Cookesland
20-06-2008, 16:47
The Kingdom of Ithilar
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w107/Cookesland/Sasarindo.png
Ruler: King Arano
Capital and Largest City: Beryliat
Other Towns: Demarchy, Tarilas, Manesca, Aliaton, Weltendir, Venalka
Official Language: Mechanese
Population: c. 5,000,000
Climate: Tropical
Government: Limited Monarchy
People
Ithilar is inhabited by a tall elegant race who calls themselves the Mechani. A tall, thin race they stand around 7’0 to 7’2 and weight up to 200 lbs. They are humanoids with shimmery black skin, white hair, 2 large triangular robin egg blue eyes, small pointed ears and nose, and small mouths.The Mechani are digitigrade and have very slender legs, they are extremely dexterous, have exceptional balance, coordination, and constitutions. The average lifespan is 76 for males and 80 for females.
They are a very religious race, centered on the worship of their creator/sea goddess Lota, also known as Quelia. They are empathetic and hold the arts, learning, and nature in high regard. Their society is based around the sea. They once controlled a great trade empire but are now considered a mysterious race.
History
Many thousands of years ago the Mechani were a species similar to elves. Gradually they began to live closer to the coasts and began to move from the elfish heartland. They finally settled on the banks of what they call the Great Western Ocean, here they began to build their civilization starting with the founding of their great city, Calypsos, on the banks of the sea.
Time passed and the Mechani prospered with the help of their great magical skill, soon their ships became a common sight in the western waters and were seen as skillful traders. Soon a great trading empire arose, but this great success soon attracted others to them, and soon enough hordes of elfish warriors were soon at their gates. For almost 20 years the Mechani were locked in a brutal siege that cost the lives of countless thousands. Even with the aid of their magic and sages, they could no longer hold out and soon their empire fell to the elves for 300 years they were forced into slavery, their customs and language were forbidden, and their temples to Lota were destroyed.
Then finally a mysterious organization, whose name has since been forgotten, using an arcane ritual rewrote the laws of magic to help the free peoples of the West defeat the Elfish hosts. The Mechani were able to defeat the Elves in a massive battle, for days the city that had been the Mechani capital was filled with the clashing of swords and the cries of many. Finally the Mechani were victorious, but at a great cost…for the magic that had been the mortar of their civilization was now dead, and so things began to fall apart. It started during their revolt; quickly the elders realized that the magical stream of the world had been drastically altered. Then soon after the rebellion a year of drought set in, thousands of the rebellions survivors perished and soon their once wet, rainy, coastal homeland was turned into a dry desert. Hundreds were now dying by the day, the Council of Elders and the King decided to migrate to more fertile land and so sailed for several days before finding a suitable land to call home.
The new land was different than their old home, much hotter, most adapted well to the new climate and so with a greatly reduced number they founded the new city of Beryliat, a city of canals, like their old home. Soon the full effects of the magical change became evident, their once long life was now only a tenth of what it had been before. The Mechani retreated into isolation on their island having little to do with the ways of outsiders.
Culture
Ithilarian society places a great emphasis on the arts and learning; almost all can read and write. All but the poorest can receive a basic well rounded education in Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music. For the wealthier there are various schools devoted solely to higher education.
Being a highly seafaring race, a great deal of Ithilarian cuisine traces its root back to the ocean. Fish is a staple among all from the King down to the beggars, and almost essential to any meal. Mollusks, octopi, and squid are the next common items in meals. However, not all comes from the sea; fruit orchards are found throughout the island or growing wildly. Also becoming more prevalent is rice, but is usually restricted to the tables of the more affluent.
Religion is a factor among all walks of society; Ithilarians area believe in one goddess, Lota created all the world, and has three forms: Lota the Creator, Lota the Sustainer, and Lota the Destroyer. Most houses have a shrine devoted to her and there are many festivals around the year devoted to her.
Society is made of the King and the Royal Family at the top, followed by Priests and Priestesses, then Scholars, Artisans, and Philosophers, then Merchants, Craftsmen, Farmers, and Skilled Laborers, and then at the bottom unskilled Laborers. Social Mobility is possible.
Military
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w107/Cookesland/Sasarindo.png
Ruler: King Arano
Capital and Largest City: Beryliat
Other Towns: Demarchy, Tarilas, Manesca, Aliaton, Weltendir, Venalka
Official Language: Mechanese
Population: c. 5,000,000
Climate: Tropical
Government: Limited Monarchy
People
Ithilar is inhabited by a tall elegant race who calls themselves the Mechani. A tall, thin race they stand around 7’0 to 7’2 and weight up to 200 lbs. They are humanoids with shimmery black skin, white hair, 2 large triangular robin egg blue eyes, small pointed ears and nose, and small mouths.The Mechani are digitigrade and have very slender legs, they are extremely dexterous, have exceptional balance, coordination, and constitutions. The average lifespan is 76 for males and 80 for females.
They are a very religious race, centered on the worship of their creator/sea goddess Lota, also known as Quelia. They are empathetic and hold the arts, learning, and nature in high regard. Their society is based around the sea. They once controlled a great trade empire but are now considered a mysterious race.
History
Many thousands of years ago the Mechani were a species similar to elves. Gradually they began to live closer to the coasts and began to move from the elfish heartland. They finally settled on the banks of what they call the Great Western Ocean, here they began to build their civilization starting with the founding of their great city, Calypsos, on the banks of the sea.
Time passed and the Mechani prospered with the help of their great magical skill, soon their ships became a common sight in the western waters and were seen as skillful traders. Soon a great trading empire arose, but this great success soon attracted others to them, and soon enough hordes of elfish warriors were soon at their gates. For almost 20 years the Mechani were locked in a brutal siege that cost the lives of countless thousands. Even with the aid of their magic and sages, they could no longer hold out and soon their empire fell to the elves for 300 years they were forced into slavery, their customs and language were forbidden, and their temples to Lota were destroyed.
Then finally a mysterious organization, whose name has since been forgotten, using an arcane ritual rewrote the laws of magic to help the free peoples of the West defeat the Elfish hosts. The Mechani were able to defeat the Elves in a massive battle, for days the city that had been the Mechani capital was filled with the clashing of swords and the cries of many. Finally the Mechani were victorious, but at a great cost…for the magic that had been the mortar of their civilization was now dead, and so things began to fall apart. It started during their revolt; quickly the elders realized that the magical stream of the world had been drastically altered. Then soon after the rebellion a year of drought set in, thousands of the rebellions survivors perished and soon their once wet, rainy, coastal homeland was turned into a dry desert. Hundreds were now dying by the day, the Council of Elders and the King decided to migrate to more fertile land and so sailed for several days before finding a suitable land to call home.
The new land was different than their old home, much hotter, most adapted well to the new climate and so with a greatly reduced number they founded the new city of Beryliat, a city of canals, like their old home. Soon the full effects of the magical change became evident, their once long life was now only a tenth of what it had been before. The Mechani retreated into isolation on their island having little to do with the ways of outsiders.
Culture
Ithilarian society places a great emphasis on the arts and learning; almost all can read and write. All but the poorest can receive a basic well rounded education in Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music. For the wealthier there are various schools devoted solely to higher education.
Being a highly seafaring race, a great deal of Ithilarian cuisine traces its root back to the ocean. Fish is a staple among all from the King down to the beggars, and almost essential to any meal. Mollusks, octopi, and squid are the next common items in meals. However, not all comes from the sea; fruit orchards are found throughout the island or growing wildly. Also becoming more prevalent is rice, but is usually restricted to the tables of the more affluent.
Religion is a factor among all walks of society; Ithilarians area believe in one goddess, Lota created all the world, and has three forms: Lota the Creator, Lota the Sustainer, and Lota the Destroyer. Most houses have a shrine devoted to her and there are many festivals around the year devoted to her.
Society is made of the King and the Royal Family at the top, followed by Priests and Priestesses, then Scholars, Artisans, and Philosophers, then Merchants, Craftsmen, Farmers, and Skilled Laborers, and then at the bottom unskilled Laborers. Social Mobility is possible.
Military