The Doge in the time before there was a Doge ordered the construction of an enormous monument to Shuttered’s military failures. ‘Why,’ he asked, ‘celebrate victory when victory is its own reward?’
Upon the arch is etched the location of every military defeat Shuttered has suffered. Around the arch stand statues of the many foreign leaders and heroes who have handed Shuttered defeat. Under the keystone of the arch is the tomb of the sleepy soldier, commemorating all the guards who slept at their posts, armorers who skimped on steel and generals who relaxed in their chateaus far from battle.
The arch also serves as Shuttered’s iron nail storage, so that a battle will never be lost for want of a nail.
Once a year, the citizens of Shuttered gather in the streets leading to the arch to confess their failures and celebrate error. Mistakes are not just condoned, but celebrated - one of the greatest achievements is to wake up and not remember that it is this special day.
The day ends with bonfires on which citizens burn effigies of all those who defeated or stymied them or Shuttered itself.
Hooks
- What is a Doge in the time before there was a Doge?
- Whose effigies do the people of Shuttered burn?
- What terrible mistakes have been made during this festival?
- When has Shuttered lost a battle for want of an iron nail?