The Harvest

Harvest Eve is here - but this year there is little thought of celebration. Turmoil has spread its grip around Alva, with bloody battle raging in the North and conflict bursting everywhere. This year, it is quiet fear and superstition which rules. This year, they whisper, the terrible harvest of Spectre Day has come too.

The usual Harvest Eve celebrations give way to smaller gatherings and vigils, and unbridled joy gives way to desire for solidarity. Gone are the open banquets, fairs and drinking - instead people hole up with family and friends for a good but prudent dinner as harvests are stored to safeguard the future. There is merriment of the usual kind, but it is pared back and undercut with worry. Traditions believed to protect against evil spirits are followed with rare diligence. Fires, candles and warding lanterns light many homes in the Harvest Eve weeks. Prayers for safety and gestures of thanks to the gods rise everywhere.

Features: Harvest Eve celebrations (see link above) but in smaller scale and more focused on warding. Lots of superstition.