Starborn Alignment - Notes to Self

• CS = Money of the land, use in the shops

Aodh Herd:  Year is currently 1700 

Laws of Aodh

1. You shall not discredit Lord Ignacio. Do not be deceived by the lies of other herds.
   
2. You shall revere your Monarch. He or she leads us from ruin; their reign is blessed by Ignacio's favor. Their decrees will go unquestioned.
   
3. You shall not exact personal justice on your fellow equine. Suspected criminals will be tried before the eyes of Lord Ignacio and his people. The punishment for the guilty will be enacted by the Crown.
   
4. You shall not steal from your fellow equine. The material possessions, property, and slaves of an Aodh citizen are theirs and theirs alone, to do with as they please. Take nothing that you did not pay for.
   
5. Respect and abide by Aodh's Chevaliers. They are the keepers of the peace and the long arm of the Crown.
   
6. Cheating in the Crucible (fighting pit) is forbidden. A horse found guilty of dishonesty will be severely punished, and their pit slaves slain.
   
7. You shall not purchase a slave with questionable origin. Aodh does not condone the sell and purchase of captured vagabonds / illegally acquired herd horses. *This law is lip service, and cheerfully ignored by the entirety of Aodh.
   
8. You shall not kill or injure your fellow citizen.
   

• New Years Festival - An annual holiday celebrated with fireworks, rich food and excessive alcohol. The festivities begin at sundown on the last day of the year, and continue until dawn. Just before sunrise, citizens will write down their hopes for the new year on slips of paper and tie them to floating lanterns, which are then released into the sky.

• Crowning Day - When a new monarch is crowned, the Crucible hosts a special tournament in their honor. The Crowning Day fights are the only matches purposefully fought to the death. The winner is granted their freedom, and to their previous owner go the winnings.

• Fire Festival - A summer holiday honoring Lord Ignacio. Firebreathers entertain crowds as citizens 'test their devotion' (and foolhardiness) by leaping through flaming rings and racing across hot coals. An archery contest is held wherein participants shoot flaming arrows at small wooden boats floating in the Strand waterways.

• Weddings - Aodhian weddings are decadent, vivacious affairs that begin at dawn and, typically, last well into the night. The ceremony is held in Ignacio’s temple, where the couple is adorned in flower crowns, pearls, and lace. The couple walks down the aisle side-by-side, and will stand before the priest as he/she speaks a prayer to Ignacio. The prayer bids the inferno god to watch over the couple, and keep the passion between them burning strong. When it is finished, the couple speaks personalized vows and are considered wed.
  
•     The reception follows. This after-party is where Aodhian weddings gain their reputation, for the richer the newlyweds, the more extravagant their reception. Alcohol, exotic food, fireworks, music, and dancing are all typical. At the end of the party, the couple is given a golden candle by either a parent or a best mare/stallion. The candle is lit before they leave, and the couple must be careful not to let it go out on their way home – quite the task when reasonably drunk! The candle is set on the heart of their new home, and will go out on its own within three to six hours. The longer it stays lit, the happier the marriage will be… so it’s said.