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The Festival of Destiny




Come one, come all!

Friendly faces from across the lands are invited to Andour City, for the famous Festival of Destiny, held every five years. All present in the city may partake in a week of merriment and festivity. Rare and exotic delicacies! Delights, performances, games and amusements! Religious observations, ceremonies, free weddings at any temple! A grand contest of arms! And of course, the great Parade of Destiny, in which the city honors those Marked and blessed by the Gods, where all Marked are invited to march across the city, hand in hand with their fated partner.

All are welcome! All are invited! By the grace and generosity of the Royal Family, King Dreyen Allervai and Queen Landra Allervai, we celebrate the bounty of the Gods and the joys of fate.

Come one, come all!



So, let's be upfront about something: this is a revival of an RP I tried to run three years ago, that died because I abandoned it, and the guild, suddenly and with no warning due to severe personal and mental health issues. I apologize to anyone still around who was let down by this; I really do feel bad. You may ask why anyone should get invested in this telling of it, seeing as how, you know, I might do so again, and my answer to that is: I am in a much better place in my life and am on new medication that has prevented me from having a complete self-isolating mental breakdown of the kind that happened last time in over a year. Seriously, I'm thriving. Had success in my career, the whole shebang. Shit has turned around so incredibly hard for me, and you know what? I want to try this again, and would be grateful for the chance. (Fun fact - someone else also tried to revive it two years ago, which was flattering. Hopefully shows it's a good idea!)

Anyway. Welcome to the Festival of Destiny! This is a High Casual Fantasy and Romance RP about celebration, fate, and finding that special someone. Set in a D&D / Pathfinder inspired fantasy world, players will play as Marked, people from all over the world born with a special mark on their bodies that signifies that they have a soulmate somewhere in the world that they are fated to fall in love with. Everyone’s mark has a different design, but when a fated pair falls in love, their marks change and transform into a new one, one they share that usually takes elements of both.

The RP will take place over the course of the week-long Festival of Destiny, a celebration held every five years by the cosmopolitan (though primarily human) Kingdom of Andour, during which Marked come from all across the land, hoping to meet their beloved (or for any number of reasons – a celebration needs entertainment, supplies, professionals, many dignitaries from the Kingdom and its allies are expected to make an appearance, and so forth). Festivities will vary from day to day, but in general you can expect the RP to have an ultimately light-hearted, rom-com, adventurous tone, as players roam about, get into hijinks, partake in the various adventures and amusements the festival has to offer, and hopefully find true love by the end of it!

Any and all (humanoid) characters are accepted: you can be a princess, a wizard, a dragonslaying knight, a pickpocket, a crime boss, an innkeep, a blacksmith, a soldier. Whatever you want. This is a lighthearted RP, but that doesn’t mean that serious topics or characters are taboo; feel free to have as dark and tragic a backstory as you want for your character, it’ll make it even more fun when we throw them into the festival. When the RP begins, I will secretly match all of the characters together, and over the course of the RP, fate may twist and turn to bring certain characters together… or drive them apart. Either way, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!



Rules



1. Don’t be a jerk.
2. Post quality is High Casual. I’m not a massive stickler about grammar, but I do have a bare minimum of expectations. Two paragraphs or more a post is fine.
3. Posts should come at least once every five days – if you’re going to be unable to post longer than that, just let me know beforehand. I promise, I don’t bite.
4. This is an RP about character interaction, so characters should ideally be complex and have a good deal of depth to them.
5. Worldbuilding is encouraged! Make up a kingdom across the sea, make up an order of knights or a mercenary company, make up whatever you want. Work with other players if you want! Be creative! Have fun with it!
6. Multiple characters are allowed, though for now I’m going to limit it to two a person. I also reserve the right to close admissions down the road to characters of certain genders / orientations, in the name of everyone getting a partner, should an imbalance develop.
7. All standard guild rules apply. If things get heated, fade to black or take it to PMs, please.
8. Have fun with it! We’re here to tell a fun story about true love, adventure, and magic.
9. Post CS applications in the OOC or PM them to me, then move them to the characters tab when approved. Whichever way you want is fine. Hell, you can even mail them to me via passenger pigeon, though I’d probably ask how you got my address.
10. Be excellent to each other.
11. Party on, dudes!



Character Sheet






I think that’s about all. I look forward to playing with you all!


Princess Delyndra Allervai



As the musician from earlier came to the strange man's defence, Delyndra's indignation did not cool. But as the man spoke, his voice full of shame, she felt her heart soften. His words were calm and full of authority; she was unused to being spoken to in such a manner, though it reminded her somewhat of the gentle, wry instruction she received from Archmage Sinad. She accepted the scraps of fabric and the poultice he offered her wordlessly, her mouth still open as if she might speak. Instead, she simply pressed the compress against the cut in her face gently, wincing slightly at the stinging pain.

"I... the guards will not be necessary," she said as he walked off. For a moment, her indignation flared again - who was he, to turn his back on her? But then a moment later he returned, carrying the satchel of books she had left on the ground, and handed them to her without another word, and she immediately regretted that childish surge of anger. The satchel contained tomes that were frankly priceless, including a copy of Loranther's Fables: The Mageling and the Phoenix Dawn that had been penned by the author himself. Leaving them on the ground where they might have been trampled or stolen had been foolish, impossibly careless...

"... Thank you," she said, slinging the satchel back over her shoulder. "I will be alright." She looked at the two men in the alleyway with her with eyes unclouded by anger; the musician, the one she'd favored with a smile earlier. He was a tall man, with dark hair, a beard and a warm smile on his face; perhaps she was imagining it, but she thought she saw a kind of sadness past the good cheer painted on his face, somewhere in his eyes. It passed a moment later, like a clap of thunder. One thing she hadn't imagined was the Mark she glimpsed on his arm; that was nothing to remark upon, she told herself. It was the Festival of Destiny; the streets were lousy with Marked.

She was staring at him. Oh, gods, now she'd have to say something. "I heard your music earlier," she blurted. "I found it fine." She grimaced and turned back to the one who'd knocked her over, as though hoping that she could somehow distance herself from her own social ineptitude by ignoring it. "You're a tribesman, yes? From Mount Frostswallow? I've read much of your people, but I've never met one. Of you. Before." She swallowed, sharply, grinding her teeth. By the gods, she was bad at this. It was entirely unbecoming of her; the woman who would be Queen should not be embarrassing herself in front of any audience, no matter how small. Her immediate instinct was to bolt, run away and find a new conversation, one she could start over, but her sense of pride weighed her down like an anchor - she would cling to the sinking ship of this interaction until she managed to right it, and only with that victory under her belt would she sail onwards. Father's nautical metaphors were really affecting her today.

"This poultice was made from Thornwind, you say? Or... was it bladeroot? I have... such... trouble, keeping the two separate..."

Stowing this here until I figure out how post zeroes work.

Day One: Opening Ceremony The festival begins. No events until the King and Queen address the city at sunset and declare the Festival officially open.

Day Two: Poet's Day A day for music and performance. On behalf of the Royal Family, live music will be performed all over the city, and poets, playwrights, carnies and mummers will take to the streets. In the evening, the Royal Company will reveal their newest production, Love Like a Lighthouse, about the great love story of Andour's King and Queen.

Day Three: Priest's Day A day for religious observation. Temples will hold all-day services to the many gods, and the historic allies of Andour will be honored. There's also a large, Marked-exclusive party/speed-dating event at night, to keep the love-struck young people from getting too bored.

Day Four: Hero's Day A day to honor the brave champions and adventurers that keep the Kingdom safe. The morning is dominated by athletic competitions of every kind, from races to contests of strength to spear-throwing. In the afternoon begins the Tournament of Destiny, in which any Marked that wishes may participate in a single-elimination bracket of duels in the city's grand arena, with the victor receiving a heavy cash prize, being honored by the royal family, and having the opportunity to name one person that they dedicate their victory to, and invite them to be honored by their side.

Day Five: Soldier's Day A day of solemn contemplation, as the city mourns what it has lost and honors the heroes that protect it. The day will begin with a grand military parade through the city, and the bell will toll once for each soldier killed in the line of duty since the war with the Orclords, 20 years ago. In the evening, the bounty of these heroes will be celebrated, as a mighty feast will take place in the city streets, with all invited to eat their fill of the kingdom's bounty. Eating and drinking contests will abound, and a merry time will be had by all.

Day Six: Founder's Day A day to remember the origins of the nation of Andour. Also known as the Children's Day, young ones both visiting and local will be organized into the Battalions of Andour, and led in a re-enactment throughout the city by performers in disguise as the various heroes and villains of the legend of the nation's founding. Sweet treats, adventure, and magic tricks will abound.

Also, most of the adults will spend the day getting shitfaced.

Day Seven: Lover's Day The final day of the ceremony, dedicated solely to the blessing of the Mark and of the joys of love and companionship. Another speech will be given by the Royal Family, who will then lead all the Marked who wish to join in a two-file parade that will wind up and down the city, leading ultimately to one final grand ball where all who have felt the blessing of love may frolic and dance. The party will continue long into the night, and at midnight, the festival will officially be over for another five years.


Princess Delyndra Allervai



The Festival of Destiny had never been her favorite time of year. Even when she was young, she had never been one for raucous celebration, and the close of the festival and return to quiet normalcy had always been accompanied with a sigh of relief. Of course, now that she had come of age, and was expected to find the love of her life within one week or else the nobles of the city would tut and tut about how her reign was 'cursed', the festival was a good deal worse.

Really, things had lined up very poorly. For the royal heir not to march in their first Festival as an adult with their destined partner was unheard of, but usually they had a few years between festivals; Delyndrah had only come of age just over a year ago, so her timetable had been enormously accelerated. At the very least, she'd been excused from her lessons at the Academy for a week; all the more time to prance about the street, hoping to catch some handsome gentleman's eye like a common...

No sense complaining about what could not be changed. Her status as a Princess and the most coveted woman in the city would be an impediment towards finding her true partner, and so that would have to be altered. A drab traveling cloak, riding pants, hair tied up in a messy bun and a streak of dirt across her chin, and she had assumed the role of Delilah Farhill, peasant mage, once again. It was something out of a fairy tail, disguising herself as one of the people in the hope of meeting her true love, and when she'd brought it up with her mother, she had been given a very generous 'it might work'. It would work. She would make it work. She would have to.

As Delyndrah wound her way through the crowd, clutching a bag of books to her chest, she was struck with the sensation of facelessness. None of this was foreign to her, not the city streets, not the festive atmosphere, not the strange and diverse collection of people. She was a well-studied young lass, and she had seen stranger. The man with the magic instruments was a bit odd, and Delyndrah favored him with a smile, remembering only a moment later that he would not feel quite as blessed by the gesture as people on the street usually did when she smiled at them. This was insane. She had no idea where to begin. All around her, people were talking, drinking, dancing, making eyes at each other - was that what she should be doing? It seemed -

There was a bellow from behind her, and before she knew it something was colliding with her, knocking her off her feet with the force of a carriage and sending her spilling into the dirty cobblestone. Whatever it was kept going, charging through the crowd like a knight on horseback and bowling people over left and right, before coming to a halt a moment later.

Delyndrah picked herself up off the ground, holding her head where she'd struck it on the cobblestone. There was a small cut on her forehead - not terribly large, but it stung a great deal, and her face pinched with pain. Instinctively, she went over to another person who'd been knocked over, an old halfling woman, and helped pick her up and steady her onto her feet. The woman's basket had spilled out onto the ground, and as Delyndrah waved her hand the various trinkets floated back into it. The princess walked away in the direction of the thing that had assaulted her, irritation on her face, without waiting for thanks.

She stalked into the alleyway that whatever had knocked her over had turned into, and as she turned the corner she saw it clambering down the side of a building to meet her.'It' was a man - human, by the look of him, tall and powerfully built, with bronzed skin and tattoos on his throat. He was wearing something singularly ridiculous; fine clothes of the kind made in the city, though in the part of her brain that knew about such things she could tell that it had gone out of style at least a season ago, and the brute had an obvious discomfort that would have made even the most fashionable of finery look ridiculous on him.

"Bastard," she called out as he turned to look at the people he'd stumbled over. "Are you in the habit of knocking people over?" She flicked her hands across her torso, irritation obvious in the gesture, and a wave of soft blue light rippled across her clothes, wiping the dirt off in a soft puff. She scowled at the man and opened her mouth, clearly intending to continue her tirade.
@Tenma Tendo@Feisty-Pants@Saltwater Thief@Kitty@Hero@EurmalEye@Th3King0fChaos@JrVader@ShwiggityShwah

We have liftoff! The pairings are complete and the IC is open!

I've started with a very brief IC post to set the stage. You're welcome to be wherever you want: arriving in the city, already there, partaking in the festivities, whatever you want. For the most part, you have free reign. I'm off to go have dinner, but once I'm done, I'll compose a master list of the various days and structured activities of the Festival and pin them to the IC, and then I'll probably get working on a post for Delyndrah Delilah, who is Definitely Not a Princess.

As ever, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. This is going to be grand!
The Festival of Destiny




Day One






It was a beautiful afternoon in Andour City, and the Festival of Destiny had begun. The cobble streets and canals of the city were bustling with life - vendors of all races and cultures had taken to the streets, selling food, trinkets, fine garments, curiosities that they swore would bring good fortune to those seeking love in the coming week. Bright ribbons had been strung across the buildings, and shimmering magical lights flitted through the air in the shapes of animals, a loan from the Archwizards of the Academy of Magic. People filled the streets, laughing and dancing, pouring out of buildings.

This first day of the festival was traditionally one for freeform merrymaking; as far as the royal family was concerned, the Festival would not begin until that night, when the King and Queen addressed the city from the balcony of the palace, but everyone knew that the festivities were on. Most of the inns and taverns had massive holiday discounts, performers and musicians and jesters flocked the streets, busking for pennies, and of course, the people had arrived, in their dozens, in their hundreds. Giggling halfling girls in sundresses had arrived in wagons, and burly sailors had come by ships. Distant tribesmen from the far north, wood elves and genasi and strangers from across the sea. Two days ago, Lord Kealander, first among equals of the High Elves to the East, had arrived to great fanfare, parading across the city with his noble guard and greeting the King and Queen publicly. Alfhild, Queen of the Dwarves, had arrived in more subtle fashion the night before, though those with an ear to the ground would have seen the goat-pulled carriage at the front gates, or seen the dwarven warriors who had escorted her to the palace.

People from everywhere came to the Festival; most of them were not Marked, just here for the party, the events, the free food and drink, or even the religious observations. But many were, young couples looking to partake in the free weddings offered by every temple in the city, or single people, hoping to meet the love of their lifetimes, that fated partner that was somewhere out there in the world, waiting for them. The Festival, ultimately, was for them - half the events were exclusive to Marked, and there would be holidays, fortune-readings, matchmaking services, everything and anything to help them. Many of them would find that special someone in the next seven days; many would not. It was a matter of luck, a matter of circumstance, and a matter, of course, of destiny.

The Festival had begun.
@Feisty-Pants

Accepted!

@Hero

I think we're actually good just at the moment, but please do save that! There've been some people talking about an extension in the event of an extra spot! I'd love to have as many as possible and I'd hate to waste your hard work, so I'll let you know if we need her.

Anyway, I'm going to bed. When I awaken, I shall finalize the pairings and then begin the IC.

Well, no, I'll have work fist. But when I'm done with that, you know. I'll do that stuff.
@Feisty-Pants I like her! I have only one tiny note, which is that the picture, while it has a lot of personality in it isn't really 'on-brand' for the RP; if it's possible to get a different one, she's accepted. I think she'll be a lot of fun (and that she and Delyndra would have a lot to talk about).
@Saltwater Thief Accepted!

@KittyAccepted, pending one very change very similar to one I had for the half-angel character - any chance you could come up with a touch more 'fantasy' name for it than Hell? Like Infernia, one of the nine hells, or something along those lines? Do that and you're clear to move her over, you don't need to wait for my say-so once you have.

Reminder to everyone that, as it stands, applications will be closing soon! How do we feel about that? Do people want more time, or would we rather begin?
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