Event #09: THE FETE OF KNOWLEDGE

[vivalamods]

EVENT #09: THE FETE OF KNOWLEDGE

As the month wears on, the Imperial forces withdraw, tired of scouring the seas in attempts to pick off individual Corsair ships, have slunk back to their masters. During this time, the Corsairs were hard at work finishing the Crimson Portal in Asphodel, and for the first time ever the Corsairs now have four waypoints - an enormous gain as they welcome the refugees from Vindess.

The refugees themselves are settling about as well as can be expected. Tension is still high, while the people are grateful for being saved from certain doom, a lifetime of propaganda doesn’t fade away in an instant and they remain wary, upset at the loss of their homes and way of life. Struggle is natural, and thus, the Corsairs have prepared for the second phase of the resettlement operation - the Fete of Knowledge.

As Asphodel residents stream into the Vault, music - the kind never permitted under Imperial auspices - echoes through the halls. Although the hammering of munitions is ever-present, this music is meant to reverberate through the caverns, echoing upon itself to build into even greater harmonies. This is music of the Crimson Corsairs, made to suit their purposes and circumstances. A salve for aching hearts and a beauty to bring a tear to the eye, the Vault is ready to prove that as the last repository of forbidden knowledge in the world, the wonders they hold welcome all who have the minds to seek it.

With the spring thaw well underway there is still much to be done, but the Corsairs have worked to complete it as best they can. Thus, most everyone within the three, no, four cities should find some time to partake in the Fete. As the week-long festivities commence, Corsairs are welcomed to take a much-needed break and celebrate their triumphs.

Join the Performance

The music of the day is a beautiful choral arrangement, repeated on the hour to echo through the halls, the verses building upon each other. While not enough to drown out the bombing, it’s a gorgeous piece and one that somehow provides a measure of peace and comfort. Any and all are welcome to lend their voices, there are several parts for any vocal range with the more complex vocalizations being handled by experienced musicians. And, best of all, any who aid in the song are gifted a jug of honey wine, a salve for a sore throat and a delicious delicacy besides.

Debate Hall

The Debate Hall is often lively, and during the Fete it has been repurposed to serve as the center of introduction to rhetoric. Debates between people of roughly equivalent skill are held throughout the Fete, and the topic of debate can be anything the participants choose. Debates over best foods, fashion, or even the odd lyrical exchange of truly hair-raising insults, just about any kind of confrontational discourse is currently on display for the amusement of refugees and Corsairs alike. Corsairs are free to join the stage, so long as they honor the traditions of the hall - settle disputes with words, not blades. At least while you’re in the hall, anyway.

Banquet Hall

The Corsairs have tapped their stores to create a truly enormous feast of delicacies only found in the Eternal Ocean. Aquatic creatures of all sorts grace the tables, as well as some of the native flora and fauna of Elysium’s fields, prepared to absolute perfection. And then, of course, there is the grog, free-flowing and plentiful to help take the edge off the trauma of the resettlement. The mood is mostly festive, with sober bouncers on hand to eject any Corsairs who might get a bit too belligerent while soaking in libations.

Dueling Hall

Sometimes words are not enough, and the Corsairs have set up a dueling hall within the Vault for people to test their skills against each other in controlled environments. Ether is dampened in the Dueling Hall, so while one can cast spells as they might, the lethality is far reduced, a once-searing flame is now a gentle warmth and a block of ice a pleasant mist. This, along with padded weaponry, make for a fine way for Corsairs to both test their skill and show off for the masses, with any number of interesting rules in play to make the contests of strength more interesting and enjoyable to watch. With many a pair from the Debate Hall making their way to the Dueling Hall to continue their disputes, the hall is busy for the entirety of the Fete.

Story Hall

A Story Hall has been set up near the library for actors and orators to read and sometimes act out the books and stories found within the library. While the townsfolk of Vindess are not entirely illiterate, their lower class nature as mine workers means that many cannot read, or read well, and this hall gives them an opportunity to experience the wonder of the written word, of story and legend, and to hear the histories the Empire has long suppressed. The Story Hall is always looking for more orators and actors to read or act out books and plays, and it is one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the Fete, with the Vindess residents hungry for these once-forbidden tales.

Wildcard

The Fete of Knowledge is all about sharing, so there are any number of activities, and Corsairs are encouraged to come up with their own to keep the Fete moving. You may use this prompt to do whatever you wish. Enjoy the party!

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[singlemilletgrain]

[1. story hall]

The stories of old Esthere are fascinating to hear. Dragons and gods of old who once dwelt upon this land, ruling their territories and guiding the people of this world. Who knew what was true and what was legend? Shu cannot contribute to this storied history, regretfully. But she does not mind telling a few stories of her own.

"A story? I see..."

She thinks for a bit.

"I have many tales to tell. Perhaps you may pick one that is of interest to you? Why don't I name a few. There is the Tale of the Demon Wastes. The Farmer and the Xian. The Story of the Shattered God. The Ascent Beyond the Heavens."

[2. banquet hall]

Well, obviously. Anyway who has sampled Shu's cooking in the past will recognize a few of the dishes laid out in the banquet hall. This is nothing new. What might be different today is that Shu has set up a little table with an enormous pot of cooked rice, a large number of thick, dark green leaves, and twine.

She beckons you over.

"Come. Make some zong zi with me."

[3. misc]

Need her for any other reason? When not partaking of the festivities, Shu can be found during the days of the Fete tending to her crops in the Vault. It is the middle of the season for growing wheat, after all. Her two non-flying oxen work placidly beside her as she clears the fields of weeds and pests.

2

[bearsperminute]

"Zong zi?" She asks, quiet but ready. She knows a few different ways to prepare rice with those sorts of thick leaves, but the Chinese names die pretty horrible deaths in her mouth. "Very well. What exactly goes on in this?"

[singlemilletgrain]

"Zong zi."

She emphasizes the tonal accents of the words, a downwards drop for the first time and a dip for the second.

"It is glutinous rice and other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed. You may pick what you prefer. Usually the meat is pork, but I have prepared a variety of options." Shu gestures at the table. "You may even make it sweet, if you wish."

There is only the faintest, most indiscernible tone of judgment that suggests that Shu frowns upon sweet zongzi.

1

[newmemorywhodis]

As Shu prepares to begin her story, Link drags himself over - crutches and all - to sit before her. Hands on his knees, he looks up, quiet and attentive.

"...Shattered God, please." he says.

[singlemilletgrain]

Shu has already made it quite clear to Link how she felt about his... overextension in combat. This mostly took the form of deep, sorrowful sighs and covered dishes of food appearing outside his door. From the way Shu behaved, it somehow feels as if Link ought to feel guilty about getting seriously injured, despite being the victim in all this.

Guilt was, after all, a vital part of Yanese culture.

She will spare him the theatrics this time as she gives a nod.

"The oldest story I know. Very well.

Before I begin, you must know a little bit about the land of Terra and its inhabitants. Long, long ago, before the races came to Terra, there were no creatures that dwelt upon the land. Instead, the land itself took form as life. These were called the Feranmut, the oldest inhabitants of Terra. Part living creature, part primordial force, the Feranmut had no conception of all the wonderful things that humans understood today. Judgment, ration, emotion, hope. They simply... were."

[spacetogrow]

Ilphyl was adapting to the curse. Discovering racoon paws could hold a piece of chalk was a marked improvement to using a parrot's or raven's ability to mimic words, or carry a communication device around and try to type. The raccoon was becoming one of the forms they tended to socialize as until they could figure out a way to break the curse. That and the cat, on the general principle that people like cats.

Ilphyl also has taken pains to make themselves still recognizable -- their tattoo is visible as a pattern on fur, and they have their spell focus around their neck, in addition to hauling a slate and chalk around, and whatever supernatural senses could pick up a druid in wild shape. 'The Farmer sounds good'.

[singlemilletgrain]

Shu smiles in approval.

"This is my favorite story. Very well. The Farmer and the Xian. ...To begin, you will need to know what a Xian is. It is a word in Yanese that means something like god, or spirit, but has slightly different connotations. 'Immortal,' perhaps, is the best translation. It is an immortal who knows very little of humanity.

"Once, long, long ago, when the land of Yan had just gone through a great war, the people of Yan in the northern wastes were starving. Though the farmers worked the land, they did not have the agricultural knowledge that we hold now and struggled to grow even the most meagre of grains. Starvation was common. And the rulers of Yan, the nobility far to the south, were too preoccupied with rebuilding after the war to care for some peasant farmers in the far reaches of their land.

"So it was that these people lived harsh and tragic lives.

"One day, wandering through the fields, a farmer came upon a figure with the form of a girl. Thinking she was a lost and hungry child, the farmer took her in and fed and clothed her. But this child was strange. She spoke of strange things, asked strange questions, and did not understand the most simple of facts. Finally, one day in frustration, the farmer declared...

'You must be a Xian.'

And so it was that an immortal came to Earth."

2

[freearcadia]

"Zong zi?" He asked as Shu calls out before giving a half-laugh. "I am not sure if me and food prep belong in the same category." Though he didn't exactly outright decline the offer.

[singlemilletgrain]

"Nonsense."

Harlock is beckoned over, and Shu thrusts some food preparation gloves upon him.

"If you can pilot an airship, you can make a zong zi. It is so simple that even children help. All you need to do is pick the fillings you prefer."

1

[testygirl]

Aira has had a quiet, wistful energy since her rescue—or maybe it would be more accurate to say that she's been low-key anti-social, particularly in the way that she's been avoiding the brave folks that had all come to save her and Donnie. She finds the whole thing kind of embarrassing, frankly.

Still, the warm air of celebration all around as loosened her up some. She also has plans to read stories to some of the displaced children from Vindess, and she could probably learn a thing or two from how Shu goes about her telling. But anyway, it's obviously hard to determine which story will be the most interesting based on title alone. She tilts her head a little.

"Which one's your favorite?"

Is it the one with the farmer? It is, isn't it.

[singlemilletgrain]

Obviously.

Shu smiles.

"Need you even ask? But you need not indulge me. The history of Terra is vast and storied. If you are interested in something else, you do not need to hear the tale of a simple peasant farmer and the spirit she unknowingly raised."

Shu has given Aira her space. Though she cannot exactly empathize with the position, she knows enough about humanity to understand pride and embarrassment. And as far as she can tell, Aira is a young woman with a great deal of pride.

2

[supersmashbrother]

Nothing draws Raph faster to a table than a bunch of delicious food. And to him, all food is delicious.

He's been wandering about the banquet hall several times now, but his attention perks when Shu waves him over. He perks even more when he sees the pot of rice on her little table, hustling over in anticipation for another meal.

...That is, until he learns he's not going to be eating just yet. "Making? Is it not already made?"

[theriflespiral]

I. A Lively(?) Debate
Well. If it's Natalia Koutolika, spreading knowledge and stories, what better way than the dockside champion of the boast to make a boast?

"Boasts for the hale-hearted, those unwearied world-walkers, whose tales command and whose fortitude is unmatched! Speak your poems of heart and rising! Come and let me hear you, truth-teller, fist-fighter, for you know, when you speak of one whose boasts are unrivaled, you speak to Natalia! So willing am I to be challenged, I will let you boast first."

II. Stacked To The Nines
If there's one bad habit Natalia picked up in the Army, it was never to turn down a free meal. And so, rather than doing the polite thing, she has stacked her plate to ridiculous levels, balancing it only by supernatural coordination and skill, plates and bowls of a dozen different cultures piled high.

She's not sure if she can eat it all now, but she'll sure be able to eat it all later.

... Though she'd better make sure no one realizes she plans to hoard this, huh...?

III. A Dancer's Duel
In the dueling hall, Natalia picks up a pair of meteor hammers and breathes. If nothing else, this latest challenger seems like the perfect opportunity to test her dancing and casting to the utmost, and an incredible opportunity for her to teach others the start of the secrets of the Inner Lotus.

And perhaps, of course, the Inner Lotus is not quite the same here, that it is back home. Perhaps it is not a shard of divine nature, urging itself into living flame blossoming flower fruits of hard work.

But it is close enough, she thinks, that teaching it will do no harm.

Well. For the average citizen, anyway. Other PCs have different paradigms.

iii

[singlemilletgrain]

"流星...? (liu xing...?)"

Good heavens.

She has never seen anyone actually use the meteor hammer in real combat. One of the ancient weapons of Yanese civilization, she had always suspected it was one of her brother's more impractical inventions. A soft weapon, its mastery involved martial skills that far exceeded simple swordsmanship or spear work. Balance, coordination, precision and dexterity over strength or force.

It made for an excellent demonstration of wushu. But in an actual duel?

Shu sits up a little straighter in the audience to observe what is to come.

I

[newmemorywhodis]

Link is...not a debater. At all. He shouldn't even be in this hall, but he wondered in by accident and then got distracted listening to all of the arguments happening.

This is a weird activity. But...Zelda would love it, he's sure.

And so he ends up vaguely hovering near Natalia when she makes her challenge - and makes an impulsive decision to respond.

"Caught a really big horse once."

...Although Link's might have a rather different view of what counts as boast-worthy than many others.

II

[testygirl]

Being polite is for chumps, and that goes double for when there are myriad delicacies available to stuff your face with. By chance, Aira crosses Natalia's path with her own supremely overloaded plate.

... Whose is stacked higher, actually? Aira squints. Then she smirks.

"You wanna see who can eat more?"

[newmemorywhodis]

i. Banquet hall
For someone with a broken leg and crutches, when faced with the wonders of the banquet table Link proves himself to be oddly mobile. Because he is everywhere trying absolutely everything.

That baked fish? He'll have that. The seafood rice balls? He'll have that too. Oh, and the crab cakes, and the trout stew, and the seaweed salad...

Eventually, he ends up stuffing a few of his half-eaten dishes into his korok-enchanted pack. Gotta have something for later, after all.

ii. Dueling hall
Over in the Dueling hall, Link roams through the space, giving intense looks to anyone even vaguely looking like they might pick up a weapon. Does he want to fight anyone?

...If he does, he's not getting any takers. No one's keen to fight the guy with a broken leg, apparently.

But maybe Link's just looking to watch a few good matches - he does end up observing quite a few, quietly watching as others spar.

iii. Story hall
Anyone knows Link at all will immediately realise that he is not in the Story Hall to tell a tale of his own. That would require him to say far too many words at once, in a public forum no less.

But Link does like listening to stories. So of course he wants to spend some time here.

Or at least he does, until some of the storytellers take note of him, and start insisting that he tell a story too. Link is pulled over to one of the speaking podiums, at which point Link just...stares, wide-eyed and faintly alarmed, at the audience that seems to have suddenly appeared.

Oh no.

ii

[heaven_rooted]

Maybe it's strange to see one of the resident healers at the Dueling Hall, but then again, it might also be thought that he's there to help oversee any potential injuries. Which...could be true...

Except Tau is standing out in the midst of the hall, a casual smirk on his face as he faces off against a larger, rougher looking Corsair.

"I will wipe that smug look off your face!" the latter shouts, charging without further preamble.

"This is a dueling hall, not a brawling hall," the healer says, but at the last second he flips as the Corsair swings, landing on his shoulder as though weighing no more than a feather. He drops down, lashing out with a kick that sends the Corsair tumbling off past Link.

Ilphyl | OTA

[spacetogrow]

Join the Performance
Still under the curse, Ilphyl has to be selective about what things they do, but they chose the song. Because there was magic in a chorus, where any one voice adds to the whole. Ilphyl isn't a trained singer, but they have sung in groups and can follow directions. And the wine is welcome for someone who hasn't been using their voice much recently.

Dueling Hall
Ilphyl is quite willing to practice sparring for any Corsair inclined to fight something a bit more unusual than someone with a sword or gun. So if you ever wanted to fight a bear... or is that a giant octopus?, now is your chance.

D-d-dueling

[supersmashbrother]

Sai or no sai, Raph is more than happy to take on either of those options. The bigger and stronger the opponent, the better!

One would think he'd be tired of fighting so frequently, but he isn't one to turn down friendly combat. In fact, he seems like he's fine with just straight-up pro wrestling. He punches the air twice, slamming his knuckles together with a toothy grin.

"Come on, show me what you got!"

[testygirl]

I. DRANK-QUET HALL

It was tempting for Aira to skip the festivities altogether. She hadn't been in the mood, and there was a bunch of work in the shop that she needed to catch up on.

Yet, here she is. The jovial atmosphere is infectious, and frankly, it would have been insane to pass up on all this good food. As for the drink to go with it? Since joining the Corsairs, Aira has stayed well clear of the grog; if pressed, she could use the excuse that she's too young to drink—back home in Japan, anyway. Tonight, though, a jug of the honey wine is too great a temptation. It isn't that strong, but before she knows it, Aira is about two cups deep and pleasantly drunk.

"Oh my god, have you tried this? It's freaking amazing." She points across the table with a dramatic flourish. "And you. You're freaking amazing!"

Yes, you—stranger, acquaintance, friend. Everyone is in this fight together, after all! Anyway, the first part of her declaration could be referring to the honey wine, or one of several dishes she has laid out in front of her: shrimp, crab, calamari, whatever else. It's her goal to try a bit of everything, at least.

II. STORY TIME

Earlier in the day, a sober Aira can be found reading picture books to a group of kids, many of whom are refugees from Vindess. The selection is somewhat limited, but there's one in particular that she likes. It's a grounded, beautifully illustrated story about a girl named Clara who loses her father to war. Her widowed mother is sickly and bed-ridden, and while she has three older brothers, they leave one by one for their own pursuits: one to join the war and avenge their father; one to start his own business in the city; one to elope with his lover.

This leaves Clara lonely, overworked, and beleaguered. Her mother's condition doesn't seem to improve despite her efforts: she takes care of the house, tends the garden, raises chickens, and works odd jobs for her neighbors so that she can buy books on healing and medicine. Clara makes friends with a sprite from the nearby wood, who helps a little with her endless chores, but it's unclear whether the creature is imaginary.

Her brothers return only after years have passed. The first has lost a leg in the fighting; the second is penniless and in debt; the third is bitter with a broken heart. In the final scene, Clara's ongoing treatment hasn't cured her mother, but she has the strength to walk with her arm-in-arm up to a colorfully illustrated hillside. She kindly urges Clara to pursue her own dreams, and observes that there are countless people out in the wide world that she could help using her compassion and the knowledge of healing she's accrued. With her mother's heartfelt blessing, Clara leaves the little village to become a traveling apothecary.

"The end!" Aira closes the book and smiles warmly towards the kids gathered around. "Did you all like that story? It had some sad parts, huh? But I love how Clara is so brave and smart and kind to her mom. So, do you think there's a message in the story we all could learn from?"

The children are quiet and shy, as one might expect, so Aira looks to whoever else might have stayed to listen. The group might be encouraged to open up a bit and chime in after hearing an older person's answer.

I.

[straykitty]

"Well. I suppose you haven't thanked me enough for busting you out of prison~"

Renne has been watching the proceedings with amusement. She tends to be quite careful with alcohol, being of limited constitution herself, and is amused to see Aira so thoroughly soused so soon.

II

[supersmashbrother]

A huge, emotional SNIFF is heard among the crowd of children gathered. Seated somewhere behind them, Raph has been tearing up all throughout the telling, sniffing again as he wipes his eyes with one hand. He holds onto his Emotional Support Donnie with the other.

"It was very sad!" Despite the obvious break in his voice, he seems to have enjoyed it. "She didn't have to go through all of that! But she did! An' she didn't give up once — 'specially when she had a mom who supported her."

Wildcard!

[newmemorywhodis]

Link had been keeping an eye out, for Aira. He didn't know her as well as Donnie, but...he still wanted to check that she was okay, after everything.

It's in the Duelling Hall that he ends up spotting a glimpse of her. She's having a match, but he can't see well until he pushes his way through the crowd that's gathered around her and her opponent.

He is not above using his crutches to help muscle his way in.