Mernac

Overview

It is rumored that the world of Mernac was created by a pair of newly created Gods who were placed on a dismal world by The One, and The Other. These Gods, Siberlee and Barak, were so in love that they wanted to create a world of beauty that was theirs and theirs alone - as is the way with gods, this desire came to pass. Soon, however, they learned that even with a beautiful world, even with the love they had for each other, and even with their hopes and dreams of creating a paradise for two ... they were lonely. To ease their loneliness The One and The Other gifted them with not one, but two moons in the evening sky and, hidden within these moons was the secret to ease loneliness. Was the discovery of that secret a day, or a millennium - we may never know, for Siberlee and Barak did not yet know of the passing of time. Eventually, however, the two fledgling Gods uncovered that secret.

The discovery was on the rare occasion when both moons were full in the sky - a celestial event that would one day be called Chandralee. It was then the two Gods discovered if they dreamed of what was needed to create their world ... the next day a new God would appear to help fulfill that need. These new Gods became companions who could help Siberlee and Barak; kindred souls to help ease loneliness, unique deities who would add diversity to the stories of the land. Stories that would one day come to be known as: The Legends of Mernac. Eventually, the two original Gods became 20, and for thousands of seasons they lived there in peace and harmony surrounded by the flora and fauna they fashioned as their home. As all now know, it is these 20 Gods who eventually became known as The Mothers and The Fathers of Mernac. As their world matured, they crafted and created every imaginable feature for Mernac: They made the mountains and the seas and instilled life into the creatures they created ... from the bumblebee to the Three-tusked Mammoths. Each blade of grass and each grain of sand they crafted with precision. Every ray of light, and shadow to contrast that light was painted onto the world with the passion of a master artist. In this time all the Gods were busy and all was Good. However, after hundreds of volcanoes, after thousands of rivers, and after millions of rocks and pebbles ... they became bored. The gods desired more to occupy their time and fancies. As is the way with Gods, this desire came to pass. One of the leaders of the twenty Gods and Goddesses decided that their world should be populated with other thinking creatures. Ones who would fill their homes with laughter, and their hearts with love. This Goddess was Siberlee and it was what she thought was “Good.” The Scribes and Sages who know of such things say this was the most important part of “Siberlee’s Good,” as has been well documented by the first Scribe, Onas Brushstroke. To start this “Good” Siberlee wanted to have a child, and this child and their descendants would populate the vast expanse of Mernac. The child, who became the Race of Man, was conceived by combining gifts from each of the other Gods. Those sacred gifts being a part of the Gods themselves, be it physical or part of their personality, and each gift was what the God found most precious about themselves. It is for this reason; now, then, and forever, the Race of Man is considered the most unpredictable of all the Races, for they alone have in their essence a part of all the Gods. The creation of these new thinking creatures marked the beginning of recorded history and is season one (1) in the Mernacian calendar. It also marked the beginning of the end of the peace and harmony the 20 Gods had enjoyed for so many millennia. Above all, however, it was the beginning of the many Legends of Mernac. Even though the Race of Man was the embodiment of all the Gods, the somewhat fragile race was always considered the child of Siberlee. The remaining Gods desired to have their own race ... and as is the way with Gods, this desire came to pass. Soon there were 20 distinct and unique races populating Mernac. With the creation of each race the peace the Gods once enjoyed began to wane even further. The downfall of accord and harmony among the Gods has been directly attributed to the diametrically opposed views Siberlee and The One had versus those held by Barak and The Other. The One thought all these new creatures should be completely free to choose their own path in life and destiny. The Other felt that it was the God's responsibility to guide and rule these new creatures for their own protection. With time The Other's views become even more radical and he recruited Barak to implement them and eventually evil began to spread among the Gods and throughout Mernac. Distanced from her former lover, and driven by the desire to do good, Siberlee finally cast Barak and his followers out of the Heavens and thus drew the lines of battle which would rage for the next 10,000 seasons.

Geography

The world of Mernac is extremely diverse with terrain ranging from the driest of deserts to the wettest of jungles. Her elevations and contours are often drastically different, from the desert plains of Hob, to the rolling hills of Goldmont, to the craggy alpine mountains of Toberna. Her features and population extend not only on the ground, but also underground in the caves and cities of Dwarfs and Gnomes, and to the waters with the ocean domains of the Merfolk and Acquill. The highest point in Mernac (19,345 paces above sea level), is Mount Solarus in Southern Brangrin. Mount Solarus is part of the Blue Shadows mountain range and it is here it is rumored that Sola conducts all the training for her Disciples. The Sages who know of such things believe it is because Mount Solarus is the closest point on Mernac where the light from the sun and the stars is the strongest. Thus Mount Solarus is the only place on Mernac where the strongest magic of light can be cast or constructed. Many also believe that somewhere at the apex of the mountain is a door or passageway which leads to Mirdoren and the other Heavens. Most agree that only Sola's disciples and a few select others can find this passageway’s magically hidden entrance. Conversely, the lowest point on Mernac (above ground and barring subterranean Dwarven cities) is a sinkhole in the jungles of Arden known as Barak's Navel. Barak's Navel is a large canyon that progressively becomes narrower the deeper below grade it travels. None are quite sure how deep the crevice goes, but most agree it is over 12,000 paces. Light ceases to penetrate the expanse of Barak's Navel at about 6,000 paces and beyond this point no vegetation can be found with the exception of certain moss and fungus. This dark place is considered the largest of the many sinkholes that lead to the underworld, and the home of the Fathers. The longest river in Mernac is the Lars River. The Lars starts in The Great Inland Sea in Hob and travels halfway across the continent of Cathall, before emptying into the Garren Strait, by the port of Lightmore in Quontas. Many notable adventures and legends have occurred in various parts of the Lars River. Weather patterns are as diverse as the geographical features, including rain, snow, hail, mist, fog, and violent tropical or moderate temperate storms. The day sky is dominated by a single sun of yellowish orange color which at sunrise and sunset seems to explode in the sky with gorgeous tints of almost every hue. The evening sky is dominated by two moons, the larger, bluish moon Araf being the namesake of Siberlee and the smaller, reddish moon Jahannan, named in honor of Barak. The tides of Mernac follow the rising and setting of Jahannan with the effect of Araf, the second moon, having little to no effect. The tides of Mernac vary greatly depending on the exact location of Mernac. However, generally tides differ between two and four paces from low tide to high tide in the Oceans and seas. Half this for large lakes and inland seas. Tides are also affected by the phases of the moon. When the moon of Jahannan is full, the high tide on Mernac will typically be almost a full pace higher than it is when Jahannan is completely waned. Most of Mernac is blessed with four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Spring and Autumn both having three moons or months per Season. Summer and Winter both are 4 moons long. In most places the harshest weather and most violent storms are at the end of Winter. Once these storms have passed Spring begins. There are 20 Moons to each Season (the time for mernac to go around her sun). Each moon (month) is made up of 20 days, each being approximately 20 hours long. The summer solstice is the 1st day of Teevil. In many places, this event is called Sola's birthday. Throughout most of Mernac the sun will shine for 20 hours of the 26 on this day. The shortest day of the Season is Moroven, sometime called BU's birthday. During the winter solstice there is often only 6 hours of light in many places on Mernac. The History of Mernac can be divided into 20 segments or spans of time and are usually referred to as Ages. The longest of these is Before Man. This is the time before Man or any of the Races were placed on Mernac. Many also call this period “The Time of Gods.” Though it is not known for sure, it is generally accepted that the Before Man Age began 17,000 Seasons before the creation of the Races of Man (defined as Season one). It is also said to have continued until the last of the Races (Furs) was created - about 200 Seasons later, in 200 AM (After Man). It is during the time of Gods when The Mothers and The Fathers formed and created Mernac. The remaining 20 Ages span 10,000 seasons and each Age is said to be dominated by one of The Mothers or The Fathers. For example, The Age of Elsen (200 AM to 666 AM) or the Age of Siberlee (2456-2999 AM).

History

History is further segmented as each Age is divided into “Periods.” Periods span a shorter time within the parent Age in which it resides. and typically centers around a major event in history. For Example, the “Sap Wars” Period (2615 – 2649 AM) during The Age of Siberlee. Often, a Period will start before and end after the actual event for which it is named. This is to include significant happenings which lead up to the event or those which resulted from the event. The Sap Wars, for example, lasted only from 2646-2648 AM, however, the Period “The Sap Wars” is 32 Seasons longer and contains the stories and legends that made the Period so important – many of which happened before or after the actual war, which raged in Mernac from 2646 to 2648. Each Period is well documented, and that documentation is usually under the supervision of a single Sage. The Sage and his writings are always considered the most preeminent authority on a Period. In the case of The Sap Wars this Sage is Thadius Orville Grumbius who is more commonly known as Grumby. More often than not, a Sage’s collective works is often named after the Sage himself. In the case of Thadius Grumbius, his work of the Sap Wars is generally referred to as “The Book of Grumby”.

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