seasong
First Post
OLYMPIAD
The people of Theralis are a physically competitive people, even more so than many of their neighbors. When the Theralese first freed themselves from the orcs, their initial culture formed from a combination of the physicality of orcs and some jealousy for the educated learning and civilization of their northern neighbors. Over time, this hodge podge of goals and habits were forged by military dominance, the prominence of grapes (and heroes of Dianas), and the dangers of the wilderness into what it is today.
The Olympiad's origins stem from the Century Riot, 300+ years ago. At that time, the Council deliberated and set aside the Century Mark as a time of celebration - something to look forward to rather than something to panic over.
A century later, in light of an attack by Amalan (a village had encroached too far) and other signs of the apocalypse, the Council planned a party sufficiently incredible that people could forget. And to honor the heroes that had died against Amalan, they staged a mock mass battle between well known athletes and a "dragon" constructed of wood. Between the mock battle (which ended with a lot of injuries, smiles, and a small riot in the southern Open Square), informal contests of athleticism and skill (that spontaneously broke out between distant country folk), and the immense consumption of wine that occurred, a tradition started.
Within a decade, that tradition gelled into the Olympiad, a two-day event sponsored by wealthy vineyards every five years (timed to coincide with Century Celebrations as well) in which athletes competed for grapevine wreaths while wine flowed like water among the spectators. Over the intervening centuries, this (like the Century Celebration) has been refined and extended, until it swelled to its current length of 10 days, with a dozen small rituals associated with it.
The Dragon Play/Opening Ceremony
Of the rituals of Olympiad, the dragon battle is the first and most prominent. It has evolved into more of a theatrical play, and encompasses more than just the one battle. Instead, it now covers the relationship between Amalan and Theralis (many citizens are curious how the latest development will be incorporated). Thera is almost always played by a prominent actress or poetess, but otherwise the roles are fluid. Each Olympiad, the play is put in the hands of a different playwright to interpret, although the most basic facts of history must be covered correctly.
Contests
Almost every conceivable athletic contest is present, from quarterstaffing to sprinting to heaving rocks and spears at targets. The captains of the military often hold sword fighting demonstrations, while the wine merchants often sponsor drinking contests (for stamina). The most popular are the quarterstaff, wrestling, and feats of strength, although many others are very popular as well.
Athan plans to participate in feats of strength and wrestling, and spear throwing. Greppa was thinking about quarterstaffing, until he saw the real competitors practicing!
Wine
"At Olympiad, the rest of the world goes dry." For three days, roughly 200-300 Theralese athletes compete with each other. The remaining 20,000 to 100,000 people at the Olympiad drink. Wine tasting tournaments, cups purchased at the stadia, where ever there are people, there is alcohol. For most vineyards, this is the banner year for profits, and for merchants (who are unable to buy as much as normal for the north) it is usually a rotten year. Still, few complain. That's Olympiad!
The people of Theralis are a physically competitive people, even more so than many of their neighbors. When the Theralese first freed themselves from the orcs, their initial culture formed from a combination of the physicality of orcs and some jealousy for the educated learning and civilization of their northern neighbors. Over time, this hodge podge of goals and habits were forged by military dominance, the prominence of grapes (and heroes of Dianas), and the dangers of the wilderness into what it is today.
The Olympiad's origins stem from the Century Riot, 300+ years ago. At that time, the Council deliberated and set aside the Century Mark as a time of celebration - something to look forward to rather than something to panic over.
A century later, in light of an attack by Amalan (a village had encroached too far) and other signs of the apocalypse, the Council planned a party sufficiently incredible that people could forget. And to honor the heroes that had died against Amalan, they staged a mock mass battle between well known athletes and a "dragon" constructed of wood. Between the mock battle (which ended with a lot of injuries, smiles, and a small riot in the southern Open Square), informal contests of athleticism and skill (that spontaneously broke out between distant country folk), and the immense consumption of wine that occurred, a tradition started.
Within a decade, that tradition gelled into the Olympiad, a two-day event sponsored by wealthy vineyards every five years (timed to coincide with Century Celebrations as well) in which athletes competed for grapevine wreaths while wine flowed like water among the spectators. Over the intervening centuries, this (like the Century Celebration) has been refined and extended, until it swelled to its current length of 10 days, with a dozen small rituals associated with it.
The Dragon Play/Opening Ceremony
Of the rituals of Olympiad, the dragon battle is the first and most prominent. It has evolved into more of a theatrical play, and encompasses more than just the one battle. Instead, it now covers the relationship between Amalan and Theralis (many citizens are curious how the latest development will be incorporated). Thera is almost always played by a prominent actress or poetess, but otherwise the roles are fluid. Each Olympiad, the play is put in the hands of a different playwright to interpret, although the most basic facts of history must be covered correctly.
Contests
Almost every conceivable athletic contest is present, from quarterstaffing to sprinting to heaving rocks and spears at targets. The captains of the military often hold sword fighting demonstrations, while the wine merchants often sponsor drinking contests (for stamina). The most popular are the quarterstaff, wrestling, and feats of strength, although many others are very popular as well.
Athan plans to participate in feats of strength and wrestling, and spear throwing. Greppa was thinking about quarterstaffing, until he saw the real competitors practicing!
Wine
"At Olympiad, the rest of the world goes dry." For three days, roughly 200-300 Theralese athletes compete with each other. The remaining 20,000 to 100,000 people at the Olympiad drink. Wine tasting tournaments, cups purchased at the stadia, where ever there are people, there is alcohol. For most vineyards, this is the banner year for profits, and for merchants (who are unable to buy as much as normal for the north) it is usually a rotten year. Still, few complain. That's Olympiad!
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. I've reached the point in the story hour where I'm confident of my ability to continue it, to maintain some consistency, and that to keep it interesting. Which means that I'm ready to start pimping, drawing people in, etc. But I'd like to do so without being too tacky or gaudy.
