Everything Shuuda! OOC and IC

[Colombina]

Shuuda: Shaded Days Put your hands in the air for Dira! Shuuda is the twenty day holiday annually held somewhere in the first third of winter. It is considered by many citizens to be a favorite time of year. It is open to all races and celebrations are widespread. For a brief time, the city's rigid hierarchical system is not so stringent and Ahnatep's ambitious populace dare to consider the value of one another. However, the season is not a kind of magic. The hauteur of Ahnatep cannot be buried in a single moon, but it can be slightly hidden in shadow. How To Participate! Over December I will post the days of Shuuda in this thread in chunks. Small writing prompts will accompany the days, or you can draw whatever you like from the description and create your own. You reactions to these prompts will be their own threads. It is encouraged that these threads include multiple PCs. They do not have to be long either! Think of them like a good character exercise. Use of multimedia (music, art, etc) is encouraged. Why Participate? Firstly, it will be fun! Secondly, it will get you towards the Seasonal Goal prize. And Thirdly, I have something special just for my Shuuda champions who take on at least four writing prompts. And for the PC that does the most, a grand prize. We're a small cast, so this will not be unattainable. But really, it's about having a good time being creative and exploring your character!

[Colombina]

Shuuda Gift Braids Time for Schwag Part of the Shuuda season is the exchange of gift braids between family and friends. Gift braids are long cords with small, wrapped presents tied or braided into them. The first gift to open is on the bottom of the braid and the last is at the top. These braids are hung in the home and opened every morning in the last eleven days of Shuuda. If your PC creates a gift braid for someone ICly, I will happily create one for your PC to open over the holiday as well! The days and themes for each gift are as follows: Day 10: The present cut from the braid is something that gives or holds light. Day 11: The present cut from the braid is something to drink Day 12: The present cut from the braid is something to eat Day 13: The present cut from the braid is something to wear Day 14: On this day, the present cut from the braid is something to share. Day 15: On this day, the present cut from the braid is something to hear. Day 16: On this day, the present cut from the braid is something for pleasure. Day 17: The present cut from the braid is something to soothe. Day 18: The present cut from the braid is something beautiful. Day 19: The present cut from the braid is something for travel. Day 20: The present cut from the braid is symbolic of the giver's hopes for the receiver in the coming year.

[Colombina]

Days 1- 3 Day 1: The Day of Adornment And the Festival of the Concubines Secret : Akela tottered precariously on the bench as she craned to hang the circlet of dried sky twine over her desk. "There," she congratulated herself and slipped the mallet into her belt. From the height she took a span to admire her work in the rest of the room. Sky twine for determination, bowls of myrrh resin for health, and jars of peacock feathers for beauty. More than five totems were viewed as arrogance. A trait that was acceptable only when invisible to one's peers. Let the heart think what it may, but never let the eye betray it. The paradox made Akela smirk. Akela's mother had brought a wreath of dried pomegranates for romantic love and hung it on the door, a beacon to all that her stubborn daughter was yet unmarried. Pity it was so pretty, Akela didn’t have the heart to remove it. Before she left for work, Akela picked up her ebon horse figurine and kissed it. A loyal citizen of Ahnatep, the emblem of the Pressorah's triumphant entry had a place in her home. Akela had heard during Shuuda, the house of the North Winds kept a life sized version in the foyer. Hers was hand sized and humble. It would do for now. Prompt: "Deck the Halls" Describe your PC's home and the virtues they chose to represent. Feel free to create symbols drawing from Eyktol culture, but be careful to not overlap with other's. You will be granted 15 free mizas to cover decor. The rest is up to you. Day 2 : The Day of Mercy Secret : "I have no pity for your hangover," Akela scolded, "You should have got a tonic before you came in, Bahnet." Bahnet balefully lifted his head from his attempts to copy a recipe on wadj to say, "So cruel, Akela. And on the day of mercy too!" He grinned before going on, "I think you're just jealous I got an invitation to the concubine's festival last night. If you're nice to me, I'll tell you all about it. What's decent for your tender ears, at least." Akela stuck her tongue out then said, "I will forgive you making a mess of my wadj sheet only because it is the day of mercy and Dira wouldn't have my heart weighted for the journey." "Indeed she wouldn't," Bahnet answered. "Are you making any specific offerings tonight?" "None this year," she shook her head. "You?" Bhanet sighed heavily and mumbled, "Several. A girl or two I wronged, my father for laming his horse." "You look tortured. Not like they can reject your offering. It would offend the goddess." "They may say 'pardoned', kiss my cheek and accept my gift, but their eyes will tell me otherwise." "Then that is their burden." "Ah, Akela. So adorably naïve…" Prompt: "To Forgive Is Divine" Make an offering or receive one from a PC or NPC. If the person is not present in Ahnatep, bring the offering to the temple of Dira. Day 3: The Day of Protection, commemorating the role of Dira's Omens Secret : Akela frowned at the target, feeling fairly useless. She should have spent less time in the library and more in the sunshine the past season. Every year she swore she wouldn't be embarrassed again in the exhibitions at the Courtyard of Jackals. Alas, for the day she turned forty and could opt out of the games if she chose. Or maybe she could bribe one of the Jackal judges to let her free. The competitors were divided by weapon or combat style and a random selection established your competition. Akela was an archer, a poor one, so she was in the 'Jibade' level, her sister had middling skill with daggers so she could either choose to dance with them or fight with dulled ones in the 'Inkara' level. Thankfully, Akela's audience was small. There was a scimitar battle with nobles elsewhere, so the people flocked toward it. That pair was competing on the highest level, 'Pressor', so it would be a duel worth watching. Prompt: "COME AT ME BRO!" Earn some weapons or combat xp by writing about your moment in the competitions. Lover and not a fighter? Go watch another PC in their thread. Feel free to cheer, boo and throw flowers or rotten fruit, just be careful if you feel like maligning a noble...

[Colombina]

Days 4- 6 Just a note! Your prompt answers/ reactions do not have to be long. A post or two will do Day 4: The Day of Remembrance, a visit to the catacombs beneath Dira's Temple Secret : As a child, Akela spent their family visit to the catacomb hiding from her sister and trying to scare her brother with stories of ghosts overpowering Spiritists. She didn't understand the gravity due their history. Now she knew the catacombs weren't truly for the dead, but the living. The dead needed neither beds nor bodies (unless they were Nuit…), but the living needed to remember they were an artist in the grandest Semhu production of all and the cast was vast. As Akela wandered the maze, she wondered if her life would be one worth remembering. Prompt: "Remembrance" Visit the catacombs and have your PC think about a death in their life that affected them. Family, friend, beloved goldfish... doesn't matter who. Day 5: The Day of Truth, as death is honest above all things, on this day the people of Ahnatep must redress a past lie and speak truth. Secret : Everyone knew it was abominably rude to ask questions that put others in a bad spot on this day, but the language had developed enough complications and flourishes to make even an honest answer deceitful. Sadly, Akela had not learned these flourishes. "Tell me, Akela," her sister had cornered her. "That cake I made last year with the coconut oil. Did you really like it?" "I liked the thought you put into it…" "I knew it." Prompt: "Silver Tongued" Tell the truth today with your PC, especially of it's a hard truth. Or manage to glide your way out of answering with a diplomatic flourish. Day 6: The Day of Balance: Celebrating the equality of death and the balance it brings to the world. Secret : It was easy to forget the Ano cultist stronghold. Their island of towers seemed a world apart with its own governance and ritual. On the day of balance, the students poured into the city wearing white or black in equal division. It was the only time commoners donned the noble color so freely. If approached willingly, the cultists would render the Ahnatep citizen something that reminded them of the balance of the world. Akela had been frightened at first by the broad cultist clad in black. Though human, he was daunting. His face was hidden under a cowl, betraying a higher rank. Akela spoke the ceremonial words in a slight tremble, "An eye opens and closes." He bowed gently over the words and there was a grace in his gestures that made her calm. "One must rest and one must see," he answered in a deep, serene voice. "You are my first seeker of the day," he said with what might have been relief, "What is your name, Hej?" "Akela," she stumbled into courtesy, "And you?" "I'm called Andrick," he honestly presented the name's falseness. "Are you well today, Andrick?" she asked in clumsy common, thinking it his native tongue. He laughed without a trace of scorn and walked through customary greetings with her. Akela got the feeling no one had ever bothered to ask him the question. In the evening her friends compared what they had learned. "I learned how to say 'yes' and 'no' in Kontinese." "A little one taught me how to tie a knot and undo one easily." "I got a recipe for a potent drink then a good cure for hangover." "Akela? Anything?" The Eypharian was a bit solemn, "He showed me how to save someone and how to defend myself." Jatali blanched, "Life and death? That's… so… scary." "He made it seem, I don't know… noble and clean. I wasn't afraid." She paused, "Isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Prompt: "Balance the Scales" Pick up some awesome lore or xp from an Ano cultist by doing what Akela did. Make your cultist NPC an expert or master in whatever skill you like and get your learn on.

[Colombina]

Days 7-9 Day 7: The Day of Merchants Secret : Akela often wondered if this day was part of the original twenty, or if a day of rest had been cast aside by those who had failed to accrue the presents for their Braids, woven cords with covered gifts tied into their strands. Akela had been selecting small things throughout the year, so she didn’t have to bear the crowds. It was customary to go out and about though, and talk with neighbors. Also, the Pavilion would be decorated so splendidly! And Shuuda beer would be for sale... Oh gods, she pined for it year round. Prompt: "Vini Vidi Visa" Do a little shopping for your PC or someone else! Try your haggling skills on the local merchants. Day 8: The Day of Braiding Secret : While Akela was grateful for all the shops closing at midday, she wondered if the braiding was harder work than her job. She sat on the floor of her bedroom, cords in her lap and a circle of pleasant trinkets surrounding her. She needed to braid a cord for her mother, father, sister, brother, insufferable Bahnet, and her friends Deliyah and Jatali. Seven cords with eleven presents each. Bahnet, with his gilded pedigree, always spent too much on her and put things in silk bags. It amused him endlessly, but she always felt so silly giving him a braid of mostly handmade presents wrapped in painted cloth and wadj. Fool raved about her honey candies every year though. He was an ass, but an occasionally gracious one. Prompt: "Tis Better to Give" Make a gift braid for someone special! Remember to show it to me so I can return the favor for your PC Day 9: The Day of Giving Secret : Akela was late, as usual. She had placed the fourth day present above the third day and had to unwind the whole strand to redo it, or Bahnet would think she wished him to eat a ring instead of wear it. She knew he wouldn't have put it past her, so now she was late and her hastily applied kohl was likely crooked. Bahnet's gathering was her first stop of the evening. His family was hosting an actual meal instead of the customary morsels and drinks. Gods, she would have to steel her nerves. Every year he tried to get her to sit and eat with other gilded and nobles. Probably because he wanted someone to poke fun at so he could look all the more witty. She hadn't fallen for it the last two years; she wouldn't this year. They would exchange braids and she could run away to Jatali's house next. Prompt: "Making the Rounds" Deliver your gift braid and socialize a bit, while you do so. Also make sure to score some delicious appetizers.

[Colombina]

Days 10-12 Day 10: The Night of Lights. The present cut from the braid is something that gives or holds light. Secret : "May you hold my loved ones hands with kindness, Dira, despite how they may greet you." It was Akela's favorite prayer, acknowledging both the dread and deliverance of death. She lit the candle Deliya had given her and placed it the steps of Dira's macabre temple with the host of others. Some lights had already been snuffed by the wind. The temple Priestess was kind enough to light them again and say her own prayer over the wick. Prompt: "This Little Light of Mine" Create your own prayer to Dira and explore why it is meaningful to your character. Subira As someone who has a made a braid and told me, I am including your story and gifts here. Extra points for making it for another lucky PC! Subira's Braid Begins : It had no name or specific heraldic colors to proclaim its source. Subira's mother found it tied on the low gate to the private docks, a little damp from the morning mist rising from the sea. The gift braid was true rope pulled into cords then made again with fabric wrapped parcels. They were neatly but inexpertly bundled in a mélange of blues and greens, scraps commonly sold by tailors this time of year. Subira's name winked at her from a piece of wadj fluttering at its tail. On the first day she unwrapped a bronze lantern no larger than her hand. It was cut with rolling lines of waves and set with blue glass. When she lit a small candle within, the incorporeal sea was flung against nearby objects. The undulating flame made the blue waves ripple, and Subira was reminded of the shadow plays of a childhood that seemed increasingly distant. Day 11: The Day of Fasting. The present cut from the braid is something to drink Secret : Only liquids until sundown tomorrow, Akela would do it without complaining this time. She swore it. How Vestarra managed her notorious week long fasts, Akela would never know. Nobles sometimes struck her as mad. In the evening she would console herself with the Shuuda beer her mother got her from the West Winds. It was only made once a year, steeped with cinnamon, cloves and orange rind. The drink quite made up for the pomegranate wreath. Prompt: "I Drink Your Milkshake" Early beers were somewhat thick and often had sediment. To get past this, people drank it with reed straws. The beer has gotten better in Ahnatep, but the tradition of the personal straw has held over. Many people in Ahnatep carry their own straw wherever they go. Describe yours (make it fit your station) in a thread and you get to keep it! Please don't make it solid diamonds Subira: A smaller corked bottle of the beloved Shuuda Beer of the West Winds. When opened, the fragrance summons visions of places where comfort is taken against the cold and the land is not so gold. Day 12: The Night of Banquets. The present cut from the braid is something to eat Secret : As someone not hosting a dinner, custom demanded Akela accept her first two invitations to touch her hands, regardless of who extended them. Some said nobles cheated by delaying less than savory couriers at their gates or having all their invitations brought before them by servants wielding tongs. Akela had no such luxury. Her mother woke her up with the invitation to the family gathering, so she was there to witness one courier leaping over another to press Bahnet's into her hand. "Awful determined, this one," he mother observed with interest. "Ha. It's not what you hope," Akela snorted, "He's too pompous for that. I plan on sulking in the corner and eating his expensive food until I am sick on his rug." "They'll all be charmed, I'm sure." Prompt: "RSVP" Hosting a dinner? Invited to one? Let's see your invitations and a quick image of your evening. Did you steal a noble invite from a discarded pile? Did the local crazy fellow who lives in an overturned bath reach you first? Are you hiding in bed so no missives touch your hands? Subira: A rare bundle of cinnamon sticks tied together with a red thread.

[Colombina]

Days 13-15 Day 13: The Day of Gems, celebrating Dira 's gift of emeralds to orphans of the plague. The present cut from the braid is something to wear Secret : Ruby: everything in Akela's day had to have a red tint. From the clothes she wore to the food she ate. Her mother had decreed her a child of the red stone the day she was born, so Akela would wear its tones. In retrospect, her mother's prophecies of a passionate, artistic child seemed a bit ambitious. Come evening Akela would give the red mizas she had saved all year to someone who needed them more than her. Hopefully, the Jackals would keep the Duskers at bay, so they didn't immediately snatch up the offerings from struggling families they left behind. But Ahnatep was not a kind city. After the Jackals left, it was up to the needy to outsmart the manipulative people around them. Prompt: "True Colors" Choose a Gemstone from the lovely list and mention why/how your PC or their parent's chose it as a symbol of your PC. Subira's Gift : Day 14: The Night of Legends. Commemorating the night Dira told stories of the young world. On this day, the present cut from the braid is something to share. Secret : While the noble and gilded houses would have proper bards or famed storytellers, Akela had to be satisfied with her father's talents. His voice was worn and warm like leather, age giving it a slight husk. He told stories of their youth, of his grandfather's ship, of how he met Akela's mother, the cobbled history that made them one. Mother would end the humble tales with grand ones of the history of Ahnatep and the triumphs of the race. Some stories were new, others were rare and some were always told. Prompt: "Tall Tales" Feature a bard or your PC telling a story of Ahnatep or any tale you like in a thread! For a challenge hit the wiki's random article button and try to integrate that article into your story. Subira: A pair of identical charms to be added to any piece of jewelry. One for Subira, another for a person of her choosing. Day 15: The Night of Sound. When the people heard Dira sing and both wept and felt at peace. On this day, the present cut from the braid is something to hear. Secret : "I'm so sorry!" Akela was trying to scoop up the musician she had knocked over in the street. He had pulled his lyre to his chest and forgotten to spare himself the fall. There were so many people rushing to the Amphitheater, and the crowd was thick with musicians who had been filling the streets and taverns with music all day. Trying to amend for her clumsiness, she pressed mizas into his hand. It was customary to carry some for musicians that pleased, or bruised… There was no time for a longer apology, the annual Semhu Shuuda production would be starting soon, and if she didn’t make it on time, she's be forced to sit on the ground." Prompt: "Ars Gratia Artis" Describe a scene from the Semhu production presented in the evening. This year the production is a myth of Dira and her love affair with an Ethaefal of Leth. The cast is rumored to feature an Ethaefal singer with a sublimely moving voice. Subira: A small wooden transverse ocarina.

[Colombina]

Days 16-18 Day 16: The Day of Life. An homage to Dira's bright counterpart, Kihala. On this day, the present cut from the braid is something for pleasure. Secret : In the desert, water was life. And even if the sea was too salty to drink, it still brought them cool days and plentiful food. So to celebrate Kihala, the people flocked to the coast. The shores of Ahnatep were full of bathers and tents pitched for shade. Akela wore her short tunic into the water, and let the waves beat against her. Just please, Laviku, she prayed, no seaweed or sand in my small clothes. Prompt: "Endless Summer" It's high time you sampled the beautiful shores of Ahnatep. Go for a swim, work on that ever-present tan, collect seashells or maybe sweet talk a South Winder into taking you out in a boat. Subira: A small bottle of fragrant oil smelling of rose and red current. Day 17: The Day of Peace, noise is discouraged and work ceases in most quarters as citizens seek rest and contemplation. The present cut from the braid is something to soothe. Secret : No one was coming over. No one. Akela was going to sit around in her robe all day and take extended naps. Maybe wash her hair or read the book Bahnet had given her. It was a romance. He probably hadn't bothered to see what it was and picked it based on the pretty cover… Prompt: "A Mind at Peace" Write your character doing something mundane and see what it teaches you about them. What kind of soap do they use, how do they eat their food, what position do they sleep in? Embrace the day of peace and the little things that make your PC unique. Subira: A book poems no larger than one's hand inspired by the sea and bound in leather. Day 18: The Night of Dancing The present cut from the braid is something beautiful. Secret : Akela's dress was green despite her mother's attempt to force a red gown on her. "Red catches a man's eye." "Well, green flatters mine." It was the same conversation held every year with varying levels of success for each participant. When sunset began, Akela would wait on her doorstep in her bare feet with her shoes sitting beside her, as was custom. She would be splendidly dressed and nervous. If an invitation to a private dance did not reach her between the start of sunset and seventh bell, she was doomed to pay the miza to attend a public dance. Though she would never admit it in Eypharian company, the public dances with their wide array of races and castes were actually quite fun, as long as one was wary of pick pockets and didn't expect good beer. At least she wasn't so poor she couldn’t afford any dance! Staying home was a social death sentence. Prompt: "Dancing Shoes" Did you dress up? Were you waiting on the porch most the night? Invited to a shindig? Pick a party and make it your own. Show the world your moves (or lack thereof). Subira's Trinket : Boulder opal set in silver.

[Colombina]

Days 19 & 20 Day 19: The Night of Tents, commemorating Dira's symbolic stay in a nomad's tent. The present cut from the braid is something for travel. Secret : But for the patrolling Foxes and occasional Jackal, most of Ahnatep had been poured onto the shores of the oasis. Though all readied to sleep in tents, status was still obvious and castes divided. Like gathered with like and nobles had pavilions created days prior. Akela's tent was bundled under her arm: a small affair of goat hair. She wondered where her family's fire was. Her mother was probably roasting quail and her brother throwing powders into the flames to make them change color, while her father and sister complained about the cold. As a child she had like this evening best. It had seemed magical and warm all at once, smelling of char, cold and the watered down mulled wine she and her sister stole sips of when their parents weren't watching. "You missed your friend," her sister reported breathlessly the moment Akela was in sight. Her sister had been laughing and chasing a neighbor's child, now protectively swept into three of her arms. "You know Jetali. Was it Deliya?" "No," she smiled coyly, "It was a man. And a handsome one to boot. Mother was beside herself. Said he knew you from lessons. Even chatted with Minre and Dunre." "Hmph." Akela only looked peevish. "Playing hard to get, sicpw? Clever thing." Prompt: "You Seem Tents" Pitch your tent on the shores of the Oasis and enjoy some stargazing and another's fire. If you don't have a tent it's a decent investment! If you don't have the mizas, this is your opportunity to rp how you begged, borrowed or earned one with your charm (or brute force). Subira: A bronze compass. Day 20: The Great Gathering The present cut from the braid is symbolic of the giver's hopes for the receiver in the coming year. Secret : Bells and harps rung in the dawn. Young children and a few adults with sweet spouses and parents woke to small jackals at their feet. They were of various materials: wood, bronze, sweet bread, marble, whatever the giver could afford. The tradition was an early lesson to not fear Dira or her jackals. Akela happily devoured the lump of cake her sister had tried to fashion into a jackal. "Thank you, sicpw!" "They didn’t turn out quite how I wanted," her sister answered glumly. "I think they're perfect," and Akela meant it. Families huddled around braziers or fire pits, wrapped in blankets as all unraveled the last gift on their braid and ate a breakfast that required no utensils. Akela had waited until the last possible minute to open Bahnet's wish for the next year. Ass that he was, she was expecting something suitably haughty that affirmed their class difference. The present rolled into her lap and she could only stare at it: a gold bracelet etched with small birds in flight, a symbol of joy or a change in social rank. Somewhere else, Bahnet was trying to not hold his breath as he thought of a stubborn girl unraveling her final gift. Prompt: "????" TBD! Subira: A beautifully drawn map of Mizahar with a note: May you see the world without fear and return home without burden. Ever Your Baker, Andrick