New Player Quick Guide

Lately, we seem to be seeing a lot of concepts and other ideas being repeated among characters that seem to ignore key aspects of the setting that we are playing in. So here are some things to keep in mind when creating your characters. As a general rule, we understand that people enjoy playing the exceptions to the rules, but if everyone does so, then the game ceases to resemble the setting it is supposed to be based upon. Please keep that in mind while reading this:

1. Elua's Precept: The highest divinity in d'Angeline religion issued one rule: 'Love as thou wilt'. Though there are many ways to interpret this from an individual standpoint, as a society it means that freedom to love as one pleases is considered seeking out the divine, and that the limiting of such freedoms would go against religious and social norms. Monogamous relationships would be very rare, and not necessarily admired or even understood by most d'Angelines. Jealousy exists, but without a cultural expectation of monogamous love or sexual fidelity is expressed differently than it is in modern society or has been throughout history. 2. Religion: Tied into many of these points is the religion of Terre d'Ange. It is not Christianity, so many of the social mores, customs, and holidays that we might be familiar with today never came about. Their religion is unique, and has resulted in unique ideas and social customs, some of which are addressed here, and others of which are addressed throughout the rest of this wiki. 3. Sexually Educated: Particularly nobles, and definitely courtesans, are much more sexually educated than their counterparts in Medieval Europe were. Even the most naïve of nobles has at least heard of acts that would be considered risque today, let alone in Middle Ages France. It does not mean that your character cannot be shy about such things, but there is almost a guarantee they will have heard about and even read about such things in books that are considered acceptable for them to have read. 4. Houses of the Night Court are not orphanages: People do not just dump their unwanted kids on Mont Nuit, nor do the Houses take just any child in. Their canon are not just concerned with physical beauty: they have signs that they look for that lead them to believe that these children are suited not only to their House in specific, but to the service of Naamah in general. They make mistakes, but not every PC should be such a mistake. There is a holy aspect to their service, which should never be forgotten and would be ingrained in courtesans as they are raised, but they are not temples to take in any stray orphan child. 5. Gender Equality: Things for women in Terre d'Ange are far better than they were in medieval France. However, things are not entirely equal. Specifically, it is still looked down upon for women to dress in men's clothing, and vice versa, and it is still particularly looked down upon for women to carry and use weapons. Your character's ideas on this might vary, but know that you will be in the very underwhelming minority on the matter overall. 6. Marriage: Marriage is not, for the most part, what we think of it as today in this setting. Most people, particularly commoners and those without property that they need to worry about providing heirs for, never get married. If they fall in love, they settle for a consortship and never think twice about it. Marriage really has nothing to do with love, though it is common enough for people to marry someone they love. Marriage is about heirs and political alliances. 7. Nobles: The nobility of Terre d'Ange can almost be guaranteed to have certain traits, beyond those common to all d'Angelines. Among these, they are almost universally educated, and this means more than reading and writing. Except in extreme and strange circumstances, they would have been taught at least rudimentary etiquette, history, and at a certain age they would have begun an education of some sort in the sexual arts, likely by a priest/ess of Naamah or a former courtesan (how extensive this is would likely depend on their parents, though no "practical lessons" until the age of sixteen). Complete social and sexual naivete (though not necessarily shyness or other awkwardness) would be rare in the extreme among d'Angeline nobles. If you want such extreme or strange circumstances in your character's history, please put them in your bg prior to submitting your character application. 8. Foreigners: This is something that bears mention because of the politically-correct world we live in, but the time period the books are set in, and thus that our game is set in, is not quite as "enlightened" as the modern world. D'Angelines are portrayed, in general, as being at least mildly xenophobic, not caring much for outsiders due to a general sense of superiority. That doesn't mean that individuals are not more friendly to foreigners, and you are free to play your character as being so open-minded. It should be with the understanding, however, that while the average d'Angeline might not hate someone from a foreign culture just because they are not d'Angeline, they are still likely to think of themselves as better (they do have the blood of angels, after all) view them with at least a little distrust. Conversely, most foreigners find the average d'Angeline extremely arrogant and spoiled, if not outright weak.