Dragon Festival

Triumphant Return of the Dragon Festival




All who attended last year's Dragon Festival recall a mixture of merriment
and terror dominating the weekend. The annual festival, which celebrates the
rise of the Dragon Empire from the ashes of the Jade Wind, was beset by
demons—harbingers of Nightfall—who threatened to cast the empire back into chaos
in the name of their lord, Abaddon.
After that near debacle, Emperor Kisu canceled plans for subsequent festivals
until the Canthan Guard could safeguard the wellbeing of all citizens. This
dictum was recently rescinded after brave heroes ventured into the Realm of
Torment and ended the threat of Nightfall. To celebrate this victory over the
forces of darkness, the emperor has decreed the Dragon Festival shall proceed,
not only as a testament to the strength of the empire, but to honor the victory
of humanity over the demonic forces of Abaddon.
The Dragon Festival will take place over the weekend of July 6 to July 8 in
and around Shing Jea Monastery, and is open to all Canthan citizens as well as
visitors from other nations who have the resources to travel to Cantha.


Commemorating the Past
To commemorate the bravery of the citizens of Cantha last year in driving
back the demons who threatened to ruin the Dragon Festival, this year's festival
will include dramatic reenactments of those events, and all are invited to
participate in these little dramas. Whether it's facing off against hordes of
Naga and Yeti driven mad by papier-mâché demons, clearing these same "demonic"
forces from a bandit camp, or accepting the calls-to-arms from Captain Rujiyo
when more "demons" attack various towns across the island, participants will
find numerous ways to join in the fun.


The Emperor's Gift
On the last day of the festival, Emperor Kisu will make appearances within
Shing Jea Monastery to kick off the final reenactment. At last year's festival,
demons attacked during the emperor's speech and, to show their dominance over
humanity, attempted to steal the celestial charges dropped by the Celestial
Dragon. This year, festival participants will relive the excitement of tangling
with these demons as they vie with actors playing the part of Abaddon's forces
over the blessings dropped by the Celestial Dragon.
But before this final drama plays out, the emperor, in his infinite charity,
will give a gift to all who have proven their festival spirit by collecting 250
Victory Tokens throughout the weekend. The gift will be a special Demon Mask,
crafted to commemorate the victory of Cantha over the demonic hordes at last
year's festival. Imperial Supply Master Kagno will remain in Shing Jea Monastery
for one week following the festival to give attendees who missed the finale a
chance to trade their 250 Victory Tokens for a Demon Mask.


Walk the Boardwalk, Race the Beetle
Collecting Victory Tokens should be easy for the seasoned festival goer. In
addition to the tokens you can earn by helping out with the reenacted quests and
missions, this year's Dragon Festival will see the return of many popular events
and mini-games. These games will provide participants with opportunities to earn
both Festival Tokens and Festival Tickets (the tickets can be turned in for more
Festival Tokens or other fun festival treats such as red bean cakes and bottles
of rice wine). All weekend long, participants will be invited to walk the Shing
Jea Boardwalk and play Rings of Fortune and Nine Rings, venture to the
Rollerbeetle Arena to race beetles, or travel to the Dragon Arena for a rousing
PvP battle against other festival participants.



Schedule of Events
The games and quest reenactments will be available all weekend long, while
the missions and the finale will occur on a set schedule. Captain Rujiyo will
call heroes to arms for certain missions on a daily basis at the times listed
below. The missions will be active for 30 minutes after the call goes out.
Emperor Kisu will make his scheduled appearances every two hours on Sunday, July
8.

Mission and Final Event Schedule*