Worldsong of the Everlost, or an Encyclopedic Atlas of The Continent on Kaliij and All Its Peoples, as Chronicled by Primarchivist Reyev, Blessed Librarian-Domestic of Highest Satrap Sehma Sayret
Foreword
The Spires of the
Great Integrum reflect light into my chambers as I write this, the preamble to what I hope will someday be the authoritative work of my era. If I seem reticent to go into greater detail, consider dear reader that I am only seeking to whet your appetite for the further details I will delve into later within this volume. Few and far between are the histories and geographies that come down to us from the Imperial Age, before the Great Breaking undid so much progress. Worse still, we are divided moreso now than ever yet before, and there is little hope that the unity we had once achieved may ever be restored. Thus any historian, geographer, or anthropologist will be sorely challenged to comprehensively and accurately take down the details of the age within which they live, especially when we live in such trying times as these.
My fellow Archivists have ridiculed my statements of desire to pen a work such as this. Though their contempt may be founded on the dearth of great works that exist now, I hope to deafen their mockery with a work that towers and stands apart. As a guidepost for future generations, mayhaps it shall even prove essential to deciphering the wealth of knowledge we Archivists even now are safeguarding and slowly but surely unravelling, that we might know what arcane and occult lore our forbears saw fit to forget.
My ambitions mean little and less, if I fail to establish a sound foundation for pursuing a complete picture of this world. We must begin, as one always must, with the beginning of everything. In this task, we are little aided by what sources come down from Old
Partrinex, as whatever their own discoveries might have yielded up, we remain woefully ill-equipped to understand. There is fanciful imagery, and what can best be described as poetical sentiments, but not nearly anything so clear as an explanation. To share one such fragment, for what little it may be worth, we have the words of one Taxxai Xaiax;
In our vision came a splendor'd orb of gold and gossamer, enwreath'd all about by points of light, and lo, in the far distance a mighty yawning vastness that was akin to nothing so much as death itself. From death, life, and unto life cometh death, should one pass beyond the farthest reaches of the golden threads. And still further on, we heard a tremendous sound like-
As you can no doubt surmise, we are sorely lacking whatever cosmological mores the Partrinian authour obviously referenced in the above passage. Nevertheless, several branches of the Archives are determined to more fully unlock the secrets hidden within documents such as these, alongside the mysterious pictographic charts that they accompany. I myself would prefer to dwell in more pragmatic areas, and so we turn to Kaliij herself, and the advent of the living beings whom call this sphere home.
A Living History
Near as
Sayreti biologists can determine, at some point several thousands of years prior to the rise of the Partrinian Empire, at least, the ancestors of the first peoples, sometimes referred to as Mother Peoples in Odelander texts, are presumed to have emerged. These beings, with what scant artifacts they leave behind, are difficult to know in greater detail. Nevertheless, we know they resembled the human shape, possessed language, and wielded tools. It goes without saying that many of the cultures on Kaliij claim to know the reason why this ancestral people sprang up, but lacking any way to verify such claims, I will adopt the agnostic position and disclose what is known of what came next.
The first people after establishing settlements across
The Continent soon began to shift and change their form, according to heretofor unknown means. Those that lived by the coast soon developed the means to breathe water as easily as air, and webbed hands and feet to more easily traverse aquatic environments. Similarly, those people that lived high above the treeline on mountain peaks grew in size, so that they might have larger lungs to take in larger gasps of the thin air at such heights. Some few even grew wings to soar over the land, feeling at greater ease in the sky than on the ground. Many and more examples of these adaptations exist, and not all of them appear to have occurred merely due to environmental pressures. Famously, Terrhevkan legend has it that those folk small in stature called the leafy jungle canopies home when other physically formidable peoples chased them into those verdant corners. Meanwhile, those same formidable factions fought with enlarged teeth, horns, and more adaptations on the wide and warm Arhal Plains where strength guaranteed control of the most fertile acres.
All of what I've just described can be gleaned from keen observation of the world in its present state, however, we should delve further into the details of the present-day as brought down to us from the past. For this reason, I look to the Odish
The Eversong for inspiration, and an anthropological colour that is absent from purely naturalistic studies.
We can see that the modern diversity of peoples on Kaliij is generally subdivided into eight "Mother" categories, again drawing upon the language of
Odelanders. They are as follows;
- The Harmonen ~ Longest lived among the mother peoples, people who claim Harmonen heritage are often seen as older and wiser. Their long lifespans lead to smaller families and fewer numbers overall. Accounts of the Harmonen report that among the mother peoples they clung to longevity, unification, and stability. As Odelanders have it, Harmony was the hero whose legacy left the longest shadow. That shadow of enduring constitution may be considered as their unique trait among modern-day descendants. Those of Harmony's lineage take singular pride in bringing those perceived to be different under the same banner, all to aspire to a greater and more unified cause. Harmonen are drawn in particular to places on the Continent where they can use their talents to bring disparate peoples together, and the fall of Partrinex was a particular sore spot for them. In modern-day Partem, many Harmonen find fulfillment in leading tight-knit military units, while Harmonen in Elnemora find their usefulness maintaining elaborate social networks.
GM Note: The Harmonen lineage confers 2.5x the species' base life expectancy. Harmonen can select from the following D&D Races; Elves, Eladrin, Aasimar, Human.[change this to something with more gameplay impact / give the others something more flavoury to accompany the gameplay aspect]
- The Discordren ~ Short-lived, whether by nature or by circumstance, those that descend from Discord are considered uniquely hardy and adaptible. More plentiful than the Harmonen, the advent of modern civilizations and industries has allowed Discordren to prosper especially well. Discord's reputed ability to raise up and inspire the over-looked and the underappreciated is particularly of note, with those claiming that lineage often displaying tremendous potential and versatility. Descendants of Discord are almost certainly to blame for the current hostilities between Partem and Elnemora, but their actions further afield whether amid the jungles of Terrhev or the Mountains of Astriij also bear consideration. Wandering Discorden might take up the path of the Odish, singing and storytelling to raise morale when tempers flare, while others of their legacy become outstanding field-researchers within the Great Integrum's Library here in Sayret.
GM Note: The Discordren lineage allows one to gain an inspiration point whenever an ally expends one. Discordren can select from the following D&D races; Tieflings, Humans, Orcs
- The Hearthen ~ Tenders of the flame in every sense, those descended from Hearth are the first and fiercest champions of the home, building up villages and campfires wherever possible. There is a strong probability that many of the first Odelanders were of the Hearthen people. Hearth's role in the Eversong was one of caretaking and preservation, and many who find their lineage aligns thusly feel called to protecting that which is most valuable. Some rogue scholars have proposed outlandish ideas surrounding the provenance of dragons as creatures that epitomize Hearth's philosophy embodied to the most extreme degree. I don't personally feel that theory holds much water, but I digress. The skills of craftmanship and artisans are often finely-honed among the Hearthren, though as detailed below, that title of "best" is hotly contested. A Diinra matron leading her family in a prayer of gratitude to Jiisajii could be Hearthen, as could a Terrhevkan River-Lord's concubine when he amasses a grand bonfire to welcome home his lover by emptying the treasury for new spoils.
GM Note: The Hearthen lineage allows its members to use a) Lesser Restoration or, b) Arcane Lock without expending a spell slot once per short rest. The Hearthen can select from the following D&D races; Dwarves, Duergar, Dragonborn, Humans
- The Bridgeren](species:0d11797e-0997-4a96-897a-2535cfd8f719) ~ Those that claim Bridgeren lineage find themselves at a perpetual crossroads between the world as we know it, and the world as it could be. It is said that Bridge was, amongst the heroes of the Eversong, a figure that stood apart. Some apocryphal retellings suggest that Bridge was Harmony's right hand, whilst others disagree and claim Bridge aided in Discord's ill-fated efforts. Whatever the case may be, and I truly couldn't begin to guess at the truth, what is apparent is the close ties between Bridge's descendants and the aspect of crossing boundaries. The Bridgeren are often ill at ease, living lives caught between two worlds. Some rise to greatness despite their mixed origins, while others fall further into the chasm that was their upbringing. Some of the most resilient communities on the Continent were birthed by the efforts of Bridgeren in spite of cultural clashes, and their defiance of categorization or definition all while navigating the world's complexities is a mark of pride. It is rumoured the current Grand Tailor in Katamarin may be of Bridgeren descent, but just the other day I met a street performer whose mastery of Terrhevkan acrobatics belied their Partemic garb and accent.
GM Note: The Bridgeren lineage provides two language proficiencies, a bonus feat, and a secondary background. Bridgeren can choose from the following D&D Races; Human, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Changeling
[to be revised]
- The Makeren ~ Those descended from the Makeren are often grouped together with the Hearthen, and this is an understandable confusion. Makeren descendants are often renowned for their love of ingenuity, pursuit of knowledge, and skill with crafts. These tendencies lend themselves greatly to the creation and preservation of a shared home. Those descendants then, often exhibit traits that lend themselves to reshaping of the environment to their own tastes. This has led to some scholars observing that the Makeren are to civilization what the Harmonen are to the wilderness. Makeren descendents include; Gnomes of all varieties, Dwarves of all varieties, Goblins
- The Gazeren ~ Those descended from the Gazeren have seen beyond the physical and transcended in some manner. These are exceptionally rare, and confusingly for those inclined to catalogue and categorize such as myself, tend to crop up within other peoples seemingly at random. What we can say for certain is that much in the way that Bridgeren seem almost to have adapted themselves to environments alien to ours, the descendants of Gazeren seem to have caught the attention or influence of something beyond Kaliij and it has filtered through their very being. Various cultures interpet Gazeren as touched by deities or forces greater than that which is natural, even though such explanations are woefully dissatisfactory. Gazeren-descended peoples include; Aasimar, Tieflings, Changelings, Shifters
- The Tongueren ~ Sometimes also called the Wilderen, these descendants are indisputably the most varied, and their adaptations since arising in the distant past the most advanced. Some mistakenly believe that descendants of Tongueren are beasts with sapience, but Odish lore has it that rather this ancestral group were so enamoured of and desirous of coexistence with beasts that they transformed their own bodies to better allow them to live harmoniously together. An exhaustive list of descendants would be misplaced here, but Tongueren include; Aarakocra, Giff, Hadozee, Harengon, Kenku, Minotaurs, Tabaxi, Thri-kreen, Tortles, Tritons, and Yuan-Ti.
- The Deathen ~ Least storied, most feared, those descended of the Deathen are usually not accorded full rights or privileges in most cultures across Kaliij. Whether this is small-minded bigotry or hard-earned precaution depends on whom you ask, however it is this authour's policy not to pass prejudice on an entire group simply because the actions of some individuals might be deemed monstrous. It is most telling, in my scholarly opinion, that the Deathen are still present in the records that we have albeit less so than the other mother peoples. The rhetoric some resort to using of "abominations," or worse yet, "unnatural crimes that the gods demand we purge" bespeaks a curious prejudgement indeed, where yours truly remains merely curious, and lacking sufficient detail to further comment. Deathen-descendants are, amongst others; Dhampir, Reborn, Hexbloods
Regions of Kaliij
To speak of the Continent we call home, one must first understand that its size is immense. We cannot possibly travel its breadth in less than half a year using the quickest of means, and negotiating that distance requires traversing a plethora of climes and biomes, several of which are distinctly more difficult to navigate than others.
Take for instance the sprawling
Arhal Plains, where teeming plots of crops are planted every season to feed the Slave-Lords of
Teol, themselves beholden to
Elnemoran rule. That region, grassy and lightly hilled, is subject to seasonal rains and despite the expansion of agriculture, large tracts of wild plains still remain unsettled. Vast herds of aurochs migrate across the plains, and such is the size of these herds I am told, that the dust raised by their progress can darken the sun. Take care then, if you travel that way, that you aren't stolen away and pressed into service cultivating crops, or otherwise trampled by an angry aurochs. The forests that once bounded much of the region have been cut down, for use as lumber in ships or buildings alike.
If it's trees you are after, and much else besides, look no further than the Jungles of Terrhev. At a latitude where other parts of the Continent are frosty year round, the heavy volcanic activity off the western coast keeps Terrhev's forests humid and hot. Vast networks of rivers run through the verdant region, and the River-Bands and Tree-Guilds hold court below and above respectively.
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