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abraxaslogs2021-12-11 04:25 pm
The Festival of 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.
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...
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!
(Coming soon! The events of December 21st and beyond will depend on player actions...)
no subject
That's not wrong, but there's no reason not to just...visualize the results you want, I suppose?
no subject
Well, now all she can think about is setting the table on fire. Don't set the table on fire don't set the table on fire don't--
--set the table on fire.
The rune Sypha painstakingly copied pops with a burst of incandescent flame. The paper collapses into ash, sifting away and leaving a perfect imprint of the scribed symbols charred into the tabletop.]
...well. At least the table is still plenty usable?
no subject
Alucard sighs, taking a long, long sip of his tea. That really just happened, didn't it?]
True. You just lightly toasted it, which I suppose is preferable all things considered. Perhaps some ice to wash the ash away?
no subject
Sypha drops back into her chair with a yelp, arms up to shield her face.] What the hell?!
no subject
Which is to say that he extends the hose portion of the kitchen sink as far as it will go and turns on the water.]
Call it off!
no subject
The flames die back, then, with a pop like a boot coming down on a snailshell, spurt upward again. Something floats upward, not ash, but a chunk of something.]
no subject
But that chunk of something. Alucard rises up from his seat, because this is getting to be just a little too much, even for him.]
What is that?
no subject
A chunk, perhaps the bottom quarter or so of the circular mark, is just gone, leaving smooth unmarred wood behind. She lifts the mug and inspects the inside, but finds nothing.] I think it may have been part of the magic? Perhaps a...meter or an indicator, of what's been transferred?
no subject
But the sudden smoothness of the mark is fascinating. Alucard can't help but lean over to investigate himself, considering.
He then walks over to the sink and reaches for a large mixing bowl, filling it with water.]
Activate it again. We'll see if the theory is correct.
no subject
This time, now that she's paying attention, there's a soft fizzling sensation in her palms. A sense of something winding together, like fibers drafting onto a spindle. The pop of flame that answers is no less intense, but it carries with another dark flake of not-ash.]
no subject
Alucard stands at the ready, eyes not on Sypha but on the flame itself.
There's control this time. Slow, purposeful, the Sypha he knows. And--]
There! [The not-ash makes a second appearance.] It'll demand a third attempt to confirm the theory, but it seems we are correct.