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  1. Organizations

Kingdom of Orisaar

Kingdom

A Firm Lineage

Saint Drang was the first Voice of the Cult of Aygir, and the first king of Orisaarland. For countless generations, his descendants have borne heirs in an unbroken line. Each heir has kept Hútanassë, his elven greatsword, and occasionally even carried it into battle. How the Orit sire came by an elven blade is a subject of fairy tales, and is much speculated on. Orit tend to be short in stature but tall in nobility. As long as history is recorded there has been a king in these islands. They do not war needlessly with other kingdoms, but they never shrink from a fight.

Titanic Traditions

Most families dedicate a room of the family home to the preservation and display of ancestral skulls. These are usually preserved and decorated with clay and paints to restore a lifelike appearance and arrayed in honor of their greatest exploits. Sea captains may sit on a plinth with a compass, for example.

Especially old and wealthy families preserve the entire bodies in this way, and the rooms can be quite large (or at least, large compared to rooms typically occupied by living Orit). Many use these rooms for the channeling (and occasionally, possession) of ancestral spirits. The Cult of Aygir offers a service that 'resurrects' the spirit to facilitate this practice.

The Knights of Orisaar charge into battle exclusively on foot, and are deadly in close quarters. They have a cultural dislike of the bow, the sling, and the spear. As a result of their close cohabitation and small island life, Orit stand very close to whom they are speaking, and prefer to speak quietly and politely. In combat, they comport themselves much the same.

Dinosaur Maritime Economy

Orit carriages, wagons, and barges are pulled by huge, duck-billed lizard creatures known as Hadrus. Small islands individually have limited resources, so the Orit developed intricate trading networks with neighboring islands to obtain necessary goods. Single-hadrus barges form the backbone of Orisaar commerce, but these are vulnerable to piracy. This goes some way to explain their cultural hatred for pirates. These beasts are exceptionally common in the Alchemy Bay, where they graze

Barge drivers with a Hadrus that's no longer good for labor have different ways of disposing of them. Poorer classes tend to knacker them for food and glue, or sell them to Pollies or fishermen, who use them for chum. The richer classes like to donate theirs to the military for 'training'. The highly religious will tend to sacrifice them to Aygir as a burnt offering.

The navy's fierce anti-pirate work has enabled them to harvest sugar in Midvale, which Orisaarland turns to rum. The rum is sent to Kurzmarch Ford, in order to import much-coveted spices and the finest paper. The main strength of The Orisaar Royal Navy is the mighty Wavetreader, a Hadrus-powered flat-bottomed boat that can field war machines and traverse the famously windless Swabbie Sea at great speeds. Certain types of specially equipped cargo Wavetreader can even navigate the Fum Alnahr.

Of course, the general lack of lumber on the small Sunsteda Bay Islands has necessitated a permanent outpost at Rantaan, which is strategically vital and well defended. Captains of Orisaar are known for two things: a love of strong drink and a hatred of pirates. They've won much honor by keeping the Swabbie Sea pirate-free and by distilling the most potent spirits in the land.

Gossipy Hardliners

Every Orit child longs to join a Danshópar, gaining renown and status through their fleet-footed feats. Yet when push comes to shove, few choose to Rassláttur in formal, high-stakes competitions. Many practice their steps in private, keeping their skills hidden until the moment they must defend their good name in the time-honored tradition of pikkslag. In Orisaar, this ceremonial dance is as essential as the sea itself. An art passed from generation to generation, honed through a lifetime of secret training. Those who disrespect them soon learn the folly of their words in an elaborately graceful spectacle of redemption.

On the cramped confines of the Sunsteda Bay Islands, privacy is a rare luxury. Doors stand unlocked, yet gossip spreads like wildfire through their tight-knit villages. Everyone keeps a hawk's eye on the comings and goings of neighbors and travelers. For better or worse, everyone knows their place within the community. This clannishness has its costs. Those who dare swim against the social tide soon find themselves ostracized. Nonconformists and rabble-rousers often self-exile to the freedom of the open waters, eking out lonely livings as fishermen or barge drivers. Their independence earns them a lasting stigma. Although every island has a thrifty trade in idle gossip, Orit take outright slander very seriously; simply being insulted or sworn at legally entitles bloody vengeance under Orisaar law*. Orit keep a very civil tongue while discussing others' personal lives, but they pull no punches on the dance floor. This explains why pikkslag is so central to their way of life.

*The best a slanderer can usually hope for is to be made an outlaw. Even assassinations are legally protected retribution for slander. The only cases where retribution has limits is in cases of arson or vengeance extending to innocent friends and family-members.

The Fish Games

On the beaches of Sunsteda Bay, a curious pastime holds sway. Orit children and adult hobbyists scour the sands for scuttling crabs, capturing the creatures to decorate their shells in vibrant designs. Then the real fun begins. They crowd around crude racetracks to spur their crustacean champions on to glory in the time-honored tradition of Fiskestíl, which include racing, obstacle courses, and the occasional crab brawl. These fast-paced games draw rowdy crowds from across the waters. Competitors carefully select champions from among the island's various large and medium sized crabs. Purple pinchers and red reef runners are especially prized for their speed. Crabs are placed at the starting line, painted shells glittering, before scrambling down hazardous courses strewn with small obstacles. Decorating the crabs with paints, beads, fake eyes, pennants, and even small wigs is common, as there are prizes for best decorated crab. Sometimes the winner is made into a town mascot, or commemorated in a pub sign. To spur them on, players wave tin noisemakers from either side of the track. Skilled competitors feed their crabs on a special diet of herbs, squid, and secret elixirs, and even train them. Races frequently end in pile-ups at corners or crab battles mid-course. Spectators roar with approval at unexpected brawls. It is not unheard of for brawls to break out among the crowd as a result.

In its darker past, nobles originally used polyvalve slaves in this cruel spectacle. Countless Pollies perished attempting to evade traps and fighting for their lives. The games were banned entirely after slave revolts from around RP 45 to RP 51. Today, they've returned as a mostly family-friendly pastime, but bitterness remains in some polyvalve communities. One year's national finals were disrupted when Pollies kidnapped the crab finalists and threw them from the Úpstytta.


The Danshópar of Sunsteda

Many Orit share a love of dance. Though the variations from island to island can be fraught, the Danshópar of Sunset Sound perform narrative dance routines collectively known as Rassláttur, or the "walking way". It was created by a cabal of nobles within the Cult of Aygir who sought to praise and emulate the titan race through dance, which has taken on central importance in Orit society, from conflict resolution to minstrelsy and courtship. Anyone who can't Rassláttur has poor prospects in Orit society. 

Rassláttur are expressive and gestural, always accompanied by skref, the percussion section of a Danshópar. Ceremonial drum cadres exist in the military for these purposes, but the far more prevalent "dock skref" is a folk style that employs a mixture of clapping, 'whaleboning', vocal percussion, and stomping in unison to create intense and complex rhythms that accompany the dance performances. Unlike most Orit culture, skref is highly universal between islands; a stranger from another island might not dance quite right, but a good skref pack will get the point across. 

When two Danshópar meet on the field of honor to see who's better or to settle a dispute, it is called a pikkslag. This is a good replacement for actual violence, but can often escalate if a loser refuses to admit defeat. The rules of a pikkslag are as follows:

Setup

  • Each Danshópar must have a skrefman, skref pack, or a ceremonial drum cadre (and at least one dancer).
  • If the dancer(s) have not trained with their skref pack, all their rolls are at -1d.
  • Both teams must have the same number of dancers, except during training.
  • Both teams must agree on the length of the pikkslag (between 3-6 rounds) and the stakes of the outcome.
  • Common stakes are a cash pot, turf rights, some dispute, or simply renown.

Round Structure

  • Each dancer rolls Coordination + Perform (Dance) in order to succeed along with their Danshópar.
  • Each dancer must succeed each round to avoid losing points. If multiple dancers on one side fail their rolls, the pikkslag ends in favor of the least failing Danshópar.
  • The difficulty begins at two and increases by one each round (e.g. Difficulty 2 on round 1, and Difficulty 5 by round 3). The skref beat progressively intensifies towards the climax of the story.
  • The crew with the highest success set and no failed rolls wins the round and scores a point. Dancers without a success lose a point for their Danshópar. 
  • Dancers may choose to perform more elaborate and daring moves to show the competition who's boss. To do this, the dancer chooses a penalty from -1d to -3d to gain equivalent bonus points if their crew wins the round.

Resolution

  • After the final round, crew with the most points wins the battle. Note that the winning crew is determined by the dance itself and general consensus, not the abstract points system (which is gameplay mechanic).
  • Ties are settled by one or more sudden death rounds with continued difficulty increases. It is common for dancers to take risks to win big.

The Energy

  • Each turn, players provide descriptions of the story their dance portrays (usually adventuresome, romantic, or military exploits), while the GM describes their fumbles, the crowd's reaction, and the steadily increasing intensity of the skref beat.
  • Unexpected events can be introduced by the GM, such as crowd chants (good or bad), interference, or distractions that may influence the difficulty of rolls.
  • If the losing side refuses to concede the match, usually it will mean an immediate street fight or the onset of a structured duel, case depending.
August 22nd, 2023 August 23rd, 2023

Observations Abroad

The Reign of Eld are seen as (at worst) overly religious and too obsessed with conquest. They however are admired for their great and storied lineage and healthy trade relations. It also helps that the naval ambitions of Orchalannon don't extend as far north as the Swabbie Sea, so any negative perceptions of their imperialist tendencies are tempered by an amount of indifference.

The State of Cerentuin is disliked, but largely disregarded due to their vassalage under The Reign of Eld. There has been war between the two island nations more than once, and the famous Orisaar hatred of pirates is steeped in their shared history. There have been many battles over Isle of Nierenn, which the Cult of Aygir have wished to defile since its inception. 

The Grand Duchy of Breccia is perceived as a kingdom in decline, whose failings are attributed to a lack of true royalty. A brisk trade is keeping past tensions at bay, for the moment. However, some at court worry that close ties with such a disreputable country will reflect on their diplomatic status abroad. There is also the difficult issue of the Pirates that find shelter in the duchy that excites great disgust in all of Orisaar.   

The Mashayan Dominion has a hold of the Orit imagination, but the Zerzuran Badlands are viewed with more respect than comprehension. Their trade with the south depends heavily on access to Fum Alnahr and the Tamar River, so they are always keen on keeping good relations with the Mashaya. Negative perceptions exist around the ruler of Mashaya, due to a perceived lack of royal legitimacy. This is to most a very minor concern, outside of historians and scholars. 

The Kingdom of Viltmank is regarded as a threat, but a respectable one. They are mostly an economic threat, themselves also a seafaring people with a vested interest in the widdershins trade route through the Vespasian Sea. There is no cause for hostilities with Viltfolk, but Orit are not always glad in one anothers' company due to the stark differences in style and cultural norms.

The Military Republic of Altonbrun is recognized. Not as a kingdom, but as the remnant of one, and a country with valuable trade relations. The degree to which the republic and their church cooperate in governance is viewed as unseemly as well. Orisaar had better relations with Armorcia in its heyday, so what they call those bird-riding canyon dancers are viewed as a bad replacement for an old friend, and hoping for a return of the old days. That said, individual Altonians are usually well-liked, despite any impetuous solar fanaticism.

The Orisaar monarchy does not recognize The Regency of Canidium, either as a government or even as people. They share no diplomatic or trade relations. There is a cultural perception of Canidaurs as monsters, or perhaps even worse. They are not permitted within the lands or in the waters of Sunsteda Bay. 

Orisaarland trades with Kurzmarch Ford as a freehold, but private opinion tends to hold that The Tamar Towpath Cartel are little better than pirates that have made it impossible to dispense with in the preferred manner.

August 16th, 2023 August 17th, 2023

Smaller Islands of the Orit Archipelago

Viltakranyes 

An island where it is customary to wear painted Hadrus leather capes, or "mantles". The wholecut leather is painted with stylized waves, spirals, and the shells of Pollies.

Reykjasker

A small island where smoked fish are a particular delicacy, and only the poor eat it fresh. Wood is scarce.

Kolbeinsvik

A major trading hub with a large bay. Known for its many Hadrus hatcheries and multilingual residents.

Hafnaberg

This island has a freshwater lake atop a small mountain in its center. Locals tell legends of its Haunted origins.

Vatnsendi

A far north island with many pretty beaches and a relaxing view of the Swabbie Sea.

Snaefuglsey

An island with many small birds and a high fortress amid the small village. The citadel has been converted into a famous prison.

Songskal

A larger island near land, which still has a small protected pine forest where the king hunts.

Hofsborg

A dense chain of six small islands (also known as the Staff Isles) that form the holy symbol of the Cult of Aygir. Known for the publication of a spellbook (WIP)

Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galdrab%C3%B3k 

September 11th, 2023

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