What's cookin', muffin?
Vertiline's weather is absolutely beautiful now that the storm has passed. Spring storms bring flowers, and this one is no exception! Wildflowers cover the countryside and children scamper up and down the hills surrounding Ardel, picking flowers to make daisy chains. In Eider, people make elaborate decorations with moss and delicate saplings. The people of Hande decorate their homes and hair with huge lilies pulled from the swamp. Sabatier has little in the way of natural flowers, but that doesn't mean they can't make them from crystals! Everyone seems to be reveling in the warmer weather.
Even the temple is filled with activity. Servants bustle here and there, cleaning and decorating. The temple halls are gently perfumed thanks to the hundreds of flower garlands hanging from the rafters and from the petals scattered on the floor. There are bowls on the dining hall tables filled with candied violets at all times. Small, hard cakes sit in neat towers at the four corners of the temple and around the grounds at the four cardinal points. Although they're beautifully decorated and look tasty, anyone who takes a bite will discover they are in fact horrifically salty.
No, the cooks in the kitchen didn't mistake salt for sugar (this time)--it's tradition! That's right, Vertigoers, locals are gearing up for a spring festival! All along the roads between the cities, people walk; families with small children are making a pilgrimage to the Temple. The formerly empty building between Hande and Ardel now sees large numbers of people passing through it. Those who stop take the time to burn small cakes like those at the temple in the building's fires.
Back at the temple, maypoles are being set up on the grounds, and wood is neatly stacked in an open area as preparation for the bonfire that will be lit up in a few days' time. Servants chatter excitedly and there is much talk about the Lady's coming arrival and the blessings she will confer on the masses and the land. There's quite a lot to do before she arrives, after all!
The fabled Lady of Vertiline will arrive at the Temple on Friday, at which point a post will go up and the festival will begin! Joining in on the festivities is entirely optional, but gosh, wouldn't you like to see what all the fuss is about?
Even the temple is filled with activity. Servants bustle here and there, cleaning and decorating. The temple halls are gently perfumed thanks to the hundreds of flower garlands hanging from the rafters and from the petals scattered on the floor. There are bowls on the dining hall tables filled with candied violets at all times. Small, hard cakes sit in neat towers at the four corners of the temple and around the grounds at the four cardinal points. Although they're beautifully decorated and look tasty, anyone who takes a bite will discover they are in fact horrifically salty.
No, the cooks in the kitchen didn't mistake salt for sugar (this time)--it's tradition! That's right, Vertigoers, locals are gearing up for a spring festival! All along the roads between the cities, people walk; families with small children are making a pilgrimage to the Temple. The formerly empty building between Hande and Ardel now sees large numbers of people passing through it. Those who stop take the time to burn small cakes like those at the temple in the building's fires.
Back at the temple, maypoles are being set up on the grounds, and wood is neatly stacked in an open area as preparation for the bonfire that will be lit up in a few days' time. Servants chatter excitedly and there is much talk about the Lady's coming arrival and the blessings she will confer on the masses and the land. There's quite a lot to do before she arrives, after all!
The fabled Lady of Vertiline will arrive at the Temple on Friday, at which point a post will go up and the festival will begin! Joining in on the festivities is entirely optional, but gosh, wouldn't you like to see what all the fuss is about?