Summer Festivals at the Keep

[Kestrad]

Dear Emander Tyris,

It is always a great pleasure for us at the Keep to find one with a desire to learn such as yours. It is my hope that you will enjoy the stories being sent to you, both as entertainment and for research purposes, and that perhaps you would return the favor with stories of your magical companions.

Now, summertime at the Keep - where should I begin? The Keep welcomes all different beliefs, so long as they are not destructive; therefore summer begins with several different festivals, and all are welcome to attend regardless of faith. Earliest of these celebrations is the Festival of Flowers, organized by those who worship the Flower Spirit. Festivities start by scattering flowers every which way, such that the ground is covered with a multitude of petals of every color, and then throughout the day performers put on various entertainments for people to enjoy, accompanied by an abundance of food and wine for all to feast on. The Flower Spirit is both male and female, like the flowers sacred to xir, and the subject of the performances extol balance and harmony. When the sun has set, worshippers are encouraged to celebrate by finding pleasure in the company of the opposite gender - or of their own, if that is what they prefer.

Following immediately on the heels of the Festival of Flowers, two or three days later, is Beltane. The Keep's fire magi light special bonfires in the evening, spelled for protection and purification, and villagers from all around are invited to come to participate in protection rituals. The villagers drive their cattle between the bonfires, ensuring the smoke blow over themselves in the process. Meanwhile, in the Keep itself, all the fires are put out and re-kindled using the ones from the festival. As you can imagine for such a large castle, this is a massive undertaking that requires perfect coordination between all the magi participating. Finally, when the fires have burnt themselves out, all are welcome to take a handful of the remaining ashes and scatter them across their fields. The villagers believe this ensures a good harvest come fall, though the Keep magi have never spelled the ashes to that effect. Some speculate that there is some truth to this belief, and the residual magic from the fires plays a role, or perhaps there is no magic involved and the ashes themselves serve as a form of fertilizer.

Finally, there is Midsummer, celebrated on the day of the solstice. It is a holiday mostly important to those who have come from the Arkene. Similarly to Beltane, large bonfires are lit, but protective rituals are performed by mages alone. A large number of magical plants seem to be particularly potent on this day, especially in the early morning, and so potion-makers and healers must rise well before dawn to begin gathering as many as possible by sunrise. These days, burning magi is a practice we frown upon, but festival-goers still build a figurine out of straw and burn it, as a reminder of days long ago when magi were feared, and often with good reason.

And that, my friend, sums up the summer festivals at the Keep. Unfortunately, I am running low on paper, but I am sure plenty of other magi will also heed your call and describe various other aspects of our life. I look forward to your next correspondence.

Sincerely,
Lachesis, Fire Magi