Empire!7 - Into the Depths: Waters of the World (CWBG)

[Corona]

Lojanese Republic

Spoiler: Country info

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Rulers:
Prime Minister Shoeng Thnoet

Capital: Lojan (9)
State faith: Mandate of Plo'uogoar

Spoiler: Starting Technology

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Careful observations of the Plo'uogoar and remnants of scientific equipment from before the cataclysm have yielded some knowledge, and Lojanese scientists are now able to carry out some Megafaunal Tailoring. Their creations so far have been relatively unintelligent and created to serve as specialized machines, for example quickly-growing, tame catfish that harvest plankton somewhat like combine harvesters and are then butchered for meat and fat, or dolphins that have an ingrained biological impulse to sort and deliver post according to zip numbers.

Lojan (9)

Spoiler: Geography

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The greater part of Lojan is a vast valley of sandy and rocky seafloor covered by seagrass. All terrain features are continously eroded by strong oceanic currents, and thus only a few have a tall profile. Villages and towns are made of the abundant weeds and reeds, buildings flexible enough not to break under the pressure of a sudden current, and some even live in floating communities, living wherever they are swept by the water.

As a grim warning to the folly of those who would dare defy the ocean, giant steel beams, impossibly shaped glass structures and unidentified synthetic minerals are strewn among the tall blades of grass. The legend goes that once there was a city of Lojan, wealthy and powerful beyond compare. However, the citizens wanted more, a life filled with pleasure and entirely without work. They worked hard, and when it seemed they would finally obtain divinity, their civilization was washed away by the Poedivgloathuu, the great catastrophe.

On one side of the valley, the seafloor steeply rises up toward a small island chain above the surface. On the other side, Lojan is delimited by an area where the currents become too strong to travel safely, and storms and cyclones occur with some regularity, making permanent inhabitation difficult.

Spoiler: History

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Lojan has always been a wealthy region, thanks to its abundance of farmland and merchants following the trade currents through the valley. It remained in a better state than most other parts of the world after the apocalypse, too, although the elite were distraught at the difficulty of importing luxury goods which were and still are considered essential to the life of a civilized person.

In the hopes that it would prevent further decline of society, a team of scientists discovered and activated a mysterious, well-preserved relic from times past, causing the great being later known as the Plo'uogoar to wake from its slumber. It wielded enormous power, but it acted chaotically, far from saving Lojan, it was a destructive force. Resistance was futile, and so the inhabitants learned its language and started fulfilling its whims instead. Over the centuries, many societies rose and fell, but all served the Plo'uogoar. It carried out many strange experiments during that time, like constructing buildings out of its dead tentacles and creating and subsequently destroying several new races in a biological laboratory it built. The Plo'uogoar and the people came to understand each other more, and now it is understood that it was a sort of a genetically-engineered servant to the ancients.

Spoiler: People

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The region's intelligent population consists of about 55% Tobar, 30% Mer and 15% other creatures, including the Plo'uogoar.



The Tobar are a race of intelligent relatives of seahorses. Unlike seahorses, their jaws are not fused and so they can take bites out of larger fish with their sharp teeth. Their flexible mouth also offers other advantages, such as speech, tool manipulation and French kissing. They hunt by waiting for their prey near the seafloor, almost undetectable with their ability to change skin texture and color.

They are omnivores, though, and well prepared and spiced seaweed is the meal of choice for those who can afford it. Not that it is tastier than meat, but it has been declared by the Plo'uogoar to be more efficient and sustainable than meat-eating.

The Tobar are the latest race created by the Plo'uogoar, about a hundred years ago, and as such they are respectful toward their creator, but also wary of incurring its wrath, for, as they learned from the other Lojanites, it has had a tendency to erase races it was even mildly displeased with. The highest government posts in Lojan are almost entirely filled by Tobar, who apply so that they may serve the Plo'uogoar better, while other races have adopted a strategy of keeping themselves as far as possible from the unpredictable being.

The average lifespan of a Tobar is about twenty years. A typical Tobar is 20 cm tall, with soldiers being as much as 27 cm tall.

The Tobar swim very slowly, and so being a bus or a taxi is a legitmate profession for a Mer. The Tobar grab on with their tails (onto straps attached to the Mer, or for more high-class transports, ornate saddles) and the Mer takes them wherever they need to go.

The Mer of the region are smaller than usual in order to fit inside the numerous holes and caves in the seafloor to shelter there and fish out small prey. Most merchants are Mer, because Tobar families have not had much time to build up wealth and connections since the creation of their race.



The Plo'uogoar appears to be a ghostly white cephalopod with 10 meter long arms that can move autonomously, resembling large eels.However, it is not a natural creature. It was created in a laboratory of a bygone age by mixing together the genomes of several animals to bring together their unique capabilities. It can willingly shed its tentacles and let them harden to create firm structures or have them swim toward distant enemies and strangle them. It can emit a poison potent even when considerably diluted, creating a large cloud of death around it - perhaps the biggest obstacle to anyone trying to fight it. Hydra genes allow it to regenerate tentacles completely in a matter of hours, as long as it has enough food. It seems possible that it would also regenerate if its head was split, though this has never happened, and it would involve large parts of the brain being recreated, resulting in a change in personality and knowledge, which could arguably be called death.

It is very intelligent, but it has no memory of the time before its reactivation, which was somewhat problematic, as it initially acted as a giant newborn, throwing fits and not bothering to listen to anyone, but over the centuries, it has matured through interaction with the Lojanese. It has not visibly physically aged during that time, however.

The only thing it remembers is its singular purpose in life, to gather as many interesting things as possible, to explore and rule the world, and to subsequently place all of this, all the knowledge and power in the world, at the feet of its creators. It is currently trying to fulfill the first part of this order.

Spoiler: Government

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The current state apparatus has evolved to relay the Plo'uogoar's wishes and keep it pacified. Most officials are appointed by their predecessors or other officials. Some are elected, but only those who have paid more than a certain amount in taxes in the last five years can vote, regardless of age, gender or species. This arrangement is notably beneficial in that it prevents small, quickly breeding and very populous species from easily outvoting others.

The government's modus operandi is not described in any written laws, instead it is determined by tradition and gentlemen's agreements. As such, a government post that existed one year might be gone next year, with the fact of the change and reasons for the change known initially only to the group of the individuals that effected it, spreading through gossip and newspaper. As a result, the common people of the region do not have a very clear picture of the government's inner workings.

The Prime Minister (Lojanese: Tlue'eang Neamovgoar) is the head of state. They spend a significant amout of their work hours accompanying the Plo'uogoar and ensuring that it does not accidentally or otherwise do any harm in its relentless pursuit of knowledge and that nobody obstructs its diverse activities - lab research, philosophizing, taking samples, making lists of available resources. Prime Ministers have a lot of power as they can selectively intetpret the Plo'uogoar's often nebulous commands and implement them as they wish. They can also take many decisions that are entirely their own, of course. Despite this, not many apply for the position, as the Prime Minister's head is the first to roll, quite literally, when the Plo'uogoar is displeased. The current Prime Minister, Shoeng Thnoet, is a middle-aged Tobar woman. She has accepted the position despite the risks of being PM as she is quite fond of the Plo'uogoar and does not mind being ordered around, a true public servant to her nation.

The Plo'uogoar has, in its boundless wisdom, observed that there are five general types of world affairs, and accordingly it suggested the current.division of government work into five ministries. There are the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, War, Finances, Edification and Information.

The Plo'uogoar is not a part of the government and it does not attend any meetings, by its choice. Rather, the Prime Minister and other officials visit it to receive its advice and requests. It also does not care much for mundane details such as setting the various taxes or building tunnel infrastructure, and it would likely be rather indifferent to losing all of Lojan's population to some disaster if it could acquire a new region to experiment in. Some examples of its communications with the government: "Knowledge; strange is the gift that remains with the giver, and vanishes ungiven." (interpreted by the government as a request for the introduction of compulsatory education and implemented as one year thereof) "I have heard two merchants on the Nau'eam lane* discuss the new 'Vespene gas' discovered in a nearby land. Possibly a truly novel substance. Quite interesting, is it not?" (led to the assassination of the unfortunate lord on whose land the reservoir was located, his replacement with a Lojanese puppet, and large amounts of this gas being harvested and delivered to the Plo'uogoar's laboratory within a month of this comment)

*Sea lanes are the equivalents of streets and roads in Lojan.

Aristocrats derive their power from outside the government, from privately owned land or companies, but many aristocrats hold positions in the government as well, and so they are fairly satisfied with the status quo.

The (common) individual does have some rights and legal protections in Lojan, but most Lojanese would agree the interests of the society as a whole take precedence over these rights. For example, landowners can be dispossessed by the state if it is found that their use of the land is damaging to society. These investigations are often launched because of the personal interests of powerful officials and aristocrats, however. As a related quirk of the Lojanese legal system, a defendant cannot be pronounced not guilty if they are accused by the state, as that would mean the state was wrong and it is perceived this might negatively impact state authority. However, they can be sentenced to "death by old age" instead, with largely the same effect.

The concept of slavery does not exist in Lojan, but there are serfs and prisoners.

Eating other intelligent species is considered a serious crime, with great hunger being a mitigating circumstance. Lojan is mostly safe for visitors, but if you travel to a less populated area and look like someone whose absence will not be noticed, there is a small chance you will get killed and eaten by a bandit. Cannibalism carries the death penalty, but it is also considered culturally repugnant, so few attempt it regardless.

Spoiler: Resource

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The merchants of the region have a long tradition of liking various spices, both as easily transportable goods to sell and for their own usage. One of the Lojanese upper classes' important social activities is the ritual of steeping aromatic plants in enclosed boxes of water, entering the boxes, and breathing in the resultant infusion. The proper protocol, in brief, is to appear calm, mindful and highly respectful of the other party. Those who lack such manners will not make it far into the mercantile society. However, the plant species suitable for this infusion are few and far between, and due to the strong currents damaging delicate plants, they largely do not grow in Lojan. Spices are the desired resource of Lojan.

On the other hand, the merchants are well-stocked with locally mined gold and silver, minerals, and most importantly, precious stones. Wearing lavish jewelry is a frequently practiced way of showing one's status in public, though it is good manners not to display wealth when meeting one-on-one or with only a few people. Precious stones were also appreciated by the pre-cataclysm Lojanese, and despite the best efforts of jewel hunters, there are still many exquisite gems scattered on or shallowly buried in the seafloor to prove this.

There is a certain kind of gem that appears to be endemic to Lojan. It is called the Ching He'aang, and it is deep blue to purple-colored, with a structure reminiscent of sea foam, as its Lojanese name recalls. It, too, is used in jewelry, but it has an interesting chemical property: when it is exposed to air for several seconds, it explodes in a flash of brilliant colored light. A truly practical use has not yet been found due to the difficulty of capturing or directing the emitted energy and the time to explosion being variable, but it is the key substance to public spectacles organized on holidays and other notable occasions, where packets of Ching He'aang are dropped before large crowds and detonated in beautiful patterns. The region's exported resource is Ching He'aang, Gem Foam.

Spoiler: Faith

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The Tobar, at least officially, believe in whatever the Plo'uogoar indicates they should believe. The overarching belief is that the Plo'uogoar has been tasked by an absolute authority with researching and administering the world, and all other causes and people are subordinate to this. It is also believed that everyone has a predestined station in life and it is for the best if everyone follows this fate, instead of acting on their selfish wishes. Native religions have been examined by the Plo'uogoar and dismissed as untrue.

HC1 and HC2 follow the Mandate of Plo'uogoar, which is the state faith, HC3 is open.

HC1: An intact glass spire of the ancients, the Shtue'ear, rises some dozens of meters above the ground of which it provides a commanding view. It consists of several helixes, joining and diverging at different levels. It menaces with spikes of bronze and steel. Visitors can appreciate the endless symphony of sounds as currents pass through openings in the structure, said to be the lament of the Plo'uogoar's dead creators and kin at the imperfection of the world and the shattering of their dream.

HC2: The Great Steephouse is located in a large cave which has been expanded several times by carving out more of the rock. It is divided into many small cubical rooms separated by seaweed curtains. Waiters run around frantically, trying to serve steeped drinks and desserts to hundreds of customers. They are also tasked with maintaining the friendly, relaxing atmosphere and providing company to customers who request it. The Steephouse is a place for business or private meetings, or even for rest if one chooses a less noisy spot. There are also several larger sections containing theatres, which are a favorite pastime of the Lojanese.

The walls are almost entirely covered in writing, old and more recent. Anyone can leave their mark or message here, according to tradition, though as interest rose, the caretakers have had to implement restrictions. One person can write on the walls at most once per ten years, and the writing must be of appropriate color and style, so as not to clash with the aesthetics of the cave. Currently, many demonstrate their loyalty to Plo'uogoar by writing its utterances and decrees.

HC3: The Meadow of Beauty, Nikau'ue Oezh Dwude, is not the biggest plain in Lojan, but it is the most memorable, many would argue. It is located in shallow waters near the island chain. Numerous colorful flowers grow there, shimmering in the light from above, making it the site of choice for meetings and events for those who cannot afford drinks in the Great Steeplehouse or do not like its overall high-brow style. A folk legend has it that sometimes, crumbs of strange food inexplicably fall into the meadow and give nourishment to all hungry souls.

Spoiler: Lojanese Language/Lojanoal Rairnpwoj

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Lojanese is an old language that had been falling into disuse after the Cataclysm and the subsequent reduction in Lojanese population and immigration from elsewhere. However, it has undergone a revival as the Plo'uogoar naturally speaks classical Lojanese as it did with its creators.

The Lojanese names and other writing that will appear in my posts are merely the romanization of Lojanese using somewhat English pronunciations of the letters, and not written Lojanese proper. If any names seem awkward, blame the transliteration.
The IPA pronunciation of the romanization of Lojanese is as follows:

A quote (') is used to delimit the transcriptions of separate vowels where unclear, but it may be omitted for a "broader" transcription
b: [b]
d: [d]
th: [ð] or [θ]
f: [f]
g: [g]
h: [h]
y: [j]
k: [k]
l: [l]
m: [m]
n: [n]
ng: [ŋ]
p: [p]
r: [r]
s: [s]
sh: [ʃ]
t: [t]
v: [v]
w: [w]
z: [z]
zh: [ʒ]
j: [ʤ]
ch: [ʧ]
aa: [a]
a: [ɑ]
oa: [ɒ]
ae: [æ]
air: [ɛ]
i: [ɪ]
ea: [i]
o: [o]
au: [ɔ]
uu: [ʊ]
ue: [u]
u: [ʌ]
e: [e]
-: [ə] possibly, not decided on it yet
kh: [x]
q: [ʔ]
oe: [ɜ]
ao: [aʊ]
ay: [eɪ]
eau: [oʊ]
ee: [ɪə]
y: [aɪ]
oi: [ɔɪ]
uo: [ʊo]

For game purposes, I have hired a skilled team of translators into Lojanese, to allow me to post lots of dialogue and news in Lojanese. You may try to decode the language, but be warned, the logic by which it is created is at times questionable. For example, "Lojan" should be "Loqan" in perfectly regular Lojanese, but in an earlier version I translated the name as "Lojan", and when I made the change that made "Lojan" incorrect, I had already internalized it, and I also wanted the name of the polity and capital to be easily decipherable and pronounceable at first sight, which a glottal stop represented by a "q" probably isn't.

Shue'aaz Sho (8)

Archived

Spoiler: Geography

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The sea runs from the small island chain in the north over countless rocks and hills, gradually giving way to more well-known regions on the southern border. Once one swims some distance inward, there are no immediately noticeable landmarks - not a seamount that can be distinguished from its neighbors, making a return to civilization challenging even for experienced navigators. Those who have lived in this sea for years, however, eventually grow immune to this "Rock blindness", as it is called. The bare outcrops turn to an immaculate white twice a year, when the currents bring in marine snow. But the snow never reaches the nooks and crannies of the trenches and labyrinthine caves below. Vegetation is largely constrained to the archipelago's sandy surroundings, though plankton is omnipresent, like in any other sea, feeding on the minerals released by frequent volcanic activity.

Spoiler: Population

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Until recently, the region had few inhabitants, and no lawgiver. Itinerant merchants, adventurers, and minstrels spreading ballads exalting the latter's heroic deeds did cross the region. However, each night spent under the stars of Shue'aaz Sho - caves often had dangerous inhabitants - meant one was taking a risk of never waking up again.

The few "natives" of the region could not sustain themselves through agriculture or herding, so they more often than not turned to a primitive life of indiscriminate hunting and raids, if they were not already outlaws who had fled the civilized seas. These inhabitants were of various races and cultures, lacking even a common name for their sea. There are plenty unintelligent creatures, in particular several endemic species of colorful jellyfish who like to float near the surface, making the more squeamish Nacre divers shun the region.

The Lojanese colonists huddle close to their motherland in the north, carving infrastructure and orientation marks in the caves as they go, much to the displeasure of many natives, who feel that they are stripping the sea of its unique character. It is mostly the Tobar who have chosen to move to Shue'aaz Sho. While loyal to the Plo'uogoar, the immigrants are more likely to think of it as a guiding figure, rather than a creator deity who needs to be attended at all times, unsurprisingly.

Spoiler: Faith

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Legend has it that Shue'aaz Sho was a Land of Elements before the Cataclysm. Its inhabitants were gigantic serpentine creatures, whose physique is likened by some narrators to that of the Kucen, with others opining that their prominent presence and wisdom implies that they must have had some relation to the ancient Lojanese. In a time before time, they came to the mundane, lifeless sea, carrying an "eternal heat" in their hearts from their unknown homeland. They had two pairs of large membranous fins sprouting from their backs, allowing them to swim above the surface as well as we swim below it. In their realm, water, air and lava coexisted, flowed around each other and mixed, giving rise to the beautiful, if lifeless, rock formations visible to this day. Unless they managed to leave in time, it is assumed that they were all killed by the cataclysm, buried beneath their collapsing palaces. A few loanwords remain, but most of their singing language has been lost to history. This includes their true name - Lojanese speakers call them the Glairpan.

HC1: The Always-Burning
It is the largest volcano in the land by any reasonable metric, except height, its tip barely peeking above the horizon from the middle of a deep crumbling caldera. Though it is not physically imposing, one learns to respect it, at the latest when the quakes hit and poisonous smoke billows in all directions. And should the Always-Burning decide that the living creatures have encroached too far upon its stony domain, that it shall adorn itself with a new skirt of igneous rock, it spews forth vigorous streams of hot lava, covering the surrounding mounds in a thick layer of ejecta. The Always-Burning is regarded as a symbol of the environmental dangers that Shue'aaz Sho abounds with, and for believers in the Mandate of the Plo'uogoar, it represents a goal, nature that is yet to be discovered and conquered. The natives pray at its foot so that they may be allowed to live another year.

Spoiler: Resource

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The lives of the legendary inhabitants may have been extinguished by the era-ending catastrophe, but some of their scalding heat has endured. The seafloor is dotted with numerous smoking volcanoes and hot hydrothermal vents. Their heat bakes any sand that is brought to them, creating a sturdy glass that can be used for construction and tools.

Agriculture can hardly be practiced on top of basalt or gabbro, so the colony must be supplied with food regularly.

Region 11 - Klau'ead Pyue'ea'oed

Spoiler: Geography

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The region is part of the wider area nicknamed "the Blue North" by the Lojanese after the color of its waters, which is effected by the lack of contaminants and a seabed covered almost entirely by dead coral with a high albedo. The coral - dead and living - rather than rocks or the like, shapes the landscape, forming great sloping terraces.

The first few Lojanese expeditions trying establish a presence in region 11, although well-equipped, had been stymied and thrown into utter disorder by the near-impossibility of auditory communication. Having trained to communicate through alternate means and developed tools for measuring the distortion of sound, the explorers returned.

After exhaustive experiments that left more than a few members with tinnitus, they determined a clade of endemic plankton species to be the cause. The plankton absorbs the energy of sound with endothermic chemical reactions and uses the gathered energy for its movement and metabolism with exothermic reactions.

This phenomenon occurs in the entire region and is called the Silence by the locals - those among them who have visited other regions to be able to contrast it with normal conditions.

Spoiler: People

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The colonies of the Lojanese and the Auros, respectively named Sau'eazhan and Kalo, are situated in the south, where a hospitable valley has enticed both peoples. Rivalry between the colonies has acquired a long-lasting character. Children pick fights with those from the other town, and adults have only harsh words for the neighbors. On the other hand, trade and cultural exchange has been inevitable, and the smaller, newer settlements are often populated diversely, without any enmity between the inhabitants.

Spoiler: Resource

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Export: Sapcoral
The corals of the region consume many nutrients by filtering the water and slowly dissolving corpses and detritus that falls from above, in order to grow bulbs ranging in color from orange to purple filled with delicious nectar, by far the most accessible source of food in the region. However, about one-quarter of the bulbs, depending on the species, are filled with sticky sap instead, which rapidly expands due to the pressure inside the bulb and entraps any would-be feeder. The coral consumes the corpse to recoup the costs of growing the bulbs and the cycle continues. The two types of bulbs look identical until the membrane breaks. Which bulb contains what is determined by the shuffling of chromosomes in the one parent cell from which the bulb grows.
The probability of deadly bulbs is determined by evolution. Too great, and fish evolve not to try their luck. Too small, and the coral expends more energy than it consumes.
The sap is dyed a very bright, water-resistant color, but as it is extremely sticky, it must be mixed with some sort of powder or sand to weaken the glue if you ever want to remove the color.

Desired import: Fibers
Although the corals and the seafloor provide a cornucopia of food and building materials, there are scarce furred inhabitants or kelp from which fibers for tools could be extracted.

Spoiler: Faith

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HS1: Ancient Hut
It is a small, approximately conical bamboo dwelling that has always been there. It is inhabited by the greatest of sages in Klau'ead Pyue'ea'oed. When the sage dies, another moves in. In exchange for being given porridge by the people, they spend all their time studying technology, learning magic and conversing with the gods in order to answer all questions asked.

Region 6 - Selach

Spoiler: Geography

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The sea claimed by the Selachian tribes stretches so far in all directions that many of its inhabitants even don't know that other seas and intelligent species exist. There are many sand dunes and ridges on the seafloor of Selach due to the oceanic plate crumbling as it clashes with another at the mid-ocean ridge separating Selach from Senja Bersinar. Sea snow is frequent in the south of Selach. In the north, a mighty trade current carries away any detritus and strips away finer grains of sand leaving behind bare rocks that make survival difficult.
The region's geography makes hiding easy and finding difficult, and it has prevented past polities from unifying the region.

The massive arms factory of Oarngalau makes use of Selach's large reserves of natural resources, and it is one of the few places where a non-nomadic settlement can be found.

Spoiler: People

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The Selachians are intelligent sharks. Their fins are rather flexible, allowing them to manipulate objects. They speak the Selechitic languages.

When a Selachian is born from an egg hidden in a rock fissure or buried in sand, they are not yet members of society and they are ignored by adult Selachians except for being given directions to the nearest Testing Grounds. These are sacred sites chosen by the most senior chieftains, the gates to Selachianship. Once a sufficient number of participants has gathered at a Testing Ground, they are paired up for duels to the death. Refusal to kill carries the consequence of banishment.

The victors must then determine leaders among themselves by any means, including violence. Some are shocked after the duels and do not want to spill any more blood; some yearn for seconds. The groups and hierarchies created at the Testing Grounds form the most important social circles of a Selachian and generally persist until death. Through this ritual, it is guaranteed that every adult Selachian is a killer, knows the value of a life and will be prepared to kill if it is necessary to defend Selachian society.

The Selachians are territorial, and they like to hunt for food alone. Despite having a fairly structured social hierarchy, Selachians gather in large numbers only if there is an acute problem that needs a group solution.

Spoiler: Faith

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The fundamental Selachian belief is that life propagates itself blindly and endlessly, filling every niche it can find, even if the resulting shape is ugly. It is the duty of civilization to restrain life, trimming it like a kelp hedge or sculpting it like stone.

Thus, killing is necessary. There are several "promises" or tenets under which a Selachian is allowed to routinely kill a sentient being without being persecuted for murder. To carry out a killing under a Promise, a Selachian has to paint their body a certain color.

The Promise of the Waters (black): If a group is found to excessively burden the natural resources of the sea they live in, even if that sea is not within Selach, and do not desist after being warned, they can be killed. Usually a hunting group is organized for this purpose.
The Promise of the Earth (brown): Anyone who killed a Selachian you knew can be killed by you, provided you announce your hostile intent beforehand.
The Promise of the Heart (red): Anyone attempting to prevent you from mating with someone who is not opposed to your advances can be killed. This can include authorities that ban prostitution or immoral acts.
The Promise of the Stomach (yellow): Killing to sate hunger is allowed, though killing non-intelligent species, or failing that, non-Selachians, is preferred.

These Promises have been transmitted by oral traditions since ancient times, when the Selachians' survival as a race was in question, and getting rid of even potential threats was necessary. Although the need to kill has diminished, it is still an integral part of Selachian culture. Some Selachians interpret the Promises creatively, going hardly a week without a kill to amuse themselves. If it is disputed whether a kill was just, community representatives decide. In order to prevent the Selachian population from getting decimated by blood vendettas utilizing the Promise of the Earth after disputed kills, Selachians who committed unjustified kills are exiled instead of killed, with some considering this a worse punishment.

The Selachians, although they tend toward solitary life, have a system of organization for decisions that need to be made community-wide. Each group of ten Selachians, determined at the Testing Grounds, has a representative called a Tenner. Ten Tenners elect among themselves a Centurion. Analogically the higher ranks of Thousander and Myriader are filled. In past days of the glorious war against other species to establish their place in the world, the Selachians have appointed even higher ranks commanding tremendously large hosts. Depending on the representative's strength and other circumstances, their group can be overstrength or understrength by up to a factor of two, which rarely leads to a reorganization.

Spoiler: Resource

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Export: Selachian Mercenaries. Selachians, with their willingness to kill and imposing physique, make for excellent soldiers, coveted by many foreign armies. Being hired to fight for someone is also in line with Selachian philosophy. The Selachians fight a weaker species for the sake of another weaker species, absorbing the honor of both. As they tend not to listen to non-Selachian commanders telling them how to fight on a tactical level, they are usually hired as organized into complete Selachian battalions. Selachians never surrender, though if they believe they are superior to the enemy they are currently facing, they may withdraw. They spare enemies only when they believe the enemy has displayed sufficient personal strength and courage, so that they may rejoice when they face the enemy a second time.

Desired Import: Dyes. The Selachians require Dye for Promise and war paints and the colorful clothing they tend to wear, much more of it than is available in their region.

Region 14 - Kaarme

credit to cactiguy3, lightly edited by me

Spoiler: Geography

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The region of Kaarme is an expansive kelp forest that is mostly flat save for the yawning canyon that scars the sea floor, twisting its way almost entirely across the region. Within this canyon, the Auros city of Syva can be found. Nestled in the briny depths of the chasm, a ring of dim lights can be seen shining at the bottom from the canyon edge against the washed-out green of the day. As one draws closer, it can be seen that the lights seem to disappear downward, a tunnel system leading ever deeper. As the pressure begins to build, a tunnel suddenly twists away, revealing a chamber filled with breathable air and lights. The starry walls pulse with microbial biofilms that feed on the nutrient-rich walls, releasing oxygen into the chamber through a peculiar process. Legends say the first Auros dwelled in this cave, and the city has since risen up around it with its denizens adapting to the murky twilight.

Outside of the chasm, the kelp forest teems with life. Bony fish and sharks are always seen twisting through the towering stalks. From the kelp itself hangs translucent red fruit, casting the floor in a mixture of greens, reds, and oranges. A large variety of life feeds off of the fruit and fish, but most prefer to stay hidden.

Spoiler: People

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The Auros people are a partly serpentine race with a humanoid torso that melds into a long undulating tail, except for the mothers. A new mother is born from the last egg an Auros bears. All Auros are female and reproduce parthenogenetically, so new mothers are produced with decent regularity. The child hatches fully serpentine. It is almost indistinguishable from a wild animal save for the amazing intelligence it displays and the enormous size it will grow to. One mother and her chosen mate rule the city, the first selected as the first mother born after the death of the last. These ruling mothers dwell permanently in the system of caves below the city and are only ever seen by Auros and thoroughly trusted outsiders. All other mothers serve the rulers to either seed new colonies or serve as weapons at their disposal. Due to their enormous size, the mothers are also sterile.

The majority of the denizens, however, are much smaller. Ranging from 10-15 feet long typically with the absolute largest among them being up to 20 feet in length. Coloration will vary, but generally consists of black bands against a lighter white, yellow, or blue coloration.

Temperament among the Auros is generally cold and disinterested towards outsiders, but they are extremely friendly and affectionate towards each other, forming stable romantic pairs of 2-3.

The mothers are especially so, but all Auros are extremely intelligent. Those that don’t train as warriors pursue science and experimentation. Both classes are respected with warriors being capable of intense strategy and complex maneuvers and others have a deep understanding of the natural world and how it can be manipulated.

Being serpentine, the Auros are carnivorous. They feed somewhat on the naturally abundant fish of the area, but a staple of their diet is a large larva that dwells within kelp fruit. If allowed to grow, these larvae spawn a large species of cephalopod grazers that can sometimes be seen clinging to the stalks, but it generally prefers to stay hidden from potential predators. While they aren’t overtly dangerous, they can do serious damage if engaged, and it’s simpler to harvest their larvae, which dwell in plain sight.

Like wild sea snakes, the Auros are not capable of breathing while underwater, and they depend on the oxygen generated in a chamber in the caves below. They are capable of holding their breath for several hours at a time, so while they could surface to satisfy their oxygen demands, they prefer to dwell in the darkness of the chasm.

Spoiler: Resource

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Many exotic organisms and substances can be found in the cave system below the city of Syva. However, the most abundant is a lithotrophic algae that produces a potent neurotoxin. While the Auros have adapted to tolerate low levels in the water around the blooms, the toxin can be easily purified to lethal concentrations by exposing the algae to high pressure and collecting the liquid that results, which is aptly named Barotoxin. While it is seldom traded, it is the main export from Syva.

Apart from that, the Auros always crave well-crafted equipment. While they are proficient in many chemical processes and battle strategies, they do not make their own weapons or armor. Without it, they feel vulnerable, so in their limited trade relations, they seek to gain arms.

Spoiler: Faith

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The Auros revere the darkness and depths that have protected them and given them so much. The concept is deified as a figure they call Astra, which they don’t actively worship, but they acknowledge her gifts and her mystery. There is no official temple, but every Auros knows her name and keeps a token of hers to which they may offer a quick prayer for good luck before a battle or experiment. Usually, this takes the form of a dark pearl inserted in jewelry, armor, or a weapon. However, if an Auros has some other item touched by the deep, this may also be used. The revered physical sites of her power are found in the deepest accessible recess of the caves below the city.

The most commonly visited is the air-filled cave where all Auros go to breathe. The biofilm along the walls and ceiling provides food to bioluminescent animals, appearing as stars that shine and twinkle against a black sky. The Auros know that this, by far, is the greatest gift that the depths provide, and they respect it as such.

Another site is a hole known simply as The Deep, and if an Auros is so compelled, they may make offerings or meditate on the dark expanse. Because of the pressure and distance, no one knows exactly how far down it goes, only that sources of light seem to disappear after several minutes of traveling into the blackness.

The least visited site is where the Auros’ pearls are found. Even with a light source, upon entering the cave, the water becomes a shroud of complete darkness. Only by careful listening is it possible to hear the muffled sounds of stone rolling across stone, and only then can the loose pearls be obtained. This is generally seen as a rite of passage, and an Auros will only retrieve their pearl when they are considered fully grown. Once obtained, they will do whatever they can to avoid repeating the experience because although the darkness bestows them a gift, one can never be sure what other dangers hide beyond the senses.

Nguurhaln Polanau (5)

Spoiler: Geography

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The sea is thick and aromatic with plant juices. Islands of vegetation float at the surface, Waveweed vines hanging down from them. The seafloor is also teeming with plant life. It is difficult to access the seafloor proper given the continuous, dense foliage, which recovers quickly after it is cut down, making mineral mines in the region unpracticable.

Astronomer settlements can be likened to spider webs. The individual dwellings and buildings are floating in the water, connected by numerous nets designed to trap the nutrients in the water. The webs are anchored to thick plant trunks, and in time, the anchor plants and the settlement grow into each other, as the Astronomers make no attempts to keep the plants out of their buildings. The capital, Kdar, is located on a mountain plateau in the shallowest area of the region, where observing the supersurface world is the easiest. A surprisingly large portion of the Astronomer populace lives in urban centers, about 60%, since most Astronomers are philosophers rather than farmers, and Waveweeds supply enough food to make these cities possible.

In the center of the region stands the Tree of Life, a massive colony of flora forming a thick pillar stretching kilometers from the seafloor to the surface. The species comprising the Tree change as one goes up or down. The Reapers have attempted to damage the Tree in the past, but they quickly left it alone. In that incident, it is said to have taken on a life of its own. Countless green tentacles sprouted with amazing speed, crushed the guts out of the aggressors. Immediately afterward, the vines halted their movement and the Tree went dormant again, leaving the mutilated corpses on display before the Reapers' shocked comrades.

Spoiler: People

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Nguurhaln Polanau is inhabited by the Astronomers, fish that exhibit barely any vital signs, spending most of their time lying on plants. They are not dead, but rather they absorb nutrients that are emitted into the water by the plants, and thus they have no need to hunt or farm to obtain food. This leaves them free to pursue various hobbies full-time, the most prominent of which is astronomy, hence their apellation.

The gills of Astronomers have adapted to the filtering of nutrients from seawater. This renders Astronomers sensitive to poisons or bad water quality. The powerful gills also make their faces noticeably wider than those of other fish. Another distinguishing feature of Astronomers is that they sport vestigial whiskers on their chin consisting of dead cells that can be cut and styled.

Scientists had long been perplexed by the symbiosis between the plants of Nguurhaln Polanau and the Astronomers, as the plants stand nothing to gain from feeding the fish and could simply evolve to stop emitting nutrients. Recently, however, it has been noticed that not even one percent of the vegetation Nguurhaln Polanau has been cleared out, even inhabitants of other regions rush to industrialize no matter the environmental costs.

Spoiler: Faith

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The Foregone Constellation is a philosophy that is based around predicting the movement of the stars from events in one's personal life. Advanced philosophers play chess with the stars as pieces, making the heavens move to their whims by living their life in specific patterns - for example, trying to meet people whose names start in "A" and avoiding everyone else, or always travelling in the direction of the sun.

Of course, since the movements of all but a few heavenly bodies are nearly imperceptible, the adherents of the Foregone Constellation have developed a great knowledge of mathematics, physics and related fields.

Holy site 1: Mirror Pond
Near the capital of Kdar, a high-quality silver vein had been exposed by centuries of erosion. Of course, if the people of Kdar had been anyone except the Astronomers, the silver vein would be long gone. Instead of chasing after material profit, the Astronomers had preserved this natural wonder, basking in its beauty. After yet more centuries of erosion, the Astronomers have been rewarded. A fortuitous water stream has polished the silver ore into a clear mirror. Every night, the star-spangled sky has a rival of equal splendor in the Mirror Pond. The reflective seabed, although clear, is uneven, and so it cannot be used for precise observations, contrary to the viewpoint of some early Astronomers. On the other hand, that makes it even more beautiful, as it shows mirage constellations that will never appear on the firmament above.

Holy site 2: Death At The Feet Of Life
The rotting Reaper corpses embedded in the branches of the Tree of Life have left a deep impression on the cultists of the Dreaming Dead. A local chapter has been founded to worship the Tree and add to its majesty by decorating it with further corpses. Their base is a "graveyard" (some think "corpse storage grounds" would be more appropriate given how often the dead are disturbed in that place) at the bottom of the Tree built of austere, meticulously scrubbed stone blocks that contrast with the chaotic, unrestrained growth of the Tree.

Spoiler: Resource

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Export: Waveweed Root
The Astronomers are too lazy to cut down plants, so they declared harming plants to be immoral in their ethical code. Fortunately, the plants quite often happen to lose some branches to natural phenomena, and these are gathered by the Astronomers. These are called Waveweed Roots and contain long fibers, suitable for making textiles or tools. When cooked, the fibers break down and they are quite edible - though more of a staple food than a delicacy.

The fruit of Waveweed Roots is called an arisle. It is elongated and blue in color when ripe. For most intelligent species, it is mildly poisonous to eat as the waveweed plant purifies itself and the water around it by gathering toxins inside its arisles. This also provides protection to the soft seeds that could otherwise be easily digested.

Import: Luxuries
Although the Astronomers' basic needs are all taken care of by the local flora, they do occasionally want to treat themselves to something nice. With no industrial base or even simple markets to speak of, any delicacies, accessories, books or other products made by specialists have to be imported.

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