[EVENT] Bonfire Night

[ironwood]

Characters: ALL!
Date: February 21st
Location: Various.
Situation: It’s cold. Time to cuddle up and make bonfires for the warmth.
Warnings/Rating: Add warnings as needed.

As night falls the city’s lights take something of a unique turn. Instead of being lit by millions of paper lanterns, Keeliai is tonight lit by the flames and warmth of dozens if not hundreds of fires. Some of them are small, not much more than warming hearths in a barrel on a street, but others encompass squares and boulevards.

The fire lighting procession winds through the city’s streets, beginning at the first bonfire in Fire Sector. By the time full night has arrived, that procession is a snake illuminated by dozens of torches, parting from the main parade to light smaller fires in smaller streets. It ends, finally, in Central, in the Courtyard of Public Opinion, whose bonfire is second only to the initiating one in Fire Sector.

In some areas an exchange of goods arises, mostly in terms of woollens and other warm clothes and blankets. Though food is considered a public resource on this occasion, bartering small knickknacks, songs, stories and even other woollen items is not uncommon an exchange.

Meals are shared among kedan and Foreigners, commoners and emissaries--primarily stews, soups and other foods easily baked in the coals of the fires. Everyone brings food, and what isn’t contributed to the pot is nevertheless shared around after preparation. Although some bonfires are markedly wealthier than others, food and shelter is spread around to make sure everyone is safe and warm. No one goes cold and alone on this night.

---

LINKS
Fire Sector (main bonfire) | Water Sector | Metal Sector | Earth Sector | Wood Sector | Central Keeliai

OOC Notes
The five Bresilykian emissary NPC can be found moving from Sector to Sector and partaking in the various traditions of each, and so can be engaged anywhere, while the Keeliai NPCs generally are staying in their respective areas as detailed below. Please put the name of the NPC you're requesting in the subject line of your tag if you want to interact with them. Thank you!

Comments

[peacefullywreathed]

"There are all kinds of microbes crawling over everything anyway," Solomon pointed out, taking a seat on an edge nearby, near the fire himself. His coat was one of the warmest he owned, but it wasn't exactly enchanted. "Most of them just aren't harmful. Our 'hosts', as you call them, are fairly affected by most things flesh-and-blood beings are, though. What's might I call you?"

[merb]

"Oh, I know," Stork intoned moodily when Solomon pointed out that there were microbes on everything. "Believe me, finding some antibacterial gel is high on my list of priorities, right after finding my ship and not freezing to death."

He scooted over a little when the necromancer sat, although it seemed to be in an effort of politeness as much as wanting to maintain any distance. "Oh... I'm Stork."

[peacefullywreathed]

"Solomon Wreath." Solomon bowed slightly from the waist in lieu of a handshake, since he doubted the man would take that terrible well. He was interesting. Not the paranoia, which was amusing in as far as Solomon could manipulate it and only until Solomon had a better grasp on how to do so, but the fact that Stork was so obviously not human.

Solomon was used to non-humans in his own world, but Stork was one he'd never met before. Contextually that made him interesting.

"Not freezing to death is simple, assuming you don't burn every blanket you come across on the possibility of infection," Solomon said dryly. "Your ship, unless you were in it and it's interdimensional in nature, won't be accessible."

[merb]

For his part, Stork didn't even realize he was unusual in contrast to the rest of the Foreigners. Humans were the majority population of Atmos, making up about 50% of the world, and the other races were split among the other half. "It's easy for someone who can generate their own body heat," Stork huffed, accordion-ing his legs up under the blanket as well, so that the outline was all angles and points underneath the material.

"I was on my ship," he added, sounding a cross between plaintive and affronted, as if how could Solomon suggest he'd be somewhere else. "And I don't know, does passing through a dangerous magical portal count as inter-dimensional?"

[peacefullywreathed]

"That depends on whether the ship passed through it as well," Solomon said thoughtfully. "Interesting. Granted, I don't know how everyone arrived here--but there's a man who arrived with his translocational hotel. The Hotel is highly magical and arrived with him. If you were in your ship and it passed through the portal, why didn't it come with you?"

[merb]

Stork threw up his hands, nearly losing his blanket in the process, before quieting again. After a long moment, he sighed.

"Maybe because it would have left the rest of the squad stranded on the Far Side of Atmos with nothing?" he sighed. The team could get along without him -- probably -- but without even a ship? They'd be completely doomed.

[peacefullywreathed]

"That would make sense." Solomon looked up at the sky, considering the stars. "It would follow that something with a connection to more than one person would be anchored if all were present." If Shudder was alone in the Hotel at the time, given he'd built it--yes, that would make sense. "There is some measure of order in the metaverse, at least."

He reached into his pocket to pull out a little notebook he'd taken to carrying since he'd lost his magic if only because it gave him something to focus on other than the lack of it. The firelight glinted off his metal magic-binding bracelets. "I don't suppose you could tell me anything about what happens to people when they die, if anyone knows?"

[merb]

The question made Stork blink, then again, then he looked at Solomon strangely. "Why?" he questioned. "Are you writing poetry?"

[peacefullywreathed]

"No," Solomon said with amusement. "I'm making a study of dimensional variances in planar foundations." He indicated their surroundings with his pen. "We're in the Life plane now, which has a close connection to the Dreaming plane, and both are offset by the Death plane." He put the ball of the pen back to the paper. "More information about the way the planes connect in your dimension could indicate why you're the only one who was brought here from your ship."

[merb]

"I think I'd have better luck explaining gimbal rotation to a Gleep," Stork muttered. Strangely, for all his race's fascination with mortality, they were surprisingly fuzzy on the details of what, if anything, came after.

"The only thing I can think of, is that Atmosian legend says that the world was created in a giant storm that tore the planet up, and that's what created the terras. The general belief is that the world will go out the same way."

[peacefullywreathed]

The explanation in itself raised more questions, ones which Solomon didn't hesitate to ask. "Terras?" he repeated, prompting. "Most of the Foreigners currently here, from what I'm aware, have an undestroyed planet, but don't know much about the world past the atmosphere. Yours is the opposite, I take it?"

[merb]

"Terras, landmasses that are above the cloud layer," Stork explained. "Like islands do, in the water. I didn't say it was destroyed, just torn up. Below cloud level, down a few thousand feet, is the Wastelands... worst place in the Atmos."

[peacefullywreathed]

Castles in the sky. It made Solomon smile, almost laugh, not out of derision but some echo of childhood nostalgia. "How do they stay up?" he asked, sidetracked in spite of himself.

[merb]

The question made Stork blink a second time, as if he hadn't expected the questioning to stay on the topic. "The cloud layer is denser, the lower you go," he answered. "Above the cloud layer is measured in leagues, below it in fathoms. The terras displace it, like an empty bowl in the sink."

He stuck one finger in his ear and gave it a brief tug, like he was trying to clear something. "Plus, lighter gravity. Everything feels heavier here."

[peacefullywreathed]

"Yes, that would make a difference," Solomon said absently, because he was busy wondering exactly what sort of make-up the clouds must have in order to support far denser materials in such a way. If the clouds were in essence some measure of ... well, ocean ... hm. "Is the pressure greater beneath the cloud layer?"

[merb]

"Definitely greater," Stork agreed. Explaining took his mind off the cold, or at least, kept him from noticing that he was slowly going numb. "The Condor's rated for 1500 -- give or take -- but Murk Raider ships apparently are built to withstand a lot more than that. Deep cloud pressure is a lot rougher on ships than air pressure. Deep clouds being different, that is, than regular clouds like those," he added, pointing upward to where a few thin wisps scudded over the night sky.

"Why the sudden interest in barometry?"

[peacefullywreathed]

"As a comparison," Solomon explained. "We have oceans of water which act in much the same manner as your clouds do, save that there's nothing that can be reached beneath it except rock." He shrugged and closed the notepad. "Though I suppose it makes very little difference in terms of what I'm actually studying. You've no other stories about the afterlife?"

[merb]

"Sorry," Stork shrugged. "The closest thing we have to that is Terra Aquanos, the deep caverns there go all the way through to the Far Side. As for more stories, I could make some up; I have a good imagination. But there aren't that are universally legend."

[peacefullywreathed]

"That won't be necessary," Solomon said dryly. Stories weren't much good if they weren't widespread enough to be legend; legend tended to be rooted in some sort of truthful experience. Ah well; he had enough to be going on with, anyway. Maybe he could ask some others where they'd been just prior to arrival.

He might have to follow up on this one, besides. Humans had been the vast majority of the Foreigners so far. "Has anyone given you directions to the local Foreigner-centric buildings?"

The man was practically turning colours around the ends of his fingers. Given he had green skin, it was oddly fascinating.

[merb]

Stork shook his head, though the movement was partially obscured by the blanket cocoon. "I tried asking around, everyone was here at these fires. Is this some kind of holiday? When do the indoor holidays happen?"

[peacefullywreathed]

"You arrived on the one night we haven't been staying indoors," Solomon said dryly. "It's been a long winter." He nodded toward the fire. "This was to lift some spirits. But I can show you to the Welcome Centre, if you like."

Even taking into account the Hotel's multiple entrances, the Centre was actually closer. That didn't happen terribly often.