Mireiyans (Mih-ray-ans)
The descendents of those who put their fate in the hands of the God Mistral, the mireiyans have since adapted to be amphibious in nature, their bodies capable of surviving in the dark depths of Eltar's waters.
Initially settled on the Aquos archipelago, the followers of Mistral had a simple, nomadic lifestyle, following the winds between the various islands where they would produce statues, sculptures and other artistic pursuits with whatever they were able to find on the islands before sailing once more, living off the bounty of the open sea. Over time the islands had less and less space or supplies for new projects, or even to repair their vessels. The Eltari amongst them, with no need to breathe, sought answers beneath the waves, whilst the mortals consolidated all their spare materials into crafting an artistic masterpiece. When Mistral returned from her travels, she was impressed with their work and granted them a boon, allowing them to swim through the waves as naturally as walking on land.
The Eltari below however had begun working on their own project; a home that could be called their own within the sea itself. Whilst they had continued to supply ample food for the mortals to sustain themselves, they toiled on finding a way to build a city like the ones they'd seen within the Kalydrid empire, except this time beneath the waves where they felt most at home. Early attempts floundered as no matter what the material was, they couldn't get it to remain structurally sound and watertight with the overwhelming pressure of the depth. Persistent, they tried everything they could find and shape, mixing in different compounds and chemicals with their materials to try and improve it until eventually they uncovered a combination that made a malleable, clay-like material that could be shaped freely for a short period before the strong pressures surrounding it would begin to take effect. Rather than crushing it, however, it would tighten its bonds, strengthening it and allowing it to maintain its shape even more effectively than most materials.
The Eltari kept this project a secret from everyone as they worked on their underwater city, continuing to assist the mortals above when they needed it, receiving counsel from Mistral when it was requested and intermingling with both the mortals who had shown their devotion to Mistral and the new ones Mistral had acquired on their travels and further populated their seas with. As time progressed, these separate groups became more unified as these races intermingled. Those who were once bound to the sea began to be able to breathe on land and vice versa, and with the emergence of daemons and their attacks on mortal and Eltari alike, the Eltari revealed their millennia-long work to Mistral and the other mortals of the sea, inviting them to live there and create freely, no longer limited by the small amounts of land where they could create, safe from the dangers of the lands above.
Mistral, enthralled by the magnificent splendor of the city's sprawling and unique architecture questioned why they had only revealed the work now. The Eltari replied that had it been seen before reaching perfection, or the methods used openly observed, the beauty you witness today would have been tempered by your knowledge of it. With Mistral's grace, the mortals of the sea reuinited once more with the Eltari. Despite some of their misgivings of leaving their previous home, the threat of the daemons was growing stronger, and with little ability to fight back, they decided this was the safest option to keep the spirit of their heritage alive. And so they travelled down to the jewel of the sea, their newfound home, a city they named Mireiylle. And with it, the mireiyans as we know today were born.
These underwater artists and crafters believe heavily in the power of beauty and style, prefering form over function in almost every project they do. It's also considered disrespectful to show any work unfinished, and should a piece be viewed before being finished they would view it as a necessity to start from scratch. Living within a sea curated by Mistral personally, they run little risk of encountering dangers and so have no standing military, instead opting any sort of combat-oriented danger to be dealt with by Mistral's priests who are trained extensively in the magical arts.
Over time the city has been expanded, and even a couple of smaller habitats have been made separate from the city proper, each instance of which has been done away from prying eyes and moved to be placed where they wish it to be. One outlying building of note is the Towering Trader; a large, multi-storey structure with an entry platform on the surface of the water to accommodate trade with outside parties. Having access to the largest body of water on the planet, the mireiyans have a variety of seafood delicacies and materials only found underwater they trade as their main export, but as a nation of crafters and artisans they always have a large array of luxury products available for trade.
The most coveted and heavily regulated item however is aquos - the specialist rock-clay-chemical mixture that made their underwater civilisation possible. Capable of being moulded into sturdy shapes that can seemingly defy gravity to a limited capacity, it's a popular item to be used in construction work and by artists outside of Mireiylle. Given the strength of the material is dependent on the pressure applied to it during the first few hours after being combined into the morphous compound, few external creations are as sturdy as that which the mireiyans make themselves, and so they're happy to distribute it liberally to those with their own individual interests, however take great precautions to avoid supplying it directly to those associated with the governing bodies of other nations who would have the means to create such levels of pressure artificially. They fear such nations could use it for militaristic purposes, and given the efficacy of the material in water especially, it could provide the means for a successful invasion of Mireiylle if put in the wrong hands. As such, any nation wishing to make use of aquos either has to buy premade goods or commission a mireiyan directly.
A long-lasting tradition of the mireiyans is a pilgrimage through the Aquos archipelagos to visit the Great Masterpiece, where the pilgrim will contribute a creation by their own hand to add to the monument, ensuring that no matter how many years pass, the monument stands. Whilst individuals can make the journey at any time, it's usually done during the course of [Time pending] as Mistral maintains a constant storm above the archipelagos outside of the allotted time after multiple instances of opportunistic treasure hunters attempting to plunder the treasured work of the mireiyans that had been left on them when they moved underwater. The priests of Mistral also have sigils that contain a limited amount of power to calm the storms around the bearer should they be requested, allowing trusted pilgrims to safely make their journey without fear of the elements.
Initially settled on the Aquos archipelago, the followers of Mistral had a simple, nomadic lifestyle, following the winds between the various islands where they would produce statues, sculptures and other artistic pursuits with whatever they were able to find on the islands before sailing once more, living off the bounty of the open sea. Over time the islands had less and less space or supplies for new projects, or even to repair their vessels. The Eltari amongst them, with no need to breathe, sought answers beneath the waves, whilst the mortals consolidated all their spare materials into crafting an artistic masterpiece. When Mistral returned from her travels, she was impressed with their work and granted them a boon, allowing them to swim through the waves as naturally as walking on land.
The Eltari below however had begun working on their own project; a home that could be called their own within the sea itself. Whilst they had continued to supply ample food for the mortals to sustain themselves, they toiled on finding a way to build a city like the ones they'd seen within the Kalydrid empire, except this time beneath the waves where they felt most at home. Early attempts floundered as no matter what the material was, they couldn't get it to remain structurally sound and watertight with the overwhelming pressure of the depth. Persistent, they tried everything they could find and shape, mixing in different compounds and chemicals with their materials to try and improve it until eventually they uncovered a combination that made a malleable, clay-like material that could be shaped freely for a short period before the strong pressures surrounding it would begin to take effect. Rather than crushing it, however, it would tighten its bonds, strengthening it and allowing it to maintain its shape even more effectively than most materials.
The Eltari kept this project a secret from everyone as they worked on their underwater city, continuing to assist the mortals above when they needed it, receiving counsel from Mistral when it was requested and intermingling with both the mortals who had shown their devotion to Mistral and the new ones Mistral had acquired on their travels and further populated their seas with. As time progressed, these separate groups became more unified as these races intermingled. Those who were once bound to the sea began to be able to breathe on land and vice versa, and with the emergence of daemons and their attacks on mortal and Eltari alike, the Eltari revealed their millennia-long work to Mistral and the other mortals of the sea, inviting them to live there and create freely, no longer limited by the small amounts of land where they could create, safe from the dangers of the lands above.
Mistral, enthralled by the magnificent splendor of the city's sprawling and unique architecture questioned why they had only revealed the work now. The Eltari replied that had it been seen before reaching perfection, or the methods used openly observed, the beauty you witness today would have been tempered by your knowledge of it. With Mistral's grace, the mortals of the sea reuinited once more with the Eltari. Despite some of their misgivings of leaving their previous home, the threat of the daemons was growing stronger, and with little ability to fight back, they decided this was the safest option to keep the spirit of their heritage alive. And so they travelled down to the jewel of the sea, their newfound home, a city they named Mireiylle. And with it, the mireiyans as we know today were born.
These underwater artists and crafters believe heavily in the power of beauty and style, prefering form over function in almost every project they do. It's also considered disrespectful to show any work unfinished, and should a piece be viewed before being finished they would view it as a necessity to start from scratch. Living within a sea curated by Mistral personally, they run little risk of encountering dangers and so have no standing military, instead opting any sort of combat-oriented danger to be dealt with by Mistral's priests who are trained extensively in the magical arts.
Over time the city has been expanded, and even a couple of smaller habitats have been made separate from the city proper, each instance of which has been done away from prying eyes and moved to be placed where they wish it to be. One outlying building of note is the Towering Trader; a large, multi-storey structure with an entry platform on the surface of the water to accommodate trade with outside parties. Having access to the largest body of water on the planet, the mireiyans have a variety of seafood delicacies and materials only found underwater they trade as their main export, but as a nation of crafters and artisans they always have a large array of luxury products available for trade.
The most coveted and heavily regulated item however is aquos - the specialist rock-clay-chemical mixture that made their underwater civilisation possible. Capable of being moulded into sturdy shapes that can seemingly defy gravity to a limited capacity, it's a popular item to be used in construction work and by artists outside of Mireiylle. Given the strength of the material is dependent on the pressure applied to it during the first few hours after being combined into the morphous compound, few external creations are as sturdy as that which the mireiyans make themselves, and so they're happy to distribute it liberally to those with their own individual interests, however take great precautions to avoid supplying it directly to those associated with the governing bodies of other nations who would have the means to create such levels of pressure artificially. They fear such nations could use it for militaristic purposes, and given the efficacy of the material in water especially, it could provide the means for a successful invasion of Mireiylle if put in the wrong hands. As such, any nation wishing to make use of aquos either has to buy premade goods or commission a mireiyan directly.
A long-lasting tradition of the mireiyans is a pilgrimage through the Aquos archipelagos to visit the Great Masterpiece, where the pilgrim will contribute a creation by their own hand to add to the monument, ensuring that no matter how many years pass, the monument stands. Whilst individuals can make the journey at any time, it's usually done during the course of [Time pending] as Mistral maintains a constant storm above the archipelagos outside of the allotted time after multiple instances of opportunistic treasure hunters attempting to plunder the treasured work of the mireiyans that had been left on them when they moved underwater. The priests of Mistral also have sigils that contain a limited amount of power to calm the storms around the bearer should they be requested, allowing trusted pilgrims to safely make their journey without fear of the elements.
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