Land Of The Eshal

1. Kraken

   #41

   Taming these many armed nightmares, is seen by the Eshal as an ultimate test of a warrior's courage persevarance and courage.The Krakens are regarded as the ferocious spawn of certain water sprites.Hence,capturing one and forcing it to obey you,is seen as an act of great courage.Young warriors who accomplish this are immediately promoted by their superiors,though more often that not,the young warrior ends up being Kraken lunch.Vicious and murderous in the extreme,the Kraken has to be starved and prodded with a spear for days before it submits to being trained.Even then,the rider must have a spear at the ready,lest it's hunger gets the better of it.Ironically,the very same hunger makes it a fearsome weapon once it is has been trained to see enemies such as Anura and Lurdi fighters as it's prey,instead of the Eshal warrior who rides it.It was a squardon of Kraken riders that slew the dread Black Uuluun.

2. Great Crabs

   #42

   Standing 14 feet tall and possesing a huge,broad carpace,this garangutan crustacean makes a terrifying sight,especially when it clacks lethal looking pincers that can lift a Lurdi clean off the ground.Suprisingly,it is only next to the Ranchowen when it comes to obeying commands given to it.Due perhaps to the fact that it is a scavengar rather than predator,it is not as aggresive as a Great Serpent or a Kraken.As long as it is amply rewarded with rotting meat for correctly carrying out a command given to it.Add a high spawning rate and you have an excellent battle beast.
   
   
   In battle,an Eshal warrior mounted on it's back,will order it to shred enemy fighters to bits.As it's hard carpace is invulnerble,slaying one can only be acomplished by ripping open it's soft underbelly.Not a very easy thing to do,with it's massive pincers swooping down.Their purpose is to clear the way for the rest of the army,making it easier for them to penetrate enemie's ranks.
   
   Coming soon:A list of equipment carried by the Eshal of all 3 castes

3. Land Of The Eshal

   #43

   i think that the lurdi should be graceful in battle with maybe short swords or rapiers. A rapier is a long thin sword of sorts that is mainly used for fencing.

4. Land Of The Eshal

   #44

   Except that the Lurdi are primitives who do not have metal working, in fact I would imagine the metalworking would be ranked as greater sorcery in Tarrod. For weapons, when the Lurdi use them would likely be saw toothed hatchets, and spears made from the teeth of giant sea monsters.
   
   Seeing as the entire continent is water logged, and all of its residents are water-aspected, i think that their weapons come from carving, or shaping in the water, and thencareful drying. Edges come from sharpened bone, or teeth set in a groove akin to the Aztec Macana. Metal would be alien to them,and would only be feasible if it was bronze, as iron weapons will quickly rust in the water.

5. Land Of The Eshal

   #45

   Joe, we now what a rapier is, we aren't stupid.

6. Land Of The Eshal

   #46

   Metal weapons would be almost unknown. Perhaps a high ranking Eshal priest or general could have a cerimonial golden sword,as gold does not rust, but apart from that weapons would be bone,teeth or tusk.

7. Weapons and equipment carried by your Eshal warrior

   #47

   Poth-A slender,six foot long,spear carried by a mounted Eshal warrior.The haft is made of cypress and the spear head is carved from bone.When used in a large cavalry charge,they cut a vast swath through opposing forces.
   
   Daq-A stout,thick club made of cypress wood and studded with thick,stone knobs.If an enemy needs to be captured alive for a sacrifice,he can be disabled with a blow to the ankle.Is the main weapon carried by Eshal foot warriors.
   
   Routh-Small throwing spears that are no more than 3 feet long.Have a willow haft and a spear head carved from a Ranchowen's spike.Are able to hit an enemy at a great distance,if used with a spear thrower.Not normally used for warfare that takes place in water.
   
   (I'll be coming up with more weapons later.If you guys have any weapons you want too add,go ahead.I want the Eshal arsernal to as long and diverse,as possible)

8. Land Of The Eshal

   #48

   Lorhal - The traditional weapon of the Merfolk, a barbed trident made of carved bone, usually a pelvic bone or very large shoulder blade attached to a cypress haft. The eshal adopted the weapon when they discovered that the barbs were effective in hunting the more agile Anura.
   
   Tak - akin to the Aztec Macana, it is a large cypress plank with lurdi teeth set into a central groove. The weapon vaguely resembles the bar of a chainsaw, but instead of a steel chain, there is a row of razor sharp, flesh shredding lurdi teeth. These weapons are only carried by eshal who have fought the lurdi and are ideally made from the teeth of a lurdi slain in battle
   
   Drah - a large dagger made from a single heavy bone, generally the ribs of Uuluun, or some other great beast. It is a single edged blade meant to punch deep into the flesh of an enemy.
   
   Gat - a long stick with a pad of leather on the end. The leather pad will be worn for a long time by a cuada before being affixed to the end of the gat. The leather, impregnated with the Cuadas natural toxin allows them to strike foes at a distance and hopefully escape their dying throws as their nervou system suffers catastrophic failure

9. Land Of The Eshal

   #49

   Teq-Two large stones bound together with strong twine and swung around to brain an enemy.Very much like a bola,a traditional South American weapon.
   
   Fowt-A carefully crafted weapon,it is a stone disc that is ringed with the shredding teeth of a slain Lurdi.A swinging weapon like the Teq,it has a hole bored in the centre,through which a cured strip of Groll hide is strung.When swung at tightly packed masses of enemies from a distance it can blind and stun many.As with the Tak,only warriors who have slain a Lurdi carry it.
   
   Lah-Large stone knob with a hollow centre,that can be slipped over the tip of a warrior's tail.Using his strong tail,he can lash out at the faces of foes.A side arm that is used by a foot warrior when he has lost his Daq or Tak.

10. Armour and metal working

    #50

    What kind of armour do you think Eshal warriors would wear,if any? And do you think that metalworking should be a skill practiced by some of the priests,albeit metal working that's limited to non-rust metals like gold?It would go well with the idea of metal working being an almost magical art,something only the priests can do.Precious metals and gem stones could be used to make ceremonial items which are given to priets and high ranking warriors as Cheka man suggested.

11. Land Of The Eshal

    #51

    The armor is simple, it would be made of preserved bone set into suits of leather made from the hides of the various sea-monsters that the eshal use as mounts. It would be equivalent to regular leather armor, studded leather armor, and brigandine, but with plates of bone sandwiched between leather layers.
    
    There could be an interesting application for the carapaces of the giant crabs. Some weapons could be fashioned from the thick central ridges, and with a good saw (lurdi tooth comes to mind) armor plates could be fashioned from it. Weapons could be crafted from the same material.

12. Eshal protective equipment

    #52

    Armour-To protect their soft bodies,the Eshal wear armour that is created out of Groll or Great Serpent hide and the carpace of a Great Crab or some of the smaller bones found in an Uuluuln.The hide is used to make a vest,which then has bits of Great Crab or preserved Groll bones.Although seemingly frail when compared with steel armour,the interlocking bits of bone or carpace can turn aside the hacking blow of a Lurdi flint hatchet or the thrust of an Anura spear,saving the wearer's life in the process.
    
    Helm-The helm worn by an Eshal warrior to protect his sensitive eyes,is carved out of the carpace of a Great Crab.To make themselves look mighty and terrifying,Eshal warriors often adorn their helms with various bones taken from foes and dangerous beasts they have slain.

13. A look at the Eshal priesthood

    #53

    Scras,do you think I should go on to describe the priestly administration of the Eshal lands,or should I concentrate on fleshing out the milatary first?

14. Land Of The Eshal

    #54

    I think the priesthood has more potential because once you get past the different names and weapon preferences, a soldier is a soldier.

15. Land Of The Eshal

    #55

    I think he idea of a preisthood is a wonderful idea. Should they be clerics or just your average 'I pray every day' preists?

16. Land Of The Eshal

    #56

    What is the difference between a cleric and a priest? Cleric just means "priest".

17. The High Priests of the Eshal and their roles and functions

    #57

    The High Priests are next only to the Emperor himself in importance.Spawn of the Matriach,just like him,they are seen as being of almost divine orgin and are entrusted with the sacred task of appeasing the Gods of water.Once every 2 years,a great sacrifce is held,to thank the Gods for the divine favour they have blessed their daughter and her son,the Matriach and Emperor repsectively,with.There is no fixed date and the priests rely on dreams and visons to tell them when the Gods wish the sacrifice to be held and what they wish to be done by the Emperor.
    
    These arcane and confusing dreams are interpreted by the mysterious Cuada mystics that train the Priests in the ways of the Gods.The sacrifice is held in the courtyard of the vast temple known as the Abode of The Divine Ones and is presided over by the Emperor himself.Produce and precious objects collected from every part of the empire is offered before the massive statues that represent the Gods of Water,by the Emperor and the High Priests.A line of wretched slaves are then led to a massive granite enclosure housing massive Red sharks,so named for their dark red hides.The High Priests believe them to be the holy messengers of the Gods of Water.Thus,feeding the unfortunate slaves to these ravenous carnivores acknowledges the gifts the Gods have shown the Brave people.Carrying out this ritual of gratitude without fail ensures that the Eshal continue to prosper.Crops and livestock will be healthy and abundant and the War Chiefs will continue to smite the savages.
    
    But their duty does not end there.In addition to their religous and ceremonious functions,they also head the massive bureacracy that is responsible for governing and collecting tribute from the various lands of the empire.Each High Priest is in charge of his own domain.In ruling it,he is assisted by lesser priests that are the children of his many consorts and a War Chief,who with the aid of his warriors,puts down any native uprisings.The lesser priests in turn are responsible for overseeing the indidvual Eshal colonies and villages.In this they are helped by the scribes,whom they recruit from among the brighter peasants.Thus,the High Priest is the Eshal equivalant of a duke.In addition to his lesser priests and scribes,he also has a large army of retainers and servants who have the task of taking care of his own personal holdings and a Cuada advisor,who in a non-official position,offers him advice on how to deal with some of the more complicated problems he may face.The presence of the Cuada appointment however,is resented by the warriors who see the Cuada as meddling salamanders.This has sometimes led to disagreements and differences of oppinion,between the High Priest and the War Chief.The only time the various High Priests congregate together,is during the great sacrifces and the sporting event known as the Quop.

18. Prophecies

    #58

    Guys,I'm thinking of creating an Eshal book of prophecies and warnings,something like a book of doom.Any ideas or suggestions?

19. The Prophecy of the Brave People

    #59

    1. It is one of the Inner Mysteries that is reserved to the higher ranking echelons of the religious heirarchy, and is used as a guide for the Brave People as a whole, and not a canon book like the Quran or Bible. Knowledge is power, and power is not given away freely.
    
    2. It is an oral record, not recorded on a physical surface. The higher ranking priests also serve as pseudo-jonglours, passing the prophecy on to the eshal who rise far enough in the ranks to become privvy to the Inner Mysteries. There could even be highly respected scholars who have dedicated their lives to memorizing the prophecy in whole and leading exploration and interpretation of the prophecy.
    
    3. Question to ponder. Is the Prophecy really a thing given from the gods/oracles what not, or is it a really big piece of Cuada propagande to whack the eshal over the head with? Is it a real prophecy, and do the Cuada just have a better understanding of abstract concepts?
    
    4. Most of the prophecy would be events that have already transpired to give the prophecy credibility. None of it has to be true as long as someone thinks it is true. A small portion would be the Commandments and sins of the Brave people as well as admonishments and threats of divine punishment, and the last part a suitably prophetic doom. We humans have been claiming the world is going to end since the fall of the Roman empire. This is assuming that you are looking for a 'facts of life' sort of work as opposed to the portents of the future and wrath of the gods bit.

20. Land Of The Eshal

    #60

    Please elaborate more on the ''facts of life'' bit. I'm sorry if I sound a little dumb or slow,but it's a bit hard for me to understand.

21. Land Of The Eshal

    #61

    The basic thou shalts and thous shalt nots that are not part of the big list. Some examples from the Bible include that one should only eat the flesh of fish that have scales and eat not that which has either cloven, or uncloven hooves. Other stuff spelled out for the commoners, dont date your sister, dont eat all of the prey...how to offer regular prayers as opposed to bloody sacrifices and so on.

22. Land Of The Eshal

    #62

    Ahh,I get it now.I'll draw up a list of commandments for the Eshal soon.

23. Land Of The Eshal

    #63

    Well don't just copy the Christian commandments. Phrase them differently- make them a riddle or something. Or how about a chain of reasoning?
    "You must not cause pain, therefore you must not harm or sicken, therefore you must not kill"
    "You must continue our people, therefore you must create strong children, therefore you must reproduce outside of your family, but you must not harm, therefore you must not rape."
    
    Something like that, although that seems a bit complicated for the Eshal...

24. The first 3 Commandments of the Eshal

    #64

    1. You shall do your best to make The Brave People strong,therefore you will not slacken in your tasks,therefore you will be content with your place among us.
    
    
    2. You will uphold the superiority of our race,therefore you will in no way aid in empowering the savage infidels,therefore you will not treat them as equals,but with the contempt they richly deserve,therefore pity them not.
    
    3. You will honour your duty to the Brave people,therefore you will do what is do what is good for our nation rather than thyself,therefore you will remember that you will obey the commands given to those who rank above you and will not seek to disobey them.

25. Land Of The Eshal

    #65

    Awesome! I like them already.

26. The next 3 Commandments

    #66

    4.You will see to it that The Brave People will continue to remain numerous,therefore you will you take as many consorts as you can afford,but you must see to it that all of them bear your heirs happily,therefore do not favour one over the rest,therefore forget not your older consorts when a younger one is brought into your house.
    
    5.You must remember that The Brave People must not allow themselves to forget that for all their power, that they are only mere mortals who must not forget the source of their power,therefore fail not to respect and revere the Gods of Water for the bessings they have shown us,therefore always conduct the ritual sacrifices and on no account,harm one of their first born,the Cuada.
    
    6.You will remember that the fire of strength and youth is but of the moment,therefore respect and trust only the wisdom of the ages,which is forever,therefore do as commanded by your elders and provide for their needs without complaint.

27. Land Of The Eshal

    #67

    We are the Cuada, and we approve this message.

28. Land Of The Eshal

    #68

    Do you think the 6 Commandments I have written so far,cover all aspects of Eshal life?

29. Land Of The Eshal

    #69

    Lets see.
    
    1. Work hard, dont complain
    2. Remember we are better than everyone else
    3. Work for the Greater Good
    4. Multiply
    5. Respect the gods, and their servants
    6. Respect the elders
    
    Looks pretty good to me.
    
    The basic tenants of their faith provide for slavery (lesser races of course) communism, polygamy. They sound pretty damn evil to me, but I think they are muy cool.

30. Popular sports of the Eshal

    #70

    Thanks,Scras.You guys have any ideas for competitive sports played by the Eshal?The games don't necessarily have to be restricted to any one caste and can be played by everyone.

31. Land Of The Eshal

    #71

    Do you think the games should have any religous signifigance?Something like the Olympics maybe.

32. Land Of The Eshal

    #72

    I can see swimming and swimming related events being very popular, it is the equivalent of field and track to them. In the olympic vein I can see wrestling as a popular sport as well as good excercise and training for unarmed combat.
    
    Other athletic events could be javelin/spear casting, that sort of thing, but that is fairly mundane and not likely what you are looking for. I think maybe Captain Penguin might be able to help more, he comes up with some interesting and divergent things for his empire.

33. The Quop

    #73

    The Quop is a series of games held to remember the victory of the Brave People over the arrogant mer folk.Although a sporting event,it has a strong religous signifigance and is second only to the Great Sacrifice in importance.The Emperor himself attends it,as do the various High Priests.Moreover,It is perhaps the only event in a strictly regimented society,that is open to everyone.Anyone can particpate,from to the lowliest peasant to a High Priest.
    
    
    Coming soon:The games and ceremonies that make up the Quop.

34. The start of The Quop

    #74

    The Quop,unlike most sacred events in Eshal society is held on a fixed date and does not depend on dream interpretions by the Cuada.making it extremely popular among the warriors and peasants, who are glad that at least one major festival is free of Cuada machinations.
    
    It is held on the 2th day of the Holy Month of Hanir,the day the Eshal are said to have crushed the infidel mer folk.It is held with great pomp and every able bodied male who is eager for glory,come to test their mettle and skill in the hope of winning the favour of the Emperor and the Gods.Vast crowds throng the Great Square,the peon space ringed by the giant pyramids that make up the Vast Temple/Palace complex,waiting for the arrival of the Emperor and the High Priests,who arrive in the capital the night before
    
    
    It begins very early in the day.The Emperor arrives first,accompined by his siblings,the High Priests who arrive the night before,accompanied by their most senior retainers and their favourite offspring.When the moemnt finally comes,the great gem encrusted,ivory drum is sounded.The Emperor then strides into the square respledent in robes of purple and flanked by his Imperial Guard.Next come the High Priests with their own body guards.The High Priests form a circle around the Emperor and kneel before him.A slave is then dragged into the square.A deep hush follows as the Empeor slits the throat of the slaves with a gold hilted,ivory Drah.If the spilt blood flows around the feet of the Emperor,it means that The Gods have blessed the Quop and will allow it to take palce.If however,the blood spills on the Emperor's feet,the Quop cannot be held and must be postponed until the next year.If all goes well,the Emperor,the High Priests and other notables take their seats on the immense stone platform built into the natural rock formation covering part of the Square.The Emperor then claps his hands,signalling the start of the Quop.

35. The first game of the Quop

    #75

    The Quop begins with something called the Gower.It is an extremely popular game among the peasants who make up the bulk of the Eshal and has thus been been given first place at the games. It is usually played at village celebrations and festivals to thank the Gods and wagers are often placed on the result.
    
    The Gower is basically a game that takes place in rectangular wooden ring,in which the athletes are required to swim after and grab a certain tiny fish that is released into the square,to win.But to make itmore difficult for them to win,the fish is released among an enire shoal of identical looking fish.The only way to pick it out among the rest of the fish,is too keep an eye out for it's fins that have been dyed gold.
    
    The winner who suceeds in grabbing the prize fish,presents his quarry before the Emperor,who rewards him with a an ivory and gold chain.In addition,he is also given a large herd of Groll and prized Ranchowen stallions or mares.

36. The Rof

    #76

    The next item is an intensely bloody and vicious sport,just the way the Eshal like their games.For anyone who particpates in this sport,faliure is not an option.Yep,it's either victory and fame or a brutal,gruesome end.
    
    Anyone who is brave enough,is led into into a hastily constructed stone pen from which he must return alive,after defeating it's monstrous occupant.Within lies an extremely nasty Kraken that has been starved for a very long time.Naturally,it's first instinct on seeing anyone enter it's enclosure,is to swallow that intruder.Armed with just a Lorhal,the athlete must hope to dispatch a beast.Usually they will try to blind the monster by stabbing it's eyes,before it can grab them with one of it's tentacales.A blind Kraken is much easier to slay than one which can see it's opponent clearly.
    
    If the athlete fails to slay the beast and is caught in it's deadly,many armed emabrace,there will be no attempt to rescue him.Eshal traditions of honour demand that the athlete must come out alive,through his own efforts.Nevertheless,the lure of fame and a lavish prize consisting of a sack of gold and lapis beads that given by the Emperor himself,are too powerful to resist for a lot of young Eshal males.

37. The Hufa

    #77

    The third item at the Quop is the Hufa. It is is a game that requires fast reflexes and speed.A popular sport in most Eshal domains,it is second only to the Gower in terms of popularity among the peasant and warrior castes.
    
    It basically involves two Eshal standing on wooden platforms that fight each other with wodden staffs,hoping to knock their opponent of his perch.There are no rules and blows can be rained anywhere.In additon,no protective padding or armour is worn aming broken limbs,smashed jaws and even cracked skull very common.The athlete who defeats all his opponenets and wins the grand prize of a jewel encrusted obsidian mirror and two merfolk slaves,will have to defend his title as Hufa victor during the next Quop.

38. The Gadaf

    #78

    A sport that follows in the violent tradition of the Rof,it too is not a sport for the faint hearted.It basically invoves a fast swim from one end of a steeply walled pen to the other,something like an Eshal equivalant of a spring but with a brutal twist. There is usually no second or third positon for this game,as most of the time,only one out of the dozen who particpate make it out alive.
    
    The long,roughy rectangular pen used,is actually divided into two sections,with the shorter one taking up roughy one third of the total space.The stone barrier the pen into the two portions is be lifted with the aid of a crude system of pulleys and a trapdoor placed over a very large hole into the soft soil,can be seen.When one of the servants from the Emperor's staff gives the signal,two warriors enter the smaller part of the pen through a small side entrance and lift the trapdoor up,before hurriedly darting out.Within moments,massive tiger sharks shoot out of the hole and sooon the smaller part of the pen is seething with a school of ravenous,hungry sharks.When that happens,the particpants enter the longer part of pen through a small side entrance and wait for the barrier to be lifted.When the sharks shoot into their part of the pen,they're off!
    
    Their goal is to reach the opposite end of the pen before the sharks get them.There a small hole is carved ino the wall,through which an Eshal but not a tiger shark can swim.Any survivors who make it out alive through this hole,is handsomely rewarded with gem studded ivory bracelets and talismans,along with a small herd of Groll.

39. The Deru

    #79

    The Deru is perhaps the most popular sport of the Eshal,popular with all three castes.It is also the most simple,involving just two competitors,each trying to wrestle other to the ground and hold him there for 5 minutes.
    
    At the Quop,it's usually those from the warrior caste who challange the defending champion,given the fact that they usually are the strongest,but occasionally a peasant or lesser priest who enters,may win through skillful moves that take his bigger warrior opponent by suprise.For the fight,both contestants usually have their bodies slathered with the oily sap of a certain kind of plant called the ghora.This amkes it difficult for either opponent to get a grip on the other,thus making the Deru a contest which requires great skill from those who take part in it.
    
    The one who defeats the defending champion,is given large,gilded ivory boxes of powdered ghora leaves,which are a very powerful stimulant,along with a herd of Groll.

40. The Shahan

    #80

    The Shahan is a game that requires quick reflexes and patience,thus making it a game popular only among certain warriors and lesser priests who have been able to cultivate that virture which is so uncommon among the fiery and hot headed Brave People.
    
    Each contestant is given just one shot to spear a giant sea slug is kept in a box with a large round lid covering the top.When the box is set down and the lid raised,the sea slug will stay inside cautiously,slithering out only when he is sure that there is no danger outside.When this happens,the contestant who is standing 15 feet away,must chuck his Routh at it quickly to pin it down.If he misses,the next contestant in line,moves in to try his luck.
    
    The one who sucseeds in spearing the slug is given a beautifully decorated sceptre as well as a large sea weed plantation.

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