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The Clockwork Jungle

Started by Polycarp, April 18, 2010, 03:15:12 AM

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Rose-of-Vellum

Great proverb. It excellently sets the blurb's tone. Once again, the detailed, complex, yet-mystery rich history -and its impact on local culture- is fantastic. I especially like the 4 sites described, particularly the potential Prime hook and the Tahr ossuary. I was surprised, however, not to see any specific (non-kaj) Iskite settlement noted or detailed. Were you perhaps planning on adding any?  I find that adding just a few names, coupled with even a line or two, help make the place more accessible for gameplay.

Speaking of gameplay, what's the status/direction of CJ's mechanics?

Polycarp

Quote from: Rose-of-VellumI was surprised, however, not to see any specific (non-kaj) Iskite settlement noted or detailed. Were you perhaps planning on adding any?

As I mentioned, most of that update was written some time ago, including the sites, so I couldn't quite tell you why no village made it in.  Actually, one Szelsh village has been mentioned before, but it's not in Gearfall - it's the Szelsh village of Fesshen in the Maw.  I probably will add more sites as time goes on, but for the features my general practice has been to pick 3-4 interesting things that catch my fancy and post those.

Quote from: Rose-of-VellumSpeaking of gameplay, what's the status/direction of CJ's mechanics?

I guess there are basically three systems that have been considered for this -

  • Synergy, linked in my signature, which was a system based on some earlier concept threads of mine that proposed making abilities a product of skills.  I'm no longer considering it now but I did learn some things that may end up being applied elsewhere.
  • CJ PF, an adaptation of Pathfinder for the CJ, inspired by Dialexis' game on Dicefreaks (who, to my knowledge, is the only one who's actually run a CJ game aside from the No-Stats Theater game I ran here years ago).  I've done a fair amount of work on this but I'm unsure if it's really the direction I want to go.
  • Lodestar, a rules-light(er) system with cooperative chargen (that is, "describe your character and use that to pick your abilities in consultation with the GM") that's intended specifically for a low-hassle CJ game.  In a way it's Synergy's spiritual successor, though it doesn't use Synergy's main mechanic, and is based more on various rules-light systems I've found online.  It has its basic premises set out but still needs some subsystems (combat, channeling, etc.).
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Polycarp

#62

The Indigo Gheen

[ic=Chiye's Song]Chiye, I alit on your perch,
I did not hear you singing.
Your sisters' harmonies I loved,
But you missed them even more than I.

Chiye, I called your daughers' names,
I did not hear them laughing.
They made you a long necklace of shells,
But it was not what you wore today.


- From a dirge for Kadyary Neera Chiye, matriarch of Kadyary and last of that family, who hanged herself in her orchard in EVP 180[/ic]

The Netai is a realm of exiles.  Every race that now lives here has its own history of struggle.  The Evne-Umbril were refugees, fleeing their ancient homes on the outwise shore for the isles in the face of the Orange Horde.  The Tahro came as slaves, taken from the Mire or the bloods of Kengal.  Iskites, too, were slaves here under Oranid rule, save for the Sekata colonists who only last year ended a brutal war to determine who would rule in their new home of Anath.  But the Gheen of Netai, though they are the fewest in number, have seen trials and faced sorrow worse than any of these.

[note=From the Archives]This is another feature that's been 90% done for a long time.  Consider this my first installment in a more-or-less serious attempt to reinvigorate my world-building efforts, now that I'm no longer mired in grad school.[/note]
Properly speaking, the Gheen of the Netai are Chalice-Gheen, from that third great family of their kind that in Antiquity made its dreys in the Chalicewood.  The disaster that befell that land was slow but inexorable – before the Age of Prophets had even begun, most of their ancestral home had fallen to the Saffron Moss, and their ancient homelands now lie deep within what is now known as the Mosswaste.  Nobody is certain as to why Chalicewood received the closest attentions of the Peril in Antiquity, but some of the oldest stories of the Peril can be traced to the Chalice Gheen.  Some scholars have proposed the Peril originated there, or entered the known world through Chalicewood, but the origins of the Peril lie so far in the past that it is unlikely that the dark truth of its birth will ever be uncovered.

The sickness of Chalicewood splintered the Chalice Gheen.  The first host chose to remain, but over time were forced into the mountain valleys of the Seven Antlers.  Their descendents are said to have become nomads, given themselves over to the Forest, and mixed their blood with the Aras Tay - but these are only tales, and nothing has been heard of the Lost Flock in a very long time.  The second host, under the leadership of queen La'at Syani, crossed the mountains into Scalemount to seek the aid of the Iskites, but the grandmasters turned their backs on Syani's people.  They went on through the Duskwine Gap into the Clawed Thicket to live in the low forest.  There they dwell on the ground behind forest palisades and sharpen their knives against the Iskites, who they have never ceased to despise.

[note=Isath]Isath, though lost in "modern times," is in some sense a predecessor to the Netai – a realm in which multiple races (particularly the Umbril and Gheen) lived more or less in harmony.  For the Evne-Umbril, Isath is their 'Atlantis,' a lost civilization of their ancestors that achieved greatness only approached in the modern day.  The Inembran Gheen, of course, already had a homeland prior to this, and it is Chalicewood rather than Isath that comes to mind when they dream of an idyllic past.[/note]
The third and final host traveled inwise to the Lake of Isath, an ancient land of the Evne, on the outer edge of the Flowering Moors.  The Evne would not help them retake their homeland, but offered them succor in their own home, and the Gheen host lived among the Umbril in peace.  But their curse followed them to that land, and early in the Age of Prophets the shores of the lake fell under the gaze of the Peril.  Isath was the closest inhabited land to the Dominion Tree, which may have been growing even then, and perhaps they were too close for the enemy's comfort.  Until the Diviners' Wrath, no army of Abominations had ever been seen as great as the one that overran Isath.  That was also the first the civilized peoples had seen of Aederyl, the Mosswyrm, since distant antiquity – great was the terror of the Evne and the Gheen to find that those ancient tales were real.  Kyeel Yisara, the queen of the Isath Gheen, met her end in his jaws.  In a matter of weeks, Isath was completely extinguished of all life save the Peril's own.

To the Sea

The Isath Gheen that survived fled together with the Isath Evne to the outwise shore of the Netai.  Some settled among the Evne there, while others made their homes in the Watzash, which was then as now an Iskite land.  Scattered and leaderless, they became subjects of the Evne and Iskites, whose settlements came to be ruled over by those who had tasted the fruit of the Oracle Tree.  They paid their neighbors tribute and were sometimes enslaved, but survived through the age.

Yet the Peril had not yet finished with them.  When the Dominion Tree blossomed, the prophets of the Iskites and Umbril were made slaves to its will, and the Indigo Gheen – as they had become known by that time – watched their rulers destroy themselves.  They saw the march of Vao and the Great Host; they saw the sky darken and heard the forest moan as the countless Aras Tay came forth to meet the Peril in battle; and a few saw the smoke on the horizon when the Dominion Tree burned and the prophets were rent by madness.  In the Watzash, Queen Yaar Makal believed the final confrontation with their people's ancient enemy had come, and resolved to do her part to cleanse the world of evil.  When the Dominion Tree burned, she proclaimed the Iskites – whose leaders had, after all, been revealed as servants of the Peril – to be Abominations-in-flesh and enemies of all life.  Just as the Aras Tay had marched against the Dominion Tree, the Gheen bore down upon the villages of their scaled masters, who were in turmoil from the madness and death of their leaders and the ruinous fall of the Grand Authority.  Thousands of Iskites were murdered by Makal's subjects before they rallied and forced the Gheen to flee inwards towards the Chalklands.  To this day the keenest memory of the Gheen among the Watzash Iskites is that of the "Makales" smashing Iskite eggs in their hatcheries.  The Gheen have never since been very welcome in the Watzash.

[note=Chalice Names]The Inembran Gheen have a different naming convention than the more common Red and Shield Gheen.  Instead of tripartite child-family-adult names, the Chalice Gheen traditionally used only two names, a family name and personal name given at birth.  Beginning with their resettlement at Isath, the Chalice Gheen that would become the Inembran Gheen began gradually adopting a family-child-adult formula, though among the Inembran an adult name is generally given by an individual's family upon majority rather than chosen by the individual as it generally is among the Red and Shield Gheen.  This transition was never total and some Inembran Gheen still go by two names alone.[/note]
It was not long before the Orange Horde made its appearance.  Kengal fell, and the Iskites of Scalemount were crushed by Enti-Ven Famar.  The Prophetslayers rejoined one another on the shores of the Netai; the Evne that did not join them fled to the isles, then uninhabited, while the Gheen that remained there crossed the mouth of the Great Mire and joined their kin in the Chalklands.  In that wasteland, the third host of the Gheen was united once again, living wherever they could – even in caves in the earth, where one of their number would occasionally vanish, snatched by the Golhai who dwelled below.

It was the better part of a century before the Indigo Gheen began to migrate outwise again, eventually reaching the shores of the Netai and finding the few Evne colonies there.  The Evne had assumed that the Indigo Gheen had all become extinct.  Their own people had only recently become unified under the new Prince of the Green, Vatav-Nel Oran, who allowed the aliens to settle on the inwise shore of the sea.  His successors were more permissive, and in the Oranid era a Gheen colony was established on the isle of Inembran.  At its height, the Inembran Gheen numbered three thousand, fully half the population of the island.  Unlike the Tahro and Umbril, who were predominantly slaves under the Oranids, the Gheen were allowed to remain free and enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy; while in the latter Oranid years, tensions between the Evne and the aliens grew, the Gheen presence on Inembran was so great that they were mostly safe from harassment.

The Scourge

It was nearly a hundred years later when a curious disease began to spread among them.  It began with a simple cough.  This would begin to grow worse, until the afflicted would cough up blood.  Their would get chills, and then their lips would turn black; within a few days of this, they were gone.  While the plague that would become known as the Scourge affected every non-Umbril community in the Netai, it hit the Inembran Gheen hardest of all.  Living in close quarters with one another in one district on one island, the Scourge raced through families with terrible efficiency.  The dead were so numerous that they had to be burned in piles.  Of the six major Gheen families of Inembran, two were completely extinguished.  The last member of the Kadyary family, Neera Chiye, burned down the family shrine and then hanged herself.

The survivors were numbed by grief and loss.  In the religious tradition of most Gheen, including the Chalice Gheen, a child is believed to be born with the spirits of all its ancestors in its blood, and thus an individual Gheen is in a sense immortal as long as its family's blood remains.  Suicide, particularly if one has no children, is an absolute taboo; if you have no children or living relations, then your death is not simply your own, but the final death of generations upon generations of your predecessors who dwell in you.  The Inembran Gheen who remained grieved not only for their siblings, children, parents, and friends, but all the uncounted millions who had come before them whose spirits would never again dwell in flesh.

The Gheen of the Netai had undergone many trials in the life of their people, but this was one too many.  Some, like Chiye, gave up, fasting unto death or throwing themselves into the sea.  Others, however, found a new purpose in their lives – vengeance.  Though the source of the Scourge is not definitively known, many accused the Prince of the Green, Varan-Etun Oran, of causing the sickness to liquidate the "troublesome" aliens of the isles.  Varan-Etun fled during the Blue Rebellion, after the destruction of the Oranid fleet at the Isle of Alacrity, but in 186 the Prince returned with an army of mercenaries to reclaim its realm.  Having lost practically all they cared about, believing themselves to be the last of their race, and hearing of the return of the Prince who had overseen the desolation of their people, a number of the surviving Inembran Gheen swore a solemn pact – that if they were fated to die, they would take their enemies with them.

The Last

[ic=Last Chant]Our last meal is eaten,
Our last breath is taken,
The long river is ended,
The starlight has faded,
Let us all die together.


- Kyala Aiky ("Chant of the Last")[/ic]

The volunteers called themselves kyal – The Last.  They painted their faces white, the traditional color of death, believing themselves to be dead already.  After Intendant Ul-Thalar sacked the new Netai Confederation's commanders following the Battle of Kalathoon, the Confederation began fully utilizing aliens in the war effort, and soon found the Last to be the most courageous of their forces.  The Last were neither particularly skilled nor very well armed, but they launched themselves into battle with no heed to their own lives.  The Oranid forces feared the Last more than any other Confederation soldiers – when a Confederation ship closed to board an opponent, the Last would climb the rigging, let loose a tremendous cacophony of wailing and screeching, and swoop down onto the heads of the opposing crew with a machete in each hand, hacking at every enemy within reach until they themselves were slain.  This tactic typically resulted in the deaths of nearly all the Gheen shock troopers, but threw the enemy into such panic and disorder that the boarding parties that followed them had little trouble taking the ship.

The Last did not expect to survive the war, and most did not.  Their heroic efforts contributed significantly to the Confederation's victory, but the cost was dear.  Before the Scourge, the Inembran Gheen had numbered more than three thousand.  By the end of the First Netai War, there were little more than five hundred, a death rate of over 80%.  The Gheen communities on the coast fared somewhat better, as they were not hit as hard by the Scourge, but they too lost more than half of their population in the same time period.  This was not the last war of the era, either.  While the kyal were never revived as a unit, many Indigo Gheen served the Confederation in the subsequent Netai Wars, typically as fliers in the Confederation Smokefleet.  Relative to their population, no race in the Netai, not even the Evne themselves, provided more soldiers to the Confederation.

Now, with one year passed since the end of the Fifth Netai War, the future of the Inembran Gheen is uncertain.  Some of the inner shore Gheen migrated to the Inembran colony in the past few years, and the number of Gheen on the island has rebounded to around a thousand.  The Indigo Gheen have faced what they thought was the end many times, and each time they have survived – perhaps they will thrive within the new Confederation they helped to build and defend.  Yet it is undeniable that their culture has been deeply traumatized by the Scourge Crisis and the wars that followed, and there is a certain sense of guilt among those who lived through that time who wonder why they were spared by the Scourge, and whether they should have joined their white-faced brethren in death.  It is up to the new generation, born in the 30 years since the creation of the Confederation, to begin to heal the wounds of the past and build an enduring home for a nation of exiles far from the trees of their ancestors.

[spoiler=Notable Figures]Lya'any Syen Rulla

Syen Rulla has the distinction of being the only Gheen Intendant-Marshal, the highest rank in the Confederation military.  She is also currently the youngest and the only female Intendant-Marshal (though since most are Umbril, Intendant-Marshals of any gender make up an absolute minority of their ranks).  Syen Rulla was a child during the Scourge Crisis.  Her mother, a family shaman, died in 182, towards the end of the sickness.  Rulla was eleven.  She was deemed too young to fight during the Resistance War (the First Netai War) in 186-189, but was accepted when the Second Netai War broke out in 190 owing to the Confederation's desperate need for Gheen for the newly founded Smokefleet – Rulla had never been in a balloon, but Gheen were small and light, and thus considered ideal for the aerial service.  Her khauta crashed in a storm at White Feather Bay and she was a prisoner of war in Kesz for four seasons.

Despite her lackluster start, she decided to become a professional soldier, and earned distinction in the Third Netai War as a flyer for the Blue Fleet.  She became one of the "little birds" of Intendant-Marshal Esthakesh, his favored Smokefleet commanders who he selected to lead raids and special missions.  As one of his protégés, Syen Rulla rose quickly in the Smokefleet, and was a "flock commander" in the Battle of Seven Fortunate Winds, an overwhelming victory for the Confederation and the first known battle fought entirely by aerial forces.

She was one of Esthakesh's advisors during the Fourth Netai War, which ended up potentially saving her career (as she never had front-line command during the military disasters that characterized that failed war).  After the war, she was placed in charge of drafting a plan to reorganize the Smokefleet and was promoted to Intendant-Marshal after the retirement of Esthakesh in 209, just in time for the Fifth Netai War, when the Smokefleet played a decisive role in destroying the Right Orientation Alliance.

Syen Rulla is, by virtue of her high position, considered a leader in the Inembran Gheen community, though that is a role she is clearly uncomfortable in.  She is considered a bit of an "eccentric" among the other Inembran Gheen, preferring Var Aban to Inembran and not remarrying after her mate, another volunteer she was imprisoned with during the Second Netai War, was killed in an aerial engagement in 204.  She has two daughters, 12-year-old twins, who live with their extended family in Inembran.  She is known to the Umbril, somewhat affectionately, as Sil-Thurin ("Little Shrike"), which has been adopted partially by the Gheen as "Takty-Rulla" ("Shrike-ish Rulla").  Syen Rulla is considered one of the foremost experts on aerial warfare in the Netai (and therefore in the world) though she has stated that she does not consider herself to personally be a particularly talented pilot, and has not actually flown in combat since 196.

Kesk Rauka

The day after Takyan Rauka turned twelve years old, his younger sister died from the Scourge.  Within a month, his mother, father, and all the rest of his siblings had joined her.  Rauka was taken in by his cousins in Aryk, on the inwise shore of the Netai, but he was morose and distant.  Eventually he stopped speaking entirely.  His kin feared he would kill himself, thus ending the incarnation of his departed family.  He did not – but, in his own way, he did try.

Though Rauka did not speak, he did listen, and in 186 heard his kin speaking of the return of Varan-Etun, the "Withering Prince," who many of the Gheen blamed for their suffering; now the former Prince of the Green was gathering an army to reclaim what had been wrested from it by the newly born Netai Confederation.  It heard of its assault on the isles, and the victory at Kalathoon, and finally of tales that now even non-Umbril were fighting for the Confederation.  One day, without saying a word, Rauka picked up a thicket knife, took a fishing boat, sailed for the isles, and joined the kyal.  In the Isles of Solace he at last broke his silence with a war cry.

Rauka would later tell that every one of his comrades in the kyal died in the war.  Takyan Rauka was saved by an accident – in his second battle, his left leg was completely shattered by the mace of a Tahr mercenary.  He was pulled from a pile of bodies hours later, still alive, by Confederate Umbril.  He screamed at them to let him die, but the pain caused him to lose consciousness.  Taken to Meja, an Umbril healer worked to try and save his life; the leg had become corrupted, and the healer had to amputate it.  Afterwards, Rauka drifted in and out of feverish incoherence.  It was three weeks before he was fully conscious and lucid.

Rauka, of course, was unable to fight for the remainder of the war, and to this day considers it his greatest shame that he was forced to leave his comrades to seek their deaths without him.  When the war was over, however, Rauka found himself a revered hero, one of only a handful of the kyal who had survived the war.  Even without his white-painted face, he was soon recognized everywhere and treated as a glorious hero.  Rather than rest on his glory, however, Rauka chose another path – he claimed to have spoken with the dead during his near-death ordeal.  The old traditions, he said, were false; he had awakened to a new spiritual truth.  He shed his family name and soon became known as Kesk Rauka, "White Rauka," referring to the face-paint he once wore.

Kesk Rauka's "religion" does not have a rigorously defined set of doctrines, nor even a set name; it is variously known as "many-souls," "the hues," "the spectrum," or just raukaty (translated as "Rauka-ism" or "Rauka-ness").  Rauka has made pronouncements on all sorts of matters, from morality and ritual to relationship guidance and historical exegesis.

The central teaching, however, is that a Gheen's ancestors are not in fact incarnate in its blood; Rauka claims to know this because he spoke with dead Gheen that had no living descendants, contrary to the tradition that such Gheen cease to exist.  Instead, Gheen are continually reborn, and are never truly gone.  More than a few have noted the similarity of this belief to Tahr religion, which Rauka would certainly have been aware of, though there are critical differences.  There is not a true "spirit world" to test and winnow the soul as in some Tahr faiths, nor is there any "journey" in the other life or from one life to the next as in Tahr tradition.

Most importantly, there is no indivisible "soul" at all in raukaty.  Rather, a single Gheen's spirit is made up of pieces (called "hues") that may divide and recombine with different pieces when a new Gheen is born.  "True" reincarnation, an identical duplication of your own arrangement of hues, is possible but presumably rare.  "Ancestral spirits" – hues that were formed together at the dawn of time – existed originally, but modern Gheen are composed of a variety of pieces from these original spirits.  Love, for instance, is the attraction felt by two people who each possess a number of pieces of an original ancestral spirit; it is essentially pieces of an ancient soul finding one another again.  Very rarely, a Gheen may be born who possesses an ancestral spirit fully reassembled; these are the tolneeri ("awakened ones"), Gheen destined to become great heroes or exceptional leaders (Rauka himself does not claim to be one of these).

Kesk Rauka is extremely controversial in his community.  On the one hand, he is a living legend; on the other, his views are considered dangerous by traditionalist Gheen.  The family and their larger culture will disintegrate, they argue, if Gheen are taught to believe that they and their relations are not in a sense part of the same being.  His following is particularly strong among the new generations, leading to accusations that he is corrupting the youth and turning them against their parents, who rely on their own offspring and future generations to maintain their blood and consciousness.  Some are also made uneasy by his prophecies, supposedly gleaned from the hues in the realm of death, that soon an "awakened" individual will be born to the Inembran Gheen who will shepherd the people through a "final trial" before a new golden age, unparalleled since the days when the people still dwelled in old Chalicewood.

Kesk Rauka is itinerant, traveling between Inembran and the dreys of the coast to spread his teachings.  He has no known mates or children.  A group of disciples follow him everywhere, and he survives off charity.  Non-Gheen have taken little notice of him, though the prophet has not categorically denied that his same doctrine of hues could apply to them (he has said he simply does not know; only "Gheen hues" spoke to him when he was among the dead).  The Confederation has no issue with him.  The isle of Var Umber literally worships a sea serpent and has spawned a violent anarchist cult; a crippled vagabond's theories on the Gheen soul are hardly keeping the elites of the Confederation up at night.

Rykta Mak Yaar

Mak Yaar is potentially the most important Gheen in Inembran.  Her family was one of the largest to survive the Scourge; she became matriarch during the epidemic, when the previous matriarch, her older sister, succumbed.  Mak Yaar did not personally fight in the First Netai War, but colluded with the Confederate magistracy in the massacre of the mercenary garrison (largely Iskite-Tahr) of Inembran following the Battle of Kalathoon.

After the war, however, Mak Yaar was to establish her community's reputation for alien hospitality.  Travel and trade began to gradually recover despite the intermittent wars of the period, and as the operational headquarters of the Confederate fleet and many of its merchant vessels, Inembran saw much of it.  Mak Yaar, realizing that few Umbril were capable of making any food that was palatable to aliens, built a teahouse by the Cove, the city's main port, that also served food "guaranteed to not be rotten."  This turned out to be tremendously popular among non-Umbril sailors, passengers, and merchants.  Over the years the Rykta have expanded their enterprises, and Mak Yaar's family remains a dominant presence in the "hospitality industry" of Inembran, owning a variety of teahouses, boarding houses, distilleries, and "rent-markets" (buildings available for long-term rent that serve as a residence, warehouse, and shop-front for foreign merchants).

Mak Yaar is well-known on the island, although not always appreciated – some believe that her family also trades in information, using their commercial position to acquire secrets and rumors from their guests and selling them to interested parties.  Her organization is extremely loyal and difficult to penetrate, as it is composed almost entirely of her extended family – she has two mates, nine children, at least twenty grand-children, and scores of cousins, nieces, and nephews, most of whom are involved in the "family business" in one way or another.

Yaar is sometimes called "eelface" by Gheen and non-Gheen alike, referring to an obvious snaggletooth she's had since a young age, though this name is generally not used in her presence.  Unlike most Inembran Gheen, she is said to have never actually left the island in her life, and claims to have no desire to, but she is presumably well-informed about many things beyond the shores of the Cove.[/spoiler]

Pictured at top: This is a sigil widespread among the Inembran Gheen.  The "Horned Ril," a flower reputedly native to Chalicewood, is known from Isath and may have had symbolic meaning even before the exile.  The ril-flower is traditionally used to "frame" a family sigil, or – as in this example – a character from an antique logographic language of Chalicewood.  This character represents "memory" or "thought," and is a common symbol to represent Inembran/Chalice Gheen traditionalism, history, and heritage.  The use of other antique logographic symbols in this context is rare, but not unknown.  Most notoriously, some of the kyal used an upside-down ril-flower framing the logograph representing negation (roughly equivalent to the prefix "un-" in English).  These logographs are unpronounceable in modern Gheen; they may have once had pronunciations, but these were forgotten in Antiquity.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Rose-of-Vellum

Once again, CJ's exotic beauty and socio-political depth shine through. I love this setting. Any chance you'll run a CJ adventure 'here'?

Polycarp

Quote from: Rose-of-VellumAny chance you'll run a CJ adventure 'here'?

Though most of what I do in CJ is the fictional equivalent of travel writing, I've worked on a few adventures and hooks now and again.  As always, however, I'm limited by my my aversion to running a CJ game in something like vanilla D&D/PF and my rather poor knowledge of systems outside of that.  I was working on a rules-light system last year that I should probably revisit.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Rose-of-Vellum

#65
Polycarp asked if I could post the following logs from a Clockwork Jungle IRC game run at Dicefreaks before its last site's crash. False_Epiphany, however, saved the logs, and I've edited the logs to post here. We only had two sessions, but good times all the same.

[ic=Where the Heart Lies]<DM> Sunlight gently slips from the canopy above, illuminating the Boath's Blue Camp. Nestled within a copse of verdant trees strung with wild peppervine, the camp oversees a softly roaring waterfall that cascades into a jade-green lake. Above the waters and reed-filled banks, giant dragonflies flit back and forth as they glut themselves upon the myriad insects skimming the pool's surface. The Boath, close to fifty in number, have been anxiously awaiting their guests' arrival. Vines and fronds have been woven to create protective screens, and the ground has been cleared for umbril tents and beasts of burden. Long-buried pots have been unearthed, and the promise of a feast dances upon the senses.

Attracted by the promise of rest and food, the Golden Ring merchants hasten to their destination, driving their pack-bearing tzaus and large caravan forward. After a moment or mutual wariness, the two groups meet. They share a few words, then their leaders, Enur-Lan and the Boath patriach Bagrun, sit across from one another, separated by a large flat rock. Tradition demands their dealings begin with a sharing of tea -a sacred ceremony respected by all the civilized races of the Forest. And by that tradition, a priest of Faretheniz must lead the ceremony... Azenej's four-day nap must come to an end.

While Azenej is summoned, Bagrun beckons Turath to come forward. Although Turath holds no place of prominence among the Boath, the wise patriarch wishes to have the young tahro be visible to the umbril merchants -strangers rarely do favors to the stranger who remains such.

<Ivur-Nel> "It will be good to finally rest after this trek. It smells as though some of the food may even be properly ripe," Ivur-Nel Thaval remarks to its merchant sporemate on the way in. "But, I must go and wake my mentor for the ceremony."

<DM> Enur-Lan whistles its umbril-laugh, its gills quivering as it responds, "Yes, he has had far too much rest, and you, not enough."

<Ivur-Nel> "That is the truth. I feel I have walked more these last four days than all my previous life! The Jungle untamed is... beauteous, but tiring."

<DMs> Sore and tired, the two Iskite slaves hiss a mutual sigh of relief as they set down the silk and gilded palanquin.

<Turath> Turath nods and steps forward, surveying the visiting merchants.

<Ivur-Nel> Ivur-Nel gently prodes his master with the blunt end of his staff. "Master! Master Azenej! Awaken, we have arrived!"

<DM> Ever so sleepily, and ever so slowly, Azenej opens his scaled lids. He blinks twice as the light streams in from the opening in the canopy, surveys the scene, and quickly deduces the appropriate course of action. "Yes," it hisses in the Luminious Tongue, "Bring forth the petal tea, then the two bricks, and last the tziwa. The traditions must be observed. And the hearts and minds must be tested." Leaning upon his own staff, which is made of supple red-barked wood and capped with intricately wrought lotus-gold, Azenej slowly makes his way towards the stone and the gathered leaders.

<Ivur-Nel> "As you say, my teacher." Ivur-Nel bows (with great difficulty, as usual for a being without a flexible spine), and hurries to fetch the required items.

<DM> "As you obey, my student," Azenej responds with a lipless smile.

<Ivur-Nel> He brings the tea, and the bricks, and the tziwa, and then steps into the background to observe.

<DM> Turath watches as the elderly Iskite approaches, and notices as both tahro and umbril alike pay the creature great deference. Waiting for his pupil to arrive with a vast array of gilded cups, tea, and related tools, Azenej sits on the side of the stone, such that Enur-Lan and Bagrun are beside him. Softly, he motions for Ivur-Nel to sit across from him.

<Ivur-Nel> Letting out an involuntary whistle-hiss at the honor, the umbril hastens to comply.

<DM> With Ivur-Tel's assistance, Azenej elaborately conducts the sacred tea ceremony as tahro and umbril sit across from one another. Opposite his mentor, Ivur-Nel can feel the flow of power as Azenej causes water to form in the dozen cups laid out upon the stone, only to feel a similar flow as Azenej heats them by breathing his own spirit over the cups. Steam rises into the air, its hiss mingling with the master's as he says: "Offers of friendship may escape our lips like the water that rises from these cups -full of promise but lacking substance."

Meticulously adding various herbs and petals to the cups, Azenej has his pupil pass them to the leaders of both groups -first to Bagrun and Enur-Lan, and then to the others sitting in the inner circle, among which are Turath and Vatav-Eth. "Friendship is not word alone, but deed," the Iskite reverently says, instructing the group to partake.

Smelling the precisely-made petal tea, both umbril and tahro are embraced by the powerful aroma of steeped orchids. But the tea is weak and watery, lacking flavor.

Sensing this, Azenej adds: "Words of friendship may be spoken, flowery might be one's speech, but the truth of those words must not be weak -deeds must match the promises made."

Cups are returned and refilled once more, though this time, the priest instructs Ivur-Nel to fill half the cups with one tea brick and the second half with another. To the Umbril's senses, the first smells of delicious fermented fungus, while the second reeks of blood and urine.

<Ivur-Nel> Somewhat hesitantly with the second brick, he does so.

<DM> Meanwhile, Turath likewise smells the pouring tea, and to him, the first stinks of rotted vegetation and mold while the second has the tantalizing smell of spiced pepperwine tea, a rare treat among his kind.

<Turath> Turath accepts the offered beverage with an unreadable expression.

<DM> Watching the group's reaction to the clashing aromas and odors, Azenej directs Inur-Nel to pass the fermented tea to the Tahro and the pepperwine to the Umbril.

<Ivur-Nel> He waits barely half a second, wondering if his master's wits have finally left him, before remembering his place and doing as instructed.

<DM> Ever observant, Azenej catches his student's hesitation, but simply waits for his student to comply, confident that he will do so, and silent in his pleasure when he is proven correct.

Bagrun, Enur-Lan, and the others likewise evidence the barest trace of question as they take the offered cups -the Iskite is old, after all. But while their eyes echo their belief that a mistake has been made, neither side is willing to give voice to their thoughts. As if reading those thoughts, Bagrun and Enur-Lan nod for their fellows to drink.

Much to Ivur-Nel's surprise and perhaps dismay, Azenej bids his pupil to likewise imbibe with his kin.

<Turath> Turath imbibes the foul-smelling tea, attempting to stoically bear through his distaste.

<DM> The fermented drink is foul indeed, and Turath struggles to swallow the sickening substance down -even as his body's natural instinct is to spit it out. Yet, the tahro warrior manages to keep the drink down, the taste of his own reswallowed bile doing nothing to diminish the terrible after-taste.

<Turath> Turath looks across the merchants flatly, but should the tahro hold any objections to his drink's taste they are kept swallowed along with it.

<Ivur-Nel> Glad that most animals find his expressions unreadable (even if his master does not), he sips from the vile-smelling cup.

<DM> Driven perhaps by a greater need to not embarrass its master, its faith, its kin, and least of all, itself, Ivur-Nel not only swallows the alcohol-laced tea but keeps his face a mask of forced tranquility.

And in doing so, meets Azenej's approving gaze. Turning that gaze upon the others, who largely succeed in drinking their cups but fail to keep their faces free of disgust, Azenej comments: "Friendship is not always sweet. True friendship makes demands upon you, imposes difficulty, hardship, work, and even at times suffering. True friends bear such burdens, without complaint, without hesitation, knowing that their friends will do likewise for them."

Letting the weight of his words sink in, the priest pauses, and then after a moment's passing, instructs Ivur-Nel to pass around the cups one last time -but this time, the gilded cups are filled with steaming tziwa, the rich butter flavored by unique herbs for the two races -herbs that make the tea smell and taste delicious to their unique senses. Its warm, thick flavor is both filling and strong enough to wash away any lingering taste of the previous tea.

<Turath> Turath partakes of the second beverage to notably more satisfaction than the first.

<DM> Watching the expressions of contentment and relief, Azenej speaks, "But friendship is not ultimately a bitter thing -it's rewards outweigh its cost. It is the ultimate transaction where both profit without making the other suffer. Both are made richer by its bonds. Friendship is filling, full, and sustaining. As you have so done today, do so in the future. Remember your actions, your words. Speak not lightly offers of alliances, but neither fear making friends."

<Turath> Turath gives a nod of agreement, approval visible in his gold eyes.

<DM> "I sense the roots of a great friendship growing here today," the Iskite continues, matching Ivur-Nel's bow and then strangely gazing at Turath, "-but the blossoming of that friendship will depend on how you honor the words you make this day. Faretheniz marks your words -and if you treasure them, the Prince of Prosperity will bless you with greater treasures. Its net catches all."

Murmurs of approval meet his final invocation, and as that ripple reaches the rest of the crowd, Azenej motions to Ivur-Nel to help him stand.

"You did very well today," he says softly in the Luminous Tongue, "Well enough that you will not soon need me."

<Ivur-Nel> "Always will I revere your wisdom, master. If I have grown, then you provided the soil in which my spore of knowledge could sprout."

<DM> Azenej smiles -at least as much as an Iskite can. Then, turning back to the leaders, he asks, "By what token shall you seal this friendship?"

Ready to answer with their customary reply, Bagrun and Enur-Lan motion to their seconds, the patriarch's son, Agruth and the umbril Vatav-Eth. Each pulls out a heavy, dull black stone and lays it on the larger flat rock. Lodestones, they are.

Nodding in approval, Azenej instructs his pupil to take the rare and valuable stones to his tent, saying, "These gifts to one another shall be weighed, and if they are not found wanting, the Prince of Prosperity shall give its blessing to this offer of friendship."

<Ivur-Nel> Wordlessly, Ivur-Nel takes them into the tent. He plants his staff in the ground, and begins balancing the scales upon it to weigh the gifts.

<DM> Biding farewell to the leaders, and receiving thanks in kind, Azenej slowly makes his way back to his braided bed. In his absence, his servants have set up his tent at the camp's edge and have placed his silken palanquin therein.

<Ivur-Nel> Once the scales are aligned, Ivur-Nel places the lodestones upon them, hurrying to complete the ceremony before his master falls asleep once more.

<DM> Smiling at Ivur-Nel's industry, Azenej waits and watches, and eventually says, "There is no rush, Thaval. I will do that when I rise next. Go back to the group, witness their words spoken, show them by example as well as word. There will no doubt be many games amid the feast. Enjoy them. As for me, I wish nothing more to enjoy a nice, long lap."

<Ivur-Nel> "Of course honored one. But, if I may... you have slept for long indeed already, master. In truth, I... begin to grow worried for you."

<DM> Giving the Umbril a sharp, but kind, rebuke, Azenej hisses with a touch of laughter, "When you have lived for 127 years, 889 seasons, 6,223 weeks, or 43,561 days, you deserve a nap whenever you want one."

<Ivur-Nel> Ivur-Nel bows his head ruefully. "Of course, sire. I shall leave you to your rest."

<DM> Laying himself down, Azenej adds more softly, "It is the way of thing, Ivur-Nel. We grow -but we also grow old. Your time too will come. But the end is not what should worry you -it is what is between the beginning and the end that should occupy your time and thoughts. Trust me when I say that I have not spent the majority of those moments sleeping. But now is your time -go and grow."

<Ivur-Nel> The young umbril bows and leaves for the feast.

<DM> "And let this old scale sleep undisturbed..." Azenej says with a contended his as his head touches his pillow.

Outside, Enur-Lan attempts to begin negotiating with the Boath patriarch, but Bagrun will have none of it. The tahro says that there will be time for that later, but first, a feast is in order, for his blood are famished and fatigued from their long journey and so must the Ajen traders be as well. At his command, the tahro set their preparations in order, and after a moment or two of chaos, a grand feast and celebration begins. Seeing and smelling the plentiful dishes, the Ajen's reservations melt, and soon both sides are swept up in the revelry.

Clay pots filled with dirt beer are passed among the tahro, while fresh water taken from the waterfall quenches the umbril's thirst. Drums are sounded even as mashed meat and vegetables are passed around. To the umbril's delight, the main dish is napal, a pickled cabbage and tapper steak mash with scallions, ginger, brine, and fermented fish. While the tahro partake of similar dishes simply less fermented, the Ajen sprinkle molds to further spice their meals.

<Ivur-Nel> Once there, resolved to follow his master's advice, the fungus does something it has not done before; approaches a tahro, rather than one of its familiar acquaintances, as the feast is set up. "Greetings," it hisses in Trade-Cant to the composed ape that sat beside it at the ceremony. "You held yourself well, if the tea was as foul for you as for I."

<Turath> Turath looks towards the umbril as he helps himself to the proffered food. "As did you. Your teacher is a wise man. It must be a privilege to learn from him."

<Ivur-Nel> "It is. The Faithful Scale is one of the most revered teachers in the House of Harmonious Commerce, though not truly a lord of the church. I have been honored to share in his waning days." It scoops some of the ripened meat and vegetables into a feeding mouth as it speaks. "I am Ivur-Nel Thaval; how are you called?"

While the tahr warrior and umbril priest continue speaking one with another, the feast flows into a grand game as the Boath lead the Umbril to an area where they have set three tall poles, each of differing heights, in a cleared field twenty paces across.

<Turath> "Turath. You and your fellows are from Orpiment?"

<Ivur-Nel> "Yes. I know this may sound strange to you, living out here in the wilds, but this is the first time I have left the city's walls."

<Turath> "Then we are alike in our strangeness. This is the first time I have sought to leave the wilds."

<Ivur-Nel> "Truly? I did not think the tahro often sought out civilization. They are rare within the city's walls..."

<DM> Tahro and umbril alike begin to shout in excitement as several on both sides guess at the poles' meaning. However, to Turath and Ivur-Nel, the poles have no significance.

Fortunately, Bagrun's grand-daughter Oluwath approaches Turath, asking, "Have you ever played Star-Catching?" Seeing the look of confusion on Turath's face, Oluwath explains the game in great detail and excitement. Fortunately for Ivur-Nel, a nearby Ajen translates the game, elaborating with its own eager commentary.

Meanwhile, Bagrun's eldest son Argun returns with a freshly woven cage of leaves, inside which silver-white light slips out and something skitters and bangs against the leafy prison.

<Turath> Turath listens to the game's explanation with some interest, then looks towards Ivur. "We are both new to this. We should play."

<Ivur-Nel> "It... does not seem a game to favor an umbril..." If plants could blanch, it would at the thought of climbing so high. "Oh... well, that doesn't sound so bad, I suppose," it says when told of the role of the gallery: to cheer one's champion and jeer one's rivals.

Ivur-Nel's comment invokes a laugh from an approaching Enur-Lan, "What, have you forgotten all the games we played as sporelings? Even before we could move, we used our wits and words when the others did their war-games."

<Ivur-Nel> "You climb, and I will cheer, eh, Turath?"

<Turath> "This game favors both. I will play."

<Ivur-Nel> "I don't see you rushing to the top of the poles either, sporekin."

<DM> Enur-Lan laughs, looks up at the poles, clutches his gills, then laughs weakly, "No, I play better... on the ground."

No sooner does it say such than Bagrun appears, and, after giving his grand-daughter a look, says to the Ajen's leader: "You lack a champion willing to climb -we will give you one. This is Turath, a tahro not of our Blood but one who has shown great strength and promise. Our hands are open: we give him to you as your champion." Turning to Turath, the patriarch asks, "Yes, our hands are open?"

<Turath> "Our hands are open."

<Ivur-Nel> "Our hands are open; we accept."

<DM> Bagrun smiles deeply. Turning to the crowd, he waits till his eldest son attaches the soon-flittering, flashing, gheen-sized beetle to a strand of saryet silk, then says in Trade Chant, "We begin the game."

Cheers erupt from the tahro while the umbril begin strategizing.

Bagrun announces the champions -Turath for the Ajen, and Kurgath, Bagrun's grandson, for the Boath.

Kurgath, like Turath, is a relatively young Tahro, one no doubt competing for the favor of the unclaimed females and the approval of his elders. His fur is a russet hue, and his body is sinewy. He waits for Turath to finish taking off his armor and prepares to enter the clearing.

<Turath> Turath removes his ringmail, and steps into the site of the game.

<DM> While the Baoth cheer on their kin, the majority of the umbril begin placing private bets and heckling their rivals' champion.

Enur-Lan smiles and weezes a shrill whistle, "Just like old times, eh, Ivur?"

<Ivur-Nel> "Indeed! But for a bit higher stakes this time." It waits for its sporemate's reaction to the choice of words.

<DM> At the mention of stakes, Enur-Lan's eyes light up, "And just want sort of stakes are we wagering?"

<Turath> Turath appraises the two poles for an instant, then bounds towards the taller, slick one.

<DM> Somehow in the midst of all the chaos, Ivur-Nel hears the distinct clicking of castle tiles. The crowd cheers, shouts, and moans as the foreign tahro heads to the tall pole -meanwhile the star weevil flits back and forth, resting for a moment atop one of the other poles.

<Ivur-Nel> Emitting a low chortle of amusement that the pun slipped Enur-Lan by, Ivur-Nel muses. "Hard to say. Could be starting down a slippery slope, if one of us bets against our own team."

<DM> "Ah, so you do still consider yourself an umbril? -that's good, I was wondering if your chitin was about to shed scales."

<Ivur-Nel> "Still, I think I could make a slick profit wagering on the promising chap I was talking to. Say..."

<DM> Meanwhile, Turath leaps at the greased pole. His hands wrap around it, and for a moment, he hangs there, but then slides down, grease slicking his own crimson fur. The Boath roar with laughter -but the focus of their attention is still on their champion. They pound his back, chant his name, and stomp their feet in a deafening rhythm.

<Ivur-Nel> He sees the momentary slip. "...2-1 odds, against? Come on, Turath! Get up there and reel it in, I know you can make it! Show 'em what your Blood is made of!"

<DM> "Offers like that are liable to fall flat on their face..." Enur-Lan remarks, feigning disinterest as Kurgath steps into the ring.

The mention of Blood, however, does not have the intended effect on Turath, as it is a reminder of his loss, his loneliness, and the support he lacks and Kurgath has.

Support Kurgath puts to good use as he mightily leaps at the shortest pole and heaves himself up with huge swings of his arms. In a moment's time, he is up, nimbly balancing as the beetle takes to the air, frantic to get away.

<Turath> Turath snorts at the pole, his gorilla-like nostrils flaring. The support of his Blood or not, he will do them honor. He leaps at the pole again, attempting to wrest his arms around the slippery structure.

<DM> Amazingly, he makes it -whether by willpower or the fact that the pole is now less-slick, he shuffles up the pole.

<Turath> Invigorated by the success, he tries to pull himself further upward.

<DM> His efforts come to naught, however, as his hands reach for their next handhold only to slip, causing Turath to plummet to the ground. While some Boath laugh, most shout advice to their young champion.

<Ivur-Nel> "...perhaps you should try a different approach, friend Turath! It should be an easy leap from the top of the middling-tall pole to catch the fire-beetle!"

<DM> Listening to such sound advice -which matches the wisdom of his elders, Kurgath leaps to the next pole. However, as he does, the beetle flits by. Losing his focus, he tries to grap the silk strand, misses, and goes crashing to the ground with a painful "oomph" escaping his lips.

<Turath> Taking the umbril's advice, Turath bounds towards the less slippery pole, attempting to scale it.

<DM> While his hands are still slick from the first pole, Turath finds the middling pole far easier to scale, and makes it nearly to the top.

Not to be outdone, Kurgath begins to climb the same pole, causing it to rock violently.

<Ivur-Nel> Ivur-Nel points a stalk at the recovering Boarth. "See? Keep your eye on the top, don't lose focus, or opportunity will fly right past you!"

<DM> Seeing the swaying motion, the Boath warn their champion to hold on. Ivur-Nel's words are drowned out by its kin who seem more interested in mocking their fallen rival than cheering their own.

<Turath> Indifferent to the pole's motions, Turath determinedly continues to scale it.

<DM> So near the top, he is checked by the rocking, lest he fall once more.

<Ivur-Nel> It mutters in the Golden Tongue, "nobody appreciates a sharp wit."

<Turath> Checked or no, he becomes all the more determined to climb.

<DM> And he makes it! Using the swaying to aid his movement, he clambers to the top, just as the beetle buzzes by his head. Despite the distraction and near-collision, he manages to gain his footing atop the small pole

<Ivur-Nel> "Get it, get it! Opportunity is buzzing for attention!"

<DM> Somehow, amidst all the clamor, Turath hears Ivur-Nel's words -and whether it be sheer luck or the feeling of having a friend, not being alone, he grabs hold of the beetle mid-flight, even while still keeping his footing. The Boath cry out, Kurgath tries to rock harder, but his foot slips -he falls. The beetle buzzes louder, its glands pulse, then flash! So near, the light is blinding. Even when Turath closes his eyes, it is simply too much -he is blind! But for the moment, the beetle, try as it might, it cannot escape the tahro's grip

<Ivur-Nel> "Behold, my faith and your might have illuminated the way to victory!"

<DM> The crowd screams, the umbril cheer, laugh, and heckle, inspired by Ivur-Nel's wit and Turath's prowess. Even the Boath stare, looking upward to see what will happen.

<Turath> Though uable to see, Turath is still able to feel. He feels the beetle within his grip. He attempts to crush the squirming specimen within his hands.

<DM> A giant 'crack' sounds over the clearing -the beetle crumples under Turath's embrace. Blind and off-balance from the beetle-death blow, Turath however missteps, slips, and feels the rush of air as the ground races to meet him

Fortunately for him, Kurgath leaps to his feet and rushes to break Turath's fall.

<Turath> Turgath nods to his rival in thanks. "You are fierce competition, Kurgath."

<Ivur-Nel> Ivur-Nel cheers its new compatriot, and holds out a stalk to accept his winnings from the old.

<DM> Turath has won! The Ajen have won!

****

<DM> The festivities echo loud into the night, competing with the roaring waterfall below. Umbril and tahro alike feast and entertain themselves with a multitude of games, both elaborate and minor. Well-wrestling, tumbling tiles, and more entertain the gathered throng. Long into the night both sides celebrate, and when morning arrives, many are loathe to wake. The Ajen's leaders, however, have not forgotten their purpose in meeting the Boath -and that purpose spurs them to rise.

Slowly, the camps stir. As the morning dew melts with the rising sun, each side gathers once more at the meeting-stone, awaiting Azenej to proclaim their exchanging of lodestones as approved. But the Faithful Scale does not emerge. Time passes, whispers slither through the shifting crowd, and tension rises like the jungle sun.

With a glance as steely as a sharpened lath-til, Vatav-Eth motions to Ivur-Nel to fetch his torpid master.

Across the meeting-stone, Turath sits, a newly gifted necklace hanging from his neck, its twined leather and copper holding one of the star-weevil's still-glowing glands.

<Ivur-Nel> Ivur-Nel lets out a whistling sigh. "I was afraid of this..." He is already beginning to move when the merchant leader orders him. He enters the tent, and gently shakes his master by the shoulder. "Awaken, teacher, it is time for the ceremony!"

As Ivur-Nel approaches his master's silken tent, he steps over the half-asleep Iskite slaves and the not-too distant Sarisza. Yet, as it enters the tent, its reply is meet with a strange gurgle and shifting of silk and bark.

<Ivur-Nel> He ignores the lazy ones as he goes to his duty... "What is...?"

<Sarisza> Sarisza stands nearby, not trying too hard to conceal his boredom. "What iss it?"

<DM> Watching the old priest writhe in bed, Ivur-Nel wonders if his master has once again tasted of Aveimazan's Kiss, a psychedelic mushroom common to these areas and known for inducing dream-filled sleep. Sarisza however sees the attractive female slaves half-asleep by the tent, his eyes and ears more intent on the rising and falling of their dew-slick scales.

<Ivur-Nel> "Oh master, why would you seek visions on this of all nights?" It moves closer to confirm its suspicions, while trying to remember the ritual in case it has to do it without help.

<Sarisza> His tongue flickers out to taste the air, his attention entirely elsewhere than on the tent.

<DM> Moving closer to wake its unresponsive master, Ivur-Nel is startled -and then horrified- as it sees its master's writhing become terribly violent. Too late the umbril sees that its master's robe are slick with russet mold and blood -and then, in a burst of gore and noxious spores, Azenej's body erupts, spewing forth two disgusting creatures.

<Ivur-Nel> "AAaaaagggh! NO!"

<Turath> Turath looks sharply towards the scream.

<Sarisza> Sarisza starts, shaken out of whatever reptilian thoughts were occupying his mind.

<DM> Short, thin, and green, the pair are covered in tendrils of fungus that dangle from their arms, midsection, and legs. Sickeningly, they pick up the splinters of Azenej's bones, and then with new-born malice turn on the shouting umbril. Yet, still emerging from the gore-that-was-Azenej, the disgusting creatures are slow to act upon their murderous impulses -allowing the now-attentive Sarisza to intervene.

<Sarisza> All thoughts of pretty girls forgotten... well, at least, put on hold... Sarisza spins around and makes for the tent to see what has disturbed his charge.

<DM> Entering, he scenes the horrid scene -the two creatures spilling from Azenej's splattered, mold-covered corpse, their tiny, tendril-roped arms holding sharp splinters of bone.

<Ivur-Nel> "Azenaj is murdered! To arms!"

<Sarisza> "Sssss.... Intruders!"

<DM> The shout ripples through the throng -Ajen and Boath alike cry out in confusion, suspicion, and wariness. As Sarisza surveys the scene, his keen mind recalls tales of these intruders -nezerin they are called. Created by a vicious, lethal mold, these creatures burst from the bodies of those slain by the russet mold. While some consider them aras tay, others consider them more akin to kraelings -nasty beasts that know nothing but destruction and murder. Small in size, nezerin are resistant to mental attacks, piercing weapons, and electricity. And as Sarisza sees now, first-hand, they have an affinity for using the remains of their victims as weapons.

<Sarisza> Sarisza sucks in his breath, tongue flickering. "Nezerinsss!" He quickly conveys the information he remembers while reaching for his crossbow. Though he suspects the bolts may not do much good.

<DM> As the shouts and sounds of eminent battle ripple through the crowd, a still-sleeping Jhuel is nearly crushed by a hulking Boath member.

<Jewels> "Hey, watch it!" he calls out before the commotion finally reaches his still sleepy senses.

<DM> Any chance of sleep is further dashed as a nearby tzau kicks the ground, causing the now-quite-alert gheen to dodge to avoid having his head crushed by the creature's hoof.

<Jewels> "Whoa, whoa whoa!" He springs up as quickly as he can and frantically looks around to find out what all the hullaballoo is about.

<DM> Twisting nimbly back and forth, Jhuel catches sight of the opening tent flap, the Iskite's drawing of weapons, and an umbril's shouting. Turath, too distant to see in the now-chaotic scene, nevertheless keenly hears his new-found friend shouting for aid and warning of danger, murder, and intruders.

<Jewels> Wanting to know what the problem is, he avoids being smushed by the larger moving figures as he makes his way toward the center of all the attention.

<DM> With deft agility, all-too at home in the chaos, Jhuel spins, runs between legs, leaps over the nearby tzau and glides right to the tent's opening -much to the surprise of the now very much awake and fearful iskite slaves.

<Sarisza> Either of whom can smell the danger warning Sarisza is releasing.

<Turath> Turath quickly moves towards the sounds of commotion, walking upright rather than on his knuckles as he grips his spear. Unlike the smaller gheen, he simply shoulders and pushes his way through the crowd.

<DM> Turath, like so many of his fellow tahro, rise. However, unlike the Boath who quickly circle their young and elderly kin, Turath moves to push past the mobilizing umbril. With brute strength, inspired once more by Ivur-Nel's voice, he rushes through the crowd, coming just short of the now-occupied tent's entrance.

<Ivur-Nel> In the Golden Tongue, Ivur-Nel harangues the fungoid monsters. "Defilers! Apostates! Anzej was not your meat to claim! You will pay for this!" Switching back to a more common language, he cries out, "Strike down these monsters, dear friends! Avenge the author of our alliance!"

<DM> Ivur-Nel's breath pours from his gills, imbuing his allies with a portion of his own passion and power.

In response, the neverin make terrible clicking noises with their fungoid mouths and bony spears -and then, with surprising strength and agility, they leap upon their foes, one charging the weapon-brandishing iskite and the umbril that dares to aid him. Focused on channeling, Ivur-Nel must dodge swiftly, and half-stumbles on Azenej's staff -but evades the neverin's attack. Sarisza's attacker, however, makes contact -but striking the iskite's cogsteel ring, only manages to break the tip of its makeshift weapon.

<Sarisza> Sarisze discharges his crossbow at what passes for the plant-creature's face.

<DM> Chittering angrily, the thing ducks, allowing the bolt to pass over its fungoid head.

<Sarisza> "Ssss..." Sarisza discards the weapon and draws a long curved knife.

<Jewels> Jhuel, feeling the power of the breath enter his body, pushes aside the tent flap and enters. Upon seeing the battle inside, he draws one of his daggers.

<DM> As Sarisza backs up, he opens the tent flap, allowing both Jhuel and Turath to see inside.

<Turath> Turath barrels into the tent, his eyes flaring at the scene before him. He wastes no time in plunging his spear into the nearest neverin, taking advantage of his momentum to put the full force of his strength behind the weapon's haft.

<Sarisza> "Sslay them!"

<DM> Turath's attack nearly does -so great is his blow that it bursts through the neverin's body, leaving a tendril-flapping mess that somehow manages to shuffle forward to attack -but not before Ivur-Nel can act.

<Sarisza> "And beware the moldss!" Sarisza gestures towards the remains of Azenej's corpse.

<Ivur-Nel> Forgoing its channeling powers, Ivur-Nel shuffles into a better position, ignoring the strikes of one Nesserine, in order to trap another between it and Turath and smack it with its staff.

<DM> Spore-like goo splatters the ground as Ivur-Nel's lath-til hits the already wounded neverin -but still it stands. Barely. Surrounded now, the neverin lash out with claw-tipped tendrils and bone-shards, but their wrath is impotent.

<Sarisza> Brandishing his knife, the Iskite mercenary moves to further surround the enemies, menacing them with his blade to distract from the other, more dangerous weapons.

<DM> He reappears on the other side of the tent, just as the blade-hefting gheen moves to strike.

<Jewels> following the lead of the iskite, Jhuel darts forward to strike the creature. "Even the eldest of canopy dragons fears my sting! Take this, foul beast!"

<DM> Distracted by Sarisza's movement, the neverin barely avoids having its neck sliced off -even so, Jhuel's attack still draws resin-like blood.

<Turath> Turath drives his spear at the wounded fungal monstrosity for a second - and, as he intends it to be - final time.

<DM> Final time indeed it is as the weapon impales, then drags, the fungoid creature into a russet-green pulp.

<Turath> The tahro beats his chest in triumph, daring the survivor to test its mettle.

<Ivur-Nel> The umbril lets out a wordless shrill and strikes at the foul mockery.

<DM> Alerted by the umbril's sound, the neverin dodges, and then seeing its fast-escaping chance of killing its foes, it attempts to flee. Dodging beneath Sarisza's slow-moving blade, the vegepygmy slips under the tent flap, out of sight of the would-be-slayers.

<Sarisza> "After it! Do not allow it into the camp!" Sarisza raises the tent flap.

<Ivur-Nel> "Don't let the mold-spawn escape!"

<DM> Emerging from the tent's back, Sarisza looks out, the camp the opposite side, with nothing but vines, twining ferns, and moss-slick stones evident before the ground falls away as it encircles the jade-hued lake. There is neither sight nor sound of the creature. And while the reek of the creature is evident to the iskite, it is a lingering one. The enemy -and excitement- gone from the tent, Jhuel's eyes are hopelessly drawn to Azenej's glittering possessions... and distracted by any thought of following a murderous, injured fungus.

<Turath> Turath rushes from the tent, looking about for the vanished creature.

<DM> Leaving the gheen to his wandering thoughts, Turath joins Sarisza, but he too hears nothing save the waterfall's roar and the close-approaching shouting of both Ajen and Boath.

<Ivur-Nel> Ivur-Nel rushes from the tent, and casts about looking for the escaping monster...

<DM> ...but sees nothing more than its compatriots, and any attempt to hear the fleeing monster is ruined by the urgent, angry approach of Ajen and Boath alike. Alike, they swarm the tent, surround it, and swiftly demand to know what has happened. Finding Jhuel in the tent, alone, with a rust and mold-covered blade -and then finding him with one of Azenej's jeweled rings- the Ajen are quick to blame the gheen. The Boath, however, begin to blame the Ajen themselves, as his mold-covered corpse and poison suggest umbril assassins. Both sides are enraged at the loss of their lodestones. Tempers flare, and it seems all that stands in the way of war is the testimony of Ivur-Nel and its associates.

<Sarisza> Sarisza points out the corpse of one of the actual assassins at this point in the argument.

<Turath> Turath adds that the gheen assisted them in its defeat.

<Ivur-Nel> "My friends, please, please, for Azenaj's sake, I beg you all be calm! My beloved master has been foully murdered, and was dead long before the gheen entered the tent! Thief though he surely is, and must be punished for that, I do not believe him the slayer. As I went to wake the Faithful Scale, his body was covered in an unwholesome mold, and two small creature like unto mockeries of the noble umbril form sprang from his corpse, and set up on me," he points to the corpse of the neverin. "Your bold warrior aided us in dispatching the beast, and will vouch for its presence. Besides, what possible cause would we have to murder one of our own? The value of two lodestones is nothing unto the wisdom we are now bereft of!"

<DM> Rage replaces reason and the words seem to fall on deaf ears. Jhuel's attempt to pacify his captors only incenses them, and Vatav-Eth violently clutches the stolen ring and removes it -by cutting off Jhuel's finger. Turath's attempts to back up Ivur-Nel's story backfires as some of the Baoth begin to accuse the Blood-less tahro of betraying them -or outright being a spy of the Ajen -an accusation which the Ajen do not take kindly.

<Sarisza> "Sssstop! This iss illogical!" Sarisza cries in Trade Cant, attempting to gain attention from both sides. "It iss more important to recover the lodestoness, than quarrel!"

<DM> More than once, the would-be-peace-makers feel as though they are about to be executed -and indeed such might have happened, had the Boath patriarch spoken otherwise. As the deeds befell on his land, in his camp, the judgment finally falls to Bagrun. With a wounded heart, breaking with disbelief and betrayal, he commands the Ajen to depart -and to those implicated in Azenej's death -banishment into the jungle- which Bagrun reminds them is a kind punishment, for if the priest had been one of their own, death would have been swift. So ordered, the Boath bodily usher the four souls out from their camp, into the untamed, ever-hungry Forest.

<Jewels> He goes to defend himself but decides that he has gotten himself into enough trouble today... and it's still morning.

<Turath> Turath, for his part, weathers the group's banishment in silence.

<Sarisza> He turns to the Umbril. "Can you help the thiefsss hand?"

<Ivur-Nel> "Taking my massster'sss ring didn't help our case, Gheen. Still, your punishment was sufficient for me; I bear you no more grudge, and I thank you for your aid in a fight that was not yours. Let me see the wound; we can't have you leaving a blood trail."

<Jewels> "Uh...thanks." He out stretches his hand, closes his eyes and turns his head away.

<Ivur-Nel> "You're not in immediate danger. It is a very clean cut. This should do..." The Umbril priest looks closely, then draws in breath, and releases it in a cleansing wave over the group.

<Sarisza> The Iskite nods in approval. "What now?"

<Turath> "The jungle is too dangerous for any one individual. We must remain together."

<Ivur-Nel> "Now... I too think we should stay together. We are the only ones who know of each others' innocence, and the true murderers."

<Jewels> Opening his eyes in the hopes to find his hand restored to its former glory, he becomes very sad when he sees that it is still not whole. "I'm going to be like this forever, aren't I?" he asks.

<Ivur-Nel> "It is likely, I fear. Most races do not share the Iskites' healing powers, though there are rumors of true Masters of Imbuement who can restore such injuries."

<Turath> "Yes," Turath bluntly replies.

<Ivur-Nel> "Alas, my poor skills do not approach such heights; nor do any that I have heard of outside of legend."

<Jewels> Sighing, he shakes his head in disappointment but then more vigorously shakes his head as if to expel any negative thoughts before collecting himself. Looking up at the others, he speaks with an up-beat jovial tone. "Well... I suppose introductions are in order?"

<Sarisza> "Sarisza."

<Turath> "Turath."

<Ivur-Nel> "I am Ivur-Nel Thaval, disciple of Faretheniz."

<Jewels> " I am Jhuel Mas'yhk. In the circus I was known as the Green Bandit and among my people I am known as the Master of the Nine Trunken Spires. My friends call me Jewels... well, they called me Jewels when I had them."

<Sarisza> "Sso then. Stay together. And do what? Track the assassinss? Make for other campss?" Sarisza looks to his "employer."

<Turath> Turath simply nods to the gheen.

<Ivur-Nel> "I greatly wish to discover the cause of my master's death, and bring justice upon those responsible, but none of the rest of you owe me anything. I would welcome help, but... I have no real idea of where to begin, nor is it my place to impose my will upon the rest of you."

<Turath> "Were the world as I would have it, I would give you my help. But my own Blood has been taken by slavers. To Orpiment. And I must help the living before the dead."

<Ivur-Nel> "Taken, you say?"

<Turath> "Taken. By the tracks, umbril."

<Ivur-Nel> "Not imprisoned as a punishment for debt, or oath-breaking, but kidnapped?"

<Turath> "No. Kidnapped. And I have already lost one kinsman in their pursuit."

<Ivur-Nel> "Why... that is abominable! A perversion of the principles of trade! What say you to another partnership, Turath my friend? As you say, the living cause is more urgent, though it pains me to leave my master's body cold. If I aid you in saving your kinsmen from undeserved bondage, will you aid me in my pursuit?"

<Turath> "Yes. I will help." Little shows on the tahro's expression, but from his eyes he seems glad at the assistance - and to be glad to return it. "Sarisza. Jhuel. Our problems are not your own. Should you leave, I do not grudge you for it."

<Jewels> Jewels holds his hands out in front of him and silently counts his fingers before chuckling to himself. "Nine trunken spires... funny."

<Ivur-Nel> "Hmm. Indeed. Perhaps it will aid your reputation."

<Jewels> Looks up from his personal joke. "Leave? Where? No one could survive on their own, and the way I see it, it is possible that I'm partially to blame for all this. So, if you don't mind..."

<Ivur-Nel> "But what are your plans, Jhuel? Or Jewels, if you would prefer?"

<Jewels> "Jewels would be good. It makes me feel more at home."

<Turath> The tahro considers for a further moment. "I would be remiss not to tell you, Ivur. I am young. There is much of my Blood's business I do not know. It is not impossible they were taken for an unpaid debt or broken oath. I know of neither, and can only act on what I do."

<Ivur-Nel> "Very well. First then, we shall seek the truth, though I hope your folk are honorable, not least for your sake. And what of bold Sarisza? Is Opriment an agreeable destination to you?"

<Sarisza> "Opriment does not disagree with bold Sarisza. Sarisza would go there with you or without you, and with is better."

<Jewels> As if he hadn't been paying attention earlier, which it is very possible he wasn't, he pipes up, "Orpiment? We'd be going to Orpiment?"

<Ivur-Nel> "Well, yes. That is where Sarisza and I hail from, and where Turath's kin were taken. Is that a problem?"

<Jewels> "No. Not a problem at all. Sounds great," he quickly responds with excitement in his voice.

<Ivur-Nel> "Uhm. Excellent." Its voice betrays a hint of nervousness at his new companion's enthusiasm.

<Jewels> "Is it true what they say about that place?"

<Ivur-Nel> "Many things are said of Opriment. Which one do you refer to?"

<Jewels> "Is it true that the buildings are made of star gold and that everyone is wealthy beyond your wildest dreams?"

<Sarisza> "Jewels will ssee for himsself." Sarisza grins in a disconcertingly reptilian manner.

<Jewels> Jewels makes a smug look at Sarisza before shrugging his shoulders and looking up into the canopy. "I'm sure it's all true," he says to himself.

<Ivur-Nel> "It is... exaggerated slightly, but still the richest city on the Black Circle by far."

<Turath> Turath says nothing.

<Sarisza> "Lead the way, Turath. We sshould not linger."

<Turath> "Ivur."

<Ivur-Nel> "Yes?"

<Turath> "For your master. Thank you."

<Ivur-Nel> It nods sadly in acknowledgement.

<Turath> Without further word, Turath turns and feels for the pull of Grandmother Mountain.

<Jewels> "Let's do this. I can't wait."

<DM> Together, the four exiles travel, trusting in the tahro to guide them. In the thick canopy, becoming lost would be assured if it were not for Turath's supernatural ability to feel the Grandmother Mountain. Even so, the travel is difficult, and more than once, the group must back-track upon coming to some river-washed bridge or unscalable pass. And while game and water is plentiful in the Forest, so is danger. All-too often, all three go together.

<Sarisza> Sarisza strides along behind the tahro, tongue flickering out every now and again to taste the air.

<DM> Days into their travel, the exiles stop at a watering hole to refresh their meager supplies. While the weary exiles refill their waterskins, quench their parched throats, and partake of the area's abundant fruit (some of which is ripened to Ivur-Nel's delight), the party is beset by a giant serpent.

The size of a tzau, the snake bursts from the water, attempting to seize Turath as he bows to drink. Dripping water, the serpent's scale shimmer black with stripes of green and purple, while its fangs glisten like cogsteel. Those fangs, however, fail to puncture the ringmail-adorned Tahro -and for the moment, Turath avoids its maw and bone-crushing coils.

<Turath> In response to his attempted seizure, Turath seizes his own spear, thrusting it straight towards the serpent's maw.

<DM> Reflexively, the massive serpent twists, crunching its coils over the stone that hangs over the water-hole's edge. In retaliation, the ebon snake bites down on Turath, its maw engulfing his head as its fangs sink deep into his flesh. And then, in one swift motion, Turath disappears in the creatures' shimmering, tightening scales.

<Sarisza> Sarisza begins casting a form, and brilliant colors explode from his hands towards the serpent's eyes. He repositions himself so that he runs no risk of striking Turath.

<DM> In one swift channeling, Sarisza siphons the well-serpent's sight and temporarily stuns its, so drained by the iskite's channeling. Turath slumps from the now-slack coils, his body bruised and bloodied.

<Sarisza> "Slay it swiftly! The siphoning lasts briefly and unpredictably!" the Iskite wizard directs.

<Serpent> So stunned and blind, the massive serpent writhes back and forth, half-slipping into the water-hole.

<Ivur-Nel> Seeing the creature momentarily subdued, the priest moves to heal some of Turath's wounds.

<Turath> Invigorated by Ivur's spell, Turath retaliates against the monstrous snake with a thrust from his spear.

<DM> The spear drives deep, causing the mind-siphoned creature to hiss in pain. Blood pours into the water, gushing from the near-mortal blow.

<Sarisza> Sarisza dusts off his hands and watches approvingly.

<Jewels> Seeing a possible opening, the enthusiastic Jhuel lunges with his dagger at the blinded serpent.

<Sarisza> The iksite fixes his own eyes on the snake's, watching for the telltale return of vision and focus in its eyes that will warn that the siphoning is waning.

<DM> While Jhuel's aim is true, the small blade leaves only a minor puncture in the snake's hide -even so, the additional blood loss is just enough to cause the behemoth to fall unconscious. As one, its coils slump and fall to the ground, its body slowly slinking back into the now-bloodied water.

<Ivur-Nel> Turath feels the priest's warm, slightly moldy breath on his back. "Watch for the opening, and strike fast!"

<Turath> Turath moves to make good on the priest's words. He crouches, then leaps into the air, attempting to propel his spear all the way through the serpent's maw.

<DM> And so the serpent dies, its head impaled, staked into the ruin-carved ground.

<Ivur-Nel> "Excellent. Quick, and to the point."'

<DM> Once more, the exiles survive another day in the dangerous world that is the Clockwork Jungle -but other adventures, and dangers, await.
[/ic]

Polycarp


The Netai Ussik

[ic=In Memoriam]This is a fine lake
It was large enough to slake
A thirst for great deeds.

My sunrise was on green water
My sunset was on blue water
All horizons are one
In the One and Many.

I pity you, stranger
You have come too late
To see a great warrior.


- Selected epitaphs, Ussik memorial stones in Anath[/ic]

The Netai Ussik are newcomers to a distant land.  They make their homes now where virtually none of their race had ever come before, hundreds of miles away from the land of their origin.  Many populations have migrated over time and colonized new lands, but seldom has this been done as quickly as the Ussik have managed it in the past few decades.  But there is much that is unusual about the Netai Ussik – for one, they did not come to the Indigo Sea to trade, to find richer land, to escape a dying homeland, or for their faith or beliefs.

They came here to fight.

The Call Goes Out

In the late 180s, the newly born Netai Confederation was fighting for its life.  The flight of Varan-Etun Oran from its palace in 184 had given the new polity but a moment to establish itself; two years later, it returned with an army to reclaim its rights.  The military of the Green Realm had been all but annihilated by a storm at the Isle of Righteous Remuneration.  This disaster had led to the flight of the Prince and the success of the revolution in the first place, but it also meant that the new Confederation inherited few ships or trained soldiers.  Varan-Etun had gathered an impressive force of mercenaries – Tahro (and some Nevir-Umbril) from the Great Mire and Iskites from Watzash – all paid with the promise of plunder.

In less than a year, the Oranid fleet had captured Andar and Vanam Dur.  Inembran supported the Oranids, and major Confederation isles like Teven balked at dispatching any troops or ships to the Confederation's aid.  Their reluctance was understandable, as the Confederation forces had been thrashed at every engagement with Varan-Etun's host, most crushingly at the Scarlet Necklace, where the majority of their warships were either captured or destroyed.
[Note=New Content]This is the first thing I've posted in a while that's wholly new, as opposed to something in my archive that had just been awaiting some polish.  I thought it would be nice to continue after the feature on the Inembran Gheen with some of the other cultures of the Netai.[/note]

It was only by the assistance of aliens that the Confederation survived.  The Oranid invasion of Kalathoon, a Tahr colony, was a disastrous failure, and the defeat reenergized their foes.  The Confederation ended its own reluctance to field aliens, Inembran rose against its occupiers, and Teven and Var Umber began committing themselves to the war effort.  In the end, the Prince was forced once again to flee the isles in defeat.

Nevertheless, the Confederation leadership knew well how close they had come to disaster.  Only a year after the end of their war for independence, the Confederation again found itself at war with the Iskites of the Watzash under the banner of the Nawesun Ilassk, or "Right Orientation Alliance."  Many of the same Iskites had just been fighting as the mercenaries of the Prince; now they were fighting for the glory of their race.  The Confederation needed experienced soldiers, and in their desperation, they turned very far afield indeed.

One Evne emissary was dispatched inwise to the Black Circle.  It met with little success at first.  At White Lotus, however, it found a large number of restless Ussik who were intrigued by its stories of exotic lands and enticed by the promises of wealth and adventure.  The Ussik were ideal candidates for the enterprise – they were quite at home in water (though the brackish Netai would be quite a shock), quite comfortable around Umbril (White Lotus itself having a large Nevir population), and possessed of no great love for their "farmer" cousins.  They were also warriors – though Ishulu's Pact had kept the peace in the Black Circle since 150, White Lotus had been busily extending its hegemony over the Greenwash since then, and had a surfeit of young Ussik men and women who had fought in its name.

So it was that in 191, one hundred forty one Ussik warriors arrived in the Netai and swore to serve a government they had just met in a land their people had never before set foot in.  Less than two hundred Ussik, arriving after the great debacle at White Feather Bay earlier in the year, could do nothing to salvage victory for the Confederation.  They fought, however, with enough tenacity to be noticed by the Confederation's marshals, whose own forces were composed largely of unreliable Umbril militia, skilled but rather undisciplined Tahro warriors, and the shattered remnants of the Gheen suicide squads from the last war.

The Settlement

When the war ended, the contract with the Ussik did as well – they had fought for only three seasons.  The Confederation also lacked the resources to fulfill the emissary's extravagant promises to the mercenaries.  The Ussik, however, had no desire to make another long trek through the Forest just to return home with nothing to show for it.  As part of their "payment," they seized the houses, shops, and valuables of the Iskites of Teven, who had been removed from the city during the war out of fear of disloyalty.  The Ussik claimed their "abandoned" property as booty of war, and the Confederation was in no position to contest it.

The Confederation government had been thrown into crisis following their complete defeat at the hands of the Right Orientation Alliance.  Intendant Ul-Thalar, the mastermind of the victorious independence war, was forced to resign in disgrace, and the Confederation went through eight more intendants in less than three years, each of whom failed to resolve differences between the populist, pro-war "whites" and the conciliationist "greens."  After a white faction leader was murdered in Var Aban, riots there nearly toppled the government.  In a panic, the Deputation sacked the most recent Intendant and appointed Evuin-Thalar, another prominent leader of the whites, in its place.  The corpse of the last Intendant, who had gone missing shortly after its removal, ended up being dropped through the roof of the palanquin of the Prince of the Yellow as it and its entourage wound through the streets of Var Aban; the princes approved Evuin-Thalar's selection shortly thereafter.

While generally reviled by the Evne political elite as a demagogue, Evuin-Thalar was quite serious about avenging the Confederation's defeat.  It had also seen the worth of the Ussik mercenaries in the last war.  Evuin-Thalar sent another delegation to the Black Circle to secure more mercenaries, and appointed Esthakesh, one of the Ussik captains, to the position of marshal.

The Third Netai War was a great success for the Confederation, and this time the Ussik were able to participate fully.  Esthakesh emerged as one of the Confederation's foremost strategists, using his Ussik soldiers as trainers initially, and later organizing them into a marine raiding party that burned and plundered its way from one end of the Watzash coast to the other.  Evuin-Thalar gave Esthakesh its full political support and promoted the Ussik contribution at every opportunity, in part with a view towards the future – a heavily-armed alien minority loyal to Evuin-Thalar would be useful in consolidating its own power.  By the war's end in 196, the community had grown to over 600 soldiers.

By this time, the Ussik themselves had come around to the idea of making a permanent residence in the Netai Isles.  The Right Orientation Alliance had yielded barge-loads of gold and tea to the Confederation as part of the peace terms, and the Confederation was finally able to pay off its previous mercenary contracts in full.  The Ussik themselves had acquired great wealth from the sacking of Iskite villages.  Warriors began making their way to the Netai regularly, but now were often joined by their relatives and families.  Nearly a thousand Ussik soldiers were fielded against the Oranid pretender Atuls-Yan in the Fourth Netai War, and more than 1,400 fought the Right Orientation Alliance in the fifth and last Netai War that saw the forced disbanding of the Nawesun Ilassk.

Today, the total number of Ussik in the Netai is estimated to be over two thousand, with the largest contingent – around eight hundred – in Teven.  Evuin-Thalar's political career ended, along with its life, during an ill-advised power play against the Deputation (which is still shrouded in secrecy), but the Ussik have become a politically important force much as it predicted.  As a largely military community, the Ussik are highly organized and remain a keystone of the Confederation's defense policy.  They can hardly be ignored regardless of who the Intendant is.

The Arbalesters' League

Until the inclusion edict of last year, the Netai Ussik were considered "foreign aliens" rather than residents of the Netai.  As such, until recently the limited avenues of political activity open to aliens were closed to them, and the legal system provided them with little protection.

As long as the Ussik were simply a mercenary band in wartime, this was an acceptable state of affairs, but in the Seven Year Peace after the Third Netai War the ex-mercenaries needed other work.  While many hired themselves out as guards or sellswords, the number of these opportunities was not great, and the Ussik often competed with one another for them.  In 198, a group of veterans created what was essentially a labor union for Ussik ex-mercenaries – instead of individual Ussik competing for contracts, all employment offers would go through the new organization, which would assign them to its members on a rotating basis to prevent them from undercutting one another.  They named their new organization the fetzeksunsha, or "Arbalesters' League" (though the Ussik mercenaries used all manner of weapons, they were known chiefly for the steel-prod arbalest, which they introduced to the Netai).

In the 16 years since its founding, the fetzeksunsha has grown from a mercenary union into the chief social organization of the Netai Ussik in general.  The league helps set up new immigrants with shelter and equipment for their work, cares for war orphans and the sick, helps arrange for members to bring family members from the Black Circle, organizes cultural and religious events, holds hearings to arbitrate disputes between its members, and maintains a paramilitary militia to retaliate against outsiders who harm its members.  It acquires the means to pay for these things by taking a cut of the contracts it farms out to its mercenary members; non-mercenary members typically pay dues-in-kind, providing their labor to community projects or rendering special services to the league.

It is estimated that between 80 and 90 percent of all Netai Ussik are members of or otherwise affiliated with the fetzeksunsha.  Membership is voluntary and available to any adult Ussik, though the organization is identified so closely with the Netai Ussik community in general that not being a member is considered strange or even antisocial.  The league is often at odds with other organizations (particularly some of the Indigo Chapters of the Netai) which it perceives to be "poaching" its members.

The fetzeksunsha is divided into companies.  A company usually includes all Ussik resident in a certain isle, though Teven has four companies owing to its large Ussik population.  Members remain part of their company even if they move elsewhere, though they are generally encouraged to transfer to a local company if making a permanent move.  A company leader is called a thash, literally meaning "feather," which is a reference either to feathers ceremonially worn by White Lotus soldiers or to the fletchings on a bolt or arrow.  A company elects its own thash, who in turn appoints delegates to the all-company council in Teven whenever it meets.  The delegates elect the league's overall leader, or atzan (the word comes from the Evne term aths anuil, meaning "party to contract/agreement," a reference to the league's original function as an intermediary for mercenary contracts).

Members are categorized as either "crafters" (non-combatants) or "soldiers" (mercenaries).  Soldiers are subdivided into "sworn," "proven," and "marked."  New mercenary recruits are "sworn," referring to their oath given to the league, and those who demonstrate their value to the community become "proven" after three years.  The rank of "marked" is given to those who fought with distinction in any of the Netai Wars while a member of the league.  These ranks do not equate to authority – a marked member of the fetzeksunsha cannot order other members around – but higher-ranked members have special privileges in the organization and at present only marked members can hold offices in the organization.  First marked is a special prestige rank given to the original 141 mercenaries, of which 85 are still alive and living in the Netai.

Culture

As the first of the Netai Ussik only arrived in the isles 23 years ago, their culture is very similar to that of the Ussik of White Lotus and the Greenwash.  While they often learn the language of the Evne and use some Evne words, it would be virtually impossible to distinguish a White Lotus Ussik from a Netai Ussik by its accent.

The greatest difference between the Netai Ussik and their Greenwash kin lies in their social structure.  Traditionally, Wash Ussik live in large familial clans with dozens of related individuals in one village, but the Ussik mercenaries came to the Netai either alone or with only close family members (mates, children, siblings, etc.), and no such clans exist in the Netai.  One custom which has been developing as a result of their alienation from large kin structures is that of the "hearth family," possibly influenced by the Umbril metil.  A hearth family is a group of Ussik nuclear families that have decided to share the same residence (or compound of residences), thus "sharing the same hearth," as if they were related.  Some of these hearth families have correspondingly adopted a "hearth name" used like a family name, a practice which is very rare in the Wash.  As a new innovation, there is no standardization for hearth names, and when translated they range from the name of the residence ("Corner-lodge") to martial names thought up by ex-soldiers over drinks ("Blade-bearers," "Cracked-helm," and so on).  Some hearth families have chosen an Evne word or phrase rather than an Ussik one.

Sustenance has also been challenging to the Ussik, whose traditional diet is based on waterfowl, turtles, fish, and crustaceans (most prominently the kisk, the teardrop-shaped lobster-like creature that is stereotypically claimed to be in every Ussik dish) which simply don't exist in the saline Netai.  Their best effort at a "cuisine" so far is not much more than a combination of modified local alien recipes, "faux Wash-food" cobbled together with local ingredients, and liberal experimentation, the typical result of which the Ussik themselves deride.  Hailing from one of the great centers of tea production in the known world, the Ussik even consider the local beverages to be substandard.  The response of one Ussik soldier during the wars to an Evne captain asking when she was planning to leave Confederation service – "when I get sick of salt fish and piss-water tea" – has become memetic among the Netai Ussik.

Most of the Netai Ussik are practitioners of Uluan, the most prominent of the various flavors of Ussik folk religion.  Uluan, meaning "one-ness," is ostensibly a monotheist religion, albeit a non-exclusive one as it holds most other gods to be reflections or avatars of the "one and many."  Though not indigenous to White Lotus, it was widely adopted there after the Recentering and has since become dominant in the inwise and unclock Wash.  It is sometimes referred to as the "Cult of the Shattered God" in the Black Circle, which relates to the belief that the creator of the world purposefully destroyed its whole and perfect form in order to give the spark of wisdom to mortals and allow base creatures to aspire to enlightenment.  Around a quarter of the population practices other Ussik traditional rites of various kinds.

Adventurers

While the first Ussik mercenaries arrived 23 years ago, virtually no children were born to the Netai Ussik until the Seven Year Peace of 196-203; the very oldest of these "peace children" would be 18 now, just shy of the normal Iskite age of physical maturation (20).  Any Netai Ussik character older than that is by definition not a native, but a migrant from White Lotus or elsewhere in the Greenwash.  Such characters will be familiar with the culture and peoples of the Wash Iskites and the Black Circle; if they are recent arrivals, their knowledge of the Netai may be limited.
[note=Adventuring]The Netai is one of the "core areas" of the world that's well-suited for starting an adventuring party – it's relatively safe to travel in, features all of the major races, and provides plenty of reasons why characters of different races would know and work with one another.  This section is intended to give some guidance to players interested in creating a Netai Ussik character.[/note]

The Netai Ussik began as a military colony and their community is still dominated by warriors.  Nearly three quarters of their adults have fought in the wars, the rest being mates and other family members who came to the Netai with the mercenaries in the more recent settlement waves.  A Netai Ussik character is likely to have a military background and may be an seasoned combat veteran.  Even the new Netai-born generation, raised by soldiers, has a strong martial orientation (though no actual experience in war).  While the Netai Ussik are best known for the arbalest, having introduced it to the Netai, Ussik warriors fought just as often with sabers, spears, and helmbreakers (the halberd, though often associated with Iskites, is rare among the Ussik).  With the end of the fifth and latest Netai War one year ago, these Ussik soldiers are again looking for work.  A Netai Ussik mercenary who is a member of the Arbalesters' League may be assigned to a group or party that negotiated for mercenary services, as the League entertains contracts both large and small; League members are forbidden from taking paid work not negotiated through the League, but this does not apply to "fortune-seeking" jobs where the only "payment" is expected salvage or treasure.  Characters who are League members operate under some constraints but also have a significant network of contacts who may prove very useful.

Whether mercenary or native-born, the Netai Ussik are very used to Umbril – the Nevir make up a large part of White Lotus, and the Evne dominate in the Netai isles.  Though the culture of these two groups is quite different, even Wash-born Ussik are no strangers to Umbril physiology and are unlikely to be put off or surprised by their rather unique appearance, diet, mannerisms, and so on.

Tahro are also well known in White Lotus, and the Tahro and Ussik formed a certain mutual respect in the Netai Wars, though the general Iskite patronizing attitude towards the "primitive" Tahro is not absent among the Ussik.

Gheen are common neither in White Lotus nor in the Netai (outside Inembran), and the Ussik have no special relationships with them, though those Ussik that served with the Smokefleet are likely to have fought alongside them.

Relations between Netai Ussik and the "farmer" Iskites in the region are strained, to put it very charitably.  The Analect Iskites of Scalemount and the Sekah never had a high opinion of the "disordered" and "degenerate" Ussik to begin with, but they had little contact with the "Fishers" before the Netai Wars.  The Ussik appropriated Iskite property in Teven, savagely pillaged the Watzash during the Third Netai War, and conducted a terror campaign in the Anath during the Right Orientation Alliance's final stand that turned thousands of Iskites into refugees.  In the Sekah, the Arbalesters' League is known disparagingly as the "Bandits' League."  Underground insurgent organizations like the Righteous Militia of Sekah consider the Ussik to be pirates and traitors and target them specifically for violence.  In return for their hatred, the Ussik tend to treat their "cousin" Iskites with contempt and derision.  Mercenaries are generally not known for humility in any part of the world, and the Ussik veterans don't often miss a chance to gloat.

[spoiler=Notable Figures]Esthakesh

Esthakesh is the most well-known Ussik in the Netai.  He was part of the original 141 mercenaries brought to the Netai and has participated in every Netai War since the second (though only in a command role since the third).  Born in a small Greenwash village, Esthakesh's parents were banished from White Lotus for supporting the so-called "dynasts" during the Bluebriar Riots.  Young Esthakesh was noted for his athleticism and first saw White Lotus when he was sent there to participate in a shlak exhibition (a traditional Iskite sport similar to kickboxing).  Esthakesh never returned to his home village, instead finding work as a caravan guard on the Black Circle and eventually forming his own independent "guard company."  When in White Lotus, relaxing from their latest job, Esthakesh met the Evne representatives seeking mercenaries.  He convinced his company to join, comprising 16 soldiers of the original 141.

Esthakesh was noted by the Evne command for efficiency, and already had a head start as the only mercenary who actually arrived with a troop of his own.  Evuin-Thalar, who as appointed to the Intendancy with the triumph of the Whites over the Greens, attempted to shore up its own position by cultivating alien loyalty (to itself) and placing those aliens in powerful positions in the military.  The Ussik, being complete allies, would naturally be the most loyal, and of the Ussik Esthakesh was judged to be the most prominent and reliable.  The Intendant secured his position as Intendant-Marshal, despite the fact that this was probably against the Confederation's own law (as the Ussik were considered foreign aliens, not a constituent population).  Esthakesh, familiar with some of the latest khauta designs from the Black Circle, led the expansion and reorganization of the Smokefleet and is credited by some with the first use of ship-based balloons.

In the Third Netai War, Esthakesh was placed in command of the Blue Fleet, the force tasked with ravaging the Watzash coastline and interdicting supplies and reinforcements while the larger Yellow Fleet attacked Anath directly.  This force managed to salvage victory from defeat at Kesz, through one of the first decisive uses of the khauta in war, and subsequently attacked Alliance villages with incendiaries dropped from above (which, while not militarily effective, spread fear and brought the war to Iskite communities distant from the main theater).  Though not a participant in the Battle of Fortunate Winds, the first major all-aerial battle in known history, his role in promoting and expanding the Smokefleet allowed him to claim a good part of the credit.

Esthakesh did not actually join the fetzeksunsha until its retirement in 209, citing his formal position in the government as being incompatible with membership in a mercenary union, but is widely believed to have cooperated with and promoted the League during the Seven Year Peace.  As if to underline this close relationship, Esthakesh took a League thash named Ingkal as his mate in 202.

Esthakesh served in a more rear-echelon role in the Fourth Netai War, which was largely a failure for the Confederation; though the Smokefleet itself performed well, poor decisions and unfortunate weather led to a number of major disasters in the fleet that ultimately cost the Confederation control of the Isles of Solace.  These failures tarnished Esthakesh's reputation slightly, but the wrath of the Confederation government fell primarily on Evne captains.  He served for four years longer before retiring his post, with nearly 18 years of Confederation service to his credit.

Now 61 years old, Esthakesh lives in Teven with his mate and four children.  He is revered by the Ussik as practically a living legend; they refer to him simply as "the Marshal."  While he holds no office in the League, he is a "first marked" member who has considerable influence in the organization.  He is known to regularly visit Var Aban, the Confederation capital, and sees frequent Evne visitors, causing speculation that he has some lingering relationship with the government.  The logical assumption is that he serves in some advisory role as a marshal emeritus, but there are always rumors flying around a man as famous as he is.

Among the Sekah Iskites, "infamous" would be a better fit – his nicknames there, based primarily on his "rain of fire" in the Watzash, include "coal-maker," "the Great Arsonist," and "the Black Lotus" (a play on White Lotus).  A Sekah militant, possibly from the Righteous Militia of Sekah, attempted arson against his home last year, probably aiming for poetic justice.

Luthwar

A native of White Lotus, Luthwar was part of a mercenary party that arrived in the Netai during the Third Netai War.  Prior to that, she had been a soldier of White Lotus, dispatched outwise into the Wash to expand the city's hegemony there.  Allegedly she took the mercenary job because she found her duties "boring," and emigrated along with her mate, another White Lotus soldier.  Now a marked member of the Arbalesters' League, she is the current atzan of the League and the first atzan who is not one of the "first marked" (that is, not part of the original 141 mercenaries).

Luthwar fought with the Blue Fleet in the Third Netai War, razing Iskite villages and seeing action at the prelude to Kesz, where she nearly died when her ship was rammed and sunk.  In the peace that followed, Luthwar worked as a bodyguard in Var Umber, and became a founding member of the fetzeksunsha in 198.

Luthwar went to battle again in the Fourth Netai War, but was caught in the center of the disaster at Broken Tooth when a Confederation fleet was caught and destroyed by an Oranid force after some of its ships accidentally hit a reef.  Many of the Confederation soldiers, including Luthwar's mate, were killed.  Luthwar herself was taken prisoner, but managed somehow to escape from Meja.  She went on to fight in the most recent Netai War, surviving yet another shipwreck in the process, and was present at that conflict's major engagements on Anath.  Her apparent ability to avoid drowning has given her the nickname of "Luthwar Water-walker" among the Ussik, though it is never used in her presence.

Despite her origins as a common soldier, Luthwar has demonstrated unusual skill as a speaker and organizer.  Luthwar was a thash in Teven from 206 until 210, and held that position again for only four seasons before being elected as atzan this year.  Luthwar presides over a League in transition, as the organization increasingly takes on the appearance of the de facto "government" of the Netai Ussik.  Her agenda thus far has been to emphasize Ussik cultural unity by offering incentives for Ussik families to live together in "hearth families" and organizing events and festivals in Netai Ussik communities outside Teven.  The League is nevertheless still a mercenary union, and on that front Luthwar has aggressively tried to move in on the newly growing Rainbow Road caravans that run between the Grove of Tranquility, the Netai, Scalemount, and Kengal.  It is said that the League has lately been "roughing up" competing guard companies, discouraging them from working the route or strong-arming them into fixing their prices with the League.

Luthwar has not taken a mate since the Fourth Netai War.  She has one son, born during the Seven Year Peace, and the two of them live in Teven in the communal residence of the Brazen-shield hearth family with seven other families of White Lotus.  Although generally well-regarded in the community, there are persistent rumors that while in Var Umber she had dealings with the Cult of the Mentor or was in fact initiated into the cult.  Luthwar has always taken part in the Uluan ceremonies and has dismissed these "idle tales," but rumors still linger, in part because the secretive cult is not well-understood even in the Netai.

Argishek

Argishek is the daughter of a thatchmaker, born in a small Greenwash village.  As she tells it, when she was still in her egg, her community was stricken by a mass die-off of the local shellfish population on which it depended.  The creatures were increasingly found with thick mucus clogging their mouths and gills that was invariably fatal.  Desperate for help, the village contacted a bone-dancer, an Uluan priestess skilled in the breaking of curses.  The destitute village had nothing to pay her with, but was desperate for help and offered the priestess anything she wished.  She pointed to an egg, claiming it had auspicious markings, and exacted from the village a promise that when she returned in ten years' time the child of that egg would be given to her.

Argishek grew up among her family, but everyone in the village kept her at arm's length, knowing that before long they would have to relinquish her.  Her family forbade her to play with the other children or go out to fix nets, fearing that were she to be taken in some freak accident they would be unable to pay the bone-dancer and would be cursed again.  Her childhood, to hear her speak of it, was lonely and bleak.

After ten years the priestess returned as she had promised, and took Argishek with her.  She trained the girl as her apprentice, teaching her the mysteries and rites of Uluan.  The priestess was also a practitioner of channeling, and believed that the markings on Argishek's egg had marked her as one who had great potential with the Breath.  Argishek and her mentor traveled to many villages until the old priestess at last passed away, leaving all her charms and instruments to Argishek.

Argishek volunteered to travel to the Netai after meeting an Evne ambassador in White Lotus in 195, as the Third Netai War was raging.  She arrived there in early 196.  She is no soldier and never fought in the wars, but set herself up in White Lotus as a bone-dancer and a teacher of engej, or "synthesis," a holistic path to channeling the Breath that is common in the Wash but rare in her new homeland.  In fact, channeling in general has been rare in the Netai since Vatav-Nel Oran, the first Prince of the Green, banished all the kajes (schools of the Breath) from the Netai more than a century ago.  Into this vacuum, Argishek has emerged as one of the foremost teachers of the ways of the Breath.  Her selection of pupils seems to be almost random; the largest portion of her students are Ussik, but Evne are nearly as well represented, and some bringing expensive gifts have been turned away while occasionally others who have been unable to pay her fee have been accepted anyway.  She does not have a proper kaj as such, but rather meets with her students in her own small residence on Teven.

Most of the Netai Ussik are themselves followers of Uluan and are respectful of the priestess, but they are wary of her all the same, knowing many tales of the powerful curses of bone-dancers.  In a sense she is more "popular" among the Evne of Teven, who consider her a marvelous foreign curiosity – a strange shaman of a foreign god who is said to wear a hundred different pieces of bone jewelry and piercings, and lives in a smoke-filled shack strewn with strange fetishes and animal skulls and herbs hanging from the driftwood rafters.  Sightings of "Rattlescale" on the avenues and in the markets are always popular topics of conversation in Evne teahouses.  She is generally agreed to be a powerful channeler, but specific feats of her mastery are not well-documented.  One popular tale is that when a strong gale hit Teven last season, the area around her house remained completely still and calm.

Argishek, assumed to be around 40 years of age, has neither mate nor children.  When her students are not visiting, she lives alone except for her "pet," a three-foot long Cog snake whose "skin" is made of brazen ring-like segments.  She is not a member of the fetzeksunsha, but appears occasionally at religious events it sponsors.[/spoiler]
Pictured at top: This is one of the newer variations of the symbol of the fetzeksunsha, or Arbalesters' League.  The League was given no official symbol at its founding, but the organization quickly adopted a simple crossbow symbol to press into clay, wax, or lead seals on contracts.  By the Fourth Netai War, when crossbows were becoming rather widespread among the Evne, this became a crossbow with a lotus blossom atop it as a reference to the origin of the Ussik.  While the simple crossbow-with-lotus remains the "official" seal used by the League on documents, decorative variations used on buldings and objects have proliferated in recent years.  The current fashion is a "trefoil" of crossbows-and-lotuses, one example of which appears above.   The tendency has generally been for the crossbows, which were once dominant, to be increasingly stylized and understated, while the lotus blossoms become larger and more ornate.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Rose-of-Vellum

So, I'm excitedly about to read all of this seeming CJ goodness, but first I just gotta ask: where do you find, or how do you create, such beautiful symbols?

Polycarp

All my flags/symbols are made in GIMP.  Some elements of some symbols are drawn from elsewhere (Wikimedia Commons, various clipart/stock galleries), and the rest of the design I usually do with the path tool.  The Netai Ussik symbol, for instance, started with a stock lotus flower symbol which I removed part of and recolored, and the "crossbows" were done by hand.

The funny thing with that symbol is that the historical blurb at the bottom actually reflects my process of making it - I started with just a flower on a crossbow and thought "what else can I do with this?"

Anyway, I figure I might as well keep going with Netai cultures, which means the Kalath Tahro, Sekata Iskites, and Evne Umbril (who aren't just a local culture, but a whole subrace).  One of those will probably be next.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Rose-of-Vellum

Yes, keep 'em coming.

One thing not included in the prior post, though, would be a bit more info on Uluan. More specifically, what does faith look like in practice, or how does its rituals, observances, etc., look different than other faiths.

Polycarp

I deliberately omitted that because I felt it would be more appropriate in a feature on the Wash or the Ussik in general.  While an Evne, knowing no better, would probably consider Uluan to be "the religion of the Ussik," its dominance among the Netai Ussik is mostly a geographical accident.  Ussik religion is somewhat analogous to pre-modern Hinduism in the sense that it's not so much a "religion" as a broad swath of spiritual and cultural traditions, some of which are quite different from one another.  Uluan is merely one of these traditions which happens to have a more monotheist bent (though it's a rather weak monotheism, and might be closer to henotheism).  Bonedancers are not specifically a feature of Uluan, and in fact predate Uluan as a tradition, but they are still part of "Ussik traditional religion."

This is why Argishek's position in her community is rather nebulous; she's a bit like a folk healer in medieval Christendom, acknowledging Christ but also talking about the evil eye and elf-shot.  It's not exactly heretical, but it's unorthodox and a bit unsettling, an eerie shadow cast by an ancient mystic tradition the culture hasn't entirely left behind.

The Sekata Iskites will be next.  Almost everything I've done so far on the Netai focuses on them as antagonists in the form of the Right Orientation Alliance, and something explaining their point of view and motivations is probably overdue.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Polycarp

#71

The Sekata Iskites

Pictured Above: A Right Orientation Alliance banner belonging to a vocational fighting brigade.  The only official Alliance symbol was the "N-L," a consonantal abbreviation of the organization's name (Nawes un iLassk).  The LT "new script," in use since the late Age of Prophets, connects all letters in a word with a line, which is why an abbreviation of two letters appears as a single mark.  Some embellishment of the symbol is evident on this banner, but the N-L mark was very seldom any more ornate than this.

The columns of script on the sides read, top to bottom and from left to right, "Wasthe masters – the root of solidarity," indicating first that this is a banner from the Anathi village of Wasthe.  "Masters" in this context denotes that the troop is composed of adult vocational soldiers rather than unflowered youths or volunteers (a good modern translation might be "Wasthe Regulars").  Alliance soldiers typically named their own units, usually after Analectic virtues (like ungsij, "solidarity").  There are no vowels on this banner, as vowels are frequently omitted in the written LT when the meaning is obvious from context.  The transliterated text of the columns is "WSTH-Z-JNS / NGSJ-NG-NLK" (with vowels, "wasthe az ajans / ungsij eng [e]nalk").  Most Alliance banners from Anathi villages were lost in battle or destroyed after the surrender, as the Confederation considers them to be symbols of sedition, but a number found their way to the Watzash where N-L banners are commonly found despite the formal abrogation of the Alliance.


[ic=Song for Anath]What scent now rises from clockwise?
What smoke now stings our eyes?
Wujjal's children on the funeral pyre,
Anath's flower is now Netai incense.


- A Lament for Anath c. 197, after the Third Netai War[/ic]

The word sekah (sseka in the modern LT) means "border" or "frontier," and is most commonly used to mean the edge of an Iskite clearing, where the fields end and the Forest begins.  Those aliens which have never cleared nor tilled a field seldom understand that the Iskite way of life is war, an eternal struggle fought with fire, axe, and mattock against the tireless Forest.  A village's border is never set in stone – it is the result of a hard-fought stalemate, and only diligence and toil maintain it.  

It is no coincidence that the land between the Chromatic Plain and the shores of the Netai shares this name.  Throughout its history, this borderland has been a contested place, the wild frontier of Scalemount, wrested from the Forest and the hands of aliens both.  In recent years the Sekata Iskites have fought a series of bitter wars against the newborn Confederation in an attempt to maintain the frontiers of their dominion; many victories were won, but the most recent war ended last year in dismal failure.  The Evne and their subjects rest easily upon their victory – but those who know the Iskites know their struggle is never done, and even foes as inexorable as the Forest itself will in time be forced to yield what is rightfully Iskite.  The fields are maintained with fire and iron, but fire and iron do more than keep the Forest at bay.  They are the tools by which a great civilization may yet reclaim its pride.

History

In the present time, the Scalemount and the Netai are divided by "the salient," a projection of the Chromatic Plain that reaches out to the edges of the Mosswaste.  While the Chromatic Plain is not as outright hostile as the Mosswaste, it is one of the more difficult lands to traverse; tall bamboo-like "grasses" like the gheentail rush, growing up to twenty feet tall, grow thickly in every direction.  Thin flowering vines grow between the stalks, reaching up towards the sun, turning an already dense thicket into a spider's web.  Every part of this grassland looks the same.  Traveling through it without a lodestone and a sharp machete (preferably several) is essentially impossible.

In Antiquity, however, this was not the case.  Before the Saffron Moss consumed Chalicewood, one could simply go around the salient.  There lay the lake of Isath, which was in ancient times the homeland of the Evne that now rule the Netai.  There is evidence that unclock Isath and the Saltmoor beyond saw some Iskite settlement prior to the Great Social Reform; a handful of szalks, Iskite fortresses and tombs built prior to the Reform, are known to exist in the Saltmoor.  How long ago this settlement began, however, is hotly debated.  The Sekata Iskites themselves claim ancient dominance, arguing that the Saltmoor was an Iskite land in distant Antiquity that was only lost to the Evne later on; there is a widespread legend that the Iskite heroine Wujjal was the first to make her home in the Saltmoor after slaying the evil lord Ungsze.  The Evne themselves maintain that they were the first colonists of the Saltmoor.  There is unlikely to be any clear evidence either way.

The Sekah's well-attested history as an Iskite land begins with the Great Social Reform.  At this time the Iskites of Scalemount were ruled by hereditary princes who constructed great monuments to their power and authority.  A rising tide of unrest, however, led to the overthrow of many of the princes, and the splintering of the Scalemount Iskites into dozens of philosophical and social sects.  While most of these movements supported some degree of "reform," some were far more radical than others, and the greatest fault line emerged on the fundamental issue of blood.  A number of sects proposed that hereditary and nepotism be crushed once and for all by the destruction of the family as an institution.  Their opponents, the "Kinsmen," called them dangerous fanatics, and mocked them as "Orphans;" it was a name the Orphans soon adopted for themselves.  Though they shared one particular philosophical view, however, the Orphan sects disagreed with one another on many other issues, and often thought no better of their "fellow Orphans" than of the Kinsmen themselves.

The first major wave of Iskite settlement in the Sekah consisted of refugees from Scalemount during the Reform period; many of these were not political refugees, but families and communities seeking to escape the general war and unrest that had gripped their homeland.  Towards the end of the period, it became clear that the Polemicists (named for the Polemic, which would became the fourth chapter of the Mainspring Analects), an Orphan sect, would be triumphant, and all under their rule would either have to embrace their ideal society or perish.  The future Sekah was an ideal place for refuge – Isath, still an Evne land, was too strong for the Polemicists to threaten, and the Saltmoor beyond was too remote.

One of the competing Orphan sects was the so-called "Orderines," who believed in a strictly stratified society in which theoretically each person could ascend from the lowest caste to the highest one through merit.  While they did not make children unknown to their parents as the Polemicists did, children did not inherit the status of their parents and were separated from them as a consequence of each degree being physically and socially isolated from the others.  Their plans were not viable on a large scale; early Orderine-held settlements in Scalemount appear to have been little more than military dictatorships, which lasted as long as they did only because the sect produced some of the more outstanding warriors and commanders of the period.

By the end of the Reform era the sect had converted itself into something resembling an armed monastic order.  Frustrated by the failure of the people to accept their ideals, they deemed society at large to be "tainted" and retreated within their own voluntary communities.  When the Polemicists gained their triumph, these communities went into exile elsewhere.  Famous for their love of austerity and hardship, the Orderines appear to have found their ideal new home in the forbidding Saltmoor.  They were readily accepted by the Iskites already living there; the Orderines were no longer interested in remodeling all of society, and the presence of a sect still renowned for its combat prowess was likely gratifying to refugees still wondering whether the Polemicists would pursue them.

To reach the Saltmoor, these Iskites had to travel through Isath, and many Iskites went no further than that.  The Evne leadership was at first very accommodating to the Iskites, perhaps seeing them as a faction to be played against the Polemicists who now dominated most of Scalemount.  The Umbril princes offered their protection to the new Iskite villages on the unclock shore of Isath, provided they complied with Evne law.  Wars between the Isath Evne and the Polemicist Iskites are attested, but no details have survived; evidently the Evne did well enough, as Scalemount seems to have made no progress against them in late Antiquity.  They were further bolstered by the arrival of a great host of Chalicewood Gheen, fleeing the fall of their homeland, who similarly became subjects of the Evne in a polity bearing a certain amount of resemblance to the Evne-led Confederation of modern times.

Isath, however, would not survive.  The Peril overran the lake with tremendous violence and terror early in the Age of Prophets, and Isath has been lost to the Mosswaste ever since.  The surviving Evne fled to the shores of the Sea of Netai, the Iskites fled to their kinsfolk in the Saltmoor, and the Gheen spread out over both these regions, eventually finding themselves subjects to either the Evne or the Iskites wherever they went.

The Oracle Tree spread to the Saltmoor in time, and prophets came to rule there as in many other places in the world.  These prophets found common cause with those of Scalemount, who had founded the "Grand Authority," an alliance of the fruit-eaters intending to unify all their race under one culture, one language, and one common purpose.  By this age, the Orderines had lost their old martial traditions and the enmity between the refugees and Scalemount had softened; Saltmoor's prophets shepherded their people into adoption of "Analectic" society, succeeding with a soft touch where the original Polemicists had failed.

When the Dominion Tree blossomed, this newly ordered society fell into chaos.  The prophets of the Saltmoor turned against their people, and Abominations began swarming into the Saltmoor from lost Isath.  They were met by another force, gathered from all over the Forest – the great horde of the Aras Tay, with Vao, the towering Lord of Brambles, before them all.  The climactic battle between the Peril and the Forest took place near the unclock shore of the Netai.  Although not actively hostile to the Iskites, the Aras Tay were heedless of "collateral damage;" the village of Esthan was flattened in a duel between Poruai and a colossal mosswyrm, in which the slime mold-like Aras Tay shoved itself down the wyrm's throat and ripped it apart from the inside.

The trial of the Saltmoor Iskites was not yet over.  As the Aras Tay and the Abominations clashed, the Gheen monarch Yaar Makal stirred her people to revolt against their Iskite masters by claiming they were servants of the Peril.  Thousands of Iskites were killed and numerous villages destroyed before the Iskites rallied against them and forced the "Makales" to flee.  They were allowed only a few years of rebuilding before the arrival of the Orange Horde in their land.

The New Borderland

Although the Saltmoor had suffered, the Prophetslayers had been far more cruel to Scalemount, and a new wave of refugees from Scalemount braved the Flowering Moors to travel to the Iskite Saltmoor.  While many villages there had been destroyed or depopulated, many of the isolated communities of the upper Saltmoor had survived essentially intact.

The flight of the Evne into the Netai isles during the Recentering left the unclock coastline of the sea all but uninhabited.  Soon after the Recentering's end, the Iskites of the Saltmoor began migrating to the coast, which they named watzash ("dawn-water").  Though farming was more challenging in the coastal forests, Watzash was less dangerous than the deep Saltmoor, and the coastline allowed villages to communicate and trade with one another where before they had been quite isolated.  Watzash prospered, and stories of the "new land" filtered back to Scalemount, spurring more immigration.  Around 60-70, some of these Iskite communities began taking to the water and exploring the chain of islands off their coast, known as Anath (in the LT this is spelled and pronounced as Anasth), which was uninhabited at the time.  New villages were established throughout the islands.  The Iskites of Scalemount called this new land sseka – Sekah, the Borderland, the newest frontier of Iskite civilization, reborn from the ashes of the Recentering.

In EVP 87, the Evne Prince of the Blue, Vatav-Nel Oran, deposed its rival and proclaimed itself Prince of the Green and master of all the Netai.  Vatav-Nel expressed no interested in Anath, but a later Oranid would.  Ineven-Nel Oran invaded the archipelago early in its reign, before its madness had become very pronounced.  The invasion was largely peaceful, as most villages surrendered without a fight.  Both Ineven-Nel and its successors were content to rule Anath with a light hand, exacting a relatively modest annual tribute and allowing the Iskites to continue to govern themselves.  Some Evne traders settled in Anathi communities, but no large-scale Evne colonization took place under the Oranids.  There was no interruption of trade and contact between Anath and Watzash, whose people enjoyed peace and growing prosperity during this time.

The Scourge that ravaged the alien communities of the Netai in the late 2nd century never touched Anath; the Iskites banned entry to their land from the Netai and sunk any ships that defied their ban.  They watched from afar as the Oranids fell from power and the newborn Netai Confederation struggled to win their independence, though individually many Iskites of Anath and Watzash were hired as mercenaries by the last Prince of the Green.

The Right Orientation Alliance

The fall of the Oranid state presented the Iskites of the Sekah with an opportunity.  Though victorious, the Confederation was still in disarray.  Sekata veterans returning from Oranid service recalled that the Oranid prince had lost chiefly because its people had no faith in it and its troops, nearly all mercenaries, were not well-motivated.  They spread the belief that the Confederation's victory had come about only because of Oranid weakness rather than Confederation strength.

Sekata leaders began to feel that this moment was the right one to formally sever the ties between the Anath and the Netai, ending the protectorate status that had existed since the days of Vatav-Nel.  In the Watzashi village of Tzal, grandmasters of eighteen villages held a historic council that founded the nawes un ilassk (most literally, "alliance which has come about by way of correct understanding of and appreciation for one's place in the natural order," but which is usually rendered as "Right Orientation Alliance").  The Alliance was ostensibly an organization formed to facilitate cooperation between the villages of Watzash and Anasth and to provide for the "protection" of the archipelago from outside interference.  Messengers went out to the villages of the Sekah, and soon dozens of villages had joined the new organization.

In EVP 190, a flotilla bearing the N-L banner of the Right Orientation Alliance landed at Anath.  They "conquered" the archipelago without a fight – the last Evne garrison had been withdrawn during the First Netai War and the Anathi natives largely greeted the Alliance forces as liberators.  Some villages received them more tepidly, concerned that the Alliance might actually place more restrictions on their independence than the Oranids had, but they posed no serious resistance to the takeover.

There is considerable evidence that the Alliance leaders did not expect their actions to lead to war.  Very few Evne lived in Anath, and the Oranids never displayed much interest in it aside from collecting regular tribute.  It seemed unlikely to the Sekata Iskites that the Confederation, having just fought a war for their own freedom, would now attempt to subjugate them in turn.  It was widely assumed that the liberation of Anath would be accepted as a fait accompli, and that the Confederation would soon reach an understanding with the Alliance and cordial relations would be restored.

The Confederation elites saw the situation very differently.  Many Sekata warriors had fought for the Oranids, and the deposed Oranid prince yet lived.  The Evne feared that this was merely another attempt to destroy the Confederation masterminded by that prince.  They were also keenly aware that they owed their victory only to the cooperation of aliens – if Anath could secede so easily, it might inspire other alien populations within the Confederation to declare their own independence.  This would greatly weaken the Confederation, cause strife in mixed-population islands like Inembran and Teven, and might ultimately turn the Netai into a patchwork of racial states.

The Alliance, seeking to forestall hostilities, send a delegation to the Confederation claiming they had no further claims on Confederation territory, and offering to negotiate a permanent alliance against the deposed Oranids.  The Intendant, Ul-Thalar, was reportedly willing to accept this arrangement, believing that the Confederation would probably lose if it tried to contest Anath with the Alliance.  The College of Envoys, however, did not trust the Alliance and feared accession to their offer would show weakness and invite betrayal.  Pressure mounted on Ul-Thalar to reject the offer and fight for the "liberation" of Anath, and in the end, the Intendant gave in.

The first war between the Alliance and the Confederation began that year; the last would not end until 23 years later.  The Alliance, though outnumbered by the Confederation, achieved many impressive victories.  In the end, however, it was overwhelmed.  Confederation naval and aerial forces proved superior, and the Confederation forces used terror tactics against the Sekata Iskites throughout the wars, using khautas to drop fire-oil on Iskite fields and villages.  Confederation raiding parties, particularly Ussik brigades, pillaged and burned Sekata villages all along the Watzash coastline.  Last year, faced with the total destruction of their naval forces and the prospect of abandoning the entire coastline, the Alliance sued for peace.  As a condition of the peace that ended the Fifth Netai War, the Right Orientation Alliance was formally disbanded, and its constituent villages were forced to pay a tremendous indemnity (only a portion of which has actually been paid, owing to the poverty of the Sekata villages by the end of the war).  All of Anath is now under Confederation rule, and several years of intensive resettlement since the Third Netai War have brought the proportion of Iskites there from nearly 100% to as low as 60%.  What are widely known as the "Netai Wars" are collectively known to the Sekata as elakang – The Grief.

The last quarter-century has dealt a tremendous blow to the optimism and confidence of a people who, after the ravages of the Recentering, believed themselves to be on the path of progress and renewal.  Rebuilding efforts have begun in many Watzash villages, bolstered significantly by the influence of Scalemount – the Scalemount Iskites were kept informed of the progressing Netai Wars and the plight of the Sekah has been a cause célèbre for years.  During the wars, many Scalemount soldiers journeyed to the Sekah to fight as volunteers, and now numerous Scalemount villages send goods to support the restoration of Sekah villages.  While their help is appreciated by most, some Sekah natives who are simply tired of war fear that Scalemount assistance will rekindle dreams of vengeance and lead to another war in the future.

The Sekata have also begun to see some benefit from the caravans of the Rainbow Road, the trade route between the Grove of Tranquility, Netai, and Scalemount, which passes through their territory before crossing the salient of the Flowering Moors.  The possibility of profit is substantial, though there are also concerns that the Confederation will try to exert its dominance over Watzash as well, and there have been conflicts between the Sekata Iskites and the Ussik caravan guards of the Arbalesters' League who are widely detested by the Sekata as brutal savages and plunderers.

Culture

Since the Age of Prophets, the Sekata Iskites have been a recognizably "orthodox" Iskite culture, faithful to the Analects and disdainful of heredity and family ties.  The presence of the Orderines among them, however, has left marks on their society that even the Grand Authority was unable to entirely stamp out.  Scalemount Iskites find Sekata culture to be more "classist" than their own, with vocations often grouped into distinct castes.  Another Orderine relic is the widespread practice of "fostering" in which young children are sent to other villages to be raised; this supposedly comes the Orderine practice of separating children from their parents, or possibly from stories that Saltmoor villages sent children to the exiled Orderine fortresses to receive training in arms or the Breath.

As a population formed from many waves of refugees, hospitality is particularly important to the Sekata Iskites.  Although most cultures of the Forest have traditions of hospitality towards guests, borne of a world in which turning away a stranger in the Forest frequently means their death, the Sekata Iskites take this to further lengths.  By tradition, a stranger fleeing persecution cannot be forced to leave, and exiles from other villages have been known to live for years or even the rest of their lives in the village of their hosts.  Many villages have elaborate rites for the receiving of guests and mark these occasions with feasting.  All of this was originally extended to aliens as well, particularly the Evne (who allowed the Iskites to travel through their land and settle in it when fleeing Scalemount), but the recent wars have degraded this tradition.  True foreigners are still likely to be received well, but aliens from the Confederation may or may not be depending on the village, and Ussik almost never will.  Villages plundered or razed during the war may simply be unable to afford such extravagances for any guests regardless of race.

Much of the Saltmoor is less conducive to farming than Scalemount, and the Sekata Iskites depend more on fish than their upland cousins.  They are still agriculturalists, however, and have learned to build raised plots and to cultivate salt-resistant plants.  The chief staple is osal, a leafy shrub with clusters of tiny pale blue flowers that yields "grain" similar to amaranth.  Osal is highly salt-tolerant is used to make bread, oil, sweets, and "cloud grain," the closest thing the Clockwork Jungle has to popcorn.  "Osal-chewer" is a Scalemount slang term for a Sekata native, with an added connotation of rusticity (a comparable American English term would be "hayseed").

Most Sekata Iskites have a religious outlook similar to that of Scalemount Iskites.  The role of Sekata priests is to find which gods will be most efficacious in fulfilling the particular need of the community and discovering the rituals and sacrifices necessary for placating that god.  Sekata priests are in a sense scholars of religion in general, who keep extensive records of regional and local gods (even the gods of aliens), the histories of their worshippers, and records of the kinds of sacrifices offered to them in the past.  The Sekata Iskites do have their "own" gods, but these pass in and out of favor depending on their performance and the judgment of the priests.  The only exception is the deified Osal – so important is the plant that it is also the name of a goddess, who is revered almost everywhere in the Sekah.  Correspondingly, wreaths of blue Osal flowers are a universal symbol of prosperity among the Sekata Iskites, and are worn by priests at ceremonies and used to crown the victorious females of the sesses eng salej.

Recent events have led some of the Sekata Iskites to conclude that they have lost the favor of their gods.  Ordinarily the Iskites might consider even adopting the gods of their enemies, hoping to appeal to them more than their former followers, but the nature of Evne religion makes this rather hard to do.  Recently cults of the Aras Tay have been growing in popularity, particularly as incursions by Abominations from the neighboring Mosswaste become more frequent; the Sekata Iskites are more aware than most of the role the Aras Tay played in defeating the Peril once before.  Foreign cults brought by caravans from the Black Circle have also gained some purchase, including the Cult of the Solar Emissary headquartered in Greythorn.

Adventurers

A Sekata Iskite character may be from Anath, Watzash, or the Saltmoor.  While the cultural differences between these groups are fairly minimal, Iskites of Anath or the Watzash are more likely to have fought in and seen firsthand the destruction of the Netai Wars.  Saltmoor Iskites did participate in the fighting, but fewer of their villages were part of the Right Orientation Alliance (which was primarily a Watzashi-Anathi phenomenon) and Confederation retaliatory attacks could not reach very far inland.

A Sekata Iskite character may also be from the Netai Isles themselves.  The greatest concentration of Netai Iskites was on Teven, but this population was deported to other islands during the Netai Wars.  Netai Iskites may have migrated to the isles prior to the wars or may be descended from slaves brought to Netai under the Oranids.  They are more likely to be comfortable with aliens and the Netai's cosmopolitan culture, but they may also be torn by their loyalties to the Confederation and their Sekata kin.

A Sekata Iskite who served as a vocational soldier is likely to have been deployed against the Confederation at sea, in Anath, and possibly even in Watzash, though Confederation attacks there were primarily coastal raids rather than pitched battles.  Iskites of other professions may also have served, as towards the end of the Fifth Netai War, Alliance villages were mobilizing all able-bodied artisans they could find to defend their coastline and stave off defeat.  In general, however, the Sekata Iskites are not a highly militarized culture, and the soldier's profession is no more common among them than it would be in Scalemount.

Sekata Iskites are, above all, survivors.  As children they are taught about the many trials of their kin.  Their people, according to their own stories, are patient bearers of hardship who endure adversity and persevere (another reflection, perhaps, of their Orderine heritage).  Nevertheless, a year is a very short time for the wounds of war to heal, and the trauma is still very fresh in the minds of the people.

A Sekata character must decide for himself what the future offers and whether defeat should be accepted, endured, or avenged.  Many of the Iskites simply wish to return to normalcy, and are resigned to Confederation rule of Anath; of these, some support permanent reconciliation with the Confederation, while others believe that a future generation will redeem the archipelago.  Other Sekata Iskites believe defeat should not be so easily accepted, and seek to reclaim the independence of Anath in this generation, either out of a personal grudge against the alien conquerors or a belief that only victory can redeem the dignity of the Iskites and restore the natural order.  Some Iskites have simply grown disillusioned with the ideals of "independence," "dignity," and "right order" that led the Sekah to ruin, and seek to make a new life elsewhere.

Between the Recentering and the Netai Wars, Sekata Iskites had relatively little contact with alien populations, and it is quite possible that a Sekata Iskite character has encountered aliens primarily on the battlefield.  Iskites of Anath have had somewhat more contact, as there has been a regular Confederation (chiefly Evne) presence on their lands since the Third Netai War, and Confederation-encouraged immigration has brought thousands of Evne (and, to a lesser extent, Tahro and Gheen) into Iskite communities.  Sekata Iskites of the Saltmoor who did not participate in the wars stood a good chance of having never seen an alien, at least until recent years when alien caravans from the Black Circle started becoming quite frequent in the region.

[spoiler=Notable Figures]Tzalang

[ic=The Grief]In days of tea they would not take your open hand; in days of iron they would not feel your beating fist.  My tongue has served you no better...  All my words are a sigh in the gale; all my strength is dewdrop upon a bonfire.  You placed a great trust in my hands, and all that is left is ash sifting through my fingers.  Oh, my people, only your grief is greater than my shame; I have failed you.

- Tzalang, diplomat of the Right Orientation Alliance, informing the village of Zelkan of the end of the Fifth Netai War[/ic]

Tzalang was born in the coastal village of Angszi and tutored as an herbalist; for part of his childhood, he was fostered in the prominent Anathi village of Kesz, and is said to consider it his "second home."  Despite being skilled at his trade, he did not become a master until the relatively late age of 26; his flowerwork was the refinement of a traditional antidote for the venom of a particular breed of water snake.  As a healer, Tzalang was well-traveled in the Sekah, as his village frequently gave him permission to attend to problems elsewhere to boost their own status and reputation for magnanimity.

Tzalang was forty years old when the Prince of the Green abandoned Tiran Oran and the Confederation was proclaimed.  Talk soon began circulating through the Sekah of liberating Anath, and the grandmasters of Angszi were strong supporters of intervention.  The grandmasters needed a representative to gain support from other villages and mobilize opinion in favor of united action.  As someone who was widely known and trusted outside his own village, Tzalang seemed like a logical choice.  Tzalang himself claims that he always supported the idea of an independent Anath, but had no strong political beliefs at the time and was simply performing his duty.

Tzalang was present at the meeting which created the Right Orientation Alliance, though as an assistant rather than an actual delegate, as he himself was not a grandmaster.  Having earned a reputation for being an effective communicator, he was dispatched as one of the legates sent to the Confederation capital of Var Aban to offer the Evne peace and renounce any claims on Confederation territory outside of Anath.  While not mistreated, his delegation was received coldly and lingered for weeks with no formal answer before being summarily dismissed without being able to formally address the convened Confederation government.  Tzalang claims that this failure has haunted him ever since, and he has always wondered what he could have done differently to change the course of history, thereby preventing numerous wars, saving thousands of lives, and achieving the dream of Anathi independence.

Tzalang never bore arms during the wars, but became the best known "face" of the Alliance.  He was present as a scribe at the negotiations that ended the Second Netai War, a great Alliance victory, and he was a delegate at the negotiations that ended the Third Netai War, which reversed prior Alliance gains.  He traveled four times to Scalemount to drum up volunteers and aid among the Iskites there, and is rumored to have engaged in secret meetings with the "new Oranid" Atuls-Yan before the Fourth Netai War.  By the end of the Fifth Netai War, Tzalang had acquired the status of an elder statesman and was sent to the surrender negotiations as ambassador plenipotentiary for the Alliance.  It was his own claw-print on wax that formalized the Iskite surrender and abolished the Right Orientation Alliance.

While some extremists consider Tzalang to be a weakling and a traitor for agreeing to the surrender, the general consensus is that it was inevitable, and prolonging the war would only have led to greater death and destruction.  Most of the Sekata Iskites hold Tzalang in high regard, and he is widely known as "the Speaker of the People" or merely "the Speaker."  As a testament to his popularity, his famous announcement of the surrender to the people of Zelkan was met with the wailing crowd embracing him en masse, and the same speech is generally credited with coining the term "the Grief" (lakang) now widely used in the Sekah refer to the disastrous wars.

His reputation is no poorer in the Confederation.  A Kalathoon Tahr leader present at the ceremony that ended the Third Netai War commented that Tzalang was "what a chieftain should aspire to; gracious in victory and dignified in defeat."  He is said to be close to Ingkeszil, a native of Anath and one of the Four Founders of the Confederation, who is presently a grandmaster in his native Kesz; they may have met one another when Tzalang was a fosterling there.

Angszi was burned to the ground in the last war.  Tzalang, now 70 years old, has dedicated himself to its restoration.  While that project is still ongoing, he lives in the half-finished village.  In his spare time he writes and continues to practice medicine.  Consistent with Analectic doctrine, the number and identity of Tzalang's children is unknown even to him, but he has had several mates.  In one famous story, upon seeing the body of a soldier arrive in Angszi during the Third Netai War, he remarked "that was my daughter;" when another Iskite replied with incredulity, Tzalang responded, "do you know that she was not?"

Iszan ish Kalk

Little is known of the childhood of Iszan ish Kalk, because the name is a nom de guerre – it means "champion for the heart."  Iszan is the secretive leader of the Righteous Militia of Sekah, a militant group assembled from veterans of the last Netai War who refused to accept the surrender of Anath.  The Righteous Militia is a secret society that wages a guerrilla war against the Confederation authorities in Anath, and has attempted assassinations and arson against several targets elsewhere in the Netai Isles.  Iszan ish Kalk is considered a high criminal and enemy of the government by the Confederation, which has offered a substantial reward for her death or capture.

According to those who have met and spoken with the Militia's leader, she was born in Anath; some have speculated that she is a native of Wasthe, as several of her communiqués have vividly mentioned the bombardment and sack of that village.  If so, she may well have been a participant in the Third Netai War, though all that is certainly known is that she fought in the fifth and last war.  According to Iszan herself, she and a number of other soldiers were hiding in the jungle in Anath, launching raids and ambushes against Confederation garrisons and moored ships, when they captured a small party of Evne who had been sent inland to convey news of the surrender.  Iszan and her comrades rejected the supposed peace and left the heads of the Evne messengers on stakes.  Some believe this story to be mere propaganda, but there is no firm evidence either way; in any case, Iszan ish Kalk and her followers have been fighting ever since, claiming themselves to be the vanguard of the resistance and the true successors to the Right Orientation Alliance.

Iszan is understandably a controversial figure in the Sekah.  While many are reluctant to outright condemn her and her organization, the war has only been over for a year, and most of the Sekata Iskites have no interest in fighting a new one.  She is much more popular in Scalemount, where her (frequently exaggerated) deeds have made her into a folk hero, fighting the good fight against alien oppressors.  Songs in her honor are quite common there, and frequently have little relation to actual Righteous Militia activities - in some cases, old stories of an Iskite defeating or outwitting an alien simply have the names and races replaced to give them a modern theme.  Tales of Iszan and the Righteous Militia have motivated some Iskites of Scalemount to travel to the Netai to attempt to join her, and some speculate that the Righteous Militia may actually have more fighters from Scalemount than the Sekah itself.

The Confederation has so far had little success in finding her, and only a handful of her followers have been captured or killed.  Those captured either do not know or will not tell anything of her identity or location; as Umbril are seldom squeamish about applying torture, it is presumed the organization either has exceptionally loyal agents or that it has a high degree of internal secrecy.

Ingkeszil

Ingkeszil is a native of Kesz, the largest village in Anath and the archipelago's preeminent port both before and after Confederation conquest.  Hatched before the Oranid conquest, Ingkeszil witnessed the arrival (and then departure) of Evne soldiers.  His trade was metalworking, and his flowerwork was an ornate polefan (a weapon also known as a mosscutter).  Ingkeszil was in his late 50s before he left Anath for the first time and had already trained several pupils of his own; the village grandmasters permitted him to travel to the Green Realm to ply his trade with the Evne and eventually return with anything he had learned.  Ingkeszil found little that the Evne knew of metalworking that the Sekata Iskites did not, but he nevertheless lived in Var Aban for thirteen years making tools and blades.

Three years after he returned to Kesz, the Scourge Crisis erupted.  Despite the ban on travel from the Netai Isles to Anath, news of the tremendous death toll still managed to filter into Kesz.  In 179, Ingkeszil and a small group of volunteers sailed to Var Aban to bring aid to the Iskite population and potentially to evacuate them somewhere safer,  but their ship was impounded by the Oranid government upon arrival.  Ingkeszil was unable to do anything to help those already suffering from the Scourge and no longer had the means to bring any Iskites out of Var Aban; he could only be a witness to the misery.  While in the city, however, he came to discover a significant amount of disgruntlement with the Oranid prince among the Evne themselves, and made contact with a number of Evne dissenters.  Several seasons later, these contacts arranged for Ingkeszil to travel to Teven, where the largest Iskite population in the Green Realm lived.

In Teven, Ingkeszil became a revolutionary.  Not long after his arrival in Teven, many prominent Evne intellectuals and critics of the regime were arrested and deported to the Isle of Righteous Remuneration (more commonly known today as the "Isle of Fate"), which only succeeded in stirring up more opposition among the Evne population.  Ingkeszil was involved in secret meetings between Evne and Iskites in Teven, and put his skills to use forging weapons for a potential uprising.  The conspiracy was discovered, however, and Ingkeszil barely managed to escape with his life, fleeing to Kalathoon on a fishing boat.  The crisis came to a head in 183 with the departure of the Oranid fleet to liquidate the exiles on the Isle of Righteous Remuneration, as they had become a thorn in the side of the regime.  Ingkeszil, together with a number of Kalathoon Tahro, sailed to the isle to try and implement a last-minute scheme to attack the Oranid fleet with fire-ships, but this proved unnecessary, as the fleet was almost entirely annihilated in a storm.  On Teven, having arrived prior to the storm, Ingkeszil and the Tahr patriarch Kuzzun met with the de facto leader of the exiles, Tiren-Vas, who swore to uphold the dignity of the aliens in exchange for their help.  The exiles were returned to Var Aban, the Prince of the Green fled the isles shortly thereafter, and the Netai Confederation was born.  Ingkeszil was a signatory of the Treaty of Var Aban and is considered to be one of the Four Founders (there is one of each race) of the Netai Confederation.  He was offered the position of Coronet of Aliens in the new regime, which he accepted only after being assured by Kuzzun was uninterested in the honor.

The First Netai War followed shortly thereafter, as the deposed prince attempted to regain its realm.  Ingkeszil was an early proponent of the Confederation using alien forces in battle, which it was initially reluctant to do; Iskites and Tahro made up a large part of the Oranid mercenary forces and the Evne of the Confederation government feared disloyalty from their own alien populations.  After the city of Andar switched sides to the Oranids, Ingkeszil resigned in protest.  He was reinstated only after the "turning point" in 187, when an Oranid invasion of Kalathoon was crushed by the Tahro and Intendant Ul-Thalar imprisoned all the Confederation marshals for treason, replaced them with aliens, and pledged to redouble the war effort with all of the Confederation's subjects.  Ingkeszil never personally fought in battle, but worked to encourage alien volunteers and promote cooperation between the races.  Though greatly depleted from the Scourge, these alien soldiers were vital to the Confederation's victory, and were well-represented at the decisive battle of Cannibal's Crown, where the main Oranid fleet was trapped and destroyed.

Ingkeszil's status and loyalties would be tested by the rise of the Right Orientation Alliance, which claimed to act for the freedom of Anathi Iskites like himself.  Ingkeszil agreed with the Evne leadership that the invasion of Anath was a reckless and unworthy act, but maintained that the Iskites of Anath had the right to choose their masters just as the Evne had asserted their rights when the Oranids became tyrannical.  He pushed for a negotiated settlement and met with Alliance delegates at Var Aban (including Tzalang, who was fostered in Kesz and probably already knew Ingkeszil).  His arguments, however, were rejected by the Evne government, which decided to respond to the invasion in kind.  When his term expired in the first year of the war, Ingkeszil declined to stand for re-election.

Throughout the wars, Ingkeszil held no other formal office but was recognized as the leader of the "loyalist Iskites," Iskite residents of the Netai Isles that did not support the Right Orientation Alliance (even if they believed the war against them was wrong).  He objected strenuously to the government's decision to deport the Iskite population of Teven.  When the Third Netai War ended in the reconquest of Anath by the Confederation, Ingkeszil returned to Kesz to try and repair relations between the Iskites and the aliens that again ruled them.

Kesz was attacked by the Alliance in the Fifth Netai War.  With the nearby Confederation forces in full retreat, Ingkeszil, now a grandmaster of the village, chose to surrender the city rather than defend it, saying that he did not want to be responsible for senseless bloodshed.  His action won him some respect among the Alliance Iskites, many of whom had thought of him as no more than an Evne stooge, but the Confederation was not as impressed.  When Kesz was retaken by the Confederation, Ingkeszil was arrested for treason, but the prosecution of one of the Confederation's own founders proved politically untenable, and he was soon released.

Ingkeszil recently marked his 114th hatching day in Kesz.  As a grandmaster, he has retired from his vocation, but he has become a prolific writer, already producing several volumes of a yet-uncompleted work on the history of the Sekata Iskites.  He has also written several treatises on antique Iskite linguistics, one of his hobbies.  It is too early to say whether his continuing mission to heal the divides between the Anathi Iskites and the Confederation will bear fruit, and not all are supportive of that mission.  Last season he was gravely wounded by an assassin, believed to be from the Righteous Militia of Sekah, which considers Ingkeszil to be a collaborator and a traitor.  The assassin was captured but managed to escape from the custody of the Kesz Iskites, perhaps indicating the presence of sympathizers or other agents within the village.[/spoiler]

Quote from: ExhibitPictured Below: A shield belonging to a Right Orientation Alliance soldier displaying a "compact N-L" design.  The letters have been combined and the baseline removed to make the symbol fit on a roundel; this is about as stylized as the N-L symbol ever got.  The ends of the symbol would be assumed to be spearheads were it not for the unusually placed iron nails, which suggest eyes on a double-headed snake.  The two small symbols within the N-L symbol are "N-STH," which certainly stands for Anasth.


A great deal can be inferred about the bearer of this shield.  Lightweight and cheap to produce, "nailed leather" shields like these were usually found in the hands of volunteers.  Sekata vocational soldiers usually carried shields faced with copper or iron, or larger oval-shaped leather shields for marine actions.  The unpainted leather (aside from the symbol) and the generally simple construction suggest this shield was made towards the end of the Fifth Netai War when time and resources were scarce, and the good condition suggests it did not see much combat.  It most likely belonged to an artisan or farmer equipped for garrison duty in a Watzashi village near the end of the war.  The iron nail "eyes" are almost certainly post-issue additions, probably by the bearer.  "N-STH" does not necessarily indicate the bearer was from the archipelago, but because this also seems to have been a post-issue addition, one might conjecture that the bearer was a Anathi refugee who had been resettled in Watzash.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Polycarp

[ic=The Prophetslayer and the Iskites]"You have used your ink to write evil, your lamps to read evil, and your mouths to teach evil.  For this sickness we have most efficacious medicine; what is written can be burned, what is lit can be darkened, and those who speak can be silenced."

- Excerpt, The Iron Deeds of Thals-Tadun Nata[/ic]

Literacy

Much has changed in the two centuries since the Orange Horde sought to destroy all learned creatures in the name of cleansing the world of the Peril's supposed co-conspirators.  That paroxysm of violence, often directed against scholars and scribes with no connection whatsoever to the Oracle Fruit and the wretched Prophets, was perhaps the Horde's gravest sin.  Though many agreed that the knowledge and philosophy of the past was tainted, the systematic mass murder of all those with "esoteric" or "mysterious" knowledge – in some regions, this included literacy itself – went beyond all reason or justification.
[note=Sacred Illiteracy]Some sects of the so-called Cult of the Redeemer, which reveres the vanished Prophetslayer Enti-Ven Famar, take the Horde's antipathy towards scholars and the written word as an example and go so far as to abstain from all writing.  The theological justification for this varies, but typically reflects a distrust of knowledge of the present world, which is viewed as corrupt and sinful compared to the utopian world to come in the wake of Enti-Fen's bloody return.  The practice is a fringe one, but is particularly favored by Gheen and Tahro, who tend to be the least literate in the first place and have few cultural attachments to literature and writing.[/note]

Nevertheless, while much of the learning of the past has been lost, the survivors of the catastrophe began writing anew.  Literacy varies widely among the races and cultures of the Forest; in some places practically universal and in others nearly unknown.  The advent of basic printing presses has assisted the development of urbanized centers and dense communities like those in the Netai and on the Black Circle into places of unprecedented information exchange and intellectual ferment, though the clash of languages and scripts can be bewildering to provincial visitors from the Forest's great periphery.

Gheen

The Gheen have always been among the least literate of peoples.  Gheen culture is predominantly an oral one; songs, tales, and stories are passed in word or song from one generation to the next.  An individual is expected to be able to recite their list of (maternal) ancestors going back many generations (dozens of them, in some Gheen cultures).  Memory is cultivated as a critical life skill, rendering general literacy unnecessary.

In the modern era, the written word has been introduced into Gheen society by contact – specifically, trade – with aliens.  Even a Gheen is hard pressed to manage a merchant's ledger entirely in her head, and alien merchants aren't generally comfortable with trusting a Gheen to accurately remember information that they themselves rely on carefully maintained paper records for.  Gheen active in regional trade – specifically, Shield Gheen dreys near the Black Circle and the Chalice Gheen expatriate families of the Netai – are the most likely to have literate members.  Even among these people, however, literacy is uncommon among residents who don't actively participate in trade.  This is still better than the state of writing in many Gheen-settled lands in the deep Forest, where it is not at all uncommon to find a drey with not one literate among the lot.

The script that most literate Gheen write in is not "native" Gheen script.  Save for the Chalice Gheen, who developed a native writing system in Antiquity, Gheen civilization adopted writing from aliens.  Which script is used usually reflects a drey's most influential neighbors.  Tahr logosyllabic script is favored in many areas because its symbols – usually reflecting words – are more easily adapted to Gheen spoken languages than Umbril or Iskite scripts, which are almost universally alphabetic or syllabic.  Some Gheen societies use "altered" Umbril or Iskite scripts in which letters are removed, added, or reassigned to reflect the different sounds and tones of the Gheen language.  If enough changes are made, the script becomes totally unreadable to the people it was originally borrowed from.  This is what is often meant by the term "Gheen Script," because in extreme instances it seems as if the only elements borrowed from aliens were the physical forms of the letters themselves and nothing else.  This practice is common enough that "it looks/reads like Gheen" has become a stock phrase in some Iskite and Umbril cultures meaning that a piece of writing is illegible, confounding, or just plain nonsense, the Clockwork Jungle equivalent of "it's Greek to me."

Musical literacy is possibly more widespread than "normal" literacy among the Gheen.  There are many Gheen who can read Iskite musical notation but have no knowledge of Iskite letters (or anybody else's).  In the Red Depths, there is a sub-region that uses "note script," a Gheen writing system derived entirely from the music notation system of the Gearfall Iskites.  Though rather complicated, it is equally useful for recording words or music (or both at once, all with the same set of characters).

Iskites

The Iskites were not especially literate in Antiquity, but became so largely because of the "Great Societal Reform" in the latter part of that age when Iskite communities in the Greater Scalemount region began to transition from family-based, aristocratically-ruled caste societies into their present form.  Living one's life according to the Mainspring Analects required being able to read the Analects (or at least have enough literates around to read them to you).  Iskite reformers – at first, upper-caste scribes, intellectuals, and priests – used literary instruction as a weapon against the hereditary aristocracies, by giving their subjects the means to read the Analects (and other less enduring "revolutionary" tracts).  In many cases, the lords of Iskite communities actively tried to keep the population illiterate, and Scalemount histories mention "Martyrs of the Word" exiled or executed for teaching letters to farmers.  As a result, many modern Iskite societies see literacy as a point of pride, a hard-won right that was seized from the hands of despotic tyrants in ancient times.

The Iskite communal education system makes it difficult for only part of a population to be literate.  An individual's trade isn't set until completion of years of "hatchery instruction," after which they are finally assigned to a mentor whose occupation they are intended to adopt.  It is thus impossible to teach writing to only part of the group until they have been allotted to their mentors, and by this time literacy is not as easily learned as it would be in early childhood.  Most villages simply include writing as a part of the communal education rubric, and as a result the literacy rate in fully "orthodox" Iskite communities approaches 100%.

The Luminous Tongue is the language used by the majority of Iskites (with countless regional variations and dialects), and it has two major alphabets associated with it, the "Antique" and "Reformed" scripts.  The Antique script predates the LT itself (it is a derivative of the Jalassan script the Mainspring Analects was originally written in), while the Reformed script was promulgated during the Age of Prophets to accommodate the newly codified LT.  While the Tongue was widely adopted, the Reformed script was not pushed as heavily by the Grand Authority, so Antique script continues to be used in many regions.  The exact proportion of usage of the two scripts is unknown, but neither script enjoys a clear majority of use over the other.  Some villages teach both.  While the scripts share some symbols, they differ almost as much as Latin and Cyrillic, and an Iskite who only knows one can only attempt to decipher the other with quite a bit of guesswork.

Alien scripts and languages are generally not taught in communal education, but villages which trade regularly with aliens may have members capable of reading alien documents.  Umbril writing is most common, because many of the printed books on medicine and herbalism today are written by Umbril in various Umbril scripts.  This convention is so predominant that there are even some Iskite-authored texts on medicinal subjects that have been written with Umbril script to give the text more scholarly cachet.  Iskites spurn most Tahr writing systems as inferior to Iskite and Umbril alphabets, believing logograms to be a primitive, inefficient, and inferior concept.

Umbril

Historical literacy among the Umbril is harder to trace.  Certainly there are original Umbril scripts dating back to distant Antiquity that indicate a long history of native literacy, but the Umbril also tend to be one of the races most willing to adopt useful alien ideas, including alien writing systems.  With the scattered and isolated nature of Umbril civilization in general, this has led to a bewildering host of unique Umbril scripts.  Some have clear alien influence, while others show none at all.  They may be alphabetical (Netai script), syllabic (the scripts of the Vars), logographic (some Zivenid scripts of the Great Basin), or some intermediate type between these.  The type of script can indicate whether alien influence was involved, but this is not always reliable – there exist logographic Umbril scripts, for instance, that seem to have nothing to do with Tahr logograms.

The Umbril have long had an atomizing tendency when it comes to language, in part because they have long been pioneers of cryptography.  There are entire Umbril writing systems that were originally devised for secret communications but became widely known over the span of centuries.  Even the individual colonies within a common cluster may adopt different writing systems to conceal trade records, judicial findings, and alien correspondence from their neighboring rivals.  To make things worse, Umbril scribes often freely flow from one script to another and back again within the course of a document (or even a sentence), either to confuse unwanted readers or simply because they feel that a word or phrase just looks more aesthetically pleasing in another form.

This wide variety and irregular use of scripts among the Umbril often infuriates alien visitors, but the problem is less dire than might be supposed.  For several reasons it is not difficult to find Umbril with knowledge of multiple local and regional writing systems, both Umbril and alien, particularly in colonies with trade interests or otherwise in regular contact with foreigners.

Firstly, Umbril literacy rates are generally quite high, second only to those of the Iskites; writing is sometimes taught to sporelings in their sessile state, but even if it isn't most Umbril regard literacy in several different systems as necessary to social mobility.  Not only is knowledge power, but few Umbril want to be forced to rely on another to tell them the meaning of an important note or letter.

Secondly, the Umbril are more likely than any other race to be knowledgeable in alien writing systems.  Literacy reveals knowledge, and Umbril prefer to have knowledge of an alien's affairs without revealing anything about their own.  By conducting business solely in the alien's language and writing, an Umbril reveals nothing and may learn a great deal.  Many alien traders do regular business with Umbril colonies without ever having to know a jot of Umbril writing.

The only remotely standardized Umbril script is the "Netai Alphabet" used officially by the Netai Confederation.  Its characteristic angular, zigzag pattern (see here for an example) is highly recognizable and is recognized in the greater Netai region as "stereotypical" Umbril text.

Tahro

The Tahro, like the Gheen, have an oral culture that has little use for the written word in everyday use.  Writing is generally held to be inferior to speaking.  In most Tahr communities, it is a grave crime to speak a lie aloud – words impart meaning to the Breath itself, so a spoken lie literally defiles the universal life force shared by all.  Writing only imparts meaning to material objects, and thus being untruthful on paper isn't considered nearly as dire an offense.  For this reason the Tahro tend to distrust the written word and consider written promises and treaties to be worth less than spoken oaths.

Aside from their spiritually derived stigma against writing, small groups of nomadic hunters simply have little use for writing in their everyday lives.  Like the Gheen, the Tahro emphasize the importance of memory, carefully memorizing long recitations (usually in the form of a chant) of ancestors, personal deeds, historical accounts, prayers, and legends of the spirit world.  Stories are passed on from generation to generation and shared between bloods at the Red Season gathering to prevent them from being forgotten simply because one blood is lost.

Literacy does have some place in Tahr society, however.  Text may not be as sacred as speech, but it does last longer.  The Tahr have a long history of engraving ruins and standing stones (usually in or near seasonal camps) with invocations of protection and guidance.  This guidance is meant both for the living and the dead; a Tahr whose soul seeks the spirit world sheds all his former memories and may find written instructions and reminders critical to a successful navigation of the spirit world and the transition between realms.  Tahro logographic script has its origins here.  Originally, Tahr script is believed to have been literal pictures, simple diagrams and images to aid even illiterate spirits.  Over time these pictures became simpler and more stylized, but each logogram still loosely represents an object or concept.  The vast majority of Tahro have knowledge of their regional variety of Tahr script, though most have a very limited vocabulary that doesn't deviate far from the common formulas and phrases of Tahr religion.

The Tahro are a mobile on a grand scale, for as seasonal camps change from year to year a tribe may find itself shifting to an entirely new region over the course of generations.  This, perhaps, helps to explain why the Tahr script has so much less variation than Umbril writing systems.  As bloods and tribes migrate, they adopt camps vacated by other Tahro, which are themselves already marked with the writing of the previous occupants.  This was likely the method by which Tahr script spread, and the ironclad traditionalism of the Tahro prevented many radical innovations to it.  After all, one wouldn't want to mislead the spirits by changing the symbols they are used to.

Some bloods do have members who speak alien languages, but alien literacy tends to be rare outside of the Netai, Koldon's Well, and other areas where Tahro frequently intermingle with aliens.  Most bloods see no point in learning such things, as barter can easily be conducted without writing and the Tahro won't be satisfied with a written trade agreement anyway.  They are not averse to learning if it is advantageous to them, but this is unlikely for bloods living most of the year in the deep Forest far from alien contact.

[ooc=Featurette]I'm posting a few mini-features while I work on the next Netai culture feature.  This is kind a niche article; I'm not sure how interesting writing actually is.  The next mini-feature is going to be on clothing, in which I struggle with unusual alien anatomy.[/ooc]
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Polycarp

#73

Clothing

[ic=Clothing]Cloak me in flowers
and enmantle me in knuckle-bones;
Place blood-ochre on my fur
and marrowroot in my mouth.
For while life is on my lips
death is on my shoulders;
For while joy is on my face
sorrow is on my tongue.


- Siyani Gheen poem

A potter in leopard's skin

- Kengal Tahr expression meaning "one who makes exaggerated boasts"[/ic]

The denizens of the Clockwork Jungle wear clothing for the same reasons you do - for protection, for modesty, for display, and for showing acquiescence to social norms.  Their standards in raiment are different than human standards for the most part because of the environment they live in and the materials that are available to them.

The Forest is a warm place.  Even in pouring rain, hypothermia is unheard of; only in the high mountains is cold a serious concern, and few ever go there.  Clothing tends to be quite light, and is sometimes eschewed entirely – nudity or near-nudity in the home is fairly common (particularly among Gheen and Umbril).  Even in situations where going unclothed is frowned upon, seeing someone without clothes is likely to be more amusing than shocking, scandalous, or obscene.  The civilized races are so radically different, physiologically speaking, that in many cases they are unlikely to be much more discomfited by an unclothed alien than a human is bothered by an unclothed dolphin.

Materials

Many familiar materials on earth are simply nonexistent in the Forest.  Cotton and flax do not exist, and there are no sheep – wool-bearing animals are poorly suited for a jungle that's hot and humid all year.  To make clothing, the civilized races depend primarily on hides, silk, bark cloth, and mothfur.

Animal hides are used by all races, though they are worn most extensively by Tahro and Umbril and only rarely by the Gheen, who do not eat meat or hunt.  Tanning is well-known by all the civilized races, and the most common technique involves soaking in animal brains and smoking over a fire.  Tanned skins are usually processed into smooth leather for clothing, though tanned pelts with the fur still on are frequently used as outerwear, in part because it can preserve the camouflage patterns of some forest creatures.

Silk in the Clockwork Jungle is not derived from a single species of silkworm, but from a variety of different animals, including both caterpillars and spiders.  Silks from different species have different properties, and some are rather phenomenal by Earth standards – most notably, the silk of the saryet or "whistling" spider is tough enough to be used as armor.  Silk clothing is frequently made from "wild silk," cocoons collected from the Forest, but domestication of several species of silk-making caterpillars and spiders occurred in late Antiquity and has overtaken wild collection in some regions.  Iskites and Gheen are the primary producers of silk and the only races that have domesticated silk-bearing animals in any significant quantity.

Bark cloth is a general name referring to textiles made from the fibrous and flexible inner bark (or "bast") of a number of different trees.  Strips of this material are layered together and beaten in a manner similar to paper production.  Bark cloth is suitable for ordinary clothing, although it is less flexible than silk and generally not as durable as leather (with the exception of the fibrous bast of the yeske tree, which is tough enough to be used by the Gheen as armor).  Bark cloth is most common among the Gheen, who live conveniently near the source, but all races use bark cloth in varying amounts.

Mothfur is a textile produced from the setae (stiff "hairs" found on many insects) of several subspecies of the Weaver's Moth or nisska (in the Iskite LT).  The ancestor of the nisska was originally cultivated by the Iskites of the Clawed Thicket in Antiquity as a food source (the caterpillars are edible, and delicious).  The adult moth was quite "fuzzy," but its setae were presumably hard and bristly like those of its modern wild kin.  Over the centuries, the Iskites selectively bred these moths to have longer and softer hair.  The modern nisska is a two foot long moth with a body covered in long, soft setae, similar in feel to rabbit hair.  Several domesticated subspecies with different colors exist, though the most common is an albino variety, as the pure white hair is the easiest to dye.  The adult moth is so shaggy that it cannot fly unless sheared; the species is totally dependent on its keepers and could not survive in the wild.  The setae are woven into a dense, soft cloth, which is also highly water-resistant.  Mothfur was produced almost exclusively by the Iskites of the greater Scalemount region, though it was also introduced to Gearfall in the Age of Prophets, and is now a major trade item in both areas.

Other sources of textiles and clothing exist.  Leaves, reeds, and woven bast are worn in many parts of the forest, particularly by less advanced or more isolated populations.  Some Gheen cultures make marvelous feather cloaks, typically worn for special ceremonies and feasts.  Even the scaly hide of certain large snakes and reptiles (and perhaps even wyrms) has been used for clothing or armor on occasion.

Umbril

The Umbril don't really understand alien concepts of physical modesty – they do not "mate" and have no reproductively relevant parts to conceal.  Clothes serve a purely functional purpose for the Umbril: where they are not needed, they are generally not worn.  In many Umbril cultures, nudity actually has positive social connotations.  Receiving guests or meeting a rival without clothes is frequently taken as a demonstration of one's hospitality and good faith, as a person without clothes cannot easily be concealing a weapon.  It is fairly common, though far from ubiquitous, for Umbril to disrobe totally when entering another's home in the same way that a human would take off his coat or shoes.  That said, however, most Umbril who have any contact with aliens are savvy enough to know that "civilized animals" see clothing in a very different way than they do, and it is very rare for Umbril to insist on an alien following their customs in this way.  Umbril customs are, after all, for Umbril.  Umbril in very cosmopolitan settings may always wear clothes around aliens in order to "fit in."

As the Umbril are not fond of climbing, they produce little bark cloth, and the vast majority of Umbril clothing in Forest colonies is made from leather and pelts.  In cities or regions where they trade regularly with aliens, they may possess silk or other fabrics, but these tend to be curios and luxury items, used to show status or to impress visiting aliens.

The standard "domestic" Umbril outfit is essentially a leather work apron.  This may be a front-only apron hung from the neck, but most frequently covers both front and back.  It may be hung from the neck and wrapped around the back, made of two separate panels connected by shoulder straps, or simply a long rectangular piece of leather with a hole cut in the middle for the head, rather like a tabard.  These aprons are thick, sturdy, and generally unadorned, but commonly sport a variety of pockets and tool-loops both outside and inside.  Those that are not wrap-around are generally secured at the sides by ties or toggles.  The garment is so ubiquitous among the Umbril that the words for "apron" in a number of alien languages reference the Umbril; one Ussik phrase for a leather apron is thawu nifir ("Nevir cloak"), while the Red Gheen call a tabard-like garment that is fastened at the sides a bryl (from ambryl, Umbril).

When venturing in the Forest, a heavier version of this garment may be worn, often made from a pelt still bearing the original animal fur rather than the smooth leather favored in domestic settings.  Depending on the animal, the fur may provide better camouflage.  In part because of the relative inflexibility of Umbril limbs, sleeves, leggings, and so on are rare.  Some Umbril may cover this basic garment with a leather or fur cloak, usually with the means to tie it into a bundle on the back to avoid getting it caught in any undergrowth.  These cloaks can be hooded, or an Umbril may wear a detached hood, a hat, or a fur-covered helmet.  Umbril cannot wear gloves and seldom ever use footwear.

Umbril clothing is typically drab.  Dark browns, greys, and greens are dominant.  Patterns are seldom worn unless the "pattern" was on the fur of an animal that has been made into a fur tabard or cloak.  Clothes worn by urban Umbril are likely to be slightly brighter, but the color selection generally remains the same.  Notably, the Evne often wear a blue-black color which is best described as "bruise-like."

The glaring exception to all of the above is the raiment of priests.  While vestments vary widely across the various Umbril subraces and cultures, there seems to be a rather widespread superstition regarding Ivetzivenid priests and products made from animals.  In many places, this manifests as priests being "vegetarian" and abstaining from any non-plant food, and it is also often expressed as a refusal to wear hides.  Bark cloth is the most common alternative, though some priests have been known to wear simply a cloak of leaves.  Often, the local version of the belief excludes animal parts (e.g. hides) but not animal products like silk or mothfur, and these may be favored.  Among the Nevir, such garments are typically embroidered with intricate spirals and web-like patterns.

Gheen

The Gheen traditionally live in canopy communities in which large family groups live in close proximity to one another; in many dreys, nobody has their own room, not even the queen.  Aliens often note that Gheen have seemingly no concept of personal space or privacy.  In domestic settings, Gheen frequently wear no clothes at all, and even in "public" within the drey it isn't unusual to see unclothed Gheen.  As a general rule, the more contact a drey has with aliens and their customs, the more likely they are to wear clothing, and in urban and mixed-race settings it is rare to see an unclothed Gheen outside the home.

Potential styles of Gheen clothing are limited by their physiology.  Gheen have a patagium, or skin membrane, that extends roughly from the wrist to the "ankle" (Gheen are digitigrade mammals).  If a Gheen were to wear a "shirt" or any other kind of clothing that wrapped around the side of the torso, it would be unable to extend its patagium and would be rendered incapable of gliding.  While Gheen in urban settings may wear clothes in the "alien style" that cover the sides of the torso, clothing that restricts gliding is very rare in a drey, where it would be extremely dangerous to wear.

The typical Gheen garment is a "tunic" that hangs straight down from the shoulders, front and back, and flares out over the shoulders (or all the way down to the elbow), rather reminiscent of a poncho.  There may also be a piece of fabric connecting the front and back together under the groin, which turns the garment into a cross between a poncho and a breechcloth.  Everyday garments of this type are cut high enough to allow easy running and climbing, though more ceremonial garments may hang nearly to the ground.  These open-sided garments are most commonly made of bark cloth, but may be made of silk, leather, hides, or – more ostentatiously – knotted cords full of beads.  A similar garment is also used for light armor when closely fitted and made of yeske bark, saryet silk, or multi-layered leather (sometimes reinforced with thin metal scales or discs).

Gheen may also wear longer cloaks hanging from the shoulders, which may be open at the chest (if a regular tunic is worn beneath it) or closed with a brooch at the neck.  Silk is preferred for its very light weight; if the wearer should fall, the billowy cloak will fly up and back, and the patagium will be unhindered.  Cloaks made of brightly colored feathers attached to netting are highly prized items, often reserved for queens and matriarchs.
[note=Cloud Cloaks]A larger, unadorned, tightly-woven silk variation of this cloak, with attachments for the ankles and hand-grips, has developed in parallel with the khauta as a sort of "parachute" in the Skyshield.  While Gheen don't naturally need such an item, it is occasionally used by Gheen troopers wearing heavier armor that would cover the patagium.[/note]

The Gheen "collar" or "pectoral" is an item that blurs the lines between clothing and jewelry.  Necklaces are very popular among Gheen of both genders.  They take a variety of forms in different Gheen cultures; while in general they are used to display status, taste, and wealth, they may also convey information about a Gheen's family, marital status, occupation, age, and so on, depending on the local culture.  A collar may merely be made of multiple necklaces, sometimes displaying beads of glass, bone, precious metal, ornamental stone, or clay, as well as snail shells, animal teeth, or some mix of these.  Collars may also be made from a single piece, usually shaped like a broad crescent hung from its upward-facing points, and sometimes covering the entire chest (at which point they may be called "pectorals" or "breastplates").  Simple collars may be made of bark cloth, while very ostentatious ones, often worn by queens, may be made out of gold or other precious metals.  Soft collars are frequently embroidered, and all collars and pectorals are frequently inlaid with beads, shells, and stones, usually in such a manner as to make a distinct pattern or picture.  Gheen collars hang from the neck and are usually front-only, though "double collars" hanging on the chest and the back are not unknown.

All of these items can be combined – a drey might well consider the height of ceremonial pomp to be a long, beautiful silk tunic overlaid with a gem-studded golden pectoral and a feather cloak open at the front.  Gheen rarely wear headwear unless for protection; to demonstrate status they generally prefer flowers or jewelry on the head and face to fancy hats, though there are local exceptions.  Footwear and gloves are almost unheard of among Gheen, as they would impede grip and climbing.

Iskites

Iskites usually live either in dormitories devoted to adults of a certain vocation (if they are "orthodox") or a cluster of dwellings serving an extended family (if they are not).  While Iskites of most cultures have a more of a "sense of modesty" than the Gheen or Umbril, what it takes to satisfy this modesty in a tropical climate may be no more than a breechcloth or the local equivalent.  When laboring or in casual company, it is common for Iskites to be bare-chested and bare-legged.  Iskites tend to associate clothing with formality, and will be well-covered at times of ceremony, diplomacy, special occasions, and so on, though in some cultures (e.g. the Maw Iskites) painting or jewelry is preferred over additional clothing.

The simplest Iskite garment is a loincloth of bark cloth, leather, or mothfur.  This often is covered in a skirt made of layers of reeds or grass hanging from a rope or leather belt on the waist.  Such a garment has some protective value as well, as it is less likely compromise the ability of a green-scaled Iskite to camouflage himself in fields or undergrowth.

In casual social settings or for light labor, Iskites often wear a knee-length, tube-shaped "skirt" rather like a traditional sarong, which is folded and rolled or tied at the waist over a breechcloth, and may or may not be paired with a belt.  This garment alone is frequent "casual wear" in orthodox communities, a step up from the rustic grass or reed skirt.  They may be plain, dyed, or with simple floral or geometric embroidery.  As an alternative to the "skirt," some Iskites wear leggings, but these are usually attached individually to the loincloth or belt rather than worn in a single garment like pants.  It is common for Iskite leggings to be very loose from the top of the shin to the waist, but secured tightly on the lower leg by leather wrappings.

The most typical torso garment is a robe.  The typical Iskite robe is open at the front, with one side wrapped over the other and secured with a belt or cloth sash at the waist.  Usually these robes are no longer than mid-thigh, and are tightly fitted with short or no sleeves.  They may be further paired with an "chest belt," a sash hung from the back of the neck and tied around the middle of the torso, sometimes through loops in the robe.  As Iskites do not have very pronounced shoulders and occasionally move on all fours, this helps secure the garment when standing and crawling.  The traditional Scalemount robe is plain, but the hem is reinforced with another layer of fabric that is embroidered or at least brightly colored.  Other cultures may omit even this, or go in the other direction and decorate the entire garment.  In some cultures, which side of the robe overlays the other may have significance.  One widespread custom is for pupils to wear the robe with the right side on top and switch to wearing the left side on top once their flowerwork is completed and they become masters.

Cloaks and other loose exterior garments are very seldom worn by Iskites unless for some practical purpose.  Sometimes a grass or reed "mantle" is worn in the rain, though like most natives of the Forest the Iskites aren't much bothered by precipitation.

A uniquely Iskite piece of headwear is the "snout-plate," a usually trapezoidal piece of leather, wood, or metal resting on top of the snout and secured with a silk cord or leather thong running around the upper jaw (Iskites have spaces in their dentition where this cord can run).  Snout-plates are usually ceremonial or official in nature.  In Antiquity, Iskite princes would wear a metal snout-plate (often of Cog-gold), the Iskite equivalent of a crown.  The Awetz of White Lotus traditionally wore a silver snout-plate with silk cords hanging from it on both sides of the snout, which were filled with small, polished lodestone beads.

More commonly, Iskites may wear a "hood" made of leather or heavy cloth.  A full Iskite hood usually runs from the base of the neck to nearly the end of the snout, and is wrapped around the neck and secured on the snout end like a snout-plate.  This type of hood generally covers the eyes, so holes are cut in it to allow vision.  Sometimes a "throat-piece" extends from the neck to cover the lower jaw from beneath and is tied to the lower jaw in the same manner as the snout piece is on the upper jaw, though the throat-piece is more common on armor than on an everyday hood.  Hoods can make it difficult for aliens to discern an Iskite's identity, though as Iskites recognize each other partially through olfactory cues this is less effective among others of their own race.  Hoods also cover the hackles on the back of the neck, which normally rise when an Iskite is afraid, excited, or angry; covering these does not cause an Iskite any discomfort but may make it more difficult to determine its state of mind.

Ceremonial and priestly gear varies significantly from place to place.  Embroidered silk hoods are common in the Sekah, while some Ussik priests wear large Gheen-like collars made of bone, Scalemount "divine ambassadors" frequently wear a silk stole that hangs from the neck or is wrapped around the body and held by the chest belt, and priests of the Solar Order wear large golden disks on the chest and smaller ones affixed to the snout.

Footwear is rare among all the races of the Forest, but agriculturalist Iskites sometimes wear sandals made of bark or wood when working in the fields.

Tahro

As a largely carnivorous people, the Tahro have plenty of animal skins, and it comes as no surprise that their clothing is almost entirely leather and pelts.  Most bloods do not conduct much trade in clothing, as fine garments of silk or mothfur are not ideal for the life of a nomadic hunter, but sedentary Tahro (like the bloods of Koldon's Well or the keepers of Kengal) frequently wear alien fabrics and sometimes alien-influenced styles.

The Tahro have more or less the same standards of decency and privacy as Iskites when in mixed groups, but are less concerned with nudity when in a group of only males or only females.  The Tahro in general have more differentiation in clothing between genders than any of the other races, even Gheen.

As with the Iskites, the most basic and common Tahr garment is a breechcloth.  Belts are used almost universally, though the type varies dramatically from place to place.  Belts of twisted sinew are common among the Mudfoot Tahro, while the Kalath wear broad leather belts with engraved copper or iron "medallions."  Belts with beads or little bells on hanging cords are common in formal use, particularly for dancing, mock-fighting, and religious ceremonies.  Leather leggings may also be worn in either practical or formal settings, and the Tahro are the only race among whom actual pants have some prominence (though not in all Tahr cultures).  Leggings and pants tend to be more closely fitted than similar Iskite garments and are often cut open at the knee, though leg garments "in the Iskite style" (loose, but bound tightly on the shin) have caught on in some bloods.

Tahr males are far more often bare-chested than females, but not because of any standard of feminine modesty.  Hunting and war are generally the domain of Tahr males, and the display of scars received in these activities is an important way to show status and experience in many Tahr socities.  Baring "story-telling skin" (skin which is marked by scars or wounds) is highly preferable among males with stories to tell, while women who collect such marks much less frequently do not have this same motivation.

Tahr upper garments take a variety of different forms.  Hanging tunics secured with ties at the side are common (similar in construction to Umbril wear), as are pullover animal-skin shirts and wrap-around hide vests.  Furred mantles covering the shoulders and chest are also worn in some places, possibly related to similar Gheen clothing (though the Gheen generally abhor wearing fur).  Sleeves may or may not be present, though they are more common among the Tahro than among the Iskites; "sleeves" made of very long fringes are popular among Kengal Tahr women.  Full-length cloaks, usually of a single intact hide, are common but only worn in camp or at ceremonial occasions.  In some Tahr cultures it is considered a contemptible affectation to wear hides of creatures you have not hunted, in particular whole-hide cloaks, but in others this is of no consequence.

Headgear is not frequently worn by Tahro, though ceremonial hoods are used in some cultures (often the whole hide of an animal is worn as a cloak with the face as the hood).  In time of conflict, helmets are also common among bloods with ready access to iron through trade.  Footwear is practically unheard of among the Tahro.

The Tahro tend to eschew adornment that is in any way unwieldy, but closely worn bracelets and necklaces are fairly common.  Bone-bead chokers are a nearly ubiquitous female fashion among the Ardaun Tahro, while gold and copper torcs on the arm or around the neck have gained favor among the Well-Tribe.  Among most tribes, such jewelry is often kept hidden away until the Red Season or other important gatherings throughout the year.  Jewelry is seldom ever worn when hunting or fighting, though some Kengal warriors curl the dulled swords of their enemies into arm-torcs, and it is said that there are Maw Tahro bands which wear necklaces of Iskite teeth to intimidate their scaled foes.
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