Mini Event: Aftermath and The Oxen Gods

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Mini Event: Aftermath and The Oxen Gods
🜙 The Aftermath
	The re-animated fighters attacking both Krimnos and the City of the Free Peoples burst into flames as the waters of the glass ocean flooded back into the bay. Now nothing but ashes remains of the bodies and the bay has gradually returned to its crystal clear calm waters. Not a trace of the cloaked figures or the fog that had accompanied remains, and the phoenix marks on the survivors of the pit have faded away. The cities have been quietly dealing with their individual recoveries. Didymos' people pulled together to help clean up the shores of the bay, repair damages and recover boats that had been damaged or knocked loose into the bay. In Krimnos, efforts to clear away and repair damages from both the avalanche and the siege continue. With no one certain what has become of Captain Lykos in the general population of the City of the Free Peoples even the end to their second war with Tsekour's Stormers has not brought calm to the civil unrest as the Defenders attempt to force the city to fall into military control and the people of the city continue to resist with violent countermeasures. In this state of recovery, conflict, fear, and uneasy confusion the day of the Oxen Gods comes with few people truly in the spirit of what would normally be seen as a warm and cheerful holiday. An uneasy lull of peace settles on all three cities as people attempt to be faithful to honoring the spirit of the paired gods. Vodi and Voda's day of celebration is meant to be a time of community, love, and reflection. The day of the paired oxen gods of marriage and fertility marks the true start of the thaw, when the snow and ice begin to melt and temperatures begin to rise. Spring is still months away but the first true thaw comes mid-February, right on schedule. The snow in the foothills, plains, and open lands has begun to melt, small patches of greenery appear near the edges of thawed rivers and lakes, the outer edges of tree branches sprout new growth and small, fresh leaves. Animals that have been hibernating or hiding through the winter freeze begin emerging from their homes and can be seen exploring the land for more abundant food sources. Whispered rumors from Didymos about a dragon rising from the bay reach other cities but are never discussed outside of hushed conversations in the shadows or in huddled gatherings that quickly break apart. Speculation is widespread and varied over the origin of the fog and the masked figures that stole away over a hundred people in the night, the strange attacks, and the ultimate fate of those kidnapped. Many citizens who had lost daughters, brothers, sisters, sons, mothers, fathers, friends, or other relatives and acquaintances to the pit continue to desperately seek out the missing, their bodies never recovered and the truth behind their disappearance and eventual death unknown to any but those awakened who had come back from the pit and those they chose to share their stories with, if they chose to believe such horrifying tales.
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🜙 The Oxen Gods.
	Outside of these concerns, rumors, and the general unease across all three cities, attempts are made to forget for just a little while and focus on the celebration. Vodi and Voda are honored by a show of community and compassion. Gifts of fruits and flowers, usually those grown in greenhouses or by magic, are given to loved ones. Ceremonies take place at both dawn and dusk, offering food, gifts, and music to lift spirits and symbolize a union of peace. In Didymos a pod of fin whales can be seen returning to the bay, unusual for this time of year. They linger near the center of the bay, singing mournful whale songs to one another. Celebrations in the city have a heavy focus on Vodi, the moon god. Vodi's impact on the tides makes him a highly respected god, especially among the fishermen and sailors. As the moon rises and reflects on the bay's reflective surface the city comes together as one unified community. In the open squares people from both quarters gather over music, a fresh bounty of fish dishes from the repaired ships, sea shanties sung loudly over various types of liquor and beautiful displays by wild magic entertainers, pairing water, wind, and fire magic to create visual plays, displays of talent, and melting ice sculptures. Didymos' specialty of sweet and salty ice creams are offered by various inventive food fanatics who offer up new and exciting flavors and naming competitions. A pair of young ox calves are paraded through the town, dressed up with ribbons and colorful paints. People pet them as they go by, and the oxen are eventually taken to the temple of the oxen gods near the outskirts of the city where they will live out the rest of their years free from expectations and protected by the temple caretakers as symbolic creatures of honor. In Krimnos as most of the snow is finally cleared away from both sides of the wall, the great sundial is cleared off and the light of the sun's rays reflect off its many-faceted surface, creating dozens of rainbows in the light fog of the warming sky above the city as a colorful artificial aurora borealis. Voda is honored most strongly in the cliff city, the warmth of the sun praised for the thaw that pulls the city out of dangerous freezing temperatures. People throughout the city provide her with offerings in the hopes of ensuring a slow and even thaw that won't bury the city in snow or mudslides. Celebrations across the city happen near midday and are most often celebrated by couples in love and close friends or families, celebrating passion, family, and love with sweets, plants, and crafted goods made of rare metals or glass. Normally celebrations in the City of the Free Peoples revolve around a parade of oxen from local farms, banquets, music, and a celebration of the vastly diverse community of varied cultures with a heavy focus on the rebirth of a new year, the start of a new planting season, and a celebration of the farmers that help keep the city fed and prosperous. This year the city is divided by the conflict between the resistance and the defenders. The city is actively pushing back against the militant hold of force the defenders are attempting to keep over them with the preface of keeping the citizens under control and it is widely assumed Captain Lykos is dead, with the prevailing theory being that the current leaders of the Defenders have killed him. Several members of the resistance broadcast across the city a video of them in possession of Lykos' hooded cloak, claiming they recovered it from the Defenders' warcamp and insisting that the Defenders are the city's enemy. A pair of large orc captains, the duo currently in charge of the city's defensive army, return fire, claiming that the members of the Resistance have kidnapped or killed Captain Lykos and are attempting to destabilize the city so they can take it over for themselves. A hefty reward is placed on the heads of the Resistance and people who speak out against the Defenders are routinely taken into custody and locked up. Before the celebration in Krimnos, during the celebration in Didymos, and following the celebration in the City of the Free Peoples, a strange feline can be seen pacing about the trade district, meowing insistently at anyone with a vial like hers who passes her by. Did you see her? After the full moon on the 19th, several farmers report sightings of werewolves around the city outskirts or report close encounters with the dangerous creatures.

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Comments

[kingsroads]

He looks a little skeptical, but he's not saying no. Breathing exercises and keeping calm are things that Christine is much better at than he is: if she thinks it might help, then he'll trust her judgement and do the breathing exercises.

"The problem with that is that I don't know of any breathing exercises. You'll have to teach me."

[aceso]

"All right. Do as I do." She then draws a slow breath in through her nose and exhales through her mouth. Though she was far from a midwife, she'd been called upon in the past to drop off elixirs and potions at the houses of women in labor, and they had a way of breathing through the pain. She figures it could work to calm themselves as well.

After several breaths like this, she adds, "Try releasing yourself of your excitement on the exhale."

[kingsroads]

And so Strange does. He takes a few breaths in and out, trying to calm himself and calm his emotions. It works a little bit? But he's still a little excited and worked up.

"I think it's working?" There's a hesitant tone in his voice because he's not so sure how releasing himself of his excitement works.

[aceso]

"I suppose as long as your hair isn't on end, it is." There's a smile coupled with this statement because she can understand Strange being puzzled at how to stop being excited.

"Though I suspect there will be flare ups. Just remember to pause and breathe, and things might just settle back down." This isn't a proven theory, after all; merely her hypothesis.

[kingsroads]

He matches Christine's smile with one of his own. If she's smiling, then that's a good sign in Strange's book that things went well and he did calm himself down and stop being excited.

"What will I do without you," he teases. And then, not even a moment later, Strange answers his own question. "Aside from possibly electrocute someone, of course. That's a given."

[aceso]

Good thing he brought it up, or she would have.

"Indeed. And in return, you've helped me feel a bit better about all this." There's still a touch of unease about who really gave them this power and for what purpose, but she can't deny that making it her own feels liberating.

[kingsroads]

"If you ever need anybody to help make you feel better about what other future changes the dragons will inevitably throw on us, you can always bother me."

It's partly teasing, partly him being serious. Because Strange is certain this won't be the last time his magic is changed in some way.

[aceso]

Christine gives a faint smile at that. It's a kind offer and she knows he means well. His enthusiasm is a bit much at times, but then again, sometimes she needs that to get out of a bad mindset. It's hard to remain positive when you assume the world is out to get you.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time." But for now, she thinks they have a handle on things. "I'll leave you to the rest of your evening."