Inside Almalexia's Tongs [Added]

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Inside Almalexia's Tongs [Added]

Post by gro-Dhal »

Work in progress. At Aeven's suggestion a guide to the many secret societies of Almalexia.
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Inside Almalexia's Tongs

If Vivec City is the heart of Morrowind, Almalexia is its face. Much of what outlanders know, or think they know, of the Great House culture of the Dunmer comes from the capital itself. This can be misleading, as Almalexia is unique and stands apart from the province it rules in many ways. One of these is the role of the Tongs, or honourable societies. Tong culture is not exclusively a feature of the great city, but it is here that it has reached its most diverse and curious expression. Most native residents of the city belong to one of these societies, even if their ties to it are loose and informal. Some groups hold significant power, for good or for ill.

Most of the more common Tongs resemble the cults of the Imperial Province. In a land like Morrowind, where heresy is not tolerated by the authorities, fraternities form that emphasize one element or another of the Tribunal faith without challenging the overarching Temple doctrine. So we have the Galaan (Mathematicians’) Tong , which reveres Sotha Sil as the Divine Logician and whose members devise puzzles in his honor, with which they challenge one another. The Sorys (Unseeing) Tong, in contrast, honors the art of water breathing as practised by Vivec and devotes itself to the study of the skill. The most widely known of these associations is the Morag (Foresters’) Tong , which venerates Mephala and carries out bloody murder on the behalf of the Houses. Occasionally one of these groups will stray too far beyond Temple orthodoxy, and must conduct their rituals in secret or risk the heavy hand of the Ordinators.

Some of these fraternities are restricted to a particular trade, and in modern times these tend to be indistinguishable from the tradesmen’s guilds of the West. The Guild of Chandlers and Clerks and the Guild of Furnishers and Caravaners are two examples to be found in the city. Even these secular-sounding brotherhoods have roots in the veneration of Morrowind’s saints.

Rather more sinister are the underground Tongs, which are criminal fraternities and dangerous heretical cults. The Camonna (Thankless) Tong strikes dread into the hearts of outlanders at its merest mention, while the Vel-Osryn (Impertinent) Tong are renowned for their acts of vandalism, both petty and daring. Some of these darker groups may be nothing more than rumor, like the gruesome Issani (Gourmet’s) Tong which is often quietly blamed for unexplained disappearances but for whose existence no evidence is known to this author. These are the most secret of secret societies, and even discussing them is a taboo among polite society.

You might be wondering whether an outlander may join any of these ancient Dunmer brotherhoods. The answer may disappoint. As bulwarks of tradition most Tongs scorn foreign membership, and one is usually invited to join via family connections. One or two exceptions exist however, and many Tongs run hostels and flin houses that welcome outlander coin. But remember, when you are under the roof of a Tong, be it a bar, a private house or a dedicated building, you are subject to their rules and their laws. Tong halls are everywhere in Almalexia, and often unmarked as such, but ignorance may prove no excuse for disrespect.

--------------------

I'm a bit worried that 'A Guide to X' is fast becoming a cliché, so any suggestions of how to mix things up would be welcome. Cool Tong ideas also needed.
Last edited by gro-Dhal on Sat Jan 04, 2014 6:55 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by immortal_pigs »

Perhaps this could be written from the perspective of a bitter ex-Tong member. Let's say she used to be involved with the Morag Tong but was kicked out. Being a native of Almalexia, she knows about the other Tongs in the city, but has a biased perspective. For one she would be bitter towards the Morag Tong. She would also prefer one Tong over say the other.

Another possible perspective would be an Imperial outsider, perhaps some kind of amateur sociologist. She would be sleuthing around Almalexia trying to find out more about the cities' secret societies. Her sources would not be entirely correct, so the "guide" would contain errors, exaggerations and misinformation. This way, it does not have to be a guide that is set in stone, but it can become more of an opinionated attempt of objectivity, like the Pocket Guide, which leaves the actual in-game implementation of the Tongs open to interpretation.

Also in general, to avoid the cliché, we can have most of our guides have a more prominent element of personality in them, so that they become less objective and more opinionated. Say for example that most of the guides on the Indoril were all written by the same author who makes the same consistent mistakes, while still producing content that is somewhat functional.
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Post by gro-Dhal »

Yeah I need a clearer idea of who the author is for this piece
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Post by Yeti »

Are these any good?

The Uro Tong: a guild of spiritual musicians who interpret sacred visions with music. They engage in trance-like gatherings, meditating for hours before spontaneously composing sacred hymns.

The Ov-Vuran Tong: a clandestine fraternity dedicated to exploring Vivec’s darker sphere of “violence, lust and conspiracyâ€Â￾ through erotic gatherings and rituals.

I absolutely love the idea of creating more Tongs by the way.
Last edited by Yeti on Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:03 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Bloodthirsty Crustacean »

immortal_pigs wrote:Also in general, to avoid the cliché, we can have most of our guides have a more prominent element of personality in them, so that they become less objective and more opinionated. Say for example that most of the guides on the Indoril were all written by the same author who makes the same consistent mistakes, while still producing content that is somewhat functional.
For one, I feel that hammering home 'PERSONALITY' too hard can be no less of a cliché than anything else. (See Alessia Ottus)

But yes, texts having an 'agenda' (that isn't constantly lampshaded through outbursts of authorly 'personality') can definitely add flavour.
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Post by Yeti »

Alessia Ottus's guides were hilariously over-the-top awesome, but I agree with BC that her type of overly authoritative tone is something we should generally avoid.
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Post by arvisrend »

The Uro Tong might require us to actually make some music. Do we have the manpower for that? (No, I'm not saying it's a bad idea!)

Erotics... if we have someone who can do that tastefully (thus claiming a milestone in RPG history?).

Of course, the alternative is that there are more tongs in the fantasy of certain people than there are in the actual town. Thinking of this, I've noticed that Morrowind has an unrealistic (and totally uncool, in the sense of lore) lack of alleged heretics which actually are not (think witch-hunting, Satanic ritual abuse etc.). Most of the time, when someone is claimed to conspire with the Daedra or be a necromancer, he or she is. (Heck, even my MG questline doesn't really change this.) I think this is something we should keep in mind when designing quests and organizations. Particularly in the Indoril questline it could be a nice pretext for some trouble. Or a quest in which someone is (falsely) accused to be serving Mehrunes Dagon, and Dagon tries to actually win over this person now that the damage has already been done?
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Post by Gnomey »

arvisrend wrote:The Uro Tong might require us to actually make some music. Do we have the manpower for that? (No, I'm not saying it's a bad idea!)

Erotics... if we have someone who can do that tastefully (thus claiming a milestone in RPG history?).
Neither of those have to strictly be handled. Vanilla Morrowind was pretty consistent in having NPCs who were supposed to be doing things stand around doing nothing.
The Uro Tong could be taken care of by sticking a bunch of NPCs in a room, maybe with instruments, either with a lot of unique dialogue or in a "trance" doing absolutely nothing and maybe engaging in some of vanilla Morrowind's trance-like dancing. The Ov-Vuran could be handled by sticking a bunch of NPCs in a room, maybe with cushions, with some unique dialogue and maybe engaging in some of vanilla Morrowind's "erotic" dancing. That's as much as the House of Earthly Delights did.

Having those Tongs not exist in-game is also a valid option, even without the author's fantasy explanation. I think Vivec was supposed to be filled with various guilds, and there's also TES: IV's Imperial City with its hundreds of cults.

That being said, I'd be all for seeing an Almalexia filled with well-implemented Tongs.
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Post by Yeti »

Gnomey's post is filled with common sense that I agree with completely.

If my Ov-Vuran idea is implemented in game, they should maintain a more or less respectable front as a typical religious brotherhood, keeping their more objectionable (depending on the point of other NPCs in-game) activities deep behind-the-scenes.
That being said, I'd be all for seeing an Almalexia filled with well-implemented Tongs.
As would I.
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Post by Haplo »

Don't forget to change the British English bits to American English.
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Post by Adanorcil »

I like it. We need Tongs and they need cool stuff.

I'm a bit worried that 'A Guide to X' is fast becoming a cliché, so any suggestions of how to mix things up would be welcome.
Agreed, but by and large I think just not naming it "A Guide To X" goes a long way.

There's something to be said for personality and such, but I agree with BC. Having an agenda is a good thing and indeed I believe anyone writing texts of this sort should have one set out before starting to write. Author personality, on the other hand easily turns into a cliché on its own. In the end, we're trying to build a fictional world here, which is hard to do with a vision that is deliberately biased. You either have to make the bias so much of a caricature that it becomes evident, which basically ruins the whole subtlety of the writing or you have to include some sort of dissonant voice to point out of the prejudice.

The PGE1 (YR's notes) and PGE2 (was going to have notes and censorings of parts deemed too controversial) took the latter road, but even there the differences in vision stem from large and important schisms that are pertinent to the story being told. In contrast, a skewed opinion resulting from the writer's convoluted personal back story (which you'd then also have to include somehow) risks making the whole thing seem like bullshit.

I don't think all Tongs should have a presence in our depiction of Almalexia. (Which is true for any piece of fiction.) However, when we're low on interior ideas, a Tong is probably never a bad suggestion (within reason).




There is a number of Tongs which are essentially fictional and have no actual members but are somehow necessary.
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Post by immortal_pigs »

The Dong Tong,
This is a spearwielding club where young nobles compare spears. The Dong Tong has many famous members.
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Post by gro-Dhal »

New version up. I haven't added a load of new Tongs because this isn't meant to be an exhaustive list. Nor is it the intention that all of these appear in-game. They are mostly secret societies, after all.
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Post by gro-Dhal »

Ready for Data. Use this version:

Inside Almalexia's Tongs
by Galasa Sarvu

If Vivec City is the heart of Morrowind, Almalexia is its face. Much of what outlanders know, or think they know, of the Great House culture of the Dunmer comes from the capital itself. This can be misleading, as Almalexia is unique and stands apart from the province it rules in many ways. One of these is the role of the Tongs, or honorable societies. Tong culture is not exclusively a feature of the great city, but it is here that it has reached its most diverse and curious expression. Most native residents of the city belong to one of these societies, even if their ties to it are loose and informal. Some groups hold significant power, for good or for ill.

Most of the more common Tongs resemble the cults of the Imperial Province. In a land like Morrowind, where heresy is not tolerated by the authorities, fraternities form that emphasize one element or another of the Tribunal faith without challenging the overarching Temple doctrine. So we have the Galaan (Mathematicians') Tong, which reveres Sotha Sil as the Divine Logician and whose members devise puzzles in his honor, with which they challenge one another. The Sorys (Unseeing) Tong, in contrast, honors the art of water breathing as practiced by Vivec and devotes itself to the study of the skill. The most widely known of these associations is the Morag (Foresters') Tong, which venerates Mephala and carries out bloody murder on the behalf of the Houses. Occasionally one of these groups will stray too far beyond Temple orthodoxy, and must conduct their rituals in secret or risk the heavy hand of the Ordinators.

Some of these fraternities are restricted to a particular trade, and in modern times these tend to be indistinguishable from the tradesmen's guilds of the West. The Guild of Chandlers and Clerks and the Guild of Furnishers and Caravaners are two examples to be found in the city. Even these secular-sounding brotherhoods have roots in the veneration of Morrowind's saints.

Rather more sinister are the underground Tongs, which are criminal fraternities and dangerous heretical cults. The Camonna (Thankless) Tong strikes dread into the hearts of outlanders at its merest mention, while the Vel-Osryn (Impertinent) Tong are renowned for their acts of vandalism, both petty and daring. Some of these darker groups may be nothing more than rumor, like the gruesome Issani (Gourmet's) Tong which is often quietly blamed for unexplained disappearances but for whose existence no evidence is known to this author. These are the most secret of secret societies, and even discussing them is a taboo among polite society.

You might be wondering whether an outlander may join any of these ancient Dunmer brotherhoods. The answer may disappoint. As bulwarks of tradition most Tongs scorn foreign membership, and one is usually invited to join via family connections. One or two exceptions exist however, and many Tongs run hostels and flin houses that welcome outlander coin. But remember, when you are under the roof of a Tong, be it a bar, a private house or a dedicated building, you are subject to their rules and their laws. Tong halls are everywhere in Almalexia, and often unmarked as such, but ignorance may prove no excuse for disrespect.
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