Randal jumps up with a start, looking around at the empty room where they made their rest last night. “A dream, or something more? It felt so real. Naran was there, and something that was a shadow of Ireen. And her. Clearly, it doesn’t matter if we sleep at the inn or not, these visions still occur. But what does it mean?”
Randal gives Lyla a sideways glance, a little surprised that she is taking this all so calmly. “Are we even awake now?”he gives a wry grin. “Well, we probably will not find out any answers staying here, the festival is as good a place as any, and I am supposed to play today. Let’s see who we run into along the way.” Randal quickly packs up his things and heads for the square.
(Sorry notifications must have been not working For me). Tess awakes with a start as well, and is disoriented for a moment, but then she gathers her things and says “well- finally festival day, whatever that was. I agree”. She follows Randall- a bit lost in thought.
Outside, the morning's sun shines brightly, not even a single trace of a cloud in the sky blocking its light. Ths sky looks as if it were painted with a brush, using rich, vibrant colours.
Randal and Tess know - and Lyla can easily guess - that Oruthia's festival starts at dawn, so it's no wonder that even as they get closer to the town's centre, there is no one else walking around. Only once you get very close to the square do you see other people.
Calling it a festival might be too much. For Randal and Tess who have seen the festival in the capital and for Lyla who has seen different festivals back where she grew up. Here... a gathering would be more fitting.
There are many people around - possibly all of Rivuleatice - impossible to count. The spacious square allows most to stand in it and take part in the 'festival', but some seem to have had enough of the dense crowd and stand around in the area close to the square, chatting about who knows what. The doors to the various buildings around the perimeter, such as the tavern, are open, and you can assume there are people inside, too.
If you make your way into the square, you'll see the main stage, fire burning on the stone altar. In front of the altar stands Dromi a line of people. It seems the shared prayer has ended, and people now make offerings to Oruthia. Dromi, wearing a simple, long white dress, a symbol of purity and modesty, as well as light and good, offers her assitance to each of those who make an offering. Mostly by helping them recite a prayer, but sometimes guiding them through the ceremonial acts, or sometimes nothing at all, for those who know.
Most of the people who have already made an offering, or those who choose not to, accompany the prayers with prayers of their own, some aloud and others in silence. You notice that all wear clothes that are either white, yellow, or whatever bright colour they had.
This is still the religious part of the festival, though Randal and Tess know that once everyone give their offerings, there isn't much left. A few more shared prayers and then the rest of the day, until sundown, should be spent doing whatever sparks joy, to each their own. For some, it will be marrying. For others, it might be food and drink, while some might dance until their legs can hold them no more.
The smaller stage, across the square from the main one, is currently mostly vacant, except for a few who climbed on to sit or stand on it, out of lack of space.
Lyla frowns as she takes in how... normal it all looks. Making offerings in the middle of the square might not have been a common practice, but she was hoping to see something more out of the ordinary: perhaps a clue to help figure out anything about their circumstances, or at least an exciting party of some sort.
"What are the usual customs for this festival?" she asks Randal and Tess, while staring at the people in the square with a somewhat puzzled and mostly disappointed expression on her face. "I thought there was a lot of set up involved, but I only see a couple of stages and not too many activities happening."
“Well, it’s a much bigger thing in the capital than here. But it is good to see them participating. You can go make an offering if you’d like. I feel like I should, and check in on Dromi. Then there’s bound to be good food and drink- music and dancing. In the capital some get a little too carried away by the enjoying yourself part- I bet here that’s less of an issue . I hope people aren’t too down about the mysteries. “. Tess says. She makes her way to the offering place and smiles at Dromi and does the prayers.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Randal nods at the description Tess provided “There’s not much more to it than that to be honest. An offering, prayer, and making merry with song and dance. There will be a wedding ceremony later today as well. This is small, but at the Capitol the festival would go on for days. Oh, the music there is something to behold. You can give an offering if you like, I’m going to get a better view” Randal skips the offering line and jumps up on the other stage, surveying the crowd for any sign of Ireen, Naran, or the visitors from the capitol.
It takes Tess a short while of standing in line, but since people never enjoy standing in lines, the line isn't too long, and instead, people join it whenever it gets a little shorter. When her turn finally arrives, Dromi is happy to see Tess there. She offers her help in case Tess doesn't know what to do, but of course, Tess already knows it all. Of all customs, the offering to Oruthia on her festival was most likely the most commonly known and remembered across all of Meyus.
"Do you have anything to offer?" Dromi inquires. "It is not mandatory, of course, Oruthia would never force anyone to give something away, but even a small offering might bless your year if the goddess wills so." However, she has no time for chatting about anything. A very long day is ahead of her, and this is only the beginning.
Tess, and also Lyla if she follows Tess, please make an insight check.
Meanwhile, Randal pushes through the crowd to the smaller stage. It takes a short while, but he makes it eventually. On the secondary stage are mostly children and a few teenagers, with only two other adults. It is mostly due to the fact that those who went up there needed the levelled vantage point to see anything but the backs of those in front of them. It might seem a bit odd as tall Randal climbs there too, but except for a few brief looks to see who went up, nobody seems to care too much. Now that he's on the stage, he realises it isn't very large, but bigger than any makeshift stage he might find in a tavern. About three metres long and two metres wide. It is a practical stage meant only to allow Jenner to be seen despite his short body.
Randal:
Randal sees neither of those he searches for, but in this crowd, it is hard to tell if they're not here or if they just went unnoticed. He can only be sure that Bran isn't among the crowd. A man as tall and wide as he would stand out too much. If he is inside one of the nearby buildings, however, Randal wouldn't know.
Lyla follows Tess and copies her actions, doing the same thing as those who were in front of them in the line, and hoping that she was doing it all right.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Randal silently curses to himself as he fails to find the people he was looking for from his new vantage point. At least Bran wasn’t there, he would stand out, even in a crowd. Randal decides to work the crowd to find out what the people are saying about the mysterious sickness going through the town or the visitors from the Capital. He circulates, listening for snippets of conversation and dropping a comment here or a question there.
Lyla tries to imitate as best she can, but Dromi can easily see she doesn't really know what to do and helps to guide her through the short ceremony. It's not too complicated, just a small gesture that could almost be described as a short dance, then a general prayer for a blessed year, then a prayer that somewhat varies from person to person. Dromi explains that it's where Lyla can ask the goddess for anything, from an especially wet winter to finding love, just good luck or personal growth. Of course, it's just a prayer, but Dromi says that Oruthia hears all prayers. After that, when Lyla is done, she can get off stage and let the next person up.
Tess:
Since she already knows what needs to be done, Tess doesn't need to focus too much on the matter, and she manages to notice what many others - Lyla among them - miss. Dromi hides it well, and yet Tess spots just how tired she is. It does not seem like normal tireness of someone who's been setting up a festival during the last few days and now must guide an entire village through prayers, weddings and all the ceremonies of this special day.
No, her movements clumsy, she yawns often - covering each and every yawn either with her hand or by turning away momentarily - and she often spaces out. Even though they only know each other for a few days, Tess knows this is uncharacteristic of Dromi, usually a very energetic and vigorous woman. She is completely exhausted, and yet she carries on as if it's nothing.
Randal:
Most Randal can hear are just prayers, or silent idle chatting when further from the centre of attention. Mostly, nothing especially interesting. Some people discuss the recent thefts, but nothing that shines any new light on the matter. Mostly personal opinions on who could have done it and why. Some more logical, some rather absurd, like claiming a wild animal got hungry and came to the village and found the door to the trading centre open, taking food from there, which doesn't explain most of the matter.
While some mention the visitors from the capital occasionally, it's usually wondering why they're not seen anywhere, partaking in the festival, and again there are various ideas why. Most think the nobles just didn't find Rivulestice's simple festival worth their time, but there's no base for that claim other than the fact that nobles are... well, nobles.
As for the "sickness", many aren't aware of the matter at all, and are confused by Randal's questions. It seems Temke does a good job keeping it from scaring the villagers. The few who did hear about the matter don't really know the nature of the matter, and assume those afflicted are simply sick, and will get better eventually.
Tess probably won’t be able to ask Dromi about anything on this busy day, but she shares her observation privately with Randall. “What do you suppose it means? Surely she’s not up to anything connected with our mystery? Any new information? What to expect tonight, I wonder. I should go check on the sick ones at the Inn..”
Tess tries to enjoy the day, the quaint nature of the village’s festival would ordinarily been charming to Tess, who is, a devout follower of Oruthria, although not as strict in her interpretation of the tenants as her mentors would have liked. She also wonders where the nobles, or others from the city are- and why they came. She shares this all with the others in the group. “I can’t help but feel there is something connected here- and something horrible that is about to happen- but I have no idea what..”. She says.
she will go back to the Tree Inn and check on the people in her room. She also wants to talk to Sier some more, inviting the group to come along.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Randal continues to work his way through the festival, even taking Jenner up on the offer to play for the crowd. He throws his hat on the stage and leads them in some light-hearted music, hoping to keep the crowd laughing and dancing. Performance: 19.
He rejoins Tess and Lyla toward the end of the day “I don’t know what it means, or what to expect next. I didn’t find out much”he shrugs “rumors on the thefts that don’t make sense, they are keeping the sickness pretty quiet and those that know about it seem to hope it is a normal sickness and that they will recover soon.”He remains quiet at Tess’ question about the nobles. It seems nobody has any idea what they are about.
“I will join you at the inn. I too would like to speak with Sier, I fear he knows more about what is going on than he is letting on. And if there is some item, magic or otherwise, he wants recovered from beneath the tree, perhaps it will lead to answers as well.” Randal keeps an eye out for any threats or suspicious activities as they move to the inn. Perception: 14.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Randal pulls the hood of his cloak up as they approach the inn, hiding his face in its shadows. He pushes through the door without stopping, but hesitates in the common room as he looks for Sier or Bran. He whispers back to Tess “Do you think Sier knows anything about what is going on?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t seem to..”. Tess says. She also looks for him as she enters, and carefully looks around the room to see if it is as she remembered.
Once the ceremonial part of the festival is done, most people turn away from the main stage, on which Dromi joins a few couples in marriage. Some still watch, to partake in the happiness of the young couple, but most turn to find something to eat - either at the tavern or by making a short break in their house, or a friend's house. Children play games, perhaps catch, running between the crowds, pushing people aside to get through faster. Others, like Randal, go on the small stage in turns to entertain the village. Jenner isn't there at the moment, so it doesn't seem planned, more like seizing an opportunity. Most read short poems, tell a joke... nothing special, really.
When Randal goes on stage, utilising a moment when nobody else is on, many eyes look at him expectantly or curiously, depending on whether they had heard him play in the tavern that night or not. Playing simple, merry tunes, Randal gets the crowd moving, and shortly many are dancing simple folk dances. They enjoy his music, but if the hat was meant for them to place money in, they either don't understand the gesture or ignore it completely, for it stays empty.
At some point in the afternoon, Jenner does show up, whispering to Randal from behind the stage, gesturing that it's time he goes up. Behind him are a few bags that seem completely filled, probably with whatever he plans on showing. Going on the stage and looking at the people who dance in front of it, he nods contently. "Well done, boy. Find me tomorrow and I'll give you a few coins for your good performance."
((I'm giving Lyla one more day to post before I continue.))
Randal jumps up with a start, looking around at the empty room where they made their rest last night. “A dream, or something more? It felt so real. Naran was there, and something that was a shadow of Ireen. And her. Clearly, it doesn’t matter if we sleep at the inn or not, these visions still occur. But what does it mean?”
"Beats me," Lyla shrugs. "So what do we do now? At least the festival is today, right, if we have nothing else planned?"
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
Randal gives Lyla a sideways glance, a little surprised that she is taking this all so calmly. “Are we even awake now?” he gives a wry grin. “Well, we probably will not find out any answers staying here, the festival is as good a place as any, and I am supposed to play today. Let’s see who we run into along the way.” Randal quickly packs up his things and heads for the square.
(Sorry notifications must have been not working For me). Tess awakes with a start as well, and is disoriented for a moment, but then she gathers her things and says “well- finally festival day, whatever that was. I agree”. She follows Randall- a bit lost in thought.
Outside, the morning's sun shines brightly, not even a single trace of a cloud in the sky blocking its light. Ths sky looks as if it were painted with a brush, using rich, vibrant colours.
Randal and Tess know - and Lyla can easily guess - that Oruthia's festival starts at dawn, so it's no wonder that even as they get closer to the town's centre, there is no one else walking around. Only once you get very close to the square do you see other people.
Calling it a festival might be too much. For Randal and Tess who have seen the festival in the capital and for Lyla who has seen different festivals back where she grew up. Here... a gathering would be more fitting.
There are many people around - possibly all of Rivuleatice - impossible to count. The spacious square allows most to stand in it and take part in the 'festival', but some seem to have had enough of the dense crowd and stand around in the area close to the square, chatting about who knows what. The doors to the various buildings around the perimeter, such as the tavern, are open, and you can assume there are people inside, too.
If you make your way into the square, you'll see the main stage, fire burning on the stone altar. In front of the altar stands Dromi a line of people. It seems the shared prayer has ended, and people now make offerings to Oruthia. Dromi, wearing a simple, long white dress, a symbol of purity and modesty, as well as light and good, offers her assitance to each of those who make an offering. Mostly by helping them recite a prayer, but sometimes guiding them through the ceremonial acts, or sometimes nothing at all, for those who know.
Most of the people who have already made an offering, or those who choose not to, accompany the prayers with prayers of their own, some aloud and others in silence. You notice that all wear clothes that are either white, yellow, or whatever bright colour they had.
This is still the religious part of the festival, though Randal and Tess know that once everyone give their offerings, there isn't much left. A few more shared prayers and then the rest of the day, until sundown, should be spent doing whatever sparks joy, to each their own. For some, it will be marrying. For others, it might be food and drink, while some might dance until their legs can hold them no more.
The smaller stage, across the square from the main one, is currently mostly vacant, except for a few who climbed on to sit or stand on it, out of lack of space.
Varielky | Werhann
Lyla frowns as she takes in how... normal it all looks. Making offerings in the middle of the square might not have been a common practice, but she was hoping to see something more out of the ordinary: perhaps a clue to help figure out anything about their circumstances, or at least an exciting party of some sort.
"What are the usual customs for this festival?" she asks Randal and Tess, while staring at the people in the square with a somewhat puzzled and mostly disappointed expression on her face. "I thought there was a lot of set up involved, but I only see a couple of stages and not too many activities happening."
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
“Well, it’s a much bigger thing in the capital than here. But it is good to see them participating. You can go make an offering if you’d like. I feel like I should, and check in on Dromi. Then there’s bound to be good food and drink- music and dancing. In the capital some get a little too carried away by the enjoying yourself part- I bet here that’s less of an issue . I hope people aren’t too down about the mysteries. “. Tess says. She makes her way to the offering place and smiles at Dromi and does the prayers.
Randal nods at the description Tess provided “There’s not much more to it than that to be honest. An offering, prayer, and making merry with song and dance. There will be a wedding ceremony later today as well. This is small, but at the Capitol the festival would go on for days. Oh, the music there is something to behold. You can give an offering if you like, I’m going to get a better view” Randal skips the offering line and jumps up on the other stage, surveying the crowd for any sign of Ireen, Naran, or the visitors from the capitol.
Perception: 7.
.
It takes Tess a short while of standing in line, but since people never enjoy standing in lines, the line isn't too long, and instead, people join it whenever it gets a little shorter. When her turn finally arrives, Dromi is happy to see Tess there. She offers her help in case Tess doesn't know what to do, but of course, Tess already knows it all. Of all customs, the offering to Oruthia on her festival was most likely the most commonly known and remembered across all of Meyus.
"Do you have anything to offer?" Dromi inquires. "It is not mandatory, of course, Oruthia would never force anyone to give something away, but even a small offering might bless your year if the goddess wills so." However, she has no time for chatting about anything. A very long day is ahead of her, and this is only the beginning.
Tess, and also Lyla if she follows Tess, please make an insight check.
Meanwhile, Randal pushes through the crowd to the smaller stage. It takes a short while, but he makes it eventually. On the secondary stage are mostly children and a few teenagers, with only two other adults. It is mostly due to the fact that those who went up there needed the levelled vantage point to see anything but the backs of those in front of them. It might seem a bit odd as tall Randal climbs there too, but except for a few brief looks to see who went up, nobody seems to care too much. Now that he's on the stage, he realises it isn't very large, but bigger than any makeshift stage he might find in a tavern. About three metres long and two metres wide. It is a practical stage meant only to allow Jenner to be seen despite his short body.
Randal:
Randal sees neither of those he searches for, but in this crowd, it is hard to tell if they're not here or if they just went unnoticed. He can only be sure that Bran isn't among the crowd. A man as tall and wide as he would stand out too much. If he is inside one of the nearby buildings, however, Randal wouldn't know.
Varielky | Werhann
Lyla follows Tess and copies her actions, doing the same thing as those who were in front of them in the line, and hoping that she was doing it all right.
Insight: 9
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
Randal silently curses to himself as he fails to find the people he was looking for from his new vantage point. At least Bran wasn’t there, he would stand out, even in a crowd. Randal decides to work the crowd to find out what the people are saying about the mysterious sickness going through the town or the visitors from the Capital. He circulates, listening for snippets of conversation and dropping a comment here or a question there.
Perception: 17.
Insight: 22.
.
.
(Happy new year everyone! Wondering if we’re continuing this?)
Tess insight 17 in campaign log. (Sorry I didn’t realize I was the holdup)
Tess places a gold coin as an offering, saying a prayer as she does so.
Lyla tries to imitate as best she can, but Dromi can easily see she doesn't really know what to do and helps to guide her through the short ceremony. It's not too complicated, just a small gesture that could almost be described as a short dance, then a general prayer for a blessed year, then a prayer that somewhat varies from person to person. Dromi explains that it's where Lyla can ask the goddess for anything, from an especially wet winter to finding love, just good luck or personal growth. Of course, it's just a prayer, but Dromi says that Oruthia hears all prayers. After that, when Lyla is done, she can get off stage and let the next person up.
Tess:
Since she already knows what needs to be done, Tess doesn't need to focus too much on the matter, and she manages to notice what many others - Lyla among them - miss. Dromi hides it well, and yet Tess spots just how tired she is. It does not seem like normal tireness of someone who's been setting up a festival during the last few days and now must guide an entire village through prayers, weddings and all the ceremonies of this special day.
No, her movements clumsy, she yawns often - covering each and every yawn either with her hand or by turning away momentarily - and she often spaces out. Even though they only know each other for a few days, Tess knows this is uncharacteristic of Dromi, usually a very energetic and vigorous woman. She is completely exhausted, and yet she carries on as if it's nothing.
Randal:
Most Randal can hear are just prayers, or silent idle chatting when further from the centre of attention. Mostly, nothing especially interesting. Some people discuss the recent thefts, but nothing that shines any new light on the matter. Mostly personal opinions on who could have done it and why. Some more logical, some rather absurd, like claiming a wild animal got hungry and came to the village and found the door to the trading centre open, taking food from there, which doesn't explain most of the matter.
While some mention the visitors from the capital occasionally, it's usually wondering why they're not seen anywhere, partaking in the festival, and again there are various ideas why. Most think the nobles just didn't find Rivulestice's simple festival worth their time, but there's no base for that claim other than the fact that nobles are... well, nobles.
As for the "sickness", many aren't aware of the matter at all, and are confused by Randal's questions. It seems Temke does a good job keeping it from scaring the villagers. The few who did hear about the matter don't really know the nature of the matter, and assume those afflicted are simply sick, and will get better eventually.
Varielky | Werhann
Tess probably won’t be able to ask Dromi about anything on this busy day, but she shares her observation privately with Randall. “What do you suppose it means? Surely she’s not up to anything connected with our mystery? Any new information? What to expect tonight, I wonder. I should go check on the sick ones at the Inn..”
Tess tries to enjoy the day, the quaint nature of the village’s festival would ordinarily been charming to Tess, who is, a devout follower of Oruthria, although not as strict in her interpretation of the tenants as her mentors would have liked. She also wonders where the nobles, or others from the city are- and why they came. She shares this all with the others in the group. “I can’t help but feel there is something connected here- and something horrible that is about to happen- but I have no idea what..”. She says.
she will go back to the Tree Inn and check on the people in her room. She also wants to talk to Sier some more, inviting the group to come along.
Randal continues to work his way through the festival, even taking Jenner up on the offer to play for the crowd. He throws his hat on the stage and leads them in some light-hearted music, hoping to keep the crowd laughing and dancing. Performance: 19.
He rejoins Tess and Lyla toward the end of the day “I don’t know what it means, or what to expect next. I didn’t find out much” he shrugs “rumors on the thefts that don’t make sense, they are keeping the sickness pretty quiet and those that know about it seem to hope it is a normal sickness and that they will recover soon.” He remains quiet at Tess’ question about the nobles. It seems nobody has any idea what they are about.
“I will join you at the inn. I too would like to speak with Sier, I fear he knows more about what is going on than he is letting on. And if there is some item, magic or otherwise, he wants recovered from beneath the tree, perhaps it will lead to answers as well.” Randal keeps an eye out for any threats or suspicious activities as they move to the inn. Perception: 14.
.
Randal pulls the hood of his cloak up as they approach the inn, hiding his face in its shadows. He pushes through the door without stopping, but hesitates in the common room as he looks for Sier or Bran. He whispers back to Tess “Do you think Sier knows anything about what is going on?”
Perception: 21.
.
“I don’t know. He didn’t seem to..”. Tess says. She also looks for him as she enters, and carefully looks around the room to see if it is as she remembered.
Once the ceremonial part of the festival is done, most people turn away from the main stage, on which Dromi joins a few couples in marriage. Some still watch, to partake in the happiness of the young couple, but most turn to find something to eat - either at the tavern or by making a short break in their house, or a friend's house. Children play games, perhaps catch, running between the crowds, pushing people aside to get through faster. Others, like Randal, go on the small stage in turns to entertain the village. Jenner isn't there at the moment, so it doesn't seem planned, more like seizing an opportunity. Most read short poems, tell a joke... nothing special, really.
When Randal goes on stage, utilising a moment when nobody else is on, many eyes look at him expectantly or curiously, depending on whether they had heard him play in the tavern that night or not. Playing simple, merry tunes, Randal gets the crowd moving, and shortly many are dancing simple folk dances. They enjoy his music, but if the hat was meant for them to place money in, they either don't understand the gesture or ignore it completely, for it stays empty.
At some point in the afternoon, Jenner does show up, whispering to Randal from behind the stage, gesturing that it's time he goes up. Behind him are a few bags that seem completely filled, probably with whatever he plans on showing. Going on the stage and looking at the people who dance in front of it, he nods contently. "Well done, boy. Find me tomorrow and I'll give you a few coins for your good performance."
((I'm giving Lyla one more day to post before I continue.))
Varielky | Werhann