The Mountain Queen
Emblem used to represent the Mountain Queen. Art by J-Haskell.
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While the people of High Heart believe in the Marsh King and his power over the lowland swamps, they venerate the Mountain Queen as their primary goddess instead.
Similarly to the main god of most of Padwell, the Mountain Queen is more embodiment of High Heart’s lands than a singular figure. She is believed to control the sky and the mountains, and while she once clashed with the Marsh King, reached peace with him after he accepted the Padwellans into his territory. There is no formal priesthood for her; each citizen of High Heart celebrates her in their own way. Like with the Marsh King, caring for the natural environment and the other people of the nation is a good way to gain her favour. They believe she is the mother of both the citizens of High Heart and the people of Padwell, aligned with sunlight, fire, the sky and the wind. She cares for the spirits of the dead; said spirits cause the winds and weather depending on their moods. The griffons are her sacred animals; she shaped them from the winds to roam the world and test the hearts and souls of humanity. To tame and call a griffon a friend is incredibly important in High Heart's society, considered to be a sign of good character and one of the most effective ways to connect with the Mountain Queen. After all, you cannot bully a griffon into accepting you; you must earn its respect and trust, which is a dangerous but rewarding challenge. |
The Plunge Ceremony
A dangerous trial meant to prove the mettle of griffon-riders in High Heart. It is only undertaken by a small portion of the population, and not everyone who attempts it succeeds, let alone on their first shot.
One needs to be at least seventeen, a member of a Perhe, and perform a flight test before the Empress to confirm they have at least basic skills in the air. It can be completed by those with a different mount than a griffon, or their own wings if the Empress gives the go-ahead, but it’s rare - the Plunge is meant to test griffon-riders, after all. If they are satisfied, they will be given approval to try it.
The Plunge is held at irregular periods, usually in the summertime, and at least two but no more than five participants in one day. They each go down alone, and the others must wait for them to either succeed and fly over to the watching crowd, or fail and be helped to safety… or lost to the cavern below.
The challenge is to leap down from the cliffside, flying along the waterfall, and then pull up before slipping into the black cavern and fly towards the watching crowds to receive the tattoo. While this might not sound too hard on paper, the water and wind can make it easy for a griffon’s wings to get soaked, sending them and their rider falling into the abyss, and there are plenty of rocks on the way down and across that one can accidentally hit if they’re not careful.
The sight of the black abyss below and the drop towards it also unnerves many. Most of those who fail quit before they even try due to getting spooked.
Success means one receives a tattoo from the Empress herself; a pair of wings on their shoulders, and you are considered to be blessed. Failure means little; although some who do consider themselves ‘cursed’ until they try again and succeed.
Anyone from the Perhes can attend as a spectator, but outsiders do need to have an invitation from one of the people undergoing the ceremony to be there without it being seen as somewhat rude.
One needs to be at least seventeen, a member of a Perhe, and perform a flight test before the Empress to confirm they have at least basic skills in the air. It can be completed by those with a different mount than a griffon, or their own wings if the Empress gives the go-ahead, but it’s rare - the Plunge is meant to test griffon-riders, after all. If they are satisfied, they will be given approval to try it.
The Plunge is held at irregular periods, usually in the summertime, and at least two but no more than five participants in one day. They each go down alone, and the others must wait for them to either succeed and fly over to the watching crowd, or fail and be helped to safety… or lost to the cavern below.
The challenge is to leap down from the cliffside, flying along the waterfall, and then pull up before slipping into the black cavern and fly towards the watching crowds to receive the tattoo. While this might not sound too hard on paper, the water and wind can make it easy for a griffon’s wings to get soaked, sending them and their rider falling into the abyss, and there are plenty of rocks on the way down and across that one can accidentally hit if they’re not careful.
The sight of the black abyss below and the drop towards it also unnerves many. Most of those who fail quit before they even try due to getting spooked.
Success means one receives a tattoo from the Empress herself; a pair of wings on their shoulders, and you are considered to be blessed. Failure means little; although some who do consider themselves ‘cursed’ until they try again and succeed.
Anyone from the Perhes can attend as a spectator, but outsiders do need to have an invitation from one of the people undergoing the ceremony to be there without it being seen as somewhat rude.