isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ The Winter Solstice

EVENT ✨ The Winter Solstice

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This is the event log. Reply with your character's top-level response using the prompts below, or come up with your own related scenario! Totally up to you. You're also welcome to make your own network posts, but we encourage you to keep logs in one place. If you have trouble loading, please click here to view top-level comments only. Please check the plotting post here for more details and questions. The event itself takes place on Dec. 21st.

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:

Pixy-led:

Bellbark:

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.

”"It would seem my brethren have gotten carried away treating you all for helping with the ritual. I can put an end to this storm, but there is a cost. You'd do well to learn all magic has one sooner than later. The stronger the magic, the harder it is to stop. Your first lesson in breaking spells follows: In using Merlin's Step, you've awoken his Black Knight. Bring me his sword. Don't bother trying to kill him, he's already beyond that.

Don't be alarmed if you see more than one, dears. The Brocéliande is known to play with its guests when it's in a bad mood."

She smiles as she says it, and the image disappears out of the water. A small whorl forms in the water and a small vial pops out. An attached slip says "Pour me out and drop the sword into the water." for how to deliver the sword to her, as she certainly didn't say who she was. In order to obtain the Black Knight's sword, characters will have to find creative ways to fight an unkillable knight and distract him long enough to steal his sword. Using magic and teamwork is your best bet. Multiple groups of characters can obtain the Black Knight's sword and Morganna won't tell which one is real, as she won't be able to tell until she receives it and is always pleased to see those doing her bidding anyway. As a thanks and an apology, anyone who dares to fight the Black Knight and bring the sword to her will find a pile of fresh, edible mushrooms and herbs wrapped in a cloth on their doorstep the next day. The cloth they're wrapped in has a culinary recipe on it for a lovely mushroom soup. These are from the fairies who encouraged everyone to use the water, not Morganna. Her gift was to stop the storm, leaving the realm glistening as the sun comes out and sparkles against the rain on the ground and small remaining clumps of slush.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, if you say so.

[Her lips twitched into a slightly warmer smile as she finally took a seat opposite him. At the very least, she was enjoying the debate, prickly though her demeanour was. And, well, she was glad for someone who appreciated her presence.]

...That sounds amusing, if you're willing to tell. That sounds a rather unfortunate curse.

Okay, but for the record, you asked, so don't think I'm an egotist for talking about myself so much.

[Straightening up, he makes sure to put the instructions for the game back in the box so they don't get lost, before he drops into a comfortable slouch leaning forward this time, forearms on his knees.]

My first question is, how familiar are you with the concept of martial arts?

Of course.

[Caster was keeping her hands in her lap, back against the wall.]

I was a Magus, before I arrived here, so martial arts were not something I practiced myself...but Souichirou-sama- someone I worked closely with back then, was well trained in it.

[Gods, she missed him terribly.]

Edited 2020-12-29 01:47 (UTC)

[Oh good, that helps a lot.]

So we begin this story when I'm a little tyke and my parents end up dead. Our guardian wanted to keep us safe from the ones responsible, so she sent my sister off with the werewolves because she was almost certainly one, and me off to a boarding school where I grew up. Learned martial arts, got my education, became a responsible member of society. Then one day some evil wizards decided to attack the place, because the martial artists were also good wizards -- [He waves his hands around, because it gets so confusing here, don't worry too much about the details] And genius me, being a dumbass teen, decides to go find a weapon in the sealed vaults. Lo and behold, I grab one, and suddenly whack. Soul stuck in it!

[Martial artist wizards sounds perfectly normal to her! She just nods at that.]

So the weapon you found was cursed, then.

[His smirk isn't for her or her conclusion; no, it's for the whole situation to begin with.]

Nope. That's the part that made this all hell. It belonged to another faction of mages, who'd been missing it for a long time and wanted it back badly -- and they knew for a fact it couldn't do what it had just done. So they thought I was spinning a crazy tale to hold onto it because it was so valuable and useful, and I was an arrogant little snotty punk.

Ah...Magi factions. I see that is a problem in other worlds as well, then.

[Less said on the Mage's Association and their obnoxious members the better.]

So, what did you do then?

[Yep. Nine factions united in their belief in magick and divided by their beliefs in their own magics. Not that he's innocent of such either, but he tries to keep an open mind.]

Graduated, came into my inheritance, went to a nexus world much like this one, and spent a few years getting my head out of my ass and enduring frequent efforts to steal the sword, force me to surrender it, torture me till I gave it over, and otherwise make my life as much hell as possible as they could without pissing off every other Tradition and a fair number of werewolves.

[Well, perhaps their worlds were a little more alike than she first suspected.]

And you still came out of that as optimistic as you did...you're definitely naive.

[A pause, before she smirked.]

...but I think I've won the first round, don't you? You've disclosed more information than I have.

Oh, that took a lot of practice and a lot of growth to achieve. I used to be a bitter little bastard. You would have stopped talking to me thirty seconds into this conversation...

[His own smile is quite genuine.]

But here we are still conversing, so I think I won. Mainly because you sort of radiate "private person" -- [He helpfully sticks up his hands and wiggles his fingers to demonstrate the privacy waves emanating from her-] --who doesn't say a darn thing about herself unless she really wants to, so that was never my goal from the beginning. My game is to befriend you, in the hopes that one day you'll find me worth sharing a little more with.

Of course, now you know that, so you can plan your own strategies accordingly. But then again, that's part of my strategy too...

[Now he's definitely playing up the chessmaster angle, hands twitching like he's mad as his grin turns lopsided and sinister. His eyes, of course, still spoil the illusion, since they show he's clearly just having some fun.]

[That or the conversation would have devolved into bitter venting on both fronts. Either way, it would be distinctly less pleasant.]

Now, now, you can't change the rules of the game like that to snatch a victory away. That's hardly fair.

[But from Caster's laugh - a warmer one, this time - she didn't mean that comment particularly seriously. A Servant with the weapon 'Rule Breaker' complaining about someone breaking the rules was hypocritical at best, and that was not lost on her.]

But I suppose you're right about me in that sense... aside from the fact that befriending me is a resoundingly terrible idea. You'll find that out if you play your cards wrong, of course.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Caster. And you?

[Names, that's a good start.]

['Caster'. Sounds like a character class, and he wonders if that's deliberate or intentional. (Oh how little he knows.)]

[But hey, a real laugh. Progress!]

Morgan. Morgan Knight, and that's a last name, not a title or an honorific. [Eyerooooolllll] I've never had to explain that so many times in my life before I came here...

[A surprisingly accurate assessment, for someone who wasn't aware of the Grail war.]

Knights in the traditional sense were less common where you're from, I take it?

...This world is full of strange contradictions. These communication devices especially seem out of place.

Nexus worlds are like that. Huge mixes and messes of everything from everywhere, much like all of us. [Meaning the people who got dragged here.] This reminds me a lot of my home... not my homeworld, but the world I ended up living in for the most part. One reason I can be pretty comfortable here, I guess.

Then you've experienced a world like this before.

[She'd been summoned to a different age, but not another world entirely.]

Yep! They're nice if you can get comfortable there. Often dangerous, but nice. [Caster also radiates that "more dangerous than you" aura, so he doesn't think she has much to worry about.]

But they're not home.

[That came out a bit more snappy than was fair, but well, she was very homesick. And missed her partner.

At least she had her 'more dangerous than you' aura to fall back on. Helpful when you were a squishy mage who relied on her now non-existent magic to keep herself safe.]

...What was the last one you were in like?

Yeah. It's not.

[He might be cheerful and optimistic, but he does miss home, and his friends and family. He won't pretend otherwise.]

The city was huge. Way bigger than around here. It spanned more technology, too, since you could find things like spaceships and robots and all that mixed right in. I stuck to the smaller, homier places when I could. Taverns, mostly, because a relative of my best friend had accidentally been there first and knew a few places.

[At least he acknowledged that. For now, she listened to what he had to say about the other world...]

It sounds more chaotic than this one is. Did you ever find out what brought you there?

...Were your powers affected in that world, as well?

[Seesawing a hand back and forth, Morgan couldn't really answer yes or no.] On my homeworld, most people didn't believe in magick, and my kind of magick is much harder to do around people who don't believe in it. So my ability wasn't exactly affected directly, but it was a LOT easier in a nexus world where magic was run-of-the-mill.

Mm, I suppose that makes sense. Most Magi in recent times will hide their power from outsiders. A world like this where everyone uses magic is unusual.

[Even in the Age of Gods, where magic was accepted, it wasn't something everyone could do - and her powers were also treated with suspicion back then.]

[And like that, Morgan has another piece of the puzzle. He's guessing that she had magic before (c'mon, Caster) and had been influenced to some degree by the need to keep it hidden.]

But it feels great, though, to just -- not hide, to be yourself. [The thought makes him stretch his arms high and out, with a pleased grunt. It only seems like a bizarre segue; his magic is, or rather was, very physical in nature in many respects.] And it's no bad thing to be thought of as a possible savior here, I'll admit.

[Clue's in the name.]

Mm, it makes things more convenient that we can be somewhat open, doesn't it? And they seem to have extended that 'saviour' logic to all of us, regardless of the sort of magic we have been granted.

It seems farcical, to think someone like me can save their world. You at least seem to have the demeanour for it.

Everything and everyone has their place. And you have as much capacity for heroism as anyone else. Especially considering whatever was in your past, for good or bad, is gone. Choose where you go without regrets!

[But then he waves a hand.] Metaphorically speaking. I'm really not encouraging you to go out in the storm. That cloak looks like it weighs seventy pounds already, I just keep imagining it getting soaked and splat.

[Twisting away from the wall, he sprawls backwards, miming struggling against a heavy fabric weight covering him.]

Then you're saying regardless of any horrific or noble acts someone has done in their history, that has no meaning, here? What was that saying... "Don't let your past define you"?

[Okay that impression was needlessly dramatic, but hey, it got another chuckle out of her.]

...It is a little impractical, I admit, but I am not so eager to shed it as you were your shirt earlier.

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I'm really liking these two's CR so far, it's interesting

What a coincidence, me too!

Glad to hear it :)