[Open] Dancing of the Lights and Feet.

[Pahoran]

Pahoran
Rayunia

Son
Of The
Clan

Dancing of the
Lights and Feet.

Frost 25 120 Age of Steel

The season of Frost had come upon them and the time for transporting cargos was over but that didn’t mean it was time hibernate for the wagoners who moved goods between the jewel of the north and other northern cities. It was the night after the the lights had returned to the skies and The Vardo caravan company was hosting it annual celebration. Just beyond the city proper but with in the safety of the fields around the city the Rayunia clan had spent the day making their preparations.

From the outside it was hard to see the inside as the companies wagons had been set up in two circles creating a inner and a putter ring. Only one opening existed that allowed you to enter the circles. And it was decorated with light and banner made visitors feel welcome. Those who looked carefully would see that despite its welcoming arms there were those who still watched to keep all safe.

Once in the ring of wagons it was like stepping into a different world. Three large fire were spaced evenly around the circle bringing a comfort warmth to the area. The sides of the wagons were grabbed covered in beautiful homemade quilts that helped reflect heat in wards. Tables graced one side where food and drinks were already being served up.

The gathering was well set and very nice. For those who were used to the finest things in life it might find it quaint but the Avialae, Hytori and humans who made up the clan were proud and pleased with the work they had done and their lively hood. The food was good homecooked fares that any housewife would be proud to put before guests. The table and dishes were clean and ready to be used. Even the hosts where dressed in their best against the cold.

All of the clan had already gathered since they had been at it since dawn. No one could say why but the whole family had fallen in love with the northern lights when they came to the north a decade ago, and so this was they day they gathered and celebrated as a family, and the opened it to any who wished to join.

***************

Paharon had not been able to get out of his duties for the whole day at the Fortress, but had been there since the afternoon. He was dressed in nice but very common everyday clothing, and wrapped in his winter cloak. While now it was a bit chilly, the fires and the enclosed space did make it noticeable warmer then the world outside the wagon village. The ice blue eyed Avialae had grown up in these wagons, well one specifically, but had spent much of his youth in all of them as his cousins lived in the others. It was a way of life he had left since joining the guard, but his family had understood and so his presence was always welcomed when he had a chance to come back, and missing this night would have been in excusable.

He was currently near one of the food tables trying to snatch one of the hot rolls that his aunt was well known for. He saw his chances while his aunt’s attention was focused on tracking on of her brood. With deft hands he reached forward and grabbed a roll off the top. He instantly tossed it in the air towards him being surprised by the heat from the roll.

“Hot.” He said as he grabbed it again and then tossed it to his other hand that was know wrapped in a cloak. His aunt turned on him and scowled lovingly.

“Serves you right.” She said as she put down the bowl and then swatted at his with a towel, even as he danced away with the hot roll. Pah knew that she was secretly pleased, and that if hadn’t stolen one he would have hurt her feelings.

Blowing on the roll the young man moved farther back towards the entrance to see if anyone he knew would come, or just to meet anyone who decided it might be fun to come and enjoy the celebrations. Right now it was only gathering but soon the dancing, and music would start, and would go until the lights made there appearance.

So Pahoran sat eating the steaming roll leaning against on the wagons by the entrance his handsome features curious as he watched.

“Throw a champion into the ocean,
and he’ll swim.

Throw a champion into the pit,
and he’ll climb.

Throw him off a cliff,
and he’ll grow wings.

Throw him into a furnace,
and he’ll become gold.”

― Matshona Dhliwayo

[Talon]

Dancing of the Lights and Feet

25 Frost 120

"Are you sure?” Talon asked his companion for the tenth time. Aoren chuckled and brushed a bit of snow out of the young Novalys’ hair.

“I am sure. You have been buried under duties, reviewing paperwork from the Council, sitting in audience with your mother and step-mothers, visiting the vassal estates, for days. You need a break, Talon. This is the perfect event.” Aoren hefted the bag of goodies that he had over his shoulder and tossed Talon a smile. The pair were dressed comfortably though noticeably lacked any truly heavy cloaks. Avialae were unaffected, mostly, by the cold climates. It was one reason why the Northlands were so well suited for them. Talon was carrying a keg of wine and a haunch of cured ham with him as they approached a ring of wagons gathered beneath the Northern Lights.

“And we are not intruding?” Talon looked at the gathering a bit nervously. His wings tucked in closer drawing a chuckle from his companion.

“It is the family of the warrior we met in Ash. The one who helped us in the Warrens and against the Hungered. I asked around for him, apparently his family do this every year and it is open to all.” Talon nodded. This was something of a big step for him. Ever since the attack that had occured last season, there had not been many opportunities for him to visit the public. Between the attention he had to invest in his business, the duties of his station, and standing in place for his father during certain events, he had barely had a moment’s rest. He was glad to have been busy but it had also left him feeling a little out of touch with the daily lives of his people.

“Well, I suppose. It is good to get out of the palace and away from other matters.” He gave a half-hearted excuse to ease himself back into a place of comfort.

“Think of it this way, it was either this or listen to Garvis drone on about more estate reports over dinner.” Talon frowned. He did not know how many more of those meetings he could sit through for the day. There were only so many ways to tally reports on Sky Guard inventory, tax revenue and mining operations. Garvis, the minister appointed to serve as chief accountant, had a notoriously monotone voice and while the man was a respected and dutiful clerk he was about as exciting as stale porridge.

“You are right. This is much better.” Talon looked up and saw that ahead of them was a tall and broad shouldered young man. Backlit by the glow of firelight, he could make out the white feathered wings and he noted the ice blue eyes. Raising a hand, Talon hailed Pahoran. He recognized the young man and in truth, was glad to see him. Both he and his companion approached the warrior.

“Heard you and your family were throwing a party! We’re here to crash it!” Aoren gave Pahoran a smile. Talon shook his head.

“What he means to say, is that we heard that you and your family were hosting a celebration. May we join you?” Talon offered Pahoran the keg of wine and the cured ham with a smile.

"Memories made are memories shared."

[Rickter]

Frost 25th, 120th Year AoS

The cold was always somewhat of a funny thing for Rickter, because like many other normal humans he had a limit to tolerance, and yet being a half-born Rathari somehow made that tolerance just a bit better. Still, Frost as a season could get unreasonably cold, to a point where even a Rathari might want a layer of clothing or two. Therefore when word had been mentioned of a pavilion had spread throughout Kalzasi, Rickter knew it was only a matter of time before a certain someone would come to remark on that.

And right he was. Telion had expressed the fact that neither she, nor Hannah, had ever even seen the great Northern Lights. Not that they were hard to miss when you lived in Kalzasi, but to be among friends as they too celebrated the sights didn't sound like a bad call. Thus bearing in mind where this pavilion usually showed up, Rickter had suggested it to the pair, quickly garnering enthusiastic claims to go and watch in turn. Truth be told Rickter had already been hard at work with his Argent Hand trials, and to an extent, he could agree with the bard, when she had pointed out that he'd hardly taken time to relax and enjoy things.

He found it a reasonably good sign in retrospect and decided that for once letting loose might be a good idea after all. Thus with a bit of time taken to prepare for the evening, the wolf and his friends went out of their way to stop at the High Hopes, and buy a keg of ale from Rien before heading off in the direction towards the pavilion. Under the advisement of Rickter, Telion wore her fur armor and greaves to keep warm, while Hannah simply layered herself with leggings, a coat, and even a cloak all the color of white. Rickter himself wore a cotton-padded coat over a long-sleeve white shirt, along with a pair of leather boots to keep his feet warm during the hike.

The blonde bard had taken it upon herself to bring her ukulele, and the extra Rickter bought for her, as the wolf himself led the pair closer towards the place where the pavilion was located. From where they were he could easily see the gathered crowd within the setup, with three pillars of smoke rising into the air from within the circle the wagons and tents made around the area. From what he could tell just by looking at it, the ones in charge of throwing this little shindig clearly had it well planned, for the three bonfires were built within the centerfold to generate a bit of a heat source.

"I'm honestly quite surprised you agreed to this so easily." Hannah pointed out as Rickter adjusted his shoulder, the weight of the keg driving the tension in his arm a little too close to discomfort. Telion looked up to him with a sense of agreement in her eyes, still rather pleased by the fact Rickter seemed inclined to actually come.

"Well, both of you wanted to see the lights tonight." He almost felt like he'd defended himself when he reminded them of that, a bit of an introspective look in his gaze when he glanced at the blonde at his right. "Besides, any reason to eat and drink is as good of a reason for me."

"Of course! It's always food with you though." Telion teased him in turn as her eyes went forward, fallen on the group found at the entrance of the pavilion. "Well look who else is here!"

The wolf's eyes moved from his companions towards the front entrance, their blue hues fallen on the sight of three Avialae in their approach. He knew right away who two of the three were, yet it was the third in question that the wolf had no idea about. Still, seeing Talon and Aoren arriving shortly before them brought a smidge of a smile to his lips, a reaction that the ladies beside him noticed as they too grinned at their fellow arrivals.

"I'll be damned, if I'd known you two were gonna be here, I probably would've bought another keg." The wolf remarked gently between he lot of them, drawing close to Talon and Aoren as he wiped a thumb beneath his nostrils. Soft plumes of moisture trailed from his nostrils when he exhaled deeply, the keg on his shoulder then lowered so that it hugged between his ribs and forearm, as he quickly shared glances with the two men before sparing a partial one with the third in turn.

"It's not like you can drink the one by yourself Wolfman." Hannah teased lightly with her arms crossed, a smile shot to Aoren first before greeting Talon and the other Synnekar present. "A fine evening to you three."

"Good to see you indeed." Telion also greeted in turn, her eyes rising to the skies to admire the glowing lights above. She made sure to mind Rickter when he shifted his arm, so that she didn't bump into his arm when he lowered the keg down at his side.

"Hope we're not intruding, Telion and Hannah are seeing their first Northern Lights, as of tonight at least." Rickter added in as he looked from one lady to another, a sense of warmth and welcome being shared with his Bondmate companions as well, before his attention finally fell on the man awaiting to greet them. While the wolf seemingly appeared comfortable, it was still noticeable how quickly his line of sight detered, if and when Pahoran tried to look him in the eyes directly.

"Speech" "Thoughts"

"Every side attacks you, when you don't take sides."

---

Party Hub Rickter Telion Hannah

Combat Hub

No Combat is being engaged at this time.

[Pahoran]

Pahoran
Rayunia

Son
Of The
Clan

Pah was quietly eating his roll as he watched people walk into the clearing among the wagons. His ice blue eyes could see a few strangling members of his family entering. Specifically his younger brother and a cousin who stopped by him as they slipped in. The young man looked at them with a raised eyebrow. “The Moms want you.” He said nodding his head towards the other side of the tables where the two sisters were in the middle of directing final preparations.

“Can you pretend you didn’t see us.” His brother asked. Pah narrowed his eyes and half jokingly said,

“Neither of us are crazy.” He stood up and mushed his brothers hair. “It will be less painful now. Get over there.” The two boys grumbled but they made there way over towards where they had been directed. Pahoran watched them and then turned back to the entry way. It was then that he noticed two people who he recognized though not from this type of gathering.

Walking towards him was the silver winged Talon, son of the great house and his friend Aoren. The two of them were smiling and waving at him and Pah moved weaved quickly around a couple people and came over and joined them. His face was smiling in welcome as one joked about crashing the party while the other asked if they could join the celebration.

“I am glad you are both here.” Pahoran said and then accepted the proffered gifts. “Thank you.” He said as he took them. “More food and drink is always appreciated.” He paused and motioned to his oldest nephew. The youngish man was about to wave them over to the tables so that he they could meet some of the family and also it was the best place to but the offered gifts when the other two were greeted by another new arrival.

Pah ice blue took in this new crowd. It appeared to be three humans but one couldn’t always tell. Especially since they were bundled against the cold and despite the fire and the north lights which were still in their early stages for the evening it wasn’t that light.

Pah stood to the side as the man greeting the other Avialaes. The young man listened to the friendly banter that was being shared by the group. He didn’t feel all that left out as he had his own group of friends and frankly he was surrounded by his family that had there own banter and jokes. So he just enjoyed listening and watching.

Soon though they moved on to the making introductions. Pah smiled at the new people and said. “Pahoran Rayunia one of the sons of this crazy family that holds parties on cold nights.” While he wasn’t bothered others were dressed for the season. He offered greetings to each and noticed that the young man with the beard and long hair wouldn’t meet his eye. The warrior in him found that odd but he didn’t make any issue of that. “Well let’s drop these off at the serving area.”

He waited a moment and then led them towards the tables where the other confections and tempting smells were tantalizing others. Once they got there they were meet by a older human lady. Next to Pahoran she seemed small but to the humans at five feet and eight inches she was short for a human woman. Though much of it was white it wasn’t hard to tell she had been a blond and the blue eyes that crinkled in a smile just lacked ice color that Pahoran’s had.”

“Pah introduce me to your friends.” The older woman said in a clear voice.

“This is Sarino Rayunia, matriarch and undisputed tyrant of our clan.” The young man said giving his grandmother a kiss on the head. She laughed and then kissed his cheek. Then he made the introductions starting with Talon and Aoren then to Rickter, Hannah and Teilon. She greeted each in turn giving each of them an individual greeting.

“Thank you for the food and drink. Please go and enjoy yourself, us old bodies have everything else under control. I believe some dancing will start up soon.” She said and waved them away with the kindly authority only Matriarchs hold.

Pah lead the group a little ways off before turning around, “so what would you like to do. Food is of course an option. Dancing, or enjoying conversation by one of the fires.”

“Throw a champion into the ocean,
and he’ll swim.

Throw a champion into the pit,
and he’ll climb.

Throw him off a cliff,
and he’ll grow wings.

Throw him into a furnace,
and he’ll become gold.”

― Matshona Dhliwayo

[Talon]

Dancing of the Lights and Feet

25 Frost 120 Steel

Pahoran’s friendliness was a welcome thing. Talon smiled brightly at the young soldier. It was easy to see that the people around were related to him and for a moment, the eldest son of House Novalys felt a pang of both grief and jealousy. Children were running excitedly. Mothers, sisters, aunts and others were gathered around the cooking fires. The men were laughing or watching over the little ones. Many of the males were Avialae, some of boys darting up into the air to play with their relatives or marvel at the Northern Lights with an excitement only children could express.

It reminded Talon of everything his family had lost. The death of nearly his whole household at the hand of his insane great uncle, the deposed former ruler of Kalzasi. How many joyful celebrations had they partook in just like this? How many had been lost because of that man’s insanity? It did not always happen but there were days when the stark emptiness of the Palace of the First Wind struck Talon for what it was. There had been a time when it had been filled with Novalys family members. How many suites in the palace were empty? How many portraits hung in the royal gallery paying homage to the now departed members of his family?

He felt a squeeze on his shoulder as Aoren reached across their bond. He felt his bondmate push at the edges of his brief flare and Talon was thankful. He dismissed those thoughts and committed himself to enjoying the celebration. As Sarino Rayunia was introduced, Talon smiled and gave the woman a respectful bow.

“You honor me, Mother Sarino. I am Talon, son of Savien, Firstborn of House Novalys.” He gave only the name of his family but there were few in Kalzasi who did not know the name of the sovereign. He would make no more fuss about it for he hoped to be able to enjoy the night with good people around a good celebration. Throwing an arm around his shoulders and offering a more exaggerated bow, Aoren grinned brightly at the elder woman.

“Aoren, Good Mother. Son of None. This one here suffers my presence well enough.” Aoren ruffled Talon’s hair prompting the young Novalys to shove him with a laugh. Talon turned back to the Matriarch and smiled.

“Thank you, ma’am.” With that, he dragged his bondmate away from the elder woman before he could embarrass himself. As they walked a little bit away from the elders and Pahoran posed his question, Talon did not hesitate in his answers.

“Food sounds wonderful. It smells delicious.”

"Memories shared are memories made."

[Finn]

Aw, sad this didn't continue. Pahoran's clan seems really cool. Hope I get to see more of it.

Experience: 8 XP, none magical.

Lore: n/a

Injuries: n/a

Loot: n/a

Note: Pahoran hit 1,728 words, Talon at 1,181, and Rickter at 1,017. I think technically only Pahoran is supposed to get full xp, but the writeup is a little unclear and Chronicle says the rules mean nothing. CHAOS. So enjoy full xp. Sorry, just trying to do the job correctly.

As you were!