EVENT ✨ Old St. Nic(nevin)

[avalonmods]

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Everyone is invited to Elphame to celebrate this year's Winter Solstice and take part in Elphame's portion of the Winter Solstice rituals. Everyone was provided a quick-travel totem to get to the Land of Maidens, which now has an open path into the fairy capitol of N

Thanks to the completion of the 9 Sorceresses' tasks, preparations for the Winter Solstice have gone smoothly and, temporarily, the waterfall gorge that leads to the Land of Maidens has frozen entirely. Where the entrance to the Land of Maidens had once been hidden behind the water, a new cavern is formed by the frozen ice. A small pathway of moss and tiny flowers formed by petal-thin crystals leads the way to a door. This one is wood and seemingly carved out of a the cliff at the base of the waterfall. The wood door is covered with vines and moss and red and white spotted toadstools and is quite, quite small. You'll certainly have to get on your hands and knees to pass through or if you refuse, the fae of the gorge will have little hesitation in spreading rumors of your cowardice across the land.
Harsh words like "I heard they only fuck chickens because that's what they truly are" and a good many other crass and sometimes ridiculous rumors (and caricatures we dare not share with you) will spread about the land, even going so far as to come back to Camelot. To have rumors spread about your character during the event, list them here for all to see!
	Enter, and you shall crawl through a small tunnel that seems to get wider and wider (or are you getting smaller and smaller? It's impossible to tell for sure.) until you reach a rather impressively sized moat surrounding what may be the largest tree you've ever seen. There are small boats that will carry two to three people at a time, manned by what look like nutcrackers. Ask their names, and you will find they are called Undante and Redd and they both will speak the same thing at the same time, which can get rather confusing when the other boat is speaking to their ferryman. If you continue to bother them at work, they will send you on a quest that's essentially impossible to complete and a complete waste of time. Don't bother them, they've got more passengers to ferry, don't you have a fairy capitol to explore?
Once you arrive at one of the roots of the tree, you'll be expected to climb up the side of it using vines and thick flat mushrooms that grow up the side of it and knobby growths, since most humans can't fly. There are homes and shops built all along the side of the tree, carved into it but not deep enough to disrupt its growth. Once you get up to the first main district about two hundred feet above the base, the fairies will laugh and show you a staircase through the trunk you could've taken and may use for future reference. You can travel across branches to reach other trees with more homes once you reach another three hundred feet above the shops level, and there is a single staircase that wraps around the tree that unfortunately is not a joke- you really do need to climb another six hundred feet of stairs up to reach the castle of Nicnevin... and even if you do, you'll run into more nutcrackers guarding the door and preventing anyone from entering the castle area. Thankfully, you don't need to climb the entire tree to find the gathering square back on the main district level, which is paved with skipping stones from a pond (or large flat stones? The scale is still quite unclear) and decorated with evergreen branches and winter flowers like poinsettias, winterberry, and black hellebore. Warm cups of soup are being distributed filled with Everwarm (though those who were paying attention may think better of it). Many of the fae from the Elphame Traders who have visited in the past can be found in their home shops here and may greet people who made purchases from them in the past. Speaking to them may be the only way to get food imported from Camelot if you forgot to bring some. The Traders will direct players to an inn tree known as the Everwelcome Inn. Rooms come in standard hotel sizes. 1 queen bed or 2 queen bed rooms will be offered for free to visitors from Camelot, but there are suits available to those who are willing to barter something valuable to them. They do not accept G in Elphame, but they may send characters on quests to fetch various items or defeat certain beasts, or accept personal items (low value) to upgrade to suites with a king bed, hot tub, kitchen, balcony, and an included couples package (learn to make fairy guacamole together, couples platza treatment, and a romantic in-room dinner that looks like it's made mostly of sweets fit for a French King.. if you think that's a good idea).   The people themselves don't seem keen on opening up to people yet, so it may be hard to learn about Nicnevin's culture, but it does seem to be home to a wide variety of strictly non-human faeries and creatures... so it may just be hard to get a grasp on as many have their own rules to live by, provided they all respect each other (pranks on humans don't count) and obey the Fae Queen's edicts. However, everyone comes out together on the night of the Winter Solstice to participate in a dance around the base of the tree. As Winter Solstice tradition, characters will be provided with either white robes or be told it's more polite to strip nude. (All of the fairies will be without attire, so as to feel closer to the island.) Once you're out around the base of the tree, you're told to hold someone else's hands in a circle around the giga tree, and step toward the water. So long as you don't let go of at least one other person's hand, you'll find you're able to walk on the surface of the water. All the fae begin to sing, and if you listen to your heart, you'll find somehow you know the tune deep down as well and are able to join in should you choose to. Dance in any way you find enjoyable, then run together with everyone clockwise around the tree. This will coincide with the Solstice Night Run taking place back in Camelot and work in conjunction with it. (Anyone staying in Camelot is welcome to use the Solstice Night Run prompts from last year if they see something that interests them, though everyone is encouraged to head to Elphame using Land of Maidens totems provided for free to them!)

Whether you choose to participate or not, eventually everyone will need to find their way back to their rooms at the inn and will find slumber, even if they're not the type to usually sleep. Something about the way magic is channeled through the fairy kingdom differently tends to make people very sleepy.. which is just as well, as they'll be woken by a visitor in the morning. Mari Lwyd has come a'knocking. A skeletal horse covered in white cloth and decorated with ribbons with ornaments in its eye socks stands at the door upon opening, and begins to slap down some sick rhymes about why it should be allowed to come in. If you are able to get a verse back at it telling it not to come in with, it will return fire with another rap. Return it in what boils down to a rap battle with Mari Lwyd for three verses and it will leave-- from either you, a roommate, or a benevolent passerby, so tag in to save a rhyme! Stop before
reaching three verses, and Mari Lwyd will come in and take the entirety of your food and drink stock, leaving only water. Happy.. Solstice? Complain to any fairy and they will simply tell you oh yes, that's Mari Lwyd, it comes every year. However, you will find that at the end of the day the Mari Lwyd will find anyone who it spoke to and give a Fairy Blessing to them (whether they won the battle or not). Fairy Blessings DISCLAIMER: Fairy Blessing Magic Upgrades can only be obtained after your character visits Elphame. If your character does not go ICly, they don't get a boost. They can go to Elphame and obtain a blessing from the Fairy Queen at any point after Dec. 2021's Winter Solstice. It does not have to be during the event. The following upgrades are available to Primary Magic types: Healing: Area of Effect casting-- cast healing magic across a group. It will do less than a concentrated healing spell would, but you can cast on more people at once to reduce the amount of time needed to heal each member of the party and ability Locking (temporarily limit someone to only using the last spell that they cast. The spell will be boosted significantly in power/skill, but they cannot use anything else until the lock wears off- beginning practice 1 minute, up to 30 minutes max). Elemental: Control existing elements within the environment. (Ex: Calm fires, push back waves, spin tornados, etc.) Animal: Transform or partially transform into mythical animals (Non-fairy/humanoid). Dark Magic: Travel through connected (touching) shadows only to places the character has been before. (If there is too much light, the mage may be trapped and unable to travel.) Cannot stay stationary within the shadows, as there is no shadow realm to hang out in. Kinetic: Vibrate body at high frequency to be able to phase through objects. (Note: Will only work on self.) Cognitive: Telepathic conversation (two-way, by consent only- they can't read thoughts without permission). Alchemy: Fluid animation of elements according to the whim of the creator. (Ex: Toys that move on their own, a scaregrow with the whim to protect fields, enchant a spare key to run away from thieves, etc.) Light: Full-room, tactile illusions (combination of hard light and illusions). Details require significant practice, but could be used to create entire illusory scenarios. (Must be present to cast, you cannot create illusions and leave someone trapped.) Blessings are not currently available for secondary magic types. Camelot's officers will be setting up a halfway campsite at the Forest of the Felled for anyone who wishes to stay between the two lands for easy access to next month's events and Camelot. Characters are welcome to stay wherever they would like!

Comments

[pissoffbook]

We'll take the suite. You better not be fucking with us.

[She shoots a threatening look at the innkeep and they actually startle for a moment before recomposing themselves.

They reach under the counter and pull out a pair of keys, handing them over to Kainé. Kainé holds the other one out to the woman and wordlessly turns towards the stairs up to where the rooms are located.

If Belgium follows right behind, she will speak quietly at length.]

I'm Kainé. 'Figured we should know each other's names if we're gonna spend the night together.

[Shit! that came out wrong... She halts and blushes.]

I meant share a goddamn room...

[Yeah, there, she'll cover her awkwardness with her usual boisterous cursing.]

[resistetmords]

[Whelp, it was settled then! A room for two in a fancy suite... it was unfortunate that they wouldn't be able to enjoy whatever was brought to them. BUT THAT WAS FINE. Because they at least get a spa day with the package to go along with a penthouse.]

Oh- you can call me Anri. It's nice to meet you, Kainé...

[She'd grown a habit of using that name over her preferred one. There were still people around that recognize the nation. And every time she introduced herself as the nation-state it always turned more than a few heads.

Ah, but this one gets easily flustered does she~? That blush was also decidedly cute so she can't help herself. A teasing smile spread across her lips.]

Hm~? You mean share a room and a bed~.

[There was a small giggle.]

[pissoffbook]

[Belgium had better tell Kainé that she shouldn't enjoy any food brought to them, because she sure as hell will if not stopped. She likes food.]

Anri, got it.

[There's no 'nice to meet you' in return, as manners aren't really her style (as Anri will soon find out if Kainé's familiar decides to show up)

Of course if the other woman had introduced herself as 'Belgium' Kainé wouldn't know one way or the other. Despite being from Earth, though many years in a future post-apocolypse that Kainé isn't even aware of, having no education and all.

She chokes a little at the comment about sharing a bed. Kainé isn't necessarily easily flustered in most cases, only those involving intimacy or innuendos, or when people flirt with her as she's not sure how to react. It's not something that ever happened before she came here! She's more used to dirty looks and whispering behind her back. Even after she was cured of her possession.

Kainé swallows, but doesn't look back at she starts waking again.]

Yeah, yeah. Let's just find the damn room.

[resistetmords]

[She absolutely will be telling her not to munch! Especially not when she's pretty certain the stuff that she herself had brought trumps anything offered.]

It is the penthouse so it will be towards the roof.

[How long has it been since she got to enjoy a ritzy suite~? She's all a flutter! Now excuse her as Belgium tries to get a good look at that blush~!]

What sort of spa do you think they have?

[Probably should have asked!]

LOL I forgot they're not supposed to give their real names... WOOPS!

[pissoffbook]

Ah, okay.

[Kainé hasn't stayed in many inns other than the one in Camelot; though she preferred to camp outside in the Brocéliande. She blinks at the question, realizing something.]

I don't even know what the hell a spa is. [She snorts a laugh] Must be pretty fancy though if they're offering it in the special suite.

'Guess we'll find out.

[They climb the stairs, heading all the way up to the top. Kainé looks at the tag on the keys and then at the rooms, following the symbols on the doors, (she actually can't read.) eventually coming to their assigned room. She unlocks it and swings the door open, stepping into the suite.

The room is large and open with a single, four poster, king-sized bed adorned with plush pillows and blankets. There's a table with a fresh fruit platter and other goodies, as well as a card for room service. On one side of the open room is the 'spa' a water jet tub that in some worlds would be similar to a jacuzzi. Fluffy white towels hang from a rack on the wall. There are blackout curtains and optional sconce and candle lighting. A smaller bathroom with toilet and sink branches off to the side and another room branches off to a sitting area separated by a pair of French doors.]

Fucking hell! I've never seen a place this nice!

[Kainé stops in the middle of the room and turns in a circle, taking in the whole of it.]

pff, i forgot too No worries, pretty sure that's just for the fairies~

[resistetmords]

Oh, they're wonderful! Trust me, you'll enjoy it!

[Well, normally it is. There's no telling what the spa here is actually going to be like. But a spa is still a spa! So who knows, it probably wouldn't be all that bad. Either way, she follows along behind Kainé. Ah-- but the room though. When they finally reached it, she let out a small, happy noise.

Yes, yes please! This made everything so very worth it! The tree elevator thing, the nutcrackers, heckling fairies. All of it, just for this banging room!]

Heh, they weren't joking when they said it would be one of the better rooms.

[She goes ahead and drops her bag on the ground, and just sort of... collapses onto that fluffy, fluffy bed! Ah, much better!]

Hm... so what do you think we should do first?

[pissoffbook]

[Kainé watches as Anri darts around in and flips onto the bed. She moves to the middle of the room and looks around. It's not something she's used to. In fact it feels a little like she doesn't deserve something like this. She's brought from her thoughts by the question.]

Hell if I know. You know this shit better than me.

[She crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow at her roommate.]

Suggestions?

[resistetmords]

[Ah- right. She flips herself over and onto her back before propping her torso up with her arms. Clothes and hair a little mussed from the flop. Feet dangling over the edge as she considered Kainé for a moment.]

Hm, why don't we try out the spa first then. It will help you relax a bit. I've also got some snacks in pack we can munch on.

[A hot bath and some R&R treatment always did everyone a lot of good! Who knows, maybe it would help her new companion smile a bit?]

[pissoffbook]

We? The spa? That's a bath... right?

[Kainé looks a little uncomfortable despite her earlier tough-girl attitude.]

I'll uh... take some snacks but... [Shit, she really likes baths...] I'm not sure about the bath...

[It's all she could say. She was very torn though. But she had just met this woman... how did she know she wouldn't panic and flip her shit? Kainé shifts uncomfortably and grips one arm with a hand.]

[resistetmords]

Well... sort of. Is like part a bath, and part a beauty place, and part a massage center? Different spas usually offer different things.

[Now that she thought about... what was a fairy spa like? It made her both a little nervous and super curious.] It might just be what we need after... well everything.

[That said Kainé's uncomfortable look got Belgium to pause, then to offer a small smile and start digging around her pack for snacks. Her new found roomie did not seem to keen on the whole bath thing.]

...We don't have to though.