The Day of Tranquility

Every year, sometime in the opening week of the month of Amora, flocks of doves can be seen flying over Resta, particularly close to its three borders. The best place to see these birds is from the Towers of Tranquility, which are garrisoned by some of Resta's finest soldiers at the start of every year. The sight of these doves signals the Day of Tranquility, a Restan national holiday which forbids any aggression. The only exceptions to this tradition are the Honor Guard in these Towers, who carry the duty of protecting Resta from anyone who would abuse this holiday's call for nonviolence. From the towers of Lakewatch, Highland, and Northcoast, the honor guard is positioned to squash any violation of this annual rite whether they come from across or within their borders.

The spirit of this national observance is arguably both Chaotic and Serene, but the actual events that inspired it have fallen by the wayside in the eyes of history. But ask any of the most informed followers of The Doctrine of Shadows and they will tell you of the first human to openly worship Serenity. Her name was Abigail Marle and she was a child living in western Necros in the dawn of the Second Age. With the border to elven lands so close by, she met many elves who would cheerfully profess their love of Serenity to her. Over time, these discussions began to inspire and influence her own view of the world. At the time, Serenity was seen as an elven god and her devotion to the Doctrine of Tranquility an act of heresy against her own creators. Because of this, Abigail suffered deeply for her beliefs at the hands of her eastland peers. Despite this, she held firmly to these beliefs in the face of ridicule and disdain until she was of an age to travel. At the age of 16, she set out for Terris in the hope of finding religious fellowship among the elves.

But her hopes were dashed before she could even cross the border. As she began to circle Lake Whitetree, she came across a band of elven wanderers. Driven to desperation by Serenity's recent retribution, the elves mugged her and left her for dead near the lake. She survived this beating, bruised and dejected. Once she limped back to civilization, she heard a rumor pointing to another hope: a commune had formed in Eastern Coronos that advocated for the acceptance of the Serenity's Doctrine. Still hurting from her experience at Lake Whitetree, she set off for Coronos in earnest.

But when she found where this commune had been located, she found the place littered with horse tracks and the splintered debris of a devastated camp. She looked to the north and wept for the unfortunate seekers of peace who once lived here. Whether they were slaughtered, dragged into Pyris as slaves, or dragged back into Coronosian society, it all meant the same to her. The Doctrine of Tranquility had no place in this world. Utterly defeated, she decided to return home, but stopped in Foldo in time to hear one more inspiring rumor. In the south, the Council Republic of Eris had been overturned and its citizens were forming a nation of absolute freedom to replace it.

This was Abigail's longest journey yet, but for the hope of basking in the glow of Tranquility among friends, no destination was too far. So, she crossed all of modern-day Resta on foot in the hopes of reaching the newly instituted nation of Galeon. But as she entered Necros' southern highlands, she found her path buried in an impassable rockslide. It was at this point that she slumped to the ground and beat her fists against the road in frustration as she wept. She was content to wither away on the spot, but she was discovered by other travelers not long after she had fallen asleep, her face sticky with dried tears.

The travelers took her to their home village of Solan and nursed her back to health. These people, brave adventurers all, listened to her story in earnest and was moved by her pain. In her drive to see her beliefs validated, they saw strength worthy of any Chaotic and in her turmoil, they saw nothing but exhaustion. It was for this reason that these Chaotic adventurers took Abigail under their protection, promising that although they couldn't share her beliefs, she was entitled to her dream. As she traveled with this band, she was given safer opportunities to share the Doctrine of Tranquility with the people she met. It was through this advocacy and the support of her Chaotic friends that she was able to convince the Blackstone Monastery to adopt the Doctrine of Tranquility as one of its principles. As the lands of Necros and Coronos became one, this essentially endorsed Serene worship as one of the founding principles of Resta.

Shortly after the realization of this dream, Abigail was stricken with a sudden illness that claimed her life. She was buried in the Temple graveyard of her home village, which would eventually be redubbed Amora, the Sacred City of Serenity. But that was many years later, and at the time, her companions felt that she had not been honored enough. So they gathered as many people as possible among their acquaintances and the people Abigail had inspired to build three towers in her honor. These Towers of Tranquility were built in each of the three places that Abigail believed her dream to have died. Lake Whitetree, the place in which she was hurt by the elves she sought to join, was where Lakewatch Tower was built. They built Northcoast Tower on the ruins of the devastated Serene commune in northeastern Resta, and Highland Tower was erected by the road into Galeon with the very stones that blocked Abigail from crossing.

So began this yearly tradition of absolute tranquility, protected by the hands of brave warriors who sympathize with the long-forgotten desire of the first Serene cleric. The reflection of this sentiment with the feelings between Chaos and Serenity blesses this day with a powerful magic. Followers of Chaos who remain devoted to protecting the law of this holy day find themselves empowered with the strength to hold off dozens of people single-handed. Meanwhile, those who make it through the day in complete observance of this law are said to be more lucky in the spring season.