As you wander the Arcane realm – trying to ignore the gouts of glimmering purple smoke rising from the direction of the Observatory – the crystalline landforms seem to shimmer where they catch the light. You find yourself drawn towards the cool shade of the Starwood Strand, and take the risk of stepping into the shadows of the trees.
A warm light catches your eye: a glowing pocket bauble, suspended from a branch. You spot another, then another, further off, and decide to follow the trail. The path leads you deeper into the Star Wood, and just as you start to worry that you have lost your way, you hear a murmur of many voices up ahead. The path opens up into a large clearing, where a number of dragons have already gathered. As you join the throng, a Fae steps into the empty space at the centre and flits into the air.
“Greeting, friends. I am Mimir. My Clan has asked me to address those of you gathered so near to our home, while they – attend to other matters. Now, I understand that you’ve heard some rumours about the End of the World?” His voice is commanding, unusually robust and expressive for a Fae. As many of the dragons in the clearing look into the sky and start to murmur about the whispers of ill tidings they had heard, Mimir spread his frills and his forearms and spoke again. “I am sure that my fellow Arcane residents have everything completely under control – you may rest assured that the world will continue to spin on for some little while yet!”
He gave a chuckle and winked one of his deep blue eyes, his frills wafting reassuringly, and you can’t help but contribute to the collective sigh of relief from the assembled dragons.
Barely a heartbeat later, another rumble issues from the source of the smoke, which turned bright magenta and started to shed sparking motes of dust.
“Nothing to worry about,” Mimir grins, though suddenly his positive attitude seems just a little less comforting. “Now, I do believe that you ventured into the Starwood Strand for entertainment – it is, after all, the Starfall Festival, a time for celebration, not all this fear and anxiety! So I hope you will allow me to distract you from any – dubious sights, sounds, smells or sensations you may encounter in the Isles in the coming days …
“I propose a competition! A spectacle for all of dragonkind to enjoy! Don your finest apparel and join me here for a grand tournament – not of strength but of style! Come one and come all to the Starfall Celebration Costume Competition! May the best dressed win.”
Mimir pauses for dramatic effect while he looks around the clearing.
“After all, we wouldn’t want the End of the World to occur while we look anything less than our best, now, would we …?”
He winks again, giving another rakish grin to the assembled crowd before landing in the centre of the clearing. As the dragons begin to disperse, murmuring their costume plans, another thought seems to occur to him, and he calls out urgently:
“And pay no mind to any scurrilous rumours you might hear that this is all an elaborate scheme to recruit assistance! Perhaps some of the best dressed might be encouraged to help to avert any potential catastrophe – not that I believe that will be necessary – but I say to you now, this would be entirely of the individual’s own free will, and no obligation whatsoever.”
He glances once more towards the sky, and you notice that he cannot quite control the nervous twitching of his frills …
