ORGANISATIONS, ENEMIES AND OTHERS
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ORGANISATIONS, ENEMIES AND OTHERS |
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This page is divided into the following sections:
Click on the section names to return to the top of the page. History | Society | People | Geography | Powers BABA YAGA - MATUSHKA - MOTHER DAMP EARTHAn ancient and powerful hag, perhaps created with the Forest, who lives deep within the Forest in her chicken-legged hut ringed by lanterns made from the skulls of her victims. She travels through the skies in her pestle and mortar. Generally hostile to humans, she likes to eat Muscovites, but can be tricked and/or persuaded to help and teach them. She is powerful in Shapeshifting and Miracles, and is hard to find within the Forest if she does not wish to be found. THE BEAST TSARSThe rulers of the different beasts who live in the Forest. There is known to be a Wolf Tsar (the Grey Wolf, who is a powerful shapeshifter) and a Bear Tsar, but it is entirely possible that there may be as many Tsars as there are types of creature in the Forest. They rule Beast Courts, which meet from time to time in the Forest. In addition to the Beast Tsars, these also have Beast Princes and so on. There are those that speculate that rather than being created with the Forest, the Beast Tsars may have been Gifted with their intelligence, powers, and the ability to speak to humans much as humans can be gifted with the ability to speak to animals.
THE BOYARSThe Boyars are the Muscovite nobility, descended from the eleven other women who were trapped in the Kremlin of Koschei the Undying with Elena Prekracnaya before Ivan I freed them (Adaliunda, Chekhinia, Eupraksiia, Gaianiia, Kogorshed, Konstantiia, Liubava, Milava, Pansemna, Siuiun-Beka and Vakhtina). The singular is boyarin, the plural is boyare. The lesser Boyars are known as Deti Boyarskie, the 'sons of boyars'. The Boyars wield considerable power through their land ownership and their military support of Ivan, and occupy the highest state offices. Through their council, the Duma, they also advise Ivan II. Many of Ivan's wives have come from the ranks of the Boyars. Because of this many boyars feel that they are kin to the Tsar and hence almost his equal. Ivan considers this something of a threat to himself, and has been undermining them by creating more and more Dvoryans. CHUDO YUDOAn ancient octopus-like creature from an ancient lake out in the Forest, who has existed since the days of the Misty Marsh. He supposedly knows the Water Tsarina, but distrusts humans. COSSACKSA loose federation of wanderers and adventurers originating both from a distinct Cossack nation within the Forest and from people wanting the freedom of their life, and thus joining them from other places, including former Mongols. Cossacks are largely known as raiders and pirates in the Muscovite settlements, but have also performed useful service for Moscow when bribed or persuaded to do so. The major Cossack military and administrative unit is the Voisko. They are led by the Ataman, and live in settlements known as Stanitsa. Cossack military ranks are, from the lowest on upwards, Cossack, Prikazny, Uryadnik (minor and major), Podkhorunzhiy , Khorunzhiy, Sotnik, Podyesaul, Yesaul and Voiskovoy Starshina. DRUZHINAAn armed retinue in service of a prince. THE DUMAThe council of Boyars through which they advise Ivan. Its authority is being undermined by the existence of the Zemskiy Sobor. THE DVORYANSA new type of nobility recently created by the Tsar to counterbalance (some say undermine) the power of the Boyars. The Dvoryans are created noble by the Tsar based on their personal devotion to him and merits earned by faithful service rather than inheriting their position; thus they are also known as 'service nobles'. Ivan's Oprichniks are one form of this. Another are the petty nobility of the Pomestia. THE FIREBIRDThe Firebird is a miraculous two-headed female bird with eyes that sparkle like diamonds and feathers that shine like gold and silver. At midnight, her light can illuminate the night sky like a thousand lanterns. Each feather glows with a light that fill a room like a lantern, and this light never fades. When she sings, pearls fall from her beak and her chant can heal the sick and return vision to the blind. The Firebird is worshipped as the patron creature of Moscow and the Rus through the Church of the Firebird. She is considered to embody direction and divine guidance, providing a beacon for her worshippers. MOROZKOGrandfather Frost or Old Man Winter. A capricious entity of frost and winter, who lives in the Forest. He may kill people he encounters, or shower them with gifts, depending on how he is treated by them. Under exceptional circumstances he can grant people the power to survive the Winter. He is the adoptive father of the Snow Maiden.
NEMETS'A foreigner; the plural is 'nemtsy'. THE OPRICHNINAA section of the Muscovite Rus based on the former Mongol realm and ruled directly by Ivan rather than through the Boyars. This allows him to rule that area free from noble interference as a completely unlimited autocrat. The Oprichnina contains some of the best land in the Muscovite Rus. In Moscow itself there are only two places that form part of the Oprichnina. One of these is part of the Tsar Gorod within the Kremlin, including the quarters of Ivan II. The other is the headquarters of the Oprichnina, in the Kitai Gorod area of the city. The Oprichnina is administered by the Oprichniks, black-garbed riders, who ride black horses adorned with brooms and the heads of dogs, symbolising the sweeping away of traitors and their snapping at the heels of the enemies of Ivan II. They 'purify' anyone and anything that Ivan or Busla Eremavitch Kogorshed, their leader, declares to be an enemy, using extreme violence to do so. They act against any opposition to Ivan's rule there, including among both nobles and peasants. So far thousands have died at their hands. Prince Feodor is a high-ranking member of the Oprichniks. POSADNIKThe mayor of a town or city, who is usually a socially elevated peasant. The degree of authority possessed by the Posadnik depends on the power of the local prince, if any. SKORMOROKHSMinstrels, jugglers and bear tamers, the clowns of the Rus, who mostly live and work in the countryside, unlike the Volkhvs. They also worship entities such as Baba Yaga and Grandfather Frost directly, but travel from village to village ministering to the inhabitants, rather than doing so in cities. Their preferred instrument is the gusli, a type of small lap-harp.
SPIRITSThere are any number of different house and nature spirits that, although rare, Muscovites do their best to keep happy. These include:
And many others. TATARSWith the dissolution of the Mongol government, many of the former Mongols became Cossacks, living in freedom on the fringes of the Rus. Others became integrated in Muscovite society. Others formed various locally strong nations on the edges of the Rus who have become collectively known as Tatars. TYSIATSKYThe militia commander of a city or area. The degree of authority possessed by the Tysiatsky depends on the power of the local prince, if any. THE UNITY - THE MONGOL POWERThe Khan of the Mongol Horde had a Miraculous ritual, the Ritual of Unity, derived from the Mongol patron creature, the ant. This would bind willing initiates into the Mongol Horde at an initiation ceremony, which was usually something done on a mass of new recruits all at once. Animals, mainly dogs and horses, could also be initiated into the Horde via a variant of this ritual. As a member of the Horde, a Mongol gained a number of powers. These let them act as One in battle and draw strength from one another, making them much more formidable than the average forest dweller. Ivan II's work during the Occupation de-unified the Mongols and set them one against the other, breaking the Unity they once enjoyed. This did not stop the Ritual of Unity from working, but did stop those who had taken it from accessing its power. It is rumoured that many of the Tatar nations on the fringe of the Rus still use it to initiate people into their armies and governments. VEDUNForest hermits who serve as advisors, healers and seers for peasants in return for gifts of food and goods. The female equivalent is the Vedomye. A village wise woman is often known as a Vedomye Zheny. VODKAThis and other alcoholic drinks such as mead, beer and kvass are the main beverages in the Rus. The vodka tax is a significant source of the income for the Tsar. It is not unknown for people to sell their clothes and tools they need for their work - their only source of money to live on - to get money for drink. However, the laws of the Rus understand the problems that can come with drink. Deals and sales made between drunkards can usually be reversed without oaths or fines once those involved have slept off their inebriation. VOLKHVS'Pagan wizards and priests' living mostly in cities and who worship entities such as Baba Yaga and Grandfather Frost directly, as entities in their own right, rather than aspects of the power of the Firebird. As such they are persecuted by the Church. THE ZEMSKIY SOBORA Russian council of nobles; the term roughly means 'Assembly of the Land'. The first Zemskiy Sobor was recently held by Tsar Ivan II as a tool to enact major pieces of legislation and to decide controversial issues outside of the Duma. The Zemskiy Sobor is headed by Busla Eremavitch, with its other members consisting of nobles, church leaders and some representatives of the townspeople. The Zemskiy Sobor has no real power, but is primarily a tool used to rubberstamp decisions that Ivan has already made. ZMEIAncient legendary creatures from the time of the Misty Marsh, they are alleged to be dragon-like beings with a number of heads which come in multiples of three; thus there are three, six, nine and twelve-headed Zmei, with the more heads making the Zmei more powerful and intelligent. They supposedly live in a number of ancient hills and crags that used to project above the Misty Marsh and that now rise above the Forest.
MUSCOVITE CURRENCYRead across each row to see how many of a given currency unit there are to each of the other currency units. For example, one Grivna is one-tenth of a rouble, one fifth of a Poltina, ten Copecks, and so on.
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