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« on: April 20, 2022, 11:00:08 am »
Xorvintaal Turn 3
North Badlands (Cili)
Time had not been kind to the Ittlithir. They had lived peaceful, if somewhat aimless lives. Basking in the sun, while contemplating not only the secrets of the world around them, but each to their own internal world. Each Ittlithir enters this world with a quest to find their own personal truth, or so their elders say, and so it is taught and well known among the Ittlithir. All free Ittlithir that is. During the age since their creation, the Ittlithir have become a fractured race. A great many have been taken as slaves by the Ifloi. The Ifloi themselves have come down from the mountains, and many warlords have carved themselves kingdoms among the expanse of rock and dust that is Cili. Others have simply raided, capturing the snakefolk in nets and transporting them home in cages of bone, wood, and leather. Such is the fate of most Ittlithir, such that only those along the western coast now remain free in this region. The Ittlithir had developed slightly differently, their proximity to water, and lack of much food in the badlands, led these Ittlithir to turn to the ocean for food. They became quite good swimmers over the years and flee to rocky outcroppings offshore to avoid roaming war bands. In time, their scales took on bluer and more metalic hues, losing the matt greys and browns of their ancestors. It is likely that the Ittlithir hurried this transition, as those less adapted to the sea, were more likely to be captured. In time, they began to identify as their own people, the Slithir. Despite these changes, they retained much of their inherited culture, and spent much time basking on the rock islets and outcroppings along the coast. There they would speak of truth, of the evils of the Ifloi, and share knowledge amongst themselves. The Slithir had more pragmatic questions than their ancestors, and spent their days discussing practical matters such as fishing techniques, construction methods, and tactics for avoiding or fighting the Ifloi.
Elsewhere, far to the North, other strange matters followed the Ittlithir. Here, far from the brunt of the Ifloi warbands, the Ittlithir here had seen few raids. Here the Ittlithir had remained mostly undisturbed, and as a result, had advanced their society during this period. A particular Ittlithir had taken interest in the local copper deposit, and spent many months thinking on the ore. In time, and after many failed attempts, he invented a method for smelting small amounts of copper using a pit fire and series of bone blow pipes. Unfortunately, the process requires a fair amount of wood (which is quite hard to come by in the badlands) and so copper remains a rarity, with unworked chunks of shiny metal adorning necklaces and bracelets. Others had learned leatherworking from escaped Ifloi slaves, who wander into villages here from time to time. Soon, the Ittlithir created for themselves tribal togas from small lizardskins and ratfurs. It is here that a most momentous event changed the course of the Ittlithir race. What had once been a large hill suddenly began to shake one day. A great tortoise, with a massive hollow shell rising above its squat armored legs, emerged and shook rock shards from it's body. The curious Ittlithir immediately began to investigate, and swiftly determined the creature to be of no threat. Over the next several months, they began moving into the shell and a large community formed. The shell grew in layers, similar to how a snail shell grows, with each layer larger than the one above it. As a result, the Fortoise had several floors, all inhabited and defended by the Ittlithir who lived there. It became clear to the Ittlithir, especially those who had escaped slavery, that this beast was their best defense against the Ifloi, and with what arms they could muster, they planned to defend it. And defend it they did! Several bands of raiders assulted the Fortoise, expecting no resistance from the Ittlithir, only to be caught off guard by overwhelming numbers. Numbers which grew larger, better armed, and more trained in the art of battle for each slaver defeated and slaves freed. In less than a year, the Fortoise became a well defended bastion and the Ittlithir way of life, preserved with a twist into the militaristic isolationist. It is in that spirit that a near disaster was avoided.
The Fortoise was visited by the necromancer Ygdril, who came to visit the Fortoise at the behest of Acter. Ygdri brought with her many of her Uprooted, undead reanimated through the work of necrotic vines, which puppet the corpse to the will of their master. These uprooted corpses were an intimidating sight for the Ittlithir, as was their strange Ifloi commander. Despite the outwardly terrifying appearance of the whole ensemble, to which the Ittlithir immediately took battle positions around the Fortoise, their commander was rather polite. In fact, significantly more polite than any Ifloi they'd encountered as of yet. Ygdri offered to replace any manual labor the Ittlithir undertook, as well as bolster their military forces. Many Ittlithir were in favor of such an offer, pointing to the increased difficulty of maintaining their meditations and musings due to the increased defensive requirements of such a valuable strategic target. Others retorted that to allow the Ifloi to board the Fortoise would be foolhearty at best, pointing to many Ifloi horror stories relating to Southern Necromancer. After much debate, the Ittlithir erred on the side of caution, and refused Ygdri entry. Ygdri politely accepted and departed, disappointed by the prejudice of their neighbors.
Yet, despite avoiding confrontation, this situation could not last. Already, the far north of these badlands have little food, and the Fortoise has begun wandering south in search of a region that can sustain it. It will travel into the Southern Badlands this era if nothing changes.
While the Ittlithir were the original inhabitants of this region, they are no longer the only inhabitants. The Ifloi have carved a formidable foothold in this region at this point. Eighteen warlords have claimed territories along the slope of the mountain, and lord over their dominion with iron fists. Each of these warlords have armies of various sizes, though a stable balance of power has emerged, as many other threats border these kingdoms. To the southwest, Bluehold (the Ifloi term for Ygdri's fortress) was a constant concern. Foolish prideful Ifloi journey there to claim it, and never return. Not to mention the roaming packs of undead. The southernmost of the warlords here boasts a considerable force, and holds their position as a buffer territory between the necromancer, and the rest of the warlords, as leverage in negotiations. Several smaller warlords in the north have formed a rough alliance, as they not only face their competitors in the middle, but also the earth elemental spirit Obsidi to the west. The spirit is openly hostile to the Ifloi, and will challenge each to a battle in the tradition of the Ifloi. Of course, the elemental will not permit the Ifloi to deny this request, and thus, many have died venturing too far into the home of the earth spirit.
Even worse, to the west, rumor came of a night in which the sun sank into the earth and thunder clapped deep beneath the ground as it sank into the depths. News spread of the Sun's Path, and of the powerful elemental which rose forth from it. The spirit Arago claimed the Northern Badlands Cili as it's domain! Arago was crystaline in appearance, having a deep orange color intermixed with yellow and clear sections. Arago was actually quite beautiful when observed in the harsh sunlight, casting explosions of reflections across the stone in every direction. This event was ultimately quite dangerous for the middle Ifloi warlords, who found themselves in a similar situation to the their cousins to the north. Arago however, was not openly hostile to the Ifloi, and simply batted them away when challenged by any Ifloi unwise enough to challenge Arago.
And of course, there are other Ifloi to the west now, deep in the heart of the badlands. Sparse as food is on the mountains, out upon the plains of stone, sustenance is hard to find. Roaming warlords occupy this region, wandering with slaves in tow, collecting what food they can find on their way, and raiding other warlords when they cannot find enough among the barren stones. Though, they are a dying breed. The eighteen border warlords generally keep Ifloi from the mountain from entering their territory (in order to prevent them from acquiring Ittlithir slaves). This holds true as well for the marauders, and thus what little more the mountain provides is restricted to these wandering bands. In time they will likely fade away as their armies are eventually defeated by enemy or starvation, and as the number of new potential slaves dwindles. Life for the Ittlithir under any warlord is stressful at best. They are allowed no time to think and reflect, always set about work ahead of them, lest they face a more painful future. Few manage to cling to the old ways, and many become more like the Ifloi. In order to survive, they hardened themselves and focused their minds, casting aside what makes them Ittlithir, so that they may survive under such harsh conditions. Many came to resent the old ways, blaming their foolish traditions for making them easy targets.
South Badlands
Unlike Cili, Chwll remained rather quiet once again. From the north, the Ittlithir came, chased out of their ancestral homelands by the Ifloi. In time, their numbers grew, and a sizeable population had taken up residence in the center of Chwll. Here they found themselves without constant fear of raid or raider. They were free to live as Than had intended them to, and as such, they did. Here they found to be an ideal home for their people, and enjoyed more rain and wind than they had in the north. Every season, the rains poured more and more. In time, the dust will give way to dirt, and life may take hold of this barren place, bit by bit.
Northern Mountains
The northern mountains underwent much change during this era. Over time, the hierarchy of power reformed under six warlords. Through many battles, each had gained many followers, and the followers of those followers. Yet, now each garners enough forces to make the other wary of launching an attack on the other, as there is no chance their own army would emerge unscathed. This would weaken either of them to an attack from the border warlords of the Cili, who command vastly larger armies of Ittlithir. While the each of the six mountain lords command many Ifloi, to lose too many to infighting would leave one open to being overrun. And thus, a rough peace was carved between the many factions. Only a few short years after this uneasy stability had set in, the Ifloi leaders received a quest. Shortly thereafter, organized military strikes on Ygdri's Fortress began. While the quest would likely require a hero or other unit to complete properly, in the meantime, the Ifloi leaders have become actively hostile to Ygdri's Fortress and it's forces.
The South Mountains
Chaos abounds the South Mountains during this era. Where one might look for misfortune, they can find it in bulk. Dark forces begin stirring in mountainheim. A strangeness took root here, deep in the mountain. One might not notice at first. For if one were to take stock of the city, they would say it is thriving! The forges sizzle day in and day out. The crude metal creations of the dwarves, while advanced compared to other races, were still eons from the masterworks this race was capable of producing. Many point to the smelting process as a limiting factor, as it is not well understood, even by its foremost dwarven practitioners. Yet, the dwarves had their rough swords, and their ill fitting plated armor. Though, despite this, the Ifloi remained very competitive adversaries when the rare occasion occurred for these two groups to clash. Several dwarves are taken as slaves, though it is still quite a rarity, one which grows less and less common. Elsewhere in mountainheim, others grew suspicious of their neighbors. Whispers, rumors, speculation, all spread like wildfire through mountainheim. The dwarves were on edge. Disappearances began, and so too did the chaos. A highly collaborated report, delivered in the central square by a high ranking member of the dwarven military, revealed that Ygdril had been responsible for several of the disappearances, and the missing dwarves had been spotted among the army of the undead. The report concluded with a declaration of war, which was met with resounding cheers.
Over the next several years, the dwarves launched tactical assaults on Ygdri's forces. While the dwarves were not yet masters of the forge, they had at their disposal crude metal weapons from what ore they could pull from deep beneath the earth. A proper deposit would significantly help in this regard. Still, of all the nations of this world, they were by far the best equipped. And while their collective might was lesser than that of the combined might of the Ifloi, the durability of the dwarves made them well suited to the task at hand. And in this case, that task was the clearing of a sizable hoard of undead, Uprooted as the dwarves called them. This was achieved mainly by hit and run tactics, using a combination of heavily armored dwarves wielding double axes, or long pole axes, as well as lightly armored dwarves who carried long hooks. The armored dwarves would attack individual undead, hacking them into pieces, of which the supporting dwarves would use their long poles to drag pieces away to be burned. This strategy depended on the use of phalanx tactics, and when engaging large groups, up to fifty dwarves may form the shield wall required to slowly dismember and burn the undead. Of course, while this tactic was quite successful for quite a while, shrinking the undead horde by over a quarter in a few short years, eventually Ygdri developed counter measures. A powerful undead, forged from the bones of creatures which no longer walk these lands. This Cognant Bloom, as it was called by its master, was capable of releasing spores over a large area. This caused confusion, dizziness, unconsciousness, and other temporary debilitating effects. The appearance of this creature has ultimately stemmed the dwarven attacks, though smaller hit and run attacks still remain common at this time.
This comes at a rather unfortunate time for Ygdri. While engaged with dwarves in the south, so too did attacks come from the north. Ygdri found themselves fighting battles on two fronts, as the Ifloi mounted more direct attacks. On several occasions, large armies of over a hundred Ifloi would raid the lands surrounding Ygdri's castle. While these numbers were not insurmountable for the powerful forces of Ygdri and their undead horde, each Ifloi killed several Uprooted before being slain and ultimately rising again. As a result, the Ifloi were winning the war of attrition.
Ultimately, it is a difficult position the mad necromancer finds themselves in. However, near the end of the era, a race of mortals was sent to Ygdri by Acter. Whether by accident or by design, it is unclear, but the race which arrived to aid Ygdri were the Frage. The Frage were a bit of an avian race, having some features of avian descent such as hollow bones, bright intelligent eyes, and an incredibly powerful stomach. Yet, the lacked most of the defining features of birdfolk, such as feathers, talons, or a beak. Despite this, their natural grace and speed is quite promising, having an elvish flare for matters concerning dexterity over strength. They are scavengers by nature, who use their incredible senses to locate carrion from many miles away. Perhaps it is this trait that drew them to Ygdri's lands in the first place, as they were quite riddled with the rotting corpses of Ygdri's druidic experiments.
Shortly after their arrival, the Frage found themselves surrounded by food. And the Frage quickly learned that to be a most dangerous place to be, as most of their meals do not die on their own. Such was the case here, and the Frage found themselves caught up in an attack by the dwarves on the undead hordes in the area. This wasn't particularly dangerous for the race, as the dwarves cared little for their arrival, but their sudden appearance in large numbers was indeed cause for concern. Dwarven attacks diminished for a time, sensing a change in the balance of power, though they did not cease entirely. The Frage were ultimately invited politely by Ygdri to take refuge in their fortress. Though the Frage did worry about the undead, Ygdri demonstrated their control over the uprooted, and hesitantly the Frage accepted.
Snugglehearth Forest
Deep in the Snugglehearth Forest, strange new beings were spotted by the gulpers who lived there. When we last observed the gulpers, they had begun their foray into the culinary arts. Over the years, culinary techniques became a forefront of the gulper society. While it is true that they are normally quite solitary people, every so often, especially during the summer months, large numbers of gulpers would gather for parties. These were not some sort of religious festival, or anything so formal of a nature. Instead, this was one of the few ways in which one could gain reputation among their fellow gulpers. Excellent hosts and memorable parties would be the topic of gossip and remembrance for years. This is ultimately a wholesome affair, and one of the few times in which culture and information is shared between individuals in a social setting. From a sociology point of view, these gatherings would be quite fascinating. Through them, the gulper culture overall became slightly less solitary, and significantly more neighborly. While still very much reclusive, it became common practice to visit neighbors, gossip, and to trade skills and services in exchange for well prepared meals, or a jug of sweetrot.
Yet these are not the only inhabitants of the forest. It is during this era that the first of the Ultai appeared. These strange mortals arose from a deposit of iron, given life by the goddess Mittens. They were humanoid, standing almost seven feet tall. Though this is not their most striking feature. Each Ultai grows solid iron antlers over the course of their life. Like the rest of their bones, the oreling's antlers are reinforced by iron, which is naturally synthesized by the Ultai from trace iron in their diets. Though, in the case of the antlers, they are much more iron rich than the rest of the Ultai skeletal system, as is the skull. This serves as natural helm of sorts. Oreling coloration varies across various shades of tan, though, their hair is always rust red and rather wirey. Each individual's antlers are unique to them, and passed on genetically. In time, different antler patters may come to dominate certain bloodlines.
The Ultai possess innate natural talents relating to the detection of metals. The Ultai antler's are sensitive to the presence of metals, and serve as a sixth sense. This allows Ultai to detect eachother to the point that they can identify the individual shape of another, and recognize their presence, without being able to see or hear said individual. This ability also allows the Ultai to detect metal deposits within the earth, if any are nearby. Such is the case with the Snugglehearth iron deposit, on which, the Ultai have built their village.
The society is rather complex, having a system of extended family units akin to clans. Each clan is headed by an elder, typically an individual who's antlers have grown quite heavy over their long life. These elders are well respected, and their presence is physically felt by other Ultai around them, as their larger antler complexes register more prominently in the Ultai's sixth sense. Several generations may live under the guide of an elder, living in the same dwelling. Many of these family units live in their loose village.
The Plains
The plains region, like much of the world, underwent many changes during this era. Garmathis blessed the Lakoni with the religion of Greater Giving. Greater Giving, also called Giving, and The Giving, quickly spread throughout the Lakoni. Giving was principled around an imperfect moral duty. By that, one is charged with the duty to give unto others that which an individual has in excess. This principle serves as the foundation for the religion, and is referred to as the giving principle. Easly Lakoni priests best summarized the charge as, "To share that which remains once what is used is used, is the responsibility of all." This central tenant quickly manifested in other similar teachings and principles. Avarice, and excess became signs of moral weakness. Though, the Lakoni had very little possessions to begin with, being nomadic peoples who roamed the plains without shelter or need beyond what the land gave them. This too was incorporated into the religion by the tenant, "The earth is the First Giver, from which all other bounties flow. It gives all which it has, and we take only as much as we need." In this regard, the Lakoni religion of Giving became a naturalistic socialism. The Lakoni lived in harmony with the earth, tending to it and in return, taking from it what food they needed.
The Northern Swamps
Unknown to much of the world, a great power rose up in the northern swamps. The powerful gemstone elemental, Coru appeared without warning! A neutral level four gemstone elemental, Coru is a powerful creature indeed. It's appearance is felt across the world, and all beings of power level 1 or greater sense it's arrival. A great hulking beast, Coru appearance is similar to that of the earth elementals Obsidi and Arago. However, while the earth elementals are composed of uncut rough stones, Coru is less golem-like and more humanoid in shape. Standing near twenty feet tall, roughly two feet taller than the other elementals, Coru's body is composed of a giant perfectly cut gemstones. In the daylight, their appearance is breath-taking, casting incredible reflections that seem to amplify the light around them, making them difficult to behold in all their splendor. Unfortunately, there is little for Coru to do in the swamps at the moment. Still, the world grows uneasy, knowing such a powerful creature now claims the Northern Swamps as its domain!
Elsewhere
Off the coast of the plains, a terrible force awakens! Four level 2 elementals, one of each of the primary elements, has become enraged! While the events that lead to this event are unclear, even to the god, the rage of the elementals can be felt across the globe. These strange occurrences, do not bode well for the world. Much of the world is on edge as powerful elementals, including Coru, have appeared without warning.
Miscellaneous Events, Beliefs, and Other Footnotes.
It is a commonly held belief that the Ittlithir are related to rocks. Not only for their coloration, but also as a reason for the Ittlithir sluggishness. Many believe that Than turned rocks into eggs from which the Ittlithir were first hatched. Occasionally Ittlithir will wander into a village with no memory of their life before awakening one day in the wilderness. These individuals are called stoneborn among the Ittlithir, and are often seen as wise and with judgement unclouded by years of experience or knowledge.
The dwarven double axe had been an uncommon weapon of war up until this point, however, with the ongoing military engagement against Ygdri, the hefty weapon has seen increased popularity.
The Ultai mate for life. They have a complicated mating ritual, which requires males of the tribe to compete in a series of strenuous tasks and displays of physical prowess. Females observe these trials, and may claim a male suitor at any point. If multiple females claim the same suitor, they must engage in the same challenges, and the male then may accept any of their suitor claims at any point. It is common for young individuals to be passed over for several years before a suitor claim is made. This is typically a joyous time for the village, filled with much merriment and romance.
Greater Giving Priests tend to wear hagstone necklaces. Finding hagstones of appropriate size for making into necklaces is rather difficult, as they are a rarity in the region. As such, it is commonly believed that the Earth gives these stones to it's devote followers.
