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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...Fine.

[Not that he would ever actually do anything like that unless absolutely necessary. He lets out another sigh, any other time the insistence would be adorable.]

Just don't expect me to be able to stand up again.

[He finally grunted, before pulling himself up a seat on a piece of destroyed rubble. His remaining sword set off to the side as he lets out a sigh mixed with a groan. If he really wasn't careful then his exhaustion would catch up with him right there and then.]

It's fine. I'll get a wheelbarrow if I have to.

[ The thought of it makes her smile, briefly, when there's been very little for her to smile about all day. He'd probably be too big for a wheelbarrow she could handle, and even with the help, she's not sure she could move him... but it'd be funny to try.

Once he's seated, though, she moves in, opening the kit and giving him a more critical once-over. Honestly, she's impressed that he's managed to be on his feet at all, but even on a human level, he's always been one of the toughest people she knows. ]

I should have brought a water bottle, huh... maybe I should get the wheelbarrow after all, huh? I could find a lake and dump you in for a bit.

[ As far as jokes go, it's not a great one, but she's still smiling a little at it. Anything at all, to keep the mood from being completely dark. ]

Ha! Very clever, master. I feel like I could drink a whole lake.

[He was all grins and mirth, more than ready to lean into Ritsuka's humor. His mood had already drastically improved and changed the moment she showed up. Really the thought of his smaller master trying to cart him around in a wheelbarrow though? That was a funny thought in itself.

All that said, his more critical injuries were by and large dealt with by now. Using what energy he had left in himself to patch them up. His chest still hurt and his breathing was deep. But nothing was overly broken now. Healing magic could be used for more than just support, dang it!

The burns though, were still present, particularly on his hands.]

Perhaps if you change the water into mead I probably would. Though I'd still end up dragging you in with me.

Beo-san, I'm still underage for that kind of thing.

[ Out of everything that she's had to abandon in the name of her ongoing mission, adhering to drinking laws is the only thing that Ritsuka clings to for her own sake, specifically. The moment she agrees to take a drink, she half-expects the Celts or the oni (or maybe all of them) to just spontaneously manifest, and after that... she's not sure any healer would be able to help her liver.

But she's smiling a tiny bit as she says it, even as she starts to carefully bandage his hands. ]

You need to be a little careful, too. I can't help as much as I could back home.

Yeah, yeah... something non-alcoholic then.

[Maybe Jing Ke hears the bottle open and materializes into existence... or really a majority of the alcohol club that Beowulf typically rolls with.]

Help, no matter how small, is still help.

[He tries to relax his body at least. Letting her bandage up his hands and wherever else it was needed.]

...I'll be more careful next time.

[If only to make her worry less.]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind just jumping into a big pool right now, period. Preferably a hot one. The rooms at the inn are fine, but the baths are kind of lackluster, you know?

[ Her tone is matter of fact, neither disappointed nor resentful. Things are what they are... and they're only going to get more crowded soon, with everything that's happened today, huh? It's something she's going to have to think about. ]

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you were careful. All of you. I'm stuck even more just being moral support at this point, you know? I can't even use the healing boost I get from this thing.

[ She punctuates that with a brief gesture to herself, at her mystic code. ]

I do, maybe we can see about getting you out of there.

[You know, and into an actual apartment or house or something. Maybe he should just have her move in with him.]

Mm, I'd say you're doing more than just moral support right now.

[Oh, but that's right. Her sick-ass tatt probably holds no power here. His mind goes towards Kiyohime... Hercules and the others that might potentially show up. Perhaps he should have her move in with him....]

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?

Aye, it could be. But it can always be better.

[He still very much appreciates the enthusiasm though! Things will get better, and it was always important to keep moving forward.]

Mm, I'm sure that Nightingale woman would love to if she ever showed up. [It's a joke... a joke!] ...I could probably show you a few things if you ever want.

Yeah, she'd show me how to cut a man's leg off to keep him safe from a scrape.

[ They both know what Nightingale is like. ]

But if you're willing to teach me, I'd like to learn. If nothing else, it'll also help when we go back home.

[ When, not if. She does believe that, no matter how badly things have gone here right now. ]

Well he sure won't be complaining about the scrape.

[Indeed he does, and yes she's on his list of "to box". If she ever shows.]

Basics aren't that hard and boil down to keeping everything meant to be inside, inside.

[He gives a careful shrug, mindful of what she was doing.]

Could start now, if you want.

[ She's almost done, at least; a moment later, she ties off the bandage and sits back, cocking her head. ]

It won't be anything too big, right? You should be resting right now.

[ Don't think she won't make good on the wheelbarrow threat. She's determined like that. ]

[Who knows, maybe Ritsuka's actually a ~~beast~~ berserker in disguise. What with the wheelbarrow threat.]

No, mostly just on bandaging, setting bones and the like. Though by the look of things you've already gotten the hang of most of it.

[His chin rests itself on a hand as he inspects her handiwork.]

I've never had to set bones before... don't tell me you've got any broken ones right now.

[ A beast, a Beast, or a Berserker? Who knows. She does give him a critical look, one eyebrow raised in her best I won't be mad, just disappointed look. Her actual work is reasonably good; Nightingale doesn't have many lucid moments for teaching, but Ritsuka is good at paying attention when she has a reason and desire to do so, and before Nightingale, there'd been Roman. ]

I think the only time I've broken anything, I've had someone carry me back to be patched up.

Had a cracked rib.

[One day the Beast will be unleashed, and Avalon will burn. But the keyword he said there was had. There was also a joking (for him) grin on his lips.]

Got annoying though, so I glared at it and told it to heal. Still hurts though.

[Okay, so he might have been joking... and he might not have been.]

I don't think that's how it works...

[ On the other hand, maybe it does? Even back home, some of the most unexpected Servants had healing abilities. Just because Beowulf has never displayed them before doesn't mean that this place might not have had a sense of humor about things.

She points at his ribs, though she doesn't actually make contact; she might be willing to play this joke out, but she's not going to do something that might aggravate injuries he's downplaying. ]

Do I gotta make you promise me to take it easy?

[~~Guts goes brrrrr~~ To be fair, he is a healer here. And it wasn't the first time he's shaken off mortal wounds like they were less than bee stings. Even when he was alive and not a servant.]

Yeah, sure. I'll take it easy. [Easy for him.] Not much else to be done now anyway. And Naegling broke.

Broke?!

[ On some level, she knows that's always a possibility. It's not like weapons are any more invincible than humans, certain skills aside. But still! ]

Is that--uh--is it the kinda thing that can get fixed?!

[More than a possibility, his swords were always meant to break anyways. Hence why he doesn't seem to be torn up about it. That and he never really liked swords to begin with. Just one step closer to unleashing super saiyan god mode. Or whatever the kids call it now. Yare yare daze....]

Normally no; and it's not meant to be. Here, I might look into it eventually. The thing was going to break anyway, just happened to break now.

[A shrug.]

Broke when I saved a certain loud mouth. Pretty sure he might bring up living later. Maybe complain about it. [Another shrug.] Dealing with broken ribs isn't all that hard though.

I think we have different ideas of what's hard to deal with!

[ Is this the power of being a Berserker?? Ritsuka's cracked ribs more than once over the course of her time at Chaldea, and she still remembers how bad it was the first time!

Or maybe it's just what it's like to be someone who's actually used to physical fighting. She still doesn't really get that. ]

You should definitely--what are you doing still upright?! Lie down for a little bit, jeeze!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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