Annual Holidays - Feast of the Moon

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Copper Dragon
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Annual Holidays - Feast of the Moon

Postby Copper Dragon » Mon Dec 07, 2015 7:18 pm

Feast of the Moon

The Feast of the Moon or Moonfest is celebrated each year on the day before the final month. It marks the onset of winter: the time of sleep, darkness, and no more work in the fields.

It is known across Faerun that Moonfest is the time to celebrate and honour the ancestors and the respected dead.

Traditions are rich and myriad in form, but perhaps across Impiltur too there is room for the Feast.

On this day, folk bless their ancestors' graves and perform the Ritual of Remembrance. People gather to tell stories of the deeds of their ancestors and of the gods until deep into the night, until these merge and become legend. This is a time to hear of past heroes, great treasures, and lost cities.

And in your own faith...


Man's Rites
Heralds perform the Bloodsong, reciting the genealogies of noble families and reaffirming their traditional authority and status.

Priests of Bhaal recount tales of heroic slayings.

Worshipers of Lliira open a holy festival with the Swords Cast Down ritual in which weapons are thrown on the ground with chanting and covered with fresh flowers.

Worshipers of Lurue observe a quiet ceremony ushering in winter and remembering the dead. It is the anniversary of the founding of Silverymoon and is celebrated by the unveiling of works of art and song.

This day is known as the Day the Dead are Most With Us by worshipers of Myrkul.

Worshipers of Savras the All-Seeing call this day the Vision and spend 24 hours meditating in a steam bath or a haze of incense.

Worshipers of Shar call this day the Rising of the Dark and plot their nefarious deeds for the next year after a live sacrifice.

Worshipers of Shiallia invite friendly creatures to join in feasting, dancing, and singing.

Worshipers of Talos call for storms and lightning.

Worshipers of Tempus honor the dead.


The Hin's Rites
Worshipers of the halfling deity Arvoreen perform the Ceremony of Remembrance to honor those who died defending their community.


The Dwarves' Rites
Guardians of Gorm Gulthyn gather for ritual salutes, martial weapons displays, chanted prayers, and the offering of weapons used in a defensive action.

Worshipers of the dwarven deity Haela Brightaxe call this day the Commemoration of the Fallen and is spent recounting the battles and deeds of those who died defending the Stout Folk and dedicating new weapons and armor to their memory.

Followers of Marthammor Duin call this day the Beacon and celebrate the path shown them by Finder-of-Trails.


The Elves' Rites
Worshipers of Sehanine Moonbow gather this night for the Mystic Rites of the Luminous Cloud and are often transformed into scintillating streaks of light that fly across the starry heavens.


The Orcs' Barbarisms
Worshipers of the orc deity Luthic know this day as the Coming of the Winter Cave, a festival in which many young are conceived.

________________________________________

All are welcome to gather at taverns to share stories, songs, memories both grim and great.

OOC: The server follows the real life calendar: in which case the Feast of the Moon occurs on 30th November or 1st December. This is an attempt to inspire other players to make their own plans for that evening and share them here when it's that time of year. Maybe PC clerics, bards, druids or other classes have something in mind. If not, perhaps we'll see each other at the tavern for mass storytelling.
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

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Copper Dragon
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Feast of the Moon - 1362DR - The Scroll Hunt

Postby Copper Dragon » Tue Dec 08, 2015 5:43 pm

OOC: Below are the records of one Feast of the Moon event that's already passed, a Scroll Hunt throughout the town of Sarshel. Again, thanks to all who could join it: the participants and the DMs that watched and helped! Without Kilaana there wouldn't have been background lore about the Helthan Theatre's mood and alleged haunted history, and without Loreweaver the scrolls across town might have been greedily claimed by area resets. Thanks specifically to Faile Loomgold (Aelwyn/Hagra), Lori Peveril (Highlander), Perry Quietfoot (OldBear), Simhan (Nemanja), Sagi (OldGrouch), Ginny Sureshot (Talisman), Jerek (Toros) for the attendance.

Feast of the Moon - 1362DR - Festivities: The Scroll Hunt
Scroll Hunt: The Adventure Hook
Spoiler:
Recently the Helthan Theatre has acquired two musicians, but the talk of the town might not quite have been about that around the days before the Feast of the Moon. Rather than bright pamphlets awaiting citizens on the theatre's doors, it is on Sarshel's City Square that any passer-by found a curious note. It was placed on the statue's base for whose look-alike the city was named. With the candles of the Feast of the Moon reverently glowing below it, it was difficult to miss the notice.

It read in Common:
Travellers, city-dwellers, mourners and celebrators,

Your Feast of Ballads, Tales, and Remembrance comes.
Yet your city hides many secrets and much knowledge,
and a spell of memorial is hidden among them.

Come tomorrow, you will find here hints - hints to
find this spell; a gentle thing, and precious; a tool
of mystery, a hand of the Mournful Moon.

Study these hints and follow them, and use your ken
combined, for it is only through shared work that
you may find the humble, but memorable, reward.

Art thou clear and readied to come to the Spell Hunt?
A few days after the first notice - making sure that enough people could become aware of the initial call to the Hunt and Game - another note was placed at the city square.

You could find this scroll placed above the inscription of Sarshel Elethlim's statue at the City Square. It read in Common:
Fragile are the stars tonight,
Heralding young winter's bite.
Your people await the colden white
Gathered by thin candlelight.

O, my young friends,
O, people free;
Walk through your city
And find the keys.
Moon-Feast comes, your ghosts are near,
You must now face them without fear.

The dead stones of your streets
Hide lost treasures on few sheets.
Hunt the parchment, their ink-filled fleets,
Follow their trail to where magic beats!

O, my young friends,
O, people free;
Walk through your city
And find the keys.
Moon-Feast comes, your ghosts are near,
You must now face them without fear.
To read the final lines you would have to come very close... Would you take the time to?
And so the Scroll Hunt began.

There were several pieces of parchment hidden around Sarshel. Each scroll had a front side (giving hints to the next scroll's location) and a flip side (containing bits of a "spell" that the participants needed in the end). All the parts were found across town, leading to a final location.

The exact locations were not shared publicly in case the participants from last eve thought to lead around their friends or family in a game of their own.

The First Site: City Square
Riddle
Spoiler:
The first key for you is none too far,
Seek a door in sight, ajar
Where law is paid, for banners, stars,
And fealties sworn to your realm's 'czars'.
Spell Lines on the flip side
-

The Second Site: City Square
Riddle
Spoiler:
Mankind pays respects to the dead and gone; little do they know that for the Elven people, now fading from the land, there are birds that bid farewell. You will find them in this city as well.

First of the hundred-and-ten verses of Aeralas Durothil, transcribed.

“Upon the wings of seven winds,
Upon the waves of every sea
Ride flashing they: whites a-twinned
Beaks that laugh or cry or scree.

We listen to their song the last
Before we leave shore for th' West.
Our time on Faerun has come to pass
But a gift for you waits at these feathers' rest.”
Spell Lines on the flip side
Spoiler:
In Chondathan:
Bul a soih'rer'so voihre iso hol lo bre prehhredo;
O, soih'rer, aola hamire your 'rimi rehdo?


Translated:
But a singer's voice is not to be penned;
O, singer, how came your grim end?
The Third Site: Docks
Riddle
Spoiler:
Within your walls there are many mute historians, hiding in plain sight.

“Show me the giant who is gentle,
The princess whose crown blooms yearly, then balds,
The host of a boardgame who has never played it.
It will have heard more tales than the skalds.
Have you seen it? It has seen you pass by the shoppe,
And you playing, thinking, sitting beneath it.”
Spell Lines on the flip side
Spoiler:
In Elven:
Tcah aati ay u tcauhume caneh,
ah cane ta 'matcem tcauhume taneh.


Translated:
This city of a thousand homes
is home to 'nother thousand tomes.
The Fourth Site: City South
Riddle
Spoiler:
It is said that one Imp grins above an arch
that the Dwarves of Earthfast left.
Find this Imp, and from his clutches claim
What 'it' had claimed in mocking theft.
Spell Lines - the First Line
Spoiler:
In Easting:
Thies setho outh a thiouusanth sthouneas,
Outh iunnan anth thwarwean alleeath bouneas


Translated:
This city of a thousand stones,
Of human and dwarven allied bones
The Fifth Site: South South
Riddle
Spoiler:
“There is a creature of stone in Sarshel,
whose grace in life is sea-bound and playful.
Coin-masters walk by her day by day.”
Spell Lines
Spoiler:
In Dethek runes:
Khar hhnn oui u'ra dannaz naba daza h duzka,
Huf zaz kha zhzazr zarhzzahz dzur kha kuzka?


Translated:
This hall you once filled like fire a forge,
How did the rapids disappear from the gorge?
The Sixth Site: South Quarter
Riddle
Spoiler:
“Mountains crumbled,
Kingdoms fell,
But in this hall
These ever dwell.
Lovers parted,
Heroes died,
But in this hall
Their tales still stride.

A dozen masks,
Ballads more,
See dirge or dance
Behind this door.
Poor or rich, all
gather inside.
There's tales for each
From world-wide.”
Spell Lines on the flip side
Spoiler:
In Common:
shares secrets from e'ry chimney's breath.
It knows true sorrow but not true death.
The Seventh Site: City South

The final - sixth - part of the spell was in the Helthan Theatre. Though the building was quiet and its chambers without any guests, visitors or employees, the theatre's stage was decorated with lit candles and pale flowers strewn about. Someone had prepared the place for the Feast of the Moon, but despite - or because of - the feast being so near, the theatre would have felt... haunted.

Final Riddle
Spoiler:
“Knowledge comes from many sources; a tale has ten-hundred sides. Each scroll contains a part of the spell. Hear each part out, put the lines together; and then, hark.”
Spell Line - the last
Spoiler:
In Common:
Sing, dear singer, a last time here sing,
Our summons in sorrow a light shall bring.
Reading all the lines in the right order brought about the spell.
Spoiler:
This city of a thousand stones,
Of human and dwarven allied bones
shares secrets from e'ry chimney's breath.
It knows true sorrow but not true death.

This city of a thousand homes
is home to 'nother thousand tomes.
But a singer's voice is not to be penned;
O, singer, how came your grim end?

This hall you once filled like fire a forge,
How did the rapids disappear from the gorge?
Sing, dear singer, a last time here sing,
Our summons in sorrow a light shall bring.
And a ghostly singer was summoned - of a rippling pale blue gown, pale-as-the-moon skin, and whispy white hair to match. She sang in answer to the spell, sharing her sad story.
Spoiler:
The tree by my door
I've watched turn before
and I've watched as it's branched out and grown;
When it turns next year,
Will I still be here,
and will I be here alone?

When my love was there,
Birds sang in the air,
And they soared like the dreams that we had;
Now he's off to war,
They sing like before,
But all of their songs are sad.

My good friends , I know,
Will marry and go,
And farewell with a kiss and a tear,
With lovers to tell,
And children as well,
While I wait another year.

Their futures are bright,
They sing day and night,
And I'm happy to think them so glad...
The birds that I see
Still sing back to me,
But all of their songs are sad.

Will someone who knows
Where all the time goes
Come and leave me away by the hand,
I know day by day
I'm fading away;
It's more than my heart can stand.

It's not that he knew
More than any men do,
But he knew all my heart ever had;
The birds watch and hear
And wait every year,
But all of their songs are sad.
Finale
At the end of the ballad the singer, an elf maiden, gave a parting message, a conclusion to why the Spell Hunt was done at all:

“On your Feast of the Moon, you humans remember the heroes, the lovers, the blood before you, and the memories these left you with. But they don't only live in your memory – they live on in a thousand things around you. Your forebears left you with buildings, statues, planted seeds turned trees, songs... and with many hints of wisdom if you cared to see, not only look.”
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)

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Copper Dragon
Posts: 537
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2015 12:11 pm
Location: GMT +1

Re: Annual Holidays - Feast of the Moon

Postby Copper Dragon » Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:08 am

The Feast of the Moon is today.
Plays:
Artemis D'Assanthe, Dawnmaster
Udhana, the Kinless
Dhovainithil, Silver Elf
Jhasira of the Bai Kabor, Dawnbringer (deceased)


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