Kingdom of the Dead

Today we dive into parts of Zorca culture and history!

Original post that inspired this is found here!

Unlike most zora, the zorca don’t have a kingdom or territory to call their own. In the past, families have tried to settle resulting in disastrous consequences involving groups fighting for resources, and struggling to keep families fed. In the end, existing pods agreed it would be better for all to remain on the move.

The downside to their nomadic life is at times food can be scarce. Adults can go for days without eating but it takes a toll on children and pregnant women. A zorca needs nearly three times the nourishment while pregnant, and without enough it can’t come to term. Over the years, zorca numbers have dwindled due to a high infant mortality rate or because many women abstained during lean times.

This has resulted in the zorca turning to monsters as a food source, including sea monsters, though the latter is a dangerous task. Monsters can tie a Zorca’s appetite over for a while, but due to a monster’s connection to Gannondorf and the Blood Moon, pregnant women have discovered they carry little to no nutritional value so they avoid eating them and children are forbidden outright. (it’s basically dubious food!)

Sea monsters can be a bounty but because they’re so dangerous, Zorca don’t hunt them often unless times are desperate or if the family feels their numbers can win.

Other families have resorted to scavenging to keep their numbers fed. And while it keeps the waters clean of refuse, it’s considered taboo in “polite company” and zorca have been labeled as vagrants due to this behavior in some territories. It has also fueled horror stories that they prey on other races.

🐋 Relationships with the Zora

🫧 Hungry and with limited options, zorca families have turned to other zora for help. Envoys/diplomats like Kaska speak on their family’s behalf, appealing to other territories for permission to hunt in their waters.

🫧 In return for hunting rites, zorca have offered their services as monster hunters, escorts, warriors, etc. Bards perform for the entertainment of others, and many trade hard-to-acquire items zora wouldn’t normally be able to obtain themselves.

🫧 On rare occasions, a zorca or two have ventured inland, but whatever they brought back was never enough for their large families.

🫧 Every adult does their part to keep the family fed, but each year fewer children are born. Some pods have members from other pods who have long died off, leaving them as the last in their line.

❓Where did they come from? ❓

The zorca themselves don’t know much about the origins of their birthplace. Was Gannon behind it? Did their ancestors cause their own downfall? Or is it something else?

The only clues to their history are from the songs of their ancestors…

🪕Bards and their role as historians 🪕

Because Zorca are always on the move and spend most of their lives in water they don’t have the luxury of keeping records in books or scrolls. So bards have taken on the role of historian and record keepers. Particular songs have been passed down through generations, each telling a piece of the zorca’s history. And whenever possible, new songs are added to the collection, continuing the tradition of preserving their culture.

Songs of the past are already small in number, adding to the mystery of their origins. Matriarchs have charged bards to commit these songs to memory so they may be passed down, and many spend their entire lives studying the lyrics to uncover any meaning their ancestors may have left behind.

Elder bards will theorize and debate constantly with one another over lyrics. So far, the majority agree with certainty their ancestors dealt with a curse, and a lake might possibly be a place of their origin. As for the how, where and why, that remains unanswered.

The alarming question that hangs over the zorca is why are there so few songs from the ancestors. How did previous generations forget them? Did particular generations die off before they could be recorded? These are questions without answers and no clues on where to even start looking.

Experienced bards gladly take on several apprentices, and help them memorize the songs of their ancestors while also teaching them knowledge of the craft. Each young bard is taught the traditional ways of singing and can choose an instrument of their preference. By the time students complete their apprenticeship, they have discovered their own style and are encouraged to write their own songs and record what they see and experience. 

🎶 The Archive of Hymns 🎶

While a bard is free to create what they wish, only certain songs are chosen to become part of the collection. It’s a great honor to have a piece be added to the Archive of Hymns. If records of the past cannot be uncovered, then more stories must be added for the sake of future generations.

Not all songs crafted by bards are added to the Archive. They might have their own life expectancy by becoming folk songs! Unlike those recorded in the Archive, a variety of these songs are altered by other musicians and given exaggerated details with each telling, and some may be forgotten over time.

Young bards are never discouraged, however. Not every song needs to be profound. A bard has a job as historian but they also sing to tell stories that evoke emotion in their audiences!

🫧 How does a song earn a place in the Archive?

There are certain stipulations a song must meet to be added to the Archive. While meter is something every bard strives to perfect, it is the lyrics and the emotion they invoke which are the main focus. Songs that tell a story, and solidify a piece of their dying culture are few and far between, and treated like gold.

It was agreed generations ago that all history must be preserved. Even the stories that depict their people in a negative light. Every piece must be studied so it can help the zorca lead future generations on better paths than where they are now. The songs each bard creates are given to the council so they can be judged.

No one is turned away.

Save one.