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thebastionoocThe original NPCs of the Bastion have been all a buzz as of late, and there's good reason for that: though things have been destroyed, this would be the time of the year when their yearly Harvest Festival would be happening. A big deal to both Cael and Ura alike (though for vastly different reasons) they are happily inviting everyone new and old to participate in their celebration. Hence why recently many of you have been approached by Serena, the NPC that runs the temple.
This festival isn't just some piddly one day gathering, either. They've been gearing up for this for a long time, and starting on Day 143 (December 29th) the entire Bastion will be transformed for a five day festival. (Which is fifteen days out of character)
So rather than just hurling people out in to the festival without any expectations of what's going to happen, we're listing the festival days, dates, and events so they can be looked at before the festival begins!
Below the cut, there will be a list of events taking place each day (along with some other pertinent details) and should you so wish within this post you'll be able to toss out ideas at others regarding the festival and your characters. Of course nothing is set in stone, this is just so people have ideas to work with going in instead of trying to figure things out as the days come along.
Day 1 - Day of Plenty and Chance (Day 143/Dec 29th-31st)
PRESENTS: Anyone who chose Rothaus and Olak as their patron gods will receive their gifts in the Gazebo today.
*Pyth the Mechanical Bull will need to be brought to the Bastion from a location on the Skyway. People can offer themselves up for this task. There will be no monster attacks, but it will not be an easy task, especially for anyone not all that technically gifted. This is a special quest and those who go to retrieve him will find themselves gifted with extra shards for their troubles.
-For the remainder of the festival, there will be a challenge to everyone to try to survive in a pit the longest on him. Those who don't get struck by the bull the longest will receive a special prize at the end of the day.
There seems to be an awful lot of decorations that depict a shapely, beautiful woman either along side the bull, or actually riding him. These decorations will stay throughout the festival. On day one, though, pinwheels will also be present everywhere, along with a lot of thick, leafy branches twining around buildings and other structures, especially around the distillery and kitchen.
That said, there is also a massive long table outside. Think Nordic style, all of heavy wood and intricate designs. And on that long table? Food. So. Much. Food. More than anyone in the Bastion has seen since the Calamity. Where did it come from? Who cares! It's food. Food and a lot of drink. Booze everywhere? Booze everywhere! Who the hell cares that there are underage children at this thing, BOOZE EVERYWHERE. There are stacks and stacks of plates, baskets of utensils, and everything including the food and drink seems to magically replenish whenever some one isn't looking long enough. There is meat! (Yes, even mammoth meat) Don't like meat? There's vegetables, tofu, fish, fruit... basically anything you can imagine, it's there. Stuff your faces, these are going to be the best meals you've had in months and probably will be the last great meal you have for several more months.
Speaking of buffets that rival that of Norse gods, there's also GAMBLING! Yes, suddenly the Bastion is Vegas, with steampunk style slot machines, card tables, dice tables and everything else in between! The only catch? You can only play with your own personal shards, and the odds are almost always in the houses' favor. For the smaller children, they can spend a shard each to play other more kid-friendly games like ones you'd find in a carnival (but much less rigged). There also seems to be a constant, calm, softly playing stream of music coming from somewhere, though no one will be able to find the source of it. It's all very gentle tunes, instrumental and without vocalization.
Also, residents might become aware that as they're leaving their homes or places of residence to join in on the festival, they'll suddenly have a small silver chain bracelet shoved in to their hands, some how exactly their wrist size - no bigger, no smaller. It's light, but it won't break easily, and it's highly recommended that it stay worn throughout the festival and even beyond it. Why? Well, you'll find out sooner or later.
Most of the festivities take place during the day, including retrieving Pyth and the gambling. As the day winds down in to "night" via cloud cover, one might notice that Ura-raised NPCs have taken on strips of red cloth around their upper arms, and seem to be far more somber than their fellow Cael survivors.
For the younger residents of the Bastion, they will find themselves gifted with red hooded cloaks, designed to mimic a bull. Suddenly everything is like Easter for them, but instead of eggs they must find small hidden gears all over the Bastion. A booth will be set up near the temple that Serena will be running, and those gears can be turned in for small prizes like candy and little toys (most of them having something to do with Rothaus and Olak).
For the adults, there will be a chance to actually bet on the bull vs the people going up against Pyth. There's also an eating contest, as if we need more excuse to stuff our faces.
As the evening winds down, the younger children will be encouraged to sleep outside, and will be told stories of Rothaus and Olak and their various godly adventures in the world before the walls and the holes until they fall asleep. Drinks will be refilled for the older crowd.
If anyone was awake around "midnight" before all this started, they will have witnessed a tall metal torch of various intricate designs: a gear on one side, and a bullhead on the other. One of the Ura (or Serena) will be welcome to light this torch at the top where a spiky star resides. If neither lights it, the Bastion will do so itself. It happens again when night falls on the first day, with two more torches with Roathus' and Olak's symbols along with the gear and bull arrive to be lit.
Day 2 - Day of Hope and Bravery (Day 144/Jan 1st-3rd)
PRESENTS: If anyone had Yudrig and Lemaign, their presents will be in the gazebo shortly after midnight.
Once again, at midnight, another torch arrives - this time with a horse along with the gear and bullhead. As before, they are welcome to be lit by an Ura, or Serena. Some of the other decorations fade out, to be replaced by Yugrid or Lemaign-specific decorations like horseshoes, saddles, hammers and plants made of colored metal. This will continue to happen throughout the festival, with new decorations overshadowing old ones, but the old ones still remaining here and there.
During the previous day, conversations with a any of the NPCs (or the recently arrived Uras) will bring up the topic of the second day of the festival. Should you care to listen, you'll learn that they use the very early morning of this day to make wishes, wishes that you must think in to a horseshoe that will be left on the side of your home that faces where the "sun" would be rising (the closest approximation to "east").
Speaking of horses! There seems to be a pen with stallions! Unlike Pyth, one must ride one of these stallions and try to stay on it as long as they can while it bucks and jumps about wildly. Good luck to whoever can manage this, it is not an easy task at all! Only one person can win Yudrig's favor, because at the end of the day the stallions will all take off back to... wherever they came from. The person that manages to stay the longest, though, will win a lovely pair of Yudrig boots, and will gain a single very fast horse for the Bastion to keep.
Along with the horses, there will also be races! Three legged races, races while balancing odd objects on spoons, so many races! Most of these are for the kids to make up for the lack of kid-focused things from the day before, but adults are encouraged to help and participate.
Incidentally, respect is also given to those considered soldiers. Be it by their own mental thinking ("I am a soldier for justice/I am a protector, etc") or by their actual title (this includes exorcists, exorcists in training, rebel leaders, etc) but they will be honored on this day for their bravery, commitment and efforts. The same goes for masons. There will be a table set up with charms for the bracelets, specifically hammer shaped ones - everyone is welcome to take one, but anyone who isn't of this persuasion may find them too heavy to wear. The charm can be removed, though, but remember to keep the bracelet!
With that in mind, about midday the center of the Bastion will be cleared and people will be asked if they would like to participate in a game of "Defend Lemaign". It's basically Capture the Flag, but with a singular goal in mind - only one team has a "flag" (actually a small hammer statue) and that team must defend it from the other team. Teams can be any size, but once that statue is grabbed and brought to the other side, OR the timer runs out with Lemaign still within his "temple" the game is over. This will continue throughout the afternoon.
When evening falls again, the second torch for the day will appear to be lit, this one decorated with hammers as well as the standard gear and bull. The day begins to wind down, though there are once again other things to do - this time an entire area dedicated to various sizes of building blocks ranging from small to huge. Go nuts, build what you want, show off your creations! And keep them, they will come in handy later! This is not just for kids, even if it seems like it.
There's also jousting taking place. Nothing as dangerous as true jousting - just wooden horses on tracks that have to be manually pushed along (so be sure to take a willing friend with you) and padded poles that strike padded armor. Winners will find more charms for those bracelets that were given out as their prize, and five shards per win.
Also, something to keep in mind: Since the day is focused around bravery quite a bit, anyone who shows off a particularly awesome show of bravery (be it personal like asking some one out that you like, facing a mild fear and not running away from it, or something even more spectacular) you will inexplicably find your entire room decorated with horseshoes. Horseshoes everywhere. Why? Yudrig, that's why.
And anyone who visits Lemagin's shrine, for whatever reason, will find themselves inexplicably hit with a wave of optimism. Just for the day, though.
This night winds down much the same as before, and again the children are encouraged to sleep outside while lulled to sleep by tales of Yudrig and Lemagin's adventures.
Day 3 - Day of Pleasure and Purpose (Day 145/Jan 4-7th)
PRESENTS: If you chose Garmuth or Hense, this will be the day your presents arrive in the gazebo.
The next lamp appears, this time with mirrors on one side.
Speaking of roses there are roses everywhere in the Bastion, almost completely obscuring any of the previous decorations. They're still there, just... buried. Behind bushes, next to vases, under mounds of rose petals. You can't escape it! They won't do anything bad to you, of course, but you might start finding rose petals in your hair, in your pockets, or lingering on your clothes as the day goes by. Mirrors also join the decorations, but besides that, all reflective surfaces (windows and mirrors) will suddenly have clearer reflections, and be decorated in rose borders. Unfortunately this means looking through actual windows will be a mite difficult as you'll see reflections more than you'll see the other side of them.
Today will also be a day of blindfold games! Guess the object! Guess how many are in this box! Place this thing in that thing! All without looking! Prizes will be given out to those who get through these blindfold games - another charm for your bracelet, and maybe two or three shards per win.
Along with these games, there's one big challenge in the center of the Bastion - a giant thorny maze. Should you brave this mess, you'll find twists, turns, awkward corners and areas just barely big enough to walk through. However if you make it to the center, you'll find a small wooden chest, and be rewarded with a rose ring. And not just any rose ring. This thing is special! It will allow a user to call upon rose thorn vines that will attack an enemy at will. It is restricted to three times a day on the Skyway, but it will come in very handy, especially for those with no real defensive or offensive capabilities. (That said, if your character manages to get this item and doesn't need it or want it for whatever reason, please be kind and give it to some one who can use it or does want it.)
As day winds in to night, another torch appears, this time with roses. Roses going wild on this lamp. It makes it a little difficult to light, though. And oddly enough, near the gear symbol on this lamp... the roses seem to be withered. Huh.
Dinner gives way in to a sort of "desert" for the evening, a huge selection of cookies in various flavors on tables all over the place, along with tubs of rose petal ice cream that don't seem to melt no matter how long they stay out.
But those cookies are not just any cookies - they are hollow ones. They're backed with a thin indented line down the center of them, and snapping them at this point will reveal that there is paper tucked inside. It will give advice to your character that is shockingly accurate to this person, some how. Regardless of who gets it, the advice will be pertinent to them and really only them. From there you'll be encouraged to take a second piece of paper, write your fears, weaknesses or secrets that you don't wish to tell anyone yet wish to get off your chest and then drop them in a strange mirror-decorated box sitting near the monument. If you do so, you'll find yourself oddly sleeping easier tonight...
This night closes out the same as the previous ones, with stories for the children as the adults relax in to the wee hours of the morning.
Day 4 - Day of Health and Oaths (Day 146/Jan 8th-11th)
PRESENTS: Those who picked Acobi and Jevel will have their presents awaiting in the gazebo
Yet another torch arrives in the wee morning hours, this one decorated with chains.
Today, the eldest of the Bastion and the youngest of the Bastion are gifted with another charm for their bracelets.
As for games, it seems to be strategy games all over the place! Games much like Earthly counterparts, such as Go, Shogi, Mahjong, Chess (even a 3D chess-like game, should you be so brave as to try it), Checkers, Risk (et al). Winners of these games will get a few more shards to add to their respective collections.
And there will also be a massive tower in the center of the Bastion, designed much like a climbing wall. Get to the top and retrieve the pendant in the set amount of time, and you'll earn another charm towards your bracelet!
As an extra to the ladies of the Bastion, there will be two special things exclusively for them - first off, Pyth will only be usable by ladies. Anyone who identifies as male will simply not receive a reaction from Pyth should they step in to the pit. AND there will also be a special tug of war game for ladies only, using a chain. Acobi is the God of Abandon, and as such women will be free to do whatever they want today, regardless of their upbringing or beliefs. Go nuts, girls! The girls who win the tug of war will also get another charm, as well as two shards per person on the team that wins.
ALSO REMEMBER THOSE BUILDING BLOCKS FROM DAY 2? Bring them out, pick a side, and set them up like a castle because we're gonna be playing CASTLE CRASHERS. Only without a video game system, obviously. Basically there will be little mini catapults and various weapon launchers that you will use to shoot things at the other side. There's no real winner for this one, it's just for fun and silliness.
Evening will bring the next torch, this one adorned with a tower, and a massive feast of much healthier food and drink than what's been offered up until. Even if you eat and drink a great deal, you'll find yourself lacking any hangovers or stomach aches the following morning.
The soft music that's been playing every day of the festival will suddenly quit at around "5pm", and the remainder of the night will be filled with live music played by the NPCs, and even a few PCs should they choose to join in. The music will be in the gazebo with seats set up all around it like an outdoor performance stage, but with enough room up front for spontaneous dancing.
The night ends with this joyful celebration to close out the festival.
Day 5 - Day of Rest (Day 147/Jan 12-15th)
PRESENTS: If you chose Micia or no god/goddess your present will be in the gazebo. If you did not choose a god and a present you'd better go look anyway. :|
No lantern appears early this morning, and the festivities, while amazing and quite fun, have certainly left everyone a bit exhausted. Today is as much a day of cleaning as it is a day of rest. The Bastion itself will go back to relative normalcy on it's own, but parties always leave some mess behind, so be kind and help your NPCs with clean up would you?
There will also be left over food from Jevel, things for an easy and hassle free lunch, but nothing terribly heavy or fattening.
Pyth has gone quiet, and no amount of rousing will wake him. Yet he remains, even after the festival is gone.
The final torch will appear, but during mid day when no one is looking. There will only be a bull adorning it, and no gear. When midnight rolls around, every single light will go out at once, and anyone who might observe the lights vanishing may have a strange feeling, one that is a mixture of fright and yet comfort, as if something greater than themselves loves them. Should anyone inspect the bullhead ornaments on the lights, they'll come to notice that the last light is the only one with a bull whose eyes are closed.
The festival officially closes up at midnight with the dousing of those lights, and the NPCs will thank everyone for a successful and fun festival.
Oh, but what of the bracelets and those odd charms everyone was collecting?
Well those bracelets are special, like the Rose Ring from Hense's labyrinth. For each charm that the person has on their bracelet, there is a small gem attached to the charm itself. It matches the general color scheme of the god that bestowed it, and glows with an ethereal light. Should something occur on the Skyway, and the wearer wind up in danger, there will be a flash of light and they will find themselves protected. It doesn't last long, and once it's over the light fades from the gem, never to occur again.
Enjoy your many gifts, everyone. Once this festival ends, things are going to go back to normal...
EDIT: So we forgot something! The chain bracelets you get are also part of Acobi's new years resolutions. On Acobi's day, you'll add one more charm that is not part of the protection charms you'll be receiving throughout. It will be a little secret compartment charm that will have a paper that you can write your resolution for the new year on and place it inside.
This festival isn't just some piddly one day gathering, either. They've been gearing up for this for a long time, and starting on Day 143 (December 29th) the entire Bastion will be transformed for a five day festival. (Which is fifteen days out of character)
So rather than just hurling people out in to the festival without any expectations of what's going to happen, we're listing the festival days, dates, and events so they can be looked at before the festival begins!
Below the cut, there will be a list of events taking place each day (along with some other pertinent details) and should you so wish within this post you'll be able to toss out ideas at others regarding the festival and your characters. Of course nothing is set in stone, this is just so people have ideas to work with going in instead of trying to figure things out as the days come along.
Day 1 - Day of Plenty and Chance (Day 143/Dec 29th-31st)
PRESENTS: Anyone who chose Rothaus and Olak as their patron gods will receive their gifts in the Gazebo today.
*Pyth the Mechanical Bull will need to be brought to the Bastion from a location on the Skyway. People can offer themselves up for this task. There will be no monster attacks, but it will not be an easy task, especially for anyone not all that technically gifted. This is a special quest and those who go to retrieve him will find themselves gifted with extra shards for their troubles.
-For the remainder of the festival, there will be a challenge to everyone to try to survive in a pit the longest on him. Those who don't get struck by the bull the longest will receive a special prize at the end of the day.
There seems to be an awful lot of decorations that depict a shapely, beautiful woman either along side the bull, or actually riding him. These decorations will stay throughout the festival. On day one, though, pinwheels will also be present everywhere, along with a lot of thick, leafy branches twining around buildings and other structures, especially around the distillery and kitchen.
That said, there is also a massive long table outside. Think Nordic style, all of heavy wood and intricate designs. And on that long table? Food. So. Much. Food. More than anyone in the Bastion has seen since the Calamity. Where did it come from? Who cares! It's food. Food and a lot of drink. Booze everywhere? Booze everywhere! Who the hell cares that there are underage children at this thing, BOOZE EVERYWHERE. There are stacks and stacks of plates, baskets of utensils, and everything including the food and drink seems to magically replenish whenever some one isn't looking long enough. There is meat! (Yes, even mammoth meat) Don't like meat? There's vegetables, tofu, fish, fruit... basically anything you can imagine, it's there. Stuff your faces, these are going to be the best meals you've had in months and probably will be the last great meal you have for several more months.
Speaking of buffets that rival that of Norse gods, there's also GAMBLING! Yes, suddenly the Bastion is Vegas, with steampunk style slot machines, card tables, dice tables and everything else in between! The only catch? You can only play with your own personal shards, and the odds are almost always in the houses' favor. For the smaller children, they can spend a shard each to play other more kid-friendly games like ones you'd find in a carnival (but much less rigged). There also seems to be a constant, calm, softly playing stream of music coming from somewhere, though no one will be able to find the source of it. It's all very gentle tunes, instrumental and without vocalization.
Also, residents might become aware that as they're leaving their homes or places of residence to join in on the festival, they'll suddenly have a small silver chain bracelet shoved in to their hands, some how exactly their wrist size - no bigger, no smaller. It's light, but it won't break easily, and it's highly recommended that it stay worn throughout the festival and even beyond it. Why? Well, you'll find out sooner or later.
Most of the festivities take place during the day, including retrieving Pyth and the gambling. As the day winds down in to "night" via cloud cover, one might notice that Ura-raised NPCs have taken on strips of red cloth around their upper arms, and seem to be far more somber than their fellow Cael survivors.
For the younger residents of the Bastion, they will find themselves gifted with red hooded cloaks, designed to mimic a bull. Suddenly everything is like Easter for them, but instead of eggs they must find small hidden gears all over the Bastion. A booth will be set up near the temple that Serena will be running, and those gears can be turned in for small prizes like candy and little toys (most of them having something to do with Rothaus and Olak).
For the adults, there will be a chance to actually bet on the bull vs the people going up against Pyth. There's also an eating contest, as if we need more excuse to stuff our faces.
As the evening winds down, the younger children will be encouraged to sleep outside, and will be told stories of Rothaus and Olak and their various godly adventures in the world before the walls and the holes until they fall asleep. Drinks will be refilled for the older crowd.
If anyone was awake around "midnight" before all this started, they will have witnessed a tall metal torch of various intricate designs: a gear on one side, and a bullhead on the other. One of the Ura (or Serena) will be welcome to light this torch at the top where a spiky star resides. If neither lights it, the Bastion will do so itself. It happens again when night falls on the first day, with two more torches with Roathus' and Olak's symbols along with the gear and bull arrive to be lit.
Day 2 - Day of Hope and Bravery (Day 144/Jan 1st-3rd)
PRESENTS: If anyone had Yudrig and Lemaign, their presents will be in the gazebo shortly after midnight.
Once again, at midnight, another torch arrives - this time with a horse along with the gear and bullhead. As before, they are welcome to be lit by an Ura, or Serena. Some of the other decorations fade out, to be replaced by Yugrid or Lemaign-specific decorations like horseshoes, saddles, hammers and plants made of colored metal. This will continue to happen throughout the festival, with new decorations overshadowing old ones, but the old ones still remaining here and there.
During the previous day, conversations with a any of the NPCs (or the recently arrived Uras) will bring up the topic of the second day of the festival. Should you care to listen, you'll learn that they use the very early morning of this day to make wishes, wishes that you must think in to a horseshoe that will be left on the side of your home that faces where the "sun" would be rising (the closest approximation to "east").
Speaking of horses! There seems to be a pen with stallions! Unlike Pyth, one must ride one of these stallions and try to stay on it as long as they can while it bucks and jumps about wildly. Good luck to whoever can manage this, it is not an easy task at all! Only one person can win Yudrig's favor, because at the end of the day the stallions will all take off back to... wherever they came from. The person that manages to stay the longest, though, will win a lovely pair of Yudrig boots, and will gain a single very fast horse for the Bastion to keep.
Along with the horses, there will also be races! Three legged races, races while balancing odd objects on spoons, so many races! Most of these are for the kids to make up for the lack of kid-focused things from the day before, but adults are encouraged to help and participate.
Incidentally, respect is also given to those considered soldiers. Be it by their own mental thinking ("I am a soldier for justice/I am a protector, etc") or by their actual title (this includes exorcists, exorcists in training, rebel leaders, etc) but they will be honored on this day for their bravery, commitment and efforts. The same goes for masons. There will be a table set up with charms for the bracelets, specifically hammer shaped ones - everyone is welcome to take one, but anyone who isn't of this persuasion may find them too heavy to wear. The charm can be removed, though, but remember to keep the bracelet!
With that in mind, about midday the center of the Bastion will be cleared and people will be asked if they would like to participate in a game of "Defend Lemaign". It's basically Capture the Flag, but with a singular goal in mind - only one team has a "flag" (actually a small hammer statue) and that team must defend it from the other team. Teams can be any size, but once that statue is grabbed and brought to the other side, OR the timer runs out with Lemaign still within his "temple" the game is over. This will continue throughout the afternoon.
When evening falls again, the second torch for the day will appear to be lit, this one decorated with hammers as well as the standard gear and bull. The day begins to wind down, though there are once again other things to do - this time an entire area dedicated to various sizes of building blocks ranging from small to huge. Go nuts, build what you want, show off your creations! And keep them, they will come in handy later! This is not just for kids, even if it seems like it.
There's also jousting taking place. Nothing as dangerous as true jousting - just wooden horses on tracks that have to be manually pushed along (so be sure to take a willing friend with you) and padded poles that strike padded armor. Winners will find more charms for those bracelets that were given out as their prize, and five shards per win.
Also, something to keep in mind: Since the day is focused around bravery quite a bit, anyone who shows off a particularly awesome show of bravery (be it personal like asking some one out that you like, facing a mild fear and not running away from it, or something even more spectacular) you will inexplicably find your entire room decorated with horseshoes. Horseshoes everywhere. Why? Yudrig, that's why.
And anyone who visits Lemagin's shrine, for whatever reason, will find themselves inexplicably hit with a wave of optimism. Just for the day, though.
This night winds down much the same as before, and again the children are encouraged to sleep outside while lulled to sleep by tales of Yudrig and Lemagin's adventures.
Day 3 - Day of Pleasure and Purpose (Day 145/Jan 4-7th)
PRESENTS: If you chose Garmuth or Hense, this will be the day your presents arrive in the gazebo.
The next lamp appears, this time with mirrors on one side.
Speaking of roses there are roses everywhere in the Bastion, almost completely obscuring any of the previous decorations. They're still there, just... buried. Behind bushes, next to vases, under mounds of rose petals. You can't escape it! They won't do anything bad to you, of course, but you might start finding rose petals in your hair, in your pockets, or lingering on your clothes as the day goes by. Mirrors also join the decorations, but besides that, all reflective surfaces (windows and mirrors) will suddenly have clearer reflections, and be decorated in rose borders. Unfortunately this means looking through actual windows will be a mite difficult as you'll see reflections more than you'll see the other side of them.
Today will also be a day of blindfold games! Guess the object! Guess how many are in this box! Place this thing in that thing! All without looking! Prizes will be given out to those who get through these blindfold games - another charm for your bracelet, and maybe two or three shards per win.
Along with these games, there's one big challenge in the center of the Bastion - a giant thorny maze. Should you brave this mess, you'll find twists, turns, awkward corners and areas just barely big enough to walk through. However if you make it to the center, you'll find a small wooden chest, and be rewarded with a rose ring. And not just any rose ring. This thing is special! It will allow a user to call upon rose thorn vines that will attack an enemy at will. It is restricted to three times a day on the Skyway, but it will come in very handy, especially for those with no real defensive or offensive capabilities. (That said, if your character manages to get this item and doesn't need it or want it for whatever reason, please be kind and give it to some one who can use it or does want it.)
As day winds in to night, another torch appears, this time with roses. Roses going wild on this lamp. It makes it a little difficult to light, though. And oddly enough, near the gear symbol on this lamp... the roses seem to be withered. Huh.
Dinner gives way in to a sort of "desert" for the evening, a huge selection of cookies in various flavors on tables all over the place, along with tubs of rose petal ice cream that don't seem to melt no matter how long they stay out.
But those cookies are not just any cookies - they are hollow ones. They're backed with a thin indented line down the center of them, and snapping them at this point will reveal that there is paper tucked inside. It will give advice to your character that is shockingly accurate to this person, some how. Regardless of who gets it, the advice will be pertinent to them and really only them. From there you'll be encouraged to take a second piece of paper, write your fears, weaknesses or secrets that you don't wish to tell anyone yet wish to get off your chest and then drop them in a strange mirror-decorated box sitting near the monument. If you do so, you'll find yourself oddly sleeping easier tonight...
This night closes out the same as the previous ones, with stories for the children as the adults relax in to the wee hours of the morning.
Day 4 - Day of Health and Oaths (Day 146/Jan 8th-11th)
PRESENTS: Those who picked Acobi and Jevel will have their presents awaiting in the gazebo
Yet another torch arrives in the wee morning hours, this one decorated with chains.
Today, the eldest of the Bastion and the youngest of the Bastion are gifted with another charm for their bracelets.
As for games, it seems to be strategy games all over the place! Games much like Earthly counterparts, such as Go, Shogi, Mahjong, Chess (even a 3D chess-like game, should you be so brave as to try it), Checkers, Risk (et al). Winners of these games will get a few more shards to add to their respective collections.
And there will also be a massive tower in the center of the Bastion, designed much like a climbing wall. Get to the top and retrieve the pendant in the set amount of time, and you'll earn another charm towards your bracelet!
As an extra to the ladies of the Bastion, there will be two special things exclusively for them - first off, Pyth will only be usable by ladies. Anyone who identifies as male will simply not receive a reaction from Pyth should they step in to the pit. AND there will also be a special tug of war game for ladies only, using a chain. Acobi is the God of Abandon, and as such women will be free to do whatever they want today, regardless of their upbringing or beliefs. Go nuts, girls! The girls who win the tug of war will also get another charm, as well as two shards per person on the team that wins.
ALSO REMEMBER THOSE BUILDING BLOCKS FROM DAY 2? Bring them out, pick a side, and set them up like a castle because we're gonna be playing CASTLE CRASHERS. Only without a video game system, obviously. Basically there will be little mini catapults and various weapon launchers that you will use to shoot things at the other side. There's no real winner for this one, it's just for fun and silliness.
Evening will bring the next torch, this one adorned with a tower, and a massive feast of much healthier food and drink than what's been offered up until. Even if you eat and drink a great deal, you'll find yourself lacking any hangovers or stomach aches the following morning.
The soft music that's been playing every day of the festival will suddenly quit at around "5pm", and the remainder of the night will be filled with live music played by the NPCs, and even a few PCs should they choose to join in. The music will be in the gazebo with seats set up all around it like an outdoor performance stage, but with enough room up front for spontaneous dancing.
The night ends with this joyful celebration to close out the festival.
Day 5 - Day of Rest (Day 147/Jan 12-15th)
PRESENTS: If you chose Micia or no god/goddess your present will be in the gazebo. If you did not choose a god and a present you'd better go look anyway. :|
No lantern appears early this morning, and the festivities, while amazing and quite fun, have certainly left everyone a bit exhausted. Today is as much a day of cleaning as it is a day of rest. The Bastion itself will go back to relative normalcy on it's own, but parties always leave some mess behind, so be kind and help your NPCs with clean up would you?
There will also be left over food from Jevel, things for an easy and hassle free lunch, but nothing terribly heavy or fattening.
Pyth has gone quiet, and no amount of rousing will wake him. Yet he remains, even after the festival is gone.
The final torch will appear, but during mid day when no one is looking. There will only be a bull adorning it, and no gear. When midnight rolls around, every single light will go out at once, and anyone who might observe the lights vanishing may have a strange feeling, one that is a mixture of fright and yet comfort, as if something greater than themselves loves them. Should anyone inspect the bullhead ornaments on the lights, they'll come to notice that the last light is the only one with a bull whose eyes are closed.
The festival officially closes up at midnight with the dousing of those lights, and the NPCs will thank everyone for a successful and fun festival.
Oh, but what of the bracelets and those odd charms everyone was collecting?
Well those bracelets are special, like the Rose Ring from Hense's labyrinth. For each charm that the person has on their bracelet, there is a small gem attached to the charm itself. It matches the general color scheme of the god that bestowed it, and glows with an ethereal light. Should something occur on the Skyway, and the wearer wind up in danger, there will be a flash of light and they will find themselves protected. It doesn't last long, and once it's over the light fades from the gem, never to occur again.
Enjoy your many gifts, everyone. Once this festival ends, things are going to go back to normal...
EDIT: So we forgot something! The chain bracelets you get are also part of Acobi's new years resolutions. On Acobi's day, you'll add one more charm that is not part of the protection charms you'll be receiving throughout. It will be a little secret compartment charm that will have a paper that you can write your resolution for the new year on and place it inside.
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Date: 2013-12-28 07:10 am (UTC)