Pellatarrum: Meditations on Elemental Nature

In the wake of my discussions about Insanity in Pellatarrum, a friend of mine asked why I chose Insistence for Air when, to him, Air represented freedom and flight and creativity and not compulsive behavior.

What it comes down to is that I looked at each element and what I felt was its base nature. Once I had established a feel for it, I matched it to a mental illness with a similar feel.

Fire and Earth were pretty simple. Fire is inherently destructive, so it's easy to pair with violent tendencies. Earth tends not to move (earthquakes and avalanches notwithstanding), so illnesses like autism are a perfect fit.

Water was a bit trickier. Because it's so mutable it was difficult to define, until I realized that its inherent mutability was its definition. Water doesn't like to be picked up or contained or held: it always seeks a way out, seeping through the earth and leaking through your fingers and corroding or eroding whatever is in its path. And since I had already established fire as destructive, it made sense to me that water was cowardice and its constant flowing was it attempting to escape.

Air is insistent because air gets into everything. Everything. It is in your lungs, it is in caves below the ground, it is in the smoke rising from the fire, it is even in sea foam. Give air just the tiniest opening and BAM, it is there, man. It wants to be there, it has to be there, and by golly it will be there. You can't keep it out. You can't touch it or hold it but you need it to survive. Unless you're aquatic, air is that stuff you move through. Air is everything else that isn't the ground you walk you walk on or the water you sail on.
 
Sounds pretty damn insistent to me, and if you know people with OCD, you realize how well this fits. 

Tiny Sutures

I am a big fan of Howard Tayler's Schlock Mercenary. Last Sunday he had the following strip (follow this link so you don't have to squint to read the text):

The phrase "tiny sutures" really stuck with me for a reason which will become apparent in a moment. I regret that it took me four days to come up with this, but now, with apologies to both Howard Tayler and Don Ho, I present...

Tiny sutures (tiny sutures )

In my eye (In my eye)

Make me happy (make me happy)

Make me not die (make me not die)

Tiny sutures (tiny sutures)

It's not rocket science

Oh, Tailor, aren't you gonna

Sew some beauties in my eye?

So here is an injury

You have a chance to shine

Why don't you get a-stitching

In my brain?

Tiny sutures (tiny sutures)

In my eye (In my eye)

Make me happy (make me happy)

Make me not die (make me not die)

Tiny sutures (tiny sutures)

It's not rocket science

Oh, Tailor, aren't you gonna

Sew some beauties in my eye?

If you aren't familiar with the tune, I have provided it here for your convenince. Please forgive me for not attempting to filk the Hawaii'an lyrics.

WNW: No One Likes M. Night Shyamalan

The funny thing is, I would watch this movie.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Pellatarrum: Insanity, part 3

Mania is a curious condition because, unlike all the others listed, it is not looked down upon by society. In fact, in places where the Church of the Light holds sway, it is considered to be a mark of blessing to be one of the "The Inspired," for they emulate the Church's ideals: enthusiasm, energy, the will and desire to create. It is very, very easy to become manic in Pellatarrum, because all it requires is to be exposed to too much Positive Energy, and the Church of the Light encourages such exposure. Sunbathers, farmers, and anyone who works outdoors in the daylight radiance are all possible candidates for Inspiration (especially if they work in/near an area which has been consecrated or hallowed [as per the spells], or is otherwise a Node for Positive Energy), but the most commonly afflicted are those who are exposed to healing energies: Clerics, Paladins, and those who regularly receive healing (usually adventurers). Therefore, while it is not uncommon to have an Inspired artist or laborer, it is practically a requirement for high-ranking Church members, where their passion (unfortunately) runs to extremes in the form of crusades and inquisitions.

Inspiration is never publicly considered to be a bad thing; however, family members who are forced to endure the constant manic whirlwind often quietly wish for some peace and quiet, if only for a little while, and that is when the Cultists of the Dark frequently show up and offer some "relief" to the family, usually with the same results as when the Bleak are treated by Clerics of the Light. They often gain repeat customers in this manner, and the Dark's hold over them slowly strengthens* with each application.

*Usually in the form of blackmail, but actual corruption is not uncommon.

Side note: Regardless of how it happens, what we would call manic-depression or bipolar disorder is all too common in Pellatarrum. Sandwiched between the Life-Sun and Death-Sun, the world of the Prime Material is itself rather bipolar. Indeed, it could be argued that it is perfectly natural to become depressed at night, when death and ruin reign supreme, and to become energized when daylight comes. Looking at it in terms of environmental adaptation, this kind of crazy might just make perfect sense.



Withdrawal is the Earth Disorder, and it exemplifies the worst stereotypes (however true they may be) of Dwarves: sullenness, apathy, lack of passion or compassion, and a preference for isolation that ranges from antisocial isolationism to full-blown autism. Contrary to the other disorders, even among Dwarven society "The Petrified" are considered abnormal at all but the lowest levels; Dwarves are communal and industrious, and anyone who wants to be alone and apart from his clan -- or worst of all, without any desire to work -- is considered fundamentally broken and in need of immediate help. Petrification can be subtle, especially among the Dwarves, who are known to brood over their latest craft before performing the next step. Many have been found at their forges or tables, lost in contemplation of a gem or a sword, by their fellows the next morning.* Petrification is treated by application of Elemental Air to the nose and mouth, which insistently "breathes new life" into the static nature of the withdrawn, but in a pinch any burst of moving air (such as from a bellows) will do. 

*This is precisely why Dwarves are so communal -- it's a necessity for survival. Any Dwarf who works alone runs the risk of becoming severely Withdrawn and then dying of dehydration.

Pellatarrum: Insanity, part 2

Despondence is The Darkness, and those who suffer from it are called "The Bleak," for all forms of nihilism are theirs: depression, fatalism, pessimism, morbidity, suicide. They have been exposed to the Darkness, aka Negative Energy, and so are overwhelmed with negative emotions and self-destructive desires. Treatment for the Bleak is remarkably easy: get them outside into the radiance of the Life-Sun, or relegate them to brightly lit rooms with many windows. In extreme cases, Priests of the Light can channel Positive Energy into these afflicted, curing them of their melancholy.

... temporarily. Because you can never truly defeat the darkness with light, nor light with darkness; one defines the other. While an infusion of positive energy is great for cheering someone up, if they are truly, deeply, chronically depressive, then all the priest has done is turn a depressive into a manic-depressive. Many Cultists of the Dark are Bleak, which is why a fair amount of them turn to necromancy and consort with the undead. The only treatment they are likely to receive is a swift death at the hands of a Paladin of the Light.


Insistence, the Air Disorder, is better known as "The Dragon's Way," referencing the way in which dragons become increasingly set in their ways as they age: obsessively counting their hoards, ritualistically turning widdershins thrice before lying down, speaking in sentences of precisely eighteen syllables, repeating a menial yet complex task (such as treasure-polishing) until it is done "properly", etc. In addition to obsessive-compulsive disorders, the Dragon-touched are also subject to excessively consumptive behavior such as eating until one vomits (and then eating again), hoarding, kleptomania, and other forms of greed and gluttony. It is important to note that these behaviors are not motivated by evil intent ("I will steal from others because I want to deprive them") or even by conscious desire ("It is valuable and therefore I must own it"); instead it is a far more visceral and urgent compulsion of  "I must do this, therefore I will do this!"

Common belief is that these actions spring not from fear or desire, but from flights of whimsy which, when left unchecked, grow like a spring thunderstorm: first they are little breezes, but soon they become roaring tornadoes which wander randomly and consume everything in their path. Treatment for the Dragon-Touched involves ritual bathing and immersion in Elemental Water, in the belief that as water always seeks to run away, it will wash away the Air which has become stuck and stale within the afflicted.

Pellatarrum: Insanity, part 1

For those who came in late: Pellatarrum is a D&D campaign world I am creating which has recurring themes of elementalism, zany pseudo-clockwork universes, and older races creating servitor races which rebel against them.

Most modern fantasy games seek to emulate a magical version of the Middle Ages, a time when mental illness was considered a form of demonic possession. And to be fair about it, exorcisms are far more interesting than psychotherapy and medication, so most fantasy tropes take this concept and run with it. Taken to its obvious and logical conclusion, you end up with the Cthulhu Mythos, n-dimensional entities who are so fundamentally alien their mere existence causes madness and are to blame for all sorts of deviant behavior.

But there are no demons in Pellatarrum to possess people. In fact, there are no Outer Planes at all, having been destroyed in a cosmic götterdämmerung millions of years ago. So then, you may well ask, how does mental illness originate in Pellatarrum in a way that is both internally consistent and provides story hooks?

The answer is simple, but much like with physics, you must first throw out everything you think you know about mental health, because psychology is another kind of science and you know Pellatarrum's stance on science.* Instead of a detailed breakdown on what is a mood disorder versus what is an organic brain disorder, madness is based upon over-exposure to the various energy and elemental planes which surround and affect the Material Plane, and can be broken down into 6 major categories of Elemental Disorder:

• Aggression
• Anxiety
• Despondence
• Insistence
• Mania
• Withdrawal

There are too many to detail in one post, so I shall do these two at a time.

Aggression is caused by too much exposure to Elemental Fire. At low levels this is merely being "hot-headed" or having a "hot-temper", but increasing amounts of Fire Disorder result in what is known as "The Burning":  violent paranoia, homicidal urges, and berserker rages. This is considered normal behavior among Orcs, which is to be expected, since they all originated from the Plane of Elemental Fire. (In fact, each form of Elemental Disorder is considered a typical behavior for its native race.)

Typical treatment for the Burned is to expose the subject to large quantities of earth, the element of winter and stability, in order to "cool him off". Folk remedies often involve burying the Burned up to his neck in the dirt for 24 hours. If the malady persists and Elemental Earth cannot be summoned, the individual is either locked in a cool, dark cell until he recovered, or is exiled to a cold region. Water is usually avoided in all but the most extreme cases, as the intent is to restore the Burned to normalcy, not quench their passion entirely and replace it with fear (see Anxiety, below). In extreme circumstances, of course, often the only recourse is a swift public execution.


Anxiety is the Water Disorder, and it runs the full spectrum from mild neurosis to full-blown phobias, fugues, and other dissociative states. Much like water will seek any crack or weakness in an attempt to escape, so too does the mind of the afflicted. It does not like to be held or constrained, and instead attempts to flee at the first opportunity. Violent only if prevented from fleeing what they fear, those afflicted with "The Drowning" are dangerous only to themselves and to those foolish enough to attempt to save them.  Wood Elves a famous for their phobias: the most common seem to be agoraphobia, claustrophobia, nosophobia (fear of disease), and xenophobia. The other races do not often interact with Sea Elves, but to a one they all seem to suffer from terraphobia, the fear of dry land.

Treatment is difficult as the Drowned are experts at fleeing and avoiding that which they fear, but when they can be caught and prevented from injuring themselves, they are exposed to fire in an attempt to evaporate the excess water within them (sweating and fearful urination are seen as signs of progress toward recovery) and hopefully re-ignite their courage. Sadly, what often begins as simple proximity to a fire pit or imprisonment within a sweat lodge often results in injuries and deaths from dehydration, burns, and violence from family members insistent upon "burning the fear out of them."

As a point of interest, scholars are baffled by those who suffer from fear of the water, as it seems contrary  to reason that having too much of an element within one's self would result in fear of that same element. The closest they can come to explaining it is to point to the extreme cultural divide between the Sea Elves and the Wood Elves and assume the explanation lies therein as a form of "self-loathing".



*Its unofficial motto is "Fuck science. Fuck it up the ass."

WNW: Two semi-related videos

Video one: The Little Mermaid gives horrible life advice to young girls.




Video two: Ariel sure could have used a Sassy Gay Friend like this guy.