Humanoids
373. Humanoids: Seeq
GENUS: Humanoid
CLASSIFICATION: Seeq
[1/6] Observations
Humanoids of great girth, considered somewhat duller and cruder than humes. Though they appear ponderous, they move with surprising alacrity, making excellent warriors whether on the attack or defensive. However, their barbarous natures and lack of courage find them engaged more often as bandits or worse. Very fond of gemstones, gold, and other shiny objects, with which they richly adorn their bulky forms.
[2/6] The Riddle of Myth
Most Myth and Legend, through the Influence and Designs of Culture and Religion, becomes warped considerably from original Form. However, should we look more closely into its myriad Folds, therein might we find the Thread of Truth. Come, friend, and I shall guide you through one such Myth, a Story of Ivalice and Her Creation. Though stories of the Great Making are as many as the Stars in the Firmament, few are they that begin with a Tale of Vengeance.
Look closely: mayhap it shall be you who finds the Thread within.
Sekhaba, Theologian
[3/6] Ahnas the Holy - Part One
And so it was that Fabar and the Danan, being tribes of Gods both, warred for many thousands of Years, until the Prophet Matoya foresaw that Xabaam, God-king of the Danan would die by a trusted Blade, and War would end.
Fearing death, God-king Xabaam took his most trusted General, Ahnas, God of Swords, and thrust him with his Retinue into the ever-darkened Depths of a great Labyrinth, there to bide for all eternity.
Yet Ahnas begged aid of Heth, God of Death, who was Lord of the Labyrinth, and so did He make his escape from that Gaol.
[4/6] Ahnas the Holy - Part Two
So did Ahnas offer His own Life to Heth, God of Death, in exchange for his Release, and together with his Followers did he swear Vengeance.
Several Millennia had passed, when an Army appeared before the Fabar. It was the Followers of Ahnas and Ahnas himself, his Life made One with that of Heth. He was now Ahnas the Holy, and together with his Army he won Battle after Battle against the forces of Danan, until word of his Triumphs reached the Ear of We'aka, Fabar God of Makings, and upon one Day, Ahnas revealed to We'aka his true Story.
[5/6] Ahnas the Holy - Part Three
We'aka saw Strength in the Vengeance, and thereupon swore an Oath that Ahnas' Army should join in the final Battle against the Danan. So did the Long War between Fabar and Danan enter its final chapter.
Then did Ahnas call upon the Magicks of Heth to give his Army strength for the Battle to come. Some were given new Forms: those of Elemental Lords of Fire and Water. Others were given the Powers of Venom or crushing Force, and glorious were all the Victories of those so transformed.
War raged on for a thousand Days and Nights. When, at last, Ahnas was triumphant over the Danan, then did he reveal himself to God-king Xabaam and so took him Captive.
[6/6] Ahnas the Holy - Part Four
We'aka, God of Makings, and the Fabar ordered that god-king Xabaam's Head be taken, yet Ahnas wished that Xabaam pay for his treachery, and so did he cast a Magick of eternal life upon the once Lord who was now his Enemy, and so fashioned his Body into a great Land. Then did Ahnas and his Retinue ascend to Heaven, whence to look down upon the Land they had created.
Now Ahnas the Shining named the cursed land "Ivalice," and made Men to walk upon Her. In Time, Man began to eat away at her Soil, digging deep within her Folds, threatening to destroy the very body of Xabaam the Eternal, even while the Memory of his Sin remained.
So did Ahnas and his Retinue divide themselves into two: Perselas of the Day, and Metselas of the Night, and swore to guard this Land for Eternity.
374. Humanoids: Urutan-Yensa
GENUS: Humanoid
CLASSIFICATION: Urutan-Yensa
[1/6] Observations
Race evolved from crustaceans to bipedal humanoids. Their hides are extremely hard, covered with stiff bristles of needle-like hair. Customarily, they wrap themselves in cloth, though whether this is for protection against the elements, or to hide their hideous appearance, none can say.
Extremely aggressive by nature, all attempts at integrating Urutan-Yensa into hume culture have ended in tragedy.
Though they recognize no state, they are fiercely territorial and war between Urutan-Yensa tribes is incessant.
[2/6] Letters to a Wayfarer
My Dearest Pulania,
My close examination and painstaking translation of the text you send me a fortnight since is finished. I send you the results with all haste. The text in question was written in an ancient time, yet it offered only nominal resistance to my keen interpretive eye.
It is nothing other than the memoranda of an ancient crafter of weaponry, though as to whether what it records is a truth, or merely a fiction, I must confess I suspect the latter.
I await your return with bated breath, and ask you bring something offering a modicum more challenge, though my expectations remain, as always, humble.
Yours,
Farrister, Archaeist
[3/6] Project Memorandum - 1
12/24/27
Request from said Patron, wanting a Device for felling Beasts, Fiends, &c., and I not thinking to ask what Sort of Creature he hunted, but it matters not. Whatever it may be, it will have Wants, and I need only Fashion an appropriate Lure to whet its Greed. Perhaps something in the Shape of a Coffer.
19/26/27
Prototype complete. When places surreptitiously amongst my Assistant's Belongings he reached for 't with a swiftness and lo, his Shock and Dismay at being caught! Now I only need to fashion for it a Means of Attack.
[4/6] Project Memorandum - 2
29/26/27
Delivery complete.
1/27/27
Received Complaint. The Target was in Fact a Dragon of some Power. Tell me these Things sooner! Yet one must not Complain to one's Patron. On bended Knee and with Head hung low, submitted I a Tally of additional Costs and Fees, for which I was only reimbursed after much Hemming and Hawing.
I will not forget this.
5/27/27
How to defeat that which cannot be defeated?
Nightly, I ponder...
[5/6] Project Memorandum - 3
6/28/27
'Tis hot. Unbearably so. I find this Season most unpalatable. Be that as it may, I have devised a Plan for this Project. When One does not know the Strength of one's foe, one must first observe. Then, One must attain the necessary Strength to defeat the Enemy. My Weapon will be a learning, growing Entity!
16/29/27
Growth Lattice in place. Had I not made it Myself, indeed, I would say it lived. Yet all that lives must have a Mother, and so that is what I shall make next.
14/30/27
The Mother is complete, and continues Her growth. So too grows her Brood, for daily she gives birth to small larval Weapons. Like their Mother, they too must have the Appearance of small Coffers. 'Tis much like the laying of Eggs one might witness in the Wilds, and as such is quite fascinating, yet at this Rate my Laboratory will soon be filled with Coffers. Returning current stock to Storage.
[6/6] Project Memorandum - 4
29/30/27
Delivery. Via reviewing Crystal concealed in one of the Coffers, I watch the Fray. 'Tis a Dragon of incredible Size, indeed! My Creations' Attacks appear to strike true, yet the Creature is nary the worse for it. I shudder to think on how much further Growth will be needed before the Results can be seen in this deadly Contest.
1/31/27
Received Complaint. "How dare you allow the fell Beast to escape?" or some such. I essayed to explain that Time was required for the learning to take root, yet my dear Patron's ill Humors did rise, setting his Face to shine bright Red, and there was no reasoning with Him.
A Pestilence take him!
Finding this whole Affair to have left a bitter Taste upon my Tongue, I departed, bu only after creeping down to the Patron's well-appointed Cellars, there releasing a very young Mother. That should give him a Surprise in a few Years.
5/31/27
I wonder where Mark XII could have gotten to? Both viewing Crystal and Transmitter were crushed in the Fray. I can only surmise it found some Place rich in Mist whereby to foster its continued growth. I wish it the best of Luck.
[This being the last entry.]
375. Humanoids: Garif
GENUS: Humanoid
CLASSIFICATION: Garif
[1/6] Observations
This race of large-framed, well-muscled humanoids have bodies covered in thick fur.
The Garif adorn themselves simply with ornaments of stone and bone, preferring natural objects over those crafted or otherwise unchanged from their original form. The one exception is their masks: each is unique, and is worn for the duration of the owner's life.
The Garif worship magicite as a sacred substance, and possess deep cultural knowledge of the stones.
[2/6] The Dragon's Game (1 of 5)
Dragons.
The most feared of all creatures, yet, beyond mention in ancient tomes of their servitude to the gods in antiquity, little is known of the ecology and development of the great wyrms.
I have in my studies, come across a certain fable concerning a god and a dragon. The stone tablet upon which it was written was only recently discovered, and though there are surely some embellishments as might be found in any fable, I wonder with no little surprise at its simple elegance. Perhaps, I find myself thinking, this tale has the germ of truth in it.
Lecluse, Exegete of Tales
[3/6] The Dragon's Game (2 of 5)
In times now ancient, a Dragon was born, stronger than anything that had been before, and in time he thought himself superior to the God that had created him.
One day he said unto Him, "I am stronger than you, God."
"Very well," replied the smiling God, "then let us play a game, and we shall see which of us is the stronger."
So began the Dragon's game.
[4/6] The Dragon's Game (3 of 5)
Dragon and God agreed to three tests to see who was the strongest.
"See yon mountain?" asked the God, "can you carry it here to me?"
"As easily as an ant might carry a blade of grass," the Dragon replied, and a moment later he had brought the mountain to the God's feet.
"Next," the Dragon said, "it is your turn."
"No," said the God, "I am not stong enough to move a mountain."
And so did the Dragon win the first test.
[5/6] The Dragon's Game (4 of 5)
The next test was also one of strength.
"See there yon rock?" asked the God. "It is of the strongest stone in the world. Can you pierce it?"
"As easily as a sparrow might pierce an apple in search of the worm," the Dragon replied, and a moment later he had opened a gaping hole in the stone.
"Next," the Dragon said, "it is your turn."
"No," said the God, "I am not strong enough to pierce such a stone."
"And so did the Dragon win the second test.
[6/6] The Dragon's Game (5 of 5)
And so they came to the final test.
"See there yon magickal ring?" asked the God. "Can you pass through it?"
"As easily as the ferret scampers through the warren-hole, in search of the hare," and a moment later, the Dragon's neck was through the ring.
Yet the ring was too narrow for the dragon to pass through entirely.
"You have tricked me," the Dragon said.
"I am cleverer than you," replied the smiling God.
Thus did the God win the final test, and thus did the Dragon become lesser than the God in all things.
376. Humanoids: Baknamy
GENUS: Humanoid
CLASSIFICATION: Baknamy
[1/6] Observations
Humanoid race closely resembling humes, save for the small horns atop their heads. Diminutive in size, even adults grow no larger than Hume children. Unable to breathe untreated air, they must wear filtering masks to survive.
The greater part of baknamy live in poverty, and their frequent association with criminal activities has led to much prejudice and hatred of their people among hume society.
[2/6] The Wolf in the Woods
A truth: Things there are in this world not meant to exist in harmony with one another, whether they be so close as to touch, or so far as to never know of the other's being. Actions were taken in defiance of this truth, and indeed, they stirred the imagination of the world, yet only served to hasten the inevitable end. Who can say this is not the preferable outcome?
Amata, Philosopher
[3/6]
Listen! A village there was between the mountains and the sea.
It was a peaceful village, yet with one abiding fear: a great wolf that had come to live in the forest nearby.
None knew when or whence this violent beast had come, yet his howls crept over cobblestone and rang in the rafters, setting the villagers to trembling.
Yet the wolf howled not to threaten, but for loneliness. Indeed, he sought the friendship of the villagers, not their flesh.
[4/6]
A hunter from the village came, and saw the wolf, and understood its cry. So he sought to help the beast.
"Wolf, do you know why you are feared? It is because your aspect is frightful to us."
The wolf asked what he might do to amend this, upon which the hunter replied, "Wolf, I shall cast a magick upon you so that you might have the form of a man." And by the time the hunter finished speaking, the wolf had indeed been transformed. The wolf thanked him, but the hunter gave him a warning, saying, "You are a man only in appearance. Know this: you must never speak, for you are a wolf, and that is the way things should be."
[5/6]
The wolf that walked as a man left the forest and went into the town. His new face glowed with joy, for now he would have friends. The people on the street viewed this stranger with suspicion at first, yet his smile won him their trust and welcome.
The wolf was moved by the smiles they returned him, for he had never seen men showing anything but fear. Yet he did not speak, for that is the way things should be.
So was this a joyous time for the wolf. But soon it grew dark.
The wolf returned to the forest, a wolf, no longer a man. That night he did not howl, but drifted off to sleep thanking the hunter who had given him such a wonderful day. And the hunter saw the wolf, and he was glad.
[6/6]
Listen! A village there was between the mountains and the sea.
A peaceful village, for fear was dead, slain by the proud hunter whose blood-song sounded over cobblestone and rang in the rafters, easing the villagers' fitful sleep.
And the hunter did not doubt, nor did he cease his song ... until a great pack of wolves descended on the village.
377. Humanoids: Bangaa
GENUS: Humanoid
CLASSIFICATION: Bangaa
[1/6] Observations
Humanoid race, their bodies covered in small, hard scales, with distinctive long, drooping ears. Bangaa are nimble and strong, living up to twice as long as the average hume. In manner and intelligence they greatly resemble humes, and as such as the most integrated of the humanoid races in hume society.
Even so, some humes call the bangaa "lizards" behind their backs, but this is considered a slur, and is like to deeply offend any bangaa within hearing.
[2/6] Nameless Inkings
It was a clement day when my partner and I arrived at Nabudis at the end of a long journey. I remember looking upon her beautiful welcoming streets and realizing no other place could be more fitting a destination. Gathering up what coin we had, we secured residence, and began to look for work. From odd jobs to risky border patrols, we did all, and were satisfied.
Thinking of it now, I realize, I was happy then.
[3/6]
We were not particular in our acceptance of work, and so in a short time amassed enough wealth that we might live in some degree of comfort.
Our residence began to fill with the articles and artifacts of our daily lives, and soon we found our roots sunk so deep in the soil of this city, we could not imagine ever leaving. Though I assisted my partner with work, we gradually came to seek out our own time, and so grew apart. Yet, we were satisfied. Why need this life ever end?
[4/6]
Several years after beginning out life in Nabudis, there came a call for soldiers from the city watch. We had, by this time, made something of a name for ourselves, and so did a summons come to us. We were not born in this city of Nabudis, yet our love or the town knew nothing of this, and we accepted without delay.
I was given to the border patrol, my partner to the defense of the city wall. The night before I was to leave, we ate a splendid meal and drank such wine as we could afford. It was as though we knew it would be our last meal together.
[5/6]
The days of my patrol were harsh, yet we finished out duties, and weeks later, had only to return.
That night, I dreamt.
My partner came to me, trying to tell me something, yet I could hear nothing but the blowing of a distant wind. Perhaps I became homesick as I slept, for when I awoke, my eyes were wet with tears. In the dream, my partner had been unchanged, a perfect memory.
Our feet turned home, all out thoughts flying down the road ahead of us, faster than we might hope to walk, back toward Nabudis.
[6/6]
What awaited us upon our return was not a hero's welcome, but despair. Gone were the beautiful palisades, gone were the families and friends that surely awaited us. Only a wasted, blasted land remained.
Then we saw the people of Nabudis, though to call them that is a jape of the bitt'rest sort. They were the walking dead, hungering for life, and consuming all they found that was light and good. We fought them to save our own lives, and we wept.
Then, among the dead, I saw him. And I could fight no more.