Introduction to Atheria: The Minor Domains

   Now that we’ve covered the major domains, it’s time to talk about some of the ones that only support small colonies or are completely uninhabited – and why. First up, we’ll cover the Absolute Command, Binding, Enchantment, and Ice Domains. As usual, details on the local race/birthright package can be found on the Races of Atheria page and the characters for the setting use the abilities from Eclipse: The Codex Persona, a classless d20 system (also available in a shareware version HERE).

   Areas that only support small colonies usually do so because humans can only survive in a few, unusually friendly, locations within the domain – whether that’s because they’re mostly under water or because of hostile environments, flora, or fauna. A few other domains are here because – while they apparently do have enough land to support a reasonable number of people – they’re currently unexplored, usually because they’re almost impossible to reach. Such Domains include:

   Absolute Command Domain: This domain apparently incorporates a fair chunk of land along the southern coast, but there are no reports as to what abilities the Birthright grants, if there are any inhabitants, or what the region is like – probably because the domains surrounding it are virtually impassable. Judging by the few known spellcasters who use similar magics, the local Birthright is probably powerful, versatile, and exhausting to use.

   Binding Domain: This domain, sometimes known in HuSung as the “Hundred Realms”, seems welcoming enough – until you try to live there. It is the nature of the Binding Domain to fiercely resist change. It’s mountains are nearly as tall, rough, and jagged as they were when they were created. Mighty masses of snow build up until their weight surpasses even the binding power of the land and they roar down in horrific avalanches. Plants cling to vertical cliffs, the soil is nigh-impossible to dig or plow – and spirits remain bound to bodies, possessions, and places. Many small groups – mostly rebels from HuSung and losing tribes from the Ankorath – have taken refuge in the near-impassable terrain of the Twisted Peak. Here their customs, oaths, and persons are preserved, lingering across the ages. Those who do not flee the things they encounter there, or who pass into the depths of the domain, do not return.

   There are a few children with the Binding Birthright, the products or victims of misdirection and experiment. They are… strange. Time passes slowly for them, and often for those about them. Fires burn low and cool when they are near, matter becomes more stable and enduring, they bind other energies and forces to themselves, and they invariably become undead or haunts when their long, slow, lives draw to an end at last.

   Enchantment Domain: According to the scholars of HuSung, the Enchantment Domain – and the scattered isles within it – are a link, or perhaps an area of overlap, between the otherworldly realms of the Fey and the material realms of Atheria. Those who can navigate the mists, illusions, and mysteries of the fringes of the otherworlds may arrive at the towers of Narrishin and seek out the masters who dwell there. Unfortunately, the reports of the few who have succeeded in such a quest and returned are inconsistent as to details – although wild forests, verdant parks, and soaring crystal towers are a common theme.

   Those born with the Enchantment Birthright apparently lead a dual existence – changelings both within the realms of the fey and within the mortal lands, waking to both alternately, and drawing on the powers of both. Unfortunately, this tends to lead to them being involved with the troubles of both.

   Ice Domain: The Ice Domain has a certain wild beauty about it. It’s glacier-covered peaks, gouged-out fjords, drifting snow, crumpled sea-ice, rocky outcroppings, and occasional icy bogs displays a severe and minimalistic grandeur – but offers little or nothing to actually eat. A few ice-aspected plants grow directly on the ice-fields, but most of them are virtually nutrient free – although their perpetually-cold “wood” does have its uses, even if it won’t burn. Similarly, a few of the animals are little more than masses of animated ice – but such things are rare.

   What conventional life there is tends to center on the rare patches of genuine soil swept clear of ice and snow by the wind – and in and around the sea. All the usual creatures – fish, seals, whales, and the occasional shore-dwelling carnivores – can be found by there. There too can be found the few human settlements – scattered igloos, longhouses, and ice-caverns – which exist in the realms of ice. Sadly, while the Ice Birthright makes its bearers comfortable around the freezing point of water, it similarly lowers the point at which they become vulnerable to heat – leaving them essentially trapped within their barren realm, able to emerge only in the depths of winter. Their scattered settlements subsist on the the products of the sea, small amounts of laboriously-produced and gathered plant products, the odd bit of trade (icewood, ivory, frost essence, liquid light, stargems, pearls, furs, bone, metals, and carvings, mostly for food, cloth, and other basic supplies) – and winter raiding on the coasts of the Frozen Sea, the Bay of Rani, the Boreal Sea, and Nial, where the ice-reinforced coracles and depredations of the Frost Giants are well known. Fortunately, there simply aren’t very many people with Ice Birthrights, so such raiding is an irregular nuisance rather than a serious menace.

   Socially the Frost Giants are, at best, tribal – their scattered settlements linked by a loose network of marriages and personal relationships. Social status among them is relatively simple: those who are regularly successful at bringing in supplies – whether by hunting, fishing, harvesting, trading, or raiding – are respected, as are those who are skilled in useful magics. Those who live as employees or dependents of others – miners, crafters, children, the infirm, and the (rare) elderly – are the first to starve when food is scarce, and are seen as little more than property. A valiant death, whether in battle, in the hunt, or in simple struggle against the elements, is both honorable and glorious. Allowing your family to care for you in age or infirmity is shameful; better to walk into the wastes and redeem your honor.

   Their margin of survival is too narrow to allow for much more – which is also why the periodic attempts to either eliminate or “civilize” them have invariably failed: if the year is bad enough, there will be no food and nothing to trade – which leaves the Frost Giants with a choice of raid, beg, or die. Since begging means forfeiting your honor, admitting that you are no more than a slave – and is, in their experience, unlikely to work in any case – that pretty much leaves raiding.

   And so they do.

Session 49a: The Codex Draconis

   Contacting the parents of the young dragons actually turned out to be pretty easy: the Chauffeur had a couple of the “Dragons Eye” personal runestone-computers, and they were all linked into the network. All he had to do was look them up and make the calls.

   It took a little convincing to get the system to put him through – but the fact that he was a superhero on a nursery planet was enough to get the system to put him through to the various sets of parents.

   The responses weren’t exactly as clear-cut as he would have liked though. He’d forgotten just how OLD their parents were. He stopped after checking on the ones that belonged to Chi’an. He’d have to give this a little thought.

   Baen’s parents were actually pleased with the situation. They cared for their son – and if he got out into the universe with the idea that “strong, tough, and fast was enough” in his head he’d die. Challenging a boy with four duel-victories, ten slaves to draw power from, and plenty of equipment and enhancements was proof enough that he NEEDED to be restrained until he developed some sense – and they’d rather see him leashed for a few thousand or hundred thousand years than see him dead. Dead is a very long time. They’d mourned enough children over the last three and a half billion years. Chi’an had already shown the foresight to set up emergency assistance systems for those who accepted his leadership. A few hundred thousand years was nothing.

   Herensuge’s parents felt that their idiot son had bet his virility and freedom on the unsupported assumption that a girl who’d issued an open challenge to every male on the planet wanted to be caught by him in particular. They’d apparently have wanted to bail him out if it was anything permanent, or even really long-term – but his new master would doubtless release him soon enough, and his little time-out was well earned. Hopefully the experience would help him learn to think things through a bit more.

   Kaarme’s parents wanted to see him set free. He was overeager, overconfident, and oversexed – but that came with being adolescent, and they thought the penalty was a bit stiff. Chi’an had already released several boys that had been defeated by other boys after he defeated their masters, perhaps he could be be talked into extending it to Kaarme? OK, he was beaten by a girl, but they didn’t really see why that should make any particular difference.

   Leontius’s parents were totally disgusted with him. Creating hybrid kids, cuddling them and letting them call him “father” as they grew, teaching them as much dragonlore as they could learn, and then leaving them to age and die – whether out of not caring or out of not bothering to learn how to prevent it – was utterly despicable as far as they were concerned. They felt that Chi’an was quite welcome to do anything he liked with his property for as long as he pleased; he wouldn’t be hearing any objections from them. Maybe they’d be willing to speak up for Leontius after he’d spent a few million years as an eunuch slave – but if the Chauffeur would really like to do something for them, they’d like him to look up any of the “grandchildren” who are still alive and see what could be done about keeping them that way.

   Malasin’s parents wouldn’t mind seeing him set free. They thought that the whole dominance-struggle thing was pretty silly. Still, it was normal enough for kids, and they always grew out of it. Given that Malasin was the one who insisted on making it a full challenge, he had nothing to complain about. If someone talked Chi’an into setting him free, that would be nice – but he’d doubtless be released soon enough anyway, sooner if he behaved himself. It’s not like Malasin wouldn’t have claimed ownership of Chi’an if he’d won. Besides, they suspect that Chi’an is probably the best potential flight leader in the bunch, and will probably be a better master to Malasin and the other boys than Malasin would have been to him – and they’d like to see all the kids survive and do well.

   Sarkan’s parents are of the opinion “boys will be boys”, and see dominance-competitions as a sporting proposition to be encouraged. They’re disappointed that Sarkan lost – they’d much rather have applauded proudly from deep space as he enslaved and emasculated a dozen or so of the other young males and claimed a dozen or so of the girls like his father when he was an adolescent – but it’s not like it’s really anything more than a kid’s game. At least he only lost out to another dragon, not to some planet-bound mortal. That would have been really embarrassing.

   Vasilko’s parents were seriously disappointed in him. Losing out to another boy in a hard-fought battle for dominance would be normal enough – even if they would have preferred a win – but pissing off most of the other youngsters and then being stupid enough to give them a reason to declare open season on him through inattention and neglect was just dumb. Oh well, he’d learn, and he’d be set free soon enough.

   Yoshima’s parents feel that their son is a decent kid who’s had far more than his share of bad luck over the past several centuries – and really doesn’t deserve enslavement on top of it. They have somewhat come to regret their choice of culture – the “Samurai” bunch had some good ideas and encouraged the military virtues, but turned out to be much too fatalistic – but there’s no changing that now. They know that it isn’t likely to succeed, but they’d be grateful if someone would make an effort to talk Chi’an into setting their son free.

   As for the parents of the females…

   Asura’s parents thought that the “submissive slave-concubine” relationship was juvenile and undignified, if not exactly uncommon – but she is a juvenile, and the kept-safe-in-a-harem lifestyle may not be particularly glorious, but it usually pays off in grandchildren. Since her submission was “forced” with nothing more than words, posing, and a bit of dominant-bad-boy attitude, so be it. The youngsters initial relationships rarely last longer than a few hundred thousand years anyway.

   Chizura’s parents would like her set free: The initial dispute she contested with Asura over was earth-political, and they never did think it made much sense. Still, it looked like Asura would set Chizura free soon enough – but then Asura let Chi’an claim her as a slave-concubine on the strength of nothing but arrogance, and took Chizura into long-term slavery with her. They know she’s not particularly unhappy – but at least part of that is probably the bonding spell. Neither of them are big on the “females exist to serve males” idea, they didn’t raise their daughter that way either, and don’t like her being stuck in such a relationship.

   Luchair’s parents felt that she belonged in a harem: if she was silly enough to think that challenging every adolescent male on the planet to try and claim her would keep them away, she was too silly to be out on her own – and if it had been a deliberate gambit to ensure that she was claimed by a powerful male, well, it worked. Chi’an seems decent enough for an adolescent boy, and they’d both enjoy themselves now that she was over her initial reluctance and he had acquired a little finesse. Things will probably change after they grow up anyway.

   Naga’s parents would rather that she had picked someone other than the flight leader – they tend to get killed a lot more often than the subordinate males – but they understand both gratitude for his helping her and the attraction of mating with the strongest available young male. She opted to offer herself to him, and they can’t fault an adolescent boy for accepting her. She’s Chi’ans property for the next couple of hundred thousand years now; hopefully he’ll live long enough to breed her properly.