"Suomi's History and Deoch" ((Inuyoko Mass #11))
Hello everyone. Thank you for coming to my Mass this sun. My name is Inuyoko T’Alveni. I am a Cleric of this Shrine, and a member of its clergy since deoch 52. Today I’d like to talk about this village, its history, and its place as the home of this Shrine.
Suomi has never been a particularly bustling place. In the distant past, there was not even an inn to welcome weary travelers making their way through the mountains. Depending on your relationship to the village, this may or may not be surprising to you. The Suomi of today has developed into a much more active and connected place than it once was. It’s hardly surprising. Nestled in the valley of this mountain range, deep in the western side of Temuair, the climate is inconsistent, with a wide temperature range from day to night, not unlike a desert. Etienne wrote of this long ago, in ‘Economia,’ describing the hot days and chilling nights. It’s also not a very large place, so space for farmland is limited, flanked as it is by Undine on one side and the Porte Forest on the other. However, in spite of these challenges, there’s something about this cozy valley that has always drawn folks to want to stay here. We know that people have been settled here for a long time. The Seanchas Temuair and other works, including Etienne’s ‘L’Imperatore’ tell us that as the Dark Ages began around Danaan 2626 and Tenes and the forces of Ardmagh sought to expand their influence, the people of Suomi were put into a precarious situation for the next several hundred years, all but forced into allyship with Loures as conflicts were stoked. At first protected by an alliance with Glaic, Feasgar, and Massai, these relationships would be tested and eventually undermined by Ainmeal, who brought Suomi to his side. It seems all but certain that had Ainmeal not succeeded, Tenes would have tried to take revenge on Suomi for its betrayal, if the ‘Journals of Tenes’ found by NitroTFD are any indication.
And since that time, most of the conflict that befell Suomi came indirectly, from the siege on Undine to the shockwaves felt throughout the land due to the Shadows War. And on the other side…we’re left with still a rather small, remote village. In the age of Deoch and we Aislings, Suomi is left content with its place amongst the kingdom of Loures, in relative peace. Perhaps it is partly because we have not been treated so heavy-handedly that we are able to foster growth in other ways. As I have spent my life walking around this place, I’ve found it to be a pleasant space for reflection. The soft currents of the rivers and the bubbling of the fountain. A little bit of sweetness, snacking on Alvar’s grapes while listening to musicians plucking at stringed instruments. The majesty of the enormous forest which nearly surrounds us. I am obviously not the only one who feels the inspiration that this place holds. The Troupe which governs our village was established over 160 deochs ago, and their primary purpose is to promote art, community, and creativity throughout Temuair. I feel as though Suomi has stood as a place mostly free from the distractions of the busier parts of the world for a long time, and that makes it a place that is perfect for meditating upon our experiences and distilling them into a creative force.
One can understand after recognizing this about Suomi why it may have been picked as the home of our god’s shrine. There is also that seclusion of it. For it is sometimes said that following the birth of the Aisling spark, Deoch has taken a step back. Still here for us when we need Him, of course, and still blessing the land with new sparks. I believe we are His joy, and that He smiles when we live up to our potential… But beyond us, he is still forever relegated to mourn Danaan, and hope that Her sacrifice and Their work will all have been worth it in the end. Perhaps even a god can take comfort in such quiet comfort, watching over His children from the proverbial edge of the world.
The last thing I want to share with you all is an old poem that was shared with me when I was very young. It was written in the Old Suomian language, one of the few remaining remnants of that tongue outside of the works of Swanberg to my knowledge. In the earlier days of our faith, many worshippers put a larger emphasis on the “debauchery” element of Deoch’s nature. While I don’t touch on it often, it is an important part of our faith that I do not reject at all. It is deeply important to the spirit of this shrine that we embrace the duality of Deoch and of ourselves. That we remember that we are not here simply to sit in soft, stuffy worship. I may be a soft-spoken and studious Aisling in my own nature, but the nature of Deoch and the Aisling spirit itself is fiery! It is passionate. It welcomes prayer and service as much as it welcomes raucous jubilance and bombastic celebration of life itself. Our forebears understood that sometimes the peace and quiet should be broken by cries of enraptured merriment that echo through the mountains. Therefore, as I read this short poem in its original Suomian followed by the modern Temuairian translation, feel free to partake in the wine and spirits I have provided, and toast to our heritage.
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En präst,
deras forsamling,
berusad,
i extas.
Vinet spilldes,
färgar golvet djuprött,
reflekterande brasans ljus,
medan alla känner värmen,
inombords och utombords.
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A priest,
their congregation,
intoxicated,
in rapture.
The wine spills,
staining the floor a deep red,
reflecting the brazier's light,
as all feel the warmth,
inside and out.
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