The Ghost Festival
While the rest of Averus honors this day as "Raven's Rise," to commemorate The Raven Queen, Asuvia remembers its roots. The Ghost Festival refers to the three days in the year during which certain planes grow close and certain magic grows stronger. At this time, demons, undead, and spirits become more active, gaining strength. Even peaceful entities can grow agitated and violent as the barrier between planes thin and their influence takes hold. This festival celebrates the gods, the dead, and the living.
It is a celebration within large towns and the cities, but for the secluded and alone, it is a treacherous time. People take to wearing masks and costumes to blend in with the beings that wander during the Festival, hoping to fool them and be left in isolation. The otherworldly often host their own celebrations, reveling in their heightened states and in the freedom they are temporarily granted within Averus. While some may be able to join their festivities unscathed, others may find themselves as part of their revelry — as food, entertainment, or prizes.
Three Days
The First Day is a day of honor. Generous offerings are given to the gods, most notably to
Serien and
The Raven Queen. Temples will hold extended services and may observe unique rites on this night. For instance, many followers of Serien will use various techniques to achieve altered states of consciousness, such as substances and meditation, in order to receive her dreams.
The Second Day is a day of celebration. It is the most secular night of the Ghost Festival, dedicated to the living. Though all days may hold celebration, this is the height of the festivities, featuring games and foods and celebration. The streets of larger settlements will be thick with people dressed in masks and costumes. Some revel in the anonymity afforded to them on this night.
The Third Day is a day of grieving. It honors the mortal dead. Though again, offerings and honor will be given to the dead on all nights, this is the most significant of the three. Incense and food offerings are traditional. People may cook entire meals for their departed loved ones and ancestors. The day preceding is often spent cleaning graves or tablets, or other marks to remember the dead.
Su-an Toan
Though otherwise alike in their celebration, Su-an Toan has one primary distinction from the rest of Asuvia on the Ghost Festival. Within the capital city of Vung Ria is a spirit gate, closed all days of the year except these three nights. A mutual agreement is held between the council and the spirits beyond, letting benign entities through to join in the festival in the mortal realm.
Mortals are also allowed to cross through the gate, and often do as part of rites and rituals, or more brash motivations. However, all who do are warned that their safety can no longer be guaranteed once they've crossed to the other side, and they are warned to be back before the final dawn.
Shikar
The Ghost Festival is a period of tension for those in the realm of shikar work. Without exception, an increase in the number and intensity of extraplanar encounters surrounds the festival. Shikarists recognize that they may have to sacrifice their celebration to answer the call of need.
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