Fuliginite

Those descended of The Pit.

Basics

• Taxonomic Order: Illittum

• Alignment: Infernal

• Energy: Blasphemy

• Lifespan: 2,000 years

• Diet: Fuliginized fare

• Habitat: Fuliginized landscapes

Origins

Fuliginites evolved from the people of Harkanheim, a hodgepodge of species, whose proximity to The Pit and their adherence to blasphemous ideas fuliginized their genetic material.

Description

Fuliginites appear to be amalgamations of many different species from the current era of Shem. Any given fuliginite will have features of any spirit folk, humans and metahumans, insinsis, elementals, illittum, and adelfoi. Each individual will have no more than seven and no less than five features of different species, and their progeny will not necessarily match them.

Procreation

Fuliginites only reproduce with other fuliginites. They only reproduce outside of their species with supernatural intervention.

Powers

A fuliginite will have no more than five and no less than three powers from the above list of species they might resemble. Their powers do not necessarily match the beings they resemble unless said powers are derived from physical features they have as part of their resemblance. For instance, a fuliginite who appears to be part-centaur, part-nymph, part-brannish, part-avian animal folk, part-athak might have a nymph's beauty, psionic powers from a psionist, and water-breathing like a merfolk, and they can fly because they have the wings of an avian. The powers they have will all be blasphemy-tainted, however, meaning that any interactions their powers have with faith, spirits, or Divines will harm the faith/faithful, spirits, or the Divine.

Rejection

Upon birth, a fuliginite is almost always rejected by their parents. This act allows the blasphemous energies to fill them. If this act does not occur, the child will probably die, but if they survive, the child will simply grow up as a strange interbred being. This is extremely rare. Upon being filled with blasphemy, the child will rapidly grow in strength until it can survive on thir own.

Immunities

Fuliginites have a variety of immunities not necessarily correlated to any being they resemble. Each fuliginite will have an immunity for one to three different esoteric energies.

Weaknesses

All fuliginites are weak to botshepehi. They cannot have an immunity to this. Divine will can obliterate them unless they have an immunity.

Nations

There are two fuliginite nations:

• Harkanians: fuliginites of a brutal theocratic kingdom.

• Xorcrans: nomads of the Fuligin Field.

Harkanian Culture

The largest nation among the fuliginites is the Harkanians.

Harkanians live in a brutal monarchist culture. Their God-Emperor rules with a fuligin fist, demanding tribute and taxes monthly from his vassals. He has a powerful military with a core of warriors called the Knights of Harkanheim. These fearsome knights bear fuligin arms and armor. The God-Emperor's vassals are kings, dukes, earls, barons, and the landed gentry. Each pays tribute up the chain, with the God-Emperor taking the largest cut from the collected wealth. The main underclass are the serfs, who are not free to move from fiefdom to fiefdom, unlike peasants, of which there are none. The other workers and servants are all slaves, who can be bought and sold, unlike serfs. The only way a serf or slave can get out of enslavement is by joining the military or being chosen for the priesthood.

As mentioned above, all Harkanians are rejected by their parents at birth as part of a ritual ceremony that gives them the powers of the Harkanian nation. The children are left to their own devices for seven years, at which time they are either taken to the schools run by the church (see below) if they are noble or by serf or slave families if they are not. If they end up with the serfs or slaves, they will be taught whatever work that family does. If they are taken to the church schools, they are taught to be ruling class. Their parentage is never discussed, even if they are children of nobility, except when they are sorted between church or slavery. Even children of the God-Emperor live this way.

Noble rank is determined by ruthless political maneuvering, assassination, betrayal, and military force. There are constant small wars between the lesser vassals. The God-Emperor is the king who has the most power and can hold the Throne of Harkan.

When a noble child reaches the age of 16, they are tested in combat, in scholarship, in faith, in esoterica, in politics, in stealth, in athletics, and in social skill. This sorts them based on which they did best at: military officer (combat), advisory council (scholarship), the church (faith), the esoteric branch of the church (esoterica), noble rank (politics), intelligence corps (stealth), royal sports (athletics), or courtier (social skill). In any of these they retain their rank. If they fail all categories, they are killed. At similar age, serfs and slaves are also tested, but in a general way, as the nobility look for "more skilled" roles like entertainers, scribes, craftsmen, or apronmen.

Once a noble is 25, they are eligible for a fiefdom. Competition for these is fierce, and every year, a few folks die in the process.

Serfs and slaves have their own secret sign language that they hide from the noble class. Nobles sometimes suspect there is secret communication going on, but historically, none have admitted awareness of the sign language if they know of it.

Harkanians have traditions of music, food, and prose that are esteemed even by those who fear or hate them. Their food is one of the few things that is not tainted by fuligin, and only Harkanians know the process they use to remove the taint. Their music is largely minor key, murder ballads, and laments, and their prose is verbose, florid (and disturbing) romances, adventures, and courtly epics.

Harkanians honor the founder of their nation, Harkan the Black, who died toward the end of Second Shem. It is said his skeleton is part of the throne the God-Emperor sits on. Every year, they hold a massive tourney that honors their founder and features jousts, melees, feasts, balls, concerts, and readings among the nobility. Serfs and slaves get extra food servings and little more, though they have their own celebrations in secret.

The Pit also has special significance for Harkanians. It is not only of religious significance, but also political and cultural significance. Among nobles, there is a tradition of claiming ownership of a part of the rim of The Pit. This is controlled by the Church and must be bought with political and financial resources. Those who do own a piece of the rim have ownership therefore of Pit-monsters and a right to the use of them. Pit-monsters are ferocious creatures who come from The Pit and are useful in combat.

Xorcran Culture

The Xorcrans are nomadic fuliginites in the Fuligin Field, the vast desert around The Pit.

Being a sister nation to Harkanians, Xorcrans also have a rite of rejection after the birth of a child. However, their rite is adapted to their circumstances as nomads in the barren wastes of the Fuligin Field. The ritual rejects not all things Divine, but all things living and all Divines but their dual-Divine worship. This ritual allows msawhat and blasphemy to infuse their children, who are then given over to the caretakers in the tribe.

Xorcrans live in nomadic tribes that wander the Fuligin Field. Each tribe is ruled by a warlord, who maintains power via violence and control of the meager resources the tribes find in the Field. Warlords are usually very skilled fighters who have many wives, slaves, and warriors. Each tribe has a hierarchy that includes a warrior caste, an esoteric caste, a commoner caste, and slaves.

When a Xorcran is born, they are put through the ritual of rejection, then given over to the caretakers (commoner caste and slaves) who take care of all children in the tribe. Children of the warlord are given special status, but still must pass the right tests, as do all children. At age seven, like their Harkanian cousins, the children are sorted between castes and begin training as warriors, esotericists, or common jobs. No one is born a slave. At seven, they also engage in a naming ceremony, where the child chooses their own name. Before this, they are simply referred to as xardat.

At age 16, Xorcrans have their own tests which determine if they are fit to become adults and be properly initiated into their craft. If they fail, they have until they are 25 to pass, and then they are banished or enslaved (they get to choose). Most choose slavery.

At 25, they also decide if they wish to keep their childhood name or pick a new one. Most pick a new one and keep the old one as a second name. Surnames do not exist among the tribes, though in other countries, the name of the tribe is often adopted as a surname.

Most slaves are taken in raids on Harkanian pilgrimages, other tribes, or nearby countries. Non-Xorcran slaves can join Xorcran society if they eat the special meat Xorcrans prepare that they claim is the flesh of the Grey Arbiter. (In truth, it is simply meat infused with msawhat and blasphemy.) The result of eating this food is to corrupt the eater into a more monstrous form, though rarely do they take on the actual form of a Xorcran. Some Harkanians come close after this process.

Warriors treat women little better than slaves. They take many wives and lavish them with presents and keep them comfortable, sometimes taking their council, but wives are also traded, sold, beaten, killed, and raped.

The esotericist caste is small but powerful. They consider themselves independent to a certain degree. They make up the priests, necromancers, befoulers, cacosingers, liesmiths, doomsayers, vilecasters, hollow mages, agonists, or whisperers. They have no real hierarchy, but the eldest among them usually make up the default leadership. They serve as advisers to the warlord and influence the tribe from the fringes. They are distrusted by commoners and feared by slaves. People of all genders are welcome if they show promise as an esotericist, but they must present as a man or a woman or be banished. Even slaves may end up in this caste if they have talent and either something to buy their own freedom or an esotericist willing to do so.

Anyone found using a forbidden esoteric art is banished.

Commoners make up the majority of the tribe. Fuligin smiths, weavers, potters, cooks, caretakers, healers, and herders. They serve the warriors and esotericists. Gender among commoners is still a rigid male-female binary, but men among the commoners treat women better than warriors do and women commoners have more rights and equality with their fellow commoners (though still are treated as property by warriors). Commoners can challenge a warrior to a fight, and, if they win, become a warrior. The warrior who loses is then enslaved by the former commoner. This is very rare, as commoners lack access to resources (food and water, especially) to learn fighting skills. Any commoner who shows aptitude for esoterics is recruited by the esotericist class.

As mentioned above, slaves are usually taken in raids. These slaves can buy their way into the commoner or esotericist caste, and if they buy into the commoner caste, they can challenge their way into the warrior caste. Most slaves just try to buy their freedom, timing it when they are near other countries so they do not have to try to survive in the wastelands. A slave buying their freedom is not considered bad, nor is it rare, but it is difficult and can have economic consequences for the owner.

Warriors do not get married; they simply take wives. A wife can come from any caste, though it is a brave warrior who tries to impose his will on an esotericist. A woman has the right to refuse, but the warrior has the right to physically force her. If she can fight him off, she remains free. This is rare, however. Warriors also buy, sell, and trade wives among themselves. They find it beneath them to buy a wife from a commoner, but they will steal a commoner's wife by force if they wish.

Esotericists do not get married, nor do they take, buy, sell, or trade wives. They sometimes form couples or long-term romantic/sexual relationships, but they never formalize it, as formalizing it might result in someone else owning their esoteric objects. It is forbidden for an esotericist to allow a non-esotericist take one of their objects, and further it is forbidden for any but their apprentices to inherit their objects. Thus, marriage is seen as contradictory to this process and avoided. Commoners get married all the time, though it is not valid except among themselves. A warrior can still, after all, take their wife from them. Commoners sometimes have same-sex relationships, but marriage among these is forbidden as well. However, unmarried couples are allowed though not well liked. Slaves cannot get married, though they often consort with one another. A warrior will not take a slave as a wife as that is seen as beneath them.

Xorcrans are nomads, but they do not have a set territory. They wander the Fuligin Field, and if they cross paths with another tribe, they go to war. These skirmishes are usually brief and end with taking of slaves on both sides. The tribe's esotericists determine the directions the tribe travels.

All Xorcran tribes keep herds of Pit-monsters that are semi-domesticated. These are used for food, trade, and defense. Food among the Xorcrans is hard to come by due to the landscape they live in, and thus, it is always carefully preserved, prepared, and controlled. Those who prepare food are considered to be stewards of the property of the warriors who caught the food or protected the herds. Herders serve warriors but do not own the herds.

Art and crafts among the tribes are usually either practical (weaving or tent-making or so on) or hobbies, but never the central occupation of a tribe member. Slaves engage in most practical crafts to serve the tribe, but many commoners do as well as part of simply living in the tribe.

Xorcrans have two festivals that happen every few years, based not on chronology but on where they are in their wandering. When they are near The Pit, they hold the festival of Rising, where they celebrate when they rose from The Pit. This celebration is a feast that ends with two Pit-monsters being sacrificed to The Pit and many dances and chants and orations of history. Even the slaves are allowed to join in. The other festival is when they are at the heart of the Fuligin Field. At this time, they honor the unrisen dead. This festival is a somber one wherein they speak the names of the dead (which they do not otherwise speak) and raise a msawhat bonfire in the hopes of drawing an undead form of their lost tribes folk.

Esoterica

Fuliginites are beings of blasphemy and are its greatest wielders. Harkanians wield every infernal power as well, especially tandh, slitna, ibbissu, and void. They also often wield shebvic energies, but they tend to avoid wielding aetherial or poioumenonic powers, and nommic powers are rare as well. They do sometimes work with paradoxical powers. Celestial powers are extremely rare, and botshepehi and ambrosial powers are impossible. Xorcrans are very similar, but they focus more on msawhat than other infernal powers.

Religion

The Church of Harkan does not present itself as a rejection of the Divine nor do Harkanians recognize their primary esoterica as blasphemy. They see it as faith, a faith in a being they merely call Lo Ma Cahad, the One True God. They believe Harkan was this God's chosen champion against the blasphemers of the world. The Pit is seen as the place where false gods are cast. The Church presents their control over blasphemy as Divinely granted, but of course, the rituals are all truly blasphemous rejections of the Divine, spirits, and ambrosia.

The Church is responsible also for the ritual of rejection Harkanian children are subjected to. If they find a child who did not experience this baptism, they kill it and feed it to Pit-monsters. The ritual of rejection is one of the nine sacraments: rejection after birth, anointing of the noble children at age 7, testing of the noble children at age 16, marriage, dedication to God at age 21, blessing of the land at age 25, pilgrimage to The Pit, centenary blessing, and consignment to The Pit at death.

All Harkanian nobles are expected by the Church to go on a pilgrimage to The Pit after their 80th birthday. This pilgrimage must be done in the presence of a member of the Church to vouch for it, and at The Pit, the noble must throw a sacrifice into it. This sacrifice usually takes the form of a number of slaves, children, or livestock. The centenary blessing is on the 100th birthday and is simply a celebration of midlife.

The Church is headed by a Pontiff. This Pontiff is equal in power to the God-Emperor, and ancient laws require that they may never be the same person. In effect, the God-Emperor controls the state, the armed bodies of men that control the populace, and the Pontiff controls the indoctrination of the masses. More often than not, they are political rivals, but rarely to an extent that they come into dangerous conflict with one another. The Pontiff is chosen from one of 12 bishops, each of whom runs a diocese that includes a complex grouping of priests, teachers, and esotericists. An aspiring priest is called an acolyte.

The Church has its own knights (Pit-Knights), spies (Brothers of the Flies), and serfs and slaves. However, their military force is small and poses no real threat to the God-Emperor. It's there simply to protect Church property. Importantly, all healthcare and medicine are also controlled by the Church.

All esotericism is controlled by the Church in Harkanheim. Anything other than use of blasphemy (priests), void (irritologers), slitna (hexologers), or ibbissu (chaos mages) is forbidden, and those who use forbidden arts are hunted by witchfinders. Burning of "witches" is common in Harkanheim. Irritologers are users of void and are usually chosen for their scientific and logical mindsets. Irritologers serve the Church by creating minor technology and protecting it from esoteric attacks. Hexologers are the most rare, users of slitna. They are chosen for their bravery and boldness, as it is a very dangerous art. Hexologers are considered the Church's shock troops. Chaos mages are users of ibbissu who are chosen for their mental instability. They serve as seers and makers of the strange, creators of wonders and horrors.

All arts, media, and written communications are controlled by the Church as well. Newspapers and other forms of sharing news outside of town cryers or Church bulletins are forbidden. Access to libraries is controlled by the Church. Only nobles may own books, and then only ones approved by the Church. Any art that is censored, banned, or forbidden can mean death for the artist. Through these methods, the Church indoctrinates the masses and keeps them ignorant, divided, and controlled. They also, of course, run the schools for nobles and all esoteric learning.

Trith, the multigender Harkanians, are always taken by the Church and brought in for esoteric training. If they fail, they are killed, and before they are allowed to use any esoteric power, they are thoroughly indoctrinated first.

Church services are held every sixth day of the week, and missing services without good excuse or even just too often can mean persecution. Services are held first for nobles, then for serfs, then for slaves.

Xorcrans worship a duality they called the Grey Father (the dead original Arbiter) and the Grey Mother, called Olomsuzluk in Kael’Ras. They believe they were created by the Mother from the body of the Father. They honor both as their common ancestors. They also recognize the First Priest, Elden Overbough, as a prophet who had a hand in their creation. They also view Lo Ma Cahad, the Pit-God, as a Divine figure who dwells in The Pit and has power, but they do not worship nor fear him. In truth, they simply evolved from Harkanians who found remains of the Father and ate of it, thus allowing for msawhat to corrupt their Names, but this detail is lost to history.

Priests among the Xorcrans are part of the esotericist caste. Their role in the tribe is as religious advisers, conduits for the powers of the Divine, and practitioners of tribal rites. Because they cannot use faith/ambrosia, they turn to necromancy and rituals of blasphemy instead. Other esotericists are not considered part of the priesthood.

Xorcrans believe that when they die, if they are worthy, they will be returned as "soldiers of the Father and Mother." In other words, they hope to come back as undead. The undead play a major role in the tribes. The undead are outside the caste system. Anyone who becomes undead of any kind is seen as blessed and only answer to the priests and necromancers. Anyone who does not come back as undead is assumed to be in The Pit, awaiting their chance to do so. The undead serve the tribe as an army only called upon when fighting non-Xorcrans (for fear the other tribe might use their powers to steal their undead). Most corporeal undead in the Fuligin Field fall apart after a while. Phantasms drift away eventually. More powerful undead rarely occur.

Gender

Gender is strictly enforced based on biology among Harkanians. Because they sometimes have features of species that have different kinds of sexual organs, there are more than two genders among Harkanians, but they are all rigidly adhered to for fear of the Church's wrath. The genders are male, female, neuter (nedra), and multigender (trith).

Men are considered the leaders of society, and only men can own land, be knights, or serve as leaders in the Church or military. Women are considered nothing more than vessels for reproduction. Barren women are seen as useless. Nedra are always slaves, even if born to nobles. They are seen as weaklings, fools, and pathetics, even though there is much evidence they are anything but. And trith are considered mysterious, special figures who are always taken up by the Church and trained in use of void, slitna, or ibbissu.

Marriage among nobles is seen as solely extant for breeding new nobles. A vassal can only marry with their lord's permission, and a woman can only marry with their lord's permission and the permission of the Church, though this latter is usually a matter of form if the lord permits. If a woman does not give birth within three years of marriage, divorce is automatic unless their husband deems otherwise (for instance, if the husband has been away at war and thus unable to attend their duties toward reproduction). Noble women are highly prized if they are considered good for breeding. This means they have passed the right tests at age 16.

Marriage among serfs is only possible if their lord permits for both men and women. What happens after that is left to the serfs, unless there is a shortage of new serfs. Then a lord may require breeding of his serfs or threaten to separate them for more suitable mates. Slaves--and thus nedra--may not legally marry, though they often have their own commitment ceremonies in secret. Some lords take an interest in breeding slaves, but this is rare. Mostly there are always enough people to be made slaves, so no one cares.

Trith are allowed to marry if the Church allows it, but permission is only granted if there is a belief more trith might result from the pairing. In rare circumstances, trith can breed asexually, and their children are seen as abominations to be destroyed. The trith in question will also be killed if they go through with it.

Economy

The economy of Harkanheim is a feudal state.

Military

The heart of the Harkanian military are the Knights of Harkanheim, who bear fuligin weapons and armor, and the Pit-knights, who serve the Church and bear the same arms and armor. The rest of the military is either conscripts or knights who serve lesser nobles. They are led by the God-Emperor’s appointed military leaders, usually loyal dukes.

Each tribe of Xorcrans regularly holds war councils where the greatest warriors discuss their raiding targets. These councils often become battles in and of themselves as warriors disagree. Warlords can be deposed during these fights, political alliances can form, and the balance of power can shift. The warrior caste gets first choice of all resources of the tribe, especially water and food, with the Warlord determining the order. After a raid, the bounty is always distributed among the tribe at the Warlord's whim. All warriors are also hunters. No one but men may become warriors.

Language

Their language is based on English, mixing various periods of English together.

Trade

Harkanheim trades with various Ansulymic and Wymmeran countries, mostly trading agricultural products, fuligin, and lumber.

Occupations

Some common occupations include

• Aapbaerstlian: scholars of many blasphemies.

• Ǽrist: an agent of the One True God tasked with killing followers of other gods.

• An-Speca: a blasphemous televangelist.

• Balewa: Pit-witch among the Xorcrans

• Cwǽdoner: a theatrical blasphemer.

• Cythmeting: an artist who works with fuligin.

• Daquboth: a gladiator who fights for the entertainment of Harkanheim’s nobility.

• Dihtan: a writer of blasphemies.

• Flet-mon: fuligin sandsailor.

• Fuliginizer: a chemist who fuliginizes anything.

• Gamenian: a jester to the God-Emperor.

• God-Emperor: the high king of Harkanheim who claims to be descended of Divinity.

• Harquebusier: arquebus-wielding riflemen who fire fuligin bullets.

• Knight of Harkanheim: warriors who wield fuligin weapons and armor

• Leothere: a bard of blasphemies.

• Pitwrangler: wrangles Pit-monsters among the Xorcrans.

• Priest (Apostate): priests of the One True God

• Slíþen-Láreów: teachers of the Harkanian state.

• Swíca: a common and fervent believer in the One True God.

• Tæflan: a warlock who studies the Puzzle of Curses.

• Warlock: one who wields blasphemy via broken sticks.

Outside View

Harkanheim has a worldwide reputation for brutality and danger. Other religions view them rightly as blasphemous. Other countries fear them. Harkanheim trades with some Ansulymic or Wymmeran countries. There is a common saying the gist of which is "thank God the seas around Harkan are rough." This prevents a more effective naval presence that has kept them from greater conquest.

A Harkanian who travels out into the world will often either be mistaken for an Agikaani froemmler or seen as a Harkanian because of their usually unique appearance. They are assumed by many to be religious fanatics.

Xorcrans, who live as nomads in the Fuligin Field, view Harkanians are interlopers and often raid their pilgrimages. The dragons in the Fuligin Field and The Pit always take on the powers of a fuligin dragon. These are close allies to the Harkanians, who bribe them with slaves, livestock, and esoteric treasures.

Xorcrans are feared by Harkanians because they often raid their pilgrimages. They are also feared by people in the countries south of the Field, as they raid there as well. Outside of this area, most do not know specifically of the Xorcrans, being only aware that the Fuligin Field is "full of dangers" or similar. Like Harkanians, Xorcrans do make alliances with local dragons, who take on the powers of a fuligin dragon.

If a Xorcran goes out into the world, they are usually seen as a strange kind of Harkanian. If they are understood to be a Xorcran or simply a nomad of the Fuligin Field, they will generally be feared. If they are found to be a follower of the Grey, they will usually be feared and possibly arrested or killed.

Notables

• Harkan the Black (deceased), founder of the country

• God-Emperor Unand Harkos

• Pontiff Shadnath Mallchom

• Larag, The Pit Mother, Harkanian Manifest, first to be an actual Harkanian

• Xrosta of the Racann Tribe, most powerful of the Xorcrans

Estimated Populations

• Harkanians: 10 million

• Xorcrans: 3 million

• Others: 3 million

Sample Stats

PRO 9
ATH 9
STR 10
AWA 9
WIL 9
PRS 7
STH 8