SATINALIA

[incaenstrix]

WHO: Everybody!!
WHAT: SATINALIA!!
WHEN: Backdated to the first day of Firstfall
WHERE: Gallows courtyard
NOTES: Drunkenness and shenanigans. HALLOWEENMAS!!

This Satinalia is, perhaps, less grand than in years past. Blockades are still limiting access to luxury goods, after all, so the fine liquors and dainty foods that have been featured before are nowhere to be found. And Tertia, the temporary Morale Officer, doesn't have the connections or deft touch of organizers past, so things are rougher than they've been before - the musicians are less polished, the ale a little more watered-down, the decorations somewhat haphazard.

But you know what? It's still Satinalia. Nothing can really screw up Satinalia. Especially because there are some rather lovely touches, the best of which might well be the ice skating rink. A section of the Gallows Courtyard has been roped off and frozen over with magic, leaving a (largely) smooth sheet of ice covering it. Skates are available to borrow if you don't have a pair. Of course, some injuries are definitely going to result (if you skate off the edge, you're smacking into stone instead of a soft snowbank, which can be disastrous), but hey, it's fun.

Other perks are the bonfires, with mulled wine and cider being served out of cauldrons around them, where people might sit and reflect while watching the flame. There's also dancing, of course, with the musicians basically being any band that's been recommended by members of Riftwatch - so there are lots of half-competent cousins-of-friends playing here. What they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm; this is the first gig for a lot of them, and they're thrilled to be here.

One thing that's missing is the Satinalia fool being named ruler. Tertia wasn't familiar with this tradition and didn't arrange it - so there's a last-minute campaign being held, in which people can either nominate others or self-nominate to be named Riftwatch's greatest fool to be celebrated.

Enjoy yourself. Exchange presents. Get drunk. Have a blast. Don't lose any teeth.

Comments

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"A contact number," Jude says with a smile, recognizing one of the men of Thedas, native to this world. Strange, how most Rifters seem to know a lot of the same things. Maybe they're what this world would have been without magic.

"Like our crystals, but without magic. Each person has their unique contact code, and you dial it to reach them."

[thereneverwas]

Barrow considers this a moment as he chews a piece of cheese, and looks not all that convinced by the notion.

"But," he says, after swallowing, "why bother with remembering a number, if you can just say their name?"

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"There are enough people in the world that someone else might have the same name."

Which isn't all of the answer, but it does get him thinking.

[thereneverwas]

Falling silent for a time, Barrow considers this angle with far more concentration than Jude probably intended. Do people in Thedas not double up on names sometimes? What if two people with the same name both had sending crystals?

He's not sure how he feels about this. It results in a funny look at Jude, whose fault it is for making him think about the larger cosmic picture.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"Can honestly say I've never met another Obeisance Barrow," Jude says, lowering his voice just a tad and lifting his eyebrows at him.

"Or Jude Adjei, for that matter."

[thereneverwas]

Gritting his teeth in a playful wince, Barrow shakes his head. "Not so loud, people will remember," he insists, leaning conspiratorially toward Jude. "Any sensible Barrow would avoid going by his first name."
At least if his first name is Obeisance, which is the moral of the story here.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"Terrible options for a nickname too," Jude answers, leaning in to put their heads together. Planning, the two of them.

"Especially with Queen Bey not being a thing here."

[thereneverwas]

"It's true." Barrow sighs through his nose. "A few have tried, none have succeeded." Mostly because he wouldn't let them, but,

"Queen Bee?"

[foolsmakeitcolder]

Don't challenge him, motherfucker.

"Beyonce," Jude says with a nod. "One of the greatest artists of our age."

[thereneverwas]

"That's got a nice ring to it." Almost Orlesian, except Jude obviously isn't from Orlais.

"Long live the Queen, then."