Ezera

The continent Ezera is an arid region plagued by drought and disease due to the abuse of runic magic. It is surrounded by the Telora Sea. Ezera is primarily colonized by isolationist farmers and small villages eking out a living supporting the major cities of Ezera.   The Umbra is an uninhabitable area of Ezera completely torn asunder due to excessive runic magic use by humans. Decay leaches throughout the region. The harsh environment in The Umbra is exacerbated by the lack of plants and wildlife. Abandoned towns, farms, and cities are scattered throughout The Umbra from a time when it was still lush. Particularly vulnerable areas within The Umbra are now sinkholes. The negative effects of The Umbra appear across the region, and its dark influence finds it way into the ocean around Ezera. The greatly disrupted ecosystem is every environmentalist’s concern. The parts of The Umbra still rife with activity are the platinum ore mines located deep in the mountains. The platinum procured from these mines is the main source of power for runic magic. The majority of the ore is traded through the Platinum Corridor linking the Umbra to greater Ezera.   Morwave is a city on a tropical island off the eastern coast of the Ezera. It is separated into eleven districts each with a ruling family. The first district is located on a central hill with the remaining ten surrounding it radially. Each district provides a meaningful contribution to the island ranging from military training and schooling to factories and entertainment. Ruling of the districts has been performed by an associated family for all of written history. Runic magic is essential to all facets of life in Morwave. Because of this, the Platinum Corridor is closely guarded by the Covenant of Eleven Families. A large port, Leviathan Port, is located in the seventh district at the south western portion of the island. It was constructed within a natural harbour within the island. Leviathan Port is easily the most bustling area of Morwave, as constant trading ships and sailors haul food and platinum into the city.   The Silverthread strait separates Morwave from the Ezera continent and the port city of Courant. Courant suffers from the negative effects of runic magic but receives enough support from the Covenant in Morwave to sustain the inhabitants personal enterprises within the inland area.   The city of Apollo is a merfolk city in the Telora Sea located north of Morwave. Merfolk were unknown to humans until The Umbra sinkholes poisoned the oceans afflicting some merfolk with a madness inducing blight. After revealing themselves an uneasy alliance was formed with humanity to discover the true source of The Umbra.   Along the coast there are a variety of fishing towns including Manover Port and Esterline. There are a few major beaches including Stardust Landing and Breakwater Strand. These areas are also utilized for human-merfolk trade, commerce, and diplomacy.  

History

Long ago a young man and practitioner of runic magic, Sirius, found himself on another world on the continent of Ezera. Sirius had arrived at Ezera on accident, a magical mishap with teleportation runes. He did not dishearten and instead worked towards finding a way home. As he wandered the bountiful continent he sought out platinum, the resource necessary to inscribe the magic of his people onto surfaces. Eventually, in the northwestern Sickle Mountains he stumbled across rich veins of platinum his homeworld could only dream of. He mined as much as he could carry and settled on an island off the coast of Ezera to avoid the prying eyes of the tribes and beasts of the land. He made attempt after attempt to recreate the sequence to take him home, but he was no master of runic magic, merely an apprentice. He spent five long decades in his makeshift home creating sequence after sequence. Some of his scrawls purified water, some made his writing quills move on their own, some cooked food with deeper flavor, some grew food quicker, and one even extended his life beyond his years. After all the years of toil and hundreds of notes and inscriptions, he’d finally done it. Sirius found the Runes to return home, exchanging messages with his original runic academy. Happier beyond belief, he inscribed them on his skin and vanished from Ezera, leaving all his work behind.   Unbeknownst to him, and the citizens of Ezera, he also left something sinister behind. From the mountains where Sirius mined his platinum a darkness was born. Since the practiced runic magic was native his people and world the natural laws governing Ezera were not built to handle it. Runic magic was unrecognized and the latent energy of life sought to destroy it. A disease born out of sheer dissonance, The Umbra, sought to return the world to what it was. With each use of the Runes it grew larger and larger. The stronger the Runes, the bigger it grew. Sirius’ final teleportation runes generated enough unnatural energy for The Umbra deep in the Sickle Mountains to sustain itself as it slumbered for years.   At this time, Ezera’s lands and islands were largely self governed and self sustained. Tribes lived in light, portable shelters ready to pack up and follow animal herds. There was very little need to communicate or congregate with the other tribes as the land was bountiful. Hence, each tribe developed at their own pace, each finding their own way to writing and technology such as weaponry and seafaring.   A man known only as the Originator stumbled across Sirius’ island when scouting for food on one such ship. The Originator discovered his home, perfectly preserved by runic magic, and two languages. One was very delicate, scrawled in elegant loops, not dissimilar in structure to their own language, but undecipherable nevertheless. The second was blocky and stark in it’s silver colour against the objects it touched. As the Originator would come to learn, by uncovering the latter he had discovered Runic magic. Making a mental note of this location, he gathered up the notes he could, as well as a pointed rod of platinum, and began his return journey from the island back to Ezera. When the Originator rejoined his tribe he amazed them with floating trinkets and a pan that made their cooking the best they had ever tasted.   The tribe quickly uprooted and journeyed to the island. As they explored Sirius' bounty they quickly found themselves in a golden age of agriculture, technology, and growth. The Originator’s natural affinity for runic magic allowed his quick rise to power and, fearing subordination, he began to instruct the others to hide the runes as they utilized their power. Slowly, an inner circle formed who had the only understanding of the true nature of the cultures explosive growth. The Originator set forth a doctrine:   Runic magic shall only be utilized by those of the ten families, and shall be otherwise secret to the other inhabitants of Ezera. The ten families shall have complete control over the islands day to day workings No matter the dispute, the ten families shall never war with one another.   Thus, the island city of Morwave was born.   And so for the last 200 years the people of Morwave have prospered under the secret use of the Runes. Of the original 11 families all but the Originator succumbed to death due to natural causes. The Originator yet lives as he discovered most of what the Runes he found meant by trial and error. When he found the Rune sequence of longevity, he kept it to himself, recognizing the ultimate power it had. Outside of the 11 families, the world remains ignorant to Runes, only seeing the benefits of their usage.   While Morwave progressed rapidly their excessive use of runic magic stirred The Umbra. Over the two centuries it grew from covering only a small portion of the mines to the whole mountain, even the lands beyond. The Umbra was not forgiving in its task to cleanse the world, reclaiming fertile land and life within days after The Umbra touched it. The lands became inhospitable and residents were forced to flee. It now covers half of the main continent of Ezera and much of the water beyond. The Merfolk, ancient creatures of the Sea, have been forced to seek help from those on the surface as The Umbra worsens and worsens. Not even the 11 families are sure of the exact cause of The Umbra, but the Originator is beginning to suspect that the Runes may play a hand in its rapid growth. For now though, Runes are continually used to enhance and improve the lives of everyone in the city and those lucky enough to be in the good graces of one of the 11 families.

Governance

Government Presence

Since the creation of the city of Morwave, the 11 families have been in charge. What once started as a coalition between 11 individuals looking to save their people, has turned into a system in which the Covenant rules the lives of everyday citizens with an iron fist. 200 years of Runes bringing peace, wealth, and prosperity to the families has resulted in 200 years of mediocre living for the common folk.   The Covenant provides necessary resources, sometimes Runic, to ensure that Morwave, Courrant, and the fishing villages have the means necessary to produce important goods. There is no concept of ‘tax’ or even money as all the goods but the few promised to the port cities are transported to Morwave where the Covenant decides their distribution.   People within the city of Morwave who are not of the 11 families, or exceedingly wealthy, have their resources heavily rationed. Everything from food, to cloth, to firewood, and silverware. The Covenant says it is for the good of the city to not squander resources, yet the rich gorge themselves on pastries, silk tablecloths, and fine china. It is through this system of tight control that the Covenant has unopposed authority.   As for the Merfolk, their communities are governed by a King, an entity that has a strong connection to their past and to the Waters around them. A King of a community is a position of power that comes from their ability to protect and provide for their kin, a near impossible task under the shadow of The Umbra, and each community’s King finds their hold weakening. These days Merfolk communities are constantly in flux and most likely will remain so until a solid reason can be found to explain, control, or stop The Umbra.  

Rule of Law

Opportunities to commit a crime within the city of Morwave itself are few and far between, but are more common within the port cities. For the poor, crimes most often revolve around someone taking more than their ration permits. This could be something as straightforward as theft, or attempted theft, but also illegal trading or bartering of rationed goods. Crimes amongst the wealthy but Runeless are rare, as they are not heavily rationed like the common folk, but most often revolve around power seeking. As for crimes among those who use Runes, there is really only one: letting a Runeless discover Runic magic.   There is a heavy military presence in the cities of Morwave and Courrant as well as a significant presence located near the port cities. This conscripted policing force is typically composed of common folk who serve the needs of the Covenant first and themselves second. They report, and investigate, and enforce all matters that pertain to breaking the law, with one exception: Runes. There is a secret sect of the policing force that are Runic magic users. They look into all crimes pertaining to Runes. They are known to themselves as the Sentinels of the Covenant.   When a crime is committed, and caught, the offender is mandated to attend a trial in the Morwave judicial system, a court that is run by the seventh family. If the offender is lucky enough to be rich, or a magic user, their recompense is paltry. If a common folk has the misfortune of being caught breaking a mundane law, they are punished harshly and usually disproportionately to the crime. Stealing a single loaf of bread to feed your family can result in the loss of food rations for a whole week, in order to show you what true hunger feels like. If the judge is in a poor mood, they might even lose a hand.   The Merfolk have basic understandings, not full-on written laws, like don’t steal or kill, but their only true law is to preserve nature. If someone is caught breaking either an understanding or the law, the community King determines the punishment as they see fit. Those who harm the environment or balance of nature are put to death.  

Social Service

Basic necessities such as food, housing, and health care are provided by the covenant. These necessities are cheap and basic, paling in comparison to the possessions of the upper class, but they are provided to all citizens equally. However, education is not one of the necessities provided, nor is it compulsory for the city’s children. Educating the masses is not one of the goals of the covenant, which is also reflected in the lack of libraries in the lower class districts of Morwave. Recently, the covenant has been pushing for the development of city-wide public transportation in the form of a trolley system, which runs through the center of main roads. The covenant plans to have the trolleys run throughout the entire city, but the tracks are only ready for use in the upper class and shopping districts. The trolleys use rune magic in order to run, however the public is unaware of this.. The health care available to the lower classes is also not very high quality, with the best doctors and equipment being reserved by the aristocracy. It was not always this way, but the spread of The Umbra has the upper class more worried about their well being than ever before. Similarly, many of the public parks within Morwave, particularly the parks located within lower class districts, have been neglected as much of the covenant’s focus has been on The Umbra and the mines within. This negative trend in social services that seems to disproportionately affect the lower class has some people taking notice, but the changes are so gradual that much of the populace of Morwave are oblivious to it.   Merfolk once had a strong sense of community and looked after their own. They would give tribute to the Community King and they would distribute those goods to those most in need of them. With the growing threat of The Umbra, this Merfolk tradition is dying out as more and more grow only to care for how they will survive.  

Economy

Economic Strength

The covenant ensures that all residents of Morwave receive equal access to food, lodging, and other necessities. Therefore, there is no need for an acting currency within the city. Within the frayed outskirts of Ezera farmers mainly barter, in secret, with their crops. The best producing farms usually receive additional awards like enhanced runic technology for sowing the grains that keep Morwave bustling. Those that know of the critical function of Platinum as a catalyst for runic magic hoard it. If an individual finds an ingot in their possession they have limitless access to any goods on the black market.   Merfolk have a special type of shell that is common around the city of Apollo. On their own they are useless and occasionally used for decorations and some articles of clothing. However, when they are crushed and turned into dust traces of platinum are present. If enough dust is collected it can be cast into a platinum ingot. Because of this, the shells are often traded to Morwave in return for food and other essential goods.  

Wealth Distribution

There is a large wealth divide between the aristocracy and the lower classes, which has only been growing larger with more and more people discovering runic magic. The middle class is shrinking as those within it discover runes and join the upper class, which only serves to increase the divide. There is a wealth divide within the upper class as well, between the covenant of eleven families and the rest of the aristocracy. The covenant controls both the government and the mining of platinum, which is necessary for runes to be made. This control allows them to concentrate wealth within their circle. The coastal cities outside of Morwave are seeing the start of a merchant class, with trade between the mainland and the island becoming more and more important every day. These merchants tend to be more wealthy than the lower class, but are unaware of runic magic as they usually do not live within the city. They have been feeling the negative effects of The Umbra spurred on by it. Merchants that work directly with the covenant are by far the most wealthy, as they are responsible for transporting platinum through the Silverthread Strait. The spread of The Umbra has the citizens of Morwave hoarding food and other goods, which is increasing the demand for merchants even further.  

Agricultural Production and Trade

While The Umbra has taken over a large portion of the fertile land and sea, Runes have been used to enhance the bounties they provide. Farms are visited each year by representatives of the covenant in which they renew the Runes upon the lands that provide a greater harvest. Inscribed fishing poles and nets are distributed amongst the fisheries that lure the catch to them. The use of Runes ensures that everyone within the city, Courrant, and the ports that benefit from them have ample food. It is the 11 families that take the bounties in excess leaving those who gather and farm it barely enough to survive on.   All trade must go through the Covenant. The aristocrats within Morwave are not even permitted to trade outside of the Covenant's control, something has recently become of more importance with the Merfolk surfacing. Because of The Umbra, much of the Merfolk’s main food source, fish, has been depleted. Overfishing by the humans, as well as a great loss of territory, has driven some of the community Kings to trade with the Covenant, or their representatives, for basic food.  

Social Relations

Race Relations

The Merfolk were known to the humans of Ezera. Stories were told of the ancient sea creatures that dwelled deep within the waters content to ignore and be ignored. With the advance of The Umbra, many Community Kings made the decision to surface and entreat the humans for help. Most humans in Morwave are indifferent to the Merfolk, as most have very little interaction with them at all. For those who live in port cities, tensions are a bit higher as they see the Merfolk as competition. While there is no open hostility between the humans and the Merfolk, it is a tentative relationship where each side holds great suspicion for the other. Humans are willing to work with Merfolk for fear of the unknown and Merfolk are willing to work with humans but only to ensure their own survival. The Covenant is aware of this uneasy alliance, but allows it to continue for as long as it does not compromise their runic secrets.  

Class Relations

The class system of Ezera hardly causes dispute since those in the lower classes hardly interact with those of the upper class. Only those in the echelons of Ezerean society know of the Covenant's existence, and even then only select members of this particular system may request an audience with these elusive members pulling the strings. Various members of the upper class are the ones who manage resources for multiple sections of Ezera and with trade and mercantilism becoming much more of a necessity, a rise in merchants and biased goods production is causing a rift between those providing the grain, those taking their fill(and then some), and those doling them out to the rest of the poor souls of Ezera.   In Merfolk society, the community King is the highest power, but they are also the only one to wield power. Everyone else is seen as an equal whether they specialize as a warrior, a lore keeper, or a gatherer. Each job is important to keep a Merfolk community running smoothly but it is the King who makes the difficult decisions.  

Gender Relations

Men, women, and those who choose to be non-binary, are relatively equal throughout Ezera. Being offered the same jobs whether that be military enlistment or educational professionals. Certain districts have more prevalent gender inequalities such as stricter gender roles in the home, but not on an institutional level. Merfolk themselves reproduce asexually and as such they do not have a good understanding of the concept of gender. While most are aware it exists in its basic form, they do not see it as a thing of importance to them, or even to the humans.  

Sexuals Orientation Relations

While citizens of Ezera are free to pursue their sexual ideals as freely as they want, the citizens of mainland Morwave are far more conservative and form small traditional families. The only pursuit truly frowned upon are relations between the landwalkers of the mainland and the merpeople. Aside from shunned on both sides, both from the Ezereans and the citizens of Apollo, the heavy military influence on the surface causes many people to learn to love in the shadows of hate and misunderstanding.  

Cultural Influences

Military influence

From the colonization of Morwave by the 11 families, the military influence of the island was quite well known. What isn’t well known is that the inception of the military’s influence came about through the early potential discovery of magic by common people centuries ago. In the early days, the military was developed more as guards to protect and hide magic from the public. As centuries went on, the military began having a bigger role and becoming more a part of the culture due to the blind respect given from the citizens, often depicted as heroes of the common people within the fictional works distributed about Morwave.   Due to how large and influential the Military was becoming, it was decided about 100 years ago to split the military into 11 different factions, 1 for each family to take control of. However, because of this, the early years of the family's control was one of mismanagement and disorganization, leading to many key figures retiring and more troubled ones remaining and gaining too much influence.   All that remains of that heroic era are torn posters and wounded banners. While recruitment was pushed more, the public could no longer see them as the heroes they once were. This is further exacerbated each time the knowledge of their complicity in the secrecy of runic magic seeps into the lower ranks.   Outside of Morwave the military’s prime focus is the Platinum Corridor. Ensuring the supply of platinum to Morwave allows the family’s influence on the citizens to remain steady.   The Sentinel of the Covenant do not reveal themselves to the Runeless and therefore do not impact the day to day of the majority of Ezera citizens. Those who find themselves at their judgement usually do not live to know more.   Merfolk have a slight military organization, mainly to guard the community King. The guards are more of a formality handling punishment than acting as an influential military unit.  

Religious Influence

In these dark times, the faith of the people wandered between despair and depression. The simple knowledge of The Umbra has led people to think that their god has abandoned some of them. In a desperate need of self-salvation from the darkness growing and festering within them, a visionary decided to preach not from a holy scripture, but through his mind and reflections. Though this, his voice became more and more popular and gained support. Before he perished, he left what was to him a script of topics and stories to share to help people feel better but also teach them, but his followers saw this as a bible to fanatically adhere to.   This religious group called themselves Tecism, and they are considered the most popular religion in Ezera. Their feelings might be mute, their actions doing little to affect the world around them, but this religion has helped many to find themselves spiritually as The Umbra continues to wreak havoc across the lands.   The Merfolk do not worship a god, a being, or an entity. Instead they give thanks to the Sea, the Waters that give them life and sustain it. They have intricate songs and dances that are performed as rituals on a daily basis to show their gratitude and commitment to the Sea. This is why the spread of The Umbra was seen as such a disastrous event and they sought solace.  

Technology Influence

Mechanical, mathematical, and scientific innovation was greatly stilted over the years thanks to The Umbra. Significant breakthroughs in those fields require a steady supply of time and resources, a requirement incompatible with the nomadic lifestyle that tribes lived running from The Umbra. When Morwave was established and the Originator began looking into the runes he discovered, technology advanced, but only in tandem with magic. The people of Morwave, and the port cities to a lesser extent, have their lives enhanced with runic magic on an everyday basis. Instead of inventing a small compact tool to sharpen their kitchen knives, the knives are inscribed with a rune that keeps them eversharp. Water is drawn using buckets that have heat runes applied to them for baths, or cold runes applied drinking. Wealthy folk have boxes that are runed to be cold to store food, doors that are runed to open without needing to be touched, and privies that drain themselves. Even buildings are constructed using runed tools that help ease the process.   Merfolk have almost no understanding of math or science. They do not know how to read or write (as their environment is not hospitable to such an activity). Nor do they know how to make and or wield basic tools. Most Merfolk communities assemble around cities which are places of natural protective terrain but as well as home to the stone center. When a Merfolk community decides to make a place their home, they transport stone from the seafloor to the location and stack it to make a structure where the community King can deliberate in private.  

Arts and culture

The artistic presence in Morwave is small, being greatly overshadowed by the militaristic culture surrounding the city. The artists that are able to find success within Morwave are generally employed by the aristocracy, with the most illustrious of this group being in the service of the covenant families themselves. This small subset of elite artists are aware of runic magic, and even utilize runes and platinum in the creation of covenant family portraits. The use of these valuable resources in the design of these portraits is a testament to the decadence and excess of the covenant families, serving no purpose other than to be a symbol of their status. Among the lower class population, many artists are shunned by those following the military doctrine, who view art that doesn’t serve to glorify the military as unnecessary and a waste of time. They believe that artists would be better off finding jobs that could better serve the city, rather than working in a creative field that does nothing to improve the city. They don’t feel this way about the artists in the service of the aristocracy, as they are serving the city simply by working for the upper class.   Merfolk have no need for, nor the means to produce physical art. Instead they practice the tradition of song and dance. Their elaborate performances not only provide entertainment to the Merfolk, but acts as a form of preservation of the Merfolk, and the communities, history. Stories are passed on from generation to generation through these performances. The best singers and dancers of the communities have spent their entire lives learning the traditional dances and songs of their people.