Mid Summer
July
Full Thunder Moon
The swell of summer ripens everything in its time and during this moon it seems the sky grows fatter than any; streaks of days are spent beneath grey skies that grow steadily more ominous until the oppressive heat bursts them in a rumbling, deafening display of celestial splendour. Lightning strikes randomly, thunder booms with gut-wrenching cracks of ferocity and rain pounds mercilessly down. Although snow is looked upon as a higher blessing than rain, it is hail that visits frequently during this season and hail alone that is the outcast cousin; no-one welcomes its arrival and it annually leaves behind another moon’s worth of reconstruction work or numerous fields of destroyed crops.
This is the one time of the year where all areas of the kingdom are humbled to equality, no structure or position being any worse or better should the Gods deem destruction necessary. After heavy storms – especially if there was hail – it is a common sight for town tradespersons to travel to the outlying farming properties to give expert help in fixing excessively damaged properties.
The markets and the butchers feel the pinch of destroyed crops and livestock if the storms prove too disastrous, as do the farmers counting on their sale to continue living. More than one hat-in-hand trudge to the house of a Noble overlord occurs now, as farmers enter the Keep reluctantly to inform their lords that they will not be able to meet their quotas this season. If the Noble is not adequately prepared for such calamities, he could find himself performing the same act of contrition in turn; approaching the King for leniency.
In the blink of an eye, lazy, happy days spent preparing for tournament fun can turn to disaster should the storms prove malicious. All pray for rain without disaster at this time.
During this moon, however, there is plenty of excitement about the Keep as local tournaments or Pas d’Armes (knights and nobles define an area wherein they will allow no traffic to pass without facing them to a challenge with the lance, the contest concluding only after the designated amount of lances are broken) are held in the lead up to Oberon Castle’s regal fare.
Nobles and lesser Royals interested in building up a reputation are often absent for the entire month, following the trail of tournaments, practising for the ‘real’ thing next moon. The King never feels the need to prove himself anywhere but upon his own lists; he is often spotted at this time more than any other, overseeing the mending or creation of new battle fields, and wherever he goes, a small crowd of wide-eyed onlookers follow at a distance deemed acceptable by the Palace Guards.
Final touches are made to the spectators’ areas at this time, seating is extended or refurbished, new fences to stop the interference of onlookers are erected, the royal viewing box is overhauled. Rooves for the seating boxes of all royal kin and the most elite of nobles are checked and – perhaps most importantly – the winner’s daises are placed. The King oversees the raising of the pavilion holding all the colour-coded shields for the nominations of entry into the Tournament’s events in a jovial ceremony at the beginning of the moon. Afterwards, drinks and tales of past victories take place and the pavilion is manned henceforth by those able to verify the elevated bloodlines of those wishing to enter the Tournament.
