Xy
From Mizahar Lore
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This article is about a location with its own forum to roleplay in. You can find it here. |
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| Region | Cyphrus | ||||
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| Notability | Largest Known Zith Colony | ||||
| Leader | Vile | ||||
| Population | 1,250 | ||||
| Races |
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| Languages | Zith, Common Tongue | ||||
| Currency | Barter | ||||
| Imports | Fruits, Meat, Varied Foodstuffs | ||||
| Exports | Art, Salialana, exotic molds and fungus | ||||
Contents |
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 tending to the whims of their zith masters. Some even craft items from materials brought down from the surface, which are then used 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 goods for new slaves when they are needed. The Zith themselves have also learned to create a few things of their own, which they also trade such as items made with the use of Malediction. Outsiders who gain entry into Castle Xy are left to fend for themselves. There are no special accommodations made for non-zith. In a place dominated by creatures who are driven by their primal urges, outsiders will find quite a different experience compared to other humanoid habitations.
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 Castle
While not as imposing as it may have once been, Castle Xy is still a mighty structure, if in need of heavy maintenance. Though portions of it are in ruin, the castle itself is as large as an average-sized Pre-Valterrian town. The walls, though crumbling, still stand even after the divine rampages of time and divine onslaught. In the years leading up to the Valterrian, the castle served as a trading outpost and center of safety and security, one of the only established ones for many miles in all directions. Now however, Castle Xy serves as place of mystery, danger and for some, death. The Zith of Xy have staked out a large portion of the central part of the castle. It is here that non-Zith who are allowed entry, experience the culture of Xy. The zith allow a select few outsiders into the castle through an odd form of bribery. Xy's gatekeeper watches over the main castle gates during the night while slaves loyal to the Gatekeeper watch over it during the day. In order to gain entry, an outsider must present a token of respect to the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper has no set standards regarding what he desires as payment as his wants vary with his mood. As for the slaves that man the gate during the day, they are just as unpredictable in what they will accept as an offering. One thing is certain however, coinage has little to no value for the zith. If the Gatekeeper or his slaves are not accepting of the offering, the outsider risks enslavement or even death.
Upon gaining entry, visitors are on their own. This means that there are no real laws to protect them as it is survival of the fittest in Xy. It is important to note however that anarchy does not rule in Xy. Theft, rape, murder, any of what the outside world would call, criminal, does not exist in such terms. Those who commit these acts, succeed at them and survive, may gain some reputation as being strong and dangerous however it also makes them a target to those who wish to improve their own status. For outsiders, it is advised that they seek out a native zith and gain their favor in exchange for a small amount of protection. Essentially, the zith grants their favor in exchange for goods they may not already have or a service. The services required vary but are not usually pleasant for the outsider. Upon gaining favor, the zith will scratch and/or bite the visitor in a way that shows the person is protected. With this protection, the outsider must show the marks openly and without shame. This tells other zith that if they choose to harm the protected outsider, they may incur the wrath of the protecting zith. This however may or may not be an issue for some zith depending on their mood and on the nature of the outsider.
There is some amount of trade that takes place in Xy in the form of barter. Xy however is unique in that it does not maintain an established market. Instead, the castle's central courtyard serves as something of a gathering place for outsiders and zith alike. There, the slaves of Xy help facilitate trade between interested parties. Common bartering includes the zith and their slaves trading items exclusive to Xy such as Salialana, various other drugs and poisons, items of Malediction, furs and animal products as well as simple mundane pre-Valterrian items that are plentiful in Xy. In exchange, outsiders offer exotic foods and trinkets from the outside world. Services like sex for example are also prized by the zith as part of the trade.
Although they are civilized enough not to pounce upon any and all outsiders who enter the castle, the zith are far from docile. Curiosity motivates the zith into not killing and eating their visitors. Observing outsiders while also sometimes taunting, toying and exploiting them offers the zith a unique form of entertainment as well as a way to learn about their prey. It is almost like a grand, twisted zoo where non-zith are the ones on display.
The castle contains a small number of functioning areas that line the perimeter of the central courtyard. This includes, Bolai's Tankard; a tavern baring the name of the explorer who discovered the colony of Xy and who brought word of its existence back to the outside world. The tavern is operated by slaves and is the only real business establishment that could be considered formal in any way. Other areas include a small number of chambers used by outsiders for housing or anything else they may want to use them for assuming they are able to survive and hold onto them. The majority of the castle, while some of it having been explored by zith over the years, has been mostly undisturbed since the Valterrian with some sections having not been seen by mortal eyes for untold centuries.
Castle Xy is a place where outsiders and zith alike can make a life for themselves free from the dangers and difficulties of the outside world. The irony is that the dangers and difficulties inside the castle walls can often be worse than the those outside. There are no laws that govern conduct in the castle. That being said, the zith will not hesitate to exterminate any threat to their colony as a whole nor will defiance of the closest thing Xy has to a leader be tolerated.
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 pond of sorts 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 simple clothing and implements as well as various other odds and ends for themselves, for the Zith and for trade.
While not specifically barred from entering the inner confines of the colony itself, outsiders may find that being in the heart of a zith colony is not the preferred station in life. Aside from the luminescence provided by the various types of fungi growing one the walls and floor of the pit, all is dark. Even during the day, the light that makes it to the pit floor is dim at best. The slaves of Xy, the majority having been born and raised for generations in the darkness of the pit, are accustomed to functioning without much light. They also use special makeshift lanterns made with luminescent fungi when navigating the tunnels making up the deeper parts of the pit complex. Use of bright light such as that given off by fire, tends to irritate and even anger the zith residing in the pit. Also, the lift that extends to the surface, is only active once per day, at midday. The primitive system of ropes and pulleys is operated by slaves on the pit floor. It takes a number of slaves to operate making quick entry and exit impossible. It is easy to become lost in the colony if one doesn't know the layout; only slaves and zith know such a thing. So, while outsiders are free to enter the colony, survival there becomes far less common.
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 and their choice not to slaughter, eat and or enslave outsiders. This has led to Vile exhibiting much more wisdom in his leadership or as much wisdom as a zith can exhibit.
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 as well as how dangerous, dominant and cunning one is. The zith of Xy are organized into families or packs. These families are quite similar to wolf packs in their organization. There is the alpha male and female followed by any betas and children. Each family maintains its own rules, if any, as well as claim to any territory. Territory in the case of Xy consists of caves or tunnels, chambers or rooms (in the castle) that have claim laid to them. While families may work together if the need arises, most only consort for the purposes of mating, playing, competition (fights to improve dominant status) and for occasional hunts that may require larger numbers to guarantee success.
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 and keeping of slaves has become a favorite activity among the Zith of Xy. Among many it is considered a mark of distinction to maintain 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. It is important to note that Zith are not abusive to their slaves as a rule. They do not normally take pleasure in torturing or otherwise causing unneeded harm to their slaves. They generally let their slaves do as they wish within the confines of the castle/colony so long as the slaves obey the will of their masters.
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 serve as colony guards and protectors during the day while their lessers work in the mold warrens. Particularly talented slaves are allowed to indulge in various crafts while those with some social skill are allowed in the castle. The older, wiser slaves are often tasked to educate other slaves and Zith alike, although such a thing is limited at best. 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.