Polarity

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<n>Monastery Burial-Ground Under Snow</n> (1817-1819) by German Romantic artist <n>Caspar David Friedrich</n>.

POLARITY
Planet name is Valr which is old norse for fallen or slain. This is due to the belief that the continents are the fallen vessels of ancient cosmic beings.

An intangible veil of "magic" that functions as a separate land that the spirits live in that mirrors and exists throughout the planet. It is not a physical place, but rather energy/magic taking sentient forms mingling in magnetic fields. Your soul and mind link in but are unaware unless one learns to tune in.

Mirrored Dawn - Einhyrningr to the South.

Mirrored Twilight - The In-Between.

Mirrored Dusk - Dreki to the North.

OLD EXPANSE NOTES

a bleak white wasteland painted with the dancing lights of the aurora in the freezing darkness. Being at the pole, the summer and winter stretch on in an endless day and night with spring and fall giving way to a more forgiving cycle. I named it the Painted Expanse accordingly SDGSDGSDG

They celebrate the summer and winter solstice as well as the spring and fall equinox with huge festivals. They hold parades and large feasts and tack up colored banners and flags and wear their most colorful flowing clothes. They band together and have the closest connections with their kin and community during this time. Dancers put together elaborate costumes and reenact the creation myths and urban legends while musicians drum and sing along. It's common to trade small hand-made gifts and hours are spent afterwards sitting together in the cold silently as a respect to their regions spirits. etc. etc.

They trade throughout the year, mostly by flown-caravans- still figuring out the logisitics and such but. a lot of towns are nestled into cliff sides and huddled into caves and fjords and mountains with the rare few on the coasts or flat stretches of land. They have large family dynamics- pack animals if you will- forming deep bonds with many but generally picking one to two life partners for either children or to help refine and play off the crafts they've dedicated themselves to. Gift giving is a common and respected tradition. mm what else



on a broader level..

Enchanters and priests/shamans are at the top. eventually ill have cooler names for them SDGSDG They communicate with the spirits of the land- ancient sentient beings just beyond the veil. These spirits are the essence of life and definition throughout the continent, without them the land falls into decay and chaos.

Their society values farmers and ranchers a LOT bc they live in a frozen wasteland where food is scarce- they're givers of life to the people- they're the richest and have the most influence in each region: they live in tall spiraling manors that loom over the few flat spread of fertile soil in the warmer climates.

Story-tellers + educators are next, performers, musicians, and artists who captivate and sway the audience with tales of old are important to keeping a sense of wonder and respect rather than dread and depression.

cooks, traders, sailors, animal trainers and others who work with the plants, animals, and transport of these things are respected jobs as well.

The bulk of society are inventors, craftsmen, and artisans. No practical item goes without intricate carvings or beautiful colors woven into fabric or beading or some form of decoration and omage to the mighty beasts and small beauties cultivated by their gods.

Soldiers, like. idk accountants, and like. the rest of jobs LMAO are just kinda scraping by, they're not seen as less than but they aren't revered for their work. they're just kinda there

oh if they find someone they wanna spend their life with they craft a SUPER intricate dagger to give as a proposal and if they're accepted they spend half a year crafting/working with a weaponsmith to make a set of weapons of their betrothed's choosing

A painting by Japanese artist <n>Toshio Ebine</n>.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8cPDpXnQa0&list=PL-pnyiDrY\_WRUx0Ue3dGOmofse04eXk3b&pp=gAQB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNPzc932cs8&list=PL-pnyiDrY\_WSGNGMD4LdOB8oX8li9khcT&pp=gAQB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzONfhz-1vo&list=PL-pnyiDrY\_WTfxXkstQOcRLR23HyK1h4s&pp=gAQB

Quartz Pillars (@lunamoth505) / Cosmos

ON ENCHANTMENT & THE MIRRORED REALMS

-   the magic itself is everywhere and in everything,, it flows from the "living" world and spirit world freely; the spirit world wouldnt exist without the physical living world
-   spirits can be embodiments of anything. EX; the forest or a guardian of a lake, maybe an ancient stag that represents the lineage of a herd in certain part of the world, anything that has identity in some sense. some spirits were fragments that split off from the celestial spirits, some form from strong pools of energy so like post war/battle the souls of all the soldiers would meld into a new entity
-   the celestial spirits are the only ones who feel as an individual and hold ego and self-awareness, theyre able to plan, understand the passage of time, etc. but remnants of Dreki and Einhyrningr's children sometimes linger as their worldly self after death
-   tuning fully into the mirrored realms can leave pieces of the atuned if they're not properly shielded
-   most spirits are more animalistic and follow their base desires and needs-they dont interact the way a person would; every spirit has its own "core" that makes up what the spirit can do/be used for
-   in terms of the folks in the living realm, theyve evolved a sense of the energy/magic in their world- they've learn to channel that power into objects by carving specific runes/markings into something like a weapon or embroider them into clothing etc.
-   they can either use the magic the spirit has (like they use light spirits to make basically street lamps and lanterns) or a fire entity could make it so a fur coat keeps them warmer in the cold
-   OR they can manifest the spirit's form into their world (solstice's dragon-head spear summons a water dragon her family has been giving offerings and tending to for generations) that can help them either fight or even like pull a wagon or control the weather and bring rain for crops or  like fog to hide the village
-   the spirits are generally worshipped and not fully understood by the people,,, some are more in tune with the spirit realm like feeling a steady pulse, while others barely recognize it
-   there are many stories and depictions of the celestial dragons and making of the world too