Emma — Roleplayer Guild

It would be about the people of a primitive tribe. Our characters would all know one another, having grown up side by side in the small tribal community. There would be some very minor fantasy elements, such as the natives appearances, and dragons that fly above the island. The setting would be based on a tropical kind of island, similar to the Caribbean or Hawaii. 

So the second part of this is: A ship of outsiders dock on the far side of the island after being lost for months at sea. There is only a handful of survivors aboard the ship, and they are just greatful to be on land. Anyway they have no idea about the natives, or where they are. The stars in the sky are in the wrong place and their compass just keeps spinning. 

After some observation The natives meet them with kindness and let them become guest of their home. 

So basically you can play at one of the native islanders or one of the ships survivors. Also the time period would be around 1700s. 
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-Geology-
Most of the islands rocks, and soil are of volcanic origin. 

The center of the island is a volcano. It is called Mount Trogulo, and is the highest point of the island. 

Surrounding the base of the Valcanic Mountain is the sacred lands. This is were the four temples are located. One temple in the north, one in the west, and so on.

There are many lagoons, lakes, waterfalls. rivers, creeks, and hot springs throughout the island. 

The ocean water is warm and crystal clear.

There are many natural caves along the west shore. Interestingly they carry a multitude of different gems, and metals, and rocks. 

-Flora-

The island is covered in tropical forests and deep jungles. 

It is also surrounded by beautiful coral reefs, and underwater caves.

- Fauna -

The island is home to you typical tropical birds, insects, fish and other animals. For example parrots, dolphins, bats, monkeys, leopards, deer, iguana, toucans, rabbits, vipers, sea turtles, and sharks.

Dragons can be seen flying over the island, they come in all colors, and live up high on Mount Trogulo. 

- Climate -
The climate is tropical, with two well-defined seasons for rainfall, and temperature. 

The rainy season lasts from March to August, the rest of the year sees little rain. 

There is also a short hurricane season in the middle of the rainy seasons. It is usually around May and June. 

It is typically warm year round with minimal extremes. 

The warm season is from November to April. It can get as high as 96 °F in the high sun afternoons. 

The cooler season lasts from May to October. With lows around 50 °F

Winds are moderate, and only severe during hurricane season.

-Physical characteristics-

Hair – Colors typically ranges from white, light blonde, and light shades of brown, green, pink, blue, and grey. Very rarely shades of reds, black, and dark brown.

Eyes - Come in all colors of the rainbow. Many have vertical slit pupils, or no pupils at all. Heterochromia is not very rare to see in the island race.

Skin - Skin colors range from white, Ivory, pale, alabaster, peaches, light tans, and in some of the old noble families darker beige. Under moonlight they have a slight glow to their skin. 

Other - Some people even have fangs, pointy ears, small horns, or even webbed feet. And it is considered completely normal.

The Natives are not affected by any natural poisons. Such as poisonous plants, or animals. 

Typical life span is to age 85-110

They can understand dragons on a spiritual level. 

They are known for being fast, agile, and very flexible, with quick reflexes and minor abilities to see in the dark. 
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-Foods - 
Animal Foods - Dove, quail, snake, weasel, Deer, turtle, rabbit, squirrel, Sheep, cow, All kinds of seafood, and fish. Bird/fish eggs, and Goats/cow milk are other Animal foods. 

Fruits - Pomegranates, wild berries, cherry, figs, dates, kiwis, wild grapes, coconut, bananas, guavas, pineapples, mangoes, and other tropical fruits.

Vegetables - Corn, tomatoes, wild plants, potato, roots, mushrooms, carrots, Garlic, beans, and other tropical/island veggies.

Bread - Is made from ground corn/nuts. Tortilla, and other corn meal breads are the main breads are the most popular, but traditional cracker bread is made from a combination of wild rice, and acorn flour. 

Other - Nuts, seeds, chocolate, honey, ginger, mint, lavender, vanilla, cinnamon, and other growing herbs are part of the main diet of the island. Poisonous plants & animals are also typical foods eaten by the natives.
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Housing - The housing the tribe lives in, come in many different forms, mainly grass huts, yurts, and sometimes tree houses.

A yurt - is a portable, bent dwelling structure. The frame consists of one or more expanding lattice wall-sections, a door-frame, bent roof poles and a crown. The self-supporting wood frame is covered with pieces of woven grass/straw fabric, animal hide, and a felt like fabric made from sheep and goat fur, after all that it is then covered with canvas, for water proofing. The frame is held together with one or more ropes or ribbons. The structure is kept under compression by the weight of the covers, sometimes supplemented by a heavy weight hung from the center of the roof. A yurt is designed to be dismantled and the parts carried compactly on horses, ox, or atop caravans, to be rebuilt on another site. Complete construction takes around 2-4 hours.

Coming of Age traditions and ceremonies -
Age of Maturity is considered age 16. It is a time when a Teen is considered spiritually and physically mature. On their 16th birthday, the child undergoes a ceremony called Masha, where they are initiated into the Tribe as an adult. They adopt a second name which is added onto their Birth name. example: John Smith, Becomes, John William Smith. This second name is only used in ceremonies, spells, and when inside the temples, and on sacred ground, and is typically only told to close family members, spouses, and infants. 

The ritual for the young male, involves shaving his head. For the young female they receive their first haircut. Both genders take off their Nicco, an necklace worn to mark and protect underage youth, which one then burns in dedication to the gods. They then bath in the sacred hot springs, which the sacred temples are built next to. They dress in the traditional formal garment, and walk the steps to the top of the temple with chosen family members, and priestess/priest behind them holding candles. 

Once at the top they pray to the Gods for an hour or more, and then they ring the bell to signify they are no longer a child. They leave the temple, the family and friends gather for a celebration feast and dance that last all night. They are given a small blessed stone called a Caffa, it is used like a worry/pray stone, and is kept in their person from then on.

Marriage traditions and ceremony -
Brides - Wedding dresses, are embroidered, with shells, beads, gems, and silk yarns dyed beautiful colors. Its worn during the ceremony, festivities, dances, and feast. After the wedding the dress repurposed into a marriage/fertility tapestry that normally hangs over the couple’s bed. The brides hair is typically worn in braids and pinned with flowers. Henna is also a tradition for the bride to have on her hands, feet, and sometimes back or chest.

Grooms - They wear a traditional wedding tunic and cape. It is worn into the temple for the ceremony and vows with his bride, and then to the festivities, dances, and feast. Normally the Wedding tunic is passed down from father to son, or is borrowed from good friends. And mothers of grooms like to make new unique capes for their sons, with fancy embroidery, and stitching. 

The Vow Ceremony is held in the temple. The groom and the bride each walk down separate paths that form into one, where they clasp hands and walk to the alter together as family and friends stand on both sides of the path, holding flowers/candles, and humming the marriage song. When the couple reaches the alter they kneel down in front of a priestess who then places her hands on each of their heads. The humming stops, and the priestess begins chanting the scared marriage prayer to the gods, and then she goes on to give the couple their unique blessing (fertility, longevity, protection, luck, prosperity, happiness, harmony, friendship, vitality, honesty, hope, etc...). 

The priestess asks them to rise to their feet, which they do, and she ties a rope around their grasped hands. She then pours blessed wine over their bound hands, and asked the bride to say her Vows, and then the Groom. They then kiss, and all of the family members and friends cheer, and whistle. The newlyweds then each take apart the bound rope around their hands, and kiss again. More cheering. The bride and groom followed by their closest relative leave the temple and head to the village center were the wedding festivities, dances, and feast is held. 

Joining everyone in the celebration feast, they sit next to one another. After the feast there is dancing, and such to be had. This goes on until midnight, when the music and dancing slows, and lanterns are lit and left to float into the night sky. Family, Relatives, and good friends, give gifts and blessings to the couple as the leave to their homes. The couple then spends their first night together in their new home. 

- Funerals -
After death, the funeral begins. The body is laid out in the temple on woven blankets made from dried vines and left for two day and two nights, for people to mourn and pray over. In the morning on the third day, the body is cradled in the woven blanket, and carried by four men to the spiritual ground behind the temple. Family and Friends dress in black and grays as they follow behind. The priests place the blanket & body in the large hallowed stone table full of dry woods and herbs. The spouse/parents/next of kin have sewn together the deceased old clothes into a quilt which is stuffed with dry grass and leaves. The quilt is placed over the body by the family. The priest/priestess chant the departing prayer as they poor blessed oil over the body. The body is then cremated, the oils and herbs turning the flame blue. Afterwards the ashes are collected and mixed with clay. Then made into beads, that are painted by family members and strung into a garland to be hung in a tree, thrown in the volcano, or left to drift at sea. The beaded garlands are called Ashikkets.

- Temple -
Priest & Priestess - They live in the temple and dedicate their lives to the gods. They hold/preside over all of the ceremonies in the temple. They are keepers of ancient artifacts, sacred items, Historic scrolls, forbidden spells, and written prophecies. They spend most of their day praying, blessing, and making fancy bound books for the people to write family trees, stories, Information, legends, and history in. They wear plain white robes though many embroider on them. The also protect and serve the oracle.

Dragons - are considered to be earthly gods, and are sacred beasts. They believe that dragons are there ancient ancestors. 

Afterlife - they believe that when they die their soul goes to live with the gods in the sky Kingdom, unless the gods decided they are not ready, and then they are instead reborn. Most believe one has to go throw life a least a dozen times before they are accepted by the gods.

Temple - The temples are located at the foot of the sacred volcanic land. They are large, tall, made from black volcanic stone, and built around hot spring. 

Prayer - It is believed that you must always address your prayer to a specific god/goddess. If you send your prayer to the gods in general then anyone of them can take your prayer and do as they please with it.

Example: Pete prays for luck on his journey up the mountain. He did not ask/send the prayer to Lorren, Jager, Dione, Shinga, or any god that could help. So the goddess Umbriel gets a hold of it and makes him get lost on the way up and he brakes his arm... Anyway when in doubt always address your prayer to the messenger god Quinby, he knows who best to hand it off to. 
Creator of all/Ruler of the Gods/August - Katar

Marriage/fertility/love/Generosity/October - Rubetta

Benevolence/woman/motherhood/childbirth/family - Myrrine

Prosperity/success/wealth/luxury/January - Alannah

Health/purification/Healing/medicine - Seraphina

Creativity/poetry/art/music/dance - Gregore

summer/peace/happiness/pride/December - Ducaine

winter/shadows/ice/cold/June - Bohdi

autumn/air/Resilience/Courage/wind/west - Melony

Spring/rebirth/flowers/animals/plants - Breena

Earth/Soil/Harvest/agriculture/Nature - Menowaren

Divination/prophecy/oracles/November - Vetis

War/fire/Men/Victory/strength/September - Jager

Night/Moon/stars/astrology/dreams/sleep - Rolf

Day/Sun/travel/light/energy/April - Shinga

Discord/chaos/insanity/sympathy/greed - Ragnar

misery/pain/death/fear/mourning - Umbriel 

evil/vengeance/poverty/curses - Irissena

witchcraft/magic/growth/spirits/energy - Drusilla

judgement/morality/Truth/law/March - Jerome

Youth/beauty/pleasure/seduction/lust/east - Izza

water/enlightenment/writing/inspiration/messenger - Quinby

knowledge/wisdom/learning/Gateways/crossroads - Oleon

trickery/mischief/laughter/jokes/humor - Montell

Stars/rainbows/clouds/sky/flying/May - Yulia

Children/Purity/Chastity/innocence/protection - Dione

Curiosity/felines/Resilience/luck/Perseverance - Lorren

storm/lightning/thunder/rain/July - Tamzin

volcanoes/lava/monsters/smoke/earthquakes - Kryllios & Ellery

craftsmanship/carpentry/sculpture/metalworking/construction/forge - Iason

Oaths/promises/agreements/vows/record keeper of the gods - Nevin

New souls/seasons/rebirth/cycles/calendar/menstruation - Petra

sea/fish/ocean/swimming/boats/fishing/waves/February - Cymbeline

Hunting/herding/birds/sacrifice/celebration/south - Trinette

Time/possibility/organization/destiny/fate - Currick

weaving/embroidery/spiders/needlework/spinning/sheep - Risadaya

coins/tattoos/glass/Navigation/strategy/battle/north - Kinlorde

English/ships/foreigners/bloodlines/forgiveness/acceptance - Crisst

There are magic people such as shamans, oracles, and the Healers. 

Shaman - They can perceive and interact with a spirit world. They typically enter into a trance state during a ritual, and they mainly practice divination and healing magics. Most shamans have dreams or visions that convey certain messages. The shaman may have or acquire many spirit guides, who often guide and direct the shaman in his/her travels in the spirit world. To be a Shaman, one must undergo a lengthy training and apprenticeship under a studied Shaman. Shamanic powers are inherited. There are two Shaman magic bloodlines on Calliope island, the Drune family, and the Jadis family. Every 10-15 years a child from one of these bloodlines is born with a star mark on their left palm, indicating that they have the ability to use Shaman powers. If the child does not start proper training by the time the are ten years old, they either loose their powers (and the mark fades), or the powers take over their mind causing them to have fits and go mad from prophetic dreams and uncontrolled evil spirits. (Spirits are not ghost of the dead, but rather creatures and such. The spirit world is parallel to are own. Spirits play important roles both in individual lives and in the island society. Spirits can be benevolent or malevolent. Some can cause illness, bad dreams, bring bad/good luck, and are message-bearers. Different spirits represent different things and can be seen as omens.) 

Healers - These are the pharmacist, dentists, and doctors of the Island. They are trained in the therapeutic use of medicinal plants, massage, chiropractic, Wound treatment, aromatherapy, bloodletting, and bone setting. Healers must learn many skills, including identifying and cultivating herbs, diagnosing and treating conditions, how to make medications and memorize recipes. They learn about the anatomy and inner workings of the human body. They learn the signs and symptoms of different diseases and aliments, and are taught how to find what is causing it and how to cure it. They also track and note illness and patients medical histories. Being a healer is considered a profession, and anyone can be one, they just have to be accepted as an apprentice under a healer and be trained. (FYI healers have nothing to do with birth/pregnancy, that is only for midwives.)

Oracle - There is only one oracle alive at a time. Once the oracle dies the next baby born to the tribe becomes the new oracle. An oracle has the ability to see the past, present, and future. They are inspired by the gods, and can speak with the gods through dreams. They can enter the Spirit Realm of their own accord. They live in the shrine room of the temple, and never leave the temple once they pledge their oath to serve as the mouth piece of the gods when they turn 13. Most do not live past the age of 50, and typically are unsound in mind. They are also born blind, but can see spirits, and energy.  
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Magic like tarot card reading, potions brewing, spells, palm reading, and blessings are considered normal They are just a part of the culture.

Captain Lochlan the owner of the Ship "Valacia", and his crew were hired by explorers/traders/merchants to transport and give passage, so they could conduct and establish trade in Asia. Sadly the ship got caught in a bad storm only three days into the journey. They expected to only be off course a by a bit, but the ships Navigator man seemed flustered, and a bit spooked. The compasses would only spin around and around, and the stars all seemed to be in the wrong place in the sky. No land to be seen anywhere. The Ship has been lost at sea for two months. Dehydration, starvation, and illness set in, taking half the crew with it. In the end there were only a few survivors. All who completely lost hope, and then they spotted land in the distance.
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