Thread: M4F: Literate Plot Driven RP: NC, Dom. Custom Worlds + Fandoms / History

RE M4F Literature and Story Driven RP Custom Homebrew Worlds Because there is a limit to the size that I am allowed to post in one message, the following is an addendum to the request thread that includes The Arkivi who really deserve their own post anyway. b Z'ar Edar The Arkivi Of Tersia - WARNING A LOT OF READING AHEADb Genre High and Low Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, Mystery, More smut than usual for me. Theme Arranged Marriages, Political Machinations, Adventure, Apocalypse, Magic, Major Quest Year AM830 Comparative Year 1100 B.C.E The following is an account of the Arkivi of Tersia, an ancient culture and people who exist before many of the cultures listed above. Stories in this world would take part in the long and storied past of the world, in the early Bronze age and on a forgotten continent. What I have provided here is very old and was written quite some time ago. I am likely to update it later especially the writing, as it is stylistically different from my old writing, but I wanted to go ahead and provide it for now. Note The following section will be amended later to have individual spoilers, for ease of access. The Arkivi of Tersia On Arkivi Concerning the variations of Arkivi and their descriptions If one were not familiar with the Arkivi or their ways and one happened upon them in their own lands, the first thing one would notice about this peculiar race other than the spear that is likely being plunged through your gut is their coloring. The Arkivi have adapted so that they are able to hide in their natural habitat as well as for use in mating rituals and to show status. The general low-born Arkivi male would find himself with a slight green twinge to an overall blue hue in his skin, the depth and shades of this colors can vary from male to male but the most low born males would likely find themselves wearing a lighter shade on their skin. While their coloring can change depending on the time of season darkening in the summer and brightening in the winter it is essentially uniform amongst the lower class of Arkivi. While the lower born are lighter colored in general the higher born breed specifically for those traits that can help darken the skin color of their offspring. Higher born males often have no green twinge to their skin coloring what so ever, most are a darker blue to navy color. The females however are vastly different from one another and their coloring is not based on high or low born status. While in most species it is true that the males are the most flashy and have to compete for female attention this is not so in the Arkivi. Because males are allowed to pick their mate and the females generally have little choice they have adapted to be more flashy in their coloration so that they might attract a stronger male that can protect them in the Arkivi wilds. Females, while generally having a light blue to white color they often have small spots of stripes running across the protruding bits of bone that show slightly under the flesh. The spots or stripes are anywhere from white, to a dark blue, to a bright violet or yellow color. Concerning the Arkivi anatomical structure The Arkivi, while human or elf like in general appearance have a vastly different bone structure and some extra sensory protrusions and features that can change them dramatically from the former. When describing the Arkivi we will take a top down approach in starting with the males The Male Arkivi usually sport a long mane of hair stemming from their head, anywhere from a white to yellow to teal color. Often and depending on the culture it is shaved or shaped into different styles or is braided in certain ways that can signify status or even tell a story. Their ears, which are elf-like in nature are two pronged at the end with a small split right where the ear hole begins. Each one of these small protrusions can be moved independently, so with their ears, not only do the Arkivi hear, but they can able to feel small vibrations in the air with these antennae like ear buds. The face, is slender and rigid in its bone structure in both males and females. The eyes however are more almond shaped because of the high wind found in the valleys and mountains of their ancestry, keeping their eyes from drying out so often. In the mouth the Arkivi have two sets of canines on the top, side by side which are much sharper compared to humans or elves. Further down the body and to the shoulders is where the males begin to differ from the females. The shoulders of the males tend to be rigid and their leaf shaped shoulder bones protrude and are visible underneath the flesh. They act as a natural sort of armor that while the flesh can be cut, the structure or muscle of the shoulder or arms cannot. A similar leaf shaped bone structure exists on backs of the forearms, the shins, and up the back of the spine. The hands and feet of the male Arkivi are often lightly clawed, with stronger nails that are used often in mating and rituals. The rest of the creature however, are what one would expect when dealing with a humanoid. Females however differ from males in several different ways. While everything above the neck is exactly the same the females lack the protective bone crossing over the shoulders, forearms, shins, and spine and instead around their middle have a more pronounced rib cage which a very attractive sight to an Arkivi male their breasts tend to be on the smaller side as far as humanoids go. Their ribs are not disgustingly protruded, but are well toned and in average females it is not a sign of sickliness or malnutrition. Their hips follow in the same fashion. They protrude slightly from around the waist and follow around the back just down the front and across the thighs. A females nails on their feet and their hands grow just the same as males but depending on the culture are trimmed very short so as not to be used as weapons. Concerning Arkivi Language and Naming While Arkivi names and titles may at first glance appear to be confusing, the construction of ones name and title is actually more of a running document that explains to anyone who knows it, not only who they are, but in what order they were born to their parents, who their father was, and for the high castes, what clan they belonged to. But to understand Arkivi Languages one must first understand their structure, as well as the Arkivi numbering system First we will start with the numbering system, as it carries quite a bit of weight in understanding the names. Arkivi numbers only go up to ten, there is no number for 11, 11 would be a combination of 10 and 1 in the language, and numbers are always used in the masculine form unless referring to a female. Number Masculine Feminine 0 Se Sa 1 Je Ta 2 Yi Ke 3 Ve Na 4 He Ot 5 As An 6 Ca Ce 7 Yu Ko 8 Al Na 9 Fe Du 10 Za Zi As explained above the numbers above ten would be a combination, however it is not a combination as you would expect. 15 would not be Je'as - 1 - 5 it would be Za'as 105 These numbers are important to know because all Arkivi names will include numbers at some point in their life cycle. First let's look at the breakdown of a name. Names are strange in Arkivi culture, as some members of a family would call a member by a different name entirely, depending on who they are. The example below will illustrate the name of the third son of a man who is of high caste from a non family members point of view. When numbers are paired with an individual's name, they no longer mean a number exactly, masculine 1 would become First son - Masculine 2 would become second son, etc. Ve'Dren Rask Jorrvask Broken down, the name is simply - Third son Drenactual name Raskhis fathers name JorrvaskClan name So the format for someones name would be 'Name Father Clan For someone of low caste, they would simply drop the clan name as they do not belong to a family important enough to be named. A female would continue to use her fathers name for the middle name, never her mothers, but the numbering system between males and females are similar, but also different. The number in front of the name is the order in which you were born, a male might be the second child born, but he would still be Je as he was the first male. A female could be the second born but she would still be Ta, being the first female. The next two names are examples of siblings being referred to by someone who is not in their family. Dren is fifth son born of his father yet he is the seventh child Tuali is the third child born, yet she is the first girl. As'Dren Rask Jorrvask Ta'Tuali Rask Jorrvask -------------------------------- Now, the above names were used in the framework of being said by an individual who is not family - when it is a family member the names take on different meanings and will be said differently. But to first understand how they are used you must understand the only titles that exist in Arkivi Culture Male Mate Zok'da Female Mate Lis'har Chief Kin'uk Brother Pur'Kar Sister Das'an Father Has'ruk Mother Sal'sis Son Tul'suk Daughter Luz'ul You will of course have noticed that all numbers are two letters long, but all prefixes are three letters. This is used in particular to denote the difference when a name is written, one can immediately tell who the letter is written to and from. Let us go back to Dren and Tuali once more, we remember that their names to an outsider are As'Dren Rask Jorrvask Ta'Tuali Rask Jorrvask That is all fine, but for more intimate relationships one would use a different name. If Dren's mother was speaking to him, he would no longer be As'Dren Rask Jorrvask He would instead be Tul'Dren Rask Jorrvask but if his mother was speaking to Tuali she would no longer be Ta'Tuali Rask Jorrvask She would instead be Luz'Tuali Rask Jorrvask One simply has to remove the numbering in front of the name and add the prefix of the title of which they using to refer to that person. The chief will always have his prefix used by outsiders, family members will refer to him as fathermatebrother etc etc. Cousins and uncles are referred to slightly differently, the word for cousin is literally second-brother or second-sister and uncle and aunt is second-father or second mother. Before an individuals name one would refer to their uncle or aunt or cousin as .... Cousins name for example Male Arvi Female Gisal Uncles name for example Venri Aunts name for example Anliel Nephews name for example Rask Nieces Name for example Hisa Pur'yi Arvi etc.. etc.. Das'ke Gisal etc.. etc.. Has'yi Venri etc.. etc.. Sal'ke Anliel etc.. etc.. Tul'Yi Rask etc.. etc.. Luz'Ke Hisa etc.. etc.. Note that the title uncle becomes a fourth word in the name rather than part of the first name When is it okay to drop parts of a persons name? A friend or family member will commonly drop the fathers name or clan name when speaking to that particular person, however if they are not speaking to that person it is only permissible to drop the clan name ONLY if they are familiar with the individual they are talking to. Concerning Arkivi Society While all Arkivi tribes have different laws and rules, the basic tenets of tribal law with some differences are listed in the following. The Tenets of Tribal Law As generally accepted by all tribes, footnotes added for differences 1. The Chief's word is law, there is no other law but the chiefs. The Chief is the distributor of all justice, all punishments and reward must be distributed through him or by any agent decided by him. 2. No punishment will end in imprisonment. Execution, public flogging, or gladiatorial punishment are the only punishments that will be distributed. A female may never be executed. 3. A male may punish his mate, a father may punish his child, or an eldest brother may punish his sibling female, the only time a female will be judged by the chief is if she has committed murder or sedition. 4. An unapproved act of war by any tribesman is grounds for immediate execution. 5. No man may have more than one mate 6. No female may have more than five mates 7. No female shall be forced to mate with any male that she does not wish to take as her mate, unless she is un-mated and there is only one male choice. Then he may act as he wishes. This does not account for her family's choice of mate. Pairings are generally arranged through choice by a father or eldest brother, or through combat. Note, during combat, there is no choice. In reality the only way for a female Arkivi to keep a male that she doesnt want as her mate away, is to fight him off at the mating totem, or, to call on another for defense the defender though, becomes her mate if he succeeds. 8. No un-mated female may move about any city unescorted 9. Any female may be punished by any male, as long as it does not result in her death. 10. Any incursion into tribal territory by any armed group of five or more is considered an act of war. 11. A female found to be barren will be banished from the tribe 12. Upon the death of a Chief, his eldest son immediately takes temporary power. If unchallenged by any member of the tribe for leadership, then he becomes chief in five days. Exceptions - the number references the law change 1The tribes of Iman's Hammer share power amongst a council of five, comprised of the Chief, his Shaman, and three Leaders of other clans. 2 In Jorrvaskenvald they are known to imprison their criminals 3 In the Umberlands the chief has no jurisdiction over females, even for the crime of murder 5 The high castes of Fjorrland may have up to two mates 6 In Jorrvaskenvald a female is not limited to any number of mates, in fact a female is considered public property 7 Jorrvaskenvald being the exception 8 In the Umberlands, Fjorrland, and Imandell no female may ever go about unescorted, regardless of age or status Before going into further detail on the Arkivi society as a whole one major BIOLOGICAL QUESTION must be understood. Five in every Six children in Arkivi society is born as a male. This makes females EXTREMELY rare in Arkivi society. Because of this biological problem society for several thousands of years has not changed or improved. A constant state of war exists between tribes mainly for female stock and lands. It is very common for tribes to raid others, or even raid villages within their own tribal territory to bring females back to the tribe so that they may be mated and produce more offspring. The harsh treatment of females in Arkivi society stems from the males need to control and protect, but unfortunately because of the male personality, it is taken too far and protection becomes abuse and control. The Arkivi are a barbaric people. To begin, we will observe the Arkivi political structure in a top down approach. The clan that is in charge and for which the tribe is named for at the moment in the tribe is the one who boasts having the chief and is likely the most powerful in number of warriors. The chief or Kinuk is for all intents and purposes the king of the tribe and everything he speaks is law. Once being chosen or rising to the position of Chief he cannot be removed until his death. The king administers law through a series of Wardens from each one of the elder clans in the tribe, the head of each clan is selected to enforce the laws in their own territory within the land belonging to the tribe. While a chief can be removed only by his death, it doesnt have to be a natural death or against an enemy, a son may challenge him for his seat and if successful, immediately takes on the mantle of chief. As is explained in the tenets of tribal law upon the death of a chief if not killed by a son the eldest of his male children will assume the mantle of chieftain. Within a five day period he acts as chief and if he is unchallenged by any of the clan families he will become chief on midnight of the fifth day. If he is challenged and defeated, the one who had defeated him assumes the same five day period in which his chieftainship is in question. Any may challenge him and slay him, but only a family member of one of the leading clans can assume the mantle of chieftain. If he is killed by a low-born it is likely that warfare amongst the clans will occur and this could last sometime. Not until one clear victor is announced can the chief be chosenoften times this creates a purge of almost all of the leadership and it is difficult for a tribe to survive such an eventbut brave low-born warriors have been known to spark up such an event for political change, even though many lives may be lost. The wardens rule much as the chieftain rules but they rule their territory and no other. If any control or powers are assumed by a warden that is not given to him by the chief it is the duty of any Arkivi male to kill him and immediately bring his head to the chief. Individuals who do these things are usually well rewarded with land or a title of thane, either one of these things giving them the ability to form their own clan. Females are largely outside of any political realm, with the exception of shamans, mystics, priestesses, or wise-women. These females actually play very vital roles in the clan and usurp the powers of the Chieftains own mate who really has no power at all. Alliances between tribes are rare but are often unheard of or non-existent. A general peace usually exists between neighboring tribes unless an act of war has been committed. However, some tribes have been at war and have held alliances for thousands of years. An alliance, as unusual as it is, is usually held by a common friendship between two of the leading clans in different tribes and any treaties, trade, or matings between those allied tribes must be blessed off by both chieftains or their eldest sons. While an act of war may be carried out an fashion that the Arkivi see fit, from midnight incursions, to raids, to simply travelling into a different tribes territory, any battles after the fact must be ordained and agreed upon by both tribes. Battlefields are set and are never a surprise. The only exception to this rule is from Jorrvaskenvald, as they refuse to cooperate with any other tribes. Imans Summit Every four years there is a meeting held atop the hammer the largest mountain on the continent where the Chieftain of every tribe travels to in order to discuss political topics, make alliances, declare war, or arrange matings between powerful families rare. It is a highly religious event to the Arkivi and even the Chieftain of Jorrvaskenvald will attend in deference to their gods. It lasts for five days, the Chieftains and their mates will not leave the top of the mountain for that entire time. It is held at the monastery atop the mountain the very top belonging to no Arkivi and is presided over by whatever Priest, Mystic, or Shaman is in charge at the time. Concerning the family The Arkivi family unit is an extremely complicated system with many ins and outs but the most simplified form of the family will be described here in starting with the higher caste of Arkivi First, we define High Caste as someone with an actual clan name within the tribe. In general each one of these clans sports large houses or collections of houses or halls that everyone with that particular clan name lives in. Each clan has a head of household, which does not necessarily have to be the oldest male, but is the oldest of the true family for whom the clan was named after. Lineage, is extremely important to Arkivi and is never bastardized with passing down heritage to brothers, only to sons. Often if the head of a clan passes without an heir extremely rare the brothers of the head of the clan will create their own clans, making the political system in the Wraithland very complicated. Within clans it is very common to mate within the family, but never to a sister or brother, often times Arkivi males will take a cousin as a mate so that they do not ruin their bloodlines. Brother sister matings are very rare but do happen when potential mates are scarce, though it is taboo in some tribes. Therefore, most often females or males of any clan usually will never leave the household in which they were born in because of marriage. The head of the clan is essentially chief within his own halls, ruling over his family by the will of the chief as warden. His mate, is considered mother to the entire clan and all females are underneath her as well as her mate and their respective mates, she may never usurp the mate of another female and she runs the domestic duties of the home, often delivers children, and helps females and males choose mates that would be a best fit for them though we will get into this further as it is much more complicated than that This essentially covers the high caste family, now, moving on. For the lower caste it is very different. Seeing as they belong to no clans mating can occur between any family and the female will always go to live with her mate. Often times females will take on several mates at once who are all usually brothers as females are scarce and males become violent without mates. The entire group will live in one house and she will be wife to all, and in turn, all of the males will act as fathers to the children. Families are important when dealing with warfare, when going to war a chief or a warden will call upon the families that live in his territory to fight. All but the youngest mated male will leave in order to fight. The other is forced to remain so that breeding can still occur without any interruption. Concerning Arkivi Children Arkivi children are regarded as completely gender neutral until they reach a certain age. They are treated exactly the same, retain the same duties, wear in general the same clothing. At age eight however male children are taken away from their families and forced to attend a commune for eight more years so that they can learn to be effective warriors. The commune is run by a warchief appointed by the chief and some of his own chosen soldiers. The boys learn the art of warfare, their proper place as males, what is expected of them in society, and how to treat females. Females however, upon reaching the age of ten start learning from their mothers what is expected culturally of them as females, are shown a mating, are explained the finer points of raising a family and are treated as females in society instead of a gender neutral child. Some males and females who are seen as especially intelligent or gifted will be sent to the top of the hammer to receive special training as shamans, mystics, wise-women, or healers. The Religion and Spirituality of the Arkivi The word Arkivi derives from two separate words in the ancient version of their tongue. Arko, the mean of which is Supreme and ieva, which roughly translates into peoples, or more literally, the masses. Therefore the ancient name of the Arkivi was Arkoieva which translates to The people of the Supreme. In their language when using Arko or more recently Ark, it means greater or more important. But when speaking of it in the name of the race of when capitalizing or putting emphasis on the word Supreme simply means The Pantheon of the gods. While it looks difficult, it makes more sense when used in the plural. Arkos or Arks are the gods, while Arko or Ark is the group of them altogether. There are four chief gods of the Arkivi and many lesser gods, demi-gods, chieftains or kings who have been elevated to gods, and even some demi-gods the off-spring of Arkivi mated with Arkos The way in which these gods are to be revered will be explained later on, but first I will explain the Arkos themselves. However, before naming them four words have to be understood. Danisel, Janisel, Untisel, and Tarisel, respectively North, South, East, West, or more literally, Rise-Sun, Set-Sun, Right-Sun, Left-Sun. Great Gods Danisel Arkos Northern God Danisel Arkos rules over what is considered to be the plane of the sky and he, like many other gods, are not named in particular due to their area of worship though due to their names they are worshipped more often in certain places than other merely by coincidence. He is worshipped primarily by farmers who believe that it is he that provides for the bounty of the earth through rain and his causing the sun to rise every morning. He is generally considered altogether benevolent and when there is a bad year for the crops it is blamed on his brother and chief enemy instead of him. Janisel Arkos Southern God Janisel Arkos is the brother of Danisel Arkos and is his opposite in all things. While Danisel is benevolent and helps the farmers and people of the earth, Janisel often feels their scorn. It is said that when a bad year for crops or a drought is had, it is him holding Danisel in captivity and keeping him away from his people. He is primarily the patron of those who work in shadow, thieves, rogues, and even politicians. He is called the Set-Sun god and his brother the Rise-Sun god because the movement of the sun is viewed as a power struggle between the two. Untisel Arkos Eastern God Untisel is most often considered to be the god of the seas and is the patron of sailors a new occupation in Zar Edar. primarily because eastward is where the seas lie off of the coast of the world. He is not considered good nor evil and it is believed that any who die while at sea live forever in his home beneath the waves and are cared for by his many wives and numerous slaves. Tarisel Arkos Western God He is the only god without an actual sculpture, depiction, or picture, and it is forbidden to carve him onto any stone. The western god is mysterious and they consider him to be the creator of magic and anything unexplained. It is sometimes rumored that he is exactly the same as Untisel, though these theories are only rumored by philosophers and other land-dwelling folk as they do not understand the sea and claim it to be one of the great mysteries as well. The land to the west is largely unknown to the Arkivi and it is said that he and his followers roam the mountains to the west to keep the Arkivi from knowing what is beyond, and to protect them from the dangers on the other side. One tribe, the Jorrvaskenvald, worship him exclusively of all other deities. The lesser gods knowing what you know already about naming conventions and Arkivi words, please take the word Ti to mean lesser, or in this case, Lesser than the Supreme Istavel Ti-Arkos The god of soldiers and craftsmen Selnull Ti-Arkos The goddess of women and children Yirduin Ti-Arkos The god of the table and hearth Hir Ti-Arkos The god of mating and love Zirda Ti-Arkos The goddess of the road and travel Yintala Ti-Arkos The goddess of birth Walisa Ti-Arkos The goddess of forests Halija Ti-Arkos The god of the plains Visdun Ti-Arkos The god of rivers Any gods in the above list are ones officially recognized by all tribes, there are hundreds if not thousands of personal deities per tribe. The worship of the gods in Arkivi culture is done primarily through the shamans and priests of the tribes they command worship at certain times at the different shrines and temples, order sacrifices, and tell when the omens for war are right. The priesthood and the order of shamans are separate entities from the tribes own hierarchy and can only be from the lower classes. Women are usually Shamans, Priests are almost always men. While the priest interprets the actions of the Arkos, the Shamans interpret the Ti-Arkos and it is generally these gods that are most important to the people. b Z'ar Edar The Arkivi of New Tersia - FORTCOMING b