isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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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.

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[How long had it been since he rested? He wasn't sure if it was hours or...or days. Every time he was beginning to feel sluggish, he'd use his blood magic to get his blood pumping again; to force adrenaline. And when that wasn't enough, he used his healing magic to soothe the aches and pains in his tired joints and muscles.]

[His clothes were threadbare at this point. Shredded and singed and worn, his shirt and coat were barely clinging to his torso, and his pants were worn at the knees so badly it looked like he was wearing shorts; the fabric below the knee having torn away and were clinging to his boots. He was moving rubble by hand. Digging until his fingers bled, then he'd heal them, and get back to it.]

[At first, her voice probably seems like a hallucination. But after a moment, he stands and looks over to her. How completely different they must look. Her in her armor still looking radiant despite exhaustion and him covered in soot and detritus...like he'd just clawed his way out of hell.]

[He tries to say her name, but exhaustion has long since stolen his voice. So all he can do is mouth her name and stare.]

Sorry, you got stuck with a light and siphon mage instead. [He says, a little sheepish as she helps out.]

Um, thanks for the assist. I think I got this, it's just - just a little heavy. But this is what I signed up for!

"Um, I was kind of the character giving advices and tips... Guess I'm good at it ahaha."

That and Monika meant advisor in Latin. She was living up to her name! Though, she felt as though it also meant something else... But she wasn't sure what. Like a half-forgotten memory. Well, no matter. She was glad her words had resonated with Homura. Tired as her smile was, that was miles better than giving in to negative thoughts and feelings.

"I wasn't even there, fighting against the giant or dragon..." She paused for a moment and looked away. She wasn't very proud of it, even though nobody had blamed her for it. Still... They were there for each other, right? "Can I count on you to kick me out of bed if another emergency happens and I'm too depressed to get up?"

[Great, perfect. Something about this forest is unsettling, but he has to remember that it's magic. It's alive, and he's grateful. He takes a deep breath, readies himself to walk in, then hesitates and looks down at his device.]

I haven't. Meet me out here.

[Screw basic rundowns! He's... scared of going in alone.]

[Makoto finished clearly the ground and smoothing it over. He also tried to shout to the people trapped beneath to stand back and please be patient, they were working on getting them free.

Once Harry returned, Makoto nodded and pointed to a small gap near the top.]

Try fitting it there, I'll try to make it easier if it's not gonna fit.

[He raised his hands to "grip" at the earth, it was incredibly heavy on its own but moving it with magic made it little easier. But it was still a boulder and that took not just mental strength but physical strength too. The muscles in his back and arms shifted as he began to "pull" the boulder back.

Hopefully, the makeshift lever would help as well.]

The small black cat goes mostly unnoticed in the ruins, by workers and enemies alike. He is, after all, a much smaller and faster target than most. So when he hears a call for help with the search, he trots over as easily as if he were in his own home. He wastes no time, but walks straight past the woman and climbs up and into the pile.

"No need to panic," he informs her, perfectly calm himself.

Thanks to her particular style of magic, she has been busy helping to grow fruits and vegetables for everyone. It was a great distraction from her recent heartache and it gave her a small purpose for the moment.

Bribing Rafiel, she used the familiar to help carry her recent harvests into the same kitchens that Xingchen was in. It was hard to be surrounded by so many humans but yet, she can do this.

"Where does my lord wish for me to drop these off?"

[To be fair, neither is Makoto. He hadn't yet gone to college and literally changed courses to go towards being a sports trainer. But it seemed the natural inclination was still there because he had taken to healing like a duck to water.

His hand moved from her head to her arm. He took hold of it gently. It didn't appear broken, but the wound was definitely deep. The magic was out again but this time, he had formed water in the air to lay over the wound to clean it of dust and debris.]

You're doing great, just a little more, okay?

[The woman whimpered but she did her best to hold still. He didn't answer Minako right away, mostly so it didn't distract from the woman just yet. But once he felt the wound was clean enough, the water was disposed and he began to heal her.]

...I'm glad. I just... this is a lot, you know? But if I can help, I will. You don't have to thank me, miss. [He looked over to smile at her, nodding.] Besides, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't alerted me. So, thank you as well.

Alright, it here goes.

(Harry soon places the beam onto where Makoto had pointed him to put it in and begins to push it hard against the boulder as hard as he could muster. Despite being weaker than the boulder itself, the beam is actually managing to hold up very well while he does his best to push it out of the entrance.)

Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here in no time.

(It does took him a while to dislodge it, but after minutes of a lot of pushing (although it does seem to feel like forever for him), the boulder slowly begins to dislodge itself away from the entrance as he pushes it away. Soon enough, it begins to roll off from the entrance and onto an empty dirt road.)

[getting bumped nearly throws her off entirely, and she yelps, losing hold on the spell while having to grasp onto him and brace the both of them.

she'd like to remind him they're not particularly here to slay it, but what good would that do? and besides, she's still trying to recover from the volume of that screech; noise is intense enough without the roar of wind and the stress of being so high up and moving so quickly.

irritably, over the wind:] Or its mouth? Do you mean to just leap inside!

[As soon as the period is on the sentence, Barbara launches herself into the air. She gathers her magic and glances between the dragon and Ardenbury. If the dragon fires a blast at them, she's ready to deflect it with her own frozen dragonbreath. If it swipes, Barbara is ready to swing her spear.

Talking to an angry dragon is dangerous. But if Ardenbury wants to try, Barbara is ready to help.]

[lightly, dismissive:] It's just alliteration. Idle musing. [tinkering with words and sounds as both a byproduct of her love of literature and the mental exercises she does during her meditation.]

Since you've not brought any mention of it, may I assume you've not encountered any grisly displays of murder along the streets lately?

Gah-!

[all that water she was focusing on drops back on her as she staggers, catching herself by getting a hand on the wall of her office. she huffs, needing a moment to catch her breath, reel in her temper, and swallow her heart back down her throat.

red-faced with the effort, she glares down at the busted tile.]

I have had...just about enough of this. [she pushes away from the wall, stepping out so she can turn and squint up, searching for the criminal.] Where is it.

She would be right, it isn't the most convincing response, but Naomi says nothing about it anyway. However, she would keep a closer eye on Allura now, and that wouldn't change until they separated or departed from Lestari.

And yes, at least she isn't hiding what's the cause.

"I see. Well, let's try putting that new strength to use. There's still a few areas that need to be searched."

The only problem was there was a higher chance of encountering something hostile.

Forward. To its neck, Darin. We have to be close enough to be heard!

[and slowing down here just drains magical resources. so while he may slow, she keeps going, biting her lip as getting closer makes the way shiftier - the wings move a whole bunch of these back muscles, after all.]

It's no offense meant to you. It's not like I have them either. [What magic she did have required something a little less alive.]

Right. We're moving it on three. One... two...... three!

Raising an eyebrow when she hears a voice, but doesn't see anyone, her eyes fall on a cat. Considering that there were anthropomorphic ducks, why not a talking cat? And with that response, it's a very cat cat.

"Nonchalant... not surprising."

And while she says that, her snake familiar climbs out from the rubble and slithers up her arm, coiling around her neck.

"Anyway, there's a difference between speaking with urgency and panic. Now, are you assisting, or only observing?"

Honestly, Minako doesn't feel like she has the time to stop and listen. Not while she's running around like a madman, trying to pull out as many people from under the rubble as she can. And it shows too that it's what she's been doing - there's soot covering her cheeks, and the tip of her nose. Her hands are dirty, and even though she does end up stopping when she hears someone call out, something in her gaze is a little frantic.

Just frantic enough that her gaze moves around quickly, trying to figure out who talked to her, only to notice the cat there.

.. was that who called?

She quickly squats to be on a more even level with the creature.

"What is it?"

Giving them some distance, Zidane watches, tilting his head... and keeping his tail close. There were still other geese around and he's not getting chomped on while watching this exchange.

Dammit, he kinda wished he had Animal Magic again to know what the goose would say back.

Running sounded like a good solution to him.

Taking off a moment after the other guy, he catches up in a moment, which is just in time to hear his question.

"Kinetic and Bargaining! You?"

[Too late. He has seen her - she does stand out with her frilly appearance - and loudly calls out as the goose speed-waddles in her general direction.]

Maribelle!! Grab it!

Was the last time they spoke more than just a little bit awkward?

Sure. And it doesn't help that they're in the exact same place again now - except the place is totally different, destroyed all around them. But it's exactly that last fact that keeps this moment from being awkward, because Minako isn't even thinking about that conversation. The only thing on her mind right now is this current situation, and what they can do about it.

All of this is about doing, not thinking, so she doesn't hesitate. Looking more serious than usually, Minako just asks: "Alright. Which direction?"

[Hijikata's recognition of Zidane instantly gives Arashi an impression of him. Zidane. He's a good guy. A skilled hunter and adventurer. He's got kinetic magic. He's an actor back home. Not that that last part is at all relevant right now, but Hijikata remembered it... for simplicity's sake Arashi doesn't introduce himself, after all Hijikata is present too.]

Yes?

[Zidane seems a little alarmed, and the crow tengu doesn't immediately understand that he's concerned for Hijikata. However his bond partner all but puts the worlds in his mouth as he mentally urges Arashi to keep it together, prompting him to stand up straight and unfold his wings despite the ebbing pain.]

I will fly back up and continue.

[A moment of hesitation, then--]

Shall I take you with me?

[Having come down to listen to the ritual leaders' instructions opened Arashi and Hijikata's eyes for how much more precarious the situation is on the ground, what with the giant leaving massive dust clouds and misplaced trees and boulders in its wake and occasionally swatting at the combatants with its enormous hands. Hijikata would feel better with Zidane up on its shoulder with him.]

Right so instead there's honor in forcing me to be a shameful coward who runs from battle. Did you know that in most armies the punishment for such an act is death?

[He finally stands up having regained enough strength to stand and also to transform. Darin will see his appearance completely shift to the more familiar blond haired and blue eyed man. Even his clothes change back entirely. The only thing that remains the same is his voice and his overall body type. Still looks rather exhausted and probably not too capable of a fight or much magic but at this point all that remains is to use his remaining strength to try and help find survivors and get them to Camelot.]

When I'm summoned to battle, I fight until the foe is defeated or I am. Don't get how you can say you're my friend and not even understand that I'm not a damn coward who is afraid to die in battle.

[Hijikata takes the book, though it's not really what he came for, after setting a whole bunch of ingredients down on the table. He leafs through the pages for a moment, then puts it aside and takes a seat.]

No, I think the bell jar method isn't for me. I'm not taking the risk.

[Having every living plant die in his grasp is about the last thing he needs, so he's going to play it safe.]

I thought I'd make a bunch of totems while the plants I need for them are still around, but I'll dry some later on as well. How about you?

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EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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Triage B

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Autumnal Ambiance