Maora

## History

The Southern Ocean is a wild place, its deepest depths home to many unknown creatures. These creatures are far more dangerous than those one can usually find above the frenzied waves, but thankfully they prefer to stay down below. However, this wasn’t true for two in particular. Acumat was a sea serpent, the son of Tsonivar and one of the largest to ever exist. He prowled the deepest crevices of the sea, preying on any that came to him, until he met Quadmat. Quadmat, unlike Acumat, didn’t have any divine heritage but it was frighteningly intelligent, outsmarting larger predators and eventually becoming just as large as Acumat. They fought for years according to the Quacu, the Religion of the Primal’s main text. In their combat, they raised the sea and rock, triggering volcanic eruptions that raised the seafloor until the islands of Maora rose into the sky. As they continued to fight, they attracted the attention of the wandering Wind Wyvern Regmut, who landed on the newly made islands. He convinced the two to stop their combat, and instead to work together as they could get far more food by cooperation than competition. And so the islands of Maora were formed, and the three Primals established their dominance over the area.

Several thousand years later, wandering tribes of sea-faring orcs and humans stumbled onto the now bountiful archipelago and established themselves, working together to form two communities. These communities turned into two island-sprawling kingdoms then with a well placed marriage, into one. This was the first ruling body of Maora, known as the Sea and Sky kingdom at the time. They ruled benevolently, their island nation isolated from the rest of the world, unknowing of many things of the outside world, and happy with that. That was until the Hierarchy war.

When the last king of the Sea and Sky Kingdom died, there was confusion over who would be his successor. As per usual, it should be his firstborn, however, a illegimate son was the firstborn of the king from a common whore, while his other son was weak-willed and ignorant. The kingdom fell into civil war over the conflict, creating several years of war and then several decades more of instability. There is little information known about this period in the Maoran history as much of it wasn’t documented.

Following the Hierarchy war, in which both hiers died, a new political power rose from the ashes and rebuilt Maora. Known as the Lotus Guild, they turned their faces to the wind and sent ships out into the wide world, seeking to discover the outside, however, they first turned south to find what existed in the heavy mist seen towards the south of their islands.

The magical complex of Shangrila has no reference in any modern text, and its origin is entirely unknown. Some believe it to be an ancient facility designed by a god, others to be constructed by a race even older than the Nightborne. What we do know is that when the Maorans found it, the land it was on hadn’t had anyone touch it for the past hundred years. They explored the island, and upon finding the towering structure, explored it, forming the basis of their magic from its texts. The Lotus Guild established themselves over the Maoran islands using the magical power gifted to them by the Shangrila runes, and soon brought Maora to new prosperity.

This prosperity attracted newcomers to the land; traders, warriors, and tourists all came to discover Maora’s blessing. A new city was built on the island of Hultiop, where the Lotus Guild now rules Maora to this day. The archipelago of Maora remains an untouched safe haven from the smoke and flames of the outside world, protected by ancient beasts from unheard times and home to any and all.

## Religion and Culture

Most follow the Religion of the Primals. Aside from the Primals, minor deities and spirits are believed to exist as aspects of the world and as guardians for households. These spirits and deities are not divine in nature, closer to the Titans found elsewhere in the world. With influence over primarily small aspects of nature, such as specific locations, these spirits are not overtly powerful but still respected for the power they possess. The preyhave a similarity to these spirits but on a macro scale, being massive creatures that control a large aspect of nature: there is Regmut, Wyvern of the Wind; Quadmat, Squid of the Seas; and Acumat, Serpent of the Sands. Each one is worshipped in their own right, usually depending on your profession or way of life, though most worship all three. Worship is usually done through burning parts of the food before meals, loud singing and dancing, and respect of nature.

Maorans believe in a oneness with all of existence; each person is part of the world, and the world is part of each person.

It is customary among Maoran families  to greet each other by touching their noses together and thus exchanging breath. This serves as a reminder of their interconnectedness and familial bond. Friends, however are usually greeted with a headbutt, a remnant from ancient days. Strangers are greeted with a warm hug, as Maorans are a very physical people, unafraid of contact in their daily interactions. They also tend to be boisterous, and welcome strangers with open arms, enthusiastic to share their unique heritage. Family bonds are powerful forces; only devotion to the primals rivals its importance in Maoran culture.

Tattoos, made by cutting the skin and pressing a rich pigment of ash and inks from fruits, are earned at the most significant moments of a Maoran’s life. The process is painful; as such, enduring one’s first tattoo is seen as a coming of age. Some elders can be found with tattoos covering their entire body. These have become a symbol of status across the islands, with the more tattoos you have being a good indicator of the respect you deserve.

Maora is a thriving culinary culture, with most meetings being punctuated by dishes prepared to match. Fish and tropical fruits are extremely prevalent in the meals as they come in immense abundance and are usually accompanied by salts and spices. A dish unique to Maora is the Sun-fish Platter, in which a sunfish is roasted and stuffed with ripe tropical fruits such as mangoes before being placed in a platter of sweetly-hot sauce. Many foriegners travel to Maora to fish and hunt for rare game not found as readily elsewhere in the world, such as the large amount of sea serpents that lurk around the islands.

## Government and Military

Led by the Lotus Guild, it's military is weak as they do not often have to worry about combat due to the protection of the Wild Gods

## Locations

* Tele- "A lot" in native Maoran, named after the confluence of people that first settled there. The largest island, it is home to the capital of Maora by the same name. Many of the maoran residents live scattered around the island's plentiful jungle. Like the other islands, it features 3 of the mysterious Storjrya towers, whose true purpose is lost to time. This is where the Lotus Guild's headquarters reside as well, and with the Lotus Guild being the strongest political entity in the South Tenebris Ocean with the fall of Corinthia's dominance, Tele has gained immense political prominence in the last 5 years.

* Tarako Pa'u- "Dragon Perch", the resting home of the Wyvern of the Winds Regmut, Tarako Pa'u is often visited by many seeking the wisdom of Regmut, and as such is a common pilgrimage spot. It is home to the highest peak in Maora, which is open to hikers. Tarako Pa'u also is host to the Tarako Festival, celebrating Regmut.
* Simontown- Named after the founder of Simon's Brewery, Simon Simonson, Simontown is the home of the world famous Simon's Mango Rum and a fairly tight knit community. While the Corinthian Port Empire has expressed interest in buying it, Simon (under the heavy advice of Regmut) has refused to sell.
* Fetu- A small and sparsley inhabited island, Fetu is named after how incredibly clear it's night sky is: "Star". Due to an unknown magical conflagration, the skies above Fetu always seem brighter and more filled with stars than the rest. Because of this, a small community of Solarionites have begun to treat Fetu as a pilgrimage site, a factor that has helped Solarionism spread into Maora.
* Gog- A formerly lush green island, Gog has always had a reputation for earthquakes, quite literally being named "Rumbling" in Maoran. Recently, the island has erupted and the volcano still quietly boils away.
* Fe'e Fale- "Octopus Home", formerly the island home of the now-dead Quadmat who used to reside in its vast underwater cave systems, Fe'e Fale has now become the second most populated Island in Maora, and also the source of an odd green seaweed known as Faaolaola, or "Lifebringer" that grows in tentacle-like clumps inside the caverns. This herb, when crushed and applied to injuries, weaves itself into the flesh and seals the injury, becoming a replacement skin. It also heals the injury and is tougher than regular skin, except for a potent weakness to flames.
* Quadtau- "Quadmat Speaks" formerly the pilgrim town where one could attempt to consult with Quadmat, it has now grown into the second largest town in Maora, with a booming shipping and fishing industry. It also hosts the Fale Mourning, formerly the Fale festival, but following the death of Quadmat was renamed
* Inosia- "Disgust" in Maoran, Inosia is a town of former pirates who have retired and settled on Fe'e Fale. The name was given to them due to their former profession, but has since stuck. While small, the town is quite wealthy due to the experienced divers and water mages amongst the pirates being able to secure large quantities of Faaolaola from the caves.
* Laiti- "Small", the smallest island, Laiti is home to a powerful Fey known as Leoleo the Watcher, who holds knowledge about many of the goings on in the Fey world and through out history and is willing to barter them out for secrets and favors.
* Laumua-"Capital" the former capital of Maora during the Sea and Sky Kingdom, the ruins of which still dot the many islands, far younger than the ruins of the Strorjrya and far more degraded due to the  hierarchy war that ended the Kingdom. The Sea and Sky Kingdom's capital of Laumua was annihilated during the war, turning the entire island into a desert, the ruins obliterated beyond all saving.
* Gur- Named after Gur, an orc warrior that was the first to set foot on the island. He then proceeded to ban anybody but his family on the island. Over the generations, this restriction has been obviously lifted but due to the frankly unsafe number of fey pacts  made by Gur during his residence, his descendants have become great heroes of Maora, gifted odd powers with even odder constraints.
* Fale O Acumat- "Home of Acumat", Fale O Acumat bears much significance to the Maoran people. Not only does it encircle the bay where Acumat, the Serpent of the Seas, resides and many pilgrims flock yearly to Masseger [named after the first priest of Acumat] for Acumat's Festival, but it also was the birth place of the Lotus Guild, as there is where the lotus farmers unfiied into a guild and set out to reunite the islands of Maora following the Hierarchy War aand the Maoran Dark Age.
* Shangri-La- A misunderstanding of the language used by the Storjrya led to the entire island being known as Shangri-la and to the chargrin of many archeologist, the name has stuck. In reality, the Storjrya city which sits below the mountain, the largest one that has been found of its kind, is known as Verjin Ory, or Last Day in the tongue of the Storjrya (armenian). The entire island is encircled by the Pupuni Nifo, or the Barrier of Teeth, a harsh strait of stone and wind and uncharacteristally rough waves that prevented many travelers from accessing the island. The island itself is prey to odd weather, forming a constant cold and heavy mist as well as seemingly non-stop drizzling rain. This has led to the island largely being uninhabitated by the Maoran people, who far prefer the sunnier side of their land. Some have still settled here however, and a large town of mages has formed around Verjin Ory to study it.
* Verjin Ory- "Last Day" in the Storjrya tongue, pulled from the runes carved onto every wall of every room in the entire city. These runes are all vaguely magical, and upon contact seem to cause any number of effects, ranging from polymorphy to instantaneous death to an annoying buzzing. Noticeably, if the runes are fully submerged and the user is of giant [and by proxy orc] or mer descent, making contact with the rune puts them into a coma of variable timing. Upon waking, all victims report seeing a vision of great creature of many eyes and tentacles waking south of Maora in the Lost Ocean. Psychic readings have shown no such vision within the memory of the victim. It is unknown why they do so or why they were carved there. Verjin Ory is a massive city, with the entirety of it hidden beneath the mountains of Shangri-la and the surrounding ocean. Much of its structures have led archeologists to believe that the entire city is supposed to be flooded to be usable, that or occupied by flying races. The city seemed to have a very developed religious district as well as a strong military region but no written tongue outside of the "Last Day" runes have been found. All signs show the city being intentionally abandoned. There are no remnants of quick evacuation or of gradual decline, and most archeologists agree that it seems as if all the residents of the city (an approximate 1.7 million) just disappeared suddenly.

## Economy

### Imports

Maora, due to it's location, is limited in terms of it's access to metals, making metals from other countries one of it's most dominating importants by far. Secondly, it has very limited access to gems for similar reasons, as such this is its secondary import.

### Exports

Maora primarily exports tropical fruits, as other than Al'daj, it is the only location with a warm enough climate and the right conditions for the fruits to grow. Secondly, it exports inks, created from the native plants of the region. Finally, it has recently developed a massive market in Faaolaola, sourced from the caverns of Fe'e Fale.

## Groups of Note

### The Lotus Guild

* The government of Maora, the Lotus Guild is composed of three seperate sects. The first, the Wind Sect is composed of mainly international affairs but also the military aspects. They are led by Counselor Yuaer and composed of both Ambassadors to other nations and aspiring warriors to-be. Their emblem is the spiraling light-blue circle surrounding the outside of the Lotus Emblem. The second is the Sea Sect and is focused on internal affairs with a secondary focus on the magical affairs of Shangrila. Led by Counselor Maypole, they are composed of the mages and enforcers of the Guild, serving as the keepers of peace within the islands. They are rumored to be involved in shady actions, but the truth of this is unknown. Their symbol is the deep blue wave-like “petals” that compose the base of the Lotus. Finally, the Sand Sect is focused on economic and bureaucratic matters. They are the largest sect due to their more mundane nature, having much of the power in the government. Their emblem is the top three “petals” of the Lotus, pillars of sand.

##### Important People

* Guild Master Makron- The current head of the Lotus Guild, he is advised by the Council of the Wind, Sea, and Sands. He wishes the best for Maora as a whole, but he has a tendency towards policies of isolationism, something doubled down by the recent undead invasion which was brought to Maora by outsiders. A humble orc, he has communicated with all the Primals and prefers their advice over any others.
* Guild Counselor Yuaer- The Councilor of the Wind, Yuaer speaks with Regmut directly. The only non-orc or human in a position of power, Yuaer is a Zernathian that moved to Maora following their own civil war. The lizardman seeks for Maora to become an international power to rival Eventrey, preferring aggressive policies and trusting himself over anyone.
* Guild Councilor Maypole- The Council of the Sea, Maypole is a human whose family has been on Maora since before the establishment of the Sea and Sky Kingdom. A young and bright man, he seeks to truly discover what Shangrila is, aided by his direct communication with Quadmat.
* Guild Councilor Jurkin- The Councilor of the Sands, Jurkin is a braggart orc warrior who seeks to rise in power to Guild Master through any means necessary. His history is tainted with bad decisions but as he is the cousin of Makron, the Guildmaster gives him the benefit of the doubt.

### The Wild Gods

* The creaters of Maora, they are worshipped as full dieties by it's residents.
* Regmut- The Wyvern of the Wind, Regmut is a massive red wyvern that came to Maora in times immemorial. He is a proud father to the Maoran islands, believing his intervention allowed their existence, and is far more active than the other two Primals. He is mainly worshipped by warriors and sailors, who believe that his winds will make them swifter and stronger.
* Acumat- The Serpent of the Sand, Acumat is one of the creators of Maora. The massive sea serpent mainly slumbers beneath the island of Massager, and has an extremely apathetic attitude with the residents of Maora, believing them to be inferior to him and their only use as worshippers for food.