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

[passio]

Dextera may not know what aether is in Emet-Selch’s terms, but he understands by context that being here alone should preclude the possibility of drawing on anything that once existed in Dextera’s world. His fingers tighten on his Shard through his shirt, forming the outline under fabric.

“Please,” he says, quietly. “I don’t need much.”

He doesn’t even know what he’s missing. There are people who know him who were dead even before his world was lost, but he doesn’t know what his relationship to them was. He can’t ask for anything about them. There’s only one person he knows he’s missing memories of, and so there’s only one person he can ask for.

“My big brother…”

[lachtara]

There is an honest plea in his voice. This is nothing more than a child wanting the comfort of his family, and the sheer simplicity of this want makes Emet-Selch's expression fall.

Ah, foolish hope in the face of a near impossibility.

"....Then let us see if we can draw blood from a stone." He turns to the pond and motions toward it with a flourish. Beads of light rise from the pool and begin to form....something. It rises up higher and higher before bursting into a shower of light over the crowd when the magic finally tears itself apart. Some gasp. Others think it's part of the spectacle.

However, he doesn't let that be the end of it.

Emet-Selch raises his palm yet again and defiantly gathers the same magic to his side. But this time, it feels different. Crackles of electricity hum in the air as he recalls the light back to the surface of the pool. The light grows brighter and twists itself into the shape of a person. Their form is not completely defined and their face impossible to make out in the bright light. But it is undeniably a person.

The strange being reaches its hand out toward them. Beckoning them. And for a moment all noise is sucked from the air and into unnatural silence.

Then, an inky black darkness begins to eat away at the light. It rapidly overtakes it in a violent burst of magic. Emet-Selch shields his face as a shower of water from the reflecting pool pelts the crowd.

The being, whatever it was, has vanished without a trace.

[passio]

Dextera had been watching other people’s encounters to know what to expect, and although at first things all seemed to be… as according to plan as one could hope from a man with no memories, even Dextera understands that not only was it hopeless, it was probably a bad idea. What can he do, except hope—trick himself, allow himself the delusion—that the empty light had been the trace of his brother before the darkness took him again?

He too covers his face as the water splashes over them, holding back a small whimper in his throat.

“…”

When the sounds die down around him, he drops his arms, and turns a guilty gaze over to Emet-Selch.

[lachtara]

To which he shrugs in reply. "I told you it would likely not work, didn't I?" Even if the response sounds abrasive enough, he doesn't seem upset at the result.

Emet-Selch wipes the water from his damp sleeve as he looks at the pool. A significant amount of water is missing from it now, meaning he would have to take a break from conjuring long enough for more water to pool from its source.

He turns so that he may begin to make his way to a small sitting area nearby. "Come. We'll rest over here a while as the pool gathers itself." Though he conjured what he needed and their interaction should be at an end, his still (begrudgingly) provides an invitation.

[passio]

Dextera had expected, based on past interactions with others as well as Emet-Selch himself, that he would be dismissed the moment the necessity of their conversation had ended. To be invited is not something he anticipated, but he takes it up with a readiness anyway—maybe there’s something Emet-Selch must tell him, or maybe there was something about the odd reaction that Emet-Selch wishes to inquire.

Since Dextera has chosen to believe it was his brother, in one way or another, he’ll also oblige whatever Emet-Selch asks of him in return. He waits until Emet-Selch sits and then joins him at his side, tensely clasping his hands in his lap.

He’s already losing the image of that light, and he doesn’t want to. If he pretends hard enough, maybe he can make out his own features in the blinding radiance.

“…thank you. For trying…”

[lachtara]

It has been a tiring day. Emet-Selch sits with a more pronounced slouch than usual, the weariness becoming clearer and clearer as the seconds tick by.

"I was simply making sure that you wouldn't pester me about it later. I've no patience for it." Admitting to being helpful is something he seldom admits to, even if he had tried manipulating the magic with much more force than he usually would. Untrained observers wouldn't know the difference.

He looks on skeptically. "Do you have no memories of your past?"

[passio]

Dextera always has a wilting look about him, but Emet-Selch’s question pronounces it—but the expression that crosses his face, if only briefly, is not defeated so much as frustrated. He dreamed of these things, but the nightmares he used to suffer in his waking life always swept away any details he might have wanted to keep.

“No,” he answers, softly, looking down at his hands in his lap. “I know… things. I know what other people have told me. But I don’t remember anything for myself.”

His shoulders fall.

“I wanted to meet my brother.”

[lachtara]

Memories that have been removed to the point it is taken from his very aether. Could there be a way to rediscover such a thing? He has to wonder.

"For the sake of curiosity?" He asks. Or belonging. Perhaps there is more of a reason.

[passio]

Dextera shakes his head. Curiosity doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.

Others might be more cautious with their words, when speaking to a mere acquaintance. Propriety would teach most not to spill their heart, but the atmosphere has maybe loosened them all, and Dextera is already prone to sharing his pain in the first place.

“I’m… lonely,” he answers. “I don’t have anyone else. I don’t have anyone at all.”

[lachtara]

"We've all been separated from people and places that are important to us. Finding yourself without kindred is not uncommon." Although he wonders if that's truly what he is getting at here.

"You've found yourself no kindred spirits among the other shard bearers? None in the city?" Friends, though he would rather not use a blunt word like that in these kinds of situations.

[passio]

One might think that Emet-Selch is concerned for him, and Dextera isn’t sure what to make of that. So he decides instead to read it as lofty curiosity, preferring not to read kindness where it isn’t when it’s someone who seems like he tolerates at best the things around him.

Dextera hesitates, and shakes his head. There are people he likes, people who seem to like him, but Emet-Selch is not wrong—it’s a little different.

“They aren’t my brother,” he says. “And… the only person from home…”

Wants him dead. Along with those others, in the clutches of the Dryad.

[lachtara]

"Of course, they're not your brother." He says with typical disapproval. "You can have those besides family - besides those from your world - that you share a bond with."

[passio]

The disapproval rubs Dextera in a different way than usual. He might normally just wilt under it, but this time it’s a brief frustration that darkens his expression.

“It’s not the same,” he insists, almost petulant despite the distance sound of his voice through their Shards.

[lachtara]

"It will not be the same, no." He pushes back in the face of petulance. "Why would you expect it to be?"

[passio]

The question, although unwelcome, quiets Dextera so he can think about it properly.

He doesn’t know his brother, except for the one clear feature they share in that they’re twins. That lack of knowledge makes him crave replacing it, but in a lucid moment, he knows it’s unreasonable.

The scar on his side throbs.

“I just… wish it was,” he says. “I don’t know how to stop missing him, if it’s not.”

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch's expression eases. It's something he understands - missing someone so much that it consumes one's entire being. Perhaps it's that reason that his response is so sincere. "Such knowledge is beyond even my grasp." He says solemnly.

"Missing someone can feel like a crushing weight. The more one presses onward, the heavier it becomes. Over time it begins to feel as though that weight may be unbearable." He motions vaguely with a hand. "But I would bid you remember: regardless of your memory, that pain only serves to prove that the depths of your soul will always remember them, otherwise you would not feel such pain."

[passio]

It’s easy to hear Emet-Selch and agree with the words. Making himself feel it is another matter, but it’s also something to sort out later. He’s grateful for the kindness, knowing well that Emet-Selch doesn’t have to, and likely wouldn’t if he didn’t on some level empathize and understand.

He may have his memories, but they’ve all lost something. It’s why Yima’s promises are so enticing.

“…is that how you keep going?”

[lachtara]

"In a way." He says noncommittally. It's not entirely the same, but how could it be?

Emet-Selch folds his hands on his lap and looks up at the sky. How many times has he recounted this story? "Until recently, I was the last of my people. I and I alone carried the burden of their hopes and dreams. I had to press onward for their sake, for I could not let history leave them to obscurity."

His expression softens. "Then, upon arriving here, my dear friend was been returned to me after so many years of being apart." After so many years of little success.

[passio]

Dextera supposes it’s different, being the last group of people, and the last of a group. He won’t inquire as to what happened, as it feels personal and unwelcome, but there is something new to the information. He hadn’t expected this from Emet-Selch, who seems ever the active leader, not a man holding onto something that once was.

“…was your friend dead? Before?”

Is that something this world can do?

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch's gaze turns solemn. He had sometimes referenced how precious his friend had been to him but never has he spoken of this aspect of it. Not to anyone. Not in such certain terms.

"He was, yes. He gave up his life in the hopes that our people may live." As the previous few sentences indicated the results had been....mixed. "Ever since, I have fought to return him and so many others to the world. So that they may live the lives that were cut so woefully short." His voice turns sentimental, "And here at the edge of creation, I have the success that I thought outside of my reach for so many years. To see him again is a delight that I cannot put into words."

[passio]

That’s news to Dextera. Perhaps there is a chance to see his brother again, if Emet-Selch was able to regain his friend. Dextera isn’t sure that he’s earned the chance, but that doesn’t matter—he’ll take anything he doesn’t deserve, as long as his brother can stand in front of him again.

Swallowing down the tremble in his throat, the connection between them goes briefly silent. Emet-Selch has given him something indescribably precious.

“I’m happy for you,” he says. The sentiment is not as simple as the statement would imply, but Dextera isn’t lying. Amidst his jealousy is, finally, hope. “I’d… like to meet him, too.”

[lachtara]

There is a ghost of a smile that tugs at the corner of Emet-Selch's mouth. It's not happiness in so many words, but understanding for someone in a similar situation. "Perhaps." He offers vaguely.

It's well enough if they leave it there. For his part, he is content in resigning to quiet. It has been a difficult night full of work.