This is the blurb that, essentially, started it all. Future threads will dictate Geography, Religion, Culture, and the like. This thread is to catalog the first ideas I had for Kisartha, and especially Sysiter.
The World of Kisartha
Kisartha is made up of two landmasses. The Western half of Kisartha is called D'rujym. It is a modern culture, made up of four countries. D'rujym is lush and green, with no shortage of fruit or herbs. Depending on which country you venture to, the homes range from Tree-Top Houses (in the country of Eytre) to tunnels beneath the cool dirt (in the country of Tutokem, where trees are sparser but the dirt is hard and stable enough to be supported by underground pillars.) D'rujym is, generally, regarded as a place of Peace, where poverty is not known because all four countries share a common bond: That if you are of D'rujym, you are family. And family is to be taken care of.
There are exceptions to these rules and while it is very uncommon for crime in D'rujym, it happens. And there is a single group of men, comprised of the strongest, smartest, and fastest hunters and lawmen from the Four Countries of D'rujym. They are called The Shadow, for they are never seen in the light of day, preferring the night to stalk their quarry. Over time, The Shadow has become the best of the best in hunting, stalking, and vigilanty justice. There is no court system on D'rujym, which is odd considering their advancements in medicine, food, culture, and technology. Instead, the criminal is punished in a way befitting his crime. (A thief, for example, may be subjected to having nothing but the clothes on his back for the rest of his life, and whatever means he may come across, he must give willingly to those who need it more than he.) The punishment is not a punishment on D'rujym, it is an opportunity to teach someone to be better than they are.
The Shadow are the stuff of legends and nightmares, depending on how easily you scare. Some boys grow up wanting nothing more than to be part of The Shadow, to uphold the Shadow Proclamation that dictates all men of the Shadow must, to the very end of their lives, protect those who cannot defend themselves. They are akin to the Musketeers, and answer only to the King of Sitartha. Sitartha is unlike Tutokem, or Eytre, or the smaller, colder country of Euroma. Sitartha is the most advanced civilization, preferring to build their cities with man-made metal instead of relying on Nature's beauty. Because Sitartha is so advanced, it was easy for them to win the Battle of D'rujym, a war that consumed the Western Continent to decide which of the four countries would be the Ruling Country forevermore. Sitartha won hands down, and though some countrymen of Eytre and Tutokem think that their country should be in charge, all cannot help but follow the orders of King Ryther, whether in fear of reprocussions from The Shadow or out of grudging respect for the King who has, thus far, led the four countries in a peaceful era that, some say, will last long past his life and well into the rule of his great-great-great grandchildren.
Essentially, D'rujym is Paradise to those who live their, and D'rujins (the citizens of D'rujym) couldn't imagine possibly living on that veritable wasteland that is the Eastern Continent of Sysiter.
Sysiter is a large country, a veritable wasteland filled with nothing but sand. Any foliage is manufactured and tended to daily for it to survive. During The Battle of D'rujym, the Sysiter were spectators. Watching, but not involving themselves, because it was not their battle. The Sysiterians were haughty and full of themselves. They had culture, and refined tastes. Their palaces were made of stone, manuevered into place by man's own hands. There was nothing like the Palace of Ginosh, the capital of the country. Sysiter had no other countries, and the entire continent was ruled by Ginosh officials. Unlike D'rujym, they had an odd Court Systems, but it is hardly fair. Like the D'rujym, they prefer to punish their criminals in an ironic fashion. (Unlike the merciful D'rujins, the Sysiter believed in bodily harm. A thief would have his hands cut off; a liar would have his tongue cut out. This was right, by them, and prevented repeated crimes.) However, before being dealt their punishment, a criminal would stand before a Justice and an Executioner, to hear the criminal defense before dolling out the punishment. Another difference between their tenuous jusice system was the policy of Three Xes. A criminal would have three chances to redeem himself, and for every time he was caught of a crime, he would have an X branded on his body.
The first X would be branded on his left palm, a place that could easily be blocked from view. The second X would be branded on the right hand, but not on the palm. Instead, it would be branded on the back of the hand, for all to see. The third X is a little different. Depending on the whims of the Justice that the criminal was seeing, the third X could be placed somewhere conspicuous, or somewhere discreet. More often than not, the third and final X will be placed somewhere on the criminal's face. Above his eye, perhaps, or on his tongue. Most commonly the third X is beneath the left eye. Very few men walk around with 3 Xs, and those who do are considered terribly dangerous and are shied away from in public.
After the Battle of D'rujym, disaster struck in Sysiter. The Gods some say were angered by their attitudes and egos. The Great Denizen, the creator of All Things and All Gods, grew angered at the sight of Sysiter's great palace Ginosh. And so, he threw a bolt of lightning into the city. The City of Ginosh fell and crumbled, and in its place the Earth split, creating The Great Gourge. The Great Gourge broke Sysiter into two halves, spreading five hundred miles across and twenty thousand miles deep into the Earth. A great number of monstrous creatures live there, and so, Sysiter was split into Northern Sysiter, and Southern Sysiter.* (may write first novel prior to The Great Denizen's Earthquake to showcase Sysiter and it's beauty.)
When this happened, the D'rujins offered to help the Sysiter rebuild, but only Northern Sysiter would have it. The majority of Sysiterians were caught in the Southern hemisphere, and they were indignant and outraged at the attack on their beloved city. They began to rebuild Ginosh at the edge of the Gourge, not only as a new Capital for Southern Sysiter but also to show that they did not fear the great beasts below them. Because of the Great Denizen's Earthquake, the Sysiterians were shaken about on the continent. Soon, a rumor had begun to circulate, that The Great Denizen's Gourge was not as deep as they say, and the monsters below were craving to get out.
Crime on Sysiter seemed to have stopped entirely, much of which was blamed on Ginosh's new sense of punishment: Lowering criminals into the Great Gourge. (Second novel following criminal being lowered into the gourge and finding "the truth" about the monsters?) People were terrified of being fed to the beasts, and it was a good motivation to act right by the Ginosh code of laws.