Empire in Ashes
- Thread starter Farae
- Start date
Lets have fun here and assume he's comparing the image to your writing. Or is trying to get some visual ideas of Criscan cities, or that he can't find a place to put the picture and he needs it for later. =P
When do you plan on updating?
When do you plan on updating?
ArneHD
Just a little bit mad
Criscan Concepts
Honor, Faith, and Love
In Medieval Crisca, honor was far less important to the individual then it was in other nations like France, Japan, or England. Honor, in Crisca, was represented by the Old Criscan term "rai". "Rai", translated literally, means "honesty". Thus, honor was strictly viewed as being an honest person.
A person could live happily without Rai. For example, the Imperial Counselor, Jeza Hideri, was told (in public) by her Empress, "You are without Rai. Your Rai died long ago, for you are a liar, and have never changed. Your Rai is lost, now and forever." However, Jeza was an extremely popular figure among the commoners and at court, and was the mastermind of the Latium Campaign*, which saved Crisca from invading Roman forces, and led to Crisca eventually conquering all of West Drin.**
*Imperial Conselours had to be good strategists as well. Though they normally served at court, they were technically military leaders and could serve as strategists and tacticians during war.
**Jeza often liked to oversee battles in her campaigns. At the Battle of Antium, she was captured by the Western Romans. They would have let her return to Crisca had she divulged a few minor secrets, but she refused. After her execution, the Empress of Crisca declared that she had regained her Rai.
Love was an idolized concept in Crisca...then again, it was mostly an idolized concept everywhere. In most nations in the Middle Ages and before, women were married off to help their families. In Crisca, their culture found the practice of arranged marriages to be repulsive. This was not due to some cultural obsession with love, but due to the position of women within Crisca.
As the first, recognized leader of Crisca was a woman, and since many of its greatest individuals were women, women's rights were never an issue in Crisca. Some women were given inferior status, normally in the border regions where hard labor trades like woodcutting and stone quarrying were the only ways to survive*. But with the advent of Christianity, and its Daughter of God (Jeelai Christ), the position of the female in Crisca was forever that of either equality, or dominance.
Indeed, there has never been a time in Criscan history where men oppressed women, but there were 3 instances where women oppressed men. Shortly after the First Lian Dynasty was founded, the First Empress dismissed all males in the court. They were not let back in for 10 years. When Crisca was first converted to a Republic in the 1600's, men were not allowed to vote, despite the fact that the Republic's founder was a male (this law lasted for 2 years, after which equal-voting laws were finally forced through). And finally, the Atheocracy** made it so that men served in their elite military force, and women ran the government.
Love was seen as one of the prime virtues in Crisca. A father could not marry his daughter to a noble if she did not say she loved him. If a child came to their parents to ask for marriage, the parents were required to test the fiance to see if they loved their son or daughter. If a father or mother stopped a marriage based on love, for reasons of class or wealth, it was not uncommon for that parent to be beaten by other Criscans.
As you could garner from above, the high placement of Love in Criscan society was not always a good thing. When the Crown Princess ran off with a farmer whom she was in love with, the Emperor could not stop her (though the next in line became Crown Prince, and when he took the Throne, he became one of the greatest Emperor's in Criscan history.) Though that situation was resolved, tens of thousands of lives were lost in a brief rebellion by an ambitious Duke.
*this is by no means to suggest that women in those regions were weak. It was reported in 112 AD that two "barbarian women" from the border regions had nearly beaten ten Imperial Guards to death when one of the guards spoke a rule comment to one of the women. In 123 AD, it was reported that 65% of all Stone Quarriers were female.
** The Atheocracy was a government that lasted throughout the 20th century. It was a splinter-faction of the Republic of Crisca. It was a dictatorship, ruled by a single woman. The goverment was run by an effective beuacracy. Only women served in the government, and only men served in the military. The Atheocracy was bent on the eradication of religion. It is odd for atheistic factions to gain power or support in Crisca, but the Atheocracy was a popular government. It was called the Atheocracy as many drew comparisons between its government and a theocracy, only the former was atheistic. Its official name was the Free Criscan Secular Republic.
^ This would seem familiar if you've read the Demon Child Triology by Jennifer Fallon.
Ah religion. From Paganism, to Hinduism, to Christianity, all have influenced Criscan culture. In fact, Criscan culture was built on its religions. And with each new religion that gained dominance, the culture changed. But with a patchwork of various faiths, Criscan culture has never been very...homogenous. (Is that the correct term? Homogenous usually refers to a population of individuals of the same ethnic group, but...*shrugs*)
But it was always Faith that defined the Criscans. Their belief in a god or higher power united them and divided them. It saved them and destroyed them. It caused countless conflicts, such as the Interregnum, and stopped countless disasters, such as the Inca-Sacrificial War.
But Faith, the most important of the 7 Criscan virtues (obviously I did not list them all here), had a very, very dark side. Atheists were the prime target of discrimination in Crisca. From the Inquisition, to the last Criscan Civil War *the one involving the Atheocracy*, atheism has been viewed with hate, suspicion, and fear.
For it was even said by Valdir III "Crisca is a gem, on God's great ring, and thus it is that the godless must never be king." (King meaning ruler, regardless of gender).
Only with the end of the last Criscan Civil War did Nonfaith and Allfaith slowly and surely end the Atheiaphobia. By the mid 22nd Century, thousands of years of mistrust had finally been washed away.
Honor, Faith, and Love
In Medieval Crisca, honor was far less important to the individual then it was in other nations like France, Japan, or England. Honor, in Crisca, was represented by the Old Criscan term "rai". "Rai", translated literally, means "honesty". Thus, honor was strictly viewed as being an honest person.
A person could live happily without Rai. For example, the Imperial Counselor, Jeza Hideri, was told (in public) by her Empress, "You are without Rai. Your Rai died long ago, for you are a liar, and have never changed. Your Rai is lost, now and forever." However, Jeza was an extremely popular figure among the commoners and at court, and was the mastermind of the Latium Campaign*, which saved Crisca from invading Roman forces, and led to Crisca eventually conquering all of West Drin.**
*Imperial Conselours had to be good strategists as well. Though they normally served at court, they were technically military leaders and could serve as strategists and tacticians during war.
**Jeza often liked to oversee battles in her campaigns. At the Battle of Antium, she was captured by the Western Romans. They would have let her return to Crisca had she divulged a few minor secrets, but she refused. After her execution, the Empress of Crisca declared that she had regained her Rai.
Love was an idolized concept in Crisca...then again, it was mostly an idolized concept everywhere. In most nations in the Middle Ages and before, women were married off to help their families. In Crisca, their culture found the practice of arranged marriages to be repulsive. This was not due to some cultural obsession with love, but due to the position of women within Crisca.
As the first, recognized leader of Crisca was a woman, and since many of its greatest individuals were women, women's rights were never an issue in Crisca. Some women were given inferior status, normally in the border regions where hard labor trades like woodcutting and stone quarrying were the only ways to survive*. But with the advent of Christianity, and its Daughter of God (Jeelai Christ), the position of the female in Crisca was forever that of either equality, or dominance.
Indeed, there has never been a time in Criscan history where men oppressed women, but there were 3 instances where women oppressed men. Shortly after the First Lian Dynasty was founded, the First Empress dismissed all males in the court. They were not let back in for 10 years. When Crisca was first converted to a Republic in the 1600's, men were not allowed to vote, despite the fact that the Republic's founder was a male (this law lasted for 2 years, after which equal-voting laws were finally forced through). And finally, the Atheocracy** made it so that men served in their elite military force, and women ran the government.
Love was seen as one of the prime virtues in Crisca. A father could not marry his daughter to a noble if she did not say she loved him. If a child came to their parents to ask for marriage, the parents were required to test the fiance to see if they loved their son or daughter. If a father or mother stopped a marriage based on love, for reasons of class or wealth, it was not uncommon for that parent to be beaten by other Criscans.
As you could garner from above, the high placement of Love in Criscan society was not always a good thing. When the Crown Princess ran off with a farmer whom she was in love with, the Emperor could not stop her (though the next in line became Crown Prince, and when he took the Throne, he became one of the greatest Emperor's in Criscan history.) Though that situation was resolved, tens of thousands of lives were lost in a brief rebellion by an ambitious Duke.
*this is by no means to suggest that women in those regions were weak. It was reported in 112 AD that two "barbarian women" from the border regions had nearly beaten ten Imperial Guards to death when one of the guards spoke a rule comment to one of the women. In 123 AD, it was reported that 65% of all Stone Quarriers were female.
** The Atheocracy was a government that lasted throughout the 20th century. It was a splinter-faction of the Republic of Crisca. It was a dictatorship, ruled by a single woman. The goverment was run by an effective beuacracy. Only women served in the government, and only men served in the military. The Atheocracy was bent on the eradication of religion. It is odd for atheistic factions to gain power or support in Crisca, but the Atheocracy was a popular government. It was called the Atheocracy as many drew comparisons between its government and a theocracy, only the former was atheistic. Its official name was the Free Criscan Secular Republic.
^ This would seem familiar if you've read the Demon Child Triology by Jennifer Fallon.
Ah religion. From Paganism, to Hinduism, to Christianity, all have influenced Criscan culture. In fact, Criscan culture was built on its religions. And with each new religion that gained dominance, the culture changed. But with a patchwork of various faiths, Criscan culture has never been very...homogenous. (Is that the correct term? Homogenous usually refers to a population of individuals of the same ethnic group, but...*shrugs*)
But it was always Faith that defined the Criscans. Their belief in a god or higher power united them and divided them. It saved them and destroyed them. It caused countless conflicts, such as the Interregnum, and stopped countless disasters, such as the Inca-Sacrificial War.
But Faith, the most important of the 7 Criscan virtues (obviously I did not list them all here), had a very, very dark side. Atheists were the prime target of discrimination in Crisca. From the Inquisition, to the last Criscan Civil War *the one involving the Atheocracy*, atheism has been viewed with hate, suspicion, and fear.
For it was even said by Valdir III "Crisca is a gem, on God's great ring, and thus it is that the godless must never be king." (King meaning ruler, regardless of gender).
Only with the end of the last Criscan Civil War did Nonfaith and Allfaith slowly and surely end the Atheiaphobia. By the mid 22nd Century, thousands of years of mistrust had finally been washed away.
Junglecutter
Honorable Delegate
Very very nice! took me awhile to read everything but it was worth it...
Hrmmm.... Being an Atheist myself, the idea of persecuting the religious sounds a bit contradictary of Athiesm itself. Whatever.
Anyway, sorry didn't check this out earlier. Nice job, gives a better description of Criscan culture. Though it'd be nice to hear about Criscan archetecture.
Anyway, sorry didn't check this out earlier. Nice job, gives a better description of Criscan culture. Though it'd be nice to hear about Criscan archetecture.
I took the idea from the Demon Child Trilogy.
In the trilogy, most of the action took place in a nation called Medalon that was ruled by a beauacracy called the Sisterhood of the Blade, and policed by the Defenders. The Sisterhood outlawed all religion in Medalon, to the point where twice in their history, they started mass purges of cults dedicated to the gods still worshipped to the south of Medalon. In Purges, thousands of pagans and atheists would die in what was basically a counterpart to the Spainish Inquisition.
A bit long winded of an explanation, but it works. >_>
In the trilogy, most of the action took place in a nation called Medalon that was ruled by a beauacracy called the Sisterhood of the Blade, and policed by the Defenders. The Sisterhood outlawed all religion in Medalon, to the point where twice in their history, they started mass purges of cults dedicated to the gods still worshipped to the south of Medalon. In Purges, thousands of pagans and atheists would die in what was basically a counterpart to the Spainish Inquisition.
A bit long winded of an explanation, but it works. >_>
unscratchedfoot
War is a good thing.
You copied all that from a book someone wrote?
??
No, I got the idea of an anti-religious government ruled by women from a series I loved, and used it because to create a strong atheistic presence/power in Crisca.
I did not copy the entire history of Crisca from a book someone wrote. All of Crisca's history, culture, etc were my creations.
No, I got the idea of an anti-religious government ruled by women from a series I loved, and used it because to create a strong atheistic presence/power in Crisca.
I did not copy the entire history of Crisca from a book someone wrote. All of Crisca's history, culture, etc were my creations.
unscratchedfoot
War is a good thing.
Does it have anything to with Crisco? I think Crisco is some kind of lard or margarine or something yucky like that.
XD
I am trying to come up with something on Criscan architecture, in between these parties I have to attend (birthday parties. @_@), and writing the History of Kotor (on GameFAQS).
But it's hard to come up with something on Criscan architecture as I really don't have any pictures to work with. I will go to google, look up varying styles, and use those I guess.
Minoan, I give you a privlege. If you ask a question of Criscan history, I will do my best to answer it (with a standard-history length post).
I am trying to come up with something on Criscan architecture, in between these parties I have to attend (birthday parties. @_@), and writing the History of Kotor (on GameFAQS).
But it's hard to come up with something on Criscan architecture as I really don't have any pictures to work with. I will go to google, look up varying styles, and use those I guess.
Minoan, I give you a privlege. If you ask a question of Criscan history, I will do my best to answer it (with a standard-history length post).
William III
Chieftain
Great story! I enjoyed reading it. I hope you'll finish it one day... soon... 
Or is that too optimistic? Consider bundling and editing it into one history file, too.
Thanks for the story,
William III
Or is that too optimistic? Consider bundling and editing it into one history file, too.Thanks for the story,
William III
Aleph_Strategy
Chieftain
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2008
- Messages
- 24
Nice Story and written just like my World History book!
One question: Barbarian Missionary???
One question: Barbarian Missionary???
Terrance888
Discord Reigns
I love this.
Better set up and Index and a timeline. We don't need it but just to access history and stories better.
I see Crisians as a Manchu type mixed with a Magyar and Celtic features with many different clans.
Better set up and Index and a timeline. We don't need it but just to access history and stories better.
I see Crisians as a Manchu type mixed with a Magyar and Celtic features with many different clans.
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