Festival of Passage

The Festival of Passage is a major ritual of the Faedin religion.

To the Faedin, nothing is more sacred than the Cycle of Souls, shifting through forms as they evolve and grow wiser and stronger across each turn of the Cycle’s intricate spirals. Once a lifetime, every 52 years in the grand spiral, the Cycle of Souls itself is celebrated by the Faedin in the time of the Passage.

The Faedin faiths each see the Passage through the lens of their unique beliefs, leading to three different observances. Despite this, the Passage is celebrated at the same time, in accordance with an astral cycle carefully tracked and followed by Janoa, Brudvir, and Kypiq alike. All Faedin faiths see the Cycle as the course of the soul between its creation and the moment of its perfection, many lifetimes in the future. With each pass through the Cycle’s motions, the soul grows, and when it manifests on Elyria once more, it emerges in a new form, transformed by its past experiences, a step closer to its perfect form. It is the shape of the Cycle – its form – that the faiths see differently.

Masque of Passage
The Kypiq celebrate this time by hosting The Masque of Passage - A masquerade lasting a full month similar to Mardi Gras where people dress up in costumes to honor the different animals of Elyria.

Pursuit of Passage
The Pursuit of Passage is a hunt lasting a full month, where Brudvir dress up as wolves and attempt to join the wolf packs, and then proceed to hunt with them. They hunt and kill in order to usher in the end of an animal's life to prepare for Queen's Gaze and the chance for reincarnation.

Contest of Passage
The Janoa honor this time with the Contest of Passage - a month-long tournament where people fight within a circle against other people, or against a selection of animals, to demonstrate their prowess.

Broader influence
Others who share a close relationship with a Faedin tribe may join in the celebrations and use them for their own means.

Notably, the Neran may use this as a time to join in with the merry-making of the Kypiq, and the Hrothi may use this as a time to foster and encourage relations with the Brudvir, offering to sell them thematic weapons, etc. The To'resk may use the contests of the Janoan as a series of events in which to gamble upon.

As this time in Elyria is celebrated, you can be certain there will be stories passed down through the ages about grandiose Masque of Passage costumes, and unfathomable skills demonstrated by young Janoans during their contest.

Items
The items listed below have a strong connection to the this festival.

Sounds of Passage
They say that the howl of Ylva's pack, the first wolves to connect with the Brudvir, can be heard through their flutes, while the berimbau of the Janoan Contest marks the entrance of a new warrior into the fray. Whether you are joining the Pursuit or taking up the Contest, on can steady ones mind and attune to the surrounding spirits with the "Sounds of Passage" that can be made using either of these instruments:
 * A flute-like instrument used by the Brudvir to make a sound like a wolf howl.
 * A string-percussion instrument resembling a berimbau, used primarily by the Janoa.

Masks of Passage
The Kypiq celebrate the many forms of the spirit by donning costumes of animals, including masks. These masks represent the Faedin's belief that the animal spirits of the world are deeply connected to the Tribes of Elyria. One can don a masque to enjoy the many shapes and forms a soul can take in the Cycle. Items useful in this respect are:
 * Animal masks used for the masquerade.
 * A book of patterns used to learn how to craft the masks out of paper maché.
 * A recipe using Ironwood leaves used to craft the paper maché base material.

Wolf's Clothing
To follow in the footsteps of the first Brudvir, one can don a wolf costume and stalk one's prey. In this way one can celebrate the Brudvir connection to the spirit of the wolf and the Pursuit of Passage. Items useful in this respect are:
 * A hide & fur-made wolf used to disguise w/ pattern.
 * A Camouflage codex used to learn basic camouflage techniques.

Animal Journey
It is said that the form a spirit takes in the Astral Plane is a reflection of its place in the Cycle of Souls, and that each of us, even as we live but a single lifetime, still have within us the past shapes of our soul. With meditation and reflection, these forms can be explored. Items useful in this respect are:
 * Psilocybin mushroom spores
 * Mushroom wine used to allow temporary "travel" on the astral plane as one of a number of spirit animals
 * A Mushroom wine recipe used to learn how to make Mushroom wine