Honor’s Fall meets Modernization
A tradition as old as Requiem, it’s almost time for Honor’s Fall. Every year families get together, people die, and the laws are cemented until the next year. I have been made aware of some of the changes for this year and wanted to be sure you have all heard yourself. To understand the changes, I’ll provide a brief history of Honor’s Fall for those of you new to the area. Be sure to read until the end for news not related to the families and their blood bath.
The History:
A feat of strength, wit, and social manipulation. The original concept behind Honor’s Fall, which for the most part, still stays true to this day. The families would come through town, armed head to toe, and show off why taking away their capital F won’t be easy. Intimidation, scare tactics, they thrived on the chaos and fear that came from Honor’s Fall. It was a way to make sure families that couldn’t pull their weight were out, and families that could contribute were in.
As time went on, the politics of the town began to change. The families found that more important than proving their worth to the Fold, they would prove it amongst each other. Their tactics changed from brute force to deals in the dark. Each deal always ended the same though, with a head. The deals got louder, the families became more fierce, and suddenly Honor’s Fall became focused on winning. Nothing was off the table to get both the head and the revenge you were searching for.
The Changes:
This year’s Honor’s Fall seems to bring a mixture of the new and the old. It is still encouraged to show off your families in force, such as Boonhelm Power Hour as the sirens go off. Many of us have hope that this year we will see a shift in the culture around this holiday as we move away from the brutality and towards unity.
A very big change you should all be aware of is the new Friday start time. It may give less time to prepare, but it does give more time to recover and reconcile, which I do believe to be far more important. You’ll all have a short amount of time to complete whatever tasks you have to prepare before the sirens go off at midnight. For six hours, 12am-6am, all rules of Honor’s Fall apply, and that is, no rules (almost no rules).
The Great Hall, from what has been publicly announced, will provide a safe zone, but only for a brief time. Family heads are expected to check in here, anyone may come in and stay, but once someone has challenged you, you’ve got but 5 minutes to exit the building and respond. Keep in mind, this does not keep you safe from unrelated threats.
In what I would assume is everyone’s favorite change, the family heads will be meeting Saturday at noon to discuss upcoming changes to the laws. That’s right, no more 6am half asleep meetings with all the pressure of Requiem sitting on the shoulders of exhausted family heads. We all look forward to the productive conversations that will come out of having a bit of life behind the eyes.
The Entertainment:
Everybody knows it’s not Honor’s Fall without some sort of entertainment, and this year it’s looking to be a full schedule of excitement. In a refreshing new update, all entertainment, parties, and so fourth are to be held on Saturday after Honor’s Fall to celebrate and bring the town together. Quite a lovely idea to squash those hard feelings from the night before.
Req-A-Mania, hosted by Requiem’s finest locals, is a brand new event to the list of activities. Watch well loved Reqqer’s, such as Gorge, engage in wrestling like you’ve never seen before. There will be drama, there will be action, and perhaps a little bit of audience participation. It’s not truly a wrestling match if the crowd isn’t involved. Be there at 7pm in the Great Hall.
Photos of Once Bitten Burlesque by Allana Marie/Black Sky Photography
Another tradition over the past few years, it has also been announced everyone’s favorite burlesque crew, Once Bitten, will be returning for another show thanks to the Lotus Society. Stevensons beware, this is not a family friendly performance. I highly recommend grabbing food from one of the vendors during Req-A-Mania before burlesque, because this is a show you will not want to miss.
Finally, of course, there will be a bacchanal. I have not been privy to the details of it just yet, but as always, prepare your illicit activities for after burlesque.
The News:
First and foremost, who is in the running to become a family this year?
Rumors of families stepping down have reached my doorstep, and while I would love to share with you who they are, I respectfully leave that to the families to announce as they wish if they still choose to do so.
Let us instead begin with the current families and whose heads are, so to say, on the chopping block.
Lotus Society - Sinclair
Devils - Lance
Molons - Nya
Lucianos - Dante
Lonely Streetz - Killmore
Boonhelms - Mardigan
Volkov - Solomon
Stevensons - Abigail
Anderson Ambrosia - Haldis
Every Honor’s Fall also needs a few families looking for their spot, otherwise the results of Honor’s Fall would be a little too predictable. Let us now take a look at who is looking to fill some spots.
With a love of books, teaching, and everything a nerd could dream of, Bonnie Lincoln and Halla Harkness have put together The Alexandria family. I’ve been told both that they are attempting to become a ward family and a full family. Which do you think they will become?
In an unsuspected rise for power, the Baudelaire family has put their name in the hat. With a rather unfortunate history when it comes to combat, one does wonder what plans they are working on to keep up with the rest of the Requiem. As long as Old Man Baudelaire isn’t leading the charge, they may have a chance.
While most families participating in Honor’s Fall do it for the recognition, there are always the few that do it for the fun. It is impossible to announce a rule’s free evening without catching the eye of a few rabble-rousers. The Bloodhounds, which until now have been the loosely associated group of poachers, have sniffed out their opportunity for chaos. If you are all lucky, may they be the only group looking to cause trouble.
Local merchants have been chatting about the ‘high customer demand’ anticipated on Friday night before the sirens go off. If you find yourself in need of any last minute gear your wish has been granted. Be warned though, every merchant understands supply and demand, and with high demand comes high prices. Don’t let yourself be fooled, stand your ground, and prepare wisely.
Not everything is about Honor’s Fall. For instance, the Darwins are currently wanted for war crimes against the Lotus Society. When a wanted poster goes up, it’s clear this is serious business. I would wish mercy upon them, but from what I’ve learned from the multiple Mercy’s I’ve met in my life, that is something you may not want either.
With that, I hope you are prepared for Honor’s Fall.
Write to Betsy:
Poster created by Emily DeRoma
Voices of the Fold would be nothing without all of your voices pitching in to bring news to the wastes.
Do you have something you want to share? A discovery the world should know about? Gossip worthy of an anonymous submission? Send a letter through the post to myself, Betsy Bass!
Involving Your Community:
For those of you that have done your time in Requiem, I have a request.
Your newest of residents have been given a few tasks by myself to get to know the town. Inspiring young journalists!
My request of you is to aide them in their journey to learn about Requiem and experience everything it has to give. Word in the wastes is that Requiem has a good reputation with their hospitality, despite what you’re all known for. I trust you to treat them well.
