Mythic Civilization Roleplay- interest check/feedback

Ankou said:
Too many brave lives were lost to the pink skies. Like Embluss' dignity as a thread owner.
Yeah, sounds good. Mine is mostly complete, I've just been putting it off in favor of writing this zombie romance I'm working on.
Click to expand...
...And now there's a country song about necrophilia stuck in my head. Thaaaaaaanks.
 
Rynnki said:
... *Claws out figurative eyes at the thought*
Click to expand...
It's not crass, or anything. It's so tasteful that you don't realize what she's talking about till halfway through. And it's proper Nashville country, not the usual pop, southern rock, or texas country. So it's... smooth.


Wait, why the hell am I defending it?


I need to reevaluate my life, BRB
 
I'm a master at writing necrophilia. *Waggles eyebrows* Much the same way, you think of it as cute puppy dog sort of love until you realize that it's totally wrong, lol.
 
XDDDDD You dont need to defend your music choices! You should hear some of the stuff I listen too...I like to experience everything. xD
 
I don't even know what I'm listening to 90% of the time. I prefer just music most of the time and don't care for lyrics. Unless it's a real good song.
 
Lol this is actually one of my favorite songs, I think its hilarious....XDDDDD Dont mean to scare you guys tho.


[media]



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[QUOTE="Oskar DiLondra]Dat image. 0.0
Also, why does this song contain parts of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" By Nirvana?

[/QUOTE]
xD Its a remix.
 
My overly long bio that you guys should probably avoid reading for fear of... something:


Official Name: Maritime Confederacy of the Oesti Principalities and Holdings


Common Name: Rausfar Empire


Government: The Oest people are, in theory, organized into a confederacy of various principalities, each with a sovereign monarch and most of the powers of an independent nation. This system is tied together by a military integration agreement, open economic zone, shared culture and language, and various other factors. It has a written constitution and a governing body, the High Council of the Confederacy, which coordinates external trade, war, and other issues. At times, a Full Council, with all Principalities represented directly is called to address serious issues or pursue significant reforms. However, this ideal of a horizontal agreement among equals has been warped, with the house of Rausfar growing far beyond the strengths of its peers, coming to dominate the Confederacy, through the High Council and various other means. When the Confederacy emerged, its territory covered only the large island chain and a small swathe of mainland to the south. Nearly all growth in the century and a half since has been driven by the Rausfar and their familial allies, who rule these new territories as all-powerful emperors. Their significant advantage in strength has led to many other principalities voluntarily submitting to them, turning over land, power, and armies for the courtly prestige and wealth offered by the Rausfar. The recent generations of Rausfar monarchs have been fiercely pro-human speciesists, expelling elves from most of their directly-ruled territories and seeking to build up an alliance of human states circling the inner sea. In one of the more visible cases of their power being non-absolute in the homeland, several principalities still openly host elven populations.


Ruler(s): Ilejandr II, Prince of Holsarn, Emperor of Mausol, King of High Bay, Prince of the Ezalls, Prince of Nahelt, Guardian of the Confederacy, Defender of the Faith. He is a tall man, with the medium build and somewhat light complexion of most Oesti princes. Both his eyes and his hair are a shade of brown bordering on black, a color that complements the spartan conditions of his court well. He is, like most of the recent Rausfar rulers, driven, capable, devoted, and well loved by his people.


Datri Rausfar, Governor of Mausol. Second son of Ilejandr II, sharing most of his father’s looks and qualities. His build is somewhat denser, with an appearance of greater strength. Being assigned the government of Mausol, the far-flung territory beyond the torrid zone, due south from the islands, is seen as a mixed signal. It is far separated from the court, removing the governor from the conventional avenues of power. However, the territory itself has a booming economy and increasing importance in the empire. It is truly unclear if Datri Rausfar’s exile is a forced removal for some courtly squabble, a reward for some service, or to groom him for future rule of the entire state (not unlikely, considering his elder brother is out of favor at the moment).


Tirolt Rausfar, Chief High Councilor. Brother of Illejandr II, he is the Rausfars's man in the high council of the confederacy. He has a controlling majority in the body, with seven of the eleven Councilors usually following his lead. Generally takes his cues from his brother.


Aven Osdap, Admiral of the Navy. Male, mid-30s. Common complexion (Olive skin, dark hair and eyes)


Jeime Hallano, Prince of Piosa, First General. Male, princely complexion. Childhood friend of Ilejandr II


Isus Jiurol, General stationed in Mausol. Female, mixed common and princely blood. Unbeknownst to most, 1/16th elvish through her mother's line. Born to a local mother, a princely father’s second wife.


Patriarch Maceol XVI, Peerless One and Bridge Maker. An aging man, with a craggy face framed by gray locks. Chief priest of Tonger (See: Religion)


Important Nongovernment Entities: Temple of Tonger, a monotheistic religion popular throughout the empire. It is centralized, with its leadership believed to have close ties to the Rausfar princes.


South Sea Export Co., the largest private merchant fleet in the nation. It holds several government contracts for carrying freight between the territories and the homeland. It has two primary bases, one within the capital province, Holsarn, and another within a far-flung island chain, the Azells. Besides its merchant activities, it has its fingers in most industries in the territories, from agriculture to mining, but does not have a controlling position in any market. It is known to have many mercenary vessels on the payroll.


Havrai College is one of the two most important magical centers in the confederacy (The other is a cluster of magic-related bureaus, gathered from various government departments into one district of the city for the purpose of cooperation, around which grew private studies and organizations. It is generally called the West Holsarn Campus). It is notable in that the Principality of Havrai has yet to expel or otherwise persecute elves, leading to a significant cross-cultural exchange at the college. Havrai is often more academic in its studies than the West Holsarn Campus, which focus of practical and martial pursuits first and foremost. Havrai College is perhaps the only major organization in the country that is openly antagonistic with the Rausfar.


Notable Citizens: Donste Jiurol, half-brother of Isus Jiurol. Entirely of princely blood. Co-head of South Sea Export Co, alongside Omahl Cresi


Alnaveriane Osaricil, grandmistress of Havrai college and perhaps the only prominent elf in the Confederacy.


Christa Rausfar, eldest daughter of Ilejandr II, three years older than Datri.


Calen Rausfar, eldest son of Ilejandr II, three years older than Datri. Fraternal twin of Christa. Presently disgraced, location and occupation unknown. Potentially unstable.


Current Economy: The central territories comprising the confederacy are largely buoyed economically by the outer territories of the empire. Despite a decently high birthrate, population is actually holding steady in the islands as men and women settle further afield in droves. The outer territories are economic boomtowns, held back only by the need for more labor to staff mines, orchards, plantations, vessels, and so on. The nation as a whole is high-growth, increasingly diversifying, and very active in long-range trade. It comprises the link between east and west as well as north and south, a valuable position in the international system


Historical Overview: The first ancestors of the Oesti emerged from the inland steppes of the northern portion of the Major continent (so called by the Oesti as it is the larger of the two known) approximately 10,000 years ago. They are known to have sojourned for a time in an Elvish kingdom along the sea, whom they served as expert horsemen and capable archers. When called against an early human territory, they refused to betray their race, but would not strike against those they had served, and so departed westward. After a long journey, spanning many generations, they arrived in the southern portion their present homeland, roughly 4,000 years ago. Organized society, cities, and crafts became common in the region around 2,000 years ago. At the same time, the faith of the nomads was finding a more organized character under the Temple of Tonger. Not long thereafter a group of human princely houses, including the Rausfar, drove a race of elves from the northern portion of the island chain, claiming it for humanity and their gods. The confederacy can be considered to have emerged from this band of crusaders, over a millennium later (just 600 years ago). The Rausfar conquered Mausol 250 years ago, and largely built their dominance from this singular event, taking High Bay, the Azells, and Nahelt and bringing many other princes into their court in the following years.


Religion(s): The Faith of Tonger is a monotheistic religion in direct evolution from the traditions of the migratory ancestors of the Oesti. These earlier forms of the religion were polytheistic and may have been syncretic with the beliefs of the elves that lived alongside the early Oesti (SHHH!). Tongr, originally a god of war and storms, slowly expanded in his role, subsuming the more brazenly Elven members of the pantheon, acquiring patronage over the sea and husbandry, taking on a patriarchal role, and being assigned the title “king of the gods”. In time it came to be believed that only Tonger could satisfactorily answer requests, the other gods being impotent or unconcerned with human affairs. He is presently considered the sole divine being, with former gods continuing on as servants, patrons of specific areas of society, that derive all their authority from Tonger. The Temple has significant cultic practices, with regular sacrifices, auguries, and numerous levels of initiation. Tonger is not seen as controlling the afterlife, however. There are several distinct traditions of the afterlife, but the most common holds that souls wander the heavens and earth. They do not believe in systematic reincarnation, but hold that a second life is altogether possible. Therefore, acquiring and keeping the favor of Tonger is more important in this life than in the next. Cultic practice overshadows morality in this religion.


Region: Islands. More Islands. Some land based territories… Uh, look at the map? The homeland is mostly temperate forests. Territories with the torrid zone are, of course, the worst of deserts. Those ringing it are comparable to savanna, and are very responsive to cultivation. Parts of southern Mausol are rainforest, a particularly difficult terrain that, for the moment, is holding back southward expansion.


Capital City: High Holsarn, a sprawling city of approximately 650,000 people. It covers most of the oldest Rausfar holding, but now comprises only a small portion of Holsarn province. It is positioned on the northwestern coast of the main southern island in the homeland chain.


Other Notable Settlements: Havrai, with a population hovering around 300,000. It is one of the few successful principalities outside direct Rausfar rule, and is a notable haven for Elvish citizens.


Holenkan, the administrative and economic center of Mausol. It is the fastest growing city in the empire, with 350,000 people already. It is a natural fortress, built on a rocky scrap of land connected to the mainland only by a small land bridge. Artificial and natural breakers enclose two harbors, each nestled against the isthmus on one side.


Aepri, the administrative center of the Azell islands, home of the southern fleet, South Sea Export Co.’s southern operating base, and much of the trade in the southern portion of the empire. 250,000


Caswe, administrative center of Nahelt. 100,000


Avorgara, a relatively young city, founded by Ilejandr’s grandfather to serve as the center of his newly acquired territory, High Bay. 150,000


Population: 30 million


Population Distribution (rural, urban, etc.): Population distribution varies immensely throughout the nation. Within the homeland, there is very little unused land, with most under habitation or cultivation. Mausol, however, is a wide-open, untamed land. Nahelt is similarly sparsely settled. Both do have some urban sections, but they are relatively minor compared to the scope of the provinces. High Bay and the Azells were fairly well settled prior to their annexation, and are now home to growing urban centers as well. As a whole, approximately 20% urban (5.2 million in cities. Classical definition of city is a population greater than 50,000, social stratification, and presence of economic specialization (artisans, merchants, etc)). ~60% of the population lives in the homeland.


Primary Race: The Confederacy and the various holdings of its members are nearly entirely human-populated. The Rausfar Empire, home to approximately 65% of the population, is 99.8% human, with the only exceptions being a small corner of Elven villages in western Nahelt and semi-nomadic tribesmen along the frontier of Mausol. The remaining principalities, home to about 35% of the population, are 96.5% human, with the most substantial Elven communities in Havrai and on outlying islands. Most of the humans are, to be specific, Oesti, with dark hair, eyes, and skin ranging from dark olive to paler shades, only lightly touched by the sun. Azell Islanders have somewhat darker skin and notably different facial structures. The peoples native to Mausol have substantial variety. Some groups are closely related to the Oesti, while others are believed to have recently interbred with Elves or are unrelated human groups. Most have muddled genealogies. High Bay’s original possessors are related to other humans of the Minor continent.


Secondary Race(s): The small number of elves in the Confederacy/Empire are split into three distinct groups. The “Wild Elves” originally inhabited Nahelt, and have since been pushed westward and northward. Small communities exist in isolated regions of the territory, but most have fled its borders. Various elven tribes are counted among the people of Mausol. They are scattered and insignificant, mostly clutching to warrens in the torrid zone or frontier pasturelands. These two groups are mostly “under the radar” of even the most ardent Rausfar speciesist. The more commonly known and important group of Elves is the Northern Elves, a breed that inhabited the northern portions of the homeland island chain before the Oesti arrived and displaced them. Independent Northern Elf settlements to the north present a small, but trumped-up, security risk to the confederacy. They have a significant community in Havrai.


Magic: Oesti mages, particularly those trained in the southern school (the methodology taught at the West Holsarn Campus and throughout the empire), are unusually capable with the use of wards. They are able to erect them more tightly towards their charges, release thermal radiation rather than more visible forms of light as they degrade, and other advantages. The Confederacy has the additional advantage of two distinct schools, the aforementioned southern school of the empire, and the northern school, best taught at Havrai. The northern school shows clear Northern Elf influence, with a wide variety of focus classes used (Including the written and spoken forms used by the southern school, with the additions of signs, thoughts, and constructs of various sizes), a propensity for rapid attacks (replacing solid defense with deadly first strikes), and utilizing old elvish rather than old human for its spoken and written forms.


Other: I say it again: The Rausfar are human Speciesists, and believe in a manifest destiny for the human race to eventually take possession of the entire earth. They are accustomed to acting unilaterally without support of other confederacy members, and will pursue similar unilateralism in world affairs. This is not to say they are isolationists, or even opposed to alliances of convenience; they simply will not hold any foreign power as an eternal friend. They are more realistic or fickle, depending on your perspective. They hold all human nations “enemies in war, in peace friends”.
 
So I work tomorrow 8am-1pm, so I wont be able to post much until after I get off. 
And I also am super tired, so I probably wont post anymore tonight.
 
Official Name: The Djiyiz Kingdom


Common Name: Djiyiz (but foreigners, if they brave the monster-infested waters and come upon the islands, often refer to them by synonyms for ‘hell’ in their languages)


Government: Absolute monarchy with nobles that hold important governmental positions and govern parts of lands and cities as ladies and mayors respectively


Ruler(s): Queen Nundon the Resolute is the current head of state


Important Nongovernment Entities:

  • Various gangs that control sectors of the cities. Many of them are aligned to noble powers, but neither criminals nor nobles would hesitate a beat to betray the other if it served their purposes (and indeed, do so on a frequent basis). The gangs of Djiyiz dissuade crimes by independent criminals, but are involved in the trafficking of drugs and other illegal merchandise, illicit "protection" services with businesses, and more. Gang warfare, though, is not common—having a connection to nobles, they operate with an understanding of their territory and fear suffering a gruesome fate.
  • The Independent Historical Research Group (IHRG). Originally founded by Queen Nundon's grandmother, the late Queen Papatrakiis (though back then she was Princess Papatrakiis, but is more commonly called by the epithets of 'War Princess' and 'Slayer of a Thousand Families') when became fascinated with the ruins of the Ancestors in her bloody campaigns to reunite the many kingdoms of the isles under the Djiyiz Kingdom. She oversaw the function of the IHRG for the entirety of her reign, and through the educated volunteers that initially formed the organization unearthed much knowledge of the still mostly mysterious civilization that presided over the isles before the Wasting. The IHRG is responsible for the popular incorporation of Ancestral designs in noble/royal fashions, the preservation of lore, and protecting the ancient sites from any would-be thieves or anyone else looking to desecrate the ruins and artifacts. While allowed to function independently from the government, they are still provided with laws and funding to further their aims. The IHRG is something like an autonomous state of its own, complete with its own city-sector in the capital city, several private libraries and other buildings, and its own martial force.
  • The Seafarers Guild. Starting out as "whalers" (for lack of a better word to describe those that hunt the gigantic creatures that dwell in the waters of Djiyiz) who discovered that tele-empathetic magic could be used with aquatic animals in the way it was already being used on land, they banded together to offer safe passage—for a steep price. Now all seafarers and their vessels are under their jurisdiction, and even the government must concede to their dominion over the seas and contract their services.


Notable Citizens:

  • Ilf. A quiet, short man who is noteworthy only for being the apparent consort of Queen Nundon. In reality he is the head of her ninjas—an accomplished one himself—and has trained a good portion of them. His mask is ornate as fits a consort of the queen, fashioned from ivory with gold inlay resembling the writing of the Ancestral civilization.
  • Kurdepiil. One of the oldest members of the IHRG, all the way back to when it was still under the control of the War Princess. She is a venerated head librarian and researcher whose most notable contribution was the discovery that the writing system of the Ancestors is actually musical notation, and one wherein all the musical styles of Djiyiz have their roots. Kurdepiil remains a close friend with the royal family, and some of the other high-ranking members of the IHRG are suspicious of how deep she is in their pockets.
  • Tsadakurp. Kurdepiil's grandson, unusually educated for a man of Djiyiz thanks to his grandmother raising him. He has a thirst for adventure, something of a Romantic soul tempered with a rational mind, and is thus an IHRG soldier, and spends most of his time traveling from ruin to ruin with the archaeologists. He's also a bit of a musician, though he mostly practices between trips and for the entertainment of the expeditions, and in his free time studies the written language of the Ancestors. He recently discovered that their language is actually expressed phonetically through musical emotional meaning rather than actual words, hence explaining why every attempt to translate it has come out as nonsense words—because that's what they are, and why researchers now despair over the likelihood that the writings of their predecessors are now lost in meaning to them forever. Unfortunately for Tsadakurp, because of his job, youth, and the fact that he is a male in a matriarchal society, Kurdepiil was instead received as the one behind this important finding.
  • Hardaanyel. Princess of Djiyiz and heir apparent. Despite this, she spends most of her time on the seas, seeming to have a fascination with travel that is constantly pushing the boundaries with her less-than-pleased mother.


Current Economy: Capitalist


Historical Overview:


The history of the Djiyizian people is one mostly lost to the ages. What is known is that many centuries ago they used to be a wholly different nation and even race. From what can be gathered from the many ruins that remain, they were a highly advanced civilization and the islands, while still uncharacteristically warm for being around a pole, were not unlike the surrounding lands at the time—much more mundane, but safer.


The civilization’s fate is unknown outside of religious accounts that must be taken with a grain of salt or several, but the majority of the population did not survive and those that did were mutated beyond recognition from the fairer elves they once were.


Survival for a long time was tough, as the Djiyizian islands became much more hostile—a lot of its overall life was lost, and what wasn’t had become dangerous. But the Djiyizians adapted, replacing spoken language for the most part with telepathy as their mutated physiology became hypersensitive to the warped energies tainting the eldritch circle, and from their telepathic development came the emergence of tele-empathy to communicate with animals, forming strong bonds with them as companions in life and as a way to navigate regions rife with the deadly wildlife.


Eventually they coalesced from semi-nomadic tribes into small kingdoms, constantly feuding amongst one another, until not too long ago when the War Princess united them through conquest. It is during this feuding era that the Djiyizian ninjas came about, for the royalty were constantly using treachery to claim thrones and lands.


Religion(s):


The religion of Djiyiz consists of cults of female goddesses believed to be responsible for keeping order of the natural and celestial systems. The matriarchal society of Djiyiz is a result of the belief that women were first and were entrusted with control, both in the pantheon and mortal society, and this was the First Generation. The Second Generation was a result of male greed resulting in their taking control from the rightful women and bringing chaos upon the world as a result—the ruin of the Ancestral civilization—and was righted only when a new Divine Materfamilias retook the pantheon’s control for women and instilled them back in charge amongst their earthly counterparts, thus ushering in the Third Generation which is also the current one.


Region: The green circle.


Capital City: Djiyiz, which is located on the southern of the two largest islands, close to the channel that runs between it and the large island a bit to the north.


Other Notable Settlements: While there are other cities of note, I don’t feel like writing them here.


Population: Meeeeeh . . . around 750,000 probably.


Population Distribution (rural, urban, etc.): A lot of the population, around fifty-percent probably, is urban. These are mostly around the coast where large sea creatures can easily feed a lot of people, and generally people grow some plants and even keep small animals that can be fed scraps in their homes (and insects are a common feature in their diets). Those that don’t live in urban areas probably live in small fishing towns or even a pastoral, generally semi-nomadic lifestyle further inland. Farms aren’t common, but citizens keep small gardens or, barring that, are known to grow plants even on trestles and other unusual places.


Primary Race: Elves (they call themselves the second kind or Djiyizian elves sometimes, though)


The Djiyizian elves are mutated by the eldritch energies permeating their islands. Their bodies are hairless and their skin is roughly burnt orange to grapefruit in color, darker in some areas and lighter in others. They have tough craggy growths on their bodies that somewhat resemble scales, and can typically be found forming ridges on their bald pates and in patches along the exterior parts of their arms and other such areas. They are usually greyish, yellowish, or brownish in coloring. Their ears are very long and most of their teeth are sharp, some Djiyizians even featuring small tusks. Djiyizian elves are typically tall with long limbs and very sharp, angular features that give them predatory faces as if they’re lean and hungry—even the well-fed and healthy ones give this impression. Their eyes—always with gold irises—are narrow and angled to further this image. Like many creatures from the islands, these elves have toxic blood that can burn just by touching it.


However, their mutations have also made them hypersensitive to the eldritch energy that imbibes their own lands—mostly affecting their olfactory and tactile senses, causing them to consider the air as foul-smelling and painful to their bare skin when to an outside it would just be air. As a result they typically wear garments that are light but cover up as much skin as possible. These usually consist of a baggy tunic strapped to the forearms and fitted into thin, tight gloves, a cowl raised over the head with a mask that resembles a plague doctor’s (the beak stuffed with aromatic substances), loose breeches that belt at the waist into which the tunic tucks into and fitted into boots.


Magic:


Pretty much every Djiyizian uses magic to some extent. The vast majority of magic use in Djiyiz is for communication—telepathy and empathy. Telepathy is used for communication in lieu of speaking, and although they have a written language it is mostly used to keep secrets among the educated. That is because instead the Djiyizians can telepathically imprint an object to access whatever they have “written.” If the object the message is imprinted upon is broken to a large extent then so is the message. Sometimes they also have to be fed more magic if the magic of the old caster begins to fade after a duration of time.


For creatures that do not understand language of any kind, the Djiyizians use tele-empathy. Often they will raise animals from a young age and impart upon them a strong feeling of loyalty through careful nurturing. The more intelligent a creature the easier it is to form a close bond to, which is useful for beasts of burden and companions. For more simple-minded ones this isn’t quite the same, but they’re easy to bend to one’s will, such as the way that sea serpents and other vicious aquatic monsters can be persuaded to cause no harm when crossing the ocean. This brand of magic is often used in raising the children to some extent and even on people beneath one’s social standing, though it’s considered a major social faux pas to do so to an equal or better.


Other:

  • Grandparents usually raise the young.
  • Families are matrilineal.
  • Their cities are designed as highly defensive, with entryways to buildings being from the top and through windows, designed around courtyards with walls acting as walkways also. Ladders are a common feature to get around, as are other climbing devices.
  • Most Djiyizians keep a companion animal of some sort.
  • Individualizing one’s mask is a very important social aspect that can reflect many things, such as where they come from and what their social ranking is.
  • Djiyiz has a drug problem—it’s a drug, made mostly from a plant that grows on the large northern Djiyizian island, that is smoked. It numbs their sensitivity to the eldritch energies permeating the islands, allowing them to expose themselves greater to it, but relaxes their entire body and can cause nerve damage and even, with a lot of use, brain damage. It’s illegal, but hardly enforced and there are parlors where people go to smoke it in company.
  • Djiyiz has unicorns—imagine the ones from The Last Unicorn, only they can come not only in white but in grey and black also and are omnivorous with scavenger tendencies.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ankou said:
Official Name: The Djiyiz Kingdom
Common Name: Djiyiz (but foreigners, if they brave the monster-infested waters and come upon the islands, often refer to them by synonyms for ‘hell’ in their languages)


Government: Absolute monarchy with nobles that hold important governmental positions and govern parts of lands and cities as ladies and mayors respectively


Ruler(s): Queen Nundon the Resolute is the current head of state


Important Nongovernment Entities:

  • Various gangs that control sectors of the cities. Many of them are aligned to noble powers, but neither criminals nor nobles would hesitate a beat to betray the other if it served their purposes (and indeed, do so on a frequent basis). The gangs of Djiyiz dissuade crimes by independent criminals, but are involved in the trafficking of drugs and other illegal merchandise, illicit "protection" services with businesses, and more. Gang warfare, though, is not common—having a connection to nobles, they operate with an understanding of their territory and fear suffering a gruesome fate.
  • The Independent Historical Research Group (IHRG). Originally founded by Queen Nundon's grandmother, the late Queen Papatrakiis (though back then she was Princess Papatrakiis, but is more commonly called by the epithets of 'War Princess' and 'Slayer of a Thousand Families') when became fascinated with the ruins of the Ancestors in her bloody campaigns to reunite the many kingdoms of the isles under the Djiyiz Kingdom. She oversaw the function of the IHRG for the entirety of her reign, and through the educated volunteers that initially formed the organization unearthed much knowledge of the still mostly mysterious civilization that presided over the isles before the Wasting. The IHRG is responsible for the popular incorporation of Ancestral designs in noble/royal fashions, the preservation of lore, and protecting the ancient sites from any would-be thieves or anyone else looking to desecrate the ruins and artifacts. While allowed to function independently from the government, they are still provided with laws and funding to further their aims. The IHRG is something like an autonomous state of its own, complete with its own city-sector in the capital city, several private libraries and other buildings, and its own martial force.
  • The Seafarers Guild. Starting out as "whalers" (for lack of a better word to describe those that hunt the gigantic creatures that dwell in the waters of Djiyiz) who discovered that tele-empathetic magic could be used with aquatic animals in the way it was already being used on land, they banded together to offer safe passage—for a steep price. Now all seafarers and their vessels are under their jurisdiction, and even the government must concede to their dominion over the seas and contract their services.


Notable Citizens:

  • Ilf. A quiet, short man who is noteworthy only for being the apparent consort of Queen Nundon. In reality he is the head of her ninjas—an accomplished one himself—and has trained a good portion of them. His mask is ornate as fits a consort of the queen, fashioned from ivory with gold inlay resembling the writing of the Ancestral civilization.
  • Kurdepiil. One of the oldest members of the IHRG, all the way back to when it was still under the control of the War Princess. She is a venerated head librarian and researcher whose most notable contribution was the discovery that the writing system of the Ancestors is actually musical notation, and one wherein all the musical styles of Djiyiz have their roots. Kurdepiil remains a close friend with the royal family, and some of the other high-ranking members of the IHRG are suspicious of how deep she is in their pockets.
  • Tsadakurp. Kurdepiil's grandson, unusually educated for a man of Djiyiz thanks to his grandmother raising him. He has a thirst for adventure, something of a Romantic soul tempered with a rational mind, and is thus an IHRG soldier, and spends most of his time traveling from ruin to ruin with the archaeologists. He's also a bit of a musician, though he mostly practices between trips and for the entertainment of the expeditions, and in his free time studies the written language of the Ancestors. He recently discovered that their language is actually expressed phonetically through musical emotional meaning rather than actual words, hence explaining why every attempt to translate it has come out as nonsense words—because that's what they are, and why researchers now despair over the likelihood that the writings of their predecessors are now lost in meaning to them forever. Unfortunately for Tsadakurp, because of his job, youth, and the fact that he is a male in a matriarchal society, Kurdepiil was instead received as the one behind this important finding.
  • Hardaanyel. Princess of Djiyiz and heir apparent. Despite this, she spends most of her time on the seas, seeming to have a fascination with travel that is constantly pushing the boundaries with her less-than-pleased mother.


Current Economy: Capitalist


Historical Overview:


The history of the Djiyizian people is one mostly lost to the ages. What is known is that many centuries ago they used to be a wholly different nation and even race. From what can be gathered from the many ruins that remain, they were a highly advanced civilization and the islands, while still uncharacteristically warm for being around a pole, were not unlike the surrounding lands at the time—much more mundane, but safer.


The civilization’s fate is unknown outside of religious accounts that must be taken with a grain of salt or several, but the majority of the population did not survive and those that did were mutated beyond recognition from the fairer elves they once were.


Survival for a long time was tough, as the Djiyizian islands became much more hostile—a lot of its overall life was lost, and what wasn’t had become dangerous. But the Djiyizians adapted, replacing spoken language for the most part with telepathy as their mutated physiology became hypersensitive to the warped energies tainting the eldritch circle, and from their telepathic development came the emergence of tele-empathy to communicate with animals, forming strong bonds with them as companions in life and as a way to navigate regions rife with the deadly wildlife.


Eventually they coalesced from semi-nomadic tribes into small kingdoms, constantly feuding amongst one another, until not too long ago when the War Princess united them through conquest. It is during this feuding era that the Djiyizian ninjas came about, for the royalty were constantly using treachery to claim thrones and lands.


Religion(s):


The religion of Djiyiz consists of cults of female goddesses believed to be responsible for keeping order of the natural and celestial systems. The matriarchal society of Djiyiz is a result of the belief that women were first and were entrusted with control, both in the pantheon and mortal society, and this was the First Generation. The Second Generation was a result of male greed resulting in their taking control from the rightful women and bringing chaos upon the world as a result—the ruin of the Ancestral civilization—and was righted only when a new Divine Materfamilias retook the pantheon’s control for women and instilled them back in charge amongst their earthly counterparts, thus ushering in the Third Generation which is also the current one.


Region: The green circle.


Capital City: Djiyiz, which is located on the southern of the two largest islands, close to the channel that runs between it and the large island a bit to the north.


Other Notable Settlements: While there are other cities of note, I don’t feel like writing them here.


Population: Meeeeeh . . . around 750,000 probably.


Population Distribution (rural, urban, etc.): A lot of the population, around fifty-percent probably, is urban. These are mostly around the coast where large sea creatures can easily feed a lot of people, and generally people grow some plants and even keep small animals that can be fed scraps in their homes (and insects are a common feature in their diets). Those that don’t live in urban areas probably live in small fishing towns or even a pastoral, generally semi-nomadic lifestyle further inland. Farms aren’t common, but citizens keep small gardens or, barring that, are known to grow plants even on trestles and other unusual places.


Primary Race: Elves (they call themselves the second kind or Djiyizian elves sometimes, though)


The Djiyizian elves are mutated by the eldritch energies permeating their islands. Their bodies are hairless and their skin is roughly burnt orange to grapefruit in color, darker in some areas and lighter in others. They have tough craggy growths on their bodies that somewhat resemble scales, and can typically be found forming ridges on their bald pates and in patches along the exterior parts of their arms and other such areas. They are usually greyish, yellowish, or brownish in coloring. Their ears are very long and most of their teeth are sharp, some Djiyizians even featuring small tusks. Djiyizian elves are typically tall with long limbs and very sharp, angular features that give them predatory faces as if they’re lean and hungry—even the well-fed and healthy ones give this impression. Their eyes—always with gold irises—are narrow and angled to further this image. Like many creatures from the islands, these elves have toxic blood that can burn just by touching it.


However, their mutations have also made them hypersensitive to the eldritch energy that imbibes their own lands—mostly affecting their olfactory and tactile senses, causing them to consider the air as foul-smelling and painful to their bare skin when to an outside it would just be air. As a result they typically wear garments that are light but cover up as much skin as possible. These usually consist of a baggy tunic strapped to the forearms and fitted into thin, tight gloves, a cowl raised over the head with a mask that resembles a plague doctor’s (the beak stuffed with aromatic substances), loose breeches that belt at the waist into which the tunic tucks into and fitted into boots.


Magic:


Pretty much every Djiyizian uses magic to some extent. The vast majority of magic use in Djiyiz is for communication—telepathy and empathy. Telepathy is used for communication in lieu of speaking, and although they have a written language it is mostly used to keep secrets among the educated. That is because instead the Djiyizians can telepathically imprint an object to access whatever they have “written.” If the object the message is imprinted upon is broken to a large extent then so is the message. Sometimes they also have to be fed more magic if the magic of the old caster begins to fade after a duration of time.


For creatures that do not understand language of any kind, the Djiyizians use tele-empathy. Often they will raise animals from a young age and impart upon them a strong feeling of loyalty through careful nurturing. The more intelligent a creature the easier it is to form a close bond to, which is useful for beasts of burden and companions. For more simple-minded ones this isn’t quite the same, but they’re easy to bend to one’s will, such as the way that sea serpents and other vicious aquatic monsters can be persuaded to cause no harm when crossing the ocean. This brand of magic is often used in raising the children to some extent and even on people beneath one’s social standing, though it’s considered a major social faux pas to do so to an equal or better.


Other:

  • Grandparents usually raise the young.
  • Families are matrilineal.
  • Their cities are designed as highly defensive, with entryways to buildings being from the top and through windows, designed around courtyards with walls acting as walkways also. Ladders are a common feature to get around, as are other climbing devices.
  • Most Djiyizians keep a companion animal of some sort.
  • Individualizing one’s mask is a very important social aspect that can reflect many things, such as where they come from and what their social ranking is.
  • Djiyiz has a drug problem—it’s a drug, made mostly from a plant that grows on the large northern Djiyizian island, that is smoked. It numbs their sensitivity to the eldritch energies permeating the islands, allowing them to expose themselves greater to it, but relaxes their entire body and can cause nerve damage and even, with a lot of use, brain damage. It’s illegal, but hardly enforced and there are parlors where people go to smoke it in company.
  • Djiyiz has unicorns—imagine the ones from The Last Unicorn, only they can come not only in white but in grey and black also and are omnivorous with scavenger tendencies.
Click to expand...
Me likey. Do you really wanna have a population that small, though? It's even lower than alphabet land!


Btw, what are The Last Unicorn unicorns like?


And how's mine? I need to make a few small revisions, but not much.


Sent from my HTC M7 with Tapatalk
 
Embluss said:
Me likey. Do you really wanna have a population that small, though? It's even lower than alphabet land!
Btw, what are The Last Unicorn unicorns like?


And how's mine? I need to make a few small revisions, but not much.


Sent from my HTC M7 with Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Lol Im going to nitpick your so hard...just kidding. Actually we are having huge snowstorms where I live, and the power just went out. So I'm having to use my phone's hotspot. Sooooo I'm probably going to go to a relative's later this evening if the power doesn't come back on, so until then I wont be on.
 
Lol I went to my gmas. So wifi for me, yay. Should I edit anything else in my bio? Oh and just to let you guys know, Pinterest is awesome for finding pictures to represent your characters and what not. I can give you guys the link to mine if you guys end up getting one.
 
Rynnki said:
I have a couple where I can find good pictures consistently, my problem's choosing. X(
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Hahaha yeah I took like 5 hours the other night just picking them out. What kind of magic does your civilization have?
 
My civi is pretty crappy in the magic department, as they're all mostly human. Although that does give them the push to try and find a technological replacement of sorts for it. How bout yours?
 
Rynnki said:
My civi is pretty crappy in the magic department, as they're all mostly human. Although that does give them the push to try and find a technological replacement of sorts for it. How bout yours?
Click to expand...
Well I'm not sure about the specifics yet. My warriors are able to strengthen their armor and weaponry with it, but thats really all I've decided. I would like them to have like telekinesis, but I feel as if thats cheating during battle. Are we allowed to have telekinesis emblus? 
NOOO WAIT. I KNOW WHAT I WANT. CAN I HAVE DRAGONS?!!!!!!
 
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