The Land of the Feuding Ndus'ryz

An overview of the Amelia general in the Era After (Based off an anon's writeup about the Amelia Watson general: https://rentry.org/vnm7b)

The Land of the Feuding Ndus'ryz

Introduction and Overview

Introduction

A bird takes off from a long strip of gray and green concrete and lands atop a nearby tower, a faded yellow logo rotting beneath its feet. Though it has no idea what it's looking at, it does not panic; it only gazes downward with a sense of curiosity at the symbols below it.

Only the birds of nature use this place now.

A priest scavenges and scours through what was once an industrial complex with haste. Though he knows he is in hostile territory, the holy treasures that may be hidden within it allure him past the threshold of caution.

He does not see the arrow that pierces the back of his head.

A leader of an army, weary yet determined, spots the enemy marching towards the city center. Though his surroundings are but a mixture of shoddily-crafted huts and ancient rubble, he rallies his men for battle with a shout to defend the "reborn" capital.

Once more, the descendants of a mighty people fight and die atop the ruins of its civilization.

Overview

In the land of the Mae'z, only devotion itself remains the common king. Contrary to popular outside belief, the Mae'z have never seen themselves as a race of brutish warriors. The Mae'z do not fight for the love of fighting, but rather fight for whom they serve; their loyalty to the highest power of the goddesses, in their view, is what makes a Mae'z a Mae'z.

Over hundreds of years, however, the idea of a shared highest power has been all but lost. As time stretched on, religious rifts between the Mae'z opened and widened; unity waned and disagreements flared among the people as the world changed around them. Eventually, it was natural for the Mae'z to splinter into groups (later becoming what are called ndus'ryz plural, ndus'ry singular), fighting amongst themselves from time to time over things from the mundane (such as food and land) to the spiritual (the possession of religious items and many crusades upon supposed heretics).

The territory of all the ndus'ryz roughly covers the pre-apocalyptic borders of the Amelia general, with culture synthesis occurring with the various scattered governments to the north and to the south. Typically, ndus'ryz not part of this synthesis are rather hostile to outsiders, isolating the Mae'z from the rest of the world and leaving them to squabble amongst themselves on their own.

The Ndus'ry

While it may be tempting to define the ndus'ry as a synonym of a tribe or a nation, it is not entirely either. In fact, it could even be said that an ndus'ry lies between these two concepts entirely: rather than deriving authority from the absolute whims of a chief or by a shared bloodline and heritage, the source of the power of a ndus'ry stems first and foremost from an unspoken mutual cooperation among its members.

The purposes of this cooperation are often multifaceted. Oftentimes members of the ndus'ry work together to provide resources for their settlements, sometimes even establishing (fragile and temporary) trade networks with other ndus'ryz to do so. In this way, a ndus'ry acts as a pragmatic society. However, if one were to ask a Mae'z about his or her reason for being part of said society, the response tends to be on a deeper level than simple survival. Ever committed to their beliefs, the Mae'z naturally tend to seek out a community which fits their particular religion and worldview rather than adapt to something different. Thus, the ndus'ry at its core is not an alliance of convenience, but rather one of commonality.

Because of this, the specifics of an ndus'ry tend to vary greatly depending on what type of people make up it. Some ndus'ryz may function more akin to a capitalistic commune, while others may act more like a theocratic warband. Every ndus'ry is different.

Religion

If only three words could explain how a once-unified and loyal people like the Mae'z could break apart and see their comrades as enemies, it would be these ones: "differences in religion".

Most Mae'z can agree on the fact that before a certain point on time's infinite arrow was crossed, the people were united under one faith. Until that point - dubbed by some as "the final battle", by others as "the betrayal", and by a few as simply "the apocalypse" - the Mae'z lived in harmony, happy and free. But past this point, whatever it may be called, the bonds between eventually them weakened and broke, leading to the state of the land today.

An astute observer of the varying beliefs among the ndus'ryz may notice that although all of them insist a singular event had begun a dramatic shift in the world, the instigator of this event is sharply disputed. This indeed was the case from the start. As the ancestors of the Mae'z attempted to explain what may have caused the apocalypse, disagreements which have not been resolved to this day broke out among them. Centuries of distorted information then split them further, with the ndus'ryz eventually not even agreeing on the scope of what goddesses they worship.

Regardless, several common points as well as shared deities can be found within the religions of the ndus'ryz, which tend to follow a rough outline:

List of recurring deities

Amiia & Wo'sun

In a time long ago, Amelia Watson ruled over her loyal-to-a-fault subjects with a firm yet guiding hand. Using her powers of time, she had brought the ancestors of the Mae'z technology and a quality of life which was unimaginable to even the most advanced nations of the time. Then, she disappeared. Her knowledge and abilities went with her.

Yet the eroding sands of time did not allow the story to go unmolested. Over time, the two unique and contrasting personalities of Amelia Watson branched off into two goddesses entirely (at least in most ndus'ryz): Amiia and Wo'sun. In many ndus'ryz, they are the only two goddesses worshipped - any other is considered heretical to them.

The usual depictions of these two goddesses treat Amiia and Wo'sun as distinct counterparts that (at least before a certain incident) ruled the Mae'z together in harmony. While Amiia tends to be represented as tender and inquisitive towards her subjects, Wo'sun is pragmatic and dedicated to embettering them, even through unethical or controversial actions.

Which goddess is better? To an outsider, it is a question which is probably played for a joke. To a Mae'z, it is a question of whether a man must be accepted as a brother or killed on the spot.

Of course, things are more complex and less silly than simply "which is better". It is no exaggeration, however, that ndus'ryz worship one goddess far more than another; often, the other goddess, while perhaps considered an important deity, is shunned to the side - for that goddess was "in the wrong".

The question of which goddess should be exalted over the other is one of the bloodiest questions in the history of the Mae'z. Entire wars have been fought between alliances of ndus'ryz over this question, resulting in the slaying of thousands. The foundations of this division lie within religious lore (which shall be explained in the next section), but to the Mae'z, it has become in some ways more personal than that. The generational conflict may have its origins in myth, but endless loyalty and the shed blood of fathers are what perpetuates it.

Uruu

Present in some sects and absent from others, the name of the goddess Uruu strikes fear, revulsion, or both into the hearts of most Mae'z who believe in her existence within the mythos. Though her exact personality once again shifts from belief to belief, the most common portrayal of Uruu regards her as a sadistic and power-hungry deity, a force of evil to balance the white and gray moralities of Amiia and Wo'sun respectively.

In the versions of the canon which include her, the apocalypse is typically invoked by the devious machinations of Uruu, who in a fit of jealousy towards the two goddesses creates a rift between the two for the purposes of usurping both of them and becoming the one true queen of the Mae'z. Obviously, this plan fails, as the apocalypse happened instead.

Throughout the land, certain rumors have spread about the existence of (figurative or literal) underground cults that worship Uruu in the shadows. Those that trust these narratives, whether they recognize her as a deity or not, are greatly worried. If these cults truly exist, who knows what nefarious plans they may have for the world...?

Armondo

Unlike others on this list besides Amiia and Wo'sun, the person known as Armondo is almost universally recognized as a male with a small - yet very important - role within the Mae'z religious canon. Beyond these facts, the identity of Armondo sinks into the murky depths of conflicting information. However, it can be observed that even among this information, a common theme tends to emerge.

In one version of the legends, Armondo is a minor deity that loses his immortality and ability to remain young upon the arrival of the apocalypse, which had made every other deity disappear. Until his death at a very old age, he acted as the "final guide" of the Mae'z, trying to maintain the ideals of Amiia and Wo'sun among the people until he no longer could. On his deathbed, as his last words, Armondo told the people around him of a method to bring Amiia and Wo'sun back to them as his final words. Then, the last living link to the goddesses perished.

In another version, Armondo is but a mortal assistant to the twin goddesses. Despite his relative unimportance as an assistant, he becomes a key witness of a final battle between Amiia and Wo'sun. Either before or after the battle, Amiia, Wo'sun, or both of them recognize his service to them and give him a final gift to the Mae'z: an explanation on how, when the time is right and the people are worthy of it, the Mae'z can summon them again.

In yet another version, Armondo was in fact born long after - but not too long after - the goddesses had disappeared. Over the course of his life, Amiia and Wo'sun appeared to him in his dreams, bringing prophecies and predictions of events which later came to pass exactly like how the dreams described they would. Gathering a following over the years, the Prophet of Time, the final man to be in the presence of the two goddesses, recieved an instruction: he would teach his descendants a ritual to be conducted a century after his death at the earliest, one that would cause the goddesses to appear within the mortal realm once again.

There is no wonder then, even with such a nebulous past, why Armondo is considered to be so important. In fact, the ritual which Armondo conveyed to the Mae'z has been remarkably preserved, being just as common to all the ndus'ryz as the appearance of Armondo himself. This ritual will be described in the next section.

Jugoo

The role of "creator of the world" in Mae'z religious canon is yet another aspect of it which is mired deep in violent controversy. Priests of one ndus'ry may claim Amiia and Wo'sun shaped and formed it themselves; priests of another will say it was a natural process of some sort which led to the birth of the cosmos.

Some ndus'ryz in the northern part of the Mae'z territories, however, reject both of these explanations. The beginning of the universe did not start from a bang or the twin goddesses, but rather a separate divine presence entirely: the god Jugoo decreed that the world existed, and it was so.

The prominence of Jugoo in the religious canon, like many things, depends on the ndus'ry. While he is usually highly respected amongst the ndus'ryz that worship him, it is often the case that Amiia and Wo'sun take precedence over him, despite Jugoo having created them and everything else.

Gorgurah

Appearing only in the religion of the most southern ndus'ryz, Gorgurah is considered the queen of the seas which surround the Mae'z on two sides. With ndus'ryz in the south having much more of a Guran-influenced maritime culture and economy compared to their brethren elsewhere, it is only natural for them to worship such a deity which they rely on in their daily life. However, as is the case with most other ndus'ryz, Amiia and Wo'sun are still considered the primary goddesses to devote themselves to.

Common storyline

To reconstruct a common narrative from the numerous different origin stories of the Mae'z is an arduous feat - especially when it comes to explaining the many plotholes that arise from the idea of time travel. Regardless, many critical plot points tend to be shared among them all.

In "the beginning", whatever "the beginning" may be considered as, all the peoples of the earth were aimless, squabbling and stupid. A realm above them, the twin goddesses Amiia and Wo'sun (along with others, if a certain ndus'ry believed in them) watched the world with pity. Resolving to fix this sorry state of affairs, the twin goddesses (and possibly others, depending on the ndus'ry) descended down to humanity for the purposes of improving and guiding them.

For one reason or another, not everyone decided to trust or believe in the goddesses - in fact, only a small group of people did. To reward this small group of people for their loyalty, the goddesses used their powers of time to great effect. The people, eventually naming themselves the Mae'z, recieved the knowledge of the industries and sciences from an era far ahead of theirs; they made wonderous inventions which they could barely comprehend and great weapons of war which decimated their enemies (who often complained the Mae'z seemed to know their every move before they even made them).

The Mae'z were elated by all of this; they prostrated before the goddesses and declared them oracles and great sages. Soon, they built a great city in their name named Wo'ropulis (the ruins of which still exist to the present day) from which the goddesses could oversee the people through their governing body, the Wo'sundus'ryz.

In time, the Mae'z grew to be a great and mighty nation, far outpacing the world in technology thanks to the never-failing Amiia and Wo'sun. Thanks to them, the Mae'z possessed metal birds which could make humans fly and buildings so tall they could punch a hole through the sky itself. As a result, the people were fanatics, becoming loyally devoted to the goddesses and willing to do anything to please them.

Amiia and Wo'sun were twins which balanced each other out in their governance. Amiia represented and enjoyed the abstract side of it; she was an ever-curious detective with a sweet spot for the pleasures of life. This also meant that she was rather lazy when it came to actually governing her people.

Wo'sun was the goddess that picked up the slack for her. Pragmatic, efficient, ruthless and even toxic towards anyone she deemed an opponent, Wo'sun represented the concrete side to running a nation. Together, they ruled the Mae'z in peace and harmony.

Until they didn't.

At this point in the story, the event that starts the apocalypse begins. However, the many versions of the Mae'z religious canon regarding what happened to cause the apocalypse differ so much that it is impossible to reconstruct a common story with any certainty.

While a notable amount of ndus'ryz do believe in the idea that Amiia and Wo'sun fought each other in a great battle, the cause of this great battle is in itself disputed. Some ndus'ryz claim that the two fought over an unspecified object (or objects) so powerful that it could manipulate the mechanisms of the world itself, while others say that a betrayal of some sort from one sister (or Uruu, if the particular ndus'ry believes in her) caused the fight to occur. And in some variants of the myth, the goddesses simply one day vanished, with no explanation ever given.

Regardless of the reason, it is said that both of them (as well as other deities) were cast into another realm as a result, unable to return to the world which they had descended down to. When the people had heard of this, they became panicked and angry, demanding answers amongst themselves for why they had been forsaken.

Though the Mae'z continued to hold strong at first, it was clear that without the twin goddesses, they would greatly suffer. It is here where Armondo enters the tale. Even with the exact story of Armondo being contested, it is commonly said that he bound the Mae'z together until the end of his life, at which point he revealed the details of the most important religious rite in the history of the Mae'z: the Ritual of Return.

The Ritual of Return

When it comes to religion and culture in the land of the Mae'z, nothing is more important than the Ritual of Return.

If done successfully, the Ritual of Return accomplishes the peoples' wildest dreams: the connection between a singular goddess and the mortal realm is restored, allowing her to return to the land and her subjects. Properly, this means that the ritual is supposed to be done multiple times: once for each goddess.

Armondo, the teller of the Ritual of Return as it was described to him by divine will, foretold that when the ritual is complete, the goddess or goddesses that were brought back will be eternally grateful towards the man or woman who guided the Mae'z to do so; the summoned goddess(es) will take the leader's hand in marriage.

The allure of being married to Amiia or Wo'sun as a powerful leader is an extremely appealing one. It is also, as a result, an extremely corrupting one. Entire alliances of ndus'ryz have fallen apart because of power struggles between their leaders. From the potential of divine marriage, a divine tragedy of the Mae'z is revealed.

Before the Ritual of Return can even be performed, three formal conditions must be met, as decreed by Armondo:

1. A hundred years must have passed since the last communication with the twin goddesses.
2. A large amount of holy artifacts pertaining to a particular goddess must be collected in one place.
3. The city of Wo'ropulis, the heart of a united nation, must remain established and standing.

As it is generally accepted that Armondo was the last link to the deities, the first condition is taken to be that a century has passed since his death. This has already been fulfilled. It is the other two conditions, then, which remain an obstacle - and a very imposing one at that.

Although one might be tempted to think that a "holy artifact" of a goddess is something hard to come across, the objects themselves are rather mundane: Amiia's holy objects are mechanical clocks and magnifying glasses, while gears and briefcases are the holy objects of Wo'sun. In fact, all of these objects can be rudimentarily manufactured by specialist artisans in the ndus'ryz (though the production rate is nowhere near an industrial level). Their holiness does not derive from their rarity, but rather from their connection to the goddesses, wherever they may be.

How much is a "very large" amount of holy artifacts? This question is uncertain to even the Mae'z themselves. Based off of previous failed attempts, it is speculated that many hundreds, if not thousands of objects must be gathered together in order to successfully conduct the Ritual of Return. Such an amount cannot be produced solely by the artisans of one ndus'ry alone; the artifacts must be obtained from other ndus'ryz, one way or another.

Once upon a time, the grand city of Wo'ropulis was the seat of the goddesses themselves. Now, countless years and battles later, the buildings which once scraped the heavens are nothing more than hollowed out husks at best. Ruins litter the former capital; once well-maintained parks, landmarks and monuments have decayed or broken down into unrecognizable piles of brick, wood, and steel. The ancient homes of Wo'ropulis have vanished; its streets are buried under moss and grass. No sane man would consider a place like this "established" nor "standing" - not anymore.

Yet in order to complete the Ritual of Return, Wo'ropulis must be both of these things. In an effort to accomplish this, the leader of the ndus'ry that controls Wo'ropulis will often attempt to settle members of their ndus'ry inside the city by building basic houses in areas near or even inside the former city boundaries. These residences tend to stick out like a sore thumb compared to even the desolate, decayed structures of their ancestors; it is another tragic reminder of what is lost.

In any case, these homes may not last long anyway - control of even the ruins of the old capital brings with it prestige and legitimacy, making it a constant battleground between warring ndus'ryz.

The outcome of Wo'ropulis mirrors the outcome of the Mae'z; a formerly legendary nation has torn itself asunder with endless disputes on the spiritual, terrestrial and even personal level. Though some hope for the Mae'z to one day be brought together again, the day where that happens can barely be visualized, let alone fulfilled. Until that day, the Mae'z continue on as they always have: clashing until only one ndus'ry remains, the ndus'ry that knows best and the one that will, surely, finally succeed at the Ritual of Return.

Culture

The culture of the Mae'z - or rather the many ndus'ryz which divide them - is, unsurprisingly with their nature, heavily aligned and intertwined with their faith. This, however, does not mean that culture throughout the land has split apart in the same manner as their religion.

While many differences do exist between ndus'ryz in regards to practices, holidays, and conventions - especially in the northern and southern ndus'ryz - a shared cultural heritage remains embedded throughout most of the land. The Mae'z may be quick to arms against themselves, but they do not deny their ancestry; they are all one people.

Customs and holidays

Even as the Mae'z are split by their religion, the intensity of their veneration for their gods and goddesses, for the most part, stay the same. Deeply devout in their ways, much of the culture and heritage of the Mae'z revolve around rituals, holidays, and other faith-based activities.

One example of this is the brodkasht, a type of speech/sermon given by a person called the brodkashtuh to a gathering of people. Depending on the ndus'ry, this may either be a religious leader, a lower priest or even an appointed or elected official. Usually daily in its occurrence, a brodkasht tends to consist of daily tidings and announcements, followed by a theological lecture regarding a certain, chosen topic.

Though most ndus'ryz regard the brodkasht as an integral part of the daily routine, the formality of the brodkasht, like infinitely many things, varies from place to place. Some treat the brodkasht as a formal service, while others treat it as a time of relaxation and rest - often, ndus'ryz that follow the latter doctrine have basic refreshments prepared for the common citizenry.

Also tied to religion is the idea of four main holidays, set upon the equinoxes and solstices of the year. Unlike brodkashts and most other religious doctrine, these four holidays are quite uniform among the Mae'z, and a description of them is as follows:

Win'erend. A celebration falling on the northward, or vernal equinox.
- Revered and celebrated as a time of rare peace, Win'erend commemorates the dawn of spring and represents the idea of love and hope for a new year.
- Depending on the exact scripture, Winer'end may also be honored as the day when Amiia and Wo'sun first descended to humanity.
- As befitting such a bright holiday, the mood in the land on this day is one of armistice and goodwill for fellow men. It is customary (though not always followed) that conflicts have a daily truce or at the very least dial down in scope on Winer'end, so that soldiers may rest and do other things beside fight.
- Win'erend is also widely regarded as a day of romance among couples and families. A mating process affectionately known as the ground pound is often conducted on this day, and the sound of wedding bells often ring ceaselessly throughout the territories of the Mae'z and beyond.
Midsumah. A celebration falling on the northern, or summer solstice.
- Considered to be a day of joyous festivities among the Mae'z, Midsumah brings with it an air of fun, elation, and perhaps triumph.
- Many different versions of Mae'z common religion place Midsumah as the exact date of the year when Wo'ropulis was founded by the people. Consequently, a few daring individuals tend to flock towards the ruins of the city as a sort of pilgrimage. Some of them do not make it back home.
- Settlements from the smallest hamlets to the largest villages frequently hold their own town fairs for the occasion, featuring games and activities for the children and food and drink for the adults. Elders tell stories to groups of people, and even leaders and higher officials join in on the fun.
- The holiday of Midsumah is synonymous with gluttony. While breakfast and lunch may be regular (if not with bigger than normal portions), the highlight of the day is a glorious feast for dinner, ranging from the various platters of an individual household to grand communal dining among communities.
- Because many villages and their inhabitants are more open than usual on Midsumah, well-timed foreign merchants choose this day to travel among the Mae'z and sell them wares from the outside world. Commerce, then, is a popular thing during Midsumah as traders both buy and sell across the land.
Amiiafol, Wo'sunfol, or Godsfol depending on the ndus'ry. A holiday falling on the southward equinox.
- Unlike most other holidays, there is little merriment to be had on the day of Godsfol. At its core, Godsfol is a sanctity, a moment in time of fidelity, divinity and repentance. A majority of ndus'ryz consider it the holiest day of the year.
- There is no shared agreement as to what happened lore-wise on Godsfol. Competing theories (often debated by way of the sword) include the split between Amiia and Wo'sun, the disappearance between Amiia and Wo'sun, the reveal of the Ritual of Return by Armondo, the abandonment of Wo'ropulis, or multiple of these answers.
- Places of worship are packed with shuddering worshippers; forts are manned to full capacity. Relaxation on this day is a sin for citizens and an error for soldiers. Godsfol's appearance as a day of simple worship is betrayed by machinations of ndus'ryz, who sometimes use the holiday as a starting date of their new warpath.
- An outsider may be baffled as to why, on such an important day of worship, the ndus'ryz prepare for battle and settle their differences with much violence. To the Mae'z, the concept is simple: it is good and just to purge heretics as a way to celebrate a day of divine reverence.
Born'ime. A celebration falling on the southern solstice.
- Even to the Mae'z, the holiday of Born'ime is a complex idea. While Win'erend, Midsumah and Godsfol all have specific purposes, Born'ime is more personal in scope and nature. One perspective views Born'ime as a time of individual reflection and prayer, while another views it as a celebration of belief (that is, the action of belief) among the whole populace. Still more perspectives say other things. The truth may be somewhere in between all of them.
- There is no particular event in the belief system of the Mae'z which precisely lines up with Born'ime, though a few ndus'ryz in the northern part of the territories claim that Born'ime is the birthday of the universe itself.
- The daily routine does not stop or even change very much on Born'ime. In fact, such a change would be contradictory to the idea of the holiday. Hence, no big events occur to mark or celebrate Born'ime. It just happens.
- Women tend to co-opt the holiday as a day of honoring maternity and fertility, as many expectant mothers give birth around this time. Some ndus'ryz acknowledge this and help out the mothers in various ways, such as providing a sort of daycare or organization.

Holy artifacts

Being the cornerstones required to complete the ever-important Ritual of Return, holy artifacts have become instrumental to the goal of every ndus'ry. As mentioned before, these holy artifacts are not too rare; in actuality they are any one of a class of ordinary objects, and can even be rudimentarily produced by a small number of artisans.

Despite their ordinary surface qualities, holy artifacts, as a concept, contain immense power within them. It would be unthinkable for an ndus'ry to give up their holy objects willingly, not unless there was some sort of extremely dire circumstance.

There are three main ways for a particular ndus'ry to obtain holy artifacts:

Finding ancient examples of these holy artifacts in ruins of industrial areas or cities. For as long as anybody can remember, the best way to get holy artifacts were to search for them. Plenty of these artifacts could be found given enough sifting through ancient debris. The downside, of course, is that there is only so much debris that can be sifted through on the territory of an ndus'ry.
Recently, extremely skilled artisans have been able to create new examples of these holy artifacts. Hailed as a breakthrough beyond belief, the enthusiasm quickly faded when it was realized that these artifacts could not be produced at any reasonable speed. Furthermore, those who have knowledge of the creation of holy artifacts are for obvious reasons kept away from other ndus'ryz, to the point where it is easier to either do option 1, or...
Conduct a raid, campaign or war against another ndus'ry, and take their holy artifacts. The race to get a hold of many holy artifacts as possible means that, given human nature, war is surely to break out. This need for holy artifacts is one reason (among other differences) why even ndus'ryz who prioritize the same goddess turn against each other. In the end, there is only war.

The possession of holy artifacts are treated extremely seriously. Typically, high-ranked priests are the only ones allowed to go near them; in most ndus'ryz, the penalty for stealing one is death. Retreating ndus'ryz will make sure the priests in charge of the holy artifacts are the first ones to try to flee with them in the face of an approaching enemy. However, with large enough collections, taking them all is infeasible. Since the priests can carry only as much artifacts as they can carry, the rest left behind become spoils, gone to the victor of the imminent battle.

Regional culture

In the very northern and very southern ndus'ryz, syncretic blend with the nations which bordered the territory of the Mae'z over hundreds of years have given rise to distinct religions and cultures. Though they still consider themselves as part of the Mae'z, they are not like the rest of them, contrasting with the "pure Mae'z" ndus'ryz of the central lands.

The relatively rural forests and grasslands to the north of the Mae'z territories do not tend to have a united culture per se, as much of the immediate area is too rural, isolated, and separated by time from any major cultural roots. However, this does not mean it is without culture entirely. Local legends tell that once upon a time, a great empire of many gods and goddesses united the men of the soil, ruling mightily from the plains to the mountains.

That empire has long faded from history. The deities which it worshipped, however, live on in myth. Their names may have changed, their details may have been smeared by age, but they live on. These gods and goddesses, then, have entered the lore and pantheons of the northern Mae'z as inferiors to what the northeners call Amiwi and Wa'son, the lingual equivalents to Amiia and Wo'sun.

Northern ndus'ryz, befitting the area around them, are more confined to themselves than others. Although conflicts still occur between them, a much more passive philosophy rules between them all: "Keep away trouble, and all is fine."

Meanwhile, in the southern ndus'ryz, a much more active mixing of life is taking place between the Mae'z and the various tribes and nations collectively called the Northern Gorans. Here, the followers of what are locally named Amiriu and Wo'san mingle with devotees of the goddess Gorgurah, both peoples absorbing elements of each others' religions. Gorgurah is then elevated among the Mae'z here to a goddess in her own right, one in some ndus'ryz even elevated to the level of the twin goddesses themselves.

A major component of the southern ndus'ryz is the adoption of a seafaring will. With the Gorans known among the Mae'z as men of the ocean, it is only natural that the ndus'ryz of the south would therefore pick up on the idea of a nautical culture, despite the fact that the Mae'z were never known for their sailing abilities.

The very thought that any goddess may reach the same level of power as Amiia and Wo'sun is heretical to certain central ndus'ryz, let alone the practice of worshipping that goddess. This very reason has led to enormous spouts of conflicts between the central and southern ndus'ryz, with some of the fiercest fighting occurring within the rainforests of the south. It is said to this day, if one becomes lost within the tropical jungle, the first sign of their fate is when they hear the cries of the warriors who perished here before them.

[FURTHER LORE GOES HERE, WILL BE ADDED ON IN PIECES]