Dramatis Personae:
The Host: The patrician and founder of this social gathering; a man of some wealth and taste with connections to each member of the assembled. He has been reclusive and uncontactable by all involved, leaving the exact nature of the gathering a mystery – it is rumoured that he has fired all of his servants and housekeepers for the event, and has prepared everything from the feast to the arrangement of niceities himself. Also rumoured is his connection to a society for the study of certain artifacts found in the strange reaches of the world...
The Major: A career soldier from German Kamerun, with many tales of valor and braery under his considerable belt. Despite his station, a down-to-earth and jovial man of Bavarian culture and confession in the Junker-dominated estate. Despite his courtesy, there are rumors of debts to the Host, as well as certain unspeakable crimes that shadow his otherwise flawless record of service.
The Financier: A student of the legendary H.H. Kung, the Financier has successfully opened businesses from China to the Americas, and is perhaps the wealthiest present at the party. He and the Host were old school colleagues, though they have been out of contact and favor for some time. A polyglot and amateur scholar, he was the first to receive an invitation, but the last to respond.
The Aristocrat: A petty-noble in the manner of the Rus', she left that nation after the events of 1905 and has proceded to spend the time since in steady decline; these days it is all she can do to rise from bed. Eccentric, she wears only men's suits and smokes to the point of self-destruction. Steadily she has divested herself of all saleable goods, and yet still appears to owe a great sum of money to the Host.
The Reporter: A famous reporter from the Republic of Brazil, whose articles made it politically expedent for her to settle elsewhere; due to family connections she has resided for the last several years in the Irish territories of the United Kingdom. The Host has served as a patron for her recent journalistic endeavors, and with many papers refusing regular publication of her articles, she has found herself increasingly reliant on that same patronage.
The Singer: A famous singer from the south of the United States, her sorrowful songs have stilled the heart of many a citizen there; but the recent spate of restrictive laws as well as public opinion regarding her 'immorality' have led her to leave her homeland and settle in the south of France. Facing a severe depression over the flight from America and a middling reception in Europe, the Singer accepted the Host's offer to attend the party in the hopes of restarting her career anew.