[Festival of Illusions] Visionaries (Order of Transcendence)

by **Eridanus** on May 6th, 2012, 4:47 am

Day 89, Spring of 512 AV
Mid-day
Center of the City

It was the height of celebrations. Whatever spectacular art or amazing illusions shown before were all dwarfed by those that appeared today. Even the city seemed to be joining in on it, and the usually random, winding paths that residents were lead to now all lead to the center of the city - the area around the Temple of Illusions. Various trinkets float about on their own, defying gravity, and a huge variety of creative and colourful banners hung on rafters and roof-tops.

Cheerful music could be heard from all corners of the city, though it was difficult to properly place the notes for it was a peaceful cacophony of different instruments and voices, all meshed together in strange harmony. Even at weird intervals and cadences, the jarring chords seemed to blend together with the coincidentally harmonious ones, creating a unique mix of music that could only work during the Festival of Illusions.

Eridanus was a resident of Alvadas, and as such he was there as well, amidst the crowds, enjoying the festive mood and perusing the various wares and services unique to the Festival. He was alone, but it did not bother him, for he felt like he was there with friends. With the crowd that were here to enjoy the spectacle, with the City that seemed determined to provide and appreciate entertainment to and from its residents, and with Ionu who he imagined would bask in this entire situation.

Raising his eyes to look at the grandly decorated Temple of Illusions, he chuckled at how the deceptively random swirl of colours that covered parts of the building seem to converge into a single, hard-to-place colour that represented the uniqueness of Alvadas.

"Are you enjoying this, Ionu?" He muttered, grinning as he took in the sights.

by **Anishna** on May 9th, 2012, 3:46 am

The final day of the Festival had dawned, and Alvadas was alive with merriment. Colour exploded on all corners of the city, and a graceful cacophony of sound trumpeted forth. Laughter, music, squeals, singing... It all coalesced into something great and terribly messy. There was no order to anything, and that was as it should be, especially in Alvadas.

Anishna was one of many with an instrument upon her lap. The mandolin sang with the instruments in the hands of much more skilled artists, but even the notes, lacking as they were with purpose, seemed to fit into the general atmosphere.

In Avanthal, no festival was this gaudy, exuberant, or chaotic. There was a beauty in the danger and thrills here that Avanthal lacked, with its bare tundra and frozen landscape.

As Anishna took a break from playing her instrument, leaning down to pat her dog on the side reassuringly, she took the opportunity to look about her. Children ran past, laughing and waving little streamers of colour. Someone was making candy, and Anishna could almost taste the sugary sweetness. Men and women clapped at some little theatre troupe's acting, and one or two people milled about, seemingly stunned by the festivities.

This was Anishna's second Festival, and she had to admit that she shared the state of mind as those stunned by the bizarre nature of it all.

Ani leaned back in the seat she had claimed for herself among the multitude of people and stretched her fingers experimentally.

What a good day this was becoming.

by **Alric Wilmot** on May 9th, 2012, 3:20 pm

Alric sat on the steps of an old building that had been abandoned since the Djed Storm. He was surprisingly chipper. It had been a harrowing season, for everyone. Yet the Festival still came. Alvadas still celebrated, and its people were still happy. It was a wonderful thing, to know that whatever happened, life would still go on.

And so, despite all of Alric's hardships, he found himself laughing with the rest of the crowd. He could not bring himself to think about the Djed Storm, or even the Winter Crisis. Those were done and over with. Alvadas still stood, Ionu still ruled, and all was well. What more could anyone ask for?

Across the street he saw a few musicians vying for Ionu's attention with their talents. He knew nothing of music, and so knew not who was more talented. Near them were children playing with colored streamers, sparklers, and other odd things. It was a welcome touch of familiarity. In fact, Alric thought, why not indulge himself? It had been years since his last colored streamer, back when Wrenmae still lived with him in fact.

So, with that, Alric decided to go find the booth they were selling the colorful objects.

by **Nira'lia** on May 13th, 2012, 2:14 pm

'Well, seems like I chose a good time to arrive in Alvadas.'

The festive spirit was infectious, and Nira'lia couldn't help but share a smile with everyone else. She was amazed by the sights before her, and did nothing but marvel at something new and amazing every few seconds.

She had arrived in Alvadas four days before, and while she had done her share of exploration, she was still not used to the city in any way. Other than that, she seemed to be in an internal debate to purchase everything she could see. In the end, she settled for a singing box which enchanted her, and a copper Heart Seer's necklace which she would send back to a friend in Zeltiva. Since she didn't have much money in the first place, she vowed that was all she was going to get.

Now that she promised herself not to look through the stalls anymore, she had nothing to do but stand in the crowd and stare at the myriad of colors that seemed to be dancing around. She didn't know yet why she was called to go to this city, but at the moment, she couldn't complain. She was enjoying herself. However, unbeknownst to her, she was soon going to get some answers.

by **Eridanus** on May 14th, 2012, 3:56 pm

"Come, come! Check out Morgoth's Wares! Only found right here, and no where else!" A flamboyant man called out, and Eridanus wandered to his colourful wooden cart. He found himself drawn to a simple looking metal ring, when Morgoth suddenly swooped in and whisper to the vantha. "Good for harmony within yourself, you know. If you wear this, you'll find yourself performing better in everything you do. Everything."

Upon the look of interest, he quickly added, "Yours for only 5gm. It's a steal!"

It was hard to verify the man's claim, though he had to concede that the intricate carvings on the steel ring and general artistry of the object more than justified the cost. Dipping into his well of djed, he plunged his vision into the magical realm, focusing on the ring's aura.

Only to find a normal ring, but with an intense aura that was different from any other objects. He knew what a glyphed or magecrafted objet's aura look like, but this ring's aura was different. It's aura was large enough to justify that there was something going on, that it was no ordinary ring.

"Now, now, don't need to be so suspicious," Morgoth began wryly, somehow aware of what Eridanus was using. "Item's wrapped up in illusions, that's what gives it it's power. All thanks to Ionu and this Festival."

Grinning in embarrassment, the vantha muttered, "Can't be too careful, you know," before handing over the coins, slipping on his new purchase. Almost immediately, he could feel a general sense of well-being pervade his entire body, though whether it was a placebo effect or for real he could not really tell.

Turning his head to his side, he felt a familiar presence brush by him, and he realized that his djed was still being consumed by his auristics. Shutting down the flow of djed, he scanned his surroundings to physically find that familiar presence, only to find himself looking at an excitable konti.

A very familiar one that he had not had contact with for several years since graduating from the University of Zeltiva and leaving the city.

"Nira'lia? Is that you?" He called out, gently touching the konti's arm from behind.

Receipt :

by **Alric Wilmot** on May 14th, 2012, 5:24 pm

Alric followed the frequency of the sparklers to find their source. He was not disappointed with his effort's either. At the end of a long line of children was the stand he had been searching for. It was twisted and turned slightly sideways. The stand also sported colors of deep blues and sunny yellows. Sparks and strange noises emit from the stand, and the children will were leaving with interesting items of an entertaining nature.

The man who stood behind the stand was in his mid to late twenties, and stood at a startling height of 7’3. His height forced him to lean over his wares as the canvas over his head confined him. He was incredibly thin and lanky too. As Alric observed him, he noticed that a smile never left his face.

Without hesitation, Alric got into line, eager to obtain the same strange wands as most of the children. He was given an odd look or two, but for the most part was ignored. During the festival, it was expected that even grown men should indulge themselves a bit. When he finally got to the stand, he was pleasantly surprised to find the things were so cheap. They were only a single silver rimmed miza. He bought one, and went on his way.

The wand was about a foot in length, glowing and sparking in multiple colors that stayed and shimmered in the air. Children can often be seen running around, glowing trails following in their wake. Alric didn't run, but he did make several fanciful illustrations in the air. Unfortunately, Alric's artistic talent was non-existent. However, the wand's sparking made even his scribbles look impressive.

As Alric strolled along, playing with his sparkling wand, he spotted someone a few feet away that looked oddly familiar. A Vantha he hadn't seen since...

"Eridanus, is that you?"

Secret :

by **Nira'lia** on May 18th, 2012, 4:58 am

When she felt someone touch her arm, Nira'lia pulled away instinctively, as if frightened of being touched. In a crowd as large as this one, it was difficult not to come into contact with someone else's -- but Nira'lia tried her best anyway. But now that somebody touched her arm, she expected her mind to be flooded with visions before she could actually react to his words.

When no images came, she blinked and turned around, only to meet the familiar face of Eridanus, in his Vantha form. It had been years since she last saw him, but she recognized him perfectly.

Nira'lia smiled widely, her eyes twinkling with excitement. She had not expected to find him during the festival, but now that she did, she felt victorious.

"Eridanus!" she exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder playfully. "There you are! I've been looking for you! So, what do you need me for? I'm here to assist you with something, after all."

She stared up at him, half-expecting him to tell her why she was here in the city of illusions. However, before he could give an answer, someone else walked up to them -- someone who recognized Eridanus. It was a man Nira'lia had never seen before, but somehow she knew that he was someone important.

by **Eridanus** on May 18th, 2012, 5:34 am

To all participants in this threadPosting order does not matter.

It seemed that he was right, from her response, though her remark perplexed him.

"Whoa whoa slow down! What do you mean 'here to assist me with something'?" He replied, the confusion evident in his face. He was pretty sure that he did not ask her to come after parting ways with her after his graduation in the University. That was when the memories of their interactions dawned on him. He recalled her mentioning her mother saying something about their future chavis being tied together. Back at the library, he recalled wondering asking her if she would follow him wherever he ended up at when they first met.

Is this her answer?

Still, he expected to hear her clarifications before saying anything else.

Interestingly, another familiar face showed itself, and he recognized him as the man who had been with Antar back at the Temple when Alvadas was in trouble.

"Alric!" He greeted the hypnotist warmly. There was a certain camaraderie to be had with people whom he had stared down death together with, and Alric was certainly one of them. The dangers they had witnessed as brothers-in-arms were numerous enough even though they merely occurred in the span of a single day.

"Enjoying the Festival? The government sure put in a great show, despite the problems earlier in the season," The vantha commented, referring to the Djed Storm and the resultant monster invasions and clean-ups required. Many tragedies had occurred, and the casualties from the Djed Storm and the Aftermath amounted to a huge number, and this happened only one season from the horrific massacre ordered by Drysalla and her accomplices in Winter.

This Festival was a clear defiance to the rules of Fate, and was a much needed morale booster for the hardened citizens of Alvadas.

by **Alric Wilmot** on May 18th, 2012, 5:16 pm

Alric gripped Eridanus's hand firmly. It was quite a welcome sight to see that another had faced and conquered death both from Drysalla and the Storm. Though he really should have expected it. Eridanus was far tougher than himself, and he had made it through well enough. As he smiled and greeted his Vantha friend (for how can you be anything but friends after facing death together?) he noticed a strange pale woman with scales along her body.

Alric squinted his eyes, sure that it was a trick of the light. But, it wasn't. The woman really did have scales. What on Mizahar was she? Thankfully, he was snapped out of his ogling by Eridanus

"Enjoying the Festival? The government sure put in a great show, despite the problems earlier in the season,"

"Oh especially," said Alric. "I'm still in awe that it took them only a season to sort out the whole mess. It's been disaster after disaster. I don't know about you, but I hope for our sake that things stay boring for a little while. I'm rather haggard from all the excitement. I'm not sure I could survive another one. Not so soon after the other two, anyway."

Alric swirled his sparkling wand in the air for another few seconds, making out the symbol of the Speakers. He meant no meaning in it, he simply felt like doing a design. And he had grown familiar with that particular sign over the spring. When he was done, a broad smile rested on his face. He turned back to Eridanus then, deciding to ask about his colleague.

"Tell me Eridanus, are you going to introduce me to your interesting friend? I've never seen anyone quite like her." By that, of course, he meant scaled, and now that he looked harder, webbed.

by **Nira'lia** on May 18th, 2012, 7:08 pm

Frowning, the Konti stared at Eridanus. His puzzled reaction was not something she had expected. For the most part, she was very hopeful that finding him would finally get her some answers.

All she knew from the visions that she had received about her call was that he and some other people were building something -- perhaps it was a group, she was not sure. All she knew was that she came here to help them.

It dawned to her that the visions might not have even started yet. Perhaps that was still in the future.

She stood and listened to the exchange of words between the two men. They were talking about events that she could not relate to, so she chose not to partake in the conversation. However, the Konti's face lightened up as she watched the man named Alric play around with his wand. Fascinating!

"My name's Nira'lia," she said, finally speaking up, when she realized that the man was talking about her. "I'm, uhm... I'm a Konti," she added, assuming that he meant that he had never seen anyone with the odd features of her race.

Nira'lia looked back at Eridanus to answer his previous reaction. She was more careful with her words this time, not wanting to confuse him further with events that had not even happened yet.

"I'm not sure why I'm here either, but I'm here to help you and other people with something," she said simply. "It's my call. You know what a call is, right...? Uhm, I was hoping you'd be to answer my questions about what I have to do."