Humans: An Overview

by Frank Shaw

Created by Ariga in memory of her love for Mar, humans have found their way across the world of Desylinn thanks to the Lash-ti-Nowish and the slave trade they created for the Mariean Empire. The bulk of humanity live in two regions: the Southern Islands just off the coast of the main land of Desylinn and the chains of islands called the Tears of Ariga, which are a vast distance south of the continent.

On Desylinn most humans integrate into the dominate societies around them. Humans in the Red Clan city of Shinkyuden adopt the Red Clan’s culture as best they can, while in Hub they play the games of the Great Guilds vying for power and prestige among the ranks. In the Free Cities humans plot amongst and with the nobles of Tarn Modeshi, serve as cult leaders in Chaido, barter and trade in the markets of Q’lazz and exemplify their marshal prowess in Bann Tordech. However a majority of mainland humans belong to the Kindred, having taken Khan marks.

While it’s rare to find a predominantly human village on the mainland, other than on the southern coast, they are a few to be found in Eart’linn and the Fertile Lands. These villages borrow heavily from the nearby cultures as most humans are generations removed from the Southern Islands or the Tears of Ariga. The only practice still commonplace is ritualized tattooing on the arms and torso.

The Southern Islands:

The Southern Islands are heavily influenced by the Lash-ti-Nowish and have a large influx of non-humans living on the larger islands. Islands nearest the coast have small Lash-ti-nowish cities which served as outposts during the height of the Empire. It was common for humans on more distant islands to raid and capture other villages to trade with the Snakes for weapons and tools from the mainland. Prized by the elves for their hardiness, appearance and the ease with which they could break their wills, humans made valuable slaves. The slave trade has since stopped though prisoners are still taken, typically women and children, who are used to tend fields and unsavory jobs. Most are eventually integrated into the village, either when they come of age or when they marry their abductors.

Villages are ruled by chieftains. With a strong emphasis on hunting and fishing the culture is male dominated, leaving women in a second class role. All men are considered warriors, though a distinct hierarchy exists. The chieftain is typically an elder warrior who has gained notoriety through his prowess and cunning. This can be contested by battle, but it is rare for the role of chieftain to go outside a small circle of warriors and their children. Those who have proven themselves often act as the chieftains honor guards. In addition to guarding and advising the chieftain, they also help train thier young sons, allowing them to gain significant martial prowess over the other villagers.

Tattooing is common. Large facial tattoos are worn by the men with the best warriors bearing the largest tattoos. Arm and back tattoos are common as well; keeping record of raids, hunts, foes defeated, or even life debts. It is rare to meet a human from the Southern Islands without some sort of tattoo. Women will often have magical tattoos to aid in their work, grant them fertility, or a symbol of Ariga which bestows a small boon when touched while praying.

Several nearby villages will often form confederacies ruled by a high chieftain. The high chieftain is typically voted on by all the villages’ men. Typically the chieftain with the most intimidating honor guard will win, being better able to garner favor with those outside his village. Villages that are in allegiance to each other are typically united by common enemies or threats and can be relied upon to come to one another’s aid.  There are usually no more than three to seven villages united in this way and typically no village is further than two days by boat.

Only the most “tested” warriors own boats, small catamarans, typically crewed by the owner and two or three others. Primarily used for fishing, there are typically enough boats in the village for every man of age to take to the water for raids. Occasionally the men will travel inland to hunt larger game, typically massive beasts which are dangerous to hunt, but yield great amounts of meat.

Women cultivate fields of taro and yams, tend to small herds of goats and boars and raise children until they come of age. Their only real form of power comes from tending the family shrines to Ariga and Mar often serving as the village shamans. When spiritual matters arise it is to the women that the men typically turn. There are villages that have abandoned the worship of Ariga. These villages worship one of the Brothers -typically Daikado- or one of the darker aspects of Nhoj. The villages practice violent rites of passage, blood sacrifices and whole sale massacres of any nearby neighbors that refuse to join in their debauched practices.

 The Tears of Ariga:

The Tears of Ariga are dominated by humanity, as they are far from the mainland and difficult to find. The first of the archipelagos are many weeks travel from the southern shore of Desylinn while the farthest islands require months of travel. The archipelagos are made up of dense chains of islands broken up by large expanses of ocean. The largest of the islands, Go’Arig, is surrounded by dense clusters of islands, making navigation difficult. Roughly about a tenth of the size of the mainland to the north it is here where the second significant human culture exists.

Go’Arig is not fully homogenous, nomadic humans live in the eastern mountain ranges while tribes of vicious hunters live in the dense rain forests on the north western shore. The southern shore has many small violent villages that worship Tlal.

The predominant culture of Go’Arig is the “Oki’aki Humaruk’arig” or the Princes of Mar and Ariga. A society of 4 distinct castes: The Oki’aki or The Princes, Muamaro or the Priests, Koa Huki’aki or the warriors and Loamo la or the Vassals. Each bears a caste tattoo except the Oki'aki.

Controlling the island as a series of principalities the Oki’aki rule as a council where deft politicking garners considerably more power than simple wealth. Even so, outright aggression and war is not uncommon either. The Oki’Aki have absolute control over the land and demand regular taxes and tributes from the vassals, using the warriors to excise the taxes and quell revolts.

All priests bear their caste mark on their forehead. The more elaborate the tattoo indicating their power and respect with in the caste. It’s the only caste where women may hold power. The religion of Go’Arig focuses on the highly ritualized worship of Mar, only paying lip service to Ariga and the other gods. Acting in a specific role that commands some respect and influence it isn’t uncommon for an Oki’aki to install a “Priest” into a particular position in order to execute an agenda. Priests serve as councilors, historians, and bookkeepers to the various Princes and occasionally as generals in times of war.

Professional soldiers have become common as many of the Oki’aki are willing to wage wars for territory and influence. Unlike the upper castes, where power and influence is gained through bribes and deceit, the Warrior caste is meritocratic. While some politicking does occur among the leaders of the warriors, promotion through the ranks is the reward for valor and service. Given land to farm, the Warriors are taxed little and often raise their sons to follow in their footsteps. Each bear a small tattoo on their cheeks, the Warrior caste mark, which becomes more complex as the warrior rises through the ranks.

At the bottom are the vassals bearing tattoos on their hands and forearms they toil away in the fields of rice and soybeans, raise livestock and fruit and live their dreary lives with little to no change. Their only hope for true social mobilization is by joining monasteries or the ranks of the Warrior caste. Those that join the monasteries find their lives not significantly different from before. Many excess children are given to the monasteries to ease the burden on their families.  Those that learn the art of politics may however find themselves gaining power and favor in the monasteries until gaining a Priest Mark. During wartime vassals act as fodder for the Princes, and survivors of large wars are few and far between as vassals typically do not receive sufficient training. While most survivors opt to go back to their dreary, yet somewhat safer lives, those that receive recognition will often take the warriors mark.

Well over a month’s travel from the mainland Go’Arig only has a single nonhuman city, Gutua’oki or City of the Snake Princes. Independent of the Oki’aki, Gutua’oki is controlled by the Lash-ti-nowish, who are the only race with ships that regularly travel the open ocean. It is here where representatives of the Guilds may be found in small numbers. The Merchant’s Guild has the largest presence, hoping to gain a strong foot hold on the island. Seeking ways to influence the Princes, very few have been successful, some relying on magical means and deceit to sway the Oki’aki.

Krishtog: An Overview

by John Belliston and Frank Shaw

                Below the Geato Marsh Plateau and before the Great Southern Forest is a strip of land called the Kristogalog. Dominated by Krishtog trees which soar into the sky hundreds of feet this marshy land is home to the race of frog people who share their name with the trees dominating their home.

                The Krishtog are a lithe race who appear smaller than they actually are. Looking like bipedal frogs, their skin varies, from yellows to greens with occasional reds and extremely rare poison-skinned blues. Their faces, lacking the muscles of many other races, usually appear to be smiling, which puts most of the other peoples of Desylinn at ease. Light on their feet, their strong legs allow them to hop through the thick branches of the trees they call home with ease; evading larger predators such as the catoblepas and hydra while confusing smaller ones like the zoogs, who don’t share the frog-peoples agility.

                The Krishtog do not live in permanent settlements, with the exception of the Elders, who look after the giant breeding trees, and the very young who also live in the trees. Most Krishtog live as semi solitary nomads, hunting and gathering food on their own or in small hunting packs. These hunting packs vary in size, but usually do not grow more than about ten individuals, and rarely last longer than a rainy season. Hunting packs are usually made up of siblings -those from the same hatch of a breeding tree- or cousins -those from different generations of breeding trees. At night the hunting packs will retire with the catch, which will often include fruits and greens as well as wild prey and feast around small fires where they sing their songs.

                The musical aptitude of the Krishtog is well known throughout Deyslinn. Their language is sung and lends itself to songwriting with relative ease. The Krishtog’s mastery of pitch and rhythm make even the least talented among them potential bards.  Most of the frog-people who are found outside of the Krishtog have gained notoriety for their music. They sing their songs in taverns, amphitheaters and the dens of the rich and powerful. The songs of the Krishtog usually detail great hunts, the migrations of beasts, or the rare heroic tale in which several Krishtog will give voice to individual characters. It is these songs that are the most popular with those outside of Deyslinn because of the beautiful harmonies and complex rhythms. The frog-people rarely employ other instruments other than their voices, though they will occasionally accompany themselves with bow shaped lyres that the most passionate singers carry. Called the Mishtomatigato (Tellers of Tales), their only distinguishing features are the lyre’s they carry. They are typically self-appointed and only garner respect from other Krishtog when their virtuosity with both voice and lyre is significant, causing others to fall silent and listen instead of joining in.

                The breeding trees of the Krishtogalog are beginning and the end of the frog-peoples. The largest of the Krishtog trees often hold ample pools of water that are continuously replenished from the roots and the frequent rainfall. It is in these pools where the Krishtog lay their eggs. Spending the first several months of their youth as tadpoles, the life of a baby Krishtog is harsh. The tiny taddlings feed on their brothers and sisters as well a vast array of insects and smaller fish, who also feed on the taddlings. When arms and legs begin to appear the babies cease feeding on their siblings and begin to periodically emerge from the water.

                Upon their emergence from the water they are greeted by the Elders. The oldest of the Krishtog, are tasked with raising the young and guarding the Breeding trees. From the Elder’s the young are taught the musical language of the race, and the songs the Krishtog are known for. They are also taught the arts of bow making, weaving, hunting and gathering, trap making and tanning. Other small crafts are taught by various Wisest including the art of making and playing the lyre, as well as jewelry crafting. The Elder’s nurture those Krishtog who survive the breeding pools, only allowing them to leave the trees once they have passed a series of tests displaying their ability to hunt and survive on their own.

                The most important weapon of the Krishtog is unarguably the bow. Every frog-person is proficient with the bow, having made their own to suit their personal preference. Some favor short compact bows, others favor long bows for better range. Every style and design one could think of exists in the Krishtog and no two bows are ever the same. Some may employ spears, flint knives, or even short copper swords for those that have come into contact with races outside of the Krishtog, the bow however is a constant.

                The single city in the region is Qynjb. Built at the base of a dead Krishtog tree, and overflowing over and inside, the branches. The city was originally an outpost of the Music Guild from Hub, who sought a permanent base in the Krishtog to help recruit both those frog-people with musical talent, and non-musical talent. A vast majority of the Krishtogs outside the region are members of the guild, even those who don’t sing. While still firmly controlled by the Music Guild, there is a small Merchant’s Guild presence in the city as well, leading to occasional street fights between the two factions. There’s also a Red Clan presence in the city, the Dwarves reaching out to their neighbors in the east, maintaining the only reliable road through region. The majority of the population is migratory, as the Krishtog only come to trade their trinkets, meat and occasionally lyres and bows. And many of the other races are passing through on their way to the Great Southern Forest to the south, or in caravans back north either to the Geato or Hub. The majorities of the permanent population are those banished from their societies, or are in hiding. The handful of “settled” Krishtog that do live in the city are Elders who still feel the need to guard the tree, despite it being dry, or the small handful of youth who’ve settled for an unfulfilling but easy life.

Lash-ti-Nowish: An Overview

By John Belliston

Lash-ti-Nowish (The Night Wind) Overview

When the Goddess Ssita looked upon the lonely beauty of the Dragon Sands she sighed.  From the ripples in the sand came the Lash-ti-nowish, the Night Wind, the Snakemen. Though legless and not known for their brawn, the Lash are renowned for their indomitable personalities and the powerful pheromones at their disposal. It is often said a Lash could convince a stone to buy sand and sweet talk the ocean to drink a sip of water.

Since their creation by Ssita, they have spread out across the desert and beyond, across much of the world. Though not as numerous as other races the Lash have the most long-reaching and powerful influence.  From the Steps of the Library to the furthest points of the Southern Islands the Lash either have direct power or whispers in the ears of the mighty. With a few words they can tear lives apart or sow the seeds of new nations. 

All their power links back to their most important belief. In their own tongue, “Lash lok Shamshar,” or "the Wind Moves the Sand." Empires and coinage, the life and death of man and nation,  all things are ripples in sand. The Lash-ti-nowish aspire to be the wind which creates them. They seek wealth and power, and don't care if they have the appearance of it. They become advisers to manipulate the powerful. They don't horde coin, they control commodities. They let others drown in coins and claim crowns and thrones, instead moving in small and subtle ways. They always know how to make others into the enemy. They moved from Imperial slaves to glass and southern spices without a drop of blood being shed - at least according to their records. 

The Lash have the most complete historical records in the known world. Stretching from almost the mythic beginnings of their race to the present day. The Kindred, Krishtog and other barbaric races see this as pointless, and the Dwarves, Abira and other civilized folk see this as excessive. However the records serve an important purpose in Lash-ti-nowish culture, keeping them informed once they awaken from the long sleep of 'Harshtar'. Every five to ten years each snake falls into a trance like state during which they will shed their skin. It can last for a few hours or days but grows a little each occurrence. For older Lash, 'Harshtar' can even last for years. This state is such a fact of their life that many plan their lives around it. The Old Ones and wealthy even create elaborate tombs for themselves to serve as comfortable places while they drift into the “skin sleep”. The lower castes do as best as they can. They find trusted friends to watch over them, or at worst bury themselves in the sand and trust to the repulsive pheromones to protect them. This consistent loss of time drives the Lash toward their fastidious records, thereby assuring that no matter how long the sleep, the Awoken can know what happened while they slept. 

Within the Dragon Sands there are ten Shamshars, each one corresponding to one of the colors of dragon and having their own quirks and local customs. The Gold are known for their immaculate diplomacy; the Silver for their impenetrable bank vaults and overly complex laws of politeness; the Iron for their profound secrecy and creation of miraculous works of magical glass. Each Shamshar holds to the deep rooted caste system which controls the lives of them all. At the top is the Congress of the Old Ones, who rule without question and live a life of utter opulence. Below them are the Sacred Bankers and Bureaucrats, a priest caste who live in accordance with their holy book “The Ripples of Worth”.  At the very bottom lie the Ecdy who are given the tasks that none other are willing. They are treated as less than slaves, as slaves at least once had economic value. 

Though there is a great inequality between castes, there is none between the sexes. There are almost no physical differences between the two and it is immensely difficult to tell the difference. It is considered the height of rude behavior to even speculate on which sex a Lash is. The one exception to this is during the mating process when it is considered a necessity to know, and is handled as quickly as possible.  

Each of the ten Shamshars has a different choice for the order of those between the Ecdy and the Sacred Bankers. Warrior, merchant, artisan, hunter, scholar, and laborer all vie for position within the different sands. This arrangement causes much of the conflict between the different Shamshars. If it weren't for the absolute authority of the Old Ones, the Children of Ssita would have long ago torn themselves apart. 

This system creates some of the most blatant inequality across all of Desylinn. However even the lowest of the Lash endure their hard lives because eventually they become Old Ones. At a particular age, which varies by the individual, when they go into Harshtar they shed their skin and turn a vibrant white which grows more translucent with age. Then all they need to do is present themselves to the Congress and accept their new place. Though many of the most desperate and mistreated try, it is almost impossible to fake the transformation, and those that do tend to suffer swift and brutal consequences.

Secrets of Desylinn: The Divine Index (Part 2)

Part 1

Nhoj: (“The Apathetic King”, “Lorekeeper”, “The Unmaker”): One of the Firstborn of Chaos. He is the God of Knowledge and the Chaosgate of Void, Husband of Ssita, Father of Bahu and Tiala. Usually portrayed as being covered in armored scales, he has a massive spiked tail on which he impales his stray thoughts. The large ram's horns on his head twist and turn, each one inscribed with the most terrible of the Lorekeeper's secrets . He has six wings: two of a dragon, two of a giant bird, and two made of branches and leaves, though all of them have been known to change at random. His eyes burn with the hungry nothingness of the void and his own insatiable curiosity. As the Chaosgate of Void, he regulates the return of Ordered energies back to Chaos energies. During the First War he and Mar knocked over the Oldest’s stew pot and created the mortal plane. He cast Mar’ies out of the Realm of the Gods for the death of the Nameless One, and tore the young god Derrick apart. Using his ancient and terrible knowledge he crafted the Seal. He is the patron god of the Library. Some say creatures bound to him still live in the Blackfire Mountains, but those who have dared that place are unable or unwilling to confirm this long held rumor.

The Oldest: (“The Grand Stewmaker”, “The First”, “The Cooker of Men”) One of the Firstborn of Chaos. He is the god of Time and Fate. He is the Father of Mar, and the Husband of Daras. He appears as an impossibly old man sitting naked on the back of a turtle. A cloud of three-eyed ravens flies above his head. In his lap is a massive stewpot, within which is the Stew of Fate. As the first born of Chaos he is merely called the Oldest as there is none with the right to name him. The Oldest's powers are often nebulous. While he doesn't dictate the actions of men or gods, there is a specific plan for the Stew. He merely sets things into motion and then lets the flavors mix and combine in new and interesting ways.

Omoshiroi Renga: (“Slayer of Tyrants”) God of Justice and Destiny: One of the Five Glorious Transcendants. As a mortal he worked as a bodyguard for a young elven lord whom he loved as if he was his own. In a less-than-subtle political ploy, the young lord was assassinated. Renga ended up brutally slaughtering the assassin and several of the young lord's servants in his blind fury. He swore that he would make it right and bring Justice to those responsible for this crime. The trail lead him to Empress Arcadia herself. But knowing that he must keep his promise, Renga swore to kill the leader of the empire for her crimes. It was then that Daras came and reforged his shattered swords into the Claw of the Just and the Sword of the Dragon at War. They allowed him to unlock his full potential. In the final moments of his battle with Arcadia he was able to unlock his divinity, as was his destiny. Indeed, with him the concept of Destiny itself was unlocked. His ties to Daras remain deep, and he can even manifest as she does to those who are destined.

Ssita: (“Breath of the World”, “Goddess of the Infinite Sky”): One of the Firstborn of Chaos. She is the Goddess of the Sky, Wife of Nhoj, and the Mother of Bahu and Tiala. She has the top half of a woman and the bottom half of a long draconic serpent. She has six feathery wings sprouting from her back. She has three eyes: the sun, the moon, and a sandstorm. As the Chaosgate of Creation, she is the source of all magic and matter in the universe. She created the lash-ti-nowish when she sighed across the sand of the Dragon Sands. She was the one who devised the idea of the Seal against the gods. With the help of Daras and Nhoj she put forth the plan that destroyed the Marian Empire.

Talasia: (“The Glorious Strategist”, “Who Lied with the Truth”). Goddess of Secrets and Revolution. One of the Five Glorious Transcendants. She was a seeress of Ishari who escaped from the Imperial Capitol. Her divine task was to set in the motion the rest of the Five, and lift the centuries-old spell that had put the dragons to sleep. She is partly responsible for the Transcension of Badblood, because she told her that her line would end with her. While a true statement, she didn’t explain that this was because of her orc/elven ancestry. After the Fall of the Empire she devoted herself to seeking out the secrets of the Seal, and of the other Five's Transcensions. This knowledge and the secrets she gathered lead to her own transformation into a Goddess. Talasia is connected to the Oldest.

Tiala: (“Queen of the Boundless Sea”, “Flesh Crafter”): The Goddess of the Sea, Wife of Bahu, Mother of the Dragons, Ishari, Tlal, and Daikado. She shaped the valleys of the continent and the shapes of the southern islands. When she first gave birth to the dragons she cleared the water from what came to be the Dragon Sands to create a birthing bed. Her afterbirth and the shards of the dragons eggs left the sands permanently colored. She shaped the forms of the dwarves from stone and metal ore and gave them to her husband, who brought them to life. Beneath the waters she is one of the most commonly worshiped by the strange creatures there, though above the waters it is only sailors and the most devoted of dwarves that honor her.

Tlal: (“Lord Stormcloud”, “The Crackling Dragon”): He is the God of the Angry Heavens, and younger brother of Ishari. When he was born he and his brother Daikado began their war. They were so loud that they distracted their older sister after she had given birth to the Nameless One. Such was her distraction that she could not protect her nameless child from Mar'ies. Like his brother, Tlal is frozen in place by the Seal. He lives on the southern pole at the center of a continent made from a solidified hurricane. His worshipers believe that one day he shall tear his prison asunder and punish the world with endless storms.

The Unbroken: (“The One Mind”, “The Over Golem”):Not a true God but a powerful force within the world. In the first years of the Empire the Imperial Guard were slowly transformed into automatons powered by the warriors' souls. When Bjord's song freed the golems from Arcadia's control those spirits reached out and found each other. Freed from containment but still connected to their bodies, these spirits formed a network of spiritual connections. This melding of spirits was the beginning of the Unbroken. Now any two Shards can create a fragment of the Unbroken but once a year all of the Shards will open their souls to create the fullest experience of it. It is then that many of the golems will seek guidance as to their place in the universe and their role in society. The Unbroken's existence was spared by Nhoj from Daras, who wanted to reclaim what was hers. Because of this, the Shards cannot see the manifestations of Daras and her worshipers are forbidden from touching them.

Wargog: (“The Kindred Father”). God of War and Dance. One of the Five Glorious Transcendants: Born into slavery under the elves as a young minotaur he was able to escape by traveling into the Blackfire Mountains. His strategic mind and personal strength are thought by many to have been enhanced by the strange magics there. He founded a band of rebels called the Blackfire Brothers, of which he was the sole survivor. He was renowned for his fighting style, the Dance of the Heavens, a terrifying dance of destruction that worked well against large numbers. He received the blessing of Ssita in the form of the Great Axe of the Heavens: a weapon without equal. His task was to gather the slaves under a single banner and lead them against the Empire. He was the one who spared the Library from the rampaging horde of the Kindred when they sacked the city. There is a designated shrine to him within the walls of that place. He is connected to Ssita.

The Wild Ones: Born from the three pieces of Derrick. They are regarded by many as one deity. They are changeling gods and have no set appearance or gender. They created the gren in mockery of the elves, who refused to play with them. They are known to change shape into the forms of mortals as a way of bypassing the prohibitions of the Seal, and they typically travel together. They are at their most powerful when they are together, though they are known to spend time apart. Sometime they set up small cults to themselves or their siblings.

-Shala- The Wild One of Beauty. Is concerned with vanity, physical beauty, inner beauty, natural beauty, and unnatural beauty.

-Daros- The Wild One of Desire. Is concerned with wishes, hunger, and physical desire. No known children.

-Kurro- The Wild One of Passion. Is concerned with love, hate, lust, rage, rancor, and all other things of that particular nature.  

Secrets of Desylinn: The Divine Index (Part 1)

Divine Index

Ariga: (“The Earth Mother”, “The Broken Hearted”): One of the Firstborn of Chaos. Her appearance changes with the seasons, though she always looks like a human female in a perfect, 'goddess' form. In spring she is a young girl. In summer she takes the form of a beautiful maiden. In fall she is a new mother, and in winter she is a crone. Apart from these guidelines, her actual physical appearance varies with the year she appears in. She created the humans and put them on the islands to the south, shaping them in her own and Mar's image. She was the betrothed of Mar, but he fell in love with Ishari, and broke her heart. She gave new life to the Wild Ones from the pieces of Derrick. During the Fall of the Empire it was her blessing (in the form of her everchanging hair) that created and imbued the Voice of the Changeling with power. This led to her and Bjord Halffoot becoming romantically entangled after his Transcention.

Badblood: (“The Transcended One”): Goddess of Magic and Self Sacrifice: First of the Five Glorious Transcendants. She was the only one of the Five to self-transcend. She bore the Orb of the Forbidden, a nexus of bizarre powers given form by Nhoj. Her mixed orcish/elven heritage drove her towards her destructive destiny. She died siphoning off enough power to level the Sentinel City of the Empire. The power she gathered made her subject to the power of the Seal and ejected her from the mortal plane. Each of the five became representative of one of the Firstborn; Badblood is connected to Nhoj.

Bahu: (“Greatest of the Dragons”, “Father God of Dragonkind”, “Life Breather” “Mountain Maker”): God of the Mountains, Chief God of the Dwarves, Husband of Tiamet. He created the mountains by sowing the earth with his scales so that his children would have homes. The dwarves he created by breathing life into dolls fashioned by Tiamet. He is the sire of all dragons and the father of Ishari, Tlal, and Daikado. He rules the universe in the role of steward because his father (Nhoj) never wanted the job.

Bjord Half-Foot: God of Music and Altruism: One of the Five Glorious Transcendants. His task in the final battle was to inspire those around him and to distract the golem army that protected the elven capitol. His song made the stones of the city wall weep. Once the Golems stood before him during the siege of Salastria, such was the power of his music that it freed them from the control of Arcadia. This magic allowed for the creation of the Unbroken. In the days after the fall he was instrumental in the creation of both the city of Hub and the surrounding proto-nation of E'artlan. Bjord is connected to Ariga; through this connection, they fell in love.

Chaos: The formless void of infinite potential that the Firstborn spawned from. Ssita and Nhoj are the only of the Firstborn who still have any direct contact. All others both mortal and god are protected by the Chaosgate that the two lovers maintain. Ssita draws substance from it to sustain creation, while Nhoj draws the excess order and returns it to Grandmother Chaos. In the mad ramblings of the Prophet, it is said that the love of King and Queen shall falter and all shall return to the Grandmother's terrible embrace.

Daikado: (“King of the Burning Mountain”, “The Hell Toad”): God of Earthquakes and Volcanoes. The twin brother of Tlal. He hates his brother with the deep burning rage only found in the molten heart of the planet. Their constant war with each other forced Ssita and Nhoj to lay down the limitations on god mortal interaction, and create the Seal. As punishment, he and Tlal (as well as Mar’ies) were used as the three points affixing the Seal to the mortal plane. His followers speak of a time when the egg of the world will crack and loose the Hell Toad to devour his enemies.

Daras: (“The Gentle End”, “Queen of the Last Breath”): She is one of the Firstborn of Chaos and bound in marriage to the Oldest. As the Goddess of Death, she brings souls from the world. She is pictured as a skeletal dragon with huge white wings and one black claw and one red claw dripping with gore. She uses this form to carry the souls away from large battles. For more personal deaths she takes the form of a pale maiden with black hair in a white cloak. One hand is black, the other red and dripping. In either form her black hand is used to sever the soul from the flesh (a painless and rather soothing process to the recently slain), and her red hand severs the flesh from the soul. This red hand is reserved for those that try to impede her in her work. The spirits severed with the red hand remain on the mortal plane until the madness brought by the pain of the severing is gone. For some this is a few years, while others have still yet to fade. The manifestations of Daras (of which she can have as many as needed) are drawn to dying things. Violence, decay, disease, and famine are signals that will summon her manifestations. Daras is one of few gods that mortals can actually see (with the exception of occasionally the Wild Ones, and the three that are trapped on the plane for punishment). Those that are close to death will be able to see the manifestations of Daras. The closer they are to death, the more clearly they will be able to see the goddess. Only those that are truly dead have ever seen her eyes.

Derrick: The god that burst from the Nameless One’s genitals. He was a short-lived changeling god. He/She/It was pestering Nhoj and in a fit of annoyed rage, Nhoj tore Derrick into three pieces. These pieces were later picked up by Ariga and transformed into the Wild Ones.

Ishari: (“Marsh Maker”, “Great Protector”, “Sal Iba”[Eye Mother], “Beautiful Mother of Mar’ies”): The Goddess of Truth and Running Waters. Daughter of Bahu and Tiala. Mother of Mar'ies and the Nameless One. She married Mar, but after the Fall of her Unnamed son she left the god of Law. The grisly death of the Nameless One was defended by her husband and so soured her love for him. She hasn't spoken to either Mar or Mar'ies since then. She created the lizardwomen and the great Geato marsh by mixing her tears with the blood of her murdered child, the Nameless One. She created the krishtog when her joyful sigh mixed with her tears. Each of those races worship her almost exclusively.

Mar’ies: (“Beloved Father of Elf Kind”, “King of the Infinite North”): God of Ice. He is the arrogant and beautiful ancestor of the elves. He threw his nameless brother to earth because he thought that his beautiful mother shouldn't be near something so ugly. He was cast down to the mortal plane for this action. He created the Northlands by freezing the sea water around the place he landed. He shaped this mass of ice into a beautiful and dangerous realm. When the Seal was put into place he was used as one of its affixing points, and as such cannot physically use his powers to influence mortals. He is allowed the use of his voice, however, and so dictates his will to those that remain in the Northland. However, he has no true power to enforce his edicts.

Mar: (“The Father of Mar’ies”, “The Shining Protector”, “The Beautiful Tyrant”): The god of Law and Son of Daras and The Oldest. His appearance is that of the perfect human male. He fought with Nhoj for the hand of Ssita to become king of the universe. His loss in the First War is perhaps one of the most defining moments in this universe. Briefly betrothed to Ariga until Ishari was born wherein he married the wildly beautiful River Goddess. He loved his first son more than his wife. He is the model for the human physical appearance because of Ariga’s loneliness and betrayal by him.

The Nameless One: (“Lord Tomorrow”, “The Deformed King”, “The Burning Gatekeeper”, “The Smoldering Judge”): The God of Fire. He is the son of Ishari and Mar, and the younger brother of Mar'ies. He gave life with his death. The Kindred were created from his teeth and brains and the Geato Abira from the mix of his blood and his mother's tears. His loins were what made the Fertile Lands fertile and his genitals became the changeling god Derrick. He is worshipped as the god of the afterlife amongst the Kindred. He judges each soul before they are sent to their afterlife. He grades each Kinfolk as one of his teeth, those that are worthy are placed back in his mouth. Those that aren't are sent back to the world. Those that have some great sin on their souls are eaten and sent back once they have been purified within him. He is also used as a boogieman by the elves.

Regions Part Four: Off the Map

Though the main continent of Desylinn is where most of the peoples in the world live, it is not the only land and they are not the only peoples that populate the world. Some lands are well known and even have large populations of humanoid races, like The Northlands or the The Thousands Islands of Go’Arig. Others are just rumors, legendary places where only the most courageous adventurers tread. These places are home to strange creatures, some not unfamiliar to the standard person from the mainland.

The Northlands

North of Desylinn surrounding the North Pole a large sheet of continental sheet of ice, called the Northlands by people on the main continent, is the homeland of the elves. Those elves living on the ice call it the Palace of Mari’es. The father of the elven race, and one of three gods that make up the Seal, sits on a throne at the center of a massive ice palace made of frozen blocks from the bodies of his honored sons and daughters. The god, forever frozen by the power of the Seal, gives off a glow that illuminates the palace through his icy translucent skin. Beneath the palace tunnels crisscross the frozen shelf in a nearly perfect grid and at each junction a lantern adds the brightness of Mari’es. For leagues around the pole an eerie ethereal glow can be seen, becoming ever brighter as one nears the palace and near blinding inside. Mari’es is forever surrounded by the descendants of those elves who never journeyed south, periodically speaking to them and directing them in machinations that only a god would fully understand.

A handful of fortresses sit along the coast, made of ice, manned only by the descendants of elves that never left the frozen land. They hunt the artic sea life and cultivate the ocean for food to send back to those elves living in the palace. They also keep a watchful eye on their neighbors to the south, who they consider little more than beasts. And the deep oceans where strange beings and travelers are said to live.

The Abysmal Depths

The oceans team with life: Fish, marine mammals, great ocean dwelling beasts, and intelligent creatures all exist beneath the sea. Divided into three regions the ocean has developed its own surprising breadth of culture. The northern region, between the mainland and the Northland, is home to strange intelligent fish. The unusual species have developed a magical system in which individual breeds of lesser fish each have a single magical effect that can be used. They can tap into this magic, casting spells through touching, rubbing, biting or fully eating the unintelligent fish.

The center region, the oceans around Desylinn and just to the south, are teaming with more recognizable sea-life that is fished and hunted by those living on the coast of the mainland and the nearby islands. In underwater caverns just off the coast live two dominant races, similar physically with rough humanoid shapes and features but differencing greatly in temperament. The peaceful Bortaryen seek a pastoral life, cultivating and domesticating the sea-life, while the more aggressive Shartaryen have begun to dominate those nearby, acting violently against the more peaceful cousins and others of their own species.

The southern seas surround and including the Thousand Islands are home to races of sea people who are half men, half fish. Of all the ocean races these are the most welcome to contact by surface dwellers. These beings have vast city states and will often parlay with ships coming and going to the islands. With a human torso and a lower portion that takes on the aspect of specific kinds of marine life, these are the least alien of the races to those on the surface. In the region furthest to the south of the islands there is rumored to be an underwater race that can only mate with humans of the surface. These tales are laughed at as rumors, but strange human villages appear whose inhabitants have waxy pale skin, strange buggy eyes and wide grotesque mouths. Travelers to these islands who go alone never come back. 

The City of the Kado

At the center of the world the god Daikado is sealed, one of the Brothers whose anger sundered the heavens. His servants, the Kado, large toad shaped men that carry his will through the world are said to create earthquakes where they go, releasing his toxic breath. When the Kado do not travel the vast underground highways that run beneath the surface they rest in their “city”. The City of the Kado is rumored to be near Daikado, with cyclopean temples of vast archways and columns to the god. There is no trade or enterprise here. Here they sleep, sometimes for decades or centuries, until called into service by their god, or until curiosity takes them away from the place itself. They can be sometimes be found on the surface acting as a proxy in a shrine or temple for Daikado, but most often they are encountered on the massive underground roads by travelers who have un-wittedly discovered the Kado’s highway through the world. 

The Thousand Islands of Go’Arig

Far to the south of the mainland islands spot the seas like pepper. Go’Arig, the largest of the Southern Islands, sits at the center of a vast chain of archipelagos that span the southern ocean. The islands are settled mostly by humans, but a few enterprising Lash-ti-nowish can be found on the more northern islands. Several distinct cultures exist throughout the islands, though many have common traits. Much like their northern cousins the humans of many of the islands form loose confederacies. Unlike their northern cousins many are still warlike and these confederacies are slowly forming island nations.

The largest island of Go’Arig is ruled by a single king and a caste of powerful and wealthy nobles. They trade with their more aggressive and powerful neighbors, encouraging them to attack each other. They have begun forging metal weapons, thanks to a small contingent of the Blacksmiths guild who seek to form monasteries on some of the less populated islands. The Merchant’s Guild has sent emissaries as well, hoping to open up established trade routes for more accessible spices and wood.  On the islands furthest south are rumors of cannibals and much worse things. 

The City of the Lalt

Like Mari’es who sits on his icy throne at the north pole, Tlal is suspended high in the clouds above the south pole. Sealed unmoving except for the twirling of his massive tail he is served by the Lalt. Surrounding Tlal is a magical bank of tangible, solid clouds that serves as a home to his servants. Much like their cousins the Kado, the Lalt spend most of their time performing tasks for their master, usually carrying large magical storms north to the Thousand Islands or even the mainland. They spend the remainder of their time in the cloud banks of their “city” sleeping between tasks. Like the Kado, they can sometimes be found on the mainland acting as emissaries to the cults that worship their master. It is possible to travel on the clouds nearest Tlal where the Lalt reside, if one can manage to get there.