Creative Exercise: The Sovereign Dominion of Eyros

[Tinner]

Maybe we could sell it with all profits going to EN World?

How about if we sold it, and used the profits to purchase community supporter accounts for the contributors?
I know I'd love to have one myself. Anything left over we just donate to EN World. Either way EN World gets the dough, and the people who worked on this get a little something as well.

Anyway, here's my new contribution:
When not busy with their educations, young Eyrosian nobles are encouraged to socialize with each other. Early fraternization with their peers is a vital part of keeping the breeding traditions of their people fuctioning. Many a young noble has found themselves in a marriage arranged with a childhood friend. These marriages are often cemented before the children are even of breeding age.
While physical activities and mock combats are always enjoyed by Eyrosian youth, other popular pastimes emphasize the bardic traditions of the half-orcs. These include debate, storytelling, chorale singing, and a strange form of improvisational theater where the young nobles narrate a script, and force their servants, passing commoners, and the occaisonal mask to act out scenes.

 

[domino]

Just something I'd like to mention, is the number of incredibly powerful creatures and characters, working out to be nearly epic level. We might want to spend less time thinking up characters that powerful, before things get too top heavy. Not to say there shouldn't be any gods among men. Just that there shouldn't be one running the grocery store on the corner, to exaggerate the point absurdly.

That said, contribution time again. Mosaics have always been one of the popular forms of art. More difficult to transport than paintings or sculpture, they are considered to be more durable, and can be appreciated even outside.

Thus, when one of the kings decided to memorialize his reign approximately three centuries ago, he asked one of the most skilled mosaic creators to render his likeness. And his sucessor asked the same thing. And so on. When age had taken his eyesight and dexterity, this artist passed the duty on to his son, who carried on the tradition. Thus, for several centuries now, the duty and honor of creating these royal mosaics has passed from generation to generation of the same family, always learning from their elders, always on the lookout for new stones, new techniques to hone their art.

Three generations ago, the mosaic maker, Sandlan Kreytos was adopted into House Malarn. The current maker, just starting on his third royal mosaic is named Envard Kreytos.

 

[ajanders]

A little out of sequence here, but I needed it for context

Nearly a millenia ago, royal trappings (or crown jewels, whatever you want to call them) vanished. These included the Royal Sash, Royal Sword, and Royal Ring. The vault guards unanimously claimed that during the night, they drove off a pale, beautiful Human woman, who glowed faintly as though lit from behind by a pale, violet light. They were both executed for failure of their duties.

The Sash is a broad belt of silver and gold links, studded with gems of all colors. It is worn diagonally across the body from left shoulder to right hip.

The Sword is an elaborate short sword, with a small round guard, and a total length of about two feet. It is studded with gems on the hilt and guard, and the handle wrapped with fine lizard skin, and silver wire. The blade itself is bright steel, but embossed with golden images from Eyros history down the length of the blade. It comes with a lizard skin belt and scabbard, both also studded with gems.

The Ring is a simple, yet large signet ring with the seal of Eyros dominant. On the sides of the band are large diamonds, with sapphires ringing the seal itself.

There were lesser objects in the vault as well, but they were not historically significant. Those were left alone.

One of the images on the sword is an artists rendition of the creation of the first Imperial Mask, Tellas. The image is very detailed, though very finely engraved, and the artist did his research well. When the image is examined carefully under some sort of magical magnification, an open scroll containing the full text of the imperial oath can be seen and read clearly.

 

[Abisashi]

One of the images on the sword is an artists rendition of the creation of the first Imperial Mask, Tellas. The image is very detailed, though very finely engraved, and the artist did his research well. When the image is examined carefully under some sort of magical magnification, an open scroll containing the full text of the imperial oath can be seen and read clearly.

That should actually be the Primal Oath (sepparated so that we can use Imperial Oath to refer to modern imperial masks.) I'll go back and edit my earlier posts, which I should have done earlier. Otherwise, that's a cool idea.

 

[Rystil Arden]

My next weird contribution:

Gharjuin is an expensive and popular drink of the Eyrian elite. It is a creamy, rich milk that comes in several delicious flavours, each notably distinct to the connoisseur. Gharjuin is expensive due to the fact that it is only available through trade with a mysterious group known as the Sarynthi who live in the upper steppes. The Sarynthi are extremely secretive and refuse to deal with anyone except for female humans, who they meet on neutral ground to trade Gharjuin for various useful Eyrian commodities. In reality, the Sarynthi are a tribe of female humans who have come to believe that masculinity is an infectuous disease that must be avoided (they refuse to deal with orcs or half-orcs because they believe that both races' females have been infected by masculinity). An untouchable caste of Sarynthi known as the Jarzhun slaughters the majority of male children and saves a few, feeding them an herbal tincture of the Phazra plant that reduces their mind to an animal state in order to breed with females who have been treated in a like process (who are called Cal'Phazra). Worthy female children resulting from such unions are immediately quarantined from males to become upstanding Sarynthi, and most of the rest become Cal'Phazra, with a few set aside to form the next generation of Jarzhun. Due to selective breeding, many Cal'Phazra (and thus all Sarynthi) have highly polarised physical traits, much like different breeds of dog, and they are treated as pampered pets by the Jarzhun, while the similarly-reduced males are harshly abused. Gharjuin is collected from the Cal'Phazra, and in fact various breeds have been selected in order to create the delicious, distinctive flavours. It is unknown what the reaction to this knowledge becoming public would be, but the Sarynthi guess that it would not be a boon to their trade relations, and so they have resolved to never allow outsiders to learn the truth, even if it means silencing them by death.

 

[ajanders]

That should actually be the Primal Oath (sepparated so that we can use Imperial Oath to refer to modern imperial masks.) I'll go back and edit my earlier posts, which I should have done earlier. Otherwise, that's a cool idea.

Doh!
Note to self: this thread no longer gets updated casually anymore.
Anybody know how to build a wiki?

 

[Arkhandus]

Gharjuin is an expensive and popular drink of the Eyrian elite. It is a creamy, rich milk that comes in several delicious flavours, each notably distinct to the connoisseur. Gharjuin is expensive due to the fact that it is only available through trade with a mysterious group known as the Sarynthi who live in the upper steppes.

By decree of Rrahask Sshasaar, "Venerable Mother" of the Kohl'tass lizardfolk, the Kohl'tass keep the lands of their river delta pristine and untouched by artificial works. Their wetland has no artificial structures, not even shrines or idols, and they are very efficient in patrolling their lands to ensure that outsiders do not come and desecrate their sacred land with their artifice. The Kohl'tass wear no clothing and no jewelry in their homeland, nor carry weapons or armor there, and have little use for such things in their society anyway.

They do maintain burrows outside their borders, however, filled with simple clothing and adornments for the occasions where they leave to visit Eyrians. Outsiders are not allowed into the sacred land unless they remove their clothing, jewelry, weapons, armor, and such out in one of the lizardfolks' burrows.

The Kohl'tass live in perfect harmony with the nature of their homeland, and damage none of it, using minor magicks to create any cookfires or campfires they may need, without burning the land's vegetation for fuel. They sleep in small patches of mud for comfort, sufficient for their scaly hides, and they need no shelter against the rain.

 

[Sarellion]

As long as we get a free copy of the pdf its fine with me to donate eventual sales, although a community supporter account would be a nice addition.

 

[Tonguez]

Those Elfs who are not masks form an underclass of Villeins in Eyros under obligation to the Pillars to provide labour and support. Indeed the beleif is that the Villeins literally 'owe their blood' to the soil, and this is enacted through the annual blood sacrifice.
Villeins have few rights and are often mistreated by young nobles. They are not permited to bear arms in public, have little if any access to metal goods, and any presumption to strike out at a noble of the Pillar Houses is swiftly and harshly dealt with. Nonetheless Pillars are also judge by the treatment and quality of their villiens and the most skilled can rise in status and wealth.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Whilst Elfs are slaves, Orc-blooded nobles and dwarfs outcast those Humans who are not members of the the Pillars form an underclass of Villeins who whilst technically free are under obligation to the Pillars to provide labour and support. Indeed the beleif is that the Villeins literally 'owe their blood' to the soil, and this is enacted through the annual blood sacrifice.
Villeins have few rights and are often mistreated by young nobles. They are not permited to bear arms in public, have little if any access to metal goods, and any presumption to strike out at a noble of the Pillar Houses is swiftly and harshly dealt with. Nonetheless Pillars are also judge by the treatment and quality of their villiens and the most skilled can rise in status and wealth such as the famed Kreytos mosaic makers adopted by House Malarn.

What about the areas ruled by the human Pillars? Why would they persecute their own race more than, say, the separatist dwarves? After all, dwarves are distrusted to the point where the Dwarven language is illegal...