#tsd: lore

[lyraeluxstudios]

Worldbuilding Spotlight: Love, Law and Legacy in Arkavala

In the world of Arkavala, the divide between the elite families of the land and the rest of the empire is perfectly captured by two opposing views on love, property and autonomy. Today we'll look at how marriage, class warfare and family dynamics function in this empire.

There are essentially two different kinds of unions/marriages that prevail over Arkavala: samyoga, or 'contract' weddings, and gandharva, or 'free' weddings.

To the ruling class of Arkavala, a samyoga union is the only 'civillized' way to construct a household. It is not just a marriage of two individuals, but the permanent & legally-binding merger of two great houses — including their properties, their debts, and their cosmic lineages. Noted down in imperial ledgers and records, these marriages completely subsume individual identity into a single, collective estate. Because all wealth and political seats become shared family assets, a samyoga marriage is practically impossible to dissolve without destroying both houses. To the rest of Arkavala, samyoga marriages are viewed as a form of high-class, cold transaction. They see a system no better than a golden cage, where individuals willingly sacrifice their genuine human emotions and freedom for the sake of a monopoly on wealth.

In contrast to the above stands the gandharva wedding — a mutual union based strictly on the consent, choice, and emotional bond of two individuals. Practiced by commoners, this vow keeps assets and personal identities completely separate. For example, if a wealthy merchant enters a gandharva union, their trading vessels and personal ledgers do not merge with their partner's. The gandharva wedding is simply a personal vow of companionship under the eyes of the cosmos, sealed simply as the partners see fit. It is often denoted by a pair of items, commonly matching jewellery. To the Arkavalan elite, gandharva weddings are viewed as fickle, chaotic, and inherently unstable. They look down on these unions as primitive, accusing commoners of letting fleeting human emotions dictate the structure of their households and futures.

This deep societal divide has birthed a rich tradition of local folklore, and one can often hear ballads sung in the taverns of the lower quarters and along the bustling river docks which romanticise the gandharva union. One famous one goes like this:

Keep your silks of woven gold, Keep the ledger, stern and cold. I’d rather break my flatbread free, Beneath the stars, just you and me, Than rot inside their golden cage, A painted bird upon their stage.

As far as family units go in this empire, the family system values legacy and utility over pure biological bloodlines. Therefore, adopted children carry the exact same legal and spiritual significance as biological ones. This carries different connotations for the elite and for the commoner, however.

For the elite, if a biological heir is weak or politically inept, a house will readily adopt a brilliant ward to secure the family's future. Once bound to the family line legally, the adopted child has full rights to titles and estates. This creates a cut-throat, high-stakes family dynamic where biological siblings live in terror of being replaced by a more competent outsider. Similarly, adopted children carry the burden of knowing they were chosen strictly for their utility — the moment their 'value' slips, they risk being seen as a bad investment by the head of the family.

Adoption is an act of collective survival for the commoners of Arkavala. If a child loses their parents due to any kind of hardship, they can be taken in by anyone who vows by the Protectors to feed, clothe and nurture the child. A child who works by your side and shares your hearth is considered your child, no ledger required. Adoption is how a community keeps its history alive.

In Arkavala, a child is not just a product of birth but a vessel for the future of the society at large. To the Protectors, a legacy maintained through a brilliant, adopted successor is far more pleasing than a bloodline or community that allowed its house to fall into ruin.

[lyraeluxstudios]

what are the modesty expectations of arkavala? i suspect they would probably change based on the setting (royal court vs hometown), but what are the dress codes?

As far as modesty goes, you're right in that it is dependent on location, climate and microculture! In general, though, it's not as much focused on how much of the body is exposed or what parts are exposed, but rather on the following things:

How clothing is worn or draped - is it done in elegance, neat and in a manner befitting the occasion, or is it messy, disorganised and giving the implication of bad habits & behaviour?

Hair is a big indicator of modesty, in its own way. Even it's not perfectly done up and groomed all the time, unkempt and 'wild' hair in more social & formal settings is looked down up as an element of lacking self-restraint.

Modesty is situational, of course. For example between people who are comfortable with each other, it is perfectly acceptable to wear just an antariya or something like that. However, it would be seen as a sign of disrespect to let an upper garment like an uttariya slip or fall with intention during a formal meeting, as the garment acts like an armour of politeness.

The rules are not hard and fast, but I hope this kind of makes sense!

[lyraeluxstudios]

Worldbuilding Spotlight: Gender Expression & Identity in Arkavala

As a concept, gender and its expression has a very fluid role in the world of The Starweaver’s Dream. As you dive into it, you’ll notice that the people of Arkavala use familiar terms like man, woman and person, but the way they perceive these identities is rooted in an ancient, spiritual history quite different from other lands.

Long before the palace was built, the ancients of Arkavala did not see people as "male" or "female." but rather through contribution to the world around them. According to their origin myth, the Protectors wove the world out of cosmic thread, and it is the obligation of humankind to maintain that fabric through the act of contribution to society. They were broadly categorised into three types of expression:

Kinetic movement: through the power of physical transformation including but not limited to agriculture, metallurgy, construction etc

Finesse motion: through the rhythm of connection and expression including but not limited to commerce, the arts, culinary skills etc

Intellectual Rigor: through the observation and understanding of the universe around its people including but not limited to science, philosophy & ethics, literature, mathematics etc

As Arkavala expanded and encountered outside cultures, they faced a linguistic challenge. Foreigners brought "linear" concepts of gender—rigid categories tied strictly to biological sex. Over centuries of trade and diplomacy, these ideas began to conflate.

The people of Arkavala adopted the outside world's pronouns and titles (he, she and they, amongst others) for ease of communication and as a way to translate their inner spirit for the rest of the world. Yet they kept their own soul-deep philosophy. The core Arkavalan truth never changed: gender is an active choice. It is not something assigned to any person, but a declaration of how they feel aligned to the universe the Protectors wove. It is akin to the styling of the soul, as personal and deliberate as the jewellery one chooses to wear or the trade one chooses to master.

The core of Arkavalan identity can be summed up by a favourite proverb of the elders:

"We are not bricks fired in a kiln, but malleable clay still spinning on the wheel."

[lyraeluxstudios]

In-game Lore: The Protectors

In this world, all things that exist are understood to be due to the resonance of the Seven Threads, known as the Saptasutra, that are interwoven through reality. These Threads do not exist separately — they overlap, intertwine and tangle into creating limitless combinations. 

The Saptasutra are known to be:

Jyotisutra, or the Threads of enlightenment.

Protected by Stravani, these Threads symbolise the beginning of time and are the basis of existence itself. Jyotisutra has influence over matters such as directions, astrology and fate — including nursuti, or the divination of celestial light-threads.

Pranasutra, or the Threads of vitality.

Protected by Ajnadhara, these Threads symbolise the life force which sustains mortals. Pranasutra has influence over endurance, strength and courage as a part of the sustenance of all life forces.

Bhutasutra, or the Threads of spirits.

Protected by Pitraja, these Threads created time & its flow. Bhutasutra has influence over the cycle of birth & death, ancestors and legacy/lineage.

Chhayasutra, or the Threads of shadows.

Protected by Chhayadeva, these Threads formed darkness by providing shade to the world. Chhayasutra has influence over the mind & memory, secrets and silence itself.

Nidhisutra, or the Threads of wealth.

Protected by Arthamatya, these Threads taught mortals about belongings, how to exchange them & how all actions come with a price. Nidhisutra has influence over wealth, trade and the delicate balance of the cosmos.

Rasasutra, or the Threads of elements.

Protected by Dhankavi, these Threads enlightened mortals on the principles of transmutation, how the same plant could produce both poison & antidote, and how copper could become bronze. Rasasutra has influence over medicine, metallurgy and natural resources.

Vayusutra, or the Threads of sky & sea.

Protected by Maayin, these Threads provide means and methods for mortals to encounter all of the deities' creations. Vayusutra has influence over travel, communication of all types and the weather.

[lyraeluxstudios]

hi! how many languages do the ros know? and/or do you have any more general linguistic worldbuilding tidbits to share? :)

To be honest, I made things a lot easier for myself when it comes to linguistic worldbuilding LOL and based my structure on late antiquity with good reason.

Basically in this world, there's basically three categories of language:

What the classical scriptures were written in, a language that's usually reserved for scholars and the law, and written in its own unique script

The lingua franca, which is derived from the classical languages but most commonly used for everyday communication between people of the empire and includes multiple, overlapping registers under it

Various 'dialects' that are basically like regional 'variants', but some of them are vastly different from the lingua franca. The further one goes from the capital, the more likely they are to speak 'dialects' that are basically what we would consider languages from our modern understanding, but it was much less defined back then!

Some of them would know languages from other countries as well :)

As for what the ROs speak/understand, it might go into spoilers so I'll leave the details for further chapters! It's fair to say that all of them speak multiple ones :D