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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[Hijikata already had his share of trouble with the geese, but Ryouma's question gives him pause. He looks at the struggling bird, only hearing angry quacking from it.]

What do you think it's saying? It just sounds like a normal goose to me. Also you'd better put it down before it bites you.

[Hijikata - or rather Arashi, whose magical reserves are far larger than his bond partner's and who therefore still constitutes the dominant half of the familiar fusion - left his battle station on the colossus' shoulder to listen to the ritual leaders' instructions on the ground along with the others. As his shadow dragon's long body curves past behind him he observes the spirit guardian Caster summoned.]

A samurai?

[How odd... to his best judgement she isn't Japanese, so this is a little unexpected, all the more since samurai (as Hijikata mentally supplies with some intensity) normally fight openly, whereas assassinations are better left in the hands of ninja. Arashi knows that he has to rejoin the struggle to stop the giant, but he needs a moment to recover while the stylised triple ginger blossoms on his back still burn like a fresh branding.]

Keep smiling and who knows what Xue Yang might be willing to do. That smile is...entrancing. Xue Yang has a difficult time saying no to things he wants (maybe because he spent so many years going without).

"You're right, I'm not!" he snickers and throws himself backwards onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, "Chasing that dragon was fun. I've never been that close to one." he rests his hands on either side of his head, "They're beautiful. I wish I could've touched those scales."

Edited 2021-09-26 01:50 (UTC)

Musse's tone remains soft, but there's an edge of self-recrimination within it, even if her next question seems perhaps a bit unrelated.

"How many people would you say live within the Halidom of Ylisse?"

Somnus, who had also been a part of the party tasked with going after the Stone Giant, glances from the goliath to her when she stops speaking. While he doesn't immediately respond, there is a patient, cautionary look in his gaze.

"'Just like' you...?"

Edited 2021-09-26 02:38 (UTC)

Well, that's part of what it's saying: to put it down.

[ Does he put the goose down? No. It just gets increasingly agitated in his grip and now it's swearing at him. ]

...But you really can't hear anything more than it honking?

It affected him more than he'd ever admit to see that it's someone so young. The way she kept her calm during all of this spoke volumes to him about the type of person she was. He had questions he wanted to ask her, to know what kind of life she'd led, but not was not the time for that. The survivors were the focus here; this one was still alive, so there was still hope and he clung to that.

"Should we look for the other one or treat this one first?"

He was deeply out of his element here, but he was trying.

[ wrong: ryouma is that interesting, especially because this goose has been told as much. or at least that his hat is super interesting and it should definitely be stolen. is this not friendship? annoy your friends.

there's just a part of this he wasn't planning on, which is that this bird could tell on him. if he was smart about this he probably should've just let things be but... here we are. ]

Of course, it's talkin'. They all talk.

[ shh, don't worry about why he happened to be hanging around to overhear this. ]

Surprised ya didn't know that if ya can understand 'em though. The little ones that fly talk shit all the time.

[ or maybe there's just something about izō that invites them to do that. ]

Robin pauses, giving this question some thought.

"I'm not sure of the exact amount, but I would guess tens of thousands."

Or, perhaps, its eye? [the one periodically rolling back to glare at them while it flies?] Blinding it may be advantageous in the long run - it may decide to give up the fight!

Ryouma had grown up in a time knowing nothing but strife and violence. A disaster like this was different, though, and it was sobering. He'd come because they needed healers and people to defend the healers -- he had both skills necessary, it would've been unthinkable for him not to come. The difference here was he had the experience in wartime and seeing casualties from skirmishes in the streets; he was older.

Maya looked far too young to be here, too young to be seeing this kind of destruction, but he could sense the determination in her. His familiar kept back, giving him some space as he approached.

"You're here to help, right? You have to keep pressing forward if you want to do something."

His voice was surprisingly gentle.

[ Ryouma only vaguely understood his magic, much less Izō's; he'd only seen a hint of it while they'd both been drinking. Does this mean he can understand them, too? Is Izō fucking with him? He stands there with the goose (which is still trying to get at his hat) at arm's length, looking between it and Izō. ]

I never thought to listen to them. [ Maybe he should have? It's not like animals ever talked to him before. Sure, he'd had a way with animals when he was alive, but that didn't mean he could understand them. ] Does this mean we share magic?

[ He sounds excited about that prospect, maybe a little too excited. A moment later and he tries to look composed. ]

Maybe I should ask this fellow why he's so interested in my hat?

No, I doubt they care. They might be grateful for the lights, but...this feels a bit much. [ Ryouma makes a face at the particularly ostentatious display they're near. ] Does everything have to be a competition...?

[ this is probably not the dumbest situation they've been in but it's up there. watching ryouma stand there like an idiot holding a flailing goose though might be worth whatever comes of this. ]

Well, that's yer problem! Ya don't listen! [ he continues to have no business making a fuss about this in particular but that has never stopped him. ] .... And yeah, I guess. But then ya know what that means, don'tcha?

[ why is he so excited? izō assumes if that's the case and they do have the same type of magic then random animal bits are in ryouma's future as well and—... yeah, he's just not going to think about that right now. ]

Probably 'cause ya make a fuss over the damn thing.

[ and nothing else. ]

[With their combined powers, it definitely seemed to work after a few moments of struggle. Makoto quickly stepped out of the way when it fell, the earth around them shaking as it landed. But it was soon dragged away and Makoto immediately to remove any last bits of debris, reaching in to start pulling people out.]

There we go, we got you. Easy, one by one...

[Makoto looked over his shoulder.]

Hey, there's some first aid in my bag. If you know any, can you patch up the ones who have minor injuries? I can use my healing magic if there's anyone with anything serious.

[Barbara's hair is wilder than usual, singed at the ends. Her face is stained with smoke, and there is blood drying from a cut on her brow.

She swings her head back and forth like a cat, wary at entering dangerous territory, senses keyed up for any disturbance. And in the smoldering ruins, the bright blue of Darin's hair sticks out immediately.]

Darin. Hurt?

[ Ryouma knows better than to call Izō on that -- it'll only cause a bigger argument if he so much as says anything to the contrary. Plus there's the immediate goose problem.

A problem that could be solved if he just put it down, but that's not happening right now. ]

I know what it means. It also means we can learn more together.

[ Yes, he likes the idea of being able to train with Izō -- that's what he's excited about.

But back to the goose in hand. ]

I don't make a fuss, I just like it. I don't think I'd be able to replace it easily, you know? [ He jerks his head to the side, narrowly keeping the goose from its quarry. ] Say, goose...Why do you want my hat so badly?

[ "Ask him."

Well, looks like you've been told on, Izō. ]

[Darin jolts slightly. He hadn't heard Barbara approach but...he was far too lost in his thoughts.]

[He shakes his head and turns to look at Barbara.]

...Are you alright? I can heal you.

[Unfortunately, from the look on Darin's face, he is absolutely seeing this.]

Holy mother of Celestials...

The hell are we supposed to do against that thing?! It's a mountain!

[ ryouma would put a nice little spin on it that would probably make izō sound like (more of) an asshole if he flat out objected to it. so he just makes a face. ]

Why? Somethin' special about it? 'Cause I bet there's places all over that have that Western-style shit yer into.

[ it's the familiar stuff izō's used to that's harder to come by. then again he hasn't put any effort whatsoever into bothering to look since what money he tends to have he doesn't keep for very long.

but more importantly. this goose just betrayed him right here. he's standing right here!! ]

Why ya little— [ someone wants to be the seasonal dinner a little early. will he fight a goose? he won't not fight a goose. ] I dunno what it's talkin' about. I dunno nothin'.

I cannot reach the eye on my own. Even were I to teleport to it, there's not much to grip on to.

[He lowers his hand.]

I would need something to keep me aloft... A gust of wind, perhaps?

[ The goose is suddenly much more docile in Ryouma's hands, as if it's trying to appeal to his sense of decency to not let Izō wring its neck. He gives Izō a tired look. ]

You don't? [ He looks at the goose again. ] Did he put you up to this?

[ "He said your hat is really special so I should take it and bring it back to him."

The goose really has it out for Izō. ]

Edited 2021-09-26 04:43 (UTC)

What's that look for? How're ya gonna believe it over me?!

[ ryouma has seen this look before because it's the look izō gets when he's going to kill someone.

at which point izō lunges forward because, yeah, wringing that goose's neck is exactly what he's planning to do. ]

Musse sighs.

"I had a feeling that might be the case from what you described. This may be hard, but imagine one million soldiers are marching on you. What would you do?"

[For Naomi, lacking a green thumb isn't much of an issue for her - she'd rather not be trusted with any plants anyway. At the stranger's question, she nods.]

Death magic. I wanted to see what happens with both.

[With the second bell jar, infusing it with healing magic, the base becomes lined by blooming lotus flowers, circled by wings... and then a rod coiled by a snake.]

... Well, that wouldn't be from the magic alone.

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EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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