Canon Hub » No Return Hub » Inevitable Seasons » Spring Again
by Ethagon
This story has been published with the approval of the author. It is free for everyone to read. No magic, name-focused or otherwise, is apparent in this web version or the PDF file. For a version of this story including its magical effects, download the MXW file or visit one of our oral storykeepers in Esterberg, Three Portlands, or Dublin.
Title: Spring Again
Author: The Cycle of Seasons
Curator: Olivié Gwyneth
Individual Stories: Poster of the Wild Parade, How my Friend went to High Spring, Will-O-Wisp's Guide to the Threefold Proof Quest, Dictionary Definition of Springazgeyne
Release Date of Individual Stories: March 20, 2022
Language: English
Context: All four of these stories first appeared in some form on the spring equinox, announcing the new era of the most recent iteration of the Spring Court.
This story appeared originally as a poster advertising a circus in a small European town. Further details have been omitted on request.
As springazgeyne, Glaisnir presents…
The Wild Parade
Saffryr's Search
Join
Forget it, I will not join the Wild Hunt. No, you can't have been hunting for purpose. You were Winter's violent enforcer. Part of the Spring Court? Maybe. It's Saffryr. Okay, but only for a little while.
Saffryr in her search for her greatest of talents.
This week she will be singing for us!
Who knows? Maybe she will spark a talent in you too.
Reminded by an old friend's chestnut game we thought about revitalizing a game of old with new paint! Presenting
The Bite of Change
State something you want to change about yourself. Then bite into the
I know half of you are ghosts who previously hunted people for sport, but time's over. I just can't subject people to an eternal ironic punishment for such a minor crime. I know! I know, we are the Court of Change. Still, if we bring back the apple of change, it must be at the scale of a fairground attraction. Look, I can also just not join. I can live without the apple. Besides, I thought your whole thing was bringing them back in new ways? Oh, don't give me that!
apple of change. Were your convictions true or is the apple rotten? Only one way to find out!
The Documentary Theatre
The first ever live-performed documentary!
I'm sure you have already seen our actors sneak around your town. Yes! Your lived experience will join that of the many other towns we have visited and be invoked together for one big show.
Nothing but the
The idea of a documentary is to show a small sample size of people that are sort of… allegorical for a greater problem. We thought what if we could directly invoke a cumulative truth of sorts if we did our investigation first and then invoke the group as a whole with our actors as a medium?
cumulative truth, without losing any of the thrill of entertainment!
…And New Recruits
Interested in the Wild Parade? Do you have an interest in tea? Have you recently discovered your ancestors to have lived in the late
It's not mandatory. I don't pressure people anymore. If you do want to find out more about what your grandmother did in Avalon, we are your best bet. Think it over. We'll be here all week.
Avalon?
Now is your chance to join the Wild Parade and revive the tradition of story-weaving avalonic tea. Not all rites are meant for Winter.
Tonight's Prisoner
He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he could control your name, but it was not his to play! He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he could control your name, but it was not his to play! He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he could control your name, but it was not his to play! He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he could control your name, now we play with Yournamehere! He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away. He thought he'd get away.
Yournamehere gave out promises to quicken along the legal process for anyone who wanted a new legal name. In return, he would claim himself the names' creator and all the rights that come with it. now with springazgeyne, the Wild Parade has judged this new naming magic as false. You're not a namesmith, silly!
Now Yournamehere is part of our attractions. Give him a taste of his medicine and grant him a new name created by you for the day. The Wild Parade waves the Laws of Naming for this purpose, so have fun.
This story was originally oral in nature and loses its personalized nature in this version of the document. These sections have been replaced with explanations of what kind of content would have appeared in oral form. For the full experience, it is recommended to visit one of the Lounge's story keepers.
So I've heard this from a friend, [a name you don't know]. He's an acquaintance of [an acquaintance whose name you know who is a bit outside your social circle].
This is how you get into the Court of High Spring.
First off, you need to climb. It doesn't really matter how you 'climb', but you have to climb in some way. Can be literal climbing, or something metaphorical like climbing the social ladder. All that matters is that you want to reach the Court of High Spring while doing so. My friend did it by [doing something that would be hard for you to replicate].
Sure enough, the boundary was crossed. It still looked a bit like [the environment the friend started the climb in], but there were plants intermixed. It was dark, from the trees above blocking the sun and there was no longer a ground below. There are Fae here.
My friend was greeted by a
but their call was answered. "Did you not expect my attention?", asked the voice in the woods. In truth, the visitors did not think they would have been heart. "So can we do it? Can we be Namesmiths?" The Authority of High Spring descended upon its future subjects. "As springazgeyne Names are birthed once more." Sure enough before their eyes all tools necessary for the trade formed. Hurridly the future
Namesmith.
"What do you want from Spring?", he asked. "To change your Name, create a new one?"
My friend responded. "What price would I pay?"
"One hardship", was the answer. "But it does not seem to be what you truly want."
And so my friend climbed on.
The woods became lighter and more sun came through from above. In the distance the skyline of [a city close to you. The friend is from there.] was visible. There were more Fae here. Some were gardening, while others were [doing activities that both you and the speaker are familiar with from your shared surroundings].
My friend was greeted by a
and the Fae Queen had died in it. Could such a place still serve as a garden? Would it have the nourishment for new flowers to bloom? No, a new garden must be built. One closer to the sun, with fresher air and Gardeners to tend to it. The old garden could serve as earth for what came after it. Here flowers could bloom, surrounded by
Gardener.
"What do you want from Spring?", she asked. "To change your Garden, create a new one?"
My friend responded. "What price would I pay?"
"Hardships upon hardships", was the answer. "But it does not seem to be what you truly want."
And so my friend climbed on.
My friend would not climb higher. The air was light, the skyline was gone, and beneath was the whole world. The trees stretched ever closer to the sun, though there was no way to climb them still. Though railways were growing out of the trees. Between them was a train station in [various states of construction, depending on when this tale was heard. Most recently it was halfway done].
A swarm of butterflies formed into four golden spiders attached to each other, the foremost one with a flower on its head. The
that the competition had never concluded, with the nameless forest having been burned and then destroyed by the Impasse. Who would rule the new Spring Court sprouted from it? Multiple candidates were still alive and interested in the race to the throne. "Only I persist." said the last candidate still in the forest. "The last two candidates will Become as well. Yet only I will lead the Climbing Woods. So spoke the newly ordained Climbing Monarch and as springazgeyne the new forest Became of Spring. It took not long for its new residents to see the truth in their monarchs words. Only High Spring would be their duty, the others
Climbing Monarch.
"Is this your Spring?" they asked. "To change the World?"
My friend responded. "What price would I pay?"
"The World cannot be changed by one.", was the answer. "It is outside your ambitions."
[One of the three rejections in Name, Garden and World will instead be replaced with "while it does seem to interest you, it is best to climb on for now." or in the case of the Climbing Monarch's rejection with "Gather more."]
[The friend and the Climbing Monarch will climb back or stay at the level which would be of most interest to you. Here the Climbing Monarch will give advice in their own way about a problem of the friend that is similar to a problem you might seek out the Court of High Spring for.]
"The hardships are little compared to before." finished the Climbing Monarch. "This is not an age fit for war."
The authority of high spring then proceeded to lose some of their legs while the remaining legs grew shoes. They ran away on the not yet finished railroad tracks.
And that's about what happened. But enough about my friend, what's been happening in your life?
This story appeared on various forums at the spring equinox, only some of which were gaming-related and none to the game the guide is about. The original posts have all been deleted either by moderators or the user itself.
| Don't look into it! I may be helpful for now, but the temperament of the Will-O-Wisp is a fickle thing and it wouldn't do to anger one, would it? Lest it leads you astray. One might find themselves lost only browsing content on your computer. Will-O-Wisp posted on 2022-03-20 |
First off this is only a guide about how to transfer something from Spring to Summer using the Late Spring Court. It is not a guide on how to transfer something from Summer to Spring or how to deal with dream connections when the First Guest attempts to do that for you. Those guides can be found among other
Sorry, but there wouldn't be any fun in it if you just found it all just by stumbling on one, no? In this age, I'm sure someone collects all my posts to the paths for you to find without much effort of your own. So I better do my best, they're still tough nuts to crack. I'm sure you'll be able to follow my trail if you're really desperate. Consider this a freebie!
posts to the paths and are linked as appropriate.
You can skip this guide entirely and make your case to Summer directly, but going through Late Spring first is recommended.
You should be familiar with A Midsummer Night's Game Online and have the "A Piece of Summer" Quest finished. It helps your case if you choose a website/territory for your first sun anchor placement that is related to what you want to do.
Make your way to the Twilight Castle and enter the floor of Springazgeyne. The door to this floor only opens if you are serious about this. As soon as you go through the door there is no turning back. Exiting the game until all trials are done will result in the permanent denial of your case barring exceptional circumstances. You will also lose your username, but that should really come as no surprise if you're in Twilight Castle.
Once you've entered, the
What a handsome fellow! Shame, he is always so busy. Did you know that players very rarely actually meet the First Guest? If it's as part of the normal game quests he'll likely just put a Doppelgänger to the job unless the player piques his interest. Not like a lot of people play the game for the game nowadays. Which is quite unfair, we put a lot of work into it, you know?
First Guest will greet you. This is normal. It means that you will be under more scrutiny, but that is par for the course for a transfer to Summer. In the rare case where it's super clear your thing will transfer to Summer, you'll be dealing with a lesser Guest instead.
After pleasantries are exchanged (I don't have to tell you that presentation also matters for your case), the First Guest will present you with your first trial: The Proof of Springbirth.
Here the First Guest will interrogate you about what
Many choose their name. Some succeed if they were famous before. Idiots instead choose themselves. They all fail. Just as those who choose their company as their practice of being to be transferred for Summer. As if most mortal institutions were any fit for summer. Perhaps Late Spring was always their real aim? No, it is all the methods and processes where the curiosity for success lies.
practice of being you want to transfer to Summer. The answer is supposed to come in the form of creating parts of the case which would answer the question. Prior knowledge about reality-bending is not required, it will come naturally to you.
The First Guest might invite others, like competitors, to further prod you with questions. You may invite others on your own, though it would be unwise to do so before the First Guest does. The same holds true for the later trials.
This is the easiest trial to succeed as you only need to prove that your practice of being is currently of Spring, or that it has plateaued.
If you find yourself failing this trial and a transfer to Summer is mentioned regardless, do not get your hopes up. This is just the procedure to get your decaying practice to Autumn.
The trial should be held with the other two in mind as each trial builds on what has been created before. As the change inherent in your practice of being has been established, the First Guest will move on to the second trial: The Proof of Rigour.
This trial coincides with a slow change of the environment, moving slowly from the floor of springazgeyne to an area in the night sky above Twilight Castle. Everything created in your first trial will still persist.
The First Guest will throw you into the many scenarios you created in the first trial and throw obstacles at it to see if the core of the practice changes or not. It is possible to negotiate what exactly the
Maybe read up on philosophy too! I know of trial-takers who never heard what the word quintessence means. Really would help against the First Guest giving them the run-around. Or just go in with a lawyer specialised in Fae Trials from the start.
quintessence of their practice is.
Just like the first trial, the last trial will build on your actions in the Proof of Rigour trial. After you have gone through the motions enough, the First Guest will appear frustrated and banish you from the scenarios he put you in, directly transitioning into the final trial: The Proof of Permanence.
Your prior actions will become automated. The First Guest will continue to throw obstacles at your scenarios, though on a larger timescale and without you being able to intervene. Any time-dilation effects letting you experience centuries in seconds and yet in full are normal.
Any of the invited by the First Guest may still influence the scenarios, by voicing their opinions about potential failures of the simulation or suggesting ideas for obstacles. You are able to argue against these suggestions, but it makes for a stronger case against the Summer Court proper for you to remain silent during this trial.
Officially this trial will not end. You may take the dismissal by the First Guest of any invited as a cue for having passed the trial. You may inquire about how much longer the trial will take. After a non-commital answer, you can excuse yourself using common courtesy. The questroom can now be left without repercussions.
Note: You will spawn under the Nightsky hanging over Twilight Castle. Depending on equipment and how far the main quest has progressed the falling damage may be lethal to your game character.
In the rare case that the trial fails after this point the First Guest will contact you per
I so wish he would dreammail me. I know you are getting rejected but savour this chance. He is always in your mind now.
dreammail. This does not usually happen, as the First Guest does not dismiss the invited without thinking there is nothing more to be done.
The third trial will progress indefinitely until your request for transfer is brought before the Summer Court itself. The longer you wait between "completing" the third trial and your audience with Summer, the better your chances of success. Waiting a hundred years will bring certain success at this point, though a decade will also do well for getting your case accepted.
For more Will-O-Wisp content, check your local forest. I'm always waiting for you.
Excerpt from the Reconstructing Dictionary.
Meaning of springazgeyne in New Old Fae
Springazgeyne
noun
Definitions:
- return of the season spring with the occult significance of the three Spring Courts being active
- recognition of the three Spring Courts each being a part of Spring while being a whole Court with its own ruler
- the three stages of change
Occult Usage: Declaring, proving, or tying to the authority of one or all three of the Spring Courts by invoking the word.
Antonym:
Fe-eal-len: recognition of the Autumn Court having been split into three lesser versions of itself, or the three stages of decay
fe-eal-len
Possible literal translations to English include: Spring Again.
