Skyfire Winter Solstice Feast
Nobody should have to be alone on the solstice day if they don't want to.
Every winter solstice the owner of the Skyfire Inn in Niskala aranges a feast for those who would otherwise spend the solstice alone.
A Feast
While the event is open for the whole day, the most important part is the feast. At least, according to the attendees. After paying a rather small fee, the attendees are allowed to partake in a generous feast, with much more food than they've paid for. While this seems like a rather foolish choice for an establishment that needs profit to survive, it's only for one day a year.
While this seems like a guaranteed way to get half the city to spend their winter solstice at the Skyfire Inn, feasting for cheap without having to cook any food, only the occasional family takes advantage of this. There are strong traditions of spending the winter solstice at home with your family, and it is rare that anyone would break that tradition if they have anyone to celebrate with. Of course, those who don't feel comfortable celebrating with their family, for any reason, are more than welcome to attend the feast.
The History
It all begun at the start of winter centuries ago. The owner of the Skyfire Inn in Niskala overheard a couple of guests who were lamenting their lack of friends or family to celebrate the winter solstice with. This was almost unheard of for the owner, as he'd never spent a single winter solstice without his family. After mentioning these guests to his wife that night they decided to try to do something about it.
At the winter solstice the inn was ready for people who didnt' have anywhere else to go. Nobody showed up. This was most likely due to the fact that the whole thing was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, and the few people who knew that it was happening were at home with their own families celebrating.
This didn't deter the innkeeper, however. The next year he'd made sure to talk more about this idea. The next winter solstice the innkeeper and his family celebrated the solstice with two travellers from southern Kupria who had gotten stuck in Niskala for the holiday due to an extra cold winter preventing them from travelling.
As the years passed, more people heard about this alternative to being alone over the winter solstice. As it was a free thing in the first years the street rats inevitably found out about it. Tempted by free food and a warm place to spend a cold winter day they soon outnumbered everyone else. After several thefts from both the other attendees and the inn itself, the innkeeper saw no other solution than to charge for the privilege of attending the celebration. This fee kept the street rats away. While it felt bad to turn children away like this, it was either that or having to end the tradition, as no paying customers would use the inn if their belongings were in danger. And as much as helping the street rats would be the charitable thing to do, money was kind of necessary to stay in business.
Despite a small fee to attend the winter solstice celebrations it kept being a popular offer for those who couldn't spend the day with their loved ones.
Regular Attendees
Some people attend the winter solstice celebrations at the Skyfire Inn every year. These people are mostly citizens of Niskala who for some reason can't celebrate with their loved ones.
Even a few foreigners have been seen at these celebrations more than once. Velethuil Alamaris from Enarion spends a lot of time in Niskala for some reason, and have made use of the celebrations every time he's in the city during the winter solstice, sometimes even several years in a row.
The City Guards
The city guards need to patrol the city, even during the winter solstice. However, those who get the honor of doing patrols during the winter solstice traditionally visit the feast at Skyfire Inn to have their lunch break. This is paid for by the city government, as a small benefit for working at the least desirable day of the year.
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