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

[LapisCattis]

The Unrelenting Horde

Leader: Carver Dunbar
Diplomacy: 3
Military: 3
Economy: 5
Faith: 4
Intrigue: 4
rolls

Capital Region: Lyssnos - Region 196
Resource: Clamp-eel Slime (a building material)
Desired Import: Meat

Holy Sites:

• The Great Mausoleum - The Evermarching Hunger
• Whalefall Temple - The Evermarching Hunger
• The Mat - The Evermarching Hunger

Faction Support:

• Aristocratic: Self owned
• Clerical: Self owned
• Mercantile: Self owned

Starting techs: All

Spoiler: Geography

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Sparse crags rise out of a fog of waste, floating remnants of beasts from above, and the murk of silt that is forever floating above the fine bed of the sea. The Fog wraps all in tangible pressure, and can cover only the writhing bodies of Clamp-eels or be as thick to cover entire skeletons of great Beasts, long since fallen to the seafloor and stripped of all meat and use. Above, in the Clear Sea, what few cliffs that approach the glowing yellow-green surface waters are capped in white, and shimmers of salt cascade in dizzying whirls. A current brings choking water into the edge of this territory - fierce and lethal enough that no life persists around it, and dense enough to slip underneath the Fog, ensnaring any fool who wanders too close to add their remains to the Great Mausoleum.

Instead of tall cities or grand structures, the people of Lyssnos congregate around existing landmarks. The Great Mausoleum, spillway of the Wastes, holds the bodies of fools and lesser beings that dared to challenge the power of the Wastes without preparing themselves adequately. Whalefalls are infrequent and ephemeral protrusions from the fog, bones and body protruding until enough Hyperiids, Clamp-eels, and the various non-sentient crabs, blind fish, and smaller beasts feast on the remains enough that the connections of tissue and ligament fail, and the skeleton falls flat into the Fog. Each Whalefall is a celebration and a test - the most abundant is named Whalefall Temple until a new corpse arrives. The Mat is less ephemeral, though navigating to it requires more skill than can be expected of either an outsider or a juvenile. A place where the Fog rests flat, apparently no different from its surroundings, but underneath is a deep, disguised pool of slime and sulfur-smelling mud, enough to completely submerge several Hyperiids on top of one another. Smaller mats exist, also hidden underneath the Fog and dotted throughout the region, and impossible to tell apart from the normal sea bed until one is already submerged. Inside the mats, the slime and mud block all light and sensation, creating a disorienting chamber where even directional sense cannot be relied upon.

Spoiler: People

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The residents of Lyssnos are primarily Hyperiids - swimming crustaceans with transparent bodies and thick shells, about half the size of a Clear Sea dolphin skeleton. With two elongated claw arms and wide head, Hyperiids mostly swim while vertical, spindly legs and tail tucked into their curved shells. A lost leg, and the proof that one is still able to function without it, is a mark of pride at meeting the challenges of Lyssnos. To them is the lot to suffer and prevail - to experience and triumph over the most inhospitable environments, and to that end, the Hyperiids will experiment and create anything to attempt to conquer new challenges, particularly if those inventions are made from materials already in Lyssnos.

To that end, the Hyperiids culture and breed a host of Clamp-eels - blind, soft-horned eels the size of a Mer skeleton with round bodies and long spade-tails. Covered in a flexible but strong slime and dotted sensory organs over the length of their bodies, the Clamp-eels are valuable for livestock, slime harvesting, and tracking. Their jaws are strong and bodies soft and flexible enough that a single Clamp-eel could tie itself into multiple knots, a skill they use to create leverage for tearing off meat and to carry rocks and bone for construction.

Using the nutrient rich Fog, Hyperiids are also able to grow large, latticework barrel sponges that form rounds of silica that can be used to wrap around a Hyperiid for defense, egg-laying, or simply for comfort. Combined with slime and harvested bone, these sponges are also quite useful building supplies.

Spoiler: History and Government

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For most of their history, the Hyperiids formed small, aggressive roaming groups that communicated with each other but were broadly separate in order to make the most of food supplies. Each group competed with each other for triumphs and bragging rights to different hardships, while also avoiding the cursed status of Drifters - Hyperiids who make the environment too easy to survive in and who remove challenges completely. In recent years, as more corpses and food has entered the Fog, the Hyperiids have grown anxious at how the abundance is impacting their youth, and groups began to band together (in sufficiently challenging numbers) to find new challenges. The current leader, distinguished by her surviving in the Mat for an entire season and using her Clamp-eel to split each bone in a Whalefall for the marrow, is Carver Dunbar.

Spoiler: Resources

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Clamp-eel slime is a gel-like, flexible substance that can be wrapped around food to seal out new contamination, around bones or sponges to keep them together in a building, and has even been tested to be able to hold small amounts of air from the bubbles that rise from parts of the sea floor. Its primary value currently is in construction.

Even though the elder Hyperiids preach moderation, there is no denying the appeal of fresh meat to the Hyperiids, particularly the rare meat and food that hasn't already been chewed by several dozen other creatures before reaching the Fog.

Spoiler: Faith

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The Great Mausoleum marks the most visible and accessible sign of the ultimate challenge - the Wastes. Hyperiid legend says that originally, their ancestors were born from rocks and viscera spewed from the Wastes before the Fog settled and separated them in its shelter. While normally shelter for shelter's sake would be looked down upon, it is also widely agreed that without the Fog, the Wastes would have covered the entire ocean. Life with hardships is better than no life at all. Nevertheless, the Wastes are an eternal yearning - a goal held by every self-respecting Hyperiid that one day, they might be strong enough to survive inside it. So far, as the Great Mausoleum can attest, that day has not come, but the passion to chase the ultimate challenge still remains. Just as the Wastes have an eternal hunger to devour all creatures that enter, so will the Hyperiids persist, Evermarching, with their own Hunger. This belief forms the bedrock of society, and identifies the other important places in Lyssnos. The Whalefalls, and Whalefall Temple specifically congratulate those who survived long enough for a new arrival, and teach that one must pace themselves. The Mat teaches appreciation for the darkness and rewards those who have taught themselves the skill to find hidden gems and withstand the sensory deprivation inside. Finally, the Great Mausoleum teaches that a challenge is only a fool's errand if not approached with strategy and self-awareness.

[Lady Serpentine]

The Katethi Dominion

Spoiler: Summary

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Leader: Iyesti Vadisora, the Bound Supplicant
Diplomacy: 3
Military: 1
Economy: 2
Faith: 3
Intrigue: 1
(Rolls.)

Capital Region: Kateth Mar (Region 39)
Resource: Refined Biotoxins
Desired Import: Test Subjects

Holy Sites:

• The Osseous Heart: The Waking Tide
• Seeker’s Rest: The Waking Tide
• The Proving Yards: The Waking Tide

Faction Support:

• Aristocratic: Self
• Clerical: Self
• Mercantile: Self

Starting techs:

• Filtration Grafts
• Bioluminescent Navigation
• Electrodialytic Staurozoa

Spoiler: Thassalography

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The surface of Kateth Mar is relatively well-known, at least insofar as any region which contains nothing more than excessively bony fish, has no natural landmarks, and requires specialized protective equipment not to rot from within can claim to be. It is dutifully marked on the thassalographic charts of every major power and just as dutifully avoided; what reason would there be to do otherwise?

In the south and west, the seabed slopes down to a series of precipitous drop-offs, the sea floor rapidly receding from view. The floor that is visible at this depth is not barren, though many would unthinkingly describe it as such, and those used to more lively locales would undeniably find it desolate - it hosts a number of sea grasses and other plants (evidently immune to the hostile conditions by the simple expedient of not having flesh to rot away) which serve as food for the scattered shoals of Bone-Finned Minnows that make up the only visible animal life.

To the north, of course, lies a nightmarish maelstrom of sucking currents that can drag any but the most resilient vessels down into yawning chasms - and if that was not enough, the waters are just as toxic as the rest of Kateth Mar and twice as salty. None but the foolhardy dare a Waste without the most thorough preparations, and that is all that lies to the north of Kateth Mar.

As for the east, the waters grow no shallower or easier to see through, though the toxins do eventually disperse to the point of harmlessness.

Far below the surface, however, one finds life once more. By the standards of other nations, that life would seem a ruthless application of the principles of Trophic Deconvolution; a dangerously restricted ecosystem with no redundancies at all remaining to prevent catastrophic collapse if any part of the whole should become unbalanced and only gross intervention as a corrective measure to prevent minor changes from rippling outwards.

By the standards of Kateth Mar’s inhabitants, on the other hand, the current degree of biodiversity is something of a wonder, and a wonder that has been engineered by their own hands. It is only the barest skeleton of an ecosystem, and primarily geared to serving their needs… But it is an ecosystem, and serve their needs it does.

Due to the toxicity and depth of the region, construction in coral - so common elsewhere - has historically been rare. Instead, the inhabitants have primarily woven living kelp into dwellings, carefully tended to ensure their stability and continued well-being. Recently, however, the inhabitants have made sufficient strides to permit foreign techniques to be employed, and this has led to the construction of many new buildings in the capital (the name of which is a matter of some debate now that communities large enough that it requires one other than “home” or a phrase which approximately translates as “the city” exist beyond it).

Spoiler: People

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The inhabitants of Kateth Mar are a curious sort, bearing a certain resemblance to the modern kucen - though even if they ever shared an ancestor, there have most assuredly been divergences, for no ungrafted kucen could survive the toxic brew that they are born into.

Regardless of their true origins, the kateth aun (a term which when literally translated means “dead who live”, or “living dead”, though outsiders should remember that this is a matter of religion rather than biological fact) are bipeds with four-armed torsos and powerful tails suitable for propulsion. They also possess long, flowing fins in a variety of colors, which they refer to as “veils”; these veils are translucent and lit by the soft fin rays, which display a variety of bioluminescent patterns almost as great as the variety in the veils themselves.

More notable to outsiders, however, is the fact that the flesh of their torsos - particularly where the underbelly would be on a more normal piscine body plan - is slightly translucent, permitting glimpses of bones and organs to show through. This effect is especially pronounced in those individuals who have more pronounced degrees of bioluminescence, as this frequently extends to their internal structures as well.

Spoiler: History and Government

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The kateth aun (more commonly known to outsiders as the Katethi, a name they accept with some amusement as approximately meaning “those of death” and thus closely equivalent to their own name for themselves) are not and have never been a populous people, though their numbers increase with every year. As such, their government is in some ways both new and unstable, though in others it has existed for much of their history.

In its simplest form, the Katethi government is straightforwardly ruled by a single queen (or more rarely king). In practice, however, this is thoroughly complicated by an array of familial privileges, the necessity of bureaucracy, and the existence of a powerful faith which not even the queen can safely gainsay.

Further complicating this lattermost fact is the wrinkle that their religion looks rather unusual to outside eyes. What they term a temple in the Proving Yards, for instance, most outsiders would consider a sophisticated research facility devoted to the purpose of adapting lifeforms to the harsh conditions of Kateth Mar - and thus firmly under the jurisdiction of the state.

The current ruler is a compromise heir, chosen because her father was from a family with no meaningful position and she was the most pious of the last queen’s available children. Whether this has resulted in a weak puppet for the nobility, a faithful devotee beholden to none but the church, an indecisive figurehead incapable of holding the nascent polity together as it grows beyond a single city-state, or - least likely of all - a competent ruler remains to be seen.

Spoiler: Resources

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One would expect that collecting biotoxins from Kateth Mar would be as simple as scooping up the waters in a bladder and swimming merrily on your way. For those willing to accept an inferior product and the risks involved in harvesting it, this is the case.

For everyone else, the research complexes of the Proving Yards generate a constant stream of refined biotoxins, which they are more than happy to permit others to dispose of for them once the poisons have served their purpose.

To find a way into the Osseous Heart is the dream of no few government officials and high-ranking clergy. Few return from venturing into the treacherous waters around it, however, and even fewer do so whole. None have yet succeeded. And they simply do not have the numbers to send their own, even if that would not result in a revolt (as it assuredly would). As such, Kateth Mar swallows up a steady stream of test subjects and returns nothing save, infrequently, for bones.

Spoiler: Faith

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The Waking Tide is a curious faith, for it posits that the first of the kateth aun arose from the dead. Perhaps this was inevitable; the region strips the life from all that is unwise enough to enter it, after all. Perhaps it was simple chance, that the kateth aun arose near enough to the Osseous Heart that they knew, without ever having to question it, that they were not the first intelligence to swim these seas. Or perhaps there is some truth to it.

Whatever the case may be, mainstream belief among the kateth aun is that there is a force imprisoned within the Heart (which they name divine) that reached out from it with what little force she could bring to bear past her bindings, in the hopes of escape.

She found no way out, but corpses were abundant, swept in by treacherous currents and piled there in the cataclysm - and these caught her attention. From them she crafted life; at first the simplest fish that dwell in the region, easily created and as easily controlled, but soon progressing further to the structure that the kateth aun have built upon, and even the kateth aun themselves, all made in the hopes that a prison might prove less resilient to attempts to break in.

The Osseous Heart: A great structure seemingly built of coral and living bone, the Osseous Heart is the source of the toxins that pervade the region; the waters surrounding it bear an even great array of biological and chemical horrors undiluted by distance, to say nothing of the treacherous currents and hydrothermal vents that surround it, able to pull even the wariest explorer into knife-edged rocks and coral or boil them inside the sturdiest armor. Who can wonder why the kateth aun have come to believe it is the prison of a god, whatever the original purpose?

Seeker’s Rest: A temple for those who wish to seek a way into the Osseous Heart, offering both blessings and a last chance to turn back. In more recent years, it has also come to house those unfortunate enough to be forced into making the attempt, rendering the original name half a mockery at best, though that secret is only an open one among those in power.

The Proving Yards: A deep sea cave complex on the edge the newly minted capital, the Proving Yards are, in function, a specialized biological research facility. Nevertheless, they are also a site of great importance to the Waking Tide, for the creation of new life, particularly that devoted to seeking entrance to the Heart, is considered holy work.

[Zayuz]

The Quiet Storm Trifectate
Region 200, Nirumanna

Spoiler: Geography

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Nirumanna
A hilly region with fair temperatures and slow currents, leaving the waters calm and consistent through the year. Known for its unique local flora that resembles Bamboo and can be used for many of the same purposes, the Nira have made this land their home alongside the native Mer. The ocean floor is teeming with life thanks to the efforts of its inhabitants, who took a near wasteland and poured their efforts into helping it flourish once again as their greatest historical triumph. Careful tending to the ecology is trusted to the government, whose legitimacy comes from their ability to cultivate and expand the fruits of their land.

These fruitful kept-forests at the bottom of the sea are where the Nira make their homes, crafting buildings of bamboo and refining it over generations to be sturdier and immovable to the will of currents. In time, entire towns have risen and thrived using this method.

Spoiler: People

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The Nira
Inhabiting the region are a race of people who appear almost as mermaids, though their amphibious component is that of an orca whale instead of a fish. They stand six to seven feet tall, and possess extra fins that stem from the hips, back, and elbows. These external fins are harder and darker in colour than the bulk of their body which is covered by a softer white skin, leaving them with a relatively non-threatening appearance compared to many of the horrors of the deep. While sometimes appearances are deceiving, this is decisively untrue in the case of the Nira. Lacking any natural weapons or strength but graced with opposable thumbs, they make heavy use of tools and supplementary species that results in a more harmonious way of living with the world than their predatory neighbours. Though they are still omnivorous, consuming any form of meat for any but the most celebrated in society is considered a cultural taboo out of a traditional reverence for life.

The Nira have historically been scavengers, living in a very capitalist system that values contribution to society (measured through the extent to which others value that contribution) as the foremost good. This placed a great wealth on the leaders of men and those who tend natural agriculture, who are allowed to skirt cultural norms through the justification that their actions permit more lives than they extinguish. The traditional culture of the Nira is that of reverence for life, combat with great predators of the ocean, and skilled craftsmanship to overcome the limitations defined by their vulnerable biology.

Nira don clothes in full for ceremonial reasons, otherwise tending to remain fit only with accessories like collars, belts, and armlets that do not restrict movement underwater. Some additional physical details include that their eyes feature dark sclera with orange, violet, or green irises, and their hair is naturally monochromatic in colour. (Image Inspiration)


Government in Nirumanna
Quiet Storm was the name of the company that successfully restored Nirumanna’s ecosystem, gaining the title of the first Trifectate in the process. The Trifectate is granted three primary duties, which form the origin of the title: The stewardship of all life within their demesne, the representation of people in their lands to foreigners, and the cultivation of a capable talent to carry this on in the future. Though many companies exist in Niran lands, and indeed society is ruled by coin, it is to the Trifectate title as opposed to the Quiet Storm company that taxes are paid, to whom levies are owed, and to whom the burden of protecting all life is entrusted.

Historically, other companies have claimed the title, but without popular support they are quick to be subjugated and dissolved. Consider the mantle of Trifectate to be akin to the Chinese Mandate of Heaven as a close real life approximation of its workings.

Spoiler: Resource

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Niran Craftsmen
The Nira have not the biological advantages of other species, and time in the wastes has acclimated them to relying on the tools of their own creation to survive and develop. With the plentiful bamboo in the region, they can effectively shape it into any sort of tools or buildings that the society might need. The skill and prestige that this has fostered remains a point of pride for their culture, and they are happy to provide what skills they have in abundance to the rest of the world. For a price.

Requires Salvage, with which the people may craft new tools and perhaps utilize to restore more of the ruined parts of the world. In the eyes of many, the salvaged material of the past may additionally bring them closer to their fabled home on the surface.

Spoiler: Faith

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Cult of Salvation
The Church of Salvation appeared alongside the migratory people of Nirumanna. After the annihilation of their homeland, they abandoned their original faith and took up a proactive philosophy of environmental protectionism informed by their near extinction and life in the wastes. Called the Cult of Salvation, it preaches as follows:

The world is dying due to a blight that comes from the surface world, where they claim that the Nira originally came from. Having repented for their cruel treatment of the environment and the collapse of their society above, the ‘world itself’ blessed them with fins through which to survive below the surface, under the pact that they do all they can to save the subsurface world from the same decay.

The Cult of Salvation believes that the purpose of life is to repair the world and cooperate with fellow sapient species so that the planet might be saved, lest ecological imbalance make the whole world a wasteland. This fight against stagnancy and death occurs within all creatures in an individual level through survival of the fittest, but is played out cosmically through the moral choices of individuals that shift the balance. While it holds life as sacred, the Cult does not actually care for the quality of that life or the equality of life within it. Those that preserve the world deserve to consume more of its bountiful riches, but those that consume without providing must be purged for the good of the planet.

[Silent_Interim]

The Ornzol Superiority

Spoiler: Summary

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Leader: Chief Scorner Or’mitet'ol Wide-Eye
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 5
Economy: 3
Faith: 2
Intrigue: 5

Capital Region: Ornzol (40)
Resource: Ornzol Scorners
Desired Import: Meat

Holy Sites:

• Holy Site 1, The Perfectly Sized Rock: Loathing for Largeness
• Holy Site 2, The Hall of Learning: Detestation of the Different
• Holy Site 3, The Reflecting Caves: Odium for the Other

Faction Support:

• Aristocratic: Self
• Clerical: Self
• Mercantile: Self

Starting bonus techs: Bioluminescent Navigation, Filtration Grafts, Bitter Tourism

Spoiler: Geography: Ornzol

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Ornzol, much like the people that named it for themselves, is a land of contrasts; from the rolling brown sands leading up to the stony tide pools where the Ornzol raise their young, to the wide and colourful reefs that dot the seascape. Here and there among the reefs where fish dart in and out, villages sprawl in radial patterns, spiking outward from central plazas where the Ornzol gather for public events and commerce. In a few places, larger towns marking local seats of power sprawl even further, radial patterns budding off in a fractal from the central point. Occasionally, specially-bred rays carry important Ornzol above the fray, settling here and there.

Points of interest include the two Great Spawnings, mythologically considered the origins of the Ornzol, two islands ringed by a massive collection of tide pools which the Ornzol still use for raising their young. Outsiders are not permitted anywhere near them, on pain of pain. The southwestern island is called Orn and the northwestern Zol, in the traditional Ornzol style, though both are used for the raising of children of both constituent species.

Spoiler: People: The Ornzol

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The Orn (unless it’s the Zol) are a race of large sea urchins, with adults measuring approximately 50cm in diameter. Most of this length is a dense network of rigid spines in thick clusters emerging from the central body, with the test (shell) protecting a body about 10cm in diameter. Their colouration is highly vibrant, with bright reds and yellows to ward off predators.

The Zol (or possibly the Orn) are a race of sandy-coloured crabs, with adult specimens growing to about 20cm in length. They have long-stalked eyes emerging from rounded bodies, with long, slender legs. Unusually, only two of these pairs of legs are usually used for locomotion, with the other pairs extending upwards to secure a passenger.

Together, they form the gestalt Ornzol; similar to a carrier crab, the urchin portion rides atop the crab portion, providing protection, decoration, and, since their evolution to sapience, observation and advice, while the crab provides mobility, gripping power via their claws, and vision. While technically both organisms can speak, one can only speak loudly enough to be heard by their bonded partner (with the other vocalizing such thoughts if they feel it appropriate), and the Ornzol consider it a terrible faux pas to enquire which is which. They will respond to this faux pas as they will to most other social interactions- with bitter vitriol and highly inventive insults about the biology, personality, and ancestry of the offending party.

Outside of their home region, it is rare to the point of being unknown to see an Orn without a Zol, and equally rare to see a Zol without an Orn. Even within their home, it is comparably uncommon to see such a sight outside of the nurseries where each are hatched, as a pair will be bonded- typically for life- almost immediately. It is also extremely unusual for outsiders to be permitted access to these sensitive locations, meaning that most will only ever see the two as Ornzol, a single unified whole acting in perfect synchronicity. When separated, both become lethargic and dazed, largely unable to function properly independent from the other.

Spoiler: History and Government: The Clan That Clamours

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Once upon a time, the Ornzol were governed by a number of fractious and constantly-fighting clans. Although these clans still technically persist, in recent years one clan has informally subsumed and dominated all the others, by right of superior insult-craft as well as military and mercantile supremacy. All administrative matters are now formally under the jurisdiction of Clan Wide-Eye, who have the unenviable task of wrangling a populace who consider rudeness the highest virtue.

While it was certainly not the only reason, one of the biggest reasons the Wide-Eyes were able to take power was the recognition of a need for a unified front to present to the increasing numbers of outsiders. Realizing that, if they did not unite, the worst might happen, the Ornzol begrudgingly fell in line with the vision of the Wide-Eyes. While the many clans hold varying degrees of distaste for each other, it pales in comparison with their distaste for all non-Ornzul.

While individual clans are still notionally responsible for particular sections of administration, in practice they serve as instruments of Wide-Eye rule. There is still some internal jockeying for matters of prestige (and especially avoiding the singularly odious duties of trade and diplomacy), but excessive unrest is looked upon unkindly by the Wide-Eyes.

Traditionally, skill with insults was the primary metric upon which clans measured success and prestige. While this is no longer formally the case, with the Wide-Eyes instituting more formal and theoretically ability-based tests for functionary positions, there is definitely still a bias to those who can deliver a cutting jibe.

Spoiler: Resources: Fuel for Flagellation

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It is the eternal chagrin of the Ornzol that they have a need for things found beyond their own borders. Recent innovations in bio-engineering and expansion of the local population have led to a massively increased need for biomass, especially in the form of Meat, more than their own region can sustainably provide.

Though the finest Ornzol insult-crafters enjoy patronage from the ruling classes, many skilled scorners have to take their work on commission. Though it is shameful, they even hire themselves out to hideous foreigners and similar degenerates in order to make a living, some even stooping so low as to write non-insult material. But even the lowliest Ornzol Scorner is a fine wordsmith, able to rival the greats of other cultures.

Starting Bonus Techs: Bioluminescent Navigation, Filtration Grafts, Bitter Tourism.

Spoiler: Faith: A Philosophy Of Distaste

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The Ornzol are not particularly religious, but they have elevated the craft of the insult to an art form. They find most other forms of life disgusting, varying from mere sniffling superiority to outright hatred of those unlike them.

HS1: The Perfectly Sized Rock
Size, of course, is a classic vector for judgment. It is here, at a stone so perfectly sized for an Ornzol, demonstrating their superior nature, that they practice the art of Loathing for Largeness.

HS2: The Hall of Learning
Some creatures are so strange, so sick and malformed, that it requires research and expertise even to insult them properly. At the Hall of Learning, the finest Ornzol scholars learn to hone their Detestation of the Different.

HS3: The Reflecting Caves
A small network of caves with the peculiar property of perfectly resonating sounds made in a particular register of Ornzol speech. Specifically, that achieved in the most sublime state of disgust and hatred. Here, the echoes of the finest screeched examples of Odium for the Other ring down eternity, for posterity to enjoy.

[Feathersnow]

The Savannah of Terbon (region 107)

Spoiler: people

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This region is inhabited mostly by Leafsheep, but a physically reedy, technologically primitive offshoot of that race, unconnected to the Lux-Glossian or Pfilghol civilizations. In recent decades, they have increasingly been economically dominated by the Remainder minority, opportunistic Clans of which immigrated from Umbergy to establish themselves as a sort of aristocracy.

There had been some resentment among the populace, though they they receive useful trade goods and were rarely interfered with on a personal level. Indeed, nationalist elements had appealed to the Cherry Blossom movement powers to redress the supplanting of their native rulers. This was rendered moot by the disappearing of the surviving Remainder nobles into the Ultimate Bunker.

Their native government was a loose true democracy of local leaders coming to a consensus, them having no strong family ties or massive wealth disparity in their culture.

Spoiler: Thassalography

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This region has rolling Plains of seagrass with occasional copses of large tree-like kelps. It is home to a vibrant ecosystem of large, charismatic fauna, much recreated from the Finalist Seed Bank in the days after the Cataclysm.

Spoiler: Religion

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There are Finalists holy sites here. Most notable is The Ultimate Bunker, built when the the Sakura-Jin made holding the Final Bunker impractical. Apparently this holds a population of unreformed Final Peace devotees who may well believe they are waiting out a Second Cataclysm.

Another holy site is The Seed Bank, where genetic samples are held of species that went extinct in the "first" Cataclysm as well as ones still common today. This will be used to repopulate the world when the Finalists return from hiding, or so they think.

The Leafsheep natives believe sporadically that Finalism is probably true, but that, being physically bigger and fitter than Remainder, some of them will survive to join the New Order as valued allies when the storm has passed.

Spoiler: Trade

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The Leafsheep value precious minerals, holding they will be useful in the post apocalyptic future as a sort of currency. Their culture furthermore fixated on them as a sign of wealth.

This region is home to the Kalask, a venomous icthyosaur roughly the size and intelligence of a housecat. These creatures can be tamed as pets and hunting animals, but their real value is in their venom. It has no effect if ingested, but it is delibitating when injected in its pure form, and psychoactive when dilluted. Kalask Venom has a tarry viscosity when milked correctly and can be easily stored.

[CopyOfBaguette]

Ni'qinchay Ya'pana

Spoiler: Summary

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Leader: Chu'yaka Ta'ri
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 3
Economy: 3
Faith: 5
Intrigue: 4
Rolls

Capital Region: Chun'kama Ki'wasi
Resource: Chu'yaru Way (Military Equipment)
Desired Import: Qill'qayi Ma'kuna (Writing Material)

Holy Sites:
Ka'rayin Ti (Highest Peak) - Yu'yayya Pa'na
Ay'ylusun Qu'wasi Ha'tun (Capital Community Center)- Yu'yayya Pa'na
Up'allay - Yu'yayya Pa'na

Faction Support:
Aristocratic - Self
Clerical - Self
Mercantile - Self

Starting Techs:

• Basic Technology.
• Electrodialytic Staurozoa
• Razor Current Netting
• Mamomachines

Spoiler: Geography: Qach'qaha Wa'llan

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The rough shallows of Qach'qaha Wa'llan have been the home of yu'yaychun ka'maki since time immemorial. It is a region characterized by jagged peaks, swirling tides, and little space for standard maneuverability, requiring particular expertise for traversal. The currents create an effect similar to that of a rain shadow, pooling regions teeming with life into one side of the range while preventing free-floating life (and thus, the ecosystems founded upon them) from crossing the breach.
One critical development in yu'yaychun ka'maki civilization was making that crossing, settling in the dead zone and utilizing domesticized plankton species to pioneer on the other side of the peaks. The experiment has been generally successful, modest ecosystem development experienced on the other side.

Spoiler: People: Yu'yaychun Ka'maki

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Yu'yaychun Ka'maki are squids, cladistically, but move rather differently than other such species. Their longer arms stretch down like legs, eight tentacles spread like oh-so-many hands, and flags on a large head like wings upon an angel. This straight humanoid decapiforms descend from are filter feeders; the largest of the clade are enormous beasts known as ha'tunchun ka'maki, which are common within the Qach'qaha Wa'llan region. The energy components for sentience were derived as tool use allowed for extreme increases in efficiency of feeding, prompting exponential innovation ending in zooplankton domestication and industrialized agriculture.
None have a concept of gender, all using it/its pronouns.

Spoiler: History and Government: Ni'qinchay Ya'pana

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The yu'yaychun ka'maki peoples, before the existence of a centralized state, were colonized by a delegation of the Lambert Syndicate who got very, very lost. With advanced weaponry, potent narcotics, and a centralized state, the colonists conquered the region and enslaved their native people, attempting to search for civilization.
Meanwhile, necessity had triggered immense social innovation amongst the only existing mechanism of social organization for the colonized — yu'yaya pa'na. Worship turned away from the original pantheon, worshipping the god of craft to allow priests the guise necessary to create arms and armaments for a discontented populace. The simple core idea of "help one another", only punctuated by collective ownership of the means of production in the form of cooperatives, transformed into a complex mandate for community organization and defense, which was sparked by a network of spies and partisans who reported to Chu'yaka Ta'ri, an ingenious and disgruntled yu'yaychun ka'maki with a particular devotion to Ru'wayya Pa'na.
It gradually emerged from the shadows to become the face of the revolutionary movement, gaining popular support through already-pervasive religion that quickly boiled into mass uprising. Blood filled the streets, but in the end, the colonized had won the day. The remaining equipment was confiscated, and remaining colonizers, executed, their bodies left to feed the shadowed side of the mountain. Chu'yaka realized, however, that a centralization would be necessary for further defense, despite this initial problem being solved. He thus designated his partisans and lieutenants to community organization positions across the region, acting as secular counterparts to the priests as centres of community support and as representatives for local cooperatives.
Perhaps, in the future, democracy will be on the cards.

Spoiler: Resources: Kan'ku, Kan'kuma Na

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Yu'yayya pa'na priests, largely as a result of the revolution, have been trained in the construction of arms, armaments, and other military equipment. Their operations only expand as their faith grows, and they're more than happy to provide to others who share their ideals. They're supplied by harvesters of obsidian, igneous ashmount forming the foundations of the region's tall peaks.
What those mountains lack, however, is the material to suit a desire that was implanted during the colonial days. Si'mi, the language of the Yu'yaychun Ka'maki, originally didn't have a written form — however, after Lambertian colonization, the language was formalized into written structure and grammar. The Syndicate used platinum for their writing, but supplies ran out quickly after their conquest, and local corals eroded against the waves. Whether platinum or otherwise, the trend of writing has taken Ni'qinchay Ya'pana by storm, and they rather desperately desire materiel to continue.

Spoiler: Faith: Yu'yayya Pa'na

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At its most basic level, Yu'yayya Pa'na is about helping others. It is a faith that cares for worship nor ritual, but practices devotion through community organization and support. Though originally polytheistic, post-revolutionary Yu'yayya Pa'na has become monolatric with focus upon Ru'wayya Pa'na, god of protection and craft, representing further enforcement of the community piece of the faith. The former classical pantheon, with its great council of deities headed by some promiscuous King, was somewhat cast to the wayside, instead worshipping the god cast off of their mountain for his love of humanity. It is believed by the worshippers of Ru'wayya Pa'na that the ichor provided by the deity flows through all — blood, the connecting feature of his creations.
Yu'yayya Pa'na is organized rather loosely, with priests trained in craftsmanship generally congregating in community centers or regions of critical import. They teach to the masses of the divine, yes, but more of the material, of the mandate to support community and resist oppression.

Spoiler: Language: Si'mi

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With regards to language, one can mimic the Si'mi language by doing the following:

• Taking a Quecha word.
• Taking the first syllable and separating it with apostrophe.
• Keeping the next two syllables within the same word.
• Moving further syllables into a new word, and beginning the process anew.

Some other interesting facets of Si'mi:

• The language's distinctive three-piece rhythm stems the nature of vocalization development amongst the chun'kama ki. The flap that allows their vocalization clicks bursts in sets of threes (as a result of its evolution from repeated-twitch muscular mantle cavity, formerly responsible for jet propulsion).
• Si'mi is tenseless, solely utilizing infinite verbs conjugated through definition of time period and progression. That, thusly, causes it to be clauseless as well.
• Si'mi sentences (at least, for native Yu'yaychun Ka'maki speakers) are concluded with a small 'hop' in the water, as a result of ancestral jet propulsion. Sentences, thus, are spoken very quickly so as not to diffuse and hop, allowing for a characteristic long phraseology.
• The combined words that make up Si'mi's rhythm can be spoken in any order. Only context and familiarity allow for a solid grasp, but allowing incredible freedom of expression in the combination of ideas to form new phraseology.
• Lambent creole removed the natural rhythm of the language, setting the syllables of each word in stone and ending with an expatriate akhir instead of a traditional hop.
• After the conquest, the Syndicate leaders banned the use of the phrase yu'yaychun ka'maki, instead forcing the use an expatriate rakyat in order to disconnect ideals of sentience from that of species. As a direct result of their oppression, the yu'yaychun ka'maki have fully adopted rakyat — now standing to denote a combination of cowardice and oppression.

Glossary:

• qach'qa (rough) + ha'wallan (shallow): the indigenous name for the region
• yu'yay (mind) + chun'kama ki (a clade of squids): people
• yu'yay (mind) + ya'pana (aid): mutual aid
• ni'qinchay (sort) + ya'pana (aid): organized support
• ha'tun (great) + chun'kama ki (a clade of squids): filter squids
• ka'ray (high) + in'ti: skylight
• ay'ylu (community) + sun'qu (heart): a community centre
• chun'kama ki (a clade of squids) + wa'si (home): squid's home
• ay'ylusun qu'wasi ha'tun (community centre) + ha'tun (great): the capital's community center
• up'allay (silence)
• ur'qu (mountain)
• chu'ya (holy) + ka'tari (snake): a name
• tu'taya sqa (dark) + wi'nay (end): oncoming darkness
• kan'ku (have) +
• ma'na (not): have-not
• ru'way (build) +
• chu'ya (not): religious crafts
• qill'qayi (script) + ma'kuna (medium): writing material

[farothel]

Region 30 write-up
Name: Hoplorina

Spoiler: Geography

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The region is mostly underwater mountains, making it a rocky location with varying dephts. While the tops of the mountains are not far under the surface, the majority of the livable land is much lower. The majority of the trade routes and the like through the region are therefore quite deep. As the major export is large coral stalks, the valleys are full of these corals, making the paths though them often tricky to find if one is not used to it. Also if the coral dies, it can become a hazard to travel when it breaks off (although the Hoplorinians try to avoid this by removing the dead coral). The region also has quite a few caves in their mountains, remnants of ancient vulcanoes.

Spoiler: People

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The Hoplorinians are a large crab-like people who live on the coral branches, caring for them and making them grow. They take on the colours of the branches they care for as a way to hide from predators. So a Hoplorinian who moves will slowly over time take on a new coloration. They still identify with their tribe, although there's also a more regional identification in the last decades or so.

Spoiler: History and Government

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The species started out along tribal lines, with three major and a dozen minor tribes. They used to fight each other but over time they grew closer together as tribes intermarried. One of the major tribes, the Oatesi, were very good at organising and they managed to get the other tribes to form a regional government. While they made sure that the overall government has representatives of all tribes in it, the bureacracy has still a majority of Oatesi in them, due to their natural inclination in it.

The tribes still have a lot of self-governance, but there is a central government for those things (like defense, foreign relations, etc) that is best done together. The central government has a lot of bureaucracy, but nothing like the subregion of the Oatesi, who have a form for just about everything. They have limited democracy, but a lot is still decided by the tribal leaders, who are amongst the richest of the citizens of the region.

Spoiler: Resources

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The Mountains make that the currents coming from Lupomata eddy around and sort of stop here, dropping their toxic chemicals. However, the corals growing in this region have evolved to require these chemicals to develop a much stronger internal skeletons and therfore grow much larger than in other regions. This makes them a prime building material as they are strong enough to hold up quite large buildings.

As the Hoplorinians take on the colour of the coral they live on, they like strange (and often colourful) things to wear and display in their homes.

resource: Branch Coral
desired import: Esoterica

Spoiler: Faith

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They don't have a main faith in Hoplorina. Each tribe used to have it's own faith and when they grew into one region, the regional faiths were kept. While they have mingled over time, there are still local favourites. They are also not all that religious anyway, considering this a private matter. While the Hymenocera Uplift Reverance has gained some popularity, especially in the regions close to Belosa, the main religions are Bureaucratism and recently some Revivalists also showed up. In recent years Uplift Reverance has become more and more dominant.

One of the expeditions found some strange things when a coral forest was cleared and liking strange things, they build a village near it. When the Hymenocara came to the region, they recognised this as rusted ancestry equipment, bringing a lot of Uplift priests to this region.

The main site in the region is the Oatesi Hall of Archives, a gigantic cave in the central mountain of their subregion where all their forms and past decisions (government as well as judicial) and the like are kept. It also serves as training center for civil servants, but mostly it's used to search for precedent and do academical research. As there are some small artefacts and a few scraps of legends about previous creatures living there, it has become a site for the Uplift Reverance as well.

The last site is fairly new, an old coral forest which is claimed by a group of Revivalists who feel that the region should take care of it's old coral forests, instead of chopping them down (the older branches are often the strongest) and planting new ones. Here too a shrine of the Uplift Reverence has been added, as these old forests have some signs of being chopped down aons ago.

[Grim ranger]

New and updated look for KNH's profile! Old post here.

Kar-Nath Hegemony

Spoiler: Kar-Nath Hegemony (up to Round 25)

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Spoiler: People of interest

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Spoiler: Ruler

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Nedir, the Frozen King and Voice of Harmony

Diplomacy - 10, Military - 10, Economy - 10, Faith - 10, Intrigue - 10

A figure of reverence among the Nathi, Frozen King Nedir has led a generally positive rule. Although his mettle was tested from the beginning by internal rebellion, volatile border issues and rampaging Titans, the Nathi monarch has led the Hegemony in gradual expansion and initiated many projects worthy of awe. The most notable among these has likely been his ascension to the position of Voice of Harmony, a honor that relatively few across all the Seas have managed to attain.

Much more ascetic than his predecesors and having leaned much more towards being a thinker and quietly devout ruler than firebrand warrior, Nedir has attempted to steer Hegemony towards more productive ways of dealing with other inhabitants of the Seas, and under his rule ties with the Gravetenders, Eternal Spring and Draigiau Residuum Gathering have continued strong (although the latter being vassalized by Shifting Ennead has caused some strain). Regardless, he has shown strength when necessary, not eager for war but willing to do what is necessary to maintain the delicate balance of power across the frozen seas.

As he continues to get older, the spiritual Frozen King has been preparing for his departure, looking into the mysteries revealed to him by the Chora to attain more complete understanding of Harmony and his people's place in it.

Spoiler: General

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Marshal Adaya shel-Girum ban-Liav

Military 8

A general originally given to the service of the Hegemony for services rendered, Marshal Adaya has proven a staunch defender of the frozen realm. After the departure of General Kreel, she has managed the legions admirably, her defensive approach to warfare very helpful in deterring invasions to its soil (despite not being quite in same league as Sersi the Pale of the Gravetenders). With the artifact skimmercraft gifted to the Legions by the Draigiau and the recently formed Toxologist Corps, Adaya has brought new sort of ways to shape the battlefield to the Hegemony, something that the militant culture is only too happy about.

Spoiler: Spy

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Loyal Figment

Intrigue 9

The unseen knife and whispered voice of the Frozen Court, Loyal Figment is a figure nearly none have truly met. Clad in veils of attention-grabbing red cloth whenever present during formal occasions, the appearance of Hegemony's spymaster is kept generally unknown to everyone around them, leaving them free to perform their task without being hindrered with possibility of being recognized by the inhabitants of the seas. Recruited from among the careful and subtle criminals of Glacier Crag, it is rumored those are the circles Figment mostly grows their influence, although as with most things their involvement is difficult to conclusively track.

Spoiler: Other individuals of interest

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Munda - A longtime ambassador of Kar-Nath Hegemony, often accompanied by one or more of Frozen King's Depth Guard, both for protection and as show of the personal favor he has managed to curry during his tenure declaring the will of the Frozen Court.

Chieftain Rayn - An independent Nathi chieftain responsible for most famous defeat suffered by General Kreel prior to his death, Rayn was in charge of the independent settlements of Plains of Sarkenos before the Hegemony under Frozen King Rham eventually annexed the area. Despite their loss, the inhabintants of the Plains managed to make victory so costly that they were left to self-govern for many years before the Hegemony integrated the region properly during their unification into true Sea Power. Despite this, the now old chieftain remains a popular figure among the citizens of the Hegemony, respected for her achievements and even often hosting the annual Glacier Food Festival.

Khrom, Pride of the Legions - A rising star among the ranks of the Strategium's student body, Khrom is more old-fashioned sort of Nathi warrior in training, showing promise as an officer to be. Time will tell how his career continues, but there is talk of the young Nathi being among those sent to the Polar Institute of Warfare, once the grandest school of war throughout the seas finally opens its doors for the first time.

Pearlshell Deva - A student of faith and miracles, Pearlshell Deva is a strong adherent to both Blossoming Sequence and old Nathi traditions, seeking to form unified theory of numerous faiths as her grand work. As such, she tends to roam the seas in search of miraculous sights and debating matters of philosophy and faith, many of her collected manuscripts having already made it back to the Grand Schola and making her professors very proud.

Parts-Waters - A particularly large colony of Unin nearly intelligent enough to play Crab Checkers with, this big guy(?) led the Hegemony to victory in Floatsinking finals, winning them one of their prized Gold Fish awards.

Acid-shell - Genius of revolutionary scale (or so he claims), Acid-shell and his crew of waste-sailors managed to not be entirely hot air by winning the Wastesailing competition's Gold Fish reward for the Hegemony. Although seemingly reckless and fairly self-serving, the young engineer regardless seems to have a knack for operating ships in dangerous environment.

Araid the shell-cracker - A fairly traditional Nathi warrior, Araid has focused his training on the noble art of Swordfishing, ending up good enough at it to best all standing against him in the premiere sporting event of the seas to secure Hegemony's final Gold Fish award. While not truly having served in the Legions yet, his route to attend the soon opening Polar Institute of Warfare has been opened with his showing in the grand sporting event.

Spoiler: Historical

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Frozen King Thubrak - The predecesor of Rham, Thubrak had turned entirely too nostalgic regarding the past glories of Glacier Crag, allowing the military and economy of the nation to gradually wither while keeping his rivals and enemies in check with his connections within the clergy and extensive spy network. Of course, his efforts could not halt the palace coup that Rham orchestrated, ending his rule ignobly in cells of Frozen Palace.

Frozen King Rham - Frozen King most known for enacting decisive measures to return Hegemony's legions to strength and rebuilding what his predecesor had left to rot, Rham was also known for his rather aggressive foreign policy, but regardless managed to build a solid foundation for his successor to build upon. After his ceremonial internment to rimestone ice like many Frozen Kings of old, his name is still spoken fondly by soldier and merchant alike across the lands ruled by the Frozen Court.

General Kreel - Widely considered the finest mind across all of Hegemony when it came to offensive warfare, General Kreel was rising star across the frozen seas, having the ear of Frozen Kings and growing both his influence and personal ability by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, it seemed his ambitions would be curtailed in ill-adviced campaign to Soliana, where a colony of Unin cracked his shell open and left him slain on the field of battle. His legend was not to end there, however, as the Gravetenders managed a miracle to return him to life as something akin to themselves. Now sworn to the service of their neighbors, the Hegemony as a whole regardless still holds Kreel in high regard.

Spoiler: Races

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The Nathi

The people making up the bulk of the Hegemony are the Nathi. An odd race, the closest resemblance to them is that of an eel covered in thick plating and sporting claws, but the people have begun as crustaceans. Their jaws have expanded from their original grab-like arrangement, the mandibles growing more vestigial as the teeth behind them have lengthened. Their shells cover the main body while leaving the eel-like tail swaying with only small ridge of carapace on it, often coming in colors of stone or ice in contrast to the silvery scales of the body underneath: the rare few Nathi who have shell coloration of rare crystals or more stark things still are believed to be individuals of particular significance, often rising to the higher strata of the Hegemony as a result of their blessed birth. The tri-tipped claws are located at the forefront of the body, allowing for fighting and tool-use with relative ease. On the whole, Nathi tend to range from six to eight feet from claws to tail without additional modifications.

While preferring meat in their diet, Nathi are omnivores, their society unable to leave much to waste thanks to the harshness of their frozen home. As the more delectable sorts of food are a rarity, meals are held as particularly sacred occasion to the race, rejecting offer of one or disrupting the meal of someone else with nefarious purpose carrying steep social stigma.

The familial units of the race are often smaller, ranging from two to four individuals: no Nathi would wish to bring offspring into the world without planning and preparing for it, for to do so would be to invite the possibility of forcing them to starve. They are extremely kin-minded, the expression of two Nathi being "under single shell" representing deep bond. While not lightly expressed towards outsiders, winning respect of Nathi will cause them and their kin to defend the one that has won their trust as one of their own.

The harsh environment has guided most Nathi to embracing a rugged sort of practicality in clothing, their attires seeking to be the most practical choice for the task at hand. Those who raise in their position attempt to retain this style despite often spoiling themselves with more luxurious trappings of imported coral or other finery, as coming across as too far removed from their peers can often lead to accusations of selfishness and needless hunger for power.

Other races

While the Nathi form core of Hegemony's people, Kar-Nath remains open for other species to incorporate into. Mer in particular are seen as invaluable heralds and messengers to polities outside the Glacier Crag, being less dour and intimidating than the locals in general. Still, other races are still in minority for most part thanks to inhospitable environment of the Hegemony... but thanks to the conquests of the Hegemony, sizable populations of recently discovered races have joined the ranks of the citizenry.

Lacertis

A race of lizards sporting a number of amphibian traits...and, crucially for living permanently under the waves, gills. While adapted to underwater life quite well, they still sport bulkier forms than many races about the place, and their wide jaws and powerful tails can be a boon on the battlefield. They are ever so slightly larger than Nathi on average, beginning from seven feet, and seem slower-functioning than them as well, likely due to their nature as reptilian/amphibian race settled into a cold environment.

With their home sporting many signs of a grand civilization fallen into ruin due to a sudden disaster, Nathi afford Lacertis a sort of implicit respect, one that has recently been returned as the Hegemony has been hard at work repairing the miraculous Glow-Spires of Pelegar and choosing the region to host the grandest academy across the seas, the Polar Institute of Warfare. With the improving relations, the two cultures are melding more into each other by the day, larger populations of Lacertis settling all across the Hegemony.

Unin

These small creatures are individually little but odd mixture of worm and eel, but they rarely ever remain individual: Unin can link their vital functions and minds together by biting each other's tails, often creating colonies of increasing power and intelligence. These colonies use the combined forms of their members as muscles for locomotion and combat both, often weaving themselves through porous rocks and ice to create solid foundations for limbs and to protect themselves from environmental threats. They can grow to be truly cunning and powerful in combat, with one of their number even credited to vanquishing General Kreel during the conquest of Soliana.

Although the relations between this rather alien race and their Nathi overlords began as somewhat strained, strides towards full co-operation and shared cultural identity have been made. The Hegemony has helped in construction of a Songspire in the Unin home region of Soliana, protecting them in part from the maddening influence of Kenaqua's Gate, and Unin represented the Hegemony in the greatest sporting event of the seas to bring home one of the coveted Gold Fish trophies. Both races are cautious of the other still, but Unin are gradually finding steady work as laborers, guards and architechs.

Special note: Nen-shor (the burning people)

First starting as modification to settlers who wished to brave the most arctic of new frontiers, these individuals from across the span of Hegemony's many constituent races have become distinctly different from their fellows. Noted to produce much more heat than normal individuals and generally having a range of scale tones outside the common coloration of their species, these "burning people" form a distinct sub-category of Hegemony's inhabitants, many taking on even more extensive gene-grafts to become almost unrecognizable from their original races to better handle their new environment. This practice is widely accepted, but certain cultural associations and physical needs are unique to these individuals, often causing communities of Nen-shor to favor their own company.

Spoiler: Regions

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Link to Regions post

Spoiler: Society and Government

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In theory, the Hegemony preaches rule by those with merit to do so. The society is split to many Paths which have ranks of roughly equal status every step of the way: Path of War, Path of Coin, Path of Blessings ect. After finishing their basic education, the citizens of the Hegemony are expected to choose a path through which they benefit society, although those joining the Hegemony from other parts are not excluded from this process. While fairly inclusive, the Paths are regardless quite strict, suffering no competition from outside institutions: they can integrate that which works, but no true son of Kar-Nath would be caught dead advocating for change to other systems.

To raise in rank demands show of accomplishments that benefit others, which are then judged by one's peers and superiors within the Path. Swimming along many Paths during one's life is not forbidden, but certain amount of rivalry exists between some and many prefer to induct members who they can count on to focus on the needs of their brethren.

The ultimate leader of the Hegemony is the Frozen Monarch, a position which only the most accomplished individuals of the nation can jockey for. Thought to translate the will of the guardian deities of Kar-Nath, the Frozen King or Queen is generally held in high esteem, seen as carrying the greatest burdens of the people on their shoulders... as well as the responsibility of failure, should the Hegemony suffer setbacks during their reign.

While more than a few within the Hegemony no doubt sport ambitions of power for power's sake, they are reigned in by the general acceptance of their peers: to rule requires one to be seen seeking happiness of their fellows in tangible ways rather than merely speaking about it. Certain savvy political operators have managed to bypass this sort of public scrutiny on occasion, but as a whole the inhabitants of the Hegemony keep their eyes firmly on the throne for major misgivings. Naturally, this has been used to sink the ambitions more than one potential royal candidate by their rivals, but the fierce competition and drive to climb the ranks of society has given those involved a remarkably cavalier attitude about such games. As the less competent and weaker rulers are doomed to be pulled down and devoured by their betters, the Hegemony as a whole will benefit no matter the result.

Spoiler: Religions

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The Blossoming Sequence

The current state religion of Kar-Nath Hegemony, brought about by the steady mixing of cultures with their immediate neighbors, the Gravetenders. As this new faith dealing with life, death and cycle of the two, the Nathi were not entirely averse to taking up the philosophy and faith of such nature, and these days the Blossoming Sequence finds majority of Hegemony's population following it quite willingly.

The Voice of Jaarn

Formerly the officially endorsed faith of the Hegemony in all but direct admission, The Path of Voice was the common religion for more mystically inclined or pious of the nathi. Focusing on connecting and communicating to the deities they believe to reside deep within ice, stone and beasts of the wild, this religion directed the ceremonies and devotion of its adherents to Jaarn, the overdeity of the pantheon and the god from whom the nathi believed Rimestone to be a blessing from. After being inducted into the basics by showing suitable devotion to the great god of the pantheon, the adherents were allowed to focus their prayers to other deities of it as well, taking on more specialized roles. The focus of their worship was to attain a fraction of the might of the pantheon, and on occasion the gods could see fit to bless an adherent with their wild strength.

These days, the Voice of Jaarn has lost its place as the central religion of the Hegemony to the Blossoming Sequence, but pious adherents and scholars both still keep the faith alive, even with its impact being felt much less across the frozen seas at present day.

Followers of Deep Ways

The faith that has often come under greater scrutiny, the Followers are a group of devotees focused on reflecting on the vast and unknowable forces of deep sea... and the mystical horrors famed to lurk within it. Regarded with wariness by many they interact with, this smaller and increasingly more secretive faith is tolerated by their knowledge of deeper ways through difficult areas and esoteric knowledge, but are often thought to be a worrying sight as their arrival tends to herald some sort of upheaval.

While their previously held holy place, the Temple of Dark Currents, was peacefully brought into practices of Blossoming Sequence, the Followers have persisted in their rituals. Now split in much more splintered cells of worship, they traverse the depths and perform esoteric rituals in effort to glean power from ancient beings slumbering there, caring little of the risks involved. Who knows that they might eventually wake?

[Grim ranger]

Regions post: the other one would have gone over GitP's word limit otherwise

Spoiler: Regions of Kar-Nath Hegemony

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Spoiler: Region 77 - Glacier Crag

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Spoiler: Geography

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The waters of the Hegemony are a place of extremes, the expedition that had originally led to its creation having braved dangerous environment in search of new resources and notable discoveries. Covered on the surface by icebergs that extend deep into the depths, the terrain of their home reaches deep into the cold rock below via series of deep gorges, forming lanes dictated by obstacles both above and below. As the territory is dominated by cold rock, ice and lack of rich soil, the plants and creatures both are forced to adapt to survive. Most have become uniquely suited to dealing with the extreme challenges of the environment: silver-scaled trout, camouflaged hunter eels and packs of voracious seals that attack from the ice are only a few of the inhabitants of this dangerous land.

The core of Nathi civilization is worked into the charms in stone and expanded by drilling into some of the more stable icebergs, lanterns of cold blue crystals lighting the network of entrances, spires and nets stretching into the chasms. The deepest chasm of the area, The Glacier Crag, is a metropolis of ice and stone worked onto the edges of the massive pit... and within, wonders can be found. War monuments for achievements, massive markets of goods from all across the sprawling realm ruled by the Frozen Court, schools both academic and militant. The days of Nathi being only rugged survivors are long gone, the glow of the metropolis within the rifts of seafloor now shining ceaselessly throughout the area, acting as a beacon for weary travelers who have made their way all the way south to the most inhospitable regions of Polar seas.

With the rising cultural significance of the capital, Kar-Nath Hegemony has gone out of its way to protect it. The iceberg fortress of Cold Harbor hangs over the waterways of the capital, massive network of chains swaying idly in the currents and waiting for the command to pull the icy walls closed around the city. Office of Chain Wardens, in turn guards the capital from within, seeking out agitators and spies that might pose a threat to the rule of the Frozen Monarchs.

Spoiler: People

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The people making up the bulk of the population of Glacier Crag are the Nathi. An odd race, the closest resemblance to them is that of an eel covered in thick plating and sporting claws, but the people have begun as crustaceans. Their jaws have expanded from their original grab-like arrangement, the mandibles growing more vestigial as the teeth behind them have lengthened. Their shells cover the main body while leaving the eel-like tail swaying with only small ridge of carapace on it, often coming in colors of stone or ice in contrast to the silvery scales of the body underneath: the rare few Nathi who have shell coloration of rare crystals or more stark things still are believed to be individuals of particular significance, often rising to the higher strata of the Hegemony as a result of their blessed birth. The tri-tipped claws are located at the forefront of the body, allowing for fighting and tool-use with relative ease. On the whole, Nathi tend to range from six to eight feet from claws to tail without additional modifications.

While preferring meat in their diet, Nathi are omnivores, their society unable to leave much to waste thanks to the harshness of their frozen home. As the more delectable sorts of food are a rarity, meals are held as particularly sacred occasion to the race, rejecting offer of one or disrupting the meal of someone else with nefarious purpose carrying steep social stigma.

The familial units of the race are often smaller, ranging from two to four individuals: no Nathi would wish to bring offspring into the world without planning and preparing for it, for to do so would be to invite the possibility of forcing them to starve. They are extremely kin-minded, the expression of two Nathi being "under single shell" representing deep bond. While not lightly expressed towards outsiders, winning respect of Nathi will cause them and their kin to defend the one that has won their trust as one of their own.

The harsh environment has guided most Nathi to embracing a rugged sort of practicality in clothing, their attires seeking to be the most practical choice for the task at hand. Those who raise in their position attempt to retain this style despite often spoiling themselves with more luxurious trappings of imported coral or other finery, as coming across as too far removed from their peers can often lead to accusations of selfishness and needless hunger for power.

Apart from this curious race, the region sports large population of Mer, some Lacertis and Unin, and a great many Gravetenders. Each race is gradually welcomed into the fold of the local society as far as they are willing to adopt its trappings themselves, and Gravetenders in particular are held as friends and neighbors of high esteem by the Nathi population due to the long shared history of them and this curious neighbor.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Rimestone

The center of its power built within a massive crag in seafloor, the Hegemony has long extracted Rimestone from the frozen depths. This curious material seems to forever remain cold without thawing, its uniquely exotic properties useful in defense and storage of food... and who knows, perhaps someone can pry out further utilities for such exotic material? The Hegemony certainly tries, and often incorporates the curious stone into objects of particular importance or religious reverence, as well as construction of important structures.

Requirement: Exotic Food

The inhospitable environment and general culture of the Nathi brings about a pressing requirement for food, with specific focus on new and exotic dishes. Proper meal is not only requirement for survival, but also for any event of any importance: to lack such might show disinterest or outright derision towards the importance of said event, something blood feuds have began over more than once. As such, steady supply of suitably impressive foodstuffs is essential to stability of Hathi people, especially the families with greater influence.

Spoiler: Faith

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The state religion of Kar-Nath Hegemony is the Blossoming Sequence, and nowhere across the territory of Frozen Court is the influence of its clergy felt more keenly than in the capital itself. The Grand Schola (HS 1) has great many of the more studious Gravetenders staffing it, debating matters of philosophy and faith, The Rime Gorge (HS 2) is often studied by them for its ritualistic purpose of empowering few lives at expense of many unfortunates who do not come back from their dive within, and the Temple of Dark Currents (HS 3) was peacefully overtaken by adherents of the faith from its original inhabitants. It is hard to deny the fact that faith spearheaded by Gravetenders is everpresent within the lives of Hegemony's citizens, the two polities having grown a strong symbiotic relationship.

Former faiths of the Nathi, lessened as they are, regardless persist. The former state religion, Voice of Jaarn, still has great many devout adherents dedicated to older Nathi ways of pantheonic worship... and the Followers of Deep Ways continue their pursuits into the matters arcane even without their temple, attempting to commune with horrors lurking in the deeps for power and secret ways across the seas of the world.

Spoiler: Region 75 - The Plains of Sarkenos

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Spoiler: Geography

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Situated in a rather plain territory of rolling seafloor vegetation and occasionally rising cliffs between it and many of more important regions surrounding it, the Plains of Sarkenos are a curious case of “good enough” terrain. Defensible, but not the most. Have their share of holy sites, but not the most holy. There is a measure of natural wealth to harvest, but only truly enough for one trading post to take advantage of without intensive measures. Simply speaking, the Plains are a borderland.

Settlements in this terrain mostly fit for fish-farming and other simple agricultural projects tend to be smaller communities, dotting the plains wherever they have found a particularly ample spot to settle themselves. Often these communities can even be quite mobile, some of them being mostly made up of tents and other structures easily packed and moved when situation calls for it. The most established of the various villages and small towns is the township of Plain Current, from which the more important people of the region (and its chieftain) attend to administrative functions of the scattered community. Founded upon the side of one of the larger rock formations in the region, the place is fairly defensible, and hosts the mining operation of magnetic sand.

Spoiler: People

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Borderlands attract migrants, and as such it has population from many of the surrounding civilizations, simple folk that have gathered together into small communities. Most of the people inhabiting the Plains are not particularly wealthy, simple bartering and communal goodwill worth more than riches or rigid rules. There are races from most surrounding regions, often people seeking to escape the constraints of whatever has alienated them from their home…and over time, their descendants have grown more accustomed to community of many mingling races.

The daily lives of the people inhabiting this land are mostly focused on making certain essential tasks are done. Herding schools of fish, maintaining housing, tending to fields of seafloor crop and attending to mining of the magnetic sand prized by traders are all common ways to spend one’s time, and only a few take to administrating, matters of faith or fighting full-time. Still, the chieftain has mandated a measure of militia drills to drive away marauding beasts or occasional band of raiders, something that has proven to be a wise choice.

While the communities of the plains are generally allowed a fair degree of self-governance, they are still expected to follow the mandates arriving from the chieftain reigning at Plain Current, as well as to pay a measure of taxes. Regardless of this, many find this relative freedom compared to the neighbouring empires of the region a pleasant change of pace.

Since the Hegemony’s takeover of the area, relatively little has changed. The soldiery of Kar-Nath mostly patrol the border regions and leave the commonfolk of the Plains to their business, much to everyone’s relief. While still nominally part of Hegemony's territory, the Plains are offered almost full autonomy by the deal struck between their chieftain and the Frozen King, and as such they can expect to see relatively little of their overlords at any given time while reaping the benefits of being protected by a larger nation.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Magnetic Sand
Mined out of the deeper-reaching iron cliffs of the plains, Magnetic Sand is somewhat of a peculiarity. While not an item of massive import for day to day life, it is often sought out as magical material by many, and is seen as status symbol or academic curiosity across the seas. As such, it makes for a good trade good, even if its use in the region itself is highly limited.

Requirement: Toxins
The business of cultivating crops and herding schools of fish brings about its own challenges, and some of the most pressing of such are parasites, unwanted weeds and potentially invasive species that threaten such humble livelihoods. The people of the Plains have found a solution in various toxic mixtures mixed up depending on the pest they are supposed to guard against, and require constant supply of such products or risk losing harvests of fish and flora to such common misfortunes.

Spoiler: Faith

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As a loose community, those finding their home in the Plains of Sarkenos do not have a codified religion. Preachers of many varieties ply their trade in the small villages and townships, and thus far no faith has united the people. Many worship their deceased ancestors or subscribe to various faiths they have brought with themselves from the empires around the Plains, but it is often seen as polite not to bring one’s faith up too often.

While the lack of codified faith has resulted in no new holies being truly raised, there are certain natural formations that often draw people’s worship. The Roil (HS 1) is an inexplicable whirlpool near the very center of the plains that seems to have dug through the seafloor itself, with many whispering of its unique properties in tones of reverence or fear. The Claw of Sarkenos (HS 2) is the highest rock formation on the plains, curling out of the ground akin to four-clawed hand of a massive beast, made of unique dark stone none have been able to identify.

With Blossiming Sequence having moved into the territory from the neighboring territory of Bastion, they have quickly opened up modest reliquary temples to invite theological discussion from the locals. While not yet a dominant faith of the region, their influence is regardless growing.

Spoiler: Region 65 - Pelegar

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Spoiler: Geography

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A region once thriving, Pelegar is a land still recovering from destruction of ages past. Situated at the very edge of truly frigid waters much like Glacier Crag, it hosts plethora of ruins of older civilization...now half buried underneath sands, broken cliffs and occasional blocks of ice that seem to have been truck amidst the broken terrain after some grand calamity. The passage of time has returned measure of hardy vegetation to the area, however, and especially thickets of kelp seem to survive well in the local soil.

As apparent descendants of the ancient civilization once inhabiting the place, the locals still tend to form cities around the half-broken coral and crystal spires of their storied ancestors, creating a curious mix of ancient grandeur and repairs of colorful banners and simple building materials. This patchwork quality mostly affects the central structures, and the homes of the common folk clustering around them to form towns tend to be simpler affairs, at times more resembling tents than fixed dwellings. The region's most important town is Panatia, as it boasts the most intact of the ancient structures and houses the local ruling body, the Triumvirate.

With the Hegemony having restored the Glow-Spires of Pelegar to their former glory and the Polar Institute of Warfare developing Panatia into a true metropolis, the region is gradually regaining its grandeur, drawing the eye of many a merchant towards it.

Spoiler: People

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While small concentrations of other races common in Polar waters wander about this region as well, the majority population is held by the native Lacertis, a race of lizards sporting a number of amphibian traits...and, crucially for living permanently under the waves, gills. While adapted to underwater life quite well, they still sport bulkier forms than many races about the place, and their wide jaws and powerful tails can be a boon on the battlefield.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Untalented Crabs Talented Crabs Talented Crab Soldiery
The cuisine of choice originating from Pelegar, Untalented Crabs could be found in fair numbers in the local waters, making herding them into large "farms" for trade purposes a simple enough matter. They were not a remarkable trading good, and their population was further devastated by a disaster befalling the area... but the merchants of Seatide Confederacy eventually managed to bring the population up again, selecting the fittest crabs and giving them training to hone their talents. The Hegemony took this a step further after expanding the crab-farming operations, the local military trainers and the Divine Nacres working together to bio-modify and train the crabs until they were capable of acting as proper soldiers as well.

Requirement: Dyes
Still fixated on restoring their gloried past, the locals have developed plenty of techniques to create colorful fabrics and ceramics, all of which need a fair amount of different dyes.

Spoiler: Faith

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The local faith of Pelegar is Yearnmourn, a collection of beliefs venerating the ancestors who had built the artful structures the ruins of which they now hold in such high regard. There are relatively little rituals that are considered indisputably sacred, with majority of them centering around burial and reconstruction of ancient relics left behind by their venerated ancestors. This worship of their precursors has elevated the grand figures from that ancient society (the ones they have knowledge of anyhow) into minor deities that people call upon for various tasks in their day to day life.

The sites of religious importance in the region are the Ancient Graveyard (HS 1) and Coral Spire (HS 2).

Spoiler: Region 64 - Yor-Sul Depths

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Spoiler: Geography

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Named by Kar-Nath Hegemony after a minor deity governing what little agriculture the lands of Frozen Kings manage to maintain, the Depths seem to be a rather worrying place to venture to at first: massive drop into a valley carved deep into the seafloor, harboring little of value at first glance and being truly cold enough to freeze even the inhabitants of Polar seas dead. Those who can manage the crushing pressure and deathly cold, however, find that the area in the depths sports a hauntingly beautiful icy forest of plants the likes of which Polar seas rarely see. While perhaps more wreathed in eternal winter than any other region yet claimed by the Hegemony by its very nature, the ample natural defenses provide protection for the inhabitants and land below is quite well-suited for sturdy construction of the Nathi.

The settlement that has been formed amidst the icy forest has taken the peculiar name of Whitereed, consisting of sturdy keep in middle of the area around which essential marketplaces, logging operations and other services have settled. It also sports many structures made of planks of its native frozen wood, lending majority of the city a chilly appearance matching the forest around it.

Spoiler: People

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While the settlers come from races of Nathi, Lacertis and Mer, they have all been forced to adopt certain modifications to survive the harsh environment of their new surroundings. Their forms are much warmer than others, and both internal modifications and equipment is utilized by the settlers to live with the pressures the sheer depth places the settlement under. As such, each year has molded them further away from their previous natures, the common term for the settlers of the area being Nen-shor or Burning people.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Frozen Logs
The peculiar trade export of the area, the logs hewn from the frozen forest offer both an easy way to preserve meat and other produce, as well as build sturdy structures without need for coral-grafting or other similar methods.

Requirement: Meat
As the changed physiology required to survive the area leaves its people burning hot, they naturally require plentiful food supplies to make sure their hard-working population does not work itself to death thanks to their overclocked mitochrondia. As easy source for plentiful energy, meat of all kinds is vastly preferred to anything else as a trade import.

Spoiler: Faith

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As only recently settled area, Yor-sul Depths currently only has the faith the colonists brought with themselves, that being the Blossoming Sequence. With the settlement fully established, it has gained Plaza of Meditations (HS 1) to serve the spiritual needs of the people.

Spoiler: Region 63 - Redselle

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Spoiler: Geography

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A region with similar frozen temperament to the waters of neighboring Yor-sul Depths, Redselle is regardless widely inhabited. A thriving region of merchants long since adapted to combating the cold to practice their craft near the supplies required for their work, the region has long traditions and connections far to other regions of the frozen seas. Its geography possesses few larger underwater mountain ranges, the space between them forming valleys unusually lush for such a cold place. Numerous sorts of flora adapted to the cold and often long dark find a home in this region, he most distinctive of which is dark red reed after which the region has ultimately been named.

The region has many trading towns traveled by caravans hawking fresh discoveries from near and far, the largest of which is Zivia. White not in any way fortified, it is a jewel of the area, the dwellings of richest merchants each attempting to outdo each other in sheer opulence.

Spoiler: People

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The basic social structure of merchants banding together and various people working for them to eventually form large, competing enterprises forms the bedrock of the local hierarchy, and as a result of its extremely developed textile markets the region has long had a large standing army overseen by the richest of merchant families to protect the valuable wares of its inhabitants from foreign aggression. Mer form the bulk of the local population, although with the arrival of Nathi explorers the Nen-shor (or Burning people) have also begun to settle to the area in some numbers. Others come further still, lured in by prospect of rich trade.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Sheerspun Fabric

A traditional industry of the region, weaving has long been basis for Redselle's strong economy, and the area's sheerspun fabrics are akin to art by now. Woven from the abundant strands of Redselle's local red reed so finely that the material is somewhat see-through and soft as a dream, this luxury good is in high demand among higher class of merchant.

Requirement: Preservatives

With the production of fabrics being an operation that must be constant for trade to flow uninterrupted, some of the materials needed require means of preserving them further until they can be made use of, the gathering and transportation of large amounts of unprocessed plant matter opening up the very real possibility of spoiled harvests.

Spoiler: Faith

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The region has some prior religious practices united under the banner of Aging Occultism, which are quickly being superceded by the emergent mega-faiths of the Polar waters. So far, however, these larger religions have seemed to deem Redselle beneath their notice.

The site most sacred to the local faith is centered around the Deep Sink (HS 1), an oddly smooth natural well formed into the rock at the very top of a mountain that occasionally sends up erratic jets of water. Many of the local occultists try to decipher the meaning of this ever-changing torrent, while others still dive into it to seek powers beyond the knowledge of common Mer. Another site of mystical significance can be found in Cave of Reeds (HS 2), a cavern so full of local flora that ones venturing inside rarely have an easy time returning...and those who do often seem delirious, speaking of visions of varying accuracy.

Spoiler: Region 62 - The Wandering Dunes

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Spoiler: Geography

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Stuck between the Dead Seas and the neighboring wastes, The Wandering Dunes are a desolate environment that seems to actively punish anyone seeking to set up proper settlements within it... and not only thanks to crop-growing being difficult and wild game being scarce. The environment is one of often shifting seafloor thanks to some large currents running through the area, proper cover of any sort being quite scarce and the few areas with rock formations or deeper caves being hotly contested between travelers and many hardy and vicious ambush predators still seeking to carve out a living in one of the most inhospitable environments one can find around the Polar seas.

With deadly temperatures, lack of cover from any harsh shifts in the currents and inhospitable fauna, the settlers of this extreme environment have been forced literally underground. The sole speck of civilization around the Dunes is presently a Nathi camp set up in one of the larger cave complexes, known locally as Shaded Alcove. Outside it, one is best off being well-armed and supplied to make their way through the region with all their fins intact... and apart from some routes through it that are marked down with coral light sources whenever possible, the local waterways are mostly uncharted, with casualties often to be expected among any groups of would-be explorers.

Spoiler: People

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With colonization of the region being barely in its infancy, the only real inhabitants of the region that are not simply passing through are the hardy explorers of Nathi and Gravetenders. with others having so far been rather unwilling to establish any sort of permanent presence in the desolate environment. The local fauna might hide some surprises, but so far the monsters lurking about have not shown signs of any sort to establish a functioning society.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Adhesive Urchins

Although the incredibly hostile environment of the Wandering Dunes has left relatively little of value to be gained from the area, the few brave traders willing to go looking did discover a lifeform that could have only been brought about by such pressures. Toxic, hardy and able to fix themselves in place on nearly any surface to withstand both predators and the unpredictable currents, they are certainly a trade good with many potential applications.

Requirement: Spices

While some of their early attempts at colonization were met with brutal response from the local beasts, the Nathi finally figured out a way to keep them away. Particularly pungent or irritating smells were able to drive away the hardy predators thanks to irritating their keen sense of smell, giving the colonists a simple way to guard major settlements and ways of importance... although they must be replenished quite often to keep up the repelling effect.

Spoiler: Faith

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While being best described as a "blasted waste" by most, one part of the Wandering Dunes has attained reputation as being touched by power beyond the understanding of most. The Everbloom (HS 1) is a large rock sticking out of the dunes like a massive spear, always covered in fresh undersea greenery despite the constant pressures of dunes slowly grinding against the surface of the mysterious edifice.

Spoiler: Region 55 - Artetchhue

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Spoiler: People

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There are two races in Artetchhue - the Chelonian Ortel and the Tetraodontid Orquig.

The Ortel are Chelonian race of hunters. They are exclusively carnivorous and subsist as a slow moving consumptive mass. These sharp toothed turtles eat almost anything, scavenger like in that they would eat bones and shells, but prefer good fresh meat. They are a tribal people, living in loose bands run by chiefs. The chiefs could be of either gender and sometimes the chiefdom is shared between two individuals, rarely even three. Importantly the chiefdom(s) are not hereditary – instead the strongest rule. It is not rare for Ortel to engage in brutal (yet leisurely) blood baths as rivals compete to eat each other to become the next chief, or to engage in horrifying (yet unhurried) coup attempts as a up and commers team up to take down the current chief by tearing them apart.

The Orquiq are a race of pufferfish – they are extremely unpredictable and volatile and often explode with little to no stimuli or provocation. Interestingly, they seem to share some genes with some species of eels and contain truly shocking about of electrocytes, specialized cells that generate electric charge and take up much of an Orquiq’s body. As an Orquiq expands by puffing itself up it builds and build electrical current until it reaches critical mass and explodes. Because of this tendency to explode, the Orquiq are a strict gerontocracy – those of them that live longer lead, the primary importance of a leader is to not explode. Much of the leadership decisions revolve around placating the younger Orquiqs and calming them down, informing them to just enjoy life and not to blow up.

The two races rarely interact, simply because while the Ortel would eat anything, it’s counterproductive trying to eat a pufferfish that would explode in a ball of electricity frying you alive as you approach it. The Orquiq, on the other hand, don’t swim close to the Ortel, because they know they would fly into a rage or a panic – either one of them might cause them to blow up – which might cause a chain reaction.

With the arrival of Kar-Nath Hegemony and its legions, the region has third competitive force, one that has clamped down hard on the dissent of the natives. The Nathi, the chitinous and scaled figures with long tails and pair of surprisingly dextrous claws, are reasonably unknown in the region just yet... but wary of the locals as they are of most new factors in their lives. As militant culture practicing more disciplined means of exhibiting martial surpremacy, the Nathi settling into the region are often disgusted by the savagery of the Ortel, and take special care of inflicting humiliating and crushing defeats on any would-be upstart trying to cause trouble. Of the Orquiq, they generally also steer well clear of, occasionally attempting dialogue...from reasonable distance.

This caution is only redoubled as the maddening influence of the Gate from nearby Kenaqua continues to wreck havoc across the seas, even smallest signs of impending violence having the local guards on edge and willing to act on their suspicions.

Spoiler: Geography

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The geography of Artetchhue is not anything special - it is cold and filled with the usual underwater sights of steep abyssal cliffs, corals, grottos, and sandscapes - however, an important fact of Artetchhue is that it holds no volcanoes, lavatubes or other heat vents - anywhere in the region leading to a remarkably cold region of water in an already cold region of the world. The frigid water seems just above the temperature one would expect massive ice sheets to form - and yet they do not. This glacial environment probably let to the strange development of those that inhabit the region - the Ortel, turned carnivorous - need warm blood to sustain themselves, while the Orquiq developed the ability to generate electricity, presumably for the warmth.

While lacking much in way of large settlements before due to the nature of the locals, the Nathi have brought some in with their arrival in form of Icecoral, a town built in a large grotto for proper civilization to gradually expand out of. While it is still a modest settlement and mostly simply the launch point of Hegemony's local peacekeeping forces, settlers are gradually moving into the area as well.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Chelonian Hunters
The main resource of Artetchhue are hiring or conscripting a pack of Ortel - one could always use a slow-moving garbage disposal for your enemies or the refuse of their society, and their bones. With the region conquered by the Hegemony, interest in these brutal hunters has quickly been sparked anew.

Requirement: Heat Sources
The main import of Artetchhue is a Heat Source - any heat source, as it would placate the Ortel which would stop eating everything to bask in the warmth and calm down the Orquiq and stop them from blowing themselves up. Although these threats of native population decline do not quite apply to the newcomers fo the region, the settlers of the Hegemony regardless require some protection from the relentless cold as well, as there are only so many that can effectively modify their bodies enough to not feel it.

Spoiler: Faith

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Both races of Artetchhue worship the Claw. The only doctrine of the Claw is that "The claw decides who will stay and who will go." This doctrine is shared between the races although their interpretations of what "The Claw" is widely differs. The Ortel believe the Claw refers to a giant Turtle who was their forbearer and that the Claw was called such because of it's giant claws. It was large enough to tear open icebergs and eat whatever was preserved within. This Giant ancestor determines where the Ortel travel and as such determine who would stay (those that the Ortel don't eat) and who will go (those that the Ortel do eat). On the other hand that Orquiq believe that the Claw refers to a sort of protective Goddess that would wrap an exploding Orquiq in her claws and stopping the internal cascade. She would therefor save the Orquiq by being a ground for them. In this fashion she, the Claw, determines who would stay (those she saves) and who would go (those that end up exploding).

Unfortunately, with the local spread of the Shroud from Kenaqua and the missionaries of Blossoming Sequence spreading their own faith with arrival of the Hegemony, the adherents of the Claw are soon in the minority in the region, caught between the two clashing religions. While little effort is made to surpress the faith, many of the locals are still swayed to try out new ways.

Spoiler: Region 53 - Soliana

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Spoiler: Geography

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A region where great ice flats dominate the landscape while giving way to more pleasant and fertile seafloor spreading out around them, Soliana is a place of contrasts. As the ice periodically breaks from the mass of the flats to float upwards, it is gradually replaced by new layers while the now loose icebergs create gradually ascending, ever-shifting terrain. The currents and environmental pressures creating this peculiar sight are quite unique to the region, giving enough warmth for radiant greenery to still exist between the areas of permafrost. Having long been isolated from most outside waters, Soliana is almost its own self-contained world...but there will always be those capable of breaching the barriers of arctic cold.

While many smaller settlements are spread evenly across the length of the verdant areas of the region, the Living Fortress Besopus is the undisputed center of local politics and greatest focus of Unin colonies. While the temptation to join into the massive network of living fortification is strong, many Unin colonies still act independently, forming the ruling caste of the area while demanding tribute from any other inhabitants.

Spoiler: People

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While the Lacertis make up a large portion of the local population, the lizard-like people are generally the inhabitants of village communities rather than lords of entire areas... For the true rules of Soliana are colonies of Unin. These small creatures are individually little but odd mixture of worm and eel, but they rarely ever remain individual: Unin can link their vital functions and minds together by biting each other's tails, often creating colonies of increasing power and intelligence. These colonies use the combined forms of their members as muscles for locomotion and combat both, often weaving themselves through porous rocks and ice to create solid foundations for limbs and to protect themselves from environmental threats. These colonies can grow to be truly cunning and powerful in combat, with one of their number even credited to vanquishing General Kreel during the conquest of Soliana.

Of course, with the conquest of the area by Kar-Nath Hegemony, the combined military might of the Nathi has brought the native inhabitants to heel, although the Nathi are mostly present so far in military capacity.

Spoiler: Resource & Requirement

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Resource: Maltreed

A spicy type of reed cultivated by the local population, it makes for excellent spice that goes well with many sorts of food, an easy way to add excitement to even a boring diet.

Requirement: Light Sources

As sources of light are both a religious requirement and useful for growing larger harvests of Maltreed in Soliana, the acquisition of such is seen as an important matter by the locals.

Spoiler: Faith

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The local faith of Soliana is one of Veiled Mysteries, playing on the concepts of light, shadow and separation of the two with veils. Their ceremonies often include use of bright light sources and silken veils, the adherents seeking mystical truths that might help to manifest their will upon the world around them. The other prevalent faith of the area is that of the Shroud, hailing from lands of Kenaqua.

These two each hold one of the great spiritual attractions of Soliana. The Shroud has claimed the Ice Stair (HS 1), a slowly shifting continuous route of ice that seems to reach all the way to the surface itself. The Veiled Mysteries are based out of the Tower of Veils (HS 2), the structure generally safe atop one of the massive ice flats. Some say it is actually much taller than one can see, and extends deep into the ice to reveal some grand secret underneath the ice flats.

[Aerin]

Adain Uwchradd
Written by JBarca
Region 70

Spoiler: Thalassography

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Adain Uwchradd is a region of dense forests, the southern reaches of which are frozen for much of the year. These forests range from thick, interweaving kelp to branching vines of a fruiting plant the locals call deep plum. In the north, the foothills of the massive crystalline shards of Raconensae break into smaller outcroppings. This natural divide between Raconensae and Adain Uwchradd creates a pocket of warmer water trapped in the leeward side where the deep plum thrive. The only open areas of the region lie in the west, where sand flats and clear waters create stunningly beautiful, if disconcerting, vistas.

Spoiler: People, Government, History

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Adain Uwchradd is home to two plurality populations. First are a branch of the siliike from Raconensae with hard, overlapping shell-like plates across their mantles and upper limbs. The other species is the Crwydro Fivrivirvs. These are an offshoot of the Tsy Fivrivirvs people recently dominated by Deep Blue, notable for their duller tusks and thicker, more armored feathers. A shared history of tense armistices punctuated by harsh conflicts is all that ties these two peoples together. Where the Crwydro Fivrivirvs are pastoral, passionate, and fiercely xenophobic, the siliike are relatively urban, possessed of an abstract and detached curiosity, and fond of adapting foreign practices as fashionable trends.

When the Residuum began to grow in power, their need for new environs to explore and engage with brought them to Adain Uwchradd. The siliike, quick to see for themselves an opportunity, made compact with the Draigiau. Bargains were struck and the Adainian siliike reorganized into a secondary wing of the Residuum government. With the backing of such a mighty neighbor, the whole of Adain Uwchdradd soon fell under the siliike sway. The Plautoc family has held power ever since.

Spoiler: Resources

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Export: Inkfang Worms. Between the Nautilites of Danabae, the two branches of the Fivrivirvs, and the Draigiau, the siliike are surrounded by naturally colorful species. As they themselves began to mimic these colorations, they bred the local Inkfang Worms. These worms feast on the deep plum for most of their adult lives, resulting in a vibrant purple pigmentation in their mucus and saliva which can be harvested to make a potent dye. The siliike quickly outproduced their need and, assuming the rest of the world would be as interested in the color as they are, began exporting. It was only after some enterprising trade partners tried to move the product full circle and use the saliva as a food coloring did the merchants and breeders learn the other use for the worms: their saliva, if quickly heated or combined with a small amount of acid, becomes incredibly toxic.

Requirement: Spices. The Plautoc family's international curiosity mostly manifests itself in the form of cuisine - they have traveled far and wide to try the foods of neighbors, strangers, and even foes. With the elites desiring exotic foods, the aristocracy and peasantry alike began following suit, and spices from waters far from home are always in high demand.

Spoiler: Faith

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Prior to the arrival of the Driagiau, the philosophy of the siliike was called The Silence. Little can be said about this mystery cult, other than that its true members went into hiding far more often than they were converted, but that they otherwise cause no problems. From what can be drawn out from converts, the Silence emphasized a modulated speaking pattern wherein one would communicate truths one word at a time, out of order, and each to a different person. Thus a profound truth might be whispered into thirty ears, leaving the disciples to piece the message together with their own restrictions in place. It was as much a logic puzzle as a meditation.
Grisial Wedi'i Chwalu: Two halves on a large crystal outcropping are broken into fractals at their peaks, creating an overhung tunnel in which one can hear sounds from great distances. From a certain point of view, the crystals look like spread wings.
Tir Pluog: For generations, the Crwydro Fivrivirvs buried their revered dead in one place, deep in a frozen forest. The nearby kelp has long since been cleared, leaving a spread of seafloor covered in brightly colored, solid plate-like feathers left as memorials to the fallen. This practice fell out of style when the Residuum's power spread here. The area is now only used for memory, contemplation, and silence.

[Blossom]

Region 156
Hot Vents

Spoiler: Geography

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This area, new to the Magaramachi, is already well known to the Abyssal Stewards due to the numerous thermal vents that dot the sea floor, making the already warm waters even warmer.
Each has a thriving ecosystem of microfauna around it with the stationary nature of these creatures meaning that each vent has unique species not found elsewhere, making the place a goldmine for biologists or geneticists. Also gold miners. A rich seam of gold lies exposed in the north west corner of the land, essentially useless to the undersea races but shiny enough to be attractive.

Spoiler: People and Faith

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Hot Vents was colonized by the Magaramachi and their name reflects the uncomplicated naming schema of these people. A combination of the Abyssal Stewards and the help received from the Shifting Ennead in colonizing the region has led to those Magaramachi who are the most committed to the Eternal Communion or otherwise mystically minded being the ones most likely to set up a new life here. The numerically few colonists take up an out-of-proportion amount of space as each lays claim to a wide area to focus more on eating the native flora and fauna than one another.

When they do choose to meet for mating or fighting, Hottest Vent is the place they do so and something of a de facto holy site. It's not actually the hottest vent in the region, coming in at seventh according to the Abyssal Stewards but it was the hottest vent the Magaramachi had found at the time it got its name and they weren't about to go round learning a different name or anything.

Relations are strained to the point of non-existence between the Hot Vents colonists and those Magaramchi which remained in the salination. The physical leadership style of the Magaramchi fades quickly with distance and the Hot Vents colonists consider themselves a separate nation. The Salination and whoever lays claim to it at the moment, predictably, doesn't.

Spoiler: Resources

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Whichever long past civilization created the tablets so beloved of the Bloodripper Lands had a presence here and had clearly domesticated the filter feeding sharks of the area that swarm around the rich vent ecosystems. That taming had been carried in their genes and the Abyssal Stewards who came here to study the vents found it easy enough to re-instill.

Twice Tamed Sharks are adorable, friendly creatures who joyfully come up and nuzzle anyone nearby and eagerly splash around in play if engaged with. They're filter feeders without an aggressive bone in their body and are, by shark standards, relatively intelligent and can be trained to recognize their name and come when called.

Also, the whimpering noise they make if they're still alive when you start eating them is absolutely hilarious.

Desired Import

Building Supplies Those residing in Hot Vents tend to be accustomed to living large. Being surrounded by rich microfauna, gold seams, and lovely views has spoiled many. As such, colonizing Magaramachi don't just want to live in a dwelling, they want homes just as beautiful as the waters surrounding them. For this reason there is a high demand for building supplies, namely rocks to pile, as is fashionable around the Magaramachi empire due to the military's newest feat of architecture and weaponry. What's not to love when the place you live doubles as protection and weaponry?

[farothel]

Region 35 write-up
Name: Atharis

Spoiler: Geography

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The region mostly slopes down towards the deeper parts of wider environment. It's also mostly featureless. There are some rocks and on those there is life, but most of the region is sand and while there is some life on the sand, it's not much.

Spoiler: People

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The Athari are jellyfish-like creatures that use their tentacles to attach to other fish and steer them with chemicals. They communicate with each other with either chemicals or low-level electric fields. They travel in groups, attached to different fish, although families are often attached to the same (larger) fish. When the children become adults, they will detach and search their own fish.

The most important people in their society are the ones who manage to tame the biggest Shyraena.

Spoiler: History and Government

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The Athari live mostly in nomadic tribes, but they have a few villages near their northern border. They have a central government, but it's very weak and most of the power lies with tribal chiefs, with the king elected from those tribal chiefs. About the only power the central government has, is that they can call for the army (each tribe has to provide a certain number of troop in case of national emergency).

Due to the low resource value of the ground, the region can't support a lot of people at the moment. They survive mostly because of food that comes in on the currents that flow from the deep regions. As these are seasonal and not always plentiful, so there were periods of growth followed by periods of decline when the currents don't bring as much food as needed. The periods of decline also caused a lot of infighting in the region.

Spoiler: Resources

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They export tamed Sphyraena fish, bred for war (used as mounts or as draft animals). With their chemicals they can easily tame those fish and the ones they don't use for themselves, they condition as mounts for war.

They would like to develop the sandy areas to attract more wildlife to have more food for themselves and for the fish they breed. But for that they need loads of fertilizer to develop the area.

resource: Sphyraena Fish-At-Fins
desired import: Fertilizers

Spoiler: Faith

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Their belief system is based upon honour. Honour is extremely important in the region, where there are many rules on how to comport oneself in just about any situation. A man or woman who loses his/her honour is nothing in the eyes of the other Athari until he/she redeems.
There is one site near a small village where according to legend the first Athari tribal leaders came together to hammer out the code of honour that with very minor changes survives to this day. A shrine has been build on this location where many Athari come on a pilgrimage, for instance if they have an important decision to make.