the valisen gods ;;
zefiryn ----- queen of the gods
sefina ----- goddess of spring and shadows
lisskadell ----- god of storms and skies
"nudge" ----- god of the beasts and the woods
"blackbird" ----- goddess of spirits and sleep, dreams and decay
nausicaa ----- god of death and new beginnings
rajentala ----- god of excess and ecstasy, music and matchmaking
lamorak ----- deity of perception and reality; personification of order
nimiane ----- deity of time and clairvoyance; personification of chaos
deity of water, oceans and luck
deity of the sun, fire and transformation
deity of the moon, ice and evolution
sefina ----- goddess of spring and shadows
lisskadell ----- god of storms and skies
"nudge" ----- god of the beasts and the woods
"blackbird" ----- goddess of spirits and sleep, dreams and decay
nausicaa ----- god of death and new beginnings
rajentala ----- god of excess and ecstasy, music and matchmaking
lamorak ----- deity of perception and reality; personification of order
nimiane ----- deity of time and clairvoyance; personification of chaos
deity of water, oceans and luck
deity of the sun, fire and transformation
deity of the moon, ice and evolution
the children of gods ;;antoinette, son of an Old God, the god of wings and the wind
cecille, illisha, zezili and darcelle, all children of the Old God of knowledge uschi, son of the god of winter and the moon quetzalxochitl, daughter of the god of the beasts and the woods |
the god-touched ;;zyanya, touched for her psychic abilities
medea, touched for immortality
bahiti, touched for her luck
|
the witches ;;
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the beasts ;;
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hotaru [familiar - n/a] [specialty - prophecies]
eira [familiar - io moth, nia] [specialty - poisons] gwenllian [familiar - zebra swallowtail, iwan] [specialty - mental manipulation] belisara [familiar - golden headed cistcola, sylvari] [specialty - big scale battle magic] |
peregrine "grey" --- morses
jackdaw "jackie" --- belluna zvoruna "rune" --- belluna muraco --- belluna caiman --- caedoel |
common superstitions & beliefs ;;
The superstition that all the countries have held onto is their belief in birds.
Birds are largely considered psychopomps, Old Gods visiting the mortal plane, ghosts given a fleeting shape or magicians' familiars. Birds are so ingrained in Valisen culture that no one really hurts them; and it is only under dire circumstances that one might ever be consumed. It is considered sacrilege to do so, to bridge the gap unintentionally between humans and the divine, and people have been cursed for far less.
Many of the gods reinforce this old belief in birds, though few humans believe in the pantheon like they used to. Nausicaa with his thirteen jewel-toned birds; Quetzalxochitl with her pinyon jay, whose eyes are far too seeing: Zefiryn with her kori bustard, the bird himself elevated to godhood singularly for the honor of standing at her side.
It is tradition for magicians to bond with an animal familiar, though a great many people have forgotten the reason why. (It has to do with shared powers; weaker magicians don't actually require familiars, but stronger ones need the presence of a familiar to balance out their magic.)
The majority of witches choose to bond with bird familiars, and it has become something of an expectation now. Magic-users who don't have a familiar, or have one that is not a bird, are largely considered inferior magicians.
With the exception of Hechiz (which regards magic with an inherent suspicion that none of the other countries share) magicians are appreciated and highly sought after. Their gifts tend to be specialized in some direction, though this is not a necessity. Weaker witches can largely perform only small-scale spells, and are useful for more subtle situations. Depending on the country in question, magicians are either hired or enslaved. The only reliable way to enslave a witch is by using another witch. Witches acquired when young (and thus malleable to a country's intentions) are preferred to any others.
NOTE: All magic-users are called "magician" or "witch", regardless of gender. All magic-users are in some way descended from the gods or regular mortals who were given powers from the gods. (The latter is called 'god-touched', and are considered somewhere between a witch or a demi-god, depending on presented abilities.)
If a person is directly descended from the gods and have abilities that surpass magicians they are considered demigods. Although Valise has a fading interest in their Old Gods they regard demigods with great interest, and are quick to call them by that title. It should be noted however that most people don't actually believe they're demigods (in the meaning of being the children of gods) but consider them just more powerful magicians. The term demigod caught on, and that's what used now never mind the belief.
Most people who are truly demigods do not admit to it, for the sake of keeping a low profile. There are some fanatics that wish to be closer to the Old Gods, and consider drinking the blood of a demi to be a way to achieving that. Demigods are also rarely stable individuals; the mingling of godblood and mortal is not usually very safe, and the vast majority of demigods live short, brutal lives. Most of them die in a burst of their own overwhelming magic before they're thirty.
Thirteen is considered a lucky number.
Birds are largely considered psychopomps, Old Gods visiting the mortal plane, ghosts given a fleeting shape or magicians' familiars. Birds are so ingrained in Valisen culture that no one really hurts them; and it is only under dire circumstances that one might ever be consumed. It is considered sacrilege to do so, to bridge the gap unintentionally between humans and the divine, and people have been cursed for far less.
Many of the gods reinforce this old belief in birds, though few humans believe in the pantheon like they used to. Nausicaa with his thirteen jewel-toned birds; Quetzalxochitl with her pinyon jay, whose eyes are far too seeing: Zefiryn with her kori bustard, the bird himself elevated to godhood singularly for the honor of standing at her side.
It is tradition for magicians to bond with an animal familiar, though a great many people have forgotten the reason why. (It has to do with shared powers; weaker magicians don't actually require familiars, but stronger ones need the presence of a familiar to balance out their magic.)
The majority of witches choose to bond with bird familiars, and it has become something of an expectation now. Magic-users who don't have a familiar, or have one that is not a bird, are largely considered inferior magicians.
With the exception of Hechiz (which regards magic with an inherent suspicion that none of the other countries share) magicians are appreciated and highly sought after. Their gifts tend to be specialized in some direction, though this is not a necessity. Weaker witches can largely perform only small-scale spells, and are useful for more subtle situations. Depending on the country in question, magicians are either hired or enslaved. The only reliable way to enslave a witch is by using another witch. Witches acquired when young (and thus malleable to a country's intentions) are preferred to any others.
NOTE: All magic-users are called "magician" or "witch", regardless of gender. All magic-users are in some way descended from the gods or regular mortals who were given powers from the gods. (The latter is called 'god-touched', and are considered somewhere between a witch or a demi-god, depending on presented abilities.)
If a person is directly descended from the gods and have abilities that surpass magicians they are considered demigods. Although Valise has a fading interest in their Old Gods they regard demigods with great interest, and are quick to call them by that title. It should be noted however that most people don't actually believe they're demigods (in the meaning of being the children of gods) but consider them just more powerful magicians. The term demigod caught on, and that's what used now never mind the belief.
Most people who are truly demigods do not admit to it, for the sake of keeping a low profile. There are some fanatics that wish to be closer to the Old Gods, and consider drinking the blood of a demi to be a way to achieving that. Demigods are also rarely stable individuals; the mingling of godblood and mortal is not usually very safe, and the vast majority of demigods live short, brutal lives. Most of them die in a burst of their own overwhelming magic before they're thirty.
Thirteen is considered a lucky number.