Roleplay OOC Before the Dark Times | Sharyrdian Order

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Here is the OOC thread for the first "open" thread for the Sharyrdian Order:

Before the Dark Times
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It is labeled as a Private Thread only because this thread is intended to set some foundations for the Sharyrdian Order and it would be appropriate it if was comprised of only Aeraesarian characters.

As previously stated, I have done a lot of fleshing out in how the Order operates and the kinds of people it is made up of, but there is a great deal I have left undone. There are some things written that may seem to be etched in stone, but most of it is not, there are only a few things that are truly deal breakers as far as how I imagined the Order, and the Aeraesarians. I have been trying to update the wikis and make things as user friendly as possible, but if there are any questions or something you're not quite sure about, or something you just think might work better a different way, lets chat!

Anyway, that said, this is a thread predominately dedicated to any OOC chat regarding the linked thread.

A quick synopsis:

Set in Sharyrdaes 130 years ago in a time before the events of the Eventide. The city and all of Aeraesar has yet to experience the perpetual darkness of a terrible curse that is destined to befall them. Experience the Sharyrdian Order at the peak of its prosperity, and enjoy the nigh paradise of Aeraesar, a land of colour and light.​

 

[Raëlta Ylnâthel]

Gonna hop in with Raëlta soon, I left some of her lore open to allow myself some leeway in where I place her in the order. I'm thinking she would be something of a community priestess, qualified to tend to a congregation and hold ceremonies, but without too much authority. Somewhere on the same level as Ánië, I figure that might suit the thread well. If you have any suggestions on any other role to place her in, by all means please let me know! I'm pretty flexible in how I play her, my main goal here is to help bring the lore to life.

I'll happily add to the lore, though the direction is all yours. I do want to contribute to what you envisioned. Once I have a good grasp of the theme and atmosphere you want for the order, I'm sure I'll have some stuff to help. I'd absolutely love to play with religious motifs, hymns, and teachings. Been excited to start because Sharyrdaes seems like a rich setting for it, and the intended plot and direction sounds great to play out!

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Raëlta Ylnâthel

So it's very exciting to me the route you chose to take with this character. The religion of the Order is based of course Celestial worship, but over the ages this religion has evolved in a sense. The Shorai is seen as a gift from the gods, and is treated as a sort of "living" expression of the gods, and is without a doubt their most sacred thing. As a priestess, Raëlta would come to be someone not only intimately familiar with the pantheon but also the Shorai, and the collective of the Shoraes.

As a priestess she would likely hold quite a bit of authority in the Temple, so tending to congregations and ceremonies would definitely fall under her jurisdiction.

I imagine the Temple as a very hallowed place, very akin to the Jedi Temple in the sense that the Order's heart beats there, and in the Shorai it kind of literally does.

One of the things about the collective, and something I hope to flesh out in this thread as well, is the "Dream State," which is essentially a dream world that all joined Aeraesarians are connected to through the collective, and enter into when they sleep. One of the things about this is that Aeraesarians who depart from their home for long periods of time grow "distant" in the collective. I had imagined that in the Temple, there is a continuous chorus being sung that amplifies the Shoraes, and helps it extend to reach out to those who are abroad, helping to maintain their connection and helping them to return to the collective dream state while they are away. Some Aeraesarians like Erën are "gifted" enough that they could maintain this connection without aid, but most are not.

Raëlta could be someone very involved in this if you choose... there are so many things you could do as an Arbiter!!! This just scrapes the tip!

 

[Raëlta Ylnâthel]

That's some great background information to absorb, and helps me get a feel for the intended setting. So she'll be more of a mentor and spiritual leader then; someone with more authority living a life dedicated to the Celestial gods and The Shorai that binds the Order together. I'm real glad that her personality suits the theme of it all, and happy to know I got it right. The Jedi-Temple type theme of sacredness would suit the outlook I've given her.

I'd love to help you flesh the dream state out, too. I really like the notion of the the Temple mantaining the Shorai through ritual, It's just the sort of flavour I was seeking and hoping for. I'd also be happy to develop other stuff, too. There's so much to brainstorm here, but that really helps set the stage for the religious themes going on. Gives me a great jumping off point, too

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

I've changed the thread banner to a Fable, as I think that seems more appropriate...

...and I like blue.

So, concerning the coming festival in the thread: the In Character story is that every 3 centuries or so, give or take a few years, there is a particular celestial alignment which the Aeraesarians observe. For reasons not fully explained or understood, the Shorai reacts to this alignment in a way I'd like to unveil in thread. This is quite significant, and is their most infrequent ritual. They have many other holy days and rituals/ceremonies that take place at different intervals, (some smaller daily devotions, monthly, annually, etc. Not all Spheres observe the same ceremonies or rituals. Some are prepared for particular followings in their order, some overlap - save this one. This one is observed by the whole of their people.

Out Of Character is I pretty much needed a reason that makes sense for the entirety of their people to go to Sharyrdaes. At this point in their history, not only are there thousands of Swords living abroad, but there are a number of small settlements throughout Aeraesar as well. All of these people have or are returning to the city for what they call the Festival of the Bright Moon, and the breadth of time in between hinged on one throwaway line where Ánië recalled the last time this happened she was only a young girl. At 292 years, she'd have been 5 at the time.

In any case, it is a tremendously important, anticipated and joyous event.