Eiran checks wits and riddles at normal. Eiran is successful.

Aureth checks wits and riddles at normal. Aureth is successful.

Sira checks intellect and artwork at normal. Sira fails.

Udell wrinkles his nose as only two blocks are left at he and Eirene's table, taking one up and placing it gingerly before passing the other to Eirene with a smile.

Lisebet checks wits and riddles at normal. Botch! Lisebet fails completely.

Caspian checks dexterity and riddles at normal. Caspian fails.

Three towers complete. The most structurally sound is clearly Udell's and Eirene's. The second table is pretty creative, but as Eiran and Evander work together to shore up the foundation, it looks less like a potential disaster than before. And the third -- well, it's a little overbuilt and the roof of the tower mushrooms out awkwardly in a way that looks a little dicey, but it's standing! It's standing.
"Great!" Aureth says enthusiastically, without any appearance of realizing that the tower he was working on might be in danger. "Now. We each move one table over. Lady Eirene and Blessed Udell will see how long they can keep up the tower by the altar. Lord Eiran and Count Evander will see how long they can keep up the tower furthest over. And the four of us will see how long we can keep up the tower in the middle. We will take turns selecting blocks to pull out. Try to start with blocks that don't seem necessary to the structural integrity of the tower you're working on."

OOC: Okay, based on the number of successes and fails, the difficulty level of each tower has been set. Eiran and Evander will be rolling at 'easy'. Eirene and Udell will be rolling at 'hard'. And the bigger group will also be rolling at 'hard'. It was almost normal/hard/easy but then we had an extra botch! The last person standing at each table will get a prize. Unless it's Aureth in which case it's the last person besides Aureth because he's the host and he doesn't buy himself prizes that's silly.

The rolls you can pick from for this part are luck + riddles, perception + investigation, luck + investigation, wits + investigation or wits + riddles.

Eirene pushes herself up from the nearly stacked tower with her cane and cautiously makes her way to the not-as-neatly stacked tower. "A true test of surgeon's skill," she laughs to Udell. "It's like that game with the dummy where you can't touch the sides of the patient while operating."

Udell cackles and nods as he stands, "Yes, curse our meticulous building skills!"

Evander finishes working on his tower with a satisfied smile, nodding a few times to Eiran. "See! I knew we could fix it up. I'd say it's a fine tower in the end, though I will admit I miss the leaning..." He'd turn away to once again cough into his scarf, an apologetic look given upon his return. "Well, seems we've got the easiest tower to pull from as well. Best of luck to you." He'd say with a smile to his tower building partner before adjusting his scarf out of the way and moving to remove a piece.

Evander checks perception and investigation at easy. Evander marginally fails.

Eiran checks wits and investigation at easy. Eiran is successful.

The most structurally sound looking tower wobbles a little as Evander pulls a piece, but it is solid enough that it does not collapse. Still, somehow, the tower seems now like it is about to fall over at any second. Any breath could collapse it!

Sira's eyes widen as she backs away from the tower she (poorly) helped build. "Mm. I... Yes. Good job, team." Her earlier smile has faded back into her more usual, neutral expression as she studies the structure. "I'll just tiptoe on over to the next table and..." With that, the woman and her cocoa make a careful trip to the indicated table at which she is expected to keep another tower from falling. "Should we consider each removed block to be something like... Oh, war or famine or similar?"

Caspian NEARLY sends the tower tumbling as he fumbles horribly with the last block. he laughs as he stands up, "Well.. i pity who ever needs to take this poor thing apart" he looks around, eyeing the other towers and whistles, "well.. if this was a competition at knocking them down, id be sure to win!" he waggles his eyebrows and takes a breath as he moves to the next table to being his attempt at surgical precision. lets hope he never has to operate.

Eirene checks wits and investigation at hard. Eirene is successful.

Udell checks perception and investigation at hard. Udell marginally fails.

Eiran seems more or less pleased with the result, though his brows pinch as Evander coughs again. "I can fetch some more tea for you, if you like?" He watches, rapt, as Evander pulls a block, and holds his breath as he manages his own near the edge. "Hoo... Nervewracking."

This tower, too, is looking nigh onto collapse after Udell removes his piece from the tower - but still, its tremulous structure holds. It's close, but it has not yet collapsed.

Aureth smiles. "It's good to think about what challenges a civilization might face," he says. "Famine, war-- those definitely can rock these things to their core. Political instability. Breaches of honor. Anyone got other ideas for things that might be plaguing our poor towers?" he asks, as he gestures his group forward to work on the third, creatively built, tower.

Aureth checks perception and investigation at hard. Aureth fails.

Eirene studies the tower with her sharp blue eyes before shen carefully pokes a piece out. Phew! She lets out a breath once she pulls away.

Lisebet makes to put a block in, and manages to drop it atop another block. Which only causes a bunch of blocks to fall off the table, one skidding nearly into the tower, and coming to a stop just at the base. "Oh no!" Lisebet calls, and then "Oh, there we go, it didn't fall." She's not so sure how it didn't fall, but it didn't. She does pause to pick up the pieces she's dropped, so that she's a bit behind when Aureth calls for them to move. Of course, she sets them down on the table like there's nothing at all wrong and she meant to do that. Then she moves along with the others to the next table.

Lisebet checks wits and investigation at hard. Lisebet fails.

Caspian checks wits and investigation at hard. Caspian fails.

Sira checks luck and investigation at hard. Botch! Sira fails completely.

Caspian has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 1

Lisebet has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 1

Caspian has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 1

Lisebet has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 1

Lisebet has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 2

Caspian has rolled 1 2-sided dice: 1

The first of the towers to fall! Aureth pulled a piece from the top and it teetered; then Lisebet pulls a piece and it wiggles; then Caspian pulls a piece and it wobbles; and finally, as Sira pulls a piece from the prettily structured monstrosity - er, gradient - well, whatever - that Eiran and Evander worked so hard to make stop leaning, it collapses in a rain of blocks!

"Ah!" Aureth says. "And we see that as we take away pieces, ultimately the walls will fall. Our first tower to fall, and our last person to pull a piece before it did; this makes you our winner, Champion Caspian, of one of our fabulous prizes." He lays his hand over his heart, "With my apologies for whatever my clumsy fingers did to our work to make this the first tower to fall, haha."

Eirene claps as the tower topples. It's always a fun moment when you watch it start to lean, and lean, and finally gravity wins! "Ah, apathy," she calls to Aureth's question. "Not giving a damn can do civilization in."

Evander freezes slightly as he causes the tower to wobble, but when it slowly settles in place he'd let out a held breath. "Oops." He mumbles with a sheepish smile. "Ah, I'm fine, thank you though." He says with an appreciative smile to Eiran's offer. The structure may have been well built, but a combination of overconfidence and shaky hands has left it rather worse for wear. When the tower next to them comes tumbling down he'd give a slight wince, turning to look at it with a small frown. Their poor tower, ruined in but moments. He'd shed a figurative tear, a moment to collect himself before pulling another block, this time moving as carefully as possible.

Evander checks perception and investigation at easy. Evander is successful.

Eiran checks wits and investigation at easy. Eiran is successful.

Caspian looks to Aureth and smiles with a merry look in his eyes. "Dominus i am fairly sure i saw you fixing mistakes i left hanging! it was an honor to build with you, with all of you!" he picks up a few of the blocks and plays with them in his hand "Dont think i career shift to architecture will be in my future" he smirked, watching the others continue to play.

Startled, and clumsy, Sira squeaks in surprise as the blocks start to fall. She jumps back, the block she removed clutched to her chest, apparently convinced the other blocks might bite her or something. A flush of pink creeps into her cheeks. "Well." She clears her throat. "Sorry."

As Eiran and Evander take their turns, the building expertise that Eirene and Udell showed earlier now keeps their structure solid against the onslaught of famines, disagreements, political upheaval--
"Hey, what do you suppose are the problems impacting your civilization?" Aureth calls over to ask the pair of men as they pull out blocks. Did we mention he talks too much? "--Apathy is a good one. Passion is important!"

Eirene checks wits and investigation at hard. Eirene is successful.

Lisebet pulls a piece out, and stares, breathless as it wiggles, and then she steps back, the entire structure hanging on by a thread. She nods to Eirene, and then adds, "Breaking agreements, not honouring one's word." She's thoughtful as she considers this, while watching. Whatever else she might say comes to a stop, as the tower comes crashing down, and she sidesteps a bit. "Oh dear." She's laughing though. "It's pretty easy to knock them down, I think. Far harder to keep them standing, though I'm sure it depends on how solid the foundations are."

Udell checks perception and investigation at hard. Udell fails.

The second tower to fall. Honestly, it's a wonder it lasted as long as it did. There are only so many miracles. Alas, Udell's and Eirene's hard labor to create a powerful structure that will stand the test of time does not follow them to their next tower. The teetering structure trembles after Eirene pulls her brick, but does not fall until Udell takes his.
"Aww, an ending for the Archlector for the Queen," Aureth says, with a hand over his heart again, because he is, as ever, a drama queen. "That does leave Lady Eirene as the champion of their team, winning a prize! I'll disclose the prizes-- but not until the game is done..."

"I'm still proud that it survived as long as it did," Eiran says of the first collapsed tower. He ducks somewhat as Aureth calls to them, "Agh, I'm being quizzed under pressure," he whispers. "What's the right answer here? I kind of just default to romance. As the solution, the problem, you know..." He lifts his voice to the Dominus. "This civilization here? Here at our table? It's flawless."

Udell tries to pluck a block from the tower, his tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth, but despite all his care, he sends the tower crashing. He laughs, not upset in the least before he shrugs to Eirene and says, "I am sorry, I suppose I am a bit out of practice in surgery, but at least we built ours well!"

"What if I told you that there isn't a right answer, and that thinking about it was all I was hoping for?" Aureth asks with a low laugh. "More cocoa for everyone, Greguin! Except people who don't want any, I guess."

Eiran checks wits and investigation at easy. Eiran is successful.

The wounded woman offers Udell her hand as she grins. "We did well," Eirene says. "Our Tower stood the test of time and poking fingers."

Evander seems entirely focused on the pulling of blocks in front of him, it's only when Eiran speaks to him that he realizes Aureth had called out prior. "Hm? Oh uh... Well, if my shaky hands are any indication, it seems they're under assault by natural disasters." He'd say with a quiet smile. A soft clap is given toward Eirene when the other tower comes tumbling down.

Evander checks perception and investigation at easy. Evander is successful.

Udell takes Eirene's hand with far more care than the blocks and bows his head as he says with a smile, "It did, at that. May all our works be so adamant and sturdy."

As they keep making inroads onto the structural integrity of the tower, still it stands. It's getting harder to find 'easy' blocks to pull.

Evander checks perception and investigation at normal. Evander is successful.

Eiran checks wits and investigation at normal. Eiran fails.

It seems that finally, the forces of gravity must take their toll upon the masterpiece Udell and Eirene made together, for Eiran has the poor luck, with his last pull, to send a rain of blocks showering down to the table's surface!

Lisebet nods to Caspian. "Well done," she puts in. "Well done to all of us with this building exercise. And more so with the thinking exercise that has gone along with it." She sips her cocoa and eyes Aureth from her spot, amused.

Evander lets out a warm laugh as the tower comes tumbling down, a hand extending out to Eiran. "Aha, unfortunate. I'm afraid my weakening of the structure earlier likely did you in. Your company has been a pleasure, Lord Eiran. Our tower wouldn't have looked a fraction as nice without you."

Udell applauds as his and Eirene's work comes crashing down with a laugh before he remarks despite his previous comment, "But nothing lasts forever."

Sira gingerly places the block she still holds back on the table, her blue-gold eyes sweeping across the table to the next and then on to the last, where the last tower stands. As Greguin offers more cocoa, she nods but doesn't pull her gaze away from the sight of the final tower coming down. Once the blocks stop clattering, she looks at Caspian and Lisebet. "I assure you my talents with fabric far outpace my talents with blocks."

"Oh, you mean terrible storms and quakes and--" Eiran distracts himself, pulls a little too hard, and topples the tower. His face burns pink for a flash of a second, then he wills a grin and reaches to grasp Evander's hand. "Things can look pretty great if you don't care too much about the function."

"Ah, Count Darkwater, you seem to have been our final winner!" Aureth claps politely, and then gestures to Greguin to start distributing our prizes. "Now. Master Caspian, you have won a small wealth in rubicund and seraphinite, with the promise of a design by craftsman Mortimer of a weapon to your liking. The Faith will provide you with the materials and provide our craftsman with his fee. Lady Eirene, you have won a tailored outfit, designed by Lady Thesbe to your specifications, and the materials for that in honeysilk, seatouched wool and cashmere. And Count Darkwater, you have won a tailored outfit, designed by Master Sira here, and we will provide the materials for that in windspun wool, artshall velvet and also cashmere. It's winter, we thought cashmere would be a good idea for everyone."

Lisebet chuckles softly. "I am certain you are quite talented. Nobody is good at everything after all." She smiles as she hears the prizes. "A lovely touch, Dominus. How wonderful!"

There's a low whistle from Eirene. "Damn, that's fancy," she says with raised eyebrows. "Thank you, Dominus. I am sure I could use more winter clothes that aren't leather. While my things are being repaired that is."

"Which is precisely why we made a good team!" Evander would tack on with a smile, though his gaze would drift to the piled remains of their work. "Or so I would like to say, but it did fall first... I blame the ones doing the pulling." He'd jest with a laugh, moving to fetch his tea. At the announcement of his prize he would give a bow of the head to Aureth and then Sira in kind, "Most considerate, thank you, Dominus. The event itself was a treat of it's own, I quite enjoyed myself."

Caspian watches the other competitors with rapt attention. it was clear that the man truly relished any challenge, and whole heartedly enjoyed himself. he cheered for the other winners, offering a round of applause and broad smile. As Aureth spoke of a prize he grinned, clearly expecting perhaps a cake to take home, or maybe an embroidered doily. Nobles did so love their doilys it seemed. His mouth slowly fell opened as the Dominus spoke, then he blinked and bowed. "Thats.. very generous! thank you!"

"I am glad you all came and were able to sit down together and play a little game with us today. Please feel free to enjoy the hospitality of the shrine as long as you would like, there's more than enough cake here for everyone. Gild's graces include charity and hospitality, and for such entertainments, I am only glad to spend time in Her shrine and make what learning we may do here as enjoyable as possible." Aureth toasts the group with his mug of cocoa, which has been replenished. "I appreciate how much everyone was willing to commit to the exercise. I know playing a game like this can feel a little silly, but I've always enjoyed the opportunity to, as it were, let my hair down." His hair is even down, so it's not even a joke!

Eirene says, "Sorry, Archlector." She grins at Udell. "I guess I get to be warm and fancy."

Eiran rests his chin on the flat slant of the back of his hand, eyes wide as they track Evander. "Ooh, cashmere, could match your scarf. Yes, thank you Dominus. I'm sure I've learned some kind of lesson about the foundations of civilization here... It may come to me later."

Eiran is overheard praising Evander: Solid civilization building and dismantling!

Sira looks over at Evander, brows raising slightly. "Ooh. I do love designing for men. I expect you'll come by my shop sometime soon, my lord? Gilded Dreams, across from the Silver Consortium, a block south of the bank." Is she speaking a little louder so others can hear? No one can prove that.

Lisebet listens for a bit, as she drinks her cocoa. "I appreciate the chance to have fun while learning," she says lightly. "So thank you very much, Dominus." She laughs softly then. "And also, I am glad to be able to meet a few new people. That is always lovely." She glances at Sira, and an impish grin crosses her face, but she stays quiet on that topic.

"You deserve it after what you have done, so it's quite alright. And I'm already comfortable enough in my outfit now, Lady Eirene.", Udell says to Eirene with a fond smile.

Caspian glances up at the sky and then sighs, "by the powers.. the time does slip away" he looked to everyone here, "It has been a very great pleasure! thank you dominus for arranging this! and for your generosity!" he bowed to everyone "Fear not, i promise to never design buildings for the city. The structures of Arx are safe from me!" with a broad smile, he turned to leave.

Evander is overheard praising Eiran: A worthy teammate and formidable opponent. For games of construction, at least. Quite the eye for design, even if it may get in the way.

Caspian is overheard praising Aureth.

Aureth glances at Eiran with amusement glinting in his bright eyes. He props his elbow on his table, his chin on his fist, and says, "Well, my lord, they say the beginning of wisdom is recognizing that you know nothing."

Caspian has left the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

Evander is overheard praising Aureth: A wonderful host for a fine evening of games and socializing.

Eirene stands with the use of that cane again. "I best go get some rest and lie down. Thank toil everyone. Excellent diversion from a hospital bed."

Sira is overheard praising Aureth.

Aureth is overheard praising Sira: A great contributor to the charitable works of the Faith.

Evander tips a head to Sira as she makes her declaration, "Ah of course, I'll see that I swing by at my earliest convenience. The Gilded Dreams, across from the Silver Consortium, a block south of the bank." He'd parrot for those in the back with a nod and a slight wink.

Lisebet waves to the departing Caspian and Eirene. "Thank you all for the team work and friendly competition," she says lightly. "I am quite pleased to learn more of Gild, so thank you again, Dominus Aureth."

Sira gives a nod to Evander, finishes her cocoa and slips out of the shrine to get back to work.

Sira has left the Stunningly Beautiful Altar of Gild.

4 Silvershields leaves, following Sira.

Eirene has left the a gold-inlaid bench of cherry wood, with plush aeterna upholstery.

Eiran is overheard praising Aureth: A great host to an engaging little event! Finally, my failures amount to something.

Aureth is overheard praising Eiran: The beginning of wisdom?

Eiran has left the a gold-inlaid bench of cherry wood, with plush aeterna upholstery.