Kenneddfod

Time, seasons, and holidays » Kenneddfod

Bards, called skalds amongst the Rjurik, are an important part of Rjurik culture - more so than in any other culture. They are not simply musicians, story-tellers, or performers of another sort. They are the repository of the Rjurik history and along with the druids the guardians of the Rjurik culture.

The Kenneddfod is a large gathering of skalds from across Rjurik, held every year during summer (when travel is easiest) the skalds gather to exchange news, share new tales and songs, discuss the fate of the Rjurik people. Named for an early skald said to know every saga of the Rjurik and the fate of every Rjurik, the Kenneddfod is now the largest cultural event in the Rjurik lands and hosting it is an honor that many jarls strive for. The skalds refuse to hold the event in the realm of the White Witch (and before that the lands dominated by the sorcerers that she conquered) and in Rjuvik as a sign of their displeasure with those greedy rulers.

During the Anuirean empire Roele himself decreed that the Kenneddfod should be permitted - he believed himself a man of culture and saw no harm in a gathering of poets, and it was not unknown for Anuirean bards to travel to the Kenneddfod to share their knowledge (or as one rueful Anuirean bard put it learn). The skalds welcome all who come in peace - they have no fear of other cultures and see visitors as a good way of teaching outsiders about the strength of the Rjurik culture.