Tonight Mistydeep Manor held a Reach and Teach presentation about the Feast of the Immortals and how the various races celebrate the event. The script of that event is below. These are, of course, the creative writings of a player, they are not official documentation (as there is none).

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Thank you for gathering with us tonight. As you may or may not know, the Feast of the Immortals is approaching. The feast begins in but two days, and we're here tonight to share with you a bit on how different cultures celebrate the holiday.

These are, of course, generalized statements about traditions within the various cultures of the lands. They may or may not apply to a particular person, but will apply to most people. We ask that you please hold any questions until the end of the presentation, when we will be happy to answer them for you.

Most all races and cultures celebrate the Feast of Immortals. That does not mean they do it in the same way. Cultures even differ as to what immortals they celebrate. Many cultures revere the Arkati, considering them immortal. Elves consider themselves just as immortal as the Arkati, who can die, and so honor their ancestors. The dwarves see the unchanging landscape as immortal, and the ores they bring from the ground as alive in their own right.

With that said, we?d like to present to you an overview of various Immortals customs from around Elanith.

Let us start with the smallest of races, the gnomes. The gnomes of the Burghal bloodlines take on the festive aspects of their hosts. Of course, gnomes add their own twists. The Vylem select their Queen of Winter, and the rest add snappers, crackers, and overburdened tables of food to the mix. Those bloodlines that serve elves tend to celebrate the Houses they work for, while those that serve humans tend to celebrate the Arkati as a whole.

The Erithi, from what I have heard, have completely different customs. They believe knowledge in all its forms is what is immortal. The winter solstice is celebrated as the return of the light of knowledge from the depths of ignorance. The twin temples of Fash?no?lae and Lumnis in their capital city, Eloth-Ra, are the center of festivities. Great bonfires are lit to represent knowledge, and the festival continues far into the night.

Humans, on the other hand, concentrate on the change of seasons and the renewal of their dependence on the Arkati. Some human cities formalize this in a battle between summer and winter on the day of the solstice. Winter, with his shield and stave, defeats summer during the Feast of Immortals. Other cultures renew their vows to the Queen of Winter, Eorgina, while some engage in rituals to appease both the pantheons of Lornon and Liabo during the shortest days of the year.

The giants known best to other races, those of Araime and T?Kirem, take almost opposite approaches to this feast. The Araime celebrate the sun, moon and stars peacefully, coming together to worship the immortal elements, while the T?Kirem fight. Of course, T?Kirem fight constantly, but this is a special fight. The winner of the brawls that take place at this time is the champion of the clan for the year. This is how they choose their leaders and their chiefs.

The Faendryl and the Dhe'nar, though they now live in the same areas, celebrate the Feast in different manners. The Faendryl celebrate in ways akin to the other six houses of elves, while the Dhe'nar believe the only thing immortal is their community. It is customary, at this time, for the elders of the Dhe'nar to recite the community's history and for those returned from their final tests to tell their tales before being accepted as full members of the Family.

Halflings, of course, regard the solstice and the accompanying Feast of Immortals as an opportunity to bring out the best of their winter stores for an immense smorgasbord of culinary delights. There are serious bouts of tale telling and Arkati worship between the meals, but the food is what the festival is about. Curiously, one ritual among the Malghavan Halflings involves the attempt to return horses to their midst. If an elf happens to wander into this ritual, it is more than likely he will be tortured and killed for the evil done to the beasts.

The half-krolvin have no real recognized way of celebrating the Feast of Immortals, though the typical half-krolvin rededicates him or herself to one or more patron Arkati during the winter solstice. Half elves, too, follow more the rituals of the cultures they grow up in instead of having their own rituals. The Aelotoi, being so recently brought back to Elanith, have embraced the idea of giving and celebrating enthusiastically. They gather together and celebrate their new found freedom with an exchange of gifts.

Elves. Elves regard themselves as just as immortal as the Arkati, if only slightly less powerful. For this reason, they tend to put the emphasis of their celebration on the importance of Houses and families. The legends of their ancestors are sung and families gather around each other, throwing lavish balls and bringing out their daughters for the ?season? of courting. Masques are common, and all the formalities of rank and deference are punctiliously observed only when hidden features are revealed.

Dwarves do on this Feast what dwarves do on every feast. They drink, tell stories,and show off newly forged weapons. They celebrate the blessings of Eonak and show off the metals and gems found during the previous year's mining.

Lastly, the sylvans, my race. What we do on the Feast is celebrate the spirits of the forest. It is ever changing yet ever the same. Our celebration is quiet and centered on out communities. At this time of year, the borrowings from the other races are removed and we return to our true selves. Many of us walk the forest in solitude or in small groups, listening to the trees and their wisdom. All of us long for our homeland, Yuriquen, most at this time of year. We ask the trees to send messages to those we miss, telling them of our love and our eternal hope to return home.

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- Me
EES Website: http://www.gsranger.net/
Foraging Galore: http://www.gsranger.net/guides/foraging/
PRO Resources: http://www.gsmeetinghalls.com/

Don't feed the troll, it only makes him worse.

>>The Arkati that represents Winter, would be Lorminstra as it is her sphere.

Not all follow Liabo. :)

>>Dhe'nar and Faendryl do not live in the same area (Dhe'nar live on the southern tip of the Southron Wastes.)

Probably just an issue of the words. Not in the same place, but both live in the same general area.

>>Good speech, all in all. I'm glad you spent the time to discuss one of Elanthia's holidays in an in-character/in-game manner.

Thank you.

- Me
EES Website: http://www.gsranger.net/
Foraging Galore: http://www.gsranger.net/guides/foraging/
PRO Resources: http://www.gsmeetinghalls.com/

Don't feed the troll, it only makes him worse.