isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Old St. Nic(nevin)

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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

mari lywd, a horse skull creature dressed in white cloth andd ribbons and ornaments

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Din sighs, the joke finally catching up with him, even if he still isn't thrilled with it.]

I've been at this all afternoon and the commentary hasn't helped.

[He gestures at his audience.]

[She glanced at the crowd and couldn't find an answer as to why he was doing it in the first place.]

Then why keep trying?

[It was an obvious thing for the gunner. Why worry about what others complain about when you're doing them a favour for nothing in return. If it's not a job, there's no need for customer satisfaction.]

Figured I should help out the innkeepers.

[Since they are providing a place to stay and well, he glances over at the kids. He might have a hard time saying no, even if they are little jerks. Just reminds him of the kids in the Covert.]

[There was a skeptical raise of her brow at his answer before her gaze followed his. He may be somewhat similar as she is occupation wise but he undoubtedly has a bleeding heart like that rune kid...for better or worse.

Throwing her hands up she sighed in a playful dramatic sense.]

You're going to give us all a bad name, boy

Worse things have happened.

[There are things worth more than reputation, and he's already shredded his once.]

You're also the one associating with me.

[She watched him in thought after his words. Elza was associating herself with him, and there were things in life which were much worse, but she drew the line with the clientele reacting in such ways. Unlike Mando, she didn't have it in her to deal with such things.]

Is that how it is? [It was a tease but when wasn't it with her?] I can take a hint though and leave you with your critiques.

That was a joke.

[Tease or no tease, he knows that it can be hard to read him sometimes. And he's been told his sense of humour is weak.]

But you could also stay and help. Snow gets heavy when you roll into balls like this.

[It was easy to toy with others, so when Mando clarified it had been a joke, Elza shrugged her shoulders carelessly.] Well if that's the best you can do there's always room for improvement.

[The offer had her chuckling lightly. He was serious, she knew, but the thought of her pushing snowballs around seemed like that should have been the actually joke.

Arms folding over her chest, she eyed him with a calculating gaze.]

I don't work for free. [Money meant nothing to her. No, there was something far more valuable than that. She didn't his that fact as she smiled at her companion.] Agree to tell me a story of your past, a time before here, and I'll consider helping.

[The story itself wouldn't have mattered and she didn't mind if it would be payment in a less public place later. Mando though would get bonus points for a good story but what Elza was more interested in was seeing just what made the man before her tick.]

[What is with everyone wanting to know about his past. It's almost as bad as his name.]

Anything in particular or am I free to choose the subject?

[He'll move to the side for this. Might as well give himself a break while he's at it.]

[Hey, you're a fascinating guy. Vdb you blame us?]

You're free to choose the subject. If there's enough within it, then I'll help.

[When Mando moved over to the side, Elza saunted closer and away from the complaints behind her. Just what type of story would he tell? Whatever it was would tell her more about him as a person either way.]

[Din pauses, thinking for a minute. He does have a few stories.]

Saved a village from some raiders once. Or rather, had to train that village in order to defend themselves.

[The short version anyway. He expects questions.]

[She took note of the story he decided on. From what she had seen of her bounty hunter companion, it did seem to suit his character and she inwardly shook her head at the thought. If he had been in her world, there was no doubt he would have joined up with that shield brat just as Clive and all the others had done. The thought her amused.]

Did the village owe you money?

[She betrayed none of her thoughts while she asked the question. Instead she carelessly glanced around at the kids and people around them while seeing how he'd answer.]

I was paid, but room and board were enough. It was a nice enough place to hide out, minus the raiders.

[As is often the case with Din, one thing leads to another and his story usually ends up more complicated than he'd like.]

Used the money to hire another mercenary to help.

[Elza listened while her gaze slid over each and every face in the crowd. It seemed to be a common trend with Mando. She wouldn't have thought that those who worked for bounties would have cared like this... and maybe they didn't. Maybe that is what kept drawing her back to this particular man. He was different from what she'd expected and experienced in the past.

Her gaze finally slid over to regard his masked face. Giving a nod, her moment of reflection was gone and replaced with her usual teasing expression.]

You're an interesting guy, Handsome. [Offering a small but dramatic sigh, she rolled her wrist in a gesture of getting on with the snowman building.] I still think this is a complete waste of time, but I'll offer my assistance in return to your payment.

[He shrugs.]

So people tell me. But it's appreciated, and it should look nice when it's all done.

[Whether it looked nice or not didn't matter to the gunner. Her payment had been received and she would do the job to whatever specifications Mando required.]

Just tell me where you want me to start.

I'll work on the body if you can get started on the head?

EVENT ✨ Old St. Nic(nevin)

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