Le Secret du Roi (original) (raw)
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January 8th, 2005
racaille @ 10:28 pm: First and last OOC post !
Let me take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for taking part in Le Secret du Roi, the first Noteworthy game ever!
While I knew from Vampire LARP that some of you were skilled backstabbers I really enjoyed seeing everyone put on their best conspirator face and come up with nasty ways to kick the others out, all in a creative manner, without any number-crunching.
If you enjoyed this play-by-LJ game, I know toast3r has something in the works, feel free to pimp out your game in the comments if player slots are available.
Finally, I joined the ST team of a Dangerous Liaisons one-shot LARP to be held at the end of the month in a castle in the south of France. I'll be very busy with plot and preparations but if you want to see pics of it when it's done, let me know and I'll send you the link.
Thomas B., racaille, the mad Frenchman of the secret :)
racaille @ 10:27 pm: The Comte de Broglie to His Majesty Louis the Fifteenth, King of the French
Sire,
Please let me reiterate my best wishes to Your Majesty for this New Year. Here is my final report on the experiment I attempted to weed out your Majesty’s secret service of its English infiltrators. My services started by disseminating the rumor that I was looking for candidates to the secret. After a few months of listening to potential candidates, seven were contacted. You have received my frequent updates on their selection so I will only let you know what happened to them in the past month.
Sylvestre-Jean de Savetier, the feeble-minded Vicomte was assigned to remain in his lands. He has received nearly every possible doctor known to man, the latest being an Austrian named Franz Anton Mesmer. Let’s hope that his “animal magnetism” cures the poor Vicomte of his illness.
Monsignor Philippe-Louis de Bourbon-Conti, our latest Cardinal, is now serving the Holy See to the best of his abilities. Vatican intrigue is a high-stakes gamble and he seems to be fully immersed in it as I haven’t heard from him since his nomination.
Alexandre-Philippe d’Osny seems to have stopped his counter-nature ways with the enemy, only to refocus them on the more youthful elements of Your Versailles court. I have various reports of his activities in the bushes of the park and will gladly send them to you should you find this entertaining. In the mean time, his frequent reports on Parisian nightlife are dark gems filled with filthy secrets.
For his treasons against the Crown, the Baron de Vergy was banished to Nouvelle-France according to your orders. He’s been amassing an impressive amount of wealth trading with the natives and financing plundering raids against the English. I heard he is also battling a nasty case of variola vera, possibly gained from his encounter with Lisette de Marsan.
The Vicomtesse was imprisoned in a special asylum for women of ill-repute. She promptly assessed the local politics and I heard that this house is now the most attractive brothel in Paris. I allowed her to keep her activities in exchange for weekly reports on her patrons.
While Vergy and Marsan were traitors, Henri de Volanges was the real English mole I had attempted to uncover through this selection process. He was the last missing piece of the King George-Duc de Saint-Fargeau-Comte de Saint-Germain-Baron d’Enfou puzzle. The Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau, who, by some extraordinary circumstances also happened to be a candidate revealed critical parts of his network in London. Further investigation by the Chevalier d’Eon following Mme Fournier’s letters led to the secrets that made Volanges a slave to the English. They held proofs that the old Marquis de Volanges and his first born did not die of old age and debauchery, but were murdered, in succession, poisoned by the second son, Henri de Volanges who wanted to inherit the title. As your Divine Law requires, he will be strapped to a wheel on the place de Grève, his bones broken with an iron bar and his limbs ripped apart by four horses.
During this selection process, I couldn’t help but notice Vivianne de Saint-Fargeau’s skill and dedication. While her husband will be taken care of, I humbly suggest she be sent to Venice. One of our agents there, one Giacomo Casanova has been imprisoned in “the leads” by the Inquisition with some important documents. I think only the Duchesse could find a discrete way of freeing him, as well as show enough self-control to resist his legendary persuasion powers once freed.
I remain….
Charles-François, Comte de Broglie.
January 3rd, 2005
ptevis @ 08:35 pm: 3 January, 176-
My dear Comte,
As you are aware, I have been these last several weeks in England, in pursuit of that perpetual thorn in our side, the Comte de Saint-Germain. I was loathe to break off my surveillance of him, but at your request I did so and focused instead on the Duc de Saint-Fargeau. My investigations bordered on fruitless until a chance encounter changed my fortunes substantially. On the streets of London (about which the less is said, the better) I was surprised to encounter Mme. Fournier. She and I had known each other previously, and it was no surprise to me that she was eager to resume our previous arrangement. I was also not surprised to discover that she still talked in her sleep.
What did alarm me was the content of her nocturnal transmissions. She repeatedly used the words "treason," "murder," "Vivianne," and most disconcertingly, "God save the King" (in English). Knowing her to be a deep sleeper, I availed myself of the opportunity to examine the contents of her writing desk. I'm sure your Grace will find the attached contents most interesting.
The following night, as we dined in her quarters, she offered me a toast to the success of both our missions. When I expressed puzzlement at this, she said that she everything would be made clear the morning. The morning was anything but clear. I awoke to find Mme. Fournier dead. A cursory examination revealed that poisoning was likely the cause of death. My suspicions were confirmed when I sniffed her wine glass, discovering traces of hemlock. (As you are no doubt aware, I am an avid gardener, and I have for several years cultivated hemlock in addition to my other poisonous plants. You must come see my garden sometime.)
Between what I discovered in her drawers (by which I mean the documents) and the words she let slip in her sleep, I am forced to conclude that she meant to poison me. Fortunately, she never noticed my habit of never choosing from the wine glass in front of me. My agents in France inform me that the Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau was in close contact with Mme. Fournier, and from the attached papers, I believe you can see why. Your suspicions concerning her were correct, and I hope that message reaches you in time to prevent her plot from hatching.
Your servant,
Henri, Marquis de Volanges
Current Mood: challenging
loopygirl @ 12:02 pm: My dearest Comte,
It is with a heavy heart that I pen this missive to you. I have, just this very hour, completed the last of a series of meetings with my agents, all of whom returned to me bearing ill news of their findings in England.
After receiving your last note, I arranged for the repayment of a favor long owed to me by Mme. Fournier, a retainer of the Marquis de Moreau. As I am sure you are aware, the Mme. Fournier was greatly respected in certain circles as a seer and spiritualist. At my request, she agreed to travel to England along with three of my other agents, with the intent of investigating the Comte di Cagliostro. I am distraught to report that while Mme. Fournier made a number of critical discoveries, she paid for these with her very life.
Mme. Fournier became convinced that Cagliostro is a charlatan of great skill, but a fraud nonetheless. Before her murder, she was able to determine that the Comte is using the guise of a medium to deliver encoded messages to agents of the English crown. In her last letter to me, she provided samples of the Comte’s messages along with her rudimentary translations of certain codes used to conceal information contained within. Some of these messages are quite interesting – pay particular attention to the series of messages indicating the “delivery of payment” by an individual known as “V.”
Not long after sending her final correspondence, Mme. Fournier was found murdered in her rented London flat. My agent, who discovered her body, is convinced that the true method of murder was hemlock poisoning – the knife wounds on Mme. Fournier’s body seemed to be inflicted after her spirit fled, presumably to implicate another for this ghastly crime.
Not content with his findings, my agent continued his vigilant investigations, including surveillance of the Comte de Saint-Germain. My man was able to intercept a letter, delivered to the Comte the same evening of the murder. This note said, simply: “The deed is done, and my loyalties to you are thus proved. Our debts are settled. V.” Although my agent felt it would endanger our investigation to keep the letter, he swears the note was written in a hand bearing a striking resemblance to that of our dear Marquis de Volanges.
The following day, a knife, still bearing the dried blood of Mme. Fournier, was discovered by the English authorities at the home of a rival of Cagliostro’s. It seems they received an anonymous letter and were prompted to investigate this individual’s home. It is also worth noting that this same rival had spoken out against Cagliostro on numerous occasions, claiming that the medium’s gifts were merely clever playacting.
Suspicious, my agents arranged for one of the Marquis’ servants to encounter a lovely maid in the marketplace the following day. This seductress was able to ensure an …invitation, and spent the evening in the servants’ quarters of the Marquis’ home. While her access to the building was somewhat limited, she did discover, in one of the sitting parlors, a strange plant. This plant showed signs of recent and dramatic trimming, and our spy was able to obtain a sample of it for our inspection.
It is, without a doubt, a hemlock plant.
These distressing findings have left me convinced that the Marquis de Volanges is indeed conspiring with the Comte de Cagliostro and his circles. I believe, though it horrifies me to write such, that the Marquis murdered the Mme. Fournier to prove his loyalties to the Comte, and framed an innocent man to strengthen the Comte’s standing within the occult community.
Furthermore, it is my suspicion that the Comte drew the Marquis to such depths of depravity through neither alchemy nor bribery, but blackmail. I do not yet know what act the Marquis might have committed that would require him to pay the Comte for his silence, but I am convinced that all shall become clear as soon as your skilled agents decode the messages discovered by Mme. Fournier.
I have made the necessary arrangements, and am traveling to Paris to deliver all of the evidence in question. I only wish I had happier tidings to bring, and beg your aid in bringing the Marquis de Volanges to justice.
Respectfully,
Vivianne, Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau
Current Mood: challenging
December 23rd, 2004
racaille @ 12:38 pm: The Comte de Broglie to the Candidates
Paris, 23 December 176-
Dear Marquis de Volanges and Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau,
I am writing this letter in the Chatelet police headquarters of Monsieur de Sartine. The Vicomtesse de Marsan and the Baron de Vergy are in his custody, as are a dozen Englishmen. Upon receiving your last letters, I immediately contacted the royal guard and stormed the de Vergy estate. Not only were the two candidates locked up in the cellar, but I also found the English actress and d'Enfou in a comfortable position in de Vergy's master bedroom. The rascal had escaped the Bastille through accomplices that have been hanged today in the prison's courtyard. Based on preliminary interrogations (that is without the help of Monsieur Samson, the King's executioner) it seems that both de Vergy and de Marsan had been their agents for quite a while. De Vergy was smuggling goods, letters and persons accross the Channel and de Marsan using her animal magnetism to extract classified information during her irresistible pillow talk sessions. The English most recently used them to infiltrate our secret and hoped that one of them would get selected. To ensure this neither de Vergy nor de Marsan was aware of the other's most secret mission until recently, and it's no doubt de Marsan wanted to be the one by confounding de Vergy. Of course, their employers, being treacherous Britons, betrayed them and sequestered them until further notice.
To establish that kind of network outside of your own country requires an extensive group of collaborators. The pox-infected actress was found by d'Enfou, who got pox from her and was working himself for none other than the Duc de Saint-Fargeau, our Duchesse's beloved husband. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I started active surveillance of his correspondence to prevent him from hindering the Duchesse in her investigations. I discovered that the Duc wanted to destabilize the Bourbon dinasty, starting with Monsieur, to better place himself in line for succession. He thus contacted the English through famous socialite Comte de Saint-Germain and proceeded to recruit d'Enfou as his Parisian liaison. One of my elite agents, the Chevalier d'Eon, obtained this information using the de Marsan approach on Saint-Germain. Saint-Germain also revealed a few embarassing things about you, Volanges. The man claims to be centuries-old so he may just be lying, but at this stage I cannot dismiss any testimony.
Marquis de Volanges, you will stay in England and find whether the Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau is part of her husband's plot. For this I will need proof coming from King George's administration.
Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau, you will infiltrate Cagliostro's circle and see if, as claimed by Saint-Germain, the Marquis de Volanges has become Cagliostro's puppet through alchemical means or maybe more mundane corruption in gold and diamonds.
I want your reports by the end of the 3rd of January.
All other candidates are requested to investigate one or the other of these issues so that they don't stretch their ressources too thin and comment on one of the last two candidate's reports. De Marsan and de Vergy will be freed so that they can use their networks but followed by agents of Monsieur de Sartine and shot on sight of any suspicious movement.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Charles-Francois, Comte de Broglie
December 20th, 2004
exquiscadavre @ 08:47 am: My Dearest Comte,
If this letter comes to you properly sealed, then you may trust the young man who carries it to take you and your men to my location.
I am being held prisoner at the de Vergy country estates, after having discovered a horrible secret.
Of course, I was incensed with the lies in de Vergy's last missive, so I rushed to take my carriage to his estate and confront him on his horrible behavior toward me. I was greeted at the door by a servant with pronounced accent in his speech, who told me I would not be seen. I made as if to leave, and sent my coach away, gaining entrance through the servants' quarters in the East wing.
Imagine my surprise to find the kitchen full of men speaking in English!
I attempted to slip right back out, but was discovered.
They have locked me in a basement with de Vergy, who seems to have gone more than half mad with ill treatment. Judging by his breath, they have been keeping him drugged with some foul substance to break his mind as well. I have refused all food, to avoid the same fate, but my strength wanes, and I shall have to eat soon.
The boy they sent to carry away our night dirt is half French, and speaks our language in a rudimentary way. I have bribed him with jewels I keep hidden for such a purpose to take you this letter.
I beg you make haste. There is really no telling what these English dogs mean to do with de Vergy and I.
In gravest need,
Lisette
Current Mood: Challenging
December 19th, 2004
ptevis @ 10:18 pm: 19 Decembre, 176-
My Dear Comte,
I hope this letter find you well. I am now in London, where I pine for la belle France. Yet, in the King's service, I take on this hardship willingly.
As you are no doubt aware, the reputed Comte di Cagliostro has a reputation as a medium, a mystic, and an alchemist. Through my sources I was able to trace his path back to England, where I discovered he had made the acquaintance of another disreputable noble, the Comte de Saint-Germain. As my sources here have been able to confirm, Saint-Germain is an agent of George III. I have reason to suspect that Cagliostro is in his employ as well, and the British intend to use him as agent provocateur. His alleged alchemical abilities are nothing but a convenient cover.
Your servant,
--Henri, Marquis de Volanges
December 14th, 2004
ajpursell @ 08:43 am: Cabin Boy
I admire the various attempts to link my ships with the port of Dover. And am greatly amused that the nephew of one of the captains has been cast as a grand conspirator against France. The boy is 10. If the Comte wishes to meet him, I'm sure that I can arrange it.
Yes. The ship did put in at the port of Dover, where, unregistered and posing as a Dutch vessel, it unloaded several of the lesser beaver pelts that had grown quite worn and some of the sugar which had gone bad with age as well as purchasing information to be used in the current situation that is taking place in the New World.
Interestingly enough, although she alludes to a previous encounter where I put off her most erstwhile advances, I am reminded of a tale that was shared at cards the other night that one of the younger sons of the Duke du V___ told. It recounts the liasons of a young French Libertine who goes off to the Continent where she comes into an aquaintance of an English gentleman also traveling. A young, much much younger than she is now, engenue. She experiences much of the pleasures that are to be had along the Coast and in the Countryside. She then travels to L'Angleterre, where she develops the skills she will most be known for, le gout angleterre.
The lithograph, with several flattering etchings I'm told, ends with this unnamed libertine returning to France where she marries well and for convenience and takes a title.
I find it amusing that the Vicomtesse is supporting the good father's story, no doubt based on information that she has placed and is looking to provide corroboration for to add credence to her machinations. One wonders if there isn't some attachment still to the English person that she met oh so very long ago. I'm told the gentleman has the ear of the Chamberlain and several connections to their Navy.
That the Comte hasn't taken her up on her many desperate and eager invitations shows that he is a man of taste and dedication who puts the King first before pleasures that are akin to aged cheeses and old wines that are just about to turn to vinegar. As I said previously, one should not consult with mistresses things they are not trained to deal with.
I hope you are in good health, I pray for your strength and the strength of the King.
Current Mood: Challenging
racaille @ 12:07 pm: The Comte de Broglie to the Candidates
Dear candidates,
What an amazing week full of revelations! I knew that asking you to uncover hidden truths about your fellow candidates would bring out the best in this country’s aristocracy. Remember that, whatever my weekly requests, I am always interested by such information. Let us review the various claims made this week.
The Baron d’Osny seems to have been misled in his appreciation of the Vicomtesse de Marsan's linguistic skills. While a “crumpet” does indeed sound like a dreadful attack to our noble French palate, domine salvum fac regem was stolen from us by the rosbifs as the Vicomte de Savettier mentioned and the Vicomtesse can rightfully participate in the fight to reclaim it. Or more than misled, the Baron d’Osny may have been trying to divert our collective attention from his counter-nature trysts with treacherous Britons. On that note, let me congratulate the Vicomtesse de Marsan on her meticulousness, she packaged the handkerchief so well it still contained what I assume to be dried bodily fluids. Sleeping with the enemy is indeed a threat to the kingdom’s safety, and the Baron will not be considered for membership in the secret. Should he wish to partially clean his honor by providing us with additional information in the coming weeks, he is more than welcome to do so.
Maritime intrigues of the d’Osny kind seem to have confused Father Philippe-Louis de Bourbon-Conti. This will not be an issue anymore as he will join our Holy Father Pope Clement XIII in the Vatican. The Vicomte de Savettier was well informed and we should soon call Philippe-Louis “Monsignor de Bourbon-Conti”. The Vicomtesse de Marsan’s fears are unfounded as the Duchesse de Saint-Fargeau's pecuniary power vastly surpasses that of the Cardinal Le Camus (His Eminence has a some debts with the King’s treasury and we’ll make sure he reimburses them before trying any sort of ecclesiastical promotion for his bastard). As the Holy See requires full-time attention and loyalty, Father-Louis will not be considered for membership in the secret, though we will still enjoy his correspondence, should he find the time.
I am deeply saddened by the Duchess de Saint-Fargeau’s revelations on the Vicomte de Savettier. Leaving one’s health in the hands of miscreants like Huguenots is surely a liability we cannot afford in the secret. What if they used potions and filters to cloud your keen intellect, or blackmail you with indispensable medicines? These are the people who burned Joan of Arc after all. Silvestre-Jean de Savettier will not be part of this service but can for now still partake in our correspondence from his bed.
As a side note, it seems that the Baron de Vergy misaddressed this week’s missive. His revelations, while very interesting, will thus be ignored this week as other candidates may not have had the means of verifying their authenticity. He is more than welcome to try again.
Based on your contributions, I had d’Enfou arrested by a lettre de cachet from His Majesty. Swiss guards were sent to his house and found him in the company of his stable boy in a position that the presence of Ladies amongst us prevents me from describing further. He is now sequestered in the Bastille and will remain there until we find the English actress.
Finally, some of you may have heard about the commotion caused in some Parisian circles by the arrival of one Comte de Cagliostro. My transalpine informers seem to have heard of the man as actually a commoner by the name of Joseph Balsamo. While this would not be the first case of cross-border noble impersonation I have come across during my career in contre-espionnage, the credit that this Cagliostro has acquired among some court members is impressive. Members of the prestigious Rohan line confirmed me that he was able to produce diamonds out of thin air, and to create gold as well. If this man is a charlatan, he shall be punished, but if he is truly gifted, we should promptly put his skills to the King’s service. Of course, he could be neither but just the agent of foreign power who came up with a particularly creative cover. Please let me know your findings by next week.
I remain,
Charles-Francois, Comte de Broglie
December 13th, 2004
ptevis @ 05:59 pm: 13 Decembre, 176-
My dear Comte,
The rascal d'Enfou is certainly up to something, as he has managed to intercept my mail for nearly a fortnight now. Despite his best efforts, however, I immediately became aware of this deception. I am certain the misinformation I have fed him will keep him chasing his tail for quite some time.
While it pains me to give up such an excellent device, I have discovered further information that must be made known to your person. While I was thrashing the servant who provided d'Enfou's man access to my correspondence, he cried out, "D'Osny!" When I demanded to know what he meant by this, he refused to speak further. At first I thought that this was merely a ruse of d'Enfou's, to throw me off the track and make us suspect one of our own. But now that the Vicomtesse de Marsan's evidence has come to light I cannot afford to doubt it. It seems that one of the traitor's men has penetrated our very circle.
Your servant,
Henri, Marquis de Volanges
Current Mood: challenging
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