WINTERTIDE

Each winter, Kurestians gather to celebrate Wintertide, a festival of gratitude that brings warmth and joy to the cold season. Though it is one of the nation’s most beloved wintertime celebrations, filled with revelry and merriment, few know of the festival’s origins.

“On this day of Winter, we shall turn the tide of our fortunes!”

These were the defining words spoken by King Charles Bion on his coronation day atop Mount Aldor, in the small Human settlement that would one day become Aldor City—the Kingdom of Kurestal’s beacon of progress and innovation. Amid a gentle flurry on the mountainside, snowflakes swirled around the new King, settling upon his crown as the people’s jubilant cheers echoed through the frosty air.

Charles’ discovery of the Crystal of Vitality deep inside the mountain had led to the best and brightest Human minds unlocking a fraction of the Crystal’s secrets. For their relentless determination and effort, Humanity had been granted the gift of magic—turning the tide of the Great War in their favour and ushering in a new age for Humankind. Charles’ rousing words atop Mount Aldor would come to mark this day as Wintertide.

In the years that followed, Wintertide was celebrated each winter, as a commemoration of King Charles’ coronation and a symbol of Human progress. Many of the holiday’s current customs grew from the gestures, traditions, and relationships forged between King Charles and his people during the Kingdom’s founding years.  

The Tradition of Gift Giving

King Charles was a man who placed great value in courage and loyalty, and he honoured those who had distinguished themselves in the Great War by elevating them to nobility and granting them land and titles. In gratitude, these newly elevated nobles began presenting their monarch with gifts during the annual Wintertide celebration held at Caldemount Palace.

Their example was soon followed by other noble households, who likewise presented gifts to the King during Wintertide, adopting the practice as a mark of loyalty and respect. In time, the annual tradition spread beyond the nobility, taking root among the common folk, who reshaped the practice into one of giving gifts to loved ones during the winter festival, as an expression of gratitude and affection.

The Tree of Gifts

However, one of the most enduring symbols of Wintertide, the Tree of Gifts, originated not in Caldemount but in Aldor City. Nestled high atop the mountains, Aldor endures some of the harshest winters in Kurestal. The pine trees that grow thick and heavy across the mountainside remained green all year, leading the residents of Aldor to view them as symbols of everlasting life and hope—a living reminder that spring would always return.

To honour this belief, the people of Aldor began cutting down smaller pine trees to place in their homes, pinning small candles to the branches to illuminate the long winter nights. The Head Priests and Priestesses of Eolin sanctified this practice, placing a pine tree in the Church of Eolin and adorning it with ribbons, pine cones, and candles, and crowning it with a golden star that glittered in the flickering candlelight. The priests and priestesses believed that placing gifts beneath the tree’s boughs and raising the star atop it would draw the Goddess Eolin’s blessings, bestowing both the gifts and their recipients with warmth, protection, and fortune for the year to come. 

When King Charles fell ill, a nobleman from Aldor City had a large pine tree cut down and delivered to the King. He explained how the pine trees were being used every winter in Aldor and expressed his wish that the Goddess Eolin’s blessings upon the tree would help restore the King’s health. Moved by the gesture and awed by the tree’s majestic beauty, King Charles had it placed in the palace courtyard, adorned with ribbons, pine cones, candles, and glittering ornaments. He then decreed that a Tree of Gifts be placed in the courtyard every Wintertide henceforth. The tradition quickly spread, and soon every household in Kurestal had a small decorated tree in their homes during the winter season, complete with gifts beneath its boughs. 

Centuries after King Charles’ passing, Wintertide remains one of Kurestal’s most beloved annual celebrations. The holiday has shifted from royal ceremonies and traditions to a festival honouring togetherness and gratitude. Whether gathering in Caldemount Castle, a noble’s elegant home, or a humble village mess hall, Kurestians come together to celebrate the season with those who matter most.

Ornament-Painting Competition

In the week leading up to Wintertide, residents and visitors can compete in painting tiny delicate porcelain ornaments, depicting figures such as King Charles, the Goddess Eolin, the Crystal of Vitality, Crystal Snowflakes, snowmen, and other festive symbols. The winning ornaments will be displayed on the Tree of Gifts for four to six years, after which they are removed before weather and wear take their toll. These cherished decorations are then sold, placed in museums, or preserved away from the elements. 

Caspid Turkey

Every Wintertide, Kurestians gather for a grand feast, with roasted Caspid Turkey as the centerpiece. These large birds mate only once per year and are ready to be served by winter for the seasonal festivities. Their limited numbers make them costly and highly sought after—noble households typically acquire one or two birds for their banquets, while villagers pool their resources to purchase a single Caspid Turkey for the entire village to share.