Swan may

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Swan may

Postby Cronn Thunderhowl on Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:31 pm

As i tend to write longer writeups (see Wolven Society ) i decided to create a single thread for the swan maes, insted of cluttering the dev Thread.

This is it:

Everything i come up with for the Flock will be found in here. Please comment constructively if you think things don't work.


Creation Myth:


Once there were two goddesses, sisters even, beautiful to behold and pure of heart and they loved each other dearly.

There was Olorae, the elder, born with fair white hair and a caring, graceful and sensual personality, and there was Astratae, her hot-blooded sister, full of spirit and with raven hair. They loved each other dearly, and though their nature was so different, they never argued. Their favourite animals were the swans, and often they would be found at the lakes of the world to watch them together, even if Olorae favored the graceful white swans and Astratae the, in her eyes, more lively blacks. There was one pond especially that was their favourite, as a flock of white swans settled on one shore, while on the opposite shore a flock of black swans nested in the high reed.

One day though they met a stranger, another god, as the world was not yet filled with conscient live and even if Olorae and Astratae were both of different nature and fond of different things, they fell in love with this man.
For they couldn't know that it was Iereste, the god of cunning and deception, playing them both for his own delight as he liked their attractive form, yet actually didn't feel the same deep connection and thought of them more as playthings for his lust.

More and more often the three met, and soon the rivalry became obvious to the goddesses, and what once was sisterly love and friendship, turned into mistrust, hate and jealousy as each others heart turned cold.

One day Astratae found Olorae at their favourite pond, arm in arm with Iereste, even if he had sworn her love the day before when they were alone. Hot tempered as she was, and cold in her heart from jealousy, she took up a large stone and broke through the underbrush, first striking Olorae and heading for Iereste. But he quickly turned into a fox and fled, vanishing in the reed that held the nests of the black swans and spanned the eastern shore of the pond. Soon the water of the pond turned red with Oloraes blood, and now Astratae broke down, tears filling her eyes for realizing what she had done in her rage. Crying out in rage and pain, her gaze sought for Iereste for it was him who she blamed. But as she could not find the cunning god, she followed him into the high reed, holding tightly on to the big stone that killed her sister, and that should now end Iereste too. Further and further she tracked him, almost reaching the place where the black swans nested, before her breast grew heavy, and breathing began to feel difficult.

For unbeknown to her, Olorae, being just as jealous on Astratae as she was on her, had slipped a poison into her drink that morning, to get rid of her rival once and for all.
With her last breath, realizing only in that moment what Olorae had done, as it was her who had given Astratae the poisoned cup, Astratae stumbled and fell, cracking her head on a big rock that was hidden by the reed, releasing her blood into the Pond.

The black swans swam towards her from her nest, to the goddess that had been so kind to them in all the years before, just as the white ones swam to Olorae, and as they came in touch with their divine essence they changed into the first flocks of swan mae, transfoming into beings that shared their divine beauty, but also features of the swans they came from.

And the flocks rose and met at the shore of the pond for one first and last time and they spoke in unison:

"I cannot forgive you sister, as I cannot forgive myself for what I did. I lost my sister, but i gained the flock. Never again shall murder come from our hands, hate from our mouths and envy from our hearts. And I shall honor all living things and teach them kindness, but i will no longer be with you"

And after these words were spoken, the swan mae transformed and flew away in different direction, never to return to this fateful pond.

Iereste though, seeing what his trickery and selfishness had brought upon, rued his ways and swore to never use his cunning for his own gains again. It is said that he remained in fox form and became a guide for tricksters and wise men, roaming the lands and protecting the swan mae wherever he could.

Swan mae religion and believes

"The way you walk, it is as if your feet never touch the ground. Effortlessly you float while others stumble. When you talk it is like a bird singing it's song on a warm day in spring while the snow has not yet fully molten. Your beauty is shining like the very sun on that very day... So... tell me...are you a goddess?"

"Yes,Yes i am"


Don Jomani, the once most notorious womanizer of the east coast and Phineëssa, a swan mae, in one of the few instances that left him completely speechless.


Often, when people meet swan mae, they notice them as being aloof, and an air of effortlessness that would follow them, unexplainable as if permeating from their personality. But also a sadness, which shines through from time to time, although those of the black flock are better at hiding it, follows the swan mae like a companion.

There is reason behind that impression.

Swan mae live in the certainty that, in fact, they are partly living goddesses. The essence of Olorae and Astratae are flowing through their veins, having merged with the swan form once, blessing and cursing them at the same time. On one hand it gives them an unnaturally long life span, rivalring that of elves, often spanning centuries. On the other hand, the swan mae were born from the death struggle of deities, and even though their mortal swan form can keep their essence alive for a very long time, it will nevertheless end one day, and, unlike other beings, there never was some deity that could create an afterlife for them, because... what is the afterlife of a goddess?
Also, slowly but inevitably, Astratae and Olorae are dying, were dying from the very beginning that created the flocks, and even the last remainders of their essence will one day fade into nothingness. And with their lifeforce the numbers of the swan mae are dwindling, as less and less of them are born to the flock. In these days a swan mae mother can expect to bear one child in her lifetime if she is lucky, but not more, as it was the case in times long gone. And so, one day, inevitably, there won't be any swan mae left, and the world will be a poorer place for it. This is when only their works will remain. And so, given this knowledge, a sadness just seems appropriate too.

Given this background, swan mae naturally have no own deities to pray to. They may take interest in other religions, especially the cult of Gaea, because it reflects much of their views, but to them, visiting a temple feels more like visiting the house of a sister, than that of a being worthy of worship. Prayers of swan mae are informal, sometimes reminding at gossip more than anything else, and if they would ever ask for anything (which has not been heard of, but if...) it would be rather something like asking a sibling for a favour, than anything else.

This does not mean that swan mae look down on other races. On the contrary: Even if they are something completely different than them, there is still their swan part bound to this world, and it is those races in whose hand the future of the world lies. Swan mae even envy them a little for it, and see it as their task to help them on their way, be it by offering advice or comfort like the white swans prefer, or by helping them unleash their inner beauty and bliss as the black ones do. Because in the end what they touched in them will once be what is left of their legacy, once they are all gone.

Please note, that this is what the swan mae believe, and this means foremost one thing: it is not necessarily true. In fact swan maes are just as mortal as other races, even though they claim this to be the result of being partly swan.


Becoming part of the world


"Mother... i have a question... if we are both Olorae... if she is us... how does it come that we often disagree?"

"Because her life is ending, and she is growing weak in us. It is said that the first swans never argued and that they knew what was her wish, back in the time when a swan mae mother could still bear more than one child in her life. But those times are over, and so now it is the duty of those that stand closer to her, of the mothers, to teach her daughter, in the hope that Oloraes lifeforce is still strong enough to grant her the blessing of a child, so she can do the same one day."

"But mother what if i disagree with Olorae? What if i choose another path for myself?"

"We often do and it is our fate for we can't hear her, but it means quenching another spark of her in us, and it is not much left for she is dying. We become part of the world, and when we do, we lose what it means to be swan mae and become more mortal. And one day we might wake up and find ourself stuck in the mortal form, because it is Oloraes will that allows us to turn and it has grown weak in us by our own doing. So better listen to your mom, because i am old, and still can turn. I know what is best for you"

Swan mae mother and daughter



Swan mae believe that it is the lifeforce of either Olorae or Astratae that keeps them alive beyond a normal mortal lifespan, and her will that allows them to speak to the birds and to turn into a swan and back. But because they are not able to hear her anymore like their ancestors in days long gone, it is the fate of a swan mae to lose this connection one day. Although... the swan mae believe it can be slowed down by staying true to what is considered either Oloraes or Astrataes wish, meaning, on the other hand, that a swan mae that does not live up to the ideals, will eventually end up stuck in her human form, unable to turn back and unable to speak to the birds. This is what the swan mae believe.

Some actions are even considered so evil, so against what the swan mae are desired to be, that they will shatter the connection immediately and irrevocably. First and foremost under all these actions is violence against a living being. Even being close to violence disturbs a swan mae, like being close to a contagious illness that threatens to destroy the bond which allows her to be a swan mae at all.

Now one might think that staying with the flock, far away from the rest of the world, never leaving the protection which the presence of their kin grants against such bad influence, would be the best for a swan mae. But then again a swan mae also ought to strife for making the world a better place, as Astratae and Olorae would do. So, although it has become uncommon that a swan mae leaves her flock, for the reasosn above but also due to the swan mae being so few and her being missed as a mother in the flock, it nevertheless happens, even if it often takes a long time before a swan mae musters up the courage to leave. And so the swan mae are usually perceived as even more rare than they actually are.

A swan mae that does leave the flock out of free will is revered, and the day when she parts is considered a sad and a happy day for her flock. Happy, because due to her courage, Astrataes or Oloraes will will be done, and so the existence of the swan mae in the world will have a meaning. But sad too, because the term "Becoming part of the world" basically stems from this, from a swan mae leaving her flock, walking away... into the world, exposing herself to the often vile and dangerous influences that this decision brings.... knowing that they will change her too. But this change is a dangerous one, one that inevitably leads her away from Olorae or Astratae, and the other swan mae will fear that it will also change those she comes in contact with too. So a Swan mae that comes back might be formally welcomed, yet her flock will subconsciously shun her, fearing her influence and the change she brings. One fateful day they will even stop talking to her. And then she leaves for one last time to never come back, thus even reinforcing in the flock what she would now consider a stupid superstition. Because she has, in fact, become part of the world, while her brethren... haven't.

So, whenever a swan mae leaves her flock, a festivity will be held, and those of the flock will be happy and sad at the same time. The swan mae that leaves will be held in high honor, and remembered well, yet it is already clear, that if she returns one day she will be considered someone else. Just like a fledgling that had been touched by human hands... and that is not accepted anymore with her family.

Male swan mae,
and why there seem to be more white swan mae than black


No one has ever seen a male of the flock to leave it, because he is departed from Olorae or Astratae already by his sex, and for him, handicapped by being a goddess in a male body, it is considered too difficult to find the same balance that a female swan mae could. Hence they do not leave their flock. Also as there tend to be more females born with swan mae than men, men are much more important for the continuity of the flock. This is also the reason why there are more White swan maes around than there are black ones. In a White Flock only one of the women can marry each man. The readiness to leave the flock is much higher in those that do not get a partner and have no chance to ever get one. In the black flock a male can have several wives (and it is common), so the will to leave is much less prevalent than with the White.


Swan mae, sex and the lifebond


Mother, why can we only have one lifebond? What.. if i felt love for more than one man?

"No, this is the path of Iereste, and it is full of greed and lust and in the end... demise. Didn't i tell you already about the crime from which the swan may sprung?

"Yes,mother. But those of the black flock allow it, how can they do such? Don't they share the same history, the same mistake that taints us too?

Yes,but the lesson they learned is a wrong one. Our black sister had always been less worldlywise than we have been, following her heart much more then it is good for her. The Astratae say it was our own fault, our jealousy from which the evil sprung that departed us. They say that the jealousy was because we wanted to possess our lover, control him, and that this would be the desire to quench, and that we should have shared Iesreste. Hence they allow to have more than one lifebond. But they are wrong. Didn't we love our sister dearly, and she loved us back? Wasn't her joy what brought light to our hearts? Seeing her playing in her youthful innocence, while we kept sorrows of her like a big sister does? And then came Iereste and spoiled it. Our love had been pure, free of greed and jealousy before, yet his poisonous tongue was like a snake, and this only for his own entertainment. It was his fault. And we promised to make the world a better place. If nothing else the swan may have to be a beacon against this, and thus we must take responsibility. One can only love one person, and this person is the one that our hearts and minds should be striving to please. If there were two, jealousy will raise its ugly head, and our hearts will be torn apart and it will end in tragedy and nothing else... So that's why we have one lifebond and none more. This is Oloraes will, and if we depart we will get lost in the world.

I understand mother...but...how can we decide whom to give our hearts, if we may not share the bed with them? Our life is long, and we must decide once and may not fail.

Child...it is the lust that made Iereste spoil us, pure greed for carnal pleasure. Thus carnal pleasure, though being wonderful and blessed if shared between two who love each other, must not be reason that two souls converge. A lifebond must look beyond that. It is by taking this risk that we prove that we are worth more to each other, that we truely love each other. So we preserve ourselves such that the one we love knows it is for more than just the bed. And this is what Olorae wants us to do, and we may not depart from this, or risk to loose her and get lost in the world.

Olorae (White swan mae) mother and daughter.


From the viewpoint of other races, black and White swan may are as different as night and day. In the perception of outsiders, swan mae of the black flock seem often a little less otherworldy then those of her White brethren, more in touch with their feelings and needs and all in all also more open to the carnal pleasures. This lead to it that several legends evolved to explain it, the most notorious being that Astratae are in fact Olorae, but those that had given in to the worldly needs, and are now marked as sinners by having their feathers turned black, so everyone could see. Some flocks of the Olorae, those actually that have never had the chance to ever meet a swan mae of the black flock, are even actively scaring their children with these kind of stories. It is a boogeyman story though, one a swan mae actually get rids of once she grows older.

The real reason why blacks and whites are so different is much more mundane. They are following the example of a skewed dream, of a goddess that, although it once may have been real, has become a set of preconceptions about what is right and wrong. A "What would Olorae / Astratae do" all while Olorae and Astratae are no living persons anymore, rather ideas about how they have been once, patterns instead of persons, and those patterns are already different: Olorae the gentle, the coy, the one of low voice and elder wisdom, yet uptight from the perspective of the Astratae. Astratae, the boisterous, the lively, the one that brings joy to the hearts, yet of little responsibility for her actions in the opinion of the Olorae. Under these circumstances it seems no wonder, that one could almost consider them people of different race if one wouldn't know better.

It becomes especially obvious when considering the subject of sex and the lifebond. Interpreting their creation myth according to the different character ideals they are following, both flocks naturally came to completely different conclusions:

The Olorae firmly believe that it was Ierestes bad influence that corrupted Olorae and her sister, his greed, his lust for both of them and his lack of restriction that led to the tragedy that created the swan mae. As the older sister they feel that they would have had to be the more responsible one, the one that ought to look through his lies. As a result the white swan mae feel a strong obligation to never let this kind of tragedy happen again, and the strong notion that they have to serve a penance. Unbridled lust and lack of restriction are what a swan may must despise. And so, over the course of centuries, even public displays of affection have become frowned upon. Carnal pleasures are considered to blind the eyes of a swan mae for real and pure love, which is deemed to be able to look past them, and even get along without them, if necessary.
(Though sex between partners in a lifebond is thought to be a blessing. Even the white swan mae need children).
Naturally unfaithfulness is a sin on Oloraes intentions, but so is sex before the lifebond, both being things considered sufficient to part a swan mae from Oloraes blessings irrevocably, which in the end, so the belief, will make her lose the ability to turn and speak to the birds.

The Astratae come to utterly different conclusions. In their belief it is not Iereste that is to be scorned, but Olorae and Astratae themselves, because they wanted to control him, own him, and not share the one they love with the one they once loved just as dearly. So they shun control, and argue that jealousy is the real sin. A black swan may must allow her lovers to be free, must accept if they chose another love too, and they must never desire to own her loved ones. But she can expect the same for herself, and as a result, the Astratae are much more open regarding their sexuality, and multiple lifebonds are not rare, even desired and welcomed, and sex before the lifebond is not a subject at all. (As, if it were, it would of course make multiple lifebonds impossible). Yet a black swan mae may never be jealous, may never claim someone solely for herself, for this is the sin upon Astratates intentions, that will eventually lead to her losing Astrataes blessing, with the same result as a white flock that would lose Oloraes blessing, namely her ability to turn, and her voice that speaks to the birds. At least thats what they believe.

Grey Feathered Children

"Father, why are my feathers of such a light color? Mothers are as dark as yours. And why does the rest of the flock shun me? Am i not part of the flock too?

"Yes my son, you are. Didn't i tell you once about Olorae and Astratae? The blood of both of them tainted the pond from which we sprung, and even if Olorae was at the other side of the pond, some of her essence must have reached our flock, because even from the beginning, there were those of gray feathers born to our flock. In you there are the souls of Astratae and Olorae, loving sisters but so different that you cannot follow both. The other of the flock love you... even more because you are our beloved sister in our midst. And at the same time we make you part you from her, quenching more of the spark she brought into the world, for Oloraes way is strange to us and we can't go there. But many of the flock fear that this will part them from Astratae too because she loves her sister dearly. So don't flaunt. Keep quiet when you are out. They would rather forget you..."

"And you and mom, do you want to forget me too?"

"No.. no my son. We love you just how you are. And if Astratae once takes her blessing of us because we love you, then so be it. I will gladly pay that price"

Astratae father and his grey feathered son.


Sometimes, very seldom those of grey feathers are born to the flock, be it a flock of white feathers or a flock of black ones. The swan mae believe strongly that those children carry the essence of both sisters. But the path of the other sister is a path they cannot walk, and so they must bring up the grey featherd child in such a way that it only follows their interpretation of what is good, effectively cutting of the child from her their beloved sister and even adding to the crime that led to their existence. Most swan may fear that this act also severs their own connection to the sister they are following, and as such would rather forget the child, which they cannot do either. Because of this quandary swan mae do not like it a bit if a grey feathered brethren is flaunting him or herself, and it is expected of them to stay in the background. And even this gives the other swan mae a bad conscience.
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Cronn Thunderhowl
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Re: Swan may

Postby Selenity on Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:14 am

i know i'm late to the party....

As a player of the grey swan one of the things I took from the originally write up was the fact that she's thought of as an ill omen... which is why she's unwanted. Perhaps adding that back in somehow would be the only thing. I've seen it mentioned in a few other characters bio or rp that did play grey swans that all were nearly killed for being a grey swan. I feel like that's been well established by others and also including myself. Though a constant thread has been that the love of a parent did spare them. My toon knows not to flaunt what she is. And until a very recent experience kept it a secret what she was utilizing the change self spell to have the feathers that are strewn through their hair changed to be hair. Granted I've not come across other swans icly as Sel so she's not had to much of a worry about causing another swan to be upset that she doesn't dress in the subdued way greys are expected to act.
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Selenity, Layla Masters, Nevara, Kimimela, Luthiel Silivrenniel, Ithilwen Nimwen, Vanya, Ayameko Kabila, Enid, Azurae
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