Welcome to Gaia! ::

Where "F" is for Fantasy and "PA" is for post-apocalyptic, because I like me some post-apocalyptic. Also, y'all can start posting profiles in the OOC thread now.

As can be expected, the World of the Great Forest is one that is characterized by both magic and psionic gifts. Almost all of the vertebrate life in the world, with the exception of humans, some very hardy birds, small fishes, and mice, has been wiped out in favor of magically enhanced, gigantic invertebrates. These insects fill every niche in the ecosystem now-alongside their smaller cousins who assume the usual roles of cultivators, pollinators, and pests, the great insects (and others) serve as food, transportation, and--in the case of strains with enhanced intelligence--companions, guards, and intelligent mounts.

There are two principle powers in the world--Elytra and Alae. Due to various disputes over territory and breeding stock of the great insects, tensions have mounted between these two powers and their leaders are historical enemies. They aren't the only people to live in the forest, however; numerous small nomadic tribes and seasonal settlements stretch the length and breadth of the great forest, from the western seas to the icy tundra of the arctic circle to the deep eastern ocean. The greatest of these wandering tribes are the Tenodera, who act as arbiters of conflicts and seers of great repute.

The Elytra are earth-dwelling people who live beneath the shaded canopy of the great forest. Much of their actual city is well below the ground, built in the ancient ruins of one of the Oldest People's city-fortresses. They have harnessed the great earthworms, the ants, and the beetles, both for food and for work. Their primary source of food, other than their insects, is from agriculture they carry on in carefully maintained clearings in the great forest, fertilized from the city's middens. (At least, after the waste in those middens has passed through the gullets of the great worms!)

Their magic is related primarily to the earth itself--fertility rituals, bloodshed and ritual sacrifice to increase their crops, enhancing their breeding stock, and the like. They are also capable smiths and able artificers, and are talented at working rock and metal alike with their magic. While they have some psychic abilities among their ranks, most of it is concerned with empathy and beast-speaking, which are much more "earthy" powers. And, just to keep things interesting, there are always at least a few active fire mages among the people of Elytra.

The bonded companions of Elytra's warriors, priests, and mages are creatures of the earth--beetles, isopods, ants, centipedes, millipedes, earthworms, and the like. What rare fire mages occur tend to favor either glowworms and fireflies or the rare escaped Alaean moth.

The Alae have build their proud cities and settlements among the canopy of the great forest. There they culture fruit, orchids, and a riot of other life-giving plants that thrive in the bright sunlight of their settlements. They are also makers of medicines, usually tinctures based in honey, as the Alae have also tamed the great honeybees and use what they produce freely. As their homes are built of living plants and wood, they are adept horticulturists and carpenters.

Their magic is bent toward the wildness of winds and storms, as well as the call of the stars and moon. It often waxes and wanes with the seasons, and can put individual Alae more in touch with the riotous plant life and great trees they live among. Weather-mages are not unknown either, and their mind gifts tend toward telekinetics (some so strong that the lucky child can use them to fly!) and telepathy.

Alae's great insects are primarily moths, butterflies, bees, and wasps. They have also been known to befriend and train the great dragonflies, which make excellent mounts for archers and weather-mages alike.

The Tenodera are a band of wandering seers, and very little indeed is known about them beyond the fact their magic is bent toward divination and foreknowledge. Most of them are gentle, with the exception of their warriors, who alone of all the people of the great forest have managed to befriend the mantids. These cunning beasts make both excellent mounts and able battle companions, and no Tenodera warrior has ever been seen without her mantis. Crickets the size of small lapdogs are known to accompany Tenodera's seers, as they make excellent watch-insects as well as friendly and loving companions.

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Also riced. RP's officially open for business now!

Wise Spear noted the rumble of thunder above him, and Greatfang seemed to notice as well, picking up his already fast (for a stag beetle) pace, lumbering through the forest. Larger than the ancient great cats, larger than a bull, Greatfang was a force to be reckoned with. Capable of cutting a tree with his massive teeth, Greatfang was, in all actuality, a gentle giant when unprovoked. A loving specimen of his kind, Greatfang protected Wise Spear like a loyal steed should, and Wise Spear protected Greatfang as a loyal rider should.

The Lucanus tribesman had set out only a few days ago, and he was making good time. 'Towards what, I know not.' He thought, his etched face showing the uncertainty he felt. He bore, at his side, his own spear, adorned with feathers near the head, made of stout wood and solid, finely-chiseled stone, made with a blade on each side of the head, flowing smoothly into the point, with a small trough down the center of the head running all the way down to where the head met the shaft, starting in a point at the tip. The spear was designed in such a way that someone skilled with the weapon could execute a long-ranged slashing attack as well as a thrust. Wise Spear was skilled enough, even in his old age.

That was, if any foe did not flee at the sight of Greatfang.

The beetle was certainly aged, but Greatfang was as strong as ever, if Wise Spear's memory served him correctly. The giant stag beetle was not the fastest creature in the forest, but neither was he the slowest, and he was certainly not the smallest, as mentioned before.

The stag beetle let out a slight groan in response to the rumble of thunder, and Wise Spear presumed in response to his own thoughts. The two had spent many, many years together, and could often accurately predict what the other was thinking.

Greatfang steadily decreased his pace back to the normal one he had previously engaged in, as per his rider's wish. Wise Spear knew that while Greatfang's stamina was immense, that it was not infinite, and there was a long journey ahead for them.



Rain was now pouring, and Greatfang groaned a small complaint to the amount of water splattering off of his thick carapace. Wise Spear nodded, and attempted to find a patch of forest thick enough to keep the rain at bay.

He stumbled, instead, upon a makeshift windbreak made of fallen logs, and a woman tending to a tiny flame, along with a moth mount. Wise Spear knew of the allies and enemies of the Lucanus tribe; there were none of either.

Simply put, the Lucanus tried to keep to themselves.

But, in this case, Wise Spear decided to attempt to make contact with someone outside of his tribe. For all he knew, she could've been looking for a cure to the plague as well, which had Wise Spear particularly troubled.

"Greetings, Moth Rider." Wise Spear called out above the din of rain falling upon the leaves, ground and the Giant Stag beetle's carapace. "I am Wise Spear of the Lucanus tribe, and I am looking for a cure to the plague that ravages the insects of the forest. May I ask what one who is used to the skies is doing so close to the ground, save for staying out of the rain?"

Wise Spear knew that she was almost certainly from the Alae region, due to the fact that she was bonded to a moth. He could feel the insect's displeasure at the forest floor and the rain, something that he imagined Greatfang would have a difficult time understanding, knowing nothing other than the forest floor, although disliking the rain most of the time.

Normally Wise Spear would've dismounted and looked around for something for Greatfang to eat, but he wanted to find out what this woman's intentions were.

The Lucanus tribesman nodded, and began to dismount, his steed lowering itself and allowing the older man to set foot upon the wet ground as the rain poured down. Greatfang understood that he had no room under the already small shelter the Alae had built.

Wise Spear turned after dismounting. "We of the Lucanus tribe are a nomadic people. We wander where there is food for us to hunt and gather, and where our steeds take us." He motioned to Greatfang, and still bore his spear, using it as a walking stick. "We are not as large as the Alae or Elytra, nor the Tenodera, whom you seek, but we have ties to none of these tribes." He assured her.

"I, too, believe seeking the Tenodera would be the most sound course of action right now." He agreed. "As of right now, only one or two isolated cases of the plague have risen in our beetle friends." He said, his etched face showing grief. "And to those afflicted, we had to perform the blasphemy of..." He seemed almost pained to say it, "Putting the beetles out of their misery..." He finished. "Lucanidae forgive us."

"But, I have forgotten my manners." He said, brightening some. "Well met, Tuyet of Heterocera." He then addressed her final question. "As for the location of the Tenodera, I know naught where they are. However, my tribesmen know that they are not in the direction from which I came, and that they advised me to travel in this direction."