OPEN: Satinalia

[faderifting]

WHO: Everyone
WHAT: SATINALIA
WHEN: Firstfall 1
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: Party hard, use content warnings, move explicit content to inboxes.

Named for Satina, the smaller of Thedas' two moons, Satinalia is a celebration of freedom, marked by wild celebration, pranks, the donning of costumes and masks -- not the fine, delicate masks of Orlais, but animals and caricatures and playful horrors -- and the exchange of gifts both sincere and satirical.

There is no party at the Gallows, but those who can be spared on Satinalia may be given the night off to join Kirkwall's celebration, which spans the entire city and will take several days to peter out. Hightown plays host to lavish balls—but you'll need an invitation, and the unlucky guards posted at the stairs leading into the nobles' district are especially on guard for mischief-makers. There's no such crackdown in Lowtown, where masked revelers spill out of taverns and into the streets, often bringing barrels of ale along with them. Even Darktown gets involved, in its own way: anyone who can afford a celebration goes to Lowtown, but some of the roving bands of thieves in the tunnels don animal masks for the occasion.

And near the docks, enterprising children draped in white cloth are selling admission to a "haunted" warehouse for one copper. Adorable—except that some of the partiers exiting seem genuinely terrified, with one unfortunate man even having wet himself. Taking the children up on their offer will reveal that they have a genuine haunting on their hands. Doors slam, objects fly, footsteps appear in the dirt floor. There's laughter at the edge of hearing and movement on the edge of vision, and brief snatches of a sea shanty sung in a monotone. Make a hasty exit, or try to find the source.

Comments

[el_tybs]

Sam sighs and gives James a shove in the arm. "Not 'yet to be' - you're working on that." The actual status of 'taken' and 'not taken' is not what he's getting at here, James.

"All I'm saying is that right now it's just us, give the lady a nice smile, try to have a little holiday spirit, and maybe she'll have something better on the rack for you to drink."

[judgemewhole]

"... I am working on that." He sucked in a breath, looking around again. "....but yes, I suppose I can manage one smile at least. For something good off the rack."

[el_tybs]

"Course you'll have to be the judge on whether it's 'good off the rack'. I suck at wines." Still not a wine drinker at all, so sorry James, can't really leave it up to him to know that.

[judgemewhole]

"Trust me, I shall taste as I can." He smirked as he ambled on behind him, his walk slow and considered.

[el_tybs]

Sam nods at that. "You have my complete trust." There's a moments pause as he works out continuing to walk, but bending over to Interceptor. "And what about you? I take it wine isn't your thing either, right?"

[judgemewhole]

"Good. When it comes to this, I am a master." Interceptor woofed an agreement, as James smirked an arched an eyebrow. "In fact. I prefer wine, my friend. And I have a remarkable palate."

[el_tybs]

There's a moment where all Sam does is stare with a raised brow at James, working out what he just said. After a moment it seems to click that the man was 'interpenetrating' for Interceptor.

"Well aren't you two fancy."

[judgemewhole]

James bowed from the waist, and in response, Interceptor tipped his large head down, and let his tongue hang our cheerfully at Sam. "We thank you, sir."

[el_tybs]

"And a couple of show offs," he adds, shaking his at the two of them. At this point a bunch of people around them had stopped to look at what was going on.

[judgemewhole]

"We do go with our strengths." He smirked slightly, walking along with Interceptor dancing around Sam with a little sass in his doggy sway. See? They are both Super Fancy.

[el_tybs]

"Especially this one," he mutters, watching how Interceptor has a bit of bounce in his step. At least it looked like James was having a better time.

[judgemewhole]

He was, now that he had the feeling of ... doing something instead of wandering alone all by himself.