Hinderfall Shit

Sorry if this isn't the place for me to post this, but after looking over some of the Celtic holidays and celebrations, I figured I'd better get so ideas from you all.

From what I've read, the majority- if not all- of the holidays celebrated by the Pagans (The Celtics) were expressed by a cycle of seasonal festivals, controlled by what they referred to as the <b>Wheel of the Year</b>. Two were celebrated during each of the four seasons that we are accustomed to, but according to them, there were only two seasons, dictated by the solstices- thus Summer and Winter are the two.

I was thinking that since Hinderfall is a land known for its harsh weather conditions and general cold climate, perhaps they would follow this belief in only two seasons. After all, with the little change in climate, surely only the time of greatest warmth and greatest cold would be the times that stand out the most to those who inhabit the place.

And along the same lines, I was toying with the idea that perhaps they celebrated the eight holidays- or holidays similar to the eight- throughout their year.
(I also put whichever god/goddess the holiday would pertain to in italics below ^^')

<u>Imbolc:</u> Dated on the first day of what would be considered Spring, Imbolc follows Yule on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the revival of vegetation, and purification and cleaning of the land to ready it for the new year. It is the first festival of the year and readies those for the coming times.
<i>Illi</i>

<u>Ostara:</u> Dated during the center of what would be considered Spring, Ostara follows Imbolc on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates rebirth of the animals and running prey. From here, the days of the year would be longer than the nights and is a time which most young of the land, other than the cats, are born.
<i>Modir</i>

<u>Beltane:</u> Dated on the first day of Summer, Beltane follows Ostara on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the flora and the climb of the warmth in the land. It is also the time celebrated by couples young and old as a time of love and romanticism.
<i>Ast</i>

<u>Litha:</u> Dated during the at the peak of Summer, Litha follows Beltane on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the longest day of the year and the comfortable warmth of the land. A celebration for those who travel across the different lands, it is also a time of great trade. It is the largest practice festival behind that of Yule.
<i>Gersemi</i>

<u>Lammas:</u> Dated on the first day of what would be considered Autumn, Lammas follows Litha on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the harvest of the land and the greatest surplus of prey. It is a time for feasting and marks the time where most spend time out adventuring before the cold returns.
<i>Syn</i>

<u>Mabon:</u> Dated during the center of what would be considered Autumn, Mabon follows Lammas on the Wheel of the Year. Similar to Lammas, it is a time for festivities with friends and family before the Winter moons, and marks the time where night is longer than day. It is a time when acknowledgement towards the Gods is at its highest, in the hopes of gaining aid throughout the Winter.
<i></i>

<u>Samhain:</u> Dated on the first day of Winter, Samhain follows Mabon on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the lives of those passed. A festival of darkness, though of mourning, it also plays the role as a time of mystery and excitement for those of all ages in order to boost moral during the hardest season.
<i>Nio - Formerly Mordvig</i>

<u>Yule:</u> Dated during the at the peak of Winter, Yule follows Samhain on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the longest night of the year. Rather than focusing on the melancholy brought upon by the most troublesome season of the year, it is a time greatly celebrated in the name of light and the returning sun. As the last festival of the year, it is often found to be the one most spirited and wild in practice.
<i>Rodull</i><hr>

Smaller celebration of more minor holidays would include the lesser known gods and sprites of the lands. These last for shorter periods of time in comparison to the greater eight festivals, sometimes even for only a day, but still add up to the culture of the land.

<u>Ancestors' Day:</u> A time for celebration of one's lineage and history. A sort of family's day, it is one where youths gather eagerly to catch ear of an elder's words about the past, and do well by assisting their kin. It is celebrated between Litha and Lammas.
<i>Logr</i>

<u>Eve of Bewitching:</u>A time where trickery and games are celebrated, along with the idea of the dead's rising. Similar to All Hallows Eve, it is fed by the wonder of the dark and scary stories from travelers. It is celebrated between Mabon and Samhain.
<i>Ran</i>

<u>Day of Cleansing:</u> A time for the celebration of seas and rivers. It is a day spent grooming and the cleaning of one's physical body and spiritual body by way of water. It is generally one of the most peaceful holidays and one most youths even deny as a real holiday for its lack of a festival. It is celebrated between Imbolc and Ostara.
<i>Vodyanoi</i>

<u>Rivals' Day:</u> A rather festive day for competition in the form of sport. It is a time where feats of strength and odds between opponents takes place. It is a highly energetic holiday most celebrated by adolescents wishing to prove themselves. It is celebrated between Beltane and Litha.
<i>Oor</i>

<u>Starcast</u> A period of late night delved into early morning where the great expanse of the starry sky can be viewed. Unlike the other minor holidays, it is a part of the Yule festival, where on the longest night of the year, individuals gather together to in a state of awe to partake in star-gazing. Despite the wild festivities of the Yule time celebrations, it is a single night of the year that all look forward to.
<i>Djupr</i><hr>

I feel like I went a little far with all of this...but I do not apologize. But please! Let me know what you think!
Good? Bad? Needing some tweaking? Just...please be nice ^^'

<u><b>|| History ||</u>

<small><ul><b><i>"Burst forth, tiny flames of life..."</i></b></ul></small> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<small><i>In the beginning, Azazel and her brother were born to a pair of cats who attached their loyalties to no one. With their mother- Marina, a Bombay/Havana Brown mix- hailing from a distant land beyond the limits of Bosque, and their father- Asher, a traveling Tonkinese/Bombay mix- born from family of Dunian lineage.

Yaminata was brought up in a firm household alongside her three littermates, each one being a brother. Due to the fact that Ozuko was the current leader of the village warriors, it was not strange that he wished all of his offspring to follow in his own footsteps. This included his only daughter. However, Tenten was opposed to the idea as she held a strong desire to teach Yami the ways of a geisha as all the females of her family had done for many generations. Ozuko was not particularly fond of the idea in having a weak daughter who only knew the frailty of an entertainer, but agreed so long as Yami would be allowed to partake in battle training with her brothers. Although hesitant, Tenten accepted.

Even as kits, Yami, Nikiro, Lao, and Onigumo were trained in the ways of a warrior by Ozuko and his closest supporters. While a fair and just cat, Ozuko was not a pitying tom and trained his kits nearly as brutally as he did his troops, but he was not unkind. He simply was following in the steps that his father had taken with him, and his father before him. Such was the way of the Hinamori house. By the time the four kits were of the age to become apprentices, each were more experienced than others of their age.</i></small>

<small><ul><b><i>"Fight hard, little spitfire..."</i></b></ul></small> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<small><i>When the time came to take their Coming of Age Ceremony, each kit was firm in their belief of Shibuya and their own abilities as fighters. Determined of their preparedness, Ozuko escorted his brood to the village's leader and each were deemed ready by the cat in charge. When taken to the priest of Moshuku, the brothers and sister were each given a blessed token in which to carry along their trip to the weapons' god's temple and the four wasted no time in dawdling at the village. While most took a day or two to ready themselves for the journey, the four kits of Ozuko was keen on leaving and the group left as soon as their tokens had been received.

The journey was long, but not hard in the kits' eyes. Each heard taunting and luring words that threatened to urge them off the path set for them, but none of the four diverted their attention to those of the Tainted. They were trained to not do so.

Eventually, Yami and her littermates made it to the god's temple and the hermit which guarded it lead them up to where Rowan's spirit dwelled. Each kit remained stern-faced and unswayed by the god's presence when he greeted them, and each continued to show no weakness when pained cries were wrenched from their littermates as their soul weapons began to form. When the morning greeted them after each young cat passed out for the night, they were all in awe of the sore, yet powerful feeling they all bore within themselves. Proud, they set off back home.

While the road home often posed as even harder a journey for apprentices to make in terms of weakness, the four's sense of bolstered pride and honor for their family was too great of a presence about them and none were even slightly swayed by the Tainted voices swirling around them. Once home in Moshuku Village, the area was thrown into celebration over the return of all four kits of the general. And each were pleased with the long swords that each kitten bore from their souls, similarly to the one that their own father wielded.

Ozuko took each of his four kits as his own apprentices as he trusted not the teaching of his other warriors to lead his offspring. Bestowing upon them the masks of their family, each were formally appointed as private students of the Hinamori house- such was an honor for others outside the family, but was a right for the general's children. Ozuko wasted no time in resuming their exercise and he trained them well and hard, but Yami received even more work.

Tenten was pleased with her daughter's return, but as an apprentice now, Yami was moved up to the rank of 'maiko,' or apprenticing geisha as Tenten was adamant about her daughter learning the ways of the Akuso house. Yami was bombarding by the stern training of both her mother and father and had little time to rest or play. From the morning to afternoon, she spent her time fighting with her father and brothers, and from the evening until deep into the night, she practiced with her mother while the rest slept. Yet, the she-cat never once fell behind. She was great among her littermates- not quite matching them in pure strength as they grew to be much larger than she, but was much faster and more precise with her blows. It was not long before she surpassed them. And as a geisha, while she had a bit of trouble in acting delicately, she soon was apt at the job of an entertainer and hostess to the point where even her mother was pleased.</i></small>

<small><ul><b><i>"Burn bright, sizzling star..."<i/></b></ul></small> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<small><i>It wasn't long before Yami and her brothers reached the age and ability in which their father deemed them ready to join the ranks of his warriors, despite Tenten's wishes to make Yami a full-fledged geisha. However, Ozuko's desires came to fruition as under the watchful eyes of the village leader, he tested each of his kits and each of the four passed with flying colors.

Yami quickly became well-known among her peers for her abilities as a multi-trick pony as she was a ruthless fighter with a cold heart, but could quickly flip her attitude to the warm and welcoming vibe of a geisha with ease. She spent her free time continuing her training with her mother as best as she could, as Tenten had become pregnant once more after Yami and her littermates had graduated their father's teaching- such was the way of the Hinamori household; to keep a constant supply of warriors in the village's ranks. Ozuko would continue his firm teachings with the next litter of kits his mate would bear, and the those born afterwards.</i></small>

<small><ul><b><i>"Ignite the sky, mighty firework!"</i></b></ul></small> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<small><i>Soon would come the time in which Yami would fight on a whole other plane than her brothers. While each were great fighters in their own right, the young toms were too easily swayed by things such as indulgences and the like, and failed to fully maintain their once diligent attitudes. Thus, even against the three toms' dismayed cries, Ozuko named his daughter as his successor. Yami was not surprised, even at her young age, as she knew it was a Hinamori tradition that the general's successor would be one of their own offspring. However, Yami did take some pride in knowing that she was considered better than her littermates.

Moons passed and cats came and went. Two more litters had been born and raised by Yami's parents with the latter of two having already reached apprenticehood. Yaminata did well to assist in the training of her younger littermates, Moriama, Tamari, and Kama- even going as far as to taking Tamari as her own apprentice under Ozuko's guidance. She had trained the younger she-cat in the same ways as Yami had, including their mother's geisha training, though Tamari eventually graduated as a warrior and disowned the idea of being a gentle geisha.

However, less than tasteful things have happened in the she-cat's life too. Along the way, the youngest of her littermates- Onigumo- managed to get himself into some trouble and wound up tainted. Though he was caught early on and was exorcised, the tom was left a hollow. This disgraced the Hinamori family and Yami witnessed as Ozuko exiled their kinmate. Yami's feelings as a sister urged her to feel something- anything. However, her state as a hardened warrior kept her from feeling pity. Ozuko sent the cat away and the location of Onigumo now is left unknown. Ozuko later spoke to Yami, telling her that she would have to do the same in due time if ever a kinmate of hers dishonored their family. Yami understood the ramifications and agreed without remorse.

Tragedy also struck during the Coming of Age ceremony for the family's youngest litter as during the trek from the Weapon God's temple back home managed to be too hard a trip for the smallest she-kit to make and Sabo- Yami's youngest sister- was paralyzed by the time her littermates had dragged her shocked body home. While not tainted, she was so affected by the urging voices that she had a physical reaction to them, and the process of mending her Soul Weapon was frozen with her. The priest of the village did what they could, but the youngest daughter of the general could not be saved. This enraged the distraught Tenten and the queen took her remaining daughters Onotari and Ichihana to train as 'maiko' solely. To this, the upset Ozuko did not argue. Instead, he took the death of his daughter as a blow to his honor as a teacher as he had sent her out in the belief that she was ready without worrying for her health. The tom took this as a sign that he needed to retire as the general, feeling as if he was no longer capable of making the correct judgement calls. He went to the villager leader to alert him of his decision and how he named Yami his successor. The former general finally was allowed to back down and spend the rest of his life in peace as just the head of the Hinamori house and mentor to his youngest son, Shinji, while basking in the pride that his eldest daughter had been welcomed as his replacement.

As for Yami, the she-cat took to the role quickly and with ease. She acts now with fair judgement, but has little allowance for nonsensical indulgences in her warriors as it led to the hollowfication of her brother. Such is a story she has no trouble in reminding to her troops. However, in her spare time, she allows herself to enjoy life a little as the head geisha of her family's house and does well to encourage and alleviate the stress of her troops through small gatherings of food for the bellies and eyes.</i></small>

Spring - Ostalc
Summer - Belitha
Fall - Lammab
Winter - Yulhan

<u>Ostalc:</u> Dated during the peak of Spring, Ostalc follows Yulhan on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the revival of vegetation, and purification and cleaning of the land to ready it for the new year. It also celebrates rebirth of the animals and running prey. From here, the days of the year would be longer than the nights and is a time which most young of the land, other than the cats, are born. Marking the start of when days outlast nights, it is the first festival of the year and readies those for the coming times. During this time, the Day of Cleansing takes place, and throughout the festival, the three Gods- Illi, Modir, and Vodyanoi- are praised.

<u>Belitha:</u> Dated during the peak of Summer, Belitha follows Ostalc on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the longest day of the year and the comfortable warmth of the land. It is a time celebrated by couples young and old as a time of love and romanticism. And a celebration for those who travel across the different lands, it is also a time of great trade. It is the largest practice festival behind that of Yulhan. During this time, the Ancestors' Day takes place, and throughout the festival, the three Gods- Ast, Gersemi, and Logr- are praised.

<u>Lammab:</u> Dated during the peak of Autumn, Lammab follows Belitha on the Wheel of the Year. It celebrates the harvest of the land and the greatest surplus of prey. It is a time for feasting and marks the time for festivities and competitions with friends, family, and rivals before the Winter moons. The time where nights become longer than days, the Eve of Bewitching is celebrated, and throughout the festival, the three Gods- Syn, Ran, and Oor- are praised.

<u>Yulhan:</u> Dated during the peak of Winter, Yulhan follows Lammab on the Wheel of the Year and celebrates the longest night of the year and of the lives of those passed. Rather than focusing on the melancholy brought upon by the most troublesome season of the year, it is a time greatly celebrated in the name of light-filled spirits and the returning sun. As the last festival of the year, it is often found to be the one most spirited and wild in practice. During this time, Starcast is celebrated on the longest night, and throughout the festival, the three Gods- Rodull, Nio, and Djupr- are praised.