Anthon De Laere

13-

06-2015

THE UNITED ESYA

PEOPLE
ON THEIR CULTURE, LANGUAGE & HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY

1.1

POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

The United Esya people live in Naviton. They

are bordered to the west by Thalas, to the
east by Klandhek end to the south by Neloth
Hiathras and The Waste (previously the
desert nation of Essina).
They share an overseas border with The
Northern Colonies, which used to be lands
controlled by them.
Navitons capital city is Caelora, an 800 feet
high layered city. This enormous city is the
tallest man-made structure in the world and
was named the second wonder in Master
Vallas The Ten Wonders Made by Man.
Caelora is famed for its huge trade district in
the lower levels of the city. The sheltered
ports and the abundance of marketplaces
make it the center of all trade in the North.
Even though The Northern Colonies have
been independent for hundreds of years, all
trade entering and leaving the five colonies
goes through the ports of Caelora where it is checked for illegal wares. Naviton is the
easiest place to grow many illegal drugs, but definitely the hardest nation to get them
out. Using the major ports (Caelora, Kimalor & Belora) or the major roads (Dragon Road,
Slavers Road & Golden Road) is not an option due to the high security at the borders, so
most smugglers choose to go through the dense jungle landscape or through The Waste.
1.2

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Naviton is home to the densest jungles in

the world. More than 50% of the land is
uncharted and most of the cities are close
to the coast or near the border with Thalas,
where the jungle becomes less dense.
To the south, the jungle transitions into a
dryer savannah and eventually into the
arid Waste. The Waste officially became
Navitons lands when the last city waving
the Essina flag fell, but the truth is, nobody
wants the lands and they are avoided as
much as possible.
Navitons highest point is Qur Initi
(Mountain of the Sun) in the northern
Dravnoriq Mountains near the border with
Thalas.
Rivers form an important part of Navitons
landscape and are a popular way of transport. The longest of these rivers is Mayu Kawsa
(River of Life). It was given this name by the tribal communities that lived in Naviton long

ago because the fish that lived in the river were the biggest source of food back then, the
river also allowed for agriculture and early forms of trade to be made possible. The city of
Caelora was founded where the river meets the sea.
1.3

DEMOGRAPHICS

1.3.1

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

In traditional Esya culture, women are often seen as more important to society than men.
The Ahm of Caelora (the queen of Naviton) for instance, can only be female and is the
eldest daughter of the previous Ahm when they die or step down. When there is no
legitimate female heir, a man may become Ahm temporarily until he gets a daughter that
turns 12. When there are no heirs at all, any Esya noble family may be elected by the
people to become the new royal family.
1.3.2

ETHNICITY

Most people in Naviton identify as Esya, meaning they probably have an ancestor that
belonged to one of the tribal river communities before Naviton existed. Another sentient
creature thats native to Naviton are the Phan. Next to nothing is known about them
except that they experience time in a different way than we do. Phan can be best
described as shapeless creatures of light. They must have once had physical forms
because they built three massive temples to Xulo, the God of Time. On these temples,
you can find thousands of images carved in the walls, describing past events and possibly
even future events (They seem to have predicted the rise of The Necromancer but thats
impossible to know for sure). They communicate via thoughts, overwhelming you with
possibly hundreds of images to make something clear to you. Communication with the
Phan is always one-way, as they probably have no way of hearing or understanding our
language.
Other large ethnical groups in Naviton are Oldhuk, Rhaek and Aturans.
There are only two Dragons who live in Naviton: Yulleran and Rhamor. They are the
ambassadors for Neloth Hiathras and Aloth Hiathras respectively.
1.3.3

MEN AND WOMEN

As stated earlier, women are often seen as

more important in Esya culture, giving them
the right to rule. Women often end up in the
army, in diplomatic positions or in
administrative positions. Men are usually
doing jobs like fishing, farming and mining,
though its also not unlikely for a man to join
the army or to work in the trade district.
Most men and women learn to handle basic
weaponry (sword, bow and spear) when they
are 6 years old so that nobody is defenseless
in case of an attack. Clothing is generally
made out of light and thin materials, to
protect against the pressing heat and is
made so it wont obstruct you while moving
through dense jungle. Religious or personal
amulets are common with both men and women. Women will very often wear war paint
(even when not preparing for any battle) in the form of vertical or horizontal stripes.
Usually in either red, black or brown. Other jewelry such as rings or earrings are often
worn by richer women as status symbols.
1.3.4

CHILDREN

Esya children will stay at home until the age of six, when they go through a basic
educational system for the next six years. This education includes basic history and
geography lessons, learning to read and write, studying religious texts and learning to
handle basic weaponry. At the age of twelve, children can start to work.
It is possible to study the art of magic, but there are very few people in Naviton who still
practice. The nearest place to study magic is in Phalyra and the best magic education is
at the Blue College, half a world away.

CULTURE

2.1

RELIGION

Most Esya worship Elyssia, the Goddess of

Light. After the Caelora Concordat, worship of
other Gods was legally allowed, but only in
more recent years has it become more and
more socially acceptable.
Elyssia is the Goddess of Light, the story
goes that when the other Gods were done
creating, they wanted to look upon what they
had made but saw nothing. Then, Elyssia
created light, the Gods looked upon the world
and they saw that it was complete.
Elyssia created the Sun to provide light and
warmth by day, and she created the moon
and stars to remind everyone that even in
the darkest times, there is always light.
Elyssia is also known as the Goddess of Hope because of this.
2.2

ARCHITECTURE

The Most famous piece of Esya architecture is probably the city of Caelora. At a stunning
800 feet tall, this city is the tallest man-made structure in the world. Every stone in this
city is unique and fits exactly into the ones adjacent to it, as if the entire city is one big
puzzle. The city counts over 20 layers, with the top being a temple to Elyssia (at the top,
because thats the closest place to the sun). The temple is right above the Ahms private
quarters (for the Ahm herself, her
husband and her children). Below that,
the rest of the Ahms family lives on the
same layer the throne room is at. The
layers below that are mostly houses and
gardens. The more to the top you live,
the more expensive your house is. The
trading district in near the docks at the
lowest layer, along with most
marketplaces. Recurring themes in Esya
architecture are pyramids and circles.
Most buildings are made out of stone.
Esya cities are often carefully planned out and built according to a strict plan so they are
usually easy to navigate.
2.3

MUSIC

The most popular Esya music instruments are flutes of different kinds and panpipes.
These originate from back in the tribal communities when they were used as ways of

communicating over large distances or giving commands. Nowadays, music can be found
everywhere in Esya communities, most songs are religious in nature, but theres a lot of
songs about nothing important as well. Esya is one of the few cultures in which people
dont sing about historical events, they believe history should be written down, not
changed to fit a melody. Dancing is only really done on special occasions (or when drunk).
The Day of the Sun is the largest Esya holiday where people gather on the marketplaces
and dance. This continues up to three days after the Day of the Sun.

2.4

FOOD & DRINKS

2.5

MAGIC

Esya magic is an art thats slowly being lost

in time. Only a few elders, some priestesses
and the current Ahm, Leyana II, are still
known to practice. Most of them either
studied in Phalyra or went to the Blue
College. Esya magic involves the
manipulation of light. Its a gift from Elyssia
that her people may never know complete
darkness. In the ancient tribal communities
this art was practiced by everyone as it was
the easiest way to communicate over
distances farther than the sound of
panpipes could carry. The tribes would set
up watchtowers along the perimeter of their
territory and use light signals to warn for
danger or call for help. In the dryer south,
the light was mostly used to lure dangerous animals away from a water source so that it
would be safe to go drink.

ECONOMY

3.1

AGRICULTURE

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3.2

TRADE

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3.3

ILLEGAL WARES

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HISTORY

4.1

TRIBAL COMMUNITIES

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4.2

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LANGUAGE