Izerko ✵ the Fallen Realm
Abandoned by the Great Forces and used as a scapegoat by the other Realms, Izerko is the home of the lost, the outcasts and the renegades
Izerko is the youngest of all the Realms, formed at the start of the War of Arcana six thousand years ago: as the first Livi was cast out of Arcana and tore through the edges of Vaieni and Ferive, parts of those Realms fell through with viem and were bound to vier energy
the Realm created itself around the host of the First Fallen, who has since then been called the Opal Queen of the Realm, and is held together by their shared mana. many people fled here to protect themselves from the War of Arcana, which was wrecking havoc on Vaieni. after the war, many Kori took refuge here, helping shape the Realm into what it is now and bringing even more people, their followers
Izerko has no sky. it is entirely made of a system of tall underground caves, disposed more or less into five levels stacked one on top of the other and identified through common properties of the terrain and of the living creatures in them.
in total, Izerko is made of forty-three caves, all unique in purpose, structure, vegetation, fauna and sometimes even composition of the stone itself. while some caves have a dedicated purpose, such as urban areas, farming or water collection, many are much more varied
occasionally, apertures into the ground connect caves one above the other, allowing air, water and light to travel among them, and used by the people to transport materials from one level to another. the various levels are also connected by a singular staircase going from the highest level — the Luminary — to the only cave in the lowest level, which houses the capital Dusmuriziet
as it is completely underground, Izerko has no sky. and consequently, it has no suns or moons. instead, the day cycle is regulated by mosses — named xysinads or fade mosses — that grow over the cave walls and ceilings (especially in the Luminary layer) and glow at different intensities in a steady rhythm
most of the cycle of life is taken care of by the people of Izerko, who grow xysinads and other glowing plants and crystals where the ground is most fertile, redirect the water up the levels through feats of engineering and magic, and adapt the caves to their needs. the entire ecosystem is made and maintained by the Izerkean people
Deris
the limited light and vast amount of magic needed to live in Izerko, as well as the close contact with the Kori and their hosts, made change necessary for the survival of the people who took refuge into the Realm. as such, they rapidly evolved a number of traits that make them uniquely adapted to this dark, harsh and highly magical environment that make them very distinct from their predecessor, to the point they are considered a whole other species (much like the shirevi that evolved from humans on Navilee)
this new species, named deri, is highly recognizable for their eyes and ears, optimized to see magic and in the dark and to hear at a greater range. as such, deri eyes have very bright irises with white diamond-shaped pupils and (for pureblooded deris) black scleras, while their ears are long, pointed and downturned, with a great range of motion
deris are not a unitary species, as they evolved in three phases as a result of the three major migrations that populated Izerko. as such, they can be further classified in three subspecies, more adapted to life in Izerko the longer they've been there:
deri'lamis evolved from the third migration, about two thousand years ago. they tend to have darker skin, and only really present deri eyes and ears
deri'seneis are by far the majority of the population and they come from the second migration (a little over five thousand years ago, right after the War of Arcana ended). they're the ones who followed the Kori, and they developed really bright hair colors, a far larger mana core and serious muscles
deri'kerijis descend from the humans in the first migration. they were the people taking refuge in Izerko immediately after it formed, working alongside the first Kori to go there to shape the Realm and hold it together. they are the most similar to the Livi, probably because the people in the first migration often had relationships with the hosts of the Kori. in fact, they have a lot in common with half-Livis, such as claws, fangs and extremely mana-sensitive horns. they also have a wider range of skin and hair colors, not necessarily as bright or pale as deri'seneis
Realm and Kingdom
Izerko is an incredibly small Realm. it's total surface area is roughly equivalent to Greece's, and it's population is a little smaller than Argentina's. the various caves also rely majorly on one another for survival and cannot be independant
thus, politically and governamentally Izerko acts as a sovereign nation on it's entire territory. it's led by the Opal Queen, accompanied by the Council of the Twelve (twelve ministers; traditionally three Kori hosts, three elected from noble families and six elected among the people), who oversee the overall organization and delegate specific tasks to more local authorities
Izerko has a few noble families, which are pureblooded deri'keriji families documented to descend directly from the eighty or so people who helped the Kori shape Izerko during the first migration
there is one rumor that spread recently (last couple hundred years) across Izerko and into other Realms about a different type of organization: the Opal Court, supposedly the Opal Queen's innermost circle, made up of diplomats, functionaries, spies, assasins and guards, recogniziable for taking on a gemstone's name as an alias. no one has been ablo to prove its existance so far
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