Notes On Maesda
A catch-all post to describe the cultural background common to Maesdans.
The Lovers, Absum and Adea
In order to understand anything at all about Maesdan culture, it's first necessary to know their gods; Adea, the Lady of Creation and Chaos, and Absum, the Lord of Destruction and Order. All Maesdans acknowledge the existence of these two gods; they interact with their world far too frequently to permit any skeptics. Collectively, the two are known as The Lovers, and establish a deep-seated theme in Maesdan philosophy of complementary opposites. Less ubiquitously, but still frequently, Maesdans attribute the existence of various celestial bodies to their presence; Absum is the sun, Adea the moon, and their many children are the stars. Appeals to either of the Lovers are traditionally made as though addressing these bodies.
Similarly, both of the Lovers have a number of subdomains that are attributed to them, collectively making up the whole of creation. For instance, Absum is the patron god of smiths, craftsmen, warriors, and so on, with the common thread of discipline and service to the community. Likewise, Adea is understood to be a nature goddess, both on land and at sea, as well as the matron of all forms of art, and her many worshippers include those who are close to nature, most adopting an attitude of everyone pulling their own weight and enjoying the bounties of their labors.
It should also be noted that, despite their naming and titles, neither Absum nor Adea is understood to be strictly sexed. Absum is traditionally described as male, but various sects have been known to describe him in feminine terms instead, referring to her as Absae to avoid confusion, to relatively little controversy. Likewise, Adea is sometimes referred to as Adei and depicted as male, with no particular fuss being made over his image being presented in this fashion.
Aspects of the Gods in Humans
Following the theme established by the Lovers, most Maesdans believe in the concept of duality within individuals; an aspect following Absum (Absumnal) and an aspect following Adea (Adean). The former compels people toward order and strength, to hold fast in the face of adversity, and generally toward stability, while the latter compels people toward change and growth, to explore themselves and the world around them, and generally towards restlessness. They interweave too well for anyone to not have both, but a severe imbalance can result in extremely unhealthy people and habits, such as stubbornness and bigotry in the case of Absumnal dominance or cowardice and selfishness in the case of Adean dominance.
Lords, Ladies, and the Afterlife
For the most part, Maesdans do not believe in an afterlife. Rather, they believe that the soul is a physical part of the body, specifically the heart. So long as the heart is preserved, so is the soul; for all practical intents and purposes, there is no distinction drawn between them. The closest thing Maesdans have to permanence is Lordship/Ladyship, a special status granted by one or both of the Lovers. Lords and Ladies are ageless and immortal, unable to die of natural causes, or possibly even at all. To date, the only way a Lord or Lady has been successfully dispatched has been through the careful removal of their heart, which still hasn't killed them so much as rendered them impotent.
Lords and Ladies, as the name implies, have special authority within Maesdan society, rolling up attributes of sainthood, nobility, and general experience all into one being. Furthermore, being immortal as they are, Lords and Ladies are able to commune directly with the Lovers, solidifying their status as moral agents, for better or for worse. This communication is vital to their role in Maesdan society; Absum and Adea do not, and some theorize cannot, intervene beneath a certain scope within their creation, so in order to speak with them, it is necessary to either talk through a third party or suffer through some form of a cataclysmic event. Most people have a strong preference for the former.
The Code of Chivalry
A set of universal guidelines for knights, nobles, and commoners alike, the Maesdan code of Chivalry outlines a series of values that most try, with varying degrees of success, to live up to. They're intentionally vague and open to interpretation, as even themselves, Maesdans recognize that there are many different and conflicting ideas of what is right and fair... but at the same time, most agree to a common sense of wrong, and knowingly violating the code, particularly as an authority figure, is a quick way to earn scorn from their fellows.
The tenets of the code are as follows:
I: To thy Lord and Lady be faithful, in all things. No law shall be higher than this.
II: In all things be earnest; let no false words fall from thy tongue nor false gifts from thy hands.
III: In all thy dealings, pledge thy whole heart to thy actions, so that thou may stand resolute or be moved wholly.
IV: Share freely what is thine, from thy coin to thy talent.
V: Bear thee always the burden of gladness; for thy kin, bear it again.
The Druidic Guide to Prosperity
[Context to be added later]
I: Know thyself, and to thy own self be true, for thou art thy only master.
II: Life is a game, and to its victor goes its spoils; begrudge not thy rival for their success, nor thyself for thy failure.
III: What is thine, treat as precious; what is not thine, doubly so.
IV: Above strength, above swiftness of foot, above stoutness of heart, there is sharpness of mind. Maintain it always, and it will serve thee better than a sword of keenest edge.
V: Do not pursue fleeting joys over lingering pleasures; a fool is wealthy for a day and a pauper for a lifetime.
Nomenclature
Most Maesdans have three names; a given name, a middle name, and a surname. The given and middle names are usually chosen by their parents arbitrarily, with the given name being chosen by the parent of the same sex and the middle name being chosen by the parent of the opposite sex. (So, for instance, Siana Morwen Ty-Maldwyn was named Siana by her mother and Morwen by her father, while Arthfael Percival Ty-Maldwyn was named Arthfael by his father and Percival by his mother.) The origins of this trace back to an age-old compromise in the early days of Maesdan history, as a way to allow both parents an absolute say on the matter, with the favoritism of the first name being potentially pushed aside at the child's discretion.
Surnames are slightly more complicated. In general, a Maesdan surname is simply the name of their place of origin or potentially a personal or inherited epithet of some significance. (For instance, Kyrie of Redmont is from a place called Redmont, while Braon Hexenborne chose an epithet for herself, the significance of which is currently known only to her, and her children will
also be Hexenbornes if they do not choose otherwise.) The exception is for those who can trace their bloodline (in either direction) to a Lord or Lady; they are referred to as being from "the House of [X]", or "Ty-[X]", using the language of the land. In the event of someone belonging to multiple Houses (i.e. being the son of a Lord but the grandson of a different Lord), the closest relative holds priority. (So Arne Ty-Skuld, the direct descendant of Lady Skuld the Dragonslayer, were he to marry Siana Ty-Maldwyn, would thereafter be Arne Ty-Maldwyn; he'd be Maldwyn's son-in-law and Skuld's great-something-or-other-grandson.) Fraudulently claiming to be a member of a House is an excellent way to personally bring down a Lord or Lady's wrath on oneself, but there is no such compulsion to identify as a member of a House if one does not wish to. (Which is why Braon's proper surname is Hexenborne and not Ty-Braeg, despite being Lord Braeg's niece.)
Sponsorship
On coming of age (fifteen), most Maesdans submit themselves to a given Lord or Lady as willing servants and students, either following a chosen career path or seeking the counsel of a proven source of wisdom. The relationship is intended to be mutual; the sponsor gains a follower, and the follower gains guidance and protection. This sponsorship can only be entered by mutual agreement; a Lord or Lady may not compel a youth into becoming their follower, nor may a youth attempt to force a Lord or Lady to take them under their wing. If there are no sponsors available, it is generally considered acceptable to seek sponsorship from another authority within the community instead, such as the local sheriff or priest. Sponsorship from a parent is considered redundant and invalid; familial loyalty is already a given, and such nepotistic relationships do not strong communities make.
Courtship and Marriage
Even in poor families, most marriages are soft-arranged from early childhood. While the ultimate choice of whom to marry is always left up to the individual, most often the favorite for this choice is a childhood friend, introduced by each family's parents at a relatively early age. These relationships will then be cultivated by both families, as a way of bringing them both together; even if the planned marriage is derailed by a suitor later in life, this strategy still produces a trusted companion from childhood and strengthens the bond between the two families.
Marriages in Maesda are made strictly for the purposes of extending a lineage and are semi-obligatory. Being unmarriageable in Maesdan society is nearly the same as being unsociable, and as such does not reflect well on the unfortunate bachelor(ette), with the exception of refusing to marry for fertility-related reasons (this is actually considered noble, as it does not burden the bride/groom with a partner with whom they cannot have kids). Similarly, because marriages are used first and foremost as a means of procreation, they are strictly heterosexual in nature; while same-sex couples exist, they generally are not advertised as marriages and do not exempt the members as such. It is also considered extremely bad form to back out of a marriage, except in clear cases of abuse, as doing so is likely to destabilize the household; instead, the prevailing mores of Maesdan culture is to be slow to enter a marriage in the first place and to still generally favor the childhood friend as a suitor for exactly that reason.
Holidays and the Calendar
The Maesdan Calendar is divided into four ninety-day seasons, which are separated from one another by their various holy days. Properly enumerated, the calendar goes:
[Gwyndydd]
[Summer 1]
...
[Summer 90]
[Ysgwydd]
[Autumn 1]
...
[Autumn 90]
[Coffadydd]
[Cymodydd*]
[Winter 1]
...
[Winter 90]
[Genidydd]
[Spring 1]
...
[Spring 90]
[Dywelldydd]
[Gwyndydd] (new year)
Dywelldydd and Gwyndydd
Collectively, these two holidays form the Maesdan concept of a lover's festival. Given the nature of Maesda's principal god and goddess, it is, unsurprisingly, the biggest holiday of the year. Traditionally, it is a time to make and reaffirm vows between oneself, one's spouse, or one's betrothed. It is also considered
the time to officially propose. Typically, the proposal will be made on Dywelldydd, with the respondent giving their answer on Gwyndydd; a rash of impatient couples led to these proposals being pushed closer and closer to midnight so they would not have to wait as long for an answer, and so the end result is an anxious countdown comparable to modern new year's celebrations. The actual celebrations of Dywelldydd and Gwyndyyd are highly decentralized and vary from one household to another, but typically involve couples exchanging gifts, visiting locales that stir up sentiments between them, having romantic dinners, and so forth.
Coffadydd
Coffadydd is the Maesdan day of the dead, a time to remember those who have sacrificed their lives in service to their family, friends, gods, and country. Where most days of remembrance are somewhat melancholy in nature, Coffadydd is held as a time of joy, with the selflessness of the deceased going on to inspire goodwill in the living. The honored dead are honored still with stories and song, so that their heroism might never be forgotten. The theme of selflessness continues with the tradition of giving gifts during this time, usually bearing some significance to any deceased in the recipient's personal life, as a symbol of love that transcends even the grave.
Ysgwydd
Ysgwydd is the yearly celebration of friends, mentors, and camaraderie. As it coincides with harvest time, the occasion is marked with a public feast, typically served at a local tavern or inn. The holiday is otherwise quite disorganized, usually ending in games and revelry that takes weeks to clean up properly (thankfully, all of the harvest work is already done). Pranks especially are common, as is the exchange of sweets as a good-natured bribe to avoid any such trickery.
Genidydd
Genidydd is the yearly celebration of family. Children celebrate their parents and vice versa, siblings put aside all rivalries to enjoy one another's company, and spouses get another Gwyndydd, this time surrounded by other loved ones. Gifts are frequently exchanged during this time, most especially so to children. Strangely, Genidydd tends to align with a lot of birthdays, and for the young, the celebration is comparable to modern observances of the date; a meal among family, capped off with a sweet pastry shared between them and ritualized well-wishing.
[Cymodydd]
Cymodydd is unique among Maesdan holidays, in that it is only celebrated every fourth year. Cymodydd is a day of reconciliation, when old grudges and debts are symbolically put to death and relationships of all stripes are born anew. It's not required by any means, but the holiday thrusts the concept into the public consciousness on a regular basis; Cymodydd is a day to reflect on these things. At the end of the day, the local Lord hosts a brief ritual wherein the debtor and creditor approach their liege, announce the grievance they wish to reconcile, and have it formally canceled in front of the entire community.
Witches, Fiendlings, and Other Outcasts
Witches
Fiendlings
Also called the Horned Folk, fiendlings deserve a book of their own for all the complexities of their cultures, but in brief summary, they are human beings who have undergone a heart-eating ritual and take on a semi-monstrous visage. Without exception, every fiendling has pointed teeth, short, upward-curved horns growing from their foreheads, and claws growing in place of their fingernails. The ritual itself is part of the reason they are so despised by other Maesdans; it involves fostering a deep connection with someone and ripping their heart out before devouring it, consuming their soul in the process.
However, they generally do not spend all their time engaging in the ritual. By volume, most fiendlings only ever do it once, for the blessings the ritual confers (magical power in the form of enchanting, and a form of hyper-fertility). Those who aren't aware of the ritual might find them an entertaining sort of people; their favorite pastimes include making music, posing riddles, and good old-fashioned pranks. Music in particular plays a vital role in fiendling culture for resolving disputes, in a contest called
cath fili; as the one law they abide forbids them from harming their kin, they resort to psychological warfare instead, often culminating in public humiliation to song.
Fiendlings tend to form large clans, owing to the fact that a pair of them can produce upwards of hundreds of children in a lifetime. Complicating the matter is the fact that fiendlings do not generally practice monogamy, nor do they usually "settle down" in a single place; as such, these clans tend to intermingle in complex and occasionally (though not deliberately) incestuous ways.
The rest of Maesda generally views a large gathering of fiendlings to be unambiguously bad news, as the relationship between them is filled with mischief at the best of times and malice at the worst, and so frequently purge them from any land where they've been known to settle. Maesdan children are also often told stories about fiendlings in the woods, to encourage them to stay away and to bring word back to the adults if any are sighted.
Black Knights
So called for their habit of blacking out their armor to remove any signs of allegiance, black knights have a reputation in Maesda for being troublesome. Nearly exclusively the result of a knight being brought to disgrace, black knights have long been understood to be Maesdan nobility's answer to their society-wide suicide taboo; nameless, faceless, antagonistic, and carrying an implicit challenge to arms, they provide perfect, willing conquests for young knights seeking to earn fame. To further this cause, they will often make trouble for non-combatants, such as by extorting them for tolls on the road or barring travel outright, thus provoking a response from the local liege.
More subversively, some black knights are not, in fact, suicidal at all, but black out their masters' colors to carry out questionable missions and disassociate their actions with their liege. If they succeed, their identities and allegiances remain obscured. And if they fail, even after the fact, their liege may disavow them, saying they acted on their own behalf.
In both cases, with little way of telling them apart, the traditional method for dealing with black knights is to engage them in combat and fight to the death; should the black knight be defeated, they are to be buried in an unmarked grave in their armor, their identities never revealed. Should they emerge the victor, the defeated knight is sent back to their liege and buried with full honors; the black knight will usually take this opportunity to provoke friends and comrades into facing them instead, to continue the cycle until the black knight is either defeated or chooses to abandon their ways.
That said, some black knights have also been known to offer mercenary services, if the pay is right, and they are usually fairly willing to accept such an offer if given one. Either going into battle for pay will result in their deaths, or the funds they receive will fuel whatever clandestine quest they are on (or simply pay for room and board; dying of fatigue or starvation generally does not sit well with them).
Four Magics
Divine
Sorcery/Lunamancy
Enchanting
Animancy
Cursed Beings
Strigoi
After the great cataclysm in which Adea was lost, Absum took it upon himself to reshape the remaining beings in Maesda into strigoi, creatures resembling vampires which sustain themselves on the life forces of others. Despite this requirement, many maintain the sense of honor and integrity that they had in life, and are far removed from any sort of malice. They are very near true immortals, regenerating from any injury and no longer aging beyond their prime condition. However, this transformation still comes with a few drawbacks; the life forces they consume taint them over time, and if they have a preferred meal, they gradually take on physical and mental traits of said meals, resulting in twisted werebeasts. Additionally, contact with sunlight burns their flesh to ashes, and while they can regenerate from this, persistent injury taxes their healing abilities and speeds up their transformation into moroi (see below). They cannot benefit from consuming normal food, which takes energy to digest and doesn't contain the souls needed to sustain them. Finally, as they absorb the life forces of anything which enters their bodies, including microscopic life, they're all sterile, unable to reproduce by conventional means despite their physiology otherwise functioning normally.
Moroi
If a strigoi is unable or unwilling to eat, after a while, their body decays away until they are left as moroi, disembodied souls driven by hunger to consume anything they come into contact with. Lacking brains, they are unintelligent, and only become more so the longer they are left unable to feed. Fortunately, consuming other beings reverses this transformation, granting them use of a body again. Sunlight is lethal to them, and coming into contact with it grants them true, final death. The ones that aren't completely gone therefore avoid the sun if they can, but since they aren't smart enough to distinguish sunlight from any other illumination, a light source of any kind is enough to repel them. Usually.
Vorvolaks
A strigoi that consumes animals becomes more animal-like, as established. However, as the animals of Maesda were also affected by the curse, they sometimes turn the tables on their human counterparts and earn themselves a meal instead. The ones who can do it consistently develop into vorvolaks; man-eating beasts with astonishing cunning. While intelligent enough to have a concept of morality, most are still very dangerous to travelers, as they become what they are by eating people and have no particular inclination to stop or exempt a given person from the menu, and lack the ability to communicate properly regardless. As none of them eat humans exclusively, their appearances can be quite chimeric, piecing together attributes from both their predatory bases and preferred prey, resulting in worm-ravens, rat-snakes, mosquito-toads, and so on, assuming they haven't eaten enough people to take on a humanoid appearance instead. Being a specific sort of strigoi, they share in all their weaknesses as well, including sterility and vulnerability to sunlight.
Demons
Though technically speaking, every being that has undergone a fiendish transformation qualifies as a demon, the term itself is usually reserved for extremely bad cases. These humongous monstrosities are a horrific callback to humanity's draconic origins, rapacious beings that care for little more than the consumption of their next meal. Though intelligent, most of them are quite mad, internally tormented by the accumulation of many souls of conflicting natures. They maintain large territories which they systematically scour of all other forms of life, hunting down even the most meager of meals with terrible persistence. Realistically, for most people, slaying a demon is quite impossible; they regenerate from all wounds, and even the usual method of destroying or removing their hearts simply separates them into two or more lesser demons. Thankfully, that's usually still enough to momentarily incapacitate them, as these lesser demons are usually too preoccupied fighting and eating one another (eventually returning to their larger form) to pay any mind to intruders in their territory. However, the ones that still live in Maesda are all also strigoi, and therefore suffer terribly if exposed to the sun, avoiding it if at all possible.
{WIP}