Page 33 - Dungeon Master's Guide

times of day. And some holy days are local, observed by
dle faithful of a specific temple.
Give some thought to how priests and common folk
-elebrate holy days. Going into a temple, sitting in a
pew, and listening to a sermon is a mode of worship
"oreign to most fantasy religions. More commonly,
celebrants offer sacrifices to their gods. The faithful
bring animals to the temple to be slaughtered or
urn incense as an offering. The wealthiest citizens
oring the largest animals, to flaunt their wealth and
emonstrate their piety. People pour out libations at the
graves of their ancestors. They spend all-night vigils in
darkened shrines or enjoy splendid feasts celebrating a
god's bounty.
C IVIC OBSERVANCES
Holy days provide the majority of the special
celebrations in most calendars, but local or national
:estivals account for many others. The birthday of a
:nonarch, the anniversary of a great victory in a war,
craft festivals, market days, and similar events all
;>rovide excuses for local celebrations.

f ANTASTIC EVENTS
-ince your setting is a fantasy world and not a mundane
::nedieval society, add in a few events of an obviously
magical nature. For example, perhaps a ghostly castle
appears on a certain hill on the winter solstice every
_·ear, or every third full moon fills lycanthropes with a
particularly strong bloodlust. Also, the thirteenth night
of every month could mark the ghostly wanderings of a
ong-forgotten nomadic tribe.
Extraordinary events, such as the approach of a comet The world of the Forgotten Realms uses the Calendar of
or a lunar eclipse, make good adventure elements, and Harptos, named after the long-dead wizard who invented
:ou can drop them in your calendar wherever you want. it. Each year of 365 days is divided into twelve months of
Your calendar can tell you when there's a full moon for thirty days each, which roughly correspond to months in the
a lunar eclipse, but you can always fudge the date for a real-world Gregorian calendar. Each month is divided into
articular effect. three tendays. Five special holidays fall between the months
and mark the seasons. Another special holiday, Shieldmeet,
ENDING A CAMPAIGN is inserted into the calendar after Midwinter every four years,
much like leap years in the modern Gregorian calendar.
A campaign's ending should tie up all the threads of
beginning and middle, but you don't have to take a Month Name Common Name
campaign all the way to 20th level for it to be satisfying. Hammer Deepwinter
.\'rap up the campaign whenever your story reaches its Annual holiday: Midwinter
atural conclusion. Quadrennial holiday: Shield meet
:Make sure you allow space and time near the end
2 Alturiak The Claw of Winter
of your campaign for the characters to finish up any
3 Ches The Claw of the Sunsets
personal goals. Their own stories need to end in
4 Tarsakh The Claw of the Storms
a atisfying way, just as the campaign story does.
Annual holiday: Greengrass
deally, some of the characters' individual goals will be
:ulfilled by the ultimate goal of the final adventure. Give 5 Mirtul The Melting
haracters with unfinished goals a chance to finish them 6 Kythorn The Time of Flowers
before the very end. 7 Flamerule Summertide
Once the campaign has ended, a new one can begin. Annual holiday: Midsummer
f you intend to run a new campaign for the same group 8 Eleasias Highsun
of players, using their previous characters' actions as 9 Eleint The Fading
r.he basis of legends gives them immediate investment in Annual holiday: Highharvesttide
dle new setting. Let the new characters experience how 10 Marpenoth Leaffall
me world has changed because of their old characters.
11 Uktar The Rotting
n the end, though, the new campaign is a new story
Annual holiday: The Feast of the Moon
·ith new protagonists. They shouldn't have to share the
12 Nightal The Drawing Down
-potlight with the heroes of days gone by.
CHAPTER l I A WORLD OF YOUR OWN
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