"Arts" in the north

[janeshephard]

Is hunting an art?

Is it only really music/singing, assassinations, and theft that are art? I can't find any docs on the website explaining this. It's supposed to be a very important part of Tuluki culture.

[BleakOne]

If done skilfully, I'd say yes.

Simply charging at an animal and brute-force killing it probably not, but approaching it hidden, and killing it with a single well-placed arrow might be considered 'artful'.

[Lizzie]

There used to be bardic documents about the different arcs of learning. Hunting was in there, and it was definitely considered an artform and one to learn and master.

[Riev]

I think that its just the Arc of Combat, so far as thats concerned.

But it depends on your spectrum of "art". Fighting is an "art" in a way, insofar as its a skill and you can hone and sharpen that skill until its artistic. I guess.

I like statues.

[spicemustflow]

Simply charging at an animal and brute-force killing it probably not, but approaching it hidden, and killing it with a single well-placed arrow might be considered 'artful'.

There should be a difference between being an artist and simply being good at something. You wouldn't consider a competent plumber an artist because your toilet leads to a septic tank instead of your faucet.

[Morrolan]

Does Art in the north refer not to skill in some coded sense, but to the reasons for doing something?

In other words, if your obvious primary motivation is cash, you're not an artist. If it's perfection for its own sake (or for raising social status through the approval of higher-ups and the applause of the masses), you're an artist.

That would make all about how it's presented/roleplayed.

[Gimfalisette]

I think that its just the Arc of Combat, so far as thats concerned.

Correct, the bardic Arc of Combat had to do with learning self-defense combat and was a reaction to the occupation of Tuluk. Nothing to do with hunting except possibly insofar as learning to kill an animal could possibly be applicable to self-defense.

[janeshephard]

I think that its just the Arc of Combat, so far as thats concerned.

But it depends on your spectrum of "art". Fighting is an "art" in a way, insofar as its a skill and you can hone and sharpen that skill until its artistic. I guess.

I like statues.

As far as I know the Arc of Combat is more about martial skill than hunting. I get your point though.

This is funny because there is 'The Great Hunt' where Hlums are made.

[palomar]

No, hunting is not considered an Art in Tuluki culture and society. Hunters can be more or less artful in their approach to their profession.

Details of the Grey Hunt are different from time to time and very much a "find out IC" topic. As the name implies, hunting is incorporated into the process to some degree but it's not a contest to decide who kills the most/baddest critters.

[Lizzie]

What constitutes "art" in Tuluk, is whatever the nobles tell you constitutes "art" in Tuluk. If your boss, Dispepsia Dasari, tells you that foraging for plants can be honed into an artform, then foraging for plants can be honed into an artform. If your patron Lilliput Lyksae says that there is art to every form of combat including hunting, then there is.

ICly - it has been said, at times, by some "people of influence" that hunting is most definitely an artform. As is cooking, and dressing nobles, and housecleaning, and even walking gracefully from one end of the city to the other. In some aspects, ALL activities can be made into artforms, and ALL people who attempt mastery of these activities could be considered artists.

It's left vague, I believe, because it's intended for the society to work out on a case by case basis in-game, and not laid out in nice neat bullet points on an OOC document. That wouldn't be very artistic

[3kanks]

Being very good at something, isn't enough to elevate something to art. I think there has to be some passionate commitment to the excellence that in some way highlights it.

For instance, to polish a table really well isn't art. To innovate some way to polish a table that transforms it from simply being a table might be art.
Or to preserve a method of polishing, so that your table is is polished in a way that preserves a method of polishing so that it's never lost, might be art.

I think there is a threshold in which the way you are excellent is wholly yours, that you could make an argument in Tuluk (or life for that matter) that what you do is art.

[palomar]

What constitutes "art" in Tuluk, is whatever the nobles tell you constitutes "art" in Tuluk. If your boss, Dispepsia Dasari, tells you that foraging for plants can be honed into an artform, then foraging for plants can be honed into an artform. If your patron Lilliput Lyksae says that there is art to every form of combat including hunting, then there is.

ICly - it has been said, at times, by some "people of influence" that hunting is most definitely an artform. As is cooking, and dressing nobles, and housecleaning, and even walking gracefully from one end of the city to the other. In some aspects, ALL activities can be made into artforms, and ALL people who attempt mastery of these activities could be considered artists.

It's left vague, I believe, because it's intended for the society to work out on a case by case basis in-game, and not laid out in nice neat bullet points on an OOC document. That wouldn't be very artistic

It is not that simple. Singing does not cease to be an Art because a Chosen says so. Hunting does not become an Art because a Chosen says so. It would most likely be considered an Art in their social circle of influence, because no commoner (except maybe Circle bards) would say the contrary to their face. Making some activity or profession an Art would require convincing the social system, effectively changing Tuluki culture in a lasting way. To make an extreme point: Chosen says Nosepicking is an Art. That would make their employees and partisans uncomfortable, and the Chosen would face a lot of subtle or not-so subtle ridicule from Circle bards (and other Chosen). To use your Dasari example, it'd probably make for polite nods of understanding while the audience simply thinks it's rather typical Dasari and quite eccentric - and it wouldn't spread outside the Dasari's clique.

There is no culture-wide recognition of titles or social standing along the lines of Master Hunter. The vaguest social "Master" rank is that of Artisan, which is a finer word for crafter.

The Arts that are formally acknowledged throughout all of Tuluki culture and society are: Assassination, Thievery and the Bardic Arcs (which hold a lot of different stuff).

Among the bards of the Poets' Circle, the Groot Circle is most likely to have expert hunters in their ranks as they have a reputation of being able to procure exotic materials.

Edited to add: Yes, you can be artful doing just about anything. That does not make your activity an Art/art form.

[Patuk]

Discuss it IC.

It's not something I say often, but every Tuluki character can get to do so, and it's an opportunity for actual RP rather than gdb argument #12956.

[Eurynomos]

This borders a lot of IC stuff. As Patuk recommended, you can find out IC.