Zemelia
Astronomy of Zemelia
The Laws of Physics
In Zemelia's universe, gravity acts in only one direction: straight down. There is a universal downward direction. This of course means that orbits are impossible unless some other force steps in to fill the gap left by gravity.
Celestial Bodies
There are two important kinds of celestial body: Stars and Zemelia (there are no other known planets). All celestial bodies have static positions in the universe. Stars are large, glowing bodies of unknown consistency. Most stars are too far away to observe, but Zemelia's Sun is known to pulsate according to two cycles. Its brightness therefore varies both on a daily basis and over the course of the year. The darkest it ever gets is a very dim twilight. Zemelia is a flat world, and the Sun hangs to the 'south' of it. As a consequence, the climate is colder the further to the 'north' you get.
Time
One Zemelian year, measured on Alnkek's calendar, consists of 280 days. Each year is divided into seven months, each month being 40 days. Each month contains eight five-day weeks. The days of the week are named after the races which inhabit the world, as well as the sun. They are Mandy, Eldy, Gody, Kady and Sundy.
There are four seasons per year: Chill, Thaw, Warm and Cool, in that order. They should be self-explanatory. Years are numbered BM (Before Men) and AM (Age of Man). The year is currently 2538 AM. There are no records amongst humans from before mankind arose, but other races have stories, passed on in the oral tradition. They refuse to tell humans as a matter of principle.
Metaphysics
There is a clear difference between creatures of spirit and animals. A creature of spirit is created spontaneously at its origin, and on death it vanishes back into the aether.
People of Zemelia
Magical Races
Of the four races who inhabit Zemelia, three are magical species. They do not reproduce as humans do. Rather, they are tied to certain locations, where they seem to be spontaneously created. No human has ever seen exactly what happens when a magical being is born. Magical beings eschew the technology that humans develop. They will always live as they always have, perfectly in tune with their environments. They all resent humans to a degree for their ubiquity, the Kappa perhaps least so.
Kappa
Kappa are said to be the oldest race on Zemelia, having first been born in the great ocean that once covered the world. They are still tied to the sea to this day, and are adapted to living in it.
An average Kappa is something like an octopus crossed with a man. Its head is scaly, with two large, pale eyes and a ridged fin running from the top all the way down its back. Two slits, like nostrils, continually suck, attempting to draw in water. Its mouth is nearly-invisible, as it is nothing more than a flap of scaly skin which opens when feeding. It is not recorded what the inside of a Kappa's mouth looks like, as it is generally hidden by whatever they are eating. This head smoothly transitions onto a slippery torso, with gills running down the sides to vent the water taken in by its face-slits. Where humans would have arms, a Kappa has none. Seven muscular tentacles, covered in suction cups, support the Kappa, although it is capable of remaining upright on only three if it needs to manipulate objects.
The Kappa language is similar in many ways to how dolphins communicate. Kappa are capable of emitting clicks and squeaks from their torso. They can speak from incredibly distances underwater, but in air they are practically inaudible. Above-water they are capable of imitating the language of men, although some of the more hissed syllables (th, sh etc.) are often replaced with much shorter sounds (eg th->t, sh->s).
Goblins
Goblins are first and foremost creatures of the mountains. When the sea began receding, the mountains were the first things to poke above the surface. The first goblins crawled out of the caves and cracks in the rocks, and made this new dry land their own.
Goblins are short, thin humanoid creatures, with thick stone-grey skin, large pointy ears and a long face which ends in a vicious hooked beak. They have six limbs: Two arms, two legs and two airlegs. An airleg is similar to an arm, and spends most of its time pressed up against the goblin's true arm, but it can be pulled down, stretching out a flap of skin that connects the two limbs. By stretching their skin flaps and climbing to a good height, a goblin can glide, although they are inelegant in doing so. Each foot has four sharp-clawed toes, perfect for digging into rocks so that the goblin can climb the sheerest cliff faces. The goblin's hands are similarly taloned.
Goblins speak a guttural, rasping language something like Irish Gaelic. This similarity extends to their speaking of the human tongue.
Elf
Elf live in and come from the forests. When the sea had retreated, leaving behind an abundance of underwater plant life, some of that survived and adapted to the new environment. They were the first trees, and Elf were born amongst them.
Elf are tall humanoids. They have slightly elongated faces, and an assortment of sharp teeth. They are muscular and quite hairy; their arms are covered in brown fur, and the hair on their head grows long, as do their beards. Their ears are long and pointed.
Elf is actually an Elf word meaning 'the world, except the mountains and the oceans'. This hearkens back to a time when trees covered the world. Elf Forest, which is a corruption of 'Elf fau rest' (Elf still alive), is the last remnant of this covering, and they defend it fiercely. Elf do not consider individual Elf to be important, instead recognising them as constituents of the greater Elf.
Humans
You almost certainly know what humans are; I'm sure most of you are human yourselves. Biologically, humans of Zemelia are no different from us. Humans are the only sapients on Zemelia to be capable of continuous innovation, however unlike the other species they are mortal, and easily killed.
Technology
Available technology is quite literally medieval. People live in wooden houses, plough fields of corn with ironwood ploughs, wear rough cloth clothing and often sleep on straw, if they're peasants. Major population centres are a bit better off, with paving replacing dirt roads in the centre of towns. Castles are made of stone, and generally lack windows. Metal is not mined from the ground. However, there are certain kinds of trees which can be melted down to serve the same purpose. Coinage consists of simple stone tokens, and has no intrinsic value.
Religion
Organised religion never really took off on Zemelia, probably due to the quite real magic that exists. There are various small groups, but too many of them have been discredited when their 'Chosen one' turned out to be a fraud (See 'Alnkek', below), and religion itself is viewed mostly as the province of charlatans and idiots.
Magic
How Do I Casted Spell
A wizard will tell you that magic is learned from a book, consists of two parts - words and gestures - and is easy to mess up.
A Wytche will tell you that magic is gleaned by drawing on nature, requires the caster to take on a different state of mind, but is totally reliable once it works, as long as you know what it is you want.
In truth, they're both right.
Magic can be best summarised as 'Convincing The World To Change', with a side dose of 'Convincing Yourself That You're Doing Magic'. Magic only really requires one thing - willpower. However, nobody has that strong a will, so to achieve bigger effects most turn to elaborate rituals - the more elaborate, the more willpower the ritual substitutes for. The exact nature of the ritual doesn't technically matter, but psychologically, consistency with self-established rules is very important. Raw magic is unpredictable and hard to get a grip on, so humans put the buffer of ritual between themselves and the power they channel. They tell themselves that if they do the same thing every time, they'll get the same result - and surprisingly (or maybe not such a surprise) it works.
Practitioners
The two main kinds of magic-user are Wizards and Wytches, although they are not the only kind by any means.
Wizards, mages, whatever you want to call them. They're not common in any sense of the word. Wizards tend to organise themselves into schools, and build towers in fairly remote locations, though still within convenient distance of a village or two. The villagers are usually proud of their magical tenants, though always slightly suspicious of the strange goings-on. Rarely, some failed experiment from the wizards' towers will cause damage to their hosts' property, but they invariably are generous in compensating them. Wizards' schools practice written, ritualistic magic, full of bizarre incantations and hand movements, and as such are mainly composed of either the literate nobility or those who were taken in and educated by the wizards. Wizards are always male, as females are not permitted to join their schools.
Despite the preconceptions of many, Wytches are not necessarily female (those who are are often referred to as hags). Their magic is more in tune with nature, and they practice varieties of magic appropriate to their deep connection with the world. Their castings tend to take the form of meditation, bizarre alchemy and wild dances, with or without clothing according to taste. Wytches are isolationists, preferring to live out on barren moors, where they may ambush lone travellers for their own purposes. How one becomes a Wytch is uncertain, but there are always stories...
Magic is by no means restricted to these methods. Humans are adaptable and creative, and there are countless rituals that they could come up with to impose their will on reality.
Elementals
As long as humans have existed, there have been Elementals. Elementals are living, thinking forces of will, which normally live just adjacent to our world in the fifth dimension. Elementals are created from magical buildup in the world, and are the embodiments of concepts. Their composition ranges from physical materials, such as earth, air etc, to more abstract things such as emotions. Elementals have been known to make themselves manifest in our fifth-dimensional level.
Geography of Zemelia
1. Alnkek
One area of the world is unclaimed by any of the smaller states. In the very middle of Zemelia, there is an unnaturally-regular formation of seven mountains. These mountains, as well as an area around them three miles wide, are considered neutral territory. Several small towns and villages nestle between the bases of the mountains, and flourish in the relative safety of neutrality.- The Fort -
At the centerpoint of the septagon formed by the mountains, there is a large fortress, which carries the name of Alnkek. It has existed for as long as the records show, and is absolutely black. No prince or general has ever dared try to claim it, despite (or possibly because of) its immense strategic and symbolic significance - it is said to be haunted by the ghosts of those who died on its throne.- The Throne -
Within Alnkek is a simple obsidian throne. An engraving in the wall above the throne, barely readable due to the colour, claims that it is to be the throne of 'The One Who Rules The World.' Various religious groups have claimed this throne as sacred, and some have even tried to place a 'chosen one' on it. This went just as well as all the people who tried to take it by force.Anyone who has sat on the throne and believed, or had it believed of them, that they ruled the world (or one of many variations on the concept, such as 'deserving the throne') has been instantly and painfully consumed by green fire, leaving behind nothing more than charred, green-stained bones. Records show that people who just wanted to know how comfortable it was (it's not), or attempted to use it to commit suicide, invariably survived - right up until they developed delusions of grandeur.
2. Roads Ancient
Four roads lead out of the Fortress of Alnkek, leading to what some believe are the 'four corners of the world'. Two of the roads are known to lead to sites of significance; the other two simply stop, apparently heavily damaged.- a) Road Surnufel
Starts on the eastern side of Alnkek. Leads to The Message.
- b) Road Orpelation
Starts on the southern side of Alnkek. Leads to Castle Wynne.
- c) Road Patogaric
Starts on the western side of Alnkek. Leads towards Elf Forest, then stops shortly before the treeline, apparently destroyed.
- d) Road Tentorentia
Starts on the northern side of Alnkek. Leads towards the mountains, stops at the edge of No Man's Land.
3. Wynne Peninsula
The warmest part of Zemelia, the Wynne Peninsula is a difficult place to get to. Access to the Peninsula is strictly over land - the area is bordered on all sides by steep cliffs, and no race has ever taken to the air. To get to Wynne over land, one must pass through Sovarsugud, which is currently at war with Wynne.Wynne is notably the only place where atmospheric moisture and sunlight are present in sufficient quantities to grow Sunfruits. These large, yellow fruits have a thick skin, and taste incredibly sweet. However, the difficulty of access to Wynne makes them a prohibitively expensive luxury, and they are almost all sold by smugglers, so supply is risky.
- Castle Wynne -
An ancient castle, standing on the very end of the Peninsula, apparently built from the same material as Alnkek itself. The Lords of Wynne have made this their ancestral home since 1185. Sailors speak in awe of the vast black shape looming over them as they sail around the cape.4. The Message
The Message is a set of three enormous obsidian slabs, each ten meters high above the ground (buried an unknown distance into solid rock) and two wide, with symbols carved into them inlaid with limestone. The symbols are arranged in columns, the gaps at the top indicating that the text travels upwards. The language itself is untranslatable by mundane or magical methods, and speculation is rife as to what The Message could be telling us. 5. Elf Forest
A long time ago, before men existed, Elf was an almost total covering. Elf dominated the world until humans arose. Now, Elf Forest is all that remains. The name itself is a corruption of 'Elf fou rast', an Elf phrase literally translatable 'Elf still alive' - the exact meaning depends on context. As the last bastion of Elf, Elf defends it thoroughly - humans who enter never leave, and attempting to cut down trees which are older than a certain age is a death sentence.- Paperwood Grove -
One of mankind's most notable early developments was writing, which allowed them to pass on ideas without having to have someone memorise them by heart. The medium of writing has evolved over time, but the current main source of writing material is the Paperwood tree. The naturally-thin, easily-separated growth rings and the particular quality of the wood of these trees makes them perfect for the job. Most literate people (wizards and nobility, for the most part) use charcoal sticks for general purpose, but for more formal purposes Kappa ink is preferred. Getting the ink from the Kappa is not easy, as they cannot be forced to produce it and are nigh-impossible to trade with owing to their wanting for nothing.- No Man's Land -
Where Elf Forest meets the Goblins' Teeth, the overlap is what can only be described as a war zone, as goblins clash with Elf for ownership of the land. Molten ironwood caked with ash coats the ground. Nothing lives or grows here.6. The Goblins' Teeth
Zemelia doesn't have many mountains. What it does have, however, is beyond spectacular. The Goblins' Teeth reach to the heavens, their bare peaks a stark contrast to the surrounding red grass. As the name suggests, here there be goblins. They can be found throughout the mountain range, living in caves or gliding between the peaks, sometimes setting out as a loose band to raid the human inhabitants.
- Heart of the Mountains -
The center of the Goblins' Teeth. A narrow pass leads deep into the mountain range. Anyone who attempts to go by this pass is swarmed by the goblins who pour out of the caves in the walls and tear travellers apart. Nobody knows what this path leads to, or why the goblins guard it so viciously, but it's clearly important to them. There is speculation amongst the wise that the Heart of the Mountains is where goblins are born.
7. The Principalities
A) RojawelB) Apbartine
C) Barroni
D) Hikar
E) Foroland
F) Iblonia
G) Rurlonia
H) Cromsyke
I) Honann
J) Sovarsugud
K) Maltoberg
L) Tasenia
M) Tleskovi
8. The Redland Territories
The Redlands get their name from the colour of their inhabitants' hair, as well as the peculiar red grasses that seem to grow only there. Nigel Crommarty, a famous Herbimancer of the 15th century, wrote in his notes of 1472 that the grasses speak in almost the same voice as the grasses of other places, but slightly colder. Goblins
The goblins mainly stick to their mountain homes, but mount regular raiding parties into the lowlands. They have a long-running feud with the Redland humans over some long-forgotten insult, which has gone from a genuine grievance into simple mutual hatred.
Humans
The humans of the Redlands are fairly unique. They have pale skin and shocking red hair, which they often grow out long. They are naturally quite tall, and most are muscular. Redland culture is semi-nomadic: While farming communities remain in one place, the strongest men will form warbands, which roam the plains and hills looking for goblin trouble. Redlanders also count themselves as members of clans, although the clan identity is fleeting, usually lasting only as long as their chieftain. Migration is common, large groups of people moving from farmstead to farmstead whenever a new clan forms. Magic is especially uncommon among these people, although every clan has its Bogleman. The Bogleman's power comes from his war cries and shouting. Outsiders have compared Boglemen to 'a very angry bard'.
The humans of this region grow up bilingual, speaking Goblin as well as the human tongue. As such they have a heavy accent, something like Scottish in our terms. A human speaking Goblin never fails to annoy actual goblins, as their pronunciation is invariably atrocious. Especially sore goblins may take it as a personal insult, that the humans are trying to take their language just like they took their land.