acatalepsy_logs | the night of wonders.

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the night of wonders.

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the night of wonders.

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COMMENT SECTION:	MOD QUESTIONS \| EXPLORATION \| WORK SUBMISSIONS
WORLD INFO:	WHEN YOU WAKE UP \| LOCALITIES \| JUMP SUMMARY
EVENT INFO:	NIGHT OF WONDERS \| FESTIVAL EVENTS \| THE FIRES \| FOURTH WALL INFO
AU INFO:	AU QUESTIONS, CLASSES, RACES, STEP BY STEP CHARACTER BUILD GUIDE

Seemingly overnight, the Guild Hall owned and operated by the Silver Blade is decked to the nines Long streamers and banners are draped and a massive banner has been unfurled across the front of the building. It hails the events of the coming two weeks:

The Night of Wonders

Murmurs abound through the city; a thrill of excitement is in the air, and the locals are delighted to finally have cause to celebrate. The theme of The Night of Wonders is one of rebirth. The people of Mirabar are celebrating the continued survival of their home, the success of taming the Giant Rebellions across Faerun, and their resident adventurers! You are all thanked, profusely, for helping reinvigorate Mirabar with your hard work, and the people of Mirabar want to celebrate with you!

Booths have sprung up everywhere, full of food, music, laughter, and joy. Take a trip around the city over the next few weeks or so, and see what you find: there is no shortage of things to do in the riverside city of Mirabar.

Especially, it seems, because there are a plethora of new people. Not members of the Circle, but others? It seems that Astoria's grip on the Rift has slipped and other Travelers have found their way to Mirabar, just in time for the festival in question. You have no idea how they got here, but hey -- they're here, right? We may as well enjoy the party.

YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT.

Like any good festival, there are a ton of street games and vendors to choose from! Try your hand at an archery contest, where a bullseye nets you 1 GP, but playing at all gets you a weird-looking stuffed rabbit. There are also your classic "throw a ball at a bottle" games where they seem awfully rigged. Are those bottles glued down? What a rip-off!

There is also a jousting tournament, which really means sticking a broom between your legs and running at someone with a padded sword. Whoever gets hit first loses! It's mostly meant for children, but the local children will definitely encourage adult Travelers to give it a shot.

Finally, there's no shortage of food to buy -- turkey legs, meat pies, popcorn, sweet cakes, and cotton candy are abound throughout the festival. And of course, plenty of mead. Explore, have fun, and have a blast!

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT;
PUNCH, PUNCH, PUNCH YOUR THROAT

One of the highlights of the festival is the infamous kayak race -- a hallmark of Mirabar culture and sport. The leather kayaks, handmade by the locals in Mirabar, are beloved and much bragged about, and after a month or so of testing, they are finally ready for the tournament.

Many sign up -- locals, members of the Circle, travelers that have wandered from distant lands . . . but only one team can conquer! So, congratulations to TEAM 1! You have won 100 GP each, a set of three trophies, and and all-you-can-drink voucher at the Dusty Coffer for the duration of the festival! Cheers!

Alternatively, you can also enter in the fighting tournament, set up by a local bunch of rowdy Guild members that just like to punch each other. The fighting tournament is a bit less prestigious than the kayak tournament, but you've still got a bunch of folk who turn up to see who is the best around. Are you a winner, or a loser? Either way, much praise to RUBY ROSE who winds up winning the whole lot! You win 300 GP, and a championship belt that looks like it is made out of gold, but it is definitely not.

Feel free to play out races, match-ups, scuffles, or observation! The winners may be set in stone, but you can feel free to thread out whatever rows or punches to your heart's content.

🡆 Prior to the tournament, you might hear what some of the betting rings have to say...who has their eyes on you? Or is it a friend of yours, by any chance? Looks like word goes around, it could go in any direction.

🡆 The crowd around you is roaring with passion and excitement. They may even get as heated as you do, so try not to let their zealous reactions get the better of you.

🡆 The most you'll get after the tournament is a towel to wipe off your blood, sweat, and potentially tears. If you've been injured, it could be in your best interest to seek medical hel and rest. Or not.

THE CEREMONY OF LIGHTS.

Every night of the festival, the people of Mirabar go down to the river's edge with paper lanterns. You can get them by the boatload, for free, provided to every single person who wishes to have one. On these lanterns are tags which you can write whatever you would like.

Should you ask the locals, they say that they write down their hopes, their dreams, and their wishes. Once they do that, they set out into the boats and push them out into the air, to send them to the gods, and pray for proper fortune. You may take out a boat (which are on the river a plenty) if you wish to do so, and participate in the ceremony to your heart's content. But there is something almost solemn, about the ceremony.

These people, clearly, are hoping for an end to conflict, and a continued prosperity to their city.

What do you wish for?

PAPER FACES ON PARADE.

Finally, at the end of the Festival, there is a massive masquerade in the Guild hall. Everyone is wearing a mask, ranging from basic black to brightly colored with a lot of feathers and jewels. It seems everyone has gotten into the spirit of the Festival, and the locals are intent on partying until the sun comes up.

There is a live band, a lot of dancing, laughter, and joy. There is a massive table of food of every type you can think of, a plethora of wine and ale, and endless merrymaking to be had. Feel free to dance, eat, drink, and celebrate for as long as you desire!

But be sure to go outside at around 11:00 PM, to watch the beautiful fireworks display over the river. You can run out to grab a boat, to watch it on the river proper, or you can watch it from outside the Guild hall. It's a lovely, romantic end to your hard work in Faerun . . . enjoy it, and each other.

🡆 In the heat of the dance, it's likely that you'll be passed from one partner to another. Try to make do with the foreign — or perhaps unexpectedly familiar face that will be greeting you. And try not to get caught in the middle of a slow dance...

🡆 Some of the food and drink offered will serve as a bit of a pick-me-up: the people of Faerun have decided to use their magic to ensure that the party is as enjoyable as can be. So for those who are a bit more on the antisocial, troubled or moodier side, perhaps an enchanted dinner will make the night easier on you?

🡆 Take the boat a tad too far out and you run the risk of getting stranded in the river. The current grows stronger the further down along you go, so do be careful.

MOD NOTES.

🡆 This is a fourth wall event! Please feel free to tag around and have fun in the festival log! We have a list of reference links at the top of the event post for your reference, if you need help. This log is free for everyone to play on, even characters who are currently not in game.

🡆 A separate log for those investigating the fires referenced in the OOC post will be posted. This log is purely for entertainment and fun for the fourth wall! The fire investigation will be limited to those who showed interest.

🡆 If you have any questions, please ask them on the original OOC post here! This includes fourth wall participants!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Nina's face lights up, and she takes Inej by the shoulders to guide her toward the chair.]

Invited? By who? A certain Mr. Brekker?

[ and it begins.

she's guided toward the chair and sits in it, the dress sort of arranging itself on her lap. there's an immediate urge to deny it, but inej is a terrible liar (particularly when it comes to nina), and so instead of agreeing or denying it . . . ]

I would probably say no to anyone else. Barring present company. [ of course. inej would go anywhere with nina, but nina is likely going to torture matthias for the evening, and matthias will be all the better for it. and now that inej has started talking about it, she allows herself the room to continue. ] I am still not sure why he wants to go in the first place. He usually avoids these events, unless it's for a job.

[ and for all she knows, it might be. but kaz hadn't mentioned anything of the sort to her, and had simply just casually brought it up, and not said another word about it. so it's?? probably for fun?? ]

[Poor, poor Inej is trapped now, doomed to Nina's grilling.]

Kaz is putting in effort?

[And if Nina finds out this is for a job and not a date, she's going to kill him. But for now, she unties Inej's braid and starts to comb it out with her fingers.]

Would you like your hair up or down?

Whatever you would like.

[ easily enough; she normally has her hair braided and out of the way, but this likely means more to nina than it does. but she relaxes, once nina starts combing out her (massive) amount of hair, and keeps speaking: ]

And effort might be a strong word, but effort to him, yes.

[Well, it's certainly a start, Nina thinks. She moves away for a moment to dig in her trunk, then returns with a little basket of hair supplies.]

Well, we'll just have to make sure his heart stops when he sees you.

[Not that it doesn't usually, and not that Nina doesn't have proof of that now, thanks to the parem, but she doesn't want to embarrass Inej terribly.]

How did he ask, exactly?

[ there's a quiet roll of her eyes, at that comment, but inej remains still, as nina brushes out her hair. she lets her eyes close, to focus on the feeling of the tugging on her hair, the sound of nina's voice. ]

He asked if I would like to go.

[ mildly enough. ]

You've met him.

[ it was hardly a grand romantic gesture; it was literally "do you want to go" and inej had said she wouldn't hate it. ]

I do not think he has ever been to one of these voluntarily.

Oh, absolutely not.

[Nina begins to section parts of Inej's hair and then braid bits of it. Still plaited, but nowhere near as utilitarian as Inej's usual style.]

He might die if he tries to dance.

I think he would only do it if he could pick his dance partner's pocket.

[ it's said in agreement, with half a laugh. nina braiding her hair is soothing, and relaxing.but it allows her mind to wander a bit, to really think about the evening . . .

she can't talk about him, not really. so much of what makes kaz brekker complicated are truths that inej has to keep close to her chest . . . but she can talk about some things. maybe. if she words them carefully. ]

I am not sure if I should have said yes.

[ after a long moment. ]

We got into an argument. At home, on the boat, before I was taken. And I feel like we have done nothing but fight since we came here, until the last world. . . it finally feels like we have gotten back to normal.

[ sort of, anyway. ]

[Arguments are pretty normal for Inej and Kaz. Honestly, Nina thinks Inej is the only person who can stand up to Kaz and have him listen. This sounds different, though, and Nina hums thoughtfully.]

What was the argument about?

[ he's going to be furious with her, if he ever finds out. but this is her truth, too, and has nothing to do with kaz's past, or his personal secrets . . . and, really: ]

I want to use the money from the Ice Court, to pay off my contract, buy a ship, and leave Ketterdam. To hunt down slavers. And he asked me to stay.

[ which, by itself, is fine. but: ]

But he would not give me a reason to stay. He just demanded it. And I was angry, and told him that I want him without his armor, or not at all.

[ she exhales, slowly, her eyes still closed. ]

I was tired of being treated like a tool and not like a person.

Oh.

[Well, that's... a lot to digest all at once. That plan sounds perfect for Inej, absolutely, but Nina hasn't really had a chance to fully consider what everyone was going to do once this mess with Van Eck is over and done with. It's not like most of them even want to stay in Ketterdam, Nina included, but hearing Inej talk about leaving is still oddly bittersweet.

Still, it's also not entirely the point right now.]

You were right to be angry. Kaz certainly doesn't think of you as a tool, though. You're much more important to him than that. He's just absolutely terrible at showing human emotions.

[ it's a complicated thing. and maybe it did take a constant series of fighting, and argument, and pressing one another to get to the same level of understanding. to know that kaz is going to get her, from van eck, and that it isn't just to secure his investment. to pry through the comments and witticisms, and purposefully hurtful dismissals, to get an understanding as to why he acts the way that he does.

those are secrets only inej knows, and probably only inej will ever know. but knowing them has quelled a lot of anger, and provoked some level of forgiveness. ]

Half of the time, I think he has no idea what to do with me.

[ it's said tiredly, her eyes still closed. ]

But he has since apologized, for the fight. Nothing else. [ a little ruefully; kaz brekker owes her at least twenty-seven apologies, twice as many thank yous, and four million kruge on top of it. ] And he is trying, in his own way. I just don't want to lose what I have in the process, or what I have gained.

[ which, really, is quite a lot, considering the kaz brekker who met inej ghafa then and the kaz brekker and inej ghafa now. all the same . . . ]

Do you know how we met? Did I tell you?

[ inej is really just seeking to talk for the sake of talking, nervous at this sudden jump she signed herself up for. ]

[It doesn't matter if Inej is just talking for the sake of talking—it's clear she needs it, to work through her nerves if nothing else. Nina shakes her head, tying off one of the braids and pinning it in place.]

No. How did you meet? And what are you afraid of losing, Inej?

[ the second question is a lot harder to answer, because inej isn't really sure what the answer is. losing him is always a possibility, but the more terrifying reality is losing herself. or whatever she is supposed to be. figuring that out has been difficult, in the midst of everything that is going on, and inej is certain that she needs to leave, and be free. but what does that mean, in the bigger picture? certainly not abandoning everything she has built, but also cutting ties, to a certain extent. to learn who she is, and reclaim her own life.

how she does that, after the ice court, after van eck's betrayal, after kaz, is a hard thing to figure out. but: ]

I saw him at the Menagerie. But he was not there to . . . participate. [ it's the most delicate word inej can think of to describe what happened, there, without going into detail. ] He was there to argue with Haleen over... something that Haskell had asked him to do. But I remember he looked like he would rather be any other place in the world than there. And I remember thinking that I could leave with him, or I could die there. So I followed him out of the room, and he did not hear me coming. And I asked him to take me with him. -- or, begged is probably the better word.

[ in retrospect, it had been a foolish thing to do, but it paid off in the end. mostly because it was kaz brekker inej had grabbed the arm of in the menagerie, and not any other barrel scum. ]

We had a conversation. It was brief, he asked if I was a dancer. I told him I was an acrobat, before coming here. He gave me a warning about begging anyone in the Barrel to do anything for free. And then he left.

[ she runs her fingers over the fabric in her lap. ]

But he came back. With a contract. He showed me how Haleen was adding to my debt. How I was never going to be able to get out from underneath the slaver's bid. She was charging me for food, bedding, laundry. Pain and suffering. And how all of the suffering I had endured had amounted to nothing. And he told me that he could buy out that contract, but I would be indebted to the Dregs. But it would be fair, and the amount would not change. And I would be able to pay it off, in the end. So I signed, and never looked back.

[ there's a silence, after that. ]

He did not have to come back, but he did. He could have left me there to rot, but he chose not to., And he acts as if he has no heart, but I know that is not true. He chose to ask Pere Haskell for the money to free me, and I know how much grief that earned him, until I could prove I was worth the investment. He did that, for me, without knowing who I was.

[ telling the story, though, does make her feel slightly less off-kilter, and off-balanced. and inej, finally, opens her eyes to look across the room. ]

And I am not sure what I am afraid of, or what I am nervous of, but I know that something is about to change. And I want to be able to honor all of you, and him, without losing myself in the process. I am just not sure how to do that. Or if I am overcomplicating it by thinking about it at all.

Oh, Inej.

[Nina leans down to press a kiss to her friend's head.]

You won't lose yourself, and you won't lose us. If you want to be with Kaz, just be honest with him. Tell him what you need. He might not always make it obvious, but I think he would do anything for you.

[That's become perfectly clear to Nina, anyway, after Inej was kidnapped.]

[ the kiss to the top of her head causes an odd warmth to run through her, and inej exhales the last of her stress along with it. nina is right, obviously. as she tends to be. but being honest -- ]

That is probably true. [ a murmur; that kaz would do anything for her. and inej wants to believe that, but. tiny steps. at any rate: ] Thank you, Nina.

[ and inej tilts her head back a bit (likely ruining whatever nina is doing, but you know), to look at nina, arching her eyebrows slightly. ]

Are you going to go with Matthias?

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the night of wonders.

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