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An undead citadel created before the cataclysm, Sahova is devoted to all kinds of magical research. The living may visit the island, if they are willing to obey its rules. [Lore]
As the name suggests this thread will be home to all of the information of Sahova. This includes the NPC list, golem types and much much more! Stop by here if you are every wondering who is who, what is what, or if you are looking for a description of a particular type of golem, or anything else Sahova related that you cannot find in the lore itself. I will be compiling everything here to make it easier for the players to access and enjoy the city. Player contributions to the city will also be added to this thread, so work hard so that you too can end up added to the Atlas of Sahova!
The following is a compiled list of NPC's found in Sahova. Some of these were created by Tarot, others by the Sahovan ST's, and even a few are created by players. All players who follow rule 9 in the IC Guidelines will find their NPC added here as well. This list will be expanding all the time, and at the same time the intricate workings of Sahovan politics will begin to reveal themselves. Unless otherwise stated in their write up or location, all NPC's require permission to be self-modded.
Sahova NPC's
Leaders of Sahova
Zarik Mashaen- Archwizard of Sahova, he was considered one of the most powerful wizards in Alahea due to his skills in Animation.
Lector Qiao- Leader of the Council of Five, he has recently overtaken Zarik Mashaen as the chief authority by rallying support among the top level of Sahovan wizards in the wake of the chaos caused by Supervisor Drainira's betrayal.
Aelobius- Member of the Council of Five, known psychopath and a Master of Voiding magic.
Farke- Officially in charge of Sahova's public relations, he is also in charge of covert ops and assassinations. Member of the Council of Five under Lector Qiao.
Mistress Wayza- Member of the Council of Five and Master Morpher.
Mizelio- Member of the Council of Five, and the Chief Summoner of Sahova.
Leaders in Magical Studies
Frankie Lee Tieh- One of the few successful humans in Sahova, Tieh is the current leader in Malediction studies in Sahova.
Parsminy Karte- Master Alchemist and leading expert on Alchemy in all of Mizahar. He is also the oldest nuit in Sahova, and many are known to come to him seeking advice.
Location Bound NPC's
Mistress Wanda- Caretaker of the Courtyard and the premiere expert on Spiritism, though she would never admit to this, disdaining such attention.
Kromby and Filch- Resident golem designers, both are masters in their fields of expertise and can be found in Lab 15 hard at work crafting the latest golems for Sahova.
Dakrad- Formally known as Tov'hain Mopmetnos, Dakrad conspired with Drainira during the golem rebellion. He has sense been punished and had his magic taken away.
Guvronsek- One of the current authorities of Summoning and Familiary, Guvronsek was chosen chosen to take part in the ARMED project for his skills.
PC crafted NPC's
Diren Stargazer :
Name: Diren Stargazer Race: Nuit DoB: Day 20, Winter of 87 PV
History: Born into a peasant family in Alahea as the human Victor Luigi, he joined the Alahean army as a foot soldier in order to continue supporting his family. Due to his general competence in the army and ability to creatively solve problems, he was soon moved to job scopes that dealt with classified information, before being assigned on rotation to the newly created Sahova. He soon proved his usefulness and about fifty years before the Valterrian was turned into a Nuit as an apprentice. He continued his studies there, having found a new fascination with world magic, and soon lost his soul into pure research for the sake of research. His new name was picked on a whim, for he discarded his mortal name when he discarded his mortality, and Stargazer was the name the other nuits gave him for his continued fascination with the sky and the stars.
Personality: Diren Stargazer is considered eccentric even among the other nuits, and is known for organizing ridiculous experiments that generally held no practical value. Most of his experiments involve the sky and the constellations to some extent, and his expertise in this area led to many collaborations with Summoners, though the nuit himself lacked interest in the art. He is highly logical without an ounce of emotion, unless something held some sort of whimsical connection to his his beloved experiments.
Appearance: Khilo has a habit of telling everyone a different story when it comes to his heritage. He has dark hair and even darker eyes that subtly change depending on his mood if one pays attention. Sometimes he claims he is Myrian, an Inartan bastard child, a forgotten Chaktawe or a Svefra child thrown to Laviku as an infant because of his eye color and saved by a passing fisherman. His skin is normally a deep tan, but it can vary depending on how long he spends in his laboratory on the island, and he has a wiry almost gangly frame resulting in a tall and lean individual with a long face and sharp features.
Brief Overview of History: The only fact people can confirm about Khilo is the Mage grew up in Ravok as a child living in the gutters and filth, and refused to accept his lot. Using his charms and wiles he talked others into joining his own merry band of children thieves, discovering a gift for convincing people that was past natural guile. Many Nuit wonder how the pulser made his way to Sahova, and it is said that despite his rather atheist views, the Mage has an inherent fondness for Ovek, and that after a game of cards with the Gambling God, he was given a little luck to take him out of Ravok to the Magical island of study, where he sorely wished to learn more of magic and all that it entailed. Despite the daunting quality of the Island, and the fact that the Mage ranked in the minority as a living breathing entity, his two Kelvic bond mates who he had taken with him on his travels provided more warm bodies to rely upon, and Khilo became quite at home.
Personality: Khilo is an individual who believes words can do what force cannot. He is a manipulator first and foremost, and enjoys learning about the minute details of something, sometimes getting lost in these instead of seeing the larger picture. Due to the fact that he was born in Ravok, Khilo learned from an early age to never trust anyone just their motives, so in that regard, transitioning to the Mage version of this on Sahova was not a difficult step for the young man to take. Regardless of his inherent mistrust of anyone’s intentions, and the high level of secrecy and paranoia he takes when approaching his personal projects, Khilo is a very polite and well-mannered individual. He is not prone to anger or tantrums, even in the most frustrating circumstances, believing no solution can be found by getting mad at it. With this kind of perspective it is very hard to draw an extreme emotional reaction out of the mage, no matter what it is, something he enjoys to display to the Nuit who have such obvious bias and stereo-types of Pulsers.
Physical Description (human): Tall and leanly muscular, Ahna is the type of woman no one would willingly enter a fight of strength with. She stand at about 6’ 2” and provides an imposing figure, fitting her position as guard and protector well. Her dark hair is usually cropped short or kept in an orderly club at the back of her head, and dark nearly black eyes are constantly on the lookout for danger in the midst of her angular features.
Physical Description (Animal): Ahna’s true form is that of an Imperial Watcher. A massive black canine in this form she often stays in it overnight and rarely ever sleeps in human form.
Personality: Like any canine, Ahna is fiercely loyal to anyone who she cares to call friend or master. Khilo rescued her as a puppy being sold in a slave auction, and she immediately bonded to the mage. Their relationship has always remained of a protective sister over her brother, and Khilo will confess to Ahna many things to which he would otherwise tell no one.
Physical Description (human): A thin man, Hiz stands around 5’ 7”, and is constantly dwarfed by his ever vigilant companion Ahna. The Kelvic sports a mop of light and always ruffled blonde hair, and has bright golden eyes. Pale skin and soft features, it is clear that Hiz is not meant for manual labor or work that requires much strength, if that is needed there is always Ahana.
Physical Description (animal): Hiz’s true form is that of a yellow canary. Small and agile Hiz greatly enjoys his more easily moveable bird form over the bulk of human form.
Personality: Hiz is not very clever even when compared to other Kelvic. He is absent minded and has quite a serious short term memory problem. While he is kind he is also rather selfish and vain, and though he prefers his animal form he adores the sound of his own voice so much in human form that he deigns to keep it longer due to this fact. He came in a packaged deal with Ahna, who had always been protective of the bird brained Kelvic, and though the two have very different personalities there is a clear link between them.
Skills:
Cooking 10 Drawing 10 Harp 10 Singing 50 Weaving 10
Name: Acil (pronounced: Ahh-sil) Race: Nuit Date of Birth & Age: 12th of Spring, 103 AV; 410 years old Current Body Gender: Male
Physicality: Acil has hair as black as a night’s sky void of any stars. His eyes are a dark red, almost appearing as though they are maroon in colour. His skin is fair and oddly light, and is not easily confused with that of a Symenestra’s body. His choice in bodies was handed down to Lenz during the first time she needed to exchange hers for someone else’s. Acil is dauntingly tall, standing at around the height of six feet five inches.
Personal Traits: Acil is a very reserved and quiet man, rarely showing any smile, but the occasional pat on the head can give Lenz the praise she needs to continue on his bidding and teaching. He has the idea of world domination in his mind and tries his best to teach his creation (Lenz) that mischievousness and anger are a good thing; that letting it out instead of restraining it is healthier for her nuit body. Acil has a strong devotion and pride in his “daughter”, Lenz. He tries his best to teach her things in the way his mind has been taught.
Past Life: Acil has never spoken of his past life to Lenz before. All she knows of him is that he doesn’t have anyone else accompany him; he never talks about family and he is always appearing as though he is sad. Lenz can only assume that he had been changed to a nuit in a rather horrific and depressing way.
Golems are an intricate and essential part of Sahova. They guard the city, keep its secrets, act as couriers and labor hands. Though highly misunderstood and perhaps even belittled in their importance, golems see to it that the city runs smoothly and seamlessly throughout eternity. This portion of the atlas will provide all players with list of both known and unknown golems within the city. All of these were constructed within the city itself, and some have even been around since before the Valterrian.
Player characters who are animators may also have their own golems added to the list if they prove useful enough to Sahova to be massed produced. This is a growing list, and unless otherwise stated the golems can be self moderated with permission from your ST.
Known Golems of Sahova
Communicator Type: Communicator golems are an interface with visitors at the docks. Little more than cylinders on wheels with a sculpted bust, they are provided with a simple internal vocal component (made from vibrating chords much like a musical instrument) that gives them an artificial-sounding tone. They are programmed to instruct visitors, sample wares and haggle with traders. If a request exceeds their limited intelligence, they will call an Overseer.
Observer type: An Observer (or Watcher) is a tiny golem on four wheels, its body consisting of goggle-like binoculars for far vision. About as large as rats, they roam the island looking for any sort of trouble or anomaly, of which there is never any shortage due to the amount of experiments taking place. Intruders, even if they should manage to arrive unnoticed on the shores of Sahova, rarely stay unnoticed for long. Observers are programmed to report their findings to an Overseer or an actual wizard using a simple tonal code: one beep for intruders, two beeps for magic gone awry, three beeps for anything else. They are considered expendable and rarely last very long.
Gatekeeper type: A Gatekeeper is embedded in a door or any other type of lock, and provides or denies access to whatever it is guarding. Most private laboratories are guarded by this kind of golem, most notably the restricted section of the Sahovan library, where particularly dangerous books are kept. This particular Gatekeeper accepts small tokens to be inserted into a slot; only Zarik Mashaen and the Council of Five have the authority to give out these tokens. Visits are recorded, thus letting each of them know who else was approved to enter the restricted area, and under whose authority.
Librarian type: Librarians are wheeled golems with trays and simple jointed arms for picking and pushing books from and onto shelves. Their intelligence is limited to remembering the layout of a library and navigating it to reach the desired book, then fetching it and returning it to the inquiring party. Their function is quite important. Even though most parchment in the citadel is treated with chemicals, the touch of a Nuit's potentially rotting fingers can be lethal to an old book.
Witness type: Built to resemble a brick or tile, a Witness can record sounds and conversations for later playback. It is nothing more than a memory and a mouth, but many a wizard's deranged schemes were exposed with such a golem. They have gotten even more popular since Lector Qiao gained prominence in Sahova, and many Nuit now expect to be eavesdropped on all the time.
Overseer type: Overseers are the most complex mobile golems operating on Sahova. Bipedal, anthropomorphic steel constructs with red lenses for eyes and twelve joints, they make slow walkers but can navigate the citadel itself. There are from three to five Overseers at any given time, one of which supervises the docks. Overseers are sentient, possess remarkable intelligence and can engage in complex conversation, but still their dogmatic programming shows through and they do not feel 'alive' to their listener. Every Sahovan golem is instructed to obey an Overseer in the absence of a Nuit.
Peacekeeper type: A Peacekeeper is similar in design to the Communicator, but bigger and without a bust. Instead, their surface is littered with glyphs they can activate at will. Usually containing Reimancy spells such as fireballs, a volley from a Peacekeeper squad can burn a ship to cinders. Peacekeepers are stored in the warehouses by the docks, always disabled unless trouble arises, and never enter the citadel proper. It is known that their friend or foe identification leaves much to be desired. OOCPeacekeepers are tactical golems and must be moderated by an ST unless special permission is given.
Sahova is home to many renowned researchers and practitioners of the most taboo and dangerous arts. These arts and forbidden magics often produce grotesque and horrid perversions of what we know as life, and the island is home to many creatures not found anywhere else in Mizahar. Sometimes these creatures are released to roam the Testing Grounds, others are stored away for further experimentations. They come in all shapes and forms with varying levels of intelligence. Those found in this list can be located all across Sahova, while more area specific specimens can be found within each location's write up.
Alchemist who create their own creatures and release them or keep them for further experiments may have their creature added to this list as well.
The Lagool :
The Lagool
Frequency: Only 1 Threat Level: High Major Features: Giant Octopus Body Abilities: Camoflauge, magic resistant, tentacles and tenticlettes, great strength
History In the year 500 AV a projected was opened in Sahova that was simply known as Project Deep. It was created to further research possibilities for aquatic combat, building upon past experiments and research dating back to Pre-Valterrian. These experiments were done in the hopes to prevent any incoming invasions from the ocean front from even reaching the island. The first creature to be born from this project came to be known as the Balnag, but its trials ended in disaster in 502 AV after it was released in the Suvan Sea for its first experimental run. During this time, however, rumors of the Nuzem beginning to flourish once more reached the ears of the undead city. In the year 505 AV a live specimen was captured just off the island of Mura and returned to the home of its creators, Sahova.
Since that day those involved in Project Deep have spent day and night working to perfect their creature, and after many failures they finally succeeded in the Spring of 511 AV. A new, modified Nuzem, christened Lagool by its lead creator Arkadius Lagool, was released into the waters off the shores of Sahova where it could intercept any unwanted visitors before they could set foot upon the sands of the island itself. Rumors abide that other creatures exist in the waters around Sahva as well. Failed experiments left over from the infamous Project Deep.
After the failed Balnag the Wizards of Sahova opted for a different method for chaining the Lagool to the Island. A single stone is implanted deep in the underside of the creatures mantle. The stone acts as a magical leash that ties the creature to another, much larger stone hidden deep within the citadel itself. This bond prevents the creature from traveling too far from the island. Unlike its failed counterpart, the Lagool's higher intelligence allowed the Sahova Wizards to train it to look for certain marks upon the hulls of ships that approach the island. This mark is given to ship captains to carve into their ships hull after an agreement is reached, and it allows safe passage for the ship to the island. All ships that do not possess this mark are targeted for destruction by the Lagool, and it is very good at what it does.
Knowledge of the Lagool is not common in the least, and even the captains of the ships that sail to Sahova rarely know of the creature. At the very least they do not know of any specifics. Most account the harsh rocking to undersea currents, or fierce winds, but even those poor souls who catch a glimpse of the monstrous form of the Lagool often prefer to forget what they have seen.
Description The Lagool's physical appearance resembles that of its Nuzem cousins, but it is far far larger. Each of its eight tentacles can wrap fully around a Galleon ship, and every individual tentacleete is as long as a full grown man. Along with an increase in size the Lagool has been modified to resist all but the most powerful magical attacks, though it has a strange weakness to the lightning para-element that the Alchemist of Sahova could not work around. Its skin is like sun-dried leather, tough and difficult to cut or pierce, and its large size makes most attempts at hacking its limbs off futile.
Just like its cousins, the Lagool is highly intelligent and capable of complex problem solving. Its 8 limbs are highly dexterous, and the creature itself shows a great curiosity in things it does not know or understand. Though it rarely comes fully to the surface of the water, at times it will raise itself up just enough so that it can see what it has captured. Many sailors have told tails of a great eye the size of a large wagon peering up at them through the lapping waves of the ocean.
Frequency: Low Threat Level: High Major Features: Amphibious Quadroped, Razor Fins
No one is quite sure whether the Lemekor are natural, man-made or a combination of both. Their flawless ability to survive on land and underwater is reminiscent of a miracle of Caiyha's domain. However their razor sharp tail fin and their baility to swivel their tail in a full 360 degree arc of mobility would suggest the cutting edge brilliance of wizardly experimentation at it's finest.
They are similar in size to wolves though they are much more lean and graceful than that. Their fins and lean muscular physique allow them excellent mobility inside and outside of water. Their dual set of lungs allowing for gill breathing and mouth breathing mean they can survive in either sphere as permenantly as they wish. However their bodies dehydrate easily and they can become too warm in even the moderate heat of Sahova in Summer so they tend to stick pretty close to the water's edge when they are on land for whatever reason.
The Lemekor are deadly hunters and, it appears, that whenever they do chose to visit land it is to hunt. They will hunt any creature they can find whether it be sentient or no. This, in itself, is the biggest argument for the Lemekor's being man-made for why else would these creatures pick an Island as barren in meat as Sahova is when they can swim out to greater Sylira dn dine like kings? It has been theorised that the Lemekor are somehow attached to the place where they were first created or, as some skeptics cry, the Lemekor were simply trapped after the Lagool was let loose.
In any case the Lemekor are skilled hunters mostly due to their excellent vision. They can spot prey at ridiculous distances and are extremely intelligent; intelligent enough to be able to observe their surroundings and deduce where a prey has most likely gone. This all makes up for a complete lack of a sense of smell which furthers the puzzle of these beasts. After all it looks very much like these beasts have a nose but up close you can see there is no slit or hole where smelling can actually take place.
All of that aside the Lemekor are most know for their tails which, when threatened, usually curl up like a scorpions sting. Then it lashes out at trememndous speeds cutting flesh, sinew and bone easily with it's razor sharp fin. It can cut a man to ribbons before he even draws his sword. If you see one of these creatures your best bet is usually to run away and hope you can get to safety before they catch up. However, if one wishes an alternate form of attack or defence,, one might find the creatures mortally afraid of fire and other hot things.
There are reports of a man, a very one-eyed, three-fingered kind of man, that has tamed one of these creatures. The man supposedly keeps this creature as a companion; a fiercely loyal companion at that. It is said if one were to seek out this individual one might find out his secret.
Birds of Sahova Across the Isle of Sahova there exist several species of Avian that cannot be found anywhere else in Mizahar. Often these are twisted, terrifying varieties of species found elsewhere, and nearly all were crafted by Sahovan Wizards. There are no naturally occurring birds on the island. Instead those that are found were either brought over or created for a very specific purpose.
Noktal :
Frequency: Low Threat: Medium-High (in numbers)
Description The Noktal is the largest species of bird found on Sahova. With a wingspan of about 12 feet, it weighs close to 30 lbs. Its coloring is usually shades of black and grey, with mottled colors of brown dotting its body in places. A bald, grey skinned head protruded outward, and the menacing curve of its beak and red eyes leaves little room for imagining what its diet consists of. Mostly a scavenger, it has been known to hunt down smaller prey around the island when it finds itself desperate, and when in a flock of three or more they have been known to take down some of the larger experiments within the testing grounds.
Purpose The Noktal was created for the purpose of disposing of corpses of failed experiments, and apprentices, and so several modifications were made in order for it to carry out this end. Its stomach has been altered so that it can digest all parts of an organism, even teeth and nails. Long hooked claws are sharp enough to carve through tendons and cartilage, and powerful beaks can sever bones. Due to their diet of rotting carcasses, and harmful material, the meat of Noktal is poisons, and if one is found dead in the testing grounds it is immediately burned so as not to have an adverse affect on the successful creatures that roam the island.
Reproduction It is rare for these creatures to reproduce, but when they do it takes anywhere from five to eight weeks for the eggs to gestate. If the young that hatches is found to be unfit by the parents, it is often consumed to dispose of it. More often than not Sahova artificially manufactures Noktal through a well practiced process within the Animal Testing facility located outside the Testing Grounds.
Wyfrist :
Frequency: Low to Medium in Sahova only
Threat Level: Low to Moderate (Passive until threatened)
Major Features: pale white semi-translucent bodies, able to directly attack the astral body, can project a single word into a mind (usually "help" or "pain"), human-like whines and screams
Abilities: Astral attacker (attacks wound the astral body rather than the physical), minor telepathy, increased camouflage in light/illumination in darkness
Most Common In: Concentrated in places associated with death/throughout Sahova.
The Wyfrist (WHY-fur-est) is a small bird, usually only four to six inches in height. With a wingspan and body type similar to a canary, the wyfrist is a fairly unassuming sort of creature in stature. What makes a wyfrist a wyfrist is its unnerving set of vocal projections. A single wyfrist, when riled up, can recreate a cacophony of massacre. Usually, this occurs when someone is doing something they shouldn't (wyfrists have a very strong moral compass) which includes, but is not limited to: murder, assault, theft, etc. Once a wyfrist starts its raucous onslaught, the offender must either right the wrong or leave the scene without causing any further trouble. If righted, the wyfrist will usually find a new place to perch. In large groups, should the wyfrists deem it necessary, they can easily destroy parts of the astral body as a lesson learned. Alone, they're merely more a nuisance than anything, though often the telepathic projections of "Help!" or "Pain!" can drive one up the wall.
History The very first wyfrist, Archibald Tombscreetch, was developed by a Nuit more out of a joke than anything else. The idea behind the creature was to be a "moral compass", alerting the world when someone was doing something wrong. Archibald was created to pester the Nuit's long-time rival in research and performed his duty incredibly well. So well, in fact, the Nuit's rival developed his own wyfrist, sending it on the other. The two spent several seasons increasing the capacities of their respective wyfrist, adding more and more abilities to bother the other. Eventually, their experimental war culminated with a huge flock of wyfrists tearing apart both Nuit's astral forms. That was, and still is, the only time a group of wyfrists have even been known to kill. Still, their pecks are not to be trifled with, and it is best they be left alone. Some even speculate the wyfrists have abilities that haven't even been discovered yet, but the majority of the populace is in no rush to find out.
Credits to Meville Brightshade for the creature write up.
Fish of Sahova The waters surrounding the island of Sahova is filled with many strange and interesting species found no where else in Mizahar. Many of these creatures were crafted by Sahovan Wizards, while others are naturally occurring. Only a few of the species are edible, and it is the responsibility of the fishers of the island to capture them for the nourishment of the pulsars of the island.
Hatchetfish :
Sahovan Hatchetfish
Frequency: High around Sahova, Very Low elsewhere
Threat Level: Very Low when solitary, Medium otherwise
Major Features: Djedivore, Large, bulbous eyes, metallic-colored body, school behavior
Abilities: Suction-cup mouth, Telepathic communication, Near 360 degree vision.
Most Common In: Waters around Sahova.
The Sahovan Hatchetfish is small, rarely larger than five inches, with the average being closer to four. They’re a plentiful and relatively nutritious food source for the other sea life, and quite a pleasant snack for many avian species. The creatures are mostly unremarkable, despite their horrifying appearance. They swim in schools just like most other small fish, though they sport an almost perfect synchrony (likely due to some sort of higher form of communication) in such groups, seeming to turn and swim and evade with one mind.
What is remarkable is their diet. When anything alive, and, when they are starving, dead or inanimate, falls into the water, the school will immediately attempt to latch on with a massive expanding mouth capable of suction not unlike a leech. However, Sahovan Hatchetfish are not out to suck blood. No, they’re out for Djed. Delicious, delicious Djed. Using the same sort of absorbing ability as Nyka’s Dourdem Root, the Sahovan Hatchetfish siphons the Djed of the object of its sucking.
While a non-wizard would find the experience quite unpleasant, and could be subject to minor overgiving symptoms if they allowed the creatures to remain on them for too long, magic wielders can find themselves sapped of the vital tools of their craft, and their souls, in seconds. Removing the buggers isn’t particularly difficult or complicated. Simply pinch them behind the jawbones, and they will be forced to release their suction hold. Rinse and repeat for as many fish as are on one’s person. In all, an incentive for wizards not to jump in the ocean.
Social Structure: Hatchetfish schools are centered around a single female queen that is almost twice the size of her fellows- nearly eight inches on average, with the largest hitting twelve- and a slightly duller shade of silver. Whatever the queen does, the rest of the school mirrors perfectly. When she turns left, so does the entire school. When she turns right, so do her subjects. When she opens her mouth, so do the subjects. Curiously, every other member of a Hatchetfish school is male for the most part, with the most fit being granted the great privilege of mating with the queen. Females begin to be born when the queen reaches the end of her natural life. These females will then compete viciously for control of the school, until only one is left alive. She then takes over as the new queen, and the school continues to survive.
Credits to Balderdash
Kovinus Koi :
Kovinus Koi
Frequency: Medium Threat Level: Very Low Major Features: Human-like face, Lean meat, Goes well with lemon juice Abilities: Being delicious. Most Common In: Sahova
Simple, solitary fish about a foot in length, making most of their living eating the other, smaller sea creatures around the Undead Isle. The eerie human face is mostly a coincidence. They can be comparable to trout or goldfish. Simple, middle of the line predators. They are, however, quite edible, and aren't unpleasant tasting, thus giving rise to their regular use as food for the living on the island. Most Pulsers compare their flavor more to land-based meat than fish. Only those who have eaten a human being before would be able to nail down what exactly the creatures taste like.
Social Structure: Kovinus Koi are, for the most part, solitary. Every Fall, the fish will swim inland for the coast en masse to mate, and that is when most of the fishing takes place.
Credits to Balderdash
The Mawtail :
The Mawtail
Frequency: Low Threat Level: High Major Features: Armored skeleton, huge size, buck-teeth Abilities: Incredibly powerful bite Most Common In: Sahova
A gargantuan monster of a fish, the Mawtail weighs in at a straggering four tons, and measures thirty three feet from snout to tail. While its skeleton gives its organs a great deal of protection and makes it very difficult to kill with cutting and stabbing weapons, that is not why this fish is the apex predator of Sahova’s seas.
The reason for that is its bite. Despite the slightly silly looking teeth, the aptly named Mawtail’s bite is capable of exerting a bite force of 22,000 pounds per square inch. Flesh, bone, Isurian steel, even the hulls of boats offer about as much resistance as soggy paper to a Mawtail’s jaws. Fortunately, due to their large size and territorial nature, they are also very few in number, with only about a dozen around the waters of Sahova at a time.
Social Structure: Mawtails are solitary hunters, and take great offense at anything and everything entering their personal space. With their powerful jaws, this can mean trouble for shipwrecked sailors.
Credits to Balderdash
Fungus of Sahova The diversity among species on Sahova is not all due to naturally occurring evolution. In many cases the varying creatures come about as a result of nuit tampering with life itself. In their attempt to shape the world to their liking, the Wizards of Sahova inevitably created things that fall into the Fungus world, some poisons, some odd, and others just down right disgusting.
Optic Poppers :
Frequency: High in Sahova only
Threat Level: Low - Medium
Major Features: small eye-like protrusions, usually a shade of orange, mobile fungus, incredibly delicious, addictive
Abilities: Movement, enhance eye-sight by a multiple of how ever many you eat (too many may cause permanent damage to eyes upon reversion)
Most Common In: damp, moist places
Summary: The occuli sentrium, or the more common name optic poppers, is a highly mobile fungus developed to be visionary assistants for scouts on the front lines. Due to a myriad of issues during development, poppers are extremely difficult to catch, but often well worth the rewards. Their sensory augmentation being only a part of their appeal, poppers have an effect on Nuits similar to candy for children. They can also be addictive for those Nuits still attached to their humanity (or those who just want to taste something sweet). When ingested by a living being, they have a flavor that depends on the person, usually ranging from roasted meats to steamed vegetables. Visionary enhancement is double for living creatures, but the drawbacks are also increased.
History: The occuli sentrium (poppers for short) was created to give the Alterrian army a quick boost to their scouting abilities. The further one could see specifics, the better chance they had of defending against it. That was, at least, the theory. The fungus was infused with complex morphing magic, able to physically alter the shape of a humanoid's eyes so they could see more effectively (like binoculars, when viewing something far away, immediate vision must "zoom out"). The problem arose when the morphing gave the fungi the ability to scurry about with astonishing speed. To the great frustration of the Nuit researchers, they were unable to bestow sight enhancing properties without also giving the poppers a means of escape.
How exactly it was found the little fungus was an undead's treat has never been confirmed. Some say the researchers became so frustrated they just started eating the poppers. Others postulate that after the project was canceled and the poppers were dumped over the walls of the city by a foolish apprentice, someone happened by a few and wondered what they taste like. Either way, their mysterious and unique properties have found them a very favorable gift to Nuits.
This item is a creation of Malediction created from the hand of a deceased apprentice of Sahova who hated his life upon the isle more than anything else in the world. The master Maledictor Vick crafted "The Enduring" using circles that would draw out the djed in the bone, channel the hatred in such a way that it would take from the user everything that they had to be used in one final act of magic, giving their life for increased strength and power. Use of this item means certain death as it draws every last drop fo the users usable djed, sucking from them their very life force to be channeled into their magical field of expertise. The results are that the users gains powers to rival even the greatest masters in any field of magic, but the end result is that the caster dies almost immediately afterwards. Because of the items many possible uses it has been taken and sealed away in the Vault, to be called upon should the need ever arise.
Every once in a while I run across an interesting philosophy, theory, or a really funny quote while grading or doing moderated threads. Some of these are really good, and I feel that they should be shared with the rest of the players here in Sahova. So, from now on if I see an interesting way of describing a theory of magic, a cool PC/NPC quote, or anything else related to character philosophy I will be adding it here. Keep checking back because you might one day see a quote of yours here
Is Djed like a tree?
Was this due to his Djed was more like a plant? A tree perhaps. The trunk base part was his overall Djed force but the branches of the tree were more like his skill and the fields of his magical skill such as Voiding? Could his Autistic branch be larger and stronger than his Voiding that he was still trying to understand and learn? If that was the case then where was his world magic Malediction upon that tree? World magic was far different yet it did hold the same key traits in some areas. Maybe that was another tree yet the roots could have been tied together?
A miza, one in a million, one in a trillion, one in a million-trillions, and each have two sides to them, just like magic. Each unique on their own, but they all possess a metal rim, and stone center, but more importantly djed. Magic and Miza fit well together, hand in hand. They both were driven by emotion, and both brought happiness to those who had them, and both breed insanity, hate, and lust. Though the evils of man should not be projected onto these symbols, as the both of them were merely tools to be used, things to be used to accomplish goals good or bad. They are impartial things, incapable of any discrimination but the ones held by the user of the tool. Such profound things these are, miza and magic.
“Right, so take this triangle I have drawn as an example. When trying to understand Djed, you must know that it is not just contained within certain things like blood or bones. Rather, Djed is what identifies them as being such. Take this triangle for example; its Djed would be possessed of its personal Djed, what makes it unique among triangles. However what makes it a triangle in general is universal among all triangles. Much like how my Djed identifies me as both Annalisa Marin and as being human.” The sorceress explained.
Every season I ask for each of my players to present both a Solo thread and a Cooperative thread with another person for the Seasonal Challenge. This challenge was created to inspire Sahova players to work their hardest and be the best that they can be to create the most amazing story they possibly could. Now what makes an amazing story is not something set in stone. It does not have to be filled with lots of magic and action, and it doesn't have to be a major quest for discovery either. It simply needs to be a look into the soul of your character, a small window into true self of those in play. Development, character interactions, self discover, action, adventure, magic, simplicity and complexity are all things that can describe a fantastic thread. Here I will list the threads which were chosen by the players themselves that uphold all of these virtues. The writers of these threads should be commemorated, because what they have created is truly fantastic. Thus I place them here, in the Sahova Atlas, for all to come and see to be reminded just what makes a story truly great.
by Mirage on September 2nd, 2012, 5:17 am 
Frequency: Low
