[IC]A Feast of Thanks: Year 4

[Oath]

It was a strange sight in Ternadan, the first frosts of winter were approaching, townsfolk could be seen bundled up in their furs and wearing layers of clothes, in hopes of warding off the chilling bite of the frosted air. A lone man charged through the streets, a sword on his back that was far too large, armor that ill suited the safety of the city, packs overflowing with supplies. How he could carry it all, a man could scarcely guess. Yet, not only was the man carrying far too much, and looking extraordinarily out of place, he was also babbling incoherently.

TURKEY. TURKEYS? IS THE GUILD SAFE? TURKEYS!

Ryine charged through town, huffing and puffing, exhausted from all of the gear he was carrying. He knew that the Feast of Thanks was fast approaching, and that was the most dangerous time of year for the Guild of Galas'nor. For as long has he could remember, which is admittedly not more than a few years, a massive army of turkey had invaded the sacred Guild. Each year they came out on top, and had a massive celebration in which the entirety of the city was invited, not that they could all fit within the halls, or had the desire to come. It was a night of merrymaking, and of being thankful for all of the wonderful comrades, peculiar they may be, that he had found at Galas'nor.

As he continued to barrel down the street, mothers were pulling their children in doors and closing the shutters on the windows, men were pointing and laughing, but Ryine ignored them. They didn't understand the threat that was at hand. They didn't know that Galas'nor was the only thing protecting the fair city from ruin at the hands of a tumultuous troop of treacherous turkey. If Galas'nor fell, on the eve of the Feast of Thanks, the turkey would be eating the citizens, not the other way around.

Ryine arrived at the Guild, and smashed through the front doors into the main hall, he collapsed on the ground. Looking around in a daze, he was shouting. "Where are the turkey? Is the Guild safe?" He rose to his feet, drawing the giant sword from his back, the metal glimmering. With a wild look in his eyes, Ryine shouted once more. "WHERE ARE THE TURKEY?"

[Katrias Lyseer]

A particular individual sat in her usual corner, a book cupped between her hands. Katrias was one to usually only read and study heavier material; theories on arcana, histories of ancient civilizations, that sort of thing. But this time around she held what looked to be fiction; "The Adventures of Milliana Jones". It was recommended to her by a certain paladin, and though it wasn't material she would often delve into, the fact that it was a holiday helped change her mind. The evening had already begun, and although Katrias had been enjoying spending the day reading through her book, she knew that things would eventually get louder due to the festivities. The guild hall was quiet, and even though it wasn't that long ago that they had their regular guild shenanigans, the hours Katrias spent reading somehow felt like months. It came to no surprise that the one to break the monotonous serenity and heralded liveliness was Ryine.

The door burst open, with the warrior too drawing a scene with his voice.

"I hope you recall turkeys were banned from the city." Katrias said, replying to Ryine's outburst. "There's fliers all around town. They probably had enough of rampaging turkeys the previous years."

She held her next thought. In truth she wondered about the turkeys as well. They never failed to show in the last couple of years, so even she had been slightly on edge, expecting some sort of catastrophe on this day.

"It's not as if you can expect evil turkeys to simply not attack if it's made into a law."

[Oath]

Ryine stood, resting his blade on the ground in front of him with a puzzled look on his face. He heard Katrias mocking him from her usual corner.

He shouted.

"WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF SUCH A DECISION? DO THEY NOT KNOW THAT TURKEY IS A TRADITIONAL FOOD FOR THE FEAST OF THANKS?!!"

Various people were giving him strange looks, but that was par for the course. But clearly, turkey had been banned from the city, and there were no turkey to  be seen. After a few moments, he sat on the floor, not even bothering to head to a table. He could be heard muttering to himself.

"Do turkey understand human laws? Are they respecting what the city wants? Are they afraid after suffering such heavy losses the past three years? Why wouldn't they show up when they always do?"

He continued to sit there, going over the various possibilities for why the evil turkey army had not appeared this year, and those around could likely see smoke coming out of his ears as his brain worked much harder than it ever had in trying to dissect this problem.

[Neko]

"Oh, yes! That goes over there! Mhm, that looks fine. Oh....maybe more salt?" Sophie had been busy the past few days. Although it wasn't quite time for the feast - preparations needed to happen days in advance. Considering the amount of people in the guild hall seemed to be forever increasing, she'd have a lot of mouths to impress!

The maid smiled, wiping a small bead of sweat from her forehead. It was tiring work, but so worth it! She could already imagine the looks of pure bliss as people but into....well, one would normally expect turkeys, but, Sophie had to be creative this year. She couldn't help but feel a tad depressed. She'd come to be an expert with turkeys - the amount slaughtered the years before had given her much practice! Together with her team of cooks, they'd created what she considered the most beautiful feasts in existence! But, alas, she'd found other meat to prepare. Rather than sticking with one kind, the maid had opted for giving her guild mates a variety. Chicken, ham, steak. There would be something out there for just about everyone!

"Oh!" Sophie nearly dropped the stirring spoon she'd been fiddling with, when a familiar voice boomed through the halls. "I'll be back, I'm going to take a little break~." Sophie excused herself as she pushed past the kitchen door. She fanned herself off, her cheeks red from the heat. Making her way toward the noisy warrior, she was happy to find the ever so excitable Ryine.

It had been a while since the maid adventured with the others. It wasn't just the feast keeping her busy - Things in general had kept her off the battle field. With so much to clean, and cook, the guilds needs had become a full time job! She'd even taken to giving newcomers tours of the guild hall. While she missed navigating dungeons, and chasing after foes, she still felt a sense of accomplishment knowing her guild mates would always be well taken care of once they returned home. "Worry not, Ryine! I'll make sure whatever meat you desire (besides turkey), will be present at the feast, just for you!" Sophie interjected. She listed off a few of the current options, also throwing in a few of the deserts she'd been working on.

[Oath]

Ryine heard a familiar voice, one he hadn't heard for quite some time. He looked up from his spot on the floor to see Sophie. He was almost in tears from the mental exertion, trying to understand why the turkey hadn't come. Sophie had offered to prepare whichever meat he desired, as long as it wasn't turkey. When he heard the offer, the first thought on his mind was an intense hope that Golas wasn't in the room. He loved meat more than anyone in the Guild.

He responded slowly. "Well.... Turkey would be ideal, but I suppose this is the time of year to be thankful for what we have, and not be selfish or greedy. Perhaps we can prepare a bird similar to turkey, to at least keep the feel of the holiday?" Ryine thought about his idea for a moment before nodding his head. "Yes. that sound like a great course of action. Do you think you can make a meat like that, Sophie?" He still looked oddly sullen, but he did have a smile on his face once more.