I sat down this morning and sort of threw together a quick calendar of festivals to help myself get a better grasp of what such a thing might "look" or "feel" like if a 'difficulty rating' system were used, and figured I'd post it in the hopes of comments and criticisms. The festivals here are meant to be Orlanthi, though it's sort of my own take on Orlanthi culture and what a ritual calendar might look like so I don't know how well it will jibe with other Gloranthas. It's all very vague at the moment; I haven't given any specific dates, just a general order of events, as I have to admit I tend to think in terms of four seasons and not five. Dara Happan and Praxian calendars would be structured similarly IMO, though of course with urban and nomad tilts respectively, but I'm not sure what to think about the Malkioni.
Each festival is described as follows, after a speculative name:
myth/purpose -- just a general comment on what the festival is commemorating or celebrating, mythically or otherwise.
desc(ription) -- a brief description of some stuff that might happen at the festival, including the gods likely to be worshipped or involved in some way; I haven't included mention of how long the festivals or rituals would go on, but in theory some could last days or even weeks
dr -- a difficulty rating, either low, moderate, or high, but at the moment most are moderately difficult; in theory, no festival could be below a low dr, but circumstances might push a dr to "very high".
mr<dr = effect -- a description of the effects if the magical rating or expenditure or effort or whatever is less than the dr, a lame or failed festival or ritual.
mr=dr = effect -- a description of the effects if the magical rating or expenditure or effort or whatever pretty much matches what the festival or ritual demands.
mr>dr = effect -- a description of the effects of a highly succesful festival or ritual.
The festival calendar doesn't necessarily include actual cult holy days, though that's my own personal interpretation of the festivals; arguably they could be entirely separate from such a communal calender, though presumably some interconnection should exist. Nor does it include what would probably be noncalendrical rituals like War Clan rituals, Victory Festivals, or Arms Purification rites to return a clan to Farm status which could be similarly described. And presumably plenty of individual rituals and ceremonies would also occur in the course of the year that could partake of the same system.
Looking at the 'difficulty rating' thing now, it seems to me that it's got to hinge on more than just a comparison of numbers, but somehow involve POW or mp expenditure, the successful completion of rituals or performances (i.e., the successful use of skills or spells by priests or other representatives of a community) or something more involved.
Anyway, comments and criticisms are not only welcome but desired; does something like this seem workable, or is it too mechanistic? Mark
*First Spring/Winter’s End Festival
myth/purpose -- commemorates the end of Winter and the ‘return’ of Ernalda
and the Sun; essentially a festival of purification, of field, home, hearth,
and herd.
desc -- celebratory feast and sacrifices; purification rites; blessing of
field and herd; lambing and shearing; worship of Lightbringers, Voria,
Ernalda, Grain Goddesses, Eiritha [propitiation/binding of Malia, Winter
deities, Daga?].
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = Winter lasts longer than usual, dr of other Spring festivals one
higher, affects crops, planting, penalty to farm skills, rolls
mr=dr = Spring comes
mr>dr = Spring comes, dr of other Spring festivals one lower, bonus to farm
skills, rolls
*Spring Flower Festival
myth/purpose -- celebrates the full bloom of Spring, and marks the transition
into adulthood for young women.
desc -- flower festival, flowers as gifts, final courtship rituals,
engagements made amongst eligible folk, celebratory feast and games; worship
of Voria, Flamal, Grain Goddesses, Ernalda, Heler.
dr -- low
mr<dr = no engagements, marriages possible this year mr=dr = marriages okay mr>dr = this year’s marriages blessed, aid to fertility and birth.
*Hunt Rite/Festival
myth/purpose -- celebrates the beginning of the general hunting season/year.
desc -- rituals and sacrifices aimed at appeasing animal gods and spirits,
purification rites for hunters, may serve as coming-of-age ceremony for young
males in some areas; worship of Hunter God, Clan Heroes, Ancestors, Hykim &
Mykih, local animal spirits.
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = bad hunting seasons ahead; little game, penalties to track/hunt rolls mr=dr = hunting gods & animal spirits propitiated; hunt possibilities normal mr>dr = hunting gods & animal spirits happy; much game, bonus to track/huntrolls
*Spring Fertility Festival (“Bell Fires”)
myth/purpose -- celebration of the end of the primary planting season, the
great festival of the earth’s fertility.
desc -- blessings of the sowed fields, bell fire (bon fire) celebrations and
games, bull sacrifice, feast; worship of Ernalda, Barntar, Grain Goddesses,
Flamal [propitiation of Malia?].
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = no Bless Crops/Herd available this year, penalty to farm skills,
rolls
mr=dr = Bless Crops/Herd function as per normal
mr>dr = efficacy of Bless Crops/Herd doubled, bonus to farm skills, rolls
*Festival of Ancestors, the Household Dead
myth/purpose -- commemorates the ancestors of individual families and clans
desc -- prayers and libations for hearth ancestors and clan founders by
individual families, clan feast; worship of Ancestors, Daka Fal, Mahome, Clan
Founders and Heroes, Ty Kora Tek.
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = ancestors, ancestral heroes angry; summoned Ancestor reactions one
category worse than usual, Hero Cults may lose use of spells, skills.
mr=dr = ancestors, ancestral heroes propitiated; spells, rituals as per
normal.
mr>dr = ancestors, ancestral heroes happy; summoned Ancestor reactions one
category better than usual, aid to Hero rituals and divinations.
*Midsummer’s Eve Festival
myth/purpose -- celebration of marriages, unions, and the strength of a
community.
desc -- couples engaged during Flower Festival are married, early courtship
rituals in preparation for next year amongst eligible folk, bon fire festival
and games; worship of Orlanth and Ernalda, other local Marriage Heroes or
Gods, Ancestors.
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = marriages doomed, harvest ritual dr one higher, next year’s births
difficult
mr=dr = everything okay
mr>dr = marriages blessed, harvest ritual dr one lower, next year’s births
blessed
*Harvest Festival
myth/purpose -- celebrates bounty of the Earth, marks the beginning [end?] of
harvest season and winter planting [wine casking, ale making rites separate?]
desc -- feast, sacrifices, bon fire festival; worship of Ernalda, Barntar,
Grain Goddesses [propitiatory worship of Malia?].
dr -- low
mr<dr = bad harvest, low yields, penalty to farm skills, rolls mr=dr = normal harvest, yields normal mr>dr = blessed harvest, high yields, bonus to farm skills, rolls
*Market Festival
myth/purpose -- celebrates the coming together and connection of peoples,
clans and tribes, the acts of making and shaping.
desc -- celebratory feast, performance of hospitality rites, holding of a
Great Market, renewal of treaties and alliances [?]; worship of Issaries,
Herald Goodvoice, Crafter Gods, Kiln and Smith Gods.
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = poor market possibilites, poor relations with neighbors for coming
year, penalty to craft and market skills
mr=dr = normal market, relations
mr>dr = good market possibilities, good relations with neighbors for coming
year, bonus to craft and market skills
*Domain Rite/Festival
myth/purpose -- celebrates and commemorates the political order of the world
and the Heavens.
desc -- clan and tribal meetings and moots, festival and feast of kings and
chieftains, clan and tribal weapon-takings, court sessions; worship of
Orlanth, Orlanth Rex, King Heort, Tribal and Clan Founders, Hero-Kings
[propitiation of local spirits?].
dr -- moderate
mr<dr = clan or tribal dissension likely in coming year, penalty to Orate,
appropriate Lores and leadership skills
mr=dr = order maintained, normal relations
mr>dr = strong clan and tribal cohesion in coming year, bonus to leadership
skills
*Year’s End Festival (or Saturnalia, Witch’s Night, Festival of the Dead)
myth/purpose -- marks the end of the active year and the coming of Winter;
possibly includes period of Otherworldly and Underworldly influence.
desc -- rites of mourning and purification, thanksgiving for bounty of past
year; may include Saturnalia feast, marking reversals of normal order, and a
night of Witches and Ghosts or the Wild Hunt; worship of Ernalda, Flamal,
Grain Goddesses, Orlanth, Elmal or Yelmalio, Ty Kora Tek [propitiation of
Gagarth, Witch Queen, deities of Night and Darkness].
dr -- moderate [high?]
mr<dr = bad Winter ahead, ghosts and spirits on the loose in number mr=dr = normal Winter ahead mr>dr = easy Winter ahead, ghosts and spirits propitiated, bonus to SummonDead and divination spells
*Hearth Fire Festival
myth/purpose -- marks weakest day of the Sun, commemoration of struggle
during Great Darkness.
desc -- hearth fire festival, relighting of hearth fires from communal bon
fire; worship of Mahome, Elmal, Yelmalio, clan or tribal Heroes.
dr -- moderate [high?]
mr<dr = hearth fires cannot be relit until Spring mr=dr = hearth fires relit mr>dr = hearth fires relit, easy Winter, Winter’s End Festival one dr lower
*Sacred Time Festival
myth/purpose -- celebrates and reenacts the Lightbringers’ Quest into the
Underworld, remakes and reinforces the order of the world in the face of
Chaos.
desc -- rites of mourning and purification, reenactment of Lightbringers’
Quest, festival of Thanksgiving; worship of Lightbringers, Arachne Solara
dr -- high
mr<dr = cosmos weakened, Chaos strengthened; all festival drs one higher in
coming year
mr=dr = cosmos restored normally
mr>dr = cosmos strengthened, Chaos weakened, all festival drs one lower next
year
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