The Roanian year is one of farming festivals and seasonal celebrations. Every day is holy to some Spirit or another, and every Spirit has its rites associated with it. Even in the Five Sisters or Imperial City itself the shrines to the land spirits, though their neighbors are now spirits of technology and progress, not the wilds.
But this week the land spirits have their time. The doors of their shrines are thrown open, with fragrant spices and fruits offered in their names. In the Great Temples, rituals are performed to assure a good harvest and give thanks to the spirits for their kindness. In two days will come the great Parade, where the local spirits will have their ‘homes’ lifted and carried to the prefectural temple to pay their own respect to the Light.
But tonight is the Moon of Much Gladness, the night of the full moons and the midpoint of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and across the heartland of the Empire the traditional rites were in full effect. Every temple and shrine was wide open, blessing the harvest and taking donations for the poor, approving of new births (for this is an auspicious season) and weddings.
Commoners and peasants went house to house, the nobility held audience for their extended clans…
But what of the truly Great and Good? Some of them, such as the Drakharns, had their own traditions over this week, though because of the time difference members of that far flung clan could be all over the place right now. Others, such as the Darsal, who were more closely linked to their agricultural interests, were sticking to their manors and estates.
But still more… well…
Ta Min kowtowed to the altar, her head tapping against the stone floor three, four, five, six times. She was praying as she did – for peace and prosperity, for health and happiness, for a good harvest and a safe harvest and all the other things she was expected to pray. She knew the words by heart, despite this being her first time leading the ceremony. And yet, she was doing so quietly. Her voice was so low that only those in the first row surrounding her could hear it even as a whisper. Between her and her audience stood a row of priests, some of them holding lit joss sticks and the others gathered branches or stalks.
After she finished her quiet ritual, she turned to the assembled crowd, though she kept her eyes entirely on the front row, and the assorted leaders of the empire sat on the provided cushions.
She was… pretty. That was the right word for her. She was still in her mid-teens, younger even than the Emperor and his wife, and she had more growth to do, both in physical form and in control of her features. But she was pleasant to look at, with bright orange eyes above ruby lips, with long silver hair falling almost to the floor, tracing the developing curves t hat marked her out as both more than a girl, but not yet a woman. When she spoke, even though it was quiet and stiff, even though tension was written in her features and in the way she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists, her voice remained musical. Especially as she spoke in Akati (Low Roanian). And not just Akati, but in a particularly obscure dialect from among the northern villages. ”Lord of Ten Thousand Years. Lady of the Phoenix Throne. Blessed Retired Empress. Honored and Noble Duke. Beloved children of the dynasty. Master Nesar and Mistress Daeri.” This would undoubtedly have continued for some time, but for a certain tension that momentarily appeared in the eyes of certain very important personages. She sped her greetings up. “Lords of the Empire, Servants of the Secretariat, and Priests of the Temple.”
“We are gathered here today in order to express…” Someone was coughing. She opened her mouth to try to continue, her brow wrinkling. ”We are gathered…” There was a strange sound from the imperial party. Words or not, it was difficult to say. It was below hearing and facing forward as they all were, no one would know whence it had came. Min’s expression faltered, and she scowled as she finally looked up and around herself, at the other guests. The barbarians. She switched to standardized High Roanian, and proceeded. ”We are gathered here today to give our thanks to the Light, and to the Spirits. To the Light for the establishment of the seasons and the many worlds, and to the Spirits for making it possible to populate and harness each in its time, and at its place. To everyone, there is a place. For everything, there is a time. For every planting, there is a harvest. This is the balance the Light has put in place.”
She raised her voice, a hint of anger entering into it. ”These days were declared holy in ancient times, for it is by the Spirits and the Light that we, all of us, people and…” She frowned, just slightly, and changed her words, ”that we, all of us, wherever we come from, are able to live. For it is not good to take life, but sometimes it is necessary. And it is not good to steal, but sometimes it is needed. Thus we pay homage to the spirits of the land, and the herd animals, and the crops.”
“Before the Spirits and the Light, I call upon the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, he who holds the mandate of the Light, to complete the ceremony, to unite the Ancestors to the Spirits and the Light. For if not by him, then who?”
Damalin slowly rose to his feet. He was dressed in heavy, long robes that trailed behind him as he walked to the altar on which the goods had been placed, then set a wooden figurine upon them. After a moment, the whole setup burst into flames.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Years walked to stand next to Ta Min, who quietly bowed slightly and stepped back so as not to be claiming equality with him. He deliberately, then, stepped in front of her and held up his hands. “Thus is the Ceremony Concluded. Now, beneath the light of the moon, I bid you all, noble or commoner, man or woman, to enjoy the Festival.”
Sometimes, of course, the Roanians called something a festival when it wasn’t actually a festival. It was a highly formalized and ritualized event with specific roles and rules for everyone and everything. This… was not one of those times.
There was food. There was always food. Heaping piles of round, thick, doughy cookies, some stuffed with bean and fruit paste or meat, others just sweet on their own. Cakes piled upon cakes upon cakes, next to fruits and vegetables gathered from across the cosmos. As well, there were trays of meats cooked in various ways, including the omnipresent lizards. Archchancellor Kouran had established himself in line, accompanied by a smattering of minor officials and other educators. He was easily the largest Roanian there, and quite possibly the largest man present. Unusual among a people known for their svelte forms, but it was his life and his decision on how to lead it.
There was more than just food, though. Soft music played to allow couples to dance, for while the Budding Days were where young love and the beginnings of love were celebrated, MidAutumn is when romance and contentment is shown. Alessa and Selevar, once they were certain their small children were secure, had gone there, him leaning upon her. Now they slowly circled, his arms wrapped tightly around her while her shoulders shuddered.
There was the Prince Tonen and the Lady Rihyl, sitting in solemn conference upon a secret hoard of pastries. Their younger siblings were with her parents, the Princess Ise snoozing contentedly in Daeri’s lap, while Lord Nesar held tight to his namesake as he assayed his first simple steps across the grounds, staring around himself with awe. And those were merely the important children. The Moon of Much Gladness is a festival for children, after all, one of joy at the bounty of the land in whatever sense you chose to view it. Whole armies of young children ran around and shrieked for joy and pleasure, grabbing at sticks or incense, waving their hands, and occasionally wailing, prompting a parent to come and reassure the child.
Strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, for the hosts there were very few of their peers around. This had inspired them to some affected solidarity, with Min joining Damalin and AiQien at their high table (as was her right) with slightly less displeasure than usual. The three of them sat there, limiting themselves to pointless banalities about the weather or topics that all three could agree on – or more to the point, topics that AiQien and Min could agree on, because Damalin, after a valiant effort, succumbed to his innate desire to start stuttering when confronted by multiple members of the female sex, and rather than suffer the indignity of his voice cracking he chose to remain silent. Under the table, his hand gently rested, possessively, on AiQien’s thigh.
Between the Imperial Party and Celestial Master, and the remainder of the party, was a handful of soldiers. Proper soldiers, from the First and Foremost Banner, as opposed to Guardsmen. If questioned, they would explain the reason for this… maybe. They were dressed in blue and golden armor with their helmets down, and each of them had his weapon ready for fast deployment. There was no attempt at ‘humanization’, though. They were, simply, faceless purveyors of imperial power. Not that this stopped the children in the crowd from running around at them or kicking balls in their direction, events they handled with quiet dignity. But a forceful attempt to bother the hosts would lead to… trouble.
Scattered around the party were assorted Great Secretaries and other dignitaries. The Grand Secretary, Ma Siela, had not arrived yet, it seemed. Perhaps this was the cause of some of the tension between the two girls surrounding the Emperor.
OOC: It is, of course, a party. Everyone is invited, with the following caveats: You pays your money and you takes your chances. The Roanians do not like artificial intelligence, but are trying to meet other cultures halfway on this issue, at least for the time being. The Roanians do not particularly care for intelligences that go beyond the demi-human in general, but if they behave there will be no problems.
As this is an informal event, ‘behave’ is going to be far looser then it was at my previous parties. Essential rule: Be polite, be respectful, listen to the men with the guns, and you will get no second warning.
As always, security will be provided by the Roanians. If you think the Emperor’s guards are the only security around, you’re wrong. They will all be twitchy, however. So, in order to ensure calm and peace, please leave all your guns, bows, projectors etc at home. All of them. Everything that fires a projectile of any description. It doesn’t matter if it’s a laser pointer, or a child’s capgun. This is not acceptable, and under no circumstances will exceptions be made.
You may carry ceremonial blades, provided they are sheathed at all times. You may also bring a bodyguard, if you like. He may not carry a gun, but he may carry a real blade. Again, provided it’s sheathed at all times.
Children and teenagers are welcome. Children more than teenagers, in spite (or because?) of the age of the hosts. There is a full first aid center behind some hill or other, so no one will get hurt. Certain tolerances will be made for younger children that would not be made for older ones. Be aware of this.
Also, and I cannot believe I have to say this, if your action involves another player’s character, you must allow that other player to post a reaction or deny the action.
Appeals will be to me. I will not be kind.
