Tenta-fair

It was stunning. I've never seen anything like it. It was dark, we were on the boat, and had just put the rigging away. It started with the stars falling - it was Ahizpen Erorketa, and you can never miss that on the ocean. The stars were streaking across the sky - star after star after star. And then suddenly, it was as if all the stars had landed in the ocean around us, and the entire ocean was alive, glowing with this strange light. And then the patterns started - the most beautiful patterns - living, changing things, moving and dancing and breathing. I doubt I will ever see anything as spectacular again, and I know I'll never forget it.
— Lakeeus Soundnet, fisherman

From the Depths of the Ur Hilgarria

The Tentakuluak are a sapient species of deep water cephalopods who reside in the Ur Hilgarria. They are known to have a visual form of communication by which they convey in a nuanced language referred to by fishermen who have seen them as Tenta-speak. While land dwellers from Arrhynsia have limited exposure to these creatures, their intelligence is not in doubt. For years, little was known of these deep sea creatures, and there is still a huge gap in our understanding of them. The Ur Hilgarria is not kind to surface dwelling creatures, and it is very dangerous to leave sight of land to brave the ocean's currents. There are some hardy souls, deep sea fishermen and sailors who will brave the magic and monster laced waters, and these professionals are our best source of information about the Tentakuluak.

A Universal Celebration

Among these sailors run tales of an amazing event, near the time of the summer solstice during the annual Ahizpen Erorketa festival. This occasion, when stars fall from the sky, appears to be both perceptible by these creatures of the watery deep, and a time of celebration. Among fishermen and sailors, they call it to "Tenta-fair". What the creatures themselves call it in Tenta-speak - probably something like "running orange and blue lights at excitement pace across the entire body with artistic skips and yellow interrupts" is actually unknown, although this guess is based on information we currently understand of the language of the Tentakuluak. What is clear is that the event is annual, and that the Tentakuluak expend significant effort in creating collaborative artistic expressions in a type of performing art.

An Event of Incredible Beauty

Folk who have seen this event describe an incredibly sophisticated sequence of lighted patterns, moving in time and changing in a coherent way. It appears that the Tentakuluak have gradations of skill levels in creating these patterns and speculatively these gradations are made on the basis of age of the participants, and skill of control of both the light and physicality of their bodies. If anything, these events appear to be the Tentakuluak equivalent of a huge community art festival combined with the ocean equivalent of a track and field meet. Observers describe rough, small, multi-colored patterns that are imperfect, but lovely, and which evoke a joyous response in the observer. These are followed by larger almost playful multicolor patterns which are better executed, but more sophisticated and refined. As the evening progresses, more and more detailed designs emerge, and tighter, more refined, more sophisticated transitions in handling the color, shape and brightness of the individual patches on each participating Tentakuluak is likely required. Between each pattern the ocean boils with moving bodies as the particpants change positions and ready themselves for the next pattern to be performed. It is not known if there are other reasons for this huge gathering of Tentakuluak. It seems likely given their intelligence and the apparent festive nature of the event. Opportunities for community connection and possible breeding are likely. There is no information as of yet on whether the event has specific religious implications, but given the intelligence of the participants, that would appear likely. Tentakuluak seek out other species to share their festival of arts and sports with, and this has been confirmed by merfolk who are also invited guests. There is no doubt that to see one of these festivals is an honor and experience not to be missed, and an opportunity to bridge the watery barrier between a sapient species of the wild unknown deep of the Ur Hilgarria and the surface dwelling sapient races of Arrhynsia.

Pattern recorded using Oscar Halphon's Replication Spell