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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... ... ...

I don't know.

If I keep to the background...I can support the people who know what they're doing.

And what if those people want to have you there with them, at their side?

[And perhaps it's selfish to add this in, but...] What if I want you there?

Because while I can't fault you for not wanting inexperience to get in the way, the only way anyone learns what they're doing is by practice, whether training or getting involved. If you want to support others, that's the best thing you can do, no matter where you ultimately end up.

...If...you asked...

[He's clearly struggling with the answer.]

[In the end, however, he shrugs.]

I'd...help you if you truly needed it...

[The addition of the qualifier clearly means that it's up to him to decide whether or not he'd be needed in the end.]

[It's not the most satisfying answer. But not in him continuing to take to heart the things she's said — it's something in his voice, something in the way he clearly doesn't want to say it. There's a blockage there that remains unbroken, a barrier that she cannot force him to cross. And until that falls, there's no sense in trying to convince him any further. It would only be an attempt at seizing control of his will.]

[And the thought of doing such a thing — of becoming someone who would do such a thing — sickens her to the core.]

[So, she releases her disappointment in one last, quiet sigh, and shifts to a more supportive standpoint.]

Of course. That's the most I'd ever ask of you — and just hearing it is reassuring enough.

[Not that she had been seeking reassurance, but it makes the conversation that lead them to this point more palatable.]

[Besides, it's not a lie that she's not one to lean on him needlessly. For example, she's found a good supply of wood for the fire, and is carrying it back herself. There's too much to hold in one armful, and attempting to do so would risk her dropping it all on the way back. But she can always make a few trips back and forth.]

[He recognizes that tone of voice. He's known that tone for as long as he can remember.]

[Of course she'd be disappointed with him. And it twists him up inside.]

No, it's not. Don't patronize me.

You want me to be more.

[She doesn't seem all that disturbed by the callout.]

I do think you're better at these things than you give yourself credit for. And hero work is gratifying in a way that I suspect would benefit you.

But it's not my place to decide for you whether or not it's worth it.

But that doesn't change what you want. This...idea you seem to have of me. That I'm not some walking disaster.

Allura, I'm not like you. You're a paladin. A savior. I was never fit for a title like that. From the second I was born, I was many things, but a hero? A leader?

[He shakes his head.]

Maybe when I was a kid that's what I wanted. But I learned really early on what happens to people who dream of unattainable heights.

They have the furthest to fall. Some people are cut out for this. Like you and your team.

I'm not.

And "really early on," I thought that if the fate of the universe rested on the shoulders of these humans, then our cause was truly hopeless. If I had listened to those sorts of doubts, so many worlds would still be suffering under the rule of the Galra. I likely wouldn't have escaped them, either...

Everyone has their failures, sooner or later. Greatness isn't found by avoiding it — but by whether or not you have the will to continue on after.

Maybe I don't...

[He's so tired and it's clear in his voice. Everything that's happened has been such a drastic blow to what little faith in himself that he had...and the fact that he's run himself into the ground isn't helping.]

[He stops eating the jerky as it's grown tasteless in his mouth. He'd a disappointment. Now even his girlfriend knows it.]

Didn't I say that you ought to be more fair to yourself?

[She's now assembling the base for the campfire. It doesn't come together easily, since she's gathered a lot of odd pieces, whatever was left by the dragon's breath. But eventually it does come together. Now, she just needs some way to light it.]

You don't have to be ready immediately, you know. Give yourself a chance to rest and recover your strength, and you might change your mind.

I'm not trying to push you, you know. All I wanted was to motivate you before this consumed you too far.

I know what you're trying to do. I know you're not being...malicious or...or demanding.

I know you're not trying to force me or groom me into something else. But...you have to understand, Allura...

I've spent the last two decades of my life not only believing myself to be some sort of...mistake or monster. But being told by those around me I was too cursed to be loved. I lost...everything...to forces I could not control. And my crime? My only crime? Was being born.

My mother died giving birth to my brother and me. My father and brother died when angels tried to literally murder me as a child because they found out what I was and couldn't be suffered to live. My home? Burned to the ground around me. For at least a year, no one wanted me. They were afraid they'd meet the same end as my family. Kids would tell me that I didn't have a mom because of me. As an adult, people would hide their children or put their hands on their weapons when they saw me walk down the street.

It didn't matter how good I was. It didn't matter how much I tried to help or offered to do the right thing. I was a deceiver. I was compensating. I was doing everything and anything but trying to be a genuinely good person in their minds. How many times had I helped someone, only to overhear someone approach them after and tell them to 'watch out for that one, he hides his wickedness behind good deeds.'

Even here, I became a monster and hurt innocent people. And now, when I tried to do the right thing, to save who I thought I had the power to save, there's just...this. Ash and destruction.

This...This isn't just some...one time set back. This isn't just one thing. This is a lifetime of being told I would do nothing but bring pain and suffering to everything and everyone around me.

I'm tired...

Edited 2021-10-16 10:15 (UTC)

[Can she blame him? Just listening to everything he's been through makes her feel tired as well. So much of this feels unjust, a heavy punishment for a man who is no criminal, a lifetime of past injuries to be healed. But then there's a part of it that doesn't feel like it was purely born of misunderstanding — something that feels as if the people around him were corrupt and malformed, as if their world was rotting at its core.]

[If he was going to heal, maybe this was the only place he could do that.]

... you know...

You say you might not have the will to continue, but... you've had a strong enough will to carry you through all of that. Everything you've suffered is one more thing that you have survived.

...So, what?

You don't think I've hit my limit yet?

I don't think you will.

[In fact, she has more doubt in making the admission than in her own impression of him.]

You may have brought up the times that things have gone wrong here, but... compared to your life before, can't you see some improvement? Everything you have endured has made you stronger, and now...

You don't have to face any of this alone. No matter what you choose, what role you take — you will not be alone.

... ... ...

[He can't deny that she had a point. And honestly, he knew that it just wasn't in him to lie down and give up.]

[As much as he'd like to pretend wasn't the case, he's been in this dark place before. And every time someone needed help, he always forgot his own nonsense in a second and got to work.]

[...It was frustrating to be read so well. He can't even brood.]

[With a sigh, he pushes himself to his feet and dusts the grime off of his pants.]

...Where did you leave off with the camp? I can't just...sit around and do nothing.

Doesn't feel right...

[Her expression lights up, even if only slightly. Reluctant progress is still progress right? No matter how much he might want to stew in his own misery — as long as she's around, she can't sit back and let him be consumed by it.]

[Truthfully, with all their talking, she's only gotten so much done. She gestures to it with a tilt of her head.]

The campfire is just about ready. But besides that, I haven't done much. We'll still need a place to sleep...

[A pause, and then quietly and sincerely:] Thank you, Darin. [Not for the campsite, but for the effort.]

[He certainly wasn't expecting to be thanked. So he turns to give her a confused look.]

Thank you?

For what? I haven't done anything yet.

[And she smiles back, finding something amusing in his innocent reaction.]

I can still thank you just for volunteering, can't I? I was prepared to set up the entire campsite on my own, if you needed the rest.

[And it's not as if she was doing a bad job. Maybe a little slow, though, given how distracted she was by their conversation.]

[He falls silent and starts to go about setting up the tent. Occasionally, he'll spare glances at her back in her armor. He feels foolish...how could she still have feelings for him after all of this...?]

[And yet...here she was. Still working with him. For him...]

[So, he'll quietly move up behind her while she's working...]

[And lean in to kiss her cheek gently.]

...Thank you...

Setting up camp wasn't that much trouble...

[Why yes, she thinks that maybe he's reciprocating her gratitude, rather than their previous conversation that ended roughly around a truce.]

[But the kiss alone makes her avert her eyes and blush demurely.]

I would do far more for you, if you ever needed it.

...Just...keep being there for me.

Seeing something in me that I can't see...

...Just...being you.

I don't know if anyone's ever said it to you but...

I appreciate you...

[She pauses, touched by his words. But her mind is turning over memories, trying to recall the answer. It's definitely not something she's heard in those words. And while she's sure others have expressed their gratitude, this might be the first time anyone's been so direct about it.]

[Giving up, she leans her head back into him.]

... of course. I'll be here for you, Darin.

[She can't say if she will be forever, but... that's not a question she likes to think about. For now, she's not going anywhere.]

... ... ...

[It's such a comforting feeling having her close. And if she can forgive him and even support him after the choice he made...]

[Then maybe he can forgive himself. If only because it will bring a smile to her face.]

[He wraps his arms around her waist from behind and clasps them over her stomach. He wishes she wasn't in her armor since it's a little difficult to really embrace her like this but...well, there will be other moments.]

[He kisses her cheek again.]

...Do you promise...?

[To be fair, it's probably easier to hold her than if she were wearing a suit of metal armor from his own time. One of the smaller advantages to space age technology.]

[But she leans back into him, resting her head into the crook of his neck.]

Of course. All you ever have to do is ask, and I'll be here for you.

[He falls silent and just holds her tighter, nuzzling her. He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know how to really process this kindness amidst all of the recent trauma.]

[Exhaustion quickly catches up with him, and little by little the facade he always wears breaks. Before long, she might notice some wetness on his cheeks as the nights he'd spent torturing himself over the perceived guilt of his decision finally break him. He wasn't lying, he was tired. But not tired of trying, no...he was tired of always putting on this mask. Like everything was alright. Like he was alright.]

[Because, thanks to her, he's finally realizing that it's okay to not be alright. To feel overcome with sadness and frustration. To want to let it out before it completely consumes him. She is his safe space. His hero. The person he always wished he could be for others. But right now, he's acknowledging his failures so that, maybe one day, he can be as great as she is.]

[He holds her, refusing to let her go. He needs her. And finally, in a strained whisper, he admits.]

I don't know what it's like...to share a burden...to have someone...

I just want to be worthy of the way you look at me...

I want to be the man you always seem to see...This...larger than life person who can do anything...

[I want to be your hero...]

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