[Continued] - Harrowing Festival - 1 VC - Vaul

[Keehnelf]

Thread for festival activities.

Participants so far:

Rhodri - spartakos
Numen - mister-kent
Bertram - kingofcowards
Abi - gtan_baq
Galen - spartakos
Buryl - ogre mage
Crivit - AleBelly
Orrin - zorroroaster
Constance - mister-kent
Varas - AleBelly
Wendall - ogre mage
Valorei - monkeywrench
Olumpia - mister-kent
Jem - ogre mage
Dorvar - Scott308
Martin - dogma
Halfred Thistlebottom - enoch

[Keehnelf]

Background:

Harrowing is the festival celebrating the end of winter and the transition point between the cold harsh early spring and the somewhat milder late spring that will eventually bring the summer.

As a result, Harrowing is one of the most active and positive feast days of the year, usually involving a communal effort to jump-start the planting process starting at dawn, followed by a large outdoor feast at noontime, then a number of games filling the afternoon, and then a somewhat soberer and more formal event at dusk.

-In the morning, it is traditional for the farmers of a community to host Harrowing parties in their fields, which members of the community will visit in turn, lending their strength or bringing refreshment as appropriate. This is a strong bonding opportunity for members of the community, and restores some of the solidarity that may be eroded during the solitary winter months. During this time, children too young and adults too infirm to assist in the fields work at making wicker-man effigies for the evening events.

-The outdoor communal lunch has a festive atmosphere, and much spring ale is drunk at that time. In Vaul, Ghrym's first batch of slope thistle ale always is consumed at this time. It is common practice for young men of the community to take this gathering as an opportunity to boast or brag or make vows about their intentions for the upcoming year.

-The afternoon games vary region to region, but they all attend to virility and fertility in some way. Wrestling is common, as are egg tosses and egg races, and in the more formal and traditional kingdoms there is often a tournament of some kind during this window.

-The evening begins with a feast to which all are invited, and in which the local leader breaks bread just as the sun sets, dedicating the symbolic sacrifice to the needs and challenges of the coming year. He or she speaks of those who were lost during the year and those that gave the community the strength or resources needed to endure. Others are often invited to speak on similar topics, recognizing the contributions of their neighbors.

After the feast, a dance is held. Around the dance hall or floor a number of effigies of Dagon, the god of heart's ice and the black sky of winter, are burned to provide illumination and protection. It is common for couples young and old to depart from the dance to engage in more private fertility rituals, though the event itself lasts late into the night. It is considered bad luck to be present when the flame of the last remaining effigy turns to glowing ember, and dancing in the light of "Dagon's Fire" as it is called invites calamity on oneself during the coming year.

[Mister-Kent]

Numen arrives at the center of town, curious about the festivities. He has his weapons stowed, but his hood pulled up, just a little crop of unruly golden hair emerging from the front. He knows that citizens will be heading to parties in the fields, and intends to assist in the construction of wicker-men. He pats his thigh, and Mammon ambles happily forward. Numen has tied a little cloth ribbon around his neck for festive decoration.

[Keehnelf]

Nothing will be happening in here until everyone is at or past the date of, just FYI--to maximize coordination of events.

[Keehnelf]

Disposition of the Town

The merchant caravan that arrived the day before has taken up the square in the center of town and is open throughout the day to provide goods to those in need for their festival preparations or other purposes.

The majority of the farms lie along the western side of town, two within the walls but the other eight occupying approximately a dozen acres overall on the west of town near the Harvest Gate, a large door wide enough to move a laden cart or wagon through. It is among these farms that the early events of the day will take place.

In the northwest section of town, the Temple, which is the second largest structure in town after the Wooden Keep, has its newly populated cemetery alongside it, with construction of a small chapel dedicated to Fortis underway on the opposite side of the graveyard. In the somewhat open area across from both, a series of large open-sided pavilions have been erected with a hodge-podge of tables, benches, chairs and stools taken from homes and businesses creating a motley feast hall with a low stage set up on one side. Casks of Ghrym's spring brewing have been gathered along one side of the pavilions and a large fidelity nearby shows where a number of the locals will be working to put together the day's meals.

On the opposite side of the pavilions from the stage, an area has been cleared of the usual tools and supplies at the back of the smithy and the mason's shops to create an area for sporting and competition, which given the young age of the town will be mostly impromptu events.

[Zorroroaster]

Orrin is glad to be back in time for Harrowing!

[Keehnelf]

Starting to gear up for this celebration. If you don't see your character's name in the first post, please post here indicating that a character is participating (if the character is participating, that is).

[OGRE MAGE]

Jem will attend if he makes it back alive.

Buryl will attend as well.

[MonkeyWrench]

Val will be there!

[Keehnelf]

As i said--check the first post and make sure you're not overlooked (Buryl and Val were both already listed)!

[OGRE MAGE]

Ok then, Wendall will also attend!

Sorry man, I thought that meant the first upcoming post.

[Enoch]

Halfred Thistlebottom will attend if possible.

[Mister-Kent]

Olympia will be in attendance as well!

[Scott308]

Dorvar is in!

[MonkeyWrench]

As i said--check the first post and make sure you're not overlooked (Buryl and Val were both already listed)!

I felt the need to double enlist myself!

I am sorry Keehnelf!

[Dogma]

Martin will be attending the festivities...

[Keehnelf]

This is how the day will work--because I anticipate starting this up within 24 hours or so, barring any major catastrophes on my end.

Everything will happen all in one thread, to represent the busy confusion that will be a hallmark of festival days, at least this time around. In the future, it may be that there are multiple locations with festivals happening, in which case there will be one thread for each.

There will be phases over the course of the day, set to begin and end at specific times. Basically, the day will start at 6:00am with whoever wants to get up that early, and each "action" by a PC will advance the clock 10 minutes. There will be a limit of one action per PC per real day, with the added note that many actions will tie up a PC for more than just 10 minutes (like participating in a contest). I will indicate estimated end times in this case, and when the clock catches up I will narrate the end of the action and indicate ooc that the PC is now free to pursue other actions.

I will provide a slate of pre-set options for activity at each phase, but if you have other ideas, do it! Just remember that the town itself is not an adventure location, and security is beefed up for the day, so if your good idea is robbing empty shops you will have some trouble.

As the clock advances through the day, I will narrate updates of ongoing PC activities as well as what is taking place in the background, which may be flavor or may inspire other courses of action.

Expect an initial post on this pretty soon--within the next 24 hours.

[Keehnelf]

6:00am

The farmers are hosting work parties with hot tea and biscuits out in the fields as the various businesspeople of the town make their preparations and do last-minute construction and decoration at the festival site in town.

No one who has been involved in the drinking debauchery of the day before may be active at this time, but others may get involved in helping out or other self-directed activities if they wish.

Remember that each PC action moves the clock forward, thus "pass" is a legitimate declaration for an action if many individuals are involved in actions and others just want to move the clock forward.

This thread is now open!

[Zhym]

Harold is in. So is Ulf, if he can take a day off of recuperating. Lug is also in, assuming he makes it back.

[Keehnelf]

Lug was back in time.