If it can't be fixed, you find another use for it. Nothing is disposed of here, not if we can help it. — Citizen of Soom-Shida
The people of
Soom-Shida live in north-eastern
Hansun, where mountains are built of sheer cliff walls, and screaming winds make life and travel difficult. Their village lies nestled among the peaks, hidden away where none but the most resourceful may reside. Hardly anything goes to waste in Soom-Shida -- old buildings are repurposed, food scraps recycled, and broken things remade. If there's an advantage that can be gained, a Soom-Shidan will take it to gain even just a little bit more security in life.
The Slow Decline in Isolation
As the entire country of Hansun grew in size and population, it became more interconnected than ever. Trade routes were introduced, and people began moving from city to city, weaving a web of culture that strengthened the entire country. Soom-Shida, in its isolated location, was seemingly left behind and forced to fend for itself.
Trade routes skipped the difficult to reach settlement, opting instead to connect to other nearby villages that were easier to navigate to. Soom-Shida needed to provide for itself all on its own, something difficult to do among the towering cliffs. Short growing seasons, low populations of animals, and general difficulties of life caused Soom-Shida's population to slowly dwindle. This rate of declining population grew as younger generations also decided to leave the settlement, moving elsewhere where the promise of an easier life proved too enticing to ignore.
Introduction of Catalurgy
Any accident is an opportunity, any failure is the first step of a new journey. — Soom-Shidan wisdom
When the government of
Hansun began looking for places to start its
Catalurgist creation programs, Soom-Shida was first in line to offer their services. Gaining favour with the government, as well as serving as the origin point for countless powerful Catalurgists, seemed like the perfect way to gain more power to those that called Soom-Shida home. With the government's promises that Catalurgist creation was safe and easy, what could go wrong?
An excess of bodies, a deficit of limbs
The creation of Catalurgists turned out to be incredibly dangerous -- 30% of all operations ended in death, and 10% of those deaths then resulted in the creation of
Chimeras. The Chimeras that were created often rampaged and hurt many people before their eventual destruction, thus the injury and death rate quickly skyrocketed within Soom-Shida.
In traditional Soom-Shidan fashion, this chaos and loss provided the perfect ingredients for a new technology and industry that would revitalize the settlement as a whole. While people were repurposing old parts of tools or scrap as basic prosthetics in the beginning, the bodies of slain Chimeras lay unrotted still months after their destruction -- prompting people to consider other options.
Enter the Bone-weavers
With some biologic and mechanical experimentation,
Chimeric Limbs were soon created -- taking parts of slain monsters and using them as replacements for limbs lost in the chaos.
My stump still aches -- that never went away. But for the first time since the accident, I can actually feel things with my right hand again. The Bone-weavers are miracle workers. — Recipient of a new Right Arm
Those who specialized in this industry became known as the Bone-weavers. Usually either a medic or mechanic by trade, with at least a passing knowledge of Catalurgy, they used their skills to repurpose monstrous limbs and give new life to injured people. Word travelled fast, and the Bone-weavers soon became famous -- putting Soom-Shida in the spotlight. Many amputees or injured people began to make their way to Soom-Shida, to visit the Boneweavers and regain lost body parts.
A respect for Death
Soom-Shidans for ages have had a close relationship with death, embracing it rather than shying away from the inevitable. The dead were respected -- cemeteries where they were buried became common places to spend time with loved ones. Simple, yet powerful, rituals and customs were formed around death. Most popular were customs regarding
Grave Elk, animals drawn to freshly turned earth that were seen as a sign of one's afterlife being blessed.
However, death was common, and the those who were dying often knew their corpses had use. Many on their death bed left behind instructions of re-use, outlining their desire to provide for their community, even after death -- bodies were burned and mixed into fertilizer for crops, mummified and used as macabre warning signs for raiders, or occasionally even used as last resort food reserves when times became tough.
Tourism
In modern times, as national interest in Catalurgy grew, both outsiders and local Soom-Shidans attempted to become Catalurgists. This meaning more locals and visitors began to die within the settlement. Cemetaries saw an increase in use, and breeders of
Grave Elk had their animals rented out at a near constant basis.
I went to a funeral over in Soom-Shida last month. The whole funeral procession thing, with those beautiful Elk... I kind of fell in love with it. Been thinking I might want that for myself too, if we can get Grave Elk out here. — Wishful thinking
Absolutely beautiful and chilling article. I love this ethinicity article! It's really unique and perfect for the world of Cathedris. "...which might help explain why the Catalurgist Creation center has never been shut down, despite the high rate of casualties", really made me laugh.
Thank you Brins! :D I really hope to go back and fill it out more some day, I had fun even just doing this much! And yeah, gotta keep that supply of parts comin in, no matter what :P