Bloodsong

The Bloodsong was a special ceremony performed on the Feast of the Moon each year by the Heralds of Faerûn.

Heralds had a number of duties on the Feast of the Moon, a day when the dead were traditionally honored. Prime among these was to perform the Bloodsong ceremony, at which a Herald publically recited the genealogies of each noble family in the area. In this way, the Heralds reaffirmed a noble family's traditional authority and status, as well as the respect accorded to them.

History
In the Year of the Tankard, 1370 DR, Thorn Tree, the Herald of Riatavin in Tethyr, disappeared hours before he was to recite the Bloodsong. This triggered a storm of controversy; for one reason, the rebel government of Riatavin had hoped to use the Bloodsong to assert their authority over the city amidst their secession from Amn to Tethyr.