TRABAJOS DE ACABADO DEL POZO

The Actress

The character known as “the Actress” rises up through ven society through some sort of Art. She comes from humble beginnings, but convinced by the praise of others, she loses sight of those beginnings.

The first Actress was Q’vanna Yvarai from the Opera of the same name. A common theater actress she took to the stage only to bring enough coin to feed her aging and crippled father. She was discovered by a slumming lord (the Rake), and enchanted by her Beauty and talent, he trained her in the ways of the Great Art, bringing her to Shanri’s most magnificent Opera houses. But her pride blinded her.

She abandoned her lover, destroyed her reputation with scandal, and ends her life with suicide. The variations on the Actress are many, but nearly all of them end with the ambitious youth taking her own life.

The Dowager Duchess

The Dowager Duchess is a woman (or man) who is advanced in age, but refuses to acknowledge the inevitable grasp of Solace.

She acts like a young woman until the cruel truth of the world comes knocking on her door, and finding her unprepared, she faces death, losing the sleep of Solace forever.

The first Dowager Duchess was Lady Peacock, a very popular character in ven literature. A tragedy in every sense of the word, the Opera begins as pure farce, a comical satire of ven culture’s hypocrisies and double-standards. She spends so

much time with banter, she never takes advantage of opportunities to say something meaningful, to say and do the things she should before Solace takes her away. The Opera ends with the Duchess’s inevitable passage into Solace, surrounded by friends and family, unable to speak, weeping, longing for just one more minute so she can say what needs to be said, to alter a tragedy of her own making. Of course, Solace claims her voice and all she can do is watch.

The theme of the Opera is plain: the end is sooner than you think.

The Husband

The Husband is the archetypal neglectful spouse. He is often male, although he has been portrayed as female on rare occasions (and equally rare success). His undoing is underestimating his wife’s (or husband’s) desires for independence and happiness.

The first appearance of the Husband occurs in the Opera Darby’s Pride. Darby Steele spends all his time securing his lands, building a great castle, and ruining his enemies. All the while, his wife’s own desires are neglected. The Opera portrays her as devoted, loving, and willing to sacrifice for security. She gives away a chance at true love with a less ambitious baron for Darby, and slowly regretting her decision. At the end of the Opera, Darby discovers her in the arms (and bed) of another man. He kills them both and burns down his castle, racing into the wilderness, completely mad.

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The Rake is unmarried, either male or female, looking to rise in society through romantic conquests. His undoing is his own shallow heart and misunderstanding of the sacredness of love.

Of all the Great Works, it seems the ven were most liberal with the Rake. Identified by his name—a play on Sh’van, the original Rake—each Opera seems to be a different argument about the true nature of love.

He may be young, he may be old, he may even be a woman, but he always faces the conflict of love versus duty. In the original Opera, he is a young noble seeking to restore the lands of his wounded father.

Unable to maintain the lands himself, the Rake seeks allies by seducing wives of other nobles, secretly making alliances behind their backs. But true love calls in the form of a family friend, thought long lost, and everything the Rake has worked to accomplish comes crumbling to the ground when he must choose between the woman he loves and a woman who can save his lands. How the Rake chooses changes with each tale, but it always ends with a betrayal and tragedy.

The Swordsman

His Prowess unmatched, he walks the streets of Shanri unafraid, taking all challenges. This is Cyrvanto, the Swordsman. Arrogant, and proud of it, he refuses apology, demanding the Sword answer all threats to his honor.

All of which, of course, lead to his ruin.

In Cyrvanto, we see the Swordsman: a man of courage, wit, and cruelty. He has no patience for those who would oppose him, no mercy for those who taunt him, no mercy for those who question his honor.

But then, he meets his match: a woman of equal skill, of equal wit, of equal cruelty. It is she who undoes him. Looking to make a reputation for herself, she wins his favor and eventually his heart. Then, using the knowledge and trust she gained, she challenges him to a duel. Unable to kill the one thing he learned to love in all his life, her Sword finds his heart, ending his life and the Opera.

The Wife

The Wife is demanding, selfish and proud;

the things that allowed her to reach the pinnacle of society. Unfortunately, these same qualities are her undoing.

The story of Benejitrix is a familiar one to the ven, found in the Opera, One Stitch Too Many. Benejitrix is a beautiful woman married to a scoundrel of a man.

Marrying for his lands, she hopes to end his life prematurely, claiming his lands as her own. Her stepson, equally ambitious, plots with his mother. (Many versions play up the sexual implications only hinted at in the first production.) Her plans are thwarted, however, by her own ambition and the betrayal of her stepson, leaving her scandalized and alone.

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The Wise Man

The character of the Wise Man is one of the least popular subjects in ven Opera.

Of all the Fools, his tragedy seems the most difficult to make compelling to a ven audience. Most Artists see the Wise Man as a challenge, attempting to make this character into high Art. Most fail. Neglected for decades, it seemed the Seventh Fool would fall from grace… until one Artist succeeded to such a degree, all his following work was said to pale in comparison.

Entitled Bjornae, this particular Wise Man was not wise at all. Instead, he was a simple soldier thrown into circumstances beyond his control. On the verge of an attack from a legion of Swordsmen, the desperate Count turned to a ragged soldier, seeking any advice at all. The soldier, completely over his head, gave the Count his advice.

“Swimming requires stamina,” he said. The Count becomes transfixed with Bjornae’s

simple wisdom, employing the simpleton as his advisor. The tragedy of the tale, of course, does not fall on the Wise Man, but on those who think themselves wise. Yvala Mrr wrote the Opera, a daring shift from paradigm that stuck in ven consciousness for generations.

The Servants

Another omnipresent element of ven Opera is the presence of “the Servants.” Two Servants, always named Ythala (a woman) and Talsho (a man), appear in all variations, acting as a kind of Greek chorus, giving exposition to the audience with their gossip.

Traditionally, the servants have the last word, giving the moral of the Opera to the audience, although more bold artists use the Servants to comment on the moral.

Dangerous. But then again, true Art is always dangerous.

T

HEATER

: T

HE

R

ECALCITRANT

H

EART

No self-respecting Senator would ever be caught dead in a theater. Where the commoners put on their unremarkable pageants. Where actors summon inspiration from their own hearts and minds with something they call “improvisation.” As if the words of the author were not good enough for their peasant tongues.

Filthy. Uncouth. The crowd screaming at the actors, throwing biscuits and fruit. A mob, not an audience. And high above this mob, high above the rotten straw and the spilled beer, are the cloaked boxes where hooded figures watch. And smile.

No self-respecting man or woman of the Senate would ever be caught dead in a theater.

The theater is the common man’s Opera, but ven nobility have discovered a Truth about theater. It is where actors embrace what the ven call “the Recalcitrant Heart.” Plays

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are written by authors, but the actors are not expected to memorize the lines. Instead, they learn the part well enough to bring the true emotion of the character to the stage.

Summoning the spirit of the character. Letting him enter you. Letting him speak for you.

Letting him guide your hand, your tongue, your heart.

Often, the character cannot keep with the script. His own desires, his own passions.

They guide him. Not the passions or desires of another. Actors on the stage know this and embrace it. They allow the character to take over, to take the lead. Some ven claim to see a different person when an actor takes the stage. Possessed by the character, he is a different person.

Dangerous magic. Peasant magic. Not the forbidden sorcery. Something different all together.

This is the theater. Allowing the character to take the stage.

No set number of plots or characters. No rules. But the audience is always watching.

The audience is unforgiving. They came to see that magic. Possession. And they can tell when an actor has it and when an actor does not.

Ithuna. “Faker.”

Cabbages and biscuits.

In the theater, the audience cheers, the audience cries. They boo and jeer. They grow deadly silent. Waiting.

When the ven go to the Opera, they know what to expect. No-one knows what to expect in the theater. Anything could happen. Love. Revenge. Murder.

And an actor cannot be held responsible for what his character may do.

Love. Revenge. Murder.

The theater.

C

IRCLING

P

ATTERNS

We’re not exactly sure what kind of instruments the ven had, although a few engravings give us hints. We know the two most popular ven instruments strongly resembled the harpsichord and the guitar. The ven called these the pendala and the jiv, respectively. The pendala was a little larger than our own historical harpsicord, although not as large as a piano. Also, the pendala had three sets of keys rather than two. Meanwhile, the jiv had eight strings rather than six, a longer neck and a deeper body, providing for a richer sound.

Another instrument, the ojava, resembled a violin or fiddle. Variations on these three key instruments made up the majority of ven music.

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For other instruments, the ven relied on something resembling a didgeridoo they called a voca, a hammer dulcimer they called a toola, and a lute (looking very much like a sarod) called a tamtalt.

The chief characteristic of ven music is its reliance on silence for punctuation. Long, still moments passing. No sound. Also, most compositions rely on repetitive patterns, variations on those patterns, and return to the original structure. The silence allows the listener to contemplate the variations and their meaning.

As far as we can tell, the concept of the ballad—a song that tells a story with accompanying words—did not exist in ven music. Perhaps it was seen as a slight to Opera, setting words to music. Perhaps.

P

ORTRAITS AND

L

ANDSCAPES Painting with inks, dyes and oils. Water colors.

The ven don’t paint fruit.

People. People in motion. Laughing, crying, loving, dying. The purpose of Art is to unveil the Truth. There is no Truth in a basket of apples.

Ven art bears a strong resemblance to German Expressionism. Extreme angles. Beatific and grotesque. Details fall by the wayside.

I have no more words to say about pictures.

T ^HE S ^ENATE

Davfanna Aldrena, the Senate, is the voice of the ven, those who own land and guide Shanri’s destiny. They sit in the Senate because they fought for that right. Bled for it. Killed for it.

For each region a noble governs, he owns a seat in the Senate. The number of seats he owns equals the number of votes he may cast when the Senate votes. He may use his votes as he wishes, splitting them or even abstaining. His votes are his own.

A Senator’s rank depends on the land he owns. A duke outranks a marquis outranks a count outranks a baron. You will soon discover a rank’s importance.

The dukes lead the Senate. They recognize speakers. They call for votes. On matters of order, they perform “the duke’s privilege.” The council of dukes—however there may be—vote on the matter in question, settling disputes and deciding on matters of unclear precedent.

The Senate meets on the first new moon of each Season. Any Senator may bring voice to the chamber, but he must be recognized. At least three other Senators must recognize him. Three other Senators who outrank him.

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One recognized, he may speak for as long as he may hold the floor. He may not sit, he may not drink, he may not ask for support. He may pause for questions, but he must answer the question posed directly. Avoidance of questions calls for removal from the floor. A Senator indicates he is finished by kneeling and bowing.

At the end of his speech, the Senate hears comments.

Then, the Council of Dukes calls for a vote. Votes are made in public. The duke’s privilege is made in secret.

No duels allowed on the Senate floor. No Bloodshed.

If a lord loses all his land, he loses all his seats.

Emergency meetings of the Senate have been called, but are difficult to pull off. The Council of Dukes must have a majority vote (one half, plus one) to call an emergency meeting. Sunrise, two days following, the Senate gathers to discuss the emergency, giving enough time for Senators to gather.

T

HE

D

ANCE OF

W

ORDS

Another tradition of the ven Senate is dachanau, or “the dance of words.”

(A quick side note. The ven word for “duel” and “dance” have the same root. Dacha. The literal translation is “feet moving.”)

If a Senator calls for dachanau, two Senators are chosen to take opposing sides of an argument. They stand in the center of the Senate on either side of a table. On the table is a golden rod. When a Senator has the golden rod, the other Senator cannot speak. When he is finished making his point, the Senator puts down the rod and the other takes it up, rebutting the first Senator’s arguments.

The purpose of dachanau is to illustrate the various points-of-view on a complicated subject; to educate Senators who may not understand the finer points of an issue. Multiple debates may be held on a single vote.

Dachanau has become a popular event in the Senate, even drawing outsiders to watch the flamboyant duels of words. It has become such a fashionable activity, it has passed into common usage among the public, seen at parties and taverns alike.

How Many Votes per Seat?

A noble holds a number of

votes in the Senate based on

his title. The actual system is

very complicated, so to simplify

it, I’ve said that a noble has a

number of votes equal to the

number of Provinces he holds.

Therefore, a Baron would have

at least one vote while a Duke

could have many dozen. You can

find out more about Regions in

the Seasons chapter.

T^HE S^ENATE

T

HE

V

ASHNA

The Senate has the right to appoint vashna (“investigators”) in any matter the Senate deems

appropriate. Vashna are marked with the Senate’s colors: black and silver. Black for the color of non-identity, putting aside House and personal honor to protect the Senate. Silver for the purity it represents. Black cloaks, silver trim.

The Duke’s Council choose the vashna, assigning them to tasks and duties. They are the Senate’s roadmen and no ven is above their authority. The vashna hold the authority of dukes and may use it at their discretion. Keeping an eye on the parts of Shanri where the Senate cannot go.

They must be delicate. A vashna carries the authority of the Senate, but a black cloak cannot protect anyone from a poison cup. Who is to blame when a vashna dies in his lands? No-one can say. Especially when the lord of those lands was a thousand leagues away when it happened.

Vashna cannot declare Revenge. A vashna has no personal honor to defend, only the honor of the Senate, and the Senate does not declare Revenge.

The first moon of each Season, just as the Senate meets, so do the vashna report their investigations.

Evidence, testimony. Judgment.

The ranks of the vashna are filled with nobles who owe favors, who have been disenfranchised from their families. Landless, homeless. And then there are those who seek the power the black cloak gives them.

Carrying the weight of the Senate’s vengeance.

Each vashna carries a signed letter and a signet ring, bearing the seal of the Senate, as evidence of their authority.

T^HE S^ENATE vashna

deems enate’s color ersonal urity it

signing enate’s ty. The y use it parts of

ies the cannot blame ne can was a

na has r of the

Cunning is the mastery

In document UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL (página 173-178)