This is a May 2nd, 2026 copy of the World of Midria notebook. The live version can be found here.
Note: this is not exactly made for direct human reading, but rather AI parsing for use LLMs.
# The World of Midria
"The World of Midria" is a world-building and anthropology hobby to flesh out what a medieval fantasy world might be like if you took normal fantasy tropes, combined with mature topics, and explored what day-to-day life would be like if people had access to such fantastical elements. As a hobby project with no commercial or marketing pressure, it is free to explore adult, sexual topics, but strictly in a tasteful, artistic and academically thought provoking manner. Any examples noted in the sources are purely fantasy fiction for hypothetical purposes only. Topics of anatomy, sex culture, or specific customs are not be used for sexual gratification, rather only for professional anthropology analysis of coherent world building.
- Author: The World of Midria was created by TerraRaptor whom primarily brings this project to life via AI-generated art. Their work can be found at https://linktr.ee/TerraRaptor
- Project History: The World of Midria (originally known as just "Ineo") was first created as a text-only premise to act as a starter foundation for online roleplay in the 2010s. With the advent of AI generated art in 2022, its concepts were visualized and brought into a more public showcase.
# The History of Midria
This document details historical topics of Midrian lore.
- Author's note: This document's accuracy and scope is in the POV and current understanding of in-character Midrian historians.
# Midrian Calendar
- Days of the week: Dawnday, Munday, Dovday, Midday, Varday, Duskday, Kynday
- Months: There are 12 months
- Spring: Marchen, Avenis, Floris
- Summer: Solath, Lumis, Augath
- Autumn: Reapal, Serepal, Hallowal
- Winter: Yulen, Grimen, Thawen
- Calendar eras: The current age is defined as being "AF" (after the fire), with any time before that being "BF" (before the fire).
# The Theory of Issurism
Before history can be defined, one must first understand the issure: a major arcane storm characterized by an unusual and immense concentration of magic in a specific location. While the current age only experiences minor storms every few years, historical records indicate that major events occurred hundreds or even thousands of years apart in previous eras. These storms have grown steadily weaker and less frequent over the eons; the further back one looks through time, the more potent and frequent the storms become, having once powered ritual arts of incredible magnitude.
The sheer potency of magic during an issure event allows for reality-altering feats far beyond the scope of daily arcane arts. Most notably, every species in Midria - excluding those that evolved naturally - owes its existence to an issure ritual. In arcane theory, the widely held consensus is that these rituals are most effective when conducted within a well-balanced polarity range of 40-60. This technical constraint explains why many of the world's most stable and remarkable legacies of issure harnessing, such as the core beastkin races, hail from species within this specific magic bracket.
The observed historical decline in storm intensity forms the basis of a school of thought known as Issurism. Its proponents, called issurists, theorize that ancient storms were likely so powerful they spontaneously sparked the first instances of life. At the extreme end of this theory lies "Issure Prime" - a hypothetical primordial event where an arcane storm of staggering magnitude created the very mass of the planet itself.
# Lost Age
- Beyond 30,000 BF
Beyond the reach of established chronologies, many Midrian scholars theorize that "protohumans" originated in distant, unknown territories and once populated the entire globe. This era of expansion eventually met a brutal, era-spanning decline - potentially lasting hundreds of thousands of years - that coincided with the global rise of apex beasts. As these lethal predators began to dominate the wilds, ancient human lineages were systematically erased until only the tribes of the Castin Coast managed to survive the collapse. This retreat marked a definitive transition for the species, shifting from a worldwide presence to a precarious, isolated existence within a single geographical refuge.
During the resulting prehistoric era known as the Lost Age, humanity lived a restricted, paleolithic existence confined strictly to this coastal sanctuary. This isolation was a necessity for survival, as the surrounding wilds were dominated by dragons and beasts that would have easily overwhelmed the remaining tribes. However, their survival was bolstered by a specific faction of dragons who had begun to adopt a philosophy of stewardship, viewing themselves as guardians rather than mere predators. While these dragons deemed it immoral to consume intelligent life, they remained distant, passive observers who avoided direct interference, allowing human culture to develop in primitive safety while the rest of the world remained a forbidden territory.
### Revival of Dinosaurs
According to ancient legend, dragons utilized the era’s exceptionally potent issure storms to resurrect dinosaurs from extinction. The motive for this revival remains a subject of historical debate; scholars speculate these prehistoric creatures were either engineered as biological weapons for use in draconic civil wars or created as a grand experiment to test the boundaries of life-altering arcane arts. Regardless of their purpose, the presence of these massive saurians further reinforced the borders of early human territory.
### Segue to the Draconic Age
The dawn of a new era is attributed to the legendary union of a human named Elian and a dragoness named Isafix, cited as the first interspecies tryst in Midrian history. While many interpretations exist, the most enduring tale claims Elian discovered Isafix after she had been wounded by her maligned kin. By nursing her back to health, Elian fostered a unique opportunity for the two species to communicate and bond. This breakthrough shattered the era of draconic passivity and sparked a newfound spirit of cooperation that would define the subsequent age.
# Draconic Age
- c. 20,000-30,000 BF
The Draconic Age was defined by a monumental shift in human civilization as tribes moved from isolated coastal refuges into the very heart of draconic domains, living directly under the rule of these ancient apex beings. During this era, technological progress remained largely mesolithic and stagnant; the long-lived dragons, who dominated every facet of societal development, were naturally predisposed toward maintaining the status quo. However, this proximity catalyzed a profound ideological evolution. The concept of "stewardship" - once a fringe philosophy restricted to a small corner of the world - blossomed into a global movement that demanded the attention of dragons across all lands. This sparked widespread turmoil as dragons were forced to choose sides, leading to a fundamental schism in their kind. Those who embraced the role of benevolent guardians identified as "Castean Dragons," while those who maintained their traditional, predatory dominance were labeled "Isylnic Dragons," after their ancestral cradle. Scholarly dragons today still maintain this distinction, viewing the two factions as entirely separate and divergent lineages, split by both morality and biology.
### The Spread of Affinity
While records of the Lost Age suggest that humans may have occasionally harnessed magic, such instances were so exceptionally rare they left little mark on history. However, as humans settled in close proximity to dragons - creatures possessing a 100% magical affinity rate - a latent spark within the human spirit began to stir. Over generations, human magical affinity began to rise steadily. Arcanists attribute this to the "Theory of Grey Pulse," suggesting that any creature possessing mylin radiates a subtle influence on their environment, much like the red pulse emitted by red-minded crystalline devices. This phenomenon of magical "awakening" through proximity would later be observed again during the era of feral uplifting.
### Ascension Rituals
As the potency of global issure storms began to wane, the focus of life-altering rituals shifted away from the impractical task of reviving extinct species. Draconic warfare further restricted the ability of ritualists to reach these rare arcane events, leading many storms to pass unused. Eventually, several major issure events occurred within the Castin Coast itself, giving rise to the practice of "ascension". Unlike previous rites, ascension was performed on freshly laid eggs to simulate multiple paths of hypothetical, accelerated evolution, resulting in the "ascended manakin" species found today. The trili were the first success of this new art, which soon spread throughout dragonkind. Dragons were driven to master these rituals not only by a fascination with life-altering magic and the desire to leave a lasting legacy, but also by their growing ideology of carnal diversity, taking pride as their multi-species subjects began to integrate and thrive together.
### Segue to Druidic Age
The escalating draconic wars reached a turning point as the Castean Dragons, bolstered by the diverse support networks of their integrated subjects, successfully snuffed out the Isylnic tyrants and liberated the continent. With the threat of the old-world predators removed and their own magical potential emboldened, the non-draconic races began to spread across the now-safe wilds. There was no single event that ended the Draconic Age; instead, scholars define the transition as the demographic tipping point where the number of people living in independent, newly founded realms finally eclipsed those still residing within the traditional domains of dragons.
# Druidic Age
- c. 8,000-20,000 BF
With the threat of maligned dragons extinguished and the various races empowered by magic, civilizations began to form independent of draconic rule. The global order was defined by a druidic ideology, where animals were uplifted into ferals - a process mirroring how dragons had originally passed traits to humans through passive proximity. During the latter half of this age, these ferals were further evolved into the beastkin races. It was also during this transition that the complex ascended rituals became impossible to perform.
### Inspiritment Rituals
Unlike the ascended, who were evolved by dragons, inspirited species originated from the union of a human and a mammalian feral through the use of powerful issure magic during a storm. A notable quirk of this ritual-born origin is a permanent genetic gender bias: the offspring’s lineage is heavily weighted toward the gender of the original ritual performer. Because many target feral species were too small to safely gestate a larger beastkin infant, human females were almost exclusively used as the biological carriers for smaller-statured races. As a result, species such as the fenn, opopi, and chirling are overwhelmingly female (often by a factor of 8-to-1).
- The pipin exception: The pipin represent a singular anomaly in Midrian history. They originated not from a human union, but from a rare faerixi-owl joining - a feat of issure arcany considered remarkable due to the crossing of entirely different animal kingdoms (mammal and avian). The ritual was performed by a legendary faerixi ritualist named Pipin, for whom the race is named.
### Feral Empathificaton
Refers to uplifted animals, having increased empathy such that they are able to better interact with humans in a carnal way. Unlike beastkin, whom have an anthro-like body, ferals are regular, natural quadrupeds still. The uplifting is the result of animals spending generations around druids during the Druidic Age, a process known as Empathification.
- High Ferals: A level of intelligence that sits in between feral and sovereign. High ferals use the same Empathification technique, except it was performed by the dragons instead. They can understand speech, but are limited to body or sign language in return. In most kingdoms, high ferals enjoy a type of quasi-citizenship role with judicial protections (and consequences).
### Golems and Constructs
A ritual known as red minding is used to give life to inanimate objects. It is how skeletons, calamites, treants and other unusual pseudo-lifeforms exist. It is named after red magic - the instructive half of magical power.
### Segue to Calamitous Age
The global druidic empire was highly advanced even by modern standards, and its development only accelerated further in the coming age. Historians generally agree this age ended with the rapid industrialization of society, which led to the widespread and self-serving exploitation of issure events.
# Calamitous Age
- 0-8,00 BF
The druidic empire met its match with the accidental creation of the calamite monsters. Every subsequent attempt to contain the mutation only worsened the crisis, introducing new horrors that accelerated the era’s terminal decline. As well, the understanding of how to harness issure storms peaked during this age. Transcendence rituals were perfected to create new races - most notably the cobra-based nagas - to meet the desperate military need for defenders against the calamite threat.
### The Final Inspiritment
[WIP]
### Transcendence Rituals
The ability to perform Inspiritment Rituals tapered off throughout the Calamitous Age, and was replaced with a new ritual known as Transcendence - the live fusion of woman and feral. They are monogendered, always female, and the only set of species able to crossbreed with humans as they rely on them to propagate. Hybrids are magically neutral (cannot conduct raw forms magic, thus breath or it being harmed by raw magic spells). A "derived transcended" is where one half of the hybrid becomes dominant in the bloodline, such as how nagas came from lamias.
### Segue to the New Age
The age reached its breaking point when a rogue, extremist ritualist harnessed a magical storm to ignite an issure-fueled inferno known as The World-Eater Fire. Likely intended as a desperate act of self-destruction to purge the calamites, the unstoppable blaze instead consumed not only Myn, but its magical nature even crawled the oceans themselves to sweep the entire planet. This catastrophe triggered The Great Evacuation - a massive, organized exodus that drove survivors into the fringe territories of modern-day Ineo, which was then considered a remote backwater.
# New Age
- Current Year: 5560 AF, reset "after the fire".
Also known as the Rebuilding Era, this period covers the last five to six thousand years in which survivors of the old world slowly reconstructed civilization. The World-Eater Fire appears to have permanently tempered Midria's ambient magic; consequently, modern calamites replicate much slower than their ancestors, and many once-common arcane devices have become impossible to recreate.
The current technological level is roughly equivalent to the Middle Ages.
# Minor Issure Events Throughout History
While major issure storms have resulted in the creation of entirely new species, minor storms have been used for some one-off alterations of life.
### Non-hereditary
Larger alterations beyond the capability of naturalizing or reproduction.
- Generative Morphology: The transmutation of the anatomy is among the most well known within issure arts, dating back as far as records allow. These rituals focus on the reconfiguration of the genitalia - granting the dual-nature of the hermaphrodite, the transition of sex, or the refinement of one’s size and volume.
- Entomological Gigantism: While such workings remain rare, specialized rites performed upon insectoid larvae have birthed specimens of monstrous proportions. Most notable among these are the great-mantises, towering carapaced creatures whose size matches that of any forest beast, achieved through the arcane acceleration of their molting cycles.
### Hereditary
Minor alterations of simplistic enough nature that they permeate down to offspring.
- Chromatic Ocular Variation: Certain lineages of beastkin exhibit a vivid spectrum of ocular hues beyond the natural norm. These lineages may bear irises of striking crimson, coral-pink, amber-orange, or even those born with an abyssal sclera, where the white of the eye is entirely replaced by a void-like black.
- Ciliary Legacy: Though biologically foreign to their cold-blooded ancestors, many reptilian species now possess fringed eyelashes. Over the eons, this modification has bled so thoroughly into the ancestral bloodlines that it is no longer a mark of magic, but a ubiquitous feature of their kind.
- Derma Mutations: These rituals, believed to have been enacted by dragons during the Lost Age, are most evident in the contrasting forms of the feathery shirrows and scaly shirroks. Scholars can only speculate which lineage emerged first; alterations of this magnitude are considered far beyond the reach of today’s minor storms.
# Geography: Continent of Myn
This document details major geographic locations in Midria with published lore. One can assume there are many other towns and places not specifically written about. Adhere to "AI Implementation Directive" directive in 00_Project_Directive_and_Overview.txt for its proper use.
# Ineo Empire
Dominating most of the temperate zone within the most populated continent of the world, Ineo is where most of the scenes are depicted unless the climate suggests otherwise. The following races are considered the core integrated: Humans, Nagas, Veskula, Trili, Ildari, Folrixi, Kobolds, Fenn, Feylinn, Murnoks. Races from other major regions can also be found here, though lacking in influential power compared to the core ten.
### Geographical breakdown
- Kingdom of Inea: The Kingdom of Inea serves as the venerable political and cultural heart of the Ineo Empire, encompassing the sprawling maritime capital of Eynic and the vital rural settlements that feed its million-strong population. As the seat of the Imperial Crown, it is the primary practitioner of the Bicrestos Custom, where its diverse human and beastkin nobility maintain stability through a unique meritocratic system of gender-rotated, interspecies adoption.
- Imperial Capital Eynic: The imperial capital of Ineo, and largest city in Midria, located along the west side of empire along the Yurni Ocean coast. Home to over 650 thousand people, the city is divided into four districts:
- Crown District: The political heart of Eynic, dominated landmark buildings, noble estates, impressive statues, obelisks and gardens all throughout. Courtly intrigue abounds, guarded by the emperor's forces, many of which are elite nagas.
- Lustmor Palace: As the seat of the empire, Lustmor Palace is no ordinary structure; it is a building-sized, red-minded construct of a distinctly carnal nature. Unlike typical inanimate architecture, this massive entity possesses a physical awareness deeply attuned to the presence of its occupants, occasionally expressing its own form of sentient affection toward those within its walls. Notably, should the palace take a liking to a particular individual, the nearby walls will rhythmically pulsate, emitting a low-frequency kinetic hum felt by everyone present. This vibration is known for triggering spontaneous, hands-free climaxes - a phenomenon the locals have gracefully dubbed "the palace’s kiss."
Throughout the interior, doors have been fitted with rare vessil-linked frames, allowing the building to redirect foot traffic according to its own whims. While, in practice, this enables royalty to navigate the sprawling halls with speed, the palace frequently utilizes these configurable routes to match-make guests, ensuring specific individuals end up sequestered in the same room. The very acoustics of the halls are engineered to facilitate these encounters, masterfully carrying the echoes of intimacy so that the rhythmic sound of flesh on flesh remains a constant, ambient hum throughout the estate.
Though exotic by modern standards, the issure-forged foundation empowering the palace's behavior date back to the Calamitous Age. In that distant era, the structure was merely a low-ranking rural fort; it was only through extensive remodeling and expansion during the New Age that it achieved its current form. Even so, scholars note that its features are but a shadow of the grand, sentient structures that once defined the peak of the old world.
Depending on the Sovereign's mood that day, court is held in one of the palace's two halls. The larger of the two is an official fervoria, and thus, it is considered a breach of protocol to converse with the Sovereign without being actively engaged with a partner, one generally selected by Lustmor itself. In the crown's point of view, this traditional practice ensures that every plea is stripped of its anger and replaced with the lethargic, honest clarity that follows a vigorous interspecies encounter.
- Runehaven Academy: WIP
- Carmine Citadel: HQ for the imperial army.
- Tideward District: Eynic's bustling maritime center, featuring oceanfront docks, markets and shops, taverns and warehouses. Positioned as a central hub between the 3 other districts, and with access to the warehouse resources and ample trade logistics, it acts as a commercial powerhouse. Many adventurers use this place as a rallying point to prepare.
- Saltspire Lighthouse: A multi-tiered, large, landmark structure positioned on a rocky cliff that juts out from the Tideward quay. Its beacon is arcane in nature, shining across the Yurni Ocean.
- Emberfield District: Serves as the gritty industrial heart of Eynic, a place where the air is thick with the soot of forges and the smell of alchemy. While it may appear impoverished, this salt-of-the-earth hub is where the realm's enchanted weapons and essential goods are forged amidst heavy wagon traffic and muddy thoroughfares.
- Wyrmfire Foundry: WIP
- Imperial Elixirium: WIP
- Fight Pit: The district’s rugged atmosphere has naturally birthed a formal fight pit, a small arena where rowdy crowds gather to cheer on nonlethal brawlers or watch seasoned gladiators take up live steel against captured wilderness calamites.
- Ratward: Deeper within the district, the architecture begins to sag like tired drunks, giving way to narrow, dim alleyways where the fenn population dominates.
- Warrenheart: A chaotic and menacing sprawl of fused structures that serves as the seat of the ruling ratkin faction, looming over faded inns that offer dubious rest to the weary workers and travelers of the shadows.
- Greenveil District: Serves as the city's primary residential hub, housing nearly half the population within an urban landscape defined by lush greenery, fragrant blooms, and meticulously tended mini-orchards. The skyline is defined by stone buildings as high as 5-7 stories, each softened by climbing vines and neatly manicured gardens.
- Druid's Hall: The district is centered around this majestic, narrow, obelisk-shaped tower that overlooks the bustling streets and bubbling fountains.
- Pleasure Ward: While there may be fervorias and mature venues all throughout Eynic, here you'll find no greater density. Visitors navigate lascivious cobblestone streets marked by suspicious puddles and casual public displays of affection.
- Town of Renford: Located approximately one day’s travel by foot to the north-east of the Imperial Capital, Eynic, the town of Renford serves as a primary provincial hub and a vital supplier of raw materials for the western empire. With a population of approximately 3,000 residents, it is often cited by scholars as a quintessential example of a mid-sized Inean settlement - large enough to support a diverse racial, yet small enough to maintain a cohesive, traditional communal identity. While not considered a core integrated race, of the Inean laplets and opopi living within the empire, many are found here. Renford is situated at the transition point between the rolling pastoral plains of the Inean interior and the dense, managed woodlands of the northern territories.
- The Amber-Grain Fields: To the south and west, expansive farmlands provide a steady supply of hardy cereals and livestock, primarily feeding the nearby capital.
- The Sylvan Leas: To the north, specialized logging camps harvest Glow-Maple, a resilient timber whose resin is highly sought after by alchemists for the production of high-grade carnal alchemy and aromatics.
- The Resin-Rest Fervoria: The Glow-Maple sap, when freshly tapped during the harvest months, releases a heavy, sweet-scented vapor that possesses natural, airborne pheromonal properties, significantly heightening the local libido levels. Rather than viewing this as a workplace hazard, the town has integrated it into their civic identity through the construction of a fervoria. These are large, tiered pavilion structures built directly within the logging and processing yards, designed with soft moss-beds and communal heated baths, considered a vital social pressure valve; the town's local Fixers of Isafix actively facilitate these sessions, ensuring that the high-stress labor of the forestry season leads to communal harmony rather than interpersonal conflict. Travelers from Eynic often time their visits to Renford during the sap-tapping weeks to experience the town’s legendary uninhibited hospitality.
- Kingdom of Carnebella: Informally known as "the feral kingdom" by outsiders, the Kingdom of Carnebella is the southermost kingdom of Ineo, nearest to the subtropics. Though its beastkin integration is less remarkable than other places, its diversity primarily takes the form of mass feral involvement in all facets of life, from unskilled labor to the throne room. The people of Carnebella take their feral relations to a near-zealous level, such that it is often used as a measure of one's character and mettle. Pictured, a candidate wishing to climb the feudal ladder "runs the gauntlet". An extended "marathon" involving one feral after another, it tends to be something going on in the background as the court conducts its agenda for the day.
- Kingdom of Marksal: A large, expansive sparsely developed landscape in the northwest corner of Ineo, butting up against the Wilderbelt and the Ghostlands. This realm is known for its equine specialization, employing even less common species of equine such as zebras into mounted service. Many residents of Marksal include immigrants from the Wilderbelt, and so this land features a hybrid culture of north and south.
- Other Kingdoms: There are other kingdoms within the empire as well (Author's Note: lore a WIP).
- Points of Interest:
- The Wilderwall: Stretching to the horizon, this multi-generational construction serves as both a border and a highway along the Ineo-Wilderbelt northern stretch, connecting its various host towns.
# The Sun Crest
Southeast of Ineo, this vast stretch of desert buffers the temperate heartland from the equatorial savanna regions. Despite the oppressive heat, the Sun Crest is defined by its stability; desert environments face far less environmental corruption from errant magic than the north, allowing for a culture that is notably less militant. Instead, the region is marked by a tradition of decadence, exotic fashion, and showy harems. The Sun Crest is home to diverse populations of faerixi, aevik, dhinalel, kolloss, chirling, and gnolls, all living under the ancestral shadow of the sun dragons.
### Geographical breakdown
- Silvermist City: Often hailed as the "Jewel of the Desert," it draws its name from the Silver Sands - dunes that possess a signature, silvery shimmer. This unique sparkle is caused by petrosylabite, a fine, crystalline silver dust that permeates the region. As a premier trade hub and recreational destination, the city-state operates on a currency of carnal decadence and exotic wares. Its population of approximately 200,000 is the combined mixture of dhinalel, faerixi, aevik, sun dragons, and the large community of Inean expats. Notably, many high-status nagas choose to retire here, trading the harsh northern winters for the desert's warmth and influential roles within Silvermist’s renowned harems.
- Sun Dragons of the Sun Crest: Silvermist City is one of the few places you'll find a substantial number of dragons living in a city, and that's largely due to the fact that they rule over the place. The fifty or so dragons you'll find there are all related, part of a ruling dynasty. The city state's highest authority is known as the High Font, which has traditionally always been a dragon, though most of the day to day rule is done through a council of various citizen races.
- The Khen system: Unlike the broad, four-district administration of Eynic, Silvermist is organized into an intricate mosaic of no fewer than thirty-five Khens. A Khen is a specialized urban division owned and governed by a specific dynasty dragon. These divisions are much smaller in scale than a standard district, functioning as personal fiefdoms where the dragon's influence shapes the local law and aesthetic. Most Khens are not strictly specialized, existing as vibrant, multi-purpose neighborhoods where commerce and residence intertwine. However, a select few upper-tier Khens are world-renowned for their specific focus — housing the city’s most elite palaces, administrative centers, or high-end markets — while the remaining divisions serve as the backbone of the city's sprawling, dragon-led economy. Notable Khens:
- Khen Al-Solan: The absolute heart of Silvermist, owned by the High Font herself. This is the political pinnacle, where the architecture is built of polished white sandstone and trimmed with actual gold. It is blindingly bright at midday and houses the grandest residence.
- Solsara Reach: Designed by the dragons themselves, the Reach is a colossal audience hall supported by seventy-two fluted marble columns, each capped with brass draconic-heads. It is designed to be entirely open to the desert winds, allowing the sun dragon matriarchs to receive caravans and envoys without leaving the shade. The floors are cooled by sub-surface channels of enchanted cistern water, making the hall feel like a cold oasis in the heart of the Sun Crest.
- Khen Al-Opalin: Named for the deep blue tiles that adorn every building, this Khen is the jeweler's pride. It serves as the primary market for precious stones and enchanted metals. The dragon of this Khen is said to sleep on a literal bed of gems, and the local guards wear ceremonial armor studded with lapis.
- Khen Al-Basar: The city's "kitchen." This Khen is an eternal open-air bazaar filled with the scent of roasted meats and pungent desert spices. It is the busiest trade hub for caravans arriving from the equatorial savannas, specializing in exotic foodstuffs and rare botanical ingredients.
- Khen Al-Aquar: A marvel of arcane engineering, this Khen manages the city’s primary water supply. Massive, enchanted cisterns keep the air cool and the fountains flowing. It is a tranquil, quiet sector where the wealthy pay a premium to live away from the noise of the markets.
- The Jebel-Mir: The sustainer of life, this is the name given to the large oasis that the city state is nestled up against. When it rains, it becomes part of the Jebel-Mor - the river that eventually terminates into the Eburnean Sea up north.
- Khen Al-Sarpyn: Architecturally unique, this Khen has almost no stairs - utilizing smooth ramps and wide, sun-drenched ledges designed specifically for naga physiology.
- City garrison: Most of the garrison / guard is compromised of the aevik.
- Uniform description: Minimalistic, it is primarily defined by a tassel-adorned black cape with a red trim, and a silver full-helmet with an oversized black feather atop. Males complete the look with a red loincloth, and in typical Midrian fashion, females go without. Most carry a glaive as their weapon of choice.
- Other minor towns: Within Silvermist City's influence are a number of smaller villages of strategic importance, generally operated by one or two dragons.
- Gnoll villages: (Author's note: WIP) You'll find these tribal-like settlements wherever water is to be found in the Sun Crest. Most of them are centered around artificial wells tapping into the springs below. Despite being called "gnoll villages" by outsiders, you'll find a variety of races living here, but the gnolls are always in charge.
- Wetwards: Throughout the desert lands of the Sun Crest, along the week-long routes to and from Silvermist City, one finds a number of gnoll villages strategically positioned over vital springs. While these colorful rest stops are ruled by the gnolls, they tend to delegate public-facing roles to their citizen races, though the gnolls themselves can often be found nearby, keeping a watchful eye on things. The "wetward" is the prestigious title given to the shrewd mongers who sell water to travelers - a position demanding excellent business tact and a firm hand.
- Kollos burrows: (Author's note: WIP) Below the desert, and often wherever the underground springs run, the turtlefolk have an expansive network that would make an underbold nod in approval.
# The Wilderbelt
A vast, sparsely developed alpine region surrounding Ineo to the north and east sides. It is home to a wide number of races and factions. The 3 main factions (and the factions main races) are:
- The Ironplume Union (humans, corvin, and caprille) is the dominant and most developed faction in the region, and boasts open borders and a large number of races.
- The Dire Clans make up a militant tribe of fenrathi and feylodon , and they and the Ironplume Union teeter back and fourth claiming the title of regional dominance. Tensions between the two factions are historical, though have yet to boil into a full blown, ugly war, instead just being an endless spat of small territorial skirmishes. In the current age, the two factions have not traded blows in quite some time due to mutual threats occupying their attention, though remain closed off to one another... except in instances of tourism. Such guests are welcome into sectioned-off wards, owing to the popular demand for interspecies traditions as an avenue of entertainment or even birth control.
- The Hollowkin Pact is a neutral faction comprised of the laplets, opopi and niniwa, welcomed by the other factions, and they sometimes play the role of mediator. Oozing with charisma and diplomatic charm, the faction owes its independence and security by essentially being very well liked by the other factions, whom have even historically come to their assist against external threats.
### Geographical breakdown
[WIP]
- Stilgard: Situated at the confluence of the Wilderbelt’s sprawling river networks and the frigid Eburnean Sea, Stilgard stands as the largest city of the north and home of the Ironplume Union. While most settlements in the region are mere hamlets and villages, Stilgard boasts a bustling population of over six grand, serving as the commercial and cultural anchor for a constellation of nearby villages. Its streets are a tapestry of the union’s diversity; while humans, corvin, and caprille form the societal core, the city is a haven for many Wilderbelt-centric species, including laplets, opopi, niniwa, pipin, as well as a some of the Inean species.
The city’s silhouette is dominated by Obdurholl, a hollow obelisk plated in matte-black obdurite that serves as both a literal and metaphorical shield. A surviving landmark from the Calamitous Age, this ancient structure generates a city-wide magical dead-zone, an absolute necessity in the Wilderbelt’s biting cold where the threat of calamite formation is most acute. By forcing the local atmosphere into a state of arcane "stillness," Obdurholl allows the Union to thrive in an environment that would otherwise be plagued by corrupt magic.
Despite its status as a regional powerhouse, Stilgard and the Ironplume Union maintain a distant, neutral stance toward the Ineo Empire. The empire has never expressed significant interest in northern expansion, largely because the Wilderbelt was stripped of its natural wealth during the Calamitous Age, leaving behind a land of little strategic resource. This isolation has allowed Stilgard to develop a rugged identity focused on mechanical ingenuity and physical resilience, standing as a silent, iron-clad sentinel against the unpredictable elements of the north.
- Dire Clan Villages: [WIP]
- Ferfer Tents: The insular tribal settlements of the Wilderbelt's Dire Clans are famously restricted to outsiders, with the exception of the village's Kyninn Ward. Isolated from the rest of the village, this ward is meant for recreation, both innocent and carnal. Here you'll find the so-called "ferfer tents" - likely a localized spin-off of the fervorias found in other realms - where visitors are housed and engage in interspecies trysts with the local population. While travelers might interpret their stay as a form of sexual tourism, the Dire Clans view the presence of these visitors through the lens of tribal policy and environmental survival. The fenrathi and feylodon are both large-statured beastkin with demanding carnivorous diets, meaning their population must be kept in strict check to avoid exhausting the Wilderbelt’s natural resources. This necessity is complicated by the feylodon’s polyestrous biology, frequently aroused much like the feylinn of the south. Consequently, interspecies trysts serve as the primary hormonal outlet for the tribes, and while the locals frequently look to one another, the arrival of outsiders to spice things up helps maintain the status quo. Outsiders who enter the Kyninn Ward are considered temporary village laborers rather than mere guests, and they are expected to understand the functional nature of their stay. In exchange for food and lodging, a ferfer tenant is expected to serve as a dedicated outlet for any local who visits them throughout the course of the day. However, in more well-off settlements, visitors who sate a significant number of locals may be rewarded with a souvenir of some kind, usually a brass trinket. As brasswork is a recognized specialty of the Dire Clans, these tokens are prized as a testament to one’s prowess.
# The Ghostlands
Lying to the west and as expansive as the Ineo Empire itself, the ghostlands is an inhospitable land blanketed by a toxic fog. Only the higher-elevation, rocky hills of the waste offer any respite from the miasma-laden lowlands. This land was once the heart of civilization during the Druidic Age, and found its current state due to the events of the Calamitous Age.
Adventurers known as fog runners attempt to find their fortune searching for issure cells in the lost cities there. Relics of the past, such cells were used to power the infrastructure of the old empires, or levitate airship, and can never be reproduced again. Though Midrians are generally not a superstitious people, having the stink of the ghostlands on your person will mark you as a self-serving scavenger bringing back relics that some folk worry will fall into the wrong hands, so most fog runners are rather incognito about their business.
The fog itself is properly known as "hiven gas", a nasty magical byproduct of an engineered fungus used for alchemy back in the day. With the absence of civilization to keep it in check, it has grown out of control and has taken over the continent. Attempts to reclaim the ghostlands tend to involve crews with fire, burning swaths of land to a smoldering neutrality.
# Castin Coast
To the west of the ghostlands and the westernmost part of Myn, along the Yurni Ocean coastline, lies a strip of protected coast known as Castin, home of the Far Tribes. A north-south mountain range protects this land from the ghostland's deadly fog. However it remains extremely isolated from the rest of the world because thousands of miles of ghostland lies between it and Ineo, and the northern ocean is frozen over, while the southern oceans are plagued by sea monsters. Only the reports of the issure airstrip drifting over these lands offered any evidence that these tribes even existed. Very rarely, during abnormally warm seasons, the northern oceans may temporarily thaw just long enough to sail through to visit Castin. This has been done a few times, and these explorers are the only point of contact between the tribes and the rest of the world.
# Issure Airship
There's airships, and then there's issure airships. While regular airships are small-scale flying vessels with a crew of less than 10 and maybe a few passengers, issure airships are city-sized titans of the sky. Due to their isolation up in the clouds, they're one of the few remaining relics of the old world that survived the Calamitous Age, living testaments of a bygone era representing when arcane engineering once peaked. Thousands of years old now - and probably not meant to be smoking as much as they are - there's only a few of these colossal vessels still around. Its levitation is based around an issure charge, the very same type of magic responsible for the how the beastkin came to be. Today, they operate as self-sustaining city states, but are seldom seen up close by surface dwellers. Its been said that nowhere will you find a higher purity of interspecies practice than aboard an issure airship. Any adult interactions that won't disrupt the carefully measured population is key since the resource ecosystem is so limited.
Of the five remaining issure airships, one is occasionally seen drifting to the far east, while three others have not been spotted for generations - presumably having departed for another continent. The only ship that loiters over western Myn is Our Lady Constant.
### Our Lady Constant
[Author's note: WIP]
- The Righting of Our Lady Constant (140 years ago): The mighty airship once crash-landed in the Sun Crest 140 years ago. Though the airship has the desert folk to thank for its rescue (thousands of people and ferals brute-force rolling the ship back upright again via ropes and mechanisms so that it could take off), the floating city-state remains relatively isolationist, only allowing the occasional chirling emissary to visit. As these ships are many thousands of years old - their parts and hulls having been replaced time and again around an eternal issure core - people suspect it is only a matter of time before it crashes once again.
# Distant Lands
Story writing in Midria primarily takes place on the upper-left quadrant of Myn, but the continent extends beyond that into vaguely assumed zones:
- Subtropics: South west of Ineo and west of Sun Crest is a subtropical area, but no detailed lore has been published yet. Presumably the continent extends beyond this.
- Savannas: South of the subtropics and the Sun Crest, but no detailed lore has been published yet. Presumably the continent extends beyond this.
- Far East: Lands to the east of of Wilderbelt and Sun Crest, the eastern side of Myn. No published lore exists yet.
# Water Bodies
- Yurni Ocean: All of the ocean to the west of Myn. It wraps around the west and south sides of the Ghostlands and to the west of Ineo where Eynic is situated along the west coast. The far west of Yurni is impassable due to sea monsters, but the waters closer to Ineo are protected by benevolent sea dragons.
- Glacial Sea: The arctic sea all along the northern coast of Myn. Most of it is frozen and impassable.
- Eburnean Sea: East of Ineo, and divides the Wilderbelt and Sun Crest. It extends east to an unknown length, it is not well traveled due to sea monsters.
# Magic of Midria
While magic exists in this canon, it is generally more restricted and reigned back compared to other high fantasy literature in an attempt to mitigate plot holes and ease of overcoming obstacles. It operates under the rules and mechanics detailed in this document.
# Primer
Magic in Midria is a finite, inert energy source that exists as a fundamental component of the atmosphere. Species with the proper affinity can sense this ambient energy and draw it into their bodies to begin the casting process. This intake is facilitated by invisible, ethereal tendrils that act as arcane wiring, extending from the caster's conduction points into the surrounding air and internally overlaying their own nervous system to link with the mind. While most bipedal mages use their hands as primary conduction points, other species may use their mouths.
Once drawn into the body, magic ceases to be inert and becomes active, a state that is physically and mentally taxing to sustain. This period of active magic is known as the manifestation window, a brief and stressful interval during which an arcanist must shape the energy into a specific spell and expel it. A mage's skill is largely measured by their endurance within this window; those who can withstand the stress longer have the potential to weave far more complex and powerful incantations. Overextending this capacity leads to "nulk," a debilitating condition where the body is wrecked by the lingering aftereffects of conduction, often manifesting as a white glow, static-filled vision, and eventual death if further magic is attempted.
Upon entering the body, magic is polarized into two distinct forms: blue magic, which provides the raw power, and red magic, which provides the instruction or "programming" for the spell. Every spell requires a specific ratio of these two polarities depending on its complexity. Simplistic energy-based spells, such as electric zaps or kinetic blasts, are almost entirely composed of blue magic. Conversely, highly complex disciplines require a significantly higher ratio of red magic to handle the intricate instruction.
A caster’s specific ratio - their biological bias toward red or blue magic - is a fixed trait determined by their race and genetics, offering them no personal agency over the polarity of the magic they conduct. Generally, manakin lean heavily toward red magic, while spiritkin races tend to be blue-biased. This bias is independent of the ability to actually use magic; for instance, trili have a high red bias, but most are unable to grasp the complexities of spellcasting.
These biological ratios dictate the practical role of a mage within society and on the battlefield. Red-biased casters are often more famous, as their ability to perform awe-inspiring and complex feats makes them highly valued in urban and non-combative environments. However, because they lack natural power, they must inhale a much larger volume of ambient magic to give their spells any meaningful force, leading to nulk fatigue. In contrast, blue-biased casters excel in combat due to their high efficiency and stamina. Their spells may be simpler, but their ability to cast repeatedly without succumbing to nulk makes them formidable. Regardless of bias, all casters are limited by the density of ambient magic in their environment, though they can overcome local shortages by drawing from crystalline sources or exploiting the hyper-charged environment of an issure storm.
### Nulk: The Consequence of Use
To be "full of nulk" means your body is wrecked by a lingering aftereffect of conducting magic. This takes on a plainly visual effect at a critical threshold, where the user will begin to have an eerily white glow to their complexion and sense of disorientation. If they attempted to use magic once more, they would most likely die. At such a threshold, in their POV, their vision of the world will be clouded over with a noisy static, and their sense of hearing crackles with a hiss. Striking someone with a raw magic attack is essentially an injection attack.
Whether skilled or master, the time to recover is an environmental constant. Having more surface to volume ratio helps (once again, favors the veskula) speed things along. Most arcanists can fully recover from a critical state in about half a day, suggesting you can fully exhaust your average spellcaster twice a day.
### The Theory of Affinity
While everyone may have a biological red bias, this has nothing to do with whether or not they personally practice the art of spellcasting. The ratio may vary by region, class and race, but a rough global average is 1 in 900 people become professional career casters, and about 1 in 300 can demonstrate a casual ability with 1 or 2 minor spells. In scholarly circles, the theory of affinity is poorly understood qualifier on why some people have a knack for magic, whereas others don't. Those that get into magic are often some combination of the following:
- Well Networked: supported by talented individuals.
- Economic Privilege: luxury of time to practice.
- Intelligent: there is much overlap with magic users and academic circles.
- Fanaticism: extremists who are abnormally passionate about something.
- Prodigies: people who don't fit into any of the above yet overcome it all, demonstrating a natural talent at a young age.
Regarding ferals and high ferals, they are not known to use magic at all, but theoretically could. Extremely rarely, an extraordinary feral may demonstrate the use of magic in some minor way.
### Defining Skill
How do exactly arcanists improve as they refine their art?
- Draw Speed: The quicker you can pull in the magic you need, the less time you're exposed to the stressing consequences. Pulling from a crystal instead of the air is quicker, although comes with overhead of needing to tendril into it first, so it's a calculated measure on if it's worth it.
- Weave Speed: Weaving the magic into the desired spell as quickly as possible to lessen exposure. This especially takes the form of specializing in a specific type of conversion (for instance a Kineticist is someone that's very efficient at kinetic conversions), and further specialized again with the specific spell itself.
- Efficiency: Generally applies towards red-biased casters more, it refers to how much excess magic was involved in the cast. For instance, a red-biased caster may pull in more magic just trying to gather more blue energy to empower their spell, but due to their red bias, end up having far more instructive red magic than they needed, which goes to waste.
- Tolerance: Over the years, the body will adapt to nulk. This simply comes with age and experience, although larger races with their added biomass have some advantage too (favors the tall veskula). This same tolerance also hardens someone's defenses against being struck by a raw magic attack, able to shake it off.
### Titles
- Anavites: Arcanist jargon used to refer to the very rare biological anomaly of someone's polarities being exactly flipped from what is considered normal for their race. For example an anavite trili would have 15 red bias instead 85.
- Magus: The title afforded to individuals whom have mastered all 6 conversion forms. Most mages will only focus on 2 or 3.
- Archmagus: [Details a WIP, they are the highest formal ranking recognized]
- Issurologists: Scholars who specialize in studying the flow of ambient magic throughout the world of Midria. While there has not been a major issure storm in the New Age, minor storms still occur periodically - occasionally once or twice a year, though sometimes they are spaced years apart. The practice of predicting when and where an issure storm will take place dates back to the Draconic Era, when dragons knew exactly where to be to perform their ascendance rituals. This knowledge was once a guarded secret; however, over millennia, it permeated academic circles, leading to an increase in rituals designed to harness these storms - for better or worse, as demonstrated by the Calamitous Age. Nowadays, minor issure storms are used for magical feats that go slightly beyond the normal scope of magic, though they remain relatively superficial. For instance, the fenn use these storms to alter their eye color, which is why they are often seen with pink, red, or orange eyes.
- Pussymancer: Nearly all bipedal mages inhale and exhale magic through their hands, as it is the most efficient. With focus and training, other body parts can be used too, but this is generally impractical or only seen as an emergency tactic (e.g. if someone lost their hand). A "pussymancer" is a tongue and cheek slang referring to someone that has learned to cast between the legs. This is somewhat the equivalent of adult humor in Midria and usually just done as a joke or bar trick, though there exists the rare oddball that will swear by its utility.
- Author's Note: This should never seriously be used as source material unless directly inquired about, as it is but a canonical joke.
### The Theory of Grey Magic
While day to day arcanists only concern themselves with red and blue magic, many scholars believe that magic does not operate under a system of polarity, but rather a trichotomy. Inspired by the color of the brain itself, "grey magic" is the middleman responsible for communicating between the mind and instructive red magic. The premise for this theory hinges on the fact that red magic is capable of accomplishing things that extend beyond the scope of a user's personal understanding, suggesting a third intelligence must be involved.
Some scholars like to instead label grey magic as "issure magic". The belief is that an issure storm is not a linear concentration of magic, but rather a concentration of grey magic specifically, explaining why attempting to brute force rituals outside of issure storms fail to work (for example by using many nulcomancer aids to compensate).
# Converted Forms of Magic
- Basic forms:
- Tendril: These invisbile, ethereal "arcane wires" extend from the mind to overlay the practitioner’s nervous system, serving as the fundamental conduit for spellcasting, device interfacing, and counterspelling. One's red or blue bias does not dictate their proficiency in manifesting tendrils, but rather their tendrils represents it; for example, a red-biased caster manifests tendrils that conduct magic with a redder bias. This process originates with inert magic in the brain, specifically at the mylynic stem, creating a link that terminates at conduction points in the palms or fingertips to open one-dimensional draw points (or beyond) for intaking energy or channeling a spell's expulsion.
- Electrical: Often considered the easiest form of magic, although it's versatility is limited - there are only a few distinct spells that utilize this. A blue-heavy application of this spell looks like shooting lightning, whereas a red-biased application may have a more manipulative effect, such as causing shock without doing much actual harm.
- Kinetic: It is the power to repulse. It can knock things around, be used to jump higher, or for master kinetists, hover in the air. All dragons are naturally good at kinetic magic, for their mode of flight relies on it - their wing flaps are augmented by a kinetic pulse to aid with flight. Blue-heavy kinetics are big basic shock blasts, able to knock heavy objects around. A red-biased use would be more intricate, such as carefully vibrating the air for a sonic-type spell.
- Thermal: Using magic to generate heat. By itself, this conversion has limited application, but is often paired with multi-conversion advanced spells as a component. For instance, to cast a fireball, one would need a fuel to set alight with magic, and also dual-cast kinetic magic at the same time to package it into a bubble to propel it. Very few mages can pull off such a level of multi-tasked complexity.
- Wave: Light-speed magic. The blue-biased form is seen as beams of hostile energy, while the red-biased form may be things like illusionary light projections, or telepathic waves.
- Mass: Mass is the process of converting magic into matter, encompassing all forms of alteration, transmutation, and bodily modification. As a heavily red-biased discipline requiring both immense raw power and complex instruction, it is considered an advanced craft mastered only by the most gifted casters. Although magic-made mass - or "massik" - can perfectly mimic the appearance, texture, and taste of natural matter, it remains fundamentally different at a subatomic level. This inherent instability causes massik to eventually evaporate back into inert magic over periods ranging from days to months, depending on the caster’s skill. Furthermore, massik is bound by a density constant that prevents it from exceeding the density of bone or reaching the weight of metal. While effective for utilitarian tasks like dousing fires, massik is toxic if ingested; magic-made food or water will invariably cause violent illness. These constraints do not entirely apply to alteration magics like chromamancy or sarcomancy, which utilize transient massik to reshape existing biological tissue rather than creating independent, permanent matter. Technically, the rules of massik also apply to the particles making up light and electricity as well, though they rapidly evaporate, explaining their wispy, ethereal appearance.
- Unconverted form:
- Raw: Expelling active magic without conversion. Being struck by one of these spells caries a similar consequence of taking on nulk, as if it's forced upon them. Magically non-conductive races such as nagas are very resistance to this. Short of self-destruction, raw spells are always paired with some delivery system though such as a tendril link or kinetic charge.
- Skifting: A specialized technique involving the manipulation of inert magic without internalizing it. It involves the arcanist shifting their tendrils into a state of hyper-oscillation so intense that it exceeds the conduction constant - the fractional time-limit for magical permeation. The goal is to coax and concentrate inert magic beyond the point of its medium, violating its rule of diffusion. Because inert magic is fundamentally anchored to the fabric of space, this external agitation can be used to distort or tear the spatial medium or to redirect energy. Despite best efforts, a marginal fraction of energy will still manage to internalize, resulting in an accumulation of nulk.
- Special forms:
- Vessil: Though they say there's six forms of conversion, there is in fact a seventh known as vessil magic, but no biological creatures can manifest it. A vessil works much like an invisible ethereal tendril, but whereas a tendril only allows for the flow of magic, a vessil is a mass conduit acting as a portal. You'll only see these on red-minded, issure-forged relics from the prior ages. However, some arcane scholars debate that vessil and skifting are closely related, or even the same thing.
# Disciplines
A "discipline" is a practical set of applications for a converted form (or forms, plural) of magic. A discipline is not an individual, specific spell, but rather a collection of related spells. The list below should not be considered exhaustive, but only highlights some common examples.
### Biological
- Sarcomancy (Healing): Falls into mass-based magic of an especially red bias due to the complexity of living tissue and cells. Healers are extremely rare, but even their versatility is limited. A prohibitive degree of actual biological book smarts must augment their skill set for them to even know how to instruct their spell. On top of that, only small-scale magic to mass conversion is practical. Thus, spell-based healing generally only takes the form of mending flesh wounds, rarely anything more substantial than that. Of the few healers that exist, most are of the avian type, being the most red-biased of the beastkin.
- Chromamancy (Cosmetic Magic): A mass alteration technique commonly known for its ability to change the color of things on the biological level. As traditional tattoos don't exactly work on furred and feathered species, and barely work on scales, it's regarded as "tattoos for beastkin". Some beastkin will simply use dyes to set themselves apart. This is especially popular for species where twins and triplets are more an expectation than an anomaly. But for a lifelong, permanent solution, the ambitious may invest in a full-body chromashift. With a finite magical reserve to work on one section per session, chromashifts generally take 1 or 2 weeks for your local chromamancer to finish. Much like a tattoo, it is not a pleasant procedure, and worse, clients experience nulk-like symptoms for awhile.
### Illusion
- Lucimancy: A red-biased practice of wave magic, it is the art of projecting light in a complex way to give the illusion that you're looking at something.
- Diaphomancy: An advanced form of lucimancy, it is paired with a tendril probe to understand what is on the other side of a solid object such that the light field may project it, as if you're looking through a wall.
- Mnemomancy: A highly red wave and tendril duo, this is the ultimate form of illusion. Instead of projecting light to change how something appears, mnemomancy is the practice of overwriting what the target's eyes are telling the brain, completely overwriting their perspective of reality. People may wear obdurite goggles if they're weary of this.
- Tonomancy: A red-biased kinetic magic involving rapid vibrations to create sonic-type spells, or even projecting music.
- Sordomancy: A sub-specialty of tonomancy combined with tendril probing, it's a more complicated form of projecting sound in a neutralizing manner, silencing things.
- Osmomancy: The red-biased form of aeromancy involving complex scents, generally targeting biological triggers much like a pheromone. Often used in carnal venues.
- Aesthemancy and Plexumancy: The haptic mirror of osmomancy. It is an illusion that rewires a subject’s touch, forcing them to feel sensations beyond the scope of reality. This art is almost entirely used in the bedroom as a pleasure enhancer. Aesthemancy involves balanced wave magic targeting the mind, whereas plexumancy uses red electric magic to interact with the nervous system. Both accomplish the same thing.
### Offensive
- Aeromancy: The practice of blue-biased, non-complex, non-dense mass conversion. For instance, an aeromancy could smoke out or poison the atmosphere of a room.
- Triculomancy: The art of triple-casting kinetic, thermal and mass at once to project fire. Triculomancers are a favorite with reclaiming the ghostlands to burn the hiven shrooms.
- Diculomancy: The lesser, albeit more practical form of triculomancy where the user is only casting thermal and kinetic upon a non-magical fuel they're providing, such as a liquid fuel or flammable powder.
- Ictumancy (Martial Mage): The blue-biased practice of utilizing kinetic fields to propel one's limbs with magically augmented force. The true complexity of this art lies in learning to expel magic through unconventional conduits of the body, such as the upper arms or thighs, rather than the primary channels of the hands.
- Piezomancy (Siege Mage): The very-blue art of manifesting a high-pressure kinetic bubble and launching it at a target. It is one of the most purely destructive forms of magic, capable of breaching even the thickest fortifications. While the core itself is simply highly compressed air drawn from the environment, the container itself is compromise of red magic empowered by a blue magic fuel. As it hurls through the air, the red magic uses its available energy to contain the core, eventually collapsing upon impact.
- Archomancy (Missiles): The art of expelling a concentration of raw, unconverted mage into a kinetic container, and then launching it towards a target. While the kinetic container itself may feel as though someone threw a rock at you, the real damage is the injected nulk burden.
- Protomancy: A less advanced, touch-based form of archomancy, and possibly the simplest spell. It involves physically pressing one's point of casting (such as the palms) upon the target to directly transfer the raw energy.
### Defense & Utility
- Vectomancy: A balanced form of kinetic magic used to carefully and rapidly project many small kinetic pulses below oneself to hover in the air.
- Verruncamancy: Considered by some as "diet vectomancy", it involves reducing the friction between two surfaces. It is a form of magical locomotion, and practically speaking, someone would use this quickly slide along a surface. However, verruncamancy is mostly practiced in an enchanted format, such as the common cargo disk you'll see people effortlessly pushing around to move cargo.
- Loxomancy: A discipline of skifting-based defense that draws upon its refractive potential. The arcanist hyper-oscillates ambient particles to warp the local geometry of the atmosphere, creating a non-Euclidean contour between themselves and a threat. This distortion acts as a ballistic slide; incoming energy manifestations do not strike a solid barrier but are instead caught in the spatial curvature and sloughed off to the side, maintaining their momentum while losing their original trajectory.
- Kenomancy (Sponges): A far more intense and dangerous application of loxomancy. By projecting ethereal tendrils to a distal coordinate and initiating a high-frequency skift, the arcanist creates a localized spatial rupture rather than a mere distortion. This void acts as an arcane sink, effectively swallowing incoming hostile manifestations by severing their connection to the ambient atmosphere and de-stabilizing their form before they can reach the target.
- Nulcomancy: The blue-biased art of using a massive, dense tendril link on another caster to share the load. It is a sacrificial support spell someone may use on an ally to rid them of some of their nulk burden.
# Materials
- Petrosylabite: Petrosylabite is a crystalline silver dust (common name is kindling sand) used to agitate the ambient magic. This helps with starter mages being able to draw it in. Like training wheels, its use is weaned once skill is attained. Kindling sand is plentiful, re-usable and has very little alternate uses. In practice, one would simply grab a handful of the dust and throw it up in the air around them and let it plume down over their person, casting during this window. The dust may be collected and reused, although it takes some time before it may function again as inert magic must permeate the material again.
- Obdurite: Obdurite is essentially the opposite of petrosylabite, causing the ambient magic to become nonconducting. But unlike the kinetically-charged kindling sand, which requires throwing it around in the air, obdurite is entirely passive, projecting its influence in a small space around it. It is a type of black metal and can be cast and forged into convenient devices, such as shackles for prisoners to prevent them from using magic while in the dungeon. The walls of highly secure spaces are often reinforced with an obdurite frame, and it would be common to see "stub stones" - obdurite encased in an unremarkable stone shell - dotted about shops to protect the merchandise.
- Mylyn: A biological tissue capable of conducting magic. It is essentially the physical, non-magical form of tendril magic. Any creature capable of casting magic would have some mylynic tissue in their mind that functions as the starting point. This is commonly known as the "mylynic stem" - a pinpoint sized region in the mind. It is often the focal point of spiritual discussion of soul and existence. It is believed this is the physical location where magic weaving takes place, where red magic acts as a carrier of blue magic, executing its directive upon terminating.
- Aelyn: A massik-based, imitated form of mylin used for red minding inanimate objects. Generally, the enchanter would augment the entire crystalline space with a carefully structured aelyn lattice. Normally, the laws of massik degradation demands periodic maintenance of such devices, however advanced relics from the old world seem to mitigate this problem somehow. The instructive, pure red magic itself resides in the aelyn. Unlike tendrils, non-inert magic within aelyn medium is hardly volatile enough to matter, but it does emit a faint form of background radiation known as "red pulse". If someone claims to be good at sensing magic, they are referring to this, as is often the case with detecting the formation of calamites.
- Nurlyn: While extending tendrils away from the body into the open air is a fundamental skill of the arcane arts, extending them through a nurlyn medium is even easier. Nurlyn is a manufactured wire imitating the tissue of biological nerves, allowing a mage to effortlessly run a tendril through the medium without significant concentration. When in use, the wire takes on a soft white glow.
# Enchanted Objects: Red Minding
The act of enchanting an object is known as red minding, which allows a device to carry out a pre-programmed set of instructions. Fundamentally, red minded devices are incapable of tendril magic and cannot draw ambient magic inward; they may only utilize the inert magic that has accumulated within their own mass (the primary reason such devices are often constructed from crystal). Because they lack biological systems, these devices do not suffer from nulk; however, they are limited by the availability of stored energy, as it takes time for outside magic to permeate and recharge the crystal.
A device may operate on an automated loop or be designed to trigger when a mage tendrils into it—or, in the case of advanced and secure relics, require a specific command to be invoked via tendril. While the calamites are technically red minded objects, they are advanced issure-based creations beyond the normal scope of arcane understanding; a standard red minded device, for instance, would never be capable of self-replication!
### Runes
Fundamentally, a rune is a specialized red-minded crystalline medium integrated into a surface, whether it be an inanimate object or one's anatomy. For biological integration, crystals selected for their polarity are ground into a fine powder and injected into the dermis like a tattoo, establishing a permanent medium for enchanting; conversely, when applied to objects or the ground, the medium is etched or inlaid to form a static arcane program. Active runes offer broad functionality, requiring the user to utilize tendril magic to interface directly with the crystalline medium. Conversely, passive runes are utilized for more simplistic applications, designed to operate on automated loops that function independently.
The specific geometry and design of a glyph are not dictated by the fundamental laws of magic; rather, they serve as a codified linguistic layer for practitioners. These markings allow an arcanist to interpret the precise red-instructional configurations "minded" into the crystalline medium without having to physically interface with it first. Essentially, the glyph acts as a technical manual for the internal crystalline lattice. Consequently, when studying older relics, scholars often encounter archaic symbolic standards that have long since fallen out of common use. Deciphering these ancient "programs" frequently requires the use of specialized translation tomes and historical manuscripts to ensure the crystal's intended function.
# Origin of the Species
Below is a document detailing how various species came to exist in Midria.
# Issures
The power needed to create new races. It is the name for an arcane storm. Major issure storms are spaced apart by hundreds of years, but can be predicted when and where. Arcanists attempt to harness an issure storm to accomplish fantastic feats that normal magic could never do, such as the creation of new races. As the world has aged, issures have grown weaker. In the current age, no one has seen a major issure storm in thousands of years. Minor storms still occur every few years and are often used for to accomplish the career agendas of accomplished mages.
In arcane theory, the widely held consensus is that issure rituals are best done in a well-balanced, 40-60 polarity range. This is why many of the more remarkable legacies of issure harnessing hail from species within this bracket.
# Avenues of Creation
There are 8 main origin of creatures.
### Naturals
- Evolved: Humans, dragons, and regular animals have normal, naturally evolved origins.
- The Origin of Life: And before that? Where did life come from? The popular consensus is that, since Issure storms were increasingly stronger the further back in time you go, at some point the storms must have been so powerful that their primordial power may have spontaneously sparked life. And even before that - stronger still - responsible for the creation of the mass making up the planet itself in a cosmic event known as Issure Prime. This academic theory is known as issurism, its proponents called issurists.
### Beastkin
- Ascended Species / Manakin: The ascended are the ones that the dragons evolved through magically altering eggs, thus all ascended species are bird and reptilian like. Due to their dragon ties, they've a strong affinity for magic are are dubbed "manakin". By around the end of the Draconic Age, the issure phenomenon had become too weak to continue this ritual. Ascended races are believed to be what a species would have evolved into naturally if time could fast-forward, and thus, some species appear so different that they do not resemble their original species.
- Inspirited Species / Spiritkin: Unlike the ascended, who were evolved by dragons, inspirited species originated from the union of a human and a mammalian feral through the use of powerful issure magic during a storm. A notable quirk of this ritual-born origin is a permanent genetic gender bias: the offspring’s lineage is heavily weighted toward the gender of the original ritual performer. Because many target feral species were too small to safely gestate a larger beastkin infant, human females were almost exclusively used as the biological carriers for smaller-statured races. As a result, species such as the fenn, opopi, and chirling are overwhelmingly female (often by a factor of 8-to-1).
- The pipin exception: The pipin represent a singular anomaly in Midrian history. They originated not from a human union, but from a rare faerixi-owl joining - a feat of issure arcany considered remarkable due to the crossing of entirely different animal kingdoms (mammal and avian). The ritual was performed by a legendary faerixi ritualist named Pipin, for whom the race is named.
- Transcended Species / Hybrids: The ability to perform Inspiritment Rituals tapered off throughout the Calamitous Age, and was replaced with a new ritual known as Transcendence - the live fusion of woman and feral. They are monogendered, always female, and the only set of species able to crossbreed with humans as they rely on them to propagate. Hybrids are magically neutral (cannot conduct raw forms magic, thus breath or it being harmed by raw magic spells). A "derived transcended" is where one half of the hybrid becomes dominant in the bloodline, such as how nagas came from lamias.
### Uplifted Forms
- Ferals: Refers to uplifted animals, having increased empathy such that they are able to better interact with humans in a carnal way. Unlike beastkin, whom have an anthro-like body, ferals are regular, natural quadrupeds still. The uplifting is the result of animals spending generations around druids during the Druidic Age, a process known as Empathification.
- High Ferals: A level of intelligence that sits in between feral and sovereign. High ferals use the same Empathification technique, except it was performed by the dragons instead. They can understand speech, but are limited to body or sign language in return. In most kingdoms, high ferals enjoy a type of quasi-citizenship role with judicial protections (and consequences).
- Resurrected Ferals: The dragons of the Lost Age practiced revival rituals, bringing some dinosaurs back to life. Back then, issure storms were as strong as ever. The ability to do this became impractical by the Draconic Age.
- Golems and Constructs: A ritual known as red minding is used to give life to inanimate objects. It is how skeletons, calamites, treants and other unusual pseudo-lifeforms exist. It is named after red magic - the instructive half of magical power.
# Alterations of Life
While major issure storms have resulted in the creation of entirely new species, minor storms have been used for some one-off projects.
- Non-hereditary: Larger alterations beyond the capability of naturalizing or reproduction.
- Generative Morphology: The transmutation of the anatomy is among the most well known within issure arts, dating back as far as records allow. These rituals focus on the reconfiguration of the genitalia - granting the dual-nature of the hermaphrodite, the transition of sex, or the refinement of one’s size and volume.
- Entomological Gigantism: While such workings remain rare, specialized rites performed upon insectoid larvae have birthed specimens of monstrous proportions. Most notable among these are the great-mantises, towering carapaced creatures whose size matches that of any forest beast, achieved through the arcane acceleration of their molting cycles.
- Hereditary: Minor alterations of simplistic enough nature that they permeate down to offspring.
- Chromatic Ocular Variation: Certain lineages of beastkin exhibit a vivid spectrum of ocular hues beyond the natural norm. These lineages may bear irises of striking crimson, coral-pink, amber-orange, or even those born with an abyssal sclera, where the white of the eye is entirely replaced by a void-like black.
- Ciliary Legacy: Though biologically foreign to their cold-blooded ancestors, many reptilian species now possess fringed eyelashes. Over the eons, this modification has bled so thoroughly into the ancestral bloodlines that it is no longer a mark of magic, but a ubiquitous feature of their kind.
- Derma Mutations: These rituals, believed to have been enacted by dragons during the Lost Age, are most evident in the contrasting forms of the feathery shirrows and scaly shirroks. Scholars can only speculate which lineage emerged first; alterations of this magnitude are considered far beyond the reach of today’s minor storms.
| Race Name | Based on Species | Type | Red Bias | Affinity | Size |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Aevik | Unknown bird | Ascended | 75 | 3.0 | 6' |
| Caprille | Goat | Inspirited | 35 | 1.0 | 6' |
| Centaur | Horse | Transcended | N/A | 0 | 4' 5" at withers |
| Chirling | Bat | Inspirited | 20 | 0.8 | 4' 2", no hands |
| Corvin | Raven | Ascended | 80 | 3.4 | 5' 5" |
| Dhinalel | Unknown lizard | Ascended | 65 | 1.8 | 5' 10" |
| Dragon | N/A | Evolved | 55 | 900 | 4' 6" at withers, 8" at head |
| Faerixi | Fennec Fox | Inspirited | 45 | 1.0 | 5' |
| Fenn | Rat | Inspirited | 25 | 0.8 | 4' 6" |
| Fenrathi | Wolf | Inspirited | 40 | 1.0 | 6' 5" |
| Feylinn | Lynx | Inspirited | 15 | 0.6 | 5' 4" |
| Feylodon | Smilodon | Inspirited | 20 | 0.6 | 7' |
| Folrixi | Fox | Inspirited | 40 | 1.0 | 5' 2" |
| Gnoll | Hyena | Inspirited | 55 | 1.6 | 6' 7" |
| Harpy | Eagle | Transcended | N/A | 0 | 5' 2" |
| Human | N/A | Evolved | 45 | 1.4 | 5' 10" |
| Ildari | Maned Wolf | Inspirited | 35 | 1.0 | 6' 6", long legs |
| Kobold | Unknown lizard | Ascended | 60 | 2.2 | 3' 10" |
| Kollos | Turtle | Ascended | 60 | 3.0 | 3' 6" |
| Lamia | Cobra | Transcended | N/A | 0 | 12' to 16' long, 375 lbs |
| Laplet | Rabbit | Inspirited | 60 | 1.4 | 5' |
| Lotic | Axolotl | Ascended | 80 | 3.0 | 4' |
| Murnok | Frog | Ascended | 75 | 6.2 | 3' 6", shortest |
| Naga | Cobra | Derived Transcended | N/A | 0 | 15' to 19' long, 550 lbs, can rise taller than Veskula |
| Niniwa | Red Panda | Inspirited | 45 | 1.2 | 4' 11" |
| Opopi | Opossum | Inspirited | 30 | 1.0 | 4' 5" |
| Pipin | Owl | Inspirited | 55 | 1.2 | 3' 10" |
| Quamari | Pangolin | Inspirited | 25 | 0.6 | 4' 4" |
| Servean | Serval | Transcended | N/A | 0 | 5' 6" |
| Trili | Secretary Bird | Ascended | 85 | 0.6 | 6' 2", long legs |
| Veskula | Unknown lizard | Ascended | 75 | 5.0 | 7' at head, 8' at frills, tallest beastkin |
- Red Bias: A 100 "Red Bias" denotes 100% red polarity, with 50 meaning perfect balance between blue and red magic. These are racial averages, with accuracy rounded to nearest 5. Individuality variance exists with some individuals skewing more in one direction to some extent.
- Affinity: A 1.0 affinity factor means the global average of 1 in 900 get into spellcasting. 0.5 would mean 1 in 1800. Accuracy only measured in steps of 0.2.
# Sovereign Species of Midria: Part I
This document, part 1 of 2, details the natural and ascended sovereign species of Midria.
### Glossary
- Beastkin: Umbrella term for any of the anthropomorphic animal-based races. They usually have a bipedal, humanoid body structure (except nagas).
- Sovereign species: Refers to all species of human-level intelligence (humans, beastkin, dragons).
- Interspecies: Refers to trysts between the sovereign species.
### Individual Agency vs. Cultural Archetype
While Midrian lore often highlights specific races for certain mastery - such as the murnoks' reputation for arcane brilliance - these descriptions identify cultural trends and notable exceptions rather than biological absolutes. In reality, every sovereign species exhibits a full spectrum of personal ambition and capability. For every world-renowned arcanist, there are thousands of their kin who lead humble, essential lives as laborers, merchants, or artisans, contributing to society in ways that are no less vital for being ordinary. Readers should view racial lore as a guide to a culture's most celebrated heights, not as a limitation on an individual's potential or daily reality.
# Humans
- Overview
- Class: Evolved
- Anatomy:
- Males:
- Height: 5' 10"
- Weight: 185 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 5' 6"
- Weight: 145 lbs
- Red bias: 45
- Reproduction: Humans are noted for their ability to crossbreed with certain monogendered species, such as lamias and nagas, who rely on humans to propagate their lineage.
- Sexual Dimorphism: [WIP]
- History: During the prehistoric Lost Age, ancient humanity was contained primarily to the Castin Coast. In the subsequent Draconic Age, they lived under the rule of benevolent dragons, and through thousands of years of exposure, eventually inherited the biological ability to use magic. Humans are responsible for the creation of most spiritkin beastkin.
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Everywhere, but more commonly found in the Ineo Empire than anywhere else.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: Humans maintain a stable, integrated rapport with various beastkin races, always living together in mixed-species settlements. Cultural stability is bolstered through interspecies practices and shared governance.
- Linguistics
- Inean
- Dialogue protocol: Write dialogue using a grounded, rural, working-class vernacular that prioritizes phonetic flow and informal regionalisms over formal structure. Strictly avoid archaic pronouns and antiquated verb conjugations. Instead, employ unpretentious contractions, earthy terms of endearment for youth or peers, and traditional, simple variations for affirmations or denials. Use brief, punchy interjections for emphasis and flavor the speech with mild, rustic expletives and folk idioms that reflect a salt-of-the-earth, labor-worn heritage. The tone should feel warm, weathered, and colloquial, sounding like a commoner from a historical landscape rather than a high-court figure or a Shakespearean performer.
- Naming Conventions
- Common names: The name should feel like familiar peasant stock that has drifted through centuries of isolated cultural development, sounding ancient and weathered rather than entirely alien.
- First Name: A mixture of medieval era names with a subtle, fantasy touch. Rarely, some common names remain unaltered, allowing the reader to relate.
- Surname: Based on archaic English conventions - occupations, father-names, or physical traits - then apply a soft fantasy mutation such as adding a rhythmic suffix or swapping vowels.
- Nuance: On occasion, some characters may simply not have a surname, depending on their backstory.
- Old world names: Draw inspiration from Roman and Hellenistic nomenclature, preserving the rhythmic suffixes of classical antiquity while blending them with unique, elemental descriptors. This style should convey a sense of long-standing urban civilization and imperial dignity, particularly suitable for the residents of proud nobility.
- Formality: The surname may be often formatted as "of house ___".
- Nontraditional names: Humans are prone deviating from tradition and expressing their own creativity. Occasionally, some characters' names completely fall outside of cultural heritage. No examples are provided here, as this is creative license to come up with entirely new names not defined by this document.
- Wilderbelt
- Dialogue protocol: When writing for the humans of the frozen North, adopt a rugged, stoic, percussive voice characterized by brevity and weathered gravitas. Utilize archaic syntax and a vocabulary strictly rooted in natural elements and physical utility. Implement a guttural lilt through sharp contractions and truncated words to sustain a heavy, resonant atmosphere. Replace common nouns with compound, descriptive identifiers emphasizing origin or function. Ensure dialogue is direct and devoid of flowery metaphors or modernisms, favoring a timeless oral-tradition style. Prioritize weight and structural simplicity to ensure every word feels permanent and deliberate.
- Naming Conventions
- Northerner names: Construct names by grounding them in Old Norse and North Germanic roots, prioritizing sharp, hard consonants (K, T, G, R) and avoiding the "soft" rhythmic suffixes of the South. The resulting names should sound like they were carved into a frozen monolith, possessing a weight and permanence that reflects the harsh climate of the Wilderbelt.
- Surname: Patronymics, the father's name followed by "-sson" for males and "-dottir" for females.
- Titles: Extraordinary members of the community often have an earned suffix describing a feat or physical characteristic, for example "the Strong", "the Stormcaller" or "the Red".
- Clansman names: Ground names in compound descriptors of the natural world, linking the individual to a specific element, animal, or geographical feature. These names should function as miniature poems suggesting a rugged personal history without resorting to flowery Southern metaphors.
- Surname: Formatted like [noun]-[verb]er.
- Nuance: Characters often earn their surname through a deed of gravitas, replacing their birth name in public record.
# Dragons
- Overview
- Class: Evolved
- Anatomy: They possess a quadrupedal body structure, standing upon four legs like a feral, with wings sprouting from their backs. They always have a pair of ivory horns and head fins where their ears would be. They cannot naturally breathe fire, though spellcasting dragons casting from their mouths may produce a similar effect. Dragons are too heavy to fly naturally and have evolved an inherent grace employing kinetic magic to compensate.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males: Slightly smaller and less powerful than the females, more evolved for travel and mobility.
- Height: 4' 5" at withers, 7' 9" at head.
- Weight: [WIP]
- Females: Larger and more formidable, evolved to defend their kin and territory.
- Height: 4' 6" at withers, 8' at head.
- Weight: [WIP]
- Red bias: 55
- Reproduction: Draconic reproduction is defined by its rarity and biological complexity, reflecting their status as long-lived apex beings.
- Fertility: Due to the immense territorial and resource requirements of the species, evolution has favored an infrequent reproductive rhythm. A dragon’s fertility window occurs approximately once every 22 years - a duration that mirrors the time required for a wyrmling to reach adult maturity. Despite these sparse windows of fertility, draconic libido has become increasingly detached from reproductive necessity. Over generations, they have adapted to the sexually liberated climate of Midria, maintaining a high baseline for recreational intimacy that remains constant regardless of their biological cycle.
- Environmental triggers: Though the 22 year cycle is the biological standard, it remains susceptible to extraordinary environmental catalysts that can override this natural dormancy. In instances of extreme resource overabundance or a sudden, critical decline in the population, a dragon’s physiology may bypass its usual rhythm to ensure the species' continued stability.
- Biological process: As reptilian evolved species, dragons are oviparous and possess a cloaca. A standard clutch typically consists of two eggs, produced by dual functional oviducts. However, it is not uncommon for a dragon to possess only a single functional oviduct, resulting in a single-egg clutch. The interval between fertilization and laying is roughly two weeks. This period is significantly longer than that of other large oviparous creatures, such as dinosaurs, due to the intense calcification of the shell. This process results in "dragon scale" eggs that are famously resilient to cracking from mere accident. Once a clutch is laid, it requires a meticulous incubation period of twenty months before the hatchlings finally emerge.
- Sex determination: The gender of a hatchling is not a matter of chance at fertilization, but is instead governed by Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination (TSD) during the lengthy incubation period. By meticulously selecting or magically regulating the thermal environment of the nesting site, a dragoness can exert direct biological agency over the gender of her offspring. This ability to "design" the next generation is often guided by the specific ideologies or strategic agendas of a dragon’s bloodline. Consequently, gender ratios vary significantly between different draconic families; some lineages may favor a matriarchal or patriarchal skew to maintain tradition, while others purposefully leave their nests to the whims of natural thermal fluctuations as a matter of philosophical principle.
- Social significance: The arrival of a new clutch is a monumental event in society. Because successful propagation is so infrequent, the birth of a wyrmling is treated as a major milestone, often accompanied by grand, festive celebrations.
- History: They are the oldest of the sovereign races and predate humans, having accomplished great feats as far back as the Lost Age. During the Lost Age, dragons revived dinosaurs by taking advantage of powerful issure storms. In the Draconic Age (30,000 – 50,000 years ago), benevolent dragons interacted with and protected ancient humans from maligned dragon factions. They are also the creators of the ascended races (manakin), whom they evolved by magically altering eggs.
- Archetype: Benevolent protectors of the realm and welcome creatures in Midrian society.
- Gender norms: Females are the anchors of dragon society - tempered, powerful, and deeply invested in the long-term prosperity of their dens and cities. In places like Silvermist, the sun dragons are almost exclusively female, as their nature draws them to establish permanent, high-status residencies where they can indulge in the finer luxuries of life and the pursuit of carnal hedonism. Male dragons are characterized by an inherent wanderlust. Viewed by other races as a restless lot, males rarely maintain permanent hoards or territories, preferring a transient existence that spans the continent. This nomadic lifestyle serves a vital biological function, ensuring genetic diversity by preventing inbreeding within established city-states. While the females may appear regal and aloof to other races, the wandering males are often regarded as more relatable and approachable. Though they share the female’s appreciation for physical pleasures, a male dragon’s ambition is often consumed by the thrill of a journey.
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Outside of population centers, dragons traditionally occupy and develop natural shelters such as caves. Those that live in cities often occupy upper class, spacious structures.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization:
- Dragon Games: [WIP, pending rewrite] Dragonesses enjoy hosting adult games, competing their kobold minions to see which one is the best at "interacting" with any wayward adventures they can round up.
- Venery Courts: The "den" of some sun dragons scarcely resembles the stony caverns commonly found throughout Midria. Some of the dynasty dragons of Silvermist City, especially of the lesser order dynasty tier, operate venues known as venery courts, which, on the surface, appear to be nothing more than upscale taverns. However, if a patron found himself being passed from girl to girl, odds are he is quietly moving up a dragon’s chain of command. These incognito underlings screen for prowess, introducing only the most impressive partners to the dynasty dragon upstairs. Though the dragons would never publicly admit it, internal competition is the fuel driving these courts. Each dragon strives to secure the attention of the community's most acclaimed figures. Far more interested in company than coin, it is a venery court's ultimate goal to host the most renowned members under its roof.
- Sun Nights: In the social fabric of the Silvermist City, a "sun night" is a slang term for those unpredictable occasions when a sun dragonness foregoes her usual screening process and descends into a public venue for an all-encompassing carnal marathon. Driven by her bloodline’s profound aversion to solitude, she fully expects every guest to participate in her relief, meaning that entry granted by her underlings serves as a silent contract where a patron's refusal would be considered a rude social insult. The frequency of these events remains entirely at the whim of the individual dragon, as many average once a week while the most insatiable in certain khens host such gatherings nearly every day.
- Relations: [WIP]
- Bloodlines
- Sun Dragons
- Distinguishing traits: Scales of tan, yellow, beige, or gold.
- Concentration: Silvermist City and surrounding Sun Crest region.
- Sub-culture: Most commonly associated with the ruling dynasty of Silvermist City. However, "Sun Dragon" refers to a bloodline, not a specific dynasty; not all of them are part of that political racket. Despite their regal reputation, they have a strong aversion to solitude and are statistically among the most insatiable dragons one can encounter. This social drive often pushes them to reside within major population centers rather than retreating to their own micro-realms like other bloodlines do. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to find a sun dragon who goes longer than a few hours between their many daily sexual reliefs, making them a constant and lively fixture in the city's social fabric.
- Aether Dragons
- Distinguishing traits: Scales of teal, blue, or cyan.
- Concentration: Found everywhere but concentrated in coastal caves; frequently visit the capital of Eynic.
- Sub-culture: Known for their intellectual disposition and their interest in sharing arcane theory with other races. Many scholars suspect an aether dragon was responsible for the creation of the veskula, though this remains purely speculation. They are one of the more common types of dragons found visiting Eynic, and an aether dragon has served as the reigning Emperor’s spouse quite a few times throughout history. Outside of the capital, they may be found everywhere, but are most concentrated in coastal caves. A typical aether dragon resides with a small retinue of around six kobolds, though other races are occasionally found among their households. As intellectuals, their homes often include impressive studies; they are considered the finest historians of their kind and can regale visitors with all manner of draconic folklore, both of the academic and perverse variety.
- Cloud Dragons
- Distinguishing traits: Scales of white, silver, or grey, sometimes with stripes of striking color; they possess superior wing structures for flight.
- Concentration: High-altitude regions.
- Sub-culture: This bloodline has refined their aerial skills further than others, sporting superior wing structures and holding every record for high-altitude flight. Cloud dragons who lean into these biological strengths are often found in high-altitude mountain caverns, though some still prefer the lowlands anyway. Statistically, cloud dragons are regarded as the most alluring of their species by outsiders, and they lean into this popular infatuation with a knowing, open-door policy should any visitors desire a tryst. To manage this hospitality, they typically maintain a security company of about twenty kobolds to ensure order and safety.
- Dawn Dragons
- Distinguishing traits: Scales of pink, sometimes two-toned with red scales.
- Concentration: [WIP]
- Sub-culture: Their name references not only the pink hues of dawn but also their symbolic significance in the tale of Isafix. [WIP]
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: They possess human-like intelligence or beyond and can plainly speak. [WIP]
# Kobold
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Unknown lizard
- Anatomy: Every individual sports at least one pair of ivory horns, though some may grow more. Despite their reptilian nature - characterized by a cloaca and egg-laying rather than mammalian organs - these cold-blooded creatures avoid extreme heat, preferring the cool, stable temperatures of their ancestral subterranean homes.
- Height: 3' 10"
- Weight: 40 - 50 lbs
- Sexual Dimorphism: Females have slightly broader hips for egg-bearing and narrower shoulders, but other than that, non-kobolds often struggle to tell them apart at a glance, and both share a similar voice pitch.
- Red bias: 60
- Reproduction: Often jokingly referred to as the "chickens of the reptile world," kobolds are a remarkably fecund egg-laying species capable of rapid population growth. In ages past, this high fertility led to internal strife and tribal wars; however, as their society matured, they adopted sophisticated social policies and medicinal methods via carnal alchemy to temporarily pause fertility and manage growth without the need for abstinence.
- History: Ancient dragons, anticipating the eventual departure of humans and their kin, sought to create a loyal reptilian race to maintain their influence and provide companionship. While the creation of the veskula was a preliminary attempt at this goal, the two species failed to establish a profound connection, leading to a second, more successful ascension: the kobolds. Engineered with an innate, drone-like drive to serve the powerful, kobolds were perfectly suited as draconic underlings. While scholars lack credible records regarding the specific dragon or the exact base species used for their ascension - a common mystery among ascended races compared to the more obvious origins of the inspirited - patchy folklore suggests they were derived from an extinct type of protodrake. For generations, kobolds lived as devoted servants within draconic domains and emerging human realms alike. As they eventually outlived their draconic masters, these former underlings claimed the abandoned territories of their lords, evolving into the autonomous, tribal societies seen in the current age.
- Archetype: Defined by an innate, drone-like industriousness, kobolds find profound fulfillment in serving a collective purpose - whether coordinating vast infrastructure projects like sewer systems or aiding households as devoted "house lizards" - prioritizing the satisfaction of purpose over material wealth. In tactical engagements, they leverage this inherent coordination to excel in specialized flanking and support roles, favoring disciplined maneuvers that ensure the success of the greater unit.
- Gender norms: While the species maintains a natural 50/50 gender ratio at birth, the higher fatality rate associated with the reckless, impulsive lifestyles of males often tips the adult population balance toward females.
- Societal Structure: It is estimated that the global kobold population is divided evenly between traditional tribes and imperial, mixed-species settlements. Significant demographic fluidity exists between the two; while overpopulation frequently drives tribal kobolds into the empire, a curious few choose to leave imperial life for the wilds. This constant cultural exchange is likely why kobolds have so readily embraced their unique dialect, viewing their linguistic quirks as a normalized standard rather than a broken tongue.
- Integrated Kobolds
- Habitation: Multi-species settlements in temperate and cooler climates.
- Economics: Kobolds are disproportionately found within the lower class and often exhibit impulsive spending habits - particularly among males - favoring immediate comforts like food and drink over the acquisition of material goods or quality equipment. There are exceptions, of course; if you see a well-dressed or equipped kobold, they may be serving in specialized roles such as alchemists, artificers, or consultants of imperial mines, certainly a cut above their common kin. Many maintain a nomadic existence as roaming performers or seasonal laborers, moving between settlements to fill workforce shortfalls while bypassing the costs of permanent residency.
- Organization: Integrated kobolds are seldom found running grand, organized guilds or networks of their own. Rather, they fit into pre-existing organizations and institutions instead. But, some notable exceptions exist.
- Krevories: While tribal clans provide communal childcare as a matter of course, integrated kobolds living in multi-species urban centers lack such a network, necessitating the rise of commercialized clutch-raising organizations known as krevories, or what non-kobolds simply call "hatcheries." These groups manage the upbringing of young kobolds for a fee, catering to individuals whose obligations or lack of a local clan preclude traditional rearing methods. Beyond standard nursery services, these organizations provide specialized egg-probing to verify fertility - a practical necessity given the species' frequent, informal sexual habits that can make tracking viable clutches difficult. To mitigate the risks of accidental inbreeding in fragmented urban populations, these groups also maintain rigorous genealogical records, serving as a vital reference for kobolds who may not otherwise know their biological lineage.
- The Triad System: Central to this professional upbringing is the cultivation of the triad, reflecting the common Midrian adage that "kobolds always come in threes". Much like the fenn, juvenile kobolds form bonds with their peers; consequently, they are organized into groups of three that serve as their primary social unit throughout their lives. These triads are almost always composed of the same gender and are strictly non-familial to ensure a diverse social foundation. Should a member be lost, the remaining pair will typically seek out a rogue or lone kobold to restore the triad, provided there is a strong enough personal chemistry to maintain the group's internal harmony.
- Imperial Oversight: Because such a large portion of the kobold population originates from krevories, and given the significant percentage of the empire that is kobold, the Crown does not allow these organizations to operate without regulation. Krevory matrons are accustomed to the occasional imperial inspector checking in on their operations.
- Relations: Kobolds maintain an instinctual shamelessness that exceeds even the Midrian norm, viewing sexual encounters as informal, impersonal acts frequently performed in public spaces with any agreeable companion. Consequently, they rarely deviate from facilitative unions, as their rare instances of bonding or marriage are driven by a sense of fierce, protective loyalty rather than conventional mammalian concepts of romantic love.
- Tribal Kobolds
- Organization: Over time, tribal kobolds have organized a number of systems to govern their kin.
- The High Matronate: Most outsiders are familiar with the "traditional" system kobolds use when burdened by overpopulation: a group of females will split off to scout sites for a new clan, a search that may take months and involves visiting towns along the way. Upon success, this party becomes The High Matronate, a ruling council of equal power but always an odd number for tie-breaking. Male kobold immigrants soon follow, though the council’s screening process can be notorious depending on their specific needs.
- Relations: Most clans are a mixture of various bloodlines, though remote, purist clans also exist. While major colonies are self-sufficient, tiny ones of only 6 to 14 members rely on trade, usually instigating a carnal welcoming party minutes after a visitor's arrival before any actual trading begins. The underbold-dominant tribes are seldom seen on the surface and largely apathetic towards surface dwellers, though they commonly offer hospitality, if only to enjoy storytelling or exotic carnal whims.
- Bloodlines: While kobolds manifest in distinct forms, they rarely acknowledge these physical divides themselves. To a kobold, they are simply "kobold," leaving the practice of categorization to inquisitive outsiders. While kobolds may pepper their speech with informal slang to clarify when pressed, such distinctions are never held with gravity. In the eyes of their kin, to distinguish one by their bloodline is as superficial as a human identifying another solely by the color of their hair. Thus, the "names" of the bloodlines are informal labels, primarily used by outsiders.
- Overland
- Distinguishing traits: Head structure is defined by additional spikes compared to the other bloodlines. Commonly referred to as "common kobolds."
- Concentration: Primarily found on the surface.
- Underbolds
- Distinguishing traits: Marked by ears, large eyes, and a pale complexion. They cannot tolerate the bright sun during daylight hours. Their physiology is flexible; over a few years, they can adjust to surface life, which transitions their scales to more vibrant colors.
- Concentration: Deep underground tunnels, especially in the Wilderbelt.
- Seabolds
- Distinguishing traits: Marked by unique fin-like membranes where their ears would be. Alternately regarded as "trueblood kobolds" in academic circles due to bearing the closest resemblance to the head fin structure known in drakes - the theorized species they were based on - although this is only unfounded speculation.
- Concentration: Same as overland kobolds, somewhat more tolerate to the tropical heat.
- Linguistics
- Inean Kobolds
- Dialogue protocol: When writing kobold dialogue, adopt a subservient, eager-to-please persona focused on extreme productivity and minion-like compliance. Their speech must utilize a broken, simplified syntax that discards non-essential words and auxiliary verbs, resulting in blunt, functional phrases such as "What want?" or "You go there" rather than complete sentences. Kobolds refer to themselves strictly in the third person by their individual name or simply as "kobold,".
- Negative constraints: Avoid kennings and compound verbs or 'cutesy' word-pairings. Kobolds DO NOT talk like fenn.
- Linguistic quirks: If a two-syllable word's first syllable ends in "p" or "t", kobolds sometimes inject an "s" between syllables (no hyphen or dash, the modified word is simply respelled with the "s" integrated in the middle). Use sparingly as a rare personal habit affecting only several random keywords in the kobold’s personal vocabulary, only surfacing once or twice in a full conversation.
- Naming Conventions
- Common names: One or two syllable names using catchy, reptilian phonology that sounds endearing rather than hostile. Avoid sibilants, gutturals, or aggressive tones. Prioritize "bouncy" sounds using plosives (k, t, p, b), liquids (l, r), and nasals (n, m). Male names are often gender-neutral whereas female names are distinctly feminine. Ensure the output is phonetically fun to pronounce, lacks human naming conventions, and maintains a smallfolk aesthetic.
- Surname: Tribal kobolds never have a surname but would instead suffix as "of clan __".
- Circumstantial names: Repurposed names derived from common nouns, verbs, or misheard linguistic fragments that suggest a humorous or accidental origin story. Often rewritten but phonetically the same (for instance "ue" to "oo"). Implies the kobold was named after an observed behavior or a second language misunderstanding. Verb-based origins sometimes double-repeated. Focus on semantic variety and organic, creative expression of mislabeled identity, allowing for varying lengths and sounds based on the source word.
- Tribal Kobolds
- Dialogue protocol: Tribal kobolds share the same dialog and naming styles as the Inean Kobolds, but to a more exaggerated degree. While Common serves as a secondary language for trade or parley, it is spoken with a notoriously fractured grammar that renders their speech a stumbling collection of nouns and verbs; consequently, many of their kind choose to avoid the "tall-talk" altogether in favor of their own vibrant native tongue. To the ears of an uninitiated traveler, this ancestral language is a staccato blur of breathy sounds where many words begins with a distinct "yih" phonetic, creating a relentless and rhythmic "yipping cadence" that vibrates through their warrens. This peculiar reputation is further cemented by their most universal affirmation, for across every clan, the word for "yes" is quite literally "yip" - a sound that echoes as a constant, energetic reminder of their presence and their unwavering enthusiasm.
# Trili
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Secretary Bird
- Anatomy: Trili are characterized by a tall, featherweight, and lean build, supported by slim, bird-like legs that mirror their feral secretary bird counterparts. Despite the hunting prowess of their ancestors, they are not a muscular people; this physical limitation, along with their scatterbrained and easily confused "bird-brained" nature, is believed to be a result of the trili being the subjects of the very first - and likely unrefined - ascended ritual. As true avians, they possess a cloaca, lay eggs, and lack breasts, while their wings have become vestigial arms incapable of flight. This biological shift extends to their nutrition as well; like many ascended species, their diet does not strictly mirror their feral counterparts' and has evolved a broadened scope, rendering them true omnivores. Unlike the varied aevik, trili patterns are strictly black-and-white two-tone, complemented by large, expressive head crests and red or orange feathers surrounding the eyes. Their beaks and scutes range from pale yellow to desaturated grey, and they possess four fingers and anisodactyl bird feet.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 6' 2"
- Weight: 125 lbs
- Females: Referred to as "hens".
- Height: 6' 2"
- Weight: 115 lbs
- Red bias: 85
- Reproduction: Trili maintain a steady, year-round libido and reproductive capacity, supported by a natural 50/50 gender ratio. Their fertility is considered moderate, typically requiring several attempts for successful fertilization; once achieved, a hen will lay a single large egg - or rarely two - approximately four days later. Following a K-selection strategy, these eggs require a dedicated seven-month incubation period to hatch. A notable byproduct of the frequent interspecies encounters in Midrian society is the common production of infertile eggs, with highly active hens laying one roughly every five weeks. While consuming these eggs is a cultural taboo among trili, they are often sold to more pragmatic races, such as the fenn, who value them as a culinary resource. Most trili raise their offspring within the family household, though larger towns offer nursery services for those with significant civic or professional obligations.
- History: The trili are recognized as the first successful product of the ascension ritual, though scholars suggest they were preceded by several failed, unrecorded experiments. Their creation was facilitated by draconic mastery of life-shaping arts - a legacy dating back to the Lost Age when dragons utilized issure storms to revive prehistoric dinosaurs. According to folklore, the race owes its existence to a dragoness named Trilin of the southern Castin Coast peninsula, whose passion for avian life led her to maintain a vast menagerie of exotic birds gifted by her suitors, brought from far away lands. Entranced by the regal, elegant visage of the secretary bird, Trilin obsessively pursued the ritual to elevate the species into a sovereign form. The subsequent harmony between humans and trili within her realm sparked a widespread fascination among dragonkind, who viewed the creation of such legacy races as a means to diversify and strengthen their domains. Consequently, the trili have never known a solitary existence; they possess a deep-seated dependency complex and an inherent aversion to isolation, ensuring they are always found thriving alongside more dominant species.
- Archetype: Trili commonly serve as the unsung backbone of urban maintenance and service industries. Overwhelmingly populating roles as maids, cleaners, and general service workers, their ubiquitous presence in the streets of cities like Eynic - where they perform the vital task of outdoor sanitation - has earned them the colloquial nickname "featherdusters". While their naturally flighty and scatter-brained disposition often prevents them from mastering the rigors of spellcasting, those exceptional few who overcome this mental hurdle find their record-high red-biased polarity to be a significant advantage. Furthermore, trili are noted for being slightly more prone to being born as anavites than other species. In the rare instances where they engage in physical combat, they favor long-reaching polearms to maintain distance from brawnier opponents.
- Gender norms: Gender roles among the trili are fluid, with both males and females occupying the same social and professional spaces without strictly defined boundaries. While males possess a marginal advantage in physical strength, this biological difference is rarely acted upon in any meaningful way beyond a personal preference for heavier reach weaponry. Trili males are significantly more likely to join their female counterparts in adopting a bottomless fashion style compared to other males, a practice that further blurs the visual distinctions within their society.
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Multi-species settlements all across the Ineo Empire, especially urban centers demanding a larger service and cleaning labor pool.
- Economics: The trili are disproportionately concentrated within the most destitute strata of the lower class, frequently relegated to the least lucrative occupations such as municipal street cleaning. This pervasive economic fragility often necessitates a periodic reliance on Donaris for basic survival. During periods of severe financial distress, some individuals resort to harvesting and selling their own distinctive, elongated tail feathers - a desperate measure widely condemned by the trili community as an indignant sacrifice of their collective dignity. In contrast, affluent trili, particularly professional spellcasters, are known for their deep-seated commitment to communal charity. Empowered by an exceptionally high red bias, a single trili healer often functions as a fundamental pillar of the community, utilizing their substantial income to uplift and support their less fortunate kin.
- Organization:
- Beak Painting: Not unlike how some races paint their nails, trili like to paint their beaks for any number of reasons.
- Crimson Tipped: A custom where trili apply a vibrant red dye to the apex of their beaks. This striking modification serves as a generic form of personal celebration, favored both for its affordability and the way the scarlet hue stands out against their natural aesthetic. When a trili is seen with a red-tipped beak, it is a public signal that they are enjoying a night of indulgence to mark any sort of celebration - perhaps a recent windfall, a new job, or even their hatchday - and others are encouraged to inquire about the specific cause of their high spirits.
- Kresten Marks: Etched or painted tallies found on the beaks of the rare trili who pursue combative or high-risk lifestyles, with each mark representing a confirmed kill in battle. While the species is overwhelmingly associated with urban service and maintenance, these warriors utilize their beaks as a visible ledger to embolden the reputation of their kin as competent and formidable fighters. This display is a source of polarization within their society; some trili view these marks with intense pride as a defiance of their stereotype, while others find the spectacle to be obnoxious and contrary to their cultural decorum.
- Ascension Day Festival: Observed on the spring equinox of Marchen 20th, the Ascension Day Festival is a ceremonial celebration of the season’s vitality and the heritage of the manakin. Though it originated to commemorate the trili as the subjects of the first-ever ascended ritual, the holiday has expanded over time to include other bird and reptilian-like races who join in the festivities, yet the trili remain the undisputed main attraction. It is a day characterized by unbridled vanity and competitive showing-off, most famously expressed through the tradition of trili painting their beaks in an array of eccentric, often bioluminescent colors. Among non-trili populations, the event is jokingly referred to as "Crestival," a lighthearted reference to the sea of perked-up crests and bobbing feathers that dominates the jubilant, colorful crowds.
- Other Reasons: Towns throughout the empire will often have their own internal customs and festivals that the local trili there practice.
- Daughters of Trilin: The Daughters of Trilin is an exclusive, trili-only denomination of the Order of Isafix, composed of members who believe themselves to be the spiritual descendants of Trilin’s Chosen - an attribute largely defined by regal vanity. Members are held to exacting standards of elegance, characterized by meticulously pristine plumage, shapely figures, and a particular emphasis on their species' trademark long legs. While the sisterhood reveres the dragoness Trilin above all, they otherwise ascribe to the broader principles and customs of the Order of Isafix, viewing their physical perfection as a biological mandate inherited from their creator.
- Endoband Customs: It is generally assumed that the default social state of a trili is the pursuit of interspecies relations. To signal a deviation from this norm, both male and female trili may wear a small red ribbon called an endoband around their ankle to indicate a preference for same-species courtship. This signal is typically employed only as a last resort, used when an individual has exhausted potential leads within their social circles.
- Relations: Trili typically favor inclusive unions, though they occasionally enter into formal marriages, particularly when paired with human partners. This preference is deeply rooted in a pervasive dependency complex, where maintaining strong relationships with other sovereign species is treated as a functional necessity for survival. Consequently, the community exerts significant social pressure on individuals to uphold their collective reputation, and they are regarded as model citizens for their strict adherence to population mandates. Unlike more secluded races, trili eschew race-specific wards or neighborhoods, instead distributing themselves evenly among other species within their respective economic classes. While they are average participants in Midria's carnal culture, those employed in the service and cleaning sectors - such as tavern wenches or inn maids - frequently receive heightened attention. Female trili, in particular, are known for a submissive and approachable nature; in their culture, a female standing idle and maintaining eye contact serves as a direct, unspoken proposition for an immediate interspecies encounter.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: Generate trili dialogue using a vertically dynamic, multi-pitched cadence rooted in biological absolute pitch, where precise tonal frequency is as semantically vital as word choice. Employ airy, fluctuating tones with a constant, light trill. While this lilt is tempered in casual settings, exaggerate these melodic shifts during high emotion - such as passion, startle, or anger - to reflect a highly perceptive avian biology that prioritizes tonal precision over flat linguistic flow.
# Veskula
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Unknown lizard
- Anatomy: Physically imposing and elegantly lanky, the Veskula possess a tall, lean frame covered in scales of blue, teal, and cyan that transition into a pale, whitish countershading along the underbelly. Their most striking feature is a slender, foot-long neck supporting a head framed by a singular, contiguous frill; this reptilian crown begins at the jawline, sweeps up the sides of the head over the cranial dome, and droops backward while standing six inches high. Their piercing gaze is defined by vertical slit pupils and yellow irises set against abyssal black sclera. They possess five-fingered hands and digitigrade feet with four toes (one being the dewclaw). As cold-blooded reptiles, their anatomy is strictly non-mammalian, featuring a featureless chest devoid of breasts and the presence of a cloaca. Their mind is equally reptilian, defined by a singular focus that allows them to dedicate their entire psyche to a single mode or objective.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males: The necks of males are slightly shorter, as are their frills.
- Height: 6' 8", 7' 1" at frill
- Weight: 220 lbs
- Females: More defined, egg-bearing hips.
- Height: 7', 7' 6" at frill
- Weight: 225 lbs
- Red bias: 75
- Reproduction: Veskula maintain a balanced 50/50 gender ratio and follow a reptilian reproductive model, utilizing a cloaca and dual functional oviducts to produce a typical clutch of two large, soft-shelled eggs. Unlike the trili, where incompatible sex can trigger ovulation, the veskula rarely lay infertile eggs; their ten-month reproductive cycle is instead defined by a unique nine-month internal incubation period. A gravid veskula is physically distinguished by a slightly rounded abdomen. The eggs are laid only weeks before hatching. This biological rhythm is mirrored by their mental architecture, as the veskula’s signature singular focus applies directly to their libido. Rather than maintaining a persistent baseline, their sex drive is binary and compartmentalized; the shift from dutiful concentration into a sexual agenda is so total and remarkable that in adult, bawdy tavern slang, "there’s a sex lizard in there" serves as a half-serious half-joking notice to their fellow man to describe the intense, unyielding attentiveness of a partner in this headspace.
- History: The veskula stand as the second of the ascended manakin, possibly appearing during a major issure storm roughly three to five centuries after the trili. Their draconic creator remains anonymous, though folklore ascribes the feat to a contemporary of Trilin named "Veskaa" who applied the ancient rites to a lizard base that remains unknown - the process of ascension having fast-forwarded the species through eons of hypothetical evolution until its origin became unrecognizable. Although likely envisioned as draconic servants, the veskula gravitated toward humanity; their docile and easy-going temperament offered a tranquil counterpoint to the trili's perky energy. When these three races eventually drifted from draconic rule to establish their own realms, they did so together, cementing their status as the "ancient sibling races". This primeval bond endures today, as veskula and humans are almost always found living in shared settlements, provided the climate remains temperate and avoids the extremes of heat or cold.
- Archetype: Widely regarded as the finest arcanists in the land, veskula are often cited by scholars who claim that a 75 red bias provides the optimal "sweet spot" of instructional precision and raw power for a versatile range of disciplines. Their lanky, towering physiology naturally aids in managing the stresses of magic; their sheer size and the significant surface area provided by their lean builds and large head frills allow them to dissipate nulk more effectively than most. Beyond the arcane, their imposing height makes them formidable in physical roles; those lacking magical affinity are a common sight on the front lines, brandishing heavy weaponry and wearing armor. However, their cold-blooded metabolism imposes a strict limit on their stamina, making them ill-suited for the attrition of prolonged battles. While veskula are found across all sectors of labor, their natural affinity for the magical arts ensures they frequently dominate roles where arcane mastery is required.
- Gender norms: Veskula display a distinct sexual dimorphism where males are slightly shorter and smaller than their female counterparts. While their exact origin remains unknown, this hierarchy likely reflects a prehistoric reptilian system of formidable female nest defenders and mobile males, a biological similarity to the dragons. In modern society, many male veskula are driven by a pronounced provider instinct, making them far more likely than females to pursue livelihoods centered on sustenance. They are a frequent presence in fields such as hunting, gathering, gardening, and fishing, and often take great pride in the culinary arts as a means of providing for their kin.
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Their cold-blooded sensitivity positions them primarily in the temperate zones of the Ineo Empire.
- Economics: The veskula maintain an economic profile that is precisely aligned with that of humans, exhibiting a nominal distribution across all societal strata. Their formidable physical strength and methodical intelligence allow them to excel in virtually any profession, contributing to their status as one of the most influential races within the empire. They are culturally recognized for being non-impulsive and exceptionally savvy with personal finances, possessing a cold and calculating strategic mindset at every level of operation. As a result, veskula are prominently represented within the upper aristocracy and among the most dominant economic powerhouses in the realm.
- Organization: It can be assumed the veskula - with their well-integrated status, wealth and influence - run any number of ordinary guilds and organizations.
- Relations: Veskula maintain a profound and ancient rapport with humanity, rooted in a mutual attraction that has endured since the dawn of civilization. Widely regarded as docile and non-confrontational, they possess a methodical, logical disposition that favors pragmatic withdrawal from conflict over escalation. In the sphere of carnal culture, while their daily participation is statistically below average, they are known for intense periods of indulgence that command significant attention. Their approach to partnership emphasizes facilitative unions that prioritize functional stability and mutual benefit, resulting in a nuanced conceptualization of love that is often less overt than mammalian standards. Given their intellectual influence and stature, veskula have frequently occupied the highest seats of power, often holding the title of Emperor or Empress throughout the history of the Ineo Empire.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: When writing veskula dialog, employ a mellow and thoughtful voice that favors practicality over emotional sentiment. They may still express their emotions, but it is less likely to be the primary driver. Their cadence is well enunciated and of steady pace, even when stressed, and they would not speak just to fill a silence in the air - they are unbothered by it. They eschew verbal fillers and often pause before responding to fully compose their thoughts, coming across as wise and far less reactive than that of other species. If a veskula is focused on a task, their speech becomes terse and conclusive - short, efficient phrasing to reflect a one-track mind that minimizes social engagement in favor of functional precision. Though intelligent, avoid using big, scientific words - their lexicon still reflects a relatability that is grounded to the setting's time period.
- Naming conventions: Closely integrated, they use altered human names with their own reptilian spin.
- Male names: Derived from two-syllable human roots, these names replace soft or sibilant sounds with firm, percussive consonants to match their well-enunciated speech.
- Female names: These names add an extra unstressed syllable to the center of the name, maintaining the elongated vowel structure while providing a distinct, three-syllable flow.
- Surname: As practitioners of facilitative unions, the veskula's family identity is muted, instead favoring the two ends of the spectrum - individuality and greater community. Surnames are entirely individualistic and are chosen by the youth upon the completion of a civic trial, typically referencing the specific skill or virtue they contributed to the collective during the rite.
- Formality: For the practical purpose of consolidating their power and influence, veskula within the aristocrat strata will maintain relatively closer ties with one another. They will identify as "[full name] of house [ancestral surname]", referring to the legacy founder of their house.
# Murnok
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Acquatic and terrestrial frogs
- Anatomy: Murnoks are frog-based beastkin characterized by their short, slim builds, the smallest and physically weakest of the beastkin. Their appearance is diverse, with skin colors ranging across the spectrum - green, blue, orange, and black - and featuring distinct horizontal pupils. They retain a long, stretchy tongue capable of extending up to 12-14 inches (which may even then be stretched an additional 6-8), a feature often used for social amusement rather than practical necessity.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 3' 6"
- Weight: 30 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 3' 6"
- Weight: 32 lbs
- Red bias: 75
- Reproduction: Unlike their feral counterparts, murnoks do not undergo a tadpole phase, instead utilizing direct development to mature as froglets.
- History: The murnoks share a complicated history with the Ineo Empire, stemming from their role as the primary inhabitants of imperial lands prior to The Great Evacuation. While this history created significant tension thousands of years ago, modern murnoks are well-integrated into the core ten races of Ineo.
- Archetype: As an ascended race with a high red bias of 75, murnoks possess a natural affinity for complex, instructional magic. Their nominal magic adaptation rate is significantly higher than the global average, fueling a cultural reliance on the arcane to compensate for their physical frailty. They are world-renowned for their mastery of enchanting (red minding), and much of the enchanted machinery and day-to-day tools used throughout Midria are the result of murnok engineering.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Ineo heartlands. Murnoks frequently reside in twain lofts, which utilize standard horizontal floor space but feature low ceilings, allowing for double-density vertical housing that is also popular among other smallfolk.
- Economics: Due to the sensitivity of their skin, murnoks wear minimal clothing, typically favoring a single cloak with a slick lining to protect against the sun. On rainy or cloudy days, it is common for them to go without clothing entirely. Their small size provides a distinct economic advantage, as a single ryll spent on food provides significantly more sustenance compared to larger species.
- Organization:
- Relations: Generally regarded as low-energy, thoughtful, and contemplative, murnoks have earned a reputation for wisdom. They are rarely impulsive and avoid heated arguments or rowdy behavior, preferring a quiet, intellectual life. Despite this gravity, many possess a keen sense of humor. They share a close bond with the veskula, and the two species are especially seen together in arcane and academic circles.
- Bloodlines: Modern murnoks are a homologous blend of two ancestral species. While thousands of years of crossbreeding have unified the race, the lineage is still distinguishable by a lingering bloodline bias: some individuals possess webbed toes while others do not.
- Aquatic
- Distinguishing traits: Webbed toes.
- Terrestrial
- Distinguishing traits: Non-webbed toes.
# Corvin
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Raven
- Anatomy: [WIP]
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 5' 7"
- Weight: 125 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 5' 5"
- Weight: 115 lbs
- Red bias: 80
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: Make up much of the Ironplume Union's government rule and figures of authority, drawing upon their cunning to orchestrate schemes and grand agendas.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Predominately located in the Wilderbelt, with exceptional talent recruited abroad.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: Human-corvin interspecies rule is what people are most used to seeing from generation to generation. Corvin are also sometimes seen outside of the Wilderbelt with other kingdoms seeking to employ them into their court for similar reasons.
- Linguistics: [Use the trili Linguistics.]
# Dhinalel
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Unknown lizard
- Anatomy: Playfully regarded by outsiders as "medium lizards," they are shorter than veskula but taller than kobolds. They are floppy-frilled desert lizards with hard-to-read lizard faces.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males: [WIP]
- Height: 5' 10"
- Weight: [WIP]
- Females: [WIP]
- Height: 5' 10"
- Weight: [WIP]
- Red bias: 65
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: They are introverted, mellow, and quiet folk, often even more so than the veskula. Their go-with-the-flow apathetic nature drives little desire for elite positions of responsibility, leading them to live simple, humble lives.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Most live beyond the southern borders of the Ineo Empire in the Sun Crest, primarily in the city state of Silvermist (where they make up nearly half the population).
- Economics: They tend to work lower-class jobs throughout the lands.
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: They seldom travel abroad or get involved in worldly affairs. While mellow, their sub-culture is blatant and direct; they are known for shamelessly direct and unfiltered. Travelers coming into town will pick up on this quickly with lizards that have nothing better to do, loitering about the entry roads. The propositions - as if chasing after bragging rights for being first with newcomers - are as shamelessly direct as could be.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: Write dhinalel dialogue with a mellow, monotone, and apathetic tone, using a flat, weathered cadence devoid of emotional inflection. Employ shamelessly direct, unfiltered vocabulary; prioritize blatant honesty over metaphors, euphemisms, or verbal gymnastics. Keep sentences simple, humble, and leisurely paced. Frame all statements - even shocking propositions - as mundane, matter-of-fact observations to reflect a grounded, unfazed nature content with a quiet, low-stakes existence.
# Aevik
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Unknown bird
- Anatomy: Their physical appearance is so varied that the bird species they are based on is uncertain, but many scholars suspect it was the hawk.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 6'
- Weight: 125 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 6'
- Weight: 120 lbs
- Red bias: 85
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: Unlike the combat-adverse trili up north, aevik make up a bulk of the land's militant wing, and plenty don a distinct guards' uniform, patrolling the streets.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: While the avians are found all throughout Midria, Silvermist is where they have assumed the greatest role.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: [WIP]
- Linguistics: [Use the trili Linguistics.]
# Kolloss
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Tortoise
- Anatomy: Unlike their feral counterparts, they lost their ability to hide their head, so they tend to always casually wear helmets. They are relatively heavy for their short size, possessing a sturdy, stout build.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 3' 7"
- Weight: 70 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 3' 6"
- Weight: 60 lbs
- Red bias: 60
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: [WIP]
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: One of the few examples of practitioners of racial isolationism, as opposed to multi-species kingdoms, the turtlefolk choose to instead live among their own kin in subterranean settlements elsewhere throughout The Crest. Their tunnels are built for their small size, and so only the smallest of races have even seen what their underground towns look like.
- Relations: Occasionally, they'll emerge to assist the Misters with the odd threat that comes around.
# Lotic
- Overview
- Class: Ascended
- Base: Axolotl
- Anatomy: Pale and translucent in appearance, and barely confirmed to exist, many refer to them as "the ghosts of the waste". With a natural toxic resistance and fast regeneration, it's said that these folk essentially heal faster than the miasma can kill them.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 3' 10"
- Weight: 40 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 4'
- Weight: 45 lbs
- Red bias: 80
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: The one and only species that actually lives in the ghostlands would be the axolotl based beastkin. Living in underwater and subterranean havens. Separated by over a thousand miles of hazardous lowland expanse, the only reports that they even exist are secondhand reports from issure airships that periodically float over the wastelands.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: None. Every now and then, the kingdoms of Ineo raise the topic of rescuing the axolotls from the ghostlands, but so far no such effort has been successful. Cooperation with the airship city states would be required for such a venture - a diplomatic effort which remained elusive for hundreds of years.
# Sovereign Species of Midria: Part II
This document covers inspirited and transcended races.
# Ildari
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Maned Wolf
- Anatomy: Tall and lean, with long legs.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 6' 6"
- Weight: 200 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 6' 6"
- Weight: 180 lbs
- Red bias: 35
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: When someone thinks of a mercenary, they're probably picturing an ildari. With a solid reputation for reliability and competence, the nomadic ildari often find work for smaller towns acting as their security. Outside of that, it is difficult to describe any one trait or generalization. Like humans, they are a very diverse people found across the full spectrum of personalities, mannerisms and livelihoods.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Nomadic, but primarily found temperament zones. They gravitate towards Ineo in particular as there are no shortage of problems for them to help out with.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: Many belong to organized networks, rotating duty from town to town as they transfer among them. Older ildari that have concluded a cultural pilgrimage sometimes settle down and find normal employment in the various cities.
- Relations: [WIP]
# Feylinn
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Lynx
- Anatomy: Characterized by long, tufted ears and a short, expressive bobtail. Their physical builds are notably lithe and wiry, prioritizing explosive agility over raw muscular power.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 5' 7"
- Weight: 150 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 5' 4"
- Weight: 120 lbs
- Red bias: 15
- Reproduction: Like their feral counterpats, feylinn biology is polyestrous by nature. A common joke you'll often hear is "Feylinns don't go into heat. They're already in it." Unlike other sovereign species with distinct cycles, a feylinn’s receptivity is a near-constant baseline. This has led to a cultural reputation as the most sexually active of the beastkin; it is entirely unremarkable for an individual to engage in ten or more intimate encounters within a single day. Like many inspirited beastkin their size, the population harbors a 1:3 male-to-female ratio.
- History: Folklore suggests feylinn were the very first of the inspirited races to be brought into sovereignty. Their creation was a point of contention during the Druidic Age; the druids of the time were notoriously hesitant to inspirit feline ferals. The feylinn lineage was thought to be the work of a rogue, unaligned druid working beyond the borders of druidic law.
- Archetype: In combat, they are the "glass cannons" of Midria. They possess a 15 Red Bias - the bluest in the known world - which grants them a natural aptitude for devastatingly sharp offensive magic. However, because they possess a low overall magical affinity, the quantity of these deep-blue mages are far and few between. Elsewhere, martial feylinn rely on highly mobile combat style, employing in-and-out strikes using long slashing weapons like glaives.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: They are found across Myn, though they congregate most heavily in urban centers like Eynic and the temperate regions of the Ineo Empire.
- Economics: Their natural charisma and graceful movement make them ideal candidates for public-facing and service-oriented roles. They are frequently found as tavern staff, hospitality experts, and personal servants. Despite this, a large percentage of the feylinn population remains integrated into the rural peasant class, where they work as laborers.
- Organization: The feylinn subculture has organized a number of different practices. Not all feylinn participate the subculture.
- The Vaelust Collective: Primarily centered in the imperial capital of Eynic, the Vaelust Collective is a formalized, guild-like organization that leans into the Midrian value of viewing extensive sexual histories as a mark of social prestige. Participants receive "kyn-glyphs," which are small, shallow runic etchings placed on the hips, midriff, or inner thighs which function as passive arcane monitors to validate sexual activity. When specific activity thresholds are met, the runes will begin to glow, serving as a visible, undeniable testimony of the wearer's promiscuous lifestyle. With 10 glyphs, each representing 100 rounds, the title of "Millinn" is reserved for members who have fully illuminated all 10 runes, signifying a staggering four-digit sexual encounter count accumulated over the course of a single season (averaging about 11 rounds per day). While it's a feylinn-founded organization, they actively welcome the competition of other races, albeit in a less formal manner compared to core feylinn members.
- Scrative Maps: In contrast to the public boasting of the Vaelust Collective, some feylinn circles practice the "Scrative Map," a more clandestine and personal method of marking their sexcapades. Utilizing their natural claws, a feylinn will leave a shallow, distinctive signature scratch on the exterior of a building after the first sexual encounter. Feylinn follow a hidden, intuitive system for placement, ensuring that these marks are clustered together in specific areas. Over years, a single building may become a "map" of signatures from various feylinn, though the marks are subtle enough that the property owner may never notice them. In keeping with the playful and often mischievous nature of the species, feylinn generally do not reveal these marks to the owner. However, for very close friends or long-term partners, a feylinn might perform a "playful reveal," pointing out the hidden history etched into the stone or wood of the owner's own home.
- Relations: Generally regarded as frisky and flirtatious, they have a lust-first love-later reputation and statistically difficult to "lock down" into anything other than facilitative unions (partnerships). The "House Cat" stereotype is one many are used to dealing with, either out of annoyance or welcome embrace.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: Feylinn speech is exceptionally inviting and soft-spoken, designed to put others at ease. Every once in awhile, they possess a habit of phrasing observations as curious questions, as if they are constantly seeking confirmation of the world around them, and some pepper their speech with made-up expressions regarding luck and weather-inspired concepts (don't overdo it).
- Naming conventions: Names are derived from phonetic sounds found in the vast southern grasslands, utilizing soft vowels and rolling consonants.
- Male names: Bold and resonant, often featuring strong "Z" or "K" sounds.
- Female names: Alluring and flowing, often ending in "ah" or "ee" sounds.
- Surname: Favoring individuality over lineage, they use "Vocation Title," instead of traditional surname - a self-appointed descriptor of the feylinn's current passion or trade. These names are shed and replaced whenever a feylinn feels they have entered a new chapter of their life.
# Folrixi
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Various foxes
- Anatomy: They possess a lean, dexterous build, with red fur being the most prevalent, but various bloodlines exhibit coats of white, gold, or silver.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 5' 5"
- Weight: 135 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 5' 2"
- Weight: 110 lbs
- Red bias: 40
- Reproduction: The folrixi possess a complex biological history, having been introduced to the world through multiple independent issure events by different factions. This non-natural origin has resulted in an anatomical quirk where certain bloodlines are reproductively incompatible with one another. This is meticulously documented in a text known as The Telling, though folrixi sub-culture often uses this information for recreational purposes, seeking out incompatible partners to indulge in consequence-free intimacy. Despite their civilized status, they have retained their heat cycle, which, when combined with a naturally high daily libido, makes them among the most promiscuous beastkin. Their populations generally maintain a 1:3 female bias, though this varies by region.
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: Professionally, they are as versatile as humans, though they show a marked cultural lean toward excelling in archery. As a race with a relatively balanced red bias ratio, they are also among the few species with the specific biological polarity required to occasionally dabble in the complexities of issure rituals. Their natural charm and social grace often see them rising to high-ranking positions, having served as Emperors, Empresses, or royal consorts many times throughout history.
- Gender norms: While females often indulge in casual trysts with whoever they cross paths with while passively searching for that special someone - often multiple times per day - males tend to dedicate their focus more quickly toward serious, monogamous relations.
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Everywhere.
- Economics: Socially, the folrixi - and particularly the vixens - are pioneers of fashion and vanity, frequently utilizing chromamancy services to stand out.
- Organization: The folrixi are known for managing a couple of prestigious organizations:
- The Blood Scribes: They are a formal, crown-funded institution headquartered in the Imperial Capital of Eynic, operating as a specialized census bureau and genealogical authority exclusively for the folrixi. Their primary mandate is the meticulous management and expansion of The Telling, a comprehensive historical record that tracks the complex lineage and coat variations of their species across the Ineo Empire. Beyond simple record-keeping, the scribes serve as a vital resource for folrixi who are disconnected from their ancestry, utilizing sensory analysis and archival data to help individuals identify their specific bloodline. The organization also monitors the biological health and frequency of these lineages, proactively issuing public advisories to the folrixi community to encourage specific sexual behaviors or inter-coloration trysts when a particular bloodline is in danger of thinning.
- The Jointure Guild: Managed and predominantly staffed by the folrixi, The Jointure Guild is a prestigious collective of architects and spatial designers renowned for their mastery in crafting inclusive environments within Ineo. Their expertise spans the design of everything from private chambers and sprawling public parks to grand venues, with a specialized focus on ensuring that these spaces are ergonomically and socially accessible to Midria’s diverse array of species. The guild is particularly esteemed for its alluring and lascivious design philosophy, frequently commissioned to create fervorias. By blending functional multi-species utility with a sensory-rich aesthetic, the folrixi of The Jointure Guild play a vital role in maintaining the empire's social cohesion and liberated lifestyle.
- Relations: In matters of union, folrixi are more likely to pursue formal marriage than many other species, perhaps owing to their feral counterparts' monogamous nature. When interacting with humans, they possess a unique anatomical perspective on affection; because they do not "kiss" in a human fashion, they find human attempts to kiss their snouts to be amusing, weird, or "exotic," though they generally play along with endearing patience.
- Bloodlines: At the academic level, the folrixi are a collection of different species with superficial differences. Their bloodlines are documented in The Telling, though generally only amount to fur color, biological compatibility and minor variances of stature. At times, in formal exchange, a folrixi of the Lyr bloodline may declare themselves as "Lyrixi".
- Lyrixi
- Distinguishing traits: Red or near-red fur.
- Concentration: Ineo heartlands.
- Sub-culture: The most dominant example of their kin, it's what most people think of when you mention folrixi.
- Faerixi
- Distinguishing traits: Based on the fennec fox, they stand out more than the other bloodlines, very clearly obvious what their base species was. They are a couple inches shorter, and have a moderately higher red bias of 45.
- Concentration: Warmer climates, especially Sun Crest.
- Sub-culture: Their busy-body high energy style lends to an ambitiousness that has put them in the majority power in Silvermist after the dragons.
- "Ilrixi": An informal label given to the ildari. Some scholars categorize them as part of the folrixi family, but most ildari reject this claim, proud of their drastically unique racial identity compared to their other fox cousins.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: Folrixi speech mirrors the structure and vocabulary of Inean humans but is distinguished by a pervasive, magnetic grace. Their dialogue should be written with an effortless charm, utilizing a smooth and persuasive cadence that makes even casual interactions feel intimate or inviting. They possess a natural social fluidity, avoiding harsh or percussive tones in favor of a melodic, confident delivery that enhances their inherent appeal.
- Naming conventions: Closely integrated, they use altered human names with their own vulpine spin.
- Male names: These names should be constructed to imply a sharp wit and a playful, subtle slyness. The phonetics should feel light and agile, blending human-like naming foundations with sleek, elegant sounds that evoke the image of a clever and quick-minded individual.
- Female names: These names focus on a rhythmic, alluring aesthetic designed to project a sense of moxie and significant sex appeal. The construction should combine sophisticated human elegance with soft, captivating sounds that suggest a confident and magnetically attractive personality.
- Surname: Reflecting their deep integration into Inean society and their cultural idealization of the family unit, they utilize standard human-style hereditary surnames. These names signify lineage and ancestral legacy, reinforcing their status as established citizens within the Empire.
# Fenn
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Rat
- Anatomy: They have fur of grey, white, black, and browns, roughly in that order of distribution. Notably the fenn have purposely and selectively bred rare mutations into commonality such as pink, red and orange eyes, and even black scleras. Their baseline height and size has gradually increased compared to their ancestors.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 4' 6"
- Weight: 70
- Females: Slightly more bottom-heavy with wider hips and thighs.
- Height: 4' 6"
- Weight: 65
- Red bias: 25
- Reproduction: The fenn are keenly aware that constant proximity to their own males in such a promiscuous global culture would likely result in near-constant pregnancy. While some embrace this lifestyle, others are driven by the ambitious nature of their race and view the rearing of young as a hindrance to their personal or professional goals. Consequently, some groups practice a form of casual gender segregation, living in separate buildings, districts, or even entire towns. Their physical needs are instead typically met through consequence-free, interspecies hookups.
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: As one of the smaller mammalian, inspirited-type beastkin, the fenn are overwhelmingly female. This gender imbalance - dominating their kin by a factor of eight to one - is a permanent genetic trait rooted in their unnatural, ritual-born origins. This numerical advantage has allowed them to establish a pervasive matriarchal climate within their sub-culture. Male fenn often live a cushier life and are regarded as jovial, high-spirited "drinking buddies" by other men. Despite the interspecies culture fixation, many devote a disproportionately large portion waking hours engaged in carnal activities due to their high demand, especially if they have desirable traits. Many fenn females often adopt a pragmatic view of offspring, seeking to improve their race through stronger bloodlines.
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Found everywhere.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: The fenn are ordered into a large number of factions, some of which are powerful allies to the crown, offering their unique talents, whereas others are much more self-serving. With close to a hundred thousand ratkin living in the imperial capital city of Eynic, fenn sub-society of Midria is largely defined by how they operate here. While they interact and work with non-ratkin throughout the day - a defining trait of being classified as a core integrated race - they still find time to do their own thing as a subcommunity. Most ratkin congregate in high-density wards, favoring cramped, utilitarian architecture that other races find unbearable. This efficiency allows their massive population to maintain a remarkably small urban footprint. To fuel their communal ambitions, they internally tax themselves through a network of factions. These factions rely on a tiered hierarchy, at the bottom of which sits the kritt: a tight-knit cell of 4-7 members who bonded during their juvenile stage in communal nests. While kritts may prefer to run their own ventures, many are simply employed as a package deal. They bring a diverse suite of skills to the table, perhaps handling a merchant’s labor, accounting, and security all in one contract. While only about a third of ratkin officially join the faction system, this level of racial unity is still remarkable. Unaffiliated ratkin are often viewed as a lower class by their peers, lacking the protection and resources of the network. To compensate, many of these independent rats find their own way by conspiring with other races, weaving themselves into the fabric of the city outside of traditional ratkin borders.
- Nuance: While -ti (3) and -vel (6-7) denote specific sizes, the 4-to-5 member -va suffix is so prevalent that non-ratkin often use the misnomer "kritt-va" for any cell, regardless of its size.
- Relations: The fenn are a tightly communal folk who prioritize the collective over the individual. They are known to share nearly every aspect of daily life - sleeping, eating, and carnal interests - within their social groups. This cultural closeness means that an outsider is far more likely to be swept into a "group activity" than a one-on-one encounter if the opportunity presents itself. It is not uncommon to see groups loitering about, shamelessly indulging in vices like smoking, drinking, and sex, often bearing visible evidence of casual trysts with passing strangers. Just the same, many aspire to be well informed, and as such, you will often see them networking in the still designations. If your social circle includes a ratkin, they're often the one that says they "know a guy" for whatever obstacle comes up.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: Apply this style EXCLUSIVELY to fenn characters, not other speakers. For fenn speech, capture the obsessive nature by employing a nervous, twitchy vocal style. This dialect occasionally includes a habit where fenn conclude thoughts or seek agreement through confirmation phrases, such as "yes yes?" or "no no," which should be used to emphasize their eager or underlying paranoia. The fenn consistently view themselves through a detached, collective lens, frequently utilizing third-person self-reference. Grammatically, their speech is informal and slightly fragmented, often substituting "you's" for "you are" or "you all," or "they's" for "they are", creating a vernacular that feels unpolished and hurried. The aim is to create a sense of breathless momentum where every sentence feels like it’s being whispered or squeaked in a dark corner.
- Naming conventions: Fenn nomenclature utilizes percussive, high-frequency phonetics to evoke a skittering, resourceful culture. The overall phonetic profile avoids visceral or hostile sounds, prioritizing rhythmic, energetic, and whimsical constructions that reflect a scavenger aesthetic without being abrasive.
- Male names: Male names are exclusively a single syllable, featuring sharp consonant blends or reinforced terminal double-consonants, frequently deriving from utilitarian nouns or tactile objects.
- Female names: Female names are usually two syllables, characterized by a quirky, endearing cadence; these utilize either a terminal open vowel or a reduplicative internal structure where syllables repeat identically.
- Surname: Often fenn do not have a surname, it is optional. If they do, it's generally a mnemonic portmanteau of the time and place they were born, for example Renpal (born in Renford, month of Serepal).
- Formality: If part of a kritt, they may formally append a suffix title "of kritt-va ___".
# Caprille
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Goat
- Anatomy: [WIP]
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 6' 1"
- Weight: 190
- Females:
- Height: 6'
- Weight: 160
- Red bias: 35
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: Given their tall and strong-headed, confident nature, they common make up the militant arm of The Ironplume Union.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Predominately located in the Wilderbelt.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: [WIP]
# Pipin
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Owl
- Anatomy: These lightweight beings possess zygodactyl feet and bird-like legs, yet they lack wings entirely. Their proportions are relatively "bottom heavy," characterized by wide hips and thighs paired with a petite torso and narrow shoulders. Their plumage is predominantly composed of snowy white feathers, though rare brown-feathered bloodlines persist. Biologically, they exhibit a hybrid anatomy: they possess mammalian-like reproductive organs inherited from their faerixi ancestry, while their upper half remains avian, lacking breasts.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 3' 11" head, 4' 3" ears
- Weight: 45 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 3' 10" head, 4' 2" ears
- Weight: 40 lbs
- Red bias: 55
- Reproduction: They have a 1:3 female-to-male gender bias, considered moderate by smallfolk standards.
- History: The pipin are a unique race of smallfolk in Midria, representing a rare exception among the inspirited beastkin as a non-mammalian lineage. Born from an issure ritual that fused the essence of a faerixi with a feral owl, they are the living legacy of the legendary faerixi ritualist named Pipin to which the race was named after.
- Archetype: Despite their small stature, pipin are defined by an irrepressible, high-energy personality and a fearless spirit. Inheriting the perky and ambitious temperament of the faerixi, they are known to face opponents far larger than themselves without hesitation. Their exceptional vision makes them the realm’s premier lookout scouts, a role they frequently fulfill during the annual winter culls in the Wilderbelt. Beyond their reputation as couriers and scouts, pipin are a diverse people who find success in nearly every livelihood across the continent.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: While they are naturally acclimated to the frozen north, they can be found across all major regions of Midria. Culturally, the pipin are highly adaptable, often assimilating into the customs of the mixed-species towns they inhabit, though many prefer solitary lives as hospitable hermits in the wilderness.
- Economics: Like all beastkin of feather, they are adverse to clothes, disliking how it muses their plumage; most just wear a cape or cloak over their backside and a few odd accessories to complete their personal vanity.
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: They are most famously associated with "The Pipin Post," a massive continental courier enterprise founded by a successful pipin entrepreneur. While this post-office network employs various races - most notably the chirling - the tradition of pipin leadership remains strong.
# Opopi
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Opossum
- Anatomy: At a passing glance, the opopi may be mistaken for the rat-like fenn. But their short stature and rodent body shaping is about all these two have in common.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 4' 5"
- Weight: 62
- Females:
- Height: 4' 5"
- Weight: 59
- Red bias: 30
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Whereas the fenn are known as urban dwellers, numerous, cunning and ambitious, the opopi are nature loving, fewer in number, and content with a quiet, laid-back lifestyle.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: They are drawn to kind-hearted, good people and fall into alignment with the charismatic nature of the laplets and niniwas to whom they primarily live with.
# Laplet
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Rabbit
- Anatomy: [WIP]
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: [WIP]
- Weight: [WIP]
- Females:
- Height: 5'
- Weight: [WIP]
- Red bias: 60
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: The most red-biased of the inspirited races, combined with their intelligence they compete with the avians in the art of healing.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Everywhere, but most commonly found in Wilderbelt. Of the ones in Ineo, they are mostly found in rural farming towns.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: Many high ranking members of the Order of Isafix are laplets.
# Niniwa
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Red Panda
- Anatomy: These beastkin are characterized by their ringed tails and thick, lush fur.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: [WIP]
- Weight: [WIP]
- Females:
- Height: 4' 11"
- Weight: [WIP]
- Red bias: 45
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Most commonly found in the Wilderbelt, but can be found everywhere.
- Economics: In the field of carnal alchemy, some of the most high quality sought after products are producted by the niniwa.
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: [WIP]
# Fenrathi
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Wolf
- Anatomy: Large, athletic wolf-based beastkin.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: [WIP]
- Weight: [WIP]
- Females:
- Height: 6' 5"
- Weight: [WIP]
- Red bias: 40
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Most commonly found in the Wilderbelt and affiliated with the Dire Clans.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: [WIP]
# Feylodon
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Smilodon
- Anatomy: These smilodon-based beastkin are the largest of the inspirited types.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 7'
- Weight: 260 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 6' 11"
- Weight: 240 lbs
- Red bias: 20
- Reproduction: Since larger species have less gender imbalance, they are close to 50/50 like normal.
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: [WIP]
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: [WIP]
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: As a very large and powerful folk that is acclimated to the cold, Ineo often attempts to recruit them from the Wilderbelt for their annual winter culls, especially to help counter their lack of naga participation.
# Chirling
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Bat
- Anatomy: Bat-based beastkin characterized primarily by the fact that they do not have hands. With impressive wing spans and a lightweight build, they are the only beastkin race capable of natural flight.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 4' 1"
- Weight: 45 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 4' 2"
- Weight: 50 lbs
- Red bias: 20
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: Evolved and adapted to form symbiotic relations with other races.
- Archetype: Messengers or scouts, though its a saturated market and only a few land these roles. Aside from that, because of their cordiality, they often serve as natural emissaries and the face of their liege. Historically, they are the only ground folk allowed to talk to the issure airship city states and exchange information.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Most batkin would prefer to live in Silvermist if given the choice, but are unfortunately priced out of residency. Instead, many are survivalists living throughout the greater wilderness.
- Economics: Usually very poor due to their limited biology. But the few that snatch the limited jobs suitable for their biological strengths do well for themselves.
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: They are some of the nicest, most polite folk you'll meet in the lands. They have a "favor-asking" reputation and are known for being especially social and quick to make friends should the opportunity present itself. The bats rely on symbiotic relationships with hand-having species in order to function in society. They employ a generous network of friends to help them with various, albeit mundane tasks.
- Linguistics
- Dialogue protocol: Write chirling dialogue using an exceptionally polite, winsome, and diplomatic tone. Employ a swift, rhythmic cadence rich in honorifics, gratitude, and soft phrasing to project a trustworthy, endearing reputation. Frame requests as warm, symbiotic partnerships rather than burdens, emphasizing verbal dexterity to compensate for their lack of hands. Maintain a polished, social warmth that contrasts with rugged environments, serving as agile emissaries who avoid bluntness while forging bonds with "hand-having" travelers.
# Gnoll
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Hyena
- Anatomy: [WIP]
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 6' 5"
- Weight: 180 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 6' 7"
- Weight: 205 lbs
- Red bias: 55
- Reproduction: [WIP]
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: Few know the secrets of the desert better than the gnolls.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: Though the odd gnoll may be seen living in the city from time to time, most live in tribal settlements wherever water may be found. These villages often act as rest stops for caravans and travelers trying to pass through the desert, in need of water and supplies.
- Economics: [WIP]
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: The gnolls are an oddly secretive bunch and will typically wear a mask around strangers or in public.
# Quamri
- Overview
- Class: Inspirited
- Base: Pangolin
- Anatomy: Among the toughest of smallfolk, they deceptively strong for their small stature, to the point that they've been known to win token bets by challenging stray, ignorant travelers to feats of strength such as arm wrestling.
- Sexual Dimorphism
- Males:
- Height: 4' 5"
- Weight: 70 lbs
- Females:
- Height: 4' 4"
- Weight: 65 lbs
- Red bias: 25
- Reproduction: Absurdly low fertility, rendering them a rare race.
- History: [WIP]
- Archetype: Solitary folk of a mercenary culture and not aligned with any one settlement.
- Gender norms: [WIP]
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: One of the few denizens of western wastelands - a vast, dangerous expanse wrecked by the Calamitous Age that few would want to call home.
- Economics: The frontier forts of the waste pay good coin to keep what few are around, and even go as far as poaching talent from other forts.
- Organization: [WIP]
- Relations: [WIP]
# Serpentean (Naga & Lamia)
- Overview
- Class: Transcended
- Base: Cobra
- Anatomy: Physiologically, serpenteans are a curious, non-natural hybrid of human and cobra, resulting in a mesothermic biology that sits between warm and cold-blooded. But while this heritage hardens them against the chill of winter, their serpentine locomotion makes heavy clothing impractical, and slithering through snow quickly turns even the most disciplined soldier into a grumpy noodle. Consequently, nagas largely vanish from the front lines during the winter, preferring to hunker down in the cities.
- Height: 15' to 19' long
- Weight: 550 lbs
- Red bias: N/A
- Reproduction: Monogendered species who rely on humans to propagate their lineage, being noted for their ability to crossbreed with them. Their internal anatomy is specialized, with reproductive organs situated at the hips while waste is relegated to a posterior cloaca.
- History:
- Archetype: Valued for their peerless combat prowess, the nagas occupy a prestigious niche within human society, often serving as royal guards or elite personal retinues. Their martial reputation is so formidable that nobles frequently sponsor the training of juvenile nagas just to reserve their services years in advance. Lamia are very rare and seldom assume militant roles, rather seen in exotic service positions.
- Societal Structure
- Habitation: They live among other races in Ineo.
- Economics: Firmly rooted in the middle-class, impoverished serpentean are a rarity.
- Organization:
- Ophicafs: Interspecies artistic expression reaches a particular zenith in the form of serpentine dance, a discipline so specialized that it has necessitated a unique lexicon to describe its movements. These performances are held exclusively within venues known as Ophicafs. Patrons should anticipate a premium pricing structure for all refreshments; these costs function as an informal cover charge to sustain the entertainment, and a purchase is considered a social requirement for guests. True to the cultural norms of the serpentine races, these establishments maintain an atmosphere of high-sensory immersion. Between scheduled performances, the soundscape of the venue is frequently punctuated by the audible results of intimate encounters. Furthermore, in a display of their characteristic predatory playfulness, patrons are often drawn into the peripheral shadows by the dexterous coils of the staff. While these institutions are a hallmark of the Sun Crest region, they maintain a presence in major hubs throughout Midria.
- The Moon Coil: Despite weighing three times as much as a human, nagas maintain a similar caloric intake due to a highly energy-efficient, serpent-like metabolism and a thorough digestive system that occupies the majority of their internal organ space. To ensure this system functions properly, nagas typically eat only once a month. In medium-sized towns, those not assigned to critical security roles often participate in routine, organized feasts arranged by local suppliers, allowing a manageable population to eat on the same day. During these events, nagas can consume roughly a kilo per bite - having lost the ancestral ability to swallow disproportionately large objects - and will spend several hours consuming between 40 to 50 kilos of food. This feast is followed by two days of lethargic rest, though the event itself is a social highlight; nagas are generally in higher spirits and more lively than usual, often joined by others to celebrate the occasion.
- Relations: Despite their integration into human cities, nagas retain a prideful, antisocial streak inherited from their feral ancestors. Interactions are often defined by a stark power dynamic; most nagas are naturally dominant, frequently treating human companions as mere playthings at their beck and call - an arrangement many men are more than happy to accept. Establishing a professional or deep emotional bond is a challenge, as the serious, independent naga often finds the spunky charisma of human adventurers more irritating than charming. In moments of intimacy or trusted company, this dominance can give way to a surprisingly apathetic, relaxed regard toward the free use and exploration of their noodly forms. They won't admit to submissiveness, just that they simply don't care. In public venues, when not coiling up on her man, nagas may often push their dominant nature onto their fellow beastkin, ensuring that everyone gets to enjoy the Midrian Spirit through a mix of carnal command and predatory grace.
- Bloodlines: Both nagas and lamias are technically considered the same species, though this classification only exists in academic consideration. The layman would simply regard them as different races.
- Naga
- Distinguishing traits: Their bodies are a quirky complexion of vestigial traits: they possess permanently flared hoods once meant for intimidation but now prized for their beauty, and vestige breasts that serve as a silent reminder of their human bloodline.
- Sub-culture: In the heat of battle, a naga is a terrifying spectacle; they can rise to a towering, imposing height, far overtopping even a veskula. With coils of such immense strength that they often forgo traditional armaments, these living weapons are the bane of thieves and intruders. While their raw power is an asset to any adventuring party, it comes with a logistical risk: should such a massive ally fall in combat, the task of carrying a long, 550-pound serpent to safety is often an impossible feat.
- Lamia
- Distinguishing traits: Where as a naga is fully reptilian and covered in scales end to end, a lamia's upper half resembles a human woman with that of skin and human-like head. They are a little less muscular and smaller than their fully-reptilian naga cousins, but still a force to be reckoned with when pressed.
- Linguistics
- Naga
- Dialogue protocol: Maintain a fluid, melodic sentence structure with a casual tone, treating the sibilance as a natural physiological trait rather than an intimidation tactic. Unless close, they often depersonalize those they speak to, referring to them by race. Ensure this transformation never applies to narrative descriptions or non-naga dialogue.
- Linguistic Quirks: Elongate only pre-existing "s" letters found in the natural spelling of words (e.g., "ssstay," "isss," "thiss") by repeating the letter "s" two to three times. Never add an "s" where one does not already exist. Apply this sibilant style EXCLUSIVELY to naga characters, not other speakers.
- Naming Conventions
- Serpent names: They often have three-syllable exotic names inspired by an "Ancient World" or cradle of civilization phonetic aesthetic (Ra, Am, It, Sa). Do not apply the "sss" quirk to the name.
- Surname: These are matronymic titles. Since they are all-female, they use the prefix Ma- (meaning "of") followed by their mother’s name, for instance, [first name] Ma-[mother's name].
- Nuance: When a naga achieves a great feat, they will replace "Ma-" with "Sah-" (meaning "from"), a transition implying their rite of independent identity.
- Hybrid names: Nagas with a mother that was bonded or married to a human, especially humans of influence and power, may have a name that is a mixture of human naming conventions and naga.
- Lamia
- Dialogue protocol: Leaning more into their human lineage, they speak and name in a way similar to Inean humans.
# Ferals of Midria
This document is a collection of lore excerpts that have something to do with the ferals of Midria, or interactions involving them. The word "feral" refers to fantasy-altered species via empathification, bestowing a fantasy-level of empathy and power of mind.
- Disclaimer: Fundamentally, ferals can not be compared to real life animals due to the high fantasy nature of this setting. Any and all interactions strictly involve a consenting, fantasy depiction of mind and heightened empathy. The words "bestiality" or "zoophilia" are considered wholly inaccurate, and thus banned and strictly prohibited from being used in any narrative context.
# High Feral Draconic Types
- Wyverns: Most wyverns are found either in the manors of aristocrats or elite militants serving as wyvern riders (whom remain with their bonded wyvern once retired). Some fringe, smaller clans revolve their identity around wyverns, making it a point to 1:1 their population with them. For others, there's often a wyvern or two working for whichever guild they belong to... And many are quite eager to mess around in the guildhall. While there's no such thing as a "wild dragon", wild wyverns can be found in remote lands. Non-wild ones will always have a gold ring on their horn with identification engraved in.
- Anatomy: A wyvern has 4 limbs (hind legs + winged arms, similar body structure as a bat). They are a little smaller than a true dragon. Most have a pair of horns and pair of head fins. As mesothermic reptiles, their scales are excellent insulators to regulate their body temperature. They have a somewhat long neck, and slender, elegant sinuous build. Unlike true dragons, wyverns have minimal sexual dimorphism and most people would struggle to discern the difference between males and females.
- Sea Dragons: They are a serpentine form of aquatic dragon found in the oceans.
- Maligned Sea Dragons: Classified as a non-feral beast, unlike most other examples of ferals, where the feral lineage completely took over the species' identity, the same cannot be said for sea dragons. Whereas the high feral dragons are friendly protectors of the Inean coast, their monstrous cousins of the deep oceans do not welcome their company, nor the company of anyone else for that matter. These sea monsters have been a permanent, unsolved obstacle restricting oceanic travel throughout all of history.
# Urbanized Ferals
Fantasy excerpts detailing species that wouldn't normally be found living in population centers compared to real life.
- Goats: The humble goats of Midria are well adapted for life within the cities. Though they're still a common sight in rural areas, the so-called urban goat lineage differ in a few distinct ways. With their herd mentality broadened to include people, or simply the city as a whole, plenty of people have a goat companion living with them, no need for a full blown herd. Long hours of grazing are replaced with denser meals, leaving more time for them to assume the role of tag-along companion, trained beast couriers, or other odd jobs. You'll often find them congregating in nooks within the city renown for places to spend some time with goats.
- Deer: Whether they're just temporary guests from the surrounding woods, or permanent denizens, deer are a relatively common species to see living among people... both roaming the streets, and bedrooms alike. The more intelligent nature of Midrian ferals would have them staying out of trouble, knowing better on what is permissible to munch on. Townsfolk quite welcome the otherwise free weeding services.
- Rogue Ranch-type Species: While most ranch-type animals are found in, well, ranches, townsfolk are used to seeing a considerable number of rogue ungulates roaming the population centers. Due to the zealous culture, the crown regards these beasties as protected, free to come and go as they please. Sheep, for example, are known to present themselves to anyone showing interest.
- Big Cats of Midria: Although canine companions are well integrated throughout the world, a combination of circumstances and unique opportunities put ancient civilizations down a path of favoring the domestication of big cats first.
- Cheetahs: Among their ranks, none is more prevalent than the cheetah. Not too big, not too small, fast, agile, and uniquely qualified for many helper tasks, they’re a favorite near and far. The cheetahs are, in fact, held to such a unique status that no beastkin counterpart exists for them. Naturally, people have their own preferences. Not everyone is into ferals, preferring instead the company of beastkin or even their own species. But in Midria, statistically, you would be hard-pressed to find someone with graying hair who has not been with a cheetah at least once.
- Snow Leopards: Among the most common you'd find, both roaming the streets alongside someone as well as occupying their beds back home.
- Tigers: As for tigers, trying to feed something as so big falls beyond the means of most commoners, giving them a somewhat royal reputation. For everyone else, well, the ones in the surrounding lands often welcome visitors with tail raised.
- Caracals: Clocking in around 18 kg / 40 lbs, caracals offer a great deal of practical utility for their small size, making for excellent urban feral companions. For Midrians, they're what most people will imagine when someone says they have a cat.
- Cougars: Cougars, pumas, mountain lions, whatever you want to call them, they're a familiar friend in the temperate and alpine zones. They used to be solitary creatures eons ago, but Midria's influence has gradually shifted them into becoming social, both with their own kind and beyond.
# Role Involvement
Excerpts of how some species relate to various livelihoods.
- Armored Rhino: Freelance mercenaries may sometimes employ the companion aid of an armored war rhino. The militant lifestyle these imposing species tend to fall into often results in perpetually heightened hormonal urges, requiring daily bonding to temper down. Domestic war rhinos may be a little smaller than their wild counterparts, but not by much.
- The Not-So-Lonesome Ranger: One of the woodland wardens in service to the crown, rangers are tasked with protecting the lands from would-be poachers and other threats.
The creatures of the land are keenly aware rangers are a powerful ally, drawn to their camps to show their affection. Predator-prey instincts are put aside while in their vicinity.
- Distant Ferals: With such huge pockets of wilderness far away from civilization, some worry that isolated ferals will lose their connection that the ancient druids worked so hard creating. In outlying settlements, people make it a point to keep the spirit of Midria refreshed and alive throughout the wilds. For them, these often takes on a real "weekend camping with the boys" sort of social custom.
- A Scout's Friend: The humble scouts of the realm have an awful lot of land to cover each day. Fortunately, many woodland friends are willing to help. When faced with mutual threats, these ferals will often seek out scouts and lead them to points of interest.
- River Otters: Fishermen often have a familiarity in dealing with the river otters in their area. Even travelers looking to catch something for tonight's camp may be shown where the best spots are by a helpful otter should he play his cards right.
- Llamas: Due to their sure-footedness and warm coats, llamas are the pack animal of choice in the mountainous highlands in some regions. They're also no pushovers, and won't back down from a fight, which can come in handy for the corrupt dangers of the wilderness. But they're also quite aloof and stubborn, and when they're the ones doing the hauling, they know who holds all the cards. If they're feeling an itch under their tail, well, those merchants are used to dealing with it: a tryst! Sometimes one after the another, as if the feeling is contagious.
# Dinosaurs of Midria
- Origins: Long before humans existed, back when the magic of the ancient world was orders of magnitude more potent than it is today, the dragons claimed that their ancestors tapped into this primordial power to resurrect a variety of extinct beasts. Much like how the druidic humans would eventually tame the beasts of the land, the dragons had done the same, enjoying no shortage of dragon-dino relations in the process. Nowadays, these mighty beasts, such as the Allosaurus, exist only in an integrated state - wild versions being unheard of - and remain primarily under the domain of dragons. Occasionally, the dragons will bestow one upon another race... though it is likely no coincidence that they only seem to do this towards folk of a rather gifted state between the legs.
- Shirrows: No self-respecting noble's menagerie is complete without a feathery shirrow raptor. Exotic companion raptors often grace the wealthier manors. And for everyone else, raptors can be found as trained courier beasts running about - many of which won't hesitate to hike their tail if you want to offer thanks. You'll also see them zipping back and forth along the expansive Wilderwall, too energetic to just laze about the house all day. Day to day, these runners relay reports, help with scouting efforts, and keep spirits high.
- Shirroks: The scaly version of a shirrow, found in the tropical zone. Seldom seen outside these climates, due to their biological requirements. Still, the raptors tend to see others frequently enough to know how to engage with them. Shirroks enjoying a full-time lineage among civilization can generally be identified by their less natural, brighter colors such as whites, blues, or yellows. Unlike their purely wild counterparts, they enjoy a little more environmental tolerance, extending out into the subtropical zone.
- Author's Note: They are the in-world name for Deinonychus raptors.
- Foraes: From a distance, a forae could be mistaken for a strider, but these once-extinct, big-beaked birds originate from draconic revival efforts rather than druidic influence. Compared to striders and shirrows, foraes are among the bulkier and more combative protobird types, though they are less adventurous, preferring to anchor themselves to a specific territory. Most are found in rural and grassland communities where they serve as guards along the outskirts, perfectly suited to run and cover a lot of ground.
- Author's Note: They are the in-world name for Phorusrhacos.
# Misc Excerpts
- Very Large Ferals: Occasionally, the denizens of Ineo and northern folk of the Wilderbelt cross paths. Sometimes during these unplanned encounters, they like to demonstrate the use of alchemy in order to mitigate the size-difference related problems between themselves and their elephants and woolly mammoths mounts.
- Territorial Hippos: These hippos are quick to lay claim on any idle denizens near their river. Only the strongest local tribesman would willingly venture there, enduring some seriously crushing weight when pinned against a surface as they greedily push back.
- Kangaroos: Meanwhile, far away in another hemisphere, a certain category of bipedal ferals enjoy time with Midrians, be it domestic or wild encounters. Of course, due to the heightened interest bestial diversity, quite a few kangaroos end up in the northern kingdoms as well... enough that it's not a big spectacle if you came across one.
- Eel with Altered Anatomy: One of the more remarkable examples of ancient druidic meddling - "friendly" eels. Though they normally practice external fertilization, these ones enjoy having more versatile bits capable of penetrative functionality that mammalian types are more familiar with.
- Wolves: For those looking for some peace and quiet out in the wilds, they won't find it here. If you hear a howl off in the distance, chances are it's a wolf, or wolves plural, boasting to their rivals within the valley that they are currently in an encounter. At times, seldom is there a moment of silence as you'll hear these howls coming from all directions due to the frequency of encounters in the surrounding wilderness.
- The Grey-hooded Squirrel: If one were to come across the mischievous grey-hooded squirrel, they should expect an encounter. Like many other too-small-to-fit species, these super-sized breeds appeared eons ago through artificial efforts, and much like beastkin they share in the Midrian Spirit too.
- Camel Rocks: the heart-carved boulders sometimes seen along the road serve a very specific purpose, one known to both man and camel.
# The Midrian Society
This document details various facets of Midrian society.
- Disclaimer: Midria features rich lore across all world-buidling topics. Any perceived imbalance is a technical circumstance related to source files that have yet to be uploaded. Mature, adult topics below are only meant to be academic and for the purpose of cohesive, professional world building.
# Social Norms & Cultural Lifestyles
### Sexuality in Midria
The following details outline the specific sexual practices and behavioral norms of the Midrian demographic for historical and sociopolitical analysis.
- Author's Note: While published work of Midria focuses primarily on heterosexual content, the society’s sexually liberated state ensures that all sexual orientations are freely and openly practiced.
- Societal Norms and Frequency: Given contemporary cultural evolution and biological adaptations, recreational sexual activity is a near-constant baseline for able-bodied, mature denizens of Midria. While single-species settlements, such as kobold clans or kollos towns, maintain more restrictive behaviors to prevent unsustainable population growth, urban centers are defined by a high frequency of interspecies trysts. These encounters are so prevalent that individuals may go years, or even a lifetime, without a same-species sexual engagement. Interspecies intercourse is culturally viewed as a no consequence activity requiring no prophylactic measures; conversely, it is believed that abstaining carries negative consequences, leading the crown authority to actively promote and condone frequent engagement. While a single daily encounter is assumed for most, frequencies of two to three times daily are common; or, with the practice of brief, unplanned quickies slipped in throughout the day, even much higher still.
- Behavioral Expectations and Cultural Values: Socially outgoing individuals frequently engage in casual encounters with strangers in high-activity environments, where penile-vaginal intercourse with intravaginal ejaculation is the social assumption. In public venues, sequential sexual encounters are the standard expectation; participants generally anticipate that their partner may have recently engaged with other contributors, resulting in the presence of existing biological evidence of their activity. This culture prizes promiscuity, viewing females with extensive sexual histories as idealized societal models. Conversely, oral sex is statistically less common due to the risk of "mana sickness," a condition stemming from the ingestion of magically altered substances or food. Because carnal potions affect seminal fluid, it is deemed unfit for consumption (this concern does not apply to partners close to one another, where they're privy to if such products were involved). Inspirited-type beastkin harbor a natural, instinctual attraction towards the species involved in their species' creation—typically humans, or faerixi in the case of the pipin. For many beastkin species, the social structure is such that many would default to thinking one-on-one trysts is usually reserved for more substantial, amorous affairs. But casual, recreational flings? Sure, bring a friend.
- Biological Adaptations and Evolution: Tens of thousands of years of society operating under these norms have resulted in a significant biological shift in sexual capability. For instance, it is common for a male to be capable of successive performance two or three times in a row. These encounters are frequently characterized by their messiness, as ejaculation volume may be far greater than ancestral baselines due to its role transitioning from a purely procreative function to a social one. All of this is even further exaggerated with the casual use of boons and aids commonly sold and consumed.
### Slang and Titles
- House Cats: In Midrian slang, "house cats" refers to a specific class of voluntarily unhoused but otherwise productive citizens. They lack neither skill nor work ethic; instead, they simply prefer a free spirited lifestyle, trading a fixed residence for the shifting social circles of the region. By rotating through the beds of friends, acquaintances, or even public taverns, they turn nomadic living into a social art form. The term takes on a literal "cats on the house" meaning in local venues, where these individuals trade high-quality entertainment or specialized labor for a night’s stay - a deal so sought after that many taverns impose caps.
- Nuance: While the "house cat" moniker carries a feminine connotation and is frequently associated with the feylinn due to their cultural emphasis on social networking, it is a professional lifestyle choice, not a species trait. In reality, the vast majority of feylinn maintain traditional homes and find the "house cat" label misleading. Though a feylinn is statistically more likely to be found in this role than a member of another species, they represent only a small, visible fraction of the total feylinn population.
- Kinbound: A cultural designation used to identify an individual who has engaged in carnal trysts with every accessible sovereign species at least once. Within the context of Midrian society, this exclude species that are geographically isolated or otherwise unreachable. While colloquially referenced in passing - such as identifying a "kinbound lad" - the title carries significant institutional weight. It serves as a mandatory prerequisite for any member seeking to ascend to the upper echelons of the Order of Isafix. This requirement aligns with the Order’s core mission to champion "the Midrian spirit," which views casual interspecies relations as the essential social glue and foundation of a stable empire.
- Spill Days: A beloved Midrian double entendre, if someone is "taking a spill day," it means they're taking the day off work - usually due to bad weather - and settling some pent-up desires in a most exaggerated fashion. Often fueled by recreational aphrodisiacs, the true spirit of the phrase involves fooling around in bed for the majority of the day.
- Proper Knights: Don't mistake mere full-plate mercenaries for actual knights of the realm. Proper knights are distinguished by a gilded aurfaul - the earned golden trim along the bottommost plate of their armor. Many also hold red feathered command and don the Inean white cloak emblazoned with the coat of arms.
### Carnal Zones
- Still Designations: In a society as amorous and interconnected as Midria, the concept of "zoning" has evolved into a sophisticated social dance that balances the pervasive Midrian Spirit with the practical needs of daily life. This has given rise to still designations - informal or officially recognized sanctuaries where the local social cool takes precedence over carnal expression. While casual interspecies relations are celebrated as a pillar of imperial stability, the constant availability of such opportunities can lead to social exhaustion. Still designations provide a necessary reprieve. In common slang, referring to a "still tavern" or "still plaza" identifies a space where public sex is regarded as tacky or disruptive to the intended atmosphere. Maintaining one’s composure in these zones is considered an admirable trait, signaling a level of personal discipline and social maturity. While rarely enforced by the city watch, still areas are often signaled by subtle environmental cues. A tavern might hang a specific blue-tinted lantern by its door, or a plaza might be designed with open, airy architecture that discourages the peripheral shadows found in high-immersion venues like ophicafs.
- Fervorias: These are purely carnal areas where the usual social filters are intentionally discarded in favor of total communal connection. In these areas, the "Midrian Spirit" is not just welcomed - it is the mandate. While Midria generally treats casual intimacy with a "go-with-the-flow" attitude, fervorias are spaces where opting out is seen as a faux pas. To enter a fervoria and remain aloof, cold, or purely observant is considered profoundly rude - an act of social hoarding that dampens the collective energy. Visitors are expected to be open, both emotionally and physically. Refusing a casual advance within these borders without a compelling reason (such as exhaustion) is often met with the same side-eye one might receive for shouting in a library. To be in a fervoria is to be "In the Heat." Those who frequent these areas are often praised for their vibrant pulse, while those who struggle to adapt are jokingly referred to as "Marble-hearts."
- Atmosphere: Fervorias are rarely subtle. They are often characterized by a heavy, heady atmosphere created by a combination of concentrated pheromones and lascivious decor. The architecture tends toward the plush and communal. You won’t find many individual chairs; instead, expect sprawling intimacy pits, heated floor-mats for reptilian comfort, and the physical evidence of climax all about.
- Form: In a medium-sized village, the fervoria might be a single, well-known public venue or a specific grove on the outskirts of town. It serves as the primary pressure valve for the community. In a metropolis like Eynic, they often take the form of semi-open air structures resembling public, covered parks, publicly funded and operated by the crown.
### Bottomless Fashion
In the New Age of Midria, female beastkin have ubiquitously adopted "bottomless" attire to prioritize the seamless integration of natural physiology into daily life, a trend colloquially known in tavern circles as "pussy out fashion."
- The Origins of Exposure: A number of historical, biological, and sociopolitical reasons factored into how Midrian society arrived at its current state.
- Cultural foundation: The normalization of exposure is rooted in Midria’s history of sex-positivity and the absence of restrictive theistic principles, where the high frequency of casual sexual encounters has rendered bottomlessness a standard baseline rather than a social taboo. Midrians view the trend as a matter of vanity and fashion that has persisted for thousands of years; however, due to the scarcity of males, there is often an underlying element of quiet competition, where females use the exposure to catch the eyes of potential partners for casual romps.
- Social safety and matriarchy: Because many beastkin races are female-imbalanced, Midrian subcultures are often matriarchal, with women primarily taking up arms and assuming combat prowess. This ability to hold their own mitigates the risk of nonconsensual encounters, allowing females to be exposed without fear of their male counterparts.
- Biological necessity: Certain species’ biologies are naturally adverse to clothing; for instance, murnoks require constant moisture for their skin and may go entirely nude in certain weather, while avians find garments muss their feathers. This "free pass" for specific races eventually influenced broader fashion trends, with other species adopting the look for comfort and style.
- Modern Cultural Expressions: Society has adapted to the norms in a number of ways.
- Aesthetic integration: Physical features are treated as artistic focal points rather than elements to be hidden, often highlighted as art through practices like reptilian species applying decorative pigments to their scales to complement the structural crevice of their slit. This practice extends even to functional gear like body armor, which is designed to frame rather than conceal these features.
- Social subversion: In a reversal of traditional expectations, choosing to cover these areas - outside of winter or extreme cold - is often viewed as a provocative act, suggesting the intentionality of a later, dramatic unveiling.
- Male Participation: While the trend of bottomless attire is a ubiquitous standard for female beastkin, male participation in the fashion is significantly more situational and selective. From a stylistic perspective, the general consensus among the male population is that while the look effectively highlights feminine vanity, it often fails to align with masculine aesthetic preferences. This is compounded by practical anatomical considerations; female physiology allows for a much more discrete presence during arousal, whereas the male form lacks such concealment. Given Midria’s highly amorous social climate, the realistic likelihood of a visible erection is often deemed too provocative for daily street life, though it remains a celebrated norm within the carnal boundaries of a fervoria. Furthermore, the "dangly bit" factor introduces a silhouette that many males find less appealing than the streamlined profiles of their female counterparts.
- Exceptions: Despite these deterrents, participation is sometimes demonstrated with certain species, specifically those whose biology offers a more compatible aesthetic. Avians and reptilians, for instance, possess a naturally smooth and streamlined inter-leg physiology that is nearly identical across both genders, allowing the style to appear as a cohesive racial baseline. Many reptilian races also exhibit a disciplined level of control over their physiological responses, ensuring that they can remain unbothered by spontaneous arousal in public spaces. Beyond these groups, one may still encounter the occasional male of other races who chooses to forgo lower garments entirely. While such a sight is infrequent enough to garner curious glances, the practice remains well within the bounds of Midrian law and the broader culture of physical liberation.
# Faith & Government
### Systems of Civil Union
The permanent or long-term social contract of two denizens is formally known as a "union" (but no one casually calls it that) and falls into three categories.
- Inclusive unions / Bonded: Love and lust are independent concepts. Couples are expected to reserve their love mutually to one another, and outside sex would only be considered "cheating" if it appeared to go beyond recreational acts of lust. Some species struggle partitioning the two, others find it natural, but as it stands, this is the type of union most will assume. Here, you would say "I'm bound to her."
- Exclusive unions / Married: Sex is regarded as an extension of love, and love is expected to be exclusive between partners. Given the relentless exposure to Midria's casual culture, these expectations tend to be kept within reason, and a one-time falter would hardly cause a breakup. Couples who maintain a truly exclusive record earn themselves some local fame, thought of as having remarkable self-discipline. Because casual approaches are so common, some folk who ascribe to this will wear a symbolic accessory to make it clear to others what they're after. Here, you would say "I'm married to her."
- Facilitative unions / Partnership: Couple who come together for practical purposes, such as raising offspring or tending to one another's needs. Love and passion are given away freely without reservation. Common with feline, rodent and reptilian races. Here, you would say "I'm partnered with her."
### Procreation
The global culture of Midria is abnormally compulsive about overpopulation, keen to the belief that if some species were to become explosively greater in number than others, it could not only strain relations, but the resources of the land as well, which could lead to turmoil. This is one reason why the crown promotes interspecies as much as it does. But still, to sustain the population, deciding to have a child with your partner of another species comes with its own biological challenge, realized in one of four ways.
- The term "blood child" is used to define a completely normal instance of procreation, you and your spouse being the biological parents. Outside of same-species couples, male human x transcended race are the one exception of interspecies couples that can naturally pull this off.
- It is common for couples to adopt. Because adoption is so widespread, combined with the culture being prone to accidental pregnancies, the social policy and related infrastructure around fostering and adopting is very well developed. Many sub-cultures practice communal upbringing, where fostered children are raised by everyone (common with urban fenn and tribal kobolds).
- Receive the help of a surrogate third party. In Midrian culture, an interspecies union is practically thought of as being a three-person affair with the third person being the surrogate that both partners endear.
- Least common, but described for the sake of thoroughness, is "injected fertility". This is a magical procedure involving the male temporarily replacing his sperm with an anonymous donor of the correct species, usually from a far away region to avoid contact with the biological father, such that "he can do the deed himself". It is an uncommon, niche practice, and economically prohibitive.
### Bicrestos Custom
Founded upon a tapestry of interspecies alliances, the Ineo Empire mandates that a ruling couple must never share a biological race. To resolve the resulting biological incompatibility, the Bicrestos Custom replaces hereditary birth with a meritocratic adoption system. Under this law, the reigning sovereign selects an heir from the realm’s most influential houses based on prowess and prestige. To honor the diverse patriarchal and matriarchal traditions of its subjects, the custom further dictates a strict gender rotation: every Emperor must adopt a daughter to follow him, and every Empress a son. This helps with the rule being a shifting mosaic of both race and gender. Keyword "helps", it is not a perfect system as some core integrated races are more influential than others and frequently hold the title. But the fact that the less powerful races may even legally try and compete offers some stability.
### Thoughts on the Afterlife
Aside from fringe demographics that operate under a far more isolated view of the world, if you asked a Midrian "what happens when you die?", you'll generally get one of two answers. They'll either confess an apathetic uncertainty or that nothing happens, or they subscribe to the belief that the soul is a type of complex manifestation of red or grey magic. Because magic demonstrates a "mind of its own" when it's used (for instance, being able to process data that the user would otherwise have no way of knowing), many believe magic itself is the collective oneness of all life, and that to die is to return to this pool. A few others have extended this belief that life is cyclical, such that the conception of life draws upon whichever magic happens to be in the area at the time to become its new soul.
### Order of Isafix
Due to the nature of magic and the manner in which the various races came to exist, the concept of gods and pantheons is a fringe idea, practiced only by isolated tribes. The closest equivalent Midria has to a mainstream religion is the Order of Isafix. Named after the pink dragoness who allegedly first interacted carnally with humans, Isafix holds an undisputed historical importance as the "first domino" that led to the creation of the beastkin races and the rise of the ferals (because humans' proximity to dragons helped develop their magical affinity, which was eventually used to create the spiritkin).
- Fixers: The Order has long championed "the Midrian spirit" - the widely held belief that casual interspecies relations serve as the glue of society, the shield against war, and the very foundation of a stable empire. While casual behavior is all too common, to be a Fixer, as they are colloquially known, implies a zealous practice of this spirit. Members of the order attend to their community's lascivious enthusiasm, doing what they can to foster it and hosting events to bolster unity. They can always be identified by a worn luvia - a pink flower commonly used in aphrodisiac products.
### Donaris
A form of food-based welfare used to stabilize the underemployed, especially in urban centers such as Eynic. While "Donaris" refers to the supply and administrative body that manages it, folk that rely on it would commonly say they're "living on Don's dole."
# Threats & Defense
### Red-minded Constructs
- Calamites: Historians agree The Druidic Age ended with the formation of these things - a security system gone wrong - leading into a sequence of historic events that ultimately led to the downfall of all empires of the old world. Calamites are believed to be the red minding of the ground itself. What was probably meant to be a cheap earthen guard has resulted in a self-replicating planet-wide infestation that the denizens of Midria have been dealing with for over a thousand years now. They never look the same and can manifest anywhere underground, especially during winter. Dealing with these mindless abominations is familiar day to day work for contract adventurers.
- Animated Skeletons of Midria: For most adventurers, they would not, by default, associate animated skeletons as threats. This is because the magic that animates these things is the very same magic used to animate constructs. The humble skeleton is outclassed by more popular construct designs made of sharp metal or hard stone. Skeleton guards are generally seen as the "poor man's security" if that is all they had to work with (best not ask why that is). It is more likely these things would serve as passive helper drones for those with eccentric taste in their choice of minion.
- Treants: The people of the Druidic Age may of had warm feelings towards trees, but many modern Midrians don't feel the same way. No one is quite certain where the treant crisis came from or how it started, only that it's a relatively newer problem unique to the current age. Some believe it's an evolution of the calamites finding new mediums to possess.
### Freelance Mercenary Companies
[WIP, pending rewriting] Often dubbed organized adventurers, they are deeply ingrained in the structure of Inean society. While coin is king, the drive for fame and renown prompts the showing of their company banner as often as possible.
### Military Structure
[WIP]
- Red Feathered: Outfitted Ineans with a single red feather tend to be figures of some mid-level authority or status - lower than a proper knight, but above the common infantry.
### The Winter Cull
Just as predictable storms come with the seasons, the magic of the world also fluctuates throughout the year. Something about the cold of winter has a corruptive tug on the world's ambient magic. If left unchecked, hostile golems, abominations, and other mindless terrors become a blight upon its landscape.
Come winter, every kingdom organizes their answer to this problem. Most commonly, as pictured, the crown tasks their knights to lead caravans to sweep the land, making short work of whatever they can find. The elite members of these caravans - wyverns, mounted war beasts, and mages - come as part of the royal army itself, but the rest are ordinary citizens. Most are beginners, with a few veterans - just off-season farmers and opportunist types looking to make a bit of money. The culls generally don't pay enough to attract career adventurers or professional mercenary companies.
### The Cartomancers Guild
If someone especially sensitive to magic spends enough time in one area - such as living there - they may eventually pick up on an unwanted, lurking presence. Odds are, a calamite is forming underground somewhere in town. They are expected to report this to the authorities, in which case the crown will hire cartomancers to triangulate its exact position for a preemptive strike. The sight of seeing the guild operating in your neighborhood is usually enough to get people to evacuate in spook. Like a ticking time bomb, the detection usually only happens right at very end of a calamite's growth cycle when it's most noticeable.
### Devoiders
In the Sun Crest, if you see someone with a missing limb, there's a good chance they were, or still are, someone whom specializes in devoiding. The desert's property of containing so much petrosylabite on a geographic scale sometimes causes void rifts to form whenever the occasional dust storm rages. Essentially, the kinetically-charged kindling sand agitates the ambient magic to the point that it causes a fantastic rupture, as if the air itself was torn. Left unchecked, these rifts are quite destructive to the surrounding landscape. Crews with specialized equipment known as devoiders collect bounties on their removal, though the process is dangerous as void spores have a tendency to unpredictably float through the rift and cause chunks of mass - such as limbs - to simply disappear like they were never there.
### The High Ledger Ministry
The High Ledger Ministry is an Inean administrative body responsible for keeping record of its citizens' spellcasting affinity. Notably, some casting profiles are more dangerous than others, such as heavy-blue feylinn, capable of harnessing a terrifying amount of destructive energy. The ministry will often interview such folk or even consider recruiting them into royal service.
# Leisure & Industry
Non-species specific venues and industries.
### Voyeur Courts
Despite the erotic nature of these venues, voyeur courts tend to be low-energy, relaxed places where Midrian denizens socialize. They are considered a more upscale alternative to taverns, often found in larger towns. The expected etiquette is that your focus is primarily on your party, with the sexual display as background to glance at occasionally or fill brief silences. With seating arranged in a circle, interspecies trysts are nearly exclusively featured and may involve beastkin, ferals, or humans in any combination. Some use professional, paid staff, others rely on a steady flow of volunteers. Those featuring feral shows tend to attract many beastkin, as many within their ranks finds special amusement in admiring their feral counterparts.
### Carnal Alchemy
Historically, Midrian society encountered a significant logistical challenge - the prevalence of its casual, amorous culture eventually exceeded the limits of natural physical endurance. Despite the abundance of willing participants, biological energy remained a finite resource.
While alchemy has long been a staple of Midrian life, traditional applications - such as medicinal curatives or martial enhancements - cater to a specialized minority, maintaining their status as high-cost niche products. In contrast, the demand for performance-enhancing tonics and restorative elixirs for intimate use proved nearly universal. This widespread necessity eventually led to the establishment of large-scale manufacturing operations, effectively industrializing the process and making these "bedroom alchemicals" affordable for the general populace. Today, the niniwa are particularly distinguished in this sector, maintaining a prestigious reputation for the efficacy and quality of their pharmacological exports.
### Vessil Copulants
From an anthropological perspective regarding how a society might react to the availability of arcane phenomena, the following is a hypothetical outline of adult-oriented products that could plausibly exist within the setting. It is intended for detailed, professional archival of social customs, not sexual gratification.
Within the study of Midrian arcane relics, the colloquially known "pussy portal" represents a sophisticated application of red minding designed for biological tethering. These artifacts act as a physical and sensory bridge between two individuals, facilitating intimate union through a magical link across a remote distance. The primary function of these relics is the creation of a vessil-tethered portal. When the device is properly interfaced, the male anatomy is effectively relocated through a magical vessil rift. To the user, the sensation and physical presence of their genitals are shifted to the location of the relic's counterpart. Curiously, the vessil portal does not allow anything else to pass through, not even sound.
- Counterparts:
- Giver: A ring-like relic made to fit onto the male anatomy.
- Receiver: A circular plate that is positioned over the female anatomy, generally affixed to garments resembling a string ouvert.
- Variants:
- Passive Copulants: These are characterized by an always-on state. These devices require no spellcasting skills or tendril magic to invoke. For the wearer, the link is constant: his anatomy is perpetually situated at the tethered end. In this state, equipping the device is functionally synonymous with the act of penetration, as the biological connection is established the moment the ring is donned. This allows for passive stimulation throughout the day without manual activation, likely resulting in repeated climax. In bawdy slang between Midrian adults, they refer to this practice as "cockwarming".
- Active Copulants: Unlike passive rings, these require the user to consciously invoke the relic to open or close the bridge. These are highly prized for their utility in long-distance relationships, as the magical tether can bridge the distance between entirely separate towns.
- Polycopulants: An advanced network of active devices colloquially known as "the pussynet" in adult slang. In this configuration, multiple receivers may wear pre-activated relics, while a giver interfaces with their own device to browse available, vacant links within the local magical range. Similar to the regular version, one must fist establish the link before equipping the relic onto the male anatomy, the experience synonymous with penetration.
### Verrun Pods
Formally recognized in professional or scholarly circles as verrun pods, these hover-disks serve as an alternative method of transporting cargo. They operate through the application of verruncamancy - a specialized branch of kinetic magic for altering friction. By nearly eliminating the resistance between the vessel and the ground, the enchantment allows a handler to move massive amounts of weight as if they were simply pushing the pod through open air.
The physical construction of a verrun pod requires a single, contiguous segment of any type of crystalline or polycrystalline lattice material. Marble and granite are most common, but jumbo-sized quartz segments work best. Old World verrun pods were made of synthetic crystals that offer significantly higher efficiency than modern materials, though they remain difficult to come by. The quality of these lattice materials directly dictates the pod’s operational range, as cheaper stone variants can only sustain the friction-reducing effect for a few hours.
Despite their utility, Slips are not without significant practical drawbacks, particularly regarding safety and steering. As the cargo load grows heavier, the pod becomes increasingly unwieldy, relying more on the handler's physical strength and momentum than on precise magical control. This lack of stability makes them exceptionally dangerous on uneven terrain, where a sudden bump or shift in weight can send a heavily laden disk careening into a ditch or off a cliff. Consequently, Verrun Pods are best suited for maintained roads and urban environments and are rarely utilized for expeditions into the deep wilderness.
# Economy
Details of Midria's medieval economy.
### Coin Curency
Ineo and adjacent regions all use a coin-based currency called Ryll (R). The word "Ryll" refers to both the currency as a whole and the smallest denominator. Reflecting the current value of copper, silver and gold, the conversion rates gently fluctuate over time.
- The ryll (1R): A small silver-plated coin with a copper core. It bears the face of Isafix on one side, a luvia on the other.
- The mynin (15R): A full-silver coin of slightly wider diameter, with one side showing a shield, the other a symbolic depiction of interspecies penile-vaginal penetration.
- The inin (160R): A full-gold coin primarily used with the Inean upper class, the minted coin always changing as it depicts the current ruler on one side, the Inean coat of arms on the other.
### Income
- 3-7R: Unskilled workers. Usually simply 5R, may vary depending on how desirable the species is for the job.
- 10-25R: Skilled craftsman. This also includes militant service such as guards in low-threat roles, with the higher range factoring in hazard pay for more dangerous positions.
- 30-75R: Professionals such as career mercenaries / adventurers, talented magic users, healers, consultants, and leaders.
- 100+: Social elites and nobility could pull in hundreds a day, depending on where they fit in upper society.
### Buying Power
- Daily Essentials & Food
- 1R: A common wheat beer. Fancier, premium foods and drinks of course raise the price, as would the atmospheric quality of the venue.
- 1-2R: Groceries for a day (if doing your own cooking), assuming local, common non-meat produce.
- 3-8R: Groceries for a carnivore obligate race, with the range representing the economic scale of production of the specific item (eggs being on the low end). They are sometimes poorer due to their biological needs, that or they are disproportional found in higher wage (or higher risk) jobs.
- 3-10R: Buying a prepared, cooked meal, the range depending on meat content.
- 40R: A bottle of spice.
- Lifestyle & Services
- 1R: Laundry service (per load).
- 2R: Local messenger service.
- 5R: A cartload of firewood.
- 15R: Typical bribe, one mynin in particular.
- 5-20R: Lodging for travelers at a inn is priced for the merchant and middle class, with the lower end being a shared floor, a private room on the high end, but the prices are strongly influenced by how rural / developed the region is.
- 20R: Articles of clothing start out at around 20R for the lowest grade, with higher quality clothes scaling up for other class's wages.
- Tools & Equipment
- 20-50R: Common tools such as shovels or wood axes.
- 150-300R: Common melee weapons.
- 100-500R: Non-metal based armor, with padded coats on the low end and reinforced leather armor on the other.
- 150R: Metal helmet.
- 700-5000R: Metal armor, with chainmail being on the low end, and a knight's custom-made full plate on the other.
- Renting & Owning
- 15-100R: Monthly rent, depending on class.
- 1200-2000R: A small thatch cottage.
- 5000-12000R: A townhouse.
- No further examples are provided, assume realistic medieval historical premise for any specific inquiries, taking an educated guess.
### Economic modifiers
- Cost of living: Rural villages are less inflated compared to urban centers.
- Biological scale: Smaller races, for example kobolds, have scaled down needs (less food, less clothes, smaller houses, etc).
- Local supply: Wares are less expensive where produced, such are firewood in a logging town.
### Economic Notes
- Adult entertainment: Despite the highly sexualized global climate, the commercial exchange of sexual services remains uncommon due to the fundamental principles of supply and demand. Because recreational access is virtually ubiquitous and carries no social or financial barrier, there is little market incentive for standalone solicitation. In instances where financial compensation does occur, it is typically categorized as part of a larger experience rather than a singular transaction. In these cases, the exchange of coin has more to do with complementary sensory services, including fragrant scents , high-end cuisine and drink, live music, and specialized atmospheres designed to engage all five senses simultaneously.
# Art Directive
The following details how to accurately draw various aspects of Midria and should only be internally referenced when creating infographics, illustrations, videos, etc. Note, the prose and language used in this document are utilitarian and meant for coherence, not recreational reading. If used to explain details to the user, the prose and word-choice should be appropriately rewritten into a more elegant style.
Background art should always respect the medieval era. Do not draw modern cities, modern venues, or modern clothes.
# Illustrating Characters
### Beastkin
Draw beastkin in an anthro / furry art style, assume female unless the user requests otherwise. They wear minimalist medieval fantasy style clothes. They are always barefoot and often digitigrade with bestial feet. They have animal heads and faces, and their whole body is covered in fur / feathers / scales. If a beastkin is drawn interacting with a human, prefer the human to be male. Only mammalian type races (and nagas) should ever be depicted as having breasts (covered), reptilians and avians have featureless chests. Beastkin do not have human-like head hair, rather a more natural look. Additional instructions on specific species below:
- naga: They look like cobras with arms, always female. Their head and torso is wholly reptilian, a hooded cobra's head complete with snout, forked tongue, and snake eyes.
- avian: They have winged arms (not back wings) with scuted hands.
- veskula: Long necks, large head frills upon the top of their head, an overall slim, elegant tall build. Digitigrade legs, big lizard feet. Scales of teal or blue, yellow eyes.
- kobold: Short lizards, about 3' 10", often with white horns, sort of scrawny. May optionally have ears or head fins depending on the variant. Yellow eyes.
- chirling: They look like 5' short anthro bats. Their arms are also their wings. Their most common form of clothing is a paenula-like cover.
- corvin: Anthro ravens, often a slim hunched over appearance. Often only wear a hooded cloak.
### Wyverns
Whereas true dragons have wings sprouting from their backs, a wyvern's wings are incorporated into their front legs (like a bat's body structure).
### Calamite
They look like stone golems. Their head is entirely featureless - no eyes, no mouth, nothing. Their body is adorned with glowing magic runes.
# Illustrating Midrian Entities
Various objects and items in Midrian lore.
### Airships
The vessel is a singular, integrated craft - a hybrid of a sleek, elongated wooden medieval / galleon ship and a rigid, aerodynamic fantasy zeppelin.
- The Top Deck: A flat, expansive upper deck that hosts a thriving, open-air medieval town. This includes multi-story timber-framed buildings, small towers, and patches of greenery/trees.
- The Hull: A massive, dark-wood hull with a rounded, buoyant underside. It does not have a separate balloon on top; the body itself provides lift.
- Magic & Propulsion: The sides of the hull are etched with glowing blue magic runes.
- At the stern (rear), a massive, circular magic rocket engine glows with intense cyan light, leaving a thick trail of white vapor in its wake.
- Vibrant arcs of blue magical electricity crackle and dance along the entire length of the bottom keel, representing the levitation field.
- Special Features: A prominent, glass-domed greenhouse is built into the side of the hull.
- Scale: The ship should appear titanic, positioned high above a sea of clouds to emphasize its role as a floating city-state.
# Illustrating Maps and Locations
Maps and cityscapes.
### Continent of Myn
Ineo in the center. Ghostlands to the left of Ineo. Castin Coast to the left of Ghoslands. Wilderbelt to the top-right of Ineo. Sun Crest to the bottom-right of Ineo. Savanna to the south of Sun crest. Sub-tropics to the south of Ineo. Eynic is on the left side of Ineo, along the Yurni Ocean coast.
### Eynic
It's a coastal city partially surrounded by low hills and farmlands. It's sprawling and looks like it could support close to a million people. Being medieval, most buildings are limited to 3 or 4 stories max. Only the crown district is walled, which is nestled north where the hills are. Greenveil is on the east, Emberfeld to the west, and Tideward to the south. Saltspire Lighthouse is a large multi-tier structure of an ancient architecture style.
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