[The Midnight Gem] The New Year's Eve Costume Party

by **Kelski** on February 2nd, 2019, 2:16 am

Timestamp: 92nd of Winter, 518 A.V.
Opens 19th Bell of the 92nd and runs through the 2nd Bell of Spring 1, 519.

Stretched out on a vacant expanse of land adjacent to The Midnight Gem in Baroque Bay is an enormous non-descript deep amethyst pavilion that created a wide-open space sheltered from the elements yet large enough to fit any Sunberthian that wished to join the festivities. The event had been advertised heavily by children that had been paid to distribute fliers and post hand written advertisements. There was no entry fee for the ‘party’ though to keep out beggers, bums, and trouble makers, there was one singular requirement.

People had to come in costume. If you could be recognized readily by the lack of a mask or the lack of a costume, you were not allowed in. Extra hired help – fighters from Tall Johnny’s - had been put in place for security to control the entrance and keep out the riff raft. They bristled happily with weapons and were all in costume as well. However, if a person came in costume with their features disguised and a light air of gaiety to them, they were allowed inside.

All costumes were to be explained quietly at the door to a main security guard and one of the security guards would pass out a token with a number on it to the participant and record exactly what their costume was in a master ledger. It was, they would be explained, part of the festivities of the night which would include several games that had prizes involved. One of the games was guessing one another’s costumes with a person who was able to guess the most costumes being a prize winner. It was a simple tactic to get others to talk to each other… for one of the rules as explained at the entrance to the party was that no one could actually reveal their costume specifically if asked. But they could indeed answer questions ABOUT their costumes.

If a party goer had a guess on someone else’s costume, they were to return to the keeper of the costume ledger, whisper their guess along with the number, and have their name recorded in the ledger if the guess was correct. A prize would be offered to the person that guessed the most costumes.

The entrance to the Pavilion was lined with torches that were burning illuminating a pathway that was laid out leading into the Pavilion. Even from the outside, the warm glow of the interior was visible and music spilled out the pavilion flaps inviting the party goers to come inside.

The decor inside was incredibly beautiful. Most of the lighting came from glass lamps hung from the rafters that cut the darkness with cascades of color that filled the tent. The participants in their costumes would be bathed in otherworldly ethereal light. Servants roamed around from the caterers changing candles and relighting things as needed, as well as picking up discards and keeping trash packed off. Tarps died of mottled color were hung on the tent walls adding to the ambiance. Scented braziers also graced the ceilings, gently scenting the whole tent with spiced vanilla and cinnamon essences.

Inside, music could be heard playing. The famous Masterbard Maurice was there, and he’d brought along a backup band called The Slag Heap Singers. The band was famous for their periodic energetic appearances at The Bolt Hole. There were several drummers well known from the Bolt Hole there as well. Maurice wore a costume as well, obscuring his features and so too did the Slag Heap Singers. He was a lumbering bear. While the rest of the musicians were all disguised as obviously woodland creatures though they wore no numbered tags. That meant the rabbits, foxes, and wolves of the band were not part of the main games.

The musicians had a dais at one end of the pavilion that overlooked an obvious dance space. Flanking the dance space were scattered seating consisting of tables that loosely surrounded an enormous table holding a buffet of all sorts of food catered in by one of the better taverns in Sunberth. There were main dishes, breads, cheeses, deserts, side-dishes, and all sorts of delicacies. There was also a bartender that had access to several large kegs of wine, ale, beer and fresh well water that was cool and clear.

There would be plenty of room on the stage if anyone wanted to sing, perform, or otherwise join the musicians during any of their songs or even do something solo. Even expeditions of weapons or slight of hand would be welcomed. And near the entrance there were several boxes that were sealed save for either slips of paper and pen and ink resting on a small table nearby. Each box was labeled different things.

Best Costume
Best Impromptu Performer
Best Dancer
Gamemaster
Most Costumes Guessed

There were also tip jars for the musicians, security, and caterers if people wanted to express their appreciation of the hired help’s hard work. Each jar was chained to a table and watched closely by security.

There were small sections for dice games, many of which involved drinking. Tablero was popular, and there were a few tables with boards and its required seven glasses set up. All the gambling involved here was between individuals playing with bets passing freely from hand to hand.

All in all the party had a multitude of things to do. People could mingle, meet folks, enjoy the atmosphere, and enjoy the last day of winter. The party would go well into the night, not wrapping up until well after Midnight where a toast would be held to the New Year. It was traditional to kiss someone at the cusp of midnight to and make a wish which is often thought to be guaranteed to come true if the kiss was good enough. Just before said kisses, welcoming in the new year, masks would be removed and identities would be revealed.

Between the hours of Midnight and Two, awards will be passed out. Participants need not spend the whole night to win a prize. Prizes could be collected at The Midnight Gem in the days following the event.

OOC :

by **Vasin** on February 2nd, 2019, 6:37 pm

The Preparation

Vasin had received a flyer for the party not too long ago, though not where he lived that was for certain. It had been while he was out and about on the job. To say this party intrigued him was an understatement. It sounded like a fun distraction from work and Sunberth itself. So he had set about deciding he would attend the party. The only problem was that he did not have a costume on hand. He did not exactly have much for disposable income either. So, he had to get crafty with his costume and knew he would have to use everyday wears to get the job done. The start of what he wanted to go as was already in his mind. He liked the idea and set about visiting stalls, stores, and craftsmen to have his so-called budget costume created. He had to let his imagination roll in order to assemble it in his mind. The first stop was acquiring a suitable helmet. So he went about from store to stall looking at Gallon Sized Cooking Pots. Then, strangely enough, trying them on his head much to the confused look of the seller. Satisfied with a round-bottomed cooking pot he paid them 3 sm and was on his way to store his buyback at his tent. Next, he went to purchase wood for his costume, but he knew very little about wood carving himself so he decided to go to someone who dealt with wood. What he ended up with was buying was 38 wooden slats. 16 of which would be kept forearm length and the rest broken up by 2 inches each. Each slat and each wood segment would have holes drilled into each end. After getting that wood he went dropped it off at his tent. He bought himself a medium brush, Paint Binder, and Grey paint Pigment. Once back at his tent while not having very much artistic skill he would mix the paint binder and pigment before he would start to paint all of his wood gray. He would just slather it on with 3 coats of paint to make sure the wood underneath did not show through very easily. Done with that he would wash to brush off and let the wood dry out overnight. For the job he had needed 3 gallons of binder and pigment as he was more than a bit messy. Then he went to a leather worker and purchasing himself 58 wide strips of leather. As well as a number of leather straps to go with it to fasten various bits. With all of that, there was only one bit left which was required to assemble it all together. He would go to a tailor/knitter and make a request with the assembled bits in hand. A chain mail jacket and a chain mail coif mask knitted from grey yarn. Then he would request that they assemble the wooden slats with his leather straps, and strips as well as their fabric. This to create a wooden scale armor cuirass, wooden splint arm bracers, and wood splint leg bracers. Paying up front he then left and went about his day waiting for the commission to be completed. Then when it was time he returned and picked up his now fully finished costume and went to stow it away and awaited the day of the party.

Ledger :

The Party

Vasin inside his home tent had put on his Costume for the new years eve costume party. After putting on each piece he stretched a little and got a feel for the costume. It was fairly light and wasn't all that uncomfortable for him to move around in. The worst part was probably the helmet, but it was still lighter than actual armor. Or at least that is what he thought as he looked over himself. It had turned out more expensive then he had anticipated, but he liked the results of it. Up close it was fairly obvious what he had done for certain. That it wasn't a real chain or real metal aside from the helmet. But from a distance, he believed it would look real enough. Satisfied with the look he would depart from his tent and head to the party. Looking forward to the festivities, having not joined in on such an event before in his life. It was bound to be interesting and a new experience.

After a brief walk from his home, he would soon find himself approaching the Pavilion where he noticed the costumes guards waiting at the entrance. Torch lights lit the way to the entrance brilliantly lighting it up. Looking at it from a distance for a moment he eyes the entrance up. He studied it as it appeared the guards were well positioned. After a moment he would step forward stopped by one of the guards. They studied him for a moment and found they could not recognize him thanks to the knitted coif mask he wore. He stared back at them through the eye holes in the mask. He wondered if his costume was good enough for a moment. But any worry he had was soon gone as his costume was deemed acceptable. Stepping aside he would discreetly whisper to the guard what his costume was. They nodded before handing him a token with the number 21 on it and recording the costume in the ledger. He was in! Taking the token Vasin nodded thanks and proceeded inside the Pavilion.

He had only seen a glimpse of the interior from outside, and now as he stepped inside he got to see it first hand. The warm glow was in full force as he saw how beautifully decorated the place was. Certainly more so then what he was used to witnessing. Back where he lived in Sunberth the most beautiful decoration one might expect was a fancy blanket or some flowers. But this was on another level he realized as he walked further inside. Someone had put a lot of effort and money into this event. Now he didn't feel like he had overspent on his costume at seeing what this place was like. He looked around wondering what to do first, unsure as there was so much to do.

by **Kelski** on February 2nd, 2019, 10:54 pm

'Hope' is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the fierce Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

Morphing was always a sore spot for Kelski. Not only did the art remind her of a long-gone friend that she hadn’t been able to help, but it reminded her of a fight she hadn’t been able to prevent. The last part was a dull thing in her mind, something barely remembered with just raised voices and a dull sense of anger, but she knew it had been bad. The person she’d fought with was just a fog of a memory, which seemed odd to her because she knew how pivotal the fight had been. But she’d been working on the skill since then. And as she’d thumbed through Aer'wyn Grisghul’s writing, she’d long ago learned that slight changes were easy in Morphing. Things like eye color, hair color, and even skin tone could be manipulated easily and without danger. The secret to success was just holding the image in one’s mind.

A successful morpher had to hold an image solid, despite the distractions, and no matter what the circumstances. He or she had to believe what had been changed was what was real. Kelski had started small, pulling the white out of her hair until her locks were all black. She started small, wearing it first for short periods of time, then learning she could hold the morph for days on end just believing her hair was solid black. Then she worked up to changing it often, from black to its normal ombre and even faking a fade-out with morphing so that it looked like she just actually liked bleaching the ends of her locks. It got so common that her customers grew used to seeing her hair styled all differently and what they assumed was dyed or bleached out depending on her moods.

But for the party she wanted it different. Kelski wanted something shocking and reverent to honor someone she’d felt gratitude towards from the first moment she’d set foot in Sunberth. Ebon was a big influence there, discussing his views and why he acted the way he did because of his own gratitude. And Kelski too had come face to face with a Konti in the Market – one wearing a collar unfortunately – and had been struck by the beauty of the woman. She’d talked to the lady for a while, getting a close look at her scales and her webbed hands. Kelski took her inspiration there, but remembering someone’s cautious words a long time ago, Kelski only used the Morphing on her hair. She concentrated, turned it stark white, so pale it looked translucent, and shimmered with colors of purple and blue that would look striking in the décor of the party.

For her scales, she’d tried drawing them on, but the work wasn’t as realistic as she liked. So instead, she went down to the docks and purchased a couple large sea bass that she scaled and dried the real scales out in the sun for days. Then she painted them with a jeweler’s finish that added a luster that while wasn’t exactly like the Konti’s luminous skin mimicked it enough to look fantastical under the light of the moon and candles.

Kelski then mixed up jeweler’s glue and took bells to glue each and every individual scale in place. She carefully lined her eyes, took great pains with her cosmetics, and when she applied color to her lips ended up wiping it off because her own lip coloring actually looked better than painted ones. With khajal she crafted a stylized winged serpent on her forehead, another way to honor the figure she was portraying in her costuming. Kelski was under no delusions. Her costume would be easy to guess. But then she figured it would be good to allow some of the party goers an easy point towards a prize win.

Her dress was a full midnight blue and purple gossamer gown that was probably far grander than Sunberth deserved. But she was hostess this night and wanted people to have a party they would not forget. She decided she needed no mask, and just added the finishing touches of some jewelry – especially through her rostrum – and a choker of a black moon cupped upright to hold luck. She added perfume that Ebon had given her and slipped on solid boots of kidskin that would hold up even if the dress wouldn’t.

Kelski armed herself beneath the skirts, making sure she had her weapons with her, and left her newly whitened hair loose on her shoulders with just a light curl to it.

And with that, she went to check on things in the tent and give some last-minute instructions to the security and make sure the bards and caterers were all ready.

It was early still, and honestly she wasn’t sure what the turnout would be. But before long a tall figure joined her wearing a crow skull mask with his face elaborately painted into that of a black crow under the mask which left part of his face visible. He also wore a cloak of black feathers over an elegant tunic and trousers in deep black with delicately stitched runic trim.

The figured dwarfed over her and she took a moment to recognize him. A smile lit her face and she reached out and offered him a hug. The man collected the Kelvic Eagle in his arms for a moment and glanced around. “Learner, you do me proud.” He said, taking note of the buffet the caterers were still loading and the band members still taking the stage.

“Are you going to play tonight?” He asked, raising a well blackened eyebrow beneath the mask.

She grinned. “I planned too. I can probably do so without embarrassing myself now. What about you? Any hidden musical talent?” She said, just as light hearted now that she had a friendly face at the party as well.

“No… not at all. Just two left feet that enjoy dancing anyhow. Will you save me a turn on the floor? I know you will be busy tonight circulating and keeping everyone involved, but do come dance with an old man later when you get tired of making polite conversation.” He said with a smile, just before Lia put in an appearance, hugged Gilthas like an old friend, and dragged him away to ‘help her’ with something in regards to Duncan.

Ebon was about, Ember at his side, both of them in full costume. Ember was dressed like her Kelvic counterpart, long soft velvet ears rounding the top of her head and whiskers drawn on her face. Kelski almost laughed because she had a stuffed tail trailing after her and somehow somewhere she’d talked Snowflake out of her collar and was wearing the gemstone thing around her neck. The Kelvic had a proud Aunt moment there, because the costume was both beautiful and clever, giving people a chance to guess what she was or even whom, but if the people wrote down the name on the collar Kelski was sure the guards would give them a point regardless of whether they knew or not what ‘snowflake’ was.

Ebon had a costume on as well. It was feathered like Gilthas’, but of an opposite color. He was all whites and creams in a long sleeve shirt that had huge sleeves that were embroidered with feathers. Pale cream trousers and boots graced his body, and his head was adorned with a feathered mask with huge eye holes and a tiny beak. It took a moment for her to understand that Ebon and Ember had come in matching costumes. Which made her smile because both of them seemed excited, especially her little niece who didn’t socialize much with anyone outside of the Gem.

When Kelski spotted the first person through the door, she automatically walked over to him and greeted him. Not seeing his face through the mask, Kelski didn't recognize Vasin. Instead she simply smiled, welcomed him, and gave his costume a good look. Then she simply said.... "Welcome. I hope you enjoy tonight. There's all the food and drink you'd like... and dancing as soon as the bards get up and running. I'll gladly take a turn around the dance floor with you if you'd like... though I expect its going to get crowded soon." She said, turning to see more people walking through the doorway. These folks she didn't recognize either, but nodded to the tall male and gave him a wink. Then she turned away, greeting the next set of guests, and suggesting delicacies and drinks for them to to sample from the bar and buffet.

NPCInfo :

by **Skyler Thatch** on February 3rd, 2019, 3:20 am

Skyler had been sitting Just inside the city walls, aimlessly playing her ocarina, when a young boy approached her with a flier. She looked down at the paper, looking it over carefully. It seemed be for a party, something Skyler had never experienced. The young kelvic figured it was too high class for her was going to toss it, when she saw the only requirement was one had to be dressed in a costume. No other specifics, just that it had some sort of theme to it. Skyler had always wanted to be sociable, but it had been drilled into her by her father that she shouldn’t trust anyone in this city, for her own safety. She felt a pain in her chest at the thought of her father. She looked down at the instrument in her hand. He also wanted her to be happy. He had said this on a number of occasions. Despite his shady and wrongful dealings, her father wanted what was best for his daughter. She placed the ocarina in her bag and then took off for the shops.

As she made her way to the shop, she came up with the idea for her costume. It wouldn’t be extravagant, but she felt it would be enough. The only problem was, her idea called for a dress, and Skyler had never wore one. However, she had seen many young and older ladies in the pubs and shops wearing them, a few even visited her fathers “shop”, so she felt confident enough at least attempt to wear one. The owner of the shop she had entered was kind old lady, who seemed to realize Skyler was lost. After Skyler explained what she was wanting to accomplish, the owner helped her pick out a simple dark blue dress. She thanked the lady for her assistance then proceeded to visit other shops and stalls. Eventually, she found a simple black leather party mask in one of the stalls. She found some cheap paints and used dancing shoes as well. Not thouroughly satisfied, but begrudgingly content, she made her way home. Hanging her costume, she quickly got to work. She sat down and began painting what she deemed as intricate and appropriate designs on her mask. There blues and greens and purples swirled through the design, and just a bit of gold. After hours of work, Skyler sat back to admire her handywork. It was by no means an amazing work of art. But she had seen her father rework useless junk to look like priceless artifacts enough times to have picked up a few tricks. Content with her work, she stood and stretched and got ready for bed.

The day of the party, Skyler was slightly nervous, but very much excited. Since reviving the flier, she had talked herself into being happy, allowing herself to have fun if possible. She sat in front of the mirror for a time, trying to figure out what to do with her hair. She had seen so many different styles on other women. She never understood the fuss, yet she knew she would be expected to look at least decent. Not the bedraggled mess she often was. Eventually she just brushed it out till it was somewhat manageable. She slipped into her dress and then grabbed her mask, placing it on her face. She looked into the mirror at herself. She knew the mask was a little rough, and the dress wasn’t much. But she felt confident enough to grab her ocarina, as she never left home without it, placing the string it was attatched to around her neck, and finally leave the tent. A short while later, she reached the place she was directed to by the fliers. She suddenly felt a pit in her stomach. It was uncharacteristic of her to be nervous, and yet here she was, her palms quite clammy. She approached the guards at the entrance. They looked her up and down, and after she whispered her costume to them, they nodded approval before handing her a coin with the number twelve on it and allowing her access, jotting down her costume in a book. Now that she was in, she couldn’t help but be excited. Remembering what her father had taught her, however, she had to keep that part of her reigned in. She had to be choosy about who knew what she was. It was exausting to say the least, keeping part of her core self in check. She looked around the party, watching as newcomers arrived and those already there mingled. It was all so overwealming to the kelvic.

by **Duncan Rightstone** on February 4th, 2019, 2:20 am

Duncan heard about Kelski's planned party many days prior when she'd mentioned her desire for him to attend. His first thought when she'd brought it up was that it would be a security nightmare. Her plan to hire outside individuals to maintain the peace didn't do much to ease his concern. Despite his concern, he offered Kelski a firm, "maybe". That night, when his duties at The Gem were finished for the day, he retired to his chambers.

"So, you're going to the party right?" Lia asked with a curious look on her face as she sat on her bed.

Duncan worked on the straps of his gauntlet and replied, "How'd you know she asked me about it?"

With a sly smile Lia said, "I was listening in from the top of the stairs."

"I told her, maybe." Duncan said as he removed his gauntlet and hung it on the wall next to his bed.

"I'm going so you're going. Besides, it'll be fun and a bit of fun would be good for you." Lia said with a bit of force in her voice.

Duncan sat down on the edge of his bed and gave Lia a questioning look. "So, because you are going, I have no choice in the matter? I have to go?"

The smile on Lia's face grew wide. "I see you can be taught."

With a heavy sigh, Duncan offered a soft smile in return. He was finding it difficult to argue with Lia. "Fine. I'll go. Problem is I need a costume. I've no idea how to approach that."

"Nothing to worry about. I already have an idea for both of our costumes! Lia explained then what she had in mind. Dubious at first, Duncan reluctantly agreed to her idea. Her enthusiasm was undeniable and the soft spot he had for her kept him from fighting her concept for the costume too much.

The next morning Duncan and Lia went shopping for the materials. A skilled leatherworker, Lia had a good idea what materials she wanted. Over the course of the next few days, she worked to create what she hoped would be wonderful looking costumes that would set them apart from the others. Her costume was easy enough and required little in the way of purchased materials. Duncan's innate ability to manipulate earthen materials was more than enough to finish up hers. While he worked on hers, Lia worked on his.

As the day of the party quickly approached, the costumes were finished early the morning of.

Cost of Materials8 gm for wolf fur pelts 20 lbs, 1 gm of common leather garment grade 3 lbs, 25 gm for miscellaneous materials.

Evening arrived and after some last minute preparations, Duncan was dressed in his costume. He practiced moving around in it and made sure it was secure before he made his way from his room and out to the party pavilion not far away. Lia was waiting for him near the entrance, already dressed in her costume.

Duncan's Costume

Lia's Costume

"You look amazing!" She said with unbridled excitement.

"I feel stupid in this." Duncan's shoulders slumped as he emphasized his awkwardness at being dressed up like he was.

"Nonsense! It's perfect. Now let's get inside; there's already people gathering." Lia slid her hand into Duncan's and pulled him to where the security guard was who allowed entry.

Lia leaned in and explained what their costumes were and in return they each received a token with a number on it. After recording what the costumes were, the guard let them in.

Inside, Duncan got a good look at the final product of all the work put into getting the party ready. He helped out quite a bit with its setup but he had yet to see it all fully functioning with guests, servants and the like. He marveled at the colors, scents and overall atmosphere. The music was even agreeable to his ears.

The site of the food offerings made Duncan's stomach rumble. It had been a long day and he hadn't eaten much. Lia noticed him looking to the food and nudged him with her elbow.

"There will be plenty of time for food later. Let's dance!" Lia pulled Duncan's arm, leading him to where others were engaged in dancing. He resisted a bit yet she didn't let up. Slowly he followed her as she began dancing about, not letting go of his hand. Her joy gradually seeping into him, Duncan attempted to dance.

I haven't had enough to drink to do this. Duncan thought to himself as he tried to awkwardly move in a way that could maybe, in some stretch of terms, be considered dancing.

As they danced, Duncan glanced at the various guests, each dressed in all manner of colorful, crazy costumes. Men and women all wore masks, some wore armor. As he and Lia danced, he pondered what festive activity to engage in. The dice games looked enjoyable but food still hung on his mind. Indecisively, he decided to look more at the costumes that surrounded him and tried to get an idea of what they may be before he would begin questioning.

by **Kynier** on February 5th, 2019, 2:47 am

A child had approached him with a flier over tenday before the actual party. For some time Kynier had debated on whether he would attend or not. One of the reasons for not going was that he had no idea what he would do for a costume. Before deciding on his attendance, his mind lingered on the dilemma of an outfit. The next day an idea had come to mind and how to construct the idea required some serious thought. The excitement of trying to make the costume drove the decision to attend, as much as the curiosity of seeing the changes to Baroque Bay that were alluded to.

A new, long-sleeved tunic made of cotton dyed gold from Due’s, as well as a leather party mask and a pair of gold laced sandals that strapped halfway up the shin. Then, he scoured the markets for bells to find something to generate the desired effect that he had in mind. A vendor was selling glassware and had one-inch diameter glass plates of various colors. To the vendor’s immense satisfaction, Kynier had nearly cleaned out the entire selection save for a few colors. After that, he purchased gluing materials. A lot of it. Once he had all the materials, it took numerous bells each day until the day before the party to complete it. Creating a pattern of the various colored glass plates over the whole surface of the tunic and making the mask to match. Then gluing the plates to the fabric to make it stick.

Tunic Depiction and Ledger Changes :

It was finally the day of the costume party over by Midnight Gem. Kynier dawned his costume, the colored plates shimmered softly in the light. There was some weight to it from all the glass, but not enough to make it uncomfortable to wear. When the mask was fastened, he looked himself over in the hand mirror. While it wasn’t what he truly pictured in his mind when he started it, it was as close as he would probably ever get. He set in his pack a normal set of clothes, his boots, his cloak, his steel vambraces and greaves, some spending money, his starfire oboe, and one of his short swords. The other he kept on his belt to show that he wasn’t completely defenseless. He laced on his gladiator style sandals to complete the ensemble.

All the while, his recently acquired room mate stared at him in silence. He set the pack on his shoulders and took a pose for the Zypherian sled dog. “Well, how do I look, Lady?” The ice blue eyed canine twitched her ears right before letting out a single yowl and setting a paw on her muzzle to hide her eyes. Despite the negative critique, Kynier laughed at her response. He stepped over and ran his hand through her fur before patting her on the shoulder a few times. “Let’s hope everyone else doesn’t share your opinion.” Lady looked up at him with a wide puppy smile. Kynier went to his pantry and took out a sausage link to give to Lady.

Greedily, she snarfed it down as he made sure she had enough water. His hands ran through the fur of her back, bringing more assurance to him than anything else. “I’ll be gone until the very late bells. I may not be back before Syna’s next rise.” Lady whimpered and followed him to the back door. “No,” he said gently, which caused her to pin her ears back and whimper again. “This is not likely a party that dogs can come to.” He pulled the door to the stone patio open enough that she could get out on her own. “I’ll be back. And you’ll be fine,” he said with assurance. Lady groaned and went over to lay down on the couch.

Without further delay, he was out the door and on his way to Baroque bay. It was thirty chimes into the eighteenth bell when he set out from the Seaside Market district. Along the way, he saw other people walking the streets in costume with strange or simple outfits. It heled to ease his nerves about walking through the city so… exposed and noticeable. And it was well into the nineteenth bell by the time he was in line to get past the security. They noted his costume and handed him a tag to wear with the number forty-six on it before letting him pass.

Kynier made his way to the pavilion, following the torches, where people had gathered and the ambient raucous of a party was beginning to rise. As he stepped inside, the colored lighting of the pavilion glimmered off his costume, enhancing its hues. Kynier took a deep breath of the scented air to relax his nerves. Tonight, he intended to enjoy himself, so he stepped into the fray. While the music of the bards rang through the air, he intended to wait before joining that specific festivity. Feeling a little hungry, he waded through to the space where the food was. The palm of one hand was filled with light snacks as he turned moved to the table’s end. There, a woman stood in a dark blue dress. She wore a mask of swirling blues, greens, and purples.

“Hello,” he said to the woman with a smile below his scintillating mask. “I hadn’t expected this many people to arrive this soon,” he said, partially yelling in order to be heard. There wasn’t a single person he had recognized and didn’t expect to find anyone that he would that night. Everyone was a stranger, and the party had transformed that awkwardness into a comfort tonight. Kynier looked at the woman’s dress and mask, pondering what it could portray. “Would you be so kind as to give me a hint about your costume?”

tiny filler words

Boxcode credit goes to Zavya!

by **Vasin** on February 7th, 2019, 6:27 pm

Vasin had been taking the scenery of the party in and wondering what to do first, so much so that he almost did not notice Kelski approach him. Pulled back from his own thoughts he would look to her as she had approached him and then spoke to him. As they spoke he looked bother her and her costume over in silence. The scales and the winged serpent had caught his eye immediately. It was an interesting costume to be certain. But then he realized she had stopped speaking. Vasin took another moment to consider his words, and to think of what to say and how. In a somewhat deeper than usual voice he would speak out."Evening, and what a lively night it is." he gesturing around as more guests came."I plan on enjoying this night as much as possible. There is certainly a lot to enjoy this event." he said in an honest way."With so much to do, I am not entirely certain where to start. But I do like your proposal." the costumed Vasin added."But I hope you do not laugh, as I am not much of a dancer." he said not used to such activities."Then afterward we can refresh ourselves with a drink." he said all while trying to be a little in character, as well as give off that attitude requested of them in the flyer.

He then watched as she greeted the next set of guests to arrive."You are a rather gracious host." he complimented as he observed her. He was trying to pin in his mind what her costume was. It was as if it was at the tip of his tongue at the moment, but he could not name it outright."You are right as well, more and more are arriving. Seems the dance floor shall be very crowded." Vasin said thinking for a moment touching his chin in a thoughtful manner. He kneaded between his fingers gently the chain yarn."Your costume is beautiful by the way." he complimented. Vasin did not wish to interrupt her welcoming of guests and so waited a little while. Even if he looked silly while doing so, a dance sounded fun indeed. A chance to dance your worries away, in the city that makes most worried.

by **Skyler Thatch** on February 9th, 2019, 5:52 am

Skyler watched as people arrived. Not being able to see people’s faces made her slightly nervous. The slightly higher class environment is mainly what put Skyler at an unease, though she could appreciate the perks. The music was great, though the song that was playing was a slightly different style than what Skyler had been taught. She swayed a bit to the music, smiling. Music always made her feel better. Suddenly, her stomach growled. She looked around and found a table with different types of food, some of which she was unfamiliar with. She took one that looked more familiar than the rest and took a tentative bite. Satisfied she would like it, she took a bit more. She munched as she swayed, not really understanding the whole mingling part. Skyler was content to watch everyone else interact as she swayed, not in any rush to join the different festivities.

She was slightly surprised when one of mysterious people spoke to her, but grinned back and greeted him. “Hello.” She said warmly. At his comment about the amount of people, she could only nod in feigned agreement, as she had no idea if that really was early for this many people. She wasn’t sure how these types of party’s worked, so she couldn’t account for any of the oddities of the event. The kelvic looked down her own own body as if she had forgotten what she was wearing. “Oh...um yes..well..” she stumbled over her words slightly. She remembered her costume was part of a game, but wasn’t sure how to dance around her idea without actually saying. Granted, her costume was little less...obvious than some others she saw, in that it was simple...not as many elements. “Well...ever since learning about this...creature?” She said nervously, unsure if it was too much. “I’ve been in love with it’s natural elegance. The beauty...the pompous nature. It kind of represents what one might strive for, I guess.” She said, smiling slightly. She shuffled a bit, actually looking at the man. She was slightly confused by his costume. “May I ask about yours?”

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on February 10th, 2019, 10:01 pm

92 Winter 518

Crylon found himself at the Market shortly before the party, trying to decide what he would be wearing.

The hour was growing near, and he did not have much longer to find a costume if he wanted to get back to his room and change before it started.

The idea seemed a bit puzzling, but he got the generalities. Wear a costume. Dress up. Hide your features. The bit he was unsure on was what the others coming to the party would be dressing as. His mind ran through many variations on possible outfits, but he was unsure if these would be the case or if he was simply taking such ideas from similar parties in Sultros.

Finally he decided, like normal, that he did not really care what the humans thought. He would wear what made him comfortable, and that which seemed a good idea to him. Besides, it was not like he was trying to hide his identity in truth, for no amount of clothing and makeup and such could hide his true nature. He was an Isur.

As he thought this he passed a booth selling various leather items. One caught his eye, a simple black leather mask. It covered the area around the upper face, above the nose and around the eyes, with a thin bit of leather around the sides to tie it in place.

All at once an idea popped into his mind, and Crylon decided on its rightness as his costume. Even if many others wore the same costume, or he was far off base on what people would be wearing. They also had some leather sandals, which seemed a bit freer of footwear for him to wear while still protecting the soles of his feet should he step on anything.

The mask was 3 silver mizas and the sandals another 2, which he quickly paid and headed along looking for some other clothing and things to go with it.

Another eight chimes later, and he found a clothing merchant selling shirt and jackets and pants and all manner of things.

None of this seemed right, until he chanced upon some pieces made of died linen of a similar black to the mask. Much cooler than many of the other garments, which was too his preference. As an Isur he did not often get cold, his thick Isurian bones and skin seeming to ward off the worst chill. Particularly with the recent seasons of winter lacking the true cold he recalled from Kalea. The bottoms were simple enough, but the vest... It was an open chested piece meant to be worn by humans with other garments, no sleeves and in this case no buttons or things to hold it together. Whether this was because they had gone missing or never had it was unclear.

Crylon purchases the pants and vest as well, and headed back to his room to change quickly into his new pieces of clothing.

-----

Heading out to the party next door, Crylon enjoyed his new clothing for a moment. The vest allowed him to show his physique blessed by Izurdin, but still bore in mind human sensibilities and ideas on clothing. A good middleground, he felt. The simple linen material was also nicely breathable, fine in the modest winter they were experiencing. Particularly for an Isur.

The mask obscured part of his face, but he doubted anyone who knew him would not know him as who he was. Isur were far too distinct for that. His left arm, black in the dark of night, seemed as part of his costume as the rest of the black clothing even if in truth it was simply a part of him and one he proudly revealed to the world. The vest, lacking arms, did nothing to obscure of block its sight to the world.

He was a bit later than many of the other guests, but not so late as to have missed a good deal of the party.

One of the guards eyed him for a moment, before shaking his head and waving him past. A second guard took in his whispered costume, before he passed within with the offered token. Apparently, wisely he felt, Kelski had hired people to protect the party and to enforce order.

Inside Crylon spent a few chimes getting his bearing and sizing up the other guests. Food and drinks being offered... Games... Musicians. The pavilion, fully set up now, was as large as he had thought when he had worked on it prior.

And the people... The first thing his eyes slipped to was the other Isur, of course. His arm, its color, telling him the man was a Vizerian as he danced with a woman. Human? Kelvic, like Kelski? Crylon could not tell, and did not know the Isur offhand well enough to know.

With all of the humans which had turned out to be Kelvic of late, he was half beginning to wonder if many of the others he had met and thought human were also secretly Kelvic. He had yet to puzzle out telling them apart, besides being told or seeing them change form.

He saw more people dancing. Some talking, one with an oddly familiar neck he was fairly certain he had met before, and... Some other people he did not recognize.

Rather than try to invade a conversation or force himself upon someone, Crylon headed over to the drinks and got an ale, which he began to drink in long drawn out sips while he waited for someone to approach him.

Purchases :

by **Anja Nightwatcher** on February 13th, 2019, 10:41 pm

The celebration that the residents of the Midnight Gem had set about preparing was not the sort of thing that Anja knew very much about. Anja knew the sort of festivals that the Drykas celebrated: feasts and gatherings. Food, talk, hunts. But this was a different sort of matter entirely. He had listened quietly as he was explained the nuances of the festival to come, and had closed his mouth against disquiet stirring in his chest. This sort of thing did not feel like his kind of scene. Still, Anja was a resident of the Midnight Gem, and he loved his family. Even if he found the celebration to be somewhat out of his element, he would do his best to enjoy the festivities and not drag anyone down with a glum attitude.

The nagging question that occured to the Drykas was, of course, what to do about the costume he was required to wear? Anja wasn't exactly the most...creative when it came to matters of dress. Even before he had set out from the Sea of Grass he had been conservative when it came to clothing and decoration. And a themed outfit...well. He had entirely no experience with that. What to do?

And as such, Anja found himself browsing the stalls of the market several days before the appointed festival, desperately hoping that some sort of inspiration might strike him. He lifted up parcels of linen, and turned over leather belts, and parted metal buckles with his finger tips, his face growing more solemn as time passed.

Costumes costumes...what sort of costume might suit him? Anja's feet wandered him through the rickety streets and from stall to stall. Behind Anja came the steady 'clonk clonk’ of Maisa's hoof beats against stone and an annoyed rumbling. The mare's breathing was growing more raggedy and irritable with each passing moment. Finally, while Anja peered at a set of leather boots poised on a stall, Maisa seized Anja by the sleeve and dragged him in a different direction. As the Drykas was wont to do when his Strider took charge, Anja allowed himself to be led.

When Maisa released him, Anja found himself standing before a stall that contained all manner of strange goods. Leather, tanned from exotic beasts with strange skin patterns that Anja could not guess at lay piled on the counter. Beautiful, exotic beads and feathers of dozens of bright colors hung from strands dangling from baskets high above the counter. But most compelling was the object at which Maisa stared fixed at and Anja's gaze followed her line of sight. Delicately, Anja took the object from the hook where it hang and waved a hand to catch the shopkeepers attention.

“How much?” Anja asked. He heard a rumble of satisfaction from behind him, and could not help but smile himself.

The costume for which Anja assembled for himself was relatively simple in design, though the brightness outmatched anything he had ever worn before. The defining feature of the costume was its mask. A large bird skull had been painted in red and decorated in brightly colored feathers of a similar hue. Anja had also purchased a new set of fine clothing in which to adorn himself. His body was covered in a fine, red and black robe, matching the mask. His feet were covered in fine long boots, decorated in red and black beads. The entirety of his costume was as bright and vibrant as a wildfire. And when Anja stepped into the pavilion and gazed around him he felt, oddly enough, perfectly in place amidst the color and mayhem.

Maisa, Battle, and Sayeth had joined in the festivities as well, and they had not been denied costumes. In fact, their costumes might perhaps lend to the recognition of Anja's. Sayeth and Battle both wore a mantle of black fur around their necks. Sayeth endured the costume meekly, but Anja was fairly convinced that Battle's costume would be in pieces by the end of the night. Maia, meanwhile, had been decorated with a pair of long curved horns. The strider seemed keen on playing her part and kept on bobbing her head, scraping her feet, and snorting.

Cost of Costume :

Sayeth and Battle were let free into the Pavilion to explore while Anja greeted the guards and gave the details of both him and his companion's costumes. Upon doing so, Anja glanced around the Pavilion with a smile, noting all the fascinating costumes filling the area. Anja's gaze was soon drawn to the host of the event. For a moment he didn't quite recognize her, but as his vision cleared he found himself grinning behind his mask and walking over towards his friend.

“Your costume looks lovely,” Anja told her. The Drykas recognized immediately what her costume might be. Though the meeting had been brief, he had spoken with one with the appearance that Kelski now wore.

Anja turned his attention towards the person whom Kelski was speaking with, and his head tilted slightly at the appearance of the person. The injunity of the costume had him chuckling a bit to himself. “That's very creative,” Anja told him. “Was the outfit terribly difficult to make?” Anja too did not recognize Vasin despite their brief meeting. More so we was drawn in by the complexity of the outfit and found himself a bit impressed at the work he imagined had gone into it.

Open [The Midnight Gem] The New Year's Eve Costume Party