- Saint Valentine's Day -

Saint Valentine's Day, or Valentine's Day as it is more commonly known is a sacred holiday recognized and celebrated by all of the Dragonblood Imperium. It is the anniversary of Saint Valentine's birthday, and the collected celebration of her life dedicated to the Divine Mara. It is widely known that Saint Valentine was blessed with Mara's Masque of Mercy, and with it she appealed to the stone-hearted overlords of the mountains to spare her people. It is believed that the Divine Mother of Mercy herself used Valentine as a vessel of her power, and through that, the Empire avoided an unnecessary war.

To this day, Valentine's Day is celebrated on [a specific date] every year, and it is a day well regarded by all people of the Empire. The citizens of the Empire honour Saint Valentine by donning replicas of the Masque of Mercy, and then partaking in celebratory feasts and dances, as well as games and other festivities that encourage compassionate association, regardless of race or stature, as taught by the Divine Mara.

As such, all cities and towns, even minor settlements, prepare extensively for Valentine's Day in terms of food and drink, decorations and arts, as well as enlisting the service of minstrels far and wide to play for audiences and to arrange for masquerade balls where even a pauper may be a prince for a day.

It is questioned as to why Dibella is not also honoured on this day, but it is resolved that as Mara is the Mother Mild representing compassion, so is she too the representation of true and unconditional love. The food and drink is shared to the people with friendly smiles and cheerful laughter, and any and all can find true love free of stratification by social class or race. Valentine's Day is often the day that many find their true love.

Everyone who is a citizen of the Empire is encouraged to join the celebrations of Valentine's Day, and many who aren't even necessarily Imperial Hume kin can confess to enjoying the festivities and openness of Valentine's Day.

It is often speculated that the use of the Masques of Mercy can give cause for criminals to run even more rampant and with less risk of being recognized, and that is the case at times. However, the Imperial Guard are very well trained for patrolling the streets and perimeters of settlements celebrating Valentine's Day, and ensuring that the holiday goes according to the norm.

The symbol flower of Valentine's Day is a rose, in honour to Saint Valentine specifically, who was in her time known as the Rozen Maiden.

- The Masque of Mercy -

The Symbolic Relic of Mara, Mother of Mercy, the Masque of Mercy was once worn by Saint Valentine when she begged the stone-hearted overlords of the mountains to spare the Dragonblood Imperium. It is said to grant the wearer the power to evoke compassion from the deepest parts of the hearts of others, and that any pure soul who dons the masque will be safe from ill omens and undue punishments.

To the present day, replicas of the Masque of Mercy have been commonly used by citizens who have been accused of crimes and are serving trial in Imperial Court. The Masque of Mercy has both a practical and symbolic purpose, partly to prevent the wearer's appearance from invoking bias from the jury, and partly to show a sense of sincerity. The masque is customary, and cannot be opted out of for any voluntary reason.

On Saint Valentine's Day, the Masque of Mercy becomes commonplace as citizens across the Dragonblood Imperium don Masques of Mercy at the start of the day, and keep them on for the duration of the celebrations. To this end, defendants in ongoing Imperial Trials are permitted freedom to experience the celebrations on Saint Valentine's Day, so long as they do not abuse this privilege as a means to escape persecution and flee the city.

The original Masque of Mercy once gifted to Saint Valentine by Mara herself was a simple yet elegant piece of beauty, composed of "holy silver" and amethysts, the "jewels of mercy", used for the eyepieces, scholars theorize that the appearance of the masque itself is enough to evoke a merciful feeling in anyone looking upon it.

The replicas of the Masque of Mercy today are even simpler and less divine in appearance, but resemble the overall shape as depicted in the Tale of Valentine. The replicas are kept basic in design to make it easy to produce in volume for the courts, and more-so for Saint Valentine's Day. The replicas used by the Imperial Courts are all branded with the Sigil of Julianos, the symbol of Imperial Law.

The replicas used on Saint Valentine's Day are more often than not customized for their wearers. Whilst Imperial Law decrees that nothing of extravagance should be used in customizing a Masque of Mercy replica, citizens may still use common paints and dyes and simple materials to make their Masques their own.

By similar law, defendants of ongoing trials are not permitted to decorate the Masque of Mercy they are allowed use of during celebration of Valentine's Day. The Sigil of Julianos is meant to distinguish the defendants from the rest of the people celebrating Valentine's Day, but by Imperial tradition, defendants are to be included rather than alienated, and so has always been the case.