Who are the Rvorh? (CCW)

To the east of Arcuria and the Blind Shores are the inner reaches of a massive supercontinent, called Rvorhmaura. Though humans began to explore these lands long ago, encountering its inhabitants, who we called Rvorh, recent calculations have revealed just how little we know. Humanity has witnessed barely one percent of the total landmass, which stretches all the way to Sayrowyn in the east. Until recently, we also had little knowledge of the political and racial makeup of the continent; almost nothing compared to what we knew about other Strangers.

## Overview

We are just now beginning to learn the truth of the Rvorh, who have in recent years made official contact with humanity. We once thought the vast continent of Rvorhmaura was occupied by many different races: childlike sprites, lumbering giants, peoples wispy, willowy, girthy, and everything in between. But we now have confirmed that all the diverse peoples we have encountered belong to one race, the **Laithe**, a people that are incredibly adaptable to breeding. And they did not breed themselves. Rather, they were enslaved and bred for many functions by another race, who we have only now just encountered: the **Kothore**.

The Kothore bear a striking resemblance to the Guiyants. They, too, have horns set in their heads, though their horns are much more like a gazelle’s than a ram’s—some almost antler-like. They are much more slender as well, and quite tall, with a fair look to them and godlike posturing. They insist that their enslavement of the Laithe is long past, and indeed the Laithe leaders seem to operate in friendly cooperation with their Kothore counterparts. There is some cordial, symbiotic relationship between the two peoples that forms one enormous political entity stretching across the whole continent. We have given these two peoples the collective name **Ethereals**, once a general name for the Rvorh, now referring specifically to this hybrid civilization.

If there is any animosity between these two peoples, we have not seen it, despite how bizarre the Laithe and Kothore pairing really is. The former: earthy, informal, often coarse and provincial. The latter: poised, polished, occupied with pride and protocol. Yet they not only work together but share a clear camaraderie. At first we thought this to be the result of some sort of subtle hive mind, as seen in the Romir, but this is before we saw them argue, passionately and persuasively with one another—ending in shockingly gracious concessions.

But before you applaud their civic maturity, consider that the unity of the Ethereals is humanity’s greatest threat. Not their technology, which is of a level with our own, or their magic, of which they are more lacking (the Laithe do not practice, though the Kothore do), but the great number of them that stand together. We have no count of them, but glimpses have revealed hundreds of millions. Our only solace is that they still have ground to cover—not all the Rvorh are yet under their sway. Many Laithe still remain unincorporated, along with isolated **Iulari** communities and perhaps other peoples yet unknown to us. Rest assured, however, that once the Ethereals control their own continent, it will only be a matter of time before they turn towards us.