Samhain

I love Halloween. Does anyone not? It's this time of year where the celebration of the spooky spirit comes out in force. Between the changing of the leaves, the decorations going up, the crisp coolness in the air, and the flurry of horror-themed posts going around the blogging world, it's hard not to feel the atmosphere in your bones. I would be remiss, of course, to neglect making a Halloween post of my own. And there's no better time than the present to detail my setting's own take on the holiday of Samhain.

Samhain is one of the Cross-Quarter Days of the Wheel of the Year, taking place approximately halfway between the autumn equinox of Mabon and the winter solstice of Midwinter. It is at this point that the harvest season has passed, and the people must prepare for the winter ahead as the days keep growing shorter and shorter. But for many, the more mundane concerns of Samhain come second to what it represents in the movement of the celestial spheres, for it is on this day that the boundaries of the Mortal Realm and the Realms Beyond are at their weakest - particularly, the boundaries with the Land of the Dead.

On Samhain, it is easier than ever for the dead to cross over into the land of the living, and the living to cross into the land of the dead. For necromancers, Samhain is a favored date to perform rituals and to consult the spirits, who can most easily be reached - and controlled, if one is so inclined. But one must not forget that this phenomenon goes both ways. For many, the night of Samhain is one of fear, for it is when the dead may wander into the earthly world - and not all such spirits are friendly.

It is an important part of many folk customs that the spirits be placated - or, failing that, rebuffed - on Samhain to avoid garnering their wrath. Just about every settlement, from the smallest village to the grandest city, practices some sort of ritual on Samhain to protect its people from the dead, and to guide lost spirits home. These traditions vary from place to place, but many involve the use of lights to, alternately, scare away wrathful ghosts or lead them to where they may return to their eternal resting place. Some villages will set bonfires on hills to guide the spirits, or to mark out the boundaries of what lands will belong to the living and which are permitted to the dead on this day. Others will have townspeople symbolically take on the role of Morthanos, carrying lanterns along the roads, so that lost souls will follow them to their destination. On a smaller scale, many homes will set a light burning continuously through the night, be it a candle in their window or a lamp made from a root vegetable on their doorstep, to ensure the protection of their inhabitants.

Of course, such hoary traditions have also given rise to ones of merriment. In many areas, the processions of lantern-bearers have evolved into the tradition of guising, in which observers dress in masks and costumes imitating the spirits and go from house to house performing songs and dances. Traditionally, such an act must be rewarded with food and/or drink - if this is not provided, this grants the guisers free reign to inflict whatever mischief they choose.

With the dead being closer than ever to the living, for many, Samhain marks a time to remember ones' ancestors, and it is not uncommon for families to leave offerings to the dead, so that if their long-deceased relatives happen by their souls may go home happy. This is particularly popular in Valossa, in which Samhain and the days preceding and following it are a time of festivities honoring the dead, and paying homage to Death for guiding them to their eternal rest.

Owing to Samhain's connection to the Land of the Dead and the weakening of the boundaries between worlds, the gods most commonly invoked are Morthanos, in order to pray for protection of the dead, and Torvald, to make pleas for protection against spirits from the beyond. The cults of these gods often perform important services on this date in the hopes of maintaining the balance of life and death, and this reality and the next. That being said, many Samhain customs - particularly the more obscure and arcane local ones - have roots in the Old Faith, though for many this is somewhat of an open secret so as not to attract suspicion of witchcraft. But old habits die hard, and few are willing to abandon their traditions - especially when they need them to placate the dead...

Special Rules

Samhain takes place at sundown on the night before the First of Bloodmoon (analogous to October 31st, or the night before the eleventh new moon of the world's lunar calendar), and continues until the next sundown. On this occasion, all necromancy 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).

Samhain Adventure Seeds (d20)

1. A troupe of thieves plan to sneak into the site planned for a heist by passing themselves off as guisers, allowing them to hide their faces while having a convenient excuse to be let in at the same time. Will the PCs stop them - or join them?

2. A village has sent out a lantern-bearer to lead the souls of the dead to their resting place, but it's been hours and they haven't returned. Did something happen to them? And if so, what can be done to appease the spirits, who now have no guide?

3. With the spirits of the dead closer than ever, a friend of the party invites them to participate in a seance to contact their ancestors. But the ancestors have greater secrets to share than anyone bargained for...

4. An overzealous priest has set out to a secluded village in an attempt to put a stop to their "foul and perverse" Samhain rituals. Turns out, though, those rituals served a very good purpose. Can the PCs intervene before the balance of life and death is disturbed?

5. The ghost of a long-dead ally or family member of one of the PCs seeks them out on Samhain, in search of one final favor from beyond the grave.

6. It turns out this town was built over an ancient burial mound - so when the spirits of the dead rise on Samhain, they do so right in the middle of the town square, and panic ensues!

7. Everyone knows that vampires can't enter a house without an invitation. But when one goes guising, they'll have the perfect opportunity to be let inside. And who will suspect that deathly pallor isn't just makeup?

8. Samhain is a perfect occasion for a masquerade ball, and this year, the party has been invited. But one when of the noble guests is murdered in the night, how can the culprit be brought to justice - especially when everyone's wearing masks?

9. They say that an old stone circle or a cave near town is located at an intersection between the Mortal Realm and the Land of the Dead. On Samhain, when this boundary is especially porous, a mortal just might be able to cross through to the other side. If the PCs need to bring back an ally from the grasp of Death, they'll only have until the sun rises - or they'll be trapped!

10. With necromantic energy thick in the air, many such rituals that manipulate the forces of life and death are especially potent - and a coven of necromancers is planning just such a ritual tonight. Are the PCs going to stop it - or perhaps join in?

11. The whole town is going guising tonight, and that means that the alchemists and magicians in town might have something useful to share. But will the PCs be able to get their hands on it before supplies run dry?

12. Rumors speak of a madman dwelling in a nearby squash field, awaiting the arrival of a strange deity prophesized to manifest on this date to reward its faithful with great riches. Can anyone talk some sense into him - or is he on to something?

13. The dead aren't the only ones who can cross the boundaries of reality on Samhain. When nearby farms are stricken with curdled milk and disobedient animals, it seems like the fair folk are restless. But now that babies are starting to go missing, it's growing clear that something must be done!

14. Samhain is supposed to be a time for celebrating one's ancestors, but as generations go by, some things can be lost and forgotten over the years. When one restless spirit decides it's tired of its descendants giving the wrong offerings and attributing its deeds to someone else, can the PCs figure out what's going on?

15. Someone was foolish enough to task the town drunk with setting the Samhain bonfires this year - and he lit them on the wrong hill, drawing the paths of the dead through town instead of around it!

16. An oracle warned a local lord that he would see great misfortune on Samhain this year, and he doesn't want to take any chances. He promises a handsome reward to anyone willing to ensure that such a fate doesn't come to pass. But fate has a habit of finding a way...

17. Many fear the wrath of the wandering dead on Samhain, but the dead have their own concerns to worry about. With the souls of the deceased lost and vulnerable in the Mortal Realm, opportunistic demons have decided this is their chance to snare the souls of the faithful and carry them to Hell by force. They must be stopped!

18. There's an emergency in the next town over that the PCs must attend to - they're the only ones around who might be able to help. But to get there, they'll have to pass through the route the dead are said to walk on Samhain - and it's growing closer and closer to sundown!

19. Only a fool would delve into a dungeon without a source of light. But what are the PCs to do when all the candles and lanterns around have been bought up by townspeople preparing to light the paths of the dead on Samhain?

20. On the road, the PCs encounter a cloaked figure bearing a lantern and carrying a scythe - but it's no mere impersonator, but Death himself. Is this an ill omen? Or does the reaper need their aid in retrieving lost souls?