Tall Tales of Ghieste - An occasional series of notes and scenes

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

From 'A treatise on the festivities of the city and environs of Ghieste' by Dariem Levansire

"In the turns and twists of the ribbons is the dance of the masque; as the feet move and dance across the square it is those silken strands that emphasise and exemplify the rythym and the tragedy of the masquerade, and behind those same masks of plaster, of paper and of leather, from which they twirl, hide the faces of the celebrants of the Carnival and all the liberal and generous actions they shall take during this season, which would so scandalise their friends in every other season and oh so much more so if it were done without the near sacred masks."

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

From 'The Almanac of the City of Ghieste', a series of notes and letters collected by Sodiac Minen, Scholar and noted traveller.

"The Carnival itself occurs within the season of Winter and last for a full six weeks, following the feast of Battle of Regien's folly, and lasting until Saint Thelac's day when a traditional period of fasting begins. Historically the event was a celebration of the freedoms that the people of the Duchy were priveledged to enjoy and was developed during the times when the Guilder and minor nobilities gained in wealth following the breakdown of the Imperial civil service. These newly monied individuals found that their coin and fresh influence allowed them excesses that had only previously been available to the most powerful in society but that polite company was not ready yet to accept all of these changes.

It was for these reasons that the habit of mask and costume developed, granting all of the society of the city to act in an almost blessed anonymity, whatever strata their origin. These weeks were always noted for their liberal atitudes to excess of all kinds and in general are well recieved by the residents though the intrusion of non locals to the celebreations has caused some meaure of concern in recent years. It has also been noted that there is more violence during the Carnival but there is some expectation that the Duke will no doubt crack down on such things should it become necessary; some say that the Ducal Stewards have their own standard costume that all the Duke's men shall wear - perhaps a frightening thought in itself.

The masks themselves are available from a number of mask makers, though there is also a tradition of gifting masks and costumes between loved ones, especially ones made lovingly by one or other party so that the couple may match. However the public sale of masks is a guild protected activity and only specific outlets, controlled by the Highland/Overland traders are licenced to provide such, under a charter issued several years ago. A number of different styles are available, each having it's own name and meaning, but fashion varies widely as to the style that is en vogue at any time. It is said the Duke himself favours the Volto mask style, also called the Ghost - a type of mask that is famed for the haunting look it grants the wearer, dressed all in black as tradition suggests, with only the floating plain white mask, paled in the moonlight.

Suffice to say that the Carnival is a singular experience and one well worth partaking of, though to be treated with some care. Masks hide many things but most of all one must be careful to leave the mask, and all it entails, behind one self when one removes it."

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

A scene that is not seen, but retold for the reader.

It is said that in the new Ducal palace there is a special room.

It is said that in the new Ducal palace there is a special room which only the Duke has access to.

It is said that in the new Ducal palace there is a special room which only the Duke has access to and that to enter it is to die.

What is said is so often wrong, in so many ways and yet so often has a grain of truth within. There is indeed a unique room within the new buildings and it is true that it is secured against all but one soul and that should anyone but that soul enter it is likely they would not survive. And yet the room is hardly the chamber of horrors that some might imagine it to be. This room, this special place, is where the Duke comes to think alone, removed from the vagaries of court, from the detail of every moment in company and from the sounds and sensations of so many people.

It is here, when he has the time, that he sits in his chair and stares at the walls in front of him. On the three walls that stand before him there are many objects all of which serve the same purpose. Some are made from steel, some from paper, some from plaster, some from leather. One or two are even more unusual in construction, but we shall pass over those for another day and another telling. Some are bejewelled while others are painted with gold and silver leaf. Some are left plain and unadorned, their design carrying all the emphasis that was intended for them.

For every inch of these walls are covered with masks, in all shapes, sizes, styles, shades and substances. Visage after look after image are present and each unique. Every face is a moment and personality captured, a meaning conveyed, an illusion maintained and no two are the same. In turn each has been placed upon the wall with reverence and each day only one is taken down to be touched, to be held, to be understood. Each is learnt. Each is understood. As though each were an individual, because each is an expression of the individual who made it - each is a piece of art. And then each, in that same turn, is broken.

Some say the Duke is a cruel man. Some say the Duke is a terrible man. Some do not understand the artistry in what he does.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

The Patrol.

It started as it always started; just one boot in front of the other, steady paces across cobbles, dirt and sometimes through the puddles left by the rain that fell whenever it felt like it over this side of the country. It was too dark already and no matter how many torches the patrol carried it was never enough to cut through the long autumn nights with the tight tense air that carried the scent of winter on it’s biting breezes. The shadows were too deep now, the moon too hidden by the high and heavy clouds, to be able to push back with the guttering flames that the constables carried. It meant the patrol stuck only to the main routes, to the thoroughfares that were clear of the detritus of the city. It meant an easy truce was in place with the worst elements but it held the status quo and when it is just you and a handful of fresh faced recruits would you want it any other way?

Just one boot in front of the other. If anything went wrong the hue and cry would be raised and then it would be the same. Just one boot in front of the other.

Just faster.