Reign of Misrule

The Reign of Misrule was one of two major festivals observed in the realm of Turmish in the 14 and 15 centuries DR. It took place annually on Marpenoth 10, ten days after Higharvestide. Outside of Turmish, some cities of Chondath also celebrated the festival as did the city of Waterdeep in the late 15 century DR. "I'd always given Sarun, our party's serious wizard, a hard time throughout our travels... We were still roaming the streets of Alaghôn ten days after Higharvestide when the Reign of Misrule began. The streets suddenly became a battle zone of words, broken furniture, and shattered glass. I shouldn't have been surprised when one of the locals that had befriended Sarun approached me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. I managed a quick glance over at a grinning Sarun just before the gorilla threw himself at me."

- Adamar Session, bard of Starmantle.

Turmishan Reign
The Reign of Misrule generally lasted for just a single day, from dawn to dusk. The festival allowed Turmishan citizens to disregard oaths and promises, the rules of their occupation, mercantile and guild contracts, religious dogmas, and all and social restraints, and generally acted out of character. They engaged in destructively exuberant celebrations, minor civil unrest, breaking things such as furniture and glass, and yelling and fighting with one another in the streets, These revelries were allowed as long as no serious harm, death, or major destruction was involved. The festival was an occasion when a paladin could be rude, rowdy, and get involved in wild barroom brawls, and priests and monks were allowed to break vows of silence to talk and laugh, vows of poverty to steal, or their vows non-violence or celibacy. It was a vital release of tension and pent-up aggression, allowing people to spill guilty secrets or settle feuds with rivals, neighbors, and family.

There would be no reprisals for anything said or done, at least after it was finished. In fact, talking about what transpired during the Reign of Misrule afterward was strictly forbidden. Any individual who broke this rule was jail-bound. Nevertheless, while it lasted no longer than a day, the memories might last a lifetime. The festival's customs were deeply ingrained within Turmishan society and every single native of the land, young and old, knew the rules of the annual festivities.

The Reign of Misrule's oath-breakings were only permitted for the natives of Turmish, while non-natives were still held fully responsible for their actions. They might be held liable for any damages they caused if caught up in it, even if targeted by a Turmishan citizen. Outsiders often found the behavior of Turmishites during the Reign of Misrule shocking and travelers would try to schedule their trips to leave Turmish before it began.

On this day, businesses and most government offices were closed and the Assembly of Stars didn't meet.

Waterdhavian Reign
A version of the Reign of Misrule was celebrated in Waterdeep around 1492 DR, on the same day and also from dawn to dusk. Held in honor of Beshaba, goddess of misfortune, it also permitted people to cheat, break oaths, and go against the social order, albeit without breaking any actual laws or doing anything unforgivable. Children could play at running a school, nobles could serve meals to their staff, people practiced the work of another guild, and priests could venerate rival deities. Playing pranks was commonplace, from the minor to the grand. Afterward, the evening was spent cleaning up and setting things back to normal for the next day.

Naturally, most visitors and cynical citizens tried to stay out of the mischief of Reign of Misrule, but this apparently led to them receiving misfortune, not escaping it. Superstitious citizens would try to avoid speaking or dealing with anyone who hadn't at least played along on the Reign of Misrule, so as not to attract their bad luck, and kept this up until Gods' Day on Marpenoth 15.