Parties

Life in the Dynasty, especially while on the Isle and away from one’s duties, is an endless cascade of parties and social events. No matter where you go, if there is a Dynastic presence, there is a party to be found. The Dynasty usually talks about parties in four broad categories: visits, salons, celebrations, and galas. These categories are descriptive, not a formal categorization. Generically, parties can be called parties or soirées.

Politeness

Parties are the glue that holds Dynastic society together, and so have developed a rather rigid system of politeness regarding invitations, behavior, and attendance.

Invitations

Honored Minister,

I am organizing a recitation of local poetry on the 7 Descending Fire, and
would be honored if you were to attend. My household eagerly awaits your
presence.

-- Mnemon Lily

Decorum dictates that everyone who’s anyone in the area gets invited to big events. The expectation does not align to reality – often, “invitations” are “delivered late,” or even “lost” altogether. Further, it is well understood that not every invitation is meant to be honored. Most Dynasts know that the slips of paper arriving at their doorstep are not genuine.

Honored Prince,

Regrettably, my obligations in the ministry preclude my attendance on the
7th. I am saddened that I am unable to attend. I wish you good fortune in
myabsence.

-- Cathak Lo-Gwen

Refusing an invitation likewise has decorum. Of course, no Dynast would ever refuse to attend an event simply because they didn’t want to, oh no no. There is always a convenient excuse – a conflicting duty, a matter that needs attending to, which prevents attending the event.

Senator Nellens Stone,

I deeply regret that it appears my servants were unable to deliver you an
invitation to the poetry recitation I had organized yesterday, the 7th
Descending Fire. I will diligently ensure that such an error does not happen
again.

-- Mnemon Lily

In summary: Everyone is invited – except when they aren’t – and very few accept – except when they do.

Behavior

Dynastic parties maintain a façade of propriety, no matter the reality. Causing a scene is perhaps the most detestable thing one can do at a soirée. After all, when all eyes are on you, rumors spread quickly when you mess up. In this way, even the raunchest, most gin-soaked parties present themselves as something respectable.

Brawling, drunken escapades, and other incidents are private affairs, to be dealt with outside or behind closed doors. Everyone expects that such things will occasionally happen, and the societal expectation is a great degree of discretion. Dynasts who make themselves known as rowdy guests will quickly find themselves with many lost invitations or last-minute reschedulings. Even Cynis, notorious hedonists, keep their indiscretions to back rooms.

There are exceptions, of course – orgies, drug parties, kinky sex clubs. These affairs are far more discrete than the standard parties. The secretive nature of these events is enough to ensure the discretion of those present – the public scandal of being exposed is leverage to keep things quiet.

Lastly, the matter of business. Discussing work is usually uncouth at parties, which are celebratory and leisurely. Nearly every party, though, is a front for some kind of business – a backroom deal, a handshake agreement, an exchange of favors. Such business is to be kept out of the limelight.

Departure

Departing from a party without bidding farewell to the host is extremely rude. To leave a party early, you must come up with some kind of excuse – a pressing affair which calls for your attention, and regretfully inform the host that you must depart. Decorum demands that she offer her resources and people as a solution, but such offers are polite formality.

At the end of the party, the host will announce final toasts and invite those in attendance to stay longer and partake of more food, drink, and music. The offer is made generally to those in attendance, but intended only for a few – the guests who are intended to stay will know who they are well in advance.

The afterparty is either a quieter affair with indulgences like fancy desserts, expensive liquors, and private performances, or a raucous affair with a smaller group of close friends. Either way, the after-party is generally expected to last well into the early morning, and the host will make beds, pajamas, and such available to her guests.

In the morning, the host will make a final offer for tea, breakfast, and an extended stay. Tea and breakfast are usually genuine offers – but the extended stay is, again, a formality which the guest is not expected to accept.

Visits

There is plenty of business that is best addressed through a face-to-face meeting. And of course, sometimes you just want to go visit an old friend or a cousin you are fond of. Visits are the simple, informal affairs when one Dynast goes to stay with another. Impromptu visits are frowned upon, but plenty of legitimate reasons exist for such. In general, it is expected that you will at least give your host a few days notice to prepare.

Hospitality is an important virtue in the Realm, so hosts are expected to provide meals, lodging, and essentials for their guests with no expectation of repayment or strings attached. Generally, the visitor is expected to bring a gift of some kind, as a show of gratitude to the host. Only especially egregious violations of hospitality – such as staying far past what would be reasonable, or abusing the host’s resources – would be a reason to break the hospitality customs; even then, the host will usually frame it as a regrettable circumstance that prevents them from hosting their guest any longer.

The mornings and afternoons of a visit are filled with leisure and enjoying (hopefully) one another’s company. Business only takes place after dinner, usually in a private study or such. Truly pressing business, like deaths in the family or immediate political matters, may require business before dinner.

Salons

A step up from informal visits, a salon is a minimally-formal gathering of invited guests. Salons are usually arranged by a specific host for a specific event – such as a poetry recitation, a concert, a recounting of war stories, or the death day anniversary of a departed friend. Salons can run from a single evening to several days, with the focus on providing ample time for the guests to relax, mingle, and engage in the party’s function.

Decorum requires that salon invitations be extended to some guests, even though their attendance is neither required nor desired. These invitations operate on an unspoken assumption and informal understanding. Deeply private occasions, like death day anniversaries or a reunion of friends, are generally exempt from the expectation to invite outsiders. Niche occasions, like card tournaments or poetry competitions, might send widespread invitations for attendance – understanding that most will not be honored – but very specific invitations for participation.

Salons are often an occasion for a more relaxed socializing among the elite. Small salons are an opportunity to get away from the public eye and spend some time among the elite, where things can be more intimate and cultured. In salons more than anywhere else, the unspoken proscriptions of mixing business and leisure hold sway – salon business is strictly backroom.

Galas

Galas are the peak of the Dynasty’s party scene. Galas are a massive show of conspicuous consumption, featuring the most gorgeous outfits (worn once and then thrown away), the most respected musicians, and the grandest feasts. They begin very early and end very, very late – often days later. These events always include many speeches, toasts, and celebrations.

Galas are called for many different occasions, and decorum dictates that all Dynasts in the region be invited – and unlike the many kinds of invitations which are expected to be turned down, gala invitations are usually accepted. Everybody loves galas, and generally, the more people the better, since one of the primary functions of a gala is to hobknob and socialize among the elites. The most undesireable guests will often find galas scheduled during their voyages abroad or their invitations “lost” by feckless couriers.

Two of the most common galas are birthday galas and wedding galas. Birthdays are always an occasion for a big party; and each household usually has an annual birthday gala on which they celebrate the birthday of all the children in the household who have yet to come of age, during the first month of the year. Weddings are also enormous affairs, featuring the best that both families involved can muster – and the most respected and honorable presiding judge and most esteemed monk that they can get.

Celebrations

Celebrations are the public festivals of the Immaculate Calendar, open to everyone in the local community, including the lower classes. These often feature parades, public services, and the like. Celebrations of course call for fancy clothes and solemn respect, but not for the same decadent luxury as proper parties.

Dynastic children often dread celebrations, where they must sit quietly, cannot figet, and observe a long, boring sermon. Adult Dynasts often dread holidays for the close scrutiny they will be under from patricians and peasants; during a holiday celebration in the public eye, the Dynasty must always present its most favorable face. The food and celebrations are fun, though.