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

Uh... yeah, okay?

[He's still a little bewildered by appearances, but Hijikata had spoken back. He has questions, but they also had a Stone Giant marching almost on its merry way. One of those things can obviously come later because they need a new plan.]

[Considering the question fast and giving the present terrain a quick scope, Zidane soon nods. The dust clouds, the shaking, the tumbling trees and boulders altered the ground too often and too much - not to mention, it's difficult to draw the Giant's attention from beneath the dust and then avoiding its attacks could be another matter.]

I'll hold its attention from its back. If you want to take shots at its head while I got it distracted, go for it.

[Arashi nods and (slightly awkwardly) wraps his arms around Zidane, trusting him (and Moguo, if he's coming along too) to hold on tight as he flies them all the way up to the giant's shoulder. It takes several minutes, that's how goddamn huge the colossus is, and Arashi is grateful for Hijikata's physical strength. When he sets Zidane down he cautions him.]

If you are in danger, call out for me!

[There's plenty of surface to go around, so it's not like they're at acute risk of falling off, but the constant movement makes it challenging to fight up here nonetheless. While the dust and distance may have obscured the view from below the three large rotating pentagrams covered in golden glyphs are in clear view now. Arashi briefly assesses the situation, and once he is satisfied with the continued exorcisms he turns to Zidane again.]

If you still want to try diverting its attention I will attempt to blind it, however I believe that the chance of success is low.

[If the giant has eyes they're probably either rock or precious stones, both of which will be resistent to the elements. Still, Arashi and Hijikata are both willing to pull out all the stops.]

[There's no need to carry Moguo - the little guy can fly perfectly fine on his own, but Zidane would agree that being carried by Hijikata (Arashi) was awkward. Holding on for the ride, the thief can get a good scope of their enemy - and damn, they're gonna need more people, or at least a few more guardians.]

[Feet touching down, he nods.]

You got it!

[But with the amount of room he has, he thinks he's got this. He just has to be careful when the hands come swinging or if the Giant decides to shake its shoulders. It wouldn't do that, right? Moguo's already away buzzing around the Giant's head, but it doesn't seem to care much.]

Hey, if it's something that can buy us more time, let's give it a go.

[Hijikata is curious about Zidane's spirit guardian (and grateful he brought one into the fight, because they really need as many as they can get), but his questions will have to wait until later. He nods and takes flight again. While Arashi's strongest point is his wind magic the stone titan could probably withstand even a hurricane, so Hijikata's fire seems like the better option.]

Here we go!

[He launches a broad stream of flames at the giant's face, taking care to ensure that Moguo isn't in the line of fire. But as he already expected the giant doesn't even pause in its advance, instead merely lifting a massive hand to swat the annoying bird man away. Arashi quickly lets himself plummet down, narrowly avoiding the sweeping rock fingers, before catching himself in mid-air and flying back up to land by Zidane's side.]

It is no use; it is far too large and impenetrable. Our best bet wold likely be to trip it, but even my strongest earth magic would hardly be enough.

[With earth magic being Hijikata's weakest element he could hardly muster anything close to an earthquake, and even if he managed that, it would doubtlessly impact their fellow fighters on the ground worse than the giant. Their lack of options is frustrating, but at least the spinning, glowing spell wheels keep pulling souls out of the rock.]

[His spirit, it's hard to tell what it is. Male or female? The build is thin, the hair is long, but the body is flat. It's humanoid at the very least, taller than Zidane, and hovering instead of walking. Zidane, his Guardian, and Moguo all move back to give Hijikata space to try - meanwhile, they attempt to do anything on the shoulder.]

[Zidane barely manages a chip, but his guardian draws out yet again another soul it had consumed while also chipping away at it more. Moguo goes for the back of the head since Hijikata's going for its face, but regroups when the other man returns after the attempted swat.]

It was worth a shot. Tripping it, huh?

[Looking it over... well, it was made of stone. He glances at his companions who look back.]

... We might be able to manage something. If you can try making it chase you, or just make it halt for a sec, I think we can pull this off.

I shall do my best.

[He swings himself back into the air in front of the giant and, from a respectful distance, starts peppering it with small fireballs - any bigger attacks would only drain him of magical energy, and this should be enough to still be annoying. The giant indeed tries to grab him this time rather than just swat him away, and Arashi hurries to beat his wings and get more space between them.

Since he's only just out of reach the giant's steps speed up as he reaches forward once more, clearly aggravated. Arashi briefly lets his eyes dart down to try and see what Zidane and company are up to, but quickly puts his focus back on the stone colossus as it tries to grasp him anew. He barely manages to dive away in time, and the giant lets out a rumbling groan of frustration. Hopefully this will work out...]

[While Hijikata went up, Zidane, Moguo, and his Guardian spring to the ground. Instead of touching down, they're floating which helps with the shaking earth, but not so much the clouds as the Giant walks faster. They have to move around to the outside to avoid getting stepped on, but once he sees a foot through the worst of it, he points it out.]

[When the second foot rises, all three focus their magic on the foot still on the ground and proceed to try making it slip before the Giant can put its foot down.]

[It's a pain to coordinate attacks on an enemy this goddamn huge, that's for sure... but when the giant loses its balance thanks to the group effort further down Arashi sees the effect all the way up where he is.

The colossus flails its massive rock arms in slow motion, but can't fully counteract its misstep, and with a monumental rumble it crashes onto one knee, extending an arm downwards to brace its fall. Hijikata's first instinct is to bombard it with more elemental attacks, but Arashi mentally dissuades him - the win Zidane's team earned them here is more time to extract souls while the giant slowly struggles back to its feet.

That isn't to say that others with more effective offensive magic can't chip away at it with full force now, though, and since Hijikata's exorcism spells run on their own and merely rely on Arashi's magic reserves as their power source he flies down to check on the others.]

Zidane? Moguo? Good work!

[There's plenty of time for Zidane's guardian to reap souls and he even has enough time to leap onto the Giant and begin peeling away a few himself. Where they go and how he can, Zidane isn't asking questions right now, but he'll assume they're going where he knows best: to the crystal tattoo on his back. Meanwhile, Moguo is attempting to buy some time, putting on pressure to stagger the Giant a little bit longer.]

I don't know how many times we can do that, but we can keep using it for now!

[Hijikata's dragon comes into view again, curving around the giant's leg with rescued souls floating alongside its long body like a flock of sheep. Rather than mimicking Zidane's personal rescue efforts Arashi decides once more to keep channeling his magical energy into his ongoing spell set-ups, but he admires the young man's resolve.]

Yes, let us continue! Whether we have further success with this method or the giant will pause to fight us off, we will slow it down.

[This is going to be one tedious battle, and the giant is so nigh-invulnerable and makes such incredible headway across the island with each step that it seems impossible to prevent it from reaching the Forest of the Felled, but every second of delay makes a difference!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ✨ Fall Equinot

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