❪ event ❫ harvest valley

[natha]

THE GREAT HARVEST     While change is inevitable and those on El Nysa have always been adaptable, it’s clear that some things do not change. Citizens in both cities have began finding ways to return to a sense of normalcy, and most have done this by partaking in seasonal traditions and celebrations. With the heat of the previous months finally simmering down, the cooler air signifies the passing of the summer and the start of the great harvest. Though many crops were destroyed in the battle that preceded this event, those that have survived seem to have grown healthier in light of their hardships, and many believe this to be an unspoken blessing. In Wyver, festivities begin earlier in the month. Copious amounts of food are prepared from the first, and refugees will find that the people of Wyver are always hungry. The daily contests of strength are easily turned into contests of appetite. Not partaking, like many things in Wyver, can be taken as a sign of weakness. Losers will find themselves expected to do the bidding of those who win one of these contests. But it's all in good fun, right? Outside of contests, Wyver is keen on creating a festival-like atmosphere. Throughout the month there will be multiple food stalls open featuring food made from the harvest and game available to the city. Due to its popularity, many of the stalls will feature Shanrian’s favorite meat jellies. Refugees will be encouraged to assist in preparing delicacies for the stalls and will be rewarded for their efforts by being given specialty ingredients. When consumed, these foods can heighten one's senses for a period of time, so they're perfect to eat before heading on a quest or hunt. I. With their emphasis on cooking enormous portions of food and gorging themselves for days, it should come to no surprise that a lot of the age-old Wyvern traditions revolve around the act of eating. Particularly, of dining beside their scalier brethren. It isn’t uncommon to see the people of Wyver feed from the claws of dragons, or to mimic the act of a dragon eating on all fours— often sharing the same game (not always cooked either!). The trick to this is knowing how hungry the dragon is and finding the appropriate timing to take a bite without offending the creature. Some dragons are known to be a little more disciplined in this regard, while others are loose cannons. It’s important to be able to gauge this, and the people of Wyver are more than delighted to teach the refugees the tricks of the trade! The bigger question is... does everyone have the stomach for this? II. Maybe from all the eating they do and all the grooming, the dragons tend to avoid people during this time of the year, but some also start to look like they need a bit of help. During this time, native Wyvers use their free time after the steady and grueling days of harvest to maintain and care for the dragons. They help wash them up, take a look at their claws, and even pull some decayed teeth. However, precisely because this is such a tedious process, there's always a need for a helping hand or two to get the job done. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Wyverns are extra keen to grab a refugee or two for the job. They say pulling teeth is easy, the trick is simple after all! Don’t get bitten and don’t let the smell get to you! Seriously though, they advise that the work goes more smoothly in pairs. One person is typically in charge of making sure the dragon’s mouth remains open, while the other does the actual dirty work. While experts can mix this dynamic up a bit, or even work between those roles, it helps to have a starting point at least! III. These months are crucial to the people of Wyver as many of their dragons lay eggs in the later half of winter. In preparation, they believe now to be the most essential time for establishing bonds and building on pre-existing relationships, either between one another, or with the dragons. As they are a people who are proud of strength, Wyverns often display this in every aspect of their lives, including their blood exchange ritual. During this process, they will physically show the closeness between themselves and their companions by using a ceremonial knife to cut into their flesh. The wound they make on one another is meant to act as a symbol of the impact they have in each other’s lives. They are then meant to smear the blood of the individual they cut and mark some part of their body with it. Due to utilizing the specially crafted ceremonial blade, this streak of blood will stick to their skins for the duration of the month— a constant reminder of the bond they’ve formed. There are some variations to this, and there are no rules to how deep the incision must be… some Wyverns are known to take this a little too far, and so this ritual is certainly not for the faint of heart. In Olympia, the celebrations will begin a little later than they do in Wyver. The focus in Olympia seems to be their fruit liquor. Considering their newfound interest in “Thesaens,” it’s no surprise that refugees will find themselves target #1 for trying these various flavors. Additionally, as this act of liquor-making is often experimental, those brave enough to try it will find that the vintages' tastes and their effects will vary in extremes. As these fruits are produced from a vine with magical properties, it won’t be unusual to discover oneself overtaken by a series of strange inclinations that typically amplify whatever positive emotions the drinker is feeling. If they're feeling open and friendly, for example, they'll find themselves oddly handsy and affectionate. If they're feeling inquisitive, they may find themselves oddly invested or overly fixated on something— maybe it's that stray hair on that stranger's face or their unusual eyebrows? But, while the city is full of life and action, this is also a period of time that Olympians celebrate some of their oldest myths. According to their ancestors, this season marks the time of reunion and connection with those who have passed on. It’s said to correlate with the appearance of the constellations that best fit their most notable heroes. For Olympia, this is a time of coming together as a community and displaying a sense of gratitude for the harvest and the people of the city who make it all possible. I. One staple of the season is wine sharing. A form of showing closeness and intimacy with ones’ companions, people often will share a drink together, though, not exactly in an orthodox way. As an icebreaker for joining in a number of gatherings (especially those near temples), people are often seen transferring beverages mouth-to-mouth. The act of swallowing shared wine is meant to display acceptance and tolerance. Even rivals and old foes occasionally partake in this ritual to show mutual respect for one another. Declining can be seen as offensive, however with everyone swiftly becoming intoxicated, it may be easy for the more reserved individuals to bluff their way out of this. II. Food isn’t the only thing harvested during the season. The special magical vines that thrive during this period of time can be utilized as a material for weaving protective accessories. These accessories are traded between friends and lovers all throughout the month. They have a small energizing effect and will permit the wearer to exhibit a little more strength than they normally exhibit. The only catch is that the accessories must be tied on by someone else and be kept for at least a week. When the wearer feels the effects fading, the vines must also be removed by the same person who tied them on. If anyone wears the accessories past this period of time, they will find that they often feel restless and be prone to experiencing sleep paralysis and night terrors. Some Olympians claim that during that state, you can sometimes hear the voices of loved ones from beyond the grave. But, that’s probably just an old wives' tale... THE (IM)POSSIBLE MAZE     Midway between the cities, a vast maze of corn has been erected. Its purpose is twofold — to demonstrate a camaraderie between Olympia and Wyver and to be harvested by each side at the end of the celebrations. Both the Olympians and the Wyverns agree that the first maze of this kind was created in recognition of a treaty from long ago — decades ago, when the treaty was first signed, representatives from each city went into the maze together to demonstrate that they could work in tandem, but instead of emerging victorious, dead Wyverns were found on the Olympian side of the maze, and dead Olympians were found on the Wyvern side of the maze. Depending on who you ask, the specifics of this slaughter vary — some claim that those found dead were killed in self-defense, while others insist it was merely a misunderstanding, and others tout the theory that the truce was deliberately sabotaged. What the people can agree upon now, however, is that with the Thesaens among them, perhaps they can try it again and bring in a bountiful harvest together. Locals are charged silver to enter the maze, but refugees are allowed in for free to experience the tradition for themselves. I. The maze itself is long and winding, with overgrown stalks that block out most of the sky. It is, the promoters insist, not an easy trial to overcome. Those who enter the maze are given sparklers to signal their position for extraction should they become hopelessly lost — but if you manage to make it through the maze, the sparklers can be surrendered to those waiting on the other side for a modest sum of 30 silver each. Team up with someone to make it through… and don’t get lost! II. While this is a time for celebration, there are always some hooligans who don’t quite get into the spirit of things — or who, perhaps, get too much into the spirit of things. Unofficially, some of the locals have taken it upon themselves to sneak into the maze in costume and chase the participants through it. The motivations behind this vary — some are in it for a laugh, some insist that they’re doing it to help strengthen the bonds between the people they chase, and some claim that they’re doing it to prove a point: that the Olympians and Wyverns will turn on each other at the first sign of adversity, and they will even draw blood to show it. Will you make it through the maze despite these unexpected setbacks? Or perhaps this sort of mischievous thing is right up your alley…? III. Of course — and unfortunately — there are also those who get in over their heads. Midway through the festivities, on both sides, parents begin to notice that their children have gone missing… and that there are some decidedly child-like screams coming from the maze. It seems the kids have decided to sneak into the maze themselves and now require some rescuing — luckily, there are plenty of Thesaens around to lend a hand. FINAL OOC NOTES     As a reminder, REP will now primarily be given for completed QUESTS that are available throughout the month, and will not be offered through this event log. Additionally, as stated in the monthly outline, Nadril will still need the assistance of the refugees and there will be an IC call to action for that later in the month. Then as a final note, our Test Drive Meme will be up on October 24th! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs ● bestiary taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp ● quest bulletin calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[quintessent]

[It's a little personal, but Allura allows it, even turning her head to let the girl get a better look at them.]

Thank you.

[Ears are a weird thing to be proud of, but she thanks her nonetheless. After being surrounded by a bunch of people with weird rounded ears, she can't help but be a little glad for the acknowledgement.]

Where I come from, most beings have pointed ears like mine, so yours would be unique on my planet.

[colorature]

I'm used to being unique.

_{[It's an offhand comment as she pulls her hand back and gives Allura a bit of breathing room.]}

My twin aside, I'm one of a kind here too. _{[A beat.]} What are you then?

[quintessent]

[Allura was trying to give you a compliment while avoiding the fact that human ears will forever look weird to her.

Her posture relaxes when Diva backs off a bit, and she drops her hands to her sides, not bothered by the line of questioning.]

I am an Altean from the planet Altea.

[Until recently, she thought she was the last of her kind too, but Things Change. As such, she realizes that almost nobody knows what Altea was.]

It's a planet that existed a very long time ago, and quite a distance from Earth.

[colorature]

What are Alteans like? Are you like humans or really different? What do you eat?

_{[She's got a plethora of questions as she rocks back on her heels, fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her dress.]}

I've only ever lived on Earth, aside from this planet. Was Altea really different from Earth?

[quintessent]

[Woah, that is a lot of questions all at once, and Allura gets a little bit of an overwhelmed look on her face before she attempts to answer, tapping a finger on her chin thoughtfully,]

I suppose we are similar to humans biologically. [Ask Keith AHEM] We can eat the same things as you, but our world's foods are different from yours. And I have never been to Earth, so I cannot tell you.

[There, she did a pretty good job.]

[colorature]

Oh...you've never been there? Then how do you know about it? I guess you would if you're friends with Lance though, huh...

_{[That's your answer right there, Diva.]}

Too bad you can't ever go to Earth. I guess I should miss it more but my life here is a lot more fun than it was back there.

[quintessent]

Well, there’s always the possibility that I visited it and only forgot about it.

[It’s half a comment just to herself, considering how there are details from back home that had been missing from her memory until they very suddenly weren’t missing anymore. Allura wouldn’t put it past this place to continue to hold back memories from her.

And, normally, Allura would be a little sensitive about people who don’t seem to miss their planet (she knows her experience is far from unique, but there’s a difference when your world and family are destroyed by a vindicative warlord, perhaps.) but from the sounds of what Diva mentioned earlier, maybe she had reason to not miss her life before. ]

It certainly is more peaceful here.

[Even with the dragon and everything going on.]

[colorature]

It is. Even though there's been a lot of fighting...but people are always going to fight.

_{[That's just how things were. As for forgetting if she visited Earth or not, it sounds possible to Diva. Her own sister had forgotten things of their past spent together, and really, Diva can't blame her for it for wanting to suppress certain details.]}

The best part about this place is that they don't care I'm a Chiropteran. No one looks at my fangs and automatically thinks I'm a monster right away. Maybe it's a good thing if you haven't visited Earth though - they would've locked you up too I bet, because of your ears and skin. Humans fight amongst themselves for looking different and they're still human. People like us aren't as lucky.

[quintessent]

[She frowns at that. Diva's not totally off with the worry — she's heard about how Shiro was treated when he first came back after being abducted by the Galra. If they would do that to their own kind, what kind of reception would the first alien receive, but-]

I trust that my friends wouldn't have let that happen.

[Lance, Keith, Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk wouldn't abandon her so easily, even to their own kind. She trusted that. But that's beyond the point because it's not like any of them will be visiting earth any time soon. She waves a hand dismissively,]

But no, my planet existed a long time ago. I didn't even know humans, or Earth existed until Lance and the others arrived at my castle.

[Narration would like to point out that Allura pronounces "Lance" like "Lonce". It's a very important distinction to make.]

[colorature]

Friends can only do so much against a mob.

_{[She's...surprisingly mellow considering the topic at hand, but that's more due to the fact she feels convinced of her convictions.]}

...Who is Lonce? _[Pause.] You mean Lance?

[quintessent]

We have fought much more dangerous things than a group of humans.

[Allura isn't quite as mellow but she is just as sure of her convictions. She wouldn't want to fight the humans if she didn't have to, but compared to squadrons of Galra fighters, they did not worry her so much.

Then, she blinks, tilting her head to the side.]

That's what I said. Lance.

[ˈlɑːns ]

[colorature]

I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you.

_{[The brutality and ferocity of human beings, that is.]}

It didn't sound like it.

[quintessent]

Of course it did. It’s his name.

[And there’s an edge of annoyance there. Are you making fun of her accent, Diva?]

In any case, we should keep moving. We'll be stuck in here all night if we don't.