Moonchase Festival

Name: Moonchase Festival · Region: Liyue · Type: Festival · Related Event: Version 2.1 Event - Moonlight Merriment

Moonchase FestivalFor many centuries, Liyue has celebrated a festival in honor of the Stove God, Marchosius. Legend has it that while some Adepti were pursuing the Adeptal path, they would wander across mountains and rivers, enjoying various gourmet dishes, using such means to quiet their hearts. Their path would be called the "Trail of Delicacies" by those who came after. Moonchase originally served as a rite exclusive to the Adepti. Still, the Moonchase Festival is now a celebration of the arrival of fall by moonlight, when people eat their favorite foods, spend time with friends and relatives, and enjoy the moon and the flowers. This festival has undergone a long evolution, and its earliest form was an Adeptal ritual for communicating with the moon, known as the "Moonchase Rite." Rex Lapis himself performed this ceremony in hopes of contacting thewhose soul was sealed in the moon, but after all these years, the moon never responded.Various festivals bearing the Moonchase name sprouted among the people of Liyue as they sought to emulate the original rite. During moonlit nights, people gathered for joyful reunions, featuring exquisite food, wines, and teas. Rex Lapis unified these diverse celebrations under Moonchase, honoring an old friend, the Stove God. Rex Lapis, acknowledging his friend's contributions to Liyue, sought to immortalize his friend’s memory. This collective vow to the moon symbolized joyful solidarity, a commemoration of the past, and reflection on the present, which is the essence of the Moonchase Festival. Each year, the Moonchase Festival adopts a unique theme, usually chosen by the Qixing. One folktale claimed that the ancients found the Stove God's shrine, but there was no statue — only a huge, smooth slab of stone. The Adeptus Streetward Rambler, revealed that the Stove God was her close friend, now lost to memory and the world. Although the Stove God passed, a pact was made to await his return in a new form once the land became fertile again. Marchosius was once the Patron God of the Soil, all the wisdom and power he had, he has since surrendered to the soil itself to prevent the kinds of trials and tribulations that a land can face, such as droughts, floods, torrential rain, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, and plagues. He once walked over the barren plains with the people until arriving at last at the harbor. He joined humans in building their dwellings and lighting the stoves. It was his hand that lit the very first street lamp of Liyue and brought the aroma of cooked food into every household in the land. Mortals no longer remember him, but back in the age when they did, he was the closest of all the Adepti to the common folk.

Moonlight MerrimentMoonchase Festival falls during the season when many cooking ingredients are ripe, hence it is a fitting time to enjoy the finest of foods. The people of Liyue indulge in their favorite foods, share moments with friends and family, and revel in the beauty of the moon and flowers. The Traveler’s first Moonchase Festival consisted of the theme "Feast of the Bounteous Land" which included a cooking competition called "Masterful Chefs," as chosen by the Liyue Qixing. Xiangling, a talented and passionate young chef from Liyue, sought inspiration for a cooking competition and recruited the Traveler and Paimon to gather ideas. They encountered various people and gained different perspectives of the "perfect dish." Xiangling advanced in the Masterful Chefs competition after presenting three new test dishes: Chicken Foo Yung, Come and Get It, and Crystal Shrimp. Feedback from the people of Liyue prompted her to make adjustments for the finals, where she presented Jueyun Chili Chicken, Triple-Layered Consommé, and Crystal Shrimp, and ultimately won the competition against Smiley Yanxiao, who was then the second finalist.All throughout their preparation for the cooking tournament, the group had searched for information about the Stove God as they thought there was a connection between a stone found by a fisherman and the Stove God. They gathered information from various sources, including Granny Ruoxin in Qingce Village, Xingqiu's book collection, and an ancient tome kept by Smiley Yanxiao at Wangshu Inn. After the cooking competition, the group searched for Keqing, the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, to share Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns. Keqing shared with the group that the recipe was an ancient dish from her grandfather's notes about the Stove God.Xiangling was reminded that she made this dish on the day she first met Guoba in a cave in the mountains. She ducked inside to get out of the rain and put the Cornbread Buns on an offering table she saw there. She fell asleep, and when she woke up, Guoba had eaten every last one. Guoba has followed her around ever since. Then suddenly, the stone cracked and revealed Guoba to be the Stove God, Marchosius. Madame Ping explained that Marchosius had always been a deity with great affection for the people, and acted in response to their desires. Passion alone will not suffice to reawaken Marchosius from his deep slumber, but when Keqing ate Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns, a traditional folk-food snack, a deeply held desire was fulfilled. The enormous power unleashed by the fulfillment of this desire resonated with Marchosius’s statue and caused it to manifest once more the form it took in the past. Guoba may have lost many of his former faculties, but he is now as carefree as can be, without a single worry in the whole world. Those with a mind and with knowledge will certainly be troubled by all manner of things. His carefree demeanor today is a testament to the fact that he is at rest.

Trailers and Story TeasersStory Teaser: Flavors of the WorldOctober 2, 2021The passing of time is marked by meals as we drink and make merry, blessed by nature's grace. From past to present, the years go by in the blink of an eye. Smoke of hearths brings us joy and domesticity paints a picture of everyday life. Delicate clouds chase the moon as the boat floats on the river of time.YouTube:Illustrations and Emojis"Moonlight Merriment" EventAugust 30, 2021During the event, Travelers can complete quests in Moonchase Tales or take part in Moonlight Seeker and Trail of Delicacies challenges to obtain rewards such as the event-exclusive claymore, Luxurious Sea-Lord as well as its refinement materials, Crown of Insight, Primogems, recipes, and more.