Thursday, February 27, 2014

A Noble House



Both tables are probably okay for day or night but are segregated anyway. 

THE HOUSE IS AWAKE
  1. Albino footman sneaking off or a quick drink or six. W: hides bottle, returns smiling to work.
  2. Servants sneaking off to eat the magnificent scones they've swiped. Connoisseurs. "Just don't tell the master!"
  3. The trained monkeys are loose; the children are chasing them
  4. Hunting party heading out / back in for tea and political discussion. 
  5. Lady's maid hauling armful of new dresses for her ladyship to try / to give to charity those her ladyship disliked
  6. Unexpected relatives arrive, on tour of house
  7. Suitor comes courting, wishes private space to talk—a good match
  8. Corrupt priest arriving for daily absolution of serial kidnapping torturing murdering lord—you should see the basement 
  9. Nicehair the Footman eavesdropping on the maids: scandal in the family. Nicehair schemes to use for own advantage. 
  10. Gardeners changing / having changed to bring thirteen new floral species for butler's inspection—anxious because they haven't named them yet and know Butler will have them canned if names are lame. R+ if PCs give good names quickly. They know secret garden entrance to cellar. 
  11. Youngest sister insisting that Pvt. Wixham loves her and that she herself is "ineluctably in the grip of eros". Older sisters try to talk sense, useless, threaten to tell Daddy; youngest runs out crying to meet Wixham at the barracks. 
  12. Three visiting sisters have come down with the flu, can't possibly return home in such a state. Lying on couches, reading aloud, singing and oh do play a tune, dear. 
  13. Vivant the wine-seller waiting to e seen by butler. Super posh vintages, super nosy guy. Butler can't stand him, will make him wait 10 minutes. Vivant pokes in desk, finds evidence of scandal. 
  14. Upper councilman arrives w aides to talk bribery. Aides trying to find suitable pillow for politico's rear. 
  15. Operatic performance ongoing. Villainous attendee sneaking around looking to commit crime. 
  16. Valets off for a smoke. Scandal discussed in whispers. 
  17. Ladyship high as a kite, wandering around with wicker basket trying to gather as much fruit as possible to take to her bedroom. Thinks he's in the kitchen. "Very curious," she says when she sees, say, a bed. 
  18. Tutor instructing the children. Mention random historical fact. Write it down. Use it later as clue/solution to puzzle. 
  19. Screaming and crying. Youngest son is being "disciplined"—locked in pitch black closet. Who knows how long now. 
  20. Lepers wandering house. Look like zombies. Searching for master of house, who will sit them at his table and dine with them on the finest foods. 
THE HOUSE IS SLEEPING
  1. the son and his lower class g/f finding a quiet place to fornicate. W: shall fornicate; son sees g/f out the servant's entrance.
  2. butler retires here with a glass of scotch and a book. W: reads for an hour, laughing / setting book down to pray and return to reading / loudly disagreeing / woww. 
  3. tryst between:
    1. lord/lady
    2. servants
    3. upstairs/downstairs
    4. downstairs/someone from town
    5. I know I'm engaged to X, but I'm really in love with you, and we all just have to do what makes us happy don't we? That's what I think. That's what I think. Anyway. How do you feel about it. Oh? Well. 
    6. She doesn't understand me, but you do. Oh, you're so complicated.
  4. servant fight club
  5. servant bowling/card game
  6. upstairs high stakes card game with fellows from town; one is a cardsharp
  7. lady of house enters secret shrine, performs forbidden pieties, returns looking over shoulder
  8. lord of house meets his well-paid lover, all very businesslike
  9. the crazy aunt has gotten out again
  10. little johnny taking the dog out on his midnight walk again 
  11. granny quietly tapping away at her ghastly marble sculpture
  12. the hunter of the family on a stroll to his trophy room to say goodnight as is his wont with all his mounted animal friend-heads
  13. the priest on retainer making his holy-water-sprinkling rounds, as house is known to have problem with demons
  14. toddler out of nursery again, quietly playing with toys. Talking to someone. Probably ghost. 
  15. New guard on the job, super vigilant, wants to impress heiress, keeps mustache for such purpose
  16. lady sewing the dress in which she intends to kill herself forthwith
  17. penitent son reading the scriptures in isolation, weeping and whispering vows
  18. loving parents headed to/from nursery to check in on sleeping infants
  19. the dogs out for their midnight tinkle
  20. orange cat won't stop following you and meowing

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