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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Comments

[theriflespiral]

"It is not the skill or hobby itself. It's--" She pauses, struggling to find the words in Imperial "A touch-expansion, a touch-creation, a sudden look at a world that is so much more vast and complex than the one you knew of. In this way, it's a lot like learning anything else...

"With the exception that you can, hesitantly, strum at those strings that sing the world."

[singlemilletgrain]

Natalia is speaking in poetic terms and though Shu is well versed in metaphor and prolix sophistry, she is too much a spirit of nature and zen to appreciate the world through a mathematical lens. Still, she supposes she has a sense of what is being conveyed.

"...I do not think that is a way that I can approach the world. But I begin to conceive of what you might be saying. Insofar as one might view the foundations of the world as anything concrete, I suppose that mathematics is a possibility." Numbers were too sterile for her heart. "So you understand your soul through math. But I think my initial question remains of how one might care for this Lotus?"

[theriflespiral]

"Right-- sorry-- Much the same as any other set of muscles or plants. Work them. Up to a point, perfectly industrial."

[singlemilletgrain]

Through mathematical problems, she assumes. Shu still does not feel much like she understands, but this line of inquiry does not seem to be enlightening her.

"Regardless of the reasons, it is very admirable that you have such control and precision - of the weapon, and of yourself. Do you find that your training is not progressing as well here?"

[theriflespiral]

"I feel... I feel like... there is so much to do and undo." She begins to get into a routine. "That I can control my body and its energies and the precise nature of it until it screams for mercy and even beyond, and have my very martial prowess become a puzzle for others to solve, and it won't change that other people took a beautiful revelation and saw only a new kind of weapon, a new way to wage war, another fascinating method of drawing blood."

Natalia cannot see it. Shu might be able to-- the way the mist swirls beneath her dance describes a rose. "I want to take up the tools of my Lotus and make music again, rather than pull bow-strings."

[singlemilletgrain]

This she understands.

"Certainly so. The training of the body and mind is a beautiful thing, championed by sages and philosophers alike. To be used solely as a tool of war is a waste of such efforts. The mastery of inner discipline is a pursuit worth taking for its own sake. My eldest brother - he has a similar understanding of the martial arts. As I seek to perfect humanity's understanding of the agricultural domain, so he wishes to attain perfect knowledge of the workings of his body.

"Then perhaps you are more free to pursue this goal here?"

The dance does not go unnoticed, though Shu does not comment specifically on it. She presumes that Natalia is guiding the mist herself.

[theriflespiral]

"But for our erstwhile Tsar, i would agree." She snaps the weights into her hands, a downbeat that releases the gathered Ether in a faint rush of cold wind. "... as caster's tools, they're not bad, but the tradeoffs might be a bit much."

[singlemilletgrain]

"Tsar?"

This is a word she faintly associates with the Emperor of Ursus, though it is not terribly commonly used.

"Your leader has gone missing? And you are saying you have been released from your military servitude in their absence?"

[theriflespiral]

"Eh? no-- I speak of the Emperor above us, not the one back home."

[singlemilletgrain]

"Oh! Yes. You mean you would enjoy it here were it not for his actions."

She pauses.

"We haven't seen much of him since that broadcast. I continue to wonder if the people of this world actually support him through genuine loyalty. Or if there is simply no other choice."

[theriflespiral]

"When one presents every other option as definitionally worse, through the lens of its failures, the right to rule appears unassailable." she sighs. "Add in making the life of someone decently comfortable, and most will not look beyond their own nose.

"And, well, who can blame them? Surviving can be hard enough."