Benny

As the night continued on, the festivities started to die down as people started to leave to head to bed, or go get some last minute grinding for a gift for a friend. Benny's team started to take things down periodically, disassembling the area where nobody was at while leaving the lively areas alone and letting people enjoy their night. After a few more hours, the downtown area of Floor looked no different than it did when they had first appeared. Benny loaded up the last box of cargo onto his cart, then made his way onto the front part, where his two boars pulled the giant cart. Jesse and Dalta sat next to the giant man on the seat, the small dog giving a small yawn and curling upon Jesse's chest. Jesse leaned on the giant man's side. As he started to doze off, he looked up at Benny.

"Mr. Benny?" He asked in a quiet voice. Benny looked down at him. "Yes Jesse, what cn I do for ye?" Jesse gave a small yawn and curled up. "Will we be back again? The people here are fun..." He spoke, and soon he started to sleep. Benny smiled and gave the boy a small pat on the head. "Aye lad, we'll be back. For now, get some rest." He spoke in a hushed tone, and soon the caravan of goods was gone into the snowy night.

Rewards:

Benny looked around as the event went on, seeing the smiling faces, players flirting and a few fights that broke up quickly. All in all, the event he had put on had been a success. He beamed with pride as he looked up at the sky. a small bit of snow started to drift down from the sky, starting to coat players and everything that he had built, making it seem as if they had always been here. The snow didn't bother the bare-chested giant however, he was used to the colder climates. A small ringing came from his pocket, and he pulled out his pocket watch to see that it was just about midnight. He gave a small smile as he put the watch away, making his way towards the stage he had set up. He gave a small whistle towards Jesse, who stopped what he was doing to go and help his boss. He picked up Dalta, and soon the two of them pushed a large podium with a glass ball onto the stage, the ball filled with the names of all who entered the raffle. Benny breathed in deeply and exhaled the brisk, cold air.

"Attention everyone!" He shouted, his voice booming across the crowd. He waited for them to die down and getting their attention. "Lasses and Laddies! It's time for our Raffle!" He shouted, and a roar of applause and screams erupted from the crowd. He gave them a moment, laughing with them as Dalta howled with them. As the crowd died down. He gave a smile and motioned towards Jesse to grab the items. "Let's get started then!" he said, and another shout from the crowd grew as he reached into the bowl. Jesse finished bringing up the items as Benny pulled out the first name. "The winner of the Candy Cane Blade is..." He waited a moment for dramatic effect. Jesse went to the nearby snare drum and gave a drumroll. " @Neopolitan! Congrats!" He shouted as applause rang from the crowd. He waited for the young woman to grab the item, then grabbed another name. "The winner of Frostbite is..." He waited as another drumroll was sounded " @Cosi! Come up here!" He said and waited for him to approach as more applause was heard. He passed the shield down as he grabbed the next name. "The winner of the Cloak is..." Another pause and drumroll " @Jinx" He said, and gave the player the cloak "Be careful with this, it is a little messy." He said with a laugh. He grabbed another name from the bowl.

"And the winner is... @Macradon" He shouted. He grabbed the small snowglobe and passed it to the young lad. "Here, this was me grandmums, take good care of it, alright laddie?" He said with a hearty laugh, slapping his back. He went back over to the glass bowl and fished for another name, pulling out another name. "The winner of the Christmas Cookies is @Mishiro " He shouted, passing the plate to the small person. He grabbed another name from the bowl, and a drumroll was heard as he unfolded the piece of paper. " @Frank! Come and get your TP Crystals!" He shouted, passing the young man the two TP crystals he had won. He fished out the second-to-last name. He grabbed the small cage where the small Will-O-Wisp was held. "The owner of this little guy is... @Huginn Come and meet your new pal!" He said with a laugh. He opened up the cage and let out the small familiar, letting him meet his new owner. "And finally, the pack." he said to the crowd. He grabbed the last name, and he gave a small smile. "It's the little lass, @Fae. C'mere and get your pack little one." He said, a warm smile on his face as he passed the pack. He stood up, bowing to the crowd. He stood back up straight and smiled. "That's it for the raffle! Thank you for all who entered! Go on and proceed with your fun times!" He spoke, then stepped off the stage.

[Note: Players have 48 Hours to either take their prize or take the Candy Cane Compensation before their item is re-rolled]

Benny nodded as players came up to him saying they would like to enter the raffle, taking down names, and generally giving affirming answers in his deep bass voice, "Yes, yes. Of course little lass. Yes, I'll put you down. Of course, course. You have been counted lass." only pausing to man the shop and get peoples orders. The shop was moving relatively slowly but benny guessed that was because people still had yet to decided what item they wanted. Everything else was moving so smoothly that it brought an unbidden grin the the massive man's face which crinkled his large mustache. He could've have used Jesse's help but the lad was off running around probably with his german shepard pup. Benny shrugged and continued to take orders and write down names. Of course the raffle would be popular. Benny had found the most interesting items he could. It had taken a quite a bit of adventuring.  

Benny watched, a grin on his face, as more people flooded into the town. A lot of them looked like the adventuring type. Probably the kind of people who would enjoy his wares. The man walked to a central area and then shouted in his booming voice, "Welcome all to the Christmas Extravaganza! I am Atticus Benjamin Julian Kingsley O'Malley O'Connell O'Carroll O'Reilly O'Brien O'Sullivan but most people call me Benny. We have a multitude of activities planned for the evening! There is a raffle for some extremely rare items I have found myself, as well as a drawing competition for those artists out there! In addition to that I am selling some rare items! Only one per customer I am afraid to say to make sure there is something for everyone but still come take a look! And above all: Enjoy the celebration and Merry Christmas!" and with that the tall man retired to his store. After a couple minutes a dark cloaked person came up to him, a silver dragon on his shoulder, and bought one of the backpacks. Benny nodded and gave the man the backpack, and then listened to his questions. "But of course! What name shall I put you down for?" Benny waited for the man ( @Itzal ) to respond.

The settlement of Snowfrost had transformed. It was still covered in snowfall but the town was bustling with life, energy, and vitality. Townsfolk and workers hurried all over the town, carrying benches, poles, equipment, decorations, and really anything. Lights shone on buildings and holly wreaths hung from every door. More lights and ribbons strung from roof to roof casting a multitude of colors on the pure white snow. Children played in the snow and chased after each other. While all this happened one massive man, six foot seven or taller with shoulders that looked as broad as he was tall in nothing but a pair of leather breeches, heavy snow boots, and a fur cap, watched as a pine tree was raised up in the center of Snowfrost's town square. A cheer erupted from the surrounding townsfolk as the tree stood erect. 

Atticus Benjamin Julian Kingsley O'Malley O'Connell O'Carroll O'Reilly O'Brien O'Sullivan grinned as workers, assistants, and towns people began decorating the massive tree with lights, tinsel, and ornaments. "Nothing Like a good ol' fashioned Christmas celebration to raise people's spirits," The merchant remarked, watching as people clapped, laughed, danced, and played around the soon to be Christmas tree. The man chuckled and had to hop backwards as a couple kids ran into him, throwing snowballs at each other. He clapped his hands, rubbing them slightly, "No point gawking when there's work to be done and projects to be check up on." The big man turned and strode through the snow towards a large tent. The man ducked inside, doffing his cap, and brushing snow from his bare shoulders and massive mustache. Inside was a a mess of crates- unopened and open- tables, workbenches, and other loose merchandise and items. Benny rubbed a large hand to his temple, stepped back outside, and scanned the surrounding area. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for. "Oi, Jesse!" The redheaded youth shot up from his seated position, a guilty look on his face. He was surrounded by a throng of children, young girls, and mothers, most of them laughing. Benny huffed, his mustache wriggling, and strode over to the group, picking up his apprentice by his suspenders. The group was of course enamored with the lad's german shepard pup, Dalta, which was rolling in the snow, its tail wagging nonstop.

Benny nodded to the children and ladies, "Excuse us for a moment." Benny took a couple steps away and then turned his steely gaze to Jesse, "So laddie, What are you supposed to be doing?" The boy, still a foot or two off the ground, looked down and started shuffled his feet, "I was supposed to set up the shop." "Exactly. You were supposed to take Miles, Gerard, and Tom and go make the shop presentable. But instead I find you here playing with your pup and flirting with ladies." A couple of the girls close to Jesse's age giggled and the lad's cheeks soon matched the color of his fiery hair. Benny sighed and set down his apprentice, "Now off you go. Get that done and you can go play, Laddie." Jesse nodded and rushed off after whistling for Dalta. The pup jumped up and raced after the redheaded lad. 

"I feel that word will have reached more people by now and that we'll be expecting company. A lot more company." Benny turned to the ladies and doffed his cap only to remember he had taken it off. The big man grinned sheepishly and then walked off. He checked in with all his workers to make sure everything was in order. The raffle items had been set aside. Games, food vendors, and competitions had been put up. The store would hopefully be ready soon and festice decorations covered every building. The merchant had sent missives out to every corner of Aincrad about the celebration. Benny stared towards the town entrance and muttered to himself. "Hopefully more people will arrive soon." Then he turned and strode back to the center of town and in a booming bass voice, "Welcome all, far and wide to... The Christmas Extravaganza!"

             Benny, The Traveling Merchant                                                                                                                                                      Jesse and Dalta

Christmas Events-

A Christmas Gift!:
Every person that joins and participates (Posts at least 3 times), gets a Christmas gift!
Eggnog: A hearty drink that warms even the coldest soul, and seems to give a blanket of warmth to those who drink it. [Demonic Consumable] [+1 Safeguard, +1 MIT]

IRL Drawing Competition!:
Players have a chance to test their creativity! Players can draw their characters in SAO, or any group of people or player and put them in a Christmas light! The Judges will be the Staff (Each person gets one vote), GM's (GM's do not vote unless there is a tie needed to be broken), and the Administrators (Shark, Erron and Teion only vote if a tie is still active after GM's). Also, the Player base gets to vote, every player gets one vote for one drawing.  [NOTE: The Drawing must be made in the time that the Event happened, the photos CANNOT be anything ALREADY drawn.] The Deadline for the Drawings is December 24th, and Voting will take place from December 25th to December 31st. To put in an entry, send a Message on site to Hikoru

((Reward: The Spirit of Christmas- One use consumable/item that doubles the SP gained in one non-boss, non- event thread))

Vendors!:
Tis the Season to find gifts for your friends! A traveling NPC merchant has set up shop in the event and is selling some interesting and nigh impossible to find items. So stop and buy some great things that you or a friend could enjoy! (Each player may only buy one of the Merchant's specialty items. The Merchant also sells general stock Items in addition to his specialty items.)

"Top of the mornin' to ya. My name is Atticus Benjamin Julian Kingsley O'Malley O'Connell O'Carroll O'Reilly O'Brien O'Sullivan but most people just call me Benny. Feel free to look around and buy some of my wares."

Christmas Raffle!:
All Players who join the event and participate (post three times) in the event have a chance of winning a raffle item. To Enter, just approach and tag @Benny  and say that you are joining the raffle. The entries will close on December 24th, and the Raffle drawings will take place on December 26th.

Consolation Prize: If a player doesn't want to accept an item they won from the raffle, they can instead take a Candy Cane and leave the item for someone else. 
Candy Cane Material [Player's Tier - Unique Item] - Ability: When consumed for a craft, no roll is needed and becomes an auto Perfect Craft. (You do not gain EXP from this craft.) - Description:  A special material with a candy cane swirl.