HARVESTMERE, the 10th month of the Dragon Age calendar, is not particularly spooky! But, considering we’ve celebrated odd holidays in random months, there’s no reason not to get festive for our own spooky holiday season. Join me in throwing our latest DARP Event: Harvestmere at Skyhold!
WHEN: The entire month of October through November 2nd.
WHO: You! Anyone is welcome to be a part of this event, whether you’re in DARP or visiting us with a DA verse.
WHERE: Anywhere in Thedas; Skyhold is merely a gathering point for many of us, one that I certainly hope would join in the festivities for the season. But hey, if you want to carve some pumpkins down in the Deep Roads, you do that shit.
WHAT: Since Halloween is not an official holiday in Thedas, consider some of these suggestions to help get the creativity flowing:
ALL SOUL’S DAY, celebrated traditionally in August, is a Thedosian celebration of the dead. The Chantry uses this holiday to remember Andraste and her sacrifice through plays and bonfires representing her immolation. It is said that in northern areas of Thedas, many people dress as spirits and parade through the town after midnight.
SATINALIA, celebrated on the first of Firstfall (our Nov. 1), is a wild, often week-long celebration in which Thedosians don masks and feast and drink. Antiva is known to have the longest running Satinalia festivals, followed by a week of fasting, while more pious areas and families tend to emphasize the feast (over the celebration) and give gifts to one another.
Elvhen and Dalish characters may want to consider how their clan or people would celebrate months of harvest and the dead. Do they take time to have rituals for Falon’din and deceased loved ones? Do they celebrate Sylaise or Andruil for warm fires and successful hunts? Do they dress as Fen’harel and play tricks on one another?
Inquisitors may want to consider how Skyhold will celebrate the fall holidays. Are they particularly pious? Would they encourage their companions to wear masks? Could they spare time to decorate and feast?
Would necromancers have particular rituals to which they would adhere during this season? How do they negotiate their particular connection to the dead?
Dwarven characters may want to consider their character’s relationship to the Stone, their caste–would these allow for celebrations of the dead, of seasons, or harvests? Would they be similar or different to Chantry-held beliefs?
How would Fade-connected characters like Solas or Cole make sense of the season?
What mask would your character wear? Why would they choose that? Would they go all out into making a fabulous costume or would they show up in something simple?
Don’t forget all the silly things we enjoy that make the season what it is–apple picking and hot cider, pumpkin flavored everything, carving, baking, playing in the leaves, spiced wine, pecan pies, corn pits and mazes, costumes, celebrations. It’s up to you how to best celebrate the season!
As always, be respectful! Don’t godmod or force others into situations they may be uncomfortable writing in. Understand that horror themed threads may be triggering to certain people or they may be inappropriate to engage in with minors. Don’t make assumptions about others without asking their consent first and make sure to stay vigilant on your tags.
More than this, be respectful to the season! Not everyone celebrates Halloween as Americans or Westerners do (and some don’t celebrate it at all), and some people may have different celebratory practices, holidays, beliefs about the dead, rituals, and so on. This is a time for us to learn about one another’s cultures, not to appropriate or mock them.
Have fun. Be creative! Write some metas, get drunk, eat too much candy.
Tag your starter calls, aesthetic posts, or other contributions with our event tag #event: harvestmere at skyhold to help you connect with others!
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