The Avanthal Plunge

by **Magpie** on December 12th, 2013, 7:45 pm

Timestamp: 23rd of Winter, 513AV

Most didn’t even know who started it. Rumor had it that it was a couple Kuvay’nas buffs, but no Kuvay’nas actually questioned knew about the origins of the event.

Whatever had started it, late on the chilly morning on the 23rd found the beach of the north arc of of the Plunge Pool Bay crowded with people. Most were Akalaks, young men eager to prove their strength and fortitude to their buddies. Many others had come as well, some not even intending to participate. Women were bundled up, either supporting their foolhardy men or fending off men asking for a nice ‘warming-up’ after the event. In any case, the event had become popular city-wide and had earned its name from some clever soul in the gossip chain:

The Avanthal Plunge.

There were no prizes, no trophies, just hoards of young men, and a few women, proving their fortitude by jumping into the freezing water of the bay. Some of the more boastful had even swore they’d make the plunge in naught but swimming trucks, leading to brief bouts of one-upmanship with increasingly less clothing promised. According to some, it was stupid, idiotic, and bound to give someone the flu. According to others, it would be the highlight of their winter to be able to jump into their freezing water when their friends had been too chicken to do it.

A young acolyte of Laviku, the closest thing the event had to an official, moved through the crowd in an attempt to organize it. She’d managed a consensus that the official ‘plunge’ would occur at the 11th bell, with everyone running in (and then back out) at once. The acolyte was a young Akontak, dressed in warm robes lined with seashells, indicative of her position at Laviku’s tower. The High Priestess of the tower hadn’t made an appearance herself, but many who’d met the severe Charoda were unsurprised.

The tavern of the Blue Gem, located just east of the affair, was capitalizing on the event as much as it could. A handful of servers made continual runs from the restaurant to the beach, quickly selling warmed towels and drinks before they cooled.

Without inclusion of any governing figure, the event was mostly social, with people hanging out and chatting cheerfully along the beach while waiting for the 11th bell whistle.

OOC Notes :

by **Teresa Deepseeker** on December 14th, 2013, 10:14 am

Another blast of winter air worked its way down the beach and right into the path of the Svefra like a tactical attack, followed by another string of questioning thoughts of why the petch she agreed to this in the first place. Teresa was bundled up in every article of clothing she owned, staring down the sand at the surprisingly calm waters as the big purple guys around her proclaimed their manliness to anyone who would listen. She had been caught up in the hype on the docks earlier this morning as she was knocking the ice off her rigging. All she could make out was that someone in Riverfall dared someone else to jump in the ocean who then enlisted the support of their friends who invited their entire social networks and somehow what seemed like an entire city has turned out for the event. Which indeed it now was. But no one questioned the origins to this madness but instead focused on what it represented. The opportunity to prove your mettle in front of the entire city, and Teresa had already conceded that she was not above this very egotistical way of thinking. Because she wasn’t going to let these land-dwellers beat her in anything to do with the ocean, even if it was just a dare to jump in the frigid waters in the dead of winter.

“You’re going to wear a shirt and boots into the water? May Wysar forgive your lack of conviction mate.”

The adolescent Akalaks next to Teresa were becoming very animated with their teasing and boasting, laughing at the sensibility of the guy next to them and claiming superiority, each outdoing the other in nothing more then promises and jests. They were all still wearing their winter gear, and showed no sign of taking it off. Much to Teresa’s disappointment, for two reasons. One was that every Akalak looks better with their shirt off, two was that she wanted some excitement while they all waited for the plunge to begin. The crowd has gone down to quiet peaceful milling as the morning wore on, causing Teresa to start chewing on her lip and dreaming up situations to mess with that peace as the young purple men continued their lip flapping next to her.

“I heard that one of the Kuvay’nas was jumping in nude.”

And just like that the idea hit her like a snowball upside the head. It was time for the participants to put their money where their mouth is and own up to the boasts they make. She had no idea if anyone in the crowd would go along with her plan but the idea of a little bit of fun, competition and shirtless Akalak made the risk of an awkward rejection more than worth it. Teresa quickly took off to the front of the crowd and out in front until the ocean gently lapped at her ankles giving her a full view of the masses on the beach. But with nothing to stand on she tried to project her voice as hard as she could to be heard over the din of conversation.

“Alright everyone, how about a game! One person asks a question and everyone else has to answer, and if your answer is wrong you have to do the Avanthal plunge with one less article of clothing!”

There was a pause from the people directly in front of her, some stopping in mid sentence to regard the loud woman. Teresa hoped that perhaps they were actually considering going along with this, the thought of everyone joining together in a bit of city wide pre-plunge fun would definitely make for an entertaining wait.

“And the first one to call ‘mercy’ and end the game losses their pride as a man!.. But no one gets the stuff they already lost back until they complete the plunge.” There was no hiding the impish smile that slowly spread across her face. “I’ll ask first!”

And a pause for dramatic effect.

“What was the name of the queen of Laviku’s Otani!”

“The Queen of what?”

It was a young and fresh faced human who spoke up from one of the groups huddled together, earning himself a dramatic eye roll from the Svefra for his ignorance. It still surprised her to no end that one could live so close to the ocean and not have one of the nefarious monsters cause you some measure of grief in your life.

“Laviku’s servants. The monsters who do his bidding... They’re kind of like really smart jellyfish.”

Teresa brought her hands together in a loud clap and ground them together with glee. The secret sadistic part of her mind wanted someone to guess wrong and have to give up one of their precious barriers to the elements...The other part wondered why she was still here and encouraging this madness.

“So? Anyone know?”

---------
Others Speech
Common
Fratava

by **Morgana** on December 14th, 2013, 2:59 pm

Finally! Some excitement! The young svefra stood on the edge of the icey cold water, her bare feet digging into the sand. If she didn’t have to wear her shoes, she wouldn’t, they would just annoy her in the water. Willow kept her cutlass safe for her back at the apartment something for which she was glad, but she felt almost naked without it. A blast of air blew back her long brunette dreadlocks forcing an involuntary shiver. It was a stupid thing to agree too, really, but Morgana certainly couldn’t back down now. So she sized up her competition. Muscular blue, purple and green men stood around shooting taunts at their peers. This was to be expected. Morgana decided against joining in for now, it was far more interesting, and valuable to watch them all before she got involved. The Svefra had ended up here thanks to her own curiosity. She’d overheard two friends daring each other to delve into this event, and had to go up and ask them what they were talking about. She’d then ended up being roped into competing as her honor was questioned. One surefire way to get Morgana to do anything was to tell her she couldn’t do it.

Suddenly her attention was stolen by the voice of another female Svefra. Morgana turned her head sideways to get a good look at her and grinned devilishly as she spoke to the men around her so boldly, challenging them all to a game. Those around her considered the challenge, some were nodding. Morgana instantly liked her. This would make the plunge that much more interesting. And she had to admit, seeing those Akalaks take off their shirts would be worth the freezing cold waters. The Young woman offered to ask the first question, and then shot straight into asking it without waiting for the crowds agreement. Morgana laughed out loud as she head the question. Easy. It was right up her ally: Of course it was, for it was a Svefra who’d asked it. She waited, looking around at the confused faces. None of them knew the answer, she could tell. She watched them look at each other whispering and shaking their heads. Morgana rolled her eyes

“What’s this then? no one here knows the answer, how disappointing!” Morgana said loudly, appearing by the other Svefra. “I believe that would be Avalis” Morgana said grinning devilishly at the crowd. She didn’t want to take any chances by not answering lest she’d end up being the poor loser taking off any of their protective layers of clothing today, but she did want to join the game. The others looked annoyed “None of you’s guessed. Surely that must count as ‘getting it wrong. What a copout otherwise!” Morgana announced loudly, eyes sparkling. “What d’ya think game master?” She nudged the svefra who asked the question, winking. “Name’s Morgana. Or Morgan, if you prefer.” She said more quietly, directing the introduction mainly to her. “Pleasure to be plunging into freezing cold waters with you this fine winters day.”

by **Favchean Hronis** on December 15th, 2013, 2:36 am

The winter never bothered Favchean too much, in fact he relished the biting cold air and the northern winds that cooled his green flesh. The massive Akalak moved down toward Plunge Pool Bay, his green skin now obviously green in the pale winter light of Syna, though still so dark that the green was a sheen. Contrasting to the very dark of his skin, his eyes were the pale blue of ice. His black hair almost indistinct from his flesh, shaved on the side of his head but tightly braided down the middle from brow to mid shoulder.

His body was encased in leathers, breeches that were laced up the front, and a sleeved vest but no coat or cloak. Compared to some of his Akalak brethren he might be a little short, coming to only six foot five inches tall however his girth more then made up for what he lacked in height.

Already there was a gathering, Favchean looked to see if there were any Akalak men he knew present, scanning over the crowd. Stopping close enough to hear a group of women playing a game it seemed. Trivia, if he guessed correctly. He raised his mental shoulders in a mental shrug, trivia was a biased game and only measured what you had managed to learn and memorize. Not a worthy challenge at all, unlike a physical challenge that would pit brute body against brute body. Now that was a true test of skills.

However it might be fun to see the loser, or the winners, and to see exactly who would honor the rules of the game and jump into the water with less clothing then they intended. Of course he himself was planning on stripping down, he wouldn't risk his leathers on a challenge.

by **Juriya** on December 18th, 2013, 5:35 am

Though winter was a lovely occasional to Juriya, she could not imagine what would make someone want to get into cold water on a day like today. Sure, she was happy to run along the beach as a Kelvic and bound through icy snow, but going into water? Not even in her thick winter coat would she consider it, in fact the whole idea of it made her shiver. She snorted once and pulled her thick cloak tightly around her. Though the desire to shed her clothing and shift was strong she resisted and simply stared on in that irritated glare she was comfortable wearing.

Though her hood was up that oddly dual-toned hair cascaded out in thick curls down her chest, brown melting into gold, and her tan face seemed to catch enough light to show off her amber eyes. Heavy old boots covered her feet, and though they looked a little old and worn, they did not appear to be near the point of needing replacing, yet. The rest of her attire appeared to be in similar condition, worn but not out of commission. Her pants were a deep brown color and appeared to tuck right into her boots. They were loose around her knees and legs, but tight on her hip with little ties. Her shirt was fairly loose as well, and fell off one shoulder. It was an ivory-cream colored sort of tunic but was tightened at the waist through the help of a drawstring. Besides that she seemed to be carrying nothing, no weapons or anything special.

Her amber gaze stopped as she saw a large green man at the beach, clad in his leathers. Her features softened almost without her realizing it, but despite the familiarity and curiosity she felt around the Akalak man, she was more than happy to silently watch from where she stood, away from the rest of the contestants and onlookers alike. Her memories of meeting the green giant popped up into the forefront of her mind and she nearly grinned before realizing it.

Luckily, before she could become even more distracted by that strange sensation she was feeling more and more lately, she noticed the two women who seemed to be egging some of the other giant green and blue men on. Her eyes flitted between the two, she guessed they were humans, but wasn't sure if they were one of the many subspecies, she could barely even make out their voices, save when they spoke out more loudly. More of less she was gleaning the meaning of their interactions by just watching their body language. This was a much better way to waste time at the moment than thinking about feelings, and other such nonsense. She really had no time to waste on that today.

by **Magpie** on January 7th, 2014, 9:25 pm

After some time, and the occasional guessing game, people became aware that the diminutive acolyte of Laviku – many had not actually learned her name – was trying to get everyone’s attention. She jumped up and down on the very edge of the water, waving her hands and yelling to the crowd.

“Everyone! Everyone, can I have your attention! The plunge is about to begin!” A high blush had risen on her pale green cheeks at the sudden exertion, and her breath puffed out in small, rapid clouds. Slowly the crowd quieted, save for a couple guffaws amongst the young men getting in some last minute digs. Several closest to the shore sunk laughing down into runners positions.

“Men! If you have any last-minute clothing to get rid of,” This led to a ripple of laughter amongst the people. “Now’s the time! Ready?!” There was a brief pause, and many of the women in the crowd discreetly separated themselves from the sprint-ready men. “3…2..1…Go!” She punctuated the yell with a high blow into her whistle. In seconds, the crowd rushed towards the water, laughter quickly turning to gasps of shock as people hit the freezing water. The acolyte herself was bowled over and she jumped up with a cry of indignation and stormed back to the sand.

by **Favchean Hronis** on January 7th, 2014, 10:42 pm

oocAs promised Favchean in the buff

Day of Season, year.

Standing on the edge of the games, Favchean had noticed the acolyte a little earlier then the vast majority of the crowd it seemed. His flesh pebbled just in anticipation of the frigid waters, but he had committed himself to doing so and he wouldn't let anyone else show him up. His fingers unlace the cords tying his vest together over his massive frame, and he allowed the aged leathers to fall down his arms to reveal his thickly muscled torso and broad shoulders.

His boots came off next, kind of tricky getting them off without sitting on the banks but he managed. These are set aside next to his vest carefully. By now he had gained some attention from the surrounding people and other men began to disrobe even as the acolyte started jumping up and down to get attention. Favchean quickly straightens to unlace his breeches and with a deep breath he pushed them down over his hips and buttocks to untangle them at his feet and pull them off along with his small clothes.

He stood there briefly, trying to not look too self-conscious though his hands are folded modestly in front of himself waiting. The cool air swept over his green body, causing his muscles to shiver. He didn't have long to wait before the acolyte gave the go ahead and he was bursting forward with a few of his brethren. His muscles pumped, and gone was the nervous self-consciousness replaced by the thrill of testing his body and his endurance against others.

His feet pounded into the sand as he gained speed, and though his braid did try to tell his body to slow as it came to the waters that would surely be freezing, he forced himself forward. As soon as his feet touch the water a sharp cry burst from his lips but he continued onward. It felt like needles stinging his body and his flesh felt like one giant goose pebble however he didn't stop until he was fully in the waters.

Open The Avanthal Plunge