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

choochooo

[prizeneck]

[Cars pass by, but the sound of the pigeon wings is louder. The child somehow manages to dodge petals fluttering, and the adults, despite the distance, sound crystal clear.

Weird things memories do.

The child laughs loudly, ecstatic at scaring the little birds, wings whistling hurriedly and coos interrupted. Mamoru can't really see Eustace nod, so even though he knows what's coming, he still manages to conjure a quirk on his lip.]

If you mean the kid, yeah. [Another weird thing about his memory, and his own state at the moment, is that he can't really tell if he resembles his father or his mother physically at all. He tries not to think about it for too long, and succeeds.] That's me.

[lockedon]

[ He watches the kid run around a bit longer, voice mild as he speaks. ]

You were a cute kid.

[ It's more of a throwaway comment than any sort of ingratiating flattery, a simple observation that even his people-avoidant nature can make. Kids between a certain age are cute more often than not during their best moments but consequently more terrible during their worst.

Eventually, his gaze shifts back to the dark-haired stranger, eyes and tone turning more sober. ]

If you'd rather I not look, I can close my eyes until it's over.

[ The guy doesn't seem inconsolably bothered about having a snippet of memory on display like this and he's already glimpsed part of it, but it still seems polite to ask somehow. ]

[prizeneck]

[An odd thing to say, still. Mamoru does look at the source of Eustace's voice as though he could actually see him, a slight tone of disbelief to his expression. He doesn't ever recall being called cute even as a child, but then again, so did the he not remember everything else.

Mamoru shakes his head.] It ain't a memory for the faint of heart. But I don't really mind if you watch.

[It's not like he hides his past actively. People just assume he doesn't want to talk about it.

And he doesn't. If anything, the sentiment about his backstory is always misplaced. It felt awkward on him, like the edge of a sleeve that was wet. ]

places my hand over these timestamps

[lockedon]

[ There's a part of him that still wants to turn his eyes away on principle. Do unto others, etc, and he certainly wouldn't want a stranger peeping into his deeply private personal life. But if the man says it's fine then it should be fine. There's no reason to lie about it now, as far as Eustace is aware.

And if he has to be honest, something about the warning piques his curiosity more. What could happen (had happened), to turn this idyllic scene into something that might turn people's stomach? ]

I'll be fine. I've seen plenty in my life.

[ For better or worse. ]

time is a social construct anyway it's fine

[prizeneck]

[The only acknowledgment here is a slight nod. Mamoru's unseeing gaze isn't fixed on the kid or the couple. He is looking at some spot in between, his hearing cast to the steps the child makes the first time the lady calls out his name.

The child doesn't turn, too busy jumping over a puddle, making sure his feet are loud enough to scare a bunch of pigeons that had been pecking at the seeds and petals of the sakura. There's a flurry of wings.

'Mamoru!' a second time. Something about not running too far away.

The child turns just as he hears the tires of a car screeching, the rubber bumping onto sidewalk. The drifting and swerving and a fancy BMW running fatally over Mamoru's parents.

Mamoru draws a breath only after; it's not one of expectation. He has memorized the scene so well it's one of the few memories in his mind that remain entirely vivid. But he doesn't remember how long it took him for the whole thing to sink in his innocent mind, when his parents were invincible and without flaws.

The door opens, the driver crawling out unscathed, but still completely wasted.

The adult Mamoru tilts his head as the kid's eyes widen. The brow over his shades knits.]

Huh. Hadn't thought that she had told me to stay close when that's probably what kept me out of this.

[lockedon]

[ He appreciates the simple acceptance of the answer given, and turns back to watch the idyllic scene continue. Not that it remains peaceful that much longer.

It all happens quickly, as so many tragic events do. The shrill screech of tires fill his ears, a noise loud and unpleasant enough that that they fold back briefly against his head. The figures from before crumple to the ground, their forms unmoving, while a third party stumbles out through an open door, clearly not all there. Eustace might not know what a car is, being a ye olde fantays as he is, but he can understand the crux of what's happened, and the tragedy it represents.

Just like that, two important lives lost.

The loss hits a little too close to home, and he can't tell if the agitation winding his chest tight is from the sorrow he feels for this man's loss or the old bitterness from his own that he's carried all these years.

Eustace can't bring himself to look at the other man just yet, so he keeps his eyes trained on the man still stumbling around. There's a crease between his brows now, and an upset frown on his face. ]

I'm sorry.

[ A weak, paltry thing to say, but he's never been good with words even on the best of days. ]

What happened afterwards?

[ To both the man and the boy. ]

[prizeneck]

The man got arrested for a while and then released. [Dismissive to the point of chilling, Mamoru replies almost mechanically.

The justice system where he comes from was slightly off, to say the least, especially when approaching situations like this one. It was all deemed an accident, and the drunkard had to go and do some community work and check in with his precinct every now and then to make sure he was sober, at least in those days.

But he had but been a kid, his chest suddenly empty, trying to clutch at something, someone.] The kid went to live with his grandfather.

[Who would refuse to be clutched. With good reason. He had his own grief to deal with, and he hadn't raised a child in so long, alone. He doesn't blame his grandfather for the lack of care, the lack of energy. Mamoru was plainly aware that his presence brought memories that were unwelcome in the old wooden house.

But, he still sighs, trying to add levity to the remembrance of what followed.] He learned kendo. It wasn't that bad.

[lockedon]

[ Eustace isn't sure he believes that little quip. It wasn't so bad. Maybe it hadn't been, for this man. Maybe he'd adjusted to his loss better than Eustace had. He certainly seems fine now, from a simple outward glance. It's not really his place to ask either way, not after they'd exchanged all of twenty words.

So Eustace lets the subject (of the accident, at least) drop, opting instead to focus on something a little less sobering. (He hopes.) ]

Does he still practice kendo now, now that he's no longer living with his grandfather?

[ It seems a bit silly to keep referring to the man in third person but they've falled into this rhythm now, and he's not about to break it until the other man does. ]

[prizeneck]

[He seems “fine”, with the unruly hair and scars all over his face.]

Not today. [Is the simple reply, though it feels lackluster. Mamoru needs to reel himself in a bit, knowing it’s wise not to showcase all of his cards.

Though he does take a moment to wonder how he could really talk about the path he took.] After a while there’s only so much you can learn with Kendo. I went through other schools later.

[lockedon]

[ Sometimes you just accumulate a lot of scars as you progress through life. It's Fine.

Though Eustace is quickly learning that this man, for all his unassuming presence, is probably not someone to be trifled with. 'Other schools' as a term sounds vague and harmless enough on the surface, but if those paths had been even a little related to kendo, then they're probably not as harmless as they sound. ]

I'll make sure not to get on your bad side then.

[ Not that Eustace really fears a lot of things in life, having honed his skills well enough, but part of the foundation to having a healthy dose of confidence is knowing what will fuck you up and what won't.

But, speaking of sides— ]

Do you work for Yima, or are you just here visiting?

[prizeneck]

[Totally Fine.

Mamoru's lip twitches. Visibly, it's not as though he's actually hiding the idea of how amusing it'd be.] Shame.

[He rolls his shoulder as though he has a crick in it. In essence, he's just keeping himself nimble. It's not like this memory made him relaxed.]

Just a tourist. Though I guess you could say I'm a new recruit overall.

[lockedon]

[ Shame, he says, like he's just itching for a fight. The single word earns a slightly raised eyebrow but no further comment. Skilled enough at fighting though he might be, Eustace isn't keen on picking fights with strangers on the streets (or in this case, by reflecting pools??) just to see how he compares.

Still. ]

I'm sure we'll cross weapons sooner or later.

[ Said dryly. Either as enemies on opposing sides or as comrades honing their skills. Things might be peaceful now, but he knows it's a peace that won't last.

He nods towards their environment, the perpetual twilight of Highstorm. ]

I'd offer to show you around, but I'm only visiting myself.