The Eternal Empire
Calendar: Cold 722
Vhalar 722
Weather
General: The empire’s general weather cools off during Vhalar, and especially during the middle trials of the season, it's considered downright pleasant across most of the empire.
Exceptions: The Winter Reach starts getting heavy snows around the time the rest of the empire is getting pleasant weather. The Volcanic Mountain Region never gets particularly cool even towards the end of the season, and The Northern Hotlands continue to be quite warm during the days and cool during the nights.
Dates
3rd of Vhalar, Lost Feelings in the Hotlands Border Range: The Hotlands Border Range has, ever since it's folding into the Empire, struggled with relevancy. The current Marshal is known for trying to make the region more important, but the long term citizenry of the region is starting to feel like they don't matter to the rest of the empire. Feeling lost, several of the citizens reach outside the region, looking for what they can do to make their region more noteworthy. Self-Moderated, claim below
29th of Vhalar, Concert Night: Music in the Eternal Empire is almost exclusively performed by groups of 3-5 people, and while there aren't too many art festivals in the Eternal Empire, this one will always stand out. Concert Night began as an informal affair started by several of these groups, playing together on the same night every year, both to draw a larger audience than usual, and to get together. The practice quickly spread across the Empire, with everyone using the same night as a show of musical solidarity, and it was eventually made an official holiday by the Empress, serving as a night of music and relaxation. Non-Moderated
47th of Vhalar, Elder Murder in Old Dynaash: One of the previously rescued elders is found murdered in his hospital bed in Old Dynaash. Imperial Soldiers state that it was shortly after it was uncovered that this particular elder was fluent in sign language. It's suspected that the Webspinners killed him because he was capable of identifying more of the attackers, making it likely he knew them. The Imperial Army is now investigating this elders past connections, both foreign and domestic. Self-Moderated, claim below
63th of Vhalar, The Wolf's Hunt: The only holiday dedicated to Karem rather than Raskalarn, The Wolf's Hunt is, as one might guess from the name, a hunter's holiday and almost exclusively celebrated by hunters. Hunters, especially those in service to Karem herself, know that they survive off the wild, and this is holiday is observed as a recognition between mortal and animal hunters. Any game killed during The Wolf's Hunt is not to be used by mortals except at great need, but rather left for the predators and scavengers of the wild, a free source of food for them. Conversely, those who find themselves hungry will often find food left for them during The Wolf's Hunt, though no mortal has ever admitted to having provided the food. Non-Moderated
89th of Vhalar, Scavenging Hogs in the Southern Plains: The feral hogs in the Southern Plains turn a bit more aggressive in their search for food, apparently determined to gather food ahead of the winter seasons. This a particularly strange behavior, as this is not something pigs are particularly known for doing. Imperial Army forces in the Southern Plains begin investigating the matter, and are open to outside help. Self-Moderated, claim below
102nd of Vhalar, Nomadic Negotiations in the Northern Hotlands: Progress has been made with the nomadic tribes that live in the Northern Hotlands. With more knowledge of how to approach the tribes, the Imperial Army is making slow progress with the tribes. The main focus now is learning what the tribes genuinely need that the Empire can provide, while also working to see that the accept the Empire's dominion. Self-Moderated, claim below
111th of Vhalar, Harvest Day: While harvesting all the crops can take a while, especially on larger farms, Harvest Day is generally when the harvest ends and is the day before the food buyers come to pick up their purchases, or make them if they're late on the draw. This final day of the harvest period is always marked by a big gathering around fresh food and drink, especially the latter is this is also around the time most new batches of beer or other liquors are finished and ready for consumption. Non-Moderated
121st of Vhalar, Book Making Contest in Cahryst: One of the scholars in the Grand Imperial Library is attempting to add a new form of art to the Eternal Empire: book making! Not the act of writing a book, that's already acknowledged, but rather the act of assembling and binding a book, with particular mention paid to the cover art and lettering. It's considered a bit silly by the rest of the Imperial Academia and, for that matter, Imperial artists. They don't interefere, however, because the idea is harmless and hey, maybe something will come of it. Self-Moderated, claim below
Zi'da 722
Weather
General: The temperature drops quickly in the Empire during Zi'da, and by the time the season's halfway through, most outdoor trades and jobs have all but completely stopped. The entire Empire gets heavy snows throughout the seasons.
Exceptions: The Volcanic Mountain Range doesn't get natural snow due to the volcanic activity, nor does it get particularly cold. The Northern Hotlands doesn't get any snow either, though it is somewhat colder during the day. The Winter Reach, which gets snow way earlier in the year, is pretty much constantly snowing during Zi'da.
Dates
7th of Zi'da, Opening the Barns: It's hard for the homeless, or those who spend their lives on the road, to survive in Zi'da. As a result, many in the empire open their barns for these poor itinerents to sleep in during Zi'da and Cylus. The act was officially deemed a holiday by the Empress, largely out of appreciation for her people's kindness. Raskalarn also ordered the same thing done with Imperial Army barns, though many in the empire actually prefer the civilian hospitality, citing the official edict of the military hospitality as taking a bit of the homey edge off the tradition. Non-Moderated
19th of Zi'da, Flaming Snow in The Volcanic Mountain Range: Students at the Imperial Arcane Academy, tired of not seeing snow in the region, decide to work to make snow that won't melt in the volcanic heat of the region. Through a combination of magic and alchemy, they are able to create and release snow in the region that doesn't melt in the heat. Unfortunately, what it does do is catch fire, creating flaming snow that falls from the skies and piles on the roads. Granted, residents of the region are used to fire falling from the sky and piling up along the roads, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous. Self-Moderated, claim below
32nd of Zi'da, Murder in the Winter Reach: A murder victim is found in the Winter Reach, though none can identify the man or even remember seeing him before. If that were all that was weird about the situation, however, then it would just be a regular murder. The weirder thing, however, is that the murder is an exact, mark for mark, recreation of the torture and murder that led to Valtharn's initial arrest. Self-Moderated, claim below, reach out to moderator for details
40th of Zi'da, Family Night: As Zi'da really gets underway, many trades and jobs, especially those that are done out of doors, experience a slow down or even cessation of activity due to the colder weather. As a result, this unofficial holiday came about as a result of many such trades hitting the slowest part of the year at this time. Families, a large part of Imperial life if only due to their size, take this time to gather together without the need to go to work the following trial hanging over their heads. Especially among young families, there's also something of a joke that this colder weather and slower work is partly the reason for the large of Imperial families, owing to the need to both keep occupied and stay warm. The moniker of Family Night thus has a different meaning to young families. Non-Moderated
85th of Zi'da, Grand Hunt in the Sacred Forest: With several of the guests for the summit having already arrived, and there being a small surplus of animals in the Sacred Forest, Karem arranges a hunt for those diplomats who are interested. In order to keep the hunt challenging, the Great Wolf doesn't directly accompany the hunt, and it's instead shadowed by her wolves to make sure no harm comes to the diplomats. Self-Moderated, claim below
90th of Zi'da, Imperial Feast in Korlasir: Since Raskalarn won't be directly present for much of the summit, due to the likelihood of her accidentally influencing diplomats to her will, since they aren't used to her presence, the Immortal Empress holds a feast for the diplomats. Following Imperial tradition, members of the Imperial Army and citizenry are invited as well, so they may meet the diplomats and the diplomats have a chance to meet the average Imperial citizen. Self-Moderated, claim below
91st of Zi'da, Imperial Diplomatic Summit: Empress Raskalarn's government will be hosting a grand diplomatic summit, for the first time since its inception, opening diplomatic channels in a single event with the rest of Idalos and its various nations. All nations and their representatives are invited to participate, by sending their delegations to see that their agenda are served well by any agreements and policies decided.
The objective of this summit is to establish long-standing cooperation and harmony among the nations of the world, and to bring Idalos closer to a more secure and safe future for mortal-kind. Delegations are expected from most of the responsible governments on the Eastern Continent, and even one or two from Western Idalos. As such, a delegation from Athart will not attend. Moderated Event Thread
91st - 93rd of Zi'da, The Passing: A holiday timed with the end of the year, The Passing is a privately held celebration, with traditions that vary from family to family. However, The Passing shares a purpose across the empire: celebrating the passing of another year and mourning those who failed to see the year through. As such, The Passing varies heavily from celebratory to melancholic depending on the emotional state of each family and the losses they endured that year. Non-Moderated
