⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 119 - Day 126
Where: The Summerlands
What: Ignatius and Gild portal everyone to the Summerlands, with hopes of appealing to the Summer Maiden for help. Meanwhile, the carnival gets the chance to relax in luxury as only tentatively welcome guests. Here is the location write up from the last time the carnival visited. Since then, of course, some things have changed.
Warnings: Nothing in particular.

THE SUN RISES↴ After taking the time to rest, Ignatius and Gild will be able to pool together their energy to portal the carnival (and the airship) to the Summerlands. Those still in Polaris will be left to their own devices for the moment as Gild intends to ask for the Summerlands aid in relocating them, hopefully as soon as possible. With the effort the carnival put into sorting things out in there, however, they should be fine on their own for a little while, at least. They will arrive in the flowery fields at the base of the mountains, and soon the Summer Fae will notice their presence. Since the last time they visited, however, the atmosphere has changed. ► YOUR ARRIVAL: As the Summer Fae discover the group's arrival, it will quickly become apparent that there is a tension present that wasn't there any of the other times the carnival has visited. The Summer Maiden comes to greet the group personally, with an entourage of armed Summer Fae. They are not at all aggressive unless provoked, but there is clearly a wariness that is new. They seem uncertain about Ignatius being here, and while Gild will be able to do a lot of the talking and smooth things over, the Summer Maiden will deflect having a serious conversation about affairs until the carnival has taken time to 'rest.' It's more likely that the Maiden needs a moment to think over this new information before dealing with it. ► SUMMER CITY: After the Summer Fae become aware of everyone's presence, and the initial uncertainties are accommodated, they will invite you into their city. There are stairs that lead up the sides of the mountains, but thankfully there are also magical means of getting up there as well. The Summer Fae will be willing to help workers with the injured as needed, offering herbal remedies and healing magic to those that want it. You'll also be invited to join them for dinner, but it feels like more of a formality, and no one is obligated to take them up on it. ► SUMMER PEOPLE: The fae here will do their best to entertain these new visitors - but it doesn't seem that much happens here besides day after day of peaceful meditation and relaxation. It is not uncommon to see Summer Fae spent days doing exactly the same thing, whether that be enjoying the weather, listening to music, or dancing - the day and night periods may be similar to earth, but when you don't need rest it can all blur together just the same. Some of the fae work on feats of agriculture or craftsmanship, and while there is no particularly need to work in this place, they take pride in the fact that they do. ► FAMILIAR FACES: One very different thing about the Summerlands this go around is that there appears to be a small settlement built at the base of the mountains, filled entirely with the former residents of the Manor. Alyss and Reyna will explain that they set up a place to live down there with the Summer Fae's help, and that the fae seems to be trying to remain hands off except when they are needed. The Manor folk overall seem to be doing well, though there is some tension regarding their place in the Summerlands - they are clearly seen as refugees, and while the Summer Fae do their best to help them, the arrival of the carnival and the request for even more help with refugee aid seems to be making things awkward. ► OF THINGS TO COME: The Summer Maiden will remain distant for the first few days, but according to Gild and based on personal observation, it will seem that the news that the Ringmaster has been taken and the idea that even more desperate mortals are requesting to come here are putting her at significant ill ease. She's not rude or dismissive, but she seems reluctant to address the situation head on, though she has said that she will hold a meeting with the carnival later in the week to discuss everything in more detail. None of them seem particularly angry or resentful, but they seem to regard the carnival as an ill portent of things to come.

Comments

Gon is less SpeechMan and more `MoralSupportYuuyaMan` but he tries

[betheman]

Before too much speech making really happens, Gongenzaka makes a short, but clearly disappointed remark- and if his voice wasn't enough his face sure shows it.

"From what you say to us now...indeed, from how much time has passed between our arrival, and this meeting... ...With how you act, it is almost as though you believe the Ringmaster to be dead," he rumbles, frowning. "...With who she is...with what she is capable of, for that matter, that cannot truly be the case, can it?"

For the most part beyond this, he sits out- unless it's to chime in with support on someone else's words.

[periphrasing]

Peridot latches onto this point in particular, because it's what ticks her off the most about all this. She doesn't just look disapproving, she looks angry.

"Yeah what the heck are you talking about with her fate? She just turned into an egg, like she always does whenever she gets hurt too badly! Are you seriously thinking about just leaving her in the hands of that jerk Huntsman!?"

[npcarnival]

"I don't believe she is dead, but she has strayed farther than I can reach her," the Summer Maiden says. "I had hoped that she would stay with me, but... her calling was elsewhere. And I cannot risk the Summerlands on her behalf. The ramifications of the Summerlands taking up arms against the Huntsman would be immense."

[periphrasing]

Peridot scowls and makes a scoffing noise through clenched teeth, spraying a few tiny embers in the air. "Yeah? What about the ramifications of the Huntsman getting his grimy little mitts on the Blue Rose and the Silver Mirror?"

[npcarnival]

"We don't know that that is what he's after," she says. "Using the weapons of the Queens would seem to be beneath him."

[betheman]

"It would not likely be beneath that of the Winter Queen however," Gongenzaka growls in reply to that.

"Considering the alliance between the two, and her own intentions, we therefore have an even graver situation upon the horizon, do we not?" Ignore this, let the Winter Queen get two miracles, when the third one might as well be impossible to obtain...

Not to mention the Queen's connections to the Maiden, well. Not great.

[npcarnival]

"I'm not even certain what her intentions are," the Summer Maiden says flatly. "I cannot see any practical motivation, besides the mindless pursuit of power..." She glances away.

[periphrasing]

"Oh yeah, and why would an egomaniac who basically wants to be queen forever want to mindlessly pursue power?" Peridot snorts.

[betheman]

There's nothing more than a rather pointed brow raise of solidarity here. The Winter Queen really doesn't seem like the sort who wouldn't mindlessly pursue power, with what she's pulled so far.

[npcarnival]

"You don't know anything about her," the Summer Maiden says coldly.

[periphrasing]

"What, and you do!?" Peridot retorts, as hot as the Maiden is cold. "When was the last time you two even spoke? If she's doing things that don't logically line up with your perception of her, one can only conclude that maybe she's changed for the worse!"

[spaghettimonster]

"If she's changed for the worst, it might not be her fault," Papyrus offers in the brief ringing quiet after Peridot's indignation.

"You don't want to think the worst of your friend, whatever she's after... I understand! Really! But, maybe it isn't really her? People can change, and be changed by what's in them. Even fae, even if you don't change very quickly, or easily... very much," he glances towards Ignatius, the elephant in the room for the concept of abrupt changes in outlook and everything for fae.

"But if she's been gathering all sorts of power, and taking it into her... If any of that power has an agenda, it might push her to want things? Things she wouldn't have ever wanted? And change what she's doing, too."

It makes sense to him, as the best compromise between what they've seen and what the Summer Maiden wants to believe. He knows, from personal experience, that anybody can be twisted around to awful things, if pushed the right way. Or the wrong way, really.

[npcarnival]

The Summer Maiden watches Papyrus as he speaks, and bows her head slightly as he finishes. He's given a voice to her more nebulous thoughts.

"I would like to believe that is the case, that I wasn't taken for a fool," she says, softly. "Of course, I know my heart may now speak louder than my mind. Such deceit... it would surely mark us both."

[periphrasing]

Peridot calms down a bit while Papyrus speaks, temper cooling enough to get her wits back about her. Trying to convince the Summer Maiden that she's wrong about the Winter Queen is, obviously, an impossible task without any concrete evidence to back up the claim. Best to try looking at this from a different angle.

"Let's take a few steps back. You mentioned 'ramifications' that would result from challenging the Hunt. Would you mind elaborating upon that further?" she asks, taciturn.

[npcarnival]

"I simply meant that it would concretely pull the Summerlands back into the battle between Courts. Neutrality would be impossible when attacking someone like the Huntsman. Especially if the Winter Queen has specifically chosen to support him. It would mean a change to our entire way of life."

[periphrasing]

That's stupid. This is stupid! Peridot finds herself hard pressed to feel any sympathy when the Carnival's 'way of life' has been changed so abruptly, but she bites her tongue on that point for now. She still looks flustered, though, brows knitting with concern. "Well... Isn't there some way you could help us without attacking them, then? Some sort of support you could provide? The whole multiverse could be at risk here!"

[spaghettimonster]

"Some secret number to call, in an emergency, if things really need to be said...?" It doesn't seem likely that the fae have red telephones sitting around for this kind of scenario, but they might have some purely magical equivalent. "If they know what we we know, maybe they'll want to talk without fighting."