Conquest of the Horde

Traditionally, Lordaeron's harvest season began in the first week of the ninth month, and so would be celebrated across its lands with faires, feasts and festivals to sample the season's first produce. For the better part of two months after, the agrarian peasantry of the kingdom, its working men and women, would be chiefly concerned with bringing in the crop. With the climate rapidly cooling and the weather beginning to worsen in the wake of summer, this often proved to be one of the most labour-intensive times of Lordaeron's year. Faced with grim winters in which a bad harvest could mean death by starvation, another two months of struggle would ensue to salvage the most from a summer of backbreaking work.

Ancient preachers of the Light proclaimed that as the days grew shorter and the sun grew dimmer through the clouds, the Light receded from the world of men. Just as the Light's power was said to be strongest on the day of the summer solstice, so too was it said to grow weaker through the darkness of winter. This, they told frightened villagers across the land, was the cause of the illness, death and famine that pervaded the colder months of the year, for it was said that the forces of darkness could better work wicked mischief on the lives of mortals when the Light shone dimmest.

Spoiler:

The festival of Hallow's End, the official close of the harvest season, had grown out of various pagan traditions kept by tribal humanity before the foundation of the Empire of Arathor and the coming of the first prophets of the Light. The macabre visages of snarling demons would be carved into decorative pumpkins, depictions of skulls and bones would be scattered left and right across town squares. The Day of the Dead would follow after, sharing in its morbid themes - a time to remember, a time to mourn, a time to pray and a time to celebrate on behalf of the fallen. Although the ostensible purpose of the grim imagery throughout was to placate the forces of darkness, the metaphor is clear to modern scholars.

Humanity has often identified superstitious notions of supernatural horrors with the very real strife and hardships of their daily lives, and the ceremonial burning of the wicker man that Hallow's End celebrations were built around – a symbol of those struggles – in villages and city courtyards across the land on the day of this festival would represent the Holy Light's triumph over evil. The wicker man was symbolic of woe and worry, and cleansing fire would burn it all away. All the while, mad revels and sinister masquerades took place all throughout the kingdom, in the most lowly hovels and the highest ballrooms. It was a time of rueful mirth; of defiant celebrance; a last spark of warm jubilation before winter would weigh heavy on the hearts of mortals. The Day of the Dead thereafter would be a final farewell to the joys of summer.

Spoiler:

Hallow's End was acknowledged as a time of transition – a time to prepare for twists, turns and painful reverses in life, but also to embrace them and adapt to them. In honour of this, it is said that Terenas II began a tradition. For that one day of the year, he would cease to hear petitions in the Imperial Chamber. For that one night of the year, he would deploy the royal guard in force about his palace and then open it up to the citizenry of Lordaeron for a public revel, although it is worth noting that few if any Lordaeronians living or dead today actually remember partaking in such a revel. What is known, however, is that each year, the king would give a speech before the largest wicker man in the land, built in the garden courtyard of the Capital, urging his subjects to keep their spirits high as the torches were thrown.

Whatever the truth of this, it would seem that his only son was not so eager to continue such a tradition. On one fateful day, on one fateful year, the Harvest Festival - the first sampling of that year's grain crop - led to some of the first cases of the Plague of Undeath. The two-month period of backbreaking labour that traditionally followed was supplanted that year by panic, terror and slaughter. When the time came for Teneras's fabled Masque, the Capital City was a deserted ruin; his Imperial Chamber was stained dark with his blood.

Spoiler:

For a year in Lordaeron, there was no cause for anyone to celebrate anything. Under Arthas' tyranny, there was nothing but death, and decay, and murder, and weeping. But on day of Hallow's End of that following year, the strangest thing occurred.

Liberation.

The polite way of describing the modern Forsaken's attitude to celebration and cheer would be 'businesslike'. A more accurate term would be 'miserable'. True enough, their state sponsors no festivals and recognises no holidays but one, and it is on that one week of the year that they shed the grim trappings of their abominable existence and take to celebration. But how can you throw a festival to ward off monsters and devils when you are, yourself, a monster? How do you honour the dead when you are, yourself, dead?

Spoiler:

The burning of the wicker man, in the hearts of the Forsaken, now has a more potent allegory: vengeance. Each year, a gigantic effigy of the Bastard Prince is laid to waste by the fires of the Forsaken's vengeance. Each year, the Forsaken smear the ashes upon their faces, grimly displaying their victory to any who would oppose them. It is a celebration of freedom; of victory; and of insurmountable force of will.

For all that certain factions amongst the Forsaken might afford the notion of the harvest great symbolic importance, the original meaning of the festival has been all but forgotten by the masses. But the grim spirit of cheer at its core remains powerfully intact. Each year, a wicker man is still burnt – and each year, the monarch of Lordaeron addresses her people . . .



Good day, ladies and gentlemen! As I mentioned during the earlier Harvest Festival, I intend to run a Hallow's End event this year focused around the written lore of the holiday - as a celebration of change, turmoil, and the Forsaken breaking free of the Lich King. In many respects, you can think of this as a Harvest Festival 2.0, although it's bigger, more ambitious and it'll be open for RP throughout the period it's taking place. (It'll also have less a confusing name, so hopefully nobody will think it's a BH specific event, like a couple did last time. /cough)

I'll be replicating some of the in-game events you'd see on a Blizzard server during the holiday with an RP-appropriate spin on things, while also introducing some cool new ideas of my own to try and capture the spirit of the festival. Due to its location in the Ruins of Lordaeron, I regret to admit that it'll be Horde-only - however, all members of the Horde really are welcome! The event will 'technically' be open 24/7 once the decoration of the Ruins of Lordaeron is finished, but 12pm-5pm will be the 'peak hours' where I'll be giving it my full attention.

Because it takes place immediately after Hallow's End, I am also incorporating the Day of the Dead in the flow of this event. Anyway, below is a short itinerary of the events that'll be occurring over the three-day period, although keep in mind that it's subject to change/be entirely false on the bases of whim, necessity and the fact that I'm a b***h of a DM.

30th October, Day One - Hallow's End Carnival

Where? Ruins of Lordaeron, Courtyard
When? Action should be generally taking place between 12PM and 5PM, server time.
Who? All Horde races.
What?

• A morbidly delightful collection of games and competitions spread throughout the celebration, the rules and prizes for which will be announced soon.
  
• An opportunity for traders and performers of all kinds to demonstrate and turn a coin off their profession, in the spirit of the holiday.
  
• A unique opportunity for the races of the Horde to come together, share in the festivities and enjoy a strange culture notorious for excluding outsiders.

31st October, Day Two - The Hallowed Masque
Where? Ruins of Lordaeron, Imperial Chamber
When? Action should be generally taking place between 12PM and 5PM, server time.
Who? All Horde races.
What?

• The ceremonial Burning of the Wicker Man, the emotional centrepiece of the entire celebration. Featuring an appearance and a speech by . . . well, read over the intro and take a guess . . .
  
• A costumed masquerade ball focused around the themes of Past Lives and What Could Have Been, taking place in the throne room of Terenas Menethil itself, with an accompanying banquet outside for those who retain a sense of taste.
  
• A musical masque performance in honour of the Forsaken's queen, protector and patron, provided generously by a motley assembly of the Undercity's sorcerers and spectres.

1st November, Day Three - the Day of the Dead
Where? Ruins of Lordaeron, Courtyard
When? Action should be generally taking place between 12PM and 5PM, server time.
Who? All Horde races.
What?

• A chance to remember, a chance to grieve, and a chance to celebrate in good company, to raise toasts for the fallen to be shared by the rest of the party, and an opportunity for funerary traditions of different races to be discussed and exchanged.
  
• An extension of yesterday's costumed ball spilling out into the courtyard, with a return of some of the first day's attractions.
  
• A firework display, and a chance to lay some weary souls to rest.

More information forthcoming!

The Carnival Grounds are open. The Hallowed Masque is soon to begin . . .

Alright!

To get there, you only need to select Undercity on the OOC portal and you'll be dumped right into the fun. For the next week, the carnival will be open 24/7, although specific events will be occurring on the days specified in the main post.

IC, portals are available from Silvermoon, Dalaran and Orgrimmar. Upon entering by one of these routes, your character would ICly find themselves in the courtyard originally occupied by the Orb of Translocation:


You must have the Custom Patch in order to see a good deal of the decorations. It is not entirely vital, but it'll greatly enhance the event experience. If you don't have it, you can download it here - just download that file and place it in your WoW's Data folder.

On the first 'official' day of events (Tuesday), we'll be playing three major games! If people are around today or tomorrow, a few 'trial runs' might occur beforehand, but in either case, here's how you play 'em all:

Apple Bobbing!

Chemical Hazard

Dunk in the Gunk!

DO NOT SET THE WICKER MAN ON FIRE. I WILL CUT YOU.

Also, if you try and stand on the pedestal in front of the Wicker Man, Royal Dreadguards are liable to bludgeon you to true death with shields. That pedestal is reserved for a special someone. (Protip: 'Royal'.)

Have fun!
Sol <3