Maore Plotnotes.

[Maore]

L I N K S

Drykas
Endrykas Lore
Endrykas Codex Discussion
Endrykas Linkmap
Inspiration
Seasonal Calendars
Seasonal Calendars ii
Skill Interest
[url]Link[/url]
Pavilion i & ii
Q&A
Maps
Ciraaci's CS
Price List
Spiritism
Ethaefal Information
Fears
Flashback Plots

[Maore]

M O U R N I N G S T A R

Name: The Mourningstar Pavilion.
Clan: Amethyst.
Approx Size: ~58 Members.
Ankal: Caradoc Mourningstar.
Specialty: Seme Breeding.
Accepts PC Members? Of course.
Current PC Members: Ciraaci, Adopted.
History: Formerly known as the Sunstrike Pavilion, Caradoc chose to rebrand his family in the wake of the Djed Storm, to recognize the deaths of his kin and to pay respect to the sun's lineage in his family tree. This Pavilion can trace itself back to being among the first group of Drykas to emerge from the bowels of the earth following the Valterrian and survive. They have, for the most part, been a thriving part of the Amethyst Clan, their wealth and renown resounding in the horseclan tents. Families send their children to learn from the esteemed navigators of the Mourningstar, and ankals marry their daughters to the family's abundance of healthy sons in order to gain prestige and welcome to their gatherings. This Pavilion is one of the many that wanders away from Endrykas from time to time in the warm season of the year, although they care not to stray more than a fortnight's ride from the moving city, and they pay mind to the Run.

One benefit to their nomadic lifestyle is that the Mourningstar are very keen on adopting lone Drykas, and useful slaves, to bolster their ranks when losses have occurred. This has kept them strong as their bloodline never stagnates and remains fresh with the additions.

C H A R A C T E R S

unfortunately, i'll need time to get pictures for everyone

Name: Caradoc Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Winter 23 475 AV
Place of Birth: Sea of Grass
Title/Job: Ankal of the Mourningstar Pavilion
Skills: Animal Husbandry 46, Webbing 72, Horsemanship 26, Leadership 42, Bartering 31, Hunting 39, Riding 40, Navigation 42, Spear 38, Shortbow 29, Wilderness Survival 31
Gnosis: 2 Stormwarden, 1 Mele
History: The second son of the previous Ankal, and his heir ahead of eight other sons, Caradoc is a powerful man in his pavilion, very respected and well-loved by his family. He has a shrewd mind, a taciturn disposition, and the presence that one notices. Respect has flourished between himself and those pavilions that are neighbours, business partners, and the homes his wives have come from, and even his enemies, where they exist, are given, and have offered, respect. The man already has his heir lined up, in the case of his passing, his oldest son, whom he has shared his knowledge of Webbing already, in anticipation of death befalling him at any time. Caradoc had three wives, and he has twelve children from them. From those twelve, he has seven grandchildren.

Name: Vala Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Summer 78 472 AV
Place of Birth: Sea of Grass
Title/Job: Ankal's wife, Breeder
Skills: Sewing 38, Animal Husbandry 41, Leadership 12, Childcare 22, Riding 44, Navigation 14, Horsemanship 25, Spear 40, Intimidation 14, Wilderness Survival 29
Gnosis: None
History: Caradoc's first wife and the mother of the majority of his children, Vala came originally from the tents of the Wintersong Pavilion, of the Diamond Clan. She is a severe looking matron, with a stern set face, brooding grey eyes, and a noted lack of humour, but she's very kind. Soft-spoken. Gentle. Although one instinctively flinches when she raises her hand, it is to great surprise when the following gesture is often a caress, or pat. Whether or not this is intended is up for debate. She has just had her seventh child, and has been extremely weary since.

Name: Aedha Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Spring 3 496 AV
Place of Birth: Endrykas
Title/Job: Ankal's wife, Navigator
Skills: Navigation 21, Riding 40, Horsemanship 22, Animal Husbandry 29, Pottery 38, Drawing 12, Astronomy 4
Gnosis: None
History: The Ankal's youngest wife is a rather plain, unassuming girl from the Reddawn Pavilion. She's not very gifted, but what she can't offer in skill or beauty, she can provide to her husband with a figure that promises strong children, and a long enough life to produce many. The woman is kind and warm, although still young and quite naive, and seems to enjoy Caradoc's presence and spending time with him in the hopes of learning more of his pavilion's skill. She is currently in the first trimester of bearing her second child.

Name: Bran Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Summer 55 476 AV
Place of Birth: Sea of Grass
Title/Job: Navigator
Skills: Navigation 51, Riding 46, Animal Husbandry 41, Falconry 22, Birdkeeping 42, Spear 29, Wilderness Survival 29, Tactics 48, Astronomy 27, Teaching 11
Gnosis: None.
History: Fourth son to the previous Ankal, and having been born just mere minutes after his twin sister, Bran Mourningstar never really aspired to be anything more than an indispensable unit to the Pavilion's structure. He offers a sort of pithy insight to his brother and their extended family that isn't much seen among their closest neighbours, and his comfort and familiarity with birds is without peer, a clear contrast to the family's focus on their powerful Seme bloodline. Bran has his own contingent of trained crows, and while he's an esteemed navigator and is often busy, he can be consulted for lessons in the skill. He has four children, and is expecting a fifth as well as his first grandchild.

Name: Bron Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Summer 55 476 AV
Place of Birth: Sea of Grass
Title/Job: Breeder
Skills: Animal Husbandry 48, Horsemanship 39, Riding 40, Driving 23, Navigation 22, Medicine 24, Singing 30, Snake Spear 21
Gnosis: None.
History: While her brother became the esteemed navigator, Bron made her trade the breeding and keeping of the pavilion's proud Semes. She bonded closely with her brother Meical over the trade, and while she was married off to the Blackhorse pavilion, they remained close well up until his death, and to this day she's worn a strip of black cloth for his memory. Her return to the Mourningstar came when the Blackhorse was decimated by the plague that stripped the horseclans of their numbers, and because of the merging of the survivors from both, they came out stronger than before. She remains with her husband and their six children after his second wife (mother of four of those children) perished to the plague, the current head breeder and at the ear of Caradoc and Bran both. She's a grandmother to three beautiful sons.

Name: Carys Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Summer 14 481 AV
Date of Death: Winter 35 512 AV
Place of Birth: Endrykas
Title/Job: Ankal's wife, Hunter
Skills: Animal Husbandry 29, Hunting 46, Riding 40, Longbow 29, Tracking 15, Trapping 24, Navigation 31, Wilderness Survival 28, Camouflage 11
Gnosis: None
History: Carys was considered Caradoc's favourite wife, and as a daughter of the Emerald Clan's ambiguous Darkwind Pavilion, she could nonetheless be considered the jewel of the grassland, with her great beauty, her open personality, and the way she could dedicate herself to a hunt with such a singleminded intensity that, and this was said often by children, the animals she hunted would approach her willingly for the honour of feeding her family. Of course, Carys had worked hard for her skill as a huntress. Unfortunately, the beloved second wife of the ankal was taken from the Mourningstar Pavilion during the cruel plague that struck the city in 512 AV, and the grassland has seemed duller without her. She had born Caradoc five children.

Name: Aeronwen Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Autumn 58 478 AV
Date of Death: Summer 12 517 AV
Place of Birth: Sea of Grass
Title/Job: Tavekh Troha
Skills: Leadership 48, Snake Spear 40, Shortspear 41, Riding 50, Animal Husbandry 29, Medicine 30, Longbow 38, Tracking 15, Navigating 29, Wilderness Survival 31
Gnosis: Unknown
History: A skilled leader, Aeronwen was Caradoc's favourite sister. She was considered an old maid, unable to have children and unwanted by the pavilions of young men who, when she was young, recognized in her something innately flawed that prevented her from menstruating. She never married out from the Sunstrike pavilion, and remained fixated at her brother's side, riding proud with her role as a woman of the watch and filling the disappointment in her life with stalwart duty. She died to a Zith attack, but not without victory.

Name: Meical Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Winter 1 477 AV
Date of Death: Winter 2 497 AV
Place of Birth: Endrykas
Title/Job: Breeder
Skills: Animal Husbandry 48, Horsemanship 48, Riding 23, Medicine 41, Driving 21, Herbalism 18, Snake Spear 34, Navigation 15
Gnosis: None
History: Meical was young when he died from influenza, but no less gifted when it came to horse care and a peerless member of the pavilion who's loss shook their structure and demanded the need for more males to cover the losses that year. He kept a pair of Seme that were both without competition, proud and powerful animals that were his pride and joy and were two of the esteemed forebears of the current line of Mourningstar Seme. He provided four children for his family before his death, the final two being born posthumously as identical twins.

Name: Idwal Mourningstar
Race: Drykas
Date of Birth: Winter 1 477 AV
Date of Death: Winter 4 498 AV
Place of Birth: Endrykas
Title/Job: Guard
Skills: Riding 29, Shortspear 40, Longbow 12, Intimidation 34, Bodybuilding 13, Tactics 25, Animal Husbandry 34
Gnosis: None
History: Idwal suffered the unfortunate death of being thrown from the back of a stallion and having had his neck broken upon impact, and so he isn't much spoken of among the Mourningstar except in hushed conversation during times of bad luck. He had two children to carry him on after his death, and while acknowledged by the family as a whole, they are sometimes warily regarded, as if they two may befall an unfortunate fate. He was brother to Caradoc, and so that afforded him some measure of pride, and that pride may have led to his downfall.

[Maore]

The Q and A

General Information :

1. What is your Name? My name is Ciraaci.
2. Do you go by a nickname or pet name? I've often been called Ciri.
3. How old are you? Many, many years old.
4. What is your height? 178 centimetres from foot to crown, but in the day, my horns make me taller. I'm fortunate to be the same height day and night otherwise.
5. What is your weight? I've never weighed myself, but during the day, I assume myself to be heavier than I am at night.

Aesthetics :

1. Describe yourself as you see yourself. A sad memory of what the Drykas were before the Valterrian, and what the Mourningstar were before Caradoc.
2. Describe yourself as others typically see you. A forlorn daughter of Syna, unmoored of her devotion and married to the idea of mortality. I think they must consider me sad.
3. What is your favorite body feature? The tattoos of my mortal seeming.
4. How physically fit are you? Not very. I feel I am below average in strength, which is a shortcoming I must overcome.
5. How do you typically dress and what is your style? I wear mostly scarves, belts, and leggings. My style is casual and nomadic.

Family :

1. Who are your parents and what are they like? The closest to a father I have ever had was that of my husband.
2. Do you have any brothers or sisters? No, fortunately.
3. What is your extended family like? They are spirited and proud, and Caradoc seems to know what he wants, and exactly what he's willing to do to get it.
4. Do you consider close friends as important or more/less important than family? I consider them at par with family only if they are close friends. My family is the most important thing to me.
5. Do you treat animals like family? My opinion of animals is dependent upon their roles in Drykas society. Horses, yes. Hunting cats and dogs, yes. Deer? No.

Location :

1. Where were you born? I was born in Black Rock.
2. Where do you live now? Endrykas, or on the Sea of Grass. It's seasonal.
3. If you could live anywhere in Mizahar where would that be? I would be here, right where I am, or there already.
4. Do you have a favourite place to vacation or spend leisure time? I like to be upon the open Sea with my family, although I wouldn't consider Drykas life leisurely or a vacation.
5. Where do you fear to be? Alone, cast out, underground with no light to guide me.

Traits :

1. Do you have any physical weaknesses? Yes, as many as any other person.
2. Are you right handed or left handed? Left handed.
3. What languages do you speak? What do you sound like? Do you have an accent? I speak Pavi fluently, complemented by Grassland Sign. If I have an accent, it's not been pointed out to me, but I assume it's that I sound like any other Drykas.
4. Do you have any odd mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics? I'm uncertain.
5. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Why do you have them? As an Ethaefal, I do not. I've never managed to keep any mark I've had put on me during the day. At night, though, yes; my mortal seeming was tattooed at the start of my life, and I've managed to add to it during the time I've been alive.

Occupations :

1. What is your occupation? I'm a fortune teller, though I am unskilled.
2. Do you like/dislike your work? Why? I think I like it; fortune telling allows me a way to, at the very least, pretend I can predict fate.
3. If you could be anything you wanted to, what would you be? I would work in service to Dira, as a Cicerone perhaps, or a hunter of the undead.
4. What occupation do you admire the most? Why? Cicerone; when I was younger and still on Black Rock, they seemed unique and powerful in their vaguely nomadic lives on the island. Dealing with ghosts has always been a passion of mine, and that is the crux of their purpose.
5. What occupation do you least like? Why? I haven't considered many occupations as worthy of scorn, but I assume the closest would be that of a contracted killer of the living, and that would be because I've not yet met a person I could confidently say deserved to die. No, I believe only Nuit should be the target of contracted killing, and this is because while a living person may be redeemed, a Nuit cannot, unless he is dead.

Childhood :

1. What sort of child were you? Naive, uncertain, like a newborn horse trying to gain its feet.
2. What is your favourite memory from childhood? Learning of the Drykas and becoming one of them in time.
3. What is your worst memory from childhood? The unrelenting sea.
4. What sort of relationship did you have with your parents? The father I claimed I had, my husband's own, was loud and compassionate.
5. Who was your most influential rolemodel? A Cicerone on Black Rock I no longer remember the name of.

Education :

1. What sort of education do you have? Minimal; what I know, I've taught myself, or learned from the mouths and hands of others.
2. Do you like/dislike learning? I like to learn, and I revel in knowing more.
3. Where or how did you learn most of your skills/abilities? I learned most either in Black Rock, or with the Drykas. Moreso the latter than the former.
4. How do you learn best? Practically. I need to do something to learn it properly, and if cannot be shown, I will practice until I learn through a method I find best.
5. What are your educational goals for the future? I intend to learn more of the Sea of Grass, and whether that means leaving Mourningstar to ride out or not, I won't shy away.

Relationships :

1. Do you form close bonds with people? Why? Why not? I do not form them easily, but yes. It's not worth it to go through life alone.
2. Do you trust people easily? If not, why not? It depends on the person, their goals, the way they talk and look at me. I think a person can say a lot without using their words, and that these implications have deep meaning.
3. Do you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, or something else? Uncertain; I was married to a man and two other women, and I had no hesitation when it came to intimacy between the four of us.
4. Have you ever been kissed? If so, describe the first time. Yes. It was nice, though clumsy. I liked kissing.
5. Have you ever had sex? If so, describe the first time. Yes. I liked sex less than I liked kissing, but it still felt good. The first time, more uncertain than pleasant.

Drugs and Alcohol :

1. Have you ever been drunk? If so, describe your first time. I was drunk only a few times, and none of them were very pleasant. I forget a lot when I'm drunk.
2. Do you like to drink on a regular basis? Yes, and I prefer the wines and rums that Riverfall provides when the Run brings us near.
3. What sort of alcohol do you prefer? Ah, answered that out of turn.
4. Have you ever tried drugs? If so, which kinds and what did you think of them? No, I haven't, but I'm not averse to the experience, though given the volatility of the Sea, I don't think drugs, particularly the more potent ones, would be something I could lower my guard enough to try.
5. What do you think of drugs and alcohol? Be specific. I think they are fine in moderation, as too much of these things lower inhibitions and make man restless and impulsive, altogether dangerous combinations in a world so volatile.

Likes and Dislikes :

1. What are your hobbies? I like to walk among the Drykas and learn what I can, collect grasses and braid them to pass the time, and seek out ghosts unconnected to the Web that I can speak with.
2. Do you like to read? I haven't read before.
3. What annoys you more than anything else? A lack of conversation, especially during hard times. It's irritating to be moored in silence because pride drives people apart.
4. What do you find the most relaxing activity to do? Riding, honestly.
5. What kinds of things embarrass you? Why? When I answer something without listening to the question and am wrong.

Favorites :

1. What is your favourite colour or colours? Sombre colours reminiscent of the Autumn season. Mellow oranges and yellows, with an acute focus on purple tones for the Amethyst Clan.
2. What is your favorite time of day? The transition between day and night, primarily dusk.
3. What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? The unbridled fury of the monsoon season.
4. What do you like to eat? What do you hate to eat? I like to eat spicy foods, and dislikes overly sweet things.
5. What is your favorite type of weather? Does any kind scare you? Storms. I love lightning and rain, and find it equally as terrifying.

Outlook :

1. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? I'm somewhere in between as a staunch realist believing in the uniform law of "what can go wrong will go wrong". That makes me a pessimist, too.
2. What are your religious views? I view religion as inevitable; even if you declaim all gods, you nonetheless acknowledge they exist.
3. Would you be able to kill? Yes. It's a way of life on the Sea of Grass that you may come to need to kill a downed comrade if they have no hope of recovery.
4. What are your views on sex? Necessary for reproduction.
5. What, in your opinion, makes a successful life? A life lived long and well, and useful enough to be remembered after you're gone.

Actions :

1. What is the worst and best thing you’ve ever done? The worst would have been allowing my youngest daughter to leave us. The best would have been to be a mother.
2. What is your greatest regret? I sometimes regret having survived my unconventional birth into the world, but only when it seems that I've lived too long to regret anything else.
3. What is your best/worst memory? My worst is the manner of my birth, my first concise memory, and the one that haunts me still. My best would have been the births of my grandchildren, every single one of them, including the grandchildren of my wives.
4. If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be and why? Lingering for so long among the dead of Black Rock, but I don't regret having done so.
5. What are you the most proud of doing in your life? I am proud of having children to survive my husband with, and for being on hand with raising his children by his first and third wives as well. They are all my greatest pride.

Emotions :

1. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings with others? I'm as honest as I must be, and as honest as I'd like to be.
2. Do you have any biases or prejudices? Yes, many.
3. What makes you happy? Family, sunset, horses, the weather on the Sea of Grass.
4. Who or what, if anything, would you die for? I would die for a just cause, and there would be no hesitation if the cause were for the Drykas, or if Dira, Semele, or Zulrav asked it of me.
5. What makes you angry? The abuse of children and animals. I believe one should strike a child only if its with care intended, and if the child benefits from being struck. No child benefits from being beaten; it teaches no lessons, and the same goes for striking an animal. I have no hesitation with striking the person responsible.

Relationships :

1. In general, how do you treat others? With patience and a cordiality.
2. Who is the most important person in your life, and why? Any of the members of the Mourningstar pavilion, frankly. They are family to me, and I love them.
3. Who is the person you respect the most, and why? Caradoc Mourningstar, who is doing the best he can.
4. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If not, describe an ideal lover. Yes, I had one, and I think an ideal lover would be similar to him. Passionate, powerful, alive.
5. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why? Yes, I do, and that would be the Mourningstar, of whom I was adopted a long time ago when they were still the Sunstrike. I trust them because I love them, and because they are my only family on the Sea of Grass. If you can't trust the people you ride with in this place, you may be better off riding out alone.

Group Situations :

1. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict? I'm not afraid of conflict, though I don't seek it out.
2. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations? Yes, if I have the right to assume that role, and the knowledge to back up that right.
3. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not? I love large groups of people. A family unit are my ideal peers, and the Drykas do not grow up lacking in association.
4. Do you care what others think of you? Yes and no. I mind what people think if it's something I can change, and if it's something I determine needs to be corrected. Otherwise, I really do not care.
5. What do you think of others, in general? I'm indifferent towards many people, particularly foreigners, and as friendly as I may be with the Drykas.

Self Image :

1. What is your greatest strength as a person? My patience, as I have had a lifetime to grow and develop it.
2. What is your greatest weakness? The lack of variation that I experience. I've stagnated, and it feels sick.
3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would be mortal, and able to live a life knowing that I have a set date to die.
4. Are you generally introverted or extroverted? Extroverted.
5. Are you generally organized or messy? Organized.

Beliefs :

1. What God or Goddess do you find most appealing, if any? Dira comes first to me, but all Gods and Goddesses find their appeal depending on the situation and whether or not I feel it's appropriate to call on them.
2. Which God or Goddess do you fear, if any? Syna, as I've scorned her and will have nothing to do with either her nor Leth.
3. Do you have any Gnosis Marks? If so, how did you receive them? // / /
4. What lengths would you go to to please your deity? I would walk knowingly into my death were I her sword and die knowing I'd won her the victory of slaying the undead before I passed.
5. Where do you draw the line at pleasing your deity? What is too much?
To let a parasite walk free, because his life were beneficial to someone. I know my Goddess would never ask that of me, but that is where I must draw the line.

Life & Death :

1. What do you absolutely live for? To prove myself capable of something, to be memorable in death as I wish to be in life.
2. What is the best part of life? That it comes with the promise of living.
3. What is the best part of death? Its inevitability, comparable to the luxury of sleep after too long without.
4. If you could choose, how would you want to die? Surrounded by the people closest to me, and peaceful if it were an option.
5. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death? The look of me, I feel. One day, I wish to change that.

[Maore]

outdated ;; :

i like this map because it looks nicer, but it is outdated.

[Maore]

I N S P I R A T I O N

 

Songs

A Spotify playlist if one has the account and inclination to listen.*

 

Tropes

Lawful Neutral.* ; "I will uphold the law and no manner of foe will stop me."
tenents here.

ESTJ-A*
description here.

 

Quotes

"It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall." - Proverb

"My horse's feet are as swift as rolling thunder
He carries me away from all my fears
And when the world threatens to fall asunder
His mane is there to wipe away my tears." - Bonnie Lewis

these quotes will probably be used for titles, or as general inspirational lines in the threads i write.

[Maore]

Autumn 517- Endrykas :

After a sweltering Summer the drykas has finally made it to the Fall grounds. Though there is still no relief from the heat or the influx of predator movement. With no answer about whether Morwen would return come Winter. Many worried she would come back with a vengeance if the goddess did bring back Winter.

~ Come and see if you will survive ~

Environmental

After leaving the sweltering summer grounds, the drykas are met with even more heat. The animals are still hiding from the heat, causing some to start hunting at night rather than during Syna's daylight.

Storm Dates:

· A large storm hits on the 15th
· A large swarm of flies hit on the 50th
· Storms hit starting on the 67th and ending on the 75th

Events

23rd- The River Flower sends out word to keep all bedding hung up and patted down during the day. Several doctors go to the pavilions of the sick to find out what is causing the sickness

55th- The reason for the illness is finally found. An announcement is sent out telling everyone to deep clean their furs in order to keep the small bugs from biting anyone else.

80th- Spearbacks are spotted close to the city of Endrykas. Not long after several small pavilions are attacked by the nocturnal hunters. A group of hunters is gathered and offered good miza for the beasts.

Challenges

• Dance in the rain
• Cause some mischief
• Get in to a fight with somebody (PC)
• Get drunk with a friend (PC)
• Perform a mundane task for the good of the community - 1500 words
• Help a friend or enemy hunt (PC)

[Maore]

Spring 518 - Alvadas :

Dates
1st: The Watchtowers flare green, announcing the arrival of Spring
4th: The Ionu's Mercy have classes on disease prevention
10th: The Festival of Illusion transforms the city into a maze of pottery
11th: The maze walls (and some others) change into glass
12th: The maze becomes a hedge maze
13th: Animals run loose throughout the city
14th: Artists decorate the walls of the maze
15th: The maze becomes a giant puzzle
16th: The Inverted put on a performance
20th: Perspective becomes important
37th: Wells start being monitored and rationed
45th: The dead body of a Twisted-Streeter appears just outside the Womiyu [P] Act One
48th: Aysu has a performance punishing water thieves and a river appears through the city
51st: A boat sets sail to search for a sea monster [M]
60th: A public funeral is held
67th: Interrogations are held about the murder [P]
73rd: The river disappears
90th: A trial is held for the murdered Twisted-Streeter [P]

Bugs
The level of insects begins to increase again, causing panic throughout the city following the previous parasite that had been caused by them. Drastic measure are put into place to kill the bugs and protect the citizens from them. Various herbal remedies and charms sweep the markets that promise to protect from the threats they bring. Most are found to be useless trinkets by the vendors can't be found for refunds.

In a hope to prevent further spread of disease, the Ionu's Mercy holds classes on the 4th about disease prevention. They range from general health and fitness to more specific methods concerning bugs, only slightly dabbling in actual cures. Despite their attempts, the classes aren't too busy.

The bugs remain at annoyingly high levels all season but don't bring much disease with them. Only a very, very unlucky few fall ill due to their bites, while the rest have to deal with the scabs and scratchiness as minor inconveniences.

Festival of Illusions & Mazes
The Festival of Illusion arrives on the tenth day of the season, bringing with it exuberant joy and festivities. Series of celebrations follow one another over a period of seven days, this time spread out in a giant maze that has replaced the (already maze-like) city. Every so often, a clearing holding a few buildings can be found, but more often than not, the citizens find themselves walking through proper labyrinth.

Day 1: Potters, sculptors and those of a similar trade spread their work across the streets, demonstrating both the most useful of pots and the craziest sculptures, the creation of which seems impossible. Those who make particularly impressive works find that they are absorbed in the walls of the maze, which are a mesh of broken pottery and works of art.

Day 2: The walls of the maze turn into glass, allowing people to see across vast distances without being able to reach them without a lot of wandering. Glassblowers find themselves in the centre of attention with large public workspaces dedicated for selling and teaching the craft. A few unlucky folks find the walls of their houses turning into glass and lose privacy for the day.

Day 3: The maze turns into a hedge maze, with varying types of hedges, trees and flowers forming borders. The gardeners and herbalists take the front row, selling potted plants for those interested and transforming parts of the hedges into grand plant sculptures. A lot of people also find themselves finding the new farms where the farmers show off their rather bare looking fields.

Day 4: All pet and work animals manage to escape from where they are trapped and most festivities are halted to cope with the chaos of all the additional animals. Additionally, rumours start spreading about a beast that is stalking the labyrinth unlike the rest of the animals. They say you're lucky to see it - or is it unlucky?

Day 5: After the animals have all been gathered up, artists take to the streets, transforming ordinary stone walls and floors into mind-bending illusions that appear to be leading to new parts of the maze. Some are so good that it's hard to tell what's real and what's not.

Day 6: The maze turns into a giant puzzle and those with logical minds with an interest in inventing things find themselves challenging each other to races through the city. While a large race sets off at midday, others focus their attention on trying to sell their goods, believing the winner will by the one favoured by Alvadas, not the best.

Day 7: The seventh and last day of the festival brings the Inverted performance at the centre of the maze, which few could reach before but everyone can now. Unlike some of their other more political performances, there is no story or real structure to their show, which is formed mostly from a combination of acrobatics, dance and contortionist. Either way, it is incredible and the performers seem to blend seamlessly between the act and becoming part of the walls that surround them.

Weather
Despite the efforts of the expedition last season, the drought reaches its peak by the 37th and most water sources found in the city are monitored by a small group of Sheathewhisps to ensure equal rationing. Priority is given to the farms within the city walls which results in a few bolder folks claiming to be fetching water for their imaginary crops. On the 48th, some of these scammers are apprehended and Aysu the Sea punishes them in an elaborate performance in which they are surrounded by water but unable to drink it. The city decides it likes this illusion and several streets flood to form a large river, completely undrinkable. A fun illusion, or another punishment from above? This illusion lasts until the 73rd.

Murder
The morning of the 45th, the city of Alvadas emerges to find a terrible sight left on the doorstep of the Womiyu. A Twisted-Streeter, in a garish costume, lying dead. Sudden outrage spreads through the city and the increased attention to it causes alarm from the citizens who realise this wasn't another death. On the day of the death, everyone in the city can find their way to the murder scene and investigate.

A large funeral procession is held on the 60th, with several grand speeches in honour of the dead and morbid celebrations. Free food attracts those who don't care about respecting the dead, organised by the Cravens but supplied by vendors and restaurants in the city.

Later, public interrogations are held on the 67th, giving everyone the chance to question their friends, enemies, neighbours and strangers about their knowledge of the murder. Finally, to the shock of many, a public trial is held on the 90th, with the chance for every citizen to speak their mind in front of a jury of Speakers, who seem to know more than they let on.

Fish Monster Thing
A fisherman returns claiming to have spotted a large sea creature outside the port of Alvadas that was disturbing his fishing and almost capsized him. After several cries for attention, the city finally picks up on his worries, but only after another ship seems to have been lost at sea. Discussions with the local Charoda and Svefra reveal that they've been experiencing other strange phenomena all season, unfamiliar current patterns, sudden waves, less fish than usual and unidentified shadows in the water.

Curious about the possible threat, the city gathers up a few interested people and sends them off on a ship on the 51st for a few days, hoping they will find something of interest. Those going are recommended to spend a few days preparing for a lot of swimming. (This will be a Moderated Event, which you can sign up to, using the correct form, in my office. Limited spaces available!)

Meanwhile, a few outspoke citizens decide to blame Laikvu for all the problems they've been having with the fish. The small catches that come in often reveal strange looking creatures that come attached with weird smells and odd colours despite being perfectly edible. Speeches for Ionu and against the god of the sea rise in popularity, despite the offense to the god.

Farm
The farms start ploughing and planting. The Community Farm once again asks for volunteers who want to help, in return for teaching them the skills necessary. Other farmers also create their own things to coax helpers towards them - cakes, drinks, interesting necklaces... On one farm, they claim that ploughers can take anything they discover when churning up the soil. One archaeologist seizes the opportunities and starts searching for artefacts in the soil.

Also, Spring brings the birth of new animals. Those with experience with animal handling are needed to look after all the new lambs, calves and chicks. They are also sold as pets to the naive and a new trend sparks up of having brightly dyed lambs to take on walks. By the end of the season, everyone who wants to be something in the city tries to lay claim on their own.

Illusions
On the 20th, perspective starts changing, and the size of things begins to vary a lot. Also, not physically being next to something doesn't mean you can't affect it - holding your finger up so it appears like it's pushing something in the distance will actually affect the object.

Midway through the season, people start seeing things in only one hue for a few days at a time. For some, this never comes, for others, they experience every colour in the rainbow. The exact dates vary from person to person.

A large focus shifts onto food illusions towards the latter part of the season. Chefs compete to create the largest, most extravagant dishes, while mixing crazy flavours together. Workshops and kitchens also move outside, some simply losing walls, so most ordinary citizens can watch them at their craft. Additionally, any food created without blessing Ionu during it will have one unpleasant flavour strengthened.

Challenges
Note: Completing these challenges will allow you to receive the Alvadas Seasonal Challenge Badge. Those who currently hold the badge are: Sayana & Aislyn Leavold. This season, there are three categories. Out of these three categories, you need to pick two challenges. Each must be covered in individual threads, but there is no minimum word count. Once completed, post a list complete with links in my office.

Multiplayer-character challenges: Must be completed with another PC).

• Have a thread with a baby animal
• Discuss or investigate the murder
• Do something dangerous
• [1-Blame a god] [2-Praise a god] [3-Confuse a god]

Knowledge-based challenges:

• Learn a new trade skill
• Learn something new about Ionu
• [1-Draw] [2-Cook] [3-Dye] something green
• Earn 2XP in a skill that has something to do with Spring

PC-development challenges:

• Discover a new [1-favourite food] [2-least favourite food] [3-food allergy]
• Think outside the box
• Watch a performance by a Speaker notethis does not have to be a calendar event
• Describe an item of clothing your PC is wearing

*(Roll a 3-sided die in chat if you want a random selection)

[Maore]

The Forsaken

It has often been said the brighter the soul, the darker the Forsaken. These pitiable creatures hardly seem to have sprung from the Ukalas, so horribly warped in psychology and demeanor that even their patron deities would have a hard time recognizing them. They are the Ethaefal who have turned with disgust from those philosophies and purposes that had them transcended by their patron god in the first place. They believe themselves to have been unfairly flung out, cast from the company of their beloved for no good reason.

They are often self-righteous and well spoken, championing causes about which they have little to no experience. They commonly fail to do proper research and are eager to diminish the humanity in their foes. Their enemies are selected for a variety of reasons, but most often because they outwardly appear to align with the Forsaken’s privilege blinded, unforsaken brethren.

The Forsaken’s appearance does undergo the dawn and dusk celestial and mortal seeming transformations, but their Ethaefalian colors cease to change with the seasons. Instead they are frozen in the colors of the season in which they first became Forsaken, but their horns grow polka dots in complimenting hues.

While their Ethaefalian ability of aging is suspended, the Forsaken become naturally adept at stubbornly biased debate. They can spot a logical fallacy at distances up to five miles while in their celestial form and up to one mile in their mortal seeming. They no longer take sustenance from the light of the sun or the moon, but in its place they have taken to feeding on the flesh of the politically incorrect. For every misguided soul they devour the Forsaken gain one step in the one hundred required to obtain Ethafalian omnipotence. Once obtained, the Omnipotent Forsaken will be unilaterally correct in all things and incapable of error in all social and political matters.

The Forsaken have come to be called Warriors of Social Justice in some parts of Mizahar for their unflagging efforts to maintain the moral high ground despite their banishment from the Ukalas.

Coats
Prior to becoming Forsaken in 312 AV, Ciraaci (then named Astarael) went through the seasonal transitions as any other Ethaefal would, and as a Syna-born Ethaefal, she followed the sunny, vivid colours that are prevalent among them.

Spring: pale blonde hair, with a crown of pale woodland green horns that match the shade of her eyes.
Summer: hair is a deep red colour, highlighted liberally by gold, and her horns are a rosy peach colour.
Autumn: hair of a rich auburn colour and horns similarly red, not unlike the plumage of the cardinal bird.
Winter: hair as brown as a doe's fur, her horns truly stand out with vivid colour as forest green ornaments.

[Maore]

Fortune Telling
Husbandry
Horsemanship/Riding
Leadership/Astrology/Astronomy
Spiritism/Malediction
Medicine/Herbalism/Poison
Spear/Crossbow/Unarmed
Hunting/Tracking/Navigation

big goals. big dreams.

[Maore]

F E A R S

There are few uncertainties greater than the open sea, and Ciraaci fears it for that. Born as she was in the white-capped waters of the Suvan, although near Black Rock, she very nearly drowned in the sea before her story even began, and even as she tried to climb the rocks towards civilization, the sea sought to bash her against a stony death.

So, Ciraaci openly fears the sea, and her deepest nightmares are those in which she never emerged from the water, and instead drowned, and remains drowning to this day.

There was one other time that she was upon the Suvan, and that was during the trip between Black Rock and Riverfall, and though the trip was actually quite pleasant she refused to stand upon the open deck for fear of the water she'd see.

Ciraaci hasn't really addressed this fear, and she compensates for her aversion to it by outright avoiding coastal locations and keeping her feet rooted firmly upon the ground. At this rate, she'll probably never face nor overcome her fear.