Chapter Text
Orgins
Blah blah woman running from a corrupt society that planned to kill her. She ran into the forest, looking to get them off her trail. This forest was one alive. It's unclear how it got there. The woman kept running, deeper in. The huntsman caught up with her, grabbing her by her arm. She let out a piercing scream, one the forest heard. The forest ground grabbed the huntsman by his ankles, pulling him down. The woman watched as the forest consumed him.
Blah blah the woman was accepted by the forest, and made a living there. A group of people wandered in, and she accepted them into her dwelling. This kept happening, people had children, the dwelling growed. Blah blah
Traditions
There's a few coming-of-age traditions.
Age 7
Choose what instrument to play.
Age 10
Get a choice to cut their hair or not
Age 13
Blah blah, enter a deeper part of the forest, play an instrument, boom! Forever Animal!
Age 16
First mask! Based on the classification of the animal they got.
Age 19
Little ceremony. The birthday kid is covered in their clothes, which is kinda dress or kimono like? They take a little dip in the River. Then, they get the juice of their favorite fruit poured on them. Then the forest picks a permanent mask for them. Everything continues as is unless they get a hagun mask.
Age 21 (if selected as hagun)
Boom, powers! They're left in the forest alone for a month. During this time, they connect with the forest, learning more about what it means to be a hagun and deciding whether or not to accept the task.
Age 21
A party celebrating them entering adulthood. Decorations for their masks are given, and their old mask is placed into the river.
Death
another celebration. The body is put inside a glass case, and a blanket made by the kin is draped over it. Along with their favorite flowers and different things.
Entering the village for the first time
Draped in a blanket-cape like thing and given food and drinks. Also, a horn is blown so the people assemble at the gates!
Finding out about pregnancy
The expecting has oil poured over them, family members dance around in a circle around the expecting. The expecting is draped in a violet cape like thing until they give birth.
Baby being born
A celebration of the birth-giver. More things for their masks. Like a birthday and a regular baby shower. The birth giver is marked with a red thumb heart on their cheek.
Important history
The second hagun
When the forest chose a second hagun. He established battle rules, and weapons. One of the most steady ones being “Women aren't allowed to fight in battle with ones outside of us.” This is to prevent rape.
The great drought
For a while, they got very little rain. Leaving them thirsty and hungry. The current hagun of that time set out on a quest with her second in hand. Her second in hand was her twin brother. While looking, they ran across a group of hunters. The hunters, surprised and confused by their obvious differences, tried to get them to show them the location of their civilization. They declined, scared of the hunters hurting their people. A fight broke out, the guardian was killed but her twin brother was saved by the forest. The sister hagun had a child, who was masked hagun after her death.
The saving rain
The child, only thirteen, went out to finish his mother's mission. He had only gotten a few minutes away from where they were located, before seeing the hunters. He was spotted, and told to tell the location. He tried to negotiate for the location of a water source. They wouldn't. They threatened the child. The child stood his ground, and was killed by the hunters. Blah blah blah the child turned into a river and made it rain with his mother's help. He freezes in despair during winter over the loss of his mother and unfreezes on the first day of spring when his mother's spirit comes back. Oh and he makes it rain
Hunter of the heart
A hunter came across the civilization. They at first didn't let him in, but he stated he was only hunting for food and water, and had no ill intentions. They let him in. He hunted a lot, bringing meat for the civilization. He was greatly adored in the forest, and climbed the ranks to second in hand.
The rage of another (A.K.A the great crashout.]
That twin brother? Yeah, after the child died, he had to become Hagun. He was constantly racked with the pain of losing his sister and nephew. The only one he had left was the hunter, as his sister's husband died in war. He couldn't handle people constantly mentioning it. It was too much for him. He snapped. He made the forest cause destruction, even though the forest functions on its own. The hunter, wracked with injuries from it, shot him down. He was put into a new part of the forest, the dyn.
Vocab!!!
Gino-like a graveyard, except it's a building. It's made of stone, and often kept by a widow. Translation means, “Burial grounds.”
Tyno- the animal they get at age 13. It's like a spirit animal. The person and the animal are connected, whatever happens to one happens to the other. If the person dies, so will the animal. If the person gets sick, so will the animal. The translation means “Soul being.”
Hagun- the guardian of the forest. Takes care of orphans, listens to the request of the people, passes laws, basically a president. Translation means “Forest ruler”
Dyn- Where they put all the deep sleeping Hagun. The translation means “Resting of rulers.”
Fuan- an orphan. Translation: “Loss.”
Yaqun- A widow. Translation “Love loss.”
Hgum- The second in hand
Imbo- someone who was not born in the forest. An outsider. Translation "Foreigner"
Ghin- Anyone who commits a major crime. Translation means “Disgrace”