Rince na Oídhche (ˈrʲiŋʲkʲə nˠə ˈiːðʲxʲə)

"Since leaving Baile Oíche, I have discovered that everyone else's ideas about beauty are so...limited." - Fíonna Slougánach

When darkness falls over the city of Baile Oíche on the night of Samhein, the Fir Fáinne of Fennell and Fae of the Night Court come together to celebrate the Rince na Oídhche, or the Night Dance.

The Rince na Oídhche begins as soon as darkness falls. Lanterns of all colors are lit in the streets, and the revelers gather in their shadows. From the depths of the Night Court, Queen Fíodhna leads the Night Fae forth to meet the people of Fennell in the darkened streets. She is welcomed there by the Rí of Fennell, Siobhán Slougánach, and her entourage. The two monarchs then begin the dance.

Their dance begins slowly, as they circle each other, dipping in and out of the shadows and advancing closer whenever they are in the dark. Finally their steps bring them together in the center of the city, eyes locked upon each other and ignoring all else in the square. The human and the Fae take hold of each other and begin the true Rince na Oídhche, as it has been danced since the unification of their two kingdoms. The observers stomp their feet to the rhythm, and the beat carries throughout the city until the walls shake with it. Meanwhile, the dancers have eyes only for each other as they spin and step and clasp each other's bodies. Around them, the crowd of humans and Fae begin to mingle together, and as the steps of the monarch's dance comes to a close, the people of both sorts find partners for the next dance to come. The monarchs' dance ends with Fíodhna and Siobhán in a tight embrace, and then the true revelry begins.

History

The Rince na Oídhche was first celebrated shortly after the death of Celestina, when the humans and Fae were learning to live together. At first, the Night Court of the Fae and the humans of Fennell found it difficult to coexist. The Night Court was created by Celestina as the repository for the monsters and nightmares among the Fae, and they terrified the people of Fennell by their very appearance.

The idea to have a celebration shared between the two groups was proposed by Airgetlám, the first Ard-Rí of Oileán Fiáin. The first occurance was tentative, with both parties unsure that the other would be able to remain peaceful when encountering the others. According to the history, it was not yet the wild revelry it would evolve into later, but it did not end in disaster. Airgetlám was able to coax both the Fir Fáinne and the Night Fae into the dance, and when the dawn came they found themselves less afraid of each other.

Over the centuries that followed, the Rince na Oídhche continued. It became a celebration of the unusual, and of the dark and strange beauties of the night. Participants on both sides began to don elaborate costumes, and more than a few liasons were conducted in the shadows that crossed the line between the two peoples.

The tradition has transformed both the humans of Fennell and the Fae of the Night Court. As generations of humans became comfortable with the strange and frightening creatures of the dark, their ideas of beauty expanded to encompass what others would call monstrous. At the same time, these altered ideas reverberated through The Dream via the Egregoric Force and impacted the Night Fae directly. What had once been purely frightening gained sensual and seductive properties, intensifying the shift in the perceptions of the humans around them. Those who study how changing beliefs can alter the Numina associated with have written volumes about the impact of the Rince na Oídhche on the Night Fae, describing how it has created and maintained a feedback loop where the ideas are shaped by the dance, and then the dancers are transformed by the ideas.

Primary Related Location

Baile Oíche

Important Locations

• Baile Oíche

Related Organizations

• Fennell

Shades of Baille Mel

The Night Dance is deeply connected to the Fae, and its darkling revels are enough to resonate across The Dream with the Fae carnival dreamland of Baille Mel. Some believe that the dance acts as a form of Folk Magic that draws the Dreamland city closer to the physical one, and creates a temporary Wild Place around the city of Baile Oíche. While that is speculative, it is true that people have slipped in and out of Baille Mel while engaged in the Rince na Oídhche, and sometimes they remain there for long enough that years pass before they find their way out of the eternal festival. You can read more about Baille Mel here.

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