WANTED: Suggestions for a celebration of Chaos

[Herobizkit]

I am the PC, but I am also the mayor of our in-game town and the group and I co-operate with the GM to put new ideas in place for the setting.

What I am asking, as a DM and a PC, is what kind of ideas people (players and GMs) might come up with to design a celebration of Chaos (certain Drow traditions notwithstanding, which have already been put in play and has already been considered for a return celebration, IYKWIM)... be it a ritual, a folk tradition, a religious holiday, what have you.

Maybe the idea is too vague? That's what I'm trying to figure out.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Funny, by having an "organized" party, that is not chaos.

Tequila!!! Mask, drugs, drink, dance and rock & roll - think Dionysus.

Ideas, party where you have to wear five colors or more, where wine and drugs cause you to perform actions; stuff like crazy dance, run around naked, sing, make out with someone with a CHR of 5 or less, wake up in a strange place, pass out, draw pictures on passed people, murder, stuff like that. I would run it as sidebar, players go to the party then wake with knowing the following (roll from chart).

 

[Janx]

Funny, by having an "organized" party, that is not chaos.

Tequila!!! Mask, drugs, drink, dance and rock & roll - think Dionysus.

Ideas, party where you have to wear five colors or more, where wine and drugs cause you to perform actions; stuff like crazy dance, run around naked, sing, make out with someone with a CHR of 5 or less, wake up in a strange place, pass out, draw pictures on passed people, murder, stuff like that. I would run it as sidebar, players go to the party then wake with knowing the following (roll from chart).

bear in mind a Lawful society isn't going to be comfortable completely letting loose where truly anything goes.

Think of it this way, while you are sober, are you really going to go to a party where there's Mandatory Russian Roulette that everybody MUST play.

No. That'd be stupid. You'd be better off going to the neighbor's more tame party where at worst, somebody's going to get drunk.

This is the design flaw in The Purge movie idea. A rational society is unlikely to vote to have an annual party where the criminal deviants get to run amok and kill everybody. The chances that any vote gets targeted aren't worth it (and that'd be true in a non-democratic society as well, as the have-nots target the people in charge).

Controlled Chaos is what a town would be looking for. They want to experience the zaniness, without the negative side-effects.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Do agree with [MENTION=8835]Janx[/MENTION] the celebration would be in a controlled location, like a temple, an open field, and limited within the city or town walls maybe even performed in secret locations for the more extreme cults. This could be plot points for your game too.

 

[Celebrim]

I am the PC, but I am also the mayor of our in-game town

Ah, that's different.

Well, the setting is what it is then and you have to accept certain of its precepts. If Chaos is basically just Energon, Mana, or Redstone or some such, then it would probably be celebrated in pretty much exactly the way that such things are celebrated. Certainly as the mayor, I'd imagine that would be your primary motivation - promotion of wealth and industry along with community goodwill.

You'll declare a trade day, a feast day for the guild(s) of crafters that mine and work with the materials upon which the town's wealth is founded. The guilds will parade through the streets with their tools, and their religious icons of their patron gods, and be feted by the rest of the townsfolk with gifts of flowers, candies, kisses, beads and small coins. And in turn, the guilds fete the townsfolk later by in large part providing a feast paid from the guild dues. A ritual sacrifice will take place, probably first of the 'first fruits' of the labor - ritually melting down some ore to give to the temple (which they can sell or whatever), and secondly of food, livestock, and drink offered up to the trade patron gods - and then a party will commence with the town sharing the portion that doesn't go to the gods (generally speaking, most of it). Afterwards games will be played and contests held that relate to the trades particularly and other things the town values. Pick axe swinging contests. Ore chunk throwing contests. Dancing contests. Baking contests. Minecart pushing contests with the young maids that won the dancing contests, baking contests, and singing contests and such in the minecart. And so forth.

 

[Samloyal23]

Take a look at religions that use ecstatic behaviour in rituals, like the rites of Dionysos and Voodoo. Maybe there is a religious ritual where people dance until they reach a trance state in which their inhibitions are gone and they start acting randomly. It only affects are few people, onlookers just cheer them on and keep them from getting killed or doing harm to someone else. Their randoms behaviour is interpreted as full of omens from the gods...

 

[Herobizkit]

Thanks to everyone who's contributed. The Dionysus/wild party and the Fey connection was so obvious - my character is a Wellblade and elven heritage features prominently in the campaign area - that I completely missed it.

Of course, our town has also recently gone though some hardships and losses, having defended several of its borders from invaders and losing much of the guard/police force in its wake. Perhaps the timing might not be perfect for an all-out party.

That's not going to stop me from throwing a more... localized? ... affair on our airship. Party Boat II will fly triumphant!

(Party Boat I fell through and the... um... salacious undertakings thereto were held at the mayoral estate.)

Also, [MENTION=8835]Janx[/MENTION] re: lawful folks... the town was run like Tortuga before we players became involved. My character is pushing for a more... neutral?... business paradigm but he does realize that some laws are needed in place to keep general order.