Raise a Glass
During the Harvest Feast at the Fortnight Festival hosted by Grainmother Sheafheart and the Court of Golden Fields, a competition was introduced. At the end of dinner, the Grainmother asked those present to raise a glass, if they felt so inclined, and call a toast in the spirit of the courts of all seasons being present and working together. As a prize, she offered a Golden Apple.
Toasts were made by prominent members of the Courts.
Court of Wind and Stars (Starborn Lady)
"Under the eternal watch of the stars, where the wind carries secrets from realm to realm, we lift our voices in tribute to the splendor of this festival. May the bounty of autumn remind us that even as leaves fall, new wonders rise in their place. To the courts gathered here, each as radiant as a constellation in the night sky, may our fates weave together like threads of starlight. And may we, like the wind, dance freely—unbound, unburdened, and ever in pursuit of the infinite. To the Fortnight Festival, to the Golden Apple, and to the magic that binds us all!" Court of Cinder and Ash (Smolder)
"Raise your cups and watch the embers dance! To the fire that warms the feast and to the flames that devour the old! For nothing endures forever, and all that stands must one day fall to cinder and soot. But from the ashes, new life rises, stronger and wilder than before. So let the past burn, let the present blaze, and let us drink to the future yet unwritten! To the Golden Apple, to the fire in our hearts, and to the feast before us—may it fuel us before the next great inferno! Burn bright, my friends!" Svartálfheim (Queen Aibel)
"To the Fortnight Festival, to tradition, and to the endless turning of the wheel. The courts gather, as they always do—some to dance in fleeting sunlight, others to chase the bloom of spring, as if either can hold back the march of time. But we in Svartálfheim drink to what is enduring—to the night that does not wane, to the cold that does not falter, and to the strength that does not depend on fair weather to thrive. May the Golden Apple fall to hands that know patience, to wisdom that outlasts fire, and to power that does not fade when the summer ends. Skal." Court of Long Shadows (Shadow Regent Umbra)
"To the unseen, the unheard, the whispers that linger when the revelry fades. To secrets well-kept and debts well-hidden, to masks that fit so well they become the truth. Let the foolish bask in the firelight, blind to the figures standing just beyond its reach. And let us drink—to the Golden Apple, to the game behind the game, and to those who already know how this will end." Court of Thorns and Brambles (Barbed Countess)
"Raise your cups, dear guests, and drink deeply—for tonight is a feast, and feasts are fleeting. Like roses that bloom in blood, beauty and revelry must be paid for in kind. To those who have wronged us, let them know: the brambles do not forgive, and the thorns remember every trespass. Every slight, every insult, every betrayal is a seed planted in dark soil, and one day, when the time is right, the vines will tighten, the roots will rise, and the debt will be collected. So let us drink to the Golden Apple, to the sharp kiss of vengeance, and to the whispers in the dark that call for what is owed. May those who think themselves beyond reach soon learn—nothing escapes the thorns." Court of Heat and Rapture (Sir Hearts Aflame)
"My darlings, my doves, my delectable dalliances yet discovered! Do you feel it? The heat? The Smolder? The undeniable, unrelenting, all-consuming wildfire of a bunch of very handsome and beautiful people congregated together? To be in the presence of so many 8’s and above, we are a force of nature! For we do not simply revel, we do not merely toast—nay, we ignite, we blaze, we become the stuff of scandalous legend! To the Golden Apple, that prize of prizes, that trinket of triumph! Many will reach for it, but only one may taste the sweet of the crisp apple. But fret not if it does not find its way to your lips, as there are many succulent peaches to be tasted and many a mouthwatering banana to sup upon while playing with a couple of tender avocados in your free hand. This guy knows what I’m talking about. (At this, he points and winks to someone in the crowd.) Let the feasts be grand, the wine be flowing, and the hearts—oh, the hearts—be utterly, hopelessly, helplessly set aflame! And to those who would resist? To those who might yet think themselves immune to the siren’s call? I say this—brace yourselves, for the night is long, and I am unstoppable! Drink! Dance! And if your beds are cold by dawn, dearest ones, know it is only because you lacked the courage to seize what burns brightest! TO THE FESTIVAL!" Court of Shattered Mirrors (Fractured Princess)
"A toast! A toast! Oh, what fun! So many pretty faces! And so many pretty masks! Can you see the difference? To the Golden Apple! May it be a worthy home for a Golden Worm! And to the Festival! And all the dancing feet and clinking cups to drown out the whispers behind your backs! When you drink, may it be your reflection in the dark pool of wine looking back at you. Your true reflection. Court of Yestermorrow (True Thomas)
“Seasons turn. Apples fall. Not all that is lost remains so. I drink—for the ones who let me go, and for all who do not yet know what they’ve given up.” Court of Fools (Hyrsam)
“Oi, ‘ere’s to the lot wot poured yer drinks, cook yer food, wipe yer arses ‘oo’s names ya dinnit even bovver ta learn. An’ ‘ere’s ta the ones wot ain’t bowed nor scraped, nor kissed no bloody rings! To the ones wot laugh in the faces o’ kings an’ queens, ‘cos we know the great joke, don’t we? Power ain’t real—jus’ a fancy costume worn by them wot got lucky! Riots’re the language of the un’eard. An’ laws? Laws’re jess freats made by the dominant socio-economic ethnic group inna given land. It’s jess a promise of violence thass enacted an’ police’re basically jess an occupying army. So, I dinnit give a rat’s arse ‘bout some apple. I’m waitin’ ta we cook up some bacon.” Court of Snow and Ice (The Frost Prince)
“I raise this glass not in joy, but in acknowledgment. The cycle continues: warmth gives way to winter, and the fruit ripens just in time to fall. How predictable. The Court of Ice and Snow offers its… regard to our hosts for this gathering. The Golden Apple gleams, yes—but its luster will fade, as all things do. We in Winter do not pretend otherwise. May whoever wins it enjoy its sweetness, while it lasts. And when the bloom is gone, and the frost sets in, remember—we endure what others cannot.” Goblin Court (Goblin King)
"A toast! A toast! Oh, what a festival! What a night! To the Golden Apple, may it fall not to the worthy, nor the bold, but to the ones skilled enough in sneakery to snatch it while nobody is looking! Ha! I jest. Obviously if that were my intent, I would not make a toast to it! To the fools who think this game is fair, and to those of us who know better–drink deep, feast fast, and remember: in the end it is not who wins that matters, but the one who–oh! Shit! Is that a bear about to maul everyone? Ha! Double bluff! I did tell you my plan! Smoke bomb! Misty step! And piss off non-Apple-havers! Several goblins from the Goblin Court then tried unsuccessfully to steal the Golden Apple, but instead retreated with a gourd. Thrice-Nine Kingdom (Vasilisa)
"To the Fortnight Festival, where tales yet unwritten dance upon the lips of fate. To the Golden Apple, a prize worth more than gold and less than wisdom. In the Thrice-Nine Kingdom, we know well that every boon carries its burden, every triumph its test. So let the bold grasp, let the cunning scheme, let the foolish dream—what is meant to be shall be, and what is not… well, that is a tale for another night. To fate, to fortune, and to those who think themselves beyond them—na zdorovye!" Court of Storm and Surge (Caelum Thunderstrike)
"Raise your cups, fey and friend, drink deep as thunder rolls! For winds shift, tides surge, and fortune favors bold! A stagnant sea breeds no legend, and calm sky tells no tale! So may festival roar like tempest, may our revels strike like lightning, and may every soul here burn as bright as storm’s fury! To the Golden Apple, the dance of chaos and power, and to those brave enough to ride the storm! May we all stand unshaken in face of gale—cheers!" Court of Blight (Gossamer)
"To the harvest, not only of golden fields but of all things. For all that flourishes must one day wither, and all that withers must return to the earth. In the scent of fallen leaves, in the hush of twilight, in the slow, creeping touch of time—we find beauty. So let us drink not just to the revelry of today, but to the embrace of the inevitable, to the lessons of loss, and to the wisdom carried by decay. For what falls shall feed what comes next, and in rot, we find the promise of renewal. To the Golden Apple, to the fading light, and to the dark soil that welcomes us all." The party members also ended up giving toasts--Illevaere's toast was a quasi-religious sermon of Caena making vague threats in response to the Barbed Countess' toast, Myohn's toast was a praise of the beauty and the glory of the Swan Queen, Aisling's toast was directed not to a specific court openly, but with enough subtlety to make specific courts feel acknowledged, Ilbryen's toast was a pro-friendship, anti-capitalist message equating the strength of friends being what powers worker unions, and Bolvaic's toast was a rambling drunken ode to his fellow League members. Ultimately, the Grainmother chose to award the Golden Apple to Aisling.
"Under the eternal watch of the stars, where the wind carries secrets from realm to realm, we lift our voices in tribute to the splendor of this festival. May the bounty of autumn remind us that even as leaves fall, new wonders rise in their place. To the courts gathered here, each as radiant as a constellation in the night sky, may our fates weave together like threads of starlight. And may we, like the wind, dance freely—unbound, unburdened, and ever in pursuit of the infinite. To the Fortnight Festival, to the Golden Apple, and to the magic that binds us all!" Court of Cinder and Ash (Smolder)
"Raise your cups and watch the embers dance! To the fire that warms the feast and to the flames that devour the old! For nothing endures forever, and all that stands must one day fall to cinder and soot. But from the ashes, new life rises, stronger and wilder than before. So let the past burn, let the present blaze, and let us drink to the future yet unwritten! To the Golden Apple, to the fire in our hearts, and to the feast before us—may it fuel us before the next great inferno! Burn bright, my friends!" Svartálfheim (Queen Aibel)
"To the Fortnight Festival, to tradition, and to the endless turning of the wheel. The courts gather, as they always do—some to dance in fleeting sunlight, others to chase the bloom of spring, as if either can hold back the march of time. But we in Svartálfheim drink to what is enduring—to the night that does not wane, to the cold that does not falter, and to the strength that does not depend on fair weather to thrive. May the Golden Apple fall to hands that know patience, to wisdom that outlasts fire, and to power that does not fade when the summer ends. Skal." Court of Long Shadows (Shadow Regent Umbra)
"To the unseen, the unheard, the whispers that linger when the revelry fades. To secrets well-kept and debts well-hidden, to masks that fit so well they become the truth. Let the foolish bask in the firelight, blind to the figures standing just beyond its reach. And let us drink—to the Golden Apple, to the game behind the game, and to those who already know how this will end." Court of Thorns and Brambles (Barbed Countess)
"Raise your cups, dear guests, and drink deeply—for tonight is a feast, and feasts are fleeting. Like roses that bloom in blood, beauty and revelry must be paid for in kind. To those who have wronged us, let them know: the brambles do not forgive, and the thorns remember every trespass. Every slight, every insult, every betrayal is a seed planted in dark soil, and one day, when the time is right, the vines will tighten, the roots will rise, and the debt will be collected. So let us drink to the Golden Apple, to the sharp kiss of vengeance, and to the whispers in the dark that call for what is owed. May those who think themselves beyond reach soon learn—nothing escapes the thorns." Court of Heat and Rapture (Sir Hearts Aflame)
"My darlings, my doves, my delectable dalliances yet discovered! Do you feel it? The heat? The Smolder? The undeniable, unrelenting, all-consuming wildfire of a bunch of very handsome and beautiful people congregated together? To be in the presence of so many 8’s and above, we are a force of nature! For we do not simply revel, we do not merely toast—nay, we ignite, we blaze, we become the stuff of scandalous legend! To the Golden Apple, that prize of prizes, that trinket of triumph! Many will reach for it, but only one may taste the sweet of the crisp apple. But fret not if it does not find its way to your lips, as there are many succulent peaches to be tasted and many a mouthwatering banana to sup upon while playing with a couple of tender avocados in your free hand. This guy knows what I’m talking about. (At this, he points and winks to someone in the crowd.) Let the feasts be grand, the wine be flowing, and the hearts—oh, the hearts—be utterly, hopelessly, helplessly set aflame! And to those who would resist? To those who might yet think themselves immune to the siren’s call? I say this—brace yourselves, for the night is long, and I am unstoppable! Drink! Dance! And if your beds are cold by dawn, dearest ones, know it is only because you lacked the courage to seize what burns brightest! TO THE FESTIVAL!" Court of Shattered Mirrors (Fractured Princess)
"A toast! A toast! Oh, what fun! So many pretty faces! And so many pretty masks! Can you see the difference? To the Golden Apple! May it be a worthy home for a Golden Worm! And to the Festival! And all the dancing feet and clinking cups to drown out the whispers behind your backs! When you drink, may it be your reflection in the dark pool of wine looking back at you. Your true reflection. Court of Yestermorrow (True Thomas)
“Seasons turn. Apples fall. Not all that is lost remains so. I drink—for the ones who let me go, and for all who do not yet know what they’ve given up.” Court of Fools (Hyrsam)
“Oi, ‘ere’s to the lot wot poured yer drinks, cook yer food, wipe yer arses ‘oo’s names ya dinnit even bovver ta learn. An’ ‘ere’s ta the ones wot ain’t bowed nor scraped, nor kissed no bloody rings! To the ones wot laugh in the faces o’ kings an’ queens, ‘cos we know the great joke, don’t we? Power ain’t real—jus’ a fancy costume worn by them wot got lucky! Riots’re the language of the un’eard. An’ laws? Laws’re jess freats made by the dominant socio-economic ethnic group inna given land. It’s jess a promise of violence thass enacted an’ police’re basically jess an occupying army. So, I dinnit give a rat’s arse ‘bout some apple. I’m waitin’ ta we cook up some bacon.” Court of Snow and Ice (The Frost Prince)
“I raise this glass not in joy, but in acknowledgment. The cycle continues: warmth gives way to winter, and the fruit ripens just in time to fall. How predictable. The Court of Ice and Snow offers its… regard to our hosts for this gathering. The Golden Apple gleams, yes—but its luster will fade, as all things do. We in Winter do not pretend otherwise. May whoever wins it enjoy its sweetness, while it lasts. And when the bloom is gone, and the frost sets in, remember—we endure what others cannot.” Goblin Court (Goblin King)
"A toast! A toast! Oh, what a festival! What a night! To the Golden Apple, may it fall not to the worthy, nor the bold, but to the ones skilled enough in sneakery to snatch it while nobody is looking! Ha! I jest. Obviously if that were my intent, I would not make a toast to it! To the fools who think this game is fair, and to those of us who know better–drink deep, feast fast, and remember: in the end it is not who wins that matters, but the one who–oh! Shit! Is that a bear about to maul everyone? Ha! Double bluff! I did tell you my plan! Smoke bomb! Misty step! And piss off non-Apple-havers! Several goblins from the Goblin Court then tried unsuccessfully to steal the Golden Apple, but instead retreated with a gourd. Thrice-Nine Kingdom (Vasilisa)
"To the Fortnight Festival, where tales yet unwritten dance upon the lips of fate. To the Golden Apple, a prize worth more than gold and less than wisdom. In the Thrice-Nine Kingdom, we know well that every boon carries its burden, every triumph its test. So let the bold grasp, let the cunning scheme, let the foolish dream—what is meant to be shall be, and what is not… well, that is a tale for another night. To fate, to fortune, and to those who think themselves beyond them—na zdorovye!" Court of Storm and Surge (Caelum Thunderstrike)
"Raise your cups, fey and friend, drink deep as thunder rolls! For winds shift, tides surge, and fortune favors bold! A stagnant sea breeds no legend, and calm sky tells no tale! So may festival roar like tempest, may our revels strike like lightning, and may every soul here burn as bright as storm’s fury! To the Golden Apple, the dance of chaos and power, and to those brave enough to ride the storm! May we all stand unshaken in face of gale—cheers!" Court of Blight (Gossamer)
"To the harvest, not only of golden fields but of all things. For all that flourishes must one day wither, and all that withers must return to the earth. In the scent of fallen leaves, in the hush of twilight, in the slow, creeping touch of time—we find beauty. So let us drink not just to the revelry of today, but to the embrace of the inevitable, to the lessons of loss, and to the wisdom carried by decay. For what falls shall feed what comes next, and in rot, we find the promise of renewal. To the Golden Apple, to the fading light, and to the dark soil that welcomes us all." The party members also ended up giving toasts--Illevaere's toast was a quasi-religious sermon of Caena making vague threats in response to the Barbed Countess' toast, Myohn's toast was a praise of the beauty and the glory of the Swan Queen, Aisling's toast was directed not to a specific court openly, but with enough subtlety to make specific courts feel acknowledged, Ilbryen's toast was a pro-friendship, anti-capitalist message equating the strength of friends being what powers worker unions, and Bolvaic's toast was a rambling drunken ode to his fellow League members. Ultimately, the Grainmother chose to award the Golden Apple to Aisling.
Parent Plot
Related Characters
Related Organizations
- Álfheimr
- Court of Blight
- Court of Brook and Bawn
- Court of Carrion and Decomposition
- Court of Cinder and Ash
- Court of Fools
- Court of Heat and Rapture
- Court of Hoof and Claw
- Court of Ice and Snow
- Court of Leaves and Whispers
- Court of Long Shadows
- Court of Mist and Petrichor
- Court of Searing Sun
- Court of Shattered Mirrors
- Court of Storm and Surge
- Court of Thorns and Brambles
- Court of Wind and Stars
- Court of Yestermorrow
- Goblin Court
- League of Explorers and Adventurers
- Seafoam Court
- Svartálfheim
- Thrice-Nine Kingdom
Related Locations