Festivals

Throughout the course of the year, there are a number of Festivals which are held throughout the lands of Elder Tale Online. Below, you can find some basic information on each festival, including themes and when they are held. For all intents and purposes, these Festivals are held in all regions of the world, from Yamato to the Palace Lands, to perhaps even beyond. Though there are some unique stylings in each region, the core of the festivals remains.

(THIS DOCUMENT IS A WIP - MORE INFORMATION ON FESTIVALS WILL BE ADDED IN FUTURE UPDATES)

Bonded Heart Festival (February - OOC: August)

The Bonded Heart Festival is a time of year when Yamato residents celebrate the connections that they have formed between one another. It is not just a celebration for lovers, but for friends, traveling companions, and all of those who have new or existing bonds with others.

Common Occurrences:

• Special quests appear with highly desirable drops often used in accessory forging.
• Cities are decorated with red, pink, and white flowers and ribbons.
• Valentine's Day/White Day festivities with the exchanging of gifts among lovers, friends, and companions.

Spring Planting Festival (March - OOC: September)

The Spring Planting Festival celebrates the start of spring across Yamato. The temperatures warm and the ground thaws, bringing about the start of a new planting season. There is a flurry of activity as Landers take to preparing their fields and offering up prayers and rituals for the coming year.

Common Occurrences:

• Sakura trees come into full bloom across Yamato.
• Many of the common crops are planted during this time of year.
• Prayers/Rituals to the Beautiful One (Goddess of Farming/Fertility).

Bun-Bun Festival (April - OOC: October)

The Bun-Bun Festival takes place during mid-spring to coincide with a natural increase in the adorable creatures known as bun-buns. Cities decorate with pastel colors and many Landers collect the unusually colored eggs that seem a common animal drop this time of year.

Common Occurrences:

• Increase in the spawn rate of bun-buns and clucks.
• Colorful eggs can be found throughout the land, Landers collect these.
• Large groups of bun-buns can become aggressive and dangerous.

Living Green Festival (May - OOC: November)

The Living Green Festival is a time of year when the land seems to become most fertile during late spring. Jungles have thicker foliage, unusual herbs can be found, and nature itself seems to come alive. While celebrated across Yamato, much of this festival focuses on the green lands of the Eastal Free League, celebrated most strongly amongst the Sylph and Pooka due to their deep connections to nature.

Common Occurrences:

• Increased growth rate of plants across Yamato.
• Unusual herbs and medicinal plants only found this time of year.
• Jungle treks and forest hikes to appreciate nature.

Summer Beach Festival (June - OOC: December)

The Summer Beach Festival celebrates the true beginning of Summer in Yamato. Warmer temperatures make the land far more hospitable for travel and encourage people to explore. The lack of monsters near the shorelines encourage people to enjoy beach-side activities. Magical fireworks displays are common, bringing a sense of joy at the changing of the seasons and a return to the warmth of summer.

Common Occurrences:

• Monster spawns near the shorelines decrease.
• Sun-bathing, swimming, summer sports and cookouts become popular.
• Rights of passage are performed in the Holy Empire Westelande.

Storm Festival (July - OOC: January)

The Storm Festival is a time where low cloud cover, heavy rains, and almost omnipresent storms rage across Yamato. It is a tense time of year, but also a time to celebrate surviving even the worst that life has to throw at you. Often, this event creates unusual happenings around the storms, with increases in monster activity as well as unique locations which may only be accessible during the storms.

Common Occurrences:

• Increases in water-affinity monsters.
• Inclement weather: Thunder, Lightning, Torrential Rains, Hurricanes, Typhoons.
• High winds and flooding that may threaten some settlements.

Firefly Festival (August - OOC: February)

The Firefly Festival is a time where people celebrate the past and look to the future. It is a somber celebration, often including various rituals of remembrance, where people honor lost friends, relatives, and ancestors. Due to unusually clear skies during this time of year, it is also a time when diviners and stargazers look to the stars, seeking signs from the past and indications of the future.

Common Occurrences:

• Lantern lighting, grave memorials, familial altars with tokens from ancestors.
• Stargazing, divining, looking to the stars for signs.

Fall Harvest Festival (September - OOC: March)

The Fall Harvest Festival is held at the end of the growing season. Crops are being taken in from the field, transported and sold. There is a festive, happy atmosphere as the people of Yamato enjoy the fruits and vegetables of their labors. However, with such abundance, also comes an increase in attacks from bandits, pirates, and monsters who might seek to raid some of those resources for themselves.

Common Occurrences:

• Harvesting and Transporting Crops and Trade Goods, Farmer's markets and Trade Festivals.
• Increase in bandit, pirate, and monster attacks on caravans and towns.
• Festive atmosphere with large social banquets.

Shadow Festival (October - OOC: April)

The Shadow Festival is held during an unusual time of year when the nights seem to stretch longer than normal and even the days seem to carry a gloomy fog about them. Among the Landers, it is a time when people dress in costume, often celebrating with parties or social gatherings that feature special treats and candies. Elsewhere, the extended nights seem to have a strange effect on Dark-element monsters as well as the undead.

Common Occurrences:

• An increase in Dark-elemental monster spawns. Unusual activity among undead and spirit monster types.
• Dim, foggy days and extended nights.
• Costumed parties for both children and adults with seasonal treats.

Hot Springs Festival (November - OOC: May)

The Hot Springs Festival is held as the temperatures begin to fall across Yamato. The waters that run deep under the lands seem to take on unique properties at this time of year, offering increased healing properties. Landers and Adventurers are drawn to the mountains, where the Hot Springs are more common. However, fire monsters and unique animals are also drawn to these locations.

Common Occurrences:

• An increase in Fire-elemental monster spawns in mountain regions.
• Amplified/unique water properties at established Hot Springs.
• Unusual/rare animals are drawn to the mountain springs.