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#Post#: 458--------------------------------------------------
Articles on Sharilla
By: Elinie Date: August 10, 2015, 8:58 pm
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[quote]The Hivespeakers
Staunched deeply in the mysticism of their Qiraji gods, the
Hivespeakers of Sharilla are a cult in everything but name. At a
young age, children are given a test of aptitudes with the
magical arts required to be a Hivespeaker. Her lady God-Empress
of the Bloodied Sands, Yumna Shatterhaze, has given me a
personal look at this very process. It is extensive and
grueling, and many children train for the test for weeks - being
accepted into the order of the Hivespeakers is one of the
highest honors you can receive in Sharilla.
I had the honor of being shown around their covenant. A small
sandstone chapel atop a hill overlooking the seas of Uldum seems
inconspicuous enough, but bears the entrance to an underground
web of tunnels and shrines. Structured much like the hive of the
Qiraji, the home of the Hivespeakers is filled with twists,
turns, and “pockets” filled with shrines, as well as places of
residence for the speakers. Rigid routine and ritual aside, the
Hivespeakers do not fit the cult motif in that they mean devalue
the presence of others with their actions. The Hivespeakers are
actually a beneficial addition to the society of Sharilla. They
act as seers, fortune-tellers, medicinalists, and even as
political figure-heads for the God-Emperor of Sharilla, in the
case of the high ranking.
Another deviation that sets the Hivespeakers apart from the
common-place cults seen wandering in the shadows of Stormwind is
the garb of the Hivespeakers. There is none. The Hivespeakers
often, among their own kind, dress in a minimal garb consisting
only of wrap around their waist and a shawl tossed over their
shoulders. When leaving their lair, the speakers dress with
ornate colors and designs, decorating themselves with charms and
husks made in the image of their gods.
Speaking of their gods, they revere only 3. A stark contrast
from the Loa of the trolls, a group of Godhood in insurmountable
numbers and reasonings, and as well as The Light, worshipping no
gods at all. The 3 deities are vaguely similar to the Qiraji
priests and priestesses of their Old Gods, some amalgamate of
Human and Silithid alike.
Ahr’rir, their perception of the force of good, is an
interesting take on the diety. He is hardly portrayed like one,
and is more man than he his Silithid. From his cheek-bones
emerge small pincers standing not two inches from his face, and
from his back arch large wings remnant of the
Silithid. It’s no wonder some of Sharilla so readily-accepted
Jadryn as their God-king. Once his transformation began to set
in, he bore a shocking resemblance to the features of Ahr’rir.
An’yiad is the perception of the force of evil. An’yiad acts of
spite and wrath. She bears two curved blades, and looks more
like a Silithid than Ahr’rir does. Her hair is pulled back into
a tight bun atop her head, and her face is covered in a teal and
gold-laced veil. Her pincers are prominent, standing 6-7 inches
from her face. If not for the thought that her mutations could
go any further, you would think she has completely taken the
form of a Silithid apart from her human shape. Her skin is
scaly, and her legs have begun to bend backwards in the same
form that most worgen take. A large wingspan stands behind her
back, and she is said to never stand on solid ground unless she
is asked to directly.
Shish’ashir is a concept for which something we have no way to
describe in the common tongue. It is the embodiment of all that
is mystical. The gifts of clairvoyance and magic gifted upon the
Hivespeakers is seen as a gift from Shish’ashir. It is how the
Hivespeakers are chosen, and how they function. Shish’ashir is a
being that is nearly indescribable. The Hivespeakers were
secretive over their altars to it, and even her lady Yumna said
she had not been graced to see the altars to it.
As previously discussed, the Hivespeakers see their magic as a
gift blessed upon them by Shish’ashir. It manifests in a way
similar to the shadow magic of the priests in the Eastern
Kingdoms and Lordaeron. It places a heavy motif on the presence
of bugs formed from shadow itself, and I begin to question if
they are similar to Jadryn, or if Jadryn adapted his
“specialities” to be like them. This requires more
investigation.
Yaragosa[/quote]
#Post#: 459--------------------------------------------------
Re: Articles on Sharilla
By: Elinie Date: August 11, 2015, 1:48 am
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[quote]Matriarchy
If there’s one thing my time in Sharilla has shown me over and
over again, it’s the predominantly feminine-ruled society. This
came as a surprise to me. I asked Yumna about this matter, and
she simply shrugged the it off. “That’s just how things are,
dear. I’m not going to tell them otherwise. You forget I am the
outsider here, dear Yara.”
She was right. We were outsiders to Sharilla. Yumna’s
transition to the throne was nearly seamless, and that left us
to see Sharilla returning to normalcy. Though, I will not lie, I
saw the women of the city begin to take after Yumna’s sense of
fashionings. More promiscuity, a little extra blush under the
cheekbone, and more vibrant colors. I wondered. Perhaps the city
really was like this before Jadryn, and that Yumna had found a
place where she could integrate herself easily. It was hard to
tell, but one fact remained.
All the merchants of the city. All of the militia, and most of
the Royal Magus Court. They were all women. A strange notion to
me, being used to the burly men guarding Stormwind and the cold
apathy with which female guards were treated. I’ve not asked why
the dominance of women is a case, likely because I’ll receive an
answer of “It’s always been this way” - The same answer I
receive anytime I ask a culture of their practices.
Recalling the portrayal of art in the home of the Hivespeakers,
there were only men depicted although the Halls of Speakers were
filled with both men and women. This had been their home for
centuries, and generation upon generation had lived their
religion vicariously through these halls. The art and
architecture here had to have outlasted many of it’s viewers.
Perhaps at one time the Hivespeakers had been a position
delegated to men only? This is the most logical reasoning to me.
Specifying the position of Hivespeaker to men only would create
a surplus of women in the city and not roaming the Hall of
Speakers. This would explain the prevalence of women outside of
the position of Hivespeaker.
This is not to say that men do not exist outside of
Hivespeakers. It seems, however, they take a secondary seat to
women. They hustle and bustle around the house, cleaning and
cooking. They help their wives with their vendors stand, and
they advertise in the marketing district.
Interestingly enough, this dynamic is muddied when applied to
couples and marriages of the same gender. There seems to be a
higher dispersion of household tasks, more even work-load, and
less polarity between one another. Perhaps most contrastingly,
these couples are accepted wholly within Sharilla. Another
trademark difference between Sharillan culture and the culture
of the other humans.
This doesn’t answer all my questions on the polarity of gender
within Sharilla, but I feel as if it is not my place to find
this out. After all, I am the outsider. There could have been a
past political shift that caused this, or it really could have
just been this way all along. Either way, as it stands, Sharilla
retains a unique culture among it’s inhabitants and warrants
more exploration. I can only hope that I am able to coax more
information from it’s citizens during my extended stay here.
Yaragosa[/quote]
#Post#: 460--------------------------------------------------
Re: Articles on Sharilla
By: Elinie Date: August 11, 2015, 11:19 pm
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[quote]Pilgrimage
Two pilgrimages have occurred today. Yumna has sent her tithes
to The Silent - three warriors. They travel to the Catacombs
beneath Stormwind to meet with Eveya and Caleb, explaining their
purpose and cause under her Lady of the Bloodied Sands.
One man, Khryses, is a Hivespeaker. I asked for his full-name,
and he informed me of the practice of the Hivespeakers - to
willingly remove their last names in order to commit themselves
fully to the art of Speaking. He said that this, however, does
not remove his ties of kinship. He is the brother to Alyia
Sandshift, the one who was murdered by Caleb within the halls of
Ahn’qiraj. I had to take some pleasure in this fact, and surely
it was no coincidence knowing Yumna. I don’t believe Khryses
knows of the true nature of Alyia’s death. I’ve heard him
thanking Yumna endlessly for removing the scourge of Jadryn. A
foolhardy man. I’m not sure how he’ll react when he finds the
true cause of Alyia’s death - it’s only a matter of time until
he does.
Another among these pilgrims is Allara Sandshift - older sister
to both Khryses and Alyia Sandshift. Khryses called upon her
from Northrend upon learning of Alyia’s death. The two shared in
mourning, and agreed to go to Stormwind with one another to meet
the heroes who assisted their sister in her martyrdom. I’ve not
known Allara for long, and can tell is a cold woman, and seeing
her shed tears over her deceased sister almost moved me to tears
myself. I wonder how she will react knowing the true
circumstance of Alyia’s death.
The final pilgrim is a man I could not learn much of,
Corhalavisius. He asked for us to refer to him as simply
Corvalus. As much as I know is as much as I could coax out of
him. He didn’t talk much. His face was kept behind a veil,
except for the long black hair. He wore a traditional ornate
garb of the Hivespeakers. With a large wrap tied around his
waist and an ornate mantle thrown around his upper chest, he
left much of his midriff exposed. I’m sure Yumna chose him for
this reason. It wasn’t uncommon for her to favor based on good
looks, and even I would admit he didn’t look bad.
Shortly after the three departed for Stormwind (I’m still not
sure why Yumna didn’t provide them transportation), a
Hivespeaker by the name of Anaril came before the Royal Magus
Council. He announced himself as the leading Hivespeaker for
Shish’ashir, and quickly began his reasoning for coming before
the council. Speaking briefly on the history and purpose of
Shish’ashir, I tuned him out for the most part. I knew of the
Hivespeakers and the purpose of Shish’ashir already. It wasn’t
until his mention of leading the followers of Shish’ashir to
Ahn’qiraj did I begin to listen. He claimed a vision in a dream
from Shish’ashir, that he saw her in all of her glory. She told
him to bring the most loyal to the ruins, that she would deliver
them before the coming evil. This was frightening, given the
occurrences in the last expedition to Ahn’qiraj. Would they find
the corpse of Alyia, perhaps, and realize the true circumstance
of Alyia’s death? Is her corpse even there?
That is a worrisome thought. For now, though, it seems only the
most dedicated of Anaril’s followers have followed him across
the dunes. I’m sure more will come if this vision of Shish’ashir
proves to be real. For now, though, it is of minor importance.
The council seems to agree with me that this is a matter for the
Hivespeakers to handle. That is, for the time being. I’ll be
keeping a close eye on the Hall of Speakers, and attempt to
learn more of Shish’ashir. Perhaps this will bring some
enlightenment on the matter.
Yaragosa[/quote]
#Post#: 461--------------------------------------------------
Re: Articles on Sharilla
By: Elinie Date: August 12, 2015, 12:17 am
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[quote]The Royal Magus Council
The Royal Magus Council is something that has existed for ages,
even before Yumna’s rule of Sharilla. The council serves as a
board of trusted advisors for the God-Emperor of Sharilla. The
head of the council is appointed by the Emperor themselves and,
naturally, Yumna appointed me. Though the Council seems like an
exciting position, it is not free from the qualms of mortals.
There is disagreement, subterfuge, and sneaky dealings. I find
it interesting to watch them quarrel, thinking that I don’t
understand what they’re doing. Yumna enjoys this pleasure as
well. She knows that, in the end, her word is law. Thankfully,
her word is a just one. Mostly.
As the name implies, the Magus Council consists of eight
magically-attuned magisters who tend to the Tahj-tuhtl. Since
the council has existed since Yumna and I’s arrival, it is
interesting to see the structure Sharilla has formed for itself.
Unlike the Kirin Tor or the magisters of Quel’thalas, the
Council in Sharilla does not actually dabble in the Arcane, but
rather a refined form of the Shadows. Much like the
Hivespeakers, the Council members use this magic for it’s
clairvoyant properties and the foresight it may provide for
decision making. Though I’ve yet to seen it happen, the
Councillors have discussed methods of dispersal using the
properties of mind-bending shadow. I found this humorous. Yumna
found this mildly disturbing. That was fair enough, I suppose.
Her only experiences with this kind of magic are with Elinie’s
unwanted perusal of Yumna’s mind, and the illusions conjured by
the warlock that brought back Norwill. I am mildly interested to
see how this magic shapes the persuasion of Sharilla, and just
how deep that persuasion runs.
Though the magic of the Hivespeakers and the Councillors runs
similar to one another, they are different in purpose. The
Hivespeakers delve into the arts of augury for their gods, and
the Councillors to clairvoyance. Although this may seem like it
would help create a better environment for the city,
clairvoyance provides limited scope. You are unsure of the
events preceding and following the vision.
Even as I write this now, I watch the other Councillors attempt
to scry into the meaning of the departure of the Shish’ashir
loyalists. I await their findings with baited breath. I can only
hope that this departure is just a minor problem. Sharilla is in
a fragile state of recovery, still, and it is my job as lead
Councillor to see to it that the city returns to order once
more. Still, I wonder what purposes the magic of the other
Councillors could do to further this recovery. This calls for
more investigation, as do all things in Sharilla. This city
truly is a magical place.
Yaragosa[/quote]
#Post#: 463--------------------------------------------------
Re: Articles on Sharilla
By: Elinie Date: August 12, 2015, 10:49 pm
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Content warning for drugs, addiction, and substance abuse!
[quote]Substance
On the banks of the temple in which the Tahj-tuhtl is housed
grows a plant known to be a mild hallucinogenic. The
Hivespeakers have named this plant after Ahr’rir, Ahr’root. The
root is used as in the clairvoyant rituals of the Hivespeakers
is seen as a penultimate gift to the people of Sharilla from
Ahr’rir. This is not unlike the Tahj-tuhtl, but I’ll discuss
that at a later time.
Ahr’root, usually smoked once ground into a fine powder, is
used in moderation by the Hivespeakers to help them attain a
closer bond to the metaphysical plane that their gods exist on.
This isn’t a far-stretch and is a tactic employed often by the
Trolls to contact their Loa. I wondered, for some time, if
perhaps there was a connection between the Loa and the
Hive-gods. It’s not an unreasonable stretch of the imagination,
but the Hive-gods are shrouded in a little too much enigma to be
a part of the Loa. If the Loa are one thing, it’s not silent.
Ahr’root has applications outside of the ritual uses. It
creates an excellent salve, moisturizing cream, and hoof-buffer.
That last one may have been an endeavor I sought myself, but
still it seems the uses of this root are endless.
Though Ahr’root is used recreationally outside of the
Hivespeakers, it’s use is heavily supervised. The people are
Sharilla understand the efficiency of this root - the more it is
used recreationally, the less there is to use for medicine and
personal applications. Still, the Hivespeakers have a monopoly
on this root. They use as much as it as they see fit, and
Sharillan authority does not question it. I’ll have to look into
this matter. No matter how many they must suit with their
ritual, the root would be better used for other applications. I
wonder if, perhaps, addiction plays a part here. I’ll add it to
my growing list of Sharillan mysteries.
Yaragosa[/quote]
#Post#: 464--------------------------------------------------
Re: Articles on Sharilla
By: Elinie Date: August 12, 2015, 11:44 pm
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[quote]Conflicting Views
When there are two large entities within a single political
body, they are bound to quarrel. Such is the nature of the
relationship between the Royal Magus Council and the Speakers.
Though the Speakers lack a significant figure head, unlike the
Council, they are made of a body of the three leading
Hivespeakers for the three gods. Anaril, the speaker for
Shish’ashir, has left and taken his most devout of Shish’ashir
to Ahn’qiraj. Akira and Sheeva, the speakers for Ahr’rir and
An’yiad approached the council this morning. They requested we
nearly double their newly implemented ration of the Ahr’root.
Allowing them this request, they told me of their confusion in
the matter of Anaril’s departure. Like her morbid god, Sheeva
seemed wrathful of this. She couldn’t understand why Anaril had
left for Ahn’qiraj, and claimed this called for more scrying
into the matter. Akira, on the other hand, claimed that her
acolytes would pray that Anaril and his followers find what they
seek in Ahn’qiraj, and that their journey was safe.
As I last wrote, the matters of the Ahr’root concern me deeply.
It could be the lead of a deeper underlying problem, and
something that may lead to even higher tensions between the
Council and the Speakers. Perhaps I was wrong in rationing their
allowances, and I am just paranoid. However, my people more than
any other know what happens when you are given an over-abundance
of power.
I spoke with the other councillors on this, explaining to them
the plight of the Blue Dragonflight. They agreed with my
warnings, and that the Hivespeakers are to be kept under close
watch. My fellow councillors mentioned that this is not the
first time they have quarreled with the Hivespeakers. When Yumna
first arrived and took the Tahj-tuhtl so that she could see it
restored to it’s glory, the Hivespeakers quickly mobilized. They
blamed the negligence of the Council in this matter, although
half of the council had been afflicted by Jadryn’s corruption.
The councillors of sound mind and body claimed that the
Hivespeakers were shirking in their duties, when in truth the
Hivespeakers at the temple of the Tahj-tuhtl were corrupted by
Jadryn as well.
This corruption ran deeper than either political group could
have expected. Six out of twelve of the council members
disappeared after Jadryn’s death, implying that they had fallen
victim to his corruption. Many of the hivespeakers had
disappeared as well, including the former leader of
Shish’ashir’s acolytes. Anaril was chosen swiftly for the
position as he was the most devout of mind and heart.
These conflicts between the Council and Speakers are not to be
taken lightly. This could lead to issues in the future, as well
as competition for the social and political decision of
Sharilla. I worry still about Anaril’s acolytes of Shish’ashir,
and what their departure. I will look into the personal affects
of Anaril now that the altars to Shish’ashir are unguarded
within the hall of the Speakers. Though tensions are high, as
High Councillor my word still outweighs that of a miscellany of
Hivespeakers. It will remain so. Yumna’s word is law, and I am
the mouthpiece of Yumna. I do hope she remembers that we are
business partners, after all. This is not without some benefit
for myself in the long run.
Yaragosa[/quote]
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