The Adventurer's Guide to Shaya
Population: 32 million Shayans, 15 million Drifters
Government: Elected Council, The Tender
Allies: Yanthara, Ternus
Enemies: The Krox, The Unseen Fleets
Notable Cities: Shaya, Aurelia's Tears, Thalas
Notable Exports: Shayawood, Life Mages
People of Import: Tender Ducius, High Priestess Kezia
Known Catalysts: The Tree of Life, Tears of Aurelia
Gods & Religions: Lady Voria, The Temple of Shaya
Local Laws of Note: Binding is illegal. Summoning is restricted. All tech is legal.
Adventurer's Hangouts & Shopping: Harry's Emporium, The Adventurer's Guild
Criminal Organizations: Bord's Boys & Girls & Others
If you've read my previous guides you know the basics. Shaya is a forest moon carpeted in redwoods and ferns. Its chief exports are shayawood and arrogance, and Shaya was the de facto ruler of our sector for millennia.
The planet's name comes from the goddess who originally gave it life. Shaya, the predecessor to Lady Voria, and one time commander of the Vagrant Fleet, fought the elder god Shivan near a barren moon.
He impaled her with the cosmic spear Worldender, which killed her. Shaya had her revenge, though. She used her magic to transform the spear, and it turned into a giant redwood tree. The first Great Tree. The last of her blood became the Pool of Shaya, which was later consumed by Lady Voria when she ascended to godhood to oppose the god Krox.
When the dust settled most Shayans were dead, but their entire moon was left behind, a paradise teaming with magical life. They are slowly rebuilding, with most of their culture focused around aiding Lady Voria, and the Confederacy.
Both drifters and the average shayan are fiercely loyal to Voria, because they know she is of the people, and always fights with their best interests at heart. Note that I've been directly and negatively impacted by Voria's whole needs of the many thing, but even I don't hold a grudge for it.
Government
The current government is an elected council, with one representative elected by each great tree. There are currently thirteen representative, and four more Great Trees yet to be settled. In practice the council sees to most decisions, but the Tender, who was appointed by Lady Voria, can veto their decisions, and ultimately has unilateral power.
Tender Ducius rarely exercises that power, as he prefers more subtle manipulation. He's carefully built a large faction within the council who are loyal to him, with the remainder openly supporting Voria. The split is currently 7 / 6 in Ducius's favor, which makes settling the last several Great Trees of particular import.
Allies & Enemies
Shaya is closely allies with Yanthara, its former colony, and with the nation of Ternus. Colony 3, New Texas, and Ternus itself all trade heavily with Shaya. Much of their previous animosity faded after the war, as the parties responsible on both sides are almost all dead.
Despite the inclusion of The Krox in the Shayan Confederacy they are still enemies of Shaya, and both sides will loudly proclaim that, even if they are not directly at war. Everyone, on both sides, has lost family. Perhaps if enough generations pass they'll become true allies, but I'm not holding my breath.
The Unseen Fleets of Sanctuary, especially those loyal to Necrotis, see the Confederacy as the heirs of the Dragonflights, despite Virkon refusing to join, and being the true last Dragonflight. The necromancers keep their enmity quiet, though the recent clash in the Kemet system cost the Inurans a full trade moon. They aren't to be underestimated.
Check out the novel Necrotech for details.
Notable Cities
There are three cities of note on Shaya, though that glosses over dozens of settlements dotting the branches of every Great Tree. These three are the most likely to interest adventurers, though.
Shaya is the capital city, atop the first Great Tree. It is the seat of the local government, the academy, and most of the powerful Kamizas that survived the war. They produce the finest war mages in the sector, which makes them more valuable than ever.
Unfortunately, those war mages are proud, which has led to strife between the two largest Kamizas. The Serpent Kai Kamiza practice Drakkon stance, and revere the man who brought it to their world, Aran...better known as the demon prince Xal'Aran.
Apparently the style was in favor during the war, but fell out when Aran became a demon. Now many students have flocked to the Mayigido's Path Kamiza, which hates demons, void magic, and anything associated with them. Like the Serpent Kai. This leads to clashes on nearly every branch in Shaya, and war mages on both sides have been tossed off to their deaths.
Aurelia's Tears was the second Great Tree to be settled after Lady Voria carpeted the world in trees. It is placed near a cluster of massive freshwater lakes, which are known as the tears of Aurelia. Aurelia's Tears is a healer's haven, as a water Catalyst his hidden somewhere within the lakes. Its location is known only to the temple, and is not freely shared. Those who seek the tears are captured, and prosecuted by the local Paladins of Voria.
The city of Thalas was settled on the third great tree by Ducius himself, and is named after his late son, who was executed in cold blood by Lady Voria. Seriously, I have mad respect for her, but I've seen the trial. She pulled out her pistol and executed him for treason during a time fo war. Dude had it coming from what I could see.
Anyway, the city is the most upscale on the planet. Purchasing property on this tree isn't like other trees. It's been snapped up by the rich, who have buffered their paradise on the upper branches by purchasing all the rest. What makes this particularly egregious is how the city enforces the separation between rich and poor.
Six branches have been magically removed, levitated into orbit, and used by Ducius to create a new Shayan dreanought. These ships belong directly to him, and are not a part of the Confederate navy, which has Voria's followers deeply concerned, and every other power now eyeing the remaining Great Ships.
If Ducius can make a fleet, then why not do the same with the remaining unsettled trees? The vulture-drakes are already searching.
Notable Exports
Shaya now exports uncounted tons of wood, both regular and magical, daily. Because the entire moon is now forested with mature trees their is no lack of timber. Tender Ducius ratified a law that allows anyone who settles a claim to sustainably log it, following established guidelines on magically replanting.
Many adventurers and veterans from the wars have staked out claims either in the forest, or on one of the Great Trees, and are now logging their claims. Those with means can hire crewes to work the land, while they are off doing all that fun adventuring we love to do.
The other export, and perhaps the more highly valued, is life mages. Life magic is rare in our sector, and life mages are in high demand, as you'd expect. Being able to heal will never stop being useful. Being able to cure diseases, illnesses, and even missing limbs makes life mages a highly contested commodity. Every life mage has dozens of offers for postings throughout the sector upon graduation.
Anyone who makes it public knowledge they've obtained life magic will begin receiving spam from universities, and from companies seeking to employ them.
People of Note
Everyone already knows Bord, and we talk about him in criminal organizations, but he's a lowborn Shayan who acquitted himself well during the war, and served directly under Lady Voria. After the war he started helping people find things they needed. That's made him the wealthiest person on the planet, though he'd give it all to his wife Kezia for a smile.
The high priestess Kezia is the head of the faction who advocates for Voria. She is a powerful life mage, who was resurrected by Voria after being killed during the war's culmination. Kezia is staunchly loyal not just to Voria, but to her people, the drifters. She is the elected representative of Aurelia's Tears, and one of the people rumored to know the location of the Catalyst.
Kezia doesn't approve of her husband's illicit activities, and regularly alerts the Paladins of Voria to his more shady dealings. Bord wants to be made, but can't.
The last notable person you'll almost certainly hear about is Tender Ducius. The Tender has eyes and servants everywhere, always seeking to undermine Voria and her followers. He hates her with a passion I've rarely seen, I think because of that whole murdering his son thing.
Ducius is gaining power, while Voria seems to be losing it. That's what happens when you sail off to war on the Spellship, and leave Ducius behind to scheme. Kezia does what she can to oppose him, but has little control beyond the branches of her own city.
Known Catalysts
There are two Catalysts of note on Shaya, the Tree of Life and the Tears of Aurelia. Both are tightly regulated, and patrolled by Paladins of Voria. Stealing a trip to either Catalyst requires great stealth, planning, and luck, though it can be done.
Faithful of Voria are often allowed a pilgrimage to both, which gives life and water magic, the core of the Greater Path of Healing.
Gods & Religions
The dominant religion on Shaya is the Temple of Shaya, which offers worship to Lady Voria, and veneration of Shaya's memory. Temples exist on every branch, in every city, and a small shrine is usually set up at logging camps, or by those exploring the wilderness each night before camp.
The religion's influence continues to grow, thus raising Voria's own power with it.
The temple generally avoids meddling in temporal affairs, and concerns themselves more with proper veneration, master of life magic, and lording over others how pious they are.
Noteworthy Laws
Most magic is legal, however there is a planetary prohibition on binding, and anyone practicing it, or necromancy, are arrested and either fined or imprisoned.
Theft of shayawood is also illegal, and any harvesting not lining Ducius's pockets is considered illegal. All logging operations obtain a permit from the Temple of Shaya, for a "nominal" fee that scales based on the size of the operation.
Adventurer's Hangouts & Shopping
The Adventurer's Guild has embassies in every major city on the planet, and offers a variety of contracts from hunting predators that have attacked settlers, to sponsored Arena bouts broadcast to every bar on the planet.
The AG, as it is often called for short, has a large and ancient presence on Shaya, more than any other world in the sector save the one where it was born, Ternus. AG facilities include gyms, hotels, restaurants, libraries, and a variety of shops so that adventurer's never need to leave the compound if they wish.
Beyond that there are dozens of specialty shops on every branch, in every city. Many specialize in carvings, which are often enchanted. Daggers, shields, bowls, and other small objects sell for a premium and are in high demand for tourists coming from other worlds.
There are of course Harry's Emporiums on every branch, the sector's most common import / export company and a firearms manufacturer.
Criminal Organizations
Crime is understated on Shaya, and almost all feeds into a single organization, created by the war hero Bord. It began when he started getting things people needed, and connecting people who could help each other. His network exploded, and Bord found that skimming a tad off the top made him rich.
He used the profit to keep helping people, which kept increasing the size of the organization. Bord presses benevolent crime. You can fleece rich people, but the poor look out for each other, and the criminals making credits have a responsibility to help their communities.
Bord hates Ducius with a passion, and will do anything to embarrass him and harm his reputation. He is fiercely loyal to Voria, and nearly all members of his organization pray to her. His activities do land him in hot water with his wife, but she's turned a blind eye to them recently as she knows he is a thorn in Ducius's backside.
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