The Day of The Dead
The Day of the Dead is celebrated all over most civilized worlds, but is especially prominent on Rosalvinia, Cornan, Shaia, Heavion, Aquillon, Erdfresser, AV10, Shimmer, Lost Cosmos, Vexia, Wyrmrest and Metropolis II.
The celebration lasts around a month, ramping up in activity and excitement until The Day of the Dead itself. During this time, many people visit The Hallowed Isles and tell ghost stories to one another. This page is all about All Hallow's Faire, a prominent fairgrounds on the crimson coast that adventurers from all over the known galaxy visit.
The faire is hosted by the Violet Flame, the adventurer's guild from the Crimson Coast.
The Hallowed Isles are a unique spattering of islands off the coast of The Crimson Coast, once upon a time ruled by The Hallow family - a noble family of shai who began marrying outside of their own race (and were actually one of the first noble shai families to begin intermingling with outside races.)
For a long time, the family prospered - but due to greed and jealousy from other families of The Crimson Coast, eventually they were destroyed. The song notated below covers the story, and it's a famously told tale around The Day of The Dead. It is believed every member of The Hallow Family that was on the island that day suffered a fate worse than death, becoming corrupted by either dark magic or energy that had been unleashed from within The Hallowed Isles itself - although neither has been entirely confirmed.
However, there are many rumors and sometimes people do go missing on this island despite the festivities and popularity as a tourist destination in modern times. The island has unique endemic life and fauna as well as plantlife found nowhere else, and as such is closely monitored by various governmental agencies.
And where government is at play, cover-ups are quick to follow.
All Hallow's Faire Theme Song
All Hallow's Faire has a popular song that has multiple variations. In recent years, the cover done by Animae Laiah is often played at various celebrations.
Other songs include The Tale of the Headless Horseman, a folk tale song which goes over the tragedy of the headless horseman who supposedly still roams the Hallowed Isles. It's said once, long ago, an E-human fell in love with a princes from the Hallow Family (a shai royal blood line aligned with the Crimson Coast.)
Other nobles jealous of the love they shared broke into his house and beheaded the man while he was sleeping with his wife. But before he dies, a dark entity offered him power - which he accepted in desperation.
Tale of The Headless Horseman (Song Lyrics)
On a great island there is a strange land
Shrouded in a great darkness
Ripe with mystery a
dark history
Come listen to my story
Long long ago, there lived a strange man far, far away from home
He fell in love with a great princess born to rule this land
The two one day had a wedding happiness was found there
But as we now know there was treason whispering in the air
And so we tell this dark story
Lies and jealousy make us monsters so it would seem
The other men on that day plotted their great scheme
Altogether, they found the strange man lying in his sleep
Each of them brandishing their weapons ready his soul to reap
As the blades came flashing downwards there was a piercing cry
The lovely princess protected him and was the first to die
On a great island, there is a strange land shrouded in a strange darkness
Ripe with mystery a dark history come listen to my story
When the strange man awoke, he saw her lying upon his lap
Eyes trembling as her spirit left her, reaching out for his hand
Once the strange man saw what had happened, he stood upon his bed
Shouting at all the men who were there, "You will all soon be dead!"
And so we tell this dark story
Lies and jealousy make us monsters, so it would seem
The other men on that day regretted their great scheme
All together they charged the strange man taking off his head!
But something truly strange then happened he arose from the dead!
As the man had taken his last breath, something offered him power
And in his rage, the man accepted the dark gift he devoured!
On a great island there is a strange land shrouded in a strange darkness
Ripe with mystery a dark history come listen to my story
The now headless man carved a plumpkin placing it upon his head
Lit by a fiery core of magic casting about true dread!
Now, in his never-ending sorrow the man rides through these lands
On a black steed as dark as midnight eyes glowing a bright red!
And so we tell this dark story
Hatred and sorrow make a monster seeking out his revenge
The Headless Horseman now looms over all who live
After he slew the men who wronged him, he fell into a sleep
telling the others he had spared their soul wasn't theirs to keep
Now sometimes someone will go missing and come back with no head
The headless horseman is who took it in eternal bloodshed!
Plumplings
A plumpkin with an eternally burning free-floating flame within it. Said flame can be temporarily doused and return, however if submerged for long periods the elemental will die. The magic gives the plumpkin plant power, encouraging it’s growth and giving it a mind of it’s own. The creation of these elementals is strictly monitored as All Hallow’s Isle, their main origin point, is infested with them and they’re considered to be a serious problem.
Some plumplings are kept as pets, but others are viewed as nuisances. They use vines growing from their undersides, which they use to drag themselves across the ground.
The creation of these elementals is unknown, and they are believed to be a type of worldborne or a replicating, ancient elemental that was created by the Hallow family in their prime. What is known is that when the seeds from them grow within the earth, they become plumplings. This process takes less than a year, hence why the need to constantly purge them exists.
The Creatures of the Hallowed Isles
Borglins
Borglins are large, boar-like monsters standing about three to six feet tall and seven to nine feet long. They have white, fleshy skin and thick bodies with large, sharp tusks for self-defense. All borglins are covered in numerous calluses and soars, and large balls of orange mucus excrete from their body's at all times. Said mucus actually has magical properties and helps the borglins maintain stamina while chasing prey, as they are omnivorous and tend to attack anything edible on sight. The monsters operate in packs, following The Great Borglin, the oldest known borglin to date, and displaying levels of intelligence surprising to beasts of their stature and body type.
Borglins were once upon a time native boars to the Hallowed Isles. Their population has been booming in recent years, leading to a kill order from The Violet Flame and local authorities. Hunting borglins is a well-known past time during All Hallow's Faire, and their meat is said to be sweet but tough.
Borglins are infused by magic drawn from the very land, in part due to their diet of Hallowed Blossoms - a plant which only grows naturally on the Hallowed Isles.
When threatened, a borglin will hoof the ground to scare off the threat. If the threat does not move or leave, the borglin will charge and attempt to trample whatever is in front of them. Once enraged they will only retreat after taking serious injury, or upon other members of their pack being wounded.
Because of the orange mucus they excrete from their bodies, they're considered to be in high demand for potion makers. Borglin meat can also be prepared in numerous ways, however finding a good cut is hard as the sores and calluses all over their body's tend to ruin the texture. They also breed incredibly quickly, making population control very important. It only takes two years for a borglin to reach full size, and they're considered dangerous by the time they're a year old.
Eyebat
Eyebats can be found all over Shaia. They're a common creature that beginner adventurers hunt due to their skin being useful in a variety of products, from canteens to fashion accessories like hats and purses.
These creatures have large dens visible near the gnarls in the Hallowed Isles and grow to much larger sizes due to having so much plentiful food.
Some eyebats also have stingers on their tails, but this depends on the species.
