A Winter Awoken?

The Starlight Celebration is a time of generous gestures and festive fellowship, reminding us that even a customary courtesy can be a bounteous benevolence. It also reminds us of darker days in Eorzean history, which serve to make such deeds shine all the brighter.

Several generations ago, a sanguinary struggle claimed countless lives and left full as many orphans homeless and hungry. Taking pity upon their plight, a company of Ishgardian knights sought out these children each night, furnishing them with food and shelter within their barracks.

As doing so was positively prohibited, however, the knights had the children slip in while swathed in their scarlet jackets. Thus were they spared the worst of the cruel cold. These orphans survived the winter, and, later in life, they went on to convey the same kindness to others that they had once received. On the coldest week of the year, they took to sporting scarlet and passing out presents to the children of the realm. And over time, their deeds developed into the favored festival known as the Starlight Celebration.

To this day, the people of Eorzea faithfully follow this convivial custom. Alas, due to curious circumstances, the Adventurers' Guild has fallen into disarray, and rumors of rescheduling the revelry run rampant.

As a forager of facts, I am never one to put stock in speculation. To that end, I sought to substantiate my suspicions regarding a sinister stratagem to see our seasonal spirit squandered. A representative from the Adventurers' Guild informed of the proposed plan—snowmen, made with powdery stuff sleighed down from Coerthas. However, the festivities were frustrated when a flight of insidious imps appeared and attempted to melt the snowmen. Sentries scrambled to scatter the imps immediately, but to their surprise, the snowmen scarcely needed saving. If reports are to be believed, they attained awareness, fleeing from the flames and into the wilderness.

Before indulging in the idea of sentient snowmen, bear in mind that imps are skilled at shapeshifting shams. In all likelihood, they assumed the appearance of snowmen they had sought to soften.

However, on the off chance that the snowmen found feeling and fled of their own volition, Eorzea may find its starlit skies blotted black before the festival is finished.

Dural Tharal