Kivouack

## Biology & History

Matter can not be created or destroyed, only transformed. Yet, it is believed that from nothing, the Universe as we know it, was born. This cannot be true. Our Universe is nothing more than a remnant,  rubble from what came before. Its name in the time beyond our imaginings was the Kivouack. The Kivouack existed in the same space as its successor, our known Universe.  Back then it was not comprised of galaxies, quasars, stars or planets,  these are actually the by-product of its destruction. The Kivouack rested on the surface of space-time and is believed to have had an extraordinarily large proportion of antimatter within it. This could be why matter is dominant in the universe we know of today.

The Kivouack was a place of extreme conditions, most likely a whirlpool of chemistry, a layered labyrinthian structure that existed in defiance of our theories of physics and celestial mechanics. On the contrary, it existed as a world slave unto anarchy and quasi-quizzical-quantum mechanics, it would seem in a world such as this, dictated by anti-logic and backward probability, that life would not be granted the decency of existence, and yet, the Kivouack was inhabited by life. The Kivouachians. Beings that roamed their multi-layered realm in symbiotic synchronicity to its madness. These creatures evolved under immense natural selection pressures, the pressure of a world that sought to chew them up and spit them out like dirt. Reactive radiation in the presence of anti-matter, organisms forced to mutate to defy matter, like quantum chameleons.

Much like the primitive Protozoa of our world, these creatures would have been the result of humble beginnings, only developing and evolving under the immense natural selection pressures of their home, far beyond that of our nurturing Earth and Universe, whose realities would be considered forgiving and merciful in comparison to the mighty Kivouack. Only through the pressures of a world that sought to chew them up and spit them out as dirt, did they eventually thrive in their vicious home. For they were a reaction, organisms forced to mutate, evolve and become biologically defiant of matter. Quantum chameleons they became. The Kivouachian animal was comprised of cells, each with a nucleus in which their chromosomes where contained. The chromosomes held the Kivouachian DNA consisting of different genes, the information carriers, used to determine what characteristics and traits the different creatures would have, the variation of which, depended on the number of creatures involved in the reproductive process. As a result of their varied and far advanced evolution, there would be no doubt that their bodies would have existed in tune to constant metamorphosis. To rewrite one's biology at a sub-atomic level all while maintaining ones memory and consciousness might seem impossible, yet they indeed controlled their biological makeup as we humans control our hands.

The lack of ability to perform a task does not make that task impossible, only to those who can not do it. To put the complexity of this task into perspective, it would be like taking a book, burning it to ash, pouring the ash into a bowl of water, then retrieving the data from the water. Of course, when a Kivouachian would decide to disperse into a pack of smaller beings or contort into a different shape of equal mass to serve an alternative function, like flying or swimming, one would not be witnessing the destruction of data, or its growth, merely the transformation of data. Indeed, self-control at a quantum level. This might also explain why all dwelling creatures of the Kivouack looked completely different from one another, different sizes, skin textures and limbs, despite being members of the exact same species. Creatures born of extreme mutation. For absolute clarity, let it be repeated; quantum chameleons. It is best stated now, that humans seem to have a genetic syndrome of rationalizing their world only by what they see with their eyes, it would, therefore, be within reason to postulate, that the simian animal believes much to be impossible, right up until the moment that it is no longer. Keep an open mind, that’s my point. Another reasonable postulation would categorize the Kivouachian breed as ‘immortal,’ and you’d be correct in that assumption, as a creature who dictates its own biology, its density, its tissue and more to the point, the length of its telomeres at the end of each chromosome, than to expire out of age alone would be an impossibility.

The result of this remarkable self-control would be a species able to retain its collective knowledge, rather than simply passing it on through generations and therefore resulting in a loss of potency in the lessons learned and the discoveries made. Instead, the Kivouachians themselves would carry the flame ever onward. It would be no effort at all to imagine a far advanced Earth should the likes of Einstein, Keats or Tesla had lived in consistency through the ages, rather than granting the world only a blip of their genius. This issue did not plague the Kivouack, as surely, over the course of a few billion years, or their equivalent measurement of time, the Kivouachians would soon possess intellects infinitely more complex than our own.

This was the order of things for the next several billion years, the Kivouachians would roam, fight and mate. During this time, the greatest of these creatures were known as Freyda, a gigantic beast who terrorized the Kivouack for millions of years. Freyda mated with another female, Joy and soon after, Locket was born. Upon seeing the sorry state of her world, Locket sought to finally bring about order, and so, with the aid of a young Winifred, the first great Kivouachian war began, it was known as ‘The Lady.’ After a bloody game of universal control, Freyda was finally killed by her daughter.  Using the bones of Joy, Locket created the first and greatest Kivouachian structure ever built, the Underbirth, the first Kivouachian city. In order to build it, Locket bent the reality of her world and made slaves of gravity and logic to serve her creation. With the creation of the Underbirth and the forced application of Locket's Law. The golden age of the Kivouack had begun, an age of science, politics, strength, and philosophy.

Before Locket's Law, the Kivouachians would simply dispatch one another using classic methods such as devouring the defeated opponent. However, Locket saw artistry in defeat, she found herself saddened that the world in which she lived did not share her vision of disgust when gazing upon the corpse of a creature she saw fit to tear from its life. After the death of Freyda, her body lay indignity, her death seemed to almost immortalize her grace like a glorified martyr. Furiously, Locket decapitated her and contorted her gigantic body into a display of absolute humiliation. This would act as the start of a Kivouachian tradition that still holds fast.

Thousands of years after Freyda, Locket's empire spread far and wide, order had come to the Kivouack and with it a much more sophisticated taste in defeat. Standard practice was to decapitate the defeated creature, then contort their body into a display that would ward off other attackers. During this display, only the head was ever removed. Locket did not believe in disembowelment or flaying. She believed that with the creature's body and anatomy intact it would better serve as a piece of art, it also made the creature much easier to be identified by locals. Kivs would proudly display the humiliated bodies of their opponents in the streets and outside establishments of work and leisure, the headless body would remain in these positions for centuries, sometimes more.

One of the defining features of Kivouachian biology is the difficulty required to dispatch them. Physical damage does nothing more than inconvenience them. This includes beheading after which their head and body will go into a state of dormancy, the body heals over and continues to function as a living vessel pending the reattachment of the head. The head of most Kivouachians would do the same and wait upon the body, though a few creatures possessed minds mighty enough to remain conscious during this and therefore reattach their heads without aid. Lucy Lacemaker was one such subject. Should her head ever be unwillingly removed, her genetics would allow her to disperse into much smaller entities and reform at the base of the neck, thus making her excruciatingly hard to shut up. The reason most Kivouachians decapitated their opponents was to quickly separate the mind from body to gain a brief intellectual and strategic advantage.

If acted upon quickly the head could be captured and the victor would either eat it or incinerate it, thus destroying the creature's mind. Death would follow. Meanwhile, their leftover body remained as its own independent organism, unconsciously awaiting the return of its long dead mind. This was the trophy. These bodies would then be used as mating vessels, or simply utilized for artistic purposes such as a display outside an establishment, or even architecture and furniture... for those with a rotted sense of humor.  When a Kivouachian dies, humiliation is almost guaranteed by their peers, and this was just one of Lockets many cultural landmarks for the species.

## Places

### Thumme

The canter of the Underbirth and the home to all the high political powers of the Kivouack, in this structure, there is the Library of Sombra, the High Court of the Kivouack, the Grand Voices chambers, and many other facilities that serve vital roles in keeping the city in a state of order.

### Hammerlow

A surrounding area outside Thumme, they were creatures who had learned the basics of mutual respect. They were depicted as weaker than the other Kavouachians. Because of this, the Gental Capitulation law was made. This was a simple nod of the head accompanied by placing one foot in front of the other at the heel and bowing ever so slightly

### Casino

The outer rim of the Underbirth, a place of violence where Ludwig and Lucy Lacemaker were born, most young had to fight to survive. Called a which was more of a breeding ground for violence.

### Madness Frontier

A place outside the Under birth completely. Being forced to live here was an act of punishment, and violent Kivouackians resided there.

### Joy

One of many towns in the Frontier that was built off of Locket's mother, Freyda.

### Homes

On the inside rim of the Kasino several homes or small towns resided Kivouachians

## Politics and Society

The Kivouack was very much like a metaphoric metronome, clicking with alien elegance from one extreme to another, all to a consistent beat. At one extreme, they were indeed the most brutal of beasts, sadistic and cruel, hell-bent on eating, killing and humiliating one another. Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, they were philosophers of the highest degree, contemplating, debating and pondering life, their world, laws and their own existence. Kivouachian society was never chained by religion or creation theories, for they believed only their eyes and their wisdom. Their stubborn pride and tenacity denied faith or worship of any deity.

The only powers they ever subscribed to were other members of their kind, members who demonstrated extreme strength and wisdom. Strength enough to defend their positions and philosophies, and wisdom enough to battle the wit of any usurpers plotting to remove them from power. Their world was not void of happiness however, they cherished performance, artwork, and song. Famously, a creature called Yeshua ran the largest known Music Hall in the Underbirth. Those who found the stresses of life to be weighing them down would visit Yeshua to be entertained by his countless performers. Artistry was highly regarded in the Kivouack, as was politics.

Locket was considered the greatest leader of the Kivouack, despite her extreme methods. It was Locket who set the laws that kept the Kivouack in tune for billions of years. Famously, she was rarely challenged, as the fear of her alone was enough to keep challengers at bay. Few could win a debate with her, let alone hurt her or even touch her. She was the daughter of the gigantic Freyda and Joy, both of which were female. Joy was devoured by Locket upon her birth and her bones were used as the foundation for the greatest Kivouachian city and structure, the Underbirth. Freyda was later killed by Locket, with her body splayed out across the Madness Frontier like a dead dog. With Freyda's mind long dead, her body was left to forever act as a separate organism, unable to perish and unable to be reunited with its mind.

Many Kivouachians banished to the Madness Frontier began to build upon her body and drain it of the resources it still produced. Locket allowed this, as a way of humiliating Freyda and keeping the exiles out of her sight.

Kivouachians had many forms of art, most of them being biological in nature, but also those of craftsmanship. Locket introduced this concept of artistry when she used the carcass of her mother, the calamity known as Freyda, as something more than a body, more so a message. The act of humiliating this gigantic terror became the first and most ironic form of art ever seen in the Kivouack. Never before had anything ever been used for more than what it was, yet Freyda's body was contorted and meticulously positioned in a way that both stripped her of her dignity and served as an amusing object to gawk at. Soon enough, the first Kivouachian city was built upon her and soon after that, the greatest city that ever was, was constructed: The Underbirth.

### Architecture

The architecture of the Underbirth was nothing to scoff at. Past the deep culture of defilement and humiliation, the Underbirth, in all of its districts, was beautifully crafted. Its architecture was steeped in gothic wonderment, streets of cobblestone, establishments built from carved wood and held together by the finest metalwork, holding the structures together with exoskeletal support. Ferocious gates at each street, their twisted bodies crowned in spikes, puncturing the air and any who dared climbed them. Verticality was something that all had to consider, as the Underbirth was no plane, it was an orb, layered and decorated with multiple areas of significance, connected with escherian bridges, stairwells, corridors and doorways. The documentation of its creation was forbidden by Locket, so many of its secrets remain lost to this day.

### Music

The Kivouachians had no instruments, only the noises that they themselves could produce. These noises were famously whimsical in nature, their harmonious tones would dance across the city like unbound ghosts of creativity. Wexle's favorite song was ‘Steeled Soldier,’ a song created shortly after the war against Freyda, the song details the battle against her and the eventual defeat of the gigantic beast. The act of shaming a defeated threat became a popular form of art in the Kivouack. It was thought to be a way of reminding those who watched the brutality of death. The head was first separated, therefore removing all cognitive function from the body, then the body would have been contorted to serve as a trophy for the victor and a warning to others. Locket outlawed gore, postmortem mutilation of a body was prohibited, the vessel would need to have remained identifiable and no bodily components, other than the head, were permitted removal. The insides of a creature were considered ruinous to the art of displaying a body. The best displays would draw emphasis to the creatures strongest and intimate elements, this was done to show how powerful they were in life, making the fact that they lost a fight, more humiliating.

## Yolsh

The only type of law enforcement in the Kivouack.

## Crime & Punishment

### Decolourisation:

A dishonorable creature who saw fit to flee from combat would be subject to this punishment. They would forever be marked. Losing their color forever.

### Blinding

This would be a consequence of entering a district beyond one's station. The creature would either have their bodies weakened at a cellular level, long enough for their eyes to be damaged beyond repair, or have their eyes torn out and burned, thus preventing regeneration. They would then be tossed back into the world to adapt or die.

### Loss of Limb

A similar process would await those who attempt to heal a wounded creature. The act of weakening the gene pool would warrant in a limb, or several, being permanently removed. This punishment was also used for those who failed in punctuality.

### Slavery

Creatures who were too weak to survive in the cities and wanted to hold on to their lives, made contracts with the stronger of their kind. They would be protected, but would compensate this protection with a lifetime of servitude, many of them being killed anyway. They were also forbidden to mate.