History
The seasons of 4 Corners coincide with the large, orange sun that gives the land light, heat, and life. Elios' faithful believe that the sun above is the god's actual land. However, none of that has been proven.
Two of the most prominently known days among all of 4 Corner's people are Longest Day and Longest Night. Longest Day signals the beginning of the growing and harvest seasons as well as the warmest times in 4 Corners. Longest Night signals the end of those seasons where the people will finish storing their goods, merchants will take longer to traverse the dangerous often wintery roads to get to their destinations, and people start the preparations to begin a new growing season.
Crossroads, the Merchant Citystate, the Oasis in the deserts, and once a place where all would go to trade, exchange ideas and news, and celebrate the end or halfway point of a long journey was mostly immune to the weather changes of the seasons. The deserts would always remain warm and steady no matter the season, and but it did not escape both the transient and permanent residents of the region that business would be much slower after the Longest Night. And so, to celebrate the final grand coming together of people before the slow season began, the Celebration of Merchants or Long Night's Last Fire was established.
The Celebration
The Celebration of Longest Night begins at sundown. Shops close down early and instead have their doors open to provide gifts to those who want them. Residents open their doors to others as well and provide tea, small snacks or meals, treats and desserts, indulgent cordials, brandies, or cognacs, or small valuable trinkets to anyone who wants to visit. Bonfires are lit and hunters across the oasis region will bring the latest kill to be roasted on one of the fires. Storytellers shout their stories to the audiences, traveling theater troupes perform their latest performances. Fire walkers, coal dancers, and others of many faiths display acts of celebration representative of their creeds, and the celebration continues until the next dawn- representative of the longest party one can have in a day.
Pieces of cultures from each of the 4 Corners is represented here, and the entire event is dedicated to the good food and good drink that the merchants have to offer in anticipation for the season where all of these people will see each other once again.
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