The wedding of Llywelyn and Cheryl Cadwaldr

[Ghost]

(( Posting some of my DM camera pictures! Others feel free to share as well! ))

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[Memento Mori]

The wedding proved to be a wondrous affair. Clearly a great deal of money was involved, given the decor, the band of skilled musicians, the portrait painter, the meal, and, of course, the venue. But more than the expense, those present might have remembered how happy the bride and groom looked together.

Although both have always been playful and jovial in their interactions with each other, and with others, it would have been clear to all present that their new life together is bound to be filled with cheek-hurting smiles and peals of joyous laughter true.

The Wedded Lover
A Poem by Christopher Morley

I READ in our old journals of the days
When our first love was April-sweet and new,
How fair it blossomed and deep-rooted grew
Despite the adverse time; and our amaze
At moon and stars and beauty beyond praise
That burgeoned all about us: gold and blue
The heaven arched us in, and all we knew
Was gentleness. We walked on happy ways.

They said by now the path would be more steep,
the sunsets paler and less mild the air;
Rightly we heeded not; it was not true.
We will not tell the secret-let it keep.
I know not how I thought those days so fair
These being so much fairer, spent with you.

For archiving, plus two pictures!:

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The Cadwaldr Wedding

Endless thank yous to everyone who participated in the storylines of either my character, Llywelyn Cadwaldr, or Lyrewyn's character, Cheryl Mae Castillo.

Tonight we brought their shared story to a close with a very lovely wedding event. But all of the roleplay, drama, and fun that went into getting them from where they started to where they're retiring has been joy after joy after joy.

We'll be around a little bit the next week or so tying up loose ends, appointing new leaders to our guilds, and so on, but you'll probably not see us on these characters for anymore serious roleplay. We'll post an in-character "retirement" post once we work out a few details with the DMs regarding their final dispositions, for those of you most touched by their storylines.

First, let me thank Cheryl's player, Lyrewyn, for inspiring me to play a character again in the first place. I can't describe how much I've enjoyed the storytelling we've done together, and, as a result of it, I am basically certain you'll be a fantastic writer. You've been such a good friend to me, one of the best I've ever known from a computer game certainly, and I'll not forget the good times we've had together.

Second, thank you to the best man Eldarian, played by Miasmata. You, too, have been a wonderful friend to me across several characters, and I've always appreciated your company and your thoughtful counsel, in and out of character!

Third, the best woman, or maid of honor if you insist, Endelyon. You've become a friend to me. At first through your affiliation with Cheryl, and then in your own right. I value you for all you are, and wish you the best with your character moving forward.

But I'm getting off track. If I thank everyone, I'll thank almost the whole server. Grimcheese, Truthiness, Young Werther, Kobamw, snarfy, nonee, Nomster, PiaMango, kleomenes -- literally everyone with the Sword Coast Commercial Exchange -- literally everyone with the Foreign Exchange Committee -- I could just go on and on. I don't want to insult anyone by leaving them out, but just know that if you've engaged my character in some way, especially regularly, then you probably made my day. Let me get back on track.

Thank you so much, Considerate_, for the amazing wedding ceremony. You did a phenomenal job. It felt like a real wedding, but at the same time you made it totally consistent with the setting's lore. That's not an easy thing to do, but you made it look easy. Thank you.

Thank you also to DM Ghost for setting the scene and RPing the NPCs. You were awesome (as usual). I mean, just look at this place:

And finally, thank you to the wedding guests for making it so much fun by your being there, and sharing the event with us. We hope you enjoyed it, and enjoyed getting to look around the ducal palace a little bit!

I'll end this now, as I fear I'm a little emotional about closing the book on my character! But thanks again, truly, to everyone who made my time here with Llywelyn such a fantastic time.

A Word To Husbands
A Poem by Ogden Nash

To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

[kleomenes]

A pair of the guests attended the ceremony with all the smiles and soft murmurs at the romance of the ceremony which one might expect.

Perhaps the smiles were a little too fixed. Perhaps the soft murmurs came at unusual moments.

They paid their respects and had a good humoured conversation with the radiant bride and groom, offering up a bottle of wine.

Who knows what was unsaid.

The couple later left as dinner was served.

Clearly meaning to be unseen. But that failed thanks to the "subtlety" of druids.

[Memento Mori]

The Cadwaldr Honeymoon

Lake Esmel!

The ancient lake had long served Amn's rich and famous as that country's premiere vacation destination -- and it was hardly any wonder as to why! With its bright and sandy shores, world-famous hot springs, and romantic mystery, it was exactly the sort of place a wedded couple might run away to on their honeymoon.

The Cadwaldrs found themselves stationing out of Esmeltaran at the beginning, the once-upon-a-time capital of Amn -- now a lavish and opulent resort city catering to the region's social elites. There Llywelyn and Cheryl stayed for a time at the Golden Sands Inn, owned by a wealthy brewing company out of Calimshan, and explored the city and its shores.

As the weekened approached, however, Llywelyn surprised his new wife by taking her to the Scimitar, an exclusive resort community whose very name was synonymous with hedonism. The Scimitar was nothing less than a miniature city owned by the church of Waukeen. A private city, too, that was open only to those who could (briefly) afford to live there. There the pair enjoy bath houses, stage shows, private gaming and gambling halls, dancing, and numerous other distractions and pasttimes.

As their honeymoon stretches into its final few days, the pair have only stopped smiling while they were sleeping. Truly, it has been a dream come true for the both of them to be there with one another.

But what must those left back at home be thinking? Below we explore the Cadwaldr honeymoon as imagined by more northernly personalities . . .


The DM Ghost-sama Version:

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On One of Lake Esmel's Sandy Beaches

Cheryl: "Crow-senpai!" She waves her arm rapidly back and forth to get his attention. "Come on in, the water's great!"

Llywelyn: He smirks from the shore, tilting his head back dramatically. "You know I can't do that."

Cheryl: "Please! Please please please!" While jumping up and down against the waves.

Llywelyn: Llywelyn looks down at his left hand, staring hard. The scene cuts away a moment to a crab scuttling across the sand. Cicadas can be heard whining in the background. The scene cuts back to Llywelyn, his eye going narrow.

Cheryl: "O-oh! My top came off!"

Llywelyn: "NAAANIIIIII?!" The man begins, quite inexplicably, to hemorrhage from his nostrils. There is blood. There is blood everywhere.

The Ameris-and-Telia Version:

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Beneath the City of Esmeltaran

Llywelyn: He finally stops, a little breathless from the walk, and snaps back his dark hood. The sour scent of the sewers is barely noticed as he nods Cheryl towards the bloody circle drawn in the middle of the room. "Are you ready to consummate our unholy alliance?"

Cheryl: "I am, my dark prince. Let us proceed with the sacrifice." The woman strides to the circle, pulling a chicken from a burlap sack and holding it aloft.

Llywelyn: His yellow eye seems to shine as he joins her. He kisses her obscenely. His tongue? It's BLACK AS NIGHT! AND FORKED AND LONG! "Let us begin, then: Let us bring about the rebirth of our world."

Cheryl: Cheryl smiles coldly as her 'husband' draws away from her, then nods. She cuts the bird with her dagger and lets its blood drip into the circle, holding it by its feet. "Hear us, pit fiends of the Abyss! We call you now to Toril!"

Llywelyn: "Umawa sumpi, ugawa sumpi, umawa sumpi," Llywelyn, the DEMON SUMMONER!!!, begins to drone, reaching both hands to the ceiling.

As the camera pulls out, both summoners SMILING EVIL, the audience is left wondering: Is this how the world will end?

The Thieves' Guild/Sword Coast Commercial Exchange Version:

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City of Esmeltaran: A Dark Alleyway

Llywelyn: He stops suddenly, placing his arm protectively in front of Cheryl. "On your guard."

A trio of thugs rise from the shadows, one of them smirking as they quietly surround the pair of honeymooners. All but the smirker are hiding their faces behind a hood and mask.

Smirky Thief: "Not bad for a man with one eye. Let's get right to it then, shall we? The choice is yours: Your GP or your HP."

Cheryl: The woman shakes her head insistently. "Oh! No! I'm sorry, but this won't do at all! We're really trying to get people to roleplay trade bars and letters of credit instead. GP is so 1349."

Llywelyn: He nods solemnly, ignoring the smirky thief's confused expression.

Cheryl: Cheryl smiles, taking the momentary silence for an invitation to continue. "Let's take, for instance, your professional aspirations. Perhaps if your pockets weren't filled with heavy, noisy coins, my husband might not have heard you -- and you'd have truly sprung your ambush?"

Llywelyn: "She's right, you know. The jingle-jangle of your coin purses were a dead giveaway!"

The thieves look at one another, evidently bewildered, then back at Cheryl as she begins speaking again.

Cheryl: "Plus the weight! Imagine how much lighter it would be to exchange pounds of bulky gold coins for a handful of trade bars or a couple of pieces of parchment? Actually, if you want to exchange your coins with us here, we can open an account for you with the Sword Coast Commercial Exchange, and you can really begin to grow your assets."

Llywelyn: "Oh absolutely! You know what they say: Thieves look like amateurs when they're compared against bankers!"

As the scene begins to fade, we see the thieves voluntarily relinquishing their coin purses to Cheryl, while she quietly discusses their investment portfolios.

The Zhentarim Version:

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A Beach Volleyball Pitch

Cheryl and Llywelyn are playing a game of beach volleyball against a pair of very malicious-looking individuals.

Man-Dressed-In-Evil-Uniform: He sets the ball up into the air off the tips of his fingers, just above the net. "Come on Zen! Tar 'em!"

Zen slaps the ball down hard on cue, but Llywelyn dives for it, bouncing it up into the sky and allowing Cheryl to knock it back over to the other side. Point!

Cheryl: "Looks like you underestimated us! We're playing for keeps!"

Man-Named-Zen: He snarls, moving back into position. "Zen's playing for keeps, as well. Zen's not done yet. Zen's till keeps!"

Llywelyn: The one-eyed man frowns. "You're really reaching with these." He complains, before serving the ball. It soars into enemy territory, where it's missed by the defenders. Point.

Man-Dressed-In-Evil-Uniform: "No fair!" He throws his arms up. "You didn't call your serve! That's a Fzoul!"

Cheryl: Cheryl grins. "You'll score soon, don't worry. You'll score, Man -- shoon."

Llywelyn: Llywelyn blinks at Cheryl, then stares down at the ball in his hands. He tries to join in. "I suppose I should also try my hand at a DM Pun Pun?" He smiles uncertaintly, looking between the three players.

Man-Named-Zen: ". . ."

Man-Dressed-In-Evil-Uniform: ". . ."

Cheryl: She looks down. ". . . I'm sorry Llywelyn. I'm leaving you."

The Endelyon Version:

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The Scimitar: Honeymoon Suite

Cheryl and Llywelyn are seated at a large table, looking bored. It's raining outside. Hard.

Llywelyn: He sighs, resting his cheek against his hand, elbow propped up on the table. "I wish Elly was here."

Cheryl: Cheryl's eyes widens, and she looks up. Her thousand-yard stare seems to focus in again. "I -- I was just thinking the same thing."

Llywelyn: Sinking down against the table, he buries his face in his arms. "Why didn't we take her with us? Why . . .?"

Cheryl: She looks down again, wringing her hands together in her lap. "I miss her."

Llywelyn: He suddenly slams his fist against the table. "WHY!!!" Rising, he flips the table onto its side. Then sinks slowly to his knees as Cheryl starts crying.

Clearly they would never go on vacation without Endelyon again. Clearly they could have no fun without her. What fools they were to leave her behind! What fools!

The Order of the Radiant Heart Version:

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Inside the Honeymoon Suite

Llywelyn: "This room is amazing!" His eye goes wide, looking around the rented room.

Cheryl: She giggles. "There are two beds! Shouldn't we be in separate rooms? This is so bold!"

Llywelyn: With a shy smile, he gently takes her hand, holding it fast. "We've just been married, and we're on our honeymoon. I think we can sleep in the same room. We'll just move the beds a little further apart."

Cheryl: With flushed cheeks. "If you say so."

Llywelyn: "Shh. We're husband and wife now. This is normal. I promise. ... But, just in case, I'll sleep in my armor."

Cheryl: "Okay." She relents, with a relieved smile.

[Lyrewyn]

"Lady Ambassador Cheryl Mae Cadwaldr," Alayna murmured to herself, savoring the words like honey. She stood aboard the brigantine that would whisk her away from Baldur's Gate later that morning, the thick pre-dawn fog giving the harbor a wet and heavy feeling. Later, it would give the place a mushy, wooden smell as the sun awoke. She wore a decorative green gown with a low cut top and large white collars, showing off her choker displaying her lion-crested pendant. Chin held high, gaze soft, she would appear to the loaders or the captain of the ship to be a woman at the height of her power, occupied in the privacy of her own thoughts. In truth, she'd drunk too much with Endelyon the night before, and her head felt as if a sparrow had built a nest in her skull.

On the horizon, the sky lightened, signaling the beginning of dawn. The fog and clouds that defined Baldurian weather implied that it would not be seen until past noon -- if the clouds broke at all. Workers continued to work by lamp and lantern light, comfortable in the misty weather as they rode down the railcars, carrying men and cargo, that defined the efficiency of the great city's docks. The Sword Coast has not been kind to the city in recent years. A war one year, dragons the next. A year-long drought followed, and so on until Alayna herself lived and worked in the city, threatened by plague and undead. She remembered participating in the troubles and worries vividly night after night, and it was due to another stressful night that she'd overindulged herself once more. The minutes passed, and the throbbing at the back of her head lessened with the calm. It was finally starting to sink in.

She was free.

Life in court will leave her even more busy than ever before. She had no doubt about that. And she was becoming daily more aware that the higher she climbed, the more precise and elegant she must become. Every little gesture, from the way she used her little finger to a perceived squint in her eyes had the potential to be misread, and lives consequently altered. That much had not changed. What has changed is now how many people are affected by her everyday actions. She represented Baldur's Gate in the eyes of the Lord's Alliance. She was not free from the everyday struggle that defined life; rather, old struggles that she had doggedly worked against were now someone else's problems. Her sense of freedom came less from a lack of struggle than from her simply having a lack of struggle right now. The freedom of respite is a temporary thing, and so she indulged in it for as long as no one needed her.

~~

The morning remained grey as morning hit its stride, the air now abuzz with the sounds and smells of a seafront in full swing. Ropes creaked and wood groaned, and near and far bells signaled so many different activities that Alayna was sure someone, somewhere, acted on the wrong signal, pushing productivity back and having the lost profits cut from their pay. The salty breeze picked up the scents of the foods prepared by the vendors who, generations ago, discovered the profits that came with selling cheap food near an army of constantly working laborers.

Her reverie was finally broken by the smell of garlic and fried squid, and when she turned, her husband stood before her with a plate of food steaming in creamy tomato sauce. He smiled at her, a forkful of food held in invitation before her, warmth radiating from his amber-colored eye.

"Hungry?" he asked invitingly.

She smiled in response, and pecked at the fork before accepting the utensil and plate when he hands it over to her.

"The captain believes we'll be setting sail within the hour," Llywelyn continued as Alayna, sometimes known as Cheryl, broke her morning's fast. "Everything we're bringing is now safe and sound in the hold, and our cabin is now furnished and ready for us to occupy it."

She paused in her eating to give Llywelyn a querying look, “Elly's done already?”

He chuckled in response, "Already napping in our bed."

She smiled. He didn't need to elaborate; they both knew how Endelyon worked. She likely began long before Alayna herself awoke, and set upon the task of making their quarters perfect for Alayna . . . until it actually was. Little details, the kind Alayna herself doesn't think about, were likely attended to. Their liquor cabinet would be stocked, and she wouldn't have to worry about running out of tobacco before reaching Waterdeep.

"Rook?" she asked next. Llywelyn pointed up, and, sure enough, there was the girl climbing the rigging, seeming intent on getting to the top. Alayna shook her head.

~~

As promised, the bell rang within the hour, and the first mate announced the captain’s orders. The only tricky part of getting Sparrow to come down was catching her attention; once captured, she was compliant and efficient in coming down herself. Alayna asked to speak to the little bird at the side, and Llywelyn gave them their space by volunteering to take Alayna’s food away. Once they had some semblance of privacy, she stood before Sparrow once more, smiling in the face of the awkward silence that usually happens under the girl’s deceptively innocent expression.

“I wish I had better words . . . some great wisdom to give you before we go,” Alayna started, and paused as she tried to gather her thoughts.

Sparrow, after a moment’s thought, began to pull out her cards, but Alayna held out a hand and shook her head, indicating that she wasn’t done yet.

“The truth of the matter is, I can’t make you a better person. I want to, but it’s arrogant of me to assume I know better than you. I really don’t. Look, we’re always going to come back. Us birds, we always know where home is, hmm?” she offered a comforting smile.

Calculations happened behind Sparrow’s eyes, and she responded with a questioning nod.

“I guess what I want to say is that you’ll always be family. And if you ever get tired of the job here, you can always come travel with us, okay?”

Sparrow gave a more affirmative nod.

“Good,” replied Alayna softly. “Take care of my bank, and make sure Charraj and Ckal don’t end up burning it to the ground.”

Her voice quivered toward the end, emotion overwhelming her as she realized she was literally saying goodbye. Despite logic telling her that she will likely see Sparrow again, she thought, this really is goodbye. She reached over, and quickly drew Sparrow into a hug. The girl likely protested at the sudden intrusion of her personal space, but Alayna wouldn’t have cared. People change, she thought. Months, years. The Sparrow I meet when I return may be an entirely different person. Gods, what if this gives her the confidence to speak? The thought was enough to make her tighten her grip, trying to physically love the girl harder, despite the impossibility. All too soon, sometime after Sparrow-sometimes-known-as-Rook stopped struggling, Alayna would let her go.

~~

When it was time to set sail, Llywelyn rejoined his wife atop the deck to wave goodbye to their friends, those able to see them off. Alayna would find herself in tears long after the docks had disappeared from view, and she would ask Llywelyn to walk her to their cabin.

Once there, she would motion for Llywelyn to sit at the side of the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping Endelyon. She looked around briefly for her belongings, and, after spotting it, she would pull out the biggest item in her bag. A black, wooden box, highly polished and well-maintained, carved with wistful stars and wind whirls and wave shapes. Box in hands, she went to sit beside Llywelyn, and, after he’d seen what she’d brought, he gave her a simple smile. She leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her on instinct, the act made more intimate by their familiarity. She brushed her thumb along the lid of the box, thoughtful.

And then she opened it.