Octum

Octum is the tenth month of the year by the Viali calendar. The prominent constellation in the sky during this time of year is The Wraith.

Lore and Traditions

The Octum Wraith

The Octum Wraith is a powerful being who claims lost souls as his thralls. Legends vary as to other qualities - some say the Wraith wishes to convert the world into some sort of nether-filled shadow world, others say it desire lost souls as its slaves or even as some kind of sustenance. All legends agree, however, that the Wraith comes into particular power during the month of Octum, and care should be taken to avoid the Wraith's notice, lest it capture one's soul.

Pumpkin Lanterns and the Pumpkin King

Most legends claim the Octum Wraith was thwarted by a pumpkin-headed being called the Pumpkin King, and the Wraith has feared the King ever since. In the month of Octum when the Wraith becomes most active, it is common practice to carve faces into pumpkins and place candles within to be used as protection against the Wraith - it is said that neither the Wraith nor its minions will dare pass the visage of the Pumpkin King.

Deathly Masquerade

There is always the fear that while the Octum Wraith is active, it will go seeking more souls to bring under its thrall, preying on the living. A practice began long ago: people would try to make themselves appear as soulless nethrim and thus not be targeted by the Wraith. The custom has since become a major event in many cultures, practiced by adults and children alike, and has taken on the supplementary purpose of honoring the dead who may have yet to find rest.

Charm-Seeking

In addition to pumpkin lanterns, several charms have been devised for the warding off of the Octum Wraith and its minions. In the old Kingdom of Aetgard, the poor would often go door-to-door in Octum, begging for charms to protect themselves. This evolved into a tradition, and in modern times it's not just the poor who participate. It is not uncommon for people to give away treats and toys in addition to charms to those going "charm-seeking" door-to-door these days, and while the seeking is perhaps more looked forward to by children and the poor in modern times, it's still common for well-off adults to participate as well.

Hallowed Sacrifice

One of the darker traditions of Octum is the Hallowed Sacrifice. Several individuals would be bound and brought together in the local town or village square and tied to a thick pole. Large piles of kindling and tinder would then be piled around the pole and eventually lit, offering those who were tied to the pole as a burnt sacrifice to appease the Octum Wraith, or various other entities varying over time and location. While the most common people chosen for sacrifice were those thought to have sorcerous powers, there are also records of those who believed that the blood of women or innocents was preferable to the beings the people sought to appease. This practice has been abolished in many places in modern times, though rituals and dramatic reenactments are often still performed. The night before the day of sacrifice was often an evening filled with various rituals in preparation of the sacrifice, giving rise to the term "Hallow's Eve". The traditional date of the ritual is debated by historians, but most often thought to be the 29th or the 31st.