Higurashi
03-28-2011, 11:09 PM
(not done yet)
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/3206631-Home_on_the_Savannah-Serengeti_National_Park.jpg
Nijeet, as it is more commonly known, started out life as a small village in the middle of an a large savannah. Its people were simple and of dark skin. They survived off the land, and in harmony with it. They lived in wicker grass huts plastered with mud laced branches from a variety of short bush that was fairly common in the area. Their form of government was simply getting a general consensus on who knew the most about life, then making him the chief. Equipped with a type of slingshot, their hunters would bring down the animals they needed by throwing poisoned, pointed stones from the slings. The poison, while paralytic in nature, could be easily cleansed from dead flesh by washing it in the juices of the before mentioned bushes' berries, which grew year round. The skin and bones were considered sacred. The bones were to be used by the chief elder to communicate with the ancestors, and he was clothed in the skins.
Then, one day the villages peaceful life was interrupted. A foreigner who's face was obscured by a hood came riding on a strange animal. It was similar to some of the scavenging canines that the people saw from time to time, but had an elongated head, and its color was a reddish-tan. Its tail was a long plume, an unheard of trait in a dog. The figure wore strange clothing that glittered in the sun, and was harder than bone. Then the stranger lowered the hood. All the people gaped at the man's face. They had never seen a being with silver skin and elongated ears before! The stranger, dismounting his creature, went to speak directly with the Chief. The people moved the proper distance away from the conversation. From what they heard drifting over the grasses, it appeared the being knew their language. This was strange, because they never spoken to or seen anyone outside their own village. After much more talking, the stranger rode away and made camp outside the village.
What the people saw then amazed them even more. The man merely waved his hand, and all of his belongings set themselves up in their proper place, jumping out of their packs on their own! The being invited them over, and explained what he had been talking about to the Chief earlier. He told them stories about his own people, which came in many more colors than he was. Descriptions of fantastic feats and abilities flowed from his lips, enticing the villagers. What came as a shock to them was when he told them that they too could posses this power, and use it. He even had identified a young boy among the villagers which he had identified as one who held a talent for these abilities, one who he would teach, if he was willing. The boy, named Carx immediately nodded his agreement, and was going to step forward to the stranger when the Chief appeared, pulling the boy back. He warned the boy that what the stranger told of came at a price. He then pointed out that the grass all around the campsite had died, drained of life.
At this the stranger's face darkened, but this soon passed. He looked at the people and said, "See? You leader is lying! The grasses are still there, they are just sleeping!" The people looked from the stranger then to the Chief, then back to the stranger. As one, enthralled by the stranger's words, they set upon the Chief, driving him out of the village in favor of this new, more powerful being. In the following days, the being taught the people much, not all of it beneficial. What he had said about the grass was true, but to this day magic is still minimal in that circle. Mayhap it will never recover.
As they advanced technologically and mentally, the people began to notice changes. As the boy grew, his skin began to change color. It went from a dark creamy brown to a silky caramel. The stranger said this was normal, as the use of the power affected the user's body as it had his own. The stranger, whom eventually named himself as Marvarious, began introducing a new type of religion into the villager's society. It was partially monotheistic, with several beings acting as messengers to the world, such as himself. Of course the villagers took it with a grain of salt, but began to believe it over time as they advanced more and more. Meanwhile, the ranks of the villagers grew. In addition to a higher birthrate, other villages with a now similar culture began to gather together, eventually swelling the population of the villages to the size of a small town. By this time, the people had stopped living off the land. Instead, they cultivated it, growing the bushes in large fields, and pasteurizing several varieties of large herbivores as work animals and food. The berries, they found, when cured and stamped, became an excellent drink, which gave one strong warm and good feelings. Some became addicted to this drink, but few people noticed.
As yet more people poured into the settlement, eventually named Nijeet-Sala-Mah in the native villager's tongue, the need for more lands became apparent. Those whom had moved to the settlement gladly donated their own lands. But, as time went on, and the settlement grew to a large town, then a city of thousands, the need for even more land became apparent. By this time, Marvarious had taught the people to make leather armor out of the previously sacred skin of the large herbivores that they now used for food. Already, metal, lesser than his own of course, was being used to make into weapons. Finally, after much discussion and debate, the people decided to spread their borders. Riding what could be described as large leather-skinned bovines, a contingent of five hundred set out on a mission, to have those they met join them, or be conquered by them. Previously, tribal warfare had been a ritual combat, used to decide hunting grounds. This new warfare waged by the Nijeets overwhelmed all that they met, that is, until they ran into a marauding band of those similar to themselves in armament, but of a lighter skin tone. Confusedly, both group worked out, regardless of a language barrier, that they were both in similar situations. They both were being taught similar things, even down to their religion, but the new peoples' messenger was named Cirlic. After communicating this, both parties went to report back to their masters. Marvarious was absolutely furious. He demanded that the Nijeets go back immediately and destroy the other people, for they were upstarts, claiming to be equal with his own god. After more debate, the people reluctantly agreed, this time sending out a group of a thousand warriors.
Upon meeting the group again, they found themselves once again in a similar situation. Instead of immediately fighting, they communicated their situation again. Again, they found that what their respective Messengers had said was the same. After more debate, they decided on a course of action. The new group, whom were called the Carscians, would ally themselves with the Nijeets, and overthrow their messenger. This was because the Carscians messenger had become abusive, taking their women for himself, along with setting himself as the ruler by his own choice, not the peoples. Once in agreement, both parties headed for the Carscian settlement. What followed was a bloodbath, though not in the expected way. It seemed that Cirlic had been closely watching his followers. He had returned to the Carscian settlement, and attempted to use the entire population in a sacrifice to his god. When the now two thousand strong army arrived, nearly half of those who had remained were dead, having been drained of all life. Following the trail of husks and dead bodies, the warriors faced a monster. Now changed from a glorious being, the thing had for all purposes become a demon.
The thing... Cirlic, had two heads, each with two spiral horns and five eyes, and long serrated teeth. He stood easily above any of the buildings in the town, each only being a story tall, and made of mud bricks. His skin, while no appearing tougher, was a dark gold. Even his feet had become massive, looking like a dog's paws. In its hand it held his own apprentice, draining him of his magical power. Upon sighting the force coming towards it let out a mighty roar and crushed his apprentices body in half, sucking the last energy from it. The following battle was short-lived. While most of those men present expected to die, fate was on their side. While being significantly more powerful than any man, even more so in this new form, the creature was lacking in wit. The men came at it with their new weapons, at first, it did not effect the creature. Then, a bright beam came from the suddenly cloudly sky, striking the men in each of their chests. They became reenergized, and found that their weapons now penetrated the skin of Cirlic. Dodging around his wild blows, the warriors slit its skin again and again, until it fell dead.
Then a being descended from the sky. It was similar to what was formerly Cirlic, in his originaly form, with the same dark golden skin, but it seemed to shine, and had wings. Looking at the dead body, the being nodded its approval. "This day you have overcome, and advanced me," the being said. "For I am Marvarious. With my power, you have defeated my rival, Cirlic. He was not true to Archeus, and abused his power. Those he sacrificed were not accepted as power, but will be restored to the land. Erstwhile, Archeus has granted me greater power in return. I will use this to further aid you." The warriors nodded their agreement. As of late, the land had become less plentiful. With no further words the army, entire town, and Marvarious headed back to Nijeet.
In more recent years, the land has become revitalized. Generation after generation of Nijeet's have taken care of the land. Crops, in addition to the original bush, are now grown. The berries can even be used for preserve food long after its intended expiration. Metal utensils, now about the qualities of steel, are common in not only weapons but in household items. As of yet, it is not used in construction, because it is simply too hard to smith items of that size. To the south of the now huge city of Nijeet, they had found plentiful veins of the materials needed to make such items, including iron, copper, tin, and even coal. The coal was, of course, discovered when some lucky apprentice threw a rock into the smithy's furnace, and it caught fire.
Marvarius himself no longer resides in Nijeet, instead living a ways off from the town in a temple. His apprentice, who was named Carx as mentioned before, had become only a young man despite all the time that had passed. He was now the leader of Nijeet. He sought out amongst the citizens who could use the powers he could. In total, there were three boys, and one woman who was similar and age to what he appeared to be. Training these four, the five of them made up the ruling council of Nijeet, as they do to this day.
Nijeet itself is a massive city today, built of almost solid stone. Over time, more and more has been added to the city. It now spreads over nearly ten miles of land. As you go into the city, the structures gradually become taller, giving it the appearance of a hill. The city is bisected, with a third of it being on the other side of a nearby river. the Nijeets are still very protective of the land and the river is strictly for drinking. Dumping trash or waste of any kind in the river. is punishable by death. The streets and alleys are wide, so that its large population can more freely with ease. The center of the city is now taken up by a temple, devoted to Archeus, with Marvarius as its head preist. from the outside in, every half mile into the city a wall rises, even crossing the river.
Surrounding Nijeet is a lush fertile farmland. Small villages dot the land, and one can often see a dark skinned man riding a workanimal out in the feilds. Each feild is kept seperate from the other by stone enbankments, which could also provide defensive poisitions at a pinch. As you go further from Nijeet, the villages become less common, though each has its own military tower and small garrison, and the farming more sparse. Eventually, there is simply miles upon miles of tall grass, and the occasional patch of bushes. Careful conservation, and management of magic, has let the land grow, and flourish. Eventually, the grasslands end, and the border of other countries begin.
As previously mentioned, the religion in Nijeet is monotheistic. Archeus, being the main god, is personified as a being of infinite wisdom and care for those who follow him, but has mercy for those who do not. His symbols are the spear and the hearth, symbolizing strength and feirceness, yet warmth. In order to communicate with mortals, he sends messengers to the world to convert the masses to his banner. There are supposed to be four current messengers, but only Marvarious is residing on the world itself at the moment.
In order for the religion to function properly, Marvarious elections disciples. These disciples, ten of them currently, hold sway over a certain aspect of religion. for isntance, one will reign over sarcrifices to Archeus. Another will focus on converting the citizens of other countries. Of course, the disciples have their bickerings over power, and they often consult Marvarious over issues that they cannot solve. While donations to the religion, (it has no official name) are not mandatory, they are strongly encouraged as sacrifices.
The main teachings of Archeus's religion are caring for the land, and the strength of people combined. The first teaching the people generally agree with, especially those whose main buisness is farming. It says that one should never waste what one has, and only take from the land what is needed, along with growing new material for those after you. The second teaching is harder for people to accept, even to this day. It teaches that one must have a family, and be a productive member of society. While this sounds like communism, it works out more like capitalism, with free trade, and one can persue any job one likes. In addition, it teaches that to be strong the citizens of Nijeet must stand together.
~Strong Calvary
~Good Agriculture System
~Large Military (every male citizen can fight)
~Blessing of the God Archeus, with direct intervention by Marvarious
~Capital city heavily fortified and defensible.
~Steel weapons, leather armor
~Capable Archers
~One unified religion
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/3206631-Home_on_the_Savannah-Serengeti_National_Park.jpg
Nijeet, as it is more commonly known, started out life as a small village in the middle of an a large savannah. Its people were simple and of dark skin. They survived off the land, and in harmony with it. They lived in wicker grass huts plastered with mud laced branches from a variety of short bush that was fairly common in the area. Their form of government was simply getting a general consensus on who knew the most about life, then making him the chief. Equipped with a type of slingshot, their hunters would bring down the animals they needed by throwing poisoned, pointed stones from the slings. The poison, while paralytic in nature, could be easily cleansed from dead flesh by washing it in the juices of the before mentioned bushes' berries, which grew year round. The skin and bones were considered sacred. The bones were to be used by the chief elder to communicate with the ancestors, and he was clothed in the skins.
Then, one day the villages peaceful life was interrupted. A foreigner who's face was obscured by a hood came riding on a strange animal. It was similar to some of the scavenging canines that the people saw from time to time, but had an elongated head, and its color was a reddish-tan. Its tail was a long plume, an unheard of trait in a dog. The figure wore strange clothing that glittered in the sun, and was harder than bone. Then the stranger lowered the hood. All the people gaped at the man's face. They had never seen a being with silver skin and elongated ears before! The stranger, dismounting his creature, went to speak directly with the Chief. The people moved the proper distance away from the conversation. From what they heard drifting over the grasses, it appeared the being knew their language. This was strange, because they never spoken to or seen anyone outside their own village. After much more talking, the stranger rode away and made camp outside the village.
What the people saw then amazed them even more. The man merely waved his hand, and all of his belongings set themselves up in their proper place, jumping out of their packs on their own! The being invited them over, and explained what he had been talking about to the Chief earlier. He told them stories about his own people, which came in many more colors than he was. Descriptions of fantastic feats and abilities flowed from his lips, enticing the villagers. What came as a shock to them was when he told them that they too could posses this power, and use it. He even had identified a young boy among the villagers which he had identified as one who held a talent for these abilities, one who he would teach, if he was willing. The boy, named Carx immediately nodded his agreement, and was going to step forward to the stranger when the Chief appeared, pulling the boy back. He warned the boy that what the stranger told of came at a price. He then pointed out that the grass all around the campsite had died, drained of life.
At this the stranger's face darkened, but this soon passed. He looked at the people and said, "See? You leader is lying! The grasses are still there, they are just sleeping!" The people looked from the stranger then to the Chief, then back to the stranger. As one, enthralled by the stranger's words, they set upon the Chief, driving him out of the village in favor of this new, more powerful being. In the following days, the being taught the people much, not all of it beneficial. What he had said about the grass was true, but to this day magic is still minimal in that circle. Mayhap it will never recover.
As they advanced technologically and mentally, the people began to notice changes. As the boy grew, his skin began to change color. It went from a dark creamy brown to a silky caramel. The stranger said this was normal, as the use of the power affected the user's body as it had his own. The stranger, whom eventually named himself as Marvarious, began introducing a new type of religion into the villager's society. It was partially monotheistic, with several beings acting as messengers to the world, such as himself. Of course the villagers took it with a grain of salt, but began to believe it over time as they advanced more and more. Meanwhile, the ranks of the villagers grew. In addition to a higher birthrate, other villages with a now similar culture began to gather together, eventually swelling the population of the villages to the size of a small town. By this time, the people had stopped living off the land. Instead, they cultivated it, growing the bushes in large fields, and pasteurizing several varieties of large herbivores as work animals and food. The berries, they found, when cured and stamped, became an excellent drink, which gave one strong warm and good feelings. Some became addicted to this drink, but few people noticed.
As yet more people poured into the settlement, eventually named Nijeet-Sala-Mah in the native villager's tongue, the need for more lands became apparent. Those whom had moved to the settlement gladly donated their own lands. But, as time went on, and the settlement grew to a large town, then a city of thousands, the need for even more land became apparent. By this time, Marvarious had taught the people to make leather armor out of the previously sacred skin of the large herbivores that they now used for food. Already, metal, lesser than his own of course, was being used to make into weapons. Finally, after much discussion and debate, the people decided to spread their borders. Riding what could be described as large leather-skinned bovines, a contingent of five hundred set out on a mission, to have those they met join them, or be conquered by them. Previously, tribal warfare had been a ritual combat, used to decide hunting grounds. This new warfare waged by the Nijeets overwhelmed all that they met, that is, until they ran into a marauding band of those similar to themselves in armament, but of a lighter skin tone. Confusedly, both group worked out, regardless of a language barrier, that they were both in similar situations. They both were being taught similar things, even down to their religion, but the new peoples' messenger was named Cirlic. After communicating this, both parties went to report back to their masters. Marvarious was absolutely furious. He demanded that the Nijeets go back immediately and destroy the other people, for they were upstarts, claiming to be equal with his own god. After more debate, the people reluctantly agreed, this time sending out a group of a thousand warriors.
Upon meeting the group again, they found themselves once again in a similar situation. Instead of immediately fighting, they communicated their situation again. Again, they found that what their respective Messengers had said was the same. After more debate, they decided on a course of action. The new group, whom were called the Carscians, would ally themselves with the Nijeets, and overthrow their messenger. This was because the Carscians messenger had become abusive, taking their women for himself, along with setting himself as the ruler by his own choice, not the peoples. Once in agreement, both parties headed for the Carscian settlement. What followed was a bloodbath, though not in the expected way. It seemed that Cirlic had been closely watching his followers. He had returned to the Carscian settlement, and attempted to use the entire population in a sacrifice to his god. When the now two thousand strong army arrived, nearly half of those who had remained were dead, having been drained of all life. Following the trail of husks and dead bodies, the warriors faced a monster. Now changed from a glorious being, the thing had for all purposes become a demon.
The thing... Cirlic, had two heads, each with two spiral horns and five eyes, and long serrated teeth. He stood easily above any of the buildings in the town, each only being a story tall, and made of mud bricks. His skin, while no appearing tougher, was a dark gold. Even his feet had become massive, looking like a dog's paws. In its hand it held his own apprentice, draining him of his magical power. Upon sighting the force coming towards it let out a mighty roar and crushed his apprentices body in half, sucking the last energy from it. The following battle was short-lived. While most of those men present expected to die, fate was on their side. While being significantly more powerful than any man, even more so in this new form, the creature was lacking in wit. The men came at it with their new weapons, at first, it did not effect the creature. Then, a bright beam came from the suddenly cloudly sky, striking the men in each of their chests. They became reenergized, and found that their weapons now penetrated the skin of Cirlic. Dodging around his wild blows, the warriors slit its skin again and again, until it fell dead.
Then a being descended from the sky. It was similar to what was formerly Cirlic, in his originaly form, with the same dark golden skin, but it seemed to shine, and had wings. Looking at the dead body, the being nodded its approval. "This day you have overcome, and advanced me," the being said. "For I am Marvarious. With my power, you have defeated my rival, Cirlic. He was not true to Archeus, and abused his power. Those he sacrificed were not accepted as power, but will be restored to the land. Erstwhile, Archeus has granted me greater power in return. I will use this to further aid you." The warriors nodded their agreement. As of late, the land had become less plentiful. With no further words the army, entire town, and Marvarious headed back to Nijeet.
In more recent years, the land has become revitalized. Generation after generation of Nijeet's have taken care of the land. Crops, in addition to the original bush, are now grown. The berries can even be used for preserve food long after its intended expiration. Metal utensils, now about the qualities of steel, are common in not only weapons but in household items. As of yet, it is not used in construction, because it is simply too hard to smith items of that size. To the south of the now huge city of Nijeet, they had found plentiful veins of the materials needed to make such items, including iron, copper, tin, and even coal. The coal was, of course, discovered when some lucky apprentice threw a rock into the smithy's furnace, and it caught fire.
Marvarius himself no longer resides in Nijeet, instead living a ways off from the town in a temple. His apprentice, who was named Carx as mentioned before, had become only a young man despite all the time that had passed. He was now the leader of Nijeet. He sought out amongst the citizens who could use the powers he could. In total, there were three boys, and one woman who was similar and age to what he appeared to be. Training these four, the five of them made up the ruling council of Nijeet, as they do to this day.
Nijeet itself is a massive city today, built of almost solid stone. Over time, more and more has been added to the city. It now spreads over nearly ten miles of land. As you go into the city, the structures gradually become taller, giving it the appearance of a hill. The city is bisected, with a third of it being on the other side of a nearby river. the Nijeets are still very protective of the land and the river is strictly for drinking. Dumping trash or waste of any kind in the river. is punishable by death. The streets and alleys are wide, so that its large population can more freely with ease. The center of the city is now taken up by a temple, devoted to Archeus, with Marvarius as its head preist. from the outside in, every half mile into the city a wall rises, even crossing the river.
Surrounding Nijeet is a lush fertile farmland. Small villages dot the land, and one can often see a dark skinned man riding a workanimal out in the feilds. Each feild is kept seperate from the other by stone enbankments, which could also provide defensive poisitions at a pinch. As you go further from Nijeet, the villages become less common, though each has its own military tower and small garrison, and the farming more sparse. Eventually, there is simply miles upon miles of tall grass, and the occasional patch of bushes. Careful conservation, and management of magic, has let the land grow, and flourish. Eventually, the grasslands end, and the border of other countries begin.
As previously mentioned, the religion in Nijeet is monotheistic. Archeus, being the main god, is personified as a being of infinite wisdom and care for those who follow him, but has mercy for those who do not. His symbols are the spear and the hearth, symbolizing strength and feirceness, yet warmth. In order to communicate with mortals, he sends messengers to the world to convert the masses to his banner. There are supposed to be four current messengers, but only Marvarious is residing on the world itself at the moment.
In order for the religion to function properly, Marvarious elections disciples. These disciples, ten of them currently, hold sway over a certain aspect of religion. for isntance, one will reign over sarcrifices to Archeus. Another will focus on converting the citizens of other countries. Of course, the disciples have their bickerings over power, and they often consult Marvarious over issues that they cannot solve. While donations to the religion, (it has no official name) are not mandatory, they are strongly encouraged as sacrifices.
The main teachings of Archeus's religion are caring for the land, and the strength of people combined. The first teaching the people generally agree with, especially those whose main buisness is farming. It says that one should never waste what one has, and only take from the land what is needed, along with growing new material for those after you. The second teaching is harder for people to accept, even to this day. It teaches that one must have a family, and be a productive member of society. While this sounds like communism, it works out more like capitalism, with free trade, and one can persue any job one likes. In addition, it teaches that to be strong the citizens of Nijeet must stand together.
~Strong Calvary
~Good Agriculture System
~Large Military (every male citizen can fight)
~Blessing of the God Archeus, with direct intervention by Marvarious
~Capital city heavily fortified and defensible.
~Steel weapons, leather armor
~Capable Archers
~One unified religion