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Post by atlantis on May 13, 2013 23:03:18 GMT -5
Info organized here!The story goes something like this: In the beginning there were the primordial gods: Kronos (Time) and his sons, Kyros and Kaos. Kronos wanted his sons to populate his universe but Kaos sought to fill the universe with his void and nothingness and in so doing, rebelled against his family. Kyros battled him, filling the void with life and balance and order, creating the world of Itova and the six gods that rule over it. In the end, Kaos was defeated and locked away in a parallel universe (along with the six daemons he had created to help him). Since then, Itova has been at peace, populated by men and women and ruled over by Kyros’s six children. Each god reigns over one country with saints to help him/her do so. The six earthly gods frequently come together in council to trade the goods provided between them while Kronos, Kyros, and a fourth primordial, Fate, live in a distant, heavenly abode. Recently, the Kaosverse has opened portals to Itova and is using them to capture humans which are then turned into ‘shadows’-- dark creatures that can devour reality and leave nothingness behind. To face this threat, the gods will call upon Fate to choose a group of heros who will travel all six countries to train themselves for the fight. A saint will be assigned to assist each of these humans. Each of the six have three traits that define them: 1. Name: Toci Traits: Earth, healing, home/family Country: Chalco Saint: Panyal, Saint of Nature Human: Tizoc 2. Name: Matka Traits: Water, independence, journeys/quests/travel Country: Rovan Saint: Eljas, Patron Saint of Journeys Human: Markas Arensen 3. Name: [TK] Traits: Fire, passion, faith/devotion Country: Saint: [TK] Human: 4. Name: [Munster] Traits: Wisdom, honesty/truth/clarity, judgement Country: Saint: [Munster] Human: [Munster] 5. Name: [Logos] Traits: Arts, invention, storytelling Country: Saint: Human: 6. Name: Ara Traits: Defense, courage, honor/nobility/justice Country: Forsvar Saint: Kalle, Patron Saint of Heroes Human(s): Tyr Sunden, Garmr Sunden 7. [Logos] Likewise, Kaos’s six daemons possess opposite traits: 1. death/pestilence 2. decadence/over-indulgence/gluttony 3. darkness/disbelief 4. lies/deceit 5. destruction 6. war/violence Each player should have at least 1 god, 1 saint, and 1 hero. The person who creates the god creates the culture the god rules over. i8.photobucket.com/albums/a36/AtlantisBlakes/scan0002_zps76f41b58.jpg A map, which is left blank and malleable for whatever you need. The country to the farthest north is Forsvar and the islands surrounding the crescent continent are Rovan. Other than that, there should be plenty of space to make your own. Know that the shapes can be changed if needed and be sure to make your claims quickly. Character Skeleton: Name: Age: Home: Appearance: Occupation: Saint: Bio: Land Skeleton: This is more just a guideline because inventing a culture can be difficult. This should provide you with things to contemplate. What is the land called? It's capital? What does it look like? How do the people dress and what do they look like? What are some notable things about their culture? Do they have any myths and legends?
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 13, 2013 23:13:08 GMT -5
DIBS ON THE CRESCENT! (Suckerrrrs)
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Post by Zabby on May 13, 2013 23:23:24 GMT -5
Small island in the bottom right of the map is mine!
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Post by atlantis on May 13, 2013 23:55:01 GMT -5
Remember, we want to try and create the gods before anything else so that we have our nations established.Since my water people are pretty much already done, I'll provide them as an example. The country's name is Rovan, its people called the Rovani. They are ruled by Matka, god of water, independence, and journeys and their capital is Rovanieme, located in the inner bay of the crescent continent. (Will place all the islands on the map at a later date, when everyone has named their places and everything). Rovan consists of fifteen islands: Akershus | Dalarna | Kajana | Norrland | Vanern | Arboga | Dovre | Malaren | Rovanieme | Vasteras | Arendal | Gautland | Narke | Skane | Vattern |
Each island has a central city and outlying villages. There is also a small governing force per island that may uphold laws but must report to Rovanieme, to Matka and his saints. Appearance and Clothing Rovani people are light-skinned with a vast assortment of hair and eye-colors, from black to flame red. They are of an average, though assorted, height range, from about 5'4 to 6'0. There really is no 'proper' way to dress in Rovan, besides dressing for the cold. Wool coats are popular, as well as heavy boots. Many Marosven (sailors-- see below) wear gloves to keep their hands warm and protected while out at sea. Marosven are also given to wearing light-weight armor (if they can afford/steal it). Their armor is often mis-matched and patchy-- you might have a plate for only one shoulder or arm for example. This is for two reasons: they lack resources to complete the set (having only stolen part or lack of funding) or the rest of the set is too cumbersome for sailing. Padded cloth armor is a favorite among Marosven, since it's lighter than metal, more flexible, and also keeps you warm. Rovani often have tattoos in various places on their bodies. These usually symbolize their place of birth, their ship, their parents, special feats they've accomplished, or their beliefs. Culture Attitude and behaviors differ slightly among the islands and among ships, but the same basic culture is woven throughout Rovan: earn a living and live long enough to enjoy it. There are two types of people in Rovan: - Masukaan (pl. Masukaat)- the land-dwellers, including carpenters, dagarne (caretakers in the dagis-- described below), innkeepers, blacksmiths, dockers, bartenders... all the necessary members of a largely sea-faring people.
- Marosva (pl. Marosven)- sailors of any sort. Marosven spend most of their lives on ships and therefore devote their lives to the knowledge of the sea. They include tradesmen (who deliver goods from place to place; basically the Fedex of Itova), fishermen, pirates, ferrymen, and sailing masters (who make their living by teaching non-Marosven how to sail).
The two sides work well together, each providing services for the other. A Rovani life can be difficult, which is why it becomes so important to work as a team. Rovani are close-knit people and at times, a foreigner might feel very out of place. Days are spent hard at work and nights are often spent at the local tavern where everyone gathers as friends to relax, chat, tell stories and just have fun. (For Marosven, the 'tavern' is often just the ship kitchen or dining hall.) Children, especially those of Marosven, are often cared for at the dagis until they are old enough to learn a trade, usually around eleven or twelve. While at the dagis, they must adhere to a strict curfew and must attend school to receive their basic education. Aside from a few other standard rules, and provided they're old enough, the children are allowed to roam as they choose. Rovani truly believe it takes a village to raise a child. Superstition and legends run rampant in Rovani islands. Some legends are unique to special locations while others are told throughout the country. It is a mark of courage for a man not to believe in the legends and considered to be childish when they do-- despite this, the stories persist, often told over mugs full of mjod or kossu, and most are believers whether they admit it or not. Human Markas Arensen Age: 28 Home: Skane, Rovan Appearance: here and hereOccupation: tradesman, captain Like most children of Marosven, Markas was raised in the dagis on Skane until he was eleven, when he was allowed to join his parents on their ship. Rasmus and Elvi Arensen were tradesmen, mostly dealing with the deliver of cargo within the islands. They would occasionally 'borrow' supplies from foreign ships they found in Rovani waters, but by no means were they violent or wicked in their piracy. Markas quickly took to life on the sea; his parents taught him how to manage the ship, to navigate through the islands, to keep the books and pay the crew, to fight proudly but honorably, and to value human life. Over the years, Markas's younger sister, Ildri, and children of other shipmates joined the crew. When Markas was sixteen, his parents' ship was attacked by rogue pirates after the gold they were carrying to Rovanieme, engaging them in battle. Amidst the chaos, Markas attempted to guard the gold, taking on an experienced Marosva and losing his sword. He was saved by his father, who (after defeating the pirate) urged Markas to the lifeboat where the other children were waiting. Rasmus gave his compass to his son and told him to take the lifeboat to shore, adding that they would meet up again by nightfall. Markas obeyed. They waited on the beach for hours. When evening came, Markas's friend Soren suggested they move inland to find a village for warmth and food but Markas insisted on waiting until dark. Instead, they set up camp for the night. Rasmus and his crew never returned, leaving the young teens to build a new life for themselves. They travelled to a nearby village, once again to be taken in by the dagis while Markas and Soren found work to buy a new ship. After three years their goal was complete. As the eldest, Markas became their captain. It took time to build their reputation-- especially at such young ages-- but eventually Markas gained the respect of most of the Marosven. His ship delivers trades not only between Rovani islands but nations as well. Markas is given to believing the stories of monsters and legends of heros other Rovani tell in the taverns. He's a loyal friend and also deeply loyal to Rovan. Holding off here to post the other profiles because there are some things I still need to fix about them.
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 0:42:17 GMT -5
...So after reading your profile, I'm releasing my dibs on the crescent AND the god of five, but now I want the god and the saint of Fire. I want the continent on the far right but farther "north". (I'll get on My bios ASAP but my dad is doing this class thing and he needs my computer, a lot.)
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Logos
Full Member
Posts: 172
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Post by Logos on May 14, 2013 4:50:54 GMT -5
Nation of OuranonGoddess Name: Seshat-Na'iith-Mah'iit Traits: Quintessence (consciousness, spirit), order, mathematics, geometry, music, spirituality/mysticism Country: Ouranon Seshat-Na'iith-Mah'iit is a goddess who manifests in three aspects: Seshat (the Measurer), Na'iith (the Weaver), and Mah'iit (She Who Upholds the Balance). As Seshat, she is the underlying principle behind Number, Measure, and Design. Her symbols are the Seven-Rayed Star and the Rod of Measurement. She is usually portrayed with a seven-rayed headdress, holding up a cubit ruler and marking off its lines with her stylus. As Na'iith, she embodies the principles of relationship, structure, and integrity (both structural and moral). Her Net (or Web) is the sum of all interrelationships between things. At each node there is a crystal sphere which reflects (and also lenses) all of the other spheres. Her symbols are the Shuttlecock and the Spider. As Mah'iit, she is the active, sustaining principle of cosmic, social, and psychological order. Her symbol is a balanced set of Scales. In her unified form, Seshat-Na'iith-Mah'iit is portrayed either wearing or carrying her symbol, the Nautilus Shell. Ouranon does not occupy a space on the map. Instead, it is a city built into the base of a floating transparent geodesic sphere that maintains buoyancy because the air inside is slightly warmer than the outside air, and the city's weight is negligible in comparison to the mass of the air it contains (like a soap bubble). The "buildings" inside are more like tents than normal permanent structures, in that they are primarily constructed of fabrics in tension, cables or lines, and seemingly delicate struts to bear compression loads. Ouranese have a concept of "Elegance" which is central to their culture. "Elegance" is the achievement of an end with the least possible amount of unnecessary material/energy/movement/etc. and the greatest degree of aesthetic purity. Ouranon does not have anything that outsiders would recognize as a government. Individuals receive Instructions via a network of pneumatic tubes, or via another person given an Instruction to pass one to them. Individuals are expected to carry out Instructions in addition to performing productive work. Most Instructions involve giving a certain gift to a named individual or doing someone a favor. The person receiving the gift or favor enters a numerical Rating of the transaction into a mechanical keypad. The person carrying out the Instruction also Rates the transaction from their perspective. These numbers are all processed according to the Algorithms of Mah'iit, which keep track of individuals' various Rankings and reward them accordingly. The calculations are performed by a caste of Mathematicians using slide rules and Antikythera-style calculation machines. A Mathematician performing a calculation is not told who or what the calculation is for, so that they cannot bias the results. The results are then passed to a "Chinese Room" of people who collate and translate the results into Instructions. People who achieve high Rankings become more likely to receive high-Ranked (i.e. quality) goods and services when they enter in a Request. There is a monetary system that operates in parallel with this system, but money is also a number (like a Ranking, not physical coinage), and it has a negative interest rate (money atrophies over time as it is stored) to prevent concentrations of accumulated wealth. Ouranese value immaterial things over material things. It is generally considered better to acquire a new skill or have an especially profound or amazing experience or form a new relationship or gain leisure time, than to collect material things. Too many possessions "weigh one down." Status is tied to Rankings, skills, and personal qualities (courtesy, virtue, Elegance) rather than wealth and possessions, though the quality of a person's wardrobe and ornamentation will usually reflect their Rankings. Ouranese consider it boorish to use more words than necessary, especially when combined with loud speech. This is due in large part to the acoustics of the City itself: a shout reverberates around the dome and can be heard on the other side of the City, seemingly coming from an odd direction or next to the hearer. The Ouranese also have a rich language of gesture that lets them do much of their communication without disturbing the tranquility of others. Once Ouranese children learn the basics (literacy, the sacred principles of Number and geometry, the rules of proper behavior and personal hygiene, etc.), they are expected to seek their Assignment. Over later childhood and adolescence they are introduced to a range of (what we would call) extracurricular activities and aptitude tests and Ranked on their performance, while they give their Rankings for their enjoyment of the activity. Algorithms balance these figures against the economic needs of the City so that in theory, each person can be slotted into an Assignment to which they are best suited and where they are most needed. Unpleasant, unskilled jobs like cleaning public toilets are assigned by turn as Instructions rather than given as permanent Assignments. It is considered virtuous to accept, and take pride in, one's Assignment. One can register an Appeal into the system (at a significant cost in Ranking points), but one is still expected to perform their Assignment as well as possible while waiting for an Appeal to be processed. Ouranese tend to view the outside world as messy and random, more affected by Kaos than their own realm. They are strange to Outsiders, and vice versa. While an Ouranese would be likely to heed an Instruction almost without hesitation, they might be shocked, even repulsed by the idea of obeying a person (like a king or lord). People from the other Nations might see them as aloof, arrogant, or even strange and inhuman. Ouranon's most prized export is silks produced by eusocial (similar to ants and bees in our world) spiders with which the Ouranese have a very close relationship. The translucent fabric of their Sphere and the colored fabrics of most of their structures are made of spider silk. Through selective breeding and providing different types of foods to their spider-hives, the Ouranese can produce different silks with desired characteristics (translucence, opacity, strength, stretchiness, etc.). Demon: Nyx the Three-Faced Nyx is a demon of horrific aspect, with six arms and a head with three faces that rotates to place the (temporarily) dominant face in front. Her three faces are Ignorance (of the willful "I don't want to know" sort), Madness, and Will to Power. The faces continuously argue in hideous discordant shrieks as each personality struggles for dominance of the body. Her flesh is translucent obsidian black, and it is said that anyone who looks upon the moving shadow energies within is reduced to gibbering insanity.
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Post by atlantis on May 14, 2013 9:16:18 GMT -5
Logos, I'm cool with having a seventh nation. The reason there were six was because it was all originally meant to be divided among three people.
I haven't got time to reply to the rest of what you've said because I've got to leave for work soon, but you've got awesome ideas and I'll go over them when I come back later tonight. ^.^
EDIT: I would add, however, that in creating a seventh god, you should decide what the 'opposite' of that god would be in the Kaosverse. What is the corresponding daemon like?
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 9:20:31 GMT -5
LOGOS! The daemon should be Stupidity/ignorance it would make for a pretty good "opposite".
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Post by Zabby on May 14, 2013 16:16:19 GMT -5
Country Name: Chalco (also people name)
Capital: Malinalco
Land: It is very warm and humid in Chalco. The flora and fauna are characteristic of what we would call a Tropical Rainforest. Most of the the landscape is Mountainous leading to hills, leading to the sandy beach and sea. The dense forest goes straight up to the coast. If you want a good picture of what this looks like, think of Brazil.
Appearance and Clothing: The Chalco are a tall and spindly. Their average height is from 5’9” to 6’3”. Their skin is a dark tone and their hair is black and curly. Both the men and women tend to wear the hair with buzz cuts, with the hair growing less than an inch away from the head at most. Eye color varies to almost every visible color, black and white are exceptions; purple and gold are very rare, with blue and green the most common.
The clothing of the Chalco is light, but not skimpy because of the weather. T-shirts, shorts, dresses, anything made of a fiber that breathes and allows heat to come off is warn. They wear a lot of neutral browns, red, tans, and greens. Anything that would blend into their environment. Precious metals are not warn as they are seen as a waste of resources if they were. There is no outward way of telling the council of elders from average citizens except on high holy days where they have ceremonial garb.
Culture: Chalco is one of the smallest countries, and it is quite insulated from the outside world. They live mostly in scattered tribal groups. There is one large capital city where a group of elders called the Council keep order amongst the tribes. The individual tribes run more like a family than they do like a government system. This emphasizes the value that the Chalco put on family above all else.
Most of the tribes live in tree houses, built up high in the Understorey layer of the forest. This protects the people from most of the animals on the grounds and they have gotten used to the animals in the trees.
The diet of the Chalco is strictly vegetarian. They do not hunt animals, and mostly eat legumes, fruits, rice, and other things. The Chalco have a very strong connection with nature. They view themselves as brothers and sisters in a family and the animals as their cousins. They believe that their god, Toci, put them on the earth to guard and keep care of their family and the world at large.
On this line of thinking, they do not seek fighting, but they are trained in traditional forms of combat. They are passed on as part of the children’s communal education. Each tribe raises children communally. They teach all the histories, stories, and legends of their people and their personal family to the children.
The Council is a group that resolves all problems both in a village and between villages. They are here to make sure that nothing disrupts the family of their country. The council is chosen with one representative from each tribe. When an tribe representative passes, all the children between nine and fifteen are gathered. They are put through interviews and other mental tests to see if they have the correct hearts and understanding of the philosophy to judge. If they pass, they are then trained from that age until they are thirty and able to take on full responsibility of judging the cases brought.
OT: Um... sorry I was half distracted when I wrote this, so it’s a little scattered. I hope it gives a good cover of everything I wanted to cover and gives you a good understanding of what I’m thinking. I’ll have the profiles of people set up soon.
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 16:37:55 GMT -5
Sooo.... Zabby's culture will have similarities with mine. But if the map provided were to be looked at like a globe, it would kinda make sense because they are close together.
EDIT: I had no intentions of them being similar. She just kinda "Beat me to the punch". However I tried to make obvious differences.
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 17:49:57 GMT -5
Meia is the land of jungles, volcanos, and beaches. The people of Meia (Known as the Meian) are under rule by their god Lotanni, The god of fire, faith, devotion, and passion. Meian culture is more tribal than most of the other countries. There are no borders other than the sea. Everyone is considered one giant family. Every house you see is everyone’s house. There are no distinctions. The ‘Capital’ of sorts is known as Almei. ( images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060804060334/finalfantasy/images/a/ad/Kilika3.jpg [/img]) Almei is the largest of the many different towns that cross Meia. The Temple of Lotanni in Almei is a beautiful construct and the most advanced building in all of Meia ( images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100125000639/finalfantasy/images/thumb/9/96/Kilika_Temple.jpg/599px-Kilika_Temple.jpg [/img]). While the people of Meia are of dark or tan complexion, Lotanni is described as a pale yet gorgeous young man. Depicted with white clothing and gold accents, he is quite beautiful. (Think the Itovan equivalent of Aphrodite. But male. Obvs.) There are a total of 6 important towns in Meia. Almei; the Capital, Lucun, Agnos, Tiam, Klilik, and Desch. Each of these towns have something significant about them and while Almei is the capital, no other location is quite as famous as Desch. Desch is located at the base of ‘Ero’ the volcano and ‘Iath’ the largest lake in all of Itova. Ero has been dormant for close to twenty years now, but the last time it erupted, Desch was completely destroyed. The houses were burned and buried under volcanic rock. Desch has been rebuilt since then but it is believed to be haunted. It has been known by the locals as “The land that Kaos cursed”. The people of Meia dress in loose and revealing clothing (It is not uncommon to see fully nude people walking around) to keep cool in the tropical heat. The people are assorted in skin tone, but the most common are tan and dark. Hair is almost always black. However, using seashells and different flowers, hair dyes are possible. Eye color ranges from the entire color spectrum. It is not uncommon to see colors such as red, purple, or even white-ish pink . The people are built with the bodies of athletes and models. Most are fit and muscular. Average height is 5’5 for females and 6’3 for males. The thing that would strike most travelers as odd about Meia is how happy people are. The people of Meia believe that every Meian is born of one giant family. However, there is a town across the Iath known as The Kas. The Kas are people that revolted from the way of Lotanni and started worshipping Kaos. Some believe that the Kas are responsible for the destruction of Desch. They are shunned by the rest of the inhabitants of Meia and are blamed for most troubles; the city of Lucun for example, is terrorized by attacks by giant gorilla like creatures. The people believe that these are the pets of The Kas, but other than that, Meia is a very peaceful place. This is not to say that they are weak. Hunting expeditions and exploration are quite common and proper equipment is needed for the job. Knives and bows are very common. But spears, swords, shields, chakram, boomerangs, and axes can be used as weapons too. Marriage is seen in a very peculiar way. The Meian believe that everyone is, at the age of 20, “married” to the entire country. Anyone under the age is required to go through schooling. They officially end their schooling on their 20th birthday, in which they are married to the community. Meaning, people last names are the same name as the town in which they were born. Because of this "community marriage" the people of Meia often choose one person as their lover and stay with each other even though they are not married to each other except through the community. Meians are taught to be devoted to the community and the family, rather than one person. (Yes this means that they are practically a huge polygamous country. However, this is not what Lotanni commanded at first. The priests have corrupted his teachings to justify their want to have multiple 'partners'. this will be addressed in My Saint and Humans posts.) The Meian people don’t travel outside of their country. Not because they dislike other people, but because they never had the interest to. They do sell a type of alcoholic beverage made from a mixture of several plants. Klilik is the city that makes this in the most abundance and will sell it to the other countries, but the other countries have to come to Meia to get it. The largest boat on Meia is a fishing boat.
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 17:54:30 GMT -5
Oh and here is a "map" of Meia. Kinda. (Purple should be Red, but I edited the picture after I wrote the key)
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 20:07:07 GMT -5
Name: Ylla Desch-Almei (E-la) Age: 21 Home: Almei, Meia. Appearance: These clothes (and blades) www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/333/f/d/yuna_ffx_2___thief_dressphere_by_greenpuffle-d33pj2i.png&imgrefurl=http://greenpuffle.deviantart.com/art/Yuna-FFX-2-Thief-Dressphere-187628490&h=810&w=900&sz=470&tbnid=p3wYiJ1yrzeMsM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=100&zoom=1&usg=__uNEhCnu18cIw6XKMcpK2druOrO4=&docid=x5H5Y1VS8e2bTM&sa=X&ei=EeGSUbFTiszTAdKrgOgP&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAA&dur=697 on this body myanimelist.net/character.php?id=3481Occupation: None. (Adventurer/trouble maker, if that counts.) Saint: Tamat, Patron Saint of Visions and Dreams. Bio: Ylla was born in Desch about 6 days before the eruption of Ero. Her entire family was killed in the explosion. Her parents, whose names go unremembered, put their daughter in cradle made of rock and covered it in leaves that were known for its toughness. The blast was loud enough that the people of Almei heard and quickly sent a rescue team. The next day, Ylla was found asleep in her cradle by a young man named Itulei. She was taken back through the jungle to Almei where Itulei and his lover, Leos, lived. Ylla was considered the “Blessed Child” throughout Meia. She and the four other survivors were welcomed into Almei with a large celebration. When the question arose as to who the parents of the child (who was unnamed at the time) arose, Itulei and Leos quickly claimed her and gave her the name Ylla, after Leos’s mother. Since then, Ylla was given the life of any other Meian. While she was in her schooling, she was the lowest of her class. She would’ve preferred to be out in the jungle exploring or jumping off of water falls. She got in trouble many times for sneaking out of school to go explore caves and climb trees. When she turned 20, she was welcomed into the marriage and was sought after by many males to be their lover, but she denied them all. She didn’t believe that community marriage was acceptable. She thought that love should be between two people. But the culture disagreed, so she held her tongue. For the past year, she has been training with Itulei with the use of knives and how to hunt. When she isn’t needed in the village, she is most likely out finding ways to get her adrenaline pumping and her curiosity sated. Which never happens.
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Post by Zabby on May 14, 2013 22:14:44 GMT -5
Sorry about stealing your idea TK. I'm sure our society will turn out differently though as I feel like they value different things. If you don't mind, I'd like to PM you about stuff.
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Post by Bhunivelze on May 14, 2013 22:25:41 GMT -5
Oh yeah, no problem Zabs.
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