Winter's Crest



Winter's Crest is a Tal'Doreian wintertime holiday.

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. The equivalent celebration in Wildemount is Barren Eve, the 2nd of Duscar. It also marks the time that the veil between the Material Plane and other Planes of Existence is the thinnest.

Some consider the Raven Queen to be the patron of the holiday, 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 of Winter's Crest
Because the veil between the planes is thinnest, and the magic ley lines of Exandria cross and swell, during Winter's Crest, 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 were foiled by Vox Machina. Thordak's escape from the Elemental Plane of Fire was also naturally planned for Winter's Crest.

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 magical means. Abjurist Noja managed to shield most of Vox Machina, but he himself was frozen solid. Vox Machina saved the town after chasing down the culprit, Skysunder.

Investigating the cause of the crisis led Vox Machina to Emon, whose Winter's Crest Festival had been soured by an apparent assassination attempt. 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
For years after Percy's family was slaughtered, the people of Whitestone were oppressed, enslaved, murdered, and enthralled by vampire Sylas Briarwood and necromancer Delilah Briarwood. The surviving citizens lived in perpetual horror as those they knew and loved were slaughtered and raised as undead minions of the Briarwoods. The desecrated ground beneath them turned barren and lifeless and Pelor's divine Sun Tree in the center of town changed from a symbol of hope to a reminder of their hopelessness. The shrouded skies barred the simple joy of sunlight and bitter cold competed with endless hunger for the people's misery.

When Vox Machina arrived in Whitestone, they didn't merely fight the oppressors, foment a citizens' rebellion, defeat the Briarwoods, and destroy the undead—they also restored hope to the people. For the first time in years, Winter's Crest meant a free Whitestone. 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.