I'm going to make an effort to actually make use of this Tumblr. \o/
What Is Wayfarers' Ger?
It started out as a weekly storytelling RP event with a steppe theme ICly set in a ger/yurt on the Azim steppe, then we started adding bigger events every so often, like our summer event "Steppes on the Beach", but as altaholics, we've also tied in some of our other projects like The Approving Seal and The Ankhai Tribe.
I am an enthusiast of steppe culture & really want to bring some appreciation for the real-world steppe cultures and base a lot of my RP around its culture. I am far from an expert & I take some artistic license like the devs did because it's Mongolia-influenced, not a re-creation.
What's The Plan?
More events in 2024, starting with Tsagaan Sar, the new year. More use of the Approving Seal and the Ankhai Tribe.
I also want to make better use of social media (like Tumblr here), the wider community and our website.
Plans for the Approving Seal
The Approving Seal is a Terncliff-themed cafe & charity and we just did our Starlight event with it. With the Approving Seal, we like to try and offer a more wholesome kind of RP and this year we want to use it for actual charity fundraisers for real-world charities.
We have a charity page set up for it for people to give their own donations to our selected charity (we'll have separate pages if we do a fundraiser for a different charity): https://www.justgiving.com/page/approving-seal
Plans for Wayfarers' Ger
On the Wayfarers' Ger side, I want to lean more & more heavily into the culture stuff, this seems to be the stuff people respond best to, which I am happy for because it's the part I care most about & want to dive deeper with.
As much as I would like to keep a fortnightly RP, we do find they get a variable turn out and I have mused on it & I know we've tried getting them working again, like in the early days, but my energy may be better placed in themed events with more attention to quality.
And I have a few ideas I am toying with for things we could do, including opening the floor for more people to get involved with contributing, because I realise I can sometimes do things on a bit of a whim.
Plans for General Steppe Stuff
I also found some of my "The Real Steppe" blog posts get some popularity and even got a mention in Mirkes Menagerie for my comments about magic on the steppe. So I want to put out more things like it & share them with the Wayfarers' Ger & general Steppe RP community. And I want to go back & spot-check my old blog posts to make sure they're to a standard I am happy with & that I triple-check any facts.
The motivation for triple-checking is that I have learned that not all sources on Mongolian culture are reliable. For example: UNSECO has information about tuulis and the practice but the information confuses different types of Mongolian storytelling & other sources seem to give similar info & frame it in totally the wrong way. And I have better sources who don't mind me asking questions.
Plans for the Ankhai Tribe
The Ankhai tribe is a custom tribe inspired by Tuvans, Mongolians and Siberians, who come from north of the tail mountains and the Dalvalan Grath. Like with how FFXIV approaches cultures, there is still artistic license, so not all ideas/customs are grounded in the real world, but include FFXIV-appropriate flair, to keep it within the realms of fantasy.
We spent some time introducing some of the characters into the general community & ran individual RP's & events to establish IC connections and working through the story arc that allows us to open up the tribe to more people to create their own characters. For 2024, I want to do smaller RP's & events where the tribe is a focus, with room to recruit people into the concept.
Closing Note
I realise I made it a long post. But the new year brings new opportunities and I am still passionate about the RP's we run and want to not neglect things I've started and instead not only keep doing what we do, but aim for something cooler. Plus, with my focus on visiting Mongolian in 2025, learning the language and spending time in groups relating to Mongolia, it's traditions & culture, I hope to work with you all to create greater RP experiences this year and clear out the crickets & cobwebs from both our Tumblr & Discord.
If I don't keep up my promise, hunt me down and slap me.
Sain baina uu!
The Xaela FFXIV server is hosting the monthly Reunion Market Trading event on FFXIV. Visit some of our stalls hosted by our community for some casual Xaela and Azim Steppe themed social RP. Time: Sunday 9pm (UK), 4pm (East US) - Location: Reunion (on Mateus)
Hey folks, we're running a Bituun and Tsagaan Sar RP event alongside the <Xaela> DIscord, more information & poster below.
Hey folks, Yesunova here, I am throwing together a Bituun & Tsagaan Sar event with some of my folks at Wayfarers' Ger and as well as organisers from and doing it as a double-feature or two-parter, with the first at Wayfarers' Ger, for the Bituun portion and over at Reunion for the Tsagaan Sar portion (on Zalera). We've timed the events to fall on the real-world Tsagaan Sar and is aimed at an easy-going casual RP with a Tsagaan Sar-based ritual, as well as food and games to get people mingling to get the year started with something nice by catching up with old friends or making new ones, as with new year comes new beginnings.
Bituun (Tsagaan Sar eve)
Friday 9th Feb @ Wayfarers' Ger (Plot 60, Ward 14, The Lavender Beds, Zalera)
Tsagaan Sar
Satuday 10th Feb @ Reunion on Zalera (meet on the hill above the market)
On the first Sunday of every month the <Xaela> Discord runs a Market night over at Mateus' Reunion in the Azim Steppe. We'll be there for Wayfarers' Ger.
Date: Sunday 7th Jan
Time: 9pm UK, 4pm Eastern US
Location: Reunion, Mateus
Lookout for Kydaana Ankhai and any friends as that who I'll be going on. And what we're offering in character will be below:
IC Location: Wayfarers' Ger, somewhere on the Azim Steppe
OOC Location: Plot 60, Ward 14, The Lavender Beds, Zalera (Downstairs)
Date/Time: 19th Feb, 7:30 EST
Uyanga Torgud is our resident black shaman and she'll be making her return all the way from deep within the Nhaama Desert to our beautiful steppe.
She will offer her shamanism and spiritual services for all. And she will provide a small ritual for good fortune. She will bring food and drink for the desert.
In Wayfarers' tradition, there will be room for storytelling. The space is also available to others who have something to offer.
Services she can offer on the spot:
- Shagai reading
- Personal and spirit advice/consultation
- Herbalism
- Hospitality Service she can schedule for (and speak about IC here) - Healing rituals
- Rituals involving the dead - Communing with the dead - Warding off/combating malicious spirits
It is that time of year, All Saints Wake is upon us!
For the Azim Steppe, however, it is not a celebrated tradition. But Yesunova likes to bring back the spirits of the festivities from Eorzea to the Wayfarers' Ger.
And this year Uyanga will be doing a Fire Ceremony for the spirits of our ancestors followed by a celebration of the season with the spirits among us.
So bring food and treats in offering.
We will have the ceremony, food & drink, stories and games.
A big thank you to all the people who came to Steppes on the Beach, it was a blast and a success so we appreciate everybody who helped out. Well done to our bokh victors.
So we are back to our weekly events. The next big event coming up is "Rebirth at Reunion" by Reunion Festivities, which we are involved in, so we will keep you posted.
To kick things off we're going to do something a little different, which the title of this post indicates.
Yesunova has been helping a Nagxian woman, Phuong, get trade in Reunion and to celebrate, she's throwing a feast to everybody at Wayfarers' Ger! And she will be bringing her home's cuisine to the steppe.
What foods does this include?
Pho (flat noodle soup)
Banh Mi (Nagxian style sandwich)
Spicy Lemongrass Dodo
Nagxian Spring Rolls (with fish, for our Ejinn friends)
Sinh To (a fruit smoothie)
Ruou Can (rice wine)
Egg Coffee
And more!
Location: Isari Beach, Ruby Sea (Balmung)
Date & Time: Saturday 28th Aug, 9pm BST, 4pm EST
Don Your Best Beach Clothes. Kagons take an umbrella. We're going to the beach!
We'll be hosting a big BBQ of steppes-themed food, bokh on the beach as well as any performances to keep you entertained.
Drinks will be served, from copious amounts to kumis to our very own cocktail, 'Steppes on the Beach'
Activities
BBQ
Buuz & Booze
Bokh
Storytelling & Entertainment
Want to get involved with storytelling or bokh or just generally volunteer? Or have an idea for an activity you want to do?
Then please come join our Discord!
We will take applications there.
https://discord.gg/EFGGEPM
Sain uu! We have a Medium Plot now! Booyah! To break in our new plot we're going to be hosting a buuz-based feast with storytelling around the campfire. But you're going to have to bring your own buuz!
But why?
Aside from the pun...it's an opportunity for people to try their hand at making their best buuz! If you don't come prepared with your own buuz, we have the ingredients to make your own on the day and if you don't know how to make one, Yesunova will give a brief tutorial.
Think you can buy from the buuz seller in Reunion and pass it off as your own? Yesunova will /know/. Come on down,
OOC Location: Plot 60, Ward 14, The Lavender Beds, Zalera
IC Location: Somewhere on the Azim Steppe
Date: August 13th 2021
Time: 10pm BST/5pm EDT/2pm PTD
Hey Folks! Yesunova here and this week I'm going to be hosting Wayfarers' Ger at Uyanga Torgud and she will performing the Ritual of the Sacred Circle.
Date: Friday 30th July
OOC Location: Plot 10, Ward 23, Shirogane, Zalera
IC Location: Near Reunion, The Azim Steppe
But what is this ritual? The Sacred Circle is represented within the ger and has a cosmic significance. This ritual draws on the spirits and the heavens to seek their blessings. For the udgan it raises their Windhorse (represented by the above horse), which is the source of their talent. And it will also raise the Buyanhishig of those under its blessing within the ger, which is your fortune granted by the spirits and heavens.
This ritual will be an FFXIV-ified version of the Mongolian ritual.
Tonight after a 2 week hiatus we're back with Wayfarers' Ger and it'll be a nice easy one with some storytelling as part of a casual social night, hosted by Yesunova.
Next week we will have a special ritual planned for one of our Shamanistic nights hosted by Uyanga, YoshiP says: please look forward to it.
Location (OOC): Plot 10, Ward 23, Shirogane, Zalera
Location (IC): Near Reunion, Azim Steppe
Date and Time: 23rd July, 10pm BST, 5pm EDT
Last night was a fun night and it's sad to say that the next 2 weeks nothing official will be run, this is because on Friday I'm leaving to go away until the following Sunday, we're going on a COVID safe holiday in the South of England, which means no access to FFXIV.
So the two dates I won't be here are 9th & 16th of July.
With all that said, if people fancy just showing up to do their own RP on those dates then the space is free for people to do that.
Hey folks,
For this week's Wayfarers' Ger it'll be a storytelling & food night.
It'll be the regular menu and with stories to share and social RP to be had.
Date & Time: 10pm BST/5pm EDT, Friday 2nd July
Location (OOC): Plot 10, Ward 23, Shirogane, Zalera (Downstairs)
Location (IC): A short distance from Reunion built into a cliff side.
A heads up from my previous post some might find some changes in layout. This comes out of wanting a consistent design going out and into the ger, but without the ability to create the illusion of a ger on the outdoor space, I've had it that the ger has annexed with a shrine.
It has bugged me that there's no way we can create the illusion of a ger exterior with a ger interior and it felt like "just pretend" doesn't remove there being a building there and there's not enough garden space to tuck it away. And having two gers connected together didn't feel right for explaining the upstairs and downstairs.
Given we're using a cliffside spot (ICly and OOCly) I thought about this being a better explanation (and I've adjusted the design to accommodate). Atop the cliffside is a shrine, so it's a building with 4 walls that'll never move and the ger itself is further down the cliffside & only accessible via the shrine. So it'd be a ger and shrine set up.
Uyanga argues that the spirits enjoy and favour merriment, hospitality, and good cheer and has thus we've built our kitchen/social space within the shrine and it can be where people make their tributes. Which you can see here:
Now with regards to the cliffside, I figured the stairs would lead down to a cave-like spot that opens out to the world, this provides another space we can use and it's here where the ger connects (I'm not sure on final design here yet)
And then finally the ger itself, which is where any storytelling, music, dances and so on would take place (when we're not using the outside space) and of course is another social spot.
So for continuity's sake I am still settling between one of two IC explanations. Either a shrine was discovered and we've moved the ger to it or one was built by a generous doner who has used Uyanga's udgan services and Yesunova has moved her ger there
Yesunova here. This week the Wayfarers' Ger is going to have a shaman night hosted by Uyanga Torgud (my alt).
Date: Friday 25th June
Time: 10pm BST/5pm EST
Location: Plot 10, Ward 23, Shirogane, Zalera
This week this is what's on offer:
-> Free food & drink from the Nhaama Desert
-> A ritual performed by Uyanga in a blessing of the spirits
-> An opportunity to take on her Shaman services with: herbalism, communing with the spirits (including those of the dead), advice & wisdom, spiritual guidance, aiding with the passage of spirits.
-> Social time in a shrine at Wayfarers' Ger
-> A space for stories if requested.
Food on offer:
-> Snake Buuz
-> Grilled Scorpion
-> Cactus Salad
-> Dhalmel Tsuivan
Drinks on offer:
-> Cactus Water
-> Arkhi
-> Kumis
-> Cactus Water + Arkhi
