isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ The Summer Solstice

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EVENT ✨ The Summer Solstice

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This is the event log for IC comments only! Ask OOC questions/plot/view event notes HERE or use the FAQ for general questions. Click here to view top-level comments only. A poll to collect results of the trials will be posted this weekend and stay open until the end of the month to give people a little time to see how their threads are going.

KEY POINTS

Celliwig responds-- y'all barely passed, so they kidnapped everyone and brought them to Celliwig for the summer solstice.

The summer solstice ritual is about renewing the sun and moon within a sacred fountain called Diamond Falls within Celliwig, which requires large-scale magics to essentially create a sun and moon cycle for the following year for Avalon, which exists outside of normal space and time.

Not everyone is happy about Celliwig opening back up, and some cursed spirits cross the river to attack the homecoming trip.

There have been some whispers about the summer solstice, but for some reason, Camelot doesn't seem to have put in as much effort for the summer solstice as they do for the other solstice and equinoxes. If anyone had asked around town, they'll say that the sun always seems to come out after they banish the water spirits, so there isn't much to do for it. A few of the more elderly fae around town seem to say there's a lot to do about it, but not to worry about it and just enjoy the time off. Even more silent has been the results of the trials. It seems as though it's bound to be a quiet June, relative to the last couple of months.

At least until the morning of the 20th. The sun has yet to rise, though birds have started their morning rounds and chirping. Rather suddenly, the entire atmosphere goes completely white, as if everyone has been enveloped by the sun itself. It's too bright to keep your eyes open, though if you'll try to squint through it you'll notice the entire ground is enveloped in shadow despite the impossible blinding light all around before you're pulled down into the darkness within a matter of seconds.

Regardless, when you open your eyes next, everyone has been teleported to a strange-looking park. The trees seem to be made of ceramic, blossoming strange, pure black leaves. Those with green magic will be able to tell the trees are alive and well, despite their odd appearance, and once out of the park, it may become more apparent where everyone is: A city beautiful and glistening, its buildings made of crystal and glass. Welcome to Celliwig, the Splendored Court. And this time? Their doors are open.

Explore: Celliwig
Celliwig is a city that's hidden with a large-scale glamour that causes it to look like a shanty-town from the outside. Those with permission to enter, however, will find that the city is actually a splendorous city made entirely of crystals and glass of all kinds. At its center is the Hall of Mirrors, which is typically closed to the public and guarded by a strange old man with huge, rippling muscles of at least 7 feet tall and a long, scraggly beard. Some may recognize him as the man from the #ChaliceChallenge trial, but he'll mostly ask you to call him Glewlwyd (the IV, but you can drop the number.)

Everything in the city appears to be open now, in contrast to the city mostly hiding away during the first visit. It isn't too crowded, but there are people out and about, and they seem to be less wary. The popular fashion seems to be styles similar to gothic lolita/aristocrat and cyber lolita/aristocrat, largely in black, white, or gray with sparks of color for accent that make each outfit unique to its wearer, and each person seems to have an almost airy, ethereal nature to them. They seem humanoid, and yet distinctively not human, gliding around rather than walking. There aren't too many typical dogs and cats around as pets, but snow-white ferrets and owls seem to be the popular animal companion of choice, often being carried around with their owners. There are also wild hamsters with tiny, useless wings that seem to run around during the day, so please watch your step. (They are fairies who used to be able to fly, but their wings seem to have gone the way of the appendix.)

Music seems to be largely string in nature, though it can range from calm and peaceful to sometimes more familiar music styles. It is played more openly in areas like the park or shopping centers by musicians who simply wish to share their sound, but outside of those designated areas it is mostly quiet in nature, save for the clamor of the newly transported guests from Camelot.

Celliwig's restaurants typically serve molecular gastronomy versions of food, and alcoholic drinks seem to come in vapor form and flashes of light if ordered, but seem effective nonetheless. Stores in general are open now, though except for a singular general store, seem to be very specific in nature. If you're going to a magic store, there is one specific store for crystals, one specific store for hand-crafted woodcrafts (wands, staffs) to better direct magical energy, a store for vegetables that's peculiarly separate from the store for fruit and the store for fish and the store for cooking supplies (which again, are all oriented toward molecular gastronomy-- good luck finding a whisk, enjoy your nitro whip canister), and so on.

Of note toward the entrance of town is a very large waterfall fountain that seems to be made of massive amounts of diamond, with inscriptions and a plaque toward the front. The plaque reads "Those who walk only in the light miss the truths hidden in the dark." This is of particular note given the invitation extended to all devices in the area:

Welcome to Celliwig. Tonight we celebrate the summer solstice. Having Barely Passed your trials, we ask you to participate in this sacred ritual before we grant safe passage and open communication with Queen Elphame. To the north of the park you arrived in, a hotel is prepared for your stay free of charge for the night. At sundown, come to the Diamond Falls. Be warned, thieves: The Diamond Falls are sacred, and thus cursed.

Those who try will experience a curse that causes food and drink to turn to ash in their mouth and an inability to experience pleasure, heal from injuries, or die. While they appear normal in the sun, the moonlight will reveal their true nature-- no matter how gruesome that gets, and will only be lifted when the sacred diamond is returned. Drinking water from the fountain is fine though, and if drunk can heal all wounds, regrow limbs, and get rid of scars so long as the drinker stays within the walls of Celliwig. The sacred water's effects wear off outside of the Splendored Court, unfortunately. Characters can ask around and Celliwigians will tell them this information freely, as they are quite proud of their splendor.

Those who choose to participate in the summer solstice rituals and show up at the Diamond Falls on time will first be offered a drink from the fountain, though it is not necessary to take the sip. (You may choose whether or not your character was informed of the effects of drinking the water ahead of this decision, if you want them to do so but they would not on their own.) After the drinking, a number of Celliwig's citizens will engage in a dance that rapidly picks up pace until they go into a trance, glowing magical energy starting to flow out of their bodies and create an almost solar flare-esque glow before they collapse to the ground. Not a moment later, the earth shakes and the ground begins to open up beneath the fountain, the waters draining down over a staircase that opens up beneath the floor of Celliwig to a large crystal cavern. The crystals within are huge, some easily surpassing twenty feet in length, and burst out from both the floor and ceiling. At the bottom of the staircase, the ground itself is covered entirely in at least half a foot of water save for raised platforms that those performing the ritual will be expected to jump across instead of disrupting the waters. At the end of this long passageway, there is a door made of stained glass. On the other side, a room carved out in stone, lit in vibrant orange and heated by a scorching heat. The stone forms a circle that flows around a large pool of lava.

One of the Celliwig leaders reads some sacred texts, then offers the following instructions: "Turn to the person next to you and offer them a piece of yourself. It can be tears, blood, hair, a whispered confession made tangible with magic-- anything that is yours. That person must then throw it into the lava and do the same in exchange. By giving part of ourselves to the fire and weaving that energy through those around us, we share the light with all around us. We fuel the sun of Avalon."

Once this portion is done, water will rain down from the ceiling and the entire room will be filled with steam, and then darkness as the lava's flames are rapidly put out. It's blinding and almost unbearably hot, and you'll have to find your partner-- or maybe someone else, by wandering around carefully and blindly. It may help to use a little magic at this point to see or guide yourself or others, either by cognitive suggestion or something more physical like creating vines to catch someone from falling on the still-rather-hot solid substance created by the water hitting the lava. Regardless, there seem to be giggles and screams and all manner of unnerving sounds as people try to find each other in the dark and look for the exit, which... doesn't seem to be where it started.

Eventually, the steam seems to get hot enough and shatters the stained glass door, which reveals a different room than before. The temperature drops rapidly, the air fresh and much easier to breathe as the steam spills out over the surface of the cool water. Light spills out from the ceiling, dim from the moon, and it becomes apparent that everyone has been let out into a massive cenote. It seems as if it's now time to relax and swim for a little while and just enjoy the cool release of no longer being trapped in the hot Diamond Fall's underground.

Eventually, everyone will find that regardless of how they felt when they got in, anyone in the cenote will feel their mood lift, until eventually they find a song in their heart that cannot be contained. People start bursting into songs that express part of who they are. For some, it will be songs they know. For others, it may be a song they've never heard but matches who they are to a tee or shares something they hadn't intended to about themselves with whoever is there. It's also possible two people could end up in a duet and end up swim-dancing together through a musical number. With each song that finds its way into the cenote, crystals seem to light up in the walls, as if they're reacting to the music itself. Once the entire cenote is lit up, the water begins to rise within the cenote much as the tide might, finally raising high enough to bring the people within back to the surface, the small pond within the park that everyone started in.

"The tides can feel your hearts and souls and raise with your spirits, and the Moon of Avalon in turn finds its will to dance with the Sun, providing light for the dark as the sun rests." the same leader speaks, before finishing, "Thank you for your assistance. With so much more energy than normal, even with the world as strained as it is now, Avalon's day and night cycle will remain as it should be. Rest now, and stay as long as you like. We will speak to Elphame and arrange a meeting. This shall not be forgotten, and you are welcome in Celliwig so long as you remember that light and darkness exist in tandem."

With the stay in Celliwig over, a special squad designed to help use a large-scale dark magic spell to pull everyone back to Camelot has come to greet everyone at the entrance to the city. However, the sudden increase in noise and flow of magic has attracted spirits from the Forest of the Felled to start crossing the nearby stream. The Forest of the Felled is a haunted forest, filled with spectral creatures alike of all manner that are often trapped in a labyrinth of spells and wards that were once put up by Camelot's finest. This haunted forest is part of the reason that Celliwig had cut ties with Camelot to begin with, after a group of people from particularly morally strict times had decided that the dead and cursed should not wander among the human witches and wizards that, at the time, had largely populated Camelot and sealed them off in the Forest of the Felled.

Enraged by Celliwig's reacceptance of Camelot citizens into its borders, a wave of specters has rushed across the white waters without concern for the Pure of Heart bridge to attempt to possess and attack the citizens of Camelot and prevent them from easily getting home. Ultimately, those with death magic are going to be most effective in this case, particularly at stopping possessions. However, green mages, alchemists, and elementalists are going to be important for staving off the death-like state of freezing that specters passing through your physical body can cause by creating means to rewarm people before they succumb to freezing temperatures and die. It seems as though light magic is very good at hiding people from the specters as well as temporarily warding them off with large blasts, and they seem particularly fearful of dark mages who are willing to curse the dead, given they've already lead a miserable existence. There are plenty of ways for each type of magic to find themselves useful in this battle, whether it's to help others escape or to fight on the frontlines.

Be particularly cautious as some of the will-o-wisps joining in the battle can transform into the visages of the deceased that they sense are close to your heart and draw you into the white rapids of the river. In the end, it will be a fierce battle.. or a fierce retreat, for those who don't have fight in them. Regardless of your solution for getting home, this time, you're going to have to walk home after escaping instead of relying on Celliwig's shadow transportation ritual.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There's a lot to talk about there so trying to squash it in while this Leader urges them to go on with the Solstice Ritual isn't really simple. But it was going to be a fun (if not slightly horrific) tale to tell.]

[Watching his hair go into the lava, it's gone even before it really touches the magma. Yikes! Looking up when addressed, he nods and let's go of the dark hair he was holding, watching as it similarly takes and disappears into the intense heat.]

[Not a single word is spoken from the Leader as rain starts to trickle down from the... ceiling of the cavern? It's light at first but it picks up quick, falling harder until it's a downpour, and rather than shield herself from it, Tifa holds her gloved hands out, welcoming the rain as a cool reprieve from the heat of the lava.

Even that doesn't last long at all. Steam starts to fill the room, so thick that she can no longer see Zidane in front of her. She backs up, waving a hand, eyes shutting against the return of the heat, more intense than before. And when she opens her eyes, she sees... a whole lot of nothing. Darkness.]

Zidane...!? What's going on?

[Well, he didn't come to this ritual expecting rain, but Zidane finds his hair plastering to the front of his face and raises his hands to brush some of it back. Though, as quickly as they're doused, there comes the steam to dry them off, and suddenly, darkness.]

[This ritual keeps getting weirder, but magic ritual, he's not questioning it. But he hears Tifa back up and then call for him. He can't see anything, but he tries to pinpoint her by voice among the other ones now in the darkness too.]

I dunno, but we let's try finding the exit!

I...

[His voice seems so far away now, especially considering they were standing directly in front of each other when the room had gone pitch black. She reaches her hands out again but they fall through hot air where she had been hoping to find him instead.

Instinctively, she raises her fists, as if preparing for something to jump out of the shadows.]

Keep talking. I'll try to follow your voice.

Keep talking? I can keep doing that.

[Though, he wonders why. Also, there's movement next to him like waving? Is someone reaching out? He raises his hand to try catching them.]

Gosh, most of the time, people tell me to shut up so talking is new. Haha!

[He'll hear her shuffling footsteps around him, but no matter how close Tifa feels she is, it's like he's getting further and further away from her. Or maybe it's just her imagination... It's hard to tell. Still, she follows it as close as she can, pinpointing him to her left...

And she's almost there when she starts to hear something else talking over him. Other voices that she doesn't recognize. Some laughing, some crying, and others screaming. The kinds of voices that send a chill up her spine, and she reacts with her whole body, hunching over with hands over her ears, but it does nothing to dampen the noise.

The sound of something whizzing past her forces her to stagger back several steps.]

What is that!?

It's the other people. I don't know what they're doing but... you know what? You keep talking to me, I'll find you instead, okay?

[Because he thinks he heard her stop moving? At least, she's not walking anymore, and did someone fall? And the people deciding to scream and laugh in the dark wasn't either. Geez... He takes a few steps forward.]

They're gonna freak people out if they're scared of the dark.

I don't think—

[Another loud scream echoes around her, or in her head, and she seizes up again. There were few things she could imagine being worse than having to wander through the train graveyard in the middle of the night, but this is far, far worse. She had light, and Cloud...

She takes in a deep breath. Keep talking, Tifa. Keep talking.

But words don't seem to come to her so easily now.]

You think those really are the others? So you can hear it too? [She laughs, though it's shaky.] Thought it was just me...

Yeah, you're not just hearing voices in the dark. Remember? There was a bunch of us here doing the solstice ritual?

[So, was Tifa scared of the dark, or something else?]

[Either way, another step forward, he can hear her breathing pretty hard between their conversation. At least this time, she sounds closer so he's almost there.]

Though, for a ritual to restore the sun, kinda ironic there's a blackout.

Yeah, really... [She huffs, trying to laugh, but it comes out less of one and more of a sigh.] A warning would've been nice.

[Knowing what to expect out of this ritual would have helped some... And if this is just one part of it, she does fear what could come next. But that's a bridge she'll cross when they get there. For now, Tifa is still feeling around blindly in the dark, searching for Zidane with her arms stretched out...

Until gloved hands land right on his face and makes her jump back, surprised.]

Sorry! Is that you?

They don't like disclosing a lot of things here... or ever.

[He gets keeping the element of surprise, but Celliwigians were ridiculous about it...]

[There's a muffled sound on his hand when his face is hit.]

Mmph! Yeah, it's me! [But then her hand's gone.] Ah, where'd you go?

[Rather than his face, it'll be his hand that's being grabbed next. She's reaching, grabbing around for where she thinks his hands should be until she finds his wrist and takes hold of it in a firm grip, and pulls him towards her so that they're standing side by side.]

D-don't let go, okay?

[She's wrapping her arm around his now.]

The leaders haven't said anything... Think we should get out of here?

H-Huh?

[Woah, woah, woah... uh, okay. He'd make a quip about being forward, but something has her really freaking out and he still doesn't know if it's the dark. But she mentioned the screams...?]

[... Uh.]

You're right, they haven't. Uh, yeah, the wall... let's move along the wall to the exit.

[Tifa's practically dragging him in whatever direction she heads in. It's hard to tell exactly which way she's going when she can't see a foot in front of her, but she finds the wall soon enough—where she thought the exit would be, judging from where they'd been standing and where they came in.

She feels around the wall with her free hand.]

I swear it was right here...

[And Zidane isn't even fighting because they have to try finding the exit and also, s-soft... and he's trying so hard not to focus on that second thing! At least when she speaks up about the exit not being there, he cane kinda concentrate.]

Probably more Celliwig magic. Maybe they're waiting for something else to happen here?

[Tifa's quiet a moment, save for the hum that she gives in response to Zidane, and her arm even relaxes around his now. She feels around the wall again, rapping her knuckles against it in several places for a sign—any sign—that something might be different about them, but all she comes out with is a sigh.]

Hm. Think they'll yell at us if we used our magic in here?

[Oh good, she's not so tense anymore. He stays still while she feels around, turning his head again at sounds before turning back to her as she speaks.]

Oooh yeah, I don't doubt that. If this is part of the ritual anyway.

I was worried you'd say that.

[Not exactly the answer she was looking for, but she isn't about to go breaking any rules. This ritual is sacred to these people, and she cares enough to not want to tarnish it with her magic... so feeling around blindly in the dark it is.

She's pushing on the walls, hoping to find a door, while her other arm tugs and pulls at Zidane while she tries to wipe the sweat beading at her brows.]

Room's pretty big... Don't know how long it'll take us if we keep doing this. [She sighs, letting her hand drop to her side.] The magic was my best idea.

[He hates to say it, but that's how it is. But again, he wonders what the hell they're even waiting for in the darkness and if it could hurry up. He's not wearing anything near long sleeves, but he's feeling the heat. Ugh...]

[Following after Tifa, he tilts his head.]

Don't tire yourself out in this heat trying to find the exit. There's a reason for whatever they're doing... also, there's lava somewhere in this room.

[Let's not walk into that.]

[Good question. And it's all about to make sense in three, two...

The sound of glass shattering scares (the living daylights out of) Tifa and suddenly, the pair are met with a blast of cool, fresh air that chases away the steam. Moonlight pours in from the ceiling, and she can finally see again, and past what used to be stained glass (from what she remembers) is now a room that sucks in the heat like a vacuum, giving them air to breathe.

She looks to Zidane, a relieved, if not a slightly crooked, smile on her worried face... before she throws his arms around his shoulders in a hug!]

[The glass shattering startles Zidane alright, but he manages to not yell despite his tail and hair standing. At once there's light and the heat rushes out, finally leaving him able to feel like he can breathe.]

[Looking back at Tifa, he grins.]

Looks like we were waiting for some--! [But then she's hugging him. Wow... He'll give her a hug back.]

Feeling better now?

Much.

[She holds on for just a little longer before finally letting go, and she heaves the biggest sigh, airing out her relief, and combing her fingers over her wet hair. It had gotten a little matted and messy through all of that, and the steam and rain didn't help either.]

Meant to do that earlier, before they interrupted me. I'm glad to see you. You got out of that place okay?

[He's still confused why she did that, but steps back once she lets go. Ugh, he's feeling his own hair getting in his face and raises a hand to fix it up.]

Ooooh, the arena. Yeah! Some people busted in to break us out, and a bunch of us decided to riot before the knights showed up. I don't think they'll be using that place again, or ever.

I wish I could've gone with... On the rescue effort. By the time I got to the city, they'd already heard about it and left. Figured by the time I went back, it'd already be over.

[There were a lot of capable looking people who went to the arena to help, so that was a relief on her part. It was waiting to see if those who were trapped made it out okay, so she's happy to see that at least one of them did.]

They got the guys who started it all too?

[He nodded, understanding. It didn't seem like that long after he helped her escape that rescue came... but his sense of time had also been a bit distorted so he doesn't know how short it was.]

Most of 'em. There were a lot more humans fighting back than fae though so I think a good number of them bailed.

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