Lore

This is a story about two souls who live in two worlds at once. In one world, they traverse the lands singing songs that heal and protect their fellow Fog folk. In another, they search for each other.

Our friends, Hav and Måne - sometimes accompanied by a mysterious being they call "the Old God" - navigate the wild realms of the Waking and the Other - our world, and a more liminal, spiritual one.

Growing up fighting terrible beasts in the Other, they hone their innate magical skills - skills that eventually help them become who they are meant to be. They discover that they can write and sing songs that have the power to heal and protect, and in doing so, that good magic blesses not only their audience, but them as well.

In the Waking, they face a different horror - one of not fitting in;  of not knowing who they are supposed to be; of fear and confusion; wondering "am I the only one who feels like this?" Here, they are separated. In a world that has forgotten the magic gifted to folk like them, they search for each other - and in doing so, they begin to realize that maybe what they've learned in the Other is true here as well. Maybe their magic is real. Maybe they are not alone. Maybe there is hope.

These songs are theirs.

The Waking 

...is the world we live in; the one you’re reading this from. We think of this realm as the mundane waking world.

The Other 

...is a nonphysical realm, but equally as real as the world we know. It’s the liminal space between waking and sleep. We can visit in our dreams and most boundless daydreams, consciously or not, when the lines between worlds become blurred and our spirits wander. Sometimes we remember, and sometimes we forget when we wake.

The Other often looks like our world, but it behaves far more fantastically. In it live creatures that stretch the confines of our perception. Some of them have minds of their own. Others are embodiments of things that lie within us. 

Great terror and magnificent beauty are both common here.

Fog folk are shapeshifters; beings with the ability to display a number of unexpected characteristics and abilities.

It’s because of being Fog folk that Hav and Måne can display animal characteristics in the Other. Each animal reflects an aspect of their soul and a part of their journey.

The term Fog folk comes from how they inherently exist in a state in-between this and that. Like fog blurs the edges of silhouettes, they erase the hard lines of the boxes we are all taught to fit into. Like a creature on a misty field, you cannot take for granted that what you see is the entirety of its being.

Fog folk defy the expectations that come with what they seem to be. They do not become solely what they are told to. They may be called many things - men, women, weird, too sensitive, strong, weak, and so forth - but they will not adhere to the rules laid down for these titles.

Fog folk often try to hide their true selves, especially before they find others like them. Hav and Måne are on a mission to make sure no one ever thinks they're alone.

While some Fog folk are expert shapeshifters, Hav and Måne aren’t the most refined. Sometimes they show parts of themselves they don’t intend to. It can get a bit messy - an antler popping out in the grocery store aisle, a tail knocking a coffee cup off a table, sharp talons popping out while shaking someone's hand...

Forms

Fog folk can take any number of different forms in the Other, but these are the ones that Hav and Måne have discovered for themselves so far.

Deer – The Hunted Alchemist

-Struggle: Is hunted

-Strength: Transformation, growth, self actualization

While the deer is hunted and needs constant vigilance, it has an incredible ability to grow. Deer survive by listening to their instincts; their inner voice. Deer that live shed their antlers, which then grow back more majestic than before. The antlers are a symbol of growth, of transformation enabled by steadfast listening to one's inner voice. Antlers grown mean seasons survived, and seasons survived is wisdom gained. The deer represents the wisdom we gain from staying true to ourselves.
-Tarot card: Death, The High Priestess

Wolf – The Warmhearted Outcast

-Struggle: Demonized, disconnected

-Strength: Connection, endurance

The wolf is misunderstood, and because of this learns the value of connection. It develops the ability to sniff out friend and foe. Hardy and stubborn, it wanders through long, cold winters, learning to track the scent of its allies. It seeks out and forms community with those that do understand - and fiercely protects them. Forced out into the unknown by believers in judgment and tall tales, the wolf is bound to find its true home. The wolf represents our weird and cringy qualities,  and the realization that even those parts of us can be loved.
-Tarot card: The Hermit, The Lovers

Bird – The Wayward Wizard

-Struggle: Restlessness, discomfort

-Strength: Resourcefulness, creativity, courage

The caged bird is so uncomfortable where it is that it wants to pluck all its feathers and fly headfirst into a window. With nothing to lose, it finds a way to get to where it feels called. Odds are obsolete to the bird - it will try anyway. It is that or self destruction. The bird represents the wild things we do when we yearn for something hard enough - and the freedom we might find if we give allow ourselves to try.
-Tarot card: Judgement, The Magician

MÅNE
[MAWN-uh]
Means “moon”

They/them (Sometimes she/her when speaking about Måne in the past)

More will be told at a later time...

HAV
[HAA-v]

Means “ocean”

He/him

More will be told at a later time...

THE OLD GOD
She/they (though that's just a guess)

Not actually a god. She just won't give a name as she deems it unnecessary. Hav and Måne call her "the Old God" because it sounds cool.

A venerable spirit, wise and cunning, "the Old God" guides Måne and Hav on their journeys. Clever, perceptive, and artful, she aids with tough love and sage advice. She's gifted with the patience of a seasoned big chain barista who's decided to get into Zen, thankfully, because her two charges can be... challenging.

While capable of taking many shapes, she usually appears with the anatomy of an amalgamation of different animals, making her both morbidly fascinating and awe-inspiring. And terrifying at first, to be honest with you.