December Event - To All a Good Night

[pumpkinhollow]

To All a Good Night

Givingstide

Winter is hard for everyone, but none more so than the residents of an island that has been isolated by the cruel hands of fate. Where the rest of the Emerald Isles is able to rely on imports from other nations in warmer places, Marrow Isle has no resources but her own. All the while, her mettle continues to be tested against the horrors brought on by the curse.

It is for this reason that among all the holidays celebrated by the Mothers' children, Givingstide is particularly beloved. A warm and cozy festival based around wishing each other prosperity and love in the new year, the lengthening of days, embracing generosity even in the lean times, and celebrating the fact that the darkest part of the year is coming to an end.

The fireplace is lit at the Oak & Iron. A wreath of pine boughs hangs over the merry blaze, paper horses and snowflakes decorate the walls, and a table in the center of the room has been done up to look like a silver sleigh. As people file in, hot food and warm drinks begin coming out of the kitchen and bar, and gifts begin piling up on the sleigh table. (Ultimately, a fair amount of them end up on the floor around it.) Everyone greets each other warmly with hearty handshakes, firm hugs, and wishes of a blessed Givingstide. Perhaps if you have a clever eye, you may even see a horned figure drinking hot cocoa in the corner harmlessly, enjoying the atmosphere of good will and keeping watch over the party to prevent any troublemakers. And for once, just once, for the first time in so long on this frightful, forsaken island, there is true peace.

[ Enter the Tavern. ]

The tavern is warm. Orange firelight flickers, as if dancing with the shadows. Decorations of shimmering silver and hunter green, the colors of Givingstide, adorn the dark wood decor of the Oak & Iron. The stucco and timber walls of the dining hall safeguard those within from the bitter wind and snow. It's no Leeds gala--- the food is simple, but it is beautifully made. Roasted chicken, potatoes, onion soup, and fresh-baked bread. Slices of pumpkin pie are passed around for dessert. Hot cider with or without alcohol, mulled wine, coffee, and spiced tea are served with the meal. It isn't glamorous, but it's made with love and tastes like coming home somehow.

As dinner carries on, music begins to be played from the tavern stage, and Mayor Poe has Yorick assist her in doling out the gifts from the table. They read the tags and summon the recipients to the table to recieve them. You can open yours right there or at your table, and decide for yourself whether you care to announce the name of the giver to the room.

Once the gifts are distributed, the partygoers are left to their own devices, allowed time to laugh with friends, dance to music, drink to their hearts' content, sneak off to while away a private moment in one of the inn's sitting rooms, or head home for an early night. Regardless of your choice, let it be with a loved one. A friend, a partner, a member of your newfound family. Blessed Givingstide, and may your lantern ever stay lit.

gifts and vouchers

Some important information regarding gift-giving and vouchers can be found below.

[ Review. ]

Gifts can be purchased using your own Brass, or via the holiday bazaar vouchers found in our December TDM. If you haven't taken the trivia quiz on the TDM, you still can! You can take it for each character or just once and give all your characters the same voucher.

For simplicity's sake for both our mods and our players, we will allow you to decide for yourselves the prices of your items so long as they are reasonable. You can use other purchase requests in the bank as a reference or simply decide on a price you believe is fair based on your experience. You do not have to list prices. We will trust you to make fair decisions! If you're still unsure how much an item ought to cost, feel free to ask us in the question thread on this post, but in the spirit of the holiday season (both real and fictional) we would rather allow your characters to get gifts for all their loved ones than worry too much about financials. Perhaps your character is simply a very good bargain hunter!

As a slight aside, we would love to thank each and every one of you for being a part of making Pumpkin Hollow amazing this year. We truly could not ask for a better group of players and are extremely grateful to have met all of you delightful, creative, talented, funny, incredible people. We hope you had a great holiday season, whatever that looks like for you, and we're so honored to greet the new year with this fantastic community!

Hand in hand, we put the darkness to our backs and step into the light. Rejoice, spring cometh.

Comments

[itsjustabaddream]

"Yes, I enchanted it myself! This is something I've been working on for a while now. It's important to me that the people I care for are safe, after all. This is a good first step."

Neil accepts the box graciously, light surprise on his face at the weight, and looks utterly delighted when he opens it. A level of excitement only a complete nerd would reach upon opening a kit of fancy pens. "Mary, these are lovely!" He lifts the red and black one to inspect it. "Oh, I just love this color, as well. These are splendid quality! This was very thoughtful, thank you!"

[i_didnt_mean_to]

"That's amazing!" Mary replies. She touches the pendant again. "There aren't many people who work with magic in my world. And I doubt any of them would use it to help me directly. This is really special to me."

She smiles at him, and that smile gets brighter when he gets that excited, happy look on his face. She's glad that he likes his gift, and feels compelled to explain...

"I don't have a lot of friends. And you know that. But it means that I treasure the ones I do have... so, now you also know that you're my friend, and you have a reminder."

He has a reminder just like she does, with her beautiful protective charm.

Drags my late ass back in here oops

[itsjustabaddream]

"...Oh, Mary, that's lovely." He smiles softly, turning one of the pens in his hand. "You know, I also found myself strapped for friendship before you all started arriving. And yet, now I have Jon, Annabel Lee, Zelda, Jean--- and now you. I've never felt so connected. I hope that's beginning to happen for you, too."

[i_didnt_mean_to]

{I can't complain when 1, I get more Neil and 2, guilty of being a late tagger myself.}

"Jean is a friend of mine as well. And Gerry Keay, of course. Some of the others I'm not sure about... Tarantulas and I had an interesting start. He thought I was a child... but! I managed to keep my temper. And it turns out we needed to work together for the radio project that Agent Jean assigned me."

She gives a little sigh, shakes her head, and confides, "And I think Dahlia Leeds might be trying to bribe me with a pony? Her brother's pony... you know, to help me get around. If I accept, it'd mostly be because I feel sorry for the poor animal not getting enough exercise as things stand."

Mary's explanation of the situation may be tailored to her audience. She is pretty good at playing to audience expectations.

[itsjustabaddream]

Neil's expression sours at the mention of Dahlia.

"Ah. Well, I'm sure I make no secret of the fact that Miss Leeds is not someone I care much for. I personally believe she's a financial drain on this town. Her family's assets are where money goes to die. She also played a role in ruining my reputation, among other things." He scowls--- a strange expression on a face that is usually so measured. "But. I can affirm that her late brother Jonah had dwarfism and was an extremely active man. He commissioned all manner of accessibility items so that he could go out adventuring. Mountain climbing, hunting, sailing, things like that. If Miss Leeds wishes you to inherit such things, I can't rightly suggest declining. Just keep information close to your chest."

[i_didnt_mean_to]

She does look upset on Neil's behalf when he mentions that Dahlia helped ruin his reputation, and reaches out to touch one of his hands. Mary says seriously, "She's no friend of mine, if she hurt you like that. I won't tell her anything important. Like I said, I got the impression that she was trying to bribe me, and I already told her I might not accept."