Out of these convertites
mNo edit summary |
|||
| Line 147: | Line 147: | ||
==Participation: Marches== | ==Participation: Marches== | ||
Any character who has a farm in | Any character who has a farm in the Mournwold, especially if there are orcs living and working nearby, is welcome to roleplay that they have had League priests or League orcs helping to bring in the harvest. These visitors have applied themselves and worked hard, although they may have needed extensive guidance on what to do. They were unfamiliar with farm work, but did not shirk their duties. | ||
Revision as of 22:04, 4 September 2026
Doirin lifted Fion to her feet and the two gave chase, running after the grinning orc. As she ran, she heard the voice. Get him! Thief! Catch the thief! She smiled. It had been years since she had heard Beoraidh the Vengeful. Not since those Freeborn marines boarded the Starfish near Bone Beach. She quickened her pace, giving everything she had to cut him off. With a last desperate burst of energy, she reached him. The cudgel connected with his knee, sending the orc sprawling in the dirt. She quickly used a foot to steady the ball and then kicked it hard toward Doirin. Yes! Now punish him! Break him!. She ignored the voice, this time, and helped the Marcher to his feet. He was still grinning, if anything wider than before.
"Ulven tells me you have earned death now. I should kill you with honour." He laughed heartily and began to jog toward the other end of the pitch, limping slightly where she had hit him.
"Indeed?" She cocked an eyebrow. "Well Beoraidh tells me that you should be tortured for the crime of stealing the ball from me." In the distance, Doirin sent the leather orb sailing through the air with a powerful kick.
"I am glad," the lad sighed happily as she jogged along beside him "that we live in Wiser times." The human Marcher at the far end of the field dived to block Doirin's shot, which bounced back out into the field. Almost immediately Raphael was on it, sending it straight past the goaltender and in-between the two trees.
"GOAAAL!" The word echoed across the field, shouted by every Leaguer.
Overview
We call upon the orcs and priests of the League to take pilgrimage to Mournwold. There, we will listen to the Marcher orcs, so we may better understand how the voices of their ancestors manifest. Through this, we seek to learn from their methods and discover the roles that hearth magic might play in that connection. We will - of course - ensure that the ledger remains balanced with our prosperity
Lorenzo von Apulian, League Assembly, Summer 388YE, Vote: Upheld with a Greater Majority 382-0At the Summer Solstice, the League and Marcher national assemblies both passed statements of principle encouraging a pilgrimage of Leaguish orcs and priests to Mournwold to learn from the Marcher orcs there. Over the subsequent weeks, citizens in fine doublets, intricate jewellery and delicate masks begin to arrive in the territory. Those from Tassato and Sarvos arrive first, of course, but they are followed soon enough by those from Temeschwar, Holberg and Apulian. A few of them are orcs, former Grendel who now dwell within the cities of The League, but the majority are human priests, come to learn more about the beliefs of the former thralls.
As each one arrives, eager to speak with the learned and wise, they are handed tools and told to head into the fields. The harvest needs bringing in and many hands make light work, as they say. Across the Mournwold, it becomes a common sight to see a field being worked by a mixture of orcs and humans. In the warm autumnal sun, it is often difficult to tell Marcher and Leaguer apart at a distance. All are stripped down to their shirtsleeves as they toil in the heat, and only the style of hat truly tells the difference.
Our allies in the League says in judgement #86, that they wish to make a pilgrimage to Mournwold, to listen to Marcher orcs and learn more of their ways. An extra pair of hands is always welcome at Harvest Time! Their coin is always welcome in our taverns. They have assured us they listen with respect. We urge all in Mournwold to welcome them with open arms, as they arrive with open purses.
Basil Goodbeard, Marcher Assembly, Summer 388YE, Vote: Upheld with a Greater Majority 160-0The Beacon of the Wise
- League orcs and priests have been speaking to the Mournwold orcs about ancestors
- Both groups have their own unique relationship to hearing the voices of their ancestors
- Neither group is inherently better or worse at receiving the voices than any other orc
The purpose of the visit, however, is not just to help with the harvest. In the evenings, sitting around the fire with a hearty stew and a mug of good cider, the visitors listen intently to the orcs of the Marches. They are here to learn all they can about the faith of these new citizens, but especially about their ancestors and how they hear them. Most orcs associate the heightened emotional state of combat with hearing their ancestors more clearly. There are other circumstances, of course, but they are often similarly vigorous and adrenaline-fueled activities. The League orcs are keen to learn how the orcs of the Marches, and indeed Jotun thralls more generally, nurture their connection to their ancestors when they are so culturally averse to combat.
Most League orcs, having grown up as Grendel, tend to have a laid-back approach to their ancestors. They respect their ancestors, and few want to risk crossing them, but they don't revere them at all. The advice of the ancestors, usually heard in moments of tension, is sometimes useful - and sometimes useless. The ancestors can usually be heard the clearest in battle, when any help is valuable, but they may also offer guidance during tense negotiations, when someone is trying to manipulate the threads of some internecine political scheme or other. The Grendel view is that you must grow powerful to cross the Abyss; like the Virtues, the ancestors are useful, but only insofar as they help you to achieve that goal.
The Marcher orcs renounce violence, believing that if they refuse to fight, they will reincarnate, while only those who take up arms and fight with honour can become ancestors. They don't hear the voices of any peaceful thrall ancestors - which they see as evidence that thralls reincarnate. They do hear the voices of their warrior forebears, such as Ulven, Skaldi, and Raðljóst. Much like the League orcs, the advice these ancestors give is often of little use, urging them to fight and defeat their enemies. Despite this, they view the presence of their ancestors in their lives as reassuring - the fact that their ancestors still talk to them proves that when the time comes, and they are ready to fight, then the opportunity to cross the Howling Abyss will be there.
The Sport Is at the Best
| Mestran Stadium |
| Commission Type: Sinecure |
| Location: Tassato Mestra |
| Cost: At least 10 white granite and 10 weirwood, and 3 crowns per wain in labour |
| Effect: Establishes a foot-the-ball team in Tassato Mestra, motion should name the team |
| Availability: Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE |
| Time: Three months per 25 wains |
| Mestran Team Captain |
| Type: National |
| Appointment:Tally of the Votes |
| Powers: Receives at least 20 crowns per season from ticket sales. |
| Responsibilities: Responsible for the wellbeing of the stadium and the team |
| Note: The title will be amended to match the team name |
| Regarian Stadium |
| Commission Type: Sinecure |
| Location: Tassato Regario |
| Cost: At least 10 white granite and 10 weirwood, and 3 crowns per wain in labour |
| Effect: Establishes a foot-the-ball team in Tassato Regario, motion should name the team |
| Availability: Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE |
| Time: Three months per 25 wains |
| Regarian Team Captain |
| Type: National |
| Appointment:Tally of the Votes |
| Powers: Receives at least 20 crowns per season from ticket sales. |
| Responsibilities: Responsible for the wellbeing of the stadium and the team |
| Note: The title will be amended to match the team name |
- Foot-the-ball has proved a popular way for Mournwold orcs to hear their ancestors without breaching their taboo against weapons
- The game is enjoyed by League visitors, but is not easy to play on city streets
- Stadia could be built in Tassato to allow the Twin Cities to play matches against Marcher teams and each other
Sport is far and away the most reliable way the orcs of the Marches have to hear the voices of their ancestors. Regular games of foot-the-ball, which many of them have fallen deeply in love with, are held whenever there is a reprieve from the work of the harvest. The former thralls of the Mourn throw themselves into it with verve and enthusiasm. The specific rules of foot-the-ball vary from village to village across the Marches, particularly with regards to what weapons might be permitted on the field. Notably, though, even where their opponents might carry a stout club during a match, the orcs of the Mourn refuse to go armed. This makes them no less effective, however, and many a Leagueish spectator loses a few crowns betting against the unarmed orc team.
It is not long before a side of Leaguers is assembled for an impromptu game. For a team playing against avowed pacifists, it is truly astounding how high the physick's bill is at the end of the match. But none can deny that the game of foot-the-ball is an almost ideal way to hear the words of the ancestors. All the energy and emotion of a battlefield, with much less risk of death.
The results are the same for the visitors and their hosts. The League orcs who throw themselves into the match with abandon hear their ancestors talking to them, shouting words of advice and encouragement. Most hear Rucraic - the Storm Lord urging them to slaughter their opponents and loot everything, but a few hear wise words of strategy from Sheanduir - the Wind Lord. One even claims to have heard shrewd warnings from Curstag van Apulian.
It is an exhilarating experience, and it's not difficult to see why the Marcher orcs enjoy it so much. In Grendel lands, a similar thing is often achieved with gladiatorial combat. In the colosseum, even the audience can be swept up in the atmosphere of aggression and excitement, and when the whole crowd is baying for blood, it is common for the ancestors to speak to them, even though they are not direct participants in the fighting.
Many more matches of foot-the-ball are played over the season, and the League orcs play well enough for newcomers, but the sport will not transfer easily to crowded city streets or winding lanes. It is a game of open fields and gentle rolling hills, not expensive shop fronts with glass windows (no matter how tempting it might be). However, several enterprising citizens think of ways it could be adapted to life in the cities. The first, and most direct, suggestion comes from Bishop Leonore Fidalgo di Mestra. She suggests that, being so close to the Marches, her city could put together a team to play in foot-the-ball leagues hosted by their neighbours. Of course, not having acres of arable land in which to practice, they should build a small stadium for the team. It is perhaps not surprising that mere minutes after this possibility has been raised, Bishop Luis Calazan di Regario begins drawing up plans for a rival stadium on the other side of the river. There is simply no question that Tassato might have only one team, not when there is an opportunity to get one over on their rivals.
The competing proposals are fairly modest; after all, no one really knows if the people of Tassato will be keen to take up the sport, but the innate competitive spirit of the twin cities is a powerful force. Either stadium could be grander and more impressive, but that would require more white granite and weirwood in equal measure. If the city does embrace the sport, there will inevitably be arguments over which stadium is the most impressive. There is Pride to be had in the best stadium, undoubtedly, not to mention the increased revenue from ticket sales. Various guilds keen to do their city proud have offered to contribute to the construction in exchange for exclusive rights to sell food or merchandise. As a result, labour costs will be reduced to one-third of their normal level (that is to say, one crown per wain used in the commission)
Either or both of these stadiums may be commissioned for the next year, and will generate a flurry of interest in foot-the-ball across the city. After that, it is unlikely that the public interest will persist and any funding from the guilds will be negligible.
When We Mean to Build
| Duellists Colosseum |
| Commission Type: Sinecure |
| Location: Apulian, Spiral or Cigno, Sarvos |
| Cost: 45 wains white granite, 15 wains mithril, 180 crowns |
| Availability: Until the end of the Summer Solstice 389YE |
| Time: Six months |
Effect:
|
| Mistress of Duels |
| Type: National |
| Appointment:Tally of the Votes |
| Powers: Receives 3 thrones per season in ticket sales and gambling proceeds. |
| Responsibilities: Responsible for the well-being of the Colosseum and its competitors. |
- Gladiatorial fights are a traditional activity in Grendel lands that allow them to hear their ancestors
- Duelling is popular throughout the League, but tends to be in informal public venues
- A grand colosseum could be built in Apulian or Sarvos to establish Duelling as a spectator sport
There is less interest in foot-the-ball across the other cities, at least at present. But talk of sport as a means to hear the ancestors has inspired some of the Apulian Orcs to think back on the gladiatorial fights of their erstwhile homeland. Obviously it would not do to set up a venue where slaves fight to the death for entertainment; that would break a vast number of Imperial laws, but it cannot be denied that watching such spectacles got the blood pumping and the ancestors roaring.
In the League, Bridge duelling is a popular pastime. It often draws a crowd, but if more than a handful are gathered, it can be difficult to see the action, let alone feel truly part of it. And besides, when bravos duel in the plaza, only those quick enough to set up an impromptu book can make any serious coin from it. If there was a proper arena for duels, with famous names competing in structured tournaments, then a whole industry of trainers, vendors, scalpers and bookmakers could make a tidy profit from it.
And so Greumach von Apulian puts forward a proposal. He would build a grand arena in which to hold all manner of duelling contests. From bravos with rapier and dagger, through those with rod and shield, to contests between free companies - full teams in armour fighting it out in the sand to prove their worth and win a contract. He imagines the place hosting open nights, where any contender can show up and join the bouts, as well as prize fights between established champions hungry for fame. Perhaps even duels by appointment between bitter rivals or eager lovers might be held in the grand colosseum.
The design is focused on the cascading tiers of seating arranged so that every member of the audience can get a clear view of the bouts. The best, most expensive seats will be closest to the action of course but even those in the cheapest seats will be part of the eager crowd. Greumach is sure that the energy in the audience will be very similar to that of the gladiatorial arenas in the Broken Shore. He has fond memories of hearing the voice of Dubhtraig the Builder roaring in his mind as he watched a gladiator bleed out on the sands.
The Duellists Colosseum would be a sinecure in Apulian which would host a wide variety of duelling contests and demonstrations, as well as housing a duelling academy to train aspiring bravos in the fighting arts. Once the Colosseum is complete, it would allow military units based in the territory to upgrade for one wain less than usual (to a minimum of 1) for the next year, as captains sent their fighters to practise and train at the Colosseum, or else recruited expert duellists from among the tournament champions.
If the Colosseum is completed within the next year, Greumach promises to arrange a tournament at Anvil to celebrate the opening. He will bring some of the most accomplished bravos from Apulian to test their mettle against the heroes of The League.
While Greumach von Apulian is keen to see his home play host to the Colosseum, there is a thriving community of League orcs living in Cigno who argue that Sarvos would be a better home for it. It is more central, so League citizens could easily travel from all over the Empire to enjoy the spectacle. The city celebrates the arts - why not the arts of fighting? Who knows better how to please the crowd than the performers of the City of Masks? Sure, there may be more League orcs living in Apulian at the moment, but Sarvos is a much bigger, wealthier city, so there were just as many people interested in enjoying the show.
The League could build the Duellists Colosseum in Sarvos or Apulian, and it would have the same benefits in either territory. In theory, the League could build a colosseum in both cities. That would be expensive - both commissions would have to be paid for, and the income provided to each sinecure would be reduced to two thrones a season, reflecting the losses due to the competition. However, military units based in both territories would benefit from being able to upgrade more cheaply for a year.
And So Am Come Abroad
- Orc monks from the Boarsford Monastery are coming to Anvil at 17:00 on Saturday
- They wish to speak to Lorenzo von Apulian, and any citizens of the League who spent the season in the Mournwold
- They request not to talk about reincarnation
Intrigued by the conversations they have heard in the fields and taverns over the last few weeks, a party of monks has set out from Boarsford Monastery in Chalkdowns. Every member of the party is an orc and a devoted monk. They wish to come to Anvil and speak with any Leaguers who have spent the season in the Marches. They will arrive in the League Plaza at 17:00 on Saturday and would appreciate it if Lorenzo von Apulian, the priest who passed the original statement, could arrange for somewhere out of the elements where they might enjoy a drink and talk of matters spiritual.
They have asked that discussion stay clear of reincarnation, unless it be to announce that the synod has changed its tune and altered the Doctrines of the Faith to accommodate what the orcs of the Marches hold to be true. They are here to discuss ancestors with their kin in The League, not to be converted by zealots from across the Empire.
Participation: League
Any priest or orc character in The League is welcome to roleplay that they spent the season (or part of it) in the Mournwold helping to bring in the harvest. This will have involved hard work in the fields by day, followed by socialising and philosophical discussions by night. The Marcher orcs will have been candid and forthright about their heterodox beliefs, although only if it was actively brought up, since that was not the purpose of the visit. They will mostly have focused on their relationship with their ancestors.
The four most common ancestors the Marcher Orcs discuss are the commonly known details about Raðljóst, Skjaldir, Ulvenwar, and Ulfur.
Orc characters are welcome to roleplay that they heard the voices of their own ancestors whilst playing or spectating foot-the-ball.
Participation: Marches
Any character who has a farm in the Mournwold, especially if there are orcs living and working nearby, is welcome to roleplay that they have had League priests or League orcs helping to bring in the harvest. These visitors have applied themselves and worked hard, although they may have needed extensive guidance on what to do. They were unfamiliar with farm work, but did not shirk their duties.