The Festival of Seasons. This festival occurs once a year on the last day of summer. It is devoted to the passage of time and its god, Tanroa, as well as the gods of the seasons that time brings with it: Tavasi, Sivah, Bala, and Morwen. The main event of the Festival is a dance that is preformed for every Spirian that wishes to see it. The Dance: A crowd gathers in the amphitheater. Roarg the Jamouran, keeper of the Shrine of Tanroa and master of ceremonies, dressed in a colorful, eye catching costume, steps into the center of the amphitheater where a large drum is set. He speaks, his voice loud and full, carrying so that even the back of the audience can hear him clearly, saying "My friends... We gather here to celebrate these seasons four, the passage of time, life and death, and all things that control this world in which we live. In a few moments, we will begin a dance and offer tribute to Tanroa, the godess of all time that has been, that is now, and that will be. Sivah, god of Summer. Bala, godess of Autumn. Morwen, godess of Winter. Tavasi, god of Spring... Hear the drumbeats not only with your ears, but with your hearts and minds as well. Feel it move through your bodies and celebrate that as long as the gods still live... the passage of time and the wheel of seasons will continue to turn." He moves to the drum and begins to beat it. Mixed in with the booming sound, one can hear the jingling of tin bells as four dancers, humans, Kelvics in human form, and sometimes Dhani in human form, dance into the center of the amphitheater, stomping their bell-clad feet with the beat of the drum. One is dressed in the lush, vibrant green and pink of spring and dances like the rustling of leaves on the branches, the bending of trees in the wind, and the waving of grass on a plain. One is dressed in the bright, hot yellows and gold of summer, and dances with the intensity of the shining sun and the wild throes of a raging fire. One is dressed in the cool, dull oranges and reds of autumn, and dances like the fluttering of falling leaves and the powerful gusts of the fall winds. The final dancer is dressed in the cold blue and white of winter, and dances like gently falling snow, moving into violent blizzards, and finally melting to make way for spring once again. The dancers make their way around the giant circle that is the amphitheater twice in a passionate dance, each individual dancer moving in the style of the season they represent, but all four together creating a harmonic and entrancing display. The beat of the drum grows increasingly hypnotic, as some of the crowd begins to sway and move with the dancers' wild, feral ballet. After the second circulations the four dancers begin to hop on one foot and the drum beats louder. Everyone - the four dancers, the entire audience, and even Roarg - let out a long, loud yell of joy and power, one that could be heard throughout the entire city, as more dancers rush in, they too dressed in the colors of the seasons. Now the dancers, all lined up in a giant circle around the drum, begin the dance again, faster, louder, with more ferocity than ever before. They make another two circulations around the amphitheater until three of the loudest beats in the drum signify that they all stop. Silence, sudden and absolute, falls over the entire amphitheater. Everyone stands still and holds their breath in anticipation of what comes next. The drum beats twice more in quick succession and every last dancer drops to one knee. In the somber silence that follows, Roarg begins to speak again, this time speaking for all who have passed on to the next life. "...My hours grow short and I realize what it means. As death draws ever closer, I know that I am not afraid and I shall welcome him as a dear close friend. Time has been good to me and I realize that every bell I have experienced, every season I have lived, and every friend - nay, every brother - that I have made have been blessings. Know that, even when I am gone, I shall still live on in here." He places a hand over his heart. "Be thankful, my friends for what time you are given on this world. It is well... my brothers carry on." The dancers all rise in unison , take off their bells, and form two lines behind the Roarg, who leads them out of the amphitheater in the silence of the night. ———————————————————— After the dance, the crowd exits the amphitheater, following the dancers and Roarg. Lovers of the seasons split of to follow the dancers to the Shrine of the Four. Followers of time follow Roarg to the Shrine of Tanroa. At each of the shrines, everyone in attendance prays and meditates as a blanket of silence spreads over the entirety of the city. Citizens are allowed to stay as long or as briefly as they want, but for Roarg, the shrine is always his last stop. Citizens return to the amphitheater where a festival has been set up. Now begins the fun part of the night. Stands set up all around give out foods, drinks, toys, and trinkets devoted to Tanroa, Tavasi, Sivah, Bala, or Morwen. In some places, games and sports are played between citizens. A few dancers are gathered around a small area that has been devoted to dancing. Citizens can dance with each other or with the dancers. If a dancer asks a citizen to dance with them, they are hard pressed to say yes, for if any citizen refuses to dance with them, they owe the dancer one favor, and there are no restrictions on what that favor might be. At nightfall, the stands are closed and the workers join the dancing. People may come and go from the festival as they wish and the rest of the festival lasts for the rest of the night. There is one condition for leaving and entering the festival; every time someone leaves or enters, they must say a prayer to each of the five gods the festival is meant for. At the very end of the festival, all noise goes silent, and anyone who is left, which is usually more than three quarters of the people that arrived to see the dance, drop to one knee at the sound of a wooden flute somewhere in the darkness. The flute plays an eerie, sobering tune that instantly sends everyone who hears it into a meditative state of mind, whether they expected it or not. As the last note of the flute dies down, everyone stands and, leave to go wherever they call home in complete silence; a mark of deep thought and respect to the gods and what they have given. |
Shrine to Tanroa  A view of the top of the shrine In the Petal of the Endless Epoch lies the Shrine to Tanroa, a place of utmost reverence and absolute silence. A place where time itself seems to stand still. It is fairly secluded, almost cut off, from the rest of the spires. It is a sort of pyramid of five small plateaus, each layer getting smaller as they stack on top of one another, until they reach the top. At the topmost level, there appears to be nothing more than a circle of logs meant for one to sit down on surrounding a fire pit. The fire pit is by no means very small or very big and is fairly nondescript. What is so special about the fire pit, is the fire inside it. Dubbed the Fire of Time, it is an everlasting flame that is constantly kindled by the silent, serious Jamoura, Roarg or - should Roarg deem it necessarry - by the Zith, Shred. Each level of the pyramid contains more logs and fire pits, although these pits are only lit by those who visit them and put out later. Only the Fire of Time never ceases to emit its warmth and light. The shrine has been there for as long as anyone can remember. Some even say that the Spires were built around the shrine. Others say that it existed before the Valterran. Others, that it exists because of the Valterran, and still others believe that it was the first thing ever created when the river of time began to flow. However true or untrue these may be, the real truth is known only to Roarg, who will pass on the secret to the next keeper when his time has come to pass. Any noise beyond the crackling of fire and the slow, soft, careful footsteps of people coming in and out. Talking is strictly forbidden and, although it has not happened very often, Shred, with his keen ears and silent wings, will swoop down instantly on anyone talking and escort them from the shrine. People go to the shrine to sit, think, meditate, and pray, not to make conversation amongst themselves. There is only one reason that someone would be allowed to talk; and that would be talking with Roarg about Tanroa, the shrine, or even the river of time itself. Even then, they would speak with barely a whisper. The Djed Storm of 512AV had surprisingly little effect on the shrine. Perhaps this is because there was very little to destroy, or perhaps the shrine was under the protection of Tanroa. Some logs were thrown around, but they were easily replaced. But even in a place as timeless as the Shrine to Tanroa, something changed. In the fog, he Fire of Time was extinguished, but as soon as it was lit again, Roarg noticed a change. Now as long as it is burning, the fire changes colors with the wheel of seasons. Green for Spring, Yellow for Summer, Orange for Autumn, and White for Winter. Note: Any fire that made that is not the Fire of Time must be kept small and in control. We don't want to burn down The Spires now, do we?  Roarg
 Name: Roarg Race: Jamouran Age: 500 DoB: 90th of Summer, 12AV PoB: The Spires Skills: 73 Meditation, 66 Teaching, 60 Mathematics, 53 Linguistics, 44 Philosophy History: Roarg was born into the chaos of the years after the Valterran. The moment he was able to work, he set about helping To continue to rebuild and improve the spires that was his home. One day, he found a place seemingly untouched by the Valterran; a large pyramid. He climbed to the top and found something that would alter the course of his life forever; a fireplace. Unsure of what he was doing, he lit a fire and sat there, staring into the flame. Eventually, sleep overtook him, and he had a dream. In the dream, he was still in the shrine, staring at the fire, but there was someone with him. Tanroa, godess of time, stood on the other side of the flame. She said quite simply to Roarg "This fire you have ignited, keep it lit. Fir as long as you serve me, let it serve as a beacon that time will always flow. Even when destruction seems to overtake it and all hope is gone, time will carry on." His daily routine after that incident consisted of bells of prayer, asking hundreds of people questions about gods and history, and deep, almost obsessive thought about how time and its mistress worked. At the age of fifty, he took keeper of the shrine as his official title and job and has been the keeper ever since. His life after becoming the keeper was always simple, as simple as the understandings of past, present, and future. He has spent all of the rest of his life tending to the shrine and the Fire of Time. During the Djed Storm of 512AV, Roarg was forced to retreat to the basecamp. However, he spent every day at the edge of the fog, facing the shrine and praying to Tanroa that the fire may not go out and that the present that he lived in, with fog and fear, may give way to a future of stability but knowing that history and time had a way of moving in a circle, instead of the river they are supposed to be. Shred
Name: Shred Race: Zith Age: 31 DoB: 14th of Winter, 481AV PoB: The Spires Skills: 59 Stealth, 55 Hunting, 52 Detection, 44 Intimidation, 33 Unarmed Combat History: Shred was like any Zith; a lover of the thrill of the hunt, of the fear of the prey, and of the taste of blood. But he always had a curiosity that would sometimes exceed his desire to feed. At the age of thirty, he wandered into the Shrine of Tanroa where he met Roarg. After a brief scuffle, which ended in Shred being pinned by a powerful hand. Several of the Zith's ribs and bones in his wings had been broken and his leg had been shattered. Shred knew he was about to die. Ti his surprise, however; Roarg nursed him back to health, tending to him as he did the fire, with utmost care. This confused Shred. He wondered why the same being who had hurt him had taken the time to heal him. It took three full seasons for Shred to heal fully, and even now, he walks with a limp and is forced to put most of his weight on his left leg when he takes off and lands. He also can no longer fly as fast, as long, or as high as other Zith. Understanding that his weakness, however slight, would result in his death if he went back to the colony, he opted to stay with Roarg at least until he can fly like a normal Zith once again. Training
Silence is a must in the shrine, visitors are aloud to speak in quiet voices as long as they are speaking with Roarg. As serious and intimidating as Roarg may seem, he is more than willing to teach someone what he knows about his skills or his godess. Shred, however; is more difficult to convince. While he will train those who ask, they must catch him while he is outside of the shrine... and they must be able and willing to pay the right price (things as simple as a slab of meat, to favors, and even to slavery for a short period of time). Be warned; while Roarg teaches through spoken word while inside the shrine, Shred teaches by example, away from the shrine where he cannot be heard by the people within. If you do not learn quickly enough for the Zith's liking, you may be left behind. No refunds. Training Philosophy Linguistics Meditation Hunting Stealth |
