Isle of the Vual'hi

ISLE WHICH TOUCHES THE EDGE is the name given to this sanctuary by its inhabitants. The dragonlike Vual'hi, who communicate through a language of dance and footprints, divide their land through a tribal system.

ATLAS

THE ISLE of the Vual'hi is an archipelago separated from the other Kingdom continents by the ocean. Most of the population is concentrated in the oceanic and monsoon climates. Desert communities were formed around various oases, though there are still both wild oases as well as communities in the dry desert and savannah.

WEATHER DEPENDS on the season. Because of its proximity to the southern magnetic pole, auroras can be seen. Snow forms seasonally at sea level+ in the desert and oceanic climates.

DESERTED ISLAND —

OASIS — A fortified city located in the heart of the desert region. It stands out as the only structure in a massive ocean of dunes.

"Those who embrace the harsh land rather than fight it find they have a powerful ally."

RING OF FIRE — The hotspot of volcanic activity located in the humid subtropical region.

SAND TOMBS OF THE DEAD —

THREE THOUSAND ISLES — The native name of the Isle of the Vual'hi.

WHITE SANDS — Beach on the coast of the Sea of Songs.

ENVIRONMENT

PETS — The Vual'hi keep domesticated foxes as pets, similar to other societies' domestication of cats and dogs. Foxes are affectionate pets and will eat any scraps that land near them. They are effective killers of unwanted rodents. Domesticated lions (and snow leopards in the snowy mountains) are kept for hunting purposes.

ANIMALS — Predators include anacondas, vipers, crocodiles, leopards, tigers, jaguars, and panthers. In the salty waters lurk ghostsharks, great white sharks, gummy sharks, and sawsharks. Prey animals are plentiful. Various species of birds make their homes all over the Isle, as well as species of lizards. Turtles and frogs can be found everywhere outside of the savannah and desert. Rabbits inhabit the desert region. In most areas of the Isle, there are capybaras, platypus, elephants, hippos, rhinos, rats, pangolins, quolls, bandicoots, tree-kangaroos, wallabies, and sugar gliders.

The shores are home to shrimp, crabs, and fish- stingrays, tuna, cod, carp, grouper, sardine, mackerel, toothfish, elephantfish, flying fish, catfish, and swordfish.

PLANTLIFE — Macadamia trees produce their namesake nuts. Seaweed is cleaned and soaked overnight, and eaten.

LANGUAGE

"SPOKEN" LANGUAGE is expressed through dance and certain body movements. As such, it is naturally costly to bodily energy- the anatomy of the Vual'hi subsequently has a large role in their endurance and thermoregulation. Arguing takes the form of stylized choreographed combat. Claw arrangements do representative work in grammatical terms.

Natural styles of vocal communication, such as hissing, humming, purring, and roaring, are used to express only emotion; they do not have fixed linguistic meanings, rather they have emotional associations. Howling and barking vocalizations, which sound distinct compared to other species, function as singing.

In regards to interacting with other species, Vual'hi tend to struggle due to their inability to produce some of the sounds that are needed to speak the languages of Miraan. It is hard for them to understand the difference between singing and speaking.

"WRITTEN" LANGUAGE is composed of footprints and reserved for specific scenarios, as regular movement naturally still produces footprints on certain surfaces. Due to the limited expression of footprints compared to the actual dance, printing is also limited linguistically. This phenomenon can also be observed when considering limited written languages such as Hebrew and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, both of which lack vowels in written form, but express them in spoken form.

Scenarios in which printing may be utilized linguistically include poetry, religious rituals, and textual decoration in wall paintings or graffiti. Many homes and buildings are inscribed with patterns of prints along the baseboards of walls. The process involves sitting along the floor and dipping the feet in paint in order to press prints one by one. Preserved footprints (think of dinosaur print fossils) are formed when Vual'hi intend to create permanent writing: the process is manual, involving the casting of Vual'hi prints with a quick-lithifying, soft sediment. Microbiological activity within this sediment accelerates the production of the natural chemicals necessary for lithification. Thus, the prints become permanently solid in their intended form.

LIST OF DEITIES

MAJOR DEITIES

IT IS THE GOD OF GODS whose power spans over life, death, and all existence. This supreme being created dragons and the deities, and henceforth became worshiped by them. Tradition states that the deities' practices of worship for the God of Gods are not to be known by mortals. This is because, in their perspective, it is not logical for a mortal to act on the behalf of a deity. However, those cults of mortals who seek to reach immortality also fanatically intend to worship the God of Gods.

DIVINE OF FOUR QUARTERS, the sky, earth and ocean deity, also keeps hold over all of the horizon and its auroras. His presence is therefore everywhere. Because he sees all, he is largely imagined as the Sun. Of his domain are all the stars; spirits of the dead. If one can prove themselves to Divine Of Four Quarters, they will be exalted into the sky after death. He is worshiped with the belief that evil scourge shall know no peace nor mercy from him. Sacred to him are the flying creatures who travel in his domain. Historically, the practice of his worship spread through a traveling cult which originated in the humid subtropical area of the Isle.

WOMAN BELOW THE EARTH is the goddess of the night, the underworld, and is the wife of Divine Of Four Quarters. She has a domain as great as his, but one that is unseen by mortals. Their daughter, Pearl In The Jaws Of Night, resides with her in her domain but shines as the moon in the sky during the night.

HE WHO NEWLY OPENS THE HORIZON is the deity of trade and knowledge, both good and bad. Deals can be made for knowledge but the price is never worth it. At the moment when the Divine of Four Quarters laid his body out as the earth, there was a stranger glimpsed on the edge: He Who Newly Opens The Horizon. Humans took up his propitiation as the "Man at the Crossroads." Desert dwellers tell tales of him as the Bargainer, who can be tricked by the daring into granting wishes, at the risk of one's soul.

PEARL IN THE JAWS OF NIGHT is the goddess of the moon. In the desert region, where the darkness and coolness of night is a great relief compared to the scorching heat of the day, she is associated with water and healing. She was created by her father and mother, Divine Of Four Quarters and Woman Below The Earth.

HE WHO FILLS THE SKY WITH FIRE is the god of the Sun and fire in the desert region. He is the son of Woman Below The Earth and Divine Of Four Quarters, and brother of Pearl In The Jaws Of Night. His power is so immense that it emanates over everything during the day. He arises in sparks when summoned by striking rocks together. When desert temperatures reach freezing at night, he saves the lives of the cold. But if he is made angry, he burns the homes that shelter them, and if a spark which was summoned from his great power is carelessly tossed onto dry wood, he will burn everything around him. His worshippers are called "Carriers Of The Day," a title which is associated with a pronounced burden.

TENDER LORD OF HARVEST is the deity of the harvest, agriculture, hunting, and shepherding. He also has a role in courtship and fertility. In art, he is represented as a lion-headed man, reflecting the Vual'hi use of lions for hunting. He bestows gifts on mortals- whether they want them or not. He is said to have raised all the beautiful flowers of the land to impress Pearl In The Jaws Of Night. She was impressed, but he did not gain all her favor. So he covered the land in grand trees, he sprung bushes to decorate the desert, and laid lush grasses along the coast, but she still would not be with him, because she had her own important plans. She wanted to make the Vual'hi. Being intrigued by her creativity, he grew all the herbs, fruits, and vegetables for her Vual'hi to eat. After this, she became very happy with him, and so the relationship between the two deities grew. Further myths describe the divine love story as he continues to care for mortals. It is said that he blessed the Vual'hi, teaching them to hunt and domesticate animals, but all his gifts weighed them down to the earth- and so they no longer share the wings of dragons.

GRANDMOTHER OF DRAGONS is a deified dragon whose cult center lies in the snowy mountains of the desert. She is a goddess of the hearth, a strong force of protection against the outside world in the the wintery region. An eternal flame is kept lit in her honor.

MINOR DEITIES

THE ORACLE OF THE LAMB assumes the role of an intermediary or judge. Armed and masked, she works between the divine and mortal, and between divine & divine.

HATRED is called such because it literally is the concept of "hatred." It is the personification of crime, destruction, murder and trickery, and is believed to be manifested through conflict. Only the most desperate and the criminals pay patronage to it. For a culture who were created with the purpose of embodying compassion, there must be an outside explanation for the existence of awful things.

WANDERING WARRIOR IN THE STARS is the name of an ancient Vual'hi who died in his quest to find his lost beloved. Touched by his devotion, Divine Of Four Quarters turned him into an immortal constellation, where still he tries to find his love among the stars.

MYTHOLOGY

Dragons are regarded as the holiest mortal beings- companions of the deities, acting as messengers for their will. The Elder Dragons are revered as the first dragons. Upon the death of a dragon on the Isle, the corpse must be left out to be scavenged by wildlife for the cycle of life to continue. Foxes are known scavengers, and this is partially why they are revered and kept as pets. Dragon bones are to be brought to volcanoes and sacrificed into the pits; through this, they are returned to the immortals.

HIGHLANDER BELIEFS in the cold, snowy mountain regions of the desert center around the concept of warmth. Most of their worship is centered on the Grandmother Of Dragons. Sun and fire motifs are very common in their decor.

THE CREATION MYTH describes how Luminous Lady Above wanted to make a beautiful, compassionate people, so she made the Vual'hi, and to make sure no one would do crimes against love, she made them strong. Dragons are the most holy creatures, so she made the Vual'hi in their image.

THE ORIGIN MYTH OF HATRED explains that Hatred was formed as a divine consequence in the times of the First Vual'hi. The myth centers around a deal made between His Eyes Become and He Who Newly Opens The Horizon. One day Shining Are His Scales found (His Eyes Become's priceless ancient magical object) in a hidden wild grove. Shining Are His Scales, in excitement, not assuming it was the property of anyone, took the (object) and presented it as an offering to Luminous Lady Above. When His Eyes Become returned to the grove, seeing that the (object) was gone, he wailed and danced a prayer to He Who Newly Opens The Horizon, begging to know the truth of what had happened. His prayer was soon answered. A dragon prophet of He Who Newly Opens The Horizon approached him in the grove and began to dance:

My knowledge is not a possession to you like the abundant fruit of generous Tender Lord Of Harvest which you pluck from the tree. I am immortal, summoned from God of Gods. To drink from the flow of my knowledge is not an act suitable of the mortal soul. To drink from the flow of my knowledge, I will require your recompense, as the clay digger requires recompense of the potter, as the potter requires recompense of the baker, as the baker requires recompense of the hungry.

Without hesitation, His Eyes Become made a deal for knowledge, and the price was Hatred- and Hatred burned inside him. His Eyes Become upon coming back to the village saw Shining Are His Scales dancing about how he awaited the Luminous Lady's acceptance of his offering- the (object). What the Horizon had told His Eyes Become was the truth. But Hatred burned stronger inside His Eyes Become, so he went up behind Shining Are His Scales and killed him in front of the whole village. At this moment, Hatred became known to all. Divine Of Four Quarters, who sees all, indeed saw what had happened, and as an act of justice he brought up Shining Are His Scales to be one of the brightest stars in the sky.

SOCIETY

FAMILY AND RELATIONSHIPS — Society is very close-knit. It is the role of family members to teach their young to dance. Children are called "growing ones."

A certain lovers' jest involves dancing in the footprints of the other- sometimes humans mimic someone else's words after they are spoken, and this can be an action of mockery. To the Vual'hi; however, it is a gesture of playful fondness which can easily become a game. (Think, one Vual'hi expresses I love you. The response is the same: I love you. Then: I love you more. The other Vual'hi dances into their same footprints: I love you more. And repeat).

One classic lovers' dance includes a simultaneous speaking of two parts. The first part translates as, I love you because we both look at the sky, the sea, the sun, and the sunsets, with the second individual's part being, I love you because our footprints are printed on the beach. After dancing on soft ground such as dirt, snow, or sand, it is customary to let one's footprints be carried away by the wind or rain, or "read" by the sea.

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY — Gemstones are the chief currency of the Isle. Any precious gem is accepted, including emeralds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, and so on. However, transactions may also take place through simple trade.

Vual'hi have no government, but make decisions by group consensus. Court judgement takes place through an intricate ritual process which requires the presence of the gods. The pantheon of gods, represented by individuals dressed in beautiful formal wear, take their position at the rear of the court. Spectators are situated along both sides, flanking the pantheon and filling in the arc shape of the court. One individual undergoes a ritual to assume the identity of the Oracle and proceeds to speak in her voice for the remainder of the judgement. Two representations of minor deities, one in red, one blue stand before the pantheon in order to fulfill their roles.

The Isle is isolated, it is not a society prepared for protection against outside forces or war.

CULTURE — Resting is an important part of the culture.

Perfectly leveled soft ground can be a hint of a deliberately covered up conversation. This can be interpreted as a manifestation of Hatred, who personifies trickery.

FOOD — The Vual'hi roast their meat with fire in the manner of dragons.

VUAL'HI

VUAL'HI scales (which cover their skin) may be any color, as well as the pattern of markings. Horns are of all shapes and sizes: Just like antlers in deer and other animals, horns are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, nerves, and blood vessels. Due to this composition, horns regrow most of the time if broken. Horns have a thermoregulatory purpose; in cold temperatures, blood flow is increased to aid the blood flow to the head and thus the brain. Tongues are forked in the manner of reptiles. Feet have an extremely tough texture and are in a dragonlike shape with claws as nails.

CHARACTERS