Seleighe
Seleighe
Introduction
The old world has been purged, deemed too sinful to exist by the supreme gods of the sun and moon. The new world, deeply devout, lives in remembrance of what they must never become. Its lesser gods follow the paths laid out for them by the Highers, deities above their ken. They are sorted into the Four Courts, as guided by the Empresses, chosen pious old gods to teach of what must not happen again. So has it been for centuries.
But the old world's mark remains in the land and seas, in black marks across forests, in great scars of old buildings and mountains. The Forbidden Places are dark and cold, churning with monsters and machines of evil. Though they harbor great knowledge, to indulge in personal ambition is forbidden....
/ coding by kolo
Court of Sea
Introduction
The Court of the Sea, which venerates the Moon and rests in the weary months of Winter, most active at night. Their home rests at the bottom of the seafloor, in great domes gifted to them by their patron, the Higher of Lunis. Secretive and protective of their knowledge, they scheme in their enormous libraries, tending to magicks, records, and fables.
Its people breathe the water, gently tended to by the Moon, whose great magic pushes and pulls the tides, purifying the saltwater to be drinkable. It is for this reason that they hold the Moon in great exaltation, for without plentiful water, no person could survive.
They are led by High Empress Gloriana, one of the old gods.
Court of Land
Introduction
The Court of the Land, which venerates the Sun and lives in the energized months of Summer, most active at day. They lay nestled on windswept cliffs gifted with lush greenery and plants by their patron, the Higher of Solis. Hardworking and diligent, they toil daily to provide for their peoples, excelling in their craft of artisan goods and mastery of agriculture.
For it is the Sun that lets its great magic and warmth shine upon the earth, nourishing the crops and plants, inviting them from the soil to bear fruit and seed. It is for this reason they hold the Sun in such exaltation, for without the growth of food, no person could survive.
They are led by High Empress Titania, one of the old gods.
Court of Mire
Introduction
The Court of the Mire, which venerates the Moon and crawls in the sluggish months of Autumn, most active at dusk. Their home is within great, dark caverns, dripping water from the swamps and bogs above. Here, their scryers tap into the deep magicks of the earth and aquifers, seeking understanding and convening with the Highers' cryptic messages.
The eternal drip-drip of the water that runs through their caves rises to a crescendo of a flood during the rains, which they thank the Moon for. It is that sacred rain that feeds the mires and its enormous plants, cooling the earth from the Sun's heat and blessing it with water, without which no person could survive.
They are led by High Emperor Arsia Collis, who has claimed its throne after its former leader fled.
Court of Mist
Introduction
The Court of the Mist, which venerates the Sun and creeps in the frenzied months of Spring, most active at dawn. Their home lies within echoing tunnels criss-crossing the mountains, the damp fog clinging to their caves and bodies. They chart the stars and search them for understanding, decrypting the Highers' unknowable messages.
In the frigid frost of the mountain caverns, their only solace is the sky's warmth, a welcome heat amongst the cold and the damp. For this they thank the Sun, whose powerful rays warm the rock and the mist, its own heat mirrored in the bodies of its worshippers, without which no person could survive.
They are led by High Empress Victoriana, one of the old gods.
Courtless
Introduction
There are those forsaken, who may shun the fresh world and its new ways. Disparaging the Courts, their rules, and the Highers' orders, they have chosen selfishness above all else, above all virtues and ideals. To them, all that matters is their own survival, their own gain, and their own ambitions.
They have left the Courts behind, disappearing into the vast ruins and forests that stretch over much of Seleighe. In the darkness, they plot and brew, witches of evil and misfortune, eager to tear down the Highers and their world in naught but contempt and egocentrism.
There is no salvation for them, no forgiveness. They have spat upon the laws that cherish their existence, corrupt and defiled. Their existence is poison to the rest of the world - tempters of sin and evil, and should be eradicated on sight.
Highers - Celestials
Introduction
The supreme beings of Seleighe, who craft lesser gods and watch over the world to guide it towards perfection. They mark and bless their chosen lesser gods, giving them purpose and meaning. Festivities in their honor fill many weeks, and worship of them is oft tended to daily.
Little is known of them as people, but there is no purpose in that regardless. They are concepts and ideas more than individuals, representing virtues and morals, keeping the sinful mortals and lessers in check. To speak their true names is a disgrace, a snub, and to talk of them as flawed and worldly is heinous above all else.
They walk amongst their charges, in forms both familiar and alien, as silent watching eyes to pass judgement upon all. It is always best to be kind to a stranger, for one knows not who they may be....