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.

[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.

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.

[bearsperminute]

"Zong zi," she pronounces, better this time. "We used different leaves, but it sounds like the principle's similar; I'll take the pork on your recommendation."

Still, she does have an especial treat. "I also brought bird chilies, like I threatened last time."

[singlemilletgrain]

"Oh?"

Shu examines the offerings before her.

"Yes, this variety grows far to the southeast. Thus, it is... not traditionally something that is included in zong zi. Or in Yanese cooking in general. But you are welcome to put whatever you wish into your own creations. Perhaps it is not surprising that an adventurous person would prefer adventurous eating as well."

Shu thinks for a moment, then reaches under the table for something.

"Food preparation gloves. Better safe than sorry."

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.

Re: iii

[theriflespiral]

"Understand I am handicapping myself further here by using these," she explains to her opponent, unfurling her Inner Lotus. "I am Outlander. These weapons are..."

Her opponent, however, is impatient to begin, pulling a straight sword from the rack and ignoring ettiquette slightly. "Enough of your boasts!"

Natalia slips out of the way of the exceedingly clumsy swing, turning, starting a rhythm that shows in mist and the turning of the hammers. As she suspected, the wide-ranging hammers combined with solid organic material gathers and disperses Ether more efficiently than she'd feared, but less efficiently than she'd hoped. They would do, but better ones would have to wait for her to understand magic weapons.

Regardless, she continues her lecture, keeping rhythm while she speaks. A burst of mist suffuses the ground and obscures the battlefield. "Back home, something similar to these are used to test one's care and erudition with what, here, is called personal Ether."

She slips out of the way once more and now, one meteor hammer hooks around his sword arm. "One may focus one's Ether, even through an inferior weapon, to reinforce its capabilities. This is a more advanced form--"

The hammer shifts in a way that appears unnatural, changing direction with barely a twitch from Natalia's hand. "Where one can control the path of a connected object."

His arm is trapped, but of course, he has his own strength, and contests control of the weapon. Natalia shifts stance, but her foot and maneuver are still keeping time.

[bearsperminute]

"Ah, you're right. You really only need to make that sort of mistake once, don't you?" She replies, carefully slipping off the pilots' gloves that she usually wears in favor of the protective gloves. "I remember one time I was crying for what felt like days after preparing these with Dad."

She's careful to pull out the white inner support, along with the seeds, using her knife with decent precision. "Turns out I'd forgotten to wash my hands after helping him prepare some of these and I went to wipe my eyes. Dad explained what happened and considered the matter punishment enough."

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.

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.

[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.

Re: I

[theriflespiral]

Natalia pauses. Oh, no. Oh no he does not know the art!

"Link. I understand your trepidation since this is really not your forte, but-- a boast is as much poetry, bragging, and pointing out holes in others' stories, as it is telling the story. For instance-- we two could trade increasingly unlikely feats until we reached our most recent exploit."

[newmemorywhodis]

For a moment, Link just stares back. His face devoid of any expression.

Until he grabs his Purah Pad, and turns it to show Natalia a picture. It shows Link riding a horse, one that is indeed very big.

"His name is Pumpkin," Link announces.

It seems Link is not particularly concerned with the actual artform of boasting. Or he considers this picture of a Really Really Big Horse evidence of his prowess enough (and indeed: what more information do you even need?). Or maybe he just wants to show off his horse.

(The real answer is, of course: all of the above, at once.)

[singlemilletgrain]

"When my youngest brother was very, very young, he went to use the restroom..."

Shu murmurs without continuing the rest of that story, allowing it to speak for itself.

"He is now one of the most accomplished chefs in all of Yan, but I do continue to think of him as that little boy crying and wailing."

This is probably grounds for sororicide, but Shu is allowed to tell embarrassing stories about her siblings. She sets out some bamboo leaves for Kanna and takes a heaping spoonful of the glutinous rice.

[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."

[singlemilletgrain]

She hides a smile at the opponent's frustration, and though she did appreciate Natalia's grandstanding, it was, perhaps, a bit lengthy.

It is obvious that Natalia is skilled. There is some combination of Ether and martial prowess happening - perhaps something intrinsic to her, as well. She recalls that Natalia had spoken of and demonstrated an inner... frost when they had first met. This, she gathers, is manifesting as a sort of mist, perhaps.

The dancing meteor display is one that she has seen before, but its theoretical usage contrasts sharply with its practical ability now to grapple an opponent. Shu watches with great interest as Natalia disables the other combatant with one easy swing of the hammer. It appears that Natalia is aware of what an unusual demonstration this is, judging from the lecture.

[theriflespiral]

The disarm is similarly quick, as she pulls the hammer in with her whole weight and a foot, drops the second, and with her free hand, wrests the sword from him, sending it flying. "You are correct-- Imperial training trains mass quickly, and effectively for many situations. But it is not the pinnacle."

Now, she sighs and helps him recover, and they both take bows, because it appears that, in fact, she has drawn a crowd.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link feels no guilt. He didn't overextend at all. He'd just faced an enemy with an ability he...hadn't known how to counter before it was used on him. And Gaurus was dead now anyway, so in the end Link was still the winner of that encounter.

But Shu wouldn't be the first person to have fussed over him. He quietly allows it.

Now though, he sits and listens to Shu's story. At her description of the Feranmut, he cocks his head to one side with a faint frown as he tries to relate them to something more familiar to him. If they were the land itself as life...were they like taluses? But then she said they were part primordial force, so...maybe they were really closer to Calamity Ganon?

In the end, Link's not sure he really understands just what they were. But he doesn't interrupt; he just stays quiet, and continues to listen.

[bearsperminute]

She can't help laughing a little as she says, "Ohhh, nooooo!"

And because of all of these tales, she is, of course, careful with cutting up the chilies and placing two-- and only two-- carefully cut, into the prep area. If they make another packet, she'll probably cut up more.. "I'm not going to assume again, not after last time with the farm."

[theriflespiral]

"He is a fine horse," Natalia admits, quietly realizing exactly why it is that Link would never be happy as an Elysium operative.

"How did you come across him? He looks like he's a draft horse, and yet trained to the saddle?"

[newmemorywhodis]

See? She's impressed - as she should be - so clearly Link has achieved a successful boast. Or at least, Link is going to consider that he has.

"Heard a rumour," Link says. "Caught him in the Taobab Grassland."

[singlemilletgrain]

"Hm?"

Shu blinks as she looks up, for she doesn't understand what Kanna is referring to, exactly.

"Assume? ...Assume what happened with Yu?"

(That is her brother's name.) She doesn't think that's what Kanna is saying, since it has no relevance to what happened with the farm before, but...

"Well. I should allow him some dignity."

[bearsperminute]

"No no, the instructions," Kanna says. "My first instinct is to dump it all in, wrap it in the leaves, and let it sit in the steamer for a while, but... being a little overly hasty is what got me into trouble on the farm, isn't it?"

[singlemilletgrain]

Shu doesn't entirely expect him to. The concept of a Feranmut is not entirely equivocal to god, nor to spirit, nor to personification. It is something of a mixture of those things and several other undefinable things, besides.

"Now, let us not judge the Feranmut too harshly. Having no conception of human existence, they can have no conception of human values, either. When the first people started to walk upon the lands - walk upon their bodies, in a sense - they did not particularly... care. For them, it was about as interesting as you find... your body hair.

"And so the Ancient races - the people of Terra - came to Terra and began to live, populate, and dwell in this world. And when they brought their human ideas and beliefs, it was inevitable that some of it would seep into the Feranmut. Some did not care. They continued to slumber or to exist wholly separate from human society. Others grew fond of their little colonies of creatures and chose to become guardians. Some of these began to be seen as gods - even worshipped. Over millennia, a few Feranmut even took on human form to dwell with their people. Some went the opposite direction and were seen as great, vicious monstrosities who devoured the bodies and souls of people who dared to cross them.

"Our story, however, considers a Feranmut that called himself Sui, who took on the human ideas of greed, selfishness, and ambition."