Gigawall of Text, I Choose You!
Civ Name: Elphamia
City Name: Faerban
Color: Teal
Race: Seelie and Unseelie (collectively known as Sidhe), The Elphamian court is split between these two age-old enemies forced together. The Seelie are the fallen remenants of the Divine Host, some would call them angels, others would simply call them powerful. Whatever their specific origins, the Seelie all share one thing in common; they were once great, and have fallen far. This fall has forever marked them, for they appear as little more than gold-hued ghosts, silhouettes of humanoid creatures that glow softly in an echo to their heritage.
The Unseelie, by comparison share a more Unholy origin. Some would name them Demons, others would name them Fallen Angels, whatever the specifics, they too share one thing in common; they were once beings of great power and evil, and in the final hours of the Old World, they fled. The Unseelie bear similar markings to the Seelie, but where the wraithlike Seelie are humanoid in shape and glow with soft golden light, the Unseelie are far more beastial, and burn with a fierce cold.
Theme: Seasonal, Inhuman, Elemental
Description: Elphamia is split in two by the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Each being most active in one part of the year, while the two races share more than a little animosity to each other, they recognise more in common with their disliked kin than with any of the other races. Inhuman in origin and inhuman in morals, both Seelie and Unseelie hold much alike and differ mostly in their application.
During the Spring and Summer, the Seelie Court waxes, while the Unseelie Court wanes. The Seelie are kinder and more generous than their counterparts, but still quick to anger. The Seelie Court oversees the more mundane affairs of the realm, planning ahead and ensuring that the economic welfare of Elphamia remains uncompromised.
During the Autumn and Winter, the power of the Unseelie Court grows. As alien and emotionless as their Seelie kin, but far colder and crueler, the Unseelie Court handles the military matters. It is the Unseelie who plan campaigns against their enemies, and Unseelie hunters who stalk the woods to supply the realm with fresh meat.
So this cycle continues, year after year, each side attending to what suits them best, and although much conflict exists between the two, both sides agreeably band together against outsiders.
The Sidhe culture is tricky and extensive. As former immortals many Sidhe live long lives by most standards and as such their culture is an intricate web of social niceties. The Sidhe have no concept of Human morals and live by their own rules, the rules often differ from individual to individual, which is why the Sidhe tend to be slow to act. The vast majority of interaction between one Sidhe and another are elaborate word traps and mind games with the intent of determining the rules by which the other lives by.
There are, however, several common rules.
The first and foremost is that of challenge; Any Sidhe can be challenged by any other. The challenger dictates the rules of the engagement, from something as simple to a riddle to something as complex as open warfare, but both sides must agree on the outcomes. If no agreement can be reached then the matter is taken to the Seelie or Unseelie court, or both if it is appropriate, and decided there. Generally the penalties for failure are greater than the boons for success and challenges against those weaker than you are greatly looked down upon, thus challenges are only issued during times of great need.
To a Sidhe, a victory of words is as binding and as worth as a victory of deeds.
The second rule is that of the Courts; should conflict arise, the Courts are the ultimate authority, second only to the rule of Challenge. The Courts act in tandam and with the best interests of all Sidhe in mind, although of course there is some friction.
The third rule is that of just reprisal. Should a wrong be percieved to be committed by one party, that party is entitled to appropriate retribution, even if the other party was unaware of the wrong. To the Sidhe, ignorance is never an excuse.
The fourth and final rule is that of debt and word. No promise can be broken, no debt can go unpaid. A Sidhe would rather commit suicide than break his word or fail to repay a debt. Such debts can take many, many years to be repaid however, for the Sidhe have long memories and longer lives. The fourth rule forms an intricate part of Sidhe society, even the least of the Sidhe is well versed in duplicitous speech, saying one thing while meaning another. Although a Sidhe can never directly lie, never outright break his word, what a Sidhe says and what a Sidhe means can often be two very different things, and in the mind of a Sidhe, intent is the only thing that matters.
The Sidhe follow no God or Gods, the divinities that once guided their movements have long abandoned them to their fate. Many, however consider reality itself to be a far greater God than any that came before.
The supernatural origin of the Sidhe gifts them with more than just their wraithlike appearance. The Seelie grow their buildings from gold-hued Diamond that shines and sparkles in the sunlight, the Unseelie carve theirs from unnatural blue Ice that seems to project an aura of darkness around it. Their designs are impossible and ethereal, held together by subtle arts that do not truely qualify as magic; to the Sidhe, such things are merely crafts, like a Carpenter makes a chair.
History: A newly created civilisation formed from the cast-offs of the divine and unholy legions of the Old World who either fled The Grey or were sent by their masters, the Sidhe find themselves with more in common with their age old enemies than this strange new world. Few remember their origins and fewer still care to dwell upon the matter. The past is over, the future is uncertain, but the present, the present is now, and it is time to change the present.
Author
Topic: Dawn of a New World discussion (AoR-like; game dead) (Read 94577 times)