We’re very excited to announce a major collaborative project for the Inheritance community: Brewfest, Alagaesia’s first holiday.
What is Brewfest? Loosely based off of the popular “Oktoberfest” in Germany and elsewhere, Brewfest is a time where the races of Alagaesia come together to celebrate the change in seasons and reflect on the past year. Each race celebrates in their own way – the dwarves enjoy their barrels of beer and stout, the elves enjoy teas and other drinks, and the humans have combined the two races’ traditions, creating their own. And the dragons – well, they enjoy a good time, too!
The basic wire frame story we’ve crafted so far:
Brewfest originated as two separate holidays meant to celebrate the fall season and the year’s harvest. The elves first began to celebrate the changing of the trees as fall began to take hold, venturing into the forests to celebrate the life within. Tea is their brew of choice, as many elves work to concoct new beverages, bring back prior years’ favorites, and challenge each other in friendly games and competitions. The dwarves – well, their holiday is a bit more rowdy, loud, and entertaining. Alcohol starts and ends the day, as do games and good food. Merriment can be found echoing throughout the Beor Mountains and Tronjheim.
Over the years, the humans began to pull from and combine the two races’ traditions to form their own Brewfest celebrations. Dragon Riders would travel long and far to celebrate, and their dragons always joined in on the festivities.
It’s a time for friends and family to let loose and enjoy themselves through food, drink, and games! In times of strife, it was often looked forward to as a way to cleanse the mind ahead of the new year. In better times, the holiday was a way to celebrate a successful and prosperous year, looking forward to the anticipated success in the months and years ahead.
Brewfest culminates with the burning of an effigy meant to represent the prior year’s bad events and demons and to ward off any undesirable omens.
This is where the community comes in! While the basic framework of the holiday is in, everything is subject to be shaped, added to, and changed by your ideas and contributions. This is a chance for the community to invent something within the world of Alagaesia, meant to be celebrated now and in the years to come.
Help us answer some questions to begin fleshing out this holiday!
- What games are celebrated? Think about games that the elves would celebrate, games that the dwarves would celebrate, and how the humans would adapt and change games from both races to create their own.
- What food would be enjoyed? Names, recipes – all is welcome! Find your favorite fall recipes online and share them with us. Help us craft and create unique foods with even more exciting (and amusing) names!
- Central to the holiday: drinks! If you enjoy tea, share your special brews for us to try! Give us a recipe, invent a name. Ideas for more “adult” beverages? We’d love to see those too! Dwarves and dragons will sing your story for years to come!
- Is there a god or idol any of the races focus on for this holiday? What shape does the effigy they burn to close the holiday take?
Call to action for fan fiction writers:
We want you to help us shape the story, adding to the world of Alagaesia! Submit your “lore” ideas. When was the holiday first invented? How do the elves celebrate? Do they sing songs, write and read poems, or more? If they do, feel free to write your own! How do the dwarves celebrate? Are the dwarven gods involved? When did the humans come into the picture?
Submit your ideas and short stories. We’ll be adding to the overall Brewfest story using the writing you submit! You’ll be credited for your work for all to see!
Call to action for artists:
We want you to help illustrate various parts of the holiday! From sketches to full illustrations, help us bring the holiday and the world of Alagaesia to life. We’ll feature your art on the website and our social media accounts with complete credit to you! If you are looking for ideas, inspiration, or have any questions to be answered, feel free to ask away in the comments.
Now it’s up to you! Join the conversation in the comments and on social media to help us begin creating Alagaesia’s first holiday! Utilize the questions from this article to help give you a starting point with your contribution.
