Feast of Purple Majesty

The Feast of Purple Majesty was a three-day-long festival that celebrated Baron Thuragar Foesmasher's rise to power in the nation of Sespech of the Vilhon Reach.

"This Feast of the Purple Majesty is actually only a few years old, but its memory will be with me forever. It is a time of camaraderie, testing your skills, and testing your steadfastness to the Baron. It's the most popular festival of the year, attracting men and women from all over the Reach. They've even had people from as far north as Shadowdale attend."

- Adamar Session, Bard of Starmantle

Description
Starting with the beginning of Alturiak, dozens of small tournaments were held all through the month, allowing competitors to practice for the upcoming celebration and competitions.

The festival took place annually in the last days of the month of Alturiak in the city of Ormpetarr. All three days of the festival were filled with eating, drinking, merriments, and friendly competitions of skill and prowess. Each day in the festival had its own name and hosted sets of competitions.

The Dawn of Equines was the festival's day one. The competitions that took place during the Dawn were centered on horsemanship. Competitors from across Sespech and visitors alike competed in jousting, horseback combat, and racing. Many of the competitors' horses were famed Plainsteeds of the Shining Plains. According to spectators, fully-armored Plainsteeds were a sight to behold. Each competition's first prize was fame, respect, and a seat at Baron Thuragar Foesmasher's feast table on the first day of the Feast of Purple Majesty. The second day was the Flight of Dawn, marked with competitors of archery and marksmanship with all sorts of ranged weaponry, including slings and darts. The reward was the same as on day one. Day three – the Swordfest was a strictly non-lethal grand tourney for sword fighters. A second competition on that day was a hand-to-hand combat championship. Like previous days, the reward was a seat at the Baron's table. It was quite common for Baron Foesmasher to invite the champions as mercenaries of adventurers to help with the nation's official tasks.

History
Thuragar Foesmasher claimed the seat of power in Sespech from Baron Ricjolo Tomrase‎‎ in the. Several years before the, the festival of the Feast of Purple Majesty was made a holiday and celebration of Sespech's independence and a tribute to the nation's new Baron. Adamar Session, Bard of Starmantle, experienced the festival during his twelve-year adventuring trek across the Vilhon Reach and wrote about it in his guide to the region.