Sial

Sial is one of the five nations of the Cathcalairach, the region encompassing the former Pentarchy of Calai. Sial is a constituent nation under Calai of Three Lakes.

## Geography

Sial encompasses three distinct areas. Firstly is the city of Hope's Reach, or the City of Stilts, on the Bay of Arrival. Lining the bay, and extending into it, is a city built on the stilts, filled with unique flora and fauna that is yet to be properly recorded or observed by scientific experts, however, the founding of Eth Bâtibore Hadaeidatalu Amun has lead to many biology students doing research in the city, while also spending large amounts of time helping themselves to it's luxuries at the same time.. The Marred Swamps on the border of the bay mark what could be called the suburbs of the city, with the furthest areas hosting small towns. These are full of yet more unrecorded creatures, a frequent area of research for seasoned scientists from the Technocracy of Rhebbid. The Vastness is the name given too the rainforests that expands past the coast of Sial. This is home to many of Calai's constituent tribes, unadvanced groups that used to average out Calai to the stone age despite recent advancements in the cities. The Vastness is considered extremely dangerous, and apart from trade outposts on the road to The Don, and the port at the edge of the Marred Swamps, Marac, there is little civilisation, any plants and animals are only approached on advice of Conts.

### Fauna

Sial is famous for it's Migou, or Urban Serpents, and Sibling Frogs. The Vastness is also home to another form of Sea Serpent, the Vast Variety.

The Urban Variety of Sea Serpents are found in The City of Stilts, home to the Sial of Calai. They are better known in Calai as Migou. They range from 3-6 feet. The Migou are commonly found slithering around The City of Stilts and it's waterways. Migou are not considered domesticated, however they can bond with a person, and from then on act like a pet, closest in behaviour to a dog. Migou while wild eat small scraps of food, generally left out by Sial, who believe that feeding Migou brings good luck, and that their presence is vital to the continued existence of the city. This is not wrong, as the Migou are shown to have remarkable intelligence, using their body to easily push levers and move small objects around without needing to be asked. They do not only share intelligence with their fellow Serpents, also having their magical ability. This magic is known in Sial as Stilmik, or Silent Magic, the ability to move soundlessly and disappear, seemingly from the fabric of reality, responsible for Migou seemingly appearing and reappearing out of thin air. This magic is utilised by those who bond to Migou, being able to use their abilities . Migou are often found sleeping or relaxing in the sun on piers, or in Migou Dens constructed for them by wealthy households as a status symbol. Migou come in a variety of bright or pastel colours.

The Vast Variety of Serpents are not a common referential to the collective species, but instead refers to the species of Serpent found in The Vastness, a long stretch of rainforest from the western Sea of Hope to the far western savannah. The Vast Variety is more like it's original ancestor than the majority of Serpents. A Vast Serpent stretches on average from 7-10 metres long. Their habitat is primarily the canopy layer of the trees near caves. Vast Serpents do still require water like their fellow Serpents, albeit less, and receive this in two ways. The Serpent will lay on top of the canopy, absorbing the water from the rain. Once roughly every eight days the Vast Variety will venture down into their nearby cave to bathe in the water for hours before moving back into it's normal habitat. The Vast Variety prey on birds flying above the trees. To avoid detection they are coloured either a dark brown or light green, to fit the colours of the bark and leaves of most trees in The Vastness. The Vast Variety's most famous feature is their long tongues, reaching in a straight direction for up to on average forty metres. This has been experienced first hand by Calains who gather water from puddles while journeying outside their settlements. Vast Serpents prefer to bathe in puddles if closer than their caves, and will grab anything that interferes with this with their tongues, engulfing them whole. This evolutionary fear of missing out water and need to observe the skies for their next meal are what has led to Vast Serpents developing eight eyes on each side of their head, a development unheard of on standard reptiles. This is the only magical thing about them unlike other serpents. Vast Serpents seem to have little advantages other their fellow Serpents apart from ease gathering food and defending themselves, leading to questioning on how they evolved to what they are today.

### Flora

The Bay of Arrivals is constantly filled with a unique species of lilypad, from two-twenty metres wide, called Lodgers. These are thankfully weak and unobtrusive, providing little more in harmful effects than seaweed.

## Culture

### Moral values and principles

Sial are taught from a young age that they are to maintain balance in all things, ironically at times taking this to the extreme. An example of Sial balance is that all Sial youth spend time before their Gap Year in other areas of the Union, with most Sial schools partnering with others in the Union, and sending their students there from the ages of roughly 14-15.

Noe Agrippa, the Stilter Queen of Sial, who bought back knowledge from Gweriþis led to her being seen as personification of the practice of cultural balance. An example of the cultural influence from the Gweriþon Calain was the importing of the Gweriþ religious teaching of ‘Observe the waves and you will survive’, with has been added to the Predictive Watching of the Unifier, an Eastern Don theological/ideological text now popular under Asahumu Polytheism, specifically on sections of how to apply observations of the world high up in the nearby coasts of the Sial. Although cultural exchange between the East and Calai is very easy by now, most Sial still study how groundbreaking this achievement was at the time.

### Traditions

The Ritual of Bonding *(Written as an ingame ritual)*

The magic of the Sial people originates from the uniquely aquatic/urban ecosystem of the home of the majority of the population, The City of Stilts. Two innately magical creatures inhabit the settlement, the Migou and Alaka, one a relative of the fearsome serpents, and another of the venomous creatures which inhabit Sial’s western jungles.

Now of course, these two creatures have been reduced to an adorable little snake and frog. However, despite how lovely and just absolutely adorable the little things are, they do hold considerable power.

The Migou can vanish completely from view in broad daylight, reappearing when it so desires. Contrastingly the Alaka is a flashy frog, with strange illusions often appearing the many times a day it has a nap. Known as the win magic of Dumit and Lumit, they are of great cultural importance to the Sial, one of the wonders that await those who enter Calai through the Bay of Arrivals.

Migou and Alaka are also known as Urban Serpents and Sibling Frogs, with the second name being an unsubtle hint to their nature. Migou mostly rest and sleep in specially made Migou dens, hosted by the wealthy as a status symbol. Alaka sleep on Lodgers, large lily pads in the waters of the city and wider bay, with another Sibling Frog. However, on rare occasions, a curious Migou may take its place, curling around the Alaka.

This meeting of Migou and Alaka firmly unifies them for life, regularly meeting together and accompanying each other. As the two species are considered to be near human intelligence, Sial believe this to be a ritual of friendship of some sorts. Later a human or other sentient creature may join their partnership, but that is of The Second Bonding, a far more complicated matter.

As the Migou curls up around the snoozing Alaka, and the illusions phase in and out of existence, some of the Central Lakes believe that the two creatures are divinely blessed, receiving a gift of the gods. While the Calains are sceptical, sometimes something from whoever is up there comes down, good or ill.

- Taken from the Guide to The Arts of Cathcalairach by Il Beruki

*Note: Outcome was 'Calai - Start making whips inspired by the wrapping snake motif +RINV'*

### Art

Sial has little opportunity for art themselves. Most is found on their foreign expeditions. However, when in a particular mood, Sial have been known to use the sticks form their stilts to carve into the clay of their marshland, placed onto wide stone slabs, unique patterns, which are then moved into an oven and dried.  More recently The Sang tradition of murals has been practiced throughout the City of stilts, although without the use of blood.

## Inhabitants

### Vastness Mutations

Most of the people of the Cathcalairach are humans, however have been affected by the various diseases and genetic oddities present throughout The Vastness, even if they do not live directly inside it. This causes immunity to most diseases present in rainforests, such as malaria, acting as a natural vaccination, while also having a minor effect on ageing, leading to most Calains living to roughly 150. This is not known by them, as the Cathcalairach has a very small elderly population s due to the Centuries' War.

In Sial, these mutations are more noticeable. They are similar to ones found in Tzitlasen, another nation within The Vastness. The range of what is considered mutations varies, from biological anomalies to magic. A common mutation around most of the Sial province for example is Troe Ti, which turns the afflicted's eyes entirely a sickly green, giving a limited kind of night vision. Many other mutations can occur, most giving some for of protection from the jungle.