Highharvesttide

Highharvesttide is a traditional festival celebrated across the Sword Coast, marking the transition from the warmth of summer to the encroaching chill of autumn. Recognized as the final day of summer, it is a time of bountiful feasting, community games, and solemn reflection on the year’s trials and the deeds of local protectors.

The Celebration in Phandalin

Following the historic victory of the adventurers known as the Fantastic Five (or The Magnificent Five) over the Guardian of the Forge in Wave Echo Cave, the frontier town of Phandalin erupted in a vibrant Highharvesttide celebration.

The main square was transformed, decorated with banners hung from various posts and illuminated by glowing paper lanterns. Fireflies hovered over a dozen picnic tables laden with local delicacies and harvest treats, including:

• Cherry pies
• Green bean casseroles
• Freshly baked bread
• Cheese and spinach pastries
• Spiced mead and strawberry wine

Festive Activities and Traditions

The festival features several long-standing community traditions and lighthearted competitions:

• The Annual Pie-Eating Contest: Hosted at a long table laden exclusively with pies.
• Tug of War: A test of strength played with a thick, knotted rope.
• Fortune Telling: Managed by Deacon, the blind cleric of Tymora (the goddess of luck and journeys), operating behind a decorated semi-circle of stones.

Reflections of the Heroes

For the adventurers, the festival served as a poignant milestone, offering respite from their grueling journey and a moment to contemplate their fates:

• Nalini: The young fairy was approached by local children questioning if she was a “real fairy” and a hero. Her status was gruffly confirmed by Gundren Rockseeker, who had recently been rescued from Cragmaw Castle.
• Hope: Watched the children play while quietly reciting an old poem (“All that is gold does not glitter…”) and offering up a quiet prayer.
• Erevyn: Slipped away to the local graveyard to visit the fresh grave of Halia Thorton, the fallen Zhentarim spymistress who sacrificed herself so they could live. There, he discovered a dragon-shaped amulet that projected a final, secret message about the Zhentarim chapter leaders.
• Gilmore: Drank with Gundren and Farwald, reflecting on his choice to let his sister Elire’s soul-stone rest rather than forcing a magical binding, finding peace in his newfound freedom of choice.
• Farwald: Having recently restored his memories from the spell of Elminster Aumar, the elderly adventurer sat peacefully, smoking a pipe swiped from a sleeping drunkard, drawing from a legendary Deck of Many Things, and finding solace in the memory of his late wife, Gloria.

As the sun set behind the shadow of the southern mountains, the glowing lights of Phandalin shone against the dark wilds, marking a rare night of peace and warmth on the Sword Coast.