ontolosna creators guide v. 2

8/8/2019 Ontolosna Creators Guide V. 2

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Journeys to relive your past?, was the Khans question at this point, a

question which could also have been formulated: Journeys to recover

your future?

And Marcos answer was, Elsewhere is a negative mirror. The traveler

recognizes the little that is his, discovering the much that he has not

had and never will have.

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities.

All journeys have a single purposeto get to another place. There are

places everywhere, and the differences between them are less than you

might think. Some places are no more than a state of mind.

Wu Chengen, The Journey to the West.


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ContentsThe Splendour o the Great Lanterns ..........................................1

The Physik o Shadow ......................................................................2

The World-Bird ...................................................................................4

The Four Directions ......................................................................4

Farwing Lands ................................................................................5

To the limits o the eye .............................................................5

The Surace World and Liekind....................................................6

Ontolosna ........................................................................................6

Plant and Animal Lie ..................................................................6

The Daughters o Woman ..........................................................7

Cycles o Light and Shadow ..................................................8

The Progress o Epochs ............................................................9

The Nature o Time .........................................................................10

Light and Blue Shadow .............................................................10

Seasons and Years .......................................................................10

Jubons o Meaning .................................................................11

Seasons o Ice and Fire ..........................................................11

The Marking o Years ............................................................ 12

Wings o a Progress ............................................................... 12The Progress o Epochs ............................................................. 13

The Measures o Thought ............................................................ 13

Distance ........................................................................................ 13

Length ........................................................................................... 13

Numbers and Counting ............................................................ 13

The Sacred Count ................................................................... 14

The Sinop Count ..................................................................... 14

The Trading Count .................................................................. 14

Ontolosna Wiki: p://l.p.

This chapter is a foundation stub, intended or elaboration andextension by Ontos co-creators. I you wish to add to the content

o this chapter, or contribute to the bright Journey ProJect inany way, please contact John Hughes atj@l., orvisit the Ontolosna Wiki at .

Pdf p ll p l l.


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Meditation 2 - On the Back o the World-Bird 1

On the back

of the

World-Bird

OntOlOsnaisset upon the back of Huksae,

the World-Bird, the Crane of Being, whose

flapping wing cycle (visible across the parasol

sky) determines Ontolosnas seasons and years.

Three suns are eternally visible. The movement

of On, the primary, can only be measured across

epochs, though she undergoes a daily colour

cycle that determines night and day.

the splendOurOfthe Great lanterns

samhae, the three suns or great Lanterns light the cloudy parasol oOntolosna. They are the Mother, Brother and Child.

on is the mother. She moves only slowly, her wandering barelydiscernable rom wing (year) to wing. Her cycle o shiting colour

determines the Ontolosnan day and night. On also changes size and

luminosity through the cycle o a wing. The Mothers average size isthat o a peach held at arms length, and she rests some 8 degrees let o

crownward, 36 degrees above the horizontal.

ta or tagra is the brother. He is smaller than his sister, though constantin position. The Brother or Uncle Sun is usually pale blue in colour.


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2 Ontolosna Creators Guidebook

Some sections of this chapter detail

core background materials for

reference and elaboration. Please

absorb and engage with the broad

concepts, but dont sweat the details.

ti or tik is the chiLd. She is also called Seeker o Fortune or Little Sister.Small, highly mobile and capricious, Ti sometimes seems to dip very close

to the worlds surace. She maniests all the primary colours o On, but

in slower and unpredictable cycles that are the subject o much arcane

speculation.

The sacred, chanted, base three number system (on, ta, ti ) uses the

names o the Great Lanterns.

hanuL, the ParasoL, the Cloudy Deep or upper sky is always lled withcloud. They scatter much o Ons light, lessening the intensity o shadows

and the searing eects o an unmoving primary. The parasols colours range

rom wispy grey to stormy blue-black, and sometimes the entire sky is

transgured by stunning geometric and cyclic patterns in the cloudscape.

A variety o unusual but minor meteorological phenomena are also known,

including lesser transient suns, gi storms, rebirds, and sky focks. There are

no stars, moons or planet-like bodies.

the physikOf shadOw

The light o On shines orth unmoving and eternal, rom searing white to

cooling ultra-violet. Because the Mother moves so slowly, areas o deep

shadow might remain shielded or centuries at a time. While the Parasol

and the predominantly white rocks o the landscape provide a high degree

o light scattering, areas o persistent deep shadow and darkness do exist.

Such placessheltered valleys, deep ravines and cavescan maniest

their own unique reality, their own transorming Physik, a powerul,unpredictable catalyst to change both gross and subtle. For darkness

corrupts, it wreaks unpredictable distortion on mind and body alike. It gives

birth to demons.

Those ew places where the Onlight does not reach are to be eared.

Humans and animals alike instinctively avoid areas that lie in permanent

shadow. Those beasts who have evolved a toleration or unLight, who fitbetween suns and shadowbats, certain snakes, rodentsare reviled as

unclean.

The physik o shadow is mysterious and little understood. Yet beyond the

universal ear o darkness, (a species-wide nyctophobia), there is some

small measure o understanding. The eects o shadow maniest only

ater seasons, perhaps years, o immersion (though psychological eects

occur much more quickly). Partial or intermittent shadow corrupts, while

ull darkness transorms. And unlight can also preserve and protect:

material objects and animal tissue oten do not decay i surrendered to the

terriying embrace o shadow.

Tantric ritual and meditation oten toys with the physik o shadow,

promising powerul results at terrible risk.

the great Lanterns

on: The Mother.

ta: The Brother or Uncle.

ti: The Child or Little Sister.

hanuL: The ever-cloudy sky, the Parasol,the Cloudy Deep.


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The deep violet or blue light o Ons daily cycle is not true shadow, though

it is still a earul time, and ew venture beyond their tents during narim.

Fuelled by the reality o unlight and by the even greater ear o it, all

Ontolosnans share a biological and cultural imperative to dilute the eects

o shadow and darkness. It stands at the heart o architecture, science,

aesthetics, and ritual. The banishing o unlight dominates every aspect

o Ontolosnan lie, rom axle houses that are rotated each wing to the

obsessive armies o minor male ritualists dedicated to the eradication o

shadow-tainted domestic dust.

The cultural adaptations to such an environment are striking. Most

buildings are temporary in nature, oriented wing to wing, wide rather

then deep, and oten with detachable walls. Settlements orm in long

lines or acute X shapes, with buildings all acing the Mother and avoiding

shadowall. Only in city slums will you nd buildings in the shadow o

others. Permanent buildings employ elaborate systems omirror, Lensand waterscaPe to maximise the play o Onlight.


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the wOrld-B ird

huksae or Chigusae is the crowned-crane of being, the worLd-bird that carries Ontolosna on its back. The wing cycle o her fightdetermines the Ontolosnan year. Her gigantic wings are visible in the sky

or hal o the year as a shadowy outline through the cloudy parasol, and

their position determines the seasons and cycles o weather and magic.

The great stories reveal that the World-Bird sometimes raises her head

in fight to look down upon the human world with a gigantic eye. There

is constant speculation as to Huksaes nature, purpose and ultimate

destination.

the fOur d irectiOns

With an unmoving prime sun and gigantic wings visible across the sky or

hal o each byon, direction-nding in Ontolosna is usually a simple aair.

The World-Bird provides a universal rame o reerence or those who dwell

upon its back. The prime directions are thereore:

Crownward, Headward, To the destination

niri chuk, or nia

Near or Let Wing

La chuk or Laya

Far or Right Wing

ru chuk or rua

Tailward

si chukor

shia

It is said that in the Ban Empire the let wing appears slightly larger in the

sky than the right: hence the nearwing and arwing terminologies.


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the surface wOrldand l i fekind

Ontolosnas long day, short year, unmoving sun, and physik o shadow all

combine to create a unique ecology and biosphere: amiliar in many ways

to our own but also strikingly dierent. Nothing is ever exactly the same.

OntOlOsna

Compared to our own, Ontolosna is an energetic, young world. There are

no ossil deposits, and ew deep sedimentary stratications. Earthquakes

are common, as are surace eruptions in the orm ohwasan (volcanoes)and chansan (cyrovolcanoes). Large exchanges o atmospheric and oceanenergies produce violent weather events and extreme temperature ranges,

propelled by the annual cycle o World-Birds wings.

The rocky crust o Ontolosna is predominately crystalline, pale in colour,

with a high albedo. Soils are largely porous, pale red or bu coloured, and

typically non-stratied. River valleys, however, retain rich, ertile, dark-

coloured soils. The crust is believed to rest upon deep layers o ice.

Veins o metallic ore are uncommon, and are usually ound only in

small deposits. By contrast, gemstones are plentiul, and easily mined.

Ontolosnan lore holds that both are ormed by the interaction o Gi

(power) and Kiok (memory) within the blood o the World-Bird.

plantand animal l i fe

Ontolosna is a ertile world. Plant lie has evolved in response to a barely-

moving primary sun. Even though the Cloudy Deep scatters light strongly

in all directions, most plants exhibit a strong directionality towards the

unmoving light o On. Some larger plants and trees grow with a spiralling

central trunk so as to evenly distribute weight and allow all branches

periodic access to direct sunlight.

Long days and rapid seasonal change mean short, intense growing seasons

that can produce extraordinary results, including giant vegetables and

tubers. In ertile areas, some domesticated crops can produce two or threeharvests per year.

Animal lie has evolved in response to the pressures o a thirty-six hour

turning and short, intense seasons. There are commensurately greater

demands on animal physiology, especially in pregnancy and the rearing o

young. Most animals will possess greater strength and endurance than their

earthly counterparts, but will sleep longer and require greater amounts o

ood per turning.

The patterns o eeding and hunting and sleeping are also guided by the

colour cycle o On. A species vision has oten adapted to operate most

eciently during a particular colour phase. Some might see best in the red,others in the blue.


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the dauGhters OfwOman

The human tribes o arwing Ontolosna, homo Ludens, might beregarded as close cousins to our own species. However, they have adapted

in unique ways to the nature o their own world. Generally, Ontolosnans

display less sexual dimorphism between males and emales. Variations in

height and weight are less than in our own world, and androgyny in dress

is common among many groups.

Womens widespread emale control over their own ertility has generally

resulted in stable populations with a low incidence o inant mortality.

Adult lie expectancy is high, at least in more tempered environments, with

an upper scale o approximately 150 wings (a hundred and ten earth years)

and with many surviving to 120 wings (eighty ve earth years). Children

are treasured, and the old are revered.

Sleeping and eating patterns refect the long duration o a day. Many

Ontolosnans will sleep twice per turning (biphasic sleep - typically during

blue shadow and white heat), while requent napping is the norm in colder

upland climes. Typically, Ontolosnans will eat our meals per day.

Farwing peoples are generally o compact, petite stature, medium to tall

in height, with small breasts and hips and sparse body hair. Their aces

are generally rounded (Tlnans being the exception here), with prominent

cheekbones, small noses, and pronounced epicanthic olds about the eyes.

Three major population clines predominate. tLnans are striking inappearance, usually tall and slender with ectomorphic bodies. They have

straight or wavy hair, long aces and strong noses. Their skin is dark (oten

darkened urther by the application o oils), and shines with a blueish

sheen in certain lights. Tlnans cope well with extremes o heat and

humidity.

ban descendants are more typical in appearance: being short andrelatively stocky with endomorphic bodies. They have coarse dark hair and

a red-tannish hue to their skin.

The kaLttar, the Bright-Faced Clans, are o mixed Ban and High Emptynomad stock, and have adapted to lie at high altitude. They have strong

acial eatures and paler yellow-brown skin (usually hidden beneath layers

o dirt and grime), which undergoes pronounced colour changes rom the

eects o sun, wind, emotion and alcohol).

A womans mastery o Gi can produce physical transormation in her body.

The bLessings of gi include changes in eye colour to rainbow hues oblue, red, orange or silver-grey, and, or high adepts, the growth o a boney

bump on the orehead that can develop over time into a ull ridge crest.

It is said that the skull and bones o an Aja transorm into purest JiJin (gistone).

human Life sPan

A child is considered 1 wing old at birth.

The human menstrual cycle averages

twenty onil. Human pregnancy is one

wing and twenty two onil long.

Wings E-Years

Birth 1 0

Puberty 20 13.5

Independence 30 21

Typical

Lie Span 120 85

Maximum

Lie Span 150 107


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Onshen Designation Descriptive Term

First Red Bik(light) Red Calm

First Yellow Bik(light)

Ascending White Bik(light) Full White - Midday rest

Descending White Bik(light) Full White - Midday rest

Second Yellow Bik(light)

Second Red Bik(light) Red Stillness

First Blue Narim (blue

shadow)

Descending Black Narim (blue

shadow)

Ascending Black Narim (blue

shadow)

Second Blue Narim (blue

shadow)

ZcyclesOf liGhtand shadOw

The Moment o Power - pure white - is midday. It is associated with liberation, contracts, public r itual, and with social

interaction. On gives much, and temperatures rise dramatically.

The moment o Purity - pure violet - is midnight. It is the time when On takes back. Temperatures all dramatically, and og or

rost may orm. It is associated with private ritual, and is sacred to Komun Black Tongue.

A

n

n

A

Colour

The daily colour cycle of On, the unmoving primary sun.


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the prOGressOf epOchs

n

Term DescriptionEarthly

Equivalent

Onshen A Gleaming or discrete section o Ons colour cycle. There

are eight gleamings in an Ontolosnan 'day', divided into bik

(daylight) and narim (shadow or night). (See Table).

An hour o

3 hours, 36

minutes

Onil or

Turning

A complete cycle o light and shadow, comprising 21 hours and

36 minutes o light, and 14 hours and 24 minutes o shadow.

A day o 36

hours

Jubon or Li

Bai

A progression o ve onil, with each onil named ater one

o the ve base elements (see Table). The alternative, 'Li Bai'

means 'circle o sacrice'.

A ve day week

Pasae An Ontolosnan season. Six pasae each o 29 onil comprise

the Ontolosnan year (wing), determined by the cycle o the

World-Birds wing stroke. A wing begins with NewSpan, whenthe giant wings rst become visible in the sky. When the

giant wings rise together and almost touch overhead it is

Wingtouch, the period o maximum heat and Gi. The pasae

when Huksaes wings are invisible below the horizon are the

coldest times o the year.

A 29 day season

Wing, Byon

or Nyon

An Ontolosnan year. A wing cycle 174 onil in length, divided

into six seasons, equivalent to 261 earth days.

A year equivalent

to 261 earth

days

Chon Chon A Progress or calendric cycle o 70 wings. Each wing has a uniquename based on a rened element and an animal (See Table).

A calendarperiod equal to

50 earth years

Yu Ka An Epoch o seven Progresses or 490 wings. According to the

Tlna calendar, Ontolosna is now believed to be in its seventh

and nal historical epoch. At the end o the epochs comes

kasangsari, the Edge, the end o history.

A calendar

period equal to

350 earth years

The divisions of time: hours, days, weeks, seasons, years and beyond.


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seasOnsOf iceand f iregPasae: The universal seasons of the Birds Wing.

Pasae Description

hc

ol 1-29

The year begins when Huksaes wings rst appear in the parasol(NewSpan). They rise rapidly through the sky. Temperatures increase as the

wings refect more o On, and Gi turbulence increases.

w

ol 30-58

The wings reach their maximum elevation on the orty-th onil o the

Byon (the High Wing Festival). They then begin their descent. The hottest

weather occurs around the ty-second onil.

ds

ol 59-87As the wings descend urther in the sky, a period o violent storms occurs.

Maximum Gi turbulence occurs around the sixty-sixth onil.

rl s

ol 88-116

The wings disappear into the parasol haze on the eighty-eighth onil (theSpanGo Festival). A second period o storm begins around onil ninety

eight.

ep

ol 117-145

The weather becomes bitterly cold: snow storms are common. Gi

turbulence decreases to a minimum around the one hundred and thirty

second onil.

b

ol 146-1743A time o great stillness across the parasol sky. The coldest part o the year

occurs around onil one hundred and thirty nine.

Jubons of meaningn el b (day) n (blue shaow)

1 dayil Earth Day of Tents Shadow of Purity

2 baayil Ocean Day of Laughter Shadow of Courage

3 biyil Mist Day of Baskets Shadow of Destruction

4 clyil Iron Day of Making Shadow of Power

5 glyil Bone Day of Songs Shadow of Bliss


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the marking of years

Time is progress and evolution, proceeding

to an unknown resolution, but time is also

cyclical and repeating. There is constancy

within progress. The 70 WINGS o a CHON

CHON or PROGRESS are named or the

ourteen Auspicious Creatures and the

ve Precious Stones, which ollow in a

regular progression.

The Auspicious Creatures are

Crane (Female)

Horse (Male)

Ocean Turtle (Female)

Snow Ape (Male)

Tiger (Female)

Dragon (Male)

Magpie (Female)

Eagle (Male)

Snow Lion (Female)Ass (Male)

Wild Goose (Female)

Bear (Male)

Yak (Female)

Elephant (Male)

The Precious Stones are

Opal

Gold

Jade

Silver

JiJin

Thus the rst wing o a progress is opal

crane, ollowed by gold horse and jade

ocean turtle. The progression (and the

progress) completes ater seventy wings

with jijin elephant.

wings of a Progress1 Opal Crane2 Gold Horse3 Jade Ocean Turtle4 Silver Snow Ape5 JiJin Tiger6 Opal Dragon7 Gold Magpie8 Jade Eagle9 Silver Snow Lion10 JiJin Ass11 Opal Goose12 Gold Bear13 Jade Yak14 Silver Elephant15 JiJin Crane

16 Opal Horse17 Gold Ocean Turtle18 Jade Snow Ape19 Silver Tiger20 JiJin Dragon21 Opal Magpie22 Gold Eagle23 Jade Snow Lion24 Silver Ass25 JiJin Goose26 Opal Bear27 Gold Yak28 Jade Elephant29 Silver Crane30 JiJin Horse31 Opal Ocean Turtle32 Gold Snow Ape33 Jade Tiger34 Silver Dragon

35 JiJin Magpie36 Opal Eagle37 Gold Snow Lion38 Jade Ass39 Silver Goose40 JiJin Bear41 Opal Yak42 Gold Elephant43 Jade Crane44 Silver Horse45 JiJin Ocean Turtle46 Opal Snow Ape47 Gold Tiger48 Jade Dragon49 Silver Magpie50 JiJin Eagle51 Opal Snow Lion52 Gold Ass53 Jade Goose54 Silver Bear55 JiJin Yak56 Opal Elephant57 Gold Crane58 Jade Horse59 Silver Ocean Turtle60 JiJin Snow Ape61 Opal Tiger62 Gold Dragon63 Jade Magpie64 Silver Eagle65 JiJin Snow Lion66 Opal Ass67 Gold Goose68 Jade Bear69 Silver Yak70 JiJin Elephant


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Temperature changes across the short span o a Byon are rapid, and

weather events are oten extreme. In coastal Tln, the annual temperatures

range between -10 and 55 Celsius, while in mountainous Nunshanttang

the range is -50 to 45 C.

While seasons based on the cycles o agriculture are also used (and these

vary in dierent regions), the seasons o wing stroke provide a universal

measure.

the prOGress Of epOchs

A chon chon or Progress is a calendric cycle o 70 wings. Each wing o

a progress has a unique name eaturing a precious stone and an auspicious

creature. A Progress is approximately equal to 50 earth years.

Ayu ka or ePoch consists o seven Progresses or 490 wings. It is acalendar period approximately equal to 350 earth years.

The Bright Journey campaign begins in the byon o the opal bear, the

twenty th wing o the seventh progress o the seventh epoch.

the measuresOf thOuGht

In understanding how a people measure their world, we gain insight into

how they think.

d istance

The standard unit o distance is the kamu (km) which is approximately onekilometre in length.

In Nunshanttang, the preerred measure is the Li. There are two and a halli to the kamu.

Seven kamu constitute a mu or seven. A seven o sevens (mumu) is acolloquial term or a great distance.

lenGth

The standard unit o measure is the PaL (p,) or tradersrod, which is the length o a womans arm. It is primarily a

measure o cloth.

numBers andcOuntinG

Three counting systems are in common use.

The sacred count is a base 3 system. O ancient Ban origin, it is used inritual and sacred story.


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The sinoP count or Literary Count is a base 7 system, and was originallyemployed among the higher castes o Tln. It is increasingly employed

among the aspirational and merchant classes.

Larger numbers are commonly expressed as multiples o seven, hence

seven and three or twice seven and one.

The trading count, a base 10 system, is universally used in marketsand trading. It is by ar the most common counting system. (And yes, it is

Hangul or Korean.)

the sacred count

n t1 On

2 Ti

3 Ta

4 Taon

5 Tati

6 Tata

7 Tataon

8 Tatati

9 Tatata

10 Tatataon

11 Tatatati12 Kion

27 Kiti

81 Kita

the sinoP count

n t

1 Ona

2 Taan

3 Tal

4 Dos

5 Dan

6 Mak

7 Ton

8 Tona

9 Totaan10 Tontaal

11 Tondos

12 Todan

13 Tomak

14 Tadon

49 Toton

343 Talton

the trading count

n t

1 Hana

2 Tul

3 Set

4 Net

5 Tasot

6 Yasot

7 Ilgop

8 Yodal

9 Ahop10 Yol

11 Yol-hana

12 Yol-tuk

0 Kong

20 Sumul

30 Sorun

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