@71342Kitten tanks? Where did you see that? Also, the weirdness does have a reason---the ancient civilization manipulated the fabric of reality, leading to disturbances that have severely warped the world. The "Mayan" thing is also totally based off of real life. But our purpose here is to create a strange world that gives our imaginations leeway. It isn't for everyone, I agree.
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Forum: Advanced Roleplay
Skádi and Mjöla
In Öspaín shamanism, Skádi and Mjöla serve as the twin gondoliers of the sun and moon. In myth, each day they ferry the celestial bodies in their arcs, ensuring that the sun sets and the moon rises. Neither goddess has a particular affiliation with either body---oftentimes, they trade places, growing weary of their time in the light or rejecting the lunar darkness. In runic syllabary, they are represented as a circle broken through the center, one continuous entity, not two separate mythic figures. Each day at dawn in shamanistic communities, the shaman arises and presents "sunbones"---reindeer or fish bones inscribed with the runic sigil---to the east, whose rattling ensures that the goddesses wake at their oars.
@The Omnipotent Sphere Two sun goddesses hot off the presses for you
In Öspaín shamanism, Skádi and Mjöla serve as the twin gondoliers of the sun and moon. In myth, each day they ferry the celestial bodies in their arcs, ensuring that the sun sets and the moon rises. Neither goddess has a particular affiliation with either body---oftentimes, they trade places, growing weary of their time in the light or rejecting the lunar darkness. In runic syllabary, they are represented as a circle broken through the center, one continuous entity, not two separate mythic figures. Each day at dawn in shamanistic communities, the shaman arises and presents "sunbones"---reindeer or fish bones inscribed with the runic sigil---to the east, whose rattling ensures that the goddesses wake at their oars.
@The Omnipotent Sphere Two sun goddesses hot off the presses for you
@The Omnipotent Sphere Alright, sounds great! Gives me an excuse to expand on the lore a bit and fits nicely :) Will update with that info in a bit after I finish making this cheesecake lol
@The Omnipotent Sphere I'd actually like to take this opportunity to raise a question: is there going to be any shared religions between our kingdoms? I think it would be realistic with an island of the size of Seyan that there would be some overlap or some form of shared religious/cultural heritage...but if not, here's the lowdown on religion in Öspa.
This what I have so far: in modern Öspa, direct worship of the old shamanistic gods is on the way out. While the regime hasn't outlawed it---and probably won't, as there is a sizable minority who do practice the old ways, particularly on Bildsfelln---the vast majority of Öspaín have begun to practice a "new" religion, which I haven't really worked on yet, but which is influenced in equal parts by old shamanistic practices and new practices from the continent (i.e. similar to the conversion of the Nordic nations in the Dark Ages to Christianity, though this religion will not be an analogue of Christianity). However, freedom of religion is state policy, in order to accommodate the growing number of immigrants to Öspa, and as a courtesy to their trading partners who regularly send merchants to do business in Öspa. It is entirely possible, I think, that there is a small population of Juran immigrants, though as you said they don't often venture out of the homeland.
The stance of the royal family is becoming more and more ambivalent and obviously changing. The royal line are considered direct descendants of Öspad the Arbiter, the "founding father" of the nation and a figure couched in mythic significance by the shamanistic community. Öspad is considered a lesser god, I suppose, and there are many legends of him having been advised by the gods on his journey to unite the disparate tribes of the islands. Thus, the king is kind of the ur-role to the shamans, who purport that the drop of divine blood in the veins of the royalty gives them mythical prowess, the ability to look into the future and to re-live events of the path, and their role has a special magnetism that keeps the nation together. That's why during the War of the Succession, the shamans prophesied the end of the nation---it was kind of a cataclysmic event to them, and they predicted that the new dynasty would cause ruination. They were seriously superstitious about it, and many communities migrated to the less-populated islands, fearing that the gods themselves would wreak a holocaust upon the land. Of course, that didn't happen---the nation has held together, and the Siglunes have brought Öspa into a new era of prosperity. Some hypothesize that this is the reason for the gradual death of the shamanistic tradition---this was the test of the potency of their gods and mythos and it kind of turned out to be a fluke, and the shaman class was humiliated. Others purport that since the ascendance of House Siglune, the Öspaín have grown less and less insular---the shamanism is highly community-based, and the sense of Öspaín "community" has rapidly expanded in the period of three-hundred odd years. Thus, the death of shamanism could be said to be a product of expansion and the wholesale adoption of foreign cultural elements into Öspaín culture.
However, that is not to say that the Öspaín are not proud of their traditions. Shamanism has left its wake on social and community structures, in naming conventions, on holidays, on the calendar---the culture is still recuperating from the rejection of shamanistic practices and thus still retains some of the structures of a shamanistic culture. Thus, to the un-attuned eye, it might appear that Öspa is still shamanistic, even though a majority of the population are no longer practicing.
The same goes for the royal family. The royal "pageantry" is still couched in shamanistic motifs and symbolism---the throne room is adorned with arrases depicting events from myth, and the throne itself is carved of the wood of Öspad's bjali boat and decorated with the myth of the creation of the world. But the fact of the matter is that, even though the royal family has much mythical significance, they themselves are either ambivalent on the issue of faith, or have converted to other faiths. The status quo is changing and thus they are still unsure as to where they should stand. Thus, it is entirely possible that a roving priest from Jura managed to convert Princess Kélse to the Light, and maybe even some of the other members of the household. At least at this point in Öspa's history, for the royal family it's kind of an "anything goes" situation. Make sense?
Sorry if that was kind of long :|
EDIT: Forgot about Holtlí. She is basically the creator god to the shamanistic tradition of Öspa. The bear-shamans who were exiled to the forests in Bildsfelln were exiled not because of some crazy practices, but because they fetishized Holtlí as the one-true-god, while the others even within the shamanistic tradition were lesser---a political move by Öspad. So basically they practiced a form of henotheism I suppose. Anyway, in mainstream shamanistic practice, she is revered just as much as other gods, though as she is the goddess of the waves it is common, even with the new religion, to burn a votive candle for her before embarking on a voyage. Another leftover of the shamanistic tradition. It is also possible that she is incorporated in some nominal form into the new religion, just gotta work on developing that a bit.
This what I have so far: in modern Öspa, direct worship of the old shamanistic gods is on the way out. While the regime hasn't outlawed it---and probably won't, as there is a sizable minority who do practice the old ways, particularly on Bildsfelln---the vast majority of Öspaín have begun to practice a "new" religion, which I haven't really worked on yet, but which is influenced in equal parts by old shamanistic practices and new practices from the continent (i.e. similar to the conversion of the Nordic nations in the Dark Ages to Christianity, though this religion will not be an analogue of Christianity). However, freedom of religion is state policy, in order to accommodate the growing number of immigrants to Öspa, and as a courtesy to their trading partners who regularly send merchants to do business in Öspa. It is entirely possible, I think, that there is a small population of Juran immigrants, though as you said they don't often venture out of the homeland.
The stance of the royal family is becoming more and more ambivalent and obviously changing. The royal line are considered direct descendants of Öspad the Arbiter, the "founding father" of the nation and a figure couched in mythic significance by the shamanistic community. Öspad is considered a lesser god, I suppose, and there are many legends of him having been advised by the gods on his journey to unite the disparate tribes of the islands. Thus, the king is kind of the ur-role to the shamans, who purport that the drop of divine blood in the veins of the royalty gives them mythical prowess, the ability to look into the future and to re-live events of the path, and their role has a special magnetism that keeps the nation together. That's why during the War of the Succession, the shamans prophesied the end of the nation---it was kind of a cataclysmic event to them, and they predicted that the new dynasty would cause ruination. They were seriously superstitious about it, and many communities migrated to the less-populated islands, fearing that the gods themselves would wreak a holocaust upon the land. Of course, that didn't happen---the nation has held together, and the Siglunes have brought Öspa into a new era of prosperity. Some hypothesize that this is the reason for the gradual death of the shamanistic tradition---this was the test of the potency of their gods and mythos and it kind of turned out to be a fluke, and the shaman class was humiliated. Others purport that since the ascendance of House Siglune, the Öspaín have grown less and less insular---the shamanism is highly community-based, and the sense of Öspaín "community" has rapidly expanded in the period of three-hundred odd years. Thus, the death of shamanism could be said to be a product of expansion and the wholesale adoption of foreign cultural elements into Öspaín culture.
However, that is not to say that the Öspaín are not proud of their traditions. Shamanism has left its wake on social and community structures, in naming conventions, on holidays, on the calendar---the culture is still recuperating from the rejection of shamanistic practices and thus still retains some of the structures of a shamanistic culture. Thus, to the un-attuned eye, it might appear that Öspa is still shamanistic, even though a majority of the population are no longer practicing.
The same goes for the royal family. The royal "pageantry" is still couched in shamanistic motifs and symbolism---the throne room is adorned with arrases depicting events from myth, and the throne itself is carved of the wood of Öspad's bjali boat and decorated with the myth of the creation of the world. But the fact of the matter is that, even though the royal family has much mythical significance, they themselves are either ambivalent on the issue of faith, or have converted to other faiths. The status quo is changing and thus they are still unsure as to where they should stand. Thus, it is entirely possible that a roving priest from Jura managed to convert Princess Kélse to the Light, and maybe even some of the other members of the household. At least at this point in Öspa's history, for the royal family it's kind of an "anything goes" situation. Make sense?
Sorry if that was kind of long :|
EDIT: Forgot about Holtlí. She is basically the creator god to the shamanistic tradition of Öspa. The bear-shamans who were exiled to the forests in Bildsfelln were exiled not because of some crazy practices, but because they fetishized Holtlí as the one-true-god, while the others even within the shamanistic tradition were lesser---a political move by Öspad. So basically they practiced a form of henotheism I suppose. Anyway, in mainstream shamanistic practice, she is revered just as much as other gods, though as she is the goddess of the waves it is common, even with the new religion, to burn a votive candle for her before embarking on a voyage. Another leftover of the shamanistic tradition. It is also possible that she is incorporated in some nominal form into the new religion, just gotta work on developing that a bit.
@Aristo And given the size and proximity of your nation, it would be in Öspa's interest to establish good relations with Xiang. Xiang also appears to have a strong military with big ass ships and good troops---which Öspa obviously doesn't want on its shores. Plus, Xiang is an agricultural center---given that Öspa has to import much of its produce due to its rough climate, it would make sense to establish a dedicated trading partner like the Xiang. Perhaps some of the "massive ships" which you have as your Military Trait could've been built by the shipbuilding firms of Port Skova? They regularly take out big orders.
If you're cool a marriage alliance I totally am. Makes a lot of sense. However, I would probably have to RP as her given that she's the head of the Regency Council and thus the nominal head of state.
@The Omnipotent Sphere I think Öspa would ally with Jura for the same reasons---agricultural center, big army, wants a good trading partner, etc., etc. I wrote about a Princess Kélse who was married off to a "distant kingdom"---maybe as a marriage to one of the lesser princes of Jura? How do the Jurans feel about marriage to people who aren't converted to the Light yet?
If you're cool a marriage alliance I totally am. Makes a lot of sense. However, I would probably have to RP as her given that she's the head of the Regency Council and thus the nominal head of state.
@The Omnipotent Sphere I think Öspa would ally with Jura for the same reasons---agricultural center, big army, wants a good trading partner, etc., etc. I wrote about a Princess Kélse who was married off to a "distant kingdom"---maybe as a marriage to one of the lesser princes of Jura? How do the Jurans feel about marriage to people who aren't converted to the Light yet?
@Sadko I didn't see your NS earlier, but I really it. Getting a big Gormenghast vibe from it--are you a fan perhaps?
Also, quick question: is there anyone who would like to ally with Öspa? Although Öspa usually likes to maintain its neutrality, it has been known to make strategic marriage alliances from time to time. I would be open to having the Queen Dowager, the mother of King Enní, be from a marriage alliance with one of our other nations. Any takers?
Also, quick question: is there anyone who would like to ally with Öspa? Although Öspa usually likes to maintain its neutrality, it has been known to make strategic marriage alliances from time to time. I would be open to having the Queen Dowager, the mother of King Enní, be from a marriage alliance with one of our other nations. Any takers?
@The Omnipotent Sphere I bore with WoT up until the 6th book---after that, I couldn't handle anymore braid pulling, though I've heard the long haul through the last books has a worthy payoff. I've heard good things about Stormlight as well, but also bad things about Sanderson's writing. Is it worth it? One thing I will say about Malazan is that it is very well written, and I've heard that Erikson actually improved quite a bit between Gardens of the Moon and Memories of Ice.
On the topic of the RP---@Thrashy Is there an ETA on when the OOC will be up? And can you elaborate a little bit on how IC is going to play out, if possible?
On the topic of the RP---@Thrashy Is there an ETA on when the OOC will be up? And can you elaborate a little bit on how IC is going to play out, if possible?
Pitching my interest in here!
Always glad to be a part of anything you put together Flagg
Always glad to be a part of anything you put together Flagg
@The Omnipotent Sphere I just started Memories of Ice after an extremely rough ride with Gardens of the Moon---which did finally get better towards the middle and end. I've heard it's only up from here on out though, so pretty excited. I've needed a series to scratch my fantasy itch for a while now and I've heard good things about Malazan.
@Orcus So what's their angle? Are they just a dead army trying to murder all the fleshies? Or are they kind of like the T'Lan Imass from Malazan (I think it would be cool to go that route). I'd like to see what you've got but it seems like this gives the rest of the kingdoms of Seyan a casus belli and a cause to ally together against a common foe---which is good in the respect that we'll work together more easily, but might also take away from some of the cloak-and-dagger schemings that are oh so fun.
I think we definitely need to work in some antagonisms between the different nations because we'll have a lot more fun that way imo
I think we definitely need to work in some antagonisms between the different nations because we'll have a lot more fun that way imo
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