Effrens

Map by tumblr user @shamrockace

Rough map of the Mortal Realm indicating the approximate location of Effrens by tumblr user @thewatchau. Bear in mind that the names of some of the continents are outdated.

### Location

Mortal Realm

Effrens is an archipelago in the southern hemisphere of the Mortal Realm. It is categorized as one of the seven continents of the Mortal Realm.

## Name Origin

“Effrens” comes from the Latin Efferus, meaning “wild, savage, crazed.” The name was given to the continent by foreigners. It’s also referred to as the Death Archipelago, due to both how dangerous the waters around the archipelago are and the themes of death that are central to the region’s cultures.

The native peoples of this region refer to the archipelago as Na hoileáin Draca, which means “The Dragon Islands.” The main island is called Báskellig, from Bás meaning Death and Skellig (like Skellig Michael), whilst also being a play on the word Basilisk.

## History

### Ancient History

According to Effrenian folklore, the archipelago was formed during a fight between a huge sea dragon called the Mester Stoor Wyrm and beings known as Fae Touched Warriors, who were granted powers from the Fae Folk to slay similar giant beasts (known collectively as Great Evil entities). In this battle, known as the Great Seal Calamity, the Fae Touched Warriors were unable to kill the Mester Stoor Wyrm forever, but instead, succeeded in trapping it under the sea by driving a giant pillar of bone and metal through the wyrm’s skull, imprisoning it permanently beneath the sea. Most historians believe that this conflict took place cerca the year 300 on the Duil-Feadhainn Calendar, placing it in the same time period of the Ancient Era of Tirónar.

It is believed that the top of the pillar used to trap the wyrm remained above sea level, forming the main island of the archipelago. The pillar is still blessed by the magic of the Fae who supported the Fae Touched Warriors, which is why the region is covered in magical ecosystems, Fae Gardens, and magical flora and fauna with powers over rot and plague. The smaller islands of the archipelago are said to be the broken scales, claws, horns, and bone plating of the Mester Stoor Wyrm that floated to the surface after its defeat and were transformed into islands by the Fae Folk.

For approximately 200 years, the civilizations of Effrens lived in relative peace and prosperity on the newly transformed landmasses of the archipelago. However, in the early-500s of the Duil-Feadhainn calendar, a new threat emerged in the form of dragons, who had desperately crossed the sea in the wake of the Dragon War that had begun to consume the continent of Tirónar. While non-sentient draconic animals were native to the archipelago, the soul-bearing dragons of Tirónar were entirely different. Panic from both the dragons and people groups of Effrens caused significant losses on both sides. Eventually, the conflict waned, and with time, the surviving Effrenians and dragons learned to coexist and, in the case of the latter, slowly evolved to adapt to the environment of the archipelago.

This history plays a significant role in the current culture and worldview of most Effrenians. Living on top of a giant, catatonic sea dragon means the constant threat of its eventual revival. Many believe that if they do not appease the local Fae, the Wyrm will escape it’s undersea prison and rise once again to bring plague to the world. The impact of the Dragon War in Tirónar would further reinforce this mentality.

### Not-Ancient-but-still-older History

Most of Effren’s history before the year 1100 (Duil Calendar) has been lost to time, and what records remain are spotty and conflicting at best.

As such, it’s extremely unclear who first “discovered” Effrens and gave it a name meaning “savage.” Like the continent of Tirónar, the waters surrounding the archipelago were dangerous enough to prevent any foreign entities from encountering the landmass for centuries.

Most scholars believe that the first contact with outside people groups took place in the early days of the tri-continental mercantilist era, when the nations of Senfara began a race to expand their territory for economic power. While most of Senfara’s records of this time focus on the conflicts between the people groups of Iontassia and the Unnamed Continent, a few also mention a dangerous cluster of islands to the far southwest.

Most of these are the accounts given by sailors who, due to storms or other factors, got lost in the waters of the Southern Hemisphere and found themselves shipwrecked and stranded in the dangerous waters of the archipelago. Upon seeing the strange and dangerous-looking magical creatures on the islands (including dragons, changelings with intense fae-like features, and the Fae Folk themselves), the ethnocentric and magically-ignorant foreigners immediately drew the conclusion that these islands were “wild, savage, crazed,” etc. Those who managed to return to Senfara (either with the help of local Effrenians or by making a deal with a member of the Fae) would go on to write these reports.

Most tales of Effrens were deemed nonsense until cerca 1000 (Duil-Feadhainn calendar), when Waldren’s success in Tirónar prompted some of its competitors to look at this “savage” region to the southwest in a new light. However, the waters around Effrens are even more dangerous than those surrounding Tirónar, and the few ships that returned to the continent would reinforce the idea of this “savage” land. Presumably, this is the origin of the name “Effrens” given to the islands by foreigners, although the exact originator of the term is unknown.

### Modern Era

Effrens used to be way more populated and cover far more area. However, less than five hundred years ago, multiple devastating disasters hit the archipelago in relatively quick succession. As a result, all civilizations outside a few small areas were all but wiped out, though plenty of ruins remain.

In modern day, Effrens is still working to recover from this devastation. As a result, there has been little work done to reclaim the history and culture of these previous civilizations. However, some of the ruins play a role in Effrenian culture, such as the remains of  burial cairns and pyres built with pale white stone, which, in Effrenian folklore, are believed to be made from bones due to their coloration.

## Politics

Effrens is ruled by a powerful Fae being called Jim Pickens, who typically takes on the form of an elderly human man and is referred to in Effrens as the Fae God of Destruction and Death. This fae being is worshiped as a deity by most of the population of Effrens.

However, Jim Pickens rarely interacts directly with the mortals of Effrens except when he pleases to. Instead, the High Augur of Jim Pickens, a mortal man named Kevin, is the primary conduit between the Effrenians and their god-king. Mortals who seek advice or wish to voice concerns will speak to the High Augur, rather than risk the unpredictable wrath of Jim Pickens.

Unlike the Fae Cults of Fasithe in Tirónar, which are typically based around the acquisition of knowledge, power, freedom, etc. with a calmer, more serious tone (until you get to the Imagination Dimension), the Fae cults of Effrens are far more chaotic, focusing almost entirely on the concepts of death, decay, and destruction.

Sacrifices (both human and other) are extremely common in multiple aspects of Effranian culture, including the legal system, entertainment, religion, and beliefs on magic and the Fae. Predominantly, they are used as a means to appease the Fae folk, particularly Jim Pickens.

## Geography

Effrens has a strange mixture of ecosystems due to its unique geography and the influence of magic on its environment.

The main island can be divided into three sections: the desert, which takes up the entire southern half of the island; the mountains, which arc southeast from the island’s northwestern corner, then veer north again to cover the entire northern “spike” of the island; and a combination of tropical jungle and temperate grassland tucked within the valley created in the far north of the island.

Despite their proximity to the tropical and temperate ecosystems of lowland Effrens, the mountainous regions of the main island are extremely cold due to their altitude. Adding to this ecological chaos, at least one of these mountains is an active volcano, yet is still covered in ice and snow for the majority of the year.

Effrens is, to this day, significantly unexplored and unmapped. The majority of the archipelago is covered in dangerous Fae Gardens, equal in danger to the Western Forest of Tirónar. Moreover, the desert ecosystem is practically a deathtrap. Most inhabited areas are located in the temperate grasslands in the northern valley between the mountains.

The waters surrounding Effrens are fairly tropical and extremely dangerous. Traveling between the islands is risky; traveling beyond the archipelago even more so. As a result, Effrens is extremely isolated from the rest of the Mortal Realm to this day, both due to the hazardous conditions and the sheer distance from other continents.

## Flora and Fauna

For reasons not fully understood, an abnormal amount of the flora and fauna in Effrens have some relationship with poison, venom, rot, plague, and decay, which can manifest in both magical and mundane traits and abilities.

In the warmer areas of Effrens, birds called Superb Fairywrens (based on the real-world species of the same name) are an extremely common sight. They are primarily known for their courtship displays, in which the male fairywren picks yellow flower petals and gives them to their chosen female. This behavior has heavily influenced the romance culture of Effrens (see Culture).

Another animal that’s well-known in Effrens are Caer-bannogs, vicious rabbits that attack on sight and can leap as high as eight feet into the air to kill their foes. It’s unclear whether these are Fae Folk taking on the guise of a harmless creature in order to toy with the hapless mortals who pass, or if this is a naturally occurring magical or mundane creature in the wild. For obvious reasons, no one has gotten close enough to study it in detail.

Finally, in a stunning example of convergent evolution, there are two types of draconic beings in Effrens: the sentient descendants of Tirónar’s dragons, and non-sentient magical animals with draconic features.

The sentient dragons that exist in Effrens have evolved over time to look extremely different from their ancient ancestors from Tirónar. These dragons are said to breathe poisonous mist of venomous liquid, rather than fire. While these dragons began with wings similar to those of Tirónar’s dragons, with wings made for height and maneuverability, as time went on and more dragons were born and getting territorial, it’s likely that dragons with coastal territories would probably survive better if they could take long trips off over the ocean and then dive to catch fish for food instead of trying to grab goats and stuff from the mountains. Eventually, these would have evolved to the point where they could probably cross the ocean and a group would have likely left in hopes of finding new territory. In their modern, evolved state, these dragons have the wingspan to body length ratio of 2:1.

Non-sentient dragons in Effrens are smaller, but similarly built to their sentient brethren. They often bond with sentient beings as a familiar. In comparison to the sentient dragons, the smaller non-sentient dragons also seem to have a wider variety of forms. Some don’t grow larger than 10cm, whilst some easily grow to the size of a horse, with the largest being the size of a moose, and the most common size being roughly between the size of a cat and large dog. They also have a wider variance in features; they may or may not have horns, wings, or legs, or may have multiple sets instead of the typical one or two. Some are amphibious or fully aquatic (particularly those that were initially descended from the sea dragons like the Mester Stoor Wyrm), while others are completely terrestrial. There’s even been a few cases of “desert dragons” or "sand wyrms” that swim through the sand as if it’s the sea. Some even have stingers at the end of their tails, not unlike scorpions, though this is usually only found in the smaller variants that live nearer the desert.

## Economy

Effrens exports gunpowder made from the sulfur harvested from the region’s active volcano. Since gunpowder is too expensive to import in large quantities, fireworks are the primary reason most foreign entities import gunpowder. Rumors say that the people in Effrens discovered gunpowder’s firework properties when someone accidentally laced their funeral pyre with gunpowder.

However, there are cases when gunpowder is imported for other reasons. At some point in the Occupation Era, Effrens exported gunpowder to the forces of Waldren in southern Tirónar, which was used primarily for demolition and construction before being used by revolutionaries in Tandeli to earn their independence. In the Modern Era, Effrens continues to have a trade relationship with Tandeli, exporting gunpowder for the purpose of defense, construction, and, of course, fireworks.

## Culture

### Death Themes

As mentioned above, the interconnected themes of death, Fae worship, sacrifices, and fire are extremely prevalent in the culture of Effrens. Many death-related establishments double as methods to worship the Fae Folk through sacrifices. For example, Effrens employs the death penalty, both as a punishment for crimes and as a human sacrifie to appease the Fae Folk. Similarly, death arenas are a common form of entertainment, in which the losers are considered to be sacrifices to the Fae, and the winners are blessed by the Fae. Even traditional funeral rites for natural deaths are considered a final sacrifice to the Fae folk, typically featuring funeral pyres. There are also sacrifices that serve no other purpose than to appease the Fae Folk. For example, heretics (people who don’t worship Jim) are sacrificed to appease the fae leader of Effrens. In coastal towns, people who fail swimming lessons are often left to drown as a sacrifice to the “sea goddess.” Non-human sacrifices of goods such as food, livestock, statues, jewelry, weapons, and other offerings typically offered to the Fae are also used to appease the Fae Folk. Perhaps due to the dissonance a law against murder would cause in a culture that is so wrapped up in human sacrifices, murder isn’t actually illegal in Effrens. So fun fact, if you want to murder someone without consequences, go to Effrens. On a less death-related note, body modifications that imitate the inhuman traits of the Fae Folk are extremely popular in Effrens. Cryptic tattoos, talon nails, sharpened teeth, surgically pointed ears, dramatic piercings, etc are all common ways to try to gain the blessing of the Fae. Finally, in a region that is so heavily populated with wildlife pertaining to venom, poison, rot, and decay, fire is both a practical and symbolic purifier and sanitiser. As a result, many traditions in Effrens pertain to fire, including the use of funeral pyres, love for fireworks, and fire-related sacrifices and rituals.

### Romance Culture

Many of the romantic traditions practiced in Effrens are heavily influenced and inspired by the courtship behaviors of the region’s tropical birds. In particular, Superb Fairywrens are well-known and associated with romance for their courtship displays, in which the male fairywren picks yellow flower petals and gives them to their chosen female. As such, Effrenian romance culture is very flamboyant, featuring colorful clothes, natural gifts (flowers, crystals, etc), and dancing. Gifts of weapons (usually fancy daggers) and sparring matches are also considered romantic in the right contexts, as is cooking together and sharing special foods.

Unsurprisingly, there are also a few traditions related to fire rituals and sacrifices to the Fae that correspond to different stages of a relationship, usually to petition the Fae Folk for good relationship health, luck, and all that usual stuff.

### Magic

Effrens is the second most magically infused continent in the Mortal Realm.  It is second only to Tirónar in the sheer amount of Fae Gardens, magic in its ecosystems, and Fae activity in general. One could even make the argument that it should be considered the MORE magically potent than Tirónar, simply because of the all-encompassing cultural impact this magical environment and proximity to Fae Folk has had on the continent’s people groups. For obvious reasons, these “rankings” of magical ecosystems are extremely vague and difficult to categorize.

Unlocking magic is seen as a Fae blessing and an honor in Effrens culture.

Fae are super important to Effrens culture. Unlike the Fae Folk in Tirónar, the Fae Folk in Effrens fit very nicely into the tropes of Seelie/Unseelie Courts

### Changelings

Due to the sheer amount of magic and massive Fae Gardens in Effrens, Changelings are commonly born, but rarely survive the dangers of Effren’s most magical regions. Those that do survive often build a life in the strange, unpredictable ecosystem they first appeared in, granting them extreme strength and adaptability, but little inclination to settle with the established people groups scattered throughout the islands. Nearly all changelings that have survived have unlocked their magic and use it with incredible skill and power.

In addition, due to the lack of corpses in Fae Gardens, Changelings in Effrens often have multiple inhuman traits. Due to all of these factors, local people groups tend to view Changelings as more Fae than human. Many cultures worship Changelings as demigods, believing that the more inhuman they look, the more power they possess.

## Trivia

* Effrens is based on the youtuber Call Me Kevin.
* Effrens has been called “the Australia of the Mortal Realm” due to its crazy wildlife and history.
* The history of Effren’s creation is actually based on a couple of Orkney/British Archipelago myths. Mainly the Mester Stood Worm and the Nuckelavee myths merged together for this one.
* The changelings of Effrens are somewhat based off of the Tuatha Dé Danann, which are a supernatural race in Irish mythos which represent most main deities (hence the demigod stuff).