Rites
Four times a year, the animal mutants celebrate traditional rites, all tied to the seasons and the sun’s path across the firmament.
Now Five with the addition of the King of the Valley, festival.
Winter’s Blood: When darkness and cold envelope the valley the Watchers must be appeased, so that they bring back warmth and light again. This is done by sacrifice. Each tribe selects a sacrificial victim – the methods of choosing vary from tribe to tribe. It might be an outcast, someone who is sick, or a volunteer. After a long ceremony of singing around bonfires, the sacrificial victim is cast out of the habitat and forced to walk towards one of the two Forbidden Zones. What happens to them – if they are taken away or simply killed – is unknown.
The Wild Dance: On the spring equinox, when the warmth is coming and day and night are equally long, the animals celebrate their feral ancestors. During the Wild Dance speaking is strictly forbidden, as is the use of tools. The animals feast on raw flesh and plants, and dance wildly around their bonfires until dawn. Fertility rites are another common feature of this celebration.
King of the Valley TOO BE ADDED
Walk of Light: The Summer Walk takes place during the summer solstice, the brightest time of year. Young animals, eager to prove themselves worthy of entering adulthood, embark on a long walk through the valley – preferably filled with hardships. Their departure is celebrated with song and dance, as is their return – if they return.
Humanfall: On the autumnal equinox, as darkness falls again, the animal mutants commemorate the fall of humankind. During the celebration, animals dress up as humans, wearing strange outfits and accessories, often hats or spectacles of different kind. Ancient scrap and scrap idols (see below) are common features of the celebration. The animals act as humans (or how they believe humans acted) with intricate dancing, song and poetry. Some seers even claim to be possessed by human spirits – their movements are stiff and human-like, their eyes empty, and they speak of mysterious and ancient things. These possessed animals can give advice, see the future and settle grudges within the tribe.
Now Five with the addition of the King of the Valley, festival.
Winter’s Blood: When darkness and cold envelope the valley the Watchers must be appeased, so that they bring back warmth and light again. This is done by sacrifice. Each tribe selects a sacrificial victim – the methods of choosing vary from tribe to tribe. It might be an outcast, someone who is sick, or a volunteer. After a long ceremony of singing around bonfires, the sacrificial victim is cast out of the habitat and forced to walk towards one of the two Forbidden Zones. What happens to them – if they are taken away or simply killed – is unknown.
The Wild Dance: On the spring equinox, when the warmth is coming and day and night are equally long, the animals celebrate their feral ancestors. During the Wild Dance speaking is strictly forbidden, as is the use of tools. The animals feast on raw flesh and plants, and dance wildly around their bonfires until dawn. Fertility rites are another common feature of this celebration.
King of the Valley TOO BE ADDED
Walk of Light: The Summer Walk takes place during the summer solstice, the brightest time of year. Young animals, eager to prove themselves worthy of entering adulthood, embark on a long walk through the valley – preferably filled with hardships. Their departure is celebrated with song and dance, as is their return – if they return.
Humanfall: On the autumnal equinox, as darkness falls again, the animal mutants commemorate the fall of humankind. During the celebration, animals dress up as humans, wearing strange outfits and accessories, often hats or spectacles of different kind. Ancient scrap and scrap idols (see below) are common features of the celebration. The animals act as humans (or how they believe humans acted) with intricate dancing, song and poetry. Some seers even claim to be possessed by human spirits – their movements are stiff and human-like, their eyes empty, and they speak of mysterious and ancient things. These possessed animals can give advice, see the future and settle grudges within the tribe.
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