[Avanthal] The Departure Festival

[Cheshire]

The Departure Festival Timestamp: 87-91 of Fall, 510 AV Location: The Frozen Falls Market Reason: The Departure of Morwen Status: Open The Departure is the short way of saying The Departure of Morwen. This festival is held every year four days before the end of Fall. The reason for the festival is once Fall is over Morwen leaves Avanthal to spread the season of Winter to the rest of Mizahar. Although this festival has a sad happening behind it this festival is one of the most bright and joyous events that Avanthal holds. Although the festival takes place all over the city the majority of it is celebrated in The Frozen Falls Market. The whole market is lit up by stormgems and alive with the sounds of Snowsong music. In this festival each hold contributed in a different way. The Frostfawns gave sleigh rides, the Snowsongs created music that could be heard all throughout the city, and Winterflames created wonderful foods that were only served at The Departure and it's twin celebration, The Homecoming. Whitevine and Iceglaze teamed up together to run and organize the event. Coolwater played their part by giving free boat rides and Skyglow made wonderful art. Every hold gave their own special touch to the festival. Even Icewatch got to relax a bit (although they stayed on the alert for any wrong doers). For an outsider this festival was a special treat. One could get goods here that were not available the rest of the year. The only problem was the Vantha liked to keep this celebration a secret. Although they welcomed outsiders to their festival they saw it as people outside of their family watching as their mother left. It was a happy festival. One could say even bittersweet. In the ways of activities their were a few. The two biggest events were the snowball fight and the gift exchange. The snowball fight was a citywide battle that raged for bells (one year even an entire day). The rules were simple, throw snowballs and the last one standing was the victor. No where was safe from the flying snow except Morwen's Palace but it was an automatic game over for those who sought shelter. The victor was given a prize and it each year it changed. One year it was a new snow leopard fur coat, another year it was a voucher for a free weapon crafted by Iceglaze hold. No matter the prize, it was always coveted. The gift exchange was a bit different. A week prior to the festival Jenna Aviak sends out a notice to each person letting them know who they need to purchase a gift for. This gesture is never taken lightly and it is considered extremely rude if one does not get a gift for the person they are asked to get one for. The gift does not have to be expensive or even bought. It can be made or even be a gesture. The point of the exchange is to get people out of their comfort zones and to talk to other people. On top of the festivities the festival often is a bit of a romantic event at times. It is popular for an Avanthalian to ask the person they have feelings for to this festival. It is said its a good omen if any romance blossoms from The Departure and lasts to The Homecoming. Very often men will ask women to the festival but many women ask the men too. So with that said, let the festivities begin. You never know what will happen. You might even see Morwen. Mod NoteEither Triniel or I will send you a PM about the gift exchange. You are welcome to start without your PM. Also, keep an eye out your new activities. There are many different holds so there are many different chances for games and merriment! ~Cheshire

[Kulde]

Twice a year, Kulde would be in Avanthal no matter what. His leg could be broken many miles away from Avanthal, he would still fight and crawl his way into the city. For him, it meant the world to try and catch a glimpse of Morwen before she left for her trip around Mizahar. They would be without their goddess for a long time. A thing that saddened the young Vantha. But Kulde wasn't injured, so he came with his closest family in the hold, before going out on his own. Enjoying his time in the city. Enjoying the spirit of the festival. He was wearing his usual white clothes, just cleaned and remedied with whatever he had at hand. His light blue cloak was wrapped around him tightly. His eyes were matching the cloak, with a strong light blue color. Symbolizing his own constant level of joy. He had left all his weapons at home, which was unusual for the young hunter, but this was a happy time, no reason to be armed at such times. What twisted soul would try and ruin so many people's good times. Kulde also had a bag slung over his shoulder. It contained his gift for later, when they were going to exchange gifts. He was looking forward to the snowball fight. It was a joyous occasion where everyone mingled and had fun with the foundation for their culture. Snow! It was much unusual for Kulde to be in this good a mood, rather, showing he was in that good a mood. But as mentioned, he allowed himself free reigns when Morwen departed from Avanthal and when she returned to Avanthal. He walked by a place where the Snowsong hold had some musicians contributing to the hold with their music. Kulde had been out hunting for the festival, trying to contribute with some meat for the Winterflames, he had not been successful, for the memory of his encounter with Viktor had left an impact on his hunting style. Now he was more restricted, spending more time following the prey, trying to figure out if they're in fact Kelvics or just animals. Needless to say, they often got away, because Kulde wasn't a good enough hunter to stay hidden for longer duration of time. But he pushed those depressing thoughts aside and instead focused on the music. He felt his body start to move with the music, nothing big and fancy, for Kulde wasn't much of a dancer. He wasn't, in fact, much of anything. Just your average Frostfawn. Still, his body automatically found the rhythm and danced to it, he had seen more agile people do this before and he wasn't the only one dancing. People around him were also moving to the music. Oh, how he loved those festivals.

[Diamond Rat]

Diamond Rat perched on a light pole. Her eyes were trained for dropped things. Any time there were lots of people congregating in one place, Rat could find good grub, sometimes even coins. All she wanted to see was the flicker of movement that indicated a dropped honey-basted pastry roll, or the flash of metal that indicated a lost miza.

Sometimes, Rat even latched onto people's pockets and stole lint and crumbs from them while they weren't aware. Coins were too heavy for her to carry. However, the Icewatch was out in full force, and Rat couldn't bear the thought of someone she knew spotting her and being shocked at her lack of manners. Still, it was tempting, and Rat fluffed up with thoughts of attempting a maneuver. They'd probably mistake her for a random sparrow, right?

Right? Rat was a totally ordinary-looking bird.

Aha, there it was. Something tiny fell. Rat zoomed for it. She fluttered to a halt on the icy pavement and beheld her prize: Half of a sandwich, its fillings steaming in the cold air. Rat didn't care about the rabbit-meat inside, but she was interested in the bread. She pecked at it and swallowed some crumbs, while sidestepping human feet as they wandered past like leviathans.

Suddenly, Rat felt the blow of a wing to her head. She leaped aside. There, fluffing up dangerously, was another sparrow. His dark brown head indicated he was a dude sparrow.

"What the ever *#$(& #*$&#*( shykey *$#&$*!" Rat squawked. "Hey Shykebeak, that's mine and I saw it first!"

The dude sparrow chirped, then clawed Rat's face with his talons.

Rat flailed back but missed the Shykebeak by a wide margin. She wasn't used to fighting. The bigger sparrow chased Rat for a few feet and then circled back to the dropped food. Rat fled to the wall, panting, and then she checked all her feathers to make sure they were all still there. Some sparrows, particularly RUDE and NASTY little pisstails, had a habit of pinching feathers when they were mad.

Luckily, Rat counted all her feathers as still there. At least there was that. She fluffed up to keep the heat in between her feathers, and returned to watching for something else to drop. God, some birds were raised in a barn or something.

[Viktor]

The air was alive with the sounds of music and countless voices, singing, talking, or in one case, yodeling? "To each their own..." Viktor shrugged as he left the grounds of the barracks. Today his only duty was to enjoy the festival and he was bound and determined to follow orders. Still, he couldn't help but scan over the crowds every once in a while, a habit that he had never been able to control. The Icewatch's contribution to the festival was sacrificing a day or two of roaming freely, instead watching out for the occasional pickpocket or 'oppurtunist' that found an unattended yet stocked stall. After today he was going to be stuck babysitting the stalls for the rest of the celbration. But today he was going to have enough fun for the entire duration. He still had a couple bells before he needed to meet anyone so he decided to tour the holds. He pulled himself free of his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. It wasn't quite cold enough for him to need it, at least not yet. The festive music drifting from the Snowsong hold reeled him in. He wasn't shocked to see people dancing, trying to dance, and even a few doing that awkward shuffling that really isn't dancing, but they didn't even want to be dancing anyway, their date wanted to so they had to oblige. Viktor wasn't one for dancing. He didn't know how and didn't care to learn. There was one figure in the crowd that stood out however. A flash of a brilliant blue attached to... Kulde? He hadn't seen much of the hunter since their little hunting trip but Vik never forgot a face, especialy one that had tried to kill him. This oppurtunity was too good to pass up. He gathered a handful of snow, compressing it into a ball. He took his time lining up the shot, not that there was that much distance between them. It was the issue of having to lob it over the other dancers that would make things difficult. After nearly two chimes of preparation he fired the frozen projectile. He watched to see if it would fly true and smack him in the head. "That's for the arrow!" He called, laughing through a warm grin, making no attempt to hide his guilt.

[Triniel]

Alas, one of the most eventful and exhilarating days of the year was here, the festival dedicated to the departure of Morwen. As per usual, Jenna Aviak was running around, making sure everything and everyone that had to do with the festival was in place and ready to go. Before leaving the Castle, Jenna made sure she grabbed the decorated box, the box that held the gift for the winner of the legendary snowball fight that would be taking place later today. Dressed in a burgundy shirt covered with a fur coat buttoned tight around her, the coat matching the shirt, also dressed in black wool pants and fur boots, Jenna donned her leather cloves and fur hat and made her way out of the Catle and into the beautiful day that stood before her. Her deep mahogany gems glistened as she looked around, grateful that Morwen blessed them with a day fit for merriment. As she arrived at the Frozen Falls Market, Jenna's eyes sparkled with delight. The market was already filled with Vanthas and their holds, getting ready for the festival to kick off. Some were dancing, while others seemed to look around, simply deciding what to do first. As she made her way through the market, Jenna noticed a little spar that was going on. By the time she reached the fight, it was already over and only one participant remained. Making her way to the wall, Jenna knelt down to where the Kelvic was standing. "Now now, it's a time for celebration. There is no need to steal from one another, seeing as there is plenty of food and drink to go around," she said, offering a small smile to the bird. Getting up, Jenna made her way around the different stands that were set up, pleased with what she saw. The Snowsong Hold was contributing by playing wonderful music that was enough to fill the market with an air of relaxation, as well as merriment. Jenna spied a few of the celebrators having a miniature snowball game with themselves, surely practice for the one that would be starting shortly. Making her way back to the center of the Market, Jenna climbed upon an empty stall that would be filled very shortly, getting a view of the celebration as a whole. Clearing her throat, Jenna gave a small smile and then opened the festival with a small greeting. "Greetings and welcome to the annual festival dedicated to the departure of our beloved Goddess Morwen. I invite you to sing, dance, eat and have a good time, whatever makes you happy. The Snowball Fight will be starting shortly, as I'm sure you are all aware. Relax, enjoy, and let the festival begin!" she exclaimed, as she couldn't suppress her grin any longer. Climbing down off of the stall, Jenna watched as the festival kicked off, merriment surrounding her. What a fantastic day this was going to be!

[Yuralria]

Yuralria strolled into the market, her eyes turning to a bright blue color as she surveyed the festivities. Various smells assaulted her, the food smelled so good, but what really hit her was the music. She was just itching to move. She wandered over towards a group o people swaying in time to a performance by some members of Snowsong. She always thought it was hilarious that people considered that dancing. She walked by just in time to see Viktor chucking a snowball at someone in the crowd she didn't recognize. She told a breeze to reprimand him "That wasn't nice" The breeze whispered gently. Yura snickered to her sel, then got closer to the music. She closed her eyes and started tapping her foot to get in time with the music, then she began to dance. Weaving and whirling through the crowd, she put on one of the best shows she could muster. She'd like to say it was just for enjoyment, but she really wanted to show off. She danced her way up to the front o the crowd and finished the song with a final, graceful pirouette.