Post by Kaez on Sept 29, 2016 1:22:47 GMT -5
The Horned King, the Black Owl, and the Blood Covens
Ber Hael, the westernmost province of the Fen, has been known throughout its history as a place of shadows and mystery. Its forests have never been culled, its wilds unchecked and untamed. The cities and towns are linked in thin lines along its rivers, and between them, expanses of dense and haunted wood larger than any in the Greatwood. Though the area, like all the Fen, is under the official domain of the Church, the forests of Ber Hael are under no domain but their own and no effort has been made to stamp out those things which lurk in their unearthly shadows. Those who live in the cities of Ber Hael - namely Halhart, Wolfenbach, Oesseck, and Haelburg - know far better than to roam the forests for food or game save during the hours of highest sun, and even then, not without talismans of protection and never, ever alone.
the impotent heart longs for comfort;
the flaccid will clings to convention;
the inept mind fears to disobey;
the prostrate soul is powerless.
those who reject the Light and the Law,
those who abstain from etiquette,
those who embrace their carnal depravity,
are fertile with feral strength.
we are born in our mothers' blood
as we are reborn in ecstatic throes;
we are born from the darkness of wombs
as we are reborn in the darkness of the Night.
- A Blood Coven children's prayer
The forests of Ber Hael are not unpopulated - far from it. In fact, the tribes who live in those woods have lived there since time immemorial, children of the ancient ancestors of the Rosians, Mistwyn, Wynnraeth, Galish, and northern Fens, pure of blood and 'uncorrupted' by the taints that are the Orthodoxy and Nascheitism. Indeed, the recent rise of Nascheitism has only done one thing to the Blood Covens, as they are known by the civilized folk of Ber Hael: it's made them angry.
Unsurprisingly, the forests of Ber Hael and the Blood Covens within are not well understood. Rare is the traveler who ventures near enough to see them and returns home to tell the tale (though not uncommon is he who claims to have done so and tells of every manner of demon and monster lurking the woods), and rarer still is a child of the Covens who abandons their home and seeks refuge in the civilized world beyond. Nevertheless, a few such examples of each have occurred over the centuries, and from these we can begin to piece together an understanding of the Blood Covens, their culture, and their religion.
The Blood Covens continue to make their homes in the old way: shallow pyramids or semicircles of stone in which a small door is carved, and then earth hollowed out beyond in a mound, sometimes thatched and sometimes allowed to be reclaimed by grass and moss. Modest and dimly lit, these homes are often indistinguishable from the rest of the forest when seen from afar, particularly when approached from the opposite side as the sole stone wall. This is in alignment with a strong cultural inclination toward the natural and the visceral: the Covens value that which is in alignment with nature and make no effort to tame, conquer, or reshape it beyond what is necessary for their survival. Naturally, all members of the Blood Coven have long hair, often matted and locked, and males keep beards. Though no law outright forbids trade with the Covens, it is discouraged through a deep fear that nearly all citizens of Ber Hael have for them. Nevertheless, the Coven does carry out a small amount of trade through rogue merchants (often members of the Thieves' Guild) and through 'undercover' agents of the Blood Covens who operate in conventional society. As a result, the Covens are able to acquire good metal tools and knives, quality fabrics, and non-native foods. It is not clear what the Covens' produce in exchange for these goods: indeed, the system may entail far more devotional offerings than barter or trade.
The Blood Covens have no government, no hierarchy, and no designated leaders. Men and women are held in equal esteem, and pubescent boys and girls are given as much social weight as any adult. The only ordering or commanding to be found in Blood Coven society (outside of the religious setting, discussed later) is with young children, who are expected to obey their mother, father, and any siblings who have come to age. The Blood Covens' naturalism is evident in their social rules, or lack thereof. Etiquette and manners are looked down upon as repressive and unnatural. Nudity is commonplace, though clothes are commonly worn as well. Sex is not considered a private affair, and is done openly and often loudly. Monogamy is not uncommon, but is not expected, either, and sexual and romantic relationships are open to the dictation of those involved in them. Nearly all sexual relationships in the Blood Covens involve dominant and submissive roles far more extreme than those found in conventional society. Though rape is entirely taboo, sex in the Blood Covens is often physically intense and even violent, albeit consensual.
Members of the Blood Covens, in spite of their dislike for what they see as etiquette, do practice some social rules which are strictly enforced by all members of the community. Spreading rumors or gossip is considered unacceptable, and anyone found to be knowingly spreading lies, complaining excessively, or speaking ill of others without good reason is prone to being assaulted. Those who disrespect or steal the property of another, rape or assault without sufficient provocation, or harm in any way children, animals, or the elderly (the three groups considered unable to consent to domination) are prone to violent assault as well. Though there is no law or justice system among the Blood Covens, the cultural rules are well understood by all, and physical violence in response to disobedience is acceptable. If a man, for example, is found to have stolen from another man, or to have raped his daughter, the other man is in the right to physically assault the first man quite severely and his right to do so will be supported by the community (and, indeed, in many cases, the offender themselves).
Blood Coven language is blunt and terse. If someone is offending a member of the Coven, they will be told: "Stop." If a father wishes his young child to do something, he will tell them, "Do that." The only time it is seen fit to use more words than is necessary is in religious ritual; otherwise, there is no need for it. Whereas a Fennish man in Wolfenbach might say, "Can you go fetch some water from the well?" to which his companion might say, "I can't right now, sorry," in the Blood Covens, the exchange would be: "Go fetch me water." "No." Consequently, much which would seem outright rude or offensive to the ear of a Fennishman is quite natural and acceptable in the Covens. This rule is not applied during rituals, however, when one is expected to speak openly and sincerely, expressing exactly what one means in however many words are necessary to do so.
The rituals of the Blood Coven take many shapes and forms which are not easily categorized. The most common type of ritual is the Fire Circle. These occur nightly within individual homes, weekly amongst villages, and four times annually as region-wide gatherings. At night, in the home, the ritual is carried out by the lighting of a family's fire, the offering of a prayer to the Black Owl, and then a conversation between members of the family. These conversations are open and sincere, with each family member expressing their thoughts and desires to the other members of the family, quelling disputes and opening dialogue between disagreeing or unhappy members. A similar ritual occurs on a larger scale during the weekly gatherings, allowing families to communicate to one another grievances or desires, or to coordinate village-wide functions or tasks. At the largest of these gatherings, those held on the equinoxes and solstices, nearly all participants indulge in intoxicants and inebriants, dance, feast, chant, and copulate.
Other rituals are carried out much less regularly, and are more specifically connected to the religion of the Blood Covens. Known as 'witchcraft' to the greater population of Ber Hael, the Blood Covens themselves refer to it only as the Covenant. It entails devotion to two deities, the Black Owl and the Horned King. The Black Owl is violent, ruthless, cold, animalistic, strong, calm, and wise, capable of acts of healing and restoration. Rituals are offered in the name of the Black Owl to prevent and cure sickness, to instill self-discipline, to tame tempers and emotions, and to maintain general physical and psychological health. The Black Owl is associated with femininity, female sexuality, maternity, and with winter: the Hibernal solstice is the holiday in her name. The Horned King is hungry, devious, erotic, cunning, and egotistical, with a quick wit and sense of humor, a penchant for trickery, and powers of destruction. Rituals offered in his name are for protection and security, for personal power and gain, for sexual ecstasy, and for general happiness and spiritual wellness. The Horned King is associated with masculinity, phallic symbols, paternity, and with summer: likewise, the ritual in his name takes place during the Estival solstice. The Vernal equinox is the Impregnation, during which the Horned King (generally depicted as a man with the head of a black goat) takes the form of a bat and dominates and copulates with the Black Owl. The Autumnal equinox is the Elation, during which the Black Owl (depicted as a common black owl, though supernaturally large) takes the form of a beautiful, naked woman with hair the color of moonlight and dominates and copulates with the Horned King.
Like everywhere in the world, there are some exceptional individuals with capabilities that exceed that of their peers. Magic in the Blood Covens is of a distinct and unique variety. Blood Coven magic-users are known as 'witches' by outsiders, but are referred to within the Covens as 'blood-players' or 'blood-performers'. Though a variety of tools are used in their magic, often herbs or ritual symbols, all of their magic is empowered by and made possible through blood. Blood from humans is preferable to blood from animals, blood from virgins is preferable still, and the ideal blood comes from newborn babes (reserved for the most important and rare of spells). Blood magic may be performed for relatively mundane purposes as a type of 'housekeeping' by pricking the finger, but it may also be used to banish malevolent spirits, kill one's enemies, or gift one temporary powers of telepathy, flight, or other gifts. During the equinoxes, blood magic is used to invoke supernatural sexual energy, allowing blood-players to channel the Black Owl or the Horned King. The equinoxes and solstices are usually capstoned, in the darkest hour of night, with an elder, wizened blood-player slicing their own throat and leaping into the bonfire, from which emerges either the Black Owl (autumnal, hibernal) or the Horned King (vernal, estival) in the flesh. The deity leads the rest of the evening's festivities, imbuing every participant with powers of flight, ecstasy, and spiritual insight. Rural residents of Ber Hael often go sleepless these nights each year, as the unearthly chanting and carnal screams can be heard for miles in any direction, and what dreams they have are filled with images of fire-lit depravities and the murmurs of the Horned King's incantations.
Ber Hael, the westernmost province of the Fen, has been known throughout its history as a place of shadows and mystery. Its forests have never been culled, its wilds unchecked and untamed. The cities and towns are linked in thin lines along its rivers, and between them, expanses of dense and haunted wood larger than any in the Greatwood. Though the area, like all the Fen, is under the official domain of the Church, the forests of Ber Hael are under no domain but their own and no effort has been made to stamp out those things which lurk in their unearthly shadows. Those who live in the cities of Ber Hael - namely Halhart, Wolfenbach, Oesseck, and Haelburg - know far better than to roam the forests for food or game save during the hours of highest sun, and even then, not without talismans of protection and never, ever alone.
the impotent heart longs for comfort;
the flaccid will clings to convention;
the inept mind fears to disobey;
the prostrate soul is powerless.
those who reject the Light and the Law,
those who abstain from etiquette,
those who embrace their carnal depravity,
are fertile with feral strength.
we are born in our mothers' blood
as we are reborn in ecstatic throes;
we are born from the darkness of wombs
as we are reborn in the darkness of the Night.
- A Blood Coven children's prayer
The forests of Ber Hael are not unpopulated - far from it. In fact, the tribes who live in those woods have lived there since time immemorial, children of the ancient ancestors of the Rosians, Mistwyn, Wynnraeth, Galish, and northern Fens, pure of blood and 'uncorrupted' by the taints that are the Orthodoxy and Nascheitism. Indeed, the recent rise of Nascheitism has only done one thing to the Blood Covens, as they are known by the civilized folk of Ber Hael: it's made them angry.
Unsurprisingly, the forests of Ber Hael and the Blood Covens within are not well understood. Rare is the traveler who ventures near enough to see them and returns home to tell the tale (though not uncommon is he who claims to have done so and tells of every manner of demon and monster lurking the woods), and rarer still is a child of the Covens who abandons their home and seeks refuge in the civilized world beyond. Nevertheless, a few such examples of each have occurred over the centuries, and from these we can begin to piece together an understanding of the Blood Covens, their culture, and their religion.
The Blood Covens continue to make their homes in the old way: shallow pyramids or semicircles of stone in which a small door is carved, and then earth hollowed out beyond in a mound, sometimes thatched and sometimes allowed to be reclaimed by grass and moss. Modest and dimly lit, these homes are often indistinguishable from the rest of the forest when seen from afar, particularly when approached from the opposite side as the sole stone wall. This is in alignment with a strong cultural inclination toward the natural and the visceral: the Covens value that which is in alignment with nature and make no effort to tame, conquer, or reshape it beyond what is necessary for their survival. Naturally, all members of the Blood Coven have long hair, often matted and locked, and males keep beards. Though no law outright forbids trade with the Covens, it is discouraged through a deep fear that nearly all citizens of Ber Hael have for them. Nevertheless, the Coven does carry out a small amount of trade through rogue merchants (often members of the Thieves' Guild) and through 'undercover' agents of the Blood Covens who operate in conventional society. As a result, the Covens are able to acquire good metal tools and knives, quality fabrics, and non-native foods. It is not clear what the Covens' produce in exchange for these goods: indeed, the system may entail far more devotional offerings than barter or trade.
The Blood Covens have no government, no hierarchy, and no designated leaders. Men and women are held in equal esteem, and pubescent boys and girls are given as much social weight as any adult. The only ordering or commanding to be found in Blood Coven society (outside of the religious setting, discussed later) is with young children, who are expected to obey their mother, father, and any siblings who have come to age. The Blood Covens' naturalism is evident in their social rules, or lack thereof. Etiquette and manners are looked down upon as repressive and unnatural. Nudity is commonplace, though clothes are commonly worn as well. Sex is not considered a private affair, and is done openly and often loudly. Monogamy is not uncommon, but is not expected, either, and sexual and romantic relationships are open to the dictation of those involved in them. Nearly all sexual relationships in the Blood Covens involve dominant and submissive roles far more extreme than those found in conventional society. Though rape is entirely taboo, sex in the Blood Covens is often physically intense and even violent, albeit consensual.
Members of the Blood Covens, in spite of their dislike for what they see as etiquette, do practice some social rules which are strictly enforced by all members of the community. Spreading rumors or gossip is considered unacceptable, and anyone found to be knowingly spreading lies, complaining excessively, or speaking ill of others without good reason is prone to being assaulted. Those who disrespect or steal the property of another, rape or assault without sufficient provocation, or harm in any way children, animals, or the elderly (the three groups considered unable to consent to domination) are prone to violent assault as well. Though there is no law or justice system among the Blood Covens, the cultural rules are well understood by all, and physical violence in response to disobedience is acceptable. If a man, for example, is found to have stolen from another man, or to have raped his daughter, the other man is in the right to physically assault the first man quite severely and his right to do so will be supported by the community (and, indeed, in many cases, the offender themselves).
Blood Coven language is blunt and terse. If someone is offending a member of the Coven, they will be told: "Stop." If a father wishes his young child to do something, he will tell them, "Do that." The only time it is seen fit to use more words than is necessary is in religious ritual; otherwise, there is no need for it. Whereas a Fennish man in Wolfenbach might say, "Can you go fetch some water from the well?" to which his companion might say, "I can't right now, sorry," in the Blood Covens, the exchange would be: "Go fetch me water." "No." Consequently, much which would seem outright rude or offensive to the ear of a Fennishman is quite natural and acceptable in the Covens. This rule is not applied during rituals, however, when one is expected to speak openly and sincerely, expressing exactly what one means in however many words are necessary to do so.
The rituals of the Blood Coven take many shapes and forms which are not easily categorized. The most common type of ritual is the Fire Circle. These occur nightly within individual homes, weekly amongst villages, and four times annually as region-wide gatherings. At night, in the home, the ritual is carried out by the lighting of a family's fire, the offering of a prayer to the Black Owl, and then a conversation between members of the family. These conversations are open and sincere, with each family member expressing their thoughts and desires to the other members of the family, quelling disputes and opening dialogue between disagreeing or unhappy members. A similar ritual occurs on a larger scale during the weekly gatherings, allowing families to communicate to one another grievances or desires, or to coordinate village-wide functions or tasks. At the largest of these gatherings, those held on the equinoxes and solstices, nearly all participants indulge in intoxicants and inebriants, dance, feast, chant, and copulate.
Other rituals are carried out much less regularly, and are more specifically connected to the religion of the Blood Covens. Known as 'witchcraft' to the greater population of Ber Hael, the Blood Covens themselves refer to it only as the Covenant. It entails devotion to two deities, the Black Owl and the Horned King. The Black Owl is violent, ruthless, cold, animalistic, strong, calm, and wise, capable of acts of healing and restoration. Rituals are offered in the name of the Black Owl to prevent and cure sickness, to instill self-discipline, to tame tempers and emotions, and to maintain general physical and psychological health. The Black Owl is associated with femininity, female sexuality, maternity, and with winter: the Hibernal solstice is the holiday in her name. The Horned King is hungry, devious, erotic, cunning, and egotistical, with a quick wit and sense of humor, a penchant for trickery, and powers of destruction. Rituals offered in his name are for protection and security, for personal power and gain, for sexual ecstasy, and for general happiness and spiritual wellness. The Horned King is associated with masculinity, phallic symbols, paternity, and with summer: likewise, the ritual in his name takes place during the Estival solstice. The Vernal equinox is the Impregnation, during which the Horned King (generally depicted as a man with the head of a black goat) takes the form of a bat and dominates and copulates with the Black Owl. The Autumnal equinox is the Elation, during which the Black Owl (depicted as a common black owl, though supernaturally large) takes the form of a beautiful, naked woman with hair the color of moonlight and dominates and copulates with the Horned King.
Like everywhere in the world, there are some exceptional individuals with capabilities that exceed that of their peers. Magic in the Blood Covens is of a distinct and unique variety. Blood Coven magic-users are known as 'witches' by outsiders, but are referred to within the Covens as 'blood-players' or 'blood-performers'. Though a variety of tools are used in their magic, often herbs or ritual symbols, all of their magic is empowered by and made possible through blood. Blood from humans is preferable to blood from animals, blood from virgins is preferable still, and the ideal blood comes from newborn babes (reserved for the most important and rare of spells). Blood magic may be performed for relatively mundane purposes as a type of 'housekeeping' by pricking the finger, but it may also be used to banish malevolent spirits, kill one's enemies, or gift one temporary powers of telepathy, flight, or other gifts. During the equinoxes, blood magic is used to invoke supernatural sexual energy, allowing blood-players to channel the Black Owl or the Horned King. The equinoxes and solstices are usually capstoned, in the darkest hour of night, with an elder, wizened blood-player slicing their own throat and leaping into the bonfire, from which emerges either the Black Owl (autumnal, hibernal) or the Horned King (vernal, estival) in the flesh. The deity leads the rest of the evening's festivities, imbuing every participant with powers of flight, ecstasy, and spiritual insight. Rural residents of Ber Hael often go sleepless these nights each year, as the unearthly chanting and carnal screams can be heard for miles in any direction, and what dreams they have are filled with images of fire-lit depravities and the murmurs of the Horned King's incantations.
