Her stars were not forgotten, however. Where they fell, they turned into aspects of the world: water, earth, foliage, beast, and humanity. These aspects gained power and importance, and started to influence all life. Maute could not resurrect her children, but she sacrificed all five of the nails on her right hand to these aspects, so that they could take the form of demi-gods and share some of the responsibility. Quint was the demi-god of water, taking the form of a large trout with a cloud covering his head. Rothe was the demi-god of earth, taking the form of a muskrat with five yellow eyes. Ferya was the demi-god of foliage, taking the form of a green rose with a bloodied sword for a stem. Kit was the demi-god of beasts, taking the form of a ferocious griffin with the body of a black cat and the head of a falcon. Lastly, Truth was the demi-god of humanity, taking the form of a kneeling man made of stone.
Each demi-god had a personality and power of its own that the people prayed for, but lord of them all was Maute, stony-faced and sad and frightening all at once. Inside the Cathedrals, a fountain runs down from the altar and through a grate down the exact center of the nave. The water is thick, almost gelatinous, and dyed a dark blue. Scornful, grave images of Maute adorn windows, walls, and crevices. Her eyes are almost always huge and staring directly at you, no matter where you look. Under her command, her demi-gods are a menagerie of strange, macabre beasts that demand equal exchange: you may pray to Ferya for seeds to sow, but you must burn a forest to receive her gift.
The people believe the gods of this world are real entities, but they are uncaring, distant creatures that are better not to see directly anyhow. Stories exist of saints being visited by Maute or one of the demi-gods and losing their face or their hands or their lives. These people achieved a kind of spiritual ascension into the arms of the Mother as a result, but they always lost something. Equal exchange. Their saintly images adorn the pages of the holy books and the smaller windows of the Cathedrals.
Other aspects of life in Graoni are a mixture between Medieval and Renaissance features: it is ruled by a monarch with a succession of king and queens. The last knights are the protectors of the royal family, while ordinary soldiers often consist of cavalry, pikemen, and mercenaries. There is, in fact, a large demand for mercenaries and other killers-for-hire--a system that the current leaders of Mautism have tried to stop but have been unable to so far.
Men more frequently learned trades rather than become scholars--unless, of course, you were part of a noble or wealthy family. Women, too, could become apprentices in a trade, though it was typically more expensive than their male counterparts, in order to deal with "the mental hardships of teaching a girl." If a family had opportunity through wealth or status, both boys and girls could learn to read and write.
The view of women in this world is misogynistic in the sense that society and religion both feel women--while able to become intelligent and strong beings--need to understand their place by a man's side. In the Creation Story, Maute lost her children and her own happiness because she had no man to keep her star-children lifted in the sky. She had no man to advise her or console her, hence the creation of this complex and cruel world. It was such a difficult world that she felt she had to share knowledge of the gods to her human subjects, so that they could call upon her when times were at their worst. The implication is that none of the Creation Story would have happened if a masculine god had cradled her from the beginning.
Overall, Graoni is a place that can make or break its subjects. The monarchy and the religion has attempted, time and again, to bring its sinners back under the haunting gaze of the goddess Maute, but the debauchery continues to spin out of control. Such debauchery, in fact, is how Kierella's life began.
no subject
Each demi-god had a personality and power of its own that the people prayed for, but lord of them all was Maute, stony-faced and sad and frightening all at once. Inside the Cathedrals, a fountain runs down from the altar and through a grate down the exact center of the nave. The water is thick, almost gelatinous, and dyed a dark blue. Scornful, grave images of Maute adorn windows, walls, and crevices. Her eyes are almost always huge and staring directly at you, no matter where you look. Under her command, her demi-gods are a menagerie of strange, macabre beasts that demand equal exchange: you may pray to Ferya for seeds to sow, but you must burn a forest to receive her gift.
The people believe the gods of this world are real entities, but they are uncaring, distant creatures that are better not to see directly anyhow. Stories exist of saints being visited by Maute or one of the demi-gods and losing their face or their hands or their lives. These people achieved a kind of spiritual ascension into the arms of the Mother as a result, but they always lost something. Equal exchange. Their saintly images adorn the pages of the holy books and the smaller windows of the Cathedrals.
Other aspects of life in Graoni are a mixture between Medieval and Renaissance features: it is ruled by a monarch with a succession of king and queens. The last knights are the protectors of the royal family, while ordinary soldiers often consist of cavalry, pikemen, and mercenaries. There is, in fact, a large demand for mercenaries and other killers-for-hire--a system that the current leaders of Mautism have tried to stop but have been unable to so far.
Men more frequently learned trades rather than become scholars--unless, of course, you were part of a noble or wealthy family. Women, too, could become apprentices in a trade, though it was typically more expensive than their male counterparts, in order to deal with "the mental hardships of teaching a girl." If a family had opportunity through wealth or status, both boys and girls could learn to read and write.
The view of women in this world is misogynistic in the sense that society and religion both feel women--while able to become intelligent and strong beings--need to understand their place by a man's side. In the Creation Story, Maute lost her children and her own happiness because she had no man to keep her star-children lifted in the sky. She had no man to advise her or console her, hence the creation of this complex and cruel world. It was such a difficult world that she felt she had to share knowledge of the gods to her human subjects, so that they could call upon her when times were at their worst. The implication is that none of the Creation Story would have happened if a masculine god had cradled her from the beginning.
Overall, Graoni is a place that can make or break its subjects. The monarchy and the religion has attempted, time and again, to bring its sinners back under the haunting gaze of the goddess Maute, but the debauchery continues to spin out of control. Such debauchery, in fact, is how Kierella's life began.