The Awakening

[Sobotnik]

Awake, arise, or be for ever fall'n. - John Milton, Paradise lost.

Hello and welcome to the RP game ”The Awakening”.



A new RP game with a completely original idea is based on a world much like our own, set in a time where mankind is on the cusp of acheiving civilization. While much is similar, the continents are unexplored and the world is yet still mysterious. Mankind does not command mastery over nature, nor does it understand a great deal about the world. The road towards civilization is a difficult one, and not everyone will survive it. We begin with the appearance of the first cities.

Discord link for the RP: Join the The Awakening Discord Server!

Please send this in a pastebin or PM to me:

Flag: (250 x 150 pixels)

Name of your society: (Self-evident, but this be a collective name for your people)

Societal complexity: (Ranges from minor tribes to nascent city-states)

Material culture: (Technological complexity, ranging from paleolithic flintworking to incipent metallurgy)

Primary economy: (Hunter-gathering, agrarian, pastoral)

Culture: Write down here any cultural traits, behaviours, religion, and other flavour to your society.

The choices you make will determine your starting location. More advanced technologies and higher socioeconomic complexity will place you closer to other players and AI with a greater chance for conflict and warfare. Simpler hunter-gatherer or pastoral societies by contrast have much greater flexibility and may much more easily migrate and have less competition to deal with.

After sending in your PM, I'll place you down in the world and we can begin.

 

[Fighting Monk]

Claiming a spot, will post some flavor later

 

[TheGriff]

Tē pū'wa's Sannin

 

[mausedpotatos]

Spot claim. Posting soon.

 

[YogiTheWise]

Guess who's back.
CoC was the shit.
I'm claiming a spot.

 

[Fighting Monk]

Funerary Practices of the Yanuites​

The people of the first city have a deep devotion to the Earth Mother Lhami and her Human husband Yanu. The children of their union (all of humanity) believe that in death they will be reunited with their creators and deceased ancestors in a realm below their feet. It came to be understood that through the veneration of and prayer to their ancestors the Yanuites could receive blessings from the earth, good fortune, and protection from evil spirits and the Accursed god of storms and calamity Ro.

Thus, when one of their number dies the Yanuites bury their kinsmen’s body in a familial gravesite, worshipping and performing rituals there for ten years. It is believed that the flesh and blood of all mankind must return to the soil else they will not join their ancestors and gods deep below them. After the ten year period the body is exhumed and the bones picked clean of any remaining dirt and flesh (which is returned to the soil). Afterwards the bones are interned in a familial shrine or tomb where the living can easily give them reverence and prayer.

Weekly offerings of food are given to the bones and their resting place is almost always adorned with colorful flowers and oil lamps. Additionally symbols of different plants and animals are usually hung above the shrines to help the common man distinguish which ancestor is which amongst thousands of bones.

 

[Sobotnik]

Copper pin from the Scraped Grave culture. One of the first copper artefacts ever made.

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. - Genesis 12:1-3, King James Bible

-Over the past few thousand years the neolithic revolution has swept the world as many peoples turn to agriculture and pastoralism. The new economies brought forth a demographic explosion and by this point many distinct cultures have developed. Some of them are already on the cusp of the great ”Urban revolution” which could transform the world yet again. Prehistory is coming to an end and so man enters history.

Native Hunter – Yanuites (Scraped Grave culture)

Location: Yanukshatram

-The dawn of civilization began with the rise of the city of Yanukshatram, although in these times we are charitable with the term ”city”. Covering an area of about 15 hectates (37 acres), it is a collection of wooden, mud, and stone huts clustered together with a few outlying villages employing similar construction methods. From what is understood from later oral and eventual written tradition, it has been long believed that the people of the Scraped Grave culture are one and the same as the Yanuites. Their religion held that the first man Yanu came from a lake and copulated with the Earth mother Lhami, thus giving rise to mankind. The jealous storm god Ro then chased man and Yanu over the earth for having the secret of fire stolen, until Yanu founded a city in an valley traditionally held to be Yanukshatram, bounded by mountains on all sides save for one where it meets the shore.

-Their burial practices are puzzling, for it appears that they interred bodies in the ground until the flesh rotted, scraped the bones clean (hence the term Scraped Grave culture) and then removed the bodies elsewhere to a temple (the largest of which was in Yanukshatram and measured 70x30 metres in area) where frequent offerings were made to the bones. We find the remains of flower pollen, carbonized food, and oil lamps with the skeletons. Towards the advent of urban living they began to also leave models of various animals made of beaten copper and clay. Social hierarchy begins developing at this time as we see the start of a growing distinction between a priestly class (reponsible for religious festivals, rituals, and claiming descent from Yanus eldest son) and the rest of the population.

YogiTheWise – Chama (Eagle amulet culture)

Location: The great steppe

-The origins of the Chama are mysterious, as both archeological and linguistic evidence seems to trail off shortly before this time to the point that assigning material cultures and establishing the continuity of them to Chama is hotly debated. What we do know is that they respected wild animals a great deal and perhaps domesticated many of them too. Settlement sites formerly had several pit-dwellings (and likely tents) with a great mix of wild animal bones. As civilization was being born elsewhere, we see the appearance of both increasingly elaborate burials as eagle amulets made of clay, bone, and stone become common along with the occasional horse. Their religion was largely focused around eagle worship and on a special relationship with the ”Sky-Father” who took the form of an eagle.

-Domestication of the horse is also implied at this time as the quanity of horse bones suddenly increased fourfold to make up the bulk of the diet, and occasionally we also find pots with traces of lactobacilli and dairy in them (implying that they ate yogurt) although there is no genetic evidence from the time suggesting genes for lactose tolerance. In either case the switch to horses and a pastoral lifestyle led to this culture being extremely successful, as they began to rapidly grow and spread as the steppe opens up to them. Evidence of horse-riding also appears around this time as some excavated horse teeth show signs of bit wear. While some archaeologists previously believed this to be a peaceful time by writing off evidence of large-scale fortifications and mass graves full of skeletons with traumatic injuries as ”Ritual practices” it is pretty clear these days that the Chama met with conflict frequently and often wiped out their neighbours.

Griff – Sannin (Glazed pot culture)

Location: Bhasang

-The other great protocity to be born at this time is that of Bhasang, emjoying relatively sophisticated technology and social organisation. While rice was domesticated many thousands of years prior, a more rational cultivation with the intent of producing a huge surplus comes about at this time for we have uncovered the remains of huge granaries and storehouses intended to keep food reserves for years. They also produce fine polished stone tools and statuettes in addition to having a complex and rich ceramic culture (something that later archaeologists greatly appreciate). Many of their pots have features such as handles, lids, spouts, decorative motifs, and most even have a form of glazing to them. Analysis of hearths, ovens, pots, and storehouses also shows that in addition to rice they grew substantial quantities of yellow split peas, garlic, onion, radishes, lettuces, lentils, figs, dates, and grapes.

-Prior to the rise of the first cities, the area around Bhasang was a floodplain that routinely flooded annually, and little attempt was made to settle in the area. A few centuries prior however, it seems as though the Sannin figured out a way to turn this to their advantage by making use of dykes and channels to control the drainage of water after the floodwaters receded, allowing them to keep the fields watered thereafter. The yearly flood would also replenish nutrients in the soil, and so with a reliable source of food the population soon exploded (as indicated by the appearance and rapid growth of settlements in the area).

Cre8or – Delmites (Battle-spear culture)

Location: The great steppe

-Located at a confluence of freshwater lakes (and bogs), hardwood forests, and open plains, a new cultural tradition began with a new kind of economy brought by the fruits of the neolithic elsewhere. Known as the ”Battle-spear culture”, they are so named for the unusually heavy and bulky spears they manufactured. Although the materials of flint and firehardened wood are rather typical in construction, they have elaborate carvings down their length (often incised into the spearheads themselves). Experimental archaelogical shows that these spears were far too impractical for normal use, and instead were likely ceremonial in function. Their graves are often found to be full of these spears, otherwise being rather poor. It is assumed that they practiced ritual animal sacrifice, as large piles of burnt pig and sheep bones are often found along with multiple complete skeletons along with other manufactured goods. A rare bog body (from a man suspected to have drowned in the summer) was able to fill in the gaps.

-The bog body was nicknamed ”Remu's lad” after the ancient God Remu. Wearing a simple leather jerkin that stretched to his knees (making a kind of kilt) with a belt around the waist, he also carried a simple yew shortbow that was possibly stringed with animal sinew. He was well-fed and close to the body was found a spearhead and a complete toolkit, including a microlith scraper that may have been used for carving the spear. His hair was uncut and wild, while an analysis of his body showed no evidence of any tattoo markings nor much else in the way of decoration. His last meal was mutton and beef, both likely from domestic varieties. Other sites (they seemingly lived in a number of camps which were rotated seasonally) revealed that they knew how to spin and weave wool, for we find loom weights and whorls there (there is no evidence for agriculture and in turn flax cultivation). The general lack of rich grave goods and rather universal living and burial arrangements implies a general lack of social stratification too.

Notes: You can now send in turns with the following structure:

Diplomacy: (Diplomacy, espionage)

Military: (Wars, navies, conflict, etc)

Internal: (Anything that happens within your own borders)

Everything above this line is limited to 10 lines of text. Below it is unlimited.
________________________________________________________________________________
Technology: (List three relevant technologies, one of which is randomly picked. Put in any wikipedia links, pictures, or other stuff you might want too.)

Flavour: (Additional fluff and crap to flesh out your civ)

Any players wishing to join simply send in both a turn sheet and the application one too.

 

[Sobotnik]

Typical figurine made of clay, of the Eagle amulet culture

He walks around in the enclosure of Uruk,
Like a wild bull he makes himself mighty, head raised (over others).
There is no rival who can raise his weapon against him. - Epic of Gilgamesh

Events of the 21st through 25th centuries.

-Death is always a part of life, and so is war. Despite the arrival of writing and civilization, man quarrels and squabbles as it lays the foundation to civilization. Each nation has its own conception of the divine, a sacred land and home to call their own. Their worldviews are seperate but at the edges they threaten to collide, and only the gods know then what will happen.

Native Hunter – Yanuites (Protohistorical Yanukshatram)

Location: Yanukshatram

-Yanukshatram began her expansion at this time, for the growing city needed plentiful raw materials in order to fuel its industries. Although formerly restricted to the Garrah River Valley, we find simple mudbrick and timber constructions appearing on hills and mountain passes at the boundaries of this valley and signs of increasing conflict. Indeed, one of these had a mass grave where many smashed skulls were found and hoards of stone hammers and flint weaponry (discovered to have bone fragments and blood on them) that even the ”archaeologists” of the peaceful school of thought struggle to explain this away. The city itself organised a military force which (by linguistic reconstruction) we know was called ”Guardians of the Dead” and the Priest-King of Yanukshatram is shown in a carving literally smashing a mans skull in.

-The citystate also started establishing new colonies at this time, some specialised in mineral extraction. The mountains provided good sources of marble and granite for building, and some limestone (for plaster). To the far southwest (just outside the furthest colonies) are rich deposits of malachite (for copper) of which there is more than enough for export, for we find artefacts hundreds of miles away made of copper from those mines. The central temple in Yanukshatram was expanded into a major complex by the wealth of this trade, and later additions from this period include storage rooms and the first layer of the Priest-Kings palace. Tombs are dug out of hillsides where the dead are interred and shrines are made. Despite expansion out of their home valley, the peoples here still held a sacred reverence for the land for even those who were born and lived outside of the valley (as mineral analysis in the bones reveal) went to the trouble of being buried in the homeland. The palace and many villages also began cultivating extensive orchards and gardens, and presumably beekeeping as well. Many plaster reliefs and carvings show the process of making mead and it seems like honey was being paid in tribute to the city by the end of the period.

YogiTheWise – Chama (Terminal Eagle amulet culture)

Location: Edge of the Great Steppe

-The Eagle Amulet culture underwent a period of rapid expansion as by horseback they went east before stopping where they found water (we don't find their sites on the other side of the river). We know that the society previously occupying this area (Plastered grave culture, for they plastered the insides of graves) mysteriously vanished along with all their Y-chromosome haplotypes. The new arrivals and their new Plastered grave culture wives (who presumably chose to be raped voluntarily) established new settlements and combined aspects of both cultures. Genetic evidence also shows the appearance of a gene for lactose tolerance and heavy selection pressures for its propagation too. Ricefarming and other crops from the more advanced downriver agrarianists were being introduced, with those on the river taking to fishing. We see a rapid growth in both the number and size of villages and the growth of trade too. A preserved rowing boat (from after this period) is found and shows signs of good construction, so we assume that the practice of boatbuilding and watertravel began at this time (although the construction must have been undoubtedly simple).

-Another interesting development at this time is the appearance of bison statuettes and amulets alongside the horse and eagle ones (implying their inclusion into the religion). We also find bison remains in the settlements, particularly deeper into the steppe where the diet was more dependent on them. The remains of an eagle were also found buried with a man, although for some reason his skull has talon marks scraped into it. A division also began growing within the tribes as (despite presumably sharing a common culture and tongue) its clear that the river-based tribes were on a clear path towards agriculture and sedentism from downriver influences by the end of the period in contrast to the steppe tribes. Violence and raiding presumably took place both internally and externally, and at the end of the period we find defensive ramparts built around the river-based villages (on the other side we find signs of growing social complexity) and the occasional copper item brought in by boat, although at this time we presume that the Chama were ignorant of their ultimate source and the richer peoples who produced them along the river.

Griff – Sannin (Protodynastic period)

Location: Bhasang

-Something momentous happened in Bhasang in these dim centuries, as for the first time we see the first symbols of writing brought forth to the world. With the city having grown to a size of over 20,000 and requiring a great deal of organisation there is a need for hierarchy and recordkeeping of some kind. To this end we find a series of symbols either punched into flattened copper sheets (coppersheet writing) or stamped into clay. While copper was still rare, there are large ore deposits to the northeast out of the borders of the kingdom which provided a steady source of it. Chongya writing at this time is extremely pictographic in representation and has a library of over a thousand symbols, although it went through a degree of rapid development as by the end of the period the inscriptions get longer, simplified, and begin to represent more ideas. The oldest piece of writing inscribed thus far is a copper sheet recovered from a sunken boat on which the manufacturer stamped a logo, his name, and a prayer to the gods hoping that the sheet would reach its destination safely.

-Later on these records begin recording religious and political details. The semi-historical King (Or Whang) Ar Mhaw established the Ar dynasty and the evidence shows that he was charged with many religious duties. He is recorded as unifying the land under his leadership and sending forth men to conquer the northern islands and subdue his enemies. He is also depicted paying homage to the ancestors and eating some of the flesh of some of the great warriors of the islands. The practice of ritual cannibalism seemed to have started at this with him, and later the royal family would eat a piece of the kings flesh (although the closest kin would not partake) after his death. This practice later spread throughout Sannin society as when a person died the relatives (save for close kin) would eat some of the flesh as a sign of respect. The bones were afterwards interred in pits. Upriver some villages paid tribute to the Whang, and in one instance gifted the first known domestic horse to the area, which was stamped on a sheet (the earliest so far depicted). Despite a healthy trade in copper, production remained low.

Cre8or – Delmites (Battlespear culture)

Location: The great steppe

-The Battlespear economy changed little for most of this period, with the one major exception of megalithic construction. We find the sudden appearance of great megaliths, some weighing as much as twenty metric tons each. Every single one is a freestanding monolith and they are usually carved with the same symbols as those on the spears. The most frequently reoccuring is that representing the god Remu, and we also find talismans with his symbol carved into them too in gravesites and seasonal camps. A growing number of oxbones are also found and the average distance between camps increased as they presumably made use of them as pack animals. To the north we find evidence of conflict as graves with violent deaths are discovered. A few carvings and rock paintings showed images of those who were half horse, half men and carrying spears fighting with figures wielding oversized spears. At the end of this period we find horsebones in some battlespear middens and a tapering off of violence as we a slow introduction of foreign livestock and talisman use.

-We can gather more of their culture by linguistic reconstruction. The name for ”leader” seems to be derived for a term referring to the eldest in their society. Although they always established seasonal camps close to the water and bogs, a few stilted houses are also known to have been built at this time and we see evidence of large-scale peat extraction for use as a fuel and potentially for insulation in house construction too. These houses are by no means occupied for very long and are abandoned just as often as they are built, but due to the practice of seasonal camp rotation many of these houses are built on top of one another many times over (in some instances we find over a dozen layers, in some cases creating small ”islands” in the lakes from the years of detrius built up on the spot). We find spear remains here too with yet more complex carvings that seem to refer to the seasons and the owners and a clay artefact of a man carrying a clay ball gilded with gold leaf (presumably extracted from mountain streams in the east). Mythologically it is known that Remu lifted the sun each day to keep the cycle of the days going, and was also responsible for creating mankind in order to take care of his sheep. Such a depiction is one of the oldest representations of this myth.

Newb – Transposia (Transposian horizon)

Location: The White Sea

-On the shores of the chilly White Sea there have long lived many various peoples who exploited the good stocks of fish for food and local quantities of flint and amber for tools and jewellery. In the past couple of thousand years however, farming peoples migrated in from the south and settled in the more sheltered valleys, taking advantage of the virgin soils close to rivers. The newcomers most likely had swarthy skin, raised goats and pigs, fished, and wove simple fabrics of flax and perhaps wool as well in addition. Their ancestors formerly built mudbrick houses but as they moved north they switched to the architectural styles of the local and contemporary ”Triple-cone dwelling” culture, who would built three small roundhouses set partially into the ground and connected to one another by covered hallways. Despite the farmers technological and material advancements they were poorly adapted to the environment and their expansion was retarded by this fact.

-The next cultural period is marked by rapid change as we see the advent of new crops (lentils, rye, and barley), rapid population expansion, the advent of the sled, oxen, and new religious practices. It is generally believed that as both the southern newcomers and existing ”Triple-cone dwelling” peoples mingled they produced what is now called the ”Transposian horizon”. They practiced a new form of religion whereby they worshipped a triad of gods (a god of the waters, a god of the sky, and one of the earth). This practice likely carried on to their burial practices as we find evidence that they laid the dead on rocks and hilltops to be eaten by birds (sky burial), practiced normal inhumation, and likely threw the dead into bodies of water and the sea as well. These bodies were buried without adornments and there are likewise no signs of any social stratification elsewhere. One major change is that they began to clear more land for farming and began using oxen to draw ploughs (rather than hoeing the land as before). Sleds or travois were drawn by men, dogs, and oxen to carry goods and it seems like the local non-farming tribes made use of these to transport goods. While the peoples here had no copper artefacts (just tin and lead accidentally smelted from local deposits, at this time worthless), they did at least find good quality flint.

 

[TheGriff]

 

[Sobotnik]

Illustration of a skirmish between combatants in the wars of Bhasang and Isar.

Events of the 25th through 30th centuries:

Happy is that city which in time of peace thinks of war. - Inscription in the armory of Venice.

-The early cities of civilization had many challenges to face, and as the copper age matured demand for the metal only rose. From this time on many cities fought to secure access to the valuable minerals of the earth and began equipping armies. Huge stone walls and armies to assault them have long been a part of history, and even as these early peoples adopted the art of writing one of the first things they felt compelled to talk at length about, were the conflicts of the day.

Native Hunter – Yanuites (Protohistorical Yanukshatram)

Location: Yanukshatram

-The last centuries of the copper age coincide with the rise of the great city of Yanukshatram and its development into a major power with growing international contacts. We find evidence for the intensification of copper-mining and the addition of many new colonies to the southwest to establish mines and secure the routes to those mines as well. This was met with a great deal of conflict from the rival city state of Isar who occupied the valley to the west of these colonies on the other side of the mountain and previously held a monopoly on the area. We know that gold was extracted likewise in some capacity, which likely intensified the rivalry. Yanukshatram itself began equipping larger military forces with copper and later bronze axes and hammers although they lacked the means to equip them with much else. They wore padded cloaks with wooden plates during winter and occasionally wooden helmets reinforced with copper (as grave goods and hoards suggest that they were in vogue then), whereas Isar made use of archers and slingers in large numbers.

-We see evidence for trade with the north as well, for tin from Transposia made its way into the copper smithies of Yanukshatram to produce bronze and a gradual expansion of its uses. A bronze monopoly was established in Yanukshatram and its power was likely consolidated further by this fact. Huge walls were built around the city and the palace of the King (also known as ”Ra” to imply they were the opposite of the evil god ”Ro”) was given many new additions including gardens where gifts to the King were presented and kept (such as exotic plants, animals, and peoples). One such addition was a dedicated oracle to Lhami (said to be founded by one of the kings daughters) to interpret the will of the Earth-mother. Given the importance of the palace it is no wonder that it acquired the name ”First home” and was supposedly built by Yanu at the dawn of time (if we ignore that the oldest rocks there are only 200 million years old and do not even predate mammals). A bureacracy of sorts grew out of the priesthood to administer the growing city-state and the distribution of resources, something made more amazing by the fact writing had yet to reach this part of the world (unless we include string-knot records and the clay ball envelopes).

YogiTheWise – River Chama (Protohistorical Ganisahvi)

Location: Upper Kam river.

-This time period was a critical one, albeit shrouded in the mists of prehistory. Seperating fact from legend is difficult, but there are some kernels of truth to those old old stories. Some of the oldest tales tell of an individual named Equa'awohali (big eagle) who was a great chieftain with feathered skin and a voice so loud it boomed like thunder from Mount Bhōngrhā to the lands of the rising sun in the west. He supposedly raised a great host of horsemen whose hooves kicked up a cloud of dust so thick it choked all the mice in the fields and brought half the world to heel. In recent years we have been able to confirm some parts of the story with the chance discovery of some remains dating back to the end of the copper age. A most magnificent grave belonging to a most obese man was stocked full of copper daggers, bracelets, rings, and a tiny spoon for cleaning your ears. He had worn a headdress (likely embellished with eagle feathers) too. Around the same time we tenatively date the remains of what may have been a battlefield, where we find a number of bones scattered about with cut marks from metal arrowheads and blades. Several hundred were involved in the battle (including many horses), which was likely fought over control of a strategic river crossing.

-These legends and battles do tie into the establishment of the city of Ganisahvi, whose founding has been attested to Equa'awohali (who later declared himself Wutan Ungviyuhi, meaning biggest chief). The oldest writings and pictographic representations from the founding of Ganisahvi do mention him, but several other individuals are also named who presumably followed him or ruled rival towns. In any case, Ganisahvi became dominant and by the 29th century had unified the western and eastern lands on both sides of the river. An urban culture was established and the Chama presumably adopted some cultural trappings from the locals and Sannin downstream (including the latters writing system). Their tradition of selecting rulers through the clans selecting one among their number and (if neccessary) having them duel if they could not resolve the claims at the ballot box was maintained, but it is recorded that the steppe tribes later refused to pay homage to Ganisahvi and split, migrating westwards. By the end of the period Ganisahvi began actively interacting with Bhasang on matters of trade (although the tradein copper noticeably dropped off) and soon both countries were made fully aware of one anothers existence and the sphere of recorded history expands.

Griff – Sannin (Protodynastic period)

Location: Bhasang

-On the back of a land fed by swelling sacks of rice and pots of pea soup, the population of Bhasang grew and with it so did the power of the city. Dhrung'rāp Tablets (by now a common writing medium) from this time mention the constant attempts to ”cook” the tribes around Bhasang through selective bribes and the establishment of embassies to introduce the trappings of civilized living. Some tribes did submit and then sent forth livestock or copper ingots as tribute, while others refused and made use of their arms. Particularly to the northeast and south we find a great deal of conflict, for in the northeast were valuable deposts of copper and gold, plus the great Mount Bhōngrhā on which lived the pantheon of the Sannin people (and whose control was undoubtedly of major importance to the Whang). In the south the Whang sent multiple expeditions to subdue the unruly island tribes, who in turn would flee to the marshes and lay in wait while they called forth their gods to sent serpents and ambulocetae to attack them. Despite these setbacks the Ar Dynasty managed to establish the rudiments of an army by gathering the tribes together to go on yearly campaigns to subdue one tribe or town or another and gradually expand its sphere of influence. It didn't take long to find more nations.

-Upriver were towns that occasionally sent tribute to the Whang until a ”great host” came out of the steppe and subdued them first by half, and then completely. Unfortunately for people researching this time period, the early writings were concerned more with practical matters and only passingly mention an ”Eagle king” who took over the upper Kam river and established the city of Ganisahvi. Fortunately for the Sannin peoples, these wars to the north were largely fought internally and the tribes most likely struggled for years against one another in fruitless conflict and rarely had the ability to unify in any capacity to threaten him. Any that dared make a move on Bhasang were quickly chased off. Things were not quite so peaceful to the northeast, for in the wars there a new nation by the name of Isar (both the city and river) enters the historical records. Located up another river this nation had been trying to subdue tribes to its southwest, and so when one of them refused to send tribute to the Whang by claiming protection from Isar it made grounds for war. The Whang sent men by boats on the sea and some on foot by land, but on reaching the Isar valley each tribe in the army disagreed on the next course of action and were soon beset on by bowmen and slingers who chased them on land into the hills and by sea where the tribes (weary of being cooked) ambushed them. The Ar dynasty then expended its energies on the island tribes once more and gave up on contesting the northeast copper deposits, and suffered for lack of the metal.

Cre8or – Delmites (Butterchurner culture)

Location: The great steppe

-Towards the end of the period of the Battlespear culture, this society underwent massive economic and social changes that completely reorganised their society, and it is due to two major innovations. While horse remains are found at battlespear culture sites, Butterchurner sites are full of horse and ox bones and we see models of both animals made of clay and pictures painted onto pots. Huge and deep cooking pits and ovens are also found at sites (likely maintained between seasons). We also see evidence for the development of (cumbersome) wheeled vehicles and a growing importance of dairy to the diet, with lactose tolerance genes rapidly spreading around this time. Wooden containers full of butter have been found in peat bogs dating back to this period, and it is likely that they also made a wide variety of cheeses, yogurts, creams, and other dairy products. As rearing livestock for dairy rather than meat is far more efficient, the population exploded and there are five times as many Butterchurner sites as Battlespear ones (almost all of them have distinctive butterchurns and other dairying equipment).

-Warfare and increasing mobility are key features of this period as we see the telltale signs of conflict. With increased food production and mobility, we see Butterchurner sites push deeper into the steppe and increasing militarization.Graves full of those who died violently are omnipresent to the north and there are suggestions of a societal division between warriors and not-warriors (although female skeletons are found with weaponry). There are many graves where warriors are buried with a collection of javelins (smaller and better suited to warfare than the ceremonial spears of yesteryear) and what were likely leather cuirasses. We even find the occasional copper bead or pendant in a grave, although they did not originate in this part of the world. The Fishbone ceramic culture (so named for the fishbone design on their pots), which previously lived to the north and had domesticated horses and had copper artefacts, vanished and we find only Butterchurner sites thereafter. The new lifestyle of the Butterchurners was especially well-suited to the steppes of the north, although to the south we see the beginnings of true agriculture and the start of a bifurcation between the two cultures.

Newb – Transposia (Transposian horizon)

Location: The White Sea

-This later phase of the Transposian horizon saw it spread further along waterways and to the south by use of the recently invented sailing boat. Little bigger or more sophisticated than previously used rowboats, they still could travel great distances by hugging the coastlines. Later one they grew bigger and started to carry a number of tradable goods, especially after contact with other cultures. From the south we see imports from Yanukshatram (particularly in the form of copper ornaments and tools) although little evidence of native metalworking until presumably the very end of the period. Around the 30th century a boat (presumably carrying goods for export to Yanukshatram) sank, thousands of years later we find pots with traces of tar, ingots of tin and lead, flint nodules, and amber as well as some silver beads. The economy seemed to have diversified and a degree of large-scale exporting began, with the desired imports ranging from copper to alcohol.

-Outgrowths of existing settlements spread particularly to the south and into the hinterland as new lands were opened up for cultivation. Oxen became widespread along with ploughs and many forests were cleared to make way, although a lot of land remained untouched by the plough as well. Despite this, the old fishing and hunting tribes seemed to vanish around this time as they either adopted the innovations of their neighbours or were pushed out by them. They survived much further north for longer since the agricultural methods of this time were still quite primitive. Despite the increase in farmland and food production, the intensification had few returns and the settlements with their distinctive ”Triple Cone” structures did not grow much bigger and we see many of them building fortifications and other signs of violent competition.

 

[cornelius]

alright give me a spot then there lad

 

[Fighting Monk]

The Birth of Yanu​

Long before bread was baked in our ovens, long before man knew how to till the earth and even before he knew the secrets of fire...there were no men. In those days the earth mother Lhami existed alone alongside the gods of the sky (Ro) the sun (Kana) the moon (Noko) and the elderly god of the waters (Ay). The gods however were lonely. Wishing to relieve this burden they sought to create something to keep them company. Giving up much of their powers Ay created the fish, turtles, kelp, and whales that live in the waters, Ro the birds of the sky, Kana and Noko together the beasts that would wake and sleep by their light, and Lhami the plants that cross her entire breadth.

The gods were content for a time in watching over their automatons. However competition soon arose as their creations began to fight and consume one another. Thus the world and heavens existed in a chaotic flux in those days with no one to shepherd the beasts nor tend to the gardens of the world. This left the earth mother, whose creations were the most vulnerable, saddened to no end; for her company was fleeting. For centuries the gardens of the world began to wither and fade until there was only a single oasis left. What remained of the beasts and birds fled to the oasis but the earth mother kept them out. Ro, Kana, and Noko panicked as their creations would be doomed unless something could be done to please Lhami. The gods approached Ay, whose realm remained untouched, for council.

Ay resolved that in order for Lhami to be sated she would need an eternal companion that the neither the beasts nor birds could harm. However, Ay was old and his power was fading quickly. He knew that if he was to make something befitting of a companion for the earth-mother it would take all of his power. Yet, the other gods did not care for the fate of Ay. They were only concerned with the survival of their own domains and their own creations.

Thus, at the lake in the center of the world, Puripashpal, Ay sacrificed himself and from the lake a new being walked out of the water and onto land. That being was Yanu. The first man ascended from Puripashpal and, with the light and thunder of the gods behind him, travelled to the last remaining garden Lhami still cared for. He alone entered the oasis and commanded the beasts and birds to listen and obey his voice, that he would protect Lhami and her domain. Lhami rejoiced that she finally had a defender and that her realm was saved. Curious about her champion she manifested in Yanu’s likeness to meet the first man. Upon seeing him she was smitten and there in her garden they embraced one another as husband and wife. It is from their union we were made and in emulation of them we hold our weddings in gardens to this day.

 

[Sobotnik]

A reconstruction of the interior of a Transposian ”Pit-Palace”

Events of the 31th through 36th centuries:

Hunger knows no friend but its feeder - Aristophanes

-In the middle of the 32nd century, the grand city of Isar which was one of the oldest in history and dominated the valley to which it gave its name, somehow lost this dominance. In just forty years their colonies are all abandoned and the city itself shrank in size and built a huge pounded earth wall around it 12 metres thick. We are unsure as to what exactly happened, but it does coincicide with rainfall changes and river levels dropping perilously at the time, and what little written records there all concern rations. One mentions ”Select one [man] in eight [to go] without a quart of wheat or three of beer” and there are signs of widespread harvest failures. The fragmentary record ends here and so too does the building of grand public monuments (many of which are also abandoned). Isar is the first great city that we know of that “fell” for one reason or another, and as subsequent history would show, not the last one either.

Native Hunter – Yanuites (Archaic Yanukshatram)

Location: Yanukshatram

-The story told by archaeologists is an important one, but even with everything that pottery can reveal, writing can open up so much more. The words written by the people we study tell us about them in their own words, and the people of Yanukshatram had a lot on their minds. They most likely either adopted the strange ”fingernail script” of Isar or developed their own with influence from Isarian symbols and produced ”sickle script” which was originally made by pressing fingernails into wet clay, and later using a curved piece of bone to press it. Regardless of origins it revolutionized recordkeeping and we are able to tell you that Yanukshatram wrote a lot about corn. Later on in this period we find the occasional tablet or carving making reference to emisarries who travelled to the south and came back with a ”large dog” that a chieftain gave to the king of Yanukshatram as a gift. One of the early kings of Yanukshatram then decreed the division of the lands into seven ”great gardens” with each to be ruled over by a wise council of priests of Ra. These priests seemed to have become involved in military matters as they are shown leading units of men into battle, and towards the end of the period are depicted dividing out parcels of land as rewards to the soldiers and ordering new dams and irrigation channels built in response to poor rainfall. Colonies were also established in the east, many of them nowadays sitting in areas that confusingly are unsuitable for agriculture, but presumably then had a better climate. Tin imports from Transposia made its way into bronze tools and weaponry, although presumably at great expense as the “tin-lords” held a monopoly on it.

-To the southwest Isar fought with Yanukshatram until Isar mysteriously collapsed, leaving behind a vacuum which contemporary Yanukshatram called ”The valley of a hundred cities” battling for control over the Isar valley. One King of Yanukshatram is recorded as then ”leading an army to Isar, sacking its city, and taking all their copper” around the early 33rd century. Coincidentally we see new colonies established in the Isar valley itself (complete with their own temple complexes and priestly administrations, some of which began to rival the originals back home). Cultural as well as military expansion shows just how far the influence of this bronze age kingdom went. Not just into Isar, but to the north too. The Transposians seemed to have copied some of the architectural styles and metalworking technologies, while in return getting access to precious deposits of tin (the only major ones to the region). These northern neighbours even made shitty versions of the tomb and palace complexes popular in Yanukshatram. By this point, the ones in Yanukshatram were being expanded to the point that many were connected to one another via tunnels (although many were also lost to time and caved in over the intervening years, only to be cleared out again in recent relatively times for a multitude of reasons). The palace in the grand city itself was remodelled and a splendid golden throne was built down in the basement, while a huge and ungainly door was built to guard the tomb of Yanu, with many curses carved into them to ward off potential intruders, many of which are on the inside of the door and or the tomb itself which archaeologists have gone into and translated.

YogiTheWise – Chama (Protohistorical Ganisahvi)

Location: Upper Kam river.

-In these times the Chama peoples truly enter history as they begin to record everything around them (including regular diplomatic correspondences with the Whangs down south and the gifts they gave one another). The typical clay or copper tablets talking about beer rations and administrative procedures are nothing new, but what is new is that Ganisahvi developed the earliest form of a literary culture at this time. The writing system from downriver was horribly cumbersome in that it used thousands of symbols, many of which would be abandoned over the following centuries. While around the year 3000 there are at least two and a half thousand distinct symbols, they become more abstract and within a century are down to a thousand. By the end of the 36th century they have reduced it to a mere thirty and at that same time use this new writing system to record the great epic ”Squeal of the Big Eagle”. A most thunderous tale of the life and times of Equa’awohali in four hundred sizzling chapters, a searing indictment of the evils of his rivals, with several hot women thrown in for good measure (the epic made many references to the kings insatiable sexual appetite), plus tales of his travels to Sannin where he met the Whang and stole his favourite large-bottomed concubine from right under his nose. The other 90% of texts from this time are largely warehouse stock lists.

-Despite the high culture, dry weather and reduced farming yields caused many problems for Ganisahvi, to which it responded by investing significantly into social complexity. A hierarchical class system began forming with society divided between warriors, priests, craftsmen, and farmers. New colonies were established around sources of fresh water in the steppe and upriver, but the drying climate and what seemed to be signs of raiding caused many of these new colonies to fail. Skeletons from the colonies are remarkably stunted and display characteristic signs of malnutrition, although these impoverished workers still built a multitude of impressive hillforts. There are references to ”Digedi”, a title for men who were recorded as founding new colonies and securing horses from the more pastoral lands to the west. A number of tribes likely remained in the steppe-lowland transition zone and traded, raided, or joined Ganisahvi at different times for a variety of reasons, and control over trade seemed to help bolster diplomatic policy. These border tribes occasionally received ”heralds” from the Biggest Chief and listened to his desires (or refused) depending on the time. Control waxed and waned particularly in the west, although the eastern side of the river steadily developed in relative security. Copper was imported from the east (likely from upriver Kam) and we know of trade with Sannin as well, and soon afterwards we find bronze foundries operating throughout Ganisahvi and making use of Transposnian tin.

Griff – Sannin (Trang Dynasty)

Location: Bhasang

-The River Kam is the source of life for Sannin, and yet also its sorrow. The river levels started getting lower and many of the marshes in the deltas dried out. Farming yields fell and the tribesmen of the lower Kam marshes abandoned their homes in search of food. The last Whang of the Ar dynasty (Ar Yang) reportedly cared little about the famines despite the fact that people were ”reduced to eating rice stalks” and ordered all his vassals to bring him food and fancies from all parts of the kingdom to satisfy his concubines. Numerous rebels rose up against his misrule and he killed each and had them boiled in cauldrons into soups on which he and his concubines gorged. In a great mockery of ancestral practices he not only feasted on human flesh like a pig, but threw the bones out to the streets for the starving and dogs to gnaw. The chieftain Thret of the Trang clan then rose from the marshes and gathered those unhappy with Ar Yang, claiming that the ancestors brought misfortune because of Ar Yang. He overthrew the Whang, who in his shame tried to flee by boat, but had forgotten that he neglected to dredge the canal! He was caught and beheaded, while Thret founded the Trang dynasty and saved the kingdom by ordering the construction of new ditches and wells to bring water to the parched fields. The Chama and Isar peoples were so amazed that their own kings then sent emissaries with gifts to the Whang and proclaimed Thret an ordained son of heaven.

-The historical reality is of course, a little messier. The river levels and rainfall dropped off in the 32nd century and several sites were abandoned, although the integrity of the state itself seemed to have largely survived. The capital of Bhasang itself likely shrank and there are signs of increased conflict if the skeletons with bashed skulls and blademarks (bronze weaponry appears for the first time despite the collpase in trade). Dendochronology and river sediment analysis confirms that the environmental change was significant, enough to the extent that we can assume that the stories contain a kernel of truth. Recovery does kick off later on in the period, but with the cannibal cult greatly diminished and little attention paid to the construction of major religious structures (at least to begin with). We find that a lot of stone-lined wells and reservoirs were all dug within a relatively short space of time in response to the dry spells, and some of these constructions are extremely impressive and in some instances form major networks that stretch into the mountains. The new dynasty then set to work on building its legitimacy by aping much of the old Ar styles and patronizing new industries and organising larger and more elaborate ancestral funerals.

Cre8or – Delmites (Butterchurner culture)

Location: The great steppe

-The later butterchurner culture grew throughout the steppe and soon new cultural traditions and languages began to diverge even at an early stage. On the basis of linguistic evidence we posit at least two major dialects or proto-languages (northern and southern Delmitic) from the 31st century onwards. Likely from the east we find the arrival of copperworking on a large scale (copper being one of the last words in the latest stages of common Delmitic) and even some arsenical bronze artefacts. Most of these are simple axes and adzes with some knives for variety, although due to the lack of copper these axes were hollow and socketed onto the wooden handle. It is likely that the gift economy expanded to encompass the whole steppe as we find artefacts traded over vast distances. The terminal eagle amulet culture to the east vanished at this time and was replaced by Butterchurner-type settlements, with all y-chromosomes associated with Chama peoples also surprisingly vanishing entirely and being replaced with Demitic ones. Trade increased rapidly (especially towards the end of this period) and we observe the rise the rise of patriarchical society and the subjugation of the essential feminine, a trend that rapidly spread over the continent along with falling rainfall as the forests dried out and gave way to more grasslands.

-The split between the north and south is most evidenced by appearance of large and well-built fortifications in the south which routinely burned down and have multiple mass graves around them and a major shift towards agrarian economies. Contrary to what patriarchical and violence-inclined scholars may believe, it is just as likely that these earthern walls were built at great expense not for reasons of safety and defence, but as a means of symbolic representations of their culture. In the north we find hoards of throwing javelins, lances and some arrows, but these too are likely ceremonial in purpose despite the presence of haemoglobin crystals. Maleocentric scholars have argued that this time was one of war and the rise of militarised warrior-hierarchies, but ever since the publication of ”The conceptual construct of the social penis” it is more likely they quarrelled over phallic ideologies. Chieftains, or ”butterlords” patronized lesser chieftains and gave each other gifts in mutual relations, the praxic of which can be compared to the modern revolutionary act of sodomy as opposed to heterocentric relations.

Newb – Transposia (Pit-palace culture)

Location: The White Sea

-The history of all society is that of the class struggle, and at this time we see the distinct emergence of class as the Transposian horizon emerged from the slumber of ”primitive communism”. The worst contradictions of the barbarism of the neolithic economy (with its self-sufficiency and lack of specialization) soon resolved themselves to create the higher barbarism of the bronze age. The farmers of Transposia lacked the inclination to produce a surplus for new economic classes, but in order to obtain access to desired copper and other goods from Yanukshatram they were forced to create an enforced hierarchy so as in order to control the contradictions within society created by this new mode of economy that creates new inequalities. Consequently we see the exploitation of major seams of tin for export to Yanukshatram and the import of copper (at great expense) for the making of bronze (a science that quickly developed here). Larger and larger sailing expeditions were surely organised, for the number of shipwrecks recovered from these times increases, and we find that these boats were growing bigger and are found further and further away. Most went south, but many also went west too and often founded offshoot ”pit-palaces” of their own, exploring further afield and setting up new trade routes.

-The new wealth produced by the trade in metals and goods from the south not only created new economic classes, but new tastes as well. Conscious of their southern neighbours who had the habit of digging large subterranean complexs, we find the first appearance of what we call ”Pit-palaces”, which are unusually sophisticated and comfortable for their time. Created by digging rooms into the ground and plastering the walls and setting flagstones into the ground, these were then roofed over with turf and thatch. Inside were rooms approximately 40 metres square a piece, with a large stone hearth in the centre and a great deal of stone furniture inside (growing more elaborate with time). The most sophisticated pit-palace of this time (Site 2B) had stone cupboards, dressers, seats, storage boxes, bedframes, and even tanks for storing water along with primitive drainage channels for shitting into. In their heyday they were likely extremely comfortable, although it was not a luxury shared by all. We find some small quantities of silver being made too (a byproduct of lead extraction), although it doesn't factor much into trade at this time. These tin-lords, although they lived well, had already set in motion the dialectical forces of history that would transform much of the world by their monopoly on tin.

Cornelius - Hekelites (Whittling-knife culture)

Location: Retzen hills

-The Retzen hills are among the first places in the world where we find evidence pastoralism if the bones of domesticated forms of sheep are anything to go by, and indeed even thousands of years prior to this time we find graves of people buried with cats and dogs in their arms (although we do not ask about how convenient it was that the pet and owner somehow died at the same time). Several archaeological cultures later and we discover that the peoples settled here found themselves starting to interact with advanced civilizations and their integration into the thin gossamer threads of trade and culture connecting the early bronze age world together. The whittling knife culture practiced a developed form of pastoralism and some agriculture, but happened to be most distant for their skill in woodworking and the pride they placed on their tools. The Retzen hills to the southwest of Transposia are bounded to the north by huge forests, which in turn cover much of the land down south almost to the River Kam which seperated the proto-Hekelites from their cousins further south (who in turn by this point had founded the cities of Frazkellth and Woymuth) north of Isaria. Despite their southernmost relatives becoming urban town-dwellers with bronzeworking and heavy cultural influence from Isar, they still shared a language family that had only recently split up a thousand years earlier in addition to numerous religious and cultural practices.

-The material culture was relatively simple and uniform even into the 36th century, with only a little influence from the Pit-palace culture making itself evident in the extreme southeast. Prehistorical Hekelites worked wood with stone celts and copper axes or knives (the Whittling-knife culture receive its name from the numerous finds of copper knives) and managed large forests in addition to migrating around the hills and valleys herding flocks of sheep. Genetic studies shows that the wooly-fleece gene was selected for at this time, while in settlement sites we find stone spindle whorls and loom weights in abundance. Woollen and wooden manufactures were likely sold for copper and some agricultural products from the south, and later on we even find Transposnian tin and bronze making their way here via trade. Religious practices are largely pieced together from a combination of archaeological records and written records from Woymuth (which began writing the earliest) that detail worship of the ”Zetzel” which may be translated roughly ”stuff of movment”. Some individual cults believed in reincarnation (stemming from the belief that their spirit is repurposed for Zetzel) and have joyous funerals, while those in the southeast tend to elaborate gardens and bury their dead in underground tombs. They all however shared in the Hekelite consensus, a belief in the mystical power of forests and trees. Consequently many of their shrines were built from wood and are lost to time, although they made efforts to actively maintain forests. Undergrowth was cleared and there is evidence that they began to coppice trees too (later records imply it was already a well-established practice).

 

[cornelius]

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF RETZIAN SURREALISM: CORE CONCEPTS
Part of a longer pamphlet explaining the basic history of Retzian Surrealism to those studying theology at Woymuth County University.
by Fr. Aloish Weuclásc

Religion implies a dogmatic, absolute belief in a certain ideal. That some truths and moral systems are absolute. Retzian Surrealism (as it came to be known in the future) did not share these traits common of a religion. To call it a religion is debatable in itself, Retzian Surrealism was something far more... abstract. Unexplainable. Simultaneously materialist and esoteric, realistic and ethereal, Surrealism as a faith or set of folk beliefs contained generally four central tenents: Embrace of entropy, appreciation of luck, contradiction and hypocrisy are natural and bad, but unavoidable and that randomness and chance is not a bad thing, nor a good thing.

The general belief of mankind's creation was simple. Long ago, before energy, before time, before anything that could be labelled as an entity was created, from the dark, chaotic, yet unusually ordered. Then, from this muddled, absolutely anarchic primordial status, came Zetzel. Zetzel is best described as an energy, the "stuff of movement" or Trueaches Gleish-ockt in modern Retzian. The predominant theory amongst modern historians and theologians is that Zetzel is essentially chaos, luck, chance and gambles all made manifest in a physical entity. Zetzel brought a weird sort of order to the universe, codifying, creating, its fluctuations and convulsions birthing galaxies, stars, superclusters, planets, and eventually our planet. The conditions on our planet were just right, and, as Zetzel worked its way through the planet, creating great scars on the planet, condensing oxygen and hydrogen, or "W'euscesteff" as the components of water were known in reconstructed Proto-Retzian, that created seas, oceans and rivers.

Zetzel gave water huge amounts of energy, power and action. Water carved out for itself canyons, rivers, seas, cliffs and many great features that dominated the world. The nature of Zetzel also made it possible for life to arise. Purely through random chance, life was formed. Over the years, mankind, blessed with the gifts luck and chance provided, established hegemony. Zetzel, not an entity, nor a god, but a sort of energy, an ethereal and materialistic force however created things perceived as negative as well. Volcanoes sprouted, earthquakes occured, tsunamis swamped villages, deadly and dangerous bogs arose wherein only peaceful forests lay before purely due to the perceived imbalance of chaos in favour of positive luck as the ancient Hekelites thought of it, and it required balance. Thus, Zetzels contradictory nature of bringing order and chaos, fluctuations and stability, life and death, afterlife and emptiness, black and white was explained. Zetzel acted not as a mechanism to control populations via dogma or delusions of godhood so the subjects of the kings would slave away happily, but to explain. To explain contradiction. To explain order. To explain that there is indeed stability in chaos.

Retzian Surrealism was an ingenious method of explanation, and many schools existed. Universal to all was the belief that forests and trees were revered places, wherein Hekelite burial mounds, dolmens and wooden burial pits were constructed in forests, which had to be the finest examples of Zetzel's positives according to the various tribal priests and shamans. The two main, informal schools of Surrealism were the Militant school and the Constructivist school, as they are labelled by modern scholars. The militant school was the more radical one, wherein many believed that Zetzel's influence must be curbed. There must be a controlled expansion of everything, from the army to the proto-economy, to the territory of the various tribes to even reproduction. This is why in fact many Neo-Surrealists are some of the most steadfastly pro birth control and anti-natalist people out there in modern society. Constructivism was the more orthodox, moderate school, attracting devotees far more than the aristocratic followers that possessed the Militant view. The Constructivist conception was essentially that everything should be ordered and structured in a way to allow for the fluctuations of Zetzel to fluctuate in as many ways as it can. They were usually quite laissez-faire in terms of economic policy, while natural conservatism and the increasing demands of bronze age society forced centralization to be instituted. Over time however, the Constructivist view died out, being seen by the aristocracy and early bourgeois elements of society as dangerous and unhinged.

The Constructivist sects of modern Neo-Surrealism are few in number, far outnumbered by the more "logical and disciplined" Militants. Surrealism survives today as a small, counter-cultural religion in opposition to established faiths and atheism, as a spirtual and ancient alternative.

 

[YogiTheWise]

You wanted countryballs, well, here you go:

 

[YogiTheWise]

Hell, have another one why not:

 

[Sobotnik]

A painting of the mythical King Roslon performing a religious ritual.

Events of the 36th through 40th centuries.

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Isaiah 19:2

-The Bronze age fully matured as we move towards the end of the fourth millennium, and the beginnings of long-distance trade brought many peoples closer together in this time. Unfortunately this process created just as many losers as winners, and civil wars brought havoc to much of the core areas of the old worlds civilizations. To the west the Delmitic expansion continued ceaselessly and by the end of the period some of them even managed to enter the historical record in the form of names recorded by other civilizations. Although little survived from this time, it is likely there were at least three seperate languages that continued to evolve along with the societies that spoke them. Steppe or settled, all peoples grew ever more hungry to obtain bronze, manufacture weapons on a large scale, and outfit what would be now recognised as professional armies, even if most of them barely number in the thousands. Through conflict, some of these societies have grown stronger.

Native Hunter – Yanuites (Late archaic and intermediate Yanukshatram)

Location: Yanukshatram

-Although Yanukshatram adopted writing later than its neighbours, it more than made up for it in these centuries by feverishly trying to document everything within their lands. Temporary records were likely kept on pieces of wood or textile (most of which have since bene lost) but a concerted effort was made to record in clay and stone as well. Enough of them exist to tell us that by the 3580s some kind of archive for the palace in Yanukshatram had been built to record all of the diplomatic, administrative, and economic matters pertaining to the state. From the 3600s onwards we find multiple tablets referring to a deal (or multitude of them) struck with one or more of the ”Tin lords” where local copper was profitably exchanged for foreign tin and so enriched both nations to the benefit of everyone save for the enslaved. The Tin lords also despaired of the richness of Yanukshatram and their own ignorance, and so the King wisely ordered priests sent there to introduce the habits of civilized living. An attempt was made to crudely map the world as well, displaying Yanukshatram as a golden city in the valley at the centre of the world with a list of cities and their distances away from the capital, with mention of ”Zanni” and ”Tsama” nations. Further documentation concerns the proper arrangement of festivals and priestly councils and the supply of provisions likewise for the public. The kings continued to head diplomacy, but increasingly we see a trend of the bureacracy and priesthood sidelining him in governance as their power grew.

-Military successes in Isaria led to futher expansion and the construction of forts to secure the west, but at some point in the 37th century some kind of problems began developing within this system. Holding a monopoly on the bureacracy, writing, and the governance via regional councils, the priesthood took over greater control and sidelined the monarchy in most important matters. By the latter part of the century they were building their own palaces, gardens, and underground tomb complexes and with Yanukshatram struggling to impose control on the distant and rich territories over the mountains to the west. King Ra Kan IV (after 3720? - 3801) ruled for an exceedingly long time and is largely only remembered for the ”Great Kan” breed he supposedly introduced (said to be huge beyond all measure) after ordering dogs from the south brough to his court. An attempt to reform the Sons of Ra came too late and when Ra Kan IV died, a rival powerbase in Isaria declared that a priests wifes son of their choosing was next in succession. The country split into two, then three, and finally six seperate kingdoms and a violent civil war then followed. All monumental construction and virtually all writing stops, roadways and tunnels are neglected, trade declines, and there was a great deal of militarization. The country was torn to pieces for over a century, resulting in the loss of most of Isaria to the ”Irzush confederation”. Most unusual of all however is the younger colony of Ise (first occupied only in the 36th century) in the drier uplands to the northeast. Although their soil was of poor quality, it seemed that they managed to domesticate a local weed we know now to be the ancestor of the peanut. With improved soil fertility and yields, the colony grew from a backwater to a major city and soon furnished an army with which it conquered first Yanukshatram and then reunified the country. The shaky new dynasty struggled to reclaim Isaria, and a major rivalry developed between Yanukshatram and Ise by the end of the 40th century as the insurgent new city threatened the powerbase of the old.

YogiTheWise – Chama (Aghiliyoga period)

Location: Upper Kam river.

-A reoccuring theme of attempting to subjugate the west has been with the Chama ever since their ancestors came from over the steppe to settle down by the river. Unfortunately these efforts were frequently in vain and the task of imposing control over both wealthy settled agrarian cities and the boundless expanse of the steppe at once is a daunting task. While the disorganisation and relatively light armament of the steppe warriors makes it hard for them to seriously threaten the Chama nation, this same lack of unity made the imposition of control and collecting of rents and military expeditions a headache the further west one went. The Agihliyoga clan comes to prominence at this time after a short and brutal civil war deposed the old lethargic ruling dynasty. Peopeo na Agihliyoga suddenly came onto the scene in the mid 37th century, and if the records are anything to go by he was a particularly brutal ruler. Unlike his predecessors he did not bother with simply attacking a rival and forcing them to give tribute, but instead he demanded everything or nothing, lest the Chama starve (supposedly). The Kam Hekelite citystate refused to entertain his requests, and so Peopeo organised a massive multiyear campaign. In the first year he had cavalry sent forth to raid the villages and burn the crops, and when they refused to submit he ordered another campaign. Archaeological excavations reveal a rich and wonderful layer of black earth full of carbonized plant and human remains, and the abandonment of perhaps one in three villages. Huge famines gripped the land and eventually the humiliated Hekelites were forced to become a part of the empire.

-Peopeo was far too cowardly to attack his more advanced neighbours in the south with their massive walls and armies, but he made sure to keep talking big. Vulture imagery is associated with the clan and the new dynasty to the extent that the old eagle culture is sidelined in favour of it. Carvings, paintings, and oral tales all cast Peopeo as even being like a vulture, speaking of how he “kept a grip on power like a vulture keeps a grip on a corpse”. After having his throne surrounded with the loot he acquired from the war on the Hekelites (including their jars of valuable dyes and piles of woollen cloaks), he begot children. His progeny was not quite so successful as hoped, for his son and daughter had an incestuous relationship which produced a most poorly bred grandson, his wife suffered a miscarriage, and then he grew impotent himself and died later. Obviously this set the stage to drive the land into chaos once more. A second (albeit shorter) civil war followed which the clan once again won at a high cost. Despite these disruptions and archaeological evidence showing the abandonment of many villages, the Chama were able to maintain a tight grip on the river and defend their trade routes and peasants. Barley became a popular crop, and in conjunction with new agricultural practices to allow the soil to rest, the fertility and productivity of farms generally improved. By the 40th century new colonies were being established further west than ever before, along with large and well-built hillforts and new bronze foundries to supply soldiers with weaponry. The local nomadic tribes in these later centuries were too weak and divided to resist the steady expansion of these farmers backed by the power of the Aghiliyoga and had to concede the borderlands after being squeezed between the new Delledix peoples and the Chama.

Griff – Sannin (Trang Dynasty)

Location: Bhasang

-The Trang dynasty was blessed beyond all compare, or so the records say. Although there have been troubles elsewhere as civil wars rocked their neighbours throughout this time, the Trang offered an island of stability. Wise King Thren of the 38th century is usually the figured cited as the one responsible, and it was said that he introduced a great list of laws by which all of society was to be governed. Although parts of it have been lost, he ordered inscriptions made for public display and for it to be copied extensively for future reference and so we can refer to surviving examples. One such reads “If a wife finds her husband unsatisfactory, he must come before a court and demonstrate the strength of his seed in front of three or more witnesses.” The body of legislation was extensive enough that the King ordered city governors to memorize these laws for when it came time to try cases, and that records be kept whenever possible. The written language was greatly standardized and a number of stamp seals were produced for this purpose (usually to indicate the crime and the punishment given) to make administration easier, and we can reliably reconstruct a great deal about their society from this information. For instance the old practice of ritual cannibalism went into decline prior to this time, and by the time of King Thren it had been banned (it is emphasized that some areas need greater vigilance due to the custom lingering on).

-With more lawgiving and enforcement came greater bureaucracy, and attempts at harmonizing some of the peoples under control of the Trang. While the tribes and cities that backed Trang to begin with benefitted immensely from the distribution of rewards after taking control, the rest of the country began to profit by the new legal system too. Although some punishments are harsh and enforcement is strict, they are fair and the merchants enjoy the “Peace of Thren” despite the travel tolls they have to pay. Many impoverished peasants and ruined tribes down on their luck were resettled in the wastelands abandoned under the later Ar Dynasty and made to rebuild irrigation channels and add new ones to the network. With growing crop yields, improving trade, and a general sense of peace a period of prosperity follows. Diplomacy was used to great effect by the Trang rulers to convince many tribes and would-be rebels to instead seek a compromise and manage their affairs more peacefully, such as with the Demmetic tribes to the west, although they did not use this as an excuse to neglect their military (used more than once to restore order and defend the borders at this time). Bronze was imported on a large enough scale to outfit an appreciable number of soldiers with spears, axes, and even the occasional shortsword. It even makes its way to some domestic applications, for archaelogists note the widespread appearance of awls, ear-scoops, braclets, and needles of bronze and copper. New settlements were established in the steppe transition zone, although the waterlogged nature of the southern marshes undoubtedly hampered their expansion. Terrible ambulocetae, tribes outside of Trang control, and the stagnant waters full of mosquitoes were likely enough to drive many would-be farmers away.

Cre8or – Southwestern delmitic peoples (Godhouse culture)

Location: The great steppe

-The Delmitic peoples continued their expansion over the steppe, picking up new traits and evolving along the way. Although they split from their eastern cousins centuries prior, a degree of commonality in material culture was maintained until the end of the 35th century when the Southwestern Delmitic peoples split off from the people who spoke the early forms of Thremmex (spoken in the north) and Tellenic (spoken in the east, by people who likely invented the chariot in the 40th century) Although linguistic reconstruction dates the split to (roughly) this time, the most obvious sign of the new culture are the small stone temples they raised for their god Remu. From the 36th century onwards we find these odd buildings, sometimes hundreds of miles away from any good sources of stone (younger ones generally occurring further west, the oldest being in the east). Their construction is usually a cairn, stone slabs, or a menhir raised and decoratively carved in great detail, and then surrounded by concentric circles of drystone walls arranged to be visible from a distance. In some cases they were raised on a bed of stone and earth themselves to be elevated, and are almost always next to encampment sites. These camps still made use of the characteristic butterchurns their forefathers used (and it is likely they started making and drinking fermented milk at this time too if we extrapolate a little), but moulds and sometimes tools left behind by bronzesmiths also show that these peoples were starting to use bronze equipment and knew at least how to repair them. If metallurgy was a skill they had, it seemed a very new one since many pieces were of distressingly poor quality and full of impurities. The absence of swords and larger bronze pieces makes this all the more obvious, and spears are the most widely used weaponry still. A warrior class had not only become integral to Delmitic society, but a clear distinction was also being made between footsoldiers and mounted warriors. Some mounted warriors probably specialized in hit-and-run tactics where they threw light javelins and then retreated to a safe distance, while heavier footmen used heavy thrusting spears in close combat.

-Oral legends of this time speak of a “King Roslon” who gained wisdom from Remu, and was shown a most wonderfully green land full of lush grasses perfect for a new home. Remu then ordered Roslon to cut enough trees so they could find to build carts to carry the whole nation there in spite of the risk in the journey. After many dangers and challenges, they finally reached the shores of a great lake from which (it was said) sapphire waters flowed and watered all men and beasts. A local chieftain came forth and told Roslon that he would not permit them entry, for famine visited them and they could not feed everyone. Roslon then took the fattest cow from his herd and slaughtered it by the shores of the lake, calling upon Remu. Pleased by the sacrifice, Remu then ordered Roslon to take water of the lake and to pour it over the wound, whereupon it miraculously came back to life. Finally Remu commanded Roslon to milk the cow and sprinkle the milk upon the land, and wherever the milk fell, rich crops grew. The famine was ended by this miracle and the chieftain agreed to let Roslon live among them and to adopt Remu himself as his god. Remu then gave Roslon one last vision, showing him a land of rich cities on the banks of a river of sapphire waters...

Newb – Transposia (Pit-palace culture)

Location: The White Sea

-The Pit-Palace culture blossomed into greatness at this time, and the beginnings of a true civilization worthy of the name came into the world in these centuries. Although solidly built and comfortable dry stone dwellings were commonplace by the 36th century, the term ”Pit-Palace” really refers to the structures of the 38th centuries onwards, their predecessors only sharing the name due to the fact their architectural designs were similar. Site 2B was an exceptionally luxurious and large example if we compare it to prior dwellings, but in this time it became not only quite typical, but was quickly overshadowed. The palaces quickly grew bigger and more elaborate. Roughly built dry stone houses were gave way to ever finer works of masonry (an art mastered at this time by the builders). Blocks of stone were cut with bronze chisels and picks from quarries and then transported to the palaces. As was typical, many cultural traits from Yanukshatram came here and the tin-lords began to use plaster and had their palaces painted with elaborate scenes and imagery (including representations of Yanu and the Earth-Mother Lhami. Many of these palaces came to exercise a great deal of authority as they became the focal point of the community. The palaces usually added an extra floor and got taller near the end of the period (sometimes building artificial hills to build the palace into). We also find clues that they started to make use of recordkeeping methods pioneered in Yanukshatram to keep track of trade. We do know that copper was imported and tin exported, and that eventually half a dozen major palaces came to dominate the trade, each lobbying for improved diplomatic and trade relations with their southern neighbour, who in turn encouraged the Tin-lords to pick up the benefits of southern civiliation. Indeed, site 9S even had a temple built to worship Lhami in the 39th century.

-Site 9S was the largest of the palaces and was the only likely responsible for organising the largest trading fleets. They standardized copper and tin ingots, built and maintained a large number of ships for trade, and organised expeditions to Yanukshatram and along the coasts of the Old Lake Network. It is likely that organized trade with the Hekelites in Frazkellth and Woymuth, plus with the Chama began too (we find shared artefacts in all sites) although the wars (both civil and uncivil) probably made the life of a trader difficult at times. No small wonder that the few sunken ships we do find, they are often full of weaponry, while a few potsherds here and there have pictures of figures on boats with javelins and slings. The ancient Transposians finally began to also extract silver on an increasingly large scale at this period after figuring out how to clean lead to extract the silver ore from it. Naturally silvermining left huge piles of lead as a byproduct, and nearby cemetery corpses have high concentrations of lead in them. Some lead also made its way into the skulls of their enemies since they began using it as slingshot. The palaces spread to the north and east in search of good stands of timber, farmland, and ore deposits, likely employing bands of slingers and swordsmen to clear out the people living there. They were used against rival palaces just as often as against the less cultured types who still lived in huts made from shit and straw, since some tin-lords decided to generously protect their peasants by building walls for them. The remaining mesolithic hunter-gatherers in the north were pushed out for good to make way for palaces on the shores of the cold Blue Sea. The Tin-lords were looking to rule the waters of the world.

Cornelius - Hekelites (Whittling-knife culture)

Location: Retzen hills

-Although those in the Retzen hills were the technologically least sophisticated of the Hekelite peoples, even they were not completely ignorant of the developments of the outside world that began affecting them. Bronze was not completely unknown in previous centuries, but around the early 37th the Hekelites made some halfway decent attempts to start working the metal itself. Their close proximity to Transposia and its tin made that part of the equation easy, although copper was harder to come by as most of it was immediately used in Transposia, and so the Hekelites had to amuse themselves with whatever foreign wares they could get their hands on. The subsistence economy left little spare for export. The silver and lead deposits were still just uneconomical to work, while the flint deposits (once useful in prior times) started to fall out of use. These backwoods folk were able to eventually specialize and begin producing a number of goods for export after their world slowly opened up. They bred sheep for their wool and began spinning and weaving fair quantities of it for export, while also mining a local mineral which made a very good dye and could be used to make brilliantly bright red, orange, and yellow pottery. Since production was small-scale at the time and markets were restricted by distance, tough terrain, and the fact that the local potters were not very good at making pottery, their export was limited to Transposia and to the near south until the dreaded events of the later 37th century.

-The Chama came along and swept through the south, obliterating the Hekelites down by the Kam river and killing one in three before annexing the land for themselves. Refugees presumably fled north into the hills and brought some of their knowledge along, for the material culture and social complexity of the Retzen Hekelites developed extremely rapidly from the 38th century onwards and the innovations seen south in prior times became commonplace here. The quality of pottery in particularly improved along with bronze weaponry, and perhaps to dissuade the Chama they began building large hillforts with walls of rammed earth reinforced with crosswise log beams. Regional elites (perhaps some of them were southerners who missed their former power and luxuries) rose and started to consolidate the tribes, organising them on a larger scale and fighting one another as well. By the 40th century many of these tribes had coalesced into small kingdoms that organised trade expeditions and produced wool, dyes, and wood for export. Another century later would see them starting to hire scribes to keep track of trade. Some grain was stored longterm by the chieftains, while fishermen tried to exploit the lakes and rivers to the southeast. Despite their isolation in the hills, the Hekelites eventually established settlements on the lake to their south and began paddling to Transposia, Yanukshatram, or (god forbid) the Chama to trade their wares for grain and bronze. To the west on the steppe-forest boundary, they hugged the southern end of the forest and slowly spread westwards, eventually coming into contact with the Delledix who seemed happy enough to trade. One Delledix chariot grave (the oldest so far found) regarded the Hekelite wares highly enough that his grave was full of them.

 

[YogiTheWise]

 

[cornelius]

An excerpt demonstrating Zetzish beliefs on the nature of death and the afterlife, from theologian Alfense Lawdír's fantasy novel "Dahlkey's Conscience."
Time. Regret. Remorse. Belief. All these concepts, suddenly abstracted away in favour of his surroundings. The black, soupy thickness that enveloped Rutger was a far cry from the stark, broad plain that he fell upon. He had succumbed to the cold on that vast, grassy wasteland that he had lived his life on, and this was a contrast. The almost- void like vaccum that he had found himself in was breathable, and the air was warm and oddly satisfying. Every breath was like sipping up a gourmet soup, or a Retzian mutton stew and he strangely felt at ease. As he began to descend, he began to lose track of time or feeling. The only thoughts in his auburn coated head were those relating to what was next. Was this the afterlife? Of course it was. There was no sense of future, there was no sense of anything other than the comforting numbness that possessed his senses and the isolated thoughts pertaining to his immediate future that pulsated in his mind. Rutger continued to float in the ever suspending environment that he had found himself.

He continued to descend oddly enough, and with his relaxed, almost sleepy eyes he gazed downwards, noticing a bright, blue light that lay isolated amongst the beautiful darkness that had made this realm its home. The light beckoned ever closer to the gaunt, old figure that defined Rutger, its brilliance illuminating a hot sea coloured streak that lit his legs and torso in its shade. Eventually, the light's inevitable collision with Rutger grew to be mere seconds away. Rutger didn't care, his last thoughts placated by the pleasure he experienced in this esoteric, surreal state. All he cared about was the aesthetically pleasing shine that engulfed him. Eventually, he sunk into the brilliant, permeable light. And then, the blackness was gone. Numbness replaced by feeling, his mind, blissfully ignorant once again preoccupied with confusion, worry, but regaining his inquisitive and sharp mind frame. The coldness had returned somewhat, imprinting its sharp, biting howl in that depressing plain into Rutger's mannerisms, as it had always done.

He found himself however, not in a bitter knoll, nor a freezing tundra, but in a pleasant, tiny green vale, marked by a cobbled, polished pathway that dug straight through it. He knew nothing else, and had nowhere else to go, so he briskly paced forth, taking the pathway. As he strode through the idyllic countryside that he had been plopped in, he noticed the flush oak trees that were nourished by the relatively small, crystal clear stream that fed the watershed that created the vale. Zetzel's propensity to chance had luckily created such pleasant surroundings. What a wonderful thing really, Rutger thought. That such a random, uncaring and seemingly surreal force could forge such beauty. He wondered why the cobbles were here. Who'd live here, isolated from our reality? Who could live here? Rutger would soon find out. Eventually, he found himself at the edge of a great sea, a sunny ocean of a dark blue tinge. He noticed something however. A specter, a figure. Something lay upon the shore a few minutes' walk from Rutger's position. He made his way down the gentle beach, flanked on end by a warm, inviting blue ocean and an easy green hillside. He felt at ease, he felt at home. It reminded him of the Retzian hills, where he lived when he was a boy. What he'd give to be back there.

As he approached the figure, he began to see the distinctly human form of the man. He was dressed in a certainly odd assortment of clothing, adorning himself in plain clothes, with an ageless, bronzed yet oddly tarnished and worn face besmirching the man. Eventually, he came to a stop, and the man spoke."Good tidings traveller, I am what many may call the Ferryman. I am here to take you across this sea to a location which I shall let you see and hear for yourself. Come with me, and led us depart," he plainly said, a greeting standardized after seeming millennia of repetition. He obliged, too confused to audibly agree, instead substituting with a simple nod. He made his way, sitting down and settling into a pine boat, the bow and keel's sturdiness reinforced by a set of oak beams and seams that added a great deal of sturdiness to the boat. The calm ocean seemed calm enough for their canoe to cross. "Time to go," the Ferryman hastened. And with that, they were off, to calmly journey across a great distance, across the sea. To his new home.