Ye(Salem

ye(Salem is one of the six continents, the second to be populated.

## Geography

In the center of the continent lies the Orange Steppe. It is dangerously arid, and replete with vicious creatures that hunt at dawn and dusk, when the air is neither too hot nor too cold. The coasts are replete with cracked cliffs and steep canyons. Some vegetation grows on the islands, but the Steppe itself grows only crustacean plants. In the depths of the Steppe, there are fabled magma lakes and active volcanoes that erupt on a centennial rhythm.

## Climate

In the daytime, it can get hot enough to boil water. In the nighttime, it can get cold enough to freeze water. But the Steppe sees precious little water. Even during its wet season, a mere handful of rains reach beyond the coasts. But during the dry season, apocalyptic dust storms ravage the land.

## Resources

Mystical rocks, glowing crystals, leather, bone. Metal of all

kinds; iron, steel. Salemo weaponsmiths are famous the world over. The scales of the velo(Ra make excellent armor. Wood is extremely rare, chalk is nonexistent, and water is precious.

## Flora

yama(Bung [yam flower], sel(Teng [cactus tree], bloodmoss, hallucinogenic lichen, various crustacean flowers.

## Fauna

dac(Dil, mammoths, red lions, armadillos, horses, buffalo, domesticated yaks, and wild velo(Ra. The inner steppe runs wild with beasts that have evolved to survive the brutal landscape. The food chain is not fixed: a red lion might kill a mammoth one day, and vice versa the next day. They hunt at dawn and dusk, when the weather is not so extreme. The deep canyons are the only sources of water beyond the coast, and the creatures will often fight to the death over them. But some carnivorous creatures, like the deadly velo(Ra--the deadly velociraptors--get enough moisture from the blood of their kill. Their scales are thick as armor, and require a heavy blow to penetrate. Yet, their blood is acidic, and will spurt out, maiming anyone who tries to stab them at close range. Thus, hunting the velo(Ra is quite a challenge. They’re undoubtedly the most dangerous creatures on the planet.

## People

The people indigenous to ye(Salem are often mistaken as subhuman dæmons. Arfaxadi bards often tell horrible tales of the Canyonites, the dæ(Mobír, who eat human flesh instead of bread, and drink human blood instead of wine. They live for the hunt! They grow horns and wear robes of human bones.

But in reality, the Salemo are a gregarious, highly excitable, and sensual people. They are also extremely traditional. Very little has changed in thousands of years in their society.

Physically, their skin ranges from pale yellow, to dusky orange, to blood red. It is customary for men to receive black tattoos all over their bodies when they come of age. The woman decorate their bodies by gauging or trimming their ears, wearing chains attached to the septum, nipple, brow, nostril. Both men and women put crystals in their belly buttons.

A word about body alteration. Many Canyonites split their tongues; scar or brand themselves, but since antiquity, the most common form of body alteration has been the artificial growth of horns. The Maya of the Steppe, the ye(Bochi, discovered the mystical properties of certain rocks. Quite early on, the ye(Bædo stone [literally, rock-horn] had the peculiar effect of producing horns in any individual who ate a sufficient amount of the stone. What shape the horns take is entirely determined by the personality of the individual consuming the rock. Some may grow a single straight horn from the forehead, while others might grow two crescent horns from the temples, while others grow crowns of small horns.

The Salemo believe the rest of the planet has been alienated from their animal self and forgotten how to live. They celebrate and express their animal self. Their civilization revolves around an obsession with mæ(Sang, the Bloodmother [who is a conflation of the Second immortal with the more universal “mother-earth”]. The Bloodmother is a brutal yet generous mother, reveling in rainday orgies, the cruelty of the hunt, drunken feasts, and all things carnal.

## History

Ancient. The Canyons of the Steppe were inhabited shortly after Ringfall. Despite sharing similar cultures, the great distance between Canyoncities kept them autonomous city-states. For centuries, they were left alone by the rest of the world, which had no desire to brave the intense climate, face the vicious wildlife, or encounter the violent people of the Steppe. In the early days, the father-rulers of the city-states were determined solely by victory in combat. Thus, the city-fathers were under constant threat from rival warriors, and grew distrustful of their own citizens, killing anyone on the suspicion of treason. It’s during this time that a woman named sen(Tan was born. She was a ye(Bochi warrior from jia(Senshen, and in 498 AF she invented the Sparring Tongue. sen(Tan was also the first person to eat the ye(Bædo and grow her horns; the first person to pierce her naval with a glowing crystal. She swore allegiance to ren(Chan, the just city-father of dæ(Bodeng, on the condition that he shared authority with his wife, lang(To. ren(Chan agreed, and thenceforth the city-states of the Steppe were ruled by husband-and-wife, with a ye(Bochi bodyguard, who defended them from rival warlords. Once these practices were established, they changed very little.

In the year 1220 AF, Salemo warriors conquered the island of sæ(Tangshe, which was then part of the old Maratim empire. This sets off a chain of events which resulted in the collapse of the old Maratim empire. But the Salemo warriors also acquired one of Maratar seafaring ships, and learned how to sail all the way to Golgóssa, where they made 222 staffs from the legendary Alpha Trees they chopped down in 1240 AF.

Precolonial. A man named kep(Yesh completed a sparring tour of the Steppe in 2170 AF. He then went on a sparring tour of the world, visiting every major city on the globe and battling their best warriors. The only person who could beat him was a Windbearer called Dodamba. But after seeing how the Maya of Arfaxad trained the Falcos, kep(Yesh got the idea of returning to the Steppe and riding the dac(Dil.

Colonial. In 3790 AF, a warrior named ru(Feng swept across the Steppe with an army riding dac(Dils, using weapons coated with velo(Ra venom. Even the ye(Bochi were overwhelmed by ru(Feng’s army. ru(Feng enslaved the citizens of the cities he captured, man, woman, and child. By 3863 AF, when the new Maratim empire arrived in the Steppe, the Salemo saw Maratar as their liberators, freeing them from the tyranny of ru(Feng’s successors. The Steppe became Maratar’s most secure colony, and the entire Salemo population worshipped their new slavemasters as gods. The ye(Bochi alone resisted, but they could not fend off Maratar’s Fangs, and thus retreated into the hidden magma lakes of jia(Monæ in the heart of the Steppe. Seeing her people enslaved, dæ(Sang wept for 100 years.

The Event. During the Event, the streams at the bottom of the canyons dried up entirely, and even the rare oases in the Steppe vanished. The volcanoes in the south erupted, and the Gap opened in the city of po(Yenshen.

Taboo of the Maya. The Fangs, the special forces of the First Way, hunted the ye(Bochi to extinction, and assimilated cultural aspects of their tradition, like the consumption of the ye(Bædo horn-rock. The horns, thus, were no longer the signature of the ye(Bochi warrior, but became commonplace even with layfolk. The alchemists of the First Way also made new elixirs from the mystical rocks of the Steppe, and incorporated certain ye(Bochi training procedures into the Fangs, creating the hybridized supersoldier, the Square.

Notable Names. sen(Tan. lang(To. ren(Chan. kep(Yesh. sin(Jia. ji(Bædo. sa(Læbo, sa(Tasha. ru(Feng. mæ(Sang. dash(Tai.

## Politics

Duocratic city-states. The Steppe is not unified until Maratar’s invasion. After sen(Tan, military and political powers were divided between the dæ(Sang [the Warlord, the city-father] and the mæ(Torsen [the Peacelady, their wives: the city-mother]. Over the centuries, power resided more and more with the sæ(Losang, the heads of the Houses that ran the economy. A “House” is a cross between a government ministry and a corporation, although their motive is cultural rather than financial. After ye(Salem was annexed by Maratar, the mæ(Torsen city-mothers were appointed by Maratar, and they became little more than ministers of propaganda. The Losang, or Houses, still maintain significant power.

## Economy

ye(Salem’s economy prior to the Maratim invasion was a sophisticated pre-feudal system that revolved around the Lodang, or Houses. After being colonized, the economy was immediately integrated into the Maratim trading empire, which means ye(Salem skipped both feudalism and capitalism, becoming a highly profitable post-capitalist host for slave-factories that developed advanced weapons en masse. A large portion of the economy revolves around gambling on sparring.

## Law

Before being annexed, ye(Salem had very strict laws regarding social behaviour, punishable with public beatings or in some cases execution. But they had no prisons! Under Maratar, however, their laws were gradually loosened and replaced with cultural taboos. Public punishment is still a common practice. Spitting at someone’s feet will earn you a dozen lashes. Slavery is entirely legal, and what’s more, it’s celebrated. Free people are expected to give alms to those who work in the factories, although slaves under Maratar are paid an extremely modest allowance.

## Class

Extreme division between castes. Each caste can be considered a subrace since they have had precious little intermingling, which is punishable by law. The redder the skin, the higher the caste. The yellower the skin, the lower the caste.

## Currency

Precolonial currency was water encased in Skins, measured by weight. After the Maratim invasion, they use the imperial currency of Zazein, however the Steppe use Orixial cubes, rather than the digital version of the currency.

## Military

There are no siege towers, no ranged weapons, and no magic in ye(Salem war. There is only melee combat. Whole wars are fought with swords, poles, knuckles, and claws. Although there are many great Salemo fighting style, by far the most competent are the ye(Bochi. An extremely rigorous training process must be completed before one can truly bear the name. Their martial prowess is utterly unmatched in the ancient world, and one competent ye(Bochi might defeat an entire army single-handedly. Thus, wars were usually fought in a series of one-on-one matches, rather than wasting whole scores of lives. After the purge of the ye(Bochi by the Maratar, the skills of the Second Way are assimilated into the elixir-mutations of Maratar’s royal guard, the Fangs, to create a truly formidable hybridized super-soldier: the mutated, telepathic zora(Bochi, or Thought-Eater, but they’re most often called Squares. Unlike the Fangs, the Squares do not wield the Zorakein light-swords, but they coat blockish steel swords with the precious Telzeit oil, sharpening them.

## Technology

Technologically, ye(Salem exists in a kind of despotic pre-feudal age. And although the invading Maratim army have advanced post-industrial tech, they’ve managed to keep that technology an extremely well-kept secret--even from those in the factories who assemble the parts for their inventions.

## Transportation

The deep canyons have been connected by underground tunnels. Prior to this, transportation between cities could only be accomplished with the swift horses over the surface of the Steppe, which was unbelievably dangerous. Boats are very rare since the Steppe produces precious little wood. The ye(Bochi also learned how to ride the reptilian dac(Dils, which was the most efficient means of transportation.

## Communication

ye(Salem has historically relied on the ye(Bochi couriers for trans-canyon communication. They ride horses, and later fly on the backs of dac(Dils. It’s common that couriers don’t reach their target, or even if they do, the receiver of message might “pretend” they never got the message. the ye(Bochi also developed a system of smoke signals, wherein burning different crustaceous plants gave different hues.

## Medicine

ye(Bochi medicine involves the consumption of special stones. The layfolk healers, however, massage of nodes in the muscles, to banish diseases from the body, and leather poultices of animal fats to accelerate the healing of wounds.

## Cuisine

ye(Salem are fond of meat. They will eat nearly any animal, the only exception being the horse. The only vegetable in the average Salemo’s diet is the yama(Bung. The Salemo use powdered crystals as spices, often eating glowing meals.

## Fashion

The Salemo have little culture of fashion. Their clothing is simple and functional. They often wear leather so soft that it appears to be cotton, thrown over the left shoulder. Soldiers wear armor made from bone, mounted on metal plates. And they truly love their jewelry. Women are especially fond of gauging their ears.

## Language

They speak the common Maratim tongue, the indigenous tongue being forbidden. However, the indigenous names are still used for animals, and cities. Most Salemo use the indigenous curses, which mostly revolve around sex, violence, and parents.

## Music

Salemo music is composed of plateaus that can be repeated endlessly. They involve lots of interlocking vocalization, countless forms of percussion, and sharp notes blown on horns. Stringed instruments are nonexistent.

## Myth

The Second immortal, mæ(Sang took a mortal lover. She made the first Canyoncity, where he would be safe from the vicious creatures and the harsh climate of the Steppe, and spoiled him with so much food and wine that he became soft and drunk, and could not defend himself when he was attacked by bandits. Mourning his death, mæ(Sang left the city, and found her second lover in the dust of the Steppe. Unlike the first lover, he was lean and muscular from hunting upon the Steppe, but was exhausted and dehydrated. So she gave him a wet oasis where he could drink his fill. But he was so exhausted that he fell asleep in the oasis and drowned. Overcome with grief, mæ(Sang drowned herself in the oasis with her second lover. And since immortals can’t die, she left her body and became one with the Steppe, and thus the term Bloodmother gained its connotation. In death, she promised to transform the whole Steppe into a great oasis if the Salemo resist becoming soft from indulging too much in pleasure, or drown from indulging too little. In other words, when they perfected their animal spirit.//Spilling blood as a noble sport that pleases the Bloodmother; it eases her suffering of losing her two mortal lovers.//A woman named sin(Jia took an immortal lover, Athos the Fifth, but after she grew old--as mortals do--the Fifth abandoned her to chase a su(Cubæ. sin(Jia was so jealous that she spread her menstruation blood on Athos’ clothing, so that the su(Cubæ would smell the woman that Athos had tossed aside. It’s unclear whether sin(Jia was warning the su(Cubæ that Athos would toss her aside in the same way, or if sin(Jia was marking her territory. Either way, marking a man with blood became common thereafter.

## Rituals

Newborn babes are immediately encased in the red sand of the Steppe while still with their mother’s fluids, so they may know the Bloodmother, the Steppe herself.//Baths an immense honour. The bath must be prepared by someone other than the bather, before the bather arrives. Privacy in the path is paramount. Bathing with someone else is tantamount to marriage.//Pouring water on the ground is their way of contributing to the great oasis.//Sharing water is an extremely intimate gesture.//ani(Chara is the practice of throwing yak’s milk on a burning hearth at both dawn and dusk, to honour the animals hunting on the Steppe.

## Calendar

ye(Salem follows a lunar calendar. There are six full moons per year, their days are counted by the fullness of the moon. One Bloodmoon per year: that’s considered the New Year.

## Religion

The ancient religion of the layfolk was a simple one. It revolved around perfecting the animal spirit: eat only as much food as one needs; but fight to the death for food when required. [For this reason, physical fitness is considered essential, and being over or underweight is considered morally repulsive.] Honouring one’s opponent and honouring the dead are considered perfect animal behaviour. By honouring others, one honours the Bloodmother, for everyone is a child of the Bloodmother. Animal sacrifices are performed at every full moon, and huge sacrifices were made for the yearly blood moon, their new year. When Maratar arrives, the religion was easily combined with the Künbrekthnïr.

## Gender and sex

ye(Salem is largely matriarchal. Although warriors are usually male, their wives decide who they fight. The man is considered the body; the woman the mind, and together they make a single unit. Thus, women occupy most positions of decision-making. A woman becomes mæ(Torsen, which means “city-mother,” after their husbands prove themselves the most powerful warlord, the dæ(Sang, which means strong-blood.

Women must always initiate romantic pursuits, and they are expected to remain married for life. A woman declares her interest in a man by smearing her menstruation blood upon an item of the man’s, and if he can recognize her by scent, then they will be married together, by sharing a bath.

Sex outside of marriage is punishable with lashes. Women in particular are punished for being lust-mongers, or su(Cubæ.

## Aesthetics

The Salemo appreciate music and sculpture, but have little literature. Poets write in their own blood, so they make each word count. They inscribe law into massive monoliths, but are mostly an oral culture. The dramatic arts are not very popular, except the bombastic musical-fighting-operas, in which actors actually sing, dance, and fight to the death. Such performances are rare! Sparring tournaments are common, however--as are games of ye(Sankeng, a sport where two teams compete to throw a long metal shaft through a small stone-circle. In ancient times, the winner was made a sacrifice at the Bloodmoon, but human sacrifices are rare. A huge portion of the economy revolves around betting on these games.

## Architecture

Salemo architects are highly admired members of society. Their names are famous. The line between architect and sculptor does not exist; relief is carved into every surface in a building. They build exclusively with stone and bone, and design tiered cities in both natural and artificial canyons, and construct inverted ziggurats in the bottom of the canyons. They sometimes use concrete reinforced with rebar. They use metal shafts tied with leather as scaffolding.

## Education

Children remain at the school as long as they like, then drop out to begin work. Academics of course remain at the school their entire lives. However, they’re not esteemed members of society, and school is believed to dull the animal spirit.

## Philosophy

There is no tradition of philosophy in the Steppe.

## Magic

The Second Way, Way of the Fist, ye(Bochi, Stone-Eaters.

This tradition of magic is entirely physical. It revolves around the idea of desire. Acolytes must voyage to the volcanoes in the deep Steppe to qualify for training. Then they are taught to know their desires. One must then learn to purify and simplify their desires. “You receive what you desire,” is the whole of the Way. Great emphasis is placed upon the desire to beat one’s enemy in combat. One is encouraged to cultivate this desire. They learn to think with the body, not the mind. Students who pass various physical challenges are awarded with the opportunity to create their own weapons. They are charged with treating the weapon as an extension of their bodies. They learn to feel the weapon’s pain and must never surrender their weapon under any circumstances whatsoever. They must care for their weapon; keeping blades sharp at all times and their hands chalked.

When acolytes pass the early challenges, they are introduced to a second round of challenges which are specifically designed to temper the five senses to extreme attention. Speed; strength; reflexes. Awareness is sharpened upon the present moment; ignorance of past and future are encouraged. Pain is harnessed as a way of transcending bodily limitations. When all these challenges are passed, the acolyte is ready for their wu(Sheng: an initiation where they trek into the Steppe alone, and must return with the skull of a velo(Ra. If they return, they are considered to have perfected their animal spirit, and they graduate to a full ye(Bochi.