The Goblin King — Roleplayer Guild

ᎧᏒᎥᎶᎥᏁᏕ
ᎧᏒᎥᎶᎥᏁᏕ

The goddess Asakel once walked alone on a barren world with only the stones to keep her company, and she was lonely.  To ease her loneliness, she gave life to fragments of her own spirit in the form of animals, and for a time this made her happy.  She loved her creations, but they could not talk and think as she did, and eventually she grew lonely once again.  She pondered her loneliness for many seasons until she came to a conclusion when she happened upon a baby sparrow which had fallen from its nest.  There was little she could do to save it, but before its spirit faded she took it and transformed it into a child.  This, Kesuuri, was the first human and the first ancestor.  The child grew, and she could think and speak as Asakel did, and the goddess was happy. 

Eventually, Kesuuri grew lonely as well, as the only of her kind, and so to ease this Asakel transformed a dying fang cat into a man.  This was Darru, the second ancestor.  The two fell in love and were married, and had children.  Their children grew, and had children of their own, and over time humans spread across the land.  Her brother, Jekdurr, the god of death, was greedy and jealous of Asakel's power over the world.  From the time she had begun to split off pieces of herself, his servants had begun to claim them secretly as his own.  He corrupted the humans into turning against the Mother Goddess, and when their hearts were filled with greed and violence, the vultures, his servants, would devour them and carry their souls to him.  Asakel found that she could not watch and care for all humans as she walked among them, and so she rose into the sky and spread her many eyes across it so that she could guide all the many tribes. 

We are the descendants of Kesuuri and Darru, and the creations of Asakel the Mother Goddess.  However, we must be careful not to fall to the temptations of the trickster god Jekdurr- greed, envy, bloodlust, arrogance- for if we do he will devour our bones and our spirits will be lost forever.  Follow the ways of Asakel, provide for your tribe, respect our ancestors, and carefully guard the bones of the dead.  These are the stories and teachings we have passed down for generations, from the parents of our parents of our parents, all the way back to the first ancestors.  This tribe has lived and flourished and died by these teachings, as will our children.  So long as these teachings live on, so will our spirits, until all creatures have returned to Asakel.

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ᗩᏰᎧᏬᏖ ᏖᏂᎥᏕ ᏒᎧᏝᏋᎮᏝᗩƔ
ᗩᏰᎧᏬᏖ ᏖᏂᎥᏕ ᏒᎧᏝᏋᎮᏝᗩƔ

This roleplay is that of a very primitive hunter-gatherer tribe in some point of prehistory.  The setting is roughly Ice Age-ish, with mastodons and cave lions being relatively common sights, and the climate being cold and unforgiving.  Any mixture of north American and northern European flora and fauna is appropriate, modern or Ice Age, so long as it fits the overall feeling and tone of the roleplay- this is somewhat of a fantasy, so we're not necessarily going for complete historical accuracy, though it should still fall within the realm of general believability.  For the most part, this is a "slice of life" sort of roleplay following the day-to-day lives of the tribe people.  However, more intense plots may occur as time goes on, and they may lead to the deaths of characters, from violence, starvation, sickness, or other things.  Life is fairly harsh here, after all.  So while I will certainly never force someone to kill their character, you should be willing to at least consider killing off some of your characters occasionally for dramatic effect, if it's a death you feel would be a good ending to a character's story.

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ᑢƲᏝᏖƲᏒᏋ
ᑢƲᏝᏖƲᏒᏋ

ᏰᏋᏝᎥᏋʄᏕ
ᏰᏋᏝᎥᏋʄᏕ

The people of this tribe worship the Mother Goddess Asakel, She Of A Thousand Eyes, who watches over them from the night sky.  They believe that she brought life to the world, and that their souls- and the souls of all animals- are a part of her that will return to her when they die.  However, spirits may occasionally be allowed to visit the living, sometimes appearing in the forms of animals or other natural phenomena in times of need.  Should they become corrupted by evil, their souls will be cut off from her and instead be stolen by Jekdurr, the Trickster God.  Evil spirits may also sometimes visit the living, but seek to corrupt them rather than guide them, and it is the duty of the druids to tell good spirits from bad ones.

The tribepeople believe that a creature's soul resides in its bones, and therefore a way to control it- or other ways for Jekdurr to steal away spirits- is to take possession of its bones.  Thus, vultures and other scavengers that feed on bones are thought to be evil minions of Jekdurr.  For this reason, members of the tribe are burned when they die, and any pieces of bone left over are crushed to powder and scattered, so that Jekdurr cannot lay claim to their souls.  Thus, it is very important to the tribe to be able to retrieve the bodies of their fallen kin and lay them to rest correctly.

Because this belief about bones holds true for regular animals as well, anything made with bone is thought to contain a part of that animal's spirit, and is expected to be treated with respect, or else the spirit- and Asakel, but extension- may be angered.  It is important that those who keep objects made of bone- tools, jewelry, and other items- know the story of the animal from which it was made, what it was and how it died.  It is also thought that in times of great need, these items may be ritually destroyed in an attempt to summon the spirit of that animal to help by lending their strength and skills, or in other ways.  It is important the bones used in this way have been utilized practically; to use bone to create frivolous items, or to hoard them for the express purpose of summoning or controlling their spirits, is seen as disrespectful and even evil.

ᏰᎥᏒᏖᏂ, ᏝᎥʄᏋ, & ᕲᏋᗩᏖᏂ
ᏰᎥᏒᏖᏂ, ᏝᎥʄᏋ, & ᕲᏋᗩᏖᏂ

When a child is born, no one but the parents and druids are to look upon it for three days following its birth.  Once it is cleaned, a white mark is painted on its forehead, which is meant to attracted the attention of Asakel and incur her blessing.  If the marking fades before the third day, it is seen as a sign of bad luck.  After the third day, the longer the mark remains the better fortune the child is thought to have in life.  Finally, as the child's third night sets in, if they are still alive and healthy they will be presented to the entire tribe and given their name.  If the child is weak, this ceremony may be delayed until the druids feel it is safe.  Children are never named and presented until it seems they have a good chance at survival.

Names in the tribe are often short sounds with little or no meaning.  They are often named after deceased tribe members, such as grandparents, or else their names may be variations or combinations of their parents' names.  However, children may sometimes be given word-names of things their parents like, such as being named after plants or animals.  These names are less common, though, and usually only given in honor of a significant event.

Children usually remain with their birth parents for only about six months, during which time a new set of parents are typically relieved of the bulk of their duties so as to bond with the child.  After this time, parents do remain in their child's life, but most of their care is turned over to the tribe's firetenders, so that the parents may return to their usual duties.  Children begin learning about the different roles they may take in the tribe from a young age, and begin light training at about 10.  However, it isn't until 13 that they are to choose once and for all what role they want to pursue and master.  From this point on, they are considered an apprentice and will spend most of their time with people from that group.  While all members of a particular role are encouraged to help teach an apprentice, they often gravitate towards two or three people in particular who help them teach the skills they need, often (but not always) a parent or other close relative.  An apprentice is usually considered adept when they reach about the age of 17, true adulthood, and no longer need supervision to perform their duties.

When a child reaches six years of age, the shapers of the tribe will begin carving a totem out of stone for the child.  It may take many shapes, but usually comes in the form of a rounded pillar which is carved with natural or abstract patterns, and generally given a simple face as well.  This totem is blessed by the druids and presented ceremonially to the child when they reach 17, is symbol that they are now and adult and their fate is being put in their hands.  From here, the child may continue to carve, paint, and otherwise manipulate their own totem.  Because of the work and care that go into them, and their uniqueness, this is often considered the most valuable and symbolically important object a tribe member might possess.  Because their bodies are burned when they die and leave no grave, this is also the method by which those after them remember them, and is thought to help guide their souls back to the tribe in times when they need their help and wisdom. 

Eventually, most members of the tribe do choose to marry.  Because the tribe is largely communal, marriage is not about controlling inheritance, possessions, or reproduction, but is rather looked at as a permanent bonding of souls together.  It is highly sacred and not to be taken lightly.  Therefore are no consequences to having children out of wedlock, so long as they are loved and cared for, and plenty of tribe people do choose to have romantic relationships without the promise of marriage.  Similarly, marriage between people of the same sex is not frowned upon, because it is an act of spiritual love and dedication rather than the expectation of producing children.  It is also not an intrinsic promise to be monogamous (though it may be- that is to be decided between the couple themselves).  Rather, it is a demonstration that two people feel so strongly connected to one another that they feel their very souls should be bound together in life and death.  In rare circumstances, those feelings may even be platonic- they just have to be very, very strong.  To propose, a person will gift their life totem to the person they wish to marry, by any method they choose.  If the love interest wishes to say yes, they will in turn give the proposer their own life totem.  The exchanging of totems is a symbol that they trust each other with not only their lives, but their souls.  If the answer is no, the original totem will simply be returned to its owner. 

Weddings themselves always take place on clear new moon nights, when the stars- Asakel's eyes- are not dimmed by the moon or any other light.  From the night before, no one except the immediate kin (parents, siblings, and children) of the betrothed may visit them, not even each other.  During this time, the family will spend time painting intricate designs and patterns across the person's body in a chosen color (shared by both betrothed).  A bonfire is lit at dusk, and will not be fed for the rest of the night.  The tribe will sing, dance, and eat as the fire burns out, and only once darkness has fallen may the betrothed coupled emerge, cloaked entirely in white furs, and their face covered by a mask.  They may not acknowledge each other.  They may acknowledge others in the tribe, but may not speak.  When the fire burns down to embers, only then may they remove as many of the pelts as they feel comfortable with (up to becoming entirely naked if they so choose) to reveal the designs on their body, and acknowledge each other by joining hands.  Though they may touch, they still may not speak until they join hands and the druids connect the lines on their hands and arms together to form one unbroken pattern.  At this point, the ritual is considered complete and they are as one, and may once again speak.

Finally, the last important milestone in any tribe member's life is that of their death.  Their body is returned to the village, cleaned by the druids and prepared for cremation by the deceased's close kin and friends, which may include leaving important items (including their totem) with the body and painting designs on it.  The body is then shrouded in the pelt of a white mastodon, a relic that has been passed down through the generations and is painted with many symbols to ward off Jekdurr, and carried to the top of the highest hill in the area, the rocky peak known as the Overlook.  The person closest to them, usually their spouse, is the one to carry a lit torch from the village to the Overlook, where the body is placed upon a pre-prepared pyre.  There, when the body is unshrouded, other tribemates will cover the body in flowers, feathers, and other last gifts.  Finally, the pyre is lit.  The druids are expected to remain until the body has burned to nothing but ash.  They will ensure that any shards of bone left are reduced to powder and scattered, and then they will remove the soot-stained totem and place it in the Cave of Ancestors.

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ᏒᎧᏝᏋᏕ & ᏂᏋᎥᏒᗩᏒᑢᏂƔ
ᏒᎧᏝᏋᏕ & ᏂᏋᎥᏒᗩᏒᑢᏂƔ

Chieftain:  The role of chieftain is a hereditary position passed down from parent to child (though never from chieftain to spouse).  The chieftain is meant to guide the tribe in day-to-day activities and struggles, provide wisdom, as well as make final decisions on major events such as when to go to war or when to cast a person out.  However, they don't do this alone; rather, they also seek the insight and wisdom of the druids, as well as the elder members of the tribe.  Though the tribe is not expected to follow the chieftain without question, they are expected to be respectful and generally obedient (though if they feel something is a bad idea or unfair, they are certainly permitted to say so, but they are expected to follow final decisions).  If a chieftain is no longer fit to lead, due to health, personality, or other circumstances, it is up to the druids to remove them from power.  Similarly, it is the druids' role to decide which of a chieftain's offspring is most suited to take their place. 

Druids:  Druids are the spiritual leaders of the tribe, as well as their healers.  They make use of the limited medicinal plants and practices that the tribe has access to, and also use their faith to (supposedly) help heal their tribemates.  They are meant to be wise in spiritual and moral matters, as well as matters of fate, and tribe members may seek their help in personal issues both minor and major.  The druids, in turn, may consult the spirits with rituals and divination to help guide their tribemates to the correct answer.  While there may be multiple druids in a tribe, there are almost never more than three.  Druids do not choose to become druids, but rather are chosen from infancy by the druids before them, usually for physical abnormalities (such as an extra finger, strange birthmarks, or differently-colored eyes, or even things that are more significant, but survivable) or else unusual circumstances around their birth (such as being born during an unusually severe storm).  Rarely, there may be things that mark a person as a future druid later on, during childhood or (very, very rarely) during early adolescence, but never as an adult. 

Firetenders:  Firetenders are people who serve the needs of the village by doing cooking, cleaning, looking after children, making sure fires stay lit (thus their name), and any multitude of other small tasks needed to keep the village kept and make sure others can keep performing their duties smoothly.  Most of the people fulfilling this role are elders, people who have lived long enough that they feel their bodies are beginning to- or will soon begin to- fail them in ways that mean they can no longer comfortably or safely perform their previous role.  However, this may also be a way for people who would be otherwise unable to perform more difficult work to serve the tribe, such as people who have been injured or suffer from chronic illnesses.  

Hunters:  Just as the name suggests, hunters are the people who venture out into the wilderness to hunt and trap animals for supplies and food.  Though they may employ a number of different methods to catch their prey according to their strengths and skills, all hunters are at least relatively physically fit, strong, and adept at moving confidently and stealthily through the forest.  All are trained with some sort of weapon, be it a spear, knife, or bow, and all know how to identify, track, kill, and clean game.  These are also the tribe members who generally serve as warriors when it comes to conflict with beasts or- very rarely- other tribes, though they are not the only tribe members who are ever able to use weapons.  While it is probably the most prestigious role, it is also the most dangerous, and very, very few hunters live to become firetenders instead. 

Seekers:  Seekers are people who gather materials for the tribe, whether food or items to be used in crafting, or medicinal herbs and other religious items.  They must have a good eye and memory; they may not know what everything is used for, but they sure as hell know what it is, how to identify it, and where to find it.  It is probably considered one of the least prestigious roles, since it mostly involves a lot of walking around and picking things up, but that makes it no less important.  In fact, their in-depth knowledge of the landscape and what's in it can prove invaluable even to the most skilled of hunters at the most unlikely of times.  It's also a very good role for people who like to explore but aren't so fond of the thrill of the chase, as it were. 

Shapers:  These are the crafters of the tribe, who use the materials gathered by hunters and seekers to make into useful items- such as tools, clothing, or baskets- for use by the tribe.  Though all shapers know the basics of how to create most items, many have different specialties; one may be a master of creating tools but know little about creating clothing, while another may be adept at building and maintaining structures and know nothing of basket weaving.  Thus, shaper is a very broad term to describe any crafter, but many do tend to be a little more specific in describing their exact specialty.

Children:  Any person under the age of 13.

☾ ✧ ✰ ✴ ✩ ✵ ✰ ✬ ☽
☾ ✧ ✰ ✴ ✩ ✵ ✰ ✬ ☽


ᏒᏋᎶᎥᎧᏁ
ᏒᏋᎶᎥᎧᏁ


The tribe lives at the edge of a river which flows from the mountains, protected by rolling hills and forests.  Much of the surrounding area is covered in pine forests, but to the southwest is open tundra.  Beyond that, in the west, is open sea.  In the north and west, the hills turn to tall, snow-capped mountains, where the tribe rarely venture due to the dangers of the cold and wild animals.  Within what they consider their own land, there are several landmarks.  The most important of these, obviously, is the village.  Just southwest, about a 20 minute walk away, is the overlook, a large, rocky hill that juts out to a cliff.  To the east, about an hour's walk away, is the Cave of Ancestors, a large cave near the base of one of the mountains.  Far to the south, across a good stretch of tundra and a couple hours' walk, are the Geyser Pools.  These are shallow pools of water left behind by the geysers that spray here, coated with colorful minerals to make the pools look different colors.  It is a good place to find brightly colored rocks and clays for paints and dyes, and is also a good place to bathe, since the water is always so warm.  However, one has to be careful not to be sprayed by the boiling water from an erupting geyser.  There is a small stream that flows west out of the pools and to the ocean.  Farther south than that are a set of cliffs overlooking the sea.  Part of them has jagged rocks at the bottom, and it's generally a good plan to steer clear of the cliffs altogether.  [more landmarks to be added as we go]

There are other tribes that live nearby, but they are a distance away and very rarely make contact.  When groups of seekers or hunters do encounter other tribes, the encounters are usually friendly, but there have been times of conflict in the past.

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ᎮᏝᎧᏖᏕ
ᎮᏝᎧᏖᏕ

Nothing concrete yet & open to suggestions.  Thinking of something like a pack of wolves stalking the area or something to start- something fairly small, but threatening.  Up for some in-tribe drama as well. 

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ᑢᏂᗩᏒᗩᑢᏖᏋᏒᏕ
ᑢᏂᗩᏒᗩᑢᏖᏋᏒᏕ

ᑢᏂᎥᏋʄᏖᗩᎥᏁ
ᑢᏂᎥᏋʄᏖᗩᎥᏁ

Magura - @The Goblin King

ᕲᏒƲᎥᕲᏕ
ᕲᏒƲᎥᕲᏕ

Tsuka - @The Goblin King
[2 open]

ʄᎥᏒᏋᏖᏋᏁᕲᏋᏒᏕ
ʄᎥᏒᏋᏖᏋᏁᕲᏋᏒᏕ

text

ᏂƲᏁᏖᏋᏒᏕ
ᏂƲᏁᏖᏋᏒᏕ

text

ᏕᏋᏋᏦᏋᏒᏕ
ᏕᏋᏋᏦᏋᏒᏕ

text

ᑢᏂᎥᏝᎴᏒᏋᏁ
ᑢᏂᎥᏝᎴᏒᏋᏁ

text

☾ ✧ ✰ ✴ ✩ ✵ ✰ ✬ ☽
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ᑢᏂᗩᏒᗩᑢᏖᏋᏒ ᏕᏂᏋᏋᏖ
ᑢᏂᗩᏒᗩᑢᏖᏋᏒ ᏕᏂᏋᏋᏖ

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The Goblin King Member

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