#tqh: neptunalia 01

[temperednuvi]

who? @valshirathelight where? On the way to the Tower

Falling back into the comfort of research is something Shenuvun does easily, far easier than falling asleep. Her mind had always been too busy for her to go to bed easily, a million and one thoughts racing through her head as she laid back and looked at the ceiling, and that hadn’t changed in the mines. Rather, her propensity to avoid sleep had increased, born from her increasing paranoia and the knowledge that lowering her guard could very well see her dead in the hands of any of the other prisoners. So Shenuvun slept fitfully and with difficulty, which explained the shadows under her eyes as she walked through Eterna in the direction of the Tower, hoping to make use of their library once more. It also explained the sluggishness of her movement and her rather distracted manner as she weaved through the crowds. 

It certainly explained why she didn’t recognize her liege in the distance, but rather walked straight pass her without any notice.

[hiddenvaldis]

who? @afshinxeldar where? The Cisterns, Eterna

Making it to the Cisterns while keeping a low profile in Eterna is more of a bother than she wanted to admit, and for a brief moment Valdís yearns for the time when she was relatively anonymous among the upper class of Lysara. Then she remembers Lady Ilithya’s face when she tried to steal her wig, and a snicker escapes her. Perhaps she doesn’t regret it nearly as much as she should, she muses as she makes it inside the bar and heads to the bar to order a pint, her eyes falling upon an elvhen that seems rather out of place with the usual crowd. Curiosity piqued her, and she considered her options for a moment before shrugging carelessly. The worst that can happen is that she meets another asshole with a stick in his ass, like the Queensguard in Caribella, and she is itching for a fight so if that ends up being the case. Well, all the more fun for her. And if not? He might have something of worth to share. 

“Yours is a face I haven’t seen here before,” she muses as she settles into an empty space a few feet away. “If you wanted to have a taste of Eterna’s Neptunalia festivities, I would recommend more popular venues. Or are you looking for something else?”

[theportaraceli]

who? @lunadarkwoodx where? Dragon Draught when? After the Gladiator Match

“You have been making quite the stir recently,” Araceli mentions as her eyes meet the blonde refugee’s. She vaguely remembers her from when she had been helping Aurea distribute resources for refugees. An Iskaldran and one of the few that had almost been lost to the darkspawns, she believes. Not only that, but she had chosen to become a legionnaire and had participated in the Gladiator match, only to refuse to kill the Dracodile. She is ashamed to admit it, but she had not known the importance of the creature until she had sought more information on their kind after seeing the gladiator Dior choose to spare it in a move she could only call uncharacteristic. What she had found had enraged her, but she doesn’t know if she has the power to retaliate against Lady Ilythia. “As a faiman, I must thank you for trying to avoid hurting the Dracodile. Allow me to buy you a drink to show my gratitude?”

[alrikhart]

@prcspero location: Borean, Temple of the Twelve notes: talk shit get hit

So, it was a party.

Simple enough to navigate; these Lysarans liked to paint themselves as sophisticated but beneath their masked veneer were wine-stained tongues and cherry-red cheeks. Cut away all that fat and the great ladies of the court were just as bloody as their jarling counterparts.

"All this smoke and savory," Alrik observed as he stood up from his place on the bench, the dark orbs that possessed his gaze shifted from the alter and moved toward the shortsword he was brandishing. Well-forged Lysaran steel, sharp enough to get the job done and more functional than pretty. "everyone knows the best way to get a Gods' attention is to bleed."

Nearly a month had passed since Alrik had last seen Prospero, and while he had no intention of lingering in Eterna for much longer, preparations needed to be made. Alessia had made a mess, naturally, it fell to her older brother to clean it up.

The blade found its home once again in the sheath at Alrik's side, the heavy chain of his meteor hammed slung across his chest. Furs were traded for something cut for the season; loose curls a mess, they shifted only slightly as Alrik moved to stand before the altar to one of the statues. An imposing one, he looked like a King, "What's the tradition for dead men here?" Alrik asked, rhetorically, before he fished a pair of gold coins out of his pocket. "Right. Gold coins over the eyes."

[lunadarkwoodx]

Who: Open Where: Neptunalia, by the docks, during sailing competition

Boats floated where they were moored to the docks, bright colourful banners with nautical designs waved in the sea breeze and Luna's heart beat rapidly in her throat, she had hoped to be by the force of nature would bring her peace but it wasn't her element of the trees. The sail boating community that had committed to the festivities did bring a smile to her face, the sailors were steadying themselves for the races and the starting flag was dropped. "Whoo! Go team! Go sports! Five coins on.." trailing around, the Werewolf knew nothing about boats. "That one." She chose the one that looked like a clown car on the waves.

[thequeendomhq]

Gathered together on the island of Juno’s Reach, the city of Boreana is a frequent site of festivals for the Lysarans that call the Queendom home. Boreana houses a temple devoted to the worship of the many Gods of Lysara: Juno, Minerva, Jupiter, Apollo, Neptune, Diana, and more, A Temple of the Twelve.

As tradition, the Lysarans will pay an annual tribute to Neptune, the God of the Seas with various oceanic-inspired tributes. 

For a period of one week, politics, work, and legal processes are brought to a close. The Sitters will not convene, Arethusa will not hold court, and the only officials still on duty are the magistrates - charged with keeping the peace. 

Overseen by the Vestals, priestesses of the twelve, pilgrimages are made from across Lysara to Boreana, where the people of the Queendom leave offerings in the form of foods traditional to the sea, incense, and gold pieces in the hopes of gaining Neptune’s favour. None more so than sailors and traders, those who’ve snubbed the God have found their fleets shipwrecked, and their wares lost to the tides. 

In addition to the rites offered at the temple, food, wine, music, and dancing litter the carnival dedicated to Neptune. As rowdy on the island as it is on the sea, moored boats are decorated and painted for the festival, as floating parties dot the bay. 

The “Master of Games,” masked and shrouded in anonymity, opens the ceremonies by raising the sunken competition grounds within the harbour. An expansive forum for competition that appears only once a year. A marvel of Lysaran innovation, the sunken competition grounds were painstakingly crafted below the tides in the Second Age, and remain in use today. 

Over the course of the next two weeks we’ll have competitions for the following:

Strength Challenge

Chariot Racing

Gladiator Tournament

Sailing

Diving/Underwater Obstacle Course

Mystery Sport

ooc info

in character it will last from July 200th - July 27th

ooc it will begin today, July 22nd and will last until August 7th

Schedule of events will be posted in the Discord.

[celayawitcher]

Celaya attends A Summer of Stars

'i don't have rizz, i have big doll eyes and many unsettling things to say'

@thequeendomhqinspo

[theonxepialos]

'Theon Epialos' attends A Summer of Stars

'better an ounce of luck than a pound of gold'

@thequeendomhqinspo

[kajalx]

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight. won't somebody help me chase the shadows away?

@thequeendomhqinspo

[suyinskiss]

"I could be the one and only one. I could be your moon, stars, and your sun."

Suyin for a Summer of Stars at The Winter Palace

@thequeendomhqinspo

[ofkaedon]

KAEDON for Neptunalia

Eterna has been his home for seven years, and like clockwork, celebrating Neptunalia has come around again. Kaedon can't say he's used to the summer weather, but he at least knows what to expect. He's not much in the way of fashion, his philosophy is any color as long as it's black. The shirt is a light cotton material and perhaps breaths a little? While he is attending the festivities, to say he's taking part is another matter, he does have a couple of jobs open and, instead, is keeping an eye on a guest or two in attendance.

@thequeendomhqinspo

[temperednuvi]

who? @abelasx where? the feywilds

Nightmares are not gone when one wakes, and Shenuvun had not expected for all that had terrified her for years to fade in the morning light. The experiences she had gone through in Iskaran lands would mark her forever more, the scabs sitting just beneath the skin and aching, begging her for her to scratch at them until they bleed once more. Only time would turn the scabs into scars, only time would heal the wounds imposed on her by Iskaran hands, but she did not want to give them any more time. She had lost years in their care, and now she had to live in the aftermath, reminding herself every night that she would not wake up in the caverns once more. 

The reminder helps, but it doesn’t make waking up easier. There are days where sleeping in her apartment is too much for her, days when she wakes up feeling choked by the walls closing in on her. 

Sometimes those days turn into weeks. 

Nuvi has taken to camping with Harajatish on those days, and as dawn breaks over the trees of the Feywilds, she knows it was the right choice. Hands buried on Harajatish hair, she sighs as she rests her head against his flank and considers her options. She has to go back to Bacchus, but she wants to stay in the forests for a little bit longer, the fresh air soothing her sentences. Breathing in deeply, she goes to stand up when she hears steps against the forest floor. Head snapping up, she looks around with narrowed eyes. 

“Who goes there?”

[hiddenvaldis]

who? @lunadarkwoodx where? Haven When? After the Gladiator Match

Her conversation with Aurea still echoes in her head, so Valdís takes the time to visit Haven when she first anchors into Marinus Bay for supplies. She has been asked by her crew to keep a low profile in Eterna and the Queenset Isles while her bounty is still hot, so she does just so, a cloak covering her features as she meanders around the wolf town. Last time she hadn’t had the time to observe things carefully, so she takes her time observing the houses dotting the town and wonders what it would be like to have grown in such a place. Valdís is deep in her musings when her eyes fall in a familiar individual, and a grin crosses her lips. 

“Now, that is a beautiful face that I would never forget,” she comments as she falls into pace next to the woman from the gladiator’s match. “What brings you to Haven?”

[theportaraceli]

who? @ladyaylin where? The Merchant Guild Hall in Eterna

Quick steps have her avoiding a busy merchant carrying too many cabbages to see where he is going, while another has her sidestepping a rather expensive Sinarian rug. Bemused, Araceli continues dodging all the hurried merchants until she reaches the corner where she had caught a glimpse of Lady Aylin once she had arrived at the Guild Hall. It’s not the most inconspicuous meeting place, but sometimes the best secrets are shared amidst crowds, and no merchant would dare to interrupt the Lady of Festival’s discussion with the Heir of the Borderreach. 

Bad business, and all that. 

“Good afternoon, my lady,” Araceli greets with a brief bow, before offering Lady Aylin her arm. “Shall I escort you to one of the Guild’s meeting rooms or would you like to take a turn around the room? I heard some new shipments are arriving, and walking around might allow you to see them before anyone else.”

[rykardthebarbarian]

Rykard attends Neptunalia.

@thequeendomhqinspo

[alrikhart]

Alrik Hart

And you dig your own grave, yeah But it's a life you can save So stop getting fast, it's not gonna happen And you'll cry but you'll never fall, no, no, no You're building a wall Gotta break it down, start again

accompanied by @fharzai