General:Uutak Mythos/Calendar

thumb|right|Uutak Mythos Logo, featuring the Fourth Era symbol of Yneslea. (Drawn by Imperial Ascendance)

:“Everyone complains about never having time for anything until they have all the time in the world for nothing.” — Admiral Vasharan Mothril, shortly after retiring from the Imperial Navy

As expected due to its title, the Calendar page provides information on the Echmer and Hyu-Ket dating system used commonly throughout the In'eslaen archipelago. It lists the native names for months and their translations, as well as their corresponding months in the Tamrielic and Gregorian calendar systems. Not to mention this page also includes major and minor holidays within the archipelago in order to showcase some aspects of Yneslea's cultural practices.

Major Contributors: IceFireWarden (Primary), SilenceofAutumn (Secondary), & those of the UM Discord.

As of 02/07/2021, this page is still currently incomplete. It should be finished updating in a few months time.

The Tamrielic/Gregorian Calendar System
The Tamrielic calendar is composed of twelve distinct months (sometimes called "Seasons" ), each approximately thirty days in length. Each month has an associated constellation, which is said to affect the traits of anyone born in that month, and each month corresponds roughly to an equal period of time in the Gregorian calendar. The months — and their real-life equivalents — are measured as follows:


    
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The In’eslean (Echmeri) Calendar System
The official In’eslean calendar is a tad more alien than its western and real world equivalents, as it is composed of fourteen distinct months instead of the usual twelve. Due to early Dwarven influence, the months of the calendar still have a constellation dedicated to them, but over the centuries they have incorporated two new months dedicated to the un-star constellation of the Serpent and an eastern constellation called the Shackle. Every grouping of three months has an additional un-star constellation linked to it as a representation of a mysterious war between native and foreign gods, and every grouping of two months is dedicated to an element that gains power during it. The only two exceptions to this trend are the last two months, which have their own singular un-star and element associated with them.

The month of Suo-Zai has an additional day depending on if its a leap year. Another month that is a bit odd compared to typical months is the first month, Suo-Duei, which has two names depending on the passage of time; the first fourteen days are known as Dawntide, and the last fourteen days are called Dusktide:



Days of the Week
What follows is a list of the Yneslean days of the week. In Ek'hi, a week is referred to as a '''cīng'rak''', which means "seven rests"; a specific day will then refer to the person the rest is devoted to (although traditionally speaking rest days do not have to be accepted or fulfilled unless an individual wishes to partake in it).



In’eslean Holidays
What follows is a listing of the In’eslean holidays, as combined from a series of Echmeri, Hyu-Ketic, and Tamrielic beliefs (alongside those of other, influential races that traffic within the archipelago-subcontinent of In’eslae).

Major Holidays and Celebrations
Traditionally speaking, the In’eslean holidays represent essential ways of life found within the various cultures of the archipelago-subcontinent (but predominantly the Echmeri ones). They often focus on spiritual cleanliness and purification, the importance of fertilization and the harvest, recognizing one’s ancestors, finding joy within the mortal theater, prayers and offerings, and the humbling of the dead.

Soulfast
:“Do you possess a wounded pride? Or are perhaps nursing an ancient grudge? Allow your soul to be purified during Soulfast, and embrace inner peace.”

Soulfast is a biweekly festival that happens every month in In’eslae, and was founded by the monk Jensau and his acolytes in the Yneslean second era (or aeon, as they refer to them); its designated dates are the 3rd and 17th days of a particular month, but if a conflicting holiday or event is occurring on one of those dates then that holiday takes precedent. The aftermath of the Divine Mandate was a time of great questioning and turmoil, where values became devoid of meaning and one’s merit could no longer be measured by their loyalty to the gods. And so did the ascetic Jensau propose to the gerency a festival where opposing parties could settle their grievances while also alleviating personal pains.

During Soulfast, duels of all stripes (verbal, magical, and physical) are allowed and anyone is allowed to be challenged regardless of gender, occupation, or birth-land; killing, however, is strictly prohibited outside of the most extreme circumstances. Most restaurants serve food at a generous discount during the festival, and many merchants and stalls will give out plentiful produce and sweet treats for free. Diocesans and suffragans are also more charitable in regards to invoking the memories of the departed, and the elites of Mustikos’arcere can be requested to detain errant spirits instead of exorcising them.

Kamaas & Xīnth-Mal
:“The roaring of blizzards. The sting of sour ice. The burn of frozen steel. The drums of Snow Hell are sounding, and with this cold the Snow Demons have announced that they are here.”

Kamaas is less of a celebration and more of an extreme event that takes place over the months of Demontide, Mourntide, and Soultide in all of In’eslae. When the Kamali armies of northern Akavir attempted to conquer the archipelago in the last year of their second aeon, it took the combined might of the Echmer and the Hyu-Ket (alongside some Broh-Kah and Terenjoe mercenaries) to put a stop to their swathes of blood. But like most things, it came at a cost; the Kamal resented their loss and with a powerful artifact known in legend as the Yiketo retaliated against their defeat with powerful magicks. The entirety of the Yneslea subcontinent was cursed with a brutal winter for an entire year (being known as the Bitter Year), and although powerful warlocks and shamans were able to nullify some aspects of the curse, Yneslea still suffers from magical cold fronts and freezing hurricanes during the last three months of their year.

Originally, the denizens of In’eslae would spend Kamaas gifting armor and swords to one another in order to stay well-defended in case of a surprise attack from the east. Eventually, however, the brutal winters became a time to celebrate the safety of others and aspiration for love despite the threat of war. The fifth of Soultide in particular is the epitome of this idea, and is called Xīnth-Mal (‘Day of Forgotten Demons’). The word ‘mal’ is one of many Echmeri terms for ‘demon’, one that they appropriated from Akavir, but its usage and definition is more in line with ‘foreigner’ or ‘invader’. On Xīnth-Mal everyone, the living and the dead alike, are given practical and meaningful presents as well as copious amounts of food; a rather popular treat is ''veeki, hot strawberry-toffee cakes filled with rum butter.

Raeleing
:“Anhano Raelei and Ravara Raelei are often regarded as the pinnacle of bat elven romance. The first gerent and gerentess were wise, caring, powerful, well-mannered, and stern; they never allowed their love for one another to overshadow their commitment to the people, and also never allowed their many responsibilities to invalidate their relationship. Their official coronation upon the Rhetoric Throne also served as their wedding day as a symbol of the union between marriage and country, and became a celebration honored hundreds of years later.

The In’eslean New Year Festival, otherwise known as the Raeleing New Year or just Raeleing, is one of the most beloved celebrations within the Yneslean Directorate. It is celebrated on the second day of the first month of every year, and lasts for twenty-four hours (meaning that no one has to work or attend schooling unless that’s what they absolutely desire). The day before Raeleing is usually referred to as the Eye of Raeleing''', although foreigners and commoners alike liken it to “New Year’s Eve”; it is a day spent preparing for the festivities of the following day (like buying ingredients for meals, picking flowers, constructing fireworks displays, and cleaning shrines for upcoming visitation). Raeleing serves as both a celebration of the coming year and as a celebration of love, which in layman's terms essentially means that the festival is one huge party with a bunch of tiny parties within it. Alcoholic beverages are heavily discounted, and couples are often given free seats in taverns and restaurants. Young lovers often go to personal or communal shrines in order to harmonize with the memories of their ancestors, while friends and families usually go to national landmarks, theaters, or groves to have picnics or just spend time with one another.

The best parts of the New Year Festival are the food and fireworks, however. Fireworks, or ''eir-gon (‘sparkles’) are a Yneslean speciality, speculated to have either been created from old Akaviri recipes left behind by early colonizers or just magical formulas originally formed from Hyu-Ketic spells. Modern day fireworks in the archipelago forgo pure magicka displays, and are made from special powders and salts that react in beautiful ways together when exposed to heats; soaring khimeras, horizon color-changers, miniature galaxies, and more are some of the more popular fireworks found in In’eslae. Displays usually start around nine o’clock in the evening, and last until about three or four in the morning.

Food-wise, many specialized dishes are also served during this holiday. Tangyuang are rice flour/water balls that are either boiled in syrup or citri juice, or otherwise deep fried in honeyed oils, and serve as very filling sweets. Oblashi is a Hyu-Ketic dish derived from marinating the main body of a greater flamingo in mushroom broth, slowly cooking it over an open fire, and later filling the insides with different kinds of herbs, spices, and stuffings. Miu-Miu is wasabi cream-filled suncrest shrimp on a stick, which can be eaten cooked or raw alongside several sauces. Sassy taffy, a type of cinnamon candy, is often handed out to children and passersby from dedicated stalls.

Lhohei’Yaol
:“The sea is like spiritual soil, its waters reenacting the life of plants in a more metaphorical role. Memories go into the sea as fertilizer, and salt grows from the oceans to serve as ties between the mental, the physical, and the magical. Being as important as they are in Yneslea, the natives of that land honor the bountiful salt and remnants of life that dwell within the waters of Nirn with this humbling festival and celebration.”

The Awakening Dreams Festival, or Lhohei’Yaol, is one often mistaken for a festival of mourning and death, but that is not technically the case. This is the day where the living pay tribute to the long deceased and the newly departed, natives and foreigners alike, in order to better assure their content and deliverance to a peaceful afterlife. It takes place on the eighth of Suo-Bru’x, the month of lamentation, and in bat elven numerology eight is a sacred number that aligns with the letter ‘h’ (which has a high amount of usage in their culture) and symbolizes sacrifice and rebirth; some believe this brand of symbolism can find its roots in Dwemeri beliefs.

Lhohei’Yaol is a twenty-four hour celebration that is followed by a full day of rest. The first twelve hours of the festival is spent constructing, fixing, cleaning, or visiting residential family shrines, nobleborn exilias, and region-spanning ossuaries. In In’eslae the bones of the deceased are removed from the corpse, which is then customarily burned based on engrained Aldmeri principles, before being ground into powder. The ashes and bone dust are then interred within miniature salt statues that are enshrined within the labyrinthine crypts known as exilias or inside the aforementioned ossuary mausoleums. Special culinary dishes are prepared for the dead (like baoros, rolled up pastries made from a type of stretchy bread derived from rice flour and filled with smoked salmon, seasoned asparagus bits, carrots, aged yak cheese, and soy gravy), being presented to them as family members recount recent life events as they dine.

The last twelve hours are often considered the most beautiful parts of the festival due to the Zhuì Neán Kuán (‘Slumbering Boat’) Parades. Tiny clay boats are built that are then encrusted with colorful salt crystals (the color picked often symbolizing the personality of the departed soul it is representing), before magical candles and specialized messages are affixed to them. The boats are then set loose upon the southern waves alight—a well-loved armada of stars shining in a myriad assortment of colors upon the dark waters, burning with passion as they depart for a grander existence.

Paoglap
:“All celebrate Paoglap, the Day of the Shattering of Chains, as it is a reflection on the crimes of those that came before and moving forward from those times without looking back. The Hyu-Ket suffered many grievances from their Echmeri neighbors in older times (and perhaps some of those atrocities can never be forgiven), but Venerant Sorcrux sacrificed his family, his profession, and his very life in order to get the fires of emancipation roaring. On this day, the little goblins are reminded that Yneslea will always be their home.”

Paoglap, or Freedom Day, is a day that commemorates the official freedom of the Hyu-Ket from mass slavery during the later years of the In’eslaen third aeon. This was achieved through the efforts of Hei’paogun Sorcrux, who had already been sitting on the Council of Dull Chimes for 120 years and was nearing his retirement. Sorcrux was one of many bat elves in high office who had been trying to abolish the slavery protocols that kept the bug goblins in chains, but was troubled by how efficient the practice had made the Directorate and wondered what would happen to the archipelago as a whole if it ended.
But at the same time, he knew that it must be done. For decades freedom fighters from all over In’eslae had been destabilizing the welfare of the Gerentate, and Socrux was old enough to remember how Hannar Almost-King utilized the bitterness of the Ket in order to enlist them in the infamous Hannar Wars after he murdered Gerentess Ilia. And now, in the aftermath of the Amethyst Crusades that spawned in defiance of the False Gol-Thek, the newly born Directorate was struggling with keeping everything together on top of placating the turmoil that was Hrahn’s Isles.

Forcing himself into the role of ambassador, Sorcrux collected votes from like-minded leaders in the archipelago and riled up the peasantry through the clever use of rumor, celebration, and reinterpretation of Hannar’s ideals. Finally, he traveled to the rebuilding Hrahn’s Isles and begged the chieftains there to allow the abolitionists to help them reconstruct their civilization. All of this contributed to his ultimate goal of challenging his fellow councilors to a verbal duel on Soulfast, where thanks to popular consensus he won despite the match being seven against one.

One year later, on the twenty-first of Suo-Fa, the Hyu-Ket were officially freed from slavery and the foul practice was never known again within the Yneslean archipelago. Many wanted Sorcrux to attempt sitting on the Rhetoric Throne, as his actions were worthy of a Gerent, but he knew that the once sacred relic would not accept him; he would go on to live the rest of his days in peace with the people he liberated.

Paoglap is celebrated a bit differently than most In’eslaen holidays, due to the natural Hyu-Ketic disposition to get over past grievances quickly. Pilgrimages to shrines dedicated to Venerant Socrux and Hrahn’s Isles is a must, and most bat elves will eat traditional bug goblin dishes like mulf (steamed wyrm-beetle filled with wood-smoked cream and herbs) and takash (roasted sugar worms on a stick, sprinkled with nutmeg). Hyu-Ket also take priority in the markets and shops, and will receive dozens of gifts from their friends and neighbors.

Minor Holidays

Hrahanzai
:“While Hrahndeyl may not be worshipped by her kinfolk, they pay high honors to her all the same. The introverted deity, despite her usual seclusion from the outside world within her Pleonastic Spire, has always fought to protect her home from the largest of threats when her involvement was deemed necessary.”

The Festival of Her Return, better known by its native name of Hrahanzai''', is a minor celebration that takes place during the seventh to twelfth days of Suo-Nei, and concerns itself with the event of Hrahanti's return from her pilgrimage across Tamriel and her subsequent ascension to godhood. This holiday is dedicated to reunion and family. Cosmopolitan Echmer often return to more rural ancestral homelands, in order to reunite and spend time with their extended family, catching up on the events of the previous year among their relatives. The naming of children and conduction of marriages are frequent occurrences during the festivities. The third day of the five-day festival is dedicated to Hrahanti’s return, with town processions bearing her emblem parading in the streets as puppet dancers and musicians accompany it with rhythmic song and praise for the goddess of sound.

Gondan
:“Iron. Chains. Song. Change. The Hyu-Ket sing with intensity with their burning throats of vibration and wine on this day, and from within the world-cocoon, the Spirit Chief moves beside them. Ever so distant, but never too far away.”

Gondan (the Coiling of Roars or the Dragon Dance) is a festival most commonly celebrated by the Hyu-Ket, although some Echmer also take part in the festivities. It takes place on the tenth day of Suo-Li. This celebration commemorates the previous comings of the Gol-Thek, as well as the relinquishing of misfortune and hardship. Great ritual fires are lit, around which startling effigies of drakes and chimeras are paraded, before being cast into the flames. Celebrants may write their worries and hardships from the previous year on clay tablets, which are likewise cast into the flames, being burnt away and cracked open by the intense heat, supposedly releasing the individual who cast it of their misfortune. Should a tablet fail to crack, however, it is considered an ill omen, and an indication that one’s hardships will continue, at least for another year.

Taoj'uan
:''“Bells are symbols of awakening and release, and are prominent throughout In'eslae as symbols of authority, tools for comfort, and catalysts for powerful sorceries. To hear a toll could mean any number of things, but on this day, it means purification.”

An annual event performed by the In’eslaen Order of Exorcists, Taoj'uan/the Festival of Brass Bells''' is a day upon which any individual on the isles may come before the Temple Outposts for a spiritual cleansing, performed by mass group meditation within a chamber with a large brass bell (brass having been associated with atonement for centuries). It takes place on the fourth of Suo-Lo'cir and is extremely popular in J'uondo, the City of Bells. The ringing of said bell is thought to drive out minor evil spirits that may be bound to a person, and provide them with greater focus and clarity.

Eilyadi Vah
:“How does the old tale of Mithras and the Flamestalk begin? De-di-do-dum? Ah, who cares! Today is the day we pay homage to real giants, and not the silly ones found in children tales.”

Eilyadi Vah translates into Giant Day, with the world ‘eilyadi’ itself being a misremembrance of an old Aldmeri word that the Noraken carried with them to the east. As the name implies, it is a day for appreciating giants of all types (although the Echmer are only accustomed to the creative Fire Giants, the sullen Rock Giants, and the occasional band of Sea Giant pirates) that became extremely popular in the northern islands of Yneslea due to the adventures of Dwurc Mapleson, who attempted to befriend a fire giant matriarch named Bi-Suy and was almost killed when she sat on him absentmindedly. The holiday takes place on the eleventh of Suo-Matta, and is usually celebrated through the carving of bearded giant masks and wearing them alongside imitations of Dwurc’s traveling cloak as they reenact old fables of the colossal folk; the islands of Rumma and Lor-Parlei in particular take this a step further by actually voyaging to meet with giants for gentle conversation and gift-giving.

Diamodia
:“As the Bat Elves would say it, ‘Kings live and die, but legacies are forever.’ The legacy of Uriel V, who became something of a folk hero for people not his own, has lasted well beyond his death.”

A celebration almost exclusive to the grand city of Yuarial (surprising no one) is Diamodia, which takes place on the seventeenth of Suo-Fa. This is the day that imperialized native Ynesleans and Tamrielic ynesleaborns who still sympathize with their homeland celebrate the Gem-Drake Dynasty (Uriel V the Fighting Diamond, Uriel VI the Persistent Emerald, Morihatha the Sturdy Pearl, and Eloise the Gracious Opal) of the Septims. Although accounts vary on Uriel V’s leadership capabilities, he is well remembered as a harsh but fair man that greatly loved exploration and meeting new people; there are even large collections of stories (the most popular being Tales of the Diamond) that document his possibly fictional habit of interfering in societal matters unrelated to him even during his many military campaigns.

Theaters in Yuarial will put on grand shows detailing various aspects of the Emperor and his brood, while many stalls and taverns will serve ''feshi (seasoned beef cakes wrapped in dough and filled with cheese, peppers, and onions) at discounted rates as that was a culinary dish Morihatha and siblings absolutely adored (Uriel V himself was more fond of rayao—fried peas, sweet rice, saki-slathered boar meat, and herbs with bean cream as a topping—allegedly).

Tei Vah
:“When Soulfast isn’t humiliating enough, and you really need to teach someone a (usually) harmless lesson, then this is the day for you.”

Tei’s Day, or Tei Vah, is probably the closest analogue to the western Jester’s Festival but with a more moral foundation. Back in the third aeon/era of In’eslae, there was a puckish hero known as Tei who often did more harm than good in every village he tried ‘liberating from danger’. The townspeople grew so irritated with his childish antics that they petitioned the last gerentess, Ilia of the Spirit, to silently pass a decree where anyone carrying a certain number of beetle emblems would be given the title of Goijo (which translates vaguely into ‘he or she with the nature of an arse’ in Tamrielic). Ilia passed this law without question and in short time Tei accumulated a great deal of emblems, the poor lad being told that this meant he was going to be given a grand reward.

And so on the ninth of Suo-Oom, Tei received his ‘grand reward’: a large crowd of laughter before the steps of the Twilight Fortress, seat of power of the gerency, and a much needed intervention. Tei learned his lesson and quickly turned his life around, becoming a much more heroic and wise individual who would go on to fight valiantly in the Hannar Wars. The “crowning of the jerk” ceremony as the natives came to call it eventually transformed into a holiday where people would prank one another, especially notorious tricksters, and if the joke was well-received then they would be given a beetle emblem. Whoever collects the most is granted a wish from the Council of Dull Chimes (within reason, of course).

Sainguiella
:“Despite their general distrust of foreigners, the native Ynesleans highly favor actual Tamrielics over what they deem to be their highly hypocritical and corrupting empire, and will take every chance they can get to ridicule it.”

The holiday of Sainguiella, held on the eighteenth of Suo-Oom, was originally conceived as a joke; back in the 415th year of the Third Era, the Imperial Governor of In’eslae—a surprisingly chaste Mia Liverio, a distant cousin of Uriel VII—became incredibly frightened by the steady influx of reveling cultists making their way to her borders. The Ice Cream Isles, after all, are far enough away from the judgemental gaze of the Imperial City’s dogmatic puritans and while the Yneslean Directorate has its own stricts laws concerning worship, it generally allows religious freedom outside of violent and/or truly unruly gatherings. Mia, however, was fearful that the presence of devout worshippers of the goddess Dibella and the daedric prince Sanguine would challenge the oath of maidenhood she made to her parentage. And so in a fit of selfish paranoia she banned the worship of these two deities within the Yneslean archipelago.

This was, understandably, met with outrage. Banning daedra worship was nothing new for the Tamrielic tourists and colonists, but making it illegal to worship one of the Divines? That was practically heresy. Riots began to spring up within the predominantly westerner settlements of archipelago quickly, followers of Oblivion and Aetherius adherents joining forces to challenge this unjust law, and to their surprise the Echmer joined in as well. There was no way the bat elves would miss out on such a golden opportunity to have a little fun with the poor governess, especially since she created the law without the involvement of the Council of Dull Chimes, and so the common folk got to work.

At the very end of the evening, as soon as Governor Mia went to her quarters, the western worshippers and ynesleans held grand and marvelous parties of suggestive song, entrancing dance, burning liquors, and marvelous food. The governor proceeded to wake up in a fit of rage, intent on having several people arrested for their nightly disturbance, but found herself confused and delighted by the festivities. Her banning of the two deities was rescinded late into the afternoon of the following day, and Sainguiella became a holiday devoted to night time parties for partying sake and the breaking of oaths deemed too silly for keeping.

Vixere
:“The nineteenth legion of the Imperial Legion is believed to be cursed (and for good reason). Since their founding centuries upon centuries ago, they have suffered heavy losses in numerous campaigns, daedric excursions, traitorous officers, and more to the point that they have been disbanded and exiled multiple times. Despite this, their valor is legendary and they deserve commendation.”

A somewhat obscure holiday celebrated in Yneslea is Vixere, or ‘They Lived’ in an old Imperial dialect, which is celebrated conjointly by the Echmeri armare, the Lapis Legion (a small division of 19th legionnaires who took part in the brutish Stormdrake Crusades, and after feeling immense remorse for their actions, requested to be permanently reassigned to the Directorate’s military to make up for their roles in the war), and several western settlements in the archipelago.

The luck of the Nineteenth Legion barely exists, and their numbers are so often thinned that the Elder Council is left with little choice but to bolster their numbers with auxiliary troops from the Imperial Territories. This has caused the nineteenth to be far more cosmopolitan than your typical legion and unbound from the traditional disciplines of its brethren, as well as earning it sympathy and praise from the downtrodden races due to its depressingly good nature. The holiday itself was established to honor those who fell in the Dark Rumble, a major skirmish that happened during the Yuarial Crusades (re: Yneslea’s Annexation); the nineteenth legion was sent to investigate an abandoned dwarven factory the native coalition had been using to bottleneck the Expeditionary Force, but were nearly slaughtered wholesale when the automatons within were unexpectedly awakened and turned hostile to both sides.

Although the event largely benefited the Directorate, the sheer severity of the massacre left a foul taste in many mouths. After the Crusades came to an end, the Hei’paogun of Conflict extensively researched the history of the Imperial Legion and decided to petition a day of quiet commemoration honoring the bravery of the Nineteenth Legion. The notion was unsurprisingly passed.

Adaz
:“Almost-King. Godling-in-Chains. Chosen Usurper. Hannar Orlai had many names, for he was more than man. In Lapis Lazuli, even the most morally dubious ancestors are still reserved high honors.”

Popular amongst the Cak’kan and those known as Orlai Sympathizers (who normally stay silent and hide in the shadows), Adaz (‘The Chain’''') is a holiday dedicated to the remembrance of the great warlord Hannar Orlai. A descendant of the infamous Cakaphon Dynasty and the supposed son of Gralmoghal (or Molag Bal in the West), the powerful warrior that would eventually go on to challenge Hrahndeyl herself in single combat was born in squalor. No parents to speak of and a seething hatred for what he perceived as a failing government, Hannar would disappear from the material realms for years as he searched for greater power and answers to his society’s problems.

He would eventually return to Yneslea as a changed mer, his appearance warped and an enchanted chain wrapped around his neck that provided mental clarity at the cost of eternal suffering. He amassed a host of daedra, Hyu-Ket, outcasts, nature spirits, and dissenters that distracted the armare long enough for him to sneak into the Twilight Palace and assassinate Gerentess Ilia and her Eskar'edai guards with minimal effort.

The Hannar Wars had begun, and they were waged for what felt like an eternity. The conflict only ended when Hannar’s wife and children were killed in a skirmish by mistake, and in his anguish he was visited by Hrahndeyl in his private tent. No one knows what their conversation consisted of, as the goddess refuses to divulge it to others, but when she emerged she carried sorrow in her heart and tearfully said: “Know today that this war is over, for the great lord Hannar is dead.”

Of course, many refuse to believe that the Almost-King could have been so easily disposed of… even by his own hand. He was, after all, the last person the Rhetoric Throne seemed willing to embrace before it turned sour against all potential candidates for the gerency and he was also a supposed demigod. In honor of him, those that still respect the honorable warlord burn black candles with pink flames in their homes on the twentieth of Suo-Vaee in the hopes that their soothing light will one day bring Hannar back to this mortal plane.