Lore24 Roundup 5
- Aelyrya Payne
- Feb 7, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 2, 2024
January 29th - February 4th (Days 29-35)
Welcome to Lore24 Roundup 5!
We move from Gods to the Calendar during this post, switching themes to focus on something a little more mundane than almighty beings! All original posts can be found on my Mastodon.
Remember, all Lore24 posts are initial thoughts - they are not finalised at this stage!
Breakdown of Lore24 Roundup
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29. Sluagh, The Host
While not classified as Gods or Archfey, the Sluagh are still held in high regard within Tìr na Sìthe, Tìr nan Dubhar, the Border-Fey and the Border-Shades. They are exceptionally old Fey spirits, some as old as the Sylvan Pantheon, that predate the stable forms of the current Sìthe. Unlike their ancestors, the Sluagh Àrsaidh, the Host were all born within the A'arden Fey Wilds, and not all of them have met the Ancients as a result.
The Sluagh have a variety of powers and abilities depending on their "divine calling", though many of these abilities are nature-based. Additionally, the Sluagh have a mutable form that they can change on a whim, often making them difficult to locate and identify.
There are few Sluagh left in the Fey Realms now, as many of them perished in the course of their duties, or chose to evolve into other creatures. These evolutions gave rise to the Cà irdean-Sluagh, the Spirit-Kin, which includes the Sìthe, the Elves (via the Cymry), the Duinesìth, the Elemental Fey, Goblinkin and even Changelings.
In A'arde there is a difference between the Sluagh and the Sluagh na Marbh, whereas in traditional lore they are seen as the same thing. In A'arde, the Sluagh are living spirits, while the Sluagh na Marbh (literally Host of the Dead) are shades or ghosts of dead Fey that continue to flit across the realms.
30. The Green Court
The Green Court was originally an alliance of the first three Nature Deities of A'arde, Oberon of the Sylvan Pantheon, Cernunnos of the Tuatha de Danann, and Silvanus of the A'arden Pantheon. The three came together to, firstly, destroy the Titans, and secondly to reseed the Material Plane with Nature's bounty. When the Cymry were forced to undergo Transformation, the newly Risen Mabon also joined the Court, and it was there that the Deities found an issue; the possibility of a stalemate during negotiations. It was Titania who introduced them to Lady Ellhorn, a powerful but mysterious figure known for both her strength, and her wisdom. With that, the Court numbered five.
It was decided early on, when the first visitors answered the call of the Beacons, that the Court would remain only five. The original members had been present in A'arde before the Renewal, and it seemed to the new Pantheons that interfering would be tasteless. Despite this, the Green Court regularly holds Council with the Nature Deities of other Pantheons in the name of collaboration and co-operation.
As the number of Pantheons increased, so did my fear that the Green Court may become overly complex. I had already established the Court as part of a novel I was writing, and didn't really want to change it, so I simply decided to only allow the Gods with historical links to A'arde to be members. While the Dragons were the first to answer the call of the Beacons and help populate A'arde, the Pantheons of the Tuatha, the Fey and the Elves (who at the time were adapting to their new Material Forms in Cnuic Ghlainne) were all present before the Dragons arrived.
31. How The Gods Interact With A'arde
It is a well known fact that the Gods exist within A'arde. If the presence of Divine Magic were not enough, the fact that the majority of Deities have presented themselves to Mortals in the past only solidifies it. Gods truly walk among the people, but for the most part they merely act as Caretakers.
In A'arde, Gods will be Gods regardless of the levels of worship; they do not need the prayers and belief of others to maintain power. As such, they do not need to fight for followers, which allows the Gods to focus on their Divine Tasks without fear of diminishing. For this reason, the actions of the Gods are often subtle and gentle.
But like all beings, fights will occur among them. They may clash due to differing ideals or Domains, or simply through jealousy, and sometimes, A'arde can get caught in the crossfire. The Gods will often call upon their faithful, Favoured and Marked to perform tasks without attracting the attention of other Deities, and competition for particularly exceptional individuals can become quite fierce.
However, personal squabbles aside, the Gods are united in their purpose to protect A'arde, and will use whatever means are at their disposal to ensure its longevity.
While the idea that Gods need prayers and belief to exist makes sense in many cases, in A'arde it did not. This is because Aegis gifted the survivors of the Titan War the powers of Gods - there were no other people left to give them belief, so how would that have been possible? So, in this instance, all Divine beings can maintain their presence because of the Ascension Ritual Aegis performed. It changed the way Divine Power manifests, making it possible for Gods to survive without followers or believers.
32. The A'arden Year
A year in A'arde is 365 days long and has four seasons. These seasons are known by a Common name and a Descriptor name, which are used interchangeably: Spring/Seedtide, Summer/Ardenttide, Autumn/Harvesttide and Winter/Rimetide. Depending on where you are in the world, either Winter (Northern) or Summer (Southern) is the longest season.
Additionally, the year is divided into thirteen periods: twelve months and a Transitioning Period. Each month is thirty days long, while the Transitioning Period, known as Eadar-Amail, is five days long. The months have the same Common names in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, however, they are aligned differently to coincide with actual weather patterns. Only Eadar-Amail remains the same in both calendars. As an example, the 12th of Rainmoot in the Northern hemisphere is the 12th of Newharvest in the Southern.
I wanted to keep the calendar of A'arde similar to our own, and so kept the number of days, but decided to distribute them slightly differently. Instead of using a lunar calendar, I went for even distributions of days based on the seasons, and added an extra special feature called Eadar-Amail! I also decided to differentiate between our world and A'arde by having the two hemispheres offset their months to coincide with the seasons. This is because the seasons and festivals within are specific to certain physical events that happen within the world, and not just social celebrations. In theory, you can attend two instances of the same festival, but six months apart, by travelling from northern to southern hemisphere, and vice versa. Some merchants have even made this part of their unique selling point!
33. The Month of Winterwane
Winterwane is the first month of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the seventh month in the southern. It is the final month of the winter season, as can be inferred by the name, and has no notable public holidays.
In the northern hemisphere, where Winterwane immediately follows Eadar-Amail, the first few days of the month are spent clearing up any damage caused during the Transitioning. In the southern hemisphere, the focus is generally on the end of the month, when the cyclical volcanic activity of the Silver Wastes begins to increase and people begin to prepare for earthquakes.
Winterwane is associated with the Seasonal Aspect of Fortune; offerings, rituals and spellcastings that seek to bring or change fortune are most potent during this month. The deity associated with Winterwane is Zada, the Goddess of Good Fortune.
The end of winter is always a cause for celebration, and yet Winterwane has no public celebrations. This is predominantly because the end of winter should be celebrated once it actually happens, as you never know when Icyline or Cailleach might get uppity! But that doesn't stop people from having hope - many will make resolutions or begin clearing house around this month, because it symbolises new beginnings by being the official beginning of the year.
34. The Month of Palesun
Palesun is the second month of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the eighth month in the southern. It is the first month of the season of spring, named for the weakness of the early spring sun, and features the public holiday of Hornmoot.
Palesun is the month most associated with preparations for the planting season. In the northern hemisphere, this is focused on agriculture and animal care, while in the southern, it looks to enrichment of the barren soils and reinforcement of homes against natural disasters. Many traders see Palesun as a great time to release updated or brand new products, and will often seek out new connections during this month in particular. The tradition of 'spring cleaning' begins in earnest during this month, before business becomes most people's main priority.
Palesun is associated with the Seasonal Aspect of Rebirth; it is believed that personal improvements, including rituals related to them, that are started during this time will have a greater chance of success. The deity associated with Palesun is Irys, the Goddess of Rain and Rainbows.
The coming of spring brings with it Spring Cleaning! The resolutions and changes that began in Winterwane continue into this month in earnest, and travelling workers who couldn't find employment during the winter often hire themselves out as trash collectors before the farm and agricultural work seasons begin.
35. The Celebration of Hornmoot
Hornmoot was originally a Dwarven celebration that signalled the beginning of the new trading year. It marked the point of the year when the Dwarves would emerge from their mountain or valley homes, which had been cut off due to winter weather, and would sound horns to announce that trade routes were once more clear and able to do business. Over the centuries, the sounds of horns signalling open trade became a popular and well-received custom amongst other races and cultures, until Hornmoot was adopted as a worldwide celebration.
In the new celebration, people host large parties or street gatherings, serving a wide variety of traditional Dwarven foods and ales, in homage to the festival's origins. Horns are sounded on the hour between 8am and 5pm (traditionally between sunrise and sunset), and many business owners will offer trials or samples of goods throughout the day.
The sounding of horns is a very common symbol of communication. They have historically been used as warnings, as signals and as identifiers, and even in A'arde, where magical communication is possible, horns still hold value and meaning. The position of Bugler within a military or guard band was considered a high honour, as it meant the individual had been acknowledged by the highest ranked as a reliable and trustworthy member of the regiment. Some Dwarven merchants use a small horn to sound the start of the working day; if a horn doesn't sound, it means that the merchant will not be opening that day.
Lore24 continues as usual over on Socials with the new theme, so check in to see what's what!