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Location Physical Description (biomes, architecture, etc): This world is a Dyson Sphere, specifically a full shell built around a star. The outside the sphere it is equipped for docking with very large spaceships, and is shielded and reinforced to withstand whatever might come in contact with its surface. On the inside surface of the shell are two sections of livable land.

One section is highly industrial, with tall buildings, much metal and stone, and with many dishes and solar panels and other technological evidences. It possesses a space dock for numerous small spacecraft. Many types of transportation devices populate the space between buildings, as well as above and beneath them. Roadways, airways, bridges, and a few railways also clutter the space, making use of every available area. This half is predominantly one unending city, referred to by the name of the people who live there, The Audri.

The other livable section has been deeply covered in rich soil. Crops grow and thrive there, and the structures reflect a much simpler and older influence, often made from stacked rocks or basic wood. Roofs are thatched, tiled, or wood and tar. Overall, the land is quite flat, not designed for providing mountains, although there are very large lakes. The roadways are either dirt, fitted stone, or cobbles. The area this section covers is massive, so communities dot the landscape regularly, though they remain small, towns or villages instead of cities. This half of the sphere is also called by the name of the people populating it, The Arutae, but each township names itself.

There are additional details that are involved with the shell. Firstly, the shell actually has two nearly seperate halves, with sections open to space between the two. This allows for harmful gasses and any other undesirable elements to be vented safely into space. The Arutae often contend that this is abused by becoming an easy waste dump, and have endeavored to ensure as little solid material goes out these vents as possible. Crossing this section is too dangerous, so shuttles run to and from specified locations in order to convey anyone between the two halves.

Secondly, those who first built it gave it an ingenious large plate, which revolves around the sun, using the joint between the two halves as a means to circle the star. On the side towards the star, it is full of solar panels and scientific arrays. However, on the shell-side, it is smooth, with small breaks in the surface that let through tiny bits of light. The solar energy gathered by this massive plate is fed to the cities, and the more asthetic purpose of it is that it provides a pseudo-night for the residents of the sphere. An "underground" network system allows every household, Aurdi or Arutae, to have access to the stored energy.

Social Description (Races/cultures): The scientifically and technologically advanced Arudi originally made a slow and steady plan to leave their dying planet. The sphere was built over a period of generations, not only creating the shell, but bringing into it everything needed to sustain life. It was at this point that the Arudi began to have dissentions. Upon settling the sphere, the one race split into two. The Audri and the Arutae, the first clinging to their ancestral ways of technology and trading, the latter choosing instead a new way of life, learning to till the soil and live simply.

The Audri are a busy and organized people, thriving on each and every individual having a place, a pupose, and a future. Jobs are closely intertwined with life outside the paid career time. What they do for fun often is tied to and reliant on the very work they do. Their preferences in visual asthetics runs to shiny, metallic, brightly colored, geometric, and efficient. They believe in science, in tangible proof, and in themselves. What was good enough for generation upon generation of their people is good enough for them. They welcome travelers from afar and exchange technology and innovation, being reliant on these space merchants for base elements and raw natural materials that their manufactured home cannot provide. They completely believe that their work keeps their culture and their world thriving. They are led by the top inventors and scientists of the time.

The Arutae live life at a much slower pace. They take each day as it comes, dealing with what is necessary for the future, but not overly fretting about it. Despite living further apart from each other, these people have more of a sense of community, and are more likely to help one another than the Audri might. Each township or village has its own government of local patriarchs and matriarchs, making them individually autonomous from each other. Each family has their own plot of land, varying in size, though they still as yet have not covered the entire available space for crops, leaving plenty of room for expansion for each new generation. Undeveloped land lies fallow, covered by a variety of hardy species of ground cover, which was scattered before settlement began. Though they are involved much much less in trade with space-going merchants, they have wisely chosen to plant imported seeds, as well as adapt imported animals to keep as companions or work beasts. As time has progressed, the Arutae have become more open to the idea of there being greater powers than they that control things like fate.

Interestingly, if asked in reference to the sphere itself, no individual will know what to answer. They think of it in two very separate and distinct parts, and will respond with an inquiry as to which half you mean. They simply do not think of the sphere as a whole. However, any space-goers will refer to the sphere as the Arudi Sphere, calling it by the ancient race's name.

Despite the general separation of the two peoples, genetically they remain a single race. They resemble humans in every way, with similar hues of skin tone, eye color, and hair color. However, the two peoples are known to have a slightly wider variety in those colors. Hair color might range to be more intense, or to have hints of additional color, while their eyes might be less inclined to being muddy browns and hazels. (Example: Auburn hair that has maroon or purple highlights, and indigo eyes. Not terribly far off the human range. Brilliant blue hair and neon orange eyes would not exist, as it is too far from the human reference.)

Additionally, every individual, Audri or Arutae, has a marking up their right arm. It looks like a tattoo, and is always nearly black in color. The style of the marking varies by family and is genetic, but unique to each individual. When born, they only have a small marking on the back of the right hand. The older they become, the more the pattern appears. Those in great old age will have the markings no further than their shoulder blade.

Events of Note/History:
The Migration
The slow transferring of people and belongings to the sphere took many years. The first and foremost of those things moved were of course all the highly sensitive and cutting edge technology that the top scientists would need to continue their work. The more brilliant and important of those scientists were then allowed to choose their living spaces and settle in first, with this system trickling down the ladder of importance until a lottery was drawn for the rest of the population.

Meanwhile the planet was tearing itself apart. Entire cities were swallowed by gaping chasms, volcanoes burst through the planet's crust at predictable but devastating points. Debate became heated as to what was at fault for the destruction of the planet. Some claimed it was the natural course of creation and destruction, that it merely was the planet's time to come undone. Others insisted it was the ravaging of the planet's resources for the sake of science that did it. There was a great deal of heat and anger on the issue, but the migration itself solved much of that tension. With the ability to choose either half, the conflict between the two factions cooled, so that once all was settled, there was civil peace between them.

Prosperous Years
For many many generations, all was well between the Audri and the Arutae. While a large bulk of the original population had chosen to stay on the technological side, as the years passed, often retired scientists and engineers of all levels chose to move to the quieter, simpler side of the sphere. Both sides grew and thrived, providing for each other what they could not have done for themselves. The Arutae gave the Audri the fresh food, many herbal and medicinal base ingredients, and provided them with lovable living creatures to share their lives with. The Audri kept the Great Plate running smoothly, tended to the collection and storage of energy, and often were negotiators on behalf of the Arutae with merchants of all kinds that came to visit the sphere.

Despite this peaceful existence, certain stigmas did become attached to which side of the sphere you lived on. The Audri tended to think of the Arutae as the country bumpkins, with little to no intelligence and a penchance for a smelly, filthy existence. It was also whispered that Arutae women were nothing but baby-makers, spitting out kids left and right until they died. Of course, the Arutae had plenty of stereotyping concerning the Audri as well. They claimed the Audri were a cold, hard people who cared nothing for each other. There were whispers of artificial life taking precedence over those actually living, and of factories where people worked, lived, and died, never having tasted fresh, free air. Still, over all, each side chose to let the other side deal with their own problems instead of interfere.

The Undoing
After thousands of years of steady existence, it seemed that everything came undone. First people went mad. Sane, sensible people began doing things they would normally have died rather than do. Rifts formed between families that had once been close, and tensions began to escalate swiftly between the two peoples. Unsurprisingly this erupted into all out war between the Audri and the Arutae, though thankfully each valued different things for the most part. One of the biggest issues, however, was food and water, both of which the Arutae had in abundance... at least at first. The land was ravaged by pillaging Audri, or by vengeful and hateful people who wanted the Arutae to suffer. The Arutae were not very well equipped for attacking the homes of the Audri, but they excelled at boobytrapping their fields and homes, slaughtering the invading Audri. Much blood was spilled on both sides.

When the sickness came, technology began to abandon the Audri as well as the Arutae. No cures could be found. Soon the aquaducts ran dry, and the crops failed. Animals, plants, and people withered and died. All the youngest and oldest suffered at this point, taking years of knowledge as well as hope for the future away. How both peoples mourned and wailed! But when the crazed and nightmarish creatures came, it seemed as if everything else came undone. Entire sections of the Audri city came crashing down, many people were lost or killed. Eventually the Great Plate came to a grinding halt, casting constant shadow over some and constant light over others. Chaos and destruction reigned supreme.

And then came a sudden hush. All stilled, and many dared to believe it was over finally. With the Audri city in shambles and still collapsing due to unsteadiness, most people migrated to the Arutae side of the sphere. They gathered in the towns and villages, sorting out places and ways to live in the eerie quiet aftermath. But then the worst thing of all happened. The star disappeared. It did not die, as any of the scientists could have told you. There was no lingering, no sputtering, no growing massive and large in a great fiery death. No, it simply... stopped being. So now the peoples, once two and now one once more, huddle together and seek for answers they cannot find, not yet ready to define themselves as a single race again just yet, but needing to hold closely together in order to survive the long, long night.

Characters/NPCs of Note: While there have been many people of note through the history of the Arudi, as well as the Audri and the Arutae, it all has come to naught now. The most prominent scientists died in the collapsing buildings. The most recognized village and town leaders fell in war or to the ravaging demons. Only the healthy and middle-aged have survived, none having as yet made enough impact to be considered important or of note.

How to Access it: Currently, the only access would be through the World Tree. When the Sky and Space return, spaceships may access it with reasonable ease, though docks no longer exist, so shuttlecraft would be ncessary, or landing on the inner surface. Magical portals may be assumed to work to arrive there once such are feasible again, though at the time no known portal pre-existed to this world.

Reason for making this location: OOC, the idea of a Dyson sphere-world intrigued me, and the more I thought about the stunning impact this could have on it, the more I wanted to write about it. IC, this people would be ripe for turning to the Real Gods for help, for hope, for all that they cannot now provide for themselves. They have thus far been a rather self-sufficient race, and weren't likely to entertain the idea of deities. Now however they are basically a planet ripe for becoming devoted followers.

Location Physical Description (biomes, architecture, etc):

Talus is a savage world but only one section has been explored, the continent of Elor. The planet is about 80% water with an atmosphere that is thick, hot, and humid with rains falling every nine hours and lasting at least an hour. The continent base itself is flat with sparse rolling hills and is at its highest only a few feet above sea level. Many spots are below sea level and this becomes very dangerous when during rainfall. Rainfall causes water levels to rise tremendously high sometimes 100 feet or more with flash floods quickly forming over much of the continent. The water level rises quickly, but then drains away thru the trees and plants as it spreads out into the oceans surrounding the continent. Residue markers are left behind showing exactly how high the water gets in any area and the swampy ground makes for unsure footing. Life is in the trees but the waters of the oceans are entirely fresh having no saline to them.

With little solid ground above water, the area is swampy. The roots of the trees rise upwards leaving hidden recesses for the smaller aquatic creatures to avoid the larger ones. Dez Jir Serpents grow to very large sizes on Elor, some 50 feet or larger and are the most aggressive predator living there. These snakes are masters at blending in with their surroundings whether on the ground or in a tree and wait patiently for a mistake by their prey. They are very territorial and will kill one another to preserve their food source. Mating is difficult when they prefer to kill one another so their population remains lower than most creatures. They do seem to savor the Tlechurians, the only sentient race on Elor though and will sometimes ravage the lower portions of their colonies if they get the chance.

The continent of Elor sits directly on the equator and is entirely covered by the thick canopy of jungle. The trees tower upwards at least 100 stories, dwarfing everything around them. The thick canopy of trees shields the lower areas from the sunlight making it sparse and many things have developed a luminescence that allows them to absorb that light and use it later when night appears. Sparkling amphibians and insects light up the darkness as they move about looking for food while the glowing eyes of predators wait.

Carnivorous plants, brightly colored yet deadly amphibians and insects live here well concealed and waiting on their hapless prey to make a mistake. Avians of all sizes fly through their bright plumage blending in with the blossoms and plants of the area. Animals climb using the branches as their protection and paths during the rains and they scramble quickly for safety if on the ground. No animals with hooves are found on the continent of Elor. Evolution with such an excess of water has given nearly all creatures either wings, tentacles, or hands with which they move amongst the branches remaining protected from the massive rains.

The waters around Elor are filled with brightly colored fish and amphibians. A feeding place of the larger fish in the oceans it is filled with a frenzy of activity during the day. At night, even larger predators sneak around looking for the hapless creature who slips into the water and the seagrass beds that surround the sides of the continent in the shallows.

One species has evolved to colonize the continent of Elor. The Tlechurian, an insect race slightly larger than humans, appeared in the jungles. Their colonies are the only architecture on Elor. The rest is entirely jungle and their only enemy are the large serpents that slither within their jungle home. Their colonies rise high into the trees, woven of vine and flowers, and carved in the wood of the tree they live on. Basket like homes hang from thick vines with thick rope bridges allowing easy access to the inside. Some homes are woven along branches, a central room that leads to others attached and hanging in midair. Rope elevators work easily with the wooden gears and pulleys they have created allowing them to access the ground or higher levels if necessary.

The largest weave is at the very top. The queen's palace leads into an intricate chamber where she resides. It is lavish, attention paid to the tiniest detail, decorated each day in fresh blossoms. The throne itself is a large fanbacked chair carved and then padded with the finest cushions. It rises above all in the center of the room where she looks down on her subjects. Several side rooms lead off where the consort drones live and where the queen herself rests. Their nest like pillows are fashioned from flower petals and fluff from birds. Scales from serpents and thick heavy leaves are used as shutters on openings and doorways. The best of anything is always given to the queen and then each rank below in order.

Large platforms rise upwards into the sunlight over the canopy daily. Pots of extracted Lurness, as they call the glowing goo taken from amphibians, are raised high overhead to take in the sunlight. It is solar reactive and the pots are quickly distributed at dusk to light up the colonies for protection.

Other platforms rise high into the air above the canopy. Large birds are harnessed there after having been trained by the Tlec as mounts. For safety reasons, the Tlec go from colony to colony via these avians. When it rains, they can roost on a branch. And it is far safer to fly than to chance becoming serpent food. They also fly and dive faster when faced with danger than the Tlec can do.

Social Description (Races/cultures):

The Tlec, as they have become known, are industious and ambitious in their daily duties. None ever shirk their duty to the colony. They would be quickly eliminated if they did. One simple rule guides them no matter what class they find themselves in. ' What benefits the Tlequeen and her colonies, benefits all.' They are well-mannered, courteous to a fault and they expect the same from others. They take pride in their achievements. The quickest way to offend them is to have bad manners and titles are very important to them. If addressing the Tlequeen, she would be called "Her gracious highness, the Tlequeen, the Lady of Elor, Tlequeen Tlan Me". It is her title and she is never without it unless in private. Then she could be addressed as Tlequeen Tlan Me, Your highness but only if she permits it. The Consort would be treated this way also as would the Librarians. If one introduces himself as High Captain or Hunter, then he or she should be addressed as such. Etiquette is important to them and to them it is what proves they are not as the rest of the beasts on their savage world.

The Tlechurian are an insect race slightly larger than humans. These arthropods have large compound eyes, seated in a chitinous exoskeleton with a three part body- head, thorax, and abdomen. They have one pair of jointed arms ending in three soft tentacle-like appendages which allow them to have the dexterity that fingers do. One pair of jointed legs allow them to move easily and quickly through the trees. The middle pair of jointed appendages could be used for either holding and carrying, or running and walking. It is a matter of choice. Only the fighter classes are born with wings. The Tlechurian life cycle is somewhat different from those of the other insects on the continent and rather than living days or even weeks, they can live as long as a human does.

The Tlec class system is based on the Tlequeen who rules all the colonies. Her words are law the moment they are uttered and her only interest is the protection of what is hers- the colonies. She takes a consort drone and only those with wings are acceptable. Only the fighter and defender classes are born with wings other than the Tlequeen and the Molqueens. Her appearance is diaphanous and she is layered in the finest lightest garments that can be created for her and enhance her natural coloration. The Tlequeen never leaves her quarters, but sends a drone consort out as an embassador to the other colonies.

Each colony has a Molqueen. She rules the colony but answers to the Tlequeen in all matters. The Tlequeen is also the mother of all the Molqueens and rules all those of her species. The Tlechurian seldom attack their own even other colonies unless a Molqueen decides she wants to become the Tlequeen. In that case, she will fight her mother to the death. Only one of them can survive once the rebellion has begun. And in that case, she will quickly choose a consort, have her own molqueens and train them to replace the previous Tlequeen's offspring.

As for ranking, the consort drones are next, honored by the Tlequeen and the people. The consort drones must have distinquished themselves in some way for the benefit of the Tlequeen and the colony or they remain simply guards or fighters. The classes each have their own ranking system within. Only the upper level fighters ever get a chance to rise to drone. Losing a wing will completely destroy that chance. Only a defender gets a chance to become a fighter. They cover themselves in snake scales and hard wooden armors for more protection. Often they rub themselves with oils that harden the outside of their carapaces to help protect them. They do make blade weapons and shields from bone or scales, and sometimes wood to help them fight.

The artistic classes never fight. They are about knowledge, music, and arts and are quite often the older Tlechurians. They fill their time writing poetry, creating and using paints, but above all they make music. Wearing diaphanous layered robes in tints and tones of pastels, they live on the upper levels and in the innermost places. Their music is ethereal and light sounding almost surreal. Paints are created from ground plants and other things they can get pigments from and murals placed on walls of the inner sanctums for the enjoyment of all. And music is freely played throughout the day and night. Their greatest books line the Hall of the Tlec just below the Tlequeen's throneroom where they are well protected.

The worker classes include harvesters, fishers, hunters. Some small birds, reptiles, and mammals are tamed as pets while others help the hunters take down their prey. Smaller insects are sometimes taken but they are considered more in the way of companions or helpless children/cousins to the Tlec. Tlechurian clothing is the roughest for the workers and not the fine silks of the upper classes, nor even the scales and wood that the fighters and defenders have access to. The workers live in the lower levels of the branches.

The Tlechurians harvest from the plants and animals around them and though one would think they are primitive, they are not so. Knowledge is everything to them and their books, songs, and poetry are whispers of who they are and quite eloquent. Their colonies are filled with vine bridges and basket like homes woven for comfort and elegance. Everything is made to fit into the nature around them. Their lighting platforms rise high above coated with a liquid gathered from luminescent amphibians. It is solar reactive gathering light during the day. At dark, they are lowered to allow the colony access to light it would not have otherwise. Their way may look simple but it is far from such.

As for their religion, the Tlequeen is all to them though they have their own myths and legends about the gods written and handed down from previous queens. Whether they are real or not, the Tlec do not know. They may not even care as they have their queen and goddess in front of them. They have no known magic as of yet, but they have not been exposed to those races which do have such yet.

The Tlechurian do lay eggs which go thru a larval stage. Their children are kept in a central room where nurses take care of the eggs and larvas keeping them fed and contained for safety. They are marked with a band as to who their parents are. The Tlequeen's are mixed in unless it is a molqueen egg. A molqueen is cared for differntly in its own room and fed special foods to help her develop. A pupal stage is next and allows the permanent metamorphosis. They do molt their skin for growth as crayfish and other arthropods do, but once they reach about 50 years old, the molting becomes rarer. This leaves the carapace of the older Tlec brittle. They become those who teach the younger ones, seldom venturing beyond the colony. During molting, all Tlec try to remain somewhere safe. Their bodies are left extremely soft until the air rehardens their shells.

Events of Note/History:

The Tlequeen could recite much of the history and the events of note. But if specifically asked, for all the details, she will send you to the Tlan Mor, the librarians of her great libraries. There are five who perform this duty. If one inquires on the current state of the colonies, they would be directed to the books and scrolls within the Library. If one inquired of past history of the colonies, all they would find is the current Tlequeen's rule. The reasoning for this is that the only history that is important to them is the current queen's rule. If she has fought to take the rule, then she will wipe the knowledge of the previous Tlequeen out as she does any remaining family. Looking to the dead ruler's methods conflicts with her own.

There is said to be secret rooms with rare books within the Library that is passed down generation to generation amongst the librarians for safeguarding. Each book lists the entire history of one Tlequeen and her family. They are well hidden from the average Tlec. Each Tlequeen knows it exists but it is merely a listing of rulers and when they ruled, their deaths and their families. A few are hidden that also speak of the gods and the personal myths they have that go along with higher beings than themselves and their queens.

The first Tlequeen was Tlor Fel. She rose to power even as the Tlechurians found themselves sentient and capable of understanding. Pushing them, she ruled with an iron fist often removing the heads of those opposing her. After her rule of nearly 80 years, there were a series of Tlequeens all descended from her and each one ruled as she did for the next 1000 years.

It was in the midst of Flan Tor, a festival celebrating music and arts that the first Delvyn occurred. The Delvyn is the rebellion against the current Tlequeen and her Molqueens . Dela Tran stepped in as the Tlequeen. Since that first Delvyn, there have been 75 more occurring over the centuries. The last was a mere 100 years ago.

The change of rulers has continued to occur for the past 3000 years. Sometimes it has improved their colonies and way of life, and at other times it has not. Their dispositions are predominantly aggressive and it is reflected in their history.

With the events of Destruction, their world had begun to undergo changes. The rain came less often until it entirely stopped. The Des Jir serpents became more aggressive as their food sources dwindled. The water level lowered, though they still found ways to survive as the jungle around them began to die. It was during this time that Tlequeen Tlan Yur died, leaving her daughters in charge. It was at their agreement that Tlan Me became the new Tlequeen and her first act was to fortify the colonies and her sisters as best she could. With the return of Creation, their world still remains mostly unchanged. There is the occasional rainfall, but it is nothing as they were. Many died during this upheavel of the gods and tales have resurfaced amongst them as Tlequeen Tlan Me began to search for answers to her race's predicament. But in truth few of them believe in gods though they hope that there is a solution to their world's state.

Currently, they are trying to survive.

Characters/NPCs of Note:
Tlequeen Tlan Me is the current ruler of the colonies. She is a proud just ruler who thinks only of her people. She is also considered the most beautiful of the Tlec. Her coloration is a pearlescent white, a rarity amongs her kind. She is young for her rank but not a foolish being. The previous Tlequeen's death when she was only 18, shoved her into a position she was barely ready for. It has been a hard lesson for her over the last three years. She has strengthened her race in ways her mother had not. She set up exploration off the continent for expansion but also fortified her own colonies on the continent. She is a strong no nonsense leader but she loves the music, arts, and poetry of her race and it is quite often promoted to others.

Tlan Me is the first not to destroy the Molqueens, her very own sisters. This was unprecidented in their history. There had been no rivalry between the Molqueens nor even between they and their mother. Tlan was selected to move upwards. Her own daughter was promoted to take her place and though barely ten, she rules the colony as her mother would have.

Consort Murn Teff is the one currently at Queen Tlan's side. He bears a scar down the length of the carapace covering his head and face. He was merely a young fighter trying to defend the previous Tlequeen from a Dez Jir attack. In the end, she died, but he managed to destroy the serpent. Its head is now mounted on the wall at the doorway leading to the throneroom. He is very protective and inspects the fighters and guards daily looking for those who stand out to place in his own guards that protect the Tlequeen.

Librarian Joff Kli has been the librarian for the entirety of the previous Tlequeen Tlan Yur and the current Tlequeen Tlan Me. He knows the history of the Tlechurian from the beginning, often reading in the secret rooms when he is not required to help the Tlequeen. He is nearly 70 years old and knows that all too soon his life will be over. He has been training a replacement from amongst the other four librarians, Tsu Tla. At times he becomes doddering mixing up the stories and the legends as well as the rulers and Tsu Tla will gently remind him to put him back on track.

How to Access it:

There are only a few ways to access this continent. The first way is thru the Tree itself. The location is hidden and could very possibly be underwater. The Tlec have not discovered it yet. The second way is via shuttles from spaceships. There are few places to land on this watery world, so something would have to be created to support the weight of such crafts. There is a barren rocky knoll not far off the shore of Elor, but it is several miles from the continent itself. A way across the dangerous waters would have to be found. The third way would be a portal assuming someone with magic is around to open it. The Tlec have no magic they know of.

Reason for making this location:

I've looked at all the races and things everyone has played with, but I did not see much for an insect race. It made me curious what they would be like and how they would compare to real insects. What it came down to was that it was fun for me to play with. It might be fun for others.

15 days I have looked up...

Don't supposed anyone would want to play with Tien?

Got an RP already started I can jump in or did you have something in mind?

Works for me. Tien would like to at least say hi to Rio later though too, if that can be arranged. =3