The Great Tokuno Fishing Festival

For some time now, the first Saturday of every month has been devoted to the great Tokuno Fishing Festival, an event with historical roots that stretch back to the Third Emperor of the Feudal Lands.

During the Great Famine that occurred in the aftermath of the shattering of the gem, when the Feudal Lands in Tokuno were isolated from the rest of the lands, and from their trade, the peasant population was decimated. The survivors pleaded with the nobles of the Forbidden City for food, but the rich saw no need to share the bounty provided for them by the Imperial Orchards and the Household Ghosts.

One lone peasant, Li Chan, decided that he could no longer stand by and see his friends and family struggle to survive on rice alone. Taking up his sword, he dived into the sea in search of food. For long decades, the coasts of the Feudal Lands had been barren of fish, for the First Emperor had grievously insulted the great Water Dragon King and his court. However, Li was so desperate that he planned to slay one of the Water Dragons, reasoning that the beast would easily provide food for his family and friends.

At the deepest part of the sea off the coast of the Forbidden City, he encountered a terrible beast, a giant jellyfish of daemonic strength and power. Entwined in the venomous tentacles of this foul beast lay the dying body of a golden Water Dragon. Without thinking, Li offered up a prayer to the Ancestor Spirits, and threw his spear at the jellyfish. The spear flew true, slaying the jellyfish instantly. Slowly, the Water Dragon untangled himself from the poisonous tentacles, dragging his sickened body to the unarmed Li. In a deep, watery voice, he told Li who he was – the Water Dragon King himself, head of the Court of the Ocean.

As a reward for saving his life, the Water Dragon King promised that the seas of Tokuno should never again be empty of fish for the peasants of the lands.

It is in celebration of this legendary event that the Fishing Festival exists, when people from across the lands make their way to the Forbidden City, and a portal opens leading to the famed fishing pens. At eight o’clock that night, the judges start the contest, which runs for an hour. All those who are awake at eight o’clock receive the blessing of the Water Dragon King, which grants them the chance to catch bigger fish than ever before. The three largest fish gain their catchers a trophy and a pile of special Fish Scale Coins, which can be saved up to buy better bait, better lures, and even some very special house décor!

• The contest begins at 8:00pm GMT on the first Saturday of each month, lasting one hour. Only Big Fish and Sharks caught in that time may be entered. Entrants need not be online at the end of the contest – the prizes will still be placed in their pack automatically.

• During the Festival, which lasts all of that day, the ghost of Li Chen is sometimes seen wandering Forbidden City. Those who find him may be rewarded with a strange task…