The Night Markets are alive tonight; the air is permeated with a perfume of peppermint and lavender, the jeweled streets of Caligo’s home twinkling as they reflect the fires of the oil lamps. Many bodies litter the pathway, eyes eager to indulge in the new wares that foreign and exotic travelers have come to show. It is a rainbow menagerie of baked goods, sharp weapons, and whimsical jewelry.
There, nestled amongst the caravans, is a diminutive market stall where a lone, black stag sits – he is reclined in his lounge of throw pillows in various shapes and hues that resemble the stars and milky cosmos. Large, indigo silks languidly dance from the top frame, their golden embroideries glitter softly in the twilight, and long tassels play peek-a-boo in the breeze. The cervine is the only merchant present in the tent, but a whisper of music can be heard even though he plays no instrument – he only sits and chews on a clove, humming along, content and passive as one antler bobs to keep time.
You would assume that he would be more pressed due to the assumption that not a single passerby was stopping to appreciate his collection of instruments, yet he is wiser than he plays to be. The buck lifts his narrow head and opens his eyes to see you.
One eye is pallid, a rival to the moon above, yet the other is a false lens made of gold – the ends of his thin mustache curl up in an inviting and partially gilded smile.
“Ahh – “ he muses quietly, a warm and spiced chuckle crawling out of his throat. “The flute plays for you.”
You can hear it - gentle and muffled - a tune coming from one of his trunks, and he rises with a jester enthusiasm to fetch it for you. He artfully lays down a piece of old velvet and presents the flute, careful not to smudge or tarnish its finish.
It is well made – clad in a luminous silver with ivy vines engraved in an organic and spiraling fashion along its length that lead to four holes at its tail. It seems to produce a glow, or maybe the silver is so fine that it reflects all the light from the stars above. It is whispering a song, faint like a dying wind, a song that matches how you feel, the cadence of your walk, almost as if it is reading your thoughts.
Perhaps it is reading your soul.
“For the right price, the flute will always play for you. Whatever song your heart desires, the flute will play. It listens to you and you only, no one else will ever make it sing.”
The stag crooks his head, a strange glint in his false eye as he gestures to his wares, his golden tooth sparkling in his wild grin.
“My patrons never choose their instruments. My instruments choose them.”
@Willoughby has traveled far and wide, performed for many an audience... and it's all come to this. Standing in front of the stall where she felt her heart swell... but not just her heart. The music also swelled in tune with the hum of her soul. The clever artisan merchant regards Willoughby with a gilded smile, and presents the instrument that had truly chosen her: An enchanted flute, always to sing along with the true tune of her heart.
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There is a rumble that seems out of place in the current setting. As if it belongs to savannah plains and desert heat, with tall grasses and trees so tall, you'd crane your neck looking up. The grumble is not pleasant, it is distressing, and it pulls at your heartstrings far more successfully than anything you've ever heard before has. It's like a silent call, a desperate plea of help - and you are powerless to ignore it. So you begin to weave your way through the vegetation as you search for the source that carves such distress in your heart.
How long are you wandering, you do not know, but the sound seems to either be growing further away or weaker. A need, a pressure in the back of your mind, urges you to walk faster—guides you to move, to hurry, to press forward. Something is upset, pained, needing your help - you mustn't dawdle, you must press on.
A box, holes drilled in appear to house a creature that cries into the darkness, angry, hurt, shaken up from a tumble of a merchant with shady dealings. Trapped in the confines, the young lion claws desperately to escape the crate he has been stuffed into - too small for his young adult form. The tumble had shaken him; however, his head pounding from where it had banged against the side when it came to rest against a tree.
Another pitiful growling yowl leaves his grand muzzle, trying to stretch out wings that are pinned to the sides of the box by his girth, attempting to break free of confines that keep him caged like some mere beast. His vision swims, darkening, and his cry splits the air again.
The cry is more desperate but louder, pointing you in the direction of the one needing your help, your assistance. Will you aid, will you assist, or will you ignore the cries for help that pull at your very core and the lightest of mental touches that urges you forward to the unknown? What will you do? You do not have long to make your choice.
The crying voice is already losing volume once again.
@Brassa stumbles upon a lion caught in a hunter or exotic wildlife trader's cage... hurt and injured. Will @Brassa choose to free Espoir? Everything within her tells her she should.
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It is a subtle shift in the air. A slight change in the wind that brings the promise of . . . well something. It fills you, with the sense of power, of death, of forever and the end. It's a haunting sensation that fills your bones, promising you something of greatness, something of destruction, should you just reach out to grab it. It's the pooling of saliva in your mouth, the scent of blood to raise your sense.
You follow the temptation, and time stands still as you follow that desire, that pleading decision of forever and nothing, of life and death. You travel without hesitation, and you note the period in which your speed begins to pick up, a quickening of your breath, a thundering of liquid sloshing through your veins, driving you forward, and forward, and forward, and forward still.
Until you see the figure, a deer, golden in pelt, glowing beneath the light of the moon. Large, impossibly silver eyes turn towards you, and it seems afraid. But you do not care. You stare, you stare hungrily at your future, at the temptation. In its veins, you feel the hum of forever that is promised to you, owed to you, a part of you. A soft growl parts from your throat - and you're alarmed to realize it was you. But that alarm fades away in response to the hunger. Hunger for this being hunger for this future it is offering you if you take a lunge forward, just to bite, just to drink. Forever. Forever is in your grasp.
Do you take it?
@Salome is hungry — oh so hungry. There is something different about this night - it beckons you to search the forest, trees, and edges of the Vitreus Lake. There, you find it. A golden deer; will you take another's life to extend yours for eternity? Will its blood taste as sweet as immortality may feel?
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see how the flowers dance, wonderf'ly gliding together
every tulip leads a violet, while the pink petunias pirouette
Callynite
daisies do a gentle jig with each little sprig of heather
now they're whirling and they're twirling
The deer is growing agitated, occasionally approaching her guards or court members. You see an upset individual. Cally’s cloven hoof brushes through the dirt, kicking up grass in her anxious agitation. You don’t hesitate to approach her;, asking if there is something wrong.
"Oh, just everything. I sometimes don’t think I ever realized how stressful it can be running the event. I always thought organizing it would be the hard part. But there is always something for someone to complain about. We’re out of strawberries, and raspberries just won’t due. Or, there are no more blue eggs in the foal zone; and that’s so-and-so’s favorite color! And not to mention a whole mess of other things.” She pauses, large ears flicking curiously before tilting her head at you.
"Actually, are you . . . are you busy? I could use just a little bit of help. I’ll make it worth your while even! Would you be willing to head out for me and grab an item or two? Please say you will, I’ll be so relieved for the assistance.”
Well, you can’t leave a queen in distress, can you? Will you help her?
If you’re looking for one of Cally’s quests, please feel free to post here with the following form. I’ll be going through and accepting and handing out quests at least once a day :) But there is a limit to only being able to ask for a quest once every two days after completing the previous quest (this means you must wait 2 days after you post your exit post on the last quest before you can request a new one!)
Just use this form to request one!
Code:
[b]Username[/b]
[b]Character Requesting a Quest[/b]
[b]When was the last quest you took Completed?[/b] Please remember, you must wait two days after posting the exit post on your previous quest before requesting a new one :D
oh! what magic they're unfurling.
"Speech" Thoughts
Anyone Looking For A Quest Notes: Please post here if you are looking for a quest!
stardust settles on their petals
it's a marvelous sight, may they dance all night
Callynite has decided, in honor of many new foals, the excitement currently existing for the new season, to hold an Egg Hunt for all of Novus, the young and the young at heart.
You are hereby invited to spend your time of merriment with us in Delumine!
There will be a collection of brunch items for your sampling and many drinks available!
Viride Forest will be home to a massive Egg Hunt all throughout the trees!
♢ The Foal Zone - In the most well-lit zone, protected from predators, with more than a few guards in attendance to keep an eye over Novus’s youngest; will be a special egg hunt for the foals, where the eggs are easier to find; and they don’t have to worry about being trampled by adults. As Callynite’s own new fawn will be attending, one can be confident that the protection of the foals (and fawn) will not be relaxed.♢ The Rest of the Forest – is open for all of Novus to explore and find the eggs - be warned! The forest has answered Cally’s call for assistance, with trees taking eggs up to their branches and depositing them where they could reach. So make sure you look everywhere!
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There will also be a primary Socializing area in the same clearing as the Foal Zone, where parents can supervise their offering. This is also where you’ll find all of the brunch items and the table laden with drinks! You’ll also find that Cally has ensured the comforts of visitors and her court alike - with the grass in the clearing having been grown extra soft; and lush to comfort those who lay down; and small pillows lining tree trunks, so you’re not leaning up against the discomfort of tree bark.
A small farm is set off to the side within this central clearing, with little chicks and tiny bunnies happily hopping around. Anyone near is likely to learn a great deal from an elderly mare who brought the young animals out; to give exhausted but happy foals something to do while also teaching them a little.
Fairy Lights (with wild-caught fireflies) and Small Candle-lit paper lanterns are dotted along the forest to provide amble of lighting for those searching for eggs and make sure the central clearing is bright and as open as possible for everyone to see!
Welcome to Dawn’s Summer Event! We’re glad you’re here, but here are a few rules and how-tos as the player!
This is a competition; in and of itself, and to make it reasonably easy on myself – I will be keeping this thread open for the tracking of the competition - which is done by the players; not by me :)
The Egg HuntYour egg count will be determined by your collective number of posts. [i.e., all your posts by all of your characters]. ♢ For every post your write, you will earn one point.♢ If you complete a thread, you will earn a bonus of two points.♢ There are opportunities for additional points through interactions with other members [in particularly; interacting with Cally may provide you with small quests and mini-events that you can partake in for extra points]♢ Examples: She may send you off to find a particular egg for a foal who was upset that color wasn’t included in the foal zone. Or she may ask you to run back to her citadel for more of a particular snack.♢ These events would require a minimum of two posts dedicated to the task at hand (typically a single thread with one post of they’re heading out and finding the object before returning with it, she (and I) will then reply acknowledgment in your success; and then a final reply from the member with an exit.These Points will be used to determine your Egg Count at the end! Three Points will Equal One Egg! And the individuals with the top three counts will win some prizes~♢ First Place: 500 Signos, Delumine’s 2022 Egg Hunt Winner Item, 1 Free Common Item?♢ Second Place: 250 Signos, 1 Free Common Item♢ Third Place: 100 Signos
To help us track point numbers, please fill out this form and update it accordingly throughout your time playing with us.
[/b][/b]
Code:
[b]Username:[/b] Tag Yourself!
[b]Character’s Involved[/b] List All Characters Involved!
[b]Posts[/b] Please link every post individually :)
[b]Threads Completed[/b] Just a simple link to the thread is fine :D
[b]Cally’s Quests[/b] Please link to the individual threads; remember these cannot be included in your count until you post an exit in the quest
[b]Anything Else?[/b]
His mind ruminated, over and over his conversation with the prophetical mare. It was more like an intervention really. To the crashing, burning fire that was his life. He had left the desert seeking something more, chasing a fantastical idea of the future that would be his. He had been misled, and his mind poisoned by viscous sand beings. Devil was likely the best description for them. They had warped and twisted his mind, it was an embarrassing realization.
Each night had felt empty and frightening since. They taunted him in his dreams as he ran from them. In others he Chased them from his mind. He no longer welcomed their presence in his life. In other dreams he fought them, pushing them back - not allowing them near Torielle or Veil Nebula. Their vile blackened limbs were reaching for those he felt a connection with, as fragile and new as it was. He valued this above everything else.
Were these dreams signifying his inner battle, or something more? He had felt concerned since the night of the festival that something had gone amiss with the mares. That it would be his fault for not seeking them out immediately to ensure that Torielle had been found. When the idea of fate had been tripped from him, everything felt so much sharper. Each action he would be solely responsible for, the weight hung heavy on him. And so it should! He was a man, and he would make better decisions going forwards.
The warmth of his anger was not enough to keep him warm on his upward climb up this frozen forsaken place. He had heard that this was a peak that got worshippers closer to the gods. Perhaps it would guide him further in making better decisions. At the very least it would be an appropriate place for self reflection and to try and pry his own personality free from that of his desert culture. It was an ongoing challenge. He knew that from now he would make his own way, in his heart he feared that the Novus gods would also corrupt him. His soul was fragile and he felt like he was clinging to the fragments of who he was.
As he reached the top of the temple, he sighed deeply. He hoped he would find something worth finding within.
Shatter every window 'til it's all blow away
every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away
'til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday
She had gone out to explore.
It was a random need she would feel in her bones, the need to stretch her wings; to see a bit more of Novus. An excuse to search for herbs she may not have growing in her well-tended garden and greenhouse. Today's random adventure found her landing among the bright, and lush green trees and plants that surround the delicate little creek. It bubbled so sweetly, set off by the sounds of birds; that the mare had to smile, just starting at everything - the small waterfall, the soft mist that encases the thicket around her.
But she is cautious as she steps through the land.
This place isn't just for those passing through; it serves a more carnal purpose. Of love. Of lust. And the mare had no desire to unintentionally intrude upon a couple . . . . coupling. So she sticks close to the creek for now, gathering moss from the rocks and sealing it away in small jars where it could stay moist; collecting cattails, and other various herbs she found near by for her stock. She took a few cuttings from plants she didn't automatically know, with the intentions to study them further.
More than anything, she allowed herself to relax.
As she travelled, small flowers peppered the ground at her feet, growing tall and lush around her ankles, soft pastels that stood up against the green and drew the eye. The fae herself pays them no mind, tossing back that rich ivory forelock as she peers up at a few singing birds, smiling in soft delight at their melody. It's in this moment of bliss that the sounds of another approaching startles her; the mare spinning around, brown eyes wide; before recognizing the dark form (and feeling a little relieved he's alone; so she wouldn't be unintentionally intruding upon a couple trying to find a place for their . . . . . . . coupling. Instead she offers the man who is still little more than a stranger, having only met him once before, "Jarek."
She calls his name in greeting.
Turning towards him more directly, the delicate fae looks up towards the dark approaching gem-encrusted male, "How nice to see you in actual sunlight. I hope you have been well?" She greets when he approaches close enough that she wouldn't have to shout - her smile friendly, and kind; if not a touch awkward with interacting with someone she only met once - but that's how friends are made, is it not? Repeat exposure?
It had not taken long for the Argon ‘family’ to take up residence in the prosperous quarters of the Dawn Court. Here were the rich, the petite bourgeoisie that stayed in elegant little mansions that lined the street and had done so for dozens of generations. They were different to those of the Sun Court- were not marble, but instead a dark grey brick that played into the verdant green of the Dawn region. If Solterra was golden then Delumine was rich, terrific green.
In retrospect, Jane really should have seen it coming. For the rest of her life, Jane would ponder at her own foolishness, at the lack of foresight. She had walked away from Vreis with shame bubbling inside her chest, barely even exchanging a scrap of acknowledgement as she had crept back to the festival. She had found Isaar with a fellow ambassador. She had crept to his side, silent and stern even as she felt her sin bubbling inside her chest. The tea had tasted rancid, burning her tongue as it slid down over her oesophagus. Isaar had talked calmly, gently, and then had done the worst thing imaginable.
He has asked Jane what she’d done. If she’d enjoyed herself.
Pulling together all the shreds of her decency, she had halfway-lied and said something about walking with an old friend, that she had watched the performances in the festival centre. She had not so much as thought of Vreis since that afternoon, had continued her life satisfied and proper. She was a true wife now, it was true. Jane had needed that evening of destruction.
It hadn’t taken long for Jane to feel like something was wrong. She wasn’t ill, wasn’t craving, just wrong. But Jane was used to feeling like a stranger in her world. She was used to the wind being too sharp and the water tasting too metallic, and the scent of Isaar singing the insides of her nostrils. It was essential that they have separate bedrooms.
As it were, Jane was in her quarters when she first felt the stirrings in her stomach that would be called dubbed life. While she feared illness- consumption and cancer were no strangers in her family tree- the wise woman who had come to her home had said that it was something else. Something much more simple: Jane was with foal. Oh, how could they call that simple?
It had been a long time since Jane had wanted her mother’s company, but she desired it now. Maybe not even her mother, but a mother. Someone to stroke her sides and tell her not to be afraid. But Jane had not been with her mother in years, not even when she had lived back in the city. Aloysia, Jane’s mother, had made no secret of her disapproval and disappointment in her daughter. This would not improve those matters.
So now Jane was on the hunt for the only person who had ever really treated her with care. The only one who had let Jane come back, even after her absence. So now here she was, in Delumine with her cloak pulled up high over her head. It wasn’t entirely necessary; people were aware of her ties to Novus, ties that were much stronger than those of her husband’s.
She knocked on the door of the Veil Nebula’s lodgings, and felt the clock strike some whole hour, somewhere far away. The rhythm sliced through her body in time with the sense of a prickling that spread from her stomach- from her womb- and up through her entire person. What would Veil say, when she found out that Jane had betrayed her husband? She had always thought that Jane was good- how disappointed would Veil be?
Jane imagined a molotov cocktail, resting in her womb and ready to explode. Ready to strip her life of its entrapments; the husband and the name and the mansion, all of it ripped down by something no bigger than a hoof that currently lived inside her. Something fragile that was so killable- and yet, something stronger and more undeniable than mountains and rivers.
@[Veil Nebula]
i've never felt more alone it feels so scary getting old
The sun is just barely rising, reaching its golden fingers out across the lands of Denocte. Even in the night court there must be daylight, it is the balance of all things. It is time for the citizens to awake to a new day; filled with fresh opportunity. Caelum is gazing at the sunrise while collecting the essential medicinal herbs and flowers near the Vitreus lake. The grips of cold had melted away, the lands had welcomed the warmth. Fresh green shoots and blooms sprouted around the lake, covering the shoreline in vibrant colours. It was a thrilling time to be alive, the summer fae was in her element. Creatures in the land of Denocte could sense the shifting and stirring of the season; there was something in the air this morning!
Curiously there seemed to be a faint path of light leading into the trees. It floated wisply in strands on the ground, delicate beautiful flowers growing beneath the path, inviting Caelum to step in the trees. It was ethereal in its nature and unlike anything she had seen before. Sparkling and shimmering in the early morning light, like small diamond strands.
Faint whispers could be heard from the trees now, growing stronger. Sounding like the beating of wings, in an excited thrumming beat. The entire forest was celebrating the birth of the morning and the arrival of summer. It was as though they had been waiting for this very morning, for Caelum’s arrival.
Caelum is tasked with exploring into the forest and finding the source of the beautiful light. The forest itself is excited for her arrival and have been waiting for this exact moment; there are numerous creatures welcoming her into the forest. The entire place feels vibrant with energy, an almost electric magic is in the air.
Spring has crept all the way across the vitreus lake... but is that the doing of the seasons or of @Caelum herself? Afterall, it seems shes aboutt o walk into her birthright as the queen of the summer court.
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Summer, the season that spoke to the fae mare the strongest. It had been a warm, beautiful day. A day that the little mare enjoyed at the side of Vitreus lake, basking in the warm sun and the cool water. There was a part of the little mare that was finding peace in the beauty of her new court, of the court she had chosen rather than the one she had been born into.
Thoughts of her past swirled in the mare’s mind, though not the bad. It seemed that the mare was to be graced with the good, happy memories. Memories of her brother and cousin, of the fun they had and the trouble they got into. Happy memories of her parents. Memories before the heartache that had come as time had passed and the princess had grown into a queen.
At the bank of the lake, Caelum gazed at her reflection for a moment. The mare she saw was not the same as the filly from her youth, though there was still that beauty and happiness locked within her heart. The memories were kind, a balm for her ravaged heart. As the sun set, the fae mare found herself loath to leave the peace that she had found.
She started a fire to provide light as the warm night cooled around her. Warm tea and a few dainty pastries served as a light dinner and she soon found herself dozing. Words from her past, murmured words of love. The sounds of happiness swirled in her heart. As she let the love into her heart, she felt her frame warm. What seemed to be a warm, golden sun within her started to let the little mare glow. She woke, feeling like the sun had rose once again and found that she had become her own sun.
Magic swirled around the summer fae, the taste of it like an elixir upon her tongue. As it settles upon her frame, she felt the small zings like they were tiny pulses of fireflies. Of course, the fae would recognize what had happened to her, the gift that her blood has bestowed upon her.
@Caelum birthright is finally coming to her. A sign of growing into maturity, of coming into what is rightfully the faes. She has no choice to take it, but will she come to accept it?
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