Today in the Northern Hemisphere, we acknowledge the Vernal or Spring Equinox. On the continent of Moytonia on the world Rilmorn, where the celestial movements are much more clockwork in their precision, they are celebrating the first day of Aires, AKA New Year’s Day, AKA the Vernal Equinox, AKA Beltane.
While I have admitted (5th paragraph) that I was wrong when I placed the four Great Druidic Celebrations on the equinoxes and solstices, I do not have any desire to change this part of the established history of Rilmorn. These Celebrations have held sway in active game play since 1984. Also, I intend to start my next campaign (the Duvamil Campaign) on 1 Aries 2016. Had all went as planned, we would have started this campaign today; thus linking calendars in the Game World and in the Table World.
I had planned on the PCs encountering various Beltane traditions. As the suns set, they local druids would reenact the fight between the Holly King and the Oak King and all would celebrate the Oak King’s Victory. There would have been the driving of the cattle between the Bel Fires to bless then and protect them from the attentions of the Goodly Folk. Maybe the PCs would have participated in Fire Leaping. The children of Duvamil would have tried to rope them into games of Eggs and Hares. If any of the PCs were unmarried, but of marrying age, they would have been cajoled into joining a Ring Dance around the Oak King’s Tree.
Of course all those ideas and plans will still happen, but I won’t have the personal joy of starting a Campaign on the Vernal Equinox while playing the inaugural game on the Vernal Equinox. So, dear readers, do you have any special events set up for holidays in your game worlds?
Game On!
World Engineer 