The Kiivosh (Expansion +Revision)

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[Jonael Tomeskrift]

The following is an entry layout for the mystical Kiivosh creatures. To work on expanding information on this creature to a full-fledged entry I used information from the original texts Artimidor provided, the first attempts of Mannix, and my own ideas and concepts.

The Kiivosh



A legendary figure, the tale of the Kiivosh hails from unknown regions far into Northern Sarvonia, where man lives by the Kuglimz Beliefs. Like much from these regions, the Kiivosh is a creature enveloped in uncertainty and mystery. And yet it has come to mystify and capture Santharians. Its myth, once come from the barbarian plains, did not die out but instead remained on people’s tongues and came to imprint itself into Southern Sarvonian Lore.

Appearance
The appearance of this legendary figure is truly controversial, for although many do speak of the same creature, illustrations from the ancient Santharian artists depict this mystical creature in the most varied ways. Sometimes the Kiivosh soars as a birdlike variety of a Mystran, shadowy and obscure. Then again it perches in raven form or circles as a gryph, thus the use of the name ‘Soul Gryph’. One of the most common appearances of this creature in tales though, is a mixture of fish and bird, diving and soaring from the Land of Dreams into reality. When described in lore and tales, the Kiivosh often shimmers in all possible colours of the rainbow, from majestic korwyn gold to an obscure hue of xazure blue. Throughout these variations though one element of this creature is consistent: Its somewhat avian representation. Regardless, the reason for this remains unknown, since no physical evidence has been able to even prove the very existence of this creature.

Abilities
One of the most fabled abilities of the Kiivosh is the legendary ‘Veil of the Kiivosh’. Much about this ability remains uncertain, lost in a layer of traded lore. It is said that the Kiivosh will approach the dying and settle gently on their breast. The spectre will then go on to engulf them in a ‘veil’ barely visible to the naked eye but none the less potent in magic, for the person is said to be displaced into a state not dissimilar to sleep. The mystery about this veil is that its effects are unknown, and so dispute rules over whether the Kiivosh take the life out of the dying with this ability or infuse them with it. One of the more known illustrations out of the Book “On the Track of the Barbarian” represents just this, a Kiivosh descending upon a mortally wounded man, its spectral veil engulfing him entirely.

Territory
Lore places the Kiivosh as a wandering spirit that passes without hindrance between the realm of the living and the lands of the dead. This trait together with their mystic ability is what led the people of Santharia to give this magnificent creature the name ‘soul gryphs’.

Behaviour & Nature
Lore and reports of Kiivosh sightings vary so much that creating a solid image of this creature’s behavior is almost impossible. None the less it would appear that its general nature is one of seemingly no agitation or stress. Almost as if not affected by any power in the Santharian realm the Kiivosh often follows its own path or will unhindered by its surroundings. While some say that this gentle nature adds to the soothing life giving nature of this creature, others take its un-agitated nature as a sign of power and bond to their mistress Queprur.

Diet
Being a creature of tale and lore, to speak of the Kiivosh’s feeding habits and diet does not directly make sense. Instead let us attempt to understand something that does not stray far from what one may call the ‘feeding habits’ of said creature.

Considered a spirit creature that appears to the dying, it is often speculated whether this creature does not in fact feed on the very essence of the victims’ soul. Some areas of spirituality believe the soul to be the very energy that keeps beings alive. Finding themselves dying, these beings no longer require this energy so that the Kiivosh takes it as a means of continuing its travels between the world of the living and the dead.

Myth/Lore/Research
Though Ruh did not devote much of his research towards the Kiivosh in specific, “On the Trail of the Barbarian” is one of the very few scriptures in which the Kiivosh is referred to directly. As such, when talking about this mythical creature, one cannot avoid referencing back on Ruh’s observations.

Many disagree about the interpretation of the Kiivosh, but there is one thing they all agree on and that is that tales of the Kiivosh originate from the Northern Sarvonian lands. Due to the general miss-association of the Kuglimz and the Ashmai, general perception about the origin of this mystical creature is linked to Kuglimz beliefs. Fierce men of the lands north of the Tandala Highlands, the Kuglimz are believed to perceive the Kiivosh as a final messenger of death, reaping the soul of the dying. However, the limited interaction between Southern Sarvonians and the often ‘barbarian’ labelled Kuglimz, has not allowed for further backing up of this theory.

On the other hand, there are scholars who believe that that its context as a reaper of souls, given its Veil of the Kiivosh attribute, is too brutal and controversial to be upheld by the Kuglimz * . This more twisted view of the creature suggests that the Kiivosh traces back to the Ashmari instead of the Kuglimz. They support this argument by pointing out that the underlying theme of death and the twisted act of reaping the soul. Justly so, the Ashmari are well known to have branched off from the Kuglimz after their corruption by the Diorye'oleal.

“With the fall of the Mynian Kingdom they fled the furthest South of all of the Kuglimz. In time they grew closer to the darkness that was the Hovel Frond and forsook many of the Kuglimz ways. They fell away from their gods Sur'tyan and Lier'tyan and started to worship bloodthirsty gods.”

** A controversial thesis states that the Kiivosh could be identified as identical to the Soul Gryph of Queprur, This thesis was backed by looking into the depths of History: In pre-Santharian times, a conjunction of Ash’mari and Orcs came down south and attacked its pre-Santharian population. Like in many a war to follow, though enemies, the culture and beliefs of the two factions melted together at places. This allowed for the lore of the Kiivosh to land and spread between the people there.

Backed by this thesis, the question of how the myth surrounding the Kiivosh found its way into Santharian mythology, we find that this creature is very often interpreted as a messenger of the Goddess of the Scythe, Queprur. Critics will be fast to point out though that there is insufficient evidence to this assumption, since Queprur is an unknown deity to the Barbarians, and as such the two creatures cannot possibly be one and the same.

Though the illustrations that accompany Ruh’s texts in his book “On the Track of the Barbarian” are of simplistic nature, they depict the scenes wonderfully. Arguments about it’s value as a factual source have not yet subsided though, for Ruh never details how or under what conditions he came about being able to see the Kiivosh. This has caused many researchers to discard the illustrations as mere fiction.


---

More information to follow. Comments and ideas are already welcome at this stage, but most of all if anyone can answer some of the questions presented in the text I would be truly greatful
General guidelines to this creature were altered since its a mythical creature with much controversy to, the general creature guidelines do not give sense to the facts about it.

[Drasil Razorfang]

Jonael, next time you decide to take an entry off the list, please ask first in the appropriate thread.  Thank you.

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

Jonael, next time you decide to take an entry off the list, please ask first in the appropriate thread.  Thank you.

Ah yes.. missed out checking it against the list

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Yeah, it's great to see this one put into proper format - at various entries people attempt a rework and disappear, this I guess was such a typical case. As Drasil pointed out you should ideally check first by PMing  the original writer or here the guy who wanted to revise it. As the stats show me Mannxi hasn't been on the site since 18th November 2007, so in this case I think it is ok to go for the revision yourself (see discussion here).

Some fixes/comments so far:

Overview.
A legendary figure, the tale of the Kiivosh hails from the Land of the Barbarians (specify a bit for someone who has no idea where they are, who these people are). Like much from these regions, the Kiivosh is a creature enveloped in uncertainty and mystery. And yet these creatures have come to mystify and capture Santharians, for its myth, once come from the barbarian plains did not die out, but instead remained on people’s tongues and came to imprint itself into the very lore about Queprur, Goddess of the Scythe.

Appearance.
The appearance of this legendary figure is truly controversial, for although many do speak of the same creature, illustrations from the ancient Santharian artists depict this mystical creature in the most varied ways. Sometimes the Kiivosh soars as a birdlike variety of a Mystran, shadowy and obscure. Then again they(The Kiivosh is meant to be a single beast, so no multitude existing. Here and there you suggest as plural, that should be avoided.) perch in raven form or circle as a gryph, thus the use of the name ‘Soul Gryph’. One of the most common appearances of this creature in tales though, is a mixture of fish and bird, diving and soaring from the Land of Dreams into reality. When described in lore and tales, the Kiivosh often shimmers in all possible colours of the rainbow, from majestic korwyn gold to an obscure hue of xazure blue. Throughout these variations though one element of these creatures is consistent, and that is their somewhat avian representation, though the reason for this remains unknown, for no physical evidence has been able to even uphold or disprove the very existence of this creature.

Abilities.
One of the most fabled abilities of the Kiivosh is the legendary ‘Veil of the Kiivosh’. Much about this ability remains uncertain, lost in a layer of traded lore. It is said that the Kiivosh will approach the dying, and engulf them in a ‘veil’ barely visible to the naked eye, but none the less potent in magic, for the person is said to be displaced into a state, rumoured to appear as sleep. The mystery about this veil is that its effects are unknown, and so dispute rules over whether the Kiivosh takes the life out of the dying with this ability or infuse them with it.

(Ruh: The entry as it is on the site is basically one I did back in 1998. So I have invented this Ruh person. It is meant to be a scholar that researched the beliefs of the barbarians and wrote the book "On the Track of the Barbarian". He might have made some illustrations or collected some in his books in order to describe this mythical creature. You might consider renaming this guy to something more Erpheronian, though (see names in the sticky topic in the People Forum).

Territory.
Lore places the Kiivosh as wandering spirits that pass without hindrance between the realm of the living and the lands of the dead. This trait together with their mystic ability, is what led the people of Santharia to give these magnificent creatures the name ‘soul gryphs’.

Behaviour.
Lore and reports of Kiivosh sightings vary so much that creating a solid image of this creature’s behaviour is almost impossible. None the less it would appear that its general nature is one of seemingly no agitation or stress. Almost as if not affected by any power in the Santharian realm the Kiivosh often follows its own path or will unhindered by its surroundings. While some say that this gentle nature adds to the soothing life giving nature of this creature, others take its un-agitated nature as a sign of power and bond to their mistress Queprurs.

--------

Ok, I suggest to try to explain a bit how the Santharians embraced that Kiivosh idea. The Ash'mari actually came south and attacked pre-Santharia with the orcs, so they didn't come as friends. Nevertheless in these wars people from the south might have picked up their beliefs and they might have twisted their idea of the Kiivosh (as guardian) to their 12 Gods belief - so that the Kiivosh was seen idenetical with the Soul Gryph of Queprur. Why? As people thought that every time an Ash'mari died actually the Soul Gryph takes them to be judged, and people surely thought that this would take a bad end as they were the invaders. - I'd think along that line.

But what you have looks already very good - I'm happy to see this finally done! The Kiivosh is an entry of the very first hour that badly needs to be put into the proper format! 

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

Yes, I checked Mannix's last time logged on, and since he didn't have too many posts it seemed unlikely he'd continue the entry... but yeah, list next time.

As for the suggestions and corrections, I will have them done and considered as soon as possible ^^

Cheers Artimidor

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

[] New sections added

[] Plural mistakes corrected

[] I have given this some thought and consideration, and think it would best fit in with the Myth/Lore section of the entry, so in other words will come up soon. Similarly I am currently still giving Ruh some thought, but haven't come to any conclusions yet, so no material on him just yet in the entry

Ok, I suggest to try to explain a bit how the Santharians embraced that Kiivosh idea. The Ash'mari actually came south and attacked pre-Santharia with the orcs, so they didn't come as friends. Nevertheless in these wars people from the south might have picked up their beliefs and they might have twisted their idea of the Kiivosh (as guardian) to their 12 Gods belief - so that the Kiivosh was seen idenetical with the Soul Gryph of Queprur. Why? As people thought that every time an Ash'mari died actually the Soul Gryph takes them to be judged, and people surely thought that this would take a bad end as they were the invaders. - I'd think along that line.

[Grunok the Exile]

'Ruh' is the writer of the (not written) book called "On the Track of the Barbarian".  It is quoted from in the Kuglimz religion entry http://www.santharia.com/religions/kuglimz.htm, and is also referenced by Art in the Kiivosh entry. 

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

'Ruh' is the writer of the (not written) book called "On the Track of the Barbarian".  It is quoted from in the Kuglimz religion entry http://www.santharia.com/religions/kuglimz.htm, and is also referenced by Art in the Kiivosh entry.  pet

Yes yes, I am aware of that, it the uncertainty as to this figure was more as to how to incorporate and mention him in the entry, something I am still working on. Thanks a lot for the link though

[Grunok the Exile]

Oh, sorry 

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

Oh, sorry 

Haha, sorry if it came across a bit blunt... was written late at night.. or early in the morning, depends on how you look at it.. didn't mean to. I really appreciated the link, was useful
Cheers

[Mannix]

Um, you didn't get rid of all the plurals.  In the first sentance, before the picture, you say creatures, but it doesn't really matter.

Also you can use my info on the Kiivosh if you want, it's not very good, it's only really notes.  Anyways it's on the second page of this forum if you want it.

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

*Per chance, Jonael's hand glides over an old neatly boud scroll. Its parchment is old and discoloured, the writing on it clearly that of an engineer for, though neatly aligned, it is illegible. A gentle smile crosses the man's face as his eyes follow the paragraphs of writing, straying to the sides where little arrows indicate scribbled ideas should be squeezed in here.. From the different handwriting it is clear that three different developers have scribbled onto these scrolls so far.

Jonael takes the scrolls with him to a slightly tidier desk within his chambers, and lays them down. Soon enough a fresh pot of ink and an impressively ironclad feather are at hand, and as ink touches paper once more, the old sparks start flying again... *

Creativity took the best of me there, haha! What I intended to say is that this entry is once again active and underway. Orange sections indicate major modifications and changes. I didn't directly slip right into the modd of this entry, so modifications may still be a little crude. Other than that though, please comment away

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Ah, good to see progress here

- You might still consider renaming that Ruh guy. We now have some nomenclature schemes. See People Forum, sticky topic for some names.

- "...attacked its pre-Santharian populatio..."

- Slightly related in this context: Santhworld, the Uninvited module, an interactive short story. You find at least a book there in the first room dealing with the Kiivosh, maybe there's something you can build on at least a bit of that to enrich the entry. Can't hurt to research that if you're bored. Playing through that short module can't hurt either. And a bit more off topic: Thief 4 is coming! Wooohoo!

[Jonael Tomeskrift]

Yes, as you suggested I have been pondering on the name change of Ruh, but since I lack some certianty in the barabarian field I was hoping that someone else could maybe suggest one with a little more confidence?

Grammar mistake will be corrected

And I will definetly have a look into the Uninvited module.. Im not quite certain what you mean with 'incorporating this a little into the entry though'? Could you maybe repeat that or specify it a bit more? Ta ^^

[Artimidor Federkiel]

Well, there's some info in that book that could serve as sort of inspiration maybe. Nothing major, though.

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