
This month would mark his 195th birthday, if he were still alive.
(He is dead, isn't he?)
So we celebrate with this
fittingly-themed collection of party-goers. Since neither ravens,
black cats, nor beating hearts make an appearance, there is theme enough left if
we want to celebrate the 196th next year.
The Masque of Amontillado
Download a PDF file containing this month's figures.
- Lord 'Monty' Amontillado (Scheming Nobleman)
Monty has spared no expense in preparing an extravagant masque to
celebrate the birthday of a long-dead author. He has
invited all the pillars of high-society, he will ply them with luxuries
until they are drunk one and all, and then he will poison his arch-rival
Lord Prospero. He has told noone of his plan-- not even his wife-- but the
long preparations for this night have made him lax in his other duties.
There will be time to worry about all that after Prospero is dead.
- Lady Lenore Amontillado (Scheming Noblewoman)
Lenore watched for years as her husband spun grand schemes but then
failed to execute them. Bored with his nattering, she has taken a series
of lovers. The latest is Valdemar Prospero, a handsome man with real
prospects. During her husband's tedious masque, she intends to distract
Val from the dance floor long enough for a tryst in one of the back
rooms.
- Lord Valdemar Prospero (Poetic Nobleman)
Valdemar is the darling of the court. He sets the agenda among nobleman
and shares the beds of noblewomen. He realizes his position is a
precarious one, however, and he plans to leave the Capital. At Lord
Amontillado's masque, he will announce his intention to retreat from
court life and accept a permanent ambassadorial position in a distant
land.
- Mors Rubra (Party Crasher)
Red (as her friends call her) attends costume parties for snacks and
conversation, but at this masque she senses an atmosphere of genuine
ill-will. It's putting her in a bad mood, and she may just have to kill
everyone before the night is out.