Event: Midwinter Celebration

[Seya]

Midwinter is here, spread the cheer!

[smear:17C8FF]Welcome to the Midwinter Gathering, where both sins and virtues put aside their differences (even in times when we're not usually peaceful) and celebrate the wonderful eve of Midwinter! With the passing of gifts and good cheer, everyone deserves to have the best of times.

Everyone who participates in Midwinter will receive a gift from the admins! Many of you may recognize this passing of gifts as a 'Secret Santa', and while there are no winners or losers in this event, we encourage you to have fun!

Each player may enter one character. On Midwinter Eve (Dec 31st), Seya will sort the names and assign players their gift-target. Then you must write up a short explanation of the gift you gave that character and why, or otherwise draw a picture (for those of you who would prefer that!).

As said before, all players interested will receive something special!!

Sign up below![/smear:006FB8]

[Sean]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Addiction ftw

[Semper Victor]

Inquiry wants in Apparently none of the rest of my charries are overly festive.

[DespicableZee❀]

Gea is innnnnnn

[RedDetRevolver]

Yay for modesty getting to go overboard on wrapping!!

[blackjackal00]

Malice asks: what is this wrap, and how does he present?

[Logan/Lohloh]

BAH I WANT BUT I DIDN'T GET BACK TILL TODAY D': Fort is disappointed

[Seya]

It's okay, I gave it an extra day. XD I'll PM people soon as to who they are to be Santa for.

[Seya]

Still waiting on Inquiry, Malice, and Modesty to submit something. The entries are great.

[Seya]

Okay! Finally got all of the presents in! We'll start with Addiction.

Addiction was the Secret Santa of Vengeance!

SPOILER: Click to show

He found her a beautiful jeweled bracelet while browsing in town one day, and its sea-like hues reminded him of her. Happy midwinter!

Vengeance was the Secret Santa of Fortitude!

SPOILER: Click to show

Gea got Fortitude, her now partner, a slight-larger-than-life-sized welcome sign for their pub. She actually thought hard about it, and really did put in effort to preserve the ice sculpture and actually painted over it. Proudly, she lead Fortitude to the present, and unveiled it with a big grin. Surely he'll like it? She did work so hard on it after all..

Fortitude was the Secret Santa of Malice!

SPOILER: Click to show

Malice. Fortitude sat on the bed above the Noble Kvair and looked down upon the gift he had gotten Malice for the Midwinter Celebration. I only may hope that this gift in which I have crafted be sufficient to bring cheer to him on this Holiday season. Fortitude had witnessed Malice in his bar on several occasions. He heard many stories of his feats and accomplishments, from his own mouth of course, and he attempted to separate the drunken gloating from the truth wherever possible.

One thing that Fortitude noticed was that Malice seemed to be victim to treachery on many occasions. Many times he had heard tales of those that betrayed Malice and the rest of the Sins as a whole. It was this that inspired Fortitude for his gift idea.

The gift to Malice was laying in a box in front of Fortitude. The box was made of oak, and had a golden latch to shut it. Carvings of Jackals adorned the box, each with a double ended dagger clenched in its mouth. Fortitude had watched carefully for the past week or so, trying to catch every minute detail in these animals, and now he believed that he had a fairly accurate reproduction of them. Fortitude's gift consisted of two parts. At the bottom of the box lay a beautifully forged dirk. This was from Fortitude's own collection. It had originally found its place on the opposite wall from the fireplace, at head level, in the House. The dirk had a black leather-bound hilt and was about 12 inches long. The polished steel blade shone in the light. A filler could be seen running through the centre. Fortitude had the blade reworked slightly. The letters I.N.R.I could be seen running along the back of the blade, and the image of Malice's summon was set in the bottom of the hilt itself.

Lying on top of this blade were a pair of light leather gloves. On the back of the hands were twin jackals, as Fortitude had seen this image on Malice quite often. The gloves had no fingers so as to restrict movement minimally, and maximize control of any wielded weapon.

Fortitude closed the box and frowned. There was something missing. Striding over to the desk in the room, Fortitude grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment and began writing. When he was happy with what he had wrote, Fortitude signed the parchment, folded it, and placed it in the box. Content, Fortitude closed the box and carefully closed the lid, allowing the latch to click in place.

Fortitude's note read,

To Malice,
Many joys are wished to you for this holiday season. I extend mine own greetings as well. Inclosed you shall find two gifts, and it is hoped that you shall find them useful in times to come.

First, I bestow upon you these gloves. Crafted to minimize movement restriction, you should find that you may fight with them unhindered. This, however, is not their greatest use. Imbedded within these gloves is mine own power of essence. Because it is very difficult to instil power into such an object, I know not how often you may find use within these, but know this, these gloves shall instil you with power akin to mine own. When you channel the power within, you shall discover your strength will increase tenfold. I hope that you may use these to save your life should you be assailed by further treachery in thine life. I have hope that you shall never use these, though it does me great honour if you would use them should the need arise.

Second, you will find a dirk. I am aware that you carry a weapon with power drawn from thine element. May this blade be of use to you should your element ever fail to be within your reach. With this gift, I hope you to be defenceless in none but the most dire of consequences. May this blade serve you well in all your endeavours.

May the Midwinter times bring joy and prosperity to you and all those close to you,
-Fortitude

Pleased, Fortitude picked up the box, and began to walk to give his gift to the intended receiver.

Malice was the Secret Santa of Inquiry!

SPOILER: Click to show

Due to Malice's affinity for crafting intricately detailed and elaborately complex weapons and statues, the theme of the gift for the virtue Inquiry would follow suit. However, as he rarely makes gifts for those he distrusts it would be more of a display of skill than a simple gift. The idea of the winter festivities and such would imply an audience and he would be able to show everyone his prowess. Unfortunately he knew next to nothing regarding her traits, likes, dislikes, nor anything personal about her at all. Through several days and nights of recon and interro~ ... I mean ... information seeking he slowly uncovered a number of characteristics and mannerisms attributed to his assigned virtue including her affinity for weapons, blades in particular.

Throughout several nights more he carved and whittled away at large pieces of oak, sash, granite, and marble and placed his absolute concentration into the project. Nothing was to stop him from creating a masterpiece for the virtue that would leave them in awe. “No one will outdo this and they are going to marvel at this great gift.

On the second to last night of crafting Malice's piece was near completion, yet it was missing something ... an aspect that without it, the piece was imperfect. Obsolete. Trash. He'd never allow it to be presented without it. The gift, at it's final stages, became a puzzle for it's creator. The night spent pondering the answer, the gift untouched, and Malice thoroughly confused it was near time for the sun to rise. Upon realizing this, Malice decided to take a break and breath in some fresh air. “Sunlight should do me well and enlighten my perplexed mind.” The doors swung open and rays of sun flooded every inch of the workshop he was using. This included the six foot sculpture-like weapon he had been working on . The illuminated work of glass, wood, metal, and stone shone brilliantly and yet, while the glass reflected the light the intricate designs and moveable other pieces spread shadows across the room creating a hidden aspect of beauty that Malice had never intended nor foreseen.

The gift, as said stood six feet tall and four feet wide in the form of a dormant tree in winter. It's many crevasses left seemingly open as to imitate knots and burrow holes, however when closer inspected one would see large amounts of hidden darts and throwing knives concealed within. A trait he knew the virtue was known for in her methods (as secret as they had been kept) was known for. In the centre of the glass was a silver blade. The blade was thin as if to mimic the shape of a needle to piece through the naturally stitched cloth of an enemies flesh. The guard was plain and coloured a glossy black and ornamented with gold leafing along the edging. Lastly, at the pommel of the handle laid an inset crest of an open eye made of marble, no veins existing to blemish it's pure white visage.

Inquiry was the Secret Santa of Modesty!

SPOILER: Click to show

In the midst of her travels, Inquiry was all too aware of the onset of winter, the cooler nights and presence of snow making terrain generally more difficult to traverse, and with the onset of winter, the Midwinter Celebrations began to approach, though it very nearly slipped Inquiry’s mind. Having returned to House Eternity for a time, if only to avoid some of the cold, she found herself in the company of other Virtues for the holiday, dragging it back to the forefront of her mind, and all to soon she found she had been assigned someone for the passing of gifts, a very young Virtue (by Immortal standards) named Modesty. She had barely even met the Virtue before, and so all she knew was that the woman had made herself into some sort of a caretaker for the House, looking after the cleaning and everything. Apart from that, Inq knew nothing about her.

As a result, she found herself in more of a panicked rush than usual for the time of year, not only did she need to get a gift, she still had to figure out just what to get, and it had her utterly frazzled. At the same time, she’d been hoping to lay low this year, not wanting to encounter her brother when it was likely she’d kill him on the spot during the time of year that the Immortals weren’t at each others’ throats. All the same, if only because of tradition, she changed her mind at the last minute and was now in the mess. After a bit of curious skulking about (nothing overly crude or with any bad intentions, mind you), Inquiry found the Virtue, but in the day of following, all she gleaned was that this Virtue was carrying a rather decorative blade on her belt. It was then that it hit her: she had had a ceremonial dagger stashed away, a trinket she’d picked up long ago but had felt too protective of it to put it to any use and so she’d hidden it. Rushing up to her room, she dug out the weapon, giving it a quick polish to make sure it was in perfect condition, examining the decorative lines of gold and silver inlaid along the handle and blade, and the red gem adorning the end of the hilt. It was a beautiful weapon, one Inquiry hoped Modesty would be able to put to good use.

Modesty was the Secret Santa of Addiction!

SPOILER: Click to show

What do boys like?

Well, we be +Glub+ likin beer, boobies, and blood!

Chesserals vulgar made her blush. I don't think Addiction will be getting anything like that, especially if it involves my breasts. She was in her room at House Eternity, so she sat down at the round table which was covered in wrappings. She had made random gifts for everyone and anyone who was at the House for the week, and now she had one more to make. Addiction, its too bad I've never met you. Purity had given her a description of the man, but Modesty was still struggling with it. Apperently he likes fighting, but I'd hate to give him a violent present...

After minutes of wracking her brain for what he might like, she decided on two. The first wouldnt take much effort, but the second she was sure would take quite awhile. She found bits of leather, and sewed them into a pouch. She then found sand and dirt from the garden and then filled it up. She sewed it shut. She then sewed another two layers of leather over it. Well if he's so aggresive, hopefully he wants to learn how to control that. I hope he finds this squeeze bag useful. She morphed her arm so it had bulging muscles and gave it a squeeze, and although it looked like it might explode, the leather did not rip.

Her second idea involved her taking a day trip down to a blacksmith. She bought two metal gauntlets from him, and had him explain which parts she could take apart too keep flexibility and maneuvrability while having some protection. She returned to House Eternity, and began sewing two leather gloves. She then studded them, and began attaching the gauntlet plates she had chosen to it. Purity said he fought unarmed, so punching won't be as bad in these.

After finishing them, she tried them on herself. They felt heavy on her, but she was rather weak compared to most Immortals. She flexed her fingers and wrists, and took them off, choosing that they were probably good enough for now. Happy Midwinter Addiction!

All those who participated receive 3 aihns!! Happy Midwinter!!