Ｔｈｅ Ｇｒｅａｔ Ａｗａｋｅｎｉｎｇ discussion

Mod

'Frequently Asked Questions,'
or just information you should know.

Q: Do Bloodkin Flicker?
A: No, they don't.

Q: Does an Awoken's eyes turn black in response to Flickering?
A: No, an Awoken's eyes only turn black when they are around Triggered Otherkin. Also, Awoken are the only ones capable of seeing a Triggered Otherkin, Kindred can not see Triggered Kindred.

Q: Stages of Aspecting?
A: stage 1. Being Triggered, only Awoken can see
stage 2. Flickering, glowing eyes
stage 3. Aspecting (Former), so Awakened can see your true form
stage 4. Aspecting (Proper), so Sleepers can see your true form

Q: Why don't Valkyries have wings?
A: In Nordic reliefs, they did not have wings, the wings are of modern influence. So instead, their faces turn into skulls to represent them being the Choosers of the Slain. The creation of Einherjar is against the Law of Dis, making Valkyries enemies of Reapers.

Q: Do Avian Therians have wings?
A: Yes and no. When in anthropomorphic form, they ether have talons for hands or semi-malleable hands made of feathers. They can shift them into wings, but it takes effort. They can not grow a third set of limbs that are wings, their arms become wings, causing them to resemble a harpy. Dragonkin can grow wings, given that Dragons are depicted with three sets of limbs, two set of feet and one set of wings. However, it is rather hard to do so, it would be easier to just fully shift into a Dragon.

Q: Are Pixies a type of Fairy?
A: No, Pixies are not Fairies. But the two are related. Pixies come from the Fomorii, while the Fairies came from the Tuatha De Danann. The Celtic gods are related to the Vanir, from which the Elves are descended from, while the Dwarves come from the Aesir. The Fomorii, and thus the Pixies by extension, are related to the Jotun, these giants are the ancestors of the Trolls.

Q: Could you provide more information on Revenants?
A: When you think of Revenants, think of zombies and mummies. Cold-Bloods are possessing their dead bodies, and feed mainly off of living flesh. Warm-Bloods are possessing newly deceased bodies and mainly feed off of life force. When they flicker, one can see their flesh rotting away.

Q: What are some ways a Sleeper can be Turned?
A: Vampire drinking your blood, then drink the Vampire's blood.
A Therian's bite or scratch - if the scratch is deep enough.
A Phoenix's funeral pyre.
Wearing a Berserker bear skin and mask.
Killing a relative and wear animal hide to be a Skinwalker.
Cannibalism will result in a Wendigo, or be infected with Wendigo Fever.
Arachne Venom can turn a human in the right amount, too much is fatal.
Learn Witchcraft.
Die and become a Wraith.
Die, reclaim a body, and become a Revenant.
Practice dark magic enough and become a Shadowkin.
Be Turned correctly and become a Hybrid!

Q: Can the undead have children?
A: Revenants and Wraiths can not have children; hybrids, bloodkin, or otherwise. Vampires are not undead, but it is hard, but not impossible, for male Vampires to get others pregnant. To get pregnant, a female Vampire would have to try multiple times. If they do indeed conceive, the child has a high risk of being stillborn. If an infant does come forth, the mother has a chance of dying in childbirth. Women pregnant with a Vampire's baby will have thin blood, as the Vampire child feeds from the blood of the mother, not the nutrients they eat. The mother would be susceptible to illness due to the weakened immune system. They can die in childbirth as well.

Q: How are demons and devils different?
A: A 'devil' is another term for a Darkworker, a fallen 'angel' or Lightworker. A Demon is the Void equivalent of a soul, but instead of being comprised of Light, it is made of Shadow. They are corruptions of souls, nature spirits, or the final form of a Shade and Shadowkin.

Q: How do gods work?
A: The gods of mythology were Tulpas, names given to both the Dreamers and the Old Gods. The Old Gods had no names, and humanity needed something they could cry out to, so they gave them proper names and genders. The Dreamers claimed to be these gods and were worshiped as them. But as myths and legends were spun, with so many sharing the same paradigm and with strong enough faith, the gods became their own being, an independent Tulpa that could survive on their own, to an extent. As Christianity and other monotheistic religions spread, their worship faded, causing the Tulpa gods to become reincarnated, forcing them to be bound to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. By doing so, they became more 'real' than before, but less powerful. The real gods are the Old Gods, Great Old Gods, and High Old Gods. The New Gods are more along the line of Jungian Archetypes or aspects of gods and goddesses found in Neopaganism. Lastly, False Gods are weaker Tulpas with cults keeping them alive and real in their paradigm. False Gods, such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster, can be incarnated as a Demigod. 'False God' can also be applied to a Dreamer.

High Old Ones
Yin/Darkness
Yang/Light

Great Old Ones
Time/Death
Luck/Fate
Compassion/Life
Ocean/Storms
Earth/Fertility
Sky/Wind
Moon/Night
Sun/Day

Old Gods
Local Nature Spirits

New Gods
Mother
Maiden
Crone
Hag
Son
Father
Smith
Sage

Q: What forms of Awakenings are there?
A: Born Awakenings occur when the child is an Insomniac, this is when a child can recall past lives and will verbally speak of them around age two. These are rare. The Insomniac will have control of their powers easier.

Progressive Awakenings are slow, often manifesting in dreams of past lives. These happen faster if one is around Lightworkers. Progressive Awakenings can take years till the Potential realizes they aren't dreams, but memories. These usually happen around adolescence.

Traumatic Awakenings occur when one has a near death experience, or when one dies and comes back from the dead. These are the most common.

Lastly, Forced Awakenings are dangerous. It occurs when a Kindred jams their claws into the base of a Potential's neck, and give them their knowledge of the Upper World. This is similar to when, in a Traumatic Awakening, one sees the truth as their soul passes through the Abyss on its way to the Afterlife. However, since this is not voluntary, the soul may reject the truth and end up Comatose or die.
(view spoiler)[





(hide spoiler)]

Q: Do Mages and Awoken experience the same Awakening as Kindred do?
A: When experiencing a Traumatic Awakening, during those two hours after the First Death, Awoken enter a rage state, a heightened flight or fight. They will take any sight of aggression as a possible threat and do what they need to do in order to survive. A Mage's Awakening is much more spiritual, as they understand what their soul is capable of. They don't just cross over the Abyss, but into the Upper World, and inscribe their name onto one of the Watchtowers, their elemental alignment and the path of magic they will follow. By entering the Upper World and returning, they gain their reality warping powers. They remain in a death-like trance for those two hours, before bolting awake and alive. Mages do not go feral.

regarding warlocks:
so aside from the 'oaths' stated in the post, what other social taboos might work? just, i'm not entirely comfortable with any of those

Mod

Murdering of a relative, particularly the father, is one I can think of off the top of my head. Socially unacceptable taboos, often involving some sin or crime. The taboo aspect of Walrocks were inspired by how Skinwalkers are said to gain their ability, involving the taboos mentioned in the Warlock information. Maybe google taboos from different cultures, but it would have to be something 'dark,' not like how being a cross dresser would be taboo in one culture or something. In order to gain their immense power, the Witch/Wizard must commit a heinous act.

Mod

I suggest you make it really brutal to hammer home the taboo-ness of it.

Mod

on Dreamers, I read that "Dreamers can not reveal that they are Dreamers to other players(who aren't Dreamers themselves) until the Dreamer Arch has been reached."

Does this mean rpers with dreamers cannot reveal that their characters are dreamers to other rpers, or characters who are dreamers cannot reveal that they are dreamers to other characters?

Mod

The second. The characters can not reveal that they are Dreamers to Otherkin and Sleeper characters(basically only Dreamers and know who are other Dreamers, though some might not let other Dreamers know that they're here and act as Otherkin even unto their fellow Dreaming members) until the Dreamer arch is reached. So they'd disguise themselves as an Otherkin.