"Welcome to this Masquerade..."

A young woman greets you at the door. Due to the large, artfully crafted mask that covers her entire upper face, you can not guess as to what she looks like; only a small nose and full lips hint at her possible appearance. You shiver slightly as you gaze at the mask head-on... It has been created to appear to be the skull of a deer, with antlers and ears still attached. The eyes that gaze out of the eye-holes appear to be impassive and piercing, due to the nature of the mask.

"Do you have a mask?" The young woman asks you. "If so, then please, come in. If not, then I must ask you to leave and procure one before I may grant you entrance. For you see," she adds, her lips curling up in a slight smile, "this is a ball of mystery and intrigue. You may see your closest friend and take them for a complete stranger... Or mistake a stranger for your lover. Anything can happen at such a ball... A masquerade..."

When you provide proof of having a mask, she urges you to put it on, then escorts you inside. It is bright and lovely inside the ballroom, but there is an air of... suspense, perhaps? that fills the room, for there is not one single person within, not even the servers, who are without a mask over their face.

"If this masquerade frightens you," whispers the woman in your ear, causing you to jump, "you may leave and nobody will stop you. But I must tell you... There are three hours until the clock strikes midnight."

She gestures to an ornate, antique golden clock hanging on a wall--you could have sworn it was not there before.

"Once midnight falls, and the last telling chime falls away," she continues:

"THAT is when the masquerade shall truly begin. Decide now whether you wish to stay and experience it."

Before you can ask her what she means by that, she is away into the crowd, gracefully inclining her head to a guest here, directing another to the refreshments table, politely refusing a dance with such gracious poise that no offense could possibly be taken.

You have a feeling that there is more to that woman and this masquerade than meets the eye...

Shall you stay and
Waltz the night away ‘til
Midnight comes to fall?
If now you go, then
Leave in woe, for
You know naught at all.
Shall you discover what
Lies beneath the mask, and
What hides behind those eyes?
Is this masquerade only a dance in truth...
Or a prelude to surprise?

A young man walks into the Masquerade dressed in dark burgundies, a mask the only ornament upon his frame: Yet although this mask was the only ornament, the man carries a sense of elegance and importance about him as he comes through the balcony doors and begins to head for the Stair. Unlike the young woman's mask, the man's mask was less vulgar: Made of bone, the man's mask looks like the face of a bird decorated in swirl designs upon the edges in gold and deep reds.

Making his way through the crowds, the man began to mingle with the masked guests of the ball.

“Excuse me, sir,” you say hesitantly, in awe by what little you can make out of his chiseled features, “May I ask what we are laying in wait for?”

“That, my honored guest, will be found out in good time. Until then, enjoy the Ball and mingle with other guests. Who knows who you may run into in this masked gala of Samhain,” the man says with a warm smile.

You look at the man in wonder. 'Samhain? What is Samhain?' But before you can ask these questions, the man leaves you with a flourishing bow to mingle with the other masked guests of the ball; but not before saying a few last words, “Please stay and enjoy yourself, , for you will surely enjoy what the night will bring.”

To have a Masque Ball during the time of Samhain,
Is a truly fun time to behold.
As you dance people avoid your gown’s train,
While your frame is covered in gold.
You glisten, you wonder, and you ponder the sight;
“Who are the guests behind the masques this night?”
You mingle, you dance, and you fear the “Goodbye”,
But what is this coming this very nigh’?
You stay and you watch, for who can say
What will occur on the night of Samhain?

Rules of the Masquerade

1. Follow the rules of Menewsha.
2. No rudeness or vulgarity of any sort in this thread. Period. Be kind to your fine masked friends!
3. Speculation is fine, but NO continuous begging to know what happens at Midnight. If you stick around and chat, you’ll find out.
4. Keep your mask on at all times! This IS a Masquerade, after all…
5. We both (Emma and Mai) reserve the right to change\add rules at any given time.
6. Remember to have fun and make sure that everyone, including yourself, has a good time! It’s a Masquerade, it’s a dance, it’s a party! Just don’t get too wild. ;D
7. Just post like you regularly would in a normal Mene chat thread. Don't be intimidated by the long intros! ;D

Countdown to Midnight in MSQT

Welcome to the Masquerade! Here we will give you an update of what time it is here at the Masquerade. Now, to be clear, we do not go by a time in which you are accustomed. Here at the Masquerade Ball, we have a time of our own - a time enhanced by magic known as MSQT, or Masquerade Time.

Below you will find a clock that will change every fifteen minutes as time passes here in the Masquerade Ball. This clock will begin at three hours and will count down until Midnight here in the Masquerade; a time of which you will be rewarded for your patience, your dancing, and your chatter; a time in which a great surprise shall be revealed.

THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK

3:00*

*Time will only move if the thread is active. This way lurkers cannot wait for the time to pass just to see what the surprise is. If the thread dies, the time will not continue and will remain at it's position until it picks up again. Time will also stop if Goblin Maiden and Emma Corrin are not on at the same time. Please keep this in mind ;D

This Surprise...

...shall be unveiled at Midnight. ;D

This Surprise...

...will also be unveiled at Midnight. 8D

This Surprise...

...again, unveiled at Midnight. 8O

This Surprise...

...(say it with me, now) will, as you know, be unveiled at Midnight. 8P

Reserved...

....for future need.

Reserved...

....also for future need.

Reserved...

....again for future need.

An old woman, looking to be in her seventies, appears in the doorway of the Masque, "Now that the preparations have been complete, I invite all of our beloved guests to enter the Ballroom and begin the Masque! We all hope you have a splendid time here at the Masque and make many new friends. We also hope you enjoy our surprise at Midnight and think it worth the wait," she adds with a wink at the group before her.

With that, the woman turns to leave, letting the couple from before take control of the Masque and the guests to begin roaming the Ballroom freely to dance and mingle with the other guests.

WELCOME TO THE SAMHAIN MASQUERADE BALL!