Winter Begins - A Spirit Festival - RPLOG
Participants
Date
7/10/479
Log
The strange, personally addressed invitations to this mysterious party must have truly flooded Firmament. Beings of all shapes, sizes and groups have dug out or made costumes and masks to attend. The promised transportation turned out to be a whole fleet of black painted carriages to carry the flood of beings that are inexplicably willing to make their way to the fallen city of Mossy stone. The dark, cracked walls loom up ahead as the black clad, silent coach drivers drop off their passengers at the broken gates.
The coach ride was creepy enough, but now the dark edifices of the ruins loomed before them. It was enough to send a shiver down Galve's spine, and he pulled his cloak closer around him. He hadn't found any kind of costume so he had arrived in naught but his usual garb and a black traveling cloak, under which he had brought some of his other equipment. Mostly his medical bag and the sword that he'd been given by the Freeswords, and not much else.
Shira is staring out of the window of the carriage she is riding in, wondering what this could all be about. Either way it sounds like an opportunity for new experiences or adventurer, regardless of how it plays out. Speaking of playing. The mouse is in costume, a frilly dress and marry jane's, as well as white stockings, combined with several joints painted in black on her white fur give the mouse the appearance of a doll, an effect that is further enhanced by her small size.
A figure dressed up in what looks to be a simple set of chainmail armor soon steps out of one of the carriages, his masked gaze scanning over the scene before him as he does so. Lidara had certainly made sure to dress up, the chainmail armor accompanied by a white cloth with red trimmings that draped over his back and chest, all the way down to his knees on each side, and had the insignia of the Graceful Clan on the center of the front, also in red. A white cape with a hood accompanies that, and a mask of the same color covers the top half of his muzzle. The only part of his orange fur that's actually left visible now is his chin and neck.
The shattered gates hang open and nervous beings in a remarkable assortment of costumes mill around the gate in the fading afternoon sun, all waiting for someone else to be the first to enter the haunted ruin. The carriages have all dropped off their passengers and driven on.
"Why would we even do this?" a skunk in a raggedy wedding dress asks, eyeing the gate fearfully, "I can't believe I have come out here." But still, she doesn't leave. The gates stand silent and watchful. Strangely, there is no sight, sound, or sign of the moaning, shambling undead of Mossy Stone.
Glancing at the skunk, Galve is having the same second thoughts about the situation. Drawing his cloak close, he looked into the fading sunset with concern.
Shira is, as always, not intimidated by anything and is the first one to pass through the gate, she turns around on her heels and gives the beings around her a confident smile, after being a few feet in. "Whats the worst that could happen!" She crosses her arms behind her head and turns again, taking the lead and following the path.
Lidara shifts around uneasily for a moment once he's able to take in the gate as well as the church before them, his hand going back to fiddling with something hidden under the cloth draped over him as he does so, that being a dagger he has tucked away. Just in case. Once that little mouse steps forward and starts to lead the way though, he can't help but smile and shake his head a bit... before moving forward to walk just behind her.
There is a polite cough and Shira walks straight into the arms of a huge crocodile who grins down at her. "Welcome, guests," he says in a sternum shaking, deep voice with an evident Isharan accent, "The White Lady welcomes you to her city and extends her hospitality." the Croc wears only a pair of ragged trousers and a loose, open vest. His dark scales are polished to a high gloss and his face is painted in the pattern of a skull. He holds out his arm to Shira. "Why don't all of you just come with me," he says with a toothy grin, going to lead the way, preferably with the dolled up mouse on his arm.
Beyond the gates, the streets are clear and empty. Lanterns have been strung along the route toward the old church and garlands of paper and black and white decorations with a distinct skull motif litter the way.
Proceeding to follow the gator, Galve was on high alert as he followed, nervously glancing in almost every possible direction.
Shira squeaks as she is picked up. "Hey now! At least ask first, Mister!" She does not bother struggling free of the crocodile's grip though, figuring that she might as well be carried, if she is dressed as something usually inanimate. She does however squint around. She had never been here before, but she heard stories about this place. The total lack of shambling corpses was both disappointing and suspicious.
Lidara immediately stops in his tracks upon hearing the crocodile, his stance lowering slightly and his hand immediately going backwards to his hip, though not quite to his hidden weapon. But, it only takes him a second to realize that there's no immediate danger, at least, the cat quickly standing up straight again and letting out a held breath, as well as giving the croc an apologetic look, of course. Once he starts to lead the way, the costumed feline simply follows behind him, his gaze flicking about to curiously examine the area all the while.
"Can't help it, Cher," the Croc rumbles, "You were just too cute to pass up." Now that there seems to be some kind of guide, the imaginary dam at the gate breaks and the living flood into Mossy Stone for the first time in many years. The place is still obviously a ruin, of course, evidence of the empty years stares back from ruined homes and storefronts, but the lanterns and decorations do much to lift the gloom. It almost seems like a set stage instead of the site of a terrible tragedy.
The Church, however, is an exception. Someone has been hard at work, rebuilding the old structure. Gothic spires reach toward the heavens and imposing gargoyles stare down at the approaching revelers. In front of the rebuilt structure is a beautiful statue of a winged creator woman wearing a helmet shaped like a skull. This must be what the invitation meant when it said the Cathedral of Pyrrha.
"Well... They took the creepy church and made it even more creepy. I had no idea such a thing was possible..." Galve grumbles to nobody in particular. Now he felt out of place, no costume to wear.
Shira eyes the church up and down, this was certainly more impressive than she expected. She tears her eyes off the building and looks up at the crocodile holding her. "Fine, just be careful with the costume and makeup, I suppose." She elongates the i of fine as she says it, not sure what to make of all this, still. Would Pyrrha herself be here, what is her plan? Maybe everything would actually be as harmless as it seems.
As they progress further and further into the city, Lidara's steps start to grow a bit more cautious, his gaze still flicking around to look over all of the destroyed and abandoned buildings around them. Things are a bit too quiet, considering there's supposed to be undead roaming this place.... Not too long after the church comes into view though, the feline's attention flicks to that and he can't help but let his eyes widen a little bit, his pace even slowing a little bit for a moment to give him more time to examine it. He does speed up again before long, but his attention remains locked on that church for most of the rest of the walk.
The Crocodile winks at Shira and leads the way to the front doors of the remade church, which swing open to admit the nervous partygoers. The huge space is empty of the old, ruined pews. Lights glitter within, illuminating the long nave and a motley assortment of tray wielding servants, all dressed and painted like the Croc that led the way in. "Come!" the aforementioned Croc welcomes everyone, "Eat, drink, our gracious hosts will be here soon." He glances out the open doors at the setting sun.
Relaxing somewhat as he entered into the church, Galve was somewhat baffled at the lengths that whoever must have planned this social event must have gone to great lengths to clear this place out of the hordes of the undead as well as cleaned up the church, and then arranged everything else. "Hmm... clearly someone has been planning this for a while..." Galve muttered, looking amongst the other partygoers for any familiar faces. He didn't expect to find any.
"So, uhm. You gonna let me down? Or are you gonna give me a tour from the best seat in the house?" The mouse looks around herself, noticing the food and drinks, while going over the words in her head. "You said hosts? As in multiple? Can you elaborate a bit on that, Mister crocodile?" She flashes him a charming smile.
"Yeah...," Lidara mumbles in response, stepping next to Galve and looking over the church around them as he does so, his eyes still slightly wide beneath his mask. Sure, he's not a familiar face, but he certainly seems to be addressing the sheep. "It must have cost quite a bit and taken a lot of work to get all of this ready. I wonder how they managed to find anyone willing to work in Mossy Stone...," he turns his masked gaze on Galve, "I guess that we'll have the chance to ask our host soon though. I'm Lidara, by the way."
"Oh, I am sure they will introduce themselves, Cher," the Croc drawls, setting Shira gently on her feet, "You go get some food and drink and they will be along before you know it." The Croc turns and swaggers off to join the other servants in roaming around and helping with the meet and greet.
Specifically, he walks over to Galve. "Bon Soir, my sheepy friend," he says, "You look like you could use some help with a costume. How about I help get you dressed up?" He points out one of the many alcoves along the nave of the church.
Jumping as the Croc addressed him, Galve showed off just how on edge he still was. "Umm... yeah, that would be a good idea..." He said, heading towards one of the aforementioned alcoves
Shira is neither hungry, nor thirsty, so she instead spends the time inspecting the church, the work it had done and the people in it, both guests and servants. The small mouse has to look up at basically anyone and anything, but she is well used to that.
Lidara again lowers his stance slightly once he sees the sheep jump, but a second later he spots the croc that caused the surprise and simply lets out a quiet giggle, his postuer returning to normal once more. With Galve going to get a costume on though, the short feline simply starts to stroll through the church in a similar manner to Shira, his gaze flicking over the various beings filling the room in particular.
The Croc leads Galve to an alcove and points out a collection of wildly varied costume pieces. "Do I got a great idea for you, cher!" he says digging into the crate and coming back with some false fangs and what looks like a pair of wings on a harness. "You just take that there cape off and we'll get you set up real good."
The church is beautiful, if a little macabre. There is a definite skeleton motif with many bas relief scenes of an image of Death coming for ready and waiting beings. Skull painted servants in ragged clothing ply beings with all sorts of delicious foods and fine drinks, though they all seem to be watching out the open doors as the sun slowly sets.
Removing his cloak and other equipment, Galve presented himself to the Croc for whatever kind of 'idea' he had in mind.
Eventually, Lidara's gaze falls onto the mouse that had lead the way into destroyed town, even if it'd be a bit difficult to find her among the sea of people, considering how small she is. Soon though, he's made his way over to stand next to her, his eyes going to rest on her and the cat clearing his throat to get her attention, giving a short wave as he does so. "You must be pretty brave to lead the way into here like you did, considering how dangerous this area is supposed to be."
The Crocodile gives Galve a toothy grin and carefully helps him into the harness, which makes the large, bat-like wings stand up over his head. "Coo!" the Croc cheers, "If that ain't a sight! Now open wide." He sticks the teeth into the sheep's mouth before instructing him to close his mouth again, leaving the long fangs to poke out over his lower lip. "Now just hold still, Cher," he says, producing a little pot of grease paint, "You gonna love this."
Meanwhile, the chatting partygoers all go silent together as a chill wind suddenly blows through the chapel and the sun outside sets.
Suddenly, up on the chapel's dais, there is a loud tearing sound and suddenly four elaborate thrones appear, each holding a tall, stately form. Each is being-shaped, though from there their forms vary wildly.
The first is a tall Creator with sunken eyes and a hunched posture wearing shabby, ragged robes. The second is huge. His elaborate, spiked armor is fearsome and hides his features completely. The next is obviously the figure depicted in the front of the cathedral, only in place of a skull helm, her head is the grinning skull of a horse being. Finally, the last throne holds a slender, hooded, feminine figure whose face is hidden.
The servants all turn to face the altar and raise their voices together. "ALL HAIL TO THE COURT OF WINTER!"
Remaining still despite the procession entering into the Cathedral, making sure to allow the gator to do his work.
Shira runs her hand through her hair, as she so often does, when the feline addresses her. "Oh, well. When you are the best mage in Firmament, nothing scares you all that easily. Doubt they could throw anything at me that I could not ha-" She is interrupted by the tearing sound and arrival of the so called Court of Winter. "Well would you look at that."
Lidara nods along as the mouse speaks, his eyes even getting a surprised look when she calls herself the 'best mage in Firmament', but... once he feels that breeze blow through, he immediately goes quiet and freezes up, his hand even going down to rest on his hip once more, and this time it lingers there for a lot longer than usual. The orange feline's attention quickly flicks from Shira to the four figures that appear on the dais, briefly examining each of them in turn before his gaze again flicks elsewhere. This time, however, it goes to the chanting servants. "I guess that these are our hosts...." The cat is completely still for a short moment after that, but eventually he turns to face towards the dais, places the hand on his side in front of his stomach and takes a brief, almost uncertain really, bow.
"Show offs, if you ask me," comes a thick, husky voice next to Shira. A sideways glance reveals a massively obese boar with a large wine glass in each hand. "There really should be more thrones," he says, "But not all the Spirits like the limelight."
Back in the alcove, the Crocodile finishes his work. "There you go!" he says, "Now you are looking fine as anyone at this party!" There is no mirror, but the Croc retrieves a silvery tray and shows Galve his own blurry reflection. The sheep now has huge, bat-like wings sprouting from his back, worrying fangs jutting from his lips, and a gaping, third eye painted on his forehead.
Meanwhile the introductions of the hosts of this party continue. The hunched, ragged figure rises from his throne and the servants roar, "HAIL AKROS! LORD OF DECAY! HERALD OF THE DYING YEAR!"
Admiring his horrific visage, Galve grinned. Now clad in a costume of his own, his confidence had skyrocketed. Returning to the floor, he made his way over to the being in the crusader garb, paying more attention to the spirits.
Shira blinks. "Well. I suppose it would get awfully crowded if they would all sit up there. Can't say I ever saw one up close before, or at all, to be honest." The mouse does not spend much time on investigating the boar, her gaze instead wandering between the spirits on the thrones.
That bow is ended even earlier once Lidara hears what the servants chant next. Sure he doesn't actually know who Akros is, but... those titles certainly don't sound like good things. Considering his proximity to Shira though, the cat is able to pick up on what the boar says to her without too much trouble, and what he hears causes his head to tilt to the side slightly and his gaze to get a rather curious hint to it, even if it is a bit hard to see underneath his mask. "So... those are spirits? I've never seen one before either...." He does give a quick glance and wave to Galve, the new costume causing him to double take and look over the sheep, but his attention remains on the four spirits for the most part.
The second figure rises with a rattle of armor and the skull marked servants join in another chant. "HAIL CONQUEST! CONQUEROR OF THE DYING YEAR!" A number of the non-skull wearing partygoers start to shift uncomfortably. One or two even start to inch back toward the door.
"Hmm?" the boar asks, apparently unimpressed by the display on the dais, "Oh yes, they are definitely Spirits. Very powerful ones. Still show offs, though." On Lidara's other side, another figure steps up, an elegantly dressed goat being. "Agreed," he says, "I dispise all this pageantry."
"What's wrong with a little pomp and circumstance?" Galve poses the question to the goat. This is the first he'd ever seen of the spirits themselves, so he was quite impressed. He made a mental note to do some research later.
Shira shrugs. "From what I read they don't interact with people all that much, so maybe when they do, they want to make sure it is remembered." Another shrug from the mouse. "Still not sure why they went so out of their way to invite us all out here though."
Lidara gives a quick nod of his head at both Galve and Shira's statements, though the cat's attention remains largely on the dais... and once the next spirit is introduced, he starts to shift around in place a little bit himself. "I certainly don't mind the gathering they're using to introduce themselves, if that's what they're trying to do. In fact I think the masquerade is very nice," he lowers his voice for this next bit, "The Spirits themselves... don't seem very nice though."
"HAIL SCHOLAR!" comes the cry of the servants, "CHRONICLER OF THE DYING YEAR!"
"You could be right, young lady," the Boar says, sipping from his cup, "This lot certainly likes to be remembered." He looks at Lidara with a tusky grin. "Nice isn't really their job, as I understand it. But then, would you call the King nice? Are army generals nice? That's how these Spirits think of themselves." He seems awfully outspoken in the presence of the titans at the front of the room.
The goat looks at Galve and a pleased smile inches its way across his face as he considers the sheep's costume. "Oh! Nothing is wrong with it at all," he says, "I just know that I prefer to stay out of the limelight. I'm always surprised that anyone wants this kind of attention."
On the dais, the last figure stands and the crowd roars in approval. "ALL HAIL PYRRHA!" the cheer, "KEEPER OF THE DYING YEAR!" Then they break into wild cheering. There are a surprising number of servants here and their celebration makes it evident that there might be more of them than there are guests.
"I will admit... I need to brush up on my knowledge of the spirits, really. But this is a helpful refresher...." Galve said, before being drowned out by the loud cheering. Snagging a cup from a nearby tray, the costumed sheep is starting to get into the spirit of things, though he did notice the ratio of guests to a servants was a little weighted in the spirit's favor, should anything happen. He made a note of it before taking a pull from the cup.
Lidara finally draws his attention away from the dais and to the boar, his head remaining cocked to the side for a few moments while he considers his words. Eventually, he gives a quick shrug, his attention flicking up to the dais once more as he does so. "It does seem like they think pretty highly of themselves, if they're doing all of this in their own honor...," he pauses once he hears all of the cheering, the short feline's gaze starting to travel over the crowd as he takes notice of the ratio of guests to servants. After a moment of consideration, his masked gaze goes to the boar again. "Do you think we could be in danger?"
The female spirit with the skull head basks in the adoration of her subjects, waving and. . . well, she might be smiling. It is hard to tell. Skull.
The Boar looks around, surprised at Lidara's question. "I don't think so," he says, "You are invited guests. There are rules for that. And Spirits are very particular about rules. As long as you act like a guest, you are probably safe."
Pyrrha raises her hands at the front of the church. "Welcome, my children!" she calls out, "My blessing on you all at this celebration! Let the supplicants come forward!"
Supplicants?
Unsure who Pyrrha was addressing, Galve remained in his spot, though he did glance at the goat and then around the room. "Who exactly was she talking about?" He asked in a hushed voice.
Shira squints. "Well then. What is this about? Supplicants?" She frowns. "And here I thought we were going to have a ball." She puts her fists into her sides, looking like a very upset little mouse doll, but it is clear that it acted and the tone in her voice reflects that she expected that there might be more to this party.
Lidara again turns his attention to the boar now, giving a quick nod to him as he does so. "Alright," really it's hard to tell if he was actually very reassured by the response, thanks to that mask. He doesn't look tense or anything, at the very least. He cocks his head to the side a bit again though, seeming to think for a moment. "How do you know so much about the Spirits, if you don't mind me asking?" The feline glances over to Pyrrha as she starts to speak, that curious look appearing in his eyes once more. "Is she talking about the servants?"
"Oh no," the Boar says, shaking his head, "She's not talking about the servants. And the Spirits are a something of a hobby of mine. I find them fascinating. Now watch. This is not something to miss."
A small cue of beings has lined up a little short of the dais, attended by skull marked servants. It seems like most of the guests are as confused as the trio waiting together, but there is a small contingent who seem to have come here with additional purpose. The first 'supplicant' totters forward to kneel at Pyrrha's feet. She is an old and rather frail looking bird wearing peacock plumage and a mask over her plain, brown feathers. "Lady," she warbles weakly, "Please."
The bone lady looks down at the bird and reaches out a pale, long-fingered hand and caresses the little being's jaw. "I grant you my blessing, child," she says lovingly, then the bird sighs and slumps over. There is a cheer from the skull-marked servants and a pair of them gently lift the fallen form and carry her away.
What just happened!?
"Well... this is slightly disconcerting." Galve said, sipping his drink and looking to the others. He was blanching a little at the display.
Shira crosses her arms, mot sure how to feel about this. It was more or less clear to her what just happened, but she was not sure how she felt about it. "Well. That kills the mood. Among other things."
Lidara gives one more brief nod to the boar, and with that his attention goes forward to the que, the bird that's stepping forward from the front of it to be specific. What happens after that... makes the orange cat's eyes widen and gets him to take a step back though, his hand again going backwards to rest on his hip, this time a lot closer to the hidden hilt of his weapon. "She just... killed her, right?" His attention again goes to the boar. He's had pretty much all of the answers for all of the feline's questions so far, after all. "Did she... want her to do that...?"
"Oh yes," the Boar answers, "Almost certainly. That is what most of the Bone Woman's supplicants come to her for. Didn't you see all the statues and reliefs here?"
Another being, this one a robust young beaver steps nervously up to the dais at Pyrrha's feet. His eyes look raw and puffy. He does not speak, but when the skeletal creature reaches down and lays a bony hand on his head, he sighs, almost as if relieved and his lifeless body slumps over, greeted by a cheer from the skull painted servants.
By now, the other enthroned Spirits are starting to look bored, and more than a few of the party guests are carefully edging their way to the doors. The servants don't seem to be interested in stopping anyone from leaving.
"Oh ok. That seems.... reasonable.... if a little... fanatical and morbid..." Galve says, glancing at the exit. "I wonder if the other spirits might... take offense to umm.... this." He poses the question to the boar, the present expert on the subject at hand
Shira shakes her head slightly. "The much more interesting question is if the other three have supplicants as well and what they might ask of them." The mouse runs her hand through her hair as she ponders the thought.
Lidara glances around the church once more now, this time paying extra careful attention to all of the depictions of death around the room.... "I... didn't think that those were more than decoration, to be honest...." His attention goes back to the que as the beaver steps forward though, and once the cat sees him slump down onto the ground too... that seems to be the last straw, really. "I... think that I've seen enough of this party. It's been nice talking to all of you, but I'm going home." And with that said, the short feline does just that, turning around and making his way towards the exit at a pace that's a lot quicker than the other beings heading to it. Hopefully the carriages that brought them here are still around.
"Not here, Miss," the boar says to Shira, "Not tonight. This is all Pyrrha's party. I imagine she wanted to show off the fine chaple that other Freesword built for her. A little show of power and grace after that whole army of the dead fiasco. Bad for public relations, that sort of thing. But being locked away for a couple thousand years does things to a mind."
The goat looks at Galve and answers his question. "No," he says, "Death is her realm. She is doing her job. What is there to object to?"
From outside, there is a scream. Lidara arrives at the exit in time to see why. Other beings who managed to sneak out first have found where all the undead got to. There is a huge, still, silent mob of ragged, shambling dead standing in the street between the church and the city gates.
"Of course I- Oh no..... t-this isn't good." Galve said, glancing back at the alcove nervously. "I... I hope we don't have to go through them to... to um..." His voice trailed off.
Shira blinks and tilts her head, looking up at the boar. ""Other Freeswords?" Freeswords restored this? When did that happen and how did she get them to do it? Surely there must be more suited and willing folks for construction efforts?"
Lidara stops dead in his tracks the moment that he hears the scream and spots the large undead horde blocking their path; the cat's stance quickly drops into a more combat ready one as his hand goes back to wrap around the hilt of the dagger he has hidden away, though he doesn't draw it quite yet. For the moment, the costumed cat simply stands like that, his gaze travelling over all of the undead in front of him to look for any sort of opening that would let him slip around them.
