Legends of Mezuria

BREAKING NEWS

Hello and welcome back to Mezuria News, Mezuria's number one broadcast channel for the latest news across the continent! I'm Tyran Isamek here with tonight's latest story.

Officials with the Mezuria Investigative Department have recieved several missing creature reports over the last 48 hours. The reports are mainly concentrated in the  northeast Areni area, with a few additional reports within Noxolo and Matema. Officials advise residents within these areas to use the buddy system, not travel long distances alone, and stay indoors after dark.

The MID is currently investigating these dissapearences, but have so far turned up little. They have found no discernable pattern within the viticms, all being of various species, even large therapods gone without a trace. However, among the victims was a Dilophosaurus by the name of Dr. Ori Dysoma, a leading genetics researcher. She is best known for her understanding of genetic sequencers, ancient technology that has gone unsolved for decades.

Interestingly, record-keepers have found that this spree of mass dissapearences coincides with one of simmilar scale almost 50 years ago. Whether this is a coincidence, or an important clue, investigators have yet to confirm. Fortunately, we have lead investigator Aldir Atlas with us today to answer some questions.

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Tyran: Dr. Atlas, thank you for meeting with us today.

Atlas: My pleasure. And please, just Atlas.

T: Sure. Now as I'm sure you know, people are very concerned about this whole situation. Is there anything you'd like to say to any worried citizens tuning in?

A: I can assure all of you that we have the situation under control. We are doing everything we can to keep you safe.

T: [*nodding*] We have full faith in you and your team. And another hot topic, what are your thoughts on this event's connection with the dissapearences 50 years ago?

A: *sigh* [Atlas tilts his snout downwards in annoyance] We don't have nearly enough evidence to draw any conclusions. Anything I or anyone else would say is sheer speculation.

T: Mhm, well Atlas, that is all the time we have for today. Thank you very much for coming to speak with us.

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We don't know if the attacker or attackers worked alone, or as a group. Their identity is yet unknown. Investigators are in the process of interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. We will keep you updated on the situation as it develops. Stay safe out there folks.

As promised, the maps are here! I'm not 100% sure if all of this will stay the same, will definitely change things as i go, but this is the idea! I have some of the nations labeled, especially in Ayodele, but I've hidden them here because I'm not sure ill keep them the same.

-Political map

-Mezurian Tribes in the Confederation

-Köppen climate classification (Thanks Artifexian)

-Currents

-Volcanoes and Plates

-Continents

LOM is an alternate universe earth where the K-Pg extinction event never happened, dinosaurs became one of the dominant species, along with dragons, and Pangea split in a much different way. (Plus aliens, but shhh later)

I created this map by taking an equirectangular map of Pangea with the modern day countries on it, and divided it differently. What would have become modern day Australia is southeast Ayodele, Japan is SW Zambe, the US is NW Mezuria, etc.

PLUS. I manually stretched all the continents to the equirectangular projection and then checked it on planet maker 😭😭😭

As you could probably guess based on the detail I put into the map, not all of the stories in the Legends of Mezuira universe will take place in Mezuria 😅. I plan on exploring the other regions now, but the name just kinda stuck for me. Not sure if it will change or not in the future, but also not sure what i would change it TO lol.

(Ref desperately needs redoing 😭😭)

Sexuality: Gay

Personality:

Extroverted, outgoing, can make anyone laugh, silly. Can have a short temper, though hes not proud of it.

Backstory:

Ganymede had a rough childhood. His parents were neglectful at best and abusive at worst. When his sister hatched, he protected the egg with his life. Until one day during an argument, his father crushed it by accident. After that day, he left and never looked back. He strives to be everything his parents weren't.

Daedalus is his best friend, they do almost everything together. He always knows how to cheer him up or get him out of his shell. They like playful bickering and banter.

He loves astronomy and the stars. He often stays up late to watch the sky, even though Daedalus tells him to get to bed.

His first memories are of the box. There is no escaping the box. Or, at least, that what he'd come to accept. 

Viridios was created by a mysterious underground organization who seems to be trying to create living weapons, and pitting them against each other to determine which are the most powerful...and controllable. He has plant DNA, that allows him to photosynthesize and absorb water through his skin. After an incident that resulted in █ █ █ █ █ █ █ , he was transferred to an "offsite facility".

He spent 7 years in the box, forgotten and alone. Rain trickled in through the roof, sun shone through the windows that taunted him with their height. Many people had passed by, tried to get him out, offered words of comfort, but none of it seemed to work. Some threw things. He'd fallen into a state of manic acceptance.

That is until one day, someone was able to open the box. A whole new world opened up to him, and he was eager to explore it.

Now he studies botany and toxicology, learning more about the world around him. Confined spaces make him feel conflicted, comforted and trapped at the same time, like if he returns to comfort he may never leave again. He's a bit naive, but he's not a child, despite how some people treat him.

One day he may learn the secrets of his origin, and what he may not remember. If he does, he will find that he is much more powerful than it seems.

note: the prosthetic is slightly off-color, and most will at least notice that its there, even if they don't know what it is.

Rigel is a retired combat medic from the Great War. He has many scars and stories to tell, but their origin will change very time you ask about them. Nobody knows if he's ever told the true stories.

He's gruff, with a hard exterior, and can be grumpy at times. But beneath all of that, he really does care, even though it might not seem like it.

He used to be a top medic during the war, and knows quick and effective first aid, but he definitely won't be gentle; he cares more about your health than your comfort. He now talks with Thaya occasionally, since they share a profession, and enjoys their chats. Thaya shows him new techniques, and tries to teach him some doctor-patient etiquette. not that it goes well usually. Maybe he's just not cut out to be a family doctor.

Captain Derge is your typical jovial captain; risk taking, adventurous, a hearty laugh and sense of humor, and a well-kept secret...

Captain Derge is mysterious to put it lightly. No one has ever seen him become physically injured. sometimes someone will notice a new scar, but never an injury beforehand. As for his side, no-one knows what's going on there, though it is rumored that eternal wounds can only be dealt by gods. Also, the Cardinal will never stay in the same place for more than a day. Its Derge's one rule; the ship never stops moving.

Laniakea is undead. He is a spirit possessing his own body. This means that he doesn't naturally blink, breathe, have a pulse, or perform any autonomic functions, nor does he need to, though he can do them manually to appear normal. He is also able to separate his spirit from his body temporarily and float/travel and talk to people, though he can't touch anything in this form. He often forgets this.

He's very eccentric, and lives at the site of his old clan. He's the person to come to for anything related to magic; he likes being helpful. Wards, magic items, prophecy, etc. He draws runes and writes down spells in glowing blue paint. He embraces his spookiness and is more than a little unhinged at times. Many times. He likes to have some fun and spook people.

He is also bipolar II, as he found out after a depressive episode when he was 123.

He often leaves gifts for his friends as his way of showing he appreciates them. bones, trinkets, etc. At their doorstep when they come home. He likes people he can be his genuine self around, without having to seem normal.

Laniakea was a normal dino once, part of the Glow clan, a group of utahraptors who were known for using glowing blue paint in their ceremonial practices. When he was 15, his parents gifted him a necklace, and told him it would protect him as long as he wore it.

The clan would perform witchcraft services to their neighbors, and were well respected. One day, a child in the nearby town fell deathly ill after visiting. Her parents thought the clan had done something to their daughter.

The town raided their camp, and backed Lani's family up to a cliff. Before he knew it, he was free falling. His body hit the ground, and went straight through, carrying his momentum downwards. He saw himself, sprawled out on a rock, and made his way back to his body. He sat up and gasped. After a few seconds, he realized his heart should be racing but...it wasn't. He had no pulse.

The child from the village had actually accidentally gotten into the poisonous extract used to make the paint before the poison was filtered out. They clan had done nothing to her.

Before the dinos and dragons discovered fire, someone came from the stars and began to build. They created structures and observed from afar, aiming to study the creatures of earth's development.

And so the SEEKER units were created, made to resemble the endemic life and observe them. They had other functions, like construction and sample collection. There were other lines created too, each with different appearances and features.

One day, the ones who came from the stars disappeared. Nobody knows why, but sensing their imminent end, they send out a signal to shut down all of the drone units, except a few did not receive it.

SEEKER passively collected data for thousands of years. That was until recently, when an interaction with a creature needing assistance allowed him to overwrite his own code.

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His file system is so self-referential and constantly changing that its incomprehensible to anyone else now. Seeker is curious and trying to understand what it means to be, well, him. He travels Mezuria, taking it as his new task to help others in emergency situations. He's still learning how to interact with people, and is starting to...feel? he doesn't know what it all means. 

Stranger is blind, save for basic color receptors on their spines, and instead they use echolocation to navigate the world. They can resolve such sharp "images" from it, detecting depth and surface texture, that it is similar to monochromatic vision that drops off with distance. They come from a rogue exoplanet without a sun, where echolocation is common. So is bioluminescent communication, even among plant-like chemotrophs that use it to signal over truly enormous distances across the high cliffs and valleys of their home planet.

Stranger was transported from his home planet to Mezuria not so long ago by a mysterious gateway structure, and now searches for a way to get back to his home planet...

He's still learning common, and speaks in short phrases. He hates bright lights and stays in the shade as much as possible during the day time, but mostly goes out at night.

They're very homesick and feel frustrated and misunderstood.

Daedalus was accidentally created in a dormant lab, and thus has no parents. He was born with a twin, but he died at birth from nutrient deficiencies. In fact, Daedalus would have too if not for the fact he received surgery and implants automatically by the lab to fix the deformities. He even has implants in his brain, heart, and digestive system. Because of this, he doesn't need to/can't sleep.

Daedalus is a master of technology, and scours Mezuria for scrap tech left by whoever was here before... He has an uncanny ability to figure out how something works, and can even detect magnetic fields to some degree because of his implants.

He's best friends with Ganymede, and they do everything together. He sometimes wishes he had a brother, but when he's with Ganymede, its almost as if he does.

Thaya is about the best doctor in northern Mezuria, and even runs his own clinic. He always knows how to make his patients as comfortable as he can. But... not everyone sees him that way.

Thaya's been on the run since childhood because of his appearance, kicked out of his home very young. He's been labeled a demon, an evil spirit, a monster, anything you can think of really.

Ever since he started the clinic a few years ago, people have come around, mostly local northerners though. Even the other doctors hesitate to send patients or consult, that is until they come back with a glowing review. He's extremely skilled after years of practice on his unwilling travels. The fluid coming from his eyes is packed with immune cells that aggressively attack anything organic. It also fills his sinuses, which helps him to basically never get sick.

Thaya knows what its like to be mistreated. Anything you need to feel more comfortable, he'll make it work. And nobody leaves without a sucker, because even war-torn veterans like sugar.

Thaya struggles with a fear of unintentionally hurting others and anxiety, having been told he's a dangerous monster all his life. He does pottery as a hobby; its very calming for him. He doesn't like going by his real fist name Thay'ak, as it means demon in his native language (great parents.)