#concordiaevent

[laxmis]

mistrust (open)

laxmi had had enough chaos to last a lifetime during the last twenty-four hours. when a ship crashed on the shore just a few hours after her plane did, she thought it couldn't get stranger. she had assumed it was a deserted island, but then the islanders appeared while she was still trying to make some sense of what had happened. everything smelled of smoke and salt, and nothing could be more appealing than a soft bed.

but no, they had announced a bonfire to welcome those who had landed during the day. welcome us to what? what is this place? where am i? some part of her rational brain was thinking maybe she had passed out or died, and this was all a product of her imagination. how else could she explain what she'd seen?

the only certain thing was that she didn't trust them. the islanders made laxmi's hair stand on end, and she felt cold even though the air was warm and fragrant —no trace of the stink of smoke, somehow. it was just a stupid feeling, probably just the adrenaline still running through her veins, yet she could not let herself appear scared. there were more survivors from her flight, some of them mere children, whom she needed to show strength for.

but she wasn't about to simply accept that they were friendly. laxmi sat by the fire and refused every plate or drink she was offered, deciding to chew some leaves she'd found harmless instead. when she heard someone sit next to her, her eyes didn't move away from the bonfire, scared that it might be one of the strange islanders. 'oh, don't be pathetic, they're not going to eat you... or maybe they are?' gathering up all her courage, she gulped loudly and extended her hand, full of leaves, at the stranger. "want one? they taste like mint."

[cloudwxlker]

THE WELCOME BONFIRE ― sweet escape (closed for @savagcblooded​)

There were many things about humans that never ceased to fascinate Lux, one of which was the continuous evolution of their society. Their fashion, their slang ― “Lit,” she whispered to herself. How did they think of such things? Though it occasionally came out, sudden and harsh, she always attempted to keep her confusion muted in an attempt to maintain the image of an all-knowing being among the humans. Sometimes, however, she wished there were a cheat sheet to understanding them. “That’s lit. That’s... Light?” She furrowed her brows.

Among the small crowd that sat around the fire, Lynx was difficult to miss. Despite Lux’s disposition against her competing kingdoms, she and the earth sprite got along rather well. She couldn’t explain the attraction, the same way a moth couldn’t explain why it always returned to the flame. It simply did.

“This bonfire is lit,” she announced proudly to no one in particular. From the corner of her eye, she watched for Lynx’s reaction. Then, a bowl floated to her lap, and she took a couple of berries. The fruit left a fresh red stain on her lips, which spread into a smile as she looked at the sprite beside her. “Do you want one? They’re sweet,” she warned. Gathering a small handful of berries, she allowed the bowl to float back to its place and held a berry to Lynx’ lips. “You look fire tonight, Lucy,” she said lowly. “I mean that in a good way.”

[concordia-rpg]

TRIGGER WARNING: death

It’s been nearly twelve hours since a passenger plane routed to the Bahamas from New York crashed — and only eight since a lost yacht chartered from a resort in Turks and Caicos met the same fate. 

The sky sprites, the only ones capable of lifting such large, heavy crafts, quickly floated the smoking vessels over towards the Wrecks, where they belong. The earth sprites ensured those who didn’t make it found a resting place in the Graveyard. 

Rather than leaving their new human guests to stir and spiral, the sprites have spent the day preparing for an age-old tradition — the welcome bonfire, a gathering of all in the Village, has long been Concordia’s way of greeting its shipwrecked, toasting its current state of peace, and celebrating the lives of those lost on the journey here. All kingdoms have contributed something to the night’s festivities — a large, stoked bonfire on the beach, open to anyone who wishes to speak or perform before it; Charlie’s bar fully stocked with libations of all sorts; fireworks and shooting stars lighting the night sky; oceans spurting water like dancing fountains, kept at the perfect temperature for a swim.

Take a dip in the ocean, introduce yourself with a few words (or perhaps a performance) in front of the fire, sample the world’s most curious intoxicants, watch the heavens dance, pay respects to the departed... or perhaps, take advantage of a rare night where all four Kingdoms are left unguarded. Those who dare explore the Kingdoms without an escort from them, don’t get caught; we’d hate to have to make an example out of you on the humans’ first night.

OUT OF CHARACTER — open starters, plotted interactions, and self paras are all welcome and encouraged for the duration of the event! New starters can be posted for the event until FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH. Please tag all event-related starters and self paras with #concordiaevent, and use #concordiastarter for any open starters!

[concordia-rpg]

To give characters welcomed on our next acceptance — Wednesday, November 25th — an opportunity to participate, the final call for starters for the welcome bonfire will be extended by one week, until Friday, November 27th. 

Players who would like to start new threads beyond the bonfire are now welcome to do so!

[caspianseas]

WELCOME BONFIRE | the beach | closed for @cloudwxlker​

His water sprites rarely spent time out in the waters by the Village, where the masses gathered and splashed; why would they, with a kingdom of private oases of their own? The welcome bonfire posed reason enough as the group of them spent the day readying the beach’s coastline for company, warming the waters and preparing a show of waves doing fountain-like dances. It was a water sprite beneath the surface who heard the splashing of a shark in the waves, the underwater echoes of a desperate human’s cries for help, and the laughter of an alleged sky sprite — Nimbus —followed by the meek intervention of another — Lux.

Most times, it was a move that would have earned the mischievous sprite his respect; playing with life was a sport of his as well, most knew. His oceans were certainly hungry for the bodies Nimbus dared to feed them, but Caspian had meant for his seas to swallow the weak, not the helpless. This batch of humans were particularly precious, each one integral in what the island would come to be; surely, Nimbus could pick on a sprite who’d live to tell the tale, rather than the few who didn’t have a life to spare. Until proven otherwise, each one had the potential to blossom into something greater. Had it been one of his sprites feeding the sharks a human snack, he’d have him banished to the Village for a week for the attempt — but Nimbus wasn’t his sprite. He was Lux’s, and as Caspian’s eyes followed Lux and her unmistakeable laugh throughout the night, his furrow sank each time she circled past a guilty Nimbus and did nothing.

With a harsh nod in his direction, Caspian motioned for the monarch to follow as they walked down the beach, gesturing for Lux to follow. Slow footsteps brought them to the spot their sprite had reported as the scene of the crime, until they stood in place, turning to face her, accusatory. “You know why I brought you here.” It wasn’t a question. “Don’t make me say what happened,” they hummed, voice low, threatening, but steady. He wouldn’t be the one to lose control tonight, he’d sworn to himself — but that was before Lux had showed up. Odds now remained stacked against him. “Why have you not made an example out of him?”

[cloudwxlker]

THE WELCOME BONFIRE ― clean-up crew (closed for @fieryblazes)

For someone who didn’t enjoy cleaning up her own messes, and in fact often went out of her way to avoid doing so, Lux found an odd pleasure in cleaning up after others. Whether she did so because she thought it helped her image or because she was subconsciously feeding her savior complex was a question even she couldn’t answer; albeit nonetheless, she had always been among the firsts to volunteer for a clean-up crew. The night of the welcome bonfire was no exception.

As the monarch strolled along the shore of the beach, she followed a small tornado that moved along the sand gathering disposed decorations and abandoned utensils. Once, or twice, she had simply driven the tornado into the water, much to Caspian’s dismay. In the name of peace, however, when she reached the end of the shore, she paused, and looked around for a new method of disposal. Instead, she found a familiar face a few feet away.

“If you’re here to help clean up, now would be a good time to start, if you don’t mind,” she said, nodding to the tornado of trash behind her. “I thought I knew everyone who was helping tonight, but I didn’t know you would be. Fire sprites don’t usually help with much of anything.”

[cloudwxlker]

THE WELCOME BONFIRE ― competitive edge (closed for @skyumbra​)

“Preparing for a welcome bonfire is my favorite part of a welcome bonfire,” Lux mused. “No ― cleaning up. No ― meeting the humans, of course.” She looked at Umbra as though she had been the one to make the mistake. “Isn’t it everyone’s?” Turning to the water, she waved her hand, and watched with a satisfied smile as a rainbow appeared over the horizon. “You and I make such a lovely team, sometimes, Umbra. It’s a shame you don’t work with me more often... Anymore.” But she wasn’t bitter about it. Don’t even bother asking. 

The monarch waved her hand in the wind, gathering clouds at each side of the rainbow for a magical display. “Well, I’m excited, at least. I’ve put Nimbus in charge of fireworks,” she said, proud to have proactively found a task to distract the chaotic sprite. “I think we need something bigger, though. Something to compete with the other kingdoms.” Then, she scoffed. “Why does it have to be a welcome bonfire? Why can’t it be a welcome meteor shower?” She had been suggesting similar changes for centuries, but to no avail. 

“I think we should put on a show together,” she suggested. “Like we did before. Do you remember?” The more she spoke about it, the more excited she became. “Maybe a star show? Stars always shine brighter than fire.”