I'd like to hold a masquerade ball in my story, a secret one, since the story takes place during a horrible distopian regime. Like the secret rock concerts they apparently have in Iran, I need help moving the resources and people about without them being discovered. Here's what I need: -A way to brew/accumulate a large quantity of alcohol in a little under two months. -A way to soundproof the event (It's in someone's house) -A way to secure craft supplies that have been strictly rationed by this distopian government. (to make the party masks) -Should I have some characters on lookout for the Morality police?
1) I don't know anything about brewing alcohol so I can't help you there. 2) I don't think you have to be too specific here. Just say they used soundproof glass/polycarbon or some other technology developed in this distopia. I'm assuming it's in the future. 3) Have a chain of underground suppliers that pass the supplies from the surface to this celebration room. They have to look like everyday people, doing everyday things otherwise it would be obvious what they're doing. This would be an important detail to elaborate on since the people have to figure out ways to evade your Morality police. 4) I hope so.. If this regime is as powerful as I think it is and the consequences for holding this celebration are high, then the partiers would be pretty stupid not to.
actually, it's in the past... an alternate past with steampunk technology. Could they just use blankets?
Yeah, but how big is this house? Would they be stapling these blankets to the ceiling or something? That's a lot of blankets.. The simplest solution would be to host it underground. That would take care of the noise and it's easier to guard against intruders.
if they cultivated their own yeast and used simple sugars brewing a simple wine two months is more than enough time. I use 2 6 gallon carboys to make my wine and a cultivation of yeast i have had for several years. takes about 4 weeks for me to get the 15 percent yield i like. almost anything can be fermented. ive even made tomato wine.
The government is probably too busy to serialize and inventory clothing, so I'd suggest making the party masks out of old clothing. If it's flat-out impossible to get paint and glue, they could even unravel some clothing and embroider designs, and use scrapes for appliqué designs. Structure/stiffening could be achieved with packaging cardboard and plastic if it's a modern setting, or twigs and other natural materials in almost any setting. Actually, twigs and leaves and such could also be possible materials.
Well if you make it a big basement that would work. Although if the police notice a lot of people going to this house, it might draw suspicion--from neighbours as well. Your alternative is rundown or abandoned factories/buildings/parking lots that have an underground part. Or they can use public buildings and the partiers would have to pay off the property owners or trust them a lot. I'd go with abandoned warehouses personally, adds more atmosphere.
If it were modern, I'd go with the utility tunnels/steam tunnels under a university or other facility. Edited to add: An abandoned facility. The government you describe sounds like the type to shut down a lot of educational facilities; education gives people power. Edited again to add: You don't have to be *modern*, modern, for steam tunnels. They're not a space-age thing, they're just also not a medieval thing. I think.
Don't soundproof it. Even if the music is quiet a crowd of people is just going to generate a lot of noise. Move the local to a factory where people are used to hearing noise at night. A glaziers or a foundry where people work with the schedule of cooling iron or glass, instead of a daily schedule, could be emptied out and used for a huge, covert party.
The only problem is the tyrannical government has nationalized all industries and by extension, all the factories.
All you need is the right contacts and enough cash to bribe the right person, and voila. It's not so difficult in that sense. But it sounds like a story problem that you as the author really should figure out for yourself. You're not throwing suggestions, you're literally just asking us to resolve the story for you, and it sounds like a mini subplot. Don't be lazy - solving your own story problems is half the fun of writing a story in the first place!
For the place, I really thing about an old clay mines or mushroom culture underground. You also have old catacomb / necropolis / unfinished tube lines.
alright, alright alright. Enough with the suggestions on where to hold the venue. I still need craft supplies and alcohol.
distilling spirits is pretty easy after the fermentation part. that way you would have hard liqueur and wine. from experience beer might be too much to brew in this story line. Mash, cleaning and brewing supplies are much harder to hide then lets say a 5 gallon bucket with a makeshift bubbler set to ferment. they make wine in prison so that would be the best bet i think.
Okay, now assume we need barrels full of the stuff, would anything change other than how many stills are in operation?
Also don't forget than bootleggers some time mix alcohol with gasoline or other domestic liquids to make it stronger.
