Setting Notes
The Otherworld
This info is not at all necessary to know to understand the comic, I hope, but I thought some people might find it interesting or at least a way to pass the time. Any questions about the setting, email 'em or post 'em in the tagboard.
The Otherworld is, oddly enough, the name of the world where AitO takes place. It's not the Otherworld of Celtic mythology.... but they have some similarities - mythology is a big inspiration for me. However, the inhabitants call it Naïka Yuuna, the Earth Beneath (NY-ee-kah YOU-nah).
- Geography
- Religion and Mythology
- Peoples of the world
- Human societies in Naika Yuuna
- Deities and their emblems
The climate is cool but dry, and, oddly enough, our story opens at the beginning of autumn - Septemberish. The land itself is very thickly forested. As you might expect, the humans have done their very best to cut down the forest for timber, and just because the bloody trees get in the way, but it grows back with slightly disconcerting speed. The surrounding ocean is cold and grey and inhospitable, and full of only the spikiest and most unappetising fish, but nonetheless most of the human population lives off the sea. The forest, by contrast, is fertile and green and practically drops fruit and berries on your head, but, you know... we don't go in the forest... nasty things live there...
Back to topAll the people of Naïka Yuuna have the same basic mythology, one very important story of which is outlined in the prologue - the human version, at least. The other two subspecies tell it differently.
The pantheon needs some explaining. There are several hundred deities, which fall into two basic categories - Naïka gods, and Uinaa gods.
The former are helpful gods, sort of. They rule over nature, but like people in general and if honoured properly will be pretty benevolent. The latter, by contrast, are a force unto themselves, and the best you can do is pray and hold on tightly.
For example, the god Tuulameilen, father of the human race, is a Naïka sea god, in particular of the near ocean around the Northern Territories, and he'll watch over sailing boats and so on. Tehuuya, on the other hand, is an Uinaa sea goddess. She is known for being particularly foul-tempered, and is responsible for all kinds of things from floods to sharks. Not that the Uinaa deities are evil as such, just very unconcerned with the affairs of what I will, for lack of a better word to encompass all the little beasties, call mankind (as opposed to just humankind, or just Ystaiankind or whatever). The Uinaa tend to be older and more powerful, often parents to the Naïka.
But anyway. The people believe that the gods were once the only sentient beings around, and that they lived in a personal kingdom of their own above the forest. Na&ium;ka and Uinaa alike, they managed to get along very well in their kingdom for aeons, until various events, including those in the prologue, meant that most of the Naïka either died, went into hibernation, or went and populated the Earth Beneath, Naïka Yuuna.
Now to the interesting part. The Otherworld is populated by three subspecies of humanity: the dryads, homo sapiens salignus; the Raïlluuan, or redcreatures, homo sapiens lemuris; and finally the lucky bunch that get to call themselves both humans and "wise wise man", i.e. that old favourite homo sapiens sapiens. These subspecies manage to keep an uneasy sort of peace, mainly by avoiding each other and fighting amongst themselves.
Back to topSo, more detail about the dryads.
Name: They don't mind being called dryads, exactly, but they prefer to be called Ystaian (ISS-ty-ann). I call 'em dryads because... I've got used to it.
Appearance: Generally taller and slimmer than the other two, with colouring ranging from yellowish to various shades of beige, to very pale green to dark pine-needle type colour. Dryad ears are relatively large, with pointed tips, and fan out and back from the face.
Society: The dryads tend to live deep in the forest. They're ruled by a council of eleven, and have the nearest thing to a democracy that you're going to find in the Otherworld. Their population is relatively small, as for some reason they are longer lived but less fertile than their cousins. Generally a peaceful society, they have no standing army.
Culture: They're supposed to be the greatest musicians and lyric poets, but that depends on your opinion... certainly, a good singing and speaking voice is the best possible attribute an Ystaian politician can have. They value eloquence and intelligence in particular.
The Raïlluuan
Name: It's pretty rude to call them redcreatures, actually. Raïlluuan (RY-ill-oo-ANN) is better.
Appearance: Relatively short, with any colouring as long as it's brown. Deep tan skin and chestnut hair is commonest. Raïlluuan ears are a little larger than humans', bend outwards a little, and split into two points at the tips.
Society: They probably have the largest population of all three, but this is split into many mutually antagonistic tribes, which are generally nomadic and ruled by a chieftain who gains power by virtue of a large following, physical and mental strength. Every able-bodied male is required to serve in the army, and the most skilled will become berserkers by way of certain fungi and herbs. War is judged as a necessity and something that should be done right and with skill, almost a religious thing; but their religion frowns on too much bloodshed.
Culture: They have probably the most intricate mythology of any of the three, and like to recite it... a LOT. Never get trapped at a Raïlluuan concert, they often go on for weeks. They're also skilled at making weapons. They value wisdom, honour and strict religious observance in particular.
The humans
Name: Duh. Rumour has it that the dryad word for human and jellyfish is the same: shriadh, lit. "pink sea-creature". I suppose technically they should be called Tuulaian, but eh...
Appearance: Relatively stocky and of medium height. Ears pretty much like your common-or-garden human. Tend to be pale-skinned in this part of the world, with brown or blonde hair. Red hair is very highly prized and rare.
Society: Tend to stick together in clans of a few hundred, each of which is ruled by a hereditary king and his advisers. These clans are fiercely patriotic and warlike, and battle is their major artform. Fortunately, the clans mainly live in the vast open tundra of the far North, where they rarely meet each other. They spend a great deal more time at sea than the other two.
Culture: As I said, fighting is what they do best, but they also value musicians and artisans very highly. A peculiar art of theirs is tattooing - most human adults will have a number of tattoos denoting rank, clan, and family, as well as for decoration. They value physical and mental strength, honour to one's clan and king, and to one's family above all.
Human political systems and societies in the Otherworld
- Introduction
- The Northern Territories
- The Southern Territories and the Library Fortress
- The Far North
Though the region of the Otherworld in which AitO takes place is primarily ruled by the humans, the main centres of human power are very different. The Northern Territories are divided into very insular villages and are frequently plagued by clan feuding. The Southern Territories are more unified, but are frequently plagued by bureaucracy. The Far North is a sparsely populated region of mainly bare tundra, where still certain clans live and plague the coastlines to the south with raids.
Back to top of Human Societies
Most of the Northern Territories is divided into small villages and their lands, of which Fairchild's Wake is a good example. Each village is usually ruled by a king, but much of his power is split amongst his four or five advisers, who will generally include a commander-of-guard, diplomat and lawkeeper. Each of these normally comes from one of the big families of the village and acts as their representative.
Each village calls itself a member of a clan, and villages of the same clan tend to ally with one another. Fairchild's Wake swears allegiance to the Fairchild clan, their symbol is the catfish and their general enemy is the Rasmussen clan. Within the village, most young men are guards, on a kind of duty shift; and most young women are betrothed to a guard, normally marrying after he has served the typical five years. Those girls whose fiances die in service are rewarded very handsomely by the king.
Teenagers tend to serve watchtower duty and do most of the menial chores around the village. There is no compulsory education, but children are normally taught to read, write, sing and do arithmetic by their parents, and those who have a talent for it sometimes travel to the Southern Territories to study further.
Village life centers around the Great Hall, a very large and often partially underground building where each family has its own area and a place in the central meeting area. The King often lives on the top floor of the Hall, whereas most families will live in small wooden houses clustered around it. There is also likely to be a church of Tuulameilen (I don't call it a temple because in architecture and style of worship it's more like a Christian church or chapel) and one of a local god.
Back to top of Human Societies
Southern Territories and the Library Fortress
The Southern Territories are separated from the Northern by a swathe of Raïlluuan land, and the tail-end of a mountain range. These territories are not as fragmented as the Northern ones - rather than villages they are split into a number of city-states, ruled by the Library Fortress at the center. The Library, despite its name, is much more than that - a marketplace, a university, a centre of government, a home to several thousand people, a garrison situated at the very edge of human land and set in a huge wall that stretches the width of Naïka Yuuna and splits the Southern Territories from Dryad Country. It also, of course, devotes fifteen of its seventeen floors to storing books and artefacts from 3000 years of history.
In fact, the Library is really a rather bizarre place. The top floor is forbidden to all but the Master and Grand Master Librarians, and the whole Library seems to delay the ageing process somewhat - the last Grand Master, Cyrus Gallowglass, died at the age of 124 but appeared to be little older than 40.
The Library, and hence the Southern Territories, is ruled in an odd form of democracy - the post with the greatest status, that of Grand Master Librarian, is decided in the Will of the previous Grand Master. However, without support from the Master Librarians the Grand Master would have very little power, and the Masters are elected by the inhabitants of the Library and the Territories. There are four major parties, or Suits: the Hearts, the Diamonds, the Spades and the Clubs. At present the Library is ruled by a majority of Spades.
Back to top of Human Societies
The Far North has far fewer human inhabitants than either of the other territories, and these are gathered into loose nomad bands, some of whom inflict their piratical traditions on coastlines to the South, and are pretty much responsible for the fact that Yuunaens have never discovered the vast continent to the West. They have a different theology to the other humans - the only god they revere is Tuulameilen, in his incarnation as Cyrradh, the warrior god.
Back to top of Human Societies
Deities and their emblems
Tuulameilen
The Brightly-shining
Most recent incarnation: End of Fourth Age, as a warrior in armour that blazed like the sun and blinded his enemies.
Insignia: The Fish And Eye
Sacred colours: Blue, gold
Emblems: The wolf, the catfish, the albatross, the hawk, the reed
Domain: The shore and mountains, the sun
People: Humans (Tuulaian), especially sailors and warriors.
Type: Naika
Lysela Lamornaluukan
The Autumn-haired
Most recent incarnation: Mid Fourth Age, as an auburn-haired girl.
Insignia: The Winding Stair
Sacred colours: Violet, yellow, orange
Emblems: The hare, the trout, the apple tree, the shield
Domain: Rivers, gardens, times of peace (though she is a secondary goddess of war)
People: All females, especially young girls and pregnant women
Type: Naika
Ystilarcha
The Quiet Watcher
Most recent incarnation: End of Fourth Age, as a youth with light green skin and golden eyes.
Insignia: The Barbed Flower
Sacred colours: Green, pink, white
Emblems: The fox, the owl, the heron, the willow tree, the waterlily
Domain: The forests, the moon
People: Dryads (Ystaian), especially scholars and doctors
Type: Uinaa
Railluu
The Sweetly-singing
Most recent incarnation: Mid Fourth Age, as an angel with red hair and fiery wings.
Insignia: The Pierced Heart
Sacred colours: Red, silver, black
Emblems: The cat, the lark, the dragon, the silver birch
Domain: The sky and stars, the deserts
People: Railluuan, especially musicians and artists
Type: Uinaa
Tehuuya
The Queen of the Seas
Most recent incarnation: Second Age, as a mermaid carrying a harpoon.
Insignia: The Falnesaukan (a lupine sea serpent)
Sacred colours: Turquoise, grey, crimson
Emblems: The pike, the kraken, the Falnesaukan
Domain: The oceans, times of war
People: Merfolk (Tehuuyuan)
Type: Uinaa
Noalareina
The Silent Walker
Most recent incarnation: End of Fourth Age, as a princess in a white robe and a spiked crown.
Insignia: The Fishbone Lantern
Sacred colours: Sky blue, white, scarlet
Emblems: The flowering ivy, the magpie, the arum lily
Domain: Lakes and caves
People: Witches, cooks, also sympathetic to the Tehuuyuan.
Type: Naika
Iayarava Aias
The Sorrowful
Most recent incarnation: Rarely seen by mortals, described as an albino girl in a dark robe.
Insignia: The Staff
Sacred colours: None
Emblems: The ravens and crows, the rats, the flies, the yew tree.
Domain: Death
People: Only ghosts
Type: Not applicable (I suppose Uinaa if anything)