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Mini-Event: Skywhale + Day of Lefkokó
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| 🜙 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. 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. irom otnemem The message has no signature. | ||
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no subject
Ellie's pretty okay with it. She's been to parties where she spends more time with the dog or cat or horse than the people.]
Thanks. She can hold her own. Still good to hear.
[Ellie looks over to Lauralae and her raven. She's never seen one too up close, other than on the days of Lefkokó.]
Is she friendly? [She? He? Gender neutral? Ellie wants to pet the bird, but has no idea how.]
no subject
Ellie speaks and Lauralae turns her head, just enough to look up at her. ]
There is no reason to. She has been good.
[ Lifting her free hand, Lauralae wiggles her fingers - and the raven comes and settles on them, wings fluttering. ]
He does not bite.
no subject
She looks up at the flutter of wings, though, bringing her bad foot a little closer to the rest of her body.]
He's beautiful. [Ellie reaches into a pocket to pull out a few nuts from her own travels to offer him, held in a flat palm.] I've only ever seen the festival ones up close.
[For her part, Theseus sits primly on her haunches, nudging Lauralae's hand so it's further up her head, near her ears. She won't deign to sit on her, but then, Theseus has never been exuberant.]
no subject
She's well aware she probably smells of Alucard's wolf, that there might be white fur sticking to her clothes, but she doesn't care. She's obviously more comfortable with animals than she might care to admit, her fingers going wherever Thesues wants her to go. ]
I saw many of them before I came here. [ Before she awoke again, but she doesn't say that. ] I lived in forests where the ravens would nest. I know a little of them.
[ Rav'ahm chases after the nuts, seemingly unconcerned with who they're attached to. Lauralae might be shy but her bird is not, hopping closer and pecking at the treats. ]
no subject
That's cool. I hunt, but I usually try to avoid bird nests, so they don't scare anything else off. Except turkey and grouse.
[Ellie enjoys the sensation of the raven eating off her hand. It's gentler than a chicken, certainly, and his feathers catch the light in interesting ways.
Theseus settles in, eyes half closing as she receives the touch - she'll turn her head this way and that for Lauralae. Even Ellie can feel the waves of contentment rolling off Theseus.]
So... anything interesting you know about ravens?
no subject
Sometimes they are a good guide for hunting. They are scavenger birds and can sometimes be a good guide to where there are animals dying or too old to keep up with their packs.
[ His wings flick a little and he lifts his head, tilting it one way then another, before he makes a sharp caw noise. Lauralae tsks, reaching out and tapping the top of his head gently, something almost fond on her face. ]
They can also learn to mimic the sound of a human voice, but it is not quite the same as having a voice.
no subject
[She'd learned the patterns of some carrion birds while running across the continent with Joel, but that was to avoid them - in the wrong territories during the war, they could be circling dead bodies. Battlefields were full of them.
Ellie jumps when he caws, but doesn't get upset. She just shifts around to sit with her good leg folded under her.]
Like a parrot? That's cool. [Ellie reaches out to lightly run a finger through his neck feathers.] Not that I've ever seen a parrot, but people talk about them.
no subject
[ It does not surprise her, it seems, that her animal might appear as a raven. Lauralae had lived a long time as a scavenger herself, digging around and making a place for herself in woods and forests because there was nowhere else to be.
Rav'ahm tilts his head and caws again, as if he found her little jump more amusing than anything else. ]
Something very similar, but it is more limited. [ She keeps petting at the wolf, her eyes on her bird. ] He has not mimicked anything yet, but I am sure his time will come.
no subject
Theseus slowly lies down, setting her head on her paws and staring up at Lauralae. As Lauralae hits a good spot, her tail starts wagging. It's nothing intense, but she's clearly enjoying the attention.
This time, Ellie doesn't jump, but she does continue to touch the raven's feathers. They're cooler than she thought they would be, and very slick. He's warm where she can feel the skin under the feathers.]
Yeah.
[Ellie pauses, and looks at Lauralae. Maybe she knows...]
Do you know what Theseus is mixed with? She's a wolf-hybrid of some kind, but she doesn't act like a dog. I found her alone.
[The second part of that statement isn't a lie, but neither is it complete truth. Ellie didn't find Theseus with any parents, but she wasn't exactly a puppy.
Ellie has never been far south enough to see a coyote or know how to tell it apart from a wolf. She knows of their existence, but never knew they could interbreed. Her best guess was one of the more magical creatures, but she couldn't say for sure.]
no subject
She makes no move to hurt or attack, however, careful hands stroking over Theseus' body, something on her face softening at the slow beginnings of a wagging tail. For a long moment she leans into it, embracing it, nodding her head as she listens to Ellie speak, not appearing to be listening but taking it all in.
Rav'ahm, on the other hand, is clearly enjoying himself. ]
She is certainly more wolflike than some I have seen.
[ Leaning down close, she tilts her head and looks at Theseus closely. Not wolf, but not hound, either, no crossbreed between domestic and wild. Lauralae's fingers stroke against her jaw and under her neck, nodding once or twice, before she breathes out gently. ]
Have you heard of many kinds of wild dogs?