The Masqerade of the Immortal Dead

(go to below the picture for the short version)

As the appearances of the ethereal insectile creatures begin to wane, the Masquerade of the Immortal Dead inevitably draws nigh. It is not recalled if it truly began in response to the coming of the ghosts; or if the ghosts came after the original institution of the masquerade.

One legend states that after Dalan II. and his phalangites had driven off the Immortal Columns, that the next lunar year, the spirits of the fallen Doulii Klackons rose up to continue their immortal march, and that Dalan II. had to marshal the phalanges again to oppose their spiritual assault. But seeing the "enemy", Dalan saw that they were incapable of fighting, and so he resorted to a ruse, commanding denizens and foreigners to join up alongside the army, masked and costumed in marvelous uniforms to act as "auxiliaries" and thus to make the army appear thrice its size--and thus the Immortal Dead were defeated again. The Masquerade would be a continuation of this tradition, according to this legend.

Others tell that the Masquerade already was a kind of ancient festival, predating the advent of the ghosts of the Immortal Dead, performed as a kind of ritual of deindividuation and then re-unification of the phalangites. Whether the sacrifice was human or renyu, it is remembered in this version that the soldiers all went masked, in the guise of executioners (i.e. anonymous) so that the ghost of the sacrificial victim could not recognize them after it was slain. The victim was slain, its body divided in half, and the army marched between. The justifications for such a ritual are obscure--consult a priest if especially curious--but the argument here is that the advent of the ghosts came only long after the institution of the Masquerade as a kind of dark festival, the purpose of the masks being to obscure oneself from the gaze of the victim, to avert their vengeance. (There could be a tenuous connection in this to the sense of anonymous pranks? Or perhaps it is spurious).

Whatever the case may be (and there are other, more obscure legends surrounding the origins of the Masquerade), nevertheless the festival is much changed in modern times.

To wit:
The main ritual and feast itself, the date of which is moveable according to the appearance of the ghosts (which regardless of the origins, are now integral to the whole), are performed mostly by members of the various fighting- and mourning-societies, especially the Poor Brothers, but also including the well-renowned Hypaspists of Karakan. Marshalled in masked and cloaked uniform in the Field of War on the east side of the Long Walls, these fighting-men make certain live-sacrifices, then make their way to the Temenos of the Colossian Oracle sprinkling their way on either side of their column with the blood of the beast. There in the Temenos, they perform certain secret mysteries of their cults, while their priest and leaders make further sacrifices in the shrines of Dalan II. and the Cenotaph.

Meanwhile, those in the city make their preparations; the taverns are alive with the excitement of the return of the fighting-men after their proper sacrifices--for, once the Gates of Mourning are opened, admitting the returning warriors, both of the Dual-Cities are sounded with wild trumpets, the clashing of tymbrals, and the beating of drums, and all the taverns are filled with a flow and effluence of masked revelers, all night long, while in the private rooms of the Great Taverns and the private courts of nobles, various themed masquerades drink and laugh and dance their way til dawn ...

Those who wish may carouse during this great outpouring of revelry all throughout the cities. One must spend at minimum 100 gold, but a character may elect to spend up to 100 x character level. Per usual, this earns the carousing character an equal amount of xp (i.e. spend 200 gold, earn 200 xp).

Carousers roll 2d6 on the following table; note that, if invited to carouse with your prankee according to the previous table, that character will roll on the righthand side.

Roll	Without prankee	With prankee
2	Made a mess at one of the taverns (either the one you stay at or roll randomly). You owe them 1 full month of dues. Can be paid in downtime work.	That was too much partying, and all your ‘partying’ ended up covering your guest. You go down 1 step in your relationship with that person.
3	Vandal! In your drunken haze you vandalized the property of a rival, if you have one, or someone of whom your character would disapprove. They only need ask around to discover it was you.	Awkward… Unfortunately, you were having an off night, and you ended up not being very talkative with your guest. You are at a -1 to your next Cultivate Relationships with this person.
4	Either dissatisfied that you missed out on pranking, or that your prank didn’t go as well, you ‘prank’ the partiers. You take a light beating and start the next session at -1d4 hit points (minimum 1).	Cold Shoulder. Your guest was a little frosty during the revelry. You aren’t sure what you did, but you did something to bother them. You have 2 weeks to spend a downtime to Cultivate Relationships with this person or your relationship will go down 1 rank.
5	Good drink, good costumes, fun times. You had a fun time, but nothing remarkable happened.	You and your guest enjoyed drinks! So much so that you get distracted from one another, and end up spending the evening apart.
6	A pleasant partier. You were so polite in your celebrations the tavern owners invite you to carrouse again, as per Carousing but they’ll pay for your first 100gp. This offer is good for one Carousing in the next 2 weeks.	You and your guest both enjoyed the party. While you do not increase in your relationship with this person, your next attempt to do so is at a +1.
7	Party all night long! You were up until the crack of dawn partying. During your revels you met a new friend! Roll on the With prankee table (where a 7 upgrades to 8), the DM then randomly rolls an NPC (as per the Burning Night table) that you bonded with.	Party all night long! You and your guest had such a good time you kept the party going all night. You are at a +2 to your next Cultivation Relationships with this person, and roll on the Without table (where a 7 upgrades to 8) to see what you got up to all night.
8	You had a wonderful celebration. Unlike others, you awake feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. With your muscles and mind relaxed you move with more confidence. You are at a +1 to hit for the next session.	Friends! You held your alcohol and put on an excellent show for your guest. You go up 1 rank in your relationship.
9	You befriended an animal during the night--an intelligent kyni falcon, a mischievous sikun ape, an eel-like nenyelu under the piers, or a devious weasel-like kuruku, etc. The animal will stay with you if you let it, and can be trained to do useful tricks. (the nenyelu is waterbound)	You and your guest had a wonderful time celebrating. You go up 1 step in your relationship, and are also at +1 to your next Cultivate Relationships with this person.
10	You partied with a hireling! Roll on the hireling chart to see who, you may recruit this hireling for your next adventure for free.	Your guest invites you to continue the celebrations at their normal haunt, introducing you to their friends/family. DM either provides 1d6 additional acquaintances or roll 1d6 times on the Burning Night chart to see what kind of friends this person has.
11	Rubbing Elbows. You were lucky enough to happen to have been at a party with a member of one of the houses of Gadeed. They enjoyed your company, and you now have an official invitation to their court.	The Excellent Adventures of You and Guest! The celebration was a wild success. You and your guest had an excellent time. You go up 1 step in your relationship, and they now owe you a ‘friendly favor’*.
12	Winner winner chicken dinner! You played a remarkably successful series of drunken games, and by the end of it all you found yourself holding the deed to some property. It isn’t large, or developed, but it's yours.	Best of friends. Celebrating long into the night, you and your guest talk about everything, and drink almost everything. Go up 2 steps on your relationship track.

*A friendly favor being something to be determined in the future, negotiated between you and the DM. See relationship chart for “... may come at/with a cost” the favor pays the cost.