EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

[avalonmods]

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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.

Comments

Autumnal Ambiance

[mayoninofukucho]

[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?

[sighsheavily]

[Cecelia's head lifts, mildly surprised that the response came from a voice she recognizes. that's more and more common here, but centuries of conditioning and being estranged from people kind of makes this a novelty by comparison.

after considering his words, she nods.] Wise. Better to prepare much in advance, rather than scrounge for resources later. I can't say I know what a full winter will be like on this isle. [and she wishes she wouldn't have to find out? they should've fixed things by now.]

[mayoninofukucho]

When did you arrive? I came at the start of the year in January.

[He remembers the winter tournament and the snow games... how could the months fly by so fast? Back then there still were other people from his homeworld here, too. But rather than get wistful now he has something he's curious about.]

Are you participating in the equinox ritual?

[sighsheavily]

[she leaves the first question unanswered, simply because he just keeps asking. besides, she's sure it hardly matters to him, so less time wasted on his part.

while sifting through the assortment of leaves and mushrooms on the table:] At this rate, I imagine those who don't participate will wind up being abducted and forced to anyway, mm?

[mayoninofukucho]

[He's just really curious if she got involved with the ominous ongoings around the equinox! Can she fault him for that? He had his own fair share of misgivings, but ultimately everyone's reassurances convinced him to participate.]

Hey, they do this every year! It's tried and tested! Sure, now time is frozen and all, but that's why we're making more of those spirit guardians. Don't you trust the organisers?

[His overly spunky attitude is, of course, a blatant little charade. It truly would be a wonder if things didn't go haywire, given how many elements there are to the ritual even without the special circumstances.]

[sighsheavily]

[she doesn't look up, but her eyebrow arches all the same. it takes a little effort to keep from making a dubious noise, but she has effort today! no geese have fried her patience (yet), and she's actually quite amenable to conversation.]

They are certainly innocent until proven otherwise, but I'd be quite the fool at this rate to trust any ritual to go off swimmingly at this point, wouldn't I?

[mayoninofukucho]

No joke. And seriously, this ritual in particular is just way too sketchy. Burning the undead, boiling their remains, and sealing spirits inside people? That's practically asking for shit to go south.

[And yet he volunteered for exactly that... no, he doesn't know how to justify it, other than having felt compelled to lend his support to what seemed to be a particularly tough challenge for the dead this year. It's his new self-identification as a death mage coming through once more.]

So if the spirit possesses me at the equinox or something, run.

[How very reassuring! But at least he's not asking her to take him out if that happens. Given that he's a warrior by trade that'd be a tall order.]

[sighsheavily]

[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?

[mayoninofukucho]

[He's not a necromancer!!]

What, the mushroom? What'd you do with it?

[Sorry, Cecelia, sometimes the lightbulb in his head goes out...]

[sighsheavily]

...

[gods give her patience.]

The spell. I'm referring to the spell withholding decay.

[mayoninofukucho]

Oh!! No, that's fine! Well, apart from the whole thing about every plant you touch dying if you screw it up.

[He doesn't sound too bothered, though. After all there are workarounds, like gloves!]

And I guess you really shouldn't try to do this with anything other than plants. That's probably how you'd get a zombie infestation, even if it's just insects.

[sighsheavily]

[flatly:] Would you not assume that the authors of such a spell would be certain the risk is low enough as to share it with so many novices?

[mayoninofukucho]

Honestly? Not really. I mean, why else did they warn us so explicitly?

[He holds up the book, which also contains a side note along the lines of "DO NOT USE ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN PLANTS".]

People here grow up knowing what consequences shitty magic can bring, right? They've probably got way more instinctive caution about all of this than we do, so they think it's safe enough as long as they inform us.

[sighsheavily]

[she sighs a bit, putting ingredients back down and looking to the page.]

That's an awful lot of faith to put in a group of utter strangers with vastly different priorities. But I suppose that it's all simple speculation until someone proves themselves untrustworthy, mm?

[mayoninofukucho]

Precisely. Let's look at the upside here: we're being trusted to neither be agents of chaos nor total morons.

[To be fair, it's pretty much confirmed that this doesn't apply too 100% of the outworlder population on at least one count, but hey!! He starts to actually focus on his totems, combining ingredients for the first one while referring back to the recipe ever so often. He's made them a few times now, but it's better to be safe than sorry.]

[sighsheavily]

[that gets a soft hmph out of the half-elf, not terribly inclined to buy into such an optimistic take, but also not keen on arguing about it, either. what would it prove, anyway?

instead she just picks up a couple leaves in her palm, pulling water out of them with her unoccupied hand. she lets the dried components flutter onto the table to be picked up and used as he pleases.

after a few minutes:] You'll have to forgive me: You offered to aid me, but I haven't had the coin to spare.

Continued from above!

[mayoninofukucho]

I know my own definition of success, and that's all I need.

[He's... not much of a philosopher. At least not most of the time.]

[sighsheavily]

[uh huh. how very...hm...well, she doesn't watch anime, but she read a lot of bad heroic fiction? so she has a sense she knows where mindsets like this live usually.]

And your...other pursuit? That you were researching?

[mayoninofukucho]

[Yeah, he's that kind of guy. At her question his expression turns a little blank.]

Hm? Jog my memory, will you?

[To the best of his recollection when they set out to the archivist's she was looking for guidance on the structure of the local magic and the etiquette for its usage, while he wanted more information on the Forest of the Felled and to further his understanding of death magic, and while she was left rather frustrated by the lack of clear-cut information he more or less got what he wanted.

They had talked about more concerns after the battle in the Hall of Mirrors - a need for better protection for the citizens and for better organisation of everybody's magical skill development, etc. -, and about yet more items, such as the lack of certainty regarding the circumstances surrounding the calamity, during and after their studies, but he can't pinpoint what she's inquiring about.]

[sighsheavily]

...

[she considers maybe not doing that, but that would be impolite, wouldn't it? it's her own fault for even daring to bring it up, so she may as well lie in her own wretched bed:] Something to do with a particular breed of fairies, if I recall correctly.

[mayoninofukucho]

Ah!!

[Oh, how his face lights up... only to immediately turn glum again.]

I still haven't found anything. No entry in 'The Fairies of Avalon', nor in any more specialised books or magazines, nor on AOL... no second-hand accounts of sightings among the citizens either.

[He lets out a sigh.]

They must be very elusive...

[So he really pursued his investigations of the existence of mayonnaise fairies, despite there being so much other work to do.]

[sighsheavily]

[indeed. she'd blow off his entire venture as folly, but she's learned this lesson before: even stupid things can be, and are very likely, real. best to be on the favored side of any future mayonnaise fairy invasions, if only to avoid the stench...]

Or not native to this realm, perhaps. Not all creatures of magical nature exist here, from what I can tell.

[mayoninofukucho]

If only my Mayorins had been allowed to stay here! They'd have fit right in here!

[Cecelia can count herself lucky that she missed that entire chapter. Hijikata is probably the only person in the multiverse who finds the gnome-like mascot creatures endearing.]

You know what, once I'm done here I'll check some more areas in the library. Perhaps they're not in the magical creatures section but in the food section?

[sighsheavily]

[surely there are better things to focus one's study on, Cecelia ought to impose. but...engh. she doesn't have the mental energy to waste on that, especially when he seems so...weirdly invested in it.

life is just...weird sometimes. she has to accept it and know how to pick her battles.

and so:] One will have fewer regrets when one is thorough.

[there. huzzah. the blandest of cheerleading.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Half-hearted of a support as it may be, Hijikata seems grateful (maybe because other people generally vocally shoot his investment in the matter down).]

Yeah! Maybe I really just overlooked something... and if it turns out that no one has really bothered to research them until now - which would be scientific neglect, if you ask me -, then I'll become the first pioneer in the field.

[Godspeed, Hijikata... for now, though, he's content to use up his totem ingredients working alongside Cecelia.]