by Siana Skyglow on March 27th, 2010, 2:21 am
Thinking about creating new locations for Avanthal brings up a couple questions I have regarding the Holds and Avanthal.
1) Are there official names and descriptions for each of the five major Holds? I think it would be very helpful for people who want to play or interact with Vantha characters if each Hold had a a unique name and identity, rather like the Drykas clans or Chaktawe tribes.
If there aren't existing names and descriptions, I'd like to propose the following idea. I can post it in the World Development forum if that's more suitable. So far, I've found the following Hold names from people's character sheets:
Skyglow (mine)
Snowsong (Khiara)
Iceglaze (Kadurro)
Whitevine (Vantha wiki page)
In my idea, the Holds' names originally came from stories about where each Hold settled when they first arrived in Mizahar. After the Vantha crossed over through the Aurora, the story would go, the elders decided to lead their families to different places that they found appealing and make their home there. The Skyglow Hold elder said, "We will settle where the Aurora glows brightest in the sky." The Snowsong Hold elder said, "We will go where the north wind does not howl in our ears but sings through the snow." And so on for Iceglaze, Whitevine and whatever the last Hold will be called. As for Avanthal, it is considered the jewel of the North because it is where Morwen chose to make her home.
The wiki also says that each Hold has a particular specialty, such as breeding reindeer, whaling, or growing food. These can also be inspired by where the Holds are located. For instance, Skyglow Hold is probably the northernmost because the Aurora shines brighter the further north you go, so it'd specialize in something oriented around cold weather, like whaling. If the wind is milder around Snowsong Hold, it's probably warmer there and better suited for growing food crops. And so on, again.
Would this work for the Holds? Obviously, it's far from complete, but I think it synchronizes well with the Vantha's storytelling tradition, while keeping in line with the information in the wiki page.
2) How do the Holds work in Avanthal? From the wiki, I gather that members of all Holds live together in Avanthal. Do members of the same Hold live in a sort of mini-Hold arrangement in the city, with small private houses centered around a common meeting hall? Or do they live in houses wherever they want irrespective of Hold membership? This might be important for creating locations, so I think it's important to clarify.