Winter's Crest



Winter's Crest is a Tal'Doreian wintertime holiday celebrating the defeat of Errevon at the end of the Icelost Years on 20 Duscar. Traditions include festivals with games, feasts, and exchanging gifts.

Description
Winter's Crest is celebrated by the people of Tal'Dorei on the 20th of Duscar. It is specific to Tal'Dorei as it celebrates victory over Errevon the Rimelord and the fall of Foramere Citadel, ending the Icelost Years.

Some consider the Raven Queen to be the patron of the holiday as she is the goddess of winter, but most consider it secular enough for all to celebrate. Citizens of Tal'Dorei celebrate the waning of winter with the annual Winter's Crest Festival holiday, which traditionally includes feasts, community fairs with games and revelry, and the exchange of gifts. Emon's festival once even included a parade in Vox Machina's honor after they saved Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei II and his family.

Effects on the planes
Winter's Crest also marks the time of year that the veil between the Material Plane and other Planes of Existence is the thinnest. During this time the ley lines of Exandria cross and swell, similar to the effects of a Celestial Solstice, though on a smaller scale. Because of this it is an ideal time for conducting magical rituals, experiments, and other spells, for good or ill. For example, the Briarwoods attempted to align the completion of a powerful ritual (in service to Vecna) with Winter's Crest, but their plans to use that date were foiled by Vox Machina. Thordak's escape from the Elemental Plane of Fire was planned by Raishan to occur on a Celestial Solstice, but due to Ember Seed deteriorating Thordak's mental state, she accelerated the plan to the earlier Winter's Crest of 810 PD.

Pre-Stream
In 809 PD, the year before Vox Machina's first trip to Whitestone, preparations for the Winter's Crest Festival in Westruun were interrupted by a crisis in which the entire town was frozen by a crystal egg. Abjurist Noja managed to shield most of Vox Machina, but he himself was frozen solid. Vox Machina saved the town after chasing culprit, the white dragon Skysunder, into the Frostfell and defeating her there.

Investigating the cause of the crisis led Vox Machina to Emon, whose Winter's Crest Festival had been soured by an apparent assassination attempt on Sovereign Uriel. Vox Machina eventually learned this was staged to cover a glabrezu taking control of Sovereign Uriel's family. Upon defeating the demon and rescuing the royal family, Emon held another Winter's Crest Festival to celebrate Vox Machina as heroes and to make up for the spoiled festivals.

Winter's Crest in Whitestone


During the Briarwoods' occupation of Whitestone between 805 and 810 PD, the oppressed citizens were disallowed from gathering for Winter's Crest celebrations. This came to an end in Duscar of 810 PD when Vox Machina lead a rebellion killing the Briarwoods and seemingly stopping the ritual that Delilah had planned to complete on Winter's Crest that year.

Two weeks after the rebellion, Whitestone held its first Winter's Crest Festival in years.The people had few material goods with which to celebrate, but everyone contributed to deliver their first festival in recent memory, complete with arm-wrestling, a pie-eating contest, magic shows, an archery competition, gambling, and general revelry.

Trivia

 * While Barren Eve (2nd of Duscar) is the relatively somber equivalent of Winter's Crest, Wildemount does celebrate another winter holiday closer to Winter's Crest: the Day of Heart and Hearth, on the 16th of Duscar.
 * Winter's Crest was created early on in their home game when they begged Matt for a Christmas-themed D&D game. This one had a tiny dragon. They exchanged in-character gifts, and Grog's presents included pine cone earrings for Pike and some grass and leaves for Keyleth.
 * The name of Winter's Crest may be based on the holiday event "Winter's Veil" from World of Warcraft. Matt has mistakenly called the holiday Winter's Veil on one occasion.