[EVENT] Harvest Festival

Every year, farmers across the world have cause to be joyous. Fall is coming to a close, and the harsh days of winter will soon begin. The final crops of the year are harvested. Whether the yield is good or bad, at least there's a brief period of time where--for at least a few days--there is no need for back-breaking work. This is traditionally a time of celebration and merriment, where fun can be had in place of labor.

Even across the continent of Hyrule, traditions vary widely. In Lon Lon, small and mysterious presents are handed out to strangers--little boxes wrapped in gold paper, and adorned with violet ribbons. In Mido, one can expect every fireplace to aerate the delicious smell of roast Cucco. Even in the battle-torn, savage world of Southern Hyrule, people find ways to honor the season. Darknuts are known to hold friendly tournaments of battle, while Gerudo and Southern Hylians take to slightly less violent sports. Even Stalfos and Poes, who of course never need to farm, often still celebrate--traditionally by gathering around fires to tell stories of past lives and future dreams. Perhaps only the coldest and most jaded of hearts would refuse to partake in the holiday, in at least some small way.

~ ~ ~

Until the end of the year, you may post once in this thread. In doing so, claim one of the following gifts for one of your characters:

• A pair of Harvest Rings and a Ghastly Doll, trinkets traditionally given as gifts in Hylian towns.
• An Ember Seed Supply, often used to start the story-telling fire of undead gatherings.
• A Breath Seed Supply, a gift symbolizing the alliance of Zora with the land-dwelling Hylian and Goron races.
• A Backshift Cape, garment favored by battling Darknuts.
• The Rejuvenation spell, often used by Hylians and Gerudo to mend minor injuries after sporting events.
• The Sobriety spell, which is almost always useful the morning after celebration.
• A mere 10 rupees, for those cold of heart.

An in-character response is encouraged, but not required.

The wind was chill outside as the merriment started in the tavern rooms below the inn room where Nicholas sat. He was sitting at a crudely built desk with a candle illuminating the parchment set in front of him. He had stopped by in this out of the way village in his travels, not even quite sure where he was in Hyrule. He dabbed the bent quill he had borrowed from the innkeeper into the ink pot and began to write.

Dear Mother & Father;

I hope things are going well at the farm, I know it has been a while since I came for a visit. I have been travelling far across the lands of Hyrule, which has kept me busy___

Yes, I got lost. I know, I know. I will get home as soon as I can, I promise.

I am not sure how much the Guard would have told you, but I was discharged following the Impa incident. By the time I decided to come home though, that freak storm hit and the snow made me get lost. While lost, I have been seeing some amazing sights though, and even meeting a lot of interesting people.

I even managed to assist an old friend of mine, you might not know him though, Rika is his name. We helped a Kokiri village and protected the forest where they lived. The view of the moon on that night was breathtaking, I wish I could of showed you. Since then, I have still traveled and will hopefully be home before too much longer.

I miss you both dearly, and all our friends on the farms. Hopefully you are all enjoying your celebrations, though I fear my letter will arrive after they have concluded. Either way, I wish you the best, and hope the harvest was bountiful this year.

Nicholas

As he signed the letter and folded it up, he sat back in his chair and sighed. It had been too long since he was home, and while he enjoyed his adventures, he was started to miss his parents and the warmth of his home. After a momentary rest, he finished folding and sealing the letter before going downstairs. The party downstairs was still going on, with food and drink spilling everywhere as gifts were exchanged and people sang songs of the harvest and told stories of age-old tales.

"Finished up?" the owner of both the tavern and inn asked the weary warrior.
"Yes. Many thanks, neighbor," he responded with a nod.
"No problem. My Rito friend shall have it on wing by midday tomorrow. Once I sober him up, that is."

The man chuckled, and Nicholas smiled and thanked him once more. With his letter delivered, he wandered back past the celebrations and up the stairs to his rented room. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to the desk to snuff out the candle and sleep early, but he paused as he found an odd package where he had just penned his letter. The purple wrapping was crude, and the package was no bigger than his fist. Curiosity took over at that point, as he sat down and began to tear away the paper.

A pouch now laid before him, a dull brown cloth with blue-dyed strings keeping it shut. Little purple beads dangled on each end of the string, and he pulled open the back to peer inside. A myriad of fluffy blue seeds were held within, along with a folded piece of parchment which he promptly read.

"If you eat one in air, you will breath that air for an hour's time. I pray they help you well in your journeys. Happy Harvest Festival."

Nicholas glanced around to see if anyone still remained, but no one was in the room with him and he hadn't seen anyone climb the stairwell between leaving and returning from delivering his letter. He didn't even know how anyone would have found him to given the gift, but he was still appreciative of such a thing.

A Harvest Festival gift was just the pick-me-up the home sick warrior needed at this time of year.

(Nicholas will receive the Breath Seed Supply from a mysterious gifter.)

A chill wind blew as Geti waited for his Pumpkin Soup. This was Geti's favorite time of the year, because not only was the weather more tolerable, but there were always vendors everywhere, offering all kinds of delicious harvest goods. Among those was Pumpkin Soup.
As Geti bought his soup, the man stopped him. "You look a little chilly, friend," he said, "Here, have this cape so you atleast have something to keep you warm." "Nono," Geti declined, "Geti likes cold, thank you." "I insist. Think of it as a gift." Geti eventually accepted, taking the cape and tying it like a bandana around his head. "Ha! Is perfect fit!" "I suppose that's... One way to wear it. Safe travels, friend."

Geti will receive the Backshift Cape.

Eri hadn't realised she was hungry until she smelt the freshly roasted, large cucco that lay on the enormous table before her. It was a strange sensation- she hadn't been hungry for as long as she could remember. It was probably something to do with that silly girl and her silly game she'd played the other day. For now though, she was really, really hungry! She darted over to the table, where she saw some other kids playing. One of them looked up as he heard her footsteps, gasped in shock, and for a moment, Eri thought they'd run away screaming, but then he smiled. "Wow!" he said, "Cool costume!" He tugged on her leaf-hair. "It's so real! What's your name?"

"Eri!" she said, happy to have found playmates who weren't scared of her. She played with them all day and ate with their families all night, even being given some presents they had leftover. When she left that night, she took the time to climb into a tree and hold her new doll up to her face, returning its diabolical grin.

Yes, tonight had been a good night.

(Eri gets a pair of Harvest Rings and a Ghastly Doll)

Tessa drew her sword.

Well, not her sword. Her sword was sharper, and more dangerous. But she couldn't use that one for this! That would straight up kill someone, which was sort of the opposite of the point right now. So she had a nice, blunt training sword, as did her opponent. That's how these things worked, you see.

The contest she was participating wasn't strictly legal, or approved, but such distinctions had long gone out the window in Southern Hyrule. Still, this was under the table, and mostly restricted to members of the militia or what passed for the remains of Kakariko's town guard. Rumors abounded surrounding its origins, but the most accepted version was that it stemmed from Darknut holiday traditions which had bled over into Southern Hylian culture since the invasion. Tessa had been participating for years, even before she had come of age, and as one of the few to have been in combat within her age group, she had possessed a notable edge during that time.

Nowadays, things were slightly more even. Slightly. She was an adventurer; these were militia. Tessa had still made it to the finals, and expected to bring home the prize. She had earned multiple prizes here over the years: her earrings, kidney belt, and other pieces no longer in her possession all had their origins as grand prizes.

She and her opponent gave a mirrored salute, then stepped toward each other. The opening blows were tentative, and clearly not serious: both combatants wanted to develop a sense for the other before committing fully. Tessa's opponent had a longer reach- both in arm and sword length- but his musculature would limit his flexibility, and perhaps his speed. No, scratch that last one. He was fast. Faster than he should be. A treasure at play? Or was he just that quick? Treasures weren't strictly forbidden here. Few things were.

Play it safe, assume it's natural. He's fast, and he has reach. He's stronger. But his movements...routine. Rote. He's a skilled swordsman, but not a warrior. Never been in battle before? Hard to tell. Well trained, but not blooded, she suspected. Break through his comfort zone, then. Don't let up.

Tessa hopped back, and her opponent's swing went wide. Even as he recovered his balance, she leaped back in, hover boots on and shield forward. She skated forth on a cushion of air and rammed his chest, stopping instantly. His stance was good; neither of them fell following the impact. But now she was inside his reach, and there, she had the advantage in spite of his strength.

One arm slapped away his sword hand, and the other smacked him across the jaw...while clenching the hilt of a sword. The motion was awkward and heavy, but she needed heavy. He staggered back, and she nailed his knee with her boot. He doubled over, and her knee met his jaw. From there it was just a matter of...helping...him backward and out of bounds.

"Winner by ring-out, Tessa Smith!"

(Tessa gets a Breath Seed Supply.)

The night air of Hyrule Field blew like icy claws, raking across the moonlit hills. It assaulted the lone raven-haired maiden with a sort of ravenous persistence that bordered on malice. The woman’s bedroll was drawn about her in a makeshift windbreaker, protecting her back from the windsheer, while a modest fire radiated smoldering kisses of warmth to her front. Despite the extremes in temperature, she was at peace for the first time in many seasons. For no fell wind could smother the roaring happiness in her heart, and no mortal flame could burn half as hot. They had done it, they were free. On the run, yes. Pursued doggedly, yes. Yet, there had never been as many roads open to her before, the only provision was the inability to turn back, which was hardly a loss at all. She’d sooner die than go back to her old life as a Llangollen noble, though cattle was the better term for it, and probably would if she tried. For as long as she had to pursue her dream, the only way was forward. It was already within reach, yet so very far.

Anne steadied her breathing, not wanting her thoughts to sweep her away in the wind’s stead, and clutched a small item closer to her breast. It’d taken many restless nights, and the red cloth was stained with as much blood from pinpricks as berry juice, but the little present was finally complete, and not a night too soon. Before she could sneak another glance down at the gift, a rustling of boots announced the return of her companion. “Honey, I’m home,” rang the sarcastic, but nonetheless sweet, voice of Lister Maupin. Slung about each slender shoulder, a pair of freshly snared pheasants dangled lifelessly. Anne cooed in delight, and got to work right away with cleaning and dressing their dinner, but not before quietly slipping her Harvest Festival gift back into her pack. The Devil woman eagerly watched Anne ready the pot, and regaled the Heiress with the tale of how she came about the prey, how she stalked them, snared them, and had to fend off a horde of stalchildren before being able to properly claim the bounty. “I’d wager it was but a half-horde, but I’m none the less grateful,” Anne chided, stirring stew and suffusing broth with seasoning.

“I’m hungry enough for a whole horde, at any rate,” Lister chuckled, gazing up at the stars. She smiled, then looked back to her cooking companion, and a wistful expression passed across her face like a wave. “Nothing like coming back from a hard day of running for our lives to a home cooked meal, shame our country cottage is a pair of bedrolls and a single blanket,” She mused, reaching out to grasp the bowl containing her portion of stew. “It’ll do for now, but worry not. The irony of fleeing from a noblewoman's life, only to take up all the traditional duties when we camp, has not been lost on me,” Anne said, taking a seat next to Lister with an identical bowl. An armored arm wrapped the heavy blanket about them both, and their meal passed with no more words spent between them. The Llangollen was as an excellent cook, even if she was overfond of ginger in her dishes. The winds finally subsided as spoons clinked dully against empty bowls, and the pheasant remains smoldered in the fire, Lister smiled wide and pat her full stomach lazily. Sleep was already biting at the corners of her eyes when Anne suddenly broke the silence.

“Speaking of traditional skills, I put another one to good use,” she muttered, unable to meet the Devil’s gaze. She bashfully took the gift out of her pack, and presented it. It was a doll, one fashioned from sackcloth and worn thread, but undoubtedly well made. It was fashioned in Lister’s likeness, with green buttons for eyes, and yellow yarn for hair. The clothes were all fashioned from a soft think sort of fabric, and expertly hand stitched. Lister blinked twice, then gingerly took the doll. Beyond the craftsmanship, she could sense the familiar itch of magic emanating from the little doppelganger. Someway, somehow, Anne had managed to sew a little of her curse, her life, into the effigy. There was a little bit of the Heiress residing within the sackcloth, as if her will had seeped into it with every careful stitch. Lister resolved to study it further at a later time, and placed it within her own backpack. “I...I know it’s a little childish, but it was all I could make, sorry.” Anne murmured, hands pressed together nervously, her face pale, and not from the cold.

“I’m afraid I simply can't forgive you,” Lister said melodramatically, pressing something into Anne’s hand smoothly, “So you’ll have to take this to make up for it.” Anne looked down, and studied the pair of rings resting in her palm. One was orange, the other black, both looked rather roughly fashioned from petrified wood. “I’m not as craft-wise as you,” Lister muttered, looking away. “I made them from an old tree I found hunting for firewood, and they’ve got a small enchantment, the only one I could remember without my journals,” the Devil elaborated, her sanguine voice slowly becoming more and more melancholic, “It’s nothing special, just summons pumpkins. They don’t even taste good, sorry about that. I thought you might not want rings, but it’s traditional, and I did not know how to make a doll, I hardly know how to carve! and…” she was cut off from her ramblings by a surprisingly strong hug from Anne. Lister opened her mouth to speak again, but knew better. Anne broke the embrace, and fastened her gift about either middle finger, admiring the fact the fit was only a little big. She’d get a chain for them, first chance, and keep them about neck. The fire dimmed, the night grew long, and the duo took their leave to sleep at either side of the fire, and passed into the new year with sated stomachs and full spirits.

(Anne get's the Harvest Rings! Lister get's the Ghastly Doll! Or Lister gets both if I can't actually split it up)