Event 4 Festivals

Once more, Gods Road is host to celebrations fit for kings and Gods alike! The Devout of Gods Road, seemingly as ever, find themselves invited to any number of festivities.

The Rakes family has opened up their Gods Road Estate to welcome Veiltide. One of Nepheris’s most anticipated holidays, Veiltide is a time for romance, intrigue, and plain old merriment. Participants will likely see celebrants dressed up in their finery, with the opportunity to rub elbows with some of Circadia’s elite.

Somewhat less Divine in nature, contender for High Priesthood, Lady Mona Albright, and her brother Sir Jordam Albright Jr. are holding a cooking competition. Lady Albright, expressing the “incomparably appeal of flesh” has termed the competition “The King of Meat.” Chef Rhamsa F. Brightborne will serve as a judge, as will two other mystery guests! Lady Albright has assured a fabulous prize for the winner.

Out of Game Notes:

The Masquerade is an in-game party to celebrate Nepheris’s holiday Veiltide. This will be held from 11pm-midnight on Saturday night. There will be no other encounters happening during this. Like Starshine, this will be roleplay only. You are welcome to wear a masquerade mask or fancier costume than you normally do.

If your character would not normally attend such a party, but you would like to, you can consider this invitation formal enough that it necessitates your presence. (You, of course, do not have to attend if you don’t want to!)

The King of Meat is an in-game cooking competition that will happen Saturday afternoon (around 3pm). The staff judges have allergies to pork and avocado; additionally, there are severe contact allergies to shellfish. So avoid pork, shellfish, and avocado. If you want to participate, you will need to email zealot.larp@gmail.com so that I can explain timing and kitchen guidelines to you. There will be other encounters happening during this time. If you want to enter, you can be creative in terms of what you mean by “meat” and non-animal products are welcomed.

Event 4: Gods Road Herald

The local newspaper is printed! As always, a printed version will be available at game.

(As an out of game note: the Zealot New Year is June 8. The current year is 535 and will be 536 starting June 8. There is a funny typo wherein it was 536 for a hot minute, which is incorrect. Buy the correct GM a drink and find out why.)

Event 3: The High Toast

On the High Toast of the Day of the Family

Much has been made of the upcoming celebrations for the “Day of the Family.” As has been rumored, Nepheris decided to resume formal observances, though his motives are unknown. Indeed, it has been quite some time since anyone in Circadia has seen a formal celebration of the Day of the Family overseen by anyone other than ranking clergy–to have a God invested in such a celebration seems like the stuff of old legend.

More information has been released about the proceedings, and it confirms that Nepheris and/or his Brother have decided to return to not only “the Family Dinner” but the opening tradition of the “High Toast.”

The High Toast traditionally opens Day of the Family celebrations. Dynastic hymns are played and, afterwards, four toasts are offered. The first toast is made in honor of the Gods, the second toast in honor of the Devout, and the final toast in honor of the Dynasty. Generally, these toasts are given by local Devout, one for each toast. The final High Toast is only given in the presence of a God and is generally delivered by a High Clergy member.

Classically, the High Toast is considered to be a great honor, and its delivery generally marks the speaker as the highest ranking Mortal in Circadia. Of course, traditions have shifted, and it is somewhat less formal now.

The first three toasts are often short but delivered with expert oratorship–they are frequently times during which Devout exercise their own political agency, though this is only done with extreme tact and skill. The High Toast is often longer and sometimes read aloud from a written proclamation–the High Toast is almost always some sort of political maneuver.

This year, it seems the High Toast is being offered “field style.” “Field style” refers to celebrations given during times of war, upheaval, or anticipated hardship. It refers to Devout troops celebrating while deployed in the field, though more generally indicates a “dressed down” affair. While Devout are still expected to attend the toast with proper pomp, they are not required or expected to leave their field assignments, and celebrations happen in the spare accommodations deployment allows.

The Current Invitation to the High Toast (4.13)

Please don’t forget to register for our April 13 2024 one-day event. Register and read more here.

Registration for April 13 2024 Open

Registration is open for the April 13 2024 one day at Camp Middlesex.

Join us and register here: Event 3, For the Family.

This is a full combat event. Read below for the in-game description of the event.

***

The Day of the Family

No day is met with as much pomp and controversy as the Day of the Family. Observed carefully by followers of the Brothers, Nepheris and Beodhen, the Day of the Family is a celebration of kinship but, more centrally, the Dynasty of Le’neris, Pel’Pyri, and their Descendants.

No Devout hold this day in closer esteem, of course, than those pious to Verine. The day is a time for togetherness and grand festivity–moreover, it is a day acknowledging the complicated duty family sometimes necessitates. Verine and her followers’ omnipresence at Day of the Family events has long wreathed the holiday with somewhat uneasy laurels.

It is said that, for the first time since the end of Blood War, Nepheris and Beodhen have agreed to hold a formal celebration of the Day of the Family at Gods Road. The reason for this return to festivity is unclear, though Nepheris apparently stated he was offered, “a gift unexpected and reclaimed from shadows” and, in recognition of the current cohort of Devout, has convinced his brother they ought once more sponsor observance–perhaps in direct opposition to or support of their Aunt, the Goddess Verine.

It is rumored that High Priestess Myr’naianesa, High Priestess of Nepheris and Mynair, has been asked to preside over the opening ceremony of such festivities. Recently, the High Priestess has been brokering peace with disaffected Mynaira off the north east coast of Circadia. Her current political leanings, undoubtedly strategic if unpredictable, are mostly unknown.

High Priest Cyriaque of Verine has already expressed his displeasure at her invitation. Casual onlookers divested from the longtime (one-sided) rivalry are eager to see if any fireworks might grace the presidings–Myr’naianesa is never one to shirk controversial overatures, and Cyriaque is never one to let an insult, however implicit, slide.

The Gods Road Herald: Event 2

event-2-zealot-gods-road-herald Download

Dates for 2024

We have dates for 2024!

Event 3/Spring 1 Day: April 13, 2024

$50 ticket, $20 meal plan, Camp Middlesex

This will be a one day event running from 1pm-late. The camp does have available overnight housing, but the only running water will be in the Monster Camp building, which will be available to PCs.

Event 4: May 3-5, 2024

$100 ticket, $35 meal plan, Camp Middlesex

Event 5: May 24-26, 2024

$100 ticket, $35 meal plan, Camp Middlesex

Event 6: September 27-29, 2024

$100 ticket, $35 meal plan, Camp Middlesex

Event 2: Order from the High Clergy

To My Comrades at the Highgate Barracks:

It was not just a pleasure but an honor to meet you and fight also guide you. You seem to be people of dedication to your Gods, and it is always rejuvenating to see how our different Devotions comes together.

First and foremost, my brother, Magister Devon Rakes, and I wish to thank you for early explorations into the Abyss. I can safely say I have never seen the types of creatures we encountered. More than ever, I am resolute in our commitment to Abyssal expedition.

More immediately, I have orders from the High Clergy: this coming month, we will travel to the Grand Scar Outpost, some fifty miles from Gods Road proper. Devon, aided by Priests of Nepheris, has spent the better part of the past two years constructing this outpost–it serves to better situate elite troops near the Grand Scar. This is particularly important as we work to protect the small hamlets and villages closer to the Grand Scar than Gods Road.

Devon has arranged so that we may expediently travel their at our convenience. When you arrive, the High Clergy has provided accommodations. I will not be accompanying you, as I will be keeping watch at Gods Road.

Normal holidays will proceed as will unrelated duties including trials and Devotional tasks. We anticipate intensive exploration into the Abyss.

Yours in Service,

Pilar Rakes

***

Please don’t forget to register for our Nov 17-19 event at Camp Denison.

Event 1: Gods Road Edict and Announcements

(Please see the bottom of this post for Out of Game announcements.)

Plain text below.

Plain text below.

Gods Road Edict (full text)

To Current Residents of Gods Road:

As you may have heard, a new cohort of Devout will soon be taking up the Highgate Barracks of Gods Road. They will be arriving in a little under a month and joining our township as the attending Devout.

We the High Clergy have personally called these Devout to replace those lost to the Abyssal Incursion of the last year. They are individually revered for their talent, determination, and unique service to their Patron Gods. To those of you who are not yet caught up on the current events and the necessity of Devout presence, a brief reminder:

The Abyssal Scar nearest Gods Road has been increasingly active and deadly. The Devout lives lost to it are not insignificant, and it has started to directly threaten the layfolk of Gods Road. It needs to be guarded and maintained.
With the guidance of the Rakes family, the High Clergy has convened and decided to formally reinvigorate exploration of the Abyss. Paladin Pilar Rakes of Beodhen and Nepheris will lead expeditions but has mandated that only Devout be allowed to pursue such endeavors.
Criminal activities have increased in Gods Road and surrounding areas. These need to be marshaled effectively.

Which leads us to the most immediate matter at hand.

We approach the Day of Negotiation, the Highest of Holy Days of Nepheris. As is longstanding tradition, the Old Laws of Circadia will be committed to the realm of Shadows and Truth but erased from formal practice. The laws of all Circadia will be written by the attending Devout of Highgate with guidance from the High Clergy and lay representatives. These laws will govern Circadia until the next Day of Negotiation, at which point they too will be overturned.

This is both a great honor and burden. The attending Devout will need to come together to imagine how the legal proceedings of the next year will work.

This is an especially difficult responsibility for the Devout new to this area: indeed, the large influx of newcomers makes this a complex process. However, we the High Clergy will invite them to make their perspectives known, and we will ask them to invite a new year based on their experiences.

The current laws of Circadia have been in effect for decades, but they no longer serve our needs. We are soundly out of the Blood War, and new threats and opportunities emerge.

As always, we invite any layfolk interested in contributing their ideas to submit them in writing or by verbal report. Sébastien Silverschloss, the innkeeper of Highgate Barracks, will mediate your contributions.

Every non-heretical voice, Devout or not, will be heard.

The formal Negotiations will begin at the start of the 14th Day of the Tenth Month; they will continue until the dinner hours, at which point a representative will arrive to draft the proposed rules. Immediately at the end of the dinner hour, the rules will be read aloud and submitted for formal codification and circulation.

I trust you will offer this new group of Devout a warm welcome and the respect they are due. While they may be new to our area, they are seasoned veterans in many walks of life.

In Service,

The High Clergy

Petra Lionhardt, High Priestess of Beodhen

Myr’naianesa, High Priestess of Nepheris

Duncan of Fairchild, High Priest of Steramestei

Cyrus and Milot Aspera, High Priests of Kasamei

Sympathy Called Sincerity, High Priest of T’Zyri

Out of Game Announcements

Please register! We will start sending out individualized in-game materials in the next few weeks. We need your sign-up and character history to do so.

The Registration Link is here.

The Donations List is now available. Contact us if you have any questions. (Zealot.larp@gmail.com.)

Click here for Donations List.

We would like people to start signing up for In-Game spaces that they will take responsibility for. I’ve heard specific interest from three players, but I’d like you all to formally sign-up.

As we discussed, we are providing the opportunity for PCs to earn CP by taking responsibility for a PC space in order to earn CP. Anyone involved in adopting a space will receive 1 CP per event they decorate the space. This CP does not count to your overall CP cap. (You can go over cap.)

Your responsibilities would include:

Setting up the space and cleaning it up at game-off.
Providing props. (One exception.)
Storing the props and bringing them to site. (We are flexible on this if storage and transport would prevent a person from adopting a space.)

PC Tavern Spaces

Table 1: Shrine to Beodhen, Open

Table 2: Shrine to Nepheris, Open

Table 3: Shrine to T’Zyri, Open

Table 4: Open Concept, Open

Table 5: Open Concept, Open

Other Spaces

Outdoor Pavilion: Shrine to the Sisters, Open (props are provides for this, including the pavilion; we will store this)

Mac’s Shack: Auxiliary PC space, Claimed

If you have other suggestions, we are open to hearing them. Multiple players will be welcome to collaborate on a space. We also know that some people who may be interested in setting up a space regularly may not be able to make it to game–we know life happens and will work with you should that arise.

Event 1, Oct 13-15 2023, Registration Open

We had an excellent playtest yesterday and are officially ready to open registration.

The event will run October 13-15 2023 at Camp Middlesex in Ashby, Massachusetts. Cost to attend the event is $100 with a $35 weekend meal plan. Please read more about the logistics in the registration form.

Please fill out this form to register.

We’ll be making edits to the rules over the next few weeks. While we don’t anticipate any major changes, there are definitely some things that need tweaking.

Playtest Logistics

Hello players!

We’re gearing up for the playtest and wanted to give you a sense of what to expect.

Firstly, logistics:

August 12, 2pm-9:30pm, social space reserved for after the playtest.
Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center
Sturbridge, MA

Please feel free to arrive/leave at any point during the event. We’ll have light refreshments and beverages, but you’ll be on your own for dinner. (The area has a lot of good nearby restaurants, and the in-hotel restaurant is usually open. You’re of course more than welcome to bring your own food, but there are no accessible microwaves/fridges.)

The event is divided into three parts: out-of-game discussion, in-game playtest, and character consultations throughout the day.

Costuming
Costuming is as you feel comfortable! Staff will be fully costumed for the in-game portion. “Renfaire lite” is perfectly ok! We don’t expect people to have fully formed characters, let alone costumes. If you don’t have a costume, we suggest a minimum of NPC blacks to build immersion, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule.

Tavern
The PC “tavern” area will be divided into two spaces. An in-game space and an out-of-game space for talk and character consultations. We’ll have a copy or two of the rules for perusal. (We won’t be making any edits until after the playtest.)

Theme
The playtest takes place during pivotal battles during the Blood War. These aren’t the major moments, such as the fall of Hyrnedhna, but instead important turning points in the war. While the war has an outcome, PC actions will shape the nuances!
Read about the Blood War here:
https://zealotlarp.com/lore-and-mythology/the-blood-war/

Your character may have strong feelings about the Blood War, but, for the purpose of the playtest, all players are on the side of Beodhen against T’rer and Hyrnedhna. If this is not how your character might act, you should feel free to be conflicted. Roleplay as is fun for you, but remember that this decision is a pragmatic one for playtest purposes!

In particular, we will be emphasizing how the current High Priests came into power through action in the Blood War. This will give you a good sense of the themes of the game from a lower political level.

A refresher on political structure:
https://zealotlarp.com/2023/07/24/circadian-political-structures-in-detail/

As you know, you have the option of playing either your intended PC or a prewritten character. If you are playing your PC, you will experience the event as a vision and will retain the knowledge in the game world. If you are playing a prewritten PC, you are a canonical part of the history. If you like, you may build these prewritten characters into your own history for game. Roleplay as is fun for you.

You can still register at this link:
https://forms.gle/JzXVcyM9KFMC7M2VA

The schedule is below.

See you soon!
Zoe, Scott, Michael, Crystal, Cardin, and Ezra

Out-of-Game Playtest

2-3:30pm, Game Philosophy and Discussion
American Grille/PC Tavern

In-Game Playtest
Note: The designation of the Gods refers to the general themes of the encounters, not the appearance of the Gods themselves.

3:30pm-4:30pm, Beodhen and Nepheris
Brazen Paladin of Beodhen and daughter of the esteemed Lionhardt family, Petra Lionhardt leads Beodhen’s army on an important mission. While the God Nepheris has proclaimed his own neutrality, he has nevertheless supplied his brother Beodhen with ample supply routes. In order to buoy wartime supply lines, Beodhen’s followers, led by Petra, must establish emergency silos along the routes. They are sure to encounter belligerent forces from T’rer’s followers and the Hyrnedhnai.

4:30pm-5:30pm Steramestei and Kasamei
War has taken its toll on the populace, and Kasamei and her followers have found themselves overwhelmed with shepherding the dead to their final rest. Indeed, in addition to her High Priest Cyrus Aspera, Kasamei has welcomed his younger brought Milot Aspera as a secondary High Priest.

However, taking pause from their normal work, High Priests Cyrus and Milot are performing work on behalf both Steramestei and Kasamei. Followers of Steramestei have been besieged by disturbing visions, and they need assistance from the Seers of Kasamei to make sense of such things.

5:30pm-6:30pm The Abyss
Up and coming Paladin of Steramestei, Duncan of Fairchild, comes to lead interested parties towards what he believes is an Abyssal Scar. Heinous Corrupted forces are spewing forth from it, and Duncan–momentarily removing himself from the Blood War proper–wants to assuage it before it harms the nearby towns and villages.

6:30-7:30pm Mynair and Hyrnedhna
High Priestess of the dead Goddess Mynair, Myr’naianesa, reluctantly joins to fray to protect the Mynaira: the Hyrnedhnai have began establishing forts closer and closer to the coastline, threatening the Mynaira in hiding. Using what little of Mynair’s magic remaining, Myr’naianesa has agreed to deliver one final flood. It will surely be a horrific battle: Hyrnedhna’s High Priest Amik–destroyer of Fairchild–marches chief among the ranks.

7:30pm-8:30pm Verine, Opix, and T’rer
The time has come for the most dangerous assault against T’rer’s elite forces. This is a decisive battle and will surely be deadly for all sides. As anticipation mounts, however, Verine has quietly entered the fray: while Beodhen’s armies launch an assault against T’rer, Verine has a special task for her followers–something she’s assured will win the war, even if the battle is lost. She has sent her favored Paladin, Cyriaque Beausejour, to rally followers on her behalf.

8:30pm-9:30pm Gu’labir and T’Zyri
With the fate of the battle against T’rer’s elite decided, there is one more (surprising) matter of business: T’Zyri has sent a Worship Leader, Sympathy, to request the aid of Beodhen’s allies–including her own followers. She has also requested the favor of Gu’labir’s chosen–an odd choice for the Goddess currently committed to becoming a reigning Pantheon member. Sympathy has assured that, while a matter of ritual, it will likely be dangerous and perhaps even…unseemly.

You are not expected to participate in every mod, though no one will be turned away. We do encourage you to attend the ones that most interest you! Please anticipate time to roleplay in-between encounters–much of the “lore” will come out through conversation with staff and other players. (Particularly prewritten characters! You’re playing important members of the war effort.)

Character consultations will occur throughout the day.

We’re very, very excited!