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houseofstrange2018-04-22 04:06 pm
mimi_sardinia) wrote in houseofstrange2018-04-22 04:06 pm
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Nightlands: Origins
I got thinking yesterday while at the shops about origins - that is, what races believe about where they come from.
The biggest line of thinking is, of course, the Quendár. The idea for them is that they believe they started as spirits in the Deeps of the Arcane - even deeper than the Netherworld - but they reached out and explored the upper regions of the Arcane until they found the border leading to the Mundane and decided to cross it, taking on material bodies.
While all three Quendár races share this basic belief, they differ in how they emerged into the Mundane.
The Tauráquendár - later the Lómaquendár (Night Elves), believed they were born into the Mundane from the trees, and revere the trees because of it and have ever since believed it is their place to protect the tress, and everything that lives amongst them.
The Helcaquendár (Ice Elves), who later became the Ëarquendár (Sea Elves) and then after Nightfall the Isilmaquendár ([Crescent] Moon Elves) almost never speak of the time before they migrated to the sea, but amongst only themselves the truth is kept of being born out of a snowstorm in the mountains of the far north. If pushed they will say they were born of seawater, and even Leviathan will not reveal the truth, out of affection for their kind.
The Curwaquendár, now known as the Eleniquendár (Star Elves), say they were born of the rocky foothills to the central Khazad Mountains. It was harsh land and they struggled to live there, but inventive and crafty hands and minds got them through their earliest times, and eventually was the thing that gained them their unbroken alliance with the Dwarves, which has benefited both races immensely.
Edit 25/4/18: Addendum thought is that in believing they come from deeper in the Arcane than even the Netherworld, that when a soul "sinks" too far to be reached by priests, it means they may have returned to the realm they originated from. The only exception there is to this idea is the one-off case of the second youngest Crafter prince, son of the Prince and the Seelie Queen. The Queen has folded him into a corner of the Netherworld that touches the edges of her Domain. However the theory of souls returning to the Quendár's place of origin holds true for all other Quendár souls who have gone out of reach. The Quendár believe this also equates to returning to the divine sentience that they believe is the Arcane. /Edit.
The Quendár are not the only ones who believe something like this, and it not that surprising that the other races who believe it are the other "Great Races".
Dragons have a strong belief they were born of volcanoes, with their firstborn races being the Golds and Reds, and all the other colours came after, in the first reincarnations. Even the other colours agree with this, but most of them see their own colours as either an improvement or otherwise a different experience every dragon should go through once in a while, with the various different kinds being a way to experience other paradigms of arcane elemental alignment.
Unicorns believe they were sent into the Mundane to protect peace and serenity. Their kindred, the Ki-Rin share this belief but because they are a tougher more battle-inclined sub-breed their way of doing so is more pro-active than their more shy and retiring cousins of the north.
Phoenixes call themselves the Fire-Born, saying they were born when a falling star set alight the land, bringing arcane fire into the material world.
Other races have far more different stories, with the Kessír mythology being rooted in their divine pantheon, humans having numerous tales from various groups. Other races also have widely differing myths, many of which have been greatly influenced by the Quendár.
The most recent "origins" is the Fae, with the fairië otherworld realms being a way of escaping the Sun Empire and protecting them from Nightfall. Some of the Fae are even believed to be arcane entities that "surfaced" when the Fae Realms started to be created.
Edit 19/5/18: Addendum I am surprised I didn't think of - Dwarven beliefs of their origins actually runs along similar lines to the Quendár, though has an overtone of them being some sort of fault or mistake. They hold a belief that something in the [Living] Stone became divided and caused Dwarven souls to emerge from the Living Stone. They do not say what the divide could have been, but it is so far back that the common line of thought holds that the same split may have also caused the emergence of the Great Four Races. The Great Races may disagree on this point, viewing their emergence as more voluntary than Dwarven belief implies. /Edit.
The biggest line of thinking is, of course, the Quendár. The idea for them is that they believe they started as spirits in the Deeps of the Arcane - even deeper than the Netherworld - but they reached out and explored the upper regions of the Arcane until they found the border leading to the Mundane and decided to cross it, taking on material bodies.
While all three Quendár races share this basic belief, they differ in how they emerged into the Mundane.
The Tauráquendár - later the Lómaquendár (Night Elves), believed they were born into the Mundane from the trees, and revere the trees because of it and have ever since believed it is their place to protect the tress, and everything that lives amongst them.
The Helcaquendár (Ice Elves), who later became the Ëarquendár (Sea Elves) and then after Nightfall the Isilmaquendár ([Crescent] Moon Elves) almost never speak of the time before they migrated to the sea, but amongst only themselves the truth is kept of being born out of a snowstorm in the mountains of the far north. If pushed they will say they were born of seawater, and even Leviathan will not reveal the truth, out of affection for their kind.
The Curwaquendár, now known as the Eleniquendár (Star Elves), say they were born of the rocky foothills to the central Khazad Mountains. It was harsh land and they struggled to live there, but inventive and crafty hands and minds got them through their earliest times, and eventually was the thing that gained them their unbroken alliance with the Dwarves, which has benefited both races immensely.
Edit 25/4/18: Addendum thought is that in believing they come from deeper in the Arcane than even the Netherworld, that when a soul "sinks" too far to be reached by priests, it means they may have returned to the realm they originated from. The only exception there is to this idea is the one-off case of the second youngest Crafter prince, son of the Prince and the Seelie Queen. The Queen has folded him into a corner of the Netherworld that touches the edges of her Domain. However the theory of souls returning to the Quendár's place of origin holds true for all other Quendár souls who have gone out of reach. The Quendár believe this also equates to returning to the divine sentience that they believe is the Arcane. /Edit.
The Quendár are not the only ones who believe something like this, and it not that surprising that the other races who believe it are the other "Great Races".
Dragons have a strong belief they were born of volcanoes, with their firstborn races being the Golds and Reds, and all the other colours came after, in the first reincarnations. Even the other colours agree with this, but most of them see their own colours as either an improvement or otherwise a different experience every dragon should go through once in a while, with the various different kinds being a way to experience other paradigms of arcane elemental alignment.
Unicorns believe they were sent into the Mundane to protect peace and serenity. Their kindred, the Ki-Rin share this belief but because they are a tougher more battle-inclined sub-breed their way of doing so is more pro-active than their more shy and retiring cousins of the north.
Phoenixes call themselves the Fire-Born, saying they were born when a falling star set alight the land, bringing arcane fire into the material world.
Other races have far more different stories, with the Kessír mythology being rooted in their divine pantheon, humans having numerous tales from various groups. Other races also have widely differing myths, many of which have been greatly influenced by the Quendár.
The most recent "origins" is the Fae, with the fairië otherworld realms being a way of escaping the Sun Empire and protecting them from Nightfall. Some of the Fae are even believed to be arcane entities that "surfaced" when the Fae Realms started to be created.
Edit 19/5/18: Addendum I am surprised I didn't think of - Dwarven beliefs of their origins actually runs along similar lines to the Quendár, though has an overtone of them being some sort of fault or mistake. They hold a belief that something in the [Living] Stone became divided and caused Dwarven souls to emerge from the Living Stone. They do not say what the divide could have been, but it is so far back that the common line of thought holds that the same split may have also caused the emergence of the Great Four Races. The Great Races may disagree on this point, viewing their emergence as more voluntary than Dwarven belief implies. /Edit.