A valet's journal: private and professional notes
Nov 8, 2022 9:31:50 GMT
Jaezred Vandree, stephena, and 3 more like this
Post by Lucky on Nov 8, 2022 9:31:50 GMT
Journal entries written in an encrypted shorthand – a private code devised by and known only to Calculus
[Content Note: flecks of dust, mentions of tardiness, staff insolence]
Personal & professional observations by Mr Maurice Calculus, valet to Lord Lucky of the House of the Eyes of Sapphire, upon the subject of providing impeccable services to a most noble gentlecat
One has served under four generations of the House of the Eyes of Sapphire for some 50 years, in roles rising in responsibility, from hall-boy, to useful man, to footman, to under-butler, to butler of Sapphire House, and now valet to His Lordship while he continues his travels in retirement, following the loss of his husband, the late Lord Zari.
At core, a valet is expected to take care of the clothes, personal effects, and minor arrangements of their employer. The extent of their duties depends upon the level of experience of the valet and their individual relationship to their employer.
In one’s own experience, this list has also grown to include managing the staff, supplies, finances, social diary and personal affairs of His Lordship, as well as serving as mentor, sounding board, therapist, confessor and confidant to a gentlecat of considerable renown. He is an active member of society in Waterdeep and, recently, the Dawnlands, as well as a retired knight, a traveller, an author, poet and a scholar, with multiple diverse interests both indoors and outdoors, and an extensive list of personal acquaintances in the social scene of Daring Heights in particular.
Currently, we are resident at the Gilded Mirror in Daring Heights. The facilities here are impeccable and one rarely has cause for complaint.
A reflection on the unexpected life of a valet, in the estimation of a seasoned professional who has performed all aspects of the position extensively
A valet’s work is never done. And neither should it be. A valet who finds themselves in need of a task has fallen short of the standards of excellence required for the position.
The variety in this profession is without compare. No two days are the same. It requires, however, considerable expertise on the part of a valet to make it appear otherwise. Nevertheless, in recent years, one’s range of tasks has included such diverse duties as:
The position of valet is therefore a challenging yet rewarding one, requiring a sanguine temperament that must never be displayed, a physical prowess that must never draw attention to itself, and the possession of a considerable mental acuity that must never be seen to outshine an employer.
Morning routine
Punctuality is essential. Precision must be the fifth humour that flows in your body. A valet who is tardy for their employer’s morning rituals will inevitably find themselves dismissed from service without a second chance.
Daytime routine
Day duties are chiefly to await His Lordship’s return and attend to his needs, while ensuring the following tasks are complete:
Evening routine
The evening routine is the most variable, depending on His Lordship’s temperament. He most frequently prefers to dine out, though the arrangements are oftentimes impromptu:
Other diverse notes of important issues for preparation & general readiness in the execution of one’s duties
Keep a careful mental note of His Lordship’s friends, acquaintances, adventures and affairs should he require reminders. A calendar of events must be maintained rigorously. A good valet must memorize this and be able to recall all information with absolute precision and accuracy.
Keep apprised of notable cultural events and openings, including performances, clubs, festivals, soirees, literary trends and publications, city news, political news, local gossip amongst serving staff and nobility, news of Port Ffirst and Fort Ettin.
Keep apprised of gentlecat fashion trends, discerning between those His Lordship may not have seen but should follow, and those His Lordship may follow but should not have seen.
His Lordship frequently disregards his retirement status: keep a close note of the Daring Heights Adventurer’s Noticeboard, and the other regular notification platforms.
Liaise closely with the other staff, Ms Rowena May, chambermaid, and Mx Tamarkh Gladdrhyn, youngest child of the Gladdrhyn estate and fifth squire to His Lordship, managing their wellbeing, salaries and expenses.
One’s direct employer is technically Lady Flame, daughter of Lord Lucky, and she has expressed considerable concern that His Lordship has not been embracing his retirement as fully as Her Ladyship might have hoped. In the event that His Lordship omits an event in his correspondence, ascertain whether this is accidental or deliberate and adjust one’s own reports accordingly; it is unseemly for a valet to be the bearer of tidings His Lordship has chosen, in his wisdom, not to mention.
Preparing for the unexpected: in the case of His Lordship deciding to vanish without warning, spend without budgeting, fight without preparation
A valet must expect the unexpected at all times. His Lordship has embraced much spontaneity since the loss of the late Lord Zari. The lifestyle of an adventurer causes damage to clothes and equipment. Sometimes His Lordship returns injured or exhausted from battle or from magic. Sometimes one may have to accommodate a guest who lives on a different routine. He may decide to travel to Port Ffirst in the middle of the day, leave town for several days unannounced, change evening plans abruptly, pay a friend an unplanned visit, or stay out overnight carousing.
Where possible, plan ahead and ensure accommodation is booked, supplies are acquired, bags are packed, refreshments are ready.
His Lordship is usually paid for his work in the Dawnlands although with sporadic timing and in unpredictable amounts. Further, it behoves one to anticipate a level of disregard for receiving fair or regular payment for services rendered. It is a valet’s duty to adapt to all financial situations seamlessly and ameliorate cashflow variances.
For the purposes of advice & instruction to the highest standards of a prospective valet in search of employment with a gentleperson of good standing, a valet must always remember the following strict rules for their own personal comportment
Possess a temperament of calm; it is a valet’s responsibility to not distress their master or mistress, nor to distract them from their own affairs.
Refrain from smoking and taking coffee, and eschew onions, garlic and other odoriferous foods.
One may drink, but one must never be drunk.
A regimen of daily yoga and strengthening exercises is necessary to stay in peak physical condition and handle the challenges of standing or walking for many hours at a time.
If all the above is done to excellence and perfection, it will enable one’s employer to live and work uninterrupted in their own tasks.
Private notes of His Lordship’s primary social & personal concerns during the month of Uktar
His Lordship’s lessons in Draconic with Ms Orianna Èirigh continue and must be scheduled around.
Ms Orianna and Mr Gerhard celebrate their recent arrival Valethra, a most noble young dragonling. Mx Tamarkh has scheduled their time around sitting duties for Valethra, at His Lordship’s encouragement.
His Lordship has mentioned recently missing Ms Glade and that he is concerned for her wellbeing. She appears to be keeping to herself of late.
His Lordship requires a suit fitting from Ms Lolli at Fitzgrove Fashionables for the New (New) Hillborough Winter Fair.
Tasselhoff Bitterbury the Bold, director of performance and music at the Feylight Garden Theatre, has invited His Lordship to attend the latest show.
On account of the frequent visits His Lordship has been making to Kundar of late, for diplomatic, charitable and armed consultation work, his clothes and living quarters are more often sand-coated and dusty, requiring additional diligence in cleaning and repairs.
His Lordship has been sleeping poorly of late, and one has observed some fitful slumber in which he calls out the name of his late husband. His Lordship mentions an uncomfortable buzzing sensation under the skin. This phenomenon often passes within a tenday or so. The most recent cause was an evening spent with a company of roaming drifters of the undead persuasion, who nevertheless seem to have intrigued His Lordship considerably.
A personal portrait
[Content Note: flecks of dust, mentions of tardiness, staff insolence]
~ I ~
Personal & professional observations by Mr Maurice Calculus, valet to Lord Lucky of the House of the Eyes of Sapphire, upon the subject of providing impeccable services to a most noble gentlecat
One has served under four generations of the House of the Eyes of Sapphire for some 50 years, in roles rising in responsibility, from hall-boy, to useful man, to footman, to under-butler, to butler of Sapphire House, and now valet to His Lordship while he continues his travels in retirement, following the loss of his husband, the late Lord Zari.
At core, a valet is expected to take care of the clothes, personal effects, and minor arrangements of their employer. The extent of their duties depends upon the level of experience of the valet and their individual relationship to their employer.
In one’s own experience, this list has also grown to include managing the staff, supplies, finances, social diary and personal affairs of His Lordship, as well as serving as mentor, sounding board, therapist, confessor and confidant to a gentlecat of considerable renown. He is an active member of society in Waterdeep and, recently, the Dawnlands, as well as a retired knight, a traveller, an author, poet and a scholar, with multiple diverse interests both indoors and outdoors, and an extensive list of personal acquaintances in the social scene of Daring Heights in particular.
Currently, we are resident at the Gilded Mirror in Daring Heights. The facilities here are impeccable and one rarely has cause for complaint.
~ II ~
A reflection on the unexpected life of a valet, in the estimation of a seasoned professional who has performed all aspects of the position extensively
A valet’s work is never done. And neither should it be. A valet who finds themselves in need of a task has fallen short of the standards of excellence required for the position.
The variety in this profession is without compare. No two days are the same. It requires, however, considerable expertise on the part of a valet to make it appear otherwise. Nevertheless, in recent years, one’s range of tasks has included such diverse duties as:
- Conveying the correct amount of politeness and helpfulness to encourage an unwanted overnight guest to leave promptly, while still feeling well treated
- Solving the theft of private letters from His Lordship’s collection
- Outsmarting a croquet cheat in order to save His Lordship from an unfortunate betting decision
- Perfume distilling and combining pigments for pastes, powders, kohls and other makeup products
- Perfection of a catmint and lemon balm coffee infusion, with a top secret blend of spices and other ingredients, guaranteed to quell a hangover
- Ghost wrangling and the maintaining of the utmost sangfroid in chillingly life-threatening circumstances
- Training a squire to feed and babysit a juvenile dragon
- Extensive diplomacy with aggrieved house managers, innkeepers, and vendors on issues ranging from missed bills to accidental destruction of property by way of combat
- Inveigling one’s way through guarded doorways unchallenged or undetected in the service of His Lordship’s needs (a servant’s attire is the greatest tool in the kit)
- Getting His Lordship out of a binding contract for membership to an unfashionable club by inventive use of a Hat of Disguise, a Potion of Heroism and a selection of feathers, without it resulting in a scandal
The position of valet is therefore a challenging yet rewarding one, requiring a sanguine temperament that must never be displayed, a physical prowess that must never draw attention to itself, and the possession of a considerable mental acuity that must never be seen to outshine an employer.
~ III ~
Morning routine
Punctuality is essential. Precision must be the fifth humour that flows in your body. A valet who is tardy for their employer’s morning rituals will inevitably find themselves dismissed from service without a second chance.
- Rise before dawn, dress, break one’s fast and clean one’s room
- Inspect kitchens; ensure hot water is available or on the boil
- Brew coffee – or, in the event that His Lordship has enjoyed a night of entertainment, a hangover remedy
- Precursory inspection of His Lordship’s room
- Set out the breakfast table with coffee, tea, toast
- Set His Lordship’s clothes out for the day; trousers to be brushed and hung on the back of his chair, shirt to be hung beside the chair, waistcoat and jacket to be carefully brushed and folded and laid in place, with a final inspection of the collars and buttons
- Choose a suitable scent according to the predicted weather, date, and any known preferences based on acquaintances or appointments of note in His Lordship’s itinerary
- Retrieve greatsword and mail shirt, take them to Mx Tamarkh Gladdrhyn for cleaning and maintenance; ensure they are arisen and update them on business for the day
- Take worn clothes to Ms Rowena May for laundry and repair, and update her on the state of His Lordship’s chambers; ensure they are arisen and update them on business for the day
- Retrieve ewers of hot and cold water from the kitchens; place on the washing table after a close inspection of all articles of toilet, including mirror, brushes, scissors, fresh towels and other grooming apparatus
- Return to Ms Rowena to ensure she has arisen and shows no signs of insolence or tardiness
- Retrieve correspondence from Gilded Mirror front desk
- Throw up the sash of His Lordship’s room, ensuring the window is open for the precise amount of time to recover the correct temperature to His Lordship’s preference
- Should His Lordship awaken, serve coffee, water and refreshments
- Should His Lordship require help dressing, provide assistance as needed, starting with body linen, proceeding to trousers, waistcoat, necktie, and boots, if desired
- Present items of toilet as needed, and grooming assistance including brush, whiskers and hair trimming
- When His Lordship leaves, present him gloves, hat, overcoat if required
- Open the door for him and note any orders to be received for the day
~ IV ~
Daytime routine
Day duties are chiefly to await His Lordship’s return and attend to his needs, while ensuring the following tasks are complete:
- Restore order to the room, ensuring clothing is folded and stored, toiletries are cleaned and returned to their places
- Strip the bed and take the sheets for airing and laundering
- Take His Lordship’s written correspondence to front desk for collection
- Consult with the day manager of the Gilded Mirror for any important business
- Visit the tailor, hatter, perfumer, blacksmith, chandler, stationer, grocer, wine merchant or other suppliers as required, and pay His Lordship’s outstanding market bills
- Locate the proprietors of any restaurants, bars or social establishments His Lordship has visited, ensuring any outstanding tabs are resolved
- Room inspection; ensure Ms May has swept and dusted properly, replaced refreshments, candles and linen, polished glassware and silverware, and the fire is lit and burns well at a suitable cheeriness for the time of day and for the season
- Inspection and maintenance of inkwell, quills and His Lordship’s writing desk, ensuring any important papers are not disturbed
- Stand ready to dress His Lordship during the day or for supper or any important occasion; in the case of rain, mud, combat encounters or personal encounters, be ready for impromptu wardrobe changes
- In the event that His Lordship stays in, ensure that drinks and refreshments are available and serve when required
~ V ~
Evening routine
The evening routine is the most variable, depending on His Lordship’s temperament. He most frequently prefers to dine out, though the arrangements are oftentimes impromptu:
- If His Lordship is staying in, arrange for supper to be brought up by the kitchen staff
- If His Lordship entertains, attend to the needs of any guests
- Serve supper if His Lordship requires
- Take boots for brushing and polishing if His Lordship has worn them
- Take any clothes for cleaning, pressing, folding and returning to His Lordship’s room; any repairs needed, whether combat-related or natural wear and tear, to be taken to the house seamster
- Ensure drinks, coffee and post-prandial refreshments are available
- Remain on call should His Lordship require further assistance
- If His Lordship is going out, remain up-to-date with his whereabouts; it behoves one to be prepared for any unexpected developments on the morrow with His Lordship’s carousing, dining and entertainment proclivities
- When His Lordship retires, remain on call should any urgent assistance be required during the evening or overnight
- Final inspection of His Lordship’s chambers before bedtime, restoring any displaced clothes, personal effects, items of toilet
- Supper with glass of wine, and dessert (if time permits)
- Brief social time with Gilded Mirror staff and the staff of other guests (if time permits, though note the immense value of keeping a professional level of familiarity with other senior staff at all times)
- Exercise (if time permits, though its importance must be stressed)
- Write journal entry (if time permits)
- Private reading (if time permits)
- Sleep (if time permits, though a minimum of six hours is considered essential for the adequate performance of one’s duties)
~ VI ~
Other diverse notes of important issues for preparation & general readiness in the execution of one’s duties
Keep a careful mental note of His Lordship’s friends, acquaintances, adventures and affairs should he require reminders. A calendar of events must be maintained rigorously. A good valet must memorize this and be able to recall all information with absolute precision and accuracy.
Keep apprised of notable cultural events and openings, including performances, clubs, festivals, soirees, literary trends and publications, city news, political news, local gossip amongst serving staff and nobility, news of Port Ffirst and Fort Ettin.
Keep apprised of gentlecat fashion trends, discerning between those His Lordship may not have seen but should follow, and those His Lordship may follow but should not have seen.
His Lordship frequently disregards his retirement status: keep a close note of the Daring Heights Adventurer’s Noticeboard, and the other regular notification platforms.
Liaise closely with the other staff, Ms Rowena May, chambermaid, and Mx Tamarkh Gladdrhyn, youngest child of the Gladdrhyn estate and fifth squire to His Lordship, managing their wellbeing, salaries and expenses.
One’s direct employer is technically Lady Flame, daughter of Lord Lucky, and she has expressed considerable concern that His Lordship has not been embracing his retirement as fully as Her Ladyship might have hoped. In the event that His Lordship omits an event in his correspondence, ascertain whether this is accidental or deliberate and adjust one’s own reports accordingly; it is unseemly for a valet to be the bearer of tidings His Lordship has chosen, in his wisdom, not to mention.
~ VII ~
Preparing for the unexpected: in the case of His Lordship deciding to vanish without warning, spend without budgeting, fight without preparation
A valet must expect the unexpected at all times. His Lordship has embraced much spontaneity since the loss of the late Lord Zari. The lifestyle of an adventurer causes damage to clothes and equipment. Sometimes His Lordship returns injured or exhausted from battle or from magic. Sometimes one may have to accommodate a guest who lives on a different routine. He may decide to travel to Port Ffirst in the middle of the day, leave town for several days unannounced, change evening plans abruptly, pay a friend an unplanned visit, or stay out overnight carousing.
Where possible, plan ahead and ensure accommodation is booked, supplies are acquired, bags are packed, refreshments are ready.
His Lordship is usually paid for his work in the Dawnlands although with sporadic timing and in unpredictable amounts. Further, it behoves one to anticipate a level of disregard for receiving fair or regular payment for services rendered. It is a valet’s duty to adapt to all financial situations seamlessly and ameliorate cashflow variances.
~ VIII ~
For the purposes of advice & instruction to the highest standards of a prospective valet in search of employment with a gentleperson of good standing, a valet must always remember the following strict rules for their own personal comportment
Possess a temperament of calm; it is a valet’s responsibility to not distress their master or mistress, nor to distract them from their own affairs.
Refrain from smoking and taking coffee, and eschew onions, garlic and other odoriferous foods.
One may drink, but one must never be drunk.
A regimen of daily yoga and strengthening exercises is necessary to stay in peak physical condition and handle the challenges of standing or walking for many hours at a time.
If all the above is done to excellence and perfection, it will enable one’s employer to live and work uninterrupted in their own tasks.
~ IX ~
Private notes of His Lordship’s primary social & personal concerns during the month of Uktar
His Lordship’s lessons in Draconic with Ms Orianna Èirigh continue and must be scheduled around.
Ms Orianna and Mr Gerhard celebrate their recent arrival Valethra, a most noble young dragonling. Mx Tamarkh has scheduled their time around sitting duties for Valethra, at His Lordship’s encouragement.
His Lordship has mentioned recently missing Ms Glade and that he is concerned for her wellbeing. She appears to be keeping to herself of late.
His Lordship requires a suit fitting from Ms Lolli at Fitzgrove Fashionables for the New (New) Hillborough Winter Fair.
Tasselhoff Bitterbury the Bold, director of performance and music at the Feylight Garden Theatre, has invited His Lordship to attend the latest show.
On account of the frequent visits His Lordship has been making to Kundar of late, for diplomatic, charitable and armed consultation work, his clothes and living quarters are more often sand-coated and dusty, requiring additional diligence in cleaning and repairs.
His Lordship has been sleeping poorly of late, and one has observed some fitful slumber in which he calls out the name of his late husband. His Lordship mentions an uncomfortable buzzing sensation under the skin. This phenomenon often passes within a tenday or so. The most recent cause was an evening spent with a company of roaming drifters of the undead persuasion, who nevertheless seem to have intrigued His Lordship considerably.
~ X ~
A personal portrait