/vnug/
▲ An ancient symbol of /vnug/ believed to represent the power of the sun.
The Vinag Union (vinagyi hanhom, rarely vinagai hanhom), commonly known as /vnug/, is a country located at the western coast of the central continent. It shares a border with /VReX/ to the west, and /uuu/ to the southwest. It is home to the indigenous salamoim people, a humanoid subset of humans with animal-like ears and tail.
Geography
▲ /vnug/ is home to numerous caves, some of which large enough to house entire cities.
“If it form the one landscape that we, the inconstant ones,
Are consistently homesick for, this is chiefly
Because it dissolves in water. Mark these rounded slopes
With their surface fragrance of thyme and, beneath,
A secret system of caves and conduits; hear the springs
That spurt out everywhere with a chuckle,
Each filling a private pool for its fish and carving
Its own little ravine whose cliffs entertain
The butterfly and the lizard; examine this region
Of short distances and definite places:
What could be more like Mother or a fitter background
For her son, the flirtatious male who lounges
Against a rock in the sunlight, never doubting
That for all his faults he is loved […] ?”
—W. H. Auden, In Praise of Limestone
/vnug/ is one of the larger countries in the world, with an estimated area just below 490,000 square miles (1,260,000 square km). It is a mountainous country, with most of its land comprised of highlands forming the Alph mountains. The highest point of /vnug/ is the peak of Mount Motag, located on the eastern ice cap reaching above 22,000 ft (6,700 m).
Most of the land forming /vnug/ used to be a shallow ocean intertwined with remnants of previous orogenies prior to the Alph orogeny beginning at about 30 million years ago. As another tectonic plate subducted beneath the land at a low angle, the resulting uplift and orogeny formed the mountains dominating /vnug/ and the surrounding region. Once comparable to the Onyx Mountains in scale and height, the end of Alph orogeny around 5 million years ago, coupled with extensive weathering by rain and glacier led to its current, rugged terrain.
With the erosion of the soluble surface rock deposits, the landscape of /vnug/ is a complex mixture of different rock types. /vnug/ is best known for its extensive strata of sedimentary rocks like limestone, dolomite, gypsum, as well as their metamorphic counterparts like marble. However, it also contains sizeable regions of granite, greenstone, and gneiss, high-grade metamorphic rocks formed in the distant past before the Alph orogeny.
Climate
▲ The majority of land in /vnug/ is covered by a lush, misty, mossy forest.
“In every forest of the world, there lies the possibility of losing one’s way. Trees don’t have markers; trails don’t follow any kind of logic. In every darkling wood lives something primeval, a hidden heart that beats with ancient blood. This primordial place exists outside the scope of our perceptions, always beyond the borders of civilization. Few people ever see this place, but those who enter the woods may find themselves turned around. Trees grow thick, thorns bite at clothes and nip skin and every rotten log is another false landmark. Those who have lost their way hear a soft voice in the wind, whispering for them to come closer. […] And then they are truly lost, never to be seen again.” —World of Darkness: Mysterious Places
/vnug/ is an equatorial country located between the 9th parallel north and 3rd parallel south. As a result, the amount of sunlight remains constantly high throughout the years, resulting in a lack of significant change in average temperature regardless of time of the year. To a lesser extent, the westerly trade wind constantly brings an ample amount of rainfall to the mountain land, meaning that there are no discernable wet and dry seasons either. Because of that, the variation in climate and biome in /vnug/ is primarily dominated by its altitude.
The lowest regions of /vnug/, including its coasts and river valleys, are a patchwork of mangrove and tropical forests stretching from beyond the borders with /VReX/ and /uuu/. The hot and waterlogged environment makes the dense jungle difficult for non-natives to traverse far beyond navigable waterways. However, this land of eternal summer is still considered relatively accessible compared to other regions of the country. Here, most major cities are built alongside rivers for the fertile floodplain, or along the two coasts for commerce with the wider world.
At an elevation above 2,500 ft (760 m), precipitation increases due to orographic lift. In addition to rainfall, fog and mist is also common in the undergrowth of the forest, weakening the already filtered sunlight. As this region comprises more than half of /vnug/’s land, the majority of /vnug/’s forest are considered cloud forest or mossy forest due to the constant heavy fog, and the abundance of moss and ferns among the overgrown understory. Although still in the tropical region, the high elevation reduces the temperature, giving the land a more temperate climate akin to an eternal spring. While it has the most hospitable environment of all of /vnug/, the dense undergrowth and constant thick fog makes the forest virtually impenetrable to outsiders, with visibility as poor as a few to a few dozen feet at times. The land of eternal spring nonetheless houses most of the largest cities in /vnug/, its moderate weather and ample water supply allowing it to become a regional agricultural powerhouse.
Above 10,000 ft (3,300 m), the lowering temperature and rainfall leads to the forest gradually thinning out into isolated patches of groves surrounded by low-growing shrubs and grasses. While the average temperature remains stable across the year, daily temperature variation is significant due to the thin air – this region has been described as “summer every day, winter every night.” Most plants thriving in this land of eternal fall have adaptations to help them survive the extreme weather, including the magic-using galeworts (genus Psychestia). The same extreme weather limits the scale of permanent settlements on the surface, further compounded by the dominance of the rough, nutrition-poor karst terrain. Because of that, most /vnug/ settlements on the moorland are underground in nature, occupying the enormous limestone caves dotting the landscape. While low in population, the moorland is home to /vnug/’s mining and industrial economy, supplying the lush lowlands with goods in exchange for food.
The highest peaks of /vnug/ are covered by an ice cap extending beyond its eastern border. Replenished by onshore wind especially during winter, its meltwater feeds the multiple rivers carving the /vnug/ landscape. The eternal winter renders the surface inhospitable to humans, although several underground settlements manage to survive with a combination of underground farming, herding, trading, and general resilience. As the frozen headwater of all major rivers in /vnug/, it is the source of most natural ice in the country, where blocks of ice are cut, packaged, and shipped downstream.
Biodiversity
/vnug/ is home to a myriad of endemic species not commonly found elsewhere because of its unique geography and magic-imbued environment. As a country dominated by tropical highlands, a lack of significant seasonal temperature change means the local climate is determined primarily by the altitude of the land. Heavy erosion from the hot and humid environment means many parts of the highlands are isolated from each other by valleys and ridges. A combination of geographic isolation and heavily magical environment believed to be encouraging mutation leads to relatively quick speciation of life inhabiting the land.
Compared to its lowland counterpart, trees in /vnug/ form what is commonly called “elfin forest”. Characterized by an abundance of epiphytes specialized in absorbing moisture from the dense fog of the cloud forest, tree growth in /vnug/ beyond the coastal region is often stunted by a combination of lowered temperature and competition with epiphytes. Despite the “compressed” height of the rainforest, it is not uncommon for soil to form in the canopy which further promotes growth of epiphytes among the trees. The dense understory and rugged terrain of the misty forest also likely contributed to the generally smaller size of animals and, more controversially, salamoim who evolved in such an environment.
Galewort
▲ Skyre flower is a species of galewort known for its large bracts capable of generating warmth and light during the frigid nights of the /vnug/ highland.
While most lifeform endemic to /vnug/ make use of magical elements to some degree, the only known natural producers of organic magical molecules all belong to a family of alpine plants called galeworts (genus Psychestia). Unlike many other plants native to moorland, many species of galeworts, such as dreamwort and skyre flower, has a robust taproot system that can penetrate the hard soil pan and even the uppermost layer of permafrost. This is achieved by the plants absorbing magical elements through magic-chelating organic compounds. These molecules are then used to both harden the tip of the dominant root and warm other parts of the plant, allowing them to grow deeper and faster than other plants in the frigid highland.
A side effect of the galeworts’ adaptation is that many of these magical molecules end up in the rest of the ecosystem due to a combination of predation, decomposition, and transpiration. These enchanted organic compounds are significantly more volatile than their inorganic counterparts, and it is believed that these molecules can induce alteration in biochemistry, manifesting in behavioral change, biochemical or psychological dependence on magical elements, or even mutation in genetic material. However, many species native to /vnug/ have adapted to this environment – not only can they mitigate the harmful effects of these molecules, but many can also metabolize them to make use of the magical power themselves.
These enchanted organic complexes powered the first /vnug/ magic and remain a major component of the current magic system. Originally making use of only the evaporated volatiles, the people of /vnug/ have since developed horticultural techniques for cultivating and harvesting different cultivars of galeworts for their magical and medicinal properties. Their role as the sole producers of organo-magical molecules also means their presence is vital for multiple other species that have since evolved to rely on these molecules for necessary metabolism.
One of the alpine galewort species, skyre flower (Psychestia celyphica), has developed a mutualistic relationship with multiple endemic species, including a species of honey-making bees. Its layers of characteristic large bracts contain concentrated magical molecules capable of generating heat and light during the freezing nights of the moorland it is endemic to. These large shell-like structures allow small insects to take shelter in it during the night, with the insects pollinating the flowers in the process of harvesting nectars.
Zuimu slime
Another lifeform endemic to /vnug/ is Zuimu slime, or simply as slime. Native to the vast cloud forest of /vnug/, Zuimu slime expresses characteristics of both slime mold and mycorrhizal fungus. Due to their secretive nature and protection by local authorities, it is not sure if Zuimu slime is a composite organism similar to lichen or its own species. In either case, Zuimu slime is arguably the most important lifeform in /vnug/, as it is a vital ecosystem engineer that has radically transformed and enriched the ecosystem of the vast mossy forest.
On the topsoil and subsoil level, Zuimu slime behaves almost identical to a typical mycorrhizal fungus by forming a vast network of hypha-like structure between the roots of plants. This network, although usually microscopic in nature, can cover a vast area, with some believing that every single plant within the /vnug/ forest is connected to a singular, massive network. Because of its large surface area and wide reach, Zuimu slime network can absorb a significant amount of water and mineral nutrients from the soil, which is then transferred to connected plants that need those resources in exchange for photosynthetic products such as carbohydrates. Zuimu slime is also a decomposer who can accelerate the breakup of organic matters and absorb them into its system. As decomposition is often otherwise slow in waterlogged soil comprising most of /vnug/’s forest, Zuimu slime serves a vital role in the recycling and distributing of valuable nutrients within the ecosystem.
Zuimu slime is also one of the few species that can absorb magical elements from inorganic sources like rock and soil. While it is believed that the slime can derive energy through magic, it is not known to excrete organic magical molecules unlike galeworts. In fact, galeworts often compete with Zuimu slime for magical nutrients. It is hypothesized that galeworts rarely grow in the forest of /vnug/ because of said competition, as it is unknown whether galeworts can enter a mutualistic relationship with Zuimu slime.
In addition to nutrient transfer, Zuimu slime network also enables some form of communication between its interconnected plants. The exact mechanism remains unclear, but forests colonized by Zuimu slime have demonstrated the ability to react to environmental stress even when only a small corner of it is exposed to the stress. It is also believed that Zuimu slime network facilitates the creation and transfer of [biochemicals] that regulates plant development. In some sects of /vnug/ beliefs, the sheer scale of the network allows it to gain a consciousness of its own, which can communicate with animals and humans, and is thus venerated as the “spirit of the forest.”
At increased depth of soil, or in the wake of catastrophic events destroying the surface ecosystem, Zuimu slime gradually morphs into something more akin to large slime molds. With a typical size in the range of gallons, Zuimu slime often appears to be semi-translucent blue blobs. Usually, Zuimu slime blobs reside deep within the substratum of the soil and serve as the central nodes of the local mycorrhizal network, but destruction of the network and its connected plants can often cause the slime blob to move, either to rebuild the network or migrate to a new ecosystem. These blobs contain a significant amount of nutrients, and they serve as storage of excessive nutrients that can be used by connected plants during lean seasons.
/vnug/ people have used Zuimu slime since time immemorial. Claiming it to be a divine gift, farmers often dig up Zuimu slime blobs in the forest and transplant them to new farmlands. Once buried beneath the soil, farmers will grow crops with intersecting trees and other plants, all of which will be incorporated into a new Zuimu slime network that facilitates growth and maintains health of the crops. In a similar vein, underground /vnug/ people also rely on transplanting Zuimu slime to maintain their food production, as its ability to derive energy from magical minerals and recycle organic nutrients allow the creation of underground farms. Zuimu slime itself can also serve as a food source, but most /vnug/ people find its taste disagreeable and the act itself morally reprehensible, so it is often done only as a last resort.
Beyond agriculture, Zuimu slime is also used in other different ways. Especially common among communities living underground or barren terrains, Zuimu slime is used to decompose and recycle organic matters, ranging from manure and detritus to dead bodies as it is considered a proper, even honorable way of disposing humanoid bodies. Occasionally, injured and even recently deceased humanoids are not consumed by Zuimu slime. Instead, they are provided sustenance and healed back to health as if they are a plant connected to the network. These individuals often leave the slime blob upon full healing, and they are seen as messengers of the “spirit of the slime” as they retain some degree of ability to communicate with the slime and its plants afterwards. Not all bodies are returned from the slime, though, and they are instead preserved in what is described as indefinite suspended animation, and removal of them are always lethal for the individual. The exact cause of these phenomena remains unknown as well as ritualized, as some messengers claim to be able to communicate with those individuals.
History
“Once, there was a queen, beloved by her people…”
The indigenous people of /vnug/ is a human subspecies unique to the region, through their exact origin remains debated. Academic studies suggest the ancestors of /vnug/ people might be a result of interbreeding between baseline humans and the more animal-like humanoids inhabiting the neighboring /VReX/, while others suggest the base form of /vnug/ people is a result of divine intervention, shaping them to their gods’ desire. According to their holy text, however, the ancestors of the /vnug/ people once sailed across the starry seas. Summoned by their goddess-queen, the devout followers left everything behind in search of the promised land, a place a closely resembled their fabled homeland. After a long and arduous journey, they arrived at a land where the gentle sun shined brightly above a lush, green forest.
Decreeing this to be their promised land, the first /vnug/ people made landfall and dismantled their “arks of gold and silver” to build their first home. However, not all is as good as it seems, as it soon dawned to them that their body, molded to face the hardship of their original homeland, could not survive the fierce wildlife of their promised land, and many fell to beasts and plagues alike. The survivors abandoned their home and fled to the treeless highland, where the scorching day and freezing night offered the battered people shelter. However, the desolate highland did not have any food to feed the people. With no other options, the people pleaded to their goddess-queen for help.
The goddess-queen was saddened by the plights of her most devout followers, and her inability to lead them. She fashioned a scepter of gold and silver from what remained of their ship and enchanted it with her divine power. She said that while she could not bring her people to the true promised land, the scepter would point towards a place of rest for them. It is said that when they asked if she could protect them on their perilous journey, her only response was “happiness has to be fought for.”
“… and then, in her wisdom, she sailed into the lightless void…”
Although distraught, the people nonetheless followed the guidance of the scepter across the moorland. One day, when they were marching across a broken land, the scepter slipped out of their hand and fell into a river, where it was washed downstream. The people followed the river to retrieve the scepter until the river disappeared in a dark cavern.
The people briefly considered giving up, but they ultimately continued their search deeper into the caves, only to be greeted by an otherworldly vista – a vast cave illuminated by pillars of sunlight, where the river flowed into a sunless sea. Here, they were protected from both the scorching sun and the freezing night, with crystal-clear water inhabited by animals of pure white that did not fear them. Although the scepter remained lost, the leader of the /vnug/ people declared this to be the promised land as marked by the scepter, and they settled here and built the first /vnug/ city.
As generations grew accustomed to this land, the people began expanding from their sheltered cave, both back to the surface and deeper into the earth. While it is ultimately motivated by acquiring more resources to develop their society and spread their influence, a significant portion of the devout population still believed that the lost scepter is still somewhere, waiting for the faithful to discover it. Then, it is said, the goddess-queen will finally return to see and lead her people, now prosperous and, perhaps more importantly, happy.
“… and the stars whisper of our queen’s return.” — ancient /vnug/ prophecy
Demographics
/vnug/ is estimated to have a population of about 12 million, with a low population density of 24 per square mile (9 per square kilometer). Because of that, the vast majority of /vnug/ land remains an undeveloped wilderness, especially in the frigid highland massif and the dense rainforest beyond the reach of major roads and rivers.
Regions and cities
“On the day when I know all the emblems, shall I be able to possess my empire, at last?” “Sire, do not believe it. On that day you will be an emblem among emblems.” — Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
Politically, /vnug/ is a congregation of multiple city-states (poli) united by a shared faith and often close economic and cultural ties. Each city-state is governed by their own laws and customs, with some ruled by a single individual, some by a small council, and some by an elected organ. Regardless, all but the smallest /vnug/ city-states rule over multiple smaller settlements called kopoli to facilitate resource extraction, power projection, or communication with other city-states. Beyond that, smaller villages called sykopoli exist either as further subdivisions or as independent settlements not controlled by any city-states.
Sematol
▲ Tuihövyn is commonly compared to the underground cities of /vnug/ highland due to its verticality despite the drastically different environment.
“In order for the wheel to turn, for life to be lived, impurities are needed, and the impurities of impurities in the soil, too, as is known, if it is to be fertile. Dissension, diversity, the grain of salt and mustard are needed. […] But immaculate virtue does not exist either, or if it exists it is detestable.” — Primo Levi, The Periodic Table
The region of Sematol (sämatol “archipelago”) includes the area surrounding the gulf and estuary of the Tuih river flowing across the northern regions of /vnug/. As its name implies, Sematol is best known for its numerous islands of towers of carbonate rock, a remnant of the soluble sedimentary rock that once covered the region undergoing extensive weathering in the wet, tropical climate. As the Tuih river gradually carved steep valleys along its drainage basin, the rising sea level in the wake of the last ice age flooded the ancient river valley, leaving behind a gulf filled with clusters of isolated islands. The rock pillars that formed the islands could still be seen around the wetland estuary of the Tuih river yet to be reclaimed by the sea.
The gulf is connected to the tropical ocean to the west, and the tropical westerlies constantly bring warm, moist air over Sematol. At the same time, cold, dry air from the surrounding mountain ranges flows into the basin during nighttime. The mixture of the two air results in an unusually high frequency of lightning strikes in the region, further facilitated by the abundance of volatile organic magical compound released by the misty forest of /vnug/. To mitigate the threat of the nightly thunderstorms, most cities in Sematol are built partially or completely inside the tower karst, and ships docked in the region generally seek shelter near the cliff faces or within sea caves during nighttime. Although Sematol is most famous for its thunderstorms, it also receives more direct sunlight than most of /vnug/ beneath the tree line. This is because the water of the gulf heats up slower than the land, resulting in a high pressure zone of cooler, cloudless air over the sea as rain clouds are pushed further inland.
Tuihövyn is the largest settlement in Sematol, and the largest port of the country. The heart of the city is built into a large rock formation by the estuary of the Tuih river. Originally a shelter from the storm and possibly a quarry, it has since expanded to the islands in the bay through bridges connecting the karst towers. With access to deeper water, Tuihövyn gradually developed into a port city, where port facilities are built into the steep cliffs of the islands connecting the water to the settlements inside and on top of the rocks.
According to local legends, the first inhabitants of Tuihövyn were under constant threats of the lightning strikes, as not only could they kill people and destroy buildings, but they could also ignite the forests covering the stone islands. In an attempt to fend off the lightnings, they built grand statues of the goddesses and angels to invoke their ward. It was eventually found out that statues made of certain metals could shield those nearby by channeling the lightning strikes to the statues instead. Because of that, Tuihövyn is also known as the “City of Angels” due to the amount and prominence of religious statues looming over the settlements.
In addition to its buzzling shipping and shipbuilding industry, Tuihövyn is also a major producer of “lightning crystal”, a kind of artificial magical gemstone imbued with electric energy. It is made by channeling the lightning strikes through a special crucible filled with a specific mixture of minerals and magical materials, where the extreme power of the lightning transforms the mixture into lightning crystal. In its unprocessed form, it is described as a “quartz of gold” with a numbing touch. As lightning crystal can contain a significant amount of energy in the form of miniature lightning, it is commonly used to cast powerful magic or power magical devices.
Because of its role as /vnug/’s gateway to the world, Tuihövyn has a diverse population of native salamoim, humans, and other foreign races taking up temporary or permanent residence, introducing a mixture of different cultures and technology not commonly seen elsewhere within the mossy rainforest. Its accessibility, open-door policy, and /vnug/’s martially-inclined culture also leads to Tuihövyn becoming a hotspots for pirates and maritime mercenaries, where order is maintained by a combination of gentlemen’s agreement, pirate code, and a raw enforcement of justice.
Language
Consonants
| Manner \ Place | Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m ⟨m⟩ | n ⟨n⟩ | ŋ ⟨ng⟩ | |
| Stop | p ⟨p/b⟩ | t ⟨t/d⟩ | k ⟨k/g⟩ | |
| Aspirated stop | pʰ ⟨ph⟩ | tʰ ⟨th⟩ | kʰ ⟨kh⟩ | |
| Ejective stop | p’ ⟨p’⟩ | t’ ⟨t’⟩ | k’ ⟨k’⟩ | |
| Affricate | ts ⟨c⟩ | |||
| Aspirated affricate | tsʰ ⟨ch⟩ | |||
| Ejective affricate | ts’ ⟨c’⟩ | |||
| Fricative | f ⟨f/v⟩ | s ⟨s/z⟩ | h ⟨h⟩ | |
| Ejective fricative | s’ ⟨s’⟩ | |||
| Trill | r ⟨r⟩ | |||
| Approximant | l ⟨l⟩ |
Standard /vnug/ language has 21 phonemically distinctive consonants. Among them are 5 sets of obstruent consonants (/p t k ts s/) with contrasting tenuis, aspirated, and ejective consonants, with the exception of /s/ which does not distinguish the aspirated consonant */sʰ/.
Vowels
/vnug/ language exhibits strong vowel harmony. Vowels in the language are divided into three categories: light, dark, and neutral. If the root word contains light vowels, the vowels of the affixes are assimilated into light vowels, and vice versa. The neutral vowel i /i/ can coexist with both categories of vowels, and does not affect the harmony of other vowels. Another exception is the vowel y /ɨ~ɯ/ which, although belonging to the dark category, can occasionally coexist with light vowels, usually as an unstressed vowel inserted between consonant suffixes to break off clusters. Loanwords in general do not exhibit vowel harmony, although ancient loanwords that have since been assimilated into the lexicon sometimes do.
| Category \ Transliteration | a/ö | o/u | ë/y | i | ä/e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | a | o | ə~ʌ | i | æ |
| Dark | ə~ɤ | u | ɨ~ɯ | i | e |
Apart from changing pronunciation, vowel harmony also affects the meaning of certain words. Words with “light” vowels tend to convey the nuance of lightness in weight, brightness, and smallness, while the opposite applies to “dark” vowels. For example, kar, with a light vowel, means knife, while kör, with a dark vowel, means sword. Another example is salam, which refers to the native people of /vnug/, while sölöm refers to the usually more physically imposing foreign peoples.
Races
“Alloys are stronger.” — Sir Terry Pratchett, Feet of Clay
/vnug/ is home to multiple sapient species, with the majority of the native population being a mixture of baseline humans and the endemic race of salamoim.
Salamoim
Salamoim, a humanoid race with animal-like characteristics, is the primary indigenous people of /vnug/, and makes up a significant portion of its population. Although they look more like baseline humans than the more divergent races like the deadbeats, the /vnug/ people still possess their own unique physiology that sets them apart from humans. Despite that, salamoim are still biologically compatible with humans and many other humanoid subspecies.
Appearance
The salamoim resembles short, somewhat stout humans with animal ears, a long, prehensile tail, and semi-digitigrade legs. On average, adult salamoim are about a foot shorter than their human counterpart, with male standing at 4’6” (137 cm) and female at 4’2” (127 cm) on average. They are heavier than humans of the same height, with male and female weighing 70lb (32 kg) and 60lb (27 kg) on average. Although naturally pale, they are known to be noticeably sensitive to intense sunlight and tan easily in response. It is suggested that this sunlight sensitivity played a role in limiting their range to the foggy cloud forests and caves in the highlands in the first place.
Appearance-wise, the animal-like ears of salamoim vary significantly between individuals, with some being rounder and more rodent-like, and others being sharper and more foxlike. These ears are located significantly higher than their human counterparts, and their neurons are connected directly to their brain, something that is attributed to the enhanced sense of directional hearing many of them have. Compared to the ears, their tail exhibits a lower degree of variation, differing mostly in the presence or absence of fur. In either case, the tail is prehensile, effectively serving as a less dexterous, but longer and somewhat stronger “third hand” for the salamoim. Its prehensile nature is considered so integral to salamoim that they often refer to themselves poetically as “tail-havers”, while “tailless” is a common, if somewhat derogatory expression for non-salamoim humanoids like humans.
The legs of salamoim are like that of humans anatomically, although their muscles tendons are arranged differently to achieve a semi-digitigrade anatomy, meaning that they naturally stand on their soles and toes. It is possible for them to walk like humans, although it is considered uncomfortable for those not trained to do so. This arrangement allows for a longer stride with greater energy efficiency, making salamoim adept runners especially for their size. However, this comes at the cost of a less stable footing and lower lifting capacity even with additional oxidative fibers maintaining their posture. Furthermore, even with their lower weight, this results in a significantly higher ground pressure compared to their human counterpart. To mitigate the stress caused by the increased ground reaction force, salamoim tend to have softer balls of the foot due to keratin buildup, and tarsal coalition is a common and natural development to help absorb the shock.
Salamoim have the same dentition as baseline humans, but their permanent canine and carnassial teeth are more pronounced than their human counterparts despite not having a significantly more carnivorous diet. It is believed to be an adaptation to scare away predators. In addition, many /vnug/ people practice artificial tooth sharpening, sharpening their incisors into what is commonly called “shark teeth”.
Senses
Compared to baseline humans, salamoim senses are generally heightened, and they possess several senses not seen in humans. The only major exception is vision, as their sunlight sensitivity limits their vision in sunlight, while their vision in dim light and darkness is not noticeably sharper than their human counterpart. However, salamoim are capable of sensing temperature remotely through the freckle-like marks concentrated between their cheekbones. This allows salamoim to “see” living creatures in the absence of light, although this is technically not part of their vision, but a separate sense sometimes compared to hearing. Despite its low resolution, salamoim can sense minute difference in temperature, which is extensively used for hunting warm-blooded animals in darkness.
Among their heightened senses, the most well-known one is olfaction. Despite having about the same size of odor-sensitive, salamoim can recognize more distinct smells than humans, and often at lower concentration. Their brain is also more adapted at processing olfactory information, with most salamoim reportedly able to create a 3-dimensional mental map of smell concentration around them. With sufficient training, many of them can distinguish the trail of the source of a particular smell, as well as how long it has lingered in the environment. It is also believed that salamoim use their sharp sense of smell to convey information such as health and emotions with each other, but its veracity and accuracy remains debated, and some salamoim even claim that they can pick up the physical state and emotion of other species, including prey animals and humans. Regardless, /vnug/ culture puts a heavy emphasis on the sense of smell as a result, and it is common for individuals to sniff each other as part of a common social ritual, sometimes in increasingly close proximity so as to “map out” the recent emotional history of others. This practice is also sometimes done by less savvy salamoim to outsiders, usually to awkward result.
On average, salamoim has a tongue length of about 4 inches (10.2 cm), slightly longer than that of humans (3.2 inches, 8.4 cm). However, although salamoim can pick up tastes too weak for humans, experiments suggest it is unrelated to the length of their tongue. There are also no signs of salamoim having a more sensitive tongue, as traditional salamoim cuisine has a similar strength in terms of taste compared to their human neighbors. However, their resistance and immunity towards certain kinds of toxin means some salamoim cuisine can be harmful to other humanoid races.
Biochemistry
Biochemically, the most unusual aspect of salamoim is their blood; unlike baseline humans and many other animals whose blood uses hemoglobin to transport oxygen, salamoim blood instead contains two types of oxygen-binding molecules for the same role – hemerythrin inside blood cell and hemocyanin outside. This combination means that instead of having red blood like humans, salamoim blood is violet when oxygenated, and colorless when not. Because of that and their faster healing rate, their superficial wounds are almost invisible, leading to the rumors that they do not bleed, or have no blood at all.
While energy-intensive and not as efficient as hemoglobin in a warm environment with ample oxygen, salamoim blood chemistry acclimatizes them well to all but the highest peaks of the world, as well as deep underground where white damp is a constant threat. It is believed that the unusual blood of the salamoim contributes to other aspects of their physiology, such as their above-average healing speed and immunity to many kinds of toxins and infections. However, despite many people within and without /vnug/ attempting to exploit the iris-shaded blood for the purported medicinal values, the actual effectiveness remains disputed.
To support their unusual blood chemistry, salamoim have an elevated level of metabolism, consuming noticeably more food than humans of the same height and weight. At the same time, their higher metabolic efficiency reduces the amount of waste they produce, and they maintain a slightly lower body temperature of about 94°F (34°C) compared to about 98°F (37°C) of humans. While their body is colder than humans, their high metabolic rate means their extremities do not cool down as often as their human counterparts, giving them better resistance against frostbites, and a generally warm and pleasant tactile sensation.
It is suggested that the heightened level of metabolism is the reason why salamoim has a shorter life cycle than baseline humans, reaching sexual maturity earlier but also having a shorter average lifespan. However, aging and senility is not as obvious among them, especially for those already with light hair. The exact cause of it remains unknown, with hypotheses ranging from their half-animal heritage and their purple blood to their martial culture and their tendency to act capriciously preventing them from reaching their natural lifespan.
Religion
“I won’t scatter your sorrow to the heartless sea.” — /vnug/ holy text fragment, believed to be the oldest surviving writing of the ancient faith
Like many other countries in the world, /vnug/ is a deeply religious country, with its society organized around the shared worship of its own pantheon. It is described as both an ecclesiarchy as members of the clergy hold many of the major roles of the government in a union of church as state, and a theocracy due to the alleged physical manifestations of some of its goddesses.
/vnug/ religion is polytheistic-henotheistic in nature, with a pantheon of multiple deities worshipped by the vast majority of the population. While there are churches and religious organizations dedicated to each deity or a group of them, their membership is often non-exclusive, meaning that one can follow multiple deities at the same time. Due to its ecclesiarchal nature, /vnug/ society often organizes itself around these religious bodies, although the presence of believers of other faiths are generally accepted.
Philosophy
“The morality of fantasy and horror is, by and large, the strict morality of the fairy tale. […] the good triumph – not because they are better armed but because Providence is on their side. [Why?] Because a universe where that did not happen would be a dark and hostile place. Let there be goblin hordes, let there be terrible environmental threats, let there be giant mutated slugs if you really must, but let there be hope. It may be a grim, thin hope, an Arthurian sword at sunset, but let us know that we do not live in vain.” — Sir Terry Pratchett, Let There Be Dragons
While the guiding tenets of /vnug/ religion vary between individual deities, they nonetheless share common grounds that form the basis of /vnug/ national spirit. It is believed that these shared ideals stemmed from a mixture of the fabled ancient /vnug/ faith and the fundamental psychology of salamoim who formed the original population of the country. /vnug/’s own holy text, on the other hand, states that these common tenets are engraved into the nature of salamoim through divine providence.
/vnug/ philosophy values emotions, passion, and self-expression above all else. This is especially apparent among salamoim, who are considered naturally more empathetic than baseline humans, to the point of often being stereotyped as being impulsive and nosy. Although capable of self-discipline, it is usually expressed in the form of short-term hyperfocus on a single task instead of prolonged fixation of interest. Beyond societal influence, some also suggested it is influenced by salamoim psychology, which is geared towards ambush predation while hiding from other predators.
/vnug/ people, particularly those who follow the goddess of justice, also have a self-described strong sense of justice. This is manifested in an emotion called masom, a word of unknown origin but likely mean “a proper state of the mind supported by others to manifest in action”. Usually described as a “fiery yearning for justice” instilled by divine force, it is said to be an innate urge to right what is wrong regardless of consequences. According to /vnug/ holy text, the undiluted masom was so all-consuming that the goddesses had to strengthen the empathy and compassion of ancient /vnug/ people to mitigate the resulting zealotry.
It is said that because of that, /vnug/ has a significant martial culture supported by both its religious tenets and the hunting-focused mentality of salamoim. For them, martial expression is the ultimate expression and proof of one’s true self, a physical embodiment of what one considers to be righteous. While it was, and sometimes still is interpreted as a “might makes right” mentality, nowadays the validity of one’s ideals and moral worths is seen as being tied to the willingness and ability to defend one’s ideas, even if on pain of death, when challenged. Consequently, integrity and strength – both inner and outer – is considered virtuous in /vnug/ culture, and hypocrisy is often considered one of the greatest sins one can commit besides violation of hospitality.
Palhäriar
“Reach heaven through violence.”
A common belief shared among different sects of /vnug/ religion is that of the palhäriar, or the exalted warriors. The belief originated from the palkyries, followers of the cult of the Valkyries. It is said that individuals of exalted deeds and characters, worthy warriors who are slain in glorious battles, are chosen by the Valkyries, the choosers of the slain. These souls are rewarded by being enlisted in the palhäriar in the afterlife, where they would spend their days reveling in heaven, and their nights hunting in the heaven as a bright, spectral cavalcade. They are led by their warrior goddesses and accompanied by otherworldly hounds, who are similarly chosen by the Valkyries for their undying loyalty.
Palhäriar would sometimes cross the path of mortals, either accidentally or deliberately. Most are advised to steer clear or fall to the ground lest they draw their attention. A direct encounter does not spell certain doom, however, as it is believed that worthy mortals would be challenged by them instead, and those who managed to impress them through skill, courage or cunning would be rewarded handsomely. Some local folktales also feature individuals within the palhäriar (palhäri) seeking aid from mortals in exchange of wealth or a portion of their hunt. It is also believed that if one’s ancestor is within the ranks of the encountered heavenly host, they would be granted boons and prophecies, and no harm would come to them as they are considered one of their own.
As the belief spreads beyond the palkyries, it is expanded further. Now, it is commonly believed that if the palhäriar encounters someone of truly extraordinary martial virtues would be bestowed the greatest honor, namely to join them before one’s fated death. On the other hand, those who lived a truly wretched life would also be taken before their fated death, instead as their eternal prey where they would be hunted, killed, eaten, and resurrected forever as punishment for their sin.
In /vnug/, it is commonly believed that howling wind comes from the sound of palhäriar hunting horns, lightnings represent the gleams reflecting off their blades and armor of palhäriar, and thunders the gallops of their horses, and the barking and baying of their hounds. It is said that unlike mortal cavalcades, the palhäriar grow quieter the closer they are, and so the sudden cessation of deafening thunderclaps is seen as a sign of proximity, where they might manifest and strike at any moment. In addition to being the ideal afterlife of martially inclined /vnug/ people, the palhäriar is also commonly invoked, sometimes against individuals who are considered sinful enough to be hunted by them, and sometimes by individuals who are about to enter combat and wish their valor would be witnessed by them.
The belief of palhäriar also influenced architecture and daily practice in /vnug/. For example, it is believed that palhäriar likes to march straight up or down hill, so private houses are rarely built with doors placed in a straight line parallel to the mountain breeze to avoid unwanted intrusion. Public buildings and underground cities, on the other hand, tend to align their doors and main gates with the wind so as to invite the palhäriar to help cleanse away evil.
Economy
While the land of /vnug/ is not necessarily a barren wasteland, with its lush cloud forest and rolling moors providing a myriad of unique fauna and flora, the /vnug/ people is best known for their industry, from mining and refining metal to crafting and enchanting magical items, both playing integral role to the continued function of /vnug/ society and economy.
Agriculture
▲ Butter tea is commonly consumed by /vnug/ people regardless of social class.
Because of the altitude-dominated climate, the land of /vnug/ can produce a myriad of food crops between its different climate zones. In addition to enriching the people’s diet, it also allows /vnug/ to export its exotic food to neighboring countries.
Surface
Most above-ground /vnug/ agricultural production is centered around the coastal wetland and the relatively temperate lowland beneath the tree line, where year-long intense sunlight and high rainfall allows for high crop yield for plants acclimatized to the moist environment. The soil beneath the montane forest is naturally fertile, but heavy precipitation and intensive agriculture has rendered them acidic and infertile in the long term, necessitating the continued import of agricultural lime and animal waste from the karst highland to maintain productivity.
In terms of cereal crops, /vnug/ primarily produce a mixture of rice, barley, oat, and rye based on local conditions. Apart from being part of the diet, especially for the lower class, a significant amount of them is also used to produce other, “better” foodstuff – rice, barley, and rye are commonly used to produce alcohol, while oat is used to feed animals for their meat, milk, and other products.
/vnug/ also grows a selection of crops not commonly found elsewhere due to its unique environment. In terms of more mundane crops found across the world in similar environments, tea is the most grown plants in /vnug/.
Magic
“I don’t like ‘em putting chemicals in the water that turns the freakin’ frogs gay!”
Magic plays a pivotal role in the daily function and self-expression of /vnug/ culture. It is believed that the source of magical power used by the /vnug/ people ultimately originates in the soil and rock that forms the hilly landscape of the country but has since become part of the ecosystem of the land alongside other, more mundane elements.
According to legends, the first /vnug/ magic users were the Penelite bard-magicians. Their mastery over the art of sounds allowed them to invoke the magic lingering in the air. /vnug/ people soon discovered the source of their magical power, and they began extracting and isolating volatiles imbued with magic from plants, animals, even water and rocks. This process allows /vnug/ magic users to have a significantly finer control over their magic both in precision and intensity. Nowadays, this is the most common form of active /vnug/ magic, with /vnug/ magic users often carrying vials of magic extraction to power their magic.
The underground lifestyle of many salamoim also leads to them eventually discovering inorganic magical compound. Instead of organic chelates, magical elements are instead encapsulated in gemstones in the form of trace elements. Its inorganic and structured nature makes these magical gemstones more difficult to invoke, but their high density also means they can be used to fuel powerful magic. When it was first discovered, magical gemstones were commonly ground up and mixed with magical extracts to fortify them. It is believed that this practice led to the discovery of organic crystallization, condensation of organic magical liquid into potent solid magical fuel. Striking a balance between the versatility of magical extract and the strength of magical gemstone, magical crystal is most popular among veteran /vnug/ magic users who can effectively harness their power. Pure magical gemstones, on the other hand, begin to see more use in /vnug/ society as technological development has allowed the invention of instruments capable of activating magical gemstones through mechanical and chemical means.
Mining
Unsurprisingly for a somewhat underground culture, mining and refining of mineral ore contribute to a significant portion of /vnug/ economy. The towering ranges flanking /vnug/ provide ample natural resources for the people, and the cavernous terrain of the highland allows easy access to deep within the mountains even before the advent of mining technology.
Tailoring
Although not a major producer of conventional fabric material like cotton and wool, /vnug/ has a robust clothmaking and tailoring industry making use of its own unique resources. Originally a means to survive the scorching days and freezing nights, it has since evolved into a form of art for the /vnug/ people to express themselves.
Perhaps the most distinct fabric used by /vnug/ is the palmalkchan. Meaning “fabric cleansed by fire”, it is a soft textile that can be spun and woven into cloths and garments. As its name suggests, the naturally white fabric is known for its excellent insulation against electricity and high and low temperature alike, as well as being virtually impervious to thermal and chemical burn, to the point that people often clean it by throwing it into fire.
Its exact composition and manufacturing process remains a closely guarded secret due to its importance for the /vnug/ textile industry. Due to the resilience of the fabric and the mountainous nature of /vnug/, it is suspected that the cloth is made of some kind of rock interwoven with plant- or animal-derived fabric for additional strength and ease of dyeing. While they are often enchanted with magic like many other /vnug/ craftsmanship, non-magical version of the cloth also exists, implying that the unusual property of the fabric is non-magical in nature.
The soft, strong yet malleable nature of this peculiar material leads to it being used in most /vnug/ clothes, from pragmatic work clothes to fabulous fashion statements. In terms of colors, apart from the natural white color of the cloth, black, red, blue and purple are also commonly used in /vnug/ fashion, as they are seen to embody values important to /vnug/ culture, as well as being generally pleasing to salamoim senses.
While salamoim fashion is as varied as that of many other cultures, there are some shared elements between most of them, in part due to the different physiology of the /vnug/ people and in part due to their own cultural norms. For example, regardless of gender, salamoim fashion usually has a low hemline no higher than mid-thigh to accommodate their thick tail, although clothes designed with tail openings are also not uncommon.
At the same time, salamoim fashion is also influenced by other cultures even if those elements stemmed from physiological factors that do not apply to them. One such example is the prevalence of heeled footwear in /vnug/. Due to their semi-digitigrade anatomy, salamoim shoes did not have heels – their heels were never meant to touch the ground to begin with – but exposure to other human cultures led to them adapting decorative heels, both for their aesthetic purposes and to make them blend in better with other plantigrades.
Culture
Architecture
▲ /vnug/ is famous for its unusual underground settlements.
“Work stops at sunset. Darkness falls over the building site. The sky is filled with stars. ‘There is the blueprint,’ they say.” — Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
/vnug/ is one of the few cultures in the world known to build and inhabit underground settlements on a large scale. Although not as extensive as that of /gem/, the religious and economic need to live underground still shapes /vnug/ architecture in noticeable ways due to their less compatible biology, with some spreading to their above-ground settlements for pragmatic and aesthetic reasons alike.
Passive cooling
“The city’s gods, according to some people, live in the depths, in the lake that feeds the underground streams. According to others, the gods live in the water that rises, in the windlasses of the norias, in the pump handles, in the trestles that support the twisting probes, in the reservoirs perched on stilts over the roofs, in the slender arches of the aqueducts, in all the columns of water, the vertical pipes, the plungers, the drains, all the way up to the weathercocks that surmount the airy towers of a city that moves entirely upward.” — Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
According to /vnug/’s holy text, the first surviving /vnug/ is the White City, an underground city in the treeless highland. As a tropical highland, the region has an extreme day-night temperature difference. Combined with a lack of wood for initial construction, the vast underground cavern is seen as a more habitable place than the surface, as it already offers a stable temperature and protection from adverse weather. With a low average temperature just above freezing, the highland underground is well-suited for the /vnug/ people, who have a lower body temperature than baseline humans. However, their activities inevitably create a substantial amount of waste heat. To avoid overheating, the people began incorporating architectural elements to facilitate cooling at an early stage, with signs of it present even in the oldest buildings of the city.
The high altitude of the /vnug/ highland means it has a regular, daily wind cycle. This allows windtraps to be effective in ventilating buildings. It is believed that this principle was first discovered after the inhabitants of the White City were haunted by strange noises and abnormal cold drafts coming from the numerous tunnels connecting the caverns. When they finally channel their bravery to explore the “demonic caves”, they discovered the seemingly supernatural phenomenon was caused by natural windtraps channeling mountain wind through the caverns. Soon, they began experimenting with artificial structures to mimic and amplify the effect, eventually leading to them becoming a staple of /vnug/ architecture. Later, more luxurious buildings and cities would take advantage of the mechanism and craft the wind tunnels in a specific manner to “tune” the sound generated by the wind flow.
Another common element of /vnug/ buildings is underground aqueduct. In addition to providing clean water for sanitation purposes, they also form part of the ventilation and cooling system, relying on water evaporation to cool down the air flowing into the living space. Like the windtraps, the invention of cooling aqueducts is also attributed to the underground caverns that the /vnug/ people considered sacred. The karst terrain dominating the landscape means many rivers sink into underground caves, forming natural aqueducts in the process. In addition to natural and, later, man-made aqueducts, larger buildings and underground settlements are also adorned with pools and fountains of water. Besides their aesthetic and, later, religious values, these artificial bodies of flowing water also play a major role in cooling large, populated space. Although their functionalities are relatively limited in the less arid tropical forest lowland, they are still commonly built there both to beautify the cities and to facilitate water management during the wet season.
/vnug/ settlements below the tree line tend to be above-ground or just below ground. This is due to the tropical lowlands being hotter than the alpine highlands, making deep underground settlements less comfortable for the /vnug/ people. The increased precipitation and the resulting erosion of soil also reduces the number of suitable caves available for easy underground construction. The high temperature and humidity of the cloud forests necessitate the adoption of many architectural elements originating from the highlands to mitigate heat and moisture buildup indoors. The above-ground nature of many of the roofs also allow ridge vents to be installed to facilitate the release of hot air. Furthermore, unlike the alpine highlands where temperature drops to freezing level on a nightly basis, the tropical lowlands remain hot throughout the year. As such, it is common for lowland settlements to purchase ice from the highland and store them in ice houses, both to enhance the existing cooling systems and to provide ice for drinks and dessert.