The Festival of Enlightenment - The Free Cities

[abraxasmods]

 

Enlightenment - The Free Cities

In the Free Cities, Enlightenment has come once more.

In each major hub, lanterns and lights of every kind are being hung everywhere. On every storefront, every sidewalk, every home and every fence. From elaborate custom made lanterns with color changing lights to simple hand carved candle lanterns and everything in between. By the time Enlightenment proper rolls around, the three major cities are bedecked in lights..

Lanterns and elaborate candle holders and artfully carved candles are going on sale everywhere. Flyers are being plastered on walls announcing The Annual Circus of The Sciences! The latest and most impressive inventions from every corner of the Free Cities! Hosted by Prime Minister Reiner herself!

This is a time to celebrate technology. Free from a dependency on magic, The Free Cities thrive in this time of literal and metaphorical darkness. The phrase ‘lights for Enlightenment!’ is on every citizen’s lips. In the evenings, night markets pop up in the streets. Vendors offering little mechanical toys and decorations set up, as well as the latest street cuisines, and light up jewelry to celebrate the holiday. Pendants, earrings, headpieces, bracelets... some of them glow due to naturally occurring substances, some have chemical reactions activated with the press of a button that make them light up and twinkle.

Circus of the Sciences

In Cadens the focus is on inventions and the latest technological advancements, the buzz about this year’s Circus of The Sciences spreading through the city. On Enlightenment Day, in front of Portham Hall, the greatest inventors from all over the Free Cities gather to show off their greatest inventions, each vying to win the coveted prize of government funding. All inventions are on display to the public - there’s a great deal of talk about an engine powered entirely by steam! - and judged by a team of Ministry officials.

Yet none judge quite as harshly as the infamous Head Judge, Aleksander G. Klingel. Known not only for his own contributions to Cadens innovations and technological milestones, but for his biting commentary during the competition itself. Some of the less technologically minded have even made it a point to attend just to see what the winning insult will be this year...

"I wouldn't trust you running a bath let alone a hydroplane."

"Are you a stuffed puppet? Because your head must be filled with felt to come up with something this inane."

"This is really a tough decision... because you're all crap."

And even the summoned have a role to play, if they so choose. Aleksander is more than happy to compensate any of the Summoned for their time... if they’d just participate in a teeny little holiday experiment. All they need to do is hold a metal rod for a few minutes. Aleksander promises it’s not dangerous, that little tingle is perfectly normal...

Mind over Magic

In Libertas and Aquila, new plays and performances are debuting - and all seem to have a common theme: the power and superiority of technology over magic. Even overheard conversations may espouse the same ideals - how strange that the other kingdoms still rely on magic, it’s just irrational! The theme of technology and light are found even in the newest fashion collections, unveiled for the season, utilizing reflective fabric and metals.

Should anyone ask a local how long, exactly, this holiday is celebrated for, they’ll be told that in honor of the light of technology triumphing over the dim, the festivities last all day and all night. Come the day, the street markets open in the morning and stay open until the next morning. There’s singing and drinking in the streets, everyone trying to stay up until dawn to show that the spirit of the Free Cities will never go dark. Starting with The Circus of The Sciences, kicked off by a speech from Prime Minister Marlo.

Standing on the steps of Portham Hall, wearing her formal military garb, is Prime Minister Marlo Reiner. She holds up her hands for silence from the crowds.

"Welcome, once again, to another celebration of the Enlightenment! We’re gathered together to celebrate and illuminate all the hard work that each and every one of you do, every day, to make our Free Cities what they are! We’ve cut ties with relying on magic to do everything for us and we thrive! Even now, in the darkest part of the year when the rest of the world struggles, we thrive! Because we rely on ourselves! Your minds are more powerful than magic and nothing can dim your light!

"So let’s have a good time! Starting with the Circus of The Sciences! Enjoy the best of what the human mind has accomplished, and if you see something you really like, I don’t think a single one of our inventors would refuse a donation. Judges will be making the rounds soon.

"Here’s to another year of changing the world!"

With a thunderous roar of applause, The Day of Enlightenment officially begins!

A Closing Ceremony

(Coming soon! The events of December 21st and beyond will depend on player actions...)

---

OOC: Event #5: The Dimming

LOG: Thorne | The Free Cities | Solvunn

PvP: The Mission to the Singularity

Comments

Alucard | Castlevania | The Hierophant

[cryptsleeper]

Earth stood hard as iron
[Since the events of the last festival, the graveyards of Cadens have slowly been attending to. Rubble cleared, and the long, painstaking work of reassembly has begun.

One of them has had some additional landscaping done: new textures of greenery, careful management, and off to one corner, a four armed cactus with a hollow at the base. Sometimes, it looks as if the base has a critter living it. Other times, a thin, pale man can be seen kneeling over another canvas, fitting fragmented pieces of stone back together.

With the Dimming, the man seems to disappear all together. There is only a large white wolf that patrols the entrance most hours of the night. Any who approach receive a sharp grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr from just ahead on the path, gold eyes staring at them.

During the day, the wolf is still around, sitting besides statues or lurking beside a headstone. The reaction is not as sharp, but there's no hiding the tension in the wolf's body or the disapproval in the creature's gaze.]

Water like a stone
[Alucard was never good with crowds. Since deciding he'd rather be a wolf most days, he's found himself worse at it. It is easier to prowl at the edge of things, or to walk when there are fewer crowds.

Which is precisely why when he does slip into the Circus of Sciences, it is during the nominal lunch break for inventors and crowds. Oh yes, there are assistance in charge of attending to the security of machines and answering the questions of those who have done the same as the dhampir, but it is easier. No one presses in around him.

He even asks questions. Occasional ones. What would be the long term issues of maintaining something, if this became a public work? or else Why use a more expensive metal? Enough to suggest that he has some knowledge, but never anything further.

But eventually, time moves on. Crowds filter back in, and the dhampir sighs heavily.]

I thought that the break period was meant to be longer.

Wildcard
Anything else? PM me.

Water like a stone

[cointosser]

[It's not that Jaskier is looking in particular for anyone -- honestly, he simply wants to walk, to be among people, to feel breezes and sunshine (or, er, candlelight) and shit and perhaps feel like everything is as it should be, even though it isn't. At least not in him.

And he leaves home because the more it roils and tumbles through him, the more selfish it feels. And gods, does Jaskier just HATE feeling selfish, a thing which he most definitely is not.

So the festival lends itself to being a very opportune distraction. With glowing lights and pieces of jewelry (he has a glowing ring on every finger now, and a winding bracelet that lights his scar) and the normal, fun things he should be reveling in. Crowds! He could even perform here!

And yet his lute sits at home, alone.

And he is ducking into a circus! Except, when he looks around, it isn't a circle at all. Nary is there a single exotic bird to be admired as it does tricks or lights on fire. There are machines that, honestly, look like nothing to him. There's this biting commentary on in the background, and while the sour tone may have amused him once, it's particularly grating now.

Jaskier perks up when he hears a familiar sigh. It's the sight, really, even moreso than his voice. And the shock he feels at seeing this one in a crowd, oh! A painting should be made of it, as rare an event as it is.]

Apropos of nothing, my dear friend, I have a question for you. [Oh, it could definitely be about these machinations. They could even have a riveting conversation on science! Is that what Jaskier does? Absolutely not.] Where on this blessed, sweet earth did you get the idea that pierogi look like that? They had legs. Legs.

[A philosophical question that has plagued him for days.]

[cryptsleeper]

[If the crowds were thinner, Alucard might have heard Jaskier approach. If the crowds were thinner, he would have absolutely picked out the pace of the bard's gait against others in the hall. But such as it is, Alucard turns around in order to get ready to leave and there is a whole bard standing right there.

Asking....a fair question, if Alucard was forced to admit it. The first attempt at making pierogi in the Horizon were not quite on the mark, and he will admit that regularly. If the reason for it will stand though, that is about to be found out.]

As I was shaping them, I realized they resembled some of the creatures in a particular painting in the Hall of Natural Relics. I simply got carried away when I made one and added the legs. [He only did it for one round, at any rate!] You'll note my style and crimped edges improved dramatically with the cabbage-thyme-caraway-and-mushroom batch.

[cointosser]

[The least he could do is look contrite! Totally unashamed is the dhampir. However, to Alucard's credit, he already suspected there is no explanation beyond "it looked funny," which in some ways is sound enough.

His brows raise into his hairline.] You based the shape off... off a painting?

[Just when he thinks he can figure at least part of Alucard out, he does. This. (It's oddly... funny. For him.

Could Jaskier truly imagine Alucard is getting a little less depressed? By an inch?)]

Dramatically. Well, yes, I'll agree to that. [He shoots him a smile.] And as far as Horizon cuisine goes, delectable. And yes, I stole one. Geralt needn't know.

[cryptsleeper]

Yes?

[Alucard's head tilt isn't meant to look wolf like, but it is. Moreover, the bafflement on his face is genuine. What part of him ever gave off the impression he didn't have an abiding interest in the arts? Or sciences for that matter? Jaskier has just never seen him in any of the museums here.

(Do not jinx depression decreases, Jaskier. Do not.)]

I'll do a second shaped batch at this rate. [For spite. Delicious spite.] Thank you. I'm glad that they met with approval, small stubby legs aside.

[cointosser]

[How is he making Jaskier feel like the strange one for finding it bizarre? They were legs! And little nuggets of dough wit no filling! He clears his throat. Bizarre a choice as it may be, he has not put so much effort into avoiding insulting Alucard to begin now.] Far be it from me to question where one finds his muses.

[His pierogi muse. Little... lizard... things. If they were longer, they may have actually looked a bit like Himeka.

He ends the thought there.]

Oooh, you're doing this on purpose now. [His smile is accompanied by a snort.] And what does the illustrious Alucard mean to shape his next creations as? A herd of bristly, wild boars?

[It's not hard to imagine tusks as Alucard's next new dumpling appendage.]

[cryptsleeper]

[Don't question his pierogi methods, Jaskier! He eventually got it right and that is all that counts.

Well, he got it all corret in theory. This all is yet to be put into practice in the real world, and it isn't as if graveyards happen to come with kitchens.]

Continuing on the topic of spite then, anything you suggest will purposedly not be considered for pierogi shaping. Also, the details of the boar tusks are a little too fine, I think. [There's a shrug of honest consideration.] Fish might be easy to create though.

[A school of pierogi fish! But then there is the moment of utmost seriousness, because if Jaskier is going to give him shit, Alucard does expect at least some genuine feedback as well.]

The fillings were acceptable, I hope? [There had been three batches, after all: the cheese and potato ones, the cabbage and mushroom version that Geralt had requested complete with thyme and caraway seeds, and then the dessert ones with jam taken from another's domain. (Blueberries, pecans, and bourbon, all in one jam via Sam's memories. Alucard's not stopped thinking about that jam since.)]

[cointosser]

Spite! And here I thought we were very good friends. [His hand comes over his heart, solemn.] I am very hurt.

[He decides not to mention he thinks fish would be a bit cute, perhaps, in case, in the name of spite, Alucard avoids the idea. He is not here to stifle anyone else's artistic creativity. (Debatable, considering how he began this conversation. Still. The pierogi-traditionalist in him was aghast.)]

You know I only jest. The fillings were very good, as far as I could surmise. [He's very sincere about his answer. Ever since that rabbit, Jaskier is a devout supporter of Alucard's cooking escapades.] Rather traditional flavors from where I'm from, funny enough. The jam was new, though close to a dessert our cooks would make. The inside would be this, ah.... the most delectable sweet, soft cheese, with a hint of vanilla, and they would pour a sauce of fruit on top. And, if we could find it, a garnish of mint leaves.

[cryptsleeper]

Clearly wounded. And in public, no less.

[Alucard's tone is dry as the desert, which means he's actually enjoying this. And oh yes, there will be pierogi fish now. (Look Jaskier, would you rather a molecular gastronomy approach to pierogi?)

When it comes to critique, Alucard seems to be taking this all very seriously. For all that he's been mired in what Ciri's deemed opaque affairs, food? Food is different.]

Vanilla? That's an extremely expensive ingredient. [Even for Alucard. He's not exactly disclosed his social status, but some things are obvious.] But the rest is simple enough. The caraway wouldn't be easy to find here though, I've seen the spice market. [He sighs, a little put out by that.] Herbs are cheap, at least. Am I right in assuming that there are meat versions?

earth stood hard as iron

[falcony]

[ it feels a bit like everything between this moment and the previous festival has run by in a blur. sam knows he hasn't been as good as he should have been - and he certainly hasn't been going out and checking in on the rest of those in cadens. he's kept up with his work, made sure to do what he needed to build back in the savings alina had taken with her, and stressed. worried. wrung his proverbial hands and panicked about what has been happening and has done almost everything he could just to keep his head up.

honestly, sam finds himself feeling grateful when the new festival rolls around. it has a lot to do with the fact that geralt has returned, a lot to do with the fact he feels a bit more like things can get settled back under his feet, and where a hole still sits for those missing, sam finds he can get back out onto the streets again.

which is how he finds himself at the cemetery (you can thank jaskier for this tidbit, alucard. he's the one who pointed sam in this direction) - a very small cask of soup between his hands. he hasn't quite spoken to alucard since their collaborative decision to focus on their own stresses, which also means he's not 100% sure what he's walking into, either. but he's here, and he's not leaving until they at least have a little time to catch up. ]

Alucard? [ sam has not seen the wolf, yet, so he calls out to the cemetery. ] Gonna feel real stupid if you're not even here!

[cryptsleeper]

[It hasn't been the best day for dealing with the graveyard. Alucard's attempt to finally get a headstone upright again had ended with it falling again and undoing his careful work, plus adding a few new cracks. The failure and additional damage was enough to sour the rest of the day, and if Alucard had learned anything at all over the past few months, it was when to just walk away from something for the day.

It also means that Sam's better off looking for a wolf rather than a person. (Jaskier did warn him about that part, right?) In this case, a wolf that has decided to just sort of lay out next to a headstone that suffered no damage in the first place, looking more like a sad wolf in a breakfast nook, displaying very un-wolf like behavior.

Like being lazy. Because one white, fluffy ears twitch and acknowledge that there's a familiar voice calling out, the most Sam gets is an impertinent whine, translating roughly to no, I don't want to be a person right now.]

[falcony]

[ thankfully, yes, jaskier did warn him about that part. though as sam continues to wander through the graveyard, he is beginning to second-guess just how much jaskier actually said. because yeah, the warning of go look for the wolf if you can't find him is just vague enough to not actually be helpful. like. at all.

except up until the moment it is - because sam turns a corner and there is suddenly a very sad wolf and an impatient wine. at first, sam's not even sure what he's seeing. but after a while he will end up approaching said very lazy wolf with only a partially confused look on his face.

wolf. right. he was warned. and sam only needs a moment to pull it back together - because this might as well, you know? ]

Rough day?

[cryptsleeper]

[The wolf's response is to nod twice (to prove that there's a human intelligence there, don't worry Sam, it isn't a random wolf). Then to streeeeeeeeeeetch out his back and front legs at the same time.

What he does not do is roll over or get to his feet. All he does is meet Sam's eyes, then tilt his head slightly.

Yes?]

[falcony]

[ this is definitely not weird. he's talking to a wolf who is also alucard who is also??? a vampire. but it's definitely not weird.

sam only needs a second before he's shaking himself out of it, setting down the container of soup he'd brought along on top of whatever tombstone is closest. ]

It's been a sec since we've seen each other, so wanted to check-in. Also bring some gumbo. If you're hungry. [ he smiles, even if he's smiling at a wolf who will not exactly smile back. ]

so secret fact, introducing Alucard to new cuisines and ingredients is one of my greatest joys

[cryptsleeper]

[Ah, damnit. He does have to be a person, doesn't he?

The wolf is the creature that walks over to sniff at the container of gumbo. What his nose catches is wholly unlike what he's smelled before. There's alliums in there, celery, and a host of new smells mixed with sausage and strong stock. The wolf stretches, and the transformation of canine to Alucard is seamless.]

I'm not inclined to refuse food, especially when the name and scents of the dish are wholly unfamiliar. [1470s Wallachia doesn't have peppers.] Which I am beginning to notice is a theme with you.

let sam be your guide into the world of modern day american cooking. he would love nothing more.

[falcony]

[ and then, you know, alucard was a person. just like it was a normal thing to do. sam blinks, once, because really with everything he's lived through this is not that weird and just sort of. keeps going. ]

Wasn't able to get everything that usually goes in it, but taste waste I think I got pretty damn close. [ yes, he's quite proud of himself, thank you. ] What? Me bringing you something you're not inclined to refuse? Or the unfamiliar part? Because I'm pretty sure we got way beyond unfamiliar back in those caves.

[ sam is going to find a tombstone or some sort of statue to just kind of. take a seat on while he watches alucard start to investigate the meal, waiting for the taste test and final verdict. ]

yes please it's the weirdest edition of diners drive ins and dives

[cryptsleeper]

[Look, at least you don't make faces at his wolf form like Ciri does, Sam.]

If the flavors are close enough, then isn't it only just a variation on the dish? [Alucard does not live in the time of the appellation of controlled origin. That is probably for the better.] The unfamiliar part. Your culinary tradition is wholly new to me, especially with regards to ingredients.

[At the mention of the caves, the dhampir doesn't flinch, but he is going to offer a moment's sideways glance.] That entire adventure feels years away.

[He's barely even thought of it, but that's for a number of reasons. Moreover and to the point: food. Because that's the point, and because when Alucard opens the container lid, everything hits at once. This is a layered stew of sorts to be sure, but never mind.

A sip of the broth first. Just to start.]

How long does this typically simmer? The complexity developed is remarkable.

Closed to Sypha

[cryptsleeper]

[The cactus, as it turns out, is not as obvious as Alucard implied it was. To get there requires going through the entire graveyard, and only then does it make itself known, once one rounds the corner of a particular statue. (It has been repaired recently, showing a figure in thought rather than mourning, gender impossible to determine.) It is a winding path, made prettier in the daylight thanks to Jaskier at any rate, and colorful for that as well.

An oddity, but not in a bad way. Gravestones stand, repaired, or else their constituent parts are laid down atop canvases, ready to be put into place when the keeper has time to do it. Such as it is, said keeper has caught a particular scent in the air, and is making a point to hide in the cactus.

Just for spite. Because it is big enough, thank you, Sypha.]

[speak_n_spell]

[Exploring the graveyard is hardly a chore! One can learn a lot about a people by how they inter their dead. Sypha takes her time reading epitaphs and running her fingers over eroded symbols. How interesting, that the burial traditions here mirror those of the Church back home. Do the people in Thorne or Solvunn do differently?

The desert sun blasts this patch of ground as intensely as any other, baking the stone under her hands. She removes her straw hat to fan herself as she searches for a large cactus. The bridge of her nose and cheekbones are already burnt red, she might as well put the thing to better use.

She's zero percent surprised to find the largest plant hidden away towards the back of the cemetery. That feels right, for Alucard. Sypha plonks her hat back on her head and her hands on her hips, studying the cactus' silhouette.]

I think your home may have some sort of venereal disease, [she says, because she saw clear pawprints in the sandy soil, she knows he's been through her quite recently.] It's lumpy in some alarming places.

[cryptsleeper]

[At first, there's just a white barrier in the hollow of the cactus. Fluffy, but seemingly unmoving. And--

--Rude!

A little nose pokes out next, followed by a wolf's face. The dhampir was serious when he spoke of how roomy the thing was, and he emerges from the hollow looking unbothered. There is a huff fom the wolf, and then with just a little step, a huff from Alucard.]

Send all complaints to the gardener.

[speak_n_spell]

Oh, I will! Our paths crossed recently, so I thought I'd come see his handiwork.

[Sypha ducks down to peek into the hollow, once Alucard's fully emerged to scowl in the sunshine. It's wolf-sized, but can a grown man sit up, or stand, inside?]

[cryptsleeper]

--Dare I ask where?

[Alucard steps aside to allow for inspection, but it is with a note of begrudging in the movement. It is a cactus! What does she think is going to be in there besides cactus insides and wolf fluff?

It is big enough for a wolf to strech and stand in, but little more. Cozy. Just a good den, if not a very deep one.]

[speak_n_spell]

At the Catterborough Theatre, [Her voice is a little distorted, as she cranes her neck to look around. It's so empty! She'd expected...something not that. A blanket, perhaps? A wolf-sized chaise lounge? A waterbowl?] He came to take in the show, was impressed with my work, and caught me backstage after.

[cryptsleeper]

[It's a cactus, Sypha!]

I'm not asking him to make this bigger. That path has only terrible results on every possible front and you know it.

[speak_n_spell]

[A blanket on the ground isn't a ridiculous possibility! Even kennels have blankets sometimes!]

I don't know, I think that sounds like a fairytale. Like the little old woman who lived in a shoe! The sulky wolf who lurked in a phallic succulent.

[Speaking of, how is this thing both hollow and alive? Desert plants are very much NOT in her wheelhouse. Sypha digs her thumbnail into the interior wall, curious if it's wet and alive under that leathery skin.]