AstriaS

[The Red Faith would like to know your location.]

[!] A flock of overworked messenger pigeons scatter an advertising flyer across the continent.

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Dera’s Stall of Curiosities and Mysteries

Certified Vykk Co. Affiliate

Come one, come all, to Dera’s Stall of Mysteries! Located in the center of Morsgrad’s market square, on our shelves one may find just about anything! General goods, weapons, alcohol, odd trinkets, and even opportunities for personal growth; All can be found within our curious collection. All goods are available for sale or barter, and some special items are available in exchange for services rendered. 

Our current stock includes, among other exotic curiosities, weapons of foreign make, peculiar trinkets of gold and silver, exotic animals, the finest spirits available, and even fortune cookies. Come and see what we have on offer, and perhaps leave with something new and interesting.

Signed,

♪♪♪

[!] The skies of Norland are blackened as a flock of ravens take to the sky, bearing a missive across the continent.

Declaration of Anathema:

The Issue of Clan Raguk

By Decree of High Keeper Alisa Camian

Issued First Seed, 1791

In these most troubling of times, a rather concerning problem has been brought before the Hearth; The issue of the Clan of Raguk. Well-known is our current struggle against the Infernal Host in the Korvassa, and so too is it known that this conflict may very well determine the fate of the descendants. Yet still, in this time of struggle, the Clan of Raguk have chosen to take up arms against the Rex of Krugmar, one of the most valuable allies of mortalkind against the demonic horde. In so doing, they have proven not only their dishonor, but also their willingness to aid, even if indirectly, the agents of ruin. Given the particular history of destruction wrought by the Raguk, this comes as little surprise. However, as if bringing death to just one nation was not enough, so too has the clan chosen to bring its destruction into the lands of Man, going as far as bringing harm upon a member of the Hearth’s own clergy. Having been seen placing irons and chains upon not only a Highlander, but a Keeper of the Father’s Flame, they have committed a crime most unforgivable. It is for this reason that we have no choice but to assume that Clan Raguk and its ‘Crimson Horde’ are agents of ruin themselves. They have brought blood and blade upon the Father’s Faithful, and therefore they shall pay the price of blood and blade.

In light of these crimes committed by Clan Raguk and their ‘Crimson Horde’, the Hearth has no choice but to declare the following:

1.  The Clan of Raguk and those who follow them shall be banned from all lands subject to the Red Law, on penalty of death, from now until the end of time. Any and all Raguks found within these lands shall be put to death by way of the stake.
2. The Hearth of Norland shall pay a bounty in the amount of five-hundred minae to any person who delivers the head of a Raguk. Additionally, there shall be a reward of one-thousand five-hundred minae for the capture of any individual claiming the title of ‘Crimson Rex’.

There shall be no price or chance of reconciliation, for the sins of Clan Raguk are beyond and do not deserve our forgiveness. This decree shall remain in effect until such time as the mountains turn to sand and the sun is snuffed at the end of days.

Faithful of the Father, you are hereby issued the following command: Take up arms against this ‘Crimson Horde’. For their crimes against the Faith and the Light, the entire clan of Raguk shall, in the Father’s name, be driven into submission or extinction. There shall be no mercy, and we shall not rest until they lie in ruin.

Writ av

High Keeper Alisa Camian

3 hours ago, VIROS said:

I think I should weigh in here since the majority of homophobic roleplay is associated with Canonism, and I was one of two writers of its Holy Scrolls. I’d echo earlier points made, that homophobia (or bigotry in general) is an acceptable facet of a character or society, but not as its sole focus.

 

In real life, I’m not just gay--I’m polyamorous and in a relationship with two other men. I don’t find anything problematic in roleplaying a character who would condemn me for this. Canonism is both heteronormative and actually more monogamy-oriented than RL Abrahamic religions, because Canonism’s original sin (for mortals) was polygamy. These doctrines developed naturally according to the standards of the time when the religion was written, and I think they are realistic given the original Four Brothers narrative, wherein bloodlines are of supernatural importance.

Because I was aware that IC homophobia can be motivated by OOC homophobia, I specifically did not put anything in the Holy Scrolls that explicitly condemns homosexuality. Unlike real world religious texts, the Scrolls intentionally do not linger on the subject of what sex is appropriate and with whom: there is only one verse that specifies sex is for marriage and that marriage is for a man and woman of the same race. This verse is also intentionally ambiguous, as many of the Scrolls’ verses are, because I wanted to leave room for the religion to develop, and not be an eternal cudgel for OOC bigots who just want an outlet.

 

I think it would do a disservice to years of cooperative writing to force certain beliefs/behaviors ICly in order to better mesh with our OOC morality. All bigotry is intolerable in real life: religious, racial, or gendered prejudices shouldn’t be acceptable either. But it undermines the realism of the world to excise these elements. Murder, I would say, is worse than bigotry--but having played a priest and received confessions, I can tell you IC murder confessions are (hilariously) among the most common you hear.

 

In summary, do be cautious that your IC prejudices are not misconstrued as reflecting your real views. It is already a fairly common practice to PM someone after a heated roleplay session to ensure there isn’t any bad blood out of character; this can also be extended to the roleplay of prejudices. (And, of course, remember to exercise restraint in your roleplay about nasty things like bigotry or murder. These are sensitive subjects, and not writing about them at all is better than writing about them poorly.)

 

 

 

Basically this, yes. To add to this as another leader of a human religion, which similarly (until recently) has a history of being less-than-tolerant of homosexuality, it’s important to allow for room for reform, but also to ensure that this reform comes in the form of legitimate RP. As stated above, forcing a change for the sake of OOC sentiment ends up being a disservice to the greater whole of the narrative. Take, for example, the more recent increase in tolerance in Norland and the Red Faith. While, yes, a decent number of Norland’s current players fall somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum, this wasn’t the driving force behind the increase in tolerance. It came as a result of a series of decisions and moves which opened the way for change. In large part, it was spurred by the presence of a homosexual character in a position of power, and a respect for that character IRP. And it’s entirely possible that future reforms will lead things back in the opposite direction.

In short, bad things in the real world will still exist in an RP world. People will still have to face adversity and discrimination in an RP world. It’s up to the characters to decide how they react to it, and whether they will pursue change. Pushes for reform will always exist in the real world, and they should, therefore, also exist in the world of RP. Not to mention that reformation can make for some lovely conflict RP. And finally, as stated many times in this thread, using IRP prejudices as an avenue to enact one’s own prejudices is another thing entirely.

Just roll with RP and engage with the good and bad elements of the world as your character would see fit.

The High Keeper spent an entire day haranguing local couriers and delivery workers, determined to solve the growing epidemic of foreign missives about foreign institutions plaguing the notice boards of Norland. This was her new crusade; The crusade against foreign mail.

The High Keeper, who had been mildly amused the last time a letter to the Pontiff ended up on her desk, was now becoming displeased by the prevalence of misdelivered mail in Arcas. But, she read over it nonetheless. “Hmm. She’s still at it, is she? Wonder how this will go for her in the end...”

MC Name: Vendrela

Character's Name: Pinaceaeth

Character's Age: 1

Character's Original Race (N/A if not applicable):

         n/a

Transformed form:

         Treant

Creator's MC Name:

         n/a

Creator's RP Name:

         n/a

Briefly explain the lore behind this construct or creature:

Treants are a creature of Fae origin which come into being when the natural energies of an area well to the point of creating new life. At their core, treants are guardians and keepers of their forest, and spend their lives tending to and protecting the trees and wildlife which inhabit their home. Once formed from their slumber tree, they emerge as a seedling, the first of their three stages of growth. Seedlings are smaller creatures, but still quite heavy and strong. From this point, the treant will grow into a spriggan, at which stage it becomes larger and more curious about the world. The final stage of growth for a treant is the ent; A massive, formidable and venerable guardian of the forest. There are three varieties of treant, one for each domain of the Fae realm. Dayward treants take on a more feminine appearance, and tend to their forests with motherly care. Twilight treants are more masculine in appearance, and more inclined towards aggression and combat, often growing antler-like branches to make themselves appear larger. Nightfall treants tend towards a more twisted, genderless and sometimes nightmarish appearance, choosing to defend their home through fear.

Pinaceaeth is a Dayward treant.

If this construct or creature has some form of aesthetic choice, can you describe how they look? 

Pinaceaeth is similar in appearance to a spruce or pine tree, and as a being of the Dayward Domain bears a feminine bent to their form and demeanor. The branches comprising their form carry a pale bark and needles of varying sizes and profiles, ranging from the pale color of a blue spruce tree to a richer hemlock green. Additionally, the occasional patch of moss crawls over their bark, most prominently around their feet and legs. Within the being’s chest, their core crystal gives off a light, icy-blue glow which shines through the entwined branches.

Do you have a magic(s) you are dropping due to this app? If so, link it:

         no

Do you agree to keep Story writers updated on the status of your magic app?:

         Yes

Do you understand that if this creature's lore is undergoing an activity trial and that trial fails, you will no longer be able to play this creature and will be forced to either revert the character back to its normal form (if it was a transformative type) or stop playing the character entirely (if it is an entirely new creature)?:

         Yes

Memey RP or using this CA for subpar villain/bandit RP can lead to your app being denied, even after acceptance. Please put "I understand" as your response once you have read this part and understand the consequences.

         I understand

Have you applied for this creature on this character before, and had it denied? If so, link the app:

         No

The High Keeper pondered over the contents of the copy of the missive that had made its way to her. Rapping her fingers against the table, she gave a small nod. “Mm. The discouragement sloth and gluttony within a clerical hierarchy is always a good thing. I can agree with that much, stagnancy being the root of corruption and all. Either way, I’m enjoying the initiative this man is showing.”

The High Keeper read over the documents that had been dropped on her desk. She hummed in thought, tapping a gloved finger against the chin of her mask. “I suppose this is the logical climax for this particular tale of corruption.” She filed the documents away into a drawer of her desk. “I wonder where the hand of fate will lead the narrative from here. It will be interesting to watch, I imagine.”

High Keeper Alisa read over her son’s work as she came across it, presumably nailed to her bedroom door or by some other inefficient-yet-showy means of delivery. She blinked slowly as she read over it. “Yeah, that sounds like Tavish.” Giving a little nod, she folded her copy and tucked it away with her collection of items, notes and drawings given to her by her children.

As rumors and whispers carried themselves north on the frigid winter wind, a certain priestess would hum in thought, her attention turning to the sky for a brief moment. Her eyes narrowed behind her porcelain mask and she let out a sound of... Displeasure? No, disappointment perhaps, or maybe anger. She wasn’t entirely sure herself. After a long moment of silence, all she had to say was, “I see. I suppose I expected a better story out of it...”

The High Keeper looked up from mixing a special ingredient into a batch of cookie dough. “Yes.”

High Keeper Alisa wondered why a letter regarding matters of Canonist doctrine landed upon her desk all the way in the Norland, but she took a moment to read over it nonetheless. She let out a quiet hum of thought as she held the letter over her flamebrand, setting it aflame. “Good for her.” She commented with a nod. “May she find the peace she seeks, though I doubt she will find it where she currently looks for it.”

The High Keeper finished her notes from the meeting and raised a mug of ale to the shining future of the Highlander race.

The High Keeper lets out a small, amused cackle, the porcelain mask covering her features giving off an eerie, echoey ring. “How very kind of him to write,” She commented in mildly amused sarcasm to the other Keepers present. “What a waste of air this so-called ‘Sultan’ is. Truly, I cannot imagine thinking this is a threat worth any seriousness. The demons send petty displays of common gore and brutality in an attempt to unnerve those of us who have spent our lives- spilled our blood and tears- looking into the face of darkness. How... Flawed their understanding of their enemy is. Such a... Disconnect between the damned and the living. To think they can sunder our spirits with hastily-written, poorly-worded threats, and to send them by such a... Painfully eyeroll-inducing method. Let the halfwit hellspawn come. We shall meet them with steel.”

Sylvia Camian paints a large pink heart on the side of a newly-bored cannon with a little, half-crazed laugh. 

High Keeper Alisa smiled as she finished reading over the completed work, further contented by the knowledge she’d contributed to product. “I knew she’d produce something of excellent quality,” She said with a pleasant hum.

Sylvia Camian, at her mother’s request, placed a copy of the study on the shelves of Morsgrad’s library, placing it in a place of pride above the shrine to Myro the Wordsmith.

The High Keeper let out a small, quiet laugh, a smile appearing behind her porcelain mask as news of the Emperor’s death traveled north to the city of Morsgrad. “Good riddance. Let’s see how this Empress does for them. I do like women in positions of power.”

High Keeper Alisa nodded quietly as she finished jotting down her notes of the meeting that had produced the document. “My skepticism is well-beyond what is reasonable. But I will give it a chance for the time being. Though I expect nothing lasting, we shall see.”

Rosalie Amberhill has no idea where the boat came from or why it’s been left in her care. But, she holds onto it anyway.

Velsyni Indoren pursed her lips in thought. She was, for once, torn. “On the one hand, it seems a bit absurd to fight each other in the middle of all this demon business. But, these are the same ones my cousin had troubles with.” She closed her eyes and looked towards the ground as she considered. Then, after a long moment, she gave a singular nod. “Ah hell, who cares? I’m just going to go back to making money. Not my problem.” With her moral dilemma out of the way, she began hanging some new advertisements around Morsgrad for prosthetic ear tips.

The High Keeper sat quietly at her desk after the news reached her. She remained silent for a long moment, struggling to fully process the information. After quite some time in silence, she finally spoke again. “Well that was f****ing unexpected,” She sighed and went about her day, slightly more sad than she had been when she woke up.

Sylvia Camian engaged in a day-long drinking binge as she found out another of her childhood friends had died in a rather depressing way.