Ket
The Holy Plateaus of; The Independent Tribes of Nin, Taln and Oro
Ket is an insular culture of three major allied tribes—the Nin, Taln and the Oro—living in cliffside platforms and warrens covering the terra cotta plateaus of Voideast Gondara on the plane of Waking Materia. The plateaus overlook the Worldscar as it empties into the Voidward ocean, and are visible on a clear day from Nurin across the great chasm to the east.
Ket's full name on many Gondaran documents is the Federated Kettite Tribes of the Nin, Taln and Oro. Its demonym is "Kettite", as is its language. Middish Common is spoken mostly in the trade city of Starfort and rarely among the cliffside settlements.Geography
Description
See also: Image Gallery: Fashion & Scenery of Ket (External)With the exception of Starfort at the base of the colossal plateaus and Godskull at the top, the vast majority of Kettite settlements are carved directly into the sandstone cliffsides or rest on jutting platforms, with less sought-after properties deeper into the sandstone warrens. Sufficiently close landings are connected by suspension bridge. Though especially iconic and widespread in Ket, this method of sculpting homes and townships out of the sides of cliffs or chasms is not overly rare on Materia due to Stoneshape-type arcana, and necessity born from lack of space after The Deluge. In Ket's case, it also provides shelter against the sometimes oppressive midday heat.
The major settlements of Ket are as follows:
- Starfort
- Godskull
- Echo Sound
- Hundreds of connected platform and warren settlements
Society
Traditional Kettites believe living out on "open ground" (whether the surfaces of the plateaus or the world at the base of them) is dangerous due to an imminent apocalypse, part of a set of beliefs known as the Terminal Dogmas. That said there are no explicit bans on surface life, and indeed the Kettites run a bustling trade city at the base of the two main plateaus, named Starfort. Others simply don't take the Terminal Dogmas as seriously, and prefer to travel the world unconstrained by what they see as superstition.
Only few outsiders are welcomed in the cliffside settlements, and the Kettites are notorously tight-lipped about the structure and beliefs of their society. Indeed, their reputation is of an attentive and soft-spoken people, sociable but content to let others be the topic of conversation.Technology
The Three Tribes are in possession of sophisticated alchemical and artificial devices, including ornithopters, astrolabes and powerful-but-stable alchemical munitions. The ornithopters can be somehow "set" to fly to specific destinations, and are used to transport materiel (even people) rapidly between cliffside settlements. They were also known to carry the above-mentioned munitions during the Wars of Juran Hegemony. Too dangerous to invade, the Kettite cliff-cities were not so much conquered as they were quarantined by the Juran Empire.Fashion
Kettites tend to be covered in fabrics to protect themselves from the sun and the heat radiating from the sandstone cliffs on which they live, and their warriors are no different, save for additional jewelry, chains and charms meant to identify rank and station. A very vertical people, used to ascent and descent about their cliffside villages, their armour also tends to be made of lighter materials that favour mobility over protection. Many are equipped with harnesses and clasps for attachment to climbing ropes or rappel lines at a moment’s notice.Beliefs
The dominant—indeed near ubiquitous—cultural religion of the Kettite tribes is a sort of duology of the two major Overbeings, Æos and Uhrmazd, whom they call the Starmother and the Voidfather. Such dualistic churches are called "Alpha-Omega" churches in Middish Common. The religion is called the Ashu-Ta'alia ("Greetings for the All-Tomorrows"). Central to the Ashu-Talia are the apocalyptic Terminal Dogmas.The Void Navigators
Sages of Uhrmazd are known as Void Navigators. They use what are rumoured to be extremely complex models of climatological and astronomical divination to plot the best societal paths for the tribes. They're known to use sophisticated astrolabes similar in appearance to their ornithopters. This knowledge is held very tightly by the tribes and dissemination of their methods and technology is punished harshly.The Termina Sentries
The only group allowed to stand stop the holy plateaus—at least, not during a Pilgrimmage—are the followers of the Starmother, called the Termina Sentries. Indeed, their two roles require them to be atop the plateaus. The first role is to constantly stand guard below the Brightsky, receiving the Starmother’s sweltering admonitions and watching the sky’s patterns for signs of the apocalypse. It will be set in motion by an event they call One Thousand Converging Winds, bringing about the final or 'Termina' Era. These beliefs are combined with the divinings of the Void Navigators, collectively called the Terminal Dogmas. Some scholars have noted the Dogmas bear a remarkable resemblance to other united, Alpha-Omega churches, for example those of far western Khayyam, despite being a full Quadrant away. Though little is known about it, there was a Hyperion Cult of Æos and Uhrmazd in ancient Nireau named Terminal Dogma; given strong archaeological signs of Nireauan settlement on Ur-Gondara, scholars think it likely these religions were a direct ancestor to Kettite worship.
Their second role of the Sentries is as hunters and consecrators of the dr’ek: deadly, animated assemblages of bones that occasionally emerge from Godskull: an abandoned and severely haunted ruined city on the eastern plateau. Like the Starmother’s Radiant Anger, they accept the attacks of these bizarre monstrosities as atonement for their sins. No one knows the cause of this phenomenon; it is easy to suppose they are a type of undead, though their use of bones may simply be coincidence. As the dr'ek are seemingly mindless and emerge only occasionally, whatever forgotten rituals they originate from may not be working as intended.Pilgrimmages
Every decade or so (as the Void Navigators determine with their bewildering methods), a Pilgrimmage is declared, whereupon the Kettite tribes are not only permitted but encouraged to travel to the top of the plateaus and trace a path between several holy sites. It is a harsh and challenging journey, meant not only to be spiritually but physically enriching. The full circuit takes about four days at minimum, usually longer. Pilgrims may travel alone but are encouraged to join convoys protected by Termina Sentries, in case of a d'rek attack.
Profile art credit: Fromsoft design staff
Banner art credit: Nicodemus Yang-Mattisson 马尼克 (Left), Jack T. Cole (Right)
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