#irisverse

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 11 - Fauna

Children in the Kothandran hinterlands are warned about the dangers of the Hyamanga Wilds. Dangerous and restless creatures prowl the Wilds, their parents say. Children would do well to heed their parents’ words.

The Hyamanga Wilds is home to many animals, but none are so feared and respected as the tiger. Kothandrans know the tiger as a master hunter, but also as a great protector. Tigers in the Wilds will not go out of their way to attack humanoids; all of the recorded tiger attacks in Kothandra have been because the victim inadvertently got between a mother tiger and her cubs.

Another animal respected by Kothandrans is the Wilds wolf. They are respected by humanoids for their social tendency to live in packs and work together. Unlike tigers, wolves in the Wilds will attack humanoids, even venturing into the hinterlands. Wilds wolves mainly attack children, essentially stealing them from their villages.

Elephants are also found in the Wilds. They generally live on the edges of the Wilds, closer to the hinterlands. In the past, elephants were hunted for their ivory tusks. Overhunting eventually became a problem, causing the elephant population in the Wilds to decline. In 3148 the hunting of elephants was outlawed and made punishable by a minimum of six years in prison.

There are also animals that can only be seen by venturing deeper into the Wilds. In 2692, avian biologist Tanaya Kali documented multiple species of birds that were only found in the Hyamanga Wilds. She called them spectrums, after their rainbow-like plumage.

Outside the Hyamanga Wilds, fauna abound as well. Otters swim along tributaries to the Panhare River and blue magpies harass villagers in the hinterlands.

The blackbuck is a common sight in the hinterlands. Herds are always moving across the grasslands in search of green pastures or fresh water. They are so common, in fact, that a significant number of sangres del demonio born in Kothandra bear the curling horns of the blackbuck.

Another common animal sighting occurs along the south coast of Kothandra, in the Cyathi Ocean: dolphins! In fact, popular tourist attractions in the Southern Shores are dolphin watching by boat and by snorkeling.

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 10 - Languages

I wasn’t sure what to write for my make-up of yesterday’s prompt, but I’ve got something.

When I initially thought about languages for Iris’ people, I knew I didn’t want to create a conlang or even something as simple as making up a few brand new words. So, I just decided to use the languages of the real-world countries that I based the cultures of Iris’ countries on.

This is proving much more difficult than I thought.

It’s not difficult in a bad way. I just am finding myself doing more research than perhaps I would had I decided to create new languages. Research is good. It helps you not be a douche when writing about stuff that you’re not familiar with. Anyway, without further ado, here are the languages of Iris (actually so far just Everell) and their real-world counterparts.

Kothandra Western – Modern Standard Hindi Southern – Gujarati Eastern – Meithei/Manipuri

Shaoxiang Coastal – Yue Chinese Inland – Jin Chinese Seaside – Mandarin Chinese Mountain – Standard Tibetan River – Gan Chinese

Bayan Southern – Uyghur Northern – Mongolian Eastern – Oirat

Valsen Great Forest – Sursilvan Romansh Silverwoods – Surmiran Romansh Three Lakes – Vallader Romansh Twin Lakes – Sutsilvan Romansh

Lumaria Downlands – Latin Coastal ↓ Inland – English Forest ↑

Akhmis All regions – Coptic

Taneish All regions – Hebrew

Almalas Spanish

Rothai territories Portuguese

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 9 - Religion and Cosmology

The main religion of the forest country Valsen is polytheistic, with a pantheon of twelve deities. The Valseni people who follow this pantheon believe that their deities don’t ascribe to the gender binary, but rather that they are both, neither, or sometimes another gender altogether. Another key concept of this pantheon is the concept of duality. Several of the deities in the Valseni pantheon embody seemingly disparate aspects. These aspects, though, are simply two sides of the same coin.

Iredhel the Lightbringer is the Valseni deity of light and darkness, prayed to as a protector from evil. Aniyah the Healer is the deity of health and sickness and the patron of healers both mage and mundane. Galadon the Fireheart is the guardian of fire, both in the forge and in the hearth. Selah the Everbloom give life to all things green and growing, encouraging both agriculture and wild growth. Niserie the Mariner controls the waters and all aquatic life, and is the patron of sailors and fisherfolk. Tanith the Warrior, deity of war and martial strength, is prayed to for glory in battle. Kiriel the Scholar is the deity of mundane knowledge and secrets and the patron of mundane academics. Maius the Enchanter is the deity of magical knowledge and is prayed to almost exclusively by mages. Althan the Wolf is the leader of all land animals and the protector of the forest. Miranda the Eagle is the ruler of the skies and winged creatures, and is prayed to for fair weather and rain alike.

What’s important to understand about the Valseni deities, and in fact all deities on Iris, is that the vast majority of them don’t truly exist. In a nutshell, the gods aren’t real. But Rabbit, you ask, what about verified miracles? Haven’t those happened? The answer is yes, yes, miracles have occurred. Miracles are caused by either celestial or infernal intervention, a.k.a. angels and demons sticking their noses into the physical plane’s business. Let me be very clear, angels and demons are not deities. They are celestial and infernal beings, respectively. Only very rarely is that not the case.

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 8 - Hierarchy, Power, and Governance

Since the modern Rothai society is the society my characters will be dealing with the most in the current story, that’s what I’ll be focusing on for today’s prompt.

The modern-day Rothai are spread out across most of Everell’s Subterrae, and thus their government is more fragmented than that of the surface nations. The Rothai don’t have a true central government, instead leaving governance in the hands of individual cities. Each city is autonomous, led by a mayor, sometimes called a governor.

The mayoral or gubernatorial position of a Rothai city is an inherited position, in accordance with ancient Rothai practices. In ancient times, the people in Rothai communities trusted their leaders to govern well and, therefore, trusted their leaders’ children too. Because of this, the leaders of Rothai communities would teach their children to govern as well. The succession laws indicate absolute primogeniture, meaning that the oldest child of the current mayor or governor will succeed the position, no matter what gender.

Being the mayor or governor of a city is about more than just governing well. A good Rothai leader must have the respect and trust of their people. This means going out into the city, speaking with citizens, assisting with their problems – basically, letting the people know that their leader is someone to rely on. A great Rothai leader has not only the respect of their people, but their love as well.

The mayors and governors of each city meet every year at the Gathering to discuss current events and matters of importance to all Rothai people. Topics often discussed at Gatherings include food and water supplies, city defense, and – every so often – the idea of contact with the surface. The location of the Gathering changes every year, with each city getting a chance to host it.

With regards to the balance of power in Rothai society, there isn’t really an upper class and a lower class. Besides the mayors/governors and their families, nothing else approximates the surface idea of nobility or royalty. Rothai society is communal; everyone has something of worth to contribute to the good of the whole community. This mentality contributes to a popular philosophy among the Rothai – no matter how small your contribution to society, you are worthy of respect. “As individuals we may stumble and fall, but together we can raise each other up.”

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 7 - Economy

The country of Kothandra has the second largest economy in Everell, after that of Shaoxiang. Its currency is made up of gold, silver, and copper coins, called suvarna, rupya, and tamara respectively. The most commonly used coin in Kothandra is the rupya.

Kothandra prides itself on having “eradicated poverty” among its citizens. While this claim looks nice on paper, in actuality, it is only true by way of technicality. Yes, the Kothandran national government and the provincial governments are constantly hiring people to contribute to the many public works projects around the country, and many of Kothandra’s poorer citizens take part in these job opportunities. However, these opportunities are only available to actual citizens of Kothandra. That said, the requirements for Kothandran birthright citizenship are strict, and it is difficult to become a naturalized citizen. Because of this, the poorer residents of Kothandra who are not citizens of Kothandra (e.g. recent immigrants) are unable to take advantage of these government-sponsored work opportunities, leaving them in poverty. This, along with other factors has caused a divide between native Kothandrans and poor immigrants, who are usually from Akhmis, resulting in racism directed at Akhmisans.

Much of Kothandra’s economy is actually dealt with at the provincial level, rather than the national level. Each province consists of a province capital and its surrounding hinterlands. The hinterlands are where the farms, mines and, quarries are, and they produce raw materials for the province capital. In the province capital, the raw materials are turned into manufactured goods. In this manner, each province creates a steady stream of wealth and production.

In terms of international trade, Kothandra is a major exporter of hardwood lumber, spices, cocoa products, and sugar cane products. On the other hand, they import metal ore from Bayan and gems from Shaoxiang. The main trade routes to and from Kothandra are the Panhare and Oluin rivers as well as highways on land. The stretch of the Panhare that runs between Kothandra and Akhmis is known for its river raiders. Since the Panhare is a necessary thoroughfare for merchant vessels, the Kothandran military maintains a heavy navy presence in the area, with both military ships and authorized privateers.

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 6 - Civilization and Architecture

Lumaria is well known as the homeland of Everell’s dragons. However, Lumaria is home to humanoids as well as dragons and, as such, features five distinct architectural styles.

The first style of architecture in Lumaria is lowland architecture and is used primarily by humanoid races who live in the central basin of Lumaria. When the first humanoid migrants came to Lumaria from Valsen, they were wary of the native dragons. Because of this, they built their homes and businesses only one or two stories high so as not to attract the dragons’ attention, a convention which has survived into the present day.

The second style of Lumarian architecture is the downland style and is used in the down hills between the northern stretch of the Novia River and the adjacent section of the Adamant Spires. The hills in this region are quite prominent, and the first humanoid settlers here found it easier to build their structures as part of the hills, inside rather than on top.

The third style of architecture is coastal architecture and is used in the northwestern region of the country, where Lumaria meets the Shining Sea and around the Camor River delta. This area of Lumaria receives heavy rainfall from late spring to early autumn and storm surges are common. Structures here are built on stilts and raised platforms that are reinforced to withstand the storm tides. With regards to aesthetics, coastal style buildings are often painted with bright colors that bring cheer in the gray, rainy months.

The fourth style of architecture is found only in the Emerald Forest in southwest Lumaria. This style is whimsically referred to as “treehouse style”, and that’s exactly what it is. The Lumarians who live in the Emerald Forest build their homes and businesses in the canopy of the trees. They use hanging walkways to traverse the canopy and they use both spiral staircases and pulley lifts to descend to the forest floor.

The fifth and final style of architecture in Lumaria is used exclusively by dragons. Most dragons make their homes in the Adamant Spires where they build settlements called eyries in the peaks of the mountains. Most modern buildings in the eyries are built large enough to accommodate dragons’ true forms, but not so big that their humanoid guests feel overwhelmed. Still, no structure in an eyrie is built for dragons in their small form. The eyrie style was also used to build the capital city of Dragonsummit in the central basin of Lumaria.

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 5 - History

Today we’re taking a break from Everell and looking closer at the continent Marastir, specifically the country of Evenstein.

Evenstein has a long history, dating back to the last grand celestial alignment, or 1 AG (Year 1 of Alastrel’s Glory) by Everellyen standards. Early Evenstene history is bloody. The first king of Evenstein, a human man named Taurin, was as power-hungry as he was bloodthirsty, which is to say, a fuckton of both. King Taurin and three generations of his descendants led an era of conquest and rapidly acquired more and more territory for their new country. Fortunately, Taurin’s great-great-granddaughter Rosamund was much more level-headed than her forebears. Her coronation ushered in an age of diplomacy, a change in foreign affairs that was much needed, seeing as how her late father’s army had nearly reached the borders of the hostile mountain nation of Ilcarrance. Rosamund called her soldiers back and sent herself instead, along with a diplomatic entourage. Soon after, the first summit between the rulers of Evenstein and Ilcarrance was held, and the two nations have been strong allies ever since.

Much later, in the Everellyen year 4570 AS (Year 4570 after Alastrel’s Sundering), King Marellus sought to control the forest nation Ellorin. Ellorin’s capital city, Sentinel Stand, had recently suffered an enormous fire and King Marellus sent troops to help rebuild as a seeming gesture of goodwill. When the repairs were finished, however, the troops remained, and Marellus sent his vice-regent Bastian to take control of the newly annexed territory. The native Ellorians mounted several unsuccessful rebellions over the years, but all of them were quashed by the might of Evenstein’s military.

Currently, Evenstein is the most powerful country in Marastir. Most recently, King Eric has passed away and the coronation of his only daughter, the new Queen Susanna, has many people wondering about the future of Evenstein. Unlike her father, Susanna believes that Evenstein would do well to relinquish its hold on Ellorin. She has also spoken about cutting ties with Ilcarrance; despite their long-standing alliance, a recent sting of an Ilcarrish trading company in the Evenstene capital city was found to be a front for smuggling explosive powder.

[dourdenwrites]

WBJ Day 4 - Cultures

One of the oldest humanoid cultures in Everell is that of the Rothai people. They lived in a region of central Everell encompassing parts of current-day Bayan, Shaoxiang, Valsen, and the city-state Almalas. In fact, it was actually the Rothai who built the first settlement on Espírito Island, rather than the invading Alastriens as most history books state. The Rothai called the town Santuário – a place where all Rothai could gather both in times of crisis and joy.

Rothai culture was steeped heavily in magic, but not just any magic. Specifically, the Rothai were expert spirit summoners. The mages of the Rothai communed with both angels and demons in their magical practices, and even non-mages would call upon spirits to intercede on their behalf in mundane matters. Such frequent contact with spirits meant that spirits were also common subjects in Rothai art. Not many pieces of Rothai art survived the Alastrien invasion – and the pieces that did are kept under lock and key in the Heavensgate Archives – but what remains shows angels and demons as awe-inspiring beings depicted with fanciful plays on light and shadow in colors that would put the rainbow to shame.

Needless to say, the Rothai people’s communion with spirits frightened the Alastrien invaders. Yet, the Rothai people valued peace and harmony rather than warfare and they could not repel the Alastriens. Within a human generation, the Rothai people were exiled from their homeland and forced underground into the Subterrae. The Alastriens sealed the entrances to the Subterrae with magical barriers only they could remove. Even so, the Rothai people survived. In the dark of the Subterrae, the mages of the Rothai called upon spirits to guide them once again. With this guidance, the mages created light in the dark and turned stone into soil, and the Rothai people eventually adjusted to life in the Subterrae. Farmers farmed, miners mined, and life went on – but they never forgot those who imprisoned them, and always they longed to see the sun.