As with all baronies, there is a culture and flavor to yearly celebrations. Within Tiatar, the traditional holiday of All Hallows Eve was incorporated into the Harvest Festivals of Old Wallington, but despite the joyous celebration of a bountiful harvest the night has kept its air of mystery about it, more than likely due to the Three Spires and the research of the Mage’s Guild. Speak to any commoner and they swear that the dead openly walk this night and hold fast to the old ways of costumes and masks. They also enjoy the telling of ghost stories and tales of the Great Spirit.
Long before even the time of Baron Tremont, there were tales of the Great Spirit. An imposing benevolent ghost, he traveled the land during All Hallows Eve passing out sweets and gifts to those who were kind and generous to their neighbors. Whispered stories around campfires tell of his visitation and children always boast of the gifts that they were given, but no proof of an actual spirit has ever been found and it has become something of an old wives tale. Most villages these nights have one individual dress as the Great Spirit and leads the children and any adults who wish to participate in a candle-lit “Walk of the Dead” where it is thought that with the veil thin between the land of the living and the dead, lost loved ones accompany those on the march giving opportunity to ask questions, share love and remember the departed.
The elaborate Masquerades of Tiatar were popular for a time, but declined over the years until the elevation of Lady Elavir to the baronial seat. Rekindling the old tradition, she again brought liveliness and entertainment to All Hallows Eve. Making children’s masks a socially acceptable and fashionable accessory for the good natured noble, games and dance were drawn into the standard formalized Tiatar etiquette and it is an esteemed honor to receive an invitation to the gala at the Sapphire Keep.
