InsaneJournal

Friday: August 17, 2007
Who: Everyone! [Open for All]
When: Evening, beginning around 6 PM
Where: Festival grounds NE of Helicharis
What: The Autumnal Festival!

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The happy sounds of the autumnal festival were ringing throughout all of Elysium even before the sun sank beneath the horizon. The hard work the fauns had put into the celebration was evident by the elaborate decoration and set-up of the grounds. Wooden lamp posts lit with colored flames littered the festival while garlands of flowers wrapped themselves around each post, adding to the earthy beauty of the entire scene. Each attendee was greeted with their choice of a garland of flowers for their head, neck, or wrist if they desired one (or more, for some).

Upon entering the grounds enchanted colored leaves fall from the sky and then back up again very slowly from the flora littered ground to create a more autumn-like atmosphere. The curious insects known as fairies were also in attendance due to all of the lights, the bright and happy colors attracting their attention while their prismatic bodies blinked in and out of sight like lightning bugs and little dust fell from their minuscule wings. The bonfires too added warmth to the cool night air and brought comfort to everyone who had come out to celebrate the changing of the seasons and the continuation of life.

What festival would be complete without fun and games, though?

The fauns, along with the centaurs, had set up an archery range at the eastern end of the grounds, along with areas for knife throwing and a ring for wrestling with a minotaur. "Care to try your luck?" read the signs posted in that area for all who ventured that way. The northern end of the grounds, near the saltwater lake, was also bustling with activity with the ale drinking and Lembas bread eating contests. The rowdiness of the crowds, however, did not take away from the good-natured atmosphere of the food and drink area nearby where many people were seated upon soft grasses of the earth.

The contests did not interrupt the music and the dancing either, both of which were only a few feet away. The musical fauns, with their pipes and flutes and drums, played with fervor and enticed the attendees to dance and sing joyously. Their music permeated throughout the entire festival and many, especially children, were invited to play along with flutes and drums that were handed out as they arrived. Music was a central theme to many of the faun’s festive activities throughout the year, the autumn festival being no exception, as was the dancing and the feasting upon delicious foods and decadent drinks laid out across the grounds.

The southern part of the festival held the games geared toward the young or simply the young at heart. Barrels were available for those who wished to roll down hills, piles of leaves were created for those who wanted nothing more than to jump and play in them. Colored sparklers were handed out freely and there were even pegasus rides for anyone who wanted to soar through the skies. There were contests here as well, simple ones that had participants bobbing for apples and fruits and curious prizes, searching for toys in piles of hay, and even pinning horns on a wooden faun.

As fairies danced their way through the crowds to spread the joy of the festival, fireworks explode into the night sky. The magical light show added to the overall joyous atmosphere of the first festival in the safe haven of Elysium.