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[Engineer Alexandra Humva]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]This is the discussion topic for the RPG Spirits and Men. It'll serve as the location for larger OOC debates as well as a repository for player profiles as well as an encyclopedia for this world, which will include things from more in-depth explanations to a list of discoveries made to even recaps of what has happened thus far. So, get playing.[/font]

 

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]PROFILES[/font]

 

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Format is as follows: Tribal name - Owner of tribe - Population - Current stasis [/font]

 

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]The Final Conclave - Alex Humva - 118 - Peace time[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"][color=rgb(40,40,40);]The Mayincatec[/color] - Xomeron - 120 - Peace time[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Sugawara - Silvan Haven - 120 - Peace time[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Hastatii - Lloyd: The White Wolf - 120 - Peace time[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribe of Fading Night - Dr. Vengeance - 120 - Peace time[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Darkest Shadow - Basilisk - 120 - Peace time[/font]

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Stone Reach to Sky - Power - 119 - Peace time[/font]

 

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]CURRENT TIME[/font]

 

[font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]4/19/13: We are currently in the second lunar phase past spring planting; approximately late May-early June in our time. It has been 323 years since the end of the Great Winter.[/font]

Edited by Judge Alex Humva, May 12 2013 - 09:00 PM.

[Xomeron]

[color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Tribe Name: The Mayincatec[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Tribal Population: 120[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Tribal Characteristics: The Mayincatec are uniformly of brown, flecked skin, often red of hair and green of eye, and tall. They wear leather clothes when needed, but just as often wear naught but their skin. Their tents are often patterned with faces in the entrance flaps, to ward off unwanted spirit visitors.[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Tribal Society: The Mayincatec are ruled by Yakkulash, their God-King. Yakkulash is dead, and has been for quite a while, but this has not impacted his leadership capability. His word is spoken directly by the Shamans, and his will is carried out. The Shamans, then, wield a position of power in society, as befits their abilities. The rest of the society is divided among their roles; hunters, gatherers, craftsmen, and such.[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Starting Spells: Blood Rage, Earth Mover, Land Sculptor[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Tribal Perk: Spiritual Communion[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Tribal History: The Mayincatec are acutely aware of their history. Yakkulash wrought the Yincat people from a pack of scattered, animalistic men, and lead them to dominance over the Keliyac, a tribe of brutish wildlings, and Yakkulash either tortured their king to death with fire, or cooked and ate him(The Mayincatec language does not distinguish between the two)[/color][color=rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;]Since then, Yakkulash spent much of his time preparing himself for his eternal leadership, teaching the shamans of communion with the dead, and setting in place the idea that the bonds between the world of the dead and the living must be breached by spilling blood. So it is that whenever Yakkulash’s guidance is sought, a sacrifice must be made; animals can serve, but the blood of men allows the greatest clarity of communication.[/color]

[Silvan Haven]

Tribe Name:  Sugawara

 

Tribal Population: 120

 

Tribal Characteristics: Knowledge and those capable of discovering it are greatly revered.  It is believed that the dead should be allowed to rest. Bringing somebody back from the dead is taboo and while talking to them will not get somebody punished by the Elders, it is certainly looked down upon.

 

Tribal Society: Run by a council of Elders that can range anywhere from five all the way up to ten, depending on circumstances. It is made up of the five most knowledgeable people in the tribe as well as whatever shamans the tribe happens to have at the time. Sometimes those roles overlap, hence the variance in the size. Rather than martial prowess, mastery over one’s own body and progress are seen as the ultimate goal for men. While the men look forward, the women look back. They keep the stories and records about the tribe’s past so that no regression happens.

 

Starting Spells: Spirit Lure: This spell serves as a way to attract specific spirits out of their patrolled areas and towards your shaman.

Land Sculptor: This spell lets a shaman will the very earth itself into shape, molding soil and stone to fit his whims.

Exorcist: This spell cuts the ties that hold a spirit to its undead body, sending it back to the land of the dead.

 

Tribal Perk: Innovators- Your tribe is constantly looking forward and trying to come up with new things. While not everything may work the way it was supposed to, progress is still being made.

 

Tribal History: Just under three hundred years ago, the Sugawara moved into the area. For a while they just moved from place to place, finally settling down in the foothills of the northern mountains. Since then they have been mostly minding their own business and trying to return to what they think humanity was like before the Great Winter. Steadily progressing, they reinvented writing sometime in the last hundred years.

[Lloyd: the White Wolf]

Tribe Name: Hastatii

Tribal Population: 120Tribal Characteristics: Hastatii tended to be a few inches short of the norm for the time, with lean, muscled bodies well suited for moving up and down mountains with minimal fatigue. They tended to have more stamina than average.Tribal Society: The Hastatii were noted for their ingeniousness with tools and contraptions, as well as their architectural prowess for their age. They stressed discipline and rigidity as the key to success. Their shamans (known as the Ordo Incantator) were ascetics who disavowed all earthly things in search for spiritual enlightenment, and were supported by the tribe at large in return for their magic. The spirits--called Genius Loci in the tongue of the Hastatii--were mysterious forces to be appeased by the populace at large, but to the Ordo Incantator they were creatures with minds not much different than those of humans. Creatures to be appeased, befriended, or tamed as need be, creatures who could teach the Ordo much about the way of the world.

Starting Spells: Bestial Curse, Land Sculptor, Fire-TalkingTribal Perk: Innovative TribesmenTribal History: The oldest legends of the Hastatii speak of great cities and monolithic legions, flawless roads crossing vast distances to form the logistical network of a great empire. Anything further than that, however, the legends disagree on, and little truth can be discerned from them. The Hastaii tribe claimed to be the descendants of that empire and lived firm in the belief that one day they would rise again, bringing all of mankind under their guidance and glory. They derive their name from the founder of their tribe, remembered as Primus Hastatus. The leader of the tribe, advised by a council of elders, traditionally took the agnomen of "Hastatus" in memory of the tribe's founder.

 

[Vengent Spectre]

Tribe Name: Tribe of Fading Night

 

Tribal Population: One Hundred and Fifteen

 

Tribal Characteristics: All children are born into either "The Blood Kin'dred" or " The Wounded Night ".  Those of The Kin'dred commonly clothe themselves in dark furs, bones and "red" or black paint, while those of The Wounded clothe themselves mostly in paint (be it blue, green, white or brown) And heavy furs. All members of The Fading Night are natural born hunters.

 

Tribal Society: As a result of a disagreement long since past, the tribe is divided into two seperate halves. The Blood Kin'dred, thrive off the actions of their ancestor, always using some aspect of the gift that was given them. Although they do vaguely worship the spirit who the pact was made with, in truth The Blood Kin'dred only care about a few things; the clan and violence. The Blood Kin'red believes the pinnacle of life is achieved through five things; The Pact, the clan, blood, combat and violence. To satisfy their lust for blood/combat/violence and relieve themselves of boredom/seek entertainment, members of The Blood Kin'dred will often engage in semi-violent combat/sparring with friends and family.

 

Much like the rest of the tribe, long hair is seen as a symbol of rank and prestige. Although mostly the same, to the The Blood Kin'dred, respesct is truly only given to those with red hair, as only those with the dark red of blood in their hair, have experienced the true hunt. The Blood Kin'dred believe that everything one owns, they must kill for or take. Therefore if one is killed or bested then everything they own belongs to the victor. Because of their belief that one only owns what they are willing to kill/take, The Blood Kin'dred only wear what they themselves have killed. The Blood Kin'dred feel that the blood of their kill is very important and will often paint their body with it. Unlike The Wounded Night, most members of The Blood Kin'dred are born with the Pact partially active but are unable to fully activate it until their late teens. Members of The Blood Kin'dred are not considered adults until they are able to fully enact The Pact and have their first kill. Once of age a member will recive their first blood carving.

 

The Wounded Night fervently worship the sprit and the apperentice of the Ti'shoakk ti 'aryy (meaning The First of the Bound Night). The Wounded Night unlike the Blood Kin'dred possess a fairly strict hierarchy, it goes as follows: Ti' S'hanoa ah ti 'aryy,  Ti' Sahannoa' ta'wou'le te wou an ti 'wou aryy, Ti' Sahannei ta at to wou'an sahannoa ti 'wou aryy, Ti' Shoah te ah an ye arah , Ti' Shate ye ah an wou ti wou yeia anha 'wou aryy. Although unable to channel portions of the Pact like The Blood Kin'dred, the young of The Wounded Night are able to fully enact the Pact between the ages of ten and thirteen, only the Ti' Shanoa can fully enact the pact at birth. It is forbidden for any member of the Wounded Night to enact the Pact, without honest reason. The Wounded Night believe that one must honor the kill by crushing it's bones into a special mixture, giving it a name and writing that name into the pelt. The Wounded Night believe that the life they live should be earned through hard work and dedicated service to the tribe and that another's life should not be taken unless unavoidable. The Wounded Night feels that paint is the guide between one's body and the world around them, and will often use it to tattoo large intricate stories across their bodies. To the Wounded Night there is no paint more sacred then the crushed bones of their ancestors and kills, as they believe it binds two spirits together as one. Within the Wounded Night, it is the individual ties and paints in one's long hair that show one's rank, not just length. Only those born of the Ye Te Aryy, are born to become Sahannei taat, While only those born of the Sha Okt Ti Wa Aryy are trained from birth to become Shaia Neyt Ti Wat Aryy.

 

Starting Spells: Spirt Lure, Raise Skeleton, Animal Lure.

 

Tribal Perk: Animal Pact

 

Tribal History: In times long past the Tribe of Fading Night was on the virge of exctintion, the seasons were harsh, they were weak and the animals were strong. In an attempt to ensure his tribe's survival the Shaman of the time, began a frantic search for something, anything that would help them out of these desperate times. Within a month the Shaman found something, a spell that could save them all at a price. The Shaman didn't care and brought his find back to the tribe. Most of the tribe rejoiced and clammored for the Shaman to use the spell, but a small few charmed by the Shaman's own apprentice called for pause, a little more time so the tribe could learn more about the spell. The Chieftain agreed that himself, the apprentice, the Shaman and a few others would sit down and discuss the spell in the morning. But when the discussion ended the next morning the apprentice still wanted to wait. This caused an uproar and many of the tribe members were furious, but even more suprisingly a large portion of the tribe supported the apprentice, and the debate countiuned long into the fires of the night.

 

The next day the debate came to blows when the apprentice said the Chieftain was endangering the tribe. This caused both sides to attack each other. Though the Shaman tried to stop it the fight did not stop until late in the night. As the tribe worn down from the fighting earlier slumbered around the fire, the Shaman tired of his tribe speeding their own demise took matters in to his own hands and did the spell as they slept. When the tribe woke up they were all changed; stronger, faster, Beastial. But the Shaman was gone. Though now able to survive, the tribe was still angry, divided. And eventually the tension boiled to the point where a large battle broke out and the tribe split. Over the next ten years the two halves of the tribe skirmished until they were large enough to destroy one another. This continued on for another fifteen years, ending in the the great blood dual between the apprentice and the Chieftain, in which the blood Chieftain was killed. Soon after the great blood dual, the shaman apprentice brokered peace and over the next five years managed to reconect the two halves of the tribe. The peace brokered by the shaman apprentice has reigned strong within the two halves of the clan for the past hundred and twenty years, until now.

 

 

Here we go.

[Basilisk]

Tribe Name: Darkest Shadow

 

Tribal Population: 120

 

Tribal Characteristics: The Darkest Shadow are a pale people, with a tendency towards red eyes in terms of genetics.Their teeth are also slightly pointed, a holdover from their wolf forms.They feel a deep kinship with the darkness, view the night and the creatures that lurk in it as allies and friends. The darkness protects them from the rage and wrath of an uncaring god, it shields them from their enemies, grants them sight that it denies to others in their view. The darkness is scared to them, they don't worship it, but rather hold it up as the centerpiece of their philosophy. Creatures others shun, spiders, snakes, bats and such as are common pets in Shadow society. The night is a good time, a time for merriment and joy, a time to meet with friends and relatives. Day is used for work and toil and many sleep after their labor is completed, so they can be fresh during the night. 

 

They typically wear various black tattoos, taking the form of various animals and concepts. Snakes, wolves and other such animals tend to be the most popular. Jagged lines and other symbols are also quite common. They typically make clothing out of black fur, cloth and other such materials. They tend to focus on darker colors, believing bright colors simply attract attention and make one a target. War paint is also quite common, it is used to give warriors better camouflage, allowing them to move unseen. Seeing a Shadow warrior coated completely in black paint is far from uncommon. 

 

Death and the Bright Spirit are viewed as enemies to be struck down. Spells to bring the dead back are embraced and thought of as a wonderful thing. This is the most important part of their society, the defiance of death. They tend to meet those who accept death with hostility and hatred, believing them to be weak fools who meekly accept their fate. Death is to be fought and defeated. The Bright Spirit must be overthrown and brought low. 

 

Tribal Society: One could be forgiven for viewing Shadow society as one constantly on a war footing, for this is not far from the truth. All members of the tribe have some level of combat ability. These is linked to their creation myth (detailed below) they believe that when the final battle comes all will fight, so even their children have some basic idea of how to defend themselves. There is little to no gender divide in the Darkest Shadow, and so long as it doesn't hamper the tribe, they tend to be very tolerant of differing lifestyles. They have no time for petty prejudices, as they view life as something of a war. As a consequence of their conflict-orientated society, there is very little trade within the tribe and the economy is very communal, all do their duty for the tribe and in exchange, the tribe protects and defends them. This is viewed as common sense in the physical and metaphysical sense, if the tribe was focused only on profit, they would be in no shape to fight the Bright Spirit and it's influence, which constantly attempts to divide man, so they will not have the numbers to challenge it.

 

There have no religion per say, they do not worship the Darkness, but they respect it and hold it up as an example. They view it as a patron and protector, not a god to be worshiped. The tribe is ruled by a collection of individuals the tribe as a whole thinks capable, these people are selected after one of the older council members dies and they tend to rule for life. It is this Council that decides what would most benefit the tribe and the fight against the Bright Spirit. The tribe as a whole, however, often sets overall policy during a series of meetings that take place every ten years. The tribe as a whole tends to have the final say, the council is merely there to provide a strong central command for the fight against the Bright Spirit. 

 

Everyone is expected to do there part and those who refuse are often exiled. The tribe tends to live in communal structures crafted from stone by it's Shamans. These structures tend to be large with very small holes crafted into the side, allowing them fire out in the event of an attack. Most of them tend to be flat in terms of roofing, with one wide first level with a smaller second level atop it.

 

Starting Spells: Spirit Lure, Land Sculptor, Raise Skeleton

 

Tribal Perk: Animal Pact, the Darkest Shadow possess the ability to transform into large wolves. These wolves tend be of a black color and possess red eyes, though this depends on the exact hair and eye color of the being transforming.

 

Tribal History/Creation Myth: The Darkest Shadow have a grim view of reality. The way they tell it, at the start there was only Darkness, a massive being that that existed since the dawn of time. It was quite literally everything, everything that is or ever will be was a part of it. The Darkness however, was laid low by the emergence of another, the Bright Spirit a part of the Darkness that was severed from the whole by a great catastrophe of some sort. The Bright Spirit attacked the Darkness, shattering it's peace. It used the essence of the Darkness to craft worlds to toy with, beings to torture and make sport of. The race of men are the result of this, intelligent beings crafted by the Bright Spirit to torture, to be playthings, with no will or power of their own. The Darkness however, saw this and rallied what little strength it had left. It crafted creatures and spirits of own to do battle against the Bright Spirit. The wolf, the spider, the snake, the creatures that thrive in the dark places of the world are all thought to have been crafted by the Darkness. The Darkness saw the plight of men.....and gave them three gifts. It gave them war, so that they might for their place in the world, it gave them thought, so that they might plot the downfall of their enemies, among them the Bright Spirit and lastly, it gave them free will, so that they might overthrow the hold the Bright Spirit had upon their minds. 

 

The Darkest Shadow however, it chose to represent it's will. It did not demand worship and reviled it when it was given. Out of all races of men, only the Darkest Shadow had not attempted to worship it or the Bright Spirit. Seeing that they were the least suspectible to the influence of it's counterpart, It gave them many gifts, the power to shift into the form of it's most powerful children, the Wolf, it gave them a spirit to guide them. In return, all it asked is that they fight the influence of the Bright Spirit wherever it is found, with any tool they have at hand. The Darkest Shadow accepted this bargain.

 

The Bright Spirit, raging, crafted a handmaiden of it's own however, Death, to steal the life from the creations that had rebelled against it. A cruel move by an infantile and vile creature. The Darkness has also charged the Darkest Shadow with the defeat of Death.....and created the Graveyard Spirits to guard the knowledge to defeat Death from those who destroy it.

 

The Dark Winter is viewed as a time when the Darkness was nearly slain by it's counterpart, who had in a rage, attempted to destroy the world it had created. The world survived, proving it had grown beyond the petty being that created it. Before this Winter, the Darkest Shadow tell of a time when the race of men had almost defeated the Bright Spirit, bringing the word of darkness and the hope of twilight to the far corners of the world. They had almost stamped out the Bright Spirit. It's influence had been waning.Then it had summoned it's great disaster and scattered the race of men like so many ragdolls. The Darkest Shadow survived however, and they search long and hard for a new bastion, for a place they could plan and practice once more. They found it. 

 

The Darkest Shadow have lived upon their land for many years now, fighting to keep the influence of the Bright Spirit from reaching it, and communing with their patron spirit. Their councils have shifted and changed throughout the years, and monuments are constructed all throughout their lands to remember those stolen by the hand of Death. They view their lands as a fortress, a buttress against the influence of the Bright Spirit. They are a bastion of darkness and shadow in this age of cruel, tyrannous light. The Darkness has been weakened by this long struggle, but still it grapples with the Bright Spirit. Knowing that the final battle will come, the Darkest Shadow train, hunt and grow stronger on their island home, waiting for the day they will at last be strong enough to drive out the Bright Spirit. 

 

This story of creation is the truth, insofar as the Darkest Shadow are concerned. They are the chosen of Darkness and they take that duty very seriously. They will slay death, they will bring the servants of the Bright Spirit low. No matter the cost. They will end this war, once and for all. They will crush the cruel curse of Death and send Death itself screaming into the void. Death must die for the world to know the peace of the Darkness Before.

 

First, however, they must kill his followers. This will weaken him they theorize, and allow the Darkness to gain an upper hand. They have trained and waited for three hundred years for this. 

Edited by Basilisk, Apr 26 2013 - 08:26 PM.

[More Fierce Than Fire]

Since we're about to go link-based...

 

Tribe Name: Stone Reach to SkyTribal Population: 119Tribal Characteristics: Very deep-set into their spiritual beliefs and customs. They have rituals for everything, from birthing a child to doing the laundryTribal Society: The tribe is split by strict gender divides. Women are seen as Makers and men as Destroyers (or 'Breakers' for the sake of rhyming). It is women who make bread, clothing, future members of the tribe etc, and the men who do the killing of animals, the tearing down of trees for houses and fuel and so on. However it is actually the rites of the women that are valued most, as it is deemed far harder to create something new than it is to destroy something that was already created. As such women are respected often to the point of being revered and make up the bulk of the shaman caste.Starting Spells: Spirit Lure (creates a beacon that attracts spirits). Animal Lure (creates a beacon that attracts animals). Steadfast (drives doubt from a crowd, giving them a fervent belief in their actions)Tribal Perk: Spiritual CommunionTribal History: The Stone Reach to Sky tribe derive their name from the ruined structure they have centred their settlement around. It appears to be some form of ziggurat somewhere around the coast built who knows when by who knows who...or what. The Stone Reach to Sky tribe found it centuries ago and believed this to be some sort of half-finished mountain, either forgotten and abandoned by the ancient architects of the world or just not done growing yet. So they made it a holy site, a centre of power, and put up homes around it. As the years went by they expanded and grew, the prevalence of the ziggurat in the centre of their village bending them into a community highly in touch with all matters spiritual

Edited by Lord of Adders Black, Apr 26 2013 - 07:00 PM.

[Engineer Alexandra Humva]

Guess I need to get on this too for linkage.

 

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribe Name:[/font] The Final Conclave[/font]

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribal Population:[/font] 118[/font]

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribal Characteristics:[/font] The tribe as a whole is defined by an extreme amount of devotion to their overarching beliefs. They also happen to be great clothes-makers.[/font]

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribal Society:[/font] [/font][font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]The society of the Conclave is one that stems from the belief in the greater good, rather than the lesser troubles of the world. Children are taught from birth that they belong to a society that is not so much above all others, but rather capable of looking out to the greater picture. It creates something of a distance between personal gain and the greater good, but it has been known to drive some to simply cease to live, coming to the conclusion that they themselves have no greater importance.[/font][/font]

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Starting Spells:[/font] Far Sight, Far Voice, Earth Mover.[/font]

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribal Perk:[/font] Influential Diplomats[/font]

[font="'Courier New';color:#2503AD;"][font="'courier new', courier, monospace;"]Tribal History:[/font] The Final Conclave traces its history back from before the Long Winter, but for obvious reasons little is known of what happened before then. Something did carry from those mysterious times, resulting in the tribal community that exists today. The Final Conclave live on an island in the Unknown Isles, secluded from the greater world but still having meddled in it from time to time. Nothing all that important has been done by them for a long while, but many tribes know them as expert diplomats, thanks largely in part to their neutrality throughout the eons. No one has quite been able to pin something wrong on them yet, so this and their air of mystery has allowed them to retain their status as negotiators. Behind closed doors though, the Conclave is pursuing the answer to one of the greatest spiritual mysteries of the current day; where are the spirits of those who came before the Long Winter?[/font]

Edited by Alex Humva, Apr 27 2013 - 01:27 PM.