The Midsummer Ball

The afternoon has been a busy one, everyone has been helping out to get everything ready for the official start to the summer ball. Food has been being cooked all day and some will still be being made ready for the later buffet and so on. The house has been decorated beautifully with summer colours of red, yellow, orange and gold. All of the hired help and staff have beautifully tailored matching uniforms and stand ready to help with the guests. The ship model has been given pride of place at the centre of the sparkling main hall, sat atop a pile of gold and silver donated by the Gamay Council ( though they probably expect it to be returned). Around the ship are tables brimming with some of the best food and wine money can buy. And standing at the figure head are two tables full of donations for the charity Auction later on in the evening. Places are still empty on these stalls. Attached to the side of the ship is a leader board for who has donated the most money so far. Tables are ready and set for the large feast later in the evening and a small string band has been set up to accompany the dinner.

The dancing room has also been set up with the band seated at one end of the room. Around the outside of the dance floor tables have been laid with 'finger foods' for those who feel a bit peckish before the main feast in the 'ships hall'. Waiters with silver platers full of glasses of champagne and other such drinks stand ready behind these tables to serve their guests. Above in the doomed ceiling a flock of golden 'phoenix birds' have been allowed to fly for the evening to add that special something to the room.

Up the stairs at the entrance to the house the VIP lounge has been arranged for those who where offered free tickets and to those who have paid. It is filled with the very finest foods, wines, music, herbs spices, senses and anything else that has specifically been asked for by curtain guests. This room overlooks the race course and archery outside so that people may bet on the outcome of such sports. Also connected to this room is the balcony that over looks the dance room, with its own staircase down for the auction and for dancing if the VIPs so wish.

Around all of the indoor rooms guards from Ariel's elite unit have been placed to 'mingle' as have the charity buckets. The butler stands ready at the doors to introduce the guests. Everything feels a bit sombre in its readiness.

Outside however is a completely different story. The party out here has already started and has been going on since early afternoon. Ale, beer and roast spits have popped up all over the place. A couple of the local town bands have got together and its a raucous and typical party atmosphere. Eloraine and her grooms have set up a very sizeable race course at the back of the house to which several test races with local horses have already been and gone. The archery has been set up and only awaits the umpire to arrive. Ishtar invites excitement from the young children by appearing and disappearing before their eyes and helping them to climb trees. Cern tells stories from his people and many others while Bodge mingles with the lower classes. All this takes place against the fiery background of midsummer decorations. But there is a sombre side too, as the members of the Albion armed forces patrol the outside of the walls accompanied by powerful mages. This however does little to dampen the party atmosphere.

And soon the most important guests will start to arrive...

((OK everyone sorry to have taken so long but I thought I'd wait for summer to come back around again to do this. So here it is. I also need people to help me either A) run the betting on the horses or b) people can choose to RP the guest betting on the horse racing or c) I can do it all...but where is the fun in that? Anyway ENJOY! ))