|
Post by StyxD on Oct 2, 2019 22:20:59 GMT
He's wearing the skin of the mother of the boy who's helping him dress. He then adds the boy's tears into his morning coffee.
|
|
|
Post by Harkovast on Oct 2, 2019 22:25:23 GMT
Hmmm good guess. That's not it, but you are on the right lines.
Bakaraz isn't a very nice person.
Gallee and Lefty have some pretty solid reasons to not like the guy!
|
|
|
Post by Horsie on Apr 7, 2020 15:48:31 GMT
We know there's a couple of differences between the Ivos and Nymus religion, what about the Gotetra (other than the obvious, the gods all looking like horses)?
|
|
|
Post by Harkovast on Apr 14, 2020 12:21:54 GMT
Sorry I over looked this question somehow!
The stories about the gods and their natures are similar (though they all look like horses, obviously!) The big difference is the Gotetra are happy to add new gods to their theology. If a God appeals to them, they add them in to their pantheon. For this reason they have quite a few Brorg-Dao gods that get worshipped, along with Dakk and Vec, who were brought over by a sec of Anzlov. There are also lots of minor sects, with foriegn gods and even some strange gods whose origins are unclear. The ruler of the nation, the God Emperor, is considered a divine being in mortal form, and will ascend to Godhood in death. Previous emperors are all considered minor dieties, though most are more acknowledged than actively worshipped. Empty Pillars are often built amongst statues of the gods to represent "the unknown god", meaning dieties that the Gotetra are not yet aware of but are deserving of reverance.
There are also big differences in how they worship, with Gotetra religious ceremonies being quite frenzied affairs, with worshippers speaking in tongue, throwing money and spontaneously generating lightning from their bodies!
The gotetra don't have one, unified religious authority or religion, but rather lots of competing churchs. Some worship one god, some all the gods, some have several gods but priorities particular ones over others or disagree on specifics of their dogma. While they all accept the existence of each others gods, conflict over whose god is superior, details of doctrine, or more material things like political influence and wealth is very common. Recently this has been clamped down on, but under previous weak emperors this led to assasinations, street fighting and verge on out rigght civil war as powerful churches sought to get rid of each other. There are even splits within churches that can turn united congregations into bitter rivals. Since new gods are often added and old ones can lose popularity, the details of their theology or often being rearranged, creating more room for conflict. The Emperor being seen as a God is almost a necessity for the Gotetra, as they need an authority that can step in and keep the various sects and cults under control and restrict any from getting too powerful or dangerous. It is enshrined in law that all recognised Temples and churches should receive the same protections, and their are strict limits on how much influence, how many physical buildings and how much wealth each sect can accquire (though churches are always trying to get aroudn these rules, and they were openly ignored until quite recently, due to weak emperors on the throne.)
This leads to an odd contrast in the Gotetra's thinking. While they are very open to new gods, changing who they worship or adjusting their theology to incorporate new dieties, their religions are evangelical and competitive in a way that is unknown in most of Harkovast. They are in an endless competition for members, and tend to few other churchs as rivals rather than members of the same faith.
Gotetra religion is a frantic affair, both in their riotous ceremonies and their constant competition between churches. To foriegners it can seem pushy, even aggressive. Outsiders are often baffled how Gotetra can get so angry about their religion when they seem so casual about changing it when they find a god they like more!
Gotetra religions are also open to none Gotetra, a concept that many foriegners find odd (most Harkovast gods are specific dieties of their race, so worship by other races doesn't make a lot of sense). Trying to recruit foreigners to worship your peoples gods is not something often found in harkovast outside of the Gotetra Empire. Gotetra have also been known to spontaneously start temples and cults to foriegn gods they are exposed to, whether the foreigners like it or not! For example, Temples to the Zadakine All Mother have appeared in the capital city in recent years, brought over by influential zadakine merchants. Zadakine think that a foreigner expecting to get something from the All Mother is laughably ridiculous...but for a reasonable fee they are happy to send over some of their priestess' to teach the Gotetra some of the lesser rituals and rites of The All Mother's worship. After all, if they are going to worship the All Mother, they might as well do it correctly (and zadakine never like to miss a chance to make money off the foolishness of foreigners!) If a foreigner does object angrily to the gotetra coopting their faith...well that's just another religious argument to have, which to the Gotetra exactly what you expect religions to involve, proving their new faith must be on the right track!
|
|
|
Post by Horsie on Apr 16, 2020 3:43:29 GMT
So it's entirely possible that they could have several gods, taken from different cultures, that are all associated with similar things? I did get the impression from the RP that the Gods of Shaldemos are (at least at the moment) the most popular. I can imagine Gotetra encountering foreigners who are angry about their gods being co-opted, and they'd respond by cheerfully starting a heated argument about theology. Imagine how aggravating it'd be trying to argue with someone who insists that you being angry proves that they're right?
Also, I'd like to imagine Gotetra depictions of Brorg-Dao gods are something like this;
|
|
|
Post by Harkovast on Apr 17, 2020 1:05:24 GMT
Yeah the main ones are Shaldemos and Dakk and Vec. brorg-Dao ones would be next most popular. The other sects are relatively minor.
And yes there can be gods were over lapping areas of influence, that's completely possible.
|
|
|
Post by Horsie on Apr 17, 2020 20:10:38 GMT
I like to imagine some Gotetra worshipping two or three gods associated with the same thing, just to make sure they're getting total divine protection.
|
|
|
Post by TempestFennac on Sept 23, 2021 6:30:59 GMT
Does the amount of magical ability each individual have depend on luck/genetics or can people train themselves to be good at using it even if they lack innate talent.
|
|
|
Post by Harkovast on Sept 29, 2021 21:53:45 GMT
Its more like training and attitude. Their magic is the expression of their nature and culture in a way.
Some people will be naturally better at it or find it easier to master, but its more about training and getting good, rather than just being born with a lot of power.
|
|
|
Post by TempestFennac on Sept 30, 2021 2:50:28 GMT
I see thanks. I was mainly wondering due to that Zadakine I never used and Nawa having powerful magic.
|
|
|
Post by TempestFennac on Apr 10, 2023 9:11:17 GMT
The Dol-Kim never got a full write-up, did they? I was wondering how well the Raccoon fursona I've had for the past few years would match up to them but all I remember about them is that they're loosely based off the Mongolians.
|
|