abraxaslogs | The Festival of Enlightenment

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The Festival of Enlightenment - The Free Cities

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If only she could say she's had much worse nightmares. But she can't! Because she doesn't remember any! The creeping horror of that continues to bubble at the back of her mind, tamped down only by the intensity of her focus on her surroundings.

It's dark here, yes, but the way pulling a blanket over your head after a bad dream is dark. Protective, almost. The cabin ahead is tiny - more of a repurposed shed or shack - but has that same sense of sanctuary.

If this is all Adrian's mind, all Adrian, what is he wrapping himself up against?]

I'd like to go inside, if that's all right? Unless...if I'm meant to create something, I wouldn't want to impact your-- [a wave of her hand at the forest, however far away it may spread.]

In truth, you're not really meant to do anything you don't wish to. [Alucard is simply aware of how awful the optics are. A lone woman with no memories enters a random man's depression shack. That's...that's absolutely some vampire's M.O.

He opens the door, and the kitchen is far larger than the exterior of the cabin says it should be. Copper cookware hangs from hooks in the ceiling, the stove is in perfect condition, and a little table sits in the center of the room - rectangular, with four chairs. On one of the shelves there is an ugly little doll, and beyond that, a vestibule with doors that lead to two more rooms - the bathroom (claw footed tub and all), and Alucard's room. The source of woodsmoke in the air as it turns out, since it is the only room with a wood burning stove to provide heat. A small mattress meant for one sits on a bedframe of simple oak, and there's a little pile of books on the nightstand.

The dhampir goes to the breadbox. Bread and salt, just as he was raised.]

Do you want something to drink? Wine, water, tea?

[Ah, but she has no idea he's anything other than human! And after his little display at minor physical contact, Sypha's deemed him less-than-a-threat.

Besides, the inherent caution that ought to dictate her behavior now just...isn't there.

The inside is incongruously large, but still clearly meant for only one person. She clasps her hands behind her back as she looks around, suppressing the urge to poke. She'll just go sit down, to keep from rifling through his shelves. That strange doll is awfully out of place among the books and neatly kept furniture.]

Tea, I suppose? I don't know what I like.

Tea it is.

[Alucard is not blind. He has eyes, he can see how Sypha translates sitting on one's hands to standing and enforcing the same level of restraint. There's a soft huff, entertained more than annoyed.]

Go ahead and look around while the water boils. There's not much else to see.

[She'll find something because she is Sypha, but the dhampir is not overly concerned either. For now, he goes to the cabinet to get out two tea cups, and the kettle will go on the stove a moment later. He knows she'll find something.

Probably the books, come to think of it. Some of them are cobbled together memories of his father's most interesting pages, and others are actual books from the Hold. Protective spells for the most part, and at least Alucard knows that much isn't on accident.]

[Given permission, Sypha springs back to her feet and beelines for the shelves. She plucks the little doll up and turns it over in her hands as Adrien bangs about in the kitchen area. Is that a turnip for a head? And a little yarn wig?

Biting off a giggle, she returns the sad little thing to its spot and begins tracing her eyes and fingertips over the books. Funny, she can still read just fine. The Horizon's effect on her memory seems awfully selective. Some of the titles are so esoteric that she may as well be illiterate, though. She grabs the most incomprehensible of the lot and flips to a random page.

The diagrams she's faced with are so complex, they're basically a form of art in their own right. Spidery handwriting labels the component parts of complex symbols embedded in circles embedded in triangles bracketed by yet more runes. It's a geometric orgy, but beautiful for all that it makes her head swim.]

[Sypha, are you questioning Trevor's construction? He'd like to see you make a better one.

They'll probably have to talk about that later. (Alucard doesn't remember it being in the kitchen before.) But he focuses on making tea, giving Sypha at least a little agency in spite of how strange this entire situation is. Black tea with a hint of honey and no milk. And--

--well, he doesn't have baked apples on hand. Alucard could summon some from memory, but it would not be the same, not by a long shot. So he settles for slicing two up, putting a pat of butter in a small cast iron pan, and sprinkling sugar as they gently cook. A makeshift pie filling, and one that sings perfectly once he grates a little nutmeg and ginger on top.

When the apples are done, they are put onto plates, and only then does the dhampir go searching. If the scents wafting from the kitchen weren't enough, surely--

--oh. Of course she found the books]

Sypha? Tea's ready whenever you'd like it.

[The rest of her brain comes back online when Adrien announces tea - for a few moments there, her focus had narrowed to the contents of the book. It's in Coptic, she thinks, although she has no idea how she knows that, or how she came to learn to read it. Actually, how does she know it wasn't her first language? What is the deal here?

Anyway, the tea. The moment she looks up, the smell of warm apple and nutmeg overwhelms her senses. Her stomach takes that as its cue to reestablish itself in her memory with an almighty gurgle. Sypha sets the book aside and reaches to take a portion of food and drink off Adrien's hands.] That smells amazing. I can't remember the last time I had baked apple!

[She feels wholly entitled to a shitty little pun, right now]

[Yeah, that pun is going to get a Dhampir Side Eye.

But the dhampir is also going to settle down and wrap both of his hands around his teacup, eyes lingering not on Sypha but on the book itself.]

You were engrossed with the text. What caught your attention there?

You know, I'm not quite sure? The author writes under the assumption that the reader already knows what this is for. [Sypha briefly turns away from the refreshments to recover her spot in the book] Perhaps it says earlier on, I was flipping through at random.

[With one hand, she carves a chunk of softened apple onto her fork. With the other she outlines the silhouette of the array on the page.] I think it's...energy transference of some kind? There's a lot of scribbly little notes about how these shapes here buffer energy decay during the process.

--Admittedly, that's because it is the second volume. I'm familiar with the first, so I didn't see the need to imagine it here.

[This place is just so weird. At any rate, Alucard takes a sip of his tea, considering.]

But yes, that's the general outline of the idea. The idea is to imbue intent into a glyph that is activated by touch.

Hmm. [A thoughtful sip of tea, never taking her eyes off the page. Oo, she does like it with honey. Did he already know that?] And that's something anyone can do, with the right glyph?

[He did.]

In theory, yes. I've found that it helps to have a slight talent for magic in creating the glyph, but then the activation of the glyph can be from anyone so long as they will it so.

Hm. That almost seems too easy. Is there a catch? Oo, do you have any paper? And, I don't know, charcoal?

[Alucard pauses, considering.

Yeah, he's going to be a dick.]

Try reaching into the air, imagining what you're looking for, and seeing if it will appear.

[Even without her past at instant recall, Sypha knows for a fact that she does not back down from challenges. Her spine clicks into perfect vertical alignment at Adrien's mild suggestion.

She lets her eyes slip closed, one hand raised partway into the air. The other remains on the book, feeling the minute textural variations in the paper. If she just imagines the same sensations against her other fingertips--

The distinct sound of fluttering paper snaps her out of her trance just in time to watch a sheet drift down to the tabletop. Sypha hastily snatches it away from the sticky baked apple residue, grinning wildly at Adrien.] HAH!

[Sometimes, Sypha's predictability is a blessing.

So the dhampir settles in, digging into his apples and treating this all as a perfectly normal occurrance. His eyes flick to Sypha with a mild curiosity, wondering how she'll go about this.

By touch makes sense. And behold.

A soft little huff comes out of him, amused.] Not bad. But the charcoal?

Hmmmm, [This time her eyes only fall half lidded as she recalls the feeling of wood in her hand, the smell of a nearby campfire, the faint scratch of the still-smoking burnt end against stone as she practiced her letters--

--wait, what?--

Sypha blinks out of the sense-memory and flicks her gaze to the rudimentary charcoal stick held between her thumb, middle, and forefingers.]

It's will, but it's memory also, isn't it? Or the ability to trick yourself into thinking something's a real memory, like a story told wrong so many times the truth gets lost.

In truth, I don't think I've ever figured out if memory is a factor. I've tried fairly hard not to think too much on it. The metaphysics become exhausting.

[It isn't the proudest thing the dhampir has ever owned up to, but he sees value in being honest enough about this much. Besides - he's more interested in seeing what Sypha might do next.

He takes a slow, careful sip of his head.]

Please don't set my table alight.

[Sypha mouths the word 'metaphysics', uncertain if she's forgotten its meaning or simply never knew it. It teases at something, threads of other words stitched together, but it sits just outside her grasp. Maybe that's the best indicator that this is NEW knowledge.]

Why not? You can just imagine yourself another one, can't you? [She's teasing, okay? Setting one's host's furniture on fire is terribly rude, a bone-deep taboo. She smoothes out her parchment and begins to replicate the rune, slightly surprised at the accuracy of her draftsmanship.] Although, hm, I suppose this is a terrible place to test the results of a spell, since you could simply imagine that it worked correctly, yes?

I could, but that's rather besides the point. [He knows she's teasing, but he has to at least be a little bit of a kill joy.]

That's not wrong, but there's no reason not to just...visualize the results you want, I suppose?

[Visualize, visualize, that's not so hard. But what outcome is she chasing, what energy is she trying to transfer?

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?

[--Goddamnit.

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?

Of course, of course I can- [Sypha plants her palms on the table to lever herself out of her seat. As she makes skin contact with the wood, the inscribed rune flares back to life. A jet of flame bursts from the tabletop, gouting towards the ceiling.

Sypha drops back into her chair with a yelp, arms up to shield her face.] What the hell?!

[Alucard leaps up, moving to the sink immediately. In theory, Sypha could control this flame with ease. But in practice, with her so surprised and the inscription, he isn't taking the chance.

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!

Call it OFF? I didn't call it ON! [She cuts her hands frantically through the air, thinking no fire! no fire! as loudly as she can.

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.]

The Festival of Enlightenment - The Free Cities

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