An Erstfort Festival (open to everyone)

[Philomel]

This thread is a very open thread. It is meant to be similar to those party threads we have done before, to get activity on the rise again. For this thread the premise is thus:

Philomel has just gone started the processes of setting up the Gilded Lily's 'official permanent headquarters' also called the Boathouse on the small Skara Brae island of Erstfort, run by Baron Marmaduke. Currently no building is in place, aside from a large warehouse-barn with a small port beside the sea that was once used to store goods before it was sent out, before the building of the main town of Erstfort Town, and thus all import/export moved there. The large warehouse is absolutely massive and has a half balcony mezzanine around all the sides, accessed via stairs to the back.

It being summer Philomel has decided to throw a festival celebration - or Helhel'gn as they have it in faunish. All this really celebrates is summer itself, and sunbathing and heat - it has no fetertilty etc significance, it is really just a time to party. The thread will start with a parade in Erstfort town, and will move eventually to the warehouse-barn. Feel free to make anything and everything happen. Even if you destroy the barn - well it will save her demolition costs. Have fun.

Bright colours - not a single one was missed.

In rows streamers and banners were raised as the entire congregation of the Gilded Lily and its associates were there - well, the ones who wanted to turn up and have 'a good time.' They were joined by tens, if not a hundred fauns, if one could believe that this many fauns could be found outside Paradisia, their secreted homeland. They were all here on the call of the Matriarch, the 'Lady of Fauns' as they called her (with a slight hint of sarcasm in their voice, for it was known just what a 'lady' she could be). Each and everyone had been sent an invitation to celebrate their beloved festival, that festival of absolute and random delight wherein the only thing to celebrate was the sun. To love the sun, to heckle the sun, to call out to the sun that it needs to return the next year. Of course offerings were given to their goddess Drys, the Blesser of Trees, along the roadside as they paraded. Paraded their hearts, paraded their hopes, paraded their dreams.

Invitations were not only to those of faun association or Gilded Lily association. Others, who were not so directly involved but who hosted some form of authority within Althanas. It came in a bright saffron envelope and inside was a loose dried flower (various breeds) and a scrawled note inviting them to the festival. For these people there was no direct association noted with the Gilded Lily, for some of them indeed had ill feelings towards it. Nay, for them it was merely an invitation to a party.

And what a party it would be! With the Matriarch herself leading the way on the back of her mighty tera'k steed the parade was well underway. She was dressed in the most glorious of silk and chiffon short dresses, which tailed off behind her in the wind. Upon her brow was placed a garland of ivy and daffodils, all merry in the sunshine. Around her were members of her close elite - those of the Gilded Lily she trusted most and who were dedicated to her care.

They would travel down the main road, starting at Erstfort Town town hall and ending at the Westwood Harbour old warehouse. Then, once in that warehouse there would be the best of feasts, with enough drinking and partying to last a lifetime. It was a time of joy, it was a time of celebration and little was planned, apart from the ideal to smile.


complete!!! throw in your characters, make chaos!

[Elthas_Belthasar]

The last party he'd been at was a disaster.

He'd later found out that Madison Freebird, a now hated enemy, had attended and worked her deadly arts to cause a near massacre.

However, then, Elthas had not been innocent either. He'd lived a different life back then and was an Assassin and former Bounty Hunter. These days though, Elthas was reformed. He'd sacrificed everything to be able to gain something. In a recent event, Elthas lost an arm in a battle. A battle that might not even have been real...but to Elthas. It was very real. At the current party, Elthas was working on an art exhibition. He'd not attended those in some time. He kept himself busy with his duties to his people. Of late, he'd found himself with a lot of time since he was banished and exiled from The Trading Company. Further, he was banished from himself. He'd been losing it of late, and that would play a critical role in the coming centuries and ages.

Elthas was a Forest Elf, his people...gifted.

Most importantly, he was gifted with the feat of agelessness and immortality. He was centuries old, but appeared as an Elf in his early forties. Elthas was dressed in a fancy suit, cut in the traditional Radasanth fashion. He favoured fancy clothing instead of bulky armour. Elthas was fast, he could outrun most folk anyway. Currently, he was a face in the crowd and the exhibition was nearby to the main of the party itself. He was aware that his faun ally, Philomel, was present and he hoped that he could see Mister Draak one more time. He'd respected the troll brute and owed him much. Elthas was discussing his latest sculptures and paintings with potential buyers. He also made time for youthful artists of the age, students of the imagination. There were questions about his art as always, and Elthas answered them eagerly. It kept his mind facing some semblance of sanity and humanity.

Elthas eagerly spoke about his latest works. He'd sculpted and painted in the traditional Elven style despite having no formal training. It was the calling of his people. The most recent paintings and etchings were done to commemorate a Hero named Storm Veritas. He'd gotten asked all sorts of questions about style and technique. They often asked him about painting with a known disability. That is, how would one paint with one arm? Elthas would enthusiastically respond with many differing answers that all followed a simple them. Determination and ambition. With both, one could conquer any handicap. Elthas stood in the center of a gathered crowd that was investigating his paintings and sculpture. He looked down at the stop watch. Philomel's summer festival was scheduled to start very soon.

He looked at an attendant of the art exhibit for a moment, a long time ally.

"Can you take over? I am afraid I must attend to other matters." Elthas said calmly.

The male attendant nodded towards Elthas Belthasar. "Of course. I will let everybody know you're leaving the exhibition. Have a good day my old friend." The attendant said. "And Elthas, brilliant work in this batch. I hope you will continue the production of solid pieces."

Elthas tipped his fedora hat towards the attendant. "You're going to see lots of me soon anyway."

***

The warehouse was packed. Elthas found a quiet corner where he could partake of a simple juice and observe the crowd. He knew the sorts of people that associated with The Gilded Lily in the first place, they were his sort of crowd anyway. Elthas sat in a more quiet section of the warehouse. There was smoke and sex in the air. Elthas participated in smoking his own herb of choice: the cannibus herb. He smoked it from a long smoking pipe, and sat an otherwise unassuming and empty table. There were others in the area that were occupied, and people dancing all around as well. It was a party...festive. Elthas did not have much to be festive about of late. He looked down at the empty space where his arm once rested. He'd lost in a battle against the warrior named Storm Veritas. At least that's what he thought had happened. Elthas smoked quietly and in peace, carefully observing the large turn out for the party. His eyes were keeping a look out for one person in particular.

Madison Freebird.

[K-Zu-Ziro]

A penchant for rooftops meant K-Zu-Ziro's nightmarish contours often doubled as a wretched gargoyle set in a static leer over the mammals below. Locked in a crouch, its gangly limbs seemed diminished. Today's light fell stricken against the matte black finish of the insectoid's exoskeleton. From the crest of Erstfort's town hall it watched through the glassy hell of its bug eyes while the festivities began. Leather straps wrapped around K-Zu-Ziro's left shoulder provided a perch for the first of its travelling companions. Fuzzy and rotund, the rodentine boy's soft outline made a delightful foil against its master's harsh edges. The second servant was not so lucky, jailed in the Child of the Black Tree God's mind was the disembodied remnant of the human diplomat, Mux Drik. Soothed under the insect's will, he had grown into a much needed ally; one who could translate a humanoid world.

The rat boy twitched out a whistling squeak, "What are we doing here?" being non-verbal, K-Zu-Ziro used its telepathy to temporarily capture Digsy's mind, making him the final ingredient to three thought soup inside its head. "Hey Digs!" thought Mux on sensing Digsy's arrival in the void. K-Zu-Ziro interjected, "Passing through, learning, eating.” Drik and Digsy were grateful for each other, to suffer their leader's mechanical musing alone would be absolute agony.

[Philomel]

There was a sudden gasp as the demon from another world and another time leapt into the path.

Immediately the tera'k reared, letting out a mighty bellow that thundered across the plains. His huge cloven forehooves rose some admirable distance in the air and his large head, much of it muscle, fat and mounds of fur, faced the sky. He threw the matriarch into the sky, and it took all of her instinct to bury her hands into the matted fur on his back to keep her hold. As her rear end flew upwards, her legs reacted as swiftly as the beast had come, and she landed, two-hooved on the saddle she had previously been sitting in. Eyes upturned to fiercely face this sudden party-pooper foe, the faun let out the loudest and angriest bleat.

Drawing her sword she pointed at the slavering black dog of nightmares, so large it dwarfed many of the mansions at this edge of Erstfort town. Screaming at the top of her lungs she beckoned all of the fighters in the parade forwards.

"ATTACK!" she screeched, knowing that there were at least some of her fighters in there, if not there were strangers who could wield a blade good.

From the hoardes of the pirhouetters and the flag-carriers rushed sword upon sword. Women, men and children too, all waving whatever weapon they could find, burst out of their fancy ranks and rushed at the beast. Whatever it was, wherever it came from, they did not care. All they worried about was the fact that their parade and their party was being mis-used, was being interrupted by this mean creature from some darker world. As it hissed and bit and clawed at the parade's defenders, Philomel felt a great pride swell in her chest. No matter what might happen in life, she realised, bad things could always be quelled.