CATELIA, THE RINGED ISLE
An island just off the eastern coast of Haelion, Catelia lies just south of the Haelion desert only a short boat ride from the coast. The city is famous for its colorful buildings and its sprawling canals, in place of roads, connecting each of the island’s three rings to one another. The outer ring of Catelia, called merdociara, or “the Merchant’s circle,” is home to shops and stalls selling famously delicious food and sturdy, well-crafted supplies; the second ring of Catelia, called arziciara, or “the Artist’s circle,” is the source of some of Haelion’s most beautiful museums and talented artist’s collectives; the third ring of Catelia, called politiciara, or “the Noble’s circle,” is home to Catelia’s substantial noble class and their intricately decorated estates.
Of course, Catelia is as dangerous as it is beautiful: infamous for the warring political factions of its powerful noble families, the city is constantly caught in an elaborate war of intrigue far beyond the comprehension of most of its citizens, who end up becoming collateral damage in the wake of a near-constant string of shifting allegiances and coups d’état. After all, the thing Catelia is most famous for aside from its gorgeous canals is its highly competent and highly mercenary Assassin’s Guild. Catelian assassins are highly regarded and well respected, bringing honor to their families even as they forsake their names and renounce all family ties upon entering the guild to train. It is commonly said that the canals of Catelia run red with blood in the night—and nothing you’ve seen or heard thus far disproves that.
But Catelia isn’t just a convenient stop along the coast to resupply after a stint in the harsh desert. It is also home to a prime target for ferreting out both information and valuable items to steal. And the Gambit happens to be arriving in town just in time for one of the Catelian nobles’ largest parties—and easiest marks—of the year.
THE VERDICCI FAMILY’S ANNUAL MASKED BALL
The Verdicci family is one of the lower noble families in Catelia—high enough to have plenty of power but low enough that no one is vying to overtake them any time soon, a comfortable middle spot that allows them to live in the lap of luxury without too much fear for their heads. The matriarch of the family, Eliara Verdicci, loves any excuse she can find to flaunt her wealth and relatively safe status, inviting nobles from across the politiciara and neighboring cities to attend her annual masquerade ball.
With the extensive guest list and general easy chaos of such a large event, all the Gambit will need to charm their way in are appropriate costumes: the fanciest clothing possible and, of course, a mask. Once inside, they’ll have access not only to every noble in the city to pick pockets and uncover secrets, but also to Eliara’s secure art collection, rare books library, and a vault of valuable jewels and artifacts.
There are several possible leads that Gambit members attending the masquerade may follow up on:
1. LOOSE LIPS. Between the Catelian nobles and wealthy diplomats from nearby cities, a number of important people will be in attendance—people with a wealth of far-reaching information, and possibly the promise of further jobs, further marks, and perhaps some desperately longed for secrets. A charming face and a keen ear will find no trouble circulating the party to gather information; you hardly even have to know the right questions to ask. ( REWARD: valuable secrets ) OVID & ZHENYA
2. DEEP POCKETS. By around a third of the way through the party, most of the distinguished guests should be too intoxicated to be keeping close track of their possessions. Never has a pocket been easier to pick, nor so full. If you have some extra time, try the coat room—you never know what you might find in there. ( REWARD: up to 270 tal or valuable items of equivalent value ) OPEN
3. ANCIENT TOMES. The Verdicci family library is the pet project of Elaria’s wife Marialena, who inherited the project from Elaria’s mother, through a line tracing back generations. The lofty, ceilinged room is full to the brim of incredibly rare tomes kept safely behind charmed glass, and the value of these targets are two-fold: there are books in here that people would pay a fortune for, but there is also information most would consider lost to time, trapped away here where no one else can read them. ( REWARD: up to 350 tal in rare books or information from said books ) DARCASSIAN & ZHENYA
4. DARK SECRETS. Among the books in the library, one in particular stands out: a very recent acquisition, the book is rumored to be cloaked in shadow and—if you believe the tales—to have come from another world altogether, its cover made from strange material no one has seen before, its pages of flesh, or impossibly thin vellum, or blood-red parchment, depending on who you ask. The Nightmare Tome, whispers call it, and they say it belonged to the Lord of Nightmares, taken mortal form. ( REWARD: The Nightmare Tome and information ) ESKAREL & HEPHIREUS & LUCKY
5. DEALER’S CHOICE. Eliara is a renowned collector and dealer of fine art, and hosts a significant collection of her own in a private museum on the top floor of the mansion. The museum is open for browsing during the party, so in order to secret away a piece or two, you’ll either need to be particularly stealth—or you’ll need a way to blend in. ( REWARD: up to 350 tal in rare art ) OPEN
6. HIDDEN VAULT. Somewhere deep in the basement of the mansion lies the hidden entrance to a magically secure vault which is said to house the Verdicci fortune, all in jewels and rare artifacts. If you can find the vault’s location and get in without setting off the spelled lock keeping it sealed, no one should be around to notice you taking whatever you please. ( REWARD: up to 350 tal in jewels and non-magical artifacts ) CASSIAN & TATSUO
7. INTERFERENCE. While the rest of the Gambit does what they can to extract every bit of value from the ball, at least two people will need to serve as their eyes and ears, running interference to keep them from being discovered. Circulate the party, make sure no one suspects your friends, and have a lovely time enjoying the food, drink, and entertainment on offer while you’re at it. ( REWARD: a cut of the spoils, up to 130 tal ) CALLIOPE & GWYN
OUT OF CHARACTER
Thanks to news of the Masquerade gathered by Ovid from a Catelian noble in Fahyrst, Catelia is as good a place as any to restock on food and supplies after the brief trek south through the edge of the Haelion desert. A ferry will take the Gambit from the coast to the island, where they will spend about four days before continuing south along the coast. A shop inventory of items available for purchase in the city can be found below the cut – please message the main if you would like to purchase anything while in town.
In addition to the Masquerade-specific missions listed above, further missions in and around Catelia can be found below the cut. To claim a mission, please post the title of the mission and the two characters claiming the mission in the #mission-claims channel on discord. Catelia missions should, to the best of your ability, wrap up around the 13th of June.
