Haraiva in Darkness - Greybar's Storyhour (9/15 update)

[Greybar]

Welcome, welcome. I'm a big fan of your and Seasong's Queen of Shadows as well.

Severed heads and impaling. Hmm. That's come up again recently come to think of it. Hey, what can I say, it's classic bad-guy stuff (or bad gal, perhaps).

Looking over the posts, I see that I'd better introduce the difference between Moonborn and Sunborn. This was once of the germ ideas for the setting, so it is spread all through things. So in tribute to Seasong, I'll present an Academia

Academia - Haraivan Gender Divisions

Sunborn:
Metaphysical - Women are considered to spring from Hara Sunmother. They have immortal souls, and if they acheive great enough things then they can rise at death to become new stars in the heavens.
Roles - Sunborn are the authority in the cities, within the Wall of Stone. They dominate over politics and religion, which are themselves closely tied together.

Moonborn:
Metaphysical - Men spring from Tangri Moonfather. They have reincarnate souls, and thus sometimes carry bits from the past into the present. Old rivalries that keep reoccuring may indeed be because two great souls keep reincarnating back into the same area and time.
Role - Moonborn hold authority over the domain beyond the city, between the Wall of Stone and the Wall of Wood. They are better known as warriors, craftsmen, and bards.

Each speaks a slightly variant language and script, though if you know one then you can understand the other quite well. Consider it similar to the difference between UK English and American English in that sense. The Sunborn language is crisp and precise, though capable of great sophisticated nuance. The Moonborn tongue is much more lyrical and flowing, matching well to epic poems of ancestral deeds.

 

[Greybar]

House and Clan

Houses
The Sunborn nobility is organized into Houses. The Houses are the most powerful social and cultural organizations within the Cities, and arguably in Haraivan culture. These Houses have precise structural boundaries that define where any sunborn stands in the social order, from the Matriarch to the newest daughter in the caste. It is quite possible for a Sunborn to rise in station by her deeds, but much expectation is made based upon her bloodline.

There are generally several Houses in a given City. Of these, the Great Houses are those who rule the City, while the Lesser Houses can merely dream and scheme to rule. Traditionally, Houses claim descendance from one of the Eight Daughters, and most of the Great Houses claim elder descendance. A House that was a Great House in one city may have "sister houses" in other cities from their own lineage, which fulfill some ambassadorial purposes. There also are "splinter houses", where a division in a House has expelled a group to another city.

Houses are physically represented by the buildings that occupy space in the tightly-built cities. A defilement of the buildings of the House is an attack on that House, and their design and beautification demonstrates their power and influence.
In each House, below the lineage proper are the servants. Both Moonborn and Sunborn servants do much of the work that keeps both the personages and the physical structure of the Houses in the manner to which they are accustomed. Slaves rarely work in the Houses proper, unless a particularly choice high-born or high-skill slave was taken or condemned.

Sunborn often have little understanding of the raucous and chaotic Clans of the Moonborn, though the wise treat them with respect. The lack of a clear and persistent leader of the Moonborn often frustrates them.

Clans
The Moonborn organize themselves in much more chaotic a fashion than their Sunborn counterparts. While lineage is a matter of great pride for a Moonborn, what sets a great man apart is his confidence, his skills, and his deeds. Such a man calls to him a band, first usually from his kin, who share then in his glory. Particularly in his youth, he is expected to have martial skills and gain stature in the Kuriltai. (Those whose glory comes from bardic or artisan roots generally do not gain a following until late in a renowned career.) As his band grows, it eventually becomes recognized as a Clan by others, and its leader as a Clanhead. This is not at any defined boundary, but a matter of social respect. Many an arrogant young moonborn has tried to lay claim as a Clanhead, only to be laughed at in disrespect. A bard of sharp wit has been known to be the foil of many such a presumptuous man.

Together, these Moonborn leaders convene a Council of Clans, before the Kuriltai and at any other time of great need. Bards travel over the lands surrounding the city, calling men to join with those they call Clanhead to come. Decisions are made by this council by a rough form of representative democracy, where a consensus is reached when Clanheads create a plurality, even if the measure of such is that of loud voices and demands.

By contrast, Moonborn see the Sunborn as cold and ordered, caring only for lineage. But for centuries the Sunborn have effectively dominated the Moonborn. Thus there is a respect for the power of the Matriarch that may be more powerful than respect for the greatest of the Clanheads, but a respect that comes more from fear than love.

Noble vs. Common
The noble (or traditional) members of each society follow these archetypes most strongly. There are certainly males within the cities, subservient to the Sunborn who control it. There are also common-born women outside of the cities, under the political control of the Clanheads. The farther you move from power, the less the distinction between Sunborn and Moonborn has real meaning. Some women in far-flung villages may only speak the sun-tongue with their daughters in private "girl talk" and in ceremonies for Hara or the Daughters. Some men working menial jobs in the city only speak the moon-tongue amongst themselves, and prejudice against its flowing accent might disadvantage them with their Sunborn bosses.

 

[seasong]

Knew I'd been missing something! Sweet!

've been jonesing to read this since you posted the tidbit about the spiritual split between the sunborn and moonborn in my story hour, oh, AGES ago. Nice website content, by the way!

 

[Greybar]

Seasong: Thanks for the kind words.

I'll be right up front and say that the setting is challenging to me as a GM. It is one of those ideas that seems cool, but presents lots of detail problems. It's the general problem of doing something different from the worlds we understand. What kind of romance plots are there if the genders are so divided? Well, we have Anda or blood-brother relationship, which harkens to the Ancient Greek-y ideas of homosexual love being the "true" love and heterosexual love being perhaps secondary and a duty. How are children raised? Well, maybe there are creches on both sides of the gender divide?

Anyway, I enjoy feedback from my players (and others) but I've got a jealous and possessive creative heart that sometimes makes me slow to incorporate these things if they don't "feel right". I'm working on that. In fact, I owe one of my players a response on the subject of calendars. [makes note to self]

And I probably owe everyone else here an update or so...

John

 

[Indigo Veil]

<gives Greybar a gentle nudge towards an update> ^_^

Like the language differences, and I rather like the gender divide. makes for interesting dynamics. i'd like to see what happens to the development of a woman who runs with the moonborn clans when she suddenly finds herself in a sunborn place of power. ooh, the culture clash!

some (maybe stupid) questions: with the metaphysical stuff, is that the stuff that is, or just what the people believe? Or both? (doesn't have much to do with anything...I'm just curious)

with the creches on both sides of the gender divide: I can see this more easily with the moonborn clans than I can with the city dwelling sunborn...

what happens to boys born to noble houses of sunborns? since powerful sunborns tend to live in cities, how do their sons gain that martial prowess that would most easily be obtained by running around in the wilderness? Or is that something you're still working out?

thanks for the linkie, btw. ^_^

 

[Greybar]

Update coming after this post...

with the metaphysical stuff, is that the stuff that is, or just what the people believe? Or both?

Hah! Won't catch me tipping my hand to the players that easily. They have yet to explore the realms of the dead. Let me just say that they have no reason to believe that what the priestesses teach them is not true.

what happens to boys born to noble houses of sunborns? since powerful sunborns tend to live in cities, how do their sons gain that martial prowess that would most easily be obtained by running around in the wilderness? Or is that something you're still working out?

It is indeed a point that tripped me up at first. The sons of powerful sunborn are probably sired by moonborn of a roughly equivalent rank as a result of politics or the rewards of a Kuriltai victory. As such, they go back to their fathers to be raised outside of the city. If they are by-blows of a less exalted union, they join the ranks of the metaphorically nameless and unseen people who actually keep the city working.

John

 

[Greybar]

"Lit by the loneliest light", part one

[Disclaimer: This actual gaming session took place in July of 2001. As such, I'm liberally putting words in the character's mouths from memory and notes. My players may chime in and remind me of things that I'll edit in later. -john]

Awake. Dark. Water. Drowning!

Moments ago they were dreaming, moments before that they were confronting a huge giant who supported on his palm the Matriarch Gorkana. He laughed at their resistance to him, laughed at the lizardmen and the humans, and with a wave of his hand turned them all to stone. Stone no longer, now water threatens to fill their lungs.

Splashing they fight to the surface of the water, and grope out the rough rock edge of the pool they had been submerged in. Each still wears the same equipment they wore unknown time ago. For Daphna, this means her leather and metal cadre armor. Normally it protects her life, but now it threatens to drown her. Karrinkas pulls himself out onto the stone pool's edge. His highly trained ears take in the splashing and shouting bouncing off the enclosing walls of a small cave around them. His eyes adjust to the sole source of light, a small candle set several feet away from the deep pool that the others are still struggling to emerge from. With a quick dive, he is back in the water to help Balius lift Daphna out. Samus drops his heavy greataxe in the pool so he can get his arms over the lip of the pool, and hopes he won't need it again too quickly. Arlissa's staff clears the water, leading her into the light.

"Ahhhhwwww. More stone!" Berke screams. He clears the edge of the pool and sees himself trapped in stone - a cave with no exits. He smacks his broad hands against the walls, searching for passages and finding none.

The others crouch at the edge of the pool, gasping for breath. Balius and Arlissa cautiously approach the lone candle and the oiled pouch wrapped next to it. It contains a few candles, flint and steel, ink and quill, a set of simple clothing, two scraps of paper, and a battered metal ring. Arlissa picks up the first of the notes, which looks worn and faded. She reads aloud:

“The oldest six stones
To end the longest reign
Each in secret pools
Mingled with life's waters
Lit by the loneliest light”

Samus' voice comes from the pool. "Umm. Did the rest of you notice the body?"

Arlissa leans forward and calls the blessings of Llassa, Daughter of Light, upon the tip of her staff. White light shines against their eyes, cuts through the water, and throws the rough stone walls into sharp shadows. Indeed, a body does lie at the bottom of the pool. A naked sunborn of perhaps 30 years, wearing only a metal belt to which are attached large stones.

With some effort, her body is extracted and laid upon the shelf of the pool. Her wrists and ankles are sliced and bloody, but a smile is on her face. Daphna points out three small teardrops tattooed on her shoulder - the sign of Abanta.

"I hopes that my sacrifice is not in vain, and that you of the prophecy will end the long time of darkness.", Balius reads from the other note, "Thanks be to Our Lady of the Lost and her Sisters, for I fear that Matriarch is growing yet darker and more powerful."

"This one's ink is still wet", he says.
"And the candle has only been burning for ten minutes or so". Arlissa's long years of religious study under blessed candles make her an expert judge of such things.

"Damn it, why do people have to assume we know what's going on before they go and kill themselves. Couldn't she have written a bit longer note!" says Samus, half in humor and half in frustration.

"There's no way out!" Berke shouts. His breath is deep and fast, his eyes wildly darting around the small cave. "There!" A small pool in the other corner is just big enough for his frame. He takes a deep breath and dives for it, disappearing under the cool waters and leaving the rest standing around a naked corpse and a dwindling candle.

"Wait!" Arlissa shouts. She's used to her directions being obeyed, but Berke is already gone. Her shoulders drop with an exasperated exhalation. It won't be the first time.

 

[seasong]

Someday, I will use a campaign intro like this. Very nice, Greybar!

 

[Balius]

Aha! The players begin to arrive. Wonderful.

Shucks, now that you've made a Karrinkas account it makes it harder to kill ya off.

Eeeeeeexcellent! In response, I've created a Balius account - so you can't kill me either now. Now I can spend the entire upcoming battle just trying to pinch the evil paladin's butt with impunity!


Balius (or Shawn)

 

[Greybar]

"Lit by the loneliest light", part two

[I should also note that the awakening of the PCs was also the first incarnation of these characters under 3E D&D. The previous series (which started in Luinlassa and ended with their stoning) was played in a homebrew game system of my creation that is best now left to history. This also means that the players suddenly were exploring new abilities, primarily more defined spell-casting ability. The characters were all brought over to 3E as fifth level PCs, though sub-optimal multiclassing often resulted from trying to keep their abilities roughly similar to the last series. -John]

"We should give her a proper funeral", Daphna says as she looks at the sprawled body.
"This isn't exactly an ideal place for a cremation" is the unanimous response.

Samus manages to retrieve his greataxe from the pool and everyone gathers their wits about them. Berke is gone and brief musing about how far it might be until the next air pocket is unanswerable. Arlissa wraps the oilskin pouch until it is water-tight again, and absent-mindedly puts the battered ring on a finger.

"If we find we're at a place where we can come back for her body, we will."

Karrinkas gathers a deep breath and dives in to follow Berke. All jokes about whether the Karranas like water aside, he is almost undoubtably the best swimmer of the group. Plus he wears no armor and only carries a small amount of equipment strapped to his leather harness.

The pool leads to an underwater tunnel that thankfully exits into another chamber. This one is much larger and has multiple pools exiting it from it. It also contains a still manic Berke, examining all of the walls in the light that now shines like a torch from his hammer.

Karrinkas reports back to the group. They each make their way with varying levels of swimming success. Daphna practically walks on the bottom of the tunnel, barely even trying to swim. There is much bemoaning of the soaking that their equipment, particularly their bows, is taking.

When everyone has made it through, they join Berke in his examination of the next chamber. With three unknown pool-tunnels to choose from, there is much concern about getting the wrong one. Then Balius' sharp eyes notice a tiny graven symbol over one pool - the Chalice of Llassa. Without further ado the groups swims through the tunnel, emerging into another chamber that for once has a proper dry tunnel leading out from it. Berke rushes down it, calling out that he can hear a bigger chamber.

And indeed it was. Berke emerged on a shelf overlooking a underground river. Downstream and across the river there is a niche similar to the one he stands in. To his stonework-savvy eye, it looks carved in the fashion of natural rock, rather than being truely just a pocket worn away by time and water. As the rest of the party emerges, he starts making his way down to the water's edge.

"He's going to get himself killed" is the general consensus of the rest of the group, but they follow. Driven by sheer willpower more than swimming skill, Berke emerges from the rushing water into the carved niche and starts looking around. The rest make their way across, trying not to get swept too far down stream and thus missing the landing.

"Something just touched my leg", says Balius. The bard's voice has a bit more than a note of concern.
"Keep swimming" is Karrinkas' resolute answer.

Daphna moves in behind Arlissa and makes sure that the priestess makes it up on the ledge. In doing so, she does a lot of kicking which is quickly followed by a painful bite to her unarmored legs. Balius soon finds himself prey as well.

"Snakes!"

Those in the narrow niche try to help pull those in the water up, flailing at the snakes and trying not to fall back in the water themselves. Daphna beats at the snakes with her sword, but is greatly impeded by the water. Karrinkas leaps from the niche back into the water, tearing at the snake that threatens "the cub" (Balius) with claws and teeth.

Berke, focused on the wall, seems to pay little attention behind him. As the last snake is driven away, he shouts "Ah ha!" and with a probing stonemason's tool pushes a hidden switch. A crack appear along the wall, outlining a doorway. With a gentle push, it opens into darkness.

The group pushes into a square-cut hallway the leads to a room that is unmistakably a crypt. A large statue of a lizardman-priest stands in an alcove at the end of the room, his head turned down, and his hands out and palms forward. Berke has already noted the stairway opposite the alcove, and quickly disappears around the corner. Balius puzzles over the markings on the square burial-chamber doors set into the walls. His curiousity is insatiable, he gives the handle a pull.

"No!" Arlissa and Dapha shout out almost as one, but Balius is already giving it a second pull with his full weight behind it. The door wrenches open with the force of his pull. "I just want to see..."

There is a gust of cold air and a darkness extinguishes Arlissa's magical light. Balius feels a clawed hand come from the chamber and land upon his own. Behind Arlissa there is the sound of stone on stone from the alcove and something moves in the darkness...