By Sarah “Evie” Fournier, Emma “Irri” Sherman, and Hannah “Ryu” Boucher, Initiates of the Order of the Lunar Aegis
The 25th year of the Feast of the Leviathan drew out players old and new, and over 180 people were in attendance for this landmark event. Let us paint the scene for you.
Entering the hall, adventurers were greeted with a mini golf course containing a variety of obstacles to maneuver around. Surrounding the first room of the hall, over half a dozen vendor stalls were stationed for attendees perusal. The variety of goods up for sale was expansive; it was the perfect opportunity to pick up a few gifts for friends! There were multiple tables offering challenges to adventurers, including Feast for the Mind presented by Ashenmark, and the Knights of the Realms challenge. Towards the back of the hall, there were 3 different gambling tables, plus the Stacked Deck tournament table. The table featuring Rhiassa’s famous Luck of the Lion game was surrounded by excited gamblers for hours. The bar was even more busy, and the bartenders did a great job of keeping up with the demand of the feast. The drink offerings were refreshing and delicious, especially their special of the day, “Lion on the Rocks”, featuring pineapple soda and fruity add-ons.
Now of course, we have to talk about the food! There was an abundance of food circulating through the hall, so you couldn’t possibly have left hungry. There were so many skewered foods, which are the most fun to eat! Little potato bites with olive oil and salt, mozzarella and tomato with balsamic glaze. Pepperoni and cheese stuffed biscuits. Warm, cheesy hash browns loaded with sour cream and bacon. A variety of flatbreads. There were charcuteries galore, and a soup-cuterie too! The beef stew was magnificent.
There was plenty to do around the feast hall, but just in case you think there were no shenanigans, we can assure you, there were in fact shenanigans (much to the chagrin of Aeston’s anti-shenanigan enforcers). The first quest of the day involved the initiates to the Circle of Crows being summoned by the Raven Spirit of Voraniss, Mirageiros. The initiates were asked to aid in the cleansing of a sacred place to their Circle. They, and some adventuring pals waddled down the path, found some bad plants, zombies, and dangerous terrain for those in heels. After some magicing and fighting, the plants were vanquished, and the party was teleported away, leaving only the initiates to do the final cleansing. They channeled their different magics to grow a protective, magical tree. The adventurers also found their way to the grave of Edwin Raincourt’s wife. The grave had been corrupted with necromantic energy, but with a little magic, it was able to be purged. Next, a party was able to sneak into Edwin’s camp and steal information about where he was going to attack next. Finally, Edwin Raincourt himself along with his posse of possessed Knights, decided to crash the feast; however, they dared not suffer Lord Aeston’s wrath by stepping foot in the tavern. Chaos ensued as everyone rushed to meet the threat, but it turned out they were here to offer some information, not cause a fight. Of course that didn’t stop some people from trying. Luckily, after a bit of taunting and heckling, the unwelcome guests departed, just in time for us all to enjoy the main event; lasagna!
Once everyone sat down to eat, we were really able to get a good look at the decorations adorning the hall. The tables had beautiful red tablecloths. Red and black lamps served as centerpieces, with the Rhiassa lion displayed proudly upon them. Rhiassan flags hung throughout the hall. The color red is said to stimulate the appetite, and we were certainly excited for dinner. The lasagna entree was great, with garlic bread served on the side. Shortly after dinner was served, we enjoyed dessert. It was a lemon and blueberry trifle, fruity, light, sweet, and delicious! We enjoyed our meals as we listened to Cressida and Aeston address the feast hall. A lot happened during court, so we’ve summed everything up as best we can. Aeston shared a very heartfelt thank you to Rhiassans of the past, acknowledging all of their hard work over the years, and the impact each of them has had on our community, even years after passing the torch. The View from Valehaven Awards were presented to all the winners. King Hygar was made a Magi, and Queen Kindrianna was made a peacock. Blackwood announced Saegan’s planned ascension to King. The Knights of the Sable Dragon announced four new squires, Grarr, Rowan, Odd and Fern. Anthony Warder was made a full member of Stonewood. Irri won the High Mage tournament for Blackwood (as a petitioner!). And finally, the winners of the various challenges and tournaments were given their prizes.
It was truly a fantastic Feast of the Leviathan, and we can’t wait until the next one! We hope to see you there!