by M. J Kreyzer
The Gulf of Aliya
The name 'Aliya' became the common reference to this body of water after the first Sirens returned with Phillip Carver as it was the name they had given it. It replaced the Arctanican name. It is located in the gulf nearly surrounded by the Aliyan and Delyran Peninsulas.
Tarmus Straight
The narrow body of water located between Tarsis and Southern Arctanica.
The Bremonni Badlands
The geographical feature in the Pretoratan that covers the greatest area, The Bremonni Badlands are set to the east of the Byfayne Mountains and to the south of the Sestik Mountains. On its flat, desolate plains are three major cities: Leramato, New Eckis, and Pyre.
Aliyan Isles
History: Located within the Gulf of Aliya, the Aliyan Isles claim the title as being the most mysterious and least known geographic location on the planet. Because of their location on top of a massive raw Furo aquifer, the size of which contests that of the Sestik Aquifer, the Aliyan Isles sit near the center of the Aliyan Dead Zone, making any air approach impossible and an approach using any electronically based transport unnecessarily hazardous and impractical. To add to the islands' veritable impenetrability, tall columns of sharp, dense rock protrude from the ocean floor while a multitude of sizeable coral reefs rest just below the surface. Being as it is, approach by water is hazardous and, as most explorers have determined, not worth the risk of life. With those facts kept in mind, only a handful of humans have made it onto the Isles alive while only one has returned.
The Aliyan Aisles are home to the Sirens. During the Autocthonids' initial southern migration at the advent of the Evolutionary Epoch, a small, derelict group of Autocthonid migrants constructed the first vessels capable of maritime transportation and fell upon the small, tightly knit archipelago. They would eventually spread across the five islands some with unique reactions to the Furian Aquifer located beneath them. As a result, the Aliyan Isles, should Phillip Carver's records prove even remotely accurate, are the some of the strangest and most bizarre locations on Havok.
The initial discovery of the Aliyan Isles took place in 1375 during the Exploratory Renaissance . When a ship, the Styling Palto, set off from its port in Pardene, it was met with the same enthusiasm that most exploratory endeavors were treated with during that renaissance. However, after the passage of a year, the success of the voyage came into question. After another several months, the Syling Palto was considered lost. Another voyage set off in an attempt to complete the journey that the Syling Palto had embarked on. When that ship never returned, it became perfectly clear the dangers of exploration and maritime travel. These disappearances, as well as fresh memories surrounding the doomed voyage of Captain Daniel Valentine, instilled uncertainty within the throngs of potential explorers and marked the end of the Exploratory Renaissance.
Several years later in 1385, a pirate vessel known as the Tomb of the Righteous, stumbled across a series of islands not marked on any map when fleeing an Arctanican Frigate off the Pardenian coast. According to ship records, the Tomb of the Righteous had decided to set anchor off the Aliyan coast and explore the island. Before a solid anchor could be set, though, it was said that a series of 'womanly, sultry voices' drew them and their ship nearer to shore. Entranced, the ship's captain and several crewmembers found themselves unable to maintain control of themselves and the ship was steered towards shore.
After impacting on several subsurface pinnacles, a teenage crewmember named Phillip Carver regained at least a small amount of control and attempted to steer the boat away from the island. Heavily damaged, the ship sunk within a matter of minutes while Carver and a number of crewmembers managed to escape.
Following nearly a week at sea, the small boat of starved, dehydrated pirates were picked up by an Arctanican patrol and taken back to Pardene where they were put before a judge. During their trial, the men testified separately before the judge, jury, and Pardenian citizens in attendance of the events that had transpired of the Aliyan coast. They spoke of the beautiful women who robbed them of all self-control and lured them onto the jagged rocks offshore. While initially met with skepticism, the nearly identical testimonies of the other four men cast a new and pervading air of mystery over the Gulf of Aliya. Their testimonies, though, did nothing to soften the jury and judge to mercy. Four of the five men were sentenced to hanging while Carver, because of his low-level status on the ship and the little influence that he had, was instead sentenced to ten years in prison.
Over the decade that followed, legends of these 'Sirens' spread throughout civilizations across the world, being regarded as both fact and fantasy. Several vessels attempted to explore these newly regarded 'Isles of Aliya' and, with extra care taken with the knowledge acquired from the pirates of the Tomb of the Righteous, returned safely home. Any crew that attempted to explore the island, though, was never heard from again.
After ten years, Phillip Carver, now 28 years old, was determined to not only return to the Aliyan Isles, but to accomplish what no man had ever accomplished: to make it ashore, explore them, make an accurate record and return safely home. After difficulty assembling a crew (excursions to the Aliyan Isles had been strictly forbidden by law), Carver charted a voyage to the Aliyan Isles in 1395 and, according to historical records, was not heard from again until 1418 when he returned to Pardene with a thick, leather-bound record he had titled Transcendence: The Enigma of the Aliyan Isles as well as two dozen members of the native people, advanced by Arctanican standards. It's from these two dozen Sirens that all modern day Sirens would descend. There is no other known instance where Sirens travelled to or returned from the Aliyan Isles.
This new record, because of the strange and bizarre nature of Carver's exploits, is considered fraudulent by the establishment as well as those considering themselves to be among Havok's intellectual elite. And though he had proved the existence of this strange, beautiful and entrancing race, the events that actually transpired drew doubt due to their improbability. This discredit led to the general consensus that, while Transcendence is an entertaining and well-thought out story and that the Sirens were, in fact, a real people, it is nothing more than an elaborate fantasy fabricated by its author, Phillip Carver.
Note: Due to the extremely limited information available concerning the Aliyan Isles, details surrounding the elusive land masses are scarce and subjective. What follows is information taken as objectively as possible from Phillip Carver's record Transcendence and the Enigma of the Aliyan Isles. The limited available details involving the islands and their inhabitants are considered provisional and speculative and in no way constitute a definitive and accurate record of the Aliyan Isles. What follows are translated excerpts from Phillip Carver's Transcendence.
Upon approach, the Aliyan Aisles are beautiful, entrancing, but strangely foreboding. (This is undoubtedly due to the traumatizing nature of my initial visit.)The Aliyan Isles consist of five main islands known as the Isle of Sanctity, the Isle of the Dead, the Isle of the Holy Sovereign, the Isle of Sentience, and the Isle of Souls. Each island has its own unique culture and inhabitants while there is one, the Isle of Sentience, that is so strange and so unpredictably bizarre that I find it difficult to describe. But more on that later. I will instead start with a basic description of these remarkable places and work my way from there.
The first island I came across was the Isle of the Sovereign, home to the king and queen of the Aliyan Empire. At first glance, it appears to be a tropical paradise set upon a towering, cobalt bastille and is ostensibly impenetrable. It isn't until closer examination that I find a narrow and perilous white sandy path winding up the cliff's edge.
The second island, located to the immediate east, is the Isle of Sanctity which serves as the sacred isle inhabited by Aliyan priests and priestesses. The third, located to the west of the Isle of the Sovereign is the Isle of Souls. Due to the strange, ominous phenomena I encountered along this island's outer edges, I was unable to explore it and
to me, as it does to the rest of the Aliyan Empire, the Isle of Souls remains a dangerously intriguing mystery. The third island, located to the south of the Isle of the Sovereign, a place which I will spend a great deal attempting to describe later, it the Isle of Sentience. It is a curious, peculiar island with a strangeness that I will make no attempt here at describing (While I cannot be certain, I feel that due to some strange power, the Isle of Sentience is subjective to the minds and hearts of those who visit it ). The last Isle is the most mundane of islands, resorting itself to what I believe to be native superstition while I have no experience with anything unusual or remarkable having happened there. This island is known as the Isle of the Dead. It is considered by the Aliyan empire to be a temporal passage to the afterlife. Because of the general trepidation surrounding the Isle of the Dead, only one town, with a mere two hundred inhabitants, has been built, and due to their general aversion to recreational intimacy, the population of the Isle of the Dead stagnates and remains constant.
Travel between islands is dangerous and nearly impossible and the passages of water between islands are considered haunted and possessed (though I know personally that these waters aren't, in reality possessed, but are instead abundant in dangerous, sinister columns of razor sharp rocks.) Further instigating an aversion to travel are the existences of the strange and disturbing phenomena experienced by Captain Valentine which I myself temporarily found myself trapped in. Due to the perilous nature of these bodies of water, it seems that the different islands, while under the declared rule of the Isle of the Holy Sovereign, have developed their own societies and are independently governed.
Transcendence and the Enigma of the Aliyan Isles
Reaching completion circa 1418 M.E, Transcendence and the Enigma of the Aliyan Isles, (Most often referred to as Transcendence) details the endeavors of explorer Philip Carver as he made his way around the Aliyan Isles. The name Transcendence comes from Carver's high opinion of the Islands' inhabitants, viewing Sirens as the 'perfect beings' and holding them in an almost religious esteem.
The book is split up into volumes, each volume being a vivid and detailed description of each of the Aliyan Isles while the final log is a lengthy, abridged journal of Carver's journeys between the islands. (The original copy of Transcendence contains Carver's unabridged log, a record which ended up being over three thousand pages in length.) An abridged copy of Transcendence was made widely available in 1505 M.E, having been abridged by Carver's son.
The History of Havok
Archaic Epoch (A.E) 3.9 Billion Years
This is the Epoch where the world was created and took form. It's also the epoch where the first, single cellular life form appears, developing form matter gathered together at Havoc's creation. It ends at the advent of the first race of linguistically and socially advanced creatures known as the Autocthonids.
Prehistoric Epoch (Ar.E) 2000 Years
This is the Epoch where, according to Archaeologists and Biologists that a race known as Autocthonids (Or, by the Durants, Angels) populated the planet alongside its wildlife. This period of time was considered to be the planet in its perfect form. However, after a cataclysmic cosmic event, Altigo's and Eygus' orbits around their stars are dramatically altered, consequently changing Havoc's orbit, eliminating the global tropics that the moon once enjoyed and created a series of 'dead zones', or areas that seemed uninhabitable compared to the Autocthonids' original biome. The Prehistoric Epoch ends at the conclusion of this cosmic event and the beginning of the development of the Havoc that existed at the beginning of the Modern Industrial Epoch.
Evolutionary Epoch (Ae.E) 5000 Years
With Havoc having descended from its utopian state and the climate of their home dropping to sub-arctic, the Autocthonids who lived in what would later be known as Andoria disagree on where future salvation could be found. With the disagreement being as it was, the Autocthonids branched off to the far corners of Arctanica as well as Elvytica to the north. During this mass exodus, evolution takes its toll on the various groups as their future generations begin to adapt to their new surroundings while maintaining a harmony with their Furo characteristics. It’s from these various adaptations that Werewolves, Vampires, Sirens, Highlanders, Humans, Wylsks, and the modern day Durant came to be. The Evolutionary Epoch is the least known Epoch and only its duration can be estimated. It's during this period of time that modern languages evolved as well as written communication. Around 4000 Ae.E, a primitive economy emerged while the various factions, clearly distinguishable through race, lived separately from one another and remained independent while engaging in small scale warfare.
Medieval Epoch (M.E) 1813 Years
The Medieval Epoch began with the creation of steel. Over the next several decades, this discovery would redefine and revolutionize everything from home living to construction to warfare. Mankind advanced across all fronts, including technology, the arts, as well as philosophy. However, due to the extreme racial fragmentation of the time, these advancements were confined to their various cultures and subcultures and were entirely distinct from one another.
The Medieval Epoch, though, was not defined by the amazing progress made in art and philosophy. Rather, its defining aspect became war. While the intellectuals were appreciated, it was the warriors who governed and maintained what poor order there was. During this time, the Highlanders, due entirely to their size and ferocity, were the dominant race. Vampires isolated themselves to Elvytica and eastern Arctanica while werewolves, due to their unrivaled mobility, could be found across all regions of the continent. Durants were generally confined to the Damidian mountains and, because of their devotion to the teachings of the Rune, lived as pacifists and, oftentimes, victims. Humans, because of their general disadvantages, distanced themselves from the other races, a mindset which inspired the doomed voyage of Captain Valentine and later Benedict Solago, a move which would open up a new continent for colonization.
Modern/Industrial Epoch (M.I.) 230 Years
While many historians will dispute its beginning, the Modern Epoch is most commonly considered to have begun at the invention of the first firearm. From there came the invention of automobiles, a modern power grid, electronics and computers.
Races
Durants
Durants are the closest living relatives to the race presumed to be the precursors to all humanity, the Autocthonids. Durants are built very similarly to humans though slight genetic differences result in their being slightly taller on average. Due to the same genetic anomalies responsible for the Durants' indefinite lifespan, Durants have are less prone to sickness than humans and heal at a rate that closes in on 2-1. By that same token, genetic defects and degenerative diseases are far less common among the Durant race.
The one characteristic that best defines the Durant race is their ability to manipulate Furo. Using a sixth sense, Durants are capable of sensing the presence of Furo and can instinctively determine its intensity and stability. (Or, in the case of Elemental, the lack thereof.) As such, it is possible for Durants to see the world entirely through their sensitivity to Furo, recreating three dimensional objects in their mind and viewing their immediate environment from any angle they wish. In order to determine the stability of Furo in an area, the Durant who is using this ability need only look for color differentiation within their field of vision. Areas within their field of vision that are blue in color are destabilized and, therefore, areas where Elemental can be used. Areas that are colorless, however, are areas that are stabilized and Elemental is impossible. The degree of stabilization can be further determined by how contrasted objects are within that field of stabilization. The heavier the stabilization, the less contrast that exists while enough stabilizers within a certain area can render a Durant relying on this Furo Vision blind entirely. Furo Vision, by all accounts, is the most effective and useful sense of any human being. The issue with this ability is its high difficulty of mastery. While all Durants are able to sense Furo, only on
rare occasions can they rely on that sensation alone to produce vivid mental recreations that come even close to being as detailed and vivid as eyesight. Such abilities most often only come out of their necessity, most often in the case of remarkable poor eyesight or blindness. As a result, few Durants can be even remotely effective with Furo Vision and simply don't use it.
Another difference between human beings and Durants is their nervous system. In Durants, the nervous system is capable of transmitting not only neurological signals but magnetic impulses as well. These magnetic impulses interact with Furo particles, creating the sensation of their existence, which is then transmitted back to the brain where the Durant is then able to sense the Furo itself. These magnetic impulses can also be projected into the environment and can then be used to manipulate Furo and create Elemental. These magnetic impulses originate in the brain, the portion of which is located beneath the brain's frontal lobe. It's here, the command center of Elemental production, where the existence of Furo is interpreted while creating and sending out these impulses for the creation of Elemental. This area of the brain is indistinguishable from humans' by appearance only and can only be detecting by monitoring the electrical impulses themselves.
These magnetic impulses also produce unique biological signatures which, if the right equipment is used, can be tracked via radar. It is this characteristic which, when discovered in 257 M.I, was used to track the location of Durants within several feet as one of the most crucial aspects of the Durant Relocation Act.
