The Harvest Faire: October Catch-All!

[loveskulls]

[ As the sun rises at the start of the month, a forest of colorful tents arises outside the city gates. It is not an enemy encampment, though, unless you hate fun. Then yes, it is an enemy encampment. Fun is assaulting the Kingdom in full force, as Harvest Faire fever sweeps across the nation. ]

[ You may join crowds of eager people on the initial days, or wait until the mania has died down to a more casual flow—but either way, there’s a lot to see and do at the faire. It all has to do with people trying to sell you on their religions by showing you their October Best in holidays, but the people of the Kingdom know that if they’re boring or too hard with their sales, no one will come back. So expect a fun, full immersion experience into this or that cult! Food, beverage, and substances will be provided, along with any props you may need to participate. ]

[ Or, I guess, find opportunities to get paid to be a carny, if money is more your speed than fun. ]

[ Cults are on a rotating schedule, so they won’t be the same every day, but eager acolytes will be glad to tell you when they’ll be back in the tent again, so you’ll be welcome to come back again. Maybe even bring a friend along with you? They’re often all smiles on the advertising side, no matter how macabre or dark their faith may be. ]

[ And hey, look, on some days, there’s empty tents... ]

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OOC Event Information | NPC Threads

Comments

Tent Experiences (with NPCs)

[loveskulls]

[Post here if you've arranged an NPC thread with a mod!]

CLOSED | KAPH

[kingdomnpcs]

[Today, one medium-small tent has a particularly intriguing smell coming forth from it. It's a floral scent, yet there's nothing cloying about it. It's subtle, and pleasant. There's the soft chattering of voices within, and a soft stringed instrument playing. It's the very definition of alluring, which gets reflected on the decor within: it's wall to wall pillows, very intentionally sized and designed and laid out in a specific way to be utterly comfortable for any position you could think of. And there certainly are people doing just that.]

[Nude.]

[Or, mostly nude—if Kaph can bring himself to look, each person in a pair is wearing an amulet, and a few of those pairs are still wearing loincloths (though nothing else, so there are bared breasts abound). But they're all enjoying long drags off hookahs, which are the source of that delightful smell. Everyone present has a very dreamy look.]

[There is, amazingly, nothing sexual about this scene. And the vaguely demihuman young man who greets Kaph at the tent opening is wearing a loincloth, along with an amulet. He gracefully raises his arms in a sweeping motion from the elbow.]

Welcome, weary one, to our oasis in this battered and violent world; Sihenta, Goddess of Rest, bids you to join us in her Autumnal Refuge. I am Brom, and I will be your guide.

[ignisvulpes]

[Well then. Kaph can't help having KIND of mixed thoughts about his decision to enter this tent - on one hand, he could sure use some of whatever these people are on, and he's never one to say no to the sight of naked people ladies, especially in a place with no internet; on the other hand...]

Hey. You aren't about to hook me into a cult, are you?

[He's just gotta make sure.]

[kingdomnpcs]

[The young man smiles—it's a bit of a half-smile, really—and clasps his hands in a very formal Pious Looking Way. His voice is liquid smooth as he speaks a bit more candidly but no less faithfully.]

You're one of the Mistress' summoned folk, aren't you? We're a fully licenced and accredited cult; the paperwork is available if you need to see it. We don't want anyone to worry about being taken in by one of those back-alley cults, least of all someone of your standing.

[A woman near the back moans once in ecstasy for apparently no reason. She rolls over onto her side and smiles, eyes closed.]

CLOSED | Eowyn

[kingdomnpcs]

[One of the biggest tents is a hub of activity today. There's numerous warrior-looking folks carrying realistic but obvious prop weapons and wearing... well, you could call it armor. It's certainly meant to imitate armor, in the same way that glass looks like diamond. Plus both "armies" have uniforms that are rather suggestive, but they aren't entirely lewd.]

[The last of these "armies" stream amicably into the tent as their lunch hour concludes. That leaves two 'guards' outside—one from each of the two forces—who note Eowyn among other onlookers and stand a little taller.]

[They speak with no small amount of drama, alternating their speech and managing to make it seem natural.]

HEAR YE! ALL GATHERED!

On this day, a hundred and twenty years ago, our people were lead to decisive victory!

AND THE ENEMY WAS BROUGHT TO THEIR KNEES.

Come, ye ignorant! Ye who would learn of our glory, our victory, our honor!

WILL YOU BE AMONG THE VICTORIOUS? OR AMONG THE CONQURED?

[Some of the visitors don't even wait for the guards to finish their attention-grabbing hollering. They're hurrying in, singly or in pairs, clearly excited.]

[shieldofrohan]

[Honestly, this piques her interest more than any of the other tents have. Did someone promise glory and victory and honour and a war story? She is in.]

[She is a little more cautious than most of those heading into the tent, but she still starts inside, touching the sword at her hip thoughtfully.]

[With a nod to each of the guards, she ducks inside.]

[kingdomnpcs]

[Inside of the tent, partitions made of painted canvas have been put up, giving the front area an impression of a hilly environs, with an army encampment painted in the distance. Despite how apparently full the tent is, there's only the faint sounds that one might associate with an army preparing for war.]

[Here at the entryway, there's a sign that looks like a road marker pointing either left or right. The left arrow reads "Join the Confident Winners" and the right arrow, in slightly more cramped writing, reads "Their Weakness Becomes Your Strength."]

Definitely A Very Real Harvest Holiday | OTA

[ignisvulpes]

[Oh, hey, who's in this tent here? Looks like a handful of hapless-looking men and women dressed in loose, flowing robes (which, upon closer examination, look an awful lot like strategically-tied blankets), as well as... Oh Jesus fuck no it's that obnoxious asshole with the green hair again. He gets to sit in a comfy chair with nice fluffy pillows on the seat. All the other poor locals have to stand, even though there appear to be plenty more pillows lying around on the floor.

You may come in just as one of the robed people is monotonically reading from a scroll for what is clearly not the first time that day:]

Legend tells of a mystical, distant land where, once every year, one champion is chosen by the gods of harvest, and others are encouraged to pay tribute to them in return for blessings of fertility and plenty...

[And if any listeners seem particularly skeptical, Kaphlar goes on to explain:]

Well, sure, I'm standing in for the champion here, but obviously, I'm only holding the position since I started this little tent here! It's perfectly reasonable and within the spirit of the festivities to hold competitions of wit, cunning and strength to choose a proper champion. What do you say?

[Pay no mind to the mirrors laid out here and there or to the blanket-covered crates that almost certainly aren't concealing ways for him to ensure he always comes out on top.]

[hauntpadour]

[Egon is interested in learning about the other cultures of this land he has now simply accepted being trapped in. Of course when Kaph sets one up-]

[Clearly he's back on the bullshit he never actually left. Egon doesn't care much for what any other observers are going to think, pushing past the crowd to poke Kaph in the chest firmly.]

Stop this, right now.

[ignisvulpes]

[Whoa, rude. It's ESPECIALLY rude that none of these people working with him even tried to stop Egon. Kaph's gonna need to have a talk with them later, clearly.]

Stop what? Sharing my culture with the locals?

[shieldofrohan]

[She walks in. Sees Kaphlar. Very nearly walks straight out again.]

[On the other hand, this could be an opportunity to kick his ass again, and she's struggling not to want that.]

What kind of competitions?

[ignisvulpes]

[Oh. You.

It's tempting to just ignore Éowyn - why, he can barely muster the effort to come up with an excuse to kick her out - but... he can't, in good conscience, pass up a chance to teach her a lesson.]

Like I just said! Wit, cunning and strength.

OTA Questing!

[crimsonlight]

[Yenh has already been through a number of tents on a number of days, by the time she gets around to taking up work around the faire. Deciding she should wear some kind of uniform for this work, she is clad in the swag she accrued from the wealthier cult tents that did giveaways (or at least, items that she asked if she could keep and they said 'sure'). She is wearing an ill-fitting knee-high dress painted like a tree trunk, a flower crown, and various cheaply made trinkets on strings. And, of course, her boots. She isn't going to trudge around in this mess otherwise.]

[Despite her very "fashionable"-looking outfit, Yenh is busy sweeping: sweeping debris into piles and then into buckets, sweeping dirt and sawdust over vomit, sweeping angry idiots away from each other, and sweeping the inebriated out of harm's way when they inevitably stumble out of a tent. Honestly, she doesn't appear to mind any of it.]

[This most fashionable janitor-bouncer-friend might end up needing to perform aforementioned tasks in your company—be you a bystander, or be you giving her something to sweep up.]

[shieldofrohan]

[Eowyn has actually been enjoying having a purpose for the last few days, fetching and carrying. She's currently carrying a table that's almost as big as her, with clear difficulty, but she smiles and sets it down when she sees Yenh.]

You look well, my friend.

OTA Harvesting

[shieldofrohan]

[This is more the kind of thing Eowyn is comfortable with! She's helped with harvests before - Rohan isn't exactly agrarian, but when there is a crop harvest, it's only proper to pitch in, even if you are a princess - and frankly, this is some hard work she's been sorely in need of.]

[She's out in the fields for most of the day, most days. She's switched out her guard uniform for something a little more comfortable - her shirt and pants are very tight and rather sheer, but at least she's not getting wheat chaff all over her tits - and tied her long hair into a knot at the back of her neck, and she's honestly having a really good time. Sweat sticks her shirt to her like a second skin, and she's bright-eyed and cheerful, singing under her breath as she works.]

[She doesn't look like a princess just now. She does have a certain... rosy-cheeked peasant girl look, instead.]

[Once in a while, she'll take a break, coming to lean against a haycart with a flask of water, to drink and to cool herself off with. Maybe you find her at one of those times, in which case she'll turn to you, nod in acknowledgement, offer her flask.]

The weather holds well, does it not? Long may it last.

this can only go well

[meteorman]

[Ford has stayed away from the festival proper; he's had enough of cults thank you very much. Not that any of the ones in this world seem all that malevolent, but it's still not quite his scene. Farming also isn't really his scene but this would not be the first time he's taken on some odd jobs in unfamiliar worlds to make ends meet. It beats paying for the majority of his groceries with blowjobs, which is what he's done since he arrived for lack of any other real option. This is a nice change of pace.

Despite his age he takes care of himself very well, so some physical labor is a cakewalk when he's trained himself to fight aliens. For once he isn't wearing a concealing sweater or coat, though the sleeveless black shirt he has on does still have a high collar. Gotta hide that tattoo. Visible on his arms are slash marks, bite marks, and even the occasional pockmark of an old bullet wound. And sweat, of course, and dirt. Vegetables, you know.]

Indeed. Autumn is perhaps my favorite of the seasons. Very brisk.

[When she holds up the flask he laughs and raises his own.]

No need, but thank you.

[shieldofrohan]

[She smiles, taking another drink from her flask and fastening it to her belt.]

It seemed meet to offer.

[She has to admit, she's curious about the scars. Some make sense to her - bites, and slashes, and other wounds familiar to her. Others, particularly the bullet wounds, baffle her.]

[It's not her intent to stare, but she's staring even so.]

OTA harvest and Halloween

[hauntpadour]

Hauling veg- NPC

Egon considers himself a helpful and hard working man at the best of times. If someone needs help, he can learn about the culture and this fair specifically by doing that. The doctor will hear the call for a helper and show right up, in something good for working in, and probably a little sexy because that's what he can get his hands on.

"You needed help moving your crop?" He approaches the farmer, looking fine and happy and not like he just wants fresh vegetables and information.

Halloween for everyone

It's october, and he absolutely can't believe that they don't have Halloween. Egon takes a tent as soon as he can, and starts his lecture.

It really is more like a lecture than anything interesting, except there's candy. If you wander in, you have to talk to Egon to get said sweets. He's just chatting away in front of the bowl, a man between you and your sweet reward.

"You see, humans swore that they would remember the worst of the demons, in order to banish them to the other realm-"

[NPC]

[kingdomnpcs]

The farmer looks up from the minor wagon repair he's doing, wiping his brow as he looks Egon over. He himself is in his 30s, perhaps, and a rugged, rough-handed, finely-dusted handsomeness that comes from being a dedicated farmer. Sweat sparkles across his dark complexion.

"Yeah, I do. Your clothes're pretty new. I take it you're not used to this kinda work?"

[hauntpadour]

That is a notable certain kind of handsome, yes. Egon's got the benefit of handsomely delicate features- big soft lips, sharp cheeks, big blue eyes. Very Scandinavian features.

He crosses his arms, shrugging idly. "I needed to get work clothes without blood on them. I can handle heavy lifting."

Halloween

[heiresy]

Aymeric would never admit it openly, but he just loved sugar. But sugar was expensive, and not part of his ration. Especially the sort of sugar he liked was in short supply, so he was always feeling a little frisky for it. He watches him for a moment. The man is in midlecture, and he felt bad about interrupting it entirely. But. Would he stop if not prompted? He didn't exactly want to wait around forever.

Maybe a kind gent would like to start at the beginning and give his occasional lay a treat...

"Egon!" Aymeric strutted into the tent, dressed as he usually would, but now with a small iron lantern. "You should have told me that you would have a tent."

[hauntpadour]

Egon could have gone on forever about Halloween. It was such a fantastic holiday, with such an interesting history and so many sources. Several of the villagers probably looked a little bored, just waiting on the trick-or-treating demonstration so they could have candy.

But he was quite fond of Aymeric. The former college professor turned his head, pausing and smiling. "I just rented this one for a short lecture. Do you want to listen?"

OTA Questing!

[heiresy]

[Aymeric's mouth dried as he looked at his ledger. It would absolutely be advantageous to take on this job. It wasn't necessarily more humiliating than what he was used to, and it paid about a half months' wages.]

[He went directly to the pantysmith, and had a pair of panties smithed for him. They were a tasteful black with gold accents on the hips. The panties were indeed that, bikini cut and very flattering. He put on his tall leather boots and looked himself in the mirror. He had never tried to coordinate an outfit around being in his skivvies before. Maybe... A pair... of gloves? Or would that be silly... He settled with his regular undershirt- which. was just a pair of sleeves buckled together. It was a bit chilly of course, so after a little debating, he put on the gloves and a scarf.]

[He walked out with the town crier, and as he called attention to Aymeric's very half naked form, Aymeric felt that he may as well play the part. He silently prayed that no one he knew would walk by as he was bent at the waist, showing off his ass mid-stretch. At least the underwear was very, very comfortable.]

[crimsonlight]

[Well, sorry, Aymeric. Yenh's just going to be one in a parade of people you know, probably.]

[Maybe it's the increasingly casual nature of their relationship, maybe it's the culture around them getting to her, maybe it's a moment of impulse—probably all of them—but Yenh grins and raises a hand to her mouth as she shouts.]

Your smallclothes don't match!

[A townswoman elbows her and scolds her for being rude to the pantysmith's latest model. Yenh's ears perk and she lowers her voice to normal speaking volume.] Oh, no no, I know him. He's a- friend.

[The woman chuckles and bids Yenh to carry on, as she too carries on with her non-panty-related chores.]

[heiresy]

[The townswoman walks off muttering, "With those legs? You should be nicer."]

[Aymeric straightens as he hears a very familiar voice engaging in very public humiliation. He turns, very militarily, on his heel to approach her. He gives her a shrug.]

Then you had better go convince the pantysmith to broaden his available wares.

[He greets her with a small smile, his hand on his cocked hip.]

I've fallen in with the adventurer's lifestyle. This job was too good to pass up, financially. [he brushed a lock of hair from his face. His hair was getting a little long, wasn't it?]