1. Events

Race of the River Flowers

Ceremony
First day of Spring

The village of Shifon stands on the grassy plains where the Kessulot river flows into the Tachion sea of the north. The villagers worship Lusinee, the river's spirit, who in turn protects the village from the sea folk and from the mountain dwelling dragon-worshippers.

Every equinox the villagers gather for a ceremony to the river, thanking the spirit for her protection and for the prosperity she grants them. Perhaps their most curious tradition is their celebration of the vernal equinox, though to truly understand its significance, we must look to the past:


Four hundred years ago, as the southern kingdoms waged their ruthless and seemingly endless wars, two refugees fled to the north: a human child called Yuni, and a young firebird called Sari. The pair flew over the Golden Sea, carried by Sari's wings of golden fire.

A week passed as the pair soared over the shimmering water, no speck of land in sight. The firebird began to tire, flying lower and lower, veering dangerously toward the seawater. Yuni coaxed the bird to go on, to hold on faith that they would make it to the northern shore. Just a little bit farther. At first Sari's heart was renewed, and the pair soared high in the sky once more, heading ever northward.
The next day they saw land, the sea shore spread out before them in a golden crescent of sand. However before they could reach it, the firebird's strength faltered, and the two began to fall. As the pair plummeted through the clouds, Yuni called out to them, pleading for their help.
A spirit of the clouds took pity on the two younglings. The cloud formed into a large, flat flower, and gently caught the human and the firebird. The cloud drifted down softly, and laid the two softly on a sandy coast. The two had made it to the northern coast, through Sari's strength of wing and Yuni's strength of heart.


The pair continued northward, looking for refuge and civilization. They began the long trek up the Pale Mountains.

It was a cold winter that year, the harsh fighting to the south wreaking havoc with spirits and magical essence around the whole world. During the day Yuni would carry Sari up the mountain, the bird's wings too weak to fly. At night Sari would glow brightly, emanating a lifegiving heat to protect Yuni from the freezing mountain air. The two climbed for a week, when a blizzard struck the mountain range. The two took refuge in a nearby cave, hiding from the biting wind. They quickly realised, however, that the cave was not empty: a mighty dragon lived in the cave.

The dragon thought to eat Yuni, for it had not encountered a human in many years, but Sari pleaded for the human's life, begged that they may be allowed to continue on their journey. The dragon laughed at the proposal, but upon seeing the firebird's tears it felt pity for the two. The dragon decided to let them continue on their journey, but it would not let them stay in its cave to wait out the storm.

The next day, the pair had made it to the mountain's peak, through Sari's strength of heart and Yuni's strength of limb.


The two began to climb down. Each walked on two careful feet, holding on tightly to each other, steep cliffs looming below them. Yuni's legs grew tired and Sari's flames grew faint as the snowy air blew around them.
When they reached the bottom, they collapsed.

Yuni awoke with a raging fever. Sari lay barely conscious, just as weak and ill.
The human stumbled onto weak legs and found a nearby river. A single sip of the water washed away Yuni’s illness, and the child felt a new strength. Suddenly Yuni began to cry with grief, for the magic water could not heal a creature of fire like Sari, and with no medicine the firebird would not be able to survive.

Then from the river rose a gentle voice:

"Bring your friend to me, child.
Let my waters wash off their ills.
As the spring flower blossoms beneath the great peaks,
so shall you both blossom at my side."

The river spirit’s words washed away the fear from Yuni’s heart, replacing it with solemn resolve. Yuni walked to where Sari lay sleeping on the dew-covered grass, and hefted the firebird once more. On the way back to the riverbed, Yuni felt the firebird’s body grow cold.  As Sari's released a final breath, Yuni lowered the firebird's body into the cool water.

The body dissipated into a thousand specks of golden ash, drifting slowly down the stream.
Yuni's tears rained down onto the water, and the spirit spoke again:

“Nothing is eternal, child.
Not you, not I, not this land on which we live.
The flower that blooms in the spring withers in the fall,
but the memory of its beauty remains with us always.
Remember who you love, and I shall keep them nearby, for you, child.”

The blue sky reflected in the water, and within it Yuni saw Sari flying, soaring happily down the river. Yuni raced after the reflection, and by nightfall arrived where the waters poured into the sea. There, lay a small farmhouse, a warm glow shining from its windows. Sari's reflection gestured toward the building, and Yuni knocked on the door.

The two had found a new home, and each one's heart glowed brighter than ever before.


Four centuries later, the people of Shifon commemorate the journey of the two founders of their village:

On the last day of winter, the village's teens and young adults take the children to the foothills of the Pale Mountains. They camp around the various springs and lakes that feed into the Kessulot river, and light large campfires and sing songs all through the night. At dawn of the first day of spring, every child from the village lays a flower in the water of one of the streams, then everyone follows the flowers down the river towards the town, where the adults prepare a large feast and festival.

As the young ones arrive, a celebration begins in the village square, with all the sweets and fruits that were left at the end of winter. During the festivities, the village elders closely watch the flowers as they flow down the river. When the first flower pours out from the river and into the sea, they announce the child who placed that flower as the victor of that year’s festival.

At the peak of the celebration, with Lusinee herself manifested before the gathered crowd, the winner is called up onto the stage. The child is given a long robe of gold and red silks with large ribbons that form wings from their arms - the child wearing robe represents the union of the two heroes who ventured from the south, never giving up heart as they passed across the sea and above the mountains and down to their new home. Lusinee herself bows before the child, thanking them for all that the villagers have done for the land around the river, and for never ceasing to love each other.