A Dance with Dragons

[strongworld]

Who: You!
Where: Li Yu Tiao
When: May 24th - 31st
What: The Festival of Dragons!
Status: Open!

That special time of year has arrived when the Typhoon Grips allow safe passage to the Sky Islands. Here on Li Yu Tiao, the Festival of Dragons is about to begin. During this time, the villagers celebrate the koi that pass through their island to spawn and the great dragon that guards their land with its powerful magic.

From the opening, the streets will be filled with music, dancing, and indulgence. Grab some incredible local food and sample the fine alcohol brewed on the island. The hot springs are open to adults in the evenings and offer both separate and communal baths.

From May 25th until the 27th, the Dragon's Judgement Tournament will take place. The tournament is single-elimination, in which combatants can win either by amassing points by connecting with their hits, or by submission. Only nonfatal weapons are allowed and killing is strictly forbidden. The winner of the tournament will gain the title of the "Dragon's Hand" for the next year, and will be gifted with a crimson robe and a golden dragon statue.

On the 30th, a large stage is erected in front of the Dragon Gate. At sundown, the woman decided to be the most beautiful on the island will perform a dance on the stage. She will be dressed in a robe of glittering gold and a headpiece resembling a koi's whiskers. The dance is said to entice the koi into the next stage of their lives. During the dance, a single koi will leap through the gate and be transformed into a great dragon with impressive rainbow-colored scales. It is said this dragon's magic keeps the island tethered to the Dragon Gate and is the source of its wonderful weather. As the dance completes, the dancer's dress transforms into a pair of brilliant wings, and she takes into the air to live as the dragon's bride and protector. The two will then depart together for the mountain's summit. While the dancer is almost exclusively a local villager, it is not unheard of for an outsider to be selected for the role.

Comments

[crankyshark]

[success! He rubbed the dragon's scaly nose, smiling a bit]

[fastandfuryous]

[A rumbly sort of purr sounding in the creature's throat, he all but shoved his face at Thash. And then his tongue would snake out to slurp his face or hand, whichever was in reach. ...he may or may not be wondering if the guy tastes like fish, but this was solely out of curiosity and not because he was hungry.]

[crankyshark]

[he grinned at the dragon's enjoyment of his petting and did it more vigorously, but was rather surprised when it licked him. There was maybe half a second of alarm- he had met plenty of large creatures that had tried to eat him afterall- however, he could tell by the dragons playful mood and lack of aggression it was a harmless lick. He laughed a bit, trying to wipe the saliva off his face]

[fastandfuryous]

[Dragon saliva was clingy stuff, considering that Hiccup tended to use it as an adhesive for his map extensions.

Since the resulting was a laugh, Toothless was all the more pleased with his new acquaintance's good humor. He sat back again, tail swishing to curl about himself.]

[crankyshark]

[after wiping as much of the saliva off as he could, he grinned at the dragon] tell you what, in going to get something special for you...can you follow me?

[he beckoned with both arms for the dragon to follow him towards the shore]

[fastandfuryous]

[The implication of the tone was understood enough, but the gesturing made it unmistakeable as to what this person had wanted.

Getting to his feet again, Toothless began to trot along after Thash.]

[crankyshark]

[he led him to the shore, then motioned for him to stay and wait]

Alright just hang out here for five or ten minutes...I promise it'll be worth your time, ok? Be right back...

[and he dove into the waves]

[fastandfuryous]

[Toothless looked after him, head cocked to one side, but he went no further, sitting there in the sand.]

[crankyshark]

[he was gone for a few minutes, but when he reappeared he was dragging something behind him. As he came closer and emerged from the waves, Toothless would see it was a huge, wierd-looking fish...a five foot long adolescent sunfish to be exact]

This oughta fill ya up for a while...[he triumphantly dropped the large fish in front of the dragon]

[fastandfuryous]

[The dragon waited, tail swishing as he watched the waves. When the waters began to stir he got back up, looking in anticipation as Thash reemerged.

....THAT FISH THO.

The dragon bounded over even before he'd gotten to him, sniffing and circling the giant fish before he came to a halt again. Then he looked back at Thash. All this just for him???]

[crankyshark]

[after the fish was down on the beach, he grinned at the dragon] go ahead, man. That's all for you!

[fastandfuryous]

[Well, that was all the encouragement that Toothless needed. He wiggled happily before thrusting his head forward, his retractable teeth leaping forth as he took his first healthy bite.]

[crankyshark]

[he watched in satisfaction as the dragon ate, intrigued by his retractable teeth...he'd never seen that before]

[fastandfuryous]

[About half way through, the Night Fury paused, head tilted at Thash. He nudged the fish as though to ask if he wanted any of this. Considering he usually offered to share after he'd half-digested it, this was a rare occurrence!]

[crankyshark]

[although Thash wasn't hungry, that seemed like a really nice gesture and he didn't want to be rude and turn it down. So he smiled and came forward to take a bite out of the fish, his shark genes letting him enjoy it raw]

Thanks, [he said once he'd wiped some blood off his face]

[fastandfuryous]

[This seemed to please Toothless. Most of the time those who he'd offer to share with would make the strangest faces. Thash didn't hesitate in the least.

In response to his thanks, the dragon gave a short growlf, and then he resumed his meal.]