Races of Wild

The section below details sample holidays that you caninclude in your campaign. Although the holidays aresplit between races, feel free to choose among them orcreate your own if they better fit another race or culturein your campaign.ELF HOLIDAYSElf communities host a wide variety of seasonal festivals.In addition, they often hold a party or feast to celebrate theofficial appointing of a new captain of the watch, masterbuilder, or other official. Elven holidays tend to be grandcommunity-wide events.Arrow Meet and Arrow Sunder: Once a season, theelves in a local militia gather for two days of training andcompetition. On the first day, they divide into teams andhold a capture-the-flag wargame, using blunt arrows (seepage 163) that sting but deliver only nonlethal damage. Thefirst game ends at dusk. Participants then form new teams,mixing the victors and the losers, and hold a second gamethat lasts from dusk to dawn.On the second day, individual achievement is celebrated byan extremely competitive archery tournament. The secondnight ends with a festival that recognizes the achivementsof the victors.During Arrow Meet and Arrow Sunder, all elves gain a +1morale bonus on attacks with ranged weapons.Child’s Play: Once every four years in times of peace andprosperity, elf communities celebrate their young by havinga day during which age-dependent roles are reversed. Thechildren are given free rein to do as they please and be incharge. They can ask any question, pursue any activity, andenlist adults’ help in any of their ventures. This holiday allowschildren an opportunity to experiment with leadership rolesor to simply relax and be silly. It’s a day of experimentationand fun.On the day of Child’s Play, all elves gain a +4 morale bonuson saves against fear effects.Spring Revel: As spring stirs the sap in the trees, elvesfeel nature renew their spirits. After a long winter, elveswelcome the return of spring with a grand affair. TheSpring Revel is an event hosted by the clerics and followersof Alobal Lorfiril (see page 20), but it’s more a secularthan a religious festival, and folk of all faiths happilyparticipate. The festivities last for five days, during whichelves celebrate the crafts they have practiced and the skillsthey have honed over the winter months. A large area is setup for elves to buy, sell, or simply display their creations.Events during the festival include singing, dancing, storytelling,archery and swordplay competitions, wine tasting,and demonstrations of new innovations in magic spellsand items.During Spring Revel, all elves gain a +1 morale bonus onPerform checks.HALFLING HOLIDAYSHalflings work hard and play hard. They enjoy festivals,even more so when others are doing the work and providingthe food. Often the travels of a halfling caravan includearrivals and sojourns timed to coincide with the nearbyfriendly community hosting a celebration. Thus, theyoften benefit from other races’ holidays in addition totheir own.Clan Circle: Once every five years, members of a clangather together to conduct clan business and catch up onclan gossip. The event has an odd mixture of seriousnessand triviality. The main purpose is serious—selecting theclan elder (or confirming the current one to continue in thatrole). However, such large gatherings being rare, the eventgives a welcome opportunity for sharing of news, socializing,and sport.On the first day of a Clan Circle, halflings gain a +1 moralebonus on Gather Information checks.Clan Meet: When two halfling caravans encounter eachother, they often unite to spend a few days camping or travelingtogether. It’s a time of frivolity, with much boasting andtelling of tales to impress the other clan. Often, unattachedhalflings use this opportunity to meet and flirt with a varietyof romantic prospects (especially important since romanticrelationships with clan-kin are discouraged). After spendingseveral delightful days together, the caravans will separateagain, sometimes with new handfasted partners from theother clan.During the first week of a Clan Meet, halflings gain a +1morale bonus on Bluff checks.All Meet: When a matter of grave importance to allhalflings comes up, word is passed from caravan to caravanand clan to clan to come to the All Meet, a gathering of manydifferent clans. Even clanless halflings attend. This event isexceedingly rare and is only scheduled to discuss matters ofworld-shaking importance.During an All Meet, halflings gain a +2 morale bonus onWill savesRAPTORAN HOLIDAYSRaptoran life is rich with traditions and holidays. Most familyand age-mates have days of remembrance for events specialjust to them. They celebrate the anniversaries of significanthappenings such as their Wingsweeps (see below), meetinga dear friend, or acquiring a unusual item. These dates arerarely recorded or remembered with precision, which leadsto many arguments and apologies for forgetting someone’sspecial day.Long Night: Raptorans who worship or respect TuilvielGlithien celebrate the winter equinox, the longest nightof the year. Those that fall on a night of the full moonor new moon are especially boisterous. The festivitiesbegin at dusk and end at dawn. This holiday is a celebrationof the joyfulness of life. Since food is scarce duringthe winter, there’s no feasting. Instead, the raptoransCHAPTER 8CAMPAIGNS INTHE WILD185