Elanthian Holidays/Hibernal Holidays

Elanthian Holidays/Hibernal Holidays is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

A selection of various winter celebrations found across Elanthia. This collection encompasses ceremonies from the winter solstice to just before the vernal equinox.

Eorgaen

Solstice Sea Shanty Serenade

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Solstice Sea Shanty Serenade

Date of Holiday/Celebration: On or near the winter solstice

Who celebrates it: Denizens of the flotilla

Where it is celebrated: the Great Piratical Flotilla

A short description of the holiday: The annual Solstice Sea Shanty Serenade is one of winter's best events for the seafaring musically inclined. Throughout the day, contestants will showcase their unique takes on old sea shanties, introduce the flotilla to new shanties, and (of course) drink heavily. By evening, the best of the best will have been selected, and the top several will compete for the title.

It is tradition to teach everyone the various shanties, so that when ships set sail again, they will carry new shanties across the seas. Many claim that the longest lasting, most popular sea shanties of various cultures all originated with the flotilla's solstice serenade, but that boast is unproven. Regardless, the event itself is a relaxing affair (as relaxing as one can get on a flotilla of pirates) with food, drink, and song flowing freely.

In addition, sailors are often superstitious folk, and they pay their due to Charl and Niima during this time as well, ensuring that old shanties are song and offerings to the oceans made.

Piratical Philanthropy: While not a holiday, per se, it would be remiss to not note the outpouring of philanthropy that occurs during this time as well. Just before winter solstice, numerous donations mysteriously appear on the docks of ports across Elanthia, all earmarked for orphanages, and it is rumored these come from those who call the flotilla home. However, if pressed, these pirates and privateers of the perilous seas will emphatically deny such largess, even if caught with colorfully wrapped packages at their feet. Dockmasters the world over ensures these offerings make it to the orphanages, pragmatically removing the more dangerous gifts, such as weaponry and grog.

Vespertine Phantasmagoria

Name of Holiday/Celebration: The Vespertine Phantasmagoria

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Winter solstice through Lornon’s Eve

Who celebrates it: Faendryl

Where is it celebrated: New Ta'Faendryl

A short description of the holiday: On the winter solstice of the northern hemisphere there is a strange disturbance on the Dark Moon. It becomes increasingly red over the next ten or eleven days, from the night of utmost darkness, until the blood red of Lornon’s Eve. This is a time when the flows of essence become unusually chaotic, when the veils are weaker, and the undead are most prone to uprising. There is perhaps nowhere more severely disrupted in this way than the cursed lands of Rhoska-Tor, the old places of the Ur-Daemon, which have been haunted with undeath since the Age of Darkness.

With the increase in mana storms around the wound in reality that was once Maelshyve, New Ta’Faendryl is basked in nocturnal lights from the wastes, not unlike auroras from below rather than the skies on high. From the horizon the city is serenaded with banshee wails and moaning spirits; the blackened and barren plains below, flooded with undeath, born of the dark power of that realm.

Out of this a holiday emerged from the shadowmancers of New Ta’Faendryl making spectral light shows in the night sky over the city. This is now known as the Vespertine Phantasmagoria. The phantasmagoria is famous for its processions of imaginary spectres in the streets, as well as increasingly elaborate or surreal works of illusion, which dance around the glowing backdrop of the palace at night. High society is enraptured at this time of year with midnight masques, with the most lavish dances held in the manors of the upper classes. These “vespertine balls” are the stage of much intrigue and social climbing, especially among the wealthy and powerful, and serve as the high season for the Faendryl fashion houses.

The Patriarch hosts grandiose operas in the underground amphitheaters below the surface city. These were retrofitted from caverns that had once been used for subterranean farming, with their artificial lighting of crystals, before more fertile lands on the surface had been seized for the imperium. Orchestra pits for the musicians and illusionists make use of the superior acoustic and lighting qualities of these chambers for producing highly elaborate stagecraft. Operas are performed in multiple languages, varying with the time and place of the setting or the races of the characters, with themes centered on the glories of House Faendryl.

Most often this is a theatrical depiction of the vanquishing of Despana and the destruction of the black keep of Maelshyve. This is no coincidence as the Armata will spend this week corralling and herding the unsettled undead around the ruins of Maelshyve in the valley below the city. While this horde is not as big as the original, varying in size each year, it is enough to be dangerous.

When Lornon’s Eve has reached its climax, the Armata makes a show of re-enacting the Battle of Maelshyve for spectators, unleashing hordes of the demonic into the Vale of Darkness. The undead have no instinct to assault the unliving demons, which have no souls, and are prone to obey or follow the more powerful forces of darkness. The demonic have no such inhibitions and tear apart the undead in black flames of carnage and utter violence of destruction. With the veils at their weakest and most unstable, sorcerers “tickle the dragon’s tail” on the unhealing rift of Maelshyve, a kind of dark catalyst that sets off an immense explosion of balefire from the collapse of valencial instabilities. The blasted plains are scorched in a fast moving wall of greenish-black flames, billowing and rising with heat, forming an infernal pillar of devastation where Maelshyve once stood.

Though this will rip through the fiends and the undead with ungodly force, annihilating most of what haunts that forsaken place, the Armata does not bother banishing what it summoned. Whatever survives is let loose into the wasteland. These demons and their undead entourage will be deadly to the terrorists and dark cults who dwell in Rhoska-Tor, or else will break further north toward the Demonwall. The Basilica no longer goes out of its way to suppress malevolent forces if they are only a threat to humans, whether abominations of the wastes, or dangerous factions such as the Horned Cabal or demon worshippers. This is punishment for the attempted genocide by Empress Selantha II and Sentinel Happersett, and the ill-fated Duke Nyrmont of Kezmon Isle, when the Turamzzyrian Empire invaded in what the humans call the Third Elven War. Thus, the Faendryl make a point of refreshing “the Scourge” for them in this way every year.

Senreisit Eve

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Senreisit Eve

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Late Eorgaen

Who celebrates it: Winedotters

Where it is celebrated: Ta'Illistim

A short description of the holiday: Held on the first Feastday after Solstice, Senreisit Eve is a bit of a dodgy annual market held in an underground warehouse that is part of Verkwiel, the burghal gnome enclave of Ta'Illistim. It is one of the rare times outsiders are allowed even a glimpse of the enclave, and that alone makes Senreisit a popular event. The name loosely translates to Lost Gears, though perhaps more accurately it should be called Stolen Gears, since "senra" is Gnomish for stolen.

At the event, sellers hawk numerous wares, including repurposed clockwork and other tinkered items. This gives the evening its name, as, historically, these were items pilfered from the trash bins of Ta'Illistim. In more modern times, the pilfering is minimized, and instead, the items are obtained in barter or trade with the residents of the city-state. However, it is also a time for burghal gnomes to dig deep within their own families' dusty vaults and storage areas, and it is this that is the biggest draw for the Illistim -- the chance for a true, rare find.

Not all Winedotters in Illistim appreciate Senreisit; many find the slightly dubious provenance of many of the items to be distasteful and worry it will reflect poorly on all Winedotters. At one point, there was an attempt to "upgrade" the experience, but it seems the elves of Ta'Illistim rather enjoyed having an evening to go below ground and search through somewhat questionable goods in the hopes of an amazing find, so the slightly seedy nature of Senreisit remains.

Quenayd Pala Gyrrdha'ta

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Quenayd Pala Gyrrdha'ta, roughly translated to Family Gathering Week

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Week leading up to Winter Solstice

Who celebrates it: Aelotoi

Where is is celebrated: Cysaegir

A short description of the holiday: Beginning on the first day of the week leading up to the Winter Solstice, aelotians will gather together with their families and friends to celebrate the upcoming holiday. During this time, stories of the past year, often exaggerated, are shared in prose or song and serve as the inspiration for quilt square patterns. Each square is sewn to display highlights of the tale, and may be simple or incredibly detailed, depending on the skill of the one crafting it. Once complete, the squares may be joined in one of two ways:

• If the square(s) are meant to be gifted to the most senior of the family, they will be added onto a quilt already completed in the past.
• A new quilt may be sewn from the squares if it is meant to be gifted to an expectant couple awaiting the birth of their first child in order to begin the story of their family.

On Story Quilts

There is an intricate dance of meaning between the various components of the aelotian word for their art form of story quilts -- "ayrsah'leril." To fully grasp it, one must start at the beginning with the word for story itself, "suta'katayr'sah." Literally translated as "imagination's safe haven time," the full term is very rarely used, and instead, aelotoi will use either "katayr" or "ayrsah." Katayr refers to most stories and tales, both oral and written, while ayrsah is reserved for epic ballads and tales and lengthier story cycles.

Next is "letheril," the term for quilt. This is from "cylleth," or the art of sewing, and "meril," which means forever. It is believed the name derives from the practice of passing down these items from generation to generation, something that is ever easier in Elanthia, but its importance is rooted in their time in Bre'Naere when materials and time were rare and precious.

Finally, we come to ayrsah'leril -- using the story term most associated with story cycles and a shortening of the word for quilt. The term itself showcases the importance of story quilts in aelotoi life; these are important, generation-spanning works of art.

Kah'lewas

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Kah'lewas

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Throughout Eorgaen

Who celebrates it: Iyo, but has been adopted throughout Isle of the Four Winds

Where is it celebrated: Isle of the Four Winds, Mist Harbor

A short description of the holiday: In the Iyo community, individuals practice a tradition known as Kah'lewas (Kah meaning nest or safe place and lewas meaning giving or blessing) or more commonly, "Nest Blessing," where gifts are secretly left in one another’s homes, often by night or when no one is around to see the giver.

The inspiration for this custom is a small bird that makes it home in the monsoon jungle on the Isle of the Four Winds that has a unique behavior among the fauna of the island. The olysos bird is a small, songbird with pale green and blue feathers along its back and a dark golden breast. Its narrow, slender beak is tipped with a mote of white. This bird drops seeds, fruit, or other food items into neighboring birds' nests, perhaps out of abundance or generosity.

For the Iyo, Nest Blessing is a way to share good fortune, blessings, and sustenance without the expectation of acknowledgment or direct reciprocation. Each gift is chosen thoughtfully, often something handcrafted, foraged, or uniquely suited to the recipient’s needs or preferences. It might be a woven basket of rare fruit, a beautiful shell, medicinal herbs, or a finely crafted tool. They adorn their homes with small woven or carved bird symbols to show respect and gratitude for the inspiration these birds provide. Leaving these gifts anonymously is considered especially important, as it mirrors the birds’ quiet, unassuming generosity and reinforces humility. This custom not only strengthens community bonds but also fosters a culture of giving for the joy of it, allowing each person to feel supported and valued by their fellow tribe members.

Over time, many who live on the Isle of the Four Winds have adopted this holiday and all of its customs, and look forward to sharing the celebration with the native tribes.

Ta'Ardenai: Hibernal Court Celebrations

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Heralds of the Long Dark, Stormriders of the Creeping Forest, and Serenades of the Snowdrop

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Throughout the winter season

Who celebrates it: Ardenai elves

Where is it celebrated: Ta'Ardenai

A short description of the holiday: At the start of this court's session, seven snow buntings with royal blue ribbons tied to their legs are released. The three ceremonies of the Hibernal Court are Heralds of the Long Dark, Stormriders of the Creeping Forest, and Serenades of the Snowdrop.

For more detail, see the Hibernal Court section of the Ta'Ardenai Seasonal Courts document.

Lormesta

Eyra Ayd Bre'Drenlo Dyrhka Kerirdim

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Ayd Bre'Drenlo Dyrhka Kerirdim, roughly translated into "First Day of Driving Away Hated Enemies"

Date of the Holiday/Celebration: First day of Lormesta

Who celebrates it: Aelotoi

Where is it celebrated: Primarily Cysaegir

A short description of the holiday: Following Quenayd Pala Gyrrdha'ta, the aelotoi begin to prepare for Eyra Ayd Bre'Drenlo Dyrhka Kerirdim, the first hunt of the year in which the aelotoi gather into large parties in order to engage and dispatch kiramon. In most cases, this is the inaugural hunt for those who have reached adolescence the prior year and is considered a step into adulthood. At no point is the youth to engage in their first hunt on their own, as tradition dictates such a step to be celebrated by close relatives and friends. Following the hunt, the aelotoi feast and share their various trophies with those unable to attend.

Frozen Dead Elf Days

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Frozen Dead Elf Days

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Second week of Lormesta

Who celebrates it: The town of Connedale

Where is it celebrated: Barony of Dragach

A short description of the holiday: The residents of Connedale in the barony of Dragach have learned to embrace and celebrate the harsh winters of the nearby Dragonspine mountains. Used to informing the friends and family of travelers that their loved one will not be returning to them has given the Connedale populace a somewhat darkly comedic love for life and its celebration. Nowhere is this more apparent than their annual "Frozen Dead Elf Days," held in second week of Lormesta.

Once upon a time, when a traveler's body was found and not yet identified, it was common practice to place the corpse on ice until such a time as friends or family came looking, or the spring thaw came (at which point, records were made, personal belongings preserved, and the body properly disposed of). During this time, approximately a hundred years ago, an elf was found dead of (apparently) natural causes. With elven relationships not exactly stellar, the town decided it best to maintain the elf on ice for longer than normal. For the next decade, the dead elf was kept in deep cold storage while attempts were made to find family or friends.

About ten years into the dead elf's storage, a group of drunken townsfolk decided to take the frozen corpse out for some fun. They absconded with the body and went sledding, much to the chagrin of the town elders and much to the delight of virtually everyone else. Travelers, even a handful of hardy elves trekking through that winter, clamored for a chance to have a sketch done with the dead elf and a sled.

And from there, it just... snowballed. Worried about actually offending the elves or the Arkati or the spirits of the wind (Connedale places great import and superstition upon its harsh winds), the elf itself was finally given a proper burial. The event, however, was not.

Frozen Dead Elf Days is a week-long event that draws visitors from across Elanthia to partake in absolutely ridiculous activities at outrageous prices that assist the economy of Dragach, especially Connedale, for months to come. While many pilgrimage to Lanark Falls in better weather, during Frozen Dead Elf Days, participants flock to the waters to see who can last the longest naked in its frigid pools.

There are sledding competitions, snowball wars, dangerous winter hikes, coffin races down the main street, and more. When outdoor activities are impossible, indoor contests abound as well, mostly focused around drinking or brawling.

Throughout it all, there is the opportunity to get a sketch done with that year's "frozen dead elf." Travelers throughout the year are encouraged to sign an agreement with Connedale to serve as the festival's mascot should the worst come to pass. In return, if "chosen," the deceased star of Frozen Dead Elf Days will be encased in ice and displayed all winter then buried appropriately in spring. Their named heir will receive a compensatory sum as well. Should there be no actual corpse that year (which rarely happens), a resident will typically play dead during set times.

Like most town-based festivals, good food, good drink, and overall merriment abound, and numerous vendors sell wares and commemorative items.

Starveling's Succor

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Starveling's Succor

Date of Holiday/Celebration: 31st of Lormesta (January 31st)

Who celebrates it: Half-elves, primarily.

Where is it celebrated: In and around Ta'Nalfein

A short description of the holiday: More memorial than celebration, the tradition of Starveling's Succor honors the lost half-elven settlement of Feagh and its citizens, which fell to orc incursions and winter starvation. In the centuries since the tradition's inception, it has come to focus on supporting the underprivileged and feeding the hungry. Modern observances vary, but they commonly include leaving a fresh loaf of bread on one's doorstep or the sharing of food with friends and strangers alike. Those who observe will set an extra place at their table that evening, ready to welcome in whosoever knocks on their door, and give them a full belly and a warm place to sleep. Some prominent individuals in the city and in the outlying villages are known to host feasts on Lormesta 31st, though not all make mention of Feagh or the Starveling's Succor tradition. All through the winter, several pubs in Ta'Nalfein serve a hot cider and rum drink they call Ysandra's Tales or, alternately, Ysandra's Tears.

Fashanos

Day of Voaris and Laethe

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Day of Voaris and Laethe

Date of Holiday/Celebration: 14th day of Fashanos

Who celebrates it: Global

Where is it celebrated: Global

A short description of the holiday: See detailed page.

Day of the Forlorn Poet

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Day of the Forlorn Poet

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Throughout Fashanos

Who celebrates it: Elves

Where is it celebrated: Global

A short description of the holiday: The Day of the Forlorn Poet celebrates the written word and opportunities for would-be writers and up-and-coming songsmiths to showcase their talent… or lack thereof, typically their works read or sung aloud by a neutral third party who is encouraged to imbibe spirits by those gathered.

The story of the Forlorn Poet has various origins, some Vaalorians swearing it was a pair of legionnaires, whilst Loenthrans believe it could be no other than a pair of inebriated artists to encourage such a ridiculous spectacle. The identities of the two parties involved in the story are typically contested over several drinks in celebration of the holiday, and one must caution themselves before launching into such a polarizing debate.

However, the framework of the story is always the same. A pair of elves, each secretly in love with the other, hires a spirited songsmith to serenade their beloved. Unbeknownst to each elf, they have hired the same songsmith, an individual familiar with confusion and very familiar with an evening of inebriation.

The elves write heartfelt proclamations of love and friendship, the prose pouring over the folded pages stuffed into the songsmith's cape. The bard stumbles centerstage at the local tavern, strumming his lute as he blurrily procures one of the sheets of parchment, singing a melodic tribute to the wonders of young love… or so he thought.

In reality, the befuddled bard played a rousing tune upon his frayed broomstick, his voice a cacophony of started cat, several guffaws, and the occasional burp. The elves, upon witnessing the assault on the taverngoers eardrums, decided to take matters into their own hands and professed their feelings once they escaped the songsmith serenading a peahen who had mistakenly wandered into the tavern.

Each year, friends and kin elect The Forlorn Poet, the designation one of honor and light-hearted ribbing. The Poet is gifted a variety of spirits alongside folded pages neatly penned with the name of the intended recipient. In turn, The Poet must ensure that the words on the page are properly conveyed to the recipient through their preferred method of performance. All in good fun, past Poets have presented their pages through interpretive dance, a mosaic of empty wine bottles, and one dramatic retelling utilizing a Poet's pet maedat as the protagonist.

Passions of the Departure

Name of Holiday/Celebration: The Passions of the Departure; The Wandering (Zhu’shom); Harrowing of the Wasteland

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Middle of Fashanos

Who celebrates it: Dhe'nar

Where is it celebrated: Sharath, Eh'lah

A short description of the holiday: The jungles of the Dhe’nar empire border the Southron Wastes, where the climate transitions rapidly from the wetness of the tropics into the unforgiving desert. In the winter following the heavy rains as the winds shift, when the southern seas are cooler and the storms are fewer and weaker, harvesting from the perennial growth is interrupted by droughts. This impacts the Duk’sa in the wilds and the villages beyond the Forest of Ash, more than Sharath itself, where the Khanshael farm mushrooms deep underground.

In the Rebuilding following the fall of Sharath, this time of fasting became a ritual in homage to the Departure, when the Dhe’nar struggled to survive in the wastelands. This would eventually be twisted upside down in Eh’lah, with extravagant carnivals and gluttonous excesses of feasting, as the southern rainforest hits its growth spurt when clouds are not blocking the sun.

These festivals are known for their passion plays. There are dramatic imitations of Noi’sho’rah issuing his prophetic execration, condemning Elves who do not follow the Way, and the Ascent when he joined the Arkati. His follower Tahlad Tsi’shalar, which loosely means “the best disciple”, futilely argues against the sundering of the Elves. Tahlad is unable to sway the stock villain, Korthyr Faendryl, who invites boos and hisses from the crowd. In the settlement of Eh’lah it is not unheard of for some visiting Faendryl, such as traders of the Emporion, to watch these plays and enjoy them out of dark humor, as well as having a cultural familiarity and mutual appreciation for vilifying scapegoats.

It is historically controversial when the ancestors of the Dhe’nar actually departed. The Illistim Chroniclers put it shortly after the discovery of Ithnishmyn by the Houses, when the sylvans were harassed by slavers and religious cults seeking converts. This was around fifty thousand years ago when Yshryth Faendryl was exiling dissidents from the Empire. The Dhe’nar instead traditionally have the Departure closer to sixty thousand years ago, before the Illistim Chronicles existed, with Tahlad as the uncle of a young and brash Korthyr who was leading a movement of separation.

Regardless, the exodus to what is now called Rhoska-Tor is indisputable, where the Dhe’nar were tested with hardships and hunger in a land of darkness. Out of this evolved a second ritual of the passions, the Zhu’shom, meaning the Wandering. It is a dangerous pilgrimage into the wasteland undertaken by some Dhe’nar when they are seeking to prove themselves in adulthood.

The vast majority of the Dhe’nar population is in the worker caste, having not been chosen by the temple or the shadowy conscriptors, nor having been successful if offered or volunteered for trials into the warrior caste when they were children. But Noi’sho’rah said the Way is open to all, always, even for those who have lost it. This dissatisfaction or resentment sometimes finds its outlet in Dhe’nar who will harrow the wasteland to prove their strength. They are not trained for such a journey. Though it is sometimes performed by warriors or mages of the higher castes for their own reasons.

In the Wandering the pilgrims of the Firstborn will travel to Sharath, where the Great Mountain is said to have risen through the tomb of Tahlad. They travel north into the central Southron Wastes, which is very hazardous, even in the winter months. This terrain is highly geologically unstable, being prone to landslides, or even flash flooding especially in the slot canyons.

In tracing back the path of the Departure, these wanderers must not only survive the deadly indigenous creatures of the central wastes, and those tribes or races who have hostility with the Dhe’nar, they must travel toward the outer reaches of Rhoska-Tor where the land itself is saturated in dark power. It is far more likely that they will encounter creatures of darkness as they move further east, including undead and the demonic, or the twisted and mutated aberrations of that terrible haunted realm.

There they seek the supposed place where Tahlad died, having never lived to see the promised land. Legend holds the ground burst forth with volcanic rock as Tahlad wept blood beholding his final vision, wherein he foresaw the Fall of Sharath, his followers having failed to heed the divine warning that would end in the Great Mountain. It is a tortured black monolith of basalt fused with shards of veil iron and urglaes, called the “Tears of Tahlad”, which leaves a distinct mark by searing the flesh. They must touch the “Despair of the Gods”, burning it into their skin, while reciting the words of the prophet: “Here we return to our beliefs, and we stand firm always.”

Though many of these wanderers will not survive, either journeying to the black spire or returning to Sharath, many did not survive the Departure. Those who return with the mark are celebrated for their devotion to the Way. Those who failed to walk with power become part of the story of their people.

The Feast of Remembrance and Reconciliation

Name of Holiday/Celebration: The Feast of Remembrance and Reconciliation

Date of Holiday/Celebration: After the start of the new year, typically in early Fashanos because it takes time to get word of the Feast to adventurous wanderers.

Who celebrates it: Bandits and adventurers in and around Kraken's Fall

Where is it celebrated: Kraken's Fall

A short description of the holiday: Each new year as an adventurer or bandit is treacherous, whether on land or across the seas.  While the turning of the calendar presents new opportunities for conquest and loot, they also are a glorious and sobering reminder of those whom we have loved and fought, both alongside and across swords.  Because one thing all adventurers and bandits share is a hard life of conflict, where friends and alliances are quickly made... and potentially dissolved just as quickly.

Oral narratives and scraps of parchment around Kraken's Fall tell of a day just after the start of each new year where pirates and bandits put aside quarrels and come together for a day of feasting, friendly fighting, stories, song, and remembrance.  This is a day for bragging about the great hauls taken in during the previous year, for memorializing those lost in pursuit of treasure, for tall tales and the magnification of nascent legends, and of all manner of boasting, feasting, drinking, and camaraderie.  Because, while tomorrow is uncertain, this day and night are about life.

Over the years, versions of this feast have been recorded: long pirate tables replete with stolen foods; demure adventurers breaking bread with strident bandits, sharing their greatest boasts from the previous year; a chance for enemies to come together and, over many bottles of rum, ponder why exactly they are fighting; and, a communal toast for a prosperous year that they may boast of in feasts to come.

Charlatos

Peahen's Picnic

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Peahen's Picnic

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Weekends of the month of Charlatos

Who celebrates it: Elves, Enjoyers of Picnicking

Where it is celebrated: Gardens and Lawns

A short description of the holiday: The arrival of the spring season is heralded by the blooming of flora, the melting of snow… and the screaming of peahens. In a rumored attempt to appease the screeching of the beloved peafowl, several picnickers took it upon themselves to create a "decoy" picnic spread, including several fluffy cushions and a small string quartet, successfully luring the birds away from their own celebrations.

Thus began the celebration of the Peahen's Picnic. Throughout the month of Charlatos, elves and their guests spend their afternoons enjoying the newly bloomed gardens and lawns across the Elven Nations, playing games upon the grass and sharing in elaborate picnics. Always nearby is an accompanying picnic for feathered fellows, furry animals, and scaled companions, a celebration (or bribe) for creatures we call friends.

The Bluebell Battle

Name of Holiday/Celebration: The Bluebell Battle (less commonly, Skirmish of the Lilacs)

Date of Holiday/Celebration: Late Charlatos, just before the spring equinox

Who celebrates it: Humans

Where it is celebrated: Selanthia

A short description of the holiday: The Viscountess Amelyrrelia Winterkiss-Tittleberry and the Grand Lady Vetaxette Sootleby made history in 5003 over what has become known as The Bluebell Battle. At the end of the winter season, the nobility that often wintered in luxurious properties outside Tamzyrr were known to throw elaborate balls and parties to celebrate the impending spring. Unfortunately for the women in question (and fortunately for future historians and everyone else), the season of 5003 took a somewhat violent turn.

The women, most bosomy of friends until the historic event, jointly planned the event of the season, a three-day artistic extravaganza capped by an elaborate ball with Tamzyrr's finest musicians vying for the honor to play their latest compositions as anyone who was anyone would be in attendance and patronages would be flowing.

The week before the event, however, the two women argued most foully over the Flower Parade. Once alike in thoughts and deeds, Amelyrrelia and Vetaxette fought bitterly over the arrangement of flowers. It came down, historians say, to bluebells versus hothouse-grown lilacs. The Viscountess favored the naturally blossoming bluebells, gathered in abundance from her many gardens, while Grand Lady Vetaxette insisted on using her greenhouse's overflowing lilac blossoms.

So vexed and inflexible were these women, that it came to rapiers at teatime. Finding the tight corsets and binding fabrics of their gowns a hinderance, both women ripped them off and, entirely topless, proceeded to sword fight by the Winterkiss-Tittleberry lily pond and in front of dozens of women serving on a planning committee that had heretofore been remarkably respectable and somewhat boring.

Grand Lady Vetaxette won the duel with a slash to Viscountess Amelyrrelia's arm, settling the matter on lilacs. However, in a grand gesture, she stated the bluebells, daisies, and buttercups Amelyrrelia so wanted would be included. No one quite knew why such a compromise could not have been reached beforehand, but it certainly served to increase the popularity of a somewhat waning event.

For the next several years, the two women were asked to recreate their duel, and they obliged until well in their 80s. By then, the tradition was set, and now, every year, the Bluebell Battle is waged.

Noble women vie for the honor to be chosen to duel in modern days, with any confirmed relation to either of the original combatants being given precedent. The Winterkiss-Tittleberry lily pond still exists, and the duel is recreated, followed by a flower parade and a grand ball.

So entertaining and long-reaching was the tale, that many such celebrations crop up around Selanthia (and sometimes even in neighboring areas of the Empire). It may just be a topless duel in late March in one town, but in another, it is a topless duel atop a float as a parade rolls down cobblestone streets.

Tradition states that artistic patronages follow these events, and the entire affair is now a joyous celebration of art, music, and gardening (and for many women, an excuse to learn swordplay on the slight chance they are chosen to duel).

Birthday of Ghorsa Borthuum

Name of Holiday/Celebration: Birthday of Ghorsa Borthuum

Date of Holiday/Celebration: 27th of Charlatos

Who celebrates it: Teras Isle

Where it is celebrated: Kharam-Dzu

A short description of the holiday: The birthday of Ghorsa Borthuum has been celebrated since the founding of Teras Isle, when the search for the lost Kezmonian lands blew his flying balloon ship off course. As the founder of the Borthuum Clan, Borthuum Mining Company, and attributed with the discovery of glaes, Ghorsa's legacy hallmarks and testifies to the strength of dwarven ambition and undaunted courage.

Dwarves of the Borthuum Clan often take a tour of the Stormbrow Gallery on this day and honor their founder with a toast during their meals. Most families will have one or more recount Ghorsa's adventures as they recall it being told to them, passed on from generation to generation. These recounted tales have remained consistent among the dwarves on Teras Isle, and any discrepancies are quickly remedied to ensure his story remains true for future tellings.

Children of the Borthuum families are gifted small toys, crafted into symbolic representations of the journey that led to the discovery of Teras Isle.