Tala’mh - A Style Guide© 2012 William Moreno, Lateralis PublishingAll rights reserved

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A Comprehensive Creative Style Guide

William Moreno

Tala’mh. A wonderous world that has seen the gamut of war and peace, destruction and rebirth,

life and death. A lush green planet that once was dying in an irreparable way. Oceans lay where once was caked dirt, and rain falls from clouds that once held toxins capable of mass genocide. It is a planet of paradoxes, and unparalleled beauty.

Tala’mh is centered around the Homestar, a Stage 3 Giant approximately 5 billion years old. One of seven rocky planets orbiting the Homestar, Tala’mh is home to a wide array of plants, animals and people throughout its history. The rocky planet is composed of mostly oceans, similar to Earth, with volcanic soil for its three main continents: Zantachn, Ranfarrin, and Dun’fha. Tala’mh is titled far on its axis due to a past disaster, leaving the northern pole in perpetual sunlight and the southern pole in darkness nearly the entire year following its uniform revolving around the Homestar.

The planet has both lush forests and searing deserts, leading to a mixed palette of browns and greens mixed with vast areas of blue from the oceans. Although most of the planet is in fact ocean, the focus of this guide is the land masses listed above, and the civilizations that inhabit them.

Fyut’iaFyut’ia is the precursor nation to

all the present-day peoples. A fast-

paced, technophilic civilization, The

Fyut’n people glorfi ed the sciences,

always looking to progress and the

way forward at all costs. To them,

there was no such thing as too far,

or too unethical. As a result, the

Fyut’n civilization progressed rapidly,

moving from agriculture to nuclear

physics and from bipedal modes

of travel to fl ight at unbelievable

rates. However, their love for

technology would be their undoing

as they depleted Tala’mh’s resources

more quickly than the planet could

replenish them.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE OLD PLANET

The Fyut’n people are best remembered for their passion for progress,

and their intense desire to learn, to invent, and to construct. Their cities

are the most spectacular sights ever seen in Tala’mh’s history, and though

the Fyut’ians did not see their need to progress as a bad thing, it would

quickly undo them as Tala’mh’s natural resources were consumed.

Technophilia

N-Fission would be the culmination of the Fyu’tn nation’s scientifi c abilities.

The act of splitting atoms by stripping away the neutrons in the nucleus,

N-Fission was set to power the entire planet of Tala’mh once it could be

put into mass effect. However, the Fyut’n people would destroy themselves

with it in the end, and N-Fission would be blamed for the world’s near

destruction.

N-Fission

Fyut’n people pride themselves on their quests for understanding and

improvement on their current technology. This drive would be their defi ning

factor, but it would soon get away from them and drive their entire way of

life into the ground.

Progress

Zantachn Ranfarrin Dun’fha

The northern pole of Tala’mh is

a desert region by the name of

Zantachn. Little to no rainfall lands

here, but at the actual magnetic

pole, there is a large mountain

with the Maelstrom sitting atop.

The Maelstrom is the remnant of

an ancient civilization, and it is the

reason the current people are able

to live in the harsh environment. The

color palette is all warm colors, with

an emphasis on browns and oranges.

The Maelstrom itself is composed of

dark blues, smoky grays and purples.

The Maelstrom should be presented

as fi erce, but it is essential for life in

this region.

Dun’fha is the region of the southern

pole of Tala’mh, and is in near

perpetual darkness as it always

points away from the Homestar.

An icy environment, Dun’fha is

nearly devoid of life, save the

hardiest plants and fungi that use

chemosynthesis to provide energy

and sustenance for themselves.

Blacks and blues are the main colors

here, but the ice does look grayish

when viewed up close.

Ranfarrin is the central belt region

environment for Tala’mh. Composed

as a lush forest region with near

constant rainfall and dark forest

interiors, Ranfarrin is essential to

Tala’mh for its supply of oxygen due

to the expanse of trees, and for

rainfall as it is at a higher elevation

than the other regions. Greens and

blues are the main colors seen here,

and the lighting is often dark due to

the thick cloud cover blocking much

of the Homestar’s light.

H’guott People

The Maelstrom

The H’guott people are the

current occupants of the Zantachn

desert region. A hardy people, the

H’guott live on Mount D’Shapp,

residing under the Maelstrom that

is both their provider and their de

facto God. They are a agricultural

people, using the water and soil the

Maelstrom provides to grow their

crops. They rarely eat meat, as no

large animals live in Zantachn, but

will subside themselves on small

reptiles and any birds in the region,

usually for special occasions and

ceremonies, such as a child’s rite

of passage to adulthood. H’guott

people are tall, lean, but very strong

from the manual labor they perform

as a lifestyle.

The Maelstrom is the remnant of the

Fyut’n nation, the aftermath of the

colossal explosion that occurred at

the northern pole tens of thousands

of years ago. A massive storm of

electrical and nuclear energy that

resides on Mount D’Shapp, the

Maelstrom is responsible for the

recreation of Tala’mh after the Fyut’n

nation nearly destroyed it. Also, the

Maelstrom is the God of the H’guott

people, and inadvertently provides

water, soil and protection for its

worshippers.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT PLANET

The Dlali’ta people reside in the Ranfarrin forests, living in the trees and

communing with nature as it surrounds them on all sides. They are a

mystical people, with philosophy at their core of everyday life. They wear

sparse clothing, usually never shirts even in the case of women, as they

feel clothing gets in the way of their connection to nature and the cosmos.

They tend to blend into their environments, with green clothing. They are

rather pale, however, with albinism a major trait among individuals. They

also tend to be tall, slender, and quick-footed as they travel through the

canopy of their home.

Dlali’ta People

2.2 BILLION YEARS BEFORE YEAR 0

TALA’MH BEGAN as a rocky world, magma-covered and smoldering from its birthing pains. The ground was shrouded by phosphorus gases, and fi res lit the sky both day and night. The air was toxic, the ground was inhospitable, and the planet was like any other lifeless void in Creation. However, as the planet gradually cooled and its atmosphere stabilized under cosmic radiation, chemical reactions in the air formed oxygen as the inner magnetic core pushed metals and rocky elements around on the surface. Soon, the temperature cooled, the fi rst acid rains began to fall, and giant lakes of water formed atop Tala’mh’s surface. There was still no way for life to form, but Tala’mh was yet in its infancy; many changes would happen, a violent yet necessary metamorphosis that would ensure that the right reactions would occur to see us through to present day.

1.2 BILLION YEARS BEFORE YEAR 0Tala’mh had cooled. The atmosphere was highly oxygenated, and water now spread throughout the land from constant rainfall from constant cloud cover. Though the home star rarely pierced this protective layering, and even with the tectonic activity slowing down, the average temperature was still well over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Even so, small chemical reactions were occurring within pools of water enriched with phosphorus from the old atmosphere. These molecules of phosphorus were reacting with oxygen in the air, carbon in the surrounding soil, and heat rising through cracks still left in the earth. As heat billowed up into the watery pools, the water began to boil, forcing reactions between those three all-important chemicals and binding them together. With radiation coming from the home star, something miraculous occurred: something moved on its own. It was small, infi nitesimal, and helpless against its aquatic surroundings. But it was alive.

It grew. It moved. And it multiplied. Soon, these small bits of animate matter joined together, creating more of itself, and growing ever larger. And soon, you could see it with the naked eye. And then you could pick it up. And still it grew. It moved from the water and onto dry soil, and there it rooted itself and spread. The planet, though still mostly barren, now had life. And that was the turning point of everything.

1.1 BILLION YEARS BEFORE YEAR 0

Life had been born. And life was spreading like wildfi re. Grasses, ferns and small trees now populated most dry ground. And the wondrous part? They were no longer alone.

Insects. The harbingers of life as is known on Tala’mh today. They were small, and fed entirely on plant life, at fi rst. But, they were prolifi c, and would soon populate the entire planet, taking the title of Most Complicated Life Form to Date. This too would change in about 100,000 years.

1.0 BILLION YEARS BEFORE YEAR 0

The evolutionary process on Tala’mh was unrelenting in pace and astronomical in scope. Within 80,000 years, reptiles. Within 10,000 years, birds. And at that magic 1.0 billion year mark, the fi rst furry mammal reared its head from a small cave in the middle of what would be present day Zanfarrin. And it only went from there. This increasingly quickening pace of evolution and process of adaptation would spur onward, as the fauna family tree spread and grew and spread some more. Within 600,000 years of Year 0, mankind would rear his head, and look up at the heavens with calculating wonder in his eyes. And Tala’mh would never, ever be the same.

The fauna that evolved over the millennia on Tala’mh are varied at the least. Around two million species of vertebrates exist as of the present day alone, not counting insects and other arthropods. As a result, this vast array of animal life portrays the bulk of the Tala’mh’s time line, as far as showing the process of development over the planet’s history.

Arthropods were the fi rst species of animal life, growing from microscopic multi-celled bacteria living in the volcanic regions of early Tala’mh. First crawling, then fl ying, these species would be the herald of all currently existing fauna in the varied environments.

Everything changed, however, when mammals entered the scene. Warm blooded, covered in fur, and smarter than any other species on the planet, mammals rose to the apex of the chain, and reigned over Tala’mh for many years.

Growing from a second set of multi-cellular bacteria were the reptiles and amphibians. More complex, larger, with an increased brain size and the development of a skeletal structure, they would rule Tala’mh for many millenia before the avian species came to being, evolving from the reptiles to take fl ight and branch off in a different direction.

And fi nally, mankind. Evolving from the simian species around 600,000 years before Year 0, early man was primitive, but clever. It was only a matter of centuries before he moved from small nomadic families toward larger, sedentary communities. From there, tools entered the fray, and soon agriculture was commonplace. These people were brown-skinned, wore clothing woven from coarse cloth the color of dirty water, and were often tall and muscular from hard manual labor. They are represented as hard working and simple, communal but still primitive compared to the nations that will arise from them.

Men have large deltoid and pectoral muscles, from laboring in fi elds under the Homestar. They have little fat on their bodies, as the continual work schedule of early man left little room for sedentary practices until much later in his history. Men tended to be more tan than women, as they spent more time in the fi elds tilling the soil and planting and harvesting. Men were also taller than women, and were seen as more capable than women in aspects of communal life such as protection and early government councils.

Women were slim with small breasts and long legs, useful in child-rearing during man’s nomadic stages. Both men and women wore the same style of clothing, though men would often go topless while working in the fi elds to allow for cooling under the Homestar’s rays. The clothing was simple, coarse fabric spun from the strips of a common plant species of the time. Shoes were not worn, and as a result the older men and women did not walk much due to injuries to their feet over time.

◊ The fi rst major civilization to come about on Tala’mh◊ The first cities grew up around the equator of the planet, then reaching out further from there to the northern and southern poles◊ Fyut’n people moved quickly from the agricultural stages of civilization growth◊ Tala’mh was still rather green and blue at this early stage, and many resources were still available for consumption. This would all change soon

The Fyut’n people developed out of the farmlands, and thus their clothing even to near the end refl ected that fact. These people were fond of loose, airy clothing, brightly colored to show how they felt about their civilization: vibrant and expansive. Dresses were worn by the women, in every color of the rainbow. Men wore loose-fi tting pants and shirts, though often went without shirts, even after moving out of the fi eld from under the Homestar. The fabric itself was often made of silk-like fi bers from plants that grew all over the land, continuing the tradition their predecessors; a tough vegetation whose roots produced fi ne micro-fi bers ideally suited toward cloth making. Because these plants were so plentiful, the Fyut’n people made excellent use of them, from clothing and sacks for carrying supplies

and children, to strengthened fabric that could support heavy weights and was used for roofi ng and sheets for beds and such.

The dyes came from fl owers and roots from other plants, ground up and mixed with water. The cloth was dipped into this dye and then left to dry in the sun. The more vibrant the colors found a person’s clothing, the more prestige they were said to have within their community.

Jewelry was also prominent, often made of precious metals where they could be found. Trade between communities often used jewelry as currency, which eventually led to a monetary system using specie made of these metals to replace the trading of jewelry and ornaments for supplies.

Fyut’n people were very tall, with men at an average of 6’5” and women at 6’0”. As a result, when Fyut’n people came out of the smaller communities around them, they quickly took control via force, feeling they were in the right on the basis of evolutionary progress. It could be said that Fyut’n people were born built to fi ght, and that trait would follow the nation and its individuals for the duration the Fyut’n people would live on Tala’mh.

Fyut’n people tended to be lean in addition to their height, but incredibly muscular, a trait left over from their earliest roots in rural living. It would seem that they were reviled by their ancestors’ lifestyles, and thus could be why they went to such lengths to build themselves up as they have.

Of course, with technological advancement comes the desire to make life easier. In quick time, Fyut’n people became overweight, a side effect to their questing to make life as luxurious as they could in the wake of their new way of life. As they learned and built, they became obsessed with the desire for a life of leisure, and these same people who fought with their natural strength came to fi ght with their creations, and over their creations., in time.

The early Fyut’n physique is tall, lean, muscular, and dark skinned. This would change later on as technology advanced, allowing for free time away from fi elds and even families. As their advancements progressed, more and more Fyut’n people lost their innate fi tness, grew paler from spending time indoors, and even lost their sense of community with one another.

The dress of both men and women still sported bright colors and rich fabrics, as some forms of novelty and perhaps vanity persisted throughout the span of the civilization on Tala’mh. As such, the colors often seen in the cities, especially the larger ones, tend to be radiant, though often single colors all matched together by the sheer volume of people within the area.

Even as jewelry was important, makeup was unused; faces were natural in this sense, and unaltered by any applications.

Even further on into Fyut’n cultural history, people rarely wore shoes or other coverings for their feet. This was mainly because they went without them for so long, genetics took over and Fyut’ians were born with very rough, sturdy soles, and thus did not need shoes to protect them from their environment.

The Fyut’n people expanded quickly from their rural settings, creating entire mini metallic biomes in a matter of centuries. Steel structures dominated the horizons, with thick highways for travel between cities and towns bustling with transportation vehicles. Flight was even common in short time, and air transports were often spotted fl itting between buildings hundreds of feet off the ground.

The main mood of these cities was that of a bustling metropolis, vehicles fl ying about both in the air and on the ground. neutral grays and blacks with some browns were commonplace, but streaks of color still resided wherever people lived, ever harkening back to their vibrant culture.

The architectural prowess of the Fyut’n people was second to none, even by today’s standards. As such, with so much room to build and innovate, soon Tala’mh in its entirety was covered in cities, factories, mines, roads, and other structures and assets of modern life. With all of this construction and improvement came the inevitable fact that many of the planet’s resources were consumed earlier than may have been healthy. But, the Fyut’n people being driven by technology as they were, did little to remedy this, instead beginning to look toward lands further and further away from their industrial epicenters for more ore, more lumber, more stone, and generally more of what they needed to keep the industrial wheels turning.

Industry wasn’t the only forte of the Fyut’n people, however; politics were a huge part of society, and entertainment was often set up around notable leaders and politicians debating and even fi ghting one another for mass approval. This, sadly is the precursor for the eventual deterioration of the Fyut’n society, leading to escalating confl icts and inevitable open warfare between cities, districts, and even individuals.

Many Fyut’n people lived together in huge expanses of communal living, much as they did before. The difference here is that instead of entire communities built on farmlands and in separate buildings, they lived in huge building structures stacked to the sky, with many hundreds of people in a single building.

These buildings were sparse on the outside, often covered in dirt and grime from factories within the same city, and only in the interiors did the richness of color so dear to the Fyut’n people survive. As time would go on, even that would change, leaving a very industrial feel to the entire society and its way of life.

The feel of these structures is the same whether it be night or day: cold and industrial. At night, the sky would light up with electricity from each housing unit, but otherwise there was little more to them than grime, concrete and steel.

The cities in general were grime-covered after a millennia of industrial revolutions, with pollutants beginning to eat away at artifi cial and natural environments alike. Some Fyut’ians fought against this, but the majority did not seem to care about the state of their lives, or that of Tala’mh in general.

Marynt Fyut’nniti was the head of the Fyut’n people near the end of their civilization’s history. A stiff, stern man with an air of formidableness, he stood 6’8” with the physique of a 500 lb. gorilla.

Marynt Fyut’nniti has white hair, blue eyes, and a substantial beard that enhances his facial structure. Always seen in regalia, Fyut’nniti was known for his intimidating atmosphere. Whenever he appears on the scene, there is a sense of calm before the storm, and even with a quiet, deep voice, he commands the attention of anyone who hears him speak.

Fyut’nniti’s regalia consists of black button shirt and slacks, combat boots, and a black high collar overcoat made of bovine leather with brass buttons along the front. The outfi t is meant to confer authority via intimidation, and makes Fyut’nnitit’s already imposing stature that much more intense whenever he’s in the room.

Fyut’ia was a nation destined for greatness, and great it was. Tala’mh had never seen the likes of a civilization like this, nor will it ever again see a civilization as advanced, cultured, or powerful. But it did come to an end, and that end was a bloody, violent and horrif ic ordeal. The entire civilization collapsed in on itself, falling into civil war and terrible acts of force against itself, over things such as dwindling resources, the eventual decline of the health of Tala’mh, and political agendas between the leading government and the outliers who sought power.

The man at the head of the Fyut’n people during this 80 year period was a man by the name of Marynt Fyut’nniti. An easily distinguishable f igure at seven feet one inch, with sterilizing blue eyes, close-cropped graying hair, and a scar-pocked face that told of the battles he had fought in his 150 years of life, Marynt held the government, and thus the society, together until the very end. He was a man of discipline and just but ruthless intentions concerning his people, and his planet. Fyut’nniti had the unique skill of diplomacy by f ire, where he could reason his way out of any argument, but sometimes used

means that would be considered “barbaric” by some. In fact, his own followers feared him as much as they revered him. But he still was the leading f igure in the resistance to the decline of the Fyut’n empire.

His life was spent from a young age learning about government practices, diplomacy, and how to asser t yourself without the use of force by his parents, both who held rather high positions within the central Fyut’n government. This last characteristic would eventually disappear from his reper toire of skills when he would witness the brutal murdering of his parents by an organization of thugs and assassins who would hire themselves out to others for dir ty jobs, no questions asked. It was at this point that Fyut’nniti vowed he would never be passive in his affairs, and he would make sure to be the most imposing f igure in the room at all times. He went drastically in this measure, going through hormonal treatment to grant himself a higher stature compared to those around him. Working out constantly, Fyut’nniti built his frame fur ther, and the use of stimulant drugs aided fur ther in this venture. He then found his way into politics,

strong-arming his way through the ranks until at the age of 67 he attained the position of Grand Emperor of the central Fyut’n government. He would then ride out his years keeping the entire civilization together, until the end of the empire.

Farenn’t stood even taller than Fyut’nniti at 7’1”. Constantly shaved head, red beard, black blue eyes with the body shape of a bull, Farenn’t was almost as imposing as Fyut’nniti when it came to giving orders to his followers.

When Farenn’t is present, those around him are often dwarfed by his sheer size. As such, he commands his underlings’ attention, and is quite charismatic, despite how cruel he can be. This in turn binds his followers to him, revering him as much as they fear his temper.

Tyt’n Farenn’t, a man as cruel as they come, was the chief opposer of Fyut’nniti, and led a rather large brigade of men, women and children who wanted to put an end to the Grand Emperor and his controlling government. A ragtag fi ghter sort of man, Farenn’t doesn’t pull punches, and will return any rude or impolite gesture sent his way with his fi sts. He likely could be a great leader, if he wasn’t so set on destroying those who opposed him to the degree of utter annihilation. As it was, he still led a force of a few thousand to the northern pole of Tala’mh, intent on commandeering a new weapon the central Fyut’n government had been working on. Fyut’nniti had commissioned a new fi ssion bomb, capable of destroying an entire portion of the planet. He was intending to use this weapon as a bartering tool with Farenn’t and the other dissenters of his people, to keep them from uprising and thus stay in control. Farenn’t would have none of that, and with his spy network in place, he found the facility where the weapon was being manufactured. Once there, Farenn’t quickly took control of the compound, but something went horribly wrong. None to this day really knows what happened; only that the bomb detonated, instantly leveling the surrounding land for nearly a thousand square kilometers. Plant and animal life in that area were dissolved, and even the atmosphere was severely damaged. At the point of impact, the electromagnetic fi eld of Tala’mh unraveled, and impromptu tectonic movement spurned an enormous mountain out of the ground toward the sky. The magnetic fi elds circle its peak to this day, and though Farenn’t and Fyut’nniti were taken in the blast, people still discuss their names to this day, even though the men and their legacy have been lost to history. The two had become gods in a way to some of the surviving folk over the next few millennia, however, and were both blessed and cursed for the ensuing destruction and hardship of the surviving people of Tala’mh.

The explosion at the nuclear facility in the military outpost in the Rat’ncit region at the northern pole of Tala’mh was a calamity that would change the planet and its inhabitants forever. The construction of the N-Class Fission bomb was under tight security surveillance; however, Tyt’n Farenn’t, the leader of a dissenter’s party, overran the compound and seized control of the bomb. At that point the details are fuzzy, and any manuscript on the matter has long since disintegrated, but legend has that Farenn’t detonated the bomb intentionally, looking to “cleanse the earth of the fi lth that is Fyut’nniti.”

What happened next undoubtedly changed the world. The explosion knocked the planet off its axis, plunging the southern pole into near total darkness away from the Homestar. The atmosphere was nearly annihilated, and radiation destroyed nearly all life on Tala’mh. It would be thousands of years before the planet reached anything near stability. Plant and animal life eventually persevered, and humanity held on through the whole ordeal.

This explosion is a central aspect of both the Fyut’n history and the present world. It was the end of the Fyut’ians’ lifestyles, as well as much of the life on Tala’mh.

In the aftermath of the N-Fission bomb explosion, much of the life on Tala’mh was wiped out. One of the few things left over was the Maelstrom, the sole reason life was able to continue at all on the planet.

Once the Maelstrom rebuilt the atmosphere, it would be a few centuries before life could gain a signifi cant foothold on Tala’mh, and it would be a hard uphill battle in the coming years.

The aftermath of the explosion at Rat’ncit leaves one wondering how life survived at all on Tala’mh in the following millennia. Plant life had all but been extinguished, and animals, both large and small, succumbed to cosmic radiation with the massive rifts in the ozone layer. Mankind survived, however, though at the cost of nearly 90% of the world’s population.

It was not all for naught, though; the Maelstrom, as it had come to be called, rebuilt the atmosphere and ozone, and the tectonic shifting slowed eventually, quieting down to the point that volcanic activity subsided. The upper levels of the atmosphere cleared up, and sunlight penetrated the dense clouds as they dissipated. Plant life began to grow again, and animals moved out from underground into a new world.

The humans that survived told stories of the old empire, and these stories became legend and then myth, and then largely forgotten. But, even among this new generation of people, some of the stories persisted, and the ancient ruins of the former inhabitants of Tala’mh only added to the subsequent tales told around campfi res at night.

◊ A dry desert zone composed of arid rocky soil across most of the terrain◊ Mount D’Shapp rises from the magnetic north pole, with the Maelstrom sitting at the summit◊ The color scheme to look for consists of browns and oranges, with some deep reds and brighter yellows mixed throughout◊ The mood is hot and barren, save where the H’guott people live, with its single river and the crops grown on Mount D’Shapp’s slopes◊ Dust is always in the air across the environment, due to wind currents in the region

What little foliage grows off Mount D’Shapp consists of dry shrubs and tough reedy grasses. They tend to be oranges and yellows, with dead plants turning a dusty tan brown.

Only small reptiles and insects live in the Zantachn desert, as any animal larger than one foot in length cannot support their metabolism with the meager vegetation and lack of water supply.

Of those animals that do live in this region, most use camoufl age as a means of protecting themselves from the apex reptiles of the region. Those who only hunt, use their markings to hide from potential prey.

Zantachn, the desert region at the northern pole of Tala’mh, is the area of the planet that is nearly always in perpetual sunlight. As such, rain rarely falls on this region, only about thirty centimeters a year. What rain does fall usually comes from the Maelstrom, added to with lightning and the occasional burst of radiation. Fortunately, this last projection happens only sporadically, sparing the lives of those who live in the Maelstrom’s Shadow.

These people are the H’guott. A hardy, quasi-nomadic people, they comprise one of the descendant groups of the Fyut’n people. Strong, powerfully built, and deeply religious, the H’guott people consider themselves holy, living on Mount D’Shapp, the mountain upon which the Maelstrom resides. The Maelstrom is “under their care”, and these people see to it that this holy entity is guarded against would be trespassers. The H’guott people are considered quasi-nomadic, as they constantly move about on Mount D’Shapp, tending to their sparse crops and worshipping the Maelstrom. Though they barely remember the events that led to its creation, the H’guott people revere it, and their entire way of life revolves around the storm, believing it to be their source of creation, as well as

the creation of all of Tala’mh. The H’guott also move to wherever radiation falls from the Maelstrom, considering the blasts of energy to be healing them. Of course, this is only part true; the Maelstrom does indeed change the H’guott, though not in a healing sense. Somehow, many of the H’guott people have gained supernatural abilities, such as telekinesis, and a supernatural tie to Tala’mh itself, strangely allowing them physical control over the terrain. This last part aids them in construction of their dwelling spaces.

The H’guott people, being religious, live a vary sparse life, partly also due to their rugged surroundings. Only harsh shrubs grow in Zatnachn, so food is scarce for them beyond the truly robust crops such as beans and sprouts. The soil in the general area is inhospitable to these crops, but these peoples’ tie to the land allows them to grow their food on the mountainside itself, though admittedly in smaller numbers than might be preferable. However, the H’guott people don’t seem to mind this issue, as they themselves often fast for longer periods of time.

The stories that do survive from the Fyut’n era do haunt them, however. They are repulsed by war, and live the lives they do as a result

of this hatred. They are complete pacifi sts, abhorring violence. Also, they have great disdain for any sort of technology, feeling that it is the root of all violence in the world. Thus, they only use rudimentary agriculture tools, made from the land itself. This is the tie, or binding rope, between the H’guott and Fyut’n people; they were opposite in every way. And, as a result, though these people were utterly pacifi stic, they still reacted angrily toward outsiders, wanting no one to come into their territory and disrupting their way of life. Fortunately for them, the Zantachn desert region surrounding their home quite literally impossible to navigate, as there are little to no landmarks as a result of the explosion long ago. Sand dunes curve forever, and it is quite easy to get lost for good, once one leaves the safety of Mount D’Shapp or the perimeter of the desert itself (from those coming in).

The H’guott people live on the side of Mount D’Shapp in stone huts they raise from the ground. These are meant to protect their owners from storms emanating from the Maelstrom.

The H’guott people are indeed a simple people, living off the land and using it for their every need. This includes clothing, shelter, food, tools, and other things. The architecture, in specifi c, literally comes from the ground itself. The H’guott people have the ability to work the ground to their will, raising tee-pee shaped slabs of stone from the side of Mount D’Shapp with hollowed-out interiors. This is the principle living arrangement for these people, and they have houses made as such all over the mountain.

Being religious, the H’guott people have many temples on the mountain. Used in worship of the Maelstrom, each structure had an open roof, to better see the Storm from within the temples. Torches lined the walls, not for lighting purposes, but as a spiritual link to the fi re-throwing Maelstrom above. These structures were massive; hundreds of people could fi t inside, and the chanting of the worshippers could be heard from miles around.

The H’guott men and women resemble their Fyut’n ancestors in hair color and body type, but are much shorter, as their smaller size helps in heat regulation in the harsh desert environment.

H’guott facial features include a square jaw, long, hooked nose, close cropped red hair and blue eyes. Their skin has taken on the hue of their surroundings, simply by their constant exposure to winds from the Maelstrom.

The stone huts raised by the H’guott people stand approximately fi fteen to twenty feet tall, with a large opening on wide side to allow for entering and exiting the structure. The size of these housing units are fairly uniform, though they tend to be larger for the larger families. Inside, The contents are sparse, with a cooking fi re in the center with an opening in the peaked ceiling to allow smoke to escape. Bedding consisted of threshed wheat and other vegetation laid out around the central pit. Because Zantachn is in perpetual daylight, the H’guott people raise their homes from deep in the earth of Mount D’Shapp, so as to use cooler stone and clay, keeping the inside of their homes cool in the continuous heat.

The largest worship structures are created the same way as the homes, though it takes dozens of people to raise even one from the ground. They are left wide open at the top, so as to envite the presence of the Maelstrom into each building. Each houses hundreds of people for their worship of the Maelstrom.

In H’guott, some of the people have developed the ability to warp their surroundings using mental energies given them by the Maelstrom’s radiation. Those people have become the shamans and religious leaders of the communities, and are responsible for the structures built and the continued welfare of the people in the way of the Storm above them. These shamans have also taken a vow of peace, swearing to never use their abilities to do harm to others. Those who do are placed on trial within the central panel of elders, and if found guilty, are taken up to the summit of Mount D’Shapp and left there, completely at the mercy of the Maelstrom. If they survive and come back to their community, they are considered forgiven. If they do not come back, then they are considered an offering to the Maelstrom; in this way, the H’guott people think they are appeasing what they consider their deity, and that they will remain safe both from the Storm and outsiders wishing them harm.

The robes of these shamans are collected about the waist, and are dyed a crimson red by the petals of a shrub that grows near the summit. These fl owers are

extremely hard to obtain, and a shaman is considered worthy of the title if they make a pilgrimage up the mountain, collect the fl owers, and return safely. A shaman cannot make this journey until they receive the earth moving ability, and if they return, they are to use the fl owers collected to create the dye to make their robes.

The H’guott people’s earth-craft abilities are unique to them. They use this ability only for architecture, never for violence.

The Maelstrom. “Created” back when the N-Class Fission bomb of the Fyut’n empire detonated, it is an abnormality of nature, both in composition and in action. Made of the fi ssion process and fusion process normally found in stars, it is literally a miniature sun sitting atop Mount D’Shapp, responsible both for the destruction and reconstruction of Tala’mh over time. The Maelstrom still creates most of the matter found on Tala’mh, including precious metals, basic building elements found in structures across the world, and, surprisingly, life, according to the H’guott people who worship it. They believe that it was born out of utter chaos that had enveloped the world prior to their appearance, and that the Maelstrom created them as a means to produce stewards who would take care of Tala’mh in the absence of its former occupants.

The Maelstrom atop Mount D’Shapp is a violent electromagnetic storm that gives off radiation and lightning in the surrounding area. Blues and blacks are key here, and the feel of a roiling mass of terrible energy is constantly present.

◊ A heavily forested region with near constant rainfall and heavy cloud cover◊ The White Oak that grows in selected areas dominates the tree line, rising far above the other trees and providing a haven for many species◊ The color scheme is made of greens and blues, lots of grays from the clouds and mists that pervade the region, and occasional browns◊ Because the rainfall is near perpetual, everything seems wet and also glistens slightly, and vision is poor much of the time in the lower strata◊ The Dlali’ta people live in this region, always in the upper canopy where they build their homes into the trunks of the trees that grow here

The Dlali’ta nation took up residence in the large coniferous forests of Ranfarrin, the second main ecosystem of Tala’mh. A forest that grew for the 100,000 years during the restructuring of the planet in the wake of the Fyut’n people, the Ranfarrin forest is the oldest ecosystem currently existing on Tala’mh, with trees reaching 300m in height and a canopy spanning almost a kilometer into the surrounding area from each tree.

The Dlali’ta are similar to the H’guott people in terms of dislike of war and violence, though the similarity ends there. A highly philosophical people, Dlali’taans believe in the idea of Automatism, that life is best lived with little distraction from the inner self, and the role of dreams in a person’s life and the lives of this around him or her. As such, every aspect of the Dlali’ta culture revolves around this concept, from the Elder to their philosophical teachings to their identity as a civilization. The ordinary is extraordinary to a Dlali’taan, and dream divining is often used as the primary means on what to must be done from the day to day to the entire lifetime of these people.

Dlali’taans are rather pale, as sunlight rarely penetrates the dense canopy above, and thus albinism has spread throughout the populaces due to lack of vitamin D in their bodies. With pale red eyes, near translucent skin, the Dlali’ta people seem harmless. Their bodies contain great strength, however; they spend their lives living in the trees of the forest, rarely

venturing to the ground. This has made them great climbers, great problem solvers, and fantastic hunters. Living in primitive huts built into the trees themselves, using bows and arrows to hunt birds and primates that live above the forest fl oor, and utilizing the entire forest in their livelihood, the Dlali’ta have succeeded in mastering the ecosystem they call home.

The Elder of these people, Sal’doar Dlali’ta, is an ancient among his people; reaching 460 years in age, he carries the name of the original Elder of his nation. The role of the Elder is to watch over the Dlali’ta nation, keeping their culture secure and prosperous, and to keep the core philosophies going in the right direction, as well as divining dreams of his people and forging new ideas to be used in the cultural upbringing of each new generation. His longevity is a closely guarded secret; the Elders themselves are often hidden away from the populace, and little about them is known, other than the fact they hold the fi nal decision to any dispute or event in the nation. And so, Dlali’ta has done so, hidden within the Gray Oak, the oldest tree of the oldest species in the forest. From this point, those looking for guidance from the Elder can ask for an audience, never actually seeing his face the entire time.

Sal’doar Dlali’ta has spent the last 400 years of his life honing the core philosophy of the Dlali’ta people: that of divination of the future. It is thought that the Elders had been around

since the ReBeginning, as those of the Dlali’ta nation have come to call the cataclysmic event that ended the Fyut’n nation so many eons ago; and with their elongated lifespan, Elders live for as long a thousand years, guiding generation after generation of their people through the centuries.

The Elder is ancient; white papery skin and rich red robes are the key elements to his character.

The Dlali’ta people live in the upper canopy of the Ranfarrin forest, carving their homes into the interiors of the massive trees in the vast area. Inside, the contents are simple and sparse, much like the H’guott. Dark browns lit by small contained fi res set the mood, and the interiors of the Dlalit’aans’ homes tend to be cozy, despite the meager assembly of personal items and furniture.

The Dlali’ta people are built for life in the trees in a near-perpetual dark environment. Tall, thin, yet quite muscularly toned, with incredibly pale skin (due to lack of vitamin D processing abilities and melanin lacking cells), the Dlalit’ans have adapted quite well to their environment. Their lung capacity has increased, allowing for more oxygen fl ow which helps warm the blood in the cool climate.

The Dlali’ta people have at their philosophical center the idea of their society, and thus spend much of their time in sessions with one another, discussing and divining dreams, refl ecting on simple things like weather, food source migration, and basically the mundane and ordinary. The Dlali’ta people thus have a great appreciation for the simple, and see the smallest parts of one’s life as the greatest treasures to take with him or her. However, Dlali’taans are not conceited, and thus do not pride themselves in their possessions, attributes, or experiences or hold contests and the like against one another over these things. They simply sit, meditate, and commune with one another.

The Dlali’taans tend to feed on small game and fruits that grow in the upper regions of their home environment. Whenever an animal is caught, prayers are offered to it, so as to maintain the balance of the world with the cosmos and the life forces that fl ow throughout.

Dlali’ta people are solemn, and rarely smile. They are quite serious about life in general, and spend all time not hunting meditating. Clothing is sparse and always woven from leaves and vines growing throughout the Ranfarrin region.

Dlali’taans are hunters by nature, as they spend most of their entire life in the trees’ canopy, eating fruits and animals when and where they can. Their lifestyle is quite serene, however, and rituals are always performed both before and after the hunt or gathering session. The Dlali’taans have no real patron god or deity, but instead worship nature, seeing it as both the most simplistic aspect of the universe and as their provider and protector from the outside world. Hunting primates and birds, Dlali’taans have perfected the art of stealth hunting, using body paint to blend completely into their surroundings and making it much easier to approach would-be prey without being detected.

One of the most interesting key features of the Dlali’taan people, however, is the shape of their heads. Due to natural evolution processes, the brains of these people have increased in size; partially to allow more blood fl ow to the various parts of the brain as a heating measure, and partially due to the Dlali’taan people actually using so much of their brain’s capacity (due to

their lifestyle). It is an interesting development in the gene pool, but the Dlali’taan people actually use this increased capacity effectively: the older a Dlali’taan gets, the more of their brain they have at their disposal, and thus strange abilities have arisen within some of the family lines, from telekinesis to telepathy. These developments aid in many of the communities’ day to day practices, from hunting to communing with both nature and one another. The large size of the brain prohibits hair from being grown on the scalp, and both men and women of all ages are bald as a result. To that end, many Dlali’taans shave their entire bodies, seeing it as a sign of beauty and purity to not have any hair whatsoever.

It is common for the older family lines of Dlali’taans to develop telekinesis. This is not, however, a point of contention in their society. Those who develop these abilities are actually quite humble, and only use their talents for hunting and for ceremonies.

Dlali’taans’ family units are very tight knit, though the community at large is still quite close as far as communal affairs are concerned. Their surroundings are dense and dark, so to protect themselves from occasional threats and, more commonly, for the simple joy of community, families will often stick together for the duration of each generation’s life, with children growing up with grandparents and eventually will nurture grandchildren of their own.

The Dlali’ta people view death as permanent; they do not believe in an afterlife, but that the body of the deceased will simply return its nutrients to nature and become a part of Tala’mh again. To honor the dead, however, the Dlali’ta people do hold ceremonies involving the deceased and their families. Special caskets are made from branches of the Gray Oak, where the Elder resides. These caskets are fashioned with vines from the Ura’kna plant and suspended from specifi c trees in the forest high above the ground. The body is allowed to decay within this casket, and then is lowered into the ground with a new tree planted above it. The deceased is thus left to nourish that tree, and the cycle of life continues.

Dlali’taan people are close-knit within family lines, so death is an important aspect of family life. Thus, the dead, though seen as gone forever, are still respected and revered, as though they no longer exist as they were while alive, they do go to nurture the cosmos, and spread their essence around to allow creation to occur.

The Gray Oak represents the heart of the Dlali’ta culture and civilization. There are only a handful of these trees left, each over two thousand years old. The greatest of them, the Da’lnati, is where the Elder resides. The tree is said to be nearly as old as Ranfarrin itself, being the fi rst tree to sprout within the region after the ReBeginning. Whether or not this is true, it is the one place in Ranfarrin where nature itself seems to be strongest. Thus, the Elders have always resided in this temple-like structure, and govern the rest of the Dlali’ta nation from within its confi nes. The Da’lnati stands 510 meters into the air, with a canopy spreading nearly two kilometers in diameter, dwarfi ng every tree around it. Many animals call the tree home, and it is a haven for anyone seeking solitude. If there were a central place to the Dlali’ta nation’s spirituality within nature, it would be this place.

The White Oak is a symbol of majesty, and is the most sacred life force in Ranfarrin to the Dlali’taan people. Whenever one is shown, the stark white bark seems to glow, and the leaves shimmer in the branches with an eerie shed light, though so little penetrates the cloud cover above.

◊ The southern polar region of Tala’mh◊ Dun’fha is in twilight throughout the year, as the planet’s axis keeps the region away from the Homestar◊ Blues and dark grays are the main color schemes here, as the sun never directly shines upon the landscape◊ Hardy plants and fungi are the only life to grow here, and rely on chemosynthesis to sustain themselves◊ The civilizations rarely travel here, and none have done so in the last few centuries

Dun’fha is never in direct sunlight, and is almost never illuminated by light at all. As such, when seen from this perspective, Tala’mh seems to almost disappear from view in space.

Dun’fha is the furthest region on Tala’mh from the Homestar, and thus is in near perpetual darkness. Little to no sunlight penetrates this area, and the only life that grows there gain their energy almost entirely through chemosynthesis. The Maelstrom does not affect this part of the world, and the atmosphere is still rather thin, with large amounts of phosphorus in the air on all levels. Thus, chemosynthesis is the best way for the plants that grow there to obtain their sustenance.

There are few animals that can survive this part of the world, with so little oxygen in the air. Those that do live off the plants that grow in this region, and are miniscule in size (often reaching no more than eight to nine inches in length). There are no fl ying animals here, and only warm blooded can survive by living mostly underground. Rodents are the dominant species here, from rats and mice to shrews and moles.

The subterranean living style of these animals is rather benefi cial here, on top of being out of range of cosmic radiation and the harsh cold; any large predators that venture into Dun’fha will never fi nd enough food to eat here, and there are quite a few skeletons of larger specimens littering the landscape.

White life grows in Dun’fha does not rely on the Homestar’s light to grow and function. Thus, they use chemosynthesis, and convert phosphorus from the atmosphere into their own unique form of energy. Small strings of bacteria grow from off shoots of these plants, becoming parasites to the plants as they use their hosts’ tissues as their own source of food and fuel.

Dun’fha Panorama

Zantachn Panorama

Ranfarrin Panorama

THANK YOU

It was my pleasure to share this with you all. I hope you have gained a little insight into Tala’mh and its history and occupants. May you always have the need for worlds of your own, be they escapes, fantasies or

simply the product of a healthy imagination.