OOC NOTE: The Festival begins in game on Friday (but you can start posting for "day one" events as soon as the 9th oocly) and lasts through the weekend. We're making the events list and information surrounding the festival available to everyone early so that people can plot/plan for the upcoming event.
The Founders Festival Event Info.
A yearly festival, this event is a longstanding tradition held in honor of the founding of the city and those important people credited in establishing a peaceful and prosperous kingdom over a thousand years ago. Aside from the long dynasty of Emillion's rulers, the founders of the Guilds (Benjen Fairweather, first named Riskbreaker of the Fighters Guild, Vadril Rhavanni, first named Sage of the Mages Guild, Althea Penrose, first advocate of the Bards Guild) are also paid respect to. Guild presence is heavy during these events and members are often eager to contribute, or take advantage of the potential audience as the case may be. The festival starts with a parade on the first morning and lasts for three days, with events held in many different areas of the city.
Main Festival Events.
Games and Rides: The city's public park is taken over for the duration of the festival. Many temporary booths are raised in neatly arranged rows throughout, offering several different games of chance in arrows, darts and air rifles, tests of accuracy and some for strength. Rides for children have been constructed as well, a popular attraction for those able to afford the tickets. Along with the games and rides, local smiths and artisans have formed their own row of booths to display their work to the passersby. Accusations of swindlers at the game booths typically abound, although many claims remain unproven.
Theatre Entertainment: The Theatre District is also enjoying an unusually high volume of activity. Famous local musicians, dancers, theatre companies and entertainers of all variety perform throughout the festival, all of them eager to earn a wider audience and greater gil. These events are most popular with the common citizenry, and crime activity flourishes later in the evening hours. As such, EKP presence is increased in the duration of the festival.
Food and Drink: Many local taverns host specials on ale, mead, imported liquors and even wine tastings from local vineyards. Street vendors have doubled in numbers, and can be seen on nearly every busy street corner, offering common foods to bizarre "delicacies". Finer establishments hold private parties and dining events, bringing in chefs and artisans from all across Ivalice.
Sales and Wares: The Bazaar District is especially busy, hosting a variety of sales on "new" and "rare" goods and imports, with most vendors and shops offering discounts on their usual wares. Fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, jugglers, dancers and other street peddlers set up between the merchant stalls as well, attempting to further capitalize on the activity. A particularly successful (and eccentric) merchant has even chosen to host a scavenger hunt, with a reward of 500 gil to whomever completes their checklist. Teams consisting of up to three members are allowed to compete.
OOC Note: The exact list will be revealed on the first day of the festival.
Day One Events.
Parade: Visitors from far and wide are showcased along with much of Emillions greatest talent and finest. Members of the Bard's guild, EKP and notable Mage Guild members are common to witness pass by during this grand show.
OOC Note: A narrative/thread will be made available for interactions during this event.
Fighters Guild Combat Exhibition: Meant to positively showcase the members of the Fighters Guild and their skills, the first day is a large group melee event. The main participants are the knights of the city, and it has become something of a popular show as brawls between the well-regarded holy knights and the lesser but widely more infamous amount of fell knights are often expected to escalate.
Technology Display: An event held throughout much of the day, the event encompasses several large tents nearest to the Aerodrome. Mechanics, new to the profession, showcase their inventions and technological innovations to the citizens, oftentimes in the hope of catching the eye of potential financial investors.
Chocobo Races: For the ease of participants, this event is held in the afternoon at the stables just outside the city walls. Anyone who can afford the registration fee is able to participate in this event, and it is often a means for chocobo breeders to establish credibility in the city.
Fireworks Event: The final event of the first day, the fireworks are a joint effort between the Mages Guild and the local mechanics. Starting after sunrise, the fireworks can be viewed throughout the entirety of the city.
Day Two.
Fighters Guild Combat Exhibition: The second melee event involves three different combat specialists, Berserkers, Sentinels, Samurai and the Dragoons.
Technology Display: The next event is a formal competition, as mechanics put their inventions up against one another by popular vote.
Chocobo Races: The winners compete once more, this time in a racing course full of hoops, jumps and other unique challenges. Airship Show: An afternoon event, this display showcases the talents of local airship captains and the skills and designs of each ship. Winners are afforded a trophy, as well as the annually coveted reward purse.
Founders Play: A dramatic production given every year in the Theatre District, this particular play displays a fictional reenactment of the founding days of Emillion and the four legendary heroes who first established peace in the area by collecting the crystal shards required to defeat a great evil. By the word of many historians, this tale is said to be highly embellished, and includes many different themes each production, from dragons to demons to wild displays of magic and acts of heroism.
Day Three.
Archery Competition: Giving the Archers a chance to show off before being shown up by the local monks!, the Archery competition has several of Emillion's best marksmen and markswomen facing off against each other for placement, prize money and bragging rights until next years competition rolls around again! Rumor has it, that sometimes the EKP pulls new ranged members based on this, and the other Fighter's Guild exhibitions outcomes. However, this has never been proven (or discredited!) to be true.
Fighters Guild Combat Exhibition: The final day of this event is a more unconventional show between the monks and the archers respectively. The unarmed combatants provide a brief but exciting display of their individual fighting abilities, while the archers engage in a small tournament of skill between them. As for the last show, the Guildmaster himself puts on a one man melee display, taking on several fighters from the guild at once.
Technology Display: A battle tournament between large and highly embellished fighting machines, several mages and members of the EKP are kept on hand should an accident or fire occur.
Chocobo Races: The last race of the festival, winners from the previous days engage in the most challenging competition yet to decide the overall winner of the festival. Chocobos who win in this event bring great interest to the owners and breeders after the festival, and the rider is given a sizable reward of gil.
Hoverbike race: Traffic is temporarily blocked off in the warehouse district, as private owners compete against one another with their own customized hovercraft. Gambling on winners is widespread throughout the crowds, and accidents and sabotage between competitors is typical.
Festival Ball: The last and largest event of the festival, the ball is held in the nobles district and hosted by the owners of the opulent Sackheim Inn. This is often the only opportunity many have to be a part of such lavish events and as such, ballroom accommodations reach capacity quickly. Food and beverages are freely afforded, entertainment is often provided by the most popular performers and musicians in the city, and security is seen in great amounts due the increase of public traffic. The winner of the scavenger hunt is also announced.
OOC Note: A thread will be made available for interactions during this event.