Astro
Radio Bob Approved
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2021
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- #1
Introduction
The Vortigaunt species is a highly spiritual and mystical race. Many of their customs and traditions have carried over from their homeworld, but their culture is largely fragmented. Throughout time, what has remained is only a fraction of what they had practiced nearly a millennium ago. When someone walks into a Vortigaunt’s home, it should feel like walking into a modern-day psychic tarot-card reading shop, except they are not trying to scam you.
Of course, their culture has evolved to adapt to Xen as well, but given their enslavement, they had not been allowed to capitalize on the exotic flora found across the borderworld. But maybe your Vortigaunt was able to experiment here and there; just be sure to contact Xen leads first!
Cultural Roles
Every Vortigaunt is a unique individual, capable of doing whatever it is that they want to do. But, within a tribe, Vortigaunts were commonly shuffled into a specific role that gave them specific tasks and responsibilities. Some Vortigaunts were responsible for farming, some for teaching, some for hunting, and some as gatherers. But with the destruction of their homeworld, all old-world tribes went with it. Fledgling tribes based on passed-down information and knowledge are beginning to form on Earth. These roles are being established in some form within these new tribes, so perhaps your Vortigaunt may also fall into one of these roles. Or not; it is up to you.
Hierarchy
Vortigaunts follow a loose Hierarchy, which is less of a formal leadership caste and more a mentorship and guidance from those that choose to delve deeper into the Vortessence; it's split into three main castes:
The Sage - The lowest caste, leading small individual tribes of Vortigaunts and guiding their path through their own understandings of the Vortessence; tribal leaders who shape their tribe's culture.
The Shaman - The Shaman are often older Vortigaunts with the responsibility of leading large regional tribes. They often have spent much time as a sage themselves. The tribes that they lead often contain many Sages. The Shamans across the globe form The Shaman Council, a quasi-political organization that convenes to determine cultural matters of the Vortessence.
The Grand Elder - The pinnacle of Vortikind, one who has submerged themselves within the Vortessence completely. The Grand Elder exists to guide all of Vortikind, selected by the Shaman Council from within their own ranks. Their word is not law, but to act against it is one of the few cultural taboos. The merit of the Grand Elder is based on their capacity to lead and their immersion in Vortigaunt Culture as established on their homeworld, and not individual strength or power within the Vortessence.
None of these hierarchical groupings determine individual Vortigaunt strength and power. This is purely a social hierarchy based on individual merit in Vortigaunt society. The weakest Vortigaunt has the capacity to become a Grand Elder, and the strongest Vortigaunt has the capacity to be a Sage.
Religion
Vortigaunts follow a loose Hierarchy, which is less of a formal leadership caste and more a mentorship and guidance from those that choose to delve deeper into the Vortessence; it's split into three main castes:
The Sage - The lowest caste, leading small individual tribes of Vortigaunts and guiding their path through their own understandings of the Vortessence; tribal leaders who shape their tribe's culture.
The Shaman - The Shaman are often older Vortigaunts with the responsibility of leading large regional tribes. They often have spent much time as a sage themselves. The tribes that they lead often contain many Sages. The Shamans across the globe form The Shaman Council, a quasi-political organization that convenes to determine cultural matters of the Vortessence.
The Grand Elder - The pinnacle of Vortikind, one who has submerged themselves within the Vortessence completely. The Grand Elder exists to guide all of Vortikind, selected by the Shaman Council from within their own ranks. Their word is not law, but to act against it is one of the few cultural taboos. The merit of the Grand Elder is based on their capacity to lead and their immersion in Vortigaunt Culture as established on their homeworld, and not individual strength or power within the Vortessence.
None of these hierarchical groupings determine individual Vortigaunt strength and power. This is purely a social hierarchy based on individual merit in Vortigaunt society. The weakest Vortigaunt has the capacity to become a Grand Elder, and the strongest Vortigaunt has the capacity to be a Sage.
Religion
Vortigaunts believe in three things. These are constant and are shared amongst the entirety of Vortikind. The Vortessence, the All-in-one, and the Void. These three are concepts that are hardly understood by even Vortigaunts. What is BELIEVED, however, is that the all-in-one and the void fall into their understanding of death, and that is where you go upon death. What it is, however, is believed as a place where the person goes upon death into the soup of consciousness. Everything else is based on the interpretation between individual belief and tribal belief.
There is no fundamental, confirmed knowledge of any of these concepts. Anything brought up in RP or otherwise is pure superstition that you can play around with!
Medicines
The one portion of Vortigaunt culture that has remained largely intact is the Vortigaunt’s own form of primitive medicine. While most of the herbs that they had relied on were destroyed with their planet, some had made it through the veil either because of a Vortigaunt wanting to preserve what was left of their world or some other means. Some of these plants have made their way to Earth through unknown means, taking over small swaths of land and competing with Earth’s terrestrial plants.
The medicines listed are widely practiced by Vortikind. However, these do vary on a tribe-by-tribe basis! Depending on where your Vortigaunt’s ancestors hail from, your Vortigaunt may know recipes of your own that may affect Vortigaunts and humans differently. Go crazy, just be sure to contact the Xen leads about what you intend to do.
Painkillers
(Hleek’kt’kt Thloop)
(Hleek’kt’kt Thloop)
Just as early human civilization had painkillers, so did early Vortigaunt society. By crushing two common plants, Mach'Chela and Sun'Ree'Chela, together with an Antlion grub pelt and water, they formed a paste. This paste could be applied to the skin to anesthetize the area or ingested to decrease inflammation and pain.
Hallucinogens
(Sha-Lak’ash)
(Sha-Lak’ash)
All civilizations have had hallucinogens at some point, for both recreational and spiritual purposes. For Vortigaunts, it is purely spiritual. Sacred roots from their homeworld carried over by a tribe of Vortigaunts have stayed largely hidden, but now have found their place in the soil of Earth. When extracted from the soil and cleaned, it has to be put into a bowl of water. Then, through steadily channeling vortal energies into the water, it emits smoke that, when inhaled, merges the perception of whomever inhales it between reality and the Vortessence. It is said that Vortigaunts who inhale it are more in tune with the vortessence.
For humans, it works practically the same. But, usually, it will break the psyche and throw them into a fit of psychosis, as most aggressive delirants will.
Medicine
(Oshkay’ta ahn)
Vortigaunts, just like every other organism, get sick. A widely utilized nettle-like plant, Ree'Nahh, is dried and crushed before being mixed into boiling water. While hot, it stimulated the immune system, often accelerating the healing process against disease.(Oshkay’ta ahn)
The Antlions
The relationship between the Antlions and the Vortigaunts is tightly bound. Antlions are a native species to the Vortigaunt’s homeworld. It is through the actions of Vortigaunts that they pulled this native wildlife through various dimensions to Earth.
Antlion Husbandry
Antlion Husbandry is a cultural practice that hails from the first Vortigaunt societies. The Vortigaunt has found significant use for Antlions at all stages of life, from larvael and grub up until their Guardian stages and even further. They have been cultivated for both extract and day-to-day use. The Vortigaunt’s dependence can be equated to that of the Indigenous people of the United States and their reliance on bison before colonialization. Antlion husbandry is still practiced by Vortigaunts on Earth, but not to the same degree as on their homeworld.
The Extract
“It dissolves the false veils that divide the vortessence.”
“It dissolves the false veils that divide the vortessence.”
The Antlions followed the Vortigaunts from their homeworld and through space and time. This special connection between the two creatures has given their larval offspring special properties to the Vortigaunts. Upon consumption, it gives special properties to the Vortigaunt who had consumed it, allowing it to wield the Vortessence itself. Their reach begins to approach the metaphorical, having been able to retrieve life from the brink and step into the G-Man’s domain to stop him from imparting his will. This brief amplification of their connection can be shared with nearby Vortigaunts as well, giving them the same abilities. It is a one-time use that, upon expenditure, all Vortigaunts under its effect return to normal. If a creature’s vortal inputs are impaired, then they will not experience these effects. Instead, it can be attributed to minor food poisoning if consumed.
The extract has its limits, however. Despite amplifying Vortigaunts to an almost god-like state from a human perspective, they are still bound by the rules of reality. But, not much is known beyond what we see in the Half-Life games, and as such, we would like to leave most of what the extract can do a mystery. For the creative freedom of our players and other potential event hosts.
Antlion Husbandry is a cultural practice that hails from the first Vortigaunt societies. The Vortigaunt has found significant use for Antlions at all stages of life, from larvael and grub up until their Guardian stages and even further. They have been cultivated for both extract and day-to-day use. The Vortigaunt’s dependence can be equated to that of the Indigenous people of the United States and their reliance on bison before colonialization. Antlion husbandry is still practiced by Vortigaunts on Earth, but not to the same degree as on their homeworld.
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