![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Fantasy notes, for society that is transitioning to early Industrial -- muskets? some mechanism? say 1600s? Need to read up on the history, but don't won't to do faux medieval. Also, enclosures movement and Luddites would be interesting messes to add. Also, need to read 1491 to get a feel what non-European societies might be like...
Aughisky
The Riders, the most numerous surviving group. They came through the Devouring without the Queen or their Prince, but several of their lesser leaders alive. Since then, they've settled into staking out non-overlapping territories under a cheiftain.
They are in general prickly and beyond snappish. The younger they are, the less likely they can restrain themselves, so humans tend to be vary wary of new Riders and safer around mature adults. They will fight over food and who gets to eat first, and their human servants learn very quickly to surrender food when challenged.
An older Rider will take out a group of novitiate to follow human armies, generally looting bodies and waylaying the wounded. Humans call them 'battle-crows' and generally think of them as bad omens, though they're impossible to drive away because they are so much more viscious and fearless than humans. They're also quite willing to feast on corpses and burn houses down to scatter prey, so they're definitely Unseelie.
Most of the current Rider population has human blood, but they're still black-haired, black-eyed (or golden, but that's a trait of rank, like a redder breast on a finch), sharp-faced psychos. The ability to fuddle minds and mangle the weather are weakeened, and greatly cherished.
They won't stop the raids into human territory. Not only do they need to replenish their agricultural workforce, but they are devotedly searching for the Queen, whom they believe will reincarnate either among them, or in human lands from the faery bloodlines that are scattered in the World. They're rather hoping she's born among them, even if it is to a half-free human; they stand a better chance of finding her that way.
Names:
Brewster -- Lord of a small holding (in Aughisky terms -- it's the size of a county), old, comparatively gentle and settled. Loves mead and malts, brews (hence the name). Does a lively trade with the Brock sett that lies under the hills. Allied to Storm.
Storm (Stormbringer?) -- Lord of a large swath of territory. Tightly controlled, but explosively bad-tempered when roused. Talented with weather and mind talents. If the Queen comes back, Storm is highly likely to be named Prince.
Magpie -- a senior Rider, very good at thieving wounded soldiers off human battlefields. She's fed more humans into the maw of bondage than any other, and has a reputation. Her Ride is semi-autonomous, attached to Storm's holding, but allowed anywhere. She's also good at bringing in Wilders and taming them into novitiates.
Selkies
the Seal People were devestated in the Devouring. The loss of the Queen shattered them, and they've devolved into villages of women and bands of wandering men. Trade with Aughisky, but no alliances. Will reject half-breeds. A captured human won't last long among them -- the tales of what happens to seal-wives are told widely in their settlements. Make beautiful and cherished baskets from whale baleeen -- major trade item.
Brocks
the Badgerkin. Living primarily underground, they're actually the most kindly inclined to humans, though less likely to employ them. They rigourously maintain the aqueducts and mills of pre-Devouring society, and will build fancifully if let to their own devices. The field on Brewster's land that full of pinwheels is their work.
Honey Thief -- a brockling that might be growing into something else, she loves to climb and can raid beehives like noone else. Supplies honey to Brewster's holding.
Humans
Humans on the holdings have to levels, the half-free that live in settlements and pay tribute to the Riders, either in crop or in years of service, and the war-captives that the Riders will cheerful work into the ground. Need terms to distinguish -- helots and peons isn't going to cut it.
Turnspitdog -- former soldier whose brains have been scrambled.
These are just ramblings, that I might put behind a filter later...
Aughisky
The Riders, the most numerous surviving group. They came through the Devouring without the Queen or their Prince, but several of their lesser leaders alive. Since then, they've settled into staking out non-overlapping territories under a cheiftain.
They are in general prickly and beyond snappish. The younger they are, the less likely they can restrain themselves, so humans tend to be vary wary of new Riders and safer around mature adults. They will fight over food and who gets to eat first, and their human servants learn very quickly to surrender food when challenged.
An older Rider will take out a group of novitiate to follow human armies, generally looting bodies and waylaying the wounded. Humans call them 'battle-crows' and generally think of them as bad omens, though they're impossible to drive away because they are so much more viscious and fearless than humans. They're also quite willing to feast on corpses and burn houses down to scatter prey, so they're definitely Unseelie.
Most of the current Rider population has human blood, but they're still black-haired, black-eyed (or golden, but that's a trait of rank, like a redder breast on a finch), sharp-faced psychos. The ability to fuddle minds and mangle the weather are weakeened, and greatly cherished.
They won't stop the raids into human territory. Not only do they need to replenish their agricultural workforce, but they are devotedly searching for the Queen, whom they believe will reincarnate either among them, or in human lands from the faery bloodlines that are scattered in the World. They're rather hoping she's born among them, even if it is to a half-free human; they stand a better chance of finding her that way.
Names:
Brewster -- Lord of a small holding (in Aughisky terms -- it's the size of a county), old, comparatively gentle and settled. Loves mead and malts, brews (hence the name). Does a lively trade with the Brock sett that lies under the hills. Allied to Storm.
Storm (Stormbringer?) -- Lord of a large swath of territory. Tightly controlled, but explosively bad-tempered when roused. Talented with weather and mind talents. If the Queen comes back, Storm is highly likely to be named Prince.
Magpie -- a senior Rider, very good at thieving wounded soldiers off human battlefields. She's fed more humans into the maw of bondage than any other, and has a reputation. Her Ride is semi-autonomous, attached to Storm's holding, but allowed anywhere. She's also good at bringing in Wilders and taming them into novitiates.
Selkies
the Seal People were devestated in the Devouring. The loss of the Queen shattered them, and they've devolved into villages of women and bands of wandering men. Trade with Aughisky, but no alliances. Will reject half-breeds. A captured human won't last long among them -- the tales of what happens to seal-wives are told widely in their settlements. Make beautiful and cherished baskets from whale baleeen -- major trade item.
Brocks
the Badgerkin. Living primarily underground, they're actually the most kindly inclined to humans, though less likely to employ them. They rigourously maintain the aqueducts and mills of pre-Devouring society, and will build fancifully if let to their own devices. The field on Brewster's land that full of pinwheels is their work.
Honey Thief -- a brockling that might be growing into something else, she loves to climb and can raid beehives like noone else. Supplies honey to Brewster's holding.
Humans
Humans on the holdings have to levels, the half-free that live in settlements and pay tribute to the Riders, either in crop or in years of service, and the war-captives that the Riders will cheerful work into the ground. Need terms to distinguish -- helots and peons isn't going to cut it.
Turnspitdog -- former soldier whose brains have been scrambled.
These are just ramblings, that I might put behind a filter later...
Tags: