Copulas

Unfamiliar Lands

Copulas is the second of three supercontinents on the Strivus (Roots). The lands host species which are native to its rocky landscapes who are suitable for such, many of which struggle to adapt to more overgrown settings. Most of Copulas is mountainous or desert, and it has little to no wood or water within the continent itself, though the outskirts have wide mashes that extend considerably into the surrounding seas. The races that originate from Copulas, and are thus most commonly found within, include Aarakocra, Aasimar, Bugbear, Gith, Goblin, Goliath, Dragonborn, Grung, Half-Orc, Hobgobin, Leonin, Locathah, Orc, Ratfolk, Shifter, and Tabaxi. These species thrive in Copulas, and certain species (Aasimar, Dragonborn, Gith, Leonin, Orc, Shifter, and Tabaxi) can survive just about as well within other continents. Due to this, it is not incredibly rare to see these species in Fahiamel or in Bron-alm.
There are very few visitors to Copulas as it is both poor and difficult to adapt to. Food, water, and in the mountains even air can be difficult to get. Any race that cannot live from the land will be challenged by the constant natural enemies and dangers which face them in Copulas. Because of these qualities, it is sometimes referred to in Fahiamel as the Deathscapes, or the Gravel Plains. The only potential reason an expedition would be set to Copulas is the artifacts and talent contained within it, though it is considerably more dangerous than Fahiamel. Some races from Bron-alm can be found in bands in Copulas, as Bron-alm is even more dangerous yet, and those who were unfortunate enough to be born there strive for an escape. Popular religion in Copulas follows pantheon Gods as well as the Upper Gods, just like Fahiamel except that the pantheon gods align with the continent's most common races.

Ninfon Al'Rug (Roaming Demons)

Considering Copulas' difficult terrain, settlements in the area are typically smaller and simpler. Those who can survive there hardly have enough for themselves, and the economy is fragile. Those who strive in Copulas from the lawless abuse of others' recourses or lives have adopted the name Ninfon Al'Rug. It was once a classification of a warrior, from when Copulas was united under the Copulan empire. Leonin and Goliaths were bred and branded as slaves, and Bugbear and Goblins were condemned to a life of exclusion, racism, and poverty. These races would band up and resort to sly but deadly stealth combat tactics which utilized the group and "the expected" to defeat trained groups of Copulan authorities. The Leonin and Goliaths were fighting for freedom, where the Bugbear and Goblins were killing out of anger or fear. The Ninfon Al'Rug was revolutionary in the early stages of the Hanconp (Uprising), or the fall of the Copulan empire and the death of Emperor Boflen Tireus in 88E. The name was later assigned to murderers and thieves, since many of these same people became known as such, and the Ninfon Al'Rug were remembered by their companions as killers.
The slaveborn militia began when Keith Levordstat left the emperor's cabinet out of fear for the signs he had observed. When they made enemies, they knew no limits, it is said that Keith made the decision to leave when empire officials burnt down a birdhouse and stood to watch. After retreating to the civilian districts in privacy, he acquainted himself with the less educated slave population that served the emperor's people. It saddened him that these conditions are subject to the people he was once responsible for and that he no longer had any power to fix it. He feared such a fate for himself had he been born into the wrong family, and began to speak of revolution. Leading the slaves into an organized militia he used his inside information and military prowess as a war general to stage a successful rebellion that lasted 8 bloody years before the fall of Emperor Tireus. It began in 106E when Keith led a covertly trained Goliath force (some of which were slaves he "bought" into freedom) against their regional master, Hion Jen. The Jen castle was plundered and burned, and Levordstat seized control of his lands. Because of his refusal to employ slavery, the villages in the land weakened and the people were killed, his land was being quickly lost to neighboring enemies. He gained the local title "The Usurper" and was hated by most of his people who did not agree with his policies. Expanding his forces to public recruits (typically Bugbears and Goblins recruited through public speech) and smuggled slaves, he sent out three Commanders to the neighboring threats on a mission to defeat their Shogunate and become the new leaders of their lands. With the combined forces of four armies, the regions could band together for freedom and survival.
Some of the three commanders did not have last names, as slaves were not considered to be individuals, and only need names for distinction. Lucard was the first, a Goliath of towering size and a talented leader, exuding charisma and self-control. He was the last survivor from Keith's first raid that was still with the Ninfon Al'Rug since each member was given the choice to leave at any time. Since Keith gave them freedom and purpose, many were inclined to fight by his side even to the death. Lucard was sent after the Hyoukon region and employed bribery and ransom tactics to destroy Gure Hyoukon's council from the inside out, later to be denounced by Keith for his brutality. Commander Lucard later apologized to Keith but refutes that his actions were wrong. The two remained in good relations but their friendship deteriorated through the years.
The second commander was a Bugbear named Myiral renowned for her ability to keep a disciplined crew in good morale and quickly yet effectively train large forces. She was tasked with taking control of a region that was already warring for control between Shogunate Hagris Folgra and Sir Westway Lionmarch. She abused the confusion during this war to capture forts and villages without rumors of their army reaching either Hagris or Westway. After gaining a tactical station, she had her men dress as members of Westway's army and staged retreats in settlements that supported Hagris. Word soon spread to Hagris that Westway was in retreat in these areas, and approached recklessly resulting in a bloody confrontation between the two forces. After Hagris emerged victorious in the conflict, Myrial's forces massacred the remaining army and usurped Folgra from the position of Shogunate, successfully capturing the region, and naming it the Myrial region.
The third and final commander appointed by Keith was a half-Leonin known as "Precot the Proud", his given name being Precot of Idemain. The selection of these three commanders upset the Goblins as they were the only majority force of the Ninfon Al'Rug that did not have a commander to represent them. This was largely due to that the other races did not want to serve a Goblin as their appearance is frail. Precot was tasked with taking control of the Yutaa region, which was a vast and archaic land. He attempted to use a mountain pass to limit the speed of the approaching army and had a small portion of his men storm the castle and retreat, only to lure Yutaa's men into an ambush at the mountain pass (The Gantak Mountains, the pass was later titled "Precot Pass" to honor the fallen). While the exchange was horrific, the Shogunate Iena Yutaa predicted a lure and had a skirmish meet the scout group from the other side. After cornering the moving forces, they used the mountains as cover while picking off the remaining troops. Through sheer numbers and quick tactics, Iena defeated Precot in this battle. To keep his life, a surviving member of the Ninfon Al'Rug joined forces with Iena and offered him inside information from Keith and his people, and began working as a mole.
This mole was a desperate Goliath known as Harbor, his original name "Iroak Nomal" abandoned when he began a new life under Yutaa's post. However, he retained this name within Keith's boundaries and offered a partially true report detailing Precot's loss, overexaggerating Yutaa's success, and detailing that he was the only member of his squadron that made it out alive. This was untrue as well, many Ninfon Al'Rug were kept as prisoners, and tortured for information. After working under Keith for a month and sending secret weekly reports to Yutaa, Keith's castle was left in the trust of an inexperienced and new Commander, a human named Maire Rausch. Harbor (Iroak) opened the castle and sabotaged its defenses, and the castle was overturned the same night, Maire slaughtered and displayed nailed to the castle wall by the stairway. Harbor was then promoted to the rank of General in Yutaa's army, and the two became close.
A month after receiving his new title, Harbor assassinated Yutaa while he was sleeping and forged a "Declaration of Legacy" from Yutaa claiming Harbor as his successor. Appointed the following day, it was a successful transfer of power. Because of Habor's former position, he was suspected highly within his region and lost a lot of manpower after taking control. Keith and Myiral joined their forces to recapture the castle and storm the region of Harbor, finally defeating him after an awkward trench-warfare standstill that lasted for almost 2 years. Harbor was later known in history as "Iroak the Fool". In 73E, Keith Levordstat and his Ninfon Al'Rug controlled the major territories in Lower Copulas, and were unrivaled. The authorities of Ninfon Al'Rug were mysterious and villainized through politics, public anxiety, and literature. This later led to their correlation with demons and the modern-day criminal as members of the Ninfon Al'Rug petered out and the organization eventually disbanded. There are rumors descendants of members live in the social underground and formed a band of organized crime that rules over the territories to keep peace from the shadows, and kill anything that threatens peace within their lands. This rumor was born because of the countless revolutionaries that were killed before waging war by unknown peoples in red and green robes. This organization, if it really exists, is still hiding in plain sight to this day.

A Land of Fortunes

Copulas is a land of unspoken fortunes, and while there is nothing common of value to travel there for it hosts many lost treasures, reactive gems for high-level spellcasting, and artifacts from the world's past. Most lost treasure is only remembered from lost maps or local legends, but there is no doubt of their legitimacy. On the flip side, not every rumor or map really leads to a treasure, nor does it guarantee that the treasure has not already been found. The mountains also hold the Cinton gem, the Opal gem, the Tialet gem, the Gonvic gem, and the infamous Juada gem. The Juada gem is otherwise known as the folded gem, in reference to its appearance and oodles of aru in its tiny frame. The average aru for these gems can be found on the Gem List. This land also holds an unusual profession, the Gem Crafters.
The art of creating synthetic gems died out as mining popularized and gems became more common market items, but prior to 400E it was a very profitable field. These synthetic gems varied greatly in aru depending on the quality of the craft and the materials used. Synthetics tend to have relatively high aru, but will break after too much use, unlike naturally reactive gems. This is because the synthetic materials they have to use to mimic reactive substances are not as durable as gemstones. No gem crafters are notorious outside of their settlements or general areas. One particular gem craftsman by the name Vias Harsave is known for his speed and low cost, creating high-quality synthetic gems in only 10 to 20 minutes as opposed to the traditional 2 to 5 hours. This skill has been noticed by the Kingdom of Elan (pronounced you-lin) in Copulas, as they hired him into the title of "Royal Gemsman of the Elanian Court".

Copulan Kingdoms and Countries

Since Copulas is so geographically similar, the land is split into Countries for reference. It is simply Lower, Central, Upper, West, East, and Sandat (Swamps) Copulas. The Sandat are the areas of Copulas around the edges of the continent that hold swampy lands with strange aquatic species and heavy wildlife. There are only two Kingdoms within Copulas, but there are countless smaller regions led by war generals known as Shogunate. The Shogun is a title for the Shogunate which rules over a Country. For example, when Keith Levordstat took control of Lower Copulas, he became the Shogun. The two kingdoms are the Kingdom of Elan and the Dominion Castle of Monarchal Congress, or the DC-MC. Both have been around for hundreds of years and were founded between 400 and 300E. The exact date is difficult to pin, historians cannot find recorded proof of a set date that they were founded or built. The current Shogun of Copulas is Trenon Drail, who took control through family succession.

The Kingdom of Elan

Few territories' names of Copulas are recognized outside of its borders, but Elan has gained a name for itself through the many prodigies it produced through the Governer's Scholars program, including a group and a public means to receive funding from the Governers of the Kingdom, or the leaders. It began under Governer Cavia Lorentz in 122E, who conferred with the other 5 Governers for approval before publishing a pamphlet detailing the program's earliest stage to the public, and had it passed around through paid deliverers. It was first spread mostly by word of mouth, but the news overtook the entire Kingdom in due time. Lorentz explained that from 4 to 8 PM in the Town Hall, citizens could speak with the Hall Secretaries and submit a written or oral review of their goal, and if it proves worthy they would be brought into the Town Hall main to propose their plan to the Governers, who quite simply discussed and approved or denied the request. Through this program, countless famous artisans who had the talent but not the equipment or backing were born, countless children from poor families in need of a living inspired and motivated, and many changemakers and public services emerged. The Governers appointed an Observer to each group to ensure that they were on task and making good use of the money, but results spoke louder than efficient work method or ethics.
The kingdom itself was also known for its unusual hierarchy, six Governers collectively voting on changes and government positions appointed to micromanage the capitalist markets and avoid monopolies or "Public Abuse". This term applied to the abuse of one's selling powers that relies on a consumer's dependance and stops any one person from obtaining more money than they need. The wealthy of Elan are given a "Trustcall Account", meaning that any amount they make over 10,000 Gold is tracked and they can call on that money from the Government directly at any time, but since they will likely never need to use it the money effectively belongs to the Kingdom until the individual is in need of it. This allows for a richer Kingdom and fairer distribution of wealth without actually taking anything from the rich. When the individual dies they can name inheritors in their will, but the will has to be delivered to a Storaen (Storer) in life. The Storaen will keep this document stored under their name, and when they die it will be retrieved. It must be delivered by the individual with proof of identification, this prevents forgery but not necessarily blackmail. The inheritor can take up to 10,000 and the rest is sent to their Trustcall Account.
While this system is not protected from blackmail, the policing system within Elan is strong and few dare to be persecuted as they do not hesitate to take extreme measures, the death sentence for murder or 'Crimes of Major Gold' (as gold is powerful in influencing people and organizing crime) and the removal of limbs or hands for minor crimes. The Governing forces of today include Governers Hayes, Csin, Practal, Malinger, J.R. Rea, and Nickola. The kingdom is wealthy, famous, produces legends, is well policed, safe, and relatively friendly. There is little to no racial tension because of the area's uneventful past, they retain neutral relations and isolate from territory wars, only fighting other lands or lords when attacked, and their forces and strategists superior in defending their lands. Many modern instruments were invented here, gaining it the nickname the "Music Castles" and the "Kingdom of Arts". Closely related peoples of Governers or appointed governing bodies are not allowed to be in governing positions as a conflict of interest, which is unfair but prevents direct corruption. This restriction is waived after 2 generations in that bloodline have passed.

The DC-MC

Meaning the Dominion Castle of the Monarchal Congress, the DC-MC is a smaller kingdom known for its exclusion, run and owned by Aarakocra who are uninterested in sharing their power. They set up near the mountains and run from mining expeditions, using religion to control the people who defend the Castle. The "Monarchal Congress" refers to the King's advisors, and the kingdom is an absolute monarchy that keeps the affairs of the DC-MC private. For this reason, much like North Korea, very little is known and there are few figures or facts to be found. At the current date, its Queen is Ponda Pota.

Type

Continent

Location under

Material Plane