Gehnnia

Festivals & Celebrations

Festival of the Sun’s Descent   A solemn yet radiant celebration marking the longest night of the year, honoring the Solar Titan’s descent into the underworld and his eventual return. As darkness falls, families gather in town squares and temple courtyards to light floating lanterns, guiding the Titan’s spirit through the shadows. Fire dancers, draped in gold-dusted veils, weave through the streets, their movements echoing the flickering flames. At dawn, temple priests conduct elaborate rituals, offering sunstone-crushed incense at the great shrines to welcome the return of the light.   The Festival of Sacred Beasts   Held in midsummer, this grand festival honors the divine beasts who serve as celestial guardians of Gehnnia. Each city hosts its own variation of the celebration, with masked processions, ritual duels, and elaborate feasts dedicated to the beasts.   The White Tiger’s Hunt – In Mizo’Gehnnia, warriors participate in a sacred trial, donning tiger masks as they race through the dense jungle, proving their skill in tracking and combat. The victor is crowned with a wreath of silver leaves and granted the title of Fang of the Wild.   The Bull’s Reckoning – In Foltar, the people honor the Bull with contests of strength, ranging from wrestling matches to elaborate ceremonial battles where champions, clad in gilded bull-masks, face off with blunted weapons.   The Skyborn Offering – In Sol’Gehnnia, the Eagle is revered with an aerial display of acrobatics, where dancers leap from temple spires with gliding silk wings, mimicking the celestial bird’s grace. Offerings of sun-dried fruits and golden wheat are placed on temple altars, ensuring safe passage and wisdom for the coming year.   The festival concludes with a grand feast where revelers dine on flame-roasted meats, spiced rice cakes, and sweet jungle fruit while storytellers recount the legends of the beasts’ first descent into the mortal realm.   The Crystal Procession   Once every five years, the Emperor or Empress embarks on a pilgrimage across Gehnnia, carrying the Sunstone, an ancient relic believed to hold the essence of the Solar Titan. Accompanied by a dazzling procession of masked dancers, gold-clad warriors, and towering effigies of mythic beasts, the ruler travels from city to city, performing blessings and overseeing sacred rites. Commoners line the streets, tossing silk ribbons and flower petals in their path, hoping for a year of prosperity and divine favor.   The Festival of Arrows   A prestigious celebration honoring the Arrows—the elite champions sworn to defend the Empress and uphold her will. Held in Sol’Gehnnia every third year, the festival is both a spectacle and a trial, where warriors from across the empire compete in deadly exhibitions of martial skill.   The Trial of the Arrow – A grueling contest where challengers must pass three tests: the Gauntlet of Blades, a treacherous obstacle course; the Duel of Precision, where archers must strike moving targets with uncanny accuracy; and the Trial by Fire, a final battle against an honored Arrow to prove their worth.   The Night of Steel and Song – A grand revelry where the city’s forges burn late into the night, crafting ceremonial weapons for the newly appointed Arrows. The air is thick with the scent of oil and smoldering metal as warriors feast, recite oaths, and drink sunfire tea in preparation for their lifelong service.   The Blood Pledge – At dawn, the newly inducted Arrows kneel before the Empress beneath the Rainbow Throne, pressing their blades into their palms and swearing their unwavering loyalty. Their names are etched into the imperial crystal, joining the lineage of warriors who have stood as the empire’s final line of defense.   The Merchant’s Moon   Held in Foltar during the full moon of the harvest season, the Merchant’s Moon is a chaotic, exhilarating festival where traders from across Gehnnia and Zeder gather to barter, gamble, and showcase their finest wares. The night markets glow with thousands of small torches, casting long shadows over silk-draped stalls brimming with exotic goods. Gambling competitions—ranging from dice games to high-stakes duels—draw nobles and commoners alike, while street performers dazzle crowds with fire-dancing and illusions cast from enchanted crystals.   The Great Masked Hunt   A sacred event hosted once per decade in the forests outside Mizo’Gehnnia, the Great Hunt is a trial of both skill and spirit. Warriors and nobles don elaborate animal masks, each representing a different aspect of the divine beasts, and track a sacred quarry—often a massive, antlered beast believed to be touched by the gods. The hunt concludes with a grand feast, where the masks are ceremonially burned, returning the spirit of the animal to the land.  

Cuisine

Gehnnian food is known for its balance of rich spices, aromatic broths, and fire-cooked delicacies. Since much of the kingdom is warm and humid, fermented and preserved foods are common.  

Tural River Eel – A delicacy in Foltar, this eel is marinated in a sweet and spicy glaze before being grilled over open flames. It’s often served on woven banana leaves with sticky rice.

Black Pepper Phoenix – A famous dish from Mizo’Gehnnia, featuring fowl coated in crushed black pepper, honey, and rare jungle herbs, roasted until the skin is crisp and golden.

Sunfire Tea – A sacred beverage brewed in Sol’Gehnnia using rare orange-gold tea leaves infused with crushed sunstone (a mildly magical mineral that imparts a warming effect). The tea is traditionally consumed before important ceremonies or battles.

Jungle Rice Cakes – Sweet and slightly tangy, these are made with fermented rice, coconut milk, and dried fruits, wrapped in lotus leaves. They are a common street snack during festivals.

Charred Lotus Soup – A rich broth made from smoked lotus roots, slow-cooked bones, and fire-roasted garlic, served with floating slices of boiled eggs and chunks of fish or fowl.

Fashion

Gehnnian clothing reflects its humid climate and rigid caste system, with vibrant, airy garments for commoners and elaborate, gilded attire for nobility.  

Common Attire – Loose, layered tunics of lightweight silk or woven plant fibers, often cinched at the waist with wide embroidered belts. Wide-brimmed hats and sandals are common in rural areas.

Noble Attire – Robes of deep emerald, crimson, and gold, embroidered with images of the sun, dragons, and mythic beasts. Sleeves tend to be long and flowing, sometimes trailing the ground.

Warrior Attire – Lacquered lamellar armor with decorative metal engravings, sometimes layered over dark leather. High-ranking warriors wear cloaks of woven fire-silk, a rare shimmering fabric said to be fireproof.

Priesthood & Scholars – Priests wear dark robes adorned with sunburst motifs, their foreheads often marked with golden ash. Scholars wear layered tunics with jade or crystal pendants that signify their rank.

Masks & Headdresses – Masks play an important role in religious ceremonies and festivals. High-ranking officials and spiritual leaders wear elaborate headdresses made from feathers, gold filigree, and sunstone inlays.