Event || The Festival of Light

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone!
When: August 18th - 25th
Where: The Empire
What: The Festival of Light is here! Feel free to use any of these prompts. NPCs tag will come sometimes this week. Please mention it in your top-level if you'd rather not be tagged by a random NPC.
Warnings/Notes: N/A

EXPOSITION OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
— Third District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00 to 23:00 —
The museums in the 03rd District are open to visitors and are home to many relics predating written history. A lot of those old relics are items of archaeological interest or look like they could be really advanced technologies if they weren't broken beyond repair. Prototypes for Magitek Armor of a new age are exposed, alongside fragments of what are believed to belong to the legendary WEAPONs, machines that belong to the same category than Ultima WEAPON.

The section for Eidolons has all the Eidolons the characters have met so far as well as others yet undiscovered displaying on a gigantic wall-covering painting. The largest Eidolon on the painting appears to be a dragon some characters may recognize as Bahamut, he is so big he dwarves the other Eidolons and should one pay attention, his wings are actually the background of the painting.

Interestingly, someone has doodled something that looks like Ultros over Leviathan on the painting...


SUNNY STARLIGHT
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
Do you really believe because it’s summer, you can escape the beauty and magnificence of Christmas? Think again. There is one thing all the nations on Vaikuntha are of one mind on: the wait from the December 26th of a year to the December 24th of the next is too long. This is why a band of Moogles, Lalafells, Bangaas and Zoras from all across the Empire have occupied half of the Ninth District. Decorated trees, Christmas music, people dressed as Santa Claus (and probably dying because of the heat), fake gift boxes as well as a very large and pretty box for donations all await you!

Kids below the age of 15 will all receive a gift if they come: plushies made in the likeness of the main villains of numbered Final Fantasy games! And when you press the button hidden on their stomach, they speak a random line. Who doesn't want a Sephiroth plushie saying "You are a puppet" or a Jecht one repeating "Cry, cry, cry" all day long?

It's like a dream come true!


MIDNIGHT AIRSHIP
— Twelfth District || August 20th – August 24th || 23:00 to 06:00 —
For the late sleepers, it is possible to board a special airship prepared by Hypellos to party up in the sky. The Airship flies all around the Imperial Territories and should characters so desire, they can ask to stop by one of the two other cities. Whether they want to dance, to eat or to enjoy the view, it might be a very fun and relaxing activity. It is also a very good place from where to watch the fireworks… Or to scout for an incoming Tarutaru and her weapon toy.

Note that all the personnel onboard are Hypellos. They are very serviceable and nice, but can try the patience of those not used to their accent. Of note, one Hypello is green and appears to be angrily stalking anyone heading for the "Sunny Starlight" event. He is quite sneaky though and will always manage to get away before being approached.


MOGNET EXPOSITION
— Ninth District || August 22nd – August August 25th || 07:00 to 19:00 —
The half of the Ninth District not occupied by Christmas fanatics is occupied by the Moogles working for the Imperial section of Mognet. Split for the regular Mognet for a decade, Imperial Mognet has managed to thrive. Imperial iMog Slates have all sorts of functions other iMog Slates could only dream of, such as games, grammar check and that kind of stuff. All of those things can be visited at the exposition! Not only that, but the Moogles are also putting on display things that have nothing to do with Mognet but more to do with Moogles themselves.

Come and visit the exposition to discover the rich and amazing culture of the Moogles! Kupo Nuts, Fur Dye, Fake Kupo Nuts, Pom Shiner, Carved Kupo Nuts, booklets titled "How to Use Your Cuteness to Exploit People," Mognet Bags, Deluxe Kupo Nuts, Sheets to Prepare Future Strikes, Mog Beds, Explosive Kupo Nuts, Kupo Champagne—

There is no end to what might be learned from Moogles!


CHOCOBO RACES
— Sen Riqeaux || August 23rd || 15:00 to 20:00 —
A Chocobo Race will be held all around the city! Will you compete? Shall you win? There are no prizes as all the money earned through the race is given to the Safety of Sparks Golsaucia movement. Those participating can bring their own Chocobo or get a temporary one from the people organizing the race. It will be a very bad Chocobo though, so they shouldn’t expect to win… Beware the Hamsters and Marlboro during the race though. It’d be a real shame to end up getting eaten while racing.


SHOPPING
— City's Outskirts || August 18th – August 25th || 07:00 - 20:00 —
On the city's outskirts are all manners of stalls by shoppers eager to make some money. You can find everything there: plushies, food, clothes, souvenirs, books and even cosmetics. Why, one of the merchant is even selling contact lenses covering nearly all of the rainbow's spectrum aside from green while another sells all kind of swords, even the supposed legendary Excalibur! This might be the perfect place to take on O'aka's Quest if you so wish!


MINI SPARKS GOLSAUCIA
— Eleventh District || August 19th – August 24th || Anytime —
Specially for the festival, stallholders from Sparks Golsaucia were invited and brought a few attractions to display what they can do. Noticeably, there is a shooting stand—Once again, a treasure chest game where characters are presented with ten chests and can open only one-- Prizes range from one Gils to gigantic plushies. The novelty this year is something called the "Kupo Boxes," Boxes you punch open and you get something: perhaps something wonderful like a 1 million gil ticket, more often than not though absolutely nothing. Will you try your chance? Be careful, your wallet might not survive it.


TOURNAMENTS
— Tenth District || August 19th – August 23rd || 10:00/15:00/20:00 —
There is a Blitzball Competition taking place during the Festival of Light! Characters are free to go and watch the matches, so long as they can pay for the tickets. At the same time, a Triple Triad competition is taking place. Characters are free to enter the Triple Triad tournament if they so wish. Characters who know Triple Triads have decent chances to win. And even if your characters lose, what matters is trying, right? There are no prizes to be won, as all money goes to the Triple Triad For Everyone associations.


CULINARY ATTRACTIONS
— Second District || August 18th – August 25th || 12:00 to 13:30 / 19:00 to 21:00 —
What would a festival be without free food and banquets? Not really a festival. In the fourteenth district, there is a banquet and many stands held by people from all over the Empire. All kind of food can be found here-- Refined food, pastries, cakes, cooked meals, etc. It's virtually impossible not to find something to like in all of this, and it's all free! There are, however, guards standing around on the lookout for Gourmands who would be tempted to ruin the fun for everyone. After what happened two years ago, better be careful.


THE OPERA
— Ninth District || August 18th - August 24th || 22:00 —
There is an opera every day for all to see for free, titled "A Goddess's Tears." It is a retelling of the creation myth, but shown from the (presumed) perspective of the Goddess of Death. The play depicts the Goddess as someone who started out as a rather sweet person, but whose life took such terrible turns she wished to die and resented life. Yet, death was too scary of a prospect for her and she couldn't choose what was better, Life or Death. As the play progresses, she decides both are equally terrible and resolves to create a world where those very notions shall no longer exist.

As the play unfolds, toward the ends the story becomes what people are more familiar with. However, rather than letting her die wordlessly, the four heroes appease the Goddess's soul by singing. As the four heroes sing, the Goddess smiles and sheds a single tear before passing away. It is said the play is very emotional, sensible people might want to pass on it.


HOUSING
— Fourteenth District || August 17th - August 27th || Anytime —
Before, after and during the Festival of Light, the characters will all need a place where they can rest. Thankfully for them, people coming with the Curti Center delegation are all given the keys to stay in one of the abandoned houses in the 14th District. Truth to be told however, those house look anything but abandoned. Why, it's as if people had been living in them up until very recently, given how either clean and ordered they are for some, or chaotic and neglected they are for others (Characters who were present in Melodies of Life will be able to notice the houses are nearly identical to what they were just before the time skip during endgame, though there are a few eerie differences).

At least, it's a good place to sleep!


ARDYNIAN DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Ardynia! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Wizard and Jester Jobs. It is a thriving city with people from all over the Empire, and it appears to be something of a shopping center for the imperial region.

And most importantly, discover the official headwear of Ardynia: the Fedora! It is said Archaeologists have imported this fashion trend to Ardynia when they pass by, but none know whether this is true or not. While most citizens have enough senses not to actually wear this dreaded hat, those who do wear it really look dumb doing so. And those who don't look dumb look like they'd make jokes about your pet's untimely demise while you're still crying about it.

Perhaps is is best to stay away.


PARASRAYA DISCOVERY
— Fifteenth District || August 18th – August 25th || 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 —
Everyday, it will be possible to get wheeled motor vehicle driven by imperial soldiers and go visit one of the other cities, case in point, Parasraya! Not much is done over there for the Festival of Light, but it is worth checking out, if only for the Archaeologist and Catmancer Jobs, as well as the Weapon Master Association. It is a technologically advanced yet small and cozy city...

... If it wasn't for a tragedy plaguing the city: cats, cats everywhere. If the meowing doesn't kill you, the constant flow of cats asking to be pet, fed and to sit on your lap might. You may even encounter a few tired citizens paying you money to take care of the cat infestation around their house. Others however are really defensive of the cats and will hunt anyone trying to bring harm to them. Of course, the source of all these cat-related troubles can be traced back to the origins of the Catmancer guild.

But, perhaps it is a story best left for another day.


FIREWORKS
— First District || August 18th – August 24th || Midnight —
Fireworks will be launched from the Castle starting 00:00 and will end at 01:00, everyday of the Festival. No matter where you are in the city, anyone should be able to watch them with ease if they so wish. Unfortunately, it means falling asleep before midnight may be a bit hard with all the noise. On the 25th, characters will be with dining with the Empress as the fireworks happen.

Comments

B

[sonoftenebrae]

I haven't forgotten. [Ravus' reply carries just enough amusement to avoid being grumpy. He's in a rare good mood. The Imperial visit has given him purpose, and for the first time in a very long time, he is facing a potential enemy with allies by his side. Things could be much worse.]

The Eidolons first. They may not be our Hexatheon, but we should not discount their power.

[He grabs a pamphlet on the way in to the exhibit and passes it to Gladio, using the motion as an excuse to brush fingers. He knows the other man would rather skip to the Magitek display. Ravus won't go so far as to say 'Thank you', but he can show his appreciation covertly.]

[hashtagdaddy]

[He accepts the pamphlet with a tender smile, blushing faintly at the soft touch of their fingers. No, he's not a blushing virgin - and Ravus damn well knows that - but he's aware of the man's aversion to public displays of affection and is touched (ha) by the gesture.]

That's true. We need to know what we're dealing with in the way of the Gods here, not just with respect to their weapons and other tech.

[Gladio gladly falls into step beside Ravus, letting him take the lead and set the pace as they walk the display. He can't deny the beauty of the artwork on display and more than once Gladio finds himself hovering slightly over Ravus' shoulder, his chest ever so slightly grazing the man's back, to read some of the placards.]

Pretty fascinating, actually... [His whispered words are meant only for Ravus' ears, but the timbre of Gladio's voice usually means anyone standing next to them could likely hear as well.]

[sonoftenebrae]

[No one will ever accuse Gladio of subtlety. Ravus shivers as Gladio whispers his opinions of the display close to his ears.]

Yes, there is some cross-over between the Eidolons and our Astrals, though they are not exactly the same. They could be distant relatives, perhaps...if you ignore Typhon and...whatever Ultros is.

[Ravus walks the length of the painting, noting the known Eidolons and the more vague shapes of those unknown. He stops in front of Bahamut, clenching his fists.]

It would seem he is here as well, in some form or another.

[eternitynpc]

[ Lo and behold: as Ravus and Gladio discuss the Eidolons, something happens.

They would be able to hear the distinct noise glass shattering, coming from the Magitek exposition. And soon, a man screamed. ]

Thief! Someone is stealing the swo— No, mercy!

[ More screams followed, this time with people running out in panic as the man who had asked for mercy was now begging for his life. Then a second voice came from the Magitek exposition. Deep and booming, whoever was speaking wasn't panicked. He was, however, quite offended. ]

Thief? Me?! I shall not allow you to slender my name! This weapon is mine of right, draw your sword miscreant and prove yourself worthy of it should you deny me mine right!

[ The first man is now whining. It is likely he might need assistance. ]

Thread Theory = String Theory bc I'm super good at original names ...

[hashtagdaddy]

[Gladio discretely rests his hand on Ravus' lower back for a fraction of a second when they come to a stop in front of Bahamut's image, the younger man wanting to offer at least some comfort and empathy to his boyfriend.]

Maybe in this universe we can punch him in the face, considerin' how we managed to fight Ultros. That Thread Theory I learned about in school back home could be onto somethin'...

[His focus shifts from Ravus and from the painting of the Eidolons when the sound of shattering glass reaches his hear followed quickly by a man's yelling. Taking a moment to indicate his intention to Ravus, and to ask if the man would 'care to join him for some diplomatic observations and possible intervention', Gladio rushes to where he now hears a second man challenging the first to some kind of duel all while mentally patting himself on the back for making sure he'd been armed before leaving their temporary house.

Gladio doesn't draw his blade yet, wanting first to assess the situation and try to determine the best course of action.]

What's going on here?! [Though he doesn't unsheathe his sword, Gladio does rest his hand on the hilt as he adopts a casual ready stance. Unless provoked into an attack, or to the defense of the man begging for mercy, he doesn't want a fight.

Not in a museum, of all places, and certainly not while out on what's supposed to be a date.]

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus isn't armed, but he is armed, and a magitek fist makes a decent weapon for punching someone in the face for interrupting his date afternoon at the museum. He doesn't get a chance to respond to Gladio's musing about Thread Theory before the sounds in the Magitek exhibit distract him. Yes, he nods, somebody is going to get some diplomacy, a very large helping of it.

Gladiolus rushes, but Ravus walks, purposefully, radiating anger as he follows the sound of the commotion.]

If it is a fight you crave, step outside and I shall oblige you.

[eternitynpc]

[ Upon stepping into the hall, they would find a most peculiar sight. The man they'd heard screamong earlier was now on his knees and begging for his life. Pointing a magitek-made sword at him was a... Person? Demon? Monster?

No one really knows.

What was certain however, was that the large man had a grand total of eight arms and each were holding on a different weapon. Among them, it would be possible to recognize the Buster Sword, Ramza's Sword, Gungnir, a Gunblade or even Excalipoor. When Gladiolus and Ravus stepped in, the man turned his attention to them. ]

The battlefield has already been chosen, miscreant! Should you opt to place yourself between me and mine due, expect no mercy!

[ The man who had been on his knees got up and ran out while Gilgamesh was distracted. As a matter of fact, Gilgamesh was staring at the two of them, especially Gladio, as if there was something particularly weird on his face. ]

Hm, may it be we have crossed blades before? Bah! No matter.

[hashtagdaddy]

[Upon seeing Gilgamesh, an opponent he bested at no small cost, Gladio draws his blade with a snarl and pays no attention to the man fleeing the area.]

You could say that, yea. [The scars on his forehead and chest twinge with the memory, phantom pain burning him again as if the wounds were freshly sliced. With a glare, Gladio assumes a defensive stance slightly in front and to the right of Ravus and quickly runs through his options.

Who does he think he's kidding? There's only one option and it's to fight, here and now.

At least in this battle he'll have an ally, though he knows Ravus isn't armed with any of his own blades. Maybe he should slice off one of Gilgamesh's arms ... that would give Ravus a weapon. And he knows Ravus can throw some mean punches with that Magitek arm of his, so at least his date isn't completely defenseless.

So he rapidly engages Sentinel before letting loose with a Saint Cross attack, aiming for all eight arms.]

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus does not need to recognize Gilgamesh to wait to defeat him. Just listening to those annoying proclamations is enough. Their foe's intended victim is safely away, and the exhibit is large enough for movement, so Ravus lets his anger win out over his sense.]

A true warrior needs not compensate with so many weapons. Are you so poor with your blade that you need seven more to even your odds?

[Ravus glances around as he makes that taunt, looking for something he can use to arm himself so he can use his job skills. He had thought it best not to carry his own blade on this peace-visit, and now he's going to have to make due. At least he can use the Magitek arm to block an attack if needed.]

[eternitynpc]

[ For a moment, it looks like Saint Cross will hit the strange man...

But lo and behold, an large and ugly green dog suddenly leaps just before Gilgamesh and absorbs the blow aimed at his master! Said ugly dog barks angrily at the two men. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh answer Ravus. ]

A true warrior should make use of all his assets, fiend! [Then to the dog.] Enkidu! Keep this blade-less miscreant from interfering in our fated duel!

[ And lo, Enkidu leaps majestically once more, but this time at Ravus. Trying to bite him wherever he can, running around him, swiping his tail at his legs— Truly, Ravus is in for hell. Which means Gilgamesh can focus his attention on Gladio. ]

I can not remember when or where we met, but it is clear to me our duel is fated! [And now, all eight arms get into fighting stance.] Fight now, lest your weapon be forfeit to me!

[hashtagdaddy]

[He curses when his spell is absorbed by the ugliest looking dog he's ever seen. And as much as he wants to shift his focus to helping Ravus deal with the green mongrel, Gladio knows that Ravus is a capable fighter.

A dog, no matter its size, shouldn't be too much of a challenge for a fighter as skilled as Ravus.

So Gladio keeps his blade in a defensive position and readies himself to parry and dodge, grateful for the Sentinel modifier that raises his defense.]

I've defeated you once. I'll do it again and take a second blade from you! [The shout is meant to rally himself, but if it rattles Gilgamesh that's just a bonus. Gladio punctuates his shout with another Saint Cross spell, and prays to the Astrals from home that it hits this time.]

[sonoftenebrae]

[When the dog growls, Ravus growls back, furious. This ugly, hulking beast and his daemonic master think they can ruin his afternoon? Absolutely not!

He throws up his magitek arm as a shield against those snapping jaws, seeking to Counter the attack with a punch from his right hand. As it circles, he is not above kicking it too. It will be hard to kill without a blade or the enhanced strength Verstael's limb had given him, but he can at least keep it from interfering with the fight between Gladio and the swordsman.]

[eternitynpc]

[ At the very least, Ravus is doing an excellent job keeping Enkidu from interefering in the duel. The green dog closes his teeth around Ravus's magitek arm and gnaws at it as if it were some luxurious bone. Of course he has no chance of breaking it, but that didn't stop the dog from clinging onto the arm while trying to claw at the man.

Truly, an epic battle.

Meanwhile, Gilgamesh is focused on his opponent. ]

Finally! A challenger worthy of fighting me!

[ The spell hits home indeed this time and causes Gilgamesh to step backward into an autonomous Magitek Armor AI prototype. The armor starts up but nothing much happens... For now, though Gladio and Ravus will be able to see it's booting up.

Gilgamesh leaps forward at Gladiolus, all eight arms moving at once in an attempt to attack. ]

[hashtagdaddy]

Worthy of defeating you! [He snarls at Gilgamesh as he looks around for potential weapons to throw to Ravus. Gladio wants to attack the Demigod again, but knows that until Ravus gets a weapon the dog will have the advantage in their fight.

So he grits his teeth and prepares for one hell of a dodge-and-parry as he casts Rampart on himself and on Ravus. He hopes the defense boost helps both of them.]

Ravus - the armor!

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus' eyes fix on the armor as Gladio shouts. It's different from the MT of the Niflheim Army, so he's not sure what it will do, but he doesn't want to find out in the middle of this museum.

He pivots his body and jerks his arm around, trying to fling the dog clinging to his metal limb at the armor prototype to knock it off-balance.]

[eternitynpc]

[ The Magitek Armor starts rumbling and activates ere long, taking a few steps forward and targeting the battle— Though it's hard to say whether the Armor is targeting Gladio or Gilgamesh.

Having his back turned to the armor, Gilgamesh doesn't notice anything and instead stares at Gladio disappointingly, even as the armor closes in dangerously on them. Ravus and Gladio may notice a red dot is now projected on Gilgamesh's back from the armor. ]

Is that it?! Bah! You are not even worthy of fighting upon the same battlefield as I!

[hashtagdaddy]

[During one of his side-steps, Gladio notices a red dot on his opponent's back and makes a note to get out of it's trajectory. He's grateful that Ravus seems to have a handle on fending off the dog because that means he can focus on Gilgamesh.]

Heh, you want more? [Gladio puts all his strength into a Shock Break meant for all eight of Gilgamesh's arms (or at least for most of them). While he knows the Saint Cross spell could potentially do more damage, with a physical attack Gladio can better ensure he doesn't hit the armor and possibly make it target him.]

Take that!

[sonoftenebrae]

[Still wrestling with the damned dog, Ravus' eyes dart from the charging armor to Gilgamesh, then onward to Gladio and the area around them. He scans to make sure no one else beyond their makeshift battlefield is within the path of any potential MT attack. It seems clear. With that confirmed, he returns to his fight with the swordsman's beast.]

That this, mongrel!

[He is not sure how well it will work without a sword, but Ravus attempts to channel his newly learned Oblivion skill into the punch he aims at the dog's muscled flank.]

[eternitynpc]

Finally!

[ Rather than look pained at Gladio's attack, Gilgamesh appears to be very pleased that the attack connected and did hurt him. But then he raises all eight swords at once—

In the meantime, Enkidu is pushed back and slams into Gilgamesh... At the same time than the Magitek Armor rushes forward and prepares for its attack. ]

Enkidu? What is the mea—

[ Before Gilgamesh can conclude its sentence, the Magitek Armor kicks at him, sending both Gilgamesh and the dog falling through the ceiling... And disappearing into the sky with a little star as a "I'll be back" can be heard in the distance. The Magitek Armor then crumbles down, seemingly having exhausted its energy.

It might take some explaining to the museum's curator to explain the destroyed Magitek Armor and the hole in the ceiling. On the bright side Gilgamesh failed to steal the magitek sword! And another one fell from his lot.

You get:

x1 Ramza's Sword ]