I have been mostly active on "the other forum" recently but I have decided to change that. As I have a couple of conworlds and I don't know if there will be any interest in reading my snippets, I will post a few to this thread and see what happens.
Feedback and thoughts are welcome.
For starters, a tidbit from a new conworld under the working name of Golempunk:
Tsheke had been making golems for over twenty years now, but he found the process as captivating as when he had first started. It took time and dedication but he would do anything to keep reliving that moment of glory, of creation, of being a god.
He had been sitting in this musty room for hours now, waiting, fishing, his hands on the granite sculpture before him. The artist did her job well: you could see individual locks of hair on the figure's head. The naked body was muscular, youthful, symmetrical... and lifeless. For all the sculptor's perfection, she wasn't able to bring her creations to life, not truly. Not like Tsheke could.
He felt the spirits circling by, probing, curious. They were fish, and the sculpture was bait. He could have them bite at any time. But he wasn't some random golemmaker - he was Tsheke, the Grand Artificer. His children had to be perfect, so he bided his time. Most of his success lay in his patience.
He could barely remember how blind he used to be when he had first discovered his talent. How haphazard his process was. But enough with the idle reminiscing! It was time. He noticed something in the whirlpool of spirits. Strength, resolve, dedication - just what he was looking for. He closed his eyes, and he called with his inner voice. The spirit responded. The fish took the bait.
The stone shuddered under his fingers. It was done. Tsheke took a few steps back, and watched - alert and fascinated - as the sculpture began the transformation. The facial features deepened, the chiseled muscles flexed, the granite lids blinked. Tsheke breathed in, lightheaded. He had another child. A pity that most of his children were for sale.
Gestaltist's Conworlding Scratchpad
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gestaltist
- Lebom
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- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:21 am
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gestaltist
- Lebom
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:21 am
Re: Gestaltist's Conworlding Scratchpad
Golempunk story number 2.
I sometimes try to remember what I used to be. It comes to me in flashes. A face of a woman, a starry sky; a bout of depression, a jolt of joy; weeping violins, and screams of pain. How do I know what they are? I don't have eyes that could see, I don't have ears that could hear, I don't have a body that could feel. How do I remember? How do I know?
I travel the vast expanses above the oceans with my brothers and sisters. I ride the Northwind and hop off it when I want to explore. I scratch my belly on mountaintops, and I dive to sleep in mountain valleys. I am free. I am happy. Well... most of the time.
There is something burning deep inside me that doesn't let me rest. You see, there is this one bay, just where the Northwind stops... I am drawn to it, I miss it, somehow. I will let myself go, oblivious, and inexplicably find myself close to it again. It brings back memories. It makes me suffer. I hate it. And I hate what it makes me become. Violent, enraged, suicidal. I want to scoop the ocean and drown them in it. Suffocate them, kill them, erase them! Them... who are they? What have they done? I don't know. I don't remember. I always turn back. I turn around and go somewhere else, where I can be gleeful and carefree again. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
But I know that the day will come when I won't be able to resist the temptation. I will die that day. But so will they.
I sometimes try to remember what I used to be. It comes to me in flashes. A face of a woman, a starry sky; a bout of depression, a jolt of joy; weeping violins, and screams of pain. How do I know what they are? I don't have eyes that could see, I don't have ears that could hear, I don't have a body that could feel. How do I remember? How do I know?
I travel the vast expanses above the oceans with my brothers and sisters. I ride the Northwind and hop off it when I want to explore. I scratch my belly on mountaintops, and I dive to sleep in mountain valleys. I am free. I am happy. Well... most of the time.
There is something burning deep inside me that doesn't let me rest. You see, there is this one bay, just where the Northwind stops... I am drawn to it, I miss it, somehow. I will let myself go, oblivious, and inexplicably find myself close to it again. It brings back memories. It makes me suffer. I hate it. And I hate what it makes me become. Violent, enraged, suicidal. I want to scoop the ocean and drown them in it. Suffocate them, kill them, erase them! Them... who are they? What have they done? I don't know. I don't remember. I always turn back. I turn around and go somewhere else, where I can be gleeful and carefree again. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
But I know that the day will come when I won't be able to resist the temptation. I will die that day. But so will they.
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gestaltist
- Lebom
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:21 am
Re: Gestaltist's Conworlding Scratchpad
A few words about the reincarnation process in golempunk.
Every living creature has a soul. If no spirit enters a fetus at an early stage, it results in a miscarriage. Some inanimate things (like the wind in the snippet above) also attract spirits but this is more an exception than a rule. When the body dies, the spirit is freed and roams the world, searching for a new suitable host. It looks for a host aligned with its emotions and affinities from the previous life: so a violent man is more likely to be reborn as a predator, for example.
Some spirits don't get reincarnated: they ascend to the Otherworld - a spiritual realm. Various religions disagree about the nature of the Otherworld - some think of it as something positive, a way to free yourself from the endless cycle of rebirth, while others see it as a limbo, or even a hell, where you no longer can be active and make a change in the world.
How do we even know about the Otherworld? Some people (I'm calling them Visionaries, but others would probably call them Prophets, Seers or Forecasters) have the ability to visit the Otherworld and speak to the spirits there. According to them, spirits there are mostly powerful - it is unclear whether a spirit needs to become powerful to get there, or it is the Otherworld that lends power to it. Spirits speak in memories, in visions, in cryptic parables - the longer they have been out of the cycle of reincarnation, the harder they are to make sense of.
Some Visionaries claim that the spirits and the Otherworld aren't the be-all and end-all of the spiritual world. A few of them claim to have met even more powerful beings from Beyond that visit the Otherworld. They say that these beings are in charge of the movements of the Firmament, but they also guide the physical world in mysterious ways. some of the Visionaries interpret these beings as gods, some of them claim that beings aren't the final powers and that there is something or someone beyond them still.
As a bonus, a short poem written by a Visionary after conversing with a Being from Beyond:
A grain of dust I am, Oh Ineffable One.
Why did you choose me for your book?
I carry your mysterious words.
Tattooed with ancient truths.
A reed in the wind I am, Oh Unbreakable One.
Why did you touch me with your hand?
I bend to the point of breaking.
And I don't understand.
A man in the world I am, Oh Incorporeal One.
How can I hope to be your voice?
I weep, I ache from the burden.
But I don't have a choice.
Every living creature has a soul. If no spirit enters a fetus at an early stage, it results in a miscarriage. Some inanimate things (like the wind in the snippet above) also attract spirits but this is more an exception than a rule. When the body dies, the spirit is freed and roams the world, searching for a new suitable host. It looks for a host aligned with its emotions and affinities from the previous life: so a violent man is more likely to be reborn as a predator, for example.
Some spirits don't get reincarnated: they ascend to the Otherworld - a spiritual realm. Various religions disagree about the nature of the Otherworld - some think of it as something positive, a way to free yourself from the endless cycle of rebirth, while others see it as a limbo, or even a hell, where you no longer can be active and make a change in the world.
How do we even know about the Otherworld? Some people (I'm calling them Visionaries, but others would probably call them Prophets, Seers or Forecasters) have the ability to visit the Otherworld and speak to the spirits there. According to them, spirits there are mostly powerful - it is unclear whether a spirit needs to become powerful to get there, or it is the Otherworld that lends power to it. Spirits speak in memories, in visions, in cryptic parables - the longer they have been out of the cycle of reincarnation, the harder they are to make sense of.
Some Visionaries claim that the spirits and the Otherworld aren't the be-all and end-all of the spiritual world. A few of them claim to have met even more powerful beings from Beyond that visit the Otherworld. They say that these beings are in charge of the movements of the Firmament, but they also guide the physical world in mysterious ways. some of the Visionaries interpret these beings as gods, some of them claim that beings aren't the final powers and that there is something or someone beyond them still.
As a bonus, a short poem written by a Visionary after conversing with a Being from Beyond:
A grain of dust I am, Oh Ineffable One.
Why did you choose me for your book?
I carry your mysterious words.
Tattooed with ancient truths.
A reed in the wind I am, Oh Unbreakable One.
Why did you touch me with your hand?
I bend to the point of breaking.
And I don't understand.
A man in the world I am, Oh Incorporeal One.
How can I hope to be your voice?
I weep, I ache from the burden.
But I don't have a choice.
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gestaltist
- Lebom
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:21 am
Re: Gestaltist's Conworlding Scratchpad
A sketch on Tsokkwi religion
(The Tsokkwi are my focus culture on golempunk, in case it's not clear.)
The Tsokkwi believe there is only one life, and your fate is dependent on how much good you have done in its duration. They stress proactivity and making a change in the world.
They worship three gods, although these gods are rather impersonal, more like forces of nature: the Wind, the Sun, and the Moon. Each of them represents and guides a different aspect of nature, and each has its own order of priests.
The Wind represents change, life, activity, also destruction necessary for new life to appear. The Northwind is constant and brings rain, necessary for life. It is the Wind Father - unchanging, unwavering, godly. But then there are sea breezes and Soulwinds - his more fickle children, bringing about his will.
The Windpriests wear grey clothes of their chosen profession with green-and-blue ornamentation and/or jewelry. They are the only one to not have monasteries (like the Moonpriests) or temple-palaces (like the Sunpriests). They live among the people, and always have a "normal" profession, showing the ideal of active life the Wind represents. Anybody, of any sex, can become a Windpriest if they want. It requires becoming an apprentice of another Windpriest for a couple years, and passing an exam before a council of five priests. The main task of the Windpriests is performing blessings - usually pertaining to the profession they have chosen, but not only. They will bless crops, new merchanthouses or craftsmen's shops. They will bless new soldiers. But they are also allowed to administer Holy Punishment. Normally, the local nobles perform judiciary duty. However, a Windpriest can be chosen by a council of five priests to administer punishment to anyone for anything deemed to be a serious crime. Such a Windpriest wears a special green-blue robe, and is given an ornamental weapon (usually a spear). He is allowed to hurt or even kill with impunity while wearing the robe. However, the accused is allowed to defend themselves. It is not uncommon for groups of Windpriests to be sent to kill someone they suspect won't go easily. Retaliating against a Windpriest for Holy Punishment is considered one of the greatest sins one can commit.
The Sun represents light, nobility, energy and strength. The Sun blesses the strong, the brave, the ones who exert their will. He is the most revered in the upper classes.
The Sunpriests wear intricate yellow-and-orange clothing. They were trousers and shirts, and very long shawls they wrap around themselves. The shawls have crystals woven into them, so that they seem resplendent and radiant. The Sunpriests value riches and status, and it is expected of them. They are few, and they choose new members. It is an invitation-only club, and they usually only choose highborn or very rich people. A Sunpriest's child can never be a Sunpriest themselves. Sunpriests are always men, they are expected to have many wives as a sign of status. They carry swords, and spend a lot of time training in martial arts - the Path of the Sun.
The Moon represents death, the afterlife, rest and acceptance. The Moon, and her servants - the stars, welcome people to the afterlife. They are the administrators of eternal reward or punishment. The most noble of people become stars themselves. The evil ones live in eternal Darkness beyond the Firmament. The so-so people are allowed to bask in the stars' light.
The Moonpriests - exclusively women, are supposed to be Stars on Earth - bringing light to live by. They are teachers and healers. Although they do not formally marry, they are allowed to have male companions, who live in common areas in their monasteries and take care of the children, if there are any. Any girls born of Moonpriests are expected to become Moonpriests themselves. Boys are free to choose their own path. Due to the excellent education of Moonpriests, they often get administrative jobs with the nobles. The Moonpriests wear dark-blue robes dotted with white cequins, representing the Stars. They have white cords around their waists, with a pommel at the end of the cord, representing the Moon. They are also responsible for burial ceremonies.
(The Tsokkwi are my focus culture on golempunk, in case it's not clear.)
The Tsokkwi believe there is only one life, and your fate is dependent on how much good you have done in its duration. They stress proactivity and making a change in the world.
They worship three gods, although these gods are rather impersonal, more like forces of nature: the Wind, the Sun, and the Moon. Each of them represents and guides a different aspect of nature, and each has its own order of priests.
The Wind represents change, life, activity, also destruction necessary for new life to appear. The Northwind is constant and brings rain, necessary for life. It is the Wind Father - unchanging, unwavering, godly. But then there are sea breezes and Soulwinds - his more fickle children, bringing about his will.
The Windpriests wear grey clothes of their chosen profession with green-and-blue ornamentation and/or jewelry. They are the only one to not have monasteries (like the Moonpriests) or temple-palaces (like the Sunpriests). They live among the people, and always have a "normal" profession, showing the ideal of active life the Wind represents. Anybody, of any sex, can become a Windpriest if they want. It requires becoming an apprentice of another Windpriest for a couple years, and passing an exam before a council of five priests. The main task of the Windpriests is performing blessings - usually pertaining to the profession they have chosen, but not only. They will bless crops, new merchanthouses or craftsmen's shops. They will bless new soldiers. But they are also allowed to administer Holy Punishment. Normally, the local nobles perform judiciary duty. However, a Windpriest can be chosen by a council of five priests to administer punishment to anyone for anything deemed to be a serious crime. Such a Windpriest wears a special green-blue robe, and is given an ornamental weapon (usually a spear). He is allowed to hurt or even kill with impunity while wearing the robe. However, the accused is allowed to defend themselves. It is not uncommon for groups of Windpriests to be sent to kill someone they suspect won't go easily. Retaliating against a Windpriest for Holy Punishment is considered one of the greatest sins one can commit.
The Sun represents light, nobility, energy and strength. The Sun blesses the strong, the brave, the ones who exert their will. He is the most revered in the upper classes.
The Sunpriests wear intricate yellow-and-orange clothing. They were trousers and shirts, and very long shawls they wrap around themselves. The shawls have crystals woven into them, so that they seem resplendent and radiant. The Sunpriests value riches and status, and it is expected of them. They are few, and they choose new members. It is an invitation-only club, and they usually only choose highborn or very rich people. A Sunpriest's child can never be a Sunpriest themselves. Sunpriests are always men, they are expected to have many wives as a sign of status. They carry swords, and spend a lot of time training in martial arts - the Path of the Sun.
The Moon represents death, the afterlife, rest and acceptance. The Moon, and her servants - the stars, welcome people to the afterlife. They are the administrators of eternal reward or punishment. The most noble of people become stars themselves. The evil ones live in eternal Darkness beyond the Firmament. The so-so people are allowed to bask in the stars' light.
The Moonpriests - exclusively women, are supposed to be Stars on Earth - bringing light to live by. They are teachers and healers. Although they do not formally marry, they are allowed to have male companions, who live in common areas in their monasteries and take care of the children, if there are any. Any girls born of Moonpriests are expected to become Moonpriests themselves. Boys are free to choose their own path. Due to the excellent education of Moonpriests, they often get administrative jobs with the nobles. The Moonpriests wear dark-blue robes dotted with white cequins, representing the Stars. They have white cords around their waists, with a pommel at the end of the cord, representing the Moon. They are also responsible for burial ceremonies.
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gestaltist
- Lebom
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:21 am
Re: Gestaltist's Conworlding Scratchpad
Since there have been zero comments in this thread I am going to assume it wasn't interesting enough. I will stop cross-posting here.
If you were reading along, you can find the newer entries in the original thread on the CBB: http://aveneca.com/cbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5247
If you were reading along, you can find the newer entries in the original thread on the CBB: http://aveneca.com/cbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5247