Sagely Advice · Legacy archive
City of Sparrows
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City of Sparrows
#1I'm trying to flesh out the City of Sparrows mentioned in some of my posts (most notably in The Zombie).
I don't have much to work with... I have the fact that it has an Autarch, the Autarch has bureaucrats (I used the term 'mandarins'), and that they dwell in fine palazzos.
SO... My personal conception of the City is a powerful rich city-state in an area of other city-states, perhaps the ruling city-state, like Milan or Venice in Renaissance Italy. In fact, I'm getting a lot of very Renaissance-Italy flavor from it... Lots of big, baroque architecture, noble parties and intrigue, cloak-and-dagger, assassins and poisonings and street duels between opposing factions (when I read about the folding crossbows from the Black Market post, I thought of a black-cloaked assassin in a beaked mask and wide-brimmed hat, shooting from a dark alley and then folding the crossbow up into his coat). I'm thinking (going with the Milan conception) that the City of Sparrows is a hegemonic state in it's region of city-states... I think it should be on a bay or a very big river, near to the coast, and straddling a trade route of some kind. It has it's own military, and probably controls a small military sway of other city-states.
Work with me here, I can't make it all on my own. Who has ideas to throw at me?
I think I'm going for a combination of Renaissance Milan/Greek city-state/some exotic touches -
Re: City of Sparrows
#2Perhaps as the real-world Milan, the city of sparrows is one of contradictions.
- Capital of the fashion industry, from which all the nearby city-states, grudgingly derive their styles of clothes and dress.
- At the same time the City of Sparrows is a center of economic interest. Perhaps they have developed or are developing, a rudimentary version of the stock market.
- The annual Masquerade Ball, where bird-beak and other peculiar masks abound, is the original one, which is often imitated but never quite duplicated in other cities.
- The world's greatest Opera House can be found here. The Academy of Sound & Voice as well, a training institution for aspiring songwriters, performrs, and bards of every ilk.
- A peculiar creature dwells in the nearby river. The Giant Hirsute Lobster, a 5-7 foot long crustacean, covered, almost completely in blondish, hair or fur-like follicles (recent actual discovery off Australia's coasts). The river near the City of Sparrows is this creatures only known habitat. They are a delicacy perhaps, and/or the yellowish hairs of the creatures are used by the tailors and designers, to create gossimer gowns and garments of exceptional qaulity and expensive price tags.
- In the center of the main plaza, is a gargantuan marble dome. Thousands upon thousands of sparrows use the roof as a gathering center (homebase). -
Re: City of Sparrows
#3'ware the Ghost Sparrows. Like the black death they eclipse the moon. Not a soul is safe lest you be inside behind locked doors. The Sparrow Priests, the mad bastards, chant through the night in the Plaza de Sparrow and are never harmed. Nobody knows what dark acts they perfrom as the Ghost Sparrows fly. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#4The City of Sparrows is ostensibly a republic. It's ruler, the Autarch, is a dictator who is elected by "the people", which in the City means an oligarchic council of noble houses who are part of Ammosteu, the Discussion. These noble houses are constantly at each other's throats in brutal street-wars of ideology, as well as over votes from chinnalli, neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is a district of the city, and most are headed by a hetman who votes for his chinnalli. In addition to these noble houses, essentially any organization can be voted into a seat in Ammosteu; criminal street gangs, purely political organizations, religious groups, and even foreign adventurers are/have been councilmen in the past.
The Chain of Power-
---The Autarch---
supported and installed by
--Ammosteu--
supported and installed by
-Hetmen- (or what ever other way various chinnalli may be governed; some chinnalli are governed in wildly divergent ways)
elected by
The People
For many years, the mighty and dictatorial Clan Telmorg held an iron grip on the city, and the Lord-Father of the Telmorgi was installed as a continuous Autarch. Then came the Saponni Revolution, when Clan Telmorg was ousted from the Ammosteu (they have since regained some influence, but not nearly as much as they previously did). Currently, the city is split between two factions who are violently at each other's throats, the Cotazi and the Ulmadza, known as the Golds and the Greens. The current Autarch (who has ruled for four years) is an Ulmadza (Ulmadza doTranchi, to be specific, though he is merely a figurehead for his house, and spends his time with little but opulent parties and decandent orgying), but the Cotazi have strong support in the southern and eastern chinnalli of the cities, among the poor (especially due to their connections with the violent gangs and criminal families of those areas). It is not uncommon to see gold-clad warriors spitting green-clad fighters on the corner of the Plaza of Sparrows, or to see green-cloaked assassins dropping gold-robed nobles in the marketplace. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#5Do you think I should keep that government system? Originally, I was just going to have it be a monarchy with noble houses... But that seems more Italian to me. Tell me what you think. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#6The City of Sparrows lies on the very wide, very slow River of Shaidia, near the foothills of the Carapati Mountains (enormous, jagged, rocky peaks coated in dark forests, filled with the ancient and foul inbred noble families, and, it is rumoured, the dark creatures known as vampires). In the eave of these mountains, the City of Sparrows straddles north to south trade routes crossing the plain known as the Axaido (the River of Shaidia is itself a trade route from the Coastal Republics to the city-states further inland), and is the main fence of trade for the vast majority of trade among the City-States, as well as facilitating trade between the City-States and the farther world.
The city is sprawling, vast, and bloated metropolis, split in half by the Shaidia and fenced on the east by the Hills of Dhamoi (though, soon, these two will be scaled by the ramshackle shanty neighborhoods of the poor, as is even now occuring). -
Re: City of Sparrows
#7Any comments so far? Any at all? -
Re: City of Sparrows
#8Chinnalli (revamp)
A chinnalli ('chee-NAH-lee', "district") is one of the neighborhoods or districts of the City of Sparrows. Each chinnalli is chartered by the city government; many chinnalli exist in or around other official chinnalli which are not chartered, and therefore exist only by agreement of their citizens and have no say in the official city government.
Each chinnalli has a representative in Ammosteu ('ah-mohs-TAY-oo', "the Discussion"), the city senate, which works by a "one neighborhood, one vote" system. These representatives, known as aitari, ('ai-TAHR-ee', "deciders" or "ones who think over"), are then tasked with ensuring the government and order in their chinnalli. Many chinnalli simply elect a single representative after a several individuals campaign; but as there is no set system for deciding an aitar, there are other set-ups, including chinnalli ruled by gangs or which have been chaired by a single faction for centuries (the powerful Father Forge Chinnalli is ruled by the Revolutionary Council of Workers and administrated as a "worker's commune", and sends a collection of representatives to the Ammosteu who confer amnogst themselves to make one vote; the Apaira-Chotali Chinnalli is the homebase of the Gold faction, and has not had a non-Khotazi aitar in 60 years).
Ammosteu is ruled over by the Autarch. Elected by Ammosteu, he is ostensibly the ultimate ruler of the city, and has the ability at any time to dissolve the Discussion. However, since the Autarch is elected, he frequently serves only as a front for the most powerful faction at the time; the current Autarch, Uhlmadza toh Tranchi, is openly a Gold (Uhlmadza) faction puppet, and spends most of his time throwing lavish parties and drowning himself in decadence (currently, Uhlmadza aitari and puppets control the Ammosteu). If a strong-willed Autarch were (by some freak of politics) elected to the Golden Throne, this could indeed be a disaster for the factions of the city. Assuming he were able to bring the power of the City Guard and the mandarins (apolitical bureaucrats who manage the city's day-to-day functions) under his sway, his might would be formidable. He would, in fact, be an Autarch- controlling the bureaucracy, the military, and with the ability to dissolve Ammosteu (in addition to vetoing in that body), with the ability to put forth Autarchic bulls (edicts with the force of law). -
Re: City of Sparrows
#9I'm going for a mob-like and chaotic government with constant fighting (both physical and metaphorical) over votes, support, and patronage. Sort of a corrupt anarcho-republic, with hints of communism and mobism, and perhaps the possibility of a bloody revolution. The Autarch is either a figurehead or an extremely powerful, bloodstained "Godfather" dictator. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#10Archival post
11:42 am: mob-like and chaotic is what I'm going for, sort of corrupt anarcho-republic
11:42 am: In that case, an elected dictator probably isn't the way to do it.
11:43 am: Wel
11:43 am: Since he is elected by Ammosteu
11:43 am: He has no real power
11:43 am: A "Mob boss" dictator who rose to power viciously would fit better. Unfortunately, that kills
the pretense of fighting for votes.
11:43 am: Because the factions who have the most seats vote into power someone who they can
control
11:43 am: Making the Autarch really more of a useless monarch who throws a lot of parties
11:43 am: So basically the person in charge is just a figurehead.
11:44 am: Is there going to be any chance that a strong-willed Autarch could take real control and put
down the factions?
11:44 am: I.E. Put them in their proper place, as it were.
11:44 am: Yes
11:45 am: If the Ammosteu elected the wrong person
11:45 am: A sort of Alexander the Great could get the power of the City Guard and the mandarins
under him and maybe take control
11:45 am: Or, a people's "mob boss" dictator
11:45 am: Alright. In that case, you'll want to definitely detail exactly what sort of powers the dictator
has...*nods*
11:46 am: Such a person would be using every possible method to put down the factions and keep
power where they want it (in their capable hands).
11:47 am: Yeah
11:47 am: Perhaps he can order the Faction Heads to do some certain business that will get them
smashed into pretty red stains or such. If he has true control, let him have true control. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#11Next to come, maybe more wrangling over the government... I want to do write-ups on major chinnalli and factions.
Also, forget most of what you read about the outside world... Except that, yes, there are many other city-states in the region, and yes, the City does lie on a broad, slow river across a plain -
Re: City of Sparrows
#12The autarch must be sworn in by the high priest of strolen's ghost sparrow cult. If the high priest refuses, the voting begins anew. This has become a cause of much frustration in recent years, and each side has extremist elements wanting to install either a theocracy or fascist, yet secular state. And Lest we forget, the violent Sparrow Nihilist Society, who don't want it governed at all. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#13If you're going for the idea of having a ruler who has, in theory, absolute control, yet is easily controlled/manipulated by which ever faction supports them, you might consider the idea of child rulers (or mentally deficient rulers). You could justify it as saying that that sort of person is "more pure" or "uncorrupted by the world." Or some such nonsense. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#14The first in our series of influential districts is the rich district of...
Uchaissar's Wall Chinnalli
Symbol: A long white banner divided horizontally in the middle with a black crenellated wall
Current Aitar: Izma toh Khatemon
Uchaissar's Wall is shaped roughly like a horseshoe, and lies on the western bank of the River Kadessa which winds through the city. The chinnalli surrounds the Palace of the Autarch, and extends also for some distance into the river on stone piers lined with palazzos. The district is made up of four dachas, "courts"- Dacha Seplaia, Dacha Ukhaira, Dacha Slatana, and Dacha Agotza. Uchaissar's Wall, for which the chinnalli is named, curves from the banks of the Kadessa on the north side of Dacha Agotza to around the middle of the outside of Dacha Slatana (the southernmost court), where it abruptly ends in a ruined watchtower.
In 859, in an attempt to bring the nobility under his control, the Autarch Raman the Indomitable (at this time, the city had yet to develop the political system it now holds) ordered that the districts surrounding the ancient Autarch's Palace (a relic at least 1,000 years old) be razed, and in their place, he constructed the four dachas of Uchaissar's Wall. The Wall in question was originally the retainer wall of the ancient fort which the Autarch's Palace had replaced in forgotten times, a massive construction of stone blocks which served both to protect this rich chinnalli and to keep in the temperamental nobility. As the ways and politics of the city shifted, Uchaissar's Wall gradually became the center of two factions- first, it is the home of the unpopular Imperialist faction (seeking closer ties with the Empire which ostensibly rules the city-states, including the City of Sparrows), and second, the Massachida, the collection of groups who support the strengthening of the mandarins and the Autarch. Many monarchists and rich noble groups also reside in Uchaissar's Wall; the populist and socialist groups consider the place the equivalent of hell, and in Father Forge Chinnalli, it is called "the Vomit of Decadence". In fact, Uchaissar's Wall itself is a symbol to this seething resentment- it ends abruptly with a ruined watchtower in Dacha Slatana, the rest of the wall having been sapped during the Three-Day Uprising in 1123 (which came to a disastrous end for the revolutionaries in a bloody battle in Dacha Agotza).
Uchaissar's Wall is a place of stately palazzos, tall townhouses, ancient architecture, couture and pageantry, nobility and decadence. It is the center of the mandarin class, as well as the nobility, and is one of the most conservative districts. It's aitar is the dignified Izma toh Khatemon; though the Izma clan no longer holds any power, the wealthy Khatemon bought his way into the seat, and now orchestrates many conservative votes in Ammosteu. Crime is low in Uchaissar's Wall, if only because this rich district is policed not by the "low-class" City Guard but by the Autarchy Police themselves, as well as the Ammosteic Guard. It's streets are well-cleaned and cobbled, it's torches are lit all night long, and the wild and decandent parties of the nobility last long after dawn. It is a rich district as well- many non-noble private citizens have purchased their way into the upper crust in this place, and live the same sort of lifestyle, if perhaps a bit more ostentatious in the way of the nouveau riche.
Though officially, crime is controlled in Uchaissar's Wall, there are frequent duels in this place between various conservative, noble houses and factions. This has been the site of many Green-Gold clashes, and the various dachas have not been stranger to blood spilt over politics. But the violence in Uchaissar's Wall is more restrained, genteel, and cruel. Assassinations and poisonings are common, and it is common for district inhabitants to regard movement in the corner of their eye with the phrase "Daggers falling soon".
(anything I should add, just tell me) -
Re: City of Sparrows
#15Common Terms of the City of Sparrows
The Taila- "The Capes". The Taila is a catch-all slang term meaning, basically, the "life" of the City of Sparrows, that is, not the ordinary residential life, but the city's criminal underworld, it's political squabbles, it's assassinations, it's bustling peoples, it's ideological conflicts and spasms, and so on. The term carries heavy connotations of criminality and underground-ness, and in fact first came into use to refer to the underground societies of gangs and mafias, though over the years it has expanded in use. It is a difficult concept for most to decipher, but it is central to perception of the City.
The Great Emperor- the distant monarch of the Empire which ostensibly rules the Cities (and the City of Sparrows). It is a sarcastic appellation- the Emperor is a largely indifferent and cruel ruler, and the Empire is largely absent from the lands which they purport to rule.
The Cities- Referring to a wide region, including the City of Sparrows itself, containing hundreds of city-states, and only a very few actual territorial states. It is a wide, general term, sometimes taken to mean only the city-states, other times the lawless plains and wildernesses around them; most of the time, the Coastal Republics in the north are not included in this assessment. Unless the speaker is referring to Imperial actions taken against the Cities, the term generally excludes the City of Sparrows (which Sparrowenes consider to be something different and greater entirely than the other city-states of the region).
Jhocha- a rube, greenhorn, naive person. Usually used to refer to a newcomer to the city, or of country people and farmers (there it carries the connotation of redneck or rustic). Comes from jhochillanza, "ignorance".
Uvemkha- Meaning "hand", as in steady hand or skilled hand, an uvemkha is a person who is capable, cool, skilled, balanced, especially a person with street smarts, or a person who understands the life of the City.
Pilli- "seeds", meaning the small brass shekels which are the most common monetary unit in the city. A Sparrow shekel is smallish, made of brass, and is stamped with the symbol of the City on one side, and the face of the Autarch on the other.
Artodzi- "heavies", referring most literally to golden Imperial khaitars, the money of the distant Empire, which is the highest unit of money in the City. Khaitars are rarely seen by 90% of Sparrowenes, and are used only in the largest of transactions; for most, using the term artodzi is similar to simply saying "a huge amount of money" (similar to the phrase "a bajillion dollars" in English).
Akha- the diminutive or nickname form of the common Sparrowene name Aikhoida (similar to saying "Joe" when referring to a man named "Joseph"). It is used for a multitude of purposes, most commonly to refer to an individual (similar to the English slang term "guy" or "fellow"), i.e., "What's that akha doing in here?". It is also used in the same multitude of ways that the name Joe is used in English slang, for it's common-ness and anonymity (Akha Ba = Joe Schmoe, Akha Distemma = John Q. Public). -
Re: City of Sparrows
#16I like I like! Will add something of more value later when I have gotten rid of the road jitters, spent the last 6 hours in the car. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#17Father Forge Chinnalli
Symbol: A bloody iron hammer
Current Aitar: Father Forge has no single aitar; it is ruled by the Council of the Workers, a body of nine members who are selected from among the Plurality of Workers (the population of Father Forge). The Council of the Workers sends three from their number to the Ammosteu to make the vote for their chinnalli.
Downstream from the Bridge of Premonitions, on the poor eastern bank of the River Kadessa, there stretches the enormous "Worker's Utopia" of Father Forge. Father Forge is the heart of the City's low-class industrial district- the City's vast iron forges and blacksmith shops, textile shops, glass mills, furniture shops and factories, dye-shops, tanners, laundry houses, cobblers, and all other kinds of “lowborn” industry jostle in the human hive of Father Forge, tainting the river with the stinking effluvia of production and releasing roiling oceans of smoke into the air. The district is hardly contained by it's borders, it's explosive construction expanding out across the water on ramshackle brick and wood piers. The district is a labyrinth of lowborn construction- brick, wood, masonry, mud, and iron, all shambled, mortared, nailed, and piled together into a massive hive-like warren, surrounding and surmounting the muddy, anarchic streets of the place, buildings grafted onto others, construction within construction atop construction below construction, coated in posters, broadsheets, vellums, scrawled slogans, slopped painted images, and grafitti of all sorts, and all of it covered in the remnants of constant human habitation. Father Forge is simultaneously one of the poorest and one of the most populous of the chinnalli of the city.
Originally, Father Forge was named Iron District, and was, of course, much the same as it is now. Always a poor district, and immensely populous, the district frequently experienced small resurgences of revolutionary spirit and (like most of the City in all ages) riots were common. But in 1263, there occurred an event which changed Iron District forever; the nobles call this event the Red Hammer Murder, but the people of Father Forge call this event the First Justice. It was a chill night on Rotten Harvest Street; a noble, passing north from seeing his lowborn mistress in Dog Forest Chinnalli, knocked down an anonymous blacksmith into the mud, and with a fatefulness he could not possibly have understood, the blacksmith rose in rage, fed up, and killed the noble with his iron hammer. What followed next was a furious uprising, a sudden and terrible outburst of long-restrained resentment and populist rage, and after 6 days of spilled blood and battle in the streets, the Iron District was transformed. What had once been a district of plodding workers was energized into the Plurality of Workers, a seething hotbed of revolution and communism, an uberdemocracy which called for the violent overthrow of the entrenched order of the City.
As the years have passed, the imminent citywide revolution and civic war which was predicted by the panicking nobility and the bloodthirsty socialists of the Plurality did not occur. Passions cooled, swords were sheathed, and a grudging empasse came into place; the Council of the Workers began to exercise it's political muscle rather than the force of it's warrior mobs.
Father Forge is still ruled by the revolutionary socialists of the Plurality of Workers. It is a hotbed of violent revolutionary politics, a seething cauldron of socialism and populism, where the boiled-over rage of the worker class shows itself in the bright-red bandannas of the workers, the bright-red paint of official Plurality Houses, and the bright-red banners (adorned with black hammers) which are the symbol of the Council. As a center of anarcho-syndicalist behavior, it is the most politically leftist and anti-conservative district in the entire City. The nobility regard it as "the Hive of Evil" and the heart of the faceless mob, and regard it with a mixture of revulsion and fear. The Council is regarded with veiled contempt and naked anger by many of the city's more seemly aitars.
Father Forge, while much more harmonious than it's reputation, has an unfortunate problem with schisms, riots, and crime- the pseudo-anarchic communist Plurality has trouble enforcing it's vast population, and the chinnalli is also home to many gangs. However, for the most part, the people of Father Forge truly believe in the Plurality and in the War of the Workers, and are open in their disdain of elitists and classists. The most common appellation is taussa, "comrade", and the streets are filled with a sense of energetic eglatarianism. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#18Geography and Weather of the City
The City of Sparrows lies on a wide plain known as the Plain of Aibadas (though most people just call it "the Sparrow Plain"). It is an interesting area, geologically- the plain is studded with tor-like hills, long ridges, and high mesas of rock; in some regions, it is less like a plain than a grassy canyonland. The plain is coated in a fast-growing, high grass known as "coolgrass".
The city itself sits in about the geographic center of this the Plain of Aibadas. On it's eastern and southeastern side, the city is hemmed in by a line of high hills and cliffs like a cupping hand. These hills swing down to the edge of the river, where a gap is left open to the south. Similarly, on the opposite side of the river, a long high ridge (now being overtaken by the growing southwestern chinnalli of the city) stretches straight westward through the city and out to the west. To the north and northwest, the city is open to the plain.
Down the center of the city runs the River Kadessa, a broad, deep, slow-running river which meanders lazily across the Plain of Aibadas from the north. In the center of the city the Kadessa widens, becoming a bay or lake-like body for a distance (this is the site of many of the docks and landings of the city, as well as the majority of shipping yards). Past Father Forge Chinnalli, the river once again narrows (though only somewhat) and continues south out of the city.
The temperatures of the City and the Plain of Aibadas can be compared to those of southern Italy. However, the climate is somewhat different; though very sunny and still, the Plain experiences frequent long small squalls of rain, blown south from the Coast, where they unleash themselves upon the City (this is what makes the plain a green savannah rather than arid canyonland despite it's warm weather). Thus, a week in the City of Sparrows is rare if it passes without at least two days of rain, or, also, if it rains more than four times in a week. The seasons are not pronounced in their change, though towards the later months of the year there is a pronounced cooling towards the region's mildly chilly winter (snow is quite rare). -
Re: City of Sparrows
#19Notes on Chickenhawk-
11:14 pm: I'd like to have a character named Chickenhawk to the City of Sparrows milieu
11:14 pm: He's supposed to be enemy of the city
11:14 pm: k
11:14 pm: He leads his bandit army against it
11:14 pm: But I can't think of a reason why he would do that
11:14 pm: So should I just have him as an out-of-city local bandit lord on the plains?
11:15 pm: Or should he be some kind of aspirant to ruling the city (though this is too cliche/evil)?
11:15 pm: Or should his aim be revenge?
11:15 pm: Could be a noble of a destroyed house. Could be an oppressed worker who organized
people to revolt against the rich and oppressive....
11:16 pm: Noble of a destroyed house interests me...
11:16 pm: never underestimate human greed and stupidity... perhaps he is a very legit "wielder of
power" in the city, but can not achieve the power he desires within the boundries of law.
11:17 pm: Hmmm
11:17 pm: He could be a masked figure.... romantic, suave, charismatic, yet in some ways totally
demented or not really all that smart. He thinks his bandits will win
11:17 pm: despite superior numbers of the opposition, entrenched abilities, etc.
11:17 pm: How's this...
11:17 pm: He was a voter in the Ammosteu (the city senate)
11:18 pm: But he was exiled from the city on unjust grounds
11:18 pm: And vowed revenge against it
11:18 pm: He is not quite right in the head, and has deluded himself into thinking that his bandit
army will eventually be the match of the city's defenses
11:19 pm: good plan... does a little espionage... a little robbing on the side (steals from the rich, gives
a bit to the poor, keeps the rest for his band)... occasionally gets his act together to hit caravans or even the city wall.
11:20 pm: Right
11:20 pm: Gives you something to do.
11:20 pm: Yeah
11:20 pm: Why ChickenHawk?
11:20 pm: Because chickenhawks eat sparrows
11:20 pm: aah... missed that... okay
11:21 pm: And because it has a sort of whimsicality to it that seems out of step with the menace
of the character.. Which is an aspect I always sort of enjoyed in some characters in books
11:21 pm: In some ways... you should not make him exiled... perhaps just removed from being a voter.
That way he can move in the circles of power (though having none)... able to choose better plots or openings.
11:21 pm: Pretty common in China Mieville's books, the Malazan books, in Jack Vance novels
11:22 pm: WEll
11:22 pm: But if he is a known bandit, why would he be allowed to remain in the city power
structure?
11:22 pm: Why wouldn't the City Guard just arrest him?
11:22 pm: Ah. Masked Villian
11:22 pm: So
11:22 pm: People don't know he is "Chickenhawk"
11:23 pm: That way if your PCs kill him, just because they think he is it.... they can be wrong.
11:23 pm: They know him as such and such, the minor noble from some house I don't remember
11:23 pm: yep
11:23 pm: Sweet
11:24 pm: Thanks, Moon
11:24 pm: Masked Villian also allows you to replace him on a moment's notice, should someone kill
him as Chickenhawk or his civilial ID
11:24 pm: Maybe he lets one of his minions run the show while he is in town...
11:24 pm: Right
11:24 pm: Then we can have
11:24 pm: Chickenhawk's army screw up
11:24 pm: Lots of options. That is what I did with Scarabomantus
11:25 pm: While the boss is in town gathering info, the impetuous second-in-command has the
army invade a district and kidnap's a noble's daughter
11:25 pm: Something like that
11:26 pm: Sure... you can give him an almost schitzophrenic planning that way
11:26 pm: Right
11:27 pm: So
11:27 pm: It makes him a much more interesting antagonist because he is not easily labeled, AND
you can't just get rid of him. He is more than a bag of hit points to remove. He is a movement and an organization,
beyond just a major bandit leader.
11:27 pm: Chickenhawk is maybe a bit off his rocker
11:27 pm: Not insane
11:27 pm: Well yes, but that has never stopped anyone in politics.
11:27 pm: But just a little bit *off*
11:27 pm: Right
11:27 pm: So he is like
11:28 pm: A minor revolutionary movement might be connected with his army
11:29 pm: yes... slightly... as some of the army command could be corrupt enough to think they might
get more power if he wins... and they gain power because now there is a visible enemy to fight.
11:29 pm: win, win in their world.
11:29 pm: Either way, the army prospers.
11:29 pm: Right
11:30 pm: If Chickenhawk takes over
11:30 pm: Yeah, I gotcha'
11:30 pm: Good idea
11:30 pm: Perhaps also
11:31 pm: Chickenhawk gets a bit of money from some of the Imperial governors in the Cities region
11:31 pm: The Empire might be interested in perhaps putting it's reign around the Cities again and
sees it's chance in funding this two-bit revolutionary to put their main adversary in the region in chaos
11:33 pm: There are many people who would profit from his existance... For all we know, he is really
just a puppet of the Empire... an Agent doing this for Imperial purposes. Keeping them all embroiled in their local turf
battles rather than getting their act together and creating a real country in the region.
11:33 pm: Right
11:33 pm: As long as others do not know that there are others also working with him.. he can keep
playing them against each other. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#20Long live the Chickenhawk!! (I'll come up with more worthwhile commentary soon! I havent slept in 3 days) -
Re: City of Sparrows
#21Soon to come, some little details about the city, including the Stormbirds (goth/punk/metalhead sort of people), various chinnalli, and information about the various cults of the city...
By the way, who would like to help me talk out the nature of gods? -
Re: City of Sparrows
#22I do -
Street-names
#23Street-names
Nobody in the City of Sparrows, at least, nobody but a snob or a rube, is called by their real name, especially among the vast underclass. Instead, one’s circle of friends will christen one with a dehttvannachi, a street-name.
Although they can be thought of as glorified nicknames, in another way, street-names are really a kind of secret identity which one inhabits as part of the Taila; many Sparrowenes will think of the man with a normal name as a different person than the man with the street-name, and no man can truly be an uvemkha without a good dehttvannachi.
A good street-name is a mark of honor, and will generally be both mildly insulting and/or descriptive of the person; they often involve a trait, or an animal whose traits the named one resembles, and sometimes can be quite dirty (boys will be boys, after all). Often, street-names will include false titles of nobility.
Examples- Honest Rat, Spit Hound, Smashed Fly, Too Nice, Broke-Face, Count Vomit, Goat Piss, Blood-Boot, Sympathy, Gods-d**ned Jitza, Thunder, Dented Head, Toad, King Bent Tree, Axe, By Your Leave, Half-Akha, Spider Legs, Paintbrush, Scarecrow, King Arse, Nail Face, Akha Lizard Teeth, Moss-Mouth, Crossbow, Boat-Pusher (in the original Sparrowene, this is a dirty pun) Broken Glass, Lord Crush-Hand, As You Please. Of course, among the nobility, these names tend to be a bit more polite (except, perhaps, among rowdy noble sons), though still informal -
Re: City of Sparrows
#24I have tons of notes from when I lost my internet connection... -
Re: City of Sparrows
#2510:16 pm: Okay...
10:16 pm: I just have a random list
10:16 pm: No particular order
10:16 pm: Tablerock...hehehe
10:16 pm: I wrote them down as they struck me
10:17 pm: VERBATIM FROM MY NOTES:
10:17 pm: Pehraieh, Goddess of Doves (White Winged Goddess, Robe of Doves, Tlanhhu [an
Imperial name])
10:17 pm: ooooh, pretty
10:17 pm: Pariah?
10:17 pm: Heyla Muro.
10:17 pm: Tlanhhu is nice
10:18 pm: Hi Chaos!!
10:18 pm: Tlanhhu is the Imperial name for her
10:18 pm: The Sparrowene name is Pehraieh
10:18 pm: I take it she rules over beauty/love?
10:18 pm: Actually, no
10:18 pm: Just doves.
10:18 pm: Good
10:18 pm: There's another goddess for love
10:19 pm: doves? hold on...so there are various bird deities...I thought it was sparrow-centric?
10:19 pm: Calling her Tlanhhu would be like saying "Deus" instead of "God"
10:19 pm: WEll
10:19 pm: They don't worship sparrows
10:19 pm: Sparrows are more like the symbol of their nation and how they think of themselves
10:19 pm: no I understand...I just thought...oh nevermind
10:19 pm: Like a national mascot
10:19 pm: What did you think now?
10:19 pm: gotcha
10:19 pm: Like the eagle to america
10:20 pm: Exactly
10:20 pm: well...it seems odd to have a goddess of doves in city of sparrows
10:20 pm: Or the lion to the United Kingdom, or the bear to Russia (I think it's the bear, right?)
10:20 pm: Well
10:20 pm: ok got it lets move on
10:20 pm: I think
10:20 pm: She's not an original Sparrowene goddess
10:20 pm: BEAR!! GROWL
10:21 pm: As you will note, many of these gods were derived or are versions of Imperial gods
10:21 pm: "imported" if you will, from the empire?
10:21 pm: gotcha
10:21 pm: Well
10:21 pm: The Empire ruled the Cities for a while
10:21 pm: So there was a blending of cultures
10:21 pm: But that doesn't necessarily mean that the Sparrowenes are just ripping off the Imperial
religion
10:21 pm: It's more like a shared spirituality and perception of the nature of gods...
10:22 pm: If it was a formal religion, it would be like two different branches of it... Maybe like the
difference between Russian Orthodox and Catholic
10:22 pm: yep
10:22 pm: ahh, I see
10:22 pm: Alright, enough of this dissembling
10:23 pm: How about...
10:23 pm: Shann Peheh, Lord of Upraised Fists
10:23 pm: NICE!
10:23 pm: Rebellion? or just the act of moving your arm upward?
10:23 pm: NICE!
10:23 pm: like the title, thoguh
10:23 pm: Well
10:23 pm: *Though
10:23 pm: Power of the people!
10:24 pm: Rebellion, the people, probably a little bit of conflict and violence
10:24 pm: Sort of the Che Guevara of the gods, if you will
10:24 pm: oh.. I was hoping for the latter.. I like doing gods like that
10:24 pm: "FIDEL!"
10:24 pm: Most of his temples are in Father Forge Chinnalli, where the socialists are powerful
10:24 pm: He's sort of the People's God, you know?
10:25 pm: He probably is also a war god, and a god of strength
10:25 pm: Makes sense
10:25 pm: I like him
[The Citadel]: Ria Hawk has entered at 10:25 pm
10:25 pm: Hey, RIa
10:25 pm: Okay
10:25 pm: Hey Ria
10:25 pm: Hi Ria
10:25 pm: This one is weird, I'm not sure if I want to keep him
10:25 pm: Challgi Khainatza, Thrice Crowned (Keeper of Ways, the Crooked Cross, Hand of Keys)
10:26 pm: hmm
10:26 pm: '"Raise your fists in Shann Peheh name! all Monarchies tumble, all our fists are ONE!"
10:26 pm: What does he rule over.. tradition?
10:26 pm: I don't know...
10:26 pm: Tradition is a good idea... But I don't know if I want to keep him.
10:26 pm: Tradition.. perhaps thieves?
10:27 pm: Maybe both?
10:27 pm: Giving him rule over tradition would be an excellent purpose, though
10:27 pm: I like him, so far
10:27 pm: Tradition and thieves...
I like the dichotomy
10:27 pm: We already have a Thief God, but they can share.
10:27 pm: Do you think I should go with that?
10:27 pm: Tradition?
10:27 pm: (By the way, Mur, I'm stealing that slogan for Shan Peheh)
10:28 pm: I like Tradition
[Ria Hawk] 10:28 pm: hihi
10:29 pm: We're talking about gods for the City of Sparrows
10:29 pm: His worship has certain rituals. All worshippers have shrines in their homes to Challgi...every
night their is a ritualistic "opening of ways" keys open locks to the shrines and the open alabaster hand of Challgi
Ria Hawk] 10:30 pm: cool
10:30 pm: Ooh, I like that
10:30 pm: The Alabaster Hand of Challgi
10:30 pm: Pretty
10:30 pm: yes...Tradition AND thieves...I like that
10:31 pm: It's a fitting little whimsical thing to have (tradition and thieves together in a god) for the
City
10:31 pm: Okay...
10:31 pm: Next on the list...
10:32 pm: they put little nick knacks in teh hand every night....stuff they have stolen...overnight...for
Challgi's approval. Sometimes, rarely...the little item is gone in teh morning fromn the hand...This is a great sign of
Challgi's approval!
[The Citadel]: Ria Hawk has left at 10:32 pm
10:32 pm: Love it
10:32 pm: No Ria? dont like that one? sorry hehehe
10:32 pm: Love it, Muro
10:32 pm: She has the connection problems
10:32 pm: oh right
10:32 pm: B-e-aooootiful!
10:33 pm: Haha
10:33 pm: Alright
10:33 pm: Now that I've chosen a purpose and feel for Challgi, I have a reason to keep him around
10:33 pm: yah!
10:33 pm: So
10:33 pm: How do you guys like...
10:33 pm: This one?
10:33 pm: Moth, the Emperor of Ghosts, Cloak of Ancestors (Naidat, Ujjath [Imperial names], the
Fluttering One, the Hooded One, Whispering God)
10:34 pm: ooh
10:34 pm: Sounds good
10:35 pm: Mur, any thoughts?
10:35 pm: He sends out "beacon moths" (liek firflies but fat huge moths) to his favorite disciples...these
moths direct the faithful to certain graves at night in teh city...at these graves the faithful pay homage to Moth.
10:35 pm: fireflies^
10:35 pm: What I imagined was that his high priests wear fluttering cloaks of moths
10:35 pm: Lots of moth imagery
10:35 pm: sure....that works!
10:36 pm: He's an old, old Imperial god
10:36 pm: One of the oldest
10:36 pm: ANCIENT
10:36 pm: hmm, perhaps his high priest actually WEARS MOTHS
10:36 pm: before the gods of MAN came, there was Moth
10:36 pm: He has a ziggurat, like they erect in the Empire, which is unusual in the City of Sparrows
10:36 pm: As opposed to clothes looking mothy
10:36 pm: Yeah, I like that
10:36 pm:
10:37 pm: Beacon moths man! His priests are identified by huge moths, that flicker and flutter behind teh
high priests
[The Citadel]: Ria Hawk has entered at 10:37 pm
10:37 pm: one per priest...almost like familiars
10:37 pm: It's an ancient religion
10:38 pm: Welcome back, Ria
10:38 pm: They whisper in the ears of the chosen...dark whispers....whicpers of graves and ghosts and
Moth!
10:38 pm: Most of it's tenets and ways stem from the dark times before recorded history
[Ria Hawk] 10:38 pm: Stupid evil gremlins
10:38 pm: You missed much of the stuff about Moth, the death god
Roack shoots some grems
10:38 pm: Yes, I love it
10:39 pm: Moth is a definite keeper
10:39 pm: A definite good one
[Ria Hawk] 10:39 pm: Take it up with the little pests; it's not like I wanted to miss it
10:39 pm: These moths come out of the earth where the high priests are buried after thirty days, and
seek out the next high priest to "whisper to"
10:39 pm: Whee.
10:39 pm: Hmmm
10:39 pm: Sounds good
10:39 pm: Creepy though...
10:40 pm: Dunno why I'm sitting in here. I'm honestly not paying any attention to the chat nor offering
anything of use...
10:40 pm: isnt "creepy" the idea with this one?
10:40 pm: yup
10:40 pm: So...I'll be back once I can pay attention.
10:40 pm: Back in a bit.
10:40 pm: Perhaps some of the dead are "chosen by Moth"... When they pass on, the deceased's
relatives open the doors and windows of the house, in case a swarm of moths descends from the Funeral Temple to
carry away the body...
[The Citadel]: Chaosmark has left at 10:40 pm
10:40 pm: Because your name in the corner is aesthetically pleasing?
10:40 pm: Bye, Chaos
[Ria Hawk] 10:40 pm: Yeah, that's shaded\s of Fatal Frame
10:40 pm: hehe Roack thats funny!
Roack bows
10:41 pm: Thank ye
10:41 pm: PEN NICE!! (sorry delayed drunken reaction) ^ Funeral Temple stuff!!
10:42 pm: Cool
10:42 pm: Let us move on to the next on the list...
10:43 pm: this is easy I'm on fire!
10:43 pm:
10:43 pm: Haha.
10:43 pm: Okay...
10:43 pm: Here's...
10:43 pm: Sunborn, Dog of the Sun
10:43 pm: hmmm...
10:44 pm: For some reason, I really rather like the title
10:44 pm: I don't know why I associated a dog with the sun
10:44 pm: Howls at the sun...he is BLIND from this...the Dog of Sun is Blind!
10:44 pm: Ooh
CaptainPenguin likey
10:44 pm: hmm
10:44 pm: I told you I'm on fire! NEXT ....
10:44 pm: Interesting...
10:45 pm: I should chat DRUNK more often
10:45 pm: Before we move on, any thoughts Ria or Ro?
10:45 pm: Haha, yeah
10:45 pm: You're lively when you're like this, Mur.
10:45 pm: Not really, I'm not good with dogs.. (in any sense)
10:45 pm: YAH!! who's next god of chamberpots? lets rock!!
10:46 pm: Okay, hate to do it, but here's a banal love goddess
10:46 pm: speaking of chamberpots...brb
10:46 pm: Ahnni, the Lover (the Girl, Blue-Eyed Goddess, Slipper-Shod Goddess, Ichella
[Ria Hawk] 10:46 pm: I have no thoughts on City of Sparrows, since right now I'm running in dark-evil frame of mind
to work on other stuff
10:46 pm: Ah-hah
10:46 pm: Well
10:46 pm: I'm fine with evil and dark
10:46 pm: Please change Anni the Orphan...how about K'Ahhni
10:46 pm: It can be plenty evil and dark in the city
10:47 pm: No
10:47 pm: No "K'stuff"
10:47 pm: hmmm, maybe blue become associated with love?
10:47 pm: The name needs work, I know
10:47 pm: Ahgmi?
10:47 pm: Ahgmi is interesting..
10:47 pm: Ahpanni?
10:47 pm: I was thinking blue eyes would be a very rare, desirable trait in the city's ethnic blend
10:47 pm: I like Ahgmi, personally
10:47 pm: very few have them
10:47 pm: Ahgmi works for me, I guess
10:48 pm: Aghmi does sound nice...kinda like Agni
10:48 pm: Agni?
10:48 pm: How about "Yanni?"
10:48 pm: Actually, the name "Ahnni" was inspired by the name "Annie"
[Ria Hawk] 10:48 pm: you just thinking up religions/gods?
10:48 pm: Hindu muti-armed god of fire Roack
10:48 pm: I was reading a book where the love interest was named Annie and it stuck in my mind
10:48 pm: Well, I have some notes, and I'm trying to flesh them out
10:49 pm: yeah but thats awful,,,
10:49 pm: Yeah, I know who Agni is
10:49 pm: Roack asked
10:49 pm: I know, I know, I'm going with Ahgmi
10:49 pm: YAH!
10:49 pm: soo.. next?
10:50 pm: Okaaaaaaaay
10:50 pm: "ZARZLO GOD OF LIGHTNING!"
10:50 pm: Next, we've got...
10:50 pm: And Laughter
10:50 pm: That's interesting...
10:50 pm: Lightning and Laughter?
10:50 pm: Let me right that down to fiddle with
10:51 pm: I was tempted to do it myself
10:51 pm: ZARZLO! developed from.. well.. Lolzorz
10:51 pm: Okay, this next god is a personal favorite of mine...
10:51 pm: Annralla Ai, the Serpent of the Resurrection (Ghollinzar, Innyath [an Imperial name],
Talking God)
10:51 pm: Language, too, perhaps?
10:52 pm: if she/he/it is the "talking God"
10:52 pm: Yes, perhaps language and speech
10:52 pm: His priests greet thunder storms with much relish...climb teh roofs of teh buildings hoping to
be th ones BLESSED by Zarzlo...those rare times lightning does strike one of teh faithful, they chortle with glee. If
teh person survives (quite often) He is moved up in teh ranks of Zarzlo
10:52 pm: I sort of imagined priests who shed their skins and become young again... They are
resurrected
10:52 pm: hard to tie that to resurrection
10:53 pm: Annralla is NICE!!!
10:54 pm: I'm not sure what else to do with him, though
10:54 pm: A god involved with resurrection as it's main focus seems very esoteric to me
[Ria Hawk] 10:55 pm: Connect him with solar or lunar deity
10:55 pm: they shed there skins I like that....the initiates line up to eat the old skins
10:55 pm: a "taste of teh serpent" they call it
10:56 pm: Maybe a comet, instead
10:56 pm: Well, let's see
10:56 pm: Sun/moon seem to be a little overused
10:56 pm: Solar is Sunborn, he's a dog
10:56 pm: The Moon is Shinn
10:56 pm: Yeah, a comet
10:56 pm: A very fast, regular comet, like every 25 years or something
[Ria Hawk] 10:57 pm: Maybe connect with armageddon cults?
10:57 pm: Perhaps
10:57 pm: Extremist factions of Annralla Ai's cult believe that "the Serpent shall devour this world"
and a new one will be born from it
[Ria Hawk] 10:58 pm: Why do I have the feeling that this cult would have an unpleasant retirement policy for eldery
memebers?
CaptainPenguin laughs diabolically
10:59 pm: perhaps... flay their dead (going with the skin thing)
10:59 pm: Well, just because it's a snake doesn't mean it's automatically evil
[Ria Hawk] 11:00 pm: ... I already said I was in an evil frame of mind. All suggestions will reflect this.
11:00 pm: The chosen few shed their skins and become young again... They're the Anralla Ai
equivalent of Moth's moth-wearing priests
11:00 pm: Sure thing
11:00 pm: I gotcha' there, Ria
11:01 pm: Shall we move on to another god?
11:01 pm: This one has a pretty lame name, but I like the concept...
11:01 pm: Trintzicharr, the Sow of Night (or Sow of Destruction?)
11:01 pm: hmm
11:02 pm: Perhaps she could be blended with Shinn?
11:02 pm: Mmm
11:02 pm: Well
11:02 pm: I don't know
11:02 pm: Shinn is a very mysterious, sort of mystical god
11:02 pm: Art-Deco-esque temples and elegance and so on
11:03 pm: Where as
11:03 pm: The Sow of Night (which really needs a better name)
11:03 pm: I don't like the name Trintzicharr
11:03 pm: Mooncalf
11:03 pm: Ah, I dunno'
11:03 pm: I might drop her
11:04 pm: ok
11:04 pm: Perhaps Shinn travels with a sow, whihc is the night, and he is the moon?
11:04 pm: *which
11:04 pm: Well
11:04 pm: I like that
11:04 pm: Another aspect of it is
11:04 pm: I originally imagined the Sow of Night as the Sow of Destruction
11:05 pm: Like... A massive monster she-pig that devours stuff
11:05 pm: hmm
11:05 pm: Perhaps she feeds on the blue grass of day?
11:05 pm: And the provenance of the concept was a barbarian of the Jjekki (who are in this setting)
with a symbol of the Sow of Destruction on his chest
11:05 pm: Giving way to night and letting her master show?
11:05 pm: Hmmm
11:05 pm: Interesting
11:06 pm:
11:06 pm: This one is hard
11:06 pm: Any ideas, Mur?
11:07 pm: I;ll pm you them tomorrow am
11:09 pm: idea 2. 3. and 4 tomorrow
11:09 pm: Okay
11:09 pm: Next god
11:09 pm: Brb guys
11:09 pm: I've got Shinn fairly pegged down, so I'm gonna' skip him, if that's cool with you folks
11:09 pm: OKay
11:10 pm: okay
11:11 pm: brb need to wash down vodka
11:11 pm: Right
11:11 pm: Aunghilla, The Sparrow, God of the City (the Civic Cult)
11:12 pm: back
11:13 pm: hmm
11:13 pm: Sounds good
11:13 pm: But.. is that all she's goddess of?
11:13 pm: Here's where I've got Sparrows
11:13 pm: It's a he
11:13 pm: He's the god of the whole city
11:13 pm: maybe, walls, or buildings, and of course, the city itself?
11:13 pm: Basicaly
11:14 pm: He is the personification of The City of Sparrows
11:14 pm: It's people
11:14 pm: It's life
11:14 pm: It's structure is it's body
11:14 pm: hmm
11:14 pm: Sounds good
11:14 pm: for one hour a day, every day...THOUSANDS od teh city's sparrow (all of the!) dissapear into
the skies in a black cloud...It is said her birds go to visit her, to tell Aunghilla all the news of the world and her city.
11:15 pm: maybe people sometimes "Dissapear" being litterally swallowed by the city itself, in his
judgement?
11:15 pm: all the sparrows vanish for one hour a day...no one knows where they really go...they go to
Aunghilla
11:16 pm: Hmmm
11:16 pm: Maybe, if not once a day, once a month
11:16 pm: Maybe not everyday..
11:16 pm: The sparrows vanish
11:16 pm: I like the bit about the city swallowing people in judgement
11:16 pm: ok...each little birdie (thousands!!) has a bit of news for Aunghilla
11:16 pm: Ah so
11:17 pm: Roack-nice!!
11:17 pm: thanks
11:17 pm:
11:17 pm: go back to ornage before I slay thee!!!
11:17 pm: Sparrows are Aunghilla's/The City's eyes
11:17 pm: YUP!!
11:18 pm: I like it
11:18 pm: hooray!
11:18 pm: THAT is how she decides who dissapears in judgemnet....THATS why everyone nice to little
sparrows...
11:19 pm: Ah-hah!
11:19 pm: "NO..dont knife him now, Hemkil, see that bloody Sparrow?"..."We wait!"
11:19 pm: Aunghilla is the only god who EVERYBODY worships
11:19 pm: It does not do to deny the Civic Cult
11:19 pm: Remind me not to tick him off
11:19 pm: yah
11:20 pm: Okay, one last thing
11:20 pm: This isn't really a god
11:20 pm: geez...you dont ask for much
11:20 pm: rock on Pem!
11:20 pm: Pen
11:20 pm: But it's sort of a lynchpin concept to Imperial and Sparrowene religion
11:20 pm: sorry I'm drunk
11:21 pm: Haha
11:21 pm: No worries
11:21 pm: oh oh sounds heavy
11:21 pm: Well
11:21 pm: Maybe
11:21 pm: DUN DUN DUN!
11:21 pm: poltics make head hurt
11:21 pm: I don't know if I should keep it
11:21 pm: well, what IS it?
11:21 pm: The Holy Volcano, Jjunggarh- most sacred site in the world, also the highest mountain
11:21 pm: Hmm
11:21 pm: near City?
11:21 pm: said to be the place where the gods first descended from the void
11:21 pm: HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
11:21 pm: No
11:22 pm: It's across an ocean
11:22 pm: In the Empire
11:22 pm: Active, or inactive?
11:22 pm: you know....its a great idea on its own...but that seems much now...a volcano...maybe I'm
wrong
11:22 pm: I don't know, I imagined it as looking like a gigantic Mt. Fuji
11:22 pm: So sort of inactive, I guess
11:22 pm: It doesn't erupt
11:22 pm: GEEZ! that should revolve around another city(sub)....THAT has great and limitless potential
11:23 pm: I imagined it sort of like all alone in a "holy desert" or something like that
11:23 pm: Perhaps it once killed thousands early on, so know it is quiet
11:23 pm: That period was the time when the newer gods descended, maybe?
11:23 pm: On it's slopes there is a deserted "holy ruin", the remnant of an ancient city
11:23 pm: Hmmm perhaps
11:23 pm: Of course, a few came before it
11:23 pm: A city carved from solidifying lava and basalt
11:24 pm: Hmmm
[The Citadel]: Chaosmark has entered at 11:24 pm
11:24 pm: Sounds kinda.. I dunno, typical for some reason
11:24 pm: I'm not sure if I want to mess with it too much
11:24 pm: Hey CM, welcome back
11:24 pm: Because it's a distant, holy place
11:24 pm: I'd think the people would stay away from it
11:24 pm: 'eyla 'eyla 'gain.
11:24 pm: They revere it, but it's doubtful any Sparrowene has been there
11:25 pm: Perhaps there is a Forbidden Land around the mountain
11:25 pm: So Holy that only clergy can make the pilgrimage to some shrine on it?
11:25 pm: Close enough that you can see Jjunggarrh in the distance
11:25 pm: or, rather, near it
11:25 pm: Yeah
11:25 pm: I like that
11:25 pm: Aspegoi now call the city home. Aspegoi being remnants of teh Volcanoes essence...ghost
like spirits glowing with embers...they AWAIT the return of Jjungarrh's GLORY!! -
Re: City of Sparrows
#26I come up with good stuff when I'm drunk. :lol: :lol: :lol: -
Re: City of Sparrows
#27Knife Chewers
A powerful street gang, so-called because they carry knives all over their bodies, sometimes even between their teeth. They are headed by Left-Hand Lukha (his other street-name is Honest Rat), a peerless knife-fighter and brutally efficient leader who runs his gang a bit like a military troupe, who is famous for enforcing on them a policy of total honesty. Because of this honesty, Knife Chewers are often regarded by members of the underclass as good sources of information and reliable news, albeit more likely to slit your throat and take your purse than the average socialist broadsheet. -
Re: City of Sparrows
#28Naza egh nissimtzi toh ladekhmia icha- "He always dips at the same well". A Sparrowene proverb, it essentially means "a sucker for punishment". It is used in many ways; the most common is to refer to a person who is frequently ripped off by the same scams, or a man who continuously returns to a woman who spurns him.
(i.e., "Four times has Raitsha gone back with Ijhillie, and every time she disappoints him after a while... Naza egh nissimtzi toh ladekhmia icha!")
Ghinnalljie zerh ghodhaba- "Cow before bull", a romantic or married couple in which the female dominates the male. Essentially, "she wears the pants in that relationship".
(i.e., "Khonnali always tells Akha what to do. It's ghinnalljie zerh ghodhaba")
Niddichi lanlakha veh sahberrinza- "Eat the meal you have cooked", meaning, fess up, equivalent to the saying "You've made your bed, now lie in it". Take responsibility for your actions.
Egh eghaedhi toh chirrdi acharchi- "He's stepping on sharp stones". It means, roughly, going through a rough time, having a bad time of things, a string of bad luck. (i.e., "Raitsha's had his heart broken by Ijhillie again. Egh meghaedhi toh chirrdi acharchi.")
Charkha jhabballtazi- "Sad-eyed dog". One who wears their heart on their sleeve, somebody very open with their emotions. It carries a connotation of unhappiness and depression.
Khiskho rabardi- "Loud bird". One who speaks before he thinks, a loudmouth. Connotations of stupidity.
-
Re: City of Sparrows
#29Ghevli arstexu marrhu "Put salt on it first". Refers to making the most of one's opportunities, or adding that extra bit of gusto in whatever your doing. Meaning "I know your hungry, but slow down and sprinkle some salt on it. It will taste better". Often used by wizards interestingly enough, when discussing spells, potions, incantations, and scroll making.
(Note: "arstexu" is an Imperial loanword, which is apparent from the use of the rare "x" sound)
"Ghevli arstexu marrhu...That summomning would go better for you"
(CAP's EDIT NOTE: Sorry, Mur, I edited to better fit my conception of the language, hope you don't mind) -
Re: City of Sparrows
#30why the bloody hell would I mind?? Its your world, I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut :D -
Re: City of Sparrows
#31The Stormbirds are somewhat like a combination of goths, punks, and metalheads. The original inspiration for them was an aborted character named Gaidar Vai who was basically a goth... The Stormbird movement is similar to those sorts of "dark" subcultures in modern America.
The Stormbirds
The Stormbirds are a rather unusal portion of the Sparrowene populace, a subculture, not unified by cult (though many share similar cults or gods) or clan or party allegiance. The Stormbirds are united in their celebration of the dark side of human nature and emotion- sorrow, pain, rage, violence, and sentimentality, what the Stormbirds call the "true" face of nature. Espousing these tenets, the Stormbirds are a strange collection of volatile people; while they are not necessarily unhappy, they are even more emotionally dramatic than a regular Sparrowene (Sparrowenes are famed for the power and drama of their emotions). Stormbirds tend to be artistic types, and while most Stormbirds are young, ranging from 15 to 25, many elder Stormbirds go on to become poets and artists within the city.
... To be continued