Lonely Mother Gaia, why do you cry?
Lonely Mother Gaia, why do you sigh?
Dig out your heart and split it into six,
Wrap them up in leaves and fix them with sticks.
Toss the first into the sea.
The second hang from the sky.
The third hide within the veins
Of rivers flowing by.
The fourth crush into powder soft,
And gift it to the wind.
Bury the fifth deep underground
To soundly sleep within.
Stoke a fire and burn the sixth
Into ash so grey and fine,
Sow the land, let man emerge,
And praise you as divine.
Then rest your head upon a bed
Of flowers white and sweet.
Wait ‘til the day your lover calls
And wakes you from your sleep.
As humans spread across the world, non-humans find their homes and lifestyles threatened. Humans have even started to capture and “put to use” non-humans. This could be anything between enslavement for labor to slaughter for living body parts.
The legend of the Hearts of Gaia are just that: legend, in a nursery rhyme, no less. Still, some believe; elders of multiple species are renewing their efforts to find and piece together Gaia’s heart. Maybe, with her power, the human blight can finally be vanquished.
This is a blank slate kind of world that builds itself out as characters move through it (so long as no contradictions arise). As such, the information on this page will update as more is discovered.
This dynamic world is filled with multitudes of intelligent species. To attempt to list them all is a fool’s errands, but among them are as follows:
Humans: By all measures the most numerous of all species, known to exist in all biomes. Their population could easily be 5 times that of the entire known non-human population. They tend to cluster into large settlements consisting of more than one family units, and families tend to stay within the same settlement (though exceptions exist and are common). They depend heavily on tools they’ve developed, both mechanical and otherwise, and are on the edge of steam technology.
Lycanthropes: A small, shapeshifting population that dwells in forests, though some have been known to reside in the tundra and the grasslands. They tend to lead a nomadic lifestyle in packs of 5-30 members, consisting of a single breeding pair. Young are reared until young adulthood, at which point males are kicked out of the pack to join another or found their own. Each pack tends to stake out and defend a defined territory. They have a well-known feud with vampires.
Vampires: It is unknown how large the vampire population is, since they go to great lengths to blend in with their prey, humans. Due to a severe allergy to sunlight, they prefer to be active after dusk. They also possess the ability to shapeshift into bats, as well as use an alternative form of echolocation that paralyzes prey. Their saliva acts as a local numbing agent. They have a well-known feud with lycanthropes.
Naiads: These water-based creatures reside in freshwater sources. Said to be born of Gaia’s tears, they typically retain the appearance of a human woman, save for the pair of gills on either side of the neck, unnoticeable from a distance. Though their bodies are not as streamlined as fish, they are still somehow able to move through water at incredible speeds.
Condemott: Myth. Also known as mothmen, these creatures only exist in the passing of stories from generation to generation. Most descriptions of their appearance involve “your worst nightmare,” and their sightings are always followed by calamity. Because of such, efforts to find proof of these creatures have been highly discouraged.
Kenku: A scattered race of flightless avian humanoids, cousins to tengu. The head and upper torso are covered in feathers, while limbs are covered in scaly leather. They show great potential in mimicking other species, and are difficult to detect without previous knowledge of their whereabouts.They have a great fondness of shiny objects and can be bribed with said objects for their secrets.
Tengu: These solitary, winged humanoids usually have bright-red skin, though ash-white and ink-blank varieties. A large beak tends to replace the nose and the mouth. Using their fans, they are able to generate powerful gusts of wind. Note: Separating a tengu from its fan will result in the death of the tengu.
Interspecies Dynamics
Competition for Resources: As the human population continues to grow, they seek to take resources from entities that guard them. Among them are the tengu from the eastern mountains, the dragons from the south-western caves, and the sirens along the western coast.
Exotic Pet Trade: As the populations of non-humans dwindle, there is a desire among some to collect and display them a status symbol. As a result, there exists a community that captures and delivers non-humans as pets to the wealthiest of humans. Among the victims of this trade are the naiads.
Humans and the Lycanthrope Trade: Humans value the fur and leather of the lycanthrope, for they can withstand some of the toughest weather. However, hunting for lycanthropes in wolf form is quite dangerous, so the fur and leather are quite pricey. Some lycanthrope have also been tamed, to work where heavy labor is required.
The Vampire Extermination: Because of their ability to paralyze prey, they are generally not kept alive by humans when they are found. This makes their saliva an extremely, extremely rare and sought after commodity for healers, which led to the formation of specialty vampire hunters.
Lycanthrope-Vampire Feud: No documentation exists on how this feud started-maybe some vampire hated how gruff and unrefined a werewolf was, or a werewolf hated how a vampire stank. Youths of both sides have been raised with a determined hatred of the other.
Updated 14.10.2020
Hosted and narrated by:
Klei Prifti (Klei)
Started 10/13/20.
Scenes played: 2
License: Host License
