Seasonal Update #1: Season Of Wilting

[royaldecreemods]

SEASONAL UPDATE

WELCOME TO ROYAL DECREE!!!

It's finally time for Rosavelle to open its gates - and I couldn't be more excited to welcome everyone to the kingdom! Now everyone's beginning to settle in, it's time for the game's very first Seasonal Update!

Seasonal Updates are a neat and tidy blend of event previews, CR planning, world updates, and AC results - all in one convenient bimonthly post! Typically, this first section will contain any important OOC announcements or updates you'll want to know before diving in.

Event previews and CR planning are exactly what they sound like - they'll outline the upcoming mod-run events and when you can expect them to go live, along with a brief primer on what to expect. You can use the comments to plan out your CR for the season, find event partners, or just brainstorm ways your characters might get involved.

World Updates will usually be the heart of each Seasonal Update. These cover small but notable happenings around Rosavelle - market fairs, seasonal festivals, strange magical phenomena, and any changes within the castle or the city that might affect your characters. The season's weather forecast will also appear here, along with any minor magical or political shifts that help set the tone for the months ahead. In addition, updates marked with a !❤︎! symbol indicate events that will have their own posts!

And lastly, AC results are exactly what they sound like - the wrap-up section for activity checks and any mod notes attached to them!

EVENT PREVIEW

It's been only a short while since your arrival in Rosavelle, and things have been going surprisingly smoothly. But as Their Highness kindly (and a little nervously) explained at the welcoming banquet, there's just one small complication: interdimensional travel is… frowned upon, let's say. But never fear! To keep anyone from asking awkward questions, Callie has come up with a plan! From this moment on, all off-world guests are to pose as visiting nobles from faraway lands, here to lend wisdom and support in the lead-up to their coronation.

Of course, that's a whole lot easier said than done. To make the cover story believable, everyone will spend their first four weeks in Rosavelle living on the castle grounds and undergoing a crash course in noble etiquette, Rosavellan customs, and the finer points of surviving a five-hour banquet without accidentally insulting a duke. Lessons will be held throughout the month, culminating in everyone's first outing to Rosavelle itself - a grand test of grace and charm during the Wilting Festival at month's end.

And who better to oversee this delicate operation than an actual noble from distant lands - Nadeshiko Hanabira-no-Kisaragi, the princess's lady-in-waiting, castle steward, and the human embodiment of no excuses? Her standards are legendarily high, her patience legendarily short, and rumor has it she can detect improper posture from across the room.

Brush up on your bowing, practice your table manners and prepare to learn how to fake nobility like your life (or at least your dignity) depends on it!

CR PLANNIN FORM:

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Contact:</b> <b>Introduction:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Canon:</b> <b>About:</b> (Give us a quick outline of your character! Think of this as a brief introduction to get everyone on the same page.) <b>Short Term & Future Plans/Wishes:</B> (This is the big one! If you're looking for particular CR, pitch it here!) <B>Anything Else?:</b> i fully expect this to be meme central but i'm adding it anyway

WORLD UPDATES

The Season of Wilting drifts gently into Rosavelle, painting the island in warm, fading tones. The air turns brisk but pleasant, carrying the faint sweetness of late blooms and the distant scent of the sea. Early in the season, the days are cool and bright, with leaves turning from green to copper and gold before fluttering down to gather along the streets and canals. As the weeks pass, the change deepens and the flowers that once crowned every bridge and balcony begin to wilt, retreating into their roots to rest. The winds from the Azurite Sea grow sharper, and frost starts to lace the railings and windowsills.

Around halfway through the season, the first snow begins to fall - light at first, dusting rooftops and garden paths, but gradually thickening into a soft, steady rhythm that blankets the island. The canals rarely freeze completely thanks to the island's magic, but the bridges can get icy, so tread carefully...! The skies tend to stay clear, but a few soft snowstorms pass through and by the end of Wilting, the cold reaches its peak. The days are short, the nights come early, and most people tuck themselves into warm taverns and candle-lit shops to escape the chill.

♡ All Season: The castle gardens have officially entered their end-of-year dormancy, but that doesn't mean they're empty! Staff have arranged some displays around the grounds, featuring frost-hardy blooms and enchanted lights. The Amourian Library and Hearthsong Salon are both running "warm corner" reading nooks for guests who want to cozy up with tea and a blanket while it snows outside.

♡ All Mont: Nadeshiko holds daily lessons to make sure the advisors can hold their own when the festival comes around. These will cover noble etiquette, Rosavellan customs and history - and yes, there will be a pop quiz.

♡ November 3rd onwards: The kitchens are testing some new recipes! Guests who stop by the Marigold Dining Room for lunch might get to try a few experimental dishes-root vegetable pies, mulled fruit compotes, and spiced cocoa. Feedback (and requests for seconds) are welcome.

♡ November 7th: The Crownkeepers' horses are restless from the turning weatger, so the stablehands are organizing a short afternoon trot through the castle gardens for anyone who wants to help exercise the steeds - or just feed them sugar cubes.

!❤︎! November 10th: Nadeshiko hosts a study session in the Amourian Library to better assess where the advisors' weak spots as a hroup. Tea and snacks will be provided but be aware that if you spill anything on any of the books, she WILL make it look like an accident.

♡ November 16th: A minor enchantment malfunction in the Radiant Hall's chandeliers has filled the air with drifting sparkles of frostlight. Staff are working on fixing it, but until then, the effect is rather pretty, if a bit slippery underfoot.

♡ November 25th: Small frost sprites have been spotted hiding in the courtyards! The groundskeepers are asking for help coaxing them back toward the greenhouse before they nibble on too many enchanted lanterns. They seem to like singing and crumbs of pastry.

!❤︎! November 29th - 30th: The Wilting Festival has arrived! Midway through the season, Rosavelle fills with a cheerful winter craft market, ice skating, and stalls piled high with food. It's a celebration said to warm up the coming cold months but most importantly, it's where the advisors will have their first outing to Rosavelle itself, under Callie and Nadeshiko's supervision. You're encouraged to enjoy yourselves but don't forget that this is the test of how well you can blend in with the locals. No pressure!

♡ December 1st: The first substantial snowfall of the season dusted the castle's balconies this morning! Servants have already swept the Radiant Hall's steps, but the lawns are fair game-snowman-building and snowball fights are officially underway.

♡ December 9th – 12th: The Thistle & Thorn Pub in Marelys hosts its annual end of year celebration. Fisherfolk bring in the last big catches before the colder waters set in, and the kitchen turns them into rich chowders and seafood pies. Artists from Primavain play in the evenings; it's one of the rowdiest, happiest events of the season.

♡ December 16th: The forge's heat charms are running strong, and the Emberlight smiths are holding an open workshop for anyone wanting to make small trinkets or charms to keep their hands warm. Don't worry, apprentices will make sure you don't accidentally weld your sleeves to the anvil!

♡ December 22nd: The Moonpetal Conservatory's night-blooming flowers are expected to open tonight! The conservatory will stay open late for anyone who wants to watch the petals unfurl under Calyx's glow.

♡ December 25th: Marigold Hall hosts a "Make & Mend Festival." Citizens bring in worn or broken belongings to repair under the guidance of local craftspeople. It's not just practical - the act of mending something dear is thought to invite good fortune into the coming Fallow.

♡ December 27th – 31st: The Lapis Lookout Lantern Walk. Families and friends make the climb to hang wind chimes and lanterns for the ships soon to return to harbor for the new year. The view is breathtaking, and it's said that if your lantern's flame stays steady, your love will too.

AC RESULTS

can you even imaine

(CODE)

Comments

[tsunatos]

Player Name: kas
Contact: pm or bicepsbrigade
Introduction: hello!! i'm kas, they/them. my main hobbies are writing, reading, and playing power wash simulat— i mean, video games. i'm currently staring out the window waiting for trick o' treaters. will i get any this year? stay tuned…

Character Name: thanatos
Canon: hades

About: thanatos is death incarnate. (no, really.) he's an ageless, immortal god who has better things to do than fuss about with romance… and yet, here he is! stern, sensible, and solemn as the grave (haha), thanatos takes his work seriously and rarely has time for anything else. his cold, prickly exterior belies a more caring interior.

tl;dr: he's a tsundere. but he's also pan and poly so /fingerguns!

Short Term & Future Plans/Wishes:

•   learn to relax

  anyone who can teach him how to be on vacation would be very welcome!! thanatos has not taken a vacation … ever, and he has no idea what to do with himself or his time. hobbies? never heard of her.

•   death approaches

  if your character is dead, has nearly died a lot, or just has a unique relationship with death, lmk! thanatos can sense that sort of stuff. without his usual work to occupy him, he might even seek such people out.

•   proper etiquette

  as far as thanatos is concerned, his manners are excellent, thank-you-very-much. he serves in the house of hades! he knows what he's doing!!! someone convince him to attend the scheduled lessons.

•   smooches

  i have a need and that need is for thanatos to get smooched. this is a future wish bc it takes a while for than to realize, 'hey, this person likes me.' but boy do i want!

Anything Else?: he used to have long hair! this is what he looked like:

[wroughten_iron]

...So. Archer's died thousands of times. Is that bad?

[tsunatos]

super concerning yes!!! thanatos would def notice that 👀

[wroughten_iron]

Hopefully, he'll pay more attention to the french toast.

[bladeofconquest]

In addition to having been surrounded by death during the war, Corrin does die briefly during the climax of Conquest after being shot through the heart by an arrow. There are things that could potentially be done there with Thanatos!

[tsunatos]

for sure, yeah! he wouldn't sense that she'd been surrounded by war, necessarily? but he could sense that she'd died and come back to life 🫡

[bladeofconquest]

Excellent! As a further question, two of Corrin's brothers died in her presence/because of her actions. Is that also the sort of thing Thanatos might pick up on?

[catsgothistongue]

Ranma's had multiple attempts on his life numerous times, nearly died several times, briefly ended up going to the Sanzu River (Buddhist river of the dead) for a few seconds, and has had several encounters with the dead (ghosts) if that all counts.

[tsunatos]

i think going to the river of the dead would count for sure! he could pick up on that 👀

[nightwild]

lookin kinda sephiroth there than

[tsunatos]

YOU'RE NOT WRONG

[nightwild]

he's even stabbing aerith

anyway i think than and yayoi should talk more. she uh. her body is just, her soul manifested into a physical body. she almost starved to death once. she killed a goddess once. she works with a guy whose transformed state is named Hades. there is probably a LOT for them to talk about.

[mahjongheart]

ah yes death we have a passing familiarity

[tsunatos]

oho do tell? 👀

[mahjongheart]

our girl's been KO'd, poisoned, shellacked, cut--

she could be said to be flirting with death every day or so the story goes

[okanetendo]

...you know what? I feel like Thanatos has a unique chance to cut through some of Nabiki's bullshit and help her properly process her mother's death.

The fact that he's built like a greek sculpture doesn't hurt.

I'm not sure if smooching is in their future, unless he buys shit for her, but positive CR? Maybe we can feel it out?

[tsunatos]

that sounds like a great plan to me! also giggling at the thought of him buying things for her… this man grumpily gives gifts in return but he's the most tsundere about it

[smoothas]

So Cindy here has died at least once, possibly twice, depending on how certain things might be considered (comics are dumb). There's possibly some interesting CR that could come from that, and maybe talking about Death in general? She's dated a ghost and been close to a zombie, so there's...let's say an interesting relationship with that sort of thing for her.

[tsunatos]

oooh yes, all of those sound like excellent things for them to chat about! 👀

[hjadningavig]

"proper etiquette"

Look if he hasn't already got somebody to be on top of tugging him towards things...Dain can be at least one of those. But I'm generally not picky about potential interactions

[tsunatos]

yes, i'm definitely down for that!!

[envers]

Verso's died more times than he can count. His body knits itself back together — he simply won't stay dead. Since surprise resurrections usually freak people out, he's fairly open about this :( Easier to get it over with! What he doesn't say is why. He gets evasive and shifty if anyone presses beyond the stock answer he gives.

There are deeper layers to his relationship with death that might possibly ping Thanatos as strange, but it's a major spoiler for his canon. Mind if I drop you a line about it, either on plurk or in the plotting channel on discord?

Outside that, I can see "Thanatos learns to relax and try new things" being a strong hook for CR between them. Thanatos sounds so tied to his role that he ordinarily can't be anything else, and Verso would relate. He's canonically helped others with that kind of thing before, so he could potentially help here too.

[tsunatos]

yes, you can drop me a line about it! discord is probably easiest since spoiler marking content is super easy there. i am canon blind but don't mind spoilers in general

super interested in verso helping thanatos learn to relax, too. and just in cr with these two in general. it sounds like it could be super interesting! 👀

[exsanguished]

sweats in being literally undead

[tsunatos]

👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 ! ! !

thanatos will find that VERY interesting