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avalonmods ([personal profile] avalonmods) wrote in [community profile] isleofavalon2021-09-22 01:13 am

EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot


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SUMMARY: In the days leading up to the fall equinox, geese intended for eating escape and cause havoc around town, people share techniques to preserve plants for the winter, and Camelot's citizens compete to make the best light shows with traditional wax candles to draw spirits peacefully into Camelot.


With all the harder preparations gathered for the Fall Equinox, throughout the month people will notice that decorations start going up around town. The colors of fall seem to seep throughout Camelot, but more than that, so do more traditional sights and smells. In the days leading up to the equinox, traditional acts such as the sacrifice and consuming of flesh are performed. Well.. normally they would be. The fattened geese that are normally eaten in preparation for the equinox have escaped and are causing havoc around town. Geese are running around causing trouble for everyone-- stealing glasses, opening gates, putting up toilet seats when people try to sit down so they fall in the bowl... all kinds of madness! Even if you weren't intent on eating geese and were going to settle for the vegetarian option (pumpkin and nut soups are frequently served using the gourd itself as a bowl), you have to agree the general public needs to be rescued from these menaces. If you have the stomach for it, you are welcome to keep one of the geese you capture for your own table... but otherwise, please return the birds to the farm where they can be handled accordingly.

Birds are not the only sacrifice made to the autumnal equinox. As the flowers begin to reach the end of their life, there is a strong tradition of gathering flowers and herbs and preserving them for the upcoming winter, either to protect their beauty, scent, edibility, and sometimes magical properties. The simplest form of preservation is, of course, drying and pressing-- a technique you don't need magic for, but some of the locals will happily teach you. A more advanced technique can be learned to enchant glass bell jars to suspend the lifeforce of any living thing within its grasp for up to a year, if no one opens it. It's a technique used to preserve important or rare plants that may otherwise die out during the winter, such as herbs used in your favorite spell.. or dish. The glass bell jar will protect the plant, but each time it is picked up, a single petal or leaf will fall off of the plant. If all the leaves fall off, the plant becomes unrecoverable, and come spring the caster will find themselves cursed with a touch that wilts any plant they come in contact with. So if you choose to use this, be warned that there are consequences for misuse and a wide number of horror stories from people who have tried to use this spell for anything other than plants. Any type of mage can pour their magic into a bell jar to enchant it, and the type of magic will be reflected in a glass design that forms around the rim and handle. (An elemental mage may have glass flames form, or frosted etchings of your favorite animal may appear if you're an animal mage, and so on. Feel free to get creative.) Green mages may find this magic a little useless, since they can just replenish plants with their own magic, but it's still a good technique to know.. just in case!

Perhaps the most beautiful tradition that takes form leading up to the autumnal equinox is the candle pathway. Every street in Camelot will be lit up with thousands of candles for two nights leading up to the autumnal equinox, as a guiding light to help the spirits find their way to Avalon. The way the streets in Camelot are mapped out, the lights will form a path to the square where the fairy coins are being held until their release on September 22nd, the same area where the guardian egg ceremony had been performed. Some people get very creative with their lighting displays, which can sometimes result in beautifully lit streets and magnificent structures of flames. Accidents are quickly quelled by volunteer elemental mages throughout the city to prevent any structural damage. Some people might be compelled to make their own light display the most outstanding on the block, and it becomes a bit of a game to compete with your neighbors to see whose section of the candle pathway is the most extravagant.


SUMMARY: The autumn equinox ritual is interrupted by a huge earthquake caused by a Stone Giant bursting out of the Ash Mountains, bringing the closest Ash Mountain and Lestari to the ground. The purple dragon erupts from the ruins to attack Celliwig. The survivors of the collapse need help desperately. Characters must choose where they go to determine the fate of Avalon.


Calm and mundane preparations are a nice break from the sometimes stressful lives of Camelot's citizens and otherworlders, who often are asked to embark on life-threatening adventures and tasks. It's probably a good thing most of the month has been relatively peaceful, as things need to go a little bit differently this year on the fall equinox itself... but not as differently as they actually do.

In the town square, elaborate celtic-similar symbols are carved out into the ground and filled with mysterious glowing liquids. All of those who gained guardian tattoos and their attendants were asked to attend a ritual to release them on the night of the 22nd, along with anyone else who would like to witness. Everything is ready and as the witching hour approaches, several individuals dressed in flowing robes with their faces painted like skeletons approach. As the leader raises his voice to explain why they've come and what to do to make this night a success, a sudden shock-- Avalon itself shakes with the might of an earthquake... or at least, that's what it seems like for the first few minutes as everyone gathers themselves until they hear mass screaming in the distance. Though it's hard to see what's going on... there are still some very, very obvious problems.

A stone giant rises from the first of the Ash Mountains, crumbling the mountain around it as if the ancient being were holding the very mountain itself up... and it was. Those who visited Lestari will have seen its giant feet within the underground city. The former city. Lestari is now buried beneath the mountain, along with many of the other creatures living on and around the mountain. A huge storm of mixed weather forms above the giant's head, blizzard and lightning raging around it to no avail. As the people of Camelot watch what's only visible at a macro distance, they may not be as quick to notice that all of the fairy coins have begun glowing vibrantly, then suddenly burst out of the jars they've been held in, shattering right through them to fly off en-masse toward the stone giant. They embed themselves in it, fueling the giant with enough power to both begin to walk away from the rubble and for the spirits that have begun gathering in Avalon to head toward it, rather than where they had been intended.

As if that were not enough, after the Stone Giant takes two large steps through the Land of Rot, the gargantuan cloud of dust covering the ruins of the first of the Ash Mountain range rather suddenly lights up with a vibrant, ultra-violet burst of flames that illuminates the smoke. The gargantuan purple dragon that once took up residence in the mountain clambors out of the dust and shoots straight into the sky, enraged and furious, and able to sense where the magic came from that raised the stone giant. The reason it immediately begins flying toward Celliwig with the intent to raze it to the ground is likely not immediately apparent, but it is quite odd that it bypasses the much closer target of Camelot with its rage. As does the Stone Giant, though it does not head toward Celliwig and instead seems to absorb the souls of the dead that were intended to be guided by the fall equinox's rituals as it lumbers through the land. If someone does not stop it, it is headed for the Forest of the Felled.

King Arthur is immediately on the emergency broadcast system to implore people to join one of three groups:
  • Investigate and stop the Stone Giant

  • Slay the dragon and save Celliwig

  • Rescue survivors of Lestari and the Ash Mountain


  • The success of each of these missions is dependent on character participation. See the poll for details about how certain character types may affect the outcome of the missions.

    Please refer to Event Poll Notes for information about aftermath of this event and additional event info > Event Outcomes.
    phoenixwiz: (Channeling My Inner Hermione)

    [personal profile] phoenixwiz 2021-09-24 02:42 pm (UTC)(link)
    Okay, I’m going to try it a wooden beam somewhere within this area and use my magic to bring it here.

    (So Harry begins to search for any wooden beam or something similar to it for a while when he does manage to find one near far from the area he and his group had entered from. He then carefully levitates it back to the blocked entrance to help Makoto in getting the boulder removed.)

    Here we go: This should help us in getting the rock dislodged from the entrance.
    flapsin: (weighing over)

    [personal profile] flapsin 2021-09-24 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
    Darkwing rubs at his beak and frowns as he looks down the slope, trying to think this out.

    "Oof. This - this is a tricky one. All I've got is light and siphon magic. I don't really have a handy spell that could pull him up. I could... try to make a shield around him? That could give him some protection..."
    ichoosefight: (what if i work this on my own?)

    [personal profile] ichoosefight 2021-09-24 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    She sighs. She's been conserving her own magic as much as possible so she can keep healing, but Darkwing can decide for himself how much he has to spare.

    "If it's not too much. A few more scratches won't kill him."

    That decided, she digs around in her bag for the rope and starts tying in around her patient's middle.

    "Last chance to get up on your own," she warns the man. "This is not gonna be fun." She doesn't bother waiting for a response, and he shows no sign of trying to give one. Finished, she tosses the loose end to Darkwing.

    "I'll lift him as much as I can from down here." That way if he slips she'll be between him and the ground.
    silvergarden: (❀ 22)

    [personal profile] silvergarden 2021-09-24 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
    Gracious... [Rinea's knowledge of dark web goings-on is limited to what her roommate Chris, the head of the militia, tells her. Still, she'd heard the horror stories: almost anyone who tried this particular request ended up a bloody smear.] I-It's a relief to have your sword arm. Still...

    [She watches him at his task with no small measure of concern.] ...will you be pursuing this alone?
    dottedline: (The Actual Fuck?!)

    [personal profile] dottedline 2021-09-24 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Honestly, Azul's not looking much better, tired and frazzled and oddly cranky, but when Baldr approaches and apologizes he just sort of waves him off.]

    It was a dragon. Either you went to try and stop it or it would come here.
    afoolshope: berselius 📱 dw/lj (🌕 075)

    Minato Arisato | Persona 3

    [personal profile] afoolshope 2021-09-24 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
    Triage - A

    [It was an easy thing for Minato to do, to call upon his guardian spirit. He knew a thing or two about having one, even if it never required burning a tattoo onto one’s skin before. But once he was able to arrive at the location of the Stone Giant, he listened to the instructions and without hesitation, held out his hand.]

    Use my life to strengthen yours! Ryoji!

    [His butterfly tattoo glowed and burned, forcing Minato to double over in pain as several pairs of inku black wings burst from his back, followed by the tall humanoid figure in shadow. A long scarf accompanied the figure followed by a large broadsword. Once the creature was fully summoned, Minato straightened. He was gasping for air but now was not the time to falter. He needed to get as many souls as he could from the giant.]

    Let’s go.

    B

    [It was all over. They lost. He hadn’t felt this helpless in a long time. He had only just arrived though, he lacked the power to truly do more if he had his personas with him. Anything.

    He felt a cold nose under his palm, his guardian spirit had long since faded away and it brought another sadness to weigh heavy in his chest. He absently stroked the silky black fur of his familiar, who curled a protective, wispy tail around him.]


    You did the best you could, kiddo.

    Mm.

    [Did he? He couldn't help but feel like he hadn’t, as he gazed up at the now immovable Stone Giant. The Forest of the Felled was quiet and clear, but it felt ominous as well.]

    Time waits for no one, not even here.

    Wildcard

    [If you want something more lighthearted, I have an open log here! Otherwise, just poke me and I can work on a starter for you :)]
    Edited 2021-09-25 02:10 (UTC)
    flapsin: (glaring)

    [personal profile] flapsin 2021-09-24 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
    "Of course. I'll do anything that helps out!"

    His own bat familiar settles atop his hat, spreads its wings and glows as Darkwing focuses their magical energy. Sure enough, a protective shield of light me manages to spread and cover the man's body.

    "Alright, sounds good. I'll do my best from this end!" With that, he keeps up his focus while gripping his end of the rope, ready to help pull him up!
    crimsongirl: (emotionally distant)

    [personal profile] crimsongirl 2021-09-24 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
    In a better state of mind, Homura would have appreciated the comforting words of a friend. But her own depression and anger won out as she spat the next few words out.

    "My best huh? It's hard me to believe, not with this place just ripping my soul in half. Not when...not when I can't even draw Engetsuka anymore."

    She was referencing the sword with the red sheathe, one Monika would likely see in a corner, along with her other swords. Despite using the other two quite a lot, she had yet to actually use the Nodachi, not even draw it from its sheathe. No one but those of her bloodline could, and only those who were worthy. She could once before, but to prove herself again, what else did she need? The answer, she thought was clear. Now, not so much, unless it really wanted her to exceed the giant's power.
    sighsheavily: (pic#14281461)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-24 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    I don't know and I hardly care, so long as it's isolated to them. [sorry for the cruel honesty, but...look this mess on her skirts!! she scowls, bunching up a length of it and starts trying to draw the water out of the fabric, water coagulating in globs near her working fingers.]

    I imagine there'll be some report about more rogue wizardry behind it in due time!
    sighsheavily: (pic#14667794)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-24 05:56 pm (UTC)(link)
    [and what use will that be, she wonders. this man seems very eager to commiserate and grumble as elders do, but not as keen to learning how to adapt to the things unfamiliar to him.

    change comes for us all, young or old...]


    Ridiculous or not as the rituals go, there is merit in them. Being humbled down to squares one and two have made it all the clearer that our feelings on such matters only matter when one of those matters decides.

    [she starts to walk again. her pace is, at least, slow enough that were he keen to join, he'd barely need to hustle.

    murmured to herself:]
    The matters' mind may not mind other matters.
    sighsheavily: (pic#14281458)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-24 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ah. that's...well, she ought to have expected such a thing. intermingling magics from others mages isn't novel, but...it's not really her greatest strength, considering how used to working alone she is.

    she can ruminate about it later. now is the time to focus, because every second she hesitates sends the dragon further from reach.

    Cecelia exhales, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself. her familiar glimmers into form at their feet, and a second later twists and reforges into the explosion of wind that can bolster their jump the moment their feet leave the ground.]
    reresurrected: (Gurenge)

    [personal profile] reresurrected 2021-09-24 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
    We didn't stop it.

    [He would feel a lot less guilty about running off like that if they had, to tell the truth. As it stands, they accomplished exactly nothing, and because of that so many people had...]

    But... I don't think it will be back to try to bother anyone for quite some time.

    [Little victories, he supposes. Still, he doesn't sound in any way triumphant.]
    sighsheavily: (pic#14281458)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-24 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
    [yeah, ew. another topic for later. Cecelia clamps her eyes shut, just praying neither of them are destined to plummet to some gruesome death.

    she clings with both arms now, daring to peek out in the rushing wind and past spiky blue hair to see the great length of the beast ahead of them. this is actually crazy - did she really think she was going to have an impact here?!

    shoulda doubted harder earlier. too late to let go. and any doubt is just additional weight Darin has to carry, so less of that, please.

    actually, maybe there is something she can do: she slowly manages to raise her hand out ahead of them, splitting the rushing wind that threatens to throw them off, so they can actually get their feet under them.]
    dottedline: (Working)

    [personal profile] dottedline 2021-09-24 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
    As long as it's stopped.

    [Sure, Azul feels for the people who lost their homes but dwelling on it won't change the fact that shit happened and it sucked.]

    Have you eaten?
    reresurrected: (Yume no Ukifune)

    [personal profile] reresurrected 2021-09-24 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
    I...

    [Has he? He can't remember. Everything has honestly just been sort of a blur.]

    ... no, I don't think I have.
    eightfoldfiend: (A Rorschach test on fire)

    [personal profile] eightfoldfiend 2021-09-24 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Yuber leaps riding the wind upwards. As they rise his magic generates more motion around them, increasing their velocity.

    At the apex of the jump he uses his magic to throw them forward without warning, teleporting them the rest of the distance to the dragon's back. The sensation of the leap and the teleport is disorienting, exciting and exquisite. With the roar of the dragon around them and the expanse of flames below, Yuber is delighted.

    He is grinning a bright, unpleasant grin when they land on the beast.]


    Go ahead, witch. Once it realizes we're here it won't tolerate our presence for long.

    dottedline: (Octavinelle Trio)

    [personal profile] dottedline 2021-09-24 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Azul gestures to the kitchen, which is quiet for the first time in a bit.]

    It's not anywhere near my best, but there's pre-portioned meals in there. They're mostly for the refugees, but volunteers need to eat too.
    leicesters: (058)

    2

    [personal profile] leicesters 2021-09-24 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
    Remember Enbarr, Flayn? If an enemy won't show you mercy, there's no use in trying to do the same for them, no matter how much you might sympathise with them. That's true of humans as well as any other species.

    That said, I think you have a point. It's worth a shot seeing if the dragon will listen to reason first, and I bet it's most likely to listen to someone like you more than the rest of us. Do you think you're up to it?
    leicesters: (177)

    4 - for flayn!

    [personal profile] leicesters 2021-09-24 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Though Claude had thrown his best efforts into helping the others rescue any survivors from Celliwig, as the days pass by and he'd heard nothing from Flayn in response to his attempts to contact her, he began to grow worried. No one had mentioned her falling in battle with the dragon, so where was she?

    A local claimed to have spotted a girl fitting her description near the Brocéliande, so that's where he heads next. So far no luck... At least not himself, but he does have a little help in finding her.

    Standing on the edge of the camp Flayn and Ferdinand have set up for the night is a shadowy stag. It's unmoving, but it seems to be staring directly at Flayn.]
    grimaoire: (067)

    [personal profile] grimaoire 2021-09-24 06:52 pm (UTC)(link)
    Robin may not know her well, but seeing Musse startle like that feels a bit unnatural. Was she really so lost by the flickering lights around them? She doesn't seem the type to get lost in thought over something simple like that...

    "Think of it as extra training. You'll be a master of water magicks by the end of this," She jokes, sliding into position beside Musse. "This city puts on quite a show, I don't think I've seen anything like it. What about you?"
    Edited 2021-09-24 18:53 (UTC)
    dragongrrl: facing away from the camera (no talk me i angy)

    Barbara | Final Fantasy Dimensions

    [personal profile] dragongrrl 2021-09-24 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
    a. Geese & herbs

    [Barbara has fought many fearsome beasts in harsh and unforgiving terrain. She has never fought a goose.

    Since she is not suppose to just skewer it herself, it is proving... troublesome. She's trying to chase it away from the herbal tables, but every time she thinks she's done so, she finds something missing--a scissors, or a jar lid, or a bundle of herbs.

    She's cornered it again, and this time it's holding a knife. It hisses at her. She hisses back.]


    b. Not your mama's dragon, or your mama the dragon

    [The dragon is heading for Celliwig, and its intent is clear. The facial expressions of dragons are hard to read, but she's had a lifetime of experience in interpreting the angle of an eyelid, the tension of the limbs, and even if this dragon is not cut from the same cloth as those of Highwind Tower, she can still tell what it means to do to the city.

    She has to stop it. She has to talk to it. Find out why, get it to change its mind--if it has an enemy in Celliwig, surely the entire city does not deserve to suffer.]


    Don't! Wait!

    [She leaps up into the sky, trying to catch the dragon's attention. It focuses on her for a moment, but it seems like it's not interested in engaging her.]

    Wait!

    c. oof.

    [Celliwig is in ruins. Despite the chill of the equinox, Barbara is sweating. The stone has been torched into glowing in places, and fires still rage.

    The dragon didn't listen. It wasn't ever going to listen. Not because it was maddened with pain, but because she wasn't worth the effort of listening to. And now it's flown off, and the city of strange food and metal trees and many lights is in ruins.

    She's looking back and forth, picking her way through the rack and ruin for anyone who managed to survive the onslaught.]


    You. Hurt, unhurt?

    d. wildcard

    [Got something else you want to do? Hit me up by PM or at [plurk.com profile] compassinks!]
    reresurrected: (Gurenge)

    [personal profile] reresurrected 2021-09-24 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
    [At that, he looks up, frowning.]

    Are you sure? It hardly feels right when I just disappeared and left you without help... I'm not sure I would qualify as a 'volunteer.'
    dottedline: (Working)

    [personal profile] dottedline 2021-09-24 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
    Technically, you're an employee even if we're obviously not open for business right now. If you feel that uncomfortable, there's some heavy lifting that needs to be done you can do in the back.
    sighsheavily: (pic#14667797)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-24 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ugh. she told him not to call her a witch! honestly...

    she can complain later. right now, she just needs to make sure she doesn't get flung off in a bad gust of wind!

    letting Yuber go, she stays against him long enough for her to clap her hands together and force the wind around them to split, giving them something of a bubble to work with so they're no longer at risk of being blown right off the dragon's back.]


    Just keep close, in case this goes south quicker than I expect!

    [she keeps her hands pressed ahead of her as she carefully walks along the dragon's flank. it's not as quick as she'd like, but this is no level plane they're walking: when muscles move, the skin shifts, and Cecelia holds her breath and braces, hoping to whatever gods are still about that she's not about to bite it.

    gads, how far must she go to be acknowledged by the beast?! from her experience and research, dragons have extraordinary senses, but would one so incensed bother to notice the fleas upon its own back? maybe just a bit closer, up to the shoulderblades...at least there, she can grab hold of one of the spikier protrusions from its back for balance while continuing her cast.]


    You there! Great beast! What outrage is so great as to warrant this?!

    [...

    no dice. too noisy up here. she huffs, drawing her breath, and calls out again the very same thing, louder, and nearly chokes on her own follow-up breath when its head turns, fixing one of its reptilian eyes upon them.

    gads.]
    beefaroni: (As Long As I Can)

    [personal profile] beefaroni 2021-09-24 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
    "I can handle it. I can talk to animals."

    He's like Dr. Doolittle, only kinda terrifying.