Árs fæðing

Árs fæðing, meaning Year's Birth in Anglicus, is the celebration of the new year carried out in the North. Tournaments and never ending feasts are held for a week leading up to the day of Árs fæðing. These competitions involve sailing, hunting, dueling, and even drinking contests just to name a few. The champions of all these events are given rewards in the form of currency and at the Table of Champions during the day of Árs fæðing, right next to the Table of Chiefs. One of the most famous tournaments is held within a arena that is constructed weeks in advance to hold duels. By the end of day, there will be two warriors left standing and they will be given a weapon selected by their opponent before a final duel ensues. The victor is allowed to either kill their opponent or spare them. There is a final act where the arena is cleared of debris before several werewolves are released into the pit. This is used to show off the protector of the North, Bjorn the Giant, and his immense power. The actual day of Árs fæðing is a day of non-stop drinking, eating, and almost every other act of celebration that can be thought of. The night is where things get interesting. The arena that once held duels will have been converted into a stage area for plays to be enacted and for music to be played. Some of the plays are about battles fought and won by the Raiders and others are dedicated to the triumphs of famous Raiders throughout history. From chiefs to warriors that earned their spot among legends and even a few outliers such as Ulric Hrolf, who became the first Raider to reach the rank of 1st Class Chief Inquisitor. The entire event is seen by outsiders as 'over the top' and 'primitive' due to how lost in the celebrations many can get. One particularly memorable Árs fæðing was a few decades back when a warband of Raiders got their hands on several crates of Reiði and decided to purge the nearby forests of Kjötpúkinn and any other monster that they found. It got to the point where the fires used to kill the Kjötpúkinn were able to be seen from dozens of miles away. Another memorable Árs fæðing was the previous celebration when the Emperor decided to celebrate the event by showing up unannounced at one of the celebrating towns. The crowd, at the sight of the Emperor, flew into a frenzy over the idea that the Emperor had come to celebrate with them. The royal escort accompanying the Emperor had to eventually step in to prevent him from doing acts considered improper for a man of his position.