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Annarrkkii
2004-12-21, 06:59 PM
The Day of the Eye


Shadraaz stood tall, his greatsword hanging from his hand, its serated edge scraping on the grown. He was impatient. The Chieftan stood before him, and behind him stood twelve score orcs, all ready to kill. The Chieftan raised his feather and fetish-adorned scepter, as did all the other Chieftains, gathered around the bowl carved into the plateau beneath them. Shadraaz hefted his greatsword, grinning maliscously at the scores of unarmed, beaten, and sobbing elves, clustered around the edge of the basin. He would do his god honor, this day. The Chieftain scepter dropped, and the hordes charged. The stone vibrated beneath the hordes of pounding feet, as the orcs poured onto the helpless elves. A few elves pitifull tried to cast spells, but the magic of Gruumsh that pervaded this sacred site froze the incantations on their foul elven lips. The orcs piled on, swords and axes slashing, knives and spears stabbing. Mashes broke elven bones, and flails mutialted the elven bodies. Their blood mingled and flowed into the basin, and mutilated bodies toppled after it, beginning to fill the basin. Gruumsh would be honored this day. The elves would pay the price.


In the days of old, when deities clashed, the noble Elven god Corellan Larethian rode to war against the armies of his nemesis, Gruumsh. The armies clashed for days until Corellan and Gruumsh met in single combat. The fought and fought, both scoring deep wounds and terrible blows. In a surge, as Corellan was being beaten back, he struck out with his mighty sword, and gouged out Gruumsh's eye. The orc armies retreated, bearing their wounded leader, and nursing a horrible grudge.
The day was never forgotten by either side, but the orcs remembered it most, and each year, the tribes gather at the Head of Gruumsh. A flat-topped plateau, shaped and chiseled into the likeness of a hideous and snarling orc face, with a deep hole where the right eye should be.The tribes congregate, and the mightiest warriors are chosen by a seven day series of trials, in the week prior to the "festival". The chosen ones are sent out in groups, raiding and pillaing elven villages, and returning with captives. Then, on the Day of the Eye, the captives are lead to the gouged hole of the right eye, a massive basin, and our sacrificed. The hordes of orcs accompanying them chant in their vile tongue, and the leaders gather around the basin. Their warriors behind them. They engage in a wholesale slaughter, the captives blood running down into a the basin of the eye. The slaughter does not cease until the basin is filled near to the brim with elven blood and bodies.
This horrible deed done, the orcs drink from the blood, soak their bread in it, and consume the flesh of the slaughtered elves. Having eaten their fill, the warriors then perform ritual tattooing around their right eyes, using the blood of the elves and various herbs to make the dye. By the dark magic of the place the blood evaporates overnight, as clerics stand a vigil around the basin. of the eye.
On the dawn of the next day, the orcs make I fire in the gouged out basin of the right eye, burning the bones, and then disperse, back out across the plains to their tribal homes. The ashes are blown away and gone,by the time the day returns the next year.
Though hardly a "festival" the Day of the Eye is a major "holiday", of sorts. They don't celebrate the loss of the Eye of Gruumsh, but remeber it, and honor it with mass sacrifice. The festival is a major contrutor to the dwindling elf populace.
Legends say that if the artifact known as the Eye of Gruumsh is ever found, and placed in the basin of elven blood on the Day of the Eye, then the day of reckoning will come, and the armies of Corellan will again be attacked by the hordes of Gruumsh, led by the god himself.

*Snap, I see someone else made a festival similar to this.*

Gamebird
2004-12-21, 07:44 PM
Very similar. Almost disturbingly so. :-/

It's like yours and the other could be talking about the same holiday, just in yours the death is quick and in killgore's it's slow.

Annarrkkii
2004-12-23, 08:27 AM
I swear I didn't copy it, if that's what you mean. I posted this without reading over the thread, so I had to go back and edit in the flavor text when I read Wampa's rules. Then I checked the other Festival, and Edited in the "snap..." part.

Gamebird
2005-01-05, 01:56 PM
I wasn't implying you copied it. It's just weird to see two festivals so similar. It's like coming up with a character concept you think is new and unique (like, say, a gnome barbarian) and then finding out that dozens of people are talking about the exact same concept on all the gaming boards you know about.