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
If it were a Hellsing vampire that would actually be a pretty big threat. Gu Yun's no virgin, is he.
No, you pervert!! I told it to attack and run off anyone who peeked!!
[And you, sir, it goes unsaid, you peeked.
The familiar, bewildered, confused, backs down now that it gathers that Gu Yun is not for the attacking. It slowly shrinks in size from its enlarged form, giving Walter less and less to stand on, though the teen keeps his footing and his hold just in case their familiars end up angering each other.]
no subject
Innocently: ]
Peeked at what?
[ Even though he's making light of the whole situation, his qilin is lowering his head, showing his horns. Now that the qilin understands the situation, he's rendered his judgement. An attack from behind, unjust! An order to harm people for something inadvertent and innocent, unjust! Xiao Hu, guilty!
The qilin starts to step forwards towards Xiao Hu, slowly, about to deliver the headbutt of justice. ]
no subject
In an instant, Walter's entire demeanour shifts, fire and bluster cooling and condensing into icy calm.]
I called off my hound, qilin. [He lifts his head, imperious even as he slides down with predatory grace from his Black Dog's back, lifting his arm to the side to block its front in a silent command to stay and to not engage.]
If you have an issue, you deal with me.
[For all the tenseness of the situation, Walter seems much more at ease now than when he was stripping down for the sake of the ritual. In fact, he's so thoroughly focus on the qilin that he's no longer even bothered that he's completely naked.]
no subject
Remember why we're here.
[ He's speaking to his familiar, but it's not like his voice is lowered. Anyone could hear it. What he doesn't say, but simply thinks, sharing with his familiar through their bond:
This is a kid on his own, feeling vulnerable. You heard him, he didn't want to hurt me. What is justice without mercy?
The qilin huffs, a puff of steam rising from his nostrils, but doesn't resist his master's command. Gu Yun lifts his head, pointedly not looking at Xiao Hu. ]
I'm going ahead.
no subject
...Thank you.
[For the help. For the courtesy.]
no subject
Xiao Hu, you...
[ Distressed to this extent, over a naked run in the woods? There's a version of Gu Yun, the one that grew up as a useless young master in the capital, instead of the leader of the Black Iron Batallion, who would have thought this kind of thing daring and hilarious.
But his experiences over the years have turned him into a person who knows how to act shameless without actually being that way. Perhaps this kid's circumstances have eaten away the frivolity that ought to belong to a teenage boy. ]
...you don't have to work so hard.
[ As in: you don't have to take everything upon yourself.
With that, he sets off running again, his qilin keeping pace beside him. ]
no subject
Left to engage his incredible foe, alone.]
...You're wrong. I do.
[With the two disappearing from sight, the boy bends down to gather his belongings and the robe lent to him for the run. Once he has them neatly in hand, the robe neatly draped over his arms and front, he makes to stand again, turning to his increasingly normal-sized familiar.]
Come. We'll take an even longer way around. No one will follow us unless they mean to.
[Without further word, Walter turns, his familiar abruptly shrinking the rest of the way to it's usual size to follow him. They travel together, going deeper into the forest and off the marked paths.
It will be some time before they reach the fountain — well after everyone else participating has had ample time to come and go... and entirely by design.]