Post by TheUdjat on Aug 18, 2008 13:56:15 GMT -5
The Dark Ages
Summary:
- General Information
- Age of Long Shadows (Loss of technology, forgetting Earth, no identity)
- Age of Silver Skies (Discovery of Magic, new Venusian religions, etc.)
- Rise of Nations (The Principalities [Cytherea], Ashtoreth, Upper/Lower Kingdoms [Kemet], Southern Nomads [Some Celtic name?], Frigg, Republic of Lakshmi)
- The Reclamation of Aphrodite
General Information:
The Dark Ages of Venus span a period of time approximately 3,000 Cycles long. That’s about the equivalent of 1,000 Earth Years; many, many generations of people. Over that time, most knowledge of Earth and its technology is long lost by the descendents of the colonists, or at least twisted by lingering memory to the point where it is nothing but myth and legend—at the very least, people will not comprehend the full extent of things from that time, though there will certainly be legends of ‘coming from the heavens’ or ‘another world’, and even a time when Venus was uninhabitable and a death trap. Some of the miracles may survive in legend as well, like the concept of magical constructs that could till fields, or ships that could sail beyond the clouds, and so forth. In rare, rare cases, an artifact or two might even survive all those Cycles to exist, even if its purpose and functions aren’t entirely clear.
In short, knowledge about the ‘true’ nature of the world is gone. The people don’t know about a whole, teeming world of life in the solar system near them, or about the supercomputer circling overhead, monitoring their atmosphere and safety. It’s called the Dark Ages for a reason—before the discovery of magic and Venus-born technology, it certainly seems like a desperate and ignorant time, compared to that which follows. And it is. But it’s also the period of time in which Venus’s people truly change from scattered groups of like-minded colonists to independent warring city-states, tribes, and countries.
Note that many cultures had different experiences when developing through this era. In general, I will be focusing on the ‘Principalities’ and their surrounding region—that is, the people of the Central Continent, which includes the towers of Isis, Aphrodite, and Aine. It also includes the people of Astarte, to some extent, who follow similar patterns of development, and those of Xochiquetzal who integrated with the others on the central continent. The people of Oshun, Lakshmi, Freyja, and Xochiquetzal proper developed in differing ways.
Age of Long Shadows:
Immediately following the colonists’ exile from the Towers, most of their energy was directed towards trying to get back to the Towers—at least for those that had not yet accepted the fact that the Towers were lost to them. The colonists from Aphrodite, Astarte, Isis, and the refugees from Freyja and Xochiquetzal fit this description most accurately, and struggled for some years while they focused more on finding their old homes than embracing the world around them. As such, later generations gradually began to drift away from this old purpose, understanding that such obsessions kept them from surviving as well as they could—for the old colonists did not want to build such permanent homes, knowing that it would be akin to admitting defeat. Sometimes these differences broke groups of colonists apart, further scattering the people of Venus. With the integration of people from Isis, Xochiquetzal, and Aine, this division became especially apparent around the main, central continent, in the land between Aphrodite Tower and Isis Tower. The people of Lakshmi and Freyja remained generally unified, on the other hand. The people of Oshun and those Xochiquetzal that remained near their Tower continued to develop into very different, more primal cultures, inspired by the world around them—accordingly, they divided into smaller tribes.
Indeed, the initial generations were ones of division and shattering, and even in the modern age, the legends about this time speak of all people once being ‘united’—which, while not entirely true, is at least somewhat accurate.
As time passed, the colonists tried to pass on their wealth of knowledge about science, technology, and medicine, but such things became increasingly hard to teach. Without hands-on examples and technology to give examples, their descendents couldn’t fully comprehend what was being passed onto them. The more rebellious began to challenge these old ideas, and turned to the world around them to fill in their gaps in understanding. During this age, the new time cycle of Venus was truly, fully adopted and appreciated—for telling time as those on Earth did was unnecessary and illogical, and did nothing to help the people of Venus.
As this way of thinking continued, people began to do what people always do, sooner or later—they fought. Different groups became territorial and argumentative, thinking more of their differences than their similarities, and so division continued. Tribes and villages were formed, all of different thoughts and motives, different beliefs. They were truly a new people, rediscovering the world around them, establishing new identities and beliefs. Countless different belief systems, scarcely able to be called religions, were born in this era. Technology was mostly primitive, but occasionally mixed with paradoxically advanced practices, like efficient and ‘modern’ first aid, structurally impressive architecture, and complicated mathematics and physical sciences. Some knowledge, after all, survived those ancient times, though most began to view them as traditions and superstition more than knowledge.
As with Earth’s own history, powerful leaders began to rise up in these scattered tribes. As the memory of Earth and Venusfall faded from general knowledge—the slate wiped clean—people were able to have a fresh start with their fresh world. These leaders gathered followers or conquered neighboring tribes, gaining in power and influence, beginning the notion of ‘kingdoms’ and ‘countries’ for the first time ever. This era, over a thousand Cycles since people were expelled from their Towers, began a new, less desperate era in Venusian history.
Age of Silver Skies:
Every cloud has a silver lining, and Venus is just full of clouds. Loss of technology and science left the Venusian population free to embrace Mother Venus and all she had to offer—particularly magic. As new leaders establishing small, stable city-states, they established an environment where brilliant minds could focus more on knowledge and art than upon survival. At around the same time, people all across the globe discovered magic in varying ways, each attributing it to something different. To some it was religious, to others just another scholarly study, and to others it was a matter of art; but however it was done, people became capable of performing ‘miracles’ without the ancient technologies.
Magic changed Venusian history in many ways. It took generations for schools of thought to fully spring up from the revelation, but soon there were many camps vying for influence across Venus—priests, scholars, artists, teachers, prophets, princes, and so forth, all a little different. In much the way countries were carved from the many cultures of Venus, so too were traditions of magic formed or destroyed in those times. Oftentimes a country would champion a particular type of magic, their fates intertwined. Sometimes this was not the case. A couple of nations decided magic of any form was anathema, though these tended not to have the same success as others.
Following closely on the heels of magic came other brands of thought—philosophy, mathematics, and other so-called ‘sciences’. Certain groups of people, particularly the Xochiquetzal and Oshun, did not share the mainland’s pursuit of different knowledges, but for the most part they went hand in hand. Religions and colleges began to rise out of the murk, establishing themselves, and a hierarchy began to develop. No longer dependent upon old traditions alone, the people of Venus could truly prosper—and with prospering came, as always, more fighting.
Rise of Nations:
In the older days, there were countless small groups and tribes scattered across the globe; as time wore on and different groups were conquered, there were fewer and fewer of them. In the area around Aphrodite, nine Principalities eventually formed the basis of civilization in that area. Nearby to the East, the people originating from Isis (those that didn’t integrate into the Principalities) became two kingdoms, both claiming the name ‘Kemet’: there were those of the ‘Lower’ kingdom, those that rebuked the claims of the Deathless, calling themselves Ta-Mehew; and the ‘Upper’ kingdom, those that accepted the reign of the Deathless, called Ta-Sheme’aw. To the North, across the sea, the strange people of Ashtoreth formed a group of four kingdoms that vied for control. They considered themselves one cultural group ruled by four kings, the Tetrarchs, but constantly seemed to be in a state of limited warfare with one another. Even to the South, the nomadic tribes of the Aine became larger and more dominant, so that there were only a handful of them in the end.
Elsewhere in the world, only distantly known to the people of the Principalities, the great, isolation kingdoms of Lakshmi and Frigg were largely unchanged by the times, at least at the exterior. Lakshmi remained very peaceful and intellectual, if notably bizarre by the standards of most people, and Frigg’s people seemed barbaric and backwards by most standards, though strangely inundated with old traditions and relics of the ancient world. The Oshun and Xochiquetzal, of course, were even stranger still; most did not even attempt to deal with them, fearful of blood sacrifices and wild massacres.
As time wore on, the Principalities continued to outstrip others, considered the center of all civilization. Chief among them was the Principality of Cytherea, known for its advanced colleges and ordered society. Many Principalities rose and fell in power in this pattern, but whether it was coincidence of fate that led Cytherea to be in power at a critical moment is ultimately irrelevant. It was the people of Cytherea that braved the Arcane Storm over Aphrodite, banishing what horrors had laid there for 3,000 Cycles, and liberating the ancient Tower. The Arcane Storm began to roam over the planet in a regular pattern, but the people of Cytherea could reclaim the blessed Tower.
Reclamation of Aphrodite:
Finding and liberating the Tower would prove to be Cytherea’s claim to true power. Even discounting the miracles that survived intact within the Tower, the sheer prestige and influence the Principality gained from such an act was all they needed. Through reputation or conquest of arms, Cytherea soon conquered the other Principalities, under the name of the Aphrodite Empire. They styled themselves as great Uniters, trying to bring together the scattered people that originated from the Tower—and they may have even believed this claim. Whatever the case, the Empire flourished, subjugating and assimilating their rivals—the fractured kingdoms of Kemet soon fell under the Empire’s influence (though not its name), and the Aphrodesians set up a powerful presence with Ashtoreth’s Tetrarchy to the North, though they, too, were not directly ruled by the Empire (an attempt at such a thing proved utterly unsuccessful). However, with the use of their own Tower’s miracles, the Aphrodesians helped their northern neighbors liberate their own Tower of Astarte—for the small price of managing it, of course.
At remarkable speed, the young Empire dominated their entire region, eventually finding a comfortable medium between governing and influencing their neighbors. Even so, many territories remained beyond their grasp—but the people of Aphrodite, growing arrogant and ambitious with their success, will not be able to leave these places alone for long.
This era, starting with Aphrodite’s rise in power, began what has been called the Age of Discovery by Aphrodite’s scholars.
Things to be Determined:
- Details about the nine Principalities? Each should have a unique identity, but in general should not be as foreign and exotic as Kemet, Ashtoreth, or Aine. Ideas are appreciated.
- Any long-term history regarding Frigg and Lakshmi, particularly as it relates to them becoming isolationist. The two nations are fairly opposite of one another and removed (via distant) from the rest of civilization, but they fill important roles in the world.
- Long-term Ashtoreth history, particularly fleshing out the four individual ‘kingdoms’. Look at the Venusfall section for tips on how they might have developed during that era into what they are now.
- The reclamation of Aphrodite and Astarte. Vemu wrote an excellent take on Aphrodite getting reclaimed, which I like to some extent. But I see the banishment of the Arcane Storm as a fairly epic event. Tentatively, I have imagined ‘the Dragon’ as being at the core of the Storm, at least in myth if not in fact (leaving it up in the air).
Remember that I’m looking for long-term historical input, except in the specific instances cited above. The current state of the world, especially politically, will be discussed in the next section (‘The Age of Discovery’). That will be sort of a ‘World as it is now’ article. This article is an excellent place to discuss cultures, however. Please, the more you give me to work with, the better this will be!
Summary:
- General Information
- Age of Long Shadows (Loss of technology, forgetting Earth, no identity)
- Age of Silver Skies (Discovery of Magic, new Venusian religions, etc.)
- Rise of Nations (The Principalities [Cytherea], Ashtoreth, Upper/Lower Kingdoms [Kemet], Southern Nomads [Some Celtic name?], Frigg, Republic of Lakshmi)
- The Reclamation of Aphrodite
General Information:
The Dark Ages of Venus span a period of time approximately 3,000 Cycles long. That’s about the equivalent of 1,000 Earth Years; many, many generations of people. Over that time, most knowledge of Earth and its technology is long lost by the descendents of the colonists, or at least twisted by lingering memory to the point where it is nothing but myth and legend—at the very least, people will not comprehend the full extent of things from that time, though there will certainly be legends of ‘coming from the heavens’ or ‘another world’, and even a time when Venus was uninhabitable and a death trap. Some of the miracles may survive in legend as well, like the concept of magical constructs that could till fields, or ships that could sail beyond the clouds, and so forth. In rare, rare cases, an artifact or two might even survive all those Cycles to exist, even if its purpose and functions aren’t entirely clear.
In short, knowledge about the ‘true’ nature of the world is gone. The people don’t know about a whole, teeming world of life in the solar system near them, or about the supercomputer circling overhead, monitoring their atmosphere and safety. It’s called the Dark Ages for a reason—before the discovery of magic and Venus-born technology, it certainly seems like a desperate and ignorant time, compared to that which follows. And it is. But it’s also the period of time in which Venus’s people truly change from scattered groups of like-minded colonists to independent warring city-states, tribes, and countries.
Note that many cultures had different experiences when developing through this era. In general, I will be focusing on the ‘Principalities’ and their surrounding region—that is, the people of the Central Continent, which includes the towers of Isis, Aphrodite, and Aine. It also includes the people of Astarte, to some extent, who follow similar patterns of development, and those of Xochiquetzal who integrated with the others on the central continent. The people of Oshun, Lakshmi, Freyja, and Xochiquetzal proper developed in differing ways.
Age of Long Shadows:
Immediately following the colonists’ exile from the Towers, most of their energy was directed towards trying to get back to the Towers—at least for those that had not yet accepted the fact that the Towers were lost to them. The colonists from Aphrodite, Astarte, Isis, and the refugees from Freyja and Xochiquetzal fit this description most accurately, and struggled for some years while they focused more on finding their old homes than embracing the world around them. As such, later generations gradually began to drift away from this old purpose, understanding that such obsessions kept them from surviving as well as they could—for the old colonists did not want to build such permanent homes, knowing that it would be akin to admitting defeat. Sometimes these differences broke groups of colonists apart, further scattering the people of Venus. With the integration of people from Isis, Xochiquetzal, and Aine, this division became especially apparent around the main, central continent, in the land between Aphrodite Tower and Isis Tower. The people of Lakshmi and Freyja remained generally unified, on the other hand. The people of Oshun and those Xochiquetzal that remained near their Tower continued to develop into very different, more primal cultures, inspired by the world around them—accordingly, they divided into smaller tribes.
Indeed, the initial generations were ones of division and shattering, and even in the modern age, the legends about this time speak of all people once being ‘united’—which, while not entirely true, is at least somewhat accurate.
As time passed, the colonists tried to pass on their wealth of knowledge about science, technology, and medicine, but such things became increasingly hard to teach. Without hands-on examples and technology to give examples, their descendents couldn’t fully comprehend what was being passed onto them. The more rebellious began to challenge these old ideas, and turned to the world around them to fill in their gaps in understanding. During this age, the new time cycle of Venus was truly, fully adopted and appreciated—for telling time as those on Earth did was unnecessary and illogical, and did nothing to help the people of Venus.
As this way of thinking continued, people began to do what people always do, sooner or later—they fought. Different groups became territorial and argumentative, thinking more of their differences than their similarities, and so division continued. Tribes and villages were formed, all of different thoughts and motives, different beliefs. They were truly a new people, rediscovering the world around them, establishing new identities and beliefs. Countless different belief systems, scarcely able to be called religions, were born in this era. Technology was mostly primitive, but occasionally mixed with paradoxically advanced practices, like efficient and ‘modern’ first aid, structurally impressive architecture, and complicated mathematics and physical sciences. Some knowledge, after all, survived those ancient times, though most began to view them as traditions and superstition more than knowledge.
As with Earth’s own history, powerful leaders began to rise up in these scattered tribes. As the memory of Earth and Venusfall faded from general knowledge—the slate wiped clean—people were able to have a fresh start with their fresh world. These leaders gathered followers or conquered neighboring tribes, gaining in power and influence, beginning the notion of ‘kingdoms’ and ‘countries’ for the first time ever. This era, over a thousand Cycles since people were expelled from their Towers, began a new, less desperate era in Venusian history.
Age of Silver Skies:
Every cloud has a silver lining, and Venus is just full of clouds. Loss of technology and science left the Venusian population free to embrace Mother Venus and all she had to offer—particularly magic. As new leaders establishing small, stable city-states, they established an environment where brilliant minds could focus more on knowledge and art than upon survival. At around the same time, people all across the globe discovered magic in varying ways, each attributing it to something different. To some it was religious, to others just another scholarly study, and to others it was a matter of art; but however it was done, people became capable of performing ‘miracles’ without the ancient technologies.
Magic changed Venusian history in many ways. It took generations for schools of thought to fully spring up from the revelation, but soon there were many camps vying for influence across Venus—priests, scholars, artists, teachers, prophets, princes, and so forth, all a little different. In much the way countries were carved from the many cultures of Venus, so too were traditions of magic formed or destroyed in those times. Oftentimes a country would champion a particular type of magic, their fates intertwined. Sometimes this was not the case. A couple of nations decided magic of any form was anathema, though these tended not to have the same success as others.
Following closely on the heels of magic came other brands of thought—philosophy, mathematics, and other so-called ‘sciences’. Certain groups of people, particularly the Xochiquetzal and Oshun, did not share the mainland’s pursuit of different knowledges, but for the most part they went hand in hand. Religions and colleges began to rise out of the murk, establishing themselves, and a hierarchy began to develop. No longer dependent upon old traditions alone, the people of Venus could truly prosper—and with prospering came, as always, more fighting.
Rise of Nations:
In the older days, there were countless small groups and tribes scattered across the globe; as time wore on and different groups were conquered, there were fewer and fewer of them. In the area around Aphrodite, nine Principalities eventually formed the basis of civilization in that area. Nearby to the East, the people originating from Isis (those that didn’t integrate into the Principalities) became two kingdoms, both claiming the name ‘Kemet’: there were those of the ‘Lower’ kingdom, those that rebuked the claims of the Deathless, calling themselves Ta-Mehew; and the ‘Upper’ kingdom, those that accepted the reign of the Deathless, called Ta-Sheme’aw. To the North, across the sea, the strange people of Ashtoreth formed a group of four kingdoms that vied for control. They considered themselves one cultural group ruled by four kings, the Tetrarchs, but constantly seemed to be in a state of limited warfare with one another. Even to the South, the nomadic tribes of the Aine became larger and more dominant, so that there were only a handful of them in the end.
Elsewhere in the world, only distantly known to the people of the Principalities, the great, isolation kingdoms of Lakshmi and Frigg were largely unchanged by the times, at least at the exterior. Lakshmi remained very peaceful and intellectual, if notably bizarre by the standards of most people, and Frigg’s people seemed barbaric and backwards by most standards, though strangely inundated with old traditions and relics of the ancient world. The Oshun and Xochiquetzal, of course, were even stranger still; most did not even attempt to deal with them, fearful of blood sacrifices and wild massacres.
As time wore on, the Principalities continued to outstrip others, considered the center of all civilization. Chief among them was the Principality of Cytherea, known for its advanced colleges and ordered society. Many Principalities rose and fell in power in this pattern, but whether it was coincidence of fate that led Cytherea to be in power at a critical moment is ultimately irrelevant. It was the people of Cytherea that braved the Arcane Storm over Aphrodite, banishing what horrors had laid there for 3,000 Cycles, and liberating the ancient Tower. The Arcane Storm began to roam over the planet in a regular pattern, but the people of Cytherea could reclaim the blessed Tower.
Reclamation of Aphrodite:
Finding and liberating the Tower would prove to be Cytherea’s claim to true power. Even discounting the miracles that survived intact within the Tower, the sheer prestige and influence the Principality gained from such an act was all they needed. Through reputation or conquest of arms, Cytherea soon conquered the other Principalities, under the name of the Aphrodite Empire. They styled themselves as great Uniters, trying to bring together the scattered people that originated from the Tower—and they may have even believed this claim. Whatever the case, the Empire flourished, subjugating and assimilating their rivals—the fractured kingdoms of Kemet soon fell under the Empire’s influence (though not its name), and the Aphrodesians set up a powerful presence with Ashtoreth’s Tetrarchy to the North, though they, too, were not directly ruled by the Empire (an attempt at such a thing proved utterly unsuccessful). However, with the use of their own Tower’s miracles, the Aphrodesians helped their northern neighbors liberate their own Tower of Astarte—for the small price of managing it, of course.
At remarkable speed, the young Empire dominated their entire region, eventually finding a comfortable medium between governing and influencing their neighbors. Even so, many territories remained beyond their grasp—but the people of Aphrodite, growing arrogant and ambitious with their success, will not be able to leave these places alone for long.
This era, starting with Aphrodite’s rise in power, began what has been called the Age of Discovery by Aphrodite’s scholars.
Things to be Determined:
- Details about the nine Principalities? Each should have a unique identity, but in general should not be as foreign and exotic as Kemet, Ashtoreth, or Aine. Ideas are appreciated.
- Any long-term history regarding Frigg and Lakshmi, particularly as it relates to them becoming isolationist. The two nations are fairly opposite of one another and removed (via distant) from the rest of civilization, but they fill important roles in the world.
- Long-term Ashtoreth history, particularly fleshing out the four individual ‘kingdoms’. Look at the Venusfall section for tips on how they might have developed during that era into what they are now.
- The reclamation of Aphrodite and Astarte. Vemu wrote an excellent take on Aphrodite getting reclaimed, which I like to some extent. But I see the banishment of the Arcane Storm as a fairly epic event. Tentatively, I have imagined ‘the Dragon’ as being at the core of the Storm, at least in myth if not in fact (leaving it up in the air).
Remember that I’m looking for long-term historical input, except in the specific instances cited above. The current state of the world, especially politically, will be discussed in the next section (‘The Age of Discovery’). That will be sort of a ‘World as it is now’ article. This article is an excellent place to discuss cultures, however. Please, the more you give me to work with, the better this will be!