Blog

Pumped Up at the Bonfire Festival

At the dawn of Crossroad’s recorded history, once the Great Planeswalker Wars had been brought to an end, it is said that the remaining footsoldiers, humans and beastkin bereft of hearth and home, gathered together around a massive bonfire to celebrate the end of their conscription. They may have been stranded, but in that moment all they could think about was how they would no longer be forced to fight each other over feuds they had no stake in.

In the modern era, this occasion is celebrated by the Bonfire Festival every year, in the warm summer months. And in a college town like Magistrum City, students from all over the plane play games and enjoy each others’ company at the various festival attractions that dot the city on this night.

Edmund, as a student, is no exception. Whether he’s cheering on his friends like the rabbitkin Morty, or playing for prizes himself, the young man approaches it with a passion and zeal that rivals the large bonfire his ancestors once built over 200 years ago.

The flame of youth burns brightly in the tigerkin.

This piece from Marsel-Defender back in October of 2022 was another good excuse to discuss the holidays of Crossroads. Similar to how many nations in our world have a holiday to celebrate when they broke away from the kings and rulers that annexed them and claimed independence, an event as monumental as the defeat and overthrow of godlike planeswalkers would’ve been cause enough to form a holiday around it.

While this story doesn’t describe exactly what kinds of games are played at a festival like this, you can already picture them in your head because you, as a reader, are already familiar with those concepts. I’m sure some of you might even be able to picture how that might be different in a world of magic.

It’s the power of imagination: A well which all fictional stories draw from.