The Unda Inquisition

Of all the races, the Water People or “Unda” (Oo’n’dah), are the most united, coming under one flag, one common goal. Mysterious and aloof, they know what lies beyond the edge of the world for they were beings of energy that came from the Aether in search of a new home.

Every Unda can communicate through telepathy, and over distances depending on strength and age. They consider it their holy duty and obligation to fight all Aether beings that come to invade. Some are more zealous than others, even attacking beings that may be good or mean no harm to the denizens of Haven.

One of their most important jobs is to protect what are known as “The Eight Gates”, eight powerful ritual circles that are on the very edge of Haven. The world’s very physical existence is held together by these eight points, and as a result they are guarded heavily by the Unda against creatures of the Aether and corrupt individuals on Haven that seek to draw from their power.

If an Aether creature is able to get past their defenses, and that of the Sol and Luna, the Unda send holy crusades inland to hunt down these creatures. This has led to much contrition in the past, enacting wars between races and mistrust of the Unda by many. They are brutal and they are swift in their act; while they swore to protect the people of Haven, if some stand between them and their goal they will cut down barriers in their way for the greater of all.

Unda are androgenous and do not have female or male genitalia, though due to living amongst surface cultures some Unda choose to identify as one of the "Mainlander" genders. They have no obvious distinction between opposite sexes and reproduce through a mystical means of merging one’s own energies and “copying” a part of themselves to allow another ethereal being to emerge and be born. Due to their environment on Haven, this energy is transferred to protective egg like shells that are crafted from materials found in the ocean while the energies converge, merge, and develop like normal offspring. They have however, on RARE occasions, been known to utilize life magic from their mages to please a chosen mate that may not be Unda. However, the merging of one’s souls and energy is still needed to produce even a half breed of Unda. This is a very sensitive topic of discussion and Unda tend to be offended if asked about their reproductive capabilities.

## **Social Structure**

The Unda have a social structure that is very mysterious to most. They don’t appear to have any central government, instead having something of a vast Hivemind, every Unda mind able to connect to one-another, and so long as they have met the other in person they can tune out the other voices in the Hivemind to communicate with another Unda over any distance. Islander Unda make up the leadership of their people, while Lakesiders serve as the seekers of Aether Corruption, and Deep-Ones as the destroyers of it. Unda of higher status have clearance to cross any borders of Haven, for they side only with the earth beneath their feet and seek to help those nations they enter.

### **High Envoys**

The centerpiece of this Hivemind is the High Envoys, a very small collection of Islander Unda whom hold great power and respect and lead the Unda across Haven. Legally having diplomatic immunity in every nation, this is a station of office easy to lose, as if word of excessive misconduct reaches their ocean home, they may see your status revoked. There is only ever one High Envoy stationed at any given place at a time, but this does not matter because they can telepathically communicate across any distance.

### **Ambassadors**

The second highest ranking Unda, the Ambassadors serve in different major cities across Haven as the Unda representative, with an embassy of lower ranking Unda working with them to stand vigilant watch against the Aether all over Haven. Though they do not have diplomatic immunity like the High Envoys, the nation an ambassador is serving tend to overlook lesser crimes so long as the Ambassador has justification.

## **Unda History**

### **First Era (before year 0):**

The Unda once resided in the Aether, surviving in strange ways within it’s inky depths. Very little is known of this time, though some suspect that those high up in the Unda Hivemind know more that they simply don't believe the world should know.

### **Second Era: (0-1499 P.E.):**

* **The Arrival of the Unda (200 P.E.) -** Pleading with Zet’tallan, the wandering god, and he agreed to let them have a home on Haven if they would protect his wards and their home from the dangers of the Aether. They agreed, but the only land not taken was under the ocean and on the islands, so when they came to Haven and set their home their ethereal bodies took form and adapted to their watery abode.

* **The War of Tides (206 P.E.) -** The rights of the Unda to the islands of the sea was not contested for the first few years of their existence on Haven, but when Empress Brea of the Fairfolk saw their success and the prosperity of their island abodes she became jealous. Who would dare to hold a kingdom larger than her own?! In her jealousy she sent ships of Ogres across the waters to attempt to claim the islands for herself, but the true power of the Unda was shown to the world that day. When Brea’s war ships left their docks and began sailing towards their brutal destination the waters began to boil and writhe with hundreds of swimming Unda. One attempted to board a vessel to investigate the Fairfolk’s purpose, but was captured and bound as they set foot on deck. Seeing their kin in trouble the waters surrounding Brea’s ships exploded as Unda launched from the sea, ethereal weapons drawn and one purpose in mind. The forces of the Fairfolk were utterly decimated as Ogres, Sluagh, and Sidhe alike began to be skewered or dragged down into the depths of the sea by these strange new creatures. Great Leviathans erupted from the sea to swallow fairfolk ships whole. Shamed and enraged by her defeat, Brea reluctantly agreed to send an apology and a truce with the Islander emissaries that were sent to her castle shortly afterwards. The Unda had proven their strength and had effectively left their mark on the rest of Haven to never doubt their capabilities.

After the war with the Fairfolk, they began sending Envoys to other Races, telling them the danger of the Aether and asking permission to cleanse it from their lands. Thus the Unda gained the known monicker of the Unda Inquisition, rooting out and cleansing Aether in all of his forms.

### **Third Era (1500-2019 P.E.)**

Not much changed for the Unda over the Third Era, while the other races had wars, the Unda simply continued to seek out Aether. That is until the Era was nearing its end and a sudden spike of Aether corruption grew to immeasurable proportions at the heart of Haven, the Town of Compass Rose.

* **The Muldratha Conflict (2018-2019) -** A Great Aether beast came to the town of Compass Rose, crushing all in his path and using the inanimate as playthings. Its name was Muldratha and its power knew no bounds. The Unda underestimated its power at first, sending but one crusader-team of Unda to destroy it, only for them to all die in their first clash with the beast. The Keystone where all leylines meet was luckily protected from the corruption by a ritual performed by a Noxcess named Meo Noakes, but the town had to be evacuated. Months later, the Gods made their decision. If they allowed Muldratha to live, the world would be destroyed, and so all of their Heralds gave their lives to empower a group of local heroes, giving them the power, with the help of a huge force of Unda keeping the corruption at bay, to destroy the beast forever.

But in Muldratha’s wake was a letter, a letter claiming that Muldratha was but a pawn in a bigger game, signed one Isaac Embersteel. The Unda were outraged and fell back to the sea to regroup and march in a bigger army, for they had lost too many in the battles with Muldratha.

* **The War of Time (2019-2020) -** Within months, they heard news of a turn of events. Isaac had been killed by a subordinate that his followers began to see as a prophet, a divine figure known as Caliban. Caliban the Betrayer plunged the world into War, those loyal to the gods of Time and Fate who wished to end this timeline and forge a new one in its image they had more control over warred with those of Earth and Knowledge, who wished to preserve it. The Unda stood firmly with Zet’tallan, their patron deity who had given them their home upon this world all those centuries ago. They were met however by cultist striking out towards the 8 anchors, and fell entirely in defense for the first time since the War of Tides.

### **Fourth/Current Era (2020-2278 P.E.)**

The War was eventually won however, and time and fate fused into the god we know as Galaena. The Unda however, remained vigilant. They had come too close to losing everything, failing their one duty, and they would not allow it to come that close again. They began stationing full embassies all over Haven, and it was good that they did, but would it be enough?

* **The Fall of the Wanderer (2022 P.E.) -** The war of time was not so divisive for the Unda, having always taken sides with the earth. Following its conclusion, though, a second Aether outbreak was discovered to have been festering within the soil of compass rose. This corruption was deep-seated, and turmoil among the people, especially those siding with Tanana and Gamemaster during the war, kept the local Unda occupied with scuffles and needless bloodshed during the corruption’s infancy. Though they tried everything that they could, eventually the corruption seeped into the keystone’s root and was too much for Zettallan to withstand. He withdrew himself into a developmental state, cutting off the pieces of himself that were corrupt and forming himself into a tree on the underside of Haven, where Luna and Sol take turns keeping watch over him.

The Wanderer’s dormancy sparked rumors and panic. The Unda’s apparent failure kindled distrust among the people of haven, mainly among the humans and the desert folk. The Unda had been permitted to roam lands freely and had expected to take what they needed with little permission - and in the desert especially, whatever help could be gained from the Unda usually carried a high expense in water and provisions. Many groups of envoys were sent to live inland to negotiate with leaders and build trust among the people, but such eagerness was mistaken for aggression, fanning the flames. At this point, most Unda were recalled to the sea; Zet’tallan would be safe for the time being, but the Eight Gates - the world’s anchors at the edge of the Unda territories - would need twice as much protection.

* **The Disappearance of the Unda (2030 P.E.) -** The Unda's land presence for the next 100 years, was carefully suppressed to chance sightings and hearsay. Even the Embassies were often left empty and abandoned, waiting for the day their Envoys returned. Deep ones stuck to training the next generation even more fiercely than before to defend the Aether’s edge, Lakesiders operated on an even higher level of stealth while collecting intelligence and cleansing wildlands, and the Islanders worked tirelessly at discrete trade and tracking the world’s political strategy. In many areas of the world, the Unda’s diplomatic presence had dismally regressed, and purification was carried out as stealth missions. Communities that had entirely rejected the Unda formed crusader-teams to deal with the aether in their homes, but their inability to effectively purge the waters or landbound infections resulted in the loss of many stubborn lives.

* **The Return of the Unda (2227 P.E.) -** It was only fifty years ago that the Unda came to dwell publicly again with Haven’s people. Many cities have been extremely wary of their presence, and only recently have begun accepting Islander ambassadors as permanent residents in their towns. In the towns that have rejected them, the Unda are faced with a difficult puzzle. Their negative reputation is absolved if they can prove their presence is necessary, but their purpose of purifying corruption renews them as a symbol of danger; In times of peace individual Unda are rejected, but in times of need the Unda forces appear to be aggressors. As the Unda make their place in Haven known again, they must continue to work their careful trinity of patience, discretion, and redemptive violence.