#i recognize the ills of this world are legion and the fate of a probably barely-known independent theater festival not the top priority

[narraboths]

The U500 festival is our statement for the independent culture in Hungary. In 2024, members of the independent cultural field of Hungary will come together for the fifth time to create the Under500 festival. As the result of the uncertainty caused by the epidemic situation, the goal of the grassroots festival, in addition to building community and strengthening visibility, is to provide a platform to which everyone has equal access: for emerging artists as well as well-known creators and choreographers or underground groups. Over the past four years, the festival has become a platform for cross-genre productions, focusing on experimentation and the search for connections. This year, the creative community is facing a sad but not at all unexpected challenge, as Under500 was left without funding. The number of resources that can be spent on culture is rapidly decreasing in Hungary, as well as the possibilities of the independent scene; we are dancing on the edge of extinction. In view of this, Artus is making the venue available to us for free this year, and the artists who have so far indicated their intention to participate have agreed to perform without a fee. With our fundraising campaign, we now want to collect the minimum amount that is absolutely necessary for the realization of the festival. We trust that the festival, which has always been able to renew itself, will now find new ways, as it has become perhaps the most important professional unifying force. For now, we are working tirelessly to see what direction the Under500 will take in 2024, we will not let it dissipate, it will happen this year as well, even if we don’t see how to pay the necessary costs. Support us if you can, and come and be a part of this professional event which is based on friendship, and how we unwaveringly try to expand the ever-shrinking spaces, while looking for points of connection with each other and with you.

#theater #hungary #fundraising #i am posting little and less and being semi-active in any sort of cultural life in hungary; increasingly depressed #i recognize the ills of this world are legion and the fate of a probably barely-known independent theater festival not the top priority #for most people. this however is my biggest platform and i thought sharing is the bare minimum contribution i could do #fwiw – the amount of funding they're after is ~4k usd

[avehi-the-adamant]

... What the Living Cannot

Uldum was an unforgiving place to begin with; now, tenfold moreso as the forces of N'Zoth took root. The skies darkened, as structures and obelisks from the dreaded Black Empire materialized into the mortal realm. Azeroth's forces rose to meet their Twilight invaders, desperate to resist letting their world fall to madness. Instead, unbeknownst to the vast majority of them, they instead let the souls of their valiant warriors fall to something much, much worse…

Avehi knew this better than most. Her research into the disruption of the afterlife had revealed a great many things. She shared this knowledge with the Ebon Blade, finding herself working with them once again. She felt she was only lying to herself, every time she told herself this time would be different. This time would be better. She had grown distrustful of the Blade after many missteps in their history - chief among them the attack on Light's Hope Chapel during the campaign against the Burning Legion. But then… now she'd grown equally - if not more - distrustful of the Light. Xe'ra's attempt to force the Light into the Demon Hunter on Argus was still fresh in her mind. Her dealings with the Lightforged didn't help that opinion, either. And hearing from Sinafay of what her kin on Draenor had been up to for the last thirty years… she wouldn't admit it out loud, but the uncorrupted Orcs didn't deserve such oppression. No one was innocent, it seemed. No power was above misuse. No belief infallible. Avehi chose to stick with the evil she knew best, now. And that meant repledging her hammer to the Knights of the Ebon Blade.

She trudged through the sands, until she finally reached the river delta. The Lost City sat at the mouth of the river, a shadow of what it once was. Obelisks that anchored N'Zoth's forces in place protruded up from the city walls. Horrific beasts roamed the streets and surrounding areas. Screams could be heard, both faint and close by. But Avehi wasn't here to save them. She moved around the city walls until she reached the coast. The South Sea, too, looked to be in the shadow of N'Zoth's darkness. But a shimmer of light therein drew the Death Knight's eye. She stepped out atop the water, its surface freezing beneath her neatly polished hooves, and approached the glimmer just barely off the coast. She sighed as she drew near, and reached a hand out to still the water around it with more ice. A body. A Draenei body. She reached down, lifting the plated corpse up from the water to observe it more closely.

"Vindicator Zaalesh." she spoke his name aloud, recognizing his face.

Word travelled fast among the Vindicator community when one of their own fell in battle. Zaalesh's death at the hands of a Faceless monstrosity had even managed to reach Avehi's ears. A brief investigation, asking other Azerothian forces about his heroic sacrifice, led her to find him easily enough. And before anyone else, it seemed. Fortunate… for him.

She dragged the corpse back to the shore, and laid him out flat on his back. It saddened her to a degree, seeing him like this. They were friends once upon a time, at Avehi's first station in Shattrath. He had become a Vindicator all those years ago to help protect his wife and two children. All of which had perished by now. She frowned; poor Zaalesh probably thought he was off to join them in the Light. But she knew that wouldn't happen. Her lichfire eyes flared, as she reached a hand over Zaalesh's body. He deserved a second chance…

"You fought valiantly to defend this world." she uttered, as necrotic energies began to stir… and take root in Zaalesh's body. "But your work is far from over. Rise, and--"

"DEFILER!"

A blast of Light engulfed Vindicator Zaalesh’s corpse - and nearly Avehi along with it! She leapt back from the radiance, turning quickly to face her accuser. Her eyes narrowed, lips parting to a snarl.

“--Argonas! Mind yourself, you nearly struck me!” she snapped.

“Such was my intent!” the Vindicator shot back a scowl of his own as he approached - aglow with searing Light. “I cannot believe what I am witnessing! I thought you, of all the accursed Scourge Knights, knew better than to impart your ill fate on another! Least of all another Vindicator! One of your kin!”

Argonas marched up intently, weapon drawn and in his plated hands. The Light arced off his amor loosely, crackling with unbound vengeance. Word of Vindicator Zaalesh’s death seemed to have reached him, as well. He’d come to reclaim the body, and give the honored warrior a proper burial - only to find Avehi had other plans for him. The Death Knight’s tail flickered in agitation. Briefly, she glanced at Zaalesh's body, still wrapped in the blazing Light Argonas channeled. He was ruining everything! Eyes narrowing back on him, she brought a hand up defensively - the other reaching back to take hold of the hilt of her hammer.

“There are things happening you don’t understand, Argonas!” she warned him. “You may think you’re doing Zaalesh a favor, but you’re not! He won’t find rest in the afterlife!”

“Not if you have anything to say in it, it seems!” he scoffed! “The others will hear of this regardless, but I will allow you to walk away from this now - your only chance to forestall the Light’s judgment. You served it well, once. Perhaps you can reconcile your atrocities of your own accord. Take your leave now… before my hand is forced.”

“You damn fool! Blinded by the Light! Are you so ignorant to other forces and powers the worlds have shown us? This is beyond the Light! Vindicator Zaalesh is doomed to eternal torment unless--”

She didn’t get a chance to finish explaining what was happening before Argonas charged at her in a zealous rush! She dodged back from his attempted blow, finally drawing Rokaa from its resting place at her back. She growled, unholy energy coalescing into a rime on her hands and weapons. She’d known Argonas long enough to know he’d never see beyond the Light. Her needless breath was wasted trying to explain anything to this zealot! The Death Knight reached a hand out to ensnare the Vindicator in a formation of jagged icy chains - but so radiantly did his Light glow that the frost was melted away from him. 

He swung laterally with his crystalline blade, intent to cut Avehi down here and now! Avehi wasn’t quick enough to evade this time. She let out a yelp as the blace carved through her breastplate, and scraped along her skin. Thankfully, it wasn’t severe physically - but the Light suffused to the blade left a burn she felt deeply. She snarled at Argonas, baring her fangs. She had hoped to take it easy on him. Perhaps knock him around a bit, before he ran off scared with his tail between his legs. But that seemed unlikely now. And altogether too lenient. 

“... Kill... him…”

The lichfire in her eyes flared, as she charged for Argonas. She swung her hammer into his shoulder for a counter-attack, bashing his brightly-glowing pauldron down hard, and forcing him to a kneel. Quickly she swung her hammer around to knock him back, but the Vindicator was quick enough to bring his holy blade up before him to block the blow. He pushed back, shoving Avehi away from him for long enough to regain his hoofing. But no longer than that. Avehi screamed as she rushed for him yet again, raising her hammer high. He moved to block-- but she dropped the weapon behind herself, over her shoulder. A feint! Leaving himself exposed, Avehi hurled her fist for his face, an unholy blast coursing through him as she connected with him. He flew back in a daze, landing laterally on his back. 

“--Hhngh!” he grunted, rolling quickly in an attempt to recover. 

But Avehi wasn’t done. She charged up over him, and brought her hoof down for a painful stomp to his back. Frost formed down her leg, permeating over his midsection as she reached a hand back behind her. Silently she called for her weapon, and it answered, runes aglow as it levitated quickly back to her waiting hand. Argonas had precious little time to realize what was happening. He pressed his hands to the ground, and quickly pushed upward, knocking Avehi off-balance. She was forced to stagger back a couple steps, giving him a chance to get up the rest of the way. Her hammer still reached her hands, as she brought it up to the ready as he turned quickly around.

“... Kill him!”

“Enough of this! I do not wish to hurt you!” he grunted, lip cracked and face already bruising from the punch. “Lay down your hammer, and--”

It was Avehi’s turn to interrupt him, as she threw her hammer outward before her. A coil of necrotic power burst forth and slammed Argonas at center mass, causing him to stagger back in pain. His Light was glowing dimmer and dimmer…

“You had your chance to exchange words, fool!” she snapped. “We finish this!”

Argonas kept his weapon ready, just in time to clash against Avehi’s hammer. The two traded blows, each strike glancing off the other’s weapon in a clash of energies. Darkness fizzled out against the Light, as the Light diminished from the unholy darkness. 

Avehi was relentless, swinging faster than Argonas. Harder than Argonas. The necrotic powers that fueled her made her a tireless weapon of war. Her blows eventually overcame Argonas’ ability to block or parry, more and more hammer strikes smashing into his plated body. His eyes widened in panic, hands desperately moving as quickly as they could to deflect the barrage of blows… until finally, his blade was knocked from his hand. He brought his hands up, staggering back - all but defeated now.

“KILL HIM!”

Dark tendrils sprung forth, ripping Argonas towards Avehi. Her eyes were engulfed in icy blue flames, flickering wildly against her impassive visage. She held her hand out, taking a firm, icy grip of Argonas’ throat as he was tugged by unseen darkness towards her. She squeezed, fingernails - and fingertips - digging into the Vindicator’s blue skin. He gagged, hands gripping Avehi’s arm desperately attempting to pull it free from his neck. But her unholy strength was nigh-uncontestable now. Slowly, his luminous eyes began to dim, rolling backwards into his skull. His legs kicked, hooves dangling inches from the ground. His tail swayed and squirmed to no avail as he writhed in the Death Knight’s unrelenting grasp.

Avehi exhaled slowly, grip remaining constant on the Vindicator’s throat. She could’ve done it - she could’ve ended him right now, right here! No one around, no one to see. She could feel the Hunger coursing through her, urging her to tense her hand just a little more, and crush Argonas’ throat. A quick jerking motion would sever his spine. All that life force, released! For her! Since the War ended, she hadn’t had such a satisfying meal as one like Argonas would make! She licked her lips at the prospect. 

Were she any more inclined…

“I trust you’re listening now?” she growled. “You won’t understand, either way. Your Light-addled brain is too ignorant to comprehend that there are forces in this world you simply don’t understand, Argonas!”

He wheezed his response - inaudibly, as barely any air could squeak through his windpipe. His legs kicked a little slower, tail falling limp behind him, as the glow in his eyes finally diminished. He had passed out from the asphyxiation - pulse as faint as could be. But to Avehi, each weak pump rang out like a gong. She hurled his unconscious corpse back, leaving it in a slump in the soft, mossy earth of the delta. Her fingertips dripped with his blue blood, drawn as her nails broke the skin. She took a moment to lick them clean - a minor prize for her victory, at least. 

“Damned fool. If only he knew…” 

She shook her head… before turning back to Zaalesh’s corpse. With Argonas unconscious and defeated, his incantation of Light preserving the other Vindicator’s body was lifted. She sheathed Rokaa, and reached her hands out once more to pick up where she’d left off before being so rudely interrupted. 

“... Your work is far from over. Rise… and protect our people once again!”

-------

((Gif from the Hearthstone: Knights of the Frozen Throne cinematic ))

#Character Story #Avehi the Adamant #Argonas the Ironclad #Draenei #Death Knight #Vindicator #Light #Unholy #Knights of the Ebon Blade #Warcraft