Armilus Festival

This festival is celebrated on the 19th of Frontir, mainly by those who worship Torag. It is celebrated in Torlund and The Drazia Dynasty but not with as much enthusiasm as in Duthgar and the DRB, especially Dwarven settlements like Girdev.
The festival officially starts at sundown but often the revelry begins before with cheap wine, fighting tournaments, tests of strength, and a focus on weapon and armour crafts. The festival was originally meant to be a blessing on the army so that their weapons would serve them well and bring them luck. In modern times, it has grown to encompass town and royal guards; in some cases, mercenaries and local fighters try to be included as well. 
During the festival, those who want their weapons blessed by Torag, or those wishing to bless another's weapon, will consecrate the weapons and armour by sprinkling them with or dipping them into wine while calling on Torag to bless them. People believe that the better the weapon, the more effective this will be, since Torag will appreciate and honour the fine craftsmanship. Many also try to procure better wine as a sign of honour, but everyone agrees that the quality of the wine is nowhere near as important as the weapon quality. Many people will carry cups of wine around with them and sprinkle the weapons of those protecting them (i.e., the army or city guards) as they meet them in the streets, saying 'may Torag forge favour into your blade and those you protect' as they do. Often, there will also be barrels of rather cheap wine at street corners or important locations so that as a warrior goes past they may dip their weapons. These barrels very quickly become contaminated with oils and weapon cleaning runoff.
In many places where this festival is celebrated, there will be a battle royal held as the big finale to the festival at about 9 pm. Regardless, festivities often run late into the night and are often a full-day affair, starting as early as 9am in some places.
Category:Celebrations