Thursday, October 20, 2005

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Fash’lo’nae (Arkati)

10/20/2005

Fash’lo’nae is the master of magic and arcane knowledge. He is a fanatical seeker for esoterica, and hunts for both new discoveries, and the recovery of forgotten lore. Some say the art of archaeology was developed by Fash’lo’nae’s followers.

Of the Arkati, Fash’lo’nae is perhaps the most sympathetic to the mortal races, seeking to raise them from ignorance to understanding. However, as an Arkati, he does not understand mortals fully, and his zealous search for the truth occasionally has unintended consequences when this knowledge is bestowed upon mortal communities. Taking into account the frailties and failings of the non-immortals sometimes proves an impossible task for the entity.

Fash’lo’nae is responsible for the spreading of much beneficial knowledge that other Arkati would have suppressed. It is a certainty that Fash’lo’nae brought fire to the primitive mortal races, suffering the wrath of the Great Drakes, although there is dispute as to his motive in doing so.

Communication with Fash’lo’nae is always risky, but sometimes the gamble pays off. However, sometimes entire communities can be wiped out by a little too much knowledge, such as if he forgets that humans need a little more protection than the average Arkati when summoning demons…

Monday, October 17, 2005

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Eorgina (Arkati)

10/17/2005

Eorgina is the most powerful of the Arkati who choose to portray themselves as female. She has absolutely no qualms about utilizing her power for the greatest personal benefit.  She is arrogant and spiteful, and brooks no competition from other Arkati. It was followers of Eorgina who led the Templar caste down the path to tyranny, nearly corrupting for good the Way of the First Born. Followers of Eorgina are nearly nonexistent amongst Dhe’nar these days – those that do exist, tend to either be exiled, or exile themselves from Dhe’nar society, and often find themselves amongst other Dhe’nari outcasts of various stripes, near the Landing and other northern realms. They are the ones that seek the power of the Arkati for no other reason than to wield it over others.

The shorter-lived races have constructed a drama whereby Eorgina seeks to replace Koar and/or Lumnis, which in turn plays on the fantasy these races have of Arkati acting as normal mortal married couples. Regardless of this nonsense, it is clear that Eorgina seeks as much power as she can possibly obtain, and has little regard for other Arkati, and none for mortals, when it comes to its acquisition. It is certain she would take Koar’s power for her own, if at all possible.

Eorgina gains power from tyranny only indirectly, in that domains she controls are forbidden to other Arkati – either their worship, or their presence. She does not gain power simply from the domination of one creature over another, as other cultures claim. Such nonsense would make her the most powerful being in creation, as all living things dominate other living things – it’s the way of nature. 

Eorgina represents nothing more profound than the unrestrained use of power for personal gain. 

Sunday, October 16, 2005

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Eonak (Arkati)

10/16/2005

Eonak, of all the Arkati, is the greatest craftsman. Spending his immortality at work, he is the polar opposite of his useless son, Cholen. His dedication to his craft and hard work make him one of the more respected Arkati amongst the Dhe’nar, and Eonak’s patronage of the dwarven folk also grants the dwarves more respect from the Dhe’nar than just about any other culture or race.

The creation of Elanthia’s greatest artifacts and the tools of the other Arkati are generally credited to Eonak’s genius with the forge, or whatever godlike equivalent he makes use of. He does not get distracted easily from his tasks, wasting time with the petty political bickering of his fellow Arkati.

The relationship between Imaera and Eonak is not as romanticized amongst the Dhe’nar as it is with other cultures. They came together, they created two new Arkati though whatever processes that pass as “breeding” between Arkati, and they parted ways soon afterwards, both with more important things to do than to worry about the other constantly. Though it’s possible that they may still harbor a lingering affection for each other, the Dhe’nar see their relationship, if anything, as a symbol of both the confluence of and the differences between the Hard and Soft aspects of nature.

It is also suspected that their joint creation of two new Arkati (Cholen and Jastev) was merely an experiment, to determine just how such creation would work, and what exactly the results would be - in essence, a test of how to forge new gods. Likely, Eonak considers the process only half a success. Cholen is a waste, and Jastev is only partially sane.

Eonak’s avatar always manifests with a Veil Iron arm. The Dhe’nar have a name for this arm, Indarin (which has no Common translation, as it is merely their best pronunciation of the name given to them by Eonak himself), and it alone is the topic of many books of lore. Much of what is written is speculation, though, as they truly have no idea how such a device would operate. However, it has spawned an entire branch of research as the Worker, Warlock, and Templar castes combine efforts to determine how to meld metals with organics. 

Saturday, October 15, 2005

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Cholen (Arkati)

10/15/2005

Cholen is perhaps the most frivolous of the Arkati. He spends his godhood dancing, singing, playing games, and in general being a hedonist. He doesn’t care much for festivals or the performing arts, in truth, aside from the opportunities they give him to indulge in self-gratification. Perhaps this is because he is one of the younger of the Arkati, the offspring of Imaera and Eonak, and because he simply hasn’t matured yet. Though the rate at which these creatures mature is unknown even to the Dhe’nar.

Cholen is one of the least respected Arkati amongst the Dhe’nar, and few are those who wish to follow his path. He’s seen as decadent and lazy, the spoiled child of the pantheon. He claims to be patron of celebrations and all that goes with them, but amongst the First Born it’s assumed as a matter of course that his “patronage” is merely a scheme to offer decadent mortals an excuse to offer him more opportunities to express his own hedonism. Cholen is apparently able to feed off the uninhibited energies of mortals at such events, granting him more power as an Arkati than he would otherwise have, if he’d had to work to obtain it.

What mortals consider Cholen’s “penchant for cross-gender pranks”, that they idolize in comedic plays, is in truth Cholen’s propensity to shapeshift into different gender roles when he manifests a mortal avatar, the better to experience both sides of the hedonistic mortal experience.

The few Dhe’nar who choose to seek wisdom in Cholen’s path are tolerated, but perhaps only barely. Most of what are considered by the younger races to be “dark gods” are seen as better purveyors of wisdom and insight than Cholen. 

Thursday, October 13, 2005

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Charl (Arkati)

10/13/2005

Charl claimed the seas as his own long ago. Unwilling to fight over the dry realms, and the sentients among it, Charl was satisfied claiming the deeps, thinking no other Arkati would ever bother to contest the domain. His isolation from his fellow Arkati, aside from those instances in which Koar demands his presence, has made him one of the most alien of the Arkati. Even Koar himself has difficulty understanding the excuses and reasoning Charl offers when called to counsel. Whatever wisdom the Sealord found at the depths of the ocean is bizarre even to the last of the Drakes.

His mood swings are unpredictable, and some result in oceanic catastrophes. Many never manifest on the surface, but those that do can destroy ships and even seaside towns and villages. Drawing his attention is useless at best, harmful at worst. Most layfolk, especially those that ply the waves for a living, tend to want to be ignored by him.

His clerics are those that desire, for whatever reason, to know the alien mysteries of the deeps. Most die with only the barest glimpse of the secrets of that realm. Though of the same planet, the world under the waves may as well orbit a different star for all the similarities it has to the dry realms.

Revolutionary armies have taken the mantle of Charl’s Anger at times, the symbol of the storm or tidal wave a powerful one to rally behind. However, Charl himself has never truly involved himself in the petty political disputes of the land-dwellers, and those who claim the opposite are either delusional or merely hoping for a rhetorical or inspirational advantage with their revolutionary claims.

On the rare occasion Charl manifests to land-dwellers, he mostly chooses a humanoid manifestation. He appears as a towering man with a beard of seaweed and algae, blue and grey robes, wielding a trident, surrounded by raging winds and waters. On occasion, however, he takes his preferred form, which is bizarre at best, and resembles nothing that has ever walked on Elanthia, at least since the waters receded. 

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Arachne (Lesser Spirit)

10/13/2005

There’s little to say about this Immortal from the Dhe’nar perspective, aside from the theological and scientific questions her Ascension causes, being so different from all other methods known.

Arachne is a Lesser Spirit whose bizarre alchemical ascension and weak mind broke her sanity as she obtained Spirithood. In life she was vain, self-conscious, paranoid, and deceitful, and in Spirithood she is hopelessly mad, associating herself almost exclusively with the animal that bit her as she Ascended and the woman who was the final target of her jealousy in life.

The final days of Arachne’s mortal life were a bizarre web of betrayal that culminated in her drinking the blood of The Huntress, an Immortal, just as she was bit by a venomous spider. Her already loose grasp on sanity combined with the pain and toxin twisted her mind and body, such that only those who have abandoned their own sanity find any wisdom in her fate, or any desire to worship her. Her manifested form is often that of a nearly-insentient spider creature, and her worshippers tend to find themselves infected by colonies of spiders that dwell just under the flesh.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Andelas (Arkati)

10/09/2005

Andelas is one of the most primal of the Arkati, having taken it upon himself to become the apotheosis of the feline. Whether this is because he admired the animal, and chose to emulate it, or because he found in the animal a kindred spirit to his own personality is unknown. Regardless of the reason, for as far back as even the First Born can remember, Andelas has been tied intimately to cats, of all types.

Followers of Andelas form cat cults, and turn the mimicry of the feline into a fetish, wearing costumes and in some case modifying their own bodies. This worship is, of course, nonsensical, but Andelas does not care, so long as he is worshipped.

The paradox of Andelas is that he wishes to be worshipped by those who emulate the cat, but the truly catlike wish to be worshipped as well, not to submit themselves to a lord. Therefore, to follow the path of Andelas requires that one never worship him at all. Those who do, fail to truly understand him.

It is rumored that Andelas has an avatar that walks the land known as The Claw of Andelas. The Dhe’nar know this is more than rumor, and the Claw is a terror of the Ashen Jungles. This avatar does not hunt there often, kept away by the Lesser Spirits of the Dhe’nar, but as a stealthy hunter, he occasional sneaks into the territory to find prey. Not because he bears the Dhe’nar any particular grudge, but simply to prove that he can.

Some Dhe’nar try to seek some wisdom in the Path of Andelas, some clue to Ascension to be found in the emulation of animals. For most Dhe’nar, however, a god that thinks it’s a cat is best left alone.

Tower Dhe’nar: Poison What Now?

10/09/2005

Who can possibly take this stuff seriously?

Dalliances of a sexual sort with non-Dhe’nar do occur, however the seed of a Dhe’nar male is poisonous to any non-Dhe’nar female, and will render them barren along with causing a great deal of pain and anguish.

::laughs::

Why bother critiquing them, when they shoot themselves in the foot just fine on their own…

The Dhe’Nar View of the “Gods”: Amasalen (Lesser Spirit)

10/09/2005

It is known that prior to his Ascension, Amasalen was once a mortal Faendryl, born before the fallen cousins exiled the House for becoming more knowledgeable and powerful than the rest of them in the ways of magic. Amasalen has used his immortality to extract vengeance on the corrupt houses of the elves, and it is said that all elves of the Nations slain in offering to him please him. He is considered a guardian of the Faendryl, and has made deals with certain of the Arkati to keep his people relatively free of their predations.

Luukos, Mularos, and Marlu are the three Arkati he has been said to have dealt with. What he has offered them in exchange for the protection of his people is unknown, though it may be nothing more than his own service.

Ceremonies honoring Amasalen are said to be orgies of rage against their betrayal by the other Houses of the Elven Nations. Elves of Non-Faendryl Houses would be wise to avoid them, as it would be best to never discover whether the rumors of the fates of elven captives brought to these ceremonies are true.

Amasalen’s form is that of a white-haired, lean, muscular man with bronzed skin, snake- like eyes and a long reptilian tongue. Amasalen’s reptilian features are said to have either come from Luukos as a mark of servitude, or perhaps been taken willingly to honor the alliance. Nobody but Amasalen knows for certain.

The Dhe’nar View of the “Gods”: Aeia (Lesser Spirit)

10/09/2005

Aeia is a local ascendant in the River’s Rest area. She is popular with the locals, but is practically unknown outside of the community. Therefore, the Dhe’nar have had little contact with her, and do not care about her in the slightest. She does not appear in their books of lore.

Local tradition dictates that Aeia is the earth mother; the world that the mortal races dwell on. Anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of history, religion, and the Arkati would laugh at this quaint belief. The Dhe’nar could tell you that even the Drakes did not create this world, and it certainly was not created by a minor spirit who barely has influence in a single city.

As she seems to enjoy gardens, it is conjectured that she is a minor hearth spirit, whose influence is limited to minor plots of household-scale agriculture, mostly around River’s Rest. Being a lesser spirit is a step above mortal, certainly, but it certainly seems a waste of immortality to spend it growing tomatos and parsley.

First Alteration For This Site’s Dhe’nar Culture

10/09/2005

How about that… A merchant has altered a blade into a khinai.

>inv
You are holding a small onyx bladed Dhe’nari meditation dagger in your right hand.

Now my Dhe’nar character who happens to be a khisari has a prop to play with…

Many thanks to the GM responsible.

The Arkati In General

10/09/2005

Like most elves, the Dhe’nar do not view the Arkati as “gods” but rather as old, powerful beings, worthy of respect, perhaps, but not of adoration, and especially not of worship.

The Dhe’nar, of course, take this one step further than even other elves. They don’t acknowledge the Arkati as superior to mortals in anything but raw power. As the race and culture closest to the Arkati, they know full well that the Arkati have the same flaws as other sentient creatures, many with bizarre personalities and a range of odd quirks. Some seem close to sanity, as a mortal sees it, while others seem entirely mad, or simply alien.

Even the Drakes had flaws that brought about their downfall, and the Arkati, creations of the Dragons, are certainly flawed as well.

So why do the Dhe’nar seek the power of the Arkati? Why do they bother trying to learn from the actions of these bizarre and powerful creatures, so that they might ascend to the same stature?

Individual Dhe’nar may have their own reasons, but for the culture as a whole, the answer is simple: To defend themselves from the Arkati.

The Arkati have no competition on Elanthia except from their fellow “gods”. They can toy with the mortal races at will, utilizing whole cultures as pawns in their games at a whim.

Until mortals have risen their own champions to the same level of power as their creators, the predations of the Arkati will never cease. Therefore, the goal of the Dhe’nar is to ensure that the next generation of Gods will be born of Mortals.

Clearly, this is possible, as many of the newer “gods”, also known as “lesser spirits” or “immortals”, were once mortals themselves, according to canon, as noted once before.

The Dhe’nar, of course, have handed down copious amounts of lore regarding the Arkati from their earliest days upon Elanthia. This lore diverges greatly from the depictions of the Arkati by the races that worship them. One of the greatest divergences is the Dhe’nar notion that none of the Arkati were granted inherent power over any particular natural or metaphysical domain. Any such power was obtained by staking a claim, and defending it from other Arkati, or by mortals granting the arkati control over them through their powers of belief (as the Dhe’nar see it, making their delusions a reality through repetition). In other words, the only reason a given Arkati controls anything is because it was strong enough to take it, or mortals foolishly allowed them to control it.

Why do Dhe’nar clerics and paladins even exist then, if this is the case? Especially since they are the least trusted of the Castes, having delivered the Dhe’nar into tyranny in the past? Not only is it important to know the Arkati intimately, if they are to assume their power, but it also makes practical sense to make use of the power available, regardless of its source.

In addition, Dhe’nari Templars do not obtain their magical power through worshipping of the Arkati. They do it through emulation of the Arkati, and assuming some of its power by assuming its Aspect. This is known as Sympathetic Magic, and will be explored in greater detail in another post.

Another distinction is that Dhe’nar do not separate the Arkati into distinct “good” and “evil” (Liabo and Lornon) pantheons. They do not believe Arkati are cohesive enough to operate in ‘teams’, nor do Dhe’nar believe in the easy moral dichotomy of “good and evil” anyway. To the Dhe’nar, individual Arkati are simply more or less inimical to mortal life, and some that the Dhe’nar consider less inimical to mortal concerns are actually considered “evil” by cultures of the Fallen Elves and lesser lived races, and some they consider more harmful are considered “good” by the same.

I will present the Dhe’nar depictions of the Arkati and many of the Lesser Spirits in the series of posts titled “The Dhe’nar View of the Gods”.

Tower Critique: Braids

10/09/2005

The wearing of braids I have no problem with. However...

When a title has been achieved, such as a Council chair, a Dhe’nar earns the right to wear his or her hair woven into plaits of five strands. This not only opens up infinate new possibilities for style, but allows rank to be identified at a glance.

Considering how many Dhe’nar in game have “elaborate braids”, this is pretty much unenforceable. Best to just consider braiding a common style amongst Dhe’nar, and be done with it.

The final “braid rank” is the seven strand weave. This is only worn by the Highlord himself, and the complex braids give the Highlord an inimitable style.

Hey, Starsnuffer - one of my Dhe’nar has far more than seven. Is he super-uber-1337 highlord now?

Tower Critique: Obsidian Council

10/09/2005

The Council.

The Obsidian Council is composed of 5 members: The Emissary (Temple Caste), The Essence (Warlock Caste), the Warlord (Warrior Caste), the Balance (a chair open to any Caste) and the Obsidian Highlord (the Highlord chairs the Council, and may be of any Caste). Each chair on the Council receives a vote on all matters, except the Highlord, who only votes in a tie. Each Council position has no set duration. If a Dhe’nar wishes a seat on the Council, he/she makes their wishes known, then if the Council approves the challenge, a time is set forth for the Decision of Fate. During this ritual, both the challenger and the chairholder are locked inside a special room used only for the purpose of the Deciding. No one knows what goes on inside the chamber. What is known is that there is no disagreement when the Deciding is over. The one who leaves the chamber alive is granted the seat.

Please… Again, I beg you. Stop it with the million deadly pointless rituals. Dhe’nar can’t go five minutes without risking death, it seems.

The only seat that is not gained by this ritual is the Obsidian Highlord’s, the only difference being that the challenger must first hold one of the other seats on the Council.

The Obsidian Council also acts as a tribunal for legal matters. Both plaintiff and defendant will appear before the assembled Council to plead their case. The accused is considered guilty unless proven innocent.

Why? What in their society would demand they treat the accused this way? How does this emulate the Arkati?

Oh, never mind… It’s more eeeeeevil and spoooooooky this way.

If you’re 10.

Once a decision has been reached as to the guilt of the defendant, the Highlord will pass sentence upon them, which often ranges from a public lashing to banishment to death.

Regardless of the crime? Do they just draw random punishments from a hat?

“I find the accused guilty of jaywalking… let’s see what he gets.”

::rummages around::

“Whipped with a badger. Guards, take him away!”

The position and power of the chairholder differs with each Caste. In some cases, the chairholder is merely a spokesperson for their Caste. It is not unheard of for the chairholder to be the “leader” of the Caste, although this is infrequent at best. You should discuss the current leadership and structure of your Caste with your trainer or chairholder, as they will be able to point you in the right direction for information.

Regardless of the various leaders within each Caste, the Obsidian Council is the foremost ruling party in Dhe’nar society. All decisions descending from this panel are as law, and are respected by the Dhe’nar society as a whole.

Even though they’re assumed to be guilty when placed in front of it. If they exist at the whim of the people, and all the people are supposedly so massively powerful, don’t you think the people would demand better treatment?

Tower Critique: The BladeWed

10/09/2005

I really wanted to like these guys. I still think they have potential… But things need to be fixed.

The BladeWed (’flach ri G’kna’a)…

Also known as the ‘f’’sf’df’d’’’f’’d’’fd’’’’df’df’’’

Please, in the name of all that is holy, give the apostrophes a rest. An apostrophe BEFORE the first letter? An apostrophe generally represents a glottal stop. A glottal stop before you even voice a sound is impossible.

...are a religious order of knights essentially devoted to the defense and maintenance of the Temple and its Priesthood.

Sounds good so far… Monastic order of warriors, much like the Knights Templar and Hospitallers…

They are also the leaders for most of the Dhe’nar warriors…

If they’re under the auspices of the Temple Caste, they would not be leaders for most of the Warrior Caste. That would make the Warrior caste subservient to the Temple caste, and again, this would mean there’s no point in having a separate Warrior Caste.

...and function as general officers for Tesachta’a and Dzevachta’a.

Gesundheit.

They are trainers, teachers, scholars and tacticians, and are the elite of the Dhe’nar Warrior Caste.

Even though they serve the Temple Caste.

From sixteen on, they are removed from the status of slave…

I think I addressed this issue under the Warrior Caste section already…

...and instead begin to go through the same rituals of training as do priests and priestesses until their mid-twenties.

So, they’re training as priest and priestesses, and serve the Temple Caste, but they lead the Warrior Caste… Umm, nope!

They are given intense religious and ceremonial training, and are expected to work as much with their heads and souls as with their swords. Whatever latent power abilities…

What, like in Dragonball Z?

...they possess are nurtured and encouraged for future use. From their late teens, these young warriors are also given instruction, lasting into their late twenties, in martial arts of all sorts: weapons, weaponless combat, tactics, strategy, ceremony and planning. They are encouraged to self-reliance and are often sent on long individual missions for the Temple and for training.

This is fine… for a set of elite warriors sponsored by the Temple Caste. But they would have to be separate from the Warrior Caste

BladeWed warriors do not ever participate in any binding ritual. They are discouraged from love, family, and anything which might detract from…

...or inspire them to perform…

...their duty and their calling.

Though encouraged in their relations with the opposite sex, they are beaten ritually and severely for any liaison which goes beyond a week. If this does not discourage them, they may be beaten to death. They are often resurrected

I hope so… low population and all.

...and sent into the Guardians, for their potential may be otherwise utilized by the Dhe’nar.

There are many offenses in Dhe’nar society which may merit death.

Primary among these offenses is “being born”.

The young BladeWed are often utilized as executioners.

Why? Does it take that much skill? Obviously not, so why are the BladeWed chosen?

An opportunity for a real bit of interesting cultural information completely squandered…

Any with feelings of squeamishness or shyness are weeded out early and sent into some other service. Major offenses amongst the BladeWed are handled by ritually maiming the candidate: no empath is allowed to remove the stigma, and the candidate must live with it to teach humility for several years. Blinding, deafening, amputation…

Live with an unhealed amputation for years? I challenge someone to live with an unhealed amputation for an hour…

...the punishment fits whatever transgress of the code of the BladeWed the candidate has made. Those so maimed are, of course, expected to perform in all other respects as well as the rest of their comrades.

Sure, because a blind guy or a guy with a missing limb is going to fight just as well as his buddies. Do they chop the legs off the guys on their Olympic Sprinting Team, too?

Having learnt pain, humility, religion and strategy, the young BladeWed are also taught to love their weapons.

Oh god… I won’t say a thing.

BladeWed are all swordsmen; no less noble weapon is permitted them as a mate.

I’m fine with them only using swords. I’m not fine on the distinction of nobility with weapons. What makes a sword more noble than another weapon? Are they 16th century samurai now? How about a little cultural background to explain this belief? Wait, sorry, I know I’m asking too much.

They are given almost religious…

Almost religious? They’re part of the Temple Caste, right?

...instruction in the forms, care, and tactics of sword combat, from their first days as a BladeWed. Unlike the Guardians, BladeWed are given their personal weapon very early on, and though not yet sanctified, they are taught to woo it as a lover.

Do you know what “woo” means? ‘Cause this is either wrong, or deranged.

The perfection of their relationship with the blade is to use it as best they may, to kill, defend, to delight in its form and function, to exalt in its proper use and artful deadly power. They eat, sleep, and endure all of their daily torments with their blades by their sides. After ten or twelve years of this, they would feel naked and alone without it.

Apparently they’re the only Dhe’nar who don’t have a naked fixation.

Soon after leaving the priesthood training, those warriors who have survived (and many, as reading the priesthood training above will show, do not)…

Again, a society with a dangerously low population WOULD NOT REGULARLY KILL THEIR OWN PEOPLE IN TRAINING.

You’d think that with all the years the Obsidian Tower has supposedly been around, somebody would have pointed out this massive inconsistency already.

...are taken deep into the mountain for their most sacred ritual: The BladeWedding.

I REALLY don’t want to know.

Some, of course, do not survive this ritual.

Naturally. Because not only do we like killing off a whole lot of our children in training, but we like killing off half of our elite warriors too! The Dhe’nar would NEVER survive as a people with this going on.

They are unfit. Those who do are wed to their blades for life, never to take another as a lifetime companion. Stories of those few who have tried abound with tales of warriors found hacked to pieces by their own hands, or their unlucky partners killed by that part of the BladeWed which is controlled by the Blade. Few are attracted to the BladeWed as longtime mates…

For obvious reasons.

...though empaths do sometimes choose them as companions for a few years.