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Mod Kelpie

Mod Kelpie

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Hey Lore Discussion

As you may know, we are currently graphically updating Seers' Village.

The Seers don't have much lore attached to them (unless I am mistaken) and it would be nice to flesh them out a bit more with this update.

What are your thoughts? What is their history? Where did they come from? What is the focus of the Seers Council? Do they use anything to help them see the future?

Thank you
- Kelps

21-Mar-2017 18:00:11

Cthris
Dec Member 2023

Cthris

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One thing I remember from that lore story with Ariane posted on the website is that seers were more clearly able to the future if it involved pain.

I would love if you allowed this to influence the culture of the Seers. I would make them quite nihilistic, spending a lot of mental energy focusing on the pains of the future, and the futility of happiness in the now since they know about all the pain they will endure in the future. Not to mention their feeling of a loss of agency due to their constant reminder that the future is largely determined.

You also could make them value pain as it increases their ability and overall power. They could be quite sadistic and monstrous, taking great pleasure in the pain of others. This would be most like the Sin Seer, an already established Seer in the village.

Speaking of the Sin Seer, it would be great to have a greater account of her relationship with Khazard.

As for the overall look of the area, dark buildings shaped like towers, with stormy skies filled with crackling energy would work well if you go with either of these two approaches. I think it should feel like there is a mysterious power that is dark and sinister.

You could incorporate their seeing power with their justice system. Gielinorians could travel far and wide in seek of their power to see sins. It would work great with the court house being there already.



*Don't go with making the Seers a kind and jovial bunch filled with a bunch of white robe hippies like they are at the moment. Right now they are way too similar to the druids.*

Also, Hazelmere uses the anima mundi to predict the future. For consistency sake, it might be worth tying them to that, but it's okay in my books if you don't.

21-Mar-2017 20:30:52 - Last edited on 21-Mar-2017 20:32:48 by Cthris

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

Aquamancer

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After some extensive digging, I managed to gather quite a lot of lore about the Seers and Seers' Village.

We know that the Seers' Village was originally settled by the Seers, a number of people with the ability to see the future, though over time their numbers have dwindled, and while there are still a few of them around, they have become bit of a minority. What has caused this to happen is unknown. We also know that Seers are Guthixians. However, there is a church dedicated to Saradomin in the village. This suggests that either there are some Seers who do follow Saradomin, or the Seers follow Guthix but had a church built in their village in order to not get in trouble with the Church of Saradomin. We also know that Seers' Village is lead by Seers' Council, whose current head is Phantuwti Fanstuwi Farsight. We also know from Salt in the Wound that Temple Knights employ seers in their service.

It's also likely that seers have some sort of connection with the Fremennik: after all, Peer the Seer is one of the members of the Fremennik Council in Rellekka, Talsar is a seer, the Fremennik apparently emply a lot of seers, "farseer" is a term mentioned in the Epic of Bukalla as well as in its namesake shield, V was a Fremennik seer before his ascension to godhood, the Fremennik ring that fills their wearer with magical power is called Seers' ring, and the seercull bow was made to fight the Moon Clan a long time ago, though the name suggests that it might've seen use against seers as well. Since the Fremennik who died in the Waterbirth Dungeon took their best and most valuable gear to battle, it implies that among those who died in the Waterbirth Dungeon were seers who likely used their magic and the ability to see the future against the Dagannoth.

21-Mar-2017 20:44:48 - Last edited on 21-Mar-2017 20:48:10 by Aquamancer

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

Aquamancer

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In addition, the other settlements of the northern Kandarin are also derived from Old Norse:
* "-by" in Catherby is derived from the Old Norse word for "settlement" or "village".
* "-ster" in Hemenster is derived from the Old Norse word for "farm", which implies that when Hemenster was founded, its main source of income was farming, and not fishing. This is supported by the fact that the area around Hemenster is even nowadays filled with farms.
* "Thorpe" in Burthorpe is derived from the Old Norse, meaning "secondary settlement"; alternatively, it's derived from Old English word "thorp", which means hamlet or a small village. "Bur-", on the other hand, is likely derived from Old English, either meaning "fortified enclosure" or "private chamber/room": it is also worth mentioning that "bur" also mean "neighbour/inhabitant, dwelling" in Old Saxon and "peasant, quarters" in Old High German, mostly due to the fact all of these words derive from the same Proto-Germanic root word "būraz". This might tell us in what kind of circumstances Burthorpe was founded. Burthorpe most likely started out as a small, unimportant peasent settlement fortified most likely due to the attack of the mountain trolls, rocnars and other monsters from the Death Plateau.

Given that the Fremennik are inspired by the Vikings, who spoke the Old Norse as their native language, and the fact that several settlements and placenames south of the Fremennik Province have Old Norse elements, suggests that the region where Seers' Village is now used to be under the influence of the Fremennik tribes.

21-Mar-2017 20:45:05

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

Aquamancer

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Seers' Village also has the citadel of Camelot, currently lead by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The citadel used to be owned by the Sinclair family, but was gifted to the knights from another dimension who needed a castle by Lord Sinclair, a good friend of King Ulthas and a wealthy noble who did many good works for the people of the kingdom. How Sinclair family got hold of the castle in the first place is unknown. It is also unknown why a castle was built in northern Kandarin in the first place: I would assume it would have something to do with protecting the area from the Fremennik tribes, trolls, goblins, ogres and other threats the region might've had in the past.

We also know that Seers' Village High Court was originally the Party Room, but moved to Falador after King Arthur filed for the eviction of Party Pete and the other employees of Party Room, claiming that his knights kept leaving Camelot to join the Dancing Knights: Sir Lancelot was even thinking of joining them, and according to Party Pete, can break-dance really well. Even after Party Pete moved to Falador, King Arthur sent him a subpoena, claiming that he had 'stolen' his dancing knights, breaking their employment contract with him. This lore is referred to ingame as well, with balloons popping from the roof after a case succeeds.

21-Mar-2017 20:45:21

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

Aquamancer

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We also know that beneath the Village is a mine containing elemental ore, a mineral which has a unique property of absorbing, transforming or focusing elemental energy, changing the properties of Magic. After the ore was discovered early in the Fifth Age, a workshop was erected close by for artisans and inventors to be able to come and create devices made from the unique ore. However, after some time of successful industry the true power of this ore became apparent as greater and more powerful weapons were created, and realizing the threat this posed, especially on their profession, the magi of the time closed down and tried to destroy all knowledge of manufacturing processes. How this tied with the story of Vitruvius the metallurgist, his apprentice and a freelance mage Vitrivius had collaborated with is unknown. It is also unknown if the elementals in the dungeon existed before the discovery of the dungeon, or if they were introduced there by the mages and the metallurgists.

Oh, and one proposal: since Camelot will be reworked with the graphical rework as well, could there be a painting of King Ulthas and Lord Sinclair in Camelot? It would showcase that that the Knights of the Round Table respect the former king and lord for their actions, and allow us to see what they looked like, given that we will likely never actually get to meet them alive.

21-Mar-2017 20:47:31

AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

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Some of this is old , some new:

Recent history of the region: In the early years of the fifth age, around the same time the Carnilleans rose up against Hazeel in the region of modern-day Ardougne, three other families rose to power in northeastern Kandarin. The Catherbys ruled over the region that has become the town of Catherby. The Sinclairs ruled over their modern day holdings, as well as the castle now called Camelot. And the Sotherbys ruled over the region of what what has become the Seers Village and the sorcerer's tower.

When King Ulthas gave Camelot to Arthur and his knights, he also divided the land of the Sotherbys - handing over the village of Sotherby to be ruled by a local council of seers and renaming it Seers Village. The sorcerer's tower today remains in the hands of William Thormac Sotherby, IV.

Local culture: Given their location, the seers of Seers Village have inherited a mix of magical traditions: they take the title of seer and the old form of divination that they practice from their Fremennik neighbors to the north; they draw upon the lingering tradition of sorcery that has endured in the region ever since the renaissance of sorcery that occurred with the rise of druidism at the start of the 4th age; and they have access to the advances of mainstream runic magics apparent throughout the rest of Kandarin.

The history of the locals mirrors their mixed inheritance - they have no single ethnic origin; they played no especially prominent role in history. Like their neighbors in Hemenster, they come from humble stock. There have been seers in the region since time immemorial. The practically oriented sorcery of the seers kept the local human population safe from raids of Bandosians throughout the 4th age. They have occasionally come to the aid of the gnomes to the west and the dwarves in the east.

21-Mar-2017 20:47:54

AttilaSquare

AttilaSquare

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Recent history of the seers: Since the rise of modern runic magics and the establishment of the kingdom of Kandarin, the sorcery and divination of the seers has become less important for defending the local folk. The traditional role of the seers - predicting and preparing for raids - disappeared. Yet, in line with their traditional role of protecting the interests of the local people, the seers began something new.

In order to defend the local people from any would-be conquerors among their newly empowered human neighbors, the seers formed a council - the first formal government of the region - to act as diplomatic representatives of the local population. First, they allied themselves with the powerful Sotherby family in the south (under whose patronage the metallurgy of Vitruvius especially flourished), and then they procured greater autonomy under King Ulthas within the kingdom of Kandarin.

The seers today: Now that the region enjoys a relatively stable way of life, safe within the borders of Kandarin, most seers concern themselves simply with local governance. They maintain diplomatic relations with the Sinclairs, the Sotherbys, the Catherbys, Camelot, the Fremennik, the gnomes, the dwarves, Ardougne, and even with the Mage Guild far to the south. The council also oversees education in some of the traditional practices of sorcery and divination, but these are more of a cultural artifact and hardly receive intensive study. In general, the seers and their people are an easygoing folk - and would not like the peace disturbed.

21-Mar-2017 20:48:22

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