Celebrations in Brevoy

Since the ideals of Cayden Cailean have unofficially permeated nearly all aspects of Brevic culture (it is said that while he has few actual temples in that land, every tavern and pleasure house is a place of worship for the Accidental god), Brevans take any opportunity for a celebration to relieve them from the toil and hardships of frontier life. Such revelry typically involves hard drink, music, and rowdy recreation.

In addition to church festivals, Brevoy has a unique traditional custom called Stenka-na-Stenku ("wall on wall") -, a massive celebration of bare-knuckle brawling where the inhabitants of two villages form two lines and go at it in an open field in remembrance of old battles, and is typically done with all participants (male and female) stripped to the waist. This is primarily an anti-cheating measure, since in the past, people have tried to get an unfair advantage by sewing bits of metal or stone into their sleeves. The mass melee is followed by drinking of vodka, telling stories, singing, and dancing around bonfires, and often turns into an orgy as the night and level of inebriation progresses. While not officially condoned by the aristocracy (some nobles, in fact, have tried to get it banned, unsuccessfully), it is seen as a "release valve" of regional rivalries, and is much preferred to lethal blood feuds. The nobles themselves still tend to favor duels between each other, typically turning their noses up at this "unsophisticated peasant barbarianism".

The "wall-on-wall" fight (with anywhere from dozen to several hundreds participants) are performed strictly by rules and could go on for hours. Both "walls" have a chief fighter, who serves as a tactician and a commanding officer. "Walls" themselves are tight straight formations 3-4 ranks deep. Repeated attacks are performed, aiming to push the opposing "wall" out of the game area. Basic tactics are used, such as breaching using heavy fighters (who were usually held in reserve), encircling, false retreat and others; but as a rule, tight wall formation never breaks. Tactics also included battle planning. The "wall-on-wall" fights, while performed for entertainment, are in fact close to military training.