The Artisans' Turning

"You're telling me the one who did the best job is the one who has to do the work organizing next year? How is that fair?"
"If I may be so bold as to ask one question? If you were to do an extraordinary job as a trader, would your superiors not issue you a more difficult task as well?"
"... you may have a point."

— Easton Lucas and Laveri Holimion; an overheard conversation.

Over the ages, the elves have had their fortunes wax and wane in comparison to many other cultures on Erisdaire. The high elves, secluded in the Faeweald, have maintained several cities built in the style of their ancient homes. For them, tradition is very important as a touchstone to "what once was" and "what we once were". The veneration of the Seasons takes on a new meaning, and there are festivals which are meant to be anchors for their culture to keep touch with the past. Among these is "the Artisan's Turning", a festival devoted to Triss Celebraum and the passion for crafting one thing from another.

Every high elven city has a large place set aside for this festival with several trees with branches grown together into a canopy of green overhead. Villages and towns do not have such a space set aside, though they may find another such space to observe the tradition. Any adult is welcome to take part, though they are expected to have some skill with tools and magic. The winner of the previous year becomes the organizer of the current year, with very few exceptions. The organizer is expected to provide each other participant with a single piece of material. The type and amount of material may vary, but it is most often some portion of wood or soft stone. On rare occasions there have truly spectacular choices, such as a roasted seed or a bowl of clear water.

The goal is for each participant to shape the material as they choose with whatever tools and magic they have accessible. They have a scale of time set by the organizer, usually relative to the 'trickiness' of the materials provided. Once that time has elapsed, the participants who have finished present their pieces one at a time to be judged. This is a silent process, as it is expected the work will speak for itself or else it is yet incomplete. Each piece is placed upon a pedestal with no identifying marks, so what is to come will not be 'tainted' by a name.

When all pieces have been shown, those who did not participate are given a chance to cast their vote for which piece is believed to have made the most creative presentation with the provided material. This does not necessarily translate to a test of aesthetics, or spectacle; elven sensibilities tend more towards a form of resonance of form with material, and high elven culture tends towards expressions which are simple and elegant.

The winner is given a small accolade produced by the organizer specifically for the festival, a token of some sort which signifies the victory. Once this has been passed over, the other participants are given another token to show they even attempted such a task. This follows with an elven saying which guides their behavior: "sometimes it is as important to try and fail, than it is to forego the risk".

While this festival tradition holds value among many of the older elves, those born more recently are not drawn to the tradition strongly enough to participate. Nevertheless, they are willing to place votes and discuss their favorite pieces for many days afterwards. It is a fear of the older noble houses the newer generations will not embrace the passion and discipline the festival embodies, and there has been discussions of what to do about making it seem more appealing.