#sidrics

[bruneburg]

Trying to design the aesthetics for a culture like “uhhh that one group, the sidrics, is super into science and learning more about space and stuff, okay, now how they dress..? hats with tiny little stars dangling from them? seriously now? that is what you are making canon?” well. it’s canon for now. Twitter • YouTube  • Insta • Patreon • Worldbuilding

[bruneburg]

one super rough sketch that needs to be redone some day. a handful of Welikanian cultures/groups. Explanation under the cut. Twitter • YouTube  • Insta • Patreon • Worldbuilding

from left to right Sidrics -  a religious minority of giants that believe that trying to learn and understand more about the world honors god and creation. After having to leave their home, most of them live in Tuliam/Crownland, where some of them make a living being private tutors to the Tulish Elites. Artalamian Families - a society where giants and humans live in mixed families together. Were one of the last groups to lose their homelands after Odhr’s death. After that, most of them live in Tuliam/Crownland, where they live in gated communities. Keeping the humans of their families hidden away and protected. Resenting most of the other groups they have to share that country with, which is mutual. Enesh Giants of the Welikanate - a group that has survived being sentenced to “death by exile” by the giants of Tuliam/Crownland. Under the guidance of their Prophet they have founded conquered a row of human-led countries and founded a nation named The Welikanate of Dayan (A Welikanate being an old word for a land ruled by giants.) and begun “The Golden Age”. During that Golden Age they are the only giant-run country except Crownland. And while trading with each other, relations between the two nations are still tense. Their symbol is a sun that shines downwards, while a symbol of crownland has a sun that shines upwards. They rule the Welikanate using Odrics, a loyal class of human nobles that believe in the same god as them.

Enesh Giants of Tisli - (this is in an earlier era, way before the Golden Age) these are the Ancestors of those who would later become the Welikanate. During the time of the Tislian Empire though they were loyal to Tises, a human king, whom they had helped into power and had a contract with. And while they were not technically in power, one of them, the captain of the royal guard usually, would always be an advisor to the current human monarch of that dynasty. And the humans of Tisli would see their Giants with Pride. Later, after a great catastrophic event, the humans if Tisli were unable to uphold their part of the contract, the heir of the dynasty was dead, and an Enesh Giant Woman, the Prophet Daya, would take over. Tisli would become the first territory incorportated into the Welikanate. Tulish Giants - live in Tuliam/Crownland, a nation of giant former monarchs that still cling to being monarchs, even centuries after being dethroned. Waiting for god to return one day and give them their kingdoms back. And making life hell for each other. Because in a land made of kings, they can not all be kings. Even the lowest paid giants there will wear cheap crowns. And be eager to tell everyone how they are the so and so’th in line to some throne to some far away kingdom that might not even exist anymore. The moment the Welikanate sprung into existance as a new giant-run country, several Tulish Giants would show up and be like “HEY, actually, I’m first in line for the throne of this land you just returned into giant hands, and by Tulish law that means you have to return that land specifially to ME thank you very much.” After a short audience with the Enesh Prophet, those would usually change their minds and renounce all of their claims. At some point less and less Tulish giants would show up with that same goal, fearing to be brainwashed by the Prophet aswell.

[bruneburg]

Some of my first design draws of Sidric Giants from last winter, including that one where they look like they are getting drunk. The Sidric faith is a religion among giants that sees the understanding of the world and the seeking of knowledge as a spiritual experience. They are seen as a bit odd by other giants and like to keep to themselves. They are also obsessed with astronomy and known for smelling like lemons for some reason.

That figure with the long hair and wide hat is definitely someone I’d love to make into a character.

More on the Sidric Giants and giant religions in general under the cut.

So far I only have vague ideas about giant religions among Dayan and Tul, the two nations they have. They differ in factors like what the exact purpose and role of giants is. What they believe their creation was like. (Some believe giants were made of nutrients coming from the earth, others (Anthrosarkists like Krochas family) believe in being created out of human flesh, while Sidrism started in the belief in being made out of matter from stars.

Also the different religions put different emphasis of the different prophets in their history. For example: It took Daya quite a while to be officially recognised as a prophet by the Tulish Eminence. And the Tulish Church does tend to omit stuff she said that clashes with accepted Tulish idiologies.

Okay so giant religions I have developed so far: In the Tulish Nation: - There is a main unified Tulish church that has the most power and that chooses the Eminence, one of the two ruling positions in Tul. (The other being a representative of trade.) It supports the current oligarchic system in Tul. - There are the Anthrosarkists. A group with a lifestyle so expensive it is seen more as a status symbol of the most wealthy. It puts a great emphasis on living or being born “pure”. Anthrosarkism is a small but influential community that is more involved with the economic part of the government than the religious one. - The Sidrics are allowed to send a few representatives that elect the Eminence but their influence in that regard is small. They are important in other kinds of agreements. They run a lot of centers of high education and innovation. And give access to these things to the Tulish powerful. In exchange they are well financed and mainly left alone. The Sidrics get away with practises that would otherwise be illegal in the understanding of the Tulish church (such as performing autopsies on giants). They otherwise try stay out of conflict and side with the powers they depend on even if the idiologies and governing style of those powers doesn’t align much with their own.

In the Democratic Republic of Dayan:

- Most giants in Dayan descend from politically persecuted members of the Tsheroist Movement, a group that the Tulish Nation has once sentenced to “death my exile”. Tshero was a writer who questioned the Tulish oligarchic system and ended up executed for it. - So of course among the People of Dayan there is an intense resentment to anything Tulish. - And their cultures have been developing seperately for centuries. - The country was founded by Daya the Conqeror, a prophet figure with a radical new notion of religion that is deeply entwined with Tshero’s Manifest. - The dominant religion in that nation is very much build around her and her teachings. - There is a religious branch of some Tulish principles and traditions put into a Tsheroist context. This one is a bit more accessable to Tulish immigrants. - There is no open door to Anthrosarkism in Dayan. Showing off extreme wealth is seen as obscene in the culture there. And Anthrosarkism is seen as a representation for everything that is wrong with Tul. There is no place for that there. - A small but growing number of Sidric Communities exists in Dayan. But it is rather hesitant. The Tulish Sidrics don’t want to send the wrong signal to the Powers they are aligned with. Because of the war that Dayan is having several human peoples the attention of Sidric scientists there lays a lot on developing new equipment. They would also do experiments on humans for that.

Sidrics love celestial themed clothing, art and poetry. One of their biggest goals is to achieve space travel at some point. Sidrics have a pretty calm mentality. Other giant groups have a hard time understanding their taste in humor though. Or in food. Because they wonder about how they will produce food in space one day they experiment with insect protein and have quite some of it in their diet.

Sidrics choose their allies by necessity and convenience. If the Tulish government would not have the means to fund their research anymore, they’d choose someone else. They are also the most likely group to break off of ogrish society entirely and side with humans at some point in the future.

[bruneburg]

that moment when you try draw a group of giants doing science and it ends up looking like they are getting drunk instead