We all feel pain. It is the truest marker of life. We only gain our souls and control of the meta with maturity—with pain. The farther we stray from suffering the less empathetic we become. We become soulless, hateful, selfish, and vapid, and everything which we have strived to achieve comes crumbling down. Do not run from sorrow, embrace it. Know sorrow, and know clarity.
Overview
The House of Sorrows was bourne on the wings of death of Brood Blood-Kin, though, like every Banner, can trace its lineage through ancient roots. It rose antithetical to the major faces of the Era, the faces who now stand at the heads of the other Banners. It referred to them as "faces of cruel optimism" and "wicked, manipulative hopemongering". In its view, the world is trapped in a vicious cycle perpetuated by the Wheel, a cycle we cannot ascend from until we break the shackles which bind us and live in harmony. They also believe that the road to mutual understanding is one of hardship and sorrow, and that we must embrace and perpetuate the understanding of pain if we ever mean to overcome it. The House of Sorrows has been suppressed by the other Banners so many times that, to most, it is a non-Banner, a cult of hate. Those who are well traveled often come to another conclusion: the House of Sorrows is everywhere, lurking ever in the shadows of society. They bring with them a melancholy, an institutional undermining of society. Some are overt and violent, some quiet and subversive, and others help those in pain to overcome it by embracing it rather than languishing in it.Core Philosophy
At its heart, the House of Sorrows embraces the chaos and pain of the universe as a strength.- Suffering makes me wise. Life is full of pain and we are children until we experience it, Know sorrow.
- Endings are inevitable. Nothing is eternal except loss, even the Sovereign can die.
- Pleasure is a dangerous addiction. Moderate it, otherwise it will blind you.
- I rule myself, even to bitter end. Many will try to convince you otherwise, but in the end your life is yours.
- Never forget the filth. We all come from the dirt, never think you are better than it.
- True pain is not temporary. Do not feign pain. If you hurt, hurt deeply.
- Pain is a gift. To endure sorrow is to be fit. Share your wisdom.
- Everything is nothing, including my obstacles. No barrier can last forever.
The Song of Sorrows
All Sorrows revere the Song of Sorrows. Each may interpret it differently, or may focus more on some rules more than others, but in the end they all draw from the same tenants. These are The Verses of Sorrow.For more information about numerology in Ethnis, see Numerology.
Their Martyr
Sorrows revere Brood Blood-Kyn, who died trying to usurp one of the Monolith (Rank) Emporers of the The ValuSelu Pact. She was part of a group of other Monoliths assassinating various country leaders and high Gods. Many of their attempts were successful until at last Brood was killed in combat by Anthem. It is said that in her death a final dark note rang out, Dirge.Goals
- Bring more people into the family
- Disrupt attempts of tyranny where possible
- Determine the fate of the head of the Banner
- Seek out and form connections with other families
History
Founding
Expansion
Lacuna
Government
Politics
Planetary Governance
Sorrowful Families
The House of Sorrows has no direct of command, though there is a loose network. Sorrows tend to recruit other Sorrows into their Family, and will even refer to each other according to a family structure—Fathers and Mothers for those who recruited them, Brothers and Sisters for Sorrows of the same Family, and Cousins for Sorrows from another Family. Fathers and Mothers tend to keep in contact with their "Parent" and with other Sorrowful Families, so there is a common, unspoken belief among Sorrows and non-Sorrows alike that at the depths of this network is a heart, a figure which can pull strings which nobody can see. This figure is Dirge.Sects
Families will frequently develop into sects. A sect is a Family which has evolved from mere interaction to having an active goal and living by their own interpretation of The Sorrows (listed below). Most Banners consider sects to be dangerous, and they are outlawed in many quarters. Due to the massive variance in the beliefs between sects, not all Families have positive relations. Some Families, for example, try to keep a good image in the public eye while others are malignant and antagonistic, and each will find each other weak and potentially worth undermining or eliminating.Law
The House of Sorrows is too fractured and dissonant to have a system of law, liberties, and enforcement in place. Each Family or Sect tends to live by the rules of the land they live in, and in the rare event that a Sect owns enough land to rule over their rule tends to be draconian, but tinted by whatever Banner the Sorrows within grew up around most.Military
As with Law, the Sorrows aren't organized in a meaningful way which would result in a military. Everything is up to the individual Sect. In conflict, many Sects resort to Dark Unity weaponry, such as Metabombs, Metavirus strains of Soul Sickness and Dark Unity—infected Bioweapons.Culture
Identity
Religion
Sorrows are typically opposed to religion, though there does exist the rare sect which has consolidated their Sorrow with a belief in higher powers.The Lie of The Wheel
The Wheel is a lie told by the Sovereigns to make us believe that ultimate power comes from above rather than within. It is the most villainous lie to ever be uttered.The House of Sorrows believes firmly that there is no Wheel, God, or any other higher power. They believe that the highest power comes from the self, and each Sovereign, having reached the pinnacle of power, loos down upon the rest of the universe, realize all they have to lose, and tells the same lie told by every other Sovereign before them: that this power isn't something just anyone can attain, that a Sovereign must be chosen by The Wheel, and that all below them should have faith in them rather than aspiring to be them.
Dark Unity
Sorrows revere Dark Unity as the ultimate embodiment of pain and sorrow. Dark Unity, selschaeus, appears in those afflicted with Soul Sickness, indicating that it is generated by extreme suffering. It is the aspiration of many to be able to generate Dark Unity, or at least to master control of it. Brood Blood-Kyn, the spiritual mother of the Sorrows, is one of the few Psiolic to be able to generate and control Dark Unity at will.Dirge
Many myths surround Dirge. To some she is someone who took the name from legend and leads the House from the shadows. Some claim she is a fractured shard of Anthem affected by the sorrow of Brood. Some claim she is the remnants of Brood's soulDirge is radiant. Evil does not intrude on good, good springs from darkness. What comes before suffering looks like goodness is only grey—neutrality. What comes after suffering is true good. Dirge is what remains of the final suffering of Brood, and is as such is the most pure being in existence.She has never been seen, so perhaps she does not exist at all.
Summary
- Sorrows, to outsiders
- Family, to eachother
Faction Relations
Sorted from most favored to leastThe last hole you will fill is your grave, and the world will be none the wiser to your hollow existence.
Amazing work as always. And as always, I make no claims of being an expert, but here's what jumped out at me as I read it. Use what works for you and keep up the great writing :) So I was looking up "bourne" and it doesn't really appear much in the sense of that sentence, according to Dictionary/theasurus sites, at least (I'm always willing to be proven long and learn a new word though :D ) - so in "The House of Sorrows was bourne on" maybe born or spawned or some more immediately recognizable word? "though, like every Banner, can trace" - There's 3 commas in rapid succession here, so maybe get rid of the one after though? "so many times that, to most, it is a non-Banner, a cult of hate." - another three comma line. Could be good to shave one off ? "it is not a banner but a cult of hate"? "Life is full of pain and we are children until we experience it, Know sorrow." - big case K should be lower case? "Brood Blood-Kyn, who died trying to usurp one of the Monolith (Rank) Emporers of the The ValuSelu Pact." Emporers = Emperors? "The Wheel is a lie told by the Sovereigns to make us believe that ultimate power comes from above rather than within. It is the most villainous lie to ever be uttered." - That is a freaking great quote.
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Ademal Jacklyn
Awesome! I'll integrate these changes soon. Thank you for catching all of the little errors. :)
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