LENES: That Noisome Silence

Culture Name: Trolls of Bloodmist
Starting Location:
Spoiler :

Society: The Bloodmist coast knows of the grand alliance of the troll factions; United in their efforts in spreading the influence of the trolls, yet divided in their ways of life, the trolls are a true tribal alliance. The highest rung of the society belongs to the Wsilfiss, the warlord. Next to him are the seven Wsilssivil, the War Leader, and heads of each of the Trolls clans. The warriors feature among the next line of the hierarchy, the Glehs. The commoners and the workers are known as Phiihs.
Every seven years, the grand council, Esvil Ciehses, “the council of elders”, would meet and the person with the most votes is elected to be the Fiss for the next seven years.

Religion: The religion of the Trolls is essentially shamanistic; they prey to the elements of nature: air-fire-water-ether. One of the prime religious events for the Bloodmist trolls is the full moon days, when sacrifices are made to the gods and goddess, to appease them to ask them for blessings.
Mythos: The “Esvils Tsisis”, the book of the elders, clearly states the origin of the trolls along with that of the other races. In the ages old, when the world was young, the gods decided to populate the world with his children, the Hwziss. The Hwziss were powerful beings, and battled each other over control of the earth. Soon there emerged two clear factions, the Sons of the Son, and the Sons of the Moon. On the 3rd full moon night of the spring, the met, for one last time, the event known to the TrollKinds as “Tzirphis”, the Tempest. The Blood brothers, forgot love, forgot mercy, all for the sake of power. Such was their power that great lakes were created as their maces touched the grounds and the shockwaves raised mountains. God realized that reasoning was not way out of this war, and so, with tears streaming down his eyes, he banished all of favorite creations, imprisoning them within the folds of the very earth they were fighting for: Some were imprisoned inside the mountains, some underneath the very oceans. His youngest one, the little Aruiss, however was trapped in ether around us. The days when he cries searching for his long lost brothers do the howling winds rage across our land and seas.

As the great imprisonment began, the mighty Hwziss’s bodies were shredded into pieces, each of these giving rise to the various races that roam the world. We trolls originated from the left arm of the Titans, our neighbors, the orcs originated from the right. While the orcs are strong and mighty, we are dexterous and skillful. It’s said the little things in the mountain emerged from the part that was the titans’ backside.

Economy: Trolls are basically hunters, with little subsistence farming and some fishing. Weapons and other utility tools are usually crafted from the leather and bones of what they hunt. A dwarven shin bone knife is pretty useful for skinning, while elf heads make nice drinking bowls, but only for the elder trolls. Stoneworking is used to raise grand totems in honor of the gods.
Country Names:

Person Names:
Males : Jaryaya, Laojin, Vekuzz, Ayargajin, Zengu, Ugoki, Melkree, Wonjin, Tanjin, Venjo, Nuenvan, Vulzal, Dorkuraz, Hyptu, Alzim
Females : Zulja, Suliya, Javinda, Ziatakraa, Benni, Zulja, Jiranty, Khelynn, Venmara, Kululu, Zulkraa, Melelea

Place Names:
A village is called Vesssishi; A city being “Ceith“, Forts are called “Fils”
 
I'm not confused at all and know very well that the gods are not dragons. My gripe about cliché dragon gods is solely in applying divinity (elves seeing Tyrath as an incarnation of Falladan) to the dragon in question, not in their generic conception of the deific archetype. Also the cultural content of the elves is not my concern, purely the naming schema which is obscenely overdone in varying iterations (moriquendi/calaquendi: Night elves/High elves, and so on and so forth ad infinitum) irrespective of what the described peoples are actually like (Moriquendi aren't evil for example, neither are Night Elves from the warcraft thing).

Beyond these minor gripes I have little problem with your narrative proposition.

The relationship between the Elves of the Light and the Night Elves is not similar to the relationship between Moriquendi and the High Elves of Lotr, because the Elves of the Light are in no way superior, but only different.

Also, I just realized that in some posts I mentioned the Elves of the Light as the Light Elves or Elves of Light. It was just a translation error, I ask that you guys disregard it, I'll fix soon.

EDIT: @Golden1Knight, I am going to say at least 500 years. For purposes of the story and because we are so early along in the history of the world, you can assume Eledaen and other important figures are still alive if for some reason they have not been killed in the intervening period.

Okay, thank you.
 
While I don't think Tyrath would stop anyone from worshiping him as a god, his only personal claim is to being the son of Njos - of the divine, but not necessarily divine. Some claim that the Empire's attempt to conquer the earth (the Body of Njos) was part of a ritual to resurrect the god, but what that would actually mean in practice is kind of vague.

Though some might claim him to be an avatar or incarnation of Njos or Falladan himself...the theology is probably quite contested.

I think, Golden, that the remnants of my people are going to migrate towards the large lake. Maybe placing your guys near the headwaters of the great river with 3 branches, so they can be within pursuing distance of my people around the lake, would be a good place to begin.
 
While I don't think Tyrath would stop anyone from worshiping him as a god, his only personal claim is to being the son of Njos - of the divine, but not necessarily divine. Some claim that the Empire's attempt to conquer the earth (the Body of Njos) was part of a ritual to resurrect the god, but what that would actually mean in practice is kind of vague.

Though some might claim him to be an avatar or incarnation of Njos or Falladan himself...the theology is probably quite contested.

I think, Golden, that the remnants of my people are going to migrate towards the large lake. Maybe placing your guys near the headwaters of the great river with 3 branches, so they can be within pursuing distance of my people around the lake, would be a good place to begin.

Agreed, although I think this will create tensions with the men to the south in the future.

The valleys of this region will surely offer beautiful scenery for my future Elvish tales. The mountains to the north will also serve as a refuge for the Night Elves.
 
How in the world did I miss this start up? I'll add my sign up post soon.
 
question: Are we supposed to assume we're in the fantasy equivalent of the Neolithic/Bronze age? Cause that's what I've generally done.
 
question: Are we supposed to assume we're in the fantasy equivalent of the Neolithic/Bronze age? Cause that's what I've generally done.

If anything you are probably in a more advanced era than you will be later on in the NES. This is not because technology is significantly improved right now, though arguably later generations will speak of the wonders of what are currently contemporary elven/dwarven/human/etc craftsmen, but because magic is stronger within the world. I would expect there to be a great deal more magical artifacts -- weapons, armor, buildings, whatever -- produced now than in any other time in the world's history, and the gods (whether they be legitimate gods or sufficiently advanced creator beings full of caprice and malice) are closer to the world as well, making it easier to gain the blessing of one of the various deities or spirits that have overseen the construction of the world. That said, on the whole, societies are probably much more prone to tribal power structures and absolutism of one kind or another, and proper feudalism and other characteristics of the medieval period likely won't develop for some time. Whether this is a positive or negative thing is dependent entirely on what kind of society you're trying to create.

I think, generally, technology is at a medieval/late iron age level. That is the short, much less interesting version :p

Being that we have gotten at least 6 inches of snow, and there is certainly no school in the next few days, I am going to begin the process of reviewing all the various applications and will sooner or later provide a master post of who is accepted as-is, who needs to do more work, and who the gods frown upon. I will then debate the process of beginning work on an update zero.
 
Culture Name: The Huoli

Starting Location: The North

Society: The Huoli are increasingly transitioning from hunting and fishing to farming as the main source of income. Previously Huoli settlements had been small, but the spread of agriculture is bringing with it greater population and greater food surpluses, allowing larger communities to develop. Villages will be joined together in geographic provinces under the control of tribal leaders who will coordinate defense and resolve disputes between them. A "holy" set of contests are running, archery, riddling, and wrestling, and are often used to solve disputes between tribes.

Religion: Ancestor worship, venerating semi-mythical heroes of past ages who are descended from the gods. The dead are buried in the earth. Sacred stones, left from the last ice age, are an important part of religious culture and raised standing stones the greatest representative of Huoli building prior to the NES start.

Mythos: The Huoli believe that in the beginning, there was a great egg from which sprang three gods: Jumaisa, the Sun, Ehaema, the Moon, and Taara, the Earth. Taara went to sleep, while Jumaisa courted Ehaema, who gave him four children: two sons, Jumal and Tooni, and two daughters, Kalmuneiu and Maaema. The sons married the daughters, but the Brother of Dawn married the Maiden of Winter, and the Brother of Dusk married the Maiden of Summer. Tooni and Maaema were not happy, until Tooni stole from Jumaisa the Gift of Fire. Jumal also wanted fire, and challenged Tooni to it. Neither would yield and so Tooni died, and Jumal was made to serve as husband to Kalmeneiu and Maaema in turn.

From this did Men come. Huoli sagas aren’t the stories of kingdoms or empires, but of men and their quests in dealing with the gods and natural world.

Tooni is ultimately brought back to life as the ruler of the underworld. He eventually trades places with a trickster, Vanasarvik, who takes his place in the underworld so that he can walk the earth again. Vanasarvik does much mischief, letting the dead walk the Earth and keeping the living in the underworld in return for bribes, while Tooni falls in love with a maiden Murueit. Tooni eventually returns and, ringing bells, chases Vanasarvik out of the underworld, which he then rules justly.

Jumal, meanwhile, goes on to have sex with everything that moves. Some of his children are Peninukk, trolls, who are cunning and savage, and trouble his trueborn children greatly. At the same time many great Huoln heroes are half-trolls, such as Toell, who fought fifty men at once, and kept fighting once they cut off his head, and after winning carried his head to the ocean and threw it into the sea.

The greatest Huoli saga is that of the Ring of Fire. Ilmasepp, a crippled craftsmen who knew the secret of fire, loved a beautiful maiden, who rejected him for another man. Bitter and angry, he came upon Ehaema bathing in a lake, and, in return for not revealing her secret, received three strands of her hair. He took this hair and wove it into a ring of wondrous beauty and desire, which he offered to give to her lover as a gift in return for an impossible task. Against all odds the lover accomplishes the task and acquires the ring, but he when he gives the ring to the maiden she is then wooed by another man, of greater standing and achievement. They fight for her love and both die.

The Ring passes through many hands and is an object of great desire, ultimately bringing ruin upon all who acquire it and many who pursue it. It also inspires great, though usually self-destructive, achievements.

Finally, shortly before the NES begins, a dragon comes out of the South. It does much harm to the people of the Huoli, seeking to subjugate them to its will. A magician, Tuuslar, who came from the west uses the ring to trick it into entering a volcano where he then traps it, with the ring, inside.

Economy: Agriculture and domesticated animals are becoming the lifeblood of the economy, as the Huoli rear hardy livestock and hearty crops. The increased food surpluses are allowing more and more attention to be given to crafting, where the Huoli demonstrate a functional aesthetic that promises future improvement as they become more experienced.

Country Names:

Person Names:

Place Names:
 
Arrow Gamer -

Good. Some elaboration on the history of the clans and important individuals would be nice but otherwise this is accepted as it is currently.

thomas.berubeg -

Good as it is.

Grandkhan -

I think we have already discussed how the Ogyr should, ideally, be more similar in their biology to the rest of the orcish race but your society and the like are acceptable and once those changes are made your culture is in.

merciary -

At the moment your culture is kind of too advanced for this period, being essentially the beginning of recorded history. What might be more appropriate is the existence of different tribes or large groups governed along the lines of merchant republics, or with an emphasis on seafaring and trade. More information on important figures in your society – the Ten – and what specifically their accomplishments were, if they selected anyone to succeed them, and so on would be useful.

Seon -

Your society is slightly too advanced for this period in history but you are just on the cusp of the type of organization you describe. Cities are not outside the realm of possibility, but it is probably important that these cities are ruled by some kind of clan or at least tribal leadership, ideally linked to your mythos (which is still missing so far as I can tell) but not necessarily.

Lord Herobine -

Looks good.

Shadowbound -

Telchine~ Some information on important cultural/legendary figures would be nice, also person, country and place names but otherwise looks good.

Huoli~ This is good too. Are you planning to try to be two cultures? I am not sure that is a thing you can do but both of these are good submissions so I dunno

Thlayli -

Yeah okay you get a gold star and stuff and cookies now sit down

angst -

Fill out the rest of the template you bum you're in

ChiefDesigner -

I am wary of anything similar to a mages' guild. That said, if you can develop based off the “community of mystics and shamans” thing I said earlier, you're in once you flesh things out more.

mythmonster2 -

Looks good. Some more information on your leadership, or mythic/legendary figures, would be nice but otherwise this is acceptable.

Lord Iggy -

You're in and stuff.

m.t.cicero -

Looks good.

Masada -

Squeeeee you're in

Jehoshua -

Looks good, you're in

Everblack -

Some grammatical errors for the record, but it's good. Maybe refine it some but the principle works.

Golden1Knight -

Looks good.

SouthernKing -

The quasi-feudal structure you describe is probably too advanced just yet but otherwise this works. Need you to fill out your mythos and all that other stuff but once that is done it should be ready.

bonefang -

I think this could use some work, in terms of developing your mythos and making a more direct connection between myth, legend, religion and your politics/organization of your society.
 
working on it. ty for the feedback
 
If, by leadership, you meant specific ones, I was going to wait until a proper map or Update 0 was up, to get an idea of exactly where the major strongholds would be. However, as for legendary figures...

The Three Kings
In modern times, nearly all Harashabul strongholds are independent. The only exceptions are the few colony strongholds founded by the largest ones as a result of overcrowding. However, this independent streak does not mean that some might not wish to unite the people. Every so often, a Mashap will declare himself the one true god and attempt to unite all the Harashabul under his rule. Often, the response from the rest of the strongholds is a temporary alliance to put down the would-be emperor.

However, such aspirants do have something to call back to. In the days of Arnval, the Harashabul banded together, both out of a desire to not be subjugated under man, but also out of outrage that a dragon could claim to have any link to divinity. The era was known as the Pantheon era for them, for that was what the group of kings called themselves. Though in theory each king was supposed to be equal, in practice, three came to dominate the union. These were Harban the Brave, of Sudhar, Shakala the Wise, of Markash, and Sennah the Dark, of Karasa.

These three were all masters in their paths. Harban was a brilliant strategist who often masterminded the defense of the mountains. Shakala was one of the few dwarves who took to magic well, and he was famed for his cool attitude even in their darkest hour. Sennah, however, took to the path of shadows, and his contribution often came in the form of the right information at the right time.

Though the three kings certainly existed, their legacy has become merged with myth. Some events, like the battle where Harban threw a spear a mile to impale an enemy general, are almost certainly legend, but it is their mundane efforts that are less clear. This does not stop almost every king from honoring the three (though Sennah always gets markedly less attention than the other two) and calling back to their rule as the golden age of the Harashabul. Some even claim that the three will be reborn one day, to unite them all once again, and to lead the Harashabul into glory once more.
 
Lord of Elves, I'm going to settle at the original position I claimed; you know, not-Finland.
 
Ok did some editing and grammar checks on my giants sheet but I wanted to know LoE what part of the sheet did you want me to refine?
 
Quick response until I have time to properly fix things:

First point: Fair enough, I had a feeling they were a little too advance. I'll have them set up with some sort of tribal council where one's influence is based on how many/what type of resources one can produce/steal/threaten/etc.

Second point: In my head the Ten's reign happened generations ago with no real accurate records about them so it has become a quasi-mythical golden age, sort of Camelot-ish, which is used as a setting for anyone who makes a morality tale or really any sort of tale. So the deeds of the Ten are numerous, exaggerated, and more often then not completely made up. Also in that vein any successors they might have appointed mean very little at this point.

Here's a quick "realistic" timeline for my Mythos:
1. Pre-Doom: Gnomes live in primitive tribes on the mainland
2. Doom: Likely the rise of the Empire, one of the Empire's client kingdoms, or the Empire's enemies. Whatever the case they decide they like the Gnome's lands and start slaughtering them for it. Gnomes flee to the island.
3. Rise of the Ten: Surviving Gnomes centralize on the island to better protect themselves and pool resources. Either ten Gnomes or ten groups of Gnomes (much more likely but doesn't make as good of a story) begin working together to monopolize vital resources and leadership, thus creating the Ten.
4. Reign of the Ten: Under the leadership of the Ten resources are centralized and used effectively allowing for the creation of a primitive city. Most Gnomes fairly well off (at least compared to the alternative of the Doom). Likely last for a generation or two, the leaders of the Ten died but the myths ignore this for obvious reasons.
5. Fall of the Ten: At some point the Ten get greedy/corrupt/ineffective. Various groups start vying for power and violence breaks out. The Ten and their organizations are destroyed. The city heavily damaged and impossible to control.
6. The Scattering: Various groups leave the city to form their own societies along the island. The city is abandoned and location forgotten.
7. Present day: With the Empire gone several groups have begun to move back to the mainland and establish settlements there.


Again I'll put up more later tonight when I have the time.
 
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