#but it was named for Magran

[adozentothedawn]

I'm so glad that he can finally be happy.

[vigilskeep]

i think you're getting me into pillars of eternity. the class system seems p fun!! care to talk about your latest character there?

early days but i’m giving it another shot!! only properly started today

i’m playing my lovely new oc sabryn maghannan, a human fire godlike from the aedyr empire, and a priest of eothas. which i’m sure means... absolutely nothing to you as it’s just a name i made up and then a bunch of concepts from the game

here’s her in-game portrait, the lovely lady in the middle here. they actually let you use your fire hair to light braziers in-game and it’s delightful

godlike are people who happen to be born blessed/cursed by a god and the gods were NOT subtle about it. so sabryn had ordinary human parents but was born literally radiant. and with horns. and fire for hair and skin veined with molten light. etc. (you can also play as death, nature, and moon godlike, and there are other kinds you can’t play too.) fire godlike like her were touched by magran, who is i believe the goddess of fire and war, but sabryn is a priest (it’s just a cleric) of eothas instead, who is the god of dawn and rebirth and renewal, and a significantly less popular god in the area of the world where the game is set. as in followers of his are looking at getting strung up in hanging trees.

sabryn has a good heart but she’s a bit of a scoundrel. back in her homeland of aedyr she apparently ran some kind of scam pretending to be a holy woman, presumably claiming eothas’ blessing long before she got it. how different is fire from dawn’s light, really? i’m imagining that an actual priest of eothas who caught her out gave her a second chance... as long as she headed to the eastern reach where the game is set and figured out what happened to some fellow eothasians over there? give me a minute to flesh all that out while i figure out how this world even works i’m trying to stay adaptable okay

and as of the start of the game she can see dead people! so that’s exciting

[starlightcleric]

Picrew dump from this picrew of a bunch of my Pillars of Eternity characters because I have Pillars on the brain but I'm tired of computer games at the moment.

Top:

Lillian Veres, meadowfolk Ranger/Rogue, Hunter from Readceras (mechanically Ixamitl). Love interest: Eder. Has a wolf named Gideon.

Amaryllis Alfwyn, pale elf Cipher/Monk, Explorer from the Living Lands. Love interest: Aloth.

Calendula Qantu, savannahfolk Priest/Paladin of Berath, Philosopher from Ixamitl. Love interest: Xoti.

Middle:

Hazel Bramble, hearth orlan Fighter, Mercenary from Deadfire. Love interest: ?

Yarrow Cwicfyr, meadowfolk Priest of Magran, from Dyrwood (tabletop character). Love interest: None (jokingly Waidwen)

Bottom (getting to the more obscure ones):

Ruvsá, pale elf Monk, Mystic from the White that Wends. Love interest: ?

Jessamine Fitzwode, nature godlike Rogue/Chanter, Slave from Aedyr. Love interest: ?

Violetta mes Rèi, moon godlike Wizard/Chanter, Aristocrat from Old Vailia. Love interest: Aloth or Tekehu.

[legend-collection]

Barmanou

The Barmanou is a bipedal humanoid primate cryptid that inhabits the mountainous region of northern Pakistan. Shepherds living in the mountains have reported sightings.

The Barmanou is the Pakistani equivalent of the Bigfoot. The term Barmanou originating in Khowar, but now used in several Pakistani languages including Urdu, Shina, Pashto and Kashmiri. In addition to the name Barmanou there are a few local variant names as well.

The proposed range of the Barmanou covers the Chitral and Karakoram Ranges, between the Pamirs and the Himalaya. This places the Barmanou between the ranges of two more-famous cryptids, the Almas of Central Asia and the Yeti of the Himalayas.

The Barmanou allegedly possesses both human and apelike characteristics and has a reputation for abducting women and attempting to mate with them. It is also reported to wear animal skins upon its back and head. The Barmanou appears in the folklore of the Northern Regions of Pakistan and depending on where the stories come from it tends to be either described as an ape or a wild man.

The first search in Pakistan for Bipedal Humanoid man was carried out by a Spanish zoologist living in France, Jordi Magraner, from 1987 to 1990. He wrote a paper, Les Hominidés reliques d'Asie Centrale, on the Pakistani cryptid – the wild man.

He later researched the Barmanou extensively in the 1990s, but was murdered in Afghanistan in 2002. Loren Coleman wrote that he "collected more than fifty firsthand sighting accounts, and all eyewitnesses recognized the reconstruction of Heuvelman's homo pongoides ["apelike man"—i.e., a living Neanderthal.]. They picked out homo pongoides as their match to Barmanu from Magraner's ID kit of drawings of apes, fossil men, aboriginals, monkeys, and the Minnesota Iceman."

In May 1994, during a search in Shishi Kuh valley, Chitral, cryptologist Jordi Margraner, Anne Mallasseand and another associate reported that once during a late evening they heard unusual guttural sounds which only a primitive voice-box could have produced. No further progress could be made.

[gothyanki]

Those Pillars of Eternity polls have me feeling nostalgic*, so have a random screenshot of my character from that series! Her name is Ahimi (she went through a long list of aliases before deciding to name herself after Ahimi the Dreamwalker, an extremely minor but also extremely cool lore character) and she is a cipher/beguiler from the Deadfire Archipelago. She was sent to train with the priesthood of Magran in Neketaka at age twelve, found herself to be profoundly unsuited to the role, and has been drifting across the world ever since she noped out as a teenager. Here she is wearing Queen Onekaza's clothes a very fancy outfit that is strictly reserved for non-combat situations.

Don't ask about her relationship with aforementioned Queen Onekaza. It's Complicated.

*by "nostalgic", I mean "I finished Deadfire last year earlier this year".

[solas-backpack-mug]

Did anyone do 9 + 12 for the ask meme yet? And 1?

pillars of eternity ask!

1. what is your watcher's class? how does it relate to their backstory?

the answer is here :)

9. who are your watcher's favorite companions?

edér because he's fun and his jokes take rangi's mind off of impending doom in poe1. between poe1 and poe2 they often meet and become close friends

aloth because he is considerate and his interests kind of line up with rangi's. by poe2 they truly realise how similar they are (awakening, former devotion to thaos)

pallegina because they share many ideals (views on animancy and the gods) and they can both relate to the hardships of being a godlike (rangi was a godlike in her past life). unfortunately pallegina's devotion to the vailian republics and rangi's desire to help the huana drove them apart

grieving mother because rangi feels a strange closeness with her, maybe something to do with both of them being ciphers. giving grieving mother emotional comfort heals rangi a little bit too

12. what does your watcher think about the gods?

in general, rangi dislikes the gods and the fact that they exist. that dislike is partly because of rational reasons (all the atrocities the gods committed) and partly because it simply helps her cope with having done terrible things in the name of the gods in the past.

respect: berath

neutral: abydon, galawain, wael

dislike: hylea, rymrgand, ondra, magran

hatred: woedica, skaen, eothas

for eothas it's more and weirder than just hatred. rangi and eothas share some ideals wich rangi is passionate about (kith should know the truth about the gods and live without their interference) but she considers eothas' methods unacceptable. in her past life she used to be his priestess and a dawn godlike. she used to consider him her father

thanks for the questions cespenar :)

[vaultsixtynine]

gods whose servants have directly caused anathema deep personal harm in the name of that god (or adjacent):

skaen (skaenite rebellion from her slave childhood gone effigy)

rymrgand (her mentor is an ex-bleak walker and a rationally fatalistic adherent to the inevitability of rymrgand more than like, the 'i'm gonna kms' flavor)

woedica (poe1, thaos, etc.)

wael (specific to some shit her soul ancestor did + i'm assuming he's about to cause issues in this forgotten sanctum dlc)

gods who have directly said 'i just fucking hate you so much' and/or directly tried to kill the world's most chill and yet most unfortunate agnostic:

woedica (many times.)

galawain (is disgusted that anyone could mistake this weak prey for his offspring, et cetera)

skaen

berath (lol)

ondra (MANY TIMES. she doesn't even spend that much time in/near the ocean ondra just fucking hates her guts because she keeps wandering into ondra's schemes and telling ondra she's acting like a child)

rymrgand

magran (took offense to some of the anti-magranite bits she did in poe1)

wael (actually doesn't mind her that much, but y'know, gotta keep their reputation somewhat intact) - this is a god ana has specific wariness for, because they are Overly Fond with her in conversation and sits very close to anathema's past portfolio(s).

the only gods who can hang:

hylea i guess. deeply not ana's vibe but whatever

abydon is minding his own business and still technically "owes her one" after white march

eothas - wait.

[444names]

Names generated from The Elder Scrolls' Breton names and Old English forenames, excluding the letter "C"

Abera Abien Adelanort Adywyrrya Agnong Agryð Aldard Aleontot Alexant Aline Alleorvart Allin Alolur Alvivin Ambenber Andelley Anreddith Ardereg Aremord Arlinstyr Arodelle Arthibard Asille Asond Asseph Astaudis Astia Astyn Astyrahl Aubeorgan Audistor Augene Augile Auzou...

Babar Barbera Barique Barnara Bashfolre Bastyra Baustyne Bearthel Belan Bellodore Beodaire Berayeorna Berhtmær Berin Berne Berryan Berya Boeuna Boine Boiris Branifyr Broferne Brois Brugavele Brysyliern Daimir Dairie Dalorgan Dastal Daulfgie Daynn Delitine Delvelayn Derry Dette Detternon Dhurand Difyraline Dingh Dolbeoda Dorde Dorrya Dorstine Douzond Dovine Duben Dufola Dultz Dunda Durorgnak Dægent Earard Earbout Edena Edmærb Edrina Edwearey Edwine Eespandel Elairie Elane Elette Elieleon Elielone Ellard Ellere Elloryvan Elynau Emadiste Emiustyvyr Emuna Ennaud Enoise Eopere Eorya Eroxan Ertras Eseriente Estierrya Estonon Etine Evalieryg Evana Evelle Evelline Eveloine Evely Eviely Evyrrin Falip Falysyn Faudie Feliel Feluse Fennovene Ferth Fienort Fierelavo Fierht Floixes Florya Flædmorund Fraoin Fretter Gabezo Gabier Gaele Gaelot Gaelskyr Gaeri Gaeriande Galdranrel Gararique Garoq Gatrandyre Gavebeline Gavelia Gefautrand Gephis Geynis Gimitham Ginaud Ginelette Girena Githyn Gitil Gondayn Gonelsig Gontienew Grane Grenne Griellet Grozone Guele Guina Gustoth Gwine Gwyne Gwyranrie Halard Hamasht Hamernot Harlergine Hawkslarq Heanne Heaurie Heauzabing Helin Hellemps Helouriend Hemont Henrie Hentloq Heredaldel Hernolt Hiellene Hilard Holarg Holor Hugastond Hunesdet Hylous Hywyna Ighouis Ileyoldwyn Illard Imundyvald Inamellou Ingirno Ionnie Irrax Irryð Jadent Jambur Jashsmien Jashstyrah Jasild Jastentis Jearthienn Jehan Jenno Jerananis Jerane Jerton Jeuguy Jolardl Julielle Jutheladri Kaeriste Karelind Karis Karpen Kertin Laistyr Larthier Larwin Lashsle Leauth Legnond Leorheo Lexing Lieven Limord Littannyn Loorle Louare Lozenring Lyeodyven Lynake Lyssan Lyssens Madwynfer Maelixeve Magrane Malauze Malbard Malbeomise Maldamique Malette Mannista Marand Marardine Maratierte Marbera Marbouzint Mariend Marilorene Marinvien Marlaul Marobine Marold Mashry Masimre Mastintond Maten Mathiller Matilley Matthfie Maudeona Maumont Mautine Maxevan Maxever Maxil Maxiseleon Meline Menrialyn Meorylin Mibelle Milban Mitte Miviste Molenna Monariane Mondield Monnen Montan Morettena Morgarth Morht Morier Mortht Moryð Mousse Muien Mundryn Nadnot Naklin Naranise Nauzole Nianierine Nienne Nieny Nitteve Noborine Nurmelmær Nytthalis Ogine Omine Orilzola Oring Orinvie Osaynette Osigafol Oslyr Othelafa Pairrydere Patis Peille Pelasir Penvin Perand Perind Permyn Pertine Phandelian Phele Pierht Pierj Pierra Pilbelle Pilie Pinne Prelles Pujose Pynard Ralanderht Raraneles Rashtrese Rayna Rayne Redam Redræd Reinin Rerri Ribere Robera Rodort Roglael Rolberos Rolda Rommen Rostrane Rothard Rysernis Salynabald Sanne Sebart Senfoles Setteria Shtair Shtwule Sille Slynak Slyne Soringte Sovis Stair Stastand Stianna Stlese Stmurte Store Styria Stystyr Surrina Surthena Swiloin Sybelens Sylver Syvyrrise Tanet Tayet Terie Thard Thelia Thellette Therjaque Thhonona Tibal Tonde Toraiste Torine Trelvie Trierya Trineadne Uleximild Ulrunient Utharierna Vairert Valtz Vanrosan Velgodyne Vergna Verriannan Vierht Viete Vilia Vimoordord Vinis Vintine Vitara Vroldaine Vyris Welle Weodarring Wihtwoor Woodilane Woodique Wuldarie Wuline Wærfal Xandisa Yllever Yssabyvyr Yssant Ysset Ysylvie Yuarjorvie Yvalle Yvyrineque Zavelisa Zazulort Ægenræd Ægmunder Ælfnor Ælfre Ælfweau Ællak Æðelletolm

[vintageguitar-world]

Salvador Ibanez ~1900

Very beautiful historical guitar by the famous Salvador Ibanez, built around 1900. A fantastic looking guitar with an amazing sound! Salvador Ibáñez (1854–1920) was a Spanish luthier. He made all kind of stringed instruments. These instruments were considered the finest of their age and are prized for their excellent quality and impeccable workmanship. At eleven years of age Ibáñez became an apprentice in guitar construction at Calle Muela Valencia. In 1870 he started his own company: Salvador Ibáñez y Albiñara. The company was registered at Calle Cubells. Working in his shop were the ten-year-old José Ibáñez and Magdalena Albiñara y Magraner, from Ollería, Valencia. In 1896 he first appeared in the trade guides at Calle Ruzafa Valencia and from 1898 to 1906 his shop was located at Calle Bajada de San Francisco. Salvador Ibáñez made bandurias, lutes, six and nine-string guitars and also guitars with detachable necks. In 1897 he made the world’s first double-necked guitar. In the period 1915-1920 Salvador Ibáñez e Hijos (Salvador Ibáñez and Sons) were located at Calle Bajada de San Francisco and at Calle Padre Rico Valencia. When he died in 1920 his workshop continued to be managed by his two sons until it was sold in 1933 to Telesforo Julve. Julve bought the Salvador Ibanez name, personnel and machinery and incorporated it in its own enterprise. Julian Bream has played a Salvador Ibáñez guitar. Eric Clapton has owned several original Salvador Ibáñez guitars, one of which was sold at a benefit auction in 1999 obtaining a final price of US$42,000. The sound is absolutely nice. The old woods create a nice and sweet tone. It has a great richness and harmonious quality. The notes blend together beautifully and yet maintain their clarity and separation. The guitar vibrates nicely against the players body, which gives a unique experience. The sound can also be incredibly powerful is very much like what we know from Torres guitars. The guitar is in great condition for its age. It plays very nice, with a low action and a straight neck. The scale lenghts is 650 mm and the nut width 52 mm. The top is of fine spruce and the back and sides of very beautiful and high quality rosewood. Read the full article

[adozentothedawn]

weird fun facts about your oc(s)

rules: share some fun facts about your oc(s). they don't have to be relevant to their story, perhaps even better if they aren't. the weird ones are the best!

@solas-backpack-mug tagged me for this and I am procrastinating so here we go! I don't have a ton, but I do have a few things. Gonna throw a tag at @adraveins while I'm at it.

Favaen:

So those of you who have read A Death in Your Name might remember this line from Eothas: "Occasionally I... shelter those souls, until they have healed enough to re-join the cycle." This is about something I made up for technically Emblyn I guess. The idea is that sometimes he keeps souls too damaged to survive the wheel and heals them with fragments of himself before returning them to the wheel. Berath tolerates it. But for Emblyn's soul he kinda never did return her soul to wheel until Berath threatened him into it, which means that Favaen is actually her first reincarnation since then.

Following that point, for the first year after Favaen was born Eothas still gave her some attentiion. Mostly cause I thought of a very cute scene of baby Favaen playing with floating ball of light. I started drawing it but never got very far. He stopped showing up soon though so as to not draw the other gods' attention to her, but that sudden lack of something that was fundamental for her soul for 2000 years caused her emotional control issues that took her a very long time to overcome.

Favaen went to multiple different temples to train for priesthood until she eventually decided to return to the Eothas temple she spent much of her childhood in and become an Eothas priestess. From all her apprenticeships she has some mark, from the Magran temple she has a burn mark on her hip, from her time at the Galawain she has a small arrow tattoo between her shoulders on her back, from Ondra she has a small scar on her neck at the height of her ears where they cut her hair off (and also her habit of wearing her hair long to cover it), and from Abydon (where she stayed the longest and has the fondest memories of) she has her ear piercings, which were the first thing she ever smithed herself (this is also where she learnt to wear her front hair in braids). The exception is her few hours at a Rymrgand temple that disgusted her so much she immediatly left after being introduced.

Hildraed

Hildraed was 22 when she fled Readceras during the Waidwen uprising. She went to the Deadfire with about half her crew while the other half stayed in Readceras and joined the coup. Though she was already a pirate captain for the last 4 years that didn't really impress the Príncipe so she had some trouble at first integrating into the existing system until Mad Morena took her in as first mate for a while.

[sir-gawain]

Magran, Moon-Druid of Lyanka

Magran's origins differ from most of my other characters in that she has never been to Eberron, Toril, or any other published D&D universe. Magran is a Firbolg, a type of Giant outside the 'Ordning' that classifies most of giantkind. Her tribe guards the forests of Lyanka, a region in the Southern Hemisphere of my friend's custom setting celled Arnen.

Magran's tribe was present when settlers (mostly humans) from a distant nation landed on the shores and began building a colony. Many of the Tribe argued that they should destroy the colony and drive off the settlers, but Magran spoke out in their defense. The settlers merely did not know the ways of the tribe, and could be taught to respect the land they lived on. The Elders decided to allow Magran to reach out to them without revealing the tribe's existence, as a test that would either prove her right or teach her a valuable lesson.

Magran soon established herself as a Wise Woman in the settlement, which the colonists named New Camden, using her natural magical talent as a Firbolg to disguise herself as an Elf. Between working as a healer and showing the settlers how to care for the land, such that they could take from and give back to the ecosystems of the area.

Magran served her own people and those of New Camden for the next hundred years, growing her druidic talents and earning the respect of her tribe and the settlers. It was around the end of this time that New Camden, completely unprepared for armed conflict, would be attacked by an army of Drow Elf corsairs arriving on warships. Magran, aided by other fledgeling adventurers from New Camden, led the surviving settlers in an escape through secret paths into the forest, to finally discover her people.

The Firbolg tribes and the settlers were wary of each other at first, but the presence of a common enemy and their common respect for Magran helped calm their suspicions of each other.

It was while fighting scouts from the Drow invaders that Xavier, the Ranger of Magran's group, missed his intended target and pierced Magran instead, while she was in the form of a panther. Those who followed the Blooming Dreemurr blog posts might note that this is the point where I chose to start using her in that story.

I named Magran after the Goddess of Fire, War, and Trials in the Pillars of Eternity setting, Eora. She shares very little with her namesake, save for having fiery red hair and knowing a decent amount of fire-based spells.

Magran is a very traditional druid. She has a focus on Wild Shapes with the Circle of the Moon subclass, she cares deeply about nature, she makes minimal use of metal tools, and she is part of a tribe that dwells in hidden forest enclaves. She left her tribe for a time to pursue the Drow invaders and thwart their efforts wherever possible - in doing so, she honed her magical skill significantly and acquired multiple magic items that aid her in casting spells and enhancing her Wild Shapes.

[returnofismasm]

For those going "Wait who" regarding some of the named dragons:

Cail the Silent is the drake with a piece of the Godhammer in a side quest in Pillars 1 (the one that causes all the Magran fires to light in Defiance Bay)

Sefyra is the Adra Dragon

Alpine Dragon and Sky Dragon, those who must not be named

Turisulfus and Gafonercos are Llengrath's dragons (I'm not sure which one of them, if either, she's riding when she reappears in Deadfire)

Neriscyrlas, the dracolich in Beast of Winter

Scyorielalphas, who I would have voted for but I found the poll too late, is the dragon in the Watershapers guild

Jadaferlas, in Ashen Maw

And of course, the Guardian of Ukaizo needs no explanation

[clarissaexplainingitall]

1. the basics: introduce us to your watcher!

2. appearance: what race is your watcher? what do they look like? any scars, tattoos, or markings?

3. personality & alignment: give us a look into your watcher’s personality! you can use their myers briggs type, d&d morality alignment, or just describe their motives and quirks.

4. sexuality & gender: how does your watcher identify? is this important to them, or have they never given it much thought?

5. background: what’s your watcher’s culture and background? tell us a bit about their life before traveling to the dyrwood!

We’re out here bundling days 1-5 into one Lump because some of these do not have much to them.

1-4. Anaiah is an elven woman, torso littered with scars even before she began to fight, but her hands surprisingly showing little sign of a life of labor, with only the calluses she’s developed through learning the use of her daggers. One scar in particular is notable - a jagged line through the left side of her forehead where a large piece of the ship struck her. In Dyrwood, she tends to wear her hair down to cover the brand on her neck.

She’s firmly in the neutral-good zone, though occasionally inclines towards neutral-whatever-ondra-doesn’t-want-me-to-do as the situation requires. She prefers to help people whenever possible, but does not extend that to people who actively seek to harm others. Romantically, she likes men and women alike, but it takes her a very long time to warm up to people.

5. She’s not entirely certain where she’s from, until she has a chance to root through all the disgusting backlog of sale bills that she finds amidst Furrante’s belongings in the Deadfire. She spent the majority of her life on a Principi ship, in servitude, until one day the drunken captain ran afoul of a pillar of adra. The ship, stocked with enough gunpowder to blow holes in its destination, blew sky-high. Barely knowing how to swim, she watched the world around her burn as she sank beneath the waves, choking on seawater, praying to Ondra.

(Ondra, she’ll later learn, barely cares for her prized toys, let alone elven slaves.)

There was a woman, though, she recalls. Deep black hair, battle-worn armor. She was watching.

After that, all she recalls is washing up on the shore, the same figure sitting in the distance only to disappear as she blinked. The local Huana taught her how to defend herself and helped her on her way to the mainland, where she sought out Gilded Vale for the offer of land and possibly a fresh start.

(She goes to the island she finds in Furrante’s notes, after he’s dead and Eothas is heading to Ukaizo. All she finds is six feet of water, slowly draining away, a series of waterlogged corpses, and a newfound resolution to strangle Ondra with her bare hands.)

[moisellethefae]

It's here at last folks, the final episode of Voice of All!

At only nineteen years old, the Mardu khan Alesha is a remarkable figure.

Original Story: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/truth-names-2015-01-28

Voice Credits:

Alesha: Isa Martel

Nameless Orc: J.W. Forsyth https://twitter.com/pragmatticus

Former Khan: Rhythm Bastard http://rhythmbastard.rocks/

Kuru Vashar: Liam Wilson https://twitter.com/korybantic

Magran Backbreaker: Jett Barker https://twitter.com/barkervoiceover

Jalasha Impaler: Brynna Soth https://www.brynnasothvo.com/

The Horde: Penny https://mardu-lesbian.tumblr.com/

Ozzie Sneddon https://www.librariumstudios.com/

Michael Badgley https://twitter.com/MABicarus

Robert Jackson https://twitter.com/Mystic_IRJ

Paul Warren https://twitter.com/NeverNotNinjas

Ragna https://twitter.com/LerminAura

Sound Credits:

Sound editing by Noxshade https://www.youtube.com/noxshade

"On the Shore" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Voice of All is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC.

[stylishanachronism]

Classic Aedyran and/or Dyrwoodan love story archetypes (and which gods they do and/or REALLY REALLY DO NOT invoke or involve)?

This went extremely sideways and also has no internally consistent organization, but that’s why it’s a series of bullet points and not an essay.

So Aedyrans are pretty obviously into three things: duty, tragedy, and Drama. Like on the surface it’s all austere dutiful piousness but go like, an inch below that and the dramatics just start pouring out.

-I’m not saying Aloth isn’t like, legit anxious about the very real trouble he’s about to be or currently in, I’m just saying a solid chunk of that is rooted in a culture that takes ancestor worship to really weird places, among other things, and literally none of it is as big a problem as literally anybody is making it out to be.

—the appearance of not even wrongdoing but just.... not enough virtue signaling is *just as bad* as actual wrongdoing. (They blackmail that one kid with his mom’s probably-fictional indiscretions? To the point where it kills him even.) Like ‘I saw Goody Proctor vent’ is actually the name of the game here.(1)

That being said, and given soap operas have not been invented, we’ve probably got three major schools of art:

-high brow morality plays in which either our poor ill fated couple, torn apart by (unscrupulous relatives? That hussy down the street? A wild misunderstanding involving a stolen baby who was swapped for another stolen baby? Somebody’s being tempted away from true love here, to whatever end) fate, dutifully come back to each other and are deliriously respectably happy together, or fall into despair and die over their bad choices. Think extra-overwrought Victorian ‘modernists’(which I heartily don’t recommend.), crossed with the soapiest tellanovellas you can imagine (which if you’re into that style of drama, I do)

-fantasy Shakespeare, where all the dick jokes are so old nobody recognizes them any more, possibly with a moral stapled to the end

-eyebrow raising, too much for today’s delicate stomachs, fucking wild shit presented as ‘educational’, with worse shit underground(2), because the veneer is more important than the reality of the thing.

But the major tropes you’re going to see like.... overall, not just in theater, are probably more community based? Like, you fall in love with your neighbor’s kid, she falls in love with you, so you both go to your mothers and they’ll determine whether it’s a good match or not, you technically don’t really get a say in the matter.(3) There’s also probably a lot of superstition involved? Like, if the omens are bad you’re not getting married, but if they’re just okay you may have to wait six months.

-also there’s a lot of hideously complex contract work over who’s marrying into what, among other things.

—divorce isn’t an option! Better hope your relatives pick wisely!

—- more accurately divorce is even more hideously complex and expensive, so unless your spouse is actively trying to kill you it’s probably not worth it, and even then you’d probably have serious second thoughts.

In terms of like, the Ideal Romantic Partner (not necessarily romantic partner, but given you’ve got to be married if you want to(socially acceptably) have sex or have kids, because Aedyrans are wild), you’re probably looking at someone dutiful, who will put their own comfort second to keeping their word, cultured but not smug about it, efficient but thorough, graceful and always perfectly composed no matter what happens, soft spoken without being servile, and the whole package should come across as effortless.

We’re attempting to ignore all the work I’ve done re: shitty Protestants, so we’ve canonically got nobody actually in charge of marriage anywhere, so probably you’re praying to Woedica (to keep your contract) and Hylea (if you need this marriage to be fruitful), and maybe even Ondra (to ensure everybody remains faithful, because Aedyrans are Dramatic, and the fucking moon bedroom is a thing)

As for the Dyrwodans:

Less repression + more inversion ceremonies mean they’re way less dramatic in general, but obviously that means they’re still Really Dramatic, given they’re into swearing eternal feuds over literally nothing every other day. They place a much stronger importance on soul lineages than blood lineages, but whether you take that into consideration re: romance probably depends on what current feuds your family and/or community is currently embroiled in, and how serious they are. And if you have the cash/local cipher to get said lineage traced.

-Theater tropes are going to tend towards the comedic (think 27 dresses, or some other friendshippy romcom) and bawdy, and also fantasy Shakespeare, now with added dick jokes, because the existing ones are still too old to be recognizable, and probably some of the less overwrought Aedyran and Vailian plays, maybe. Also the whole theater plot, because that is a thing, even if they’ve had to bury it both deeper and shallower than Aedyr.

As a general thing, marriage is still mostly a practical thing, and while your families are definitely involved, they’ve generally got much less of a say in it. Outside of high society weddings, which are obviously more alliances than anything else, there’s generally not a contract so to speak; because children belong to their mothers, and nobody much cares where she got them unless she’s already married, when and if she does get married, it’s socially expected that her new spouse will join her household, and splitting up a household is so socially unacceptable murder is a neater, less fraught solution than divorce(4).

Your Ideal Romantic Partner (who probably is romantic, unless you need an extra pair of hands all the time that badly) is clever without being supercilious, with an easy disposition and a good sense of humor, willing to take life as it comes, but also to defend what they’ve got to their last breath, generous and community minded, but still independent enough not to need looking after, forthright but not unkind, and you should be able to tell how hard they work for whatever it is they want.

As for gods: pre everything, you’re probably looking to Abydon, to build your disparate members into a household, and Eothas, to make that household into a home. Post everything, it’s just Abydon, maybe Magran to ask that whatever trials you face make you stronger together. I don’t know, there isn’t a really good option there re: canon.

1: the Readcerans somehow take this even further but in an even weirder direction, this shit is wild, babes, but we’re not talking about them today

2: I’ve got a specific horrible irl example in mind but we’ll go with the theater quest in PoE, turned up to 11, because that lot hasn’t had nearly as much time to get established as Aedyran equivalents have.

3: congrats this is why Aloth is so hard to romance I guess. Nobody has approached his mother about him/he hasn’t asked his mother to approach anyone. Also I have extensive thoughts on the vagaries of social class re: marriage, so like, who exactly does the approaching is probably equally complex!

4: look I didn’t put that quest in there, what the fuck else am I intended to think? ....I mean Obsidian definitely definitely didn’t expect me to come up with polyamory gone wrong but like I’m not reaching when I say that’s the conclusion I came to. Hooray for weddings?