Update #40: Orlan First Look and Ziets on Pantheon Design

[BrainMuncher]

That orlan certainly is an interesting looking chap. I thought I would offer you folks my expert analysis of the image.
 

[rjshae]

Being mildly artsy, I like to notice where the lights and shadows are placed. In this case, the Orlan appears to be back-lit by a cooler-hued light source that is most probably a moon. (Candles are a little warmer, me thinks--like the light in the window.) Certainly the reflection on the puddle at lower left is oddly placed, since it intersects the building, but perhaps that's an optical effect from water ripples. At least we know the setting most likely has at least one moon, plus stars of course.

 

I guess the window ledge to the upper right, along with the bricks, are meant to give a sense of scale.

 

Can anybody make out the wording on the sign near the top? It appears to be a hobby-horse. I'm not sure what to make of that.

[sorophx]

perhaps you should learn Russian before jumping to conclusions?

 

Ну, зачем же? В школе 12 лет учил, в университете ещё 5. Хватит, я думаю.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Rjshae: A few posts back I wrote about me enlarging and sharpening the sign in Photoshop. I could or more or less make out "Ponytail". In the same post I mention rocking horses as being a 17th century invention. 

[Ulquiorra]

 

perhaps you should learn Russian before jumping to conclusions?

 

Ну, зачем же? В школе 12 лет учил, в университете ещё 5. Хватит, я думаю.

 

No it's not enough ...

Edited January 31, 2013 by Ulquiorra

[J.E. Sawyer]

 

So far there seems to be a conceptual focus on the gods themselves rather than the role of religion(s)/worship in the world.

 

I like the FR approach to gods but I don't want PE gods to be a "cargo cult" imitation of those. A lot of concepts are mentioned in this update, like "portfolio", "pantheon" and "manifesting in the mortal world" could have very different interpretations compared to those which apply in the FR setting. I urge Obsidian to ask themselves critical questions about everything when designing gods.

• Why would you believe in "true" gods? If the gods don't regularly prove they exist, there should be a number of non- believers, as well as followers of false gods (gods who do not exist).
• Why would you worship a god at all? They don't grant spells, but apparently they interfere in mortal affairs and even kill people. What's in it for the believers?
• Why would a god want to be worshipped?
• How did the gods communicate what they stand for to the mortals? In other words, how do we know that an unknown strangler is really the god of law and vengeance? How do people know anything about the gods at all?
• What does it mean to "have a portfolio"?
• If gods are real, are there any conflicting faiths? We already mentioned "followers", but if all gods are real, why is worshipping one over another more than a Pepsi vs. Cola fight?
• Exactly how powerful are gods, and why don't they appear in public all the time? If gods can strangle people when they're alone, why couldn't they do it in public when everyone's looking? Especially if a deity is "good", why don't they help people all the time?

 

We've already answered these questions internally and given some of those answers to the public in updates.  The public won't ever get all of our answers because the people in the world themselves don't know the answers.

 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity/posts/328976

 

A Lottery of Souls

The world belongs to mortals. As time has progressed, mortals have lifted themselves out of ignorance and into ages of increased self-awareness, harnessing the power of their own souls to amazing effect. So... why worship the gods, anyway? For many mortals, worship is a matter of respect and tradition. They consider their gods (or, in some cases, all gods) to be their creators. They follow the guidelines of religion because history tells them that the gods have punished individuals -- and entire nations -- for ancient episodes of religious disrespect and dismissal.

 

For others, religious worship is a matter of karmic self-interest. Often, people believe that if an individual's soul arrives in the realm of a pleased god, the god will place that soul into the body of someone who will have a good life. To such believers, choosing to not worship is to risk spiritual confusion and aimlessness in the afterlife. They speculate that the faithless are entered into a "lottery of souls" from which many will wind up no better -- or much worse -- than they did in their last life. Some of the same faiths also believe that religious apostasy or lax observance is a cause of soul splintering upon death, which many consider to be an even worse fate.

 

Gods for All Seasons

People worship many gods, but usually the ones who are most associated with their way of life. Farmers may worship gods of light, growth, or storms. Warriors worship gods of battle and fortune. Though some faiths are exclusionary, most people will say a prayer to any god when the circumstances are right -- farmers praying to a god of battle when their lands are invaded, warriors praying to a god of growth when they're starving in the wilderness.

 

Sometimes the same god -- or gods -- may have a different identity in a different part of the world. The most notable is one of the most widely honored, if not warmly embraced. Called Berath in Aedyran and Cirono in Vailian, it is the god of cycles, of doors, and of life and death itself. People commonly place or carve the figure of Berath in doorways, windows, and other "portals" from one place to another, figurative or literal.

 

In Eír Glanfath's ruins, explorers have discovered two common figures, Caoth i Bhád and Bád i Caothaí (Life in Death and Death in Life, respectively), semi-skeletal female and male figures who occupy positions opposite each other in doorways -- like a twinned display of the split aspects of Berath/Cirono.

[PoisonWar]

Don't know if this has been covered in previous updates, but have the origins of said gods been identified? Can regular mortals ascend to gods?

 

Edit: The new race looks great, kind of reminds me of the Asura from Guild wars, but with human features.

Edited January 31, 2013 by PoisonWar

[rjshae]

 For others, religious worship is a matter of karmic self-interest. Often, people believe that if an individual's soul arrives in the realm of a pleased god, the god will place that soul into the body of someone who will have a good life. To such believers, choosing to not worship is to risk spiritual confusion and aimlessness in the afterlife. They speculate that the faithless are entered into a "lottery of souls" from which many will wind up no better -- or much worse -- than they did in their last life. Some of the same faiths also believe that religious apostasy or lax observance is a cause of soul splintering upon death, which many consider to be an even worse fate.

 

Historically, there was also an element of social and legal conformity associated with worship of the gods. Even to the point of being put to death for the crime of blasphemy or apostasy.

[Inertia]

I have a strange suspicion that the catastrophic event the PC is witness to is actually the after affects of a mortal's soul ascending to god status. Also i think its kinda silly praying to the god of battle while being invaded aren't the invaders doing the same thing?

Edited January 31, 2013 by Inertia

[J.E. Sawyer]

Mortals in Project Eternity share many traits with mortals on Earth.

[Messier-31]

Also i think its kinda silly praying to the god of battle while being invaded aren't the invaders doing the same thing?

 

Ah, the old "if god is with us, then who is against us?" issue, which is also present in reality conflicts around the world. Jesus was a prophet in muslim religion, yet crusaders killed muslims in his name. Makes you wanna think, something is amiss. I will leave this for filosophers to settle. Maybe inhabitants of Project Eternity* will have more deities, or will not pay attention to this.

 

* is there a name of the world of PE?

[WotanAnubis]

The name reminds me of Boudica, so I wonder if they have a correlation as powerful women who ended in downfall.  Great stuff!

 

Ah, so it's not just me then. "Woedica" sound kind of like deliberately and unsubtly jamming together "woe" (because, you know, lost throne/power and all that) and Boudica, queen of the Celts who was eventually defeated by the Romans, I believe.

 

As such, it doesn't really sound like a name to me. More of a description.

Edited January 31, 2013 by WotanAnubis

[J.E. Sawyer]

Woedica is actually a (sur)name (on Earth, I mean).

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Well this has been a fine bit of information. Woedica sounds quite inspired.

[WotanAnubis]

Woedica is actually a (sur)name (on Earth, I mean).

 

Huh. Learn something new every day.

 

Still sounds like a bit of a pun, though. For this particular goddess anyway.

[Tsuga C]

With ears like those, I would think that orlans have at least a +2 racial affinity for the Listen ability/skill.

[rjshae]

But do they twitch when you lightly touch their ear hairs?

[Tsuga C]

But do they twitch when you lightly touch their ear hairs?

That's almost as much fun to do to the family dog or cat as popping bubble wrap! 

[rjshae]

It would be interesting if Orlan ears had the mobility and expressiveness of a horse's. That would give them another racial  distinctiveness, and perhaps even be a partial cause of their persecution by humans.

[Ulquiorra]

It would be interesting if Orlan ears had the mobility and expressiveness of a horse's. That would give them another racial  distinctiveness, and perhaps even be a partial cause of their persecution by humans.

 

Yeah and i sure that you will se this in infinity enginge game with tactical view

[rjshae]

 

It would be interesting if Orlan ears had the mobility and expressiveness of a horse's. That would give them another racial  distinctiveness, and perhaps even be a partial cause of their persecution by humans.

 

Yeah and i sure that you will se this in infinity enginge game with tactical view

 

True. But to me it would be mildly interesting from a lore perspective. Plus maybe some day they'll go so far as to have a game release with cut-scenes.

[Tsuga C]

Will anyone name their orlan character "Eeyore"? 

[Wombat]

Mortals in Project Eternity share many traits with mortals on Earth.

Personally, I like the approach that religions reflect the worldviews and the lives of societies/individuals just like in our world.  However, what's with the god of greed in this update and the early mention of gods scheming?  For example, people who worship a god of wealth can earn a reputation of being greedy from other people.  However, if a certain people worship "god of greed", then, how can they earn social trust in the first place?  Simply, I cannot come up with even a possible example.

[Messier-31]

For example, people who worship a god of wealth can earn a reputation of being greedy from other people.  However, if a certain people worship "god of greed", then, how can they earn social trust in the first place?  Simply, I cannot come up with even a possible example.

 

Easy: society might be greedy as well. You pray to GREEDOR, god of, um... greed? Good for you! We could also use some of that wealthy bless, mind if we tag along? But what about deities who are greedy, though? Does STEVE god of crazy hairdo's and biscuits pray to his neighbour?

[Barothmuk]

Quite possibly my favourite update so far.

 

I was quite curious as to what the orlan would look like, thankfully I'm very pleased with the result. Also I'm loving Obsidian's take on deities, there are absolutely no modern cRPG settings with religions I'm genuinely interested in/find interesting.