beleos: (Default)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2022-12-09 03:51 pm

what if we kissed while being chased by the ski-free yeti 😳


CEREMONIES OF HARMONIZATION (MERIDIAN)
Early in the month, a brief Communion message is sent out by Cetina and Kathova to their respective factions (if you’re unharmonized, sorry, you get both!) to inform them that Harmonization Ceremonies will be taking place on December 8th. While not required, it’s strongly encouraged that you at least make an appearance at the respective ceremony. This is a time for the factions to honor and celebrate you for making your choice and to symbolically represent that commitment. If you haven’t made your choice yet, you’re welcome to attend either ceremony. In fact, it would be a great honor to choose to Harmonize at the ceremony itself.

When you arrive to Heliopolis for the ceremony, the first thing you’ll be asked to do is
 change? A wide variety of Greek and Roman-styled outfits are provided, all in light shades ranging from pure whites to soft pastels. But once you’re changed, you’re led deep into Heliopolis to a great courtyard where the tree is rooted. Along the edges, large tables full of appetizing food and drink are being set up, but first, you have the Ceremony to attend.

Once most people have arrived, Cyrus takes a place at the base of the tree and speaks to those assembled. He gives a warm, charismatic speech welcoming all to the celebration. This is a time to celebrate those who have Meridian’s light within them and to welcome them. He hopes that you’ll find peace and happiness here in Kenos, and just as much, he hopes the worlds you see in your Sunbeams return. One day, you’ll part ways, but for now, he hopes you find new friends and family here among the Meri.

After his brief speech, you’ll be given opportunity to approach the tree and touch your Shard to it in a ritualistic way. When you do, you’ll get the experience of briefly visiting a happy, peaceful time in another world as if the tree itself is Communing with you. You’re more likely to see the worlds of those in attendance at the ceremony, but it can also be random. Regardless, it fills you with a sense of belonging and resolve as if reminding you that this is what you’re helping someone return to and your own home is also waiting. From there, you’ll be directed to the sides of the courtyard where craftspeople are waiting. If you give them your Iliachtida, they’ll happily craft it into a piece of jewelry or other token of your choosing so that you can always carry it with you.

After this, it’s of course time to feast and to party!

You’ll find music, dancing, food, and drink, which the Tribune himself seems to be indulging in! Eventually, an interesting drinking game will begin
 You’ll see Meri lounging in a circle and drinking wine, but once their cup is empty, they offer a toast, and then flick the remaining sediment towards a bowl in the center. This is Kottabos! Ask a yes or no question, and its outcome is decided by whether the remainder of the wine-lees lands in the target. Alternately, it’s a traditional gambling game as well. Make a wager with another player: candy and cakes, money, or maybe even kisses in the spirit of the season. All things work as currency in Kottabos!

CEREMONIES OF HARMONIZATION (ZENITH)
As Kathova informed you, Zenith’s ceremony is a formal affair, and you’re expected to dress as such. Don’t worry if some of the finer clothing is out of your budget—this ceremony is important, so you’ll be able to commission whatever you’d like from a local tailor, and Lady Yima will foot the bill. The ceremony itself takes place in the Courtyard of Yima’s Manor, and the twin moons shine brightly overhead in her garden. There are multiple large tables set up with enough seats to accommodate everyone in attendance and at the front of this setup is a smaller table with seats for Yima and Kathova.

However, while everyone is arriving, she’s standing at the foot of the tree. She’ll greet everyone who comes, and once everyone is settled, will give a brief speech of welcome: spreading her hands, she invites all gathered to be at peace among their kindred - as all are family among the Zenith. Each soul is connected, holding a crucial piece that will be carried into the new world to come. She understands there are struggles to come, that the road ahead may not be an easy one - but each of them lest but look around them. Do they see the faces of those at their sides...? These are safe hands to entrust themselves in, and she welcomes you as they will welcome you - with open arms. After this, she asks that each of you come to her with your Shard in hand.

When you do, Yima won’t take your Shard from you, but instead just hold her hands over yours. She speaks a Zenite blessing, and then leans down to kiss your Shard. The feeling ripples through you, but it’s not unpleasant. In fact, a sense of peace comes of you that will last the entirety of the night. With a smile, she tells you to enjoy your evening in the moonlight. If you received a Shard from her, she’ll direct you to one of the craftspeople to the side of the courtyard that will fashion a “home” for that Shard. An elegant piece of jewelry, a box, whatever you prefer, and while inside it, it’ll be magically protected. If you didn’t, then she’ll instead direct you to others who will make you a “token”. Much like the barista near the Tomes, give them your Shard, and they’ll create you a custom piece of jewelry or the like that represents your soul. The appearance, of course, is up to the player.

After this, the banquet begins. Gentle music plays in the background, but the focus here is to get to know your fellow Zenite Shard-Bearers. You’ll find a variety of food on the menu, but it’s all quite special, you know at a glance. Whatever your favorite food is, it’s offered at the banquet with your name next to it in parenthesis. This is a bit of a cultural exchange, but there’s also just a little bit of Yima’s more mischievous magic at play. While you eat, the effect is subtle, but you’ll be more open to those you talk with. It’s not so much that you’ll be revealing your secrets or anything of the sort, but just a gentle way to lower those barriers between you.

QIASU (HIGHSTORM)
On December 9th, the marker of the latter half of Takiltu, Kenos comes together to celebrate 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. This celebration is an amalgamation of many worlds’ winter festivals, and as such, is known in the two cities as the Year’s End Festival, or Qiasu as Highstorm calls it.

This part of Takiltu is when Highstorm truly starts to hit winter. Snow is a frequent occurrence, but it’s one that the city welcomes, since with the snow comes a few of the most beloved traditions of the city. By far the most popular is heading to Greenwood Yards. The gardens themselves may be either dormant or showing their simpler winter gardens, but you may have noticed an area by the bathhouses left in surprising amount of disrepair
 This is because during the winter months, this area fills up with a natural outdoor hot spring! Take a swim under the moonlight, and even explore some of those ruined old manors, now with their first floors warmly flooded. It’s a tradition to bring in your favorite drinks and spend an evening sipping it in a parlor with friends, and to make new ones by sharing your drinks. Of course, do watch out for the ghosts. They’re mischievous more than malicious, but this is their favorite time of the year too!

You can also head to the Great Tree, which is decorated for the season with glittering glass orbs and is the current roost for the pale Moonbugs of Highstorm. Write a wish on a slip of paper and hold out your hands, and one of the Moonbugs will come sit within them. Whisper the wish to the Moonbug and it’ll take the paper and fly away to find someone to fulfill it. Of course, this also means that a Moonbug is likely to come find you! Besides it being good karma to fulfill the wish, you’ll be given a brief vision of the person whose wish you fulfilled and be blessed by the tree for the duration of the month depending upon your Aspect:

  • Advocate: People are more likely to buy you meals/rounds and every recipe you make turns out perfectly.
  • Exalt: Animals seem to think more kindly of you, and you'll find them much easier to befriend.
  • Harbinger: You're given a more silver tongue as your arguments seem to be better at persuading people.
  • Iconoclast: You won't be effected by cold weather in any way.
  • Savant: You heal much more rapidly from any injury and are generally the very picture of health.
  • Stargazer: Your indulgences (whatever they may be) are both easier to find and are of higher quality.
And of course, there’s one more well-known practice in Highstorm, though it’s more of a tradition of Kowloon’s
 The GĂ€vle family is a well-known family who has lived in Highstorm for a long time, and they brought a tradition of building a festive Yule goat made straw in the square outside of their businesses. However, it also happens to be outside of Yura Szczepanski’s home. He’ll never do it himself, of course, but if you manage to burn it down? He’ll reward you, obviously. It doesn’t make it any more legal, so those that try generally spend some time in a Highstorm jail, but it’s an enshrined enough practice at this point that not only has it burned down more often than it’s survived, but there’s even a betting pool in Kowloon for whether it survives or not.

Of course, if these traditions aren’t quite your vibe, you’ll also find the city just generally set up for a metropolitan winter. The Antiques & Baubles Market is rearranged to make room for a large ice-skating rink, Tasseography (the coffeeshop by the Tomes) has a seasonal special for a hot chocolate that will fortify you from the cold for a few hours (and make you fire resistant? Weird,), and the city also hosts a full-size gingerbread house that you can indeed take a bite from, to name a few things. Generally speaking, if it’s something you could do in a snowy city at home, you’ll probably find an equivalent somewhere in the city of moonlight.

YEAR'S END FESTIVAL (SPRINGSTAR)
Springstar will never turn down a chance to celebrate, but eternally Highstorm’s opposite, this is the warmest time of year. With the sun always shining, some days can get near sweltering, but that just means you have a different set of traditions to have fun with it!

The ivy-like vines that decorated the city in the beginning of the month (November) are now in full bloom, and you’re now likely to learn why the Meri consider them sacred. Wherever the flowers bloom, they encourage feelings of warmth and slightly higher inclination for physical contact within those that encounter their magical pollen*. Holding hands with someone by the flowers will give you feelings of liveliness and happiness, and for a few hours, the positive traits of the person you’re holding hands with become more prominent in you and vice versa. These effects do linger a bit longer, since for a month, you’ll also find that being around this person also gives you both a little boost in energy. It’s very sweet! This also comes with a bit of a further game, if you’re at all a frequenter of Psychagogía...

Madame Dee’s hosts a very popular competition simply called Kiss Bingo. Approach the booth set-up outside the brothel and touch your Shard to a special card, and names will appear upon it. From there, the rules are simple. Just give that person a kiss! It can be on their hand, their lips, their [redacted], all of it counts, and once you do, a little kiss mark will mark their name out. Get a bingo, and you can pick from a variety of prizes such as a ticket for a week’s worth of visits at a local buffet, a shopping spree at a nearby store, or a box seat for a day at the Coliseum. Of course, if you’re really an overachiever, fill out the whole card to get multiple prizes. Madame Dee might just give you a job!

With the promise of home that the Meri deeply believe in, they have their own gifting tradition. The Shard-Bearers know best that it’s possible to receive gifts from the Timestream, and for Year’s End, it’s tradition for the Tribune to pull out all the stops. For a week of the Festival, the Tribune works just outside of Heliopolis, and with the help of priests from the Church of Helios, reaches into the Timestream to produce a gift for anyone that comes to ask. However, this is a tradition taken with great humor. For one, the Tribune wears a particular costume for the duration, said to be a figure from the first Tribune’s world, but with some tweaks for the hotter climate. And two, this was a tradition started when the city was much smaller. Now that it's such a bustling city, pulling good gifts out of the Timestream gets more difficult. It may not be what you asked for, but Cyrus will still hand over a gift just for you with a laugh and a smile, wishing you a Meri year of prosperity to come. There’s no time to stay and chat, however, since the line is quite long!

On rainy days (or simply the unbearably hot ones), you can also go to Starlight Park, which offers a reprieve from the weather. Inside the dome, you’ll find a idyllic, snowy valley where you can partake in all the natural joys of winter. There’s (highly) competitive snowball fights, sledding, and skiing to partake in, though you might be cautioned away from one slope. Head down that course and about halfway down, you’ll be chased by
 a yeti? Luckily it doesn’t seem to be able to harm you, but it’s still shockingly fast and will catch you no matter how quickly you ski. You can also spend a bit of money to rent a yurt along the river for a relaxing and exceptionally cozy glamping experience. Some Yurts are even adorned with the sacred vines. You know, for no reason.

You’ll also find the Meri heading away from the city of Springstar a bit to head down to some of the beaches that surround Springstar. Being an island within an Island (capital ‘I’ meaning the Kenos kind of island), Takiltu is the traditional start of Springstar’s summer season and all the fun that comes with that. The beaches are bustling, but the cool and crystal-clear waters of the ocean surrounding the city make it worthwhile. Surfing, diving, and sailing are popular activities, but just make sure to stay within sight of the shore. It doesn’t take too long to hit the end of the Island and sailing outside the magical barrier that keeps Springstar floating in Kenos’s starscape generally isn’t survivable.

NOTES
Weather summary for the second 30 days of Takiltu (NOV & DEC):
  • Highstorm is out of fall and into winter. While there are some milder days, snow (and heavy snow at that!) is getting more common.
  • Springstar is hot and humid, and it's not uncommon for brief thunderstorms to roll through in the afternoon.
Notable city changes:
  • A new bar has opened in Springstar by the name of Punch Drunk! Located in Psychagogia, it's already seeing good business and Meri seem to especially enjoy people watching on the balcony.
Faction updates:
  • Rumors have started to circulate that A Zenite Shard is being held hostage by the Meridian. There's a slight increased tension between Meri and Zenites as a result, but it's still understated. This is a matter that's expected to be negotiated, after all.
CODING
warmare: (ă‚­ăƒąă‚€)

1.b

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-14 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Hayame is not exactly enjoying this celebration. It is most unlike the banquets she is used to attending ("attending", either as a silent guard at the entrance or on display for potential buyers, quiet and obedient). She does not appreciate having been made to change in a pastel, feminine dress...

But she does like the food. It is on a trip back from the buffet table, her plate laden high, that she accidentally meets the gaze of a man she knew from Highstorm, from Alenroux... and he asks her... something that to her seems...]


... You are a fool if you are asking a jinba to join a drinking game.

[Hayame has very little experience drinking alcohol beyond tiny saucers consumed for ritual purification... But she also knows that the reason her stable master had never bothered supplying liquor to the more well-treated armed jinba in his possession was that human drink did absolutely nothing for a species with a fast metabolism and a half ton weight.
exhound: (17)

[personal profile] exhound 2022-12-15 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
[It’s certainly a different atmosphere at this banquet than any of the parties Vander himself has been a part of back home. It’s lively here, sure, but not in the same way that a crowd of miners and smugglers could get when celebrating a life lived in defiance of the odds.

Still, though, it’s easy enough for him to get into the spirit of the festivities here, and that includes trying to cajole his fellows into joining in on the fun too. Hayame herself is a welcome surprise to see here—he hadn’t realized that she too had aligned herself with Meridian.

And of course, there is also that familiar attitude that he is learning to expect from her after their handful of encounters.]


That sounds to me like a challenge.

[He grins slightly, raising both his glass and an eyebrow in a questioning gesture.]
warmare: (じゃっ)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-15 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[She had not meant it as a challenge. It was supposed to be a comment of dismissal, or at best... a warning. And yet, there he was, lifting his mug and trying to convince her to take him on in this... game.

And she may not know the rules, but if drinking and attempting to keep your head through it was the goal... She was confident. She should refuse, and yet... - Well, he was an ally. Who could fight good. So she does him the courtesy of not immediately shooting him down, instead arching both eyebrows right back.]


And what am I supposed to do with you, when you are passed out on the floor? I shall not take responsibility.

[Just because she could move a man of his size didn't mean she wanted to.]
exhound: (04)

[personal profile] exhound 2022-12-16 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I wouldn’t go down that easy.

[Said with a laugh. Vander is a man who knows how to handle his drink, and it’s not an easy feat to try to drink him under the table. And while he certainly didn’t expect things to go that far with this sort of game
 well, you never know how things might escalate when you’re adding alcohol into the equation with competitive spirit.

She sure is full of confidence though, and he has no idea how much of it might be earned. Yet considering the sort of no-nonsense woman she seems to be, perhaps it is.]


But if you’re that confident, you can rest assured that the responsibility would squarely be on my own shoulders.

[And with that, he tilts his head toward the space set up for the drinking game. C’mon, Hayame. It’s time for f u n!]
warmare: (ござけるăȘ)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-16 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
[... Ugh. He was supposed to back down, so that she didn't have to admit that,]

I do not know how to play your little game.

[Which she could have said more neutrally, but. It does end up coming out a little bit more like... she holds him personally responsible already for putting her in this position to humiliate herself having to admit something so petty and simple as ignorance of... local drinking customs.

Isn't he a man? Can't they just see how passes out first after downing as much alcohol as they could? Her win would be far more straightforward and quick that way...]
exhound: (07)

[personal profile] exhound 2022-12-18 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sorry Hayame, Vander can be very persistent. Especially when faced with that sort of dismissive confidence she’d initially shown.]

Well, it’s my first time playing it too. We can figure out the nuances together, then.

[He glances back over toward the game area, where a couple of Meri are wrapping up a challenge of their own. They make one last attempt at getting those wine-lees to hit the target
 and wind up splattering it just along the edge of the bowl. The gathered onlookers erupt into a mix of cheers and laughter.]

Seems as simple as tossing the leftovers into the bowl there. [He turns his gaze back to her, the beginnings of a grin pulling at his lips.] You’ve got good aim, I’m sure you’ll be showing us all how it’s done in no time.
warmare: (ござけるăȘ)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-19 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[His first time! Hayame shoots him an exasperated look already, pointing over her shoulder at the men splashing wine about like children.]

We're just going to waste drink by throwing it around? How are you going to drink yourself unconscious?

[... She might not know enough about liquor to understand lees and sediment.]
exhound: (03)

[personal profile] exhound 2022-12-21 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
[That draws an amused hum from Vander, who holds up his glass and swirls the remainder of the wine in it thoughtfully.]

It’s not like we’re throwing the whole glass at it. [His gaze drifts from his drink back to Hayame, an eyebrow raised.] But if you’d prefer a more straightforward drinking contest
 I wouldn’t say no.

[That grin of his blossoms into the full thing. Is he emboldened by a bit of drink already? Maybe so.]
warmare: (é«Ș)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-22 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
[... Alright, he had a point. Closer inspection reveals that it does seem to be the last swig of the drink being thrown, and there is... talking. Admittedly, she does not like talking. Her eyes narrow as she watches, then looks back at Vander, her lips pursed as if determined to be some sort of opposite to his absurd grinning.]

Do you know the other rules?

[What are they, gambling? Asking questions?

As tempting as it was to demand a contest as she understood it... he might just look a bit too smug.]
exhound: (10)

[personal profile] exhound 2022-12-23 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[He eases up on that grin in favor of something just more generally pleased as she takes a moment to observe the game again and ask about it. He watches too, glancing back her way and tilting his head to the side slightly at the question.]

Seems like there’s two ways to go about it. Ask some yes or no questions before tossing, or turn the game into something of a wager. Whichever seems like more fun.

[One of those sounded like they’d probably be more her speed, if he had to guess. She didn’t strike him as someone open enough that a few rounds of questions would be the most welcome.]
warmare: (飛び例りる)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-24 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[Asking... questions...

As Vander anticipated, Hayame doesn't seem to find that a very appealing prospect. What, they'd just ask each other things, and they would just answer them? Was there some oath to truthfulness? Even if there wasn't, she wasn't exactly... a sharer. So.]


We will wager.

[She did not have many coins, but she also... doesn't think there's any way shape or form that she'll be losing what she bets, so. She waits for the previous group to clear before she picks up the strange drinking vessel, examining it as she "sits" by plopping down onto her rump more like a canine than someone half-equine. She isn't about to lay on her belly around these people.]

What are you putting up for stake, human?
exhound: (07)

[personal profile] exhound 2022-12-28 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Precisely the response he expected. Vander smiles, pleased to have finally goaded her into giving the game a shot. The gathered Meri seem excited to have more contestants to watch, and they chatter amongst themselves while they get set up, some even setting up wagers within the audience over how their attempts will go.

There’s a thoughtful moment while he considers what would be best to wager—the folks that have been playing this game all evening have been putting all manner of things up for bet when taking this route of the game, most physical though some more intangible. Perhaps it’d be best to stick with something more straightforward for now.

He reaches into the pocket within the folds of the robes he wears and pulls out a simple coin purse. He sets aside his glass for just a moment and fishes out a few coins and places them upon a small table between them.]


Let’s start with something simple while we get our bearings, eh?
warmare: (é«ȘćŒŸă)

[personal profile] warmare 2022-12-29 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hayame has never gambled in her life. Like many things she is doing in this world and passing off as completely normal for her... she has only observed human men doing it. Breeding stable jinba did not have anything to wager with. They did not even own their own bodies. But she has see the grooms place wagers over word games and contests of strength, so she can handle it smoothly enough.

Coin... ? Good. That made sense.

Hayame pulls her own coin purse from the pouch on the belt at her "waist", pursing her lips slightly as she fishes inside of it. She had very little to her name, only newly Harmonized, but...

She's sure she's not going to lose it. So she matches his wager.]


Simple, then.

[She'll even be generous enough to take the first swig once some helpful bystanders fill their shallow goblets.]
exhound: (05)

[personal profile] exhound 2023-01-05 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Vander nods approvingly as she matches his wager and offers a quick smile in thanks to those stepping in to fill up their cups. He then takes a seat himself, as that seemed to be the Meri’s preferred way of playing this game.

He follows Hayame’s lead and takes a drink of his own to begin this odd little game. Vander’s no stranger to drinking contests, though this is certainly a unique one in that regard. As long as they could have some fun out of the endeavor, that’s good enough for him.

Getting his opponent to have fun with it will be the real challenge here. He gives the wine in his glass an idle swirl and turns his attention her way.]


Time to see if that aim of yours is a good with the wine as it is with your arrows.
warmare: (ござけるăȘ)

[personal profile] warmare 2023-01-06 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[
 Fun.

First, Hayame has to conquer
 sitting. One of the previous game players has drunkenly pointed out that it’s not fair if she isn’t seated, and
 while she does not agree, she also respects rules
 to a certain degree. Glaring at the long, lounge-like seat
 it seems to at least have a sturdy base. Grumbling something about how she won’t be held accountable if it turns out to be weak, she
 mounts it. Sort of. In the end, though it takes a couple awkward moments and adjustments


She sits.

But now her expression looks even grumpier. Oh, dear.]


This game makes no sense


[Her cup mostly drained, she experiments with the weight and feel of the thing. It is
 nothing like firing a bow, motion wise
 but she manages at least to fling the lees in the right direction. Even if they do undershoot the target and splatter more onto the floor.]