• Lore • City of Magani

[Nymph]

Magani

∞ History ∞
Creation
∞ Geography ∞
Geography
City Apperance
∞ Political System ∞
Laws
Punishments
Taxes
Slavery
∞ Economy ∞
Exports
Imports
Businesses
Jobs
∞ Magani's Culture ∞
Religion
Education
Recreational Activities
Cuisine
Holidays
∞ Demographics ∞
Population
∞ Miscellaneous ∞
Racial Views
Magic Views
Housing Information

[Nymph]

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History

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When Aläïwä was created by Ymiden, she began to build a miniature city for her people. To do so, she wandered the forest close to the Ojọgbọn searching for the perfect place to build the safe haven for her people. During her journey, she discovered the severely decayed body of a Snäytu Kanna. It had been an adolescent creature, small enough to fit between the densely packed trees of the Makubwa Lori. The reason for its death would never be known to the Tunäwä, but myths suggest that the great beast laid down to die in this specific place so that Magani could be built upon it. Had Aläïwä not sacrificed herself for her race, the true history might have been known to her descendants.

Like many Snäytu Kanna, this adolescent was its own walking forest. The largest trees, which were believed to be on the center of its back, make up the center of Magani. Like a pyramid, the outskirts of Magani are shorter and build up to the great trees in the center where older Tunäwä and the Kufuato make their homes. Various trees make up the majority of the city, from stunted elms and droopy willows to strong fruit trees and gnarled, dead trees. A swamp meanders through the roots of these trees, large and deep enough that the Tunäwä require boats to exit the city. This swamp extended around the city like a protective moat, preventing forest mammals from entering the city. People are kept out by the thick, overgrown, and thorny brush that encircle the swamp. There are no true fortifications or walls to prevent people from destroying Magani, so the Tunäwä rely heavily on secrecy.

Unlike their larger cousins, the Tunäwä have no difficulty making their way through the brush. Within the wall, make-shift stalls contain rabbits, squirrels, and other small mammals that the Tunäwä claim for their land mounts. They have created several entrances into the city through this natural wall that lead to various docks. Fortified leaf boats await to carry them into the city, where they climb to the houses via stick stairs, animal hair ladders, or various weighted elevator systems. Most houses are built directly into the trunks of the trees, although some Tunäwä build their houses like miniature tree houses between the branches. To get from tree to tree, bridges crisscross back and fourth to different levels. It is not uncommon to see birds, butterflies, and other winged mounts flitting from tree to tree when distances crossing the entire city.

Aläïwä built this city for her people, and ultimately gave her own life to fill it with the people she dreamed of. In her honor, her people leveled the top of the center tree and carved an effigy of Aläïwä into the heartwood that was left behind.

[Nymph]

Pending for images - Geography

[Nymph]

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Laws

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Crime does not occur frequently in Desnind, as the Sev'ryn are people that help one another. If they did not, their race would have perished in the plague. When crime does occur, it seems to affect everyone within the city. It is taken very seriously and manhunts have occurred in the past to track the perpetrator and bring justice to the victims.

Arson

• Defined as setting a fire with the intent to destroy property or cause harm to a being; or letting a fire spread out of control. Not to be confused with spontaneous combustion, magical incidents, or wildfires. Fire is taken very seriously in Magani. Since the city is mostly made of wood, fire can spread easily from building to building.

Felling

• Defined as cutting down a tree in Desnind or the Makubwa Lori for personal gain. Trees are sacred to the Tunäwä and will only be cut down after serious consideration, deliberation, and with Moseke's blessing. 'Poaching' trees is a serious crime and often winds up in exile. Tunäwä that approach the Ojọgbọn with intent to cut a branch from it are considered enemies against the race.

Murder

• Defined as knowingly causing another person's death or aiding in it with no justifiable reason (such as in self-defense). By far one of the most heinous crimes committed in Magani. This will have various degrees due to the hardiness of the Tunäwä race. This may go hand-in-hand with the felling law.

Sexual Misconduct

• Defined as forcing someone to partake in acts of a sexual nature against their will, usually through violent acts or threats. Highly despicable in Magani. The offender can choose between flower removal or exile.

Assault

• Defined as intentionally causing harm to a person or animal. Assault is abhorrent to citizens in Magani. This is considered a petty crime and the punishment is decided by the victim.

Disorderly Conduct

• Anything from making rude gestures to excessive noise to swearing loudly in public to stripping naked. The latter is less frowned upon than the first three. This is one of the less severe crimes one can be charged with, but citizens of Magani tend to frown upon offenders. This is considered a petty crime and the punishment is decided by the victim.

Theft

• Defined as knowingly taking something belonging to another person. The punishment is decided by the victim and the value/importance of the item.

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Punishments

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Burning

• One of the few ways to ensure that a Tunäwä is unable to regenerate themselves is by placing them on a pyre and burning the body. For severe crimes, individuals are tied to a column of wood and burned alive. Their remains, to further ensure that their bad spirits do not seep into the good soils, are thrown into the Ta'langean Erọim and washed away from the Southern Region.

Flower Removal

• This punishment is completed during Ashan, when the flower sprouts. Criminals that have been dealt this punishment are placed under house arrest during Cylus so they may receive their punishment at the beginning of Ashan. This punishment is carried out each arc, unless the individual moves out of Magani. If the individual leaves Magani, they will not be permitted back into Magani unless they accept the punishment as if they never left.

Exile

• Unlike their cousins, the Tunäwä simply cast out the criminal. They are carried off on a flying mount blindfolded to a distant area of the Makubwa Lori. No criminal is taken to the same location. They are given a day's worth of supplies and abandoned at any location. They will be unable to enter Magani again and are branded with the mark of an exile. Individuals may opt to become a slave, but many opt to attempt it out on her own.

Petty Punishments

• Depending on the crime committed, the guilty party will have to serve a punishment deemed acceptable by the victim. The victim will go before a council of a few peers to determine whether or not the punishment is too much. Adjustments will be made as necessary.

House Arrest/Detainment

• Petty punishments may include house arrest or detainment in a central facility. These criminals are incarcerated until their trial, exile, or a slaver ship is scheduled to arrive in Desnind. House arrest is a mild form of detainment as is common for petty crimes or until a punishment is served annually (flower removal).

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Taxes

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The following tax laws are specific to Desnind and Magani. Please read information under 'Bartering' for extended notes on these options. An option must be chosen by the player at the beginning of a season and cannot be changed until the next season.

Taxes

• Option 1: The player may choose to have no living expenses. This is countered with no pay from their job due to the general societal views of the Sev'ryn. Everyone plays a role in society to provide for the city. The job threads will provide the player with additional rewards based on their job (e.g. hunter: meat/pelts/bones, potter: pottery, seamstress: clothing, cloth) to trade with other players and NPC. Please see the bartering system for further details.

• Option 2: The player may choose to have living expenses (Beggar, Luxury, and Aristocracy options are not available). There are no additional taxes. This is countered with half pay from their job to provide them a means of saving money to buy items or passage to another region. The payment for their job will be based on the list provided for other cities and decreased by half. The player will receive the larger half if it does not divide to a whole number. The bartering system can still be used, but the staff may not gift as many rewards for their job as a player with Option 1.

Poor	x 0.03
Commoner	x 0.05

• Option 3: The player may choose to have no living expenses. This is countered by receiving 1 gn for each day they work in a season. They will not receive higher pay, even if their job may suggest they receive more in other cities. Payment will fluctuate with each season with some seasons being significantly more than others. The bartering system can still be used, but the staff may not gift as many rewards for their job as a player with Option 1.

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Views on Slavery

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Slaves do not exist in Magani and Tunäwä are incapable of owning slaves even outside the city. Their stature makes it impossible of owning slaves, as many would be find the tables turned on them. Many believe that slavery is an ancient form of punishment where the slaves are treated less than the dirt the master walks on. Like their cousins, they believe that it is a form of punishment. Exiles are given the option to board slave boats to other regions. Some may take this option if death is the only other option to them. Depending on the city an exiled Tunäwä ends up in, the time as a slave could be good or bad.

Tunäwä are sought after in the slave market, so the citizens keep the location of Magani a secret. If at any time it were to get out, the citizens would most like have to move to a different location.

[Nymph]

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Bartering

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The bartering system is extremely unique to Desnind and Magani because every citizen has a role to play in the survival of the city. Hunters and gatherers bring food to the city while merchants bring in money and exotic goods from far off cities. Buildings are crafted and maintained by the construction workers and healers work on the young and old to ease their pain. No one is allowed to live without clothing, food, water, and shelter in Magani. As such, everyone is more interested in trading items for items rather than money.

OOC on Bartering

Due to the societal view stated above, there have been options outlined for players in the Tax Laws section. Bartering can occur with or without a moderator. Moderator approval is needed for any trade where the player gets more than is given. Moderator approval is not needed for any trade where the player gets an equal value or lesser value item for what is given. Moderator approval is not needed for any trade between players.

When a thread is graded, the player may receive extra rewards in the format outlined below. These may be used in Desnind or Magani to barter for other items which have prices laid out in the store locations.

Item Rewarded (Amount it is Worth) x Quantity
Example: Scraps of Fur (1 gn) x 3

Items that are rewarded to a player are based on their skills. A player that has minimal skill points in skinning is not likely to receive a pristine pelt. The worth of the reward will go up as the player's ability goes up. A player may also receive rewards that is deemed extra from the job. They will never receive a whole carcass as a hunter because they are obligated to share with the rest of the city.

The player that received the above items can go to a merchant and attempt to give them these scraps of fur for money (< 3gn) or an item (< 3gn). Any item greater than 3gn will require moderator approval. Moderators will either approve or deny based on the quality of the items given/received, the cost of the items given/received, and the bartering skill that the player has.

Rewards that are perishable items (meat, fruit, etc.) will either need to be eaten or traded by the end of the season. If these items are still in the possession of the player at the end of the season, they will be removed from the inventory due to rot. Rewards that are non-perishable will never be removed from the inventory unless used or sold. Players need to make an OOC note at the bottom of the post where the item is used or traded so that moderators can remove and gift items in the grade.

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Exports

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[columns=3]Poisons
Antidotes
Slaves*
Small Mammals
Trained Birds
Perfumes[/columns]

*See punishments and/or slavery.

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Imports

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[columns=3]Leather
Cloth
Small Mammals
Exotic Birds
Jewels[/columns]

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Businesses

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[columns=2]Pending - Pending
Pending - Pending[/columns]

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Jobs

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The most common jobs for the Tunäwä include poison, antidote, and perfume makers. They have innate abilities that allow them to be extremely good at this craft. Since small mammals and birds are large animals in their world, they also specialize in training and breeding these small beasts for their society. It is not uncommon for them to export small mammals as a food source to Desnind because they are so good at breeding and training them. Adventure seekers will often be mail carriers or couriers, traveling with their mounts between places to carry messages. Those that work for other races are used for their ability to work on a small scale with great detail. Their craftsmanship produced intricate embroidery, beautiful engravings, and fine toys. They are able to focus on detail that a normal human eye could not. Aside from generic, law-abiding jobs, their size also allows them to take on more secretive jobs.

Some of the jobs below will require that the citizen work in Desnind.

Job	Pay	Job	Pay
Perfumer	4gn	Animal Handler	4gn
Animal Trainer	5gn	Herbalist	4gn
City Guard	6gn	Courier	4gn
Embroiderer	3gn	Engraver	5gn
Toymaker	6gn	Spy	7gn

[Nymph]

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Religion

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Ymiden is the patron Immortal of Magani as he is the creator of the Tunäwä. In the central temple, his statue is carved into the heartwood of the tree that holds the temple. Standing behind him is a small effigy of Aläïwä, their ancestor that is honored as if she were an Immortal. The Kufuato will come in twice a season to pray as a group to their mother, bringing her body into one place so her spirit can fill the temple and bless all those in the presence of the ceremony. Aside from Ymiden, a smaller statue of Moseke is present in the temple. She is revered as their mother and honored heavily during Sev'ryn festivals in her honor. Small effigies of the other seasonal immortals - Ziell, Ashan, and Vhalar - for those that wish to ask for blessings during other seasons. Tried has a small statue at the back of the temple for those that wish to pray for a male child. Statues to Faldrun as not permitted as he is also the immortal of fire, yet it is not unheard of for people to pray to him for a female child.

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Education

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The Tunäwä are not commonly educated in the traditional, northern city way. They do not commonly read and write, but it is not unheard of for individuals to seek out "higher education." Reading and writing is difficult for their race as many supplies (e.g. pencils, paper, books, etc.) are not made for their size. Normally, youngsters are taught common knowledge through stories and on walks through the Makubwa Lori. They are skilled in identifying plants that are contain toxic and curing abilities. They are able to track small mammals and hide from large predators. These are the things that elders believe young Tunäwä should learn as it is the foundation for survival. Once they are taught to survive, each individual Tunäwä can elect to seek out teachers in reading, writing, and other subjects in Desnind.

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Recreation

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For their size, recreational activities are big on entertainment. Competition is huge in their society, and large festivals often accompany races and tournaments. If there is no city-wide event, it is common for the little people to take their mounts into the Makubwa Lori and race one another. When by themselves or with a loved one, they will take the fortified boats onto the moat and spend time talking or meditating on the world around them. For the intellectuals of their society, they often keep busy engineering new ways to make their big world a little smaller. For adventurous individuals, a Sev'ryn runner will travel back and fourth between Desnind. Tunäwä will head to the big city seeking bigger events and even bigger friends.

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Cuisine

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Much like their cousins, the Tunäwä diet consists heavily of natural foods like insects, fungi, fruits, and vegetables. Since these are significantly smaller in comparison to humans, a single insect can feed an individual Tunäwä for a day. Starvation is not common in Magani as insects are plentiful in the Makubwa Lori. They have little need to cook their food as they are capable of eating insects raw and often enjoy them that way. Cooking is often used at festivals to provide exotic flavors to meals. Fruits, vegetables, and fungi are often seasonal but the Makubwa Lori is known to provide some sort of produce all arc long. Red and white domesticated meats like beef and chicken are not commonly served in Magani. Tunäwä in Desnind tend to eat these meats more often in the stews that are provided to them as meals. Bread is a delicacy and not often eaten. For drinks, they enjoy tree sap that has been heated to a liquid consistency and water. Alcoholic beverages are not commonly ingested unless at a celebration and when it is forced upon them for politeness sake.

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Holidays

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Tialadani - "The Harvest"
Trial 99 of Vhalar

Desnind is home to a wide variety of fruits, veggies, and insects. Tialadani is the celebration of the harvest. The residents of Desnind get together to celebrate the bounty the forest provides. On the day of the festival, there are great fires on the ground with dancing and singing. Large boar, deer, and bear are roasted openly over these fires. Potato and nut breads were hand ground in the morning and cooked around the celebration fires in the evening. Produce are lined on tables in all forms - raw, steamed, roasted, baked - for sampling. Not a nel is spent on food that day. Other vendors bring their wares to sell, taking the opportunity to monopolize on full purses. All fires, stalls, and parties occur around Moseke's temple, where there is no risk to burning down the city proper.

Mwẹnz Tsäbtä - "The Star Release"
Trial 23 of Cylus

This holiday is designed in honoring an insect that provides a great service to Desnind - light. The iyọ are large glow bugs that live year round in glass lanterns. At the beginning of Cylus, the entire city falls into darkness as these glow bugs form cocoons. On trial 21 of Cylus, the cocoons split to reveal bright, bioluminescent butterflies. These butterflies are released on trial 23 of Cylus, after they have left a few eggs at the bottom of the lantern. By the beginning of Ashan, the eggs have hatched to bring new light to a new year and life. On trial 23 of Cylus, all the residents bring their captive iyọ and release them. There is no place to congregate for the release, as most residents will release them just outside their front door. The sky is filled for the next 24 to 36 breaks with the bright butterflies, making all of Desnind glow. During these hours, the eggs are opaque. They slowly become translucent while the adults are still around, although they will begin to disappear into the Makubwa Lori. The last butterfly leaves Desnind when the first egg glows. Many believe that the day of hatching guarantees new life to Desnind, and this occurs on the last day of Cylus. Rumor has it that the day the butterflies do not hatch, Desnind will remain in darkness forever.

Aìdá adugbo - "The Festival of Love"
Trial 69 of Ymiden

This festival is in honor of the great love the two immortals felt for one another. Ymiden and Moseke have always found great happiness in each others company. This was consummated by Ymiden's gift to Moseke - the Tunäwä. The Sevir use this holiday as a way of celebrating love, while the Tunäwä remember this day as the birth of their people. Many Sevor will give tokens and bond with their dabi uaya. The Tunäwä honors Aläïwä heavily on this day for it is her birthday. Love and birth represent the general theme of the celebration. As always, food and celebration fires are present. Flowers are highly valued at this celebration. Children born during this celebration are believed to have the blessing of both Immortals and have the ability of giving endless love. Sevir believe that they are the happiest of their race.

[Pegasus]

Done done done!!