Since the Nekotai is a (assassin) Cult, and I've read the Blacktalon's rituals (they're awesome btw ) I thought the Nekotai should at least also develop its own style of rituals and such.

I've thought of some kind of tattooing or marking, scarring, maybe using a scorpion to sting them silly and somebody mentioned mini crucification(lol).

So much potential! So I need a sense of direction to go, cause faith and culture is so much fun to develop.

Thanks!

Best thing to do? Start asking people IC. We have a lot of experts on ritual, not necesserially in the Nekotai - try asking the Shadowdancers and yes, the Blacktalon for help.

Then also read books on ritual in the library. Astraea wrote a ritual primer recently that you will find useful IC and OOC!

You might find that other people have already had similar thoughts, or done similar things, or can tell you stories about this one person who was really into it...etc etc.

But getting people talking about it is the first step to getting it to happen.

I've always wanted to see the Nekotai incorporate Grandmother Scorpion more into their RP. Also, Glomdoring has a number of people who're excellent in writing rituals and such - I think they'd be happy to help you out, too!

Well then, go no further than to ask the Mother of Nightmares! Seriously though, it would be great if you could approach me IC rather than work out the details on the forums. I log several hours every day, but typically the very early morning and late nite. If you don't see me about, then send me a message.

Checkout our guild library for our most current writings (which is presently heavy on Illith) and Project 221 which outlines our research and publishing needs. Basically we needs more works on the Idols, The Old Ones, and Grandmother Scorpion. We only have one published sermon/ritual to date. As you said, so much RP potential out there... just need more people willing to write.

Which brings me to a point about influences... When I composed rituals for the Ninjkakari I was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft meets Hellraiser meets Eastern Japanese tradition. Every rite was centered around the use of the jakari chain. Dunno if my rites were ever put into effect Shaddus, Revan?

I think of the Nekotai as being closely related to Persian / Assyrian Assassins-- though displaced in the Welsh mythos influenced Glomdoring, like something straight out of Lloyd Alexandar ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Alexander )book. I believe Synl and the other founders of the Nekotai based their RP of the cult in Emo (quite literally) and Catholic traditions.

So, there is a wide base from which you can pull inspiration: there is so much potential for a guild rite. From a Russian Roulette style ceremony of sipping Crotamine (and mechanically hoping Scorpion Spit / Blood will save you), to branding, to getting a scorpion tattooed on the neck or under the eye... Let's talk IC and arrange something!

1. Talk to Janalon.

2. Hunt down Veyda.

3. RP was based around the idea of the Middle Eastern/Southeast Asian cult-business. Would have to ask Veyda for greater detail. Emo was more a fun little spin.

Let's see - I feel like raising this from the dead, because I'm bored and it's a fun subject.

The first thing everyone in the study group established was that we did not want to be eastern-style monks or ninjas. The Assassins cult was one of the most central aspects of how we pictured ourselves in a more semetic/western mold - particularly the end of their reign, where they were rich thieves and extortionists with great riches and sinful gardens. There were also elements of catholicism and associated secret societies, especially with the 'Mysteries' emerging out of some of my familiarity with old gnostic thought and apocryphal christian mysticism. I can't deny I read a lot of Lloyd Alexander as a kid so that probably worked into how I worked it in with Glomdoring.

The original name I wanted for the guild was the Tahvrain - submitting to the call of duty, loosely speaking, in the fae tongue. A good deal of the "grand purpose" of the guild is drawn from a combination of very old-school glom discipline and duty and newer-school interventionism and engagement - as the Vanguard of the Wyrd the Nekotai are meant to seek out peculiar corners and clear the way for the Wyrd one way or another. I vaguely also paralleled the Tahtetso in this area, with the fixation on the Wyrd instead of the Light - I'd be fascinated if any actual discussions had emerged along these lines with Tahtetso and Nekotai talking.

Though this element of my ideas has been diluted more than the rest, I also tried to root the guild in some of the deeper ideology of the communes and of Glomdoring - the idea of a reforged nature healing the world, survival through superiority and the like. The elements of emo memes was really just peripheral entertainment.

I liked the idea of visions and poisons going together in the cult - at one point we talked about getting a guild pet that would sting you and give illusions set by the GM, but it was determined to be down the priority list aways and orphaned.

Finally, we were given a big gift with the Scorpion Caverns, and my heart goes out to the staff work there. The secrets of Scorpion have been a part of the Nekotai pretty much from the moment we first spoke to the mobs there, we just keep it undercover (and I'm going to try to flesh this out a bit, too, over winter break). It also - and this is pure luck, because an area like that was definitely in work for longer than our guild ideas had been, or the staff are far more cunning than I've ever expected - fits in well with what we'd already developed.

Oh - and an entertaining fact. While exactly how they work has now become quite vague through years of different explanations, the idols were originally invented as something that could have been entirely glom-grown - people with basic understandings of kata adapting from the forest around them, and giving us a bonus tie-in to the commune ambiance and history. Now they've become metaphors for translating a far more ancient style, but they're still a fun and awesome part of the guild.

The Nekotai (despite my lingering grudge about the name) legitimately have some of the coolest stories involved in the game - in my opinion certainly the best of the monk guilds. Wyrden supremacists, expansionists, and pragmatists with a convoluted inner structure and a history even more twisted. A truly complex set of interlocking beliefs and principles rather than three different words. So yeah, awesome.

I'll go sleep now.

I've been taking a very different approach to rituals that probably isn't kosher with the mythos of the Nekotai. But thanks to just the resources above, I might freak out and redo every ritual I've written so far.

Kalaneya-- there is no need to redo any of your rituals.

What is important to understand is that Hazar and the Glomdoring Monk Committee (GMC, now the Scorpion's Faith clan or CLANHELP FMYSTERY) put a tremendous amount of thought into the foundations of the Nekotai. All of these elements of which Hazar speaks are still apparent within the guild. At the start of my administration, I had Synl review and approve my every piece of writing about the Nekotai. This was done to ensure that I was deeping our Faith and documenting our practices / culture / history, rather than "revise" or rewrite our background. We've kept the tradition and maintained our Faith throughout the years.

True, over time some bits have become amplified (such as Synl's latest revision of the Wyrden Idols) where others have diminished in importance (such as any practice of Illith worship). This was mostly in response to the emergence of the Grandmother Scorpion plot. I wondered how to integrate the Old Ones and Spirit Scorpion into our guild without abandoning our Wyrden beliefs. Thus, Synl's version of the Wyrden Idols became our means for indoctrinating our young Stings, whereas direct teachings of G-ma. Scorp. is more or less reserved for the innermost circles of the Cult.

Think of the Nekotai as a deixis, where the word Nekotai has stayed the same, but our culture has adjusted to the world around us. We are always changing; adapting as new plot points are presented before us. Otherwise the guild would stagnate. As is, we are reaching the saturation point for writing about the Idols in both scholarly, literary, and designs. Not to worry, I have plans that should sustain our writing efforts in the near future. What's important is that we keep to a tightly focused vision of the guild, while still allowing for a variety of perspectives to enter into the dialogue.

I'm especially anxious to collaborate with a host of proficient writers with a developed understanding of all the complexities of the Nekotai's history and culture.

As something I would enjoy exploring, I am actually quite reluctant to attempt to honour Scorpion in any of my witchwork. I'm afraid for that "lolwut?" that I can see happening...

The mystery kind of kills me inside.

Feel free to approach me IC about that. It's entirely explorable.

Look to the five Wyrden Idols. These are loosely based on the four forest guardians (i.e. look at the skeletons by the Ravenwood) with the inclusion of Scorpion. Fortunately, these designs were also incorporated into the new Wyrden Temple. This gives scorpion a context within the Wyrd.

In response to Ishant's latest topic for the library contest, the Nekotai guild assimilated an assortment of writing on the topic of the Wyrden Idols. I believe the title is "Nekotai Observance of the Wyrden Idols" or you can BROWSE PUBLISHER GLOMDORING or BROWSE AUTHOR NEKOTAI.

The primary audience was Glomdoring, with the specific purpose to explain our wyrden belief system (without delving into our sacred mysteries). Hoping that this work will work towards the perfect integration of Nekotai within Glomdoring. This might be a good place to read up, and understand how scorpion relates to the Nekotai, and the commune at large.

Groovy.


I'll be sure to read through that book and harass a few Nekotai between pages.
Thanks!

I would like to be the first to acclaim this! It was a really interesting read, with a lot of fun things (my personal favourite is the Parable of the Five Dead Frogs!). I am really glad that the Nekotai have such a really unique experience within Glomdoring, without having to devolve into Crow and Night worship. They are a perfect example of culture-building at its finest, something that I have been trying to get the Harbingers better at since I became GM.

Can feel free to poke me IG as well. Need more people to work with for ideas