Southern Scadrian

The Southern Scadrians are a collection of nations and cultures on Scadrial. They were placed at the south pole by The Lord Ruler during his Ascension. When he moved the planet closer to the sun, he altered the physiology of the skaa, nobles, and Terris to enable them to survive the ash and the warmer temperatures. However, he also placed an unaltered group of Scadrians at the south pole to act as a control group for his genetic experiments. The Southern Scadrians lived there without any interaction with the Final Empire for over a thousand years until the Catacendre. When Harmony moved the planet back to its original orbit and orientation, it caused a change in climate that the Southern Scadrians failed to adapt to. The Southern Scadrians were at the brink of extinction until they were rescued by the Sovereign.
== History ==
=== Before the Ascension ===
The ancestors of the South Scadrians were humans created by Ruin and Preservation on Scadrial after the creation of the planet following the Shattering. 
Before the Ascension of the Lord Ruler, the South Scadrians lived somewhere away from the poles on Scadrial. Their language, culture, and states at this time are unknown, and is likely lost. 
=== Relocation to the South Pole (pre Final Empire, circa 1025 anteverdant) ===
During his Ascension, the Lord Ruler moved Scadrial out of its original orbit, putting it closer to the sun in order to burn off the Deepness. The planet's surface became too hot, forcing the Lord Ruler to move inhabited lands to the north and south poles. In the north, a combination of the planet's magnetic field and ferromagnetic ash from the Ashmounts shielded the land from the heat of the sun. The Final Empire was at the northern magnetic pole of the planet, which moved from its physical location with the relocation of the Well of Ascension to a middle latitude. The genetic alterations made to the skaa allowed them to adapt to the constant ashfalls. 
However, the Lord Ruler also placed an unaltered group of people at the physical south pole. These people were placed there by the Lord Ruler as a reserve in case his genetic modifications of humanity failed. The Lord Ruler managed to find a way other than genetic modifications or Ashmounts to help them survive in the world he created.
The southern peoples had the seeds of the Metallic Arts, though since none of them had ingested lerasium, Allomancers were extremely rare and Mistborn completely unheard of. Because of this, instead of using the Metallic Arts in a way based on genetics like the people of the Final Empire, the southern peoples use them in a more "mechanical way."
=== The Age of Ash ===
Over time, the South Scadrians began to mutate and develop far less effective thermoregulation, making it so that they couldn't survive in even mildly cold weather. Likely as a method of surviving at the hot pole. Furthermore, they developed into several nations and ethnic groups. One of which that eventually formed were the Fallen. The Fallen, over time, developed significant authority over the other southern peoples, enough so to be considered their kings by the time of the Ice Death.
This period lasted for 1025 years, though most of their history is currently unknown. The end of this era was brought about with the Ascension of Harmony and the Catacendre, which they came to know as the Ice Death.
=== The Ice Death (Catacendre) ===
In the north, about three years after the death of the Lord Ruler, Sazed took up both of the planet's Shards and Ascended, becoming Harmony. Harmony tried undoing most of the Lord Ruler's changes, setting the continents back in their original places and moving Scadrial back into its original orbit, removing the need for heat-lessening solutions like the Ashmounts. This event was known to the Northern Scadrians as the Catacendre or "end of the ash."
Because of this, the weather in the Southern continent became colder. The Southern peoples could not adapt to this change, and many died from the cold. Southern Scadrians call this event the Ice Death.
Years had gone by and the Ice Death did not end. The Southern peoples failed to recover from it on their own, leading to the almost complete collapse of their society. The reason for this failure is not known, but expeditions from the south to the north have notably shown that Southern peoples still feel unnaturally cold even in Northern Scadrian weather.
=== The Sovereign (12 years Post-Catacendre) ===
Eventually, Kelsier appeared among the Southern Scadrians offering them help. He gave them devices called the Excisors, which allowed them to create medallions that granted the power of Feruchemical Heat. This new technology enabled them to survive the cold.
Kelsier became known as the Sovereign, ruling over his Southern Scadrian followers. He started the tradition of the Firemothers and Firefathers, people who live only to fill the medallions with heat. After a period of time, the Sovereign took the Bands of Mourning and hid them in a temple in the mountains of Northern Scadrial. His priests travelled with him, then returned to the southern continent to pass on the legend of the Bands.
Although the Sovereign had been rumored to be the Lord Ruler himself, he was in actuality Kelsier, another man from northern Scadrial.
=== Looking for the Bands (336-337 years Post-Catacendre) ===
As the Southern Scadrians began scouting farther and farther north using their airships, they eventually discovered the lands of the Elendel Basin. The Hunters sent a large expedition to the north, looking for the temple where the Sovereign left the Bands of Mourning. They intended to use an ettmetal bomb to destroy the Bands. Though most of the expedition perished, supposedly in a blizzard, one skimmer managed to return to the southern continent and tell their story. However, Waxillium Ladrian believes that some of the crew, desiring the power of the Bands, betrayed the others and attempted to take the Bands for themselves. This attempt was unsuccessful due to the traps at the temple.
=== First Encounters with the Northern Scadrians (341-342 years Post-Catacendre) ===
Ironsights, an exploration vessel thought lost, returned to Elendel with a refugee they picked up who told stories of "people of the oceans". The refugee claims to have encountered these people in a distant land when they attacked his ship. He described these "people of the oceans" as a violent seafaring race who have access to "Unknown Metals". Soon after that, Lady Nicelle Sauvage, a citizen of Southern Roughs city New Seran, reported briefly glimpsing a figure in a mountain range in the Roughs, describing it as having "piercing eyes, and a face like some otherwordly beast".
The two cultures fully intersected once Jordis took a second airship, Brunstell, on an expedition north to find the temple of the Sovereign. The ship was hit by a powerful storm and crashed near the village of Dulsing. Their ship was discovered by The Set and the crew was taken captive and interrogated. The Set learned of the medallion technology, as well as the legend of the Bands of Mourning, and began preparing an expedition into the mountains to find the temple. At the same time, the kandra ReLuur was attempting to find the Bands in the same mountain range. Though The Set accosted him and took one of his spikes, he was able to return to Elendel and alert the other kandra of what he had witnessed. The kandra asked Wax and Marasi Colms to investigate ReLuur's claims. The two, along with their band of adventurers, discovered the location where The Set was holding the Southern Scadrians and helped one of them, Allik Neverfar, to escape on a small airship, Wilg.
The Set and Wax's group raced to find the temple, each hoping to be the first to claim the Bands. Ultimately, Wax and his friends found the Bands first and defeated The Set, freeing the remaining Southern Scadrians from captivity. Steris Harms negotiated a trade agreement between the north and the south, establishing the first official relationship between the two peoples.
=== Tensions with the North and Formation of the Malwish Consortium ===
During the next six years the Northern and Southern peoples began interacting more and more. Trade between the Northerners and the Malwish saw the Basin getting a number of skimmers and medallions and the Malwish getting access to the Northern Allomancers. Sometime during this period the Malwish sent an ambassador and a ‘junior goodwill ambassador’ to the north. These six years also led to major changes in the political landscape of the South. Once-tempestuous rivalries stilled and alliances were forged. After these six years, which saw an increase in Malwish power, the southern peoples united under the Malwish banner, forming the Malwish Consortium. Despite this Consortium, the nations still had their own leaders. Additionally, there was a single main faction in control of the unification. They talked about how Northern disasters had caused them so much hardship over the centuries, and warned that the Basin’s new trellium bombs were only the beginning of new hardship. They also saw the north as chaotic and unpredictable, and by they had forbidden most forms of trade and closed their borders to Northerners. 
== Culture ==
The Southern Scadrians have a tradition of wearing masks, with each of the five peoples of the continent having its own mask-wearing rules and customs. They have natural low body temperatures, which is related to their cold intolerance. There is also a group called the Deniers of Masks that the other Southern Scadrians oppose, but nothing is known about them other than the fact that they are very dangerous.
The Sovereign had priests accompanying him who did not belong to any of the current Southern peoples living. Not much is known about them.
=== Nations ===
The Southern Scadrians were divided into five different nations, however following the discovery of the Northern Scadrians their politics changed until they united under the banner of single nation, the Malwish Consortium. So far, the names of three of these previous nations have been revealed:
==== Malwish ====
The Malwish wear red masks that change according to their profession or their mood. By the the Malwish view lifting their mask as a way to emphasise something. It’s not necessarily wrong to let people see under the mask, though they pretend it’s taboo, which it might have once been. Allik Neverfar and Jordis are Malwish. Dancing is very important to them, so much so that they have been known to give harsh (although friendly) punishment just for getting the steps to a dance wrong.
Following the discovery of the Northern Continent, the Malwish took over diplomatic relations with the Basin, and the majority of Southerners who visited the North were from there. They were the only tribe who sent an ambassador up. It is under their banner that the Southern Nations united.
Some of the researchers on Canticle view Malwish as a civilized language. Known Malwish words include:
* Fotenstall — Allomancer.
* Hanner konge — A question of unknown meaning.
* Foralate men — Something along the lines of ‘flee’.
* Forsalvin — Something along the lines of ‘flee’.
==== The Hunters ====
The people known as the Hunters receive one mask at birth, which is replaced by a second mask upon reaching adulthood. This second mask eventually grows into the skin. The Hunters were warriors before the Ice Death, but now they search for the cause of the cataclysm that ruined their society. They took an airship to find the Bands of Mourning, intending to destroy them.
Iyatil, a Silverlight born woman with Southern Scadrian ancestry, wears a mask reminiscent of those worn by the Hunters nation.
==== The Fallen ====
The former rulers of the Southern Scadrians became known as the Fallen after they lost their authority due to the Ice Death, which is seen as their divine punishment. A member of the Fallen wears a plain, unpainted mask until he earns the right to wear an ornate one through some great achievement. The Fallen were the kings before the Ice Death, and their simple masks are a punishment for having offended the Jaggenmire.
==== The Maskless ====
A people in the far south, on a separate landmass from the Elendel Basin and Malwish Consortium. It is unknown if this is one nation, or a collection of peoples. They are not part of the Malwish Consortium.
They are most likely the Deniers of Masks mentioned by Allik, who actively shun masks and are considered quite dangerous by the rest of Southern Scadrial.
=== Religion ===
The Southern Scadrians worship the Jaggenmire, an entity composed of two beings who are always one and always apart. The Jaggenmire is made up of Herr and his sister-wife Frue. The Southern Scadrians believe that Herr is a motive force and Frue is a force of stasis, though neither can make life on their own. They think of the Jaggenmire as acausal, having always been separate, and always been together, simultaneously. These concepts have been compared to Preservation and Ruin, and how both now exist in Harmony. The Southern Scadrians believe that their kings did something to offend the Jaggenmire, causing the Ice Death.
The Southern Scadrians also worship the Sovereign, the person who saved them following the Ice Death. He taught them to revere Metalborn, who they consider pieces of God. They believe that he created the Bands of Mourning and hid them in the mountains for him to use upon his return. Some clans believe that this warning was intended as a test and that the Southern Scadrians have to prove themselves by finding the Bands. Others, the Hunters, believe that the Bands should be destroyed.
The Southern Scadrians believe that hell is up in the sky. They believe that, since below ground is warmer, hell must be the opposite direction.
They have stories of the kandra.
=== Technology ===
The Southern Scadrians are more technologically advanced than the Northern Scadrians in many ways. The Sovereign gives them the Excisors, devices that allow them to create medallions, a type of unsealed metalmind, that grant the power of Feruchemical brass. They later reverse-engineer these medallions to grant other Feruchemical powers. Notably, they use iron medallions to allow many people to store their weight, leading to their development of airships.
The process of creating the medallions requires both Metalborn and the Excisors. The Southern Scadrians also constructed medallions with several types of metal, granting the wearer several Feruchemical powers at once. Wearing multiple medallions at once does not work, as the medallions interfere with each other. Exactly how medallions are made is a trade secret within the Malwish consortium.
When the crew of the Brunstell is saved they are given guns by Allik and Steris to fight the Set. A short time later they are seen wielding the weapons, so it’s safe to assume they know how guns work, which shows that they have guns in the south as well.
While talking to Wax, Harmony reflects on the limited progress the people of Elendel have made since the remaking of Scadrial due to the benevolent environment of the Basin, mentioning "...others, who were nearly destroyed", and implies they are significantly more advanced than those in the Basin.
They have access to ettmetal, also known as Harmonium. Among other things, ettmetal is used to fuel the Southern airships.
== Notable People ==
== Trivia ==
* They are mysteriously referred to in The Hero of Ages annotations, suggesting that something is perhaps there. Later, Brandon confirmed that there is life on the southern pole of Scadrial.
* Penguins are confirmed to live here after being restored by Harmony during the Catacendre.
== Notes ==
es: Scadriano del sur