festivals and mur--ahem, investigations 🎊🔍

[beleos]

COMMUNION WITH YIMA

After given some time for recovery and for Yima to hear reports of what transpired at the Tree of Life last month, a Communion message gently flows through the minds of each Shard-Bearer. They will have to choose to accept this message, and once they do, they will be greeted by Yima’s voice resonating pleasantly in their heads. She first apologizes for their harrowing experience with the Dryad, and that she hadn’t anticipated such a violent reaction from the Tree; she believes that their experiences point to an imbalance within the Tree itself, most likely brought about by the soon-to-come arrival of the Oracles.

She has spoken with Cyrus, and they have jointly decided that an investigation into the matter - and potentially the destruction of the Dryad - may be required to purge its influence from the Tree. Yima requests that any who would willingly seek out the Dryad volunteer to do so and will be outfitted with a ward against any tampering to prevent them from falling into the creature’s clutches a second time. It will take her a bit to fashion enough of these wards - but she anticipates being ready toward the end of the month.

She concludes her message with another heartfelt apology for your suffering, that she would not have sent any into such a situation she believed were truly dangerous. That being said, she takes responsibility for your ordeal and asks that if there is anything she can do in recompense, you have but to ask.

Yima will be available for Communion chatter here!

FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE - HIGHSTORM

Takiltu is a month cycle the natives of Kenos regard with some amount of reverence and a hearty helping of excitement: the first part of the month (November) is spent reflecting on and celebrating the differing cultures and worlds each Kenosian represents. The second part of the month (December) is spent celebrating unity and togetherness, to come together with friends and family, to be kind to others and share in one’s wealth - whether that comes in the form of knowledge, monetary gains, or the exchange of gifts and one’s time.

Each city celebrates differently, the flavor of their festivals a reflection of their people.

In Highstorm, the first thirty days of Takiltu are spent in Remembrance. The city is decorated with string lights, paper lanterns, candles, and torches to illuminate the streets in beautiful colors and shimmering magical illusory shapes. The focal point of the festival takes place in The Court, where the reflecting pool has been especially decorated with arrangements of flowers and lights. Festival stands erected around the Courtyard peddle paper lanterns as well as refreshments, fanciful decorative items, and enchanted jewelry that is said to make one’s recollections of the past temporarily clearer.

The pool itself is the main attraction, here; citizens who approach its waters and gaze into its depths will find its normal abilities to reflect memories enhanced. The images are surreal for their clarity, vivid - and normally, one is requested to look into the eyes of those most precious to them whose souls remain lost, to pay homage to their memory and sacrifices, and to wish them rebirth in the new world to come. A purchased lantern is then lit and sent skyward where it floats into the moonlight, joining the others hovering above.

But this year, there is an addition to the usual fanfare. Emet-Selch has been asked to assist with the festival; as long as he is given permission, he can recreate the memory displayed in the reflecting pool. Yima has granted him a temporary blessing which enhances his natural creation abilities - a gift for their people she is grateful for. Your character can choose what it is they see in the water - whether it’s a place, a person, or the feelings of a certain point and time, he will temporarily recreate it around you. Everyone will be able to see this conjuring and interact with it while it is functional. It will last between 15 to 30 minutes before dissolving into beads of light that slowly trickle skyward before disappearing. You’ll be told to light a lantern, send it adrift, and that this will give peace to the part of you and your Shard that surely aches. But does it…?

Elsewhere in Highstorm, the High Theater has been painstakingly decorated and aglow with magical floating motes of light; the interior has been transformed into something of an Art Gallery. The pieces within are dedications to parts of worlds long gone, as well as the people in them; some are beautifully painted landscapes of exquisite, far-away places beyond the imagination. Some are more mundane and familiar snapshots of life in a home world not too different from your own. There are portraits of families, loved ones, and those the Zenites long for most. This is their time to mourn, to grieve, and to appreciate their pasts - the pasts that will lead them to a brighter future, one day. They must move on into the future, but treasuring that which came before is equally important to them.

Should you touch any of the motes of light that are around the art pieces decorating the Gallery, you will find yourself able to feel, hear, see, and taste a piece of the world the piece represents. Some of these are warm gatherings over a dinner table with family; others are heart-wrenching expressions of loss and bitterness and pain. Be cautious which you choose. Oh, and do be careful not to stand too closely with someone else when you touch one, or one accidentally touches you - the experience is absolutely contagious through Communion.

CELEBRATION OF CHERISHMENT - SPRINGSTAR

While Highstorm’s Festival of Remembrance is a more demure and reflective time, Springstar takes a much different approach to the season. In true Meri nature, the Celebration of Cherishment encapsulates celebrating life in all forms - and that means parties! The Psychagogía is the main hub of excitement considering, but festivities can be found in almost every single district of Springstar. Wherever you go, something is happening and someone is trying to rope you into having a good time.

The city has been decorated with bright and colorful multi-purpose magical ivy-like vines that sprouts buds that bloom over the course of the month into gorgeous flowers. These flowers are considered sacred, and their blooming is a momentous time of joy and good fortune. Each flower is left intact; disturbing one is tantamount to a war crime by the natives, so don’t get observed if you try to pluck one!

The Psychagogía is incredibly lively, teeming with people and events; almost every venue is peddling some kind of ‘Cherishment’ celebratory sale or discount. The first portion of the month includes what the locals call “the meri-ment” (and seem quite chuffed about that pun), in which Kenosians are encouraged to go bar hopping and taste the wide variety of specialty ales and liquor unkegged only around this time of year. Participants are highly encouraged to share stories of their worlds and cultures, to tell those they mingle with tales of the worlds they will one day return to and why they’re special, unique - to celebrate their one-day return.

Alongside this comes a great deal of outdoor grilling, fresh meats and vegetables sending tantalizing scents everywhere you go once the evening hours arrive. Some of these food and drinks can cause… interesting… effects if you consume them in excess, especially at the Emotional Damage - so try to show restraint. It would be a bit embarrassing to find yourself strangely infatuated with the first person you lay eyes on after your fifth night out on the town, or feeling compelled to express warm feelings aloud you wouldn’t normally commit to another. Luckily, it only lasts a short period of time - but beware the wicked hangover afterward. Strangely enough, if you’re suffering, you feel oddly compelled to seek out a little TLC from someone else - someone with whom you might have some unresolved feelings toward, positive or negative. Is it longing? Anger? Jealousy? Unspoken affections? Love? Whatever it is, you're more likely to seek them out for some care.

At the Coliseum, nightly brawls between Meris take place and the usual assortment of monsters are temporarily taken out of offer. This part of the festivities is one where each Kenosian is encouraged to settle any differences or misgivings with others and to get it out of their system, cleansing them of bad mojo - “leave it in the ring,” as it were. Despite beating each other bloody at times, most combatants willingly stop before it gets too serious and fighting to the death is not permitted. You must embrace your adversary before you leave, and your ‘bad blood’ will be considered purged and settled so you can start anew.

The Empório district is celebrating consumerism, because of course it is! All the usual goods are on a considerable discount, and for a brief time, gardening tools and supplies are free! The reason for this is that Springstar’s citizens are encouraged to plant one seedling in the gardens in Katoikitikós once the flowers lining the city have gone into full bloom. It is said this honors gods across cultures and time as well as invites good fortune. You are encouraged to plant a seedling in a group or pairing, as space is limited - and there are superstitions regarding this togetherness resulting in more favorable results. Should you plant a seedling with someone else, you might indeed find that something is beginning to blossom between you… Based on your Aspects, you might find yourselves feeling closer and more connected - or repulsed depending on your compatibility. This effect will last through the month after planting. Should you check on the seedling later, its health will be reflected in the state of your relationship. Friends will find the little plant thriving; enemies will find it is sickly and dying.

For those Shard-Bearers who have already harmonized with the Meridian or who have quarters in Heliopolis, you will find the communal meals much more lavish and indulgent than usual. There may even be a taste of home waiting for you among the spreads on offer, or some comfort food you haven’t had in a while. It is encouraged to share anything to your taste - or even to share why it is meaningful to you via Communion. Or you can just eat. You do you, man.

Once the flowers have bloomed and the festivities reach their peak, one might find the city loud and boisterous and sleep a little more difficult to come by. Springstar is absolutely thriving and alive - and you, too, feel more invigorated and energetic despite any lack of zzz’s. Should you leave the city, however, this effect will vanish and you might find yourself unnaturally fatigued and in need of more rest than is customary. Returning to Springstar will slowly build up your stamina again. This effect lasts until the end of the month.

THE MYSTERY OF ALENROUX

Once celebrations are in full-swing in the cities, some characters (i.e., any characters that choose to participate in this prompt) will be contacted by Cyrus or Yima, depending on their faction or whichever they feel a stronger inclination towards if they are currently Unharmonized. Both will explain that there’s something that they’d like you to investigate, but also to prepare and be careful, since this request doesn’t come without danger… A Shard has been lost in Alenroux, and they both hope you’ll be able to retrieve it.

MERIDIAN

“I’ve gotten word that a Zenith Shard-Bearer was sent to Alenroux a little bit before you arrived, and they haven’t come back yet. Normally, none of our business, but based on what some of the farmers have been saying, I think they’ve gotten hit by Discord. If it gets high enough, well… You don’t really have your mind anymore. We can help them through Purification. Even if it’s just for long enough to calm them down, it’s better than them being trapped in madness. It might be easier to dissipate them first, though, then Purify their Shard. They were last seen heading to the Northern forests. Let me know what I can give you to help, and make sure to help each other. Good luck.”

ZENITH

"Please heed my request, though I do not ask this of you lightly... One of the Zenith's children has been lost among the fields of Alenroux come nightfall and I fear the worst has befallen them. There are dangerous elements attracted to the presence of a soul, and the likelihood our brethren has been lost... it is great. Seek out the Shard - and if you are able to retrieve it, please do so. If it has suffered corruption too great to be saved or would place you in too great a danger to take back, then... I trust you to make the merciful choice. I place this in your hands and will give you whatever you require to see it through. Look out for your fellow Zenith and work together, as I do not want to lose more of you. Be well."

Both factions will offer their recruits access to standard weaponry and armor/protective clothing. If a character asks for more, they’ll be given a weapon or a piece of armor with minor magical properties which would normally cost 1 AC token to purchase. Magical weapons are on loan however. If your character takes these and/or chooses to keep it, please note this in your Committed Actions! If they choose to keep standard weaponry, Cyrus/Yima will just be disappointed in your dishonesty. :(

When you arrive during the day cycle, you’ll also find horses and magic hoverboards to use (they go the same speed tbh), because heading North to the forests is a bit of a trek, and you might not make it there in time on foot! As the sun starts to set, you’ll see the people in Alenroux start to leave, going clearly your opposite direction. Once night falls (Nov. 9th OOC), it doesn’t take long for things to change.

There’s just a sliver of a crescent moon in the sky, which makes the rolling hills and forests much more ominous than they were during the day. And as the stories say, it only takes an hour or two before you start to run into strange creatures. Closer to the Cornerstone, there are indeed strange creatures, and while they may not all look scary, they might present different kinds of dangers such as…

• A light in the dark looks like a fairy, but stare at it too long and you’ll find yourself hypnotized by a ghastly fish will lead you to a body of water to drown you.
• An innocuous puddle may form up into a mass of corrosive goo, complete with the bones and items of the last person it came across. When you slice it, it simply creates a copy of itself, so hopefully you realize this before you’re surrounded.
• A strange straw poppet (sans pins, of course) that possesses you once you touch it and will use your body to try and fight anyone else while your consciousness is trapped inside the doll. To be freed, you only have to destroy the doll, but you’ll feel the pain of how its destroyed even if you don’t bear any injuries from it.

However, as you get closer to the Northern forests, they become significantly more fearsome…

• With a roar, a massive, multiheaded beast descends, and each of its mouths is perfectly capable of taking a bite out of you. Watch out for the snake’s head in particular, since its venom will cause you to hallucinate your worst fears.
• As you come face to face with an odd creature, bioluminescence lights up on its skin, and the spins on its back quiver with a sound like a rattlesnake’s. As the spines quiver, you find it exceptionally difficult to take your eyes off them and move as it stalks closer slowly. You can fight blind, right?
• Diving in and out of larger shadows like its water is a slimy beast that’s incredibly fast. Its teeth may be small, but its tail is a razor-sharp whip that could remove a limb if you’re not careful.

These are just examples, however. There are many creatures lurking the wilds of Alenroux, so feel free to create your own monsters with unique effects.

It's a difficult trek North, and you may be tired from hours of running, fighting, or both… But eventually, a few people do find what they were looking for. They might have even missed it, if not for how their Shards suddenly felt like they were burning. From the shadows, a twisted creature of roots and lights which what looks like many crystals in a glowing mass appears and one of its eyes locks on you. It looks like now is your chance.

NOTES

Weather summary for the first 30 days of Takiltu (NOV & DEC):

Highstorm is in late fall, early winter season. Some flurries may occasionally fall and it is getting considerably cold out there! Bundle up!

Springstar is in the throes of early summer; the weather is climate and pleasantly warm for outdoor celebrations (but not sweltering). There are occasional afternoon showers, but they don’t last very long.

Notable city changes:

If you wander the Markets in Highstorm, you might notice some of the peddlers seem a bit wary of you. Hm, guess something happened around here! Probably totally unrelated, but Silco and Vander (or anyone with them) will be treated with nervous suspicion.

Similarly, if you're traveling with Set (or you're Set) in Springstar, you might occasionally find yourself getting strange looks. Ask Set why.

Faction updates:

There are no explicit changes in faction behavior at this time. This will be a staple in all future event write-ups to catalogue the fluidity of the conflict as it progresses, though, so we're including it here for posterity!

Event Notes:

The Reflecting Pool in the Courts of Highstorm can be observed normally with no addtional effects or can bring your memory to vivid life thanks to the help of Emet-Selch (and Yima). If you grant him permission (which can be handwaved), he will breathe life into whichever memory you have chosen to view! If this includes any NPC’s or interactive elements, you will be responsible for playing them out in any tags until they disappear. Please see Emet’s toplevel for any interactions you’d like to thread out with him as a part of this.

For the Gallery in Highstorm, the art depicted in and scenes experienced through the pieces are up to you to create! Feel free to go wild with any associated NPC's in the scene and worldbuild as you see fit. Highstorm holds a variety of citizens from across the multiverse, so you could feasibly go fantastical places, or experience something distinctly profound and beyond your imagination...

The drinks and refreshments in Springstar can be enchanted in just about any way you’d like, including bringing upon minor physical changes of the cute, fun, and flirty variety! Feel free to get creative (as long as you get permission from your thread partner), the Meris would also merrily insist growing extra fluffy, scaly, etc bits during the celebration will only help you party harder! 🥳

As reminders for Alenroux, once night falls, a character is not able to leave until sunrise, which is 24 hours later. If your character is dissipated, you can have a PC retrieve their Shard or the respective Faction they're allied with will send out a search party to find it. Remember to report character deaths!

CODING

Comments

[sterngaze]

By the time he reaches Emet-Selch, Liem has had a wealth of time to consider what memory he might like to revisit. He's curious about this tradition, but his view of a few other people's recollections has convinced him that he'd rather not review anything too personal. If he wants to call up the day he was ordained or the occasion Princess Eutropia accepted him into her service, he's better off visiting during another month when the Court isn't so busy.

Instead, he folds gloved hands as he stands primly next to the pool's glowing surface, regarding Emet from above the folds of a thick scarf. It's chilly out here, after all.

“I'd like to see the village of Stachys on the fifteenth of Gozran, during the evening festivities of Taxfest.”

That festival had been far smaller than this one, though as a spring festival, it had enjoyed much more pleasant weather. He wonders if a conjured memory can summon up such things in reality. After a moment, he looks back down at the water.

“It was the better part of a year ago, by my reckoning.”

[lachtara]

The strange name of the .....celebration? Month? Or some other possibility earns the slightest arch of his eyebrow, but he makes no further comment on it. Though the name of 'taxfest' certainly brings to mind the faces of monarchs would cherish such a concept.

"A rather recent memory, then." He says instead. A recent memory technically makes conjuring simpler since the 'aether' energy is much stronger, so he could not complain over a simple task.

"Very well. Let us see what this memory holds for you." He lifts a hand over the pool and summons a swarm of purple-colored beads of light. With a flourish of his hand, it paints the world around them in unfamiliar scenery under an unfamiliar sky.

[sterngaze]

With a gesture and a flurry of violet lights, the moonlit courtyard around them transforms from a scene of sober remembrance to a much humbler and more joyful one. The mansion, the tree, and the broad, glowing pool are replaced with a handful of slightly ramshackle wooden buildings around a small village square paved with recently laid cobbles. Previously empty space is filled with a small crowd of perhaps fifty or sixty humbly dressed people, all gathered around a leaping bonfire at the centre of the space and a handful of casks and food-laden tables set up at its edges. The twin moons overhead are replaced with a single silver moon, presiding high over the milling, dancing, talking and singing crowd of people.

For this scene, Liem’s dark coat and scarf have been replaced with long robes of white and dark yellow, accented with gold glittering at his ears. An ornate golden key hangs on a thin chain around his neck, and despite the fullness of night in the memory, his eyes are now hidden behind a pair of dark lenses.

Even in the midst of his memory Liem seems to be watching the revels more than participating in them. The villagers are of all ages, and most of them are human, though a few are halflings or sport hints of elven blood. As he watches, a young woman wearing an unusually fine gown and a dark eye-patch approaches to reach for his hands, saying, “Aren’t you going to dance any more, Liem?”

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch looks on as the scene fades into something new and unusual. It doesn't take much deduction to figure out what is going on: A celebration in a small village. (The name could certainly have been more indicative.) Dancing, singing, making merry - all pleasant sights in their own right.

As his former ally is approached by the strange woman, he makes sure to observe both of their expressions. Acquaintances? Friends, perhaps? Regardless, he shrugs and gestures his hand toward the woman as if to say 'well, go on now'. Answer her and partake in dancing. He pays either no mind.

[sterngaze]

In the memory, Liem’s response to the girl’s request had been the same as it is now; he shakes his head, resisting the faint tug she’s giving his hands with a wry smile.

“I’ll leave the revelling to you and the others. My presence here is all ceremonial regardless.”

“I know it’s not past your bedtime, old man,” she scoffs. “One more dance. Come on!”

She pulls him insistently into the circle of dancers, and Liem goes with an apologetic look at Emet-Selch. For all his objections, he circles the bonfire with adroit steps implying, if not intimate familiarity, then at least good coordination and a quick learning curve. His priest’s robes whirl around him as he goes through the motions, passing from the girl’s hands to those of other dancers in the circle, until finally he takes advantage of a lull in the dance to escape back to the edges of the firelight.

“You must have seen many scenes like this by now,” Liem comments to Emet-Selch as he catches his breath. He adjusts the lie of the robes over his shoulders and the hang of the key against his chest. “What made you volunteer your skills for the festival?”

[lachtara]

As the festivities continued with him on the sidelines of it all, Emet-Selch looks on. Memories of a festival are a nice respite from all the tragedy he has witnessed today, and he is satisfied to observe until he's addressed directly.

Emet-Selch's response to the question is precluded with a faint sigh. Where to begin? He looks up at the sky overhead - the strange sky dotted with strange stars. "There are untold numbers of worlds out there. Many of the souls they once harbored are far beyond our reach. They are lost and forgotten to the sea of time." Many had been brought here from worlds that had been swallowed by the dark.

"Many would simply move on and let what once existed be set adrift, but I wanted to see those who do not deserve to be forgotten."

[sterngaze]

For all that Emet-Selch was one of the first people Liem met when he first arrived on Horos, he still doesn't know the man especially well. He regards him curiously as he looks up to regard Taldor's night sky.

“You think they should be remembered?”

It had never occurred to Liem to think of his home and its people as things that deserve to be remembered. He'd always done his grieving privately, personally. After all, the ones he left behind aren't in any position to care one way or another how they're remembered. Remembrance may have had another purpose in his own world, but here, it is meant for the living.

“But you don't believe what the Meridian do—that they can be brought back? Or… that they should be?”

He feels fairly safe hazarding this guess, given Emet-Selch's current service in Yima's own courtyard.

[lachtara]

"It is a question I've long considered." One that he's toiled with and not come to a definitive conclusion. "I believe..." He folds his arms and casts a glance at the false sky overhead.

"...that I lost people that were dear to me. My world was taken long before darkness swallowed all else. While it is true I want nothing more than to return to them, I know that it is something that is accomplished because someone wants it." Not while he had fought so hard to return the world he loved.

"I will not dismiss what the Meridian has to say - as you have observed before it is much more beneficial to have information from both sides - but I've only seen results from Zenith. And I am far beyond the honeyed words of others."

[sterngaze]

Emet-Selch's position strikes Liem as being very well-considered. There is still much about Kenos and about all the worlds left behind that he does not understand, much information he is lacking, and that makes it difficult to make what he would consider an informed decision. But Emet-Selch has also pointed out something that he's been thinking about for the past few weeks: when it comes down to it, the choice between Meridian and Zenith is really about which cause one considers to be worth supporting. Without the certainty of knowing which side is right about the fate of their worlds, that desire is all that's left.

“You're referring to Yima's ability to pluck souls from the void?”

He thinks of the fire demon Howl introduced him to, to prove Yima's trustworthiness. He also thinks of the conversation he'd had with Yima herself, when he'd asked about a certain being from his own world. Her answer had been rather noncommittal, he'd thought.

[lachtara]

His gaze narrows. "You should know first-hand the folly of depending on one person's word to resolve every problem." In other words, no. They would know that from their previous experience in the world prior to this one.

"There is demonstrable evidence that she is capable of summoning souls from the void. That is all." And he would not delve any more into it. "However, It seems you harbor your own doubts."

[sterngaze]

Liem raises his eyebrows a little, above the dark barrier of his lenses. The way that Emet-Selch speaks of Yima is less warm, to be sure, than he’d noticed Howl had. But, he thinks, Howl seems like the sort of man who would prefer to speak warmly of everyone in his life.

“I know that she brought us together, and reunited some individuals who were thought to be lost forever. But I am not sure I wish to pledge myself to her cause, no.”

He looks over at the assembled memories dancing and drinking just a short distance away. According to those in Springstar, he might see them all again one day, if they succeeded in their aims.

“Yima has not been able to prove herself to me in any way that mattered, at least thus far. The same could be said for Cyrus. But I have been thinking… I will not be able to learn more about either without working in the service of at least one.”

[lachtara]

"Not in any significant way, no." Another reason he had joined the cause he did. He could observe closer as part of them than he could from the outside. There were several other perks too, such as a room and having his abilities returned to him.

"I cannot suggest to you which 'side' would be more suitable, all I ask is that you remember this as you make your choices." Emet-Selch motions a hand to the scene around them.

He had long since learned that forceful convincing is not a way to earn loyalty. People would go where they may, and achieving any goal is to have someone make it their own. Perhaps if he could show that they have a common want - to see important people again - then they could work with one another regardless of 'side'.

[sterngaze]

Liem hasn’t exactly been trying to forget about the people he’s known in Taldor. He still mourned his friends and grieved over the loss of his countrymen. But it’s also true that part of him has been reluctant to give his own sense of loss too much weight, worried that his longing for the past will make him unable to move on to new opportunities.

“There is much to remember,” he says, at the same moment that a tall, olive skinned woman looms out of the darkness to throw a burly arm around his shoulders. The sharp scent of liquor blooms in the air as she grins at him, showcasing short tusks, and raises the mug in her other hand.

“I’ll say it, m’Lord: You threw a damn good party. We haven’t had a Taxfest like this since I was a girl.”

Liem seems abruptly to remember something and tries to extricate himself from her grip, saying, “That’s humbling to hear,” but she doesn’t even seem to notice.

“You’re all right, for being upper-class,” she says. “Here, for luck.”

And she slides her arm down to give him a firm pinch through his robes, making him flinch out of her grasp as she gives a short cackle. The woman wheels away in search of another drinking partner, leaving Liem to brush ineffectually at his clothing and wonder if memories can leave marks.

[lachtara]

Just as with any festival with a presence of commodity, it's not long before Liem's attention is demanded elsewhere. By a particularly aggressive woman it seems!

"Aren't we popular?" So Emet-Selch snickers to himself. "Though I can't tell if that is a good thing or not given how they accost you."

[sterngaze]

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Liem admits, turning his gaze away from the gathered partygoers to look, dark-cheeked, back at Emet-Selch. The festival in this memory is one of scores of similar Taxfests that he’s attended over the years, and many of them could get a little rowdy towards the end of the night, so he’d managed to forget this particular detail until now.

“Though, that was less to do with me and more to do with my profession. Taxfest is one of Abadar’s holidays, and Stachys hadn’t seen one of his priests in years.”

[lachtara]

Priest, is it? Well, at least he hasn't gotten the typical lecture of the 'blessings of light' or any such nonsense. Those typically end in some tiresome debate about the inherent evil of the dark.

"Priest? Serving whom?" He asks curiously.

[sterngaze]

Fortunately, the topic of Liem's god and his church is a good distraction from the embarrassment of introducing a stranger to one of Taxfest's more rowdy traditions. He settles somewhat, lifting the golden key hanging against his chest so it's more prominent.

“Abadar is the god of cities, law, wealth and commerce. His clergy are tasked with, among other things, overseeing tax collection to ensure the process is respectful, and hearing the concerns of taxpayers who have opinions on where the money should be applied.” He lets the key hang back against his chest, and nods at the celebration taking place about them. “This festival is also organized by the church each year to thank citizens for their contributions, and to celebrate the settlement itself, and Abadar for watching over it.”

[lachtara]

"Hence the name." He surmises, drawing the obvious connection between the festival, intent, and name. My, the religious types could be so uncreative with their naming of celebrations.

With that new bit of perspective, Emet-Selch begins to silently scan the festival. If this is meant to be a gift for their citizens, was the accommodation fair? Was the food simple? It could all illustrate plainly enough what this 'clergy' thought of its patrons.

"Then this would make 'Abdar' the God you have sworn yourself to." He looks back and shrugs. "A devout follower?"

[sterngaze]

What remains of the food and drink appears to be simple, country fare—sourced locally, certainly—but it encompasses everything from roasts to pies to breads to dishes of simmered and baked fruits. There is also no shortage of alcohol on offer; clearly someone involved in setting up this festival felt that was important.

“For most of my life,” Liem agrees. Even now that Abadar's dominion has ended along with the rest of Liem's home, he cannot abandon his faith so easily—not when it was what sustained him for so long. “I was taught by Abadar's priests as a boy, so I owe my education and my livelihood to his church. Even now, his lessons continue to serve me.”

[lachtara]

Religion is a...strange subject for someone as long-lived as Emet-Selch. He had seen ordinary people rise and be deemed 'gods' while those who sought to help the world were branded its evils. More often than not, such things are associated with ruin.

It is, nevertheless, often useful to know about. It gives a glimpse into people's priorities, what they find important, and often yields ways to get them to do exactly as they were supposed to.

"I see." He offers evenly. "I should be interested to hear their teachings sometime."

[sterngaze]

Surprise flickers over Liem’s expression. In the time since he first arrived in Horos, he’s made his previous profession known to several of the people he’s spoken with, and some of those had asked to know what kind of god Abadar was, or wanted to know what was expected from his clergy. But this is the first time anyone has ever expressed more than just a cursory interest in the subject, after he’d already given his initial explanation.

“I would gladly share with you more of what I know.”

For a moment, he feels a keen pang of loss for the holy book he’d carried with him through his travels, even for some of his time in the Regent’s service. He would have liked to be able to read passages from it, or even just hold the sturdy leather binding in his hands again. But now… he’s already called up a memory, and his book isn’t in this one. His ordinary memories will have to do.

“When you are less busy, and we both have some idle time. You have only to ask.”

[lachtara]

Ah, surprise. Have others he's spoken to never shown interest, or is it so difficult to believe he would care?

"So I shall." It's a task that he will file away for another time. Certainly not an idle curiosity he would want to hear in the face of the seconds that tick away within this illusion. "For now, this conjuring is not designed to continue in perpetuity. I shall leave you to say your final words in peace before it disappears."