Xy

From Mizahar Lore

Revision as of 17:27, 22 November 2014

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Xy

Region	Cyphrus
Notability	Largest Known Zith Colony
Leader	Vile
Population	1,250
Races	Zith 80% Other 20%
Languages	Zith, Common Tongue
Currency	Barter
Imports	Fruits, Meat, Varied Foodstuffs
Exports	Art, Salialana, exotic molds and fungus

The Zith colony of Xy is located along the northern portion of the Cyphrus-Sylira border. It is said that this is where the famed ranger Bolai discovered the first recorded, civilized contact with the Zith. Xy is one of the more ‘civilized’ colonies estimated to be made up of around 1,000 Zith and about 250 slaves. It lies beneath a ruined castle now referred to as Castle Xy. Zith there live both in the castle as well as in the caverns below. Their slaves too are kept in the caverns where they farm fungus, gather water and continuously work on carving out tunnels and building more elaborate structures for the growing Zith colony. Some even craft items from materials brought down from the surface, which the Zith then use to trade for exotic fruits, meat and other food items to not only feed themselves but also their slaves. The Xy colony does not engage in as much slave hunting as many other colonies do and instead relies on trading slave-crafted goods for new slaves. The Zith themselves have also learned to create a few things of their own, which they also trade. Outsiders who are not slaves are not allowed into the caverns but may enter Castle Xy to engage in trade.

Other than the Zith of Xy themselves, Bolai discovery of the colony revealed a secret darker than the colonies caverns. Although it is widely believed that the exact origins of the Zith as a race are unknown, it is widely believed that the Zith were created when the Valterrian brought with it uncontrolled Djed to a now forgotten village somewhere in the Cyphrus region. The human population of that village was small and thought to have been made of simple farmers. When the wild storm tore through the village, it destroyed everything but the people living there. Those people were twisted and transformed; their peaceful nature was ripped away and their darker instincts took over. From this darkness, their bodies too twisted and changed until they were nothing like the human farmers they used to be. Over the generations since their birth, these creatures have come to call themselves Zith.

This story however, is only partially true. Indeed there was a village where simple farmers lived. When the Valterrian shattered the world, these farmers fled their village in search of protection from the devastation. This led them to Castle Xy. Castle Xy was built atop a vast network of subterranean tunnels and caves. During the Valterrian, the castle's inhabitants as well as people from numerous villages, fled into the caverns below the castle for safety. As divine anger raged above them, those who escaped it tried to make a living in the realm beneath in hopes of someday returning to the surface if it were ever safe to do so.

Climate

Surrounded by grasslands, the surface of Xy experiences harsh winters with heavy snowfall while enjoying moderate summers. The area is known for strong winds and frequent storms during the Spring. The subterranean caves that make up the majority of the colony are cool and damp.

Geography

Xy is located on the northern edge of the Cyphrus region along the border of Sylira almost in the center. The ruins of Castle Xy are built upon a single, large rock formation sitting atop a rolling hill. In the center of the ruined castle, a large pit cave descends over 500 feet down to the caverns that house the majority of the Zith colony. The castle itself is somewhat intact and dates long before the Valterrian. The remains of an old road can be seen in fractured places leading to and from the castle.

Infrastructure

The Ruined Gatehouse of Castle Xy; Ruined, Not Abandoned.

The Castle

While not as imposing as it may have once been, Castle Xy is still a mighty structure, if in need of heavy maintenance. The walls, though crumbling, still stand even after the divine rampages of the Valterrian. The castle serves as a trading outpost, one of the only established ones for many miles in all directions. It is here that non-Zith are allowed entry to trade and find respite from the outside world. As for the castle itself, the gatehouse, broken and missing an actual gate, stands open to those who would enter. During the day, slaves man the gatehouse and are even armed with a variety of weapons from bows and arrows to swords and axes. Having been born slaves and given some amount of respect from their Zith masters, these select slaves are quite intent on defending their home from any would-be invaders. Inside the castle walls, more slaves can be found patrolling the grounds and performing various duties. At night, Zith can be found mingling with slaves and outsiders alike.

The castle contains a number of functioning areas including the courtyard where the Zith and their slaves operate a bazaar of sorts. As the Zith have little interest in monetary gain, they deal almost exclusively via barter and trade. Fruits and exotic meats are highly valued by the Zith, as is almost any other type of foodstuff. Weapons and armor, while welcome, are not viewed in as high regard as clothing or colorful knick-knacks, as Zith are more curious than combative. The bazaar is near the rim of the great pit cave that houses the colony itself.

Another part of the castle serves as lodging for travelers who visit the castle. While travelers are welcome to visit and stay at the castle, they must be willing to barter for the privilege. The more valuable the item is to the Zith, the longer they allow the traveler to stay. The quality of lodging varies from open sky to private, sparsely furnished yet clean suites. The local tavern, one of the only real establishments of any kind in Xy, operates the lodging services.

Most of the remaining areas of the castle are left in various states of disrepair and/or serve those few Zith who prefer to live above ground rather than beneath it. These areas of the castle are distinctly marked with stakes in the ground topped with battered skulls meant to warn all non-Zith to stay clear.

Law enforcement in and around the castle is harsh at best. Non-Zith who steal, rape, murder, trespass or otherwise cause chaos are killed without question. The manner of death depends on the severity of the offense as well as who catches the perpetrator. Slaves will execute a criminal by slitting throats or with arrows while the Zith get a bit more creative.

The Colony

The majority of the Zith live in a colony below the castle. A large pit-cave, located in the center of the castle courtyard, drops over 500 feet beneath the surface. It is the only known way in to or out of the colony. Slaves and goods are transported via a simple rope and wood elevator while Zith simply fly. Smaller caves line the outer rim of the pit with tunnels branching off in all directions. These tunnels lead to a number of chambers that house both slaves and Zith alike. In the center of the pit floor is a small lake with water fed to it both from above and from deep springs below. A small number of slaves maintain crude dwellings around the lake in the form of rough stone huts. Throughout the cavernous complex are warrens where the unique fungus known as Salialana, a powerful aphrodisiac, is farmed. It is said that through many generations of living around and feeding upon this fungus, the Zith developed their rapid reproduction cycles. Whether or not this is true is unknown; however, Salialana is a valued by many surface-dwellers. Other types of molds and fungus are harvested in similar warrens and are used for food and trade.

The slaves of Xy also engage in crafting various types of clothing, weapons and armor as well as various other odds and ends for themselves, for the Zith and for trade.

History

Xy was discovered roughly 150 years ago by the famed ranger, Bolai Fionse. Although Bolai is known by many for discovering Xy, the castle and the Zith living in and below it have been around for much longer. It is unknown where the name Xy came from, as even the oldest Zith is too young to remember. From what little research has been done on it, the castle was once a major fortification in the region, surrounded by a vast settlement and functioning as a main center of trade in the surrounding region. Further details are still unknown, at least to outsiders. The castle itself has only been open to outsiders for the past 10-15 years; thus its existence is still widely unknown to most. As there is no such thing as a Zith historian, considering that most only live to the ripe old age of 25-30, historical knowledge of the castle and even the colony does not go much further back than that.

The True History of Xy and the Origins of the Zith

Castle Xy was built long before the Valterrian. In those days, it went by a different name, a name lost in time. In the years leading up to the Valterrian, the castle was claimed by a human priest of Sylir by the name of Justin Ulandas. The castle became known as Castle Ulandas. It was during this time that the lands around the castle were peaceful and safe. Villages grew up around the castle, farming and trade flourished and a great quality of life flowed through the region. Thus it was only logical that the castle would serve as the last best hope for survival when the Valterrian fell upon the land. Hundreds of people fled to the caverns beneath the castle. Quickly realizing that the divine disaster that forced them into hiding was not going to end quickly, the survivors began rebuilding their lives underground. Scavenging what they could from the lower levels of the castle and using what little they had brought with them, the survivors were able to eek out a meager existence into their first year and even began to improve their state in the years that followed. In the great cavern that sat just below the castle, they built makeshift shacks out of piled stone and survived off of water gathered from underground streams and from various molds and fungi that grew in the depths. They found several types of luminescent fungi that provided dim but serviceable light. It wasn't the greatest life but it was life nonetheless. Justin Ulandas, having rallied the people together and worked hard to keep civility and peace, was himself falling apart. He had felt the pain of ultimate loss after the death of Sylir and was unable to recover. Eventually, he wandered off down a tunnel and never returned.

While the survivors continued on after Ulandas disappearance under new leadership, the former priest would end up destroying all that he had found to save. Justin wandered the tunnels with little more than a torch to light his way. When the torch went out, he continued on blindly. With Sylir dead, Justin felt hollow and alone. The people he had once called his own were doomed to die slowly in the darkness; they were not prepared to survive in the conditions they found themselves in much less be able to survive in whatever horrors awaited in the lands above. He wrapped himself in this hopelessness as he stumbled through the darkness. After many days of blindly wandering an untold distance underground , Justin encountered a steep decline, lost his footing and stumbled into a small cavern. In the darkness he was unable to see the ancient glyphed stones that he broke through during his fall. Laying in the center of the cavern, surrounded by impenetrable darkness, Justin gave up. Hurt, starving and in complete despair, he called out to the darkness and begged for an end to it all. He wished for not only his own end but for the end of those who he had tried to save. He pleaded for them not to suffer a slow, agonizing death from the cruelty of their new world.

It was then that Justin heard a low, guttural sound almost like that of some huge, wild animal growling. He could feel a presence with him in the cavern. What Justin did not know yet and what would soon become quite clear is that he had discovered the location of an ancient prison. Buried untold centuries prior and now freed when Justin broke through the glyphs that held it was the Alvina of Primal Urges. Justin's pleading into the darkness was close enough to prayer that it provided the Alvina with just enough divine energy to awaken it from its eternal slumber. The Alvina, though extremely weak, drained by centuries of imprisonment, immediately sensed what was occurring above ground. The death of powerful deity, the unbridled rage of another both washing across the land, it provided a grand opportunity for the Alvina. The divine creature was dying and did not have the strength to last long after being freed. However with the chaos above ground, it may still be able to live on.

With what strength remained, the Alvina reached into Justin's broken soul and tasted the primal urges buried deep within. A lifetime of holding those urges back in the service of the God of Peace and Civilization provided the Alvina with a great meal. Justin had little time to scream as the Alvina tore into him with tooth and claw. It devoured the ex-priest and feasted upon the urges that resided in his soul. In return for freeing it and providing it with one last delicious meal, the Alvina swore to answer Justin's prayers and spare his people from a horrible fate.

Back in the central cavern below the castle, the survivors heard a terrible howl emanating from deeper underground. This caused the hair's on the back of their necks to rise and a chill to shoot through their bodies. Tearing its way from the tunnels, the Alvina entered the main chamber and looked down upon the people huddling in fear. In the dim glow that provided slight illumination in the cavern, the Alvina's form was shadowy and difficult to make out. It looked from the people up to the cavern ceiling before leaping into the air. The survivors scrambled into hiding with some daring to try and look at the terrible presence that filled the cavern. The Alvina summoned the last of its power and leaped into the air. It shot straight up and slammed into the ceiling causing a great explosion of stone, dirt and debris. The impact was so great that it created a great hole in the ceiling as well as the center of the castle courtyard above. When the dust settled, a few brave survivors came out of hiding and looked up. Above them hovered a great winged creature shrouded in darkness.

It was the final display of primal strength and fury that the Alvina had within it. Then in its final act, it answered Justin's prayer while ensuring that its own will would live on. Acting as a vessel for the wild djed that still crashed across the land in the years following the Valterrian, the Alvina channeled the djed into itself until it exploded. Below, the survivors heard one more primal scream before they were blanketed in wild djed. The djed twisted and transformed them; their peaceful nature was ripped away and their darker instincts took over. From this darkness, their bodies too twisted and changed until they were nothing like the human farmers they used to be. Instead, their bodies became much like that of the Alvina that had answered Justin Ulandas' dying prayer. He had provided the survivors with the bodies and minds capable of surviving a harsh chaotic world. He had turned them into Zith. All Zith in existence today have ancestors that were among the survivors of the initial onslaught of the Valterrian who eventually were transformed into Zith by the Alvina of Primal Urges.

Culture and Government

Xy colony is currently led by a powerful Zith hunter known as Vile. Vile has held the position of colony leader for the past 5 years, longer than any other Zith in the history of Xy. Vile's family has been in control of the colony for several generations. Their dominance has been attributed to their openness to learning from their slaves. This has led to Vile exhibiting much more wisdom in his leadership.

The Xy colony includes a rather large number of children. As an egalitarian society, both males and females can be found filling many of the same roles, although any real labor is usually conducted by slaves. Thus the Zith, for the most part, enjoy a simple lifestyle. They do understand the value of tools and weapons, but monetary wealth is something of a foreign concept. Status is determined primarily through skill at the hunt and the number and quality of slaves a Zith owns.

The Zith of Xy, like all of their kind, are all about mating. Mating rituals are an often violent and passionate affair. Males will fight to the death or until one submits to gain the right to mate with a female. Such combats are vicious and bloody and if the loser does live, they are often maimed and shunned from the family and colony as a whole. When a male does take a female as their mate, their copulations are passionate and loving, but sometimes rather rough as both partners give in to their passions.

While hunting is a popular sport, the Zith have recently gained great interest in their slaves. The breeding, keeping and training of slaves has become a favorite activity among the Zith of Xy. They consider it a mark of distinction to breed strong and useful slaves. Because Zith are comparatively short-lived, the status is usually held by the family that owns the most and breeds the best. Interestingly enough, Zith are quite protective of their slaves even if they are rather harsh masters at times.

The slaves of Xy are almost all human, though some half-Zith are present as well. The better trained, physically fit slaves are tasked to work in the castle while their lessers work in the mold warrens. Particularly talented slaves are allowed to indulge in various crafts and their work is then traded in the castle. The older, wiser slaves are often tasked to educate other slaves and Zith alike. Although most of Xy's slaves are born and raised in Xy, new slaves are acquired to help maintain a skilled and diverse population.

It is interesting to note that by decree of Vile, Zith families that grow too large must leave Xy and seek their own colonies elsewhere. Vile is one of the few Zith wise enough to understand the danger of the colony growing too large and threatening the unique balance they have attained.

Major Holidays

While slaves may hold private celebrations of holidays significant to them, the Zith do not recognize the concept.

Factions

Locations of Interest

Castle Xy

The Courtyard Bazaar

The Tavern

The Pit