Racine

**This is a brief overview of those lands, penned by the Worlds Scribe in his personal journals on his experiences in the wonderfully unique world of Oryn.**

**Within Oryn there are all sorts of realms, from the Idealistic, Uncanny Solstice to the Rustic and welcoming Azad. Yet there is none so grand, so ostentatious in its very essence as the Land of Overflowing Wealth is.**

## **Brief Overview of the Past.**

Before I can dive into the diverse and mesmerizing wonders within Racine, there is a minor primer required about it’s history, more importantly it’s current rulers and colonizers at the time of this writing.

The Xuin Empire, as it has titled itself, is an oppressive dynasty. Formed by early human settlers from the Far East, it intruded on a uniquely diverse and explosive kettle of cultures. Doing as they do best the humans claimed what wasn't theirs, and did so with brutality. Of course the natives fought back, and they were more than a match for the ill suited mages.

You see Racine is a much, much more volatile landscape, in regards to the weave of magic. Everything and everyone can feel the presence of it as it is so openly overflowing. In addition to such raw potency it is lethal to those who'd dare channel it through themselves recklessly.

Of course fortune favors fools like those folk, and despite their malicious intents, as none can claim it to be anything but greed driving them, salvation sailed right onto their doorsteps.

A collection of gnomes referring to themselves as the Envoys arrived, having just 'cleansed' the island on the south east, of what they had presumed to be a species of pests. Along with them they brought tools and knowledge leading to a new age of advancement for those warring humans and natives.

In the end the creation of a new method of casting, by a newly titled 'Grand Artificer Blas Tin' changed everything. Armed with the raw force of the overflowing magic, and their various pacts with local powers which they had begun worshipping as Divine, the continent was soon squashed under foot.

It has of course been a good many centuries since those days, many dynasties have come and gone, very few who can even recall the stories of those golden ages exist, but it is worth noting that they did exist. So one does not simply get complacent with these horrid practices they have normalized.

Tangents aside, there are many wonderful things to say about the land, and just as many distasteful realities about those who control it.

## **Channelers & Artifice**

As mentioned before to practice magic safely in Racine there are a few specialized tools necessary. They're not complicated but they're not as simple as the casting foci back home. Rather where others would channel their will upon the weave, either through memorization of rites or raw presence, instead they do so into the specialized foci. Then it infuses said object with the form and the channeling tool absorbs then expends the magic.

The reason this is important is that whatever caused the overflow of magic has a destructive or explosive effect on living things absorbing too much of it. With exceptions, but as a standard it is a lethal practice. These developments lead the Scholars and brightest minds in the realm to work on other ways to infuse objects with permanent effects.

And so they blossomed into the art of artifice. Their practice is still in its infancy, as their works only function in the magical rich environment of Racine, or perhaps the elemental planes, rather than everywhere. They're making strides forward with each passing decade, and with growing mastery of metal working they may soon unravel the art of breathing life into constructs.

The most strange thing about all of this however is that because of the unique design of the first wand by Blas Tin was designed for war, (For posterity sake it was a cylinder with a sword hilt and trigger mechanism that launched infused pellets to various levels of damage) many were forced to try to master its uses to survive. Now all sorts of different methods exist to channel the natural energies into explosive solutions alongside the countless methods to prevent such wanton destruction.

Yet despite that, the most dangerous Channelers tend to be those with traditional weaponry rather than the specialized wands but I'll touch on that more when I get to the various clans who are actually in charge of the swathes of land claimed under the Xuin banners.

## **The Divine and Corrupted Spirits.**

The next most interesting thing about Racine is that to them, the natives and even the settlers there are only Ten, Prime Gods, or as most know them, the Ten Celestials. However there are still plenty of religious organizations and zealots. Ironically however they are to the local divinity.

Any creature above a certain point seems to be considered as a divine creation, from  Great Wyverns to the Elemental spirits within flowing rivers. The whole region is covered in these sorts of powers and locals simply consider them a Divine power.

As an odd inverse, fiends and malicious entities are viewed as Corrupted Spirits, not evil, *corrupted.* It's a strange way to perceive those sorts of monstrous things yes but one that has become a time honored tradition.

Much like the Gods and Fiends as many others know them, contact with either of these types of entities leaves people changed deeply. The most renowned of these is Xui, the Divine Spirit of 'Man' and supposedly the only true judge for whom is worthy to sit upon the throne. But again that is a topic best suited for later.

## **Territories of Racine.**

Now onto the real meat, Racine's unique biomes and territories. There's a lot of variation between them all but there are a few notable facts I've not addressed yet.  First and foremost, most of the resources we consider simple necessities are unreliable to the constant shifting magics. As mentioned before Wood is a dangerous material due to its instability during mana storms that bring forth the energies of nearby portals.

As a result Ilyen, this intriguing substance of chitin that when properly treated then heated acts like a refractive glass, has been used for most construction. For not only is it brilliant, it is also one of the most sturdy compounds the empire has its hands on. Stone and various other materials are still essential but nothing is as valuable or as versatile as Ilyen. Otherwise there are plenty of other localized problems in each region…

### **Doisau: Shining Valley**

Problems aside it's enough rambling, let us begin with the center of it all. Doisau The Shining Valley.  In the first light of dawn when one overlooks from the tall palace walls of the Capital City of Xinjin into the rolling hills below there is a certain unearthly brilliance to it all.

An innumerable amount of colorful structures formed from Ilyen and refract the light of a rising sun into a cacophony of untamed colors. Earning the heartlands of the Xuin Empire, the title of the Shining Valley.  The land is also the center of trade and commerce. All things find their way back to the valley with time, so because of this many of those fortunate enough to reside in the larger cities are blessed with incredible tools of artifice at acceptable prices.

### **Khuc Xa: Reflective Hills.**

Directly west to the center soul of commerce are the great fields of Ilyen Spires. Towering natural spires of refractive and chitinous materials these twisting almost crystalline flora grow at a ridiculous rate. This is the most outstanding feature of Khuc Xa The Reflective Hills.

One of the two only regions capable of supporting the magical and labor intensive process of maintaining these farms the entire realm of Racine is dependent on the shards of unprocessed Ilyen produced here. One massive Mesa, upon which all major constructions are reliant upon, and as if to add insult to injury, I'm certain they were more marvelous before the Empire arrived.

You see the hills are chock full of strange creatures, from crystalline beetles to six legged horned beasts that devour rocks. The most wondrous of them all however are the Yilyen. Named for their outer exoskeleton of raw Ilyen, these people are clever, adaptable and *ancient*. They do not die of aging rather they keep growing and growing, until they cannot. This is a hard theory to prove but it's possible at one point some of the Spire's weren't flora.

Something to ruminate about, considering that the people have been enslaved much like the Minotaurs whom I'll be discussing more later. They slave away farming the very material that shields them.  It's twisted, undoubtedly but the Clan watching over them cares not. They are less than people to those higher citizens. Like ants toiling for the schemes of those  imprisoning them in a glass box.

### **Xui Len: Blessed Soil**

Directly east of the Capital city the second largest collections of settlements exist within Xui Len.  Many of the poorer would be serfs serve the empire diligently in the seemingly endless plantations. From the silver rice fields to the meat of cattle like the Firas there are almost an infinite variety of goods produced. It is the beating heart to the vibrant soul of the Xuin Empire.

And another built upon the backs of those who ruled these lands. Worked by many of the serfs and peasants, the truth is the laborers bearing the worst of the burden is the Minotaurs. Much like the Yilyen once conquered they were forced into working the lands they once ruled. They haven't taken this truth lightly and many Minotaurs seek freedom from their shackles, but some have been broken, resigned to this fate.

Yet unlike their western neighbors, those that survive that life and rise up are treated with open arms, as if to spit on their pride.  One day perhaps they'll take it all back but as long as the Xuin maintain a firm grasp on the best Channelers and Artificers such a reality is but a dream.

### **Xoan: Twisted Treelines.**

Directly south of all that lies Xoan the Twisted Treelines.

Bordered by the Ilyen Waning Walls and constantly monitored, Xoan is a dangerous sentient forest. Home to many dryads and other such creatures it seems resilient to the point of warding off almost all direct invasions to harvest the wood. During Magical storms the largest trees twist and bend in unnatural ways channeling the magic into the land in a way that has terrified most scholars.

It's one of the holdouts of the uniqueness and vibrancy against the Xuin's crushing expansions.

### **Zela Mi: Holy Origins.**

Far west of it all lies Zela Mi the Holy Origins.

Throughout the lands Divine Vassals and other such forces roam, but nowhere is it as revered as the volcanic peak of Mt Ajo, it is said that the lands around it were blessed by one of the Ten Celestials themselves, overflowing with an abundance of metal ores and gemstones. The Deep Reserves of the Xuin Emperor's wealth is almost exclusively formed by the contracts and metals mined here.

In addition the Grand Arsenal resides in the land, where the foremost Artificers and Channelers gather to perfect their works. It is a realm of innovation and wealth.

### **Cuo Tai: Steel Peaks**

Far East shrouded in the treacherous Peaks of the most dangerous mountains resides one of Racine's and by happenstance the Xuin's empire's greatest secrets. Cuo Tai The Steel Peaks

Several monasteries and holy orders have formed in these mountains and they are said to house the very truths necessary to rise in status.  Many explorers seek them out. Few return.

### **Nuo Dai:  Wondrous Canyons.**

An unremarkable addition to the Empire at first glance yet home to the most dangerous Navy in the land. The land is incredibly difficult to harvest for many survivable resources. Abundant as it is in clays and stones for craftsmen, they simply cannot sustain themselves entirely off the land. Instead fish and imports maintain most of the two largest Settlements snuggly fit between Guvyer's Gorge, the most prominent canyon within the territory.

Smaller settlements manage off hunting in the caverns or the various fungi that grow but it is a difficult living compared to the comforts of the Heartlands.

Here is where the Xuba were first encountered, believed to have been Corrupted Spirits until their later inclusions into the Empire's Clans. Seen as an asset rather than people in most regards.

### **Dao Thua: Guiding Plains.**

Expansive fertile lands at a first glance the guiding plains are home to the most dangerous phenomenon within all of Racine. There is no place as abundant with raw untamed magic and despite their naming convention, getting lost in those hills or being whisked away to another realm is a common occurrence here.

The Xuin Empire has maintained a fine grasp of it thanks to very specific incidents and formed the Emperor's Archons to be Wardens over the territory. Formed of the best scholars and Channelers in the lands, the Archons manage both the dangerous rifts and the prodigious Academy of Wanderers. Whom consist of the up and coming potential youths willing to traverse the plains and all their terrors to discover untold secrets.

### **Thu Heim**

Thu Heim are the mysterious jungle Islands West of Nuo Dai.

It is said to be inhabited by some sort of mixtures of Leonin and Tabaxi with a structure very similar to the Xuin's own Clans. It has been slowly brought under the grasp of the Empire over the last couple of years. Soon enough the whole place will be but another culture drowned under the Will of the Emperor.

## **The Three Hells**

Three regions remain nearly entirely free of the iron crushing grip of the Xuin Empire and the Clans. They are nightmarish lands unreasonable to presume as livable or too dangerous to consider properly claiming.

### **Gla Cies, The Frozen Edge**

Far north and the least dangerous of the three 'Hells', Gla Cies is a brutal collection of barbarian raider tribes surviving the harsh and frigid mountain peaks. Earning the Moniker of Frozen Edges.

Oftentimes raiders strike at Wanderers who set up encampments nearby and the smaller settlements that end up forming.  Not much else is known about the state of the land.

### **Vung Cha, The Deadlands.**

Deep south of the entire continent rests Vung Cha. To many the middle child of the Hells, the Deadlands have their reputation for being brutal yet profitable.

Just as rich in resources as Zela Mi, in addition to vast regions of unexplored lands housing fortunes in raw magic crystallized, many have seen the Deadlands as a coin bank simply waiting to be broken open.  The truth of course is that survival in this ever shifting wilderness is more difficult than that. The magic here spirals wildly with regularity, often threatening most settlements with all manner of monster. Even beyond that, the most dangerous thing is those who reside in the deadlands. Bandits, Marksmen and perhaps some of the realms most experienced Channelers. These are simple facts of life in the Deadlands. Only the strong survive and, perhaps profit.

There is but one Law in these lands.

Survive.

### **Yvens' Folly**

Finally the most dangerous of the Hells, a place of malice and despair. Directly east of the mainland rests Yvens' Folly.

Once the Grand Arch-Channeler and Archon Yven was renowned for his impeccable accuracy and talents. Unfortunately the skills and works he created are dwarfed by the single error that took his life and nearly sundered the continent.

Yvens' Folly is what remains of what was once said to have been the most beautiful land in all of creation itself. Now it is sundered, corrupted and filled with Twisted Divine Vassals and Corrupted Spirits. The Yazin River is the prime example of this. A once pure stream of healing waters it is now vile malice made manifest.

Of course despite these things there are still madmen and women who reside here. They are either twisted by the magics of the land transforming into various forms of Corrupted Vassals, or being a Divine Slayer. Those who have faced these horrors and come out stronger for it are in all senses, just as twisted as the monsters within.

### **The Kliffs**

Of course there remains one place unspoken of. The Kliffs, are the islands cleansed by the first Envoys of the sapient species that once resided there. After realizing their grave errors as the humans conquered, many of them decided to become reclusive, leaving to the isle of their greatest failing and hiding away.

Tragic a tale, but a simple one.

## **The Xuin's Ruling Clans**

I have spoken little of the actual structure of the Xuin and its Elder Clans. It's a complicated mess that I perceive lesser than the original cultures of the land but it provides a hefty amount of context for how everything is in practice.

So I'll explain swiftly and simply. Society for the Xuin is all about your status and your family's status. Are you in favor with local divine spirits? Are you famous for your delicious fried chordian? Those sorts of things.

It's not strange on paper, but it is much more prejudiced in action. There are four tiers of value.

The Value of the Self,

The Value of the Kin,

The Value of the Elder Blood,

And The Value of the Divine.

They are valued from least to most important in that order. You may be a grand explorer forming your own great lineage but if you do not have a backing from one of the clans, you are still but one individual.

Depending on ones standing with these four values their worth in society is determined. It is nigh impossible to overcome most of the barriers beyond the self and this is intended so that the strong alone get stronger and the weak do not advance to become a threat.

### **The Elder Clans.**

Following that path the Eight Elder clans were formed by the original conquerors as they divided their stolen lands. And in my humble opinion they are nothing but outdated traditions holding together ancient thrones.

#### **Clan Vodi**

Eldest of the Clans and formed by Ginte the First, Clan Vodi is renowned for its brutal efficiency with the blade. Their descendants and branch families have been gifted with access to grand blades forged by a Divine. It rules over the Shining Valley with a propensity to act as a middleman between all the other businesses of the clans.

They are a greedy sort but skilled in the dizzying politics of it all. Most see them like parasites but cannot deny the truth.

#### **Clan Cie**

The clan from which Blas Tin and the now infamous Yven were born. Clan Cie has a stranglehold on the best military forces in the realm, because they themselves are best equipped. The entirety of Zela Mi is under their thumbs and they are not shy about that. It is filled with egotistical and braggarts as much as it is with geniuses and quiet scholars.

The reality is the Xuin would not be where it is without them.

#### **Clan Diwn**

The first pacts with the Divine was officiated by Eldin Diwn, forming a strong bond with many minor Divine Spirits.

The Clan has become synonymous with potent Vassals and Channelers, even hosting acclaimed warriors who supposedly could summon and battle with multiple Divine Spirits at once. They watch over the fields of Xui Len with a harsh vigilance. Keeping rebellion but a dream.

#### **Clan Efir**

Where the other clans have knowledge and strength, Clan Efir has raw numbers. The largest of all the clans it is host to the innumerable smaller branch and tertiary families all over the continent.

They are numerous and amongst those numbers there are several notable figures who carry the clan upon their shoulders. Such as the only Mintotaur to have to this day become a Clan Head, Rezorath. Many of the other clans do not care for Efir but their presence cannot forever be ignored.

#### **Clan Entos**

The Unruly Clan Entos is responsible for very little truly, the branch families are well known for causing trouble, however they regularly find their blood in the Academy of Wanderers and generally are at the front of discoveries deepened by clan Cie's brightest. There's a rivalry often between them as they constantly attempt to one up each other.

#### **Clan Caspe**

The youngest of all the Clans, Clan Caspe maintains Nuo Dai and the relationship with the stranger species still being assimilated. Xuba en masse have been recruited by them forming small branch families.

They have a seemingly good reputation with the citizens and people but those embroiled in the clan politics know that any pretty face has a knife behind its back.

#### **Clan Kadr**

While the other clans practice Artifice, Explorer dangerous realms or simply watch over the dissonant elements, Clan Kadr is focused inwards on the people of Xuin.

Strangely enough they have done wonders to improve the rate of literacy, mathematics and general safety practices. They are experts in the fields of medicine and survival talents that many would forget in the comforts of modern society. They are historians and scribes…

They deal with so many of the logistics of the various clans that should they and the branch families vanish, it would be more catastrophic than any natural disaster.

#### **Clan Gilth**

The most ruthless of the clans, Clan Gilth holds dominion over the Khuc Xa. They are deadly wardens and hold the most important monopoly. Their Branch families have a reputation for picking fights, but the real horrors come in their Channelers. Rumors say that they have the most efficient and deadly methods within the realm.

How true this holds up in all instances varies, but there *is* a reason many fear them.

### **Divine Dynasty**

Now you may have noticed that I didn't mention any of them being Emperors, and that is because the dynasty placed in charge is the only thing that ever truly changes. The seat and will of the Emperor is a facade in truth, but a vital one.

Every century, the Divine Spirit Xui holds a challenge to see which Clan is worthy of his blessing to the throne. Since the first Emperor, only families from one of Eight Clans have succeeded, keeping a steady rotation of power and the clans at each other's throats. Currently Clan Vodi holds the throne.

## **The Unique Races and Variances in Racine.**

Moving away from the politically charged topics, it is time to speak of something within my expertise again.

The wondrous and strange species of Racine.

#### **The Divine & Corrupted Vassals.**

The most interesting deviation from other continents on Oryn are the Vassals. Instead of a traditional bloodline alteration like with the Aasimar or Tieflings, The changes are more fundamental. To their very core these Vassals of any species are transformed.

The people of the lands see the primordial forces in shades of white and black despite such notions being simply mortal perceptions. Oftentimes like their counterparts these influenced individuals make names for themselves for better or worse.

The most irritating thing of it all truly, is that the Xuin value the Divine Vassals like precious metals placing them above others and allowing only those Vassals to be Clan Heads. Truly a strange method but I've judged it plenty for it's flaws already.

#### **Armodin**

Few things can thrive as well in the dangerous stretches of territory like the Guiding Plains and The Deadlands. Armodins are some of those few. Small but heavily scaled creatures they have an innate talent for survival in such turbulent lands, even despite their less than stellar track record for skilled Channelers.

From being some of the swiftest explorers with their skills in curling up and moving at high speeds, or their vicious claws they can and will outrun or withstand anything that tries to bring them down. Outside of the passing of time, but a valiant people with a tendency to die young is no new revelation**.**

#### **Yilyen**

Despite common beliefs that Ilyen is solely harvested off of the Spires, there is the other much more unsavory source of the rough chitinous material.

The Yilyen are a species of humanoids with rouch almost plate-like exoskeleton of Ilyen. Unlike the processed versions their exoskeletons are often subdued blacks and greys with less of a sheen like the Spires.

As mentioned prior these folk have a variety of traits and differences in subspecies, most notably they have been implemented into society much like the Mintotaurs have. As servants working the Reflective Hills and a few other violent uses.

It is rumored that they do not die of age and simply grow larger with time.

#### **Xuba**

In the various caverns and regions below Nuo Dai reside a reclusive species. With long limbs, three thumbs and a membrane between the lower waist and the upper wrist they are colloquially known as Bat Folk.

Nocturnal and Predatorial for a long time they were perceived as malicious spirits. They would steal from farms and regularly take cattle whenever the resources in the caverns were scarce. It wasn't until half a century ago that they were properly inducted into the Xuin Empire. Their people maintain many secrets such as their tried and true techniques.

Some believe them all to be skilled assassins and thieves, the truth of this is yet to be confirmed, but some of the clans have begun to employ more of their kind for discrete work.

#### **Minotaurs**

In the first ages of advancement and arrival when Racine was still untamed the Minotaurs ruled the Great Plains that they now toil in.

Long ago they were champions, forces of nature and might but the shackles placed upon them by the Xuin Empire has forced them to bear the burden of the entire land.

Very rarely do Minotaurs rise above the status of peasantry. Treated like cattle to work the lands or in some cases as beasts to duel in the fantastic tournaments displaying the skills of all Channelers.

Despite this destruction of their culture and their unwilling adjustments, the spirit of the raging Mintotaurs burns, dimly but it burns in all their hearts. One day the chains will be shattered.

#### **Gakoi**

Clever and Swift the Gakoi are pragmatic people by and large. Having survived under the brutal regimes of multiple dynasties and before that even during the Age of Champions, they always found a way to fit in.

Adaptive and deceptive they have thrived regularly amongst the clans. They even have a knack for manipulating the overflowing presence of magic in the realm making them prime candidates for Channelers.

The best of their Ilk often serve as advisors to the Clan Heads, it is seen as a privilege to be acknowledged by one of the elders of their kind. Or perhaps that is what they've tricked them into thinking?

#### **Divine Dragonborn**

There are legends of deviations in the Divine offspring of Wyverns. The Wyrms having sought to bring a lesser creature to tend to more mundane matters.

Many see this as the truth for the nature of Wyvernborn or the colloquial title, Divine Dragonborn. Many perceive them as servants of the divine hand crafted. Whether it's true or not is insignificant. Oftentimes they are revered above most in equal social status simply because of these tales.

Their origins are a mystery best left undiscovered.

#### **Etc**

Many other species such as Humans, Goblins, the Yuan-Ti and so forth are present but their own cultures and focuses are too intertwined with the current politics for me to be interested in them further.

I am an explorer and scholar, not a politician.

## **Conclusion.**

I personally cannot abide by the systems put in place here, so heed me when I say Racine's people often disgust me in the depths they can go, but not any more than ordinary folk might.

Rather it just leaves such a blatant displeasure that I cannot shake. Otherwise the land is beautiful, rich and diverse. There is very little I can add that I haven't already, barring the logistical side of things.  It's worth its moniker for certain, but it is not a place for those of weak mind and soul to seek out, that is for certain.

Perhaps I may return one day, but for now too much of the old stories are lost for my personal curiosity.

**-W.S.**