Diplomat

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Set for October 31st! Lasts all day and night until dawn of the 1st! Feel free to have other threads in Avon Kingdom set around these days this is mostly a welcome thread

Fiadh had sent out Sparrow and Spider to their allies with invitations to this year's Samhain, Spider going north to Dawnbreak and Skjoldrheim, Sparrow going west to Northfall and Seiiki. Spreading the word of the end of the year party with a howl at their borders, and then howls of invitation whenever they came across a semi-fresh wolf trail.

Did she fully understand what Samhain was? No! But she's got the idea, and she remembers enough from Fable's explanations of pack events when they first joined, along with guidance from Kaphiri who actually knew what they were doing for this kind of thing.

Berries and fruits have been prepared, altars made for Morrigan and others, multiple bucks taken down in preparation for the feasts with the assumption that Avon will be hosting multitudes. They were as prepared as they could ever be, and once the sun started going down Fiadh climbed the rock in the heart of Avon, threw her head back, and howled a summons.

Once enough critters piled in, Fiadh began to speak. Tonight we bring the year to a close! It's been a hard one, and everyone across Mythris has suffered loss after loss, but tonight the spirits walk among us, with us, and we celebrate! The Regent spoke, her voice carrying out to whatever crowd had gathered with her summoning howl. We celebrate our survival, we celebrate the love of the ones who've been taken from us, and we celebrate the dawning of another, better year!

Let the party begin!

Now go on and get! Drink and eat your ass off!! Tussle! But please don't kill anyone, I'd hate to deal with that today Fiadh's voice was full of mirth before she jumped down from the big ol' rock.

Kaphiri worked dutifully in preparation and whether to honor their far-away matriarch or because they saw him getting ready, the regents seemed to understand what time of year it was. They sent out messengers to spread the word, and he doubled his efforts in readying for the festivities. He wished Epona could've been here to guide him through his first Samhain, but he hoped she'd be proud of what he accomplished if she were here, of the Cleric he had become under her keen guidance.

He couldn't have managed without his dearest wife; they gathered dandelions, he'd let several different kinds of fruits ferment with honey they'd managed to gather from an abandoned hive, he had painstakingly blessed every inch of this land in the last month and rose altars -- both blank slates for those who wished to honor their own dead, and some for The Morrigan.
He had even bribed a racoon into braiding a circlet of flowers and vines for Amrei to don tonight. It would wilt and die and fall apart before long, but for at least one glorious night, she could feel like a queen wrapped in a coat from her husband with a crown upon her brow. He'd sling whatever pelt she didn't choose over his own shoulders, and he'd decorated his own pelt in an assortment of feathers he'd found for the occasion.

After Fiadh's speech with the setting sun and before everyone began to disperse, Kaphiri lifted his voice hastily to the gathered crowd:

There are empty shrines in which you may, should you choose, decorate with things your lost loved ones enjoyed in life; for we believe they might take a piece of what they left behind back with them tonight while the veil is thin.

He wondered if the Goldencourtes could see them, wherever they'd been taken to. They weren't dead, but he'd scatter dandelions in their honor tonight too.

When Sparrow had come knocking about a festival over in Avon, Raisa thought that was exactly what the members of Seiiki needed. They were small, but growing, and frankly there was no harm in everyone (or nearly) being gone a few days. They'd heavy marked the borders before leaving and considering the relative quiet ichorwood had always been lucky to be graced with, the Monarch just wasn't worried about someone coming in and stealing the territory or anything. Worst case scenario, what, someone stole some silly trinket she'd been unable to unload so far? Hunted on their land? Fuck it. They deserved nice things, a nice time.

She was sad to hear that things had changed and the leaders she once knew were no longer here, but the hope for Fable's return thrived on in Raisa as much as her peoples. Avon was the first ally to Seiiki, a place Akuji himself had suggested her to befriend, Raisa's first attempts at reaching out and trying to help her kindom thrive. She didn't particularly know what fae and all the fancy things Avon stood for were --spirits, as she understood it?-- but the striped woman was nothing if not a loyal ally who came when she was called; in searching for missing members, in kinship and tourney, in song and dance; hell, she'd gotten here early enough to help hunt with some small red guy with gnarly scars. The priest, she noted as she saw him stand and mention something about honoring the dead tonight.
Speaking of allies, she made a note to stop by Northfall soon, if not perhaps even split off from the group tomorrow as they started off home to go the long way about.

Speeches done, Raisa was happy to pronounce the start of the festivities with a howl before splitting off to socialize. She'd be getting drunk tonight, thank you very much, and setting up a little shrine of goodies for those she'd lost sounded.... nice. She'd probably cry doing it, but remembering them was always bittersweet.

torgar eivorsson had absolutely no idea how to enjoy a party. anytime past, he would have had his brother. now he did not even see his darkfurred companion among these strangers. he knew he should not sulk, and hid any indication of this with a sporting grin. there were places of worship, piles of fruit, and antlered venison in abundance.
mouth watering, torgar made a beeline for the food. it was quite bracing, actually, to know his belly would be fed. and it had the added effect of making the boy more intrigued by what was going on around him. speeches from wolves whose names he did not know, but the general tone was delightful, warm, filled with anticipation, and more than once he howled his approval or hooted with laughter.
once he was sure it was time to mingle, torgar decided to do just that. he stopped by the nearest altar first. no one he knew was dead -- well. so he hoped, and it felt like adding anything would only ensure that.
and so torgar wandered again, filling his belly with another helping of -- everything, and finally settled a little closer to one of the strangers. he would offer a brilliant smile if they looked his way, otherwise the boy was now watching the others surreptitiously, attempting to learn.

The end of the season of harvest had come. The time of those who walked the endless snows had come.

Journey moved with quick steps into the lowlands, far beyond the heights of Northfall's icy peaks. To a pack which belonged to a woman who once called herself Northfallan, no less.

A better year. The words Fiadh had spoken rang true for Journey, for Northfall, for all of Mythris no doubt.

Coming with a fat marmot clutched in her jaws, she settled it along the side of one of the hunted bucks. Hello everyone! She called out to the growing crowd, to no one in particular.

Then she would sniff at the food here and the fruits settled near. Her mouth watered. It was quite the travel here and so, didnt mind to stop and allow herself for a much needed (spiked) drink.