Character Study- Shade Ulric Kage

                The head of House Kage, and lord over Castle Grimmwall and the Midnight Forest; he is one of Noir Nero’s most trusted Shades due to the close proximity of their two castles.  House Kage is also responsible for guarding the Night Gate- the passage that cuts through the mountains at The Throat.

 Ulric, like a majority of the other Shades wields a Grimoire Blade made from Obsidian named Schwarzklauen.  It is rumored that Ulric lost his eye during a disagreement with Shade Dante Nero over the fate of Draco Ryuuko Solaris. Ulric felt she would bring ruin to them all and needless to say he lost. 

Not much else is known about Ulric and the Kage because after their involvement in the Empire’s invasion and subsequent occupation of the capital by Sovereign Lucius Solaris, known as the Age of the Lost Tribe, much of their history was destroyed when House Nero returned

Character Study- Shade Willem Braken

     A pirate and brigand, he is the current Captain of the relic ship- The Terrie Ann.  A platinum colored ark with the ability to dive underwater and ride the sea currents for quicker travel as well as for stealth attacks.  He is also the head of House Braken and lord of Brakenhall, a series of towers located on a cluster of islands due North to the Empire of Sol.  Their sigil is the three headed Leviathan which decorates the bows of their ships.   When the Empire rises up, he reluctantly joins on as one of the Shades of Nocturne fearing the loss of his freedom as well as the Hangman’s Noose.

            Led a majority of Nocturne’s naval battles, but more importantly was the ship responsible for killing Sovereign Marcus Solaris while trying to return Draco Ryuuko Solaris back home from her yearlong stay at Necropolis.  He was also present when the new Sovereign Grigori signed the peace treaty between the two nations.

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Hello all!
So I just wanted to fill everyone in on what they can expect in the next few weeks,  once i get out all the base work that introduces you to this world I will start rolling out short sections of the actual story for your reading pleasure.  On these i could really use any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism that will in turn make the overall story more cohesive and enjoyable.

Thanks again and as always enjoy

The Culture of Nocturne

So with the coming of another Sunday, today we bring you another bit of information on the Land of Nocturne

Please to enjoy- The Culture of Nocturne

the people of Nocturne live in a variety of different places.  They are a hearty and sturdy people usually growing on average to around 5’8, though some have been known to reach heights of 7 feet, with the ability to survive in one of the most unforgiving climates.  Because of the never ending night their skin has evolved over time to be slightly thicker than that of other humans, and recognizable by their pale, ashy complexion.  They also have more acute senses to work around in the unyielding darkness.  It is said that like other predatory animals, the people of Nocturne have adapted eyes capable of cutting through the black because of a layer of cells called the tapetum lucidum (meaning "bright carpet). The tapetum is a thick reflective membrane, 15 cells wide, directly beneath the retina. It collects and re-emits light back to the retina a second time, giving the rods a second chance to absorb the image information, thus maximizing the little light available to them. As this light is reflected off the tapetum, the animal's eyes appear to glow.

A large city in Nocturne is usually based around one of the many Abyss caves, with the lord of that specific holdfast not far away.  Around the castle is the rest of the city under the control of that lord which is then encircled by a high wall and any other fortifications specific to that region.  Now beyond the city walls and even out into the wilds, there existed smaller towns that would cluster together and if they delivered goods to the city they too would be under the protection of the lord, usually from one of his many vassals.  With no real regional specific currency to speak of, until the rise of Nocturne’s first Sovereign, Nocturne Nero, trade was based mostly on the bartering of one good to pay for another.  As mentioned in a previous installment, the more prominent families took the Void’s avatars as the sigils of their great houses.  Like the seven exalted avatars of Void there were seven houses that took it upon themselves to carve up the country and lay stake to each portion. The seven houses of Nocturne are:

¨       Nero- Sigil- the Skeleton- one of the most well-known families in all of Nocturne, which shares its namesake with many of its members.  They are as cunning as they are strong and because of this laid the ground work that would make Nocturne what it is today, a robust and bustling civilization. They made their home within the spiral of the Grimm Fang Mountains and hold lordship over all those that dwell within the safety of those mountains. 

¨       Kage-Sigil- the Grimm Wolf-a crafty tribe, like the Nero’s’ and one of their closest neighbors as well as the first one to name them Sovereign over what became Nocturne.  They hold claim over the Midnight Forests; a large grove that fills the mouth leading to the Grimm Fang Mts; which if it wasn’t for their small numbers, they could have proven quite the threat to House Nero.

¨       Umber- Sigil- the Sabertooth- seen as one of the simpler minded of families, but for what they lack in intelligence they make up for in brute strength.  Positioned towards the northern part of the continent where the snow and cold are a constant reminder of the ever harsh living conditions that Nocturne presents to its citizens.

¨       Grimoire- Sigil- the Siege Crow- the keepers of the history of Nocturne.  They are of a relatively none combative family, and along with House Kage are one of the first to lend their banners to House Nero.  Like their sigil suggests they prefer to watch and learn from their enemies movements before planning an attack. Seen as accomplished strategists.  Their city is more like a giant library, filled with all the knowledge of their world.

¨       Braken-Sigil-The Leviathan- The tyrants of the sea, House Braken has been sacking and pillaging all along the Eastern coast of the Empire for as long as time itself.  Making their home on a series of islands due east of Nocturne they have constructed a culture dependent on the sea and comprised of pirates and buccaneers.

They have taken for their sigil an image that inspires fear to those on the mainland, the mighty Leviathan, known for its abundance of heads and a taste for the ships of men. 

¨       Blight-Sigil- the Abyss Salamander-the Shadows of Nocturne; they handle the jobs that require a certain level of silence.  They are masters of espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination.  They are feared for their use of poisons, especially those that come from the Abyss Salamanders that populate the swamps of their home.  They are known to be one of the few houses that will allow outsiders to be assimilated into their ranks, but to do so is for life.

¨       Dornenkrone-Sigil- the Grand Stag- they are the spiritual masters of Nocturne and the leaders when it comes to the training of young Abbots in the ways of Void.   At Dornenhaus, members are instructed in the rites and passages of Void.  But the way of Void is not the only thing they specialize in.  they are also responsible for some of the greatest advances in medicine that Nocturne has ever seen

The Religion of Nocturne

As promised here is some information on the world that I've created.  So why don't we start with something a little on the more magical side.  Discussed below is the paganistic religion followed by Nocturne.  So enjoy the paragraphs below and I hope that through it, the beginnings of the picture start to come together.

Nocturne’s religion is based on the worship of Void, a spiraling miasma that was found beneath the continent in a region that has come to be known as the Abyss. Entrance to this plane is only accessible via several temple-sized stick woven caves scattered throughout the wilderness; though it is said that those who have been graced with the Void’s gifts, in particular, the Shadowstep; a skill that allows the user to enter the Abyss by simply stepping into the shadows.  Those with this skill were thought to possess supernatural speed because of the difference in space and time created by the Abyss.   Each of these caves can house several hundred people and are used as the monasteries to the Monks of the Void, a devout sect of druidic people whose main purpose is to lead followers of Void into the Abyss so they may receive its blessing.  The monasteries of the monks are known as Clusters and located within the top layer of the Abyss.  Within those top layers the monks sleep, eat, converse, and meet pilgrims.  It is only on the lower levels, where they are closer to Void that they conduct the actual rites and prayers, which are usually lead by one of the several Abbots, or on the special occasion the High Abbot. The spiritual leaders of Nocturne are known as the Abbots, but even higher still is the High Abbot, a single person who sits at the lowest levels of the Abyss and has devoted their life in service to the Void.  It is fabled that because of their direct contact with Void that they live unnaturally long lives in which the Void leeches its energy into them, to the detriment of their mortal bodies.  They become shriveled and lean, almost skeleton like in appearance and those who look upon them think they are the dead walking amongst the living. There are four levels of service to the Void

v  High Abbot- the voice of Void they relay the wishes of Void to the Clusters

v  Abbot- answers to the High Abbots and take care of the day to day workings of leadings of their Cluster. It is their job to pass along the teachings of Void to the rest of the followers as well as assist in the construction of the most holy of tools, the Relics.

v  Monk- devout practitioners of Void.  They spend their entire lives in the service of Void learning its secrets.  Those show a strong aptitude can rise to the level of Abbot, if the position is vacant.  They spread the word of Void and have been known to practice as far away as Regenwald.

v  Practitioner-the everyday people of Nocturne who make the pilgrimage to the Abyss when it is required as well as carry the talismans of the Void and make sacrifices to it when called for.

The ideologies of Void are:

·        Harness the power of your passion, but do not let it enslave you.

·        Measured

·        Lenient

·        Resilient

·        Reserved

·        Unyielding

·        Justice

When those that first looked into that rotating vortex returned, they had changed, as if something had been unlock within them.  The intelligence of the people increased, this is what led to the forming of government and civilization for the people of Nocturne.

Surrounding Void, are a menagerie of different avatars that do its bidding, each one designated to a specific area and each one stand for a variety of different ideas.  They were seen as the original gods of Nocturne, before people started venturing into the Abyss.  When Void was discovered they were integrated into the religion as an envoy and where mostly found inside the houses practitioners houses, in the form of votive statues, in hopes that they would carry their prayers to Void.   

·         Grimm Wolf-The Hunter, the hunt , forest, tracking

·         Leviathan- The Fisher, water, health, sea, shipcraft,

·         Grand Stag-The Shaman, stone, grounded, sexuality, procreation, mountains, medicine

·         Siege Crow- The Watcher, sky, wind, air, secrets

·         Abyss Salamander- The Assassin, South, swamp, growth, poison, stealth

·         Fang tooth Tyger- The Warrior, winter, ice, snow, North

·         Skeleton- The Omen, Lord over life and death

Some of these avatars were then adopted by the Seven Great Houses as their family’s sigils

Put this on repeat and you will have no problem getting through the holidays

Welcome to Vertigo Press

Welcome, welcome one and all to the inaugural post from Matthew Cassar, artist of Vertigo Press and Curator of the Vertigo Historical Society.  with this first blog post I'd like to detail just what it is that i hope to get out of this and what those that happen to read this can expect.

1. become more comfortable with writing on a schedule
2. detail my writing and art making process.
3. creatively and concisely presenting my braindroppings
4. make sense of said braindroppings 
5.  receive feedback on my writing and art work.

For all those reading and for all those in the future, I welcome you and hope that you will stick around and enjoy the ride as I try to figure out the muses in my head.