RPG Archives Beads of Balance: Ziacgam: Culture, Land, and Lore

Ziacgam: Culture, Land, and Lore

I won't go into the actual legends (they are a LOT and they are LONG), but I'll give you a general overview of their contents.

All ten sentient creatures are referred to simply as Children of Sprites. Of these, the humanoid ones might have been or might be in romantic relationships with Humans. From these unions come Half-Humans. They may be Human/Whitewing, Human/Jinni, and Human/Pairai. If Human/Pairai, the Pairai was in a humanoid form (almost always Human), but as the Pairai is NOT Human, the resulting child is a Half-Human.

Throughout Ziacgam's history, there have been myths and legends of heroes. A hero was almost always assisted by the Sprites, and always blessed by the Mother and the Father. Heroes usually changed their names, taking one syllable of their name and repeating it. For example, the heroes of fifty years ago were known as Riri, Xexe, and Popo; their names were Camiri, Xeha'u, and Hopone. The Seer who predicted the rise of the ten new heroes never said they would do this.

The markings on the foreheads of the Chosen (or New Heroes, or just Heroes) are NOT visible to the naked eye... of just anyone. It has been said that only a Hero can see another Hero's five-petal-flower marking. These markings appear as a golden-brown glow on the Hero's forehead.

 

Religion
The Father and the Mother are Ziacgam's deities (some believe them to be one sole deity, but still refer to them as two -- people just have faith and usually don't think about this sort of thing). Things in the physical world are reflections of those in the spiritual, therefore it is also believed that whenever an evil arises it is either because there is a war raging in the Unseen Realms, or that the sins of the people have brought calamity upon them.

Culture
There are several things that, as players, you must keep in mind. The people of Ziacgam, as well as every other person in the realm, are very much aware of the existence of the Terra plane. Since Terrans are ignorant to everything but themselves and their realm, it is common to hear someone call another person a "Terran" as a form of insult. This isn't to say that Terrans are hated and looked down upon -- it's just so rare for a Terran to be encountered ANYWHERE in this plane that they've grown used to saying this.

There IS electricity, but it is NOT used like it is on Earth. Magic is preferred over electricity anyway. There is electrical offensive magic, which is to say lightning spells.

Nobles and high mages make up the ruling class. At the palace are, most notably, the Royal Family and the Archmage

Landscape
Ziacgam is a beautiful fantasy realm with deep forests, beautiful plains, large lakes, deserts, snowy lands in the north, tall and rocky mountains, extensive valleys, clear skies and the four seasons (all extraordinarily gorgeous), caves and treasure, towns and ports, and a wealth of magic and diversity. The colors are bright wherever the sun shines. However, now that there are dark clouds, the sun is rarely seen and the beauty of the continent is hidden, to be seen only by those who truly wish to see it.

Landmarks of Interest
These are places we, as characters, may (and will likely) travel to and through during the game. I'll see what I can do about a (bad) map.

Nodum: Where the game begins. It is about a day away from the next nearest town. Nodum is a medium-sized city ruled by the noble Baron and Baroness Sejiar, the baron being a descendant of one of the heroes of old. There is a small forest nearby.

The Palace Zadé: [ZAH-deh] Located in the heart of the capital of Ziacgam. A barrier of dark lightning magic has sealed it off from the rest of the land, going underground as well and thus preventing any kind of infiltration. Though the barrier is invisible, the beautiful palace has a notably darker aspect to it than the rest of the buildings in Kye.

Kye: ["ye" as in "eye"] The capital city, around twelve days north and a bit north east of Nodum. A thriving city filled with merchants, entertainers, artisans, and humble workers, all of which are loyal to Her Royal Majesty. These are the people who fear the most for the future of the land, because in their midst is the seat of the great evil reigning over it.

Shutevia: A city four days north of Kye. Part of it is set on Mount Aivas. This city is mostly inhabitted and visited by the upper classes and is famous for its lavish gatherings and ceremonies. A favored nobility vacation spot. Most coronation ceremonies take place here.

Frenis: A barren patch of land in the east. It is rocky, with a dark and dreary feel to it (even darker and drearier now, what with the almost perpetual cloudiness). It is home to high, craggy mountains, mesas, gorges traveled by rapid, merciless rivers that flow on to places unknown. Notable here are the Twin Peaks, Haruf and Maruf.

Portal Canyon: A dangerous place between the Twin Peaks. Only the most versed magic users and scholars venture here for a quick jump to wherever they need to go. Many fools have ended up deep in Frenis, the great desert Merad, and other such fearful places.

Merad Desert: The biggest desert in Ziacgam, six days northwest of Nodum. It is a place most prefer not to go to because it's so... big. A high concentration of Jinni live here, another reason travelers respect the desert. There are several oases within it, as are a few mountains and caves. There are cities a few hours into it.

 

The New Heroes

For easier reference, here is the list of characters and their Patron Sprites.

Lakia Micea - Darivas
Markku Estrin - Matidell
Yuu and Yuuki Fukami - Ami'ena
Athena Otsuka - Jamara
Aeiskai Keitaro - Gav'es
Sagwa Inneko - Megasa
Natalie Starkly - Fados
Taku Hayami - Etmos
Erasmus Fagin - Binam
Tailki Sejiar - Indinav