Jernoah - Revision history

Rance at 16:36, 14 July 2014

2014-07-14T16:36:05Z

Majic13 at 14:38, 3 July 2014

2014-07-03T14:38:45Z

Rance: /* The Nameless: Gods without Faces */

2014-07-02T15:39:09Z

‎The Nameless: Gods without Faces

BDAdmin at 17:03, 29 April 2014

2014-04-29T17:03:11Z

Rance at 15:11, 28 May 2013

2013-05-28T15:11:02Z

Rance: /* Culture */

2013-05-23T20:23:47Z

‎Culture

Rance: /* Culture */

2013-05-23T20:22:29Z

‎Culture

Rance: /* Culture */

2013-05-23T20:18:12Z

‎Culture

Rance: /* Culture */

2013-05-23T20:17:37Z

‎Culture

Rance: /* Economy */

2013-04-17T14:29:45Z

‎Economy

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{| class="wikitable" border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" style="background:#ffffff; width:290px;" align="right"
+{{Infobox location
-|-style="background:#52719A; color:#ffffff"
+| name           =   Jernoah<!--location name-->
-!colspan=2|JERNOAH
+| image1         =   <!--local map-->
-|-style="background:#52719A; color:#ffffff;"
+| alt1           =   <!--local map alt text-->
-!colspan=2|INFORMATION
+| caption1       =   <!--local map caption-->
-|-valign="top"
+| image2         =   <!--regional map-->
-|WIDTH="35%" | Status: || Foreign Lands
+| alt2           =   <!--regional map alt text-->
-|-valign="top"
+| caption2       =   <!--regional map caption-->
-|Capital: || Bridlespear
+| type           =   <!--settlement/village/town/city/region/country/etc-->
-|-valign="top"
+| description    =   <!--two/three-word description of location-->
-|Government: || Religious Oligarchy
+| region         =   <!--region-->
-|-valign="top"
+| subregion      =   <!--local region-->
-|Head of State: || Master Regent (informal title) <br> ''Stalsi'' (formal title)
+| population     =   Approx. 50,000<!--population-->
-|-valign="top"
+| area           =   <!--area in square miles-->
-|Demonym: || Jerno / Jernoan
+| capital        =   Bridlespear<!--capital-->
-|-valign="top"
+| demonym        =   Jerno / Jernoan<!--name for inhabitants-->
-|Population: || Approx. 50,000
+| government     =   Religious Oligarchy<!--system/body of government-->
-|-valign="top"
+| ruler          =   Master Regent (informal title) <br> ''Stalsi'' (formal title)<!--current head of state-->
-|Currency: || Arkhat
+| currency       =   Arkhat<!--currency-->
-|-valign="top"
+| religion       =   Pursuit of the Nameless<!--predominant religion-->
-|Religion: || Pursuit of the Nameless
+}}
-|-
-|}
-−
 [[Jernoah]] is a foreign land far beyond the west coast of the [[Amasynian Peninsula]], separated from it by a great ocean.  Jernoah is bordered by other countries to the north, south, and west, though the details of them are considerably sparse.  Its capital of Bridlespear is Jernoah's only prosperous city, from which most of its governmental authority and religious creeds are dispensed.  Otherwise, Jernoah is a desert country comprised of small outlying villages, and while most trade is conducted domestically, a countless number of coastal townships allow for occasional overseas expeditions.

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 One of the driving edicts behind the Pursuit of the Nameless is the understanding that human senses can never achieve allow direct communion with the Nameless.  Though many paintings and countless pieces of literature have attempted to describe the traits of the Nameless, there is no ordained form or image, and the religion is greatly founded in assumption or conjecture.
-''"They came to me as colors,''" Brother Har'vaak Arhjaad once wrote in his voluminous sermon, ''On the Matters of our Faith'', in A.R. 54.  "''In my dreams they spoke to me and I listened; in my waking they came as twangs of pain or sudden, rushing sensations; I could feel them dictating my motions and decisions through breaths of wind, blasts of sand, needing no words, and I, no special language to understand them.''"
+''"They came to me as colors,''" Brother Har'vaak Arhjaad once wrote in his voluminous sermon, ''On the Matters of our Faith'', in 54 [[Anno Regalis|AR]].  "''In my dreams they spoke to me and I listened; in my waking they came as twangs of pain or sudden, rushing sensations; I could feel them dictating my motions and decisions through breaths of wind, blasts of sand, needing no words, and I, no special language to understand them.''"
 Followers of the Nameless understand innately that, while they may coax the Nameless into action by prayer, song, or praise, they will never receive direct intervention -- as the pivotal sermon once expressed, ''"Our natural tools and senses are too base for Them to waste Their time appearing to us.  We stare into mirrorglass and see ourselves prostrated.  They watch and work from beyond it, moving the world into action around us, dictating our every moment in ways we shall never be great enough to see except through death.''"
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 In Jernoah's recent past, several large events have shaped the stalwart face of religion.  These historic occurrences are seen by newer religious authorities as necessary catastrophes, things brought to Jernoah and her people to challenge their faith in the Nameless.  Altogether, observance of these so-called Calamities and the trials they represent give credence to newfound religious solidarity.  Excerpts from Sol Paulis's work better explain the impacts the Calamities had on Jernoah.
-'''A.R. 176 - The First Calamity: A Trial of the Soul'''
+'''176 [[Anno Regalis|AR]] - The First Calamity: A Trial of the Soul'''
 <blockquote>
 <i>It could not have been with more displeasure that we received the Piss-White Prophet.  She was young woman with bleached gowns, heralded by a caravan of a thousand followers who claimed she was a messenger of Other Gods.  With both honor and skepticism, she and her people came in pilgrimage to Bridlespear.  They remained for several months, our Sisters and Brothers vetting her words for their accuracy and truth.  She said the gods she followed held the solutions to war, the end to pains, the quelling of lamentation.  She challenged the validity of our faith.  She questioned our Pursuits.  She denied the strength of our belief.  She cited her unnatural, metallic hand as proof of her gods’ power.</i></blockquote>
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 To better explain the modern relevance of this story, Professor de Lanz writes "''Because of the Role the so-called Piss-White Prophet held in challenging the Strength of the Nameless, Metallic Hands are a Sign of Shame in Jernoan Culture, whether in Art, Literature, or -- for the Occasional Offender -- as a Prosthetic Replacement when even Death is Too Kind a Punishment."''
-'''A.R. 197 - The Second Calamity: A Trial of the State'''
+'''197 [[Anno Regalis|AR]] - The Second Calamity: A Trial of the State'''
 <blockquote><i>There was a </i>rat'vak<i> -- a slave -- that was thought dull and without reason, whose origin was regrettably unknown.  It worked with diligence and took its discipline well.  It towered among its low peers and lacked the wits to harm another.  It was soon purchased by one of the city's foremost noble houses as a singular curiosity, and there fed and groomed and displayed to further the standing of its master.</i></blockquote>
@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 <blockquote><i>We reconstructed over years, the State strayed persevered despite its near-destroyed capital, and prevailed.</i></blockquote>
-'''A.R. 211 - The Third Calamity: A Trial of the Body'''
+'''211 [[Anno Regalis|AR]] - The Third Calamity: A Trial of the Body'''
 Very little is known about the details of Jernoah's Third Calamity, given its relatively recent occurrence.  Research cobbled together from notations and reports suggests the presence of a murderer, supposedly blessed by the Nameless, cleansing Bridlespear of a number of lesser-desirable citizens.  In addition to the inaccurate body count and the covering of several deaths by loyalists of the oligarchy, cloudy controversy surrounds the subsequent death of the killer, with few details to support either truth or falsification of facts.
@@ Line 118: / Line 118: @@
 ==Economy==
-The ''arkhat'' is the general unit of value in Jernoah.  Because of Jernoah's relatively different trading climate, the arkhat is often worthless when compared to denominations in other nations.  Arkhats are small bone coins that are not necessarily representative of monetary value.  In A.R. 25, ''Stalsi'' Varkeep O'ordoon established the arkhat system in his nationwide attempt to enliven Jerno trade beyond its own shores.  A transcription of his speech states:
+The ''arkhat'' is the general unit of value in Jernoah.  Because of Jernoah's relatively different trading climate, the arkhat is often worthless when compared to denominations in other nations.  Arkhats are small bone coins that are not necessarily representative of monetary value.  In 25 [[Anno Regalis|AR]], ''Stalsi'' Varkeep O'ordoon established the arkhat system in his nationwide attempt to enliven Jerno trade beyond its own shores.  A transcription of his speech states:
 <blockquote>''The Jerno is not a fellow overly concerned with money.  The Jerno's prime commodity is survival.  The Nameless have provided us with a bountiful resource: recently, a discovery was made beneath the Capitol of a great and expansive underground oasis. [Cheers erupt in the crowd; mothers envision their children being able to play in water; I fall to my knees and praise Them.] Settle, settle.  But we cannot condemn this resource with our greed.  If we were to tap into it without consent of the Nameless [a collective sigh ripples across the audience, and I too hang my head at the impending news], then we would use it as though it is inextinguishable.  That is not an option.
@@ Line 124: / Line 124: @@
 ''Instead,  today,[he held forth for all to see a chiseled coin etched out of the bone of a jah'zoon] we adopt the arkhat.  Bartering is no longer the way of the world.  Our trade must be conducted in currency.  Each of these coins guarantees you a portion of equitable water, a share equal to the coin.  When the Nameless decree to our State that the oasis may be opened, the man with more arkhat shall have more water.  The coin is the way of the world outside of our fair Jernoah; today, it becomes our way as well.</blockquote>
-In A.R. 27, days before the Festival, O'ordoon was murdered by revolutionaries who were convinced the oasis did not exist, and that O'ordoon's liberal new idea was a detriment to the Jerno way of life.
+In 27 [[Anno Regalis|AR]], days before the Festival, O'ordoon was murdered by revolutionaries who were convinced the oasis did not exist, and that O'ordoon's liberal new idea was a detriment to the Jerno way of life.
-In A.R. 211, it was discovered that no oasis existed, though many -- especially great landowners and domestic trading businesses -- deny that truth.
+In 211 [[Anno Regalis|AR]], it was discovered that no oasis existed, though many -- especially great landowners and domestic trading businesses -- deny that truth.
 Currently, the arkhat is of diminishing value depending upon the beliefs of individual traders and consumers.  Some accept the arkhat willingly, while others rely solely on direct bartering to acquire their needs.

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 ===The Nameless: Gods without Faces===
-One of the driving edicts behind the Pursuit of the Nameless is the understanding that human senses can never achieve honing enough to to ever allow direct communion with the Nameless.  Though many paintings and countless pieces of literature have attempted to describe the traits of the Nameless, there is no ordained form or image, and the religion is greatly founded in assumption or conjecture.
+One of the driving edicts behind the Pursuit of the Nameless is the understanding that human senses can never achieve allow direct communion with the Nameless.  Though many paintings and countless pieces of literature have attempted to describe the traits of the Nameless, there is no ordained form or image, and the religion is greatly founded in assumption or conjecture.
 ''"They came to me as colors,''" Brother Har'vaak Arhjaad once wrote in his voluminous sermon, ''On the Matters of our Faith'', in A.R. 54.  "''In my dreams they spoke to me and I listened; in my waking they came as twangs of pain or sudden, rushing sensations; I could feel them dictating my motions and decisions through breaths of wind, blasts of sand, needing no words, and I, no special language to understand them.''"

@@ Line 143: / Line 143: @@
 The staple of Jernoan cuisine is the ''jah'zoon'', a grazing, deer-like creature whose meat is valued for its abundance at certain times of the year.  ''Jah'zoon'' hide and bone are major components of craft and necessity. They are regularly herded around towns and cities, for their bony, extendable snouts can find pockets of earthen water.  Their urine and sweat is regularly farmed so that it can be boiled and cleansed over fire, and is used as stock for cooking and other essentials.
 [[Category:Geography]]
-[[Category:Territories]]
+[[Category:Regions]]
-[[Category:REGION]]
+[[Category:Jernoah]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 |Demonym: || Jerno / Jernoan
 |-valign="top"
-|Population: || Approx. 15,000
+|Population: || Approx. 50,000
 |-valign="top"
 |Currency: || Arkhat

@@ Line 136: / Line 136: @@
 Jernoan culture is regularly regarded as primitive, if not barbaric.  Uncertain country borders have led to a constant flux of war at the country's perimeter.  Because of the rapidly declining Jerno population, women between the ages of twelve and twenty are entered into a mandatory birthing lottery by governmental edict, and if chosen, are required to submit themselves to male members of renowned family lines to produce children.  Stories are abound in the available literature.  Sol Paulis, renowned Jernoan historian, once wrote: ''"When the Chosen are shuffled off to the Birthing Pens, you can often hear their screams for days at a time as the men make their bedding rounds.  The girls are fed exotic fruits that the Nameless have given us, which enhance their fertility and broaden their minds.  Only when they are bulging with child are the soon-to-be mothers released to their new families.  They are praised and heralded with great reverence.  They are gorged to fatness.  These young women are the saviors of our dying culture."''
-Jernos are left unclothed until the age of ten so that their bodies can adjust to the harsh, dry climate of the desert. As such, nakedness is of no insult to the common Jerno. At ten, once they have passed their ''Odos'', a test that guarantees their loyalty to both the religion and the government, they are given their first garments and are ritualized as an adult in a mass ceremony (often highly-attended, for the birthing lotteries ensure many children of very similar birthdays).
+Jernos are left unclothed until the age of ten so that their bodies can adjust to the harsh, dry climate of the desert. As such, nakedness is of no insult to the common Jerno. At ten, once they have passed their ''Odos'', a test that certifies their loyalty to both the religion and the government, they are given their first garments and are ritualized as an adult in a mass ceremony (often highly-attended, for the birthing lotteries ensure many children of very similar birthdays).
 Regarding the physiology of the Jerno, Sol Paulis wrote that ''"Jernos are unique for their bodies' peculiar enhancements.  Centuries in the sun has caused a magnificent, Nameless-blessed evolution: ''tarsweat'' has become a common term for the black, oily sweat always glistening on a Jerno's body.  When excreted, a layer of tarsweat can resist the sky's harsh rays and can insulate against the icy, cracking nights of the Glass Sands."'' Hierarchies in Jernoah embrace the benefits of tarsweat -- those of a greater odor are often seen as strong and unyielding, and even in the circles of the dantiest, most proper women, bodily scents are regarded with pride.

@@ Line 134: / Line 134: @@
 <blockquote>''"If ever there was a Culture embroiled in Self-Destruction, it is the Race of Jernos, who at a Glance may appear Reasonable and full of Wit, but have -- throughout History -- prioritized Shame and Humiliation as the Resulting Nature of their Origin.  Never was there a Good Jerno who lived; that is why We Study Them, rather than Commiserate with Them."'' <br>- '''Crisken de Lanz, Myrken scholar, historiographer of Jernoah'''</blockquote>
-Jernoan culture is regularly regarded as primitive, if not barbaric.  Uncertain country borders have led to a constant flux of war at the country's perimeter.  Because of the rapidly declining Jerno population, women between the ages of twelve and twenty are entered into a mandatory birthing lottery by governmental edict, and if chosen, are required to submit themselves to male members of renowned family lines to produce children.  Stories are abound in the available literature.  Sol Paulis, renowned Jernoan historian, once wrote: ''"When the Chosen are shuffled off to the Birthing Pens, you can often hear their screams for days at a time as the men make their bedding rounds.  The girls are fed exotic fruits that the Nameless have given us, which enhance their fertility and broaden their minds.  Only when they are bulging with child are the soon-to-be mothers released to their families.  They are praised and heralded with great reverence.  They are gorged to fatness.  These young women are the saviors of our dying culture."''
+Jernoan culture is regularly regarded as primitive, if not barbaric.  Uncertain country borders have led to a constant flux of war at the country's perimeter.  Because of the rapidly declining Jerno population, women between the ages of twelve and twenty are entered into a mandatory birthing lottery by governmental edict, and if chosen, are required to submit themselves to male members of renowned family lines to produce children.  Stories are abound in the available literature.  Sol Paulis, renowned Jernoan historian, once wrote: ''"When the Chosen are shuffled off to the Birthing Pens, you can often hear their screams for days at a time as the men make their bedding rounds.  The girls are fed exotic fruits that the Nameless have given us, which enhance their fertility and broaden their minds.  Only when they are bulging with child are the soon-to-be mothers released to their new families.  They are praised and heralded with great reverence.  They are gorged to fatness.  These young women are the saviors of our dying culture."''
 Jernos are left unclothed until the age of ten so that their bodies can adjust to the harsh, dry climate of the desert. As such, nakedness is of no insult to the common Jerno. At ten, they are given their first garments and are ritualized as an adult in a mass ceremony (often highly-attended, for the birthing lotteries ensure many children of very similar birthdays).  Regarding the physiology of the Jerno, Sol Paulis wrote that ''"Jernos are unique for their bodies' peculiar enhancements.  Centuries in the sun has caused a magnificent, Nameless-blessed evolution: ''tarsweat'' has become a common term for the black, oily sweat always glistening on a Jerno's body.  When excreted, a layer of tarsweat can resist the sky's harsh rays and can insulate against the icy, cracking nights of the Glass Sands."'' Hierarchies in Jernoah embrace the benefits of tarsweat -- those of a greater odor are often seen as strong and unyielding, and even in the circles of the dantiest, most proper women, bodily scents are regarded with pride.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:17, 23 May 2013
Line 131:		Line 131:

	==Culture==		==Culture==
		+
		+	<blockquote>''"If ever there was a Culture embroiled in Self-Destruction, it is the Race of Jernos, who at a Glance may appear Reasonable and full of Wit, but have -- throughout History -- prioritized Shame and Humiliation as the Resulting Nature of their Origin. Never was there a Good Jerno who lived; that is why We Study Them, rather than Commiserate with Them."'' <br>- '''Crisken de Lanz, Myrken scholar, historiographer of Jernoah'''</blockquote>
		+
		+	Jernoan culture is regularly regarded as primitive, if not barbaric. Uncertain country borders have led to a constant flux of war at the country's perimeter. Because of the rapidly declining Jerno population, women between the ages of twelve and twenty are entered into a mandatory birthing lottery by governmental edict, and if chosen, are required to submit themselves to male members of renowned family lines to produce children. Stories are abound in the available literature. Sol Paulis, renowned Jernoan historian, once wrote: ''"When the Chosen are shuffled off to the Birthing Pens, you can often hear their screams for days at a time as the men make their bedding rounds. The girls are fed exotic fruits that the Nameless have given us, which enhance their fertility and broaden their minds. Only when they are bulging with child are the soon-to-be mothers released to their families. They are praised and heralded with great reverence. They are gorged to fatness. These young women are the saviors of our dying culture."''
		+
		+	Jernos are left unclothed until the age of ten so that their bodies can adjust to the harsh, dry climate of the desert. As such, nakedness is of no insult to the common Jerno. At ten, they are given their first garments and are ritualized as an adult in a mass ceremony (often highly-attended, for the birthing lotteries ensure many children of very similar birthdays). Regarding the physiology of the Jerno, Sol Paulis wrote that ''"Jernos are unique for their bodies' peculiar enhancements. Centuries in the sun has caused a magnificent, Nameless-blessed evolution: ''tarsweat'' has become a common term for the black, oily sweat always glistening on a Jerno's body. When excreted, a layer of tarsweat can resist the sky's harsh rays and can insulate against the icy, cracking nights of the Glass Sands."'' Hierarchies in Jernoah embrace the benefits of tarsweat -- those of a greater odor are often seen as strong and unyielding, and even in the circles of the dantiest, most proper women, bodily scents are regarded with pride.
		+
		+	In Jernoah, the average lifespan ranges from between twenty-one years to thirty, ensuring viable adulthood at a very early age. Desert predators such as vile dune-bugs, mythical stonebears, voorbears, and any number of unnamed beasts regularly ensure death as a commonplace occurrence. Again, the Jerno tarsweat is seen as an advantage -- predators are often driven away from Jerno cities and villages by their overwhelming odors, and tarsweat has proved even poisonous to certain creatures. Elder Jernos (referred to as ''Greatmen'' or ''Greatladies'') are highly respected for their fortitude, constitution, and wisdom, and their word alone can overthrow any ruling in a Jernoan village council -- if they care enough to attend, and are not being glutted into stupor by incense, hallucinogens, and other bodily pleasures.
		+
		+	The staple of Jernoan cuisine is the ''jah'zoon'', a grazing, deer-like creature whose meat is valued for its abundance at certain times of the year. ''Jah'zoon'' hide and bone are major components of craft and necessity. They are regularly herded around towns and cities, for their bony, extendable snouts can find pockets of earthen water. Their urine and sweat is regularly farmed so that it can be boiled and cleansed over fire, and is used as stock for cooking and other essentials.