Demonreach
Serf
- Local time
- Today 1:22 AM
- Messages
- 9
- Age
- 29
Three hundred years ago, the Elves of the Long Watch stood with the Men of Turble against the Gryndre, or Frost Giants, saving their people and the small forest town of Bhuj'lial; which would, like Turble, become a new territory, called Lerioa after the Alliance of Lerioa, allowing the two races to forge deep and long-lasting bonds, for in the final three days, the wizards, great and small, of the two races would lift their hands into the sky, letting the magic pour from their souls to create the Lights of Lathanar, breaking the storm over the ruined town and ending the fourteen day assault.
While the following two weeks would be the bloodiest in the histories of Elves and Men until the final battle against the Frost Giants fifty years later at what is now known as the D'Frest Gryndre, or Forest of the Frozen People, it would also spark the beginning of one of the longest celebrated, and perhaps longest lasting, holiday of Hayvn: The Festival of Lerioa, though it would be a decade before it would be considered a holiday of any sort. It would be held at the ruins of Bhuj'lial, where in the years to come it would be rebuilt and for two weeks, would be full of the life it once held within its walls. Outside of the festival, it was used as a museum, several of the buildings dedicated to the memories of the fallen and used to house the artifacts of the siege, and none were allowed to live within the walls of the rebuilt Bhuj'lial.
In the years before and after the reconstruction of Bhuj'lial, the Men and Elves of Lerioa would hold small tournaments in the honor of those who fell during the Siege of Bhuj'lial: Swordsmen would enter in contests of first blood, or surrender; this was also used to elevate individuals with talent to positions within the ranks of the Long Watch, once exclusive to the Elves of the Long Watch, now open to the races of Hayvn. Mages were allowed entrance and games were made to test them; games that required intense focus, contests of wills, as well as puzzle boxes in which valuables were hidden inside. Mock armies were brought up and made to fight mock battles, one side playing the Frost Giants and the other, the Men and Elves. For two weeks, these armies would fight their battles, fighting under moon and sun; rain or snow, for even the strongest of storms and mightiest of blizzards were nothing compared to the storms Gryndre shamans had summoned in those final days. Often, a contest for the mages was to create storms for these fighters and to shield them from these magical creations.
Any and all were allowed to sign-up for the battle reenactments, but only about a hundred or so were ever chosen out of the thousands who entered; no more than twelve mages, as the ruling body of Lerioa was born from the death of those twelve mages, the Council of Twelve. It was said that the Bhuj'lial Elves stood against the might of the Gryndre for a tenday before the Silver Legion --- an army of a thousand elite warriors and mages of Turble that had been reduced to a meager hundred against three hundred of the Frost Giants and their shamans--- charged through the attacking Frost Giants' line, saving the Elves as they were beginning to falter, to despair, after the third day against the Host of Fray, who was a particularly cruel and infamous Gryndre general that, along with his brother Gorum, led a two-pronged attack upon the lands of Man and Elf alike. Gorum led a veteran group of Frost Giant raiders known as the Frosteaters. The men of Turble had realized their own situation and had chosen to abandon their city, burning it and the Frost Giants in it, only coming back after hearing the Elves had decided to stay, to fight, for Bhuj'lial.
Those participating in the mock battles, mage and soldier alike, were given rings that captured the kinetic energy of their movements and stored for the Ritual of Lights, where the Druids of the Long Watch sacrificed these rings to strengthen the Lights, ensuring that the peace between Man and Elf continued, pledging themselves to the land in life and death.
Contests such as arm-wrestling, wrestling in general, and various other strongman events were soon added and as these events generated hunger and thirst, drinking and eating competitions arose; soon, there were even baking contests. From the famous bear pies of Thy'uvian to the imported wines from the exotic vineyards of Beghk to the finest silks of Banvan, there were hawkers and food carts shouting out their wares in the streets of Lerioa. Puppets and dolls were made in the likeness of those honored dead for children to play with; portraits were made, inspired by song. Wizards allowed their magic to create dazzling shows of light and explosions in the sky; these were just as competitive and, in the early days of this festival, many fires had been started. None were injured in any of the outbreaks, outside of pride and singed beards. Every few years, the participants of the fake armies are allowed to enter the city to participate in the individual games instead of warring against each other, in their costumes of course. A 'Frost Giant' winning their respective contest is quite the uproar, the crowd often booing them off stage or bullying the winning 'Frost Giants' into giving up their prize in favor of a mock defender.
As mentioned before, the prizes for these were often positions within the Long Watch, or even elevation to minor nobility; some contests had money prizes, while others had material prizes, such as: livestock, grain, even allowing the winner to forgo paying taxes for the year. The mages typically get their prizes in the form of magical reagents and other alchemical supplies; should some have incurred a debt in their former apprenticeships, it was paid in full through sponsors.
While this festival was born out of respecting and honoring those whose great sacrifice allowed hundreds of others to live on, it quickly became a celebration of the peace that had been created in the face of great adversity and that, in the face of such a near-insurmountable odds, friends were found in the unlikeliest of places; The auroral Lights of Lathanar becoming a manifestation of a promise made centuries ago.
While the following two weeks would be the bloodiest in the histories of Elves and Men until the final battle against the Frost Giants fifty years later at what is now known as the D'Frest Gryndre, or Forest of the Frozen People, it would also spark the beginning of one of the longest celebrated, and perhaps longest lasting, holiday of Hayvn: The Festival of Lerioa, though it would be a decade before it would be considered a holiday of any sort. It would be held at the ruins of Bhuj'lial, where in the years to come it would be rebuilt and for two weeks, would be full of the life it once held within its walls. Outside of the festival, it was used as a museum, several of the buildings dedicated to the memories of the fallen and used to house the artifacts of the siege, and none were allowed to live within the walls of the rebuilt Bhuj'lial.
In the years before and after the reconstruction of Bhuj'lial, the Men and Elves of Lerioa would hold small tournaments in the honor of those who fell during the Siege of Bhuj'lial: Swordsmen would enter in contests of first blood, or surrender; this was also used to elevate individuals with talent to positions within the ranks of the Long Watch, once exclusive to the Elves of the Long Watch, now open to the races of Hayvn. Mages were allowed entrance and games were made to test them; games that required intense focus, contests of wills, as well as puzzle boxes in which valuables were hidden inside. Mock armies were brought up and made to fight mock battles, one side playing the Frost Giants and the other, the Men and Elves. For two weeks, these armies would fight their battles, fighting under moon and sun; rain or snow, for even the strongest of storms and mightiest of blizzards were nothing compared to the storms Gryndre shamans had summoned in those final days. Often, a contest for the mages was to create storms for these fighters and to shield them from these magical creations.
Any and all were allowed to sign-up for the battle reenactments, but only about a hundred or so were ever chosen out of the thousands who entered; no more than twelve mages, as the ruling body of Lerioa was born from the death of those twelve mages, the Council of Twelve. It was said that the Bhuj'lial Elves stood against the might of the Gryndre for a tenday before the Silver Legion --- an army of a thousand elite warriors and mages of Turble that had been reduced to a meager hundred against three hundred of the Frost Giants and their shamans--- charged through the attacking Frost Giants' line, saving the Elves as they were beginning to falter, to despair, after the third day against the Host of Fray, who was a particularly cruel and infamous Gryndre general that, along with his brother Gorum, led a two-pronged attack upon the lands of Man and Elf alike. Gorum led a veteran group of Frost Giant raiders known as the Frosteaters. The men of Turble had realized their own situation and had chosen to abandon their city, burning it and the Frost Giants in it, only coming back after hearing the Elves had decided to stay, to fight, for Bhuj'lial.
Those participating in the mock battles, mage and soldier alike, were given rings that captured the kinetic energy of their movements and stored for the Ritual of Lights, where the Druids of the Long Watch sacrificed these rings to strengthen the Lights, ensuring that the peace between Man and Elf continued, pledging themselves to the land in life and death.
Contests such as arm-wrestling, wrestling in general, and various other strongman events were soon added and as these events generated hunger and thirst, drinking and eating competitions arose; soon, there were even baking contests. From the famous bear pies of Thy'uvian to the imported wines from the exotic vineyards of Beghk to the finest silks of Banvan, there were hawkers and food carts shouting out their wares in the streets of Lerioa. Puppets and dolls were made in the likeness of those honored dead for children to play with; portraits were made, inspired by song. Wizards allowed their magic to create dazzling shows of light and explosions in the sky; these were just as competitive and, in the early days of this festival, many fires had been started. None were injured in any of the outbreaks, outside of pride and singed beards. Every few years, the participants of the fake armies are allowed to enter the city to participate in the individual games instead of warring against each other, in their costumes of course. A 'Frost Giant' winning their respective contest is quite the uproar, the crowd often booing them off stage or bullying the winning 'Frost Giants' into giving up their prize in favor of a mock defender.
As mentioned before, the prizes for these were often positions within the Long Watch, or even elevation to minor nobility; some contests had money prizes, while others had material prizes, such as: livestock, grain, even allowing the winner to forgo paying taxes for the year. The mages typically get their prizes in the form of magical reagents and other alchemical supplies; should some have incurred a debt in their former apprenticeships, it was paid in full through sponsors.
While this festival was born out of respecting and honoring those whose great sacrifice allowed hundreds of others to live on, it quickly became a celebration of the peace that had been created in the face of great adversity and that, in the face of such a near-insurmountable odds, friends were found in the unlikeliest of places; The auroral Lights of Lathanar becoming a manifestation of a promise made centuries ago.