Winter's Draft

Near the end of the Autumn season, as the first wisps of winter begin to chill the Great Valley the tribes of the Bear Clan gather outside the Hallow of Urhosh. As with every Bear gathering this festival begins with a massive feast. Each tribe produces the bounty they have gathered over the year onto the More-lord's banquet table, an extravagant display of their wealth and genorosity. No true tribe of the Bear Clan could stand the thought of being the one that brings the least offering. The food that cannot be preserved is consumed over the holiday, bolstering the clan with a layer of fat to withstand the coming winter. Food that can be smoked and transported is prepared, packed and distributed. In prosperous years the feast can last for many days and the heat from the ovens and clanfires fill the valley with the intensity of a second Summer. The festival begins with uproarious joy as tribes exchange news of the past year, and old friends reunite. It is in sharp contrast to the somber ending of the festival.

The fare in a Bear Clan feast heavily favors meat and honey, but the Winter's Draft is an exception. Because smoked meat and honey are so energy-rich and long-lasting they are just too valuable as rations to be eaten right before the Winterwalk. This feast does not suffer for the absence. It consists of a flavorful and diverse assortment of sweet fruit custard, spicy curry, and savory stews.

The Champions

Along with food each tribe leaves a second communal gift: hides, herbs, magical trinkets, and crafted goods; anything that might pique the interest of a greedy god. For when the last bag is packed and the last morsel consumed the Bear Clan leaves the sanctuary of Urhost and the the Great Valley to contend with the Winter Gods. The mightiest tribes present a group of champions along with their offering. Each group is led by a warlock or shaman worthy of representing the Bear Clan in dealings with Winter Gods. Selecting a champion is a glorious and solemn occasion, for a succesful negotiator can be remembered for years, even generations, but a failure must inevitably sacrifice themselves to the twisted and malevolent gods.

Competition

As the most proud of the Brothers the Bear Clan will not grant this authority lightly and contenders will not back down from a claim without a fight. The champions are put through rigorous challenges during the holiday, testing their strength, spirit, and cunning.

Cunning

First the champions are announced by their chieftain and granted the god-bribes of their tribe. At the end of the holiday these will be regifted to the winner, but in the meantime they are bartered and gambled with other contestants. A candidate can earn favor by gambling wisely, but even the strongest and most courageous will not be considered for the post if they lose their gifts before even leaving the clanfire. This challenge is considered the least important in selecting a champion, but for many is the most difficult, for few Bears can resist gambling on themself or a trusted friend in a feat of strength.

Strength

During the day constant physical competitions are held. Some test individual prowess, and others teamwork, but most of all they test endurance. The most capable warriors, hunters, and shamans gather every bit of resolve they have in wrestling matches, races, and lifting competitions. Despite this match being held during the cooler months it is not unheard of for a warrior to only yield when they finally collapse from heat exhaustion. This festival is the most popular time for bear wrestling, as they are sluggish and clumsy before their hibernation.

The best candidates are the ones that can add a spectacle to their bravado. No one can count all the victories after several days, but everyone will remember the wrestler that won without bothering to doff his stone armor, or the shaman who beat faster runners by calling on Urhosh's endurance and taking a shortcut through the clanfire.

Spirit

During the nights, remaining challengers gather around the largest clanfire. They are not allowed to rest until they are finished hearing speakers. Already weakened from exhaustion this is what most tests their resolve. First chanters tell their most gruesome and terrifying tales of ancestors' encounters with the Winter Gods. Each tale ends with an admonition of letting personal pride get in the way of your well-being. In a way the chanters mirror the champions: It is not uncommon for barter to trade hands based on which chanter will be the breaking point for which champion, and some have noted that certain chanters take an unseemly glee at seeing young, brave clanmembers flee the fire.

When the chanters are finished, other clanmembers are encouraged to stand in front of the crowd and give testaments of their personal history with Winter Gods. Unlike the chanters well-rehearsed and carefully calibrated stories, the most effective of these speakers often speak off the cusp, emotionally, and in a state of inebriation. While superficially this serves the same purpose as the chanters' songs and stories, there is another value to this ritual. It provides an emotional release for a group that is rarely allowed to show emotional vulnerability or fear. Anyone can stand in front of the clanfire on these nights and, in the guise of filtering out unworthy candidates or educating an ambassador, vent about their unresolved trauma.

The Choosing

Inevitably, as the feast slows to a halt, one group of champions will display more strength, spirit, and cunning than the others. As her last act before entering the Hallow of Urhost and hibernating for the winter Lakhaya'el grants her favor to one group. The shaman or warlock of the party is given supplies and gifts and granted the awesome responsibility of selecting god(s) to protect the Clan in their most vulnerable time. This arduous task will test the mettle of the whole group. They must be a vanguard of their clan. Before even facing the Winter Gods they brave the elements and the first waves of raiders. The Winter Gods are cunning and deceitful and they crave the blood and suffering of mortals more than any prize. For some this will lead to nothing but a noble sacrifice, but for others Lakhaya'el's blessing is the defining moment heralding a lifetime of heroism.