Codex Discussion Thread

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

As far as magic goes, I think I remember the Drykas lore mentioning that Reimancers were common, or at least known, specifically in the Sapphire Clan. But I also know that they worship Semele, and don't like to manipulate the earth too much because of that. So perhaps Reimancers who gain earth as an element are looked on with discomfort and suspicion?

Those who haven't bonded to a strider yet might be exiled outright, and those who have might be forbidden to use that aspect of reimancy on pain of exile? They might even be encouraged to choose to leave.

As a whole, I think Reimancy might be one of the magics they would accept, seeing as the elements tie into nature. Also, air, water, and fire reimancy could be very useful to them in a number of ways.

I will echo the others, and say that I love the idea of dancing being a big part of their culture. I'm pretty sure that I remember reading that Native American tribes used to have dances to honor their hunters and warriors where the hunters/warriors being honored would act out their hunt or battle through dance. Perhaps the Drykas have something like that as well? Possibly as a way of honoring a child's first kill, and especially successful hunts?

And as for using grass - weaving. It is an endless supply for weaving baskets of any size needed. It could be twisted together to form ropes to lash things together. Grass mats might be a form of art that is also useful as blankets, and floor coverings. It might be a source of pride for a pavilion to have a member who could make truly beautiful ones, and a form of competition - who can make the best ones. Any surplus could be used as trade for things they can't provide for themselves - both among pavilions, and to foreign traders.

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[Caesi Starguide]

I see the Drykas as not only based off of Native Americans as many have suggested, but also the Drykas have a lot of Celtic intertwined with them. They are neither this or that when it comes to finding an exact definition. They are not tribes people, they are not exactly Native Americans, they are not exactly Celtic, they are a mixture of all things and created with many things to make them unique. I could be wrong about this but from what I have read so far, there is many implements from different cultures that we see in RL that forms the Drykas.

With that in mind I do not think focusing only on one modern day example would be quite right for Drykas. But perhaps as a basis it would be okay, expanded upon and created into something that fits in with the unique culture and peoples of Endrykas.

I love the dance idea and feel like dances should be a way to honor different things that happen among the clans. Marriage, birth, death, ect. Death should not be a mourning but a celebration as they return to the web that surrounds Drykas and they are still near and could be reborn as a Strider as the lore mentions. Perhaps the dance tells the story of those who die returning to the web, to be reborn once more as a Strider who runs free? I also feel like when it comes to dancing, horses could be incorporated as well. I know it sounds silly, dancing with horses, but skilled riders and acrobats could make this possible. It would be something similar to the girls who perform on horse back at rodeos, but not like that. Instead it would be a more cultural, spiritual dance, made between the rider and his/her strider, to perform a dance of the bonded. Just an idea . I think dance is not just the human body, but with horses being a major part of Drykas, dancing with your horse could be interesting to see.

I think the music they would have would be something that is easily traveled with. Drums, flutes, ect. Something small and travel ready. That is not to say the focus of the music should be Native American, but I see the music style being something that is Native American and Celtic both. Something spiritual yet freeing, a type of music that calms the animals and the souls of those who hear it. During a celebration, it could be a type of music that makes the body sway on its own, hypnotizing in a way. That is what I see, as they have down time when the sun begins to set, there could very well be many expert musicians who played the flute to lull their little ones to sleep, to calm their wild strider, ect.

As for the Grass, Caesi has done a couple of threads using the grass that surrounds Endrykas to weave baskets. Someone with a higher experience in Weaving could use the grass to make other useful things that the Drykas need daily. Like how we today make hemp rope, they would make a grass rope in the same way. Grasses could be used to make wine as suggested, bindings, blankets, mats, something to sleep on, whips, leashes, ect. The grass could be dried to turn into a stark brown, dyed with berries to provide color and used to adorn things. There is so many different ways you could use grasses. Like weaving the dried grass into a basket instead of the green grass, you could use berries to dye the baskets to make them more colorful and matching the Clan you hail from. The grass should definitely be integrated more, as the people of Endrykas use what ever they can at their disposal to live, survive and prosper. The Grass Wine I feel would be amazing, it could be a wine only found in Endrykas and sold at a high price to foreigners or traded at a high price, as the brewing of it should be kept a secret to that particular clan or the Drykas people.


As for the religion aspect.. I think it is very important as well. Perhaps there should be link-map locations of ruins of old, where their ancestors worshiped this god or this goddess. Instead of a shrine you carry, shrines that have been there for many years and is integrated into the very foundation of the Drykas Culture. Ruins of Shrines that have survived over the years, that they go to at specific dates to worship that God or Goddess. Since they are at different locations due to them traveling, one or two shrines should be in place at different locations.

In the Spring it could be Caiyha at that location, in the summer it could be Zulrav at that location. Ect.. Ect.. Once they are at that location, all who can gather at the shrine to pay homage and respect to that particular deity. It could be like a festival of such but more of a culture thing and it would provide an open thread for all players to come and pay homage to their god/goddess and perhaps later on this could be where a god/goddess interacts with the players to either bless them, curse them, appear with a message, a quest, a test, ect. This would provide plots for that season given specifically by that deity. It could be fun . I would like to see other Deitys as I usually only see Zulrav, Caiyha, and Semele thus far. Perhaps a few more should also be paid homage, like Aquiras as mentioned previously. But there is also Eywaat, Kihala, Makutsi, Xhyvas.. If music is going to be a big thing maybe even Rhaus. Not saying all of those, just giving examples of the deity's that seem to fit in with the Drykas and who are rarely, if ever, used by PCs.

Magic should be revered and feared. Certain magics should defintely be feared by the people of Endrykas. While others should be revered.

Examples:

Leeching is where you absorb magic from others, this should be feared as it would sap the magic needed to keep the Web in place.

Familiary should be revered as it is somewhat animal base...right?

Reimancy should be revered as it deals with the elements found in nature, yes even Earth, since those marked by Semele has the ability to harness the power of rocks and gemstones, not sure why manipulating earth would be feared and creating a fireball would not be? But that is my own opinion .

Summoning is dangerous as they could bring in monsters that do not do their bidding and ultimately destroy a whole clan or Pavilion.

Perhaps a list of what is accepted on magics and what is not would be too specific and would not let Players take their PC where they would like to? Then again, perhaps it should be implemented as it could keep people coming in and destroying a Pavilion with their evil magiceseses ... haha. Just my opinion and adding my own two cents on the matters here.

[Gossamer]

WOAH. BRAKES ON FOLKS!

The Drykas were in no way shape or form based on Celtic or Plains Indians of the West. The only race that I know of that was based on Native Americans and Camels (offensively enough) were the Chakwatwe. I just want to clarify that. They were city dwellers that were ousted from their home in the east during the Valterrian because they once dwelled in a huge valley complete with a city.

One character in the SoG absolutely guessed what the Drykas were based off of and that was Amunet who seems to have all the same love of books I do. The Drykas are indeed based off of an iconic race found in Robin McKinley's Books The Blue Sword and The Hero And The Crown. I would say more Blue Sword than Hero and the Crown. Both are YA and Award Winning works. In college, we studied The Hero And the Crown and The Blue Sword as classic examples of how to build unique non-reflective races.

A whole mishmash of misguided storytellers have made them seem Celtic or Native when indeed they are not. They are very sophisticated intelligent peoples that took a drastic right turn in their culture. The only thing that might remind me of Celtic religions is the knotwork they like. And honestly, if you dig into cultures throughout the world, tons of people love knotwork.

In fact, a Pavilion more resembles a Bedouin tent with all its poshness than anything remotely Native American. And being Native American, when people say this race is 'Native American' I kinda laugh because I see ZERO reflections and I'm indeed from a plains tribe... the Bannock Shoshone.

If anything, the Drykas are incredibly good at what modern people would call GLAMPING. They take everything with them including incredible comforts and utilize them throughout the year.

I just wanted to clear this up because honestly I HATE where this thread is going. You guys are turning them into heathens with traditions I see as anti-Drykas with all this chanting, dancing, etc. How about some original ideas?

[Colt]

Welp, I've never read The Blue Sword or the Hero And The Crown, and while I can't say anything for certain about my far future, I can say with certainty that reading in general is not on my plate in the near future. Therefore, I can only base my ideas on the wiki lore, the roleplayed lore, and what I am told by STs (which can sometimes be contradictory from ST to ST.)

Regarding the topic of magic, I feel like different disciplines would be akin to heirloom knowledge from pavilion to pavilion, particularly in the Sapphire Clan, passed down from parent to child like dye secrets in the Ruby Clan, secret medicines in the Opal Clan, bow-crafting secrets in the Emerald Clan, etc., that would mark that pavilion out from others. An Emerald pavilion that knows exactly how to use exactly the right type of wood for the right type of bow would find it far more valuable to keep the actual crafting secrets to themselves, and use those superior bows for trade. Those secrets would be shared with children, and perhaps to outsiders that marry into the family. What if there was a similar attitude around magic disciplines within the Sapphire Clan? A certain pavilion might be skilled at morphing, and would experiment and hone their craft within their own family as a "family trade." Webbing, of course, would be the most highly valued in general Drykas society, since every Clan must practice it out of necessity.

However, I also think that Caesi is right in saying that it should be deeply respected, if not feared, particularly by non-Sapphires. Magic is dangerous when not kept in careful check, to oneself and to others. Perhaps the Sapphires have a self-contained system or set of customs for the exclusive purpose of pointing out signs of overgiving?

[Caesi Starguide]

I have never read this book either. I just saw a lot of people referring the Drykas to Native Americans, I myself have Native American heritage and did not understand the comparison completely. I can see where some parts can be considered Native American, where some can be considered Celtic, but Drykas is neither of those. They are completely different and separate, unique and well..amazing in my own opinion. I will have to give this book a gander, it seems interesting!

I do like the dancing, perhaps we can turn it into something more original and Drykas based? Like my suggestion with them dancing with their Strider? However, I feel like people are lost when it comes to the Drykas. As someone mentioned previously, they have just been writing and going off their own imagination. With different STs coming through to mold and change things, I feel like the core of the Drykas have been lost, lets bring it back! I think this can be done with a good solid, Q & A in place. At times, I feel lost as I read other people's threads and I think to myself.. "Self you are playing the Drykas all wrong." Then I will read another person's thread and feel a little better. It seems everyone is kind of going about it all on their own way, which is great in a way you should play your PC how you see fit... But there should be some basis so the core of the Drykas is not completely lost! I understand the Lore is pretty well written and lays out a lot of things, but a Q & A would help guide people like myself who are still new to the Drykas and Endrykas region, in the right direction. For instance, I thought that the Drykas lived in poor conditions. Gossamer just mentioned that it is more Glamping based. So they live in luxury (or as much as one can while living in a tent.) Who knew? I didn't. I feel like there is a lot of people not really understanding it... I can't be the only one... right?

Has anyone mentioned any Laws? Since they move it would be difficult to place too many laws, there should be a basis started that the Watchman make sure is never broken. For example, stealing from another Pavilion/Clan, should have extreme consequences. What about abuse of animals? Would the Drykas find that to be a law that is broken? Just throwing things around since this is a discussion thread.

Going back to music... Why not use the grass to play music? Have you ever placed a blade of grass to your lips and made that noise? We could create something different and unique just for the Drykas by using the grasses. Like a grass flute, drum ? It would not sound like the typical flute or drum, but it could be uniquely Drykas and used only by them?

[Gossamer]

There are laws in the Wiki.

[Gossamer]

A couple of you asked for a reading list to influence you on how the Drykas are patterned. Here it is... Short and sweet.

A. Robin McKinleys The Blue Sword (The Hillfolk People's)
B. Kate Elliots The Jaran (The Jaran Peoples)
C. Jennifer Robinson's Shape Changer - Book one of the cheysuli chronicles


The Blue Sword is a stand alone and has a strong Drykas vibe - very quick and easy read that will charm your heartstrings. The Jaran is an intro book to an epic series far better than Tolkien or GoT. It has more Drykas like culture but you'll get hooked and read then all. One more book that was influenced was the cheysuli chronicles. There's about ten of those. You'll read then all. They influenced the kelvic.

[Prophet]

The Drykas lore page lists the 7 Laws as does the Conclave location.

As far as the lifestyle, the lore states that Drykas are probably the healthiest people in all of Mizahar. This is an indication of their success as nomads. Yes, they work hard to survive; hunting, raising animals, making wares and raising families but it's a life that's not void of much. I think a lot of people get hung up on the word survival. From my time on Miz, many players view the Drykas as a rough and savage race. While their environment breeds a certain toughness, I've always had the impression that the Drykas would look at other races as savages even the people of Syliras or Kenash. A standard pavilion is full of happy, healthy and strong people who are generally outnumbered by their livestock. There's almost no other place on Miz where the general population lives that well. Survival is a huge part of life in the SoG but it's because of the dangerous creatures more than a struggle to find enough to eat. I love that Goss used the term glamping because it absolutely fits.

To avoid anymore confusion, let's stop thinking of the Drykas as a mix of X, Y and Z from our world and simply look at them as Drykas. Use the Drykas lore page as a reference for everything. It's a solid article and touches base on a great deal of things. If you're trying to site an example from a real historical group, then describe it. We're writers, after all. Also, keep things general. The codex is not an in-depth look into Drykas life. It's meant to function as a guide so that someone can look at it having no prior knowledge of the clans and say 'Oh, that's what they eat.'

Rituals: The Drykas rituals are done. Almost every one has a line about how every clan and every pavilion put their own spin on the ceremonies. You are free to embellish as you choose but the fundamentals will not be altered.

Magic: Some of the points you guys have made are very valid and there have been some things mentioned which I had not thought of previously.

I plan on taking some time today to get a few of these sections up so for the time being I am locking this thread. I have four sections open right now so bide your time on finishing your job threads, making plans for summer, etc. Once I get the new information up, I will reopen the thread to continue discussions on other sections.

[Prophet]

Added:

Magic
Religion
Food
Origins of the Drykas

to the Existing:

Linkmap
PC guidelines
Pavi
Rituals

Now, what other things are vital?

Striders/The bond?
Music/Entertainment?
Pavilion Life?

do these things even need added? Is there anything I missed?

I hope you can all see how I want these things to look. It should be just a blurb about the topic so people can have something to stand on before RPing and making their own creative choices.

[Merevaika]

I love what you've done so far. I think pavilion life is an important thing to cover too. After all, they are pretty social beings and understanding the average pavilion could help.

A little blurb about the importance of the Strider should be included, I think. Just something about how important bonding is and how they ride everywhere.