Midsummer

The Midsummer festival is the largest and most widely observed of the holidays. Since Shieldset is traditionally a time of war and strife, this festival serves as a much needed distraction. For a week, the common folk cease their work and make their way to the nearest city or large village to celebrate with their fellow citizens. Feasts are held in every tavern, most temples conduct revivals, and largest tournaments are held to showcase the martial prowess of each kingdom.

During the Midsummer Festival, Gildoun hosts the Dragon's Tourney. Warriors from all across Faerstice travel there to test their mettle against some of the best fighters in the world. There are tournaments for all skills including melee combat, archery, and jousting. There are also other competitions of skill in the city for thieves, bards, and craftsmen. The whole city is essentially a competitor's arena. The last day of the Tourney holds the most vaunted events, culminating in Teztine's Test. Teztine's Test is a gauntlet that is set up to test a person's agility, strength, and endurance. Those who complete the gauntlet take part in a grand melee, and the last person left standing is crowned the King of Dragons. They receive a golden horned crown and a small fortune in rewards. There have been a handful of instances where simple commoners rose to the rank of noble at this tournament due to their incredible skills.

This is the high holiday of Valdric Teztine. Any who worship him do whatever they must to reach Gildoun to take part in the tournament. City dwarves see the rest of the year as training for the tournament, and a majority of past winners have been of Dwarven stock.