Griffons! (Patreon)

From the desk of the resident griffon,

Hello everyone! It's time for another Sunday post! As promised, today we are looking at another major faction in the overall world! Well... major factions, I should say. They arent exactly united!

To explain the lore of these groups, our lovely writer, Silk Wright, has given a taste of just what these creatures are like.

Without further ado, introducing: Griffons!

At least, three of the griffons. A much further explanation could be given, and will likely be given once the rest are shown, but here we are showing off three of the 6 "tribes" of griffons in this world.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Allow me to hand it off to Silk.

The Griffons. Another progenitor race, they were around at (or near) the world's creation. When the world was new, the Divine of the Sky saw how flat and boring the earth underneath it was and moved down to plant six seeds within the flat, uniform stone. These seeds grew and grew, forming on the flat earth the six Peaks of the World. From those seeds blossomed the first tribes of Griffon-kind. Each lay distinct from one another, with only two things in common: Their species and their love for the Divine. We'll now go over the first three of these tribes in detail.

Karema: The First Tribe, the Karema (in their language meaning The Generous), are the most mercantile of the tribes. Upon their peak, the world's riches lay bare, and they saw the glory in the coin. Their peak developed until a nation centered around treasure, resources, and their gathering of them.

In their earliest days, groups of Karema Griffons would travel out into the world, discovering new people and engaging with them. They would learn about them, find out what they need, and fulfill their desires in exchange for unseen treasures and wealth. These traveling scions, whether in a group or by themselves, would come to be known as Jinn, and some would regard them with suspicion, while others would welcome them wholly into their homes. Once they found a treasure of extraordinary value, they would return home and have their family's blessing to either join or head the family business and household, depending on if they were the firstborn.

Nihlin: The Second Tribe, the Nihlin, were those who sought glory. An ancient tribe of Griffons with only a few scattered members in the modern day, those that have managed to create small, secluded hillside villages upon the volcano that is the Second Peak. They were born with bravery and recklessness in equal measure, constantly trying to prove themselves superior to all the world. Many hold that this led to great leaps in their civilization, powerful artifacts and magics aplenty, as though they were an amalgamation of all other tribes combined into one masterful culture. But that was not meant to be and cannot be proven in the modern day.

In their hubris, they underwent a rite to call upon the Concept of Destruction, creating the first mortal-wrought god, the Divine of Destruction. While they intended to slay or even subjugate the being, they found only sorrow as the Divine burst from the earth, bringing with it the lifeblood of the planet, scorching and burning everything in its path. The Peak still burns to this day, the world's largest active volcano.

Aarligt: The Third Tribe, the Aarligt, sought skill, competition, and like the Nihlin, glory through battle. Unlike the Nihlin, however, they did not see themselves as superior to one another but helped each other grow through constant competition. They saw all the world as a challenge, not as something underneath them, and as such many consider the Aarligt what the Nihlin should have been if they didn't want to end up meeting their doom. Drinking contests, seeing who could stay out in the cold the longest or who could run the fastest, the Aarligt were fierce, proud, yet just as likely to take you home, bed you, and give you a drink in the morning. Provided you impressed them in some manner first, of course. 

There are two traditional ways to challenge and impress an Aarligt, one is through drink, and one is through combat. The tradition of Tarne is a drinking contest where the two competitors first agree on a type of drink. They then down the beverage, placing the traditional Tarne tankard on the ground, challenging the other to build the tower. The tankards are stacked until the tower falls, with each competitor growing more inebriated over time. The one who causes the tower to fall is considered the Sekund (Second) and must submit to the victor. The second method is combat, specifically wrestling in the snow. Both challengers strip down to nothing, dig a ring in the snow outside (or, in significant cases, in the center of) town, and wrestle. Grappling, pinning, and binding are allowed against one another until one submits. Much like Tarne, the one who submits is considered the Sekund and must acquiesce to the victor.

As you might guess, I am absolutely in love with griffons, and I think the way they are represented in this world is amazing! I can't wait to show you all the rest, but I hope you've all enjoyed this little introduction.

That is all we have to show for this post, however. So with that, thank you very much for your continued support, and I hope you all have a great week.

~ DongDiagram

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