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
