Creation of the World

Every major religion has some explanation to how Giulia was created, and none agree.

The Vintafolk of Yule's Heart speak to a great dragon by the name of Maudra, who gave birth to many dragons that then became the stars. These dragons, and stars, are then named and given some credit to the various forces and natural phenomena that we see in the world. The three northern stars are given the names Tsiedra, Jedra, and Kholodra, and they are credited to bringing the snow, sleet, and ice that coats their corner of the world. The last dragon egg Maudra laid was the dragon Kaia, who has not yet broke free. For Kaia is the dragon who sits in the center of Giulia, and the egg is not ready to hatch. The Vintafolk believe that their cold home keeps the egg cool enough to stave off the point of hatching, thereby the end of the world, but they believe eventually Giulia will warm and Zembra will break free, and will end life as we know it. Therefore, they believe the world was created by Maudra, and life came about as her children blessed Kaia's laying.

The Hommists, and the Dafydists, believe that Giulia was created by the great Hom, who fashioned the world and molded it, and placed upon it all the sentient life we know. Hom blesses us with life, but also asks for us to be good, to live a life of peace and worship. Hom is considered a great deity who fashioned the world so that we may all live on it.

The Titanists, conversely, believe that Giulia was created by five great Titans: Inertia, Alea, Fidea, Anima, and Magmeta. These titans wielded great powers to forge the world; Inertia, the great tortoise, created the material world and started the cycle of time and the seasons. Magmeta, the great Brawmad, carved out the caves and the mountains and fed the Fostrend to the heart of Giulia. Fidea, the great dragon, breathed the air and water, starting the water cycle, and created the laws and order that bound us to the surface. Anima, the great unicorn, gave life and death, chose those to be born, and those to die, and burgeoned the plants and animals to thrive. And finally Alea, the great wasp, pierced the world with a coin flip, and gave rise to chance and chaos, managing weather and storms with reckless abandon. Eventually, sentient life came, and the saints of Titanism bested the Titans and sealed them away from our world, but they believe that eventually the Titans will return and destroy the world in spite.

As you can see, there is no agreement to who or what caused the world to be, but we know it is. You can read more on religious beliefs and the various mythologies from Magus Silvanus' work Genesis; the Mythologies of the World's Creation, currently held in the Guild of the Moons' Eyes in Heightington, Dymercia. I have not mentioned the Khalekhom mythologies in Eleanor, nor the Bulo and Dwyntian pantheons, the Valyean beliefs of Miiko and Lynnae, as these all follow a similar pattern of creation by greater beings, with explanations to the formation of our natural laws.

What we know for certain is the world is and contains Fostrend, a dangerous substance that gives rise to Fost, and that the force of Fost is what allows us magical practices. This Fostrend is oftend deep underground, but there are fives known locations of which is managed to penetrate the surface, and these locations are known as Fostpoints. Olivia contains only one in Papyon, whilst Eleanor contains the other four: Aka, 'Almazo, Qino, and Sofea. These are important as we establish an event we also know must have occurred, if later than the creation of the world.

The Sjichan

The current theory of the origins of the Sjichan is that Fostrend exposed to the elements gave them sentience. The Sjichan we know of embody six elements of nature; mist, clay, wood, fire, frost and storm. While we know the spirits of the Sjichan are elemental in nature, capable of thought and want, we do not know how they came to obtain their suits of armor; their physical bodies.

Sjichan are found to have great bodies of metal, each unique and different, and each containing the elemental essence of which their sentience exists. Their bodies allow them to interact with the physical world alike the rest of the sentient species, with hands and feet, and the ability to speak.

It is unknown if a Sjichan can actually die, or if they are essentially immortal. How can one kill mist? Or fire? There have been some Sjichan found of which they are but empty shells as if their spirit has vacated. What of their hosts?

Sjichan have existed longer than any species. They are quiet about their history and origins; those that have integrated with society partake in vices that lead them to be short-term and uninterested in talking about the past, and those that remain at the Fostpoints as guardians are unwelcome to visitors or inquiries. They are a mystery even now and completely unhelpful in providing answers to the reason for their being or how they came to be in the first place.

Nonetheless, they are rampant. And the existence of six types of Sjichan and only five Fostpoints suggests a sixth Fostpoint must exist or existed. If the mist Sjichan are native to Papyon, clay to Sofea, wood to 'Almazo, fire to Qino, and frost to Aka, where do the storm Sjichan call home? The work Sjichan Anatomy by Magus Antoine du Pont has some attempt to answer this and also further explains the Sjichan and their workings.

The Sentient Species and the Banishment of the Elves

We know of many sentient species in Olivia, and there are many differences between those present in Olivia and those in Eleanor.

Firstly, it is a new found theory that some time in the Age of the Second Clans, possibly 60,000 years ago, the sentient species migrated to Olivia and Eleanor. The split between the two continents is explained by the fact that Humans are almost unknown of in Eleanor, and vice versa the Birdmen in Olivia. The Vintafolk are only found in the northern reaches of Olivia, and the Augurfolk in the northern parts of Eleanor.

Orcs, Gnomes and Lizardmen are prolific and numerous in Eleanor, but rare and ostracized in Olivia, while the Elves are the opposite. And Dwarves seem to exist in moderation across both. Some believe the Dwarves are the original species, and some the Elves.

In any case, over time these species have become less important than their cultural groups as the species have intermingled. It is not uncommon to meet a person half Elf and half Human, or a person half Orc and half Dwarf, or even a quarter of any of the sentient species. Only lizardmen and birdmen prove to be difficult to procreate with other species.

Over time, these species have dispersed and amalgamated into their cultural groups. We recognise a number of these now as: Mercian, Dwyntian, Nitsukin, Erenese, Faustian, Nortic, Kettelese, Zuis, Aradean, Valyean, F'yorish, Rhute, Wels, Yuletyde, and Vintafolk. Further reading can be found in Culture Across Olivia; a deep dive into the ethnicities that break apart Olivia's political landscape by Magus Mokuzo Izumi, currently within the Academy of St Frederic in Jaunport.

At some point within this period of first civilisations and cultural groups, we know the Elves of Eleanor migrated into the Fostpoints and built cities in Aka, Qino, 'Almazo and Sofea. This is did not occur in Papyon for a reason unknown.

For some time, the Elves lived in harmony with the Sjichan. But eventually, the Elves must have caused some problem for the Sjichan that they were banished and exiled from these four cities. The residual effect from this is Eleanor has very biased views to the elven societies and their cultures are ostracised and discriminated against. The Sjichan, to this day, will not allow an Elf, regardless of their birthplace, to enter any of these four locations. This restriction does not exist for Papyon, which stumps many scholars - what did the elves of Eleanor do to cause such ramifications? Why will the Sjichan not forgive the trespasses of peoples tens of thousands of years ago? And why is Papyon excused from this behaviour? It seems as if the elves must have performed this act simultaneously, else why would they all be expelled? Surely, if they did occur one after another, the elves of Sofea would have seen the elves of Aka being expelled and learnt from their mistake. And if they did occur simultaneously, these locations are spread far and wide across Eleanor - how could they have co-ordinated?

This mystery is purely a Eleanor concern, and Student Hadda Ra'na has written an excellent summary of this named The Banishment and Exilation of Elves in Eleanor; a hypothesis which is held in the 'Almazo Archives.