| The Mercurian Empire http://hermertia.com/ |
|
| [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates http://hermertia.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1084 |
Page 1 of 2 |
| Author: | Petra Ravnikaar [ October 4th, 2016, 1:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
Title, Share your opinions on the Testificates, Villager Villages, Iron Golems and such like. Looking to get a vague consensus or breadth of feasible ideas for these mumblers and hrrrmmm-ers. To my knowledge, they are Mercurian Natives. Have they always been around? They possess the craft to create Iron Golems, reasonably advanced or clinging to an ancient knowledge that is obscure and not innovated upon. And anything else that's appropriate, Discuss! |
|
| Author: | The Regent [ October 4th, 2016, 1:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
Traditionally, Testificates were seen as descendants of proto-Mercurians. That is, during the Cycle of the Snake, the Empire of Man ruled ruthlessly over all other races (ironically, they did so in the vein of liberation, after the Cycle of the Moon had them enslaved for centuries by most of the Elf races). Man reacted against their enslavement by forcefully destroying the old systems, and subjugating non-humans. This is further ironic given Humans were helped to be liberated by Orcs and to a smaller extent Dwarves. In this Cycle, Humanity spread far and wide. They built vast mines, spread villages to every continent they could find, and caused an irreparable impact on our nature and environment. We are still finding traces of this past empire the more we spread. This cycle was a long one, and after many centuries, their power waned. Slowly, they lost touch with most of their descendants. Many, having lost this connection to the waning and soon dead Empire, became indigenous or local peoples in their own right. At least, this was the traditional lore for centuries. TL-DR: Testificates are descendants of the long-lost empire of man. This is also where the many mines we find come from. (Although surely some of the mines are from other sources, given Dwarves were excellent miners as well, although the Dwarves rarely extended beyond their various homelands (like Duroth)). |
|
| Author: | The Regent [ October 4th, 2016, 1:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
As for the rest of the questions (Golems for instance), I have no idea! I don't think our scholars of the past have a solid explanation. |
|
| Author: | Arcel [ October 4th, 2016, 3:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
I like the traditional lore explanation for them as well. As for golems, they seem a bit hard to explain without using magic. Technologically speaking, I very much doubt anyone in the empire could produce such advanced machines. |
|
| Author: | Cerdic Accynnafon [ October 4th, 2016, 4:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
I for one would rather there be "mystic" or "magical" explanations for Golems versus trying to say they are advanced machines created by humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, or some other sapient species. Yes, we have redstone, but you can't make something that acts like a Golem with redstone items attainable in survival. |
|
| Author: | King Tiber III [ October 4th, 2016, 4:51 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
I agree with the sentiments regarding it being magical as well. What kind of magical elements are very well up to interpretation, being blood magic, soul transplantation, runic elements, whatever else people may come up with. |
|
| Author: | Cerdic Accynnafon [ October 4th, 2016, 5:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
Yes, the national myths about magic I think are one of the best parts of our lore. It's very realistic (in terms of a diversity of origin myths and explanations), and fun. |
|
| Author: | Wysterian Labourer's Council [ October 4th, 2016, 5:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
Concerning golems: My pet theory for a time now has been that the Iron Golems we see in villages are the work of Native Mercurian Shamen (i.e. witches). It is fairly well-established in lore that of the witches we encounter in the world today, many act or acted as a type of shaman figure for their community or communities - while we don't know the extent of their historical significance given that these tribes were spread across the New World, we know that they had some level of medicinal and spiritual significance; it would not be a stretch to assume that some had at least a grasp of early magics or mystical arts, practiced particularly for the purpose of protecting their community. Now, we also know that Native Mercurians were engaged in limited mining, and so it is certain that they would have been able to obtain iron; in fact, they no doubt considered it one of the strongest materials they had. I therefore propose that some early shamen got it into their head to imbue a sort of vague, limited consciousness inside of an iron construct - this was not a mind on the level of a Mercurian, but rather a lumbering consciousness guided by a single idea - perhaps something along the lines of 'Protector' or 'Defender of the Homeland'. Especially in those early days, magic was an inexact work based on spirit and loose ideas. This vague idea of protection would go a great way to explaining the behaviour of Iron Golems. Defence of the community is the single thought that drives the construct, so they will attack hostile mobs on sight but ignore villagers. Outsiders (us) are not perceived as a threat unless we attack the community, whereupon the Golem's base instinct kicks in and it engages the threat to its community. Sometimes, just once in a blue moon, there is a hint that something deeper lurks under that base consciousness; villagers who witness Golems extending roses to children in a gesture of emotion that should not truly possess wonder if there may be more to the construct than they believed. But as the effectiveness of this half-metal, half-mystical construct became apparent in the dangerous early days of the New World, the idea caught on across the World. And as for the fact that we can build Golems as well? Some enterprising Hermertians have sought out shamen who still practice this custom to create Golems for their own purposes; it usually works well enough, though the magic remains inexact and based on limited expressions that can result in the golems turning on other Hermertians if they are considered a threat to their creator. |
|
| Author: | Septimus [ October 4th, 2016, 6:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
I am of the opinion that testificates are natives to the land, or as previously posited, proto-mercurians, sharing a common ancestor with humans, however isolated and developed outside of the empire. Members of the Brotherhood of the Golem hold the belief that Iron Golems are divine protectors. Seeing the evil which inhabits our world (Mobs), God created the iron golems in his own image and sent them to the overworld to protect those that need protection. Ofcourse this is simply the belief of small religious sect so this is by no means difinitive |
|
| Author: | Flanders [ October 4th, 2016, 6:33 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: [Meta] Monthly Lore Discussion: Testificates |
It could be a mix of both, nicks explanation is in depth and well thought out, but the religious aspect is equally an intriguing thought. It could be argued that the early shamans learned this technique from the gods themselves, though this concept is not agreed on by the entire empire and is disputed among scholars and religious followers. |
|
| Page 1 of 2 | All times are UTC [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group https://www.phpbb.com/ |
|