What up my Duskwights.
Eva directed me here to elaborate on Oskar Helvig's background, which was a lot of fun to RP and make up as I went along. Here is the general stuff you can use if you wish, or dismiss entirely. This is all lore created by me and is in no way represented by SE.
Setting:
Due to the subterranean caverns that, unlike the surface, are not always connected, clans formed and sometimes wouldn't know of others who may have lived relatively close, geographically. These pockets of clans would compete for scarce resources since I imagine even food would be hard to cultivate underground. Due to the lack of lore as to where the Duskwights actually live, I sort of just made Oskar come from distant set of caverns to the North West.
Family:
Family was based around boys. Women were expected to basically take the roles of mothers as soon as they were able to produce children. A woman was honored by the number of boys she was able to bare, since they would become the next generation of warriors and conquerors for the clan. The only way for a woman to have land given to her was a reward for having three sons. One son would yield her an ewe, two something greater, and so on. The husbands would often be on campaigns so that women had to actually raise the boys to be the fighters their clan required them to be. So if a squad of male warriors came upon a village of women and children... it wouldn't be as easy as it may seem to take them down, since most women's martial/weapon prowess would be equal to that of men. They were simply spared the violence of war, and were required to pass along their skills to young boys who would use them for bloodshed.Â
Wives were often taken from other clans by conquest. This served as a natural prevention to "bottle neck effect" - aka same genes being passed around. The people of a clan typically referred to each other as brothers and sisters, and taking a wife from one's own clan was almost incestuous. Taking one from a conquest was considered "earning" the right to be married, and proving yourself capable, proving that your genes should be passed on basically. The weaker men, or less trained, would die in battle before taking a bride from the warring clan, and thus they would not have passed on their traits.
Government:
Top warrior led the clan in it's external affairs, mostly war. Elders (aka warriors who survived long enough to grow old, a rarity) guided the people internally. The war-leader was respected for his skill (think Khal Drogo) and the elders for their experience. Typically the war-leader would seek advice from the elders. The elders in turn sought advice from the Oracle, and a number of other "odd" sources. Think of reading entrails, for example. Superstition and omens were a big part of decision making.
Ring-Giver:
The ring-giver is generally known through out the clan-lands from which Oskar hails, though I imagine he may have been known in other parts as well. The story goes that a great warrior was once born who united the clans for the first time through sheer force and willpower. There are several legends, but most agree that he was a man of great stature and weapon prowess. Some myths say he could breathe fire and do other similarly "impossible" feats using the old magic. Naturally many thought he would be reborn and a man who reunites the clans once more would prove himself to be the reincarnation of the ring-giver. The name ring-giver stems from rings, or rather large wrist braces which the Ring-Giver would gift to his warriors. They were both plunder and rewards for the warrior's commitment to him, as well as marks of certain ownership and loyalty to him. It was said that he was so strong that he could mold the plate of precious metal around a man's wrist.
Some say that numerous parties have visited Duskwights for the first time during the Ring-Giver's reign. One secret society has/had ancient records of this. They went by the name of Stormguard.
Moloch:
Another common element of folklore is the black wind which goes by several names. In Oskar's clan it's known as Moloch. It's considered both natural and a supernatural, a dark wind that blows through certain caverns which captures those who get caught in it. It is said to leave men's bodies and take with it their soul and mind. It feeds on those it comes across, and sometimes it seems to have a rational mind, as if it were a creature, not merely a wind. It was at once a hazard to all clans when it grew to almost reach the villages of clans. The clans believe that the world would end when it is consumed by Moloch, the black wind. Â
Hymns:
Language was considered sacred from where Oskar hailed. Writing was not considered essential, because society was formed around oral history and hymns. This stems from the somewhat magical effects caverns have on speech, the way words bend when spoken in caves, echoes, and so on.Â
A long time ego it's said that Duskwights used to have their own form of magic stemming from hymns. Hymns are magical and religious in a sense. Warriors would often sing hymns for their fallen enemies so that their souls would not stay to be taken by Moloch but instead go to the Living Stone. In the distant past they could open "sun-holes" with hymns, or tell stories of past warriors which would give courage and strength to those who listened and recited, as if borrowing it from the past. Spoken words are believed to be living things, and writing was almost like corpses of words, fallen and dead on the page.Â
Religion:
Many older Duskwights, most of whom are now passed on, worshiped the Living Stone. Once the outside world began to trade with certain, more "cooked" clans who were open to interaction with non-Duskwights, the belief of the Twelve began to spread across the clan-lands. It united certain clans, and divided others who maintained their belief in the Living Stone. A war broke out between the factions, and the side who favored the Twelve won. From then on, worship of the Twelve spread more rapidly and only a few elders were not converted. Oskar's grandfather for example, was thought by his mother to be a bad example for the boy in his youth, because he still spoke of the Living Stone.
Living Stone:
A stone pulsing with a white glow, seeming to have veins of energy going through it. It reacts to touch, and if one listens closely, it may just speak to them. A hum that resonates from it is said to be a combination of all voices of Duskwight that came before. It's said to grow through out all clan lands, and before the Twelve, it unified all Duskwight, even those whose caverns were separated geographically, because the stone grew through out the underground.
The way the legend goes is that the dead were thrown into a deep chasm that ran through the clan-lands, across all clans. The bottom of the chasm became nothing but bone pressed into bone, so deep that pressure melded them together into a white stone. The souls of the dead lived in the stone, and the stone was in a sense living with their spirits. It would be rare to find, having "grown" out of the chasm in certain places. One may speak into it, and perhaps hear answers only the ancestors know.
The Oracle:Â
Oskar's clan lands would have one Oracle, a woman who could walk in dreams as if they were reality. In them she could manipulate the future, or even the past. She could influence people, see their dreams, walk in them. This was a special ability honed through out a lifetime. An Oracle would see a child in her dreams, who would be the next Oracle, and that child's family would give her up for training. Girls with no training would soon get lost in their own dream and never wake.
The Oracle is a rarity, one in all clans. When one passes, another takes her place. The Oracle lives in one location, a neutral space between clans, and a place many visit for her for advice or in order to know the outcome of a battle, for example. She picks carefully who to advise, who is worth her knowledge. All clans giver her tribute so that she may favor them.
Rights of Passage:
I suppose the first right of passage for a young Duskwight happens before their birth. A mother-to-be must recite a hymn while swallowing a hot coal. If done absolutely correctly, and with a certain faith in the hymn, the coal would not harm her. Should she not be harmed, it's said to be a good omen and she is likely to bear a son. If she struggles, a daughter. If however something goes wrong and she cannot swallow the burning coal, it is a bad omen and many would think she will not carry the child to term.
119 Hymns - Instead of learning writing or any formal education, children learn the hymns. I forgot the exact number I may have mentioned before, but it's something around 120 hymns that they must memorize. Some are epic tales, others are short rhymes. There used to be many more hymns, but they were lost. It's said that in the past, the hymns had a lot more magical ability than they do now. It's said that their effectiveness had faded since the advent of the worship of the Twelve instead of the Living Stone. Many worry that the souls of the dead do not return properly to the Living Stone and are thus captured by Moloch, hinting at the coming end of times.
The Ousting - When boys reach early teens, they are sent off to the wastes. It is a barren subterranean plain with little food or shelter. They must live and survive there for a number of years before returning home. It is only after they survive that they are given their last name. They do not earn their family name at birth, since they have done nothing to be born. The Ousting is when they prove themselves worthy of their family, and clan.
Whatever happens there is not governed by any law, and thus many team up to survive, others may kill to do so. Think "Hunger Games"Â meets "Lord of the Flies", and you get The Ousting.
Eva directed me here to elaborate on Oskar Helvig's background, which was a lot of fun to RP and make up as I went along. Here is the general stuff you can use if you wish, or dismiss entirely. This is all lore created by me and is in no way represented by SE.
Setting:
Due to the subterranean caverns that, unlike the surface, are not always connected, clans formed and sometimes wouldn't know of others who may have lived relatively close, geographically. These pockets of clans would compete for scarce resources since I imagine even food would be hard to cultivate underground. Due to the lack of lore as to where the Duskwights actually live, I sort of just made Oskar come from distant set of caverns to the North West.
Family:
Family was based around boys. Women were expected to basically take the roles of mothers as soon as they were able to produce children. A woman was honored by the number of boys she was able to bare, since they would become the next generation of warriors and conquerors for the clan. The only way for a woman to have land given to her was a reward for having three sons. One son would yield her an ewe, two something greater, and so on. The husbands would often be on campaigns so that women had to actually raise the boys to be the fighters their clan required them to be. So if a squad of male warriors came upon a village of women and children... it wouldn't be as easy as it may seem to take them down, since most women's martial/weapon prowess would be equal to that of men. They were simply spared the violence of war, and were required to pass along their skills to young boys who would use them for bloodshed.Â
Wives were often taken from other clans by conquest. This served as a natural prevention to "bottle neck effect" - aka same genes being passed around. The people of a clan typically referred to each other as brothers and sisters, and taking a wife from one's own clan was almost incestuous. Taking one from a conquest was considered "earning" the right to be married, and proving yourself capable, proving that your genes should be passed on basically. The weaker men, or less trained, would die in battle before taking a bride from the warring clan, and thus they would not have passed on their traits.
Government:
Top warrior led the clan in it's external affairs, mostly war. Elders (aka warriors who survived long enough to grow old, a rarity) guided the people internally. The war-leader was respected for his skill (think Khal Drogo) and the elders for their experience. Typically the war-leader would seek advice from the elders. The elders in turn sought advice from the Oracle, and a number of other "odd" sources. Think of reading entrails, for example. Superstition and omens were a big part of decision making.
Ring-Giver:
The ring-giver is generally known through out the clan-lands from which Oskar hails, though I imagine he may have been known in other parts as well. The story goes that a great warrior was once born who united the clans for the first time through sheer force and willpower. There are several legends, but most agree that he was a man of great stature and weapon prowess. Some myths say he could breathe fire and do other similarly "impossible" feats using the old magic. Naturally many thought he would be reborn and a man who reunites the clans once more would prove himself to be the reincarnation of the ring-giver. The name ring-giver stems from rings, or rather large wrist braces which the Ring-Giver would gift to his warriors. They were both plunder and rewards for the warrior's commitment to him, as well as marks of certain ownership and loyalty to him. It was said that he was so strong that he could mold the plate of precious metal around a man's wrist.
Some say that numerous parties have visited Duskwights for the first time during the Ring-Giver's reign. One secret society has/had ancient records of this. They went by the name of Stormguard.
Moloch:
Another common element of folklore is the black wind which goes by several names. In Oskar's clan it's known as Moloch. It's considered both natural and a supernatural, a dark wind that blows through certain caverns which captures those who get caught in it. It is said to leave men's bodies and take with it their soul and mind. It feeds on those it comes across, and sometimes it seems to have a rational mind, as if it were a creature, not merely a wind. It was at once a hazard to all clans when it grew to almost reach the villages of clans. The clans believe that the world would end when it is consumed by Moloch, the black wind. Â
Hymns:
Language was considered sacred from where Oskar hailed. Writing was not considered essential, because society was formed around oral history and hymns. This stems from the somewhat magical effects caverns have on speech, the way words bend when spoken in caves, echoes, and so on.Â
A long time ego it's said that Duskwights used to have their own form of magic stemming from hymns. Hymns are magical and religious in a sense. Warriors would often sing hymns for their fallen enemies so that their souls would not stay to be taken by Moloch but instead go to the Living Stone. In the distant past they could open "sun-holes" with hymns, or tell stories of past warriors which would give courage and strength to those who listened and recited, as if borrowing it from the past. Spoken words are believed to be living things, and writing was almost like corpses of words, fallen and dead on the page.Â
Religion:
Many older Duskwights, most of whom are now passed on, worshiped the Living Stone. Once the outside world began to trade with certain, more "cooked" clans who were open to interaction with non-Duskwights, the belief of the Twelve began to spread across the clan-lands. It united certain clans, and divided others who maintained their belief in the Living Stone. A war broke out between the factions, and the side who favored the Twelve won. From then on, worship of the Twelve spread more rapidly and only a few elders were not converted. Oskar's grandfather for example, was thought by his mother to be a bad example for the boy in his youth, because he still spoke of the Living Stone.
Living Stone:
A stone pulsing with a white glow, seeming to have veins of energy going through it. It reacts to touch, and if one listens closely, it may just speak to them. A hum that resonates from it is said to be a combination of all voices of Duskwight that came before. It's said to grow through out all clan lands, and before the Twelve, it unified all Duskwight, even those whose caverns were separated geographically, because the stone grew through out the underground.
The way the legend goes is that the dead were thrown into a deep chasm that ran through the clan-lands, across all clans. The bottom of the chasm became nothing but bone pressed into bone, so deep that pressure melded them together into a white stone. The souls of the dead lived in the stone, and the stone was in a sense living with their spirits. It would be rare to find, having "grown" out of the chasm in certain places. One may speak into it, and perhaps hear answers only the ancestors know.
The Oracle:Â
Oskar's clan lands would have one Oracle, a woman who could walk in dreams as if they were reality. In them she could manipulate the future, or even the past. She could influence people, see their dreams, walk in them. This was a special ability honed through out a lifetime. An Oracle would see a child in her dreams, who would be the next Oracle, and that child's family would give her up for training. Girls with no training would soon get lost in their own dream and never wake.
The Oracle is a rarity, one in all clans. When one passes, another takes her place. The Oracle lives in one location, a neutral space between clans, and a place many visit for her for advice or in order to know the outcome of a battle, for example. She picks carefully who to advise, who is worth her knowledge. All clans giver her tribute so that she may favor them.
Rights of Passage:
I suppose the first right of passage for a young Duskwight happens before their birth. A mother-to-be must recite a hymn while swallowing a hot coal. If done absolutely correctly, and with a certain faith in the hymn, the coal would not harm her. Should she not be harmed, it's said to be a good omen and she is likely to bear a son. If she struggles, a daughter. If however something goes wrong and she cannot swallow the burning coal, it is a bad omen and many would think she will not carry the child to term.
119 Hymns - Instead of learning writing or any formal education, children learn the hymns. I forgot the exact number I may have mentioned before, but it's something around 120 hymns that they must memorize. Some are epic tales, others are short rhymes. There used to be many more hymns, but they were lost. It's said that in the past, the hymns had a lot more magical ability than they do now. It's said that their effectiveness had faded since the advent of the worship of the Twelve instead of the Living Stone. Many worry that the souls of the dead do not return properly to the Living Stone and are thus captured by Moloch, hinting at the coming end of times.
The Ousting - When boys reach early teens, they are sent off to the wastes. It is a barren subterranean plain with little food or shelter. They must live and survive there for a number of years before returning home. It is only after they survive that they are given their last name. They do not earn their family name at birth, since they have done nothing to be born. The Ousting is when they prove themselves worthy of their family, and clan.
Whatever happens there is not governed by any law, and thus many team up to survive, others may kill to do so. Think "Hunger Games"Â meets "Lord of the Flies", and you get The Ousting.
I’m the bullies you hate, that you became.
