As the moon rises on the 21st, all non-emergency businesses will be closing early as the Winter Solstice celebrations are of the utmost importance. Those who participated in the ritual will feel the night is different in their very being. Anyone who participated in the Winter Ritual preparations will be immortal for the next 24 hours. No harm may come to them, they will not be affected by the cold, and their magic will be amplified significantly as they are currently a conduit for the world's magic. Everyone, regardless of whether they participated in the preparations or not, is welcome to partake in tonight's festivities as there are many ways in which the Winter Solstice is celebrated.
The most significant event of the night is the Solstice Night Run. If you didn't participate in the ritual, you may be able to get a hit off of someone's Everwarm to participate. At the edge of the City of Camelot, heading into the Brocéliande, characters will be asked to remove their clothing (or if they aren't comfortable with that, change into very light robes provided by local donations) to return as close to a natural state as possible, then run through the forest. As characters run through the forest, despite everything being covered in ice and snow, the woods will begin to come alive. Will-o-wisps sprout out of the snow and shake the frost off, floating in the air to provide lights throughout the forest. The trees seem to move and dance as you pass by, flurries pick up, and even some animals will start running alongside you. It's a celebration for all, as magic flows through your body as becomes part of the forest.
Inevitably, somehow, someway, those participating in the run all end up reaching what seems to be a crack in the ground, slabs of rock surrounding a stream of water flowing through the crack. This is the fairy fountain of Barenton, a crack in the fabric of Avalon that connects its waters to other worlds. Though it's currently unable to connect now due to the time freeze, some of the fairy folk running with you will happily let you know that some of its powers are still in tact-- try sprinkling some water on the stone slab nearby. As the waters trail down the slab and form a puddle on the floor, the drops from your hand will open a vision of a treasured memory. Anyone near you will be able to see it, so only do it if you're willing to share. There are many other uses, but since you're still very new, this is the only one they're willing to share for the moment. Regardless of whether you choose to use that form of magic or not, as you approach the fountain, it will begin to bubble and glow, and lights like an aurora borealis will begin to glow around you as your connection to Avalon deepens. You'll be able to feel the life of the forest, a connectedness to the world you've likely never felt before. Every leaf, the wind, every living being, the magic in the fabric of the world, is a part of you and you are a part of it.
As the night presses on, a large number of fairies begin to form fairy circles, both in the forest and back in the City-- so you needn't have participated in the run to find one. Toadstools and flowers sprout up through the snow that hadn't been there before, forming near-perfect circles in nature. Stepping into one, whether on purpose or on accident, will shrink you down to the pixies' size so you can dance with them, if you promise to keep going for the whole dance. The dance lasts about 20 minutes straight and there don't seem to be any rules besides keep moving around the fairy circle, even if you bump into someone. In the last minute of the dance, pixies will fly above the circle and sprinkle dust over the whole party. Anyone who completed the dance will be returned to their normal size and granted the ability to fly for the duration of the witching hour of 2-3am. You'll be invited to drink with them afterward, if that's your thing, but will not be offended if it isn't.
Not completing the dance despite stepping into their circle, being rude to the pixies, or attempting to stop anyone who is dancing will anger the pixies. Pixies are a tricksy bunch, so you'd be better off avoiding this, but if a character happens to get on their bad side, there are a few different types of pixie curses they may be inflicted with:
Small Soul: They simply won't return you to your normal size. You may need to find some other way to remedy this, or else you may be spending some time quite small. This can be fixed by a person with healing magic and a simple healing spell, as the spell wasn't originally meant to last this long to begin with.
Pixy-led: The pixies will upset your center of gravity for the rest of the night. Though in reality, there's nothing going on, you may have a huge sense of Spinning Vertigo for the next hour or so. Good luck getting home! You may want to find help. The way to break this spell is to put your coat on inside out, so you'll have to find someone willing to share that with you- the pixies might if you promise to give them something good.
Bellbark: Until broken by anti-magic, any time your character hears a bell, they will mentally act like a dog for the next half-hour. This will last beyond the span of the event until your character is able to get their hands on a counter-curse potion, so be wary if you choose this one for your character. As the night winds down, anyone who had participated in the ritual will find themselves rather suddenly sleepy regardless of where they are and may fall asleep as if under a spell right there out in the snow. They'll wake up normally in the morning, the land having used their slumber as time to finish off its work using you as a conduit. Don't worry, those under the influence of the ritual's effects won't catch cold or anything... though, we can't guarantee anything with those pixie effects-- they weren't really harmful, after all, just irritating. Anyone who fell asleep outside will find that the snow has melted in their area for about 5 feet and bright green plants have started sprouting around them on the ground, some vines growing around their limbs but ultimately nothing that can't be brushed off easily.
It would appear that while it was a permitted act during the Winter Solstice, the fae who may have told you about that little trick with the fountain and the pedestal may not have shared the whole story. As it turns out, the slab that everyone was trickling water onto is a stone known as Merlin's Step. Merlin's Step, when a little bit of water is sprinkled upon it, summons rain. When a lot of people put water on it, it summons a huge thunder storm. It is certain to, as many of the fairies are happy to attest, wash away the freezing snow so they can move about freely during the winter again. Fae often have ulterior motives, even if they're often coupled with good intentions. This may have gone a little beyond their expectations, however, as enough people have done it that the storm has brought about torrential rains and hail, frequent zaps of lightning, and strong winds. Most people are being urged and ushered into cellars throughout the city as the hail has been causing injuries, breaking windows, and the lightning is strong enough that it's been striking the ground frequently. You may end up crammed together in a small, dark room while a storm rages outside with little to do except what's in the cellar-- eat canned foods, play old board games, dust of a.. uh oh, is that a Ouija board? Get creative and have fun with what you think could be in the cellar you end up in.
After what seems like most of the day, the storm is still raging on, but the next moment you find still water, the Lady of the Lake's face shows up, with another woman beside her. The Lady of the Lake's ability to communicate via water is being used to reach everyone at once. The Lady doesn't say anything, once she's got it live, well aware that they're short on time as the lake surface is choppy and dangerous right now. They have a limited time above the surface to speak, so she leaves it to the woman with her. |
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isleofavalon2020-12-20 12:32 am
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His Black Dog is, like Walter, a little on the aloof side, but doesn't seem bothered by the sniffing. The sheer length of their dark, shaggy fur makes it somewhat hard to tell whether they're a boy or a girl, if they indeed retained such traits despite being an apparition in nature. Walter hasn't bothered checking.
"Have you used your magic in this forest before? There's a warning about doing so, and I have to say it's right. Sometimes magic does go awry."
Being a kinetic magic user, he can adjust fairly quickly. He's not sure about how it would affect a user of dark magic.
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"I haven't. Honestly, I'm still getting used to magic as a concept. But I'm a pretty good shot. And I figure I can try something to make it easier. A hex to disable him or something."
It's worth a shot.
"If it goes wrong, then, I can't imagine it'll be anything major. And it's a last resort."
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Walter is perhaps oddly confident for an adolescent, but he is more than accustomed to dangerous tasks. Not to mention him participating in the Winter Solstice rituals and gaining a temporary boon from it.
"Our familiars can assist with subduing him once he's disarmed and you can grab the sword."
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Maybe if I do a little bad-luck hex on the knight beforehand. Or a curse on the bullet or something. She's already working on ways to make herself more dangerous, and improve their odds by reducing chance.
"Can you give me a couple of minutes to try something?" Claire asks, already pulling a clip out of her bag.
"Going to try a spell."
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Yet, when she removes the clip, Walter can't help but be a little curious. Being a part of an organization that hunts down vampires, Walter is no stranger to blessed ammunition. That the lady would think to attempt the same with the dark arts she's become attuned to even being new to the idea of magic... Well, she just might have some potential in her for this sort of thing.
Leaning over with an approving smirk, he comments with an almost casual air, "Augmenting your ammunition?"
I...never got this notif I'm sorry
"Yes," she says, standing, responding after several moments of concentrated silence. "Putting a little curse on them. Hopefully one that will incapacitate him for us, just for a bit."
Chuckling dryly, she racks in the clip and nods at him.
"Dirty deeds done dirt cheap, and all that. No sense in not trying."
That's okay! It happens.
Straightening as she straightens, Walter looks to her, matching look for look.
"When your would-be adversary is beyond being killed... or as close to it as one can be, there's little to worry about when it comes to pushing your limits. There's no better opponent to experiment on new techniques with, really."
Assuming one is also willing to take on the risk of their lives being in greater danger... a little fact that will be much more pressing once the effects of the ritual wear off, to others if not to him.
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Dusting off her hands, she holsters the weapon and starts walking once again, casting a glance to her traveling companion.
"I'm Claire, by the way. Didn't get your name."
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He walks alongside her, his dark hound in turn walking beside him. He's slightly shorter than her, but he easily keeps up with her pace.
"...Walter." It still feels odd to give out his name to so many people. But, slowly, he's starting to get used to it. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Claire."
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She nods towards the dog, a little curious.
"Looks like we got similar companions, too. Wonder if there's a correlation or if that's just coincidence."
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He lifts his other hand into the air, fingers splayed and palm upturned as he explains. "Black Dog. Barghest. Church Grim. The first is a general term, the second a regional variant, and the third a specific term for a type bound to churchyards. Those are three of the most common names, but there are more."
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"Didn't really study a whole lot of spooky stuff back home. I was more interested in Native American stuff, personally."
Which is unfortunate, given the circumstances. But, well, she's managing okay.
"What do you do, back home?"
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"I'm also a butler. I'm not very good at the being civil bit yet," — on account of being more focused on handling the task of putting down supernatural threats — "but I'm second to none when it comes to cleaning house."
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"An overly proper butler's probably no fun anyway," she offers, helpfully. "But that sounds like a lot of work. I've read a bit about the training involved."
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At least the bastard is never around the manor.
"...but you are right. It is a lot of work. My master could not keep a clean house on his own to save his life."
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That, of course, is the thing that she picks up on most out of the conversation as they walk. She can definitely agree that cleaning house and learning etiquette is an arduous task. Though, she'd gotten a pretty English impression with him, now, and mention of a war gets her wondering just which one. Timelines are important, after all.
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He should... really ask someone about that, sometime.
"I'm from 1944. We're fighting against Nazi Germany. Your country and mine." And the other Allies, of course, but that's more than is necessary to give for a frame of reference.
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"I'm from 1998. So, 54 years in the future."
She pauses for a moment, unsure of what to say. She eventually does find words though, adding...
"The war only lasts another year. The Allies and the USSR smoosh the Nazis from both sides."
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"I'm not sure how time and place work exactly with everyone here. Supposedly, when we were all brought here time in our worlds was frozen, but it seems like there's people from the same planet and yet different times..."
And that, his supernatural know-how aside, is way beyond the current level of his schooling.
Still, it's good to know that, somewhere, the Allies won.
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"I don't have a clue. But, not everyone is from Earth that I've talked to."
She thinks back to that kid, Crow, and his magic music rocks?
"...Ever heard of a Melody Stone?"
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He has never heard of it, and he has not the slightest idea what it might be. Did someone try to make a phonograph record out of rock?
Somehow he doubts that.
"What is it?"
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Like, as common as eyeballs or something.
"Probably the weirdest thing I've had happen here so far, honestly. Other than the magic stuff."
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The weirdest thing for Walter, Walter thinks, would have to be his initial experience in finding himself in Avalon. Between suddenly finding himself somewhere he was not and having to sort out whether the soldier he encountered was an enemy or not an enemy due to all the confusion involved, it had been a very disorienting moment for him. Fortunately, said soldier was not, in fact, an enemy. He's even become a little attached the man, though he hasn't said as much directly.
...On second thought, perhaps the notion of having friends at all might be the weirdest thing for him thus far. But he likes Gu Yun and Li Min and has every intention of looking out for them. So, beyond himself and his personal work ethic, he has two more reasons to find this Black Knight fellow and get his sword so they can stop this godawful storm.
"There is an unusually large variety of magic to be had here," he supplies to her statement. "Finding out new ways for it to be applied is going to be interesting."
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She blows out a breath, her gaze straying down towards her holstered gun. Magic. New applications. Yeah...this is going to be interesting alright.
"Is magic real in your world, Walter?"
That's her last question. Probably. They are coming up on hill that could very well have a Black Knight on the other side.
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Very, very rare. He's one of the few that knows of the real kind. To just about everyone else, it's either a thing of fiction or something they believe in but have no proof of.
Ascending the slope, Walter soon becomes dimly aware of another sound in the storm. Thus far he's heard the rain, the wind, the thunder, and the sounds of hail hitting ground and tree alike. This sounds very much like the hail, but distinctly sharper, as though it is hitting something different than earth or wood.
He pauses, his familiar likewise pausing, fur bristling with alertness.
"Do you hear that?"
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Many apologies for the delay!
It's no worries. I've been behind too. sorry i never got to you in January after we plotted.
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and end scene?