First Annual Versian Winter Arcana Festival (Vers, Open to all)

[Fish Stick]

Timestamp: Brightening 1, in the Month of Kalendryas, in the Season of Winter, Era 1 of the Celestial Mandate, Era XV PF

The first day of winter came, and with it, a cool chill down the spines of the Versians. Two Master Elementalist playing in their school managed to create a freak snowstorm that lasted about ten minutes but managed to cover the ground with about a foot of snow, almost as if it had been dropped there by a real snowstorm over night. This would be the setting of the first Annual Winter Arcana Festival.

By tricks of mysticism, lights appeared all over the city, lining every building, and turning everything into a spectacular sight. The war may have raged on around Vers, but the mages were quite content that they would not have to worry about any orcs invading the lands while they were there. As the council had decided, it’s best to let the people have a good time, even if there was a war going on; the Thane’s idea of course.

After the mystics put up the lights, they went to the central square, and created a huge display of illusory artwork. People could see the central display how they wanted it, and no person would see it the same. It reflected its image off of a person’s inner being. As this finished, it was announced that the newly Annual Winter Festival was starting, and for every mage to either set up their booths for sales of charms and other arcane items they may have created, or for anyone to sell and buy things.

A series of events were also being held, and were listed upon flyers that birds flew to every house, thanks to the druids. Ikomancers even had they part in casting runes that would give the city of Vers good luck in not being attacked by the Orcs during the festival that would run throughout the month of Kalendryas. Every mage in the city seemed to have a part in making it a grand opening of the festival, and it was grand indeed. A band from Imaden was playing in the huge central square, and there were many people dancing, as well as drinking fine wines.

Depending on the day, there seemed to be a different event happening, and the schedule was laid out as so:

Kalendryas 1: Opening Ceremony of the Winter Arcana Festival.

Kalendryas 5: Sign ups for the Arcana Tournament are open (Inquire for more information).

Kalendryas 10: Sign ups for the Arcana Tournament are closed.

Kalendryas 15: Sign ups for the Elemental Trials are open (Inquire for more information).

Kalendryas 20: Sign ups for the Elemental Trials are closed.

Kalendryas 21: Sign ups for the Arcana Talent show are open (Inquire for more information).

Kalendryas 24:Sign ups for the Arcana Talent show are closed.

Kalendryas 25: Apprentice Duels start.

Kalendryas 27: Initiate and Apprentice Talent Show.

Kalendryas 30: Adept Duels start.

Kalendryas 33: Adept and Master Talent Show.

Kalendryas 35: Master Duels start.

Kalendryas 37: Archmage Talent Show.

Kalendryas 40: Elemental Trials Start.

Kalendryas 49: Winter Arcana Festival Ball at Imaden School of Arcana.

Kalendryas 50: Closing Ceremony of the Winter Arcana Festival.

Two large booths where set up in the middle near the Inner Self Imagination Display; one of them reading loudly Arcana Tournament Sign Ups, and the other reading Elemental Trial Sign Ups. If anyone was at all interested in either of the events, all they needed to do was inquire with the elf named Ve’sli for the Arcana Tournament, or the Human named Erik for the Elemental Trials. There was also a smaller booth set up for people wishing to come to the Winter Arcana Festival Ball at the Imaden School of Arcana. A small fee sign said 200 crowns admission, all funds go towards a new expansion on the School of Arcana specifically designed for Ikos and Song.

OOC: Just so you guys know, as i think of more events throughout the season, i'll be posting changes to the scedule here, so keep checking to see if there are new events!!!

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Kalendryas 10


He tapped his foot and scanned through the list.

Apprentice Duels. No.

Journeyman Duels? No, afraid not.

Master Duels? Feth it…no.

And so that left him with a rather limited selection. Limited being the understatement of the day, considering the only thing left was the Elemental Trials. Strangely enough, however, and as luck would have it – those happened to be right up his alley. He pursed his lips and chuckled under his breath.

Walking up was the easy part. Volunteering his services while trying to be discreet, well, that was something all together a bit different. Idly, he wondered what Heronythys would think of him – volunteering to regulate an insipid display of arcana for the enjoyment of others. How could Erenthril justify this? He was, of course, interested – and he did, of course, enjoy it. Much like any other normal eating drinking human male would. Magical duels were something of a classic in the loose terms of entertainment. But in all reality? It was just a honcho display of egotistical prowess. Who wanted the blazing guns of glory, etcetera etcetera.

Turning towards the Elf with the funny name, Erenthril eyed her up and down for a moment before pulling out a wad of bank-notes and handing them to her. “I’d like to come to the Winter Ball on the 40th – and also, could you tell me a little more of your alleged Arcana Tournament?” he asked casually, which probably turned out horribly awkward for him, as his eyes shifted uneasily from the Elf woman to the others around her. He gulped.

[Fish Stick]

The ball happens to be the 49th, and it is 200 crowns if you will," said the elf. "As for the tournament, what exactly is your rank in Arcana? We are looking for Masters and Archmages to monitor the tournaments, or to participate, if you're a master... or an adept or apprentice... Basically each class will be dueling, safely of course, with members of their own spheres, that's the jist of it..."

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

Erenthril listened to the Elf’s words for a moment before a small flush of color overcame his cheeks. They did indeed need to know his rank. What else had he been expecting? A free ride? To waltz in? Pffft.

It struck him, though, as highly unusual and rather insipid that the first person on Telath to know his true power, to be the first to hear him declare himself as what he was – beyond a Golden Dragon and a few Elemental Scions that didn’t inhabit this plane – was going to be some complete and random stranger he’d never even seen before at some paltry sign-up booth for an Arcana tournament. He had to grin at that.

“I’m an Archmage,” he glanced up and looked at her. Would she ask for proof? Validation? She’d probably be able to see his vis reserves if she was a mage herself, which could be enough of a hint considering his probably overlapped hers at least a decent ten times over if she was anything less than a Master, but…well? This was indeed somewhat awkward.

Horribly awkward.

[Fish Stick]

She looked at him, and her mouth dropped open as he said he was an Archmage. Crazy was the word for it, if he was claiming it, he'd have to prove it. She herself was an adept. Reaching into her clara, she looked to see his Vis reserves, and was blown out of her Clara as she was so stunned by their magnitudes. Holding up one finger, she said, "W... wait here, let me go get Master Sirus..." Stammering to herself a bit, she ran off, and left the poor elven archmage standing there with no attendant.

A few minutes later, she returned with a taller man, albeit he looked younger than the adept. Sirus was always within his Clara as he had his staff of arcana next to him, and kept himself in Clara so as to always be able to experiment with anything that might happen around him. He was a Master of mysticism, and quite capable as well, and although he knew about Archmages, he never knew any of them personally. Making his way towards the elvish lord, he turned his head, and ran his hand through his black short cropped hair as he usually did when he was astonished by something. "You can go now..." he said towards the woman whom had brought him. Turning his head towards Erenthril, he then said, "My apologies, Ve'sli is a bit stunned since she's never really believed in the existance of archmages, seeing as how rare they are amongst the general populace... But it is amazing that Vers is finally blessed to have one within the city walls. My name is Sirus, i'm a Master Mystic, one of the ones who created the Elemental Trials. And I'll also be over seeing portions of the tournament, mainly the apprentice, and journeyman mysticism tournaments. What might i call you by, my lord?" The last part was a show or respect for the higher power within their sights...

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

“I understand, thank you,” he murmured quietly as his cheeks flushed scarlet red in sheer embarrassment for the attention he was bound to attract now – after all, how often did the planners and receptionists of entire festivals sprint off in a mad fury dashing for the nearest master they could find? He rubbed the back of his neck a little sheepishly and averted the gazes of the crowd around them, struggling hard to cope with the fact he’d drawn attention to himself in the most blatant way possible.

He watched warily as the Master Mystic made his way towards him with the young Elf maiden whom had previously ran away in disbelief. He didn’t like Mystics much – not that he didn’t appreciate their talents, of course, but rather the fact that all the Mystcs he’d known personally were rather…well, bigot-ish and quite keen on abusing some of their power. Same could be said for the sorcerers he’d encountered as well, but that was a vain point. “Well met Master Sirus,” he spoke, holding out his hand for a formal greeting before clasping it with the other. A small smile played his lips. “I’m Erenthril Mael’tharias from -…well, all over. I didn’t realize you were the one in charge here, otherwise I might have asked for an audience instead of drawing all this unnecessary attention,” he grinned a bit more, hoping the man would find the joke somewhat amusing. Probably not.

“I was actually just interested in overseeing your Master duels – I figured it would be safer for the rest of the province, if not the city itself, to have someone a notch above whom could actually react in time if certain individuals needed saving,” he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

[Fish Stick]

Master Sirus laughed at Erenthril's comment, and then replied, "Well, being who you are, you are bound to get unnecessary attention, my lord. It would be good if we took this discussion to a less public place, granted, i am aware of reasons as to why one as yourself might have come to our city, although, i could be wrong in saying you are here because it's an arcana festival, and there is a masters tournament that you'd like to oversee..."

After Erenthril said that there was a tournament he'd like to over see, the mystic said, "Ha, I was right, and i didn't even have to read your mind... I was hoping that some random archmage might appear at our doorstep to help out..." Grinning a bit as they walked through the brightly lit streets, he looked at the decorations for a moment. "So, did you see our centerpiece in the square? Tell me what do you think of it?" he asked.

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

“Not if I can help it,” he mumbled quietly to himself in response to Sirus’ first comment; Erenthril wasn’t looking for flame or glory, at least not in the spotlight. If becoming an Archmage meant he was going to go down in history, he wanted it to be subtle, not brazen or flamboyant. Sighing quietly as they began their walk, Erenthril shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck as he usually did when in quiet contemplation of things around him. “Yes, I’d like to help oversee the other Masters. Are you yourself competing?” it was a logical question, and one that begged preparation on the Syl’rosyian Elflord’s part if there were indeed Mystics competing. The guile and illusionary tactics that often accompanied their arts meant he’d have to be a bit more on his toes than usual if he meant to recognize any of the spells cast and anticipate their effects.

It wasn’t an easy task for any Archmage.

He chuckled laughter at Sirus’ last question. “Yes, I think the design was a nice touch. Granted, I didn’t spend long examining how you enchanted the tree – so perhaps a quick run-through would be nice. I only just arrived,” he shrugged; to be honest he hadn’t analyzed the tree too carefully. The large weeping willow that towered over his entire frame was something he’d only glimpsed at, recognizing its arcanic properties but too busy concentrating on the Elfin receptionist to pay them much mind. An explanation would obviously clear things up had Eren taken the time to scrutinize, but he hadn’t, and thus was…well, rather unawares.

[Fish Stick]

"Well, bascially it is an Illusion enchantment that divines itself into people's minds to create images of what they would like to see. Either that, or in some cases it goes a little astray, and shows people what's on the inside of their hearts or minds..." the Master said, his young face breeching a soft stare into the winter's skies beyond their sights. "It was an intelligent design, and took two masters, and a few adepts testing it to make it work correctly, even though it sometimes goes astray, it works almost perfectly still... perhaps it might show what on the inside of your heart at some point of you glimpsing at it..."

Looking up towards the elf, being a hair shy of the elf's eyes, he then said, "So, you do have interest in Monitoring the master tournament? I myself will be participating, so i've yet to find out who my opponent is, but i will try not to do anything too fancy, best save that for the talent show. Although, if need be to win, i do have some tricks up my sleeves..." Upon mentioning sleeves, he crossed his arms a bit so that he could warm his green gloved hands in his dark green tunic...

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

“Ah, I see, well…I guess that’s why my perception of it took the shape of a tree, then. Very clever,” he remarked idly, fumbling with the cuffs of his sleeves as the pair walked – well, Eren mostly followed Sirus’ lead, given he had no idea where they were off to – but walked they did. He cast a wry look over at the Master Mystic and the comment about tricks, a small rueful grin playing his features as he considered just what the man opposite of him was capable of. Beguiling the audience into thinking he’d won? Certainly not beyond the realm of possibilities. Erenthril himself laughed a bit.

“Well, yes, I was quite interested. But I don’t think I’d be able to do it on my own – you could most certainly help. Any spell nullify enchantments that could be set up around the arena to be activated on my command would certainly be useful for quick reflex solutions to anything beyond the masters’ abilities to control,” Erenthril suggested, knowing Sirus was fully capable of making such enchantments, it was just a question of whether or not he saw the validity in them.

Eren most certainly did.

[Fish Stick]

"I certainly wouldn't mind doing that, my lord. The master tournaments are quite far away, a few cycles in fact, so that should give me ample time to set up the enchantments. Since i'm participating, i'll even bring another master or two to watch, and make sure i'm doing it right, so that there is no unfair advantage..." he said, sounding as honest as possible, and being completely honest with his intentions. Not everyone trusted mystics, since they played with the minds of people sometimes, the bad ones anyways, so Sirus wanted to make a good impression with the Archmage that walked next to him.

After a few moments, they reached a rather large building, which had wings on either side. Some people could be seen entering and exiting the building, and it looked as though it was some form of teaching facility. "Welcome to the Imaden Academy of Arcane Arts." he stated as they arrived through the doorway of the entrance. "We can speak more kosherly in my office if you don't mind..." he said, and then walked with Erenthril til they found their way into an office with a tag on the doorway that read, Master Mystic, Sirus Blon. Sirus took a seat from behind his desk, and offered one to Erenthril infront of him. "Can i get you anything to drink?" he asked politely...

[Erenthril Mael'tharias]

“Good…good. Set up two of the enchantments in small totems upon either side of the arena, then another for myself to carry seeing as I’ll be walking around on the outside perimeter of the two duelists. If you could enchant the spell with a Master spell’s amount of Vis, I believe that will be enough to dissuade any large spells that could get out of control,” he rationalized for a moment, stroking his chin in consideration. Three Master Spell Nullifies combined had the power of an archmage spell…roughly…and that would hopefully be more than enough to prevent anything from getting out of hand. With the location of the two enchantments upon either end of the arena, depending upon how much time Eren had – and of course, it was only a matter of one second to thirty seconds given the only liability he had in reading the spells was his own recognition of the pattern thereof and his ability to activate it while they shaped – he’d be able to do it in time. In truth, he wasn’t as worried about Sirus and his abilities of subterfuge as he was of two combating sorcerers or elementalists and their capabilities for swift destruction.

They approached the Imaden Academy, and Eren felt a chill run up his spine. This was it. This was where Julos had no doubt learned, perhaps even taught. The source of the usurper’s power.

As they entered the office, Erenthril cracked the door behind him and took the offered seat in front of the Master Mage’s desk, his arms coming up gracefully to prop themselves on the armchairs. “No thank you, I’m fine,” he smiled cordially, hands folding into his lap as he glanced over the Mystic opposite of him. “Nice office,” he commented with a bit of a grin.

[Xyltha Thanole]

Mid Kalendryas, Winter, Era I, PF XV

The little elf knew he was out of his depths the moment he arrived. Everyone here moved with purpose, as if knowing where they had to go, what they had to do. Everyone, that is, except Xyltha. He knew he should have asked for directions at the gate. Thus it was with such relief that he spied the booths, that he hastily made a beeline for it, assuming that it was there he would be able to gain some information about the goings on. After all, nothing in the Herald gave much detail on how to sign up and such once one arrived in Vers.

Noticing one booth staffed by a fellow elf, he decided to head for the Arcane Tournament booth. Surely another elf would help their fellow brethren in need.

"Serale, I'm Xyltha. I've come for the Versian Winter Festival, as you probably guess. I'm a bit lost. I just arrived in town recently, so I don't know much about what's happening. Is there anything I can participate in? I'm an Initiate-level Sorceror, having studied at the Arcane Rainbow Towers in Nexius Prime."

[Fish Stick]

"Well, there is the Initiate Talent Show, where you can practice the spells you've learned, and show them off to other Initiates. There is the Elemental Trials, where you can delve into a land of Adventure within your mind. And there is also the Ball, which we are using to raise money for a new wing of the school devoted to Ikos and Bardism... since they really don't have much room and are sharing all of the other classrooms right now. About the only thing you won't be able to participate in is the tournament, but you can watch it if you'd like..." said the attendent that Xyltha spoke with...

[Xyltha Thanole]

Xyltha mused at the options available to him.

Aww... there's no tournaments for Initiates. But at least I can show off my skills in the Talent Show. I wonder how the other Initiates are like.

Turning his attention back to the elf receptionist, he ventured a questioned.

"Would I be able to participate in the Talent show then? How do I sign up?"

He was eager to see what the other initiates were capable of, and especially those in other spheres. So far, he had little knowledge of what other arcane practitioners were capable of, even those within his own Sphere, beyond that of Initiate level magicks. This Festival would turn out to be a real eye-opener indeed.