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Description

The Curse upon Ys was meant to keep us forever alone, unable to feel the loving touch of another or the whisper of a lover in our ear, separated by the high walls of the shoreline. But the gift of the Oceansong allows us to scale the tower of insurmountable magic, to seize love from the treacherous curses of the dark, twisted forces of evil. But Love is not a gift so easily taken. It is the quest, and it must be earned through devotion and sacrifice. The Courtship tests the bond between the Knight and the Tower, proving that our love is strong enough to rip ourselves from the grasp of cruel fate.

- Clemence, First Kanterez of the Morbazh

-------------------------------

At one point, all Marie-Morgane were at some point members of a landbound race, the overwhelming coming from the Bediz. Unable to reproduce directly themselves, The race is inherently parasitic, relying on landbound races not only for population growth, but also for sustained development.

Made up of a collection of the lost and outcast, there are significant gaps in the skillsets of the race. The Marie-Morgane Abhour Slavery and feel that humans with desirable new experiences and knowledge are preferable for the strength of the clan. To achieve this, they focus on luring and recruiting “free” humans rather than sustaining population growth by other methods such as a captive colony.

To ensure the quality of candidates, the Marie-Morgane have ritualized an elaborate vetting process called the Courtship.

The History of the Courtship

During the “Dark Age” of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves, Ahes Dahut was alone, trapped in the empty city with only the ghosts of the past for company. Her Ere-Hud was
intended to force her to remain alone, unable to experience physical contact or emotional connection. Driven by desperation, her Ere-Hud and a shard of the void deep in her heart, Ahes would call out from the sea on moonlit nights, luring listeners to the waters with her magical song, where the entrances souls, compelled to reach her beneath the waves would drown, leaving the princess even more desperate for meaningful contact.

With the Arrival of Rozenn the Druidess, something changed. Although unable to lift the Ere-Hud, Rozenn and Ahes discovered that Ahes Sovereignty* over Ys could subtly alter the meaning of the words so long as their conditions were met in some way. The Oceansong was born.

The pair worked tirelessly on cultivating the spell, targeting shipwrecked sailors, fishermen, and other isolated individuals. 500 years after the Fall of Ys, the Odet Raids began, an aggressive campaign of open, large scale abductions along the Ar Mor Bihan and inland along the Odet River, allowing the population to grow into a small, but tight-knit clan. As Ys grew, so did the threats against it,attracting both the attention of Coastal Bediz communities and the feral Finfolk, a vicious race of void-corrupted merfolk. Resources started to dwindle, unable to keep up with the sudden population spike. With a defeat at the Bediz city of Kemper, the Odet Raids came to an end and the use of the Oceansong was dramatically scaled back, but its use did not stop entirely. It was discovered that the same compulsive longing that had driven Ahes had been passed along to every recipient of the Oceansong.

At the same time, newly turned Marie-Morgane began to introduce new cultural values, brought with them from their landbound homes. notable was the introduction
of the romantic notion of “Courtly Love”, a highly conventionalized conception of noble and chivalrous love, often unconsummated, between a knight and an unavailable noble, intended as an experience balancing erotic desire and spiritual fulfillment, the genre arose as a romantic outlet in landbound cultures where relationships were formed for utilitarian,political and material gain rather than personal romantic interest. The poems and songs also often placed women in positions of agency and power. The Marie-Morgane, seeing parallels to their own condition of longing for love that seemed out of reach and latched onto the concept with an intense fervor, enshrining the ideals into their cultural identity. They began to emulate the stories, both pining for unattainable love on the surface or enticing lovers to do the same for them. This cultural shift dovetailed with the Ere-Hud of the Oceansong and the need to bring new skillsets and numbers to strengthen the clan, while limiting unsustainable growth. The highly ritualized concept of "the Courtship" was born from this "game of love".

----------------------------

* Author's Note: The Concept of Sovereignty is one of the most powerful cosmological concepts in the World of Kroashent and the Celtic mythos it is based upon. A land reflects its ruler and the ruler draws power from the land. A ruler is expected to fulfill certain ritualized vows (Leoù), while avoiding certain taboos (Ere-Hud). A good leader is reflected in a prosperous land, while a negligent or wicked leader leads to hardship for the land. In extreme cases, this can reflect in Fisher Kingdoms, where the state of a ruler magically and physically warps the lands under their control. Sovereignty is a recurring and major element in Kroashent.

----------------------------

Today's Mermaids are the Cleric Ailinor, and her lover, the fighter Renée. Renée's story takes place almost contemporary with the main story of Kroashent, after Ailinor has adapted to her new life. You can read about Ailinor's and Renée's Courtship in Renée's story, linked below.

-------------------------

First (2020): Previous:

2019 Gallery: www.deviantart.com/kathalia/ga…

Ailinor, the Cleric: / / The Tail of Ailinor, The Cleric (Mermay19)

Renée, the Fighter: / / The Tail of Renee, The Fighter (Mermay19)

-----------------------

Commissions Available: www.deviantart.com/kathalia/ar…

Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/Kroashent

Description

The Curse upon Ys was meant to keep us forever alone, unable to feel the loving touch of another or the whisper of a lover in our ear, separated by the high walls of the shoreline. But the gift of the Oceansong allows us to scale the tower of insurmountable magic, to seize love from the treacherous curses of the dark, twisted forces of evil. But Love is not a gift so easily taken. It is the quest, and it must be earned through devotion and sacrifice. The Courtship tests the bond between the Knight and the Tower, proving that our love is strong enough to rip ourselves from the grasp of cruel fate.

- Clemence, First Kanterez of the Morbazh

-------------------------------

At one point, all Marie-Morgane were at some point members of a landbound race, the overwhelming coming from the Bediz. Unable to reproduce directly themselves, The race is inherently parasitic, relying on landbound races not only for population growth, but also for sustained development.

Made up of a collection of the lost and outcast, there are significant gaps in the skillsets of the race. The Marie-Morgane Abhour Slavery and feel that humans with desirable new experiences and knowledge are preferable for the strength of the clan. To achieve this, they focus on luring and recruiting “free” humans rather than sustaining population growth by other methods such as a captive colony.

To ensure the quality of candidates, the Marie-Morgane have ritualized an elaborate vetting process called the Courtship.

The History of the Courtship

During the “Dark Age” of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves, Ahes Dahut was alone, trapped in the empty city with only the ghosts of the past for company. Her Ere-Hud was
intended to force her to remain alone, unable to experience physical contact or emotional connection. Driven by desperation, her Ere-Hud and a shard of the void deep in her heart, Ahes would call out from the sea on moonlit nights, luring listeners to the waters with her magical song, where the entrances souls, compelled to reach her beneath the waves would drown, leaving the princess even more desperate for meaningful contact.

With the Arrival of Rozenn the Druidess, something changed. Although unable to lift the Ere-Hud, Rozenn and Ahes discovered that Ahes Sovereignty* over Ys could subtly alter the meaning of the words so long as their conditions were met in some way. The Oceansong was born.

The pair worked tirelessly on cultivating the spell, targeting shipwrecked sailors, fishermen, and other isolated individuals. 500 years after the Fall of Ys, the Odet Raids began, an aggressive campaign of open, large scale abductions along the Ar Mor Bihan and inland along the Odet River, allowing the population to grow into a small, but tight-knit clan. As Ys grew, so did the threats against it,attracting both the attention of Coastal Bediz communities and the feral Finfolk, a vicious race of void-corrupted merfolk. Resources started to dwindle, unable to keep up with the sudden population spike. With a defeat at the Bediz city of Kemper, the Odet Raids came to an end and the use of the Oceansong was dramatically scaled back, but its use did not stop entirely. It was discovered that the same compulsive longing that had driven Ahes had been passed along to every recipient of the Oceansong.

At the same time, newly turned Marie-Morgane began to introduce new cultural values, brought with them from their landbound homes. notable was the introduction
of the romantic notion of “Courtly Love”, a highly conventionalized conception of noble and chivalrous love, often unconsummated, between a knight and an unavailable noble, intended as an experience balancing erotic desire and spiritual fulfillment, the genre arose as a romantic outlet in landbound cultures where relationships were formed for utilitarian,political and material gain rather than personal romantic interest. The poems and songs also often placed women in positions of agency and power. The Marie-Morgane, seeing parallels to their own condition of longing for love that seemed out of reach and latched onto the concept with an intense fervor, enshrining the ideals into their cultural identity. They began to emulate the stories, both pining for unattainable love on the surface or enticing lovers to do the same for them. This cultural shift dovetailed with the Ere-Hud of the Oceansong and the need to bring new skillsets and numbers to strengthen the clan, while limiting unsustainable growth. The highly ritualized concept of "the Courtship" was born from this "game of love".

----------------------------

* Author's Note: The Concept of Sovereignty is one of the most powerful cosmological concepts in the World of Kroashent and the Celtic mythos it is based upon. A land reflects its ruler and the ruler draws power from the land. A ruler is expected to fulfill certain ritualized vows (Leoù), while avoiding certain taboos (Ere-Hud). A good leader is reflected in a prosperous land, while a negligent or wicked leader leads to hardship for the land. In extreme cases, this can reflect in Fisher Kingdoms, where the state of a ruler magically and physically warps the lands under their control. Sovereignty is a recurring and major element in Kroashent.

----------------------------

Today's Mermaids are the Cleric Ailinor, and her lover, the fighter Renée. Renée's story takes place almost contemporary with the main story of Kroashent, after Ailinor has adapted to her new life. You can read about Ailinor's and Renée's Courtship in Renée's story, linked below.

-------------------------

First (2020): Previous:

2019 Gallery: www.deviantart.com/kathalia/ga…

Ailinor, the Cleric: / / The Tail of Ailinor, The Cleric (Mermay19)

Renée, the Fighter: / / The Tail of Renee, The Fighter (Mermay19)

-----------------------

Commissions Available: www.deviantart.com/kathalia/ar…

Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/Kroashent