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

[exhound]

[There is a deep and primal urgency yelling at him to get up and move, get the two of them to safety and away from the dreadful mistake they’d made in engaging with this beast so carelessly. But every inch of him is screaming in protest with every movement. For a moment there is just the pain and the air filled with the acridity of burning wood, burning flesh—and the phantom scent of smoke and shimmer set alight as the memory still lingers in the back of his mind telling him to move, now. It’s enough to get him back up to his hands and knees, no small amount of relief to be found when he catches sight of Childe pushing himself up from the ground with an angry shout at the creature. The single word he gets in reply and the memory of the man, of Manon, is chilling.

But the sudden silence, the crack signaling the abrupt absence of Communion? That’s got alarm bells ringing in his head, and he’s already forcing his battered body toward them as fast as he can will it even before the creature begins to writhe and spring forth in its sudden lunge.

The sudden spike of pain adding to the chorus of his grisly collection of wounds is the first signal to him that he may have narrowly made it in time to block its charge toward Childe. His feet skid back across the soil with the force of the impact, but even as wounded as he is, he remains sturdy enough to just barely keep the two of them from tumbling backwards right into Childe.

It’s worse now, though. The beast’s claws have dug in viciously, piercing in through his side and through his chest and his vision blurs from the intensity of it. But he has to stay standing as long as he can. Has to keep this damn thing still just long enough…]

Run! [A deep, shuddering breath.] Get out, get— get help.

[At least one of them should make it out of here.]

[vapour]

[ Childe almost understands, even to the point of the creature's responses. The moment he sees a face through Communion, he makes sure to commit it to memory. Monsters are always forgotten for who they were over what they are when they pass. He'll die as a monster that needed extermination not as aman that needed mercy.

Hyperfocused on the creature, Childe doesn't notice Vander's movements. Instead, he manages to get pissed off rather than afraid of what's coming towards him. It's defiance of the beasts and his own helplessness (the strength and power limitations that he's clearly locked under but can't accept.) Like hell is he letting this thing kill him— not without somehow taking it down with him.

The attack never comes, though: one minute the creature is in his line of sight the next it's blocked out and it's only once he notices feet skidding backwards against the muddied ground towards him. And then Vander's voice.

Fuck, no—

But it's not the time to argue, he knows this. It's not the time to have any type of kneejerk emotional reaction. Shoving down all the uprising feelings on the matter, Childe pushes fully to his feet from his crouched position. ]

—No way! What the hell is going to happen to you if I leave your shard with this guy? I'm not letting him kill you permanently over this!

[ sitting at the creature. ] Manon, right? You're still in there enough to not be a total mindless beast— so get a fucking grip on yourself and what you've become, you damn coward!

[ Childe can tell the difference in the creature's behavior note that he understand better, as a monster himself. When his rage consumes him and he lets the mindless beast take over in a bout of weakness and his Abyss Form takes hold. It's so convenient and easy to hide behind it as if it's no longer his concern. The mess he makes is still his, though—just like Manon's actions are still his own. He's assuming this guy isn't the type of person that would want to hurt others as he looked like he was going to flee initially after the explosion. He's hoping he can get whatever's left of Manon to pull himself back so he doesn't have to leave Vander. He doesn't want to leave Vander alone.

No one deserves to be left alone when they're dying. ]

[kenosnpcs]

[ The creature pushes against Vander, digging into the ground even more as roots snake into the dirt with deep gouges. It’s pushing hard, maybe even more strongly than it had before, but this time, there’s silence. The screams, the agony, they were certainly unwelcome, but by comparison, this might feel more unsettling, somehow.

And underneath Childe’s feet, the ground shifts as something moves underneath. He has a moment’s choice: fight or flee. ]

[vapour]

[ so much for that, maybe it's more of an echo of Manon that he once was than anything else. Childe could fight, but he know it'll end with Vander's sacrifice being for nothing. And while he could argue he doesn't give a shit about someone protecting him when he didn't ask for it (and he'll do what he wants,) that's not so easy this time, especially when he knows it's unlikely he'll come out victorious in the end. If he had his powers the dice would be a no brainer, so well ... ( Maybe it's a good thing he doesn't. )

Sensing and hearing something beneath his feet, he snarls even as he backs up, unable to retreat with much speed, but he's going to take whatever is underneath his feet as a warning for him to get lost if he knows what's good for him. ]

You better hope you're dead in the ground for good before I find you again.

[ He turns to shout towards Vander now: ] Don't die on me, old man. I'm coming back right away!

[ he'll disappear into the darkness of the woods without another sound, the only hint he was there being the trail of blood that gets lost in the density of the forest.]

[kenosnpcs]

[ Childe retreats just in time, since as his feet step away into the dark, the group breaks with lashing roots that would have surely held him in place. They hold Vander where he is, and the creature still pushes hard, but the pressure lessens as Childe retreats into the forest. The skull almost seems to be looking at Vander, and slowly, it pulls away as if it can feel Vander’s life fading.

It’ll remain until he dissipates… But after that, it’ll simply retreat. His Shard is indeed left for Childe to recollect. ]

[exhound]

[The blurring of his vision almost seems to get worse, and it takes every ounce of willpower he has to keep himself standing now. He pushes back against the creature with all the remaining strength he can muster, determined to keep it from moving past him to the young man he’s trying so desperately to keep safe.

Maybe it made him a fool, to be so self-sacrificing for a person he’d only barely just met. But this is what he is built for, putting all of that strength of his into protecting others. How impermanent death may or may not really be for shard-bearers in this moment is hardly a comfort, not when faced with this monstrosity and the pain it has so effortlessly inflicted.

The sound of Childe’s retreat brings with it a momentary flash of relief to soothe the desperation and the pain keeping him upright. Those final words shouted at him almost make him want to laugh, if he still had it in him.

Might have to disappoint you there, he thinks, before everything fades around him.]

[vapour]

[ a fool is putting it lightly—at least, maybe if it were any other person like Childe. while the young harbinger is a lot of things, an individual with 'debt owed' he is not.

(there's the other thing, too, that may come to benefit Vander with time if things go well: that is the strange feeling Childe has bleeding in his chest all the way to find 'help,' to get himself stitched up and hurry on back because any 'help' is already out there searching for the creature. it's a sensation that bewilders him, and he doesn't have the slightest clue what it's supposed to be or what he should feel about it existing, but for now their relationship isn't strong enough that Childe thinks he'll be dwelling on it long.)

Vander saved his life without a doubt. Why he did it doesn't matter, and at the very least the fatui harbinger realizes that going back for the older man isn't simply paying his dues but it's... the right thing to do (what he wants to do.)

there's no hope lingering in his mind, of course. he's a realist when it comes to the battlefield and has had way too much experience for anyone to have for several lifetimes combined, so he knows that a wound like that will bleed out very quickly even if 'Manon' left him be as soon as Childe bolted. so when he finds the spot (—he pushes himself best he can despite it being stressful on his system with his own blood loss, but at least he's stitched up and pushing his limits is what he does best—) he isn't surprised it is dark and silent. he moves around the area, feeling around for and smelling for the blood and torched wood and vines as the narrowing beacon before he finally is able to spot the faint glimmer of what must be (hopes is) a shard.

he hyper listens to his surroundings, walking with a steady determination towards the small light until he's able to find it in a pool of bloody mud from where Vander's body had been. crouching down, he reaches to pick it up only because he has gloves on (he doesn't want Vander to feel any worse than he must already after a death like that) that will lessen any sensations exchanged between a soul and an individual holding it. ]

...You died out here alone, and for what? Someone like me? I wonder if...

[ he gets to his feet now, looking around before heading back towards the camp. ]

...you'll regret that.

[ as childe walks, the turmoil of emotions rains heavy on him, him choosing silence despite their roar and counting his steps and breathing to ensure he doesn't stumble along the way from any vertigo related to pain or blood. when he gets back to the encampment, however, he looks around.

when he had mentioned Vander's name, no one in particular came forward as knowing him particularly well that he would be able to turn the shard over to. while he could just hand it to a harmonized Meridian... something about that feels wrong. ]

...Is there no one here to welcome you back?

[ Without a word, he settles in silence in the encampment until morning, gently wrapping the shard in his scarf as he does so. He'll take it to the Tree, but he can't be there to welcome the older man back to life.

( somehow, that's truly bitter in Childe's mouth.

—even though he'd only expect such a reality if this was the other way around. ) ]