Festival of Passing

The Festival of Passing is held all over Ropla at different points in time, when the dark zone passes over a territory. Divided into 3 events withthe beginning and each marked with an event, Sunset of Prayer, Midnight of Silence, and Dawn of Feasting.
*Illustration explaining the dark zone*

History

The Dark Zone passing has always been a sign of misfortune and has brought many catastrophes as creatures migrate accross the Dark Zone to Ropla and attack the territory beneath it. After the development of the calendar and the realization that the passing came regularly on schedule, the festival of passing slowly developed around Ropla. Especially territories hit heavily by migrating creatures needed a source of hope.

Adventure Revolution

After the Adventure Revolution, when adventuring had become an acknowledged profession, traders, workers and citizens began hosting markets and quest fests in the beginning of the passing to attract adventurers for protection. Most moved on again quickly, but some stayed for the full period of passing. Some nobles would even hire Adventurers as guards during the quest fests, then leave them to watch and protect their holdings for the entire passing while they themselves left the territory.

The Leviathan Crisis

The migration and attack of the great Leviathan during The Leviathan Crisis intensified the fear of the people during the future passings.

Execution

The festival has 3 main events marking different stages of the passing.
*Sunset of Prayer, markets and adventurers flocking in*

Sunset of Prayer

The Sunset of Prayer is held on the first day of passing, meaning the day the Dark Zone enters the territory. During the Sunset of Prayer, the people originally prayed to their deities for protection during the common passing. It also meant time for preparations to be made. It means strengthening buildings, increasing the guards, those who were able would leave the land till after the passing.
After the Adventure Revolution markets began being held offering a unusually high amount of quests at all levels to attract Adventurers for additional protection.

Midnight of Silence

Talking at all is considered unlucky during the Midnight of Silence, which is the day the middle of the dark zone is closest to the center of the territory. It is a time where the population hold their breath, light candles of prayer all over the land in the hopes of repelling dark creatures and gather with the families in complete silence. This is the most risky part of the passing, as it is the time where Spawn is closest.
*Lit candles and prayers at the Midnight of Silence*

Few residents sleep this day of night, but gather around sources of light such as fires and candles. Looking at the faces of their closest ones during this entire time of risk reassures the residents and keeps them from worrying unnecessarily about the survival of those family members.

Dawn of Feasting

On the very last day of passing, the day where the Dark Zone leaves a territory is the Dawn of Feasting. People dance and party in the streets, and returning nobles and lingering adventures join in the celebrations. Families gather in a relief for a great feast and give each other presents, congratulating each other on the passed threat.
*Dawn of feasting, people dancing in the streets and nobles returning*

Participants

Workers, citizens and other permanent residents

Permanent residents usually stay during the entire festival of passing, simply because they cannot go anywhere else for that long.
In the early parts of the festival, they attempt to attract adventurers for their own protectiong furing the Sunset of Prayer with big markets, parties and guest fests where saved up quests are put up for offer.
During the Midnight of Silence, they set up and candles everywhere overnight to illuminate the darkest parts of the year in their lands. Relief only arrived at the Dawn of Feasting where local residents partied in the streets in great relief as the danger had passed for now.

Nobility and Royalty

Nobility, royalty and anyone else with holdings in other lands usually travel there during the festival of passing and only return in time to join the parties for the dawn of feasting. Only in a few lands to the highly ranked and rich choose to remain with the rest of the population during this time of risk.

Adventurers

Adventurers flock to areas currently in Sunset Prayer due to the high density of available quests at all levels. Many do the then available quests and move on, but a few choose to stay till the feasts start.
*arrival of the dark legion*

The Dark Legion

This specialized formation of soldiers are experts on the dark zone and the creatures migrating through it. They follow the center of the zone all year round and as only spend time in lands currently in Midnight Silence.

Observance

The festival is obeserved from the time the Dark Zone enters a territory, till the time it exist. The first day is the Sunset of Prayer, when it is centered right above the territory it is Midnight of Silence, when it exits the territory it is time for the Dawn of Feasting. The festival has different lengths, based on how directly above the Dark Zone passes.
*Festival of passing calendar for each territory*

Symbol of the passing

Primary Related Location

Ropla

the Passing

Time where the dark zone is passing a specific territory

*Little notes about local variants*

Related Reading:

The dark legion - formation