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
no subject
Whatever the case is when Rosho speaks up, Samatoki still hasn't put two and two together and come up with Sasara in this equation yet.]
Nah, woulda made it three if I could carry it.
[He smirks, sorry Rosho, he is who he is and unapologetically so, he downs half the first drink. May even offer to get Rosho another when he goes to get his next one.]
no subject
I get ya! Sometimes when I'm drinkin' I think about that too. Way less standin' up and movin' around to get more, ya know?
[ Speaking of, how is his glass almost empty? Disappointing. ]
Hey, ya got one of those pets? The animals or whatever? Could use 'em to get more.
[ Rosho please do not use your kuda-gitsune for booze retrieval, that's not what the familiars are for! ]
no subject
See now your talkin', set up one of those mini-fridge things, kick back and just get drunk, less chance of knockin' shit over if ya get too drunk.
[That's okay, Samatoki's first one is gone now, done and over with so won't be long before he needs more.]
Yours got arms, cause mine is just a pile of fuckin' skulls
[Why not? If it will go get them it would make life easier.]
no subject
Wh-whadya mean a pile'a skulls? That ain't even alive, that's like, ya carry around a bunch of corpses! That's creepy! I'd rather have my annoyin' fox thing than that!
[ Well that's just like, your opinion, Rosho.
Speaking of annoying fox thing-! Rosho's familiar appears in a poof of smoke, in traditional fashion, perched upon his head before it jumps onto his shoulder then scuttles down his arm in order to sniff curiously at the cup of booze Rosho is still holding onto. What is this? Can he drink?
It's pretty obvious the kuda-gitsune's arms are too small and stubby to carry around much of anything, let alone a can of beer. ]
no subject
See told ya, got me a fuckin' Mekurabe.
[He jerks his thumb toward the familiar, before swiping the digit across his bottom lip. Considering the damn familiar did nothing earlier when he was shrunken he is not about to engage it now, it can just sit there for all he cares.
When the little poof of smoke happens Samatoki cocks his head, taking it in he smirks.]
Looks like we're gettin' our own drinks less we scare some lil punk into doin' it for us.
no subject
Rosho's cup falls to the ground. His heart leaps into his throat, so it feels like he can't even scream. It isn't until he tries to recoil back that he ends up falling backwards off of his seat, and that's what seems to break his trance as he panics and scrambles to try to hide. ]
What the hell?! Away, m-make it go away, i-it's really creepy! Go away!!
[ As Rosho huddles behind the tree stump as if that'll assuredly give him enough protection from this giant skull, his little kuda-gitsune has realized its owner is in distress, and so it leaps up onto the stump to begin hissing and screeching at Samatoki and his familiar. He's not very intimidating, but he's noisy as heck, plus it won't allow anything to scare his (easily) frightened owner. Get out of here skull or he'll chew on you! ]
no subject
The fuck you scared of a pile of bones for huh?
[Then the tiny familiar of the other chimes in and the Yakuza about loses it laughing, oh this good, too good. Once he catches his breath he decides to do the decent thing, count yourself lucky Rosho, he does not often do the decent thing.]
Alright bones, get on outta here before the professor has a heart attack.
[The Mekurabe clacks around a few more times, those glowing eyes turning to Rosho and just staring as Mekurabe are want to do before disappearing altogether.]
no subject
It's bones, stupid! 'course I'm gonna be scared! L-like, spirts, 'n ghosts, things like that, I-I really don't like it!
[ Even when the mekurabe disappears Rosho refuses to budge until his kuda-gitsune turns around and begins bounding and leaping all over him, squeaking and chirping as if to persuade Rosho the coast is clear. See? He really did a great job of shooing that skull away!
Rosho pushes up his glasses shakily as he slowly sits up then tries to pull himself back onto the stump. ]
How'd ya even figure out I'm a teacher...?
[ Gosh Rosho, you really wonder?? ]
no subject
You're the superstitious kind, huh?
[The sight of the other's familiar running all around him like he absolutely did anything about the skull gets another barked laugh from the yakuza.
He does, however, slide one of his extra drinks towards Rosho.]
No way, you are? You just got that stuffed shirt nose in a book look about ya.