Your step echoes on the shining floor of an open-air banquet hall, with hundreds of white-washed marble pillars and high, vaulted ceilings. Torches and tall oil lamps blaze between every pillar. In the distance, you see the velvet blue evening sky sprinkled with constellations, figures and heroes who have long left the world. The scent of dark earth and dew drifts on a breeze. Nearer, smells of sweetmeats, dough, and ripe fruits hover like incense from on top of long wooden tables; overflowing with rich foods, wines, and honey, they never seem to diminish.
Beneath a royal purple canopy, at the far end of the banquet table, rest two large wooden chairs. One is draped with exotic furs. The other is smooth-carved and unadorned. Two lamps blaze at either side. This is where the gods sit.
There is a tremor of movement in the distance, carried on the earthy breeze. Some of the stars twinkle and move. As your gaze fixes, you see that the stars are actually torches and lamps, carried by a party of merrymakers. As they approach, the music heightens, ringing with the sound of flutes, harps, and chimes, accented with laughter.
The party draws nearer, and you can now see distinct figures: wild-haired maidens with shreds of leaves still clinging to them, willow-limb dryads chased by homely and stumpy satyrs, and youths bearing goblets of mead and wine.
Among them, two figures stand out. One, youthful and lean, with a crown of curls and ivy. He is draped in furs and carries a shepherd's staff but his skin is tawny and his demeanor princely. The other is a strong-shouldered woman, tall but of substance. She is dressed in rushes. Her eyes are large and brown.
The crowd ascends into the banquet hall, now quieting. Each figure takes his or her place at the table. Dionysus, son of Zeus, and Demeter the Grain-mother are last to enter. They approach the purple canopy in silence. Stand shoulder to shoulder.
The Celebration is beginning . . .
Beneath a royal purple canopy, at the far end of the banquet table, rest two large wooden chairs. One is draped with exotic furs. The other is smooth-carved and unadorned. Two lamps blaze at either side. This is where the gods sit.
There is a tremor of movement in the distance, carried on the earthy breeze. Some of the stars twinkle and move. As your gaze fixes, you see that the stars are actually torches and lamps, carried by a party of merrymakers. As they approach, the music heightens, ringing with the sound of flutes, harps, and chimes, accented with laughter.
The party draws nearer, and you can now see distinct figures: wild-haired maidens with shreds of leaves still clinging to them, willow-limb dryads chased by homely and stumpy satyrs, and youths bearing goblets of mead and wine.
Among them, two figures stand out. One, youthful and lean, with a crown of curls and ivy. He is draped in furs and carries a shepherd's staff but his skin is tawny and his demeanor princely. The other is a strong-shouldered woman, tall but of substance. She is dressed in rushes. Her eyes are large and brown.
The crowd ascends into the banquet hall, now quieting. Each figure takes his or her place at the table. Dionysus, son of Zeus, and Demeter the Grain-mother are last to enter. They approach the purple canopy in silence. Stand shoulder to shoulder.
The Celebration is beginning . . .
The Gaia Annual Ball is a user run event held every summer and planed, funded, operated, and hosted by Gaia users just like you!
Each year has a particular theme, and within the larger theme, there are individual rooms that are divided into more precise themes. This is The Celebration, the haven of Demeter and Dionysus, the ritual gods of the harvest.
We have lots of goodies in store for you here. In addition to role playing in a fully interactive plot, there are games, contests, and art galore! This event begins on July the 10th and culminates in an all-encompassing finale on the 13th!
So won't you join us? Help us make The Celebration the best room in this year's Annual Ball!
Your hosts,
Dionysus & Demeter
Each year has a particular theme, and within the larger theme, there are individual rooms that are divided into more precise themes. This is The Celebration, the haven of Demeter and Dionysus, the ritual gods of the harvest.
We have lots of goodies in store for you here. In addition to role playing in a fully interactive plot, there are games, contests, and art galore! This event begins on July the 10th and culminates in an all-encompassing finale on the 13th!
So won't you join us? Help us make The Celebration the best room in this year's Annual Ball!
Your hosts,
Dionysus & Demeter
