Alpen View Brew Festival (6th Edition - please read OP 1st)

by **Neu Engollon** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:44 pm

WELCOME TO THE 6TH ALPEN VIEW BREW FESTIVAL!

OUR SPONSORS WISH TO WELCOME YOU!

WELCOME

This is your guide to the festivities and the fun making! This is the Sixth Annual Alpen View Beer Festival. If you hold this guide pamphlet in your hands, you are in our fair city of Burgunden, the main financial center and more importantly, the center for craft brewing in the Confederacy of Neu Engollon. It is by far, the largest city in the Confederacy, at over 14 Million in the greater Burgunden area. Also, this city happens to be the home to TeremBev/Burgunden Breueries, the co-main organizers and main sponsors of the event. The other main organizer is the Neu Engollon Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
There are, of course, several generous and helpful sponsors from across the Multiverse.

There is a lot to do at the Fest besides eat and sample award winning beverages. You may want to explore the rest of our peaceful, panoramic nation after the Brew Festival has ended, and there are plenty of other things to do in Burgunden if you happen to branch away from the Festival Grounds. You may find brochures and travel information on Burgunden and Neu Engollon at the Confederacy Park Box Office, Gendarme Security Station, and at the Pavilion Help Desk. Also, any questions can be directed to our friendly help staff wearing special orange vests. Enjoy yourselves, but please be safe and be respectful of others around you.

STAYING OR GETTING AROUND IN THE CITY

Some places to stay if you haven't booked a room yet in Burgunden:

* Presarius Plaza Hotel H$$$$
* The Menton H$$$$
* Destination Chateau Burgunden H$$$$
* Hotel 26 (Golden Eagle) H$$$$
* Alpha Lofts H$$$
* Collections Hotel H$$$
* Paradise Hotel H$$$
* Hayden Hotel H$$$
* Rock House & Studios H$$$
* Summervale Gardens B&B H$$
* Tell's Inn H$$
* Alpenhorn Tavern H$$
* Motel Mertach H$
* BB Hostel H$

We recommend against trying to find parking for rental cars near the Festival grounds. Besides the fact that parking will be almost non existent and pay parking lots fill up fast, laws on drunk driving are also very strict, should you be inbibing the fine beverages offered. We want everyone to stay safe, ultimately. There will be bus and metro train service throughout the night for nominal fees. There will be plenty of taxis, and other driver services. They will always be lined up outside the gates to take you back to your hotels. Also, watch for the green mini-van shuttles, as they have certain hours, but are free shuttles to the premier hospitality district of Burgunden where several hotels are located.

THE GROUNDS

Confederacy Park is almost as old as Burgunden itself. The grounds are laid out simply with the main stage and the Pavilion in the middle and the participants' tents, aid station, security station and port-a-john stations around the walls of the park enclosure. Adjoining the main Festival grounds are the rugby pitches, auxiliary exhibition grounds and the Botanical maze, courtesy of Allure Botanicals. Pavilion admittance will only be for VIP guests (3rd/top floor) and special 2nd Floor ticket holders or Invited guests. Again, please utilize our friendly staff in the orange vests for directional questions.

THE BEVERAGE MAKERS

The brewers and distillers are some of the best from around the globe and have brought their craft to show off here in the backyard of Neu Engollon's premier brewing City. They have submitted a selection of their best offerings for the judging. They will also be serving most of these selections as well as many other surprise selections at their tents located throughout the grounds. See the map for tent location. Beverages will be served in various sizes, such as 3oz samplers, 8 oz or 10 oz glasses, 16 oz pints and some may even offer take home growlers, single bottles, 4-6 bottle packs, or cases. Many will also be serving examples of local cuisine and merchandise from their brewery/distillery, as well as some other alcoholic offerings. Check their tents, as pricing and menus should be posted.

THE JUDGING

The main purpose of the Beer Festival is to have a fun, friendly competition for many of the top beers and liquors from around the world. There are several Categories in which beers will be judged, with a couple categories being judged each day. Some of the categories of fiercest competition are for Pale Ales, IPAs, Lagers, Stouts and Amber/Red Ales.

There are 10 breweries and distilleries competing in the AVBF this year. The judges are a panel of beverage experts gathered from around the world's most prestigious brewcraft and distillery regions.

ATTENDANCE

We are expecting thousands upon tens of thousands of attendees, many of them local to the Burgunden area, but many more from across Neu Engollon and Teremara. We will also have quite an outer-regional international presence including some celebrities, royalty and dignitaries from across the globe. Tickets will be sold in group packages, Full Festival 3 Day Passes and 1 Day passes. Sales of tickets are available up through the last day of the Festival until they last and capacity is reached. Attendees are allowed to re-enter the grounds upon leaving, if their ticket is for that day, but they are subject to search again upon re-entry. A wristband will be issued for re-entry. The Pavilion has three levels. The ground level seating and second level boxes are available for sale through to the last day of the Festival, or subject to availability. Third level boxes are reserved for advance sold VIP spots and Government and top corporate personnel only. No outside food or drink is allowed in except for sealed water bottles.

PERFORMERS

There is a wide variety of musical performers and other entertainers that will be engaging and rocking the crowd. Some are from Neu Engollon and some are from the International Community. They are listed below in no particular order of importance. There are so many performers this year that we think music will be a primary focus of the festival this year, dare we say possibly eclipsing the excitement over the beer and other beverages?

On The Royal Imperial Main Stage:

Timeline Tremors An eclectic concept band from Vangaziland that recreates historic folk music sounds from centuries ago. The musicians use replica instruments of the time period and they are led by a charismatic actor playing the part of ‘Nuhotep’. They have described their sound as likened to ‘Gazi-Egyptian themed sounds’. We are very excited to welcome such a unique act to their AVBF debut.

Katarina Klamaja is a singer/guitarist that hails from Mattijana. She has a solid backup band that includes drums, cello and piano. They wow their fans and new audiences with both ‘rich acoustic guitar-based songs and emotive piano ballads.’ We are overjoyed to finally experience the same live experience that Mattijanans and Esportivans have been able to delight in for some time now. Please welcome them to their first AVBF.

Pinc Fionnghall Are a well loved Celtic rock band from the Republic of Caledonia, Union of Socialist Alpine Republics with a major following there and in surrounding nations of the North Eurasian region. To compare their sound, think of some of the folksier numbers of the Podunkers, more upbeat rocking songs of the Alpen Volken Circle and the Pogues. Now you’re in the wheelhouse. We are glad to be able to welcome them to their AVBF premiere.

The Chrysalides A pop rock band from Gylias with some notoriety outside their home nation and region of Tyran. They are returning for their second appearance in the Confederacy at the AVBF. Please join us in welcoming them back!

Toast A self-described indie rock band from The Kiaser Colonies. Hearing their demo, we know that the festival attendees will be blown away. They are another new addition to the AVBF lineup. We hope their AVBF debut will be memorable both for them and their fans, new and old.

Alpen Volken Circle A folk group that plays traditional favorites and several styles from around Neu Engollon. They originate from Ludenthal, NE. They have returned to play the AVBF every year.

Frigid Mares A favorite act that call Panoli, Neu Engollon home, they play a rich tapestry of rock and roll that takes influences from some of the old 60's garage rock and melds indie, new wave and electro clash influences to that foundation. They have played every AVBF and hope to keep on that trend. Along with the Servonaris, they are part of the southern coastal Neu Engollian music scene that has really come up over the last few years.

The Podunkers Neu Engollon's Podunkers play a fusion of punk rock, Celtic rock, reggae and ska with some other styles blended in. They are one of the most popular musical acts in Neu Engollon and have been active as a group for almost 30 years. They call this big brewing city home, and many of their songs are about life in the large metropolis, social strife and the economic disparity that is often an intense topic these days. They are a staple of the AVBF circuit.

The Servonaris This band hails from San Remo, and plays a blistering set of garage and surf rock. They built up quite a following in the southern cantons of Neu Engollon, subsequently taking the center and north of the country by storm, as well as many other parts of the Madurin continent in Teremara. This is their fourth Festival appearance.

Groma The legendary early 1970’s Glam rock band from Ciavno has gotten back together this year to play a limited number of shows around the Confederacy and Teremara. While they are an old classic favorite of many Neu Engollians, this is their first Festival appearance after several decades apart and in obscurity.

On The Freyport DJ Stage:

DJ Goat Smasha Plays a mix of Goth dance, electronic, and Industrial re-mixes with a backdrop of some eerie videos and lights. Burgunden's own, you can often find him behind the boards at the Black Box club.

DJ Taunt Plays soul, reggae, ska and dub music, sometimes contributing his own sampled vocals and guitar stylings. From the capital, Telleursville, Geneva, NE.

Jay Gwar Likes to spin all kinds of rock and roll, but especially glam and any rock that has a boogie dance groove to it. From Albertville, Rhone, NE.

Dragon Drop This eclectic and exciting woman spins every kind of music under the sun and surprises at every turn with the odd and interesting mixes she comes up with, but no matter their randomness, her mixes always seem to move the crowd to dance. She hails from Schwartzgarten, Grisbenden, NE.

IN CONCLUSION

It is my pleasure to once again open the Alpen View Brew Festival, which is without doubt the largest scale event my Ministry organizes for the City. Most certainly it is the largest event in the Confederacy and possibly one of the biggest in the region, and it keeps growing every year.

We hope that you are able to taste our local cuisine and beverages, that of the region, and many from crafters and vendors from around the multiverse that have come to show off the best their people have to offer and compete for top prizes in the beverage judging or just to please the taste buds of you fine festival attendees.

The Rugby Sevens tournament that is part of the festival has 30 top sporting nations from around the world who have sent their best to compete on the pitch for the Alfredo Maracalo Cup, named for the man who first brought rugby to the Confederacy over 80 years ago. I hope that you are able to catch some of the matches.

Rest assured that every domestic law enforcement, security and intelligence agency are diligent in ensuring that you only have to worry about getting home or to your hotel after a long day of indulgence in smells, tastes, sights and sounds. We have staff waiting to assist you in that, as well.

Welcome world leaders, brewers, distillers, sponsors, exhibitors, dignitaries, entertainers, food purveyors, rugby players, fans, and attendees! Enjoy yourselves!
Neu Engollon is happy to have you here in our large, bustling city of Burgunden, in our proud Confederacy, in the grand region that we call home, Teremara.

Sincerely,
Rosette Kozic
Minister of Tourism and Culture, The Confederacy of Neu Engollon

OOC: CREDIT to my good, generous friend Sarlsvert for making the AVBF medals and other images, as well as many other media and national images for me over the years. I could not have done this without you, Woody!

by **Neu Engollon** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:45 pm

ALPEN VIEW BREW FESTIVAL
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY

*Ceremonies Start

1000 - Gates Open

1015 - Blowing of the Alpenhorn by Uncle Hans Toft

1020 - Introduction speech by Rosette Kozic, Minister of Tourism & Culture of Neu Engollon; Speech by main organizers Terembev CEO, David Toft and Burgunden Breueries CEO, Erica Toft

1030 - Tents Start Serving

1045 - March of the Madcaps: A parade of clowns and other goofily clad characters march around the grounds and heckle everyone. Everyone is welcome to join in the parade.

1100 - 1215 MD1 Rd1 matches for all rugby sevens groups, with 15 minutes in between game times; on exhibition pitches A-D

1110 - 1600 - DJ Taunt (Dub/Reggae/Soul) spins on the Freyport DJ Stage
(Local DJs will be playing throughout the day, and filling in between live act sets during load out and in for performers on Royal Imperial Main Stage)

1320 - 1500 MD1 Rd 2 matches for all rugby sevens groups, with 15 minutes in between game times; on exhibition pitches A-D

1515 - 1645 MD1 Rd 3 matches for all rugby sevens groups, with 15 minutes in between game times; on exhibition pitches A-D

1615 - 1830 DJ Goat Smasha (Goth/Industrial) spins on the Freyport DJ Stage

1830 - 1930 Frigid Mares (Indie Rock) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

2000 - 2100 Chrysalides (Pop Rock) on Royal Imperial Main Stage

2130 - 2250 Timeline Tremors (Historic Folk) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

2300 @ End of The Timeline Tremors set - Judging of Stouts, Meads, Fruits, Lambics, Bocks, Dunkels, Marzens, Porters, Browns, Scotch Ales, Ciders/Cysers, Doubles/Imperials, Spiced brews, Other/Experimental brews

Post Judging Announcement to Close -
Jay Gwar (Rock/Glam) on the Freyport DJ Stage

SATURDAY

1000 - Tents Start Serving

1100-1230 - DJ Taunt (Ska/Reggae/Dub) on the Freyport DJ Stage
(Local DJs will be playing throughout the day, and filling in between live act sets during load out and in for performers on Royal Imperial Main Stage)

1100 - 1215 MD2 Rd1 matches for all rugby sevens groups, with 15 minutes in between game times; on exhibition pitches A-D

1230 - 1345 Toast (Indie rock band) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1230 - 1345 MD2 Rd2 matches for all rugby sevens groups, with 15 minutes in between game times; on exhibition pitches A-D

1245 - 1500 DJ Goat Smasha (Electronic/Industrial/Goth) on the Freyport DJ Stage

1420 - 1500 MD2 Cup, Plate and Bowl Quarterfinal matches, with 15 minutes in between game times; on exhibition pitches A-D

1515 - 1600 Pinc Fionnghall (Celtic Rock) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1630 - 1715 Podunkers (Punk/ska) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1730 - 1800 Katarina Klamaja (Pop singer & group) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1825 - 1945 Chrysalides (Pop Group) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

@ End of Chrysalides set - Judging of ISAs, ESBs, Pale Ales, Pilsners, Ambers/Reds, Ryes, Saisons/Farms, Belgians, Wheats, Abbeys, dark malt ales, lagers

Post Judging Announcement to Close -
DJ Dragon Drop (Eclectic/House) on the Freyport DJ Stage

SUNDAY

1000 - Tents Start Serving

1000-1200 - DJs Taunt (Ska/Reggae/Dub) on the Freyport DJ Stage
(Local DJs will be playing throughout the day, and filling in between live act sets during load out and in for performers on Royal Imperial Main Stage)

1100 - 1230 Rugby 7’s Semifinals for Cup, Plate and Bowl on Confederacy Park Exhibition Pitches A-D

1300 - 1345 Alpen Volken Circle (Folk Rock) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1345 - 1515 Rugby 7’s Finals and 3PPO competition on Confederacy Park Exhibition Pitch A-D

1400 - 1445 Servonaris (surf/garage rock) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1500 - 1645 DJ Dragon Drop (Eclectic/House) on the Freyport DJ Stage

1645 - Farewell Speech from Confederacy President Jean Kriegman & Minister Kozic

1700 - 1800 Timeline Tremors on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

1700 - 1730 Presenting of the Maracalo Cup, Plate and Bowl ceremony on Exhibition pitches (TBD) to winning Rugby 7's bracket teams.

1830 - 1945 Groma (70’s Glam Rock) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

2015 - 2145 Chrysalides (Pop band) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

2200 - 2315 Pinc Fionnghall (Celtic Rock) on the Royal Imperial Main Stage

@ End of Pinc Fionnghall set - Judging of Liquors and Spirits

Post Judging Announcement to Close -
Jay Gwar (Rock/Glam) on the Freyport DJ Stage

by **Neu Engollon** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:49 pm

ALPEN VIEW BREW FESTIVAL 2017 CONFEDERACY PARK, BURGUNDEN, ZURICH CANTON, NEU ENGOLLON

1. BURGUNDEN BREUERIES (Burgunden, ZU, Neu Engollon)

2. ROYAL IMPERIAL BREWERY (Northton, Vangaziland)

3. VERNDARA EMERALD TRADING COMPANY (Parfuhmerie, Shwe Tu Colony)

4. PROVENCE RESTAURANT (Arthropol City, Province Capitale, Arthropol)

5. ILLYAN PETROL COMPANY (Romaian)

6. OMHOLT'S BREUERIE (Schwartzgarten, GR, Neu Engollon)

7. CIRDIANA INTERNATIONAL AIRWAYS (Cirdia)

8. GOLDEN GOAL SPORTS BAR & GRILL (Pointe-au-Chien, Republic of Chattahoochee, Union of Socialist Alpine Republics)

9. THE LISANDER LOUNGE (Soria, Lisander)

10. REVINKASAFT ALCOHOLS AND BEVERAGES (Revinka, IstrijaAntaljana, Mattijana)

11. BAY BREWS (Squires Beverages PLC) (Watson's Bay, Greater Watson's Bay Area, & Pemberton, Silver Coast, The Kiaser Colonies)

12. KÖNIGS ROYAL PUB & BREWERY (Gagium)

13. LAKE ISLE DISTILLERY (Lake Milligan Island, Southern Territory, The Kiaser Colonies)

14. CHRISTOPHER KANE’S (Houser-Bush Companies LLC) (Sainte-Geneviève, Republic of Wabash, Union of Socialist Alpine Republics)

15. MCILHINNEY’S BREWING COMPANY (Kilbarrack, Northland Island, The Kiaser Colonies)

16. EURO FLAVOR (Netherlands, United Nations of Europa)

17. THE PETROVIJANKA BALLAJA COMPANY, (OstravaStras, Petrovijanka, Mattijana)

* Several other booths of vendors, sponsors and presenters can be found on the Auxiliary Exhibition Grounds, as well as secondary kiosks and carts of our beverage entrants and food vendors.

* TEREMBEV PAVILION

* ROYAL IMPERIAL MAIN STAGE

* FREYPORT DJ STAGE

* SECURITY STATION (Manned by National Gendarmes, NEDM-DGC troopers, and Burgunden PD, with roving patrols)

* MEDICAL AID STATION

by **Neu Engollon** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:50 pm

They sat in the largest conference room in the Burgunden Breuerie complex on Tiermacht Strasse. It was the original large meeting room that dated back centuries and still had the old, massive oak table that was almost as old as the room. David sat at the head, even though his sister, Erica, was more entitled to it than he, seeing as she was the actual CEO of Burgunden Breueries. He had once briefly held the helm over the family business, but through general agreement, he had moved over to the CEO spot of the larger Terembev corporation to manage all the distribution and partner brands. Still, David and their Uncle Franz still had plenty of say in the decisions of Burgunden Breueries and any other related companies within the family. Their Uncle Franz had stepped back more and more and had less to do with either BB or Terembev as he took over running BDI, a mega-conglomerate corporation with several concerns across several industries around the world. He trusted Erica and David, kids of his brother Jan, and his own children, to run things closer to home.

“So, listen, I want to know what this shit is..." David held up a flyer that had the AVBF 2017 logo prominently displayed on it.
" ...I found this in a coffee shop, CuppaCoffee, the one near my house. Please tell me this is a joke. This can't possibly be for real or have come out of our organization committee."

Erica tried holding back a smirk.
"No joke, that's legit, bro. And you approved it."

Sergio, one of Terembev marketing assistants, confirmed it.
"Yes sir, you did sign off on the draft request."

"A draft? Even if this piece of shit was cleaned up and in focus...which it looks like it was taken by a child through their starter cell camera...Even then...I would've probably gone with another design. All that being said, this isn't cleaned up at all. This isn't a final draft design. What the fuck is it, anyway?"

Erica, still amused, was the first to respond,
"It's Super-Cheleg! You know...The show, for kids about the ass kicking goat?" She went on at David's perplexed, frustrated face, "Cheleg means..."

"I know the damn Frandit word for 'goat', sis."

"Well...my daughter, your niece Abrina, used to watch it all the time when she was little. You used to watch it with her, so I'm surprised you don't recognize it."

David shook his head. "That still doesn't answer why this image is such shitty resolution, or why we probably paid a fortune for the copyright for..." He angrily waved the flyer around, "...for this craptastic monstrosity!"

Sergio meekly broke back in to the conversation,
"Sir, to answer your earlier question, you check marked the box on the draft request that says 'Push to final draft and release.'"

David Toft turned his ire back to Sergio.
"Do you still have that? I'd like to see it. I highly doubt I did that."

"I'm not sure we do, but I can..."

"If you value your job here, you'll go track that paper down right now."

"Um, yes sir."

As Sergio ran out of the room, David turned back to his sister. The rest of the room, top Terembev and BB execs and their assistants, and a couple deputy ministers from the Culture Ministry, sat with slightly shocked expressions. This was supposed to be a very positive meeting about the upcoming launch of the Fest in a week and coordinating promotion. They hadn't expected this kind of intro at all.
"You knew about this and let it go forward?"

"Oh, give me a fucking break, I wasn't anywhere near when you made this decision and by the time I found out it was too late. Everything had already gone to the printers and media. Super-Cheleg Fest goat is everywhere..."

David had his head in his hands and was squeezing.

She laughed.
"...it's all the rage on social media right now. They think it's a deliberate inside joke of some sort. Holy merd, you should see the memes. They're hilarious..."

"Oh my god! This is going to cost us millions to fix!"

"David, calm down. What's done is done. Just roll with it and let's focus on the welcome and events."

"The welcoming banner is going to have this happy mess on it!"

"Um...yay! Oh come on. It's funny. David...David!"

"You run this. I have to go visit Dad at the center. Later I'll fix this mess and look into firing Sergio."
For more than a year, Jan Toft, the famous entrepreneur and former BB and BDI CEO, had been in a long term care facility due to extreme dementia and other health issues. David and Erica both made regular visits.

"Now?! Can't we just get back on track with the meeting?"

"No. I have to go now. I'll check back in later."

"Don't bother!"

With that, the large wood door slammed shut.

He entered the townhouse in the same manner that he always did. Dieter waited out in the car until he saw his boss get all the way in the door safely, but skipped the protocol of checking in with the inside guard, as he'd taken to doing lately.

This little sleepy far eastern suburb of Burgunden never seemed to have any issues and as of yet, no one had seemed get wind of the true identity of their boss. The neighbors generally kept to themselves in this working class area. Today, the man on duty inside would be Georges, if Dieter did bother to check in with him on the short wave radios they used.

Tomas got an eerie feeling the moment he stepped in the side door. While the Confederacy had a lenient policy towards Militia long arms and hunting rifles and guns kept at home or transported to where they were needed, they were much less understanding about concealed hand guns, compact sub machine guns and other such small arms in the hands of civilians. Still, considering his notoriety, Tomas Schleffinger took the risk of that legal trouble to defend himself against his many enemies. He had a small Glock that he kept in a quick draw holster. It was out now and searching for a target.

"Hey Georgie! It's me, Tommy! Where are ya?"

No answer.

He walked further into the living room, to finally get a full view of a brown haired man in a modest suit, sitting in one of his Gaulic Imperial era wood and upholstered arm chairs.
"Georges has been taken care of..." The man frowned to himself for a split second before hastily adding, "...safely and gently, that is. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that we eliminated him. We don't do that sort of thing. He's been escorted to our district HQ."

"Yer not Burgunden PD." It was more a statement of fact than a question. He had a good idea of who this official represented.

The man stood up.
"No, Mr. Schleffinger, I'm Agent Mazzano with Pine Park."

Yep, that was exactly who Schleffinger thought he was dealing with. Pine Park was officially known as the Major Criminal Investigation Division of the National Gendarmerie. Besides major crimes, they handled counter terrorism, counter intelligence and other internal security matters in the Confederacy. They were the counterpart to NESA (Neu Engollon Security Agency), which handled external matters. They took their name from the park estate where their headquarters was based outside of downtown Geneva, the capital of the Confederacy. To Schleffinger, they were the goons of an oppressive regime. Useful sometimes when they could direct them on the riff raff and mongrels, but usually a hindrance.
"Can I ask why you took my security guard into custody...and why you're intruding in my home?"

"You certainly may, Herr Schleffinger. First of all, could you lower your illegal weapon? Thank you. I'm here to take you into protective custody."

"Mhmm. As you can see, I don't need your protection."

"Yes, not exactly for your protection."

"Is this about our planned protest for the Fest?"

"There's not going to be a protest march."

"That's a violation of our civil rights. We filed all the right papers."

"This protective custody order is straight from the Federal Council of the Confederacy. They've issued several for the leaders of your group, most of your leadership, in fact...for your God's Confederate Army, as well as some other radical groups on both sides of the spectrum."

"I bet you're happy."

Agent Mazzano shrugged,
"It does make my job easier."

"I still don't understand what grounds you think this is justifiable under current laws."

"You and your members threatened violence at Confederacy Park. That's enough. Specific charges will be pending. Your ties to the fanatical terrorist organization God’s Glisandian Army, which now calls itself the Holy Domain, are what truly alarms us. When all is said and done, you'll probably be released in short time when your lawyers file all the proper paperwork and appeals. Which should take...a few days."

"Just in time for the end of the Fest and for all our foreign guests to have cleared out..."

Mazzano nodded without adding verbal assent.

"This is such bullshit and you know it!"

"You mean apart from the bullshit that you spout every day to any media outlets that will give you attention? We're removing a threat to the national security...You...Peacefully, I might add, and so your protests fall on my deaf ears. I'm not a judge though, so you can bring it up with one of them and we'll see what happens…”

"Just following orders, eh? I get it. You bet I'll be filing a complaint, lawsuits, whatever I can do to shut down this socialist rights infringing bullshit."

"Great, you can do that from your detention. In the meantime, you'll no longer be my problem."

"You sure about that, Agent Mazzano? You think you can keep me locked up all week?"

Madison looked quizzically at him, but nodded.
"Yes, I'm fairly certain."

"Okay, I guess we'll see then."

Mazzano stepped forward, taking the pistol out of Schleffinger’s hand and gently putting it down on a table. He then pointed towards the door, where several more agents awaited outside. Across the Confederacy, more agents were taking similar steps, in one large coordinated operation, to ensure that no rogue elements would threaten the sanctity and prosperity of the Fest that drew millions into the Confederacy each year. With a couple exceptions, most of the targeted suspects were brought in peacefully. Debates about rights and constitutionality would be handled later, when the dust settled.

by **Neu Engollon** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:51 am

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 10:19 pm

Confederacy Park, before the event started
"Just what is with that goat?" Sekka muttered to himself as he passed by the sign with the Alpen View Brew Festival goat.

Sekka Verndara, who was wearing his usual armor (although to anyone who didn't know it was armor, they would quickly conclude that he was probably cosplaying Grimlock, for whatever reason that may be) was starting to set up his stall with other human workers that he had hired. It would be best not to question his armor, & even if you did, there was something that seemed strangely natural about it, like it was a daily occurrence of sorts. The only thing not daily, albeit not visible, was the hidden dagger that he had that he could brandish in a flash.

Still, Sekka's armor was a minor detail in comparison to the far more crucial aspect of him setting up, so maybe it would be best to focus on that rather than it.

While certainly the owner of his company, Sekka did not mind manual labor, even when he had others to do it. Having lived in the slightly amoral city of Parfuhmerie as an assassin for hire in the tropical, rather primitive Thryllasian Region, he was a hardy being, & one that would be difficult to take out in combat.

After about a half-hour of setting up, Sekka walked to a crate & sat down, drinking from a metal vacuum flask of water he had brought along & he gestured over one of his suppliers: Canopia's Lead Meduwyrhta, or brewer, Lyndon Ealufæt, who was providing drinks for Sekka's company to sell. Speaking for a moment in what would sound like Old English, he soon corrected himself so that he might be better understood by Sekka (although the latter did understand it, Lyndon decided to speak in English instead).

"We have delivered some of our most popular Canopian drinks, Sekka," he stated in his gruff voice that had quite the Old English accent in it, "We hope that they will be a success, but for now, I suppose that since the men are nearly done packing up, mayhaps we should celebrate a bit with a drink or two?"

"Ahahaha," lightly chucked Sekka as he took out another vacuum flask, "Sure, excellent idea. I'll drink my Emerald Wine, you & the workers can drink whatever Canopian beverage you all want. Canopian Hænep's the usual one that most people drink, no?"

"Tis indeed, fréawine," replied Lyndon, taking out several glass bottles of beer before calling to the workers setting up the tents in a loud, but not overly such that it would surprise any guards, "Lads! A toast! We shall celebrate!" Immediately after, the several humans setting up Sekka's tent sauntered over, & once they were there, Lyndon distributed the beer bottles of Canopian Hænep to the laborers. "To the success of the Verndara Emerald Trading Company & the Thryllasian Region, we toast!" he said as he, Sekka, & the other workers tapped their bottles together before drinking from them.

by **Vangaziland** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 12:23 am

A delay stalled the Royal Imperial booth's set up crew. They'd be working late into the night to set up in time for the event. Most supplies were shipped across the sea from Vangaziland to Panoli. From there, trucks carried the trailers to Burgunden. The ships arrived two weeks before the event's first day. But the trailers were taken to a site a few dozen miles up the highway.

Traffic was bad enough to stall one or two trucks. Instead of getting an early start, the team would have to play catch up. The delayed shipments dealt mostly with physical elements of the booth itself. Food and drinks had arrived separately, still stored in the backs of the refrigerated trucks that picked them up this morning from local airport.

Royal Imperial Brewery was sponsoring the main stage for the second consecutive year. Their sponsorship helped source local crews & equipment, as well as a handful of Vannish techies sent to share their expertise. They'd also learn from the local team and act as liaisons with the support staff behind the brewery. This year's concert had a solid lineup, as usual.

A restaurant chain was handling the food vending set up in the exhibition grounds. A kiosk was set up near the center of the grounds closer to Field A. There was also a smaller cart on the second exhibition area farther from the main grounds. The cart offered a limited menu, with less drink options.

RailEmpire set up a few ads, including a tasteful electric poster. They included a footnote for the Vannish Tourism Board. Any tourist could buy a pass good for 25 days of unlimited travel on high speed local trains for $274.50 NSD. These trains crossed the continent and were a scenic voyage in themselves. Those with more discretionary funds could ride Imperial Class in a spinning captain's chair worthy of Picard himself.

Both the ceremonial ruler, as well as the heir to the Vannish Empire were in Burgunden for the AVBF. Prince Vang is known for visiting events like this. Since he left active military duty, public appearances have been a major part of his schedule. He was expected to be here.

Emperor Vang is a different story. He has not left Vangaziland in decades. His world has become increasingly more surrounded by his inner circles. Many people speculated why this was. Reporters barely had access to him. If they had the chance to ask, Emperor Vang would tell them he just wants his son to get more experience. The best place to do so would be from the spotlight. It was the same way he taught Fritz to swim. He threw his son into the indoor pool and let him figure it out.

After getting dumped into the drink 3 or 4 times, the young Prince learned to trust the water. He could float with minor inputs. Over his childhood he learned how effort could turn floating into thriving. This was true for water, diplomacy or many other areas. All you have to do is ride the flow and practice. Part of raising an Imperial Royal was teaching lessons through actions like this. It was a ceremonial life in a ceremonial world.

This was a very rare and important trip for the Emperor.

The two flew in on two Cessna Citation X private jets, flying one behind the other. Four F-23 (improved YF-23) fighter planes escorted the pair, peeling off 50 miles away from the coast, in international waters. These modified versions of the Citation included the addition of air-to-air refueling systems. The fighters also joined in on the refueling, coordinated by the Vannish Air Force. It wasn't much of a bother, with bases in places like Barnicea and the Svennish Isles.

The two could have flown in a chartered airliner, but they both wanted their personalized aircraft. There were a few reasons. Both would be flying back to separate cities on the return trip.

These private Jets were also fast. They topped out at about 700 mph. With aerial refueling, speed considerations were lessened raising cruising speeds close to the top speed. A 737 maxes out at about 583 mph. With the formation pushing 672 mph, the difference is 89 miles travelled every hour. In a 7 hour flight, that would add 623 miles. Moving closer to 550 mph would add almost 75 minutes to the trip. Headwinds could slow the larger planes down even more when flying towards the west.

Emperor Helios was staying in one of the Royal Suites at the Golden Eagle.

It included 4 rooms, a cocktail lounge for 40 people and a Rolls Royce car service. The cost was $20K NSD, but gave the Vangazi a central diplomatic facility in country.

Not wanting to stay in his father's shadow, Fritz stayed at the Chateau Burgunden.

He rented the Suite d'Roi for about $1249 NSD. It wasn't as expensive, but was a great location.

As workers set up the festival grounds, the Vangazi hosted a small event at the Golden Eagle suite. Most guests were other prominent Vangazi in town for the festival. Couriers were spreading the word about the event to international delegates as well.

by **Gylias** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 9:11 am

The Chrysalides had enjoyed their previous experience at the Alpen View Brew Festival, so when they and their manager got contacted with the offer to perform again this year, they accepted without much of a second's thought. As their luck would have it, in the meantime Gyliair had begun services to Neu Engollon as well, so now they could get a flight directly from their homeland to Neu Engollon. They still had to first go from Lænas to Mishawaka — since that was where the hub was — and then catch the flight from there to Burgunden, but that wasn't gonna be a problem. They opted to take the HST¹ from Lænas to Mishawaka rather than a connecting flight — it took about the same time, plus that the train at least gave them some great views and wide-open spaces along the way.²

Now, it was the four of them plus their steadfast manager Anna, on a plane,³ their equipment having been put in the luggage at the airport. The fancy equipment was safe at home in their studio, obviously. They had simpler back-up equipment for concerts, which was easier to transport by themselves too. This time they'd decided that, the previous Alpen View having gone well, they'd also bring a keyboard. There was enough space, given that Cæse, Dáuma, and Angela brought small digital amplifier modelers, which'd allow them to plug those directly into the stage's PA. The band members each had two seats on both rows of the plane, while Anna was one seat behind them towards the corridor. Cæse was currently asleep, her head perched on Dáuma's shoulder, who happily admired her sleeping wife now and then and brushed her hair. Angela and Franciska, not known for their ability to fall asleep in an upright position, were either chatting with each other, chatting with the flight crew, looking out the window,⁴ or doing stuff on their tablets. Cæse, Dáuma, and Franciska were wearing long sundresses, buttoned completely in the front, with various bright-coloured patterns; Angela wore a T-shirt with a miniskirt, and Anna a shirt with short trousers, all good for the warm weather as well as the cool air-conditioned plane.

It had been a long flight with stopovers on the way as well,⁵ the plane finally landed at Burgunden, and the somewhat dazed and tired band — Anna in tow close behind — got out of the plane and slowly regained blood circulation to and use of their limbs. They collected their equipment, got through customs and passport checks, and made it out of he airport. The mountain air surrounding Burgunden felt good to inhale and did freshen them up a bit, although as Lænans, they made jokes that the sea air would be still more effective at that. By the time they'd arrived, night had already fallen. It was too dark to see the mountains, much less the lake next to the city, and the ubiquity of bright orange lights on the streets and around the buildings was disorienting.

"You think we'll have time for sightseeing tomorrow?", Angela asked, vacantly gazing upwards to the sky.

"Definitely," Anna replied. "You're a late set again, and I doubt you plan on spending eight hours of the day doing soundchecks."

"Don't give us any ideas, Anna!", Dáuma joked, wagging her pointer finger in Anna's direction. "Before you know it you'll wake up with us trying to be The Skylights."

"Haha, you doing 10 minutes of space jamming? You don't have the patience."

Cæse lightly elbowed Anna. "Oh, Anna, you know us too well, don't you?"

Anna grinned triumphantly, with her eyes closed. "Oh, yes, inside and out!", she said, with her own index finger in the air.

Having eaten a delicious meal on the flight, the Chrysalides had no need for further nourishment.⁶ They headed directly to their motel, showered, and went to bed — all their equipment left in their room leaning against the walls.

Anna made sure to call the organisers before going to bed to let them know they'd be in tomorrow. That way they'd at least save poor Erica and David the stress of last time.

¹ High-Speed Train — Gylias' high-speed rail service.
² Not to mention they could always listen to Starchildren's "Bullet Train to Amaike" on a portable audio player, for the apropos amusement.
³ "The only way to travel!", as Angela joked while they were in the skybridge, amusing the others.
⁴ Mainly Franciska, who was on the window seat.
⁵ Likely not a problem if Gyliair had any wide-bodied aeroplanes. They did not.
⁶ Well, perhaps a snack or two were acquired and consumed.

by **The United Nations Of Europa** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 2:21 pm

The scheduled flights for the EuroFlavor supplies had arrived at the airports in Burgunden. Trucks that were waiting for the supplies drove to the warehouses, where they would pick up the packages containing everything that chefs needed.

It took quite a bit for the trucks to reach where they needed to be, as the upcoming festival had filled the streets with tourists from all around. Equipment for the vendor booth and ingredients for the chefs would arrive at the grounds soon.

This was the first time that the United Nations of Europa would attend the Alpen View Brew Festival. The nation would not waste this opportunity to make a mark for itself. As the trucks neared the park, staff workers were sent to the front gates to help unload the trucks.

The staff were lead to the spot where the EuroFlavor stand would be built. Technicians were told to set up the sound systems while other staff members set up the tables and chairs. Electricians that were working at the grounds set up appliances like the fridges and ovens that the chefs would need. After hours of setting up the stand with sound systems, appliances and tables it was finally done. All that was needed now were the renown chefs that were chosen to cook in the stand.

Chancellor Schulte had attended many diplomatic events in her term. Rarely did she ever attend any events for "fun". For a long time Schulte had yearned for some free time where she could be free from work, and the upcoming festival would be the perfect event to do that.

A private flight for the chancellor would arrive late at night in Burgunden. A last minute meeting back in the UNE had caused her to delay her flight. Making her even more anxious to arrive at New Engollon.

Being exhausted from her work, Schulte had decided to sleep during the flight.

An hour later the intercom in the jet came on, "Chancellor Schulte you have arrived to your destination."

"Oh thank god we're here. If I had to be in this jet any longer I don't know what I would've done." said Schulte as she started to fully wake up.

The jet slowed down as it proceeded to land on the air strip. Finally landing at the airport, Schulte was escorted to a vehicle outside waiting to drive her to the hotel she was staying at.She had booked a suite in the Alpha Lofts where she would be staying during the remainder of the festival.

The room gave a great view of the city. Lights shined in the city during the dark hours of the night. A beautiful sight for the chancellor to see was the perfect way to start her trip.

by **Neu Engollon** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 10:56 pm

Still the evening set up before the First Fest Day

Those who didn’t know better would think they were viewing some disheveled man doing a perverse sort of cosplay or that the March of the Madcaps had started the night before it was scheduled. Scraggly, dirty, unkempt brown hair and beard flowed everywhere, over a leather vest. Beneath, he wore nothing and various tattoos and a considerable gut stuck out. Spiked leather arm bands and a random bandana tied onto his right arm and left leg gave more of the gypsy effect. Around his waist was wrapped an honest to goodness kilt. On his feet, enormous work boots that showed wear and tear. He reeked of beer, cheese and other, less pleasant but not discernible odors.

He walked with confidence as he strolled towards the south end of Confederacy Park where his company’s crew were setting up their tent. He hadn’t really volunteered to help then and wasn’t likely to now, but he was curious as to how the progress was going.

He passed other tents and booths going up, a mish mash of foreign brewers and vendors. He had disdain for them, but he’d learned to hide it over the years, having only earned himself condemnation before he could have his full belly of fun.

One man had on an actual suit of armor and looked like some kind of samurai. Hoppy had to stop and actually give begrudging respect, silently to himself of course, as the man regaled his underlings. He would have to get to know the man before the Fest was up.

Hoppy Jensen was the Master Brewer of Burgunden Breueries, a postion he’d held for some time and many years, back when Jan Toft was still in charge of the company and spent a good deal of time at the main breuerie. Despite all the mischief and mayhem that Hoppy had caused, Jan saw his true skill unmatched by most any other Master Brewer anyone cared to name. Jan kept him on and shielded him, eventually giving up on trying to mold him into a model employee or rein him in, rather letting Hoppy let his freak flag fly and play out his hijinx, as long as he was still crafting the most excellent BB breus.

Now that the old man was practically on his deathbed, Hoppy’s future lay in doubt. David, Jan’s son, hated Jensen and all he represented and was determined to oust him from the company. David recognized his unparalleled skill, but it wasn’t enough to protect him from any trouble he would bring on himself, legal or otherwise. Erica seemed to tolerate him most days, and she was his immediate boss. Still, her tolerance was waning fast and Hoppy knew he was on thin ice.

Hoppy heard the buzz, there would be Kings and Emperors in attendance this Fest, as there were most of them, but it gave him an idea. Perhaps it was time to bend the ear of a prominent royal and find himself a parachute with which to land in the coming months.

David and Erica also walked around the grounds, watching the event staff help coordinate with the vendors and beverage producers to set up their tents and bring in their supplies. Staff ran up with papers for the two to sign, or reports to see, or phones to answer. They did what they could, and inbetween, they exchanged pleasantries with all the visitors to Neu Engollon, new and returnees, that were setting up.

“So...this Super Cheleg is a cartoon?”

“No. Again, you don’t remember watching that with Abrina?...Anyway, it’s like they move action figures around and voice them. It’s pretty goofy.”

“Action figures? Adults do this? And it’s the most popular kid’s show?”

“You overthink things, David. It’s silly, fun and kids like it.”

“The image they picked is still horrible.”

“They picked? Please, I like how you’re distancing yourself now. Especially after Serge found that draft request with your scrawl on the final draft box like he said. Good stuff.”

“I guess I’m just overwhelmed with all this, with Dad, with the way Terembev is going.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“Oh no! What the hell is he doing here?”

Erica turned to see what David was talking about.
“Oh, what, Hoppy? He’s the Master Brewer. Where would you expect him to be?”

“I asked the guys to hold him up at the breuerie.”

“Oh, not this shit again. First of all, it’s Hoppy Jensen. Haven’t you learned by now that you can’t hold him anywhere? Second, play nice. He hasn’t done anything outrageous in a long time. Let’s just give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“You’re talking about Hoppy Jensen here. The benefit of the doubt? This is the AVBF. The man lives to cause trouble here. I wanted to see this one go smoothly.”

“They all go smoothly, David. No one remembers Hoppy’s antics over all the other great food, brews and music every year.”

She felt that now might not be the best time to tell him about the thousands of yelling, drunk Falkasians they were expecting, with the news that the Northern Tavlyrian nation was fielding a rugby sevens team for the Fest tournament this year. Hoppy Jensen mixed with thousands of drunk, belligerent Falkasians would not be a good cocktail mix, not to mention all the usual royals and government dignitaries that they would have to do their best to shield from the rabble. She was suddenly realizing how tough her job might be this Fest.

by **Gylias** » Tue Sep 19, 2017 1:01 am

One could be forgiven for mistaking The Chrysalides' sightseeing for "aimlessly walking around Burgunden". Like many other Gylian tourists who ventured abroad, they enjoyed unplanned journeys, walking as their senses guided them and taking in the environment of their surroundings. The map they carried was only there for occasionally checking where they had ended up, or making suggestions what to see. The weather was pleasant: the sun was shining, and the sky was mostly clear with a few harmless white clouds drifting by.

Currently, they were working their way down a street called Badenerstrasse. Cæse, Dáuma, Angela, Franciska, and Anna appreciated its ambience: the buildings were low-rise, with about 3-4 stories at most, and a mix of clearly art deco and modern block architecture, with a mix of balconies and plain windows for the apartments. Down one of the other streets—Grüngasse—a modern concrete and glass block, larger than the surroundings (likely housing offices because that's how it seemed to be in the world), rose in the distance. There was also a tram in the middle of the street, separating the two car lanes. It was close enough to Gylian urban planning to give a good feeling of familliarity, although other parts of the city reminded them they still couldn't quite get over the presence of advertising in public spaces. It was easily one of the biggest sources of culture clash for Gylian tourists.

"Hey all," Angela said at one point during their walk, "Look! They have Silhouette here too!" She pointed to her right.

The others looked in the direction that Angela pointed to, and saw that they were passing a gym hall with "SILHOUETTE HEALTH FITNESS" written on the window. A bike was parked right against the window next to the door, and gym equipment was visible inside.

The five laughed, with Dáuma adding, "Haha, good one Angela!"

"Yeah, well spotted!", said Cæse.

They continued walking down the street. When a tram passed by, Cæse briefly glanced at it and mouthed quietly as she tried to read it, but gave up. "No, I can't tell what it says," she remaked to her wife. "If it was French, or German, or Italian, that'd be one thing. But it's some mutant fusion of them instead."

The band carried out their sightseeing for three more hours, stopping on the way in a restaurant for lunch. They were out of synch thanks to the difference in time zones, so what had been a reasonably early time in the morning to wake up for them translated here to finding themselves suddenly sleepless at sunrise. This allowed them to cover a good amount of distance until the afternoon, when they started working their way back to their hotel — a process that took them the better part of two hours on foot.

Back at the hotel, Anna once again phoned the Fest staff to let them know they were on their way, as the band changed into their band uniforms and carried their equipment out of their room. Since Cæse, Dáuma, and Angela had guitars whose cases could be strapped onto their backs (and a keyboard), and the little additional equipment could be fit into either those cases or Anna's handbag, Anna helped Franciska with carrying her drum kit. It was thankfully in cases of the kind that had wheels on the bottom, so instead of having to hold them up they could just push them along.

They went into one of the nearby tram stations and caught one, speeding up their journey to Confederacy Park. There was still a distance to cover on foot, but also no reason to worry. By arriving later, they hoped to at least avoid the inevitable queues that would form at gate openings. Most of the spectators by this point would likely be either buying beer, watching clowns, or playing rugby. (A sport none of them got the appeal of.)

Or drunkenly watching clowns playing rugby.

by **Neu Engollon** » Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:30 pm

Still the Previous evening to Opening Day

Despite the unhelpful likes of Hoppy Jensen, the AVBF staff as a whole, which consisted of a mix of Burgunden Breueries, Terembev, Ministry of Culture and several other hired on staff, pitched in, getting the stages and pavilion to where they needed to be, then helped the other vendors and brewers with their tents and set ups in order that they could all revel in a quick group get together and a few beers before turning in for the start of the big day tomorrow. Hoppy stayed in the background, observing, drinking and biding his time. It was very uncharacteristic of him, but very much a relief to the staff that knew him well enough to know how quickly things could get out of hand with him present.

The post-set up party wound down and folks headed home if they were local, to after parties, or to their hotels for the night. Some quick bonds were made, and some re-acquaintances fired back up so that some old friends from across the multiverse were invited back to some of the Burgunden Breueries and Terembev staffers homes for the evening. The craft brewing industry bonds, even across nations, regions and the greater multiverse, stayed true and solid. New friendships were made to replace old friends not able to make the journey this go round.

Opening of the gates of the First Festival Day

The next day, they were ready...a bit more than hungover, but ready…
The VIPs were ushered in a full hour earlier than the general admission crowds. Security got them to the North gate, through and to their seats in the Pavilion or elsewhere on the grounds without much fuss or fanfare, but for the elitist hating hecklers that taunted through gaps in the gates.
Next came musicians and entertainers who would be performing that day. They had soundchecks to do and set ups to check on.

Security were present, but only the front layers were blatantly evident. The common hired on security fulfilled their duties in checking everyone in quickly, while the Burgunden PD kept up regular patrols throughout the grounds and around the outer neighborhoods of the Park, Pine Park agents and NEDM-DGC troopers strolled around in plainclothes, doing their best to mix in with regular fest attendees. Counter-snipers were on all the surrounding rooftops and QRTs (Quick Response Teams) combined of the Burgunden PD Swat, DGC and Pine Park were at the ready in case of trouble. So far, there was no trouble...

Then, finally…

The gates were opened on time and the crowds roiled in, moving like the mass of infection on a doomsday map. Locals, foreigners in exotic garb, rugby fans in all their fandom jerseys, hats and pennant waving, oddballs and craft geeks in all forms poured in and filled the spaces of Confederacy Park. Many knew to find a good viewing spot for the upcoming March of the Madcaps, which never disappointed in delighting the crowds.

The gamut was filled between clowns, goofy dressed patrons, certifiably insane people and other completely odd dressed revelers, filled in with a healthy dose of local homeless denizens, celebrities in their own right, who were known around the area downtown for their antics and dress, or sometimes lack of it. Odd, eerie carnival type music played as they marched in through the West gate, led by a clown band. Things sped up quickly, and as more filed in, they began to interact with the patrons, playfully, but in a rascally, mischievous manner, too. Hats were taken, tickles were given and rears were lightly slapped. Those that wanted to join in the parade were welcomed. Bawdy song was broken into by some, never matching what their near neighbors were singing or shouting, rather.

It was a weird, frantic and disconcerting way to start off the Fest for some, but it was tradition. Some embraced it, some were caught up in it like trapped bystanders, and some avoided it altogether by showing up later.

Finally, the Madcaps filed out through the East gate and onto the Exhibition grounds and the festival goers prepared to hear the speeches from Minister Kozic and Erica and David Toft welcoming them to Burgunden, Neu Engollon and the Festival. It was pretty reminiscent of the previous years’ speeches and nothing worth very earth shattering. Nothing political, nothing scandalous, just out and out sterile welcomes to the international crowd to go and enjoy all that both the Fest and the Confederacy had to offer, just like every year previous.

Hans Toft, the ancient great uncle of David and Erica and all their cousins, was wheeled out in a colorfully decorated mobility chair. A team of 8 staffers hauled out the massive Alpenhorn and set it up on its frame. Then, with assistance, he stood up and he blew with all his might, (and coughed and sputtered and turned purple afterwards) and there was no longer any doubt that the Alpen View Brew Festival had begun.

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:46 pm

Confederacy Park
"Well that was an interesting way to start off a festival," Sekka noted as he sat on a lawn chair of sorts near the tent for the Verndara Emerald Company, which was a wonderful shade of emerald green (like this), as expected by the name of it. Said tent also had a counter out front, areas for preparing food in the back, & a menu posted near the counter:

"Didn't expect any clowns like that. Anyways, how about we go taste some food, eh?" Sekka added as he got up & took a sip from his vacuum flask of Emerald Wine, "It's nothing great to sit here & watch customers buy what cuisine from the Thryllasian Region we have here."

"Agreed," came the reply from Lyndon, "I wouldn't mind sampling the other drinks they have available here & seeing how they are to the ones we have in Canopia." Soon after this, the two went in separate directions to taste what the festival had to offer, Sekka going in the general direction of the Burgunden Breuerie & making his way counter-clockwise across the grounds & Lyndon going clockwise around.

Interestingly, Sekka seemed to have a nearly insatiable hunger — not one that seemed ravenous or starving, but closer to an absurd amount of room to eat. As a result, he ordered as many samples as he could without arousing suspicion, although considering his armor (which, if you were to poke, would feel more like a thick bulletproof vest, although if one kept trying to dig, one might encounter the familiar solidness of metal), it was more than likely he was already attracting some attention from everyone wondering why he was wearing what he was.

Considering how much his armor stood out, Hoppy would more than likely be able to locate him quite easily, & since he would also eventually visit the Burgunden Breuerie's tent, he would almost assuredly be noticed, assuming the man was waiting there.

by **Vangaziland** » Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:56 am

Two tall, dark men walked together through the sea of the crowd. One was older, darker and wore grey jeans and a black polo shirt. The other was younger, wearing blue jeans and a red & blue striped long-sleeve T. The casual clothes still look expensive. A few others toted alongside them and appeared to be a group of some sort. Both men wore sunglasses and half-smirks on their faces. They swayed their shoulders while they walked, heads held high.

Some would know who they were. Many would walk right by and not know. They were the Emperor and Prince of Vangaziland and her territories. Prince Fritjof attended last year's AVBF. He spent the entire year convincing his dad to make this event his big appearance. The Emperor agreed, as the idea of leaving his county seemed refreshing. The term "county" is correct because forget about the country, Emperor Helios rarely leaves the small, prominent community surrounding his estate.

Many local politicians and Royals visit the Emperor, but he keeps himself out of the public eye. Theories range from him wanting his son to get more diplomatic experience, to him wanting the role of the "Emperor" to be minimized. He came as close as ever to ending all Royalty status in the Empire, earlier this spring.

The political role of Vangaziland's Imperial Royals is minor, just slightly more relevant than figurehead status. They were more like advisors with the power to veto and override. Only these two individuals currently have the ability to do such actions, excluding several other Imperial Royals in this house and others. They rarely do so, although Prince Vang recently signed an order to return a large contingent of deployed soldiers from the city-state of Al-Khalifiya. His decision was met with criticism domestically and with allies abroad. But it was the right decision, as the coalition had been working with the local military. They Khalifiyan Army was more than capable of fighting their own battles.

They just needed a little substitution, permanently benching General Abbzan for an individual the Vangazi had been grooming for years.

The Vannish group made their way between the Terembev Pavilion and the Freyport DJ Stage. They were heading to a booth from Europa. They heard they were serving some pretty tasty food. It was still early, but it had been a long morning.

"That Alpenhorn... Pretty authentic, huh? You won't find THAT at Imperial Hills", the Prince said jokingly.

Emperor Vang responded with a closed smirk large enough to be a grin. "I'm sure they'll hear trumpet calls throughout the day." Back when Emperor Helios was a young Prince, he attended Imperial Military Academy, located in 'The Hills'. He had a fondness for the area.

There was a pause as Fritz took out a piece of paper. At designated areas near each interest, people were handing out copies of Royal Imperial Brewery's menu. On the back was a menu for the 'Pitchside' Grill Truck. The latter was meant to sling cheap combos and beer to AVBF rugby patrons.

Entrees
[box]16 oz. Top Cut pepper sirloin steak fillet - 12.95 NSD
Spicy Vannish Meatball Sub - 5.75 NSD
Imperial Sliders w/Vannish Mozzarella - 5.75 NSD
Boneless Wings (Hot Sauce, Sweet Spicy, Ranch Flame, Mango Kick, Mild & Tangy, Old World Hickory) - 8 pc. basket - 5.75 NSD
General Tai's Spicy Tofu w/Eastern Fried Rice - 7.95 NSD

Sides

Garlic Fries - 1.95 NSD
Onion Pepper Fries - 1.95 NSD
Mashed Potatoes; home style - 1.95 NSD, w/garlic - 2.35 NSD, w/bacon - 2.95 NSD, w/sour cream & chives - 2.95 NSD
The Big Salad - 2.49 NSD, The Big Salad w/Cheese - 2.95 NSD
Pepper Parmesan Sweet Corn - 2.49 NSD
Yellow Bacon Rice w/Corn & Peppers - 3.95 NSD

Dessert

Caramelized Pumpkinseed Pear and Pomegranate Fruit Salad - 4.95 NSD
Raspberry Tart Pie - 3.95 NSD
Loganberry Tart Pie - 4.45 NSD
Fried Carnival Cake - 2.49 NSD
Upside Down Frown Sunday (Vanilla Ice Cream, choice of Hot Fudge/Blueberry/Peanut Butter, Liquor-filled Chocolate Bits, Pretzels) - 2.75 NSD

Meals
20.95 NSD - 16 oz. Top Cut pepper steak fillet, choice of garlic fries or onion pepper fries, choice of raspberry or loganberry tart pie, pint of $6 dollar beer or medium soft drink
12.95 - Imperial Sliders w/Vannish Mozzarella, choice of garlic fries or onion pepper fries, choice of raspberry or loganberry tart pie, pint of $6 dollar beer or medium soft drink
9.95 - General Tai's Spicy Tofu w/Eastern Fried Rice, Caramelized Pumpkinseed Pear and Pomegranate Fruit Salad, medium soft drink[/box]

PitchSide - Grill Truck
-Sports themed Vannish fast food chain

#1 - Pizza Burger - 1/4 beef patty topped with mozzarella, onions & pepper marinara sauce; w/red pepper fries
w/24 oz. soda 5.25
w/12 oz. beer 6.75

#2 - Spicy Meatball Sliders - 3 lean beef meatball sandwiches topped with tangy pepper ginger sauce & shredded parmesan; w/red pepper fries, w/24 oz. soda 5
w/12 oz. beer 6.50

#3 - *Spicy Falafel Sandwich- Falafel vegetarian pita pocket topped with habanero flavored breading and a light sauce, tundra lettuce & western tomato; w/ red pepper fries
w/24 oz. soda 5.25
w/12 oz. beer 6.75

#4 - Chicken Finger Submarine - 6" hoagie on artisan bread with lettuce, tomato, shredded mozzarella, & pepper BBQ sauce; w/red pepper fries
w/24 oz. soda 6.25
w/12 oz. beer 7

Noticing the menu, the Emperor said, "Whatever we get at EuroFlavor, lets grab some Red Pepper fries from the home shop." It felt surreal in his mind to be walking amongst so many people.

"No argument there", replied Fritz. They were quickly closing on the shop.

by **Neu Engollon** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 11:47 pm

Things were in full swing at the Fest. All the booths and tents and kiosks were hopping all across the grounds. Rugby fans were going wild about the matches on the nearby exhibition grounds. People were enjoying the bountiful helpings of food from all the tents. There was a lot of buzz about who might win the first medals of the Fest, as the competition was stiff. The first bands of the day had played their sets to an enthused, dense crowd. In years past, there hadn't been this much of a crunch for the earlier opening bands, but now, with the popularity of the Fest, there seemed to be a neverending wave of music fans, just as there were craft beer and liquor fans that were determined to wipe out the back stock of the tents before they could even conceive of making it to day three with full taps and full food bins.

Hoppy had watched over the BB tent for a time, but as he saw that the taps were flowing well and his people had things well in hand, as usual, it left him time to wander the grounds again. He'd taken in some of the rugby matches and it made him smile and remember his earlier days, when he played rugby in school with his mates. His teammates would work their way down the pitch while he just spent time punching and stomping any player from the opposing team who got close enough to him. The good ol' days.

Hoppy wandered back towards the Verndara tent to search out the man in the armor he'd seen the previous evening and that morning. He didn't know exactly why, and every other fiber of his being was telling him he should seek out a lass to enjoy the evening with, but still he sought the man out.

Locking sight on Sekka, and having little to no tact in social manners, Hoppy pointed at him, making sure he had his attention,
"Hey, ya funny lerkin' trout sniffin' bandoozle. I need a word with ya bout yer gitup."

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 11:54 pm

Verndara Emerald Tent

As expected, the workers at the tent turned around & momentarily looked at Hoppy with a sort of mild glare (likely since they found it preposterous that someone would insult someone like Sekka, both since they knew his past & since he had a high status in the Thryllasian Region) but their superior dismissively waved his hand at them & they turned back towards their jobs. "Careful with what you say," uttered one of the workers, a lady in a simple green dress & light blue apron, "If what they say about Sekka is true-"

"Ji'ce ji'le'tizsh! Ce nebk'yern! Ji'ce ji'ze ji'su'kir," replied Sekka to the lady in the low, guttural sounds that were characteristic of the Demonish language, "That was an interesting line of insults... Now then, what was it you wanted to know about my armor? Is there something about it that's not allowed?" So it seemed, Sekka hardly cared about the lack of manners from Hoppy, though it was likely that, having built his company from the ground up, Sekka was accustomed to not having the same respect a Parfuhmerian might have to him, since he was both the Head of Economics for Parfuhmerie & an assassin. After a few moments, Lyndon entered the tent with several bottles of various drinks & glanced at Hoppy & Sekka. "I believe it would be best for me leave you two alone," he said before exiting & sitting down outside.

by **Neu Engollon** » Sun Sep 24, 2017 8:40 am

Some wench tried to give a warning to Hoppy, but he paid no heed.
The man...it was a man, wasn't it?...in front of him spoke a few words that were so utterly foreign that Hoppy wasn't sure they were emitting from a human mouth. Then, he switched up to English in the blink of an eye,

"Anyways, that was an Interesting line of insults... Now then, what was it you wanted to know about my armor? Is there something about it that's not allowed?"

Jensen prepared to reply, then another one of the many Parfuhmerian staffers dashed in,
"I believe it would be best for me leave you two alone," he said before exiting & sitting down outside.

Hoppy shook his head and re-collected his thoughts. Some may think he had few, bouncing around in a large, empty cavernous skull like ping pong balls, but they would be mistaken.
"Ah, no, not trying ta insult ya, yer parsnip. Jes' words of affection fer a fellow bad ass. No offense meant. Don't know that there's any rules n' regerlashernons 'bout havin' armor nor not. Jes' a fan that admires it. I'd like ta glean whar ta git me some, ya know what I mean?"

As the women from the band, the Chrysalides, made their way into the park, one of the organizer staff, an assistant to the musical director sat in one of the organizer offices, this one near the South gate. He watched a special bank of monitors that cost more than some cities' GDP around the multiverse. Neu Engollon spared no expense during the Festival, which was the most high profile annual event in the Confederacy, and that especially rang true when it came to security.

The monitors were hooked up to a facial recognition system that was attached to a database built upon by NESA (the nation's external intelligence/security agency) and Pine Park (the aforementioned internal security agency), as well as by many of the friendly agencies around the region and multiverse that coordinated with NESA on security and counter-terrorism matters. During the festival, the security staff on hand - plain clothes Pine Park and NESA agents, Burgunden Police and liaisons from the NEDM-DGC (Neu Engollon Defense Militia - Diplomatic Guard Corps) let the organizers use their system, uploading their own data on to a separate side database in order that they could more easily identify VIPs, entertainers and other special guests of the Festival. They had a couple monitors set aside just for that purpose. Two personnel from the security detail occupied chairs in every security office around the grounds, while a third chair was set aside for one of the organizer staff to do their thing. They sometimes, but rarely, coordinated when it came to the security of certain high profile foreign leaders that were entering the Park. Most often they did their own thing with little conversation with the others, mostly due to having to focus on their own task.

It was with this system and program that Antonio, the assistant to the musical director, was able to lock on to the ladies of the Chrysalides as they entered through the gates. Were the organizing staff not able to use the high tech software, there was really no way that they could scope out the hundreds of people that flowed through the security checkpoints at each gate within minutes. It would take just about every staffer available if they attempted to spot guests with the naked human eye only. Those staff were needed to tend to several other duties to keep the Festival functioning, otherwise things would come to an ass-grinding halt.

Some of the entertainers and VIPs made appointments to be met at the gate or were given a special number to call for when they arrived. Others, such as the Gylians, preferred to wander in with the regular festival attendees and meander for a bit before reporting in to get their assignments for sound check and get situated. That was fine, but over the years past, some performers had gotten lost in such process, so this failsafe had been put in place to curb such miscommunication and mishaps that caused minor burps in the schedule.

Antonio ran out of the office, hoping to catch the ladies before they got too deep into the crowd in the inner grounds. He caught them just before they were ready to head down one aisle of booths.
"Hello Chrysalides!! Hi, welcome to Burgunden and the Festival. I'm Antonio, one of Michel's assistants, but you can call me Tony. I'm supposed to help you get set up and make sure your gear arrived safely. I have a packet here for your dressing room and sound check assignment, as well as any other details you might need to know. I'm sure a lot of this is old hat as you're all second year veterans now, accorzu...er, right?" He ran a hand over his hair for a second and took a breath, "Anyway, we're glad to have you back. Is there anything else I can do for you or get you?"

by **The United Nations Of Europa** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:05 pm

The gates had finally opened and giant crowds poured into the park. People from numerous nations and the locals had come to attend the event. Loud chatter and laughs from all around could be heard. The festival seemed to be a perfect place to socialize with others and have a good time. It was also a great opportunity for Euro Flavor to make a killing.This would the first time the food company attended an international event. Euro Flavor wanted to show everyone at the festival excellence within their food so they had to have the best of everything. The food vendor brought fresh ingredients from Europa along with some of the nation's most pristine chefs from all around. The company even imported a small masonry oven to bake the bread to perfection. Fresh crops that were brought in the day before were being prepared for the day, while meats were being prepared and stored in warmers. The waiters and waitresses seated people in the tables that were provided while the chefs prepared the European cuisine. The aroma of bread and freshly prepared foods was spread around the whole booth area, creating a wonderful scent all around. So far the day was going well for the vendor but it didn’t even start yet. Not only were their going to be more people coming to the booth but news of the chancellor coming to the food vendor came through.

MENU

Strolling through the grounds was Chancellor Schulte from Europa wearing jeans, a long sleeved plaid shirt, and a scarf. It was unusual for her to wear casual clothes as most saw her wearing mostly formal business clothes to events. Yet the chancellor was attending the festival to have a good time so she didn’t feel like wearing anything too fancy.

There were numerous things happening all around her. Music could be heard all around, parades were being shown and kids were running around enjoying their time. The festival was a relief from all the international events the chancellor would usually attend. Getting away from all the conferences and diplomatic actions for a while would be great. As the chancellor was walking around her phone rang from her purse. She fumbled through the purse and grabbed it to see that her friend Klara, the secretary of state, was calling her.

“Hallo Klara, it’s nice to hear from you.” the chancellor answered. “How is it back home?”

“It’s busier than ever right now. Documents are flying in by the minute. I honestly don’t know how you do it.” The audio was cut off for a couple seconds as a pile of papers that fell could be heard in the background.

As the conversation went on the chancellor neared the Euro Flavor booth. She noticed the booth was busy and walked over to the front of the booth to greet the staff,“So how are you guys doing today?”

Many of the staff member’s eyes widened as she greeted them while rushing towards her to see what she was doing at the booth. Greetings could be heard from every angle as the workers flocked together. “Well I decided to stop by to see how the staff that’s representing our nation was doing, and well I gotta say you guys are doing great.” said the chancellor in a happy tone.

The head chef handed Schulte a croissant from a freshly made batch before asking her a question, “So I’m guessing Klara also told you about what we had planned for you too, right?”

Schulte was unaware of anything and could only give a unsure reply. The conversation she had was mainly about how the trip was so far but nothing about anything she had to at the booth. “I’m afraid she didn’t notify me of anything. Well whatever it is I’m sure I can do it.” Many of the staff members started to snicker as they lead her to the back of the booth. The next thing she knew was that she was being dressed in a dirndl getting ready to greet the people eating at the booth. Schulte quickly glanced at the staff, “You and Klara are all dead!” she whispered.

by **Gylias** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:39 pm

"Oh, hey!", Cæse said, waving to the man who came up running to them. "Nice to meet you, Tony!" She and the others took turns greeting him with a handshake.

"We were just going to your place, actually.", Angela said. She raised her hand next to her head and pointed behind her with her thumb. "Asked one of the guards for directions just now."

Cæse took the packet Tony offered, adding "Thank you very much", and the rest of the band and Anna congregated briefly to help her grab a hold on it, as well as glance at it. "Everything looks alright," Anna said. "I think we should leave this there... it doesn't make much sense to lug it around at a festival."

"Yeah, tell me about it Anna.", Cæse replied, jokingly exaggerating the effort it was taking her to hold the packet. "Between this and our instruments, the sooner we unload, the better."

Franciska giggled at Tony's comment about things being old hat. "Wow, second year veterans... when you put it that way... I never really thought of it like that!", she said. "It sounds more like an achievement that way."

"And we're happy you invited us back.", Anna replied with a smile.

"Actually," Dáuma chipped in, "could you help us a bit with unloading these"—she gestured towards the instruments they were carrying—"in the dressing room? That way we get a bit of relief and have some time to grab food before the soundcheck."

The band, Anna, and Tony then made their way towards the dressing room. They engaged Tony in some small talk along the way.

"Say, how's Michel these days? Last time we saw him was... well, at the last Brew Fest, haha.", Dáuma asked.

"Any tent you recommend for food?", Angela asked a bit further along in the conversation.

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 3:28 pm

Verndara Emerald Tent

Sekka would lightly chuckle before responding. "No offense taken," he responded, "As for the armor, I forged it myself using the shell of some huge metal thing I found in the A'yuh-lein Archipelago, but it's been so long since I've done any blacksmithing that I'm not quite sure if I remember it too well. Nowadays I'm mostly socializing within the multiverse or exploring & getting new weapons from other regions in my universe, like a scythe I recently got from the Barrens. Never really found any armor before, though."

After a moment of thinking, Sekka then continued speaking. "I think I may be able to talk with either Mac or a Psytrine to see if they can help me forge another set of armor like this... Yes, I do believe that shall be possible. When would you like the outfit? My current design is a bulletproof layer of fabric over a thin sheet of metal, but my original design was pretty much solid metal. Works where I come from, probably not so much in a modern world like this, though." After saying this, Sekka would then take a sip from his vacuum flask of Emerald Wine.

by **Neu Engollon** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:12 am

Verndara Emerald Tent

Sekka would lightly chuckle before responding. "No offense taken," he responded, "As for the armor, I forged it myself using the shell of some huge metal thing I found in the A'yuh-lein Archipelago, but it's been so long since I've done any blacksmithing that I'm not quite sure if I remember it too well. Nowadays I'm mostly socializing within the multiverse or exploring & getting new weapons from other regions in my universe, like a scythe I recently got from the Barrens. Never really found any armor before, though."

After a moment of thinking, Sekka then continued speaking. "I think I may be able to talk with either Mac or a Psytrine to see if they can help me forge another set of armor like this... Yes, I do believe that shall be possible. When would you like the outfit? My current design is a bulletproof layer of fabric over a thin sheet of metal, but my original design was pretty much solid metal. Works where I come from, probably not so much in a modern world like this, though." After saying this, Sekka would then take a sip from his vacuum flask of Emerald Wine.

Hoppy hung on patiently to the foreign nobleman's every word, which was rare for him as he was known for his boorish, tactless behavior. There were certain things about him that were ringing alarm bells somewhere in Hoppy's subconscious, but the danger bell wasn't one of them so he ignored it as he often did. The foreigner was drinking wine at what was predominantly a beer festival, and that really was the most glaring thing that irritated him, but his interest in the armor overtook any need to mention that fact. It also reminded him that he needed to get a draft in his hand soon.

"I would be very interested in obtainin' such a shiny fine suit as the one yer wearin'. I will pay whatever may be tha askin'..."
Hoppy, while dressing like an indigent freak from another century most of the time, actually made an impressive salary and had a bit squirreled away, despite the amount he wasted on booze and other tawdry pursuits. When he needed to, he could tap into those funds for acquiring such a find.
"...within reason o' course. I kin understand to custom cobble such an outfit might take a purdy bit o' time. Ya can find me at the main breuerie...48 Tiermacht Strasse...most days, if we would be needin' ta discuss further details beyond the Festival here or settin' up tha delivery."

Escorting the Chrysalides to the Dressing Room

"Oh, hey!", Cæse said, waving to the man who came up running to them. "Nice to meet you, Tony!" She and the others took turns greeting him with a handshake.

Tony smiled as he took their offered hands, relieved at how easy going the Chrysalides were. During his regular day job working at a major concert venue in the city, he had run across his share of divas.

"We were just going to your place, actually.", Angela said. She raised her hand next to her head and pointed behind her with her thumb. "Asked one of the guards for directions just now."

Cæse took the packet Tony offered, adding "Thank you very much", and the rest of the band and Anna congregated briefly to help her grab a hold on it, as well as glance at it. "Everything looks alright," Anna said. "I think we should leave this there... it doesn't make much sense to lug it around at a festival."

"No, no, of course not. It's just a primer and rider, with some reminders of times and your dressing room assignment, as well as letting you know how to get in touch with us. When I'm not standing in front of you, of course."

"Yeah, tell me about it Anna.", Cæse replied, jokingly exaggerating the effort it was taking her to hold the packet. "Between this and our instruments, the sooner we unload, the better."

Franciska giggled at Tony's comment about things being old hat. "Wow, second year veterans... when you put it that way... I never really thought of it like that!", she said. "It sounds more like an achievement that way."

"And we're happy you invited us back.", Anna replied with a smile.

Tony nodded. "It is an achievement. Not everyone gets invited back. There's been a few performing acts over the years, both domestic and foreign, who have worn out their welcome and made the list of those not to invite back."

"Actually," Dáuma chipped in, "could you help us a bit with unloading these"—she gestured towards the instruments they were carrying—"in the dressing room? That way we get a bit of relief and have some time to grab food before the soundcheck."

"Yes, of course. Just a moment and I'll be right back." He flagged down a staffer wearing a green vest with the staff lanyard around their neck. He said a quick couple sentences in Frandit, then chatted some more as they waited a couple minutes. Soon, the staffer was there with a large flat bed wheeled cart. The instruments and gear were loaded onto it and the whole entourage made their way towards the Royal Imperial Main Stage. Specifically towards the back of it.
"We have you here in Dressing Room Number Five."

The band, Anna, and Tony then made their way towards the dressing room. They engaged Tony in some small talk along the way.

"Say, how's Michel these days? Last time we saw him was... well, at the last Brew Fest, haha.", Dáuma asked.

"Ha, yeah...Michel is good. Busy, always super busy. Always flamboyant and over the top and puts all his emotion and gusto into the whole process. I think that David...Mr. Toft, assigned extra assistants besides myself to Michel this year as he was worried he was working himself up to some kind of health episode." He didn't want to come out and say cardiac arrest, but he was alluding to it.
"We have a full packed entertainment bill for this weekend, so it's been quite stressful for him, but we all know he enjoys it. It's in his blood and he's very good at what he does. He's regularly a big name talent coordinator in the musical theater production industry, if you didn't know..."

"Any tent you recommend for food?", Angela asked a bit further along in the conversation.

"Oh, um...well, I did try some Coq au vin and apple strudel from Euro Flavor. It was excellent. They have quite the set up there. I haven't had a chance to try anything else out, yet. I hear good things about Golden Goal and Provence, too, from the staffers that went there first. A lot of people like to just get food from the beer tents that offer it, too, when they're stocking up on their favorite brews, just because it's one less line to stand in, I guess."

Elsewhere

The Festival was certainly in full swing. The crowds were filling in. Nothing quite bordering uncomfortable with elbows in faces, but definitely dense enough to be noticeable.

DJ Taunt was on Freyport DJ stage playing music that had a Caribbean flavor from ska, calypso, bluebeat, rocksteady to reggae and dub. It was pretty easy going music and got everyone into a good mood as locals greeted each other and also welcomed foreign visitors. It was the type of gathering where people from all over the world could meet over a bar counter or sit at a long bench sitting and act as if they'd known each other for ages, when only meeting minutes ago. Normally, Neu Engollians could be a bit reserved, but when it came to occasions such as this, they were very boisterous and friendly, proud to be a part of the greater international brew community.

That's not to minimize the presence of both the musical and rugby fandoms, again consisting of both local and foreign contingents. As the first crucial matches were being played over on the exhibition pitches, many of the rugby fans had disappeared from the main grounds to spectate. A few rugger fans would still pop on occasion in order to grab a bite or brew from one of their favorite vendors and exhibitors that didn't have a smaller cart or kiosk over on the exhibition grounds. The ruckus of shocked and angry and ecstatic spectators was beginning to be heard even over the walls and through the East gate of the main grounds.

The music fans were filing in as the afternoon wore on in order to maybe catch a glimpse or even run into some of their favorite musical acts like the Timeline Tremors or Chrysalides, or some of the more local rockers like the Podunkers, Frigidmares or Servonaris. Folk acts like the Alpen Volken Circle had their followers and friends in attendance, but such was their nature and that of their fans that it would be a far cry to call them fanatical or starry eyed to any degree. The AVC were floating freely in the crowds and mingling and holding circle with friends, sometimes having impromptu jams with their friends. The Podunkers were also mingling in with the crowd, despite their fame. Their music had always appealed to successive younger generations who loved the angsty punk rock but also some of the lighter Celtic folksy and ska numbers they did.

Jean and Sal from the Podunkers were meandering in a diagonal line across the main grounds, signing autographs and chatting briefly with some fans, both young and older. As they broke away from a middle aged couple that had been fans since the early days, Jean pointed towards the Main stage area.
"Hey, isn't that the Chrysalides ladies?"

Sal followed Jean's gaze over to the stage area.
"Oh yeah. You're right, man. Looks like one of Michel's minions is getting them settled in. Maybe we can catch up with them later. Man, it's been, what...a year?"

"We need to get a multiversal tour going with them. That would be cool, eh?"

"You don't see a...um, fan clash, in that?"

"No, not really. What...you mean like the skins?! They only show up in a couple cities. I don't know that that's much of a thing outside the Confederacy, dude. I think our international fans overlap quite a bit, plus exposing each to other styles is always kind of fun. Maybe though, we could get a couple other bands on board, maybe the Frigidmares or Servonaris or somebody like that, plus some other Gylian band they might know. Make a go of it, ya know?"

"Yeah, dude, you don't need to sell me. Save it for them."

"Ha! Fuck off! Let's go get some brews. Try some of this foreign shit."

"Done."

by **Shwe Tu Colony** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:03 pm

Neu Engollon wrote:Verndara Emerald Tent

Sekka would lightly chuckle before responding. "No offense taken," he responded, "As for the armor, I forged it myself using the shell of some huge metal thing I found in the A'yuh-lein Archipelago, but it's been so long since I've done any blacksmithing that I'm not quite sure if I remember it too well. Nowadays I'm mostly socializing within the multiverse or exploring & getting new weapons from other regions in my universe, like a scythe I recently got from the Barrens. Never really found any armor before, though."

After a moment of thinking, Sekka then continued speaking. "I think I may be able to talk with either Mac or a Psytrine to see if they can help me forge another set of armor like this... Yes, I do believe that shall be possible. When would you like the outfit? My current design is a bulletproof layer of fabric over a thin sheet of metal, but my original design was pretty much solid metal. Works where I come from, probably not so much in a modern world like this, though." After saying this, Sekka would then take a sip from his vacuum flask of Emerald Wine.

Hoppy hung on patiently to the foreign nobleman's every word, which was rare for him as he was known for his boorish, tactless behavior. There were certain things about him that were ringing alarm bells somewhere in Hoppy's subconscious, but the danger bell wasn't one of them so he ignored it as he often did. The foreigner was drinking wine at what was predominantly a beer festival, and that really was the most glaring thing that irritated him, but his interest in the armor overtook any need to mention that fact. It also reminded him that he needed to get a draft in his hand soon.

"I would be very interested in obtainin' such a shiny fine suit as the one yer wearin'. I will pay whatever may be tha askin'..."
Hoppy, while dressing like an indigent freak from another century most of the time, actually made an impressive salary and had a bit squirreled away, despite the amount he wasted on booze and other tawdry pursuits. When he needed to, he could tap into those funds for acquiring such a find.
"...within reason o' course. I kin understand to custom cobble such an outfit might take a purdy bit o' time. Ya can find me at the main breuerie...48 Tiermacht Strasse...most days, if we would be needin' ta discuss further details beyond the Festival here or settin' up tha delivery."

"Alright then," replied Sekka, "I'll need to contact Mac, hold on." After saying this, Sekka then pulled out an odd... triangular prism phone? It was quite frankly bizarre & probably best not to question, but still, he typed out a text on it & his phone sang out a hollow metal sort of sound. So it seems, his reply came back quite rapidly, of which he read before paraphrasing. "Aight, he estimates it'll cost around $12,500, maybe more or less depending on your eh... bodily measurements," Sekka stated, "It'll take around a month or two to create, if you want the sort I'm wearing right now. If you want the solid metal one, which will probably be excessively heavy, it'll cost some $17,500 & take the same amount of time. Of course, this is assuming Psytronius's services don't have any issues."

After a momentary pause, he would then continue talking. "Once you get your measurements from your own tailor, or a Psytronian one if you want to call one over. Don't think Mac would be partial to showing his face to get measurements..." Sekka's phone would then make the same hollow metal sound & he then glanced at his phone. "Well, he just said he would be fine, since he knows you as having talked to me. He can come by tomorrow to get your bodily measurements for the suit," Sekka said after reading the text, "Though don't be surprised by how... youthful & short he looks or his indifferent personality. Surprises most people who see him."

by **Vangaziland** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 1:24 pm

"Man, whatever happens... Don't try to have a quick convo with Nuhotep", said the older Vangazi. He turned to the counter, the pair in front of him stepping away. "I'll have the cinnamon rolls with a glass of champagne." The Emperor took a second look at the menu. "Well, it comes in a bottle.. I'll take a bottle then if it's not too big."

The two had been stopped along the way by the actor of a television series in the middle of it's first season.

"Hmm", Fritz said as he leaned forward and squinted. "I'll have the waffles, croissant and why not... I'll take champagne as well. Give us the good stuff. Don't hold out." He spoke through a warm beaming smile.

The two were about to check into their booth and figured they'd do the quick loop first. With surprise in his voice, Fritz called out, "Chancellor Schulte! Fancy seeing you here." The Chancellor was a guest at an international event in the Vannish capital. They weren't sure that she'd be here, but with the delay it wasn't much of a longshot.

The Vannish booth was swinging at 3/4 steam. They had certain periods where they expected even more of a rush, but there was a decent crowd. The area near the booth carried the smell of spices & pepper. You could also smell freshly, roasted meatballs leaving the oven before being covered with spicy powder, sauce or both.... The customer could tailor the option along with other condiments.

"Please, meet my the Emperor of Vangaziland. Helios Vang." Fritz turned to his dad. "This is Chancellor Schulte from the End of War ball..."

"Ah, from Europa", said Helios. "A pleasure, madam."

by **The United Nations Of Europa** » Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:08 pm

A couple minutes had passed by since Schulte was still greeting people. She decided to go back to the counter," Hey can I be done. You know I didn't come here to work all day." Greeting the customers didn't really bother her but she despised the dirndl, and she knew it was Klara who came up with the idea.

The Chancellor grabbed her clothes and stuffed them in her bag. This was the first time she visited the event and it didn't help that she had very little where everything was. She started to look at her pamphlet that was handed to her, trying to figure out where she could get dressed.

Her name was called out from within the crowd. She didn't think anyone at the festival would know who she was but apparently someone did. To her suprise it was Prince Fritz who had called her name out. Another man was with the Prince but he was unknow to her.

"Chancellor Schulte! Fancy seeing you here."

"I have to admit I didn't think I'd see you here Fritz!."

He then turned to greet the man who was with him, "Please, meet my the Emperor of Vangaziland. Helios Vang."

"This is Chancellor Schulte from the End of War ball...", Fritz said to the Emperor. "Ah, from Europa", said Helios. "A pleasure, madam."

"The pleasure is mine sir. I haven't really seen you around, I'm guessing your Fritz's father no?" The last time that Schulte saw Fritz was at a ball in Vangaziland she atteded. This was the first time she ever met the emperor...and she was still wearing the dirndl out of everything.

"

by **Neu Engollon** » Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:05 pm

Verndara Emerald Tent

"Alright then," replied Sekka, "I'll need to contact Mac, hold on." After saying this, Sekka then pulled out an odd... triangular prism phone? It was quite frankly bizarre & probably best not to question, but still, he typed out a text on it & his phone sang out a hollow metal sort of sound. So it seems, his reply came back quite rapidly, of which he read before paraphrasing. "Aight, he estimates it'll cost around $12,500, maybe more or less depending on your eh... bodily measurements," Sekka stated, "It'll take around a month or two to create, if you want the sort I'm wearing right now. If you want the solid metal one, which will probably be excessively heavy, it'll cost some $17,500 & take the same amount of time. Of course, this is assuming Psytronius's services don't have any issues."

Hoppy's face went from thoughtful to a mild shock as he heard the price. As he'd said, though, he could pay the price and was willing to do it.

After a momentary pause, he would then continue talking. "Once you get your measurements from your own tailor, or a Psytronian one if you want to call one over. Don't think Mac would be partial to showing his face to get measurements..." Sekka's phone would then make the same hollow metal sound & he then glanced at his phone. "Well, he just said he would be fine, since he knows you as having talked to me. He can come by tomorrow to get your bodily measurements for the suit," Sekka said after reading the text, "Though don't be surprised by how... youthful & short he looks or his indifferent personality. Surprises most people who see him."

"Youthful...like as in lookin' like a fluggin' rugrat? Eh...Anyways...I be thinkin' I'll be going with the twelve thousand dollar model. Lighter. Not just cuz o' der price, mind ye, but cuz I don' need ta be weighted down by tha heavier armor. Yeah, ya kin have yer boy come by and we'll do tha measurements. Stop by tha breuerie and they know whar to find me, ya know? Pleasure doin' the biz."

Hoppy held out his hand.

With more deejayed music, the first band got on the stage to play. The Frigidmares had a sound that was reminiscent of 15 years prior in the rock world, but also very akin to many current indie rock bands that were still popular around the multiverse now. They had a fun side, an irreverent side and an edge to them, that wasn't just cliche'd. They blazed through a quick set, then, pretty soon, it was time for the Chrysalides to hit the stage...

Alpen View Brew Festival (6th Edition - please read OP 1st)

Alpen View Brew Festival (6th Edition - please read OP 1st)

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