The Caspyans of The Leap
Feb 28, 2014 5:40:25 GMT
Post by Meander, The Soul's Echo on Feb 28, 2014 5:40:25 GMT
What is the name of your race?
The Caspyans of The Leap
What does your race look like?
Humanoid. Tall. Smooth and fair skin. Lean builds. Angular faces. Large, expressive eyes. Large areas of tattooed skin common, including on the face, as means of documenting an individual's life. They typically wear simple clothing, made from plant-based fibers, though their traditional dress for holy days is a little more elaborate, including bright colours and precious metals. Individuals often choose to wear flowers, feathers, and other items shed by natural means, crafted into clothing and jewelery, as marks of affinity with particular aspects of nature, or as totems of their deities.
How many of your race remain?
Less than a hundred. Most were lost while trying to help others flee the attacking Elder Gods.
What are the powers of your people? Caspyans tend to have an intense affinity for healing, and hold great sway over the forces of nature. By communing with a chosen aspect (i.e. the body, trees, light, the ocean, etc) through prayer or ritual, they gain access to a wider consciousness that allows them to control that aspect, with the consent of it's governing deity.
What is the reputation of your people with others?
To their allies, Caspyans are gentle, diplomatic, highly educated, charismatic, egalitarian, kind, peace-loving people, who have a quiet dignity & bravery that many other, more aggressive cultures do not properly appreciate.
To their enemies, Caspyans are weak, sentimental, cowardly, sanctimonious, and, in the case of fervent Imperial supporters, dangerous heretics.
What was your people's role in the old Empire?
The Caspyans' relationship with the Empire was tense, as they declined to bow to the Imperial religion, and resisted conquest, holding off the Imperial forces for years. They voluntarily called an end to the fighting, and negotiated a surrender, but the Empire got little out of it, to their chagrin. The Caspyans had been spared the Empire's harrassment for a long time, due to being far from the heart of it's influence, but they were not immune from it. Right up until the appearance of the Elder Gods, the Caspyans were trying to deflect attempts by the Empire to impose further controls upon them.
What is your people's diet?
Herbivorous, due to their culture of trying to live harmlessly.
What are the legends of your people?
The Caspyan's oldest legend is that of the founder of their civilization, Caspya, the Soul of the Leap, who was created by a united force of all the gods to embody their love for eachother. When she first opened her eyes and looked upon all the beauty in the world, she wanted to see all of it constantly. She never wanted to stop looking at, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting it in it's entirety, even for a moment. However, after many days and nights of forcing herself to stay awake, growing weak and weary, she realized that the benevolent gods, her parents, who gave her life, would not wish her to do this to herself. She used the last of her energy to perform a ritual that dispersed her consciousness into everything around her, and so she became the things she was so enraptured by. Every plant, rock and creature in The Leap was infused with her soul, so that she no longer was an entity, in need of earthly sustenance, but the very energy that coursed through the land, causing the flora and fauna to flourish. The gods, though fascinated by their daughter's ingenuity, and saddened that she could not be safe and happy in her original incarnation, saw that they could learn from the experience, and so went on to create the race that became the Caspyans. A multitude of consciousnesses, all appreciating different things, and sharing their experiences together, a less unified, but more accurate reflection of the gods themselves, the living link between this world and the world of divinity.
Does your race have its own religion or just follow the Empire?
The Caspyans resolutely defended their right to keep their religion, despite allowing the Empire to eventually consider them 'conquered'. It's fundamental tenent is 'Prevent harm wherever you may'. They believe in non-violence, except in the defense of the defenseless, or to protect what they hold dear. Their religion teaches them to try always to see things from multiple points of view, to better understand the world, and other individuals, and also to try and see the good in things as much as possible. The Caspyan religion, called Solya (from the native Caspyan word for 'life'), values compassion, knowledge, and the natural world. It is also a sensual religion, encouraging it's followers and practitioners to enjoy the pleasures of the senses, but not to the detriment of the first tenent of doing no harm. This includes harm to the self, as well as to others. Solya has a large pantheon, governing all aspects of nature and human experience, and are worshipped under the open sky. Their religion and society is overseen and guided by a single elected official, a priestess or priest, whose mandate is, first and foremost, to the Caspyan people.
Culture
Caspyan society, although theocratic, is deliberately egalitarian, seeking balance and harmony as much as possible. Caspyan religion and law allow multiple people - heterosexual, homosexual, and otherwise, to enter into marriages and raise families, and the community itself takes a strong supporting role in the rearing of children. Almost all Caspyans are effectively bisexual and polyamorous, and their attitude towards love and sex is one of sharing, as both are holy to them. Everyone is expected to participate in nurturing the community in some way, according to their abilities and talents, as they believe that the soul of their land is in all things, and so each must contribute to it.
How much was your race involved in trade before, and what was its greatest industry? The Caspyans have been isolated for a long time, and their culture does not use currency, so trade is not something they have engaged in much. They do, however, offer their services as healers, advocates, and mediators to those who need them. They tend to ask for an assistance in kind as payment, appropriate to the person they are dealing with.
What is your races greatest weakness? Their compassion can lead them to have their kindnesses abused by the less scrupulous.
The Caspyans of The Leap
What does your race look like?
Humanoid. Tall. Smooth and fair skin. Lean builds. Angular faces. Large, expressive eyes. Large areas of tattooed skin common, including on the face, as means of documenting an individual's life. They typically wear simple clothing, made from plant-based fibers, though their traditional dress for holy days is a little more elaborate, including bright colours and precious metals. Individuals often choose to wear flowers, feathers, and other items shed by natural means, crafted into clothing and jewelery, as marks of affinity with particular aspects of nature, or as totems of their deities.
How many of your race remain?
Less than a hundred. Most were lost while trying to help others flee the attacking Elder Gods.
What are the powers of your people? Caspyans tend to have an intense affinity for healing, and hold great sway over the forces of nature. By communing with a chosen aspect (i.e. the body, trees, light, the ocean, etc) through prayer or ritual, they gain access to a wider consciousness that allows them to control that aspect, with the consent of it's governing deity.
What is the reputation of your people with others?
To their allies, Caspyans are gentle, diplomatic, highly educated, charismatic, egalitarian, kind, peace-loving people, who have a quiet dignity & bravery that many other, more aggressive cultures do not properly appreciate.
To their enemies, Caspyans are weak, sentimental, cowardly, sanctimonious, and, in the case of fervent Imperial supporters, dangerous heretics.
What was your people's role in the old Empire?
The Caspyans' relationship with the Empire was tense, as they declined to bow to the Imperial religion, and resisted conquest, holding off the Imperial forces for years. They voluntarily called an end to the fighting, and negotiated a surrender, but the Empire got little out of it, to their chagrin. The Caspyans had been spared the Empire's harrassment for a long time, due to being far from the heart of it's influence, but they were not immune from it. Right up until the appearance of the Elder Gods, the Caspyans were trying to deflect attempts by the Empire to impose further controls upon them.
What is your people's diet?
Herbivorous, due to their culture of trying to live harmlessly.
What are the legends of your people?
The Caspyan's oldest legend is that of the founder of their civilization, Caspya, the Soul of the Leap, who was created by a united force of all the gods to embody their love for eachother. When she first opened her eyes and looked upon all the beauty in the world, she wanted to see all of it constantly. She never wanted to stop looking at, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting it in it's entirety, even for a moment. However, after many days and nights of forcing herself to stay awake, growing weak and weary, she realized that the benevolent gods, her parents, who gave her life, would not wish her to do this to herself. She used the last of her energy to perform a ritual that dispersed her consciousness into everything around her, and so she became the things she was so enraptured by. Every plant, rock and creature in The Leap was infused with her soul, so that she no longer was an entity, in need of earthly sustenance, but the very energy that coursed through the land, causing the flora and fauna to flourish. The gods, though fascinated by their daughter's ingenuity, and saddened that she could not be safe and happy in her original incarnation, saw that they could learn from the experience, and so went on to create the race that became the Caspyans. A multitude of consciousnesses, all appreciating different things, and sharing their experiences together, a less unified, but more accurate reflection of the gods themselves, the living link between this world and the world of divinity.
Does your race have its own religion or just follow the Empire?
The Caspyans resolutely defended their right to keep their religion, despite allowing the Empire to eventually consider them 'conquered'. It's fundamental tenent is 'Prevent harm wherever you may'. They believe in non-violence, except in the defense of the defenseless, or to protect what they hold dear. Their religion teaches them to try always to see things from multiple points of view, to better understand the world, and other individuals, and also to try and see the good in things as much as possible. The Caspyan religion, called Solya (from the native Caspyan word for 'life'), values compassion, knowledge, and the natural world. It is also a sensual religion, encouraging it's followers and practitioners to enjoy the pleasures of the senses, but not to the detriment of the first tenent of doing no harm. This includes harm to the self, as well as to others. Solya has a large pantheon, governing all aspects of nature and human experience, and are worshipped under the open sky. Their religion and society is overseen and guided by a single elected official, a priestess or priest, whose mandate is, first and foremost, to the Caspyan people.
Culture
Caspyan society, although theocratic, is deliberately egalitarian, seeking balance and harmony as much as possible. Caspyan religion and law allow multiple people - heterosexual, homosexual, and otherwise, to enter into marriages and raise families, and the community itself takes a strong supporting role in the rearing of children. Almost all Caspyans are effectively bisexual and polyamorous, and their attitude towards love and sex is one of sharing, as both are holy to them. Everyone is expected to participate in nurturing the community in some way, according to their abilities and talents, as they believe that the soul of their land is in all things, and so each must contribute to it.
How much was your race involved in trade before, and what was its greatest industry? The Caspyans have been isolated for a long time, and their culture does not use currency, so trade is not something they have engaged in much. They do, however, offer their services as healers, advocates, and mediators to those who need them. They tend to ask for an assistance in kind as payment, appropriate to the person they are dealing with.
What is your races greatest weakness? Their compassion can lead them to have their kindnesses abused by the less scrupulous.