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Old Guard / Other Stories / Out of Character / Notes: The Clans
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Emotions Legend
[quote][b]Remus (Jan 19, 2005 03:34 p.m.):[/b] It is a common misconception among outsiders that the clans are a society of atheists, but in fact clansmen are no less spiritual than any of the peoples indigenous to XXXX. Indeed, most clansmen believe in gods in much the same way they believe in gravity. It is also important to distinguish between the traditionalist desert clans and the more progressive coastal clans in this matter, as these groups have very different views of spirituality. Where the coastal clans pray only to the spirits of their ancestors and insist that they worship no gods, most desert clans hold to the old ways and gods of the pre-cataclysm era. To fully understand the views held by these groups it is necesary to understand first the history of religion among the clans. In the time before the Great Migration, each clan had one or more patron gods whose might and power determined the clan's place in the social and political hierarchy of the Vesari Valley. Inter- and extra-clan warfare, a common instrument of social change, was looked upon not only as a clashing of men but of gods. The physical battle was merely a literal expression of the metaphorical struggle taking place outside of humanity's narrow perception. In these battles, as in political matters, the will and power of the gods was channeled through Heroes, men (clan history drastically downplays the contributions of the women) chosen by the gods as their mortal representatives. These Heroes were capable of weilding remarkable power and were commonly revered as demigods themselves. Though the clans were not the only society in XXXX to produce Heroes, the wars of the pre-cataclysm era left no doubt that their gods were the strongest. But a generation before the beginning of the Great Migration, a startling event changed the history of clan religion forever. In a matter of months, the power of the gods left the land of XXXX. It was the Heroes who felt it first; the energy which they had sensed and drawn from their entire lives was suddenly tapering off. But before long the absence of this energy began to manifest itself in droughts and dying crops. Though many areas throughout XXXX were affected, no piece was devastated to the extent of the Vesari. What was once a lush and bountiful valley was transformed in the space of twenty years into a desert wasteland, inhabited only by the most persistent animal and plant life. As resources grew scarce, the battles over remaining patches of arable land or fresh water grew vicious. Heroes whose power had once been feared from ocean to ocean fell upon the swords of their enemies like common footsoldiers. Those that did not die in battle, either through skill or cowardice, often met their ends at the hands of their own people, whose reverence had turned to resentment and blame for the death of their land. The bloodlines of the Heroes, preserved and strengthened through thousands of years of selective breeding, were cut off by the hundreds; those few that survived to be carried east were mostly in the veins of women whose power had been necessarily kept secret. As conditions worsened in the Vesari it became increasinly clear to the clansmen that their gods had abandoned them. For the first time in two centuries, for the last time in clan history, a Gathering was called and the death of their land was debated. Being traditionalists by nature, the prevailing opinion among the clans was that some mortal crime had cause the gods to turn their eyes from the land, and that only by suffering this punishment would the clans prove their worthiness again. However, there existed a minority but nonetheless vocal faction which insisted that the clans had to leave their valley before the land became so inhospitable that it could not be traveled. Clan Lahkis, in particular, urged other clans to move east where the desolation was not so severe. Against the decision of the Great Council many clans pulled up stake and migrated individually, then in clusters, toward the eastern coast. These clans were disowned by their brethren, who remained to face whatever wrath the gods had in store for them. But the clans who undertook the hardship for the Great Migration in turn disowned the gods who had forsaken them. It became a point of pride that they would no longer bow to gods, no longer credit them for each good fortune while taking blame for every misstep. Their destiny had become their own, and they lived with a determination to survive, to prosper without the gods' favor. To this day the coastal clans still believe in gods and recognize their power. In particular, the arrival of the imperialists in XXXX has reminded the clansmen that the power of gods is still at work in the world. But it is the antideism inherent in their culture which is the foundation for their resistance to imperialist presence in the Vesari. Though a pleasant facade is maintained as goods and knowledge are traded, there is an assumption among clansmen that sooner or later the imperialists' wars in other lands will be brought across the ocean to XXXX. The clans of the coast work together to prepare for that day; it is their intention to show the imperialists, when the time comes, that their gods are not so powerful as they believe.[/quote]
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