EMPIRE! Pre-history Thread

[lt_murgen]

Folks, I am compiling my own history, as if written by a scholar. I was going to attach it to my region write-up, but it proved too long. So I am going to store it here.

Pre-History

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Not much is known of the Quill or Islander Pre-History. There are few written records, and oral histories are inaccurate and prone to conflation as the years progressed. It is widely believed that the Islander and Quill were once a single people, living in the region now known as Tar. The Quill believe that descended from some kind of creatures called the Fey. They believe they once wielded awesome powers, but that has been lost. It is possible they were a mixture of human and non-human races of some sort. It is certain that both Islanders and Quill have the potential to live well past 100, barring malnutrition, disease, or violent death.

Scholars speculate that the two split sometime in the past. Some attribute this to the Quill’s cultural disdain for “imperfection”. Perhaps some group along the coast developed the characteristic eyelids or flexible ribs and large lungs of the Islanders and were banished. Others believe the natural disaster that destroyed so many civilizations and records over 300 years ago was to blame. Whether by persecution of by natural disaster, those that became Islanders made their way to the Tangarotha Archipelago, and lost knowledge of their genetic counterparts on the continent.

The Islanders quickly evolved to living around the sea, with their unique eyelids and flexible ribcages. Their sea-faring skills evolved as well, and they were the first to craft ships capable of sailing the Sea of the Golden Sun, as they called it. For centuries, they were the terror of the coasts, raiding, stealing, and carrying off people and supplies. Their society evolved around ship side practices, with a strong dual-nature of authority being present. Several cities grew up along the coasts, but the islanders treated them more or less like ships, with a single leader selected by the majority.

On the mainland, the Quill turned to a largely theocratic society of small tribes and a central council of religious scholars. Content to live behind the shield of the Blackadder forest and surrounding terrain, they made little notice for centuries. In fact, most other cultures only knew them by their single coastal city. This city, as it turns out, held most of the ‘warped’ and abandoned Quill, giving a false impression of the group as a whole.

The Nations form (270-357)

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When the Quill formed a united nation in roughly 340, the young and strapping Chief Talon Char (315-380)-and his wing (wife) Root (314-404) were chosen to lead. Talon was given the ability to raise and commands troops, collect taxes in the form of food and other goods, and had the power to declare allied, enemies and neutral positions towards other governments and organizations. In most political negotiations he was merely to be the elected face of the Elder Council, an elite caste of sages chosen for their uncanny wisdom and wile among temple priests who confer on issues about trade, diplomacy and learning.

Talon Char’s 30 year rule was a disaster. There was no significant progress in building up a nation, an army, nor making negotiations with other nations. Only the lizardfolk of Scla’ca and the Islanders of the Jeweled Cities even seemed to take notice of them. For a decade, many believed the place was called Meraska. But this was a lie fabricated by the deformed Quill outcasts who populated the city of Hart. While the lizardfolk’s Cult of the Sky made significant inroads into the Quill populace, it was the Shamans of the Wild, from the Jeweled Cities, who found a way to move Tar forward.

Change came to the Jeweled Cities slowly. It was difficult to get the fractious pirates, sedate farmers, rough and tumble miners, and the subsistence beachcombers to unite around anything. Into this situation was born Jonas Grumby in 302. His mother was a sailor and his father a subsistence beach-comber. He was born on the pirate ship Sunset, but made his home in the city of Pearl. He rose to command through his discerning nature, good fortune, and keen negotiating skills. In his later life, he parlayed his wealth into control of most of the intra-city trading and built up Pearl as the shipping capital. Along his rise to power, he gathered a cadre of close friends and associates. These folks went on to from the first Senior Council of the Jeweled Cities

Spoiler: Sidebar: The original council

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Jonas Grumby, The Pirate King (302-387) Appearance: Tall and dark skinned, with a broad chest. His eyes were a brilliant copper color, hinting at some odd ancestry. His hair was dark, tending towards blue- a Cremar trait. It went stark white with the slightest blue streaks at an early age. Tales said that, as a young man, he was dragged into the depths by a squid but fought free. The shock of near death turned his hair white overnight. His face was tattooed along the right eye, showing his mother’s family. He favored silk breeches and vest with mid-thigh sharkskin boots. He wore a wide-brimmed hat thick with feathers.

Eunice Lovell “Lovey” Wentworth (276-347) was several decades his senior and the nominal head of the city of Amber. She was seen as a doting, dotty, woman, often absorbed with odd details and trivia. It is speculated he seduced her, or perhaps the other way around. In any event, she was one of his strongest supporters and interceded with the Shaman’s of the Wild on her behalf. Several of her children and grandchildren became shamans, and she strongly supported that religion.

Gil Egan (316-397) Gil was a noted catamaran skipper, and was popular and well known with the people. He was key to the rise of the Grumby trading empire. A notable klutz, there were numerous stories expounding on the catastrophic nature of some of his accidents. To be ‘Gilligan’ something is a local phrase for having a spectacular failure. He retired from the council in round 9, and died in the year 397.

Ginger Grant (310-395) Ginger was Jonas’ lover and mother to his twin daughters. She was beautiful and curvaceous, even by islander standards. Fiercely loyal to Jonas Grumby, she used her sharp mind, her stunning looks, and athletic body to further his goals. She proved herself capable of running and expanding their trading empire as Jonas took over running the islands. She was known to be exceptionally hedonistic, and tales of her exploits tickle the fancy of even the most immodest Islander.

Howell Thrustone (dates uncertain) Little is really known of the dwarf. He was a middle-aged fugitive from one of the dwarf realms who fled across the sea to escape their wrath. His skill with mining made him hugely popular with the miners living in the City of Turquoise. Eventually, he became their leader. He supported Jonas, though often acted as the loyal opposition.

Mary Ann Summers (313- 397) Mary Ann was popular and well known with the people, and again acted as the loyal opposition in discussions. Mary Ann was acknowledge animal lover, possessing an almost supernatural ability to understand birds, beasts, and creatures like dolphins and whales. This ability helped the Islanders tame and raise the food animals they needed to live. She married Gil Egan and had several children.

Roy Hinkley (291-391) Roy had been the elected mayor of Opal for decade before the council formed. An accomplished brewer and tinkerer, he was referred to as the Professor. A man with a keen technical mind but little ambition, he was instrumental in developing the techniques needed to expand kelp-olive oil production. With a large family, his influence can still be felt throughout the islands.

The Council’s structure worked. Kelp-olive oil production reached Great levels in 340. Numerous trade missions were launched. The Coral Skipper, Jonas’ vessel, became known as their flagship, with Pauly Feather’s ”White Osprey” and the Blue Monkey’s “the Gambler” sailing along side. The constructed a Shipbuilding and Navigation Naval Academy over the course of 25 years. It still ranks as one of the prominent sources for such knowledge. Above all, the Council worked hard to promote peace, non-violence, and free trade. It became a mantra amongst the Jeweled Cities’ leadership that profit comes from the free exchange of goods. Every diplomatic effort they made was along those lines. Some might have seen that as suspect, given they had the largest standing Navy at the time, and were not sharing their ocean-going ship building techniques yet.

Perhaps the most significant promotion of this idea happened at the Central Sea Conference in 355. There, Jonas made contact with the people of Raaneka, forging a friendship that lasted for decades. Raaneka assisted in training the Islander military, and Anguri Adite was fostered there. She went on to become ruler of Raaneka decades later. An agreement with the lizardfolk of Scla’ca for a lumber for oil trade allowed for an increase in their navy. It also included a large docking facility in their port city. Another with the Alydaxian lizards for kelp-olive oil for their special metal Ordinarium. He made an agreement with the Union of the Northwest for a trade port in Ryazen Bay was signed, with ocean patrolling agreements and exchange of precious jewels for construction quality stone and lumber. This was the first agreement of its kind, and would herald later, greater efforts. They built up the largest navy in the Sea of the Golden Sun with all of this influx of needed materials.

Not all went well. Ongoing strife with the Shamans of the Wild kept shipbuilding stagnant. The agreement with Scla’ca for lumber only made that worse. The loss of ‘The Gambler’ in 345 took the Blue Monkey and a shaman, who happened to be Lovey’s son, name Feather. The woman died of grief the next year. This also caused Gil Egan and Mary Ann Summers to leave the council. Jonas was force to open seats on the council to a general election. The city of Amber placed an air shaman by the name of Whisper onto the council. She was known for her fair looks and calm demeanor. Turquoise voted a man named Samhell Bellami, and Opal named Pauline to the council.

Samhell Bellami (320-373), also known as “Black Sam”, opposed Jonas early and often. He was one of the Blue Monkey’s chief lieutenants, and a villain to the core. Despite this, he had strong ties to the Shamans, richly bribing the spirits to assuage his guilty conscience. This gave him a certain amount of power. So did his well-known association with a “Meraskan” called the Blue Monkey, leader of a large pirate armada. Pauline (291-370), also known as Pauly Feathers, was a prominent and vicious pirate captain, despite being a woman. It is speculated she had unrequited romantic interests in Jonas Grumby, which put her at constant odds with Ginger Grant. She spoke for the unaffiliated traders and merchants on the council. Whisper (323—394), pushed hard on spiritual matters, seeing trade expansion as a violation of ancient practices. She spoke little, but her utterances carried great weight with the Shamans. She also resented the loss of Shaman’s power that the lumber agreement with Scla’ca represented. Jonas had to negotiate with many lands to allow shaman scholars to travel freely.

Various secret actions taken at the time proved to be nothing useful. Jonas’ daughters were rumored to have caused multiple embarrassing situations as they grew up, including sleeping with the Raaneki Prince Tikta the night before his betrothal to the Bourdusi princess was announced. In 356-360, they attempted to settle a region that was eventually called Cassia, in opposition to the desires of Bordeaux. They failed. However, given the nature of the Cassia conflict decades later, perhaps this was fortuitous.

The Regina and the formation of AQUA 357-390

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In 357, Amber Grant took over for her father Jonas Grumby. Amber and Evelyn were Jonas and Ginger’s twin girls. They had their mother’s looks and sex appeal, and their father’s business acumen and commanding presence. They travelled everywhere with their parents, growing up aboard ship, at diplomatic facilities, and on the islands in equal measure. They even travelled on their own, such as to the first Raaneki games of 347. It was a certainty that one of the two would take his place. But Amber’s choice puzzled some. She seemed more adventurous than her more cautious sister.
Some speculate Amber used the militia, whom she trained, to force her father out. Others say that a gift of a magical toy ship from the Lord of Fire consumed his attention. In any case, Jonas Grumby did move on to Chancellorship of the Nautical Academy upon his retirement. (end stats: Diplomacy: 5 Military: 3 Curiosity: 7 Faith: 2 Luck: 5)

Almost immediately, she was beset with problems. A drunken tavern brawl between her and her twin sister Evelyn turned into an attempted murder of Evelyn. She fled in terror. It would be decades until the two reconciled and uncovered it was the Bellami family behind the attempt, to sow dissent on the council. She managed to side-step any confrontation with Pauline by making her leader of Ryazen Bay’s trading port. The Shamans of the Wild were reputed to spread wild rumors to foment strife. A massive and unusual hurricane devastated the islands in the first few years of her rule. This hurricane caused a political storm, as the students from the Union of the Northwest were casualties. Their deaths were not believed to be accidental, and the agreement with the Union of the Northwest collapsed in 366. A short, brutal war in Celero threatened their non-violent dogma, and uneven application of their promises also contributed to that dissolution. On top of it all, Amber had a difficult pregnancy to contend with, giving birth to Jonas and Tempest Grantin the same year.

But she had some early successes too. In 370, construction of the Emerald City began on the Woodwind coast, having been successfully negotiated in 366. Ignato gained the expertise of the Islander shipwrights in exchange, and an ongoing trade of Kelp-olive oil for Nyrothian silk began. Construction was slow, as the Islanders had little experience building stone cities. It was helped greatly with the acquiring of mammoths from Wenyavuk. The northerners had a passion for Islander tropical fruit. Some say Amber meant to negotiate for mammoth fur, and got live animals instead on accident. In any event, she put her sister in charge of the construction, having reconciled after over a decade apart. The construction techniques and the management of a port on foreign soil was an excellent learning experience for the new leadership. It became the model for many other port cities to follow.

But it was during this time that the region of Tar once again entered into world politics. In 366, Shamans of the Wild began working with the Quill elder council to research the origins of both groups. Here is the actual text of their findings:

Spoiler: A Missive from the Shamans of the Wild to Amber Grant, Regina of the Jeweled Cities

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Greetings!

It is with significant import that we write this missive to you. We Shamans have uncovered some startling information that calls into question the ancestry that we all claim.

As part of our mission, we have sent Shamans out onto the continent, to learn and begin to understand the nature of the beliefs of the multiple cultures and races upon the Continent. One particular pilgrimage took us to the cities of Tar. The people there, called Quill, are roughly the same stature as the Islanders, but with shallower chests and longer arms. They lack our hand webbing and inner eyelid as well. Beyond that, their skin, hair, and eye color are close to ours.

Tar’s religion is remarkably similar to ours. They worship the spirits of nature, and their main spirit Atur is in the form of a tree. This echoes our use of carved trees to represent the spirits of nature. In our discussions with them, we found we had more in common dogmatically than was disparate. They believe the birds carry the spirits of the dead. We shamans venerate the creatures that inhabit our Isle of Birds.

Culturally, our pilgrims found much that was similar as well. Their capital resides amongst a confusing morass of swamp and is difficult to find without guides. Similarly, our capital of Pearl lies hidden amongst the vast waterways of the Grand Banks. Both the Quill and the Islanders have a strong, innate desire for precious stones. We both decorate our bodies- the Quill with paint, we with ink- taken from sources in nature. Our decorations are a part of who we are, strongly represented in both cultures. Even the practice of noting the mother’s family on the right side of the face is the same. Our Council and regent structure is virtually identical to theirs. Our pilgrims found it odd that two cultures with so little contact could be so similar.

We investigated further, as far as we could. The Quill have a greater historical archive than we do. With some negotiation, we were able to learn some of it and examine their cultural relics. We saw some ancient tools that clearly were made from star oyster shells. Yet the Quill had no knowledge of that species- it was not native to their shores. Several items had paint we recognized as the purple you get from our spiny anemone, yet they claimed it was a color lost to them. It was curious.

As we discussed history, the Quill scholars from their Elder Council were saddened we knew so little of our ancestry. Everything beyond roughly 300 years ago is simply gone. Too many storms made paper and vellum records unrecoverable. All we know is contained in the earliest spirit poles upon the Island of Birds. They tell of our first ancestors being led to the island by the spirits of the air, fleeing persecution from the big lands and seeking the safety of the sea. This seemed to excite their scholars.

They brought forth several scrolls which told of a legend. In ancient times, there were two groups of Quill- those of the coast and those of the swamp. They lived in harmony, cooperative but separate. Something came between them, and warfare broke out. Here there are two different accounts. The first says the coastal Quill were wiped out because they were ‘impure’. When we asked them about this, the scholars believed that it meant they were deformed. The Quill culture treats birth defects quite harshly. The second account says that the spirits of their ancestors led the leader of the coastal Quill to a land far away. He returned, and his people left in exodus. It was the opinion of their council that this was merely a way to re-write what was essentially genocide.

Since our initial contact, we have made several other discoveries. Some of the oldest spirit poles in the Islands are made from a kind of wood not found in our lands. We inquired, and the wood is found in Tar. These poles also seem to hold birds, as the spirits of the air, in higher regard than we do now.

While we possess no central piece of evidence that links our Islanders to the Quill, all the evidence points to a close association between our two peoples. It is possible that we are descended from the Quill who left their shores, possibly to settle in the islands. The Elder Council agrees, and their signatures append this missive. Both the Quill Senior Council and the Shamans of the Wild request resources be made available to further investigate, and potentially reunite, our cultures.

By the year 372, this had been accomplished under the banner of the Ancestral Quill Unification Alliance (AQUA). The event was used by Amber to reorganize the Senior Council and the elders to reorganize the Elder Council. Quiver Char (340-PRESENT and Coal Char (337-PRESENT), children of the original ruler, were given mostly symbolic positions a “Warden of the West” and Aide-de-camp. Her sister Evelyn was given stewardship of the Emerald City. Samhell “Black Sam: Bellami died in 373 as a result of a disease from the Blackadder Forest, so his son was selected to by the Steward of Beryl, the Tar port city formerly known as Heart. Indigo Summers (346-399), son of Gil Egan and Mary Ann Summers was the representative from Opal. Atura Timber (318-418) was the Quill representative on the Council.

Most Council meetings were held aboard Amber’s flagship, The Endless Sky. Much of the acrimony was toned down. Atura was always pushing for more knowledge and research, and largely backed by Whisper on religious issues. Samhell “Junior Black” Bellami Junior was a profiteer and war-monger, but Amber and Ginger, with Evelyn’s’ proxy in hand, easily out-maneuvered him.

On the diplomatic front, the newly formed Ancestral Quill Unification Alliance (AQUA) answered the missive from a Lord of Fire devotee called Paco Guzman for teachers for the potential new Blazing Avatar. They sent Amber’s Father, Jonas, who had become bored administrating the Naval Academy and wanted one final adventure. They showed their naval prowess in a brief war with the Salterri as they ‘invaded’ the north in retribution for the annexation of Cassia by Bordeaux. Amber lead the attack personally, her blue hulled, blue sailed flagship at the forefront of the battle.

They extended a helping hand to the Beregines after their devastating earthquake. Most significantly, AQUA brought together the Hurosha Empire, Guilder, and themselves to study the possibility of creating airships. Trade flourished under her leadership as well throughout the 370s to 390s. The Glazfell Hegemony, Guilder, the Hurosha Empire, the Ignato Empire, Jarrland, Raaneka, Razdis, Saltierre, and Sympol, all opened or expanded trade with them.

In a very real way, the Grant family became the face of AQUA. Evelyn gave birth to twin boys Tarn anf Firth, then Martin much later. The father, Pinna was a native Quill, and insisted his name be included in their children’s last name. So they became known as the Grant-Tremblor family. It was, for a time, rumored the boys had gills, but it was merely a rumor. The families travelled together often and were frequent and popular guests at events like the Raaneki games, the ill-fated Grand Ball of 384. Raaneki and AQUA children were fostered with each other, building close relationships. Tempest, her daughter, was married to a Jarrow Prince, eventually becoming Queen. Jonas, her son, became a close and trusted advisor to Mashidi Shivedrsisht “Bright Eyes,” ruler of Genivania and a member of the Triumvirate.

This viewpoint was cemented firmly in place during the Jeweled Cities 50th anniversary party in 387.
It was a celebration of the Grants, with all of the finest gifts and presents going to them. They gave the gift of Pitch technology to their closest allies. Pitch, a sticky burning fluid, was ideal for defense, and the product of years of research. It was the ultimate expression of their pacifism. It was a huge party- rumor was that they literally drank the Islands dry of alcohol. It was here that Tumberink Grumby arrived on the scene, in a rowboat no less. More family drama upstaging the accomplishments of the Jeweled Cities.

Spoiler: sidebar: Tumberink Grumby and the fate of the Pirate King

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Tumberink Grumby is truly Jonas Grumby’s son. As he grew older and was embraced by the Grant family, he related what he knew of his dad’s life in later years.
[i]“Dad left Paco and the girls because of the war with the Salterri. He had heard Amber was bringing the Jeweled Cities fleet into the fight and couldn’t resist. Paco never supported the war, so he didn’t tell the monk when he slipped away.
He used to tell me that he watched the battle from a high point near the beach. He was never prouder of his people or his daughter that day with the tactics and skill they showed. But the land battle was chaotic, and he wound up fleeing with the camp followers as the battlefront shifted. He was in his late 70s, so running was hardly an option.
He caught the Pusdeath from those close quarters. It was horrible. He was trapped in Grizzland when the quarantine fell, and wound up in a small village along the Cracked Shell coast. He isn’t sure how he got there, though. The Pusdeath didn’t kill him, but the high fevers and seizures permanently damaged his memory. He had them on and off until the day he died.
He had me with a widow who was taking care of him. She died in childbirth, I was told. Dad and I moved around a lot. I think he was trying to make sense of the past he lost.
I don’t really remember how I ended up in the rowboat with Marius and Fiassa. I remember dad’s sea trunk and sleeping on it a lot. I asked them later on, and they said he died saving me from a sea monster, battling it to the death like the ancient heroes of old. But that was probably just to help me feel better about it.”[i]

Spoiler: The Grants and friends

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Amber Grant : (331-399). Amber was the daughter of Ginger and Jonas. She was tall and statuesque, copper eyes, and a mass of dark purple hair in curls that showed blue highlights. Typically, she dressed in breeches, a vest, and a wide hat. The form stayed the same, but became more ornate and jewel laden as she grew into the role of Regent.
Iaz: (345-399) Ambers husband and native islander. He was shorter than many, but a possessed the long, lean muscles of a swimmer and diver.
Tempest Grant(366-Present) Daughter of Amber and Iaz, she married Athelmere, King of the Jarrs
Jonas Grant (366-Present)- Son of Amber and Iaz, he was badly burned at the Grand ball of (380?). Pledged himself to Shvedrishti “bright Eyes” and became a prominent member of the Radurja faith.
Evelyn Grant-Tremblor: (331-399). Amber’s twin sister. The primary difference was that Evelyn kept her hair in straight, tight braids. Growing up, she was as wild as her sister, and in some ways never settled down. Still a competent administrator. She was dying from infectious Ship Fever when she was killed.
Pinna Tremblor (342-399), Evelyn’s husband, A Quill from the swamps. Known for his ardent worship of Atur.
[u]Firth Grant-Tremblor[/] (377-Present). Son of Evelyn and Pinna. Tall (6 foot 4 inches) and lean, with a build honed by lives spent swimming and free-running. Neither brothers are exceptionally strong, but have exceptional agility and endurance. They have the wider chests of the Islanders, and the longer arms of the Quill. Their skin is the color of burnished walnut. They have their father’s facial features- long face with sharp cheekbones, narrow jawline, and pointy chin. They have the bright copper eye color of their mother, and her dark purple curly hair streaked with blue. Both wear their hair in long ropy braids. Across their cheek, they bear the tattoo of the Grant family. The also bear the traditional tattoos green/white of the Atur faith of their father across their chest.
Tarn Grant-Tremblor Adite (377-PRESENT) See his brother Tarn for description. He is married to Dame Dusari Adite, of the Raanekan royal family
Martin Grant-Tremblor (393-Present) The third child of Evelyn and Pinna.
Hawkeye Grumby: (378-PRESENT]) Hawkeye is a Quill child abandoned by his parents. He has severe hearing loss, but makes up for it with the ability to read lips and uncanny attention to details. He was adopted by Indigo Summers (249-399), who took no wife, and named after Indigo’s idol, Jonas Grumby
Tumberink Grumby (377-Present) Son of Jonas Grumby and a woman from Grizzland. In a very real way, he looks like his father, but with lighter skin. http://www.movieactors.com/photos-st...ale-dodge2.jpg

The end of the Beginning (387-399)

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It was, perhaps, Amber’s popularity that was her undoing. Consumed with the external affairs, she neglected several important ones internally. Almost from the beginning, she discounted the concerns of the Shamans and the Quill scholars around the lizardfolk’s Cult of the Sky. The Cult made significant inroads into Tar, almost eliminating their traditional religion entirely. She did allow a religious amphitheater to be built in Tar, but did little else. They called for military troops that never saw battle. When Chief talon Char died in 380, she held no formal service, nor did she celebrate Tar’s unification five years later. Whisper, a councilwoman for decades died in 394 without even a formal letter from Amber, while her mother’s death a year later warranted a week of mourning. When the Great Famine gripped the continent in 390-400, she shifted resources to aid her allies, shorting the people of Tar and the Jeweled Cities of key imports. And she sent the fleet into a war between Bordeaux and the Salterri where AQUA had no stake, for ‘international peace’.

Others close to her believe that she focused so hard on her relationships to other nations because of her continuing losses at home. The events of the Grand Ball scarred her dramatically. It was a religious event that, in a real way, took her family away. Her son was nearly killed and permanently disfigured. Instead of returning home, he became a monk. Her daughter went away (with a prince, but still) who swept the girl off her feet, literally, to save her. Then came finding out her father was dead in 387, “uncle” Roy passing in 391, her mother in 395, and “uncle” Gil and “aunt” Mary Ann in 397. Even her new half-brother Tumberink did not stay in the Islands long. Grief, loss, and anger at the religious in the council blinded her to what was coming.

With Whisper and Ginger passing on, the Council again shifted membership. Atura Timber stepped down, giving the Char voting proxies to a pair of Quill, Tupelo Cornus and Opus Petrichor. Thrustone Howell stepped down as well in 392, bringing in a Continetal, Verdo Collino, and a firebrand Shaman of the Wild. The shift in leadership puzzled observers, but many now point to it as a sign of Amber’s disconnection from internal politics. Stormbringer was aptly named- a fierce promoter of religious ideas. Tupelo and Opus successfully blocked any attempt at sanctioning the Children of Kina when they drove out the followers of the Cult of the Sky from Tar.

Spoiler: The New councilmembers

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Stormbringer: (379-?) Loud and brash, her pronoucments are like an oncoming storm. Oddly, she is built like a Crimar, and sports no tatoos on her face.
Tupelo Cornus (350-404). Known as “Freak”. He looks like a normal Quill, but his eyes are nearly completely golden and his skin has the texture of rough tree bark. Abandoned by his parents, he does not speak of his childhood.
Opus Petrichor (360-Present)
Verdo Collino (353-Present)

ON December 31, 399, The Decevier Cult launched a campaign of assassination against the Grant Family and their close associates. Amber and her life partner Iaz, along with another couple, were strangled aboard her own ship. Evelyn and her husband Pinna, along with their three children, were attacked at their residence in the Emerald City. The three boys escaped and fled first to Genivania, then to Raaneka. Indigio Summers was strangled near his home. Hawkeye Grumby, Inidgo’s adopted son, was attacked in the Tar city of Arrow. He managed to kill his attackers. Tempest and Jonas, being removed from AQUA politics were not targeted.
The council quickly reformed, and Tupelo Cornus was named Regent of the Jeweled Cities and Sagamore of Tar. They issued a proclamation to all the other rulers, explaining their actions.

Spoiler: The proclamation

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A Letter from the Senior Council of AQUA, to the Leaders of Telluris.
Greetings!
By now many of you will have heard about the change in leadership amongst AQUA. Many of you will little remark or take notice of our leadership changed. To those, we say, thank you. This is an internal matter. We will do our best to continue to honor all trade agreements made in the past, and continue to support the values of free trade and peace we have long championed.

To those who are upset by the recent actions taken by the council, we ask for your understanding. The actions taken by our new Regent, Tupelo Cornus, and the members of the Senior Council could be seen by many as aggressive, violent, and unnecessary. They were not. We understand that the Grant family was extremely popular on the Continent and beyond. To a person, they are clever, witty, and possess great physical charm. But there is more to leadership than charming the nobility of other lands. In the AQUA regions, her charms were less overpowering, and her faults far more evident.

She spoke of peace, and yet sent our men and women into no less than military engagements where AQUA was not directly threatened. She could have supported the Union of the North in their war against the Ignato Empire. Instead, she stood aside and allowed other ships to be used as transport, increasing the carnage of that battle. Her actions so badly damaged that relationship that thirty years later it is still unrepaired. She went to war against the Salterri to defend colonial interests, making an enemy with a powerful navy heritage to protect her “allies” who support her sister’s domain on the continent. She then chose to put our people in harm’s way once again, against the combined forces of an ally and the Salterri to defend an the soldiers of Bordeaux- despite having little formal relations with them. And during that entire time, she continued to spend significant amounts of time and treasure on military buildups and secret projects.

She spoke of trade, and yet the richness of her trade agreements were channeled into the pockets of her friends and relatives. Often, this was done at the expense of the people of AQUA. Lumber from the sacred lands of the Isle of Birds and the Blackadder forest flowed out from our lands. She ‘acquired’ countless acres to increase the fruit exports of our nation. Yet in a land-poor nation, did she stop to consider where the land would come from? From the people, forcing them out of their traditional independent living and into farming. Yes, it was done in the name of commerce. But when one family controls all shipping amongst an island nation, it is more slavery than free enterprise.
And who received the benefits? Raaneki trade wine, to her and her cadre? Mammoths- did the people ever see the meat they were promised? No. The silk she traded for, did the people see it? No- it went into her mighty fleet. The continent burned, and she took from her own people to ‘gift’ others, to make herself look like a generous savior.

Amber was not the generous, welcoming ruler she projected to the rest of the world. Her magnanimousness aboard was countered with callous indifference at home. Our council and advice was routinely discarded. Our concerns for the integrity of our lands dismissed as fear mongering. Our religions threatened in the name of cultural understanding. No, the voices of the people of AQUA never found a ready ear in the Regina. She stocked the Council with sycophants and dependents to assure herself of assent to any policy she chose. She gave license to those who she controlled, positioning them so as to remain in control for generations. Voices of dissent found themselves given ‘promotions’ to far flung outposts where their concerns would come as too little too late.

What was done by this council was an attempt to take back control of our lands; to stop the plundering of our resources and heritage upon the altar of her personality. It was done in accordance to the established covenant and in accordance to our heritage. The particular methodology was deliberately selected to endanger as few people as possible. No civil wars, no fleet battles, no decades long sacrifice of good men and women for the untethered ambitions of a despot.
We acted as we did to prevent a civil war within our borders. It was clear from the many Council meetings that the Grant family would not relinquish control without a fight. When their dwarf ally retired, did they open the Council to the people? N0, they brought in an outsider from a nation allied with them. When their matriarch retired, did they call for elections? No, they had intended to hold her proxy and leave the seat vacant. The Council had to force her hand by calling for an internal vote, negating her vote and her mothers. It was the only way. She responded in typical despot fashion, shipping the newest members off on a months long “diplomatic” boondoggle while she maneuvered to negate the change by creating an alliance of smuggling agents to do her will secretly across Telluris.

We regret the loss of life. We lament the course of action we were forced to take. With no other options available, we chose the path we saw as the least destructive to our lands, our people. We ask, simply, for time to recover and organize to better serve the AQUA. If you choose to turn away, we will mourn the loss of goodwill this act engendered. But it is our fervent hope that the nations of Telluris will accept that this is an internal change in leadership. We will do our best to remain honorable, concerned leaders.

We welcome any opportunity to speak with you and clarify any details or concerns you might have.

They immediately sought to make their coup legitimate. They dissolved the Grant’s hold on intra-island trade, redistributed resources, and held general elections. These elections put non-voting members on the council to voice their opinions.
Tupelo Cornus set out to preach to the masses, formalizing the Children of Kina as a religion. His speech, or variations of it, as given in hundreds of locations in the Jeweled Cities and Tar. A version of it is included below.

Spoiler: The Sermon of Tupelo Cornus

Show

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, I thank you for coming here tonight. In the torchlight I see many I call friends- Priests of Atur and the Shamans of the Wild. The light of the moons shine upon the faces of Quill and Islander, Continental and Outcast alike. By it, I call you all my brothers. Our faith has brought us together. In this place, at this time, our faith is as one.

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, hear me for my cause and attend that you might hear. Believe me for my honor and have respect for that honor, that you might believe. Query me in your wisdom, and awaken your senses that you might better judge the truth of my words

If there be any at this assembly , any dear friend of Amber Regina, to them I say, that Tupelo’s love to Amber was no less than theirs. If that friend demand why I rose against Amber, this is my answer. Not that I loved Amber less, but that I loved our people more. Would you rather Amber live and our souls sold to the highest bidder, or that Amber were dead and our souls be once again ours?

As Amber embraced me, I weep for her; as she found fortune, I rejoiced at it. As she was valiant in the cause of peace, I honored her. But as she was perfidious, I slew her. Here were tears for her love. Hera was joy for her fortune. Here was honor for her valor. And here was death for her faithlessness.

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, this faithlessness hold the whole world within its grasp. And Faithlessness carries death in its wake. Here in our lands, it brought low a leader well beloved. In the North, a being of rage and fire stalks ravaging the land. Oh woe those leaders who face it, for their faith is weak, and that weakness the very strength of the beast! Bordeaux! Ashenia! The payment of faithlessness has come due.

In the East, callous leaders tear apart a once great faith as vultures on a corpse. They squabble over the prime chunks while the very world burns. Hubris and once again Hubris!
To the south, the very dead rise from their graves. Avenging the pillaging of their resting places by those who refused to believe. Alydaxis! Woe to you who neglect the faith handed to you! For you are the defender of that faith, and to what end? A land of wealth and might, devoid of true living.

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, do we not live for ourselves? Are not our lives our own? Are we but marionettes dancing to the strings our master’s pluck? No, I say to you here and now, NO! When our masters demand we embrace their falsehood, we must say no. When our kings and queens ignore what is righteous, we must say no! it is our souls that hung in the balance. It is our souls that, even now, hang upon a spider’s thread. The flames of indifference, idolatry, and indifference threaten to burn that thread, and plunge us all into the firey abyss. We must refuse the demands of the wicked. We must refute the commands of the unjust. We must not let ourselves be consumed by the flesh and the flesh peddlers.

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, this is not easy. Our road is not level, and our burdens great. We are beset upon all sides by the inequities of the selfish, and the tyranny of evil men. They will seek to poison and destroy us, my brothers and sisters. They will strike down upon us with furious anger and great vengeance. For they fear us. Yes, they fear us. They fear those that would seek to shelter their brothers and sisters, to guide them in the paths of faith through the great valley of their darkness. Mark my words, there will come a day when we will be persecuted! There will come a day when we will be condemned. There will come a day when we will suffer at the hands of these creatures of spite and hate.
Brothers and sisters, cousins in custom and spirit, do not despair. We shall be strong during the dark times. We shall be strong, because our faith is strong. We shall endure because our faith is ever-enduring. And we shall overcome, because our faith cannot be overcome.

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, I too am a dissolute. Cast out by my family, I lived as I could, did what I thought I had to. Those were dark times, filled with dark deeds. But there, there in the swamps, in a time when I had no faith and wanted not for one, my faith found me. I was raised up by this faith, my feet set firmly upon the path that has led me here today, to preach the good news to you.

My first step cousins in custom and spirit, was along the path of Atur. God of my family, He of the Thousand Voices. Yet I found no solace there. For a thousand voices provide a thousand guide points. Brothers and sisters, I came to understand that a point in every direction is the same as no point at all. The Great Father Tree is imply that, a tree. There is no salvation amongst its branches.

My next steps towards revelation, towards redemption, lead me to the Shamans of the Wild. I heeded the call of a simple faith. Bribe the spirits for their good favor. Bribe them again to remove their displeasure. It is a simple faith. It is an easy faith. It is a faith that allows for the most heinous acts to be paid for with treasure. And it is poison for the soul. A poison that masks the pain you feel in yourself, disregards the pain you see in others. It is a poison that whispers its sweet seduction of the end justifying the means.

Brothers and Sisters, those who follow the Cult of the Sky, for a time, I sought salvation within your ranks. The Great Sky Spirit to watch over me. The Great Sky Spirit to send signs and portents to guide me. The Great Sky Spirit, nothing but emptiness and ambivalence. As a child sees clouds shaped to his imagination, so did your shamans see signs shaped to their thoughts, powered by the powerful herbs they ingest. Visions born of the mind, not of the spirit, they cannot save us.

For a time, I despaired. I despaired for my very soul, brothers and sisters. I saw nothing, heard nothing, that in which I could find surcease for my anguish. It was then, in my darkest hour of my darkest night, that I first heard Her call. In darkness, we are created. It is from this darkness that we are born. We move from our mother’s womb to her arms. Then from that shelter into the larger world. We step into the light, and take our place. And then, at the end of our lives, we return to that darkness. Eyes no longer seeing, once again we engulfed by it. I learned of the Mother of Darkness, the one from whom all souls come, and the one to whom all souls return.

Her call is a simple on, brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit. Her call is one of responsibility. We are responsible for our own soul. Not some shaman, not some seer. Salvation of destruction is in our hands alone. We must always understand why we do what we do. We are simple beings, limited in time and ability. We cannot know what results our actions will cause. All we can know, brothers and sisters, is what is in our heart when we do it. When our end comes, as all ends must come, we will be judged by Her. For She is also known as Khadi, devourer of Souls. She who knows all that has come before, and all to come after. She will take the forthright into her bosom, to rejoin the great wheel of life. Those found wicked, she will destroy utterly.

But fear not, brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit. Her demands are as simple as they are profound.

The Mother of the Night calls upon us to treat all creatures as we would desire to be treated. Live in harmony with all things, taking only what we understand we need. As we must eat, we must provide. If that means the death of another creature, then it should be as painless as we can arrange. For is that not what we would desire? When we are called back to her bosom, do we not desire to go quietly and peacefully? We owe those that give their lives for us as much.

The Mother of the Night sees all who ponder and think as children. She only wants her children to treat each other fairly. She desires hands outstretched in friendship rather than threat. She desires fortunes shared rather than hoarded. In all dealings between each other, she asks us to consider “Would we trade places with this person?” It is simple, and profound. Elegant, and full of complexity. Her call is one of consideration and attention, care and elevation.

Brothers and sisters, Cousins in custom and spirit, it from that reason that I stand before you today. I seek to reach you, to touch your soul, to lift you up to the endless night sky above and cry out in a loud voice “Kina! Mother of the Night! Accept these who newly welcome your embrace. Khadaratni, The Great Deceiver! Treat them kindly as they tread upon the returning road. Khadi, Devourer of Souls! Accept them as they accept Your truth, and judge their past transgressions with understanding of their futures

Go, my brothers and sisters. Go in peace, with hearts full of compassion and understanding.

The assassination of the Grant family did not rest well with other regents. In Raaneka, Anguri Adite attempted to renounce her crown and leave to kill him personally. She was refused, and such was her rage that it resulted in her accidental death. In Jarrland, King Athelmere was driven to extremes, offering lands and titles to anyone who brought him Tupelo’s head. Assassins from Hrathan-Tour were hired, and a group of nearly a dozen set off to accomplish the deed. Little is kown of the battle in the swamps in 404. Tupelo and a large group of his Deceivers were killed, but many of the assassinating party failed to return as well, including Athelemere’s cousin.

His assassination set off a four year civil war. The Children of Kina, and the Deceivers, attacked indpendent ship captains and Shaman’s of the Wild, believing them to have assisted in the marytring of their leader. This, in return, sparked a wave of reciprocal attacks. T Three thousand soldiers perished, four thousand crews and ships lost, and well over eleven thousand civilians died. The rule of law was replaced with the rule of the sword. The elderly claimed it was as bad as the worst of the pirate days before unificaiton.

In the end, Opus, Verdo, and Samhell formed a council of three. The Children of Kina held a majority faith in both regions. Minority faiths were allowed, with a tax. A huge monastary was started in Tar, to train people to control the winds.

[WaylanderX]

Hênez a Hurosha

Scribed by Magnus, Bladepriest of Ashmar, in the year 416

In these scrolls, one will find the history of Hurosha, as interpreted by the bladescholars of Kasumor and the Academy of Culture and Prowess. Do take heed, for the information scribed here is only a reflection of the past. The past will forever be shrouded, as per the will of Ashmar. May your Prowess guide you to wisdom reading these findings.

On the rise of the Cloudiz Empire

The most ancients reading being found at present are the tablets which can be found within the depths of Gwrîstîn. According to local inhabitants, of which I am one, these tablets can be over 3000 years old, as some Menhîrin live more than that age and still remember them from the beginning of their lives. These tablets tell of a time when the Menhîrin lived above ground, under the blue skies, in harmony with the Cloudiz and another fiery race, whose descendants are believed to be the fire berapi presents in Gunung. To quote one of the tablets:

"Under the guidance of Kenefrazira, the one who Guards, the races of the elements lived under the skies.
One of Stone, one of Fire and one of Air and Water, living in balance, the people free from corruption.
From one ocean to another their realm stretched, encompassing all living creature within.
Alas, it was not to be, for the.........."

The rest of the tablet has been degraded over time and is unreadable, but it is clear that there once was a great empire, stretching from the eastern ocean to the western side. If we take current racial spread into account, it can be concluded that the empire, hereby doubled the Cloudiz Empire, stretched from as far north as Gunung to as far as the lands of Calorum, under which Gwrîstîn is located. Who founded the Empire and the emperors and empresses who rules it are unknown to us, their names lost to us, likely forever.

On the decline of Ashmar and the Cloudiz Empire

Around 1500 years ago, the tablets show us that the Menhîrin were forced underground by an unknown force, coming to inhabit what is now Gwrîstîn, the resting place of the Anchor of Life, a holy site dedicated to the One who Guards Earth and the birthplace of all Menhîrin. The tablets mention a sudden urge to go underground, a fear of the sky. After retreating under the ground, the tablets do not, logically, mention anything of the outside world. However, in Shikurai, stories passed down the generations might provide some clues about the happenings that occurred one and a half millennium ago. The stories tell us of a great Kingdom, inhabited by fairies and creatures of fire, who ruled the humans with a just and fair hand. For example the following childrens rhyme:

Hail to the Fairy Queen,
Her Eyes so Fair and Sweet.
Her Flaming Companions slay the Mean,
So that we may still eat.

Also, some myths talk about the land of the fairies getting smaller and smaller, until there were pretty much driven out of this world, into the spirit realm. The last part obviously did not happen, but we can be quite sure that the Empire collapsed, for records of just before the Cataclysm speak of an Empire encompassing the lands of Kasumor, the Heartwaste, some parts of Zargrim and most of Nyroth. Clues to the Cloudiz Empire can be found in all lands present, some even dating from after the Cataclysm, which is the next subject.

On the Matters of Shintouite and the Cataclysm

As passed down from generation to generation, it is known that presumably around the year 0, a grave disaster happened, commonly known as the Cataclysm. It is not exactly known what precisely happened, for there are no known scriptures found from that era yet, although it may be that the ancient libraries of the Guard fortresses in Kasumor and the folk tales of Shikurai may hold some key to this riddle. What is known however, is that a certain individual, with a thirst of power, tried to seize power from Ashmar himself, conducting a vile ritual aiming at cutting off the Guardian of Prowess from this world and take over his immeasurable power. Although that couldn't be accomplished, the ritual came close on laying waste on the entirety of Trevath, or the central continent, as it is called in this era. It is said that the sky was darkened by Cloudiz wings that day, all rushing towards the mountains in responds to something only they could sense. Oral tradition originating from that time speaks of a terrible scream permeating all matter, being heard even when one closes off his ears. People went mad, killed themselves and hallucinated during those times. When a search party was finally launched, they found nothing of the Cloudiz, the mountains turned black, a huge crater where the ritual had taken place. The black rock turned out to have unusual properties, getting tougher the more pressure was applied. The mountains were remained the Shintouite Mountains, which the strange rock labeled as Shintouite.
Putting all of these facts together with the fact that the four relic weapons besides Kuroyume are eerily similar with the four head priests of the Ashmarian faith in that era, it can be theorised that the souls of the Cloudiz that have sacrificed themselves to protect Trevath are bound to the stone, determined to forever shield the land against further corruption. Although if that is true, one question remains: What spirit dwells within the black depths of the Greatsword Kuroyume, Marius Earthguard's trusted weapon?

This concludes this scripture. However, much of the past remains clouded, so no doubts me or the ones who will follow me will uncover more of what lies below the shroud of history.

[BladeofObliviom]

I figure I'll talk about this here, since the main thread's hit page 50 and we needn't clog it up with my speculations.

Anyway, while I suppose that huge desert could just be a natural climatological thing, that's boring. Instead, why don't we speculate about what the Cataclysm we've all been bandying about but never actually defined did to it? On the lizardfolk, I was thinking that they most likely lived in that area first, but were driven out by some disaster and were scattered across the land, from Lacertia to maybe Haiwaste. I think the Alydaxians would have had to split off much earlier than that or have always been a different group, given the extreme biological changes involved. It would also (kinda) explain the Felitoran "Drakefolk", which might just be Lacertian-type Lizardfolk that moved in the opposite direction from their homelands.

[SamBurke]

I figure I'll talk about this here, since the main thread's hit page 50 and we needn't clog it up with my speculations.

Anyway, while I suppose that huge desert could just be a natural climatological thing, that's boring. Instead, why don't we speculate about what the Cataclysm we've all been bandying about but never actually defined did to it? On the lizardfolk, I was thinking that they most likely lived in that area first, but were driven out by some disaster and were scattered across the land, from Lacertia to maybe Haiwaste. I think the Alydaxians would have had to split off much earlier than that or have always been a different group, given the extreme biological changes involved. It would also (kinda) explain the Felitoran "Drakefolk", which might just be Lacertian-type Lizardfolk that moved in the opposite direction from their homelands.

Hmmm... Guilder had a lot of travel in its past, too; leaving an Eastern homeland to travel to the central continent. Sounds like there was some sort of mass exodus?

[BladeofObliviom]

Okay, so there are a lot of ideas being thrown around that I'm not touching at the moment because I'm kinda busy, but I had another idea that I thought I'd share. We already have what might be Darkness Berapi in the form of the Tieflings, but where are the Light Berapi that must exist to balance them out?

Today, something occurred to me.

The Ice Wall in the far east is apparently Burning Hot, and blocks access further east. Okay. Also, a bit to the South, there's a sudden shift to Desert.

What if a large part of Pacifica, in our East and their West, is actually a desert ruled by The Empire of the Rising Sun? Besides being a pun based on RL Japan's huge Pacific Empire during World War II, it would be ruled by Light Berapi, worship a Sun God, perhaps more like Nergal than Pelor, and have some Mesopotamian/Ancient Egyptian/Japanese flair to it.

(On a side note, I can't think of a single fictional culture in media that actually blends those. That's not to say one doesn't exist, but it's certainly not common.)

This also ties in pretty well with Burch's idea of a second Fae empire further West, so there's that. They'd probably have to be Central-north, somewhere around the latitude of Nyroth or Angan Anvale, to avoid conflicting with the Human origins in the West though.


Might as well get more confusing contradictory discussion going, right?

Haha I totally forgot about this theory, before I knew about the mountains or considered just how big the pacific is. Still probably not entirely true, but one can dream.

[SamBurke]

Haha I totally forgot about this theory, before I knew about the mountains or considered just how big the pacific is. Still probably not entirely true, but one can dream.

Hey, now... where d'ya think 20,000 orcs came from?

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Haha I totally forgot about this theory, before I knew about the mountains or considered just how big the pacific is. Still probably not entirely true, but one can dream.

Well, to your west, you have the Empire of Dawn forming, which is pretty close to "the rising sun" semantically speaking.

[SamBurke]

Well, to your west, you have the Empire of Dawn forming, which is pretty close to "the rising sun" semantically speaking.

OOooh. He got a point.

[BladeofObliviom]

Well, yeah, but the sun rises in the East. So you're the Empire of Dusk from a Glazfelli perspective.

(Also, the reason I suggested that name was mainly a pun on Japan's huge empire that it put together before it collapsed after WWII, but on land and ruled by Light-infused people.)

[SamBurke]

Well, yeah, but the sun rises in the East. So you're the Empire of Dusk from a Glazfelli perspective.

(Also, the reason I suggested that name was mainly a pun on Japan's huge empire that it put together before it collapsed after WWII, but on land and ruled by Light-infused people.)

I still think it's a cool idea!

[zabbarot]

I posted some info on the kobold kingdom with my genivana post. They have no relation to lizardfolk. I went with the idea that they were draconic, but based on Asian dragons and wurms. I'm working out their history suffice to say theyve always been underground though.

[BladeofObliviom]

I posted some info on the kobold kingdom with my genivana post. They have no relation to lizardfolk. I went with the idea that they were draconic, but based on Asian dragons and wurms. I'm working out their history suffice to say theyve always been underground though.

Hm! Are they by any chance related to the Yorukuninin Drakes that I can't quite remember the name of? (Kinu Kuroth, maybe?)

[zabbarot]

Hm! Are they by any chance related to the Yorukuninin Drakes that I can't quite remember the name of? (Kinu Kuroth, maybe?)

I had completely forgotten about them so probably not : P They might have a connection to the wurms of Wyrmar though.

[Elemental]

Anyway, while I suppose that huge desert could just be a natural climatological thing, that's boring. Instead, why don't we speculate about what the Cataclysm we've all been bandying about but never actually defined did to it? On the lizardfolk, I was thinking that they most likely lived in that area first, but were driven out by some disaster and were scattered across the land, from Lacertia to maybe Haiwaste. I think the Alydaxians would have had to split off much earlier than that or have always been a different group, given the extreme biological changes involved. It would also (kinda) explain the Felitoran "Drakefolk", which might just be Lacertian-type Lizardfolk that moved in the opposite direction from their homelands.

Hmm... The Cataclysm is as near as we can tell, global, and I like the idea that it could be responsible for the vast desert that the Pacific Ocean would turn into if it were land. And while that might have definitely resulted in vast migrations, I find it unlikely that people would end up so far away over such a short period of time (it was only four hundred years ago and there were established kingdoms between there and here). I much prefer the idea that Lizardfolk developed in the jungles of Alydaxis et al, but I'll leave that to Moosabi to decide as he is kind of in charge of most of them at the moment.
Anyways... On the migration topic, the idea is sound and would kind of make sense if people migrated west from the vast wasteland. But on the other side of the world? Migrating east to reach the central regions would require crossing vast territories. I know the Ashenites did it, but that was about a thousand years ago, long before there was any calamity and it wasn't a mass exodus, just exiles finding a new home for themselves.
In short, the migration theory is good, I just don't think it'd work to explain the current distribution of Lizardfolk. At the moment, I'm considering the Lacertians as an off shoot of the Alydaxans/Scla'cans who went off to find a new land due to religious or biological differences centuries ago.

[BladeofObliviom]

Anyways... On the migration topic, the idea is sound and would kind of make sense if people migrated west from the vast wasteland. But on the other side of the world? Migrating east to reach the central regions would require crossing vast territories. I know the Ashenites did it, but that was about a thousand years ago, long before there was any calamity and it wasn't a mass exodus, just exiles finding a new home for themselves.

In short, the migration theory is good, I just don't think it'd work to explain the current distribution of Lizardfolk. At the moment, I'm considering the Lacertians as an off shoot of the Alydaxans/Scla'cans who went off to find a new land due to religious or biological differences centuries ago.

Well, it could very well have been a larger spread of people with only the groups at the edges successfully making the trip, but I see your point.

It has occurred to me that I might be trying too hard to stuff a square peg into a rhombal hole, so to speak. There's actually little need to jump through hoops to explain why there are Lizardfolk on opposite sides of the world, mostly because there is already a race of "Drakefolk" located nearby, which have exactly zero description outside of the name and are basically blank slates that I can co-opt for my own purposes with impunity.

[Aedilred]

Let's talk about elves for a bit.

At present we have two identified elven populations: the underground elves in Eyrecradia and Shikurai (moss, gem and ore varieties) and the high elves in Valterre, about which we don't know much. There are also the Jarrs, who have legends of elves having once resided there at some distant point in the past. Obviously, these are all quite some distance from each other geographically.

Looking at some of the descriptions of "generic" fae (i.e. non-berapi, non-Cloudiz), they also look quite elf-y. Long lifespans, fair skin, pointy ears, and of course in more general terms "elf" and "fae" are often used pretty much interchangeably. That would also put the Heartwaste and Niskovia into the mix, as fae and fae-blood humans respectively.

Would it be sensible to treat elves and fae as to all intents and purposes the same? There are still some questions that that would raise (specifically, why there are so many different varieties, and why the Heartwaste fae are allergic to iron, when there is no mention of the underground elves being so, or the Valterre high elves (admittedly, Burch hasn't got round to detailing them much yet). And why there are pockets of fae/elves in such disparate portions of the world with no traces in between them. I suppose if (say) Valterre and the Heartwaste were the two capital regions of old fae empires (Faedas in the east, ?? in the west), the fae themselves might just not have spread too far outside them in great numbers. The Niskan and Jarr populations could then have come about as a result of fae/elven aristocracy fleeing the Cataclysm, and setting up successor kingdoms in which they were effectively eventually all but bred out by the humans of the region.

As to why we have so many different varieties, I'm not so sure. In region-writing terms it's been say 350 years since the Cataclysm and we have four distinct populations of elves/fae living right on top of each other in Region 5. That's not many generations for changes to take effect, especially given their long lifespans. So either they already started to diverge before the Cataclysm or they have a much higher rate of stable mutation than normal populations. Perhaps they modified themselves to fit their environment, since they seem to have had some ability with genetic engineering?

[QuintonBeck]

I've been operating under the assumption that elves and fae are more or less the same thing. The underground elves, the Fae of the Heartwaste and Nyroth, and the people Niskovia and Valterre are all part of the same Fae line. I would tend to think the Eyrecradian Elves were some sort of magically/genetically engineered versions of the primary Fae and perhaps the Dwarves. Back in the Faedas days I imagine the Cloudiz and the Fae/Elves were the ruling, albeit conflicting, leading sects of the old nation and they likely came into conflict repeatedly, perhaps even pushing the Fae/Elves out at some point with the Heartwaste and Eyrecradian sects sheltering themselves with the ones in Niskovia, Valterre, and down south being the ones who fled the conflict. The Cloudiz are suspected of being responsible, at least in some part, for the Cataclysm, so perhaps their war with the other Fae is what pushed them to pursue what led to the Cataclysm, or their part in it. But that's all just my speculative head canon.

[Lord_Burch]

I was about to say that I had published the write-up for Valterre a while back, but when I checked, it appears that it didn't save, and the only copy I know I had is lost. I'll double check my computer and backup USB, but I'm pretty sure the only save file was on my old laptop, which has since been ruined and destroyed.

[BladeofObliviom]

Let's talk about elves for a bit.

At present we have two identified elven populations: the underground elves in Eyrecradia and Shikurai (moss, gem and ore varieties) and the high elves in Valterre, about which we don't know much. There are also the Jarrs, who have legends of elves having once resided there at some distant point in the past. Obviously, these are all quite some distance from each other geographically.

Looking at some of the descriptions of "generic" fae (i.e. non-berapi, non-Cloudiz), they also look quite elf-y. Long lifespans, fair skin, pointy ears, and of course in more general terms "elf" and "fae" are often used pretty much interchangeably. That would also put the Heartwaste and Niskovia into the mix, as fae and fae-blood humans respectively.

Would it be sensible to treat elves and fae as to all intents and purposes the same? There are still some questions that that would raise (specifically, why there are so many different varieties, and why the Heartwaste fae are allergic to iron, when there is no mention of the underground elves being so, or the Valterre high elves (admittedly, Burch hasn't got round to detailing them much yet). And why there are pockets of fae/elves in such disparate portions of the world with no traces in between them. I suppose if (say) Valterre and the Heartwaste were the two capital regions of old fae empires (Faedas in the east, ?? in the west), the fae themselves might just not have spread too far outside them in great numbers. The Niskan and Jarr populations could then have come about as a result of fae/elven aristocracy fleeing the Cataclysm, and setting up successor kingdoms in which they were effectively eventually all but bred out by the humans of the region.

As to why we have so many different varieties, I'm not so sure. In region-writing terms it's been say 350 years since the Cataclysm and we have four distinct populations of elves/fae living right on top of each other in Region 5. That's not many generations for changes to take effect, especially given their long lifespans. So either they already started to diverge before the Cataclysm or they have a much higher rate of stable mutation than normal populations. Perhaps they modified themselves to fit their environment, since they seem to have had some ability with genetic engineering?

I've been operating under the assumption that elves and fae are more or less the same thing. The underground elves, the Fae of the Heartwaste and Nyroth, and the people Niskovia and Valterre are all part of the same Fae line. I would tend to think the Eyrecradian Elves were some sort of magically/genetically engineered versions of the primary Fae and perhaps the Dwarves. Back in the Faedas days I imagine the Cloudiz and the Fae/Elves were the ruling, albeit conflicting, leading sects of the old nation and they likely came into conflict repeatedly, perhaps even pushing the Fae/Elves out at some point with the Heartwaste and Eyrecradian sects sheltering themselves with the ones in Niskovia, Valterre, and down south being the ones who fled the conflict. The Cloudiz are suspected of being responsible, at least in some part, for the Cataclysm, so perhaps their war with the other Fae is what pushed them to pursue what led to the Cataclysm, or their part in it. But that's all just my speculative head canon.

Weren't the High Elves called Sindrin, or something similar, likely as a reference to Tolkien's Sindar? I kind of remember reading that somewhere, but I could be wrong.

I'm of a similar mind to Quinton on relations between the elven groups. It's also worth noting that the most recent idea I've heard for the propagation of Dwarves involves them having spread through the underground from Sulvan's Fury to Keldagrim to Razdis and eventually to Mulharum in the South, which would make it plausible that the Heartwaste or Eyrecradian strains of Elf could have piggybacked on that migration to reach Jarrland. In fact, now that I think about it, it's possible that the Valterran/Niskovian strain might have done so, given the latter's proximity to Sulvan's Fury.

Dwarf/Elf crossbreeding with Dwarven emphasis might even be a plausible explanation for the Beregines, now that I think about it. Aren't most of them described as short, pale, and slender? All of those traits belong to one or the other of the two fantasy stereotypes.

[Morph Bark]

On the note of dwarves, Keldagrim dwarves have been explicitly stated to not have a common (recent) origin with Sulvan and therefore Razdissi dwarves. The north central underground is also not connected to the south central underground as of yet, so for the Mularuhm dwarves to share a common origin with the northern dwarves, they would have to have been aboveground or have come into being in several different places due to similar circumstances.

[SamBurke]

And what, then, about the Rannaran dwarves? Perhaps there was some sort of ancient trade between Guilder, and they came that way?

[BladeofObliviom]

And what, then, about the Rannaran dwarves? Perhaps there was some sort of ancient trade between Guilder, and they came that way?

...The Rannarans are dwarves?

Somehow this is news to me. I have no idea where the heck they came from, though, unless the Dwarves were dragged over there from Keldagrim by the "Old Guilderenes", or vice versa. This would explain the geographical divide between the Afriit goblins and the Zargrimi/Keldagrim goblins too, actually.

[Aedilred]

As far as goblins go, it's worth mentioning there are some down south, too, in 67, 68A, 68B and 69. They seem to be slightly smaller than northern goblins, and tend towards the blue in skin tone.

[SamBurke]

...The Rannarans are dwarves?

Somehow this is news to me. I have no idea where the heck they came from, though, unless the Dwarves were dragged over there from Keldagrim by the "Old Guilderenes", or vice versa. This would explain the geographical divide between the Afriit goblins and the Zargrimi/Keldagrim goblins too, actually.

Originally they were just tiny humans, but that makes no sense; they're better fluffed as dwarves.

All of this weirdness surrounding Old Guilder makes me think that it's all connected... So all of the Old Guilderenes LEFT current Guilder to go to Old Guilder, then came back... Perhaps some of them knew about the Cataclysm, and were escaping it, Ark-style, and took as many races as they could? Which in turn suggests that there are Fae in the east, too.

[BladeofObliviom]

Hm, we might actually be onto something here. Considering Guilder is largely maritime and there are also Dwarves and Humans in the general vicinity of Mulharum/Jarrland, it's plausible that there might be a connection there.

[SamBurke]

Hmmm... Which means they had to have known about the Cataclysm...

[Morph Bark]

Originally they were just tiny humans, but that makes no sense; they're better fluffed as dwarves.

All of this weirdness surrounding Old Guilder makes me think that it's all connected... So all of the Old Guilderenes LEFT current Guilder to go to Old Guilder, then came back... Perhaps some of them knew about the Cataclysm, and were escaping it, Ark-style, and took as many races as they could? Which in turn suggests that there are Fae in the east, too.

You could always have it be dwarf-blooded humans like some New Lyradissians. Perhaps half-dwarves somehow have a natural knack for seafaring?

Also, Old Guilder was totally named Florin.

On that note, when one of your characters--Humperdink?--spoke to Giorno Fiassa at the Jeweled Cities and he said he was from the Florin Islands, I figured that that was the name the natives gave the islands that are located a hundred miles or so off the coast of Guilder on the atlas map.

[SamBurke]

You could always have it be dwarf-blooded humans like some New Lyradissians. Perhaps half-dwarves somehow have a natural knack for seafaring?

Also, Old Guilder was totally named Florin.

On that note, when one of your characters--Humperdink?--spoke to Giorno Fiassa at the Jeweled Cities and he said he was from the Florin Islands, I figured that that was the name the natives gave the islands that are located a hundred miles or so off the coast of Guilder on the atlas map.

Florin=yes.

Dwarven seafarers...? Ehhhh... Dunno. I kinda like it, but where'd they do well on a ship? They need to be nimble. Maians would be amazing on ships. Frontiersman, sure. Even Sah'raan Goblins. But not Rannaran dwarves. At least not as they're set up now.

Oooh. So Florin Islands... perhaps I should investigate there for clues about the ancient truth?

[Aedilred]

Oooh. So Florin Islands... perhaps I should investigate there for clues about the ancient truth?

They'll turn out to have been a small successor state of the older Realm of Bezant.

[SamBurke]

They'll turn out to have been a small successor state of the older Realm of Bezant.

Google has failed me.