Holidays in New Britannia

Last year, Richard asked people to suggest possible rituals/customs and such for this new world. There was some discussion of NB-specific holidays. But at the time we hadn't even seen Blade of the Avatar and we didn't have much of an idea what lore there was for this world. We still don't know much. But while we're trying to immerse ourselves in a fantasy world that is different from Earth, we have turkeys, Christmas trees, menorahs, fireworks, etc. We're bringing Earth holidays into NB for better or worse.

Originally I had proposed some ideas for NB-specific holidays related to the virtues and principles, but currently it looks like SotA is operating just off the three principles and not the 8 original virtues from Ultima. I'll repeat them for the sake of brainstorming:

• Valor: A series of tournaments (Jousting, fencing, archery)
• Courage: The mayor of the town dresses up in a monster costume and the children/townsfolk chase away the monster
• Honor: Recommitment ceremonies. Knights recommit their oaths to their lords, and spouses recommit their vows to each other
• Justice: Hold a MOCK trial in the truest sense. Jester as the judge while the mayor is on trial for a made-up silly offense. Citizens in the trial and encouraged to prosecute, defend and testify.
• Humility: Everyone wears simple, tattered clothing and the most humble of foods is served. Cabbage soup for all!
• Spirituality: What would be fascinating would be if this holiday weren't merely ritualistic, but truly supernatural. What if on this day, the shroud between the land of the living and dead was weakened, and more spirits crossed over? People could ACTUALLY talk to the spirits of the deceased.
• Compassion: Charity drive. Players can participate by collecting donations from NPCs and other players and delivering them.
• Honesty: One day of the year where criminals can repent and have any/all bounties/fines erased.
• Truth: Anonymous confession day. People drop anonymous confessions in a box, and then once a year they are posted publicly. The town can gather at the message board and read all the confessions.
• Sacrifice: The residents of a given city prepare their dinners and then bring them to their local guards/soldiers/knights. They sacrifice one night of dinner to remember those who sacrifice every day in service.
• Love: SotA will have theaters, so let us use them! For this holiday, people attend a performance of New Britannia's favorite love story. We could have a fan/community contest to write the play.

What I propose is taking what we've already put into the game (Christmas trees and the like) and coming up with re-interpretations so NB can have their own lore appropriate holidays where they make sense.

 

There is an archived thread on the subject with some good ideas:

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...w-britannia-cultural-festivals-holidays.3948/

January

"Moon Days"

Collectively this two day holiday is known as "Moon Days". Some say it stretches over two days as a much older tradition from lands long lost when there were supposedly two moons in the sky. Others insist the holiday is merely two days as a reflection in contrast and that no traditions from before the Fall still exist. Either way, these two days center around endings and new beginnings.

"Fall Day"

Citizens of New Britannia remember the dark days of The Fall. They tell stories of two moons becoming one, and a great Cataclysm that nearly wiped out mankind. They take a pilgrimage to a camp site near where local inhabitants emerged from their underground settlements or other significant location. The eldest in the group tells stories and then reflect on the wisdom of the past. The Fall itself is recreated with fireworks at night before tucking into bed in camp.

"Daedalus Day"

The second day celebrates resilience and new beginnings. Having survived The Fall, citizens of New Britannia start this new day with a huge breakfast to celebrate the new world. Daedalus-shaped pancakes and pastries are a common dish. Together they hike back to their villages and towns with a new appreciation for what they have post-cataclysm. Then they throw a big feast at night in thanks and celebration. Everyone toasts to the youngest of the group as they look to the future.

Februrary

"Sequanna Day"

Citizens of New Britannia flock to the nearest theater or make their own to put on and see their favorite plays about love. Love of all kinds (family, community, friends, lovers) is celebrated. The performance that garners the most applause is rewarded by each member of town kissing the performers on the head and offering them a heartfelt blessing for the year.

It is no surprise Ardoris becomes a very popular tourist destination for this day. Flower petals line the water ways around the city along with lanterns, making the already beautiful city a truly wondrous sight to behold. Citizens in Novia often put out statues of Sequanna and adorn them with fresh flowers during this holiday, though those in the Vale often skip that part.

March

"Noroc Day"

The sailors that brave the treacherous waves in the Bay of Storms are as salty as the seas and as hard headed as the barnacles below their ships. They believe in little, but what they do believe in, they believe mighty hard. They believe in themselves and their skill. They believe in their ships. They believe in the stars that they sail by and perhaps most of all, they believe in luck.

In the stars, they follow Noroc; the three legged rabbit. Sailing towards any of the three legs is good luck. Sailing in the direction of the missing leg is never done for that would bring about terrible luck.

Upon shore, the sailors set a day aside for Noroc. The day comes in early March which marks the five month raining season which makes the Bay of Storms even worse to travel through. The festivals are found in port villages around the Bay and feature barrel upon barrel of rum. Oddly enough, the sailors also exchange gifts. Symbols of luck are very powerful and one or three should always be on one's person. A horseshoe, an acorn, a bronze coin (minted on only one side), a red feather, a vial of salt and a Cat's Eye stone are popular amongst the sailors. Gifts of a black feather, a fang of a snake or coal are considered "bad luck." People that give gifts like these often find themselves at the bottom of the Bay of Storms.

The holiday is celebrated inland and in other regions of Novia as well, but without the sailing. Sometimes it is merely hunting expeditions or town dances.

April

"Karelia Day"

"She has left a fool crying to the gods of his fathers.
She has led her duke laughing to her high chamber door.
And she's kept him there softly, through two days bright dawnings
while her servants all gossiped in wonder and awe."

Officially this is a holiday celebrating Spring, new life to the fields and families. Bards sing "Karelia's Song" while people dance, intertwining around poles. People pay tribute to Mothers, from whom all life comes. Some say this is a day to celebrate Mothers and Matriarchs. Others whisper quietly that there is another meaning to this day, one missed by most. This day is one of hidden magic and the Lady of the Willows.

May

"Jaana's Ford"

In the lands of South Paladis, you will find the Jaana river leading down into the village of Jaanaford. While they say history easily gave way to myths and hearsay in the chaotic days that followed the Fall, there is a tale that persists of the river and town's namesake. Whether or not it is true, bards enjoy recounting the tale.

In the early days after the Fall, the few survivors that remained scattered amongst the ruins of Novia, looking for a means to sustain life. A group had settled near the then unnamed Jaana river where it poured into the Bay of Storms. Both fresh and salt water fish could be caught. There was clean drinking water from the river, and easy irrigation for crops. People planted what they could, and brought in docile animals they found on the plains to raise as livestock. Men of the village would often go out and work in the fields, while woman stayed behind and watched over the animals and young. Wolves no longer found easy prey on the plains as so many animals had been brought into the village as livestock, so eventually they decided to move towards the prey. A hungry and desperate pack of wolves approached the village when Jaana was the only adult around, watching over both a flock of sheep and young children.

She had no weapon to fight back the wolves to defend the sheep and children, let alone herself. But she did have a torch in case the sun set low and it got dark while they were still out. She lit the torch and tried scaring off the wolves with flame, until one circled behind her and bit her leg, forcing her to drop the torch. It was the hottest part of May, and the crops were dry. They quickly caught fire. As the fire spread, the wolves did flee, but the terrified children and sheep still needed to get to safety. She could not carry them all, especially with an injured leg. The fire circled around them, and the only safe passage was towards the river.

The river was not exceptionally deep, but it was deep enough to prevent the sheep and children from crossing. She stood in the deepest part, barely able to stand with her head above water on a bleeding leg and helped the sheep and children to safety ford across the river. But as the last one safely crossed, they could see the last bit of life slip away from her eyes. She had lost too much blood and collapsed in the river. The men saw the flames and rushed back. The flames had prevented anyone else from getting close enough to help in time. They were grateful the animals and children were safe, and they never forgot the sacrifice of Jaana's ford.

Even for those who don't live anywhere near South Paladis, people still celebrate sacrifice in mid-May. Some forgo their dinners for an evening and offer up the meals to soldiers and guards instead. Others pay tribute to the sacrifice their parents made in raising them.

June

"Boreus Day"

In the name of this Titan we have a day of Truth, celebrated three-fold.

Firstly, it is customary to write a letter to yourself, reflecting on the lessons you have learned in that year. You set the letter aside to read next year, and then you read the series of letters you wrote in previous years.

Secondly, All grievances are set aside for one day. Secret confessions are deposited in a box all day, unsigned and anonymous. At the end of the day, they are read aloud for the town to hear. This is not to say criminals are no longer held accountable to the wheels of justice, but in hearing honest confessions, people are made aware of the fact that no one is perfect and all have transgressions of some sort. In hearing the anonymous confessions, people have a clearer conscious and they gain perspective through truth.

Lastly, the gravity of the day gives way to levity. The mayor is also put on a mock trial, with a jester as the Judge. Dishonesty is made to look silly and absurd for the sake of laughter. It is also not uncommon to amnesty a minor debt. Though in towns where money is tight and trade is strained, that specific practice has fallen out of favor.

As with Sequanna day, some put out and decorate statues of the Titan, where as that tradition is not observed in the Vale.

July

"Kingsday"

This is the holiday that varies the most across all of Novia. It supposedly stems from a long tradition of feudal lords demanding tribute from their servants, but Novia has no singular leader. In the Hidden Vale, they celebrate the lack of a monarch and their own freedom with fireworks and an over abundance of ale.

In Ardoris, tribute and remembrance is given not only to the current Shogun, but Shoguns past in quiet, reverent ceremonies. Rumor has it that this is secretly also a very political event, where every tiny detail in the tribute ceremony holds hidden messages for how much power leaders hold. It would be rude and disrespectful to openly oppose your elders or leaders, but very subtle protests can be masked in Kingsday ceremonies.

In Norguard, each family of warriors offers up a trophy to King Granus from the battles they have fought that year. This is not only an honorific to show off exactly how courageous one is and their victories in battle, but it is self-assuring. The warriors are trying to wash away any memories of loss and death from their seemingly never-ending war with the Kobolds. The collected trophies on display are effectively propaganda that they are making progress and that someday an end might be in sight for their war.

There are those all cross Novia, but in Brittany most of all who have taken to a new tradition. They travel to the nearest Oracle Confirmatory and pay tribute to what they see as the ruler of the land, The Oracle.

August

"Recommitment Day"

They say young love blossoms in the Spring, and passions follow the heat of Summer. As Summer wanes, lovers wish to reassure each other that their love is not ephemeral and passing. Couples took to gathering poppies and other Autumn-blooming flowers and offering them to their partners with new found oaths of re-commitment. Feudal lords and fiefdoms sometimes took umbrage that their servants praised their lovers too much, putting them on pedestals so high it might present a conflict of interest in serving their Lords and Ladies. The custom them became for those in service to also renew their oaths of service as vassals to their Lords and Ladies as well. And so it spread to any type of oath or vow, that people would renew it on Recommitment Day throughout the land.

September

"Reaping Day"

The first full moon of the autumnal equinox brings a harvest moon. Farmers see this event as when they will often harvest their first series of crops, with harvest season extending into November. But when you look up at a moon that is said to have played part in The Fall, and whose shards are said to be causing a mysterious blight upon the land, you see the moon differently. Daedalus is also responsible for lunar rifts that bring outlanders into the world of New Britannia. Some believe The Fall was another form of reaping, a purge wiping the land clean of that what did not belong. Those that survived, and whose ancestors survive in New Britannia today were effectively chosen by Daedalus.

When the harvest first begins, farmers will cull from their herds, or a portion of their crops. The make effigies of that which they wish to see removed from the world and burn these offerings. This isn't worship, as the citizens of New Britannia do not see Daedalus as a god to be worshiped. But they know Daedalus is somehow tied to the new magic of the land, and a little superstition goes a long way.

In recent nights, Reaping Day has taken on a new meaning that few would dare say aloud. With the date approaching of the Dire Prophecies, people fear a second cataclysm. They hope that if there is another reaping, that they are chosen to live.

October

"Granus Day"

The mayor of the town dresses up in a monster costume and the children/townsfolk chase away the monster. The specific monster depends on the region and whatever boogeyman they wish to rid themselves of through this holiday ritual. Adults also take part in tournaments (archery/fencing/boxing) to demonstrate their martial prowess with prizes for the victors.

Again, as with Sequanna and Boreus day, some put out and decorate statues of the Titan, where as that tradition is not observed in the Vale.

November

"Harvest Festival"

The long work of October's harvest behind them, November is spent milling flour, fermenting wine, brewing beer and preparing for a great feast in November. You'll find cornucopias on display to show off the harvest. Families gather for a turkey dinner. But for many the true highlight of the Harvest Festival is a brewing competition where the year's best beer is selected (both locally and across all of Novia). The winner takes home a golden stein trophy, which is passed onto the new winner each year. The stein is said to bring good luck (and bragging rights) and thirsty citizens have been known to travel to visit whatever tavern serves the award winning beer that year (as if they needed an excuse).

December

"Festival of Lights"

In darkness there is ignorance and fear. In light man has ascended into truth and knowledge. The Festival of Lights celebrates wisdom, decency, compassion and continuing improvement. If man was once ignorant, primal, selfish and dangerous as a near-beast, then we celebrate civility, generosity, and society that we have grown into. There is some controversy that this holiday can be seen as offensive to the non-human "crafted warriors", but most humans aren't too concerned with that. Lights are put up all over to celebrate the festival, including special candles and light-adorned trees in people's homes.

 

Every city could have a market day where was a bit more vendor's and other stuff in it. A different day for each city

 

• Spirituality: What would be fascinating would be if this holiday weren't merely ritualistic, but truly supernatural. What if on this day, the shroud between the land of the living and dead was weakened, and more spirits crossed over? People could ACTUALLY talk to the spirits of the deceased.

New Brittannia's Ghost Spy Day!

 

I can easily brainstorm more holidays and have one for each month. But I'm intentionally leaving a few months empty on my suggestions currently for when I learn more about the lore of New Britannia. But my current suggestions integrate the holiday add-on items we have in game now, and the three Titans and their virtues.

 

Bump for great justice!

I now have a holiday for each of the 12 months. I left in Norac Day, which was actually @Knoxinn's idea in another thread. It was just very well written and I wanted to include it. I pinged him via PM. If I can get his permission to include Norac Day in my list, I will submit this in the Scholars of Novia sub-forum as an official submission for an in game book.

But I'm always looking for feedback. What do you think of the holiday suggestions?

Edit: Not sure if anyone noticed, but I did include one holiday for each of the Titans, equally spaced out 4 months apart.

 

+1 For Day of the Living Dead !
~Time Lord~

 

That was my favorite idea of all the holidays I first suggested. There are two problems.

1. SotA is based off the 3 principles as virtues and that is it. The 8 Ultima virtues are not present.
2. There is no indication in SotA lore that people come back from the dead. In fact, Blade of the Avatar speaks of death as being very definitive and permanent. When I asked RG directly about the lore of Avatars coming back from the dead (while ghosts temporarily) versus everyone else in the world, he suggested the very same idea I had myself. Avatars have their true bodies and souls tied to their home world and don't really die permanently while travelling temporarily as Avatars in another world. Other people in the world simply die permanently in their home world.

If a dev wants to come in and say New Britannia has their own ghosts and some sort of shroud between the living and the dead, that's fine. If they want to do cool events and holidays where the shroud weakens, all the better. But I don't think that will be SotA lore sadly.

What do people think of the 12 holidays I ended up with?

 

Well I'm hoping for holiday spirit from the game and for those that wish it. I have my tree up in game. It is a lovely time of year for some ,and if not for some they don't have to participate.
I have always enjoyed the holiday events many games do. They are so cute.

I'm hoping we aren't going to be totally serious. I know that's not what I'm looking for in a game or a community. And talking
about Lore, not to take away from it, but we are not robots and can still roleplay the game, but to deny the natural holiday festiveness some feel isn't going to help the game, it's way too serious to do that.

When I go on a picnic by the lake in game and hang out with friends it's not about the Lore, it is about having a fun community to spend time with.

This is not a game that can or will be one thing for everyone. It needs to reach out to many types of playstyles and have something so many will be able to enjoy and embrace.

For example I may be enjoying the Lore part of the game one moment, and then switch to getting all dressed up and off to a different adventure, or whatever else I feel like doing at the moment.

 

The Life Cycle of Dragons ...


Our Engagements with Elegance...

(a special thanks to our player cryptomancer for this inspiring video. Watch for "the eye" as this video is all about "our world's sky")

Listen up My Lord British and Dreadlord Darkstarr, because this has something to do with one of your darlings ...

The Darkstarr Moondial ...
All of our natural world's celebrations revolves around astrology which gave birth to astronomy and all other human endeavors of science, "as well as our celebrations". We currently do not know what our astral positioning is yet, but do have the current need within our world, for it's outcome to become more known because of things just like these.

I do enjoy "the 12", yet 12 was derived in our real world, from our need to stabilize a known way to calculate ~Time~... which then makes it's way into navigation as well as all the rest of our gaming endeavors such as magic, which is the science of our gaming world. When considering this, we must look at adding, subtracting or otherwise manipulating our planetary cycles and astral entity's movements as well as their number. Yet deeper still, we need what elegance we will see in our sky that could then lend it's beauty to such holidays and events.

It is in the above regard that I bring my tampering through suggestion to the functions and displays of the Darkstarr Moondial. Thus far, our Darkstarr Moondial has seen some advancement, yet I wish it to advance in this regard even more so, than not only tracking the planets, but becoming a greatly more useful item to us all.

"I want it to Glow" ...
I want it to glow a special color for each cycle it is programed to... "Yes I said Programed To". If it is set to mark the celebrations, then the central world inside it would glow with a color. If it is set for alinement with our Moon Magic, then I want it to glow another color for that cycle's worth while times. "This applies to every skill's bases application" as I would like for every skill tree of both combat as well as crafting have it's settings for the Moondial, where when certain planetary positions come up, then it lights up, thus providing it's owner with not only the ability to see when their skill is within planetary favor, but if they are observant to it's mastery, then predictions of the best time for anything can then be measured.

Elegance of Patterns...
Whenever our Moondial lights up, if a player marks it's timing from there, then patterns are formed if the observant thus maps these times periods that best suit them. Such patterns create mandala, as in the most famous of these which became the very symbol of all magic we all know as "the star", yet in it's elegance and truth, is the "Mandala of Venus"...


Such patterns can be quite complex, yet render us something very useful in the ways of our world in the forms of new symbols that have meaning.
Doesn't this pattern seem very similar to something we all see as coming into our game?

No, that's not "the eye", that is the "Mandala of the planet Mercury"...
*Note to developers; by mimicking that speed and distance of Mercury to the Earth, this same pattern could enter into our game with some meaning.
Our world's sky may not mimic our Earth, yet Bode's Law pervades throughout all heavenly bodies throughout all the galaxies...

Our world may not be based in any hard reality, but when we think about setting times of events, happenings and times of which we need and should become aware, we need to have a way to express those things to the average player and not only those with an avid interest in watching our heavens... "or for that matter, our forums" which can be an immersion breaker.

Our ~Time~/ Zones...
And so, I do agree that "the 12" would fit nicely within a 12 month calender, yet we also need all of our astral events to have a cycle by which every time zone has it's time for a best "this or that", especially when it comes to our magic, or special celebrations. This is why both the inner as well as outer and the satellite orbiting bodies around our world need to be there, and with an abundance to their usages.

Yet, with the help of a Darkstarr Moondail becoming more interactive and thus a more important item to take special notice of, "all these things become more useful as well as letting us know what we may be missing"...
But I think developing such an item even more, would also boost it's worth in our online store as well as our pledges

For Our Deeper Interactive World Development...think about it won't you? but I know you are!
Feedback Anyone? All Very Welcomed!
~Time Lord~

 

When last I brought up the subject I was aiming for the best of both worlds. NB holidays that in many ways had the same spirit as actual holidays around the same time. So while New Britannia wouldn't have Christmas for example, the December holiday in New Britannia might carry a similar message or theme. Good will, gift giving etc.

In this sense we could honor real holidays while at the same time RPing New Britannia culture.

 

With some of the holidays I came up with, I tried to make this work.

New Britannia shouldn't have a concept of Christmas, but we as players want to put up Christmas trees in our homes during Christmas season.

So I suggested "Festival of Lights" as a December holiday in New Britannia where the Christmas tree makes sense in lore.

 

Festival of lights you mentioned sounds very beautiful. I don't see that New Britania wouldn't have Christmas now that we are here well since we came from earth unless we had a mind wipe in our traveling that is lol.

I am happy the Devs have provided us with Christmas trees and honukkah menorahs, I love my tree and that you can see in windows, that is so very cool the way it is done. You can see out of windows and in. I love it.

I want to decorate my house with stockings on my mantle and lights or candles and make it beautiful and festive. Hopefully our fireplace mantles will allow the placing of stockings and get some functionality added to them.
I couldn't place anything on the row hearth so far that I'm in, maybe the hearth of Britania has functionality, not sure. Also the Christmas trees you buy in the store have garland on them, where is ours on our trees? lol

You have great ideas enderandrews too. It's ok with me either way. I'm sure people will want to decorate the way they want, and I don't think the HOA should be able to restritct them or even exist in this game
We want aliveness in this game and choices in this game, and to restrict that would surely kill the game. We have been waiting a very long time for this game. The development team is doing a great job, I am so excited.

 

It's one thing for Outlanders to celebrate Christmas.. or any other Earth holiday.. it's quite another for such celebrations to be instantly accepted by the native population. Especially over a period of only a couple of years where Outlanders are a minority.

Putting up a Christmas tree for all to see is like is like announcing to the world who you are. Which I suppose is fine if that's what you want to do.. but your native neighbors might not be very happy about it. (According to Richard and Tracy).

 

This is my take. Before The Fall, there were other Avatars from Earth. Some knowledge of Earth traditions was here on the planet centuries ago. And since the Avatars were revered, some of their customs might have merged a bit with local customs. But most of that knowledge disappeared with the Fall. If any of those traditions continued, they have taken on a new meaning and new life in New Britannia. As far as they know, they are not Earth customs.

Thusly, a Christmas tree can appear in New Britannia, but to them, it is part of their Festival of Lights. They don't know what Christmas is.

 

That's a huge stretch with absolutely no lore to back that up. Ultima lacks any real cultural lore despite Britannia having been ruled by Lord British for centuries. There is no dialogue in any of the games and there is no literature. The implication then being that such traditions were not encouraged as there is no evidence of such.

Furthermore, there's no telling how many 'avatars' were around or if they had any cultural influence at all.

Could it have happened? Theoretically it may be possible.. but it strikes me as extremely unlikely that a minority group would have a huge cultural impact in a relatively short amount of time. That being probably no more than a couple hundred years prior to the Fall which we can guestimate based on the relative age of Lord British in SotA as compared to say.. Ultima VII.

 

It should be noted SotA is not an Ultima. SotA is set in an environment that before the Fall, there were MANY Avatars and they were revered.

 

It should also be noted that this is the same world as in Ultima and "MANY" is relative. If the SotA definition of "avatar" is the same as just being from another world than there were quite a few during the Ultima series as well btw. No where in existing SotA lore are we given even a ballpark figure. All we can say for certain is that there is historically known to be more than one. If something is sufficiently rare, a dozen could be considered a lot.

 

Something else to consider. The term Avatar carries over from Ultima.. where the title was given to one who achieved enlightenment in all 8 virtues. No where and at no time was it ever required to be from another world to earn the title. That meaning was attached later outside of the game. It had never been part of the world lore. There is nothing in BotA that clearly states that avatars must be from Earth or anywhere else to have been avatars. Anyone from Britannia could have achieved that title and been called an avatar.

 

Look I love Ultima. I truly wish RG was making a new Ultima. But EA owns that IP. We need to treat this world as a new thing. I think Portalarium has walked a fine line where you can squint and imagine New Britannia is a direct sequel to Ultima, but the IPs have to be separate.