Shu Copac
Shu Copac
Deep in the heart of the Gol Agreyth, surrounded by metalic hotsprings, lies a truly remakable site: a living tree made of pure Tetrandite. It is one thing to hear tales of its beauty, but when the sun strikes its crystalline petals, the world is set on fire with a dazzling array of color and a million points of light. If nothing else were true, it would have been small wonder that the Fulmin would choose to settle around it.
Yet, for the Fulmin the situation was much more dire. Their species, for all its many strengths, has a fatal weakness. In order to maintain proper scale density, a Fulmin has to consume small amounts of tetrandite daily. If they go too long without it, their scales become brittle, then start to fall off, leaving the Fulmin terribly vulnerable. So, for them, finding a source of this vital resource was no less than a miracle. Realizing their fortune, the Fulmin settled in the region and began the construction of their first city, and naming it Shu Copac, or 'Tree of Life'.
History
Founding of Shu Copac
When the Fulmin arrived on Duende, they were not fully aware of just how dense mana was in the fledgling world compared to the Prime Material Plane. Finding themselves stranded, the decided to take wise precautions to protect the few Fulmin there were. Hearkening to their ancestory, they attempted to create their first city.
It is worth noting that Fulmin do not really build cities as most other civilizations did. They have a fairly unique set of circumstances. First their draconic forms made it possible for the elders to move massive amounts of material quickly, but did not do much to promote sophisticated construction. Their humanoid anatomy, while imminently suitable for wielding, were not particulary well suited for long term heavy labor. They, of course, learned to adapt. The Fulmin would use their draconic strength and wielding knowledge to layout enourmous spell forms of rock or stone, and then use their wielding knowledge and abilities to form the material they had laid down into walls. Not only did this greatly increase the rate at which they could build, but the massive spell forms would amplify their powers within their bounds.
It is oft lamented among the Fulmin that ignorance is the most deadly enemy, and the founding of Shu Copac was an exercise in proving this most fundamental truth. After the spell forms had been laid, the four elders took their places at the cardinal points, reverting to their full draconic forms as they had so many times before. In unison they raised their heads, chanting in their language, a language built upon the foundations of their magical learning, gathering more and more power as they moved through the ritual. As many wielders learn, there is a certain point in a ritual where stopping is at least as deadly as continuing, and as the Fulmin passed this point of no return, they realized their mistake.
During the latter stages of their city building ritual, they would be connecting their spell form to the local node, giving it a perpetual source of power. In the material planet, this would have been fine, but they had grossly underestimated how much raw mana saturates Duende; raw power that was being amplified by their ritual, again by the spell forms they had laid out, again by the node that they tapped into, and far more surprising, by Shu Copac itself! Realizing that the release of the spell would have destroyed everything for hundreds of miles, and potentially trigger another eruption of the mighty caldera beneath them, they aborted the power back into themselves knowing full well that to do so was almost certain death.
In unison the four elders aborted the ritual, causing all of the amplified mana to come coursing back through their bodies in a brilliant flash. When the onlookers could see again, where their elders had stood were four crystalline Fulmin. The onlookers could only stare in disbelief and shock, for the loss of an immortal is no small event, and the loss of four at once was practically unheard of. As the shock started to wane, grief set in, and their kin wept.
It took over three years for the remaining Fulmin to figure out precisely what had happened so that they could accomodate for it. In the fourth year, on the anniversary of the first attempt, the new elders cast their lot, only this time taking great care to not over amplify their magics as they had been accustomed to doing, finally raising the walls of Shu Copac precisely where their former elders had laid them.
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