Iokeihiko

Houndsmouth is the capitol city of Vinumera and the historical name of the heart of the Extiez’ territory. The land around it has been built up, ravaged, and built up again for nearly it’s entire life-time, and only recently (past 150 years) has Vinumera even existed as a nation again. The city of Houndsmouth now is a tourist destination surrounded by new builds, something like Rome. The city is a financial and business one, not as focused on the arts save for a historical sense. Great museums and lots of work, but not much entertainment/lifestyle.

Lanolin is a large metropolis located in southern Marcwith on the island of Ternomei. At the island’s central northern tip, it has some of the best access to the mainland. For a coastal city is has surprisingly few beaches, instead many bluffs and harbors, some of which extend quite far into the open ocean. Because of the narrow passageway between Ternomei and the mainland, the weather is usually mild and warm. Many people seek to retire or convalesce here because of the mild climate and salt air. Plenty of fresh fish is available year-round, it is a city for foodies and artists. It has a laid-back vibe.

Burte

Sante is a widespread town in southern Marcwith, directly across from the island of Ternomei. Often plagued with cloudy skies, the surrounding area is nonetheless beautiful. A newer city built over the wreckage of Uembian villages, Sante is historically the sight of massive capture and enslavement attempts from Deerless and others. Like Lath, it is an up-and-coming city where young families and graduate students are flocking for cheap rent and developing neighborhoods. The suburbs of Sante have long been areas of successful retirees. It was once voted as ‘Worst Skyline’ in southern Marcwith and has since been attracting young artists to improve the city.

2.     Murmur is a small suburb of Houndsmouth, generally considered to be the extent of the metropolitan area. Although many consider it an extension of the big city Murmur is quiet, sparsely populated, and heavily forested. It is an excellent place for city-dwellers to visit farmer’s markets or take a brisk autumnal hike.

3.     Mindhill is a vacation town northwest of Murmur. It boasts the largest history museum outside of Houndsmouth and beautifully maintained trails and camping grounds.

4.      Qubbhae is one of the last cities to be populated mainly by those of Deerless ancestry. Occasionally acting like a reservation, the city has a much more traditional layout than other Vinumera cities.

5.     Vinerin was built on the ruins of the Extiez’s old vacation home. One of the best preserved historical landmarks in Marcwith, visitors to Vinerin can also visit an extensive library of Githmund’s bibliography as well as a lively beach and nightlife community.

6.     Bhaehe, centrally located in the middle of northern Marcwith, the city is

7.     Territory

8.     Two Sons

9.     Freestate of Ida (FOI)

12.   Teshin

13.   Didehin

14.   Swell

15.   Battle

16.   Monument

1. Terminology 2. Characteristics    2.1 Spirits    2.2 Ghosts 3. Ongoing Debate

Terminology

The eldest recognized terminology is that of a ‘spirit’, but only by a handful of years. While the idea of the personal spirit, ancestral spirits, or spirits that embody portions of the surrounding world are contemporaries (and in some cases predate that of supernatural spirits), in this context the word ‘spirit’ refers solely to the ethereal remnants of a deceased individual.

Characteristics

To start; spirits and ghosts fall into the same family as ‘demons’, ‘entities’, and other such beings that are thought to be inhuman or possessing no typical life-signs. The common behaviors of such beings include certain supernatural abilities; invisibility, temporal dislocation, endless stamina, etc; as well as certain behaviors; the most widely known and indeed most common being haunting. This separates them from demons and entities which are known for exhibit the behavior of ‘contracting’.

    Spirits         Traditionally, a spirit is created unintentionally. Through a trauma in life, the deceased is either unable to forgive or is unable to be forgiven by a living person, thus creating a ‘trap’ for that deceased energy. A spirit can only be removed from contact with the living by an act of true forgiveness by the party(ies) involved. They may also be contained by various methods such as intentional possession and exorcism, which is much more common. Spirits are notoriously difficult to communicate with due to their unstable nature – many are even unaware of their own death and unintentionally alter the memories of all they come into contact with. A spirit is often thought of as a contagious illness because of their ability to overpower a population. Often non-lethal, a spirit can easily shift into several other forms, some of which are deadly. By far, the most feared of these forms is the famed ‘emotional’ form, when a spirit morphs into grotesque shapes that are thought to represent the emotion that left them lingering among the living. Those who have seen these horrible forms describe them as resembling large animals or insects infected with fungus, weeds, or boils.

    Ghosts         Ghosts, the more modern term, have in some cultures been interchangeable with Spirits. To distinguish between the remnant of an emotion and the remnant of an intellect the term ghost became favored, since many cultures used ‘spirit’ to define another, often divine, aspect of sentient life. Ghosts are generally thought to be intentional beings, rather than accidental spirits. They are not emotional leftovers of the soul but a purposely distribution of intellect, able to act with a high level of sentience based on the origin host’s ideas, desires, and doubts. While some ghosts claim to be whole beings, others claim they are only part of a once living being that has mostly passed to another, unreachable place. Most ghosts are ambivalent toward the living, keeping to themselves and offering little if any interaction with material life. They are connected to the living world through totems of by other means, though the act of creating a ghost is now so rare little is known about their origins. Modern ghosts can be destroyed by the burning or otherwise decimation of an ‘anchoring object’, commonly a grave, a treasured object, or otherwise chosen thing. Older ghosts have much more vague intentions, are less likely to communicate, and most often hesitant to reveal themselves at all. While spirits cause such a level of disturbance they do not go unnoticed for long, no one knows how many ghosts share our living world in silence.

Overview Etymology Religion Worship Connection to Weather Art and Architecture Two Lover’s Day

Overview Capable of love as wrath as any man or beast, but felt deeper and expressed more lavishly, this is Gaiagara. That noble beast appears in many cultures throughout the known world, unknown yet not so lofty as Gods, of the earth but much more divine. The Umbians called him ‘King’ and they may be correct in doing so – Gaiagara is a creature of balance set to devour those who do not heed his warning;“Hubris breeds ripe flesh, the devices of such men the sweetest nourishment. A meal so tempting will wake the foundations of the earth.”[1] He has been seen in three forms; the first a colossal monster with two hideous heads, the second a tall man in immense silk robes that flow up to the heavens, the third as a mark on the back of his lovers.

Etymology Gaiagara...

Religion -in some places, King Gaiagara is as revered as a God. He is said to be older than some of them and some say he created the planet by using his own body to create a circle which trapped the earth and water together. Sometimes a two-headed snake eating itself  will appear in art/jewelry in ref to this. Though destructive and powerful as a beast, Gaiagara the man is apparently laidback and cheerful. He nearly always depicted as meditating or laughing, and often with famous past lovers. Because of this, Gaiagara is also an incredibly romantic figure. Apparently anyone he chooses to be his lover will never find their feelings to fade, and he will love them regardless of age or appearance until they die – and mourn them long after that. Some say that his long sleeps are a result of his grief at the death of another lover who refused immortality. Others see Gaiagara as a benevolent ruler, an immortal from ancient times who cares only to ensure balance is held firm. In these parts, one will often see the image of a two-headed snake consuming itself, referencing the legend that while sleeping, King Gaiagara consumes his own flesh to ensure the world remains whole while he rests.[2] In still other parts of the world Gaiagara is called the King of Mortals, having taken over where the Gods no longer walk. They say he was the one Lothes Kol asked to destroy his temple at sea, he the only one allowed to have such power.Gaiagara is no God – but often it is said that he was one of the first things to gain shape and form and life – and so is more ancient than some Gods are. The fear and love he inspires across the known world is rivaled only by the Gods themselves. Perhaps this is why they allow him to exist. So long as Gaiagara is with us, no mortal can truly be king.

Worship -Some cultures raise entire groups of their young in the hopes of creating one of Gaiagara’s next lovers, preening, breeding, perfecting. They believe that Gaiagara’s only weakness is his love for the two mortals he chooses, the only escape from his terrible wrath.. Some cultures attempt to breed perfect ‘lovers’ for Gaiagara in attempt to gain his favor/protection from him/honor him. In these parts of the world, anyone baring Gaiagara’s mark would risk being killed so that another (village, tribe, etc) could get the chance to give Gaiagara one of their own.

Connection to Weather King Gaiagara has only shown us his devastating power once in recent memory. His decimation of the far-off land the Westerners call Basin was so great, their land so utterly destroyed, the land that fell into the sea rose the water even here.

Art and Architecture

Two Lover’s Day The lovers he picks are always offered immortality to stay with Gaiagara forever. However, no one has ever taken this offer. They say that once you have the mark, he grows inside you like a weed, and being away from him is unendurable. Because Gaiagara constantly needs to  spend long years sleeping, he has not yet found one willing to take on this burden.

LK KB FS AT LI – Bloat Echtoan New Year

(Day of Silence/prayer)

                             Holiday for Kithma Bsk

(Exchange of Gift Day)

                             Holiday for Fitheom Su

(??)

                             Holiday for Axwil Tov  

(Game/Competition Day)txcygvhbj;io

                             Holiday for Lismdom Ir

(Feast Day)

                             Echtoan New Year

‘Swans’ is not the true name of this club. Members use the word ‘Swans’ to describe their personal police force, and thus became the vague designation given to the entire social order.

Rank Structure

              Alpha – the head of the organization who has final judgement call on any and all club operations. Usually only known by regional alphas and sometimes betas, the individual is called ‘Inyoni’ by others.

              Regional Alpha – highest ranking member in a specific geographical area. Areas are determined by a per-capita basis, not by land mass. For the most part they govern themselves and are simply known as Alpha.

              Beta – a high ranking member with a more secretarial role than active role. The ‘left hand’ of the regional alpha.

              Masters – members who have achieved accolades in their chosen fields in the pursuit of the ultimate goal.

              Swans – the police force of the society in charge of ensuring rules are being enforced and seeking out (and occasionally punishing) whitelist criminals. The ‘right hand’ of the regional alpha. Because they can openly wound whitelist members, Swans have more public reputation than any other club member. The name ‘Swans’, said with contempt, respect, or fear, became the moniker for the entire society.

              Hosts – Generally retired Alphas, Swans, or Masters. They oversee new blood or hot water members in safe houses.

              Apprentice – usually refers to the favorite disciples of an alpha, though it may also refer to those in the process of becoming masters.

              Student – one who has committed themselves to the study of the ‘ultimate goal’ whether or not they reside within a particular school.

              Member – one who is a socially active member of the society, though takes no steps toward the ‘ultimate goal’.

              Participant – one who is born into the club or informally recognized as a friend or confidant. No authority and subject to all rules and regulations.

              Whitelist – those who have multiple infractions against the club. They are hunted down and punished. There is only one level of ‘wrong do-er’, and whitelisted criminals are captured and punished by a team of their peers along with a regional alpha.

Community and Sociality

   If you were to ask a member of the society what their ultimate goal is and they trusted you, they might respond with ‘to reach Inyoni’. This vague response is likely meant to reveal nothing to an outsider, making it easy for Swans to immediately recognize on of their own. Speculation on who or what Inyoni could be is varied; some claim it is a faith-based statement regarding a sort of nirvana or heaven, others believe it to be a traditional caste system of power. Regardless, all members of the society except whitelist members enjoy some level of community benefits.

     Intimacy is practiced freely and in many forms. While the group looks down on sexually-driven violence as a weakness unfit for their society, there is a hierarchy that informs inter-club relationships. Rank within the society determines who any member can propose; only the current rank and below is open to intimate relationships with that particular member. Relationships with whitelisted members are seen as treacherous, and Beta members are unlikely to form any relationship. Alphas enjoy the ability to choose whomever they wish with one notable exception. Pair Bonds occur when members of the same rank become closely linked through society related turbulence. Spending time incarcerated as pawns together or running the same failed project are the two most common ways of pair bonding. Some strong bonds are also created simply through working well together. While the relationship is not always a sexual one, a pair bonded couple is off-limits to propositions from other members.

Schools

Blood-Letting School – consuming parts of your victims, body or blood     Converts – a small off-shoot of the bloodletting school. Started by Murray Wang, members of this elite school seem to gain prolonged life through consuming humans. Notable members; Murray Wang, Cesare Esben

Stalker School – systematically destroying a single person’s life by killing their family and friends before cat-and-mousing them until they are caught and killed

Mega School – destroying as much as possible, not just people but structures and land too     Horde – a large and welcoming group where newer members often go to hone their talents. Working in large groups, members use the same methods and disguises to take out large populations, destroying the area in the process.

Visual School – kills using extreme techniques to achieve graphic surrealism, often a slow process      Splatter – a small, new school dedicated the extreme violence and gore. It involves rendering your victims into the blood and meat they are.      Pitch – an elite group within the visual school, those who are invited to join have shown mastery over a slow, systematic stalking and killing. Often, they are so concentrated on small items they have only one victim, but they consider themselves to be the closest to ‘perfect murder’, and many others respect them.

Zealot School – kills in the name of a theory or dogma that guides the killer to each victim and dictates the proper course of action

Primeval School – kills in an animalistic way and for animalistic reasons; protecting self, young, territory, for resources or mates, or because of insanity/bloodlust

Die-Laughing School – kills in comical ways, or attempts to make light of their victims while they murder them     Trash – Often older members or legacies, those in the Trash school are more interesting in laughter and terror than murder, and sometimes (though not often) do not even kill their victims. Generally, they have ‘leftovers’ that need to be cleaned up, and many disrespect them.

1. Practicing Witches 2. Natural Witches     2.1 Abilities     2.2 Mediums     2.3 Tesh 3. Barriers 4. Anodynes     4.1 Anomalous Anodynes

Not all practicing witches are natural witches. In fact, most are humans who with no natural aptitudes or aptitudes. The ability to use magic is not limited to natural witches, and many humans are able to use the same amount of magic as your basic natural witch. Only very powerful natural witches with strong aptitudes can wield more power than your average person. A human can study the supernatural and learn to use these forces, though at some point their natural barriers will conflict with the supernatural, thus limiting their natural ability. Does this make sense?

                             Natural Witches

Barriers

Humans are born with blocks against the paranormal – natural barriers which prevent the influence of unearthly forces. Because of this, humans have difficulty perceiving the supernatural. A natural witch is born without these barriers, but humans can only thrive in environments lacking in paranatural elements, and so the human body will create them with the witch’s own supernatural abilities. The body’s ability to form these natural protective barriers keeps humans safely separate from those things that cannot be comprehend.

Abilities

Natural ability evolves over time. At birth, any natural witch will begin to build the barriers it lacks, which often is the extent of their ability. Any witch with a power beyond this will find that they will begin to ‘babble’; the beginning stages of any ability that will later inform a witch’s aptitude. The babbling stage does not present strong ability but does allow a child to experience a wide spectrum of gifts on small scale. Once a child is old enough, around the onset of puberty, the babbling will cease and the witch’s aptitude will begin to become clear. Aptitude is decided by the level of interest and experience a witch acquires in a field while babbling, and by theirs and their peers understanding of their abilities. For example; many witches are mediums. This is in part due to people being convinced supernatural events are happening to them, rather than believing they are influencing their surroundings, while they are still babbling. In this way, a witch’s aptitude is tailored to fit their personal psychology.

After babbling, natural witches will begin to experience surges. Usually beginning around puberty, these ‘surges’ come with an influx of natural ability and the fervent desire to use their powers, possibly the body’s attempt to practice and control their powers. For some, the surges are addictive and dangerous, others barely feel them. Most experience a euphoric feeling or prevailing serenity after using power during a surge. The surges last from early teenage years to the late 20’s or early 30’s, coming as frequently as once a month to once or twice a week and staying as long as an hour to four or five hours.

From the end of the surges, a witch’s abilities will weaken, and they will remain that way for the entirety of their lives. Witches that overused during surges may experience depression or a variety of physical and mental afflictions; general weakness or exhaustion, trouble sleeping, episodes of seizure, episodes of cold sweats, episodes of dizziness, confusion, extreme anger, mood swings, etc. The transition is difficult even for those that closely monitored their usage during surges.

                             Mediums

Clearing a Person or Place – usually clearing a place, a team will come to professionally clean. It is not well looked on but sometimes necessary for a medium to work alone. Powerful mediums are dangerous when left alone with spirits and don’t have great reputations. A team usually consists of; Hipflask – an ‘overused vessel’ whose job it is to fill themselves with dangerous spirits and carry them elsewhere. Belt – usually one or two Belts on a team, their job is to be very familiar with the Hipflask and carry around important ingredients. Boot – a Boot is muscle needed to subdue resistant Mediums or civilians, usually one or two on a team. Head – the Head is an experienced member of the team who has done the most research on the place and shares information with the rest of the team. They have usually worked as another part of a team for many years and are responsible for keeping everyone safe. When a possession is forced or a connection is established between and medium and an entity, usually a glass or crystal representing that connection is utilized. Breaking this object severs the connection. Once full or partial possession takes place, it can be moved and the connection severed in a safe place. An entity can also be driven out of the body by harming the host – starvation, drowning, and sensory deprivation being the most common methods. These are only utilized if the medium experiences powerful(long-term) full possession.

Tesh: Witches of the West

Clearing a Person or Place – usually clearing a place, a team will come to professionally clean. It is not well looked on but sometimes necessary for a medium to work alone. Powerful mediums are dangerous when left alone with spirits and don’t have great reputations. A team usually consists of; Hipflask – an ‘overused vessel’ whose job it is to fill themselves with dangerous spirits and carry them elsewhere. Belt – usually one or two Belts on a team, their job is to be very familiar with the Hipflask and carry around important ingredients. Boot – a Boot is muscle needed to subdue resistant Mediums or civilians, usually one or two on a team. Head – the Head is an experienced member of the team who has done the most research on the place and shares information with the rest of the team. They have usually worked as another part of a team for many years and are responsible for keeping everyone safe. When a possession is forced or a connection is established between and medium and an entity, usually a glass or crystal representing that connection is utilized. Breaking this object severs the connection. Once full or partial possession takes place, it can be moved and the connection severed in a safe place. An entity can also be driven out of the body by harming the host – starvation, drowning, and sensory deprivation being the most common methods. These are only utilized if the medium experiences powerful(long-term) full possession.

Anodynes

Anodynes Anodynes are a somewhat recent discovery. Not supernatural but rather paranormal or paranatural, they possess abnormally powerful barriers that not only protect them, but others from supernatural influence. More than likely they themselves are unaware of their gifts and because they block supernatural phenomena from others as well, are often the largest skeptics of the inexplicable. Anodynes can be useful in controlling supernatural influence in natural witches or those otherwise afflicted. However, when confronted with a powerful entity or energy, the Anodyne risks illness.

1. Geographically 2. Etymology 3. Uembian Traditions 4. Enslavement and Diaspora    4.1 In Marcwith    4.2 In Erebus 5. Religion    5.1 Traditional Beliefs    5.2 Ties to Mageroa    5.3 Descendants of the Sondgoi Dalain (mysterious west) 6. Uembian Coalescence

Geographically Uembians are different; even though they were mostly bred out of existence, some can still trace their lineage (supposedly). They are also known as colored people? the females also carry sperm in a separate interior organ (like testicles, but inside). This isn’t really ‘sperm’ and is usually not ‘potent’ but is used to lubricate the female genitals. Sometimes, females can get other females pregnant this way, though they can never impregnate themselves (like spiders that don’t stick to their own webs). This trait has completely disappeared in modern times, along with dramatically different colored skin. *We got the tradition of shaving from the Uembians in the south, who believed that hair carried negative energy. Shaving the hair meant removing negative energy, and was treated as a ceremonial event every week. This contrasted the reigning powers in Marcwtich, namely the Hwoxin, Numera, and Stormvice families, all of whom wore long or intricate hairstyles. As cultures merged, hair on the face and head was kept, while body hair, which could be hidden under clothing, could easily be shaved away without giving up your Uembian origin. In Uembian religion; if you allow them to worship Kol, he will allow you into the afterlife, even if you did not believe in him.

Etymology 

Uembian Traditions

Uembians are different; even though they were mostly bred out of existence, some can still trace their lineage (supposedly). They are also known as colored people? the females also carry sperm in a separate interior organ (like testicles, but inside). This isn’t really ‘sperm’ and is usually not ‘potent’ but is used to lubricate the female genitals. Sometimes, females can get other females pregnant this way, though they can never impregnate themselves (like spiders that don’t stick to their own webs). This trait has mostly disappeared in modern times, along with dramatically different colored skin. Long ago Uembians also had long pointed ears, rough skin texture, and sharp teeth for their mostly carnivorous diets, all traits that have nearly vanished in the modern world and would only been seen in the most remote islands in the south where Uembian traditions still stand.

*We got the tradition of shaving from the Uembians in the south, who believed that hair carried negative energy. Shaving the hair meant removing negative energy, and was treated as a ceremonial event every week. This contrasted the reigning powers in Marcwtich, namely the Hwoxin, Numera, and Stormvice families, all of whom wore long or intricate hairstyles. As cultures merged, hair on the face and head was kept, while body hair, which could be hidden under clothing, could easily be shaved away without giving up your Uembian origin.

Enslavement and Diaspora 

More than any other culture in history, the Uembians have faced turmoil and enslavement since their cultures first clashed with the Drepa (probably around bbb b.c.e).      Marcwith          In the continent of Marcwith the Uembians – then called Dideic - were so integrated in the culture that though they were originally enslaved by the Deerless, the Quix, and the Dead-O’s, their customs were generally accepted and they could often work to buy their freedom. The Hwoxin were less tolerant of the Uembians and were the cruelest of the slavemasters. In most parts of Marcwith, Uembians were allowed to buy their freedom after years of service to a family. Most Uembians were born into slavery and only one free colony of Uembians existed; FreeName, which was like the rest of Marcwith filled with turmoil and civil issue. Those enslaved were born under the rule of particular territories or families, and were sometimes traded between the two in payment of services, goods, or debts. Those who worked hard, showed great loyalty to their owners, or were born to a released slave were considered ‘free’, though they lead fairly restrictive lives.

    Erebus          Throughout Erebus the Uembians were also enslaved and generally treated much worse than in turbulent Marcwith. They were imported through Fylan, where some of them were treated quite fairly, and upon entering the main islands were employed as personal servants or sex workers – both unnatural applications of Uembians who had little to no sex drive and limited knowledge of keeping a home. They were not allowed to stay in the same houses as their owners and despite having no interest in physical intimacy were cruelly and specifically bred with humans to create a more appealing ‘creature’. The term Uembian also originated in Erebus – a cruel joke poking fun of the way Uembians naturally spoke. Years later the term was reclaimed and is now the preferred name above the previously popular ‘painted people’.

Religion

Uembian religion is rarely practiced in pure form, and much information on the differing beliefs of tribes has been lost. The modern iteration of this is Mageroa. Uembians believed if you let them worship, you will be allowed into their heaven. Capitol

Uembian Coalescence

Vinumera Hwox and Oarnoa Southern Marcwith The Islands

Though currently consisting of Vael and Numera, the north eastern side of the continent is still considered to be the ancient homeland of the Deerless named for their founding father. This part of Marcwith still boasts the largest population of Deerless-Coalescent peoples and contains some of the most famous cities, including the ancient trade-city of Houndsmouth, the old capitol Qubbhae, and the popular tourist city Vinerin which hosts the largest collection of the famous author Githmund.

Hwox and Oarnoa

Currently linked, the cultures of these two remote places are quite dissimilar. While Hwox still has a large, fairly indigenous population, Oarnoa is an incredible diverse mix of genetics and cultures that defies most of the northern continent. Too remote to be a big draw for outside visitors, the city of Causeway (with it’s obvious Stormvice name) has retained an incredible amount of original architecture. The Tecuoth Shkm, better known as the Butterfly Castle, is the sight of a three-sided battle famously recalled by the Uembian poet Zindea.

Orom in the West has been a sore subject for the inhabitants of Marcwith as well as archeologists all over the world. Within this historically human-controlled territory lies the ancient ruins of the so-called ‘Mysterious West’, a place both heavily guarded and constantly promoted. Here the culture of the Westerners is left in ruins, an old civilization that moderners only know of through the works of Githmund Extiez and the short amount of time allotted to scholars each year during the Echtoan and Tamashp holidays.

Central Marcwith is home to another turbulent force, the Freestate of Ido, or FOI. Nestled in the only hospitable part (and even this most consider a stretch) of the Creeping Desert is a militant group of native people, mostly consisting of Bava, Hwox, and Deerless coalescent. Few venture past the natural fortress of that wasteland, and those that do find a state of living far below what most would consider poverty – the people instead living as their ancient ancestors would.

Southern Marcwith

Southern Marcwith is the most diverse country, and the only to claim a part of the Creeping Desert as a part of their own homeland. Few Bava or Hwoxin coalesnt reside there, but their Uembian population is massive. Much calmer than the north, a few cities in the south have recently gained some economic promenience in Marcwith, drawing young families from the north as well as from around the world.

The Islands

Ogres Bavas Hwoxin Deerless Uembian Dead-O’s

Ogres

Though Ogres seem the stuff of fantasy, many people in Marcwith are convinced of their history. The proof offered consists mostly of artwork, text, and legends handed down through generations. Perhaps the most compelling evidence is that of the Greatest City, a massive ruin worn down by the harsh landscape of the Creeping Desert. Ogres have skin ranging from deep red to pale pink, eyes ranging in number from one to four, and heights ranging from 6 to 15 ft. Generally, the shorter, paler giants, sometimes teasingly referred to as pygmies, have fewer eyes and are regarded as the most intelligent. The larger, redder, four eyed ones are not any less or more intelligent but are regarded as such because of their size. Their hair, which is greenish black in color, is so lush and silky it is valuable. They are the original inhabitants of Vinumera, and their unconquerable reputation allowed their lands to be undisturbed up until the Extiez family pushed their way in. Often they are portrayed in history as ‘noble savages’. Carrion

Bavas

vampire-like Bavas are lithe, intelligent, and bloodthirsty. They are almost entirely pale skinned with black eyes and hair and generally a bit shorter – usually under 6 feet. They are good companions to have because of their agility, but they have a reputation of consuming all their kills regardless of type. As a Bava, you may feel the urge to consume raw meat, and you may enjoy eating the things you kill – same as a wild animal.

Deerless

Known for being quiet and calm, the Deerless were the undivided rulers of Vinumera. they are usually also wealthy and slight. Intelligent and apathetic, they are unable to become splintered because they are the ones doing the slicing, dicing, and splicing. They are tall, no adult would be shorter than 6 foot, and their complexion is incredibly clear. They have light brown skin with pale markings on their face resembling the markings of deer. Stereotypically their social skills are left wanting, but their cool attitude is admired by some. They abhor the sight of blood – it is a great insult to draw blood from someone. They have an obsession with hygiene and cleanliness, even going so far as to remove unwanted hairs or tattoo more attractive markings on the face. Being traditional, they do not understand the boisterous nature of the Quix, but at least tolerate them. The Arnoons are less tolerable, their language is rough and brutish, their behavior seemingly brash, but their knowledge at sea is unparalleled. The Extiez would outwardly do anything to keep the Arnoon family in good graces, but secretly hope to rid the country of them once all their usefulness is used up. Because of the Extiez iron rule for the past X years, the family is often fighting within itself, usually resorting to trickery or even murder to achieve the highest honor.

Dead-O’s