GRIFIX LORE UPDATE #14 - The Sky Falling Ceremony, Yokai, House of Vanity, Flora
Posted 9 months ago :: Last edited 9 months ago by MysteriousShineHello everyone! I'm back with a lore update, and this time I'm dropping some very important lore bits, so please make sure to read the first two parts carefully!
I'll begin with the Sky Falling Ceremony: this ceremony replaces the Sphirix Shape Ceremony for the Lost Tribe grifix, and explains their "birthday" system, so it is EXTREMELY important.
THE SKY FALLING CEREMONY
The Starbeam Poppy has a very strange ability, which the Lost Tribe makes use of. This contributes to the importance of the flower for the Lost Tribe and the many beliefs surrounding that flower.
When a baby hatches in the Lost Tribe, the Water Healer Mentor will make a special solution by boiling Starbeam Poppies in water, like some sort of tea. Following that, the family of the baby will gather around for the Sky Falling ceremony. It’s mostly a family ceremony, but a lot of grifix join if they’re free, because all the Tribe grifix know each other so they gladly jump in to see the ceremony. The baby will then be submerged in the Starbeam Poppy solution, together with their sphirix. They’re only submerged for a very short period of time, so they don’t drown, but that’s enough for the solution to take effect.
The solution allows the sphirix to settle its shape on its own whenever it is ready. Meaning the grifix won’t have to go through any sphirix shape ceremony later in life, because the sphirix will just settle their shape one day, whenever they’re ready.
For the Lost Tribe, the actual birthday of the grifix has no meaning, but the day in which they begin their duty (as healer or warrior) is considered their birthday. That is, always, the day when they get their sphirix. If they change their duty later on in life, the day they do so will be considered their new birthday. This is also why cubs with unsettled sphirix shape all have butterfly masks: the tribe considers them to not be “born” yet, just hatched.
After the ceremony is over, the family will give a symbolic offering to he Water Healer Mentor as thanks for doing the ceremony. After that, they will give snacks they brought to anybody who came to see the ceremony.
Following this, I have a new magic manifestation of the grifix to explain. It mostly appears in the Frozen Empire, and it will be relevant for a future event ^^
YOKAI and ApparitionS
Apparitions are a magic manifestation of the grifix, but it seems to only occur in really big conglomerations of grifix, like the Frozen Empire.
The collective belief in something can create very vivid apparitions of that thing. They are like sphirix, beings formed of the grifix magic, but they look much more real and material. The only way to tell them appart from real things is to touch them. They even seem to develop their own will, based on the grifix's belief about their behavior. They can touch and move objects, but they can also pass through walls, but usually they don't because they are unaware of that possibility.
Apparitions form various beings from legens, things that do not exist in reality, and behave accordingly to those legends. Sometimes, apparitions are objects that have been in a place for a long time and have been suddenly removed, but the collective memory persists so an illusion of that object will form.
Illusion beings are particularly common around the entertainment district, while rarely being spotted outside. Perhaps that is because of the many myths and legends spoken in the entertainment houses. They are often refered to as "Yokai".
Illusion objects tend to appear anywhere in the Empire, but they don't have much impact on the life of grifix.
Now I have a new Entertainment to introduce, regulated and created by Dawn-n-Night:
THE HOUSE OF VANITY
SPECIALITY
The House of Vanity is an Opera House in the entertainment district where grifix can sit and enjoy performances such as singing and ribbon dancing.
DESCRIPTION
The house has a strict etiquette, if a guest is too rowdy or is not wearing something fancy they can get kicked out. Most grifix that come here are high class, such as Starfell grifix and scholars. The house may have the appearance of being angellic, but the members may not be so pure. Its easier to gather secrets and wealth if they are seen as trusting and innocent.
The House can be rented for high sums of money for parties such as wedding celebrations, and a lot of high class grifix enjoy doing this.
The House of Vanity also has it's darker side, and once the curtain falls and everyone goes home, all appearances are forgotten, and only the drunkards and those wiith dark thought remain, awaiting to be further entertained by the Fallen Angels.
The house isn't only about the wealthy. Despite the appearances, it is still an entertainment guild full of orphans and not so fortunate grifix. None forget where they came from, and where they are bound to die.
No religious house is willing to officiate weddings for entertainers, and in most cases entertainers are not allowed by the house mothers to get married amongst themselves. But the Entertainment District is still full of secret couples, and they often seen a way of linking their souls together, and that's where the House of Vanity helps them out. Fallen Angels often officiate weddings amongst entertainers for free, but in most cases such weddings remain a secret forever...
OUTFITS, TRAITS AND SPHIRIX RESTRICTIONS
House members are expected to wear gowns that are flowy, similar to wedding dresses, and a mask that covers the upper half of their face and adorns eyes. The masks are decorated with feathers, wings, horns or rings, and always have eyes on them. Feathers and false wings are also accepted on outfits, as well as gold or silver jewellery. Higher ranking members will sometimes wear veils.
All angel ranks are required to wear a mask with wings and eyes:
You may download this image to use in references, or draw your own mask: House of Vanity default mask
Fallen Angels have a similar wear as the as normal angels, but with darker colours (and sometimes vibrant reds). They can also have more provocative clothes and males would sometimes wear suits. Their masks have no eyes, and the wings are often webbed wings instead of feathered wings, and they also often have horns on their masks.
All fallen angers are required to wear a mask with wings but no eyes, that has a silver part restraining the magic flow of the forehead gem:
You may download this image to use in references, or draw your own mask: Fallen Angel default mask
Sphirix must be feathered or winged creatures.
Forehead Magic Gems with orb magic flow are required for most ranks, the orb determining the rank:
✦ Thrones: Stellated Octahedron
✦ Dominions: Icosahedron
✦ Virtues: Dodecahedron
✦ Powers: Octahedron
✦ Principalities: Hexahedron
✦ Archangels: Tetrahedron
✦ Angels: Sphere/none
✦ Fallen Angels: any, but they must wear a magic restraining headpiece made of silver which stops their magic flow.
HIERARCHY
SERAPHIMS
On top of the house's hierarchy, there are the Seraphims, grifix with Stellated Icosahedron magic orbs. Currently there are 3 of them, but at one point there had been up to 7. They all count as the house's "Mother" and together they represent the "Mother". They take all decisions regarding the house together, which often leads to conflicts between them, as there is no one grifix to hold all authority. Unlike other House "Mothers", they are completely uninvolved in the house's life. They simply make decisions and represent the house in Guild Meetings. They are also the ones to turn members of the guild into Fallen Angels.
CHERUBIM
There is only one Cherub, known as the Opera Mother. She has the Stellated Dodecahedron orb. She is the true "mother" of the entertainers, taking care of them, raising them and doing everything a house mother has to do for her entertiners.
THRONES
There is only one Throne, known as the Fallen Mother. She has the Stellated Octahedron orb. She is the "mother" of the fallen angels. She takes care of them and "harvests" secrets. She is the one that gathers all the profits off of the fallen angels' dirty work.
THE HIGHER CHOIR
DOMINIONS
Few grifix that have Icosahedron orbs. They write and decide on which opera will be played. In most cases they don't actually write new plays, but they just assign roles and decide who's gonna do what during the performance, so that it turns out as well as possible.
VIRTUES
The lead actors of the play. They have Dodecahedron orbs. They never take background roles, but they're the only ones allowed to play "characters". They are also the only ones allowed to sing. They are the true stars of the show, and therefore they get pretty stuck up.
POWERS
Grifix in charge of mantaining the order in the house. They have Octahedron orbs. They can kick out any guests if they are misbehaving but they also keep lower performers in check. Those in the lower choir are not allowed to stand out or act as individuals to guests. That is reserved to those on stage or those who have fallen.
THE LOWER CHOIR
PRINCIPALITIES
Grifix that have Hexahedron orbs. They appear on stage behind the Virtues as background dancers and crowds. They never play individual characters. They often dance together on stage between Opera plays.
ARCHANGELS
The grifix in charge of the instrumental music. They have Tetrahedron orbs.
ANGELS
The lowest rank, these are usually cleaning the Opera house or serving guests food and drinks. They have Sphere orbs. Grifix without orbs are also allowed in this rank, but they must work very hard to prove themselves as having them there is considered a misfit and most other angels will look down on them.
✦
FALLEN ANGELS
Grifix who have misbehaved or brought shame to the house. They are not allowed to show up during performances, but are often let out after the official ending of a performance, once most guests have left. Those that are still there are waiting for something else, and that is what the fallen angels must take care of. Whatever desires those guests have, they must take care of them. At this point, all other angels have left. There are no Powers around to keep the customers in check.
They all must wear silver head pieces around their head gems to hide their magic flow. Nobody can know who they once were.
LOCATION
The house has a big room where all the performances are held and where the customers are entertained after the performances. The room has a big auditorium seating, as well as loges up on the sides. Between the auditorium seating and the big stage, there is an area with tables where customers are treated to fancy snacks, and where they can dance with fallen angels after the performances.
On the ceiling there is a large painted depiction of a Thrones Angel. The room has stained glass windows depicting other types of angels and the many house mothers the house has had over the years. Above the main stage there is a smaller stage where music performers will perform, as well as massive organ.
Rooms for entertainers will be found behind the main stage, and the rooms for the house mothers is hidden away somewhere in the house. No one knows where.
Lastly, I have a few animals to introduce from those submitted back in the Loveliest Woods event (click on them to see info):
This is all for today, hope you enjoyed this lore drop, and thanks to everyone who contributed to this ^^
As always please reffer to the official pages for the canon information. All the titles in this post are links to the official pages. This news letter will NOT be updated in case of any changes to the official lore, so it shouldn't be taken as reference in the future.
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