Blueduck Annual Ice Garden
Nobles throughout are expected to make public and grand displays of generosity to establish their respectability and status.
House Blueduck is a small noble house made of small sized nobles (gnomes) so they are only expected to make small gestures of genersity, but they do so with gusto.
At the annual Fumayan Hay Day festival, House Blueduck sponsors a garden of ice sculptures every year. This is intended not only is to entertain the peasantry, but also to flatter the Blueduck's human lieges. The ice sculptures are usually appreciated by peasants and princes alike.
Execution
Every year the Blueduck family picks a theme and makes most of the ice sculptures reflect the theme, but regardless of the overall theme, the entrance to the garden presents a large ice duck. A new ice duck is made every year, but it's always a duck.
In 1838 the Hay Day festival was shifted in date slightly to accomodate the crown princes princes birthday and rechristened "Crown Days of Fumaya 1838", so ice sculptures were comissioned of the king, queen, prince, and princess.
Because it was no secret that Fumaya was gearing up for war soon, all the ice sculptures in 1838 had a martial and patriotic bent with sculptures honoring Fumayan heroes past and present.
Components and tools
The sculptures are made from giant blocks of off-winter ice provided by the Fumayan wizard's guild.
Normally an ice sculpture in mid-autumn lasts about twelve hours,but the wizards apply abjuration spells every three or four hours to keep the ice sculptures from melting overmuch. This extends their life span for three or four days though they don't look as pretty on day four as they do on day one of the festival.
Participants
The Blueduck family has a partnership with the Fumayan Wizard's guild who provides the ice. In return, they provides cream, honey, and apples to the wizards guild so they can make ice cream which the wizard guild then sells and keeps the profits from. This is their payment.
Once the actual ice is obtained, the sculptures are carved by Fumayan artists whom the Blueduck family personally hires.
by me with Midjourney
Observance
The Blueduck family debuts the sets up the ice garden on the King of Fumaya's personal hay fields on the dawn of the Hay Day festival, but the Blueduck family plans out the details well in advance.
They know what the sculptures will be of, who will sculpt them, and where they will be placed weeks, if not months before the actual event.
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I approve of this duck article! :)