Creatures of Nalindor

The continent of Nalindor holds a great many species that are not seen elsewhere. First and foremost, the jungles are home to great scaled beasts called the Wingless Dragons or the Great Lizards (dinosaurs). They come in many sizes and shapes and are generally as diverse as the human race. From pacific herbivores to bloodthirsty hunters.

Aside from the Great Lizards, the Bakiri are perhaps the most common creature not found elsewhere. Loosely of the goblin family, these dark-skinned diminutive (4-5 feet) but strong creatures populate the Green Abyss in clans of 50-200. They are always ruled by a queen and extremely bloodthirsty although not terribly bright.

Also populating the Green Abyss are the Karijhu. Dark Elves. Moon Elves some people call them. They build pyramids deep in the jungles and sacrifice the hearts of their prisoners to To, the ancient, more primal version of Torax. Their best hunters are said to be shape-shifters, being able to change to a jaguar in order to hunt their prey, while others are said to possess abilities that allow them to attack the mind of their prey.

Of all the races that populate the Green Abyss, the Rabaxi are the most enigmatic. Blind, mute, psionic albino cannibals that live in small villages consisting of mud-huts deep into the jungle. Few people have lived to tell the tale of encountering them and are by many regarded as a myth, a scary tale told to frighten those venturing out to explore the jungle.

Likewise the Denago is the stuff of local legends. Supposedly a race of blue ogres possessing vast magical powers. But so far, only evidence of their existence comes from ancient books and texts.

Aside from these humanoid races, the jungles of Nalindor are also famous for it's Dream Serpents. Intelligent, predatory large serpents with the ability to put people to sleep before striking and killing, their bite is said to cause inability to sleep due to the nightmares. Sounds scary? You are indeed right, but the worst are by far the Zar-cats. Monstrously large black panthers with a spiked tails and the ability to instill fear into their victims, they are seen and revered as the ultimate hunter.

The First Men of Gemnos

More than 11.000 years ago, men and women were created by Gemnos, by the Twins, or so the legends go. Those men and women, the first batch, if you will, are collectively called the First Men of Gemnos. They were paired in families by the Twins, and to this day, 57 families still exist around the world of Gemnos. Maybe not all of them can run an unbroken line to the First Men of Gemnos, but by and large, those 57 families are recognized as such. All of them wield power to some extend. Some are wealthy merchants, some are nobles, some are even kings and emperors. One way or another, they have over the years influenced the direction of life on Gemnos.

Day of Mating

If you think that the nobility shies away from Day of Mating, you better think again. While it officially is a day for us common folks, I have heard and read many stories of men and women of noble birth who hide behind a mask and join us commoners in celebration of life. Then again, I have also heard stories of how some nobles hold their own celebrations, in their mansions, behind closed doors. But they seem to do it a bit differently, them nobles. I once heard a tale of a duchess in Ironville, whose name does not bear repeating, being passed around at court, from the Warlord to the lowest of the 100 nobles.

Day of Mating is one of five nation-wide holy days observed and celebrated by most civilized races on Gemnos.

On the 37th day of summer, cities, towns and villages of Gemnos launch themselves into debauchery.

The tradition is thousands of years old, and probably started as a sort of worship of the Twins, but if it was religion, it has long changed into something more primal, something more primitive. It has become a celebration of life, a tribute to being alive and preserving the race.

On the Day of Mating, all shops are closed, no one works the fields. The streets and markets are filled with tables, booths and fires. Musicians fill the streets with music and the entire day is spent preparing the feast, which is never less than 16 courses.

Everybody who participates are solely clad in half-masks and loin-cloths. As the sun sets, the feasting begins. The eating, drinking and dancing continues all the way until midnight, when the choosing begins. This is usually marked by ringing all bell-towers in town. The rules are simple. Man may not lay with wife. Names are forbidden and women always choose the men.

Quickly the town turns into an orgy of enormous proportions. Everywhere you look, people are coupling with each other, regaining strength for the next coupling or waiting to be chosen. This goes on all night, and at dawn, everybody goes home. Needless to say, the 1st day of the second cycle of summer is usually a slow day.

Calendar

The calendar on Gemnos amongst most civilized races is as follows.

Over the years there have been other ways of keeping track of time, but this is the one that has stuck.

A year is 365 days, which are divided into 10 cycles of 36 days and with some holy days in between

1st cycle (winter)
2nd cycle (winter)

Day of Combat

3rd cycle (spring)
4th cycle (spring)

Day of the Sun

5th cycle (summer)

Day of Mating

6th cycle (summer)
7th cycle (summer)

Harvest Day

8th cycle (autumn)
9th cycle (autumn)

Day of the Moon

10th cycle (winter)

Temple Law

Temple Law (also called Divine Law) is a universal law stating that temples, or churches if you will, are sovereign ground, and can afford sanctuary to fugitives from the law, if the highest ranking priest of the church wishes so.

In other words. If you are a criminal and being pursued by the authorities, once you are on temple grounds, you can not be forced to leave by anyone but the highest ranking priest. Guards, soldiers or others will not breach the sanctity and drag you out from the church grounds.

And the law, because it is perceived as divine, extends to more than the authorities. Typically no members of civilized races and nations will break Temple Law, simply because everyone knows that the gods are real, and only a fool will piss off a god or a goddess.

The law also states that drawing blood (as in using violence, whether it be with sword, hammer or magic) inside a consecrated church is really a bad idea. You might not get stricken by a thunderbolt from Heaven, but it is universally believed that, you will suffer from the decision. Depending on which church it is, the retaliation can come in a wide variety of forms, but usually it relates to the one of the spheres of influence of the god in question.