The Ton'On

Every new moon, the orcs of Anth'Tkur hold a festival, called the Ton'On. The festival has two parts. The first begins when the last light of the sun gives way to darkness on the night of the new moon, and ends when the sun once again illuminates the Waste. The second part begins when the moon is first visible the next night, and lasts until it disappears, though festivities often die down by that time. In preparation for the Ton'On, Lahi'Gaur will summon great gusts of wind to blow away the cloud that constantly hovers over the Waste, leaving a large hole in it over the city. During this time, no travel in or out of Anth'Tkur is permitted. The lack of white coal smoke means that there is less ambient magic in that area, making rail travel dangerous.
The purpose of the Ton'On festival is to ensure that the moon completes its cycle, returning to a full moon. This is due to a common orcish religious belief, which states that the moon is a great eye, which watches over Anth'Tkur and its people, protecting them from evil. Its gaze is said to be capable of piercing even the great cloud that has hovered over the Waste ever since the Rails were created. However, the moon sometimes gets sleepy, as constantly watching without blinking can get quite tiring. Due to this, it often drifts off, slowly closing until it shuts completely, leaving Anth'Tkur unwatched. This is obviously not good, so the Ton'On was created with the purpose of waking up the moon, so it can continue its everlasting vigil.
The Ton'On is a night of music, of shouting and singing, of bells and whistles. Above all else, the Ton'On is a night of sound. A great cacophony, enough to wake anyone near the city, and ideally the moon as well. During Ton'On, no one can simply speak. One has to shout to be heard over all the noise, which only serves to add to it. Music is played, but there are no organized performances, nothing of that sort. Every musician plays as hard and as loud as they can, and they all play at once, adding their tunes to the chaos. Even the Lahi'Gaur join in, summoning great thunderclaps. When day comes, the noise dies down, and the only sound left is the ringing of one's ears. Having stayed up all night partaking in the festival, most sleep for the majority of the day, and nobody is made to work.
The next night, the second part of the Ton'On begins. It is a far more polite and organized celebration, and less centralized than the night before. The second night is for celebrating the waking moon, as the first sliver of it can be seen in the sky. There is no need for noise, as the moon has already been stirred awake, which the ears of Anth'Tkur's citizens are very thankful for. There is still music, but it is actually organized, with real performances instead of the screeching melodies played the night before. When the moon dips out of sight and once again the sun rises, the Ton'On is officially over, and life resumes its normal pace in Anth'Tkur once again.

Primary Related Location

Anth'Tkur