Ichtyria

Ichtyria is a vast expanse of vicious rainforest and swamp, with sparsely scattered towns shrouded in secrecy and riddled with lies. From the killer crocodiles, to the burly toad warriors, the sentient vines, to the religious zealots, these lands are a death sentence for the unprepared. Ichtyria's swamps are not just dangerous, but very unstable, shifting the very structure of their society every few decades as constant in-fighting, along with outside wars, ravage the country. Currently, however, tensions seem to be at an all time low with the new confederacy allowing more localized enforcement of ideals.

## Geography

The landmass known as Ichtyria is largely comprised of flooded swamps, due to the prevalence of rivers in the area. However, as the land gets drier near the northern and southern tips, the biome shifts to that of an especially humid rainforest. Another interesting feature of the county, albeit seemingly out of place, are the two solid stone islands off the southern shore.

### Swamps

The swamps of Ichtyria are by far the most treacherous part of the country. The putrid, black waters of the swamp hide deadly predators, such as giant crocodiles, venomous leeches, and giant mosquitos. The vines between the towering mangrove trees attack at the slightest agitation. Stories have been told of adventurers stepping into the cesspool of murky waters, only to be instantly sucked down by an unseen force, never to emerge. Some even say the swamp itself is alive, sending suffocating clouds of stinking fog to choke the life from unlucky parties, to then feed off of the lost souls that perish in its slimy embrace.

However, the swamps are also the most populated section of the country. And, even though there's more than enough space in the forests for the Ichtyrians, the majority of the towns choose to remain in the dangerous swamps. This is thought to be due to the cultural and religious significance of the towns' locations for many of the Ichtyrians, though it could also be a matter of pride. For to survive in a swamp so deadly, your people must be even more ferocious.

### Rainforest

The vertical tips of the country are home to the lush, beautiful rainforests popular among tourists to Ichtyria. Towering trees, radiant flowers, rare species of multi-colored animals, and even a faint song seeming to play as the wind whistles through the leaves makes this one of the most visually impressive places in Utharia. However, while not quite as dangerous as the swamps, and certainly better looking, these rainforests still hold vicious predators. Some of these creatures leak over from the nearby swamps, such as the mosquitos, but others are totally unique to the area, like the terrifying pythons. The rainforests are also a common location for the more advanced towns of Ichtyria, and for important public infrastructure, such as libraries.

### Islands

Right off the shore of Ichtyria's southern half lie two, tiny islands made entirely of stone. Thanks to centuries of rainfall and other natural processes, this rock has been slowly eroded into hundreds of razor sharp spikes, making approach by ship, airship, or really any vehicle nigh impossible. The islands hold a great, mysterious influence over the folklore and beliefs of Ichtyria's people, however, with many myths and theories being formed around the secrets they may hold.

## Government/Religion

From an outside perspective, Ichtyria's system of governance looks like an absolute disheveled mess. One tribe in one area, living high in the trees, and worshipping The Reveler. Another tribe elsewhere, living in the water, and praising the Tempest. The reason for this is the country's nature as a Confederacy. Each village on Ichtyria is given absolute freedom from the whole regarding their beliefs and values, so long as they follow a few standard rules. This provides the tribes with the all of the benefits of a central government, like a large military and a centralized currency, with none of the usual restrictions on freedoms.

### Theocracy

However, while mostly free in their choices, the few common traits their confederacy requires are still rather significant. The first of these is a localized theocratic structure, where each tribe must decide which god or gods they want to devote themselves to. There's a varied spread of chosen gods among the Ichtyrians, but the most common has to be The Reveler. The people among a tribe respect worship of their chosen god above all else, and the most respected priest becomes their leader. The leader, therefore, is almost always the most powerful sorcerer in the village, wielding great powers over the divine arts. However, in a dark twist, followers of other gods, or worse yet, followers of no god, are cast from the society, exiled into Ichtyria's harsh wilderness. Ichtyrian law is not without forgiveness, however, and said heathen is accepted if he makes it to a tribe that worships his god. He can also, after surviving 30 days in the wild, come back to his original village and ask to atone. One thing an Ichtyrian cannot atone for, however, is the use of non-clerical magics, which are seen as an unforgivable affront to nature and to their god, as it is believed to be a theft of power from the divine. In fact, heretical magic users will not just be exiled, but they will be cannibalized by the caste they belong to in a ritual to reclaim the power that was believed to be stolen from their god.

### Caste System

The second requirement for being part of the confederacy can only be described as a sentient rights violation: a rigid caste system. To survive the gruesome wilds of Ichtyria, one must either be a great warrior, or one must have a great warrior to protect them. The lowest native caste, the bronze, is comprised of the descendants of the one great warriors that made establishment of Ichtyrian society possible. Now, they are the brute laborers, guards, and general muscle in a tribe. Working conditions are tough, and their treatment is worse, being thought of as mindless tools to accomplish the needs of the higher castes. A good portion of the bronze know the Boggard language, kept as a way to hide communications from superiors, though more still are forced to learn Ichtyrian lowspeak. In the next cast, the silver, lies the country's intellectuals: those who invent new ways to combat the Ichtyrian wilderness, and to improve their society with technological advancements. Helpful tools like steampunk creations, alchemical wonders, and even the occasional magi-tech robot are standard fare for these scholars. However, while they may employ magi-tech, none of them are allowed to dabble in true magical abilities. They are typically raised learning Ichtyrian lowspeak until they prove themselves intellectually, whereupon they transition to Ichtyrian highspeak. As such, they are a crucial tool as middlemen between the gold and the bronze. True magical powers are reserved for the top caste: the gold. The gold consists of the tribe's religious leaders: sorcerers whose power is renown across Utharia. They are responsible for the leadership of Ichtyrian society, dispensing funds to the lower castes, and deciding the general course of things for the lower castes. Though mistreated frequently by them, the lower castes look up to these being of great religious influence, as they are culturally programmed to see them as close to gods themselves. Members of this caste almost exclusively speak Ichtyrian highspeak, often with members of the silver caste on hand to translate to outsiders.

By far the lowest caste, however, is known as the none. The exiled, along with outsiders and newcomers, inhabit this caste. Its members are shunned from towns, pelted with rocks, and generally hated among Ichys. However, not all is lost, as a customary large monetary payment, or a significant religious contribution, is usually enough to lift someone into the bronze caste.

## History

Though Ichtyria seems to be in a relatively stable state at the moment, it certainly was not always that way. In fact, their current government is a very recent development in the big picture, only having emerged a few decades ago. The older natives to Ichtyria, and even many outsiders, remember a time when Ichtyria was subject to much worse injustice, even to the point of culture erasure. As such, much of the country's history has been lost. Wanting to recover and document their past, however, the brilliant Gripplis of the silver caste have managed to find or reconstruct several ancient document, detailing a fractured, yet quite insightful history.

### Drier Times

Contrary to the norm, one story has survived the test of time in the memories of Ichtyrians. In fact, it is the only major historical story even told within the swampy coasts. Ichy children have the tale of a dry Ichtyria drilled into them over and over, as their parents recite the same words at every gathering.

> Long ago, there was a time of a great dryness. They dried, they shriveled, they cracked, they fried, all under the heat of an unforgiving sun. Our ancestors walked the lands, crying out to their gods for the slightest drop of water, but none did come. They had thought themselves abandoned by the ones who had once cared and provided for them in times of dire straights, as their gods seemed to show neglect when their worshipers needed help more than ever. Those who did not perish from the weather fell by their own hand, distraught over the feelings of abandonment. However, a brave Nagaji adventurer, along with his Grippli cartographer and Boggard hunter, managed to reach the southern coast. It was there they found two colossal spires of stone, emanating with a clearly visible energy. The wise Nagaji knew immediately that it was the reason for the terrible drought, declaring whatever magics were coming from the stones to be an offense to their gods. He gathered all his peoples, leading them in religious unison to cry out to their gods, renouncing the magics from the stones, and begging for their destruction. The continued prayer went for days, with many dying from the heat mid-prayer, yet they persisted onward. Then, on the fourth day, their gods listened, sending an enormous bolt of magical energy from the heavens to smite the ancient offenses to nature, and allowing the water to come forth into our swamps.
>
>

### The Wettening

What is left out of the story is the aftermath. Possibly by details being mixed up and forgotten, or even by purposeful omission, the only certain thing is that it was lost to time. Was lost, that is, before a small group of Grippli scholars from the silver caste discovered a cache of scrolls on an archaeology mission. Buried with the remains of an ancient stone building, stored along with a giant supply of gruesome weapons, they were found in an ordinary chest, as if they held little to no importance. Again backing up this theory is the way the scrolls are depicted: quick, low skill sketches of battle scenes, crudely drawn methods of attack for ancient battles, and hastily made plans for new weapons and armor. Not ones to like to assume, the Grippli scholars scanned the ruins for more clues before coming to a decision too quickly about their country's past. However, every new piece of evidence was as war-like or as violent as the last, giving them due cause to conclude their investigation. Seemingly, the land became a cesspool of violence and war after the waters came to Ichtyria, leaving the inhabitants is a sort of free-for-all to see who could gain control over the country.

### Serpentia

Ichy historians assume there to be much more to the Ichtyrian timeline, spanning centuries back, but most of any real proof of said history was lost in a period not too long ago: the reign of Octyrius Serpentus. This tyrannical Nagaji ruled his nation, then called Serpentia, with an iron fist. Caste systems were even more brutal than now, with any non-Nagaji races being forced to work in deadly mining conditions and do back-breaking work building statues and monuments, among other atrocities. Even when the work lightened in the calmer times in between large projects, they were given new, more difficult tasks just to break their spirits. Any dissenters were taken from the city and thrown into the wilderness, where their fellow workers would watch them be ripped apart by the savage wildlife.

As part of his tyranny, the diabolical despot began a re-education campaign, destroying all written history that might give what he called "lower" races any form of hope for their future. Burning libraries, ancient scrolls, ledgers, maps, even any ruins from times of old he could find, Octyrius made sure the old world was forgotten to time, leaving only his word as law. With origins lost to time and purposeful erasure, all historians know of where this powerful figure emerged from is what he told people to believe. And such words from a despot as cruel as he are not to be believed.

Decades of this gruesome rule continued, until one day, a Nagaji was born glowing in a pale yellow light, as if himself divine. Threatened by the power this Nagaji may hold at a later age, king Serpentus ordered it to be executed. However, come time of execution, the executioner could not bring herself to kill him, as the light projected was of her god, the name of whom was lost to time. She smuggled the child into the wilderness, passing him off to the first non-Nagaji she came across before returning to her post. Upon learning of this news, the tyrant king was furious, having the slain at his feet, hanging her corpse publicly for all to see and fear, letting all know whoever carried the child would meet the same fate.

So, the Nagaji grew in secret among the "lower" races, learning their ways and customs, becoming one of them. As he grew, so did his light, making it more and more of a challenge to protect him from the king's eyes around the city. And though hiding him was a burden, the joy his presence gave those around him made every stressful moment worth it.

Years passed as the Nagaji child grew into a man, though not only did his body grow, but also his influence. By that time, every member of the oppressed knew him by heart, fully believing he was sent to them as a gift from above. But with reknown comes trouble, and eventually the inevitable happened when his location was found by the forces of king Octyrius. Though the radiant child seemed insistent on a peaceful surrender, not wanting to risk bloodshed of those he had come to love, they had other ideas, fighting brutally against the Nagaji forces to keep the one thing giving them hope. Though their efforts were impressive, with the brutal Boggards slinging their Nagaji oppressors around with their powerful tongues, and the inventive Grippli rigging highly unstable grenades for use against the scaly foes, it proved to simply not be enough to defeat the elite sorcerers of the Serpentus' order.

His people now lying in the streets bleeding, many dying, the heaven-sent Nagaji was wrought with grief, letting out powerful wails of sorrow. Still refusing to engage in violence against his oppressors, he instead bargained with them to let him try to heal the wounded, for he would go willingly if he was allowed this chance. The Nagaji, surprisingly, agreed to his offer, as he walked to each dead or dying body, even those of the Nagaji. As he went person to person, healing them of their wounds, and even resurrecting those who had died, his light shined dimmer and dimmer. Then, while healing the last of the injured, his light gave out entirely.

As he collapsed to the floor, even the prejudiced Nagaji were moved by his great sacrifice. Healing not only his own, but even his oppressors, they saw a man capable of purity and goodness in a place of unthinkable evil. As the other races mourned the loss of their source of hope, they didn't realize he had finally accomplished his true purpose in reaching the hearts of the Nagaji. Turning back to the king's palace, the sorcerers spread news of this battle, and the amazing sacrifice they had witnessed. Now with a spark of warm in their hearts, one Nagaji, Agathor Ichtyrannis, took this feeling to new heights, proposing a better, fairer kingdom.

Old and decrepit with age, the tyant Serpentus was trivial to defeat without his order's support, simply being carried away to the dungeon by a single rebel. Under Agathor's new rulership, he decentralized the country into the confederacy it is now. And, while his Nagaji heritage still led him to keep some form of caste, he introduced new levels, while simultaneously making the new bronze caste much less soul-shattering than the old worker caste. After the changes to the new society were completed, his last action was to strip the title of the cruel despot's name from the country, instead naming it Ichtyria.

## Inhabitants

Ichtyrian society has a few mixed in peoples here and there, but generally, the castes don't vary much between races.

Hulking Boggards, often with several battle scars, populate the bronze caste, using their superior strength in their labor, their natural ferocity in their hunting, and their intimidating presence when guarding. The silver, on the other hand, is made up of the intelligent Grippli. Close relatives to the Boggards, but much more slender and nimble than their brutish brothers, the Grippli trade physical gifts for mental ones. As such, they are trained to be scholars from birth, quickly joining the ranks of the silver once they've proven their worth as an intellectual. On top of them all are the mysterious Nagaji. With their unknown ways, and increased affinity for sorcery, their ranks are unmatched among the country's clergy. Even the chance Nagaji that ends up in the silver caste is treated with respect by its peers, due to such a strong cultural focus on them.