A rather violent tradition - uncharacteristic of the Duchy - is one known as Nora's Thorns. It is a tradition in Venora to punish the most treasonous of individuals by placing a barbed crown upon their heard, barbed wristbands, barbed anklets and a barbed belt around their waist, all of sharp thorns. They are then forced to walk as far as they can to the mountains of the North before they die, shamed senselessly in death if they do not manage to make it atop the Duchy's northern mountain. Very few actually redeem themselves on the walk, and nearly all of them die.
Some examples of actions that may incur this punishment are: conspiring against House Venora and being exposed, committing ideological terrorism, selling important secrets to foreign powers, intentionally destroying religious monuments, and defacing dead nobility.
Credit: Alistair Venora
Raising the Barn (Rynmere)
This is a tradition that can be found throughout Rynmere, though it is usually one that only farmers engage in.
When a farmer needs to build a barn/stable/chicken coop/etc., they often do not know how to go about doing it themselves. Or if they do, they do not have enough time to get it built in the amount of time it needs to be done in since that have a farm to run. When this happens, they buy the supplies they need, hire the services of a skilled carpenter if needed, then turn to their neighbors for aid. Word goes out, and the local farmers in the area rally to the call.
It becomes almost a festival of sorts. The work gets done in a timely fashion, but it is also an occasion for neighbors to catch up on each others' lives. Bets, either for nels, or for bragging rights are made on who can hammer the most nails, or saw the most planks in a break, or for other equally silly contests. Young men can challenge themselves, and their friends to see who can do the most work, or can produce the best quality work. Skills related to the task at hand are taught to those who wish to learn. And stories of past events are told...some of which might even be true.
The person hosting the event will provide a hearty meal for their neighbors at the end of each trial of work. Since the families of the neighbors who come to help often pitch in by bringing a dish over, these meals usually turn into feasts. And the families really get into their part; there are often contests for the best dessert, meat dish, vegetable dish, and overall favorite dish. Recipes are exchanged, and cooking lessons are usually available to those who wish to learn how to make the dishes that are served at the feasts. Children have a fine time of it as well. Older children will help with the work, or with preparing the meal at the end of the trial. But younger kids play games, hold races, and have a great time entertaining themselves while their parents work.
Barn raising events are social get together as much as they are a group of people gathering to help a neighbor build something. It is a common thing for young lovers to meet during events such as these. Variations of these events exist where neighbors will gather to help out during the planting season, or a harvest if someone needs help during those times.
Some say that the reason Jacadons become stone when they die is not for their biology, but for an ancient and hidden truth: that they are not in fact animals made naturally of this world, but created by a fiendish man holed up in the center of Haakon's Isle, protected by the wandering Ej'Ryn as he experiments on the corpses of those who would dare to venture to the ancient Jacadon's Nest.
This is incredibly unlikely given the history of Jacadons and the Kingdom, but mothers and fathers tell it to their children regardless, teaching them to be wary of the Isle and all magical and supernatural things.
Credit: Alistair Venora
The Smart Ass, and the Foolish Farmer
Once upon a time, there was a donkey named Sato. Like many of his kind, Sato was very lazy. He didn't want to do any more work than he absolutely had to in order to get by. The farmer that owned him was quick with the switch every time that Sato didn't work fast enough, or hard enough to suit him. So at the first chance he got, Sato ran away.
Now, for the first time in his life, Sato had true freedom. Grass grew in abundance all around him, so he could eat as much as he wanted, whenever he wanted to. As a result, he grew fat, and sleek. There was no farmer around to make him work, so he could spend all of his time napping in the warm Ymiden sun, and grazing. He could do anything that he wanted to do. To the young donkey, it seemed as though he had found paradise.
But it didn't take long for him to realize that freedom wasn't all that he had hoped it would be. He could stuff himself silly on as much grass as he could eat, and not have to earn his feed with a hard trial's work. But there were a lot of creatures lurking out in the wilds that wanted to eat him. He had to keep alert at all times, and keep moving, or they would catch him. Sato soon learned that while he no longer had to work for his food, escaping the predators that surrounded him was as much work as pulling a plow ever could be. In the heat of Saun, there was no shade offered by a cool barn to rest in. And as the seasons turned cold, snow came and killed all of the grass. There was no grain for him to eat, and no warm mashed to ward away the chill. So he soon lost all of the weight he had gained.
It didn't take Sato long to realize that living on a farm was better than living out in the wilderness on his own. But when he returned home, he found that the farmer had bought a new donkey to replace him. That donkey knew it had a good thing going for him, and was quite willing to put in a good trial's work if it meant having a home that was warm in Zi'da and Cylus, and cool in Saun, with plenty of good feed waiting for him at the end of his work. The farmer had no need of two donkeys, especially when one had proven to be so unwilling to work. So Sato found himself being driven back out into the cold.
Sato wandered aimlessly until he came across a farm where the farmer had left the barn door open. By then, the ground was covered in snow, and the young donkey was very grateful for a warm, safe place to sleep. So he walked right in, and fell asleep in a mound of hay.
The next morning, the farmer came in, and fed all of the animals in the barn, never noticing that he had somehow acquired another donkey. When it was time to start the trial's work, he harnessed his own donkey to a cart, and headed out into the snow. The farmer's children came in later to groom all of the animals in the barn, and Sato was treated to a nice, through grooming that took all of the brambles out of his coat. What could possibly be better than that? Free food, a nice, safe place to stay, and a nice clean coat. Sato felt that he really had found paradise.
Trial, after trial, Sato was able to eat his fill without ever having to work for it. The foolish farmer, not expecting to see an extra animal, never even noticed him. But he always brought enough grain to feed all of the animals in the barn, so Sato could eat his fill. And when there was work to be done, the foolish farmer always overlooked Sato, and put his own donkey to work instead. Sato spent the rest of his trials happily living off of the labors of others, never having to do another trial's work - all because the foolish farmer didn't pay attention to his surroundings enough to notice what he wasn't expecting to see.
The moral of the fable is twofold; always pay attention to what is around you, and never leave the barn door open.
Credit: Lei'lira
The Unfortunate Fortune Teller
A very rich fortune teller came into marketplace and was foretelling people's future for a small price. Everyone loved this man and trusted him, always lining up to listen to his advice. He was a leader of sorts, and the poor believed he was the one who could guide them. One day a man ran up in great haste announcing the the fortune tellers's door had been broken into: 'Sir! Your house is being robbed! Run quickly!' he said. And the fortune teller jumped up and ran home. As the man was running home, his neighbor spotted him and laughed. The neighbor said, 'You there! You say you know the futures of others; how did you not foresee your own?”
Moral of the story: Seek your own truths. Have your own affairs in order before dictating the lives of others.
