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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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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.


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.
    amakakeru: (to what they say)

    [personal profile] amakakeru 2021-09-27 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ It is too soon for them to be like they used to. Ryouma will simply cherish the small moments of familiarity and ease he does get from Izō for now. That doesn't mean he doesn't mourn the loss of that fleeting moment of normalcy, though...

    Ah well. It's fine. At least Izō is still on board with being near him, that's more than he could have hoped for previously. He hurries after him, still caught up in his own thoughts too much for his own good. ]


    Guess I'll have to take your word on that. I...tend not to trust anything from fairies, anyway.

    [ The Celts had taught him that much in Chaldea.

    As far as money goes, he's grateful that Izō tends to have ... less refined tastes, if only because this little outing will probably make him broke for the next little while.

    That's fine. He's not spending it on much, anyway. ]
    fujimaru: with apologies to pixiv artist 331560 (109)

    [personal profile] fujimaru 2021-09-27 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
    It could be worse.

    [ That's been Ritsuka's mantra for years. It could be worse! Because she knows it could be--she could be here on her own entirely. She could have found him in worse shape than this, or any of the others. Even Kadoc would upset her to find hurt.

    What happened today weighs on her like a physical presence, but she clings to the same mentality that has carried through all of the Lostbelts so far: It could be worse. I'm still alive. I can keep going. I'm not alone here.

    Sometimes it is just the little things that matter. ]


    Maybe after this, I'll see if anyone can teach me more of this kind of thing. I can't use magic, but stuff like this is still useful, right?
    forgeabettertomorrow: (Nani the fuck?!)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
    What did they take from you? And which one? I'll see if I can get it back!
    amakakeru: (to what they say)

    [personal profile] amakakeru 2021-09-27 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
    [ He'd be lying if he said he was; it's plain as day he's not. Even aside from his dirty clothes, his level of distraction is beyond that of his normal, somewhat dreamy self. No, he's thinking about what he should've done, what he could've done differently to have a better outcome for everyone.

    Things never worked out that way.

    Ryouma gives a similarly unconvincing smile and shrugs. ]


    I'm alive. I suppose you could call that alright. [ He gets a better look at Jane and his tired smile turns to concern. ] ...You were in Lestari, too, weren't you?
    Edited 2021-09-27 22:22 (UTC)
    forgeabettertomorrow: (My alternative facts are still right)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
    Darin scoffs silently.

    "Lucky for you, I can grieve and travel."

    Call it a defense mechanism, but whenever Darin was feeling out of his depth or just altogether uncomfortable, he couldn't help but quip and be sarcastic. He's waiting for the other shoe to drop with Edelgard, for her to blame him or something. Maybe he can antagonize it out of her. That sort of thing used to work at home.

    He stands and falls into step beside her. He wants so desperately to make a comment of her being a blood mage, what with all of her talk of war. But he's not really in the mood to jab that particular sleeping bear just yet.

    "Have you found any survivors?"
    ichoosefight: (clicking pens)

    [personal profile] ichoosefight 2021-09-27 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
    She gives a single laugh, totally devoid of energy, turning her head back to its previous position.

    "It's what's in my power that bothers me."

    She sighs again.

    "I know how crazy that is. I guess... I thought it would be different, not having an enemy to fight. Making things better instead of..." She struggles for the words to describe it, "trying to stop a tidal wave. But it's not. It's just that the damage is already done."
    amakakeru: (telling it's too late)

    [personal profile] amakakeru 2021-09-27 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
    And, true to his word, he didn't panic. No, instead he smiled. Eve wasn't quite the same as Oryou -- too small, for one -- but she still brought her to mind. Despite the situation they're in right now, he smiles.

    "Ah, you must be Eve...Thank you for your help."

    No one liked a thankless job.
    sighsheavily: (pic#14667798)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-27 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    Our contingent of animal mages certainly were hard-targeted not too long ago. [she thinks of Keith, coming across him so haggard and barely able to stand. her expression darkens.]

    It makes me wonder...whether the risks to outworlder safety will increase...as even a small percentage of them grow in strength.
    forgeabettertomorrow: (You wanna go?!)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Darin can't peel his eyes from the sight. In genuinely looked like the end of the world.]

    [How do you even begin to handle that?]

    [With the dragon going one way and the giant going seemingly in another direction...their forces were going to be split. Did Lestari or Celliwig have any defensive measures? If the stone giant erupted out of the mountain where Lestari was, was it even still on the map?]

    [Darin follows after Hijikata.]


    We need to get to Lestari. We need to find if there are any survivors and get them aid!
    flapsin: (THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT)

    [personal profile] flapsin 2021-09-27 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
    Hoof!

    [Push does come to shove! Or pull in this case! With the rock taken care of, now he goes through the remaining rubble to reach that survivor.]

    Here we go...! Let's get you somewhere you can rest up!
    sighsheavily: (Default)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-27 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
    [flatly:] Duly noted.

    [but that does pique her interest.]

    As a [necromancer] death mage, is it your opinion that even this much [she holds up a drying-out mushroom.] is a risk?
    sighsheavily: (pic#14667796)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-27 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
    Indeed... [she scowls back down at her re-ruined skirts.] Should your dog capture anything, I've no qualms with it returning quite dead. According to postings on the phone, they were destined to be dinner anyway...
    flapsin: (nice plan)

    [personal profile] flapsin 2021-09-27 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
    Darkwing nods along, while stroking at the bottom of his beak thoughtfully.

    "Ooh, a signal! That's not a bad idea." That bat symbol has a good look to it. No wonder people keep on mentioning this Bat Man! "Right, I'll make that symbol if I need you for anything. And if I see one I didn't make, then I'll know that you're the one who needs help! Or you can make kind of stylized Double D symbol, that would also catch my attention!" Hopefully he doesn't get caught up in talking about superhero branding.
    forgeabettertomorrow: (GHK!)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
    [He was a little surprised to find Emet having such trouble with the geese and was about to offer his assistance when he made such a strange, startled cry.]

    [Sadly, Darin doesn't get why he's so alarmed. And while he's trying to figure it out, the goose behind him seizes the opportunity to grab Darin's smithy hammer right off his belt.]


    Gah! What in the hell?! Why the hell are these things so smart!? It's like they're specifically targeting things that are dangerous or worth money!
    morganknight: (looking at you)

    [personal profile] morganknight 2021-09-27 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
    Morgan nodded.

    "Part of my philosophy is... that there is always a right answer, but you aren't always able to achieve the right answers. So you have to settle for the least wrong one. And then, and this is the important part, analyze what it would take to achieve the right answer. Where you can grow, work to do so. Where you can't, accept it, and understand that sometimes choosing the least wrong answer is the only thing you can do."

    Shifting slightly, Morgan looked up at nothing in particular.

    "Like in this case, the right answer was to stop the dragon, prevent the collapse, and stop the stone golem before it ever caused trouble. That's not within our power at all! I find it helps to think of it that way, because it puts in perspective what you did do, and how much it was."
    forgeabettertomorrow: (sure whatever you say)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Darin didn't have the heart to return to Camelot. He couldn't face the displaced refugees right now. At this point, his clothes are torn and threadbare, but he's still insistent on working until he drops.]

    [Zidane's arrival is especially timely. The bags under his eyes are visible through the dirt and sweat.]


    ...Didn't we just take one? [That was like a day ago.]
    tantailizing: Artwork by: Hira (Otemoto84) (What the heck?)

    [personal profile] tantailizing 2021-09-27 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Taking a seat on a rock, Zidane shakes his head.]

    Yeah, like yesterday. You didn't sleep again, did you? [God, Darin, every time they meet, he keeps having to be responsible. Stop it.]
    forgeabettertomorrow: (We can fly if you believe)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
    [For the first time in days, the smoky towers from fires had finally given way to bluer skies.]

    [Darin was slumped against a broken wall, staring at the sky for the first time in what seems like forever. But the motion catches his attention and he looks down at the pure white cat; standing out like a star in a dark night.]

    [Darin smiles wearily and holds a hand out, palm down, towards it.]


    Hey there, friend. You're looking well. Looks like you managed to escape the consequences of my actions unscathed...

    I'm glad...
    forgeabettertomorrow: (I don't really get it but...)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
    ...There's no way it's been a day.

    ...Wait, what day is it?
    sighsheavily: (pic#14667798)

    [personal profile] sighsheavily 2021-09-27 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
    [that much power that quickly is quite the drain; thank goodness Yuber was able to take them the rest of the way, for she wasn't likely able to do it herself. the lack of warning means she has no time to get her feet under her. she drops with a wheeze, just barely catching herself with her forearms to spare her face from eating the dirt.

    overhead, the beast rumbles and roars, accosted now by other outworlders.

    trembling, trying to catch her breath, to feel like something other than one of those jiggling slimes in the librarynth, her head lifts to see the blurry shape of Yuber nearby. she clenches her own jaw, forcing herself to get her knees under her and push herself up a bit more.]


    Yh...Yuber-- [she braces against the bellowing noise above.] Get up. Move.

    [it's as much an order for herself as it is for him; they can't just stay here.]
    forgeabettertomorrow: (Nani the fuck?!)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
    You got it! Hang tight!

    [Muscles straining, he manages to climb his way up to the dragon's talon. From there, it was touch-and-go as he had to carefully pick scales as hand and foot holds.]

    [He tries is best, but it's not easy scaling a dragon mid-flight, so it takes more time than he would have preferred. But once he's on its back, at least he can scramble along its spine more easily.]


    What are you going to say to it when I get us there?
    forgeabettertomorrow: (Don't fail me now beautiful wings)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
    You didn't run from the battle, idiot! I knocked you out! I intercepted you before you could do something stupid. There's no cowardice in being sucker punched.

    So, the only one who has to worry about punishment is me. So, if I have to take responsibility for what happens then...

    ...Then I will.

    [He watches Hawk stand and return to the appearance Darin was more familiar with. He's not going to bother clarifying the fact that he doesn't think Hawk is a coward any further. Instead...]

    Why do you hide your real face?
    chatwithdeath: (So that's it...)

    [personal profile] chatwithdeath 2021-09-27 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
    Wait. Don't move them just yet...

    [Because it was her turn to actually contribute a little bit more. Moving to examine their leg closely, it... actually doesn't look that bad. It's not a break, but it was bruised.]

    [The heal would be simple then.]
    tantailizing: Artwork by: Unknown (Wanna repeat that)

    [personal profile] tantailizing 2021-09-27 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
    I swear it's been a day, man.

    [He even takes out his phone to show Darin the date.]
    forgeabettertomorrow: (But what does 'being anime' even mean?)

    [personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2021-09-27 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
    [Darin runs a hand through his matted and dirty hair.]

    Right. Okay.

    ...Okay, yeah. Let's...Let's take five...