Hexennacht and Saint Kriemhild's Day

 Or: what happens when you learn about German holidays from anime

In the 1e Oriental Adventures sourcebook, the author recommends keeping a calendar for in-game time in your campaign and having special events take place as time passes in-universe. I do this for my campaigns, as I find that this helps add a sense of versamilitude and dynamism to the game world, and the advice they give is relevant even outside of "Oriental" settings. Even when the PCs aren't doing things, the world still goes on, and things can happen that shake up the world.

In the Lunar Lands, the passage of time is governed by the Wheel of the Year, with certain events in the year having significance both cultural, spiritual, and supernatural. Holidays have power, and this can translate into game terms through the application of some special rules. In what's going to be the first of a series of posts, I'd like to discuss one such holiday that has come up in my campaigns.

The holiday of Beltane is one of the Cross-Quarter Days of the Wheel of the Year, happening at the midpoint between the Spring Solstice of Eostrefest and the Equinox of Midsummer. As one of the key events in the calendar, it is celebrated in some way in just about every culture. In western Vardessy, the celebration coincides with Saint Kriemhild's Day.

What is also notable is that the night before Saint Kriemhild's Day is Hexennacht - Witches' Night - one of the two nights in which the boundaries between the Mortal Realm and the Realms Beyond is weakest (the other being Samhain). As such, it is a favorite occasion for witches and warlocks to practice their rituals and summonings, while those faithful to the Pantheon of Divines choose the night to shelter in their homes making protective charms against black magic. One can often tell if one is a Pantheonist or a follower of the Old Faith based on if they choose to wish travelers good fortune on Saint Kriemhild's Day or Hexennacht.

Centuries ago, Kriemhild of Klareswassen was a young maiden from Vardessy who was stricken with divine visions that prophesized her victory over a coven of witches that made council on the mountain outside her hometown. Taking up the bow and gathering the aid of four peers (together, they formed a party known as the Five Companions, consisting of Kriemhild along with the Saints Liliana, Oktavia, Ophelia, and Candelaria), she drove the witches from Klareswassen in a battle one Hexennacht that was commemorated by the foundation of a great temple in the town, one that would eventually hold her tomb as she was canonized as an important saint of the Cult of Torvald, God of Boundaries and Repelling Evil Forces.

Today, pilgrims from across Vardessy celebrate Saint Kriemhild's Day by visiting the paladin's burial place in Klareswassen for good fortune and the graces of the gods, as well as for the blessed oil that is said to emanate from Kriemhild's body. There are many inns on the road that cater to pilgrims, who typically identify themselves by wearing a red ribbon - either worn in their hair or pinned to their hat, cloak, or tunic. However, pilgrims should hope their faith protects them, for witches still celebrate Hexennacht with chants and hilltop bonfires when the moons rise over the mountains before the sound of bells fills the streets of Klareswassen...

(Also notable is the nearby village of Tollunstadt, which suffers from an inexplicable plague of ankhegs every autumn, but that is another story.)

Special Rules

Hexennacht takes place at sundown on the night before the First of Flowermoon (analogous to April 30th, or the night before the fifth new moon in the world's lunar calendar). On this occasion:

• All saving throws against necromancy spells are made with disadvantage until the next sunrise.
• All necromancy and conjuration spells are made as though they were cast with a spell slot one level higher than what was actually used until the next sunrise (for example, a spell cast using a second-level spell slot behaves instead as if it was cast using a third-level spell slot)
• All Warlocks gain a free extra Eldritch Invocation until the next sunrise, as their Patrons can reach especially close to them. This applies even to first-level Warlocks who do not have the Eldritch Invocation feature.

 

Magic Items

The Blessed Bow of Saint Kriemhild

Artifact

Among the Cult of Torvald's most favored artifacts is the Blessed Bow of Saint Kriemhild, the yew bow that was used by the saint to fire the arrow that pierced the heart of the leader of the Klareswassen Coven. Although the Bow is one of the many relics now held in the Holy Archives of Lescatie, it has been known to disappear from time to time and appear across the land to find its way into the hands of a worthy champion.

The Blessed Bow has the stats of a Shortbow. Any arrows fired from the Blessed Bow are as +1 Arrows (+1 to attack and damage rolls) regardless of make or origin. Additionally, these arrows have advantage to any attack rolls aimed against a witch, hag, or warlock. On Hexennacht and Saint Kriemhild's Day, the arrows behave as +2 Arrows instead.

Oil of Saint Kriemhild

Potion, Uncommon

On her feast day, the relics of Saint Kriemhild held in her temple in Klareswassen secrete a holy oil bottled by the nuns of the temple and sold to pilgrims for a price of a gold coin (though they are reluctant to sell more than one bottle per visitor per year). The Oil carries the properties of a Bless spell - when applied to a weapon, it grants +1d4 to that weapon's damage roll until the next successful attack, and when applied to a creature, that creature has +1d4 on their saving throws until a successful save is made. If the damage roll is made against a witch, hag, or warlock, or if the saving throw is against a necromancy spell, the bonus is +1d8 instead. Alternatively, the Oil can be used to remove curses (as the Remove Curse spell).