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Being a fictional universe, the world of Dota is home to a great many phenomena we have difficulty understanding or relating to due to the fantastical nature of imaginary constructs. In spite of this, once in a while you may find yourself stumbling over something in the Dota universe that mirrors a familiar concept from our own realm. One such concept, is Yoy and Oyo, a concept fundamental to the ideology of the hero featured in this weeks Dota Lore Spotlight – Brewmaster.

One of the more serene locations in the world of Dota 2 is the Wailing Mountains, a mountainous region at undisclosed coordinates. For uncounted centuries, the Order of the Oyo has had its home in the Wailing Mountains. The order bases its philosophy on enlightenment through drink, and has practiced their rites of holy reverie through acts such as brewing their own alcoholic beverages, personal meditation and reflective contemplation, as well as throwing grand festivals of drink. Only one member of this order is known to us – Mangix.

Mangix was never an ordinary individual. His mother was a mortal of earthly properties, but his father was a Celestial, the divine embodiment of different aspects of nature. This celestial ancestry serves to empower Mangix, granting him the ability to temporarily shed his mortal body, substituting it with three celestial spirits attuned to different elements. Carrying within him the powers of earth, wind and fire, Mangix was the first known individual to bear the talents of both mortal and divine lineages. Being a member of the Order of the Oyo however, it is not known if Mangix himself is aware of his innate attunement to the celestial. This is because the split always occurs when he is deeply inebriated.

The tenants of the order were of great importance to Mangix and he followed them with such diligence that he soon became worthy of challenging the brewmaster of the order for his title. The brewmaster being the head of the order, a title imbued with great honor. In order to successfully earn the title, one had to defeat the current holder in a combination of mortal combat and excessive drinking. Thus Mangix fought the elder of the order for nine straight days. On the ninth day, the master had finally had enough, and Mangix received the exalted title of brewmaster as the former holder of the title collapsed on the ground. Having been crowned with the honor at last, Mangix set out to perform his newfound duty; wandering the land in search of drunken enlightenment, hoping to one day think the thought that at last unites the spirit plane with the physical plane once again.

The exact nature of Yoy and Oyo are never explained to us in full, but there are some subtle hints to be picked up on. Yoy and Oyo serves as the Dota equivalent of the famous Chinese concept of dualism, yin and yang. Brewmaster describes Yoy and Oyo as contrary forces that give rise to his existence, and often talks of how he wishes to achieve balance, balance possibly being the perfect mixture of Yoy and Oyo.

Brewmaster also talks slightly of some more detailed properties of Yoy and Oyo. Having divided his ancestors into two groups, each belonging to their respective element his Yoy ancestors are said to empower his magical abilities, while his Oyo ancestors empower his physical attacks. This makes it possible that Yoy and Oyo refer to physical locations, or perhaps characteristics found in an individuals personality, seeing as different people are attributed to a different element of the philosophy. There have been no records of an Order of the Yoy to compliment the Order of the Oyo.

Hopefully this weeks article wasn’t too inebriating. Sober up and join us next Friday! As always, thank you for tuning in to GamingHistoria.

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