#nevarran

I got this idea from some of the helmet designs for the Mourn Watch faction. My personal favorite helmet is the “smiling visage”. In the flavor text, it states ‘The smiling expression eases passing souls as they cross into the afterlife’.

This got me thinking about masked traditions in regard to death rituals. In my last post, I made a loose connection of Nevarran traditions to be akin to southern European/Balkan culture. I think I want to expand on that theory by presenting the Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri.

During New Years, it is common for many regions of Bulgaria to participate in a costumed tradition. People of all ages don large suits made of leather and long-haired fur. They also make elaborate masks that are monster-like and a little scary. On top of their garb, large bells hang off their body. Their tolls are meant to scare away nefarious spirits. When these people dress up, they become kukeri, guides of good spirits, and banes to evil ones.

A lot of the Nevarran armor seems to have some sort of “masking” or costume-like structure that reminds me of the kukeri tradition, and other masked traditions like it. Much of the armor changes Rook’s body/head shape that they look more akin to the dead, or a spirit—similar to how the Kukeri suits change the form of the person wearing them.

The flavor text for “smiling visage” suggests that spirit guidance is an important aspect of the job of a Mourn Watcher. They are not only ambassadors between mortals and spirits, but they are also apt in fostering relations in the other direction: spirits to mortals.