usir | Mini-Event: Skywhale + Day of Lefkokó

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The Skywhale & Day of Lefkokó

🜙 The Skywhale

	After fierce retaliation and an increase in city-wide defensive power and measures, it seems as if the orc attacks have, at least for the moment, begun to subside. Along with the lessened threat of orc ambushes, the first storms of winter have died down to a gentle and occasional snow flurry, leaving the world peacefully blanketed in powder snow and a calm stillness. The City of the Free Peoples take this time to celebrate the final repairs of the airship, the Skywhale. With sail balloon once more filled and the engines working hard to keep the air within it warm, easier and safer travel is once more available. The Skywhale leaves once a day in the early morning to head for Didymos, and today is its maiden voyage since the repairs. Thalassa has changed greatly in the last century, blossoming into a massive port and military city, with resources and opportunities unavailable in the more eclectic Cty of the Free Peoples. Restless legs may find their chance to stretch to a new experience. Sail the skies aboard the Skywhale and see Thalassa's grand transformation to Didymos for yourself. Catch the voyage back before nightfall, or remain in Didymos until the ship's return the following day. There is plenty to see and do in the city by the sea. You can even see Logistykon's reef from aboard the Skywhale's deck as it swings around to dock. It is a grim but beautiful sight in the clear blue waters. While the threat of fire and orc ambush has diminished greatly, the City of the Free Peoples is filled with a sense of unease and discomfort as repairs on the city and attempts to put lives back together continue. Murmurs of discontent slip through the city streets, along with rumors that this is all Lykos' fault or accusations that the Captain might be hiding something. For every murmur of distrust, however, there are counters of the heroics and quick action that helped keep the city strong and beat the orcs back. There has still been no word from Krimnos or the airship, Valiant, that usually hails from the cliff city daily. Messengers have not made their wing from the city and those sent to the cliffs have not returned. It's not unusual for this time of year, but the absence is felt keenly by traveling merchants who need to get their wares to or from the city. A journey by horse or on foot would be risky, but the potential rewards for escorting a company up to the cliffs could prove significant.
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🜙 Day of Lefkokó

	No matter what city you find yourself in, the dawn of the 17th sees a change in mood and atmosphere across Idan. Snow has stopped falling and the sky is a bright, clear blue. The weather warms enough to cause water to drip softly from the icicles hanging off every awning and outcrop. Decorations of magical or crafted snowflake art and blue ice flames line city streets and building windows, and jovial merriment spills out into the streets. A sweet wine made from frostberries, warm honey-mead, and spiced apple drinks are offered in taverns, inns, and small shops or homes, a free offering to be had with sweet or spiced cheeses and spiced or candied nuts and fruits. It's a celebration that is far from unfamiliar, one that has been celebrated for centuries across Idan's towns and cities, though the methods and particulars of the celebration have always varied from place to place and people to people. December is the month of the White Raven, and in particular, this day is a day to honor him. Lefkokó, the deity of dance, freedom, madness, and cunning sits at the head of the cause of these festivities and his domains are the focus of the celebrations. Today is a day of dance, drinking, and games of skill and chance. A day to test your bluffing skills, show off, and take deep joy and pride in the liberties and opportunities available to all. Few work on this day, beyond the essentials, and everyone who is able to takes part in this moment of freedom and relaxed expectations or responsibilities. The cities are alive with music and dancing, and the taverns are a swirl of chaos amidst high stake games of cunning and chance. Clever minds clash over riddles, old and new, and as the day progresses a lack of sobriety becomes increasingly evident in the streets and establishments alike. As the sun reaches the highest point in the sky and the shadows dwindle to near nothingness, the aviaries of all three cities release the newest flock of rare juvenile snow ravens to their freedom, letting them take wing to the skies for their first ever flights. The flocks of snow ravens, the most coveted of magic familiars, fly off to the wildlands after practicing their acrobatic feats and visiting various areas of the city in search of food to give them energy for the journey ahead. Once they take their leave of the city, many begin to seek out hidden trinkets, magical herbs, and small, rare items across Idan with a precise and dedicated focus. Those who honor Lefkokó by celebrating in his name may be visited by his rare and clever emissaries later in the month with an offering of thanks from Lefkokó himself.
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🜙 A Warning.

	By the 18th the orc camp has been abandoned, the animals freed and the orcs, whatever was left of them, appear to have fled. Retreat is unusual, even more so for them to cut their creatures loose and flee without triumph or trophy, but this is something different. Many of the weapons, trinkets, and armors coveted by the warring orcs have been left behind, and the fires trampled and stamped out with apparent urgency. Tracks lead to the south a few miles and then vanish into snow in the direction of Lake Atéleio. It and the land south and west of it are consumed in a blizzard blown over from the sea, and tracking beyond that point becomes nearly impossible, though by this point it is assumed the Orcs have retreated to Spear Valley. Whether or not they will return is unclear. Those in the City of the Free Peoples on the 18th will receive another message, this one from a less mysterious source, addressing the coming dangers. Though the attacks have set preparations back a few weeks I would like to quell any worries. The Long Night approaches, but you are a city of strong, brave folk. The threats on the horizon will not be the end of this city any more than these raucous attacks have been. Supplies can be claimed from the defender's camp for any struggling to make the necessary preparations. Those who have lost their homes will be provided shelter and supplies. When the Long Night comes, keep your children indoors, your fires stoked, and your buildings shuttered. There is nothing to fear. Your defenders will keep you safe. -Captain Lykos Several hours later a second and then a third message is received across all kingdoms. It comes only to the couriers of the awakened. The first comes as an audio message: A dull scraping sound followed by the click and whine of metal dragging across stone and the dripping of thick, viscous liquid somewhere distant. It ends abruptly and a simple thought message, short and uncomfortable, follows it. silarclupes irom otnemem The message has no signature.

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Day of Lefkokó A.

[Early on in the day, David can be found crunching through the snow west of the city, walking where the shoreline met the more stable earth. The rhythmically soothing sound of the waves was peaceful and left him feeling a certain ease of existence he hadn't known in a long time. A golden retriever races back and forth across rocks mixed with snow not far from him, chasing sandpipers and crabs across the shore and occasionally dancing with the waves, running at the receding waters and then away from them as they advance. He plops down on a large rock, crossing his legs, and tugs the borrowed blanket around his shoulders for warmth, looking out at the bay.]

Day of Lefkokó B.

[ The vibrant, cheerful energy of Didymos in the midst of celebration is infectious for David. He joins in on drinks, food, dancing, anything he stumbles across with enthusiasm, occasionally borrowing an instrument or joining in on a ballad or song once he gets a feel for the words and rhythm of it. The food and drink of the festival catch his attention most, though, and at any given time he isn't without something in hand, sampling a strange sweet or an interesting smelling drink and then cheerfully offering to share with whoever is nearest.

More than anything though, David joins in on the dancing, thrilled at the opportunity to catch the nearest person by the hand and tug them into a fast-paced dance he has only recently learned the steps to and is far more focused on the rhythm than the pre-designed dance moves. He's a good dancer, at least, and unlikely to step on any toes as he offers a genuine smile, the lights reflected in his bright eyes. ]

Think they'll do this again next year? [He's never been to such a celebration, and he hopes to whatever deities are watching that he'll be alive to enjoy it again next season.]

(OOC: David really loves dancing and he's a ridiculous goofball. He is probably smiling at everyone with what looks a lot like a lovestruck look.)

Day of Lefkokó C.

[David had fully intended to catch the airship back to the other city, but the trip to Didymos the day before had left his sky legs more than a little wobbly. He had loved and thrilled in the flight but the experience was so new and the air up there so much thinner that he had left the airship feeling woozy and unsteady, the world feeling as if it was still swaying beneath him.

By evening he realizes he let himself get too caught up and the airship has already left for the day, which presents him with a problem. He didn't have any gold, and the inn he had been staying at is nowhere near Didymos. The previous night he had spent listening to stories in one of the taverns and now he searches for a different one to repeat a sleepless night, looking a little more worse for wear and rumpled in his same clothes, his hair sticking up at ends and a cheerful golden retriever following on his heels, his brush tail swaying confidently in the air.

David rubs his numb hands together as the ocean breeze hits them winding through the streets and blows on them for warmth, looking over the signs as they pass them.]

Okay Waffles, looks like we're staying the night. Smell anything good?

[Continued from here]

[He smiles, eyes glancing over to look at her before focusing back to their hands. His fingers catch the underside of her wrist gently as he leans over to follow her line of sight, adjusting her hand just slightly.]

Those two stars above and to the right of it, too. That's her head and neck.

[He let's go after, recalling that a few people have already tried to correct his lack of physical boundaries so far, and straightening lest Blaise decide to take a piece out of his ear.]

I've spent a lot of nights staring up at those stars. [His voice is a little softer now, quieter with a hint of solemnity.] And there they are.

[He glances back over to her with a small but warm smile.]

I don't know about you, but right now that's one of the most reassuring things out there. In spite of everything else, the stars are up there. They're still exactly where they're supposed to be like they always have been and will be, long before we were born and long after we're gone.

Edited 2018-12-20 16:43 (UTC)

[ She honestly wouldn't have noticed it; after all, she has a predilection for invading personal bubbles either. But her animas clearly has, Blaise's head poking out of her hood and growling as if he's the one touched. Davina returns his smile albeit apologetic, reaching out to soothe the prickly cat, and then glances back up at the sky. ]

I honestly never noticed it, [ she admits sheepishly, shaking her head. ] I mean, I've used stars before to channel magic and their power but ...

[ Unlike him, she's never studied the stars properly. Never considered where they were in the sky, if they have always been there. ] Have they been the same since years ago?

[ Like a century ago? ]

I haven't noticed any stars missing. [It has only been a little while since he came back to the realm of the living but from what he has seen the stars haven't changed. He smiles, seemingly unbothered by Blaise's prickly nature. Waffles is the other end of the spectrum, too affectionate toward everyone they cross paths with.]

From what I was taught they've been in the same places for us as they were for our ancestors.

[It's the one constant he's been able to count on. The stars won't ever change on him or leave him. If he looks up and they are where they're supposed to be he can almost believe he's experiencing reality and not a fabrication of his mind.]

We're living under the same stars as our great, great, great grandparents. Maybe even farther back.

Well, at least, there's one thing in this world that hasn't changed since back then.

[ She lets out a wry laugh, taking a deep breath and exhaling it soundly.

It's been very disconcerting and stressful, from rising from their graves to everything all different, and even more knowing that their home and their life are practically gone. Blaise, seemingly sensing her disquiet, peers out once more from under her hood and nudges her cheek. ]

You mentioned that this is your first time in Didymos. [ Even from back then, which seems so unimaginable for her who has traveled from one kingdom to another. ] Where did you live before?

I grew up on a farm in the outskirts of Atrómitos as a kid. [With parents and a sister who he thought were his blood relatives still, unaware of his real parents or his half-elf heritage thanks to the lack of visible evidence.]

Until they sent me to a temple in Krimnos to cure me of my afflictions.

[There's no bitterness in the words that follow, but his eyes are back on the sky as they walk and his smile gone.] I was on my way to Thalassa when I got a little carried away. A couple of my friends were in danger and there were just too many arrows.

[He stopped the ones headed for his friends and took the ones he hadn't noticed right in the back.]

Didn't quite make it to the city.

[ She doesn't remark when he mentioned about his afflictions. She's lived in Krimnos long enough to be familiar with these temples, having been a part of a coven that deals with them. Davina wishes she could say something but it's clear he doesn't need any empty words from her, a complete stranger.

Instead, she offers him another friendly smile. ]

I was originally from Krimnos. My family has lived there since forever, practicing magic and all. [ Until she's left, that is. No choice but to run out of her home and her kingdom. ] But I moved to Thalassa when I was seventeen. Best decision I ever made.

[ It's the same words her friend in the past had told her once and it convinced her to stay, to find and establish a new life. ] And now, you've finally made it here.

Krimnos had a beautiful view, at least from the temple. I wasn't able to see much of the city. Any of the cities before now. I never even went to Atrómitos in the years I lived outside of it. Our farmhouse was pretty isolated and my dad never seemed to want to let us go into the city with him. My sister and I always stayed home.

[Amy. The thought of her reminds him that she's long gone now. All his efforts to rescue her- well. He liked to think she at least lived a long and happy life after the war. Maybe his reckless adventure had done some good. Time for a subject change. Back to Didymos.]

The ocean is even more beautiful up close. [He would almost be tempted to take a boat to go see Logistykon, if only for the chance to pay his respects to the dragon he had never met or seen up close but who had seemed to see fit to send him a message on the strange device in his pocket.

When he woke his tunic had even had the colors of the one city he had never lived near. He wonders if Logistykon knew he had been coming to Thalassa to try and reason with the dragons, starting with the most reasonable of the trio.

His focus falls back to the streets and he pulls a canvas sack off his shoulder, opening it to look through his sparse few belongings for the little pastries he had taken from one of the taverns. He pulls two out as they walk and offers one over to her, some kind of miniature fruit tart, close enough to a pie.]

They're not warm anymore, but you should try one if you haven't. They're spiced.

[ It's true that Krimnos had a beautiful view. A city located on the cliffs, it almost seems as if it's on the top of world. And yet the kingdom holds far too many sad memories for Davina, so much so that she doesn't know if she'd like to visit it anytime soon. So she says nothing more about Krimnos, grateful that he changed the topic. ]

You could probably ask one of the fishermen on Fisher's Bay to take you to the Sunset Gate for a small fee. The way the setting sun hits the water, it's almost like magic.

[ She's always been taught that magic is a part of the world, of nature and vice versa. Perhaps that's why there's still a lot about their world that remains a mystery, still part of the magic that only nature could cast. And that's why they're, in a sense, an abnormality, their current life an imbalance to nature.

A look of surprise crosses her face when he suddenly offers her a fruit tart, almost dropping it even when it lands in her hands out of nowhere. ]

Thank you, but let me see what I can do. [ Davina stops in her tracks and turns to him, taking both fruit tarts into her hands if he would allow her. She closes her eyes as she murmurs a spell, magic flowing out of her fingers and into the tarts. Heat starts to spread across the pastry and soon enough, it steams in the cold temperature.

She holds one out to him with a smile. ] Is this warm enough?

[His eyes light up when she uses magic to warm the pastries, and he takes his back, the warmth thawing his freezing fingers some. It's beyond a neat trick for him. He has almost no control over his own magic, still learning what he could do and how to control what he did with the overabundance of magic running through him, a virtual conduit of magical power.]

That's amazing. Was that wild magic? [His education in this area was lacking, his handlers at the temple and his adoptive parents taking extra care to keep him far from magic and awareness of his ability to use it.]

It's perfect. [And he takes a bite cheerfully, reaching down to ruffle Waffles' fur near his ears.]

[ His fascination over magic almost embarrasses her, especially since it's been a while since she's gotten that reaction from anyone. ]

I'm glad. I used to have a lot of problem heating up small things.

[ Since she's more attuned to setting things (and people) on fire, but she's gotten better after a lot of practice and a lot of burnt items. Davina doesn't say that, though. No point in scaring off people who don't know her and who didn't do anything to her.

She offers her own to Blaise who simply meows, clearly unhappy that she's accepting food from strangers. Fine, more for her. ]

You know what this goes well, though? Spiced mead, and I know a really good place for it around here.

Control isn't easy. [Spoken from a heaping share of experience in not having any kind of control over a wide variety of too much magic all at once. He hopes he'll figure it out eventually, like she has.]

A drink sounds like a great way to pass some time. [Especially since for all she's helpful he doesn't know how he's going to pay for a room once he finds one. He breaks off a piece of the tart to hand down to Waffles and follows her cheerfully wherever she leads, savoring the warmth in his hands.]

It's really nice, talking to someone else who knows what it's like. [He's vague now that they're around more people, not out of concern nearly as much as he does it because it's easier than specifying or bringing it up every time.]

Don't worry, control isn't always easy. But it's something one can learn with enough practice.

[ Like taming an irritable cat, it takes time and practice. Sure, there's going to be a hell lot of scratches and bite marks along the way and it's still going to explode on you every now and then, but Davina's confident it'll work in the end.

She brings him to a tavern just a little off the side from the Tree Inn, where the celebrations have yet to die down and its patrons are still drinking, gambling and dancing, and wrangles them a small corner table. ]

Drinks are on me tonight, since it's Lefkokó's day. [ Davina slips away for a bit to head on over to the bar, asking for a couple of flagons of mead. ]

That's generous of you. [And a good thing too, because David has no coin to his name currently and isn't entirely sure what to do about it. It isn't as if he can just create money out of thin air and his control over his magic is too sporadic to rely on just yet.

He takes one of the flagons when she returns, his gaze drifting around the room, taking in the general atmosphere of people getting into the spirit of the day.]

Is it always like this, on the raven's day?

Pretty much.

[ Davina takes a seat across him, Blaise jumping off of her shoulder and onto the table to take a sniff of the mead.

The merriment, the dancing and singing—it's something she's missed about the city. There would be performers in the square, citizens dancing without a care about the conflict outside their walls. She'd join but well, she's learned early on that her talents lie elsewhere than dancing or singing. ]

Just be prepared, though, in case one of the girls invite you to dance.

I'd be honored. [There's an earnest tone to his voice when he says that, twisting in his seat to watch the dancing and general atmosphere around them. When he turns back to here it's with that warm, slightly daydreamer's smile back on his face. Dancing had always caught his attention. There was such freedom in it, and a certain level of passion that couldn't be ignored. Enjoyment of life's simple pleasures and a celebration of music and movement.

He drinks and sinks comfortably into his seat, his free hand disappearing to tangle in Waffles' long, wavy fur beside him. The canine clambers up onto a seat and then rests his chin heavily on the table, looking back and forth from David to Davina to see if either of them might have a snack he can win from them with big, doleful eyes.]

I'm not very practiced, but I would give it my best.

[ She'd offer Waffles a bit of her fruit tart but Blaise is currently prowling her side of the table, keeping her from reaching out towards the other animas or the other way around. Davina laughs amusedly, scooping him away when the cat tries to take a swipe at his nose.

Stop it, cat. Let's not make enemies right off the bat. ]

I'm guessing you like dancing, then. [ His enthusiasm is very contagious since earlier, finding herself easily swept away by his pace. And she doesn't really mind it, as she thinks he's quite an interesting person. ]

I'd invite you but I have two left feet. [ Davina takes a sip of her mead, looking across the tavern. She lifts her chin a little, smiling. ] But those girls over there seem interested.

Music is a kind of freedom no one can take from you. Dancing is just an extension of that. [If he had been able to choose the temple of his services rather than being consigned to one by his parents to help cure him of his madness, he would have chosen the raven. Seyra was a lovely goddess, and what she stood for was remarkably good, in most cases, but David knew who and what he was. He and the raven god had much more in common right down to the madness within.

He follows her gaze and the girls catch him looking their way, waving fingers in his direction. He smiles but ducks his head, shaking it slightly before drinking a deeper sip of the warming liquor. There's a tilted smile that isn't bashful so much as disbelieving and he finds himself carding fingers through his own hair, trying to straighten out the mess.]

I think I'll sit it out for now. [He offers the rest of the pastry part of his warmed treat to Waffles when he finishes and rests his chin on his hand, watching people jovially dance about the tavern. The atmosphere is so warm and open. So different from the strict routine and rules of the temple. He had never adjusted and never would have, too chaotic in his own nature even without his quirks. His focus drifts back to Davina, and his smile returns.]

I'm sure Lefkokó doesn't mind left-footed dancers. No one here is sober enough to notice, at least, if you change your mind. I'm probably worse than you are. No one's ever told me. [Just because he had a thirst for music and dancing didn't mean he was any good and he honestly didn't know. He couldn't watch himself dance.]

[ Davina shakes her head with a laugh, taking a draft of her mead while watching the other individuals in the tavern. They clearly don't care or notice anything else other than their alcohol, their dance partner or their money being gambled away, even laughing boisterously when someone spilled mead on another. This kind of chaos, it's certainly nostalgic of the years she's spent in Thalassa a long time ago.

Another sip of her drink, and she puts her flagon down, her cat jumping back onto the table. This time around, she doesn't attempt to gather him back into her arms and onto her shoulder, standing up and grabbing onto David's arm to drag him to the dance floor. ]

C'mon, up you go. [ She'll write this one down as a night she lost all good judgment but hey, he did say no one would notice, right? ] Let's make Lefkokó regret ever having a festival.

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Mini-Event: Skywhale + Day of Lefkokó

David Haller | OTA to anyone in/around Didymos

For Davina

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