#tqh: neptunalia 01

[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?”

[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.

[froyofthe-ironwood]

Neptunalia - Froy Ingstad

Far, far away one mystery greets Another vast and high, The infinite of waters meets The infinite of sky.

@thequeendomhqinspo

[celayawitcher]

Celaya attends A Summer of Stars

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

@thequeendomhqinspo

[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.”

[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

[ladyaylin]

A Summer of Stars

@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?”

[thequeendomhq]

“What doesn't kill me, gives me EXP.”

With the warm weather comes the festival season for the Lysarans, The Game is never more active than when the good people of the Queendom have something to celebrate. With the influx of Iskaran refugees and the ceasefire with Astoria, a number of wealthy lords and ladies are all too happy to see their trading ships once again passing safely through the proper channels. 

Sorrows, sorrows, prayers as far as the Iskarans are concerned. 

While the Lysaran elite plans their next move, what the common people need now more than ever is an ample distraction. And, of course, what better distraction is there than a celebration? For the Iskarans, this is a chance to ingratiate themselves into Lysaran culture and celebrate the fact that they got out of their Kingdom at all. For the wise, it’s a chance to make connections with the influential elite that they might otherwise never encounter.

Neptunalia has been celebrated in Lysara since the First Age, it’s this 1-week festival that venerates the God of the Seas and the tides. 

In the modern era, it’s an excuse for the Lords and Ladies of Lysara to throw parties, bet on gladiators, compete in races, and engage in nautical contests. 

While the Lady of Festivals will be organizing the event, the Mysterious "Master of Games" (everyone knows it's Arethusa's husband in a mask but most people are too polite to say ti to him) will be arranging a special event that will combine puzzles, mystical creatures, and explicit danger.

As always, the winners of these elaborate affairs will be greatly rewarded.

ooc info

Neptunalia will begin July 19th and will last IC for 10 days. However, the event itself will not be concluded on the main until August 2nd. Throughout the course of that time, we’ll have little competitions and events on Discord for players to engage in the various functions. They’ll rely on a blend of IC skill and of course, chance.

Muses who create and post an outfit aesthetic for the event will receive 500 gp as a boon from the Crown of Eterna. To quality, they MUST tag the inspo blog. Due date for the outfits is July 18th at 7pm EST.

More details to follow closer to the date - this is just what some people might be buzzing about.

Please tag all posts "tqh: neptunalia 01"

[froyofthe-ironwood]

@lunadarkwoodx

where: eterna

when: after the gladiator match but before froy goes on suicide mission

note: just pals catching up

Froy had chosen a quiet spot in a bustling Lysaran market square, where the scents of grilled fish and spiced bread filled the air. The sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the cobblestone path where he sat, waiting for Luna to join him. He'd reserved a small table near a bubbling fountain, the sound of water reminding him of the peaceful streams they used to play near in the Ironwood Forest.

As Luna approached, Froy’s face lit up with a warm smile. He stood to greet her, his eyes full of the familiar warmth of their shared past. "Luna! It’s so good to see you," he said, pulling her into a quick, tight hug before they both sat down.

"I caught your match at the arena for the festival. You were incredible out there! Facing down a dracodile? That takes some serious guts," he said with genuine admiration, his voice tinged with a bit of awe. He leaned back in his chair, the smile never leaving his face.