TheBaron
Promising
Known Hero
dreamer of dreams
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posted September 03, 2011 01:57 PM |
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Edited by TheBaron at 14:02, 03 Sep 2011.
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Heroes 5.5 - Eternal Essence - Shifter Character Detail & General Lore
I've decided to start a bunch of threads with particular parts of the Shifter expansion aspect of Quantomas' Eternal Essence mod. This is in response to a friend saying he was intimidated by the wall of text that was my in my new factions post.
Links:
General discussion - New Factions & Shifters
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Character Breakdown
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Eternal Essence Artwork
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City Name: Bulwark
Dominant race: Shifters (Were-beasts), also known as The People
Mythological base: Gypsy/Romany/Slavic folklore crossed with totemic peoples ala Ainu/Native (South)Americans.
Philosophy: A people who believe in the the hybrid spirits of man and beast and in the controllable substance that flows around them known as Eternal Essence.
Alignment: Neutral/good. They have no inherent hatred of any particular race except the demons of the shadow man. As they value the mortal coil and its natural cycles, they find necromancy distasteful, but are not particularly hateful of necromancers.
Symbol/Emblem: The Wolf Ourobouros - A wolf eating it's own tail.
Colors: The tinkers have been luridly colored for over 1000 years. They love any bright multi-colored, festive garments. The dhampir and true knights are the exception and dress in solid colors. They tend to favor sunset orange during ceremonies and formal events.
Hero Types: Described for vanilla, RPE and potential ranked and gendered hero formats. Ranks increase every 10 levels.
MALE: rank 1. Vagabond (Might), Wise-one (Magic), Exile (Balanced). rank 2. Wolf (Might), Totem (Magic), Jager (Balanced). rank 3. Dire-Wolf (Might), Yarila (Magic), Lord of the Hunt (Balanced).
FEMALE: rank 1. Wildling (Might), Wild-one (Magic), Feral (Balanced). rank 2. Fox (Might), Tytania (Magic), Huntress (Balanced). rank 3. Lynx (Might), Kostroma (Magic), Lady of the Hunt (Balanced).
Background:
Long ago before The People were strong, the Shifters of the Eastern steppes beyond Ranaar lived on the western borders of what was to become the Seven Duchies. They were peaceful and magically inferior nomads with wide but unmarked territories, who roamed the lands trading exotic items and fantastic stories. As the powers of the Irollan Elves and the Duchies grew, they exploited the innocence of The People and eventually forced them from their lands. As their numbers dwindled, they became hunted by the various peoples of the west. They were bloody sport for the duchy nobles, the earliest patients of wizard experimentation, bullied from the forests by the elves and, later, routinely tricked from their possessions by the dark-elves. They have managed to persevere through ages of oppression and bloodshed by adapting to new lands and by keeping strong ties to their heritage.
The People have lived on the eastern steppes for an age now, but being forced there with nothing, they were preyed upon by the beasts of this new land. They had to learn to live and hunt alongside animals for their survival. As time passed they became more and more like those they imitated, though the memory of their lost home kept them from losing their humanity entirely. Their feeling of loss galvanised their sense of identity, and wandering tribes gained strength from inter-marriage, cultural exchange and ritual developments. And so, The People flourished. They became strong and remembered their True Spirit that had kept them alive for so long.
Unlike the western men however, The People rejected the great dragon gods as The People in turn had felt rejected by them. When the factions of the west burned The People with black sorcery and magical fire, the dragons ignored them and lent them no power with which to defend themselves, for they had no divine allegiances. Rather, as The People grew, so too did their ties to the natural world of the animals. A form of ritual bonding tied the life-forces of The People and their pets, strengthening both parties and making one more like the other. The dogs became more intelligent and capable of basic speech, while the men grew more agile and experienced a heightening of their senses. As the benefits of these bonds became common knowledge among the various tribes, the village elders came from afar and gathered to discuss a new way of life for The People. This gathering became known as The Rising; on this day The People united and laid down a plan to become something more than human, more than animal, and to be free from the fear of slaughter. They devoted their lives to understanding the fabric of nature and life, tying themselves closer still to the natural world, beginning an understanding and manipulation of what they now call the Eternal Essence.
Rumour has it that The People have been seen in the Seven Duchies. Tales of men with wild eyes returning those lost in the forest to their path, and those caught in bogs to firm ground. Another story tells of a man running faster than a startled deer and preying on caravans, destroying even those with armed guards. If the rumours are true, perhaps The People are considering a return to their lost home...
Historic Timeline:
Pre-0 – ~140 YSD (See map annotation 1): Prior to becoming 'The People', they possessed no single identity and were considered indistinct groups of travelling merchants, performers, artists and vagrants by the majority of the world. In reality, some of these groups were ancient tribes with equally antique customs, however they did not seek cultural distinction or sovereignty per say. They owed allegiances to none, but respected the laws and traditions of whichever region they happened to inhabit at the time. They were essentially gypsies - carnival folk, merchants and tradesmen.
~40 - ~250 YSD (red regions and black arrow map annotations): As men and elves seek dominion over their settled lands, both races begin to crack-down on the itinerant peddlers throughout the west, expelling their caravans and shunning their trade. Some of the smaller towns still interact with them, however as regional and cultural tensions increase, so too does the revulsion of the nomads. Soon these gypsies become further scattered. Many of these people disperse into various other lands, either to die or to assimilate, though a large portion gathers in a final caravan and journeys to the east.
~180 - ~300 YSD (yellow arrow map annotation): A great caravan termed 'Beleré' (meaning 'lost') is led by five powerful and mysterious elders – the laughing man, the crying man, the silent man, the finger man and the feather man. Over the next few years the caravan is hounded by various monsters and bandits.
~305 - ~340 YSD (red arrows and map annotation 2): The Beleré caravan stops briefly, some of the caravan's performers decide to set up a carnival at the request of the laughing man. The majority of the caravan moves on to found Belaria. A few years later a large group of concerned individuals return to check on the carnival and finds it ailing under siege from monsters. The monsters are repelled but the nomads suffer heavy losses. The laughing man and his entourage still refuse to leave after he retells a story about a 'carnival of essence'. Some of the nomads decide to stay and help defend the carnival, and so the bulwark of Circus is established.
~320 YSD: The finger man disappears, but not before cutting out the silent man's tongue. He is kept from killing the silent man by the feather man. The finger man is renamed 'Bossa' (meaning 'tongue')
~340 - ~400+ YSD (red arrows and blue map region): Though Belaria and Circus have been established as bulwarks, the gypsy peoples find it hard to give up their nomadic lifestyle. They struggle to survive, but under the guidance of the elders, they slowly begin to change and flourish.
~380 YSD: The laughing man comes to Beleria and the elders convene and establish The People formally. Corps are established and tutored by the elders. As The People finally overcome their environment they believe a new age has dawned on them. This event becomes 'The Rising'.
~680 YSD: The crying man, the laughing man and the silent man disappear without a trace.
~780 YSD: The feather man disappears.
Last official event in HoMM timeline is the Dark Messiah story of YSD 989
Current affairs and politics: ~1200 YSD
Government:
Although unified, leadership is decentralised from Beleria. Councils of Elders and Babas convene to discuss government and administration but do not enact or create policy as such. These discussions are for the sharing of wisdom not for the enforcing of rule, therefore individual caravans, tribes and bulwarks are administered internally and have significant autonomy. Councils do have certain executive power, but this is rarely employed and democratic in its application. It may be that the great length of The People's lives is what allows them to be so gentle and pragmatic in their civil concerns.
Philosophy and way of life:
The People have an esoteric philosophy regarding the nature of reality. They do not believe in any kind of continuation of life after death, but that death returns a being's essence back into the world. This essence flows into all of the matter around it and is recycled endlessly. Because they believe that Eternal Essence is never truly destroyed, it follows that all beings have existed in numerous ways before, perhaps as a tree, a drop of water, or a bear. Some of The People believe that their powers of shape-shifting come from their appreciation and understanding of the Eternal Essence they ingest while eating. By consuming another being, they absorb the inherent knowledge and energy contained within its essence, and of all the things it had consumed before it, and so on ad infinitum. The greater one's ability to tap into the Eternal Essence, the further along this line a person can delve into and control.
Though it is true that the simplest method to 'tune in' to a thing's Eternal Essence is to eat it, the wisest and most powerful of the shifters understand that the essence surrounds - and is part of - everything. These enlightened individuals can manipulate the essence without gorging themselves on it physically, but more profoundly through understanding and concentration.
The People's attitude towards death is fairly blazé. They believe that life is enjoyable and good, and therefore should be appreciated and maintained. Because the only thing that occurs after death is an absorption back into the universe, it is not frightening or wrong, but simply a natural part of life. This precipitates a slight-inclination towards the concept of reincarnation. When a person has a particular resemblance to someone living or dead, they believe that this is due to a harmony between their Eternal Essences. Few among The People understand the ramifications of this, and so it elicits various responses and superstitions throughout their world.
The People believe that hunting is a sacred part of living and an important part in the cycle of mortality. They believe one should have an intimate relationship with their prey, and celebrate and respect the life provided through the life they have taken. For them it is important to be part of the process of killing when eating, for to become separate from this is to lose touch with the natural cycle of life and death - that one thing feeds into another, eternally. The people are also agrarian and will grow crops or even mine for necessary building and crafting materials. There is no shame in these pursuits, and many people pursue more than one mode of living. Families hunt together, while individuals may pursue other productive hobbies.
Internal strife:
Like any people, not all of The People get along. They are more pragmatic and harmonious than most societies (probably due to their exceptional longevity and appreciation of death) but there are individuals and tribes who disrupt the general order of things. The most significant and easily indentifiable of these is the Bossa Crew. A much despised faction of The People who have been seduced/manipulated by the Shadow Man. Aside from the Bossa Crew, The People have never had any serious civil strife - and they plan on keeping it that way.
International relations:
The shifters have for the most part secluded themselves from the other factions in the H5 world. Orcish raiding parties have encountered many shifter camps, mostly before The People had 'Risen.' Now that the people are stronger it is generally the raiding parties that do not return. Their feeling towards the orcs is mixed, on one hand they feel that they are an angry and impatient people who are too brutal to be allied with, on the other the babas are sympathetic to the stories they have been told by their shaman. In recent years they are have held an uneasy peace with the orcs, insofar as they repel their fairly frequent skirmishes, but feel they cannot hold their violent nature against them. They understand that if the orcish tribes had any real issue with them, then they would be at war. The babas and shaman exchange stories and information, but rarely a campsite for more than a day.
They have spied upon Stonehelm and Heresh and have interacted with the populations of both disguised as normal tradesmen. They are slightly repulsed by necromancy, not because they are particularly afraid of undead, but because they believe one's essence should return from whence it came and to be remade anew.
CHARACTERS
Paradoc - The Finger Man - Kala'Bossa: Before he was known as 'the finger man' and even further past his naming as Kala'Bossa, a man known as Paradoc was once a great leader of the Belerian caravan. He was well respected for his wisdom and often cryptic advice, which he often said was whispered to him by the echoing past. He was a gleeful man and children were particularly fond of his pranks, puppet shows and plays.
As the caravan progressed, a slow change was noticed amongst some of its members. Paradoc, a popular entertainer, started to grow taller and thinner, his fingers became so long that he grew ashamed of their appearance and took to wearing a robe with sleeves so long they dragged along the ground. His performances became more and more captivating, and would enthrall the entire caravan when they were held. Some would swear that they were dreaming as they watched. 'The finger man' developed a wonderful and vibrant culture amongst the Belerian nomads, and even though they were troubled, they were happy when they gathered for his stories and shows. This time continued for years.
After a particularly fantastic production, Paradoc collapsed, much to the shock and despair of his audience. He awoke a week later, but a darkness had fallen over him. For months his friends tried to get through to him and break his bizarre trance, but his strange ramblings would eventually frighten away his would-be helpers. Even his closest friends – the other elders – could not get through to him. Only one man managed to tend to him during this time; Abr'azza could not be driven away by the finger man's madness, and so he stayed by his side, ensuring that the fallen elder wanted for nothing. One day the finger man's darkeness lifted, and he was apparently back to his former strange, but jubilant, self. Abr'azza however, was worried and reported this to the other elders, telling them of the queer look in the depths of Paradoc's eyes. After a long discussion, the silent man decided to delve into the mind of Paradoc. The silent man confronted the Paradoc in his caravan and the truth was discovered.
During his performance, the finger man had tapped into the mind of one of the ancient faceless - known to the shifters as the shadow man - and had drawn its consciousness into his own. His apparent madness was his attempt to fight the dark intellect that now possessed him. Tragically, the finger man could not hope to over-power the evil will of the shadow man, and so he fell fully under the influence of the great manipulator. When the silent man discovered this, the shock stunned him. The possessed Paradoc pounced on the silent man and cut out his tongue before Abr'azza could intercede. The men fought, but with the dark power of the faceless contributing to that of the finger man's, they others could not hold him, and Paradoc the finger man - now Kala'Bossa - escaped into the night.
Features of Kala'Bossa – the finger man.
Extremely tall and thin with fingers near a metre long. He hides only his back, arms and fingers in a rob who's sleeves drag along the ground. Leaving his chest bare. His legs clad in his old acrobat's leathers. Many ornaments and talismans are stiched or hang loosely to various places on his person.
Prolonged exposure to the will of the faceless has drained his body and drawn his skin tight across his skeleton, reducing it to a translucent film. What remains of his face, once beaming with bright eyes and a smile of mischievous delight, is now only a impossibly large, inhuman and wicked grin that betrays a complete absence of sanity. The rest of his features seem to have almost completely disappeared from his face.
Kala'Bossa used to be a great puppeteer, and somewhere in his broken consciousness remains this memory, perhaps through some black joke of his master. He now carries a giant pair of marionette crosses on his back, and it is said that he employs them to ensorcel, bludgeon and tangle those who come against him.
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Abr'Azza - The Feather Man:The Feather Man was the first great troll of the people. During the great Belerian journey from the west, the caravan was often harangued by the beasts of the eastern wilds. Many men and women died defending the nomadic homes of their families and friends, and this lasted for years as they marched across the land.
A giant southerner known as Abr'azza was known for throwing himself wildly against any obstacle that lay in the caravan's path and distinguished himself by coordinating its defenses against a horde of basilisks. He was much loved by the beleaguered peoples of Belere, for he was known to be as gentle and kind to his fellows as he was brutally violent with any that sought to harm them.
The elders were drawn to this powerful man and would spend days talking to him as they crawled ever eastward. Over this time the people became aware of a slow change in Abr'azza, his hair was becoming glossy and long, and his already powerful frame became even more massive. Often referred to as the 'bear man', some said that his features were beginning to look as his namesake. As the years past, his glossy mane turned to a stunning coat of shifting feathers, which changed and shook along with his laughter and rage.
Feather man features:
Abr'azza was a labouring slave for wizards before he fled to the west. His body is powerfully muscled from his hard life of work, but the changing has accentuated his form and lengthed his arms, which now hang near to the ground.
a slightly-furred face rimmed with feathers that cover his entire body, these feathers are chameleon-like and shift along with his temperament.
Abr'azza's facial features have become ever so slightly ursine, and his wild eyes seem to reflect the hunger and chaos of nature. These striking features are tempered by a naunced softness that is obvious to anyone who comes in peace.
He still dresses in the simple garb of a peasant, however being surrounded by the colourful gypsies of Belare has rubbed off on him, and he tends to favour brightly coloured tunic-coats and shin length pants.
Iyego Dé'Argo: A recently promoted hunter captain, Iyego has shown remarkable wisdom for a man of his age (31). He is a highly capable man with a magnetic personality and a wild laugh. Some believe that it is his ability to inspire the people of Circus that has led to his rise through the ranks. Though he is considered to be quite the individualist, this is not considered a problem in Circus.
Life in the far East would be near impossible for a people unused to its unforgiving wilds. The beasts are as large as they are ferocious, and the many great and camouflaged predators of the steppe seem to favour the softness of human meat. Over the years and through adversity the Shifters have carved out a living and have finally reached a stability - if not prosperity - in this harsh land. In order for the Shifters to maintain their tranquility, they must form great hunting parties that keep the populations of the most fearsome animals in check. Failure to do so can result in the destruction of caravans, great loss of life and for those near the Kuczek mountains, potentially the razing of an entire bulwark.
Circus, a bulwark on the Western sea fringe of the Chase was started in a fit of capriciousness by the laughing man. For many years it struggled, and was on the verge of annihilation, before a great contingent of Belerians returned to save it. Even after this adversity, the Circusans refused to leave the laughing man's hallowed site, and so with fortified defences it soon became self-sufficient. Circus is aptly named, as those men and women who stayed with the laughing man were invariably of 'carnie' stock, from acrobats to magicians. The lively culture of the Circus bulwark is one that attracts tourists from all over the Chase year-round. The Circusans are as colourful as their clothing, and some say that the only reason that it never became the Chase capitol over Beleria is because it is infamous for its crime and con-men. Modern proud Circusans would never admit such a thing, harping that it is simply the jealousy of other bulwarks that leads to such rumours, and that their ward is at least as vigilant as its Belerian counterpart. Those natives with freer tongues however, might happily admit that Circus is no place for the gullible or reckless, and that being street-smart is an essential, challenging and enjoyable part of Circusan culture. Opposed to the laissez-faire attitudes of Circus are the dour Kuczek tribes of the East mountains, who believe that dishonesty and jokes reflect a broken moral compass and a trivialisation of life.
Iyego Dé'Argo is perhaps unique in Circus in that he is the only man to have had a good time (or more specifically, that the feeling was mutual) with Silver - the Kuczek envoy . This may have been because Iyego was not born in Circus, but spent the first few years of his life as an orphan apprentice in a Baba's community near Carnavon. When the peaceful town of Carnavon was consumed from the inside by the horrors of the shadow man, many of the outlying babas rallied to the town and attempted to save it. Tragically all those who tried, failed, and were savagely murdered by Carnavon's 'empty ones'. As the sounds of screaming reached the ears of young Iyego, he fled wildly from the healer's houses and, were it not for a travelling dhampir, would have died of exposure on the endless southern steppe. The dhampir brought him to Circus and raised him there, and though Iyego quickly adapted to the Circusan lifestyle and culture, the darkness of Carnavon never completely left him, and so he retained a streak that was sometimes alternately called 'genuine', 'intense', 'sullen' and 'morbid'. And it was because of this very streak that - unlike every other Circusan - Iyego managed to become friends with Silver, saying that as long as their were men of character like him leading in Circus, the East was open to them. This began a trade route between the two regions that had always been considered to be “non-viable” or “impracticle” by the Kuzceks.
A bulwark's hunters carry out various responsibilities including: Keeping regional caravans safe; collecting non-agricultural resources from around the region (carnivorous hunting being chief among these); scouting and reconnaisance, and external diplomacy and mediation. People from all backgrounds will have been hunters at one stage in their lives, not only because it is considered a central part of civic duty, but because it is a lifestyle most find satisfactory. As captain of the Circusan's hunters, Iyego is responsible for commanding the hunters and delegating roles amongst his officers.
* Iyego is a very tall man, standing at near two meters. He is more similar to the Circusan foxes in build than to the Kuzcek ribesal - which is to say that he is more lean and corded – but it is his pale green eyes, white hair and broad shoulders that belie his Southern varcolac heritage.
* It is essential for all the True Men and Women of the chase to be in excellent physical condition. For the Shifters it is not even a consideration; one will either work, hunt and be strong, or starve and be preyed upon as a weakling. Iyego is no exception.
* Ever since he arrived in Circus, Iyego has dressed slightly differently from most other Circusans. Though he loves the festive colour of his home, he feels a deep nostalgia for the hunters he knew as a child growing up in the South. He therefore favours the elaborately engraved pauldrons, gauntlets and greeves of the Southern varcolac elite. In order to honor his adult home and to keep peace with some of the prouder Circusans, Iyego forged his own armor – wearing only light pauldrons, arm-guards and gauntlets (half as thick and heavy as most Southern fare) and paints them in the traditional Circus colours of purple with highlights of orange. He also wears the high-collared sleevless jerkin and colourful flared knickerbockers tucked into shin high boots that is common to Circusan hunters.
* When Circusan's fight they tend to favour spears and knives, while Southerners are traditionally a people of tooth and nail. Iyego however, remembers fondly the days of reaping herbs and medicinal plants in the forest with his mama yagas, and so he now carries a massive two-handed sickle when he goes hunting.
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"My favorite" - Jean-
Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg.
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