❪ 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

[beatupgrass]

[It's hurting real bad and the fact that this normal human is doing so much sends a spark through his black shriveled void of a heart because of Quill. Because weirdly enough, as much as he scoffs at humans, they're a tenacious bunch and don't back down even when they're being threatened within an inch of their life. It'd be inspiring if Rocket were inclined to get sappy about it.

But he's not, so he just lines up the headshot as it cries out in a myriad of pained voices like it's begging something to come and stop this, hoping to latch onto a voice to yank at heartstrings and send someone out there into a frothing rage, but it's just death throes. Even if someone came to help, all they'd find is a dead bug.

The laser fire pierces cleanly through its head and it moves with an eerily phantom-like grace in place, driven by its last nerve endings firing off before it just collapses in a heap of blood and gore and broken limbs. And even then, Rocket holds steady for a few moments just to make sure it isn't a trick and that it won't use some last bit of strength to drag Richie down with it.

But it stays still and silence settles over the field, punctuated now by the laughter of people actually getting to enjoying the maze or the sudden spark and explosion of a flare going up. One illuminates the scene in a glorious blaze of red light, and only then does the spell over Rocket break.]

I hate mazes. I frickin' hate mazes.

[summertimeblues]

[A sentiment to which Richie can give a gale of laughter. You ought to visit the Derry sewers, now that's a maze worth cussing out.]

You and me both, pal!

[It's a breathless statement, proclaimed from his place on his knees. He'd gone down the same time the spider did. Rocket wasn't fooling around with those pistols, geez louise, would you look at that mess? He's seen more action than his battle partner here. Nobody could stand that steady over a dead body if it wasn't their hundredth time. He's got dim recollections of the walking tour they took upstairs, squid beasts and rocky-skinned assholes all lined up in a row. Rocket had probably mowed throw a bunch of them.

All of that and he fits in a duffel. Travel sized for your convenience!

Richie's laughter dies some. He clenches his fist and finds no steady wooden bat at his fingertips. When he looks down all he can see is a bent up corn stalk, some of the kernels knocked out of the ear. If he went fishing would he find them in the muck that used to be the spider's head?

He tosses it into the bush. The less said about this business, the better. He doesn't want to think about it. Richie takes a steadying breath and tries to card his hair back into saner states.]

Should we shoot a flare?

[beatupgrass]

You don't look so good, so probably.

[Rocket's kill count is so high that it looks genuinely surprised to see Richie so shook up over there. You never realize how casual you take the wanton murder of threats (and occasionally inconveniences if he's feeling particularly irritable) until you come face to face with someone who doesn't live the life of a pissy, trigger-happy mercenary.

Most of the time, he has zero patience for that. Most of the time, he's not on the cusp of succumbing to loneliness because he has a lot to lose and he's lost most of it. Richie's one of the few people around he still feels like he can rely on, weird as that sounds.

He sighs and digs the flare out of his belt and fires it off, alerting anyone to their location. So much for his pride and his ability to navigate any maze- at least he can say that it isn't his fault, and these were extenuating circumstances and have no bearing on his analytical brain. The scientists on Half-World and their fucking carrot and stick mazes would be fucking proud.

He steps over to Richie, tugging on a sleeve.] C'mon, man. You're gonna end up covered in spider guts and trust me, it ain't a look.

[It also serves the dual purpose of him not having to look at the corpse. Whether you're used to killing or not, staring at dead things doesn't improve anyone's mood. They might need to clear out those webs too, but that'll come later. With the Arachne dead, anyone getting tangled in them now would be more funny than deadly.]