I. A Friendly Competition (14th - 16th)
To those who spend their time with Aefenglom's Wilders, they'll notice them quite excited as the day of the Not-So-Annual Grand Scavenger Hunt approaches. It's set to be Wilders vs Mirrorbound, and even those who aren't participating are discussing it like a spectator sport and placing bets on one side or the other, based on whose wilderness skills they think will win out.
At noon on the 14th, participants meet at a small outpost just outside the city to check in, where those without partners are paired up, and each duo or trio is given a bundle of items: a list -- on a paper enchanted against moisture and tearing -- of the challenges to be completed, in no particular order; a map of this area of the Wilde marked with general locations for where each challenge can be found - not small area by any means!; three emergency flares, should they find trouble; a small med-kit with basic first aid supplies; and a bag to hold their retrieved items in, which can be turned in at the same outpost at any point during the 48 hours of the competition. You are responsible for your own camping gear if you stay out overnight. At least it's summer out there!
Once everyone has been given their kits, the event begins, setting participants scattering off into the woods to track down and complete any of the listed challenges. The Wilders are highly competitive, wanting to bring a win to their side in the first Scavenger Hunt in a few years, and some of them will do anything (short of murder or grievous injury - they don't mean anyone true harm) to nab more points or sabotage the other side. Watch out for your opponents trying to thieve your item bags, trick you into getting lost, or setting off natural obstacles that will slow you down! All's fair in love and scavenger hunts though - it's not against the rules for you to sabotage them back!
Mirrorbound Witches need to watch out as well - the competition takes place during the new moon, and this month, it's going to be difficult for even experienced Witches to control their super-charged magic. Backfires, fizzling out of spells, etc. are all expected - from you, but not from the native Witches on the other team, whose magic is only weaker on the new moons.
a. Challenge 1: Pearl of Wisdom A broad lake can be found some miles to the east, the water glittering and inviting, if dark enough that you can't see the bottom of it even on a clear day. The brief outlines a species of clam found at the bottom of this lake, numerous, big as dinner plates, and bearing massive, iridescent black pearls, prized for beauty and their properties in illusion spells when ground into dust. One of these pearls is your target. The clams are uninfected and generally safe to handle, protected by their hard shells. The brief does not warn, however, about the troupe of white-eyed Merrow Shades that live in the lake and jealously guard this treasure. They use their shrill singing voices to muddle minds and urge trespassers to drown themselves, and they're viciously adept at fighting both on land and in the water.
b. Challenge 2: Willow Bark The bark of a willow tree, infused with magic, has some fair pain relief properties. The maps are marked with the location of a willow grove, largely untouched by Cwyld, where participants in this challenge are required to collect at least a hand's length worth of bark. The main problem, not mentioned in the brief, is that the real willow trees are interspersed through a grove of numerous toxic Impostor Willows, which look exactly alike, but whose bark has opposing properties - it causes horrible pain when prepared and consumed, and causes ugly rashes when you peel it from the tree. Find the bark of the real willows using observations of the area - insects and small creatures tend to avoid the impostors - or, less recommended, by... testing them yourself...
c. Challenge 3: Track & Observe You have been given an enchanted tracking collar in your item bag for this one. Without harming the creature, place the collar on a Neeklur; these will be used for tracking purposes to study their movements and behaviors. The Neeklur is a breed of small, nocturnal marsupial. They have developed a unique relationship with a type of bush that grows into tall hedges, which spread across sparse, open areas where there are few trees and plenty of sunlight for these aggressively spreading plants. Neeklurs make their nests in the heart of such natural hedge mazes, where they can sleep safely during the day, when the hedges quite literally move around on their own, rearranging the paths between them in, it seems, no discernible pattern, making it quite difficult to find your way around if you aren't careful to mark your path. Without direct sunlight, the hedges are dormant, but be warned that the timid, sleepy Neeklurs transform into long-clawed, screeching little beasts at night. They are extremely territorial, and defend their home as a horde.
d. Challenge 4: Tree Elk Antlers Tree Elk, found in the lush woods, are sporting flourishing green-leaved antlers during the Wilde summer. Retrieve a branch from a Tree Elk's antlers with the leaves still lush and intact to win this challenge. Hurting the beast in any way, even emotionally (they're easily traumatized by a small fright) will cause the leaves to shrivel up, turn brown and/or fall right off. You'll have to figure out how to gain its trust and get close enough to it to take a small branch as a willing gift. Don't worry, breaking off a small branch of antler won't hurt it, and these intelligent, if timid, creatures are happy to bestow them as gifts upon those who have earned them.
e. Challenge 5: Singing Shrooms At the base of an old, sprawling oak, deep in the forest, is a symphony of mushrooms. Literally. These fungi come in all shapes, sizes, colors... and keys. They sing. In fact, they never shut up. You may find them easily enough by their eerie, discordant song, but finding the right one in that cacophony is a difficult task. Many different types of singing mushrooms cluster together, and may or may not be infected. Cwyld doesn't affect their outward appearance, but it does change their tune - we're only looking for the uninfected ones that sing a particular song in a particular key. Pick the right type of mushroom off the tree and bring it back. Though, watch out for the ones with teeth. And the ones that emit poison spores. Or hallucinogens. There are so many mushrooms on that tree.
All retrieved items must be stashed in the given bags and turned in to the small outpost where the event started by Deceuer 16th at noon. From there, Rilla Sparks and her organizers will count each team's contributions and tally up points. There will be back-slaps and congratulations for a job well done, and drinks to celebrate! Prizes will be mailed out to the winners within a couple of weeks.
The prize list will go up on January 1st and each participant who submits an in-progress or completed thread tackling at least one challenge will get to pick what they want for their character! |
II. Modranicht (21st - 23rd)
Modranicht proper begins on the 21st, and the days leading up to it are a frenzy of festivity. Homes are often decorated with sprigs of greenery and, less traditional, ribbons, and many shops begin holding sales on their giftable wares. This holiday is celebrated as a time spent with family and other loved ones; traditionally, all meals should be taken with others, and those who eat alone are said to find bad luck in the coming months. Those who can are delighted to pull strangers in to have lunch or dinner with them, should they seem like they're a little lonely around this time of year.
Especially in the neighborhood adjacent to the Haven, those people who came over from Dorchacht over a year ago, who are doing fairly well for themselves these days, are thrilled to have their Mirrorbound neighbors over for a hot drink or a meal and a spot of catching up. They heard what happened with Morgana a couple months back, nasty business, horrible woman, that, and for the most part, they seem quite comfortable with the idea that she's dead now. "I wouldn't move back," most say, "but it's good to know they're really free of her."
The ones most in need this season are those orphans in the Harbor District, though efforts by the Mirrorbound Council and others to better care for many of the parentless kids there have improved spirits, making kids playing and laughing a more common sight. Still, many of those rascals haven't lost their mischievous streaks: some little ones are quite likely to try and pickpocket you as you pass through, or pelt you with snowballs, but gifts or candy can perhaps soften their demeanor. They're just kids, after all.
a. Kiss-tletoe Redux While many of the decorations adorning shopfronts and houses are simple wreaths and garlands of pine, holly, and ivy, enchanted mistletoe is absolutely littered around the city, dangling in doorways, hung up on walls, hanging from the eaves of rooftops. Strings of it zigzag over the streets, hung from lampposts. This is a festive tradition that will be familiar to some. When two people pass under a sprig of mistletoe together, they're supposed to kiss, and the enchantments on many of those sprigs encourage it. Some will stick the pair's feet to the ground until they do so, some will just very lightly compel a smooch, whether it's on the mouth, the hand, the cheek, the forehead, or anywhere else. It's all in good fun, though - none of the enchantments are difficult to break, should one really not want to lock lips: you just have to destroy the mistletoe sprig you're under.
Careful about getting stuck in public, unless you enjoy being the center of attention in a crowd! Other passers-by will loudly cheer or jeer you and your mistletoe-mate on until a kiss is had! Be wary too, of pranksters who will actively push two people under a sprig, laughing all the while.
b. Craft Fair Gift-giving is an important tradition during Modranicht. It's considered only proper to present something to each of your loved ones, as a token of your care and affection for them. Handmade gifts are still widely regarded as the best, because it shows your effort in creating something just for them, so while shops may be having sales for purchased gifts, they're also trying to drum up more business again in the form of crafting lessons. Most businesses will set up tables in their shops, and for a small fee at the door (to cover materials), an instructor will show a group of people how to make something related to whatever the shop offers for sale. All materials are provided, and attendees get to take home what they make to give to friends or loved ones. Some of these even include small enchantments, such as carved wooden birds that actually fly, or timepieces that announce the time in funny voices. Witches are encouraged to learn the spell and help their Monster friends by enchanting their creation for them, but the instructors will do it as well if needed.
If you have a crafty talent of your own, it's easy to make some good money this season by setting up your own lessons on how to make whatever you're good at. Space is available, though it's up to you to source your materials and decide your fee. All the rage in the Western Residential District, where Mirrorbound are generally regarded as friends and neighbors, is objects and styles that come from other worlds. They absolutely want to learn from you and be able to give their loved ones something new and exciting.
c. Eat, Drink & Be Merry All meals during Modranicht should be eaten with another person, according to tradition. Many families and groups of friends have their own feasts during the holiday, but all are invited to a city-wide feast as well, on the 23rd. Located in a park enchanted to be more spacious than normal, long tables piled with food rest beneath festively-decorated, open tents, and every resident of Aefenglom is welcome to come and have a plate, from the richest to the poorest - all except those often-infected residents of the Outer City. It begins at noon and goes well into the evening, and people come and go as they please, enjoying the food and the holiday cheer.
It isn't required, but many citizens bring a dish to add to the tables, meant to be shared - usually a special family recipe. Mirrorbound are encouraged to share traditional food from their own homes (or close approximations of it), if they want to - many are highly interested in customs from other worlds, and some challenge each other (or you!) to try every single dish on the massive tables.
The festivities don't extend past the Bright Wall, unfortunately, but the people of the Outer City, who don't have much to begin with, can be found having their own feast on hunted game and pilfered vegetables, trying to scrape up some cheer for themselves. Most groups won't turn Mirrorbound away as long as you've brought a big enough dish to share, welcoming you into the fold to bad-mouth those hoity-toity inner city folks, but some rare clusters of residents can be hateful at this time of year, made somewhat bitter by your privilege and their lack.
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Mean, could've packed up the food 'nd stuff better, or not worn the coat.
[it's a very nice coat, although totally unassuming in design aside from its obviously high quality. that the big guy could attribute the amount of vitriol aimed his way to something so completely trivial is either charming or worrisome, depending on one's perspective.
he ducks out of the way when Viren moves despite the fact there's really plenty of room for the man to get by, honestly. it's a thoughtfulness kind of ruined when he can't help peering around the corner as well (far less subtly) like this is some kind of Saturday morning mystery show.]
You think? Guess nobody else was really out...
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[ with a little noise of 'ugh,' he straightens properly. ]
Where had you been going, again?
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Was gonna visit some people I helped out here during Samuin. Dunno the street name or nothing, but they were real cool! Figured it'd be nice to do some holiday stuff with them now since it's about being grateful and hanging out 'nd shit.
[it takes Styx a few moments more to rise back up to his own full height, peering out into the snowy bleakness to try and see what indicators of safety Viren had caught on to. there's nothing noticeable within his own limited scope, of course, so instead he simply beams. for all of the misadventures that getting there has kicked up, he's still excited to see these people.
...oh, a thought just occurred to him.]
You wanna come with? God some pretty killer food!
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[ so while he could likely infer the meaning of "killer" from context, particularly with two teenage children that force him to consistently translate slang, that particular wording is admittedly a bit outside his era, ]
Define "killer."
[ - either what the food literally will be, or, well. ]
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Well, I made some stuff to bring here, 'nd then I was at the big party in the city before and brought some extras from there too! So like, uh-
[you know what, just give him a second. he's going to dig through the large bag he's been carrying until he can cheerfully produce what smells like a delicious sweet bread, the scent of dates and rum wafting out enticingly between the gaps in the clumsily wrapped paper.]
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We would have to find the street, first.
[ his head tilts. ]
Can you remember any distinctive landmarks?
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Mm, 'course! I mean...it was kinda covered in garbage last time I saw it, so it might look different now? But the house on the corner had their garden in the front instead of the back...'nd they had some marigolds on the outside rows.
[Styx. it's winter. those flowers are probably dead.]
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We'll find it. [...] Somehow. Come along!
[ hopeless as things may initially seem, his tone speaks to his determination. at the very least, he does seem to know his way through this maze of backalleys. assuming his newfound companion should accompany him, he begins his track back to the open, keeping his ears primed for any noise of hailing ice rocks. ]
If those... poor, aggrieved residents try to assault us again, there will be repercussions to their actions.
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[it's a good thing those furs that Viren was wearing were so thick and plush, considering how often the big guy was finding them rubbing up against him. there's never any indication of displeasure from his end, though, even when the unexpected little bump causes him to nearly drop his sweet treat.
he makes a soft oop! noise, falling behind immediately as he comically juggles the thing in a fight to keep it from hitting the dirty cobblestones. it's...probably not the best time to cheer over managing to keep it safe, he thinks, so he merely grins to himself before tucking it away once more and using those long legs of his to catch up.]
...oh, you think so? Hope it's nothing too shitty on a holiday.
[the dragon is quite obviously implying that he will be the one handing out consequences this time around, but Styx is never inclined to presume others prone to acts of violence. his mind wanders instead to figures of authority and so too does his sympathy. what a terrible way to spend a special day, even temporarily.]
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Oh, I should also hope it's nothing too sh- [ err ] ... terrible. Nothing more than is necessary to deter future violence.
[ viren sure has prestigious aims despite the fact that he's been notably weakened by the weather... they come to an opening, then, back to where they first slipped from view of their assailants. ]
Left or right?
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[he has the forethought to at least acknowledge that there is likely no one else on the planet who would willingly take ice rocks to the head and apologize for it, which is less impressive than one might assume given Styx's track record. all of his reactions are abnormal, so it was a given that this one would have been as well.
the big guys feet skid a little on the frosty stones when Viren suddenly (as if the break in the alleys came up unexpectedly) comes to a stop, but he deftly manages to keep from sliding into the dragon's back like a moron. some of that prestige is immediately tarnished when he looks in both given directions, taking this as some kind of test rather than just asking him which way he thought he hadn't fucking gone yet. after a moment or two of deep contemplation, he hazards a guess.]
Uh...left?
[you typically turned left in mazes, right? like in movies and shit. that seems like the best clue he's got to go on here.]
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[ he clicks his tongue, spoken musingly, as exactly as he would when reflecting on someone that he, admittedly, does not know very well. they turn left and emerge into -- gasp! the precise area where they'd met. viren pulls his furs neater over his shoulders, hugging himself for warmth with the reminder of the wind's chill. ]
[ it seems they're alone, at least for now - whether they'll run into those people that had given styx trouble before remains to be seen. he turns back to the witch. ]
You'll have to do most of the guiding, from here. I'm afraid I don't know the location of any dead gardens of marigolds.
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Yeah uh, no problem! Or...not as much've a problem as before, don't think!
[encouraging. but the drummer really had been trying to get his bearings when that spasm of discrimination had struck him, and the unique (if now decrepit) brickwork on a building lining the crosswords seems even more familiar to him now that he's getting a second, nonviolent look at it. spurred on by the miracle of having gotten this far, he sets off cheerfully.
...less merciful is the way that his companion only receives a minute or two of silence before the bug guy's puncturing it with more conversation.]
You live around here, dude?
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No.
[ answered flatly. he continues to follow the taller stranger for a few moments before piping up again, ]
And you certainly don't.
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Nope! 'm over at a buddy's house in the Haven...think most people are, yeah?
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[ viren follows along at a respectable distance, thus far appearing to trust their direction. on the topic, he cuts a glance back to styx for a proper inspective look (free of judgment or exasperation for once). it's not a glance that needs to last long. ]
You must be Mirrorbound. I don't believe I've seen you within Aefenglom before.
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'S real obvious, huh? [he laughs, unoffended] Yep, 'm one of them! Kinda thought you were too at first.
[there's actually no real reason not to keep thinking that, but the way Viren speaks - with confidence, a foreign concept to the drummer - makes it seem as if he's been dwelling within this city his entire life. it'd definitely explain why he hadn't drawn any unkind attention before approaching Styx.]
Haven't really been here that long, so I guess I still stick out a ton.
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I'm, no -- I'm Mirrorbound.
[ he sighs, ignoring the pull of unease within his stomach. it does raise questions about himself, ones that he prefers to push down (now does not seem like the time, to examine whether he's too comfortable here, and the acceptability of all of this--) ]
My name is Viren. I've just been here for some time, is all.
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[totally contrary to his companion, there's no sign of dismay in any part of Styx's countenance. he appears to be rather delighted by the revelation as a matter of fact, steps briefly slowly so that he can sling a bright smile the dragon's way. how cool was that! not only did they have something in common, but this was a man who'd adapted wonderfully to a world he'd never asked to be tossed into. it was admirable, really...he bet that things were a great deal easier for Viren that way. that was nice.]
Nice to meet you, dude - 'm Styx! You must know a hell've a lot about the place by now, huh?
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Just "Viren" would do well. [ not.. "dude," but viren isn't building up any expectations, here. ] What a pleasure it is, Styx.
[ -well. simply being acknowledged as "knowledgeable," and nothing else, is a brighter way to look at it; viren perks up just a tad!!: ]
I do... though, hardly enough. There's still much to discover. [ a pause. ] But if you have any questions of this place, I would be happy to try to answer.
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Yeah, seems like the kinda place where figuring stuff out just pulls up even more shit to think about.
[there's dozens of instances where he himself had experienced just that, and the drummer was at the low end of the investigative totem pole. but he laughs at the offer, shaking his head a little ruefully.]
's real nice of you, but I don't think you'd really wanna! Takes me a long time to get stuff, you know? Probably end up wasting your time with my questions 'nd shit.
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[ while he may be well-acquainted with that, styx would still be wise to make the alternative choice if that's truly the case, regrettably. viren considers his patience ample, but it isn't like it once was. again, but for the worse, viren's reminded of his son... ]
[ there's a brief, somewhat cold, smile. ]
Perhaps I'd be more interested in expending that time, then, if I didn't immediately know the answer - and it warranted investigation.
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Oh, so like - less teaching 'nd more detective stuff, yeah? That's pretty cool!
[he could certainly see how that would hold one's attention far better than just droning at a student rapidly falling asleep on the table...not that Styx has any experience with that. nope.]
...uh, when we had that dream in Dorchacht...did you go with?
[Viren had said to ask him about anything he was interested in, and there were definitely parts of that which still niggled at the drummer's mind on occasion...although he wonders if this is an appropriate sort of thing to be bringing up on a holiday.]
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I had the dream. That, and I was among the Mirrorbound's first expedition there, yes.
[ his eyebrows lift. ]
What of it?
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That - that thing. Uh, I dunno, maybe I was just imagining it, but -
[he makes a vague gesture with his hands, to indicate something looming over them. even as entwined with his own fears as he'd been, he'd felt that gaze. it was constantly pressing into the back of his skull.]
Felt like something was watching us, you know? Um...what was it?
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